Category: Life Challenges

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.

Have you ever heard someone say while playing a game of cards, “It just wasn’t in the cards”? When I first learned how to play Bid Whist, I was told this phrase meant whatever cards you played or didn’t play during the game were not the only deciding factor in determining if you won the game, but also it mattered how the cards were shuffled and dealt to each player.

Certainly, skill is involved, but even the best Bid players lose games too if they are not dealt ‘good cards’, right? In other words, your chance of winning, whether it is 10%, 45%, 76% or 100%, is pre-determined from the beginning.

It wasn’t in the cards.

Relationships can be tricky. No one gets to pick their family ties before they are born, but we can choose who we become. During meditation one morning, I pondered over my family and life.

When I was 11, there was a popular girl in my 6th grade class I thought was pretty, smart and wore the cutest clothes. She always had an entourage of people around her at all times. I too wanted to be one of her circle of friends. Who wants to be left out, excluded or not apart of the “in crowd”? Not me!

Then in 8th grade, one of the boys in my neighborhood was “Mr. Hotty” of all time. He was slightly taller than most of the other boys on the block, light-skinned, with curly, sandy-brown hair and a bright smile. His smile made everyone feel welcomed and important. What girl wouldn’t want him as their boyfriend?

In High School, my junior class homeroom teacher was the flyest and sharpest dresser in the school. She was intelligent, classy and keen. She could see right through any lie and pretense. She was a “no-nonsense” kind of woman who was brilliant in math. I secretly hoped she would take me “under her wing” and teach me how to dress nicely and be brilliant too.

How about your jazzy Aunt or your hip Uncle? They were your favorites, but you were never theirs. Perhaps, your younger brother or older sister was. No matter what you did to get their attention, you were always their second choice.

At your place of employment, you show up for work early, work hard and often stay late. You meet your deadlines, you are an excellent team member and player, and you make it a practice to remember to wish your co-workers a happy birthday on their special day. Yet no one seems to notice or include you in any after-work activities.

I don’t know which “end of the stick marks your childhood.” Whether you were the popular senior prom queen or the nerdy girl with the wire glasses. One thing I do know, whoever you thought you should have been, wasn’t in the cards.

The hand life dealt YOU determined your heritage, who your parents are, if you were raised by both or one parent, or your widowed father or your elderly grandmother. If you are an only child or if you have five siblings.

Perhaps, you lived in a two-room shack in the Deltas or in an exclusive country club, gated community of Beverly Hills. Or did you barely finish high school or earn two masters and three doctorate degrees?

What I AM NOT saying is that if you were born in a two-room dump then you are destined to that place forever.  No! As we learn to do better, we can also choose better. During your most difficult times, do you push beyond to something better or do you give into hopelessness and do nothing?

News flash!  You cannot choose what goes on in another person’s life neither. You cannot “wish upon a star” nor manipulate a situation to fit your ‘world’. Be who you’ve been called to be and allow others to do the same. If you meet someone fabulous and desire a closer relationship with them, then by all means, show yourself friendly. If your actions are not reciprocated, that’s ok. Knock the dust off and move on.

It wasn’t in the cards…

You and I have purpose. Others have it too. It may not be up to us which family we were born into or how are childhoods were “played” out.  IT IS our responsibility to find our purpose: the who, what, when, where and why for our lives.

I am a late bloomer in figuring this out. Maybe you are too. Let’s search out and work on our purposes together. What do you say?

Accept what has happened and leave it where it is, IN YOUR PAST. Determine what kind of legacy you want to leave for your children’s children and then create strong links for their heritage.

 

As I write this blog, I am far away from home in a specific place for this specific moment. A time carved out just for me.

I am on a Royal Caribbean cruise sailing to Puerto Rico and 5 other islands: St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitt , St. Marten and Antigua, resting in His presence, as the ship moves rapidly through the roaring seas with thousands upon thousands of stars above.

I am in unfamiliar surroundings away from my norm.  My plan for this cruise was to mourn for my mom (who transitioned on June 4, 2016). Some of you may recall earlier this year in May I wrote a special Mother’s Day tribute titled, “A Different Kind of Mother’s Day”.  I had no idea this would be the last Mother’s Day I would spend with her, but God knew and I believe the Holy Spirit led me to write it.

After remembering I scheduled this cruise last year, I realize now it was Abba Father “setting me up” for victory.  He knew I would need this time to get away. However, that sad mourning I’d planned never happened.  He had other plans for me.

On the cruise, He reminded me my mom is free. Free from childhood struggles, free from financial woes and “making ends meet”, free from marriage challenges and raising 7 children, free from “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, free from struggles with weight, free from health issues and later in life major medical challenges, free from missing her husband and son who preceded her in death, and free from the fears she faced with old age and loneliness.

No more mom, no more!  You have been set free from ALL life’s worries. God released you and so do I.  YOU ARE FREE!!!

What on earth were you here for?   Why am I here?  Will I know the answer to these questions before my transition? Out of all the billions of people on earth, my mom no longer does.

I just read a quote from, “What on Earth am I Here For?”  It says, “…death, rather than being the end of your life, it will be your birthday into eternal life.” I like that and believe it is how we should accept death. The Bible states this world is not our home.  Hopefully, we are looking forward to an everlasting home in heaven. It further states, “at the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and then rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you.”

Today is day 5 of the 7-day cruise and this analogy came to me: I am one piece in a checker game.  It is God who selects and moves me from one space or position to another. It’s been 6 weeks since the passing of my mom. Although this blog is therapeutic for me, prayerfully, there is something you can receive and learn from this blog.

For we all will travel down this road one day…

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.

Be slow to speak! Be slow to speak! Be slow to speak! Be slow to speak! Be slow to speak ….

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I feel much better.  People often look at me and assume I have it all together.  Sometimes I find I am in constant battle with myself.

I sit and think about how to prove my point, how I’m right and the other person is wrong, why I’m right and they are wrong, and I need for the other person to know why I’m right and they’re wrong!

I know it sounds insane, but hey, I’m not perfect.  I’ve learned not to pretend to be.

How does one cope with this behavior? Why do I constantly feel the whole world needs to know how I feel about me being right, having the last word, or getting my point across? Why do I need to “speak my mind”?

For over a year, I read James 1:19 every single day; several times a day. When I want to “explode” or “snap off”, I grab my cell phone, go to the calendar and read James 1:19.

When my children are screaming and tearing up my house, which is often, and I think I am about to lose my mind, my kids have witnessed me charging through the house to grab my notebook so I could read these words: “Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”

Does this seem to be a bit much?  NOT to me.  I have consciously made every effort to close my mouth and think before I speak. Why? Because, there have been times I have spoken too soon and offended my sisters and brothers. There have been occasions I blatantly spoke “my” truth without any regard to the other person’s feelings.

It’s not always what you say, but how you say it. And it is NOT about being “politically correct” either. Whenever possible, one should never offend.

Take a moment to think about what you want to say, evaluate your true motives and then proceed to speak. This will not only humble you and stop you from saying things you should not, but also it will help you to keep malice out of your heart.

I won’t profess to be perfect at this, but I am getting better with developing positive relationships and straying away from speaking negatively. It appears my hasty tongue may have been the root of a lot of my problems.

Take it from me be slow to speak and hold your peace.

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.

I am blessed and in wonder of His loving kindness towards me!

I was laid off from my place of employment on January 31, 2016. Even though I have not found work yet, I am grateful for this time off. I did not realize I needed it to re-center and discover what is going on with me.

Almost thirteen years ago, I was laid off from another organization. I was devastated. I was single with 2 daughters in college and I was the only one working. I had a mortgage, car note, credit card bills, and everything else it takes to run a household. I had no savings nor emergency funds. I was terrified for me and my daughters’ future.

All I had was a prayer life and an invisible God that most of my family and friends mocked. During this time, I purposely turned off the television, turned my plate upside down and chose to trust Him, though these and other decisions seemed foolish to the world. As He spoke, I obeyed.

The end result, I was out of work for almost a year. All of the bills were paid on time, except one:  my first monthly mortgage payment after the lay off was more than 30 days late–late because it took me that long to readjust my thinking and align it with God’s word, and change my prayer from woe me to God what would You have me to do?

Months later the mortgage company removed the adverse late payment from my credit report, I went back to school for an entire school year (which I loved), I landed another job making more money, and I got married a year after that time to a wonderful man, who is my friend, confidant and faithful cheerleader. My husband is gentle and kind and leads our household into worship as we continue to trust Him at His word.

I learned a lot during this season of my life, but only recently I discovered there was more God wanted to teach and show me:  stay the course and do not lose focus.  It is in the everyday, moment-to-moment living we are to pierce through His “looking-glass”.

I was NOT suppose to get ahead of or fall behind Him (I knew this already, yet I failed miserably), but patiently wait for Him in ALL things, which is easier said than done yet a doable task.  There’s so much in the ALL!  I thought I could pick and choose what I give Him and what I decide to keep.  What a foolish act!

He should be included in EVERY THING, which is what I believed thirteen years ago, when I had no other choice.

God works through us in His perfection.  He is invisible and His works are seamless to the naked eye.  I forgot it is Him doing the work and not me.

After He made all things well in my life and things were better, I began to slowly move away from Him.  Unknowingly, I did what was natural and picked up life’s reins again.

The spiritual lessons I’d learned, I neatly stored away on the bookshelf and then walked out the room.  A lot of time passed and dust accumulated on the books before I realized what I had done.

When will I learn the pain of failure should never be the marker I use to seek Him?

Prayer works for so many reasons.  It relieves stress, increases my ability to plan well and pay attention to the details, while it decreases anxiety and depression.

While I pursue purpose, I hold my life and prayer together in my right hand without a doubt that He’s got me; that is all that matters.

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.

 Are you holding someone in bondage for a wrong done to you?  You may want to reconsider one important matter:  the person in chains may be YOU.

Though the other person has apologized, repented and moved on in his or her life, why are you still holding on to dead weight?

The older we get, the freer we should become. There are things in our pasts we are not fond of.  Some are too embarrassing to share, but we cannot allow those things to hold us captive after God has freed us.

Stop tormenting yourselves by focusing on what other people think or say.

May we offer a word of wisdom?  Make sure whatever negative word is being said about you is NOT the truth.  And if by chance it is true, STOP the madness, make a change and reverse, reverse, lol!

If you have made it right with God, with the individual(s) in question and you have forgiven yourself, healing has already taken place.  It’s time to move on…

Real freedom allows you to MARCH ON.  Your only concern is to please the Father. We made the choice to march on even when others found it impossible to do so.  We suggest you do the same.

CHOOSE what is right, FORGIVE them, RELEASE the grip and FREE yourself.

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.