Serving and my daughter

This weekend was really good for alot of different reasons. God gave us a perfect weekend to get out and do something constructive. The weather was beautiful. Sunday I got to go work on a habitat house for the very first time. And let me just say, although I sorta work with and in a construction type field, I have a new found respect for anyone who does construction for a living. I actually got to nail and hammer joists (I think is what they called them) to the crawl space on a brand new home for someone. I mean, I was only there for the morning, but I was thinking the whole time.. someone is going to walk on this floor I am helping do. I just didn't want to do it wrong and it fall it!!! It was really an eye opening experience for me.

My daughter also surprised me. See she stays mad at me for some reason, doesn't really matter what. I think it goes along with just being a teenage girl, and if your daughter is not a teenager yet.. I'll start praying for you now!!! But after her basketball practice late Sunday afternoon, she decided that she was going to buy her and one of her friends dinner with HER OWN money!! Now, my daughter likes to spend money.. MY money, but when it comes to hers, she tends to wanna hang on to it as long as possible. But I took them to get something and she got them both dinner. I think she was actually listening when Greg was preaching!

It's all about serving people. In any way possible. You don't have to build houses, give tons of money, or take all of your day, OR you can if you choose, but we are commanded to serve other people. Jesus gave us many examples on how He Himself served others.. one that sticks out is at the Last Supper, when humbled Himself and washed the disciples feet. Do you know that their minds were probably like " WHAT IS GOING ON??" This was after wall Christ and HE was not suppose to be doing tasks such as this. But I guarantee you that the disciples would remember this and be humbled themselves to serve others. Our society today is so selfish.. it's always about them.... after all this time we can still learn alot from Jesus' and His life on earth!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great week. Lord willing, we will talk again tomorrow....

Love ya!!

Weight Watchers and The Divas

I met Demi, Sheree and Kim in what some would call a strange way. I met them all individually online when I started weight watchers about 4 1/2 years ago. I mean there are alot of people on this site, but someone we all just clicked and I got this idea that maybe we should form our own little support group among ourselves. So we did and thus the DIVAS were born. Don't ask about the name.. lol.


Demi lives in Florida, Sheree in Virginia and Kimmy, well she lives WAYYYY in Iowa. We are all night and day but mesh very well together and are a constant support for each other as we travel on the weight loss journey. Before I went to the Women's Conference last week, we all had a conversation (online) about finally taking control of ourselves and our bodies and getting our weight under control. It was strange to me (shouldn't have been though cause that's how God works) that at the conference, they talked about getting our bodies healthy to serve God. I mean I honestly never thought about it that way before. I just wanted to lose weight cause I wanted smaller clothes and I want my knees to stop hurting!!!


But in I Corinthians 6, Paul talks about sins against the body. He said " you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with you body." That means keeping it healthy and right so that we can serve God best.


I am a night owl, or use to be anyway. When I finished school last year, I had a hard time getting settled down at night. My mind was always racing and I could tell you what came on at 2, 3 and 4 AM on TVLand! I was literally up all night and by the time I got to work in the mornings, I was ready to go to sleep!!! Psalms 127:2 " In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for He grants sleep to those He loves." There is no way our bodes can function without the proper rest, and if it can't function, how are we to be about God's business??

So as I go through this new phase in my life, it has to include being healthy. Not just for my own personal sake ( and cause I don't need slack from the Divas :)), but because God wants me healthy to serve Him better!!

Its Friday folks!! We made it through another work week and it was good! I hope you all have a great and wonderful weekend. We have Operation Serve going on this Sunday at my church. This is the 2nd one for us. We have specific projects that we are doing out in the community. I am suppose to help with a habitat house (get your cameras ready!! hahahahah). At some point this weekend, get outside of your box and do something for someone else. They don't even have to know you did it.. just do it!

Love you all and Lord willing, we will talk again on Monday!!

Thank You...

I got this yesterday from a friend who know I needed it:



"DEAR GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done.

I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking You right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking You right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking You right now.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking You right now.

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank You right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank You right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank You right now.

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking You right now.

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking You right now.

I am thanking You because I am alive. I am thanking You because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking You because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking You because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I'm thanking You because, FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me."



I really like that...... I hope you all have a great day!!

Being content is a state of mind that alot of us find hard to attain. There is no way on earth any of us can have everything we want and we will always be unhappy if we aren't satisfied with what we have.

I will admit, I have been there too. I have to catch myself or the little green-eyed monster will pop up before I know it. I have seen people go out and buy what they have seen others get, stop talking to old friends because the new ones have more, or just out right talk about what this and that person has and wish it was them. Well guess what? When you die, it's not going to matter anyway cause you can't take it with you and someone else will spend it!

We have to be happy with what we have. It amazes me that people think that because you have alot of money, life must be wonderful for you. Even famous movie, TV and music stars have problems, and probably alot more because of the money!! Try helping others for a change and watch how your attitude will change to happiness instead of the " poor pitiful me" syndrome. We need to appreciate and treasure what we have now. You never know what tomorrow will bring. There is no guarantee you will make it through this day much less tomorrow so we need to start acting like it !!!

Ecclesiastes 5:10 -Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.This too is meaningless.

Whole Healthy and Virtuous

When I was growing up, I was pretty one sided. I mean I did not sway from anything that I did.. ever!! I liked what I knew and change.. well that was not me. I was happy and I assumed that the things I was learning was all I needed.. after all, if I needed something else..well God would have put it in my routine from get go.

This past weekend I attended a Women's Conference at Mt. Zion Church. Now let me tell you. And I will be honest. I can count on one hand the times I have been in an almost all African American church. And there is nothing WRONG, please don't misunderstand.. I was just brought up in a church that was majority white and still am. And we do things very differently and it use to make me really nervous because well... I wasn't use to it and like I said.. growing up, I never swayed and thought anyone could teach me anything else. I was very wrong.

I sat in a room full of women, different ages, backgrounds, ethnic groups and sang and praised God. And as different as we were, our goals were the same... getting right with God and gong to heaven. Now I have not JUST come to this revelation, but it was affirmed again for me this past weekend that I have so much to learn from so many people even at 36 no matter what church I attend.

Working to make ourselves WHOLE, HEALTHY and VIRTUOUS Women... that was the topic of the conference. We talked about spiritual gifts, making our bodies healthy but not putting crap in it, making our bodies whole, not hole, for Christ, dealing with problems and letting go and letting God handle them. It's the same stuff I talk about, the stuff I have to tell myself everyday. They were talking about what I have been talking about the past year. I watched women who were not afraid in the least to praise God.. they didn't care who saw them because it wasn't about that at all. They were one with God and all was good.

And let me tell you!!! Let me tell you how Satan works..... When my friends and I left that conference, we were pumped!! Laughing and talking and decided to go eat dinner to continue talking. As we walked into the restaurant, my cell phone started beeping.. text message... and I looked and said " Oh myyyyy.. Satan!!" My friend turned to me and she knew.. it was a person that I have not talked to since the end of last year. Someone who was NOT good for me in any kind of way who I haven't seen for close to 6 months. He was texting... and I mean it dawned on me right then. Satan does not want me or any of us doing what he knows is going to get us closer to God. He was trying to use what he knows was a weakness for me in order to throw me off. The speaker had JUST said not 15 minutes before this text

"A whole, healthy, virtuous woman makes the devil shake"..

As the text kept coming through, I will be honest... my heart ( which is not always good to follow) was saying talk.. talk to him. But thank GOD my head was alot stronger this time. I wasn't going to do it...and I didn't. Now I know this person and I know all the tactics.. lol... he didn't disappoint either but before I went to bed, after talking to a friend, I just prayed that God would be with me right this moment because I knew he was not going to give up through this night and that God just give me a peaceful nights sleep and help me remember the things I had learned at the conference. The night was good....


Whole, healthy and virtuous.. that's my goal. It always has been, but it was confirmed this past weekend, I am on the right track.

I hope you all have a great week!!! I love you and lord willing......

Love is something if you give it away........

"Love is something if you give it away, give it away, give it away... love is something if you give it away. You'll end up having moreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

I had this song in my head all day yesterday and I needed it by the end of the day. It amazes me how you can start a day GREAT and a few crazy comments or people just not acting or doing what you want can change that. So just kept on singing!!

Today is Friday (PRAISE GOD)..... I am thinking it is going to be a busy one for me. I have a women's conference to go to this weekend at a church w/ my friend, and a few other thing... busy busy busy! I hope you all have a great weekend. Find some fun things to do and lets hope the weather holds out! I love you all and Lord willing and the creek don't rise... we will meet again on Monday!!

"Love is like a lucky penny. Hold it tight and you won't have any. Give it awayyyyyy and you'll have plenty. You'll end up having moreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

:))

Speed Dating??? Hmmmmm....

So I find this ad on the Internet that a hotel here in town is doing a Speed Dating thing. You know... you get all dressed up in your Sunday best, go into this room (after you pay your 10.00), tables are set up and then the timer starts. You go from tale to table (in 2 to 3 minute intervals) talking to men (or women) and deciding by asking one or two questions if this is a potential mate for you. :/

Now, for a minute, I thought to myself, " this might be fun", there is not a whole lot to do in Albany on the weekends, but then I realized.. naw, I'll just wait. After my picks for dates this past year, think I'll let God handle it this time!

I use to think that maybe not everyone is designed to be married but I think that thinking s really wrong. I mean in Genesis it tells us that God made Eve for Adam because he was lonely. So I think that is is natural to want to be married but I know for me, it consumed my mind so much to the point that I could not function unless I was dating SOMEONE, hence all the jerks that came along in my life. So I changed my way of thinking (as this was all just recently mind you). God can use me right now, as a single person while I am waiting on HIM to send the person that He wants me to be with the rest of my life.. as so it shall be.

I have been told I need to get put and LOOK for this man I am going to marry. Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I do NOT sit home. I mean granted I have children and I am home alot, BUT being as one of my children is of babysitting age, I get the privilege of going out with friends on occasion. Not only that, I have church activities, work activities and school events that I participate in. So getting out there is not a problem, but I have just decided that God know better than me and I am going to let him handle this situation. So, instead of "looking" for a man, look to God to handle finding you a man (or woman) ... and live your life! Life doesn't begin at marriage. You can live life now, abundantly. Pursue your dreams and put your skills and God-given talents to work.

I think Satan (know I KNOW) makes us feel bad because we haven't found that person yet. Something must be wrong with us if we haven't found someone by a certain time, and then we take ANYTHING that comes along, marry it, and then it doesn't work and we wonder why.

So be encouraged all my single friends (or am I the only one..LOL). Be smart, wait for the right person to come along. In the meantime, get involved in your church, start making differences. Teach classes, write books, plan events, grow as a person and most of all, get to know Christ!! There are alot of benefits to being single. If you have no kids, then it gives you plenty of time to be out doing God's work. And if you have kids (like me) then concentrate on bringing them up like God wants... all that other stuff will fall into place.... I have faith!!

And I think I'll pass on the speed dating! :)

Have a great day!!