Father's Day......

Cheryl wrote this last year in honor of Father's Day...it was such a great blog we wanted to rerun it again...please enjoy!

Hi,

As I write we are coming up on Father’s Day and although I am sure very little to no men join us at the kitchen table I really wanted to spend this blog highlighting dads. Every year in May you see all the advertisements for Mother’s Day. Florist and restaurants are overloaded with customers. Many churches are packed and some have messages tailored to celebrate mothers and women. There are churches that even handout roses or carnations to all the mothers. As a mom of course I love every moment of it but what about the dads? So today I want to get on my soap box and spend some time pumping up dads.

Like some of you I had some dad issues. My own father left my mom when I was 2 and truth is, he was not the most dedicated father. He would not show up when he was supposed to. He promised things and did not come through. I remember waiting all day for him to pick me and my three siblings up to go to an amusement park. I kept going back and forth to my front door looking for his car to turn the corner and it never did. Please do not feel bad for me because I am so over this. It is because I have no animosity towards my father that I can freely share this. But there is no denying that as a result of the events in my life I began to get bitter and mistrusting of men. The first one was my dad. I began to speak to him in a very disrespectful manner and was determined not to need him for anything. As we became adults he apologized and gave all credit to my mom for us growing up so well. I remember when he was apologizing thinking with my Christian, saved, sanctified self “Whatever man!” I had a lot of hurt and I needed healing

One of the first steps of my healing came from a man who came to speak at Lincoln University. I am not sure what his topic was, but this older African American male said something that began to change my thinking. Let me back up a minute. While on campus it was not strange for me to call guys a name of the canine nature... I spoke it freely and with conviction. I really believed that all men were dogs and those who were not completely dogs had doggish tendencies. Well this man said that women should stop speaking that over our men. He said that even though some of our young men and older ones too behave in ways that are not honorable that every time we call them this name we are perpetuating the behavior. It may not have impacted the other females there but my friend and I decided that from that day forward we would not refer to our male counterparts as dogs. And I never did again. Not using the term was more than an outward thing but I began to see some good in the guys around me and started to expect good until shown otherwise.

The second step to healing came from a teaching book by Charles Stanley. He taught in this book about forgiveness. I learned that when I do not forgive I relinquish power to the enemy, the devil. I received revelation on how much I have been forgiven. What audacity I had not to forgive. I also found out that unforgiveness causes bitterness which affects every part of your being. I made a decision to forgive my dad. I was not comfortable calling him and saying what needed to be said so I improvised. I got an empty chair and pretended he was sitting in front of me and them I began to share all my hurt with “him”. After purging I released and forgave him. It was not easy. I sat in my room and I cried like a baby. After that day I still had to fight the urge to hold a grudge. In fact when I was planning my wedding 13 years ago I was not going to let him walk me down the aisle. The Holy Spirit got a hold of me and "yes" my father did walk me down the aisle and I am glad he did. Of course there were other things that helped heal my broken heart but the ones mentioned had the biggest impact. God has done a great work on me.

I think about my own husband. He works hard everyday so I can stay home with our kids. After driving an hour to get home he does not just sit in a chair and zone out in front of the television, he takes the boys, plays with them, puts them to bed and cleans the kitchen. Brian prays with our sons, teaches them and disciplines when necessary. He is a great example of a godly man to our two children. There are many men out there that have busy work schedules yet they find time to be coaches, mentors and youth leaders. All men who are not with the mothers of their children are not dead beat dads; they are totally involved in every aspect of their children’s lives. They love their kids and are taking care of them financially, emotionally and spiritually the very best they can.

The greatest thing is that no one is left out because we have God, the Father. He is the best Daddy of them all. He loves us according to Jeremiah 31 with an everlasting love. In Isaiah 43 he calls us precious in his sight. He longs to take care of us. Jesus said in Matthew the 7th chapter. “If you then… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask?”

I would like to challenge you sisters to begin to look for something to admire in the men in your life. It could be your mailman, just the fact that he is always respectful, goes the extra mile, and rings your doorbell when he leaves a rental movie in your door. When we purpose to look for good in people we will more than likely find it.

Let’s pray. "Father in Jesus name we thank You for being the best Father we could ever want. Thank You for looking after us and perfecting all those things that concern us. We bring all the fathers we know before You today. We ask that You would strengthen them with power and wisdom. We pray that they would walk in the light of Your Word and that they would walk worthy of You. We also ask that they would train their children up in the way they should go so that they will not depart from You and Your ways. Give them the tools necessary to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and that these fathers will honor You and live a life that is pleasing to You so that their children and their children’s children will live. In Jesus’ name, Amen."



Until next time,

Hugs and Kisses,
Cheryl


Ponnie will be back on Monday!

I Will Not Be Moved

The other day I was sharing with my dear friend and mentor how I was finding it harder each day to fight the thoughts of doubt. I talked about how it seemed that everything I tried to do turned to dirt and I was beginning to wonder if I had heard God wrong when He told me I would write my way out of my situation. I also have begun to wonder if there is something deeply wrong in my heart. Why else would life have to be so hard for so many years? God judges the heart and often we are very deceived by the things of our heart where He is not. Is it that I am not trustworthy? Is it that if my circumstances where to change, so would I?

As always she listened intently as I shared my heart with her. It is good to have someone in your life you can share what is really on your mind without fear of judgment. Such a person is a gift from God, because so often we as God’s girls are very judgmental, when we should be full of compassion and understanding. Because we all experience those times when we doubt God on what He is doing or what He is allowing in our lives. It doesn’t mean that we don’t love God or don’t trust Him at all—it is the natural battle of the flesh against the Spirit.

When I finished she did her best to encourage me and pointed out how I had moved from trusting God each day, and was now looking at tomorrow. I knew this was true and was able to share that because my “today’s” had become so drab, I was looking forward in hope of seeing change. Not that that is a good thing, because it isn’t, but, at least I could pinpoint why I had taken my eyes out of living in my today versus trying to live into my tomorrow. Which by the way isn’t even promised.

She talked about many things but what stuck out most in my heart was when she shared that when things seem askew for her, she stands on what she believes about God and refuses to be moved. Her example…Lord I don’t understand right now why things went down the way they did but your Word tells me all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, so I will not be moved by my circumstances because I trust and believe you. (Romans 8:8) It hit me like a ton of bricks—I have allowed myself to be moved from what I know to be true. God’s Word!

At that moment I realized in no uncertain terms I had to take her stance “I will not be moved!” Wow! It was that simple. In saying it’s that simple; I’m not saying it is easy to stand on what God has written when it seems all hell is breaking loose around you, but that the solution is simple. Sometimes things can get so muddled for us that we lose sight of the solution and often it is as simple as remembering who we belong to and what that means for us.

God and I are having a long talk as to why I have been struggling to have joy in my days, especially since the Bible says that the joy of the Lord is my strength. But more so I have to get back into living in the present day and trusting God in all that may happen before its end.

Prayerfully if nothing else today I have encouraged someone to know that you are not alone in your struggles to trust God and the fight to not become disheartened in the life He has set before you. But that our hope springs eternal through the Messiah. So, if you take the stance “you will not be moved” by your circumstances and live according to what God’s Word has put before you, then you will be well on your way to winning the war on your thoughts of doubt and unbelief.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


I'll be back on Thursday

I Can’t Say It ENOUGH!!

Sisters, I can not say this enough to you, “Read your Bibles.” To some I might sound like a broken record, but I have to keep repeating myself because too many in the household of Faith—are just not getting it!

I’m seeing more and more women being overtaken by depression and despair. Why is this? Why are we at a point where we just want to lie down and quite? Because we are slackers in studying the Bible and building ourselves up for the fight. Oh yeah, there are going to be fights and battles. I don’t know anyone in the Kingdom who has never had to not fight “the stinkin thinking” thoughts of the mind. And when we are not able to bring our thoughts under the submission and authority of the Messiah then we are going to be in trouble. We are going to find ourselves waddling in self pity and maybe even moving away from the One who loves us. Yes! It can be that serious.

Encouragement is my gift, but there are times I feel myself becoming frustrated with women who are miserable, who don’t want to put the time and energy into changing their state of being. They want all the encouragers in the world to keep building them up, but you know what sisters, just like little babies…you gotta grow up sometime and fend for yourselves.

As women we will do any and everything before we spend consistent, quality time in the Word of God. We will work a 55 hour week for the man, clean our houses from top to bottom, rip and run doing errands, talk on the phone, watch TV, play games, surf the world wide web, cook, shop, and get our nails and hair done. We will hang out with our girlfriends; go to the movies, chauffer our kids around, work in the garden, clean out closets and cabinets, before we read the Bible. Oh, I forgot, and some of us think that reading Christian fiction can replace reading the actual Bible. Sorry…that doesn’t work.

Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying—I am not trying to put anyone down or the many things you may have to do as a mom, wife, sister, friend, or woman. Yes, many of us have a lot of things to accomplish in the course of the day, but that still doesn’t mean we don’t have our priorities confused. It doesn’t mean that a lot of what we do can’t wait or be done after we have spent some time reading our Bibles.

Why are there so many women in the Body of Christ who are so sad? I think a lot of it has to do with us not standing on the Promises of the Promise Maker. And why is that? Could it be that too many of us really don’t know God all that well? Or is it that we spend too much time trying to live on what someone has told us, instead of finding out for ourselves who He really is?

Often we as women become depressed and feel that God does not love us because of our circumstances and a lack of understanding as to how God loves. We associate God’s love by how much we have or what He’s done for us lately.

We look at others and judge God on why He gives them so much more than He gives us, and assume—therefore He doesn’t love me as much. Why does she has so many children and I can’t have one? How come her husband does so much for her when mine will barely take out the trash? This is her second marriage; I have yet to have one husband. Why do her children get to go to a college of their choice and mine have to go to community college? I’m still wearing clothes that are 7 years old, how come every season she looks so nice and fresh in her new outfits? I work hard on my job, why has she gotten so many promotions and I haven’t had one? Why is it that God loves others more than me? Why am I so worthless? These are the thoughts of the mind that if left unchecked will overtake us and pull us into the valley of depression, self pity and despair.

Sisters, I can’t say it enough! Read Your Bibles! In order to be victorious in life we must become fully persuaded in the things of God. And I hate to tell you this…it doesn’t come about by letting others spoon feed you on their interpretation of the Bible and who they think God is. You have to enter into relationship with Him yourself if you really want to be confident in His love. You have to seek Him out and make time to be with Him. Then and only then will you really get to know who He is and be able to fight and destroy the “stinkin thinking” that rises up against us and our Lord.

I want to share a little secret with you girls….our enemy has not change his MO (motive of operation) since he duped Eve in the garden. The same lines of doubt still work on us today. “If God really loved you, your husband would not have left you.” Just like Eve many of us listen to him and begin to ponder and think on what he is saying and before you know it! We are in agreement with him. Wrong move! You know he tried the same thing on our Messiah, but the end result was much different then that of Eve’s encounter. Yeshua (Jesus) told him exactly what the Word of God said and devil had to flee.

God’s love for us is never measured by what we have or don’t have compared to someone else. And the only way you are going to be able to control your wrong thinking and battle the lies of our enemy is to KNOW what your Bible has to say about things. And you must also work on letting the Word of God convince you of His love and affection for you. It is a good thing to be fully persuaded about what you stand on.

One more time….sisters, read your Bibles! And don’t wait for the storm to come rushing in. That would be like Noah trying to build the ark once the earth was flooded. Ah, a little too late.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


I'll be back on Monday

HOLDING ON….Sometimes that’s Hard to Do!

I think that once you’ve lived in God’s Kingdom for awhile you come to understand why Paul was so adamant in telling us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV When the temptation to throw my hands up comes around, some days it is harder than others to not give in. You ever feel that way? I’m sure you have at least once or twice. ~Smile~

The regional branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia in my area asked me to do a workshop on “Homeschooling”. Of course I was very excited because I have such a passion to help parents (especially single parents) find alternatives to educating and keeping their children safe. Homeschooling is a viable option to make that happen. But many parents in the city of Philadelphia do not know how to start the process or what the differences are between “private home education” versus “public (Cyber School) home education” and how to choose which is best for them. So, to have a platform of interested folks to talk to was very exciting.

There was a lot of prep work on my end, because I wanted to make sure my website was updated and more pages added. I had to get my business cards printed, help advertise the event in my neighborhood and ask other homeschool moms to speak at the workshop. Well, all the speakers showed up, I brought refreshments and handouts….we were ready! Only one person came to hear what we had to say. I can’t say I was surprised or really disappointed because I felt the person I was working with at the library had waited to late to firm up everything, which didn’t give us enough time to get the word out. Plus I later found out that the library only posted flyers (which were on the ugly side at that) around the library. The person I worked with really didn’t do much to get the word out. Well, instead of being discouraged about it I looked at all I had accomplished and how prepared I was. My website is updated and looking really good. I also had paid ads coming in from Google AdSense, which I had hoped would begin to pay my monthly website fee and generate a few dollars more for some upgrades. So, all-in-all, things were good. Well, so I thought…..

…..Google discontinued their ads with me because they said; I violated my agreement and had people just clicking the ads trying to generate income for me. I’d only had the ads for 5 days and had done no such thing. They have an appeal process that I filed and sent back, but I was very discouraged. I asked God, “Why? I try so hard, yet it seems that nothing seems to work for me?” Yeah, those are words to the beginning of a pity party for sure. But you know what sisters, sometimes it is hard not to give up. Sometimes it is hard to not become weary in trying to do good and follow what seems to be the path the Holy Spirit is taking you. Sometimes it is hard to keep hope alive about a dream when it seems that everything you do to move toward your dream seems to turn to dust. Sometimes it is really hard to keep your head up and not become disillusioned and discouraged. But you know what….in those hard times we must stand on the promises of God and not give into the temptation to “Give up!”

Truth is—I didn’t want to write a blog this morning. “For what,” I asked? “Hardly anyone reads them! Why do I keep wasting my time?” And yes, I often feel writing these blogs is an exercise in futility but I also feel that God has given me this job to do and therefore out of obedience and love for Him I will continue (even on those days I just don’t feel like it) until He says, “Ponnie, it’s a wrap!”

Sisters, we all experience times in our lives when it seems like what we are doing is a waste of effort and time, or we become discouraged because it seems that things just don’t turnout right for us. But you know what? We cannot I repeat, “Cannot!” give into our feelings of despair. We must hold on to God’s hand and His Word.

This is why it is so important to read our Bibles and meditate on God’s Word. It is in the hard times we need to remember without a doubt God’s love for us. It is in the hard times we must know what we truly believe about God. But if we don’t read His Word, then it is impossible to stand on what we don’t know.

I have convinced myself that God knows better than I do, and He was not surprised that Google Ads would do what they did to me. But more so, He is my witness that I did no wrong. Google might reinstate me and then again they may not. Am I going to give up trying to make money on my website through ads? Nope! I will just have to find another way. Google Ads are not the only game in town. And besides, my Father owns it all anyway! ~Smile~

If you have been experiencing discourging times in your life, remember the Promise Marker and His promises.

P.S. You gotta read your Bibles to know what the promises are. ~Smile~



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


Thursday: Ponnie will be back

LOOK AT ME

“Mom, look at my nose. It’s kind of wide isn’t it? I wish my nose was a little smaller than this. See! And look at my eyebrows, they are so bushy. I wish they weren’t so bushy.....blah, blah, blah”

This was the conversation my daughter was “indirectly” having with me during a recent car ride. She was on the passenger side and was looking in the mirror making these observations.

Eventually, all of her self-criticism got on my nerves and after listening for entirely too long, my response was, “Wow Mali, God must not be as perfect as I believe Him to be.” Hmmm…that got her attention! I continued, “He must not be perfect because with all of your complaints, He obviously made a lot of mistakes when He created you.”

Her response,” No, God doesn’t make mistakes.”

“Exactly my point!”

It really bothered me that at 12 years old my daughter could find so much about herself that she didn’t like. However, I can understand because even at 40 years old, I have self-image issues and have had them for years. I felt bad because I have always encouraged her to love and embrace everything about herself. However, I am concerned that she has learned the art of finding fault with herself from me.

We, women, can always find something wrong with us. Too fat, too skinny, skin to light or skin to dark. Thin hair, curly hair, big nose, little nose, the list goes on and on.

However, God doesn’t make mistakes. He made us to be exactly as He intended us to be! In our eyes, we may not be perfect but in God’s eyes, we are. Why is it so hard for us to accept this?

“Mali, did you know that in the bible it says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made?” It even says that all of His works are marvelous. Do you know what that means?” I asked my daughter.

Her response was, “No.”

I further explained that nothing about her could be a mistake because SHE was one of God’s marvelous creations. If she didn’t believe that, then she must believe that God wasn’t perfect and that everything that she believes about Him must be a lie.

The light bulb must have gone on because a smile came across her face.

Her response again (with the biggest smile) was, “You are right, God doesn’t make mistakes.”

I think she got the message....and I hope that you do too.

Dove is doing a wonderful job to raise the self-esteem in our young girls and it is called, “Campaign for Real Beauty”. Please take a moment to check it out. http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/


Until next time.....Be blessed Sisters!
Sasha


Tuesday, Ponnie will be back!

It’s A Small World After All

Remembering back to when I took my now 36 year old daughter to Disney World in Florida, when she was 9 brings back a very fond memory. We were in a pavilion where we rode a boat from the beginning to the end. There were all types of dolls and displays representing people from all over the world and the entire time they played the song, “It’s a Small World After All!”
With today’s technology I think we understand much more then we did back in the 80’s, how being connected makes the world seem much smaller.

I have met and made a lot of friends on Facebook from all around the world and it has broadened my horizons to say the least. I feel very blessed that God has taken me out of my little world and I didn’t even have to leave the comfort of my home. Though, I really wouldn’t mind traveling to meet some of my new found friends on their turf. ~Smile~

Yesterday, a friend in the UK (United Kingdom, England) was posting about the heavy rains and wild winds she was experiencing. She was afraid she was going to lose her garden—that’s how bad it was. My heart went out to her because I know how hard she works on her garden and I have been blessed to see pictures of how lovely it is in the spring and summer from pictures she posted last year on Facebook. I felt very connected to her as we wrote back and forth about her dilemma.

The United States has been hard hit the past couple of months with devastating floods and tornadoes and it is one thing to turn on the news and see houses leveled and towns completely wiped out or under water but it’s something else to see pictures posted by my Facebook friends to show what happened to them or in their hometowns. It becomes more than mere news, it becomes real because I feel connected to them.

One day as I was watching a newscaster talk to a farmer in Texas about the drought and how it affected the corn crop (there was none) I felt connected because a Facebook friend in Texas had been requesting prayer for weeks about the drought. And I also realized how the lack of corn was going to eventually affect me on the east coast. This farmer also had cattle to feed—corn is used in their grain. Corn is in so many of the foods we buy. Not only does this translate into higher food prices, but also a possible shortage of certain foods. It is a small world after all.

Just as we can look at things happening across the ocean or across our own country and feel disconnected because it’s not happening to us, is the same way we as Believers can be in our church or communities.

Many churches here in the city of Philadelphia are no longer churches of the community—because, the congregation mostly lives somewhere else. They drive in for services and drive out to go home. They are not connected to the people in the community very much. We also like to have church with each other and not those around us. Our women’s groups have retreats; go to shows, luncheons and so on, for each other, but you might be hard pressed to see this same group of women having something for the women in the shelters or low income housing that is in the same neighborhood as their church. Why? Because we as human beings have a tendency to live in our own little worlds if we are not challenged to reach out and expand our horizons.

Maybe it’s time to become more connected to people around us. The song “It’s A Small World After All” is trying to show us that though physically our world is large, when we are connected it becomes much smaller. But when we live in our own little world, we are just occupying a little space in a large world. Does that make any sense? I sure hope so.

I guess the question of the week is…”How Big/Small is your world when it comes to being connected to others through the love of our Messiah?”



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


Thursday: Sasha Brown

Our Response to His Ability

Hi ladies!

It’s been so long since I’ve written to all of you, so here’s a short update of everything that’s been going on lately in my life.

18
For starters, I turned 18 last month so that was a pretty exciting transition. It still hasn’t fully hit me that I am now legally an “adult.” When this day rolled around I originally thought that I was going to be super excited and that my whole life was going to change because now I’m an adult! However, I find myself somewhat nostalgic for times when I was a “kid.” During the past few weeks I’ve been reminiscing about my days as a kid in school, and some of the memories that I’ve grown fond of while growing up.

Job
I recently got a job and have been a member of the American workforce for about 2 weeks. LOL! Things have been great so far, and I’m learning how to handle various responsibilities, communicate with my coworkers, and grow into my own confidence.

Graduation
I am graduating in 2 weeks! I cannot wait to graduate from high school, and move into the college aspect of life. I’m really excited about the process of going off to college and meeting a ton of new people. Oh yeah, did I mention that I’m going to Messiah College and majoring in early childhood education?! Graduation is so exciting to look forward to, but I am also a little sad about leaving my friends and school community behind, because I’m so comfortable there. I am sure that none of us likes to be pushed out of our comfort zones. LOL!

GOD
So by now you’re probably wondering why I have included all of these seemingly random things in my blog? Well, all these new transitions have taught me that God is at the center of it all. This past year has shown me I really need to work on trusting God more. Sure things might seem difficult as I move into “adulthood” but what I’m seeing is that God is there. Things can be challenging at work, but I’m now realizing that God put me there for a reason. And even though I’m both excited and scared out of my mind at the idea of graduating and going college, to know that God is still there every step of the way gives me great hope for the future.

Oh, how I want grow to say, "But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.” Psalm 52: 8-9

I am beginning to learn that, in every aspect of life, I need to trust God, and it is our responsibility to respond to HIS ability. So I have just one question….are you trusting God's ability or yours?


Until next time, peace out!
Tovah


Ponnie will be back on Tuesday!

Seasons Change

Many of us are approaching the summer season and end of the general school year. So, what does that look like for us?

Well, here in the city for one it means that the rush hour traffic is cut by one third. Mass public transportation is a much better ride without all the students and their foolishness. Yay!! But it also means that many parents have to shift to a different schedule. If you are a stay-at-home mom, you have to start thinking about keeping kids entertained and giving up some of that oh so precious, “me time” when they have been at school. If you are a parent who works outside of the home, then you have to figure out where the younger kids will be during the day. Though we look forward to summer vacation, it brings with it many challenges for children who have the entire summer off. But since it comes every year, most of us know we must prepare months in advance. We know to start looking at summer camps in February if you want to make sure you snag a spot for your kids. Same goes for renting a summer home at the shore. Most college students have the good summer babysitting and mother’s helper jobs secured by April. We all know that the summer months here in the USA take on a whole new face because most schools are out.

Since we know the summer “school is out” season rolls around every year, we make sure to prepare for the changes our families will encounter. So, why is it we don’t take the same time and care to prepare for every day life? How come we are not spiritually prepared for the ups and downs of this life or should I say, “Seasonal changes?”

Yeshua (Jesus) himself tells us that there will be trials and tribulations in our lives, yet we are often not as prepared as we could be. We have a tendency to put off reading our Bibles and spending time with God, especially when our plates are full. But if we put off looking for summer camps to the last minute we would have slim pickings and might not find one at all. Then what? What do you do when you have to go to work and you have a minor child or children who must be supervised? We really don’t want to think about that, so we make sure to have our ducks in a row when the summer season rolls around. Well, truth is, we should have the same tenacity in our thinking when it comes to the Word of God by making sure we keep it before us.

Life on this earth is unpredictable to say the least. We can have so many ups and downs before it is our time to move on, we can’t even count them—many good and some not so good. But in its totality that is what life is all about. It is far from perfect and we might have one thing after another come our way some seasons. But our Messiah has told us to be of a good cheer or to have joy in all of it because He has overcome or taken care of it! Problem is we don’t keep meditating on what the Messiah has told us. We’re not reading the Old Testament which really gives us the big picture on who God is and how He operates. We are not medicating on God’s Word day and night as we are instructed. So, when we enter a season that requires us to make a huge shift in the way we do things, we become all discombobulated and out of sorts. After awhile we begin to moan and complain. But worst of all we begin to doubt God. Why? Because our minds and hearts are not as convinced of God’s sovereignty as they should be.

Sisters just as you are making preparations for the upcoming summer months, be sure to spend time making preparations for that upcoming trial, test or tribulation Yeshua has promised is going to come our way.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


Thursday: Tovah Wilson

Balancing Life plus College

Hello, Ladies from the Kitchen Table,

I know it has been a long time since I was able to write to you all. I’ve had issues with a sinus infection causing me to have a lot of migraines, vomiting, etc. Even though I was having these
symptoms, I did not let them stop me, I continued to move forward.

During my Business Communications class, my professor always talks about connectedness. Connectedness is key! Even though it is a business class, I can still use the word “connectedness” for my daily life.

My professor says that because of the advancement in technology, we are losing the essence of the face to face connection. It’s not only in the face to face connection, but also in just using the phone to call someone, for example: I know some people will not answer their phone, but will respond to a text.

Women, we do not want to lose this connectedness with God, our spouse, our children, our families, our friends, our colleagues, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors, the list
goes on and on.

Ponnie, such a sweet heart, sends me cards (not an e-card) a physical card comes to my home. That’s connectedness! Even though we are miles away from each other, I can read her card (in her own handwriting) and know that we are still connected.

Questions for you, when was the last time you visited a friend or a family member? When was the last time you had a conversation on the phone and not a conversation by text message? Think about it. I’m sure that some of you are thinking...wow I got wrapped into it that I did not realize this was happening to me. Believe me it has to me and I admit it.

I’m so glad that I’m taking this class, not only do I benefit from it, but others along the way are benefiting from it to. Meditate on this message about “connectedness”. Until next time!



Take care and many blessings,

Maria Guzman





Equilibrio de la vida más Colegio



Hola estimados de la mesa de la cocina,

Sé que ha pasado mucho tiempo desde que pude escribir a todos. He tenido problemas con
una infección nasal causándome mucha migraña, vómito, etc. A pesar de que estaba teniendo estos síntomas, no los deje detenerme, continúe avanzando.

Durante mi clase Business Communications (comunicaciones de negocio), mi profesor siempre
habla de conectividad. Conectividad es clave! A pesar de que es una clase de negocios, todavía puedo usar la palabra "conectividad" para mi vida cotidiana.

Mi profesor dice que debido a los avances en tecnología, estamos perdiendo la esencia de la
conexión de cara a cara. No sólo en la conexión de cara a cara, sino también en sólo usando el teléfono para llamar a alguien, por ejemplo: sé que algunas personas no responderá a su teléfono, pero responderán a un texto.

Las mujeres, no queremos perder esta conectividad con Dios, nuestro cónyuge, nuestros hijos,
nuestras familias, nuestros amigos, nuestros colegas, nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo, nuestros vecinos, la lista sigue.

Ponnie, tan dulce, me envía tarjetas (no tarjeas electrónicas) una tarjeta física a mi casa. Es la conexión! A pesar de que estamos lejos de sí, puedo leer su tarjeta (de su propio puño y letra) y saber que todavía estamos conectadas.

¿Pregunta para usted, cuando fue la última vez que visitó un amigo o un miembro de la familia? ¿Cuándo fue la última vez que tuvo una conversación por teléfono y no una conversación por mensaje de texto? Piensa en esto. Estoy segura de que algunas de ustedes están pensando... wow estoy tan envuelta que no me di cuenta de que esto me estaba sucediendo a mí. Créeme Me está sucediendo a mí y lo reconozco.

Me alegro mucho de que estoy tomando esta clase, no sólo me beneficio de ella, pero otros en el camino se benefician. Medita sobre este mensaje sobre la "conectividad". Hasta la próxima!



Tener cuidado y muchas bendiciones,
María

For Good or For Bad

I don’t know about any of you but, I love technology and all it has to offer, especially Facebook!

The past few months I’ve been privy to watch a friend who is blind get her new guide dog. It has been such an inspiring journey. She has posted the entire process of filling out applications and being accepted down to her travel arrangements. We live on the East coast and she had to go to San Francisco, California to get her dog, Zeb. She trained with him for 3 weeks and now they are home. But I loved her daily updates about everything they did and all the different places she got to visit (from Fisherman’s Warf to museums and so much more) so they could see how he would handle the environment and her. I am so happy to say, “He passed every day with flying colors!” They had a graduation ceremony and she got to meet the family who raised him. Pictures were taken of him and her and posed on her Facebook. Wow!! It was a lot of fun for me to be part of her amazing journey and very encouraging as I watched her trust God with each step. This was most definitely a good use of technology and Facebook.

It would be wonderful if we used all things for the good possibilities they hold, but sad to say, that is not the world we live in.

Over the past 2 or 3 years I’ve been on Facebook (joined because my teenage daughter wanted to be on) I have witnessed too many life scenarios played out for the “not so good”. Friends and family airing dirty laundry, cussing and using such foul language toward one another. Jilted women exposing all for everyone to see and read. People being unfairly and unjustly ridiculed by others…it has been a real circus at times. Personally I have unfriended people because of things like these. Why? Because I feel that a public forum such as Facebook is not the place or way to resolve conflict and it can be very one sided and unfair to say the least.

As Believers we are faced daily with making decisions as to whether or not we are going to use something we have for good or for bad. Take the tongue for instance. It can give life to a discouraged spirit with words of encouragement, or it can injure a spirit with mean and hateful words. We can use our words to lift up or use them the tear down.

When a wrong is done to us, we are faced with the decision to respond in love or respond in our flesh. Love produces that which is good; our flesh produces that which is bad.

I wish I could tell you I always choose that which is good, but I would be lying if I did. But! I have learned over the years to make certain decisions in advance. Take Facebook for instance. I have made the decision that if I can’t write something that will encourage and inspire then I don’t need to respond on other’s posts. I also like to make people laugh or join in on the merriment of others. And I’m very careful about being pulled in controversial topics. This before hand decision has helped me immensely to stay out of others business and not always address things people write on my posts. In other words, I have decided to take the good that Facebook has to offer and stay as far away from the bad as possible.

Bottom line for me—with each passing year no let me rephrase that, with each passing day; I’m learning more and more to try and look for the good in everything and everyone. Have I found this to be easy? No...not always. But the days I mess up still doesn’t stop me from forging on.

Sisters, what choices do you make in life? Do you chose that which is good and full of life, or are you one who for whatever reasons seems to always seek out that which is bad and leads to death?

The Lord tells us in no uncertain terms what is good and what is bad—what gives life and what brings death. And He also makes our choice a “no brainer” by telling us to be wise and choose that which is good and gives life.

So, my dear sisters, what are the things you put your hands to going to be for?



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


Thursday: Maria Guzman is back with great inspiration and encouragement! English & Español

Change Is Coming to the Kitchen Table

My dear sisters, I have been trying my very best to keep the daily blog going (mostly by myself) for the past 6 months, and it is just been too much! But I wouldn’t give up because I wasn’t sure what God had to say about it, and until I had clarity on what His stance was, I have forged on.

With the publishing of my new website: SingleParentsCanHomeschoolToo.com, I have felt split in my time and writing, and the end result has been I’ve lacked excellence in the blog, my eBook and website. Not good!

I really need to focus my attention and efforts into updating my website and preparing for a homeschool workshop I have scheduled on May 25th with the Free Library of Philadelphia.

The Kitchen Table’s premise was to have a group of women from different walks of life writing daily blogs. But, as with all things, “life unscripted” happened to most of our writers and they found themselves no longer having the time to write. I’ve tried my best to fill in and keep it going until we could get another group this summer to start writing, but it’s not working out the way I had hoped. So, with prayer and seeking the Lord about this dilemma, I know that it is time to work on getting the message out that homeschooling is a viable option for many who don’t think it is. Therefore it is impossible for me to continue to do a daily blog at this time.

The blog will now be posted twice a week—Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am hoping to have guest writers for Thursdays, and I will write the Tuesday blogs. Keep us in prayer.

I don’t want to give up writing the blog, because believe it or not there have many days when I started out to encourage you, but ended up encouraging me! ~Smile~

So, mark your calendars—Tuesdays and Thursdays—read the Kitchen Table blog!!



Love & Hugs
Ponnie

See you tomorrow!

Mother's Day

Repost from May 2010....enjoy!!!

Mother's Day stirs up many different emotions in us. My own mother passed away from a heart attack at a relatively early age, but I think of her every day. I can still see her laughing until the tears rolled down her cheeks. She had a great joy for life and showered us kids and my Dad with her love. How I adored her!

Yet, I never had the desire to have children of my own and I knew from an early age that it was not part of my destiny. Little did I know how God would someday bless me with children all over the world. He called me into a ministry to equip children in Africa how to share their faith with family and friends. I've been blown away by God's amazing grace, seeing children coming to faith in Jesus and then leading others to faith in Him.

My journey started about ten years ago when I went to Kenya for a few months. The first time I knew that this is exactly where the Lord wanted me to be, was when I was sitting in the Church of the Good Shepherd on Ngong Road, just opposite the cemetery. It was a steaming hot day and I sat by a window towards the middle of the crowded church. A little boy climbed over a few pews and quietly came and sat right next to me. He softly leaned against my arm and just stayed there the whole time. I found it so reassuring. His parents waved from back of the church and they were as surprised by his unexpected welcome to a stranger.

Never will I forget in Lira, Northern Uganda, torn by civil war when Ruth, a 12-year-old girl came to faith in Jesus and brought her family to church. Through her witness her mother, father, brother and two sisters came to faith in Jesus. Then in November a few years ago in Southern Sudan our village came under an aerial bomb attach and I can still see the fear and confusion in the expressive brown eyes of Wajo. I held him in my arms and prayed for his protection always. Thankfully the bomb attacks have ceased in that area. I still sometimes lay awake in my bed at night thinking of the children there and praying for their safety.

I have seen the devastating effect of Aids in Africa and it breaks my heart to visit some orphanages where 80% of the children are HIV positive. The only consolation I have is knowing that Jesus went to prepare a place in Heaven for them, and by trusting in Him alone, they can all know for sure that they will be with Him in Heaven some day.

We were doing training in Mwanza, Tanzania, on the banks of Lake Victoria, and I had been away from home for a long time and I felt very lonely as I walked down a dirt road in a remote rural area. Then suddenly I felt a small hand reaching out to me. A little boy from the village down the road came and took my hand and said: "I walk with you, yes?" He seemed like a little angel to me. I took his hand and we went strolling down the road. Times like this I will never forget.... What a wonderful, loving Heavenly Father we have. He shows His love for us in such tender, loving ways.

When people ask me: "How many children do you have?" I hesitate to answer and think to myself, I really don't know exactly how many. But I do know that motherhood is a noble calling and I sure take my hat off to all mothers who sacrifice so much for their children. One of the greatest gifts a mother can give her children is to lovingly lead them to faith in Jesus.

Tovah and I (Ponnie) prayed with all our hearts that God would bless us with friends as we were preparing to go to Tennessee for a week to become an ordained missionary and be accepted to join the PEF (Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship) Missions. Tovah’s friend was named Lydia, and mine turned out to be Elise. She was and currently still is a member of the PEF family. She was as refreshing as a cool glass of water or a very hot day. Her warm and friendly manner was just what I needed, because I felt so out of place in a predominantly Caucasian Southern group of people and when she walked up to me and introduced herself I knew she was God’s answer. That was almost 7 years ago and though she lives in Florida and we don’t get to see each other much (which is going to change) she is a dear friend and a woman who loves the Lord and all He has to offer.

If you would like to know more about Elise Stimpson go to pefministry.org. You will also be able to send her support or tax deductable donations through the PEF Mission.

The picture below is of Elise and her husband Steven.



With many blessing and love,
Elise Stimpson



Ponnie will be back on Monday

Where's My Present?!

Repost from May 2010


I'm sure that we have all seen numerous ads for the perfect Mother's Day gift for this upcoming Sunday. Every magazine has some section titled, "Show Mom How Much You Care!" or "The Perfect Gift to Show Her What She Means to You!" These messages can send most of our minds into a whirlwind when trying to answer this single question, "What’s the one material thing that can embody everything that my mom has done for me throughout my life?" Now you may be thinking, "Hey, that's a really weird way to say it," but isn't that essentially what we are looking for? Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure mom will greatly appreciate that necklace you bought just for her, or the restaurant that you are taking her to for lunch, but how can one action or item show our moms how thankful we are for what they've given us?

Personally, my mom doesn't make a very big deal out of Mother's Day. She feels that every day is Mother's Day *smile* and my sister and I have no obligation to do anything for her on this day. My mom is the type of person who is always happy to receive cash, so that is her usual present LOL!! But the present that she asks for every year is really quite simple, yet I don't always give it to her. Do you know what that is? RESPECT! That's right, Aretha Franklin wrote a song about it, and that is what my mom wants. R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Now, have you ever disrespected your mother? If you answered no then can you please send me your tips on how to be a perfect daughter? LOL!! But seriously, we all have those times where it seems like all our mom wants to do is nag us, or say things really loudly because apparently we are deaf? Perhaps as a mother you have experienced those times when it feels like your child is not listening to you, and you tend to get really frustrated? Well, the Bible tells us a little something that can help us through this kind of situation.

Okay, stick with me here. I'm gonna remind us all of a verse that we all may not want to hear right now, but it does pertain to the point. Exodus 20:12 says "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Did you know that this is one of the 10 commandments? God was not kidding when He told us to honor our parents. He commands us to do so that we may live a long life. When Mother's Day is around the corner the media is bombarding us with ideas for the so-called perfect gift, but do the titles ever read, "Give Mom Respect, She Deserves It!" I challenge you find one media title that is posed this way and, if you can, please send it to me.

Don't' get me wrong, it's definitely great to get mom the bracelet she wants, or to take her out for a night on the town. Just remember to give her the love and respect that she deserves each and every day. I hope that you all will have a great Mother's Day, spent with the ones you love.


Until next time,
Tovah

Friday's Blog: Elise Stimpson is a very special guest who will be joining us on Friday. She is a missionary who teaches children how to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please be sure to stop by and visit with her.

Ponnie will be back on Monday!

Looking Back

Repost from May 2010...enjoy!

Hello Folks,

What can I say about my mom? I love her very much! My mother is a character and some times she drives me batty. She will always be my mother but she has not yet realized that she is no longer “mommy”; some of you understand exactly what I mean. The thing is I do understand where she is coming from. You see she raised four children by herself, without any real support system. My dad left when I was 2, leaving her to be the sole caretaker of me, a 3 year old, a 6 year old and a 7 year old. Now please hear me I am not down on my dad, he is in my life now and has apologized for the past, forgiveness has taken place and he is now a great dad and Pop- Pop (but this is not Father’s Day, LOL). As I raise my kids with all sorts of support from Brian, my mom, mother in law, sisters and friends, I look back on the lack of support my mom had.

With both her parents being dead and one sister who was struggling to raise her 5 children, mom did not have a consistent team of people, if you will, to rally behind her and encourage her. I would hear the occasional comment from a neighbor complimenting her on how clean and neat she kept us. If you knew what we grew up around you would understand how much of a big deal that was. How did she do it? I mean, how did she manage to raise us with out losing her mind. Now there were days when I was younger that I thought,”mom has lost her mind!” There are days when I think that about myself! Yeah mom hollered at times and administered the rod of correction, she would even say those mom saying like, “Don’t make me call you twice.” Now why would I want to make her call me twice I did not want her to call me at all! But all in all she kept it together, she kept us together. I guess between the occasional comments and her faith in God she was able to stand and do what she had to do.

As I bring this to a close I want to share a memory that has made a lasting impact on my life. Because of sickness and being clumsy I had quite a few trips to the emergency room. I also saw lots of different doctors. One time in my life because of eczema my hair fell out. I was so embarrassed that I never wanted to take my hat off. When I did I was teased by the kids in my school. My mom did everything she could to help it grow back including taking me to a Trichologist to get treatments. I was the only person in my class who even knew what that was. Okay for those of you who are saying, “What?” It is a hair and scalp doctor. That’s not the part however that made the difference it was the trip to Gimbles, a department store that is no longer in existence (oh my I am dating myself). At Gimbles she bought me the prettiest hair pins and other hair decorations. I loved them and wore them proudly. I don’t remember if the teasing stopped but I do know that I went to school feeling beautiful and special.

As I reminisce on all that I’ve written I realize that pride and arrogance has no place in raising my children. I am only living off of the example that has been set for me. Thank You God for mom and all that she has done. Let’s pray. Father we thank you for being moms. What a wonderful gift you have given to us. We praise You for both the successes and the failures we have experienced. As we care for our children we commit to living a life of humility before You, for your word instructs us to humble ourselves under Your mighty hand. We resist every spirit of pride. Thank you God for everything You’ve done for us. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Until next time…



Hugs and Kisses,
Cheryl


Thursday's Blog: Tovah's up

A Mother's Love

Repost from May 2010...enjoy!

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I am tasked to write this month about a mother’s love. I must be honest...this has been one of the hardest blogs for me to write so far. For days, I have been thinking about what I wanted to write about...even prayed that God would give me the right words to say...but nothing came to mind. As much as I love my children, Zachary and Mali, I simply could not determine what to talk about!

Do I talk about the day that they came into my life and changed me forever? Do I discuss the day that I met each of them and instantly fell in love with them? Or should I discuss the day that each of their adoptions became final and how emotional I felt when the judge officially made me their mother?

They are 13 and 15 now...maybe I will write and reflect about the infant and toddler years. How happy I was when they said their first words or how proud I was the first time that they rolled over, began to crawl and took their first steps. The kids love for me to tell them stories of when they were “little”. I thank God for all of those memories and for the chance to experience each one of them. So many milestones achieved during those early years...too many to put into a blog...

So what do I talk about?

Maybe I will talk about their school years. More major milestones achieved! I can remember how emotional I was the first time I dropped Zachary off at his Kindergarten class. I am sitting here and I am reminded of how, after many struggles in Kindergarten, Mali finally realized that she could read and how my heart swelled with joy. I have to smile when I think about the numerous violin and band concerts, PTA performances, dance recitals and how, no matter how many kids were there, I only saw mine. (I loved to see their faces light up when they saw me in the crowd.) Even now...I tear up ever time I see Mali dance...she is so graceful...more than I will ever be. And to this day, I think Zachary is by far the BEST alto sax player in his band...I’m just saying. *smile*

All of those things are great…but they don’t really talk about a mother’s love, do they?

Let’s see...maybe I will talk about the sacrifices of a mother to show a mother’s love.
The nights that I didn’t sleep because I chose to sit up all night holding Zachary up during his bouts with asthma and bronchitis just so he could stop coughing and get some sleep...or the nights that I walked back and forth to Mali’s room just to make sure she wasn’t having a seizure. The many nights staying in a hospital room on the pediatric ward...the many doctor’s appointments. The decision not to date in order to protect their hearts and to spend more time with them. Not buying that Coach purse because the kids needed new shoes. Taking trips to Disney World and buying LOTS of souvenirs when I would have much rather gone on an adult trip to the Caribbean....I’m STILL making sacrifices for one or the other, year after year!!! (But they will only be kids once, right?) *smile*

All examples of a mother’s love...but I wouldn’t dare write about those experiences because I don’t want to come across as complaining. You see, even though I made those sacrifices for them....I am thankful for the opportunity and I would do it all over again...so, I won’t write about them.

I know...I know...maybe, I will talk about a mother’s love and the power of a praying mother. Maybe I will talk about the countless hours of praying for them to be healed...and once they were healed, praying that God would keep them healthy. Perhaps I should talk about how I begin to pray the minute they walk out the door to go to school for their protection or that they will make good decisions while they are there, the many prayers that they will pass their test or that a friend (or foe) won’t hurt their feelings today. I’ve prayed many times to parent them effectively so that they will grow to be a strong, successful, Christian man and woman. And I’ve prayed about the many times that I may not have parented them so effectively. Seems like so much of my day is spent praying for my babies....but maybe I won’t write about that because isn’t that what a mother is supposed to do.

Maybe I will talk about the pain of a mother’s love. Last night on the news they reported that a mother’s son was found after missing since Jan. 31st. His truck and body were recovered from a lake behind the college that he attended as a freshman. I cry because I have babies too and I can only imagine her pain. It’s a mother’s love that makes you cry when you hear of another mother’s pain...

Hmmm...maybe I should talk about how even while writing this blog, the tears begin to flow...because I am so thankful for my babies.

Sigh...I’m so frustrated. I love my children more than anything...they are two of the greatest people that I have in my life. As I said before, I love the fact that God chose me to be their mother and I thank Him everyday for the opportunity to parent them and yet, I can’t figure out not one thing to write about to express that love.... HELP!



Until the next time,
Sasha

Wednesday's Blog: Cheryl...being raised by a single mom

They Always Seem to Have a Song

This past weekend I was awaken Saturday and Sunday by a bird singing its heart out before 6am. I didn't mind so much Saturday, but by Sunday morning I felt myself becoming annoyed with all the noise it was making—Errrr, I wanted to sleep in a little bit! But then it hit me, this is God’s creature and it seems to be very happy that it is alive. Also, it was sitting on top of utility wires, in the back of the house were there are no trees. So, not only has this bird taken up residency in the not so plush back alley, it has a great song to sing. Wow! That made me think about us as God’s children and how we don’t sing and praise Him so much through the hard and lean times.

There are huge trees right outside my door, yet this bird loves singing in the back where there are no trees. I have owned a couple of parakeets over the years and found that birds are very social creatures, whether they are domestic or free. Years ago, I lived on the top floor of a five story brownstone which had a back balcony off my kitchen. One day while preparing breakfast, I head a bird singing and I wasn’t familiar with the sound it was making and when I peeked out the door, it was a bluebird. They are here in the city of Philadelphia, but you don’t see them that often. I stood there and he sang for me. I remember feeling so blessed by that. Well, he started coming every day as long as it didn’t rain and he would sit in the tree across from me and sing until I came to the door. He did this from the spring until the fall of that year.

Birds are not only social they mate for life. When they are flying south in the fall, if a bird is sick or becomes injured the mate and one other bird will leave the flock and stay with them until it’s able to fly again or dies. The two left will join another flock going by.

God put such creativity and beauty into creating his birds, and made such provision for them from the very beginning—just as He has for us. But the one difference between them is…they don’t complain. They don’t feel sorry for themselves and they have a song in their hearts to sing each day. Wow….we can learn so much from them.

You know what? I want to be like that bird who sings in the back of my house. I want to be able to sing God’s praises no matter what is going on in my life. I want to have a song at all times for God. I want to be content with plenty or with a little. And most of all I want to believe with all my heart what Yeshua (Jesus) tells us in Matthew 6:25-26, 25“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (NLT)

Do you wake up in the morning with a song of praise in your heart, or are you plagued with worry, doubt and unbelief? Do you grumble because it's Monday? It’s one thing to sing because we’re happy, but it sure is something else to sing when times are hard.



Love & Hugs
Ponnie

In honor of Mother's Day (USA) this upcoming Sunday, the next 4 blogs will be reposted blogs from our 2week Mother's Day special in 2010. Enjoy!

Tomorrow: Sasha Brown: A single mom of 2 adoptive children

The Love of a Teacher

This blog first posted February 10, 2010

Teacher….one that teaches; especially : one whose occupation is to instruct

I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, right after wanting to be a ballerina and a princess of course. I grew up admiring the numerous teachers that I knew and also admiring my mom since I was homeschooled. Teaching seemed like a dream job to me. At first my thinking was, “You get to be the boss and everyone has to listen to you!” But as I grew older I realized that teaching is huge responsibility because you are instructing and molding the minds of others.

One of the major things that I LOVE about my school is how caring the teachers are. Pretty much any teacher is willing to help you outside of class, they all offer free tutoring, and they give you their personal phone numbers and email addresses in case you need to reach them. I love that they are all willing to go the extra mile to ensure that you succeed. My teachers demonstrate on a daily basis how much they love and care for us and want us to be the best students that we can be.

Job 36:22 says “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?” God is the greatest instructor that we could ever have. God shows us how to live in His image everyday, and He is constantly testing us on what we know. I don’t know about you, but I have probably failed most of those tests. That’s why He left us a lesson plan for our lives, The Bible. Yeshua (Jesus) is also referred to as “teacher” numerous times throughout the New Testament. God sent Yeshua down to earth to teach us that we could not reach the Father but through Him. God is our ultimate teacher and I hope that we are all improving our grades on a daily basis.

However, there’s a big difference between our schools and God’s school. While you may be a bright intellectual and excel in a certain area, but in God’s school of learning you can’t skip a grade. You may have to redo a lesson 10 times before you get it right. You may be spiritually in the 10th grade for six years if that’s what it takes for you to grow to where God wants you to be. There is no easy way out when it comes to what God wants us to learn, but I for one cannot wait until our eternal “graduation” when we can sit before the throne of God and know that we have pleased our Father.

As I am now looking at colleges, I have all intentions to major in early childhood education. I aspire to be as great a teacher as my teachers have been to me. God has instilled a love of children into my heart and I cannot wait to be a teacher. Even at the school where I internship now, I lovingly refer to the children as “my kids.” Have you thanked some of your past teachers for the influence that they have had on your life? Have you taken the time to thank your head instructor, God, for the lessons that He has instilled in you? Why not take a moment to let them know that they are appreciated.

I am happy to report that Tovah is graduating from high school June 2nd and leaving for college August 25th!



Until next time...Love ya,
Tovah


Monday's Blog: Ponnie


The picture is: Tovah and Blanca of the singing group, "Group 1 Crew" at the 2009 Philadelphia "Revolve Tour"

Sometimes It Takes Years

There’s a part of my life that is very exciting right now. And it all has to do with a personal promise that God made to me almost 19 years ago.

When I found out that I was pregnant at the age of 39, not married and in the Church—fear said, “You must have an abortion!” But God and His love through others said, “Trust Me. I will not fail you.”

I was a baby Christian and I really had no point of reference what it meant to trust God? I didn’t know God and His ways. I knew of Him, but I didn’t have a clue as to who He really was. So, to agree to trust Him was a huge step for me. And in the beginning there were days along the way that I thought I had made the wrong decision. But I didn’t, because over the years I have learned that He is trustworthy and He is faithful!

It has been a long and rough road being a single mom at 40 and raising a child according to God’s blueprint for her life. I’ve had to make many sacrifices along the way. Please don’t misunderstand and think I’m trying to say, I have done so much more than anyone else. This is not the case. I know that all parents make sacrifices for their children. I’m just talking about the things that God asked of me. We did not live what is considered the normal route of life. We did full time missions, homeschooled, part-time missions, homeschooled and more. And all along the way, God has kept telling me to “Trust Him!”

When Tovah was around 5 years old, the Holy Spirit told me one day that she would be a teacher. Okay, we all love it when we receive something like that from God! And it is exciting when He lets you in on his plans—but as life moves on, we can begin to doubt. But I say, “Continue to believe!” As the years progressed and there was no college fund, let alone a savings of any kind, I knew that God was going to have to do something out of the ordinary for us. And He did!

Tovah’s move in date for college is August 25, 2011. She was awarded a full tuition honors and leadership scholarship at a Christian College. Through various grants her room and board and books have been covered. In an economy where jobs are hard to come by, (especially summer jobs for students) she started a part-time retail job this week and she still has a few more weeks before she graduates from high school.

I am so proud of God and Tovah—God because apart from Him, none of this would be happening and He has taught me how faithful He is, and Tovah because she is following God’s vision for her life. Her major is Early Childhood Education.

As I look back over the years and the many hard times we’ve experienced, I can now see how it all played a part in God’s master plan for Tovah’s life. How only He can get the credit for all that is unfolding.

Sisters, I want you to be encouraged and faint not when it comes to the promises of God. It may take years for things to come into play, but we must wait for God’s perfect timing. When you think about the promises He made to Abraham. Abraham never got to see all of them come to fruition—yet, he “believed God” and it was counted as righteousness to him. (Read Genesis)

Maybe you are one who is becoming tired and weary because it seems that nothing changes and life is just so hard all the time. I’m a living witness to tell you to not give up on God. He is faithful! And His plan for us does not always mean life will be easy. I can tell you for sure that the great promise He made to me when asking me not to have an abortion, never included the word “easy”.

God loves us, so very much that He sent His only begotten son (Yeshua/Jesus) so that we can have eternal life. And He didn’t stop there! He also sent His Holy Spirit to live within us so that we would experience the comfort and peace of the Lord until our Messiah’s return.

It has taken almost 19 years for me to see what God had promised me to bloom into the flower that it’s becoming. It was years of Him weeding, tilling the soil, and sending others to plant seed and water it for Him. It has been a along haul, but He has never failed me once in all those years.
Sisters, sometimes it take years for it to all come together and while we wait on the Lord, He ask that we not become weary and trust Him.



Love & Hugs

See you tomorrow!

Men and Women Do Make Great Friends!

This first posted September 1, 2010.

Contrary to popular belief – men and women can be just friends. I’m not talking about that kind of stuff where someone has been a lover and now you want to remain friends and become friends of the new girlfriend or the new boyfriend. That is a worldly concept and a bunch of mess. I’m talking about two who belong to God. Let me say that again, “Two who belong to God!”

I have a friend who is like a brother to me. We’ve known each other about 13 years and have been friends for close to 11 of those 13 years. And, “No” we have never been romantically involved and “No” he is not gay! But what he is, is a man of God. He just doesn’t say he’s is, he lives it. And that is very important my dear sisters. I want to share a little about our relationship (yes, I have his blessing) because we have lived out a great godly love for one another. And if we can do this, so can others because we all serve the same God whose desire is for us to live a holy life unto Him.

We’ll call him Jim. When I first met Jim it was in a Christian environment. We kept running into each other around other people and I could see that there was something different about him. For one, he was single had a lot going on for himself and yet he seemed to be oblivious to the women that kept circling like vultures because they deemed him, “a good catch.” He was too cool to be gay, so what was it about this guy? What I saw was the anointing on his life. And without a spiritual eye, you would have just thought it was his natural persona. ~Smile~

As time went on our friendship just sort of happened. No dates, no fantasies, no crushes, it just happened. So sorry if you thought there might be some romance in my story, because we all know that I love to write stories. In fact I consider myself to be a great storyteller, but today my dear sisters; I want you to get this in the reality of which it lives.

The first time we hung out was at a computer show, and Tovah was with us. It was just friends hanging out. I knew several people who knew him and they vouched for him as a man of valor with a heart for God. I didn’t meet him and then have to try to guess who he was so. I was privy to the inside track. Why? Because God would not have any of us to be deceived. Remember we have an enemy who is a great deceiver, just read what Eve had to say about him. Plus Tovah was used to being around him already through a school and church environment.

As time passed we began to hangout more and more, especially after he found out that I was a woman of discretion and not desperate for a man. See, I wasn’t trying to hook him—at all! He didn’t have the luxury of people vouching for me and my character; he had to wait to see who I really was.

Let me fast forward and sum it all up for you. Over the years we have been to the movies umpteen times with and without Tovah, car trips, all different aspects of live theater, play cards at my house, eat out, eat in (at my place) and just a lot of hanging out. We do fireworks most 4th of Julys, and a host of other fun stuff. But it is just that, plain fun. Most of the time we are impromptu with things we do, sometimes tickets are purchased in advance and also forgotten…LOL!! And we have a great love and respect for one another. And best of all, Tovah has been able to witness the gift of our friendship. She knows without a doubt that men and women can be “just” friends. And I can’t leave out the best part of our relationship and that is he has the gift of helps and he has been very instrumental in helping me over the years in ministry. It is nothing for him to help me pickup women who need to be rescued or take them places they need to go. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to help me and there are no strings attached to his love for me and Tovah. Yeah, it is the pure love that Timothy talks about…treat older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (see Timothy 5: 1-3 NIV). And the flip side of that coin is that I treat him as a brother with absolute purity. The purity that Timothy speaks of is “Purity of heart” and that is what we have toward each other and our relationship.

On thing I have learned over the years, and that is most people do not believe that a heterosexual male and a female can just be friends, “No”, not even in the Church do they just let you be friends. You get questions like, “Well, what’s going on with you and Jim?” Or I loved it when I had a new girlfriend and one day when we were just hanging out and having fun, she asked out of the blue, “What’s wrong with Jim?” I’m like, “What?” “You know, what’s the story, how come you two haven’t hooked up?” It was too funny, but it was also sort of the straw that broke the camel's back for me. So, now I always refer to him as my brother with people who don’t already know him. That way folks hear me talk about “my brother” and when they met him (we don’t look like we are related) that’s when I share that he is my brother in the Lord. Well, by then they don’t have any preconceived ideas or notions about us because they only heard “my brother”.

Sisters, the key to having a male friend in the Lord is that you are not searching for him. You are not one who is desperate for a man or to be married. As Elisabeth Elliot says, “A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to seek Him in order to find her.” Stop listening to a world racked with sin as to how your life should be. Don’t allow the well meaning sisters in the church who keep saying dumb things like, “We gotta get you married” or push you to feel desperate or unhappy about your position as a single (unmarried) woman. STOP listening to the voices! Learn to be content in your season of life. Now my situation is unique because we are both destined to be single, but I have friends who are married, that had the same type of friendship with their husbands before marriage. In fact one of my friend’s was having such a good time living the life God had given her as a single woman that when her husband asked her to marry him, she wasn’t sure she wanted to get married? God had to tell her, “He’s the one.”

I have been very blessed to have my friend “Jim” and that my daughter thinks of him as an uncle after all these years, but don’t take that I’m telling you to bring men into the lives of your children. In fact, I warn you very strongly to be very careful about that. It takes time to get to know people, and never rush into anything with anyone. A friend of mine shared that her pastor preaches that single women with children when being courted should spend a year of courtship before ever bringing their children into the relationship. And when I think about that, it makes an awful lot of sense to me. Sometimes as single moms, women are too quick to try to have some type of family and jump to incorporate men into their lives and the lives of their children. This is not good sisters. Why? Because you are to never intentionally let a wolf into the hen house. Why? Because he will destroy them. And Jesus warns us that there are wolves in sheep’s clothing “deceivers” and we are to be aware.

Today I wanted to share how you can be just friends with the opposite sex, but there is a criteria for it to work. First your heart must belong to God, and you are trustworthy. Meaning, you won’t drop God like a hot potato when a man comes a calling. And you will take things slow, allowing God to order your steps and be willing to walk where He leads. There are times when friendships turn into love and marriage, and then there are times when friendships just continue to grow in the realm of friends.

Sisters, God is in control and when we let go of the reigns, step back and allow Him to be God, life has the potential for the sky to be the limit!



Love & Hugs

See you tomorrow