Choosing Friends

One of my birthday cards expressed this sentiment:

"A woman ought to appreciate her own beauty, value her own wisdom and be surrounded by people who couldn't agree more."  

I believe in keeping good friends close. Although I have been blessed to have many friends, those in my inner circle, closest to me, are few in number. I know that I can count on these individuals to not only be there to offer positive support, guidance, love & counsel, but they can also be counted on to set me straight when needed. They are among the few who have permission to speak "painful" truths in to my life.  I trust them because they don't just tell me what I want to hear or what they think I want to hear.  

At the same time, there are others with whom I am friendly but I would not turn to them for comfort or advice. I often refer to these individuals as the "sandpaper personalities" in my life.  Although they are not considered inner circle friends, they have often been used to also rub off some of my rough edges & to spur me on to excellence.  Mind you, I don't readily choose to have these persons in my life. But I have come to accept that the "sandpaper personalities" are often chosen by the Lord as He uses them in the  molding, shaping, & refining  processes of my heart & life.

Therefore, I think it is disadvantageous to surround oneself with only those who "couldn't agree more" with us. Yes, we should surround ourselves with those who appreciate & value us, but not just for who we are, but also for who we are becoming.  Proverbs 27:17 states "Iron sharpens iron;  so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend".

Undoubtedly, we should always choose friends wisely & we should feel at ease and comfortable around our friends. However, let's not be so quick to discount those relationships that at times make us uneasy (for the right reasons). Especially if from the unease something good, beneficial, & beautiful can eventually emerge.

New Bloom

"TO EVERYTHING there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven"  Eccl 3:1 (AMP)


Spring is here & winter has passed. With each new season comes new bloom.  For example, the lilies of spring are in bloom & but will soon leave room in the gardens for the blooms of the rose bushes & azaleas.  Each  plant blooming in season & living out its beauty and potential; hopefully with proper care each will live to bloom again the next season. 

The Hebrew definition of "seasons" is "an appointed place or a time or a meeting".  Just as God has decreed His "appointed times" for things to occur in nature I believe He also has "appointed times" for "new blooms" in the seasons of our lives.  So often when passing through a season of hardship and difficulty it may seem that we have nothing left to give or nothing more to live for as our time has come & gone or maybe passed us by altogether. It's like the bulbs one plants before winter falls.  After passing through a harsh winter one might wonder just how well the plants will fair in the spring.  But often to our surprise & excitement, growth & bloom occurs & gives rise to another "season" of success.  Wow! We can learn so much from nature! 

One of the amazing things about us humans is that we can be experiencing multiple seasons at the same time.  Financially it maybe a season of drought, professionally a season of new growth, physically a season of good health & fitness, socially a season of loneliness, & spiritually a season of refreshment.  Well, you get the picture. So I ask, what are the current seasons of your life?  Just like the rose bushes you may not be in bloom yet & as you look around at the lilies now in all their glory and splendor you may be tempted to give in to discouragement, jealousy, & other negative & destructive thoughts & emotions. It's a test of the human character to celebrate the success of others when going through personal difficulties and challenges.  Oh, but I implore us all to be encouraged for the Lord God has a calendar/a timetable for the manifestations of all of His promises to us & His purposes for us!! Never ever forget that He is a God of completion.  "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Heb 10:23 (AMP)  Remember in God's appointed time Sarah give birth just as God promised Abraham.  And in God's appointed time He completed His work in Joseph & made his dreams a reality (approximately 21 years between the pit and the palace).

So what do we do as we transition through the many seasons of our lives?  WE WAIT!  As we wait we:

1. Change our "stinking thinking" by speaking the truth as in accordance to our faith (our hope, our trust) in God's Word & His promises. (Rom 10:17, Ps 119:11, Heb 11:1, 1 Cor 2:9)
2. We declare His wonderful works by singing His praise (bragging on the Lord) & sharing our testimony. (Rev 12:1, 1 Sam 30:6, Ps 91:15) 

Allow the Lord to do EXTRAORDINARY things through you as you WAIT on Him!  As we look for new bloom in the seasons of our lives, waiting is always the hardest part but remember.....

• Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord (Is 40:31)
• It's in the waiting that we experience first hand that He is God (Ps 46:10)

I leave you with the words of a chorus which is a constant prayer of my heart as I wait upon the Lord & as I transition from season to season and wait for each new bloom:

"I want a peace beyond my understanding, I want to feel it fall like rain in the middle of my hurting.  I want to feel Your arms as they surround me & let me know that its okay to be here in this place resting in the peace that only comes, IN THE WAITING!"

Yet, still I will Rejoice!

Hi SISTAs!  It's been a while!!!  I thank God for all of you that have surrounded my family & I with your love, prayers & support during our hours of crisis & loss.  This week's blog is from my SISTA, Deborah Jno Baptiste.   I pray that you will be challenged & moved like I am to be intentional about my choice to REJOICE in the Lord  in the face of (regardless of !) life's challenges before us!

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S.I.S.T.As, times of trial are never easy particularly when we as children of God look outward to see the worldly flourishing while we languish in apparent pits of various forms of lack - finances, provisions, security, relationships, or even dry seasons in ministry.  Like the Prophet Habakkuk did in his own time, we are often tempted to rail at God declaring what we deem to be injustices.  Why are we suffering lack?  But like Habakkuk, we are exhorted to remember that God is just and He is sovereign.  So  S.I.S.T.As, though at times lack seems to be running rampant & wrecking havoc in our lives, let us choose to depend on, rejoice and find joy in the God of our salvation.   For He is our strength; He will make our feet like hinds feet, and He will make us to walk upon high places. Amen. (Hab 3: 17-19)

News from La S.I.S.T.A Connection via @constantcontact

News from La S.I.S.T.A Connection via @constantcontact

Breakthrough

Hi SISTAs!  This week I'm  just sharing a video of a song that has been ministering to me the past few days!  If you are a daughter of the King of Kings & have surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ then you can be confident knowing that He is "Lord of the Breakthrough".  If you are needing someone to stand in agreement with you for your breakthrough, don't hesitate to email me.

Coming up for Air

We've all had times when we feel  the need to "come up for air".   Well, this has been one of those weeks when I have greatly desired a vacation to some exotic place or a quiet country spa getaway where I could unwind and get some much needed r&r.  I quickly acknowledge that going on vacation doesn't mean that my behaviors & habits readily go in to vacation mode. In fact, many times I have felt the need to have a vacation after my vacation.  Since at this time I believe  my escape to that exotic island paradise or the spa is no where close insight, I began to reflect and review things that I could possibly address and help me to not only "come up for air" but possibly also address some other issues that may contribute to that feeling of "suffocation".  I'd like to share a few excerpts from one of my favorite authors, & female ministers,Joyce Meyer.   Just last night I picked up a copy of her magazine publication from February 2009 and in it was an article introducing her book  100 ways to Simplify your Life;  I thought Lord, You are always right on time! I would like to share a few thoughts I highlighted for myself. 

• "Focus- Do one thing at a time: Develop an ability  to give yourself to what you are doing. One  key to simplicity is realizing that quality is far superior to quantity."
• "Enjoy- Be satisfied with what you have: Life is the journey not the destination. To never enjoy the journey is to never enjoy life."
• "Change- Regularly reevaluate commitments:  We are not mules who spend their lives carrying a burden. We are God's children with a blood-bought right to peace and joy.  We often forfeit many blessings God has stored up for us because we are not willing to reevaluate commitments and cut out things that God is finished with or are no longer bearing fruit.  Just because you have always done something does not mean you should always do it."
• "Let Go- Don't be afraid to regularly reevaluate and make changes you need to make in order to keep your life on the simple track: God never asks us to do anything that wont eventually make our lives better."
• "Start Fresh- It is never too late to begin again: Hopelessness is a burden none of us needs to endure because, with God it is never too late to begin again.  He is the God of new beginnings."

Well, I think maybe I read enough to wet my appetite for more so I guess that will be one of the next books to add to my library.   Anyway SISTAs,  I believe that most of you could probably relate to my need to not live my life waiting for the next vacation or the perfect opportunity to get some r&r.  Instead the prayer of my heart is Lord teach me & show me how to daily be my best & to live my best life for Your honor & glory.  Therefore, I believe that we all can exhale as we learn how to simplify and allow the Lord to increase His joy; "for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

Daddy's Girl

Hey SISTAs!    I trust you all had a great week & are getting settled for a grand weekend. Seeing that most of us will be observing Fathers Day this Sunday I thought in this weeks blog we could share a bit on our relationships with our fathers; in particular the correlation between our relationships & our experiences with our earthly fathers & how that affects our perception of our Heavenly Father & how we relate to Him.  I have given thought to this off & on; well mostly when the Holy Spirit would be dealing about specific areas in my life. However, a few weeks ago one of the weekly lessons for the Sunday School class I'm teaching on "The Organic God", by Margaret Feinberg, challenged us to examine this aspect of our relationship with the Heavenly Father. Margaret shared how her experience of knowing her dad as being "big hearted" has affected her perception of her Heavenly Father as being big hearted.  Because in her experience, Margaret always found her dad to go "above & beyond" when meeting her needs/wishes, she has a belief & expectation of her Heavenly Father to be the same. This examining exercise has been uncomfortable for me. But I know that it is important to my continued spiritual growth & development. For there are ways in which my understanding of God can be strengthened by the relationship I have with my daddy, just as there are ways in  which my relationship with God can be unhealthy as I  "unintentionally project" on to my Heavenly Father experiences & ideas I may have had with my earthly daddy.  As Margaret Feinberg stated: " Many people naturally draw parallels between their earthly father and their Heavenly Father.  If  a person's dad was absent, always too busy, or rarely around, then a person may see God as uninvolved or distant.  If a person's dad was abusive, then a person may see God as harsh, judgmental, or even  cruel.  If a person's dad was performance-driven, then a person may see God as highly demanding.  At the same time, if a person's earthly father was loving, kind, generous, full of wisdom and grace, then a person may naturally see those attributes in God."

SISTAs I give you the same challenge that was given to me & others of my Sunday School Class: "Take a moment and prayerfully reflect on your relationship with your earthly father. Are there any ideas about your dad or experiences from childhood that you unintentionally project on God?  Spend time in prayer and ask God to reveal any of these to you.  Then, spend time in the scripture asking God to replace any false beliefs with a healthy, Biblically-based understanding of your Heavenly Father."

I pray that each of us will grow closer to our Heavenly Father knowing full well that He promised never to leave us nor forsake us!  May His love overflow in our hearts & may the spill over impact all others in our lives; yup even those earthly dads who may not deserve it.  Read & meditate on 1 Corinthians 13 as it is a good place to start.

Suggested reading:  The Organic God by Margaret Feinberg