From the Abundance

The best thing I learned this year is what love REALLY IS... all of my ideals, thoughts, assumptions, and expectations of love were demolished and replaced with truth....   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.   Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.    Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8NIV The best way to determine if you love someone or if someone loves you is check their actions based on this scripture.. Love is an action word!  It requires a choice, action, and thought.   I could go on and on about the things I've learned about love this year but I'll keep it short and simple

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5 As the old saying goes... after all that I've been through I still got joy!!  That is definitely my testimony for this year.  Life in general really, but I thank God for continually bringing me through.  I am an overcomer!!  I love this scripture because the word for sow, zara`, is not only in the context of planting seed, but it also means to become pregnant.  Many of the things that have caused me to shed tears are the things that God has impregnated me with, or sown into the fiber of my being .  Even thous some of those things have cause me tears... I know when it's harvest time, it's all joy... Proverbs 10 :22 s ays The blessing of the Lord , it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.... so even when I creid a few tears, it wasn't because of God.  Sometimes it was the burdens of those connected to me, other times it was the con dition of the wor ld, and at times it was just me needing to lay

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives , and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Tim. 5:8NKJV  2012 has certainly been a year all about family for me... I've always been a firm believer that family is not just made up of those you're stuck with (bloo d relatives & those who got "I do 'd" in) but also those you adopt in your heart and those who Gods send you on purpose. My natural family is huge!! I've been finding and have been found by many relatives (thanks Facebook!) this year.  I hope I get to meet them all face to face very soon.  It's so important to know your heritage and who your people are fo r so many reasons... Beyond getti ng to know new family members, I've had a lot of time to spend with the not so new ones this year and boy did I learn a lot!  Yep !  I got to spend a good part of the summer with my nieces and nephew , which was great!  I'd m

 He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17 According to many people's standards I am poor... but I know better than that.  I know that I am extremely rich and wealthy beyond measure.  Most of the time people who are poor don't even notice until someone else, who has more than them, points it out.  Anywho, this post isn't about being poor but it is about the courage and kindness I've encountered this year. I've always been a dreamer... and boy do I have some good ones!!! They've never been small either!  I'd dream of owning a huge company, traveling the world, blessing my entire family financially, giving away houses like they do on Extreme Makeover Home Edition , doing ministry in HUGE crowds of people , starting programs t hat will change lives, writing books, lots of things... Now that we've established that, let me tell you what I know... it takes a lot of courage to ste

I have this little necklace that I made for myself a few years ago for a New Years Eve Service.  The theme that night was "in the trenches" so these little tags became a part of my dog tags.  I wore this again recently and took the time to really read what was on the tags. I thought it very fitting considering all that has happened this year so I'd like to share what I've learned with you in the last days of this year . Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;   In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 More than any other time in my life, trust has been a HUGE theme this year.  Not in a sense of "I don't trust anyone", but more of being open to trust myself with the things God has given me, trust God COMPLETELY, and even tearing down some walls and trusting that my heart won't be broken again.  Earlier this year I graduated with my Master of Social Work and