Tag: Love

The Little Teddy Bear

Before I can fully engage you with my thoughts from the premiere episode of “The Same Room,” I  must first layout how much of a full circle moment this is for me. Six years ago I attended an event called “The Merge Summit” in Los Angeles where I was first introduced to a man name Toure’ Roberts. He was a guest speaker at one of our opening morning sessions and with every word he spoke it was like he was speaking directly into my life. From that day on I’ve been a follower of his ministry called One Church LA (now known as The Potter’s House at One LA and Denver).

Just about 4 years ago I moved to New York and became a listener of his podcast. I would listen to his sermons daily just to push me through the scariest, most uncertain time of my life. One day I selected a sermon and to my surprise it was a voice that I hadn’t heard before. It was a woman named Stephanie Ike who was a guest speaker at One Church LA. I  ALMOST immediately skipped it because she wasn’t someone I had heard of and let’s face it, she was like the substitute teacher. But then I thought that if Toure’ thought so highly of her to have her fill in for him while he was away she had to be pretty dynamic. So instead I listened intently and it wasn’t that long before I was completely drawn in. She had voice, she had a presence, and she most certainly had a Word! Continue reading “The Little Teddy Bear” →

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Archives: The Universal Love Language

LoveLanguagesRecently I was asked about my love languages and had no idea what they were. So I took the test and discovered that I interpret love through Acts of Service and Quality Time. No surprises there! I’m all about showing verses telling. People can say anything but what they do is what matters most. I’m also a big believer that how someone chooses to spend their time is a good indication of what they value. You can’t love me and have to pencil me into your schedule. Loving me means making me a priority. Not the only priority but definitely a priority. Continue reading “Archives: The Universal Love Language” →

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My High Tower

Psalm 9:9 “The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation).”

Imagine you think you’re about to be hit with a pillow stuffed with feathers but instead it’s one stuffed with bricks. That was me. It would have been great if I was still on my writing hiatus but as fate would have it I’m back at it and things are so out of sorts for me right now. I’m looking for the “Do Over” button like now!

There are times when I write out of joy and revelation knowledge and there are times where it is out of complete and utter desperation. That’s where I am today. Not that I’m desperate for readers or public approval but out of the need to feel closer to God so that I can make sense out of senseless situations.

writingHere’s what I know about me. When I pray I don’t usually hear anything from God right away. My prayer time is often me thanking Him, pleading to Him for instruction, asking Him for protection, etc. More often than not, I hear him at the most random moments! I can be driving in my car, listening to a song, having a conversation with someone and He’ll just interrupt me. However, what I’ve learned most recently is that my special time with God is when I write. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pen and pad or a keyboard, that’s our official quality time together.

I didn’t realize that until today. So often I’m delayed in writing because I want to know what my message is before I sit down. That’s been one of the main reasons I went on such a long hiatus earlier this year, but God revealed to me as I’m typing this that He waits for me to follow His instruction to sit down and write so that He can give me the words as I go. Sometimes I know a head of time but in times when I feel unprepared (I’m a habitual planner!)  I still need to show up. Take that as a lesson, if God leads you to do something that you don’t feel ready or able to do just show up! He’s waiting on your obedience, not your perfection. Continue reading “My High Tower” →

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Jericho to Selma to Ferguson: 7 Reasons Not to Abandon the March

SPECIAL EDITION: I’m breaking all the rules but not really because there aren’t any. No it’s not Tuesday and no this wasn’t written by me but I’m determined to use my platform to inspire, uplift, and make impact in the lives of people who visit my page. It’s not about me. Check out my bold and fabulous sister Ify who has been on the front lines of it all! She’s amazing and I just had to share… even on a Thursday. 🙂

The BOLD & The FABULOUS

grandcentral

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.“- Hebrews 11:30

This passage in Hebrews is a short summary of Joshua 6:1-27: the story of Joshua leading an army after God gave him the military strategy of marching around the city of Jericho once a day for seven days, and then yelling as loud as they can.  The end result: the walls of Jericho fell down.  The symbol of imprisonment, dictatorship, and claustrophobic fear crumbled.

We await the civil rights movie “Selma,” and have heard much of the March on Washington, but few know the name of James Meredith, who in 1966 planned a 220-mile solo march called the “March Against Fear” to address racism and register black voters.  The second day of his march, he was shot in the leg and the back.  The result: others stepped to complete what…

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Take Refuge in Love

fergusonThere is no doubt that we are living in a world plagued with unspeakable hate. There are many other words that come to mind but at this very moment “hate” sums up the atmosphere. The self hate, racial hate, gender hate, political hate, and international hate is suffocating. I’ve been watching too much CNN, I admit. My timeline has been plagued with all things “Mike Brown” … #Ferguson #HandsUpDontShoot #NotOneDime #DieIN … and all I want to do is #Breathe. I seriously felt myself giving up last week. I was emotionless. I didn’t feel good or bad. I felt nothing and it scared me a bit. As usual, when I get in my mood, I take time to be alone with God. I didn’t ask a thing. I didn’t have any questions. I simply needed God to deal with my empty emotions and make sense of it. Continue reading “Take Refuge in Love” →

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Version 3.3

I’m sitting here in the wee hours of the morning of my birthday reflecting on my first 33 years of life. It’s crazy ya’ll! I’m going to try to put it into words so bare with me please. Many times, on our birthdays, we reflect only on our past year and give ourselves a “grade” on how well we did since the last one.

Did I accomplish all that I planned?

Am I happy with where I am at this age?

How many more years do I have until I reach “that” age?

birthdayWell, if I were to be completely honest I’d say if I measured my happiness on just those questions, it wouldn’t be the happiest of birthdays. Real talk! I know the saying “just be thankful to be alive” but I’ve always been the hardest on myself and I never just wanted to be alive… I wanted to live! Live to fullest! Yes, I haven’t done bad for myself and each year I get better but I still feel like I could be doing soooo much more! I have a feeling I’m not the only one.

So today, after I asked myself those three questions and began feeling a little bummed, I heard God say loud and clear “Think about all 33 years. Don’t start from the last one.” So I did and here’s what came out of my time of reflection: Continue reading “Version 3.3” →

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The Universal Love Language

LoveLanguagesRecently I was asked about my love languages and had no idea what they were. So I took the test and discovered that I interpret love through Acts of Service and Quality Time. No surprises there! I’m all about showing verses telling. People can say anything but what they do is what matters most. I’m also a big believer that how someone chooses to spend their time is a good indication of what they value. You can’t love me and have to pencil me into your schedule. Loving me means making me a priority. Not the only priority but definitely a priority. Continue reading “The Universal Love Language” →

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MRS. RICE

rice

It’s with mixed emotions that I write this celebratory post in honor of my 1 year Anniversary going “solo” as a blogger. I didn’t intend for it to cover such a heavy, controversial topic. It was supposed to be light hearted and fun… you  know, something with lots of pictures to introduce the rebranding of the vision and the new layout. But after a day of going back and forth about what I wanted to do verses what needed to be done, I settled myself in the fact that this blog is a reflection of what’s important to me and that’s being a voice and a light to those who I’m called to serve. Although I welcome EVERYONE to visit, comment, follow, and share… this blog targets women. Young women. So how could I, with good conscience, ignore a story that has been highly oversaturating the news front since yesterday morning? Interesting enough it’s been with very little attention on the victim of the incident. I’m speaking about Janay Rice. Yes, she has a name. It’s not on the back of a football jersey. It’s not the most recognizable but it’s a name that matters. This is my take on the situation and it may not be the most popular but I’ve never really cared about popular opinion so here goes… Continue reading “MRS. RICE” →

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Divorced AND Christian… The Response.

Well, I asked for feedback and you all did not disappoint! I loved reading each and every one of them whether I agreed with all of it or not. Let me just say that I find this to be a very complicated subject and it may have everything to do with the fact that I haven’t done my due diligence to really seek out the Word in its entirety to understand the idea of an “ordained marriage.” After this, I vow to do so that, right or wrong, I can have a clear stance on the topic and back it with scripture which I believe is very important. It’s not a matter of opinion. It’s all about truth and “The Truth” comes from the Bible. So I’m going to highlight a few comments and share a little of what I think as it relates to them. So let’s go! Continue reading “Divorced AND Christian… The Response.” →

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Divorced AND Christian? Hmmmm

divorceThe beauty about having a relationship with God over simply doing religion is that you have an open heart to receive messages that are rooted in love and transparency. Pastor Toure Roberts opens his heart to talk on a subject that is deeply rooted in his own personal journey of life after divorce. YES! You heard that right. He is a pastor. He is divorced. Oh and he’s unashamed. Oh and one more thing… HAPPY! Not happy that his marriage didn’t last. No real person enters marriage desiring to be divorced but it takes two mature individuals to recognize what is and is not of God and have the courage to move forward, especially as a spiritual leader.

Now listen, before you throw stones, I come from under a teaching that lives, breaths, and praises all things marriage! My pastors have been married for almost 30 years. They lead an awesome ministry called “Marriage Made EZ” and they offer pre-marital counseling to all members who are contemplating marriage. So I am a huge proponent for marriage. Godly marriage. I desire to be married. I believe that marriage should be something that you do not get out of alive. However, for the first time I witnessed a different side. Not until a few weeks ago did I hear a man of God talk so openly about dividing marriage into two components. Marriages that are ordained of God and those that are entered into outside of the will of God. It’s not to say that all marriages that are done prior to getting saved are doomed. It’s to say that when people grow into their purpose and realize that they are not aligned then it leaves open the question “Is it God’s will for us to sacrifice His purpose in order to save a marriage that wasn’t designed for us?” It’s a heavy topic and one that I’m sure will lead to deep conversations. Which is why I want to try something different this week… Continue reading “Divorced AND Christian? Hmmmm” →

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