What an Inspiration!

Praise and Worship

Just wanted to share this message during the holiday season. Have a very Merry Christmas!

When you express your love for God, it's called worship. One way you can express your love is by singing to him, and during the Christmas season, there are more opportunities to praise God in song than any other time of the year.
Did you know that more songs have been written about Jesus Christ than any other topic in the world? Christianity is a singing faith because it's not about religion. It's about a love affair. It's about a relationship with God. He loves you so much that He sent His Son as a baby in a manger.
Nothing will make you more aware of God's love and God's presence in your life than singing His praises. You may be thinking, 'But you don't understand. I can't sing.'
But the Bible says, "Make a joyful noise." You can do that! You don't have to be a perfect singer to make a joyful noise.
Since you can sing anywhere, you can express your love of God anywhere. That means you can worship in the shower. You can worship in your backyard mowing the lawn. You can worship washing dishes. You can worship driving to work.
This Christmas season tell God you love him by singing to Him. If you really think about what God has done in your life, you won't be able to help yourself - a song will just burst out of you.

Precious

A couple of weeks ago I went to see the movie "Precious". My bestfriend and I were so excited for our "Girls NITE ONLY". We settled into our seats with our popcorn and snacks that were not on our diet list, ready to be entertained. But much to my surprise I was not entertained. I was shocked, horrified and disgusted. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I couldn't even think about the symbollism, the plot or the message the producers were trying to get across to me.

So when I left the movie, I was past disgusted. I wanted to do an all out multi-media SMEAR CAMPAIGN against the movie. But I didn't because I kept feeling as though I was missing something. I began to ask my professional peers, family members, church members and others who had seen the movie their opinions. Many people felt like I did that it didn't end well and that it was too much to take in one sitting.

However, yesterday I was in Atlanta at a book signing for my new client Ms. Steen Miles, Senator, Author and TV Personality. She is absolutely one of the most inspiring women that I have ever met. I asked her if she had seen the movie Precious, she told me that she had. I asked her what her thoughts were after seeing the movie.

After sharing with me her take and how she saw the movie as a positive, I was then entrigued that this very powerful woman of God saw this movie as POSITIVE... How could that be.

Well, Ms. Steen Miles, enlightened me last night. I asked her what she thought about the ending. She said that the ending was positive. I asked how. She told me that when Precious walked out of the welfare office with her two children she was walking away Free. But I asked her free to do what? Ms. Miles, said something to me that made me understand finally what I had missed in this movie. HOPE... When Precious walked away, she was finally in the moment and she finally had HOPE. You can't see HOPE, You have to believe HOPE.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews that ..Faith is the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen.

Be Blessed

Wouldn't it be fitting if this went completely around the world!

He is a Chief Master Sergeant in the USAF - As high as you can go in enlisted ranks (E-9) Wouldn't it be fitting if this went completely around the world!..... John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing. He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do. This, my friends, is worth sharing. Go for it!! You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if you don't, but the American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time. James Gates U. S. Navy

Who Packed Your Parachute?

Who Packed Your Parachute?
An excerpt from Aim for the Heart
By Tom Mathews

As a leader, do you honor and appreciate the power of WE? Do you stop to thank and recognize the members of your team? Do you consistently show an attitude of gratitude?

I recently read a great story about Captain Charles Plumb, a graduate from the Naval Academy, whose plane, after 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam, was shot down. He parachuted to safety, but was captured, tortured and spent 2,103 days in a small box-like cell.

After surviving the ordeal, Captain Plumb received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and two Purple Hearts, and returned to America and spoke to many groups about his experience and how it compared to the challenges of every day life.

Shortly after coming home, Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant. A man rose from a nearby table, walked over and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

Surprised that he was recognized, Charlie responded, "How in the world did you know that?" The man replied, "I packed your parachute." Charlie looked up with surprise. The man pumped his hand, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "I guess it worked!"  Charlie stood to shake the man's hand, and assured him, "It most certainly did work. If it had not worked, I would not be here today."

Charlie could not sleep that night, thinking about the man. He wondered if he might have seen him and not even said, "Good morning, how are you?" He thought of the many hours the sailor had spent bending over a long wooden table in the bottom of the ship, carefully folding the silks and weaving the shrouds of each chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn't know.

Plumb then began to realize that along with the physical parachute, he needed mental, emotional and spiritual parachutes. He had called on all these supports during his long and painful ordeal.

How many times a day, a week, a month, do we pass up the opportunity to thank those people in our organization who are "packing our parachutes?"

The Power of One

The Power of One

Flowers From lloyd1985

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' ...

When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. ..

Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.' ...

Something good will happen to you today; Count your Blessings, and may you find something to smile about each day~

There comes a point in your life when you realize:

Who matters,
Who never did,
Who won't anymore....
And who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future..

Tina Stoves Writes Speaks Inspires

What You cant See

One the outside I smile like everything’s fine
Blinded by the light when you look into my eyes

Distracted by my style and the clicking of my heels
But my soul screams out its time to be healed

They ask me how I’m doing and I tell them fine
But they don’t know about the nights I set up crying

Dying to be heard, demanding to be free
The load is getting heavy stop pressuring me

Trying to please the world instead of my self
I always aim at first, never second best

If I could only reach that mountain that’s so high to climb
Then maybe things would change in time

But until then I will smile and laugh like normal
But know one will ever know my life’s so informal

Diet

HAVE YOU EVER LOST JESUS?

LUKE 2:41-49
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother[a] did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Who lost HIM? How long did it take to lose HIM? What did they do when they figured that HE was lost? Where did they look? How long did thy look? Where did they find HIM?

Are we in danger sometimes of losing Jesus?
Do we make every effort not to lose Jesus?
Where do we find Jesus?

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’