Wisdom Wednesday: How to get Undistracted

Just wanted to share this video real quick because it hit on so many points about how and why we become distracted.

I always felt like I was overwhelmed when I was a teacher.  I mean, I just did too much.  I always had something to do, somewhere to be, and someone to talk to.  It seemed like I never had time to myself or my kids.  It wasn't until recently that I realized I did this to my self. . .

It is so very important for us to get Undistracted!!

This blog is about finding your purpose.  I write and promote things that will help you along your journey.  I feel like this is a very important topic to tackle if you want to be successful on your journey . . .

We don't want to be hindered by distractions!

I remember putting it another way before.  I said you have to prioritize your purpose. Check out the article below when you have time:

https://artteacher4purpose.com/2017/03/23/6-steps-to-prioritize-your-purpose/

If you realize it or not, a distraction is a war tactic of the enemy.  Your enemy doesn't want you to be successful, he doesn't want you to progress, he doesn't want you to develop a relationship with God.  Hence he will do everything in his power to make you too busy to prioritize your purpose.  He will keep you so busy that you won't realize that you are being distracted from your true calling.

My friends here is the important thing that you need to know about this subject:  The things that distract us the most, aren't necessarily bad things! But you must learn to be aware of what things are a waste of time.

You have your job, the kids extra curricular activities, Ms. Mae who needs a ride to the market, the fund raiser at the church, the Missions Service, your favorite TV show, the birthday parties and the baby showers!  The list goes on and on, but you have to ask yourself; do I have peace in my spirit? 

Is your work lined up with God has for you to do?  Is what you spend your time on helping the purpose of God?

If something is taking your peace, then it is not of God!

If you feel burned out, overwhelmed or burdened by your obligations, then it is not of God.  God said that he will not give us more then what we can bare.  So some of us are so over worked because we do it to ourselves!! We need to go the next level in the Holy Spirit. . .

Once we have that "next level" experience with the Holy Spirit, we will be opened up to the next level of understanding.  That relationship moment takes time to get to.  Once it happens, we will learn about focus and the importance of focus.  We will learn to train ourselves to focus. 

This is actually my resolution for 2018.  I want to focus on my purpose.  I want to train myself on how to be more productive by being more focused on what I must do.  I am learning how to write everything down so that I have a realistic idea of what can be done in a day.  Then I don't beat my self up of what didn't get done.  I have something tangible to look at, like a check off list, to see that I did my best with the time I had.  I plan strategically in order not to be distracted.

We must learn to value our time!

The enemy wants to steal every extra year, month, week, day, and minute of your life.  Why?  Because he doesn't want you to meet your destiny.  He wants to stop you, trap you, or even have you run in circles.

You may realize when you are ready to go that next level, that there is always someone who comes to draw you away from your focus.  They call you at the wrong time or they knock on your door to take you away from something you are working on for the Lord.  You have people that will talk about you or try to plant seeds of worry in your head. Or you may have experienced that you are always busy even when you had made efforts to free up your time.  Now, someone is always asking you to do something, and you are the type of person who always says yes . . . SMH.

Understand that it is not the person, but the principality working for the adversary's kingdom to keep you from fulfilling your destiny.  It is the enemies job to distract you.  It is our job to draw closer to the Lord in order to learn the ways to overcome the enemy's war tactics . . .

This is why I like this video.  Dr. Stevenson is going to tell you exactly what is going on in your life right now.  He is going to break it down, step by step.  You might not get all the strategies of what to do, but you will have a much better idea of why it is happening and the next steps you need to take in order to gain focus in your life.

With out further ado, check out this video.  It was very informative about living a focused life, having focused devotional time with the Lord, focused relationships, focused conversations, and a focused work ethic.  We have to learn how to train ourselves to be successful, or else we will just be another rat distracted in the rat race.

I promote this video because it was very good.  I just found Dr. Stevenson on YouTube, but realized that he was also on periscope.  He comes out of Chicago and he is very knowledgeable. So I am now following him.  I will keep you posted on any new teachings that help stimulate your mind on living for Purpose.

Until Next Time
-Tamorra

Teacher Tuesday:The 3 most important things in your life

 Do you know what they are . . .?

I didn't, not at first. . .

I always thought that I was doing the right thing in life.  I thought that I was going the right direction because I did what I was told to do.  I was showed by my parents how I was supposed to live and carry out my life.

The thing is, your parents can only teach you what they know.  My father's father always taught his children that education was the way to improve their life.  He taught that this was one of the most important things . . . but is it really?

Is education the most important thing in your life?

I know that this idea has been sewn into the tapestry of my family for many generations.  I come from a long line of teachers.  I, myself, became a teacher not really realizing that I had been conditioned to think that it was a honorable career with promises of success and stability.  And it was.  It just wasn't meant to last forever.

My father was an advocate for education.  This is the very reason why we ended up living in South New Jersey.  My father did not feel that the California's school system was good enough.  The school system of his home city, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was not good enough either.  So, he went to the place where he believed his children would have a fighting chance at being successful in this world:  he moved us to the suburbs.

He was in pursuit of his idea of the American dream;  Get a good job, work, send your kids to school so that they may have the chance to get a better paying job.  He felt that a good education was one of the most important things in your life.  I would say that I agreed with that idea for many years.  It was not until recently that I have changed my mind.

If you read my blog then you would know that I had the stable, good paying job.  I did well in school so that I could go to college.  I went to college for my bachelors and also for my masters.  I got married, had the kids, bought the house.  As of today however,  I got laid of off that job, my house got foreclosed on, and I am currently filing  for bankruptcy.

So what went wrong?

I didn't really know what had went wrong, but I definitely wanted to find out.  I want to know why the so called "formula for success" did not work for me.  Through time, humbleness, and complete surrender I asked God: "Why isn't it working out for me?"

The answer that I got blew my mind:

You may know what you want, but you don't know what you need . . .

This is the problem in life.  We all think we know what we need, but we don't.  The people in our lives think they have it figured out for us, so they tell us what we need:

You need Jesus

You need to get a job

You need to go to school

You need to get married

You need to stay single

You need to make more money

You need a bigger house

You need to go to church . . .

The thing is, only the Holy Spirit really knows what you need.  It is the Holy Spirit that can see on the inside and not only on the outside. 

You can't hide things from the Holy spirit unless you grieve him.  This is something that we don't want to do.  Instead, we want to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives so that he can look around, assess the condition of our hearts, then set a path for us to follow.

Catch this analogy in your spirit:

Your original plan (destiny) was lost.  But, it was a good thing that God wrote every thing down in a book called your DNA.  He has an original copy of your destiny in heaven that matches your DNA.  When you were born naturally, something was not quite right because you were born into sin.  You were not what you needed to be to retrieve your original destiny assignment.  It just didn't match up.

Now, our God, is an exact God.  He will not accept anything but the original.  When you are born again in the spirit, Jesus can reconnect you to your original destiny. Why? Because you are receiving your true self, your true blood, and your true DNA.  You are now equipped with your individual gifts, talents, and abilities to complete your assignment on earth.  

We couldn't do it by our selves!!

The Holy Spirit makes all of this possible.  The Holy Spirit (Jesus) holds the map to your original destination.  Now all we have to do is follow our destiny, make a major turn around and start heading in the right direction of the strait and narrow.  We must get on that road.  How? By answering the call to turn around.  The Holy Spirit is calling each and everyone of us to change our path.  Why?  Because we have an assignment in this life.  We have things that we need to do.  We have a destiny to fulfill.  It is only the Holy Spirit that can teach us, and encourage us, and influence us, to our true destiny.  We may think we know what we need to find our destiny, but it is only the Holy Spirit that can correctly guide us.  Hence, we need the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Holds the Map!!

Therefore the Holy Spirit is the Most important thing in your life. . .

Your assignment is the second

 Your seed is the third

If you want to learn more about the three most important things in your life, may I suggest this book:

It is an excellent explanation of why and how the Holy Spirit is so important.  It is going to break down the Holy Spirit's purpose in your life, how he speaks to you, and who he is personally to you.  

The Holy Spirit is

"a mentor who empowers you to make right decisions.  His presence, peace, and power will create every change you long for in your life.  He is an advisor and companion and the only true source of strength joy and love."

Your Assignment is

"the problem you were created to solve on earth . . .You will only experience unusual success when your assignment becomes your obsession."

The Seed is 

"what you were given to create any future your want . . . Time, love, patience, wisdom, and money are seeds.  What you sow you will reap."

(Mike Murdock "The 3 Most Important Things in Your Life")

So friends, although education is very important, you must have the right education.  You must get your information from the right source.  This world really has set us up  to receive the wrong information about life.  Many of us don't know what to do once we have failed miserably at life.  I refuse to participate in the lies of the enemy anymore.  I am glad that I failed and I get to start over.  In my weakness God is made strong!

  I am at peace because I know the plans that God has for me.  I believe in the promises of the truth of God.  The Holy Spirit continues to teach me and show me everyday who I am and what my assignment is.  This is why I know, he is the most important thing in my life.

I know that my assignment is to help you find your purpose by connecting you and teaching you the information that I receive from the Holy Spirit.  I sow into you the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the patience to receive it in time.

Remember to live your life on Purpose.

Until Next Time

-Tamorra

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

6Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

II Corinthians 5

Motivation for Monday: Protect your mind and develop Godly habits

I am excited about what the Lord is doing and I hope that you are feeling blessed as well . . .

If you are not familiar with this blog, my name is Tamorra.  I am a multi-passionate entrepreneur who writes, creates, and promotes information to help you find your purpose in life.

I write about what God has purposed for you in this life!!!

I write about how to find your purpose.  The content I write is based on the bible and it comes from the spirit of God.  I don't claim any rights to the truth of the word that is written on this blog, all things belong to God.  It is the Holy Spirit that teaches and I am a willing servant.  But know this, I accept all of my inheritance as a child of God and expect all the benefits of being obedient to the Holy Spirit.

I write about a lot of spiritual awareness on this site.  I think that is a very important aspect  that you should develop in your life.  However, I think a lot of people get confused when they start pursuing a spiritual life.  They either get very religious or start looking into new age ideas about living "more spiritual."  God has a warning for all of us regarding our spiritual practices.

Brace your self for the correction . . .

I want to keep encouraging you to develop a relationship with God and to keep walking on the path of righteousness.  Everyday is a day that you should be in contact with God.  The spirit wants to talk to your heart.  The spirit wants to explore your heart to know the condition of it.  This is a common theme that the spirit is teaching.  I know that the Holy Spirit has been talking to me since November about the condition of the heart.  One of my most popular post explores the condition of the heart.  You can check it out here:

https://artteacher4purpose.blogspot.com/2018/01/motivation-for-monday-our-heart-and-our.html

You will be surprised how conditioned our hearts are by our worldly culture.  Especially Americans.  We as Americans are easily triggered to do work that is more for the purpose of the world then for the purpose of God.  We have to understand the reasons why we make the decisions that we make, which lead us to the lives that we lead and the habits we have.  We do what we do because of what has been programmed in us since birth.  Our training is strong and continuous in this world culture.  We will easily chose the solutions that are presented to us as "the right" solutions if we don't familiarize ourselves with the solutions written in God's word.  

Therefore, we must enter into the strait gate:

For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. . .

Matthew 7:13-14

Here is your Motivation for Monday:

God wants to lead you in the right direction, so stick with him and you will be Okay!

If you are conflicted in your spirit about the sin in your life, GREAT!!!  This means you are doing something right.  You have a conscious and you have a desire for God to work on your heart!!

We are all guilty of doing what we ought not do, and I thank God that he has mercy on us.  Thank God that we are not condemned by our faults but that we have a new chance everyday to reconnect with God and learn his ways.  With that said, I want to give you some warnings that God is telling me to tell his people:

#1 Protect your Children from the programming of this world
#2  Protect your mind (heart) from the programming of this world
#3 Stay close to God or you will be easily led astray

This is not meant to scare anyone.  I feel like God is waking up a lot of his children to be guides for others.  As we are waking up, it is very important for us to renew our minds everyday.  Otherwise it will be the blind leading the blind.

This is one of my favorite scriptures, I'm going by memory because this is how it speaks to my spirit: I Peter 4:1

For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourself likewise with the same mind.  For he that suffers in the flesh, ceases from sin; that he no longer spends his time in the flesh to the lust of men but to the will of God . . .

What does that mean:  It means the same thing that Paul was saying about how frustrating it is to try to live for Christ but still make  faulty decisions because of the condition of the flesh:

Oh wretched soul that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of flesh . . .
in other words: (why do I keep doing these things that I don't want to do when I know that I have a mind to live for God's purpose!??)

Simply put:  We do what we do because of the habits of the flesh!

So, what do we do about it?  We learn how to protect ourselves by walking, talking, and living in God's presence all of the time.  The more we do this, the more we become like him.

So we must:

#1 Protect our Children from the programming of this world: train them while they are young in the ways of the Lord, then they will not have as much trouble transitioning out of the world culture.  We need to teach them how to  embrace the Kingdom Culture.

#2  Protect your mind (heart) from the programming of this world: Start removing your self from worldly ideas of success, provision, and spirituality.  Place your relationship with God as top priority in order to develop new, healthy, Godly habits.

#3 Stay close to God or you will be easily led astray: Spend time with God.  Draw close to him in prayer, praise, fasting, loving, giving, and gratitude.  Learn the ways of the Lord.  Do not be so easily influenced by worldly ideas that you will go with whatever way the wind blows.

It would be wise to meditate on this following verse:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24

In other words; we must release the habits that we have obtained from the world and embrace the truth of God.  It is God who we shall serve and not the world.

I know that life is not always easy but I want people to know and understand that it is not always meant to be easy.  We go through different seasons in life, and we also go through different seasons of growth.  We are navigating ourselves through a lot of different cycles and systems that sometimes can overwhelm us.  It would be wise for us to release our troubles to God and to let him lead us to green pastures and still waters. It would be wise to let him correct our wrong ways and change our wrong habits.  Don't be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Embrace the Kingdom of God.  Embrace Godly habits.  Learn the ways of the Lord and start to live your life on purpose.

Until next time
Tamorra Goldsboro

Freedom Fridays: Michael Jr.

Love it!!!  I just like making up things and Freedom Fridays sound like a good title so I'm going to go with it . . .

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tamorra and I am the artteacher4purpose.  I write, create and promote information that will help you find your purpose in life.  I am having so much fun with this call that God had given me to help others find their purpose in life. . . 

I once was lost in a world that wanted to use me and use me up.  I am so happy that God made a way for me to wake up and see that there was no winner in the race that I was running.  I thought that I was doing everything that I was supposed to be doing by going to school, getting a good job, and working to buy things that I didn't really need.  I was exhausted chasing a false vision of purpose. What I really needed was  a relationship with Jesus.

What I really needed was a relationship with Jesus Christ!

And so today I can truly say that I am free!!

I am free from trying to obtain some kind of success in this world, instead I know that God has better plans for me:

This is what I celebrate on Fridays, my freedom from the bondage of this world. I am now trusting God for everything! 

Now, because I feel so good about having a forum to share with you I want to refer you to some people who get it.  These are people who speak around the world, sharing their story about how God has changed their life for better.  Today they speak about living life on purpose and answering the call that God has on your life.  There is a life that we should be living.  That life is about spreading the good news about Jesus Christ and understanding our true purpose to live an eternal life.

I present to you a comedian that has found his true calling and also calls you to use your talents to help spread the message of Jesus Christ.

What is that message exactly:

There is freedom in Jesus.  There is a promise for eternal life once you change your mind about how you live this life and realize that you are a spirit that is living in a country that is not your own.  We are supposed to help each other wake up so that we can all realize our freedom in Christ.  This is not an easy task because so many have been hurt, misused, and exhausted by the life they are currently living.  Many of us have been confused about the message because the church, the a spiritual leader, or the people teaching us didn't know how to deliver it.  Most of us don't realize that we are in bondage and that we need a savior to free us from the shackles of this life!

Check out Michael Jr. and share this video with somebody.  It is really good!

God bless you and keep you always.  

Let me thank you so very much for reading this blog and for sharing with others.  Help me spread the message about Living this Life on Purpose.

Until next Time

-Tamorra

Throwback Thursday: Do you know that you are batman?

  This is for those who have decided to follow your purpose in life . . .

You will always have someone behind you questioning you in how you do things . . .

"I don't know. . . I don't like it . . .Is that going to work out. . . are you sure?"

But if you're going to be batman, you need to know that you are batman.  You need to know who you are so that if any doubt that comes your way, you just brush it off because you know who you are.  If you are going to be batman, you need to train and practice your batman moves.  Don't let anyone discourage you with their critical words.

This is what happened . . .

I went to a birthday party to do face paint the other day.  I love doing face paint because it is fun.  I like it when the kids are happy.  They see the design on their face and their like "Yes, that's so cool!!" 

It makes me happy that they like the end result.  I don't let them see it until I'm all finished though.  I don't want them to get discouraged by what they see in the process, but instead get excited about what they see at the end. I try to go as fast as I can so that they don't have to sit that long . . 5 to 7 minutes at the most. . . the younger they are, the faster I go.

But everyonce in awhile I get a request from an older kid that challenges me. I love this.  The only thing is, I know that it is going to take me a little longer and I know that I don't have an exact plan of attack.  But I'm an artist.  I know that I can get there or somewhere around the intended vision.

So this is what happened, there was an adult at the party that was so excited about there being a face painter.  From the very beginng he was like, "Yes I'm doing that!"

He wanted the Mike Tyson face tattoo. . . the thing though, it was a kid party so I really wanted to do all the kids first.  When it got towards the end there was an older kid that wanted the Jordan sign on his face.  I told him that I would attempt it, sit down in the chair.

The whole time this Guy (the one that wanted the Tyson Tattoo), stood behind me, looking over my shoulder making comments. . .

"Awe man I don't know"

"Oh wow, do you want that on your face?  I don't think that was a good place for it."

"It doesn't look too good."

I kept going anyway, ignoring his comments because I knew he did not understand my process. I did a light stick like figure first to get the positioning and the angles.  Then I went back with a paint stick to make the figure darker.  Then I took my fine brush to give it some shape and defined lines.  The critic thought I wasn't doing a good job, so he left.

Me being an artist, was self critical of my work.   This is ok, I always look to see how I can do things better. I didn't like it the sign.  There were too many black marks around the figure.  So I took some color, made the figure pop out and added some white highlights and then I liked it . . . the kid liked it and thought it was hot.  So he asked for the Labron James sign on his fore head . . .

The point:  You will always have critics attacking your process.  You will always have someone looking over your shoulder not understanding how you are going to get from one point to the other.  But you must understand, they cannot do what you can do and that is why they are watching you so closely.  They can't see things the same way you see things.  They don't have your vision nor do they understand the planning or the time it takes to train to do what you do.

So do what you do and be the best at what you do.  Don't worry about your critics.  They will just get tired and leave anyway.

All in all, it was fun.  I like doing face painting. The situation didn't really bother me that much, it was quite funny because I wanted to do the Mike Tyson tattoo.  I had better paint and finer brushes to use for it and it would have looked really good!

But anyway, this situation also reminded me of all of us and how we treat other people that we do not quite understand.  We all need to change our minds about how we talk to people and treat people.  We need to be sensitive to their process as the art work, and as the artist.

God is the master artist, painting us into his vision for who he needs us to be.  He has also made us individual artist to help paint each other into who we need to be.  Your words are very powerful and can create beautiful artworks, or distorted messes.  Be careful what you say to people, because not everyone knows if they are indeed batman.

Pray this prayer:

Lord forgive me I made a mistake.  I should not have talked about __________. What you have called him/her to do is what you told him to do.  Please help me not to be critical of others.  Help me not to gossip.  Help me not to complain.  I know that these are all distractions.  Instead, set my heart to do your will.  Keep me awake and away from the temptations and distractions of the enemy. Amen

Check out this throwback post about how God is the master artist:

God is an Artist:

artteacher4purpose.blogspot.com/2018/02/day-4-live-life-devotional.html

Understanding Presentation:

http://artteacher4purpose.blogspot.com/2018/02/day-25-live-life-devotional.html  

Understanding Process:

http://artteacher4purpose.blogspot.com/2018/02/day-23-live-life-devotional.html

Love you with the love of the Lord.

Always motivating you to walk in your purpose

Live your Life on Purpose

Until Next Time

-Tamorra

Wisdom Wednesdays: How do you talk to your kids about Sex?

It seems like it is everywhere!!!

 

 

I can't watch a family program with my kids anymore without the topics of intimacy coming up on the radar.  I can no longer say my go to phrase "cover your eyes" when someone is kissing.  It just doesn't work anymore. Before you can get it out of your mouth you have two people fornicating all over the television screen!!!

Why?

Well, because this is the condition of the world.  Television programs are a lot more lenient with their content then 20 years ago.  My kids are 12, 14, and 16 and the topic of sex surrounds them in their day to day life.  If I pretend that this is not happening,  I would be ignoring the fact that they have questions.  They are curious about what it all means.  I would be doing them a disservice if I didn't talk to them about, well, you know what:

SEX

 If I don't teach them, the world will.

So how do you talk to your children about sex?

You just have to do it

 

 

My son is 16.  You know that I already had to talk to him about it.  I kind of tried to coerce my husband to talk to him about it, but that didn't work.  My husband is even more introverted then I am.  So, I had to bite the bullet and do it.  I'm not going to say that it was successful, I'm just going to a say that I did it.  I might have to go back and revisit that conversation with more detail but for right now he knows not to do it.

Don't do it until your married!!!

That's the rule and that is what the deal is.  My husband says that I shelter the kids too much.  And yes I do.  They are very sheltered.  I know where they are at all times.  I know who they are with.  I know where they are going and where they are coming from.  With all this knowledge, I also know that I cannot protect them forever.  I must equip them with the knowledge that they need to survive as they navigate their own journey through this life.

I have to help my children help themselves, hence the sex talk is absolutely necessary.  This is what happened . . .

My daughter asked me if we could watch this show together called 911.  I said sure.  One of the first scenes was this young man chasing down this pretty girl, only to end up having sex with her in the car.  I went to my first call to action "Cover your eyes"  Of course, all the moans and groans were still permeating the air space.  Darn surround sound!! Oh, their innocent ears! 

It was a good show but it was hard to ignore all the SEX  when one of the highlighted characters was a self proclaimed sex addict!

First of all, I was so embarrassed.  Second of all, I was so ashamed that I had let my kids watch this program.  But then the Lord showed me, that if I had not been watching it with them, they would have watched it by themselves, with questions and wandering minds . . . not knowing how to interpret the information. 

They are exposed to it.  My 12 and 14 year old daughters are exposed to this all of the time.  They think it is a normal thing for people to do.  I had to explain to them that this is not normal.  It is not right for two "consenting adults" to have sexual relations just because they feel a connection to each other.  NOPE!!  They don't even know what they are consenting to . . .

Let me back up to a time where Friday night family entertainment was TGIF and we spent 2 hours watching situational comedies: the Tanner girls getting in and out of trouble, family hugs, and Steve Urkel obsessing over Laura Winslow.  Oh how times have changed!

The enemy is sneaky like that, so, we have to be smarter.  Playing it smart doesn't mean keeping your kids sheltered from the condition of this world.  Instead it means educating them on the attacks of the enemy.  We must let them know that casual sex is not the way of the Lord.

You want to know what my daughter said to me about having sex before marriage:  "You and daddy weren't married when you had Malachi."

She is all so right by saying so (Children know how to count and are always looking at what we do).  So, I suggest not trying to hide the truth from your kids.  Be open and honest (with discretion) about your experiences and what you have learned from those experiences.

I explained to her that "Daddy had asked me to marry him and that we knew we were going to be married, but you are right, that doesn't make it okay."

I told her that it was hard for us in the beginning because we did things the wrong way.  I told them that I don't want them to make the same mistakes that we made.  I want them to be prepared.  I want them to see the traps of the enemy before they come.

I tried to explain to them that TV and movies are trying to condition their minds to think that it is okay to do things the world's way.  But it is not.  We must read the bible and find out the Lord's way of doing things.  Then you will be blessed, and your family will be blessed.  The bible says when a man finds a wife he findeth a good thing.  The husband is supposed to love the wife and the wife is supposed to respect the husband.  This is good and this is in line with the word of God.  When men and women go outside this covenant then they have no respect or love for each other, them selves, or of God. Why? It is because of their immaturity that they are not taking each other's emotions seriously!! It is selfish and self-serving. It is a recipe for emotional disaster!

We must teach our girls how to respect themselves.  And we must teach our boys how to love themselves.  This is the emotion that they lack and must learn in order to provide it for their future mate.  We must teach them that they cannot gain it by having sex with someone who is void of the very thing they need.

But before you go off on a tangent, like I did,

Find out what they know already!!

Somethings that you must find out before you start the sex talk:

#1 What do they know
#2 What do they want to know
#3  What did they learn or understand about it

You must find out their understanding of what sex is . . . remember, if it wasn't really explained to them, they assume things.

So my one daughter answered:  "Sex is sexual relations."

I asked her what does that mean?  She said "I don't know"

I asked her what she learned in sex education (this is my 14 year old)  She said "I don't know, boys have boy parts and girls have girl parts and the female carries the egg to make a baby,"

That was the extent of her answer.

So then I asked my 12 year old and she said "well a boy and a girl will hug and kiss under the covers, sometimes with their clothes off and have sex."

So I said "Okay" and had to ask once again, "Does anyone know what they are doing under the covers that makes it sex?"   They had no clue . . . so then I had to clarify somethings about boy parts and girl parts.

I took it back to Genesis.  I told the girls that God made the man with man parts and that he made woman from man and made her with woman parts.  This was because God wanted Man to have company.  He also wanted man and woman to procreate and populate the earth.  So God gave Man a seed and he gave Woman an egg that she holds inside of her.  When the man's penis goes inside of a women's vagina, this is the way that the man's seed can find it's way to the woman's egg to fertilize it and make a baby.  Although it may be a fun thing to do, it is only meant to happen between a man and his wife because they have made a commitment to raise those children together, healthy and emotionally strong.

It is a pleasurable thing and a gift that God has given us, but that doesn't mean that we should do it just because we feel like it.  We must be responsible.  God's purpose for sex was to populate the earth in a healthy way.  Having sex when you are not married or when you are not ready leads to things not being healthy or productive . . .

In conclusion:

Don't do it until you are married!!!

in addition:

You are not allowed to date until you are married

The END

What a very uncomfortable conversation for me.  I know there will probably be another conversation about it but I will save my confidence and build it up until that time comes.  Deep Breathe!! Okay, I'm okay now . . . I hoped this helped you, especially the moms out there. 

To all parents: be brave and be courageous, it is a command from God.  It is our duty and our purpose to raise these kids and teach them right from wrong.  We have to teach them before the world teaches them.  Teach them the principles of the Bible and trust God for direction.

Until next Time
-Tamorra

Motivation for Monday: Where do I get support?

Greetings this lovely Monday Morning!

I want to say that I had a very lovely weekend and I hope that you did as well.  It was my Birthday and my family blessed me with birthday wishes and a new computer!!!  My husband surprised me with it.  I take it as a sign of his support of me writing this blog.  I needed to feel that from him and I thank God that he placed it on his heart

Isn't it nice to have support?  Isn't it nice to know that there is someone there that has your back, making sure that things get done, and making sure that you are ok to do what you have to do?

I substitute teach now to help supplement my income.  I went to work one day and ran into an old friend from high school.  She started telling me about her home life, about her children, and about her mother's lack of support.  She was expressing to me that she was overwhelmed with the amount of work it takes to raise two young children, have a career, and also run a house hold.  I listened sincerely; occasionally nodding in agreement. 

At the end of her complaints about not feeling like she was a good mother, she highlighted the fact that her mother would give her a hard time about little things like forgetting the kid's snack.  She roared with frustration squeezing on her heart,  "Is it too much to ask for a little encouragement from your own mother!"

I continued to nod, and I really wanted to give her some advice on the subject, but I also knew that she was really hurt by the situation that had transpired just that morning.  So, I kept it as short as I could by saying something like:

"It is hard to be a mom sometimes, but we just have to keep pushing through all the hard stuff, until we get to the next level and start pushing through the different hard stuff.  It get's easier because we get better at pushing through the hard stuff."

To put it simply . . . we become better people when we make it through hard situations . . .

The bible says " . . .We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience, hope:"

Romans 5:3-4

So embrace the experience of being who God has made you to be.  If you are a mom;  live it and experience it.  If you are a teacher, an artist, a businessman, writer, entrepreneur, or what ever. . .  Embrace it, Love it, experience it. 

Do not look for the support, or accolades from out side sources.  Let those things come to you as a surprise.  Let them lift your spirits when you need them the most.  Let kind words, gestures of appreciation, and recognition come from the good work that you do.  Don't look for it, or you will miss the experience.

Here is your motivation for this Monday:

Know that the Lord will always be there to support you, to love you, and to cheer you on!

It is the Lord that will put it on someone's heart to bless you with a kind word or with words of encouragement.  It is the Lord that will supply your every need.  It is the Lord that will give you supernatural energy when you think you have nothing else to give. It is the Lord that will reward you with a brand new computer!

Thank You God!

I remember when I was teaching art at my old school.  There would be times that I would just be having a bad day.  Things would not be going right. I would feel disorganized and frustrated.  Then God would send one of the little ones to me.  A child would give me an unexpected hug along with "I love you Miss G."  It would make my heart melt and it would feel me with enough energy to get me through the day.  Isn't God Awesome!

Thank you God!

So, I really do pray that you feel blessed today.  I pray that your spirits feel lifted and that you know that you will always have the Lord's support to live this life.  Remember our experiences teach us how to be patient and how to hope for good things to come.  Just keep waiting on the Lord.  He will send a blessing your way, real soon!

Remember to live your life on purpose and to trust the Lord for everything.  God bless you. 

Until Next Time.
-Tamorra