From the Abundance

Photo by  Dariusz Sankowski  on  Unsplash I took a very unintentional hiatus from blogging over the past few months and tonight  friend reminded me that I needed to get back to it.  So here I am!  I have so much to say but I often find it difficult to express or struggle with just putting things out there.  This post will be the first of several.  There are lots of things on my heart and mind so it's time I get back to sharing. John 4:24 NLT says, For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. In order for us to render proper worship unto God we have to walk in our truth, no matter what that is.  When we refuse to or don't acknowledge parts of our truth it can hinder our worship.  Honestly, our truth isn't always pretty, it isn't always what's expected or considered "proper", but it is what it is.  So here are a few of mine... Even though I live a life poured out, I often don't feel ful...

It's taken me a while to get to the place where I could write this blog.  I've been struggling with writing for the past few weeks and hadn't really realized why.  Tonight all of that changed.  I needed some couch time, for those who don't know me couch time is when my friends and I play therapist for one another.  I'm fortunate that most of my close friends are actually social workers, therapists or ministers/Pastors.  So I was talking to one of my friends an explaining to her all the things that had been going on in my head, the things God had been showing me about myself and how I'd just been a bit overwhelmed with it all.  Then it hit me.  The light bulb came on and I knew exactly why I was struggling and what I was struggling with. I'm in a season where everything in my life is new.  New city, new state, new people, new church, new job, new relationship, new everything... That's all great but what I forgot was that with all that newness ...

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...

Today the world lost a musical genius, an icon, an amazing entertainer, humanitarian, and extraordinary musician.  His gifts touched people spanning various generations, nationalities, racial groups, ethnicities, and age groups. There's a lot of folks who got capes slapped on their backs today and became SUPER SAVED at the thought of the "saints" mourning the loss of Prince.  I have a few things to say about that.. 1.  He was a person that touched, inspired, and reached more than most preachers ever will in a lifetime.  2.  It's sad when anybody dies because there's loss there..He was someone's family.. without the titles and accolades, he was still a son, a cousin, a husband, and worthy of being mourned; and 3.  Most importantly, He's a soul that will have an eternal resting place just like the Super Saints... no different than you or I in those areas. So leave people alone and let them mourn... Any great music lover, saved or unsaved felt that loss t...

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...

A lamb is often a symbol of innocence and purity.  Precisely why I chose to create the image I did for this post.  If you notice the word UNCOVERED is hiding in the grass.  That too is intentional.  I want to take some time to shed light on a topic that is probably one of the most taboo and hushed of all topics... sexual abuse.  More specifically within families and the church. According to   NSVRC   63% of the assaults are never reported and 8 out of 10 victims knew the person who assaulted them, which is why the enemy needs to be exposed in this area. Even more disturbing is the fact that only 12% of child sexual abuse cases are reported. Historically there's been many scandals involving young boys being molested in the Catholic Church but nobody likes to talk about the wives being raped by their husbands, or husbands being raped by wives.  Nobody mentions the aunts, uncles, family friends, neighbors and parents that creep into little kids'...

Scientists have often said that there's a fine line between genius and madness.  I absolutely agree!  Not just for scientific reasons but because I truly know how fragile the human mind is.  In honor of Social Work Month I decided to take my next few posts and combine my two passions together to delve into a difficult and often taboo topic, Mental Health.  More and more we see people being diagnosed with this and diagnosed with that or treated for xyz.  Nobody ever stops to examine the connections between the two worlds. First I must say that mental health disorders are spiritual health problems. Period, point blank! You need proof?  Let me give you some from the Bible. In Mark 5:1-20 we have the story of the man in the tombs.. (v1-15) And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelli...

As February comes to a close I can't help but be excited because spring is around the corner!!  You know what happens in spring... EVERYTHING blossoms!!  I love to see new little buds come up on the trees, the beautiful flowers that come shortly after and the sweet aroma that fills the air.  I can only imagine that's what true worship smells like to God. I don't know if anybody else notices or if it happens this way for anybody else but every so often my worship completely shifts.  I was thinking back to a time where I could barely lift my hands, didn't really cry out or worship vocally.  Not because I didn't want to, simply because I was bound.  I couldn't praise God so how could I get in His presence?  I would sit in service and feel God moving but couldn't really express how I felt.  Then one day I was visiting what would become my church home and I went to the altar for prayer.  The pastor looked at me and said 3 words that were the cat...

As I sit watching this beautiful blanket cover the streets, buildings, and trees I am reminded of God's love. The streets are covered with dirt, rocks, holes, oil, and trash.  Just beyond the edge of the street there's a sidewalk lined with trash cans, mailboxes, fire hydrants and other random things.  When you step beyond the sidewalk there's grass and more sidewalks, stairs and buildings, trees, more cars, and a few people braving the cold.  The amazing thing is, the snow keeps falling, keeps covering, and keeps coming back no matter how many times you try to shovel it away.  That never ending blanket covers everything.  The dirt, the grass, the mailboxes... everything covered under this beautiful blanket of snow.  The same way God covers us. His love wraps us up, covers us, and makes us new.  It covers to the point that nobody sees the dirty places in our lives, the holes and voids in our hearts get filled, the oil and residue of past ...

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 ...

There's so much on my heart and mind right now that I really need to release... things have been locked up for weeks and months and I just haven't been motivated to write.  I really haven't known where to begin.. Feb 24 I got the most devastating call of my life.  It was about 2:30am and I was a little restless and my phone rang.  I immediately knew something was wrong  when I saw my older brother's picture on the screen.  I answered the call and received the news that our father had been murdered in his home.  I was in shock, numb, in disbelief, and devastated wasn't even close to describing it.  I maintained my composure through the call but when I hung up and the heaviness of the words I had just repeated hit me, I crumbled. With tears running down my face, I called my mom and told her.  She was on her way immediately.  During the time that my mom was driving to my house I sat in the middle of my bed, cried and prayed, prayed and c...

  One of the things I set out to accomplish this month was writing a letter of interest and support for the upcoming ministry things that I'm working on.  So as I wrote the letter I found myself asking the recipients to make an investment in souls.  When I wrote the letter I was thinking investments in terms of planting seeds.  In the week following, I had several conversations with friends who were in the Valley of Decision, self included.  As I talked relationships with one of my friends, I asked if she was willing to invest in the guy again and give him the opportunity to get to the point he needed to be.  So later that week I was asking myself that same question. This made me think...  Investments require risk.  Anything you're willing to pour into, you have to consider if the risk is worth taking and if so, how long are you willing to wait on the return in your investment?  I thought long and hard and definitely prayed about it....

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...

I was watching an episode of the Carrie Diaries where she and her friends were having a conversation about the mentality of the people in Manhattan.  She was smitten with the luxe and glamour of NY and how everyone was so posh and had exciting lives. But her friend pointed out that in Manhattan everyone was their own little individual island... trying to keep up, outdo, and make the other little islands jealous..it was lonely being an island. Over the past few weeks I've found myself extremely irritated with this spirit of selfishness and self-exhalation that seems to be running rampant these days.  NO I am not about to get on my soapbox and just rant out of frustration but I am about to share some biblical truths with you concerning this foolishness right here... what I have termed Me Me Island Syndrome... There are times when we all have a lapse in judgement and think we don't need anybody else, we can do everything on our own, or that this show is all about us. ...

Alright folks this is just a quick post to support my awesome brother in Christ and the ministry God has poured out through him... it's his first EP and guess what.... it's FREE! That's right, he's blessing the people freely as God has blessed him.. BUT!say  BUT.. that doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to sow into his ministry.  This is authentic, God given and inspired music ministry at it's finest...  So please check it out, download it, share the link with your friends and sow into this Man of God's ministry!!  DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!

                                     Several years ago when I started blogging I had no Idea I would still be blogging 10+ years later.  Although the address and the platform have changed, my love for writing has only grown.  I am so blessed and amazed every time I sit down to write.  I'll be honest and admit that I got a little discouraged when I was writing and writing and noticed that nobody was responding or commenting but then the strangest thing started happening.... I would run into one of my mom's friends or a person I met on Facebook telling me something about what they had read on my blog.  I said wow, people are reading!  So I said ok, maybe the comments don't matter so much as long as someone is reading and the seeds are being planted. A few months later I was fooling around in the control panel of the blog and saw the stats section.  So being the ...

I don't about anybody else, so I'll speak for myself, but I am a HUGE fan of cartoons. And as odd as it may seem, I loved the "boy" cartoons as much as the girlie ones... That really doesn't have much to do with what's on my mind other than the Transformers tag line... More than meets the eye! I was thinking about this in reference to Samson (His story can be found in Judges ch 13-16).  You're probably wondering why I thought of Samson and Transformers in the same setting.  Well... let me tell you. Most people tend to believe that Samson was a big muscular man but the scriptures say people question where his strength came from.  That lets me know that maybe he didn't appear to be big and strong, maybe he looked like a regular guy... Looking at Sampson the people had no idea where his strength came from, they knew he was strong because of demonstration.  Not many knew the true source of his power.  Such are most of us... looking at you ...peo...