Are You On The Mountain Top Or In The Valley??

Are you on the mountain top or in the valley below?? On the mountain, screaming, dancing, shooting from the rooftops and rejoicing at the top of your lungs ~OR~ in the bottom of the valley learning life lessons, going through drama, feeling as if you have hit rock bottom.
This is the question of the day.
I am most definitely in a valley season. I am being tried in the fire and am walking through the valley of the shadow of death. ~*For me the valley of the shadow of death or the valley of dry bones is Texas*~
But even in the midst of trials and tribulations I know that God has not left nor forsaken me. I am in the midst of one of the hardest times in my life. I was talking to my mom in the car the other day and said, "I do not understand how come people still call or message me asking for scriptures or prayer or inspiration. I am going through so much of my own crap How can I possibly help someone else??" My mom said, "because they see some something in you. You don't waver with the tide, you are sure and steady. Your faith is strong through good times and bad times and they can see the strength in you even when you don't see it your self".
Hmmmm, Could this be true? I guess so, even though I don't feel strong or sure or steady, Hell on some days I don't even feel blessed! I guess it is a good thing my life is not based on feelings huh?
I commented on a friends facebook status that we all go through Mountain and Valley seasons and the key is knowing that God is with us during both. It wasn't until after I wrote that for my friend that I actually looked at it and said to my self wow, that is so true!
I am unemployed, half of Texas has one of my resumes and I spend more time on job sites filling out applications then I spend with my family! Out of all the connections, interviews, and networking I've been involved in over the past 12 months NOT ONE has resulted in employment. I have a daughter about to give birth any day now, two major holidays coming up, my son's birthday coming, my grand-daughter's birthday coming, family coming from out of town for the holidays, all of this before the end of the year and I do not have a dime and of course a load of unpaid bills and creditors calling me nonstop. DAMN!! Could my life get any SHITTIER???
Of course it could.
I could be dead, but I'm not; My children could be dead, but they are not; My daughter could be having her baby in New York hundreds of miles away from me, but she's not she is right here with me getting the love and support she needs; I could be alone and destitute, but I'm not. I am surrounded by family who love me!
So yea, I may be broke, tired and frustrated walking through this long, dark valley BUT I know that I am NOT in this alone! I have family by my side, at times walking with me through this valley. I have friends who are always willing to listen as I shout out in frustration from the bottom of the valley (Thanks, Adrienne, I love you more than you know!). But most of all I have Jesus, who picks me up when I stumble and fall to my knees in this dark valley and who is my life preserver when I feel like I am drowning in the abyss of my own tears. He is the one who whispers to me in the darkness of this valley and lets me know that there is light on the other side.
So yes my faith is strong! Even on my worst days, when I don't feel strong, or feel blessed, I KNOW THAT I AM!! I know that this is but a season and will not last forever. I know that whether in the Valley or on the Mountain top the "SON" will still rise!!
While I am being sustained by God's grace, I have FAITH that I will soon step into a Mountain Top season!

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

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Halloween By Any Other Name ... Is It The Same?

Back in 2007 when I first started blogging my second blog post was short and sweet and too the point. It was simply about whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. The text of the post is included below:

Halloween ...Yes or No?
Should Christians celebrate Halloween? If you do not celebrate Halloween is it OK to have another celebration on the same night but call it something else? For example on October 31st some churches have a Hallelujah Night, or a Harvest celebration. Does changing the name of your celebration change the impact of Halloween?

So here I am two years later asking the same questions.
If you DO NOT celebrate Halloween, do you think it is okay to have a celebration on the same night but give it a different name? If it is still on Halloween night, what is the significance of changing the name of your celebration? Do you call it a Halloween celebration, Hallelujah celebration or Harvest celebration? Why?


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If You Want Something You've Never Had...

If you want something you've never had, then you have to do something you've never done! I KNOW you have heard this saying before. Especially some of you Christian folks! This is the war cry or motto that precedes some changes in lifestyle, or attitude or altitude!
Well any of you who know my mother, also know that she has had a van forever. She's had a white van (the ice cream truck), a gray van (the gray lady), and of course the last one, the blue Honda Odyssey van (the space shuttle). Well two weekends ago my mother went to the "Woman Thou Art Loosed" conference and a spiritual breakthrough. The next thing we know, she is taking the van in for an oil change and come back in a CAR! That's right she traded in the van for a CAR!! If you knew my mother you would know how strange this is. She loves vans, or so we thought. But evidently she trying something different. Very Interesting. She said she just wanted to try something different, so she traded the van in. WOW!!
But, we really know she was just tired of all these folks jumping in her van every time it pulled out!!

And Off She Goes!!

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Hard Rock Cafe', All Things Are Possible!

If you are a true follower of my blog, close friend or family member you know that my oldest daughter has been in Le Cordon Bleu culinary school for over a year. She is nearing the end of her time in school and is only a couple of months away from obtaining her Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts! Her school, Le Cordon Bleu Dallas has recently added the Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Management and my daughter is anxiously anticipating entering this program. YES, CHEF!
So, anyway, the Chef-in-Training was down to the wire with finding a location to do her externship. She wanted to do it on a cruise ship but that did not happen. she was frustrated and scared because without that externship she can not graduate, so it was a very tense few weeks for her. HOWEVER, God intervened and and once again proved Himself faithful! Chef-in-Training got her externship and is pretty pleased about it. She is working in the heart of downtown Dallas at the HARD ROCK CAFE'!! Oh Yea and she LOVES IT!! She comes home tired BUT happy. There is the potential that this externship will become a full-time job, so we are praying for that. She has even spotted a few apartment buildings that she is thinking about living in. She is definitely heading for single, city living.

The Chef-in-Training is entertaining the idea of getting an apartment with 2 of her classmates from Le Cordon Bleu. One of her classmates is working with her at The Hard Rock and one is currently externing in Florida. I think they will do great living in the heart of Dallas!

Chef-in-Training & friend after a hard day of work!

I'm excited for the Chef-in-Training. She has come a very long way from the shy, introverted little girl, who dropped out of high school and struggled with her education and herself for years. It is hard as a parent to see your child struggle, and struggle and not be able to help them. But there were hurdles she had to get over on her own (Her & God). And she has done that! A girl who struggled so much with school that she she dropped out, has obtained her GED, is in an accelerated program at one of the premier culinary schools in the country, is anticipating going into a BA program, is planning to open her own culinary business, is looking at apartments in the city of Dallas, but most importantly has let God work on her. she has learned to love herself and value herself the way that God loves her. she is precious in His eyes, my eyes and HER OWN EYES! Life Lesson #1, be the best You that God knows you can be!!
I am blessed to have such a wonderful daughter! She is AWESOME!(...and she can cook!)

If you EVER doubt the power of God come see me, I have a bunch of testimonies to share!!


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Wordless Wednesday #44 - Hard Rock!!

HARD ROCK CAFE'

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Soon And Very Soon....

If you have been following this blog for the past year and a half you know of my total and complete love for my granddaughter "The Little Princess". You should also know that my heart felt trampled and crushed when she moved back to New York. I have not gotten over her being gone but I am dealing with it a little better.
Now my time is being occupied by the upcoming birth of my second grandchild! Yep, If you do not keep up with me on face book then you missed the big news & announcement! I am about to be a GRANDMOTHER! ...Again! Do you have children or grandchildren? If so than you know how expensive baby items are. I will definitely need the services of a quick cash advance loan service! I have never used a loan service before but this baby looks expensive! My middle daughter "The Rebel" is about to give birth to a little baby boy! The baby is due in early November, and I am hoping it is NOT on November 13th!! I already share my birthday with my son, I do not need a grandson sharing the same day as well! I think the best day for this child to be born would be November 3rd because that is "The Rebel's" birthday and now THAT would be poetic justice! This baby will be here Soon, very soon and I need cash now to prepare... and to just SHOP!
So anyway, the mom to be is busy trying to think of names for this bundle of joy she is about to have. She wants the baby's name to have the same initials as her name so she is having a hard time finding things that seem to fit and flow nicely together. I am confident that when the time is right she will have that name ready to roll!!
This grandson of mine is obviously not shy, as evidenced by the ultrasound pictures! He showed more of his private parts then he did his face. He took great joy in showing off his penis and testicles to the world with uninhibited pride!

See what I mean!

So, here we go again with this overwhelming urge to go out and SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!

Pray for me!!




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Self Esteem, Your Daughter And Dove.

Do you use Dove products? I do sometimes but they tend to be a little pricey for me. Did you know that when you buy Dove products a portion of the proceeds go to Dove's self-esteem campaign. I may have to invest a little more money into Dove products because Dove sponsors and supports self-esteem in young girls. If you have daughters then you know how important a good self-esteem is. today's youth suffer from untold bullying, low self esteem, poor self image and unbelievable peer pressure. But have you noticed how much pressure today's youth is under from television and movies and videos? Today's youth, especially girls are pressured to look a certain way in order to be beautiful. If they do not have a strong support system at home they risk falling prey to the media's criteria of beauty. The media tells them what body type and size is acceptable, what shade of skin, what style of hair, type of clothes, etc. If no one is counter-acting the poison the media is feeding them then they will lose themselves and become what the media thinks they should be.
Dove has a self esteem series, a few short films and down-loadable material including discussion guides to help in the effort to make our young ladies value the skin they are in.
Check out Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty online... HERE!

Isn't your daughter worth it??
Mine Is!

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Wordless Wednesday #43 - Over Crowded

I have not done a WORDLESS WEDNESDAY in a while... But I'm back!

OVER-CROWDED...We are losing our Young People...

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