The BIG C....That is Cancer

Purchase the "Shack"

I guess you're asking me, "Why are you writing about CANCER if this is a blog about the Best Loved Things?".  Well, I am here to tell  you that if you have cancer or know someone who does, LOVE THEM and YOURSELF the BEST! Don't give yourself or them a death sentence.  It is a wake up call to love better and deeper than you ever have in your life.  Here is my take.  It is all about your mind and your GOD over matter.  Don't carry having cancer or knowing that a beloved one has cancer as a sign of pending disaster. Know that once you  have settled it in your mind, you can handle having cancer or supporting someone who has cancer! Now, hand it over to GOD because at this point it does not matter.  God is the ultimate healer.  Now let's begin to work on doing some of the things that will make us feel better.

1. Pray and find your spiritual center
          Start by saying... I am too blessed to be stressed. Another good one to start the day is, Don't tell God  how great the storm is... Tell the storm how great YOUR GOD is.
Spiritual Quotes

2. Surround yourself with positive energy and people with WINNING attitudes
Winning Quotes
Successories Winning Quotes

3. Understand the importance of food and nutrition.  Junk + Junk = 2 much Junk
    There are 10 Foods that you must incorporate into your diet.  Every day at  least three of these should           be consumed!
    GARLIC
    BERRIES - Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
    TOMATOES
    CRUCIFEROUS  VEGGIES - Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus
    GREEN TEA
    WHOLE GRAINS - Oats, barley, brown rice, whole wheat
    TURMERIC - can also be  found in Indian curry
    LEAFY GREEN VEGGIE - Greens (Mustard, Collards Kale), spinach
    RED GRAPES - A glass of red wine or red sangria is great too
Great Cancer Fighting Foods
Health.com's 6 Cancer Super Foods

4. Educate yourself.  Understand your condition. Don't  be afraid to ask questions or say you do not understand what you are hearing.
MD Anderson News

5. Get a second opinion.  Doctors are human. YOU know your body. Confirm the confirmation!
Cancer Centers Of America

The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit In Plain English

As a young  christian, it was really hard for me to understand the holy trinity.  It was just hard for me to get my arms around the understanding that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all one and the same.  I recently read a book called "The Shack" that made this  relationship as clear as day to me.  It is one of the most thought provoking books that I have read in sometime. Actually, I have read this book three times, have referred it to several people and have bought several copies as  presents. Here are some reasons why:
The book is filled with many memorable quotes like, "Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets." by Paul  Tournier.  Now, this quote is worth a blog all by its self. Another that caught my attention is, " No matter what God's power may be, the first aspect of God is never that of absolute Master, the Almighty. It is that of God who puts himself on our human level and limits himself.  __Jacques Ellul, "Anarchy and Christianity.  How better can one simply explain Jesus? In this book God appears as a rather large happy black woman and to me  this was magically delicious for many many reasons.  I hope this fact provokes  your  curiosity to find out  why. I did not understand the importance of God being portrayed as a black woman in the beginning, but as I read and began to understand who God is, I understood why God was characterized in this manner. This book also explained the complete spiritual circle and life cycle connection  among  God, Adam and Eve.  This book even helped me to better understand God's love and mercy for all of his children even the most wicked among men.  I would love to talk more with you about  this  book afters you have read it.  Please leave your  comments and let's discuss the wonderful book

The Shack

The Shack Google Review

The Unmistakable Ms Mamie

The Unmistakable Ms Mamie

I ran across this picture of my grandmother and I sitting on a bench in Charleston, SC on South Battery.  I was so young and as this picture depicts she was my best buddy.  Grandparents fill a place in a child's life that no one else can.  I just loved and adored my grandmother.  She made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. I knew that I had a special place in her heart and she had one in  mine. I was fortunate enough to live with my grandma for the first 6 years of my life and still  to this day, those years hold some of my best memories.  Getting up early in  the morning to sit out  on the front porch with her hot buttery homemade biscuits and what she lead me to believe was  my very own cup coffee which was  more cream and sugar than coffee.  We would sit on that porch every morning talking and people watching. I got so much joy out  of  sitting with her and watching people going by.  You would always speak and at a minimum say good morning.  I would always look forward to the Vegetable man or as we would say in gullah "Da Ve ja tible man"  He would come  by every morning yelling, "Ve ja tible Man, Da Ve ja tible Man come get your Ve ja tibles, Frashe Ve ja tibles."  Yes, that means fresh vegetables. He was almost better than the sound of the ice cream truck.  And don't let my grandma say stop him.  Boy that was a real treat.  We would go out to his cart..Yes, I said cart. He pulled a cart with vegetable and fruit through the streets. I would get a chance to pick  fruits and veggies with my grandma.  I loved to hear her haggle with him about the prices and of  course she  had a way of always getting  her way about the price she paid. That Ms. Mamie was a professional at getting HER price.  The next part of the fun with her would be preparing what she  bought for our dinner.  Oh the stories I could tell.  She was the best cook ever.  She was the type of woman who could make  boiled water taste great. I learned  so much from her during the time  we spent together. Just she and I and yes, I  was very spoiled.

Stop Fertilizing a Dead Tree

Over time the statement "Don't or Stop fertilizing a dead tree." has come  to have great meaning. How many of you are in relationships that are simply dead.  However, you keep putting time, money and love into these dead relationships or what I call dead trees.  If you knew someone who had cultivated a beautiful garden but kept buying and placing expensive fertilizer on a dead tree, you would consider them crazy.  Well our lives are no different.  I think that now that I am fast approaching fifty, I realize that I have far less time to do foolish things or waste precious time. When I was  twenty something, there was enough time because I was young enough to waste time and to recover from foolish decisions.  I just don't feel this way any longer.  I  want every day to count and it is important that every day and every decision count.  How many of us have cultivated beautiful gardens and are wasting time on weeds or dead trees?  Many of us are very successful in many aspects of our lives; be it frendships, careers, finances, community or family.  However,we choose to keep our focus on that one relationship  in  our lives that is simply dead. We go back to that person and find  out what we already knew.....there is no relationship, things don't gel, we are on different pages, our priorities are different, finances are an issue, the person is selfish, or that there just is not enough room for me in that person's life.  It can also be that we stay in a dead relationship  because it is familiar, we are comfortable, we fear being alone, we think that there is no one better, or we don't want to hurt someone.  Well,  I am here to tell you to put all of the excuses aside.  Strive for true love and happiness.  Don't waste time on dead relationships. The time that you spend with a "dead tree", talking to a dead tree, loving a dead tree, hoping for a dead tree to sprout new leaves is simply wasted time.  Don't do this! Spend your time on people or things that have life and that will potentially grow fruit.  Leave the weeds and dead trees alone.  Next time you are with someone, ask yourself the question, "Is this a dead tree on which I am putting expensive fertilizer?"  If the answer is yes, get  up and leave, hang up the phone, say no to another date and say yes to something or someone different.  I think that I will start the I am done fertilizing dead trees! Facebook page. Take my advice dead trees are DEAD.  They never come back to life.

Thanksgiving

I spent Thanksgiving with my older sister, her grandchildren, my daughter Chandler and two close long time family frends.  While I miss not having my eldest daughter at home, we really had a great time.  With finances being as they are, we really had to spend wisely and stretch the mighty dollar far. But even with the bad economy there was such joy this year.  God has a way of really making us focus on what is important in our lives.  For the first time in a long time, I did not have the money to shadow the holiday with unnecessary things.  It was the attitude of "make do" with and appreciating the little we had. It was understanding the abundance in a day spent with the people who mean the most.  I think that maybe the financial hardships that many of us experienced was a way for us to refocus on what is really important.  It was also a way for us to get rid of the clutter that we accumulated in our lives during the times of prosperity. I now have greater appreciation for the simple things that bring joy.  This Thanksgiving was great!  I felt closer to my family and friends.  I know that we are far better people for the things that we had to endure this past year.  I know who are my true friends and especially who are those will be there through thick and thin.  I KNOW what it means to have faith in God and the direction that He has for my life. I truly know what it mean to be thankful for every blessing that God  has bestowed upon my family, children, friends and me.  Thank you God for teaching me to be greatful and humble for all things big and small.

God is Love

        I cannot tell you how often we hear that God is Love but what I am finding is that a lot of professed Christians really do not know what these words truly mean. I was listening to the news today and heard a report about a guy running for political office, Richard Mourdock, who declared that if  a woman gets pregnant as a result of a rape, that God meant for it to happen.  The other statement that I hear often is that God hates gay people or God does not love gay people.   PLEASE STOP IT!  These statements have nothing to do with THE LOVE OF GOD.  God's love is profound.  It is beyond measure and comprehension.  I will try to explain.  John 3:16 KJV -  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish,but have everlasting life. This explains it all and it is real simple. God loves the world!  The Bible does not say God loves the world of perfect people, the world of straight people, the world once you get your act together, the world of sober people, the world of Christians, the world of nice people, or the world of rich people.  God loved the people of  the world just as they were and as they are now. It is only Satan who leads people to believe the mess that other people try to throw on the wall of God and make it stick.  God is very simple in terms of love. He is not the author of anything that is confusing. God is truly about loving ALL people just as they are.  His grace allows us to be able to go to Him with all of our mess and imperfections and He loves us just the same.  God does not even require you to change in any way to come to Him.  It is only through the study of His word  and a desire to follow His words that we will evolve and change.
       Do not confuse the works of Satan with the acts of God.  There is evil in this world.  Spiritual warfare is a reality.  There has always been and will always be battles between good and evil.  What happens in our lives is not different than what happened in the life of Job.  Always remember how and why evil came in to Job's life.  Job 1:1 KJV of the Bible states, There was a man in the land of UZ, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.  In other words, Job was a good and decent man who shunned evil. Job1:6-12 makes it very clear that Satan is the author of the evil that happens in our lives.  It states, Now there was a day when the sons of God come to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth and from  walking up and down it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God , and escheweth evil?  The Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?  Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hand, an his substance is increased in the land.  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.  So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.  It is very clear that God allowed SATAN's power to rule  in Job's life.  God did not cause any evil.  Just as in Job's life, Satan causes the ills and evils that exist in our lives. God does not create evil.  Job completely understood the power of God and that no matter what happened in his life, he  knew God loved him and was NOT the cause of his grief and despair.
     A woman being raped is not an act of God.  It is the evil of Satan.  Judging a man and casting a sentence on his or her  life is an act of evil.  God gave each one of us FREE WILL and this was not by accident.  God want each of  us to choose HIM freely. It must be of our own will that we invite Him into our lives. He wants us just as we are...sins, imperfections and all.  We must understand how Satan works in the world  and how he blinds us to Gods love, grace and mercy.  As Christians, we must lead people to Christ with understanding, forgiveness, kindness and love.  We must be aware of the pitfalls and traps that Satan places before us.  If we let God's love for us become the type of love that we have for others, grace and mercy will always guide us toward  the right answers in this life.

Huffingtonpost - Richard Mourdock

Richard Mourdock's rape remarks

Mature Love

This is MATURE LOVE!

No matter your political preference what resonates is the love that this couple share for one another.  I actually cried when I saw this embrace.  Real or imagined via this picture, this is the type of love that we all dream of having.
I am a little older now and what I once considered ideal love, I have found not to be so  ideal.  I have an older  sister and have posed the question to her, "What is really important for you to have in a man at age 60?" What I do know is that my thoughts have changed over the years. Let me see if I can recap by age.
Twenties:  College educated, good looking and a job. I can remember that a good looking man with a job was a catch.  In my twenties, I was thinking about starting  to have children  so great genes were important because God forbid  that I would have an ugly baby and a job meant that we could pull together to buy the things that we wanted and could have a social life.  Basically we both are broke.
Thirties: College educated, ok looking and a career. Hey, baby making was done.  Genes weren't as important.  A career meant that we could start empire building and acquire bigger and better things. Meaningful conversations  and family became more important.
Forties: Where I am now, Smart, financially savvy, and healthy.  Big difference now.  This is where maturity starts to kick-in.  I know now that a degree does not make a person.  I have learned that there are many millionaires that are successful without a college degree. Having someone who is intelligent is far better than just looking for someone with a college degree.  Finances are important.  It is more prudent that a person knows how to effectively manage money and is able to plan for retirement.  I know a lot of financially corrupt  and bankrupt millionaires who lost fortunes and will have to be on a job while on their death beds. Having someone who is healthy and in shape is more important than just being good looking. When you are thinking about traveling and enjoying a retirement, it will be a bummer not to be able to enjoy life because of health issues.  Being healthy also means that a fulfilling sex  life is possible.  Any forty year old woman will tell you that she is in her sexual prime and sex is important.  At forty all of the sexual hang-ups seem to disappear.
I believe that mature love  begins when we are in our forties.  Life experiences have taught us what is important.  We have learned that we cannot fight every battle.  We are self assure and we understand who we are and have determined our core values.  Pure and mature love is possible.  Our old love has grown or new love is found.  I am not sure what the Fifties will bring but I know that I want what I feel when I look at the picture above of Obamas.

Here are two links to books that have helped me to mature:

His Needs Her Needs

5 Love Languages

Raising Girls to Be Strong Women

The life of a parent is not easy.  When our children are born they do not come with instruction manuals that tell us what we should do daily to ensure that the end result of our parenting is well adjusted, productive people.  I have at times sat sad and confused about how to parent my daughters.  However, I can proudly admit that no matter how any mistakes that I have made along the way, I have pretty great kids.  I truly thank God every day for this reality.  I know what it means when someone says that there is power in a mother's prayers.  My advice is that when you are confused, pray even harder.  By no means are my girls angels but they are great people and while I did not have an instruction manual here are some things that worked for me especially as a single mother.

1. Talk honestly and openly with your children but remember your discussions should be age appropriate.

2. Get your children involved in your community, church and/or sports.

3. Discipline your children as appropriate.  Some children respond better to timeouts or stern admonishment.  Some children you may have to spank.  Learn which approach works best  with your child.

4. It takes a village to raise a child.  Group parenting with close friends that you respect and trust works well.  Others sometime can get through to your children when you cannot.  And yes...they will sometime just reinforce what you have been saying all along.

5.  Be respectful to your children.  It is ok to say please and thank you to them.

6.  Remember always that you are their parent and not their friend.

7.  There is never a compromise when it come to right or wrong, legal or illegal.

8.  What you do and what you say count.  Your children are always watching and are little "mini me's".

9. Don't be afraid to set high standard and goals for your children and provide structure.

10. Spend one on one time with your children in their room. Talk with them for 30 minutes to one hour in their rooms.  Observe the contents of their room.  Ask questions about anything in their rooms that peeks your interest. Openly discuss anything in their room that causes you concern.  Remember...while you respect them, you are not their friend and they have no privacy that is not earned in your home. Trust equates to privacy. Distrust equates to no privacy.

Bonus: Both parents are important.  Children need their mother and father.  Don't be afraid to get a Godmother or Godfather for your children if the other parent is irresponsible.  Having both  sexes involved in the raring of a child adds dimension and perspective to a child's life.  Put aside differences when possible for the sake of your child.  Don't be afraid to ask for support from friends.

Click on link for a great book!

Your-Daughters-Bedroom-Insights

Food, Food and More Food

I don't know about you but I just simply love food!  I love all types of food.  I feel like Bubba Gump when I talk about food.  I love fried food, baked food, grilled food, spicy food, seafood, Mexican food,Chinese food, Korean food, Japanese food, Italian food, Soul food, Cajun food, Greek food, Jamaican Food and Fast food.  Did I tell you that I love food.  What is it about a great meal?  For me, it just simply satisfies some deep carnal need.  It also sets the mood.  Yeah, you know what I mean...(he, he, he).  Food is one of those best loved things in this life.  It provides life and happiness.  So today I salute food.  I'll worry about the calories and the weight later.  Today join me in a Food Celebration.  Treat yourself to something decadent!  Something that you have not eaten in a long time.  For me, I indulged in a Peter Brooke chocolate fountain. I had chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels, bananas, marshmallows, and ice cream.  So, whose in?

Family Love

It is so easy to neglect our family.  I believe this happens because we take for granted that they will always be there.  Around this time in 2005, I had closed on a new home.  My mother and sisters came to Florida to help me move into my new home.  Think about it.  Christmas coming, unpacking, setting up a new home and trying to decorate all at the same time.  It was so chaotic that I had to laugh.  We actually were able to put up the Christmas tree on Christmas eve.  By New Years day, we had gotten some semblance of order.  The day after New Years day my mother and sister left headed back to the Carolinas.  Little did I know that this would be the last holiday that we would spend with our mother.  On January 9, 2006, my mother died of a blood clot in the lung.  Talk about shocked and devastated.  I am just glad that I had a special time with my mother that holiday.  I hugged her and kissed her and just babied her.  This was something that I never did because my mother was such a strong black woman.  There was never any room to pamper her.  However,  the time that we spent together during that Christmas revealed a vulnerability in her that I had never seen.  I can remember whispering in her ears that I loved her. It was like a vale was removed between us and roles were beginning to be reversed.  For the first time in my life, I saw her as my baby who needed to be loved and protected.  I am so glad that God granted me this time with her. I am glad we spoke those words that are often times left unspoken.  I know she left here knowing that I truly loved her and I know that she truly loved me.  Take time this holiday to mend fences and speak the unspoken.  We never know for whom the bell will toll.

Did You Know That There Are Five Love Languages?

Boy!  I wish someone had explained this to me some time ago.  Life surely would have been easier for the kid.  Gary Chapman explains this theory in detail in his series of books called, "The Five Love Languages".  Needless to say, I went through life loving others as my mother and grandmother expressed love to me.  It just seemed like the natural  thing to do...right?  Ok, so as we get older, we learn something new everyday.  You can in fact teach an old dog a new trick.  I learned that there are five distinct ways that people give and receive love.  They are 1. Words of Affirmation, 2. Gifts, 3. Acts of Service, 4. Quality Time, 5. Physical Touch.  Low and behold the love language of your parents will be the one that you learn how to speak first and will be your primary language.  This is called the "heart language".  It is definitely a must that you know how you receive love and how your significant other receives love.  Once this is understood both of your love cups stay full.  For example, If your love language is gifts or acts of service and you are given words of kindness, no matter how many kind words that are said to you, you will always feel empty.  However, a simple small box of Godiva chocolates of a new gadget of some sort will go a very long way.  Get it now?

Uncle Tom's Cabin....Not at all what I thought!

I just finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin.  I never read it in school and was curious.  I have always heard about this book but never read it.  I was further drawn to read it because I recently read some where that this book was very instrumental in getting slavery abolished in America.  I never knew that abotu this book. I now understand why.  Harriet Beecher Stowe has my utmost respect after reading her book.  She was able to capture the essence of the brutality and inhumanity of slavery in a way that ALL could understand.  She did an excellent job of telling the story and opnions of both the Southern slave owner and  the Northern abolitionist. I was surprise to know that the Northern Abolitionists were not as noble as I was lead to believe.  The last paragraph of the book sums it all up beautifully. " A day of grace is yet held out to us.  Both North and South have been guilty before God; and the Christian Church has a heavy account to answer.  Not by combining together, to protect injustice and cruelty, and making a common capital sin, is this Union to be saved, - but by repentance, justice and mercy; for, not sure is the eternal law by which the millstone sinks in the ocean, than that stronger law by which injustice  and cruelty shall bring on nations the wrath of Almight God!".....  Wow!  Good stuff.  This book should go back to being a MUST Read. How soon we forget or never really come to understand.

The Greatest Love Affair

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet the person of your dreams? I mean, the perfect match. Not only meet this person but find that you also are the person of his or her dreams.  Yes, we are truly talking about a match made in heaven. Before I die, I want to experience "The Greatest Love Affair".  Is this just a female thing or is this something that men desire too? For me, I want this affair to be all encompassing. Great sex, passionate and spine tingling kisses, intellectual compatibility, common likes and interests.  Yes, the whole shebang!  Am I being unrealistic?  I know that I am a dreamer. I know that every day can't be like heaven. However, I would like to think that I can coexist with a special someone and feel the magic of true love. Are there others like myself who desire this experience? What more, are there couples out there living my dream? I was married before and divorced so I don't have my head in the clouds but I would like to think that I have learned from my past mistakes and can strive to have a Great Love Affair.  Where are you on this one?

Another Great Book - "The Conversation" by Hill Harper

I am always one for a great book so when I read one, I love to share that knowledge.  Hill Harper does an excellent job in this book discussing how men and women, particularly Black men and women, can build loving, trusting relationships.  I will tell you that he left NO stone unturned.  There are great conversation points that will definitely add a spark to your next dinner party.  I particularly loved the quotes that started each new chapter.  Some of my favorites are: "Patience is a secret weapon that forces deception to reveal  itself.", " The relationships that I have taken most seriously are the ones that progressed from A to F to I...Acquaintance to Friendship to Intimacy.",  "Wise commitments do not bind us; they free us.  To the spiritually immature, "commitment" is a very scary word because it is internalized as bondage. But to the spiritually mature, commitment is the equivalent of freedom because it bestows authentic happiness that cannot be taken away.", and last " Love seeks to satisfy others at the expense of self.  Lust seeks to satisfy self at the expense of others.  WOW!  This is what I call great stuff!  Read "The Conversation" for yourself and tell me what YOU think.

Great Book at a Great Price about Great Women

I just read the best book! Cokie Roberts absolutely amazed me with her insightfulness.  This book discusses all of the roles that women have played.  Most importantly Cokie has a story of success for all women no matter what age, religion, race, or political belief. I absolutely could not put this book down.  This is a book that ALL women can truly be proud of and embrace. I, especially as a Black woman, am proud about the way that she paid homage to the works of black women like Ida B. Wells and Dorothy Height.

Happy Holidays....better yet Merry Christmas

I 've gotten into the "being politically correct" mode so much that I started saying happy holidays as not not offend others.  However, I feel that by watering down Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays, I am not being true to my own beliefs.  For me, JESUS is the reason for the season.   I certainly do not mean to offend anyone by wishing those that I meet a Merry Christmas.  So from now on it will be Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  I find the older I get the more the things I love and value mean to me.  I can remember who said it but "Youth is waste on the young!" 


Happy New Year

Elizabeth Edwards..... Grace under fire

My heart, love and prayers go out to the children and friends of Elizabeth Edwards.  My blog is always about happiness and love.  So the context in which I want to discuss Elizabeth Edwards will not deviate from the format of my blog.  I want to celebrate her life.  I applaud her courage, her faith and fortitude.  She is the type of woman whom I want to grow up to be.  I see her as a woman who was determine not to just let the heart aches of destroy the essence of who she was as a person. Life's thorns did not diminish what she stood for, what she believed in and how much she loved.  She paid love forward and now her children will reap the benefits of her love and kindness to others.  Her nurturing soul has loved so many others that her children will never be without love.  What a legacy for a mother to leave her children.  Rest in peace Elizabeth for you have done the work that God had for you to do on this earth. You have earn your heavenly crown with many jewels.  You are grace under fire and an example we all can follow. Her children will have a treasury of her goodness.  She is truly grace under fire.. an example that we all can follow.

Do You Understand Grace, Mercy and Faith?

Three words that everyone should put on their "Bucket List".......Grace, Mercy and Faith... I pray that we experience ALL of the wonders of these three words.  These were the words that I placed on my Facebook status today.  After typing these words, I truly wondered if many people got my message.  This year has been a very educational year for me.  I have become wiser, stronger, more patient and overall a nicer person.  I attribute my changes to my fufilling my desires to undestand the words of God for myself.  Yes, I  began to read and study the bible with more deliberation.  However, what I found profounding were three simple words that I have heard all of my life....Grace.....Mercy......and Faith.  Here is why.  Let's start with Grace and Mercy.   Grace is defined as unmerited divine assistance given to a human for their regeneration or santification.  Mercy is defined as compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender.  So now you may be going where's the big bang out of those two definitions...  Well with that being the case, let me bring in an authority a little better than my Meriam Webster definitions. Pastor N. Jerome McClain, Sr. summed it up as follows: Justice, Mercy and Grace......Getting, Not Getting, and Getting Not Getting.  God is Just, Merciful and Gracious.  In the Justice of God, He took our place.  In the Mercy of God, we are not punished.  In the Grace of God, He gives us eternal life.  This brings us to the words Grace and Mercy; both are directly related to unmerited favor.  It is from this power of the Savior that we have life, justification and ability.  Justice is getting what we deserve.  Mercy is NOT getting what we deserve.  Grace is GETTING WHAT we DO NOT deserve.  WOW!  I hope you got it now! If not, Pastor McClain has an anology for you.  Let us suppose you have a bicycle and I want it.  One night I sneak over to your house and steal it.  You catch me and I go to jail. Jail would be where I PAY for my crime of breaking the law.  The penalty is met and that is justice.  I get what I deserve.   Change the scenario a little, I sneak over to your house and steal your bike.  You catch me. You do not send me to jail.  Instead, you tell me to forget about it.  The penalty is not met. This is Mercy! I did not get what I deserved.  Now one more change.  I sneak over to your house and steal your bike.  You catch me.  You do not send me to jail.  In fact, you give me the bike plus one hundred dollars.  This is Grace!  The penalty is met by you paying the damages and I was given what I did not deserve (the bike and money).  So now how about the words GRACE AND MERCY?  We have not even discussed FAITH.  I'll leave the word Faith for my next blog.  You have enough for now. Remember to give grace and mercy during your life.  You certainly have gotten them.

I am back......with The Power!

It has been a while since my last post.  Well, I am back...back with a new thought for you.  I am reading the book called "the POWER".  It is a fantastic book.  A little from the book....."Without The Power, you would not have been born.  Without The Power, there wouldn't be a single human being on the planet.  Every discovery, invention, and human creation comes from The Power.  Perfect health, incredible relationships, a career you love, a life filled with happiness and the money you need to be, do, and have everything you want, all come from The Power.   The life of your dreams has always been closer to you than you realize, because The Power - to have everything good in life  - is inside you.  To create anything, to change anything, all it takes is just one thing.......THE POWER."  By Rhonda Byrnes

Grace and Giving Back.

We all have heard of paying it forward.  How many of us actually practice giving forward?  I learned recently that God requires us to do good works every day and the type of crown that we will receive will be based on the works that we have done in his name while on earth. Because of who I am  striving to be and how I would want other to treat me, I try to do one act of kindness every day.  The easiest for me is allowing people who have much less items than I to go ahead of me while standing in line.  However, I do ask that the person pays it forward...that is do something nice for someone else.  My sister reminded me recently of a time when I paid for the grocery of an elderly woman.  We (the elderly lady and I) stood in a long line waiting to check out.  We spoke about various things.  I noticed that she started pulling items out of her cart as if trying to decide what she must have.  By the time she got up to the checkout, she must had pulled out about 8 -10 items.  I felt bad.  I had a cart full of items.  Some of the things I did not even need and here was a woman putting back apple juice and butter.   Unknown to her, every time she took out an item, I placed it in my basket.  When she was checking out I placed all of the items back on the checkout belt and when she turned to the side to get her money I gave the checker my debit card and paid for everything.  Little did I know until she spoke that she was deciding if to eat or to pay for her medicine.  She kindly thanked me and happily went to the pharmacy to buy her medicines.  All I can say is.... God certainly works in mysterious ways.  Do something nice for someone.  God too might be working on your gift from some stranger.