Celebrate with me...

Praise God. I can’t believe this day is here, but I am so grateful and thankful to God that it is. These past four years at my current job (well a little over four years) have been a roller coaster. I was unemployed for a while (it felt like forever), worried about paying bills, went through a temp agency, and then got hired not even a few weeks later. At this job I was threatened that I would lose my job just about every day by my direct manager for well over a year or two. Though, through all of the ups and downs I always believed… Jeremiah 29:11 “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.”  So many times I just wanted to throw in the towel, give up, but that’s not me. I knew that even though this is not my dream job, God wanted me to be here for a reason. Throughout these four years, I’ve seen so many people get let go (I didn’t agree with some of the ones that were let go), and I also saw many people quit, I very much agreed to one person quitting in particular. Well any who, the morale of the company got better and now, four years later, it is my turn to say good bye. This has been a very interesting chapter/season in my life. OH BOY, I can’t wait for this next season to begin with our Little Gabriel Jeremiah. Being a Mother is one of my dreams and it is coming true and I will still continue to pursue sign language (that is another one of my dreams). People, be patient, keep your eyes on Jesus, God has a plan for you, to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. I truly believe that; for me and for you too. Celebrate with me! This is my last day at work. God is so good and Faithful!

Rejoicing Comes in the Morning

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11-14 NIV

There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal,a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh,a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up,a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend,a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate,a time for war and a time for peace.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Remembering the scratched out dates on my calender, counting down till our Little Meat Ball due date. This time around we would have been in a new season with our Little Meatball.

At this moment... sorrow runs through my veins (just being real).

I know there is a time for everything under the sun. But when I am in that season of

death, weeping, mourning and war, I'm not to happy to be in that season. I know God is building us up, and making us stronger, that is where my happiness comes from.

The Lords strength.

If it wasn't for God, Peter and prayers... It would be damn near impossible for us to get through this season. I have to remember, to get to the end of a season, we need to go through it. No one said it would be easy, but I'm glad that I'm not alone.

"Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5b

Excited for the morning.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time

Counting calories and working out might be a bit of a struggle. Not because counting is hard, there is this program that I use online that does the counting for me, it's pretty cool. Mostly it's a challenge on the weekends and hanging out with friends during the weeknights. I have to remind myself, when I get tired of portioning my food or letting people know I would prefer this food instead of that food, I have to remember this:

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

This really is not all for me, but for my future children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I start now, God willing I will be able to hold my great grand children.

Starting you might get frustrated because you don't see the results fast, we need to be patient and not fall into the instant gratification that we see in the world (I want it now and pay for it later). I have fall in in that many times in my life.

So in a year, the pay off will be well worth it. I also have to remember, I need good sleep. Poor sleep really influence how my next day will be. Of course I can choose to have a good attitude, but it is harder when all you can think about is sleeping, it really doesn't help you to do that 110% at work you strive to do each day.

Cookies

It is hard when stuff in your day does not go right...sometimes I just want to turn to a Fresh warm cookie. Cookies was sent to my work today and yes it is in plain site. But so is my belly LOL. So I choose not to eat the cookies.

1st day of one year. Cant wait to get fit and fab!

My soul- Psalm 103

Psalm 103

¹ Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Radiant Dreams! Week 7

Week 7 on 1/4/11

Tuesday.

What an emotional day for me. too many things going through my mind. Trying to not freak out on finding one of my best friends CD's. My medical insurance not going through and when I woke up this morning, I felt I never even went to sleep. But after all of this... It's all worth it. My little Meatball is so worth everything, me being tired and all. How much did I dream of you. The amount of prayer your Daddy has been praying for you. Aunties and Uncles, families and friends, people we don't even know or met have been praying for you. You are so worth everything great and good. I am so thankful that God has given you to us. I cant wait to meet you... but come out when you are fully complete. I took a half day today for you, for rest. I truly love you and cant wait to meet you. My little Meatball... we love you so.

Happy Birthday Peter!

To my Peter,

You are such an amazing man. Full of life, hope, dreams, love and many more.

You are so strong and wise and have a huge heart.

I respect you, love you and I am so very thankful that you are my husband.

I am very proud of you and all that you are in Christ. The sacrifices you make for our family.

You are the most amazing husband in the whole universe. And when it is God's timing... you will be an amazing father.

You are a strong leader, my best friend, my lover... my first... my last... my everything (lol).

Thank you!

Happy Birthday my heart.
I love you Peter!

Breath of life: Dream

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE, and the man became a living being. Gen 2:7 (NIV)

Show HIM that you are willing to dream. Give it to Him. To not be afraid of dreaming and let God breath life in your dreams. Trust in him and he will show you all your dreams. Even if you feel that your dreams are from the dust, give your dreams to Him and trust in Him.

This Friday and Saturday (Nov 12th and 13th, 2010) is the Radiant Women conference, ignite your dream! It's not to late http://on.fb.me/bYXfh9

Patience….

Patience...

I have to keep reminding myself that. I get so excited about the next season, I really need to stop and enjoy the season that I am in. God is good in every season.

(ASL, motherhood, stronger marriage, people knowing Jesus, no temper, battlefields of the mind, complete joy and happiness, no temptations, to name a few that I want more of and less of).

I know I'm not the only one who is in this season. But I am thankful to be actively seeking patience for things.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; Romans 5:3 (New American Standard Bible)

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25 (NIV 2010)

I WAITED patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 (Amplified Bible)

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV).

Psalm 32

¹ Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

² Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

⁴ For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

⁷ You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

_____________________________

Selah- Pause and reflect, meditate, chew on.

_____________________________
Trust in the LORD!

Sick

Life is not fun when your sick. Especially in the summer time.
This reminds me of my basketball days in high school.

I loved basketball so much back in High School. This one time I remember I was playing a game, but I was as sick as a dog. My coach, Coach Robinson took me out of the game (realizing that I was sick) and sat me down. He said "Sheeba, we need you to play your all in the finals. I am taking you out because you need to rest now". I was soooo stubborn. I told him that "I was fine, it's nothing" and at that moment I sneezed and yes, ladies and gentlemen stuff came out of my nose. I then realized that, I need to get rest.

Sometimes you think you are fine, until stuff comes out.

Life

Stop..... And Enjoy Life!

Lender

Summer time during high school was a time for summer school (by choice) and summer jobs for me. I use to work as a locker attendant for a parks and recreation at a pool, volunteer at a child day care and also work as a reservationist at a hotel. All of the jobs I had, I started to save up. Man! I was making mula as a teenager. One day my good friend came to me and was very distressed. Her really good friend was in a tight situation and needed money to pay rent; she was a single parent and needed the money. My friend asked to borrow the money that I saved up and they would promise to give it back in a few weeks. I felt so sad for her friend that I agreed and gave her all of the savings that I had. A few weeks went by and no money, I would call my friend and she couldn’t get a hold of her friend. After a few more weeks of me going to my friend, she gave me her friend phone number. I would call and leave messages but no one would answer and no returned calls. I didn’t get the money back. I was very angry, frustrated, my heart was not in the right place.

Well I’m not telling you this story to make you see how I was an irresponsible teenager or anything like that. I’m also not going to talk about the borrower. Most stories you normally hear is on the borrower (http://bit.ly/b9OctR Get It Together). I want to focus on the lender. My heart is telling you, when someone is in need, help them. Help with your time, energy and finances (if you have it, give). When you give don’t expect it to come back and if it does great, but if it doesn’t , great. Deep down you know that you are blessing them. Once you give, it will be given back to you. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38.

I really didn’t know this principle until years after. My heart changed and well it’s true, I have been blessed in many ways.

Be the blessing not the lender “…borrower is the slave of the lender.” Proverbs 22:7b ESV. When you are the lender, you enslave the person who is borrowing the money from you. Think about it. Do you want to be that person?

Rest

The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Exodus 33:14

Get It Together

I didn’t meet him until my late teens, early twenties. He was nicely wrapped and waiting for me to open. Boy oh boy, my eyes lit up after what he said… You Sheeba are pre-approved for $$$$$CHA-CHING$$$. "Awww I’m rich! Oh YEAH! Rich! Over night!" Yes he was Discover. Back in the day we were best of friends. He would get me out of tight situations like utilities, food and not so tight situation like "hmmm that dress would look so good on me" and "HEY! Dinner is on me" ;) I was living it up (or I thought I was). I was hooked on like a bait on a hook. That didn’t go on for so long. Like a very bad relationship, I wanted to get out of it, to end it, but it was too late. All the items I spend on frivolous things added up. And also, I used the card for emergencies (normally that's all it's supposed to be on) but that just put the icing on the cake. I would spend more than I made. And well ladies and gentlemen I was maxed out. I was getting calls from his relatives, good old collectors. Day and night. At home, on my cell and even at my job. I would try my best to pay what I could, but it wasn’t good enough for them. They wanted every cent they lended and more. I was a slave to who I thought was my best friend. “…borrower is the slave of the lender.” Proverbs 22:7b ESV

I had credit card debt in the beginning of my marriage. YIKES! It’s really not a good thing to start off a marriage with credit card debt. Especially when statistics say the number one case that leads to divorce is finances. Peter (who is my husband) and I went through very tough times, highs and lows. I needed to get it together. We first focused on Gods promise. And get rid of any security problems, I had to step out of my stubbornness (my mind set on “what will people think”). Because I let go of what people was thinking and only focused on what God was thinking, we were blessed with Dave Ramsey classes, Financial Peace University (www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home).

If you are debt free, Good for you! Kudos to you! Save up! Put money aside to save, for emergencies, for fun. Don’t get trapped in credit cards.

If you are in the situation I was in, you need to get it together. We are credit card debt free! YAY!!! I’m not trying to toot my own horn but… toot toot LOL. No seriously, debt is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with, not in the future… NOW. It didn’t take over night for us to get to where we are. But I sucked up my pride and began the journey to being debt free.

About Me :p

My mission is to be a faithful daughter of the Lord, who serves unconditionally and speaks up for those who don't have a voice. To show love and understanding.


My goal is to open my doors and windows so that my life can be shared.

I am a Daughter of the Lord, a wife, a sister, an auntie, a friend.

I am totally not a writer, so don't expect long blogs unless it's one of those days.

More to myself, introvert, until you get me going on things.

Inspired to do this blog by my amazing friend Patricia, and my faithful husband Peter. Love you guys!

There was a man who wanted everyone one to type there life in 140 characters on twitter. I loved it so much. I am putting mine on this blog.

Abandoned.Afraid.Hopeless God captured my heart.Freedom.Faithful.
Servant.Devoted Hopeful Strong.Not afraid.Loved.Loved #mylifein140

One Thing At A Time

Sometimes it gets so hard to get things off of my chest. Things/life just gets so overwhelming. You just want to bundle up and keep it all in. You see something that needs to get done, or people you want to help. You have to remember that you are only one person. What are the right words to say, how to say it, what to say, It's too much thinking. It's so annoying! STOP and rest. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 NIV.

Let it go! Give it to God. Focus on God. Just take one thing at a time, don't make promises that you might not be able to keep. Also, if someone asks you to do something and you feel you are not to do it. Don't take it because it will make the other person happy. If you don't say yes, it's OK. Really... it's ok. Don't feel bad that you let them know you need to rest. It's ok to take a season of rest. I will dive deep more into all of this, later. Right now... I will take this one thing at a time.

Shine

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you"

Isaiah 60:1

Well this is my first blog. Welcome.