My apologies to myself first and foremost and the to my followers!! I have neglected my garden and now it has been overrun by weeds, overgrown grass and

Gentle Companion:
“Testimony service”

Ever wonder about those testimonies that people give in church? Wonder if they are telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help them? I do! I am probably not the only one. I believe people mean well (well most) generally and try to recap an experience as best they can. However, I also believe some embellish on an experience to make it sound more believable and exciting to the listeners.

Have you ever heard someone make the Holy Spirit out to be this monster that is knocking down doors just to get at you? I remember the bible saying “behold I stand at the door and knock”. Well unless the Holy Spirit has become a police officer lately, I doubt he will be busting down anyone’s door. Well I do know that everyone’s testimony isn’t the same. Some I believe are actually more extreme than others because they might have been that stubborn to respond to the gentle approach of the Holy Spirit. I think people take their experiences to the brink of ridiculous. **disclaimer** I am in no way refuting what people have said their experience is or was nor am I discounting their testimony!! With that being said…I read where a guy said that the Holy Spirit grabbed him by the throat and told him to listen….Wow! That is pretty extreme!. I can just picture the Holy Spirit doing some sort of Jackie Chan Kung fu death grip on this guy’s throat saying (in my Jackie Chan voice) “listen up you”. I think it is hilarious how people describe their experiences. Oh what about the little old lady who comes up to the mic to “testify” and starts by saying: “first giving honor to God who is the head of my life, Pastor, distinguished visitors, mother so and so, saints and friends…..I can already see heads bobbin…WAKE UP! Oh yeah back to the little old lady… She starts to thank God for the Universe, the good chicken dinner we just enjoyed hosted by the ursher board, the ability to use all her faculties, food on the table, clothes on her back, etc etc…then she goes into how many ailments she has and how she fell last night and if it wasn’t for the MOW (meals on wheels) she would have starved….I mean really people what kind of God do we serve. He is not getting glory for that. Ok enough about that. But seriously, the Holy Spirit is gentle, kind and loving. He does not seek to hurt us or humiliate us. It humbles me to hear people give their testimony and say “if he could do it for me, he could do it for anybody”! I believe that statement 99% of the time. It’s the 1 percent that makes me a little nervous. It also relieves me to know that there are plenty other people who were just as messed up as me and then some. I have even been guilty of making the Holy Spirit sound like an abuser… I would say things like “God is gonna have to come down, slap me in the face and tell me directly the task that he wants me to do”. That is not his way. He will try to get your attention in whatever way he can. This brings to mind the story of Jonah. Jonah was instructed by God to go to Ninevah and deliver a message to the people, and Jonah ran from God. Eventually after some “Belly time”, God was able to get his point across the Jonah by allowing him to be swallowed up in the belly of a whale! Sometimes it takes some isolation to get the point!

If we would just listen to that holy inner voice telling us what to do we would not have to go through the extremes that God allows us to experience. The Holy Spirit is a gentle companion; we just need to recognize his presence!

What I Like

What I like

I like the smell of grass after a rain
The sound of raindrops on my window pane
I like to watch the sunrise and set again
To have someone call me a friend

I like looking outside an airplane window
Wondering just how far the sky really goes
I like thick clouds of white dancing across the sky
Orange and crimson skies, oh what a sight!
The sound of crickets and watching lightening bugs
At the start of night.

Hearing ocean waters crash upon the shore
Hanging “DO NOT DISTURB” signs on my door
A light cool breeze on a hot summer day
The sound of Latino music from around the way.

Laughing so hard my stomach aches
Tears of joy flowing down my face
Star filled nights and bright full moons
Black and white movies and “Old Skool” tunes.

I like being with my children and watching them play
I like kissing their foreheads and the end of the day
I like the thought of love and being in love
I like the Love of God that comes from above

I like lots of things
But most of all I Like ME!

Bye bye Christmas!!! Hello New Year!

So all the hype of  Black Friday up until Christmas morning has made it entrance and exit and are we happy yet??? I am!! Christmas of course is much like our own birthday. We get excited about it the month of and the night before and then it comes, we advance yet another number and then there is goes again...  Well the good thing about birthdays and holidays is that it happens same time every year. But what do we do with the time in between those festive days? We LIVE!!! We fight traffic, we eat and drink, and mindlessly shuffle through this journey we call life. I must pause and ask myself and whoever might happen to read this.... are we living a good life and if so how can we make it better or if not what do we need to change to make it good? What do you resolve to do in this coming new year? What visions have you established for yourself and/or your loved ones? I want to live a good life on PURPOSE and live a PURPOSED filled life!!! There is much too many people confused out there to be adding to the numbers. I propose to read more, laugh more, do more for others and give more. I believe in the sowing and reaping principle! I give out what you expect to get back! Love hard and somebody somewhere will love you back....and if they don't always remember God loves you!
My new year goals:
1. Live the vision
2. Go somewhere I have never been
3. Take a plane trip
4. Get a passport
5. Prepare one new meal a month
6. Record 5 completed songs
7. Get to know my neighbors
8. Buy and Learn to play guitar
9. Write a children's book
10. save 2000 dollars and keep it


So I am looking forward to 2010! happy New Year and reach your goals!!!

COMPLETELY

Completely
by Africia Ansari

Words sometimes seem so few
In times when you are going through
Fires burn; Winds and floods

Seemingly drown out your voice

Blinders keep us from seeing your face
From beholding your glory
Pain locks us in our present distress
And fear holds us captive in our misery

Love seems fleeting at times

Like it’s only temporary
We seek but cannot find
We knock but nothing opens

Were ready for change
Overturning the doubt of yesterday
And fears of tomorrow
We are closing in on your
Manifested destiny for our lives

We are walking in the light
Of your beauty
Beauty of your splendor
Your Majesty revealed in us

We knock and new doors appear
We seek the kingdom and we find You
We adorn ourselves in robes of humility
And you crown us with righteousness

We are your sheep
You are our Shepherd
We run hard after you
Because we know your voice

Lead us ever so gently
Quietly refreshing our weary souls
Loving us completely! ©

AS A MATTER OF FACT....

        How do you describe Love and how does it define you?
For a long time I thought I knew what love was, what it was supposed to feel like, look like....but for a while I had it all wrong in my eyesight. You see I had the love of my family, the likes of my friends and the lust of the men I allowed in my circle. Not really understanding loves true beauty, I ran to the wrong images, clung to the facades and dreamed about that perfection that hadn't been attained. I clutched the Cinderella fantasy as if my life depended on it. I believed the fairy tale story and hoped hopelessly that my fairy Godmother would somehow turn my Honda into a Limo and whisk me away to meet my Prince Charming. Well turns out that Prince Charming made plans to do something else and it wasn't with me haha!
Then one day I realized that the love i was searching for first was the love of a Father... I didn't grow up with a concrete view of what a father should look like. First I had no father then suddenly one appeared and then poof he's gone. Just like that! Wow what a example of the dysfunctional family! Nonetheless, I prevailed as a beautiful flower planted by the riverbanks who is continually budding and being refreshed by my HEAVENLY Father who will never leave me or forsake me!

Today my definition of LOVE:

My definition of Love is when my children burst through the door with outstretched arms and proclaim their affection and LOVE for the one who blesses them, corrects them and genuinely LOVES them in spite of everything else. Even when they know they are wrong and mommy has to discipline them, they still snuggle up under my wings like little birds....
Ultimately, LOVE for me is when I hear my heavenly Father speak his soft words of comfort, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and grace over me and I am completely abandoned to him.
Finally, my definition of Love is when I look in the mirror at the perfect being that God created, stare back at me and say "you are a classy Lady". Even with my own definitions of the "not so good look" that i feel at those wretched times of the month...eewww... I still see myself as beautiful! I understand that beauty is not on the surface, but what we express through our heart and soul!
Doesn't matter that my hair may not be perfect all the time or that I have a little jiggle in my middle lol or even the fact that I have big feet (size 10) haha. I had to learn to love the me that I am...however complex, impatient, silly, hardheaded, passionate or tetchy I can be, I can still look at the reflection of LoVe in my mirror and say "as a matter of fact, I DO LOVE YOU!

Up on the good foot!

So today marks 12 days since my foot surgery and i am still wearing "the shoe". There is nothing nice about trying to maneuver on one foot and crutches. I have a new appreciation for those who have to use them. So I have made my home on the sofa in the living room because I'm afraid I might try to sleep on my tummy and totally bust open my stitches or bend the pin in my toe **ouch** that would certainly send me screaming!!!! Everyone has been wonderful!!! It pays to be nice to people because they will be nice right back. So friday it's back to the Doc to get these stitches out yaay!! Will update later. Check me out!