Wednesday, December 28, 2011

25 Things About Me


  1. I love fresh flowers.
  2. I hate open cabinets.
  3. I get uncomfortable when people stand too close to me in line.
  4. Guys who are not athletic or musically inclined turn me off.
  5. I totally want to be a stay-at-home mom/housewife (and work from home of course).
  6. I will never get tired of sweet tea or grape kool-aid.
  7. I think Dixies from Fannie Mae are the best candy ever.
  8. I absolutely love Columbus Short but he's way too short for me (ironic, huh).
  9. Blue use to be my fav color, but now it's purple.
  10. Music is my first love.
  11. I never throw away clothes (I either wear them forever, or give them away).
  12. I can't remember the last time I relaxed my hair.
  13. I want a house, a bike, and a boat (in that order).
  14. I like to smile.
  15. I have a HUGE crush.
  16. I have shoes in my shoe closet that I've never worn.
  17. IDK what I'd do without my MacBook Pro and the internet.
  18. I'm a selfish giver.
  19. I'm an introverted homebody AND a people person.
  20. I never get tired of church.
  21. I plan to get a PhD.
  22. I could eat bacon and broccoli with every meal.
  23. I rarely turn down a challenge.
  24. I'm hard to get but easy to keep.
  25. I keep my planner color coordinated - church in purple, BFP business in green, TLG business in blue,  personal in pink, bills in red.
Tell me something about you.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Control Freak

Someone once asked me, "What makes you feel the need to control everything? Why are you always so careful?"


I never responded to this question, but my first thought was that I find a sense of security when I'm in control. I am able to do things the way I like for them to be done, in my own time, and if things go wrong, then I don't have anyone to blame but myself. But when I really think about it, this isn't exactly true. 


There is no safety or security in having full control of myself. And while many interpretations of the Bible use the term "self-control" (ASV, ESV, NIV, NKJV) as a function of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), true safety and security is in being controlled by the Spirit. The KJV of the Bible uses the word "temperance" which is a translation of the word enkrataa [ehn-KRA-ta-yah], which is "the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions" (Strong's G1466). THIS! This is the type of control I would like to have. If I can master my desires and passions to be those things that God would have me desire, I know that the reward will be absolutely amazing.
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)
Now back to the original question, "What makes you feel the need to control everything? Why are you always so careful?" It's a good thing that I didn't answer this question when asked. Because my response would have been something like this: I don't feel the need to always control everything. I just don't trust YOU to control everything."

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Traditionally Dysfunctional

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.


I stumbled across this term a while back while reading a book called "Drive" by Dan Pink (referred to me by @ClarenceStowers of theurbanpastor.com). Immediately I was intrigued. 


Originating from a movement in psychology, functional fixedness is defined as a "mental block against using an object in a new way that is required to solve a problem." This fascinates me because an I meditate on that thought, I can look back in time and think of countless instances in which I've had the solution to a problem right before my eyes, but was so fixed on the traditional use of the object that it left me in a state of brokenness. 


Isn't it amazing how tradition...the handing down of our beliefs and customs...the inheritance of the way we think and act...can constrain us to the point of dysfunction?! We've got to get to the point where we are able to see things beyond what we know them to be. This becomes simple when you have faith, because faith is not believing what you see. Faith is seeing what you believe. When we have faith in God, and see things according to His Word, dysfunction will become disabled and we will be able to live the way God intended for us to live.


Now the just shall live by faith: (Hebrews 10:38a)


Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrew 11:1)


But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)



Wednesday, December 14, 2011

[not] To Do List

"...the most important decisions you make are not the things you do – but the things that you decide not to do.”
John Sculley, former CEO of Apple, as quoted on the Cult of Mac (October 14, 2010)
2011 is vastly coming to an end, and many people are racking their brains in search of the perfect "New Year's Resolution" - one that's not too simple, not to difficult, but one that will probably never be fulfilled. So what's the purpose? In lieu of falling victim to the NYR hype, I've decided to accept inspiration from Mr. Sculley and create a New Year's [not] To-Do list, effective immediately (Inspired by a post from an old post by my Urban Pastor).

  1. DO NOT have a 24hr period of non-productivity unless it's a pre-determined time frame...or unless presented with the opportunity to enjoy some wild spontaneous excursion. *In my Bernie Mac voice* "I'll do it, I swear I will."
  2. DO NOT set out to achieve goals w/out documenting them with clear objectives, a time frame, and a measurable outcome.
  3. DO NOT allow a calendar month to pass without reading a book, cover to cover.

What are some things on your 2012 [not] TO-Do list?

Friday, March 18, 2011

Keep It Real

People use the term "keep it real" all the time, but what does it really mean? Urban Dictionary defines it as:
  • To not be fake. To be yourself. 
  • To not inhibit yourself or pretend to be something you are not. 
  • To not only tell the truth, but specifically get to the point of the actual matter at hand, rather than beating around the bush."
I'm not sure how I feel about this term or about these definitions, but let me tell you the truth about keeping it real.

The Prophet Jeremiah uses the symbol of a tree to represent how we should be, or in other words, he tells us how to keep it real.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:8)
Like this tree, we, too, should send out our roots to look for the water we need, the water of life. If we are willing to be like a tree planted by the water:
  1. We will be able to withstand the heat - Jeremiah says we won't even notice when the heat comes. Some of us have heat in our lives, in our homes, on our jobs, with our health, but if we're like this tree, it won't even phase us.
  2. We will be healthy - Jeremiah says the tree had green leaves. I never lived in the projects, but I did grow up in the hood. You know...where the grass was always brown...? Yeah. Seemed like the rich people always took better care of their grass (smh at our adolescent minds). But if we are like this tree, we won't have to worry about brown grass in our lives, even if we DO live in the hood. We won't even concern ourselves with that "grass is always greener on the other side" because our grass with been green in HD. Our relationships. Green! Our employment. Green!! Our finances. GREEN!!!
  3. We will have eternal harvest - Jeremiah says the tree will never stop producing fruit. Just like that tree, we can live our lives forever producing. We many not produce in the winter. We may not produce in the fall. But seasons change! And our leaf will not wither. We can forever produce joy. Forever produce peace. Forever produce love. Forever produce prosperity!
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
Apple trees bare apples and peach trees bare peaches. You won't get an apple from a peach tree. It just won't happen. Just the same, every good tree bares good fruit, and every bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 7:16-20). Keep it real. What kinda fruit are you baring?

Today I challenge us all to be real; to be ourselves; to be trees that bear good fruit.

Lord, draw our roots to you, the living water, so that we may grow strong and bear good fruit. Amen

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

I'm back again (again)

I'm back agin! Yes, again. The last time I stopped blogging and came back, my goal was to build up my following. And monitoring the number of hits to this page, I had a pretty decent following...quite a few faithful readers. But why should any of you read faithfully if I don't write faithfully?

Tea and Such has told me (more than once, I believe) to WRITE IT DOWN! However time and time again  I don't. But last night I had a convo that lead to a blog that I posted years ago. At the time I couldn't remember when or where I posted the blog, but i was lead to myspace (yes myspace), and found a number of blog posts there. Reading old posts and the responses got me itching to write again. So after I transfer all the myspace posts to this blog, I will be back at it again. so stay tuned.