Saying Good-bye: 2014 in Posts…

Hello World,  mamajoyce

I absolutely love this time of the year: the few days after Christmas just before the dawn of a brand New Year…Maybe it’s because it’s winter or maybe it’s just in my head, but somehow the air feels crisp with excitement as the world prepares to hit biggest reset button of them all…Whatever has happened in a year – good or bad, the beginning of a New Year is an opportunity to continue to greater heights or leave pain in the past…It’s a time to reflect on all that has transpired in 365 days and wonder about what is to come…And that sentiment brings me the point of today’s blog post…If you mind, let’s take a tour of 2014 via my this blog…

January 2014 – I admitted that I do watch “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” (hiding behind my computer since you probably want to throw rocks at me 🙂 ) and was fascinated by the storyline about Mama Joyce and how she couldn’t stand that her daughter Kandi Burruss, former Xscape songstress and current song-writing millionaire was engaged Todd Tucker, a production manager. (They are now married!) I was so fascinated with the storyline that I interviewed Mama Joyce: “Mama Joyce Gets Us Straight…And Steps Back…And Keeps Stepping…(MY INTERVIEW).”

February 2014 – I celebrated my first Valentine’s Day as a married woman in my blog post “Lovapalooza: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Love on Valentine’s Day.” Also, if you live in Georgia, remember this was the second time in just a couple of weeks that we were snowed and iced in…and this particular snowstorm/ice storm happened to fall on Valentine’s Day week…

March 2014 – Although I am a reality television show fan, I pleaded with gospel duo Mary Mary to rethink their reality show in “Why Mary Mary May Need To Get Off Reality TV…My Open Letter to Erica & Tina Campbell” as their lives seem to have unraveled for all the world to see… Mary-Mary-Season-3

April 2014 – I shared that I FINALLY completed the rough draft of my first novel in “This Novel That I’m Writing…My Modified NaNoWriMo Challenge…”  

gradrobertMay 2014– With my husband’s permission, I shared some of his testimony in “Delay is NOT denial…Celebrating My Hubby’s College Graduation!!!”

June 2014– Although the world lost “Phenomenal Woman,” Dr. Maya Angelou on May 28, I wrote about her in my June 1 blog post “Remembering The Phenomenal Woman: Maya Angelou…” The example of her life is a beacon that anything is possible for a black girl, a girl who once thought of herself as “a too-big Negro girl with nappy black hair, broad feet and a space between my teeth that would hold a No. 2 pencil” – her words…maya

July 2014 – I wrote the blog post “Young Pastors Vs. Old Churches…” that generated a great discussion…This post was inspired by this article “Young Pastor Voted Out By Veteran Members Of Historic Baptist Church In Philadelphia” by Cherri Gregg on CBS Philly’s website.

cross2August 2014 – My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary as marrieds and I wrote about our journey together thus far in “7 Lessons Learned: Going From ‘Single Lady’ to ‘Smug Married.'” It was the third in series of three posts I wrote about being married for a year 🙂  To read my first post, go to  “Couples’ Night – Going From ‘Single Lady’ to ‘Smug Married’”… and my second post was “Cooking & Cleaning Oh My! – Going From ‘Single Lady’ to ‘Smug Married.’”

September 2014 – During this month, I met newly minted Soror Suzan Johnson Cook, who is not only a former pastor and current author, she also served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Her book “A New Dating Attitude” made me know that I know that I know that I truly know my husband was and is God’s best for me…I wrote about our meeting in “Making Your Divine Appointment…” sujay

October 2014 – I explored my fear of Ebola in my blog post “Seven Scriptures to Dispel F.E.A.R. About Ebola…”

November 2014 – I forced myself to separate Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable, America’s favorite dad, from Bill Cosby in “What Would Jesus Do About Bill Cosby?” I still don’t know what to do about these allegations…This ranks up there with finding out there is no Santa Claus and the chocolate factory in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” is not real…

Marry-Us-For-Christmas-posterDecember 2014 – Ever since I got engaged during the Christmas season two years ago, I see Christmas as a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and celebrate the beginning of my new life with my hubby…So I was especially elated to interview Malinda Williams, who starred in the movie “Marry Us For Christmas,” which premiered on UP. Check out “‘Watch ‘Marry Us For Christmas’ Tonight/My Interview With Malinda Williams.”

One last thing:

I’ve found the best way to bring in the New Year is in church where I will be tonight…And what better way to prepare for Watch Night Service and the whole year than to pray? Join Girlfriends Pray as they begin a Pray-A-Thon today at noon EST….Details below…

prayAny thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven Scriptures to Dispel F.E.A.R. About Ebola…

Hello World,  hazmat

It’s time to get back in the Word again…I live in metro Atlanta…yes, that’s right…Ground Zero for Ebola treatment in the entire United States of America…

I have started carrying hand sanitizer and every time someone sneezes or sniffles near by me, my mind starts spinning all kinds of dramatic scenarios…What if she has Ebola? What if he has been in contact with someone who has Ebola? What if she is a family member of the nurse who has been transported to Atlanta for care?

I have even considered walking around like this…

So when my F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real) of anything starts getting bigger than my faith in Jesus…It’s time to get back in the Word and dispel it…Below are a few verses to help me and you when we are tempted to make our own hazmat suits, avoid the area of town where the CDC and Emory are located or stay home altogether…

  1. I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4…
  2. The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
  3. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3
  4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
  5. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
  6. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
  7. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “”Abba,” Father.” Romans 8:15

These verses help me to realize that my life and times are in God’s hands alone…God had an appointed time to bring me here and even though I don’t like to think about it, God has an appointed time for me to leave here…In the mean time, I will trust God and carry hand sanitizer…In other words, I trust God and I use the common sense that He gave me, but outside of that, that is all any of us can do…at least individually…

But here is something we can do collectively…let’s pray for those in West Africa who are suffering from Ebola, pray for those in the healthcare industry all over the world (my husband is in the healthcare industry), pray for those nurses here in the U.S. who are sick with Ebola and pray for the family of Thomas Eric Duncan (Read a touching article about his funeral in The New York Times )and all families who have lost members of their family due to the deadly virus…and sending some money to worthy and reputable organizations who are combating Ebola wouldn’t hurt either…

Any thoughts?