bUoyed Up!

  As long as there are people on this earth, there will always be bavardage.  Bavardage is just an elegant word for the term gossip or chatter. People will continue to voice their opinions and chatter about others, their situations and their circumstances regardless of the facts or the impact it may have.   Even the media at times can be viewed as one the most outspoken sources of gossip or misinformation depending on the content being discussed and the factors involved.   The intent of the information can seem harmless but the result or the impact for someone on the receiving end can be distressing. Casual gossip is not just isolated to one entity or source, there are times when it's your own family member that's gossiping about something, or your neighbor, or your co-worker, or even that loyal church member that appears to be respectful in character. I must admit, I have personally found myself engaging in conversations that are not always of good intentions.  As I examine my

 Everyone is always looking for the harvest.  Expectation to receive is a good thing.  We all tend to think that reward and overflow should come our way at some point in our lives. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We should all dream and think big especially when we anticipate gain for ourselves.  After all, if others are on the receiving and blessing end, why can't we be...….right?  It may appear to you that every time you turn around it seems as if others are benefiting in life in some shape, form or fashion. If we can be candid, you may even feel like you are more deserving of a positive return than they are and yet your harvest is in a drought.  Let's examine your situation a little closer, you may need to ask yourself, what am I doing to contribute to or suppress a harvest or positive return in my life? Sometimes it’s our own actions or inactions that prevent us from obtaining the harvest we feel we deserve.  As you look at other people and how they are rewarde

  Every now and then you hit a season in your life in which it seems like all hell has broken loose and trouble has engulfed all around you. No matter what you do, problems tend to seek you out and attach themselves to you in one way or another.  The trials of life can seem so bad that even breathing seems like a hardship. The more you try, the worst things seem to get. Every inch of your life seems to have some form of disturbance or turmoil. If it's not the job, it's the home, your marriage, your children or some other nerve-wracking intrusion.  If I may, I want to suggest to you that what you are going through is not designed to destroy you, but in reality, it's a setup.  Yes, you are in the heat of a spiritual battle and you are being set up for something bigger and better. If I may digress, you are currently going through a life changing process. While the attacks seem tangible, the impact of the process effects your mind, soul, and spirit. It is key that you remain fo

 Sometimes in life we can find ourselves weighed down or overburden.  This place of heavy desolation can wreak havoc on our abilities to function and operate with some sense of normalcy.  Being in a low estate robs you of your sense of worth. It keeps you from putting your best foot forward. Every attempt at success tends to fall short when you are not at full mental capacity to function. It's a travesty to know that the results you achieve based on your efforts of pursuing an objective are a miniscule percentage of your skill sets and capabilities. There is no doubt you can perform better, produce at a greater level or function at a higher magnitude than your current low estate suggests.  After all, at one point in your life, you were thriving. Now, it seems like the soldier in you has relinquished power to the inner assault that has you in such shambles.   There is a solution for you to consider.  You don't have to accept or stay in that condition of weakened stance. There is

There are some studies that suggest that you can reap benefits from shedding tears.  Yes, you read this correctly, you can benefit from a little weeping and sobbing every now and then.  As human beings we are emotional creatures by design.  One way to express our emotions is through the release of tears.  Some of the key benefits to crying are: It can positively impact your current mood.  It can help in the grieving process.  Crying can help balance out your emotional state. It can help minimize pain and much more.  With that said, it doesn't matter if you are male or female, there is no shame in crying. This is not about masculinity or femininity. It is about the emotional stability of all humanity.  In reality, crying is a good thing and it's worth exploring.  The average person has a tendency to keep pain, trauma, and emotional distress bottled up inside. This is bad for your mental and physical health.  Engaging in a crying experience apparently shows that you are more in t

 Theodor Seuss Geisel is a famous children's book author. In his early quest to publish his works, no publishing company would give him a chance. He was rejected twenty-seven different times.  If that's not reason enough to throw in the towel, I don't know what is. Instead, he chose not to let these temporary setbacks impede his aspirations.  He continued to fight and pursue his dream and eventually the book series known as "Dr. Seuss" went public and well over six hundred million copies were sold worldwide.   If Mr. Geisel had thrown in the towel after publisher rejection number twenty-seven, we would have never heard of the "The Cat in the Hat," "Green Eggs and Ham," or of that infamous Mr. Grinch who tried to steal everybody's Christmas. It appears that on his twenty-eighth try, triumph spilled all over his efforts. The same thing can happen for you.  I am here to tell you that giving up is not an option, you have to keep on fighting unt

 Sometimes in life it seems you may have reached a point where you have seen all you "think" you can see, been everywhere you "think" you can go, and done all you "think" you can do. It's easy to become complacent.   I  am here to tell you that if you are feeling this way, and life seems bogged down with the satisfaction of the same old same old, it's time for a change.  Don't let the spirit of self-contentment sneak up on you and occupy space within your soul. There is still so much more to explore about yourself and the boundaries within your habitation and this planet as a whole.  You just need to seek out and try something new.  I encourage you to free yourself from the shell of that same old content state of being.  If you hadn't updated your wardrobe in while, buy some new clothes.  If you have been wearing the same hairstyle, change it. If you are eating the same foods, challenge your taste buds to something exotic or something ethni

 The average range to dig a water well can be anywhere from 100 to 500 feet below the earth's surface. Some wells are struck at a 100 feet, some at 300 feet and others at 500 feet.  Digging is not an easy task and sometimes it seems there is a lot of effort with little to no success.  There are even occasional obstructions that are designed to slow the process down but not stop it.  That's worth repeating, the obstructions may slow the process but they can't stop it.  So as it is in life when you're trying to achieve a goal or accomplish a desired result.  It can feel like you have invested so much effort to break up and move the soil and still you haven't struck water or reached that expected level of success. Even when obstacles arise, it can seem pointless.  Those obstacles can be removed though, you can also go through, over, or around them to continue progress.  All efforts may show you have reached the mark or target for results and warrant quitting when you h

 In June of 1987 former president Ronald Reagan made this statement in a speech, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." The wall was erected in 1961 to separate West Berlin from East Berlin.  It was a barrier to keep one group of people away from another.  A barrier does not have to be a physical entity. It can be psychological or emotional.  I want to encourage someone today to "tear down your wall."  This intangible wall is negatively impacting your life, your mental stability, as well as affecting those close to you who you care about and love. This wall needs to come down.  You can’t continue to operate with this barrier in place. If you tear down your wall it will set you free from that suppressed burden or struggle you have been caring inside of you for so long.   It will give you back access to an area of your life that you have cut-off or blocked out and left fruitless.  There was a time in your life when you were whole and free. Tearing down your psychologic

Why are you holding your head down?   There is no reason for this no matter what you are going through. Do you not realize that holding your head down limits your view?   If you are constantly holding your head down then the ground is the only view you have. If your view is limited to a downward perspective then so is your focus, your creativity, and your vision.  If you limit these essential goal achieving tools, you are robbing yourself of your potential accomplishments.  This angled view limits what you can see, but if you hold your head up, there are no parameters to obstruct your vision.  The objects in your line of sight are boundless. You can see everything, you can do anything.  So as it is in life, a boundless view helps you to see beyond your struggle, situation or circumstance. It helps you to see beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary.  A boundless view helps you to see infinite opportunities and possibilities.  To change your view on life, simply change the position of