Wednesday's Words & Lyric: FOR EVERY MOUNTAIN by THE KURT CARR SINGERS

I've got so much to thank God for
So may blessings and so many open doors
A brand new mercy
Along with each new day
That's why I praise You
For this I give You praise

For waking me up this morning
That's why I praise You
For starting me on my way
That's why I praise You
For letting me see the sunlight of a new brand day
A brand new mercy along with each new day
That's why I praise You
For this I give You praise

You're Jehovah Jireh
That's why I praise You
You've been my provider
That's why I praise You
So many times You met my need, So many times You rescued me
That's why I praise You
I wanna thank You for the blessings You give to me each day
That's why I praise You
For this I give You praise

For every mountain You brought me over
For every trial you've seen me through
For every blessing
Hallelujah, for this I give You praise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qKxMQ3kQuc

Freckles' Thought For This Day...

May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

St. Thérèse de Lisieux, 1873-1897

lovecandace: dude-relax.com

SIDEBAR from my own foolery and/or fuckery to shout out one of the most special woman I have the pleasure of calling friend.  She is one of the sincere, genuinely nicest people I know (and I know alot of people) and an absolute talent that stepped out on faith to share her talents with the world by creating a wonderful website to display her gift of pencil, pen and charcoal.  She is originally from Oakland, CA but not resides in Atlanta, GA.  My friend is a simple treasure that doesnt have some complex dissertation on her pieces and simply draws because she can and she likes to.  It's that simple and I am not even biased, well maybe alittle bit but she's got real talent. Seriously dude.

I am often amazed what she puts on paper with a pencil, pen and/or charcoal.  I feature her art on many of my post and will be featuring it in my Single In This City (LA) series as it's absolutely relevenat to dating and always seeking some form of love.

When I lived with her in Atlanta, I would watch her draw out the corner of my eye, because she prefers to not be bothered when she is in her zone, and waited her to walk away to sneak a peak.  I would watch her erase constantly to reach her own perfection and not just settle for what didn't feel right.  I would watch her take her time with each stroke/ shade and display absolute integrity in each and every piece. I watched her fall in love and be in love with all of her creative ideas put to paper/canvas.  She is truly awesome and genuinely special.  So here is to her and my desire to share her talent with as many as possible.  I ask that you take the time and check out her artwork, consider purchasing and make a purchase and then buy a tshirt which can also be done at her site www.dude-relax.com   Then share it with a friend.  Check some of her work and some of her inspiration below.

lovecandace

Inspired by the search. Inspired by the effort, the frustration, the wishing, hoping, waiting, praying, Inspired by the time, the energy. Inspired by the physical attraction and the mutual interests, same struggle, common goals. Inspired by late night tears, mid-afternoon laughs,clear thoughts in the morning.

Inspired by the good jeans that show off the curves, the right shoes for the right dress. Inspired by the water plus the gel with the headscarf tied tight. Inspired by the burn on the ear, neck, forehead from the curling iron flat iron pressing comb. Inspired by lip gloss, eyeliner, mascara, glitter and powder. Inspired by pumice stones, wax, razors, tweezers, scissors, nail clippers, and emory boards.Inspired by Vaseline and socks, baby oil and cocoa butter.

Inspired by candles and incense and fabric spray.
Inspired by the trip out of the room to release some air. Inspired by the trip across town in traffic in the rain on an empty tank. Inspired by SportCenter, Baseball Tonight, NBA Today, NFL Pregame Show, College Gameday, and SportCenter, again. Inspired by the beer you keep cold but don’t drink, snacks you don’t eat, movies you don’t watch or don’t want to see.
Inspired by the strange meal he made out of fishsticks and macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and beans, grits and pork roast,bacon toast orange juice and scrambled eggs, Hawaiian Punch and Capri Sun.

Inspired by the friends that have found it and the ones who work so hard to keep it. Inspired by the ones who have lost it and won’t give up on finding it again. Inspired by the ones who have never had it and wonder what it feels like.

Inspired by the ones who are about to find out.


 
Ink Hearts (lovecandace) are $75
(2 for $100)

 

get at her:  Candace@dude-relax.com
                    duderelax@gmail.com

some of her other work and my favorites

 

 

My PRIDE has been keeping me from PEACE

PRIDE: Definitions of pride on the Web:A feeling of self-respect and personal worth satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements; "he takes pride in his son's success"

the trait of being spurred on by a dislike of falling below your standards a group of lionsbe proud of; "He prides himself on making it into law school"

unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem (personified as one of the deadly sins) Pride is the cultivation, preservation or exalting of self. It is a protecting of self. Pride is commitment to self. It is building up ourselves in our own eyes or in the eyes of others. Pride is an excessive belief in one's superiority, worth, merit. Pride is a root cause of many sins.

I never truly considered myself a prideful person until recently. I am not the kind of person that likes to ask. I have a helping spirit. I do whatever I can for someone I care about and I do it without expectation. This attribute has been both a blessing and a curse. I do not know how to accept or ask for help. I do but it's an uncomfortable place for me especially right now. I am truly my father's daughter (mistaking my pride for weakness). I don't want to need help and surely don't want to ask for it but I am learning something new about myself at this time. You see, my current situation is a truly humbling place. I do not have a clear plan, I do not know where my next is coming from but I know that it is coming and my emotions are haywire. I can sincerely say that this character building experience is truly testing my faith and to be honest, for a moment I thought that I was in danger of failing (one of my absolute fears has been failure but faith...)

I got caught up in the woe is me, Lord don’t you see, God do you hear me and oh Jesus did you blink (thanks EC). I almost let the devil see me slipping but there is a place... I almost let him steal my joy. I almost gave up. But God saw otherwise.... Thank you. Through it all - I am blessed and yes I am going through but you cannot come out until you are through. I know that but I truly understand it right now at this moment. God has chosen me to go through this so that I can share this with someone or help someone that is going through worse or even less and I am going to have an awesome testimony.

God works in awesome ways. He sends angels to encourage you when you are having a hard time encouraging yourself. He sends you angels to show you when you cannot step outside of yourself. An angel was sent to me yesterday sharing a few thoughts, concerns and confirmations. She said some things to me that I had only shared with God - thank you Lord and I hear you. She reminded me that pride and peace conflict and that I need to let go of my pride. She shared that she had been praying for me through her own struggles in life. How wonderful is that and how blessed am I that someone had me on their mind and took the time to pray for me - I use to love to sing that song in church but I never truly knew what it meant until this very second. I am so thankful that she has been praying. You never know how is truly praying for you or in your corner when you are all caught up in your own issues. Sometimes your issues are not about you and sometimes you are suppose to truly endure the storm so you can know what your faith is (thanks mom). I hear you now and I am listening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu1MNU08Au0 Lord let your will be done and please keep me sane in the meantime. Lord, give me the peace to surpass all understanding and truly praise you through the storm. I am feeling so many different things right now and I do not want to miss anything from you. Sometimes I feel like I don't hear you Lord but then you sent me an angel that eased my pain with confirmation from you. Thank you Father for the ability to hear what you provided. Thank you for the simple things (breathing, walking, thinking, seeing... all things taken for granted) and Lord, I thank you for giving daddy a new home with a new body. Father it's been hard for me but you have blessed me through month #2 and I am so thankful for your grace and mercy. I am thankful for his life and I am thankful that there is no more suffering. Father God, keep me close as I meditate on Philipians 4:6-9 - this is my scripture. It worked before and I believe it to be true. Now Father, I pray for each person that reads this transparent moment. Lord I pray that you will touch each life. Provide each with the peace, comfort, guidance and/or desire of their hearts. Let them be encouraged that we are all faced with challenges but that you are a God of hope and gratefulness. There is light at the end of the tunnel and you've got it. Lord I thank as I know it's already taken care of. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Just For Today!

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess abouttomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try toovercome all of my problems at once.I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime. JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine. JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot. JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought andconcentration. I will not be a mental loafer. JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. Iwill improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I will refrain from improving anybodybut myself. JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I'm a smoker, I'll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully -- if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it's only around the block. JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

Prayer of Saint Francis:"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

"Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

"Where there is injury, pardon;

"Where there is doubt, faith;"Where there is despair, hope;

"Where there is darkness, light;

"Where there is sadness, joy;

"O Divine Master, grant that I may not as much seek tobe consoled as to console;"To be loved as to love."For it is in giving that we are pardoned;"It is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Amen.

Speak What You Seek

And God said, 'Let there be light', and there waslight" (Genesis 1:3).

God wanted there to be light, so He spoke it intoexistence. He wanted there to be water, land, and plants, so He declared them to be. Did you know, as a believer, that same creative power lives inside of youby the Holy Spirit? What are you speaking intoexistence in your life? Are you declaring the truth of God's Word that says you are the head and not the tail- that you are above only and not beneath? Listen tothe words that come out of your mouth and speak what you seek! If you seek good health, declare that God isyour Healer and that you will live strong and healthyall the days of your life. If you need provision forsomething, declare that God is your Provider. Be proactive and speak peace into your home. Speak God's protection over your family. Speak favor over your job. Decide and declare that today will be your best day to the Glory of God!

"KEEP THEM IN YOUR MOUTH"

How many of us, whenever we go through our moments of trial, disappointment, frustrations, fear, anxiety, heartache, heart break, and every other type of situation in our lives, were able to change our situations by feeling sorry for ourselves and complaining? The answer, of course, is none. The onlyway to see our way through these situations is to praise God. Whenever the enemy comes against us like a flood, we need to arm ourselves with the word of God. Not only are we to hide it in our hearts, we are tospeak it against every attack that the enemy throws against us. When we keep these two things in our mouths, as well as our hearts, we will be victorious in our walk of faith.