Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings instead of your crosses; Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes; Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears; Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean; Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth; Count on God instead of yourself.

--Author Unknown--
AMEN

Your day in court

After living what I felt was a 'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end.

The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.

The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.

As I looked around I saw the 'prosecutor.'

He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.

I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.

The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes.

He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.

As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, 'Let us begin.'

The prosecutor rose and said,

'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this woman belongs in hell.'

He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank.

I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.

As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not Offering any form of defense at all.

I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done?

Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This woman belongs in hell, she is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.'

When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.

As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty.

I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus
representing me, my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Hi, Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.

'Satan was correct in saying that this woman had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this woman deserves to be punished.'

Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and she has accepted Me as her
Savior, so she is Mine.'

My Lord continued with, 'Her name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch her from Me.

Satan still does not understand yet. This woman is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'

As Jesus sat down,

He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said,
'There is nothing else that needs to be done.'

'I've done it all.'

The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips..

'This woman is free.'

The penalty for her has already been paid in full.

'Case dismissed.'

As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one.' I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'

Christ lovingly smiled and said,

'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,

~Paid In Full~

'Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!'

author unknown

A STRONG CHRISTIAN

What makes me weak? MY FEARS.
What makes me whole? MY GOD.
What keeps me standing? MY FAITH.
What makes me compassionate? MY selflessness.
What makes me honest? MY INTEGRITY.
What sustains my mind? MY QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE.
What teaches me all lessons? MY MISTAKES.
What lifts my head high? MY PRIDE, NOT ARROGANCE.
What if I can't go on? NOT AN OPTION.
What makes me victorious? MY COURAGE TO CLIMB AND FAITH IN GOD.
What makes me competent? MY CONFIDENCE.
What makes me beautiful? MY EVERYTHING.
What makes me a man/woman? MY HEART.
Who says I need love? I DO.
What empowers me? MY GOD.
Who am I? I AM A STRONG CHRISTIAN.
...author unknown, taken from "The Flame" bulletin at my church, Bethesda Temple.

When It's Time to Quit

"It's ok to Quit....." By Motivational Speaker - Veraunda Jackson and shared by my cousin Alice Clark.


1. Quit arguing with people about the same old foolishness! Respect their position and keep it moving!
2. Quit telling people your secrets when you know they are not going to keep them! And if you keep telling them, then quit getting mad when they tell your secrets!
3. Quit trying to pull people on your journey who don't want to travel with you. Either they believe in you and value you....or they don't!
4. Quit complaining about things you can't and won't change!
5. Quit gossiping about other people! Minding our own business should be a full time job!
6. Quit blaming each other for things that in the big picture aren't going to matter three weeks from now! Talk solutions...and then implement them!
7. Quit eating things you know are not good for you! If you can't quit...eat smaller portions!
8. Quit buying things when we know we can't afford them! If you don't have self control, then quit going to the stores! Quit charging things, especially when you don't NEED them!
9. Quit staying in unhealthy relationships! It is not okay for people to verbally or physically abuse you! So quit lying to yourself! It is not okay to stay in the marriage for the children! Ask them and they will tell you that they really would prefer to see you happy and that the misery you and your spouse/partner are living with is affecting them!
10. Quit letting family members rope you into the drama! -Start telling them you don't want to hear it! Quit spreading the drama! Quit calling other relatives and telling them about your cousin or aunt! Go back to #5 minding your own business should be enough to keep you busy!
11. Quit trying to change people! IT DOESN'T WORK! Quit cussing people out when you know that they are just being the miserable and jealous people that they are!
12. Quit the job you hate! Start pursuing your passion. Find the job that fuels your passion BEFORE you quit!
13. Quit volunteering for things that you aren't getting any personal fulfillment from anymore! Quit volunteering for things and then failing to follow through with your commitment!
14. Quit listening to the naysayers! Quit watching the depressing news if you are going to live in the doom and gloom of it all!
15. Quit making excuses about why you are where you are or why you can't do what you want to do!
16. Quit waiting on others to give you the answers...and start finding the answers for yourself! If what you are doing isn't working for you...then quit it!
17. Quit settling and start making your dreams a reality!- Quit being afraid and START LIVING YOUR LIFE! CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT!
If you want something different than what you have had in the past...you must quit doing what you have done before and DO something different!
JUST QUIT IT ...... and START DOING something to create the experience you want!

What I've Got To Tell

Some of you have been reading my newsletters for almost two years. Others have been on board for a few months. I’ve shared blessings in my life, funny moments, or heart-wrenching events (such as my grandma’s dying months or my son’s horrific car accident last year). Despite the remnants of the crash scene, he has recovered and is wearing God’s tattoo on his arm to prove he survived.

A while back, I remember saying, “Lord, I want to see a miracle.” When I reflected on my request, I thought uh oh. Basically, I asked God for a testimony that is the result of a test or a miracle: a healing, a blessing, or saving our lives. Since we are big mouthed people by nature, we’ve got to tell somebody about something that happened. Hint. Here’s what I’ve got to tell:

In the September newsletter, I shared a story about how God could spared me from harm. This month, God intervened on Jared, my son’s behalf, again.
Simi, who lives on campus fifteen minutes from the house (yeah, I know it’s not far enough), decided to spend the weekend at home. Jared is an asthmatic and has suffered from bronchitis since he was diagnosed at the age of two. We lugged a portable nebulizer machine everywhere Jared went. His treatment plan called for him to inhale a solution mixed with albuterol two to four times a day. Recently, I told him, "Unless the Lord has healed you, you need to be under a doctor's care." This was my advice since he wasn’t taking any medicine. Since I'm mom and don't know what I’m medically talking about, he paid me no mind.

O-k-a-y. Fast forward some weeks. I’m away on a book tour when Jared comes home after work and goes to bed. He kept waking up every half hour because he couldn't breathe. The interruptions stretched until 2 am. He finally told Simi he needed to go to Walgreen’s, but he ended in the emergency room. Thank God she happened to be "spending the night," otherwise he would have had to dial 911.
By the time Simi got him to the hospital, his breathing was labored. The intake nurse knew he was in trouble when he could barely talk. They rushed him into a room and began treatment. The physician told him his heart was pumping much too fast and diagnosed him with asthma with acute exacerbation.
The testimony is Jared is still alive. Can you imagine returning home and finding your child (I don’t care if he is 24 years old) dead?

Am I over-reacting? I don't think so. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 4,000 people die from asthma each year. Twenty four percent are African Americans. In conclusion, testimonies are always followed by the ‘what ifs.’ What if my daughter wasn’t at home? What if Jared had already moved into his apartment? What if I had been home, would I have known something was wrong? What if? Need I say more? I’ll take a testimony over a tragedy any day.

Food for Thought

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.
When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.
The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you. Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.
...on the flipside.

A friend of mine sent me this e-mail as a joke, then I realized some people may not steal, but make a presumptuous bad move and figure God will forgive them later. Hmmm, now I'm praying for more patience!
***When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and asked him to forgive me**

My testimony

Last Friday afternoon, hours before my book release party, I drove my husband’s truck to Hancock’s Fabrics. I frequent the store often. As I got out and locked my door, the Lord spoke to me, “Watch the girls.”
A few cars away, on my right, there was a group of ladies getting into a car. They looked harmless, so I continued on to the entrance, but I picked up my pace, glancing over my shoulder a couple of times.
Once inside, I forgot all about the warning. I purchased the one thing I came for—a spool of thread to finish an outfit.
As I walked out, I saw another young woman, perhaps in her twenties, walking across the parking lot a good distance away from me. She wasn’t necessarily coming my way, but I faintly heard her say, “Excuse me.” I guess to get my attention and wait for her to come to me or me to approach her.

The Lord told me to run. I ignored the woman, unlocked the car from my hand remote and ran, not knowing the woman had begun chasing me. I got in, locked the door without waiting for the automatic lock. Thank God the truck started up right away. It’s not unusual for the truck’s engine to stall. Within seconds, the woman’s body slammed against my driver’s door. Since the woman wasn’t very close to me, she had to run at bionic speed to cause the force of her impact.

As my heart thumped against my chest, I sped away, peeling rubber. I didn’t stop until I had drove off the lot. Afterward, the Lord spoke again and let me know the woman meant me “no good.” She planned to harm me, but God spared my life. I don’t know if it would have been by knife or gun, but I would surely have been hospitalized AND MISSED MY BOOK RELEASE PARTY! Seriously, I thought about the passage of scripture pertaining to the devil looking for a prey. 1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

I continue to reflect on that incident and praise God that I’m alive and safe. I was sober and not on a cell phone, and most importantly, as a daily ritual, I never leave my house without anointing my head with Holy Oil. My cup runneth over, surely that day goodness and mercy did follow me.
Jesus says His sheep knoweth His voice. I’m grateful that I listened.
Be blessed and thanks for reading.
Pat