Zechariah 9:12 NIV

²⁵ “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm—
my great army that I sent among you.

Joel 2:25 NIV

I know, I remember hearing promises like that in God’s word. I can’t remember if I read it, or if I heard a Pastor say it, but I do remember hearing the promise that God would restore twice as much as you lost to those who hope in Him. During my times of testing last year, I held on to that promise.

So remember yesterday I wrote an article about a dream of mine that came true, well, that’s not the only dream that came true for my family within the last two months. So far, these fulfilled dreams are just the smaller dreams among a mountain of dreams big and small for my family, nevertheless, like I said in my quote yesterday, a dream come true is the best dream of all.

Since my husband and I have been married for the last seven years, he’s wanted a family piano, but of course we couldn’t afford it at this point in our lives. Guess what? We got one yesterday and we didn’t have to do a thing for it, just know the right people at the right time; someone who thought about us when his job required him to throw away a perfectly good piano. Isn’t that awesome? No, it’s God!

For the last four Christmases, my husband and I were wishing we had a train to run under our Christmas tree. Last Christmas, special friends got us one.

So even though, Zachariah 9:12 or Joel 2:25, are promises that aren’t directly meant for us. I hold those promises true to my heart. God does restore double what has been lost.

Though there is nothing in heaven or earth that could replace the loss of my son. I believe that the joy I lost in 2011 will be restored many times over in 2012.

What does the inside of Lady Gaga’s mind look like? I have a feeling if I shrank myself really small and tried to venture in there, it’ll look a lot the movie “The Cell,” ( remember that one with JLo and Vince Vaughn), it wouldn’t be a safe place to be, not for my sanity.

Lady Gaga is one those people, that for as long as she keeps on the road she’s on, she’ll always have people talking about her. Some with high praises, some with absolute disgust, and the in between folk like me going “What the Gaga?” 

To be honest with you, that girl use to scare me. She scared me because she has so much influence over our youth and she is using that influence to promote this kind of behavior: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV.

Now I’m not so scared of Gaga anymore, seem to me that girl is so confused and do not know where she stands. I truly believe she is on a path to self-destruction and if we are not careful she’ll take much of our youth with her.

We need to play a more active role in our young people’s lives and I’m not just talking about our own kids but get involve with the kids in need around us, your neighbor’s child, children in the community, etc. We need to talk to them, encourage them, spend time with them and love them. That’s what we all want; to feel important, to feel worthy, and to feel loved.

Often when we are on a path to self-destruction it is because we are crying out for someone to help us, we feel empty inside and don’t know how to fill that void. So we try to fill it with pleasure and things that are not good for us, but fun or temporally numbing.

I think that’s where Lady Gaga is at right now. The life she lives, it’s going so fast, it’s like a blur. She is on a permanent high right now, but truth is eventually she’ll have to come back down to Earth, get down to the nitty-gritty, go deeper into the lyrics she writes and get to the core of what she’s really feeling and what she is really trying to say.

I can’t really speak on all of Lady Gaga’s music but most of what I’ve heard or read (the lyrics) sound like lyrical nonsense to me, but I am well aware to numerous “Little Monsters” as Lady Gaga so amicably call her fans, they are mega hits.

Honestly, though, the recent newsmaker (controversial song) “Judas,” does it make any sense to you? What is she trying to say with lines like “I’m in love with Judas?” Within  these lyrics that don’t fit well together and seem to be coming from all over the place, it sounds to me like “Judas” is meant to represent Sin, and she is saying she loves sin, and prefers it over virtue. These lyrics in my opinion doesn’t make much sense, I really truly don’t get them.

In the Bridge, it goes:

[Bridge]

In the most Biblical sense,

 I am beyond repentance

Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind

 But in the cultural sense

 I just speak in future tense

Judas kiss me if offensed,

Or wear ear condom next time

 I wanna love you,

But something’s pulling me away from you

Jesus is my virtue,

Judas is the demon I cling to I cling to

 Some parts of it I get and then some parts I am lost a bit. I’m like “What the Gaga is she talking about?” I can understand however how people could really relate to the last four lines of this bridge. In my early adolescence and young adulthood, I’ve felt that way also, but as I progressed further and further into adulthood, I realize that clinging to Judas (by which I assume she means Sin) does nothing but destroy you.

I am also very curious to understand these lines: “I’ll bring him down, bring him down, down, A king with no crown, king with no crown.” What is she trying to say here?  Because it sounds to me like she is talking about Jesus. What’s with that?

Speaking about the lyrics in general, I just don’t think it is saying what the writer thinks it is, whatever message she was trying to convey are lost amid really confusing lyrics. I think Lady Gaga needed to do a lot more research and get into some biblical truths, if she is going to use biblical references in this song.  If I was her, I’d let this one go to the chopping block. It’s not ready.

Lady Gaga just has the kind of music that is catchy and addicting, and you find yourself singing her “vomit,” as she calls it. Lucifer was the Angel of Music, after all. In Philippians 4:8, the bible says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Lady Gaga’s music does not fit the bill.

Also for those who know a little something about the bible, when we think of Judas, we don’t necessarily think Sin, we think betrayal.

I don’t pretend to understand or know Stefani Germanotta, a.k.a, Lady Gaga, but I know one thing; she is not a Role Model.

In my opinion, I believe she wants to make a difference in this world, she wants to liberate people to love themselves and be themselves, and I think she thinks that every thought we have good or bad is our own, we were “born this way,” so why not give in to our sinful tendencies?

But the truth is every good or bad idea or thought we have does not have to be acknowledged, (2 Corinthians 10: 5 ^“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”), because we want to give in to sin doesn’t mean we have to, we weren’t just “born this way,” so we shouldn’t surrender that idea.

We have to choose what we want for our lives. I choose to cling to virtue, even though it is a much harder and less popular path. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

LADY GAGA-JUDAS LYRICS

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas
Judas! Judaas Judas! GAGA

[Lady Gaga - Verse 1]

When he comes to me, I am ready
I’ll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
Even after three times, he betrays me

I’ll bring him down, bring him down, down
A king with no crown, king with no crown

[Chorus]

I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby
I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas
Judas! Judaas Judas! GAGA

[Lady Gaga - Verse 2]

I couldn’t love a man so purely
Even darkness forgave his crooked way
I’ve learned our love is like a brick
Build a house or sink a dead body

I’ll bring him down, bring him down, down
A king with no crown, king with no crown

[Chorus]

I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby
I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

[Bridge]

In the most Biblical sense,
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense
I just speak in future tense
Judas kiss me if offenced,
Or wear an ear condom next time

I wanna love you,
But something’s pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue,
Judas is the demon I cling to
I cling to

[Chorus]

I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby
I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Ohohohoh
I’m in love with Judas

Judas! Judaas Judas! Judaas
Judas! Judaas Judas! GAGA

Your thoughts?

Have you looked around lately and seen a specific verse being fulfilled, 2 Timothy 3:

 ¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Well, as much as the devil will want me to think something like, why would I bring children into a world like that, I’m thinking, these children will be the light in darkness. They will light up my home, and then they will go out and light up the world, and bring many to God.

So my plan is to teach them the light of God’s word. Teach them good values; teach them to love, and raise happy healthy thriving kids, so far, so good. At present, I have two children, a daughter (almost 5) and a son (17 months), and I am a month pregnant.

Sometimes I get so scared and wonder, can I do this, do I have what it takes, but I guess I just need to remember God’s word in Matthew 6:25-34…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

And remember this verse is my everyday parenting, Deuteronomy 11: 18-21, Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, ²¹ so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Pray for me my friends.

What do I feel today? Lost and confuse, hurt, scared and in a slump. You may be wondering why. Honestly, I don’t have an adequate reason. I am carrying the world on my shoulders and we know that’s not my job.

Hey, Christian men and women, tell me what I did wrong. I started my day like this, I said a very brief prayer to God, then I went for my computer, looked through my e-mail and I read this article. Then I started to feel worried, disheartened, doubtful and afraid.

These emotions are the greatest weapons of the demonic world. They render you powerless before you even get in to the ring to fight.

When David went to battle the giant Goliath, he put on His spiritual armor and he didn’t doubt for a minute that God would help him defeat the giant, he didn’t worry that  he was much smaller than the massive force before him, he believed with all his might that God was with him, and he defeated the giant. I want that faith.

We all have Goliaths before us, mine is fear, anxiety, worry, guilt, self-doubt, discouragement, etc. The negative thoughts and images these strongholds produce are illusions, deceits, and lies of the enemy, and the only way to defeat them is to put on the armor of God everyday and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. I’m working on that, because I don’t want to be defeated before I even get in the ring and I certainly don’t want to be a prisoner of my own mind. I want to break free from the strongholds that keep me in bondage. I want to be a champion for God, myself, my children, my husband, my family and friends and I want to be happy. I want to be a free woman.

Related Bible Verses:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (New International Version)

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (New International Version)

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This morning I was looking at some photos from four years ago, reminiscing. I remember four years ago when I looked at these pictures I felt ashamed of my weight. Now I look at them, I think, wow, I use to be skinny (at least skinnier) and very attractive (not that I’m not still attractive). My skin tone was much more caramel like, because I still lived in the Caribbean at that time and had more access to the sun.

I find it amazing how time changes one’s perspective on things. I remember, in the early years of my marriage, okay, probably up until a few months ago, when things got tough, I use to think that this is how it’s always going to be, but of course that was a lie of the devil. Storms don’t last forever. Like the word says:

Matthew 6:25-34 (New International Version)

 Do Not Worry

     25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

   28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I’m taking that word to heart, because experience has led me to believe in its truth. Let me share a recent testimony with you. Since the beginning of 2011, my family has been broke. We have had a little money come in here or there, just enough to provide for our needs and not very much to provide for our wants. I decided this time I won’t worry, because God will provide for our needs and eventually he’ll provide some of our wants too. So I didn’t worry, with exception of feeling briefly discouraged at times. Now just recently, someone very close to us came into some money, and she filled our cupboards and refrigerator with good food, fruits, vegetables, meat, even the fun stuff, like yogurts, microwave popcorn, snacks, etc. I am thankful to God for the good people he has placed in our lives in these times of financial struggle. I pray that someday, he will put us in a position to do the same for others as well as bless the ones who really came through for us in our times of need.

My advice to you, no matter what situation your life’s in today. Take inventory of all your blessings, great friends, a home, etc, and think outside the box too, the little things you take for granted that play a vital role in your well-being and happiness, for example, clean water, bet you take that for granted. How about the park in walking distance from your house, bet you don’t go there as much as you could. Being able to take a warm shower, think about it. They are many little ways God blesses our lives everyday that we take for granted but would definitely miss if these blessings were taken away. Think about it today while you complain and worry, see if it doesn’t change your perspective on things.

Have a great day!

God Bless!

Tish

Power Word: Perspective

Everyday, every time I pray I ask God to shape me into the woman he designed me to be, the Latisha version of the Proverbs 31 woman, but I know in order for me to become her I need to have discipline.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not the most indiscipline person in the world, I know they are way more people lacking in that area than I. however I know in order for me to see my dreams come to fruition and to be as happy as I desire to be, I must be more disciplined.

I’ve got to get up before the sun rises in the morning to spend time with the Lord (bible study, prayer & meditation), get some exercise, and prepare for the day before my children wake up. That’s what the Proverbs 31 woman does; “She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants” Proverbs 31: 15 NIV.

The Proverbs 31 woman is hard-working. My work ethic is not were it should be. I’m not lazy or anything, but I get tired really quickly when doing housework. I know some phenomenal women who keep their house looking in tip-top shape, sometimes I don’t clean the dishes for two days (rarely though), again don’t misunderstand me, my house is not a pigsty, its well kept, but not squeaky nor close to squeaky clean. I know stay-at-home moms who really clean their house everyday. I try my best; at least I think I do, hmmm, do I really?

The Proverbs 31 woman, women of the olden days and most modern day stay-at-home moms do the household cooking. With the exception of breakfast and a few 15 minute meals here or there, my husband is the house Chef.  He is very good at it too. Does that make me ashamed? Not really. I hate to cook, he loves it, so I keep the kitchen clean as best I could, clean up the tornado of a mess he leaves in the kitchen, when he has finished cooking his masterpiece, he hates doing dishes. We balance each other out.

The Proverbs 31 woman manages the household. I try my best to do that but I often feel like screaming, “Aaaaaahhh, what the heck am I doing? I am winging it. It feels like an out of body experience and I am watching myself glide through the days in a daze. I want to feel more on top of things, more alive, more present in my todays.

The Proverbs 31 woman is disciplined, hard-working, nurturing, balanced and seeks after God with vigor. She is a priceless jewel. I want to be like her, but how do I do that? I guess, I’ll take it one step at a time, conquer one challenge at a time.

My mission, if I choose to accept it, and I do; is to establish a morning routine (as mentioned above); exercise regularly; go to bed earlier at night; read more, watch TV less, especially shows with a lot of hyped up drama, that glamorize lifestyles not aligned with God’s word; eat healthier; sleep better; and take mommy moments (I really need that to recharge). All and all, take better care of myself, so I’d be in better shape to take care of my kids, husband and household.

Pray for me guys, and feel free to ask me to do the same.

A Short film based on the short story written by Max Lucado entitled “The People with Roses” found in the book “And the Angels were Silent” by Max Lucado.

 I watched this short film on TBN last night, and found it to be a very beautiful story that truly came together and exerted its significance at the very end.

 The People With Roses

 John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.

In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A Romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting – 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. “You’ll recognize me,” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.

I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose.

As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. “Going my way, sailor?” she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl.

A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.

This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. “I’m Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?”

The woman’s face broadened into a tolerant smile. “I don’t know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”

My Favorite Quotes in the Film were:

“Tell me who you love and I’ll tell you who you are”

“I’m as old as everything I’ve ever done and as young as everything I still want to do”

 I highly recommend this film. I give it four stars. I don’t think the true essence of its meaning has taken root in my heart yet, but I pray God gives me the full understanding in time. Maybe as my own life experience with real love and making Godly choices evolve. If you see this film show up on your t.v listings or have the opportunity to rent it. Go for it. It’s really sweet and meaningful.

1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version, ©2010)

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Happy Valentine’s Day