Two Thousand and Eighteen for my family; immediate and extended has been incredible. We’ve had some lows but mostly been high. For me personally there is no greater example of God being the greatest and Satan trying to tear everything down than the last few weeks of the year.
Read MoreImprove relationships, healthy living, write more, read more (less television), increase income, increase savings, find ways to stay in love, practice humility (intellectually, socially and emotionally), get organized (in general, but also finances, insurance & other important records), smile & laugh more, grow spiritually and meditate.
My “better thinking” goals are just aspects, some of the parts that make up the whole of 2015. Growth and life’s lessons are (were) a consistent theme.
Read MoreI think about a recent conversation with my mom where we talked about politics and movies. I think about conversations with my cousin who will shoot first and ask questions later but is driven to the point of no return. I think about conversations with my sisters, their stories encompass sacrifices and triumphs in nurturing their own families. We are all absolutely unique and yet the same.
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Note(s)
Not So Random Observation About Everything #1
Saturday provided an opportunity for me to shift Seeking His Information For Transformation … I lost my wallet with checks, cash & cards inside. I’m pretty adept at staying positive when negativity approaches but fail over analyzing the situation searching for a lesson. The energy I emitted must have automatically or instinctively drawn others to me. Read My energy was not spent on the loss or of feeling sorry but looking for a lesson; God is trying to tell me something? … the items can be replaced and the act of losing them would prove to be irrelevant days later. I told two people that day, two that I trust. What they provided were words of encouragement, and space for me to pull up my strength.
Concerning connections and energy … I received an instant message from my sister in faith and a text message from The TramueL Formerly Known As two days later. I had not spoken with either about losing my wallet.
Of The TramueL Formerly Known As
… Our relationship is absolutely unique, just like everyone else. Her concern is usually shown by commenting on my shortcomings so to receive the following message was proof positive of a positive connection.
“Good morning, jus woke up with u on mind. Everything ok?”
Of My Sister In Faith
… I can’t explain how important this person is to me, she keeps me grounded in faith and she counsels from the word of God. Her greeting made my heart smile.
"There are just some people you love and distance never separates you and because you are on my heart it only means that you are on God's heart."
C.S. Lewis often referred to this human connection as “kindred soul” people seeking the same truth or more specific, care about the same truth. We should all have someone with an S on their chest. Your friends should not want you to stay as you are but encourage you to seek growth, be all you can be.
~ Brian
“… your faith as well as your existence really lies within you and your relationship to God”
- MizRepresent
A Thought About Happiness & Love
... apply separately or together.
Sometimes we don’t believe we are deserving of happiness & or love. Subconsciously we attempt to block, make excuses for and deny ourselves the opportunity to be great. Don't allow all of the "injustice collecting" you've done over the years to block you from happiness or love. 'Injustice collectors use their powers of mind to conjure up different ways to feel offended, cheated, or otherwise victimized'
Be Great.
A Thought About Complaining & Faith
Sometimes I complain about my present place of employment and the nature of what I do. GOD is infinitely creative at providing us opportunities as lessons.
Most of my day is spent fielding questions & listening to folk vent & complain about my place of employment and the nature of what I do. Irony. Today presented an opportunity and a lesson about faith. I spoke with a woman who has experienced every hardship imaginable but told an incredible story of unyielding Faith & how GOD saw her through.
He Said, She Said ...
"A Christian must keep the faith, but not to himself"
~Some Random Dude or Dudette
Mr. TramueL
“Every Christian should gift this book to another Christian”
Red+Blue=Purple
He offers hope that has been tested.
“This world temps us to give up. Sometimes you want to give up. No matter how deep your faith, life can throw some hard pitches at you that you aren’t prepared for. And life gives you no sneak peeks at what’s to come; it offers no “coming attractions” to prepare you for those unexpected pitches.
People can be cruel, and things change quickly. Everything you count on today can be gone tomorrow. Often you live feeling either pissed off or pissed on. So we need hope. Not hope in just anything, but hope in something tried, proven, and true. Religions come a dime a dozen. Some people worship lettuce – until they get hungry. Some people worship money, until it loses value. Others worship themselves. And we all know where that leaves us – full of ourselves and full of it. So when you face a mountain of despair, and the pressure of life saps every bit of your strength, you don’t need a god who’s hot with Madonna this month; you don’t need the god whom the rapper thanks win he wins an award for his explicit material. You need the God who isn’t impressed by the material girl, the God who has proven himself worthy. The God with a record.
You see, hope left to itself is just an emotion. And that emotion will connect to anything that pretends to be worthy of it. If a figure named Santa Claus presents himself as one worthy of hope, then people – especially children – will put their hope in him. But since Santa isn’t real, hope invested in him is hope wasted. So I don’t just need someone to place my hope in, I need someone worthy of that hope. Someone for whom the evidence has come in, evidence I can sink my teeth into.”
- Kirk Franklin “The Blueprint” … A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms
My previous post “15 Minute Freestyle” for all intensive purposes was a way for me to satisfy my commitment to posting at least once a week. Without any preconceived notions I set out to write whatever came to mind, something easy and fast. In retrospect I understand where each thought was born and truthfully I wasn’t expecting much of a response. I did however receive five one off emails, text, & dm’s from friends who didn’t want to comment on the Blog. Whether directly or indirectly related to any one of my thoughts the common theme was about hope.
The reason I four letter word beginning with L and ending in E The Blueprint is because it’s real. Mr. Kirk Franklin talks from experience and presents his{tory} in away that’s not stuffy, preachy or degreedUP. “♬ ♫ ♪ far from hood but still understand the streets ♬ ♫ ♪”
That excerpt is power{Full} because it reinforces what we already know; We have resorted to using strength according to the wor(l)d rather than according to the word, putting too much hope in man. What it taught | teaches me is that we should counsel from God’s word because it is the truth.
Truth = Honesty. One of my thoughts from the freestyle concerned awareness about self-honesty. I hope everyone received what they needed from me {through Him}, I would like them to know that what I received from them {through Him} was even more valuable.
Deep Bows,
Mr.TramueL
As I listened to Musiq {another entendre} I thought how perfect for a Sunday afternoon. Faith in the Lord & faith in love.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Verse 1:
Love
So many things I've got to tell you
But I'm afraid I don't know how
Cause there's a possibility that
You'll look at me differently
Love
Ever since the first moment I spoke your name
From then on I knew that by you being in my life
Things were destined to change cause......
Chorus:
Love
So many people use your name in vain
Love
Those who have faith in you sometimes go astray
Love
Through all the ups and downs the joys and hurts
Love
For better or worse I still will choose you first
Verse 2:
Many days I've longed for you
Wanting you
Hoping for the chance to get to know you
Longing for your love
For your word your touch, for your blessings
Many nights I've cried from the things you do
Felt like I could die from the thought of losing you
I know that you're real
With no doubts and no fears
and no questions,
Chorus:
Love
So many people use your name in vain
Love
those who have faith in you sometimes go astray
Love
Through all the ups and downs the joys and hurts
Love
For better or worse I still will choose you first
Bridge:
Love
At first you didn't mean that much to me
But now I know you're all I need, Lord
The world looks so brand new to me
Now that I found Jesus
Everyday I live for you
And everything that I do I do it for you
What I say is how I feel so believe it's true
You got to know I'm true, Lord
Resist: "You got to Love God enough to resist what isn’t of God. Resist means to say something about it. To say No. To stand without compromising yourself, without compromising your integrity. To Love God enough means to be God’s friend, to be like a child. To go to battle as a warrior! Heart battle. Out of love, never out of pride."
Don’t Resist: "To wait and see. To never answer an unwise person, to never try to bring correction on a hurt, tormented, or angry fellow, peer, stranger, co-worker. It means to stay and do your best, even to give your other cheek…ouch! All with the expectation of letting the matter where it is, no where your pride want to go. Guts to be humble and recognize that we all are humans, the Supernatural is God in us…if we let Him."
Always inspiring ...
This post was taken from Peeling the orange's Blog on Wordpress ... one of my new favorites!
Photo Credit: "God-Ego" by Fred Eerdekens
So I had and awsomely' amazing time in church Sunday, the Spirit was amazing! The pastor didn't preach, we prayed, cried, sang & praised.
I thanked Him for a wonderful service with my Father.
So I had a wonderful time swimming with Lil’ Mr.TramueL at the YMCA, we laughed, talked & had a great time!
I thanked Him for amazing time with my Son.
So I came home and prepared a great meal, still basking in the glory of a wonderful day, the best I've felt in awhile.
I thanked Him for the meal & an incredible day.
So I leave the house to take Lil’ Mr.TramueL home and Boom! I run into the back of a car. 'I honestly don't know what happened. I wasn't talking or texting, wasn't distracted by anything, I was only 2 minutes from the house.
I thanked Him that no one was hurt.
Wasn’t sure what GOD wanted me to know at the time.
I thanked Him in advance for the lesson.
Clearly I now know. The lesson is to praise GOD at all times.
Word.
Beware of running away from problems.
After a textersation {I just coined this phrase … conversation through texting} with a good friend I’ve realized that I believe I know what other people want, but don’t really know what I need. My unspoken admiration for the folk that keep me grounded, sane & motivated is the reason for this post. They are a part of my life; some new, some old, some share my blood, some don’t, all-in-all they all are a part of my family, immediate and extended.
I shine when I serve others in some way and what I get back in return is far more beneficial to me than any 1ne of them can imagine. They bring me closer to capital {G}od’izzle, by desiring a closer relationship with HIM. They make me want to know more, thus inspiring me to read more & research more. They have taught me to be more honest. {Ya’ll know T!his is a struggle cause I enjoy story-telling and sometimes enjoy bending the truth} They inspire me to be a better father, brother, son & man. Last but not least, they’ve taught me to straighten out confusion or nothing will get done. I have some huge stones chasing me that I’ve now begun to face and stop running from.
I take in so much from my environment; T!his is one of the reasons why I tend to be indecisive, swinging between irrational and rational thoughts and feelings. It's pretty much something that takes place "upstairs" in my mind, although others are sure to see the struggle from time to time. I also have a tendency to misrepresent myself with what I say from time to time, but Mr.TramueL is a charming, if a little kooky, friend, father, brother, son & man.
Continue to Push Me & I’ll continue to Pull You.
In Gratitude,
