Guest User 1/3/20 Guest User 1/3/20

Obstacles

Part of being successful is acknowledging the obstacles in your way, and to the best of your abilities planning for them. There will be unforeseen circumstances, but for the most part we know our challenges. It is important to set realistic goals. It is important to evaluate resources. We must always count the cost. Some journeys require you to travel alone. Some roads are long and narrow. No matter what path you take this year, count the cost. Evaluate and acknowledge your obstacles...so you can overcome them.

Guest User 11/6/19 Guest User 11/6/19

Rush

There is something to be said about waiting for something. I can admit that when I rush things, things don’t happen the way they should. They feel rushed. They feel half-hearted. If we are completely honest with ourselves, some of us like the rush. We like the beat of our heart, We like the pressure. We like the thrill. Truth is…There are things in life that shouldn’t be rushed. You wouldn’t rush baking a cake. It requires time. There are things in your life that just require more time. What things in your life feel rushed? What are you doing out of your own strength? Be patient. Wait for it, Everything in due time and season. Don’t rush it.

Guest User 9/16/19 Guest User 9/16/19

We’ve all heard that God will never put more on you than you can bear. If I could be perfectly honest, sometimes I’m astonished at how much I can bear. There have been times, I have just wanted to quit. I’ve wanted to breakdown and cry, but I had to push through. I didn't realize my own strength. I didn't see a way out. I didn’t see the other side, but God. If you feel overwhelmed, know that God knows how much you can bear. God knows what he’s trying to produce. God knows how much “more” you can handle.

Guest User 8/16/19 Guest User 8/16/19

Unpredictable

I’m literally waiting with bated breath for the arrival of our daughter. This pregnancy has taught me that we are not in control. We have a sense of control, but not really. We can’t make ourselves breathe. We can’t make our heart pump. We can’t cause the sun to shine or the Earth to move. We can’t stop all nuisances in our life even if we wanted. Life is unpredictable. We can pray and try to move God. We can stomp our feet and have a tantrum. We can give up or we can choose to move forward. Still, we can’t control all the moving pieces of our lives. Woosah. Take a deep breath. Accept that life is unpredictable and that’s ok.

Guest User 6/28/19 Guest User 6/28/19

Fearless

Fearless by definition means to lack fear. Fear can not exist in a place that is full of faith. Faith is the opposite of fear. Fear is defined by anxiety. Fear is synonymous with worry, dread, and trepidation. To truly be fearless, one must embrace hope and a positive outlook no matter the circumstance. The true journey to being fearless is simply to fear…..less.

Guest User 6/26/19 Guest User 6/26/19

Focus

Life is full of distractions that make it very hard to focus. It seems like we get pulled in a million and one directions. Things fall apart at the same time. Kids start acting up. Money gets funny. Life happens. Truthfully, most of us focus on the problem. It’s easier to see than the solution. We focus on our fear. We focus on what’s going wrong instead of what’s going right. We have to condition ourselves to point out the positive. We have to teach ourselves to focus on God in the midst of chaos.

Guest User 6/19/19 Guest User 6/19/19

Juneteenth

Growing up in New Orleans, in many ways was like being raised in a time capsule. Field trips to plantations were apart of the Louisiana History curriculum. Reminders of slavery and the antebellum South were ever-present on St.Charles Avenue. Drums rang out from Congo Square on Sundays, and Juneteenth was celebrated right before Essence.

I don't think I truly understood the significance of Juneteenth until I was older because I was taught that the slaves were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. I later found out that slavery simply got re-branded to sharecropping and indentured servitude. It was re-branded again through Jim Crow and redlining. More recently, it was re-branded through constitutional amendments and capitalism. Larger financial institutions rose up in the place of slavery to create the generational wealth gap. Consumer debt is one of the current faces of slavery's re-brand.

Today, as we celebrate and acknowledge the liberation of the Texas slaves, please understand that we are still struggling to be free. Just like those Texan slaves, we are waiting for news of freedom. Delay is not denial. There's still hope. Happy Juneteenth!