Good Morning:

The Call- in Nashville TN.

Good Morning:
This morning I woke up a little later than I ought to, so I rushed out the door. No makeup, almost no time was spent on my hair and no time was set aside for devotions. I’m sad to say that I didn’t give it much thought. “It’s Friday” I though to myself, “almost the weekend, time to relax.”

This idea captured my thought process this morning.

Well, during my drive to work. I called Sarah (she’d been text messaging me and I don’t do that while driving).

She said, “Do you have some time for me to share some thoughts with you?”

“Yes.” I replied.

“What’s up?”

“Well I read Psalms 3 this morning and I’m just in awe.”

She proceeded to read to me Psalms 3 in such a tone of wonder that I was immediately feeling 2 things:

1) I missed out on the opportunity to have received what she did from God this morning

2) I am so thankful, that I still get it imparted to me through one who owns it for herself.

In case some of you woke up this morning in the same state I did.

May God do for you through this blog posting what He did for me through Sarah phone conversation and text messages this morning.

Psalms 3 (with some thoughts from Sarah, and from myself)

1) O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

2) Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’

-- Today, we may not have enemies in the sense of people wanting to kill us… but, we do have an enemy Satan, who has set his works against us. We have the deceived of the world saying, “God will not do anything for _____.”“These circumstances prove your God either doesn’t exist or doesn’t care for you.”

3) But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.4) To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill. ~selah

--- In these passages David is saying… in essence. “BUT!!! You Lord are a shield around me. I have my confidence in you and nothing can shake it. None of this effects me because YOU not only care for me but you give my YOUR GLORY… You rest Your Glory on me and I AM NOT ASHAMED. I am not AFRAID. I look boldly FORWARD.”Then you can just picture him looking out at his enemies (circumstances and/or unbelievers)…( they do not know that he’s met with God in the secret place… for all we know they could think he’s crazy) and he says loudly to them in their faces: “To the Lord I cry out loud and He answers me from Heaven!” In other words… “watch out… I ask of God, and He responds… brace yourselves.”

While, the above passages are enough to astound me, read on…

5) I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

6) I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

7) Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

8) From the Lord comes deliverance. May Your blessings be on Your people.

--- What gets to me is the words: “I lie down and sleep; I wake up again, because the Lord sustains me.”So simple… yet so profound… “Hey! I go to sleep through these times, and circumstances… and I wake up again.Why? Because my Lord sustains me. You are nothing to me. I will sleep. I’m not afraid of you… I wouldn’t be afraid if there were tens of thousands like you against me and surrounding me on every side. Remember? The Lord hears me and answers me.”Then see how he prays… I find it interesting that he targets the jaws of his enemies in prayer. Could this be due to the chatter? Today should we not pray likewise? That God would strike the jaws of those who mutter against us, which is to mutter against Him?

Oh to have this kind of secure faith in the promises of our Lord.

Now! circumstances.

Now! those who mutter against me.

Now! you who try to surround me and come against me on all sides.

I--------- lie down and sleep and I---------will wake up again.

The Lord sustains me.

I'm Loved Extravagently

*For the full effect of this post, tune to the song "Your Love is Extravagent" on my playlist.

What is it to love extravagantly?

What is the definition of extravagant?

Extravagant:
excessive: unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings; "extravagant praise"; "exuberant compliments"; "overweening ambition"; "overweening ... recklessly wasteful; "prodigal in their expenditures" wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

exceeding the bounds of something; extreme; exorbitant

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/extravagant

So when we sing “Your love, is extravagant” we are in essence, singing: “Your love is unrestrained, recklessly lavished upon me, it has no bounds. You love me to the extreme causing my cup, my heart, my soul and my joy to run over. Your love sets me free and releases me… as I am the prodigal, it is Your love that welcomes me home, and not only do You welcome me home, you would be considered by the world today “recklessly wasteful” on me.You give me only the best, and I am the apple of Your eye.Your ambition for my life, is far greater and far more than I could even imagine. Not only that, but in Your love you prepare and train me in order for me to succeed. You’ve given me all the tools I need to conquer the whiles of the devil.You’re love protects and shelters me, it lifts me up when I am afraid and in Your love You chastise me when I start to stray into dangerous areas. You love deeper than and earthy father or mother ever could. Your love goes deeper than even my understanding because I’ve nothing to compare Your love to… all else is dung in comparison.Oh Lord, how undeserving am I, to be the recipient of such love as You offer me freely.”

Just some photos

Just for the joy I find in sharing my "photography" I want to upload a few of my photos for you all to see: )

Sunflower in Mom's Garden
A Flower-- in Mom's Garden
A Flower-- in Mom's Garden
A Flower-- in Mom's Garden A Flower-- in Mom's Garden A Flower-- in Mom's Garden

My Piano

Apples From the Cupp's Tree

Apples From the Cupp's Tree

Justin Playing Pool

Mona Lisa- The Woman of Mystery

Listening to a Nat King Cole song “Mona Lisa” here in my office I am inspired…

Most know that Mona Lisa’s expression in the painting has been pondered for years. What is she thinking and feeling? Why the mysterious expression?

Personally, I think she’s reveling in the mystery. It was purposeful… it was supposed to draw in the masses and stir up admirers.

You see, a woman is supposed to be cloaked in mystery. That’s the beauty of the feminine nature.When a man looks at a woman, there is supposed to be an overwhelming desire to know her.

This is why, I protect and relish my mysterious characteristics. Women who bare all and reveal all aresurrendering one of the most irresistible aspects of womanhood. Personal information shared tooquickly ruins the beauty of it. Clothing that reveals all leaves nothing left for a man’s imagination.

What’s wrong with pleasant surprises : )

This may seem uncomfortable, but I get so tired of having some of my mystery exposed by other womenwho are all - to willing to reveal all. They do this, in order to make up for some insecurity.Security revels in mystery.

(For men who may be reading this blog, I apologize in advance for the feminine nature of it.)

I am proud of the fact, that Justin still has much to learn of me. He’s never seen, nor has he Figured out much of my ways. In fact, he is blissfully ignorant of most. One day will he figure out more about me? Probably, but not before it’s the right and appropriate time.

Mystery is my favorite garment. I wear it proudly… it leaves more to a mans imagination than we womenrealize (not inappropriately speaking of course: ). It makes us strongly desirable.

In reflection, I see a tendency in the U.S. today. Women are more exploited than every… and I believe it’sbecause we’ve lost pride in our mystery. We need to renew this pride, and take back something that’s ours by rights.

“Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa men have named you. You’re so like the woman with the mystic smile.”

“Do you smile to temp a lover Mona Lisa?… Or is this your way to hide a broken heart.”

“ Are you warm are you real Mona Lisa? Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art?”

Let your mind reel back to the “good old days” when women wore the beautiful dresses, and dress suits.Classy, sophisticated women who could turn heads, without revealing all, without sharing all, or talking loudly.Not demanding attention…

Just---- warranting it.

Justin, My Best Friend

Just whenever you get the chance- go to my playlist and click on the song "Lucky" by Jason Mraz
Once you hear it, the title of this blog will make sence.

A Touch of Class

Some may think it's silly, or absurd... but most women will agree- the Coach purse is the epidomy of
class. It's been around for ages and has lasted (more than lasted, it's matured) for decades.

The classiest of women have carried a Coach purse... Audrey Hepburn (my favorite) carried one in fact.

Because of the "classic" very "classy" nature of this purse, I know my mother has relished the idea of one day owning one.

It's not a status symbol to her, it's the type of woman (esp. in days gone by) that carried a coach purse. *CLASSY*

So, with much research and online shopping, I was able to find a local seller of Coach purses.
This woman actually lives near where I work so, on my lunch break today, I stopped by to have a look.

On order as of today, is this Coach purse:

I bought it for the most "Classy" woman that I know: ) it just fits...


PS. who knows, I also have an obsession with purses... I may too come out with one in the future : )

Welcome Welcome

Welcome to my first blog.

I hope you'll find this entertaining and thought provoking. However, overall, I hope you find this encouraging!

The Desert of the Mind

Beware this place... it's a place of thoughtlessness, boredom or unhealthy wanderings.
The mind, like a museum, collects things... A museum will house priceless artifacts, art, collections and pieces of history, and much, much more.The mind will house those things and ideals that will effect and even define our character. The quality of a museum, or of your mind, depends solely on the quality of that which takes residence inside.
My use of the word thoughtlessness (which I began with) is not to describe actions made in haste, words spoken out of place or anything that lends to the idea of the actions that lead to a mistake. It is simply to describe the place of the mind that is void of providential, productive thoughts.Be wary of days, where in reflection, you find your mind has been in essence, void of productivity. It is not only important to watch for this, but it is a biblical principle. What do you think the scriptures means when it says: "Love the Lord your God with all of your.... .mind." How do we love, with our minds?
Often we confuse the role of our soul, with that of our mind. It is our mind that reasons, thinks and ponders ideals. We've learned to govern what goes in our mind; but, have we learned to cultivate it and love with it? There is more to loving with our minds than minding what we watch or hear, or even keeping close watch on the cleanliness of our thoughts. Just like, loving another person requires more than making sure your eyes remain only for him or for her, the mind requires more-than this to love with it. When you love someone, there will be actions, words, requirements, etc... involved to show this. The spouse wants to know they've captured the admiration of his or her lover, the Father wants to know He's captured the mind of his child.
For the body to be healthy, you must watch what you eat. You must exercise. For your relationships to be strong, you must learn of one another - all this requires work,time and effort. Our mind is a place that needs all these things.
Loving Jesus requires that we bring before Him our best, excellence is the word that comes to mind. Thus, we must take seriously the call to love Him with our minds.In excellence we can train, grow and exercise our mind so that it is sharp and can love Him. To ponder history, to learn a new trade, to seek out a new level of understanding in a relationship, etc... all these things are important! We must also head the call to ponder and meditate on scripture, to learn theology and to seek Him out!
Thoughtless days are void all of these things. Your mind will find different places to wander yes- but beware wandering for it is wandering that provides the most opportunity to slip, fall and get caught in traps set up by the enemy. There truly are days, where the mind requires rest. However, by training your mind to be productive, by practicing even, a Kingdom mindset... your mind will not so quickly forget these things even in your rest.Make it a habit.
Your mind is the door to deeper depths, to begin unlocking Kingdom revelation and to strengthening up foundations of relationships between those here on earth, and your Father in Heaven. Tend it, grow it, exercise it, and as a result know how to love with your mind. When the mind is busy, there's less room for distractions set up by the devil and there's more ways for the Lord to speak.

"Monumental Moments"

As I was writing in my journal yesterday, some thoughts that I'd viewed as incomplete came pouring out on paper. It was like, God was writing through my hands, because these thoughts were complete, and I knew that they were not mine. It's so crazy, to be sitting there... writing.... having revelation peak into your spirit as a result of what "you're" writing... when you don't know what it is you're writing don't know if that makes sense... but long story short, God spoke to me in my own handwriting.
I just felt like sharing some of what was revealed to me.

I don't have my journal with me, or else I'd type up word for word what's on those pages, however, I'll share what I can remember.

August 18, 2008

This evening I am pondering something I've decided to call "monumental moments.” A “monumental moment” is a snippet of time that can be as short as a few seconds or last as long as days. It is the first that captures my attention... the smallest moment in time that holds a monumental amount of potential. There is a certain romance to this idea. I consider my love for sunsets... the represent minutes and hours in a day... what did those snippets of time contain I wonder?

I've heard it said (I'm paraphrasing here), that we should “take care to capitalize on everyday for the Kingdom of God..." This statement or ideal was responded to by a vehement few (or rather, well thought-out) souls, with: “No, we should take care to capitalize on every second for the Kingdom of God." I criticized these and other like statements/quotes... and those who spoke them... labeling them as pompous, legalistic over-planners who had nothing better to do than complicate and overstate matters. Today, I will still fight to the death before I over-plan my life... or even my day. I am the world's worst at planning things, because I despise it. "Simplify, simplify" that's my motto. I truly get this from my mother who shares my same passion for simplicity in life, in tasks and even when possible, in relationship (yes, there are times when we over-complicate these too). However, I am beginning to see a point (in my own fashion) to what they're saying.

I am a "Visionary Woman"... I have vision and I love to cast vision. I can see through current circumstances to an end result that's greater than those circumstances. This is a great gift, and it's desperately needed by the church (please don't take this as bragging, I'm making a point here... remember, this is my journal entry). However! There comes along with this GREAT disadvantages if not handled with care and wisdom. It is easy to get caught up in the end result, and loose sight of the now. I can forget that there is sometimes, a long walk to get to that result, with many battles to fight.

When running a race, eyes are fixed on the finish line; your mind is fixated on that place of completion. However, you don't get to that point Mary Poppins style, by snapping a finger or pulling out and umbrella. You have to run and run hard. You have to watch your step, ensure your shoe is tied and know where you are in the race so as to make sure you're winning. These things, the running, the tying of the shoe, etc. are called monumental moments. Small pieces of time in the race, that can easily be overlooked, but mean victory and/or defeat if not recognized. Oh to learn the art of recognizing these moments during the course of the day. Hindsight is 20 20, foresight idealistic... but, what about the "now-sight". While I don't want to be overly attuned to each second of each day to the point of loosing the simplicity of just walking in the Spirit. I know there's more!

In hindsight, I can see times where if I had recognized the moment, heaven’s doors could've been opened in my life. The moment where I was determined to win that fight -- when loosing would've been a much more productive outcome. The moment where I could've comforted a co-worker in prayer but, passed it by without a thought. These were "monumental moments" that I missed. They could have changed my life drastically for the better... Who knows but God?

As I said in the beginning, I love sunsets. I adore being able to sit and watch the horizon as the sun sinks setting the sky on fire, colors change, and life begins to slow down. I ponder this and relish it each day. But, to have a sunset there must be a sunrise. There must also be a set amount of time that passes called day... What if I could sit, relish, and ponder a sunset fully knowing that those few seconds, minutes and hours filled with opportunities that passed are coming to a close... the fact that this sunset marks the completion of those moments, and thus, success! This sunset marks another battle fought and won, another relationship built, another opportunity for the Kingdom advanced and another day- another collection of "monumental moments" being written in my storybook to be read by my Creator in Heaven