Get Off The Porch!!!

Sometime ago, I read a story about a man that had an old dog. All day the dog just sat on the porch and moaned! The man couldn't figure out why the dog was so sad! He had plenty of food, he had water and he appeared to be pretty healthy. But day in and day out he sat in the same spot and moaned! Finally when the man could no longer take the dog's moaning, he went out on the porch and ran the dog off of the porch. Much to his surprise, once he had removed the dog from the porch, he discovered the source of the dog's misery. There was a nail coming up from the bottom of the floor board of the porch! The poor dog was lying on a nail!

You may have some questions about this story, such as: How did the nail get in the porch? Why was the dog lying on the nail? Why didn't the dog just remove himself from the nail? ...etc. None of these questions really matter, do they?

I have a better question? Are you moaning? And if you are, is it because you're sitting on a nail?

Okay! Then:

GET OFF THE PORCH!!!!!

I bet you feel better already!!

Don't Kiss The Pig!

Have you ever kissed a pig?  I know most of you say you haven't, but you have! For me, kissing a pig is a metaphor I use for the things I know I shouldn't do, but end up doing it anyway! For instance, the piece of chocolate cake left over from the party. It beckons you, literally calls your name! Here 's where the metaphor kicks in, If you tell yourself, self, don't eat the cake, and you leave the room, unless someone else beats you to it, ten minutes later you will eat the cake! Next time you're faced with cake, try this on for size, say to yourself, Don't Kiss The Pig! That piece of chocolate cake doesn't look quite as appetizing does it? Sometimes it works. BTW a pig's snout isn't half bad! I did say, sometimes it works!

Grace And Mercy Abounds!

As I sit here putting pen to paper, well, actually...let me re-phrase that. As I sit here, putting fingers to keys and words on the screen, I know that grace and mercy abounds. The reason I know that grace and mercy abounds is because for the fifth time, yes, fifth time, I entered a college classroom and took my seat. I was able to enter that doorway again because it had not been shut. God had left it open for me because He promised to give me the desires of my heart. College degree? Way high on the list! Notice I said the door was left open, I still had to walk through it! I still had to put forth the effort and the energy to show up! Faith without works is dead!

As I sat there, I could see her smiling, cheering me on! Saying, "you can do it G, I have faith in you!"
Who is she? My mother, you see, He made a promise to me, and I made a promise to her, one I intend to keep! By the way, He is also giving her the desires of her heart!

What are your heart's desires? What has He promised you? Claim the promises of God and receive all that He has for you!

Because He is no respecter of persons, grace and mercy abounds for you as well!

Writers write!

Still Standing or Standing Still?

I am grateful that my feet are firmly planted and I am still standing! As soon as I wrote these words, I heard this "are you still standing or are you standing still?" Is there a difference I asked? Yes, there is a difference. In this context, to be still standing means that although you have endured many tests and trials, the wind has blown and the billows have rolled, you have maintained your vertical stance and are still upright. Standing still, on the other hand, means that there is no movement or progression, you are in a fixed position. Perception is everything, While I am grateful that I am still standing, this is not my season to stand still. I am moving forward towards all that God has planned for me, How about you? Do you know what season you are in?  Are you still standing? better yet, are you standing still?

From Hosanna to Crucify Him! Going from Praise to Persecution!

This Palm Sunday I am reminded that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ went from praise to persecution! We say "surely these were not the same people, the praisers and the persecutors", however, these were one and the same.  Therefore, be careful how you handle praise, it could quickly turn into something else!

And The Rain Kept Pouring

It rained all day yesterday! And I was out in it! Because I had to be out and about, I bemoaned the rain! "Why doesn't it stop already!" I whined and complained! The traffic was bad, there were accidents everywhere ...and yet the rain kept pouring! I finally made my way home, exhausted and soggy! Once inside, I put on my pajamas, my fluffy robe and my socks and made myself a cup of tea.
I sat down with my tea and my book and looked outside, the rain was still pouring, but somehow it look differently from inside. I was dry, warm, comfortable, safe, and at peace on the inside. Gone was the complaining, whining tirade.  But it was still raining on the outside.

Using the rain as a metaphor for life, it is possible to remain warm, comfortable, at peace and safe on the inside when it is raining on the outside, or better yet, when all hell is breaking loose in your life? is it possible to be at peace on the inside, in your heart and mind?

I think the answer lies in the way we view the rain. Consider this, the rain is temporary. As are many of the difficulties in life. Even when the rain comes, we still have choices, we can entertain the rain by choosing to go out and about or we can wait it out and let it pass! Same in life, because as we know "this too shall pass and trouble don't last always!"

The blessing is, you get to choose how to handle the rain! How do you choose to handle the rain?

Look Within, There is Greatness There!

There is greatness in you! What? You didn't know? Think about it for a minute, you have the ability to bring new life into the world. Is that not greatness? You get to mold and shape the future with your heart and your hands? Is that not greatness? Who told you that you were less than? They lied! Was it you? Have you convinced yourself that you can't? There is greatness in you and the sooner you recognize it the better your life will become! Come to think of it, the better the world will become. We are waiting for it! What are you waiting for?

Stay The Course!

Stay the course! That's right! I said it, stay the course! You already know that the path has been set. You have already received your marching orders! Now is not the time to "get weary in well doing"! Tuck your tail, bow your head and plow through! You can do this because you were called for such a time as this! The only way you will fail is if you quit! Stay the course!

Is this for you? If it is, then what are you going to do?

Stay The Course!

The race is not given to the swift, nor to the the strong, but to him that endures until what? The end!

Stay The Course!

There are quitters all around you, but guess what? You're not one of them! 

Stay The Course!

We. Live, We Love, We Leave! A Funeral, A Wedding and a Baby Shower,

Yesterday I experienced life in all of its complexity. The sadness of saying a final goodbye to a loved one, the joy of a young couple's marital bliss and the excited anticipation of a new life soon to come. I was a spectator, and God profoundly spoke to me through each of these events. Of the funeral, He said, "why are they sad? Don't they know?" Of the wedding, "this is heaven on earth!"  And of the baby shower, "the blessing is the ability to procreate,  how carelessly we handle this gift".

I thought to myself, "this was way too much "life" for one day". Actually, it is exactly as it should be! We live, we love, we leave!

Celebrating Life!

Today I celebrate the life of a loved one that has transitioned from this life to the next. You see, I understand that, for those in Christ, death is simply leaving this earthly body, with all of its aging and aches and pains, behind and being set free from all of the cares and concerns of this life to be with God in heaven. 

as the angels rejoice, so do I! will my loved one be missed? Of course, but knowing where he is makes all of the difference in the world. The world says, I lost a loved one. I say, he is not lost, he just went back home.! Today, we celebrate Robert W. Smith, Jr. and It Is Well Indeed! 

Write The Vision!

And the Lord answered me and said "Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it, for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie, though it tarry, wait for it for it will surely come, it will not tarry!"  Habakkuk Ch 2:2-3

Notice here, the Lord answered, "write the vision!".  There is power in writing it down! Once you write something down it becomes a material, physical, manifestation. What you write becomes real!!  

Have you written your vision? It doesn't have to be something as grand as for your whole life, how about your vision for today?

If you think you don't have a vision, pray this:

Lord open my eyes, that I may see, the vision that you have created just for me!

Who Are You? Ask Yourself!

This morning, I asked myself this question, "Gigi, who are you?" and while I won't bore you with my answer, suffice it to say that I was surprised by the answer I received. So let me pose the question for you, "who are you?", have you ever asked yourself that question? If not, let me suggest that you give it a try.

If the answer you receive surprises you, or you realize that you are not who you want to be, then change may be in order. I know that talking to yourself has been frowned upon, however hearing from yourself is normal and immensley beneficial, especially if you listen with your heart and not just your ears, because the "self" knows all of your hopes, dreams and aspirations!

If you are unhappy with the answer you receive you have a choice, you can silence the self and continue unhappily on or you can begin the process to change!  If change is your choice, reply to this post! As you have heard me say many times, "you can always choose again!".