My Name Is

He came to lie down in front of the church every day
Another day to realize he had no place to stay
His face lit up the first time he saw the Pastor
Expecting kind word coming straight from the Master
But the Pastor looked at him and told him to “go away”
The homeless looked at him not knowing what to say
Every time he’d lay in front, thinking it was the safest place
He would be chased away as if he were a disgrace
Then he made up his mind, he was ready for change
He fell on his face and cried out Jesus name
He was forgiven, so he forgave
His soul was awakened, he knew he was saved
He picked up his past, because Christ picked up the cross
No longer without a home, he regained what was lost
He became a man, he put on Christ
He helped save souls, he helped give life
One day he saw that Pastor, in his daily routine
He thought about his past, his eyes held a gleam
In their conversation he asked, “Do you remember the man, that laid on your steps, that had no plan?”
The Pastor thought back, “Yeah, that was long ago.”
The man stuck out his hand and said “Hi my name is PASTOR JOE”

By: Serenity (Based on a True Story)

Single Ladies: Before and After you put the ring on it.

Single Ladies: Before or After he puts the ring on it


Everyone is looking at you. You’re nervous. Queue music. Your hands are shaking slightly. You feel your legs moving, but it is more of a mindless effort at this point. Your mother is crying. There he is, standing there with his face beaming. A twinkle in eye. Everyone waiting for you to get to the front. Many thoughts are going through your head, yet nothing could have prepared you for this moment. This moment. The moment you’ve been waiting so long for. The moment that will undeniably change your life for this point forward. You’ve spent months planning. You’ve dreamed about it. You will now spend the rest of your life with the man you’ve fallen in love with. What a joyous day. The wedding is now over. The people are gone. The dress is put away. You’ve gotten your dream day. Now you find yourself picking up after him. Cooking for him when you don’t feel like it. Arguing about unimportant things. Feeling misunderstood. Still growing as a woman. Realizing that you still have unresolved issues. Establishing yourselves as your own family. The “til death do us part” of the vows you took are now becoming a reality check. You find yourself thinking “Was I ready for this?”

Maybe you were, perhaps you weren’t. The truth is, you’re here now. Or maybe you aren’t yet. Maybe you need a little advice that will prepare you to look deep before you take that leap. I am in no way saying that marriage is a bad thing. I’m married and I love it. Has it been hard? Yes. Have there been times when I’ve wanted to throw in the towel? Absolutely. Are there any regrets? No, just growth spurts. I just want to help wives and future wives to be thoroughly aware of the seriousness of the decision so they won’t end up in divorce court.

One thing I’ve learned that is a crucial part of the dating/marriage world. It is imperative that you try your best to become whole before you make a major commitment to anyone. Unresolved issues such as abandonment from a parent or loved one, abuse (sexually, emotionally, physically), self esteem, trauma, can all lead to problems in your relationship. You may look to your spouse to be your savior rather than your husband. You may also take out your hurts on him because you’ve never learned how to properly deal with it. This can put a large strain on the relationship causing resentment, anger, and bitterness. If there are any unresolved issues, try talking to a counselor or join a group that specifically deals with whatever you’re going through. Pre-marital and post-marital counseling would also be good for the both of you to work out anything that may be troubling your relationship. The first few months of my relationship with my husband, I didn’t realize that I was still hurting over some deep things that had gone on in my life. Unavoidably, this began to show when I expected too much from my husband. I wanted him to be everything that I was missing in my life plus the perfect person as well. When this didn’t work out, I was angry at him. I didn’t know that I needed to find wholeness and closure to past issues before I could be a complete woman for him.

The Best You

Where did the notion come from that we have so much time life to get things done in our lives?
We’ll organize the house tomorrow. We’ll get to that task next week. We’ll go visit relatives and friends when we get a little time in the future.
Have we forgotten that tomorrow isn’t promised?
How many times have you heard “they didn’t know what hit them” when referencing someone’s demise?
Do you think various actors and entertainers knew when they would cease to exist any longer?
What about the students that have gone to school one day and never returned? Perhaps they said that they would accomplish their greatest feat the next day, but “the next day” never came.
This is not a morbid literary piece to bring you down. It is actually a reality check to bring you up.
The past is still the past and we can not do anything to change it. A mistake is never called a mistake unless you didn’t learn anything from it. It’s just one more life experience to make you stronger.
The Bible says the the mercies of God are new every morning.
That means no matter what you’ve done beforehand, everyday you receive the best gift; opening your eyes! You are still full of life and this will be your best day yet.
Not because it will be perfect, but because you have another chance to leave a mark on the world. Another day to master who you are and another day to be the best......

Why Worry?

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:25-27 (New American Standard)
1. Why Worry?
Have you ever heard the expression of being “worried to death”? Did you know it was actually possible to do so? Medical professionals suggest that worry, stress, and anxiety can cause insomnia, heart palpitations, tremors, muscle tension, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, restlessness, stomach and bowel problems. All of these can become severe and aid in a premature end. When I met my husband, he was the biggest worrier I had ever met. He would worry about everything from his bills to what outfit he should wear for the day. It seemed as though he always had a stressful look on his face just waiting for something to happen. We joke about it now, but back then it drove me crazy! Shortly after, he met God and a majority of it subsided. I used to ask him why he would get so worried if that didn’t change the outcome of the circumstance. He said it had become a bad habit over time. I’ve found that the same is true with a lot of people that have the propensity to worry. After doing it for so long, they find that the more they worry, the more there is to worry about. When faced with things that have the potential to send you into a frenzy, take a deep breath in and out. Start by saying a prayer to God and releasing all of your anxieties to Him trusting that he will take care of it. Another method is to think alternative thoughts when you feel worry start to creep in to your mind. By filling your mind with love, joy, peace, and harmony, it will allow your mind to focus on the present moment in a serene way.
Dean Hawkes of Columbia University stated, "Half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision.” You have to learn to accept the things that are out of your control. Really. Take the time to really think about the worst case scenario on the thing that you are so worried about.

After you’ve done this, mentally prepare yourself to accept the worst (if necessary) and then LET IT GO. Learn to relax. Laugh more. Cry less. Rest. Breathe. Laugh. Relax. Laugh. Breathe. Relax. Breathe. Relax. (Hopefully you’re not in a public place. If so, avoid all strange stares)

Wait a Minute!

Isn’t funny that children show us the way God looks at us?

For example, you tell your child to wait until you get back up stairs from washing clothes in the basement to help you make a cake. However, when you return back upstairs you see flour on the walls, eggs on the floor, and half of the bag of sugar in the bowl. The first thing that comes to your mind is “Didn’t I just tell you to wait a minute so you can help me make the cake? Now you have a big mess that I’m going to have to clean!” The child just innocently says that they thought they were helping you. Imagine how God feels when we want immediate results right now to something that we have been asking for. We think we are “helping Him out” when all we had to do was wait a little longer. When we try to do it ourselves, it creates a big mess that we, inevitably, need God’s help to clean it up. He may discipline us for not listening, but “He disciplines those he loves, and disciplines those he accepts as a child*” and “His anger is only for a moment, but his favor is for a lifetime*” just like parents. So next time you are about to discipline your children, think about that last time God had to discipline you and try not to make the same mistake twice.

By: Serenity

*Disciplines…..Hebrews 12:6
*Anger…….Psalm 30:5

A life of Purpose

Imagine you’re on a long stretch of highway going for a ride in a new convertible. The sun is shining. The wind is whipping across your face. You have no worries. If you don’t have a destination, you’ll stop everywhere along the way. The further you drive, it starts getting dark, the car is out of gas, and it begins to rain. You’re in the middle of nowhere, there isn’t a gas station in sight, and you have no place to go. How miserable would you be? That is the same way purpose works. Everyone starts out hopeful for the future. As a child you are excited about growing up and finding out what life has to offer. Nevertheless, without a purpose, you get distracted by everything that interests you and before you know it, life has hit you hard and you’ve lost all sense direction. The car represents your gifts that, without motivation or direction, can no longer drive you. That can lead to a very unhappy and unfulfilling life.