It was tough pretending not to be smart, but it was difficult pretending they were smart. Years as a journalist had taught her how to find out background information on just about anyone. The truth was that the women were common and stupid, but still they had the power to destroy lives. She would have to watch herself around them.
An African American woman moved home to take care of her dying mother giving up the opportunity to experience a world beyond segregation. Zoraida Hughes Williams finds that some things have changed about her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas while some have stayed the same, like Hell’s Half Acre, an area where saloons, prostitution and gambling runs wild. Like most of the residents, she wants to keep her head down and stay away from trouble, but it comes in the unlikely form of an Anglo Baptist preacher. He messes up everything and almost gets them killed.
Every day I continue to grow and know more than I did before. Just this week, Bobby Flay taught me how to improve my grilled hamburgers and the Pioneer Woman gave me an alternate recipe for enchiladas. This week, I also got to smell frankincense after reading about Jesus being born in a stable with livestock, thanks Bill Hybels for Seeing the Christmas Scenery.
Life is a great journey where you take in information that will help you make good decisions about your life. This year I am going to do some different things with the blog section of this page.
I will write on certain themes and present them as a series. Not every blog will be tied to a series, but some will. The first series is going to focus on how to be a better you. I am going to share some principles that I have been using for over 20 years. I didn’t create it, I just took it and made it my own. I will invite you to do the same thing. Stealing from the inventor of the system, we are going to put first things first.
This year, I will invite guest bloggers to share valuable information with you. I have learned that we work so much better in community and can learn wonderful things from each other. I know lots of talented people who enjoy what they do. You will enjoy them.
I will also continue with the music. I will use some popular music, but I am an old school girl. So there will be O’Jays and Earth Wind and Fire. Yet, there will also be Third Day and Kari Jobe.
God is working out good things in my life. It is going to be a fantastic year
She was on her way to somewhere…she just didn’t know it was the segregated South in 1912, but it proved to be an adventure.
An African American woman moved home to take care of her dying mother giving up the opportunity to experience a world beyond segregation. Zoraida Hughes Williams finds that some things have changed about her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas while some have stayed the same, like Hell’s Half Acre, an area where saloons, prostitution and gambling runs wild. Like most of the residents, she wants to keep her head down and stay away from trouble, but it comes in the unlikely form of an Anglo Baptist preacher. He messes up everything and almost gets them killed.
I learned a lot spiritually in 2015 and I am sharing it with you. You can look back through my blog if you want the full version, but the cliff notes are below. I got to know God in a way, I have not known Him before. I look forward to what 2016 holds.
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Mourning is a process. You have good days and bad days. Own it, but don’t wallow in it. Ecclesiastes 7:2
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Sometime we wait because the Lord has to take the teeth out of the serpent that is waiting to bite you Psalm 61:4
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all of the struggles we are currently going through is God cultivating our hearts. He is taking hard dry ground and enabling it to grow something Ezekiel 11:19
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Sometimes our blessings are in the storm Ezekiel 34:26
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Remember who I am praying to. Revelation 4 tells me that I am not praying to a really good human being. He sits on the throne with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. Four very scary creatures watch over him. He is mighty, all powerful and sovereign.
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We work better together. God put us in community to work together. I am so blessed to be among a group of women who love and serve Jesus. Hebrews 10:24-25
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He continually reveals himself to me. He tells me He loves me every day whether I hear it or not. Deuteronomy 29:29, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:10
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He trusts us with moments, don’t take any for granted. Some people you are never going to see again. Act like it. Isaiah 43:10
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When things I want are not in line with what God wants, Be Still. Trust Him. Psalm 46:10, Proverbs 3:5-6
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Prayer is an effective tool to communicate with Him. James 5:16
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Until you are dead, it is not too late to start anything. Remember the Sunday School class for women in their 80s.
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I think God listens to our crappy prayers and decides to teach us a lesson by teaching us we don’t know what we are talking about.
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Even though some things do not fit right now, I know that it will all come together because the one who made the plan completes everything. 1 Peter 2:7
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I need friends who will remind me of God’s faithfulness. Deuteronomy 7:9
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Fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. There are lots of scary things on the planet earth, but there is none that I fear above the Lord. The study of Revelation has given me a grand picture of who it is I worship. It is not an accident that there are lots of thunderstorms and earthquakes in the area during the year we are studying Revelation. He is giving us an overview before the real thing happens. Deuteronomy 10: 12-13.
I am sad to see Christmas go. Love Christmas. I love the songs and movies. I love everyone being nice to each other. I love the stories of hope. This evening I am spending it with Call of the Midwife‘s Christmas Special.
I hope your Christmas was amazing like mine. I love my family, even the crazy ones. It was great to spend time with them throughout the holiday season. Of course, we were rowdy and loud.
These gloves are some of the fun things that came with Christmas. My favorite was an electric tea pot. All are handy and warm gifts.
Yet aside from the gifts, the best gifts have been what the Lord has taught me all year. Next week I will share 10 things the Lord taught me in 2015. In spite of all of our circumstances, He is still good and faithful. Here is one:
Sometimes we wait because the Lord has to take the teeth out of the serpent that is waiting to bite us.
So those of you in a hurry. Wait.
Until then, lets have some Christmas music. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Movies and books are some of the things I love. When I was a kid, I used to catch the bus and go to Seminary South to the General Cinema theater to watch movies. It was the coolest thing to me and these movies had an impact on how I saw the world. Most of the movies I saw had men leads, and most of which were Anglo.
When the first Star Wars movie debuted in 1977, I was too young to ride the bus by myself. But I fell in love with the Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and was excited that Billy Dee Williams was one of the cast. As an actor is was good to see someone who looked like me in a popular film that was good to boot. It gave hope that African American actors would not be typecast as the bad guys, the stupid guys or “you don’t have a purpose” guys.
I don’t have adequate words to explain my feelings as I watched the recent installment of the Star Wars franchise. I was like, “Wow!”
As I sat in the movie theater 38 years after the first movie, I can see a difference in who we are as story tellers. As a country we have grown some and it is nice to see it reflected in a major franchise movie. It is nice to see actors who look like me get roles that might have been cast other ways.
I love that one of the main characters was African American and another was female. The story-line had nothing to do with their race or gender, it allowed two actors to do what they do best. ACT. Yet their presence spoke volumes. It takes Star Wars to whole new level with me. It was a great movie experience. We have truly come a long way.
Sometimes I kid my work partner that he is off his game when things don’t go the way we plan. It doesn’t happen often, but pointing it out helps us understand something we don’t like is happening. Usually we joke about it. He tells me if he is off his game, then I must be off mine.
Currently I am off my Christmas game. Presents still need to be bought, cards need to be mailed, and lots more. I am so behind.
Christmas is my favorite season and it is about to be over before I even prepare for it. The thing that keeps me calm is music. One of my favorites this season is the Christmas Song by Dave Matthews.
I love the words to this song and the beat. As I was listening this week, I thought about Jesus. I mean He knew when he breathed life into Adam that eventually the focus would turn to Him. (And rightly so because He came to save us.) He knew that people would write songs about his life.
I wonder if terms like “less than golden,” “daddy-o” and “jokers” gave Him a giggle. They make me giggle because of the songwriter’s method of telling the story. He uses a vernacular that I am familiar with.
I am not saying the song is biblical, but I do like the theme. I love the idea of showering Him with love while He lay in the hay. I disagree that the blood spilled is of the children all around. I know the blood spilled is of the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Yet that doesn’t limit the song for me. Because as God tries to explain to us what He does for us, we don’t always get it right.
But Jesus loves us. So much that He was willing to come be with us. We will never know the full extent of His love.
Even though I may be off my game, I love being reminded of the trip Jesus made to earth to shower me with love.
So I have this song stuck in my head, but I only know 2 words. It makes me giggle.
So I walked into my mechanic’s office and explained the problems with the car. He answered by breaking out in song. I could not help but laugh as he continued to sing through my distress. After he sang a little, he looked at me and laughed.
The best part was he reminded me of where my source and help comes from. As I stood ready to talk business. He reminded me that God was my protector and has control of our lives. He reminded me that nothing happens in our lives without God.
Now he did roll his eyes at me for wanting him to do the repairs the same day. ( I got there two hours before he closed.) He also continued to sing.
A couple of days later, as he was going over the repairs with me, we talked about family. He said family gatherings are about love and respect for each other. He gave me a hug, a kiss and wished me Merry Christmas.
I paid for car repairs, but got a whole lot more.
As you are meeting with your family and friends this holiday season, and getting caught up in the festivities, remember to love and respect one another. When things start going to the contrary, just sing.
