Hello  everyone, the next  few blog posts will   talk to you about Mantles.   Mantles are blessings we  receive from God to operate in our  God-given calling on  this earth.   They are  hope. They add hope and encouragement to  those who need it, and it  helps sometimes  for us to  ” see through our struggle.”  I know that sounds  kind of odd,  so I will explain.   Mantles  add purpose to our lives and in every  struggle , there is purpose.  what if you knew  right away   the REASON – you were struggling. Would that help you  to endure the struggle that much more?  Well I wrote a book about this very topic, and it’s  called  Red Sea Situations : Finding Courage in the Deep Seas of Life.

I wrote  Red  Sea  Situations not really  with complete understanding  of why I was going through   such a struggle, at the time,  yet I  found that   spending time with God in the struggle made me  realize several  things:

1. My Struggle indeed, had purpose.
2. I  really didn’t have to  fight this  struggle.
3. I  had to learn how to acquiesce.  ( To yield without protesting.) And this skill would serve me for the rest of my life and those I served in my profession.
4.  I needed to “rally up  support” around me while I was struggling. Having a team just makes you endure with capacity and greater strength.
5.  We never should  do  struggle alone.  There  are  a myriad of ways to  endure it,  faith-filled and entirely believing.
6.  I needed to TRUST THE PROCESS. 
7. God had my back, I just had to look for signs. Now this type of awareness truly makes you believe on another level, and takes your faith up a notch, but intrigues you, nonetheless.
8. I  learned I can make it through  anything with God’s help and support.
9. I needed to learn how to  embrace and not resist  hardship.
10. Understand that  everything I endure happens for a reason,  all  I have to do is ASK.
11.  Learn to GO  with the flow.  There is a grace flow in everything , i just had to find it.

We all have a mantle,  whether or not we fulfill that purpose in  our lives  and operate in it, is totally up to us.  I  may  give a few  examples or  share  about the spiritual  gifts and how they relate to mantles,  and you can decide  whether or not you  are walking in purpose and  are fulfilled in this  walk of  life.

 If you aren’t walking wth this strength, let me help  you.  I can walk  you through  some  questions and   even  some  thoughts and  conversations – with a little coaching that might help you  be more self-aware and help you to   understand you calling in life. 

The gifts of God are often the way the Holy Spirit blesses us to experience His love working innately within us.  There are several  gifts .  There are however  a few main  spiritual gifts that  help us to  understand how we  can   bless someone’s  life or we  can  thrive in our own lives.

First , I am  going to share  with you my own spiritual gifts , then I  will share how they have been used and how I came into greater knowledge of myself putting them to use.

Here are a  few  spiritual gifts  I have :

• Leadership gift
• Discernment  gift
• Teaching gift
•  Encouragement  gift
• Word of Knowledge gift
• Giving gift
• Mercy  gift
• Prophetic gifting
• Gift of faith

 When I first  started out on my walk with God,   I didn’t’ have  all these gifts . As I matured in faith and in my relationship with God, I began to notice more of them. I believe they were latent within me. Yet the  Bible  says   God  gives  the gifts  severally, as He wills.   ( I‘d like to  think God  likes me and wants me to share several of them and bless others lives freely, with them. )  I  admit, it’s been a fun  journey to help  others  get here, including learning on my own.

Teaching &  Word of Knowledge Gift .

There have been many times, for instance, where God has used my knowledge and my voice to bless someone as I gave instruction or taught them something by explaining   at length  something they could not  understand  easily, and  they would get it right away.  This was my  teaching gift and my word of knowledge  gift working together.   I love to  teach. I  always thought I would be a  teacher one day, like my mother.  I was always giving  people advice.   Actually, the  advice took  form once  I  began to   go to college and   major in social work.   I   actually  found comfort in  giving   words of comfort to others and showing them  things about life I noticed, or had learned.   My word of knowledge  gift, even  enlightens ME, sometimes!  You ever have an  (AHA!  Moment),  and then you realize you too, are enlightened and   also  learning from information you shared? Well… that was me, indeed.  (I did  this often, and all the time. )  And   another way I knew I had this  gift was I  always had an  answer for something.   Someone would ask me something , and whether I had  insight or not,  the knowledge  would sometimes  come to me  if I just ventured out and began  speaking on the topic.

The  Prophetic  Gift.   

Once, I took on a job  as a professor. I had never ever learned how to   teach as a professor.  How did I know I  could do  it, if  I had not done it before.   I  just  knew I could,  so I did.    What  I  had  years before this job came to me, was  a vision. I  would see myself   teaching and  being at  my  old college, and   I would  be  actually  involved with others and helping them.  So when the opportunity came to  spend time as  a panel  expert and share on my profession, I did.  My old professor, Norma  – called me   out once for  dinner and  asked would I be willing to take over  and teach a course in social work.  My first answer  to her was :” I am not sure.” I had to talk it  over with some,  and think about it.   So I went  home and prayed about it.   This is  the scripture that came to mind:” Delight yourself in the Lord and the Lord will give you the  desires of your heart.” Psalm  37:4 Once I prayed about it, – the   VERY SAME NIGHT –  God used  a   friend  to come to my home  after  I had prayed (  AND give me  THAT  scripture  frame with this  scripture!)      I   cannot  truly  say I was shocked,  I was just  really  surprised.   The  DAY had come.  I  was now LIVING  the  vision  that  had come to me  years  ago.

 As I attempt to join in with God and allow Him to use me, in that process of learning, I am opening myself up to my purpose being used. The mantle of hope I bring to someone begins to be utilized by God to help them flourish as well.

The way I learned about my mantle of decision-making and that God purposed to use me in this way – was revealed through prayer.  I was deep in my feelings and compassionate over a situation for someone I loved dearly in my family. I felt as though I was suffering with them – as they endured some hardship, as I witnessed them suffering. I wanted so bad to help. I began to pray for that family member whom I knew (from the fruit they were bearing) – was not walking in alignment with God. I began to pray they make better decisions, and that in making those decisions – they find answers. The Lord revealed to me what was going on, and that “them not making a decision”, was their decision; and that I could influence this, though my prayers.  “not deciding” of course, I found was immensely harming their soul – because it  was a decision they  were making and  I saw that clearly.  They were also  allowing someone else to  decide for them.  Immensely, and that person was  actually guiding their life decisions,  NOT  themselves.  And their purpose. So, knowing what I knew about agreeing prayer, I began to ask God to use me and a few others to help ‘set them free’ and bring them into greater understanding and enlightenment.

I  started  seeing God  use me often in  helping people  decide.  I  knew “Deciding” was not a gift, because everyone  did it.  I  asked God  what else was going on here, and   that’s  when he  revealed the decision-making was something he  supernaturally gave me insight about  for   the  benefit of myself , and others. When my mantle of decision-making begins to work also with my spiritual gifts it supernaturally works to deliver answers to Gods people in such a way, people find resolution for their soul (their mind will and emotions). If this is your first time hearing about mantles, purpose and spiritual gifts, it may really surprise you. However I believe it will also enlighten you to a God who desires to interact with you very intimately in life.  That is why I am sharing  it with you today. Beginning this journey with God  begins by asking l, believing and receiving  Him.

Read more about mantles by clicking on this link  or this link, for Part 2.

I was out walking in sixty degree weather in December, and saw this view above. I decided to share here because I’m so happy living in a place where sixty and seventy degree weather happens in December.

It feels great. Yet I also miss the snow. Especially at Christmas. I’m a New York girl. So I grew up making snowmen, angels in the snow, playing with my dog and brothers in the snow, sledding, and you know, all the snow stuff!

I miss fun in the snow, but I’m also content being ‘adulting’ and living in a warmer environment. I believe weather helps my mood. A whole lot. And I remember the day I promised myself I would not be in NY much longer. I was scraping the ‘hardest ever’ ice off my windshield and about to curse- and I said “Never again!” This too shall pass… and it did. After traveling the world and seeing such beauty in other places and warmth, I decided it had to happen and happen, soon. So one more winter passed, and I was gone.

Being my own woman has changed my life. It’s been even more of a challenge, as I got married ( the second time) and figuring that out. Yet I’m grateful for the spaces in life that taught me how to do that. Yes, I may have learned the hard way, but what an adventure!

When i moved the first time, I even left my “then” boyfriend.. I wasn’t playing…..I was serious about making life changes. And I knew I wasn’t going to let anyone change that vision I had of being me. I contemplated long and hard that after living for someone else, previously…for about ten years of my life, and realized that chapter of my life was over. So I moved to DC. Washing DC was my place of loss and yet a place of giving birth. And ten months later I moved to Texas. I became a FREE woman, and …Loved every bit of it! Yeah, I followed a guy out there I loved, but I got my own place my own job, had just bought my own car.. and I was SET. If it didn’t work out , it would be because God didn’t want it to.

I don’t regret those changes.

They grew me up, matured me. Made me strong. And here I am. Happy. Still pursuing ME.

Selah.

I have decided my fifty years old post will go well past the age of fifty. I am sure I’ll be contemplative well past and into the age, so I can be free with my writing time.

This weekend, I have been contemplative on my thoughts and how I think at this age versus other ages. I will try to explain it; however that may not be possible. One thing I really cherish about how I think lately, is that I see myself as a graceful human being. I no longer care to please other people nor am I anxious about their thoughts towards me. I used to run my life this way, and I feel ashamed for saying that. But I’ve matured. And I’m better now.

That walk took some painful steps to walk through, and some great revelations about who I am and what I really stood for in life.

So as I highlight my thoughts and underline them with a pen, I imagine a world where “being myself” is epic. And that’s what I’m shooting for. This year Embrace was my one word for 2017. I changed so much! (Keep reading here on the blog, and you will see how.)

I changed my mindset about my work and began to think about new possibilities, I began eating more healthy, juicing and drinking smoothies… I even started yoga! Wow .. words cannot explain that one! The relaxation feel is amazing!( Who knew!) I always used to think yoga was for people that had other spiritual motives in mind, then I tried Holy Yoga. It was a nice try, and felt safe. I decided to go back and now I’ve been back at least three times and signed up for a class! (Deep)!

Where I get to be myself and cherish myself at fifty, it just blesses my life, like none other. I’m gonna go on more road trips, enjoy my life more, travel more, be with people who enjoy being with me, walk in purpose, speak my mind, and make ALL that a priority. It feels good when you get to your birthday, and people want to cherish your birthday time with you.

Life just feels good when I seek to grow. ❤️

So I’ve been on this internal journey to a deeper, more internal peace. Growth. It happens every year. Maybe this is a blog post about my one word for 2017: Embrace. It’s been a very intentional year.

I’ve very intentionally made some intuitive changes in my life and feel as if I’m turning a curve after walking down a long, long, street of stagnation.

One of the objectives was meditation. Another was yoga. And yet another was very intentional prayer. I feel as if all three of these tools came to me to help me embrace life a little more fully, this year.

Yoga: I was seeking to find a yoga class and then I said it out loud. I told like three or four friends. Three of them wanted to go with me. The last one told me about the class. I thought that was neat that three out of the four wanted to go. And the other had the information already. Sometimes blessings are closer than we think, if only we’d open our mouths and express our intention. Yoga has been enlightening. It helps me remember to breathe. To relax. To not take life so seriously.

Meditation: I’ve always wanted to practice it more. I’ve never had a focused enough mind, though I’ve felt. Then I joined a group . I can’t say much about it); ( because it’s a private group in the making), but the group taught me how meditate with ease. I’m so grateful for this group. Just seemed to come at the right time. Clearing my mind of clutter and focusing on good has become an excellent practice.

And last but not least,…

Prayer: That simple, beautiful communicative act involves speaking with a living, active and loving God. I prayed “agreeing prayer”with a group of four women 7 months ago, We initially wanted to focus on our own leadership, and prayer. The group grew after we realized we might not be alone, and became very successful.. We met maybe twice, as a foursome, then quickly expanded to a larger group of eight to ten people! It took off immediately! I’m grateful for these three tool God give to sissy me with living . I’m even more grateful for the team of people that surround me and help me to do the work. It makes the work we do al the more appreciated. Prayer reminds me that nurturing my Spirit is a necessary, needed, productive space.

What are your three tools that makes life more efficient and worth living?

Can you pinpoint them? Do they make life worth living and more fulfilling? Like my three tools were totally worth pursuing, I bet yours are worth it, too.