Author: admin

Photo: By Seemann at Morguefile.com

Layover, not a cancellation!  When you are on the flight of your life and suddenly the announcer says, “We are experiencing turbulence therefore we must do a layover in the next city,” those are not the words that you want to hear. You started on this flight with the understanding that you would arrive at your destination according to the flight schedule that was listed.  No one warned you that there were things in nature that could alter the flight.  You have people at the other end expecting you to arrive at the designated time.  So what will you do?  Will you turn around and get a flight back at the next stop?  No!  You will welcome the layover and use it to your advantage as you await the takeoff again.  This is not a flight cancellation.  It is simply a layover!  So pick your chin up and go forth with greater determination for your next stop.  As I experience a layover in my own life I will do my best to take my own advice.  God never makes a mistake and there is no failure in Him.  It can be hard sometimes when people always expect you to be at the top of your game.  However, I believe in doing things in decency and in order.  I strive to bring you only the best when it comes to “Geri Speak.”

You cannot fool you!  There are times when no matter how much you try to convince yourself that all is well and you can move forward at full speed, you know that you need to do a ‘shutdown.’ I’m talking about things that are on your mind, your desk, or your list, that you know are driving you crazy.  As much as I wanted to follow my schedule that I made for today, there was no way it was going to happen.  I knew that I had to bring closure to a number of things before moving forward, so I decided to change my whole agenda and work on the things that were driving me crazy.  With that done I know tomorrow will be a more productive day because I released some things from my brain and my eyesight as well.  There are things that I could see needed my attention and could no longer be overlooked.  So, like I said in my title, you cannot fool you.

You need to be teachable at every stage of your life.  There was a point in my life where I would tell people that I have learned everything I want to know. Even with computers many years ago, I would only do what was absolutely necessary to accomplish the little that I thought my mind could handle.  I used to think why bother learning after a certain age anyway.  Well, I am amazed everyday how God has shown me that age ain’t nothing but a number, especially when it comes to learning.  A few years ago I used to get frustrated when I would set up an event on Facebook and someone would message me and ask to have the “link” sent to them.  My first thought was, “I don’t know how to do that.  Why can’t you just find the event on your phone?  I already invited you, so how hard could it be?”  That was when I was first started learning how to navigate Facebook.  Now!  Oh my God!  Every day I choose to learn something new before I need it.  I watch what others are doing and I either ask questions or do my research so that I can be better at this modern technology.  It’s all about making it easier for the person on the end.  When we learn that, then we will have learned a valuable lesson.  Be teachable whether it’s through conversation or technological research.

You don’t have to look very far to find people who are successful. Although they may not be right outside your back door they probably aren’t far down the street.  However, what one person considers success may be different than what you and I consider success.  To me, success is doing what you love and enjoying life without stressing over where your next blessing will come from.  Some people base success solely on how much money they have.  I’m not saying that money isn’t important, but being financially set does not make one successful.  What about your home life once you get the money?  Is there peace and joy found within your walls?  Then there’s your spiritual well-being.  What role does that play in the picture?  Do you believe in a higher being that controls all things, good and not so good?  Would you still be happy if you had no money?  So many people work so hard to have everything, yet they do not enjoy what they have.  Others are so rich that a small crisis in their financial situation can cause them to go overboard, once their lifestyle has to change from what they are used to having.  Some have committed suicide rather than deal with the stock market falling, or Wall Street crumbling.  When you are up so high on the financial pedestal, the fall from grace is much larger than the little man who already knows what it’s like to be on the bottom.  So, don’t be quick to jump on every band wagon that seems like a good opportunity, because what’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander.  That’s an old saying from my mom back in the day!  It is important to know which opportunities to avoid as much as it is to know which ones to partake.  When I consider my business endeavors, I am well aware of what I expect to give and receive by my association or attendance.  I seek to be among like-minded individuals who are upwardly mobile with sound judgment.  That doesn’t mean I disassociate myself from people, it means I know what I bring to the table, therefore I come with expectations of being better once I leave.  That can be done through inspiring others to do better as well, while finding encouragement for my journey.  Be picky about who you allow to take up your time because you can’t get it back! Every opportunity is not for you!

Kicked off the treadmill!  There are days when you are rolling along like exercising on a treadmill.  Everything is working in your favor and there seems to be no stopping you.  Then BAM!  You get thrown off the treadmill.  What in the world has happened you wonder!  You made all these plans for the day and then all of a sudden your world is turned upside down.  How will you ever catch up to what lies ahead?  Every action you planned to take was based on the previous action.  It was a step-by-step process that you had lined up.  Now you feel as though God has forgotten the agreement that you made.  He didn’t forget!  God’s checking to see if you really trust Him and how bad you want what you say you want.  A lot of times we learn what we don’t want by asking for what we think we want.  Now that’s deep!  So the next time you get knocked off the treadmill, take a break and get back up with a new determination to get the job done.

The other day while doing my morning devotion one of my daily reads said that I like to plan for things ahead so that I can control the outcome. The next line stated that if I truly trust God then I need to enjoy life one day at a time and let Him handle the details of the future.  Although I know that to be true it is still hard to relinquish my control, even to God.  As soon as I finished my devotions, I said, “OK God, I’m ready for the fight!”  And the fight came much quicker than I thought.  In less than twenty-four hours I was having a problem paying an extremely important bill online, in addition, to having a debit card declined from another account that I knew had money.  The next day a source of income that I was counting on was threatened to disappear.  Throughout all this, I continued to operate my life according to the plan that God had shown me.  I am happy to say that as of this writing, which is three days later, all is well with my soul and my plans have not changed.  I must say that I am still learning how to trust and depend on God in all circumstances.

Does that statement sound familiar to anyone? I thought by now…  Let’s see!  I thought by now that I would be married.  I thought by now I would be running the company or at least in a supervisory role.  I thought by now that I would be retired.  We set our goals and dreams and then we give God a timeline on when to make them come true. So many people around us seem to be getting their blessing and we wonder where we are on God’s calendar.  What’s holding up our blessing, we ask?  I played my cards right.  I followed all the rules.  When is it going to be my turn?  And God sits back and laugh at our stupidity because we don’t see the whole picture.  He knows that everything that is happening to us is actually happening for us.  Most of the time God is saving us from ourselves.  The guy who looked so good in the club may be the same person who killed his wife several years ago. That company you want to run may be on the verge of bankruptcy and laying off all employees next month.  Maybe you are on a mission for God and what you want hasn’t shown up yet because God knows that once you get it, your attention span for Him will dwindle away. We need to learn how to be grateful in all situations no matter what it looks like. Gratitude changes your attitude, which in turn can change your altitude.  When I realized how big my conference had become this year, I decided that I needed to give up something major in order to hear from God in a different way.  I was grateful and wanted to make sure that I give the people what they paid for.  So, December 26, 2016, I gave up television all together so that I could clearly hear God’s voice every day.  I didn’t just stop watching, I had the cable turned off.  There may be times when God has to get you to a place of “listening.”  If you don’t make the time, then He will have to do it for you.  You can never run from His agenda.  Stop saying, “I thought by now…” and simply embrace the path He has you on and see where it takes you.  I’ve found some beautiful places since I did that.

There are days when we all could use a hand financially, emotionally, or spiritually. No one is an island unto his/herself.  However, when you get so stuck holding onto the hand that helped you that you see progress as a setback, then there is something wrong with that picture.  For example, when you receive food stamps because of your low income or lack thereof, why would you get mad because they cut them when God blessed you to be able to purchase your own food?  I recall being on social services when I was in college, and when I got a job my mom didn’t understand how I could give up that little check that I was receiving.  That’s the type of mentality that will keep so many people from seeking a higher ground.  We get so complacent and so comfortable that we actually embrace poverty.  I know you don’t realize that you are doing it, but that’s exactly what you are doing.  You are telling the universe that you are satisfied with the little that trickles down from the top.  Don’t you know that you can reach the top as well and become a person who helps others get to the top?  The worst thing you can do for your family is be broke!  God blesses us to be a blessing to others.  Although your expenses changed based on your income that does not mean that you now have less.  It simply means that you are no longer living in poverty.  It means you will have to make some adjustments in your spending habits.  The shoes, clothes, pocketbooks, wine and the beer you used to pick up without giving any thought, now takes some consideration before purchasing.  You have to change your priorities and once God sees that you are handling the more that He gave you, you can expect more to come.  Don’t look at your situation as a setback.  No it’s a setup for what’s to come.  Stop embracing poverty!

We have all heard the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.” That’s a true statement when it comes to sharing your every thought or criticism.  But what do you do when you really don’t know what to say?  When it comes to being there for friends and loved ones in their times of joy and sorrows, just say something.  I’m not talking about a facebook post that says “congratulations”, or “sorry for your loss.”  I’m talking about picking up the phone and having that personal conversation, even though you may not know what to say.  Maybe you feel that the person needs time to settle in to their new life changes, whatever that may be.  But you will be amazed at what a telephone call could mean to them.  The more time you give them to make their adjustment, the more time passes and before you know it, you have barely talked to them.  This can be very disheartening and disappointing to someone who expects to hear from you.  So don’t be selfish with your silence.  Don’t get lost in your own world while others go through things that may bring sadness or joy.  Even in joy it is nice to call and say I’m happy for your success.  I recently had a situation where I decided to give someone space and as time went by I was reminded by them that I gave too much space.  It is easier to pick up the phone when you think about it than it is to go back and clean things up later.  So let’s try to put ourselves in another person’s place when considering whether or not to reach out.  This modern technology has made us all lazy and self-absorbed.  Everything in this world is not about you.  Learn how to shut down sometimes and be a part of someone else’s life.  It may just mean the world to them.  Now that I have been on both ends of the spectrum, I will definitely look at this scenario differently moving forward.  Have a wonderful life as you think outside yourself.

Alter your worship and alter your life.  When you alter your worship you will see your life change.  It’s been awhile since I explained to my readers how I come up with my messages. I have a yellow envelope with little pieces of paper that have statements written on them.  These may be statements I’ve read somewhere or heard or just came up with on my own because of something that happened.  The yellow envelope is kept in a small container next to my desk, and I reach in there each time I want to write a story.  Most of the time I ponder over the choices, but this time I picked the first thing that hit my hand.  Today’s title has been in that envelope for quite some time but I could never bring myself to start writing about it.  I don’t recall where most of my titles come from, but I know that each time I picked this one up I could not identify with it, so I put it back.  Well a lot has happened in this last year.  I moved into a new place, I lost four job assignments, I wrecked two cars and had to have them replaced, and most importantly, I created a “War Room.”  I guess you could say I built an altar of worship.  I’ve always had my quiet time with God and my daily bible reading and meditation.  But this is different.  When I looked at my new place before I moved in, I had just seen the movie, War Room, and I knew that the walk-in closet in this new place was going to be that room.  I have truly watched my life be altered as a result of my obedience and continued worship and praise to God, and about Him to others.  I won’t go into all the details because they are too numerous.  What I will say is this, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am living the life that I am supposed to be living.  Every week, every month I get a new confirmation that I am on the right track.  Success is not so much about the money or things that you have; it is more about doing what you love and living in a constant state of peace and joy beyond what man can see or phantom.  You may not want a War Room, but we all need to spend time in the presence of the Lord.