Quill of Ruach

" Burn your journals ." **inserts every type of "shock" emojis* Early one cold afternoon in January 2016, I heard those words in my spirit. I don't remember the exact day, but I do remember the month and year. Not only was it cold, but it was windy this particular afternoon.  Burn them? How? We have no fireplace, no fire pit. "Maybe I'll shred them,"  I reasoned.   Surely, God will understand...right? Burn them. First of all: I love journaling.  I used to refer to journals as "diaries" when I was a child. Sadly, I developed an unhealthy way of journaling over time.  Unknowingly, I etched disparaging words about myself, words birthed out of a swirling acid-filled pit of despair, unstable emotions, indecisiveness, low self-esteem and worthlessness ("feeling sorry for myself"). Simply put, it was damning. A simple shredding of the papers littered with such words was merely not enough.  It had to be destroyed by fire .  I called a d...

The human body is a unique machine, divinely created by the hand of God. He fashioned every organ, tissue, sinew, ligament, bone, and vein to work in concert for optimal functionality. Humans are sentient beings who are impacted by senses and in some cases, governed by them. To operate at an effective pace, we must nourish the body by fueling it with life-giving, healthy foods. Albeit self-healing, proper maintenance work is required for the body to function optimally at a comfortable continuity. This is all done and accomplished through prayer, faith, proper diet and exercise.    Praise God, my husband and I are on a path to better health and wellness. Both of us are from families who endured (and even transitioned) from various types of debilitating conditions. Our eyes opened to the realization that we are chief stewards of our own bodies. Polluting our bodies with food and food-like products that are heavily processed alter the harmony of our bodily systems. In some cases,...

As much as we would love a straight-lined, cookie cutter life, it's impossible.   Period, point blank. This life varies and shifts with all types of winds. We can bask in the soothing brisk wind of happiness one minute; next thing you know, the winds shift, moving suddenly before turning into a severe storm of sadness, hailing random quips of ridiculousness that either bring laughter, shock, grief, and much more (i.e., 2020 pandemic). But on the flip side, that's the beauty of life. No day is the same; if it was, it would eventually become robotic and boring (speaking for myself). Life starts life-ing to the point that sudden change happens. This abrupt yet inconvenient change may result in the need to pivot. Pivot? Why? Well, let's explore its meaning. There are several definitions for "pivot" in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary; however, this particular definition aligns with this blog post: an adjustment or modification made (as to a product, service, o...

 **This blog was originally published on March 19, 2018 on my old blog site; edited 12/31/24** Faced with a deadline, I was deep into my editing work when a particular thought from the book inspired me:  Oftentimes, betrayal is part of the plan .  Of all things, why betrayal? Because sometimes, chaos is necessary to produce greater results.  Oftentimes, pain is part of the plan to fulfill a purpose.  I know, it still seems unfair. But if we could only see the end results, the end is glorious. Most of us are familiar with that passage of Scripture where Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh. Some believe that it was literally a thorn; however, if you read further, you'll determine that it wasn't literally a thorn. I will not go into much detail, as this blog would transform into a theological study and that's not the goal. My point is that Apostle Paul had an issue, and he went to God about it not once, not twice, but three times. God's response?  "My gra...

I love a good "God-wink" revelatory moment. Last week, it seemed like many revelations were shared pertaining to gardens and plants.  God's creation was speaking loudly, and I am here for it all! We have two potted peace lilies in my home office from my mother-in-love's service two years ago.  (Roses and lilies are my favorite flowers, by the way). After her service, we brought them home and cared for them. The peace lilies continue to thrive and grow in abundance, so much so that repotting them became necessary.  After we repotted them, I noticed that they gradually stopped producing lilies.  I used to care for the peace lily at my old job, and it produced lilies all throughout the year, as long as I kept it watered. So quite naturally, " Did we do something wrong ?" was my first thought. Nevertheless, the greenery continued thriving. We -  well, my husband actually  - continued to care for them (watering the soil, spraying the greenery, placing them in go...

In your opinion, which one of the following is more valuable: time or money? I would imagine that many people would say that money is more valuable. I mean, money answereth all things, according to Ecclesiastes 10:19, right? Money is often necessary to obtain the things we need and desire. However, in my humble opinion, time is more valuable than money.  Time is the one thing you can't get back . Money is a tool that's obtainable virtually at any time, from working a job to panhandling on the street. Some even make money in their sleep. Some are privileged to wake up to direct deposit notifications on the daily that are complementary to their salary. However, once that second, minute or hour goes by, it's gone. It will not return, and you can't get it back.  Therefore, making good use of the precious time presented to us is of the utmost importance, while we have breath in our bodies.  The principle of tithing is commonly associated with money.  Some give ten perce...