The Four Seasons Of Promise

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son went in the fall. When they had all gone and returned, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.

The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each only seen one season in the tree's life. He told them you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. That the essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from life, can only be measured at the end when all the seasons have passed. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come in time.

Aspire to inspire before you expire. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And leave the rest to God. Happiness keeps you sweet, trials keep you strong, sorrows keep you human, failure keeps you humble, success keeps you growing, but only God keeps you going.

Thank you CLAUDIA, who sent this lesson, for being a very important part of the seasons of my life.

FACEBOOK, DATING, GOD, AND ME

OK, I am officially horrible at blogging. My dedication and focus are completely hampered by my busy schedule and lack of motivation to talk about life while I am actually in the thick of LIVING it. I guess that's why I've NEVER been able to figure out how to TWITTER. My son started my twitter page and that's as far as it has gotten. People hit me saying they're following me and I wonder WHAT they are following because I am not entering anything. And, FACEBOOK, while easier to navigate is still a bit of a confusing world to me. MNy son promised to show me how to increase my privacy settings because I am not really thrilled with the friend requests from people I don't know. It really weirds me out especially when I send a message saying politely "I am sorry but do I know you and the reply is, no I am attracted to you." Great. I am engaged and not looking for a relationship of ANY kind on Facebook or ANYWHERE else. My interest in FB is that it allows me to interface with my young nieces and nephews, of which I have 13, and to say hello to people I haven't seen or heard from since elementary and high school. I am open to God using me as a vessel of ministry in that way and I think we should all see our growing world of electronic communication as a greater opportunity for outreach for God's purposes. Not to find a date. That seems rather meaningless to me. Unless, of course, you're single and I get it.....but honestly, if you are single here's my word for that:

Give it to GOD! Not FACEBOOK. I was single. I actually loved being single when I got confident in my own journey. I always had boyfriends or a boyfriend and I have always been able to have the attention of guys....BUT...when God's not in it what is it? It's a man made relationship, based in flesh, that I promise will not satisfy the deepest need of our souls to be truly connected to someone with a deeper purpose in life than the flesh allows. Our flesh doesn't allow for deeper purposes. Only our spirits rooted in God can do this. It is the deepest connection we have with someone once the deeper purpose of a relationship is solidifed in Christ.

I used to hear people say that there should be 3 people in a marriage, You, Me, and God, and now I get it. Without the Lord at the center of our relationships nothing will ever really stick or bind or satisfy. When you know that you share a common faith and you both submit to that common faith God can do miraculous things in your union, your household, and your family. That's why the enemy, Satan, the Devil, call him what you will....has so bastardized the male-female relationship today. He has made sex casual, easy, and justified it in our minds as truly something simple to obtain. He has given us drive through commitments, just as easily entered as gotten out of. He has given us FACEBOOK and the internet and a whole of of misuse of the medium by predators and idiots truly living in the flesh. And, if you are married, he has made cheating and adultery OK and even glamorous. Look at Brad and Angelina or my girlfriend Cynthia, whose husband AROD cheated with Madonna, and as long as he has a good season at bat, no-one ever says 'Boo you liar, adulterer, and jerk.' No, The famous hubby moves on to the new girl and the world forgives, applauds, and cheers...literally. Satan has completely deceived us into believing a lie.

God created sex for marriage. And, anything less is taking pieces of yourself and throwing it in the trash. You will get sick with loneliness, emptiness, sadness, and pain eventually. That guy or that girl will not show up when you really need them at the times you really need them because 9 times out of 10 he or she didn't sign up for the real deal; they signed up for the fun deal. In the beginning it will feel good. The game is exciting and fun and the thrill of the chase is like a drug. In the end you will experience all of the former; drama and disappointment. And, in some cases, with the whole world watching.

Remember this: Hell ALWAYS feels like Heaven when you're walking in the front door.

So, the next time you are tempted to FRIEND me on Facebook and you are just a single guy with some weird attraction to ANYTHING other than Christi in me... PLEASE spare me the email clutter, because unless you are rooted in the Lord and His Word, or looking to be rooted in the Lord and His Word and in that case call a Pastor first, I am not interested in being your friend.

Annoyed Black Female signing out for now! Peace, from your resident Hip Girl on her road to a deeper spirituality for her FACEBOOK community of friends.

"Be Still And Know That I Am God"

OK, It's been a couple weeks. Sorry. I've had a birthday, a trip to the Caribbean, and a general onslaught of being busy trying to plan a wedding.

In the midst of all the BUSY NOISE the Lord told me to be still a moment. Of course, once I was I felt the Spirit that brings me a peace that truly does surpass all understanding. God is so good and faithful.

Now to switch gears I woke up with the devil at my back. Following me. Trying to invade my home. We prayed him out but why was he there in the first place? My prayers indicated that perhaps I'd opened a portal of entry via a Jackie Collins book I am reading. Sounds nuts I know but it's not. You must pray those doors closed and be willing to recognize when something so silly as a worldly book may be a powerful tool of entry in the realm of spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6..." We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities from the dark world." Food for thought.

More food for thought. We are often asked to be 'of service' in ways great and small. The great ways we notice but the small ways, which may be more significant sometimes, we must not overlook. I write. My church newsletter needs written content. This is a small way that I can be 'of service.' I help people with the encouragement of my testimony of faith and perseverance in the face of great challenge. I am being asked to contribute from my experience and I am aware that God is working with me to prepare my involvement in church in these ways. My testimony involves my son and I am prudent and prayerful in knowing that he must feel comfortable in ways that I am already comfortable sharing. We are all works in progress and I'd ask you to pray that my son sees that the good in my sharing outweighs any bad.

But for you my reader I ask you today to think about the 56 days that have passed since 2010 began. By the end of this week 60 days will have elapsed. Are you closer to God? Are you further along on your path to being a more spiritual girl? Are you seeking God's purpose for you and following that purpose? He has given you gifts and talents to use. Are you striving to use your gifts and talents for His glory? I ask because I overlook my areas of progress and often feel that I have so far to go. But, my fiance, reminded me that on a personal note, the past couple months have brought great growth in my son's life and this has been a direct result of my own spiritual work. I am producing more fruits of the Spirit and this is affecting my household greatly. We are often focused on the fruits of our hard work which we want evidenced in career success, however, the fruits of the Spirit are to be worked for first. After all, they are the most worthy and from them flow real and lasting successes.

Reminder then...the fruits of the Spirit are found in Galatians 5:22-23 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."

I PROMISE that if you live in the Spirit you will be MUCH more successful. Success will hunt you down, find you, and shower upon you. Winning situations are drawn to a person whose Spirit is this powerful. People, in general, want to be around people such as this. They want to experience the greatness they themselves feel in the presence of someone whose Spirit is this in sync with God, the Almighty. Even non-believers are drawn into submission to a person whose Spirit fruits are operating at full force. So where are you nearly 60 days in with this most worthy pursuit of the Hip Girls Guide To Spirituality? Getting stronger every day I hope!

As your resident hip girl it is often easy to feel like a really great bundle of potential with no real clue as to how to use it. On days like this...BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. Get quiet. Go to the Source. He is the source of peace, answers, strength, clarity, insight, and faith.

Like Macy Grey sang...there is a conversation I need to have with me. It's just a moment to myself. Let's try something. Whoever is reading. Sit for 15 minutes in total silence looking up and being in God's presence. Ask Him and only Him to speak or lead or fill you with whatever He wants to fill you with. Acknowledge the voice, the leading, the Spirit. Then write me your comments. I really wanna know what God brings out of your moment of being still with Him.

Pastor said in church that the baby is inside of you. I have known this spiritual truth since I first got saved. Birthing the miracle in your life is like a human pregnancy. It takes a set period of time. In this case 9 months. There is nausea and discomfort involved. And, just at the moment of birth, the moment of victory, there is the greatest pain you've EVER experienced in those 9 months and probably in your life. At that very moment you must be very focused on one thing; PUSHING THAT BABY INTO EXISTENCE! Push, breathe, struggle, ache...but push that dream into the world and give birth to not only the fruits of a better Spirit but the fruits of a better life.

For now....I gotta go burn my Jackie Collins book. To many gratuitous curse words and glorified sexual situations that perfectly illustrate why real relationships between men and women are so screwed up today. The celebration of the worldly, and the dismissal of the spiritual, has turned our entertainment into a reflection of the decaying insides we are all struggling to overcome. At least those of us 'cool' enough to have decided to surrender to living and doing things God's way.

If that sounds elitist it should. I want us to start a new club of hip people; those who love Jesus and really live the way He instructs. If you wanna join the club then you'll have little time to judge others because you'll be so busy realizing that the books and movies and music and films and situations you watch and entertain daily are all working against the fruits of your Spirit, growing and defeating your life in a myriad of subtle ways.

Peace out.....

"BEEN THERE DONE THAT CAN'T WASTE TIME LOOKING BACK"

Every time we listen to our ego, every time we react and behave with intolerance, anger, fear, selfishness or resentment, a curtain is placed over our Light...

That's what I woke up to this morning.

Well, actually what I woke up to was a longing for the life I lived BEFORE spiritual awareness. You know the life in which you were younger and sillier and careless and irresponsible and completely living for...YOURSELF!

C'mon be honest. It is the last day of the New Year and for many people, life prior to spiritual awareness, was unabashedly...FUN. Or, so it seems when looking back at it anyway. When looking back at it we often forget the loneliness, and isolation, and the general state of being 'lost' that accompanied us everywhere we went. Lost in very good clothes and Manolo Blahniks, but lost nonetheless. We often forget the relationships built on nothing deep and everything shallow. We forget, even, that those relationships left us feeling empty and without a deep, profound, connection to ourselves. Oh yeah.

Yet, your spiritual guide understands. Laugh. I, too, especially one month into this New Year still question what I am doing in this desert on the way to the Promised Land...with no GPS. I mean c'mon can I get a map, a warranty, a promise? Or did I get all that already and I am just having a moment of me that is negating my faith? Hmmmm.

So, where is it? This Promised Land.

Well, I am most certain, completely sure, and 1000% knowing of the fact that the Promised Land is inside of you! That land of peace which is flowing with milk and honey is as far away as you allow it to be, or as close as you want it to be. When you get there it will produce a whole new world around you and outside of you. Have faith young Jedi.

That 'looking back phenomena' I realized, when I read the most moving words above, sent by a very Hip Girl girlfriend, is all about EGO. Grazie Claudia...sei veramente una Donne Di Dio.

Ego causes us to be involved with self. Ego causes us to be involved with our flesh. My need. My want. My desire. MY FLESH. Somewhere, a long time ago, I heard a saying; E.G.O. stands for Edging God Out. Think about what happens to your spiritual sense of power and peace when you Edge God Out. I bet you feel lost, and unmotivated, and uncertain, and fearful, and angry, and resentful, and intolerant...of everything and everyone who really loves you whom you really love.

Well, you MUST HOLD ON TO GOD. If you don't have friends around you who help you do that, then you need to go back to Blog #1, the first week of this New Year, and assess the friends around you and re-choose your posse. If your peeps are cool but they can't give you what you need on a morning when you've woken up surrounded by people who love you but still in a giant FUNK, then go to your Big B (BIBLE FOLKS) and read Psalms. David knew a thing or two about internal struggle. Remember, King David, was a man who loved hard, fought hard, and repented even harder.

And, for those of you who are computer junkies, like me, go to Blue Letter Bible.org and look at the Day By Day Grace reading or do a search and let God lead you to some water that will take away the deep thirst you may be feeling for some inspiration, some satisfaction, some awareness of what's really positive and productive, versus what will lead you down paths you've already tread and given up.

Generally speaking if you've been there and done that...and you moved on from it in the first place, don't revisit it. You know the definition of insanity. It's even Biblical...Proverbs 26:11 and 2 Peter 2:22 made me cringe:

Pro 26:11	As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
2Pe 2:22	Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

And, yes, if you think about it, this 'looking back' and questioning if you can really walk this Spiritual Path causes you to feel like you're in the 'Dark' and there is no feeling of 'Light' involved in those moments.

So, as you reflect on the statement above, understand that these feelings of inadequacy and anger and frustration with living as a Child of God, when no-one else does, and when it seemed a lot more fun when you weren't, is just a SET-UP. A big set-up to get you back into the darkness where Satan, the Devil, Evil, Chaos reigned in your life and while you had moments of fun, you knew you were lost and unhappy and walking a road to nowhere alongside people who wouldn't really be there if you needed them anyway. And, getting older and older by the day. It's only cute to waste time until you're not cute anymore, while wasting time. Swallow that girlfriends.

As you realize this, build yourself up in the Words of God that will re-strengthen you and re-fortify you for the rest of your journey today and all year long. I can promise you, without doubt, that you will once again, as it says in Isaiah, "rise up on wings like eagles, walk and not grow weary, run and not faint," and your Light will begin to shine even brighter, and God will remember that you have dreams and desires and needs and wants and He will bless you with all of it in due time. Trust Him. He gives when WE are ready to receive and since He made us He knows best what He made us for and when He made us to receive it.

So, my brightly shining and well lit reader, by this point we've made it through a good month of stuff to ponder.

Yes, it can be exhausting walking this Spiritual Path to a better you. But, you're worth it. As they say in AA keep coming back, it works if you work it and you're WORTH it!!! I love that one and God knows I tried AA too.

Tomorrow is the first day of February, the second month of our 12 month Guide to Spirituality. We are just getting started so hang in there, hold on to God, and know that your life WILL be different if you stay the course!!! There are those I love who have never found the course, or worse, left it. I don't see them living in true happiness and success. And, all that they have I wouldn't want. Well, I'd want maybe a couple things...but I can't sell out my journey with God to get 'em so I will wait patiently for my Bentley. Kidding! Not really. Anyway.

It's Sunday morning so your resident Hip Girl Guide is going to fill up on a dose of Spirituality at the True Love Worship Center in the Valley, a church where the Holy Spirit moves like crazy and the transformation on members faces from one week to the next can only be explained by one thing...God turning up the Light in their lives as they hold on from week to week.

Stay sexy. Stay fierce. Stay strong. Stay focused. YOU are a child of the King. Work with that!!!

Peace...Out!

Thats What Friends Are For

This is kind of an under used cliche! I mean think about it. I wish I could say more often, "that's what friends are for' because it would mean that someone just did an amazing and wonderful, often times, simple little thing that was really important to you.

Maybe they called you on your stuff, in the hopes that you become the better you that they see. Maybe they made a call on your behalf, because they really believe in what you're trying to do. Or, maybe they simply started following your blog because they love you! Thanks Bradley. You're the first!

All that said, it makes me think of the gift of 'friends.' I try not to take them for granted, although, with kids and school and basketball it's hard to see them all the time.

I spent a great lunch today with my cousin Gerry whose here from London. We went and hugged an old friend, Benny, and shared a hug and some laughter. Benny oogled my engagement ring and I oogled his watch collection. In hindsight, because I remember him from 'back in the day' I am that much happier for his success. We all worked, and still work, hard for ours. So as I reflect on the moment, I ask myself, 'what does God have to say about friends?'

He'd like us to have Godly friends. He'd like us to BE Godly friends. In fact, the Bible says 'bad company corrupts good character' which seems to emphasize the nature of what kind of friends we have...and are.

This actually rang in my head as I drove away from my cousin at the end of our afternoon. Not because he is bad. Not because I am bad. But, we tend to be bad together. Nothing big. But, our conversations are kinda like little kids being naughty. The Holy Spirit brought it to me and immediately I knew why. I kind of walked the edge of using some language I don't use anymore while laughing and reminiscing, about the past. A seemingly fun yet spiritually immature path I must add. :( I heard the words as a sort of reminder to be careful to guide my loved ones UP in our conversations and not help drive us DOWN the bunny hole into a conversation about the very worldly things and behavior I used to indulge my senses in. I adore my cousin and I really want to always do him good and never harm so I took the spiritual admonishment to heart and will be a better spiritual guide the next time. After all, this is The Hip Girls Guide To Spirituality and if we are gonna walk the talk we gotta walk the talk.

But how?

Reminiscing about the antics we all used to indulge in can be sooo fun. It's just sometimes my language changes and my head rolls and the fingers snap and all of a sudden spiritual girl is beginning to resemble...well, whats her name from sex and the city?! Samantha. Ouch. OK, I'm calling myself to the mat for the sake of being an honest witness to all of you of what it means to get 'in the flesh' and out of the spirit.

The Big B says that we should 'walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.' This means more than just being careful not to use foul language though. It means being in constant communion and dialogue with...God. Hard to do when reminiscing about the hot 28 year old train wrecks I dated 100 years ago, or worse, the Australian who made the earth move under my feet. Don't even go with the Carly Simon tune because by the time the sky came tumbling down, tumbling down, I suffered some serious consequences.

Truth be told...do you ever notice that the bad and naughty things we all reminisce about never left us feeling very high on self esteem? Actually I told Gerry today that I honesty left each of my wild child affairs feeling like I had left a piece of me somewhere it wasn't meant to be. And, I never felt very whole or fulfilled in the aftermath!

Thank God for His grace.

In my years learning to surrender, and loving to walk in the spirit more than I do the flesh, I have gathered all the pieces of me from all the places I left them and I now walk in total fulfillment as a whole woman of God. Finally. And, thankfully. I actually wrote in an email to my friend Dinos yesterday the words from an old Helen Reddy song. Remember it?

" Oh yes I am wise but it's wisdom born of pain. Yes I've paid the price but look how much I gained. If I have to, I can do anything. I am strong. I am invincible. I am WOMAN! "

So here's the Spiritual Girl Guide Tip #105:

Everyone uses foul language. Be different. Don't.

The bible says, in Luke 6:45, that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks! Check your heart condition! 2010 will be that much better if you temper your words with wisdom and love!

The Sum Total Of A Woman

The Sum Total of a Woman© by Pastor Ron Taylor

This says it all!

You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the climax of God's creation.
When God finished you, He saw everything that He made was very good.
You are the first helper and companion to mankind.
Upon your arrival, the first divine institution called marriage was established.
God's first mandate to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, to have dominion over the earth, all required your participation.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the point of entry for all human life, all come by you.
If one comes any other way than by you, he/she is declared illegal.
God established you as the doorway to humankind.
Before the foundation of the world, God preordained that His redemptive plan for mankind would come through the Seed of a woman.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the mother of faith that gave birth to the promised son from a barren womb.
You are Moses' mother that will risk your own life for the sake of your child.
You are Rahab who turned from your ungodly ways to trust in the Almighty God who delivers from destruction.
You are Deborah, the first known woman Judge of God's people and a prophetess who could hear from God.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are Ruth, and by determination faith, you found favor with God and Boaz.
And through your seed the Messiah came forth.
You are the barren Hannah who prayed for a son and God answered with the Prophet Samuel.
You are the destitute widow with the little flour and little oil that trusted God and ended up with exceeding sufficiency in the midst of famine.
You are the young woman taken away captive to Syria and a slave girl to Naaman's wife, yet revealed to them that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal Naaman's leprosy.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are the Proverbs 31 virtuous woman, and your value is beyond measure.
You are Elizabeth, the carrier of one who will pave the way for the greater One.
You are Mary, blessed and highly favored to bring forth the One that will change the world for the better.
You are the woman who pressed her way through the crowd to touch the Anointed One and be made well.
You are the woman who was used and abused and fell at the feet of the Anointed One to anoint his feet with fragrant oil, and He turned your life around tremendously.
You are the woman who stood by while others fled at the crucifixion of your Lord.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.
You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the Daughter of Abraham!

I will add just one thing. The Lord told Joshua:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." JOSHUA 9

Go forward in victory Woman and Man of God!

The Sum Total Of A Woman

The Sum Total of a Woman© by Pastor Ron Taylor

This says it all!

You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the climax of God's creation.
When God finished you, He saw everything that He made was very good.
You are the first helper and companion to mankind.
Upon your arrival, the first divine institution called marriage was established.
God's first mandate to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, to have dominion over the earth, all required your participation.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the point of entry for all human life, all come by you.
If one comes any other way than by you, he/she is declared illegal.
God established you as the doorway to humankind.
Before the foundation of the world, God preordained that His redemptive plan for mankind would come through the Seed of a woman.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the mother of faith that gave birth to the promised son from a barren womb.
You are Moses' mother that will risk your own life for the sake of your child.
You are Rahab who turned from your ungodly ways to trust in the Almighty God who delivers from destruction.
You are Deborah, the first known woman Judge of God's people and a prophetess who could hear from God.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are Ruth, and by determination faith, you found favor with God and Boaz.
And through your seed the Messiah came forth.
You are the barren Hannah who prayed for a son and God answered with the Prophet Samuel.
You are the destitute widow with the little flour and little oil that trusted God and ended up with exceeding sufficiency in the midst of famine.
You are the young woman taken away captive to Syria and a slave girl to Naaman's wife, yet revealed to them that there was a prophet in Israel that could heal Naaman's leprosy.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.

You are the Proverbs 31 virtuous woman, and your value is beyond measure.
You are Elizabeth, the carrier of one who will pave the way for the greater One.
You are Mary, blessed and highly favored to bring forth the One that will change the world for the better.
You are the woman who pressed her way through the crowd to touch the Anointed One and be made well.
You are the woman who was used and abused and fell at the feet of the Anointed One to anoint his feet with fragrant oil, and He turned your life around tremendously.
You are the woman who stood by while others fled at the crucifixion of your Lord.
You are more than the years you have lived upon this earth.
You are a woman of God, that's who you are.
You are the Daughter of Abraham!