Do you FROG?

Friday and Saturday I spent time with some mighty Women of God, immersed in His presence. Filled with His Holy Spirit receiving His Love, Mercy, Grace and a healthy dose of "Come to Jesus."

Each of us running in wild abandon to His feet.

So what does that have to do with the froggies pictured here?

Plenty, I'll explain.

Freely

Relying

On

God

I have occasion to become amused with myself and my life when I realize the whole thing is nothing more than a "set up" to get me to the place where I completely rely on HIM for everything.

It's amazing at how dependent we are on people, ministries, jobs, unemployment checks, alimony, internet, TV, Books, Sunshine, Cars, Routine, well, you get my drift.

We can effortlessly put our hope and trust in everyone and everything but the One that has been the provider of our life from the beginning.

Every time something else is stripped away I have to make a conscious decision about my level of trust in my Father.

I don't know about you, but I feel at my "age" I should be one of those pillars of Spirituality, a rock, steadfast, unwavering. Sadly, I'm not.

Daily I find my self running to get close enough to fall at His feet. Completely unable to make it through a day on my own.

We each have an Alabaster Box that holds the precious things in our lives. My relationship with my children is in mine. Knowing had I not been what I was, those precious relationships would be what He wanted them to be.

Pouring the contents of my Alabaster Box out on His feet is all I can do right now. But in doing that I know He will, in His own way and time bring healing and restoration.

What ever is in your Alabaster Box run to Jesus.

When I say run I want you to picture a major sale, the last sweater in your size and color and the only thing between you and victory is a few hundred other women trying to get that same sweater. Nothing will keep you from getting to that sweater. You don't care what you have to do to get to that sweater, it's yours and it's going home with no one but you.

That's the determination we have to have when running to Jesus

When you reach Him fall at His feet, pour out the contents of your Alabaster Box. Let your tears flow down to wash His feet and with your hair dry His nail scared feet. Don't try to hold onto it thinking you can make anything happen.

Open it up and pour it out, it might be messy, you may need to forget about your eye make up streaking down your face, but healing will come.

You have to release the precious contents of that priceless box. Holding it in secret will only put off the day when Jesus can touch your situation and say "Daughter Get Up, your tears have moved me and now go and tell others what I have done for you."

Blessings,

Princess, Daughter of the King of Kings

Mother of Princesses and Princes

Grandmother of Royalty

S.A.L.T.

Before I start, almost all the credit goes to one of the young men in our church, Jason Kadlac. He spoke Sunday and shared this with us. I am always excited to see how God speaks, to one then speaks to another and it all ties in. God is so Awesome!

On my last visit here I wrote about being a role model, and this just fits perfectly.

Our church is called Merge we believe God is merging the generations together for His purpose. The motto with that is Connect, Grow, Impact.

Keeping in mind our responsibility as a role model and as Christians to share the Gospel, by our actions and our words. I'd like to share with you what Jason gave us on Sunday.

Matthew 5:13 MSG says: You are to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.

The text from his message was from 2 Corinthians 5: 16-19

S- See something worth saving. vs 16. "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly

point of view." We don't evaluate people by what they have or what kind of job they do.

A- Act out your new life. vs 17 "The old has gone, the new (life) has come". Don't be an undercover Christian.

L- Love unconditionally. vs 18 "All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through

Christ." God's love is unconditional, and that's the kind of love we are to demonstrate

T- Tell others the Good News. vs 19 "He has committed to us the message of reconciliation"

Talk to people around you tell them what God has done in your life.

Thanks, Jason!!

As we fill in the space between our morning coffee and turning out the light at bed time we are an ambassador of God's Kingdom to this world. Everything we do and say reflects back on our King.

Technically we are not citizens of this world, but are Princesses and Princes of God's Kingdom. Seeing ourselves in this light puts a higher responsibility on us to protect our Father's Kingdom and to be an accurate reflection of our Homeland.

We, by our actions and our words, are to be the conduit that bring others to a place of reconciliation to our Father.

We are to Connect, Grow, and Impact on a daily basis.

Always remember who you are, who you are representing and never forget someone is watching you and will be learning how a Godly Woman or Man conducts themselves from you.

Get out there and be the SALT of the earth.

Blessings,

Princess, Daughter of the King of Kings

Mother of Princesses and Princes

Grandmother of Royalty

Is Anyone Younger than You?

At times I feel like everyone is younger than me. Especially with this last Birthday under my belt.

On the other hand, I'm planning on out living my Dad, who was in his 90's when he died, and his sister who is 100. So, as I see it, that puts me solidly in middle age, give or take.

Anyone reading this can look around and find someone younger than them. That makes each of us a role model for someone.

What ever else we are, we are role models.

Thinking about this responsibility God has assigned us I often reflect on what people see when they are around me. The good, the bad, and the very ugly.

Each of us has been given successes, trials, temptations, failures, loss, challenges, general life experiences to draw from.

It's not so much the junk we go through, but the way we handle ourselves, and our attitude going through the junk that speaks to others.

You may not want to be a role model, you may feel no responsibility to lead the way for someone younger, but you are. Someone is watching you and taking their cues from you.

This line of thought all came about when my friend and I were talking about single Mothers. I am one, she is not.

The whole area about older single Mothers speaking to the younger single Mothers, teaching them and guiding them was the logical follow up.

I can speak to things she can't. She has the head knowledge and the scriptures to pepper her speech with, but she's missing one thing, "Street Cred.", she has no experience. I, on the other hand have no idea what it's like to be married for 25 yrs., I can't address longevity in marriage.

The challenge is for us to become so filled with His Spirit, and His Word that our daily walk can be executed in a manner that will show those younger than us what God expects. We teach by our actions.

Make no mistake here, if you're 20 you are a role model to those teens that look up to you.

Younger women take their cues from someone. They aren't just hatched from a pod. They will either take their cues from a strong, solid, happy, secure Godly Woman, or from what society tells them is acceptable, right, and politically correct.

When someone younger than you observes how you handle yourself you are preaching a very clear gospel and I caution us all to be very careful. It's not just what you say, but what you do that teaches God's principles to a younger generation.

My generation needs to look to those who are more mature to learn how to be a solid, steady beacon of light in a very cloudy gray world. We in turn need to walk in a manner that will draw the next generation to Him.

God will put people in your life for you to draw from, He in turn will bring younger ones along side you for guidance.

He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. 2Corin. 1:4&5 MSG

Older women....are to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble. Titus 2:3 AMP

I encourage you to seek out someone older than you that you see God's hand on and latch on to them for dear life, learning from them. I had a very special lady give me her prayer shawl, even thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. More than once I've wrapped up in it for a one on one with God, knowing I had a little more "pull" with Ana's prayer shawl over me.

In the same respect, open yourself to the concept that God does have younger ones for you inspire and teach through your life. You're not living your life just for yourself there's someone out there that needs what you have to teach them.

Blessings,

Princess, Daughter of the King of Kings

Mother of Princesses and Princes

Grandmother of Royalty

Compromise, is it worth it?

OK, I know you're wondering what on earth two wine bottles could have to do with compromise.

I have a point, I promise...

The bottles look the same. The contents look the same. The corks look the same. The labels are different, that's how I can tell them apart without pouring a glass and tasting the contents.

As you can see, the one on the left has less contents.

The reason for that is the quality of the contents is much better!

The one on the right looks just like the one on the left when you pour it in a glass. But when you taste it, it's bitter. Nothing like the one on the left.

The other day I had the bright idea to pour the contents of bottle A into bottle B, hoping to make bottle B better......y'all know where this is going don't ya??

God doesn't particularly care about the contents of either bottle, but at this point He decided to make a point to me and show me how really stupid my idea was.

If I had taken the good tasting yummy wine and poured it into the not so yummy cheap wine I would not have made the cheap wine better.

I would have destroyed the quality of the yummy wine by compromising it's integrity.

It would have no longer been what it was. The yucky wine would have destroyed the good wine.

Does this sound familiar?

As God's people we have so diluted ourselves that we can't be distinguished from anyone else out there.

After Church we rush to the store just like everyone else. We work on Sunday, we do everything else everyone else does with few exceptions. Not to pick on Sunday alone, but the stores are full on Sunday. Which day of the week do we then set aside for rest and reflection on our Creator? Are our Church services on Sunday enough to restore our Spirits, heal us from the past work week and prepare us for the next? I doubt it.

When we walk into a room the entire atmosphere should elevate because we are so full of God that His presence changes the air. In most public areas Christians are so intimidated by the politically correct that we whisper the name of God like we're embarrassed by Him

Daily I'm seeing the need for God's people to start drawing our world in black and white.

It's either God or it's not. Good/Evil, Yes/No, Black/White, Light/Dark

We have to start seeing a sharper image of God in order to see a sharper image of what's detestable to Him.

We have to hate what He hates, and not be cohersed into compromising truth for the sake of peace or acceptance into today's society. We as God's children can not be politically correct so get over trying.

Looking at todays society, in terms of good and bad, black and white with no gray why would we want to be participants? Why would God's people, for the sake of acceptance, want to be like those who take His name in vain and laugh tirelessly at the late night comics who mock our beliefs as outdated, uneducated and unsophistocated?

Everywhere we go should be looked as a mission field.

If God has directed us to a place, then He has more for us there than getting a cup of coffee or buying groceries. We are on a mission from God to change the atmosphere around us. We are not to be compromised and diluted into a weak, useless shell of a Christian perfectly acceptable in todays society.

We are to be fearless, ruthless, desperate in our desire for separation unto Him. We, as God's people, have to become committed to destroying every last bit of compromise that we have given in to for the sake of being accepted, popular, or considered "normal" by todays standards.

Our only standard, our only need for acceptance should be our need to be accepted and approved of by Him, our Father. Who else matters?

"The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it will be set a part for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction." Deut. 7:25,26

I know, it's the Old Testament we're the New Testament church...so then why does our Bible start with Genesis rather than Matthew? Why does the New Testament constantly refer back to the Old Testament? Because it's God's word. His blood covers us, but we must remember we are grafted in, and His word teaches us what He expects of us whether it's before Jesus' birth or after.

What we have to start doing is take an honest inventory of our beliefs, our walk, our committment, search out the areas where we have compromised and get the detestable things out of our house before it dilutes our integrity.

We won't be popular, but we will be free in Him.

Blessings,

Princess, Daughter of the King of Kings

Mother of Princesses and Princes

Grandmother of Royalty

Cloud by Day, Fire by Night

I promised a picture of the front of our church. Sorry the picture isn't better, but it does give you an idea what I get to look at while I'm Worshiping the God of all creation.

Today during worship Pastor Mark encouraged each of us to just be quiet and listen. Let God speak to each of us right were we were.

Now, I admit sometimes it's very hard for me to stop and listen. I have constant "chatter" going on in my head and to turn it down much less off is a challenge. Something I am working on as I grow in the Lord.

Standing there looking at this stained glass God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice, but I knew what was in my head was from Him.

He reminded me of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that lead His people through the wilderness.

Ex. 13:22 says: Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

He never left, 24/7. He was there in front of them leading the way to their destiny. They could look up and physically see His presence. Awesome isn't it?

What He showed me in those few minutes is this.

He's right there in front of us trying to lead the way, but we can't see Him because all we look at is the "stuff" in our life that blocks our view of Him.

I know what most of my "stuff" is, some I still haven't figured out, but I have to be diligent in hacking my way through my "stuff" so I can get Him in my sights all day and all night. I can't settle for a glimpse of Him now and then when the dust from my "stuff" settles.

We all have "stuff" to clear away from our line of vision. I don't know what yours is, but I do encourage to take stock and start clearing the "stuff" that's blocking your view from the One that is in front of you by day and by night.

He's there, in front of each of us always and it's our responsibility to look at Him and not our "stuff".

Sounds impossible, but He has put in us everything we need to clear "stuff" from our line of vision and behold Him.

Blessings

Princess, Daughter of the King of Kings

Mother of Princesses and Princes

Grandmother of Royalty

Tea Time

It's cold. All right maybe 67 isn't cold to you, but to me it's cold and I don't like it....I live in Florida and I want it hot all day everyday, hot and sunny.

Because it's so cold I felt the only thing I could do to make myself feel better about the dropping temperature is make a pot of tea.

Making tea is a very involved process.

Choose your tea, black, green, herbal, organic herbal, flavored, caf/decaf and on it goes.

Once you've chosen your tea then you can determine the water temperature. Black tea takes boiling water, any thing else the water needs to be just below boiling.

The pot has to be prepared by putting heated water in it to warm up so it doesn't break when you pour in the water from the tea kettle.

Pouring the hot water over the tea bags starts the process of steeping the tea. For black tea 5 minutes, green or lighter tea 3 minutes.

It's the steeping I want to address here.

The unsuspecting bag full of wonderful dried leaves is placed in a tea pot. The pot is warm and very cozy, nice place to be for a tea bag. Very comfortable...warm, dark nice place for a nap.

Then out of no where comes this boiling hot water being poured over the innocent tea bag till it is completely covered.

Totally immersed in hot water, something wonderful happens, the boiling water rehydrates the leaves and as they steep in this bath they begin to do the very thing they were created to do.

They release their flavor into the water, the aroma sneaks out of the tea pot filling the air around it with an inviting fragrance.

Soaking in the hot water doesn't take forever, even though it may seem like it. A short amount of time to make an entire pot of something soothing, healing, refreshing and tasty.

Once the steeping process is complete, the tea bags are removed. They are done, they have given everything and the plain water is infused with the sacrifice of the tea bag.

At this point the flavorful aromatic liquid is poured out of the tea pot into a heated cup to benefit anyone willing to drink.

No one has to worry if the tea bags will make tea when the hot water is poured on them. They will do what they do...when the appointed time for the steeping has come the water is tea.

It's a process that has guaranteed results.

When we are steeped in the Holy Spirit we have nothing to worry about.

All we have to do is allow the Holy Spirit to wash over us and steep in it's warm liquid. Allowing God to make provision for us.

When we immerse ourselves in Him and soak up His Spirit we will come to the place where we don't worry, we Know, He will provide for us.

The Message Bible translates Matthew 6:33,34 this way: Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

He will meet our needs, all of them, when we allow Him to completely immerse us in His Spirit.

Now, lets talk about the cookies we eat with the tea......

Blessings,

Princess, Daughter of the King of Kings

Mother of Princesses and Princes

Grandmother of Royalty