From the Abundance

One of the many things I've learned over the past few years is that just because there's a scab on something, doesn't mean it's healed.  When I had my first spider bite it was pretty nasty. The hole in my leg was so deep I could stick my finger in it.  After it was cut open and packed it began healing from the inside and the outside at the same time.  A layer of skin grew over and closed the hole in my leg but it still wasn't healed on the inside.  I had to go pull that layer of dead skin off and leave the hole exposed so that the wound could heal from the inside out.. Each day I had to clean the wound out and apply Neosporin... I had to expose it, clean it, oil it... expose it, clean it, oil it... expose it clean it oil it... every day for several weeks. I don't know if anybody else has been on God's operating table for open heart surgery but I just found out I was on the table in the middle of a marathon surgery.  When God began to show me the con...

There's a time in everyone's life where you feel like you've failed God.  It may be in word, deed, thoughts, a broken vow... lots of things. The great thing bout God is, He won't let you stay there.  Even when you have utterly failed Him, intentionally failed Him, repeatedly failed Him, or combined all three and EPICALLY FAILED Him.. He won't let you stay there. He has this amazing way of letting you know that He still needs you, still wants you, and still chooses you.   Not to say that you might not get a spanking first, but He always picks you up and lets you know that you're still His beloved.  There are countless times when we will make mistakes, make the wrong decisions, move out of God's timing or will, or just flat out be in flesh and sin. God already knows.  He knew before we were even formed in out mother's womb.  He factored all of that in when He declared our end from the beginning.  I'm so grateful that God's mind is greate...

One of the things I love to do when I travel is find funky unique places to visit.  The photo above was taken while I was on vacation in Miami.  There's a huge area called Wynwood Walls where the buildings, fences, and pretty much everything is covered with beautiful graffiti style art. My friend and I took tons and tons of pictures and I have several of this particular painting.  There's so many intricate details in this picture that drew me in and made me want to look closer.  I was flipping back through pictures and thinking about what I wanted to write today and I ended up thinking about the course of my life.  I figured I would be married by now, have a couple of kids, a business or a great job, and be well into ministry.  Although it is nothing like I imagined it would be, I can truly say it's been amazing thus far.  Yes, there's been some hardship, some pain, some disappointment, and many many tears shed along the way but overall, it'...

Have you ever grieved for something that you haven't lost?  I bet you have and didn't even realize it.  I went to the movies tonight to see Me Before You and I cried my little eyes out.  It was such a great movie!  I laughed, I cried, I reflected on my own life and things I often take for granted, and I left with questions.  As I left the theater I sat on a bench and talked on the phone with a dear friend about old times and the neighborhood we grew up in. We talked about the changes, things in our lives that have changed, some things we'd hoped would have turned out other ways and things we aspire to have.  His voice became a little sad as he talked about not being able to see his daughter and how everyone around him seemed to be celebrating graduations and birthdays.  I reminded him that he wasn't alone in longing for those celebrations and someone to share them with.  I have the same issue with everyone around me celebrating births. engagem...

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 2 Kings 4:2  This text seems so simple at first glance but when the Pastor was reading the text in its entirety to tell the widow's story it was the last part of verse two that grabbed me like a kid in the trick or treat bowl.  I heard the words I have nothing... but a pot of oil.  That word arrested me so fast, so completely and utterly knocked me over.  Let me explain why. It wasn't the fact that the widow didn't have anything but more so that she didn't realize the value of what she actually did have.  The oil!!  If you've got the oil you have everything you need.  The woman didn't just have oil, she had a pot, or a VESSEL.. (catch me in the spirit).  The woman had oil but she also had a place for the oil to be kept.  The same thing has to be true for us. In or...

I am so excited to have made it to my 100th post!!  I've paused and stopped writing so many times there were days I didn't believe it would come.  So since this is my 100th post I figured I'd just take a moment to keep it 100 and hope to encourage someone in the process. For those who don't know, this place I'm in right  now is completely new for me.  At the leading and directing of the Lord, I packed up everything I own (after giving, donating, and selling a lot) and moved about 12 hours from home.  It might not seem like a big deal to some, but I am a people person so my family and my friends are where I draw energy from.  I spent time with my babies every chance I got, hung out with friends all the time, lived close to my family pretty much my whole life.  So being alone, 12 hours away, and not a familiar face in sight is quite an adjustment for me.  I know  it takes time to meet people and make friends when you move to a new place s...

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Recently I've had a lot of opportunities to just sit back and observe people. Never before have I had the insight and vision that I have now.  I guess that's what experience does for you... When you go through things that expose your own areas of fragility it's a lot easier to recognize it in others. I always tell people there's a blessing in being quiet and this has been one of those times.  In the silent watching I've learned that people are a lot more fragile than they would ever have you know. I had a long conversation with a friend that was really rather shocking. I knew this friend was going through a difficult patch but some of the things that were shared int he conversation really allowed me to peer a little bit deeper into their heart of hearts.  I saw a vulnerability that I had never seen before.  Here is a person that's proud, a fighter, hard worker, rarely asks anybody for anything and ...

    Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to wait on the promise of God!  Especially when He's given you a sneak peak of the manifestation.  You've seen yourself owning your own business, happily married, on a vacation, living abroad, giving away a house to a needy family, or serving meals from your own homeless facility.  Whatever it is that God has shown you, usually the hardest part is waiting. I can't speak for anybody else, but God shows me the most amazing glimpses into my future, usually while sleeping, and I can't help but want to press fast forward and get there.  I keep a dream journal beside my bed so that I can write, draw, doodle and capture what I've seen.  (If you're not already dong this, you should definitely start tonight!)  Most people forget the dream a few minutes after waking up, especially the details.  I try to write down ever detail that I remember. EVERY ONE, no matter how big or small, everything po...

Dear Pastor Chaconna, In lieu of coming to you directly I wanted to take this opportunity to offer you a few friendly reminders for your call and appointment.  First let me start by saying, I know it's not the easiest thing in the world to walk in the calling that God has placed on your life.  I know you had plans and things you wanted to do with your life and probably even some dreams and goals you'd set for yourself as a young girl.  Nevertheless you chose to answer God's call.  I can't say that everything will be peaches and cream, heck you may not even see any of those hopes and dreams you had for yourself come to pass, but know this... the plan (Jeremiah 29:11) He lined up for you is greater than anything you could have imagined. You'll have to compromise much of what you thought was normal and completely switch your way of thinking... church to kingdom... I know it's crazy but you'll never get it right until you can do this.  Trying to figure ou...

There's a lot of talk about being transparent and real and what not these days in the kingdom but a lot of people are more like a stained glass mosaic than truly transparent... they let you see through the areas they want you to but hide most of the truth.  Well today let me help somebody out by being real  transparent... I'm 33, I have two degrees ( a B.S. in Apparel Design & Merchandising and A Master of Social Work), I live alone, pay my own bills (with the Lord's help), I'm gifted, talented and anointed to do a lot of things.  I have great friends, a wonderful family and a pretty decent boyfriend.  I have a small image consulting business on the side, I'm building a ministry and I'm writing blogs, books, and several other things...I'm usually a pretty upbeat and positive person.... People usually tend to think I have it all together, ask me how I do it, how I did this and that or whatever The thing is... I'm extremely frustrated, ...