Book Review - This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

The local library is one of my happy places. As I walked through the library, absorbing its calm and quietness, I saw This Here Flesh on a pedestal as a featured book. I sighed audibly as I grabbed it. I follow the author on IG on her Black Liturgies page. Her writing often encourages me that I add her posts to my stories. So when I heard she wrote a book, it was only a matter of time before I got my hands on a copy.

Where do I begin? We are sacred human beings, flawed and all. From this space of holy humanity, with stories from her elders, particularly her gramma and father, we are serenaded with words that heal. Hers is not an easy story to tell, yet the Divine is woven through her story. There is deep trauma in her family in the form of racism, poverty, abandonment, and abuse. She also wrestles with unexplained health challenges. These moments bring out a depth of thought, reckoning with our circumstances, and still having joy in endeavoring to live life the best we can. 

Ezra Bible Study - Counted: It Matters

Once Cyrus issues his proclamation, he sends the Jews on their way with a bounty that displays the intentions of his heart towards them.

At the end of the first chapter of Ezra, we see Cyrus restoring to the Jews what was rightfully theirs. When they were captured,  Nebuchadnezzar took accouterments from the sanctuary and placed them in his temple, which was dedicated to idol worship. These items were plenteous, precious, and treasured. Ezra 1:7-11 reads:

Ezra Bible Study - Who Was Ezra?

Before we jump into the events written by Ezra, let's discover some fundamentals about Ezra.

This book bears his name while showing how God used Ezra and others to fulfill his plan for the Jews. The book of Ezra is considered a historical book and begins where 2 Chronicles ends. In the chronological order of the Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah are considered the end of the old testament. Ezra details the rebuilding of the second temple which was ultimately destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.

Knowledge of the Law was lost during the seventy-year Babylonian exile. The Babylonian

The Rabbit

In my neighborhood, I usually see a family of wild rabbits with bushy white tails. They're harmless and pretty, but they hop quickly. As I studied the pace of their movements, I remembered that in the sport of Track and Field, if you want the field to go faster than intended, there's usually a rabbit in the race. The rabbit's role is to set the pace for the field, but the rabbit does not complete the race. He merely ensures that the others running are doing what they're supposed to do so that when he drops out, the remaining runners have the momentum to keep going.


According to Runners World, in distances as short as the 800 meters and as long as the marathon, the

Women of the Word - Natasha Sistrunk Robinson

Natasha and I connected digitally over a year ago. In the social media world, we ended up in similar groups. I reached out to her well before her most recent work came to fruition however writing is time-consuming especially if it's a ministry, so we never had a chance to connect until now. I've listened to Natasha and heard her heart for God. I know that her love for God runs deep which shows up as fruit in her life. She is a living example of abiding in Christ. This month, we veer off script as Natasha talks about her most recent ministry impacting tool. Meet this month's Woman of the Word - Natasha Sistrunk Robinson.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson

Women of the Word - Patricia Raybon

This series is an act of faith. When I reach out to others it is because of my faith, a product of God's love that emboldens me. It is nervewracking, yet rewarding. As an avid reader and writer, I became familiar with Patricia's work because of its content - using your faith to bridge the gap with grace; in particular faith and race. The systemic racism in America is a sore spot for me and I sometimes wonder if anything I do or say can make a dent. Patricia writes about this topic gracefully (and forcefully) and dare I say, it's making a difference. Meet this month's Woman of the Word - Patricia Raybon.

Patricia Raybon

Write it Down

God has left a deposit in my spirit at the beginning of this new year and it is that I should write my thoughts down. I do some of that via this blog, but honestly, I had gotten lazy with capturing God's thoughts as He speaks to me.

These thoughts can show up anywhere and anytime but they usually show up when I'm still, when I'm listening or when I'm at church. This can be three separate instances or they can occur simultaneously. I cultivated the habit

Book Review - I'm Judging You

I was pleasantly surprised to find I'm Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi in a local library. I follow Awesomely Luvvie's blog and knew she was writing this book, so when I saw it, I grabbed it and started reading immediately

What drew me to her blog is her humorous point of view in a way that is familiar to me. She calls herself a wacky wordsmith, but her wackiness and way with words were something I grew up with. So when I saw how she expressed herself on a variety of topics I kept reading. As an example here's a sentence from one of my favorite chapters - "I called good sense and asked if it was coming back soon and it told me not to hold my breath."

This book is a collection of essays, written in a Luvviesque style that runs the gamut from the superficial to the serious. She expounds on Relationships, Racism, Religion, Immigration & Assimilation, Body Image, Social Media and Fame and tells you how to find your "act right!"

Because that's the whole point of the book - you're being judged because you have no behavior - so get some, by reading this manual. After reading this book you'll walk away with more sense and more laughs. It's conventional wisdom or common sense (which is not so common) wrapped in humor and some strong language.

We all need to be better, so pick up this book.

Writing about Writing

Here's what's happening:

Source

I want to write. I have a great conversation or a thought runs across my mind. I  think, "I should write this; it''s really good; I'm sure somebody will appreciate this perspective." I sit down to write. I click "New Post." I start writing the initial thoughts and then nothing, absolutely nothing. I know at this point I should keep typing until my thoughts become cohesive.  Just get it down on paper is my mantra. But there seems to be a disconnect between my brain and my hands.

So I have many incomplete posts; though frustrated I'm glad I've done that, because at some point I know I will be able to finish.

There have been times when I would write and my thoughts would flow and I was quite happy with the result. This is not happening now. I want to get back there, but until I do, I'll keep writing what I can. I know what's happening with my writing is what we all go through at different points in life, so even in this I'm encouraged to keep going. And just in case you've missed me, I wanted you to know I've missed you too; I didn't intend to stay away so long.

I've seen many bloggers and writers come and go. I don't want to leave yet as overall I enjoy the process too much. My faith is my anchor and I rely on it heavily.

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 [NLT]

This verse doesn't say when things are good or when you're writing He rejoices. It says He is with me and He rejoices over me. There's no mention of my circumstances. Writing is like running to me - it's not something that I cannot do - some days I run well, these days not so much. However I'm just glad I am able to do something. Even in the trying times I'm learning that the most important thing is to keep relying on the One who sustains my faith.

Writing this post just may be cathartic and hopefully my writing becomes prolific again.

If you've gone through this, I would appreciate your thoughts on how you got unstuck. Thanks for reading.

Unintended Hiatus

Sometimes life gives you the breaks that you won't take yourself - that's what happened here in LifeNotes.

Source

My current day job is heavily rules based and deadline driven; that deadline occurred on March 26th. This year seemed the most harrowing as it was close to the wire. For my sanity, I kept visualizing March 27th knowing we had made it.

Source - this was how I felt

I didn't have time to write.

I didn't have time for the multiple Bible Studies I was involved in.

I almost didn't have time for friends, but they understood and knew it was temporary.

While this deadline consumed me for the past weeks it was good to take a break and just do something else even if it was only for an hour.

I made time for the things that were important, and everything else had to fall by the wayside.

The stress of the deadline wreaked havoc on my body but it also helped to provide some much needed clarity.

It takes time to write; it takes time to create; it takes time to inspire.
These are the things I want to spend most of my time doing and to that end I'm making some changes to ensure that outcome.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. Thanks for reading and for the new followers I've picked up along the way.

I was able to write a series on Marriage, which I'm quite happy with. Being able to do this restored some of my sanity. If you haven't read it yet, please do.
Read all of this series:
Part one - Believe The Best
Part two - The Gift of Marriage
Part three - Unload Your Baggage 
Part four - Romance is NOT Dead
Part five - What Keeps a Marriage Together?

LifeNotes is here to encourage you. Be encouraged.

Why I Write

Sometimes, I feel I owe the few people that take the time to read this blog an explanation - so here goes.

I write because it's cathartic; writing is the way I express myself the best. Unfortunately, recently I can't seem to find the time to write on a consistent basis - hence my lack of blog posts.

I write because it's soothing.

I write because I love it.

I write because it makes me smile.

I write because when I look back and see where I was to where I am now, hopefully I see growth.

I write to encourage others and myself.

I write because reflection is important and since I value growth - reflection and introspection allow me to do so.

I could write about many inane (to me) topics - but I write about the things I do, because they make me think, and I'd like to think make me a better person.

I write because I'm a voracious reader of all genres - and I gain nuggets of wisdom from many sources.

Sometimes I write at night, or through tears, or when I'm happy. When inspiration hits me, I try to respond.

I write to show the relevance of scripture to our modern fast-paced world.

Sometimes, I am challenged as I write - perhaps I think an area is too personal or difficult to share, or a topic too touchy.  I pray over everything I write, but in these instances, I specifically ask God - "Should I write this?" If the answer is yes, my next question is "How?" When I look back, it is only the Hand of God that has allowed to write what I wrote.



This is my year of MORE. One way of being MORE purposeful is by using the gifts I have (writing), to be a blessing.

Therefore I also write as a ministry - to encourage you, to let you know that you're not in this alone, to serve you, and to pray with you.

As this year goes on, I'm challenged to write MORE. I want to write about: Little known People of the Bible, Balaam, The Ass and Church (those 3 go together); Why is it so hard to find a Church; are Christians powerful; Crazy Marriages that Work; When your child appears to be two different  people.  This is just a sample of some of the things I hope to eventually share with you

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10


Have you identified your gifts and talents? How do you use them? Do you wish you had more time to use them?

Blogging and Blogrolling - Part 2

When it comes to blogging, I feel like I'm late to the party - however I'm a quick study.
I'm in the IT field, so I was aware of them from a subject matter standpoint, but never really saw the usefulness. As I've said in previous posts - I love writing and it's my dream to be a published author. I've always written, though not on a regular basis - so sometimes I journal, sometimes I don't.

Below are my observation(s) about blogging. Note: They are solely mine, and based on my experiences and professional background.

They ought to be boundaries. In no way should a blog replace your personal journal, for so many reasons the least of which is once it is on the internet, it's history. Think about the footprint you are leaving. I've read a couple of blogs in the past months where the authors had to remove their blogs due to invasion of privacy. Lesson learned - I'm not going down that path.

Niches. "There's a lid for every pot." I think the blog world is like that - there's some topic or area waiting to be discovered. Niches expand and change over time. Your niche may be talking about yourself because you have a unique perspective, or it may be pottery, or mothers who knit. You may start off as a knitting mom and then recognize that this is too narrow, so now you've become a crafty mom. As niches grow and change, clue the reader in.

Design on a Dime. They're are some amazingly well designed blogs out there. I like a clean crisp layout, where everything is easy to find and the page is not inundated with ads.

Backup. With the recent fiasco with blogger where you lost a day's work with the comments, I've since discovered that you can export your blog. This serves as a backup for your blog and you can do this as often as you need to.

Follow me, I'll follow you - Followers are nice; they indicate confirmed readerships as compared to lurkers - who read but never say hi. Believe it or not, those not familiar with the blog world are not familiar with following. Networked Blogs makes it easy as you can follow using your Facebook profile. Google friend connect requires you having a gmail account or you can follow annonymously. I LIKE to see the number of followers I have increase. Yes, I blog for me - but I love the validation of following. So if you don't follow yet, please do.

To follow, click on Follow from the menu or to the right and follow the prompts.
If you wish to follow using your Facebook Profile, click on Follow this Blog under Networked Blogs to the right.

Contact Me - so many of the blogs I read, do not have an email address for additional communication. Perhaps that's intentional but for the rest of you, please have an email address that's easily located on your blog or a Contact Me link. The Mrs. provided a great PSA on adding email to your Blogger profile.

Some of my recent favorite blogs are Ames who is single handedly redefining my view of Moms who Lunch and the Student who provides a Biblical researched based approach to The Science of Marriage.

Do you have any additional insights on blogging that you wish to share with me? I still don't know how to indent paragraphs using HTML, do you? How do linkbacks work?

Blogrolling and Blogging!

I love blogging; both reading other blogs of authors who amuse or inform on food, family and faith, or writing as I do here.

In the blogging world, I’m whats known as a lurker – I visit but don’t make myself comfortable. When I’m really comfortable (i.e. I like your post) I leave a comment. I may post as Anonymous or another moniker that I’ve created just for the blogging world.

Blogs can be categorized in many ways: by race, by activity, lifestyle and gender to name a few. All of these categories have a broad variety of subcategories – hair, makeup, shopping, saving, food, fashionable clothes, Christianity, Christianity and women, motherhood, Christian moms, single dads…I think you get the idea.

Many of my favorite blogs start with the word Black because that’s part of who I am. Sometimes that bothers me, but most times it doesn’t. For example I like BlackGirlsRun and it was created because they aren’t a lot of Black women serious about running – hence the name; but I’m sure there’s no blog called whitegirlsrun (I checked, there isn't).

Through blogging, I've discovered Tumblrs. A Tumblr is a simpler form of blogging with minimal commentary; a quick way to publish pictures and quotes. They’re considered miniblogs; a fast way to share links, photos, and videos without the bells and whistles of a regular blog.

I discover other blogs from the commenters on a blog. Oftentimes when you leave a comment you provide your name (required) email address and a website. The website is typically the commenter's blog and depending on their name or the website I’ve visited, I just may take a click.

So I’ve discovered a comedian in MrsTDJ, a fitness queen in Keyalus, a new bride in the Happynappybride and Lysa - a Christian woman who seems just like me; her posts are inspired. I'll add the rest of the blogs I've discovered to my blogroll.

Blogging has opened up a whole new world to me. I’m now a weekly contributor on Michelle Obama Watch.

As you discover the world of blogs, the easiest way to stay organized is to use a reader, such as the one provided by blogger. Its an easy way to see all updates of all of your favorite blogs in one spot instead of opening each blogs page or trying to remember each blog's address.

Its a whole new world we're living in; as with any new technology, blogs if used wisely can be helpful, educational and fun.

Dreams of Writing

I love writing. I get an unnamable high when I'm writing, especially if it’s something that I think is inspired. My hands go very fast and my brain can't keep up with my hands. I love the feeling I get as I type what's in my brain. I like writing so much that I don't mind helping my college age students with their essays. In my mind, I'm performing the job of an editor. That's right, my dream job would be a magazine editor - probably an inspirational magazine like Guideposts or a women's magazine dealing with a range of women's issues - spirituality, sexuality, roles in society, raising children, what happens when our children aren't what we think they should be; and then fun stuff like hair, makeup and fashion. I could even be an editor of a technical magazine since by day I'm a Technical Writer.

My other aspiration is to be a devotional writer. For many years I have read Our Daily Bread and as I've grown and matured, I've felt that God has given me insight that would be beneficial to others.

I see how God is working in all of this - after all He made and wired me and gave me the gifts. Since I was young, I've wanted to be a writer. I used to say "I want to be an author,” since reading and writing go together like a hand and glove. I read because I love a great story, I'm intrigued by the author's mind, and I like to see how words and thoughts come together. I love when I'm reading a book and there comes a point in the middle of the book where I can see how the title came to be. For example - in Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston the narrator notes as the storm is wreaking havoc around them (the main characters), "They sat in company with the others . . . They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God." I love it when it all comes together!!!

I digress; so I'm living part of my dream - a technical writer by day, and a blogger in my spare time.
Keep on dreaming - you never know where your dreams will take you.