Happy Monday!! I hope everyone's day is off to a great start and if not, the day is NOT over. YOU can still make it a great one on PURPOSE!

Just sitting here encouraging and motivating myself. After not pushing as hard as I normally do over the weekend I know that I must keep it moving. I can't stop and I must push with the same determination and motivation I had in the beginning. I must get UP! I found that the longer we stay out of a routine, the harder it will be do start again. Have you ever started a fitness program, changing your eating habits and when you first get started, you're like a bullet! Full speed ahead, motivated, determined. Can't nothing stop you, taking no prisoners, get out of your way! Then something happened...... http://afambuswmn.blogspot.com/2013/10/happy-monday-i-hope-everyones-day-is.html

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Happy Middle of The Week! I hope that everyone is enjoying their day on PURPOSE! I've been away for a few days. I had to step back and reevaluate, research, re-strategize and here I am, back in the race. Many of you who have ready my posts know that I always do my best to write from the heart, because if I speak from the heart it will touch the heart. I learned a long time ago that God blessed me with writing as an outlet. I prefer to write because I usually don't forget what I had to say. But even through writing, He has also developed my verbal communication (I still prefer writing though). I also learned that the motivation and encouragement you give others, sometimes you find yourself in a position where you have to encourage and motivate yourself. The advice that you give to others to keep praying, pressing and pushing with perseverance, you find yourself in a position that you have to do the very same thing. Click the Link to read more......One Day The Advice You Take Will Be Your Own

IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK! I hope everyone is having a FABULOUS Day ON PURPOSE!

This thought came to me a while ago. Wealth without wisdom produces waste. The Bible urges us to get wisdom! We need wisdom to make sound decisions in life or else we're just going in circles. King Solomon's dream he could have asked for anything in this world, but he asked God for a wise and discerning heart to distinguish right from wrong so that he could be a good ruler. I Kings 3:1-15 He could have asked for riches and honor, but he was unselfish and asked for something far greater and priceless. God blessed him with things he didn't ask for because of what he asked for. He was unselfish! He didn't want anything for himself, but something that would benefit many.

This needs to be our prayer daily, that we gain wisdom and understanding as we carry out our daily lives. Without wisdom, we are lost, making foolish mistakes that could have been avoided. How many times has our elders given us good sound advice and we didn't take heed? They were sharing their wisdom. Not because of what they had seen or heard, but because of what they had experienced themselves. People do many things to make money or become rich. We all want to be well-off. Me myself, I don't need to be filthy rich, just let me be more than comfortable. But whatever God blesses me with, I want to have wisdom. I don't want to be frivolous and careless. I want wisdom to hear His instructions and plans. So many people win the lottery, and I'm talking about millions, and end up broke within a year! Where is your wisdom and discernment? You don't need a 15,000 square foot house unless you're moving your whole neighborhood in it. Sure buy a nice home, car, travel, make sure the kids are set up for college, but some people just go haywire. A million dollars in the hands of a person without wisdom is like pouring water in a cup with a hole in it.  We have all had our foolish moments and because of some of those moments we have experienced, we gained wisdom to know not to do it again. Wisdom is priceless! It guides and leads you and leaves you with no regrets!

Proverbs 4:1-7
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
    pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
    love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
    Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.


Until Next Post....Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, Be Positive, Be Grateful!

I've been a 'work-at-home' mom even before I started a home-based business. After my second baby was born, I was at home pretty much for the first year with a few temporary assignments here and there. Anyone who has children and does not work outside the home, I consider to be a 'work-at-home mom' even if you're not running a business. There is always a spill to wipe up, a butt to clean, nose to wipe, constantly checking to make sure they are within your eyesight, constantly checking when they get too quiet, keeping them occupied, playing, reading, singing, fixing food and your break is when they FINALLY take a nap unless you have those professional sleep fighters who can go toe-to-toe with taking a nap. Your home is your business and you do everything possible to make sure it runs smoothly.

I was programmed and conditioned to think that to be successful I had to work full-time, get promoted and eventually make the big-bucks. When I was ready to go to work I would scour the internet looking and looking. I applied with staffing agencies, went in for interviews and the whole 'nine.' I had landed a temporary assignment that I was initially told it would be temp-to-perm. It was perfect, it was about 10 minutes from home and I really liked the job and the people. Well, about two or three weeks I got that famous call that the assignment ended through no fault of my own. I was very disappointed, but anybody that knows me, knows that I keep it moving. So I landed another assignment, and I had done a temp assignment at this company before, so it was another perfect job. To make a long story short, I got hired on permanently and then I was laid off AGAIN! I wasn't disappointed at all! I knew there was something more for me. I enjoyed my coworkers and established some great friendships but I knew that I had to do something else!

Well after deciding that I did not want to go back into a traditional office setting again, I began to search work at home opportunities. I came across a couple of 'services' but then I thought, I don't want another  JOB where I still have to punch a clock and have my schedule set for me by the company. Well, needless to say I did find four great opportunities to run my OWN business and yes it is WORK!

I think the greatest misconceptions is 'oh it's easy you can do what you want, went you want, work a couple of hours or none at all' Well that is true, but in ANY business, if you want to be successful at it, you are going to put in more than a couple of hours a day working on it. Whether you are doing research on how to promote and network or promoting and networking. Another misconception is 'it's a scam, I'm not going to pay for a job.' Well there are many scams out there, I remember being younger and I came across this so-called envelope stuffing work at home job. Pay 49.95 and make $5,000 a month. Yeah, that didn't work out. Of course this was before the world-wide-web where you could do extensive research, get reviews, etc. So, yes, you MUST do your research! Second, if you are operating a home based business, it's a BUSINESS, a FRANCHISE so to speak. So you are not paying for a JOB, you are paying for a BUSINESS. If you wanted a McDonald's franchise, there would be start-up costs, training, insurance, interviewing your staff, hiring, budgeting, products to buy, advertising, promotions, network, marketing etc. and you would more than like spend WAY MORE  than more home-based business start-up fees. I'm usually 'working' from the time I get up into the 'wee' hours of the night. I'm responsible for writing my own checks so I know that through faith, perseverance, and hard work, my reward will bring a smile to my face.

 It takes work! You can't base your success off someone else's success; you must work had to achieve your OWN success. Find what works for YOU! We are all scientists in a lab. We mix different components to come up with different formulas to see which ones work and what doesn't. Even when we find what works, sometimes we have to tweak those formulas down the road. I finally realized why my jobs didn't last. God was pushing me into something greater and everything up until this point was training ground. It was time to put my training into action. I had an entrepreneurial spirit in me all along, I just had to take that leap of faith and start doing. It's a process; I'm still learning and growing, taking in as much information as possible without my brain frying or my eyes crossing. But the rewards are phenomenal! I don't have to wake up at 8:00 and say 'oh my goodness I'm late for work!' I don't have to figure out what to wear, what to do with my hair, transportation, buying lunch or taking lunch. I can take a long break and nobody asks where I've been. I can be on my computer all day and nobody asks what I am doing. I don't have to worry about schedule changes, pay cuts, working to hopefully, maybe, possibly get a raise. I love the freedom I have and will continue to have because I intend to keep working hard.

I don't knock anyone that loves his job. We need them. I'm no better than a person who works outside the home. We need the doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, surgeons, transportation workers, delivery truck drivers, cashiers, cab drivers, computer techs, airline workers just to name a few. Everybody plays a part in this world. We all have different talents, callings and gifts and when we use them, everybody is helped in some kind of way.

If you're thinking about a home-based business, do your research and when you find something that you know is a good fit, be prepared to WORK! You worker harder for yourself than you will for someone else, but YOU will be the one enjoying the fruits of YOUR labor.

Until next time, Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, Be Positive, Be Grateful!

John 10:4-5

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Good morning friends. I bring you greetings in the name of our Awesome Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was having a discussion with one of my FB Friends yesterday. She said she was watching the TV show called The Voice (now I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this already, if not, hang on, it’s coming). This show is where there have judges sitting in a chair, but their backs are turned to the person who is singing. If they like what they ‘hear’ then they will turn their chair around and try to get them to join their team. If they’re not really interested, then they don’t ‘turn around.’ She said there was a particular young man, about 15, who said he got his voice from God. At first she thought that he made the statement before he started singing and no one turned around, but actually he made the statement after he finished singing. She said the judges were saying ‘they wished they had turned around’ I said well it’s their loss. Immediately it came to me ‘people are going to wish they had turned around when they heard THE VOICE’

How many times have we set out to do something that wasn’t right or good and you heard ‘the Voice?’ The Holy Spirit convicted you because if you followed whatever it was whether it was going to a party, hanging out with certain people, saying certain things, the consequences would not work in your favor. Well this TV show mimics life in many ways. The Bible states in Hebrews 3:15-19  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.¹⁶ For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.¹⁷ But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?¹⁸ And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

How will we know God’s Voice? By reading, praying, studying and seeking Him in everything we do. Putting Him first. He ‘speaks’ to us in many ways. He was speaking to me as I typed this message, because the teacher must learn the lesson first. He speaks to us through scriptures, a post on social media, yes God knows what we put on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. He can read. He speaks through teachers and billboards. It could be something so small as a piece of paper on a table, a message written on a napkin. So no matter where you are or what you are doing or even think you’re big and bad enough to do, at some point you heard THE VOICE! And if you’re still not sure, pray for confirmation because there are many ‘like voices’ but there is only ONE voice that will lead you into his heavenly presence and eternal rest.

I don’t want to be like those judges. I don’t want to wish I had ‘turned around’ when I heard THE VOICE. God has already proven Himself to me many times. He has been faithful when I didn’t even have faith the size of a mustard seed. He has given me a purpose and many avenues in which to fulfill that purpose. I want to encourage and motivate people to hold on to life! God is calling us, many may not be 100% sure, but those of us who are, it’s time to walk in your callings, your gifts, and your talents. People are hurting and in despair and they are waiting on many of us to walk by faith and not by sight.  They are waiting on our testimonies of trials and tribulations turned in to triumphs and victory. Don’t let the day come when you say ‘I wish I had turned around.’

9/24/2013

Exodus 13:26-31; 14:1-4

²⁶ And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

²⁷ And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

²⁸ Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

²⁹ The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

³⁰ And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

³¹ But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

³² And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

³³ And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

14 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

² And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

³ And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

⁴ And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

 This particular passage of scripture represents the report of the 12 spies sent to Canaan to spy out the land that God promised the children of Israel. (Numbers 13:1-25) When the spies returned they saw that the land was plentiful. I imagine they were excited to see all that the land of Canaan had to offer, but they saw other inhabitants of the land ‘giants’, and their ‘but’ ‘doubt’ and ‘fear’ got in the way. …the people are strong, they are giants, the cities are walled, etc. But Caleb had no doubt that they could go up and possess this land, after all, God promised them that He would give them that land (Exodus 6:1-8, Exodus 23:20-31, Exodus 33:1-3, Deuteronomy 8:6-9; 9:1-3 so the ‘giants’ should not have been a problem. He had it all under His control.

 We all have been in this situation. God had shown us a vision, impressed something upon our hearts and in our spirit and as soon as we began to go forward to fulfill the assignment at the first sight of a possible issue, we magnified the issue more than we magnified God. We began to put our ‘but’ in the way. God said it, believe it and do it. Don’t you know the devil knows what God wants you do and it’s his job to create as much opposition or the ‘thought’ of opposition to make you shrink back.

 Let’s look at verse 30 and 31. Now Caleb, which was one of the people to inherit the Promised Land along with Caleb followed God wholeheartedly. He was ready to take possession of the land. He believed God and there were no more questions to be asked, but here comes fearful Freddie putting his ‘but in the way,’ magnifying a problem that God had already solved. Because of this, the people began to get fearful. That’s why we have to watch the news we bring back and sometimes you just can’t take another ‘reporter’ with you. Because of the ‘bad report,’ it caused a great uproar in the community and the people wanted to return to bondage.

Problems, challenges, and opposition will come, doubt and fear may arise, but don’t magnify the problem, magnify God. Those problems are ‘tiny ants’ in His eyes. God is the giant, the problem is merely a tool used to bring you into a closer relationship with Him. Stop giving your problems ‘giant’ status.

Thankful Thursday

I hope everyone is having a wonderfully BLESSED and THANKFUL THURSDAY!
It's such a calm and peaceful afternoon here. I love these beautiful mornings where the weather is absolutely perfect and I don't need to turn on the AC!  I'm just not your average need to turn the air on type of person. I prefer a natural breeze myself.

Well we are one day closer to Friday, so today is Thankful Thursday!  I will say that I am thankful for all of you who take the time to read and share my blog posts. I'm thankful for your comments, and feedback on this an my other sites. You are truly appreciated. I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with my children. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband who loves, cares and supports me in my endeavors.  I'm grateful for my mother being in the land of the living. Although she is not in the best health, it's a blessing to still receive a phone call on my birthday or pick up the phone and call and hear her voice. I'm grateful that I can see the beauty of God, the Master Artist in all the splendor of nature. I'm thankful that in spite of my shortcomings, my faults and flaws, He still sees fit to use me to touch hearts and motivate minds to hold on, dream big, and persevere to do great things. I'm thankful to be surrounded by friends and loved ones. I'm grateful that I have a mind to serve God and do all that He has for me to do. For these things I'm grateful because I have been blessed with more than I deserve, received more than I've given and have received far more days of mercy and grace than I could count. For these things I'm grateful. Take a few minutes and think about some of the things your are grateful for. I would love for you to share them. You never know how you may inspire others. You may be that ray of light someone needs to hold on a while longer. No mater how bad you think things are going, there is someone else willing to trade places with you. Until Next Post.....

Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, Be Positive, Be Grateful

Happy Tuesday EVERYONE! I hope that you are having a great day on purpose! I believe it was Sunday, I was watching Oprah's Life Class and she had Joel Oelsteen as her guest. I'm sure you all know who he is. Well they were discussing some really great topics and two of them that I truly loved was 'Whatever follows I AM is going to come looking for you.' This pierced my mind like a dagger. I said, that is so true! Not only do we have to watch what we speak about other people, we need to watch what we speak about ourselves. They gave examples like when we say 'I'm so fat, I'm so broke, I'm so tired, I'm so stupid, I'm a failure' We have to change and counteract those thoughts that become words into something positive. I'm going to get healthier every day, I'm going to be wealthy or I don't have it at the moment, but it's coming, I'm going to get some strength, I'm going to get some rest so I can be rejuvenated, I'm smart, I can learn that, I am going to be successful' The Bible speaks that the power of life and death is in the tongue, Proverbs 18:21. So get into the practice of filling your mouth with LIFE!

The second thing they said that really hit home was 'nobody can beat you at being you' He said when he took over his father's church, he wanted to walk in his dad's footsteps, he wanted to be like him, preach like him, etc. until he discovered that's not who Joel is. Even Oprah said, she wanted to be Barbara Walters so she set out to do things like Barbara Walters until she realized, Barbara has Barbara down packed, I need to figure out Oprah. Truth of the matter is YOU are YOU for a reason and a purpose. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have your own identity, gifts and talents and you have to use them the way God wants them use. Develop your identity, your true self. Stop trying to fit into someone else's clothes. Never desire someone else's glory, you don't know their story. You have your OWN story to tell. Your own book to write, your own journey to travel. It's going to occupy enough of your time if you are truly determined to reach your destiny. Be Who God Made You To Be!

Until next post 5B's to You All

BE Blessed, BE Inspired, BE Encouraged, BE Positive, BE Grateful!

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Imagine This....

I hope that everyone is enjoying their evening. Well, some of you know that I have been on this new 'cake in a mug' adventure for the past couple of days, and today I tried something new. Well, it didn't exactly come out the way it was supposed to, but am I discouraged, absolutely not. I'm just going to re-evaluate and try it again.

That's the way we need to be when in business, especially for ourselves. There may be some methods or even a new method that we have used to try to build our business or businesses. Some may have worked and some, maybe not, but the ones that didn't work, sometimes we just need to re-evaluate them and use a different strategy, but never give up. You will find what works for you and your business. We may follow a 'recipe' that someone else has used or is using and try to apply it to our business. Sometimes it works for us and sometimes we may have to 'tweak' the ingredients to get the outcome we desire. However we go about it, we just have to keep going until we reach success. We may have to add a pinch of salt, or decrease the amount of flour, add a whole egg or maybe just the egg white; we are like scientists in a lab, testingB different formulas until we come up with the perfect combination that is success.

So, I intend to stay on my journey, as a scientist in my lab, mixing and matching until I achieve success. I may have to re-evaluate, rethink, find a new strategy, but never will I quit!

 Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, Be Positive, Be Grateful!

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Hello my WONDERFUL AND FABULOUS READERS!
I hope that everyone is having a great afternoon! Well, let's get right to it. Every since I've done the chocolate cake in a mug and last night I did the brownie in the mug, I've gotten pretty excited. So today, I wanted to try the pineapple upside down cake in a mug. So googling I went. I found a recipe that seemed simple enough, the picture looked pretty good, so I mixed up my ingredients. It called for egg beaters, but I don't use egg beaters, and I didn't want to use an egg because I thought it would be a little bit more fluffy. So I'm in the kitchen 'cheffin' it up, whisked my ingredients together, lined the bottom of my mug with pineapples poured in the batter, which you use yellow cake mix and off to the microwave. One minute 15 seconds. 'Beeeeeeep' the excitement is just too much. Uhhhhh, I don't think it's supposed to look like that. Back in the microwave 45 seconds, 'Beeeeeeeep'. Uhhhhh, I really don't think it's supposed to look like that. Well that was a recipe gone WRONG! No, I didn't take a picture. I salvaged my pineapples and tossed the gooey mess in the disposal. But, don't fret, I've got almost a whole pack of yellow cake mix left, I'm going to find something else to make with, and yes, in a mug!

I did find one recipe where you put it in the oven, but I was too greedy, I just knew I was going to be sinking my teeth into a tasty treat. NOT! Well, I refuse to be defeated! I shall try again!

Happy Monday! Yes it is a happy Monday because we are alive to see it!  

I used to feel like this when I was working a 9-5, well 9-6. Although it gets a little challenging, I enjoy working from when I want to whenever I stop! Oh and I got a new 'BE' for you Be Grateful!

So Until Next Post......Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, and Be Grateful!

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THANK YOU!!! 

I wanted to do a video, but it's pressing on me, and I have to say it now. I want to thank everyone who has read my wall posts, my blog posts, visited my business website pages, my blog and Facebook Page. Thank you for sharing them via Twitter, Facebook, IBO, Google+, etc. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to support me. You cannot understand how joyful my heart is right now. For me to know that I have inspired, encouraged, or motivated someone is far more valuable than anything. I want to continue to allow God to use me to reach as many people as possible. I've always wanted to know how I can help people, encourage people and writing is something that I have always used an outlet and I'm grateful to be used. I am happy being behind the scenes, but I know I'm going to have to get out in front of the people. I don't need a fancy title or my name in bright lights, but I know that the title God has given me, He has equipped me to handle the responsibilities. I'm reminded of a song that says 'if I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living will not be vain.' I want to continue to encourage everyone to continue to pursue your dreams and goals to better yourself through perseverance, commitment, dedication and humility. Don't let your comfort zone become uncomfortable in order for you to make positive moves in the right direction. It's time to board the flight called Present because your destination is Greatness! Looking forward to continue to motivate and inspire! Forward Thinking-Forward Moving!

Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged!

Just as the caterpillar goes through a process in order to become a butterfly, we as children of God go through a spiritual metamorphosis in order to fulfill our destiny in Him.  Sometimes we don't understand our trials and tests, but the lessons within those tests are necessary to reach the goal.

 Just like in school, we had to take different quizzes and tests in order to pass to the next grade level, the same applies with God.  If we don't do the required work and we fail we have to either retake the test or repeat the entire class and who wants to spend more time in the same class than we have to?  How can we go to high school if we don't pass elementary and middle school and how can we go to college if we don't fulfill the high school requirements?

 This scenario is equivalent to our spiritual walk with God.  If we don't go step by step, it's possible we could be crippled because every step has its requirements, its reasons and its importance.  When we are going through our 'spiritual metamorphosis,' if God were to deliver us before we finished the test, we won't get the entire lesson we needed to learn.  God does not want us crippled, but to be equipped with power!

 To whom much is given, much is required, (Luke 12:48).  The higher level of education you desire, the more discipline it will take to fulfill the requirements, the harder the tests and the more research you have to do in order to attain that degree you are seeking.  It's the same way with God.  The higher your calling, the greater your anointing, the stronger your teaching, has different levels of tests, trials, tribulations and something we really don't like, discipline!  Whatever God has assigned for you to do, there are steps and levels that we have to take in order to get there.

 Stand on faith knowing that eventually and at the right time during your spiritual metamorphosis, you will emerge as a powerful man or woman of God.  Just think of your trials and tribulations as a process of the refiner's fire (Malachi 3:2).  All of these things come to purify us, teach us and build us for the job we have to do.  If we don't have the proper training, how can the work we do be effective.  Going through a spiritual metamorphosis means that although we have to work hard and may have to endure certain things, it is for your benefit and for God's glory.

Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged!

More Than a Happy Birthday

I must say that I am truly grateful and thankful that God blessed me to reach a ‘landmark’ birthday. I am in decent health (stairs just don’t like me), my mind works fairly well, my children are healthy and I have friends and family that truly love little ole me!  I had more than a happy birthday, I had a BLESSED birthday.

As I look back over the last decade of my life, I’m grateful for every test, trial, my ups and downs. It’s those details that is helping shape my destiny. I’m grateful for every positive thought and negative word. I’m thankful for every smile and every frown. I’m thankful for every encouraging word, every word of appreciation, every word of hurt, every word of doubt and every positive word. Those things helped me to become stronger and wiser. I’m thankful for every right choice and every wrong choice, those things helped me to make better choices.

As I journey into the next decade of my life, I will continue to strive to be uplifting, encouraging, helpful, friendly, motivating and above all loving. I want to be more receptive to priceless wisdom and true spiritual guidance. I don’t need my name in bright lights like Las Vegas or my face on a billboard. If I have reached one person through my words, then my heart is happy.  I look forward to become stronger in mind, soul, body and spirit. I strive to look beyond the faults and see needs. I want to be more open to that small still voice that speaks life, joy and peace into another’s soul. I want to be more forgiving and release everything that I thought I let go of and the things that I know I am still holding. I want to start the next decade with a clean slate, and blank sheet of paper. I will never disregard my past experiences in life, for those are my testimonies that all things are possible. I want to speak truth so that it will bring enlightenment and a chance to make better choices, and not be ashamed or afraid to speak the truth. I may lose and friend or gain an enemy, but I have planted the seed.

I have goals yet to be reached and a destination yet to be manifested. I’m still learning and growing and not above being taught truth and wisdom. I will make some mistakes along the way, but I am determined not to make the same mistakes already made because that will mean I didn’t learn from previous mistakes. I find no joy in repeating a test. I’m determined to keep smiling through the good times and the bad times. I’ve learned to look for my rainbow in the midst of the rainstorm.

In conclusion, I can honestly say I had a BLESSED birthday. I’m forever thankful and will always tell God thank you for all He has done, and is still doing.

Forward Thinking-Forward Moving

If You’re Not Faithful Over Small Things, How Can You Rule Great Things

 Matthew 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 We all have dreams or have had dreams at some point on where we want to be in life. Sometime during our younger years we decided what career we wanted to pursue, where we wanted to live, what kind of car and house we wanted, how many children, if any, we wanted to have etc.

 All of these dreams started with a seed of faith, a mere thought and a plan of action that we would put into effect to accomplish that dream. Just as we plant a seed in the dirt, we had to water that seed, give it sunshine, and nurture it until it sprouted. Even after it sprouted, we had to continue to nurture it until it became a full plant, and still we had to maintain our care for it so that it would continue to live. My whole point is, you have to exercise faithfulness so that the seed can become a plant. An oak tree didn’t rise up out the ground as an oak tree, it, like human life started with a seed.

 So, the question is, if we’re not faithful over small things, how can we expect to be ruler over great things? When we are blessed with something, we need to do our best to take care of it. If we are blessed with a decent car, we need to take care of that car. Keep the oil changed, keep it tuned up, and make sure the tires are good, because after all you are depending on this car to get you where you need to go. Also, don’t be selfish, maybe your neighbor needs a ride, if you are able to do it, then give them a ride. When God sees that you are being unselfish and grateful He will bless you with something else even better. If you are blessed to get an apartment, take care of it. I’m not saying you need to clean from sunup to sundown, but keep it decent, show God that you appreciate it and He will bless you with a home. Do not despise small beginnings. Nurture those small beginnings and watch them grow. Whatever gift and talent you have use it, nurture it, and you MUST maintain it. There are certain careers where even after you are licensed, you have to have so many CEUs (continuing education units) in order to maintain your license. Just like with any career, you maintain it by continuing to learn about the field and putting that knowledge to practice. If you own a business, you may start off in your home and then move to a location and then you may have several locations.

 Every dream starts with a seed, but you must faithfully water and nurture it with action to make it grow.

Content but Working Towards Change Hebrews 13:5

Content (adjective) in a state of peaceful happiness

During my daily activities, I began to think about my life as it is right now. I thought about so many things past and present and realized, you know what, I am truly blessed. I am content. I have food, shelter, clothing, my health and strength my family is living, although my mom is not in the best of health, I’m thankful that I can call her and hear her voice. My children are good, I have a great husband; I have friends that love and care about me and my mind is still working.

Although I am content with what I do have, it doesn’t mean that I have reached my destiny and I want to stay in this place in life. I desire more. I desire change for the better. I desire to expand my spiritual and natural knowledge not just for myself but to be able to help others. Sure one day I want to buy a home and I want my children to be able to go the college of their choice, but although I desire these things, I don’t let that desire consume me to the point where I become ungrateful for what I do have. I am working towards change with perseverance and commitment. I would never tell anyone to be satisfied living with just enough, but in spite of what your situation or circumstances may be, whenever you open your eyes to see another day, you have something to be grateful for. Someone laid down with the intent to start working on their vision tomorrow, but they didn’t make it. Someone decided they were finally going to retire and just enjoy their life, but they ended up in the hospital. Every day that you wake up in your right mind and the activity of your limbs, although it may be limited is a chance to work towards change.

Be content, but continue to work hard to achieve your vision. Be dedicated, be persistent, and don’t lose your passion. If that thing that is purposed in your heart is for the greater good, then get started.  Count everyday as though it’s your last.

Are You Moving Forward Or Just Spinning Your Wheels?

At church yesterday, during my Pastor’s sermon, he mentioned spinning your wheels. He told the story about how his wife’s jeep had gotten stuck in the mud and he tried everything he could to get her jeep out the mud, until finally he had to just let the mud dry. He talked about how the jeep was just spinning its wheels but not going anywhere. I’m truly thankful for the insight that God has blessed me with. I’m thankful that I can hear a small passage, word or phrase and He gives me a whole message.

I began to really think about ‘spinning your wheels.’ You know there have been times in our life and maybe even now where we are just spinning our wheels. Time is moving forward, but we’re not. Going through the motions of a daily routine but not progressing. Just like the wheels on that jeep was going in a forward motion it wasn’t moving. I began to think even harder and apply this to my own personal life. Although I was truly grateful and thankful to be blessed with a job, I was only spinning my wheels. I went to work religiously, on time every day, did the same routine, but I wasn’t making progress. I knew there was something bigger and greater for me to do. Although I had a positive impact on a lot of my coworkers, I knew that couldn’t be my final destination. I knew I had the capability to learn and do so much more. I knew there was more to life than just going through the motions. I don’t want to live a life of doing enough just to get by, because just enough isn’t enough.

Ask yourself, is there something more I can be doing in life? Am I really making progress? Am I putting myself in a position to physically, mentally and spiritually move forward? Or am I just ‘spinning my wheels?’

Faint Not

And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

This is a very true verse and it’s something that we can all apply to our personal lives. Anything that is worth having is worth working for. It may take finances, long hours, pounding the pavement, traveling, talking, doing presentations, etc. But if we remain committed, dedicated, persevere and not quit, you will reap those rewards. Regardless of what the situation or circumstances, I tell everyone, my faith is not shaken. I’m going to remain positive, committed and dedicated. As long as I’m making moves in the right direction and the motivation of my heart is pure, I know I will be rewarded in due time.

Just think about certain situations in our lives where we wanted to quit, but we knew we had to keep going and things fell right into place. What if you had quit, what if you threw up your hands and said forget it? Now there will be certain situations where you may have to take a step back and reevaluate your strategies, but don’t quit. If there a desire in your heart to do something positive, do it. You don’t know who is watching and who is waiting on you to do what you need to do. You may be the push they need.

Many people miss out because they quit. They got weary, tired, disappointed and discouraged. We all have gone through it and have quit. In any business you start, it takes WORK! You have more appreciation for the things you work hard for, versus if it came too easy. You have to market, get your name and face out there, talk to people, email people, advertise, etc., especially if you truly believe in the service or products you are offering. The turnaround may be slow and breaking even may seem far away, but don’t you quit!