Questions

How do you hold on when the knot comes out of your rope?

How do you hope when everything is screaming there is none?

Who do you turn to when you get too ashamed?

What do you do when you feel your world has turned upside down?

What do you do when your insides keep saying there is no end?

How do you keep walking around as if everything is ok?

How do you smile when all you want to do is cry and scream?

Where do you turn when you feel you are banging your head against the wall?

Where do you go when no place seems to be safe?

How, who, what and where are the questions we all ask.

But what are the answers we need to keep us hanging on?

But who do we trust enough to tell them everything?

Do we overload someone else to help us feel better?

How fair is life when none of it really makes sense?

What will it take to make sense of a life of trouble?

When will questions end and answers begin?

From my book: Out of the Depths A Poetic Journey

The Misunderstood Writer

          What a very nice day it is today. The sun has been shining. It is warm. Steve has mowed the grass now trimming. I as you can see am at my computer where I have spent most of day writing. I like to play games while I write it helps me to think. However, when Steve walks in the room it appears that I am only playing games. I don't know how he times it but at the moment he comes in I am in the middle of a game. I draw up my document as proof. But I'm not sure at all that I convince him. Because sometimes he walks out of the room just shaking his head, which leads me to believe he still is not convinced.     

Maybe I should let the facts should speak for them self. So let's take a little look at the facts: First I write articles for the magazine Conversations Magazine, put out by Cyrus Webb. By the way if you haven't read it you need to order it or go on line and check it out. Cyrus has a lot of great interviews in it but don't forget about reading my article. Also as a radio host I read my said writings. Third I write for this blog that you are reading and by the way thanks for coming and visiting with me. I also would like to hear your comments. I will respond to them so drop me a few lines. The joy of writing is to know you will be coming back to visit so thanks for hanging out with me. Last proof I have. I have not only written eight books but published them over the years. I do have another one that should be coming before the summer is over. I am real excited about it. It is a devotional journal, WOW What A Bible, is the title. It is a book to have with you when you read you Bible to record things that pop out at you, your WOW thoughts. It will also include scripture that you can follow as a little jog through the Bible. I find that writing things down helps me to remember better, that has been part of the inspiration for the book. The other is when we read the Bible sometimes later we wonder where was that found. This way you will have it right there with the date you read it, where it is found and what made it stick out in your mind. I will keep you updated about how it is coming along.

I rest my case.

P.S. Steve just walked in and I read to him this blog and he said "OK, OK!!! I BELIEVE YOU!!!" I am smiling big this time when he walks out. Between you and I, I am really laughing on the inside. I guess I win my case. 

 

Emotions make great messengers but bad bosses.

 

My husband and I are carpooling to and from work so the other day while I was waiting for him I thought I would make good use of my time and go to the book store. I was gazing at the titles to see if one was jumping around saying read me. Lo and behold there it was a book written for me "You're Already Amazing" by Holley Gerth. Of course I purchased it because that's what you do when something calls your name and jumps around right? I drove to my husband's work, parked the car and began to read. From the beginning it had my attention. I am not done but I have read enough to know that it has to be read slowly to absorb all the information she has to offer. I did want to take a moment to share with you a statement that she said "Emotions make great messengers but bad bosses."  I have not been able to stop thinking about that. We are all created with emotions of all sorts from laughing to wanting to beat someone up. They are important in how we relate to people but what happens when they take control? There have been times I have allowed mine to be the boss not really checking to see if they were bad or good. When bad ones take control there can be great trouble. They can keep me captive and destroy a perfectly great day. They can make me feel like I am worth nothing. Matter of fact Saturday afternoon before I read those words was one of those times. A person said something negative to me that morning. I was feeling defeated. I allowed that feeling to kind of take root. I gave that emotion permission to be the boss. I pondered the wise words Holley said and sent those emotions of defeat on their way. I had a much better evening. We are all made amazing but some of us struggle with really believing that about ourselves. I am one of those people but that doesn't mean I'm giving up. It only means I'm going to try harder to keep believing in what God has said in His word. Matter of fact God thinks I'm pretty amazing because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The next time the emotion of defeat comes creeping in I plan on quickly packing their bags back up and sending them on their way. Join me in not allowing those crazy emotions of ours to be our boss. If need be scream at them you're not the boss of me and wave bye to them as they run away. Have a great day believing you are amazing because God made us all that way.

How do you see?

        I have been wearing glasses for a number of years. I can tell when it is time to increase the prescription because my vision is not just right. I have to hold my papers farther away or squint to make out words. I have to be right on top of road signs before I can read them, then it is too late to make that left turn that I was needing to make. I might go like that for a while but it doesn't take long before I am ready to call the optometrist. I'm sure you know the routine. They say "let's see what's going on" then it starts. The examination. Tell me what those letters are, what about these, what about these, can you see these, after doing that with both eyes they make their notes. Then the fun stuff starts the flipping from one lenses to another. Which is better a or b? After a few a or b flips, they finally find the one that corrects your problem. They leave them at those lenses and say how is that? Yea I can see correct again. I can read those letters that I thought was a spot on the wall. It is no longer a strain to read and no need to squint.  The correct lenses make an enormous difference. Words and signs take on the correct form the distortion I was seeing is gone. Correcting my glasses helps me to see everything as they are meant to be seen.      

         Oddly enough the vision we use to look at our own lives can become distorted. From the time we are born people are telling us things about ourselves. We store all that information in our brain. Usually adopting them as how we see ourselves. We don't usually question it because we have heard it for such a long time. But what happens when people give you information that doesn't really coincide with what you believe. There starts the struggle. I would like to say eye doctor here I come again can you fix it? You do not need any fancy equipment just some good old honesty. You might need to make a list one of what people have said, the other what you really see deep inside or yourself. The first list will be easy because that is what the brain is us to hearing. Now the second list is not so easy. Take time to change the lenses and take a good look. Do things still seem to be cloudy it's okay do another adjustment. I'm sure you are starting to see the great things about yourself. Don't be afraid to put them down. One is a great start. If it has been a while since you have done this the lenses might need to be adjusted a number a time before you can really see clearly. That's it, keep making the lenses stronger, is the real you coming clearer in view? It will help if you just go ahead and write the great things you have heard people say come to mind even if you question if they are true. That might need to be done a number of times to get the lenses to see crystal clear. If your vision of yourself stays cloudy then you will not be able to be all that you are meant to be. Throw away your old comfortable glasses and be willing to go for the new great look. I know I have had some very comfortable glasses that I hated to get rid of. I desperately needed to because they were twisted and bent all out of shape. I gritted my teeth threw them away and took on a new look. I was shocked at the compliments I received. They even became comfortable after a while. The view I had of myself also was twisted and bent so I had to throw it away and replace it. If the view you have of yourself is twisted and bent all out of shape I challenge you to throw it away also. Join me in putting on the new look it gives. You are made for greatness, see it, believe it and walk in it. Allow yourself to see and be the new you. It will become comfortable after a while because that is who you really are meant to be. Have a great day.        

Author and Poet Glenda L. Hunter returns to #ConversationsLIVE

Host Cyrus Webb welcomes back award-winning author and poet Glenda L. Hunter to discuss what it's been like to reflect on her writing journey and the impact of her work on others. The two also discuss what it has been like to share powerful messages that inspire others to move in the direction of their own goals and dreams.

 Listen to the full interview below:

Compromise

I have been thinking about the topic of compromise after watching a show called The Song. The short of the story was a Christian man had joined a song competition to win two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He was one of three finalists chosen to travel to different cities to perform songs they had written.  He wanted the money to help his wife, child and ill father. He entered the stage dressed plain and sang from his heart. The people clapped but he came in last. The producer of the event wanted him to change his appearance and style, really changing who he was. At first he refused to change and he talked about integrity. He got tired of losing and gave in. He allowed them to make the changes they wanted. Viola he began to win. At what cost? He lost respect. He lost contact with family. He was losing who he really was. But he was winning in the eyes of the crowd. Right before the last performance he received a Teddy Bear from his daughter with a note that read "Daddy I love you" he wept and found his way back to his real self. He appeared on stage as he did at the beginning, very plain. He apologized to the magicians he was mean to before his performance. He again sang from his heart. He did not win that competition but left with his dignity. He became content in where God had him and what he was doing. The last scene was an agent of a famous singer talking to him offering him a great deal. He did not have to change who he was. HE was a winner. I don't think change is wrong. I think the wrong came into play when he gave into what was not right for him. Allowing someone else to dictate what he was to be so he could fit in. Compromising to the point he lost who God made him to be. Have you ever compromised to the point you lost track of who you really are? Compromise is the blending of two different things. This in and of itself is not wrong but when it changes who God wants us to be than there is a problem. It is wise for us to remember that even if a compromise might make us a winner in the eyes of the world it does not mean that is what God wants us to do. We should always strive to be a winner in the eyes of God. The next time you or I are approached with a compromise we should ask ourselves two things: first will we lost the respect of people that know and love us and two which I think is the most important what would God think about said compromise. Have a great day a winner for God.

Broken

          A  couple of years ago my son, his three daughters, my husband and I decided to take vacation together destination Ohio a long trip from Mississippi. I crawled in the back of his Tahoe with the three girls, my husband drove and our son stretched out in the other front seat. Everyone was excited and off we started. I had brought plenty of things for the girls and I to do but the one in the seat next to me wanted to selfies on my phone. Then she included me before long it seemed I had twisted every which way to get the best picture. When I finally decided to stretch my not so tall body it happened. I got my hand caught in my necklace and it broke (surprised right – I'm sure you thought it was going to be something very different). Not so softly I said "Oh no" as I grabbed the pieces. My oldest granddaughter turned around and wanted to know what happened. I told her and said it was really no big deal. She was not buying that, not after scream I let out. She knew it was my favorite necklace. It didn't take her long to think of a solution. She assured me it would be okay because Papaw could fix it. I was taken by her confidence in her Papaws' ability. She did not know the whole damage but she knew it didn't matter he could do it. She was ready to take it to him right then and there. I knew that was not to wise because if you remember I said he was driving and I knew the last thing he cared about at that moment was my broken necklace since we were not even out of Mississippi. She told him anyway and he said he would see later. Translated to me was he will fix it later. I put the pieces away and we continued our trip. When I stop and think about that moment how cool was her reaction. She saw a problem, knew how much I would want it fixed, she told me about the great fixer, her Papaw, and wanted me to turn it over to him and I would have no more problem. WOW

What a life lesson we can learn from her wisdom. I think most everyone I know has some kind of brokenness in their life, things of their own making or something that has been done to them. There have been people that have shared their brokenness with me. I knew they wanted it fixed. I saw their problem but I am saddened by the fact that I didn't quickly tell them about God being the great fixer nor did I ask them to turn their brokenness over to Him. Today I want to tell everyone that reads this that GOD IS THE GREAT FIXER UPPER. If you feel you are broken beyond repair don't give up. Take this moment to give it over to God. It is not always easy to give it to Him or to believe He can really fix the brokenness. What I do know is that He is patient, loving, full of compassion and extremely willing to fix your brokenness. He also will not step in and do it if He is not invited. He is a gentleman. I would challenge you to do as I have done and will do again: sit down, pretend He is in the chair next to you, and begin talking as to a good friend. Tell Him about the brokenness you have and the fact that you want it mended. You will discover He really cares and can heal. It might not happen overnight and it might. Some journeys to healing take longer than others but none the less it will happen if you hang in there. The great fixer upper will not disappoint you. My prayer for you today is that you will find healing for every part of your inner most being. "All things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." Matthew 21:22 Have a great day taking your brokenness to God and allowing Him to mend it.