Hello World,

As of today, we have just over three weeks left in 2011….I’m pausing…for.dramatic.effect…Since I’m a person that makes goals each year, I periodically check-in with myself to determine if I’m actually making progress with my goals….I’m proud to say that I’m still budgeting and saving as I was taught by my financial coach a couple of years ago. (Read my post “Use What You Got To Get What You Want…aka Side Hustlers Unite!!! for more info on my financial journey…) And I’m well on my way to reaching my financial goals….

Another one of my goals was to eat more veggies…I know this doesn’t seem like too much of a big deal…but after meeting with a nutritionist earlier in the year, I realize that many of us, including me, have neglected all of the many healing nutrients that God provides for us in our vegetables…When was the last time you ate beets, parsnips or even broccoli (that is not covered in cheese..)? As is stated in the Bible, we are perishing for our lack of knowledge…(Hosea 4:6) I’m proud to say I have changed my diet a lot…It’s not perfect every day, but I’m making progress and have eliminated many toxins from my diet…By the way, I was not changing my diet to lose weight…You can be skinny and eating processed foods all of the time…I’m aiming for health and wellness…

Another one of my goals was to have my blog redesigned…And as you can see, Tess Gadwa of Yes Exactly hooked.me.up. I LOVE IT…and I hope you do too…

Of course, I have other goals that I have reached for this year…but I cannot share here…have you reached your goals for 2011…what are you thinking of as this year is coming to a close?…My final thought is God is good all the time…All the time God is good…

 Any thoughts?

P.S. And if your year has been difficult for whatever reason, I hope this song will lift your spirit…”Brighter Day” (“this for them rough days when you feel like giving up days”) by Kirk Franklin…

The post Saying Good-bye to 2011… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

I cannot believe it…2010 is just about half over…The minutes have turned into hours…The hours have turned into days…The days have turned into weeks…The weeks have turned into months…And alas, here we are…June 2, 2010…

When I was younger, the days seemed to go by sooo slowly…It seemed like forever until I was 13 years old, but now, it seems like only yesterday I was 30 years old…Anywho, because I’ve realized that time is precious, I am making my best effort to not waste it anymore…

Through the direction of God, I believe that each of us have goals and dreams that must be fulfilled in our lives…I also believe that very little gets accomplished without a plan…So what are your plans for 2010? What are you dreaming about? Are you accomplishing the goals that you made at the start of 2010?

I’m thankful that with God’s help, I am achieving the goals I set for this year! I PAID OFF MY CREDIT CARD LAST MONTH!!! Yay! Praise God! And I thank my financial coach for teaching me how to pay down my debt…

Of course, I have more goals and dreams in store for 2010…Like Wendy Williams, I would like to know “how u doin?”  Are you achieving your goals and dreams for 2010?

Let me know…

Any thoughts?

The post Nearly 6 months are down…Are you meeting your goals for 2010? appeared first on After the Altar Call.

As of tomorrow, the month of June begins. Can you believe that 2009 is almost half over? I can’t! It seems like just yesterday that I was pondering my goals and dreams for the new year…So how are you doing on your goals and dreams for 2009? My spiritual community and I have a phrase that we use to determine how one another is doing. That phrase is “checking in.” You can “check in” with yourself and with other people.

For the purposes of this blog, I will share some of the “checking in” I have done with myself over the last week.  One of my goals for the new year was to start saving money consistently. Wonders of wonders, I have actually been saving! As I take out my tithe out of my paycheck, I also subtract my savings…My savings account isn’t huge, but it is growing. I also wanted to take a finances class or seminar to learn more about finances and become financially healthy. Well, I am proud to say that I now have a financial coach. So I am on track in that area! Another one of my goals is to make this blog the best it possibly can be. I’m working on that…My goal is to post twice a week…This month I haven’t done that…but I’m getting back on track…I also want to expand what I cover on this blog…I don’t have a “game plan” yet for that endeavor, but I will work on that during the  month of June. I have also wanted to find a career mentor, but I haven’t been able to find one yet…I hope to work on that in June…we’ll see…

Another one of my goals was to go to five journalism networking events this year…I have attended two so I feel pretty good about that…I need to attend three more and make sure that I utilize contacts that I make at each of these events. And networking for me is not only about working to advance my career…I have learned that it is important to network to help others as well…Another one of my goals was to stay on top of my daily mail and e-mail…Not looking good…I have over 900 new e-mail messages in my inbox and stacks of mail I need to go through…I know it’s important to look at each of these each day, but I get sooo overwhelmed sometimes…Anybody got any tips for making this task more manageable?

So that is a little bit of my “check in.” How are you doing? Have you remembered to dream and dream big? Have you written down your goals? Have you made your vision boards and posted them within easy view? Have you consulted others who may be able to help you achieve your goals? In my experience, it is only with the help of others that I can achieve my goals and dreams. My friend, Dr. Pam Thompson, has begun a series, “Blue Lights in the Basement,” in an effort to “take psychology and life coaching to the streets.” I attended the inaugural session on Friday and what I learned there I think will help me achieve my dreams and goals for this year and beyond…

But let’s face it…sometimes things happen in our lives that we aren’t prepared for that can derail our goals and dreams…Many people have lost their jobs this year…I have experienced that before…It’s not fun for sure…But when that has happened to me, I have learned that God has got my back, and I have always moved onward and upward…(Yes, it has happened to me more than once…) Let  me share a portion of the sermon that my father preached for the New Year’s Eve service. He preached on Hebrews 13:5-6. This passage is from The Message version of the Bible.

 ^5-6Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote,

   God is there, ready to help;
   I’m fearless no matter what.
   Who or what can get to me?

And here are some of the notes that I took from the sermon:

1. Don’t look to money as the source of your supply. If you have a lack of money, that is not the end of the story.

2. Our Heavenly Father is the source of your supply and is able to make a way out of no way.

3. Face the New Year with contentment.

4. Face the New Year with courage. We are not alone on our pilgrim journey…

 No matter what, God has got our back…

Any thoughts?

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