My breakthrough came through. Now, it's your turn. A lot is keeping us up at night literally and figuratively, and almost all of it - almost every restless moment involves people. So who is keeping you up at night? The Frenemy Spirit Whether you are connected through DNA or by a conscious/unconscious decision you made, we all want to have a positive, friendly, amicable experience with those we do life with. But people can take up a lot of space. A lot of space. A lot of time. A lot of energy. Perhaps too much. Too much for the effort. Where is the return on your investment? Where i ..read more

Sometimes, the only camp we need to break is in our mind. I learned this lesson the hard way… In ministry, I was always what you call “a good church girl” doing “good church things” for any and everyone who needed help. I always found an excuse to help somebody out, convincing myself that serving in a perpetual cycle of “wherever you need me” was my destiny. But my constant investment in the prayerful pursuits of others was divesting my passions of God n You. Our Heavenly Father grew impatient with me so… He. Shut. It. Down. Have you ever been distracted in service to someone else to the ..read more

There is something to be said about the effectiveness of intimidation. It knows how to tap in to our insecurities, keeps pricking our skin as we pursue something beautiful, meaningful, God-given. It is the thorn keeping you from the rose. It is the weapon of the bully because it works. I've said it before... evil is not smart enough to create a new strategy when the old ones work on us so well. Bullies are rampant in our society. We all at some point have been held back or hesitated because of their strong-arm tactics. And yes, like children at recess the attack can be literal. But the ..read more

"I'm getting too old not to get this thing right." I've been quietly whispering this to myself all week. Lately, the days feel like they are flying by me on the wings of distraction and the more I try to stay on point with God, the harder it gets. Am I by myself? Maybe, but I don't think so. It's hard to keep up the pace and keep it "Christian". You encourage someone to pray and your prayer life gets challenging. You help someone discover their purpose, then start to question your own. You love hard, then lose harder. Heaven or hell? Every day, we are pricked to prove whose side we are on ..read more

What will make you truly happy? I extract this question from a conversation with Chis Gardner, whose life was depicted in the movie, Pursuit of Happyness: The title of the film and most importantly the book is that way to denote you and your happiness. What makes you happy? Not in a negative way. Not in a disrespectful way. But what makes you fulfilled what makes you and brings you joy. ~Chris Gardner “What makes you and bring you joy…” Examining this text through my desire to be happy has given me a different perspective on what, in this stage of life, is the deepest and most meaningf ..read more

Reflect. Reassess. Realign. Because the month of May is a season of celebration for me (my son’s birthday and Mother’s Day), over the years it’s timing has forced me to reflect but also use the opportunity to reassess and realign. Reflect on the consequences of my past decisions. They are the perfect teacher. Reassess my current situation. Good or bad, it is the optimum environment for my growth. Realign my plans with God’s future. Random and kingdom never work well together.   Reflect. Reassess. Realign. Why bother? Because we have to protect what is ours. Filtering Your Faith ..read more

"I'm getting too old not to get this thing right." I've been quietly whispering this to myself all week. Lately, the days feel like they are flying by me on the wings of distraction and the more I try to stay on point with God, the harder it gets. Am I by myself? Maybe, but I don't think so. It's hard to keep up the pace and keep it "Christian". You encourage someone to pray and your prayer life gets challenging. You help someone discover their purpose, then start to question your own. You love hard, then lose harder. Heaven or hell? Every day, we are pricked to prove whose side we are on ..read more

This weekend changed my prayer life. Have you ever been at a loss for how to pray for someone you love? How to intercede in prayer isn’t complex when the need is tangible (lack of money, resources, healing, protection). We pray they get what they need or for God to still yet provide if the request is not his will.   But when the need provokes in the one you care about a tug-of-war between spiritual and emotional, discerning how and what to pray can be gut-wrenching. This was the struggle I faced. Shortly after my friend abruptly revealed their turmoil, we had to part company. Hour ..read more

The path we take is paved by our decisions. But, honestly, I get tired of always having to make decisions. Do this. Don’t do that. Respond this way. Do not respond at all. Ignore this. Embrace that. Tired especially when my decisions do not produce the expected result over, and over, and over again. It takes me to a place of exhaustion that I can only describe as empty. Empty. Tapped out. Washed out. Beyond the emotional sea of overwhelm and into an abyss of “whatever”. There is a drawing of spirit, a withdrawal of energy that occurs when we continually overextend ourselves to no r ..read more

Two words...   What if?    What if all things are really possible if I believe?   What is available to me beyond the gift of salvation?   Jesus did not just die for me to go to heaven, but also for me to experience a little heaven on earth. The story of the young ruler teaches us that.   He checked off all the commandments. In his conversation with Christ, he even appeared to be a true believer.   But those possessions....     What possibilities awaited him on the other side of empty? How sad that a man with such great commitment had so ..read more