What is the World Coming To?

May we continue to be fervent in our prayers. There is so much turmoil going on in our nation, in our families and around the world, that it’s hard to watch the news and decipher which part of the world the chaos is occurring in on that particular day. It is my belief that God has been trying to slap some sense into us for quite some time now; to remind us that this life is not all about us, but about His purpose for us.

It seems like we have strayed far away from sound doctrine and principle. Far too many are conforming to whatever and that can be a deadly mistake. There are certain things that people do, that used to make me think that they were just plain ole crazy. However, the more you look at it, you will find that they are laced with an unimaginable evil…something sinister, bizarre and very real. There is no excuse in that, just a choice.

It is hard to watch the news anymore, because you will be depressed in the first few seconds of the broadcast, regardless of which network you look at. People are desperate and resorting to engaging in desperate things. But, are we being just as desperate in our obedience, prayer life, goodness and fruitfulness?

We cannot continue to blame the Devil for what he or she does, because they are merely doing their job. Yes, they are busy! The question is, are we praying and doing our job that God sent us here to do? Are we being even busier than our enemy is? We have to seriously look in the mirror at who we truly are, then remember whose we are. We have to make that change and not pass the blame for our shortcomings or depend on someone else to do it for us.

The world is not for us to abuse, but to take care of. With all of the bizarre weather changes occurring everywhere and where peace can find no refuge, we are running into some serious conditions with tragic consequences. Whatever the world is coming to is in the power of our hearts. We can either work together to make a positive difference, or we can continue to be divisive, simply because we have the freewill to do so. The world will not get any better if we just continue to let it be. We have to make that change…you and me!

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Celebrating Presidents Day!

“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.” -Thomas Jefferson

President’s Day is a celebratory time set aside to honor all of our U.S. Presidents. Normally Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are symbolically identified with this occasion, since both of their birthdays fell within a short time of each other during the month of February. George Washington was initially linked to the formation of Presidents Day.

“I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal.” -Abraham Lincoln

Prior to 1968, this fact did not seem to bother anyone and things were running along smoothly in the birthday celebration department. February 22nd was observed as a federal public holiday to honor the birthday of George Washington and February 12th was observed as a public holiday (in most states) to honor the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

“Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower

However, in 1968, the 90th Congress was determined to create a uniform system of federal Monday holidays, so they voted to shift three existing holidays (including Washington's Birthday) to Mondays. The law took effect in 1971. As a result, Washington's Birthday holiday was changed from its fixed February 22 date to the third Monday in February. This change was not without controversy. There was some concern that Washington's identity would be lost (since the third Monday in February would never fall on his birth date of February 22nd). Since 1968, President’s Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February when we pay tribute to every individual who served in the office of President of the United States of America.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them”. -John F. Kennedy

We are blessed to have the freedom in this country to vote in a democracy where we have the ability to select the candidate we wish to see in office. Although many people do not hold some of our Commanders-in-Chief in the same high esteem, there is no doubt that regardless of our political affiliations or views, our country is not governed by a dictatorship. Thank God for that! Sometimes we tend to take the freedoms we are able to enjoy for granted; freedoms that other countries would only dream about experiencing. We must be mindful that although we have the freedom of speech, we must not allow our tongues to defile our character and spirits. Just because you have the right to speak what is on your mind, does not mean that it is always appropriate or necessary.

So, on this Presidents Day, let us take a moment to reflect on what a great country we live in. May we never forget how blessed we are to be in a nation where we have the opportunity to soar beyond our wildest dreams and where people, no matter what race, creed or gender you are, can get an education and practice their religion without suffering cruel consequences. Let us also take this moment, to salute our military men and women, along with their families. It is because of them, that the freedoms we enjoy every day, is protected.

“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. … Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” -Barack Obama

Hail to the Chief!

Only One Day for Valentine’s Day? Surely You Jest?

“Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.” ~Vincent Van Gogh

Traditionally millions around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th. Before I go into a brief history about the story of St. Valentine’s Day, I always wondered why so much emphasis is placed on this one day and not echoed throughout the year. After this one day of giving bouquets of flowers, balloons, cards, romantic dinners, chocolates, proposals and a strong declaration of love between two people, what happens during the other 364 days of the year? Where are the lovey-dovey fireworks on ordinary days like May 2nd, August 25th or October 10th?

Love is not a thing, but an emotion. It can be expressed through acts of love in a myriad of ways. However, I don’t personally think that we should contain strong expressions of showing and sharing your love or affection only during a 12-24 hour time frame on February 14th? Do you?

According to www.theholidayspot.com, the story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.

Thus, February 14th became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine's Day. But, it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine's Day became definitively associated with love.

So as you walk into the stores, saturated with all sorts of great ideas for Valentine’s Day, keep a snapshot of this image in your mind, as it reminds you to practice LOVE every day of the year. And even if you don’t have a significant “other” to share Valentine’s Day with, treat yourself to a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, a massage, a pedicure or manicure, a makeover, a new hairstyle or some sexy lingerie. Don’t wait for someone else to make you feel good about you. You may be waiting for a very long time!

And if you are really feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day, don’t sulk about it. If you know of a senior citizen who is lonely, buy them a Valentine’s Day card or some flowers and surprise them with it. Or if you want to buy some Valentine’s Day cards, sign it and give it to some of the residents in a nursing home or children’s hospital, you would be sharing an awesome act of love and you will feel so good about it too! That sense of loneliness you were probably feeling will subside, when you see how much you made someone’s day that may be in a worse scenario than you.

Let’s not just accept February 14th as the only day to hype up your expressions of love for someone. Do it every single day of your life. Doing something nice and sweet for someone is something they won’t easily forget, especially when they are lonely! Be creative! Celebrate life! Have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

“Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.” ~John Lennon

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Celebrating the Month of February, 2011

As we exit the first month and look forward with anticipation to the rest of this year, this month is a very significant time that we continue to excel and celebrate. This month we celebrate Black History Month, American Heart Month, National Children’s Dental Health Month and AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month. In addition, here are some important days found on the calendar that we invited to also observe this month:

Give Kids a Smile Day – February 1

National Freedom Day – February 1

Groundhog Day – February 2

Chinese New Year – February 3

National Wear Red Day – February 6

Superbowl Sunday – February 6

Boy Scout Day – February 8

National Condom Day – February 10

Valentine’s Day – February 14

President’s Day – February 21

"Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living." ~ Amanda Bradley

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Lessons of Building

(excerpt from the chapter, The Master Architect, in Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit)

True visionaries are those who clairvoyantly see the end at the beginning, without support from any tangible assistance. Trying to communicate that vision to others can be extremely taxing at times. You will run into resistance when others are unable to see or comprehend what you see. Their criticism and skepticism become a momentary distraction, trying to divert your attention from executing your vision. The vision that God gives a visionary will come to fruition, even if God removes the skeptics or uses them to bless you. God gives a vision, with provision. His designs and blueprints will be made clear enough so that those who have been assigned to make it happen, will indeed make it happen by His grace. This foundation is “Rock” solid!

To build is to start from the bottom and work upward, not from the top and work downward. Working from the bottom up is construction (to develop and erect). Working from the top downward is de-struction (to destroy and demolish). As Kingdom Builders, we are starting from the bottom and working our way up. We are to follow Christ’s lead and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned. You can’t build a house without the proper tools, building supplies and a solid, level foundation. The Kingdom can’t be built using weak spiritual tools and building supplies of shoddy spirits and underdeveloped gifts. Not everyone will have the innate ability to be a carpenter, plumber, roofer, electrician, mason or even the architect themselves. Once we learn what our purpose is, the vision will be erected according to His plan and resources. We are a small piece of the puzzle to this Master Blueprint, but nevertheless, a very important and significant component.

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Celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968), let us think about the prophecies reflected through his speeches and dreams that he generously shared with us. He married Coretta Scott and they had four children (Yolanda, Martin III., Dexter and Bernice). He used the principles of nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. It is noted that Dr. King made a request to avoid mentioning his awards and honors at his funeral. Instead, he wanted it to be said that he tried to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, be right on the (Vietnam) war question and to love and serve humanity. In 1964, Dr. King received The Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination, through nonviolent means.

To have a dream doesn’t start with the teacher, preacher, doctor, business executive or politician. It begins with you…unleashing your passion from within. And so on this day, we must ask, is that dream better? Or worse? Are we still trying to overcome some day or have we responded to the call by building sturdier bridges to propel us forward into a brighter future? Are we utilizing those precious values and resources from yesteryear that formed our steadfast foundations of the present, to love more, edify continuously and teach more passionately? As we reach this moment celebrating Dr. King’s heroic sacrifice 43 years later, we must analyze just how much we have progressed and if we are continuing to encourage others to dream even bigger dreams.

Are our children in a better position to accelerate to the level of greatest that we want them to be? Or are they on their own because we took our sights off of the purpose behind the dream, by not turning that dream into a reality and performing our assignments effectively? At this point of the journey, we should not be wondering when we shall overcome, but declaring that we overcame a long time ago with victory!

Happy Birthday Dr. King!

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Ice, Ice Baby!

 “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet

Anyone who had a terrifying experience with ice knows just how dangerous walking or driving on it can be. It can be scary, frustrating, inconvenient and sometimes deadly. The first day we had ice this week, we lost our satellite signal. We opted to have our dish located on the ground instead of on the roof, and I am so glad that we made that decision. I carefully walked outside, bundled up with an ice scraper, to see if there was any buildup obstructing the reception of the signal. With each step I took, the ice ahead of me would reveal vein like fractures that would make you think you would fall through the cracks at a given moment. When I finally reached the dish and started chipping the ice off of it, the next thing that happened nearly freaked me out. When the ice I was chipping away hit the ground, it started bouncing like a bunch of marbles someone spilled on the floor. I never experienced anything like that before. Because it was quiet outside, the sounds of the bouncing ice was too hard to ignore. Needless to say, I got back in the house as quickly as I could.

As we are trying to recover from the arctic blast that has laden the southeast with ice-covered snow, it seems like the ground and streets were turned into an ice rink, and regular objects sitting outside have formed some surprising ice sculptures. I was passing by my window this morning looking at how little the snow on our deck melted and noticed that in certain areas the snow-turned ice almost looked like an optical illusion. I would think that because of a brief melting and refreezing point from yesterday, these cute little attention getters resulted from that. However, these small sculptures literally looked like they were suspended in air and defied gravity.

First, the banister on the deck looked as if snow was still pack on it. But, when I looked closer, it appeared as if it was molded into an arch that mimicked the wave of an ocean. Then I noticed something in a small fountain sitting in one corner of my deck, and I cannot for the life of me, even come up with how this piece of ice formed into what I saw. It appeared that it was actually sculpted where parts of it was almost paper thin and the end section that meandered upward was as if something was flinging water up in the air and it immediately did a freeze frame. In case you are wondering if water was flowing through the fountain at that time, it was not. When the temperatures drop as low as they have been, I unplug the fountain, because the tubes will freeze.

I know that I tend to become fascinated by these natural wonders and I am not scientific by any means. But, I am curious about how this unexplained mystery occurred. I wished I had a camera filming this water metamorphosis, because to believe it, is to see it. Despite the dangers of walking or driving on this ice, to watch the prisms of light glistening throughout the ebb and flow of these natural ice sculptures by the sunlight, is truly a breathtaking sight. The only response that I have for this unexplained phenomenon is that God is truly an Awesome and Masterful artist!

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