Loving Me!

For the month of January I took a leave of absence from social media. No Twitter, no Facebook, no Instagram... I didn't even check up on my favorite blogs.

Those 31 days were awesome!

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy social media. I like staying in touch and seeing what's going on in the lives of my friends, associates, and the celebrities I follow. But, honestly, sometimes scrolling through news feeds can be... depressing.

God has blessed me to be in touch with some amazing people, and logging on every day and seeing the latest engagement status, news of the launch of someone's business, pictures of my people enjoying fabulous vacations, and reading about how certain folks I know are becoming the news can be a bit tiring... and intimidating... and daunting. Especially when I know I'm not where I want to be in my life quite yet.

So, taking a break from all of that allowed me to focus on me. I got to enjoy my own sphere free of influence from outside sources. Instead of thinking about how much so-and-so is doing, I was able to focus on what I'm supposed to be doing. Instead of wondering how this person was able to get so far ahead, I was able to plan out my next few steps.

I was able to narrow my focus. I was able to see the greatness inside of me and not allow myself to belittle it just because someone else I know is doing their thing with a different flair.

My sabbatical may be a bit longer as a result of this.

Today, praise God for the greatness that He's placed on the inside of YOU. Embrace your uniqueness. Savor the place you're in right now. Enjoy the gifts, attributes, qualities, quirks, and personality that the Lord has blessed you with.

What do you do to stay focused? How do you keep your destiny walk free from distractions?  

Verse of the Day: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

Stay In Your Lane

I am blessed to know some pretty amazing people who are doing great things for the Lord and living in their destiny and purpose. Looking at them, I am grateful to see how God can take someone and elevate them as they walk out what He created them to do. It just motivates me to want to better in my own life as well.

Just last night I had to remind myself to "stay in my lane" and not get sidetracked because of what I saw someone else doing. I had to remind myself that just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should do it. God has a unique calling that is all mine. If I go stepping in someone else's lane, I'll only trip up myself.

It reminds me of David's desire to build the Lord a temple. He had the means to do it. He was the king of Israel, he definitely had the riches, and he loved God so much. The Lord deserved a dwelling place where He could dwell permanently, not some tent. David knew he had a vision to show honor to the Lord.

Yet God told David to stay in his lane. He had called David to the battlefield. It was David's purpose to destroy the Lord's enemies. God had purposed for another man to build his temple. So, David obeyed the Lord and did not build Him a temple. (2 Samuel 7)

A lot of times we can mean well in some of the projects we set out to do. Something just grabs our hearts, and we set off to get it accomplished. We can have all the plans and abilities to get it done. Yet, it never was a part of God's plan to have us take on those projects.

Make sure you are staying in your lane and doing what God wants you to do. Don't get distracted with what someone else is doing. Even if you have a great idea, run it by the Lord and make sure it's in His plans for you. As you stick to what God has for you, you'll see great success and your life will be blessed.

Verse of the Day: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Psalm 143:10

Have a Seat!

I've mentioned before that I consider myself to be a Martha. I am a person that likes to make sure that everything is in order, on point, and all details are addressed. I feel more at ease putting together projects and activities. I like planning and organizing. Just like Martha, I always want to put my best foot forward and make sure that things go forth in excellence.

The question is, when God shows up am I too busy worrying about what I'm doing for Him that I miss out on His arrival? When the Lord just wants to sit and talk to me, am I too concerned with arranging some grand gesture that I miss out on a powerful word? In my focus on trying to please Him with my actions, am I overlooking times for relationship building?

We all want to use our talents and gifts to make God smile. We want to use what He's given us in a way that will make the Lord proud. I'm sure Martha was an anointed hostess. She was vibing in her gift when Jesus came to visit. She probably felt that she was doing her part to make Jesus happy. She probably felt that all of her running around behind the scenes was needed for Jesus' comfortable stay in her home. No wonder she complained that her sister wasn't helping out.

Yet Mary recognized something that Martha missed. Mary saw that Jesus had come to their house for a reason. He didn't come to eat fabulous food or look in wonder at the decor of the home. He came to talk with them... He came to minister to them... He came to reveal more of Himself to them.

So Mary plopped right at Jesus' feet and drank it all in. Martha missed the memo.

Are you missing the memo right now? Are you running around preparing all these grand gestures for the Lord when all He really wants is to sit and talk with you? Are you so busy looking at what needs to be done/has to be done/should really be getting done that you're ignoring the fact that God is saying it can get done later?

More than anything God wants our hearts. He wants a relationship. He wants intimacy.

Sure, He appreciates your actions. He enjoys the fruits of your labors. But what He loves more than anything else is you. He wants more of you.

Before, during and after all of your planning, arranging, and organizing, make sure you take the time to sit at the Master's feet. Take the time to listen to what the Lord is saying. Before you run around getting busy with what you think will make Him happy, take some time with Him to really hear what is on His heart.

Verse of the Day: Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42

Distracted?

Cain was distracted by jealousy. (Genesis 4) For Abraham, it was unwarranted fear. (Genesis 20) David was distracted by a woman. (2 Samuel 11) Samson too. (Judges 16) The Israelites wanted to be like everybody else. (1 Samuel 8) Jacob wanted to please his mother. (Genesis 27)

The devil knows our number. He knows what he can throw out to get us off the track that God has us on. He knows which buttons to push to make us begin to doubt God's way, to lose faith in the plan God has laid out for us, to start living in a way that isn't pleasing to God.

We have to stay vigilant against the tricks of the enemy. Joseph is a perfect example of what it means to stay on task. He had the opportunity to commit adultery, but he stayed true to the Lord and fled the scene. He had every right to grow bitter while he languished forgotten in jail, but he maintained his connection with God. Even when he held the perfect position to exact revenge on everyone who betrayed him, he remained righteous in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 39-43)

Out of Joseph's steady walk of purity and love for God, he was exalted to a high position and was able to deliver his whole family from famine. He gained riches and honor, prestige, and fame. All because he stayed true to his faith.

Distraction can lead to temptation which can lead to sin. We all have moments where we pause and have to choose between right and wrong. Let's make the devil angry today and choose the right thing to do! No matter if no one will see or know of our decisions, let's always choose the righteous path in God.

No matter how much you may want to go the wrong way, remind yourself of what happened to the men mentioned at the opening of this post. Then remember what happened to Joseph. Which chapters do you want to have included in your life story?

Verse of the Day: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19, 20

Afternoon Ti: How Do You Stay Hungry?

I should be out there
getting what's mine!

For the class that I'm currently taking, I've had to do some leadership audits on my current ministry. I've found out that I'm very strong in a lot of areas, but I'm clearly weak in the areas of follow-through.

I cannot tell you how many ideas that I've had of different, innovative, and creative methods for various things where ministry is involved. I have even more items filed away for my own personal life. However, the majority of my bright ideas wind up confined to a journal, file on my laptop, or stay stuck in my brain.

I don't know what it is, but I have spurts of inspiration for a moment in time only to let the dreams fall to the wayside. I don't want to be one of those people that looks back and sees a life filled with plans unfulfilled. Still, that looks like how things are shaping up. And I want to put a stop to it.



So, I wanted to ask: How do you stay hungry? How do you stay motivated to follow through on your plans, dreams, and goals? What keeps you from letting procrastination dead your dreams?

I appreciate your advice!

Remembering the Surrender

Time for some transparency: So, lately I've been struggling with being alone. I haven't been single this long since I was in high school, I think. I mean there has been no one on Ti's radar. Not even a bug a boo.

And this has been since January.

I'm not struggling with being lonely. I got over that a while ago. I have faith to know that God's plan will prevail and He will bring me to my expected end. Husband and kids will be there when it's time.

Recently, however, there's been a new person trying to holla at me, and I've entertained some conversations and hung out with him a few times. No problem there. The issue is my own mind, thoughts and emotions. Because of this person's personality and tendencies, I could easily revert back to some of my old tricks and take advantage. I could even slip up and do some bigger things that I would most definitely regret.

All because Ti hasn't seen anyone on her block in a minute.

Last night I had a little chat with myself at the feet of the Father. I had to remind myself of who I was and Whose I was. I am a new creature in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Old things are passed away, and there is no need for me going and resurrecting what I have repented of. It was nailed to the cross for a reason. I had to cool my little self down.

So, I shook myself, adjusted my footsteps, and determined to stay on the path God has given for me to walk. I won't give up my joy for some times of fun. (Thanks, Joyce Meyer!) I'm going to remember my surrender. I gave it up to Christ for a reason. I'm not going to mess it up for anything.

Moving forward...

Verse of the Day: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.


Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.


Philippians 3:13-16

For Your Listening Pleasure:

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

I shoulda done that
 when I had the chance!
Now look at me...

Shoulda, Coulda, and Woulda are a sneaky trio. They come sliding in to visit every now and then whispering their groans about how you Shoulda done this, and Coulda done that, and if you Woulda done something else you'd be better off. They cluck their tongues and shake their heads disapprovingly at the current state of your life.

If we're not careful, we can find ourselves entertaining them, inviting them to have a seat in our minds. We let them stay awhile, and before we know it, we're in a depressed mood lamenting the perfection that Shoulda, Coulda, and Woulda been.

Yeah, you might have missed a few opportunities. Okay, so if you would have done some things differently, you might be at a different spot. Don't let these three take you hostage! Stand strong against their onslaught of disappointment and regret.

There's nothing you can do about the past. Today is what you have, and this day was made for you to rejoice in! (Psalm 118:24) Remember that the Lord is ordering your steps. (Psalm 37:23) He is in full control. As long as you're following His lead, you can rest assured that you are in the perfect spot for you right now.

So, stop listening to Shoulda, Coulda, and Woulda! Kick them out of your thoughts! Evict them out of the corners of your mind. Keep the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as the primary residents of your soul instead, and watch what you accomplish moving forward!

Can, Will, Do, and Did will become your new best friends!

Verse of the Day: ...This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13, 14

Old Demons...

Do you have a problem or bad habit that you've been dealing with for what seems like your entire life? Have you tried numerous times to get rid of said bad habit over and over again only to repeat the offense at every turn?

That is my issue with procrastination.


I don't know what it is, but I always seem to wait to the last minute to get things done.! Or, worse still, I never get it done. Something in my brain always has convinced myself that I work best under the pressure of a ticking timeline, and I fall for the okey-doke every time.

I've tried everything I can think of to motivate myself to be more proactive, but all of my efforts have not made a lasting impact. No one's more disappointed about it than me.

Can I tell you the devil knows our numbers? Not to blame my procrastination on the devil. Lord knows, he only acts up as far as we let him... But he knows exactly where to hit us where it hurts. He knows the precise demon/distraction/confusion/heartache to send our way that will put up the best blockade against us reaching a goal.

There's a reason why you wrestle with the very thing you've been fighting all your life. Just imagine what you could accomplish if you finally vanquished that thing. I know my own life would improve exponentially.

Let's go before God and seriously get a strategy for dealing with our major issues. And then let's implement the plan. A lot of stuff God has already told us lies dormant due to lack of execution. (Procrastination, anyone?) We can do this! We can do all things through Christ! Let's kick that bad habit out of our lives once and for all!

Verse of the Day: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ... 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5

Fast Food Days

In today's time management, multi-tasking world, we all have mastered the art of doing more than one thing at a time. I like to think of our lives now as "fast-food days." Like fast food is chock full of empty calories, we pack in so many activities in our daily routines that really don't bring any quality to our lives.

We go in to work putting on make-up, eating breakfast, and catching up on the news while we drive. We do our work with our online radios playing, toggling between multiple screens, and holding conversations with our nearby co-workers. We get home to browse the internet, eat dinner, and watch our favorite tv show simultaneously. Some of us now can't get to sleep without background noise to engage the part of our brain that needs the extra stimulation even as we drift off to unconsciousness.

Let me ask you a question: Are you enjoying all this extra life you're taking in?

Seriously, when you really think about it, are you really gaining better value from your life simply from piling more of it on your plate?

Can you remember the last good meal you had? How about a really engaging conversation? What's the last movie you watched that made you cry?

Nine times out of ten I bet you that experience had your full attention. If that meal didn't have it in the beginning, once you realized it's flavor, I bet you put the blackberry down! You probably didn't even think about scrolling through your Twitter feed as you talked with your good friend.

The memorable moments in life have a way of grabbing all of your focus. Yet the ones we stumble upon accidentally are few and far between. However, when we take the time to look for those moments, they seem to pop up everywhere.

As you bustle about your day, take some time to pause and take in your surroundings. You might be able to hear the underlying pain in the voice of the co-worker you chat with and have an opportunity to minister to them. You may catch the beauty of the sun on your drive home from work today. Really listening to the world around you may help you to hear something inspiring or helpful that will help you as you journey through life.

How about taking a break from you "fast food days" and take some time to invest in an experience that you fully savor and enjoy? Have a real moment. Make a real memory. Enjoy something with your full attention. Then you can go tweet about it.

Verse of the Day: Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:2

Shhhhhhh!

We are a plugged-in, noisy society.

We drive around in our cars with the radios on blast. We walk through the grocery store talking on our wireless headsets. We enter our homes and flick on the tv after dropping our coats. We work with our Pandora stations pumping through our computer speakers.

If we actually sit down for a moment in silence, our minds race a mile a minute or we drift off to sleep.

Yet, it is in the stillness and the quiet that we can hear God’s voice. It is those moments where we shut off all the noise of the world and focus in on Him that we can hear God’s words of life for us.

Often, I’ve even had to turn off my worship and meditation music just so I could quiet my mind down even further to hear what God was saying.

God’s speaking all the time. We just have to take the initiative to tune our ears to His station and listen to what’s being broadcasted over the spiritual airwaves.

When is the last time you sat in stillness before the Lord, and heard God speak? Can you remember the last time you were silent or still?

We cannot let all of the gadgets, media, and other distractions surreptitiously steal away all of our time.

Make a choice to turn off the radio on your ride home from work and instead listen to heaven. Cook dinner tonight conversing with God instead of your girlfriend. When you roll over to sleep, cut the tv off and fall asleep to the still small voice of the Spirit.

There is so much that God has to reveal to His people. We just have to silence the noise so we can zero in on His revelations.

Verse of the Day: This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. Isaiah 30:15 (NLT)

Wake Up!

It takes a lot for me to awaken fully each day. Despite getting out of bed, showering, and driving an hour to work, I still am not fully alert until I’ve had something to eat and about two cups of hot tea. I can literally feel the grogginess until I’ve had my morning pick-me-up.

Recently I had noticed that my spirit seemed to be nodding off as well. As I went about my days, attended church services, and even spent time in prayer and study of the Word, I could feel that the connection I had with the Kingdom of God was not as strong as it should be.

I had to take measures to “wake myself up” to become fully alert to the things of the spirit. I had to shake myself out of the funk and press in to the Heavenly realm. For me, that meant that I had to spend some time in prayer coming against the enemy and stirring up the gifts that God had placed inside of me.

All too often the cares of life and busyness of everyday occurrences can distract us into a passive attitude when it comes to the things of God. We can drift through life thinking that we’re okay just because we’re saved and living according to the Word of God.

Still, there is a big world out there that needs the God we have! There are people hurting who need our touch of love. Someone needs to hear a word of encouragement that comes straight from God’s throne.

But if His ambassadors are not on the job, the world will never experience His love. Daily we should be influencing the world for Christ. We should always be alert for any opportunity to share the goodness of the Lord. Our ears should be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in order to follow any directions that He may have.

Don’t let another day pass by where your spirit lies “asleep.” Wake up! Shake yourself and go be a blessing to somebody today!

Verse of the Day: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men… Matthew 5: 14, 16a

Hey, Eyes Over Here!

I have a weakness for the tabloids at times. Not to see all the gossip or get the latest story about some celebrity’s breakup or plastic surgery. No, I like to see all the glamorous outfits, the fabulous venues and houses, and hear about all the festivities, ceremonies, benefits, and dinners. It’s all so spectacular and fun. I would love to be a part of that hustle and bustle. I think it would be awesome to be invited to get an “inside” view of how the rich and privileged live.

It’s kind of funny that I can get lost in the sea of Hollywood. I am one of the most simple people you could meet. My idea of a good time is relaxing in bed with a thick novel while sipping a mug of hot tea. I hate dressing up. I’d rather wear some comfortable jeans and some Tims than wear a dress and heels. But there’s a piece of me that feels a tug when I see all of the star’s photos and read about their activities. I wonder what it would be like to be in the spotlight.

Often, we all can get distracted by wishing we had the lives of others. We see people who have more money, status, friends, connections… you name it, and we sigh discontentedly as we think about what we lack. It seems like so many other people have figured out the way to greatness, and we got stuck on the merry-go-round whirling in circles.

The Bible says that if we have just food and clothing – the simplest of things – we should be content. (I Timothy 6:8) But the noise of the world can sometimes fill our ears to distraction. The Word also says that the righteous man’s steps are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23), so we need to trust that God knows what we can handle. Many people run to destruction chasing after lives that God never intended them to live.

So while it’s fun to look at pictures and daydream, at the end of it all I know that God has me right where He wants me: in my bed, reading a book, and sipping on my tea. I’ve learned to be okay with that. If I’m supposed to be on the red carpet one day, He’s already got a plan to get me there. And I’ll leave it to Him to work it all out.

Verse of the Day: Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11