I announced last week that I would be participating in the A to Z Challenge for the month of April and that you could sign up to participate from now until April 1st. This is my first time participating and I’m excited to announce my theme. My theme for the month of April will be:
Mothering While Black
I will be writing it in a journal theme and trying to share with you thoughts about mothering while black. I hope you like it. As stated, I will try to keep my posts to once a day as to not overwhelm your inbox.
Sign-up for the challenge and let me know. I would love to follow your posts as well. See you on Sunday.
Today’s Motivational Monday Moment comes from the movie Black Nativity starring Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jacob Lattimore and Jennifer Hudson. The song that I chose from that movie was “Be Grateful”. This song was originally sung by Walter Hawkins and released in 1978. The original is magnificent, but this is a great rendition.
This is one of my favorite gospel songs. It reminds me to be grateful in all circumstances. Even when you are going through hell you should be grateful because God didn’t promise only sunshine. Every now and then we will get rain.
Some of the lyrics to the song are:
God desires to feel your longings Every pain that you feel, he feels them Just like you But he can’t afford to let you feel only good (only good) Then you can appreciate the good time
Be grateful(2x’s) Cause there’s someone else who’s worse off than you Be grateful Cause that someone else who’d love to be in your shoes
Great huh? It reminds you that there is always someone off worse than you. Isn’t that what life is about? Being grateful.
If you only knew what I was going through, you would wonder how I have such a positive attitude. Let me tell you how and why? God. That’s it. Simply because I trust in the Master’s plan to see me out of each and every situation.
It’s Lenten season and while there are many people giving up things during this time, I’m asking you to not give up on God. See, we all get busy and we forget to thank and just pray to God every day. We forgot that His will never ends but we push him to the side.
We worry. We struggle to get through our trials and tribulations. We talk to our friends and family. We suffer in silence. Tears running down our face. We forget to give it to Him. Don’t give up on God, love. Be grateful that you have that relationship and count it all good.
So, my Motivational Monday Moment is about reminding you to be grateful no matter the circumstance. Know that trouble don’t last always. He’s working it out on your behalf. Remember that and be blessed.
Happy Monday! Today’s Motivational Monday Moment came to me as I was sitting in church yesterday. I’ve been really going through it. Letting the negativity of co-parenting and the stresses associated with it weigh me down. It was weighing on my spirit. I couldn’t get out of the funk and distress every time I received an email. It was overwhelming.
Everyone kept trying to encourage my spirit and make me feel better. But, they couldn’t. I knew who could and I wasn’t going to Him with my problems. I was trying to let man handle and help me through this situation. But, man was ill equipped because only God could.
Can I just tell you that when I went to church yesterday that the message was so on time. I had to remember that I am covered. I’m covered by the blood. God is the shepherd and I’m part of his flock and when I gave my life to Him He covered me. I’m protected. I just sighed. God was speaking to me yesterday.
Stay with me now. God was telling me that the is battle is already won because he has fought and protected me from so much now that I should know better. He was speaking to my soul. I was sitting there with amazing awe in my spirit because he was reminding me that no weapon formed against me shall prosper.
I had a shifting in my spirit yesterday morning. I was so busy being distracted by things that God doesn’t want me to focus on. I was being distracted by man instead of focusing on Him. I realized that I needed to do a couple of things. I needed to fast and pray and give it all to God in earnest. Not the “Oh, I’m going to see what God can do way. I mean full on give it to Him because He’s always protected me way.”
God was so generous to me yesterday because when I took my nap after church God gave me a dream that eased all my fears. My fears are always about Munch. God showed me that Munch was going to be okay. I just had to trust Him and lean not on my own understanding but that of God. He is the one that can truly handle any and every situation I find myself in.
Man, when I tell you that I’m in a different place than I’ve been in months, that was God. The Holy Spirit showed up and showed out yesterday and I am better for it. I am going to truly let Him work through this situation as He sees fit.
I’ve never fasted before and this is the first time that I’m ever attempting, but God wants me to fast and pray and turn it all over to Him. So, I am trusting that. I’m disconnecting from FaceBook for a minute and just going to journal, write, fast and pray. I’ll still blog. I’ll still be around. I just have to get together mentally and physically for the battle that is ahead.
My Motivational Monday Moment is simply to know that you are protected. You are covered by the blood because whom He has set free is free indeed. Whether you are going through your own storm or facing your own Goliath or trying to break the stronghold of the devil, know that you are covered. Know that this battle is one that can be fought if you stayed prayed up and covered.
This week’s video selection is from the movie The Gospel and I’ve chosen “Now Behold the Lamb” sung by Tamyra Grayfrom American Idol. She sang the heck out of this song. This song speaks to my spirit in ways that you’ll never know, but it further planted and watered the seeds the pastor preached yesterday. I pray that this song speaks to you. In it she sings:
Even when I broke, broke your heart My sins tore us apart But I’m standin’ right here in the midst of my tears I claim you to be the lamb of God New life can begin, yeah For you washed away, washed away everyone of my sins Whom the Son sets free is truly free indeed I claim you to be the lamb of God
You are covered by the blood. Even when you think you’ve been forgotten and you still sin God is still God and He forgives. He washes away your sins. You are because He is. We are because He is. He is the Lamb of God.
Merry Christmas to each and every one of you! I’m sorry for the late post, but I really just got up. Munch woke me up for the first time super early and I was exhausted. We played. He opened gifts and we laid down together to watch a movie and fell back to sleep.
It was great. We’re cooking dinner and playing with his new toys waiting on the rest of the family to arrive. It is the greatest time of the year. There’s nothing more perfect than being with family and friends this day. Being with the people that love and support you and remind you that you are loved. It’s one of my favorite things.
So, I encourage you to remember that. You are loved. You are blessed and you are needed. Remember that it is not about the gifts, but the fellowship with family because the real reason for the season is Jesus.
As you may recall, I’m taking a blogging break until January 2nd. I am going to be checking in and reading your posts to get back in the habit. But, I’m officially off until the new year. I am spending time with Munch.
In my absence, I will be sharing wonderful posts by some great bloggers. Please check them out. They are amazing and each and every one of them would love to hear from you. Share their posts, comment and follow. Be brilliantly engaged!
Okay, that’s it. Munch is staring me down. He’s actually waiting for me to finish up this post because he wants me to help him put his toy together and play. I have an incredible boy that reminds me how blessed I am. Let me go and play with my son. I love you all. I wish you the Merriest of Christmases!
It’s December. The last month for 2017. This is the first Monday in December 2017 and I was struggling to find words to motivate and encourage. Pardon my delay. I struggled with finding something that would be so helpful that you would feel an instant spark of recognition and satisfaction over whatever you are going through.
It never came. LOL. But, I was inspired by this quote:
Ya’ll know I loved Maya Angelou. She was one of my favorite authors and an inspiration to women everywhere. So, reading the words “If you get, give. If you learn, teach” spoke to me. I didn’t even know that is what she said, but how true is that?
It’s the truth. I’m telling you that we are called to give our best and to help our fellow man. It doesn’t have to be a big all out look at me helping you with your situation. It could be a pay it forward item, teaching someone how to do something they feel ill equipped to do, or sharing your story.
It is the season of giving. We should always try to give. Whatever you can. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Give because you want to. Your time, your money or your creativity. Be helpful to those around you. I give my time, talent and money. I’m not rich, not hardly. I just want to be a blessing to those because God has blessed me. Can you give?
It’s not just financial, but it is also important that you pass on knowledge. Have you ever worked in an organization and someone didn’t want to train you? They were threatened by you? They felt as though you were going to take their job so they didn’t engage or offer to teach you anything. They were being sloppy.
It’s true. But, no matter what you are supposed to teach what you learn. Knowledge is supposed to be shared. By sharing what you’ve learned you are helping others and isn’t that what life is about? Sharing knowledge.
So, my Monday Motivational Moment is to encourage you to be a blessing and give and share as freely as you breathe. To do as Maya says “If you get, give. If you learn, teach”.Be the blessing that I know you can be.
Can you be a blessing this year? To our veteran’s? My sorority has partnered up with Wreaths Across America to fund raise for wreaths to be placed on the grave sites of the fallen soldiers. We will be placing wreaths for the fallen soldiers on Saturday, December 16th at U.S. Soldier and Airmen’s Cemetery in Washington, DC and we need your help to reach our goal. Our goal is 100 wreaths.
Last year was my first year volunteering at this ceremony. Munch and I attended with my sorority sisters and I have to tell you that I was honored to be a part of such a beautiful tradition. I thought Munch would be scared, but he wasn’t. He grabbed the wreaths and put them on the headstones wishing each fallen soldier a very Merry Christmas.
This year we will say the names of those that have died serving our country as we place a holiday wreath on their grave site. We want to cover as many headstones as possible and with your help we can do so. Can you please share this post on your social media feeds? Can you please donate wreaths? You can donate a wreath through our page by clicking here: Wreaths Across America
I truly thank you and appreciate each and every one of you. One wreath for one headstone is $15.00. If I can get 100 of my followers to purchase a wreath we will meet our goal. Can you help?
