Words have the power to encourage.

God has a purpose for all things and that totally includes you!

Like most people I have very strong personal opinions about politics. But I’ve never bought into the idea that I have to chose a team. Please don’t misunderstand me - I vote, I support candidates and causes I believe in, but I try to always keep my eyes on God.

I believe that God is good all the time and all the time, God is good. But can we be real for a minute? Everything in life doesn’t always feel good. There are times when the situations we are facing seem unbearable and just saying “God is good all the time” doesn’t make you feel any better.

It feels like our world is imploding. Real talk…2020 has been emotionally exhausting and mentally challenging for me. I’m guessing you can relate. The events of the last month have added to my pain and as a black woman, I have to be honest, it’s added to my anger.

I was a dancer from a very young age, starting with ballet, but I didn’t know what it really meant to dance like David before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14) until I became a part of the Angels of Praise. Let’s face it, other than ballet, I don’t think my booty shaking dance moves of my teens and early 20s would have been seen as praise. Don’t get me wrong, I love to dance to secular music too, I’m not trying to pretend that I don’t have any Tupac or Janet in my playlist (I know….I’m dating myself), but there is an inexplicable feeling I get when I’m dancing solely for His Glory.

Light is bold. It stands out in darkness. Even if it’s dim, it can be seen. Even a faint light in the far distance of a pitch black night will catch someone’s attention. When we feel lost God’s Word lights our path.

Motherhood is an amazing blessing and it can also be a tough journey. On Mother's Day, we say thank you and honor mothers and those who are mother figures in our lives. It's is a time of celebration for many and it can also be a hard day for women facing infertility, grieving over the loss of a child, or who are in the midst of a long adoption process. Here are a few gift ideas to help you encourage all the women in your life this Mother's Day.

Love over everything. This is how I choose to live my life. I say choose because it’s not always easy. It’s what Jesus calls us to do. It’s the behavior He modeled for us when He walked on this earth among us. No matter the situation, no matter how He was treated, no matter someone else’s behavior, past history or sin, He treated them with love.

This is a moment in time where the depth of our belief in this scripture is being tested. I truly believe that even though it may seem like our way of life has come to a screeching halt, God is still in control. He has not forsaken us. We are not doomed.

God is with you, even when bad things happen. Yes, He allows bad things to happen for a greater purpose. Personally I’ve had a lot of bad things happen to me, but I’ve also been extremely thankful that I haven’t experienced some of the bad things that others have. And even in the midst of some of the horrible things, I can see how God has been faithful, brought me through those experiences and never left me.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you realized that you’ve totally misunderstood something God told you? I’ll never forget last year when I was praying over my plans for loved+blessed and I clearly felt the Lord whisper to me the word “Yield”…