Make the Exchange

We have heard many times in life that "nothing is free" and we actually believe it except for when it comes to the church. On the other hand, when we get something for free and it doesn't live up to our expectations, we say "well what did you expect, it was free!"

We would never go to the mall, pick up a shirt and walk out without making an exchange. We have no problems paying for over priced tickets at the movie theater; we quickly pay double the price for a branded cupcake or slice of cheesecake but grumble at an opportunity to sow into the Kingdom of God. People make thousands to hear speeches or to attend a conference. Why do we cheapen the things of God? Why should everything related to the church, God or religion be free?

Do we ever wonder how the utilities get paid? We want to make sure that when its sweltering hot the AC is working and when its freezing the heat better be on but then we have the nerve to wonder where that offering is. Well I have some advice, you want to know where its going? Follow it! LOL jk, but seriously though, let's stop robbing ourselves of the opportunity to make an exchange. That's what the tithing exchange is all about- sowing seed on good ground. Make the exchange.

Louise and Ro after making the exchange!



#tithing#

Faith is drinking the water

What?

James 1:22 "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
James 2:17 "Faith without works is dead"

So let's put these two scriptures together and break it down.

A man is dehydrated after being stranded in the desert for a week. He is dying of thirst. People attend to him and bring him water. He confesses "I believe that if I drink this water I will not die." Everyone gets excited because they know that this is the truth. They pour him a glass of water.

He looks at the water and says "I believe that if I drink this water I will not die"

He starts getting excited because he knows what to do and he exclaims "I believe that if I drink this waterrrrrrrr" and then he dies. Having faith that drinking the water will save you is not enough, you have to act on drinking the water. Hearing that water is the cure for thirst is not enough, you must drink the water. Faith is acting on what you believe.

Faith is drinking the water!

Why God doesn't want you to sin - poll

I wonder how many people really know why God doesn't want us to sin? Do we just think He is a fly swatter ready to swat us every time we fall? Did you think its just because He is a party-pooper? Did you just think it's your get out of hell card?

So instead of continuously wondering, I started a poll:

AS: Corrupts your mentality and blocks your blessings
LE: Sin brings fear, guilt and eventually leads to death. God created us to live a life of abundance (that does not include death)
JB: So I won't go to hell
MI: Sin leads to death which is separation from God and He doesn't want us to be separated from Him. Sin is missing the mark and falling short of His glory
JJ: God hates sin and it blocks Him from blessing us
NT: It brings guilt and condemnation which weakens our faith. God always wants us to approach Him with confidence. God wants us to walk in authority, dominion and confidence. We won't be walking in faith {if we sin} and we'll be unable to exercise our dominion and get answers to our prayers. Also, we'll pull back from God because of condemnation instead of drawing close to him
CL: It separated us from Him and gives the enemy access into our lives

Grace and Peace my brethren!

So forgive me if I sound a little like a heathen but I remember visiting churches where people only speak King James English and it would annoy me royally!

Ro: Good Morning, how are you?
Member: Grace and peace, my sister
Ro: (thinking "oh ok whatever"....not quite sure what that means") That's a very nice dress
Member: Well praise the Lord

What? Ah ok you're welcome? I am lost in translation right now!

So the Bible urges us to ensure that we have balance. My pastor always says "Don't be so spiritually good that you are no earthly good and don't be so earthly good that you are no spiritually good."

This morning I read 2 Peter 1: 2

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

I have read over this scripture a number of times and now it makes sense.

Grace and peace is multiplied through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. Let's think about it like this:

You meet someone for the first time amd you are a bit skeptical about them. As you get to know them (knowledge), your anxiety starts to dissolve and you feel at peace when you are around them. Now with God, he gives us grace (mercy when we don't deserve it) and peace that passes all understanding.

Peace: So there have been times when I am in a situation where I should either be crying out my eyes or pulling out my hair (eh wouldnt do that!!!) and I am peaceful beyond measure to where I dont even understand how I could be at peace at such a time.

Grace: Or there were times when I sinned and felt all condemned but because I know God and how He loves me and that He sent His Son to die for my sins...instead of living in condemnation, I repent (confess that I was wrong and make a conscious decision not to repeat the sin) and expect God's forgiveness (grace).

Now that's grace and peace! Let the church say "yeaaaaaa" lol

Why God doesn't want us to sin

Growing up I was convinced that my mother just did not want me to have fun.  Even though she didn't say "no" all the times, I felt like that. Mom, can I ride my bicycle? Can I go to the party? Can I sleepover? Can I....? No.

Now that I understand her reasons (because she didnt always provide one since I was mandated to "you just do as I say") and I know that it was always for my benefit. I am more than thankful to her! It is almost as if she had a sixth sense, she just knew it wasn't a good idea. Hindsight is a beautiful thing and its 20/20 vision!

With God, it is a little bit different. Whereas my mom could prevent me from doing something and call it "parenting" God was a bit limited (yes God almighty was limited... think with me for a second). God gave us dominion and operates on a principle called free will. He can warn and guide us (using the Bible) but He wont make us do something (or not). But as any good parent, there is discipline. So why doesn't God want us to sin (oh sorry I thought this was a childhood flashback. Alas back to the point).

1. Sin makes cowards of men (Sin makes men cowards).Now what in the world does that mean? When a child errs, they start hiding from their parents, sometimes they won't even want to ask their parents for anything because they still feel guilty about what they did and they feel they don't deserve it.
The Bible urges us to ask and expect to receive, ask with boldness and draw close to God and He will draw close to us. The reactions of our sins make us what to do the exact opposite.
2. Sin keeps you out of the will of God for your lifeGod has a plan for us and its not to harm/hurt us/make our lives miserable. This plan is what we desire and to give us a good future. When we sin, it takes us out of the will of God for our lives so God's hands are tied. He can't bless us until we get back on track. (So please don't sin around in condemnation, repent and get back in the game)
(Whenever we get kicked out of the system at work, our supervisor would say to us jokingly "get back in the fight you cowards"). And that's what I urge you to do. It is a spiritual battle, who is gonna win? God or satan? It's your choice.

There are tons of other reasons but you only need a few right now. Digest this and like Busta let me know when you're ready and then say "gimme some more"

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I had a very fulfilling day at work yesterday. It was very productive and very close to the end of my day, my director asked me to work on a project that allowed me to show how things are supposed to be done :) She was very impressed at how efficient I handled the situation and the timeliness of the resolution. I wrote a report and sent it to her so that she could update the VP. I left work about 45 mins late because I wanted to ensure they had all the information necessary, but I was just in time for my movie date with actor James Franco!

Hurricane Irene Aftermath

So I have to say that the blessing is really working in my life. As I looked out the window, I saw leaves here and there but nothing that signaled a hurricane or what Irene was downgraded to a "tropical storm"- just regular rain! There were people talking about "Hide your kids, hide your wife, hide your husband, Hurricane Irene is coming for everybody"!!!

I was totally oblivious to how other people were affected. As I am walking to the train station this morning, this is what I saw literally one block over from my house!




Thank God for your continued protection.

Unequally yoked

With statistics (wikipedia.com) stating that 83 percent of Americans are religious with about 76% claiming Christianity; Christians being equally yoked should not be a task!

I dated a guy who I really love and I think he is an amazing guy. After lengthy conversations, we amicably ended our pursuit concluding that we were not spiritually compatible. How did it boil down to that? It should have started there! And I knew that but I was operating in the flesh instead of a Godlike mindset.We should have analyzed our spiritual compatibility and then see if everything else lined up but since we were such good friends and already knew that we were both very decent God-fearing people, we worked backwards. No regrets though, the time was well spent.

When a person gets "born again" - accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, that simply cancels their reservation in hell. Nothing else changes with their mind. They love God and accept Him but they still think and act the same way. So that's why you need someone who has renewed their mind. This way the mind (which is renewed and now "saved" and the spirit which got saved can gang up against the body!

The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.. (Romans 8:7)

But what is the law of God? Thou shalt not kill? No. That was the law of Moses. The law of God is the law of faith

The just shall live by faith (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38) - the same text quoted 4 times- must be important!

Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)

The reason the carnal mind is enmity (irreconcilable hostility) against God is because the head cannot fathom faith filled scriptures like moving mountains. Faith is in the heart, not mental assent.

Being equally yoked is about thinking alike (the way how God thinks...which is holiness...having one mind with Christ) and walking like God (without fear, anxiety or defeat but in absolute peace and victory).

Someone who is saved may freak out during Hurricane Irene. Someone who is saved and has their mind renewed will make necessary preparations and experience peace in the midst of the storm...literally and that's big!

Lord save me

I have a tendency to laugh at things I find ironic. I received an email: Breaking News.... Firefighter dies during water rescue.

Before getting to the point of "awww that's terrible" I scoff as silly me thinks firefighters save people from fires, what was he doing in the water? It's not funny...
So I was going to offer a moment of silence on my blog when about an hour later the statement is revised, he's not dead anymore? Wait NBC you are losing all credibility here...."Breaking news...NJ firefighter critical...not dead"

Lord save me from my imperfections and save him/her from whatever state they are in!

Destiny's Child has nothing on me. I'm a survivor!

Ladies you have nothing on me!

The scam to boost the economy worked!

Operation Economic Stimulus : Mission accomplished

The hype, the scare tactic and the creation of panic and chaos worked! I believe that mayors, governors, presidents and chairmen of large companies have a very difficult role to play especially in moments of crisis.

During this Hurricane Irene, a lot of practical, proactive decisions were made and that should be commended. What I cant seem to shake is the cynic in me who sees this as a scheme to boost the struggling economy. News reports warning people to have gallons of water and food for three days just seems to be a bit of an overreaction!

My neighbor called me to inform me that there was a line to get in the supermarket and this is a pretty huge supermarket! Major stores like Home Depot, Target, etc sold out of flashlights, candles and other well needed items. Sales looked pretty good today.

What is a major pet peeve is companies that display a schadenfreud nature of trying to benefit from others' misfortune whether it be fear or desparation. To mark up a price by twice the usual sales price is just evil!

Check this out though. I find this scripture very interesting (2 Samuel 22:2-36):

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[a] and the horn[b] of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me. 4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens[c] shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

21 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness[f] in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, LORD, are my lamp;
the LORD turns my darkness into light. 30 With your help I can advance against a troop[g];
with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength[h]
and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;
your help has made me great.

What I find interesting is
1. It is comforting to Christians because we know that God will protect us
2. It is the year of the double edged sword...restitution for believers and retribution for unbelievers
3. It's prophetic in that there was an earthquake on Tuesday and a hurricane the same week

Poor planning or a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!

So Saturday was scheduled to be an incredibly busy day. I had an event from 9:30am-4:30pm and then church at 6pm with potential dinner plans after. With the impending hurricane, everything was canceled. That translated to much needed R&R (rest and relaxation) for Ro.

I planned to sleep in late (well til about 8am), do a little light cleaning here and there but stay in bed and read while I burned my sweet scented candles. In order to facilitate this plan, I did all my preparations the day before so it wouldn't have any tasks scheduled for today). Well how did that work out? Eh, it didn't!

I fell asleep around 10pm on Friday so I woke up around 3am. I had emails from my friend in India checking up on me and then I ended up talking to Osato for a while. 4:45am, I finally get ready to go to bed
5am my cousin calls me to ask me a question about her flight. I do some research, give her the information and go back to bed.
7am, I speak to my aunt to confirm that my cousin made her flight.
8am, my uncle calls me to verify this information and I go back to sleep.
[8:30am]About 30 mins later, my dear friend Wu Jingjing calls me and I could not pass up the opportunity to catch up with her. We speak for about an hour and I declare getting sleep an absolute impossibility.
9:30 am I speak to my neighbor who invites me to go shopping with her but I told her that I already went. So I took a shower and washed my hair
10 am My girlfriend who advised me previously to board up my house, calls to chat
10:20 am I call my friend who is in a hurricane zone to find out if she evacuated already
10:40 am My aunt calls me again and then I declare its nap time!
11:30am My neighbor calls me requesting that I meet her at the supermarket with a cart because she is buying a lot of heavy groceries. She advised that there was even a line to get in the supermarket! I head to the supermarket with her cart and an hour late I am back home
12:04pm My uncle calls me saying that he is at the airport trying to pick up my cousin but he is told that the flight is canceled! We already confirmed that the flight left and should have arrived about ten minutes before he called me. I check the website and call him back to tell him that the flight left 48 mins late so should arrive at 12:11 so just sit tight.
12:12 I call someone who works at the airport and declares "Danielle disappeared" frantically he asks me to explain and I say "well she was supposed to leave at 7am but didnt leave until 7:48am, the plane doesn't have enough fuel to turn back, it has to land in Jamaica, the Kingston airport is stating that the flight was canceled and the NY airport is confirming that the flight left so by logical deduction, she disappeared" lol... then I realize he is getting really nervous so I say "just kidding, she should be landing any minute now, just wanted to update you. He verifies this information using the internal airport site.
In the next hour or so, I speak to my dad, other friend from Long Island, friend from Connecticut and then speak to my cousin after she got off the plane and gave her the story of how everyone was freaking out.
My neighbor calls me to help her with her cart. I run downstairs and it is pouring rain outside, so my hair that just about finished drying since I let it air dry, got wet again lol.

At this point, I am tired, lacking sleep and I just want to turn my phone off but of course I can't turn my phone off because if the hurricane is serious, my loved ones will be calling and I don't want them to worry about me.

3-7pm I get some sort of a break, I read a book and relaxed.
8pm I talk to my friend who spent over $800 on fixtures and drainage system- way to boost the economy!

Not sure what time, I fell asleep, probably around 11pm. I slept really well while it rained and then at 7:30am one of my sisters called me to check on me.

Sunday was a much better day. I had a lot of "me" time as well as time to catch up with friends. Spoke to Mary Jane, who recently came back from her honeymoon.

Nobody Canna Cross it

So by nature I am not a "worrier" but I believe in being proactive and preparing. So naturally with the impending hurricane, I went out to buy candles, flashlight and the basics. My Jamaican friend who lives in Connecticut calls me and we have the following conversation:

Daneil: Rose-Anne, you should come to Connecticut (CT) today so you can be safe
Ro: I am not going anywhere, furthermore the trains are going to stop running soon and I dont want to be stuck in CT
Daniel: No, you need to evacuate, do you want me to come for you?
Ro: The bridges are closing as well and I really don't think its that serious. I went on the disaster preparedness website and I am not in a hurricane evacuation zone.
Daneil: Well then you need to go to Home Depot and buy some board so that you can board up the windows!
Ro: (LOL hysterically) Daneil, what? I am not buying any boards. You are hilarious!
Daneil: You mother dont tell you? That's what we have to do in Jamaica when hurricanes are coming
Ro: {still laughing uncontrollably}-- Daneil I am not boarding up any window!
Daneil: Well since you are on the third floor, if it starts to flood, you should let everyone come upstairs to your house
Ro: What am I running? A refugee camp? LOL

As I continuously tell her that she is crazy, I start singing "nobody canna cross it" -- she then comes up with another idea in addition to her thought that Cliftwang needs to come help the people cross it, as well as a remix to the song "New York canna cross it".

Daneil: You sure you dont want me to come for you tomorrow? There has to be another way apart from the bridges
Ro: no babes I'm fine but thanks
Daneil: oh I know, you can take the ferry to CT
Ro: but is real poppy show yu tek me fa, big big hurricane and me fi go inna water?
Daneil: {LOL} no you going to come before the rain starts
Ro: is only who can understand it canna cross it

You had to be there, this was simply hilarious!!!

Do your best and let God take care of the rest!

The devil made me late!

I am in bed, I hear Debonair's "Pure Class" serenade me as my alarm goes off. Not feeling fully rested, I snooze my alarm.

So instead of waking up at 6 when my first alarm goes off, I wake up at 6:45 after snoozing my second alarm.

Normally I dont have time to cook in the mornings but on this particular day when I am already running late, I decide to make ackee to take to work!

Then wonder why I didnt make the usual bus?! It must have been the devil, right? WRONG!

I know that there are forces of darkness working in the world but I honestly feel that we give too much credit to the devil! It's almost as if we are saying he is more powerful than God and despite our actions (preparations) we always fail. That's so far from the truth. In the above action I needed to take responsibility for my action or rather inaction (not waking up on time).

By the way, I made it to work on time :-)

Another issue I noticed with Christian mentality is that we often blame external circumstances for our sins. For example, a Christian overdoses on drugs and the first thing we do is blame the devil. Surely there may have been some arrangements to make the drugs more convenient/available; someone could have been "planted" to convince this person but the Bible says that we sin because of our own lusts (James 1:14- Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away, NLT). You cannot tempt me with marijuana or a dish of liver, tripe (Nigerian "shaki") and celery because I dont lust after that. In the same way we need to stop giving that little creep more power and work out our own salvation.

Balance: Romans 8:1 states that "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" -- if you used to think like this, repent {turn away from this thinking and renew your mind} and continue on! God still loves you. There is a huge difference between feeling convicted and feeling condemned.

Bon anniversaire ma cherie

Surprised Louise with red velvet cake, card, gift and a very off tune Happy Birthday!

Tonight's message was the bomb! Pastor spoke about trusting and believing in the Kingdom of God. Trust ia commitment to God, even when the circumstance does not look or feel good. God is my only Source. My possessions and money are just a resource and I trust in the Kingdom principles.

Confession vs Lie

Romans 4:17 "Call those things that be not, as though they were"
Exodus 15:26 “I am the Lord, who heals you.”

What does that mean?

Does that mean that if you are walking around with snot on your nose that you say "I am not sick?" NO
Does that mean that you tell everyone you have a car even though there is no physical manifestation of that car you are believing for? NO

It means that if something is not the way you want it to be, you confess that it will be the way God declared it should be. It is NOT saying that something that IS, isn't.

A confession is saying and agreeing with what God says. You take a scripture and you say and believe it because that is what God says.
A lie would be to try to convince someone that you have something now when you really don't have it yet. That's not faith

Let's take lack- you are in need of money:

Confession- But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)
Lie - I have so much money in the bank, I don't even know what to do with it!

So in this example, faith would write a check knowing that there is no money in the bank BUT keeping it in the drawer until the money is in the bank account, then mailing the check.
Lies and foolish actions would write the check and send it hoping that God puts the money in the bank to clear it. That is illegal and should not be done!

#Faith Myths Dispelled#

Faith vs Foolishness

This is the first part of a series called #Faith Myths Dispelled#

Scenario 1: Corresponding Action
Scripture - Isaiah 53:5 "But he {Jesus} was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Now someone will take this scripture, misinterpret it and stop driving without their glasses because their "vision is restored" or stop taking their medication because they are "healed". Now bless your heart for your willingness to believe the Word of God, but there is corresponding action for faith and you cannot just quit cold turkey without the manifestation. That is not radical faith that is foolishness and you make Christians look crazy when you confess that around unbelievers or baby Christians.

Continue to believe God and confess that you are healed, continue to trust in His Word but don't act so spiritually deep that you are no earthly good. Common sense is not the opposite of faith. Mix faith, common sense and good business practices and you will see results.

Let's go back to farming, if you plant a seed and the blade starts to show, picking that thing too early will destroy the crop and ruin the harvest. In the same manner, just be patient and wait for the full manifestation.

Shake it up

Today I had a reduced appetite (clear indication that something is wrong)so I didn't eat very much. After lunch, while sipping on some ginger tea, I am thrusted forward in a very Jack Sparrow like motion. I thought I was just dizzy from a lack of food consumption.




I stand to my feet immediately in hopes of confirming with my coworkers that this was beyond me. Several other people were already standing. An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude shook the NE so NYC was affected.

So maybe this prediction was off by 3 months and 2 days; AND the fact that only the North Eastern section of America was affected as opposed to the entire world AND the fact that it was not the greatest earthquake known to man. When people who believed that the world would actually end on May 21, 2011 were asked what happened, they refuted "maybe God changed his mind". It is situations like these that destroy the reputation of Christians and render them gullible.

This is simply a tool to make the Word of God seem incredible (real definition being not credible; not awesome). Someone professes Christianity, manipulates the Bible and has zero results, why would anyone want to follow Christ? That's the plan of this tactic, to turn people away from God :(

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
- Maya Angelou

“You can explore the universe looking for somebody who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and you will not find that person anywhere.”
-Anonymous

Reaping the Rewards/Consequences

I woke up well rested feeling slightly nauseous. While showering and looking down at my bloated stomach, I quickly tried to recall what I ate that would have caused indigestion thinking "I've been good, what's going on?" As I was applying my mascara, the culprit came to mind. Yesterday I had a social outreach event and I bought 7 bars of milk chocolate with almonds and distributed to the people I was with and then indulged in one of my own. "Oh, I remember! That was good, so worth it!" Then I remembered what I had all week--

Sunday: King size twix, snickers with caramel
Monday: Macaroni and cheese; vanilla ice-cream popsicle
Tuesday- cereal (it was vanilla soy milk though :)
Wednesday - I was good aka I cant remember
Thursday - milk chocolate
Today- chicken fried rice and stew chicken

This is how seeds work. We plant the seed and forget about it but we reap the harvest (good or bad). Say for example, you are driving on the I-95 North, you realize three hours later that you should have been going South, even though you have "repented" - turned around, you still would have to suffer the consequences of wasted gas, frustration, lost time and now you still have your original journey set out ahead of you.

So that's the same way sin works, sometimes you forget about it but the consequence may show up months later. Even though God is merciful (giving you what you don't deserve) and will still forgive you if you ask to be forgiven, the seed was already planted and there is a law of seedtime and harvest. But repentance is still worth it, go ahead, turn away from your sins.

Water overdose?

Dear God

It's 11:22 AM and I have consumed way too much water!!!

Just wanted to say hi :)

Faith moves mountains

My Faith

So here is my faith story in a nutshell.

1. Grew up in Jamaica, went to church religiously (every Sunday), actually enjoyed it, always loved God because as the song taught me, I should "because He first loved me (that's the reason we all are to love Him).
2. Later, I moved to NY to live with my dad (who did not go to church) and I went to church with my sister briefly (she moved out soon after) and then I was on my own where God was concerned. But I was already "trained up in the way I should go" but then I realized something.. I would go to church and agree mentally with the pastor "yes, yes, Praise God" but as much as you would feel encouraged, nothing changed.
3. It was years later that my manager at the time introduced me to World Changers Church New York pastored by Creflo Dollar. He was practical, he gave understanding, he was comical, encouraging but the difference was that there was a difference. I would walk in with a problem and walk out with a solution. The solution was developing a personal relationship with God - it was one thing for the pastor to tell you something but I had to gain an understanding and experience for myself that God loved me and that was huge. Yes we know that God loves us but when we think of love as an action, then there are outcomes and results.
4. God loves me so????? God loves me so He will not allow me to stay the same way I am (character development); God loves me so I will not want for anything (we are in Covenant); God loves me so He gives me His best gifts- the Kingdom of God (righteousness, peace and joy.
5. This church was not founded on religious principles (I mean we don't even go to church on Sunday and we are not Adventist)- we are just a bunch of people who meet when we can (Saturday night) and love God.

So do I still have questions about why some things are done? I do, but that's the thing with having a Kingdom- its based on theocracy and I want to be apart of the Kingdom. I will not take my democratic mindset and try to mix it with the King's guidelines so that I can customize the plan. I want what God has in store for me. That's all apart of faith, I may not understand why or how but if I had all of that, would that be faith or insurance?

Dear God- Day Two

Dear God

Yesterday was an awesome day! I realized how much my mentality changed over a two month period. When I moved back to NY, I was excited about life, the first few months I was settling in, deciding where I wanted to live, possibilities were endless and life was a thrill.

January- I was excited about the new year. I was not waiting to see what the new year would bring me, years don't bring things, I was excited to see what I could bring to the year.
February- I moved in to my new apartment, my first apartment alone in NYC! I absolutely heart my apartment, neighborhood and the peace of living alone.
March- I had my neck stretched out, I was just in expectation for greatness and good things to happen, not only in my life, but for everyone connected to me.
April- I was just on fire, I actually remember being so content and happy with my life that I said to God "if you don't do anything else for me, that's OK- you have already done enough"
May - I don't know what happened, but something changed. I was very happy with my life situation in general, but I was anxious and my peace was disrupted. I was always thinking and analyzing so it robbed me of my joy.
June- June was tough, anyone who knows me, knows that birthdays are huge to me because if you were not born I would not be able to experience you so I celebrate birthdays. This year, I didn't make any plans and I couldn't figure out why. Some friends were worried about me but in retrospect, there could have been a few reasons:
1. For the past two birthdays, I was in China and I celebrated with the five people I was close to, it didn't involve much planning/scheduling, we lived in very close proximity and it was expected that I would celebrate my Chinese birthday (lunar calendar) and then my bday on June 18th
2. Since I was away, maybe I got used to not celebrating with family and people I have developed time with and then those who I got used to (friends from China were IN CHINA) so it was weird to just pick up
3. I didn't feel led to plan, there was no excitement, even though there was no distress and I had a meeting in church that day then church so I was busy anyways
4. I got really close to Daniel and Lori and I wanted them to be apart of the celebration and they were geographically.physically unable to
So that may have been it but that's not why June was tough, it wasn't about age (or all the changes my body and mind went through with said new age)- my faith was being questioned. I started to question a lot of things that I was sold out on but then pondered why I believed them
July - an emotional rollercoaster...period
August - I'm coming up!

Dear God- Day One

08/18/2011

Dear God:

Yesterday was filled with mixed emotions. It started off with a hectic rush to get to work on time with extreme train delays and power outages. Then there was the 10AM interview – that was intense but I was not nervous and I think I did pretty well. The rest of the day was manageable. Esther and I went to Chase bank to research mutual funds, investment broker was a real jerk, sorry God (I know he's Your creature too, I mean creation!) :( Osato and I finally got to sit down so we could fill each other in on what had become our really busy lives but then we were pleasantly interrupted by David. We all worked to church, I picked up the flyer’s for this Saturdays events and attempted to leave church to head home to Dad.

On my way to the bank, he called and I was very excited not only to talk to him but be transparent about his growth potential. We are really two peas in a pod. Katie called me as I was walking home from the train- I really enjoy talking to her, I think we really understand each other. Then there was the question, am I happy? It never occurred to me that I was or was not. I found myself simply existing in life and watching life pass me by. Something was missing and I realized that even though I had joy and I was extremely content, I was not necessarily “situationally” happy. I didn’t want China to be the bug highlight of my life and things were not looking very exciting at the moment. I realized that I was seeking “things” to try to make me happy as opposed to doing what You advised in Matthew 6:33 ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you” – I was being unfair to my friends and family by expecting them to fill a God-sized void. I had strayed away from You and YOU were/are the only One that could help me.

So after calling Lori-Ann and Daniel to check up on them, discuss my two day plan (didn't get in contact with either of them), I grabbed a note pad and wrote down areas in my life that needed to be worked on.

So this is day one of my two day plan to draw closer to you, “hear” clearly from you and regain what I felt I have lost “purpose”. Purpose does not come from titles, roles or a full agenda; but “the purpose of life is a life of purpose” (Robert Byrne)

So this is my confession:
I am like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water, I produce “fruit” in due season. My “leaves” will not wither and whatever I do will prosper (Psalm 1:3 paraphrased). The grace of God allows even my mistakes to prosper! If I can believe, all things are possible to me (Mark 9:23) and I believe that I have favor with God and men (Proverbs 3:4)

I found what I was looking for – “peace”- for the past few weeks, I experienced bouts of confusion, lack of understanding, disturbed peace, extreme highs and then there was the inevitable crash. Today since my focus was greater, I am able to see the bigger picture and I am at peace. Jeez, if I get that in a few hours from feeding my faith with this new book I am reading “Faith and Confession” by Charles Capps; what would happen if I spent more time in the Word, prayer, praising and thanksgiving? The blessing explosion… It’s the takeover baby!