Remembering Michael Jackson

I would be remiss if I did not take time to pay my respects to one of the greatest performer this world has ever known. Very few artists are known around the world like Michael Jackson was. He bridged that gap between black and white, young and old, and rich and poor. In addition, so many of his songs spoke to the humanitarian in us, the philanthropist in us, the adventurer in us, the dreamer in us, and the kid in us.

As a child, I grew up listening to the music of The Jackson Five. I first learned to Dance listening to "Dancing Machine." My very first album was that of the Jackson Five, and when I inadvertently broke it you could only imagine my disappointment, until my mom managed to secure another copy for me at a local garage sale. That purchase freed up an album cover in which I very carefully cut out Michael Jackson's picture and then begin to carry it around in my purse. The picture proved to be very handy when friends wanted to debate their devotion to Michael Jackson.

My bedroom wall would have been covered with Michael Jackson posters, but my mom and dad would only allow one or two posters on the wall at a time. So most of my posters of Michael were kept in a folder, which I would pull out every once in a while to admire the artist and my collection.

In the sixth grade, my classmates and I put on a dance routine in front of the entire school to the song "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)." In a multi-cultural school in Utah, in the 70's, Michael Jackson's music had brought us together.

Every where I went in the U.S., in Europe and back, Michael Jackson's music was there. Even when I look back over my high school years, along side my year books there is the small collection of his albums, and all the memories that his songs bring to mind. Yet, when I saw him on television recently I did not recognize him as Michael Jackson. He had changed so drastically, and so had my thoughts toward him. Instead of praying for him, I questioned why he would want to drastically alter who God had created him to be. Tears did not come for me until old picture of him were shown. Then my thoughts mumbled "That's him, that's the Michael I remember." Then I wondered if he knew the Lord; if someone had taken the time to share the "Good News" with him. I want to believe he is a part of God's mass choir, and maybe the praise team: singing and dancing before the Lord our God. I also hope he has found the sleep, peace, and freedom that seemed to have eluded him here on earth.

I have marked Michael's death as a reminder to me to never be afraid to share my faith with someone. The thought of anyone spending the rest of eternity in hell is far more frightening to me than public speaking, or stepping up to share my faith.

May you rest in peace Michael Jackson; may your soul magnify the Lord; and may the legacy of your music survive in the hearts of our children, like it has settled in the hearts of your fans and will dwell there until we too have breathed our last breath.

Let us continue to pray for the Jackson family--their health and well being--and that each of them come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord Savior.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; (Ecclesiastics 3:1-2)

See also…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31553183/ns/entertainment-music

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Walking with Jesus... (The New Footprints)

Although I try to add my own content to my blogs, every once and a while I come across a parable I feel compelled to share. The following is one such allegory….

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together.

For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.

You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream.

Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But you walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you."

"That is correct," replied the Lord.

"Then, when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I followed You very closely."

"Very good. You have understood everything so far."

"So when the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming more like You in every way."

"Precisely!" said Jesus.

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."

There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice. "You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"

Your Call to Order:

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!

Power Verses:
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
(Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4).

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
(Psalm 100:4-5)

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Stewardship Involves Trust

A snippet for the book: Balancing Blessings and Obtaining Order

Planning wisely involves trusting God more than you trust yourself; and acknowledging God in everything. Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Time with God builds your trust in Him. The three days Esther spent in the presence of God gave her the courage to confront her husband about a decree he approved to destroy her people. God also gave her a plan, and as a result, when she should have been killed she was welcomed by the king with open arms; and when her people should have been annihilated, the enemy was eradicated. That’s the type of power that comes from trusting God.

We are to trust God who is omniscient. He knows the circumstances, trials, battles, stresses and test that are coming our way. In light of that, why wouldn’t we want to take time to consult with God about our day and our life? Time with God saves us time; and trusting God’s guidance enables us to focus on what needs to be done, and the most feasible way of doing it. To think that we have the resources to act without regard for God is unbecoming of us, as Christians; because daily we are called to “walk by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

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Wealth and Success will not come in without Love

This morning as I was skimming through my emails, I run across an absolutely beautiful email sent to me by a friend. I have no ideas where the story originated or its title, but I knew immediately this was an email I had to share. The email contained the following narrative …

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said “I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.”
“Is the man of the house home?” they asked.
“No,” she replied. “He’s out.”
“Then we cannot come in,” they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.
“Go tell them I am home and invite them in!”
The woman went out and invited the men in.
“We do not go into a House together,” they replied.
“Why is that?” she asked.
One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. “How nice!” he said. “Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill out home with wealth!” His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!”

“Let us heed out daughter-in-law’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.”
The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”
Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?”

The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!”

If the decision was left up to you and you alone, which one would you have invited in? Although the decision seems oblivious when each choice is in front of us, the decision becomes much harder when it’s masked behind a promotion that takes time away from your family, or the opportunity to pursue a passion that pulls you away from a loved one that needs your care and concern, or a position and title that requires to you step all over people (sin) on your way to the top.

Your Call to Order

In all our decision making we should make sure love is an essential part it. I leave you with Paul’s’ words to the Corinthians…

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (I Corinthians 13:1-7).


The email ended with the following prayer wish:

Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.
Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage.

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The Balance that God Provides

I know how difficult it is to balance it all. After my son was born one of the hardest decisions I had to make was whether to stay home or return to work. From as far back as I can remember I dreamed of being a smart, savvy, career oriented woman rolling in the big bucks, unfortunately when the big bucks did start rolling in I was about to be a mom.

Even though my husband and I agreed, before my son was born, that I would continue to work fulltime outside the home--I had reneged on my end of the agreement the moment my son came into the world. I just could not bear leaving our little one with someone I hardly knew and with someone who could never love him as much as we did. Even though ten months of me being unemployed put a strain on our marriage, those were precious moments with my son I will never regret being a part of.

After my ten months of being a stay-at-home mom, I was back in the workforce. So I know what it is like working both sides of the aisle, or maybe I should say “multiple sides of the aisle.” I have worked from home, part-time, full-time, owned my own business, and now I am preparing for full-time work again. Am I looking forward to it? Not especially, because I know how difficult it is to balance it all. But for me it is also an opportunity to rely more on God. You would think the busier I am the less time I would have for God, but that is actually when I need Him the most. When I am stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted, He brings clarity to my life. God has taught me essentially how to manage my time, so I have more time to invest that time in those things that truly matter to Him. I call it balancing blessings.

Balancing blessings is essentially stewardship, but to me it is also similar to the gift given to most wives and mothers. For instance, a man will look in the cabinets and cupboards and see nothing plausible to eat, but a woman with a desire to care for her family can look in the cabinets and cupboard and see a meal.

There have been many times I've looked at my schedule, and did not know how I was going to do everything I wanted and needed to do. When I sought God's perspective, He gave me the clarity to help me focus on what really needed to be accomplished and the insight as to how I can do things better in the future.

That’s the clarity that God provides. He has taught me simple steps to bring balance and order to every aspect of my life. He has helped me identify and conquer hindrances in my home, in my finances, within myself, and in my processes that has distracted me from loving and focusing on what truly matters to Him. I share what God has taught me in detail in my book Balancing Blessings and Obtaining Order, but a few steps you can take today to bring a little balance and order to your life is listed under the section “Your Call to Order”.

In conclusion, I may not be able to enjoy a weekday afternoon at the park with my son for a while, or bless my family as a stay-at-home mom; but as a wife and mother who works outside the home, I will continue to strive to get and maintain order in my daily life, by relying upon God.

Your Call to Order

• Evaluate your daily schedule.


• Look at where your time is being consumed. How much time is spent wasting time: on the phone, watching television, surfing the internet, socializing, etc. Analyze the value and joy these activities give you in relation to the time you could be spending doing something more meaningful. If you find the time wasters have no benefit, replace it with something more beneficial.


• Seek help.


• Do not be afraid to ask for help. The Proverbs 31 woman had maids!


• Scale down your possessions.


• Every thing you own is not necessary everything you need; start going through your things to determine what can be sold, donated or trashed. The less you have the less you have to clean and maintain.

Power Verses (from the New King James Version)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye (Psalm 32:8).

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Life Do-Overs

Has there ever been a time when you just wanted to erase a portion of your life or do it over? There have been many times I wished life had do-overs, like the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” offers life lines. If I could just go back in time with the knowledge and wisdom I have today, I could fix those awful mistakes I made … and may be my life would be better today because of it.

I have talked to friends and family members who have lost their jobs during this economic disaster, and one of the recurring thoughts everyone has is: “I wish I had been a better steward of my money when times were good.” The sobering fact is: life doesn’t always offer do-overs, but Jesus Christ offer so much more (a clean slate, a fresh start, forgiveness, etc.). The same wisdom the Lord gave Joseph to prepare and assist thousands of people (in Egypt and the surrounding area) for and through seven years of famine is available to you and me. But be forewarned, this wisdom came to Joseph during one of the worse times of his life--he was in prison for a rape he did not commit.

I wish life could be wonderful for everyone, but to be totally honest with you, the most creative and inspirational times of my life came during some of the worse times of my life. The knowledge and maturity that I gained during those rough times exceeded what I gained from years and years of just living life.

The common denominator in the paragraphs above is “wisdom.” When we know better, most of us do better. What we tend to forget, is that Wisdom comes from God. We’ve put so much trust in man, and in the system (government), and very little trust in God, and the Spirit of God that is in us. When I spend too much money, my spirit lets me know. I start to feel bad about my purchase and I get a desire to return it-- even though the flesh wants to keep it.

God’s wisdom is invaluable. He’ll let you know when you’ve said too much, when it’s time to pull out of the stock market, when you should walk away, when you should buy, when you should sell, or when you should be still and listen for that still small voice of the Holy Spirit. God is faithful; He will never leave you, nor forsake you (Deut 31:6). Trust in Him during these tough economic times, and let his wisdom be your guide in all that you do.

Power Verses (from New King James Version):

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).

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MyPyramid Plan

What Should You Be Eating Daily?

One size doesn't fit all, anymore--according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Remember, the old two dimensional food pyramid that gave a vague description of how many servings of bread, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat, etc. we should be eating. Well its reign is finally over, and has been for a couple years now.

In case you don’t know (a some people don’t) the USDA has come out with a more interactive pyramid, call the MyPyramid. The MyPyramid is correctly named in that this pyramid, unlike the first, is tailored to your body's needs based on your size, and level of activity.

To build your food pyramid to help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you, visit MyPyramid at (http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx) to get a quick estimate of what and how much you should be eating daily. This is done through the MyPyramid Plan which requires you to enter your age, sex, height, and activity level in the MyPyramid Plan form. The form will take your information and calculate in cups and ounces how much of what, from six food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk, and meat) you should be eating. In addition, it recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day.

From the information you provide, your plan will look something like this:


I recommend printing the PDF version of the plan (see the link option under “View, Print and Learn More” to the right of your chart) and placing it on your refrigerator, or some place in your kitchen where you will have a constant reminder of your new dietary goals. Also, print out the worksheet (a link to the worksheet is located just below the PDF print option). Carry a copy of your worksheet around with you daily, until you’ve established a habit of making healthy food choices.

If you are really serious about changing your diet, continue with the MyPyramid Tracker (http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/Default.aspx?Module=6). You’ll need to register, but once you get registered you’ll be able to use the navigation bar at the top of the page, to navigate your way through the online dietary assessment and the physical activity assessment. They are designed to provide you with a progress chart to better understand your diet and to visually depict your physical activity level over time).

Other resources:

Food Tracking Worksheets
(http://mypyramid.gov/professionals/food_tracking_wksht.html):
Provides 12 Food Tracking Worksheet you can download based on your intake pattern.

MyPyramid Food Intake Patterns (http://mypyramid.gov/downloads/MyPyramid_Food_Intake_Patterns.pdf): Explains in details what and how much food an individual should eat for health. The amounts to eat are based on a person’s age, sex, and activity level.

Dietary Guideline Brochure (http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2005/2005DGConsumerBrochure.pdf): Provides dietary guidelines for Americans.

MyPyramid Plan for kids:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/index.html
http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html

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