The Courage of Your Convictions

Anyway
by Martina Mcbride

You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
that seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great,
but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray
it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy
and it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

God is great,
but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray
it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah, I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing
a song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah, sing it anyway

I sing,
I dream
I love
Anyway

Martina McBride: Anyway

I am a Friend to African Americans

Now, it is a little awkward discussing this subject under the present condition of American culture. It is difficult because we have an African American President, and this has resulted in a flaring up of multiple multiple emotions in the political arena, in the ghetto, and in voters who supported our president, and those who didn't.

But when all is said and done, I am glad that we have an African American president. I am glad because I see it as progress. It is a sign that many many people, both African American and Caucasian, are having their eyes opened to the possibility that, as good old Abe Lincoln said, "All men (and we are discovering, women as well) are created Equal".

I want to share with you, the time in my life when I first discovered the need to bring African Americans into a state of healthier self-esteem, and therefore better jobs, better child rearing, and simply; to help African Americans up. When I first came out of the hospital where I did my initial rehab (if you are at this blog for the first time, I am a paraplegic), I moved into a high-rise where a doorman sat in a room in the front lobby. His name was Stan, and he was, as we are discussing, an African American. Well, another paraplegic who I met at the rehab came to visit me, and he was Latino. And so, Stan asked me what I was doing with a Latino friend when I was Caucasian. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I don't discriminate against any race or nationality. I'm color blind." And I'm not sure whether it was that night, or a few days later that Stan asked me again. I still remember his words, "Oh you mean, you think black people are just as good as white people?" My heart was so touched by the humbleness of his question. I answered "Absolutely!" And that was the point, the time in my life when I made a firm decision that I was going to work as hard as I could to help people who are African American.

One night, I returned from kidding around with the doorman and his buddies, and I said a deep, deep prayer "Lord, I pray that the African American population WILL overcome". I continued to pray that. I am still praying it.

Will you join me? It's no picnic being committed to this cause. But if you are sincere about helping people up, you will find the determination to go on, no matter how many setbacks come.

Bruce Springsteen: We Shall Overcome

What Am I Doing?

I want to discuss my goals with you, or my lack thereof. I am not in pursuit of happiness, even though our Constitution tells me that I have the right to be. As I was preparing to write this blog here today, I searched for a download of an old Joni Eareckson Tada song called "Spirit Wings", which is the title track off of an LP I used to have. The album begins with Ms. Tada introducing this recording by sharing one of her insights, and this is what she says "I learned some time ago that God's purpose in drawing us to himself is not necessarily to make our lives happy or healthy, or even free from trouble. God's purpose in drawing us to Himself is to make us more like Jesus". Well there you have it friends! I have learned the hard way, I have learned in spite of much resistance. I have a degree from the school of hard knocks, where I have learned that God really does not want me to struggle and fight with people because I am so very determined to be a success. God is arm wrestling the devil for me! All I need to do is remain in a posture of love and worship toward Jesus!
I am content to be a loser in the world's eyes. Many many years ago, when my family first moved to this country (we came from Israel), there was a period of time when I was getting picked on in school. I told my mother, and she told me, if the kids called me names, I should respond by saying "If you think so, that's your privilege". Well, that was a little too intelligent for the average 3rd grader, but I knew exactly what she meant. And although it didn't help my relationship with those kids, I adopted my mother's logic, and it seems that I have held it close to my heart throughout my life. Another good way of saying the same thing, and relating it again to the United States Constitution is: "I do not agree with what you are saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" a quote penned by Voltaire, and one of my favorites.
Petra: Not Of This World

Creating A Lasting Design

There are times when though you are deeply committed to a friendship with someone, there is no evidence of it displayed before him/her. In introducing this idea I think of two books that revolutionized my thinking about wise handling of relationships. The first book is "Love Must Be Tough", by James Dobson, and the other is "Boundaries", by Cloud and Townsend. These two books discuss the concept that if a relationship is healthy, there must be a level of mutual respect. Part of respect means enough confidence in your friendship to be direct about what may at first seem like negative feelings toward the other.

It is a wonderful feeling to be so convinced in your mind that you love someone, that you know that what you are doing is right, though it may appear at the time as hateful or uncaring. When your peace with God is unmoved, you can be sure that whether your actions seem wise or unwise, you have no evil intentions toward your friends. Therefore whatever may be happening at any specific moment, the end result will be peace. "Mark the ways of the blameless, for the end of that man is peace" (Psalm 37)

Whitney Houston: One Moment In Time

2014: A Good Year For A Better Mind

Good morning my friends! I have a praise recording 4 you today. It's called very directly, "Praise is What I Do", by a group, Shekinah Glory Ministry. See, it's a new year, and I have decided to really dig down and extract some of the impure ways of thinking that I have wrongly insisted on for years. I have a feeling I even know where it all began too. But it doesn't matter where it all began. It matters more that I am now willing to end it. And I am inviting u all to join me. Here's Shekinah Glory Ministry performing "Praise Is What I Do". I love it!!!

PRAISE IS WHAT I DO

Praise is what I do 
When I want to be close to You,
I lift my hands in praise.
Praise is who I am, 
I will praise Him while I can.
I'll bless Him at all times.

Chorus
I vow to praise You
Through the good and the bad.
I'll praise You,
Whether happy or sad.
I'll praise You 

(this is my testimony)
In all that I go through,
(somebody said why) 
Because praise is what I do,
Cause I owe it all to You.

Verse 1 
(come on church) 
Praise is what I do
(come on church)
When I want to be close to You, 
(I lift my hands-somebody lift Him) 
I lift my hands in praise.
(somebody say it so the devil will hear you)
Praise is who I am,
(come on praise the Lord)
I will praise Him while I can.
I'll bless Him at all times.

Chorus
And I vow to praise You
Through the good and the bad.
I'll praise You,
Whether happy or sad.
I'll praise You 
(Somebody lift your voice and say) 

Verse 2
Praise is what I do,
Even when I am going through,
(see I've learned...) 
I've learned to worship You.
(see I want to let the devil know tonight, even though...)
Though my circumstance doesn't even stand a chance,
My praise out weighs the bad.

(so I vow to praise) 

Repeat Chorus

Now somebody lift your voice
And just go to praising him right now
Somebody lift your voice in this place
Lift up your voice in this place

Hello, my friends

Today, I downloaded a song called "Never Surrender, by Corey Hart. It is a song that came out in the 1980s, and the words are very descriptive of what it feels like when it appears as if you are facing certain doom.

So, as I uploaded it onto my tumblr blog, I thought of you guys who tap into me here on blogger. I thought of all of you because when I first created this blog and it was still called "My Sad Situation", I stated that my purpose for this blog was to keep company with those people out there who are hurting. I wanted to take the shame out of openly sharing that, maybe I'm not feeling so good! Maybe I'm not at a dream job earning a dream salary and having the world as my oyster. I am worthy of love just the same!!!

So I want you to listen to the words of this here song, and I want you to catch my link and read what I posted there along with it. Our Friendship is entering a new year. But at the same time, I am tapping into its original purpose again. I want to create a space for us who don't feel like we should have to brag in order to be socially acceptable. Because the reality of it is that no human being really wants to have to mouth off that much about their conquests in order win love! This year once again, you will find me here. You will find me In the Position of Friend.

Corey Hart: Never Surrender