She Can She Do 17: Planning the Dream

I know a man, who lives for his vacations. All the other days of his life only exist to make money for the three months that he takes off each year. These are the three months that he is truly alive. Many of us live the same monotonous routine. We may not vacation for three months, but we suffer through our work week and then we come alive on the weekends. But we are supposed to have more--

What I have seen to be good is for one to eat, to drink, and to enjoy all her labor under the sun all the days of her life which God gives her (Eccl 5:18). So, let's learn how to live the life we really want; how to recreate our mindset; how to become the type of woman whose dreams come true; how to hear what God says about our destiny; and how to become active and free inside the dream.

It begins with us figuring out exactly what it is that we want. It it to be famous, to be rich, to change the lives of children through the arts, to be free and enjoy our work, to bring smiles to faces, to build something that matters both privately and professionally with our mates, . . . only you know what you want. And God knows when you are being honest about it and what you truly need. The two of you need to get together and work your life out.

A woman's mind plans her way, but the Lord directs her steps and makes them sure (Pr. 16:9).

Many plans are in a woman's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for her that will stand (Pr. 19:21).

I used to be so worried about every idea and plan I came up with because, 'what if it was wrong?' I was aware that

there is a way that seems right to a woman and appears straight before her, but at the end of it is the way of death (Pr. 16:25).

I didn't want to be walking crocked and calling it straight; putting my heart and energy into my dream and having it die at the end; because in my eyes all my ways seemed pure and all my ideas seemed great, but God weighs the spirit of a woman. He checks her thoughts and intents of her heart (Pr. 16:2). He knows the truth about us and we can not hide. The beauty of it all is 'I don't want to hide anymore, I don't believe you do either and we don't have to.' We can succeed, we do succeed because God gives us the power to get wealth (Deut 8:18).

As for us and our plans being made righteous, roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed (Pr 16:3). In other words, your reasons why will become pure. Your motives are already exposed to God. Getting closer to Him, just means that He will expose them to you, and you will begin to see yourself more clearly, and finally understand exactly what you have been doing to hold yourself back. Planning the dream is crucial and for long term success, practical skill and God must be a part of the process.

-MizJAI-

She Can She Do 16: More Than You Know

There are a plethora of gifts that we could receive. In fact, God Himself has an endless supply of things set aside for us . . . love, joy, peace, patience, and the list (the fruit of His Spirit) goes on and on for those of us in love with Him. But the gifts don't stop there. God has many other presents designed for us. These are the kind of gifts that let me know that success is no sin, it is an expectation and a right for the children of God. He also has

1. riches and possessions
2. the power to enjoy them and
3. to accept our role in life and
4. to rejoice in our work

as gifts set aside for us (Eccl 5:19). Some women have been able to acquire a few of these but God's gift is for you to have it all, all four in abundance and especially the joy. It is not so much the days of your life that you will remember for God will answer to the joy in your heart (Eccl 5:20). So enjoy your life, enjoy your work, and enjoy the process because "it ain't going no where." You might as well learn to make the most of it, to diligently learn and grow, to prepare for a future that is set on fire by your obedience and God's design.

The sooner we accept the total package, the sooner we can walk into our greatest destiny of allowing God to use us to impact lives in real and practical ways. The sooner we realize that the righteous desires that burn in our chest were on purpose from the very beginning, the sooner we can quit fighting our destiny and begin to develop the character, the skill, the grace and the discipline for the journey. Let's grow up, together . . .

-MizJAI-

She Can She Do 15: Small Beginnings

You ever heard that statement 'great things come in small packages'? Well, diamonds for one, children are another (remember, you started out all tiny, innocent as a sweet bundle of some body's joy), even words that make you smile don't take up much space,.

In the same manner, our dreams begin with simple ideas and basic actions to make them real. In fact, our dreams are often bigger in our minds for years before reality catches up. Hold on to your dreams, don't give up and don't back down about the vision that's in your mind. And remember to never overlook or underestimate the strength gained through small beginnings because wealth [not earned but] won in haste or unjustly or from the production of things for vain or detrimental use will dwindle away, but she who gathers little by little will increase [her riches] (Pr. 13:11). When we allow the process of time and growth, then the dreams that we build, the lessons that we learn, the women we become will be established on a rock that can stand the test of time no matter the storms we unexpectedly face in the future.

Small beginnings prepare us for the long haul.

-MizJAI-

She Can She Do 14: I'm Angry & I Can't See Straight

Anger and rage are blinders, causing us to focus in on the source of our pain and the need to avoid feeling that way again. Anger is not something you can control and limit, if you allow it to become a part of you, then it will begin to show up in areas that you thought you had on lock.

A more apt companion is a passionate love relationship, the kind that focuses in on the healing of our pain and builds an unshakable faith, the kind of love and trust that you could only get from God. He loves us so much, he gave; when so many other relationships take only.

We can have it all, but, it's a process. And we are going to have to dig a little, a-lot. We are going to have to water our dreams and desires, and then wait them out. And as we watch the harvest come, we might as well get ready to work the process all over again.

Don't let your past be a distraction to your future, let it be a spring board into your destiny. God heals pain and he uses our victories to aid in the healing of another person's pain. So decide today to truly live free of that consuming anger. Live free forever. Live free no matter what you face. And get ready for something BIG that comes in small packages . . .

-MizJAI-

She Can She Do 13: Anger 'Ain't' No Lifetime Companion

You can't truly live in anger and fear.

I used to think that anger was a weapon of mine. I used to believe that anger would keep me from the wrong men and make me speak up and stand up for myself. I used to think anger was the key to my boldness and it would get me to my dream.

But anger in a lot of ways, is a false power that is often driven by fears. Fears that sound like this . . .

"I won't ever let another man hurt me."
"How could I have been so stupid?"
"I can't go through that again!"
"You can't trust anybody."

And the fears
of being hurt
of looking less than favorable
of feeling pain
will drive our anger, causing us to cling to it for strength. But anger will let you down. It will cause you to lash out, when you meant to be kind. It will cause you to hide, when you meant to stand out. It will cause you to run, when you meant to be loved. It will pervert your vision, when you meant to see clearly . . . but why?

-MizJAI-

She Can She Do 12: Move, Get Out the Way!

Since when has it been alright for women to choose death and men to choose violence?

Bishop Weeks attacking his wife, Dr. Juanita Bynum, can't put the biggest mark on the church. The biggest mark on the church is inaction. The biggest mark is every time a woman stays in a dangerous lifestyle. The biggest mark is every time a minister attacks his mate and is not held accountable. The biggest mark is silence.

When in reality, people need to know. In general, men need to feel like it is social suicide to attack their mates. Women need to let go of toxic relationships, because let's face it, some of us won't allow people to help us, because of our choices. But for those of us who do seek help, we need to feel like the church and the community will cover us.

Susan stayed with her husband for years. When she called the police on him, they where his co-workers. They gave him slap on the wrist, looked the other way, and let him get away with it. Jeanne's husband had been violent many times before. She called the police last night because it was worse then 'normal', but felt guilty by the next morning and refused to continue with the charges. I was in Jamaica when my ex-husband jumped on me. He asked the police a poignant question, "What are you going to do about it?" Of course when he asked that question, he reminded them that he was an American citizen and it was his word against mine. The fact that at 6'5" and 350 pounds he was clearly the biggest man in the country at the time, made their decision to do nothing, extremely easy. But the question still stands, "What are we going to do about it?"

If we are going to fight for our families, then it's going to start with this...

First, by being a living example of what women should expect and 'take' from their husbands and boyfriends by standing up for ourselves. And standing up for ourselves is not getting in that man's face and showing him 'what's what.'
The biggest actions, sometimes are the quietest. You just don't take it. You just don't stay in a dangerous situation. You love him from a distance. You pray for him from a distance. You be angry and hurt from a distance. You forgive him from a distance. You cry, you recover, and you put space in between you and him. Momma can't do the children any good, if she won't love herself enough to live, and I mean really live and enjoy her life in front of them.


The second way that we are going to fight for our family is by ruling over our own spirits. That's the wisdom that Solomon gave us in Proverbs 25:28. Men keep your hands to yourself. And if you are with a woman who sets you off, then you need a rooftop somewhere and a new relationship (Pr. 25:24). And if you are the man who is easily angered and making up 'junk' in his head that 'ain't true,' then you need some counseling to get to the bottom of your real issues; the source behind your pain. Maybe you where molested and need to deal with it or maybe you are a down low brother in denial and need to confess it or maybe you just never learned how to control your own spirit. In which case, maybe you need to be alone for a long time.

Let's start by being real. We are expected to participate in our own lives. Wake up and reach out for the next woman, by sharing our stories and holding each other accountable.

Insecurities in men are dangerous, they mean more than we ever thought they did before. So pay attention to who you fall in love with.
And ladies, the need to have the last word could be fatal. Your actions will say everything that is necessary as you remove yourself from that drama forever. You are a woman, She Can, move and get out the way; She Do, change the course of her entire life today . . .
--MizJAI--

She Can She Do 11: Forever Connected . . .

The circumstances of this week are a shocker, particularly if you are a Christian or a woman or aware. Juanita Bynum, a prominent minister, author and singer, was physically attacked in the parking lot of a hotel on Tuesday by her husband, Bishop Weeks.

On Thursday, another ministering power couple, Paula and Randy White, announced their plans to divorce which is being explained as an amicable separation.

My question is . . . If that is not our life or our sister or our direct family, then, why do we care so much? Why did it feel like somebody punched me in my stomach when I heard the news? Why did I gasp along with the rest of my community over hearing that Bynum was beat and the Whites were divorcing? I'll tell you why . . .

We see our selves in their pains and their pleasures.

Every time a woman breaks through a wall in the business world; every time the United States wins a medal in the Olympics; every time a black person overcomes the obstacle, racism; every time a child does something impossible; there is a place inside of me that responds. It is the human condition to care and be connected.

It was not just Bynum who was beat that night, it was women. It was the moment heard around the country, and the message is simple:

For every woman, and especially Christian women, who have hid behind the violence of their mates because of their title and position,
You can stand up,
You can step out,
You don't have to hide and you never did.

He beat her in a public place, which makes it a public situation and ironic; because domestic violence is a vile crime typically committed in the privacy of homes that should have been sanctuaries. And most women take the abuse for years.

I couldn't take it at all. I was attacked in a hotel suite on my honey moon in Jamaica where he promised to kill me, just four days after he had promised to love me for a life time. On American soil that would have been considered terroristic threats and aggravated assault. He held me hostage in our room for three hours. I escaped just after midnight. The hotel staff hid me for the night and when I left the island the next morning at daybreak, I also left him, forever. Barring his periodic attempts to make contact, and our visits to court regarding restraining orders, I keep my distance.

In every person's story we see a part of ourselves. When good things happen, there is a place in us that hopes it will come our way too, like successful marriages and husbands that love us, that won't hurt us.

Yes, our families are under attack. It's not new. It's a darkness that is finally being exposed. And when truth comes, then freedom can follow, finally.

Women have held their tongues for the family. Black women held their tongue for the sake of the revolution. Christan women have held their tongues for the cause of the ministry, but God made us free and strong. And I plan to live like it.

Christian couples divorce as much as the average American couple. They grow apart and they get tired of trying. They forget how to reach each other, they fall away from the love that pulled them together in the first place.

I'm a preacher's kid and a minister too. I felt the shame. My ex husband was the youth Sunday school teacher. People really liked him in the community. The whole situation was embarrassing. But it still doesn't make him innocent. It still doesn't make the incident acceptable. It still doesn't make me silent. I don't think I have to be silent. I don't think I should be silent. I don't think I can be silent, anymore.

It's been three years almost and the wedding gifts are still in my mother's closet. I feel angry every time a woman dies in my town over this issue. I am forever connected to this battle. I always was, we all are . . .

So no, it is not a private issue. It's a community issue. A woman dies and we care, then we forget. Maybe this time, this woman, because of her name and position, maybe this shock won't go away. And maybe the community will stand up together for the women on the front lines who are victims, dying physically and being destroyed emotionally.

If we all stand,
women holding women accountable for their choices to suffer and hide;
men holding men accountable for their decisions to strike and destroy,
If we all stand,
Maybe a whole army of us standing,
and not just, one
here and one there,
If we all stand,
then the tide would change,
and the times would change . . .

I know that after an emotional and physical strike like this, the only thing you want to do is survive
in private.
I have a strong desire to put this behind me and not be known as the woman who was beat by her husband on her honeymoon. But I Can & I Do speak, because my life is linked to the next victims survival, in fact, we are forever connected . . .

--MizJAI--

She Can She Do 10: The Landscape May Change, but I'm Still Strong!

Last night I learned that a Minister in my town was beat up by her husband in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse hotel in Atlanta. It shook me up, reminding me of my own past. It shook me up, because the fairytale died, again, for another woman.

She had a very public and beautiful wedding. They have been married for the past 4 or 5 years and have ministered together since their union. She is nationally and internationally known as a psalmist with multiple worship Cd's, an author with numerous bestselling books, a preacher, prophet & teacher of the Gospel, and a women who inspires and stands the test of time.

Tragedy doesn't change all of that, it just changes the landscape of the process. It adds one more challenge that she is strong enough to face and overcome. And unfortunately she enters the cannon of women who have been battered and bruised and many killed by another human being's "insecurities" and rage. She's got choices to make, only time will let us on the outside know what she will do. As for now I will quote my pastor, "We Got To Pray."

And you will find me on my knees allowing God to deal with my own pain and 'standing in the gap' for another family in need.

She Can She Do 9: What Am I Supposed to Do?

Waiting for something beautiful to fall out of the sky? Hoping to be 'discovered' for the talent that you haven't 'discovered' that you have yet? Looking for the world to recognize just who you are? Well . . .

It just may happen, but more often than not it will take some work on your part. The Lord has made everything [to accommodate herself and contribute] to her own end and God's own purpose (Pr. 16:4). Our lives are up to us. So, it's time that we started actively participating in it. God expects you to use what He gave you--the wisdom, the ability, the guts, and the list of skill is longer than you realize. Just begin to put the work in and develop your skill. Find out what you are good at and what you like to do, then do the work to become the best at it. You put the work in to become the pace setter for you particular skill. Once mastered, then add on, but be active in your own life. Contribute to the things you really want and if those things line up with God's purposes for your life, then you are on a roll, so don't stop . . .

She Can She Do 8: The Money Question!

Let's face it, who doesn't need money for some reason or another? Bills don't pay themselves, food 'ain't' free. These days even good old fashion clean water cost. What's next air?

Clean air for $5.50 a gallon or $0.50 per inhale;

Thank God exhales are free?!

The point is . . . money is a part of life. And since it is, we need to develop a proper relationship with it, particularly in terms of our dreams . . .

If we don't work, then we don't eat (2Thes 3:10). But work for something more important than just money, because money manages to slip away. Work for something with heart; a righteous dream, a problem you can solve for the world, a need you can meet. Don't weary yourself to be rich; cease from your own wisdom. Don't set your eyes upon wealth, when suddenly it is gone; for riches definitely make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens (Ps 23:4-5). Set your eyes on something higher.

No matter how successful you are, money will not last the way you think it will. If you make money your god or the love of your life, it will let you down at the most important times in your life. Riches provide no security in any day of wrath and judgement, but righteousness delivers from death (Pr. 11:4).

Money is a tool, not the object of a love relationship or the most powerful motivation behind our lives. Use it to build the life you want, to care for the people you love, as a weapon to 'rebuke the devourer,' as a buffer to weather the storm. But don't love it, because it won't love you back. Money will not hold you up or rock you or console you; for the love of money is the root of all evil (1Tim 6:10). Money in and of itself is not your enemy, but how you relate to it may be. Falling in love with it will be the beginning of your downfall. Instead of this twisted relationship with money, fall in love with God.

Trust God only. Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths (Pr 3:5-6). He loves you and He knows you, and He gave you intellect and wisdom enough to know that you need Him. Because money doesn't heal broken hearts or quiet rage, and time is not an automatic savior, but Love is.

After we address or heart condition, it's time to really live now . . .

Short Story ALERT!

Be sure to check out the latest installment in the Gospel Nerve STORY Cafe to find out what's happening with Natasha, Susan and her alter ego Ms.Thing. And I will see you here tomorrow for new inspiration.

She Can She Do 7: So Hungry

When I'm hungry, I usually have a taste for something specific. Either I'm in the mood for fruit or salad or meat or some type of decadent sweet or a combination of it all. Even when I can't quite name what I want, I'm still on the hunt. Until I satisfy that need, my taste buds just don't seem to rest; but once I satisfy it, then my desires change for something new . . .

The appetite of the laborer works for her, for the need of her mouth urges her on (Pr 16:26). What we have a taste for in our lives will drive us. I personally need to know that my basics are covered, bills are paid and that there will be food on the table when I get home. So I go to work every morning. I need to know that the work I do matters and makes a difference in a big way. So I work with children. I need to know that the people around me are learning things that they could not learn as effectively anywhere else. So I study leadership and people. I need to air out my mind, share my thoughts, and have my say. So I write, daily. I need to solve the problems that other people ignore. So I build businesses and teams. I need people to find their joy and to live their dream. So I lead by example. I need excitement and a change of pace. So I travel.

What do you need?

Your appetite is going to make you feed yourself. If you don't work, then you don't eat (2 Thes 3:10), but the kind of work you do will determine the kind of food you eat. Is it steak or bologna for you? When you get hungry enough, you will start moving and let that fire in your belly urge you on.

Your appetite is going to make you hunt down your dreams. I hope you eat well! but there is a trap that you need to be aware of . . .

She Can She Do 6: Open Doors

I remember the story of the ugly duckling and how he didn't fit in. He didn't feel beautiful until the day that he grew up a little more and discovered who he truly was. Then, he could see himself and appreciate what he saw looking back.

We often live like ugly ducklings, when we are swans gliding across the water in the diamonds that the sunlight makes for us. We just never stopped to notice the grace that God placed in each of us. It's not about being one of the "beautiful people" on the outside. It's about discovering your gifts, the things that make you priceless, regardless . . .

Yes, external beauty helps, but it is no guarantee of a good or great life. It's genetics that have more to do with parent than the person. Now, it's time to show up and make something of beauty happen in your own life. Maybe your gift is writing, maybe it's your ability to communicate with people and to set them at ease, maybe it's how you organize an event, or you have a head for numbers, or how you arrange flowers, the way you organize a team of strangers, your ability to pull your friends together, how you get to the heart of the matter . . . Whatever it is, make a point to discover it, make a point to develop it, make a point to master it, make a point to shape your life beautiful.

And then, you won't have to worry about doors opening for you. A woman's gift makes room for her and brings her before great men and women (Proverbs 18:16). Simply, do what you do best and above all, do what you love. As long as you know that you are driven by your righteous desires, then you are ready to maximize them. So have at it!

What's that--I think I smell something cooking!

Oh, that's right, it's my favorite dish . . .

She Can She Do 5: My Business, My Character

To build a business or a simple dream that captures the attention of our souls.
An idea that captivates our minds, our will, our intellect, our imagination, and our emotions.
To solve a problem that causes the best of us to rise to the surface and that motivates us to address and change the worst. That's what we are all looking for professionally, a role to play that makes us better women

Which leads me to the point that some of us create products that make money and hurt people; products that make fame and harm families; products that make more problems instead of true solutions. We pretend that character is something for the home and has no place in business. When in reality my business is my character, and if I am without honor on the clock, then I am without honor in my life.

But then there are those of us on the other side, who are filled with ideas that we keep to ourselves. Solutions that we never or seldom reveal. The people curse her who holds back grain [when the public needs it], but a blessing [from God and man] is on the head of her who sells it (Pr. 11:26). Our grain is our dream, the thing that we can give the world, the problems that we can solve, the solutions dancing around in our heads. And our blessings are the people we impact, the lives we change.

We can do business in a way that blesses our own lives with the profits and blesses the people with products and pricing that makes sense and changes the world around them. If you can figure out a way to do this inside your own dream, then your entire life will change; and a little, unexpected gift comes to you . . .

She Can She Do 4: Much Business & Painful Effort

A dream comes with much business and painful effort. Solomon said this in Ecclesiates 5:3. When I read it, I was in the middle of deciding exactly what dream I was willing to work for and how much of myself I was willing to commit for the long haul.

It speaks to me, reminding me of cliches that are turning out to be true,
'anything worth having at all is worth working for and waiting for'
'if it was easy everyone would be doing it'
'you get what you pay for'

It's just that sometimes, how we pay is not always with money. The cost is often measured in greater things, like faith, time, guts, growth, wisdom, vision and sacrifice. Regardless, there is a cost for each dream. So, choose the dream whose price you are willing to pay. But contrary to popular thought, we do not have to sell our souls for any dream . . .

She Can She Do 3: Choose the Life . . .

We are at the perfect point in our lives for everything that we want to do. We still have our youth, but now it's coupled with the kind of Wisdom that comes from a mixture of God and the lessons we could only learn from living. We still have our dreams, but now we have the guts to actually 'launch out into the deep' and a renewed sense of clarity. We still have our faith as the fears died along the way and we realize that our lives are now or simply wait forever. We have spent the past 10 years preparing for this moment, so let's get to it!

But, remember . . .

A dream comes with much business and painful effort (Eccl 5:3). So choose the dream that you are willing to work for. A woman's mind plans her way, but the Lord directs her steps and makes them sure (Proverbs 16:9). We choose our path. Choose wisely, because we are the ones who must live with it. And mentally prepare for the lessons along the way because, it doesn't matter the challenges if we hid from what was supposed to shape us strong or if we ran from what was supposed to teach us endurance. A part of life is all that unexpected 'stuff' that shows us who we really are and just how strong we've become.

Once you choose your direction, God will walk it out with you, if you desire, but rest assure that you must be an active participant in the course of your life and a willing recipient of His presence, support and guidance. Choose the life that you really want . . .

She Can She Do 2: Happy Birthday!

Happy 30th birthday! & Welcome to the beginning of the glorious years!

Be excited and fearless, because now, you can build your dreams. You have the best in front of you, and the power of what you have learned in your past to shape and push you forward. And don't allow anybody to underplay this season of your life. These birthdays with the zeros on the end are milestones in our minds, and sometimes, they are maddening if we don't do them right. Probably because they mark the end of a decade, and with much prayer and anticipation, the beginning of a new and dynamic change in our lives. At least it needs to or we just begin to act an 'emotional fool' sometime before the year is over.

Just know this, we are not alone. Women and men all over the world have stepped up at 30 and made something new happen for all the right reasons, and you are among them. They begin to save and prepare for their future, launch their dreams, stop being afraid, stop whining and complaining. They just get to it. They decide at this age that when they look back on their lives, they want to see success and not complaints about everything they meant to do and the person they meant to be. So I have encouragement for you . . .

She Can She Do 1: I Hated That . . .

The next few weeks will be excerpts from a birthday gift that I gave my sister when she turned thirty (with some tweaks and changes just for you). She asked me to share it here . . .

You don't reach thirty without challenges and countless opportunities to be strong. You don't reach thirty without a world of dreams that have hung on to your soul. The things that we hated the most; that hurt us the worst; that challenged us the deepest: Are the things that could make us the greatest. Not because we have been through something, but because of the discipline that we learned in the hard times; the person we have a chance to become in the tough times; the awareness that we can live without whatever it was that we thought we had to have in the lean times; and the reality that we can find a joy that will last a life time.

It's time to pull the power of our lives together and learn the lessons that come from the process, the pain and the joys. It's time to grow up into the kind of woman that can possess her dream. It's time to become the kind of man that can create something out of nothing like your Father does. It's time to do what you know. And if what you know is not enough, then it's time to learn something new . . .

(c) www.gospelnerve.com

Body 5: More For The Mood . . .

MUSIC--Let's face it, music can change our state mind, usher us into a variety of productive or destructive decisions. So put her to use, wisely. When I am in a funk the right music brings the song out of me. I can find myself dancing when I meant to be crying. It can mentally refocus me. Instead of staring at a blank wall or a mindless television screen, I end up working on

A PIECE of the DREAM--doing something that gets me closer to a new reality. Working on the dream could be the simplest thing, as long as I recognize its purpose. For me a new poem is productive, editing an old story, adding to my business plan, developing another page to my website, researching a new piece of technology that will help me be more efficient, running to clear my head, spoken word in the front yard to air out my voice, or

SCRIPTURE--to remind my self that I am "more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus who strengthens me." Learning to speak, child, speak truth to ourselves when we are in doubt is one of the most powerful mood altering tools I use. I keep a list of power scriptures, many that I know by heart, ready for use. When I feel afraid or empty on the inside, I begin to fill myself up with these words. I use them to remind me "that I am fully persuaded" and since nothing can separate me from the love of God, then I cannot be stopped except by my own fears, my own limits and my own doubts. Situations can hold me up, but no thing can keep me back, unless I allow it. Because if my request is based on Word, then my answer from God is "yes and amen." These Words get me ready and teach me how to dream bigger and to expect

SOMETHING NEW--to happen in my life today and for always. I practice for my dream. Like a child in the mirror, I prepare for my first interview with Oprah or whomever has the privilege of having me on their stage. I taste my something new often, so that I am prepared to walk in it when it comes in it's fullest form. And in the meantime I do a variety of things to shake up the monotony that sometimes enters our lives; walk in a new direction, jog a different park, write a fresh poem, learn a new song, or review sometimes more than others for more ideas and another take on this. By all righteous and liberating means available to you, learn to live without being controlled by moods and attitudes.

(c) www.gospelnerve.com

Body 4: Moody & Messed Up

There are some surefire things that we can do to help us change our moods.

1. FOODS. Some foods make us happier than others. Today is the last day of a no meat, no wheat, no sweet fast that I'm doing with my church (I also excluded dairy). But since I love to eat, I feasted on fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, and sweet potatos, oh and plenty of water. I must say, I have never felt better and I have never been more regular, which leads me to

2. BOWEL MOVEMENTS. Let's face it, on some days we are full of sh__, well you don't need me to say it, so go to the bathroom. For my body, too much protein without enough greens and grains to move me out can create an ugly physical and emotional mess. Who doesn't feel better after a good one! Which will leave us with more energy to

3. EXERCISE. Get a move on it. This little tip will not only change our mood, but it adds years and maintains youth. You can read more about this in Body 1: It Ain't Me! Well, Maybe It Is, Body 2: The Couch is Calling My Name, & Body 3: It's a Chemical Thing!

You can read all kinds of books on everthing that I mentioned. This is just to put the idea on our radars that we don't have to just let life happen. We should participate. We have to own the truth that we possess the power to shape our days (at least to some degree). So, try your hand at some of these mood altering methods & I will see you tomorrow, because there is more . . .

(c) www.gospelnerve.com, online inspiration, for your joy and motivation

Body 3: It's a Chemical Thing!

Sometimes you just need to move. In order to shake yourself up, you have to get into some type of physical groove.

Have you ever felt 'blah' for no particular reason? It's like anybody could say anything to you at these times and make you feel even worse about yourself and your life.

Well, own it. Sometimes:
a good walk, a jog, or dare I say it, some weightlifting;
followed by a soak in the tub by candle light (or a warm shower for the rest of us),
sometimes that's what we need...to air out the surge of emotions that swarm around is.
Sometimes, our feelings are just 'a chemical thing.'
So sweat it out. Clean yourself up. Start over.

But at other times we need a little more . . .

(c) Jamillah Warner, www.gospelnerve.com, I got the nerve . . .

Body 2: The Couch is Calling My Name

Habits are what we do most of the time. "Couch potatoes" sit on the couch and think of what they should be doing, what they could be doing, but don't. They watch other people do it, have dynamic opinions about it, but won't actually get up and go for themselves.

I used to be one. It was painful to be a "potato" with such big dreams. Well sitting on the sofa all day will not only hurt your dreams, but it will put a killing on your body. But allow me to backtrack for clarity. It's not that the professional or part time couch potato doesn't work or clean or dream. It's just that when she gets a free moment, she spends it in some emotional no man's land trying to recuperate or forget what she just spent the last 10 hours doing. All I am saying is, get up. The action alone could clear our heads faster than another re-run of a the same old sitcom that we watched the month before. Let's go outside, and recover from our day with a walk.

This is the second installment of the body series. You can find the first on at Body 1: It ain't me! Well, maybe it is.

(c) Jamillah Warner, www.gospelnerve.com, I got the nerve . . .