"'Nuff Respeck"

Bonjour à tous!!!

So another titan in the world of Tennis retired yesterday in the wake of Ronaldo's retirement announcement. "Super" Mario Ancic, former number 7 in the world, amidst tears, announced that he was retiring from tennis after a terrible case of mononucleosis (he was out for 6 months in 2007) and a back injury that he's been living with for over 5 years. The 26 year old Croat's game was electrifying - serve and volley and always on the offensive. He could've been a name to reckon with. He was also a pleasure to look at, but that's beside the point. He will be missed.

In light of this loss, I have decided to dedicate this morning's offerings to my favorite athlete..EVER.

ROGER FEDERER
Anyone who knows me knows that I believe this guy is the best player in the game of tennis. The guy is a maestro with that racket! There are some things that he does with that small yellow ball sometimes that leaves commentators who were players like him speechless.

His game is a work of art:
His return of serve is out of this world, his serve is probably the most calculated I've ever seen - it might not be fastest (where has Andy Roddick's fast serve gotten him? Hiss), but he places them so strategically that he hits aces more than guys with fast serves. He is the only one I know that uses the one-handed backhand. And his footwork, oh his footwork! Stellar!! I mean, he barely makes a sound! Except the occasional "come on!" and fist pumping, the guy is just stoic on court even when things are not going very well for him. Some think he's cold, I say, he's calculated! And he HARDLY sweats! I mean, in Wimbledon 2009, he had on whites with a belt on! Bobo had no marks on him after the game (which he won of course!). His opponent (Andy Roddick) had changed his shirt like 4 times and was still sweating profusely like a Christmas goat!

"In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer." - Jimmy Connors, a former tennis player.

Roger Federer is the Greatest Of All Time! Period! With 16 grand slams (4 Australian Open, 6 Wimbledon, 5 US Open, 1 French Open titles) and counting and he did it in 8 years! An all-time record, as Pete Sampras won his 14 in 13 years!

Roger Federer, The Swiss Maestro, The Fedxpress, Darth Federer or Simply Maestro is just 29! Deadly! Just Deadly! And to top it all off, he's happily married with twin girls - who were born on the same day as my sister! We've got a connection! And his wife is not some model floozy, he married his girlfriend of 9 years.

I LOVE ROGER FEDERER!!!!

Nuff Respeck!

Dead Sea

Guten Tag Schöne Menschen!!!

So, I was doing a little research on the dead sea a while back and it kind of shot me back to a point that we prayed at Church last Friday. I'll get to that in a minute, but first let me give you a few facts about this sea -


1. First, it's not really a sea! It's a salt water lake.

2.There's no marine life in the Dead Sea, hence the name. The high mineral and salt content of the body of water make it impossible for fish and plants to live. The name 'Dead Sea' is actually a kinder, gentler translation from the Hebrew name 'Yam ha Maved', which means, 'Killer Sea'. Fish accidentally swimming into the waters from one of the several freshwater streams that feed the Sea are killed instantly, their bodies quickly coated with a preserving layer of salt crystals and then tossed onto shore by the wind and waves. Brutal!

3. Water flows into the sea from smaller rivers and ponds, but it doesn't flow out.

4. The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest on earth, almost six times as salty as the ocean! The seawater comprises about 300 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater.

5. Because of the extremely high concentration of dissolved mineral salts in the water, its density is way more than that of plain fresh water. What this means is our bodies are more buoyant in the Dead Sea. In fact, people are so buoyant in this body of water, it makes it kind of tough to actually swim. Most people like to just kick back in the water and read, like the guy in this picture!

This got me thinking about the point we prayed last Friday. We prayed for the grace to bless others as God blesses us. It is important that as God adds to us, that we add to others and not be like the human Dead sea that has water flowing into it but does not flow out (#3). We cannot afford to hoard God's blessings and expect that God will continue to pour into us; at one point, your cup gets full and there's no reason to keep pouring. No one wants a life of drought, a life that doesn't build anything; a life that kills and stifles everything in its path (#2).

God told Abraham in Genesis 12 vs 2-3 - " I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” In this passage, you see that in the promise of God to Abraham, He gives him a command as well. "...and you SHALL be a blessing" It's not a request. It's a requirement of God's blessing. Then verse 2 also states that God will bless those who bless Abraham. It's a two-way street; give and receive. Your vessel has to be empty (or close to it) to be filled! It'll look really ridiculous to carry a bucket already filled with water to the pond to fetch water, wouldn't it?

Proverbs 11 vs 25 - "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself". One canNOT go without the other. You have to have a generous soul to be made rich by God and as you are getting "watered" by God, do the same for others, or else....that supply will cease. It's the way of God.

I know I gave 5 facts about the Dead Sea, I actually had use for 2...I thought the other 3 were kinda cool! LOL.

Reflect on this and make a conscious effort to be a blessing to others in the things that you do and the way that you live.

On that note, have a blessed and God filled day!!!

C.S Lewis

Good Monday Morning Beautiful People!!

My new obsession - C.S Lewis!!! I would like to share him with you all this morning.

Clive Staples Lewis born in Belfast, Ireland on November 29, 1898 was an all-round literary genius, which awesome, profound books like Screw tape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia (yep, you guessed it! He wrote them books!).

This man's revelation and thought process is so distinct and heavy but it's so elemental and easy. It makes you think! It opens your eyes to what you already know. He was classified as a Christian Apologist, a field that aims to present a rational basis for Christianity (Apostle Paul was another one). Apologists have based their defense of Christianity on historical evidence, philosophical arguments, scientific investigation, and other disciplines.

1 Peter 3 vs 15 - "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect".

He did a good job of breaking down the profound into smaller, more basic pieces that is easily understood and digestible. I make a habit of going through his quotes every morning; there's always something in there that gets me everyday. You can see my daily selection in the "Quote of the Day" in the upper right hand corner of my page.

Here are some of my favorite quotes -

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."

"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us."

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

He died in 1963 at the age of 64 from renal failure three years after his wife's demise four years after their marriage at the age of 45 from cancer. But he left a legacy that will never be forgotten! The guy just rocks! He has already thought me to know Christ for myself and share what I know because there are people walking around without direction who need the little I have to get on the right path.

I encourage you to go on that page (linked up above) and just read through his thoughts...Insight galore!

On that note, do have a blessed and God-filled day!!

Cover Up

Aloha mi amigos!!

I heard this scripture on my way home from work yesterday,  it got me thinking and I feel it's important to share this with you. The times and seasons are getting darker and harder so we need to "Cover Up" our sensitive parts; parts of our lives that are easily susceptible to sin and tribulations.

Ephesians 6 vs 13 - 17
 ¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
 ¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
 ¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
 ¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
 ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

We are soldiers for Christ in this world and we have to dress up as such, with the right tools of the trade. The breast place defends the front and back of a soldier from neck to thigh. So it is important to guard ourselves with righteousness and truth as these areas are where we get hit the most. We have to be prepared to spread the gospel wherever you go, to cease every opportunity to let people know who we represent.

The shield is security for a soldier. In the same vein, as long as a Christian has faith, he is safe. It comes to his aid in every attack that is made on him, it is the defense and guardian of every Christian because without it we are not pleasing God and when we don't please God, we leave ourselves wide open to anything.  The helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit are the tools to do the actual battle - you can't go into a metaphorical battle without confidence that you've got a chance to win and you definitely can't fight without a weapon!

The Bible is so complete! You, as a Christian, a soldier, cannot, MUST not leave your house without these things! They are vital to your walk with Christ.

After all is said and done, we need to grace and mercy of God to run this race called life because like I explained two blogs ago, there are times we don't even pray talk less of dressing appropriately spiritually. (Ephesians 1 vs 5-10). Thank God for His grace that gives us what we definitely do not deserve!

On that note, have a blessed and God-filled day.

PS - Speaking of covering up, that should be thrown out the window 'cos it's gonna be a GORGEOUS day tomorrow. So trade your jackets, turtlenecks and winter boots for flip flops, spaghetti tops and sunglasses!!
AND...Lakers lost to the Cavaliers yesterday! A team with the worst losing streak in NBA history! Made my day!!!

Why Bother?

Good Morning everybody!!

It's such a beautiful morning isn't it? Wait till Friday, then you'll want to work outside. So, this morning, on my way to work (as usual, right? it seems like my musings begin in my ford contour! lol), I was listening to 95.1 Shine FM (Awesome station!!) and this song came on - "...God bless the broken road.." and a line in the song sort of stuck out at me - "I set out on a narrow way many years ago hoping I would find true love along the broken road...."

Quick disclaimer before I move on - this is plainly my understanding of this line in the song. I believe that this narrow road is our walk with Christ; which entails leaving the things of the world behind.

Matthew 7 vs 13-14 - "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

In light of the song, it just got me thinking about relationships and compromise. I know it's weird that listening to a really beautiful song got me thinking about compromising on relationships, but that's what happened. I seriously believe that at this point in my life with what I know, what I've been through and overcome in my life as a Christian, there are some things that I refuse to budge on regarding relationships.

We really shouldn't even consider "yoking" ourselves with someone who doesn't believe in the same things that we do; I mean, that only adds to the arguments that will naturally come up in a marriage or relationship. Why in the world would I want to argue with my husband or boyfriend about not going (or going) to Church or clubs? These things should be a no-brainer, right? There shouldn't be any doubt in your mind about your significant other's stand on certain issues like sex before marriage, for example. The topic shouldn't even come up!!

2 Corinthians 6 vs 14 - "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"

Life has enough ups and downs that should keep us occupied; we really shouldn't go and consciously add to our issues with something that can be easily avoided, right? Yezzur!!

On that note, have a blessed and God filled day!!

PS- Barcelona is sooo going to DESTROY Arsenal today, it's not gonna be funny! It's really paining me that not only am I sitting in an office with no windows so I can't enjoy the gorgeous day but the internet connection at this client restricts online TV/Video streaming! Arrrggggghhhhh

Soliloquy

Ekaaro!

I had a thought this morning at 5:06am when my human alarm clock woke me up (I went straight to sleep right after, but don't tell her that). I am pretty sure I'm not alone in this - why is it that we pray to God "really quick", because we're probably running late for work or class or something or other and not wait or be expectant for a response? It really bothered me this morning (because I'm guilty of this), so I decided to dig a little deeper.

Prayer, simply put, is talking with God. Talking with and to someone entails that it's a two way street; you talk, there's a response. The Bible says in Ephesians 3 vs 12 that "Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence." But why do we go into God's presence without the intention to commune with Him? Can you imagine talking to your dad or mother and you do all the yapping for like 5 mins and peace out without letting them get one word in? That's how it is with God.
Now, I'm not saying that you should stay glued in one spot for 5 hours to get a response! I'm basically saying that we need to prepare our hearts to be aware that God speaks to us in diverse ways and be ready to hear from Him. He speaks through His word (Hebrews 4vs12), our thoughts, our conversations with others, and through issues and circumstances. That's one of the reasons we were given the Holy Spirit -

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" - John 14 vs 26.

However, it's one thing to actually pray and not receive a response and it's another not to pray at all! God wants to hear from you, but you also have to take the first step in the right direction. Once you decide to talk to God, there has to be a decision to listen for His response, instruction or direction. He wants to hear from you; make it happen!

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3 vs 20.

PS - Shout out to Oyin, Bunmi, Tomi O., Tomi, Tara, Eni O., P. Ge, Siz Biz...I love you guyzes plenty!!

PS 2 - Bobcats DESTROYED the Lakers yesterday!! Whohooooo! Bobcats Rock!!

Under Construction

Happy Monday everyone!!

So, I was thinking about a really beautifully constructed building I passed by this morning on my way to work and I remembered what that same building looked like about 8 months ago - really ugly and nasty looking; it had rained the night before so there was mud all over the place and there was no roof at that time, so there were small pools of water in the "house" itself. It was just plain unsightly.

That's how we are. We are still under construction, still amoebic. The pieces of the puzzle are not in place yet. We don't have it all figured out. We are still clay on the potter's wheel with countless imperfections. Our maker is still shaping and molding to make us the perfect vessel that He knows us to be. We still have insecurities and random kinks that need to be re-evaluated and so, it's really unfortunate that we look down on ourselves and worse when it's others that do it for us because all they (and we sometimes) see is the surface, the present. But God sees and deals with us based on where we are going and where he's taking us.
I basically wanted to encourage someone today to look beyond the "now" and be excited about where you're going. But on the other hand, you need to also have a vision of where you're going to be excited right?

Habakkuk 2 vs 2-3 says
"Then the LORD answered me and said, record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.

So the fact that you don't see it right now doesn't mean that it's not there or it's not going to happen. It's just that it's appointed time is not right now. So wait for it, the realization of the vision of God for your life will be so astounding and overwhelming that you'll forget what you went through to get to that point. Isn't that what happens to new mothers after labor? They say they don't remember the pain and anguish immediately after the child is placed in their arms. So right now might be your "labor" phase - once that child is born, all is forgotten.

On that note, have a blessed and God-filled day
...Happy Valentine's day!!

PS - Lakers lost yesterday!! And my Celtics beat the Heat!! Whoohoooo. What a gift!!