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I Don’t Mean No Harm
I don’t mean no harm. Five simple words. But when my grandmother begins a sentence that way, you better brace yourself for what’s coming after. It’s probably going to hit you right in your feelings. Interestingly enough, she didn’t even realize that she prepped people for her bombs until Bible Study Brother and I pointed it out to her. It was just part of her vernacular. Most of the family calls my grandmother by her nickname, Boolie. My great-great uncle gave her the nickname when she was a child, and it lives on to this day. And I can’t imagine what life would be like without Boolie in it. My…
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Be Bold
Wednesdays hold a special place in my heart. Not because it’s hump day, but because I get the opportunity to sit under good teaching. I’m hungry for the Word of God. And the more I get, the more I want. This past Wednesday was extra special for many reasons. It was the beginning of Lent. It was Bible Study Cousin’s birthday. And Shun Strickland was teaching at church for our Ladies Night Out. Shun Strickland is a pastor and personal transformation coach. She taught at our women’s conference a couple of years back, and she was phenomenal. When she spoke at the women’s conference, she confirmed things that the Lord…
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Love
Love. When I was tasked with writing this entry about love and what it means to me, I was instantly like “I’m about to write this in 30 minutes or less; I’m freshly married, I know what love is”. 30 minutes turned to three days, which then turned to almost two weeks later. I had to seriously pray about what love truly means to me, because its more than just a feeling or action. It really is a culmination of so many emotions, thoughts and actions – both mentally and physically. I know what it feels like to be in love romantically. Having the “goosies” or butterflies when you’re with…
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Taco-tastrophe
By now, you probably realize that I like to eat. Nothing thrills my heart more than a casual nacho potluck among friends. Everyone pitches in, and before you know it, you have an amazing meal at your hands. Recently the call went out for a nacho potluck, and I was PUMPED! I prepared my contribution and brought it with me. If only life were that simple. If only MY life were that simple. See, there were several snags along the way to an amazing meal. The person in charge of the queso sent out a message to say that they weren’t going to make it to the party. One person…
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The Blessing of the Long Route
When I’m going on a road trip, I put my destination into Google Maps. Google Maps spits out multiple options to reach my destination. Sometimes, the shortest route is not the route I choose. To some people that seems weird. But Google Maps has a feature that allows you to eliminate routes that have a toll road. I make sure that feature is on because I want to avoid tolls if at all possible. What happens when the quickest way to your destination is not the way that God directs you to go? My Pastor tackled “The Blessing of the Long Route” in his sermon on Sunday, and it blessed…
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Ask, Seek, Knock
It’s a beautiful day. I was able to sleep in this morning. My feet didn’t have to hit the ground running. I tossed and turned while cuddled up in my quilt. My cat, Fitz, is taking a nap in one of his favorite napping spots. He’s not trying to distract me while I type. I can hear Fitz’s water fountain running, and the sound is tranquil…peaceful even. Although my afternoon and evening are full, I had this morning to just relax…breathe…to just be. As the day has worn on, I had to remind myself to get it together. I can’t remain in my state of inactivity all the time. It’s…
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A Dark Spot
I’m a habitual oiler. Anytime I get out of the shower or bathtub, I slather oil everywhere. My skin can be really dry so I try to cut the ashiness (that may not be a word) off at the pass. That means that every morning I sit on the bench at the foot of my bed and oil my feet first. I was sitting at my dining room table typing the other evening. I threw my foot into my dining room chair. I did a double take. The toe next to my big toe seemed a little off. I looked closer. Where had this spot come from? I just oiled…
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A Piece of Peace
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 Peace. How many of us want it? How many of us NEED it? In our fast-paced lives, peace can be elusive. We hear about the peace of God in sermons. We see people lighting candles and dimming the lights in search for peace. But do we really draw on the peace of God that’s readily accessible to us? Paul is writing a letter to the Corinthian church. Apparently, things have gotten a little heated between two women in the church. I’m sure you can relate to experiencing some contention…
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Jesus Wept
If you’ve been reading the blog since the beginning, you may recall that my family has a tradition of blessing our food. That simply means that we join hands, bow our heads, and verbally thank God for the food that we’re about to attack…I mean…eat. When I was a really small child and living with my great-grandmother, we said a verse from the Bible before we ever took a bite of the meal that was prepared. Since I was the youngest in the family, I typically spouted, “Jesus wept.” It’s the shortest verse in the Bible. A fitting verse for a tiny girl. Or so I thought. Although it’s short…
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Labor Pains
In October of 2019, I had a dream. I’m not using my Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. voice. I literally had a dream that unsettled me. It wasn’t a scary dream. By now, I’m sure you’re wondering what the dream was about. Alright. I’ll tell you. I was riding with a cousin in the backseat of a car. She had a chauffeur. It was a nice car. Cream leather interior. Spacious backseat. The kind of car that I wouldn’t mind being driven around in in non-dream life. We were driving along a stretch of highway in the desert on a beautiful sunny day. It actually appeared to be the Painted…
