I did it!!!!
Today is May 31 and I have blogged for the entire month of May. Last month while reading a book it challenged readers to write out 10 things that they want to accomplish, within 12-18 months, every day for 30 days. Now, that was a tad hard but what it did was help me to focus on those things that I want to do for me. One of those things was to blog daily.
Each day I really asked God for the ability to see what I wanted others to see. I pray that my blog is a blessing to others, like my IG account, it really displays my heart and those things that I love and have interest in. On Sunday my friend Lauren and I discussed this and she asked me if I had writer's block in the process. While I didn't have that problem as much as I thought I would I do know now that I'm going back to writing out my thoughts in my journal and then posting. There's something about the pen flowing across paper that brings me a sense of peace and accomplishment. Plus with my journal all I have to do is open it up and not log on and wait.
Wow 31 days. I can cross that off my list of things to do within the next year. Yay!!!!
Today is the is the 2nd day of 10 days of no sugar with my niece Ryan. It's kinda interesting how I get so involved in certain challenges. I guess I'm competitive and never realized it.
Transparent
Experience is a good teacher
It takes someone like me to lose
To lose a marriage
To lose a loved one
To lose my mind
My faith takes me to the Word of God
There I learn
There I rest
For God gives rest to the weary
and
God doesn't give us more than we can bear
The battle is His
though
It gets hard
But I get through
I get better
I become stronger
Later on my journey
Those experiences are used
To bless others
To tell my story
for
We overcome by the words of our testimony
It takes someone like me to lose
To lose a marriage
To lose a loved one
To lose my mind
My faith takes me to the Word of God
There I learn
There I rest
For God gives rest to the weary
and
God doesn't give us more than we can bear
The battle is His
though
It gets hard
But I get through
I get better
I become stronger
Later on my journey
Those experiences are used
To bless others
To tell my story
for
We overcome by the words of our testimony
Graduation Sunday ~ Light of the World Church
On Sunday we celebrated the awesomeness of our graduates at Light of the World Church. Dr. Scruggs acknowledged each graduate and blessed them with a gift.
Everybody Wants To Win But Nobody Wants To Wait
The title of this blog is the title of a plan I’m currently reading in the Bible App. The book is written by Marcus Gill. I began reading Day 3 of the plan and decided to share my reading and my response.
God's Timing for Your Relationships
The Lord spoke to me one night. He said, “Marcus, when you rush into a relationship, you can rush into misery.” When the Lord spoke that word to me, it shook me. At that time I desperately wanted to be in a romantic relationship. I was feeling lonely, and I got tired of waiting. I was watching others getting married, and I wanted to get married too. It was almost as if I was willing to settle for anyone just to be in a relationship.
I didn’t realize that the best relationship to have was a relationship with God.
I got married at a young age, and that marriage ended in divorce. Afterwards, I realized I needed to take time and allow God to heal me from that brokenness. Along the way I had many broken relationships. Now I’m in a place where I can encourage you to allow God to heal you.
If you’re trying to heal from a broken relationship or if you’re trusting God to fix your broken relationships, you are going to have to respect the process. Let God restore you. God can fix your broken relationships. He has an abundance of both love and patience. Whatever His plan is, you have to believe that your waiting season is not a waste.
Scripture:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
http://bible.com/111/jer.29.11.niv
My response:
Put the second sentence of this devotional on a post it note. Goodness!!!!
I was introduced to this scripture via the ministry of Martha Munizzi. My niece sings the song at my wedding. What I realize now is that God has plans for me and my ex wasn’t “the hope and future part. I wanted that for myself. I rushed that part of my life and misery? It took years to bounce back.
On this album the next two songs are “Your Latter Will Be Greater” and “New Season”.
God wants us to know that it gets better when live out His plans and not our own. You only know His plans when you seek Him first.
“I know the plans I have for you
I know just what you're going through
So when you can't see
What tomorrow holds
And yesterday is through,
Remember I know,
The plans I have for you
To give you hope for tomorrow
Joy for your sorrow
Strength for everything you go through
Remember I know the plans I have for you”
And then your latter will be greater. 🙌🏽
When I Wake
Each day brings it's newness
Inhale
Exhale
Namaste
I could say I'm lucky
But I know that I'm loved
So loved that God
Thought enough of me
To give me another day
To live out
His purpose
His plan
via
Jeremiah
My plans have not worked
Even though it managed to work together
I had to switch it up
Do something new
via
Isaiah
Now I have a plan
When I wake
My feet do not touch the ground
Until
I pray
Giving Him gratitude
Until
I read His Word
Learning His ways
Then my day begins
He's now
My first priority
When I wake
Today Just Be
sometimes we can get so lost
lost in what we don't have
lost in what others do have
lost in the
could have beens
lost in the
should have beens
that we forget
that we are
important
that we are
valuable
in those moments
of feeling lost
feeling outside of yourself
just sit alone
in a quiet space
and
just breathe
knowing that in time
the Creator will
unite you with
what you seek
that's already
seeking you
just be
c5212018 by lindarinsights
The Hardest Most Necessary Conversation
Transparent Moment:
I met an amazingly handsome and intelligent man about six years ago. We both have worked hard on our friendship. We try to see each other's side and come a little closer to a happy medium. Every time we get to the middle, the friendship falls apart. We generally fall apart around Fall and rekindle around Spring. I don't know what it is but around Fall we have a disagreement and I shut down. By Spring he reappears, always trying to make things better.
Recently I went to counseling, remember this is transparent. He came up in a session and what came out of that session was like an "aha moment". He's well educated, professional, well dressed, speaks different languages and he takes care of his children. Which is a stark contrast to men I'm used to dating.
Yet, she also referred to him as my old comfortable shoe. He's always there whenever you want to be around him. Then she went on to assist me in seeing how he was so different than any man that I dated but he had one thing in common with them. He wasn't emotionally available for me.
I saw passed that because he was super intelligent and for once I didn't have to dumb myself down in our conversations. He told me that he was attractive to my intellect and that I was pretty to him. He saw who I am but he didn't have time to commit. He didn't have the desire to commit but had he met me 20 years ago things would have been different.
In one of my sessions my therapist challenged me to be completely alone for awhile and see what happens. I did just that since September. Last week we saw each other after months of no communication and I said what I needed to say. More for myself than for him. I'm worth more and I deserve more. He wanted to know why things can't stay the same and we see what happens. Dude, it's been six years, if it hasn't happened by now....
I sat there looking at his handsome and distinguished self all giddy and stuff and I asked him to do something for me. It wasn't hard either, I simply asked that he not text or call me to let me know that he wanted to see me. He looked at me with those beautiful golden eyes and simply said, "Ok, I won't."
The next day I spoke to a pastor that mentors me. He shared that we had talked about this man for years but he felt that this time I was over it, I was released from it.
It's hard to let go of what's comfortable but it's oh, so necessary.
The Royal Wedding 2018
I think I decided last night before I fell asleep that I would watch as much of the Royal Wedding as possible. So, I've kept my t.v. on as I slumber on the couch. I've awaken to several segments but once I saw Oprah was there I completely woke up to watch.
There is so much to be said about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but the only thing to be said is that this is their time and millions of us, possibly billions of us, are awake to witness what God has brought together.
Unexpected
When the year began our church went on a fast for 48 days. During that time we abstained from certain foods and we read the Bible daily. It was an interesting task for me to say the least and I endured til the end. This fast was super important to me because I had gotten hurt badly the previous year and I wanted better for myself. I needed to get me together this year.
After the fast I was contacted by a guy I knew from years ago. I remember when he reached out I thought, "He wants to be in contact with me?" And yes, I texted my one of my girlfriends because the guy and I were never cool, we were cordial but not cool. I lightweight struggled with him reaching out to me.
So, I took a chance. In my mind I could only question, "What does he want?" "What now?" Because once you go through some stuff everybody is suspect. The first time I saw him it was both awkward and fun. It was weird trying to figure out the social cues with him. Although he's easy on the eyes that's not what this is.
Looking over the past few months my friend, we're friends now lol, has been more than I could have ever expected. I write these things but I won't tell him but I'll send him the link. Go figure.
We don't talk on the phone or see each other regularly but he cares for me in a way that I believe pleases God. Often, I awake to messages that are God centered and speak to what I'm going through. I don't have to respond either they are simply for me to read or listen to. A couple of those videos I listen to over and over again.
Some mornings when I can't sleep instead of going to Fb or IG, I go to the Bible app and he's on there too. I believe that our friendship is vibrational. I can text him or email him at any hour of the night and it doesn't turn into anything inappropriate. I so thank God for that.
I remember one day I told him how much I appreciated him. His response was that he was simply being obedient to send to me what God had showed him to send. All I had was, "Wow!"
Had I not went through the fast I don't know if I would have been prepared for something so awesome, so unexpected, so simply beautiful.
For that I'm thankful.
Angelo And Veronica - All Things Work
So,exactly how did Romans 8:28 become my favorite verse? Several years at a concert featuring Iyanla Vanzant I was introduced to the ministry of Angelo & Veronica. They sang a song, All Things Work. I kept thinking “What works?” I asked my mom about it and she simply told me to read Romans 8. It immediately became my favorite verse and something I’ve come to live by.
Mother’s Day Brunch At The Capital Grille
Yesterday my son and I dined at The Capital Grille for their Mother's Day Brunch. When I initially saw the email I decided that I would be nice to myself and called to make a reservation. I had went over the menu several times and I had decided on the salmon dish but something prompted me to try the Shrimp & Grits. When the dish arrived I was concerned that it may be spicy. I told the server that if I started choking that means it's too spicy. She assured me that if it was I could order something else and that she had tried it and really liked it.
I took one bite and guess what? I really liked it. My overall experience has me one, already putting this brunch on the calendar for next year and two, wondering if they will have a brunch for Father's Day. If they have one for Father's Day I'm going to have a mini Oprah moment to fathers that I celebrate and say, " You get a brunch, you get a brunch, and you get a brunch."
If you haven't guessed. I absolutely love The Capital Grille.
The Zinc House ~ My Dream House
Today I’m out eating and I feel something familiar about the area. I had never been to the restaurant, The Silver Spring House. After lunch I rode around and recognized homes I’d looked at online. One of my dream homes is called The Zinc House. I saw it online years ago and fell all the way in love.
Today I dined on the street where this house is located. I honestly just realized that.
My dream home is a contemporary home. Think a miniature Crossroads Church interior with a Zen garden. This home is all that I could dream of. If it goes on sale again I’m going inside. When I’m blessed to build a new home I’m contacting this builder.
My dream home is a contemporary home. Think a miniature Crossroads Church interior with a Zen garden. This home is all that I could dream of. If it goes on sale again I’m going inside. When I’m blessed to build a new home I’m contacting this builder.
.
Lindarinsights Is On Wordpress
I'm excited to share this with those who want to get their stories out there. I'll also be uploading my self-created lessons on Mindfulness which I am uber excited about. I'll be posting about that journey soon. Being mindful has been a joy to teach and to incorporate in my everyday life.
Although, I only have two posts up take a look when you get a chance.
I've been #buildmybrand busy this year.
Light of the World's Mother Daughter Tea With Guest Speaker ~ Yvette Simpson
HEY LADIES!
The Mother/Daughter Tea Party is taking place this Saturday, May 12th from 1pm to 3pm.
We're inviting mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and friends. Join us for a time of food, fellowship, empowerment and of course … tea.
The attire is pastels and hats.
That means it's possible for three family members to attend for $20!
11 Years of #GettingLOW
Eleven years ago, on a Saturday, I had a Cinco De Mayo party at my house. On that day I was invited to Light of the World Ministries. I remember asking to get the pastor on the phone. I spoke to Pastor Mike on the phone for the first time and the first thing I asked him was, "Can you preach?" I hadn't been to church in awhile and if I was going to venture out I needed to know if he could bring a sound word. Then I wanted to know where his church was. At Springdale Showcase? The movie theater? What? Who has church at a movie theater?
Well, I was a little curious, so the next day we sat in the movie theater. While I don't remember the sermon I do remember Pastor Mike saying, "And some of y'all was drinking last night." Stephanie and I looked at each other and broke out into a quiet laugh. And to be honest, after that first visit I kept coming back.
Today is my family's 11th year anniversary of being at Light of the World. We've gone from Showcase, to UC, to Colerain Avenue, to Colerain High School, to Mt. Airy Elementary, to Central Parkway. I often look at the youngest children who started with LOW. They have an amazing view of what church can be and where church can be.
A lot has changed over the years Pastor Mike is now Dr. Mike. Ministries was replaced with the word "church". Our locations have changed but not the heart for what we do. This year Light of the World is being honored by two organizations during the same weekend for what they do in the community.
Several things have changed for my family. When we came to LOW. I was going through an abrupt ending to my marriage. We were broken and just looking for something to get us through. Alex has since graduated from college. Tyler who was not yet two is doing amazing things academically and on the court. And me. Well I started two companies and weathered through an upside down underwater mortgage that is now at a fixed really low interest rate to God be the glory. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Yaaaaass!!!
Because of our LOW experiences, at any given moment you will find Alex, Tyler or me buying groceries for others, paying for people's gas or paying for someone's meal at a restaurant.
Pastor Mike and Lady Kisha thank you for welcoming us to LOW and to your family. We love you.
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Manage My Preferences
Notes from Andy Stanley ~ What Makes You Happy ~ Nothing
A friend sent me the sermon that I will posted yesterday and there were a few takeaways.
When you resist God, you resist happiness.
Sin Separates
You From Others
You from God
You from Yourself
When he said that last part I had to rewind several times. Sin separates me from myself? That's deep. I shared with my friend my thoughts about sin.
1. Sin is bad
2. It impacts others
2. It impacts me
But never have I considered the thought of "separation", especially not separation of me from myself.
Sin substitutes the immediate for the ultimate.
When you sin against someone, you sin against someone God loves. You can't be OK with God and not be OK with the people God loves.
When you resist God, you resist happiness.
Sin Separates
You From Others
You from God
You from Yourself
When he said that last part I had to rewind several times. Sin separates me from myself? That's deep. I shared with my friend my thoughts about sin.
1. Sin is bad
2. It impacts others
2. It impacts me
But never have I considered the thought of "separation", especially not separation of me from myself.
Sin substitutes the immediate for the ultimate.
When you sin against someone, you sin against someone God loves. You can't be OK with God and not be OK with the people God loves.
What Makes You Happy ~ Part 1 | Nothing
When you press play you will be directed to the video on YouTube.
My Fillings Hurt
Most people may think that I have this title all wrong and I should correct the spelling. It's such an untruth. Several months ago I was eating popcorn and I bit down on a popcorn kernel on my right back molar. I removed the kernel and a part of my tooth. Initially I was thinking I'd be fine until my flex account was filled. Well, that was until I had some Grippos. At that very moment both I and my tooth knew that we needed some assistance. The seasonings at the bottom of that bag hit that tooth and all I could think of, was how much Jesus loved me. That pain I'll never forget.
I go to the dentist and he tells me that he'll give me a temporary filling and if I don't have any problems then in two weeks he'd put a permanent filling in. It took all of one week for him to tell me that I needed to go to a specialist because I, Arlinda, will need a root canal.
In that waiting time I was finding methods to soothe the pain, Orajel, then a rotation of Ibuprofen and Tylenol. Oh, and stay away from cold foods and drinks. The one thing that I can say about this pain is that when it hurts, it hurts. I don't want to move and I don't want to cry. For the very first time in my life I have found pain that hurts too much for me to cry. I just inhale and exhale and wait for the pain meds to kick in. It's such a focused meditative moment. Don't say nothing to me. Just let me have myself for a moment. Which is really like 15 minutes because that's how long it takes for the meds to kick in. Though Tylenol Codine works quicker but I'm allergic and that's a whole nother story. Know what medicines work for you.
Ok. Back to the story.
I honestly couldn't wait for the visit to the specialist. Well, at least that's how I felt at the onset.
My first visit to the specialist was unsuccessful but I can tell you that the dentist and her assistant were so nice and compassionate. We ended the visit with me getting her home number because she realized when she applied ice after attempts to numb the nerve several times that I was going to be a "different patient". Each time they applied the ice I thought, "Didn't y'all tell me nothing cold?" On the last attempt she said she'd given me the max numbing medication and if this didn't work I'd have to come back. So, I thought, maybe it's me. So I closed my eyes while listening to the new Jonathan McReynolds, I am such a fan now. I decide that if my eyes are closed then I wouldn't know when the ice was coming. I waited and her assistant applied the ice and yeah.... I'll be back and from what I hear I'm going to be very relaxed. Like real relaxed. lol
More to come in a couple of weeks. I pray that the next visit is a charm because my fillings hurt.
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