Having Done Everything: STAND!

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This is the place for me,

this is where I have to be.

What is my life without you in it?

What would I be if you aren’t beside me?

Where would I go?

Look my way God and don’t release me.

Look my way and take away this pain.

Look my way and let me feel,

the very blood for which you were slain.

Look my way, let me know you’re there

look my way, let me know you care.

Look my way, hold my hand

look my way, I wanna run with you on the soft sand.

Look my way, help me feel the joy

my joy in your salvation.

Don’t ever relax your hold on me.

Don’t ever relax your hold on my family.

Don’t ever relax your hold on all the souls here.

Without you I am but a vapor;

here today and gone the next.

So here I am:

I STAND, I STAND!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcgqmoE4yI8

To Speak or Not To Speak

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“You are responsible not only for what you do say, but also for what you do not say.” —Martin Luther

Life is eternal and so are words. Why is it that people think they can say whatever comes to mind and not receive repercussions from their spoken words or deeds. Life is in the tongue; the tongue can create or destroy. How do you use words on a daily basis? Do you speak in order to hurt others or to build them up with encouragement.

I grew up never being allowed to speak my mind; it hurt me in more ways than I can possibly realize. As I have gotten older I see the travesty in not telling your children that they are loved on a daily basis. When I was a child I was never told that by the people who raised me and it has made me insecure in some areas of my life. Now that I have kids of my own, I lavish them with encouraging words because I know the terrible void unspoken words have left in my heart.

We set things in motion when we speak; what are you speaking over yourself? Have you ever stopped to listen to what you actually say to others and to yourself? Take the ear phones out and turn off all of the noise around you and really tune into your inner voice. What does it sound like? I do that often and it helps me by correcting the things I say to myself. Choose this day what words to say; you can curse or bless but you can’t do them both simultaneously.

F-E-A-R

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Fear is false evidence appearing real. Think of it, fear lies to you and tries to keep you where you think you’re safe but you’re really not. There are different kinds of fear; there is the healthy fear or respect that you have to teach a young child about not touching a hot stove with their hand or they’ll get burned.

Then there is the fear of God; it’s not that you fear Him because you’re afraid he might squash you like a bug. This fear is more of a respect out of an acknowledgement that HE is God and you’re not.

The kind of fear I’m talking about is the fear that paralyzes a person and keeps them trapped as in a cage.It lies to you telling you not to trust anyone because there’s no good people out there. Another lie it whispers is the “you’re jus not good enough” and “you’ll never be anything”. This kind of fear alienates you and keeps you from forming healthy relationships with others. In the end you end up destroyed by the very thing you feared.

The one thing that conquers fear is LOVE. God is Love; love is God. His perfect love annihilates fear; it renders it obsolete. Did you know that the human brain was wired for love? We were not designed for fear!! SO if you are living afraid it’s because you are allowing fear to rule and not love. It’s so black and white, it’s simple. We either live in hate or in love, but we cannot do both.

Laugh Out Loud!

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Despicable Me!

I have just finished watching the movie Despicable Me for like the umpteenth time and I am a die hard fan. I must admit when I first saw the previews I thought it would be a complete flop. Now when I’m having a day where I need something to make me smile I turn to this flick with out hesitating. So please enjoy this video and go watch it if you haven’t and if you have, let it  be your medicine when you need laughter.  I should mention that I love this movie so much that before I received my own copy of it as a gift from a friend, I’d send my kids to my neighbor across the street to borrow it. Enjoy the video and remember to watch this if you have a Dr. Gru or a Vector in your life…it makes it easier to cope with those kinds of people! Oh, And if you happen to BE a Dr. Gru or Vector type of personality watch it and laugh at yourself; that’s good for your health you know :)!

It’s Fruit Season!

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Fruit bowl - containing pomegranate, pears, ap...
Image via Wikipedia

” You shall know them by their fruit…”

Dear Diary,

I went camping yesterday with a few adults and a group of kids. I am new to this church I recently started attending. My Ma avoids going to church because she doesn’t like religious folks so we have stayed away from church circles for a while. I love God and I have a deep faith in Him because my Ma  models Him for me everyday. But just recently I felt drawn to finding a church to call my 2nd home. And, I thought I had done just that until I went on this trip. Boy was I blown away with the things I saw some of these “nice” church people doing.

The leader of the whole group was nice at first but in time I saw his true colors. I heard him talk down to a lot of kids and when one of the adults got hurt he was so lacking in compassion. I thought,’ I’m supposed to listen to him? Why?’

Then there were the various groups of cliques that had formed; I felt just like I do when I go to school everyday. The popular kids hang with each other and the regular kids like me we sought out the ones who were ignored by the popular kids. I thought.’ No wonder my Ma stays away from all this craziness.’

I saw another thing that really made me sad and it was how this one youth leader whom us guys are suppose to look up to was rough housing and playing with some of the girls that came. This guy was trippin’…on his own ego that is. Wasn’t he supposed to be looking out for all of our safety? Isn’t that what leaders do? I saw two girls I had been talking with all week end long get injured under this guy’s “watchful eye” when the raft they were all on was capsized and it landed on both girl’s heads. Hmmmm you be the judge God and you show me if I’m being judgemental or not. If I am forgive me; but if I’m not, help us all act more like you.

Lastly, I read somewhere that we will be known by our fruit. One of the fruit of The Spirit is LOVE. This week end I saw love in some people that came on this trip; there were some parents that came a long to help out the youth leaders; I saw love in them. Then I saw love in a couple of the other youth leaders. May be just maybe, the rest of the youth leaders came along to learn to love by having to serve the whole group. You decide.

I’m glad I went on this trip though because I did get to meet some really cool kids.

Talk more later…

Carlos G.

P.S. To ALL youth group leaders everywhere: Please remember we are still kids and if you are trying to lead us, we watch what you DO, way more than what you SAY.

 

It’s The Little Things

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There have been some very bright spots during the past few days and I can’t let another day go by without a shout out!

Definition of  a BRIGHT SPOT: Any random act or word of kindness that is done or said to you or you do or say to someone else to brighten up their day.

– My sister Heidi texted me at mid night telling me she was weeping as she prayed for me.

– My daughter posting on Facebook that she loves me in several different languages: Te Amo, J’ Taime, I Love you, Ik hou van je, Ich liebe dich, אני אוהב אותך, Ti amo, Amo te, Eu te amo, Я люблю тебя, 🙂 There are hundreds of ways but it all means the same ♥ 🙂 –Esther

– My ten year old daughter giving me weekly mani-pedis and she is quite good at it too.

-A few weeks ago,  I received 3 red roses and my feet were anointed with a fragrant oil.

I’m not going to go on about what I do for others because I know that God sees what I do and He rewards what I do openly because I do it in secret. GO! Find someone to be good to today and see your day brighten up instantly.

J.O.W.K. (journal of an over worked kid)

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Dear Diary,

I can’t believe it! I go to a dance studio 7 , yes SEVEN days a week. I am taking ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, ball room,lyrical, voice lessons and piano lessons. I go to school for 8 hours a day and then I’m in the studio 4 hours after school. Not only that, I am part of the competition team and we train everyday. I almost regret the day I showed my mom I could dance; there was a song on the radio, I was 2 and I had just taken my first few steps earlier that week. My mom came in my room and she freaked out when she saw me shaking my booty and singing along to “Hit Me Baby” by Britney Spears .

So the next day she signed me up for dance lessons at a dance studio not too far from our home. I have to admit, at first all the attention was fun. The costumes I had to wear for my first recitals were pretty cute too and I felt like a princess in a fairy tale.

It’s been 14 years since that day when my mom discovered I had some talent and I am past fed up. My mom doesn’t really have a life of her own; I almost feel that she’s living her dreams of being a performer through me and I resent her for it everyday. She has gotten really demanding lately because she thinks I’m being lazy; when in fact I have lost some of the flexibility I had when I was younger, due to my body changing and maturing. So now she’s suggested I take diet pills to control my appetite. I hate where I am in my life and go to sleep dreaming of the day when I can walk away from all of this chaos and just be a normal kid.

So I’m posting this video, my friends and I made it. It’s a spoof that describes how I feel inside but I’m afraid to tell my mom. 

Talk to you later…thanks for listening, I’m glad someone does,

Jolette ❤