I am a Survivor!

Hey people, hope you all had a good Christmas...mine was a blast. Spending time with loved ones is always a plus for me. Plus Santa was nice to me, I guess I'd been a good girl so I did get the Nintendo Wii I wanted. So next year I'm gonna be as fit as a fiddle by the time I'm done with Wii Fit.I've been playing tennis on Wii sport and all of a sudden I feel like a pro (reality check definitely needed..*note to self, it's virtual*) Anyway I was thinking that Serena and Venus need to look out coz there's a new chick in town. Wimbledon here I come...* iWish *

For those who don't know me too well,  there's two things I'm fond of : Nandos Restaurant and Next (the clothes shop). I know some peeps don't like Next, they say they never find anything cool there but I always seem to get all my best wedding and party dresses from there and other bits and bobs. I guess those closest to me know that when they get stuck with gifts for me, a Next gift card always does the trick. This year I even got a Nandos gift card as well...so this chick is in for a treat. :) Anyway soon after Christmas, the sales usually kick in and people head to the stores with gift cards and bonuses to spend. If u know much about sales in the UK, you know there's not many sales like the Next sale. It's in a different league altogether...

I love my sleep so getting up in the wee hours of the morning to queue up outside Next for their 5am opening has always been a bit of a challenge for me but I do always make my way to the Sale eventually around 7 or 8 am. Yeah so maybe a lot of stuff is gone by then but eventually I always get nice things. This year was a bit of a frustration.When we got to our local Next this is what greeted us. A queue almost a mile and a half long....

So we headed to another big shopping mall which was better coz there was no queue outside but there was a mini China inside - people milling about everywhere... but my dream coat had disappeared and so had my dream dress. ugh. The place looked like the remains of a bomb blast, clothes and shoes everywhere. It was worse than Primark on a bad day, I kid u not.

Anyway when I prayed the night before, I'd asked God to hook me up with the things I wanted. I'd seen them a few weeks before the sale and I believed that I would get them in the sale at a good price. I knew God was faithful even in what may seem like trivial matters as long as one exercises faith. Lo and behold I did end up getting my coat and dress, plus jeans and boots all for a very good price. Another customer who had come very very early, later decided she didn't want the coat and same thing happened with the dress and both were my size. No wonder God says not to worry about what to wear at all in Matthew 6, He's got it all covered. :) The pic below sums it all up, like Destiny's Child said years ago, "I am a survivor!"

When your dreams seem to be slipping away ... think of "The Three Trees"

Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: "I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!" The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world!" The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. "I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world."

Years passed and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!" the first tree said. The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!" The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty ship was made that day. Instead, the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river. Instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God..."

Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him," her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful," she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

So the next time you feel down because you didn't get what you want, just sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.

As the year draws to a close, maybe your life doesn't seem to be turning out the way you hoped, don't lose hope, God is up to something great. Merry Christmas to you and to yours.

God bless, love u all

Christmas is Almost Here...

Christmas rocks. Yup, the Christmas carols, nativity plays, decorations, the music, lights and so on. It's my favourite time of the year and I guess many people can relate.
Last Christmas was great, we had a lovely family Christmas. Ate, danced, twas good. The one before was lovely as well. I have a video from that one, of myself and one of my BFFs singing "Santa Baby" with our stuffed bellies looking like they are about to pop. I would have shared the video but she would kill me so...I have to pass on that... *grin*

Anyway I asked some kids what Christmas was all about and here's what they said, "Santa, turkey, presents, reindeer, elves, playing games and watching movies." Ok so Santa may be cool and all that when you're a child but kids need to move beyond this. (though in my case I always knew he wasn't real; I never questioned the grown ups about it, I just figured it was a great way to get gifts. How can children even believe that a big fat Santa can fit through a chimney anyway?)

Not one of the children I asked about Christmas even mentioned Jesus. It's not surprising in this day and age, so many children live in homes where their parents never ever talk about God or anything mildly religious.
I think we need to share the biblical story of Christ's birth with as many children as possible otherwise we will have a generation coming after us who will have no inclination of the truth whatsoever. Take your kids, your nephews and nieces, your friends' kids, your neighbours' kids and any other kids you know to Sunday school, Nativity plays, carols for kids. Also when you buy them presents on top of getting them Nintendo Wii, PS3 and whatever else is hype these days also try to include things that will teach them the truth of God's words. There's plenty of stuff out there and it doesn't have to be boring...you can get games, interactive books, DVDs and so on.

A lady I know said she always buys Christmas cards with nativity scenes as opposed to ones with snow and Santa as she says they detract from the real meaning of Christmas. All I can say is do what works for you as long as you try and do your little bit.
 So as we tighten our dancing shoes and get our parteee on, lets share and remind everyone the real meaning of Christmas and above all folks lets remember to stay safe. For now enjoy this video ... I thought it was so cool I just had to share it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZrf0PbAGSk

Forgotten

                                
                                         Somewhere in the Heart of Africa, 3rd of July

Keeta stirred. Her stomach hurt. She hadn’t eaten for days or was it a week? She couldn’t remember anymore. Several flies buzzed around her and her three sisters and brother all huddled together in their tiny shack. Someone in the corner coughed so hard, it seemed their lungs would explode.
A few rays of sunshine invaded the wooden shack through a big crack in the roof. It was almost noon but she was too weak to move. The memory of her last meal had almost faded. She and her four siblings had shared a measly roasted dry dove which Baba had killed. There had been nothing else after that.

Keeta slowly licked her top lip - letting her tongue move slowly across it moistening her chapped dry lips, whose cracks resembled the cracks of a dry dessert. Maybe today would be different. Some of the others said the trucks might come today. Keeta didn't want to hope too much. Last time she had hoped that they would come and they didn't. 
She had waited and waited.
And nothing.
Later she had heard Baba discussing with his friend that The Aid Organisation had run out of funds. The Aid trucks usually brought bags of supplies and big fat men and women would unload food, water and sometimes they had these special things called medicines which helped you feel better. Keeta had never seen people like those big fat men. Their skin always seemed to glow and they were always smiling. Keeta supposed if she was fat and had a glowing skin she would smile as well.
Nobody she knew smiled much. Everyone she knew was thin and bony.
Everyone moved slowly and never said much.
She shifted again.
The pain in her stomach was almost unbearable now. She closed her eyes hoping that maybe she could miraculously go to sleep and forget the pain and misery ruling her life.
                                                          
                                                        A thousand miles away
                                              5th Avenue - New York, 3rd of July

Mandy looked at the price tag again. $1 250 for a pair of shoes?  “Tiana this is too expensive. Why don’t we look for something cheaper?”
“Why? You can afford it,” Tiana said pouting like a goldfish.
“Yes, but just because we can afford it doesn’t mean we should buy it. Do you realise that there are people in other parts of the world that don’t even have a crumb of bread to eat? You don’t realise how lucky you are.”
“What do you want me to do mum? I can’t feed the whole world.”
“Maybe not, but it’s kind of like the story about eating an elephant. You don’t attack the whole beast. But you do it bit by bit. You start off by helping one person at a time. If you help someone and the next person also helps someone else, before you know it all of us would have helped so many people.”
Tiana rolled her eyes indignantly, “Eeeew, elephant is certainly not on my menu for today so forget that. Anyway mum someone else can help all those poor people, I mean does it have to be me?”

Mandy merely stared at the monster of a child she had created. There was no twinkle in her eyes except when she was getting something new which would inevitably find its way to the back of the wardrobe unworn and forgotten. This scenario had replayed itself so many times in their lives, it was beginning to grate on her.

“Right, I’ve made up my mind, I like these heels and besides all the other ones are far too common. I want something that will,” Tiana paused as she thought for a moment, “ something which will make a fashion statement. I want people to think wow, that girl’s shoe rocks.”

Mandy sighed. It was mostly her fault that Tiana had turned out this way. She had spoilt her from the time she was born and no surprise she was so used to having her own way without an ounce of consideration for the next person.  She could only hope that someday she would learn to empathise and find greater meaning to life than getting this, getting that and more getting. Hopefully she would eventually realise that there was more to life than a shoe that rocks.

A Lady Fit for a King

So everyone in the UK's been speculating and talking about the Royal wedding scheduled for next April between Prince William and Kate Middleton. The media's been buzzing about the future Queen. What will she wear? Is she going to get a lovely reception in the family or a frosty one as some of the previous brides who have joined the Royal family? Well only time will tell. I am sure that she will look dashing on her wedding day and I'm sure they will not spare anything in making sure that she will be adorned in the best bling and satin the world has to offer. I won't go into the technical logistics of where the £10 million or so required for the wedding will come from, it's a topic for another day.

Needless to say, once the wedding is over and life as the wife of a very important man starts, a huge responsibility will await Kate. If you are fortunate enough to marry a future King, you would have to get your act together, if it wasn't already together.

I was thinking about that in relation to all my girls in waiting. I know lots of Miss Independents all waiting for the day their Prince will show up and whisk them into a wonderful future. It's tiring and sometimes frustrating business waiting for "the One". Endless prayers, fasting, reading books, listening to Cd's, attending Singles Conferences...and so on. After a while, you're probably thinking for how long mhen, I can't take this stuff anymore. It may get hard and lonely at times but hang in there, God will surprise you when you least expect it...

In the meantime, I leave you with these thoughts...What have you done to prepare for your future King, oh thou fair woman of God?

Making your House a Home: A man can buy a massive house on top of a hill but only his wife can make it a home. But you can only do that if you know how to manage a home. Despite your busy schedule develop a habit of maintaining some kind of order in your home. Think of creative ways to enhance the place where you live. It doesn't have to be expensive, just make sure it looks good. Read home magazines, learn all you can from other people. Also make the hoover and duster your best friends. A tidy, clean home goes a long way in creating order in your lives. If you can't even take care of a one bedroom apartment now on your own, why should God entrust you with a man and a mansion?

Sacrificing and giving a Little : Has someone ever asked you for something? You know like the last tiny piece of cake and you want it badly. Would you give them the last bit or eat it yourself? Only you know the answer to that. Relationships require growing up big time. It's not all about me, myself and my beautiful I. No, I have to consider the other person. Think about how you act when you don't get your way? You may not be in a relationship right now but how do you handle yourself in situations where you're trying to decide something as a group and you suggest something but people ignore your suggestion and go with someone else's. Do you just shrug it off or do you make a big deal out of it and try to force your point home? If you always want to be right and always want to be the one to win and get your way, you need to start praying and asking God to help you to change your attitude. Learn how to walk in love and put other people before yourself. True Love always gives. That's why the bible says, "God so loved the world that he gave his Son".

Submission in a Feminist Society: These days most people are very much aware of their rights to this and their rights to that. I'm all for rights but I still believe that Godly women should submit to the man that God places in their lives as their husband. Yes, the Queen has to submit to the King, period.
Of course you can make suggestions and have your say but ultimately the man should make the final judgement call because he is answerable to God for what happens in your family. And guess what, you start learning how to submit waaaayyyy before you even get married. God will watch how you submit to different levels of authority such as your parents, church, the law of the land and so on. So are we really ready to submit?

Learn the Art of Effective Communication:  Communicate well with people around you coz this is the best practice before you get hitched. Always say what you mean. Do not assume that people know what you're thinking if you're not willing to vocalise it. You sometimes hear women saying about their partners, "I thought he would do x,y,z." C'mon gals, cut him some slack, if you want him to do something, tell him. It's not just going to happen because you expect it. In a nutshell, men are not mind readers, even though we would like to believe they are...

So maybe you've mastered all the four things above, good on you, I'm sure your time is nearer, keep trusting God and enjoy where you are now. There's more on this topic which I may put in another blog post in the future but in the mean time, I pray that God would mould all the Wonderful Women in Waiting to be Wise, Lovely Ladies worthy of the King that God is sending their way....

Be blessed,

Gobble till you Wobble...

Even though we don't officially celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK and even though I do give thanks every living day of my life, I'm gonna use this day to just give props to my heavenly Father and a few other peeps.

Thanks to the Lord above for
my mum who is a beautiful and special Queen even though she doesn't live in Buckingham palace;
my loving family and friends, I love 'em all dearly, especially my best friend who has made life such a joy...u know yourself, mwaah.

Thank u Lord for answering my biggest prayer request which I had on my heart for the last three years...you could have granted my request ages ago, but you chose to make me wait and I thank you for that wait because I grew and became strong through all the tears, the questions I lobbied at you and the tantrums I made you put up with...lol. At the end of it all so many wonderful things were birthed in my life, one of which was this blog...

Talking about the blog, I wanna say a big shout out and thank you to all of you my wonderful blog readers, for taking time to come and read the rants and musings in my corner and I hope something has at some point blessed you, touched your heart or made you laugh, at the every least.

Special thank you to Mbini who was the first person to break the ice and comment on this blog, thanks for that first ever comment you made and all your wonderful comments that keep coming. Also a big thank you to the following blogger babes: Rainjoy, Blessing, Maid of Heart, Miss Drammani and Mbini for being the Top 5 peeps that have commented on my blog on a regular basis. U guys rock mhen!

I'm also grateful to the following people for taking time to read my blog and commenting as well:  

Sulthana, Jaycee, TriBe, Waiki, Irene U, Patience, Simingaphi, Tamika,  Olufemi, Cathy, Busi K, Michelle C,  Treasured1, Favoured Girl, Amy S, Douglas D, Laura,  Shawn, Tisha, Sithenjisiwe, blackgold, Chido, Able Abe, doll,  Braids, Patrina, ChizzyD, oluSimeon, Seshe J and all the various Anonymous peeps. Keep showing the love guys. xoxo

Even if you have never commented...I suppose your "silence is golden"...lol, but seriously thank you for stopping by as well... Also last but not the least, thanks to Opeyemi for the tips you gave me and Mugove for your support with the whole blogging experience.

 Till the next blog post, happy thanksgiving y'all, especially my frenz Americana across the pond...

xoxo


P.S Due to other commitments I may not be able to blog regularly for a while but do come and indulge in all the previous great posts until I make a proper comeback.

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it. While the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?

“That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Anonymous

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.

But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

There's a lot of good out there.
There is a lot of good in us!
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!

Thank you to the cracked pots in my life.
You have made life more interesting and beautiful.

I thought I'd share this coz it's such a beautiful and inspiring story and hopefully it will encourage someone...

Have an amazing week,

A Life Lesson from The Apprentice

I'm not a big fan of Reality Shows, in fact I dislike most of them because they tend to go on and on about nothing in particular. I do however like 3 in particular, Come Dine With Me (coz I love food and you get to learn how to cook interesting stuff), Dragon's Den (I'm always amazed at all those intriguing inventions and ideas...and the ones that are not so great) and also The Apprentice(UK).

The other week on the The Apprentice(UK) a lady was ousted from the show after a dramatic showdown in the boardroom. She was given a chance to say something and redeem herself and had she been clever she would have used that chance to highlight her strengths and why she should not be fired. She chose to play dirty. She started going on about the other two candidates, how useless and incompetent they were and how Sir Alan should do the right thing and fire them. Sir Alan then pointed out to her that she was out of bounds. The only person who was allowed to judge the contestants and make the final call was Sir Alan himself. Because she tried to operate out of her jurisdiction, she ended up taking the cab home even though she had been a strong candidate herself.

As Christians we are meant to live our lives without being judgemental. Yes, people around us may be doing one wrong thing or the other, but it doesn't give us the right to judge and pronounce verdicts.
Yes, so that girl in church has a stud ring on her tongue and that other guy wears jeans that sag showing part of his Calvin Klein boxers, or that other woman smokes as soon as she leaves church or that man has a few beers on Saturday night before coming to church the next day...ohhhh how so unchristian like...we tend to think...

We may not agree with certain things but let's not judge and decide that these people are doomed and cannot be sincere in their walk with the Lord, for we don't know their hearts, only God does. Let us just love people and leave God to convict and deal with their "issues" which we may feel do not measure up to our standards.

The thing is if you tell someone not to do something and they stop because you told them to and not because of any conviction of their own, they are likely to keep going back to it. But if the Spirit of God grabs hold of them and gives them a revelation about the wrong thing they are doing, they are likely to stop for good.

You may feel led to advise and correct someone who may be erring (which the bible says to do in certain cases where someone is going against the word of God) but do so tactfully, in private and with love. Do not condemn them and decide their fate because we ourselves are not perfect and are living by God's wonderful grace. Let he who has no sin cast the first stone.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5 
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Blessings to ya'll

Mingling with the Rich and Famous... (I wish)

Hello peeps, hope you've been cool. You know what, I never did get round to telling you something interesting that happened about three weeks ago.

Deitrick Haddon (the American Gospel sensation for those who may not have a clue who he is...lol) was in London at the end of October and he came to do a concert in my church. The last bit is the most interesting but as a woman (we love explaining everything) let me tell you the whole story. Right, since I was so excited, I got there nice and early so that I could get a great seat and I'm pleased to say that I did get a fantastic seat by the aisle so that I could get my dance on. Yes I'd like to think that I am a good dancer, I reckon I have better moves than Paula Abdul and Michael Jackson...ke ke ke. No eye rolling please, I can dance. Anyways, for the first part of the concert I was at the door greeting people as they came into church coz that's one of my ministries in church. Yeah, I figured with the kind of dazzling smile that I have, the Greeters ministry was made for me. lol

Then when people stopped trickling in, I went into church to enjoy the concert. The supporting acts were great. MOBO award winning UK gospel artist Guvna B opened with a couple of tracks and got people on their feet. He's a talented bro and definitely going places. Then our very own UK gospel version of Beyonce took the stage, the fabulous Rachel Kerr. She stormed the place up with some up tempo tracks...

Then came the moment that we'd all waited for, Deitrick Haddon took centre stage and rocked the house. Wooah I was too excited and busy taking pictures, I even forgot to dance for a while. Then I put the camera in my bag and started dancing like David did in the bible. I didn't shake what my mama gave me seeing as I am a Spirit filled sister and all and also we were in church. But I tell you I did do a lot of dancing. All good things come to an end and before we knew it the concert had ended with an altar call.

As we left to go home, some peeps milled about in the foyer buying Deitrick's Cd's and DVDs. I didn't have any cash on me so I took a rain cheque. Then Deitrick came out from backstage and I walked up to him tentatively not sure what to say or do. I mean how is one supposed to act? Do you grin or wave? Reach out your hand? Bow? (ok maybe not the last one) but it's one of those situations where you wanna make contact but not sure how to do it. So I kinda grinned, smiled and mumbled something which didn't seem intelligible...Anyway he shook my hand, smiled and said hie back. I know he said one or two other things to me but I was too excited to remember what he even said sha.

Some blessed folk managed to get their new merchandise autographed by the man himself. That's when I started edging closer to the guy so that I could ask him if I could take a photo with him. Everyone else seemed to have similar ideas ...lol Anyway to cut a long story short I asked him and I did manage to take a picture with him, in fact not one but three. The guy is so friendly, passionate for God and down to earth...Damita Haddon (wifey) is surely a blessed woman.

I have to say that before all this I was wondering whether I should take the picture because I didn't look my best. I was having a bad hair day and after all the dancing and sweating my make up wasn't that great. So I was faced with a dilemma, go to the bathroom and fix up and possibly miss seeing Deitrick OR take the picture in my not so fabulous state. I opted for option 2. I wanted to share the photo with you guys but eerhh...my reputation is at stake here so I'll have to pass...lol

So now I'm working on my photoshop skills so that I can digitally enhance the photo I took with Deitrick, so until then all I can leave you with is this piece of advice, like the Girl Guides always say, "Be Prepared" coz you never know what is going to happen. :-)

All the above photos are copyrighted by me. © 2010 PCJ

Have a fab weekend!

Blabbering about what really counts

Whenever I see something nice I wanna talk about it. In fact it's hard to get me to shut up about it. Many people are exactly the same.

If you were single and you met a gorgeous guy and he asked you out, you would be texting, BB-ing or tweeting all your friends about him. If you go to Debenhams (or Bloomingdales for my American peeps..see I don't forget about you) and they have a sale on you will want to tell all your buddies so that they can get their hands on some fabulous bargains. It's human nature to want to share good things with others.

Now we've found something good in Christ, something a zillion times better than the gorgeous guy, therefore we should be sharing it with others at every available opportunity.

Now don't worry, I'm not about to suggest that you go out into the deep Amazon and preach the Gospel as a missionary(If God has called you to do that, Brilliant stuff...go for it!) No all I'm saying is we should be sharing the gospel with others whenever we can.

A few years ago, just before I started Uni...there was a meeting for some of the freshman where I got to meet some of the students I was going to be studying with.
I started chatting with one lovely girl and in the course of our discussion I told her I was a Christian. She asked me to tell her more and I eagerly shared how I had given my life to Christ the year before and how my life had started changing for the better. This girl and I clicked and we became good friends. A few weeks after we started Uni, I invited her to SCM(Students Christian Movement) at Uni. That very night, they did an altar call and she went up and gave her life to Christ. I was so happy and a part of me couldn't believe that it had happened so fast but all the glory belongs to God. She had a hunger for God and she started attending church regularly with me. I'm glad to say she is still serving God many years later, in fact she is in the Praise and Worship team in her church. She and I are still friends and she is now happily married to a wonderful man of God. Now isn't God good?

If your neighbour fell in a ditch I'm sure you would try and help them to get out unless you're a real Meany without any heart (which I know you're not)
If you saw someone driving along the road and you knew that there was a cliff a few metres ahead, you would do everything you could do warn them.

Now why is it that we know that people are walking through life and walking towards eternity without Christ and headed towards hell and yet we're too cute to care and witness the love of God to them. We are worried about what other people are going to say or think. We are afraid of offending people or being labelled bible bashers. Lets not allow the devil to stop us from fulfilling this one thing.

Jesus was disliked for talking about the Kingdom of God but that didn't stop Him. Here are somethings we can do to witness to people about our wonderful Saviour.

1.Invite people to church services or other church events like dramas, concerts etc.

2.Share the gospel in subtle ways with workmates, friends.

3.Hand out tracts or give people Christian movies to watch or books to read.

4.Go on outreach or Evangelism programmes

5.Live your life right so that your lifestyle can be a testimony. Who knows someone may be watching you and trying to decide based on your lifestyle whether they want to become a Christian or not.

Don't worry if you witness to someone and they don't immediately turn to the Lord. Keep praying for them and asking the Holy Spirit to convict them, by God's grace someday the seed you sowed in their life will take root and flourish.

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Be Blessed,

It ain't over till the Fat Lady sings...

Red leaves, yellow leaves, orange and lots of brown ones too mixed with the refreshing green of the tender grass. That was the sight that greeted me as I walked into the park the other day. I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty that stood before me.

For a minute I stopped thinking about all the stuff I needed to get done, the things I wished I had or the pressures coming from different arenas of life. I sighed, took a deep breathe and just paused to take in the moment. I wished I had a camera so that I could capture that moment, when nothing else seemed to matter but the tranquility of being in a place where the surroundings reminded me of the goodness and magnificence of my Maker.

Life has a way of knocking you down sometimes and you think back to the time you were a child when everything seemed to be alright and if you had a problem you knew your dad or the school teacher could fix it somehow. No one placed great expectations on you other than getting reasonably good grades, no one expected you to be responsible for too much.

Enter the later years of life, rejection letters, disappointing emails, demands, work or the lack of it, dreams you reach for that sometimes seem out of your grasp, making it in a world recovering from recession, being a good Christian in a society whose values are upside down. It ain't easy, no sir, it takes tenacity, perseverance and the ability to lean on God like never before.

In such times I retreat to the rock that is higher than I and seek wisdom, strength and encouragement. He makes me to lie down in Pastures Green and sometimes when I lie there I don't want to get up and go back to facing the real world.

But get up I must at some point. He has given us grace to go through all things. His grace is more than sufficient. Set backs may come and obstacles will be many on the road that leads to destiny. But His word is true, He cannot lie, trust Him. Remember the things He has whispered to you in the secret place and may they remind us of why we started this journey and carry us to the place that our hearts yearn for.

Be blessed,

Say no to Size Zero

Over the years I 've seen one diet after the other captivate all sorts of women (and some men believe it or not) as they search to fulfil that quest of being slimmer and trimmer in all the essential places.
Atkins, GI diet, Paleo, Leptin, Special K two week plan... the list is endless.

Now I don't know for sure whether or not they work, but I do know that if you starve yourself for extended periods of time you will inevitable start to lose weight.
Now as Believers we are meant to keep ourselves well nourished with plenty of the Word so that we can stay in great shape. A well balanced diet with double helpings of the Word through reading the Bible, listening to word based sermons,some gospel music, reading books and blogs is essential...its up to you how you like it.

The problem is that a lot of people are only having snack bites of the word once or twice a week, sometimes never. Getting the word from the Bible is the main meal, all the other things are appetisers and snacks for in between meals and as we all know you can't really survive on snacks.
Now if you've always looked at the Size Zeros and thought c'mon you need to fix up and put some weight, I 'm sure the angels are looking down at some of us and thinking the same thing. Stop this dieting and getting yourself on a healthy feasting plan. Enough said, I think you get the picture.

Ask yourself some serious questions and be honest with yourself.
When was the last time you read the bible and are you reading it consistently?

Soak yourself in the Word and always pray for revelation before you begin your bible reading. I know sometimes it can get a bit boring and it feels like a chore but you can pray and the ask The Holy Spirit to give you a hunger for the Word and for it to come alive in your life. Believe me you will never see it in the same light again. You will begin to look forward to reading it like you do your Nandos chicken.

If you feed your flesh more than your Spirit, you will act fleshly, your thoughts and actions will mirror what you're feeding on, so guys lets all make it a priority to make time for the one thing that will ultimately have a long lasting and beneficial effect on our lives.

Joshua 1:8 says "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Lets give up the skinny diet and stuff ourselves with the Word, after all it's the only place where it's cool to be obese.

Be blessed,

The Truth About Halloween...

 A friend shared this with me and I thought it would be appropriate to share it on the blog because so many times people do things without realising the consequences of what they are doing. So if you're into Halloween and all that jazz have a read and see what this person has to say....


Halloween:  "Trick or Treat" or Satan's Trick

On 31 October people from all over the world will once again celebrate
Halloween with symbols and/or costumes of witches, monsters, pumpkin
ghosts, evil ghosts, vampires etc..

Shops are decorated with some of these themes obviously to make a
sale; Nursery schools are all working hard at painting masks for this
day.

Youngsters are dressing up and wearing masks while partying away,
having a great time, without realising what they are really involving
themselves in on this day.

What is Halloween and where does it come from?

We find the origin of this feast emanating from the Celtic religion of
Ireland, Northern Europe and England, where the Celtic priests or
Druids sacrificed to their god "Shamhain". He was the "Angel of Death"
and head of the evil spirits.

We pray that the following shocking information about Halloween will
open your eyes as to the truth about this satanic feast.

The Druids worshiped Satan. On the night of 31 October all would dress
in costumes for this: the biggest feast for Satan.

It was believed that the spirits of the dead rose to visit their
families or relatives, hence the wearing of costumes from the
underworld.

The participants in the feast danced and moved from house to house to
claim a sacrifice for "Shamhain". They asked at every door "Trick or
Treat" (As is the practice to this day).

Animals and humans as sacrifice were seen as "Treat". A hollowed out
pumpkin was left to protect the occupants of that house from the evil
spirits.

In cases where a claim was not met, it was then time for the Druids
"Trick".

A Hexagram was drawn by the druid on the door of that house for the
curses to come upon the inhabitants of that house.

Teachers, parents, youngsters and children in this day and age do not
realize what the implications are of them participating and going door
to door asking for "Trick or Treat" on the evening of Halloween.

They receive sweets nuts and fruit as a reward and in doing so they do
not realize that they are taking part in an age old Druid ritual. I
shiver to think of the spiritual implications on the children opening
themselves to these evil spirits by participating in this satanic
feast.

Well known Author John MacArthur ask the question "How is it possible
that Christian kids dress up as demons, witches and ghosts, don't they
see anything wrong with that? Christian parents cannot possibly see
this as only fun and fantasy as it stems from age old rituals of the
Occult."

Occultists and Satanists regard this day, even in our day and age, as
their most sacred day.

Texe Mars, a Christian writer says: "On this unholy night witches come
together to drink, dance, speak out curses, call up familiar spirits
and to sacrifice. They sacrifice animals and humans in the most
gruesome ways."

The Wiccan witches' organization says: "Yes, most followers of pagan
religions celebrate the day of shamhain as the day on which their
deceased friends come to visit and spirits and goddesses appear."



The danger of Halloween

Firstly: it is occultic, many children's first encounter of "Horror"
movies and occultic powers are at Halloween parties. They dress as
beasts out of the under world and portray themselves as witches,
spirits and demons.

Secondly: Halloween emphasize violence. A Teacher asked grade 4
students what they wanted to portray this Halloween. 80% of them
replied they wanted to be Dracula and kill someone.

Dracula was a real person and ruled from 1431 to 1476. He gruesomely
murdered 100 000 people. He was a demon possessed mad man. Is it good
for children to want to dress up like him?

Thirdly: Participating in Halloween can bring about heavy bindings on
the lives of people.

This is Satan's territory; we should not be involved with witches and
spirits etc...

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 says: "When you come into the land which the LORD
your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations
of those nations. 10  "There shall not be found among you anyone who
makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who
practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or
a sorcerer, 11  "or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a
spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12  "For all who do these
things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these
abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13
"You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14  "For these
nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and
diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for
you.

Many people ignorantly think that if they do not believe in such
things like witches etc.., that there will be no effect or harm coming
their way.

Think again.

The spiritual realm (world) is very real and very dangerous.



Some Halloween symbols

Masks: The wearing of a mask not only covers ones true identity but
the wearer becomes one with the creature they represent.

Pumpkin ghosts: It represented a skull that kept away dangerous evil
spirits. It was furthermore a sign that the inhabitants of that house
recognised and acknowledged the authority of the druids and their
practices.

Costumes: It is believed that on the night of 31 October Satan
releases all the evil spirits to attack humans.

The best way not to be attacked was to appear like one of them.

It seems to me that that these spirits had to be very unintelligent to
be coned like that, or....

Was it that the humans was so blinded and fell right into Satan's trap?

Only the Lord can open your spiritual eyes of understanding to see the
danger of this satanic feast.

Acts 26:18 says: "to open their eyes, in order to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are
sanctified by faith in Me.' "

Step 1:   Repent and turn from your wicked ways and the occult, so
that you can turn back to God's ways.

Step 2:   God's forgiveness is available for you as stated in Acts
26:18 after repentance and turning away from the wickedness.

Step 3:   The same verse goes on to say that forgiveness through faith
in Jesus Christ has already been obtained for you by the blood
atonement at Calvary.

Step 4:   Accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Redeemer, for it is
only through Him that the strongest cords of binding can be broken in
your life and set you free.

He wants to come into your life, if you are willing to open up for Him.

Rev 3:20  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and
he with Me.

Step 5:   Acts 26:18 says that God gives you an inheritance among
those who are sanctified by faith in Him. This means that He will give
you a new life, and from now on that you will devote your life to Him.

Start studying scripture and begin a solid prayer life.

Lastly, search out a body of believers where you could grow further in
Christ.



Further study:

1 Thess 2:21-22, Ef 5:11, Rom 12:2, 2 Cor 6:14-15, 1 Pet 5:8, Ezek
18:32, Lam 2:18-19.

Is This the Love of My Life?

People desire a lot of things in life. You know happiness, cheddar, good health, fame, fancy house and car, children and a whole lot more. But I believe that above all people want to have good relationships with people, be it family, friends or that special someone who completes you. Yup, I've concluded that everybody wants someone to love and someone who will love them back.

If you know of anyone out there that doesn't want this, bring them to my church and my Pastor can pray for them to be delivered them from the spirit of lying coz I think everyone wants this deep down whether they will admit it or not.

Now some have found that special someone, good for you, hope you are happy with your choice and have lots of kids and grand kids and live happily ever after. I have much love for married folk. Marriage is a big thing and many are running from it every year but for you to have lasted all these years, I salute you and say well done.

Anyway some have found a potential who they are still evaluating and getting to know and of course praying about. However some are still searching like China Black sang about back in the 90s.(BTW that was one cool tune).

So then if you've been searching and then you meet someone and you think they're ayait.

What do you do?

I guess if you're a guy, it's a lot easier. You could approach Sister X and say "Wassup?" Maybe strike up and conversation and find out a little about them. This conversation could reveal a bit of info which could help you determine whether or not you might wanna get to know them more and go on a date or maybe just drop the whole thing.

For the sisters, it may be a bit more complicated to just walk up to a guy and start chatting him up. I'm not saying it can't be done or is outright impossible but I know some sisters are not comfortable with this kind of approach from a Christian point of view.

So then which leads me to ask, would it be ok for the sisters to approach guys or ask them on a date? Or should a sister "suffer in silence" and wait for the brother to make a move? What if he never makes a move, do you then just move on and wait for the next guy?

Hhhh mmmm ..... any thoughts?

Be blessed,

A thin line between love and hate

She comes in with a big smile, puts her handbag and laptop on the table and gives him a kiss. He's sitting on the couch watching the NEWS. He's still wearing his tie and his suit jacket is dangling from the sofa where he threw it.

She: Babe, guess what? I was voted Executive of the Year.

He: (with little enthusiasm) That's good.

She: (slightly disappointed) So that was my big news. Anyway how was your day? You ok?

He: I'm ok, but a bit tired and my neck feels a little stiff.

She: Aaaw come here babe and I'll give you a neck massage.

He: Maybe later, thanks. What's for dinner?

She: Err not sure babe, I'm a bit tired, thought maybe we could get chinese or something?

He: Chinese? Uggh. I was hoping we'd have one of your nice home made dinners.

She frowns slightly.

She: I would've loved to make something babe, but I have loads of assignments that I have to hand in by Friday.

He makes a face. She wants to ignore it but she can't.

She: Babe I wish you would be a bit more understanding.

He: I'm trying but it seems like the MBA is now more important than me.

She: How can you say that? I cooked yesterday and the day before that. I wash, clean and iron three times a week after a hard day at work. I'm trying my best here and besides I only have three more months to go then I will be finished with the course.

He: I'll be glad when it's all over.

She crosses her arms and looks him in the eye

She: If you're not happy with the status quo, then maybe you should think about helping out a little. Don't just complain, do something about it!

He: Just forget it.

He gets up and logs onto his Facebook account.

She: Forget it huh, we'll see about that.

She watches as he fiddles about with it. Then out of the corner of her eye she sees something on his wall.

She: Whos' Davina?

He: An old school mate.

She: Why is she putting xxx on your facebook wall?

He: It says Hope you're well xxx.

She: Same thing. And what does x stand for in this case?

He: Look, I don't know why she put that there.

She: Are you seeing her?

He: Oh my gosh, of course not! I haven't seen her since I left High school 15 years ago.

She: So she doesn't mean anything to you?

He: No.

She: Ok, so delete her from your friend list then.

He: Why?

She: You said she doesn't mean anything to you, so delete her.

He: My goodness...she's just a friend.

She: So you're not gonna delete her? I'm gonna call Pastor now and book a conselling appointment for us.

He: Why do we have to start involving other people in this?

She: It's your call. Delete her and we sort this out ourselves or if we can't then we seek help...

What do you think he should do? 


Relationships are funny like that. One minute everything is all dandy then the next minute it's fireworks all round. The words we speak have an effect on those listening, so watch what you say! Lend a helping hand whenever you can. Treat others with kindness, patience, respect and understanding. It will go a long way in enriching your relationships.


Be blessed,

Will you be deceived?

I am the one who makes you itch until you've shared that juicy bit of news,

Even though you know you're not supposed to tell.

I am the one who makes you beat your wife down,

Even though she's three months pregnant and helpless.



I am the one who encourages you to harm your body

by inhaling substances that will make you lose control.

I am the one who will make you take another man's wife as your own,

whilst your own wife sits at home.



I am the one who will say its OK when you take thousands of pounds

from the company account to finance your new car.

I am the one who will make you hoard riches for yourself,

when many are in need worldwide.


I am the one who makes you harbour resentment and not forgive

the people that wronged you several months ago.

I'm the one who makes you use %&*% profanity and tell crude jokes,

even though you know it's not morally right.

I approach but you cannot see me,

I give you a dose of deception

and you fall for it.

All I do is plant a little thought in your mind,

the rest is up to you.

Will you entertain the thought or get rid of it?


You can duck and hide but I will find you.

Only those whose minds are renewed,

and filled with His powerful Word,

have any hope of ever defeating me.

 

Who am I?

You may ask.

I am

Sin.




Be blessed,

Gamu Mania - The Girl with the Flower in Her Hair

People's emotions are terribly fickle. I mean ever notice how one minute they love you and think you're the best thing since 3D TV, next thing they're cursing you and acting like you're Hitler.

I remember the first time I saw Gamu in the paper just before the X- Factor started. I thought she looked sweet. Then I heard her sing and I thought wow, the chick ain't half bad. I began to look forward to seeing what more she had to offer...and then boom ... as we all know disaster struck. She was kicked off the show and is now facing deportation over some immigration issue.

I watched in bewilderment and surprise as Gamu's X-Factor journey took her from hero heroine to zero. Now I don't condone benefit or tax fraud, if her mother did what they claim she did, then that's bad. But at the same time, who is to know whether the Tabloids aint exaggerating on all this. I mean we all know how much they love a juicy mix. I couldn't believe the way people quickly turned on her because of the tax claims her mother allegedly made. One minute they were petitioning for her to be re instated on the TV show, next thing they were calling for her removal from the country.

But this in not all all new. People have always been so quick to change their minds about people in the spotlight. I mean two years ago everyone was walking around talking about Obama like they knew him. Some even flew to America for his inauguration. People had his picture on their Facebook profiles. People acted like Michelle Obama was their Godmother. They talked about his family non stop, they stayed up to watch his speech. They bought the t-shirts, caps and banners. They chanted "Yes we can" along with him and millions of people all over the world.  A few months down the line, he was forgotten. Some were even beginning to talk ill of him. He hadn't done what they hoped or half as much as they had hoped.

Does this surprise me? Not at all.
Over 2000 years ago people did the same to Jesus. They hailed Him and gave Him a hearty welcome, putting down palm trees on the road as He rode into Jerusalem. A few days later they were shouting "Crucify Him!"
Gee, what's wrong with us people?
One minute we're loving, the next we're hating.

I'm so glad that God is not like that. The bible says that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. So we can rest assured that even though we live in a changing world, He will not change. Come what may, He will always love us.

Heavenly Bodyguards

The other night, my friend and I were driving home after attending a birthday party. Then we heard police sirens wailing in the distance. My friend and I slowed down trying to decide where the sirens were coming from in case he needed to give way to them.

As we approached an intersection, the traffic light turned green and our car headed towards the intersection. Then out of the blue, a speeding car coming from the other side of the intersection wheezed past going through the red traffic light on their side, even though we had right of way since the traffic light was green for us.

My friend who was driving hit the brakes hard and we watched as the car drove past followed closely by two police cars with blaring sirens. We started commenting about how stupid that driver had been going through a red light and how that could have turned into a potentially dangerous situation if we had driven a few metres ahead.

Then we realised that God had just saved us from what could have been a disaster. I remembered Psalm 91 and how it talked about God's protection over our lives. My friend and I started praising God for His protection and deliverance from harm.

God has promised to keep us safe and give His angels charge over us Psalm 91:11. (which I think is really cool. It's kind of like being a celebrity and having bodyguards)

As we go out daily, let us pray and ask for God's covering over our lives, our families and friends.

Stay safe y'all!

The Three Amigos

Agape Church was buzzing. The service that morning had been a big celebration and a discussion ensued amongst some of the three regulars.

Church Organ: I've got a headache.

Pulpit: Why? Did Mr Ekks play you too much yesterday? I could see him really getting into the praise and worship.

Organ : No, it wasn't that. It was the singing. There was a woman close to me whose singing was awful. She was in and out of tune so many times, I wanted to pull her hair out.

Baptism Pool : Was it that bad?

Organ: It was terrible. She was trying to sing alto but she ended up being somewhere inbetween a bad soprano and a retired tenor. The only thing I can compare it with is all those wanna be singers on the X- Factor.

Pulpit: X- Factor huh... (laughing) Ohhh it must have been bad then.

Baptism Pool: Well nothing could beat the kind of day I had. Do you know what? There was a woman being baptized today whose clothes were so thin, the moment she entered the pool I didn't even know where to look. The moment her clothes got wet, everything was exposed.

Organ: No! You don't say...

Baptism Pool: I kid you not.

Pulpit: They need to bring back those old baptism robes. They're so thick no one can see a thing.

Organ: Yeah and so heavy, you'd sink faster than the Titanic.

They all laugh.

Baptism Pool: Then to make matters worse, after that woman, a man came in who looked and smelt like he hadn't bathed for weeks. The moment he walked into the pool, dirt particles began floating all over the water. Even the elders noticed and they had to use the water purifier afterwards. It was disgusting!

Pulpit : What is this world coming to? Do you know I was thinking about how church has changed over the years. You know from my vantage point here I can see everyone and I can tell you I see all sorts of weird things.

Organ : Such as?

Pulpit : People sneaking off before the offering starts. Or just the other day, I saw a so called brother taking pictures of all the pretty girls that went past.

Baptism Pool: You're joking!

Pulpit: I'm not joking. That's not all, I've also seen groups of people who come into church and then a few minutes into the sermon, they fall asleep. I mean what's the point. Better to stay at home if you're gonna be sleeping and snoring like a pig.

Baptism Pool : (laughing) That's embarrassing.

Organ: It is but I'm wondering whether maybe the sermon was a little dull. I mean that visiting Pastor seemed to go on and on. Even I was tempted to sleep.

Pulpit: I think it was nerves. The poor man was so terrified his hands were shaking. Several times when he wanted to put his notes down, they almost fell onto the floor. I had a hard time trying to keep everything together during the sermon.

Baptism Pool : Oh I almost forgot, I heard something a little worrying today. One of the Ushers was babbling on as usual. Apparently they got such a big offering today, they may be replacing the organ and pulpit. I just thought I'd give you the heads up. I'm sorry.

Pulpit and Organ: But they can't do that. We've served this church faithfully since it was opened in 1991.

Baptism Pool: Hey don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you what I heard. I don't want you guys to go but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out.

The Organ and Pulpit looked at each other. Sadness and confusion was etched all over them. Maybe this was just a rootless rumour and there was no cause for concern. But that didn't stop them from feeling blue. Maybe life as they knew it was about to change. Only God knows.

What you do when no one is watching...

Have you ever used the work photocopier to do your own personal stuff? Or the work phone to catch up with your buddies? Or even gotten too much change in a store and kept it when you knew that you should have pointed out the error to the shop assistant.

Every now and again we find ourselves caught up in one such situation or the other.
We tell ourselves that everybody does it so hey what's the big deal? Well the big deal is God is watching and He doesn't think it's a small thing...He doesn't like it one bit!

I remember going through this lesson a few years ago  I was quite good at taking a paper clip here and a pen there from work and printing my stuff using the office printer and paper. The laminator, scanner and all the other gadgets were crying for mercy as well.
Then there was the work phone, I thought it's purpose was to help me keep in touch with my girls.
Wrong!
God started saying stop but I thought hey they don't pay me enough in the company anyway so this is part of my benefits. Eventually I got called into my manager's office and warned about the way I used the telephone. I knew things had obviously gotten out of hand and I prayed for God to help me refrain from misusing company things.Sigh...Praise God, with time I became better.

Then came the issue of what is called The Free Bus. There's one particular bus in my area dubbed the free bus because people at times get in and don't bother paying because it had several doors and if you use one of the back doors no one checks whether you have a ticket or not.
Now being a middle class person myself at the moment, when funds were tight the temptation was there to just walk into the bus. But God always had such a strong hold on me, I just couldn't do it. I felt so bad. And then came the one day I was so tempted to almost do it....the Inspectors got on the bus to check tickets...thanks goodness I hadn't, I would have been in a bowl of hot soup plus a nasty fine.

I realise now that developing Integrity and Honesty is a continuous process that has to be dealt with over and over. You become better with time, but we have to continuously renew our minds and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in all our actions.

Jesus is the Truth and if we are to be anything like Him we need to try and speak and act in accordance with the truth. Integrity and Honesty are two very key elements which God values. Joseph and Daniel were two men that displayed integrity in the bible and God honoured this and elevated them. If you show yourself to be a person of integrity, God will promote and elevate you to a position of influence because He can trust you.

So the next time you go online at work and start messing about on Facebook and Twitter when you are supposed to be working, remember that even though no one may see you...God is watching and deciding whether you really are ready to go to the next level you are praying for...

Fierce, Fabulous and Fifteen again....

I love Birthdays.
Cake, dancing and all that jazz, presents...(believe it or not at my age, which we will not discuss here, I still enjoy hearing the paper rip as I open pressies).

Anyway today happens to be my bufffday ... so no writing today, I'm gonna be too busy pampering myself and getting spoilt by all the special people in my life.

I promise to have fun and yes...eat some cake on your behalf as well. Ke ke ke.

For all those wondering...my top 5 wish list...



1. A Mini Convertible. Silver and black or cream and black. I guess I'll have to wait until next year to have the top down coz it's oh so chilly now...urggh.

2. A ticket for a holiday in Hawaii. Ok ok...I can even settle for Paris considering these are hard times...

3. A publishing contract with Tyndale.

4. Lunch with Francine Rivers (author of Redeeming Love). There's so much I could learn from her about writing Christian Fiction.

5.  Winter is almost upon us so ... A new fab, black coat size 12, red or fuschia scarf, black jeans ... size err... we wont go there for now and black or tan boots size 7 (low heel) P.S All UK sizes. :-)

Anyway gonna get started on my nails and hair now. A girl has got to look extra good on a day like this. Oh by the way, did I tell you I have red hair at the moment...? Yeah I do...lol

Will let you know how things go today...till then...

Have a great day; I know I will. :-)