Checking In

It's been a while since I've been out here.  I've been really busy but it has been fun and I have been enjoying the ride.  God is truly awesome; to see Him blessing you and blessing others right before your very own eyes is just amazing.  Yet sometimes I wonder should we really be amazed by God.  Hear me out...If we truly believed that God will do what He said He would do then why are we so surprised by what He does for His people?

Well, that's not really what today's blog is about, but I thought I would put that question out there.  Today I want to propose that we each take ourselves on a journey for the remainder of the year 30 days at a time.  Sometimes we plan goals for ourselves and they seem so HUGE and insurmountable; that we give up before we even get started.  Therefore, I am suggesting that we, you and I, make a decision today to make lifestyle changes but to look at them in 30-day blocks (increments).  Also, don't set a definitive end-goal at the end of the 30 days.  Praise God at the end of the 30 days; rejoice and be glad.  If you accomplish that lifestyle change at the end of the 30 days then move on to the next one; if not, then keep going with the current task at hand.  Don't put it down until you have accomplished the task!!

Here's the next part of the challenge:  make these lifestyle changes spiritual in nature.  I know there are numerous things in the natural realm that we want to work on but consider this, "When we clean ourselves up on the inside, the outside can only benefit."  So my first 30 day challenge, remember, the purpose of this entire blog for me is about being transparent, so my first 30 day challenge is to fast from cursing.  Yep, I said it, I curse; and sometimes I get on a roll with it that those who know me by the Spirit would not even recognize me.  I realize now that I need to hate it, cursing, just like every other sin.  Not only that, as a Minister of the Gospel, my language definitely needs to change.  In fact, my brother James has told me in the third chapter of his book, "That blessings and cursings should not come out of the same mouth."

As much as I desire to lose weight and get my body back that is hiding on the inside underneath all these extra layers, I desire more to be clean and fit for the Master's use.  I hope my transparency helps you in some way to examine yourselves.  Remember, as we draw closer to God He will draw closer to us.  And think about it, to be close enough to the Father to feel His hand upon you, for Him to breathe on you, to feel His heartbeat, nothing, nothing will be withheld from you.  Truly, the best is yet to come if we only believe.  I believe!!

Be Careful

In ministry, we often get excited about opportunities to speak or to be a part of something (i.e., conferences and the alike).  We typically, if not you at least I do, take these invitations or view these invitations as an "Oh moment!"  We're like wow, thank you God, somebody actually sees in me what I know you put in me.  We think this is my opportunity - this is my chance.  Little do we know:  (1) it's usually never about us.  Yes, it is true, what God has for us is for us.  But when God uses us (the gift of ministry in us) it's never about us, it's always about someone else.  (2) God is stretching you in that area of ministry.  Now this one is the one that is a BIG pill to swallow.  Why you might ask?  Because stretching means testing!!  Well, that's all I have for now.  Peace and Blessings!!

This is my first day of blogging...really my first attempt at blogging.  I thought this would be a good place, format, way for me to express myself that typically does not work well on Facebook or Twitter.  One of the key reasons is that I really don't want to be limited to the number of characters (or words) I can use.  I want to be able to say what  I want to say and how I want to say it.

I may not have much for you today, right now, because I need to gather my thoughts and determine exactly what I want to express.  I guess the main thing you need to know about me is that I love the Lord and I love God's people.  While I am not a perfect person I do strive for it; yet not in the eyes of man but in the eyes of my Heavenly Father.  You see, I only want to be pleasing in my daddy's eyes.  That's all that really matters to me.  With that said, I already know the next thing that will happen - the flood gates will open  and all eyes will be on me waiting to see what I will do next.  Really, waiting to see how, when and if I fall so that they can say, "SEE!"  Well, in the words of Steve Harvey, my comment to the nay-sayers in advance is, "Don't Trip!  He Ain't Through With Me Yet!!"  That's it and that's all for now.  I think I like this.  I just may come back.