It Has Been A Long Time

Hello,
This blog site is currently being revamped. This past year for me has been a hellish one, but God is good and He is good all the time. I am getting ready to get back to blogging and this site will be better than before. Stay tuned for more to come.

Blessings,
Nickia

It Has Been A Long Time

Hello

Thought For The Day To Help You Along The Way

Why do we desire God's intervention in our lives more than His presence? Why do we think that we know what we need? It's so arrogant of us to tell God how to be God. God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Where is your faith? ~ Blessings

Thought For The Day To Help You Along the Way

God happens to be in the restoration business. He is willing to restore and heal all who come to Him. It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, or what has been done to you. God is willing and able to turn any tragedy into triumph! ~ Blessings

A Thought For The Day To Help You Along the Way

Hiding your hurt only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. So take off of your mask and stop pretending you're perfect and walk into your freedom! ~ Be Free yall ain't nothing like it! ~ Blessings

A Though For The Day To Help You Along The Way

Today, stand as monuments of God's grace, because if you are a believer, you bear an inscription written in God's own hand: "Within this earthen container, the One True God is at work." ~ Blessings

Thought For The Day To Help You Along The Way

God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you far too much to let you just stay stuck in your habits, hang-ups and hurts. He wants to change you. So He allows a crisis. Why? We don't change when we see the light; we change when we feel the heat. ~ Blessings

Though For The Day To Help You Along The Way

Life stuck in a rut? Could be that you need to stop blaming other people and admit, "I am the problem with my life." Until you understand this, there can be no major change in your life. This is the breakthrough God knows we need. The trut...h hurts, but the truth can set you free! ~ Blessings

Thought For The Day To Help You Along the Way

Today, let His light so shine through your actions that others might want to be drawn to His healing hope. After all, that's what we were created to do... to be the salt of the earth ~ Blessings

Thought For The Day To Help You Along The Way

Ladies say this today......

I know I am not defined by my circumstances, what I see in the mirror, or even what other people say about me. Let me rest in Your confidence as I acknowledge who You say I am, a masterpiece, fearfully and wonderfully made. ~ Blessings

Thought For The Day To Help You Along The Way

Many of us think, "Once a failure, always a failure." But that’s simply not true. God's mercies--and our second chances--are fresh each morning ~ Blessings

Thought For The Day to Help You Along The Way

For all my ladies.....You're beautiful from head to toe, my dear love, beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless" (Song of Solomon 4:7b, MSG)...you don't have to dress provocatively or be a size 6....don't let anyone tell you otherwise ~ Blessings

NBJ

Thought For The Day To Help You Along The Way

Scared? Uncertain? Doubtful? Depressed? Discouraged? Mourning? Fearful? Turn your fear into faith and call on Him...The very name of Jesus will defeat the devil and drive away fear ~ Blessings

NBJ

Thought for The Day to Help You Along the Way

My Beautiful Sisters,

Today, use your ears, more than your mouth particularly if you and someone disagree. Be sympathetic...listen. "When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal" (Psalm 73:21-22), you are not an animal, but are a child of the Most High ~ Blessings


Blessings,
NBJ

I Love This Show!

Hi Ladies! Well the weekend is here and this weekend I will be snuggling up with my favorite show on HBO, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency featuring one of my favorite artists Jill Scott. I don't have HBO at my home (I know I am ancient) but I have been able to catch a few episodes at my mom's and I fell in love with what I saw. This show is based off of Alexander McCall Smith's book series which I also put a stamp of approval on. I am so excited that the first season is now available on DVD. So hit up Netflix, Blockbuster or purchase it and enjoy!

Check out the trailer.

Interesting Article on Marriage: Check it Out Ladies

Creating a Culture of Marriage

Michael Craven

Author, Speaker, Founding Director of the Center for Christ & Culture

There is much consternation over the state of marriage today. The institution itself has suffered serious social diminution—so much so that same-sex marriage appears inevitable. But the blame for this lies less with the culture at large than with the church in America. How so, you ask?

We seem to have forgotten an essential truth about the world and the nature of man. The world is fallen: all that was once good has been bent or broken, and something has gone seriously wrong. The nature of man is unremittingly inclined toward selfishness and sin and away from obedience to God. There are some who have, by God's grace, been saved from this condition, their old nature replaced with a new inclination to obedience and righteousness. Thus a war is raging in the world between the darkness and those who walk in the light of Christ.

Given these facts, the world will always drift in the direction of degradation and self-destruction. However, God in his mercy has come into the world to bring about the restoration of all things, calling men and women to repentance and the church serves as an instrument by which this redemptive work occurs. Where the church is faithful—to love the Lord their God and love their neighbors—there follows a power greater than that, which is in the world. The kingdom is made manifest and light pierces the darkness. Hope replaces despair, peace replaces turmoil, and freedom displaces oppression. Conversely, where the church is lackluster in its pursuit of the kingdom—indifferent to God and his purposes—the wicked rule and darkness will, for a time, subdue the light. Hope appears to vanish and disorder and oppression seem to reign everywhere.

Such is the case when it comes to marriage. How can the church expect the world to honor the marriage covenant when we do not? While I certainly believe that citizens of a free society should oppose all legal and public policy measures that undermine the biblical design for marriage and the family, these efforts will ultimately fail if the church does not collaterally create a culture of marriage. This "culture creation" occurs when the church demonstrates what life under the reign of God looks like—and under the reign of God, marriage is a sacred covenant, not to be broken. Furthermore, this demonstration of life lived under the loving rule of God is essential to our bearing witness to the gospel of the kingdom. Our lives, lived under the lordship of Christ, communicate to the world that there is a God who has acted in history and that this God is loving and merciful … but also that this God calls us to abandon our rebel ways and return to his lordship.

When we live in obedience to God, the church provides the moral gravity that orders the world under God's design. The church remains distinct from the world—and where it touches the world, there follows personal and social transformation. However, when the church abrogates this responsibility, the moral orbit of the society will naturally deteriorate. The church becomes indistinguishable from the world and the world begins to transform the church.

Beyond currently lacking the moral authority to preserve marriage, the church seems generally indifferent to the idea, especially when it comes to tampering with no-fault divorce. This past week I spoke with my friend, Kelly Shackelford of the Free Market Foundation about my desire to abolish no-fault divorce and the FMF's ongoing efforts to do the same in the Texas state legislature. Kelly, a respected attorney who has worked for years on this issue, told me, "So far, the biggest problem has been the apathy of the church on this. If they rose up, we could do this in one legislative session." The biggest problem is the apathy of the church! This sentiment is shared by many Christian activist organizations.

Do we not see the inherent sinfulness of this deplorable apathy and indifference to human suffering and injustice? Do we realize that it is our apathy that has contributed to the establishment of a system that operates in direct opposition to God's kingdom principles and commands? It is likely our apathy that seduced the church into its wanton participation with divorce on nearly the same scale and frequency as the unchurched.

We are the only force in the world possessing the true nature and understanding of marriage, and as such it is our responsibility to first demonstrate and then press this understanding into the world as we seek first the kingdom. In the absence of such an effort, the world will naturally descend into a self-centered approach to marriage, which by definition erodes the essential characteristic of true marriage.

I realize there are many in the church that have suffered divorce, perhaps even pursued divorce in defiance of biblical justification. I myself experienced a divorce many years ago while in my twenties. Fortunately, there were no children involved. I believe this divorce was very clearly allowed under the provisions of 1 Corinthians 7:15, which refers to an unbelieving spouse who seeks divorce. While most Christians would agree that divorce under these conditions is indeed permissible, some would argue that my remarriage was unjustified and therefore sinful. Suffice it to say, there is much debate on the issue. Regardless, we can repent and seek forgiveness from a grace-giving God and make every effort to sin no more.

What we cannot do is remain bound to our sinful past by reluctance to speak against unrighteousness because we were once unrighteous. We were all unrighteous until receiving grace and forgiveness! In fact, our past experience with sin can serve to bolster our opposition to the very same offense. Consider the case of John Newton, the former slave-ship captain, who despite once being an advocate and practitioner of this horrendous evil became, by God's amazing grace, a powerful voice for abolition.

The time has come for the church to take the Bible seriously, to become the creator of culture rather than its victim, and to establish as one of its priorities a culture of marriage within the church first. There is no shortcut to cultural transformation, no easy way. It is only from this hard-won beachhead that the church can then begin to shape our culture and its institutions in ways that honor marriage and exalt the supremacy of Christ!

© 2009 by S. Michael Craven

Superficial Faith?

Recently, someone very close to me confirmed that they were addicted to drugs and wanted help. I already knew in my gut that this was the case, but to have that person actually admit it openly was still just as painful as if I heard it for the first time. I prayed about the situation instantly, but I could not hear Jesus's voice. I felt so distant from Him. Not that I didn't believe that He was listening or that He wasn't concerned, I just could not connect with Him intimately and hear His voice guiding me through the situation at hand. So I muddled through the week with my faithometer on zero until my Pastor reminded me about the faith of the Greek woman in Mark 7. The New King James translation reads this:

24 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 28 And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.That scripture blessed me so! It reminded me that when we intercede on behalf of others that I must:

1. That I must diligently search for Him. Even Jesus Christ seeked solitude (verse 24) but just as the woman sought Him out desperately I must do the same, for He could not be hidden (verse 24).

2. Don't deny the problem and acknowledge that unclean spirits are real. Addiction is polluting my loved one's spirit, but Jesus, Jehova Rapha, can cleanse.

3. That I must submit to Him through worship and praise and simply say I have a problem that I cannot solve. The scripture says that she fell at his feet (verse 25)

4. Pursue Him without ceasing. The Greek woman had insurmountable faith in Christ. She begged and pleading with Him until He healed her daughter. Jesus was pleased by her persistence and He healed her body! Praise God!

I love you my dear sisters, and if your faith is low, think on Mark 7:24-30 and remember the persistent faith of the Greek woman!

God bless,

NBJ

Remembering 9/11 ~ God Bless America

Reflect today and many lives lost and remember how we as a nation came together.

God Bless You All!
NBJ

Talking Politics????

Ok, so I know that each of you is well aware of the current health care fiasco. You would have to be on some remote island in the middle of no where to not be, so I feel the need to put my little two cents in about this topic. I don't consider myself political at all and will not write on many political topics. I don't claim to be either Democratic, Independent or Republican. But I am a liberal minded voter, because God is liberal in the context that He gives us "free will" to even choose Him. I choose Him and I abide by His rules set forth in His living word. And let me tell you, I have a long way to go, hence the title of this blog! I wrote an article a while back and this is what I had to say.

How Can a Liberal Be a Christian?

As a Christian "liberal minded" voter, I think it is condescending to try to limit God to political ideology. God is sovereign and political beliefs, both liberal and conservative are diminutive and even incomparable to His decree. ChristianAnswers.net says His decrees include both those things ordained efficaciously and those that are ordained permissively. He transcends time and space and ordains every incident and individual both good and bad based on His most wise and holy counsel. To put it plainly, it is His prerogative. The ills of the world will and should break any Christian's heart, but a religious government will not solve these ills. Webster's dictionary defines politics as "the art or science of government," not the "religion of government." Conservatives have the absolute right to want to have God at the center and forefront of our government, in my perfect world, I want that for society too. However, because God himself gives us free will to choose, who are we to inflict our religious beliefs on the "immoral" fraction of America? Show me a Christian conservative that is without sin and let he or she cast the first stone. It is very hypocritical to equate one sin higher than the other. Sin is sin in the eyes of God and those who believe in Him know him as being the sole Judge. Conservatives, want to ban abortion and same-sex marriage (which by the way I do not agree with abortion or same-sex marriage because it does contradict the word of God), but if we keep it real we need to ban liars, adulterers, gossipers, the gluttonous and fornicators just to name a few of the other sins we commit conservatives and liberals alike. Obviously, this is out of our control and all of us would be locked up, but it is not out of the reach of God's infinitely vast clutch. When we try to do God's work, it can backfire and take society farther away from the sanctity of God.

So What Can A Liberal Christian do?

Senator Barack Obama recently unveiled his plan to partner with communities of faith. According to the Obama 08 campaign report, the Senator believes that our problems require an "all hands on deck" approach and that the government should enlist effective faith based and community groups to help solve them. He supports a White House office dedicated to a strong partnership between the White house and grassroots groups, both faith-based and secular. Christians can use this grassroots approach to minister out into the community beyond the walls of church edifices, to reach that young man or woman who may be struggling with homosexuality or lesbianism. To surround that fatherless boy with Christian mentors so that he may grow up to be successful. To encourage teenagers to abstain from sex. To help immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families become established in America, the land of immigrants. To ensure that the highly capable black woman graduate is not overlooked for a job because the color of her skin or gender. To talk to the pregnant woman about alternative options to abortion. To ensure that the richest country in the world acknowledges the importance that every one of its citizens has adequate healthcare. To offer assistance to the poor. After all we are servants and God has ordered us to go out and minister his word in love to all with compassion. The keyword here is "love," not by force with criticism as many conservative ideologies suggest that we do. Jesus Christ says in scripture, "That the only way to my Father is through me."

Even still the most important thing we have and need to do is to take personal responsibility for our actions. Morals and values are instilled in us as individuals. Our government should not be held responsible for that. The government’s sole purpose should be to maintain a peaceful society where every individual regardless of religion, gender, race, size or economic status is treated equally and fairly. For everything else in between I exhort Christians to turn to God. Conservatives should not attempt moral reform because the Holy Spirit according to Christian doctrine can only bring moral reform in individuals forth. One must first establish a personal relationship with the God we hold at the center of this debate.


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Share your thoughts, but please don't bash me for mine if you disagree.

Blessings,
NBJ

Can't Get Enough Of These Two

These are throwback pics of my babies! Photos taken by yours truly.
I love black and white photos! So classic!