Black Boy

Don't you cry black boy
Hold ya head up high black boy
The world is crazy black boy
Rise above it black boy
Head to the GOOD book black boy
Turn your anger into art black boy
Use your words to inspire black boy
Lift up your brother and your sister black boy
Look inside you black boy
There lies the healing waters black boy
They talked about Jesus black boy
They nailed HIM to the cross black boy
You are HIM and HE is you black boy
Your fathers are the same Him and you black boy
No more violence no more destruction black boy
Inspiration and positive vibes only black boy
Hug ya your brother and ya father black boy
Turn ignorance into education black boy
Smile for you are loved black boy
HE will never leave you nor forsake you black boy
May your life be filled with love black boy
When your days are done, give Him the glory black boy
You are beautiful brown skin, caramel, mocha black boy
You are a divine creation black boy
Let no one tell you that you are anything but a child of God black boy
Those who speak against you will be prosecuted by God black boy
No need to lift a finger or say a word black boy
God fights your battles and in HIM victory is won black boy

Making Love (For the married & soon to be married folks)

Making love begins with our hearts connecting, then our eyes, then our hands. 
Before our bodies connect the aura is so spectacular that God Himself stands and gives us an applause.

Before we touch I want to look in his eyes..no words spoken only our heartbeats to keep up with the time and our eyes to say all of the words that our lips can't seem to utter.

I want to stand naked in front of him allowing him to take in every freckle, every birth mark, stretch mark, scar and know that he sees all of me... the me that I can't even see.

I want to memorize every crease, every line, every flaw  on his body because when I look at him I want to pause and praise God for creating such a magnificent imperfect creation made especially for me.

The B's of life for the Ladies

Be a BOSS and lead by example. Reach back to younger generations and share your talents and skills to enrich the lives of our youth.

Be a BIRD - don't settle for the things that you can see. Spread your wings and travel to uncharted lands.

Be BUSY - when you busy yourself with productive hobbies you will have less time to dwell on the things that you do not have. Everything comes in God's perfect time. Keep busy.

Be the BOMB in whatever you seek to accomplish in life. Glass ceilings can only stop you if you allow them to.

BLOOM where you are planted. God has an important task for each of us. Grow wherever you are and watch God add more to your day-to-day.

BELIEVE that what God has for you is specifically for you. Have faith and let God handle the rest.

Mind your BEESWAX and avoid gossip. It's not fitting for anyone and especially not pretty for a woman.

Use your BRAIN to get ahead in your career or to get keep your man's attention, not your BREAST or your BUTTOCKS. Beauty fades.

Break down BARRIERS every where that you go.

Don't be a BITCH no matter how many people push your buttons.

Don't be BOSSY no matter how tough the situations and circumstances in your life may become.

Don't be BIAS, there is always something that you can learn from others to help you grow into the woman that you were meant to be.

Don't be BLAND; add a little dash of sophistication, a cup of confidence, a tablespoon of creativity, and a sprinkle of assertiveness. A woman should always have good taste.

Don't be a BULLY, learn the power of influence and the leadership principles necessary to lead others to their full potential.

Don't be afraid of the BOGEYMAN. He doesn't exist. It's all in your head.

Don't be so caught up with having BABIES, large BANK accounts, or marrying a BALLER. God will see to it that you have all of your hearts desires, but first you will need to surrender to HIS will for your life.

Be BEAUTIFUL in every aspect of your life.

Be BRILLIANT in everything that you do.

Be the BEST you that you can possibly be and watch God add a BEAUTIFUL man to compliment your qualities and a BUSINESS to enlarge your territory.

Be great! Be you! Be Blessed!

Christy  

Just like that: Inspiration

After suffering yet another day of writer's block I took to my bookshelf for inspiration from other brave souls who had dared to share their innermost thoughts with the world. Tucked away neatly in my end table turned bookshelf was "A Gift for Ron" by Everson Walls former Grambling State football player and former Dallas Cowboys star. I met Everson during the GSU Alumni football brunch in 2012, but it has taken me almost exactly two years to crack open my autograph copy of his book.  I had heard great reviews and was excited to read how he had sacrificed so much for a close friend, but somehow life happened and here I am today reading the story for the first time.  It has only been a couple of hours and quite frankly I don't know what made me go for this book and not one of the many titles that seem to glare at me after time I walk passed their unopened covers. All I know is that God always sends along the inspiration that I need exactly when I need it. This is not the first time that I've pulled a book off the shelf after having owned it for several years and it seemed to light something under my behind. Well, this book did just that. I just finished chapter 4 "Coach Rob's Team" and I promise there were moments that I wanted to shout out loud, cry, laugh, and dance around the room (and sometimes I did). Everson's account of his experience at Grambling and most importantly the lessons that he learned from Coach Rob make me proud to be a Gramblinite and a "local" having grown up literally less than a mile from campus.  I haven't finished reading the book obviously, but I had to stop for a second to share these few words with you. I'll be sure to write again once I'm done. As I prepare to read the remaining 12 chapters I can't help but to get excited about the current football season and the strides that MY school is currently making.  I'll leave you with this challenge...buy the book for yourself, buy it for your child, buy it for your husband, your son, or any student currently attending GSU.  I was prepared to read about disease, surgeries, and football but there is so much more. And just like that I no longer have writers block. Just like that I am inspired and no longer afraid to take the first step. Just like that I am reminded of true friendships that have lasted for decades. Just like that...

Only if...

Only if you woulda liked…no loved me

Only if I would have given you the key

Only if you woulda asked me

Only if we had no history

Only if I coulda told you all about me

Maybe then you would see

Only if you would have given me a reason

Only if it were a different season

I woulda shoulda coulda given you all of me

Only if you woulda let me in

Only if it wasn’t a sin

Only if you woulda hugged me and never let me go

Only then would you really know

Only if she wasn't there

Only if I didn't care

Only if you let me kiss your lips

Man, all those years we did miss

Only if we could turn back the hands of time

Only if you woulda let me shine

Only if you woulda cared enough

Only if I would have dared enough

Only if time could stand still

Only if we could have one more thrill

Only if you weren't an entertainer

Only if our love needed no disclaimer

Only if I would have stayed

Only if you would have asked me to stay

Only if ten years was only ten minutes

Maybe we would have a chance to finish

If “if” were a fifth we’d be drunk in love

We can’t argue with the man above

Only if your eyes didn’t tell all your secrets

Only if you weren’t my weakness

Only if I could erase all the memories

Maybe we’ll meet again in another century

Another lifetime and two different bodies

A brand new love at first sight

Perhaps then we’d get it right

Until then stay well my friend

I’ll like…love…like…love you to the end.

The Reunion

This past weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate my 15 year class reunion.15 years ago we sang our Alma Mater in the auditorium of Grambling State University. Many of us took the short walk to the yard of GSU to begin our collegiate experiences. Others chose to travel to various campuses across the world making bonds with people who were much different than the characters that they grew up around.

Upon reuniting on Friday we quickly saw that we were still those crazy kids from Grambling High. There was the beautiful cheerleader with the infectious laugh, the girl with the booming voice that moved the room when she spoke, the beautiful shy girl who was completely unaware of her natural glow, the guy that brought laughter to a room simply by saying hello, the guy that was always working on his next hustle, doesn't have a lazy bone in his body and inspires everyone he meets to reach further and work harder. The girl that dances like no one is watching and laughs like she doesn't have a care in the world. The guy that is still the only true genius I have ever met that can fix anything that's broken and do so with a humble attitude. The guy who moves people around the south with his love of music, the guy and the girl that have become the glue that connects us to Gods word so that we never forget that He is the reason for everything that we are and everything that we have so we should always acknowledge Him and thank Him in advance.




We are no longer those kids from the rural town in North Louisiana. We are much, much more.  I thank God for bringing us together. For healing our broken hearts, mending friendships, delivering us from unhealthy life choices, and allowing us to see another year. There were many that could not attend but they were never far from our thoughts and prayers.

Thanks for a great time class of 99. Keep doing your thing and hears to the next 15!

Be Blessed!
Christy

God is in the Imperfections

Playing with paint brushes, laughing uncontrollably, and enjoying the company of close friends; that is how I spent my Saturday evening. 

In honor of my friend Courtney’s birthday, my friend Nikki and I treated her to a Girl’s Night Out at Painting with a Twist.  We were mesmerized by the display of art that draped the walls of the intimate studio in North Dallas.  After locating our seats and slipping on our aprons, we waited with the other eager participants for Daniel and Robert, our amazing instructors, to help us turn the white canvases into a painting of six lively colored wine glasses.

“Okay, first we will begin with the large brush…” Daniel said.  The chatter and giggling among the participants came to a halt and all eyes were glued to the front of the room where Daniel stood with a completed painting to his right and a clean canvas to his left. 

Moments later we created a sort of creamy cheesecake (homemade not store bought) color for the background using a mixture of honey mustard yellow and a mayonnaise white paint.  Daniel would refer to this mixture as mayo and mustard throughout the course of the evening.

It was apparent from the first few strokes that Nikki was an apprentice to Picasso and Courtney a student of Van Gough in their previous lives.  Nikki used soft feminine strokes. It was as if she barely allowed the bristles to touch the canvas before she twisted her wrist to go at it from a different angle. The girl had skills.  Courtney’s approach, although, still delicate, was very precise.  She is a project manager like me, so her attention to detail and precision was not a surprise.  My approach was simply to keep up with Daniel’s instructions and to make small talk with Picasso and Van Gough in between strokes.   The three of us were focused, determined, and dead set on leaving the studio with an exact replica of the wine glass painting. 

It didn't take us long to see that we would end up with three very different paintings.  As a matter of fact, no one in the room would walk out with the same piece. Nikki used more mayo than mustard in her mixture, Courtney used a perfect blend of the two, and I used more mustard than mayo. I forgot to mention that Daniel and Michael… I mean Robert (I kept calling him the wrong name throughout the evening, but bless his heart he answered anyway) had drawn an outline of the top of the wine glasses which meant that we had to ever so carefully paint around them.  My next blog will be called, “Painting outside of the lines” because the three of us were temporarily transported back to our youth and even though the pre-school and kindergarten art classes were decades ago we were just as agitated when our brush found itself on the wrong side of the lines. Hearing our rants and groans due to our juvenile slip-ups, Daniel reassured us by saying and I’m paraphrasing here, “The beauty is in the imperfections.” Robert agreed.   

The last step of the process was to outline the wine glasses and initial our names at the bottom right corner.  Let me tell you the outlining was very tedious. If you ever want to see adults whine like little kids then sign up for a painting class and I’m sure that you will be entertained. Six vibrantly colored wine glasses caused us to bend, stretch, stand, and place our bodies into some pretty uncomfortable positions all in the name of art.  Daniel reassured us that our efforts would pay off in the end. Again Robert agreed.

As a final touch my friends and I each added the words Live, Laugh, and Love inside of one of the glasses.  We stepped back, dropped our brushes in the water cups, and admired our finished pieces.  Picasso (Nikki) received compliments for her zigzag free-hand glass stem, amongst other things. Daniel had the class take note of Van Gough’s (Courtney) ice cubes which she had drawn in one of her glasses and a few participants thought that my tiger print wine glass was truly unique.  It was so easy for  us to compliment the work of the other person seating next to or around us, but when we saw our own paintings, although truly breathtaking if you ask me, we focused on the imperfections.   

                

           After a few photos and selfies with our finished projects, Daniel left us with a few final words of wisdom, “Everything looks better in the morning. Ummm…with paintings that is.”  Robert agreed as always. 

                

            Courtney, Nikki, and I left the studio last night with our heads held high and a new found appreciation for art. In life it is so easy for us to focus our attention on our imperfections or our flaws.  God can do wondering things with imperfect people and imperfect situations. Last night I learned to step back and focus on the big picture instead of focusing on the mistakes that I make along the way. Each day we must take a look in the mirror and focus on the canvas in front of us.  We must paint our individual pictures and allow God to steady our hand so that we can maneuver the curves and turns that may come our way.

This morning when I took a look at my painting, I no longer saw the uneven lines as imperfections. I saw a unique creation; a one of a kind piece of art.  I saw God in the imperfections. And that my friends, is a masterpiece. 

Be Blessed,

Christy

***Special thanks to Courtney and Nikki for allowing me to share our story. Also thanks to Daniel, Robert, and Jim at Painting with a Twist in Frisco, TX.

"Jesus take the wheel"

I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121:1-8 NIV

Last night I had a dream that I was driving a school bus. It wasn't an ordinary school bus.  The bus seemed longer and it had been painted white.  A few classmates and I boarded the bus in front of my old high school.  My classmates took seats along the back of the bus while I took the driver's seat. Now I don't know what possessed me to jump into the driver's seat, however, before I knew it I was putting the rig in reverse and holding on for dear life.

The bus jerked and before I knew it we were moving backwards. I tried pumping the brakes but the bus was too powerful. I couldn't get it under control.   A few seconds later I heard a crash from behind us and out of the window I saw debris flying everywhere. On the ground there was a row of baby strollers. They were empty, thank God, but they had been lined up neatly one after the other. No one appeared to be hurt.

The dream continues on for a bit transitioning from one location around the high school campus to another, but the bus accident wasn't far from my thoughts.  Moments later when I woke up, God revealed to me one interpretation of the dream.

In life we will face opportunities that may seem manageable at first, but before we know it things can shift very quickly in the wrong direction. If we aren't careful, we could end up harming not only ourselves but others around us. Our only sure why of getting through these obstacles is to allow God to take control.

Let me go a little deeper into the dream...

The bus represents a situation that we may be currently facing. The white paint of the bus represents something new;  an obstacle unlike anything we've every dealt with before.  My classmates and I that boarded the bus were no longer the knuckleheads from junior high and high school, but grown adults.  This shows that even though we have grown in years we haven't grown completely in God. In some parts of our lives we still handle situations as if we were carefree teenagers.  The strollers represent generations to come. If we are careless in how we handle challenges that we are faced with today, we will not only harm ourselves but future generations as well.

God is telling us to allow Him to take the wheel. He wants us to be obedient passengers as He leads us into our next season. We were not created to go at it alone. God has promised to never leave us. He has said in His word that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. When we get bogged down in life it is useless for us to attempt to fix anything without God's help. He created a unique plan for our lives and only He knows how it will end. We are exactly where we are suppose to be during this season of our lives. It may feel uncomfortable. It may feel like we're wasting time. We may have an idea or strategy of how to get to our next level faster, but God... God has the ability to reset our clock. After we've been running a race or dealing with an issue for awhile, we may think that we've had enough or that we are nearing the end but God can place us right back at the starting line.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Allow God to take the wheel in your life and everything will fall into place.

Be Blessed,
Christy

Promotion: For the Single Ladies

Let me share a story with you about a lady that I had the pleasure of meeting some years ago.  I'll call her Peg.

Peg was a self-starter, a real mover and shaker on the job. She worked for her current employer for over three years and whispers of a promotion ran rapid throughout the hallways. Peg met with her boss, her boss' boss, and even the human resource manager to identify the skills she needed to possess in order to move to the next level in her career. Peg put all of their suggestions to use day in and day out, so it didn't come as a surprise that during her yearly evaluation she was promoted to a more senior role on her team.

Peg saw her goal, made a plan, and then put her plan into action. Because of her diligence she was rewarded in the end.

Okay now let us look at Peg's story using a different goal. What if Peg wanted to get married and start a family? What then?

Here is what I believe.

I believe that God gives us the things that we want/need when we are able to handle them. If being a wife is what you aim for, take a look at your current position as a single woman.

• Are you taking care of yourself, your finances, and the home that HE has given you? 
• Are you enjoying life for the things that you have, instead of the things that you don't have? 
• Are you creating an environment that a man would want to enter into or that is conducive to raising a child?

Just like on the job, what are you doing to work on YOU so that you can reach your next level?

Some may say:

"Well, I prayed for God to send me a man but nothing is happening."
"I feel like God is punishing me."
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
"I can't find any good men out there."

God is the creator of all things. He created each of us uniquely for His glory. If you are single, you better believe that you are exactly where you are suppose to be at the moment.  Perhaps you have more work to do before you can receive your promotion. Don't be so eager to move up. Although promotion is sure to offer more benefits, more responsibility will also be required.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48 NIV

Are you eager to receive the promotion from single woman to married woman? 

Pray and ask God if being a wife and mother is part of the path that He has created for your life. Then ask Him to show you the things that you need to work on to prepare for your next level.

We should work just as hard to receive the promotions in our personal lives as we do on the job.  Pray for what you want. Listen to what God has to say. Wait until something happens...

Be Blessed,
Christy

My, my, my how time flies...

I looked up a little while ago and it was September of 2013, now today I am staring down the barrel of April 2014.  Whoever said “time waits for no man” hit the nail on the head. 

I feel overwhelmed when my thoughts go to all of the many things that I would like to do in my lifetime and the clock seems to keep on ticking.

Ever wish that you could rewind, fast forward, or replay certain events in your life? Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. We get one opportunity most times to say and do those things that we've been dreaming about.

Often times I allow fear to hold me back or past failures to keep me stationary. God wants us to put all of our faith and trust in Him.  Once we rest within the safety of His arms there will be no limits to what we can accomplish. 

A friend of mine has challenged me to create a few goals for the month of April and at the end of the month we will debrief to see how many of those goals were completed. 

I’ll be a little transparent here and share with you a few of my goals.

1.)    Make an effort to go to bed no later than10:30PM each night.

2.)    Attend Bible Study on Wednesday’s

3.)    Zumba classes on Tuesday’s

So, far I’ve been able to rest my head on the pillow by 10:30, however, the actually falling asleep needs improvement. I danced the night away last night in Zumba class and I plan to attend Bible Study this evening.

These were just simple goals that didn't require me go out of my way to achieve them.  Now, consistency is the next goal. After April 30^th what must I do to make these monthly goals apart of my lifestyle? What will that look like?

Stay tuned…

Until next time remember don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today!

Be blessed,

Christy