PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Sex and finances are two topics that are only discussed amongst a few people and within certain situations. Today we will discuss sex. Who remembers the group Salt-N-Pepa and their song "Let's Talk About Sex"? If you don't, I'll provide some lyrics: "Let's talk about sex, baby Let's talk about you and me Let's talk about all the good things

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. HATE- The intense or passionate dislike of a person, place, thing, or object or the extreme hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury as defined by Merriam-Webster. Parents instruct their children not to use the word hate, and some treat it as a profane word when used towards another person. When you look

If I asked you, "what did you do to take care of yourself today?" Would your answer state something that would increase or decrease the productivity of your temple? When we consider our bodies, we should have an image of a temple, no matter the size, weight, or structure. Merriam-Webster defines a temple as being a place devoted to a particular purpose. As the king or queen of your body, are you ruling it like a kingdom that has prestige and has a god or goddess-like imag

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. On Easter Sunday, some people attended a place of worship, others remained home and streamed online, while others sent random messages and texts about "The Resurrection of Jesus." In Christianity, this day marks the day that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion, two days prior. The significance of this occurrence for believers is t

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. When you see the word famine, you automatically think of a lack of food, widespread malnutrition, or starvation. Famine is not always associated with food as it could also refer to the lack of or a shortage. What if I told you that we all have a famine somewhere within our lives that is known or unbeknownst. Can you identify where the famine

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Relationships within themselves are great to have, and although we might say we are loners or view independence as a strength, this is unfounded truth. You might not want the constant presence or the checking in or out, but having a different perspective or additional wisdom, companionship, and a good laugh are all things we can't replicate b

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. The technological prowess of today is astounding. Daily, we receive new inventions to make our lives easier and safer. We have self-driving cars and programmable vacuums that clean and dump their waste. We can alarm or disarm our homes from our phones, control the lights and thermostats using voice commands, manage our money without going t

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Lately, I have seen and heard people state that they are not in competition with anyone except themselves, and although I like that mentality, what are the stipulations or rules to see if you are winning? Could it be that you have more money now, you have lost or gained weight, you are in a better relationship, or maybe you have fewer bills?

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. A pothole is a depression in the road's surface due to water weakening the underlying soil and traffic passing over the affected area. As a Home Owners Association board member, our first task was to repair three streets with monstrous potholes that wreaked havoc on the homeowner's vehicles who lived on those affected roads for four years. As

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Have you ever listened to or read the lyrics to "When Somebody Loves You Back" by Teddy Pendergrass. Well, if not, here is the first verse; "It's so good lovin' somebody-And somebody loves you back To be loved and be loved in return-It's the only thing that my heart desires Just appreciate the little things I do-Oh; you're the one who's g

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Have you ever wanted to ask someone a question but didn't want to hear the answer? There are a few sayings about the truth, like, "the truth hurts," or "tell the truth and shame the devil," or "truth sits upon the lips of dying men," and "truth exists, only lies are invented," the list goes on and on. So, why do we hide from the truth? In the

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. We can all agree that life is not fair, no matter who you are. Some come from homes with both parents, single parents, or no parents. Some have lived in lovely homes, big homes, tiny homes, or no homes. Some have had money, little money, or no money. Some were cared for and loved, while others have struggled to find themselves due to no lo

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Malcolm Gladwell published a book in 2000 titled "The Tipping Point." He defines it as the moment of critical mass, the threshold, and the boiling point. He proposed the three laws that described the phenomenon: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Law of Context. The inflection or tipping point is the pivotal moment or point i

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. Almost everyone has heard the phrase, "you will reap what you sow." It's about a verse taken from the Bible in Galatians 6:7-9, "Do not misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who l

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. We are fresh into the new year, and some of you may have made resolutions, some have set new goals, and others are not concerned because you are just so excited you made it through 2021. Have you ever wondered why people use the first of January to make a change or try to devise a new plan for their lives? Is this a magical time when your lif

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. For whatever reason, we tend to believe that when we begin to experience hardships within our lives, it's the end of our existence. One of those times could have been when you separated from your boy or girlfriend, or you had to choose to pay the light bill, buy groceries, or renew your car insurance? You might not have experienced these situat

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. As we are in the midst of the holidays, there will be plenty of laughter, food, sadness, and anger, but most of all, plenty of leftovers. Some would contend that leftover food tastes better than freshly cooked because of the chemical reactions in ingredients that cause the flavors to be enhanced. Others don't share the same idea of eating foo

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. If I told you that you need a gap in your life or your relationship to be successful, would you agree with me? Pause before you answer that and follow me. As the holidays rapidly approach, some will have feelings of great joy while others not so much. Many of us will welcome the joyous laughter, the great food (hopefully), and the company of ou

PREPARE YOUR EARS TO LISTEN AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS We all yearn for the attention of others in sort of shape, form, or fashion. Look at the crazy challenges that have exploded on social media. Not only have viral videos gotten the attention of others, but there were 44.2 million people who used dating websites in 2020, according to Statista, a statistics website. We have also searched for a

PREPARE YOUR EARS TO LISTEN AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS If your vehicle broke down on the highway, do you have a plan to get it and you somewhere safe? If you lost your job, do you have another source of money to draw from other than relying on someone else? Do you have a plan to start a new business or capitalize on a venture that will allow you to be more successful? We all hope, pray, dream,