Author: admin

Do you believe?  For years I have recited a familiar passage of scripture that says, “God has opened the windows of heaven and is pouring me out a blessing that I do not have room enough to receive.” Do I know where to find that scripture?  No!  Do I believe it?  Yes!  Do I live my life like I believe it?  Yes, most of the time!  About six months ago our pastor challenged us to recite a two-page affirmation each day. When she passed out the paper in a church meeting, I looked at it and thought, ‘that’s a whole lot to say every day.’ But I decided to be obedient, and boy has it paid off.  I have seen a tremendous difference in my faith walk, and my abundance.  Now when I say that He has opened the windows of heaven, and is pouring me out a blessing that I do not have room enough to receive, I believe it and operate in expectation.  Since I see myself living in abundance, it literally happens every week.  I won’t go into details, but on a regular basis I am given more than I can handle, and most of it is work related.  I never have to wonder where my resources are coming from.  I trust God wholeheartedly to provide for my needs and He does; most of the time they are met in advance.  There are no past due statements, no late charges, and absolutely no lack in my life.  I recall the days when I was drowning in debt and fighting to find shallow water to escape.  Now I swim with the best of them.  (This is a metaphor, not literally, because I do know how to swim.)  I am deliberately making a point about trusting God and believing the words that come out of our mouth.  When you truly believe what you say your life will start to manifest what you speak.  Another part of the affirmation is, “This is my time, this is my season to be blessed spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and financially.” During my prayer life I have never thought of being blessed in all these areas.  My biggest area of concern has been finances.  Little did I know that being blessed in any of those areas could lead to a blessing in another area.  And that’s exactly what has been happening lately in my life.  Because of the right social connection I am reaping financial benefits, which leads to better mental and emotional stability.   Naturally when you are better off mentally and emotionally a part of that has to trickle down to your physical well-being.  Then it goes without saying that a balanced life gives you reason to celebrate thereby tapping into your spiritually.  I thank God for the balance that I have found these past months, simply because I decided to be obedient to something that was outside my comfort zone. What exactly do you believe?

 

 

Every morning when I do my bible study I am called to a deeper place in my spirit. Sometimes it can be frightening, but most of the time it’s a pleasant surprise.  I find myself more confident, and feistier, if you may.  Largely I find that I am so in tune to Gods’ voice.  I watch myself flutter around like a little birdie jumping from limb to limb.  Always looking around to see what’s happening in the world.  Always checking to see if anything has landed that will be food to my soul.  As I meditate during my quiet time I allow my mind to wander.  I used to think that that was a bad thing.  Now I know that’s the place where God speaks to me.  I also used to think that it was disrespectful to interrupt my allotted time with God to jot down things, and/or to respond to His request immediately.  I knew that I wouldn’t remember all that I was taking in, so I started making notes.  Other times I would stop what I’m doing and go to my computer or my telephone and inquire about what was on my mind.  During those occasions I found that what God was telling me had already been communicated to the other person.  So, I have learned to answer the call.

We are all familiar with the famous Red Phone in the White House, that became the brunt of many jokes and political ads during President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s campaign days. “Who can answer the phone at 3:00am?”, was the infamous question.  Many times we are called to do or be something, and it has nothing to do with an actual telephone.  If you know yourself then you know when you are being called to something.  At least I do!  This did not happen overnight.  It has taken me many years and many failures and setbacks to be able to distinguish between what I want and what God wants for me.  You can do the same thing.  The more you practice listening for His voice, the more you will be able to hear it.  Let’s not get caught up in being “called to preach”, or “called to teach”, or any other fancy calling that we often hear about.  You can be called to be a compassionate person.  You can also be called to love and care for others, or to put a smile on someone’s face.  So, answer the call.

I was listening to a Lauryn Hill Live CD the other day and there was a part where she was asking, “Are ya’ll ready?”, and after saying it twice, she stated that she was also talking to the voices in her head.  I imagine the band was looking at her strange or maybe she felt the need to explain herself for asking the question twice.  Either way, I had a light bulb moment and came up with my title.  We all have voices in our head even though we don’t like to admit it. It’s called self-talk.  Every decision we make has answered to the voices before we make it.  The goal is to know when the voices are speaking negatively.  Most of our self-talk is so random and automatic, that we fail to realize the damage we may be doing to ourselves and others who are listening.  I remember times when I could spend a whole day convincing myself, that I wasn’t capable of getting something done.  It used to take that long for me to acknowledge and change the voices in my head.  Now the minute that I start the self-talk, I immediately catch myself and start reversing anything that is negative.  I’m not saying that I don’t have my pity parties because I do.  However, while I’m throwing a fit I am also picking myself up off the floor at the same time.  When I go into my secret closet to pull my hair out (not literally), and talk to God about a situation, I go in to do battle with the enemy. I go in acknowledging that I don’t like the situation.  I admit that I want it to change as soon as possible.  I also admit that I don’t know what to do.  But before I leave that room I calm myself down, and tell God that the whole world belongs to Him and I know that this situation did not take Him by surprise.  And lastly I ask Him to fix it according to His will and allow me to function in my other areas of expertise, and to do so with no malice to the creators of the current situation.  Once I finish that meeting with God I go on my merry way and continue to do what thus saith the Lord.  The reason I am able to do this is because, there is no situation in life that totally defines who I am as a child of God.  I am accomplished in so many areas that one monkey cannot, and will not stop my show.  I am not bragging but simply stating a fact, as to where the Lord has brought me from when it comes to my ability to operate positively in a crisis, the majority of the time.  You control the voices in your head, and can change the conversation whenever you chose to.

Fearless can be deceitful.  The other day a friend of mind from my hometown called me “fearless” because I moved from Virginia to South Carolina five years ago.  I never considered myself fearless.  I was simply doing what I needed to do in order to make a better life for myself.  As a motivational speaker people think that you always have it together.  You have the ability to change lives by your speeches and words of encouragement.  No one really knows the lonely nights and sad days that you spend trying to move from an empty place inside yourself, when life doesn’t turn out the way you planned.  No one sees your tears as you try to go through your daily routine knowing that you are falling apart inside.  Sometimes it’s a small sore because of something beyond your control, but then another thing pops up that causes the scab on that small sore to fester and become worst.  No matter how hard you to try to get back to that “good” space by doing what normally brings peace, there is an unavoidable loss that only the voice of another can heal.  A loss that only a touch from someone else can heal.  A loss that only time will heal.  No!  No one has died.  No one has gone to the hospital.  No one has hit you.  Life has thrown you a curve ball and it seems that all the bases you planned on touching has moved so far away, that you can barely see the short stop or the catcher because of the tears running down your face.  You reach for the phone to call a friend, but you change your mind because you wish they would call you instead.  You turn down holiday parties because you can’t handle the crowd.  Although you want to be with others, on the other hand you don’t want to bring your negative energy to an otherwise happy occasion.  Fearless can be deceitful!

New level thinking equals new dimensions.  We know how we would like our life to be.  Some of us think on a larger dimension than others.  Sometimes our dreams are limited by our upbringing and what we have been told is possible.  If we would allow ourselves to be open minded concerning the possibilities that every life holds, it would be easier to see ourselves doing what we may have thought was impossible.  We are constantly influenced by our environment, our reading, our television, our radio and also our spirituality.  Yes, we all serve the same God no matter what we choose to call it.  However, we cannot expect to receive what we have not asked for or believed is possible.  It may seem that people who are not religious, or who do not attend church, oftentimes receive so many blessings.  It is not up to us to judge.  We do not know what type of relationship they have with their God.

Recently I had a discussion with a group of friends who asked the question, “Can you receive God’s blessings if you are not a churchgoing person?”  There was the belief that when the pastor prays for the church and you are not a member, although you may be attending that church on Sundays, then that prayer does not include you to the extent that it does the members.  I was a little taken aback, because my belief is we are the church not the building.  So if any pastor is praying for the church, then they are also praying for me.  We then talked about the pastor being the shepherd over the flock, which excludes anyone who is not a member.  It was an interesting conversation to say the least.  I know a number of people who do not attend church on a regular basis.  Their mother, wife, or friend attends regularly and they attend on special occasions.  So my question was, “Are you saying they will not receive the blessings of God because they are not a member?”  The majority of responses were, “They will not receive all the blessings that a member will receive, because the blessings come down through the shepherd who is interceding on a regular basis for their members.”  Okay!  I’m still at a loss for words even though I am a member of a church.  I know that I was able to move to another level because of my faith, my thought process, and my many teachings that I received from my pastor and my church members. It is up to you to decide what it will take for you to move to the next level.

Impatient should be my middle name. It is one of my weaknesses that I work on every day.  I am better than I used to be but not as good as I want to be.  Add that to the fact that I am also resistant to change, and you have a combustible situation.

A few days ago I was working on a new project on Canva.com. Because I had done so well with creating my first flyer I was hyped and ready to start a new one.  Once I found my old project, I attempted to make changes to it while also trying to create something new.  After much struggle I realized it would be easier to create a second page for the existing flyer.  That didn’t go very well because in my impatience, I kept hitting my ‘mouse’ when the changes were not showing up fast enough for me.  Rather than continue in my frustration, I decided to shut everything down and move on to something more familiar.  End of office work for that day!

Upon returning to my project the next day I was pleasantly surprised to learn that everything I was trying to do was accomplished. Not only that, but it was all saved and I was now able to complete my new flyer.  I still don’t know how to start a new one so I deleted page one, which was the original flyer.  Some other day I will return and get it all figured out. Life can be tricky sometimes. We get impatient and keep ‘clicking’ until God shuts the whole thing down and waits for us to get ready for the new training.  I find myself overly concerned about things that probably won’t matter when the day comes.  So much can happen between your thought now and what really will takes place on the day of your concerns.  Let’s learn to stop ‘mousing around.’  A lot of what we try to create has already been saved for us.  Remember there are certain assignments in life that only you can complete.  No one can keep you from going where you are supposed to go, or from doing what you are supposed to do.  Relax!  Take a deep breath!  Stop ‘clicking!’

There are so many ‘how to’ books, that deciding which ones to read can be a job in itself. There’s “how to make a million”, “how to be successful at work”, “how to get a man”, “how to find peace”, and the list goes on.  Why do so many people seek others for advice, when ultimately the final decision is always made by you?  Sometimes we want validation and affirmation that what we believe about ourselves is true.  Other times we need a little push to tip us over the scale.  Maybe we have been contemplating a change but still have some doubts.  It’s times like these when a good book may give us the necessary step to stay in the game.

There is a system in place for everything that the universe holds dear to us. We talk about the law of attraction and how we attract to ourselves who we are.  At a conference the other day, one of the speakers said, “You are the sum of the five people you hang out with.”  Although I had already done some downsizing on my immediate circle, this made me take an evener closer look at who I hang with.  I’m not saying that you should call all your friends and tell them where they are on the totem pole, but I AM saying that you need to decide who gets your valuable time.  If the only time you see some of your friends is when they want to party, then they cannot be in your immediate circle of influence.  We all have reasons to celebrate, but every weekend does not have to be a party.  Would you want to do business with the person that you see at the club every Saturday night?  Think about it.  Perception is extremely important.  No matter how much you try to explain to someone that you are not that girl, their visual will remain the same.  With social media steadily on the rise, the rules of the game keep changing daily.  There is no way that you can keep up with the Jones’.  Before anyone takes offense, please know that this message is for no one other than me.  I always write first for myself, with hopes that someone may find themselves in the message.  I encourage you to always consider the rules of the game in whatever you attempt to accomplish.  It’s not easy, but when you know the rules you can play the game.

Some of you may have noticed that the most outrageous ideas seem to be the ones that take off. The minute you say, “Ain’t no way in the world…” that’s when stuff starts to happen. How many times have you looked at a product or service and thought, how ingenious even though it started from a crazy idea? Do you realize that everything we see was a thought at one time? Do you know how many thoughts we have during the day and night that could seriously change the way the world operates? The problem is our mind. We spend so much time thinking and over-thinking the ideas that come to us. Can you imagine what would happen if we went with our first thought and then lost our mind while we continue working on that thought? I have had the most success with the things that I gave the least amount of thought. I’ve also succeeded at something and started to over-think it, and the rug got snatched from under my feet.

I remember the days when my life was planned down to the hour. I am so happy that those days are gone. I still write stuff down, but nothing on the list is mandatory. It’s a list of things I would like to get done. Of course I have a regular routine of eating and sleeping, which all of us probably do. But I don’t get bent out of shape if my day is thrown off by a phone call or an emergency situation. I just make the necessary adjustments, ex: pack a quick snack, cancel an appointment, wake up a little earlier, or go to sleep a little later. Whatever it takes to get the job done is what I do. My mind switches daily to the task at hand. I don’t overplay situations. I don’t ask a lot of questions. I go with the flow. Life is so much easier when you lose your mind.

If you have been following my blog, then you know my writing style is so outside the box. Keep checking me out, you never know where it might take you.  Also check out my book, “Reframing Your Picture – True Life Stories of Turning Negatives Into Positives.”

 

 

When I moved to Charleston, South Carolina five years ago I visited a friend who lived in a duplex. I was impressed with the subdivision, so I told God I wanted to move there once I got settled in my new city.  He had other plans and I moved into a mobile home park instead. Although I had never lived in a mobile home, I was new to Charleston, so I did not hesitate to take it. God blessed me in that home for three and a half years.

Now fast forward to February, 2015. I was beginning to get a little antsy with my neighborhood and posted on Facebook that I was looking to rent a house. A wonderful realtor, who was promoting her business, responded to my post by suggesting that I consider home ownership instead. Within two days after meeting with her I was approved for a mortgage loan. I had the best realtor in Charleston, SC, and was getting close to finding something, when I decided to change jobs. My job was in the same field, but my status changed to independent contractor.  This change meant I was now self-employed and need a years’ income to re-qualify for the mortgage. But all was not lost! There was something inside of me that let me know that I could have, and deserved better. Before I met my realtor I had convinced myself that I would be stuck in that trailer court, because I would never be able  to afford anything better. But once God showed me that I could afford more, I thought, why not trust Him to give me more. As time went on I even attended home buying classes and looked into my new options as an independent contractor. However, shortly after my classes ended, I had a wake-up call.  All of Charleston, SC was shocked by The Emanuel Nine murder case (the nine church members who were killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church). That’s when I realized that I did not want to own a home, because my immediate family does not live in South Carolina. But what I really wanted all along was a better neighborhood, with a better landlord, and better parking.

Because I kept in touch with that friend who lived in the duplex, I called her one day and asked if she knew of any vacancies in her neighborhood. She responded, “Yes, matter of fact, there are three coming available very soon.” Now fast forward to September 10, 2015, the day I received the keys to my new rental property. A gorgeous duplex with upgraded appliances, a wonderful landlord, and plenty of parking.