THE DEVIL'S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

I’ve always tried to be mindful and alert when it comes to the devil. He’s a crafty buzzard well known for running to and fro seeking whom he can devour. He comes in all shapes, sizes, and circumstances; known and unknown. Usually I’m a good judge of character; staying away from that which doesn’t mean me well. However, what do you do when the devil is closer than you think?

I was shocked when I receive a phone call from a close relative sharing what they thought would be disturbing news. Long story short one relative called to share that another relative had some very negative things to say about me. Things that took me by surprise, but didn’t leave me totally shocked because I’ve learned not to be surprised by the actions or thoughts of man. Apparently this relative feels that I’ve “gotten above myself,” that “I think I’m all that,” and that “I’m living above my means.” Hmmm did you think that when you needed a place to stay, or when you needed me to get you out of the mess that you’d gotten yourself in? Did you think that when you parked your car in a no parking zone and I had to pick you up AND pay for your car to be released? Did you think that at 1:00 in the morning when you called needing a ride or when you had a flat tire, no spare & no money to get it repaired? Tell me, did you feel like that when I dropped you and your car off AND paid for that too? Living above my means…what saddens me is knowing that my “relative” feels like this and it saddens me even more that they couldn’t talk to me about it. So the more I processed this I came to the conclusion that this is probably one person that’s not in my corner of elevation. Knowing that I now have to put this person in the same corner with people that I can’t trust saddened me because this corner is reserved for those that would rather tolerate me than celebrate with me. This corner is for those that have secretly harbored ill feelings against me in their hearts; those that hardened their hearts and refused to treat me like I treat them. These are the people that remind me of the song that says, “Smiling in my face all the time they want to take my place, backstabbers.” These are the people that the devil has used to walk in my home carrying havoc on the bottom of their shoes. You see the devil knows that the only way he can enter my home is if he’s invited and what better way to enter than to come in with a “friend” and what better “friend” than a relative.

When all was said and done I shared with my informant that I wasn’t angry nor was I upset. I knew that this would surprise them because back in the day I would have handled this a lot differently. I simply asked that they let them know that I received their message; coming from me these words alone would speak volumes. Nothing else was needed because you see everyone that REALLY knows me knows that being my friend is a lot better than being my foe. They know that once I take the trash out I don’t believe in bringing it back in. To my relative and/or "friends," life for me is simply this….I don’t think I’m all that, it’s you that think I’m all that. Need I say more? TGBTG

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A SERVANT'S HEART....

My daughter Shay…I’ve always known that she was special but recently I realized how precious and amazing she really is; it was the day that I stopped by her school to buy uniform shirts. As I looked for her to check the size I realized that she’d left me to go help someone chip paint off of the walls. That’s when I truly saw her heart, a heart that genuinely reaches out to help others no matter what the job may be. I used to think that Shay always had her tiny self into everything because she didn’t know how to mind her own business. Sometimes she’s so busy being involved in other people’s affairs that she failed to follow thru on her own; yet on this day my eyes were opened and I saw her in a new light. I finally saw that my Little Miss Busybody was born with a servant’s heart; a heart that reaches far beyond what’s expected or what’s needed, oftentimes helping those that most of us would turn our backs on.

A servant’s heart…. That’s the heart of a person that stays around to help after others have walked away. It’s the heart of a person that’s always giving but rarely receives. It’s a heart that will sometimes go out of their way to help only to be the person blamed when things don’t quite turn out right. Only a servant’s heart can forgive and forget, in the same hour, those that will talk about her and mistreat her. It’s the heart that will run to get lunch for a child that has a broken leg, yet is told that she can’t replace her own because she mistakenly dropped it while trying to carry both. A servant’s heart….It’s the heart that won’t think twice about spending her last dime to buy something for a sister that will think twice about spending just a dime on her. It’s the heart of a person that if hit by a car would run over to see if the driver is alright. It’s the heart of a person that may not get any academic recognitions, acknowledgements or referrals to C-5 programs, but a heart that is genuinely happy for those that do. It’s the heart of one that may never be called upon to receive a certificate in school but will offer to help carry all of the certificates to the program if needed. It’s the heart of one that’s not envious of others but says with anticipation, “mommy, next year,” after learning that she missed passing all 5 subjects of the CRCT by only a few points. It’s the heart of a person that will invite everyone to her party even though few people will invite her to theirs. It’s the heart of a person that will smile through tribulations that would make grown people cry. It’s the heart that finds the good in others that don’t look for the good in her. It’s the heart of one that waits patiently even if it means coming in second, or third, or fourth. If I, her mother, a grown woman, had Shay's heart then my life would be richer. If I had a heart that would help without complaining, one that you could always depend on no matter what, or one that would share my last with a stranger, then my world would be a better place.

Last night as I watched her sleep I couldn’t help but be amazed at how God was able to pack all of this goodness into one small, misunderstood package. It was then that a still small voice said, “You haven’t seen anything yet….” TGBTG

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I'M MOVING FORWARD

God has such a wonderful sense of humor. Yes He does. I think that’s why He loves me so; He finds me to be quite comical. The past few days I’ve had to sit back and chuckle at how He has presented a situation to me. It went a little something like this - I do something….He counters. I pray something…He answers. I sow a seed…He gives me a harvest. I listen to a song attached to an email sent to me …He sends confirmation while listening that He will give me the desires of my heart. That’s the kind of God that I serve.

For the past eight (8) months I have enjoyed being able to focus on my family, especially my children and their needs. It wasn’t a decision that I made for myself, but it worked out for my good; it’s been a long time since my children have had me 100% to themselves without having to share me with work, their extra curricula activities, etc. For eight months we’ve had dinner together, we’ve created a business together, we’ve spent many days laughing, decorating their rooms in their favorite colors and most importantly we’ve made time to have Morning Prayer like we used to. During my time off God had to remind me that what was meant for my bad has opened up so many doors for me. He showed me that nothing happens apart from His will and that it’s possible to have peace when the devil wanted me to have turmoil. My friend in D.C. reminded me that eight (8) is the number of new beginnings, so it is only fitting that God would close a door that I had just put my hand on so that He could give me my new beginning; He didn’t want me to lose focus of His plan for me (Jer. 29:11).

With a smile on my face I think of my friend, the jazzy medical student that sent me the email with the song attached. I hope she knows that I miss her too and think of her every time I wear the earrings that she gave me. Little did we know that we would eventually have a lot in common – God put us on pause to show us a few things about ourselves. As the messenger she had no clue how the very person that she sent me the message through would also be the person that blessed me earlier with an email that would change my life & my direction. She had no clue that while I was listening to the song that she sent to encourage and uplift me that I would receive a phone call with a job offer even before the song ended. Nothing but God…Whatever God has revealed to her about her future I know she’s going to take it by storm; being cute and jazzy along the way. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, since I’ve had a chance to pick with her as only I know how to do, but God placed me on her mind and through her He spoke a message that He knew I needed to hear. To my jazzy friend & to the person she sent the email through ~ God has a plan for our lives and no one can take our place. Many thanks and much love to you both! See ya at the top! TGBTG

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TEACH THEM WELL...

The power of the written word…My daughter’s homeroom teacher have the words, “Teach them well and let them lead the way” as part of his signature line on his email. Every time I receive an email from him I am reminded of the song, “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside….” These are the lyrics to the song, “The Greatest Love of All” written by Michael Masser & Linda Creed. Seeing those words at the end of his email reminds me of how powerful they can be in the development of a child.

Teach them well…I think I’ve always had this thing about “ministering” to teens using my own uniqueness. Basically I say what you need to know, not what you want to hear. Show them all the beauty they possess inside... There's a young man at my daughter's school that has become my adopted son; I call him “the son I never had.” He’s a nice young man, a fella with untapped potential that even he can’t see. I was drawn to him because I saw past what he sometimes tries to portray as an exterior; you can tell that he has been “raised right” (as the old folks say). Untapped potential…God promised to give his namesake every piece of land that his feet touched; I hope that he realizes that this is his promise too. I predict that one day he’ll show me that he was worth every word of encourgement that I’ve spoken into his spirit. “The son I never had…” Last year he and my youngest shared a common thread of always having to stay at school for Wednesday detention. They were also placed on what is called a "contract" and threatened with being removed and sent to their “home school.” While talking with them about this in his eyes I could see the words of the Apostle Paul, “The things I know I should do, I don’t. The things I know I shouldn’t do, I end up doing.” That evening while talking to my daughter Shay about her “contract” she turned to me and said, with such sincerity, “But mommy I’m not a bad person.” It was then that I turned and gave my child a hug and reassurance that no matter what anyone says she was not “a bad person.” I shared his story, Shay’s struggles, and the contract with my friend living in Virginia, she said to me, “San, these are just kids being kids. They are not fighting, drinking, smoking dope, carrying weapons or cutting class. What do you expect from a child?” What she told me next left not only my mouth but my eyes wide open. As it turns out my friend was the child that most of her teachers thought would not excel; teachers talked about her in her presence assuming that because she was a child she wasn’t smart enough to understand and her peers ridiculed her. Parents didn’t want their children to socialize with her in or out of school – she was labeled the trouble maker. She wasn’t the A student or even the B student that would earn her the praises and the recognition and ultimately she was placed with the group of students that were “just like her.” A lonely place to be so I learned to depend on me… “San,” she continued, “the difference now between me & those A/B students is that most of them had babies before we finished high school and I didn’t. Some of them are alcoholics, drowning from trying to live in the world’s expectations. Quite a few are in bad marriages because they married someone on or above their expectation level and then the rest have been fake for so long that they don’t know who they really are. Me, the person that no one thought would amount to much has retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel. I have three degrees and have less than a year to complete my Juris Doctorate, I live in one house but own three others, I am happily married to a retired Colonel and we have children whose college educations are collecting interest. I am well blessed and I did so because my mother told me to prove everyone wrong. So San, don’t give up hope for Shay or this young man because the world has no clue what God has in store for them.” “Prove everyone wrong.” Those were the exact words that I said to Shay & “my son” as we discussed “their contract,” Wow! What a confirmation! Thanks, friend…Ich Liebe Dich ~TGBTG

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WHAT'S IN YOUR EAR?

Recently I posted a Thought for Today to my Facebook family. It simply said this, “What would you say to a person that told you Jesus can’t save you and life start when the church ends?” I then asked them if they would give this person their money; I’m sure that most of them said “No,” however they probably unknowingly did if they purchased or downloaded Jay Z’s song, Empire State of Mind.

I must admit that I, too, thought that the song was cute; I mean it even briefly had me wishing that I were from New York because it has become their unofficial anthem. In reality though I have to admit that I’ve never listened to Jay Z’s part of the song because I’m not a fan of his music; usually for me his lyrics doesn’t make sense. But I must admit that until today I was highly impressed with him as a business man…hmm...however one of my favorite movies comes to mind as I write this, “The Devil’s Advocate.” I won’t go into the true message of this movie but I’ll leave you with a slice, “You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire; you build egos the size of cathedrals; fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse; grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green, gold-plated fantasies, until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own God... and where can you go from there?” Suffice it to say it’s speaks to how we are as a people. Ironically this movie was also centered around New York as well.

“Would you give this person your money?” I followed that by saying, “You did if you bought or downloaded this song.” Jay Z’s latest CD sold over a million copies in a week; further lining his pockets. “Jesus can’t save you…” It pains me to think that our children and some adults are being fed from the devil’s hand and we don’t know it or realize it. It pains me that the utensil being used to feed us is something simple as two buds attached to an Ipod or MP3 player and we don’t realize it. Long ago I told someone that this new craze was really the devil’s handiwork because it feeds your spirit. I compared it to an experience that I had with my alarm clock – Short version…back when the song was popular I found myself always singing R. Kelly’s song about Mr. Big. It puzzled me why this song wouldn’t get out of my head. “Low down dirty woman, back to where you come from…” It was weeks before I realized that this song came on the radio at the same time every morning which just happened to be my wake up time; it was the first thing that fed my spirit. “What’s in your ear?” It’s true that what goes in your ears rests in your spirit. I proved that by whispering “Mommy” into Breyona’s ear as a baby; guess what her first words were? “What’s in your ear?” Have you ever left church on a spiritual high singing a song from the service only to go into a store playing secular music? Now I know I’m not the only one that has gone from singing Praise is what I do to It’s a thin line between love and hate without realizing it…Yes the devil is crafty… So let me ask you this ~ Jay Z says, “Jesus can’t save you” and God’s Word says, “If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart you shall be saved.” Now who will you believe?

“He who knows not & knows that he knows not is a fool; shun him. He who knows not & knows not that he knows not is a child; teach him. He who knows & knows not that he knows is asleep; wake him. He who knows & knows that he knows is wise; follow him.” ~Proverbs TGBTG

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PARTY OVER HERE!

Party over here! My super sweet, precious daughter imagines that her 16th birthday will be like the television show My Super Sweet 16. She has such hopes, dreams and ideas for this big day; ideas that I can’t help but laugh at when she talks about it. “Mommy, I want a limousine to drop me off at the clubhouse and then I want all of my friends to blah, blah, blah.” At this point it all begins to sound like gibberish, especially since I’ve turned on the tune-your-child-out button. Sadly the show My Super Sweet 16 has given a lot of children a crazy idea that all 16th birthdays should be spent with a party that costs thousands of dollars followed by a very expensive automobile. YEAH RIGHT! Unfortunately for Bree this dream was fueled when her dance group was invited to a 16th birthday party at Terrell Owens’s house (pardon me while I suppress my flesh). The party was really great, especially the part where I foamed at the mouth over an ESPN picture of a shirtless T.O. (get behind thee flesh). Let’s see where was I, oh yeah back to the kids. After watching the entertainment, swimming in the pool, eating, dancing and mingling everyone was asked to come around to the front of the house; it was here that a Mercedes Benz with a big bow was parked in the driveway. On the ride home both Bree and Shay talked about their 16th party and what they were expecting, did I say YEAH RIGHT?!

As we drove back to the real world I shared with them that my concept of birthday parties for them have changed dramatically. Am I being mean? No. I made a decision that the Jackson’s will have an annual gathering that will cover everything from birthdays, to graduations, to family BBQs and all; this way we can lump our celebrations into one party. Why? Let me explain. Picture this – if you are the one that’s hosting the party no matter how many people lend a hand, it is the host that ends up too tired to fully enjoy the party, not to mention that the host is also the one that ends up a little light in the pocket. After the party is over it is the host that has to clean up, put the scraps of food away, and end up pissed that insensitive people carried away all of the food without any regards to whether the family would like to eat later. At my last party not only did they haul away all of the food, but when the plates ran out someone found the foil and used up all of that too. Skanks! From now on I’m going to invest in the birthday girl, the husband or myself and give us a present that we will never forget. I will no longer spend my money to entertain someone else for MY birthday – noooo. This year I’m going to teach my family that to celebrate another year of life doesn’t mean exhausting ourselves and our money entertaining others; it means making lasting memories for us…Even if I’m riding on clouds of money between now and the next year and a half before Bree turns 16, I doubt that she will be driving the streets of Atlanta in a Benz or anything in that price range. For me I would rather see the expression on their faces as they stare at the ocean from the balcony on a luxury cruise ship or while sitting on the beach in Hawaii or sitting in a penthouse suite with a few members of the family & close friends. I would rather make memories of them taking a picture with Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, or some special background in Sydney. I would rather be in Brazil learning something that I didn’t know or teaching them to ski in Aspen. I would rather see my dollar being changed to another currency rather than seeing people carrying plates of food that I’ve paid for out of my house.

Memories…My girls and I will always remember the time we spent in Puerto Rico, a celebration for passing the CRCT. We combined that with my niece graduating from the 8th grade and Bree’s graduation from the 5th grade. “Let’s have a pool party in the clubhouse,” they shouted. “Sure, let me just call to cancel these,” I said as I placed four airline tickets on the table. “What would you rather do?” The screams told me that they would rather be in Puerto Rico. We turned a business trip into a vacation; my best friend joined us and the 5 of us toured Old San Juan, the Bacardi factory, we enjoy the food along the strip of the small town we were living in and had fun trying to order chicken in Spanish at Church’s. Pool party or Puerto Rico? We have pictures & a video of us relaxing in the Jacuzzi, playing in the pool and enjoying the waves in the ocean. I still find the strange looks amusing when Shay says, “that smells like Bacardi.” I stop and wonder if I should explain that we toured the factory and smelled the different flavors of Rum. Will they believe me? It doesn’t matter. I know that a tour of Puerto Rico and the original Rum factory have given them lessons that they will always remember. Ahhh. Life was good and it was money well spent. I can’t wait until our Super Sweet “vacation,” but in the meantime where can mommy go for a little R & R…? TGBTG

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God is in the Small Stuff

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! WOW 2010!! It seems like only yesterday that I wrote my article The Brilliant Mind of Others to ring in 2009. Many of you know that my first article of the New Year is usually a revelation received for which I am always honored to be the vessel. Just looking back at the titles over the years says a lot about what I’ve learned: 2005 Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor; 2006 ABLIEVR: 2007 Shake It Off; 2008 Life is too Darn Short. Last year God dropped into my spirit an amazing revelation while watching a Katt Williams DVD and from that The Brilliant Mind of Others was birthed. This year something as annoying as a beeping sound in my truck was the basis for the powerful message sent by God.

Long story short – Around the middle of last year I began to notice a beeping sound in my truck. It’s the same sound that is made when I start the ignition but leave the door open or my seat belt unfastened; a warning sound. Every time it came on I would pull over, exit, and go around opening and closing every door. In the beginning doing this worked but after a while it wouldn’t and the beeping continued continuously for about 2 or 3 minutes or until I pressed the reset button 2 or 3 times – annoying. Finally after putting two and two together I discovered that it only happened when it rained; apparently a short in the wiring. As it got closer to the truck being paid in full what started out as a problem only when it rained turned into an all the time problem. The few mechanics that I asked had no idea why it was doing this – a couple suggested a fuse, one agreed that it was possibly the wiring, but no one wanted to touch it. Frustrated and ticked off I was beginning to believe that the old saying is true, “Everything starts happening when it’s almost paid off.”When I couldn’t take it anymore I realized that I had two options – I could pray about it and hope that God hears me in the small stuff or I could take it to Ford and let them charge me an arm, a leg, and two fingers. Knowing how God likes to show off I decided to put Him to the test (hey He said it first...) My prayer was simple; something similar to the Faith Evans' song, "Lord I come to you I ask you to grant my request. The prayer I pray today is different from the rest..."

I don’t know exactly when it happened but in the beginning I thought it was just another fluke. I thought, okay, it’s a dry day and the sun has dried up the moisture that had shorted out the wire. Later that week it stormed; no beep. Another dry day and no beeping sound. This went on and on until I realized that God must have fixed the “small stuff.” I couldn’t believe it but in my heart I could because He’s just that kind of God. This was His way of showing me that what I think is small is just as important to Him. It was this “small stuff” that reminded me that all He asks is that we have faith the size of a mustard seed. So this year, 2010, take your big stuff and imagine that it’s small stuff and then give it to God ~ He’s listening and He’ll take care of it. TGBTG

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