Thoughts after MONTHS of nothing on my blog LOL

I haven't done a blog in MONTHS!! The year is almost up and I figured I should get back on my blogging game. This blog isn't going to catch you up necessarily on my life or anything just sharing some thoughts.

Right now, I am in a waiting period. In a book I'm re-reading called "Lady in Waiting" there's a chapter entitled 'Lady of Patience.' There's a part that stuck out to me in this chapter and it reads:
"If God is faithful, why is it so easy to lose patience? Why is it so hard to wait? Why is it easier to settle for less than God's best? Fear is a huge hindrance to waiting......Fear is an internal pressure."


I'm re-reading this book because of a message my pastor preached on Sunday. He titled it "God's delay is not God's denial." The book ("Lady in Waiting") is subtitled 'becoming God's best while waiting for Mr. Right' but the contents of the chapter aren't just about how to deal with being a single woman waiting on a man, but more so about being a single, COMPLETE woman in God and the attributes of that woman. As I am re-reading the book, I'm reading the chapters out of order (got that from my bestie, shout outs to Mon Ami!). I'm reading the sections that pertain to what I'm facing at the moment.

The portion that I mentioned in the patience chapter spoke volumes to me because I realized that I still had fear within me. And it's not just about being single, but about all the different things that I know God has in store for me, things that will reflect my relationship with Him that I have yet to see manifest. And I realized that my impatience was due to fear; fear of not seeing these things come to pass and also a fear of not knowing what exactly was to come or how and when it would come. But as I read through the chapter (specifically the portion I quoted) I was reminded that God IS faithful and He's never failed me, so why should I start getting restless now?

What helped me really get pass the different fears was the Word. And it wasn't the 2 Timothy 1:7 scripture that everyone quotes when they are fearful ("For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" NKJV). The scripture that encouraged me was a psalm (my fave book of the Bible, by the way). Psalm 131 was the passage and it states:
"Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mothers milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord - now and always." (NLT)
In The Message it reads like this:
"God, I'm not trying to rule the roost, I don't want to be king of the mountain. I haven't meddled where I have no business or fantasized grandiose plans. I've kept my feet on the ground, I've cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother's arms, my soul is a baby content. Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always!"

I'm the type of person who likes to know things before I get into it and I get impatient when I don't know what's going on. But I don't need to struggle with not knowing because I'm not a baby in Christ anymore. I know my DADDY, I know what He can do and I trust that He is and will do what's best for me. And if it means that sometimes I'm not to know all the details, then I will quiet myself and just bask in His presence.

And so I took the psalmists exhort, "wait with hope" and the author's exhort, "wait patiently and win triumphantly the future your Father has planned for you."

Blessings til next time!!

The importance of relationships

No this is not a blog about having a man. This is about the importance of maintaining valuable relationships with your sisters (speaking from my perspective as a woman) and with your brothers (for the men). There is nothing wrong with building a friendship, a sibling type relationship if you will, with those of your gender. They are vital and help to grow you as a person. Last night (into today) I had the opportunity to fellowship with my sisters and they were all such a blessing to me. From the moment I met these particular ladies I had thanked God for them(check out a previous blog lol) because our spirits and mindsets were alike. They all flow in the flow of the Holy Spirit. You probably wouldn't believe it if you saw us all last night, but not all of us has known each other that long. I particularly was one who has only known everyone for less than a year. But I feel like I've known them all my life.

The Lord was in our midst last night. And I don't say that in the way people understand it, the "churchified" way. We were playing games and you knew based on how we interacted and conducted ourselves that the Lord was present; that His Holy Spirit is truly alive and functioning in each of our lives. We shared and opened up with each other (and to God) and God moved in that room! He's taking us higher and deeper.......yyyyeeeeeaaaahhhhh.....think about that! That sounds oxymoronic but meditate on that;-)

Don't neglect those kinds of relationships with your brothers and sisters in Chirst. Talk with each other. Be transparent with each other. Read the Word together. Pray with and for one another. This will cause you to be in agreement with each other. Amos speaks to two not being able to walk together unless they agree. So build the relationships so that all are in agreement so that the promise in the Word can be made manifest, where two are agreeing on earth concerning anything you ask, the Father in heaven will do it (Matt 18:19). But that promise can't be established unless there is agreement, honesty, transparency, realness with each other.

Men and women alike, foster these relationships and learn from each other. Watch God work in the friendships that are established and use it to manifest His glory.

Blessings til next time!!

Christian swag?? - read and please leave comments

My homie Dre had a status up addressing whether "Christian swag" makes sense. This is what I was lead to write.

This is my take based on the origin of the word "swag." In the Webster's dictionary the 1st definition is sway...sway means fluctuating, oscillating, i.e. going back and forth. In James chapter 1 it speaks about asking for wisdom and having faith when you ask and not doubt for then you are double-minded, unstable in all your ways. It goes on further to speak of God as unchanging, that He is not like shifting shadows. If the 1st definition of swag speaks to fluctuating, going back and forth how can we as Christians say that we have "swag?"

The 2nd defition speaks to a decoration that hangs between two points, one that droops, is curved. But we're not called to be curved or crooked. Prov 10:9 says "People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall."

The 3rd definition speaks to loot, goods acquired by unlawful means. We are commanded in Exodus 20 to not steal.

The 4th defnition says "a depression in the earth." Depression is a state of being sad, lowering of functional activity, loss of quality...we are the salt of the earth. We are to bring flavor, life, enhance the earth not lower its value or quality.

The 5th definition states it as a pack of personal belongings as understood to Australians or to travel about carrying one's bundle of personal belongings. This sounds like a weight, a burden. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The psalmist in Ps 68:19 says "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

With all that said we as Christians DO NOT have swag. We are NOT to sway, we are NOT to be crooked, we DO NOT steal, we are NOT sad or depreciating the earth's value and we DEFINITELY DO NOT carry a burden. So having "Christian swag" or "Jesus swag" is a scheme of the enemy, a means for him to infiltrate and influence the minds of Christians, especially young people so that they do not function as God intended for them to function.

We have the Holy Spirit abiding in us. The power that's available there is infinite; it's abounding! Saying as Christians I got "swag" or my "Swag speaks for me" is a ploy of the enemy to replace the Holy Spirit, to not truly acknowledge the power and strength God promised from so long ago. You're speaking into your life something that is not the Word, something that is not TRUTH. And Jesus said "then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). But if you aren't speaking truth into your life then you are wrapping yourself in bondage. Jesus prayed in John 17 "Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth." The only way for us to be holy is to know the truth. SWAG is NOT truth.

Now "swagger" as defined by the Webster's dictionary is "to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner ; especially : to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence." Superciliously is defined as "coolly and patronizingly haughty." All in all "swagger" is pride, it is being boastful. Ps 10:4 states " In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Proverbs speaks to pride in more than one verse.

Prov 11:12 - When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humilty comes wisdom.
Prov 13:10 - Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Prov 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

We are called to be humble. Paul exhorts us in Philippians 2 to have the mind or attitude of Christ. Phil 2:7 "Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being." If Jesus who is God could humble himself to become lower than the angels didn't walk around in arrogance or pride then who are we to be walking around haughtily? Jesus humbled himself and washed his disciples' feet in John 13. He led by example to show us what it means to be humble. Swagger is not humility. Swagger is not biblical.

Both words (swag and swagger) have different meanings. But both meanings are contrary to the Word of God, contrary to the truth. As 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 states "But let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." Let God approve and commend you. Don't do it yourself; only boast in the Lord.

Quick FYI

So this is just to let the masses know.....I am the salt of the earth and will add my flavor to it. I am the light of the world, a city set on a hill that CANNOT be hidden!! Therefore, I WILL let my light shine so that men may see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven. I will operate with boldness through the power that lies within me, the power of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, my heart belongs solely to God and NO ONE else!!!! To everyone, in order to get close to me, to be my friend, brother, sister, companion, husband...you MUST dwell ad belong to God also. If you want to find me, if you want to find my heart, if you want to have any part in my life then you have to go through my DADDY!!!

Blessings til next time!

update.....

Hey there!! So I have not written in a while......I'm a graduate....and I'm currently spending a week at home in JA....the most beautiful place on earth!!! My brother just got married.....I'm so happy and proud of him. I love my new sister. She is the funnest (no its not a word) and coolest bride EVER!!!!!!!! I'm aiming to top her at my wedding lol. (don't know when it is, but when I do best believe that the world will probably know also lol!!)

Right now in my life, I have many questions but I'm learning that at times I just need to open my eyes and ears and the answers will be there. I need not question EVERYTHING in my life. So my observant side is kicking in again. I am excited for what comes next in my life. I'm in a spirit of expectancy and daily giving myself away to the Lord and His plans.

I have been learning a lot from Him particularly since the start of this year. It feels like it just started the other day actually. At other times it feels like January was so long ago. But I'm glad for what I've learnt, look forward to what else I will learn and I'm doing my best to put these lessons into practice. Some of them are for future though; can't quite put them into effect just yet lol.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, love Him with all you have and watch Him be made manifest in your life!

Blessings til next time!!!

for really tho?? LOL

This is one of those semi-venting blogs lol. I'm kind of in a weird place right now....a good place, but a weird place. I'm really just trying to understand something that's going on in my life right now that is a little hard to wrap my head around. I know it's beneficial at this time in my life but it's hard and because I don't fully understand it I'm at the point of almost being mad. But since I kind of understand it, it's more like what I call a "cry-tear" moment. I just want to pout.....so I'm slightly pouting...:-( :-(

PLEASE LORD!!!! help me to grasp this or at least get through this even if I don't fully understand it. Sigh!!!!!! The things you gotta go through to get to the other side.....God's peace is enough though, His love and His joy is enough to carry me through. Keep holding me in your arms Lord and walking with me each step of the way.

Always take God's peace with you......even when you don't understand what exactly is going on around you or even within you, God's peace that passes ALL understanding will guard your heart and mind when it's stayed on Him, when you continually praise Him and when you focus on the things of Him.

Shalom!!!

I command my soul, my flesh, my spirit....to WORSHIP!!!

I truly thank God for the people He has placed in my life who remind me that no matter what, I have the authority through Christ to have wonderful, prosperous, purpose-filled days. As I look on this year I realize that God has brought me through so much that even if I don't celebrate my birthday how I would like to or with the people I would like to celebrate with, He is still worthy of my worship and praise.

I am one step closer to fulfilling the purpose for which God created me.
I am wonderfully complex, his workmanship is marvelous! (Ps 139:14 NLT)
I am thrilled by the Lord and I sing for joy because of what He has done for me!(Ps. 92:4)
I am planted in the Lord's house, I flourish in the courts of my God! (Ps. 92:13)
Even in old age I will produce fruit!(Ps. 92:14) LOL - this might be my new favorite verse!!

My song for today (which is a song I truly enjoy and really mean when I sing it) is "I Worship You" by Mary Mary. This is my prayer and my offering to my wonderful Lord, my Daddy! (the song is on the page, listen and enjoy!)

P.S. Thanks Mon Ami!!

I was lost, but you came and found me
You left your throne thinking about me
You bled and died to show me mercy
You gave Your all because You saw my need

I was empty, but You came and filled me
I was blinded, but You helped me to see
I was broken, but You made me whole again
I felt like nothing, but you gave me confidence

And I'm filled with so much gratitude that words are not enough
To explain the magnitude, the passion of my love

You took everything I was, and made me what I am
And with all I am, I worship You

You were life, when I was dying
You were strength, when I was crying
You were right and I was so wrong
A melody, when I had no song

And I'm filled with so much gratitude that words are not enough
To explain the magnitude the passion of my love

You took everything I was, and made me what I am
And with all I am, I worship You

Update.....been a while

So it's been a minute since I wrote a blog....not that I don't have anythign to write about....i just havent written lol. to sum it all up, God is absolutley awesome and has granted me favor in my life, particularly in school. I am boutto graduate y'all!!!!!! May 15, 2009 @ 5:00pm!!! Thank you God!!!! I have quite a bit of work to do before then....6 papers between now and the end of the month, 2 finals and I gotta move. and still be involved with junior bible quiz, choir, and danc ministry. whew!!!! i was praying to God today to help me structure things so that everything gets done and nothing gets neglected especially my time with HIm cuz i so enjoy spending time with Him and just basking in His presence.

I can honestly say that God is teachign me and showing me thigns about myself and my life that have me in awe of Him and in a state of humility. His love........wow!!! AMAZING!!! so yeah....He is great!

The people in my life are also pretty cool. I love them all dearly....oh!! My birthday is this month!!! 23 is on the horizon. i have mucho to celebrate about. so hopefully i will be able to keep y'all better updated as this month continues. I cannot make any promises cuz my time is so precious with everything else going on in life lol.

Blessings til next time!

Music Rocks Ya Soul Mix Show

Hey all!!

If you sit at work behind a desk bored, or you have some free time in the afternoon at 2pm and you wanna hear some real hot fiyah gospel music then log on to www.gospelsynergy.com and go to Synergy 1 Radio to listen to the MUSIC ROCKS YA SOUL MIX SHOW hosted by Mr E and CreigyD!!

That's the Music Rocks Ya Soul Mix Show, Mon-Fri at 2pm eastern (1pm central/Jamaican) on www.gospelsynergy.com....Synergy 1 Radio (the link is to the right!!)

It's fiyah!

and make sure to log on to www.soulmovementcrew.com

I Give Myself Away

February 28, 2009 was a beautiful day. It was beautiful because God once again shared His heart with me. He expressed through one of my brothers that He enjoys quiet time with me, and not just me talking but me also listening to Him and being still before Him. A verse I read the week before came to mind; Psalm 37:7a "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act." (NLT) Later that afternoon (2/28/09) I was reading through the book of Mark and I realized two things:

1) Not all of the healings that Jesus did for people were in public; he took them aside, away from the crowd. (Mark 7:31-37, 8:22-26)
2) He wanted time with His disciples, away from the crowd. (Mark 6:31-32, 9:31)

I realized that time with God alone is very precious. Fellowship, going to church ,bible studies are good but there is nothing like that one-on-one time where God can speak to you personally and reveal Himself and His heart to you.

That evening our church went to minister at a youth group and the message for the night was titled "Turnin' God On." The pastor told of two things that turn God on based upon Luke 18:18-23. The first thiing is to do what He says, obey His commandments. This principle may seem controlling to many but the reality is that we cannot see the bigger picture because we are limited by time. God is beyond space and time and knows our time from beginning to end and knows what is best for us. Jeremiah 7:23 says "This is what I told them, 'Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!" ALL will be well He says, so why not obey Him! the second thing that turns God on is making Him your focus. Not having anything before Him in your life; not having anything or anyone else as number 1 in your life EXCEPT God. Exdous 34:14 says "You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you." That is so wonderful! That God WANTS to spend time with me and have a relationship with me.

Psalm 37:23 says "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." WOW! EVERY detail of my life God delights,takes pleasure in, gets extreme satisfaction from. Therefore the most sensible thing to do would be to be obedient to God and keep Him as my primary focus, my numero uno because ALL will be well and He DELIGHTS in EVERY detail of my life. I will heed the instruction in Psalm 37: 5 "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you."

As God showed me that He wants time with me and desires to use me for His glory I remembered that I do not belong to myself, for God bought me with a high price; my body is the temple of the Holy spirit and I must honor God with my body. (1 Cor 6:19-20) Romans 12:1 says "I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable.This is truly the way to worship Him."

That same saturday evening when my youth praise team was leading worship they sang a beautiful and very powerful song that has been with me since that night. It is called "I Give Myself" and it became my prayer because my body is not my own, I want to present it as a living and holy sacrifice so that I can truly worship Him. Proverbs reiterates this principle of God's sovereignty and how small OUR plans really are. Prov 16:1, 9 "We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer." "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Jeremiah said it best in Jeremiah 10:23 "I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course." That is the song; giving yourself to God, placing all your own plans, dreams, desires in His hands, knowing that your life is not your own and allowing Him to use you for His glory. I pray that this song be your heart's cry to the Lord. The lyrics are below and the song is on the page, just press play!

Blessings til next time!


I Give Myself
by: William McDowell (As We Worship Live)

V1: Here I am
Here I stand
Lord my life is in Your hands
Lord I'm longing to see
Your desires revealed in me

Ch: I give myself away
I give myself away
So you can use me

V2: Take my heart
Take my life
As a living sacrifice
All my dreams
All my plans
Lord I place them in Your hands

Br: My life is not my own
To You I belong
I give myself, I give myself to You

Is Dating of God???

My sisters and I have been having wonderful times together washing each other's feet....(I will give that revelation in the next blog). Below I am sharing something one of my sister's (Genevieve) wrote regarding dating and God. Please note the disclaimer and provide your comments!

Disclaimer:
The following is for the spiritually mature. It is not a character analysis of anyone, it is just me sharing a revelation from God that he has allowed me the opportunity to share. It is for my brothers and sisters in Christ to be aware of since many of us have experienced or are experiencing this.

"The Profanity of Dating" as revealed by GOD

The world's view of LIFE is foolishness to GOD, let me start by saying that. As young leaders in God's kingdom we are to come out and be separate from the world, not in an elitist manner, separate and holy. The bible tells us in Romans 12 that we are to present our bodies unto God as a living sacrifice HOLY and ACCEPTABLE to God because it is our reasonable act of worship. The bible also tells us that we are to be HOLY is HE is HOLY. With all of that said, we can now dive into why dating is profane. We will start with the definition of profanity (these definitions come from non-biblical dictionaries by the way):

profanity (thefreedictionary.com)


Noun
pl -ties
1. the quality of being profane
2. coarse or blasphemous action or speech


Profanity- profane language or behavior (Encarta Dictionary)
Language or behavior that shows disrespect for God, any deity, or religion

profane
Adjective
1. showing disrespect for religion or something sacred
2. secular
3. coarse or blasphemous: profane language
Verb
[-faning, -faned]
1. to treat (something sacred) with irreverence
2. to put to an unworthy use [Latin profanus outside the temple]
profanation n
tr.v. pro•faned, pro•fan•ing, pro•fanes
1. To treat with irreverence: profane the name of God.
2. To put to an improper, unworthy, or degrading use; abuse

Now that we have established what profanity is we can dive into the heart of the matter. *Again I note that this was MY revelation from God, this is only meant to be received as knowledge not condemnation.*

The world has it's idea of how a man and a woman ought to discover that they are husband and wife.
This is what we know as "dating"; the process of getting to know someone "better" to decide if thats who you want to be with forever. After all, if you want a successful marriage you must date first right???WRONGO!!!! We are supposed to seek the kingdom of God, then GOD will handle the rest.

Dating, in my opinion, was created institutionally to elimate God's presence and power from the midst. It is a set-up of the enemy to serve as a catalyst for pseudo-marriages and "testing of the waters". God never intended that, marriage is sacred to God so when people just go off dating without seeking God's face and counsel for their lives their action is irreverent and their actions are profane.

People of God, correct me if I'm wrong. Where is dating in the bible?

Let me help you...NOWHERE. The bible speaks of three types of relationships (outside ofparent-child). They are:
1. Friendship
2. Brothers-Sisters
3. Marriage

I will be writing a note on the difference between those three at a later date (soon) but I will touch on marriage now.

In the Bible, there were three steps the Jewish people had to take when getting married. The families first had to agree to the union, and then a public announcement was made. At this point, the couple was betrothed, or engaged. Finally, they were officially married and began to live together. Betrothal, then, was somewhat similar to what we call engagement now, except that our society does not honor the seriousness of engagement as they did then. When a Jewish couple was betrothed during Bible times, they were already bound together by a contract that could only be broken through death or divorce.

Any Christian who is considering marriage needs to realize the depth of this kind of commitment and not jump into it lightly. God intends marriage to be a lifelong commitment, not a temporary arrangement. The Bible says this about marriage: "'This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together" (Mark 10:7-9, NLT).

Did you know that? I truly believe if we still respected the sacredness of GOD JOINING people together and not joining THEMSELVES together calling it GOD then the world would be a better place. You have people these days changing fiancees like they change underwear and I know God CAN'T be pleased.
Isn't there another kind of relationship described in Scripture where a man and woman can share romantic intimacy with some physical intimacy without moving toward marriage? No. This kind of relationship does not exist in the Scriptures. What is the difference between romantic desire and romantic intimacy? Romantic desire and attraction is the feeling and desire one has when he or she is attracted to someone of the opposite sex. Romantic intimacy is when those desires are expressed and shared with someone else with the same desires through dating experiences that develop a romantic closeness usually with some physical intimacy expressed. Where does romantic intimacy fit into these relationships God has described? The purpose for romantic intimacy and romantic expression is for marriage and that is where it is to come into full bloom. It is like a flower bud that exists before marriage and is only opened up in a full way when it is time for it to bloom (in marriage). Why? Romantic intimacy involves the most fragile part of our being - our hearts. Once our feelings are expressed and shared, the deepest part of us becomes vulnerable to another.

Song of Songs 4:9 describes the vulnerability of expressing romantic desire to another when it says "You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes..." When romantic desire and attraction are expressed and reciprocated it "steals the heart" and makes it vulnerable. Without the commitment and resultant security of marriage, our hearts can easily be crushed.

The bride of Solomon in the Song of Songs celebrates the unity of romantic and physical intimacy as she proclaims in 1:2 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth - for your love is more delightful than wine." The Hebrew word translated "love" in that verse is literally "lovemaking," showing love sexually.

In God's beautiful plan for man and woman, romantic intimacy and physical intimacy come to full expression together only within the protective bond of marriage.

I say all of this to say: SEEK YE FIRST the kingdom of GOD and his righteousness and I guarantee you my GOD will bless your obedience. My beloved brother said profoundly once that had he obeyed GOD the first time he would have come in into DESTINY sooner. God is the matchmaker, stop trying to live up to the worlds foolish standards people of GOD...Stand UP!

Blessings til next time!

I am a FRIEND of GOD.......

........AND He's blessed me with some truly great people in my life who are also His friends.

This is just to let the masses know that God shares His heart with me...and I share my heart with Him. I am a FRIEND of God. He is committed to me, He'll never leave me, He trusts me and doesn't condemn me. I am committed to Him, I will never leave Him, I will always trust Him and always praise and bless His name.

And God has placed very wonderful people in my life and I love it when those who are of like mind in Christ can fellowship together.

1) Shout outs to my wonderful sister (biological) ALLISON...I love you!
2) Shout outs to my wonderful sisters (non-biological) JESSICA, GENEVIEVE, JESSICA (not a typo lol)
3) Shout outs to my SMC Family...CREIG, E, YANNICK, DARREN, LONDON, SADRINA, MARK, TRISTAN, CAMILLE, (the extended fam) CANDICE, MELISSA
4) Shout outs to the new ppl I met at LWCC who are awesomely cool (some I've known little longer) KARA-LISA, CINDY, KIYA, ANGELY, TOYUA
5) Shout outs to ECI ppls in the building!! SANDRA, MARTHE, KERRY, RISHANA, KIM, SOPHIA, KARINE, NATALIE, TASHA, PETINA, JERRY, SHARI, RICHARD, NIKKI, WINSTON, BOBBY, MARC, LUTHER, DAVID, HERNS, DJ, MELANIE
6) Shout outs to Sound Mind Fam..CHARLINE, STEPHANE, DONNELL, ANDREW, ESTHER, RUSEL, TRISTAN, NANCY

I just wanted to let you all know that you guys bless me. I enjoy being with you guys, I enjoy our fellowship. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!! Keep shining bright for the Lord!

FYI: All these ppl overlap somehow in categories in terms of brothers, sisters, SMC, fam, etc. I tried to segment them as best as possible lol. And I'm not excluding my Jamaica ppl..but these ppl above are the ones I interact with now that I'm here in these United States.
(Jamaica massive big up yuh selves!! SWAALOWFIELD CHAPEL and PRAISE ACADEMY to di werl!!!!!! LOVE UNNU!!)

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! Thank you God for them...and I do truly thank God for you guys!
(I'm gonna need to get a picture with all these ppl one day....maybe my birthday!!)

Blessings til next time!

Year of the Gentleman

So....I went to the Year of the Gentleman Concert here in Miami...Ne-Yo as the headliner and guests Musiq Soulchild and Jazmine Sullivan were also in the building. I had a great time! This was my first official concert (in the buy tickets, go to an arena type concert) since I came back to the US for college. I was very excited because I enjoy Ne-Yo's music and felt that the line-up would make for a very good evening. So here is the run down of the night.

The opening act was okay.....They're called "Electric Red" a group of 4 girls. The said that their album is titled 'How to be a Lady".....but then had some not so lady-like tendencies...that and they lipsang quite a bit (or maybe i just thought they did hmmm lol)

Jazmine Sullivan has a beautiful voice! She opened with "Bust Your Windows" and even had a crowbar, twirling it around like it was a baton lol! She didn't do "I need u bad" which was disappointing, but she had great stage presence.

Musiq Soulchild....great! Firstly he has a really good, all-female band (I know the bass player). Secondly, he sings oh so well (had a couple scratchy moments but we're all human). He did classics such as "Don't Change" "Love" "Just Friends" and did more recent songs such as "Radio" "B.U.D.D.Y." "Teach Me" and "Ifuleave" all of which rocked the house.

Now the moment I was waiting for was Ne-Yo and his entrance did not disappoint.


"Because of You" was THE song to open his 50min with. Yes. 50 minutes of non-stop Ne-Yo, live and in color!!!
(Let me take the time to say that I have wanted to see Ne-Yo in concert since 2006 after he released "In My own Words" and came to Miami on tour with Chris Brown. He's been to Miami since then on the Scream Tour with Omarion and the Alicia Keys 'As I Am' tour in 2008. These were all concerts I did not get to go to. So when my friend got the tickets...I was ecstatic!! Another friend had gotten me a shirt which I wore to the concert!)


Ne-Yo is an excellent performer! He works the stage well, he sings and dances effortlessly, and he goes from song to song...he did 14 songs in his set. If you haven't made plans to go when he comes to a city near you...you should because it's a great show and worth the money. The ambiance was also nice. Concert like but intimate because of how the American Airlines Arena placed the stage and had make-shift looking chandelier lighting. I would love to see him in concert again once another album is released or after a couple more albums are released. (I'm kinda glad I went to this one instead of the others since he was headlining this one and I got to hear songs from all 3 of his albums, which I have!)

I will leave with the opening song of the concert. ( we had pretty good seats so the video isn't too far away!)

Please note that although I love Ne-Yo's music, he PALES in comparison to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! My love for Christ is beyond any love for anyone because of how awesome He is! Always remember that God alone is worthy of the highest praise!!!

Blessings til next time!

what is REALLY goin on??

umm......can someone explain to me what is really goin on.......what is up with this weather???!!!!!!

Let me explain....for those of you who are not in Miami right now....the temperature is 42 degrees but it feels like 37 degrees (according to weather.com). What is that about?! I live in Miami, Florida not Miami, Ohio lol. Not quite understanding what is going on. All this weather makes me want to do is stay inside, cuddle and drink hot chocolate. But I have to actually go to school in this kind of weather!!! isn't that crazy?! They should have Freeze days in Miami like how they have snow days in other parts of the country lol.

In other news.....my phone is back on....yes!!!!!! Now I'm standing in faith waiting for the other financial blessings that are mine already!

And...I am no longer sitting at the light with my car in neutral...rather it is in drive going through the intersection heading towards the destination God is taking me to!!

Blessings til next time!

S.I.S.T.E.R.

I have a Sweet sister
An Intelligent sister
A Strong sister
A Taller-than-me sister
An Encouraging sister
A Righteous sister

Whether she knows all these things about her or not...they are true. I was sitting and looking at pictures of my sister and I and how silly we can be. As I looked at them I remember how she came to be my sister. "What?" you say....."she was adopted?! you picked her up from off the street?!"

Contrary to popular belief..that's not how she came to be my sister:)

When I was about 4 years old I was having a hard time being an only child. The house was pretty lonely. Sure I had my parents, and they were cool to hang with but they weren't my age so there was only so much you could do with them. I prayed to God and asked Him for a little sister. When my mom told me she was going to have a baby and that she didn't want to know the gender, I told her that the baby was a girl because I had asked for a sister.

As much as my sister and I have had our ups and downs (we've fought physically and argued a lot) I wouldn't take back my request for anything. I love her so much. She's absolutely unique...she has the most uncommon way of thinking and looking at things and its beautiful. She's a great encouragement to me. She's my manager, bodyguard, seeing eye dog (not implying my sister is dog...geez!)...I just mean to say that she has my back and sometimes sees things I don't see.

I appreciate her and love her mucho! I thank God for her constantly and pray His purpose into her life..because I know He has a mighty work in store for her.
Love you Al!

Blessings til next time!

What I want.....

1) To be more like Christ
2) To be the best possible dancer I can be
3) To learn to play the guitar
4) To be a wife (the good kind lol)
5) To be a mother (the best kind)
6) To go back to Australia
7) To see my daddy walk again
8) To see my family know God the way I know Him
9) To own a studio (recording and dance)
10) To be able to spend quality time with my friends in JA (miss u guys!)
11) To love my friends harder than I do now
12) To spend just one more hour with my mom ( miss u mommy!)
13) To visit Israel (about 2000 yrs ago)
14) To explore the different layers of myself
15) To expose those layers of myself to God, my husband and my children(they coming!)
16) To dance a sermon
17) To see the Empire State building
18) To vacation in Fiji
19) To write a complete song
20) To be all I can possibly be in this life
21) To feel God's heart; to want what He wants

As I typed this I realized that we can want for many things, good or bad. But it's all meaningless if it doesn't line up with what God wants. So really my #21 is the top thing I want. (my list is in no particular order of preference) Really, everything in this life is meaningless if God's not in it (read Ecclesiastes...hot fiyah book!) I know that I can have wants and desires, God built me that way...but I want my wants to be His wants so that His will and purpose can be accomplished in my life.

Blessings til next time!

Who do you love?

I've been home all day.......allllllll day. Not even opened the front door, all day. As the day progressed and there wasn't much to, it got a little discouraging and daunting...I began to think about what I had to do the next day and wasn't quite sure how things were going to get accompished. I spent much of my evening on YouTube simply because I clicked a link my friend had on their facebook profile and it got me YouTube surfing. I found a video I love of these young men, from Allen Liturgical Dance Ministry of The Greater Allen Cathedral of New York, dancing to one of my favorite songs "The Presence of the Lord" sung by the church's choir (it's an original song).




And I began to just internalize the song and truly worship God from the comfort of my futon:-D
And it's amazing that even in the simplest of positions, with a willing heart to pour our love on God what can happen. I just sang, cried and worshipped. Then I prayed and prayed and prayed some more as the Holy Spirit led me to pray. Then I went to read the Word (cuz it's my daily bread and I have like spiritual hunger pains now when I don't read it often enough lol). I went to the daily readings my church has for our Big Read project we're doing this year (reading the Bible in one year...checkout our page.. http://ecibigread.wordpress.com). And one of the scriptures stuck out to me in a new way.

In Matthew 10:37-39 Jesus was speaking to His disciples and He said this:
37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."

And I could do nothing but smile:-D Firstly the entire chapter speaks of when Jesus was sending his disciples out and He was giving instruction about what to do and what not to do, and what to expect because they were going out spreading His words and teachings. And in the above verses He is brutally honest about the caliber of people that are worthy of being His. I smiled at this part particularly because of thigns going on in my own life.

You know, sometimes it's easy to lose sight of God as your first love...as your number one. And I'm making it a mission of mine to NEVER lose sight of Him in that respect. I want to always be in awe of Him, to love Him like no one else, to revere Him, and have Him as number ONE before anyone or anything. And I just thought that what Jesus said was directly related to me. I don't believe Jesus was saying you couldn't love your parents or children or siblings or anyone for that matter, I don't think He was saying you couldn't miss them either but you just couldn't love them more than you loved Him or else you were UNWORTHY of being His. Now I already know I'm not worthy of His love but because of His grace and mercy I have access to Him. Therefore, I'm going to make sure that I don't love anyone more than I love Him. (Thanks for the reminder and confirmation with your word God!! You rock!!)

Blessing til next time!

Did you know??????

Did you know that you can literally take God at His word??? Did you know that He CANNOT lie??? Did you know that when you pray the Word and God's will for your life amazing things happen??? Did you know that God is faithful??? Did you know that if you seek Him earnestly that you'll find Him?? Did you know His promises are true??? Did you know that God is AWESOME???!!!!!!

I am telling you there is no one better than Him!! He has shown me some awesome things within this past week...which is what His word says He will do if you call on Him (Jeremiah 33:3) and He has been proving Himself day after day. And I have been in complete awe of Him...which is where I want to be...I share this with you to encourage you to take God at His word. To trust His word.....to trust in Him. Don't be dismayed...don't be discouraged but have the faith that He will be faithful to you. Read His word....search the scritptures for the truth so that your life can fully reflect Him!

Oh! And big ups to Mr. E and the Soul Movement Crew.....heading off to Nashville to do the Pre-Stellar Awards Parties!!!!! If you're looking for a place to enjoy fellowship with Christians and jam out to the hottest gospel tracks...come on out to Flavor Night Fridays!!! There is none this friday because of the awesome opporunity in Nashville but it'll be back January 23rd..."Flashing White" is the event so come on out in your white...bring a friend! Check out further details at www.soulmovementcrew.com

Blessings til next time!

oooooohhhhhhhhhh nine!!!

So the new year is here!!! Merry New Year!!!! I am sooooooo excited about 2009 because I believe that God is going to be doing some very awesome things this year in my life and in anyone who calls Him Lord and seeks him diligently. Since the last time I blogged much has happened. I was fortunate enough to have a very blessed Christmas with my family. I loved spending time with them and getting to see even more about them that I love. My sister isn't here but I have spoken to her during the course of the break and I'm happy that she'll be home in a week:)

Flavor Night Fridays has been fabulous! Rock Night was real awesome....I missed the $1 Christmas special but I heard that was ram packed and since that night we've had our New Years Bash and Mr. E's Bday Bash and both events were very successful. Fabulous ministries presented by Kristine Alicia, Double Six, LaVie, King........they all are fabulous!!!

My personal life is doing well, simply because I have chosen to put God first in ALL that I do. I am blessed. This morning in particular was great because I went to church expecting God to show up, expecting great fellowship with fellow believers and expecting that true worship would be lifted to the Lord......and that's what happened and more. God showed up from the start of the service and just simply showed out! People came to Christ without a sermon being preached! Which to me is very awesome because I've asked God and prayed for the day when those who worship Him really invite His presence and just worship without abandon so that He can have full reign in the service and hearts can be changed and saved just because His presence is there!

I'm already thanking God for the situations and trials but even more so the victories that will result from such times!!! I know that I will have so much to testify about as this year progresses that I may have to start a new blog lol!!! Let's make the effort to live for God like never before...to standout, to go against the norm of society and fully embrace the principles and purposes of God!

Blessings til next time!