Hello World,

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten really personal on this space but since it is a New Year, the time of the year that many of us reserve to reassess our personal and professional goals, dreams, resolutions, etc., I have decided to let you into my head…

I have LOTS of dreams, but two are most important to me….one is personal and one is professional and only God and my husband know all about them right now and they will remain that way for now…

However, back in 2008, I also had LOTS of dreams and similarly to what is going on in my life now, two of them – (one was personal and one was professional) surpassed the rest…As I shared in a previous post in 2013, but did not share then, “I wanted to meet and get married to the man God kept for me, and I wanted to be a published author.” In 2008, it seemed nothing I did got me any closer to my dreams, but as I look back, God was leading me to the realization of my dreams…I just couldn’t see it then…

So let me take you back to 2007-2008…I was 34 years old and had gotten reacquainted with a man I dated in college. We had a lot a fun when we dated in college but we just didn’t work out as a couple. However, we had kept in touch here and there over the years, and we decided to give it a try again. Being the storyteller that I am, it seemed like the perfect ending to a long and winding story. College fun turns into lasting love…But that is not what happened…For all of the things we had in common and all of the fun we still had, he was not a churchgoing Christian man and that was a deal breaker for me…He was not an atheist, but he just didn’t think it was necessary to go to church…Nothing I did, said or prayed changed that so we broke up, and I was heartbroken…

So I did what made sense for me to do right then…I turned my pain into profit and pitched an article to UPSCALE magazine about why black men don’t go to church…An editor liked and approved the idea, and I happily tracked down sources for the article…One of those sources was Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, the author of book “Adam! Where Are You?: Why Most Black Men Don’t Go to Church” Now, here is where the story gets kinda spooky or super spiritual depending on how you look at it. I read his book before I interviewed him, and I was shocked to read one of the illustrations in his book about someone who was looking for a black man in church. This illustration featured a woman named Jackie who was 34 years old and had made all of the “right moves” but was still unable to meet the right churchgoing man…Hello, my name was (is) Jackie, I was 34 and I had felt I had made all of the “right moves” and still hadn’t met the churchgoing man of my dreams…I knew then that the interview was one of those pebbles that God throws down on your path to let you know that you are moving in the right direction…After I interviewed Dr. Kunjufu, I told him I was a lot like the “Jackie” in his book and even he was surprised that we shared some of the exact same qualities…In fact, he later e-mailed these words to me – “I enjoyed our interview, and I believe God has your husband waiting for you!” By the way, my article was published in the August 2008 issue of UPSCALE magazine…

Meanwhile, I also felt stalled in my professional life…I mean I had some wonderful things going on…I had secured freelance writing opportunities that made it possible for me not to have the traditional 9 to 5 gig and I was profoundly grateful, but I had wanted to be a published book author since I was a little girl…And it seemed that every door I tried to walk through to make it happen was eventually slammed in my face…In 2007, I had gone to a writers conference in Philadelphia and had attracted the attention of the senior acquisitions editor of my DREAM publishing company…He enthusiastically took my book proposal and promised he would be in touch soon…He kept his promise and within a couple of weeks, he e-mailed me…I thought it had to be good news because only good news comes that fast…but it wasn’t…He e-mailed these words to me – “I read over your book proposal, My Journey, but my marketing department tells me that this is a hard kind of book for them to sell nationally, and so I have to reject it. Sorry.” I bet he wasn’t as sorry as I was…I was salty about that…

But I also realized that if I had gotten the attention of the senior acquisitions editor, I had something to offer even if it wasn’t quite right yet…At that same conference, I had pitched my book “My Journey” (which is what the book was called then…What a boring title!) to someone else in the publishing industry, and I had used the words “after the altar call” in the pitch…She told me I should rename my book “After the Altar Call.” Also, at that same conference, I learned about having a “platform” and why every nonfiction author had to have one…By the following year, I decided I was going to be the next blogger who turned it into a book…After the Altar Call was born in September 2008…

It would take TWO MORE YEARS before these two dreams would come into fruition… By 2010, I had dated more men but those relationships hadn’t worked out either…But there was a guy at my church who I knew I had a crush on me, but he wasn’t my usual type so I never took him seriously…by then, I thought well, I will give him a chance…That guy revealed himself to be my husband in 2010…Also, after two years of blogging, it occurred to me that if my story and platform weren’t enough by themselves maybe I should include the stories and platforms of other women in a new book proposal for After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God…That was the key that unlocked a door that had been previously slammed in my face…I secured a book deal that year…

So how do you achieve your goals, dreams & resolutions in one year?

Well, there is good news and bad news…In my experience, some of the best goals, dreams and resolutions can be achieved in one year, but it usually takes years to get there…But the good news is if you trust in God and in His timing, you will receive God’s best for you…It goes back to my favorite verse:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Any thoughts?

The post How To Achieve Your Goals, Dreams & Resolutions in One Year… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

I know I haven’t written about it yet, but I am well aware that God has blessed us to see a New Year – 2014...It takes me a month of prayer and meditation to discern what resolutions and or goals that God wants to help me reach for this year so I’m not quite ready to write a New Year’s Goals or Resolutions post yet…but I found this great blog post by (the recently married Congrats!) Valorie Burton, a life coach and author, that I interviewed in my book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God.” Enjoy….

What is it Finally Time for You To Do?

The post A NEW YEAR IS HERE…And what are you gonna do about it? appeared first on After the Altar Call.

Last week, I posted about revisiting the goals that we made at the beginning of 2012…As we all know, it is easy to drift away from our goals if we don’t pay attention. And now that we officially have six months left in 2012, we must get back on track!

HOWEVER, with all of our planning, it is impossible to predict what the results of our actions will be. In essence, we plant the seeds, but only God gives the increase…If you are anything like me, I love to plan and then I worry about the results….But God has told us over and over again that worrying is wrong and not characteristic of believers…So to minister to  me and you, let me share my favorite seven scriptures to ward off worry…

1. Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.   Psalm 55:22   In this scripture, God says turn over all of your troubles to me, and I will see you through. We are neglecting some of the benefits of being a believer if we don’t realize that He wants to bear our burdens!

 2. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.   2 Timothy 1:7   I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I will be thinking of a situation and all of a sudden, I feel overwhelmed by fear and worry…That’s not God! God does not give us fear! Instead, He gives us power, love and a sound mind! When I feel overwhelmed by fear and worry, I see this as a sign that I need to pray and connect with God because the devil is trying to get at me…

3. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?   Luke 12:25   Can this scripture be any more direct? I don’t think so! This reminds me of a saying I recently heard…Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair…It will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere…

4. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7   This verse has kept me from losing my mind for real! When I begin to worry, this verse reminds to talk to God about my present concerns AND thank Him for all that He has seen me through in the past…And supernaturally, my worrying is replaced by peace…Try it!

5. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid.   Luke 12:7   I LOVE this verse…We are so important to God that He has even counted the hairs on our head! Wow! That’s why we can pray about anything – no matter how big or small! I even pray about what to wear sometimes…

6. So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.   Matthew 6:31-33   In these times, it is tempting to worry about our finances and resources, but God says if we put Him first, then He will provide for our needs…Take Him at His word…

7. I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber.   Psalm 121:1-3   I have claimed this whole Psalm for this year because I have embarked on a journey that I have never been on before….the journey of a published author…Although I am tempted to stay up nights planning marketing & promotion strategies, this verse reminds that I can sleep knowing my God in Heaven is always awake – and taking care of me on Earth below…

I hope these verses help you to realize that God simply does not want us to worry…We plan, but we must leave the results up to Him. Think about it. We cannot even control our next breath so why even worry about it…I know, it’s easier said than done .

Below is a BEAUTIFUL song that I heard for the first time yesterday that reminded me not to worry and to turn over my concerns to God…Here is a sample of the lyrics…

WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN
ALL MY WORRY IS A WASTE OF TIME
WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN
LETTING GO BRINGS PEACE OF MIND

“When Will I” by Candi Staton…

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