I Raise My Voice!!!

Today, I cry out with them.

Echoes lost in the wind. Candles long stopped from burning. Volcanoes compressed from erupting. Voices lost in the woes of the media. Prisoners behind the bars of molestation. Long forgotten stories. Songs that have stopped singing. Children who have stopped crying. The women of tomorrow.

Today, I raise my voice with those of multi-nationalities, crying out for the elimination of the violence of women. Recognizing November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women. Worldwide.

(PLEASE Click on the picture of those three girls above to resurrect a post called "Breaking the Silence Forever"). It is a very touching post, and etches well into the memories of the women who have encountered such violence). May God bless you, increase you, and heal your pain...from the inside out. Post your comments on that post instead.

The United Nations Support/Resources site: Here

The Last Sword Standing...

She was the Samurai's daughter. Her features were the divine features of a Samurai's daughter...the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, and the way she fought. She wasn't mediocre in her ways, she considered herself as "royalty." She was a team leader, a teacher, a trend-setter, and also a living book of wisdom, using the proverbs that had been passed down to her by her Father.

But tonight she felt extremely different. She found herself running in the thickness of the dark night, she ran through trails in the midst of thick dark forests, through long bushes as tall as trees. She kept on running, trying desperately to get away from the evil clutches of the intruder. She looked back for a split second and he was only 5 inches from her face, being a very fast runner too. She took out the yari (spear) and threw it at him. Only a part of his long kimono was cut off, his flesh wasn't touched so he kept chasing her.

She dived into the blue waters in front of her, for it was the only way she knew. She had learned to be a good swimmer as a young child, it was one of the things a Samurai's daughter had to learn. She turned back swiftly, but he was still there swimming like the swiftest shark...coming real close. So she took out her tanto (dagger) and flung it towards his direction. She smiled for a quick second, until she saw his head resurface. No, he wasn't dead yet. So she kept wading.

She came out, and a tall big mountain stood in front of her. So she started climbing. She was a mountain climber from her teenage years, infact she was familiar with this particular mountain, she knew all it's rough surfaces like the back of her experienced hands. She looked down, she was getting furious...he was still there. Climbing to get her. She stopped for a second and threw down her yumi, a composite bow made from bamboo, wood, rattan, and leather, used by all Samurai warriors. He dodged it and kept climbing. She started doing what she called "mountain gallops," a technique used to get to the top faster. Then suddenly, she reached the peak. She stood tall as she felt her Father's spirit fighting with her. She looked at the last sword standing. The strongest of all the Samurai's weapons, the 'double-katana,' the only sword that was double-edged. It had a deadly effectiveness, no one could stand before the sword. But if you didn't use it the right way, it could kill you too. She heard her Father's voice saying, "hold it strongly and lift your head up proudly!" As soon as he reached where she was, she pierced the sword into the most deadly area of his body, and as soon as she did so, the fight was over. She sank to the ground as she realized she needed to stop running now...

This story is only a story I construed of how a Samurai's daughter ended up using her most powerful weapon against her enemy (the weapons are the real names of weapons used by Samurai war lords). But stretch your imagination...you also have a Father who has given you your most powerful weapon. As you walk through the journey of life with each passing moment, He is constantly teaching you how to use this weapon. As you make hard choices in life, you are using this weapon. Your weapon has been, and still will be the most powerful response to an intruder. Your weapon is the WORD OF GOD!. You need to use it. You need to learn how to use the weapon. If you don't know how to use your Father's weapon, then you can't be recognized as your Father's daughter (or son). Pray that God teaches you how to use His weapon (His Word) as your most powerful weapon...more importantly (as the life of a stranger pointed out), we must not resort to using the word of God as our last weapon (last sword standing), instead we must use our most effective weapon FIRST!!!

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

The picture on the top right is courtsey of the cutting edge cutlery

Happy Thanksgiving...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!
Thank God for His LOVE! :)

To commemorate the thanksgiving holiday, I have added everyone's "thankfulness" post on my side-bar, reading and participating in writing one of those posts is a life-changing experience.
Every single thanks to God will not go unheard. His ears are not too short that He cannot hear us. If you did a post pls send Diamond, the author, a link for your day to add to the chain of thanks. You're invited to participate.
Love...

In the volumes of His books, it was written concerning me...

Did you know that God wrote something about you? That He wrote about your exploits, your triumphs, and your battles? That He already established your uniqueness as different from everyone else in the world? (Psalm 139:16, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed; and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned before me, when as yet there were none of them."

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And so I was reflecting very hard today after church, that if certain people can go through certain bad situations and still come out on top, still firmly rooted and grounded in God, still standing strong....then who am I not to do the same? If there is truly something written about me, then I must ascend to the stage and grab my award. I must accomplish everything that was written ABOUT ME before time even began. I must not be less than what I am supposed to be...it is up to me to come out on top, from whatever trials or circumstances I find myself...it is not over until God says it is over...

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Wielded in very turbulent currents of waters

Wrapped around an array of thorns

Wrung as a rose strangled in the midst of thorns

Yet still, I am a character in the book of God.

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Understanding and prophesying only in part

Seeking knowledge like a deer pants for water

Asking for wisdom like a sick man asks for healing

Yet still, I am a character in the book of God.

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Finding myself seems to be an arduous task

When it seems as though everyone else has found what they were searching for

Pressing forward when I can't even see my way ahead

Yet still, He wrote about me and so I must keep on marching forward.

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I feel a strong burden on me that some of us don't know we are GREAT!

Even before TIME, God wrote about you,

and He didn't just write about your weaknesses,

but He also wrote about the way you overcame those weaknesses,

I feel a burden that someone is GIVING UP...

if you can't do anything else,

just trust that God knows what He is doing...

and He understands those secret things He wrote about you...

God is also a BLOGGER...

Have you read His blog about you?

He is a WRITER, a POET, and an ARCHITECT,

I'm so glad He has me in His works...

***For All Those Times***

For all those times You called my name

For all those times You whispered to me

For all those times I couldn't hear You

For all those times You still kept calling

Today, I give you PRAISE!

For all those times I thought I couldn't make it

For all those times I thought the end was nigh

For all those times I thought I would go hungry

For all those times I thought I'd be out in the rain forever

Today, I give you PRAISE!

For all those times I couldn't find You
For all those times I thought You weren't real
For all those times I prayed and You didn't answer

For all those times I asked and You said "No,"

Today, I give You PRAISE!

For all those times that I was afraid

For all those times I became as bold as a lion

For all those times I was humbled by You

For all those times You told me, 'Well done!"

Today, I give You PRAISE!

For all those times I searched for You

For all those times I found You

For all those times You let me walk

For all those times You carried me,

Today, I give You PRAISE!

For all those times I broke down crying

For all those times I laughed till I could laugh no more

For all those times I couldn't speak

For all those times I could finally verbalize my feelings,

Today, I give You PRAISE!

Friday Verse Series

© Jaycee

The Complex Electronic Message...

Who said God isn't current with electronic technological messaging?

Once upon a time, God gave Noah a very complex mathematical equation to solve. He sent him an electronic message to let Him know three important things: 1) That He was (and is) a great mathematician, 2) That He was (and is still) a great Architect (playing into His mathematical abilities), 3) And that a flood was coming that was going to wipe out the whole earth.

Check out the message (Gen 6:13-17): “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to 1 cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, 2nd, and 3rd decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth..."

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Keep in mind that there were no electronic computers in Noah's time. Neither were there any electronic calculators. The only gadget he had to build this huge structure was his "brain." Then you can imagine the people of Noah's time. Their ears were so clogged up that they couldn't hear what he was saying. Their hearts were filled with so much filth that they couldn't abandon all their evil projects and repent with their faces turned up towards the heavens. They kept doing all they knew how to do...eat, drink, celebrate marriages...

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But Jesus came to simplify this electronic mathematical equation. In our time, the equation has really become simple, although the activities of today's society has become much more complex. Those evil projects which were in Noah's time have been amplified by today's technology. Now we do not need to gather in a bandwagon to perform evil activities, the internet is right there...you can have an orgy online, right? It's so funny how the equation God sent became simplified, but yet the evil activities became amplified.

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The equation became simplified when Jesus said these words "IT IS FINISHED!" He died on the cross to make the equation simple. Now we need no ark, neither do we need sacrifices...we just need to believe in His blood.

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In Matt 24:36-44 He also said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

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The major statement here is, "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming..."

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While Dot.com industries are exploding,

and internet billionaires are unfolding,

While cell phones are expanding,

and palm pilots are booming,

we need to keep watch,

because we do not know what hour He's coming.

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While high school children are shooting,

and street gangs are enlarging their territories,

while drug use is becoming a pastime,

and bed time stories are fading,

we need to keep watch,

because we do not know what hour He's returning.

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While marriages are booming,

and yet divorce rates are increasing,

While some pastors are raping children,

and some are yet scamming their members,

yes, we need to keep watch,

because we know not when He's coming again...

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Make the complex electronic message simple,

and start your watch tonight...

30 Days of Thankfulness 2: Day 9

Oh Lord...there's so MUCH to be thankful for...
As I am typing right now my heart is beating loudly...
If I can count on the tips of my fingers how much He's done for me...
I'm remembering how God told Abraham to look at the stars of the sky
and the sand grains of the sea shore...
that was the number of his blessings,
but he couldn't even count them...

he couldn't even begin to comprehend them...

TODAY,
I am thankful for the VISION...
for the vision God has given me,
A vision that can never die,
I realize that if my eyes are filled with good things,
then my whole body will be filled with good things as well,
because I have a vision,
I know where I am going to,
and I know it will be different from where I am coming from,
my vision has calmed my storms,
even when my boat was shaking,
my vision said, "peace be still,"
my vision tells me time and time again,
that the enemy may come towards me like a flood,
but God will lift up a mighty standard against him;
my vision cheers me on and on, towards the prize...
forwards ever and backwards never,
this secret vision God has caused my eyes to see,
will never die
but will yet manifest,
at it's appointed time.

TODAY,
I am thankful for FAMILY,
a word that means so much more to me than blood,
yes, blood is thicker than water,
but love came and rescued me,
first God orchestrated my steps to be born into such a beautiful family,
then He also caused me to meet people who I have come to incorporate into my family,
He has caused me to know an unusual kind of love I never thought I'd ever find,
love that knows no boundaries,
I'm thankful for family,
a word that means much more to me than blood.

TODAY,
I am thankful for LIFE,
so many have come and gone this year,
but God has kept me,
none of us has done anything extraordinary to deserve this,
but God is saying to me, "you have to first accomplish what I placed you on earth to do,"
your time is not NOW,
so I am thankful for life,
I'm thankful for joy, laughter, sunshine, and worn-faded jeans...
and I am thankful for the lives of those who passed, who accomplished their purpose on earth,
time is really precious,
we must live each day for God alone,
there is no time for false living,
the time to choose Jesus is NOW,
you may not have tomorrow,
but your soul has the whole of eternity.

You have one life to live...and you have those who have gone on before you, the Hebrews 11 guys cheering you on. Don't stop living. Take a hold of the life God has given you. Dream BIG. Then achieve your dreams...you are called to be different. You are called to a higher place. Don't take your life. Don't stop living.

If I could count on my finger-tips how much He has done for me,

I would be like the man who counted the stars of the sky,

and the sand grains of the sea shore...

too inumerable to count...

Oh Lord, I thank You...for everything...

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Thanks Kafo, for tagging me...

For Day 10, I tag Ms. Opeke...

thanking God is a life-changing experience...

The Immortality of the KING!!!!!!!

As the good old wikipedia claims, "immortality" is the concept of living in the physical or spiritual form for an INFINITE length of time.

Wow, is that really possible? This is a question that many seem to toy with from time to time. Come on, I can see you...I know that when you say the word, "immortality," with your lips, there's a kind of sweetness that comes naturally with the mere pronunciation of the word. It exudes power and eternal reign. The historical Pharoahs of old have embodied this concept of "immortality" from generation to generation in the ancient kingdom of Egypt. Only a few days ago, the young pharoah, King Tut, became the subject of public speculation when his royal embalmed mask was taken off for all to see his real face, after having been "immortalized" for 3,000 years.

The kingdom of Egypt does not play when it comes to the burial of their Pharoahs; a Pharoah king is considered as such, even till eternity. So he is embalmed and kept in a royal tomb for Pharoahs. They got the concept of eternity, but the reality is this body or flesh of ours is not immortal, and one day will be no more.

That's why Jesus told us when He was very much around..."And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," Matthew 10:28.

The only thing that is immortal is your soul. Your body may pass away, but your soul has a destination. I was reading Matthew 25 yesterday, and towards the end Jesus was talking about the seperation of two categories of people, those who will enter into the kingdom of heaven, and then those who will enter into a certain place that was originally prepared for the devil and his angels. At that particular point I shook, because hell was not intended for human beings. But because we all have our own "will" to either choose Jesus or reject Him, some will end up in the wrong kingdom.

I do not know where the souls of the ancient Pharoahs lie today, but as an NBC reporter said when the mask of King Tutankhamun was unveiled, it wasn't the pretty sight everyone was expecting. It makes me know that this body of ours is really not permanent. It also shows that we all should be very careful about how we live our lives.

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What are you living for? Do you have a defined view of who you really are? Do you define yourself the way God defines you, or are you merely defining yourself based on your emotions? I was walking back home from class last week and I was thinking about how I need to become this person in my wildest dreams, someone who does not have the flaws I have now. But God began to tell me, "You are already that person, define yourself the way I already defined you before time even began." I may have flaws now, but a righteous man will fall seven times and get back on his feet again. I will not wallow in the fact that sometimes I fall. Each second is precious, I can spend the time used to wallow in self-pity to do something for God. God has given you and I a calling for this period while we are still on earth, we need to find it and grasp it. But most importantly, live your life with deep concern for your soul. You need to know where your eternity lies...today...

I pray it's heaven,

because it DOES exists...

Will your SOUL say YES to God's call today?

All God wants is for you to say "YES"