Giving is the one test that most of us will fail over and over, and over again. I don’t mean paying tithes and offering to your church. Giving doesn’t have to be only financially. Giving is simply caring about those who are in need. Providing a shoulder to cry on,  Giving a co-worker a ride to work who would normally catch the bus, Opening your doors to someone who needs a place to stay.

I recall a time, I was out shopping with a friend. As we exited the Mall, there was a guy (who didn’t appear to be homeless at all) standing outside asking folks for money. As we began to walk pass the guy, he turned and said ” Excuse me ladies… could you spare some change”? Without hesitation, my friend answered ” NO WE DON”T HAVE NO SPARE CHANGE”. I immediately went in my purse and gave the guy a dollar. As we were walking away my friend began to scold me for giving this random guy my money.

Her: “Girl you’re a fool, It’s nothing wrong with that dude, He be out here everyday begging for money, so he can go get a job. He’s just going to use your money to get high or drunk. That’s why I never give’ em my money.”

Me: I really don’t care what he does with it. But if it were me standing outside with my daughter, I would hope that people would have enough compassion to help me. And besides, if he’s scamming people, God will handle him. Trust me!

So…a few months later, I went in to my local bank to apply for a business loan. I recognized the loan officer from somewhere but couldn’t place where I had seen him in the past.

Until he said to me ” How’s your daughter”? I looked at him with confusion and replied ” She’s fine”  But then it hit me! It was the guy from the mall whom we had given money to a few times. I began to tell him how happy I was that he had found a job and was doing okay. After submitting my loan application, it was denied! Disappointed and ready to give up, I began to gather my belongings , hoping I could get out the bank without shedding a tear. Then he said… “Hold on one minute… I’m going to override the system and push it through. I’ll be right back.” I went into full blown Worship!!! When he returned back to his office, I said ” I can’t begin to thank you enough” . He said “Are you serious? You looked out for me a few times. You’ve never told me no, and always gave with a smile on your face!

I know it wasn’t an accident that I walked into that bank. God placed me in the right place, at the right time, with the right person. Be careful how you treat people. You never know who God will use to bless you!

Lord, Help us to be the caring and loving people we were meant to be. In Jesus name, Amen.

It is more blessed to give than to receive. ~Acts 20:35

They say “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”. But, sometimes we get so comfortable with our lives that we began to settle. We settle when it comes to our jobs, relationships, or maybe even our religion. Being thankful for what you have is one thing, but settling for mediocracy is another. Too often we become content with having just enough money to pay our bills, Just enough money to provide for our household. When in fact, God wants more for us than that. He wants us to have enough to bless someone else who perhaps, can’t provide for their household, He wants us to live blessed and abundantly, not sparingly. We get stuck in dead relationships because they become familiar and we become comfortable . But one thing about God is… He doesn’t want us to get stuck where we are. He wants us to continuously move forward and grow. So when He see us getting too comfortable with just getting by,  He”ll step in and remove us from our comfort zone.

I always like to reflect  on some of  my low points in my life, and when I think back,  all of them were probably because I had become too comfortable with my life. Not that my life was bad, But God had something better in mind.

You may be going through something similar right now. If you’re suffering the loss of a job, or heartbreak of a failed relationship. Just know that God has something better for you. Don’t give up, The best is yet to come!

Lord, Give us the courage to push forward. Because moving backwards or being stuck in the same place only limits Your work. In Jesus name, Amen!

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on. ~Philippians 3:12

Bishop Ulmer is one of the best Pastor’s in Los Angeles… And no, I’m not saying this just because he happens to be MY Pastor!

Monday he appeared on the season finale of Basketball Wives to offer advice to Shaunie about all the drama and negativity being portrayed on the show. Like always, I was blessed by his presence. The advice he gave Shaunie, was the truth! I just hope she was listening!

Check out the video:

So you think you’ve found “the one“. Everything seems as though it’s too good to be true. You have so much in common, his family loves you, you love them, and whenever you’re apart, it seems like an eternity. Fast forward to two years later, the relationship really hasn’t progressed much, except you’re probably shacking up by now. There’s an old saying… “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?” Do you believe this to be true? If yes, how long are you willing to wait for a marriage proposal, Should there even be a timeframe, or do you consider his timing to be God’s timing?

Loyal Reader says:
This guy had always liked me for about 8 or 9 years. When I decided to begin healing and letting go of my past, he popped up. We started dating and I felt so strong for him. But I was scared and didn’t want to like him as much. I went back to being guarded. Anyway, I decided to push through. The relationship was rocky because I tried to find every reason to make him into a liar. Well he was going through some serious family issues with three different family members. I tried to be there for him, but because of my fear to trust him, I had already pushed him away and the arguments became greater. I started finding my way to God. Well, he left. I know my faults and not completely putting the blame on myself. We were in social and bike clubs so our time was always devoted to the streets. I got out of my club because of unnecessary drama. He’s still in his club, but says he want to get out. Well after he left, he got into another relationship. It hurt like heck!!! But I’ve healed from that. Well now, after he’s “calmed down” he realize he shouldn’t have left and wants to come back, but he’s in a relationship and I guess don’t know how to leave. He’s said to several of our mutual friends, including me and my son, that he wants to come back and he still misses me and my son and that he loves me. I never stopped loving him, but I find it hard to believe his words because of his situation. Everything, says to hold on. Don’t give up. But he’s with someone else, so why should I hold on? Even after he left, he never let go. I tried to fight my love for him because of the hurt. I failed. Lol. I’m working on me amd through my past burdens, but when it comes to him and the path I should follow I question God’s signs. I fear getting hurt twice. I can be happy in MY peace, but I don’t believe what he saying, especially since he’s still with another person. My friend said, maybe he don’t know how to leave & because he’s with her, doesn’t mean “he’s WITH her”. I want complete joy & peace. As my Pastor say, Shalom. I want to be with him, but it’s fear & the fact that he’s in a relationship that’s keeping me in this struggle. Any insight & prayer would be so grateful.

Thank you…

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TPW says:
Wow! Where should I start? I guess I’ll start with the real problem at hand (your
relationship) Because the past is the past. Can’t go back and change that! Although
I will pray for your healing!

Now…as far as this relationship, I can go so many different ways with this. But I
won’t! In short, Don’t waste your time on this dude. As far as I can see, there is
nothing keeping him from being with you IF he really wanted to be with you. He
probably does miss you, but not enough to leave the relationship he’s already in.
What do you mean by “He don’t know how to leave”? He knew how to leave you! You
deserve better lovie! I’m praying for your healing and strength to get through this!

God bless you!

Sometimes we become so consumed with how big our problem is that we forget how big our God is. Isaiah 54:17 says: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”. No, That doesn’t mean that everything will go your way all the time. It simply means that God will not allow anything to get in the way of the plan that He has for you. Sadly, and way too often we find ourselves giving up on God when things don’t go according to our plans or turn out the way we want them to turn out. Whatever you’re faced with, please know that God has not given up on you, so please don’t give up on Him!

Lord, give us strength to face any loss. Teach us to see it as an opportunity to trust in You more. When tough times become too much for us to bear, Our Faithfulness to Your Word will lead us to Victory! In Jesus Name, Amen

Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. ~Psalm 37:24

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical of the idea of replacing Stacy Dash’s character, Val. To my surprise, VH1 did a very good job of making us forget that Val ever existed. Partly because new single lady, Denise Vasi isn’t exactly a replacement for Val. She plays Raquel Lancaster, a friend of Keisha’s, and like the other single ladies, she has her own set of issues!

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Psychotherapist and author Dr. Dwayne L. Buckingham is back with a new film that sets out to explain why good men are choosing to remain single. The film titled “Qualified, Yet Single” is set to premiere in Washington, DC on June 21st. Check out more details and the official trailer for the film below.

From YouTube:

For women who want to know why good men remain single, “Qualified, yet Single” is a straightforward, sincere and informative film that highlights some of the personal, interpersonal and emotional challenges that influence why some good men decide to remain single.

Through heartbreak trauma, peer pressure and negative societal influences, a diverse group of fifteen men from Atlanta, D.C., Maryland and Saint Louis share heartfelt and thought-provoking stories about their decisions to remain Single.

This candid film encourages single men to think deeply about their lifestyles and motivates single women to look beyond a man’s surface in order to recognize that qualifications do not make a man qualified to be in a relationship.

Starring Darius Bradford (Former, Ricky Smiley Morning Show Host), Arvin
Mitchell (Actor and BET Comedian), Guy Lambert (WPGC 95.5 Radio
Personality) and Dr. Dwayne L. Buckingham.

Most of us watched as Brian Banks, a rising football star who was falsely convicted of rape/kidnap, was exonerated yesterday after his accuser, Wanetta Gibson contacted him on Facebook and later recanted her story.

When Gibson accused Banks of rape following an encounter at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, his attorneys encouraged him to plead no contest instead of going to trial before a jury and risking 41 years in prison.

His attorneys said he “chose the lesser of two evils” when he pleaded no contest. Banks was sentenced to six years, which he served and is now on parole and registered as a sex offender.

On Feb. 28, 2011, Banks’ story took a dramatic turn. Gibson, his accuser, requested his friendship on Facebook. He did not accept it, but asked her if she would meet with him and a private investigator. She agreed.

“Gibson met with Banks and a private investigator and recanted her preliminary hearing testimony that Banks raped her,” his attorneys wrote. She said that the two had been “making out pretty heavy,” but that they did not have intercourse or “anything like that.”

“Gibson said that they were just playing around, being curious about sexuality, and that the adults got involved and blew it all out of proportion,” according to legal documents. “She said the adults ‘put stuff in [her] head.’”

Now, Banks is more than happy to get back to his life with a clean slate and has not given up his NFL dreams.

When Banks first heard from Gibson last year, he recalled praying for God to deliver him from the situation.
“I stopped what I was doing and got down on my knees and prayed to God to help me play my cards right,” Banks said in a Los Angeles Times report.

When asked if he harbors any bitterness or anger about what happened, he said, “I’ve been asked that question a couple of times and my answer’s always been no. You know I can hold on to that, that bitterness and that anger. It won’t get me anywhere.”

According to the former football star, prayer helped him through the tragic ordeal of being convicted and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.

Watch the video below:

Recently, actress Meagan Good revealed that she and her fiance, DeVon Franklin, who is a minister, have not had sex yet.

The couple has remained celibate for a year…because they’re saving it for their special wedding day.

Here’s what Meagan told Life & Style Magazine:

“Our wedding night will be the first time we’re actually together,”

How did she know DeVon was the one?

“Because he was willing to be celibate with me for a year,” she says. “He loves God, more than I love God, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong [with him].”

As far as wedding details?

“We found the venue, which I’m really excited about, and it’s going to be in Malibu,” Meagan, who met her fiancé while making Jumping the Broom in 2011, tells Life & Style. “I know I want to go for a bayou-themed kind of Spanish mosque, a very enchanted-y Twilight feel.”