Before I am booked up this Spring, make sure you have your date for your photo session.
You can email me at uppcreative@yahoo.com.
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Happy Thanksgiving
The Pages Talk Back
Over the last couple of days I have had to thank God for my work friends. Y’all, they are a hoot. Four of these ladies give me the best set of giggles. They inspire me. They encourage me. They remind me what it’s all about.
One of my friends is deaf. Over the last year, I have become the person who interprets and lets her know what is going on. (Did I mention I do not sign?) When I started, I would write everything down. But I soon learned that people say a lot of stuff that is unimportant. So now I focus on the important things that people say. Yes, I edit. She doesn’t mind. Recently I have gotten enough courage to sign using the alphabet when she and I have private conversations.
She is amazing in that she remembers everyone we work with, even though she doesn’t know their name. She will ask about the girl with the blonde hair. The other day, she asked about our friend Jesus’ friend. At first I was a little throwed off because when I see the word Jesus and Friend, I think “we are all his friend.” But she meant the young man who worked with us. She has some limited speech so when she vocalized it, she pronounced the J. I had a quiet giggle and answered her question.
I admire the fact that she works in hearing situation. She lives her life like everyone else only she can’t hear. The other day she walked passed me and I had ear plugs in to help cancel out some of the noise. She cracked up at the sight of them. She couldn’t believe I was trying to keep sound out.
Another woman I look for every work day is Ms. Positive. She is not the bubbly happy for no reason person. She is a woman with a deep seed of joy. She will tell you that she is 98 percent positive. The other 2 percent is not negative, it is just something else. This sister has an amazing perspective on life and our purpose here. She spends her time encouraging others.
I used to sit a table over and listen to her talk to others. My favorite conversation was “poor was a state of mind. You are not poor.” But sometimes the conversation got so good, I had to join in. She knows what she is here for and has goals. I love that.
My friend SK would be the one who makes me belly laugh. She has two daughters that started college this year, so everything I am going through, she is getting double. Let me tell you, that don’t phase her at all. Somedays when she starts talking I hear Helen Reddy in the background singing, “I am strong! I am invincible! I am woman!” No matter what she encounters she says, “I am going to handle this.” And I see the same thing lived out in her daughters.
And finally, my girl T-Rae. She deserves to punch me in the mouth, but instead gives me a smile and says that is okay. She is very sweet and forgiving. This morning, on our overtime day, our boss asked her “Do you know how to do XYZ?” She said “No.” I said, “Yes you do.” Because of that everyone else got to go home, and we had to stay and work. She should have socked me in the mouth. I would have. (I really wanted to leave. I could have socked myself in the mouth.)
She is the mother of a boy and pours into his life. She is not afraid to voice views that are different than other peopel. She introduces me to stuff I have never thought about, like eating SPAM. (IKR) We have the liveliest discussions around child raising and pretty much anything on television. We often sit like Homey the Clown, reminding people that “We don’t play that.” Yet under the gruff exterior are two women who crack up laughing all the time.
Each one of these women have their own views on life and I have the privilege right now to hear it. I wish I could bring them over and we all have a conversation. It is like reading a living breathing book. And the best part is that I get to participate.
Stormy Days and Sleepless Nights
Rainy wet days are not good for getting my steps in, but lots of good came from the storm clouds this week. My dying rose bushes really appreciated the rain. There is something about the water from heaven that truly beats the water from the hose. The bushes find almost instant satisfaction and renewal.
I find the same type of satisfaction in the midst of a storm. While storm raged overhead, they also raged inside. I got to have conversations with different women this week that revealed how God worked through their storms. Like the dried out roses, some women were beaten and battered but at the roots they were nourished. They found strength in the struggle.
This week something that was meant to harm me, turned into one of my most powerful moments. I took that and empowered others. God is so good. I know many women going through right now, but let me tell you God is getting some glory through them. Several times I had to stop and shout because the Lord’s word does not return void.
I can’t count how many times this week I have said, “Don’t worry, God has got this! Don’t be afraid. Trust the process.” We tend to focus on the the dark clouds overhead, and not the impact the clouds have on our life. We only have one way of seeing a storm as something that is coming to destroy us. When all the Lord is doing is tearing loose something that has us bound.
But we need to pray to see the storm the way the Lord sees it.
He tells us in His word that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8)
Personal Note
It has been a good week.
In addition to making it to both bible studies this week, I also got to see Beth Moore on television Wednesday night. Nothing beats listening to this woman explain chiastic structure. We know God will turn a situation around, thanks to the lovely study of Esther.
I had a great first time experience at Loc Stars salon in Arlington. It had a very urban city feel and the owner is passionate about healthy hair. I love seeing people do things they are passionate about. And there is nothing better than a good hair washing and a glass of sweet tea. (yes, I am southern)
In the midst of writing my magnum opus, I have found inspiration in the strangest places, but it only makes the story better. Sometimes I try to rush a story along to fill a deadline. But it flows the way it wants to. I started this story 20 some odd years ago and I am amazed at how it evolves. Loving it.
And I am all about a good story.
At the beginning of my work week, other members of my team started some training that I had requested months ago. I was a little twisted when I found out one of the people who was being trained had never requested it.
And I said, “Really, God?” Yet I decided I was going to be happy for him. He really needed the break. But he kept coming by my station on his breaks to chat. “Really.” Not only do I have to be happy, but I have to watch him rub it in. I decided I was going to enjoy where I was. I was not going to complain to my manager about choosing people who didn’t even want it. I was going to wait for my turn, quietly.
The next day, I bump into another one of my team members going through this training. Again, people are going through training who did not request it.
“Not fair, God. But You know what you are doing.” I am going to shut up.
I had decided that God knew what He was doing even though I didn’t. I wasn’t going to throw a fit. I was going to wait my turn. In the meantime, I had a revelation.
I am at a moment in my life where I like God. You know how you can love someone, but not like them? For example, you love your parents but sometimes you might not like them because of interactions with them. Where it not for the Shekinah Glory and those scary creatures guarding Him, I know The Most High and I could sit over coffee and have a good chat.
When I get to work on Friday, there are no stations available for several of us. I look at the QB and ask what are the options. to make a long story short, two of my friends and I started training on the thing I had wanted all week. Not only do I get the training I want, but I also get it with my friends. “Wow God!”
We had the best day. And all day, I thought God knew this was going to happen. Things did not start the way I thought they should. But He had it all planned. I just had to trust Him. It turned out way better than I planned. Amen.
It Is Not Going To Stop
So at my work, when you are talking to someone and they are telling you about a situation that requires a whole lot of work and effort to be resolved, usually the conversation will end with:
“But this is my overtime day, so that is not going to happen.”
You feel for them. You get it. They have put in their regular work week and have added some to it. For them to go so far over the top would be ridiculous.
So it was my overtime day. It was set up perfect!
I was on my favorite floor, in one of the best locations (by the breakroom and the restroom). And there was a fan close by cause these are the 100 degree days. To top all of this off, one of the coolest supervisors was on the floor. It was going to be a chillaxing day.
Super Christian that I am, I was encouraging others. Saying this is going to be a good day. We are going to make it happen. There were high fives, fists bumps, etc.
About 30 minutes into my shift, cool supervisor came by and said, “You trained in (another department)?”
“I don’t want to do that today. This is my overtime day.”
She said “Cool. If they don’t call back, we good.”
I sent up my quick prayer. Fifteen minutes later she showed up and said I had to go.
Crap! This is my overtime day.
Needless to say I go to another department. It started out okay, but not my chillaxing day I had planned.
After lunch that job changed. It was something ten times harder than anything I had done. I worked harder than I have ever worked. My back called me names that were not polite and would probably make you blush. I sweated so hard I was soaking wet down to my underwear. This was so opposite of what I had planned.
But I learned something new about work and about me. It was hard. It was fun. It was worth it.
In this world, when we pray for peace and for God’s intervention, that is what we expect. We expect God to reign peace down on us because we are praying for it, kinda like I expected a chillaxing day. Yet it seems like the harder we pray, the more violence breaks out.
We have visualized a world in our minds that really doesn’t exist. Kinda like my chillaxing day. In order for us to have peace, everyone has to leave their chillaxing behind and go to work in another department. We are not giving up our comfort zones to meet others where they need us. I don’t believe we are there. We don’t sound like it yet. White people want black people to change. Black people want white people to change. Until we all change I think the violence is only going to get worse. We are heading for very dark days.
Until we are all broken, I don’t believe God will do anything with us. Our hearts are not contrite. We are still lost in darkness. We are still finger pointing and wanting it to be someone else’s fault. We are still mourning in different camps. Some mourn for the officers, some mourn for the victims. God is waiting for us all to mourn together.
This morning at church, Stephen Rickels reminded us that the way that God thinks and the way that man thinks are different. We often think we know what is best because of how it feels to us. God knows what is best and has a plan in motion to deliver us. It is going to be hard. We are going to sweat. It is going to be worth it because we will all do it together.
When we break sweat together we will know what our God is up to. As long as we stay in our separate camps we are doomed. He warned us about these days. It was not an accident we studied the Book of Revelation last year. We need to believe Him.
Some of us are not going to make it through this violence. Stop living your life like this doesn’t affect you. We have been a nation sheltered from this kind of violence, but we have chosen to be free of God who had politely stepped back and given us over to it. Until then I think we will find we live in a dangerous environment that we help create.
The good news is that this isn’t the end of the story. When Adam and Even sinned and separated themselves from God, He had a plan for reconciliation. You see God loves us more than we can imagine.
His plan was for Jesus to come to earth as a man, live a perfect life and be the sacrifice we needed to reconcile us with Him.
Jesus suffered death on a cross for us. He rose from the dead after three days. He promised that if you believe in Him, you will have everlasting life. You see the devil doesn’t win if you believe in Jesus.
You want to know how to stop the violence, make sure everyone around you believes in Jesus. Even if they are absent from the body, they are present with Lord. Amen. We win.
Stop Letting Anybody Be Your Friend
God designed us to live in community. These are the people who influence our lives and shape our existence. They either build us up or tear us down.
The biggest struggle I have had in my life is letting “anybody” in my life and giving them influence in how I live. Let me say this is a terrible idea because as God rips these people from your life you wonder what did you do wrong. Truth is you became attached to something that was not good for you. These people steer you the wrong way.
John Simmons of Rush Creek did a great job on the subject this past Sunday. He said friends are not to make you FEEL good, but to make you DO good.
Like this flower with missing petals . It is still a flower. It can do what flowers do, just not to its full capacity. That is how we are. We are learning to get by on what we got instead of operating the way God intended us. Our power comes in numbers.
Based on the list of Wise Friends and Foolish Friends, I had the opportunity this week to evaluate my friendships. People who I thought I knew, I didn’t know. But the process helped me put them in their proper place. When people show you who they are, believe them.
Just because someone loves Jesus doesn’t mean they love you. Let me say this again. When Jesus accepts people into his family, He didn’t say you can only get in if you stop being a racist.
He said whoever believes in me will have everlasting life (John 3:16).
The good news is that we will have perfect bodies and attitudes when we get to heaven and these times won’t even be a memory. I love the song that says “He will take the darkness from our eyes.”
Until then, I will unfriend and block all racist attitudes. What they will miss are the amazing treasures God gives me that I share will others. It is the price they pay. If the Lord can hand them over to their darkness, so can I.
And on the other hand, I encountered people who make me better. At Rush Creek we believe in living life together in Lifegroups. The people who went beyond anything I could have ever imagined. They walked the talk. I hear God saying that if I let Him chose my friends, He will give me life abundantly. He picks wise friends who know and fear Him. I am overwhelmed by His grace.
God’s grace surrounds us, but with tragedy all around us we can miss it. One of the things I noticed out of all the tragedy this week came something amazing. Imagine if there had been a time to get Abraham, Isaiah, Moses and David all together under one roof and have them speak to the awesomeness of our God.
There was a moment this week when amazing men of God came together to fill everyone with hope. How incredible!
What Satan meant to destroy us, God used to unite us in an incredible way. These men influence a community towards love. God is getting some glory out of this.
Stop fighting those people God is pulling out of your life. They are not good for you. Surround yourself with people who make you better. You need people in your life you remind you to have compassion for others. Those who will cry with you.
It is darkest before dawn
It is not my favorite time of day, but when I am up, it is the most beautiful part of the day.
It is always good to see light come breaking through. There are many dark shadows, but light is on the way. The Lord calls songs of joy out of the darkness into the breaking light, and it is usually sung by birds in that big tree in my neighborhood. (psalms 65:8)
The same thing with life. Just when you think it is over, God will step in and change things.
Traveling up and down I-35 is difficult these days because of the construction. It is hard on the roads which in turn is hard on the cars. I had two bad tires because of potholes. I could only afford to change one.
I had to pray that the other one held out until I had the money to change it.It was starting to crack all around the edges. There were signs along the way to remind me of the dangers of traveling on poor tires.
But God said. I got this.
Today as I was replacing the second tire, I met a lady with the same problem. Potholes had broken her rims and destroyed her tire. But we were in a place where someone could do something about it.
He reminds me that He has whatever I face in His hands. He has a purpose for each of us in life, for His name to be proclaimed. ( Exodus 9:16)
Sometimes as you are waiting for dawn in your situation, there are others who light the way. Sometimes you are alone. It is okay to be the only one in the parking lot.
Some of the things God calls you to do, it is just for you. He is revealing himself to you. Not everyone is going to understand what you understand about God. Remember Jesus went up on the mountain alone to pray.
This week He performed miracle after miracle. He reminded me of the power of my tongue. He taught me to be more like Him. He showed me his beautiful work in the sunrises. Who could ask for more?
I am learning to live with the darkness because I know the sun is on the way.
5 Thing You Can Learn From Nature
Enjoy the pond, even though it might not be yours
I was at the Duck Pond this week and was amused by the sight of the turtles. You see it is called the Duck Pond. It was designed around the ducks. There were lots of ducks there, but the turtles didn’t care.
The turtles did not have to deal with the current of the Trinity River or the other creatures that live in the river. They enjoyed the amenities of the Duck Pond with their friends. That is what we need to do. If you are a turtle, enjoy swimming in someone else’s pond. Don’t try to change the name to the Duck & Turtle Pond. Just enjoy your swim. When it is time to move on, move on.
Even birds have down time from the flock
One thing I noticed about groups of birds is that it is like an endless game of tag. They all fly to one point and before the last one gets down, the first one takes off again. It is kind of like a house with a bunch of kids, they are seldom all still at the same time.
So as long as I have been walking at this place, there is always one bird like this one. It sits in the tall bushes and people watches. Like this bird, we need to get away from our flock and see the world around us for what it is. We need moments to sit in the tall grass, dip our feet in cool water and rest.
Everyday is the opportunity to make a masterpiece
The sun is starting to rise earlier. On one hand I love it because I can actually see the world around me instead of dark blobs. On the other hand, I hate it because traffic is much thicker because other people can see the road too.
As long as the Lord paints pink morning skies, there are opportunities to be had during that day. Each day is an incredible work of art and we have the chance to make it a masterpiece.
Sometimes our enemies can’t be seen
One of the most sinister enemies in the State of Texas is the heat. We all feel we have been around long enough to manage the heat or that it is not that dangerous. But heat will sneak up on you and destroy you. You may feel tired, sleepy or weak. Manage your time in the heat and hydrate.
During the winter and spring months I could walk late in the afternoon. But as summer rears its hot head, I am making plans to walk in the cool of the mornings. Just because you don’t see your enemies, doesn’t mean they are not out there trying to destroy you. Sometimes God holds things back from you to protect you. Just like the heat, respect your enemies.
Sometimes the skies are blue and road ahead is full of obstacles
We are all on the road to somewhere and there are usually things in the way. This week I was encouraged by Muhammad Ali’s life as told by Billy Crystal in his 15 Rounds. Despite all of the obstacles, Ali continued to see himself as the Greatest. You are great too.
We are all going somewhere and your perception of the journey will determine everything about it. We need to be like the birds. Praising God for his timely provisions with songs. Everything about this life He has designed for you. He is telling you through all of the things around you. You only have to “Be still and know He is God.”
End of a Chapter
I love it when a story end well.
This week started out stormy. It rained and flooded. I read countless jokes about building an ark. My theory is that our lives are so dirty, God is washing away the filth.
I remembered worrying about how I would navigate through the storms. All of my morning drive times was supposed to be filled with storms. Yet, every time I thought I would have a battle, God stepped in and handled it. Not one storm during my drive time. Although I did get soaked a time or two this week. Yet there is something about the water that falls from heaven. It makes things grow. It will destroy man made things, but it will make things of God grow.
I found that one of the benefits of this wet spring is flowers. I have been able to smell the fragrance of flowers before I am ever close enough to see them. That is some powerful fragrance.
When something out of the ordinary happens, it causes a ripple effect. All of this rain also keeps birds on the ground because one of their main sources of food come up for air. I just get a kick out of a bird standing under a shade tree. They have the ability to soar through the sky, but they stay on the ground.
The sun came out, the skies were blue with white puffy clouds. I was able to get many steps in frustrating my friends in our Fitibit challenge. (If you need to lose weight, get your competitive friends fitbits. My friends and I almost kill ourselves trying to stay ahead of one another.) Yet sometimes during the most common moments of our lives, the greatest moments come.
During this dreary rainy week, my daughter graduated from high school completing something she had been working towards for 12 years. In the few minutes walk from the car to the staging place for the graduates, life fell apart. The shoes she bought didn’t fit like they did in the store and began to come off with each step. We left the umbrella in the car and it began to pour rain which would make her beautifully straight hair into a nice sized afro. We were getting wet. (But I was getting my steps in)
She didn’t fall walking across the stage. She graduated. We made it. Even though storm struck in the final hours, God held it all together. This is what life is like.
Today, I officially offered her my blessing as she entered adulthood. I had good friends write blessings to her reminding her of His faithfulness in the past. And I prayed for her. An old chapter ended and a new one began. God is faithful.
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