Focused on the Fruit! Faithful over the small…

Accomplished Pastor, Author and Worship Leader, Steven Furtick; has been blessed to preach and teach the incomparable word of God! I recently stumbled upon one of his most recent sermons on Youtube titled, ‘Focus On The Fruit!’ Just by looking at the title, one would associate ‘Fruit’ to Fruits of the Spirit! One could also make the assumption that ‘fruit’ or harvest are the blessings that God has stored up for us as rewards after making it through a difficult season of waiting! BUT, In my opinion, you cannot talk about one without the other!

The objective in a believers walk with Christ is to grow in discipleship, but there will always be someone or something trying to ‘choke the growth’ along the way. Everyone of us is waiting for something! Whether big or small, we make our requests known to God and we wait! I know it hurts when God says wait. Trust me! I am waiting for a few things right now. But whether we know it or not, the waiting seasons transform us. Most of us are totally oblivious to what we need during waiting seasons. They are uncomfortable, lonely and down right awful if we let them. I like to use the analogy, God is taking us from ‘odd to awed!’ Those odd seasons can be used to get to know God on a deeper level. We can get to know ourselves better and can let these seasons polish and refine us in such a way to equip us for the answers that God will soon provide us with. 

Steven Furtick would have believers to focus on the fruit during our times of waiting. The Holy Spirit comes to produce in us the nine fruits of the spirit, which are, love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, forbearance, self control and gentleness. The fruits of the spirit do nothing but Transform us into the woman or man that God has called us to be. They can be the gift that God wants us to have during a hard waiting season. If we spend enough time with him throughout this season, we will gradually be blessed with the fruits of the spirit. As a believer, the objective is to keep your eyes focused on God so we don't miss any opportunities to grow in Christ. FOCUS on the FRUIT!!!

INSIDE OUT!

Stories of Transformation from Fear to Faith.....

The 2015 Pixar film, 'Inside Out' aims to teach kids about their emotions and how to overcome the ones they cannot understand! In other words, the underlying message is to teach kids how to Life! The theme is for Riley, the main character, to learn how to properly process Joy, Disgust, Sadness, Anger and Fear. There was a character for every emotion. Riley slips into a deep depression throughout the movie and learns how to understand her personality and that throughout life, she may experience different feelings according to what is going on around and within her. Out of all of the emotions expressed in the movie, Fear was the hardest to understand. Sort of like Fear has been one of the hardest to overcome in my personal life. Watching 'Inside Out' was one of the BEST movies I have seen that actually helps individuals young and old to understand Fear. Throughout the movie, Riley conquers each emotion and is transformed from the inside out!

'Psalm 138:3'-On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul!

There are many stories about transformation in the Holy Bible. Out of all of the brave and powerful women in the bible, Dorcas' story is similar to parts of my journey towards deliverance. The one aforementioned is the story of Dorcas or 'Tabitha,' which is what most people called her. Dorcas was a disciple in Joppa. She helped everyone but herself. She was fearful of putting herself first! She built a reputation for being compassionate, resourceful, and very generous. She willfully and blissfully served her community. Just because we do good things for people doesn't mean bad things can't happen. Dorcas used her needle for the glory of God. Despite her good deeds and generosity, Dorcas became sick and she died. In the bible, God used Peter to resurrect Dorcas and bring her back to life. This was God's will, for Dorcas to lead people to Christ. The transformation happened when she trusted God!

Not prominent figures in the bible but leading ladies in their own right, Helen Keller and Mother Teresa were both very powerful women who had to endure a grueling transformation with God. Helen Keller was plagued with a disease when she was a baby that caused her to be both blind and deaf. She had to endure the uncertainty of her ailments throughout life. She was very fearful. The way she transformed that fear into triumph was by pure servitude. She served others instead of focusing on her dis-ease. She later became an author and an all around leader. Her transformation was built from humility, as was with Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa was a Romain Catholic nun and missionary. She began missionary work with the poor in 1948. With no income, she begged for food and supplies, and experienced doubt, loneliness and the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life. Mother Teresa was very fearful. Her transformation came when in 1979, she won The Nobel Peace Prize for her work helping HIV/Aids patients and different charities she headed up. She continued giving, serving and leading on many international platforms.

Next Stop...FAITH Plaza!

Contentment VS Reaching for More!!

FAITH Plaza is a fictional place where believers can rejoice, worship, fellowship, sing and dance, as well as stay faithful through life's struggles. As a more seasoned believer of Christ, I visit FAITH Plaza when I need encouragement to move through life. When I first started cultivating a more serious and intimate relationship with God, I struggled with unbelief from time to time. I questioned God on a regular basis. At this point in my life, around my early 30's, I was losing friendships, people close to me were landing their dream jobs, and a lot of college acquaintances, including my two younger sisters, were getting married and having babies. I had a lot of baggage that needed to be addressed and because none of those blessings were happening in my life, I felt totally left out. But, 'Isaiah 55:8-9' tells us that God's ways are not our ways. God is the Master and he can do whatever he wants to do, for whoever he wants to, when he wants to do it. After much praying, seeking and knocking; God answered. He revealed that he had a plan for me too. What I didn't realize was that while all of my friends were getting blessed, God must be in my neighborhood! You see, when God blesses your neighbor, YOU are next in line for a miracle!! This made me joyful and most of all, CONTENT! The more I connected with God, the more joyful and content I became!

'For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.'-'Psalm 107:9' The topic of discussion for this post is how to remain content while striving for more! Some have said, 'The soul of a man is so big that ONLY God can fill it.' The thirst for more will always be just that, 'A Thirst For More.' For a lifetime, the lack of true contentment can elude us and we will continue seeking satisfaction along paths that lead us to dead ends! The lack of true contentment versus that unquenchable thirst opens the doors of comparison to others, fear , worry, envy and unrealized expectations. God's word gives us true Contentment, Encouragement, as well as Patience! HIS love embraces us which brings satisfaction regardless of our circumstances! It is okay to want more, just make sure your more is rooted in God!!

Do You 'Sea' What I 'Sea'?

It's amazing how the gift of Sight may just be the most important of the 5 Senses! To be able to 'see' is a tremendous blessing! Families big and small retreat to the sea yearly for rest and relaxation. Admiration for the water, sand and blue skies brings a cult like presence to see and follow. Although the gift of sight is important, it is also important to know what our views of the 'sea' really mean. Some people are on the beach for pleasure, spring break, or summer vacations. Others are there to reminisce of the days of the past or are there to make new memories. No matter the cause, people meet at the beach for an eventful time.

As each of us grows in age and stature, it is inevitable that we will endure hardships and pain. When God created the Earth, he said in his word that in this life we would have trouble! 'John 16:33'..We either cast our cares on the Lord or we carry them around causing dis-ease all around and within us. In biblical terms, we either cast them in the Dead Sea or the Sea of Galilee.

According to the biblical narrative, the Dead Sea region was once vibrant filled with life. It was only after God rained down fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah did the area become a wasteland and the sea became a hyper saline salt lake, filling the sea with tar, gunk and death. The Sea of Galilee is known to Christians because it was the scene for many episodes in the life of Christ the King, including his Sermon on the Mount, at which he gave the blessings of the Beatitudes and first taught the Lord's Prayer.

The question I want to ask you is, "What do you see?" When problems surface in your life, "Do you see the glass as half empty or half full?" "Are you casting your cares into the Sea of Galilee, the sea of good and plenty; where things grow or are you stuck in the Dead Sea with fear? Nothing ever grows in the Dead Sea you know! Even though fears arise in all of our lives, God gives us choices and free will to endure and overcome or be defeated. That's the thing about God, he is always going to be a gentleman and is never going to force us to do something. I have found that in my personal life, when I find myself getting fearful, loathing over the past or lacking understanding/struggling with unbelief, I turn to the glass as half full. Over years of having trials, you become stronger and are able to build up this healthy perspective time after time! Even though I've never seen it, I am most certainly hanging out at the Sea of Galilee, sun kissed with a good book and Sangria in tow!! I hope you will join me!

 COVID IN KENTUCKY....PART II

After tax season ended in April of 2019, I gracefully had to make my transition out of H and R Block.  I continued working at the non profit job I had as an on-call parent aide. I worked there less than 25 hours a week, sometimes less than 10!! This part time job at Lonesome Pine on Youth was all that I could find in my area job wise. Very limited job opportunities in this Southwest VA area!! But, sometimes, when you are taking a leap of faith, you have to just trust the process. I went on numerous interviews in 2019. There was lots and lots of rejection. It wasn't a diss against me. Even though that area of Virginia did have some racism at times when it came to getting hired, I knew at some point God was going to lift me out of that area into one where there were more opportunities for people of color!! 

And that is exactly what happened! I worked my part time job on and of until November of 2019. I briefly got hired to work at another call center for less than 30 days. That was entirely too stressful so my time there was short. My cousin Monica was gracious enough to let me stay with her until I found work. I moved to Kentucky in February 7, 2020 and the Coronavirus swept through the United States around March. Schools and churches were closed. Working from home became the new office and Zoom became the new job interview. I had 3 Zoom interviews from March to April and the other 5 were in person interviews. It was extremely difficult going on interview after interview and being told no. 

I began writing blog posts and writing grants for Castar Applications in January of 2020.This would end up being a full time position where I would blog about how Castar was the entertainment app needed for entertainers to network in Hollywood, as well as find and write grants for the company. I have also talked about diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry for the Castar blog.

Since Covid began, I have discovered an all new level of perseverance and true grit in myself. Although businesses are slowly opening back up again, during the mandatory shut down, I learned how to be very resourceful. I learned the true definition of being grateful in the small. My hope is that the Coronavirus has made people look at life from a different lens. 

How To Snag a Job During a Pandemic!

March of 2020 began an entirely new way of living for the entire world! A pandemic was ushered into 2020 in the United States. COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus is what it would later be called. It goes without saying that 2020 was an extremely challenging year for everyone, especially those in the entertainment industry. From productions coming to a halt, lack of auditions and casting calls, and not knowing where your next paycheck will come from. As of March of 2021, there have been over 500,000 deaths from the virus in the United States alone and over 1 million globally. 

The entertainment industry is slowly gathering its bearings again. People have resorted to social media for making connections and landing jobs. Working from home is the new office and Zoom calls are the new job interview of choice. Castar is here to assist the entertainment industry to adapt to this new normal by networking and find jobs virtually. Castar is a tool for talent in the entertainment industry to find jobs and is dedicated to revolutionizing the way talent within the entertainment industry connect with opportunities, collaborate, and get discovered. We are focused on streamlining this process by building a community for diverse talent and becoming “The LinkedIn for the Entertainment Industry”. From finding jobs and hiring talent, to networking and having access to the necessary tools/resources, we strive for efficiency by offering an all-inclusive platform to help build successful careers at your fingertips. If you haven't done so already, download Castar on iOS to connect with diverse talent nationwide, submit to exciting opportunities and get discovered.

COVID IN KENTUCKY......PART I

 COVID IN KENTUCKY....PART I

February 7, 2020....I'm travelling pretty late, on my way to Hopkinsville, KY, which is about 40 miles outside of Nashville, TN. My loving cousin, Monica is gracious enough to let me stay with her. I had just packed up and moved from Southwest, Virginia. I took a leap of faith back in 2016 and resigned from my teaching position. I needed some change. Not knowing what in world would happen next, and at the suggestion of my father, I moved back to where it all began. I worked several odd jobs over a three year period and learned some amazing skills. I just had to let go and let god lead me on this journey.  

When I first moved back to Virginia, I took some time off from working and didnt end up being employed until 2017. I wasn't quite ready to hang up my teaching hat just yet. I took over an English position for a teacher who was about to have major surgery. This would be a temporary position with a full time salary so I was quite excited to get started. I definetely needed the money. This job ended up lasting from March to May of 2017. I made some new teacher friends, swapped fashion ideas and prayerfully, got to make a small impact in some 5th graders little lives. 

Soon after that short stint at Norton Elementary school as an English teacher, I had a pretty lengthy conversation through text with a dear friend of mine. She had just relocated herself so she understood the struggle. I told her that I no longer thought I wanted to teach. She said, based on my feelings that she didn't think that teaching was my calling and that I was placed in teaching to touch lives. 'You have to walk into your calling...' she said. and 'God is trying to take you higher, just trust him!' Such a powerful exchange of words that day. 

After feverishly looking for work after that teaching gig, I was hired to work at a very fruitful call center not too far away from my house. This was in September of 2017. I took the rest of 2017 to get some health issues straight and worked out consistently until I dropped 50+ pounds. Now both physically and mentally healthy, I was ready to take on the demands of a call center opportunity. This job helped me in so many ways, primarily, how to mentally prepare me for my future. It was a very tough and grueling job. I worked digitally on fixing customers' failing Quickbooks accounts. The days were long but I learned how to persevere. I left Sykes in November of 2018. That same month,  I took a nonprofit position as a Parent Aide helping at risk parents and children. I literally worked less that 25 hours a week. And in January of 2019, I was hired at H and R Block as an Office Manager. I worked up until April 2019 and little did I know, all of these previous jobs were preparing me for my destiny!!!

Cue the old saying, when we make our own plans...God laughs! 

To Be Continued...