Reflection: Year "2-Thousand & 6"

It is the end of the year now with only two more days until the New Year. I know that time doesn't change, but the year has sped by with lightening speed. If they [years] keep speeding by like this, before I know it I will be old. Yeah Right! LOL. Any ways, after taking some time to reflect over the past year, I cannot say that my year began good or bad. I can say that with everything I have learned, the year will forever remain unforgettable. There are two things I have learned that I would like to share:

1. Fall madly in love with God. Each step in our spiritual walk creates a deeper love in our relationship with God. His love for us doesn't change, but our love for Him does. He knows us inside out whereas we learn more and more about Him. Look at your walk with God like a relationship. You meet Him, you date Him (We even get the courting!), you hook up in holy matrimony and spend a lifetime getting to know Him. Guess what ladies? He is the perfect husband. He loves strong. He is passionate about us and our children. He gives us His undivided attention. He is forgiving and merciful. He gives the perfect gifts every time and He is an excellent listener. I would like to say that I've got so much game that I found such a wonderful man, but in all honesty, He found me just like He will find you (if He already hasn't). What can I say, when He found me I couldn't resist! =)
2. You can never out-give God. Give Him all you've got and give it with joy. Because what He will give back to you could pass any dream you have ever dreamt, any treasure you have ever sought or any goal you have ever set. Dream bigger because that's what He wants for you. Think wider because He didn't put limits to what we can accomplish. Give more because He will give better.
   

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Heartbeat of God

God was in the house last night. I once asked myself if we can talk too much about "how powerful" a service is or how many times that "God moved mightily in our service". Having come from "the world" into a place that is "not of this world", I didn't really understand how God is everywhere and is always moving. We can't avoid Him and we can't hide from Him. He is here at all times which is why it is not unbelievable to always have a move of God. It is almost like we are swaddled up in a blanket and being carried on the bosom of God.

Last night, during our song service (well, during the one song we were able to play since God did move so powerfully), there was a moment when the keyboard was silent, the guitar was silent and it was only the singers and the drummer. To me, it felt like I was hearing the heartbeat of God. With each hit of the drum and the words of the music "You Are Awesome in This Place Mighty God" it was as if the world was still and God "was" moving. He was breathing on us while we were living on Him. Nothing really mattered because we were having life pumped into us as the Holy Spirit ran through our veins.

So, the only word I could use to accurately describe the service last night is "powerful". There is nothing more powerful than being next to the heartbeat of God. There is nothing like it. There is comfort next to The Heartbeat. There is assurance next to The Heartbeat. There is peace next to The Heartbeat. There is power next to The Heartbeat and there is life.

Christmas Time

Here is a pic of my wonderful son Anthony, my beautiful niece Laila and their mommies during Christmas Time in '05.

Microwave OverKill

You know, there are some days that the clock just won't stop ticking and there are days when it completely stops. Yesterday, as I was warming up my tea (to tackle this sore throat issue I've had for a few days), my microwave died. I couldn't believe it! You never know how dependent you are on technology until you no longer have it. For me, a person who doesn't like to be in the kitchen and doesn't really like to cook but is learning because I one day want to please my future husband with my culinary art skills, could not handle this loss. I wanted to learn some good old fashion cooking, not learn how to do it the old fashion way...by the oven. Call me young, but this is a little too ol' skool for me. I need instant. I need a MICROWAVE!

Secret Sister Revealing

We had our Secret Sister revealing tonight. I had a wonderful time eating, playing games and determining where my mental state is =). Sister Bernice hooked it up with the cooking and the enchiladas were excellent. Sister Sabrina ended up being my Secret Sister. Thanks to my Secret Sister, I got my very first coffee pot, can of coffee, filters and my very own coffee mug. I guess I am no longer considered a beginner, but I think I have graduated to the intermediate class of coffee drinkers.

Is it Worth the Risk?

I received an article today called The Changing Workplace. It talks about the changing culture of workplaces today. I am blogging about this not just because I would love to work for a place like this, but because this concept clearly says RISK. The risk outlined in this article that was taken by Best Buy has helped to keep them at the top of their competition.

I began to think about a conversation I had a few days ago about risk. The comment was made that some are more willing to take risk than others. Is it necessarily bad because the risk they took would not have been taken by another? When we see someone take the risk that we would consider stupid or dangerous, could it possibly be that we are afraid of taking risk ourselves? Really, how much risk are we willing to take?

I'm not a risk taker, but when I was younger I did some pretty stupid things. I was so willing to take the risk that the danger didn't matter. My mind was so captivated by the appeal of the task ahead that risk wasn't even a recognizable word in my vocabulary. Risk was simply seen as just living life. Now, there are some things that I would not do if I would have put some thought into it, but its that dare-devil that I need to reach back and get a hold of. I want to achieve growth, but yet when the growth requires risk, the appeal of achieving that growth kind of fizzles down. How can I ever do better if I never try to see if I can do better?

In Best Buy's case, the risk was worth it. When it means millions of dollars, or rather millions of souls, is it worth the risk?

Thank You Cards

We distributed most of Anthony's fundraiser items to the rightful owners today. Anthony wrote out some thank you cards (with the help of mommy) and attached them with the items. Even though the words were not quite ledgible on two of the cards and he wrote his name on the front of the other card instead of in the inside, it was still perfect. There is so much power in a thank you, especially from a loveable young man like my son. It was a blessing to see the smiles on the faces of the receivers. Sometimes, just a simple thank you is enough to brighten the day and the return smile is an awesome "You're Welcome."

Rat Alert

Okay, I could make this the official home of the "I hate rats" club. I was sitting down all ready to blog just as I heard running on the roof and then clawing on the side of the house. Talk about losing all concentration. I can't even tell you what I was about to write because my hair is too busy sticking up on my arms. I pray that it was a cat because I cannot handle the rats anymore. Yuck!

Am I In-Love?

I read this blog today, Why I Think God is Amazing, and couldn’t help but question, am I in love with God? Can you really fall in love with God? There have been times when I think of God more as a parent than as a partner. Yet, there have been times when I think of Him as my soul mate instead of an elder. Although, I fear Him, I love Him and there are days when I lose my breath thinking about life without Him. There were times when I would get upset with Him (unrightfully so), but every time that I would ask for forgiveness, He forgave me. I had tried hard to make this relationship work only to find out that 100% of the time it was my fault. LOL. Past my immediate family, I have never fallen in love before because all I experienced was infatuation (took some aging to realize this). I don’t know what love feels like. But I get butterflies in my stomach thinking about Him, my heart skips a beat when I seek Him, and I can’t help but smile when I’m near Him. It makes me wonder, have I fallen in love?

I've Got the VICTORY!

Today, I have had such a wonderful day. I can’t say that my hardships have changed, but something in me just wants to scream and shout "I’ve Got the VICTORY!" You know when you feel the tingling sensation all over and your stomach has butterflies. Or when you just want to run throughout the house and jump all around. That’s what I feel. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, I didn’t receive a large sum of money and I have not witnessed someone turning their life over to God today. But, I feel like the Extraordinary is sitting in my living room, that I just received a pot of gold and I just witnessed an infilling of the Holy Ghost. In the words of my favorite cereal character, Lucky Charms, I would have to say that today was magically delicious…or rather, spiritually delicious.

Snoopy on Ice

Last night we went to Knott's Berry Farm to see Snoopy on ice in "Snoopy's Cool Christmas". The story line was about the Snoopy Gang finding out the true meaning of Christmas. With the help of the ice skaters and each member of the snoopy gang, we [the audience] were eventually revealed the true meaning of Christmas; to celebrate the birth of our new born king, Jesus. It was amazing! Amongst a time where the stores do not want to even say "Merry Christmas" yet alone bring the true meaning of Christmas back into Christmas, Knott's Berry Farm brought it back in full force. As we sat in our seats anticipating the next moves of the ice skaters, the true meaning of Christmas was brought back to us by the reading of the scriptures from the Bible. Yes, they actually read scriptures from the bible to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Is this the beginning of the end of Christmas falsehoods and "Happy Holidays"? Are we going to start hearing "Merry Christmas" again when we walk into the stores? Have we in this society gone so far to avoid Jesus that we feel compelled to bring Him back into our lives? I hope so. There were would be no Christmas, no holiday to celebrate (even though we have taken it and turned it upside down), no presents, nothing if Jesus was not born. There is no Christmas without Jesus and I'm glad that someone other than the church has recognized it.

Thank you Knott's Berry Farm helping us to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

With Faith, Not Worth

"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." -Mark 11:23-24

This is one of my favorite verses. One reason I love it so much is because Jesus never said we had to be worthy to receive what we believe. He said we must have faith enough to believe and receive what we are asking for. If these verses said "...but shall believe and be worthy so that those things which he saith shall come to pass" or "...believe and be worthy so that ye receive them..." we would be in some big trouble. No one is worthy and we wouldn't receive one thing if that was the criteria. This is a wonderful example of God's grace and mercy. He knows we are not worthy, yet He loves us so much that he made faith so easy. We don't deserve it, but He is willing to give it to us any ways. He has so much mercy that he did not place hard restrictions on faith and He has so much grace that He will answer our prayers with what we desire. We receive our blessings through faith, not worth. Isn't God good? YES, all the time!

Happy Thanksgiving

I am wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving early. I will be sharing this holiday with my family, which means that I will be biz-ee. My niece thinks I am to be used at her discretion and my son eventually gets a tiny bit jealous, so I am constantly juggling between the two. I have to admit, I love it. So, I wish you all a blessed holiday and a happy Thanksgiving. God Bless.

Working for God

To put another note about work, my coworker said this to me the other day, "I have to remember that I am working for God." Wonderfully put! Each day I walk into work (even when I can't wait to leave the moment I get in), I have to remember that I am working for God. It makes the day so much brighter just thinking about my task ahead. Think about it.

• With God the bonus possibilities are unlimited (He doesn't limit us, we only limit ourselves),
  
• The promotions are many and not few & far in between (There is always room for spiritual growth).
  
• When I need help in dealing with a situation, I am not pushed to the side (God is available when I need Him).
  
• Plus, I get a window seat. Actually, even better. I get a corner office on the top floor (He only wants the best for me).
  
• I have Security blocking the traffic (because God only gives us what we can handle) and
  
• A Janitor to help clean up my mess (God helps us even when it is our fault. See the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah).
  
• I can drive the company car(because He supplies my every need) and
  
• Fly in the company airplane (because He supplies us with our needs as well as our desires).
  
• And the best of all. I get fresh, pure, living water each and every day and not Arrowhead (no offense to those who like Arrowhead).
  

What a job! What a job! Boy-o-boy, I love working for God!

Holidays

As I sit here and just think about going into work tomorrow, I can already feel my anxiousness of getting out of work so that my holidays can begin. I love the holidays and although I don't want them to go by too quickly, I can't wait for them to come. With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, I feel anxious and ready to hit the road to begin celebrating all the wonderful things that God has given me and all the things I have been able to give to others. It just makes me happy! I love this time of year.

My Little Man

Here is a pic of my little man at our Harvest Party. Let me share with you a funny story on how we decided that he would be a cowboy.

For the Treats on the Streets festival that is held every year in Orange, Anthony went as Batman. We already had the cape, mask, breast plate and belt. All he needed was the body suit, so I thought it would be a good idea to just use what we have. So, I packed up some grey pants a black shirt and his batman outfit and sent him over to Terry's. I met them after work since Treats on the Streets starts a 4:00p.m. and I didn't get off until 5. Well, to make a long story short, when I seen my little man I couldn't help but think that he was the ghetto-ist looking cowboy I had seen. Let's just say that he looked homemade. And of course Anthony had no clue that his mother sent him out of the house looking like that, so let's just say that I persuaded him to go as a cowboy from then on out. Looking at this picture, I think Anthony made a good choice!

On the Ice

For any of you who don't know what I look like, here is a picture of me on the ice. I can't tell you if this was before or after I began falling. I looked pretty happy, so I would say that it was probably before.

It Was Beautiful

I was talking to my coworker this morning and she said something that really stuck out. She was describing her dinner last night with her fiance and his mother and said that the night was a blessing from God. She said it [last night] had to be because the night could only be described as "beautiful". That is a word fit for a King!

Amongst all of the trials that we must endure, having to rush through our night only to have to battle through the next day, it was awesome that she was able to pause and see the beauty that could only be created by God. It doesn’t have to be a struggle to live for God and it definitely does not have to be ugly. Sometimes, we just have to wait and be still in order to bring back into focus the beauty of life.

C2C Night: Relationships

Tonight in C2C we talked about relationships. I quite enjoyed myself. The first thing that Bro Frank asked us to do was to write down all the things we would want in a spouse. It was funny in a sad way, but I thought of more things that I didn’t want in a spouse than I thought of what I did want in a spouse. That was eye opening because I have been in a somewhat fear of marriage. I have wanted to get married for so long, but now that I have truly enjoyed my single life, I have been seeing the things that marriage would take away from me.

But, that is not the way to look at marriage, even when I am comfortable in my current situation. Having to think of the good qualities only made me realize that as long as I am in the will of God, it will be all right. There are so many things to look forward to, but so much to be patient and wait for. There is so much that I would want from my spouse, yet there is so much that I need to learn to give.

Marriage is so many things and so much more than just love and infatuation. Marriage is so many things that tonight I couldn’t name them all.

Rat Problem

I had to give an update on my rat problem. So far I haven't seen it again. Gabriel came over to finish raking my back yard the day following my incident and he saw the rat run under my house (a con to living in an old house. Old houses don't generally sit on foundation but are lifted up). However, with all my might and every last string of will power left in me, I managed to take the trash out today without running away. Yes! One point for the human!