...Plain Upon Tablets

So often, we struggle, we fight to live just above life's currents so that we are able to, at the very least, breathe as we make it from one day to the next. That is not the way life is supposed to be. We are called to be joyful and to find joy even in the most devastating of circumstances. Chronic Stress Disorder (CSD) often makes it hard for me to see joy and keep joy near. For me, CSD is like having my nerves constantly on fire while they are pricked by millions of the sharpest needles ever created. This is what it feels like when I'm stressing about things that my mind knows are perceived and not real. This feeling is amplified when dealing with stressors that are tangible, immediate. Despite these feelings and the other issues that cower under the CSD umbrella (anxiety, depression), I do realize that there must be consistent intentionality to the pursuit of joy. As with anything. If you want to lose weight, you have to be consistent, intentional of what you eat...

One thing to know about me: I care about others, I love others, and making people feel cared for and loved is important to me. However, I often didn't extend that care, that love to myself. A few years ago, I attempted to remedy this by writing daily love notes to myself (#loveaday notes). Through these notes, #HUGSlove originated. I've been told a time or two that I am one of the best huggers in the world, and I am always in search of a good hug. It's my firm belief that you can gauge a person by their handshake and their hug. I've had hugs that left me feeling cold and detached and hugs that have left me weeping in a stranger's arms. There is a connection that's made with a good hug, an exchange of love. So, to me, HUGS and LOVE go hand in hand. #HUGSlove, in a way, has encapsulated my life's mission: to spread that exchange of love and care to myself--and to others, and it taps into every facet of my life. Currently, it is seen in the #loved...

Years ago, I began writing myself daily love notes, which I ended up calling #loveaday notes. It started with me using 7-day pill holders and Post-its and has grown to me using notebooks, planners, and now digital journals to write my daily notes. I am of the firm belief that if you don't fill yourself with love, it will be difficult to have the energy and resources to fully and effectively provide needed love to others. These notes often give me great food for thought. Today's note really tapped into the heart of how I've been feeling lately, and I wanted to share what the note read and what that note made me think. In doing this, I hope you find something to glean from this sharing. This was today's note (to the right): "Get up one more time... ...and then keep getting up!" This note came from my experiences of the day, which I share with you below. ======= When I woke up this morning, one thought blared in my head: "Why do you ever w...

One of my favorite singers is contemporary gospel vocalist and evangelist Beverly Crawford. When she sings, she ministers. When she sings, you can feel through her words, her voice. One of my favorite performances of hers is "Breakthrough." When I heard it a few years ago, it moved me. It still moves me, and several times a month, I make sure I get in a quiet space and listen to it. Let the words minister to you. It's a song that reminds us of God's promises and our need to hold onto faith, believe God's word, and wait until we see those words come to fruition in our BREAKTHROUGHS. They are coming.

Tuesday, I talked about Karen Clark Sheard's " Authority ." Another song that I listen to in the morning is KCS's "Hallelujah." If you need a spark, if you need to be shaken, if you need that holy ghost dance... this is the song for you. In this video below, KCS gives a good preach and delivers a rousing performance of "Hallelujah." For me (and I know for others), it is so important to wake up and say... and declare positives for the day. To thank the Father for allowing us to live to see another day, to thank him for giving us another opportunity to shine in our lives for his benefit and our testimony. This song will usher you into those moments of thankfulness. Hallelujah!

Sometimes, it sure doesn't feel like it, right? Bills stacked to the ceiling. Everywhere you turn, it seems a mishap, mistake, or missed opportunity presents itself. It's easy to fall into a space where you can't see the light, can't see that a miracle can even happen to us. Believe me, I know. I fight this, too. One song that makes me smile, keeps my heart and mind focused when negativity threatens to overtake them is Mama Shirley Caesar's "You're Next in Line for a Miracle." Take a listen...

Music often saves me. Even when I'm dead-center into some depression, anxiety, and fearful thoughts... even when I say that I'm mad at God or feel my faith waning, it is often music that helps to release those toxins. When I'm in those periods stated above, I can often be heard walking around humming. What am I humming? Gospel music. Christian music. When this happens, and I catch myself, I often laugh, shake my head, look up to the heavens, and say, "You surely got jokes, Father." Because he does. Even in the middle of the crazy here on earth, there is still -- even if we don't feel it, see it, or believe it -- a still small voice within us, there is still the Father that's providing our push, giving us our strength, filling us with faith so that we can be mended, righted, and placed back on our path to move forward. One song that I find myself humming every day (and one that I play just about every morning as I get ready for work) is Karen C...