Motivational Monday – The College Send Off - Anything but Ordinary

Preparing for back to school

It was early evening as I adjusted the earbuds into my ears, my Zoom workshop was starting in five minutes. As I listened intently to the workshop leader, my son began talking to me from across the room. “Ma, blah, blah, blah..” That’s what I heard, until he bellowed to me again.

“Ma, did you hear what I said?”

I pulled one earbud from my ear and tilted my head slightly to hear what he was saying.

“More of my classes just moved to online and other ones will be hybrid.”

College classes will be anything but ordinary.

As my son’s stack their storage bins, gather their blankets, and check their class schedules, reality sinks in. They are going back to school in the middle of a pandemic. One which is predicted to experience a second wave in the fall if everyone doesn’t practice safe measures.

In past years, the college send-off was a time of excitement for the year ahead – making new friends…a clean house, oh wait we’re not talking about me. My sons were excited about being on their own, hanging out with friends, and attending classes in person.

Neither of my sons want to take online classes, but they will have to abide by the policy of their individual schools. Times we’re living in are not what we are accustomed to. My heart goes out to parents and their children who are preparing for back-to-school with uncertainty.

Where does your strength come from in times of weakness, struggle, and challenges? Prayer changes things. Create a quiet place, pray, meditate, and turn your troubles over to the Lord. Build upon your faith and go from worrier to warrior.

The college send-off this year will include reminders to “wear your mask, keep hand sanitizer handy, and stay away from unnecessary crowds. Saying goodbye will be anything but ordinary.

Since there will be no ordinary this fall, let’s make it extraordinary. If your college student must attend in person classes, send hm off with love, hope and faith.

Motivational Monday – Do Not Give Up – 3 Scriptures to Encourage Your Success

Photo Credit: HR News

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When funds are low and debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t quit.

Author Unknown

Circumstances in life can make it easy for us to become discouraged. It’s easy to give up, but it takes courage and determination to stick with something when you feel challenged. Above is one stanza from the popular poem Don’t Quit. I like the line that says, “rest if you must, but don’t quit.”

When you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just plain tired…pause…rest, and find something that encourages you. It can be difficult to focus on success with work, school, or anything else, when situations are less than ideal. Below are three scriptures that encourage success.

·         “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” – Proverbs 16:3 ESV

·         “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4 ESV

·         “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 ESV

Each day build time into your schedule to pause, rest, meditate. Think about the direction you want your life to take, pray about it. Believe it and you will achieve it.

Do not give up. Don’t Quit.

Feel Good Friday – Do You Have Faith Like Fireworks?

Photo Credit: The Alpena News

Bursts of Red, White, and Blue illuminate the sky. Sparkles of light sizzle, fizzle, and pop into the night sky. Fireworks are mesmerizing. We should have faith like fireworks, exploding with joy, about our faith.

Now more than ever, with our country in a crisis, we need a stable foundation of faith. While it may be comfortable to keep our faith to ourselves, we need to let it bubble to the surface, then burst from our bodies with joy. Be on the lookout for opportunities where you can share your faith.

We all experience challenges at some point in life. It doesn’t feel good when going through “a rough patch” as my grandfather would say. You may wonder how you will make I through. Somehow you make it through your struggle, you make it to the light at the end of the tunnel and you burst with joy. That’s faith.

Photo Credit: Bible Study Tools

Have you ever been so excited about something, that you couldn’t wait to tell someone? Go ahead, let it out, share your faith. Someone needs to hear your story. Some things you experience are not for you, but for you to be a light to someone else.

Let your faith sizzle, fizzle, and ignite someone else’s sparkle. Get excited. Be faithful. And shine.

Wordless Wednesday - Words of Healing - Deliver Me

YouTube Video Credit: Ministered by Annointed Women of God

I don't own the rights to this music

Motivational Monday – Healing

Photo Credit: Biblestudytools.com

We need healing in our country. Close your eyes and look through the lens of your community, your state, our country – what do you see? In my community a police officer was caught on video hitting a woman on the top of her head while attempting to restrain her. At our state capitol, people march openly with guns, in protest of the continued stay home order.

In Minnesota, a handcuffed black man died after a police officer retrained him by pressing his knee on the man’s neck. Many places people are protesting, some are friendly protests, others erupted in violence. We need healing. How has your family been affected? If you have children, what the discussion look like in your home?

As I walked through my house gathering dishes, going through the motions of my routine casual Saturday, my son called my cell phone.

“Ma, I’m heading to the protest.”

My heart sank and I let out a sigh. Do I tell him not to go because there could be violence? Do I suppress his desire to be a part of change? To do so may appear hypocritical. You see, I participated in a sit-in during my college years. My mother marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Kentucky State. We need healing.

I told my son, “I don’t really want you to go, but be safe, and wear your mask.”

Not long after that phone conversation, my other son came through the door, “Ma, I’m getting ready to go to the protest.”

I simply said, “Ok, stay with your brother.”

Do I need to say, my sons are black? Our conversations have been different lately.

My son left the house one night to go for a jog. He was wearing a hoodie. The first words out of my mouth were, “Please don’t put the hood over your head.” Forget the fact that sky glistened with bright stars and the air held a gentle breeze. It was a great night for a walk, but I feared for his safety, in our middle-class neighborhood.

Let us press pause; Stop what you’re doing right now and pray for your community, your state, our country, our families. We need healing.

“Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”     Isaiah 33:2

Feel Good Friday – What’s in your spiritual bank account?

Photo Credit: Jubilee Online Church

As we shelter in place, one day transitions into another without much delineation of what day it really is. I’ve often caught myself asking my son, “Is today Tuesday or Wednesday?”

“It’s Thursday.”

“Oh, that’s right trash day was yesterday.” Trash day was my identifier for the day of the week.

Our world is in a state of crisis. How do you handle a crisis? Each of us experiences pain, devastation, and emotion differently. One thing that is constant is that a Spiritual Bank account can come in handy. If you haven’t opened an account yet, it doesn’t take much to get started.

Make small, regular deposits to your account with consistent prayer as your currency. Pray over all areas of your life – family, finances, health. Build up a reserve that is ready for you in the event that a withdrawal is needed. Perhaps you set a low balance alert for yourself. This can simply be in the form of asking yourself, did I stop to pray or give thanks today?

I made a deposit into my account the other day as I ventured out of the house to visit my other. The last time I saw her was February when we got together for lunch. This time, we gathered for a Holiday, Memorial Day; a day set aside to remember veterans who lost their lives serving our country. It is also a time family and friends come together to embrace one another and create memories.

This year’s Holiday was different. Embracing family (outside of your household), and friends is discouraged. We took our chances, we hugged each other.  It was a brief embrace type of greeting, but it felt good to be with family. Don’t get me wrong, we took nothing lightly. There was constant hand washing and hand sanitizer available. And there was also Mama, a praying woman. This counted for yet another deposit into the Spiritual Bank account.

Your Spiritual Bank Account can include praying for others, praying for your community, and praying for healing. You decide your focus. During this time of the COVID virus, let’s take out this trash on Wednesday with the rest of the garbage.

As the adage says, It takes a village to raise a child; It’s going to take a village to fight against the crisis we are experiencing. Together we can do it. Keep a balance in your Spiritual Bank Account with prayer. Have a relationship with Jesus. Believe. Trust. Faith over Fear.

Make a deposit into your Spiritual Bank Account. There are no fees charges. Christ paid the cost long ago.

Motivational Monday – How do you express kindness during COVID-19?

Photo Credit: Spreading Kindness Campaign

The teal bag with shiny gold polka dots rested on the kitchen table. An envelope peeked over the top of the handles. There was just enough room in the bag for the 16-ounce bottled water, a bag of chips, and the card. As I leaned over, glancing into the bag a voice echoed behind me.

“That’s mine,” said my son.

“Okay, I’m just looking.”

“I meant to tell you, one of the customers left that on their porch for me.”

My son worked for a company where he shopped for people, so they don’t have to leave their homes during this time of COVID 19. The customer who left the card, wrote my son’s name on the inside and a message that read, “thank you for making things a little easier for our family.”

A few words written inside of a greeting card, for someone you’ve never met, and may never cross paths with again, sent a strong message of kindness. Random acts of kindness, things not expected, but appreciated, can brighten someone’s day.

What are things you can do to spread kindness during uncertain and anxious times? Below are a few ideas to get you started.

1.       Leave a note of gratitude for your mail carrier.

2.      Write a note of thanks and tape it to the lid of your trash can on trash day.

3.      Offer to run an errand for an elderly neighbor.

4.      Send a letter or mail a card to someone you have not seen in a while.

5.      Send a gift card to your hair stylist, let her know how much she is appreciated.

6.      Write a fun message with sidewalk chalk – get the kids involved.

7.      Do a wellness check – spend time checking in on friends or relatives; a quick phone call or video chat may bring more joy than you know.

A teal gift bag with gold polka dots held simple contents, yet the message spoke volumes. Kindness.

What would you add to the list of ways to spread kindness?

Feel Good Friday – 5 Ways to Make Mother’s Day Magical

Mother’s Day this year will look different than year’s past, but it can still be magical. As we continue to practice social distancing and self-quarantining due to COVID-19, it may not be feasible to visit our moms, grandmothers, or other mother figures. What can you do to make their Mother’s Day magical?

Whether you are near your mom or a significant distance away, consider these 5 ways for sprinkling a little magic dust on her day.

1.      Dance Party – create a playlist of songs, put on your boogie shoes, and face time your mom or set up a Zoom call. If your mom lives nearby drive by her house and dance outside. Dance as though no one is watching, although they might be.

2.      Send Flowers – there’s something about flowers that brightens a room.

3.      Have dinner delivered – does mom have a favorite restaurant? There are delivery services such as Door Dash and Uber Eats that are just a call away.

4.      Watch a mother-themed movie – you may have to be creative with this one. If you are able to visit your mom this is easy. If you can’t visit, decide on a time that you will both watch the same movie at the same time. Here are a few favorites to start with:

Freaky Friday

Imitation of Life

Steel Magnolias

5.      Buy a book – support your local independent bookstore, purchase a book, journal or special keepsake item. While you’re at it, grab a book for yourself. You deserve it too.

Bonus

6.      Create a video – lights, camera, action…grab your phone and record you and your kids doing something silly or read a poem. Send your video to mom.

Above all else, create a lasting memory. What would you add to the list of ways to make Mother’s Day magical?

Wishing all of you who are mothers or mother figures an over-the-top, fantastic Mother’s Day.

Motivational Monday – A Checklist of Blessings

Backyard Blessings -Grateful for the sunshine, green grass, and home

Every day is a day of thanksgiving. What is on your checklist of blessings?

ü  Health

ü  Life

ü  Grace

ü  Job

ü  Food

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many people have been saying the phrase, ‘we’re all in this together.’ The silver lining amidst this pandemic is the outbreak of human kindness. While we are truly all in this together, we all hurt differently, and experience joy differently.

It’s not easy to express joy when you are hurting or a loved one is in pain. However, we can always find a reason to give thanks. Count your blessings more than your problems. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. We are living in perilous times.

When my young adult son was a new driver, I used to remind him to take his driver’s license whenever he left the house. The other day when he left the house, I reminded him, “don’t forget to take your gloves and mask.” Perilous times.

Now is the time to stand firm in faith, build up your spiritual immune system. Chicken soup, 

vitamin c and rest are ways we attempt to boost our immune system when the common cold is lurking. Your spiritual immune system can be built through, Lifestyle, Scripture Memory and Meditation, and Service.

An article on crosswalk.com describes those three immune system builders as this:

Lifestyle – living a healthy lifestyle physically is beneficial to your health. “Living a lifestyle of wisdom and acknowledging God in all your ways is foundational for spiritual health.”

Scripture Memory and Meditation – incorporate scripture into our hearts and minds, in the time of trouble we can easily recall the information.

Service – we are created to serve; we are spiritually healthy when we use our gifts and talents to serve others.

Read the full article here.

All the things listed above contribute to our blessings. Blessings come in all sizes. Celebrate and give thanks for them all.

What is on your checklist of blessings?

Words of Wisdom - Faith Over Fear

YouTube Video Credit: Above Inspiration

Motivational Monday – Don’t let your inspiration be quarantined

“Allow nature’s peace to flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.” John Muir

“…My inspiration has been quarantined in some faraway place called COVID19 (Ann Whitfield Paul-author). Ann expressed the feeling many people (that I’ve talked to) are experiencing as they are confined at home-feeling stuck. Don’t be discouraged. Be encouraged.

Find something each day that brings a smile to your face and spreads joy in your heart. Take a walk and observe things in nature that you may not have paid attention to in the past. In a short walk through my neighborhood, I heard frogs croaking in a nearby pond, and saw birds perched in yards.

Be inspired. What can you do to be creative at home and stimulate inspiration? Look through your junk drawer (assuming you have one), your box of scrap materials and crafts, old clothes; turn these things into projects. I pulled a crochet needle and yarn from a bin that has been packed away for years.

I began making loop, after loop, with my yarn and hoop. I work on it in the morning after breakfast and before stay-at-home work, then again in the evening. There is no finished product in mind, I have no pattern, it’s just loop, after loop, circle around and repeat. It doesn’t matter what the final project will look like, the process is relaxing.

If you feel as though worry is engulfing you and stifling your inspiration, let it go and cast your cares on God. He cares for us. It has been said that worry is interest paid on trouble that never happens. Joyce Meyer said, “worry sees the problem, but doesn’t see God. Faith sees the God who can handle the problem.”

Don’t let your inspiration be quarantined. Don’t be infected by fear or let fear control you. You can still have peace. I heard a preacher say, “Peace comes from God, not the CDC (Center for Disease Control). In this time of uncertainty in our communities, the world, and our families, God will give you the strength to push through.

The joy of the Lord is your strength. What will you do to keep your inspiration from being quarantined?

Motivational Monday – A Date with Jesus

“Treat your prayer time like a date night.” A local gospel radio show host said these words on her Sunday morning show. A date night is something we look forward to. We make every effort to keep that appointment. If we treat our prayer time like a date with Jesus, it will be a time that we anticipate with excitement.

At my grandfather’s church they used to sing a song with the lyrics, “Let us have a little talk with Jesus…” Prayer time is our opportunity to talk with Jesus, our date with Him. You don’t need to have a pitch nor a polished speech, He just wants to hear your voice.

Has something been weighing heavy on your mind, don’t hold it inside, talk to the Lord. There is no need to carry around heavy burdens. This is your season for greatness. Have a little talk with Jesus, tell Him all about your troubles. He will answer.

Below is a passage/story that a friend shared with me. I share it with you in hopes that you find a nugget of inspiration.

Flight 2020

Hello, welcome to Flight #2020. We are prepared to take off into the New Year. Please make sure your Attitude and Blessings are secured and locked in an upright position. All self-destructive devices should be turned off at this time. All negativity, hurt, and discouragement should be put away. Should we lose Altitude under pressure during the flight, reach up and pull down a Prayer. Prayers will automatically be activated by Faith. Once your Faith is activated you can assist other passengers. There will be NO BAGGAGE allowed on this flight.
The Captain (GOD) has cleared us for takeoff.

Destination: GREATNESS

Author Unknown

Schedule a date with Jesus, not just one date, how about multiple dates?

Muffins with Mom – The Bible Lesson

Can you guess what the acronym for BIBLE means? What did you come up with? The answer is

Basic

Instruction

Before

Leaving

Earth

When my sons were younger each of them had a children’s Bible of his own. Recently I recruited my college “kids” to assist with cleaning and purging items over the Holiday break. Stuffed in a backpack with other random items, was a faux leather Bible case. The bumpy brown case with black lines had the look a feel of a basketball.

One son had a case that resembled a basketball and the other sons’ case had the look of a football. It was the information on the inside of the cases that mattered most, instructions on how to live a Godly life. I remember my younger son rolling his Matchbox cars across his Bible or using it as a pad as he drew tic-tac-toe boxes on a sheet of paper.

Learning does not happen overnight...for children nor adults. There are parables in the Bible about planting seeds, waiting patiently, and reaping a harvest. When seeds are planted, they do not sprout overnight. As a parent, it took a loooong time for me to learn to be patient. I get it now. My sons have grown into competent young men with their own ideas.

There were tears shed that they never knew about, daily prayers, and sending them to Grandma’s for my respite. I’m glad I never gave up on them or my sanity. We’re not perfect, but we continue to grow. There are many Bible lessons that can be applied to our lives, the key is to never stop learning.

Situations happen in life that are beyond our control. For those times I say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to you own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3: 5-6.

Is there something you have been praying about – a new job, your finances, your health? Plant your seeds, be patient, pray during your waiting and know that God is in control. Things happen in His divine order. Get ready for a shift.

Remember that your Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE), is your best guide. When my sons’ stumbled upon their old Bible cases, it brought back an avalanche of memories. Not all the memories were Bible lessons, but they did recall life lessons.

May all the seeds you plant this season produce a great harvest.

Words of Wisdom- Success - Never Stop Believing

YouTube Video Credit: by Above Inspiration

Will you keep believing?

Motivational Monday – The Power of One

photo credit

What if…you did one thing differently today? How could your one act change someone else’s life? Write one note of gratitude to someone. Call one person you haven’t talked to in a long time. Make one person smile.

Read the poem below and discover the power of one.

The Power of One

One song can spark a moment,

One whisper can wake a dream.

One tree can start a forest,

One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,

One moment can make one fall in love.

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room

One candle wipes out darkness,

One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,

One word must start each prayer.

One hope will raise our spirits,

One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference,

You see, it’s up to you!

Author unknown

How will you use the power of one today?