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. :-)

To The Land of Forever

The sun rays seemed to dance as they flickered on the tiny rocks that lined the sides of the road.
A few leaves rustled nearby as they were carried to unknown lands by the cool Easterly breeze.
Ahead of me, I could see many others like me, trudging along on this weary journey.
We had been walking for years towards the better place.
This is what we were born to do,
To walk this journey and make the most of it.

Many had wondered off the path,
Enticed by the beautiful flowers on the wayside, or the smoke coming from within the forest
Of freshly grilled bbq meat,
I often warned them not to lose sight of the mission,
We were not meant to get carried away by fanciful things,
Our mission was to reach our destination,
Taking with us as many as we could for the King.

We met many that had never heard of the King,
I tried to get them to join us,
I told them about Him, how He wanted to give us good things,
And show love and mercy towards all,
who would give up all, to walk this journey for Him.
They laughed and scorned,
"You're talking gibberish," they said.
I shied away, not sure what to say.
"Most absurd," said another.
"It's true," I cried, wanting desperately for them to understand and believe.
They turned away towards the bright lights where people ate and were merry,
I watched them them go, hoping they might change their minds,
But their hearts were rock hard, their eyes heavily veiled.
I only hoped someday, they'd know.


It's not easy though, this journey of ours.
Just last week, we were attacked by bandits from the Smoky Valley,
They came in droves and stole our food, our blankets and even our joy,
I didn't let it affect me much,
But some of the others began to complain and curse the King,
Why did he let that happen?
Some sulked and refused to walk anymore,
Some began to eat the forbidden fruits dangling from branches along the way,
"You know we mustn't do that, it will harm you."
But they laughed and ate some more.
"Nothing happened ...see.... nothing," they said raising their arms in glee,
"It's all a trick to keep us from having fun."

But their laughter was short lived
Their bodies began to degenerate.
Blisters and boils began to appear all over their bodies,
Meanwhile my skin began to glow.

What's happening to us? they asked fear gripping their hearts.
How come you're not affected?
That's because I drink Living Water from the King's well.
You drank and ate from the dark side.
And so from the dark side you will reap.

Is there any hope for us? What can we do to be well? they asked.
Cry out to the King,
He's merciful, He's kind,
He can heal you and He can make you whole,
And give you the strength to complete this journey.
.

A Pinch of Salt

Have you ever tried to use an appliance or piece of equipment and it didn't work?  I remember my frustration about two years ago when my almost brand new TV suddenly stopped working. I tried everything including banging it with my hands to no avail. The expensive top of the range TV had ceased to do it's job.

The bible says that we are the "Salt of the Earth". Think about this for a minute. When you add salt to any food say chicken for instance, the taste of the food changes. The salt adds a lovely flavour, without which, the chicken would be bland.

That means wherever we go, whatever we are doing, as Believers we have to be changing the environment around us just like the salt changes the food its added to. Our environment should be better because of us. If we are not affecting the world around us that means that we have lost our purpose and as Jesus says, "...that salt is good for nothing but to be thrown out..." Matthew 5:13 We will become like the TV I bought which stopped working and had to be thrown away.

How then do we enhance our environment? What are we supposed to be doing to add our saltiness to the Earth?

I believe that we are supposed to first of all demonstrate our love for God by loving other people. This can be through doing good for others whenever we get the chance, a helping hand here and there, a prayer for someone, a word of encouragement and so on.

The second way we can affect our world is by doing all things, for example our job, our ministry, to the best of our ability so that God's name can be glorified. Imagine if you serve in the Media team in church and you're constantly late and there's only one person serving instead of two. It may have an impact on the sermon CD production or the TV broadcast and it could give a bad name to the church.

Thirdly I believe that we can enhance our environment by sharing the gospel with unbelievers, we will ultimately play a role in changing their lives and henceforth change our environment. So when was the last time you witnessed to someone and told them about God's love or Christ's work on the cross?
Don't kick yourself if you haven't done so in a while. Dust yourself up and get going. There's many out there who are looking for answers and the good news is, we have the answer. Lets spread the love and share the message of the Cross with all.

Stone, Wood or Pop Idols - Help, I think I'm an addict!!!

"Hi, my name is GG and I'm a Social Networking addict. It has been err ... 2 hours and twelve minutes since my last log in."

I look around nervously at the smiling faces of all the fellow addicts, all welcoming and encouraging, their eyes telling me they can relate.
Men, women, boys and girls and wait a minute ... you're kidding me, is that a cat sitting in the circle as well?

Ok, so maybe I exaggerated about the cat and I'm not sure if anyone has launched Social Networking Anonymous but if it were so, this scenario is one I might find myself in if I don't keep myself in check.
Yeah, I have to admit the Internet has at times become one of my favourite past times, the other day, my laptop was so hot from being continually on, I was so sure I could have fried a steak on it...
Maybe you're very self disciplined and you're one of those that can go for weeks without logging onto anything and when you do, you only stay for five minutes...good for you, but for the rest of us, every now and then we find ourselves spending far too much time than is necessary. Sigh.

Right, lets rewind for a minute, so I can put all this in perspective.
We all know that the Israelites messed about in the wilderness and because of that God made them wander around for 40 years instead of 11 days.
They did all sorts of terrible stuff, they complained and grumbled more than Mr Grumpy himself.
Then they thought, ahhh lets make ourselves a god. So they made themselves a golden calf. Who knows maybe they figured they could get some golden milk from it??? Beats me. Anyway the point is throughout the bible people did all forms of idol worshipping. Some preferred stone, some wood, others precious stone but bottom line is they worshipped other gods.

Now we may turn up our nose at them and think, how could they? But before we do, we need to examine our own lives and make sure we don't have our own idols. Now our idols may not be silver or wooden images and yeah we don't prostrate before them but our own idol worship takes a somewhat different form.

Pop idols - some people "worship" singers, actors, sports people and other celebrities to the point of treating them like a god. Some people take their direction in life from these people. Instead of looking to God and His word to lead and mould us, we sometimes look to these people to determine our way of dress, talk and so on. We emulate them in the way we carry ourselves.
There's nothing wrong with admiring them but make sure it doesn't go too far. As children of God, we need to be Christlike and let Him lead us in every facet of life.

Use of time
God requires that we should love Him with all our heart, soul and mind. And most importantly we should have no other God but Him. Exodus 20

This to me, denotes that we should spend as much as much time with God as we can. If we spend 10 mins with God in the morning and then spend the rest of our free time time going out for fun, or online chatting to our friends, face booking, blogging and watching TV then it's most likely that those things may have taken a bigger place in our heart than the things of God.
If we truly have a desire for God, we will cultivate our relationship with Him by spending more time with Him. He has said "Seek me and you shall find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Now don't get me wrong peeps, I'm not saying social networking or blogging or online surfing is wrong or evil.
NO, I'm not saying that.
And I'm not saying that we should spend every living moment of our lives singing hymns and carrying harps whilst sitting on fluffy cloud 9.

No.
I'm just saying, too much of anything is never good. The bible says we should exercise discipline and do everything in moderation.
Not everything that we do is profitable.
Besides God has given us special talents and assignments to do whilst we are down here. If we spend all our time on entertainment, we won't have time dream, plan and work our plan, and yet we will continue to dream of being bigger and better than Bill Gates.Hhmm.

Be honest with yourself. You may not be an addict but how much time do you spend watching TV? What percentage of your time do you spend going out with friends? How much time do you spend on your Nintendo Wii or PS? How often do you have the compulsion to log in and see whats happening with everyone on Facebook, Blogger, Buzz, Twitter or whatever it is that floats your boat?

The bible says the truth will set us free. John 8:32
If you think your time management may be a little out of hand, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you coz will power alone won't cut it. But the first step is admitting it to yourself.
C'mon guys we can all have fun but lets be wise with our time for one day, we shall all give an account of our time to our Daddy dearest.
                                                             ________________________________
Do you ever struggle with this? Or do you think you are very disciplined in this area? What advice could you give others?

Roses are Red

The huge strong hands threw me onto the ground,
Then firmly placed me in the soil and covered me up.
Silence.
It was pitch black and scary.
You know, like the alleyways you see in the movies, 
Except that, all sorts of bugs and slimy things rubbed up against me.

Then a few minutes later gallons of water gushed down towards me.
Nearly knocking the life out of me.
The water was stinging cold and the giant drops splashed all over me.

Then came more silence.
Nothing happened.
Why am I here? And why am I being handled like this?
No reply.
I sighed.

Then the sun came out and dried up most of the water.
Then the man with the big hands poured more water.
And the sun came out again and dried up all the water, nearly scorching me.
And so the cycle continued day after day.
I didn't like it one bit.
It was not exactly executive spa treatment.

But then I started to grow.
Shoots started to come out of every part of my being.
And I developed tiny cute roots.

As my roots began to grow, suddenly some other shoddy plants began to grow around me,
They began to eat my food, and take my share of the water,
Very soon they were encroaching on my very space,
Privacy became a myth.
It became so bad, I began to feel like I was being choked by these new plants,
Then along came the Man with his green can of Weed Killer
And within a day my unwelcome squatters were no more.

Then the man came back again.
What is he up to this time? I wondered suspiciously.

Then to my horror, he came holding a fork and a spade like thing,

And started poking the soil all around me.
The soil started brushing up against me and it was horrid.
Then he started tossing bits of grubby soil all over me.
As if things were not bad enough the new soil had a stench.
Why does it smell so much? I asked pinching my nose.
I looked at the big pack he was holding and noticed the name MANURE as he wheeled it away in his wheelbarrow.
Why, oh why, was I going through all this?
This is not what I hoped my life would become,
cold, stinky and lonely.

Then came the insecticide, strong and itchy,
It made my head spin and gave me a slight cough.
But after a while, the bugs that had started attacking me
were no match for it,
I saw a few the other day lying on the muddy ground.

Then for a while nothing happened again,
It seemed I'd been forgotten
Useless and unwanted.

Then the buds starting coming out and the petals started opening,
Others like me, stood all around,
Our home transformed as people came from far and wide,
to behold our beauty at the Flower Show,
Beautiful," they exclaimed.
"It is a true example of His workmanship."

I sway my bright red rosy head and stand tall and proud.
There is no other rose in the garden as sweet smelling as me.
It has taken hard work and a lot of pain to get me to look the way I do,
But I now realise the master knew what I could become,
So he patiently and tirelessly worked,
so that I could become the perfect Red Rose.

______________________________________________________


A note from Gospel Girl

I hate gardening. With a passion.
Firstly it's hard work and hey I'm not a bug lover.
So I've always stayed clear of the garden and all its weeds, bugs and slimy creepy things.
Then one summer I decided I wanted to have a BBQ so I decided to fix up my garden. Ugh.
I went to the local B & Q shop and got several tools, and one of them in came in pink - aah a touch of girl power.

Then later that afternoon I set to work in the garden.
As I worked that day I realised that our lives are very similar to those of the plants in the garden and I hope that the tale of the Red Rose has helped you to see that the process might be painful and uncomfortable but God knows what He is doing and at the end of all the challenges and trials we face, we will come out Beautiful.

In the words of Schwarzenegger, "I'll be back..."

Hey beloved blog readers,

I'm gonna disappear under my duvet for a few days because I need to concentrate on other writing projects coz deadlines are looming and I need to put all my focus on them. That's not to say blogging isn't important, it's very important to me and so are you my special readers but I just feel the need to put all my focus on the other stuff at the moment but I promise I'll be back soon...promise! :-)


I will miss u all but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Do pop back in a couple of days and we can carry on from where we left off...

xoxo Gospel Girl

The Bump

She had always been the sensible one,

Straight A's, no boyfriends and certainly no weed or heroine.

Everyone called her Miss Goody Two Shoes,

She'd had it all planned out, the Uni degree, then the wedding and the house they'd live in.

Now it was all a mess, yeah a big terrible mess.


She'd just thought it harmless when things had started getting heated up with Allen.

She didn't bargain for all that had transpired that night,

And now she had this bump before she'd even walked down the aisle.

She couldn't talk to anyone about it, not Allen, her mother or even her best friend,

She hoped the Pastor wouldn't see it in the Spirit and shame her in front of the whole church.

What to do? What to do? What's a girl to do?



Then she got a leaflet from someone,

Apparently they could get rid of it in the clinic down the road,

Maybe she should, no one would ever know,

But they say its a sin, would she be able to live with herself?

But then again she can't afford a child, and she just ain't ready

for the sleepless nights, the pain of childbirth, hey she's only seventeen.

The church would talk about her, her school mates would mock her,

What's a girl to do? What to do, what to do?



Mum can't tell yet, there's nothing much there but she can't hide it forever,

So a decision has to be made,

Finally her mind made up, tomorrow she will get rid of it,

Night time comes but all she does is toss and turn.



Mum asks her to got with her to the food market,

On the way back, they meet an old woman, mum talks with her and and as they part she breaks into tears.

"Mum what's the matter?" she asks.

But mum is silent, her face ashen, her fingers trembling.

"Mum whats the matter?" she asks yet again.

Mum just shakes her head, "it's nothing, don't concern yourself my child."


Later at home when she thinks Ayenda's not listening she hears mum tell auntie,

"I met her today you know,"

"Who?" Aunty asks with curious interest,

"The one who persuaded me to keep my child,

I can't imagine how life would have turned out without Ayenda,

she's my pride and joy, my reason for living.

I can't believe or forgive myself that I almost aborted her."

"Don't worry abot that now, you didn't do it, so don't fret."



As she listens to her mum and aunty, she holds her own tummy and she cant help but cry,

She looks at herself in the mirror, her sad face staring back at her,

She sighs and makes her decision,

She can't get rid of it,

the precious life within her yearns to grow and blossom,

Her mum kept her and gave her a chance,

Isn't it only fair and right that she gives her own baby a chance?

Knock, Knock...will you open?

Lately I've had a strong feeling upon my heart that God really wants us to draw nearer to Him than ever before.
Hence I wrote the post "I will make Time"and "The Master's Visitors" to remind myself and others that God longs for us to spend time with Him and become his closest friends.


Now if you've ever used Facebook you will understand the next few things I'm gonna talk about, if you haven't used Facebook don't despair, just flow with me... :-)

God is sending us a special friend request and its up to us to accept it or ignore.

He has created many events for which we are invited, the best of all being eternity with Him in Heaven.

He will send us many gifts over the period of our lifetime, not mere things like virtual flowers and jewellery
but peace and joy that will carry us during the during the challenging times.

He will never block us or remove us from His friend list.

He's the creator of a massive Group,
Have you joined his group of believers who meet occassionally to fellowship, pray and encourage one another?

Join his fan page by clicking on "Like" but don't be like those who disappear and never visit the page again after that. Be a regular and active group member in his Kingdom.

Friendship with Him doesn't just mean, having Him there in the distance as someone we can run to when things go pear shaped.
No, God wants to be involved in every area of our lives. He wants us to share our joys with Him, to talk to Him at the beginning and the end of our day and also whenever we have a chance in between.
He wants us to ask His opinion on everything small and big.

Spend time praying!
Read the bible, not just two or three scriptures here and there when you get the chance but really take time to get into the word.
There are times when reading the bible seems like a chore and you don't feel like doing it, I know coz I've been there. Ask God to help you enjoy and have an appetite for the Word. Ask Him to help you understand and receive revelation so that you can see how what you read applies to your own life.

Sing to Him as often as you can. Sing songs of adoration, song of praise;
It doesn't matter whether you have a voice as bad as the Jedward brothers, sing nonetheless,
Let's tell Him how much we love Him, Let's tell Him how good He is...
I pray that as we draw nearer to the end of this year we shall move into a close, loving and heartfelt relationship with our Father. He's knocking at the door of our hearts, will you heed His call and open...???

Happy weekend everbody...

This week has been somewhat hectic for me, I've had two weddings to attend, one at the weekend, one on Thursday....I don't even know whether I'm coming or going...so I'm gonna be refocusing and taking time out over the weekend to refresh and replenish myself.
Therefore I'm not gonna write much today. I'll just leave you with this thought :

"Your attitude determines your altitude!"

No matter your circumstances, you can develop an attitude of gratitude.

God doesn't take it too kindly when we moan , whine and complain...I mean just check out the Israelites in the wilderness. Their grumbling didn't get them anywhere.

Look around you and give thanks for all the wonderful things and people in your life.

And on that note, thank you all for being such great peeps and reading my blog. :-)

Merci!!!

 Have a lovely and blessed weekend ya'll.

The Master's Visitors

They come from all directions with their worries and their woes,

Some problems are big, some are small,

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all,

But if only they'd have some love for me.




"Can you pleeeeaze help my sick daughteeer?" the Indian woman asks in a desperate voice.

I take her daughter and place her on my lap,

A little TLC and a rub of the tummy,

And the girl is skipping and dancing around.



"Can you fix my lapy topy," the Chinese man asks with a smile.

I take the laptop from him, a little screwing here and a dusting there,

Within a few minutes, I hand it back to him good as new.

"Now stay off the streets and stop selling DVDee DVDee."



"My crop has failed and I have no food,

My family and I will starve if you do not help,"

The African man looks round hoping I'll offer him Supermalt.

Bags of grain, wheat and flour I give to him from my abundant storehouse.



"Yo wassup Big Man, I need your help,

Ain't good for man to be alone, you know the deal,

I need a honey, you know someone to love," says the American man with a twang in his drawl.

I point him to the East where a beautiful maiden is picking flowers,

Go to her, Your soul mate awaits you.


"Ma Mia, Help me Master, ze debtors in Milan are after me!"

I look at the Italian Shopaholic, carrying dozens of bags,

eyeing me from behind her Gucci sunglasses,

I sigh at her mess but still settle her debts,

Another satisfied visitor leaves without a second thought.



They come from all directions with their worries and their woes,

Some problems are big, some are small,

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all,

But if only they would show an ounce of gratitude

Or treat me better than they treat Santa Claus.



Then I see a boy approaching,

"Master it's good to see you."

 "Good to see you too my child. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. I just came to see you."

"You mean you don't need anything?"

"No, I wanted to spend time with you and tell you I love you

and appreciate everything you do."

The Silver Lining in the Grey Cloud...

Huge pellets of snow began to fall all around them.
"We have to turn back,"Andy shouted to the rest of the group.

It was at that moment that Angela lost sight of them.
"Andy! Pete! Lorna! Jess!" she called.
No response.

Angela came to a halt and looked around but she couldn't see anything. There were giant snow flakes everywhere and they were coming down so fast and hard as if someone was tipping a bucket of snow in the sky.
Angela started skiing again and suddenly she felt her skis hit a huge boulder that was hidden under the snow and her body went flying.


                                                                ******
A few hours before


Angela didn't know why she had let her friends talk her into going on this ski trip in the French Alps.
She hated skating so there was little chance she would enjoy skiing.
Never mind all the falling she would have to endure.
But then, Andy was going, so that was an incentive for her to go along as well.
Maybe this trip would be a chance for him to get to notice her.

The party of two girls and three guys set off from their chalet in the morning.
Everyone else was quite experienced except Angela and it wasn't long before she started slipping and falling.
"I can't do this," she exclaimed after her fourth attempt.
"C'mon Ange, don't give up now. We all started out just like you. In fact I was probably worse than you right now."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe," Angela said as she watched Andy manoeuvre his skis expertly like the people she used to see on TV.
“It's not that hard. What you need to do is use the Snow Plow. Position your skis as if they were a pigeon toe and slowly move the backs of your skis outwards, away from your body, to stop yourself. You also can control your direction of movement by simply bending your knees and leaning to one side or the other,” Andy said.
“So I have to bend my knees, keep my hands above my thighs and the tips of the skis have to be close together?” Angela asked.
“That’s right. Kind of like an up-side down V shape.”
As they slowly started skiing slowly down the slope, it started snowing.

After Andy's instruction, Angela fared a little better but she started lagging behind the rest of the group. Huge pellets of snow began to fall as the snow storm progressed.
"We have to turn back,"Andy called to the rest of the group.
They all went round a bend and it was then that Angela lost sight of them.
"Andy! Pete! Mike! Jess!" she called.
No response.

Angela came to a halt and tried to look around but she couldn't see anything.
She started skiing again and suddenly she felt her skis hit a huge boulder that was hidden under the snow and her body went flying, her backpack landing on her arm.
Angela felt immense pain in her leg and it was then she realised she couldn't move. Maybe she had broken a bone or something.
The pain was excruciating.
Her vision was getting hazy and she could feel her whole body trembling uncontrollably as fear and cold ravaged it. She pulled her scarf tighter around herself.
She managed to drag herself on her stomach to a huge ledge which helped shield some of the snow. But at this rate she knew she wouldn't survive more than a couple of hours in the snow storm.
She called out again but there was no reply. Only the small eerie echo that seemed to taunt and remind her of her dire need to survive.
"Lord, please don't let me die out here," she prayed softly.


Minutes passed, though they seemed like days. The wind bellowed and the giant trees swayed threatening to fall on top of her. The icy coldness stung her fingers and toes, mocking her last bit of sanity.
Each minute that went by was as precious as gold. Except for her breathing, there was no sign of life and hers seemed to ebbing away slowly.

Then she decided to reach for her rucksack so that she could get the chocolate bar she had in there to give her a bit of comfort and strength. As she reached for it, she lost her balance and knocked the the ruck sack from where it had landed.
Angela watched as the rucksack fell down the slope disappearing out of sight, with it, her chocolate, flashlight, bottle of water, map, compass, flares and any hope of her survival.

She couldn't hold back the tears.
Lord that was all I had left...if you're gonna kill me why didn't you at least let me enjoy the chocolate?
Frustration overwhelmed her. She began to wail.
Anyone listening would have thought it was a hyena caught in a trap, in great pain.


After a while the snow fall subsided.
Angela lay in pain waiting. For anything.
A rustling and twig breaking close by.
What was that?
Angela listened closely.
Footsteps.
She wasn't sure whether she was dreaming or if it was real.
She wondered if she should shout? What if it was a bear or some other animal?
Did they even have bears in this part of the world? C'mon focus, this wasn't the time to play Animal Habitats.
Maybe she should keep quiet.
But what if it was someone looking for her.

Grey and Black Boots. She recognised Andy's hiking boots.
"Andy!"
"Angela, thank God you're alright."
"I'm so glad to see you guys. I thought I was gonna die out here. How did you find me?"

"We looked everywhere for you and we couldn't find you and we were about to give up. Then believe it or not, your rucksack fell and landed on Jess. We started walking in the direction the ruck sack had come from and as we approached this area we heard you crying.Thank goodness we found you before it was too late."

Relief swept over Angela and she couldn't help but thank God.
It was then that she realised, that although losing her backpack had seemed like a terrible thing at the time, it was the very thing that God had used to save her life.