Proverbs 31 Ministries through Cecil Murphey have one last scholarship to give away to the She Speaks conference and we were asked to write two paragraphs about why we want to attend the conference and what it means to us.
This was my entry.
We are all on a journey. We all have a story and that story can be used to help one another if we use it as He intends. My words, written or spoken can reach the lost, the broken-hearted and downtrodden soul. They can be used to find the one who cowers in the dark, who despises her own face, voice and body; it can seek out the one who has been beaten physically, mentally and spiritually and feels that nobody understands… nobody knows the depth of pain that she carries and no one could ever love her because of all she has endured, the choices she’s made or the way that she looks. I know how these women feel for I too have felt that way. My journey has taught me and continues to teach me that there is hope in the midst of the storm. That joy waits on the other side of the darkness and that God will give us beauty for our ashes.
When I said, "Use me Lord to share your message of love, your Words of wisdom, knowledge and guidance; let my story, my triumph through You give you the glory you deserve and help the lost find their way back home”; when I finally surrendered myself and said, “Lord, here am I send me”; I was led to Proverbs 31 Ministries. For three years I have struggled with the prompting to attend the She Speaks conference. The first year I held back due to financial reasons, the second year, I wasn’t sure I wanted to accept the call that I knew was on my life, and this year, I can no longer deny that He has chosen to use my written and my spoken word. The way the spirit rises up in me when I put fingers to keyboard, pen to paper or lips to microphone are overwhelming, scary and exhilarating. I feel alive and so full. It is during those moments that I know that He has brought me through the storms of my life for a purpose such as this.
Showing posts with label glory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glory. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, September 21, 2009
Amazing Grace
To God be the glory!!!
I had to share this with you because His goodness and mercy cannot be stifled. We must shout it out to the world!
Two weeks ago we had a two-day, three session conference with Dr. Leroy Thompson on "Money Cometh." Thursday night was just blessed and we gave a "proper" offering for the first time this year - I say that because instead of me stroking a check, we asked God and then I asked Tony what he wanted to sow and we were both in agreement with what we decided to give. Tony attended the Friday morning session of the conference and sent me notes since I was here at work. His last note to me was that "Surprise Money" cometh to us so do not worry. We had several unexpected expenses that left us pretty tight financially but I was believing and praying that our breakthrough would come and so I received that anointing from Dr. Thompson and was doubly blessed and encouraged at Friday evening's service.
I have been praying over the scriptures he gave us during his conference and the materials that were in the partners package. It's amazing because I have given far more offerings this month than any other this year as I had committed to increasing my partnership seeds to several ministries that I sow into on a monthly basis and sowed into several people as my heart had been led this week. All the while I have been checking my bank account every day to make sure nothing "bounced" since I knew it would be a close call between what was outstanding and what was in the account. This morning I logged in and there was a balance that far exceeded what I had in there since my paycheck went in on Thursday night and came back out Friday night!!!! :-)
Only God could have moved like this my sweet sisters, only God!!! I received a lump sum amount for child support which will cover the remainder of the bills for the month!!!!! If that isn't surprise money I don't know what is!!!!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah!!!
I took to heart what Dr. Thompson preached about this being a spiritual way of life, a process, not a get rich quick thing, not a slogan and certainly not something to play with or take lightly. I have felt so much better about sowing, about giving and giving generously. I have had a stronger desire to give and have been praying and will continue to pray that I be in a position to give even if I never see the fruits of my giving in whomever/whatever I am sowing. It has been so freeing to know that as I praise Him, as I glorify, magnify and exalt Him and follow His commandments and believe that He will bless me and prosper me according to His will. 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 has become one of my greatest passages of scripture. I read it and speak it every day and it brings me much joy to praise Him that way. I will continue to speak this as I walk boldly in this new process of living for God and allowing Him to use me to give to His people so that He can get the glory.
I pray that this will bless each of you in some way and for you to know the blessings according to Psalms 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." May you find delight in Him this day and every day!! Believe and obey.
I had to share this with you because His goodness and mercy cannot be stifled. We must shout it out to the world!
Two weeks ago we had a two-day, three session conference with Dr. Leroy Thompson on "Money Cometh." Thursday night was just blessed and we gave a "proper" offering for the first time this year - I say that because instead of me stroking a check, we asked God and then I asked Tony what he wanted to sow and we were both in agreement with what we decided to give. Tony attended the Friday morning session of the conference and sent me notes since I was here at work. His last note to me was that "Surprise Money" cometh to us so do not worry. We had several unexpected expenses that left us pretty tight financially but I was believing and praying that our breakthrough would come and so I received that anointing from Dr. Thompson and was doubly blessed and encouraged at Friday evening's service.
I have been praying over the scriptures he gave us during his conference and the materials that were in the partners package. It's amazing because I have given far more offerings this month than any other this year as I had committed to increasing my partnership seeds to several ministries that I sow into on a monthly basis and sowed into several people as my heart had been led this week. All the while I have been checking my bank account every day to make sure nothing "bounced" since I knew it would be a close call between what was outstanding and what was in the account. This morning I logged in and there was a balance that far exceeded what I had in there since my paycheck went in on Thursday night and came back out Friday night!!!! :-)
Only God could have moved like this my sweet sisters, only God!!! I received a lump sum amount for child support which will cover the remainder of the bills for the month!!!!! If that isn't surprise money I don't know what is!!!!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah!!!
I took to heart what Dr. Thompson preached about this being a spiritual way of life, a process, not a get rich quick thing, not a slogan and certainly not something to play with or take lightly. I have felt so much better about sowing, about giving and giving generously. I have had a stronger desire to give and have been praying and will continue to pray that I be in a position to give even if I never see the fruits of my giving in whomever/whatever I am sowing. It has been so freeing to know that as I praise Him, as I glorify, magnify and exalt Him and follow His commandments and believe that He will bless me and prosper me according to His will. 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 has become one of my greatest passages of scripture. I read it and speak it every day and it brings me much joy to praise Him that way. I will continue to speak this as I walk boldly in this new process of living for God and allowing Him to use me to give to His people so that He can get the glory.
I pray that this will bless each of you in some way and for you to know the blessings according to Psalms 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." May you find delight in Him this day and every day!! Believe and obey.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sweet 16
Sweet 16 and never been kissed. How many years ago did this phrase come about? 20, 30, 40 perhaps even 50 years? How many years ago did it stop being true? 30 for sure. It was a saying when I turned 16 but it wasn't a truth. At 16 I had been kissed. My first kiss came at 12 or 13 when we played spin the bottle at a friends house. I thought it was gross and that I would get cooties for sure but I wasn't going to be left out of the fun that the bigger kids were having so I went along with it.
Two weeks ago my baby girl turned Sweet 16 and I feel blessed and honored to say she has never been kissed. I'm not bragging about it because I know all too often that had the opportunities presented themselves we would be having a different conversation; but she has led what a majority of the world would consider a sheltered life. I call it a protected one. She is not naive. She is not "sheltered" nor would be considered to "not have a clue" but she has been restricted/limited in her activities, in her friendships and her relationships with her peers. She learned about "the birds and the bees" at 12 years old from ME, not the school. After school made their pitch we talked about it again and we continue to have these conversations every 60 days or so much to her chagrin.
In fact, I still talk to my 23 year old son about safe sex, abstinence, responsibility and respect of the opposite sex because I feel it is my responsibility to continue to foster these characteristics and moral ideals in their life.
My daughter has grown up with the knowledge that she would not be allowed to date until she turned 16. That she would not be dropped off at the mall, the movies or a friend's house if I haven't met the parents. She has been allowed to go out in groups but I was shadowing her in the background and she knew it. I watched her interact with her friends and I watched her friends and how they acted towards her and themselves. I want and have prayed for her to have good friends, and to make good choices but I also understand that peer pressure is a heavy thing and that in any given situation the overwhelming feeling of rebellion or defeat can come over you and you give in to a moment that could carry consequences that could last you a lifetime. I wasn't a saint nor am I now but I wish I had had more guidance, more knowledge and a much more realistic relationship with my mother when I was growing up.
I never had the talk about "sex". Not even after my older sister got pregnant at 15. I never learned that boys would tell me anything they could to get what they wanted. I never knew that something could hurt so bad, feel so good and carry such grave consequences or that it was a tool that both men and women use to get what they want.
So when I had children I promised that I would try to do for them the things I wished I had done for me when I was growing up, including having "unrealistic, nerdy morals" taught to them that I felt would have made me and the choices I made in my life less hurtful than they were. I have no regrets because the hardships have made me into who I am today but I want more for them and in order for that to happen I have to give them a higher/firmer foundation than I had.
So now she is 16 and well, to be honest, nothing has really changed. She still isn't dating, she doesn't go out on her own, I don't and won't drop her off at the mall or movies and leave her there but it's because she doesn't want me to because she's not ready. That is truly a blessing to me. I feel that God has given me a little bit more time to continue to mold her into what He wants her to be. A little bit more time to help her find herself, love herself unconditionally and trust herself to stand up for what she believes is right for herself and not do what it is that the "status quo" is doing.
I will cherish these next few months and I will take the time, as I did this Saturday, to have that one on one time to have a quick 15-minute conversation about "being true to yourself" that I came across while reading Tony Dungy's book "Uncommon - Finding your path to significance." I will cherish the Sunday afternoon's she comes to my room, lays across the bed and talks to me about nonsense or watches me as I type out my blog entries and questions my thoughts, my feeling and why I am how I am. I will cherish that I am her mother, that she respects my authority even when she doesn't like it and that she doesn't think that her life is all that bad although it's not all that she would like for it to be. I will cherish the days like today when she all by herself chooses to walk to the front of the church and rededicate herself to God because she feels like it is what she wants to do and that she didn't feel the need to discuss it with me because she's growing up and coming into her own.
And every morning when I rise to have my quiet time with God I will praise Him and thank Him for her, these moments and the fact that He blessed me with her for this time in my life. I will continue to petition on her behalf for godly friends, for divine knowledge, inspiration, understanding and protection, as is my divine duty, and I will release her back to Him so that He can continue to mold and shape her into that very thing that He began when she was yet in my womb for she is "wonderfully and fearfully" made by His glorious hands.
Two weeks ago my baby girl turned Sweet 16 and I feel blessed and honored to say she has never been kissed. I'm not bragging about it because I know all too often that had the opportunities presented themselves we would be having a different conversation; but she has led what a majority of the world would consider a sheltered life. I call it a protected one. She is not naive. She is not "sheltered" nor would be considered to "not have a clue" but she has been restricted/limited in her activities, in her friendships and her relationships with her peers. She learned about "the birds and the bees" at 12 years old from ME, not the school. After school made their pitch we talked about it again and we continue to have these conversations every 60 days or so much to her chagrin.
In fact, I still talk to my 23 year old son about safe sex, abstinence, responsibility and respect of the opposite sex because I feel it is my responsibility to continue to foster these characteristics and moral ideals in their life.
My daughter has grown up with the knowledge that she would not be allowed to date until she turned 16. That she would not be dropped off at the mall, the movies or a friend's house if I haven't met the parents. She has been allowed to go out in groups but I was shadowing her in the background and she knew it. I watched her interact with her friends and I watched her friends and how they acted towards her and themselves. I want and have prayed for her to have good friends, and to make good choices but I also understand that peer pressure is a heavy thing and that in any given situation the overwhelming feeling of rebellion or defeat can come over you and you give in to a moment that could carry consequences that could last you a lifetime. I wasn't a saint nor am I now but I wish I had had more guidance, more knowledge and a much more realistic relationship with my mother when I was growing up.
I never had the talk about "sex". Not even after my older sister got pregnant at 15. I never learned that boys would tell me anything they could to get what they wanted. I never knew that something could hurt so bad, feel so good and carry such grave consequences or that it was a tool that both men and women use to get what they want.
So when I had children I promised that I would try to do for them the things I wished I had done for me when I was growing up, including having "unrealistic, nerdy morals" taught to them that I felt would have made me and the choices I made in my life less hurtful than they were. I have no regrets because the hardships have made me into who I am today but I want more for them and in order for that to happen I have to give them a higher/firmer foundation than I had.
So now she is 16 and well, to be honest, nothing has really changed. She still isn't dating, she doesn't go out on her own, I don't and won't drop her off at the mall or movies and leave her there but it's because she doesn't want me to because she's not ready. That is truly a blessing to me. I feel that God has given me a little bit more time to continue to mold her into what He wants her to be. A little bit more time to help her find herself, love herself unconditionally and trust herself to stand up for what she believes is right for herself and not do what it is that the "status quo" is doing.
I will cherish these next few months and I will take the time, as I did this Saturday, to have that one on one time to have a quick 15-minute conversation about "being true to yourself" that I came across while reading Tony Dungy's book "Uncommon - Finding your path to significance." I will cherish the Sunday afternoon's she comes to my room, lays across the bed and talks to me about nonsense or watches me as I type out my blog entries and questions my thoughts, my feeling and why I am how I am. I will cherish that I am her mother, that she respects my authority even when she doesn't like it and that she doesn't think that her life is all that bad although it's not all that she would like for it to be. I will cherish the days like today when she all by herself chooses to walk to the front of the church and rededicate herself to God because she feels like it is what she wants to do and that she didn't feel the need to discuss it with me because she's growing up and coming into her own.
And every morning when I rise to have my quiet time with God I will praise Him and thank Him for her, these moments and the fact that He blessed me with her for this time in my life. I will continue to petition on her behalf for godly friends, for divine knowledge, inspiration, understanding and protection, as is my divine duty, and I will release her back to Him so that He can continue to mold and shape her into that very thing that He began when she was yet in my womb for she is "wonderfully and fearfully" made by His glorious hands.
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