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Day 7 – January 7, 2018

Is there someone in your life that when you are in their presence or talk with them, they make you feel icky? Have either of you been judgmental towards the other?

Recently, I experienced this icky feeling. It was difficult for me to be around them. I put on a mask, acting like everything was fine—it isn’t. Putting on the mask doesn’t work for very long, especially if they are your neighbor, co-worker, family or church member or family friend. You have to see them often. I don’t like feeling uncomfortable and know I have to do something, but what?

What would you do?

Earlier this morning as I was driving, I asked God to forgive me for taking so long to ask for His help for the both of us. I need help seeing them as He does, because today, I don’t like being around them.

Jesus demonstrated His love for all of us by making that Great Exchange. I may not have to physically die for another person, but I have been set free from death and given true life. With that true life and freedom comes a great responsibility. I must freely give others: my time, an open heart, a listening ear, a non-judgmental attitude, a smile, a warm greeting, a kind word of encouragement and comfort, a moment of silence, prayers—even to those I’d rather dismiss and not deal with…. is this even possible? 

“Yes.”

Daily Reflections: I am not responsible for how you treat me, but I am held accountable for how I love you. I cannot do this by myself so today I ask for God’s love to become my own.

“Love others as well as you love yourself.’There is no other commandment that outranks this.”

“There is no greater love than for a man to open up his life for the good of another.”

“That’s why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready for His Return, which is all that really matters. I hope they realize how much and deeply I care. I hope I can show them I am really on their side and not just being nice to them, as so many others have treated me before.” Paraphrased from Mark 12:31, John 15:13, and 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15, respectively (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

Day 6 – January 6, 2018

Can you see me sitting in the chair or am I invisible to you? Why am I asking these questions? Sometimes, if I am in a conversation with two or more people and I begin to speak, the others ignore me and continue to talk between/among themselves, as though I was not present.

There are times when I am directly talking to someone and often they turn themselves away from me and towards another who may be sitting on their other side and began a new chat.

Hello, I’m still here, I would say to myself. Can you hear me? 

I don’t believe I am stuck on myself or that I have to be the center of attention, but don’t you think it is rude for someone to disregard you while you’re talking? Even though I don’t want you to stop what you are doing just to listen to me, I am now curious as to why this would happen?

I began to question if I am saying anything worthwhile that others want to hear.

I am reprogramming my mind to focus on being quiet and listening more. I have a talkative personality so this is a huge challenge for me. I ask God to settle my thoughts and hold my tongue so I speak only when He has something for me to share. I don’t want my words to speak lack, foolishness, hurt, demean others or strike out angrily. However, if He quickens me to speak out, I do not want to be afraid either, but I want to open my mouth with boldness and with His authority.

Daily Reflections: Am I powerful like our invisible God or is it visible to others I have no fruit and no healthy contribution to give? Is what I have to say worth hearing or should it be left unsaid?

“Get rid of all venomous and evil speakings. Dump them in the garbage and allow God to change you with His Word.” James 1:19-21.

“Hard work always pays off; mere talk is useless and adds nothing worth having to your life …” Proverbs 14:23.

“Don’t envy bad people and don’t even be in their presence. All they want to do is cause and stir up trouble.” Proverbs 24:2.

“Though some tongues love gossip, those who follow Jesus use their time doing better things. Dirty or silly talk is not becoming to you or your lifestyle, but giving God thanks is proper and right.” Ephesians 5:4.

All Scriptures have been Paraphrased (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

Day 5 – January 5, 2018

Today’s writing is being posted late, but the message is so timely!!! I thought I was supposed to share a completely different topic on Day 5, but a series of events indicated otherwise. Let me explain…

Not only do I work full-time, Monday thru Friday outside my home, but also I am a part-time, free lance copy editor for a christian-based publishing & media company, and a travel agent, with a home-based travel business.

After feverishly working in December on an editing project towards completion (due date extended to January 4, 2018), on Wednesday night, January 3, with only a few pages left to edit, I stopped working around 11:15p with the thought, I will finish on Thursday and submit it to my boss late Thursday night. I closed my laptop and began retiring for the night. My husband arrived home around 11:40p very ill. I help make him comfortable and encourage him to call off for a day or two and offer to take him to the ER. He declined the ER visit, but agreed to call off for a few days so he could sleep and rest his body.

Since I leave out so early in the mornings, I don’t usually do anything except get ready for work. However, before I left out on Thursday morning, January 4, I stopped to look up something quickly on my laptop. It was off.

I thought to myself, I didn’t shut it off last night…

I held the power button down to turn it back on. Instead of the operating system starting up, the Apple logo and the Progress Bar appears. That looks odd, I think. After a few seconds, the logo & bar disappear and the screen goes white, with a white circle with a line drawn through it, as if to say: DO NOT ENTER.

My laptop crashed. OH NO, screams inside of me!!! I shut it down again and start it back up, repeating this process for about 10 times. The computer does not come back on. I glanced at my watch. I am now behind schedule by 15 minutes. I had no more time to monkey around with this so I left for work.

I worked all day on Thursday and Friday. Since I am unable to do any personal business at work, each night I got home, I dropped my coat & boots off at the back door, grabbed my phone and began searching the Net for a solution. In addition, I spent two evenings on the phone with Apple techs only to find out they cannot help me. In the meantime, after I got off the phone with the last Apple Genius tech late Friday night (yesterday), the Lord began to speak to me and my hubby.

He pointed out some things in our lives that He says cannot continue. “I am shutting you down until you stop what you are doing, repent and address these three areas now.” He then gave us specific instructions about the three, all of which must be dealt with immediately. The third one requires a little bit more time, which He graciously agreed to give us.

Because the three directives involve other people, it is necessary for me to protect their privacy, so I cannot give you the specifics.

Daily Reflections: We must pay attention to the smallest of details, especially those we consider insignificant—so insignificant that we sometimes fail to see the need to ask God about them in prayer. We take on the attitude: God, I don’t need you. I’ve got this one! This is sadly not the truth and can cause us heartache, sickness and great losses.

“… on purpose listen to and adhere to God’s voice and not your own intuition. Don’t get shut down and suffer loss and experience disease (dis-ease) first before you recognize you have disobeyed God…” Paraphrased from Exodus 15:26, 27 (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

Day 4 – January 4, 2018

I work for a not-for-profit organization that hires the young, the seasoned, the urbanite & suburbanite, the able bodies & disabled ones too, the homeless, and the blind and visually impaired. I have been working for this company for two months and I must admit, I am humbled and grateful to God for directing me to this place.

From the very first day I walked down the corridors to the Test Center to be tested for the job, I sensed His presence. I remember, I glanced up and noticed two blind persons (with their “guide dogs”) moved gracefully towards me down the same corridor I walked, but in the opposite direction. They expertly glided down the long hallway and exited out the side doorway to the lobby and then out the main lobby door. I know because I stopped to watch them–totally amazed because they never missed a step.

I am embarrassed to admit it (yet I want to share with you because I am no longer ignorant), but I did not realize the blind and visually impaired can do almost everything I can, but with much greater skill and patience. I have seen them work on the phones in the call center, serve as cashiers in the cafeteria, analyze the accounting books in the billing department, answer the phones–direct new visitors–page employees as receptionists, advise our executives as General Counsels/lawyers for the organization, hand make exquisite clocks as factory workers (the clocks are shelved in Targets and other department stores, which are sold at top dollar for its high quality) , and they work in many other positions at the organization.

However, today I saw something even more extraordinary. During my late afternoon break, I went to the first floor cafeteria to sit back and relax. There were only a few other people there as well–yet my attention was not on them, but on a man who stood on one side of the cafeteria softly speaking to an older woman who stood almost directly opposite from him on the other side of the room. Her eyes were draped with a black, blind fold and she had a red tip folding cane in her right hand.

For about 10 minutes, I watched him calmly guide her with the sound of his voice until she walked across that large space to where he stood waiting for her to meet him. If she made a wrong turn, he would quietly ask, “What is the object blocking your way? Can you identify it? Are you able to move it or should you walk around?”

Or if she was headed to a place that was a danger to her, he would gently tell her, “You are heading in the wrong direction. Follow the sound of my voice.”

Sometimes she would get frustrated and he would ask her, “Where are you now? Do you know? Yes, you are getting closer. Now stop, back up, readjust your footing and follow the sound of my voice.”

He did this exercise with her twice. Both times after she successfully walked towards him, he said, “You did good!!”

Daily Reflections: What a profound lesson in this story! We fear and fret and worry and doubt and pout and get angry about so many things. Why do we do that? If you are His, and He has called you by name, please trust His Spirit. Our Guide knows all the danger spots and sees what we cannot see or comprehend. Oh, but there’s one catch… you must know and trust Him first!!!

“He will lead and guide each one of His into all truth…. those who are His will recognize His voice and only follow Him–never will they follow a strange one or strange thing. He calls His by their name and leads them away from and out of danger.” Paraphrased from John 16:13 and John 10:1-5, respectively (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

Day 3 – January 3, 2018

Can we talk about hair today?

Mid 2010, my oldest daughter convinced me to join her healthy hair movement by “going natural”. I said ok and then over the next 2 to 3 months, I gradually cut the ends of my hair in order to get rid of the perm. After the 3rd month or so, I was sure I got out all the perm (some two plus years later, I realized I had not).

My hair began to grow, but very slowly at first. I changed hair products several times, hoping it would help. After almost a year and with my daughter’s help, it started to grow back more.

Let’s fast forward to today. In September 2017, after years of wishing I would’ve just did the “Big Chop,” I finally convinced myself I would get rid of all the perm and start afresh–a whole new head of hair, healthy and shining and strong!! Also, I wanted a new look too.

My grays were growing out quicker than I could color them. So I thought, Lee, you need to embrace them and stop running.

I went to my husband one night and said, “Babe, I’m thinking about cutting my hair. What do you think?” He said, “No, don’t do it.” For the next few days, I kept asking him, until one night, exasperated with me, he said, “Just do whatever you’re going to do! I cannot stop you and your hair woes…”

I thought, finally, he is not going to stop me. He approves (while inside I knew he did not). The very next day I cut all of my hair off–it was very long. The following week, I went to the beauty salon and had the stylist bleach my hair blonde. It was gorgeous and I received soooo many compliments. Then ….. it started falling out. I thought it was the products I was using, so I bought new products and changed them over and over. I added more moisture and more oil. It would grow, then fall out–grow, then fall out.

One night after washing my hair and more of it fell out, I cried out in despair, “Oh Lord, what is wrong with my hair?” Why did I ask that? He answered, “Your husband asked you not to cut your hair, but you would not listen. He was not in agreement with what you did.”

I sat down on the bathroom floor and cried like a baby. I told God I was sorry for disobeying Him. God said, “Ok, but first you must ask your husband to forgive and pray for you.” I said, “Ok.”

When Mike returned home from work that night, I shared with him what God said, apologized for going against his wishes, asked his forgiveness and then cried again. He looked at me warmly, and said, “I forgive you Babe.” I walked away, totally forgetting God also told me to ask him to pray for me. As I walked a few steps away, Mike called me back and said, “God just told me to pray for you.” He laid his right hand on my hair and did just that!

I don’t profess to have ‘arrived’, but I’m appreciative of this lesson and have used its principle since then in my marriage and other areas of my life in general.

Daily Reflections: As wives, we must examine our positions in our marriage. We have NOT been given the leadership role. God reserved that for our husbands. Wife, when you said ‘I do’, you agreed to submit to another person’s leadership, and ideas and goals, and ….. Remember, your husband paid a ‘price’ to God when he said, ‘I do’ too. He promised to cherish, love and protect you all the days of your life. If he doesn’t do his duty, then he has to answer to God Himself.

For my Single Ladies who may have thought, oh this one is for the married ladies. I don’t need to pay attention. Think again. It is for you too! Think of it in this manner: Marriage is a form of agreement. Who are you in a covenant with? Who has God placed in authority over you? Who’s advice and leadership are you following? Hmmm…

“…Marriage (an agreement) is not a place for “women’s liberation” (you to liberate from) or for you to stand up to your ‘rights’. When you got married (willingly got into that agreement),  you agreed that marriage (the terms of the agreement) was your decision to serve the other person in all things…” Paraphrased from the latter part of 1 Corinthians Chapter 7 (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

Day 2 – January 2, 2018

As I sat with my Journal open this morning, I recalled Gurlstalk’n’s 2017 Christmas event. The Gurls joined forces with another non-profit organization, formed and organized by a friend of ours, to visit a Women’s Shelter in the south suburbs. Days before our arrival to the Shelter, the Gurls shopped and bought gifts for 12 of the 23 lady residents, and a few other miscellaneous gifts just in case more residents were in attendance than the original count. The other organization bought the remaining gifts for all other residents.

We began the day by serving the residents dinner (Menu: roast beef & potatoes, string beans, tossed & pasta salad, corn muffins & dinner rolls, spaghetti, potato salad, macaroni & cheese, ham, fried chicken, cake, cookies, pop, bottled water, juice for the kids, and candy laced the table tops). After we finished giving them their food, each worker fixed her own plate and sat at the table to dine with the residents.

After dinner, we sang Christmas songs and gave away the gifts bags. I sat and watched each resident open their large gift bags. A few remarked they liked what they received and smiled. Some looked in their bags and said nothing. A handful complained about what they received. I’m not sure what I was expecting…maybe a gleeful laugh or a happy smile, but when I did not see that from everyone, I didn’t like it. Afterwards, I made a comment to the other ladies in my group about it.

A few days later, I asked the Lord about it. In fact, I was complaining about the residents’ ungratefulness, and explaining to Him how we spent our own money and long hours in the stores searching for good gifts to bless them with, and they didn’t seem to appreciate the gifts at all.

He reminded me how He takes special care to give me good gifts, yet I don’t respond in gratitude. Sometimes, He says, I go a whole day without a word of acknowledgement or thanks for what He gives me, for instance: sun rises and sun sets; heat in the winter and cool breezes in the summer; peace and safety as I travel back and forth every day, etc. He says, I even ignore Him when He nudges or speaks to me through out the day.

Then He asked me, “By the way, what are you doing with my BEST gift, Jesus?”

After He asked that question, I was like the Pharisees and Saducees: I had no further questions to ask, but was left speechless. I dropped my head, fell to the floor to kneel, and with my left hand over my mouth and my right hand lifted up high, I was ashamed …

Daily Reflections: How foolish it is for me to see someone else’s faults and not be able to see my own. This cannot continue …

“Don’t …jump on others failures and criticize their faults–unless, of course, you want to be treated the same. A critical spirit/word has a way of boomeranging…. stop playing an holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part….Now, wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” Paraphrased from Matthew 7:35 (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

My flight leaves at the stroke of midnight. It isn’t an airplane ride I am taking, but it’s my flight in life. I am leaving a place of Mediocre so I can travel to a place of Promise.

Hesitantly, I stand at the Gate, nervous about what is ahead, but eager to see more of Him revealed in my sphere. I hand my Boarding Pass to the Flight Attendant (aka the Holy Spirit), not sure what kind of ride this will be, but certain, I am in Good Hands.

Day 1 – It is January 1, 2018 and my day begins early…. It’s 2 a.m. and dark outside. As I sit in my prayer chair in the living room journaling, I remind myself, you will not rush through life this New Year!

The year 2017 was brutal for me. Although I started a new job, got a new look, and made a few great strides in my spiritual walk, it was a different kind of season for me. I am thankful for everything that happened in 2017, but grateful 2018 is here!

Perhaps I am the only one who does this, but every week day, I find myself moving fast: I rush to get dressed, run out the door to get to work, hurry to my desk to begin the projects and tasks I have assigned for the day, only to eagerly watch the clock move till it’s lunch time, and then I command my computer clock to tick tock to the hour for the work day to end.

CAUTION!!!! You may want to get out my way, because in a flash, I will quickly push pass my co-workers, so I can jet to my truck–destination home!

Why do we rush through our day like this? Don’t we understand we are speeding through our lives, often too fast to notice the beauty all around us?

Daily Reflections:  SLOW DOWN and enjoy what unfolds before you THIS DAY!!! If you don’t, you may not hear a warning, not heed needed instructions, overlook something lost or miss Someone important…

“Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the middle of nowhere, and water in dry places. Will you not see it?”  Paraphrased from Isaiah 43:19 (MSG).

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

Good afternoon! As the Gurls spend our last few hours of 2017 eagerly awaiting what’s ahead, we wanted to share with you our plans beginning in 2018.

A few weeks ago, the Gurls took a 30-Day Prayer, Worship/Praise and Focused Bible Reading Journey, led by Candice Jackson! It was powerful! 

To keep this momentum going, we decided to begin a corporate Journal Writing, beginning on January 1. We are sending a special invitation to YOU to join us….

Your instructions are:

1. Let us know if you are journaling with us.

2. Get a Journal BOOK, take a pic of it, and email us your picture (I am adding a pic of our Journals to this post).

3. Every day from 1/1/18 thru and including 1/31/18, write in your Journal—whatever you want. This is for your own personal use. Only share if you want.

I am taking the lead on our Journey by being transparent and making my daily Writings public on this Blog Page. If you have not already done so, please go to our Contact Us tab, and SUBSCRIBE by entering in your email address. By subscribing, you will receive directly to your email a copy of the daily posts.

My prayer is through my transparency that I will not only see exactly where I am, but also the posts will encourage you to continue to grow in every area of your life.

Write down what’s in your heart. Read it and reflect on it every day. Pray for those weak areas and rejoice for the daily strength you receive. Grow, mature and prosper in ALL things!!! 

Now, go and get those Journals and please remember to SUBSCRIBE to our Page!

See ya on the other side ….. BE GREAT!!!

~Lee

THE GURLS

Christa

Candice

Karen

Lee

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.