What are you thinking about?

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:8 & 9.

Did you ever stop to consider the power of these words? God is telling us to think on all the good things in our life. I sometimes wonder why it is so easy for most people to go so quickly to the negative things. To think bad things instead of good, to be pessimistic instead of seeing the glass half full they see it half empty or maybe it is bone dry. I love to see the glass half full or better than that to see it overflowing with love, hope and joy that cannot be contained. God has taught us through his life, his example and through his word and he has told us to put that into practice in our lives everyday.

Wouldn't it be great to start a new revolution in the country, in the world? By concentrating on all the good and beautiful things instead of the problems. We must concentrate on the positive- accentuate the positive. Don't look at the problems- instead look at the solution. Don't look at what you don't have- look at what you do. Don't think about what you can't do- think on what you can. If we do that God has promised that his peace would be with us and I believe that his love, his joy, his spirit and his presence are all there too. And don't forget his grace- you know that unmerited favor that we don't deserve- he gives that freely to us and maybe we need to learn to give that to others as well. Enjoy the journey today and take some time to enjoy the good things. Don't be so busy running around, that you forget to tell those who are important to you how much you love them. Take time to thank God for a friend or lift someone up in prayer. Take time to stop and smell the flowers, or listen to the birds singing in the trees or just stand with your eyes closed looking up into the sky- feel the warmth of the sun shining down on your face. Make it an AMAZING day!!

Overwhelmed by His Love

Jesus Prays for Himself

¹After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.²For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17: 1-5

As I reflect on this Holy Week and think about today that we refer to as Good Friday. It certainly wasn't a Good Friday on that dark day 2000 years ago. I can only imagine that it was dismal, filled with pain, confusion, anger, hostility but in the midst of all that their was a glimmer of hope, a ray of light, an overwhelming love that pushed through all the physical pain to endure the cross knowing what the final result would mean for the rest of humankind. Jesus took all our sin upon him so that we would not be separated from him. I love the words of the song "Amazed" by Jared Anderson, "Lord, I'm amazed by you. Lord, I'm amazed by you. Lord, I'm amazed by you and how you love me."

Many years ago I remember visiting a local church in our area that was having an outdoor Easter display. You drove through the parking lot listening to a tape recorder annoucement as you went from scene to scene. It was taking you through the different events in the life of Jesus and others chronicled in The Bible. Finally as the car approached the Cruxifiction scene. I was sitting on the side of the car closest to the cross. I had the window rolled down and as I looked at the scene- my eyes met with Jesus as he hung on the cross. I can tell you that in that moment I felt as though I had been transported back to that faithful day (you will notice I didn't say fateful day). It was a day of Faith- Jesus was Faithful to us. I felt as though I was looking right into Jesus' eyes. I could feel the love and compassion. It was like I could hear Jesus saying to me "I saw you, I did this for you." Even though I wasn't alive then, I wasn't even a thought to those who know me know, but I was a thought to God and Jesus and so were you.

As you go about your day today will you think on this? Will you strain to hear Jesus say, "I saw you when I was on the cross. I did this for you because I LOVE YOU." Have you been overwhelmed by the love of Jesus? Have you met him in a personal way? If not, then why not come today. The ground at the foot of the cross is level and all are welcome. Jesus is waiting with arms open wide saying "Come just as you are." You will experience the overwhelming love of Jesus and imagine how exciting Sunday will be as you experience the Resurrection of Jesus for the first time. There is nothing like it and it never gets old but I think there is something extra special about experiencing it for the first time. Jesus knew what needed to be done and He choose the will of his Father over his own. I am so grateful that he did. Thank you Jesus for loving me enough to die for me. I am overwhelmed by your love.

She Speaks- A great training ground for Writers, Speakers, and Ministry Leaders

Welcome to my blog and yes I am still learning the ins and outs of blogging. I am blog challenged right now so hopefully people can actually view this. The good news is that God loves me anyway. So I will hit the publish button when I am finished and pray that it works it way through blogspace and reaches those who will want to read it.

For those of you who know me and follow me on Facebook you know that I am a networker and connecter. I love to introduce people to each other especially when it helps them move closer to a dream, a goal, to becoming all God created them to be.

You will have to keep checking back to hear more of my story. I have spent the better part of the last year planning, preparing, and studying as I move closer to the dreams God has placed in my heart of speaking and writing. Along the way I knew I needed more training and what I found blessed me beyond anything I could ask think or imagine.

Three years ago I moved to Nashville for a short time. While I was there I met some ladies from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Renee Swope is a speaker with P31 and told me about their ministry and speakers bureau. I signed up for their email devotional which is wonderful. If you are subscribed to it, then go to www.proverbs31.org and sign up.

After returning to NJ, I attended a women's conference with speaker Lysa Terkeurst. I knew I recognized her name but was not sure from where. Well several days passed and I received the daily devotional from P31 and saw Lysa's name at the top. I thought, "Oh she is a contributor to their devotionals". OK, I know some of you are laughing outloud. I preceded to click the link and was brought to the P31 home page. Again wondering why it had taken me there. So I clicked on the meet our staff and found Lysa was not only a contributor but rather the President and Co-founder of the ministry. The first time I heard Lysa speak I was drawn in by the power of her stories. I had spoken to women, taught bible studies but didn't consider myself a great bible teacher by any stretch of the imagination. When I heard Lysa speak it gave me a new confidence that I could do that. She was sharing stories about her life and I connected to that. I remember the stories. As we dismissed for our coffee break I said a quick prayer. "Lord, there are like 500 ladies here and I would love to meet Lysa so if you could arrange that I would appreciate it. In the name of Jesus, Amen." I ran to the bathroom and then walked across the parking lot to the building where the coffee was being served. As I opened the door, I looked to my left and who was standing right next to me but Lysa. Thank you Jesus escaped my lips. I not only got to meet Lysa but was the first person to speak to her at her table that morning.

It was that day that I once again heard about P31 and their She Speaks conference. I wanted to go that year but it conflicted with Women of Faith and I had coordinated a group to attend. So it was to wait another whole year. Happily the year passed and last July I joined 600 other women for She Speaks. It was one of the highlights of my life. 4 days of meeting other amazing women, hearing about how God was using them, and gaining more experience and training in speaking and writing. I have continued to use other resources as I roll out a whole new speaking experience but She Speaks definitely tops the list for me. I wanted to go back again this year to reconnect with friends, and get more knowledge the second time around but the economy and finances prohibit me from pursuing it this year. Then yesterday I found out that they are offering 3 scholarships to attend She Speaks. What an incredible gift! So I decided to write this blog to let you all know about it too. Maybe you are a speaker, or a writer, or women's ministry leader who wants to be inspired and encouraged as you move forward in your calling. Then you want to attend She Speaks. So visit: http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/ for more information.

I will be updating my blog more frequently and I am busy working on the roll out of my new website. Come visit me on Facebook, Twitter and My Space.

Thanks Lysa, Renee and all the women of P31. You are amazing women of God and I am honored to know you.

American Idol

So after months of anticipation it all came down to the Finals of American Idol on Tuesday night. Kris Allen, the humble dark horse against the Adam Lambert, the theatre guy/rocker. 

I have been an avid fan of the show since about half way through Season 3. I don’t know why I didn’t get hooked earlier. I saw the two night finale shows for Seasons 1 and 2. I started tuning in to season 3 after they had entered the top 12 and I was hooked. 

I use the show as a teaching tool with my students. There is so much we can learn from watching other singers and performers. Both the good and the bad. Then there is my one pet peeve, “You picked the wrong song”, “I wouldn’t have chosen that song for you”,  “That song didn’t really work for me, Dawg”, “That was absolutely hideous, like a cat being sent through a carwash”. (I’ll leave you to figure out who said what). 

So why can’t the Idols pick the right songs. Well check back for to find out my thoughts. For now I will move onto this year’s Finale. 

Congratulations to both Kris and Adam. I think you are both truly talented and have great careers waiting for you along with many of your fellow Idol contestants, but tonight belongs to you. I think you both showed exceptional skill and versatility throughout the competition.

To Kris- “I saw amazing growth in your throughout the weeks and I think you are truly coming into your own as a Performer and as an Artist. I was hooked when you did “She Works Hard for the Money”. It was totally unexpected and you took an amazing risk. It could have tanked but that is what risk is about. You leaped and it was “Brilliant”. Even Simon recognized that! 

To Adam- “I saw many sides of you throughout the competition which shows your versatility. Your theatre background shined through, although I have to admit that I liked seeing the softer side of Adam. My mom even likened you to a young Elvis on several occasions. Then there was the rocker bordering on heavy metal. It was wonderful but it sometimes seemed to be bordering on screaming and I though,  “You have an amazing instrument; don’t ruin it singing like that night after night.” I hope you know how to take care of your most important instrument so you will have a long and fulfilling career. 

So the long awaited moment arrived and I must say the hype was that Adam was going to win. In my heart, I thought Kris could indeed be the dark horse and pull this off. I was jumping for joy when he won. I think even he was in shock thinking that Adam was going to win too. No matter;  you deserve it just as much. Soak in every minute and never underestimate God’s plan. I can’t wait to see what your first project holds in store. Hopefully they will let you change the arrangement on “No Boundaries”. Put your “She works Hard skills” to work and refashion it into a winning song that will suit you and appeal to listeners. They in fact are the ones who will buy it.    

To all this seasons Idol keep moving forward with purpose. Some of you need to find yourself as an artist and performer. Some of you have developed some bad vocal habits that could hurt you in the long run so find a good coach to help you out. I am always here to help you. Call or email me. 

To all you Idol hopefuls- keep checking back for posts to help you. Come to the Performance Workshop or schedule private lessons to take yourself to the next level. Keep making beautiful music- it makes the world go around.