WOWJAM

So yesterday I went to volunteer at a WOWJAM for those of who don’t know, it is a large city wide event that is free to the General public. It is hosted by Stephen and Linda Tavani (Linda is Peaches from Peaches & Herb J ) and they throw a huge party with resources and events for families. Most families that come are from a low socioeconomic background. The whole purpose of the event though is to show the LOVE of CHRIST and give them free stuff like bikes, groceries etc.!

Though I went to help and volunteer, I was shocked at how much it ministered to me. Can I be real for a minute here...I once was a person who was depressed and even suicidal in my teenage years. We’re not talking those 1st world problems here, we are talking real issues. At one point my life was so low that I contemplated and made real plans on how to end it. I had heard some kids talking in church one day about if you go to hell for committing suicide so I eavesdropped, and there seemed to be no consensus about the answer. That worried me; I didn't want to spend eternity in Hell, and the uncertainty of it all made me pause. So in efforts to avoid Hell, I thought twice about going through with and thought I would endure hell on earth a little while longer. I remained depressed until a few years ago and I finally began to come out of the darkness with the help of self- assessments, therapists and God of course. Anyways, I say this because that seemed to be a major issue with people yesterday at the WOWJAM. There were many families who responded to the altar call and I could see pain dripping off of people.

Jambalaya Lunch for the crowd

There were young people crying, mothers crying and children yearning for God. Then they pulled a young man on stage, probably 12 years old and he was bawling and shaking and I think everyone took a deep breath in when they saw him. This young man looked like he had been through some deep emotional hurt. So I cried. I remembered my days in what I considered an emotional hole I couldn't get out of…So many feelings of shame, hurt, betrayal and pure confusion…


God is not the author of any of that. Through him ALONE I became free. It took some effort on my part though. I had to read to see what this bible was really about. I started with a kid’s bible and then I went online to get further explanations about parts I didn’t understand and I read MANY Christian blogs and my life changed within a matter of 2 months. I started to understand how God really feels about me, and that what I wanted to impart to every soul I met yesterday at the WOWJAM. What a glorious experience and what a Glorious God I serve. Praise his name!













Wednesday is Skid Row WOWJAM
Saturday is South Central J

Lessons from Saul

Lets read and take this step by step... We are in 1st Samuel chapter 9

1There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin... 2His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. 

I'm assuming this is what Saul looked like with his fine self...

3One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” 4So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country ... but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere. 

5Finally...Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!” 

6But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”



So some would think that Saul's height and good looks would qualify him to be a king but let's look at his insides... So far we know nothing about the fact that he was a godly man but we do see that he was obedient and honorable to his earthly father and he exhausted his options in looking for the donkeys before he wanted to turn back. Also his servant is the one who suggests they go to a man of GOD to receive more guidance in finding the donkeys. Sometimes the help you receive is from people you may not expect it from and also in ways you wont expect it. Let's continue....



“But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”
8“Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” ... 
“All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.... 
14So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship. 



So now they are by chance going up this road to meet and man of God named Samuel...

15Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day,16“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”
17When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.” 
18Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?” 

19“I am the seer!” Samuel replied. “Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. 20And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.”


Wow so Samuel hits Saul with a whopper at the end of that one...Saul came up out of obscurity, yes he was handsome and tall. He was obedient to his father and this ended up leading him on a path to become KING. He was certainly no perfect king but he never took the time to get his heart all the way right and turned to God....


Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?”

22Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests.

                                 

It's been a while...

Wow it has been way tooo long for me to not write! GOD has been so good to me over the last few weeks life has been amazing, but I feel as though I lost some of my juice because I haven't been writing as much as I was supposed to.

Anyways here is some Joyce Meyer for you...

Thoughts and Words Are Intimately Connected

Proverbs 16:23-24 shows us that our thoughts and words are intimately connected. They are like bone and marrow, so close, it is hard to divide them (see Hebrews 4:12). Because of this, it's important that we have pleasant thoughts so we can also have pleasant words.

Our thoughts are silent words that only we and the Lord hear, but those words affect our inner man, our health, our joy and our attitude. The things we think about often come out of our mouths and sometimes make us look foolish, but if we live God's way, our thoughts and words can make our lives more enjoyable.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can let your thought life run in any worldly direction and then 'fake it' by speaking godly words. Either both are pleasing or both are negative and sinful. There is no middle ground.

Begin to operate in the mind of Christ, and you will step into a whole new realm of living. As you spend time letting Him adjust your thinking, you won't have to think about speaking pleasant words. It will just happen naturally!

Prayer Starter: God, I realize that my thoughts and words are connected. I don't want to try and 'fake' on the outside what isn't real inside. Please adjust my thoughts so that I can speak pleasant, godly words.

CAKE TONGS!

Super cute!

"Who am I?" Posts

*Hello Readers*,

      SO the Lord has put on my heart to do some “Who am I’s” occasionally. I'm not sure if anyone else does these or thinks of these. I would like to think it is Me and God's novel idea but he could be talking to other women about it too :) What he explained to me is that I must write a list of Who am I characteristics and then to pick a few and write more in depth about them. This ALONE has been LIFE SHAKING! It is encouraging me to really look at the corners and recesses of my life about who I am, where I am going and who I want to be. I just freeflow and write who am I? …

       This lists includes things I would like to be in the future because I once heard a great quote… “Who you are going to be, you are becoming now” meaning you are not going to just wake up an honest person one day if you are lying right now, you are not going to wake up a skinny chick if you are eating the entire sleeve of Oreos right now (working on this one :)… and so on. Whatever you are practicing now, you will likely become, somewhere there has to be a mental shift and we all know we are transformed by the renewing of our minds…

Who am I? 4/6/13

-          A wife, a mother, a lover of all people, a kind mother, a generous person, a loving individual, unwavering in my belief in Christ, a prayer warrior, a bible reading woman, a woman who follows what the Lord tells her to do, an honest woman, a kind woman, a reading woman, an honorable woman, a nonjudgmental woman, a woman who speaks up for herself, a thoughtful woman, a woman, a confident woman, a daughter of the most high, God’s princess, God’s daughter.

• þ  A non-judgmental person – This does not mean that I condone my own sin or the sin of others, it just means that I do not judge. The bible says judge not lest you be judged. I do not condemn others, I realize that we all have fallen short of the glory of the Lord. I give others grace and I smile. I do not crucify others, I let them live their lives in what I hope is peace and speak up only when God’s tells me to. 

• þ  A woman who speaks up for herself- She thinks carefully and does not let people run all over her without speaking the truth. She speaks the truth to negate the lies. She doesn’t make up or conjure external lies to prove a point or add to her “stories”. She is respectful even when she is not being respected. Her accountability is to God and God alone. She honors the Lord in all she does including her appearance, her words, her actions, her thoughts, and her descriptions. She speaks life and truth even to herself. She does not allow her inner tape to play unless it is in agreement with the word of God.
  
  
• þ  A confident woman- She is NOT prideful. She is NOT prideful. She is NOT prideful. She is NOT prideful. She is NOT prideful. She is NOT prideful. She is NOT prideful. (I repeated that because it is easy to fall into, but NOT up in here devil!) 
  She understands that she is a WOMAN. She is beautiful, she is important, she is valuable to the kingdom, she understands her value, she understands her call, she will do anything to protect that value, she understands the importance of being in communion with God, she knows that all good things come from the Lord. And he has chosen her.
• 
  She knows that her beauty is on the inside and this is what people will be most attracted to. She knows that God has a plan for her. She knows that the Holy Spirit lives inside of her and reveals the plans of God on her heart and helps protect her from the plans of the enemy. She takes no pride in anything for she knows it all comes from God. She is God’s and he is hers.

One Church International

After leaving Houston I was looking for a new, young, BIBLE BASED, Holy Spirit filled atmosphere to worship and learn in Los Angeles. I didn't think I would have too much luck but alas I have. At first I was turned off that the church was in Hollywood and that celebs frequented it but I decided to go and boyyyy was I wrong. Service was aaaaaaaamazing and I felt right at home. These people love Jesus, and they dress up too lol. Everyone was looking  their own version of fly. Anyways God is real and great



Check them out:  http://onechurchla.org

Marriage, My Idol: Loving Love more than God

http://beggarsdaughter.com/marriage-my-idol/#comment-2043

Marriage, My Idol: Loving Love more than God

• Posted on February 22, 2013 
• in Purity 
• by Jessica

---

“Jessica, you could be single for the rest of your life.”  I glared at my friend.  She had a lot of nerve making such a statement.  ”No!  I meant it as a compliment.  You are just a very strong woman.”

Strong or no.  I had no intentions of being single for the rest of my life.  In fact, my plan was to be married within the next five years.  I was 18.  I am now 27.  So much for that five year plan.  At 23, I joked with a friend, “How old do you think someone should be before they write a book on singleness?”  Her response: “25, at least.” I could have written it two years ago.

Throughout the years, my attitude toward my own singleness has fluctuated from contentment to sheer panic, from half-hearted trust to anger.  Was I supposed to want this or not?  How long, exactly, did God expect me to wait.  If it was such a good thing, such a ‘gift’ then why on earth was God not letting me have it?  That’s just stupid.

As I neared my 21st birthday, my heart went into a frenzy.  Marriage was not on the horizon, so I started painting my own horizon.  Every single man in my life became a potential husband.  I would plan out our lives together, and then I would be happy.  If I could see it working, God was good; life was good; I was happy.  Then, this funny thing started happening.

They all started getting married– and not to me.  Salt in an already bleeding wound.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.  Why wasn’t God answering this desire of my heart?  It was a good desire.  Marriage is a good thing.  I wanted to be married; why was this so difficult?

Then the question came, “Why do you want it?”

Marriage might be a great thing, but if I want it for the wrong reasons, it won’t accomplish its intended ends.

When I first asked myself that question, I had to be honest:  I wanted marriage because I figured it was the best way to deal with my struggles.  I wanted marriage to fix only what God can, because I knew God’s way would hurt.  I wanted a quick fix, a sensible fix- just give me a man, and then I won’t deal with all of these insecurities; I won’t have to worry about all of this anger.  It will just be a bed of dark chocolate and tulips (I can’t stand roses).

I had lifted marriage to a place above God.  It was more important than the work He was doing in my life.  It was the foundation of all my hope and happiness, and I was convinced it must be the key to my Godliness.  That’s when I face-planted on this gem:

“For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).” (2 Peter 1:3- Amplified)

Where to start?

God has given me everything I need for life and for godliness, but it doesn’t say through marriage. I have everything I need for life and godliness through the full and personal knowledge of Christ.  This means, and not meaning to be cliche here, that I should be pursuing Christ.  My successful navigation of life depends on my knowledge of Him not my tax filing status.

So is wanting marriage wrong?

Here’s where the confusion came for me and for so many others.  As Christian women we are fed so many different takes on how we should approach and anticipate marriage.  It’s a good thing, but we’re told not to pursue it.  We’re supposed to just let it happen.

For some of us, we might be fairly convinced that we have a greater chance of being struck by lightning on a sunny day.

How do we balance a desire to grow in Christ with a desire for marriage?

They aren’t meant to be competing desires.  It’s not as if you desire one at the exclusion of the other.  In fact, the problem is, for many of us, we have desired marriage at the exclusion of Christ.  Then, we swing back to the other side and desire Christ at the exclusion of marriage.  We live our lives in this back-and-forth pendulum pattern– unstable, moody, directionless, inconsistent (sound like you?).

I found my own balance (not saying I don’t lose it every now and then, but I found it), through a series of three events.

1.  I read Eric and Leslie Ludy’s book, Meet Mr. Smith.  I recommend this book to pretty much every girl who comes to me with questions about sex before marriage and dating.  It is one of the most beautiful, PG rated guides to human sexuality that I have ever read.  Most of them, even the Christian ones, read like a porn site.  This one is different- emphasizing matters of the heart in such a powerful way that it led me to…

2. I gave up marriage for one year.  Obviously, this is not a recommended course of action for married women, but it is one that I, as a single woman, have never regretted.  Right before my 21st birthday, I decided that I would ‘kill’ the dream of being married by 22.  I wouldn’t just let it die; I, myself, was going to kill it.  I decided that I would not date or even entertain the idea of marrying a man for the next year.  It was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made.  It taught me the art of guarding my heart.

3.  I figured out what marriage really was.  I say that now with all the chutzpah of a single woman; check back with me once I’m married.  What I mean is, I put marriage in its place.  I prayed, studied, and finally sat down and wrote out my own life purpose statement, and then carried that over and applied it to marriage.  I have it written down in one of my journals.  The basic idea is this:

I am placed on this earth for a divine eternal purpose- to serve both the lost and the church.  At any given point, if I am following God, I will be in the best place for that task to be accomplished.  When there comes a time that my ability to minister is better done within a marriage, then I can trust that God will bring that to pass.  He will always have me in the best place I can serve Him.  My job is to be faithful to serve wherever He has me.

If marriage is a struggle for you.  If you want it maybe a little too passionately, I would encourage you to sit down with the Lover of Your Soul and ask Him to help you put marriage in its place.  Like sex, marriage is a good Godly desire, but only when tempered by God Himself.