Praise the Lord for today is a blessing and truly I am blessed. I walked into church today and when Pastor started his sermon and the scriptures sang out to me. The sermon was based on the entire chapter of 2 Corinthians 13. But the scriptures that were the base of his sermon along with singing out to me was 2 Corinthians 13:5 & 9 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
Okay as I read that again…the Lord was speaking volumes to me even if He was not speaking to anyone else but He was speaking to me about my walk with Him. He was speaking to me about what He has been having me do more and more lately within myself. I have come to understand that the Lord wants me to move closer to Him but to move closer to Him, I have to be able to see who I am. I listened to my pastor’s wife read the scriptures and they sang out to me…
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
I look at the words of God and think to myself…growth is needed…more growth is needed. I am in need of growth in the Lord and He is trying to get me to examine myself in Him. It is so important for us to examine who we are in Jesus and how we are to be in Him. I have such a long way to go yet the Lord is with me. I was thinking about what I wrote yesterday as I listened to pastor preach on examining yourself. Of course he was talking about examining our relationship with the Lord and going forth in Jesus. It was very encouraging. He stated during his sermon something that I had to write down, I am paraphrasing somewhat but what he said was…we are a work in progress; we are a process in our progress. We are striving for our perfection which comes when we see Jesus. I started thinking about that and my walk with the Lord.
It is something when I look back at my life and the things that transpired that shaped me into the “hot mess” that I am today. I had to overcome my sexual issues of not wanting to be touched and all that jazz….it was not easy and it is truly in prayer that I was blessed to come to a better walk in that point in my life. I am still learning more about me and as I wrote yesterday I heard the Lord speaking to me about dealing with me. I need to face some things even more inside of me. I need to let go and let the Lord move in me even more. I have been trying to deal with my own insecurities.
I make a point every Sunday to give a testimony unto the Lord for all that He is doing in my life. Yet, I am so nervous when it is time to stand up and the Lord speaks to me and what to say, yet I am still nervous. I am really trying to get used to standing before others and say what God tells me to say. I am still trying to look inside of me and the things that make me feel as though I am falling short in this walk. The beauty of it all is that Jesus is with me and keeping me in His perfect will by His doing…not by my own. I am thankful to the Lord for all that He is doing in me.
So my point today is that we need to examine ourselves and where we are our lives and in the Lord. We need to truly looking within and take the time daily to do so, the growth that we will receive will bring forth the changes within us in Jesus. He is molding us how He sees fit, how He wants to do so. It is truly a blessing for the Lord to change us in Him. So let us do what the Lord tells us, trust and rest in Him.
Until tomorrow…
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
Praise the Lord!! It is Sunday – man does time fly. It feels just like the other day that I was cooking for Thanksgiving…oh does time fly…I have to get ready for work…boo hoo…
You know I was thinking about all this working stuff and I am telling you there are days that I am amazed that I am still working. I cannot believe that I have been in this job for almost 15 years…it will be 15 years on February 7th. Can you tell that I do not want to work anymore? LOL I am thankful for my job though as I make good money and I never thought I would make this kind of money with no degree. I am blessed for the Lord has made sure that I have the finances to take care of what I need to take care of.
It is in this that I will get up on Monday morning and just take my chocolate butt to work. I shall praise the Lord for the check I will get on Friday and that all things will work out for the good of the Lord in my life!
I have been reading some blogs by other women and men – some Christians and some not, yet the topics are interesting and it is truly awesome to have such different outlooks on life. It is also a reminder that God does not make all of us the same, we are all different and we are all unique. We may find sisters and brothers who we feel a connection with because we are of like spirits but we are still different from them.
I am thinking about my life and how different my life is from other who went through the same things, the growth, the achievements and the downfalls. I was thinking about the mess of some things that still need to be fixed. I have been thinking about the love of those around us. Just as I was speaking about yesterday’s blog, about the love of Jesus going forward in our lives and let me tell you this much, I have a long way to go.
I was thinking about how I was at church on Saturday with the other sisters to help with organizing the clothing that was there and do what was needed to help the sisters in charge of the clothing. I felt so privilege to be amongst such sisters and just talking with them. I have some serious security issues of expressing myself correctly, which is why I love to write. I can get the words down on paper right but I always feel like I am saying something dumb. This of course stems from my upbringing. It is something, the things that others teased me about made me think I had nothing to say or that I was not really that smart…but check this out…
I found out that those that suffer from thyroid diseases can also suffer from memory loss and have a hard time concentrating among other things. One of the things that used to really hurt me was when I was growing up, I was always the brunt of the jokes and even now in my adult life with my family I am still the blunt of jokes. It is funny as I think about it because I never really paid attention to it as it being why I feel uneasy around others outside of my family. I have even realized that I still feel uneasy with a bunch of people around and even with my family. Yet, the Lord is blessing me, unless I told you this, you would not know. I just do it…I was talking with the sisters today and though I thought I talked too loud, or what I was saying was not important, yet I did not shut up, I just listen to the conversations and jumped in with what I had to say. I just thank God for opening me up.
I spent so much time by myself; it is still hard to interact with others. I find it hard to open up with others with my thoughts on what they are talking about. Hummmm…yet another secret….I am insecure in what I am writing in my Honesty Today, the comments I leave on others blogs and even in the things I write period…I am nervous about it all…I am always wondering if what I am saying is making sense or if others understand what I am saying. I have to pray before I respond to anything…emails, blog comments, writings of any sort because I am so nervous about what others think, but one thing is for sure…when I pray it all works out.
I am thankful to the Lord for showing me my areas of weakness and what the Lord has for me to do. I love Him for what He is doing for me and how He blesses me with being more into Him. I used to take my weakness as something that will destroy me but yet the Lord is showing me yet again…in my weakness is His strength. It is in Him that all things are good and in Him alone. I have to really understand that all things are good in Jesus even the things that we do not perceive to be good, the Lord still works it out to our good in Him.
I look at the opportunities that the Lord presents me with as a chance to grow in Him. As I was working with the sisters today, I had a chance to talk with them about things, just every day things but yet to let who I am come out to those around me. I grew up inside of myself and not allowing people to see who I am and I am learning to let people see me for who I am because I am blessed and I am wonderfully made and though sometimes I am loud, opinionated, shallow minded, one minded or even downright wrong…the Lord is blessing me to open up who I am to those around me. It is a process and one that I must take if I am going to continue to grow in the Lord and if I am going to continue to love the woman that I am getting to know on such a deeper and more personal level. I am growing in the Lord and in growing in the Lord – the insecurities are leaving me and I am going to shine like pure gold when He is done with me.
For my fellow blogger sisters and brothers…I joined another blogging community where I have found some great bloggers writing different things of different aspects…why not check them out when you have a chance…
Until tomorrow…continue to seek the Lord for all things and all answers in Him…
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
 Praise the Lord…there were people who died yet again on Black Friday due to the shopping madness. I was reading a few blogs and let me tell you…it was truly sad as I read people bashing Christians and the Christmas Holidays. There is new atheist campaign going on against Christmas and a lot of people are applauding it. It is so sad…yet who do I truly blame…I blame the enemy. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450445,00.html)
The enemy is running rampt and because there are a lot of Christians who have what is called “religious pride” we are seeing all this stuff going on in the world. I remember as a kid being excited about the holidays and even when my mom was not saved, we would on Christmas Eve read NOT “The Night Before Christmas”, but the story of the birth of Jesus. Of course after that, we had our annual glass of wine, (we were kids and we had a sip of real wine – I think she did that so we would go to sleep! LOL), but she always made sure we knew what Christmas stood for.
Now as I read the blogs and all the negative thoughts put out there…I was thinking to myself, why do people hate Christians so much…why are we so bad to the world…then the word comes flying out to me yet again…
John 15:17-19 17These things I command you, that ye love one another. 18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
So as I read those posts that are so negative towards Christians, I wonder if it because of the above verse, or is it because of how we are with others. I have seen some people who are Christians argue with someone else about what they believe. They will cuss someone out or come close to it over something so simple. We are quick sometimes to try to force our beliefs on others and try to call it witnessing. This is not the true way to witness to others.
The word of God says to love and arguing with someone over the word of God, it does not glorify the Lord when we allow our religious pride to get in the way of spreading the word of the Lord in all that we do. We are to shine the light of the Lord in our lives in all that we do, sure we fall down but to we are to get back up and give God the glory. I was so hurt reading those responses to the blogs and how negative they were towards Christians. Sure some of it is because someone once told someone something they did not want to hear and they turned their hearts against all Christians, but then there are the ones who were hurt by Christians that are the hardest ones to witness to. It is sad but it will get worse.
I have been reading up when I had some time about the End Days…there are the two prophets who will stand against the Anti-christ to tell the world of the goodness of Jesus who are HATED by all those in the world, I feel for those two but yet the glory of the Lord will come forth in them. I think about how this is the best time of the year to be able to witness to the world about the love of Jesus. Most people are more open to hear what we have to say but we have to do it in love. We cannot judge or ridicule people about their beliefs; we have to use wisdom and the word of God with a lot of LOVE!!!! It is the love of the Lord that wins people to Christ. So my thought to all today is to remember to share the love of the Lord and take pride in Jesus not yourself!
I may not always understand why someone does what they do. I do not understand why people do not believe in Jesus, I do not understand homosexuality, I do not understand liars, I do not understand cheaters, I do not understand whoremongers, I do not understand thieves, prostitutes, drug addicts, and other things that people are and or do, but there is one thing that I do know. It is the love of the Lord that brought me to Him and it is the love of the Lord that will bring others to Him too. Just as He loved all those that were sinners, we are to love them too, yet we have to remember that He loves us all. We are blessed. We need to remember that when we are talking to those that are not saved or backslidden…if He loves us – He loves them too!
My honesty thought for today is…I have not really had the holidays on my mind as I usually do after Thanksgiving, yet I know that I will start soon. I do not have room for a tree so some fancy rearranging for the tree will be in order for this Christmas. Yet I am trying to figure out what we can do for the neighborhood for the holidays. I know that there are a few families in need, but not sure who, plus there are some kids that I want to do something for yet not sure what it will be yet. I will just keep praying about it.
I have been beating myself up somewhat the last few weeks because I felt like I was slacking in some areas of my life such as juggling all that I have to do. The time management was not working as more things were adding to the list. Laundry was not getting done, dishes were waiting, bathroom was suffering and not to mention my bedroom. Let me tell you…my bedroom is a HUGE MESS!! We do not have enough space in this house for all three of us, but I was feeling so bad about the house in general. I was going to work, coming home and getting on the computer to work on things and not getting the rest of stuff together in the house. I was feeling so low, that I had to cry out to the Lord. I kept telling myself that I had to be a Proverbs 31 woman, every woman wants to be able to do it all. Yet the Lord started speaking to me.
I was measuring myself to a woman who did not do the things that I have before me. I was measuring myself with a woman that I thought was what we as women should all be…now do not get me wrong…the traits of a Proverbs woman is what we want but there are levels of being a Proverbs 31 woman. I had to smile when I thought about it in perspective to my life. I am a Proverbs 31 woman because I cherish my relationship with the Lord, my family, my job, and I share the love of the Lord to all those that I meet, well I strive to do so. (Smile) This is what the Lord wants from us, He is molding me to be more than that, He is molding me into what He wants me to be and in that case I shall be a Proverbs 31 woman, but what I really want to be is what God wants me to be.
So yes my bedroom is a mess…there is a path to get to the bed and to the closet and I am in need of buy some containers to keep our stuff organized and I am praying for some sales on storage containers so that I can get our bedroom organized better. LOL I have a big bedroom but if you saw the mess….oh man that is the only room that the door is closed!! Thank God for doors!
I am thankful to the Lord that my husband does want me to be a stay at home wife and praying for the time to come – then I will be able to get a better handle on things that I do right now. I know that God has all things in His time...so I will relax in His word and know that all things will come together in His time. Yet it all, I am learning new tricks to keep things together along with learning more about myself.
Oh yes, tonight on WL4J Encouragement Hour, I will be talking about my life testimony and the things God has blessed me to come through (3 bouts with cancer, childhood abuse, failed marriages and the abuse from that, overcoming in Jesus, loving who I am in Jesus)…the Lord is truly blessing me in all things. I wanted to take the time this Saturday to give God the glory and to remind all of us that no matter what we go through the Lord blesses us. If you have time, come join me tonight at 9 PM (EST) at www.talkshoe.com/tc/11529
Well that is all for today my sisters and brothers…Remember that this is the season to spread the words of the Lord and His love! Spread the love of the Lord – Spread the love of the Lord!!
Until tomorrow,
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
By the way…here are the listings for the Christmas shows for the EST:
http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/08333/931105-67.stm
Praise the Lord!! I am blessed…it is actually Thanksgiving Day that I am writing this because if I wait until tomorrow, I will not have time to write because I have my sweet little niece who is only 11 months old AND very active. She is just the sweetest little munchkin!!
I am sitting here in my living in one of those rare moments in this household. My son is with his aunts and actually on his way home, Merv is at work and I am here alone. WOW, I forget what this is like. It is a nice evening. As most women and cooks, I was up until the wee hours of the morning cooking dinner, of course going way over board for feeding six people, so if you need some grub…come on by my home and get some food. LOL We went to church service at 11 AM, and I was so thankful to go to that. It was just awesome to be able to praise the Lord. My pastor spoke a few powerful and quick words. It was just what I needed to be content. There were not a lot of people, actually there was only 16 of us there but the love for the Lord flowed. It was nice. We dropped off Jonathan at his auntie’s house. Merv and I had dinner alone…our first Thanksgiving as a married couple was spend with no children…that was a blessing to be Thankful for! After dropping Merv off at work, I went to hang out with my grandfather for the afternoon and just enjoyed myself with him. He loved the food and that was nice. We had fun talking and just chilling out together…then when he was falling asleep, I decided to come home. As I was driving home, I thought about the fact that I was going home to an empty house. Just the thoughts in my mind were racing – what will I do. Will I watch a movie or will I just veg….hummmmmmm….no I write!!
I was thinking of the mighty blessings of the Lord, how awesome that He is to me. I stood at church to testify about what I was thankful for and you know the Lord laid on my heart my trials and tribulations. We all have things that happen that we consider our trials and tibulation but without htem, we would not know how awesome God is. We would be in a place of not understanding what the Lord could do for us, we would not know how strong in Jesus we are. We would not know that He is a healer, a provider, a way maker…how would we know all of this if we did not have trials and tribulation in our lives. I do not know what I would do without my trials and tribulations…they keep me close to the Lord and they keep me in the safety of His arms and aware of who He is. Sometimes I get so mad with all that is going on in my life, but sometimes I look back and realize that it keeps me in the Lord. It makes me real appreciative of the good times, the peaceful times, the quiet times – pretty much the me times.
So as I look over this time that I have to myself that shall be ending in the next 30 to 45 minutes, I am thankful to the Lord for reminding me that I am blessed. I am so blessed…the enemy meant to take me out of here yet and still the Lord chose me…He chose you too…We could have been dead, we could have been gone forever but it is in the Lord that we can stand tall and it is in His word that makes us strong. No matter what is going on in our lives…no matter what come and what goes…God wants us to rest in Him – to rely on Him – to trust in Him – to love Him…Jesus is truly the only way to live our lives. I shall leave you today with a few scriptures ringing in my head…may they be a blessing to you.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Philippians 4:10-12 10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Have an awesome and blessed day.
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
Good day – Happy Thanksgiving! May you give the Lord all your praise for He alone is worthy of our praise!
Yesterday I ended with these questions, “Do you know where you are going in the Lord? Do you know what needs to be addressed now so that your future in Him is better? Do you even think about the future?” I just wanted to give each of us something to think about.
Yet here we go moving forward in part 3 of Honesty Today! The Future….let us look at our future Thanksgivings….so many Christians really take on the aspect of Thanksgiving as the world does. Sure some go to church services, some say a thanks to the Lord but when I have asked some what does Thanksgiving mean…many come up with the pilgrim story. (I am not mad at you – but if you are not taught how do you know…) SO let us begin with what the word means….
Thanksgiving – the act of giving thanks, grateful acknowledgement of benefits or favors, especially to God, an expression of thanks to God, public celebration in acknowledgement of divine favor or kindness, and a day set apart for giving thanks to God. (American Psychological Association (APA): thanksgiving. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved November 24, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thanksgiving)
Okay – can you see where I am going with this? Some of us spend countless hours in the kitchen cooking this awesome meal to share with family and friends – which is wonderful and great. The football games are on the television and for those that remember and want to watch, do not forget in the morning is the annual Thanksgiving Day parades too. Yet and still, there always seems to be someone missing from the celebration. This as every other holiday that started in celebration of Christ has changed. You rarely hear Jesus mentioned in line with Thanksgiving, along with dying out of Christmas, the day that was supposed to celebrate his birth.
What is our future with this holiday, what are you going to do to make a difference in this holiday? Everyone knows that Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to the Lord but how many of us practice this every single day? Why not make today the first day of a new day for you…building your future with the Lord. Okay, there are some who are reading this that do acknowledge Thanksgiving for what it truly is – a day of Thanks….yet you can also start building your future with Christ too. We can look at this is two ways…future as in years away or future before the end of the year.
We are rounding up on the end of the year and my question to all is what growth have you seen in you and what growth will you see by the end of 2008. So many of us made some serious new years resolutions last year this time, and some of us even started putting them into effect as soon as we said we were going to do so, but how many of us stayed with it? The future is sooner than what we really think, the future is tomorrow, such as Friday, November 28th – tomorrow. We do not have to look into 2009, 2010, 2020 either – we can look to tomorrow and if Lord willing, we will start another day with a new opportunity to serve the Lord. Why wait until the end of the year and make a bunch of resolutions that you are not going to keep, why not start right now – today of all days…Thanksgiving Day. Why not show the Lord how thankful you truly are in Him by spending some time with Him today? Why not spend time talking to Him and just fellowshipping with the Lord. It will change your entire life for when you start talking to Him with a sincere heart…He hears you and will answer your questions, fears, thoughts, wondering, worries and cries! He loves us and here is such an awesome way to bring thanks truly unto the Lord…stop what you are doing and thank Him right now in the name of Jesus. Who cares who is watching and what others will think. Stop and thank the Lord for the blessings that He is granting you right now in the name of Jesus.
We have come so far away from praising the Lord and giving thanks unto Him on a daily basis. Some of us woke up this morning to the smell of food and did not even say thank you Jesus as your feet hit the floor. Some of us jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen to check our food…never once thanking the provider of that meal a word of thanks because you woke up. We have to quit ignoring Him for the word says that if you are ashamed of Him – He will be ashamed of you. To me that includes, if we ignore Him, He will ignore us too! Let us come together and just know that the Lord is moving in our lives and that we need to take the time every single day to give thanks unto the Lord for His mighty blessings.
The truth for me today is that I am thankful for how He makes me mindful of being thankful every single day. How no matter what happens even in my worse moods, I can find a word of thanks in all that I do and all that I am. I am thankful that the Lord makes me mindful to speak a testimony always unto Him because it strengthens my walk with Him. I have been determined this year to read my word and to build my relationship with the Lord in reading my word daily, praying and fasting…I have been slacking big time on the fasting but the reading and praying even on the days I want to crash in the bed, I read and talk to the Lord. I am praying that I will get into fasting more and to also pray more – as the more I am in His presence – the better off I am! AMEN!!
Well until tomorrow…Have a blessed Thanksgiving and may you continue to give the Lord thanks!
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
Praise the Lord and welcome to yet another awesome day in the Lord full of His awesome grace and mercy! Yesterday’s writings ended with asking these questions, “Are you living in the past still, how about the present, what are you thankful for and who are you going to bless because you are thankful to the Lord?”, did you come up with some thoughts on this, I pray that you did and that you were able to come up with things that will make your life and those around you a better place to be! AMEN!
I asked these questions as these are some of the questions that I wanted to address within myself today. On Sunday, I was doing some reflection on myself, which I do a lot of lately, which is a good thing because we need to line up with the word of God and if we do not stop to see what is going on with us, how can we line ourselves up with the word of God. Yet it was not a pleasant walk this time, sometimes it is peaceful but sometimes it is painful. I had to come to terms with some things that I already knew within myself but it was time to bring them before the Lord and leave them there. Yet the best thing was that I know that this walk is a process and as we go forward, the Lord is with us and He will guide us and even shield us from much of the pain while we go through. I believe that some of the pain is left during the process so that we do not repeat ourselves and remember what it was like. You know sort of like a child and a hot stove or electrical outlet. (I did the electrical outlet and to this day I do not like to mess around with electrical things)
Yet as I was sitting there thinking about things in my life, I realized that I was stressing out over things. I was stressing for nothing. I was worried about my son, WL4J, my marriage, my house and just every thing. I was thinking I was less of a woman because it just seemed like things were lacking in my life and there was not enough time to get through things each day. I started praying and asking the Lord to show me what to do to get out of this area of my life. I can not stand a mess and that is what the things around me were about to become, it was not there yet but I needed it to be better.
So as I was talking to the Lord, He started speaking to me and showing me things within me that needed to go to be able to be in line with His word. I need to stop fussing so much at my son and hubby – I get stressed out and what do I do, start fussing. I started looking at the things that I had been fussing about and took it to the Lord and just asked Him to help me not fuss as much. I know that things appear to be so bad that I start fussing about everything, but yet the Lord reminded me that He takes care of it all. It is not about me taking care of it.
I could not figure out all that was bothering me and why it was bothering me. Part of it was because I missed my best friend and spending time with him (my hubby), yet there was more to it. Everything and everyone was working my nerves, yet I was talking to the Lord, reading my word, so what is wrong with me? The Lord reminded me that sometimes I get like this because it is time to come out of a comfort zone. I needed to move one more step closer to the Lord….okay Jesus what do I need to do for that step…what came back at me stopped me right in my tracks…
I had to let go and truly love…I mean love without thinking twice, just love not strangers because I have that down – I can love someone I do not know, I can love someone that I see on an occasion, but I can not let myself love 100% those that I see every single day. I am not just talking about my hubby and son, but my siblings, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles. The Lord started showing me things about me…He let me see that I love them in my heart 100% but I do not trust them with the love that I have. He reminded me that I have come a long way by letting me remember how I was before, but then he showed me how far I still have to go.
He wanted me to let go 100%, to let go 100% means that I can let Him in 100%. I was sitting there and just started crying….I love them Lord – I love you Lord….but I do not know if I can let it all go like that. I do not know how to do it, how can I let them in more and feel comfortable with it. He said to me…talk about it to them. Tell them how you feel about them and how important they are and just let it go. Just say what is on your mind about your feelings towards them and let them know that you love them. He reminded me that I have come to be able to praise Him without any reservations of who is watching or looking, so I can do the same in expressing my love for those around me. I started thinking about it, most times even though my hubby and I will be talking and all that jazz, when it comes to expressing how I feel, I tend to clam up. I will say only so much, yet every now and then I step out there and it is received with such love and anticipation….see the Lord does not lead wrong…so last night as I was drifting off to sleep the Lord must have wanted to see if I was going to do it. For out of the clear blue sky, when I said good night to my hubby and told him that I loved him, he asked me why – so I told him why, as I drifted off to sleep – I remember feeling more love coming in.
I have allowed some of my past to remain inside of me that I did not know was there, yet it started nagging at me and hitting me so that I remembered that it was there, this bit of pain was ready to be released to the Lord and let go forever! It is something how the mind works, when you are able and ready to deal with thing, the Lord allows you to come face to face with it so that you can face the things that are needed to be addressed. So this morning as I woke up…I thanked the Lord for the realization of all that is going on in side of me at this moment and I say this moment because we are ever evolving people and I am looking to grow more so I need to get it all out and allow the Lord to work on me in the order and manner that He feels is needed. It is something how when we step back and allow the Lord to show us things that we can see it clearly and then guess what – time to deal with it.
I know that the enemy is going to TRY to get me to not let me move this stumbling block out of the way, but the Lord is standing right there waiting on him to mess with me so He can give me conviction of what I need to do, give me the encouragement that I need to keep moving forward towards my goal, he will be there to give me the direction to follow to let it go and most importantly give me love to complete the task. So please those that know the power of prayer and true prayer warriors, lift me up in prayer as I know that the growth in this area is essential to move toward the next level/step in the Lord that I need to do so that I can become more complete in Him. Isn’t that one of our goals, to be complete in Jesus? I know that I want to be complete in Him that means this stumbling block that is preventing me to give love 100% to not just those that I met, but to those that are close to me.
As I sit here today, I need to acknowledge the love of my husband for me. I am thankful to the Lord for the blessings that He has given me in my husband. He is the one that keeps me calm and so at peace as I am struggling. How does he doe this, he prays for me and keeps the word in front of me even when I do not want to hear it. Praise the Lord for him and his calling in the Lord for the Lord loves Him and will bring him to the place in him that he wants to be which I know is to be the husband, father, son, child of God, minister, and man that God wants him to be. God is good when he blessed me with Minister Merv, he sent me what I needed to get through this life – a man full of patience beyond belief and has the love of the Lord so strong in Him that I can felt the presence of the Lord on him. I am truly blessed…thank you Jesus for blessing me so!
Well that is all for today…tomorrow is the last day of this series…Thankful Part 3 – The Future….until tomorrow…do you know where you are going in the Lord? Do you know what needs to be addressed now so that your future in Him is better? Do you even think about the future?
Have an awesome day in the Lord….for those that are cooking Thanksgiving dinner, turn on the gospel either in song or in words, make sure you cook with love in your heart and know that I will be doing the same – so you are not alone in the cooking half the night. LOL For those that are not cooking, stay out the kitchen tonight! LOL
God Bless
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
Hey there…praise the Lord for yet another awesome day in Him. For those that have been reading my writings for awhile, you know that I love to do things around the holiday to break it up a little bit. First off, this time of the year is a favorite for me, despite the loss of my mom in November 3 years ago; I still try to keep the joy of this time of the year with me. She loved that aspect of her eldest daughter who was the Christmas Queen of the family. I will be scaling down somewhat this year on the decorations due to the size of my house and I am not really happy about that but that is okay – one day it will be different. So get ready for a month of things about the upcoming holidays and all that jazz. I did a Christmas series based on the holidays and my thoughts on it…you can check it out at http://video.yahoo.com/mypage?s=1334887&public=1 (I think this is the link) It is the series that I did last year on Christmas, may it be a blessing to you to listen too.
So as we prepare for the holiday season, I am going to start this Thankful Series based on my honest thoughts as always. Please feel free to comment as the feedback will be appreciated and truly a blessing to read – even if you do not agree with me. We can all learn from each other, now onward with the Honesty Today!
Today I have some thoughts on being Thankful and the past…not just my past but the past as I see it. I remember growing up and Thanksgiving being one of the best days because we did not have a lot of money but on Thanksgiving that table was so full of food, we did not have room for our plates to sit on the table. I remember the smells of my grandma and my mom cooking in the kitchen, those are the times that we did not go to my Grandma’s house. When I was growing up, where we spent Thanksgiving could change year to year, sometimes we were at our house, sometimes we were at my grandparent’s house here in Pittsburgh, or we drove up to Youngstown to my other grandma’s house. It never matter where we went as far as I was concerned because I got to stuff my mouth and no one said I could not have more, or to stop eating. I was just a happy kid during those times. My mom was so busy that I could play for hours, and since my mom was home, my step father kept his distance. I love the holidays. I would spend hours in my room writing or just playing.
When my extended family was with us such as my grandparents, aunts, uncles and stuff, then I got a bunch of attention that I did not get when no one was around. I really loved those days. Hummmmm…..back then we did not have school the day before Thanksgiving and did not go back until the next Tuesday or Wednesday! It was a mini vacation and it was truly a bunch of fun! The holidays were the happiest times for me as the family was around so much; my mind was able to relax. It is something how those things stick out with me, yet I am so thankful for them.
There are many times we allow the past to haunt us and to control us, still to a bigger extent than I am willing to admit, the past still haunts me to some degree. (I will talk on this tomorrow), yet there are good things in the past that make me smile today. I remember the smell of pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, banana crème pie too…hummmm watching my mom stuff the turkey and waking up to smelling all that awesome food in the morning and wanting to eat that first thing. It is truly a blessing to have those memories.
We had food for days from that, we would eat and be thankful for what we had and not concern ourselves about the following week. Well at least the kids did not. LOL I am not sure what the adults did. It was during these times that I remember my mom smiling a lot and being so happy and at peace. These times were one of the few times in my childhood that I truly enjoyed with no reservations.
My mom was least likely to spank us or even fuss at us too much because she was in a good mood; it was like the cheer of the season was so beautiful. People always seemed a little nicer, and though there was a hustle/bustle to the season, it did not appear to be drag down fight as it seems sometimes now. The holidays were always just a time to reflect on the goodness of the Lord and what He had done for us. When I was really young, we did not talk about God much, but on Thanksgiving we did show thanks that is for sure. We were taught to pray over our food and be thankful for the food we received, even those nasty lima beans! LOL Yet, we were not taught what Thanksgiving really should mean to us as Christians and this is what we are trying to teach my son too.
Hummmmm….I am thankful for my past, for I can see where the Lord has brought me from, I am thankful for the past pain and hurt for I can see how He has healed me and even still healing me. I am thankful to the Lord for the blessings and learning that He has blessed me with in my youth, teenage years and young adults, for if I would not have went though all that I did, I would not be whom I am in Him today! Praise the Lord for all His awesome and mighty acts!
Let us give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and so worthy of our praise. What is your thankfulness of your past? Are you living in the past still, how about the present, what are you thankful for and who are you going to bless because you are thankful to the Lord? Stay tuned until tomorrow….where I will discuss…Thankful – Part 2 – The Present!
God Bless,
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
 Praise the Lord! Okay let us just get to the nitty-gritty of the Honesty Today….I am not loving at all my husband’s shift!! LOL I thought it would be okay but it is not working for me! Yet it is making us work hard on our relationship.
As you know my son is giving us a run for our money and Sunday morning I woke up to yet another lie from my son. It is as if he cannot tell the truth. I was frustrated. My husband was moving slow this morning for Sunday school, and I am tired as we were up late due to my trying to load stuff on his MP3 player. I was starting off my Sunday on a bad note, I was thinking to myself…Lord what is this mess? Why every single Sunday it is an issue? I am going to church, I need peace not mess. Yet, we get in the car and head to Sunday school. My hubby and I have chit chat on the way to church. We arrive at the church, and then Jonathan and his friend go into Sunday school. I needed to talk to Merv and I truly needed prayer. We were sitting in the car, supposed to be in Sunday school, but I missed talking to my husband and really needed that time to talk with him. I could not figure out why I was having so many issues with different things in our relationship. I was feeling like I was missing out on things, that I was just struggling with some things. It all dawned on me this morning as we missed Sunday school to just talk, I missed my husband…I missed talking to him.
See when we were courting, I talked to him so much, we were always talking to each other either via phone, text message, email, instant message and video chat. We did all that conversation and really just getting into each other. Yet since we have been married, man when he was blessed with a job, the time that we have to talk is not the same. I have been missing my best friend, he has been the husband but I am missing my best friend. We were friends before we were courting! I miss him. I let him know as we were sitting in the car that I miss that. Now do not get me wrong, we have date night, we do things on his days off, yet we do not have any same days off. Let me tell you, that is hard…oh is that hard. It was so great sitting in the car just talking. We only have Saturday and Sunday before he goes to work, which on Saturdays is spent running around for the house. Sundays are spent in church, then on his days off – Mondays and Tuesdays – we try to do one thing with Jonathan and then one thing for us. Yet I have to work the next day so I have to try and get some sleep. Man let me tell you this…being married is some serious work! LOL Yet I know we are going to make it. We are truly going to be able to come through this. We just have to trust in the Lord.
We were able to discuss a different approach with our son. We were just talking and just talking about things in the Lord and us. We were able to pray together and I felt so much better after we prayed together. It is awesome how the Lord is working things out in our lives. It is awesome how prayer will change things in an instant if you let it. The Lord was giving Merv some ideas about Jonathan and I believed the things the Lord is showing us. It is so important to have the Lord in our lives and to truly let go and let God.
As my hubby and I were talking, he was telling me to let my son go for he belongs to God…to turn him over. Yet my heart screams….He is my baby!!! LOL It is something how we are. Pastor was preaching this morning on Psalms 139 and what I got out of it is – the Lord is with us and knows all things…there is no need to hide things from Him…might as well open up and talk to Him because he already knows. It is just the way things are and we know that God will work it all out for us and that we will have things in His time and His time only.
Yet when we walk with Him and listen to His direction things will be better for us. So I am giving my son back to the Lord and leaving those thoughts self. I keep taking the control back in the situations with my son, but the thing is that I need to wait on the Lord. We really need to make sure we are listening to the Lord and no longer worry about things that we do not even have control over. It is amazing how much better we can feel in the Lord when we pray, fast, and give over control to the Lord!
I am blessed, yet sometimes my mind does not allow me to remember how blessed I am. We all have moments but let us remember that Jesus is with us and He will never leave us. I am thankful to the Lord this day and every day…starting tomorrow…I will be doing a special Honesty Today for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day…so stay tuned! God Bless my sisters and brother and until tomorrow…
God Bless
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
P.S. hubby and I are praying that God's will be done in our work schedules according to His will and way - for there may be a lesson in this that we need to learn and we know that only God can reveal and deliver! AMEN!!
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Praise the Lord!! It is Sunday and a blessing! I was blessed yesterday!!! I am so excited….my hubby and I spent time together before he went to work. Since I have been feeling better, I got up early enough for us to go out to eat breakfast – all three of us. We had some running around to do and it was great. We stopped by the music store, which I am surprised that I got him (Minister Merv) out of there. Jonathan was playing on the keyboards and so was Merv. We got the music sheet music along with some books Merv wanted. Jonathan is going to learn how to play the piano and he is extremely excited and kind of disappointed that he has to wait until Monday to start his lessons.
We went to Vanity Fair Outlet Store and I was blessed to GET NEW CLOTHES!!! Praise the Lord, I got three outfits, plus we say a bunch of things for the kids. I am just so excited for the new clothes. I was just so excited for all of it. I was blessed to get a new MP3 player…I was so glad to have the chance to get some of the things I wanted to get. LOL I love this blogging my thoughts and honesty. God heard my cry and blessed me with the chance to get some clothes and a MP3 player. I am so happy, I got three new outfits to wear to work – THAT FIT!!! LOL My medicine had me blow up and eating late did not help any either, I went up a size and have no breathing room anymore in my clothes. The next thing is to breathe and walk to lose some weight.
We had the kids over today for the Kids Fellowship and we made a collage for Thanksgiving. I had a great time with the kids and it still amazes me that I can spend that time with them. It was nice to have them hanging out. The children taught me today to be thankful for all that we have. I was listening to the kids talking about not wanting to leave the house, as they did not want to go home. Their home was not a place to be for them, they are facing no food, and they are faced with arguing parents and mean boyfriends and just all kinds of stuff. They come here for just an hour or two of peace and relaxation. It is something how they are…yet they come here and relax.
It makes me thankful to be an adult. I really love the way the Lord reminds me of how blessed we are and how awesome things are in my life. It reminds me of the things that I went through as a kid and how much I need to get out there really for them and make sure they know that we are here for them. We sometimes look at kids and say that they are unruly, they are bad and just un-teachable…that is a lie for all children are teachable, but the question is can you change and adapt to what the children need? We are the adults and need to check how we are approaching them to reach them! Now I am not saying to go completely to their level because they still need to know who is the adult, BUT I am learning to listen more and talk less. You can learn so much just by sitting there and letting the kids talk. We would learn so much about kids if we just listen.
I am learning so much and so thankful to the Lord for the lessons. It is truly awesome to see the Lord moving in my life and He blessed me with new clothes and MP3 player – all under $100.00!!! Yahoo…actually all under $75.00!! LOL Praise the Lord for all blessings.
If you are a mom – take the time to listen to your kids…just be quiet and listen! God Bless!!
Until tomorrow,
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
Praise the Lord! Well it is Saturday and amazingly the Lord has blessed me with yet another day in Him. How awesome is that!! I was thinking about different things lately and one of them is growth. It is so important to grow in our walk with the Lord and to grow as a person. You know I could sit here and write about how we grow and mature but it is so overdone. LOL
I read so many different blogs and there are so many different voices speaking the words of God. I have some really great blogs I follow, but it amazes me how there are few that are truly opening up who they are. It is something as some just post the good stuff, some just post the “can you relate” bad stuff which is really prayer request, some are out there teaching, yet some are out there babbling, and some are out there just to encourage, so I started looking at my writings along with my growth in the Lord. There are just a few of you that were there when I first started writing about 3 years ago, to be honest to the best of my knowledge, there is only 3 of you who have really been there all that time. I started writing three years ago being open and honest back on Yahoo 360. Those blogs are pretty much long gone as I went through and deleted so much of them but transferred them to my first book. It is something as I read my books – the growth shows through the writing.
It is something as my thinking in the Lord has grown and changed. Things that I was doing before in Jesus does not even really matter to me now, what I mean is some things I placed so much weight on before, does not place so much weight on me now. Whether you wear pants or dresses does not really matter to me any more, but whether you read the word daily and pray daily does. I started to grow and understand more in the Lord and see that some things we place too much weight on and not enough weight on things that are in line with the Lord. I started to see how much I keep Jesus in a box even though I knew that to live – He had to be out of that box I kept along with me too. It is something how I view the word Seasoned Christian and even the word Christian. I used to think that everyone who said they were a Christian was striving to live as one, but have learned that is not always true. I have learned that those that I thought were Seasoned Christians are barely Christians at all. I am learning that it is all about the walk we have with Him, it is about our relationship with Him.
Now from the beginning of my walk and writings, I would say that it is about our relationship with the Lord, yet it is not until the last year or so that I can really see how much my life has changed because of my relationship with Him. It is still a long ways to go before I am able to confidently say – I am headed to Heaven, as there are days that I even wonder if I will see His face at all.
I remember being very direct in my conversation to the point of hurting people’s feelings and I am praying that I have been a little nicer about it, LOL Hey something take time, but I am still pretty direct because it is just my style, yet I tell myself to allow the Lord to soften me in the manner that He wants me to be. I love to be direct and honest with people about my own life and what is going on with theirs. It is something as every now and then a sister who I have known for awhile will say to me how they come to me when they want it told straight forward with no hinting – just direct and with the word…I laugh because I was like that in the world too, except now I pray that I show and do it all with the love of the Lord directing me.
I have learned that you can say it 1,000 times but if they do not want to hear it, it is a lesson that they have to learn on their own. There are some lessons that I have been learning since the day I was born, I did not get it then and still not getting it. I do not excuse it away; I am just going to continue to pray it away.
I am learning more in the Lord and building my relationship with Him. Three years ago, reading my word and praying was as needed basis, when I felt I needed the Lord, I prayed, I read my word and I wrote. Yet as I started out that way, there was a desire coming forth in me that changed all of that, now I love reading the word and learning more stuff, and my prayer life surprises even me. I can really release and let go in Jesus. I used to pray when things were bothering me but now I pray and just praise Him in my prayers…never asking for anything…just praising Him and placing those that come to mind while I am praising Him on the alter before Him.
Yet as I grow in the Lord and look back, I see so much growth, but when I look ahead I see so much more to come. It is in our walk with Jesus that our lives are so interesting. When I was in the world doing the things of the world, I was just like everyone else in the world; nothing separated me out from them because I was them, but now in the Lord – WATCH OUT! I truly believe the word of God and though I have my moments as you have read…I know that I am of Him, I know that I am the head and NOT the tail, I know that greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. It is in my praise and standing that I receive the strength of the Lord and the guidance that I need in Him.
It is when we follow what He tells us to do that we start to grow in Him. I was talking to a sister on Thursday about the End Days and what we will be facing during that time if we are alive, and one thing that I said to her that I am going to say to you is that we need to really get closer to the Lord, if we are slacking in any area of our lives, which we all are, we need to seek His face and ask Him to reveal it to us. Ask Him what we are to do and to reveal how to do it, ask Him every single thing that we can ask Him to help us move more in line with His word and will for our lives. If you never think God answers you in prayer, start asking those questions with a sincere heart and you will hear from Him – but be ready to answer Him when you do!
Until tomorrow,
God Bless and know that you are all very special in my heart for we are sisters and brothers in Christ and Jesus is the reason why we are here this day!
Love your sister in Christ,
Sister Alissa Lynne
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