First Flight

Tomorrow morning, I will be traveling for the first time alone. I will be flying to Virginia to visit my dad and then when I leave, I will be driving back in a truck the he is giving me.
My mom, my sister, my wife, & my son are all nervous about this trip thinking that something is going to happen to me. I may fall asleep at the wheel or something. My wifey was repacking my bags over & over to make sure that she was satisfied with everything she pack, but I'm the one who's going on a trip alone...what's that about? And Rio, he constantly asking questions with the look of concern on his face. I do understand that this is the first time that I've ever had to leave for more than a few hours to a d away from him & his mother...so he is a little uneasy about me leaving.
The song says
"...through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God...."
I believe that this is what I need to do alone...& I've got my backup on call.
I'm ready...bring it on!

Terrance

Cruzin on the Lakeshore

http://flipagram.com/f/JGybAHOVwv Cruzin' At The Lakeshore #flipagram Free boat rides are one of the amenities offered exclusively to the Lakeshore Apts residents. Lakeshore is the place to be. made with @flipagram ♫ Music: Dr. MAD - Champagne Edition

My Thorn

"...(7)And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (8)For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9)And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10)Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong..." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

I have a sleeping disorder called, Sleep Apnea. This disorder has followed me all of my life. Many times over, even now that I'm 45yrs, I still get teased by it. When I meet people at my job or wherever else that I have to spend a decent amount of time in one place with people, my disorder kicks in...even if it's for a short period. I tend to sleep when I stand depending how tired I am, as well as sitting or lying down. Some say that I tend to sleep at a drop of a hat...while they are laughing or snickering. Once they see my disorder, they will not let it go. Every time I could try to do something worth while, my disorder kicks in & it not only does it overshadows my good work ethics abilities, but it leaves a mark on me for everyone to shoot "scapegoat arrows" at me. At church, at work, even at home...my thorn, once again, overshadows my authority & seriousness in my household.

Everybody has an physical infirmity, I get that. But it seems that most everybody can hide their physical infirmity some way or somehow. I cannot hide this, & people don't know how to react to it but to make jokes about it so much that it becomes a stain or a mark on me. When they see me coming, it's like they flag their friends to watch me to see if I drift or not. How do I react to that!? What do I say without being the bully in this situation? I am 45yrs old, I can't just tell people to.."LEAVE ME ALONE" without looking like a punk. It seems like there's nothing I could do about it. I have a CPAP machine that I use every night. It's a little outdated, but it helps. The irritating thing about it is this...I could be well rested with plenty of sleep, & I still drift off. It's just so frustrating. When it really hurts the most is when my wife & son have a moment of entertainment being amused by my thorn. And I know that if I react in a malicious manner, then I'm the "evil one" in the room. I'm a Christian, I try to control my malicious side & find another way to get my point across without an altercation(I don't like to argue, especially over stupid stuff!).

The reason that I've posted the scripture at the beginning of this blog is because I consider my sleeping disorder to be my thorn. It has giving me more grief than all the other infirmities that I have. If there is a way to make it less intensive or more controlled, that would be great! But just like Paul in the above scripture, I have to realize the purpose of my thorn. I must realize & remember that God is in control. If it means that I have to deal with this so that I won't get too big headed & not give God the glory. I must allow God to manifest Himself through me in spite of my infirmities. Because my infirmities, my thorns, are God's way of keeping me in my place.

God is my strength & my provider, & He takes care of me & mine for whatever or whenever the situation is. All glory, honor, & praise due to the Almighty God for not only for what He has done but for Who he is.

Know God, know yourself

Terrance

A note of encouragement.

#InstaMark

Fishing on the Ford Lake.

#InstaMark

Life Of The Party

I must say this...there are those among us that has the honorable talent to move the crowd. They are the ones that seem to have a way to control a whole room full of people. I personally admire these people that can literally convince people that what they say or the words that they speak are enough to persuade even the skeptic ones are compelled to follow through. I tend to call them the "Life of the Party" or the "Crowd Controllers".

How do the do that? Where do they get the confidence & the nerve to believe that the people around them will be hanging on their every word & phrase? What if the LOTP have no idea about the certainty of their presentation? What if they are misleading people to their own let down? What is the LOTP response if what he/she had told the crowd was a faulty presentation? How does the people supposed to react when they find out that the LOTP is misrepresenting on purpose?

Now get me wrong, I'm not talking about the individuals the are assigned to be in the forefront to make a speech or presentation by appointment. I'm talking about the ones that in a moment's time, no matter where or when, the LOTP can get people's attention, for no purpose at all, & keep it. The CC, that seem to have the ability to draw a large sum of people & follow him/her anywhere...with very little or no explanation necessary.

If you're by chance one of the CC or LOTP, I pray that you use your gift for the good, of your community or village, of your family, and/or of your Christian based denomination. I believe that it is truly a gift to be able to be persuasive to any group, large or small, & to lead them into a path towards the truth & righteousness. Let God lead you to where He would want you to lead the group. Not only will the group be blessed, but you will be blessd as well.

Many blessings to you & yours.

I Just Don't Get It

Maybe I am out of the loop here but, there are some people that decide to be deliberately cruel. Especially those who you work with everyday. I try to check myself every chance I get before I step to someone so that I won't disrespect them or insult them in any way. I just don't understand why others don't do the same.
I do have a sense of knowledge and understanding on the fact that we can be in our own moment, unaware of how we effect people sometimes. But it amazes me to witness this type of behavior amost everyday. 

I just don't get it.

For Those Concerning...

I know that I haven't written anything on here for a long time so since that I have a little time to spare, I'd thought that I should give an updated installment. Within that past few days, my wife had suffered a major loss. The storage unit that kept most of her things when moved from the other side of the state, has sold all of the units that were kept in storage for over a period of time. As far as we all know, her things are gone...either sold or thrown away. I can only imagine that agony that which she is now suffering. She cried with anger & pain of the fact that she can no longer have access to baby pictures of her only son, graduation pictures, irreplaceable items that she herself holds dear. I would like to believe that if this was a weather disaster of some sort or a fire, I don't think that my wife will be as effected as much compared to having her things sold & thrown out because of a business decision by the storage owner's son who, in fact, took over the business because the original owner had passed away recently.My wife & I owed quite a bit of money to the business for keeping my wife's things. So when these this happened(hearing about it on the local news), she nearly lost it. I hurts me to see my wife hurt, especially when there is nothing I could do about it. I've always try to compensate for what she needs & sometimes wants, but there's nothing I could do. What's a double whammy is that her son is effected because his mother is effected. What can I do... ?

The Perception of Help

HELP:

verb

1. make it easier for (someone) to do something by offering one's services or resources.

2. serve someone with (food or drink).

noun

3. the action of helping someone to do something; assistance.

exclamation

4. used as an appeal for urgent assistance.

I have an issue that I must try to explain that most people, to my knowledge, have yet to break down. the word "HELP" seems to have so many variables but it seems that people have given it more names and excuses in regards of it and to it than it was originally supposed to be. It occurred to me that many people tend to use the word "Help" to hide their true identity when it comes to certain situations. Let me be a little more plain than I am. In my lifetime, there are people that say they are helping someone but the mindset in which they are in is in vain. I've seen those among us who loves to help others but cannot stand to be helped. There are people living on this earth that help others just to get credit or popularity among others. Some tend to help just to make themselves look more that they actually are as far as on a status level. I've met individuals who helps others in a way that there's no sacrifice on their behalf to give freely. Just like "LOVE", the act of help has been always taken in such a way that even though the act has been performed but not in the mindset that the act should have been performed.

Here is what the Bible says about helping others:

1 John 3:17= "But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?"

Proverbs 22:9= "He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor. "

Philippians 2:4= "do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

Luke 6:38= "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

Matthew 5:13-16= "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. "Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

I truly believe that if we're going to help someone, let us help them in Spirit and Truth. Not for vainglory, profit, any ill-will against others, nor for any other reason but to help our brothers and sisters out of Love and Compassion for one towards another.

When we give the Gift of Jesus, He will return all of the gifts back to us. Selah.

May God rest his soul...

Sharpies & Colored Pencils

Sharpies & Colored Pencils, a set on Flickr.