Well, hello once again friends and fellow readers. I’m back and so happy and excited to share another nugget with you. The other day in conversation the question was raised: When you read the passage of scripture that says, “Whatsoever you’ve done for the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you’ve done it as unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Well hello friends and fellow readers! I am so happy to be able to share another nugget with you! I was just thinking about the changes that occur in our everyday lives. One day we may appear one way, and at another time we look totally different. That caused me to think about transformers. Yes, transformers. You are a transformer. Had you ever considered that. When we accept Christ into our lives, we become transformed, but we also become transformers.

I get a little edgy when I travel. I seem to have a fear of all that could happen. Oh, I’m not saying that I don’t like to go places and do things, it’s just the in between that worries me. I know! Just doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? For sometimes the getting there is the most scenic. “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

Sometimes I sit back and think about our world. Many of our young people today are traveling down a road that is leading them on a journey to where, they know not. God is looking for them, but they will not hear. That’s where we come in, because we were once lost, and Jesus found us. We didn’t have to be perfect, we just had to believe. You see, no soul is not worth searching for, so God does not stop searching, and when it is found it is deemed as important as those who have already been found.

The greenway is my happy place here in Tennessee. Now, if we were talking about Florida, you would find me in Destin with my feet in the sand. Let me get back on track, cause as you can see the beach is calling my name. So, I enjoy walking the greenway, becoming one with nature and all that God has created. Listening to the sounds and viewing the beautiful water. Also, God likes to speak to me during my greenway walks and I always have a listening ear towards my Father.

Well hello friends and fellow readers. I’m back and I’m so excited to share another nugget with you. 

I was watching a movie the other day, and in the movie, “My Life As A Doormat,” the main character, Leah, was enrolled in an anger management program. When she was asked the question as to who she needed to confront, she mentioned her father, her fiancé, and her book agent. Now one of the other characters, Cinco, led her to a mirror and said that she needed to confront another person. That other person was herself. Leah took a look at, and inside herself, and she realized that in all of her misfortune she was the biggest contributor to her unhappiness. 

Well hello friends and fellow readers. I’m back and I’m so excited to share another nugget with you. Life can seem kind of cruel sometimes with its twists and turns but know that help is just around the corner.

In 1st Peter 5:6-7 we find these words, “Humble yourself, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.”

Have you ever been asked how are you, or have you ever asked that question? I‘m doing fine, or it’s all good might have been the response. Was it out of habit, or did you really want to know how they were doing? Maybe you were in a hurry and just rushed on by not waiting for their answer. Or, maybe, you slowed down long enough to make eye contact and hear their response. One of these responses could really have made the difference in their life. Let’s put a pin right here and think about it without distractions. This is serious, and you really need to stop and consider your answer.

I would like to share a story of how an inspiring couple chose to step out on FAITH! In the words of Lady Eleanor N. Graves here’s the story of how one couple followed their dream on purpose standing on God’s Promises.

On the morning of August 7 1977, my husband, Rev. Michael Lee Graves and I stepped out on faith into a dream. We left a large congregation of over 1,000, a new church building and many loving people to begin the Temple Church. No money, no building, no land, no people as of yet. We were established a church officially on the campus of the American Baptist College on August 8, 1977.

Well hello friends and fellow readers. I’m back and I am so excited to share another nugget with you.

Wow! That is really a mouth full. What does it mean to be real? I’d say it speaks or a person who is honest, who is genuine and sincere in their dealings with others. A copy would appear to be just as real, but it lacks some of the same qualities. An original is self-explanatory. There’s no other first, only those who are images. You’ve heard the saying, “do as I say, not as I do.” So, I’m the one who gives the instructions, but I don’t necessarily have to follow them, you do. Don’t allow yourself to become drawn into a place where you are defined only by what you are told. Step out and be unapologetically who you are. Shine as you inspire.

Many of us have a list of things that we want to accomplish throughout the day. The list may consist of grocery shopping, laundry, organizing, cleaning out that room that everything seems to be thrown into. Our lists can go on and on. Today, my list consisted of a few things, including walking and going to the store. At first, I was going to do them separately, but then I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me to walk to the store.

Well hello friends and fellow readers. Yes, I’m back with another little nugget that I hope will bless you. Sometimes I have to stop and say, “Girl what are you thinking! Why are you going in all of these directions? You can’t do it all! I know, but who’s going to do it?” Have you ever heard yourself saying that?

Now I ask you, who is taking care of you? Loving on ourselves begins with self-discipline. Self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptation to abandon it.

Well, I have to tell you that you have to take care of you. Self-care is defined as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health. It is also defined as the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during times of stress. This is the one that I want to focus on.

Well hello friends and fellow readers. I’m back, and I am so excited to share another nugget with you!

Have you ever thought about the importance of names? As I was returning home, I began to think about my name. Does it have any significant meaning, or did my parents just like that name? My name, of course, is Barbara and it means “stranger” or “foreign. It is the foreign form of the Greek Barbaros. A name identifies you.

Well hello friends and fellow readers. I’m back, and I am so excited to share another nugget with you. 

Maya Angelou said, “If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.” Today, I am just plain stuck! I feel as though I am in a quandary

Wow this is forty! Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and I relocated to Los Angeles, California 15 years ago, at the age of 25. The woman I have molded into today is the result of life experiences from both cities. I am excited and nervous about what city will contribute to my womanhood in this next chapter.

Well, hello friends and fellow readers. I’m back and I’m so excited to share another nugget with you.

As Christians we are often told that we are to have joy. However, when life brings us pain and we are sad, somber, and gloomy we often find it harder to feel the joy.

Initially, one may ask the question, “What is prayer?”

True prayer is the bringing of petitions to God which have been born within us by the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the very life-force of our spiritual existence. It is fellowship, communion and intimacy with God that is real (genuine, authentic) and personal. It is the ultimate in solidifying our love relationship with Him. When we pray, there becomes no greater desire in our hearts than to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Well hello friends and fellow readers! Have you ever encountered a situation where you just looked on? I guess that we all have at one time or another. Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt totally detached from those around you? You felt so burdened down, and in shame kept your head down. You thought about all the wrong things that you have done in your life, and you felt that you could never rise above them. You spent a lot of time in the back room. You hung out in the shadows fearing that if anyone saw you, they would guess your secret. You’re stuck and you don’t know how to get unstuck. 

 Well, hello friends and fellow readers. Did you know that God is intentional in giving us guidance and instructions? Can I tell you that God is a God of details, and He vividly outlines each move that we make. He never gives us something to do without letting us know how to do it. Now, we may do it our way, but just  like putting that piece of furniture together without following the  instructions, something goes wrong; there will be something missing.  So, when God gives you something to do, follow His directions.

Well, hello friends and fellow readers. Let’s take an introspective look at a topic that might have you scratching your heads a bit. What in the world has a broken vessel that is of no more use than to be thrown out got to do with anything? Well, did you ever have a favorite plate or cup that somehow got cracked or broken?

Set your standards and live! If you are cool with always receiving the mediocre in relationships then you are entitled to have that choice.