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    An Acquired Taste

    Did ya’ll know that kids grow, change, and mature?  They learn new information constantly.  Do not laugh at me.  I mean, I KNEW that about kids, but I forgot to apply that knowledge.  Sweet Baby called me a couple of weeks ago.  She wanted to schedule a sleepover.  It was long overdue, so I gave her the go-ahead.  We set a date and got ready to party. Sleep over day arrived.  We partied hard.  Watched a movie.  Painted a pumpkin.  Chit chatted about life.  She devoted much of her time to loving on Fitz, my cat.  He finally gave up and allowed her to love on him without complaint.  We…

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    Sermon Recap

    Rise Up and Fight Through It

    We have reached week four of our journey with Nehemiah.  A man who is not a pastor or a priest.  He is not a bishop or a prophet.  He is a man who was dedicated to the call of God on his life.  I do not know about you, but every sermon speaks to a tender place in my heart.  They challenge me to do better and be better.  You already know that Sunday’s sermon was no exception to this trend. Nehemiah 4 lands us in the middle of this reconstruction of the walls.  We have moved beyond prayer to action.  Each family is tending to their section.  They are…

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    Set The Pace

    Good morning!  Good afternoon!  Good evening!  Whatever time of the day that you are reading this, I hope that you are in good spirits.  That your mind is clear and that your heart is overflowing with love.  If they are not, I understand.  I certainly have spent my fair share of days in the dooms and glooms.  Days where situations that were out of my control affected my mood.  However, I have realized that I have more power than I think. Saturday morning was cold.  COLD!  Do you hear me?  Although Bible Study Mama and I have been getting out in nature on Saturday mornings for our walks, the forecasted…

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    Make It Count

    Early voting began on Monday in Arkansas.  On that first day, people stood in line for hours.  They were excited to have the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote.  I did not join the masses on Monday, but I was excited to place my vote on Thursday right after work.  I just barely slid in before the after-work crowd. I am always surprised when I meet people that do not vote.  Although I am well into my thirties, I vividly remember our Civil Rights Movement unit from the second grade.  As a child, I was dumbfounded to discover that Black America had to fight for their right to…

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    Self-Care or Self-ish?

    Now let’s have a little talk with Jesus.  Tell Him all about our troubles.  He will hear our faintest cry and answer by and by.  His answer would likely be that we need to practice more self-care.  I know, I know.  Saints and aint’s get put off by topics that seem too “woo woo.”  The saints are disturbed because the phrase “self-care” does not appear in the King James Version of the Bible that they live by.  The aint’s are disturbed because they are tired of the focus on mental health.  They would rather just go along to get along.  Enough with all this self-care business. Good thing I am…

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    Right Below The Surface

    Trauma.  An icky subject that people do not like to talk about. Maybe because they do not realize that they have been impacted by the trauma in their lives.  2019 was a big turning point in my life.  Instead of just carrying my trauma around, I really started to dive into my core issues.  I put on a wetsuit and googles and got right in the face of the issues that dwell right below the surface.  Although they lived right below the surface, trust me when I say that they were really difficult to drag back to shore. The more work that I put in to being a healthier and…

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    Sermon Recap

    Rise Up and Rebuild!

    Happy Monday!  This may be your very first time ever reading this blog.  I do not want you to be hopelessly lost.  I’ll do my best to get you up to speed quickly.  My church is currently in the midst of a “Rise Up!” campaign.  We are deeply entrenched in the book of Nehemiah.  Every week, we learn more of his story.  Bit by bit, we are given tools that will help us craft a life that is full of purpose.  Hopefully, today’s sermon recap will add to the arsenal of tools that have already been given out. This week’s sermon finds us in Nehemiah 3.  Nehemiah is no longer…

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    A Different Perspective

    Perspective is so important.  Sweet Baby was explaining one of her games to me.  She proudly proclaimed, “I have $322 in this game.  I’m rich!”  For most of us, having a net worth of $322 would be distressing.  That would not cover rent or all our utilities.  A family of four would certainly find themselves in a precarious situation if that was all they had.  But in Sweet Baby’s eyes, that money is astounding. It’s all about perspective.  My perspective has certainly been a little off.  I am guilty of having my sights focused on the wrong things.  I have heard it said many times, from many sources, that we…

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