As a child growing up, I had tons of superheroes that I enjoyed watching on TV and in movies. Their character arcs were always so compelling. In the case of Batman, his parents were murdered when he was very young, causing Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, to become an orphan. Fast forward, he created high-tech gadgets to help him fight crime. Batman was constantly coming to the aid of others and saving people from evil villains.
Love kisses from God is what I like to call unexpected little nudges—spectacular bouts of kindness, grace out of nowhere, and mercy when we don’t deserve it. They are the many ways God gives us His attention to let us know that He’s there. He surrounds us in the midst of trouble or in times when we just need a pep in our step. God knows what each one of His children needs and what we need at different times.
The God who created us can simply say, “Oh, my precious child—you need a compliment out of nowhere to remind you that you’re seen.” I love how God speaks to us through His Word.
What does it mean to be naked and unashamed? When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they were naked and unashamed.
We are free to live a life that is “naked” before the Lord and others—open, honest, and without shame. We should never operate from a place of shame.
fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 ESV)
We are spiritually blind when the enemy can portray something as good before Christ’s followers and they are not alerted. The level of discernment is low when the Holy Ghost is not able to quicken us, and we still adhere to what’s presented. There’s a level of naivety, spiritual compromise, rebellion, and loss of intimacy with the one true God. We become unable to discern when false light goes out as the true light.
Before the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven, He left us with the Holy Ghost to be our guide. The Holy Ghost becomes of no effect when followers of Christ partner with the world and take on the characteristics of the carnal. The Lord desires to guide us through this world. However, with our free will, we have blanketed the voice of the Holy Ghost and allowed our soul to tell us what’s best—based on our unhealthy desires.
In this social media world, people are often intrigued by how many followers you have. Social media influencers love to grow their followers, and companies even offer fake followers to boost one’s platform.
But to be a follower of Christ garners a different kind of attention.
Believers in Christ and followers of Christ are not one and the same. Let’s unpack this!
Are we truly committed in our relationship with God? Is the Lord gently wooing us while we give Him the cold shoulder? True intimacy in any relationship requires intentional effort—built on trust, loyalty, and other foundational ingredients. Imagine being in a relationship, partnership, or marriage where the other person is only loosely committed. How would it feel to be placed on a dusty shelf, pulled down only when needed? Would that relationship blossom in a healthy way?
Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus in the Bible, and their story plays an integral role in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In Luke 10:38–42, we see a glimpse into their interaction with Jesus:
“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
In Exodus, Moses and Aaron were taking up an offering for the building of God’s sanctuary and needed the people to give. Not only did the people give what was needed—they gave too much. God’s offering overflowed with generosity. The people gave in abundance.
Exodus 25:1-2 KJV
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
Spiritual obesity is when a person is full of the Word of God but doesn’t apply it in their life.
- They read their Bibles faithfully.
- They attend every church service.
- They listen to countless sermons.
Yet, despite all this intake, there’s a disconnection — the Word doesn’t go beyond the mind and heart. It isn’t reflected in their actions or shared with others. They consume the Word of God, drinking in all the richness of the gospel, but they never pour it out. Their spirit becomes bloated.
Let’s be honest—when we see someone from our race dating outside of it, why does it sometimes stir up emotions? Is it really about race, or does something deeper play into how we feel? For example, imagine Elroy Jenkins (black man) strolling down the street holding hands with Lou Mae (white woman). Now, Elroy is known to be flaky, unmotivated, and a man of a hundred and one schemes. When we see Elroy with Lou Mae, do we feel that usual pang of "he left us for a white woman"? Probably not. Instead, we’re more likely to think, *"She can have him!"*
Ifyou’re part of the workforce and adhere to the structural system of having managers and supervisors, once a year, or even mid-year, management conducts a performance appraisal of their employees. The performance appraisal reviews your production for the year, whether you are meeting the expectations of the position, your interpersonal skills, knowledge, and growth. The appraisal even covers areas for improvement or ways to perform at a higher level in the position. Each year, the manager cross-examines the previous performance appraisal to assess the growth or decline from previous years. Based on this information, they determine if you’re progressing in a manner that suits the position.
During December, when the children have an extended vacation from school, my family always plans a family vacation. We try to go to different places to expose the kids to new places and experiences. We are Floridians and only receive a few weeks of cold weather during the year. The idea for the vacation stemmed from wanting to be somewhere cold.
In the past year, people that have said or done outlandish things about sensitive topics are people who may find themselves in the “canceled” abyss. The cancellation of a person is known to be the highest violation that can be passed upon someone. When you are deemed canceled by your peers, the canceled person undergoes an onslaught of verbal tongue lashes in the media and potential loss of income. Let's look further into the notion of being canceled.
The Daytime Dates idea was sparked when my husband and I struggled to have date nights because of limited care for our kids. Then the light bulb went off–why not establish daytime dates? Daytime Dates was introduced to allow us to have more alone time while the kids were at school. See the previous post “Daytime Dates for Busy Couples.”
When I joined the motherhood tribe, I used to carry around a diaper bag that was so not part of my style. I later discovered a cute, girly diaper bag backpack. It didn't have that, “I’m the mommy” look, which I loved. The backpack was also suitable for hubby to wear it. So, that started off my first leg of growing into an obsessive nature when it came to backpacks.
Let's face it — time is the only thing that is constant and can never change. As a married couple with kids, finding time to spend with your partner can be challenging. A suitable and trusted sitter must be available, coordinating schedules must be achieved, a gust of energy must be found, incorporating each other date ideas must reach a happy medium and the list goes on and on.
In attempts to put together a fabulous outfit, one can mix too many trends or wear the wrong outfit for particular events. One of my uncles calls this “dress puss” — the term became a thing for us when he once described his wife’s attire in that way. My aunt was wearing tons of accessories, a faux fur scarf, busy looking hat, and high heels.
As a child growing up, I had tons of superheroes that I enjoyed watching on TV and in movies. Their character arcs were always so compelling. In the case of Batman, his parents were murdered when he was very young, causing Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, to become an orphan. Fast forward, he created high-tech gadgets to help him fight crime. Batman was constantly coming to the aid of others and saving people from evil villains.
Love kisses from God is what I like to call unexpected little nudges—spectacular bouts of kindness, grace out of nowhere, and mercy when we don’t deserve it. They are the many ways God gives us His attention to let us know that He’s there. He surrounds us in the midst of trouble or in times when we just need a pep in our step. God knows what each one of His children needs and what we need at different times.
The God who created us can simply say, “Oh, my precious child—you need a compliment out of nowhere to remind you that you’re seen.” I love how God speaks to us through His Word.
What does it mean to be naked and unashamed?
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they were naked and unashamed.
We are free to live a life that is “naked” before the Lord and others—open, honest, and without shame. We should never operate from a place of shame.
We are spiritually blind when the enemy can portray something as good before Christ’s followers and they are not alerted. The level of discernment is low when the Holy Ghost is not able to quicken us, and we still adhere to what’s presented. There’s a level of naivety, spiritual compromise, rebellion, and loss of intimacy with the one true God. We become unable to discern when false light goes out as the true light.
Before the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven, He left us with the Holy Ghost to be our guide. The Holy Ghost becomes of no effect when followers of Christ partner with the world and take on the characteristics of the carnal. The Lord desires to guide us through this world. However, with our free will, we have blanketed the voice of the Holy Ghost and allowed our soul to tell us what’s best—based on our unhealthy desires.
What Does It Mean to Be a Follower?
In this social media world, people are often intrigued by how many followers you have. Social media influencers love to grow their followers, and companies even offer fake followers to boost one’s platform.
But to be a follower of Christ garners a different kind of attention.
Believers in Christ and followers of Christ are not one and the same. Let’s unpack this!
Are we truly committed in our relationship with God?
Is the Lord gently wooing us while we give Him the cold shoulder? True intimacy in any relationship requires intentional effort—built on trust, loyalty, and other foundational ingredients. Imagine being in a relationship, partnership, or marriage where the other person is only loosely committed. How would it feel to be placed on a dusty shelf, pulled down only when needed? Would that relationship blossom in a healthy way?
Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus in the Bible, and their story plays an integral role in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In Luke 10:38–42, we see a glimpse into their interaction with Jesus:
“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
In Exodus, Moses and Aaron were taking up an offering for the building of God’s sanctuary and needed the people to give. Not only did the people give what was needed—they gave too much. God’s offering overflowed with generosity. The people gave in abundance.
Exodus 25:1-2 KJV
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
Spiritual obesity is when a person is full of the Word of God but doesn’t apply it in their life.
- They read their Bibles faithfully.
- They attend every church service.
- They listen to countless sermons.
Yet, despite all this intake, there’s a disconnection — the Word doesn’t go beyond the mind and heart. It isn’t reflected in their actions or shared with others. They consume the Word of God, drinking in all the richness of the gospel, but they never pour it out. Their spirit becomes bloated.
Let’s be honest—when we see someone from our race dating outside of it, why does it sometimes stir up emotions? Is it really about race, or does something deeper play into how we feel? For example, imagine Elroy Jenkins (black man) strolling down the street holding hands with Lou Mae (white woman). Now, Elroy is known to be flaky, unmotivated, and a man of a hundred and one schemes. When we see Elroy with Lou Mae, do we feel that usual pang of "he left us for a white woman"? Probably not. Instead, we’re more likely to think, *"She can have him!"*
If you’re part of the workforce and adhere to the structural system of having managers and supervisors, once a year, or even mid-year, management conducts a performance appraisal of their employees. The performance appraisal reviews your production for the year, whether you are meeting the expectations of the position, your interpersonal skills, knowledge, and growth. The appraisal even covers areas for improvement or ways to perform at a higher level in the position. Each year, the manager cross-examines the previous performance appraisal to assess the growth or decline from previous years. Based on this information, they determine if you’re progressing in a manner that suits the position.
During December, when the children have an extended vacation from school, my family always plans a family vacation. We try to go to different places to expose the kids to new places and experiences. We are Floridians and only receive a few weeks of cold weather during the year. The idea for the vacation stemmed from wanting to be somewhere cold.
In the past year, people that have said or done outlandish things about sensitive topics are people who may find themselves in the “canceled” abyss. The cancellation of a person is known to be the highest violation that can be passed upon someone. When you are deemed canceled by your peers, the canceled person undergoes an onslaught of verbal tongue lashes in the media and potential loss of income. Let's look further into the notion of being canceled.
As many times as we have been to Disney, we always seem to experience some new aspect of the park.
The Daytime Dates idea was sparked when my husband and I struggled to have date nights because of limited care for our kids. Then the light bulb went off–why not establish daytime dates? Daytime Dates was introduced to allow us to have more alone time while the kids were at school. See the previous post “Daytime Dates for Busy Couples.”
When I joined the motherhood tribe, I used to carry around a diaper bag that was so not part of my style. I later discovered a cute, girly diaper bag backpack. It didn't have that, “I’m the mommy” look, which I loved. The backpack was also suitable for hubby to wear it. So, that started off my first leg of growing into an obsessive nature when it came to backpacks.
Let's face it — time is the only thing that is constant and can never change. As a married couple with kids, finding time to spend with your partner can be challenging. A suitable and trusted sitter must be available, coordinating schedules must be achieved, a gust of energy must be found, incorporating each other date ideas must reach a happy medium and the list goes on and on.
In attempts to put together a fabulous outfit, one can mix too many trends or wear the wrong outfit for particular events. One of my uncles calls this “dress puss” — the term became a thing for us when he once described his wife’s attire in that way. My aunt was wearing tons of accessories, a faux fur scarf, busy looking hat, and high heels.