Category Archives: Dreams

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The Home Stretch (2010 is nearly ova)

Hello World!

We are officially in the last days of 2010.  This means that if you had any goals, resolutions or dreams for the year, you now have just over three weeks including today to get moving on making them a reality…

One of my goals was to pay off my sole credit card, and I did with the help of a financial coach and God in May! There is another important goal and dream that I realized as well, but I’m not ready yet to share that here on my blog. Stay tuned in 2011 though because big things will be poppin’ and little things will be stoppin’. (Thanks T.I. 🙂 )

As the days of the year slip by, I also think it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the highlights and even the sad moments of the year. Although I relish sharing my life with you on this blog, I must confess that as I write, I feel reticent about sharing some of the deeper questions I have grappled with this year…but I will say this, I have begun to pray scriptures…As I get more mature (not perfect) in my Christian walk, I learn more ways of communicating with our heavenly Father. I never knew how powerful it can be to actually pray Bible verses back to God. In His word, God has told us that His word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11), and so now, I take every opportunity to remind Him of what He said…Now, I’m not saying that I can tell God what to do by quoting scripture as He is sovereign, but I do think quoting scripture reminds us of His love and power and it demonstrates to God that we really business…

Below are some of the scriptures I have used this year, as I went through ups and downs of life…

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.   Joshua 1:7

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:1-2

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Matthew 10:29-30

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Matthew 7:7-8

And then he told them, Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.   Mark 16:15

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.  Deuteronomy 30:19

For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  II Thessalonians 3:10

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

So what verses helped you to navigate 2010? What goals, resolutions or dreams have become a reality this year? How will you spend the remaining days of this year?

Any thoughts?

P.S. Because it’s the Christmas season, the proverbial “most wonderful time of the year (As a Jamerican, I actually prefer summer),” I plan post videos of my favorite Christmas songs on my blog posts this month…



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Count Your Many Blessings…(aka Happy Thanksgiving 2010!)

Hello World,

Jenise & her new hubby on their big day...

I know the day after tomorrow, the United States will be awash in the commencement of the Christmas season. And it is the most wonderful time of the year, but I think the Lord does want us to celebrate His many blessings that He has lavished on us…And Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do so…The best way that I know to celebrate His many blessings is to count them or make a gratitude list…And let me share a secret with you…When life is hard and nothing seems to be going the way that you had expected or hoped for, making a gratitude list has an uncanny way of reminding you that your circumstances could be worse, thus inspiring hope for the future…And without further introduction, I present my Top 20 gratitude list for 2010…(in no particular order…)

1. Jehovah-Rohi(My Shepherd), Jehovah-Jireh(My Provider) and Jehovah-Shalom(My Peace). I’m thankful for the relationship I have with the Lord, who is my savior and my friend. Even when I don’t understand His ways, which is often, I just couldn’t live on this Earth without Him…

Jenise's bridesmaids on the way to the wedding in the limo...

2. The sermon I heard on New Year’s Eve about Joshua finally leading the Israelites into the Promised Land after they wandered for 40 years in the desert…This sermon inspired me to claim my entrance into my own personal promised land this year, and it is happening saints, Hallelujah!

3. My family. I don’t know how people live hundreds of miles away from their loved ones…My family is my rock…

4. R, who has been my biggest cheerleader this year…

5. The wedding of Jenise, one of my best friends…After suffering a heartbreaking relationship loss years ago, she is finally the wife to a man who truly loves her…

6. All of my girls…you know who you are…

7. Nevaeh Publishing LLC

8. Tiffany Warren and The Faith & Fiction Retreat

9. My favorite author, Catherine Marshall, whose words and influence continue to inspire me even after her death…

10. My job…

11. Traveling mercies…

The beautiful bride...

12. My formal financial coach who has taught the value of keeping track of every penny and making the best use of my resources…

13. My various spiritual and religious communities…

14. My line sister, Lola, who has an incredible story of hope, faith & victory…

15. Inspired Sistah, whose words and encouragement has inspired me to live on top of the world…Go Tangie Go!

16. All of my many adventures this year from covering the ABC News “Nightline Face-Off”: Why Can’t a Successful Black Woman Find a Man? to calming down a chick who wanted to start a fight with one of my girls at the Phipps movie theater where we went to see Sex and the City 2. Hilarious…and pitiful at the same time…

17. The 31st Annual Christian Women’s Retreat. I thoroughly enjoyed being the featured speaker, particularly since I had to study this Bible verse…

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

18. My blog. Not only is it a way to satisfy some of my creative urges, I have learned so much from writing and the people who appreciate my writing…thank you very much…

19. Spiritual Discernment…

20. Books…They are one of the loves of my life…

Any thoughts?

All of us...

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Entering into the Promised Land…

Hello World!!!

It’s November y’all…2010 is on. its. way.out…I can’t even believe it…It seems like it was just last night that I went to Watch Night Service at my church. And the reason I bring that up is because the pastor spoke on Joshua and how finally he led his people into the Promised Land after they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years due to their own fear and disobedience…

What I got from his message is that it is my time to finally enter into the promised land…What does that mean for me? I cannot share all of that now, but someday I will. What I will tell you now is that I am no longer hoping, wishing & praying for my dreams to come true…Instead I am standing on His word and expecting my dreams to come to life right now. (I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13)

But the pastor did have a word of caution about entering into the promised land…Before God allowed Joshua and his people to enter in, they had some requirements to meet…below is what the Lord said to Joshua…

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9

I believe the Lord was telling me that if I will enter into my promised land, I must stay in the will of God and be strong, courageous, fearless and unshakable…So yes, the Lord’s promise to me is conditional…He promises, but I have to meet the conditions…

So all of this pondering on promises made and promises kept has me thinking of the elections yesterday…It seems that people are trying to punish President Obama for what they perceive as his unrealized promises of hope and change…And people are now attempting “to take their government back.” I’m no political pundit so I will save all of the thorough analysis for those that are, but I will say a few things from a spiritual point of view…No politician can ever perfectly keep all of his promises – even those that have promised to take their government back. The Bible has many references in which we are warned about lightly making promises because we human beings have a difficult time keeping them. At the end of the day, only God enables us to keep promises…I mean, we cannot even wake up in the morning without His permission…(See Matthew 5:36 and think on that…)

But back to President Obama and his promises of hope and change…I happen to be one that believes that he is diligently working to keep his promises, but we have conditions to meet on our end. He is not our savior and cannot accomplish miracles without our support. Are we supporting his policies with our votes? (I guess this line may be a day late and a dollar short)…Are we attending city council or school board meetings or otherwise taking part in our local government? (All politics begin at the local level.) Are we educating ourselves about the real issues that this country faces or are we latching on to catch phrases and acting like we know more than what we really do? Are we simply voting for a party because we always have instead of paying attention to the actual candidates? Are we praying for those in authority? (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

I must say as I inventory my actions based on these questions, I have a ways to go…

However, although the balance of power has shifted at a national level, I do believe that this shift did not take God by surprise. He is always working behind the scenes in the course of human history…I don’t know what the end result will be. But it seems to me that at the very least,  the opposing powers are now forced to work together and neither power can entirely lay the blame at the other’s feet.

Okay, let me get off my virtual political soapbox…

We are free to claim the promises of God, but let us not the ignore the conditions that must be met…Delight yourself in the Lord and THEN He will give you the desires of your heart…All things work together for good IF you love the Lord and are called according to His purpose…You will be saved IF you believe in the Lord…

Any thoughts?

P.S. I realize that I haven’t blogged in over a week, and I apologize…I hope I haven’t stayed away too long…I offer Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” as a peace offering…lol…love this song!