Hello Luvs!
I know I went MIA the past week. God has truly been showing up and out in my life. Alot of new things in store. Anyways lets talk about Hurricane Harvey before I call it a night. My heart goes out to the residents in Houston. They need more than just prayers. The Bible says, "Faith without works is dead". Donate in any way you can to a charity that is actually going to help those in need and not just fund salaries. I read Joel Olsteen is under scrutiny for waiting until social media publicly called him out for not providing shelter for flood victims before he allowed flood victims to seek shelter in his church. Like many of you, I saw the pictures published from the church's website of the church flooded and later video footage from a Houston resident showing the outside of the church dry and with no noticeable flood damage. I think we all have fallen short of being good samaritans. I also think when you are a Christian you will always be scrutinized by unbelievers and also other Christians. If it was a lapse of judgement( just like the Mayor who did not issue a mandatory evacuation of Houston) or just a decision based on human thinking and not Christ like decision making...I know this will be blown way out of proportion because he is Joel Olsteen...a multi-million dollar pastor. I think right now instead of focusing on whose giving we should all be focusing on helping. Another point I would like to make is I've heard so many people ask why does God allow innocent people to be killes by natural disasters? Nobody knows the ways of God or the mind of God. I will say this: In man's eyes alot of innocent lives were lost. In God's eyes none of us are innocent because we were all born into sin. If God destroyed the whole world and only saved one family because He was tired of the disobedience and sin...whose to say God is not trying to get our attention and remind us of the promise He made not to destroy the entire Earth by flood again.Is this flood another reminder of the Power of God? I do know for those of us who are not in Houston or have lost loved ones in Houston it makes us more thankful. For some Houston residents effected by the flood Im sure if they didn't know God they are trying to be introduced to Him. God will show you Himself in many ways to get you to acknowledge Him. My fiance's job maybe sending him and a few other workers who volunteered to Houston later when the chaos dies down.I am also going to do my part to help in any way I can.I ask that you do your part to do the same. Houston we are with you. xoxo Krystale Jane'l
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From slavery until the early 1900's, black people were oppressed and made to feel as if they were nothing more than "The Help". Then a movement in Harlem sparked a release from the bondage of slavery and oppression.
The Harlem Renaissance became a turning point in history for Black America. Our culture was celebrated through the arts. Black people in the South read about clubs and music that were created and put on display for the the rest of the world to see. Southern blacks often didn't believe this was going on in Harlem. They thought it was a myth. The Southern blacks were still battling their own fight to show the South they existed but were still being brainwashed that they were inferior to whites while enduring segregation and Jim Crow laws.Yet and still they celebrated who they were in the privacy of their homes and communities. The gruesome demise of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the destruction of a small but prosperous black community in Rosewood, Florida began to make blacks fearful of becoming more than what the roles White America created them to be. Rosewood, Black Wall Street, and lynchings set an example of what happened when blacks became too "uppity" It became a fight for self preservation instead of a celebration of Black Excellence. Another movement hit in the late 60's. Blacks began to wear afros and celebrate Black America. Music promoted black pride and the 70's brought blacks on the big screen in roles other than slaves and maids. Foxy Brown, Cleopatra Jones, Dolemite, and other blackxploitation films that exploited African Americans but also gave them an opportunity to see people with their skin color on tv. The 90's became a time when it seemed black people finally became a part of mainstream society. Music promoted black power, strength, and our culture with the emerge of Hip Hop. Hip Hop was a new genre of music known for its catchy lyrics and beats that emerged in the late 80's. With the success of the Cosby Show blacks were dominating the screen in roles portraying successful business owners, doctors, and lawyers---roles that were played predominately bu white people. It was during this time black leaders, African culture, and music celebrated blackness. Blackness became marketable. Brands such as Cross Colours produced fashion that celebrated our African Heritage through Hip Hop fashions. African American movie and tv stars wore apparel proudly displayinga list of HBCUs. By the year 2000 Black Pride came to an abrupt halt. Rap artists became the face of black culture to the rest of the world. Black pride turned into nothing more than "urban culture" with sagging pants, offensive lyrics, and the exploitation of crime and drugs became what the rest of America assumed black culture to be. The rise of younger parents and grandparents who were not in the Baby Boomer generation gave birth to the New Age Millenials. Knowing Black history and culture and wanting to be proud of it and preserve it marked a new group of blacks called the "conscious" group. When all black Americans should be conscious and aware...not a select group. Now urban culture is the new black America. Urban culture is now a minstrel show displayed on the television and radios. We traded our Onks and African Medallions in for overpriced jewelry, men jeggings, and 24 inch hair bundles. Nothing about Urban Culture screams anything about my blackness or what I teach my children about their heritage but yet and still society keeps associating urban culture with my blackness. Let me define my blackness for those who are culturally ignorant: My blackness started with the mitochondrial DNA that birthed civilization, my blackness comes from the Kings and Queens of Africa who built pyramids, it is the blood that was shed as my ancestors were brought overseas and made slaves to a people who viewed them as merchandise. It is the struggle of my grandmother who marched fighting for equality and fair treatment. My blackness was in the blood of Sandra Bland, Treyvon Martin, and all the other black men and women who lost their lives at the hands of some racist or ignorant bastard simply because their skin was darker than the man behind the gun.My blackness comes from the Garrett Morgans, The Madam CJ Walkers, the Mary Mcloud Bethunes, and the Martin Luther Kings who had intelligence and a vision that they executed despite what was against them. My blackness isnt what you see on TV nor can it be defined by hip hop.My blackness isnt entertainment...My blackness is power, black girl melanin magic, and most important my blackness is a badge of honor that can never be removed from me because its a part of me not just the color of my skin. xoxo the Story of Job. God is taking some of us through a period of restoration.
The book of Job describes a wealthy man who loved and honored God but the Devil told God he could make Job "curse God and die" God allowed Satan to test Job and take every thing from him. Job lost his health, his family, his wealth, and even lost his children. His wife and closest friends questioned him and told him to just curse God and die, but Job stayed firm and sought God in prayer. The Devil could not get Job to curse God. God restored what Job lost 7 times more than what he had at first. This is my message to you: God wants to restore what was taken from you. You must keep the faith and trust God. God gave you a position making lower pay because He is seeking more of you and He wants to show you more of Him. Trust Him and He will restore your salary and bless you with more...but first learn to trust Him with what he is giving you now so he can prepare you for the future. You may not be in need of a material restoration, but you maybe heartbroken over the loss of a loved one. Trust me, God understands the stages of grief and He is still with you. You are not alone. Trust God to restore your peace and give you mental and emotional healing.Someone maybe trying to heal from a broken heart. You may have given your all to a man who God allowed to exit your life because he was never meant to be a part of it. God blessed you with a beautiful child because he wanted you to see the beauty in real love through your unborn child because you were too spiritually blind to see His love for you. This was the only way He could get your attention and show you love in its purest form: the same love He gives you daily, freely, and unconditionally. God wants to replenish what was lost, broken, or damaged but you must first give him the one thing He requires:..You. Trust God. xoxo The most memorable moments a parent can share with their child is when they reach those little milestones from infancy to childhood. Its those little moments that last for a second but stays in a parent's memory for a lifetime that make raising a child special.
My 3 month old reached one of those milestones yesterday. It wasn't what I had in mind where Im caught off guard by some beautiful moment that shows my babie's advanced development skills. Nor was I prepared with my camera in hand as me and her father cheered her on...Kaydence rolled over for the first time and landed right on the floor. This was probably one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. I was devastated that I missed her first roll over and even more horrified that my child was face first on the carpet. I could remember my oldest daughter's first tumble when I was 17. My BFF and I laughed. I was a teenage inexperienced mom then, but this time I couldn't laugh. This time I cried. I cried because I thought to myself, "This time I can't use being a teen mom as an excuse for my bad parenting decisions (like walking out of the room to get my eyelash glue and leaving my baby on the bed to roll over onto the floor)" Parenting has changed so much in the past 17 years. Its like getting a pop quiz but you never learned the lesson. As parents we all have those trial and error experiences, but to start over just when you should be in sorrow and celebration of the prospect of an empty nest...that's a new realm of emotions I didn't consider. So I do what I do best: pray, Google, and "wing it". I can only pray and be the best mother I know to be. I must admit, this new parenting journey is scary, but I'm up for the challenge. xoxo A few years ago I read a wonderful book titled, Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel. The purpose of this book is to help Christians identify and purge their spirits of different things in their every day lives that causes a separation from Christ. This book was so enlightening. From that point on I decided to ever so often do a spiritual and body cleanse to not only cleanse my spirit but to also cleanse my body of things I probably shouldnt eat anyways.
Two weeks ago I completed a one week fast off of sweets. This was probably the hardest fast I've ever done because I love candy and any kind of snacks. While in prayer the Holy Spirit told me I needed to trust God more to eliminate certain things from my life. Sugar is one of those things. It was hard and it seemed that this particular week all of my co-workers brought doughnuts, we had a brownie and ice cream birthday celebration, and there was all kinds of snacks and goodies brought to the job, but by God's strength I survived. This may seem like a minor thing to some people but I am aware that I am almost an addict when it comes to Little Debbie and all of my other sugary addictions.The week was hard, but I made it and now I don't crave it like I used to.So now I decided it's time to do a soul detox. For the next few weeks I will be eliminating rap music from my playlist starting tomorrow. I cant tell you how much I love rap/trap music, but I want to feed my spirit positive music for the next few weeks just to see how it will effect my daily life. For the next weeks it will be gospel, slow jams, inspirational speeches/sermons, and Radio Disney. Stay tuned to hear the results! xoxo IThe hardest thing about window shopping is dealing with the regret of not buying the merchandise. This is exactly how so many of us live our lives. We spend so much of our lives never really seizing the moment it usually ends in the regret of what we could've or should've done...we are alive but we never live.
When I say live I don't mean just crossing things off your bucket list. I mean seizing each and every opportunity to be happy, joyous, and live the life that the inmost part of our soul is yearning to live. Too often we just do what we know what should be done out of responsibility, routine, and the fear of the unknown or failure.. I love zombie movies. One of the reason why I love zombie movies is because the zombies are a great analogy for what so many of us really are---the walking dead. We are alive but our spirits are dead because we haven't ignited the fire that God wants us all to feel..It maybe a spiritual fire because God is calling for you to have a deeper relationship with Him and you are in need of spiritual makeover, or it may just be God calling you to fulfill your purpose He has planned for you. It could be to enjoy your life and focus more on making you happy and worrying less about others. I spent so many years of my life searching for self fulfillment that it wasn't until i literally got on my Julia Roberts. Eat Pray Love that I discovered God was calling me to write. Writing is something I love as a hobby but I never considered making a career. Now, I have a degree in creative writing, published books, and I own my own self publishing company. I can't express the sense of fulfillment I have. I may not make the salary I want right now, but if you aren't striving to make a career out of doing that very thing that you would do for free the rest of your life then you aren't seizing your God given potential.. Seize the moment. Its never too late to start that new business, get your passport and travel the world, or just learn how to make time for yourself. My only regret in this life is I didn't realize what my purpose on this Earth was sooner. XOXO |
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