women

Stop Letting Anybody Be Your Friend

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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.

 

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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!

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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.

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It is darkest before dawn

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It is not my favorite time of day, but when I am up, it is the most beautiful part of the day.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

 

He Promises Us Beauty For Ashes

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He promised us beauty for our ashes in Isaiah 61:3. He is faithful. Many of us are going through things that would destroy someone else. People look at us and say, “Wow, I don’t know how you do it.” God is how we do it.

We suffer silently and wonder when it will ever end.  But many times we are like some ducks I encountered this week. When we are in the middle of these problems, we like to bury our heads and pretend it doesn’t exist.  I mean we know there is a problem, but sometimes we just don’t want to face it.

Funny thing about burying your head. You can’t move. As long as the duck had his head under water, he could not move. He was stuck in the same place, same perspective.

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Yet if we pursue the Lord with everything we got we won’t have time to bury our head. If you worship with your head buried, you miss out on His majesty. He will change our lives. Not only will He change it, He will make it better. It will be better than we can even imagine. And it will be hard for us to imagine something better because we have dealt with our problems for so long.

Once we remember who it is we serve. Call on His attributes, things like majestic, mighty, worthy God.  He will take the things from us that cause us so much grief and give us beauty.

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He will send amazing people into our lives to share the journey.  If they aren’t there yet, know they are coming. God always keeps His word. He knows we are not good alone. He designed us for companionship.

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A Celebration to Remember

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When I was a kid, I didn’t understand much about the world around me, but I knew what a bolo sandwich was. It was a thick cut of bologna with a little barbecue sauce between to slices of white bread. It was our answer to McDonald’s, especially during June. When you have four kids and a little money, bolos go farther. This week, I ran into a bolo sandwich, but now it looks like it comes as combo.

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On June 19, 1865, Union troops landed in Galveston, announced to the slaves that the war had ended and they were free.  Slaves and their descendants have been celebrating this day ever since. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Sometimes it is good just to see that our condition has improved.

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When I was a kid, we would get our hair done for the special occasion, and possibly a new outfit. I remember going to the park and watching the men play softball. As a young kid, I could not understand why we celebrated a separate independence day. My parents believed in celebrating Juneteenth. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized that my people were not freed on July 4. Matter of fact, my enslaved relatives probably prepared the meals for their independence celebrations.

This reminds us that there are storms in life. And sometimes those storms are so bad we can hardly see past them. We are wet, cold and feel as though we are going to drown in it. I can’t imagine what it was like to work while my slave owner celebrated freedom from oppression.  But I am sure there was a light in there somewhere.

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But take courage.  There is someone outside your storm looking in on you. They have the power to stop it, but they know this is going to make you stronger. One day you or your children will look back and see it was all worth it.

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This week I got home in time to see the Juneteenth Parade. It was led by Fort Worth Police Officers. They were men and women from different races. In the first car was Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. I thought how my parents would have gotten a kick out of seeing how far this event had come.  To see that Juneteenth was not just celebrated by African Americans, but by many different Americans in a city in the South. Wow.

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5 Thing You Can Learn From Nature

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

 

You can’t follow if you are in front of me

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When my kid was little I would constantly tell her that. She was always in a hurry to get to wherever we were going. To be honest, we were probably running late. She would be out in front of me, but going the wrong way. We finally got to a point where I would just look at her, and she would say, “I know, I can’t follow you in front of you.”

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She was a pushy little kid who would have talks with me asking if we could leave early because she didn’t want to be late. She was always in a hurry and talked constantly until she passed out sleep.  She hated naps and sleep. She loved going and doing.

She has matured since then and this week we will celebrate a major milestone. The time for her to follow has come to an end and it is time for her to blaze her own path.  I am so excited!!! (I am so tired of bumping into this child because she is trying to slow down for me)

Even though I am a single parent, I cannot say that I did it by myself. I truthfully have to say, God did it and used me and an awesome community of Family and Friends.  I could not have done it alone. But let me tell you the secret: You let your child know up front Joshua 24:15 is your motto and stick to it. (No you don’t get to choose when you go to church and you don’t get to choose when you go to bible study.) It was my duty to teach her God’s ways (and you can’t teach His ways without His Word.) Then surround that child with people who will pray for them daily. (Pick people who actually know God and have a relationship with Him)

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Our lives have been filled with storms and sunshine, but the fragrance of prayer to Jesus has always been present. He has been faithful through the cloudy days, torrential rains, high winds, lightning and thunder. He has outlasted jobs, homes, churches, people.

He taught us to join a group of believers and serve. We were members at several churches and served there. We participated in bible study. I taught her to put feet to your beliefs. Don’t listen to what people say. Look at what they do. Many will say they are Christians, but will live like the devil. Live like Jesus told the truth.

Your children will do what they see you do. If you are a whore, they will be whores. If you are a drunkard, they will be drunkards. If you are a Trekkie…

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I am excited because this is not my work. It is God’s work. I am reading C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory. He explained we like to talk about what we sacrifice, and not so much the love God has lavished on us. The Lord has lavished amazing love on us through this journey. I have met some amazing men and women of God who have prayed us to this point. Thank You, Lord.

He has begun a good work in my daughter’s life and will see it through.(Philippians 1:6) His plans are higher than my plans because He doesn’t think like me. (Isaiah 55:8-9)  She is about to start a new path where there will be sunshine and storms. She knows prayer will lead her safely through.

What A Day

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It was amusing for me to have a type of day that started at 7am and will end well after midnight. The sad thing is that I did not get all of my 10,000 steps in. (And I was too busy to take extra steps.) And true to my personality type, there were lots of tasks to be done and they were done.

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As I waited for my photo client in the park this morning, I saw this duck. unlike all of the other ducks at the pond, he stayed in this position. The birds around him walked, swam, flew and interacted with one another. This one flipped around occasionally, but this is what he did the couple of hours I was there.

I assumed something was wrong with it and could not help but feel sorry for it. It had the power to fly, swim and walk but did not use it. It is like people and their gifts. They have the power to do amazing things, but stay cloistered in their little worlds and never spread their wings to do the things they were designed to do.

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Had an awesome photo shoot with this lovely young lady who is about to graduate high school. It was a good time capturing the moment of her life when she is about to take off in flight. I can’t help but think that if God gives wonderful gifts to birds, what amazing things He places in us.

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I also got to meet new people at church and spend fun time with my daughter. One of the things that I love about my daughter is that she is concerned about my growth as a Christian as I am hers. She challenges me and I will miss it as she moves off to college.

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Yet here is a lesson I caught. (LOL) Even though this pond was titled around ducks, full of ducks and that is who the people came to see, this little turtle didn’t let it stop him from enjoying the duck habitat. Sometimes we can’t enjoy a place because we are all caught up in what it is called.

This turtle swam in the water, sat on wet concrete sides and probably ate the food intended for the ducks.He did not let not being a duck stop him from enjoying the world he was in. A lesson well taught little turtle.

You Know You Know

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I started researching my family history when I was in my early thirties. This was before websites that had tons of information on people. I used to sit at the library and read census records  and anything else I could get hold of. I compiled lists and made charts.

I traced my family back to about 1820 Farmington, Tennessee. I was very proud of all the work I had done, but it was speculation based on family legends and documents I found. I filled in my family tree with names and dates. There were a long list of people who were were related too. Some had great accomplishments and others were ordinary, but we were related. I shared it with other family members. Not many were interested.

The other day I got a message telling me my DNA matched some other peoples’ DNA and we should form a circle around a certain ancestor. This ancestor takes me earlier than I was. I laughed thinking I knew we were related before there was a DNA test to prove it. This just confirmed what I already knew.

This process reminded me of what heaven will be like. Some of us are going through things that seem tedious because we believe something.  We kinda of have an idea about it, but don’t really understand the details about it.

One day we are going to have the best giggle when Jesus tells us we are apart of his family. I mean we know it now, but when He tells us. That will be a day.