Beginning To Learn The True Meaning of the Word "Awesome"

The devotion from this morning has me thinking and thinking hard, what is really awesome. I myself have used this word to describe different things. I know I have used this word to describe the web, tech gadgets. I have used this word to describe places I have visited, (Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee comes to mind) but what may be awesome to me maybe mediocre to someone else.

The older I get I am beginning to use words very carefully. I have always tried to watch what I say because I try to think ahead because as one very mature Christian gentlemen told me before I was married, "Choose your words carefully because once they come out of your mouth you can't pull them back in." I try and take the wisdom to heart each and every day. I am beginning to realize the when thinking of the goodness, the patience, the intelligence of my Lord and Savior you can not describe God any other way but awesome.

• To know that even before creating Adam and Eve you were going to have to send your Son to take our place on the cross because you knew that by giving us free will we were going to fall from your grace is awesome.

• To be so forgiving toward me and sustain my life for some 42 years is awesome. Most black men in this day and age hope and pray they make it past the age of 25.

• To know that I would be brought up in church, fall by the wayside and walk away from You and find my way back to You after 15 years and not turn me over to Satan while out in the "streets" is awesome.

• To keep loving me even when I cursed Your name time and time again before coming back to You is awesome.

So many other things when I sit back and just think of His grace, His mercy is truly remarkable. Last night as I was driving home I looked up at the sky and saw a beautiful full moon and I got to thinking how God positions the planets in our solar system. If the moon were to be position just slightly from the earth that would devastate life here on Earth. How God has tilted the Earth and the Earth's distance from the Sun and how the speed of the rotation around the sun gives us our days, our seasons is truly awesome. I can't even fathom that God knows my moves before I do, to know that when make an mistake He is there to let me know He forgives me and to keep moving forward and to love me "just because" is truly awesome.

I may use the word awesome for some things but the older I grow the more I'm learning what the word "awesome" truly means. Waking up and being able to give thanks to Him one more day is awesome.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and Have a Wonderful Weekend.


"He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

~proverbs 28:13

*If you get a chance this weekend check out these very insightful messages on Pride and Envy.

Devotion and Reflection for Today

One thing I love about the Bible is that it is not a fairly tale book. The Bible doesn't use perfect people and God shows their flaws and all. Some of the heroes of the Bible lives are cut short because of their own choices, (Samson comes to mind). But what if you have done every thing God has told you to do? When you are tithing and bills come out of nowhere do you stop tithing? How about if you have a co-worker or supervisor that for no reason just keep giving you a hard time and you are there on time, you mind your own business do you stop being the model employee? If you are married to a unbeliever and now matter how much you pray do you just stop praying for that spouse?

No, No and No.

It may be easy to say "No" now but when you are going through that storm and you read post like this you say to yourself, *Hump* "Easy for you to say mister, you don't know how long I have been going through this mess." I'm not going to lie no it's not easy, it's very hard to keep our mind on God when you are going through your valley. King David felt this way many times, some grief was brought on "just because" and some grief was brought on because of the choices he made as being a neglectful. This is where I come back to the Bible. In Matthew Jesus advises people who choose to follow Him; the road will be tough, it will not be easy, many times you are going to be that lone voice of reason at times whether if you are at work or at home, with co-workers, with family members, you will be the "the odd person out" at times.

As I wrote yesterday I was that odd person out so to speak. I was not attractive (not saying that I am now...just average but my wife loves me...that should count, right?), I stuttered really bad, I was molested as a child by a relative, it seems like a had a crush on a girl every other month and to no prevail never really dated, never really had a close relationship with my mother. All of these things I could have just walked around with a chip on my shoulder and been angry at the world and at times this is what I did but at sometime in my life I took a very hard look at myself and said, "who is the really hurting, the people who have wronged me or myself ?"

Sometimes it's hard to look within and be totally honest with yourself. Some of the things that happened to me was not my fault but some situations I brought on myself and that is when I realized that no matter what I have been through God has been with me. When I was stumbling and stuttering God was with me...He taught me who to listen to and how to control my stuttering, to be patient with people who have difficulty speaking (this is why I am in pursuit of a Mass Communication Degree). When I was taking advantage of as a child God was with me...he taught me to show love toward my grandchildren and niece because sometimes children just need to know that you love them for who they are even when there make mistakes. When I did not date all through high school and felt all alone...God was with me because many of the guys I thought was cool and had it all together, most fell by the wayside either to drugs or had 2-3 children out of wedlock and is paying child support to no end.

Those so called "thorns" in my side was God growing me, showing me that through your lonely nights it was not easy, it will not be easy but I will never leave you, never. He has taught me when situation are going really bad to still look within and ask the tough questions to myself and to be honest with myself before I go pointing the fingers at others. I know now that following God is a very tough road but when you see others stumbling you can come besides them and let them know it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to get angry sometimes, you're human, you are not perfect and that you Lord has not left you. I will make mistakes today tomorrow but knowing that when I ask for true forgiveness God truly "forgives and forgets". When you are going through tough times and it's no fault of your own God is there growing us and at the time we may not understand why but in the end we see the results. I have come to love the fact that I am an odd ball (not in the mystical, creepy way. I can be honest...there are some Christians that are just "too religious and you hate to see them coming). I have said time and time again, "I rather be an outsider in Christ's Circle than popular in the world's circle."

Be honest with yourself, when do you learn the most, grow the most; when times are going great or when you are going through "hell"? We do not need to go through bad times all the time but I think that is when we truly learn about ourselves and others and who is truly there for you in those times and for me Christ has had my back every single time.

"A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin."

~proverbs 26:28

Devotion and Reflections for Wednesday

When coming up as a child I thought I was, well...kind of weird. I would listen to albums (they I go, dating myself again) and I would read the liner notes...which musicians played on which track, who produced what song, where the song was recorded, who mixed the song(s), things of that nature. I kept this to myself because after a while I didn't think it contributed to anything. I have always had gadgets thanks to my grandmother (she was and always will be my chief Geek, she bought me my first type writer, first digital watch, first Sony Walkman, first computer...Commodore 64, she was the greatest). I never thought I would use this "useless" information along with my passion for gadgets, and years to come the web. It's amazing how God puts a gift, a passion inside of each and every one of us and at the time we do not understand why we are drawn to certain hobbies but He puts it all together for us later in life that will come out okay if we allow Him to do so.

Now years later I am able to share my taste in music, my passion with technology (what little I know), gadgets, websites, and most important God's word through my blogs. I heard a pastor not to long ago say that God shows us on step at a time and if we complete that step He shows us the next step and the next step and so forth. Who knew I would be able to meet so many people across the world and not even leaving my home most of the time. I remember making PDF files when living in Florida with Our Daily Bread copied on them and sending them to people at work to get their morning started and when I think I was making a impact and kind of slacked off people would say, "Where's my Word for in the morning?" This is how today's devotion touched my heart this morning because what I may not understand or what other people think is weird, God's plan is always in order and if we keep allowing Him to nurture you and I we will blossom like a flower.

That is when I realized how God was truly using me. It's amazing how God plants the seed in each and every one of us and when seeking His wisdom he can truly grow us into something special. Most will never be famous but He will make sure we will be taking care of and most important we will have a passion for what we do day in and day out. When I began my blogs last year at times I didn't think I was having a impact and God had to remind me, "you trust in me...use your abilities the way I have giving them to you." I have to remind myself that everything takes time, it's like planting a seed. We may not see what the seed is doing underground but as long as we continue to care for it, water it, give it proper sunlight before you know it up it comes out of the ground. God has to remind me many days "Be God focus, not people focus." That is not in a negative way toward anyone because like I said earlier, I truly enjoy meeting people and what God tells me is that true, intelligent people know phonies. They know if you are there for them or to "toot your own horn" so to speak . I am learning every day to be God focus because in this way I can help people more and in return this is what draws people to God. To let people know that you have flaws, that you don't know everything and that you are willing to not only teach but to learn from others, no matter what the age will help build lasting relationship whether in person or on the web.

Now that so called "useless" information I share with people on my blogs and most days I may get a comment or two and most days I don't and you know what, why should I? It's good to hear from people but if I don't, God let's me know time and time again, "Whether you know it or not, you're touching people lives...Be God focus not people focus." As Dr. Charles Stanley always says...

"Trust in God, leave all the consequences to Him"

Be Blessed, Be Safe and Have a Great Wednesday.


"Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence,
and do not claim a place among great men;

it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here,"
than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
What you have seen with your eyes "

~Proverbs 25:6-7

Devotion & Reflection for Today

The older I have become the more I rely on what God says and the more I get into His word I learn that going by "feelings" or instincts sometimes will get you in a hot mess. I have learned this from past relationships especially. I joke and tell people all the time, "All of the time and money I wasted on past relationships my wife and I would be set." Do I have any regrets of past decisions...no. Some things I brought upon myself others I just did not know any better. We live and learn and one thing I have learned is that not to focus on "what could have been" but "what did I learn from this?" Many times we block our blessings where it is another job, another person that wants to come into our life because of past decisions.

One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastics. What King Solomon teaches me every day is that many times going by your feelings will have you making decisions on a moment notice that can give you a long term case of heartache and it may take you a while to recover. What may seem like the solution at the moment may come back and become a large issue down the road.

I guess sometimes this is what I want to get across to the next generation. I am not old but I'm not in my 20s anymore and at this age you are finding yourself, learning the ropes so to speak but many decisions you can learn from people ahead of you. Even though I have made decisions that "burned" me most things I have learned from watching other people and I chose not to go down that path. It also helped that I had a praying mother as well. I have learned that instinct are only as good as what and who has helped you fine tuned that gift and the best teach is Christ Jesus. I have to save this devotion as a favorite because I truly believe this because of this what I have been through times in my life and when you start your day with God's word in your heart it makes my day more manageable. One key piece of this devotion rings so true...

"When you are blinded by life’s disappointments, don’t trust your instincts. Flying by the seat of your pants in the storms of life can lead to despair, confusion, and vengeful responses that make matters worse."
~from "Instincts" by Joe Stowell(today's devotion)

I'm learning that when things have been turned upside down in my life, I have to step back and get alone with God even if it's just for a moment to seek His wisdom. I am learning that when a critical decision has to be made not let anyone and I do mean ANYONE pressure me into giving them a answer right there and then because many times it is in their best interest not mine. It's okay sometimes to be a young fool but don't be an old fool, it takes you much longer to recover your losses. True we need listen to wise people but I learning that our close friends mean well but in the end you are in that situation not them and it's best to consult God first and if what they line up with what He says that is confirmation to pursue that solution. From the devotion God is our "instrument panel" when it comes to flying through life. I love what my pastor has said over the years that the bumper sticker, "God is my co-pilot" is totally off base and this is why we crash and burn many times. We want to do it our way and when things blow up then we run to God and by that time it's too late.

This question was posed to me years back and I never forgot it,

"What's the difference between a clever man and wise man?" My friend ask me this question, told me to think about it and give him the answer in a about 5-10 minutes. I thought about it and when he brought it up again he wanted my answer. I gave it to him and he said it was pretty close but the answer is this...

"A clever man can get himself into situation and can get himself out of that mess, but a wise man never allows himself to get in that situation in the first place."

Good answer....I'm praying and making that choice every day to strive and be that wise man.

"Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it."

~Proverbs 22:6

Devotion and Reflections for this Weekend

At the end of this devotion I read this statement,

"Goodbyes are the law of earth—reunions are the law of heaven."

Isn't that a joyous feeling knowing that you have a love one, a close friend, a child that was talking away from you very young that by you being a follower of Christ Jesus and that person who was also a follower of Christ Jesus you will see them again. As for babies we have lost I hold on to this passage from King David when losing his child,

13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."

15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

18 On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."

19 David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked.
"Yes," they replied, "he is dead."

20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

21 His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"

22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.'

~2 Samuel 12:13-22

Knowing that when someone so young is taken away from us that they are in the lap of Jesus Christ is peace in itself. To see their smile, to hear that laugh you never had a chance to experience will be a wonderful thing. That God fearing mother that you thought was so strict but really had your best interest in heart but never had a chance to tell how they impacted your life you will have that chance to say, "you were so right about this situation" and "you knew all along that was going to happen" you will be able to say, "Thank you momma for all you taught me."

The father that at times that had to work long hours and he could not make some of your games or plays and you were upset but were too young to realize that what he was doing was for the family best interest and you never had the chance to tell him, "I understand what you did was for the good of the family" and "I didn't realize that those extra hours you work was for my equipment...thank you." You can thank him when you in prayer but knowing that your dad was a follower of Christ Jesus as well as yourself when you get to heaven you can tell him in person, "Thank you so much dad for all you did for the family" will be blessing in itself. Knowing that your loved ones will never age, never die, to know that you can talk with them for eternity is a true blessing.

It is true that we are supposed to appreciate the wonderful people in our lives when they are alive and when we do this that is good but at times we become angry with one another, have misunderstandings and just when we want to say, "I love you" or "I'm sorry" they are gone that can leave a huge hole in our heart. That is why we should appreciate who we have in our lives at all times. We will have disagreements, we will be hurt and we will hurt someone close to us by accident or sometimes out of anger but through it all we know that they are still dear to our hearts and when that time has come when we can't tell them how we truly feel we are devastated at times. We feel regret that sometimes no matter what counseling we receive we still feel that hurt. That is when you can run to God, crawl in his lap and ask Him to forgive us and to help us heal. And when being a child of God he will let you know you are forgiven and that the loved one who loved and followed His Son is in Heaven and knowing that you will be able to see them again and again and again that regret slowly disappears.

We are not perfect and God knows this because He created you and I with emotions and Adam and Eve fall into sin He knew we would make mistakes with our loved ones, close friends but He also knows that being in His family you will see them again so He let's you know, "it's okay to grieve, it's okay to be sad, it's okay to mourn but they are with me so keep living the life that they wanted you to live, be a beacon of light for Me and help others realize that even though we may have been able to tell them all that we wanted to say you can still talk to them in your prayers, in your thoughts. They are happy and they know that you loved them."

When you know God's voice and the person that was dear to you knew God's voice you may feel pain, but only for a little while because you will not be able to keep from smiling and laughing with joy knowing you will be with again.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and have a Great weekend.

Devotion and Reflections for Today

Some devotions I get right away, others it may take a little while to sink in my heart and soul, this one it started slow up the track and now it's gaining speed. To knowing that no matter where I am, what situation God is with me to help me through it. Yesterday was one of those days. Sitting behind a loud talker is not very cool. You know it's bad when my wife can hear every word that my co-worker is saying and repeat it back to me. It's bad that I have to wear noise canceling headphones just to get peace and this is everyday. I have learned now not ask God, "Why?" I have learned to ask Him, "Lord, I don't like this situation so what are your trying to teach me?"

Last week I was listening to one of my netcast, Back to the Bible and Woodrow Kroll said that when you read the book of Job (which is not an easy read mind you) God never gave Job the answer to his question but turned around and began asking Job questions. Once I heard that a light bulb went off and I had one of those, "I get it now" moments. No matter what I am going through, it's better to have God with you when going through the storm than to not have God when things are going well.

I am learning everyday that knowing having Christ Jesus with me always He is giving me peace, wisdom when things are going well and the same when I'm going through my "valleys". As I'm sitting here writing this He is drawing me near Him, having me to focus more on what He has for my life, to get to work on time. He is telling me that it could be much worse, I could not be able to have my iPod and even listen to His word. He is also teaching me that when things are peaceful that is when I need to draw closer to Him because we are going to have our valley moments whether we want it or not. As our pastor says time and time again, "when the pressure is on, this will show your TRUE character.

Okay God, I may not like this situation but you're going to help me through this and I am going to be a better person for this I know (I just wish this valley was not so loud. )

Be Blessed, Be Safe, Have a Wonderful Friday everyone.

"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel."

~Proverbs 20:15

Devotion & Reflections for Saturday

I have seen time and time again people say, "this is my life, don't tell me how to live it." People think they are in such control of their lives only to realize that time has passed them by and they can not get that time back. When you do not have direction in your life, no purpose you are a slave to time whether you realize it or not. The devotion for today, "What's In Your Hand?" lets us know that life is in our hands and being wise with your time is very important. For me it seems that when I begin my day talking and listening to God intimately and being obedient sometimes it seems He makes time stand still for me so I can accomplished more than I have planned for that day and if I don't get to everything I had on the list I'm not stressed out about it. It is when I do not make time for Him is when things seem so disarray.

This past week I read an awesome post about time. Some comments embrace time, some comments say they do not really worry about it. In all I believe that most were saying that you have to just be yourself and not let society dictate to you what to do with your life and that I do agree. For me time is my friend, I have come to realize that time is what you make of it. I have found that reading, meditating in God's word is a big boost for me. I have come to realize that I have put things into perspective, more reading, more time spent with the wifey, less time in front of the television (if I want to see a program, record it). Time management is a beautiful thing and for me if would not make any sense than to get wisdom from the master of Time Management Himself (I mean, He did create the world in 6 days, right?) I have found when being still and letting Him guide my day it makes the day so fulfilling. I have found that my life is in my hands but if someone is willing to help me out, to teach me a better way to live my life I am foolish not to take heed of that wisdom.

When my life is in my hands, some days are good, some are bad and I find myself on a rollercoster ride (this is where moodiness comes from..."sometimes ya up, sometimes ya down). But when I put my hands into God's hands, my days may be good or bad but I find joy, peace, and lessons every moment in the day and for me that is time well spent.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and Have a Wonderful Weekend.

"A fool's talk brings a rod to his back,
but the lips of the wise protect them."
~proverbs 14:3

Devotion & Reflections for Today

This devotion rings true in so many ways. People can try to be very manipulative, especially family members, spouses, children. When you give your entire life over to God many will not understand. I have heard people, even scholars twist this passage time and time again...

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, . . . he cannot be My disciple." —Luke 14:26

This past week I heard this professor of religion studies say how the Bible is so conflicting and all I can do was shake my head. God tells us all the time to study his word and to ask questions. As a wise man told me, "You got to know God for yourself." That is a must. Jesus did not mean literally to "hate" your father, mother, children. What I have come to realize in my own life is that we all are falling natures in regards to the Garden of Eden. We as humans are selfish at times, manipulative, envy, jealous, we hoard at times...that is our falling nature. We notice this in work place from time to time, there is someone who may not like you "just because" and sometimes we may feel that way about others.

We may be right at times for having those feelings and sometimes we have to eat crow because we were totally wrong about the individual. When you begin doing things God's way many family members will not understand. They will call you names, they will try and make feel like you are wasting your life, they will say things like , "you think you are better than me." or "you think you are 'Holier Than Thou'"(sometimes I want to ask people do you really know what that means?) and the family members that truly know God will come along aside you let you know it's okay because they have been through the same ridicule. When you are a baby Christian (I'm still a baby Christian myself) you will make mistakes along the way but the more you get into God's word, get into a GOOD biblical church, not a religious church (that my friends is a big difference) you will mature and learn wisdom as well as knowledge in the word of God.

What Christ Jesus means is that when you put Him first in everything you do, you realize that situations change, people change, people will let you down on purpose, for their own gain and most times just by accident. We put God first in our lives because He keeps you and I balance, He teaches us how to be patient when it comes to important decisions, who we should have friendships with throughout our lives, what's important, what we should lay be the wayside. If you ever notice when we put people, or possessions first soon or a later things go out of whack, why, because things are man made, people are fickle at times, we all are because we have emotions, moods. Now I will admit many people have serious mood swings because they choose to and others may have them because of medical conditions. The point is that when God comes first in our lives, He gives you and I wisdom to know when to hang in there and when to let go.

Too many times when try and handle situations that God can only turn around and the things we can handle in our lives we leave this up to our Heavenly Father. That is why you must stay in his words, follow His principles because in the end when doing it His way it turns out for the best.

Following God's ways is a hard at first but over times it becomes easier and easier. You realize as you mature in God's word you come to realize that you will have to go through valleys in your life but knowing that He is with you your testimony because a beacon for others. We fight against our flesh everyday. Some days are better than others but by putting God first in your life you will realize that you may lose some relationships that you thought were dear to you down the road you will realize that they were really harmful and the new relationships you make will make your life much fulfilling, more balanced. When having a true, deep relationship with God you learn to not judge people but the decisions they make because having God first in your life makes your steps much smoother day after day.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and have a Wonderful Friday/Weekend. ^_^

"The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a man from the snares of death.

Good understanding wins favor,
but the way of the unfaithful is hard."

~Proverbs 13:14-15

Devotion & Reflection for Today

This past week I have heard wonderful messages from Pastor Greg Laurie (via podcasts) and this devotion on covetousness and I have to admit about myself, I do from time to time get wrapped up in my "things". I get into that, "I really need this or that" and sometimes forget to be thankful for what I have in front of me. My systems are showing their age but they are getting the job done because some people do not have a computer. I get into the habit sometimes whining about my gadgets and forget that at least I have gadgets. As the devotion points out and the past messages I have heard from Pastor Laurie, they is nothing wrong with wanting things we enjoy, wanting a nice career, just put them in their place.

We complain about our computer, thank God we have fingers to type (or keyboarding as they call it now, schools are no longing calling typing, "typing"...whatever that's about) and I'm blessed to have wireless internet at that so I can type...I mean "keyboard" from any room in our home (okay, now I'm feeling like a jerk for complaining about my "old" machines). We complain about wanting another cell phone(my hand is going up on this "gripe") thank God I was able to have a cell phone and not have one at all, have you seen the prices of pay phones now? Yikes!!! I'm a gadget person, I'm not going to lie to you but I have to remember that without God I would not have any of my possessions. I want to honor God the best way I know how and that is why I have a ga-zillion blogs because I know He wants me to share His word, and my "little" knowledge on some tech information.

Later this weekend I will share how just having a choice of "quietness" is a blessing at work and I think at times that is what our heavenly Father wants from us, to strive for what He has put inside of us (we all have gifts from God) but to be grateful for what we have and to remember who has given us the know-how on striving for the dreams He has placed in each and everyone of His children.

I have to remind myself everyday that beginning my day with Him gives me peace, joy, and wisdom everyday.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and have a Wonderful Thursday.

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid."

~proverbs 12:1

Devotion & Reflections for Today

I have always heard many pastors say this and now it rings true for me...

"If you are too busy to read God's word, you're too busy"

I have to admit I have been slipping in that department and I know better. I say this because getting up every morning and getting into God's word, talking and listening to him really helps me cope with day, lets me know what's truly important and not to sweat the small stuff. Talking to God for me truly is like talking and listening to my best friend because He does not lie to me, He tells me what I NEED to hear, not what I want to hear. Today's devotion I needed badly.

We hear all the time that people need "sound" around them all time whether it's music, the television but we need to add busyness as well. Sometimes getting alone in the house, taking a walking in your neighborhood, turning off the radio in the car while driving to work and just listening to God is one of the best things to do. I find myself more and more having no radio in the car while driving to work is very cool. I am alone with my thoughts, it gives me time to ask important questions to God and to myself and to be honest when you work in an office setting with people talking around you and you have to talk on the phone from time to time that "quiet time" before and after work truly helps me get through the day.

Try it today, only if it is for 15 minutes, you may be surprised to find out a lot about yourself.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and Have a Great Day.

"There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family."

~proverbs 6:16-19

Devotion & Reflection for Today

Celebrate Freedom...click here to read devotion
devotion from RBC Ministries

It's amazing when I really set back and realize how truly "free" I am. Knowing how God has truly liberated me from not only sin but has also taking away from the worry of what will happen to me once I die (yes...we all are going to leave this earth one day). I'm not being morbid at all, it's the truth. Not only does it take that worry away and believe me that is a HUGE worry but to be free to be me. For me being a Follower of Christ Jesus he lets me know that there will be trials I will have to face, people that will despise me just for mentioning His name but through it all I can still have a wonderful life.

Yesterday I was writing down the things that bring joy everyday and from reading the above devotion for today I have to put "Freedom" at the top of that list. I have to admit being African American is kind of rough in this day and age but man do I love being me. By being Black I am truly free because it teaches me that know matter how successful I will become it still keeps me humble because people, businesses will try to remind you who you are. This at times makes me angry but for the most part it makes me stronger, wiser, cautious. We have it rough from both ends from time to time. Other African Americans label us as "trying to be White" when we strive to further our education, live in a decent neighborhood and White America (and I do have to stress some and not all because in my years on this earth...all 42 years) I have come across some pretty cool, nice Whites that like me for me. They do not act like race does not matter, they accept me for who I am not try to understand me because they could never walk in my shoes and likewise) still lump us all in one barrel.

*psst...tip for some of my Whites counterparts who don't like me "just because"(Iean over very closely...we ( hard working Blacks) hate poverty, crime as well. *

White America love our music, our lingo at times, our sense of style but for some reason hate us and this I have stop trying to figure out because I can not control how someone thinks about me, just let me do my own thing and stop trying to put barriers in my way because in the end I'm going to get around them and this only makes me stronger, smarter, wiser and it's only going to frustrate you (White America) more. Like I said earlier I feel more free than my White counterparts because I'm free to like who I want, to love who I want when I want. If you like me cool, if not...your loss not mine.

To me I have the ultimate freedom, being a Follower of Jesus Christ and being African American and the top bonus...I'm a geek. When I set at my desk at work and I get a little down I can just look out the window and get aspired to take photographs, pop in my earbuds and listen to my podcast, think about what gadget I want next or to help others whether in person or through my blogs with tech tips I have learned but most important, just to open the word of God, listen to the word of God (got the Bible on CDs), listen to powerful men who teach the word of God and it reminds me that some people are free but are still prisoners within their own thoughts, their own situations not realizing that happiness and joy are two different things. I have joy and for me that's the ultimate freedom on this day, July 4 and human can take that away from me.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, Be Thankful and have a Wonderful Day

"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding."
~Proverbs 4:7