Becoming Mrs Right...

photo by John and Joseph Photography jkhphoto.com

I came across this picture the other day and it made me reminisce about my wedding. The venue "pinkish" lighting, the spotlights on tables and overall colour theme and decor look quite similar to my wedding except that I had chair covers for mine.

It got me counting down the weeks and days to my 1st wedding anniversary....and as I sit and think about it, sometimes I can't believe that yes... I really am married. (and not just merely married...but happily married) Ahhh it is such a great feeling. :)

My journey to marriage was long...I had to wait for a loooong time for the right guy...And trust me the waiting was horrible, I would be ok with it at times and concentrate on making myself ready, you know doing the whole Proverbs 31 thing, going to singles seminars at church, reading books and listening to all kinds of sermons on how to become the wifey extraordinaire. Then at times I would get frustrated and tired of looking at the horizon for a glimpse of my prince Charming who was nowhere in sight.

After a while I took a look in the mirror and noticed what I think might have been a single grey hair (might have been lack of sleep or a long day at work making me see things of course  :)) but I immediately thought yup I'm ready, God bring the dude over quickly, err like yesterday.
But that wasn't God's plan. I had much more waiting to do and that totally sucked. What made it worse was seeing everyone else around me getting hitched. It was like I lived on the set of Four Weddings or Don't tell the bride. I soon knew those church wedding vows by heart and could have easily conducted the ceremonies myself because I knew the order of service by heart. Kinda sad but true.
There were weddings happening left, right and centre but my role wasn't the one I longed for...but instead I got to merely attend or occasionally be a bridesmaid. Of course I was happy for everyone else but lets just be real here. Three big cheers for everyone else...but I was now feeling that surely it was time for other people to come and bask under the glow of mine great self...and throw a shower for yours truly and watch me waltz down the aisle looking better than Kerry Washington. :)

But the waiting merely continued. And the more I day dreamed about it, the more I wanted it there and then. I fasted, I begged God until I just got to a point where I said ok whenever it happens, it happens. I realised that I had started making marriage an idol, something that my whole life was fixated on.
But as I turned my attention to other things...my job, helping other people in church with this and that, doing Evangelism in church, loving my neighbour and all things good...love knocked on my door and came into my life when I least expected it.... :)
In the end it was all worth it. Yup God brought a fine guy who was more than I had asked and hoped for. And when he proposed and gave me an engagement ring some time after that...it was one of the best days of my life...I literally couldn't sleep. lol

Love is definitely a wonderful thing and it looks like its saturated in the air at the moment.  Whilst on the subject I wanna wish fellow blogger "Blessing" a great time as she gets married soon...
Three of my friends got engaged recently too and four other couples that I know will be getting married in the next three months so yeah, looks like Cupid 's been working overtime.

I have to say though to anyone who's still single, as much as wedding planning is all exciting... I know you're excited about having all your besties in the bridal train in that colour that you've dreamed of forever and you can't wait to get that jaw dropping dress that will have everyone saying Vera who? Don't forget the most important part of the process....yeah in all that hustle and bustle don't overlook preparing for the marriage itself. This is what you'll be left with after all those wine guzzling and chicken eating guests of yours have gone home. :)

Some things which I found useful to do:
1.Talk about your future together and
 - set goals, (long and short term)
 - discuss what you want out of the marriage and your expectations
 - roles of wife and hubby (people have different views on this depending on their background and upbringing...so make sure you are singing from the same song sheet otherwise there will be no sweet music in your home.
 - discuss how you are going to manage your finances, discipline your kids (provided you both want them)
2. And if you are Christians pray together.
My hubby and I did a lot of praying together and planning stuff before we got married and to be honest it has made our marriage very smooth sailing. There aren't any horrible surprises...we know where we are going, we are in agreement and its so cool.
3. We also took time to develop a good friendship before we got married and that surely made a difference because as much as romance and physical attraction is great...you need much more in your marriage if it is to last longer than Kim Kardashian's.
4. The philosophy of no ringy, no thingy... I know some may think that this is more old school than Michael Jackson's "thriller" but God's manual says "don't open your pressies before Christmas". ;-) Enough said!

The picture opposite which I found on the truth about guns site made me laugh and think a bit.
Shotgun weddings are not advisable. (literally and figuratively lol) Don't feel like you have to rush into marriage...marriage is here to stay and I doubt it will be going anywhere anytime soon so if you can please take your time, think it through properly and pray pray pray! I cannot emphasise that enough. By praying you sow deposits that you can draw on later in your marriage.

And when you've done all that you can to prepare for marriage and of course your wedding day...enjoy it and make the most of it because the day goes really quickly. Now I love unique things and always love to push boundaries a bit and I did just that with my wedding, but for crying out loud whatever you do, please do not try this pose at your wedding. Ewwww

Photo courtesy of knot.com

Being Naked...To be or not to be

Photo Frederick M Brown/Getty Images

I love all things girly... you know clothes, shoes, bags, make up, you know the full works. I guess you could say I have that inner diva thing going on. 
I remember saving up big time just before my last visit to the US. Even though we have an array of clothes shops here in England, shopping in the US brings a new element of excitement for me.
I was excited and eager to get to the malls and head to Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, JCPenney, Dillard's etc in the hope of landing some great stuff. Glad to say I wasn't disappointed. I returned home with suit cases laden with dresses,  tops, jeans, jewellery and shoes of all colours and shapes.

I appreciate fine clothes on people but as the years have gone by, I have been gobsmacked by the way people have become bolder in their dressing and developed a "flaunt it if you've got it" or "show and shake what your mama gave you" attitude as far as outfits are concerned. 
Yes including some sisters in da Lord...
Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course but as far as I am concerned Meagan Good's dress (if we can even call it that) at the BET awards (above) was in my opinion inappropriate for a Preacher's wife and a Christian. 
What kind of message is she giving young people in their church? As for her hubby..some things are meant to be for his eyes only...as a preacher he should keep his wife in check...Preach to your wife brother...as for you Meagan girl...don't get me started now...

Google Images

On the other hand the story about the Kumuyi bride (opposite) from Deeper Life church (Jamaica) who was suspended together with her husband from church swings the modesty thing to the other extreme. Her dress was deemed inappropriate for church standards as it had short chiffon sleeves. Also her wearing of jewellery and apparently lipstick was offending to many. What lipstick? As for the dress, my grandma would probably have worn a more modern dress than the dress she wore. I'm not sure why they said it wasn't modest, it covered everything and a big bag of chips. As for the red lipstick they scolded her for...I can't even see any sign of the offensive red stuff on her lips, I mean c'mon people....I think this is taking things way out proportion.
Now what you do with your clothes is your prerogative but if you say you're a child of God then what you wear is God's business.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy a habit and dress like a nun or wear sack cloths...no way. You can still be trendy and look stunning without making all the men go through red traffic lights whilst staring at you as they drive past...

Here's a few tips I would give for any woman of God to keep in mind when buying or dressing up for work or the odd shin dig.

Photos courtesy L-R: Getty, Pearl River, ImaxTREE

1. Just because some top model wore it on the catwalk doesn't necessarily mean it's right for u to wear it. Some fashion statements should be ignored and I think the "Ghana must go" style opposite is one of them. lol

2. If it looks as tight as the Incredible Hulk's clothes just before they rip...u probably have no business wearing it. #justsaying

3.If the outfit looks like the tailor ran out of material before they finished making it, it probably ain't right for you to wear.

4. If the neckline of your dress or top plunges so much that thine twin peaks and grand canyon can be viewed from anywhere in the world (like Meagan's above) , then maybe sister girl you need to rethink the situation.

5. It may be hard to do the right thing in a world that makes it seem ok to do anything you please, but we can do all things through Christ. #pursueholiness  

I ain't tryna tell you how to dress but I'm telling you to  listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and you will get a revelation about what's cool to rock as a child of God. We should remember thats it is possible to dress modestly and still look stunning.

Having said that...the sun is out in most places now...go out there and get yourself spruced up for summer. Stripes and Floral are in this season so if you get a top, skirt, dress or bag in those, you will be counted amongst those in the know. :)
A dash of colour is always stunning in summer. Here is my colour of choice...mustard yellow, rocked in the picture by Vogue cover girl, Louis Vuitton model and my fellow country girl Nyasha Matonhodze. U go girl! 
So as we dress in our summer outfits...remember if you dress like a lady, more often than not, you will be treated like a lady. 
So ladies lets go out there and stun 'em :)

Elie Saab 2012

I love it all (oh yes I do!)

While trawling through Facebook the other day, I came across a meal of frogs' legs that had been prepared with a lottta TLC. I mean this woman had spared no spice, herb or garnish in making sure that this dish came out looking, as the French who are well known for eating the dish would say, “formidable.”

 Now being somewhat of an adventurous foodie myself  (yes I have eaten a bit of crocodile and snail in the past…lol) I didn’t sneer or screw my face at the mere idea of eating frogs legs. No…I just thought, wow... good for you girl. 

However it was the comments that people made about this post that I found interesting. Some merely voiced their “disgust” by commenting eeeewwww. Others slightly curious asked what the taste was like. Others said they wouldn’t mind trying it as long as they were told what it was after they had finished the meal. And of course others were keen to try this seemingly unpopular dish amongst “people of colour”. 

Someone then raised the point that people should only stick to eating what God had given us to eat. Which brings me to ask….has God said that there are specific foods that we should eat and not others? I have heard some vegetarians say that God never told us to eat meat, and they quote Genesis and say of all this fruit and seeds you shall eat. However as much as I think that a fruit and vegetable diet has some substantial health benefits, I don’t think that the bible forbids the eating of meat at all.

After the flood in Genesis 9:3 God says, “You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”  Now in Old testament times, the law cited some meats were clean and others were unclean but the new covenant in Christ, all meats were declared clean. Even in Romans 14 Paul talks of eating everything including meat to the Lord, giving thanks to God. 

Having cleared that up, I will continue to enjoy everything God has given us to enjoy…yeah "all things bright and beautiful" ... chicken, fish and the occasional red meat. I think its great that some people out there choose to eat only plants and seeds…kudos for that…but don’t turn around and judge us folk who love us some juicy, spiced, tender steak. Yeah let us be...afterall you aint the boss of me! (told ya..lol)

I have been busy in my kitchen, as a young wife, making sure that my hubby dearest is well fed. And my hubby on the other hand has also been making sure that I'm well fed...these are some of the dishes he created over the past few days that awakened the senses and tantalised every tastebud beyond comprehension...top is a pasta and chicken dish with veg, middle is grilled seabass and seasoned mash with veg, and bottom is bulgur wheat and chicken with salad.
Indeed after eating all this I realised just how fortunate I was to have an amazing husband who loves me so much and isn't afraid to take charge in a kitchen spoil me with all sorts of tasty dishes. Its gonna be dinner time soon and judging from the aroma coming from the kitchen...I'm in for a treat...so I'm off and Bon Appetit!  

Don't Play with a Dirty Diaper...

"Did you take the £30 pounds that was on the counter?" the manager asked me at work.
"No," I say as I  push the money deeper into my pocket.

"Be careful of that woman, she's finer than wine but her goal is to wreck your marriage," Pastor said.
"I would never do that. Besides I'm not interested in her type," I say as I hide the condom deeper into my pocket.

"Drugs are no good for you, they''ll mess up your life," the youth counsellor warned.
"I've never taken one all my life," I say as I push the pack filled with white substance deeper into my pocket.

"You need to listen to your parents and respect their wishes,"my aunt said.
I've stopped going out late and hanging with the street gangs, I say as I hide the knife deeper into my pocket.

"You know its not good to talk and gossip about people behind their back," my friend said to me.
" Oh you know I wouldn't do that," even though a few minutes prior to that, I'd pressed send on my Whatsapp telling my peeps the latest juicy piece of news I'd just heard, just before I carefully pushed the phone deep into my pocket.

Why do they sweat me?  I have no sin.

Its only a bit of fun.

But wait...whats that nagging thought?

I need to be true to myself, I need to gaze deep within,

and see myself for who I really am.

I can't pretend anymore, as much as I want to

I look in the mirror and suddenly I see it.

Sin.

It covers my withering body, dark and filthy.
Resembling scum and smelly manure.
It has smeared it's very essence all over my being,
Covering me from head to toe,
I resemble a toddler playing with a dirty diaper.


Why do I do this?

How do I get out of this?

Is there any hope for me?

Yes.

There is a better way,

But only I can allow this change.

Let me allow Him who can transform me, to finish the work, perfect the work that He has begun

To transform me, mould me

Until like Rihanna said, I begin to "shine like a diamond in the sky."

Exposed!

Everywhere around him, people were yelling in pain.
"Help me!" a woman screeched.
A few bodies lay strewn on the side of the road. Not moving.
Somewhere in the bushes, someone was groaning.
Sam had to get out.
The teenage rugged boy put his hand on the rusty metal bar as he tried to climb the high iron fence, not knowing that the top of the fence was secured by an electric wire.
"Get down from there," a woman called, "are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's an electric wire at the top all the way round the enclosure. It will kill you as soon as you touch it."
"I guess its the same thing then. We are all going to die in here anyway aren't we?"
"You don't know that, don't give up hope. Besides even if you got over the fence how will you get over the water? Don't do it son, keep the hope alive."
"A fat lot of good, hope has done for us. I'm tired of sitting here waiting doing nothing. Just waiting to die. Everyone talks about how the ancient books mention someone coming to rescue us. Well where is that person? Huh answer me?"
The woman just stared, she didn't have the answer to the boy's question.

What hope was there? As the sun's ruddy glow signalled its setting, the old woman thought about the disease. No one was really sure how it had all started. Some said a man who lived on the east side of the island had eaten a certain fruit which was poisonous. Now the fruit caused some chemical reaction in his body and he had passed it onto his wife, who had then passed it on to her sister. And now everyone on the island had fallen prey to this this horrible disease which was now ravaging their bodies and slowly consuming them. When the authorities had found out, they had all been locked down in this place for fear that the disease would spread further afield. Now they were alone, left to die.

In the still of the night she heard a shout. "The great gate is opening!"
People staggered to the main square. Some limped, their ailing bodies weighing them down, some crawled to see if it was really true.
And yes it was...the Great Gate which had been shut down years ago making them outcasts, was opening. Everyone waited to see what would happen. They couldn't believe it. Maybe someone was letting them out to join the rest of the world.
Some people started moving towards the gate with the intention of running out...but a loud voice warned, "Stand back or we will shoot!"
Almost everyone stood in their tracks. Except one man who was so desperate to get out, he continued running out only to be met by a whizzing small piece of metal which pierced one end of his body and came out on the other side of his chest. He immediately flopped down to the ground like a rag doll.

Suddenly a man walked in slowly carrying a big box. He didn't have a bio suit or those thick glass masks like those men who had locked them up years ago. No he came just as he was. In a plain white trousers and shirt.
"I can save you," he said. He took a big bowl and started mixing some water with leaves from one of the tree branches. Then he took some type of soil from a nearby tree, then mixed it together with some other liquid. Some people started walking towards him and he gave them a drink from the bowl. They drank quickly so much so that some of the liquid exited their mouth on the sides dripping down their bony cheeks. They expected some big change but nothing happened. Some laughed, mocked and turned away grumbling about the man wasting their time and waking them from their sleep. Others couldn't stomach the idea of drinking the strange looking cure made from all sorts of things. They turned their backs and went back to their misfortune of waiting for the end to come upon them.
"Please trust me. Believe in me. I can save you," the man beckoned again.
A few more walked towards the man and took a drink from his cup, hoping that his words of a cure could possibly be true. Sam and the old woman edged towards the man in white and drank some of his weird tasting drink.

The man stayed with them, helping those who were sick cooking meals for them, carrying their crops from the fields. He helped chop wood with some of the stronger men who were building homes. Then he also taught and helped the little boys to fish. A few weeks later the man started showing symptoms of the disease. He had been exposed to the disease and now he was contaminated. And the disease was eating him away quicker than anyone had ever seen.
"Why don't you drink the cure and save yourself?"
"It has to be this way," the man said as he lay dying.
"But why?" a woman asked tears running down her cheeks as she watched him in pain.
"You don't understand now but some day you will."
By sunset he was dead.
A few cried that such a kind young man had gone so quickly. But soon after his death, something strange started happening. Health started coming to the bodies of all that had drank the cure. Their wounds and sores started to heal, their chests began to clear. The pain began to disappear.
The man had been telling the truth. He had brought them the cure for their disease. He had come to help them. But in doing so, it had cost him his life.

                                                                       ~~~~~

This story was inspired by the following scripture:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NIV

Great things are happening....

Hey people...

Hope everyone had a good Easter holiday. I know I did... :)
I just thought I would share two amazing testimonies that I heard recently...

Now I know that we are all at different places in our lives...some of us are studying, some are working. Some are looking for love and some have found love and (hopefully) enjoying great marriages but I hope that this testimony will still bless y'all.
Recently a 40 something year old lady who had been holding onto God, believing for a husband was rewarded for her patience. Now we all know that as the years roll by it gets harder and harder to find any fine boys to get with. This lady (lets call her Miss Waiting on God aka Miss WOG) said she didn't want a guy with any baggage. She prayed that she would find someone who wasn't a widower or divorcee and believed that God would give her a husband who had never married and didn't have any children. (Now there is nothing wrong with a guy if he has kids etc ... I guess its just a matter of preference) Well after 1 or 2 Ishmaels God finally brought Mr Right along her path. They met, went on a couple of dates, started hanging out and lo and behold they are now happily married. All I can say is God is never too late...

Another couple had been trying for 19 years to have a baby without any joy. They tried everything including various medical treatments including IVF but nothing happened. It was hard over the years seeing people walking around them with their bundles of joy...but they believed God and hoped that one day they would hold their own baby. True to His word, just as He did with Hannah, God blessed them with a beautiful baby after 19 years of trying....wow. Indeed God makes all things beautiful in their time. Ecc 3:11

So whatever you are praying for...know that delay is not necessarily denial...maybe the timing is just not right. I pray and hope that your heart's desire will come to pass quicker than I can say "I love shoes!"

How did I get here?

I love the Big Bang Theory sitcom. Sheldon is hilarious...and as for Amy well...she's the queen of the Geeks. The question remains however, will we ever see Howard's mum or will she always remain a voice in the "wind"?

 

Despite loving this show, I have to say the whole Big Bang theory itself defies logic. The very idea that a big bang aka explosion of nothing created everything we see and touch in this world is utterly preposterous. Yeah I've heard of Darwin and all those other fellas whose idea that we all came from apes is somewhat laughable. Maybe they did, but I only have to look at myself in the mirror to know that I surely didn't. 

I mean you only have to take a look at the human body to know that this is a great design made by a great designer. Forget Louis Vutton. He ain't got nothing on the designer who made the great thinking system-our brain, the respiratory system, the digestive system and all the other intricate processes that make up our wonderful body. Heck the reproductive system was thought out with the greatest attention to detail. It's amazing how everything seems to just fit into place (no pun intended) everything doing what it needs to do...each tissue, each cell functioning in just the right way to keep it all going. 

 

Babies can survive in a womb for nine months and then miraculously get expelled out of the body at just the right time...

All the different ecosystems amazing by their very nature. 

The seas and oceans crushing their waves show his majestic power at work. 

Is this all a result of a big bang? You can say or think whatever you like but in my heart I believe every creation has a creator...

There are many more bangs and explosions that have taken place, why have they not evolved into other marvellous planets or things?

Now I don't know a lot about science and I wont pretend that I do but when I consider all the works thy hands have made, I can't help but say "My God how great thou art!"

Get crazy...

Sometime last year whilst on holiday with my husband, God taught us an interesting truth about how faith works. One night we were walking to our room after a day's outing when my husband pointed out something that I hadn't noticed before.
On arriving on our floor we realised that it was dark but as we stepped out of the lift into the corridor the lights closest to the lift lit up. As we proceeded to walk along the corridor towards our room, the other lights along the corridor continued to light up one after the other as we took each step and drew closer to them. My husband then said to me, "Wow, its an amazing illustration of our faith walk with God. He gives us just enough light and information to take one step, then as we obey and start to move...he lights up the way to enable us to take a few more steps."

As I marvelled at this illustration I though about how true this was. God usually never lets us see the rest of the path, He shows us a little at a time so that we can trust in him and maintain our faith as he leads us in the way we should go. This is true in so many areas of our walk with God. He will often instruct us to do something...become a missionary, open a business, write a book, compose a song, open an orphanage. Often starting and doing these things can at times feel intimidating. These things may at times seem beyond our reach and an impossible task due to financial or physical constraints. However as we start to move  and walk in obedience to the instruction, often we will start to see God's provision. Nothing will happen until, like Peter, you step out of the boat. Its in stepping out and activating your faith, that God will be drawn into the situation to start performing a miracle for you.

I remember a testimony shared a few years ago by a woman in our church who hadn't been able to have a child for almost 10 years. Then someone told her that she should go and buy baby clothes and start believing God for a child. It sounded crazy of course. How can you buy baby clothes when you are not even pregnant?
Remember the definition of faith in the bible....
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
That means faith throws all logic and reasoning out of the window. You cant have faith and still try and figure it all out.
The woman who wanted a child decided to exercise this kind of crazy faith and lo and behold, God was moved by her faith and a year later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
If God could do the impossible for her, He is not a respecter of persons and can do the same for you.
 The bible also says that, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

Over the years I have watched God answer every prayer request I made. Some things took years, others just days but in all I can stand and say I have seen the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living.
God's grace is always sufficient for where we are and as we obey Him and move, He will move with us and His word will continually be a lamp unto our feet.
So as He instructs, pray and then move! :)

Awesome year.....Married and all...Say What...?

Hello Folks!

I am not going to even try and make any excuses regarding my long absence from this blog... *hides in shame* but can only hope that this year, writing will take precedence or at least a decent portion in my very busy life. *sigh*
Thank you so much to all the people that sent messages or asked after me, its so thoughtful of you and I really really appreciate all your lovely messages.

So much has happened but of course I think its right to start by thanking God for the new year. I believe that 2013 has so many wonderful things in store for us....It has been prophesied as the Year of Mighty Manifestations. I'll say a big Amen to that...do receive that word and expect God to show up in a mighty way in different areas of your life.

2012 was an awesome here for me...I'm so thankful to God for his continued love and favour throughout.
1.I had a challenging but fun job which enabled me to learn so many interesting things about myself and about life in general.
2.Several of my married friends were blessed with babies whilst some got engaged. :)
3.I also attended the London Olympics and what an amazing time we had. The city was just buzzing with excitement...

4.I also got the opportunity to travel to 6 different countries on holiday ...yeah I have enough suntan to last me a long time...lol These are some pictures from some of the places that I visited in 2012. The common denominator in all those places was the sun....

5. So many other great things happened but the biggest and best part of it was that I married my best friend and the love of my life...yay!!!
And so Gospel Girl is more or less Gospel Wife now or Gospel Woman...lol
That in itself is a testimony and a bit, (which if God permits) I will share with you another time. But yeah God is so faithfully and He does give us the desires of our hearts in His time.


And so as I start 2013...it is a time of New Beginnings...I look forward to working towards the new goals I've set and reaching towards them this year. I am confident that the God who has started this good work in me will complete it. And I urge you to strive for your dreams in 2013. Go for it...as they say, you have to be in it..to win it. Happy New Year :)

Perfection on its way...

So I guess if you used to visit this blog often in the past...you were probably wondering where I disappeared to? Well I have been extremely busy and going through a lot of changes in my life, hence I didn't have any time to come onto Blogger. But I thought hey, let me pull out my laptop today and give a shout out to all my peeps... :)

Also I resurfaced today so that everyone would know that despite my silence I'm still here. I am truly grateful to God because this year has been an awesome year and God has shown himself to be faithful in so many ways even when I haven't been faithful myself. He's shown me in so many ways...big and small that He has His eye on me. Like the other day I needed to pay for something which was going to cost a lot of money...God gave me favour with the person and they almost gave it to me for almost half the price.

 And then last month whilst I was visiting Spain...I left my mobile phone on a seat in the hotel lobby and went upstairs to rest in my room. Half an hour later I realised my iPhone was missing and I rushed downstairs to the lobby. It wasn't on the seat or anywhere near were I had been sitting. I went to enquire at the Reception about it and the man handed me back my phone...apparently someone had handed it in. The phone was perfectly ok, it hadn't been tempered with. I know that was God's favour that a mysterious good Samaritan had handed it in..afterall they could have made a good £400 or so bucks with that phone. I could go on and on about the little things God has been doing to show His goodness...He's so amazing. :)

I am especially excited because although I was a bit anxious about a few things going on at the moment...when I prayed I felt a strong peace come over me and God gave me a word that..."He will perfect everything which concerns me." Psalm 138:8

So as I dash off, I wanna leave you with that thought...what ever is happening in your life...get alone with God...spend time with Him and let Him speak to you about your situation. Then watch Him as..."He perfects everything that concerns you."

xoxo Gospel Girl

Walking into a new beginning ...

I guess I have always known the scripture that says God is an ever present help in the time of trouble but sometimes scriptures don't mean much to you until you actually experience something where you have to apply the scripture by faith.
As some of you may have noticed, I haven't been on blogger for a while and part of the reason is because I started a new job which is probably one of the most difficult jobs I have ever had. When I first started the job I was very grateful that I had a well paying job but at the same time I found it so hard. On some occassions on Sunday night I dreaded Monday because I knew that I have to go back to work the following day. Then come Mon to Fri, half the time when I got back from work I was so tired, I spent most of my free time sleeping. So you may be wondering why I didn't leave? Well as much as I found it difficult, I believe that God ordered my steps to end up in that job. I prayed and fasted after the interview and also before accepting the job and I felt that God wanted me to take it. So I kept asking myself, why I am getting so stressed with this job then?

I prayed and then realised a few things.
God wanted me to have this job because, with other jobs I could do things in my own strength but with this one I have to rely fully on Him to be able to get through each day.
#Lesson learnt: Trusting and relying on God

In order to get my peace back, I had to pray for God to help me not get stressed out with work and have peace in my heart no matter how difficult things were. So in the process I got to know God as Jehovah Shalom #Lesson learnt: Knowing God for who He is

Just because something is God's will for my life doesn't mean that it will always be a smooth sailing ride and not face any obstacles. Challenges will come, but when they do He will be there to walk us through them. Jesus said in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

So my job may not be the best job in the world or the most stress free, but glory be to God things have gotten so much better over the last few months and I pray that as I continue to rely on God, His grace will continue to carry me and enable me to do this job and bring glory to His name.

So 2011 is gone and we're starting a new chapter in our lives...
This year I have resolved to make this an exceptional year...with God on my side I know that the sky is the limit....

I am so grateful because God answered so many of my prayers in 2011 but there are still some unresloved issues. One particular unresloved issue seems to me a bit like Hannah's issue in 1 Samuel which had persisted for many years. But even though God chose not to give it to me in 2011, I praise Him with all my heart. I stand and speak of the faithfulness of God. He is a good God, He is mighty, powerful and all knowing. And I believe He knows best and will certainly give it to me in His own time.
I want to encourage you not to lose heart my friends, maybe you also have things you believed God for in 2011 and it seems like He may have forgotten you or disspointed you. Do not lose heart, He is an awesome, loving God who knows what He is doing. Keep loving, believing and serving Him and watch how He will cause you to rise and bring you into your promised land at the appointed time.

Happy New Year and may 2012 bring God's best into your life. xoxo

P.S I haven't been blogging or doing blog rounds for a long time but I will hopefully get back into it soon. :)

Supersize my House and my Car

Hie, welcome to all the new followers and thanx for all those peeps who left lovely birthday wishes. Also thanx to Missy Tee for awarding a blog award to me. I will be doing some rounds when I get a chance but in the meantime please watch this short 2 minute video. I couldn't get it out of my mind and I knew I had to talk about it....

I read the following quote by Joyce Meyer this morning and it echoed what I was feeling in my heart. "It is impossible for you to be happy if you don’t get yourself off your mind and start reaching out to help someone else."

If you watched the video I'm sure you were just as touched as I was by what this amazing guy is doing to change lives. He is indeed a true hero! He might not be wealthy like Bill Gates, or an eloquent speaker like Obama or a big tech inventor like Steve Jobs but we should celebrate people like him because they are making a difference which will count in eternity.

I think this should be an inspiration for us Christians that this is what Christ meant when He said we should love our neighbour. Being a follower of Christ is far more than happy clapping in church and waiting for a miracle to turn you into a millionaire. It is about being Christ like and having the mind of Christ and that means bettering the lives of others.
I think it should also remind us to be grateful for every little thing we have. Instead of getting upset that we didn't get a promotion at work we should be thanking God that we have a job. Instead of getting annoyed with life for not giving us a mansion, we should be thanking God that we do have a roof over our head. For a moment, forget the big expensive car which costs as much as another person's house, the 200 inch TV or the PRADA wardrobe and think about the people living in some country across the world who cannot even get a few crumbs of bread to eat. If we are never satisfied and complain and talk about God not meeting our needs (or should I say greeds), what would those people say if they heard us.

Now back to the issue of giving, I think most of us are ok with giving a little here and there as long as it doesn't inconvenience us too much and we can sit in the comfort of our own homes and not be directly affected by whats going on in the world. Now I'm not saying that we should all quit our jobs and start doing what this guy is doing but I'm sure we can always do more than what we are currently doing.
For a minute just ask yourself: Are you actively helping anyone or any organisation in the world (other than your own family) ? Are you giving money, time or anything to help a charity or organisation involved in bettering the lives of people?

If not pray and ask God how you can get involved and be a blessing to other people. The bible says in James 2:14-17 that if you see your brother or sister struggling and you do nothing when you are in a position to help them then your faith is useless because faith without works is dead by itself. 1 Corinthians 13: 2b says that "...if I have all the faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing." We can make a difference, as one dear friend said, "one little pebble thrown into a lake causes a ripple much larger than itself."
If each of us could play a part, together as a whole, we would definitely change the world, one person at a time.

xoxo

Wrinkle Free and Feeling like a million dollars : Birthday Delight

So its been like forever since I've been on Blogsville, thanx to those that asked after me, errr... to those that meant to enquire about my well being but never got round to it...well ...*waving my pointy finger at you* that's something for another blogpost...lol

There have been a lot of changes in my life, which I will possibly be sharing with you in the future. Stuff happening and it seems there is hardly anytime for social media and blogging in general....I hope to make a strong comeback once the dust settles..... but today I just came here to celebrate my birthday with you. Yessssss, another birthday has rolled around and I am loving it big time. The txts and facebook messages have been rolling in since midnight and my friends and family have been making me feel so special and it's only 6:45 am ...(yup was so excited I could barely sleep)

Anyway It's certainly good to be 18 again after all these years ... :) I feel so alive and energetic I could run around the world in 80 minutes...*errr I wish*

So I have a few things I'm eyeing and hoping to get for my birthday (including a new car, some exercising Wii games, A year's membership to a reputable hair salon to keep me going in Brazillian Hair...lol, the wish list is a mile long...he he he), hopefully people around me will be "spirit led" and get them for me. I thank God for another year and I know today will be a good one as I am spending it with the people I love.

So as I run off to spruce myself up and diva-fy this chic here...., I just wanna say, take care guys, I miss you all. Remember to love and appreciate the people around you as much as you can. Spread the love and God bless. Here's to many great years ahead....

You know you love me .... :)

xoxo

The Girl in Purple Heels Part 3

This is the third part of the "Girl in Purple Heels". If you havent read the other two parts you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 before reading this one. Please feel free to give me your feedback on any aspect of the story, characters, plot, etc Like I said before last year people suggested/asked me to make it a full length story/book and I have some ideas about that but I'd like to know what you guys think as well.

And so the saga continues.....

The Girl in Purple Heels Part 3 

I sat up in my bed and put my head in my palms. I was sweating badly now and my heart was racing furiously. I wanted to see her so much but it would be going against everything I stood for.

And in that instant I decided.

"Look Lylah I don't know what you have on your mind but whatever it is, I'm not going to be a part of it. I have come too far to let a few minutes a pleasure pull me down. The bible clearly tells us how unmarried people should conduct themselves in matters like this. I firmly believe that sex should be reserved for marriage. I really like you but I can’t come over."

"The bible is outdated, this 2010 for crying out loud."

"Lylah this is a non negotiable issue for me."

"Suit yourself," she said, "Goodnight." And she hung up.

Gosh what was wrong with this woman? The dream girl that I had fallen for was turning out to be a different person whose values I wasn't particularly thrilled about. For a few minutes I couldn't think straight, I wondered whether to call her back and talk things over but something told me to leave it for now. I needed to speak to someone about my relationship, someone who could give me an objective view of things. I finally went to bed an hour later after resolving that first thing in the morning I would call my long lost friend... Isaac.

"You know what your problem is Solomon, you fall in love too quick and too deep," Isaac said as he furiously punched buttons on his PS3 console, "What you need to do at the start of the relationship is to take things slow." I had gone over to Isaac's place after work to get some friendly advice. As we sat there playing Street Fighter I couldn't help but realise how much I had missed hanging out with my boy, playing games and eating Dominoes pizza.

"So what are you saying man? Stop speaking in riddles like an old man," I replied as I thumped on his fighter with a double kick.

"K.O" the game announced as Isaac knocked me over in a ridiculous knock out.

"Yesssss!" he said grinning over his victory, "Hey I wouldn't be so cheeky if I were you after all you're getting first class counselling for free so don't complain. Now like I was saying man, you rushed into this without getting to know this girl and now you're beginning to see the real her and it sounds to me like it's not what you were looking for is it?"

"She's not exactly how I imagined her to be but get this she's not that bad infact..."

"No buts! Gosh you're more love sick than I thought. Look in a relationship the person is supposed to add to you, how has she done that over the last three months? She tried to seduce you and she doesn't stand for the things you do. You said so yourself so why are you still finding it hard to admit that she aint good for you and just let go."

"You wouldn't understand. It’s not that easy."

"Oh yeah try me?"

"It's complicated; let’s just focus on the game for now."

I knew he was right; Lylah was just as good to me as kryptonite was to Superman. What's a man in love to do?

As I turned back to the TV screen I could see Isaac shaking his head and I didn't blame him I was sinking faster than the Titanic...

I had not heard from Lylah since her midnight call two days before, so I decided to call her the following evening. She didn't pick up so I decided to go over to her place so that we could talk about everything. I didn't like the way things were going and if things didn't change I couldn’t go on like this. I was gonna lay it all out on the table and hear what she had to say.

As I rang the bell I wondered whether to start by saying sorry for brushing her off and not calling. But then again she was in the wrong so technically she should have called me, to apologise.

The door swung open to reveal a slim tall guy. 

"Is Lylah here?"

"Yeah and who are you?"

"I'm her boyfriend, and who are you?"

"I'm her ex, dude how come I'm the one in the house and you're the one standing outside the door. This is some twisted role reversal huh?" he asked with a wry smile.

I disliked his type, the ones who thought they were wise cracks.

"If you're her ex, what are you doing here?"

 "Hey brother, what’s a man to do? Your girlfriend called me in the middle of the night asking me to come over."

"I think you should leave. Lylah and I need to talk."

“Anything you wanna say to her, you can say to me.”

"Jay, who is it?" Lylah called out from the kitchen.

"It's your so called man."

Lylah was out of the kitchen faster than a rocket.

"Solomon, what are you doing here?"

"Lylah what’s going on? Who's this guy?"

"Solomon it's not what you think...Jay doesn't mean anything to me. He's just my ex."

"Oh so now I'm just your ex huh? So is he the father then?"

"What is he talking about?" I asked turning from Jay to Lylah.

Lylah was quite for a few seconds which to me felt like eternity.

"Lylah, I said what the heck is going on?"

"I'm pregnant." It came out almost like a whisper. For a moment I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.

"What? How?" I asked feeling tiny sweat beads developing on my brow. 

And then it dawned on me. The jigsaw pieces began to come together. The whole time she had probably been seeing her ex behind my back. I felt my knees beginning to give in and I staggered to a nearby chair. The room seemed to be spinning frantically and I felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Surely this couldn’t be happening to me.

“Solomon I’m sorry. Please say something...”

 I didn’t know what to say. I could now feel that thin line between love and hate that people often talked about. I wanted to grab her and shake her so hard until she begged for mercy. I wanted to cause her intense pain like she had done to me but I restrained myself. She wasn’t worth all that trouble.

I only had one more question to ask and then that would be it.

"Lylah did your gran die last week?"

Jay who had been listening to our exchange with interest began laughing.

"Delylah...you killed your grandmother again. You're pathetic. Dude she goes around pulling that lie every time she needs some sympathy. This girl's gran died six years ago."

I stared at them both in disbelief. It had all been a lie.

"...and is your name really Delylah?"

"Yeah that’s my full name," she said quietly.

A part of me wanted to lash out at her and tell her exactly what I thought of her but as I looked at her I felt sorry for her. She was so lost and she didn't even seem to realise it.

I looked at her for a few seconds, puzzled that the beauty that I had once seen seemed to have somehow diminished. She had no substance- it was like looking into an empty glass case, there was nothing there.

“Solomon I can explain...”she began to say but I didn’t want to hear it.

"Lylah, or should I say Delylah.... spare me the soap drama. I guess it goes without saying that it’s over between us, I hope someday you'll find real love in Jesus because He's the one man who can help you transform your life and enable you to love someone else sincerely."

And with those words I walked away from my Girl in Purple Heels.

The End.

© 2010 Gospel Girl