Hey Everybody! I was simply missing you all. I have a million and one things floating in my head and not enough time to get them on blog. Just wanted to give you all a shout out on this lovely President's Day weekend. I wish I was attending the NBA All-Star festivities. It just looks like fun. I love the three point shoot out and the Slam Dunk contest.
This week has been a busy one for me but I need to show my loyal readers some love. I hope that you had a great week and your Valentine was good to you. That said, wouldn't you all rather your Boo show that love 365 days a year instead of making some restaurant and Hallmark that much richer? As I get older, I realize that these BS holidays give folks an excuse to do what they should be doing all along. Roland S. Martin had the best rules for V day if you follow him on FB or Twitter. The brother had me rolling. Even better than that were his Super Bowl rules. If you can find them, they will have you howling. Shout out to my favorite woman of all time...Mom, I hope you had a fantastic birthday!
Speaking of Super Bowl....those commercials had to be the worst ever. I am just saying! Unfortunately, my house rooted for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the were NOT victorious. My son is a huge fan as was my dad, may he RIP, so our home was all about the Black and Gold. Personally, I enjoyed the half-time show. The Black-Eyed Peas did the darn thing and showed why they are loved by audiences all over the world. I really wanna check out the Cowboy's stadium. It looks awesome! I am a Dallas Cowboy fan too.
Part of the reason I am MIA here in the blogosphere is that I have a part-time job. A sista is supposed to work 15 hours a week. This past week I worked 33 hours and that is in addition to all my other obligations. It has been 7 years since I worked a full time job. Funny, I found myself wondering how I did that for all those years. Call me spoiled but I am sure God had a reason for wanting women to stay home and take care of things while the husband provided. Not starting a feminist argument or anything but honestly girls, we screwed ourselves demanding all these so called rights.
I have been reading for enrichment and pleasure. One of the books has got me to thinking about race again. It is a subject that always comes up given my surroundings and upbringing. I am dialoguing with several women of all races and backgrounds on a book fraught with race issues and it is interesting to see the conversation play out. The dialogue is occurring on-line. My opinion is this, we are always going to be bound by race issues. America is not prepared to deal with the honest conversations that need to happen and some folks simply can't let go of their intense hatred for those who aren't like them. Having Barack Obama as President does not mean we are through dealing with race issues. In order for real progress to be made, we need real dialogue. Today, we are so limited by political correctness and the need to be tolerant that we simply can't have the discussion. I am not one those who thinks It is the President's responsibility to lead the discussion. He is every one's President and him taking up that cause would allow others to pigeon hole him into being the "Black President who only cared about Black issues." I don't see how we will resolve the issue of race but I don't doubt God. That being said, I think it would take an act of God for the issue to be completely resolved for once and for all.
This year is my 25th class reunion. I plan to attend. Why am I telling you all this? Well, I haven't returned to my Alma mater for a reunion yet. I have promised my classmates that I will show up. I went to a small private school for girls. My graduating class was 68 young women full of promise. It was the largest class that had ever graduated from the school filled with tradition. Our college attendance rate was 100%. I am getting excited. There is no rhyme or reason as to why I haven't attended otherr than it occurs on the same weekend every year and so does my husband's. It is easier to attend his because Philadelphia is easier to get to. I am not trying to lose weight and look all fly(I already am fabulous), I am simply attending to catch up and have fun!
So that is the long an short of it. I missed you and wanted to holla! I have things to say and I will say them. I can't say that I am taking anything off of my plate so bear with me and be patient. God has my days worked out. I am trying to stay in His will. I hope that you are seeking His plan and purpose for you. Don't be a slave to the opinions of others. Clean out the thought closet. Be a blessing! Till next time!
Copyright February 19, 2011 by Pamela Cole Thorpe
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A Thought Closet Makeover
This past weekend, I attended a Women's Conference at a local church. The conference theme was, A Thought Closet Makeover. Honestly, I almost did not attend. I was tired and just not in the mood. Unbeknownst to me, my friend had purchased a ticket for me so I felt obligated to go and not waste my money. Well needless to say, I am glad I did. I won one of the prize giveaways. Yep, a grocery gift certificate! Yea me! Yea me!
The conference speaker was Jennifer Rothschild, a 47 year old woman,who has been blind since she was 15 years old. Jennifer was stricken with retinitis pigmentosa, a disease in which the retina of the eye degenerates and eventually leads to incurable blindness. Jennifer is a petite woman with a very down to earth presentation. She has authored several books, been on the Dr. Phil show, and speaks all over the country. She is also a mother and wife who appears to have valued maintaining her ndepepndence despite of her affliction.
I am going to give you a brief summation of what she taught. I hope you take a way that, like the words you speak, the thoughts floating around in your brain are extremely powerful. Her premise was this, until you learn to control your thoughts, your thoughts will control you.(ref. Proverbs 23:7a) She shared this quote which I know I 've seen before but don't have a clue whom to attribute it to: If you sow a thought, you'll reap an action, If you sow an action, you'll reap a habit. If you sow a habit, you'll reap a character. If you sow a character, you'll reap your destiny. Now that right there is a really deep. As women, it doesn't take much for a negative thought to occur and we turn it into a whole negative situation that simply doesn't exist. She reminded us that every feeling is not a fact.
Using II Corinthians 10:5, "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," as a guide, Jennifer challenged us to a) recognize the lie that we are telling ourselves. b) refuse the lie entry into our thoughts. c) rephrase the lie as truth and allow the truth to sit in the middle of our thought closet. Failure to do so could result in our losing the healing from God that we long for. She used the story of Naaman as an example. You can read about him in II Kings 5.
Next, she encouraged us to get an accountibility partner. See, I was already on the right track, if you read my previous post, Who Gonna Check Me, Boo? I love that she encouraged each of us to find "big girls who act like Jesus." You really do have to be careful who you choose to hold you accountable. They have to be utterly respectful, encouraging, and gentle. They also have to be intimate with the person. The person has to have a peak into your thought closet as well as have the ability to be honest and thorough with you. She gave three questions that I absolutely fell in love with. The questions are 1. What do you see in my life that encourages you? 2. What do you see in my life that you'd like to caution me about? And 3. What else would you like to tell me? Ummmm! Those are serious! You have to be careful to whom you'd pose those questions to. Choosing the wrong person could lead to deep hurt and pain.
Her ultimate message was that we are who God says we are. God is NOT impressed with our achievements. She told us that we needed turn our thoughts from "I" to "Him" and He will reveal His thoughts for us. If we are the center of our self-talk, we are resisting the spiritual rest that God has for us. If we remove ourselves from the equation, we can recieve and accept our identity from Christ. Our goal isn't to perform for God but to rest in Him and surrender to His will and walk in His grace with meekness. Isn't that something?
Several things became clear to me as a result of Jennifer's teaching. We all need to immerse ourselves in Truth. We can't label ourselves based on our issues, nor can we allow them to define us. God has already labeled us for His character and purpose. He desires for us to be conformed to His own image. God wants us to be clothed(wardrobed) in His righteousness. So it is important to speak truth to yourself and cling wholeheartedly to it. More importantly, we have to cling to Him because He has the ability to heal our issues and refine them. If you allow Christ to reign in your thought closet, your issues won't matter. Christ will resolve them.
So readers, what thoughts are floating in your closet? How many of them are lies that you've been told by others or yourself? Isn't it time to let those lies go and embrace the truth that God has for you? Our thought closet contains EVERYTHING that we've been taught. That is a heck of a lot of stuff! Jennifer said, "it may not be well with your circumstances, but it can be well with your soul. It can only be well with your soul if you are anchored to the truth of God." So today, I am challenging you to give your thought closet a makeover. One lie that you have been telling yourself can be holding you back. That lie comes with a whole lot of other stuff(which could also be lies) attached to it. If we change one lie at a time, we just might change our destiny. You don't want your negative self talk to be your truth and reality. It isn't normal! Please feel free to share your story with me as you change your thoughts. They say you are what you eat. We are as much what we eat as we are what we think. Turn that negative into a positive! Till next time! I love you! Be a blessing!
SN: if you are interested in check Jennifer out, her website is www.jenniferrothschild.com.
Copyright February 8, 2011 by Pamela Cole Thorpe
The conference speaker was Jennifer Rothschild, a 47 year old woman,who has been blind since she was 15 years old. Jennifer was stricken with retinitis pigmentosa, a disease in which the retina of the eye degenerates and eventually leads to incurable blindness. Jennifer is a petite woman with a very down to earth presentation. She has authored several books, been on the Dr. Phil show, and speaks all over the country. She is also a mother and wife who appears to have valued maintaining her ndepepndence despite of her affliction.
I am going to give you a brief summation of what she taught. I hope you take a way that, like the words you speak, the thoughts floating around in your brain are extremely powerful. Her premise was this, until you learn to control your thoughts, your thoughts will control you.(ref. Proverbs 23:7a) She shared this quote which I know I 've seen before but don't have a clue whom to attribute it to: If you sow a thought, you'll reap an action, If you sow an action, you'll reap a habit. If you sow a habit, you'll reap a character. If you sow a character, you'll reap your destiny. Now that right there is a really deep. As women, it doesn't take much for a negative thought to occur and we turn it into a whole negative situation that simply doesn't exist. She reminded us that every feeling is not a fact.
Using II Corinthians 10:5, "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," as a guide, Jennifer challenged us to a) recognize the lie that we are telling ourselves. b) refuse the lie entry into our thoughts. c) rephrase the lie as truth and allow the truth to sit in the middle of our thought closet. Failure to do so could result in our losing the healing from God that we long for. She used the story of Naaman as an example. You can read about him in II Kings 5.
Next, she encouraged us to get an accountibility partner. See, I was already on the right track, if you read my previous post, Who Gonna Check Me, Boo? I love that she encouraged each of us to find "big girls who act like Jesus." You really do have to be careful who you choose to hold you accountable. They have to be utterly respectful, encouraging, and gentle. They also have to be intimate with the person. The person has to have a peak into your thought closet as well as have the ability to be honest and thorough with you. She gave three questions that I absolutely fell in love with. The questions are 1. What do you see in my life that encourages you? 2. What do you see in my life that you'd like to caution me about? And 3. What else would you like to tell me? Ummmm! Those are serious! You have to be careful to whom you'd pose those questions to. Choosing the wrong person could lead to deep hurt and pain.
Her ultimate message was that we are who God says we are. God is NOT impressed with our achievements. She told us that we needed turn our thoughts from "I" to "Him" and He will reveal His thoughts for us. If we are the center of our self-talk, we are resisting the spiritual rest that God has for us. If we remove ourselves from the equation, we can recieve and accept our identity from Christ. Our goal isn't to perform for God but to rest in Him and surrender to His will and walk in His grace with meekness. Isn't that something?
Several things became clear to me as a result of Jennifer's teaching. We all need to immerse ourselves in Truth. We can't label ourselves based on our issues, nor can we allow them to define us. God has already labeled us for His character and purpose. He desires for us to be conformed to His own image. God wants us to be clothed(wardrobed) in His righteousness. So it is important to speak truth to yourself and cling wholeheartedly to it. More importantly, we have to cling to Him because He has the ability to heal our issues and refine them. If you allow Christ to reign in your thought closet, your issues won't matter. Christ will resolve them.
So readers, what thoughts are floating in your closet? How many of them are lies that you've been told by others or yourself? Isn't it time to let those lies go and embrace the truth that God has for you? Our thought closet contains EVERYTHING that we've been taught. That is a heck of a lot of stuff! Jennifer said, "it may not be well with your circumstances, but it can be well with your soul. It can only be well with your soul if you are anchored to the truth of God." So today, I am challenging you to give your thought closet a makeover. One lie that you have been telling yourself can be holding you back. That lie comes with a whole lot of other stuff(which could also be lies) attached to it. If we change one lie at a time, we just might change our destiny. You don't want your negative self talk to be your truth and reality. It isn't normal! Please feel free to share your story with me as you change your thoughts. They say you are what you eat. We are as much what we eat as we are what we think. Turn that negative into a positive! Till next time! I love you! Be a blessing!
SN: if you are interested in check Jennifer out, her website is www.jenniferrothschild.com.
Copyright February 8, 2011 by Pamela Cole Thorpe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
