Things In Common - Hope

Happy New Year facebook friends! This is your year, there is hope and things will get better. My lesson for the 2011 was realizing that I am not GOD. I tried  to fix every problem and to be there for everyone, but with my flaws, I some time fail and didn't know how to help. It hurt.  That is when God spoke to my heart and remind me that He has everything under control. I then relinquished all control into His capable hands. Now with renewed hope, I look forward to see what the Lord has for me. Keep believing no matter how things look. I hope you walk into the New Year with your head high and your dreams alive.  I will.

Have a safe and prosperous Year!!
Love you all

Things In Common - Being Who you Are

Hello all! I've been still and quiet since August, giving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the opportunity to speak to my heart. If you know Him (Jesus), you know He has done just that.  I placed a question before the Lord, Who am I, doing this time of transition? There were so many things coming at me all at once, it became confusing. While I do appreciate my family and friends care and concerns for me, I realized that I'm not them. I've been examining my life and rediscovering who I am. To start this journey, I was given this scripture to keep in mind, Psalm 139:14"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well". Know that you are awesome. I took a sheet of paper and divided it down the middle. I then wrote on one side "Who I was created to be" and on the other side "Who I've become". This is to be a soul searching event, me and Jesus alone. I had to be honest and go deep with in. It caused me to laugh, as well as cry. when I revisited areas that still have hurt and pain attach to it, I realized that these are the areas that I had not forgiven. Once I forgave it all, I felt so clean and free, but a little vulnerable (as if nothing was hidden), then came Peace. Let me say here, do not do this until you feel ready, this is all about you and if you decide to don't try to run a Marathon with it . It took me from August to November. There are many things I am not able to share at this time, but I can say that I not only Love myself, but that I Like myself (who I was created to be by the Father). Love yourself and don't be afraid of being who you are. Embrace all of you, the good and the not so good, and now you can change those things that stop you from being your best. If you don't like who you are, go to Jesus and let Him show you how. Remember, you were created with much care and love, you are not an accident. The Father knows what He is doing and being who you are says I trust Him.
Love you all and pray for you daily.

Things In Common - Being Still

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46:10).  I woke up with several scriptures this morning  and this was the first of three. I hear the Father saying "Be Still", for God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble. Therefore, don't let these times of turmoil bring fear; just remember to be still and with your heart hear and receive the love that the Father has for you. We need to give all our worries, anxieties, and problems to the Lord, Jesus Christ, let Him handle it, and He will. For I Peter 5:7  states "casting all  your care upon Him, for He cares for you". Are we to do nothing? No, that's not what I'm saying. As we go from day to day lets not allow ourselves to become depress and hopeless because of what things look like, but allow our faith to be Stretch. We must trust Him, He will not fail us. He has a very good track record. So keep casting every care on Him, He can handle it. Every morning give thanks for His purpose for that day. The third scripture is Hebrews 13:5 "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you". This is the Lord promising to be right in the mist of it all with us. He will not abandon us, with all that He's already done for us, why would He change now? For He gave His only Son. I believe that the Bible is the word of God, it represents God, therefore, He (God) must honor His word. If we allow our faith to be stretch (rubberband), we will come out on top.  Together  these three scriptures give such a powerful reassurance of God's love for His children.  Be encouraged and continue to believe the word of God, to stand on the word of God, and to trust in the word of God.
Father, we are being still before You, casting all of our care on You, because we know that You care for us, for You will never leave us nor forsake/abandon us during our time of trouble. We realize that You are our refuge and strength a present help in trouble; and Lord, we are in trouble. Hear our cry, O Lord, and rescue us. In Jesus' name.  

Things In Common - Believe and Receive

> Believe and Receive


>TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

>“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”

>(Mark 11:24, NIV)

>TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

>Has God spoken things to your heart that haven’t come to pass yet? Sometimes when we are believing for things, it’s easy to let circumstances and the pressures of life drag us down. But when you make the choice to receive your promise and start to picture it in your mind’s eye and declare it by faith, then you start to become stronger. You begin to feel more confident. You begin to feel more settled on the inside. You begin to have joy and peace because you know God is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

>What are you believing for God to do in your life today? Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Can you see yourself healed? Can you see yourself paying off that last debt? Can you see yourself at your ideal weight? Can you see yourself sharing the gospel with a family member or coworker? Ask the Lord to give you a picture of what He sees when He looks at you. As you open your heart and allow God’s thoughts to become your thoughts and receive His promises by faith, just like it says in the above verse — whatever you ask for in prayer will be yours!

>A PRAYER FOR TODAY

>Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You. Thank You for the gift of faith. Help me to hold fast to Your promises today. I choose to set my focus on You. Give me strength to stand knowing that You will complete what You started in my life! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Lesson Learn - Be Encourage

I woke up this morning needing to be encourage, so I went to my source (the Bible) that encourages me the most, read my emails and came up with this thought. Be encourage, refuse to give in to the frustration that has come as a result of dealing with hindrances. Instead, set yourself to seek Me for wisdom and clarity, for I will give you the grace to accomplish what I have set before you, says the Lord. This is certainly not a time when you should get discouraged and give up. You are on the brink of breakthrough. Keep pushing. Keep trusting. Keep the faith!




Isaiah 58:8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Lesson Learn

July 12, 2011


Defeating Discouragement

NEHEMIAH 2:1-8

Discouragement can rob peace, joy, and contentment. But I have great news if you feel disheartened: You're not stuck!

I've known people who appeared to be in an impossible situation. A few years later, however, they were in a terrific place, either in terms of their circumstances or their emotions. The reason? They never gave up. Instead of sulking in self-pity, they chose to believe God, step out in faith, and climb out of the emotional pit.

Nehemiah is a good example. He had every reason to feel defeated, because his people were in trouble. After receiving news that the city wall had been destroyed, this man of God acknowledged profound disappointment and grieved. Though pain flooded his soul, he didn't allow himself to stay in that low place. Instead, Nehemiah cried out to God, seeking direction.

Sadness in the presence of royalty was punishable by death. But the Lord answered Nehemiah's prayer with amazing power, prompting the king to notice his servant's sad countenance and then to ask what he could do to help. This miracle led to the rebuilding of the wall and the redemption of God's people.

The Lord can take an impossible situation—no matter what it is—and move in ways mightier than you can imagine.

Do you live in eager expectation of what the Lord will do? Or have you chosen to linger in the depths of despair? Like Nehemiah, turn your disappointment into a petition for God's help. He can restore your hope and prevent negative emotions from gaining a stranglehold on your life.
Good advice from Charles Standley. Enjoy.

Things In Common - Right Shoes and Walking

Hey! have you ever had a child with a ruptured Achilles Tendon? Well it's no picnic. My son recently ruptured his achilles tendon while at Appalachian State University, playing basketball with friends. He tried to hide it from me, because it was the day before my birthday. What he didn't realized is that mothers have a sixth sense when it comes to their children. The next day, my birthday, I could not shake the feeling  that something was wrong.  I picked up my phone to make a call and his phone number showed up on my phone, so I called and the rest you know. Now the real work begins, it was off to the doctor to find out, yes, it's ruptured and he must have surgery. He was not very happy about the news, because it meant crutches once again (3rd time). When we went to the hospital on the day of his surgery, all he could think about was the fact that he could only wear his left foot of shoes and in fact he only brought home the left foot of each pair of shoes he own. This was a long day sitting in the waiting area, but the fun began when we were able to see him and get him checked out to go home. The medication had him asking where was his older brother, who was at work, the dog, and Turk (TV show Scrubs). The surgery went well and it was time for me to be both mom and nurse, I have to admit, I enjoyed it.  It was every three to four hours of icing the leg and giving him the pain medication. I felt as if I had my baby back (22yrs old) and that felt good. I was more alive and happy than I've been for a while. The next step was getting the stitches out and having a cast put on. From day one, this young man began the count down as to when the cast is coming off and he can wear his right shoes and walk flat again. The fun is slowly fading and I too want the cast off. He went back to Appalachian to finish up the semester, oh happy day. He ended the semester strong, even after having about three weeks of works to make up and taking his finials. The time has come and the cast maybe coming off, I hope it is, because this boy is planning on running if the doctor try to put another cast on. What it comes down to is wearing the right foot of your shoes, walking or a cast. He has forgotten that he will have to wear a big boot on that foot for a while and then therapy. Well, I guess  if he get another cast, because I love my son, I will probably run away from home. Prayer is needed. Thanks

My Sons, My Heros

I was recently awaken out of my sleep with this thought "If you do right by your kids, they will rise up to meet you". I'll be honest with you, I didn't know what it meant, but I prayed and ask the Lord what does this mean? And soon I had my answer. This is where the title of this blog come in, My Son, My Hero. I get ask all the time how did I get my sons to grow up with such respect for others and most of all for each other? They are each other best friend. My reply was always "I don"t know, prayer". It was prayer!! I believe the Bible when it say to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. I believe that a newborn  baby is a gift of great value from the Lord; I believe that parents are commission by God of the great responsibility of rearing our children; I also believe that it takes great wisdom to raise our children, even more so today. I didn't know what i was doing, therefore I kept my children before the Lord in prayer; every where I went they did also. I had to denied myself  many things in order to live in a decent house/community for the safety of my children. As a woman, it was extremely hard, because you can't keep up with the friends and trends of the time, nor can you have white furniture and expect it to be a home for little children.  I decided to give the best of me to my children; and that is my love for them and the Lord, Jesus Christ. I've always told my children that I wanted them to love the Lord as much as I do; He saved my life. Now that my sons are soon to be 26 and 22 years old, they have rise up to meet me and I am proud to say that I was given the honor of training them. When we put our all into raising our children, it will pay off in the end. One my sons has finished college and one is about to finish, they have always held a job of some sort to help with their personal needs. However, the thing that make me so proud is that when I got laid off, it was under some questionable circumstances. As the head of  house hold (husband on disability), I couldn't afford to be without a job. This sent me into a downward spiral, fighting to keep the faith, all of the phone calls stop(where did they all go?), no one to talk to without walking away feeling like it was all my fault, it was my problem. I was in a car accident in May 2009, a year later I lost my job, even though I had just graduated from UNCC with a Masters of Art in Teaching (December 2009), I am unemployed. I have a mortgage, student loans for me and my sons, and other bills (no, not credit cards) that I am responsible for. This is when it began to change for me; no one calling any longer and others are calling looking to me for help, I stuff my feelings and went with the flow, sinking deeper and deeper into despair; not paying attention to my needs. My son came to me and offered me what I had always offered them, My love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He offered me Jesus! It still makes me cry. I was sinking deep into depression and My Son, My Hero said "mom come and go with me, I found a church that teaches the bible just like you and I think you will enjoy it". I promised to go the next Sunday and I did. He brought me back to my first love. Oh! my God my sons have rise up to meet me. Love your children enough to train them in the way they should go and they will rise to meet you (your expectations).  So, let your expectations for them be the same as the Lords' (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

What's Next

In the last two years I've lost a total of 73 pounds, life was good. Little that I knew, I would  be involved in a car accident, have major surgery and get laid off.  I've since gain all of the weight back and am now looking for work.  What's next for me? I'm still in love with teaching and working with at risk children. I've recently received my passport and now dream of going on missions around the world. I have my husband and two sons, who desperately needs me and my hand full of friends.  What's next? I will get this weight off again and maybe even get a job or establish my own business. I've learned so much during these set backs and I am determined to use everyone of them. So, what's next? Me, finally it's my turn.
Thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for His loving kindness toward me.