Natural Hair Journey Update

It has been nearly three months since I made the commitment to not heat style my hair for an entire year. It has been an absoloutely wonderful journey. My sister has even decided to go natural.













I thought I should post some updated pictures and share some of my product staples.




















6/3/2010 - Trey's 2nd Birthday Party






Style: Natural Curl






Products: Kinky Curly Pomade






Review: I don't wear this style often because as you can see my curl pattern is really tight, and my hair shrinks a lot. I like it because of how springy it is. Before I learned out to do a really good twist-out, I used to love Kinky Curly Pomade. Since I've been twisting my hair at least once a week and wearing a twist out on a regular basis, I have fallen in love with it. One thing I did notice once I had worked all of the product through my hair was that it made my hair heavy. When I was finished working the product throughout my hair, it was heavy.







P.S. Notice my niece's oh so cute twists!

6/4/2010 - Back Shot

Style: Chunky Twists

Products: Water, Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Creme

Review: So pretty much since I returned from Baltimore, I've been wearing my hair in small twists during the week and rocking a full twist out on Sunday (or whenever I have somewhere to go). I loved this because the protective styling has been so good for my hair, but it takes me 3 hours to complete the twists. So last Friday night, I put some really chunky twists in my hair to see what the twist out would look like. The end result: I loved it!! The twist out lasted longer than my ususal twist outs from my small twists. So, I did it agai today.

Note: I don't leave home with these twists. I usually put them in at night and sleep with them then take them out in the morning.

Here's the finished twist-out!

I have forgiven me

I've been going through the healing cycle of declaring victory in my life and walking in God's Authority - to watching my past like my life is on a movie reel, playing over and over in mind. The "if this..." scenarios pop up, and every now and then I feel entangled in what could have been...what should have been.

This song by Mary Mary ministers deeply to where I am right now, at this moment in my journey.
I've been meditating on the Word in Luke when Jesus tells the woman "Woman, thou are loosed from thine infirmity" Luke 13.

Jesus is speaking to so many of us sisters. He is speaking directly to who we are. He doesn't call this woman by her personal name, to say this healing is just for her...but He speaks directly to her being - "Woman!". Sister I have to tell you today....it is time for us to rise up. Jesus has commanded us to do so. "Woman, thou are loosed!".

Simply Redeemed

This song came on Pandora today and I had never heard it before. These words grabbed me and won't let me go. I purchased the cd and have had this song on repeat all day.

I am a Christian. Do you know what that means? It means I'm far from perfect, simply redeemed. I was bought with a purpose. Purchased by love. Not just a form of religion, it's a gift from above.

I am not perfect. I have been redeemed.

I'm just a believer. Do you know what that means? It means I've pledge my life, giving everything. I never knew that this was meant to be. I'm not perfect. I have been redeemed.

While I was yet in my transgressions, someone paid the price for me.I offered up my life to Him, and now I see again. I am not perfect. I have been redeemed.

I am your brother (sister). Let me show you the way. We'll walk this road together, we'll take it day by day. Somehow I know we'll make this journey's end.

We are now redeemed. While we were yet in our transgressions. God paid the price for you and me. So why not give our lives to Him? Accept His love and be clean.

Walk together. You can take my hand. For we are now redeemed.

Power to Pray

Last week, in observance of the National Day of Prayer, I attended the noon day prayer service at my church. On my drive to the church I felt something funny in my spirit. When I walked through the doors of the church something hit me...and hit me hard. I was overcome by the Spirit, and the power that prayer has.

I consider it a true privilege and honor to be able to pray in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I consider an even greater honor to know that when I pray, even when my prayers are reduced to mumblings and groanings, the Holy Spirit is interceding for me.

At that service, I was humbled when my Pastor looked at me and asked me to pray for single parents. I've struggled with identifying with this label, but it is true, I am single parent. As I approached God in prayer, I realized the power of the words I was placing in God's ear. Out of all the protections and blessings I prayed that day, there is one thing that I pray over and over again in my spirit, and that is for unsaved parents to be saved. For our children's sake.

My son is covered. I've dedicated his life back to God and I know that things that have plagued his father's family for generations are now broken, in Jesus' name. I pray that my son's unsaved parent experiences the freedom that comes in knowing Christ, in living for Christ and following his commands.

Love...is not rude.

((Deep breath)) I haven't written in my love is series in awhile. No particular reason, I just haven't made it a priority. It's funny how things happen. Life has been so grand. I mean ever since we returned from Baltimore in early April, things have just been flowing. I'm grateful.

When I opened the Word and realized tonight would be "love...is not rude", I laughed at myself. No wonder it hadn't been on my heart to write in this series lately. But tonight....oh tonight is a night to write about love not being rude.

So I've been pretty open about the issues in my personal life. I honestly feel it is apart of my ministry to be transparent - some disagree. Anyways. So tonight was a true test in love not being rude. First, it is Mother's day. All day long I have just been sending gratitude for the amazing gift of my son. I've probably given him a million kisses today. It's about 8pm, and for the first time all day I let the weight of this being my first Mother's day as a single parent hit me. My emotions were flying high and that opened the floodgates for the enemy to come in.

One event led to another, and for the first time in weeks I just wanted to pick up the phone and tell someone how I feel about them. Not what God says about them, but what at that moment, my hurt self wanted to say. I picked up the phone, was ready to go, all engines fired, and then I stopped. The force that stopped me wasn't saying that I love that person too much to call and say the words I wanted to say and try to hurt them. At that moment the force that stopped me said I love me more than that. It told me that I'm better than that. And it also reminded me that I MUST be the parent that expresses greater love through it all - I must be love.

So I'm typing this with tears rolling down my face because had I stuck to my original plan of writing in this series every night, weeks ago I wouldn't have really known what it means for love to not be rude. But tonight I do. I know that love won't allow you to be rude. The most profound part about it is it has nothing to do with the other person. Love will open you up and show you yourself. Rudeness is a way to hurt others. As we all know...hurting people hurt others. Let love show you what's in you that is hurting so you won't feel the need to hurt others. After all, love is not rude.

Love...is not proud.

Leo Tolstoy said, "If you want to be happy, be". I believe the same is true for love. If you want to be love, be.

So often we think about love for others. We think about the feeling when we are in love. We seldom take the time to imagine how the world would be if we are love.

If we are to become love we have to lose our self in love. There is no space for pride.

The next time you feel triggered, attacked or things aren't going your way, pause for a moment and be love.

I believe when you do, God's entire Universe will conspire to work the situation for your good.

God is love. You are love. We are love.

Love...does not boast.

To boast is to have a source of pride. To pat oneself on the back. To gloat. To blow one's own horn.

There is a lesson in Marianne Williamson's "A Course in Miracles" that says when someone attacks you and you feel triggered, that is the moment to be still or "in my defenselessness, my safety lies".

Over the past few months, there have been numerous things to happen that I had to practice this defenselessness approach. Instead of reacting, I would be still, and let the Universe do what It needed to do.

Then recently, I found myself bringing up the very things I had chosen not to get defensive about in the first place. This time around I was bringing them up not in a confrontational manner, but I would say things that I knew as to say "aha...betcha didn't know I knew that".

I found myself boasting.

This was not intentional. Reflecting on the situation I can remember feeling like I was strong for not blowing up at the time. Now that I think about it, bringing it up later and feeling like I had accomplished something by not blowing up about it is just as bad.

So, I am still practicing the kind of love that does not boast. Once again, it requires us to return to humility. Even when I didn't think what I was doing was being proud, when I look back on it, I was. That's that.

I'm learning this love thing takes a constant renewal of your mind, your spirit and your intentions.

Love does not blow its own horn.