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This Too Shall Pass

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One of my "happy place" moments is spending time with Jesus in the quiet solitude of the morning.  I anoint myself with my favorite essential oil , and then I sit on the balcony with a hot cup of coffee,  Jesus Calling devotional and YouVersion Bible app. On the morning of July 30, 2024, I had the most amazing morning. Sitting quietly before the LORD gave space for divine downloads and regal revelations.  And it all came from simply basking in the handiwork of our LORD (Psalm 19).  The skies were completely overcast.  The gloomy dark clouds loomed overhead, and the probability of rain was prominent. Sitting on edge, I wondered if I should just stay outside or go back inside to avoid being rained on. I decided to stay outside and see what happens. Gazing at the sky, I noticed how those dark clouds moved slowly toward the east.  Their slow migration ultimately unveiled beautiful blue skies accentuated with white puffy clouds, enhanced by the light of the slowly rising sun.  Mor
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Be Intentional

Gifts. Talents. Abilities.  Lovingly and purposely endowed upon us by Father God, our gifts, talents and abilities should all be utilized with pure intentionality.  Despite inevitable obstacles, we have the awesome benefit of asking God to reveal unto us the ways to accomplish the assignment or even how to maximize our gifts. As we work in cooperation with Holy Spirit, we will see our assignment to completion and reap the fruit of our labor.  Approaching my last three semesters of undergrad, I was divinely laid off from full-time employment. Traveling along the home stretch of graduating with my bachelor's degree in communications, I enrolled in three classes, all of which being writing intensive courses.  The beginning was rough; even one of my professors, Mr. Jack Lessenberry, who doubled as my curriculum counselor asked, "You sure you wanna take these classes? Two of them are with  me. "  Let's just say that the weight of my assignments was equivalent to that of a
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ACCEPTABLE

Imagine this: You are at the home of a dear friend or close relative for dinner.  You've worked all day and had no time for lunch. So, you are really looking forward to breaking bread.  The table is set; you're invited to sit at the table. In eager expectation of a good, delicious meal, you're smiling from ear to ear in anticipation and gratitude.  Then, you look at the plate placed before you. Your smile disappears in .4 nanoseconds.  The dinnerware and flatware are still decorated with the remnants of the previous meal. Your plate lacks presentation, as the food looks as if it was thrown on the plate like slop in a trough. There is a long streak across one edge of the plate that looks like it was licked by "Fido." Although you make a conscious effort to show appreciation for the meal, your stomach churns uncontrollably at the mere thought  of even placing one forkful of that meal in your mouth...much less chewing and swallowing it.  NOW. PICTURE THIS! Imagine ho
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THE PLOT TWIST: The Pit, The Prison, and The Palace

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  "God, this is not what I envisioned!" "God, I had no idea this would happen to me!" "Why, God? Why me?!" Isn't it lovely (sarcastic quip) when that colloquial monkey wrench gets thrown smack dab into our plans, ideas and vision?   In the words of Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls, "Picture it! Sicily, 1912..." In this case, "Picture it!"  You've had a dream--a vivid, reoccurring dream that's so potent, you can't stop thinking about it.  Every fiber of your being resonates with the significance of this dream, as it aligns with the desires of your heart. To add some delicious icing on the cake, prophetic words went forth, confirming that what you've dreamed and seen in the spirit is true, and that it is God's will for your life.  You're rejoicing and excited about all God is doing and is going to do. You're anticipating, expecting, praising and proclaiming by faith that your vision is indeed coming t
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Childlike Faith

  As a new mom, I'm constantly in awe of Little Ali's actions--the new things he's learning daily, watching his little personality develops, hearing his babbling in efforts to communicate with others.  My ten-month-old is growing right before my eyes; it's happening so quickly that I often have to retreat to the thousands of photos of him in his newborn stages just to reflect and remember how small he was.  I am so glad that I followed the advice of many: TAKE PLENTY OF PHOTOS. His looks will change and change fast. They grow up so quickly.  And it is so true.  We can also learn some big lessons from our children. One of the things that keeps me in awe is his interactions with my husband, his dad Big Ali.  When Little Ali sees Big Ali, he cries for him to come get him.  Once he is swept up into Big Ali's arms, he smiles, laughs and wraps his little arms around his neck.    ... in thy presence is  fulness   of   joy ... Psalm 16:11 KJV Now that he's older, he sle
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Steadfast and Unmovable

God is so mindful of us that He will use commonly overlooked things to give us a message.  "Hold your head still," the shampoo assistant said to me while she blow-dried my hair. Using the comb attachment, she combed the blow dryer through my hair to straighten and dry my hair simultaneously. I found myself moving with the motion of blow dryer instead of keeping my head still . Moving my head with the dryer only got in her way and probably made her job a bit challenging. The interesting thing is that when I comb my own hair, my head remains still because I know who's controlling the comb.  I guess it's different when it's someone else ("an outsider") controlling the comb.  Be still and know that I am God... Psalm 46:10 How many times do we find ourselves being moved by circumstances instead of being still in the presence of God?  How many times do we find our thoughts running off rails because of a negative situation? Easier said than done, but we must no
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