Intentional Music

Yay! This post is really all about music. Can you guys guess some of my favorite artists? No? I honestly didn't expect you to. I love music, it can change your entire mood and if you're not careful you're entire thought process. Some people who are Christian still listen to secular music and I, for one, do not have a problem with this. I still listen to some of the same music I did before I was born again. I believe that the real problem comes when you start listening to the music that held you captive in the world and think it wont effect you now that you want a relationship with God. But your are still growing in that relationship and before you start trying to play tag with the devil you need to build up your spiritual strength and make sure all your armor is on correctly. I have written about it before but the devil doesn't even try to tempt you with new stuff once you're saved, he brings those old things into remembrance. That is why we must be mindful and intentional about what we listen to. If you had a serious issue with cussing in the world and still listen to vulgar music, stop. If you had issues with lust and want to listen to the same pornographic songs, don't.

I am not saying that this is a one step process for everyone because it isn't but music impacts us more than you may think. When it first came out I listened to Lazarus by Trip lee every single day for over a month at the start of my day. it put a smile on my face and pumped me up. It prepared me with a positive attitude in which to face the day. Think about what you listen to in the morning and what you listen to at night. It doesn't always have to be Christian but it should never be something that pulls you back into wherever you were. It should be positive and uplifting. Personally, I love soul, R&B, neo-soul and showtunes. I could listen to Leela James or Gregory Porter all day. But that music still has a positive message in it, there is no profanity and if there is very very little and it is something I would not mind listening to with my grandma. Think about that next time you sit down and put headphones in your ear. Better yet, think about how God would feel if you listened to that song in His presence, because that is what you are doing.



Do you need something inspirational to listen to? Well, here is a list of my suggested artists and note that not all of them are Christian artists.

1. Leela James
2. Music Soulchild
3. Lyfe Jennings
4. Tedashii
5. Jonathan Mcreynolds
6. Gregory Porter
7. Brian Mcknight
8. Trip Lee
9. JGivens
10. John Givez
11. Canon
12. Andy Mineo
13. Shope
14. Swoope
15. Travis Greene
16. Martha Munizzi
17. Fantasia
18. Anthony Hamilton

We have to be mindful of everything we allow to be in our personal space because even though it may not seem like it at the time, it does mean something. I remember when I was young and CD's were still popular that my my dad, my brother and I were all driving somewhere and my dad had put in a Snoop Dogg CD. I fell asleep on the armrest in the back but when I woke up and the next time I heard one of those songs, I knew it by heart and I didn't even remember listening to it! We internalize everything we hear and see and that is why we have to be careful. We're meant to be in this world, not of it and if you still have the same mindsets as those in the world can you really say you are a Spiritual being? That is rhetorical but it is also something I want people to answer down below if you so choose.

The song for the day is Confetti by Shope

Zootopia: Stigma and Prejudice

 

Hey guys,

Have you all seen the movie Zootopia? It's fairly new and just came out on Netflix so I suggest you watch it before and/or after you read this post. I don't think I've ever talked about a movie before but I am going to today because this movie is extremely interesting and has a lot of hidden meaning, like children's movies did back in the 80s and 90s. First things first, the animation was great and the characters were great and the movie really had a deep message that relates to the society we're living in today. What do I mean by this? Well, I'm glad you asked.

1.) Officer Judy Hopps is a rabbit who has big dreams and everyone (even her parents) tell her that she can't do it because she is a rabbit. Similarly, in today's society many people are told that they can't live out their dreams because of race, gender, religion and socio-economic status. This is just wrong and Judy proves to everyone that with enough hard work anyone can live their dreams, even if other mammals still do not believe in her after she gets her badge.

2.) Nick Wilde is a fox and because of his heritage people ostracize him and categorize him. He can't help his species (race) but he is consistently judged by it.

3.) Because of the stigma he faces Nick decides that he won't show emotion anymore, that he won't let anyone see the pain he feels. He also decides that "if the world is only going to see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else". Isn't that deep!!!!

4.) People easily begin to distrust predators because of one person (or bunny) and that distrust turns into hate and resentment. This shows how just one person can really change the climate of a society. People who were once friends with predators now ignore them or don't let their children near them. One person's words had such a huge and negative impact.

These are just four of the ways I think Zootopia looks at the racial, gender, ethnic and other stigmas that pervade our world today. The fact that Disney chose to include these things in an animated movie is amazing because this is a movie that teaches the youth something.

Seeking God

So, I have been thinking about the whole idea of the word "seek" for a few weeks and yesterday God gave me the understanding I needed. So below is what I learned yesterday on seeking and this morning on calling. The parentheses come from the Strong's reference number if you want to look it up. For those who know Hebrew and Greek, I apologize but I have no idea how to make accents on this thing.

Seek (1875)
Hebrew- darash: to tread; frequent; follow; pursue; search out; to diligently inquire
Seek (1245)
Hebrew-baqash: to search out (in worship and prayer); to strive after; to ask/beseech/ beg/enquire; to make inquisition; to require

These two words are intentional. They both mean "seek" bit tjere are other words with the same meaning that sound reactional not proactive like these two. God wants us to diligently inquire after Him and search Him out. This means we must go to Him in praise, worship and prayer, striving after a relationship with Him. Baqash means to ask and to beg. We must need God and His love, mercy and grace. It can't just be a fleeting want. I have to be desperate for one on one time with my Lord. In Isaiah 55:6 it is darash meaning to follow and search out. I think this is interesting because yes, there are times where we must wait on the Lord but there are other times we have to move and get up and Seek His face. Darash is also a very vocalized thing, it isn't seeking primarily in prayer and worship like baqash, it is real life calling out for God. It's like a real intense game of man hunt.

Isaiah 55:6
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:"

Does this verse mean that God is hiding from us? Or does He just want to see if His children love Him enough to seek His face when He's not standing right beside them catering to their every need? Isaiah tells us to seek Him and call upon Him, both very intentional. This entire year the theme I keep going back to is intentionality. God is intentional and as we are made in His likeness we should also be intentional. This weans we can't be reactive, Don't just wait for issues and situations to come up in your life and react by reaching out to God. Seek God first (proactively) so that when those issues come up you're not even stressed because you've spent enough time with God to know He's going to take care of everything.

Seek and Call!

There's a song and some of the lyrics are "call out His name, (Jesus), and He will run to you". That's what I'm reminded of here. If you are truly purposeful in your pursuit of God, He won't walk to answer you, He'll run. That's just who He is and how much He loves to hear us calling on Him and wanting to know Him.

Now that I meditate on it I think that the reason David was a man after God's own heart was because He truly yearned to know the Lord and have a personal relationship with Him. He was always intentional about His faith and because of that His heart was in a good place even though he messed up and sinned big time.

One of the definitions of barash is to tread. I think that, in context, this means treading in the Lord's footsteps. Following Him wherever He goes. In real life having someone always behind you would be annoying and creepy but that is something God wants us to do with Him. If we're to be His sheep we must follow Him. This is something I'm going to pray on and look at more thoroughly in the next few weeks.

Call (7121)
Hebrew- qara: to call out to; address by name; to cry unto
Call (2753)
Greek- keievo: to hail, to bid

Isaiah 58:9
Call upon the Lord and He'll answer, cry unto Him and He'll be there.

Cry (7768)
Hebrew- shava': to shout; halloo for help or freedom

Isaiah 58
We must be wary of our spiritual lethargy.
Lethargy- the state of being drowsy/dull/ listless/ unenergetic or indifferent and lazy; apathetic/sluggish inactivity.

Isaiah 58:1-3
The people don't even realize they are spiritually lethargic. God has to ask Isaiah to show it to them. The thing to note here is that the people were still performing religious acts, doing the rituals set out in the Torah (the first five books) but they really were only going through the motions. I think this is important because going through the motions i.e. attending services, giving to the poor, does not mean anything if your heart is not where it should be. Lethargy is the state of being unenergetic. Spiritual lethargy is the same thing in regards to faith. A spiritually lethargic person is not, necessarily, someone who has no presence in the church. A spiritually lethargic person is one who does not truly seek God's will. (It's amazing how everything in the Bible relates to something else.) The people Isaiah is asked to minister to perform tons of religious acts but they do it for themselves, not God's glory. They are even so proud as to get upset with God for not noting their acts, their performance.

Lethargy is the complete opposite of intentionality. A lethargic person doesn't call out to God, they are reactive if they are active at all. They are completely indifferent about the state of their relationship with God. One thing I want to note is that this is a state of being, it isn't permanent. Lethargy is like complacency in whatever spiritual position you're in, not yearning to grow or mature. Because it is only a state of being anyone can fall into it and many don't realize they do, like the Israelites. That's why it's important to have Christ-like people around you, not just in your circle but your circle as a whole. They'll be there to notice your lethargy and pull you out of it. It shouldn't take a revival or some famous preacher or a conference for us to to want to build our relationship with God. There are times we don't realize we're stagnant and that's why we must try our hardest to seek God and be intentional about our faith!

The Hustle In Me

Trying to grind my way up

This isn't going to be a long post where I talk about my innermost feelings in detail but there is something I want you people out there to know. I can't do anything by myself. And when I try I usually end up making things worse then they were when I started out. I think that I can do it on my own and figure things out for myself. I am an independent woman, I don't need anyone's help! And then it is like walking up the down escalator or climbing a wet metal slide in the summer. Pointless and painful.

And then it's like when you do something our mom specifically told you not to do and end up getting hurt and says. "See, I told you what would happen. Ain't no point in crying now, that's what you get." The cool thing is that even though I know I deserved it for being an idiot and God knows, He'll never be like, "I told you so." Isn't God amaze-balls? Yes, I said amaze-balls. Get over it. God doesn't hold our failures over our heads, he picks us back up and tells us that if we focus our energy and attention on Him we don't have to keep falling into traps along the wayside. All He wants us to do is pay attention to Him and isn't that what we should be doing anyway? No shade, because we all do it, but I want to be 100% real with everyone out there. I don't do it all the time but I should and it's going to take some time but I'm willing to put in the work.

Psalm 121:1-2
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (2) My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."

If we know where our help comes from why don't we focus on that instead of our problems? How many people out there have heard these two verses but had no idea where they came from? Hebrews 12:1-2 talks about the race we all have to run. We have to lay aside the weights and the sin that keep us from having faith in God and what He has said. We do this by gaining endurance in our faith, by living it out everyday. When you practice having faith, soon you won't have to practice it anymore and you can run the race with your eyes on the Godhead instead of turning to every distraction that pops up.

 Sometimes you hear things over and over and begin to get desensitized to it but never allow yourself to stop taking the Word seriously. It is our instruction manual for life and without it would be like putting together a German IKEA table with no help. And I cannot even imagine doing that.

I don't have to struggle and work to do things all on my own, I have God and an army of angels supporting me. I have a direct line to the Creator when I am in need or want to talk. I have so much support there is no reason for me to do things on my own. Even though I feel like sometimes God is taking too long or isn't following my directions specifically. Focus on God and depend on Him for all your needs even if your inner hustle is telling you you can do it on your own.

Remember this:


Faith doesn't make things easy but it does make them possible and when we have enough faith to stay focused on Him, when we believe in the authority of the Lord it changes us. Ask yourself this question: Am I crazy enough to believe Him? Are you? If you are you won't keep thinking that you can do it on your own or that you can do it better than God. I know that at times I'm so focused on my hustle that I don't give my God the attention and time He deserves. And you can't have a relationship with someone if you never spend time with them. So I will continue to work on my faith and focus on the Lord who wants us to praise like it is already done.

This is the song of the day: Focus by Jor'dan Armstrong

If you have anything you want me to talk about feel free to comment and let me know. I am all for suggestions.

Dating Part 2

Hello, there. Fancy seeing you again.

Well, if you haven't already please check out the first part of this post. It's called Dating. If you have, then let's get down to business (to defeat the Huns)! I left you guys with my list of must haves in a significant other as well as my list of attributes in a perfect man. I ended it by giving you the top three things that I believe are essential to any healthy relationship. Basically, neither party should abuse the other, they should have a vision but should have a job in order to support themselves until they achieve said life goal and the other party must be kind towards others because how they treat others is how they will treat you, even if you don't believe it right now.



I promised you a couple more of the essentials in every relationship and here they are:

The other person must be supportive. They should stick by you and support your dreams, encouraging to do your best and do whatever it takes to get there - as long as it's legal. A lifelong relationship can turn ugly real quick when someone decides to stop helping the other person. It can lead to misunderstandings, anger, hurt and hate. If who you are with is not supportive, it's time to move on to better things. There is no reason to stay with someone who cannot support you mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Another thing that comes to mind is strength. Relationships require true strength to make it through all the hard times, the struggle and things of that nature. It's really to be in a relationship when everything is peaches and cream but what about the moment when things just keep going from bad to worse? You have to be able to say that you'll stick through it in the tough and rough times and actually live up to the things you say. When you are dating someone it takes a kind of strength to push you forward to the next step and it takes bravery and heart. I believe that any solid relationship needs to have this type of strength to truly make it.



Lastly, let's talk about what God says regarding relationships. My plan is to talk about beauty, respect, love, forgiveness and mercy and the importance of each of those in a life-long relationship.

Worldly beauty is completely different from godly beauty. Make sure that the person you are with is beautiful in God's eyes not just yours. Worldly beauty makes physical attributes more important than anything else. It becomes more important than personality, brains and talent. God does not see beauty in that way. Over the years I have come to realize that no matter who says I am beautiful or ugly, the only opinion is God's, you should too. The person you are with should be with you and love you because of your godly beauty and vice versa. Godly beauty is about the heart. What does that person value? Are they putting others before themselves? Are they loving, kind, wise and Spirit-filled? These are some of the things that come to the forefront when discussing Godly beauty and if you are currently dating someone, ask yourself these questions in regards to your significant other. See if you like the answers.

Respect is a necessary ingredient in any relationship. Not just respecting as how many people think of it on the surface. It goes deeper than that. In relationships one must respect the other's wishes, opinions, idiosyncrasies and beliefs. This is why it is so important to never go into a relationship with someone who believes differently than you do. Right now it may seem alright but as the relationship gets more serious you'll see how impactful belief systems are to a relationship. Then you come to a point where you are both wanting the other to change. You can't truly respect someone as they are while at the same time wishing they were someone different. TRUTH.

Next, let's talk about love. You would think that would be common sense but guess what? It isn't. Love is not the same as deep like. And I am not talking about that type of love where you're texting the other person and you say it just because you think it's the right thing to sya or because the other person says it first. In fact, if you are put into a situation where someone says they love you and you don't feel the same way, Tell Them! It'll let them know where you are at and make you feel more comfortable. Just because you say you love someone doesn't mean you actually ever will. More importantly, God wants us to love as He Himself loves. You cannot be in a lasting love with someone if you never loved them as the following first: a person, a brother/sister in Christ and a friend. It just doesn't work. Plain and simple. Period. And if you want to argue with me go right ahead, I do not mind whatsoever. In fact, I would love to see some comments, feel free to make them anonymous while you're at it.

Relationships cannot move forward if there is no forgiveness. We see this in the scriptures many time. When we hold on to something it keeps us from moving forward. It weighs it done. If the Almighty Lord has a sea of forgetfulness maybe you should consider getting one. Now, don't be stupid and let the other person run all over you but don't hold things over their head if they've asked your forgiveness. Even if the slap you across the face 77 times (Matthew 8:21-22). I feel like this is pretty simple so let's ease on down to...

....Mercy! Those who have read my blog know that I am a super huge fan of this thing called mercy. And so is God. God is extremely merciful. For those of you that are new here, welcome. Here's the definition of mercy I go by and I think it is the easiest to comprehend: Mercy is withholding something I do deserve out of His love for me. This is how God operates, He shows mercy and His mercy overcomes judgement. It should be the same in relationships, I know that this post is about dating but mercy must be a factor in every relationship in your life from friends to family to coworkers. Plus, it goes hand in hand with forgiveness. Mercy means that instead of inflicting blame or punishment even when someone deserves it ( and Lord knows a lot of people out there do).

That's my list of amazing and wonderful dating advice lol. I am no where near close to a relationship expert but now you have my opinion and can form your own.

Love, Peace, Chicken Grease.
Here's a song that I truly love: That Girl by R-Swift

Dating

Christian Dating

What the heck does that mean? I mean, I have my own values towards dating but I heard this term and was so extra confused. Personally, I don't believe in dating someone I cannot see myself marrying and I REFUSE to date people who aren't Christian, truly Christian. Of course, I have other preferences but those are the two most important criteria on my checklist. Don't assume I am an expert, far from it but I believe that I can shed some light on this subject. How? First, giving my list and even a few things off of my "The Perfect Man" checklist that aren't really requirements but would be nice. Then I am going to outline a few things that I believe to be good in any relationship. Finally, I'll take it to the Bible and see what God says about dating. If this post goes a little long, I'll make it a series. You're forewarned.

My dating criteria:

1. Christian
2. Could be a great husband
3. Responsible and Caring
4. Loves his family
5. Involved in church
6. Has a direction in life
7. Sensible but funny
8. Good steward of money and other material things
9. Sweet
10. Honest, responsible and a good communicator
11. Trustworthy eyes
12. Healthy

My Criteria for the Perfect Man

1. At least 6'2
2. Handsome
3. Either muscular or suitably fit
4. Dark Skinned (I like chocolate lol)
5. Well-paying job
6. Nice teeth
7. Long hair

As you can see, my necessities are longer than my wants and more important. Plus, they're less vain! These are the traits I look for in someone I am considering and I refuse to make any promises if someone asks me on a date. I will gladly get to know anyone but if I get to know you and don't like what I know, it's over. I am not trying to be rude, but I don't like wasting my time or my words. Jesus never said anything unnecessary, so why should I. And if you don't approve, I completely understand. What are some of the things on your list of Man Must-Haves? Or Woman Must-Haves, for that matter?

For Any Relationship...

I think that there are some obvious qualities that are integral in any relationship which is why I did not mention them in the previous lists. One of those being a significant other that is not abusive. This is not just physically, mind you. It is mental and verbal abuse. When someone in your life is making you feel like less than what you felt before, when you are sad and hurt, hoping that things will one day get better even though you know in your heart it won't, that's abuse. Sometimes, we don't even know we are being abused. At first we think the fact that they want to know where we are is them showing concern, not being possessive. Then it progresses to you slowly being cut off from those around you such as friends and family. First, it was just a casual joke when they said you were putting on weight, then you start feeling bad about yourself. You diet and exercise but it's not for you, it's for them so that they'll approve. That, too, is abuse. Some say that no one can impact your self-esteem because it is self-esteem but I know that is wrong and very much so. After a while what you hear gets in your head, you internalize it and all of a sudden there is no escape. People can change your mindset, make sure you are around those who will impact it positively.

Another quality is to be someone with a practical vision and means to get there. Dreams are great, I am not knocking them but while you are on your way to becoming a famous actor or musician, have another means of income to support yourself. There should be no such thing as a struggling artist. The person you are with should be able to support themselves. If they can't, how can you expect them to support you? Not just financially, but emotionally as well. Their mind will most likely be filled with thoughts of what they will do to make ends meet the next day and other issues. They will be emotionally unavailable for the long term even if they seem like a great candidate up front.

Thirdly, make sure you know how your potential significant other acts towards others. You can tell a lot from watching someone interact with others. How do they treat their parents? Friends? Enemies? Those they see in the street? The people they work with and go to church with? When they see something unpleasant how do they respond? One thing I suggest is that you never allow yourself to open up to someone who does not respect others because they'll show you the same disrespect, maybe not at first but later on. Don't be blinded by rose colored glasses. If you see your potential mate doing something you do not like to see others do don't think that it is just a coincidence or that you can change. People only change when they wish to, that is a fact of life and be mindful of it.

Those are my top three tips, I have a few more but while I write the next post tell me what you think about dating, any ideas can help my other readers so please share.

Here's A Song: Love Never Leaves by Tedashii

Pinky Promise

Fellowship with the Sisters in Christ

Hey to all my females out there. This might sound like a public service announcement, but I want to talk about Pinky Promise really quick. For those who have not heard of it, which means most, it is a wonderful group of women from all over the US coming together to glorify God and uplift each other. 

I joined the group in the town where my college is from and I love it. I met wonderful women who loved God and give me wise counsel. Key word in that sentence is wise. Not all of your friends tell you what is best for you, as you can tell from some of my other posts. These girls will listen (without interrupting), give you encouragement, talk to you about their experiences and point you to others who may be able to help. They never try and force a decision on you, they become friends for life. Plus, there are tons of cool events that come along with joining, or starting, a group. You can have the Bible studies, go to the conference in July, have mixers and other things to encourage the bond between godly women. Last week, my group held a big hat luncheon, it was so much fun. 

There are also times where we go to the beach or bowling. My group even has the occasional karaoke session (yaasssss). We also just hang out because what started as a Bible study group formed friendships and bonds. One of my friends said that she met the Paul to her Timothy there which is AMAZING! For those of you who are not familiar with the Bible, Paul (fka Saul) was an apostle of Christ who led many people to Jesus Christ. However, one of his "sons in Christ' was named Timotheus or Timothy, whichever you prefer. Timothy was young and through Paul's help he got to know Jesus Christ for himself. Paul provided Timothy with wise counsel but also expected Timothy to help draw others to Christ. So I have two questions for you: who is your Paul? And who is your Timothy?

One perk that I haven't mentioned yet is that it draws women from all backgrounds. Photographers, artists, preachers, students, beauticians. And on the last one, if you are in Central Florida and need a beautician look up @FaithInCurls. You can probably assume by the cartoon I use for this blog, I'm a curly girl. She gives hair revelations! Lol. See for yourself below. Much love to all my sisters in Christ and to the brothers as well. If there is a male equivalent to Pinky Promise hit me up and I will definitely post about it.

Here is the link to the Pinky Promise website:

http://www.pinkypromisemovement.com/

And here is an amazing song by Travis Greene: Made A Way