The Barbarians Are Watching..

Years ago, I applied for the Executive Secretary position with the Department of Family and Children Services. During the interview, the County Director said “Come here, I’d like to show you something.” She took me to the office of the former secretary and opened the door. It was filled wall to wall with boxes of files. She said, “The person who’s hired is going to be responsible for organizing and purging these files.” Looking at the mountain of boxes I replied, “It’s going to take a lot of work, but it can be done.” I was hired a short time after the interview. 

When I started my new job, the County Director asked, “Do you want to know what made me decide to hire you? Of course I said yes. She said, “I hired you because of your response when I showed you the office. The other people I interviewed acted like it would be too much work, but you didn’t. I like the way you responded and so I hired you.”

Children of God, people are watching us. They are watching our response, especially to this whole coronavirus pandemic. It will be our response that will either draw them to Christ or push them farther away. Remember Paul and how the barbarians watched him when the snake bit him on the hand? The barbarians waited in anticipation of his death. Instead, Paul shook the snake off into the fire and “kept on trucking”. The barbarians knew then he was truly a child of God.

While everyone else reacts in panic, God expects us to walk in faith. Taking care of your families is a given but there is a difference between taking the necessary precautions and living in fear. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. If you trust God, PROVE IT. After all, the barbarians are watching. 

A Message to Gayle King & Snoop

The Kobe Bryant helicopter crash was nothing short of an absolute tragedy. I CANNOT even begin to imagine the torment each of the families must be experiencing. I am sure the questions that plague their minds about their loved ones' final moments only intensify their pain and anguish. I pray for their strength. It’s going to take God’s strength to help them through this terrible time. There are no words to ease their pain. It is my prayer that they are surrounded by people who will continue support them while directing them to the greatest comforter of them all, Jesus Christ.🙏🏽

When it comes to the Gayle King fiasco, I agree with many of you. Gayle’s questions to Lisa Leslie during her interview were totally out of line. Asking those questions to an individual who is clearly dealing with the onset of grieving her dear friend, showed a lack of empathy and class. Gayle was 14-11 million thousand percent wrong. Point, blank and the peroidT. Don’t make excuses. Don’t blame the network. Apologize and do better.

Unfortunately, just like most comedians, music artists, screenwriters and everyone else in the industry, there are journalists who think they live by the “no holds bars” rule when it comes to freedom of speech. We live in a time where people feel like they can say anything they want without regard to the people who might be affected by it. 

HOWEVER, when you respond to a person who offended you by doing the exact same thing to them, you have just become NO BETTER than that person. Calling Gayle King out of her name and sending death threats does nothing to help the situation. The only thing it does is give YOU a few moments of gratification while others “addaboy” pat you on the back. Profanity and threats won’t ease the pain of the families, nor will it remedy the situation. It does, however, makes you look hypocritical. You can’t spend spend years calling women the b-word, using God’s name in vain and calling our people the n-word and then feel some kind of way when someone from your camp is disrespected. Wrong is wrong!

Instead, how about we start setting the standard on how to treat people by BEING the standard. Folks are real quick to say we are our own worse enemy but show no example of how to bring God’s peace and solution.We’ve got to do better. Our children are watching. We are teaching them how to respond to tribulation through our own actions. If you can’t be that light or voice of reason, then hash out your feelings privately until you can. Don’t go on social media adding wood to the fire. Enough of our people have already been burned at the stake by our oppressors. It's okay to be mad. The bible says to be angry but it follows up with a BUT SIN NOT. We need to start teaching our children how to use their anger to bring about positive change.

Besides, it’s easy to become what you hate when you when repeat the cycle of hate. You want to see change? Be the change! Ecclesiastes 3:1, teaches us there is a time for everything. Unfortunately, a lot of us are still living in the days where Massa took delight in watching his “nakers” turn on each other to save face. It’s February 2K20. Let’s continue to make black history and get it together.

Isaiah 1:18

Surviving Ministry & Marriage

My husband and I were practically born into the church. Serving God has  been in our blood literally from day one. But still, I don’t think either of us was prepared for the emotional, mental and physical toll ministry can take on a family. When you have the added task of building both a healthy marriage AND ministry, it ain’t always sweet. Unlike many pastors today, my husband and I did not inherit a congregation. Our ministry was started from scratch. 

Travis and I have been blessed with the honor of pastoring an elite group of soldiers for Christ we call REAL Faith Church. While our church family is currently small in number, our members have the hearts of giants when it comes to kingdom business. There are so many things God has in store for our ministry and we are excited about where He is getting ready to take us. But still, there is a responsibility that comes with leadership that can be daunting at times. And that’s the never ending call to serve.

Pastors and pastor wives don’t get to clock out after the benediction. Our call to serve continues and most of the time, it’s unbeknownst to the people around us. They don’t know about spontaneous counseling sessions. They don’t know about the late night calls for prayer or service runs to the hospital. They don’t know about the “ghost members” from other churches who call for help because they are too ashamed to go to their own leaders. On top of that, my husband has a secular job. He works grueling twelve hour shifts. I can’t tell you how many times he has worked 12 hour night shift, came home, showered, went to church, ministered, came back home only to get a few hours of sleep before his next shift. My BMackWrites platform is my job and ministry combined. Recently, we had a someone voice their dissatisfaction with my work, citing that they felt like I cared about it more that I do the members. There are people who forget that not only am I a First Lady, I am also small business owner. I go to work just like they do. Unlike them, I don’t have coworkers. As a small business owner, the bulk of the work falls on me. 

So as you can see, there is a pressure that comes with serving. Most times, that pressures interferes with the quality time needed between a husband and a wife. It interferes with the quality time we spend with our children. God is teaching my husband and I the importance of balance. He’s showing us it’s okay to break away for some quiet time alone. He’s delivering us from the guilt trips selfishly placed on us by others.

This past Sunday after church, Travis and I loved on our members, kissed our children goodbye, packed an overnight bag and hit the road. We didn’t plan anything fancy. Just a quick getaway. God showed us favor and we were blessed with a free upgrade to a suite at the hotel. We ordered room service. I snatched off my lashes, snuggled in my husband's arms and kicked back.

We took off our Pastor, First Lady, mom, dad and BMackWrite hats. For the rest of the day, we were simply Travis and Bridgett. I actually wrote this while at the hotel at 4:00 in the morning while listening to my hubby snore. The next day, we both feel re-energized and ready to take on the world. Travis and I have decided to take mandatory getaways at least every three months. It’s needed! If you are in leadership, ministry or business, I encourage you to do the same. The health of your marriage, family and ministry depends on it.

Disappearing Love

My husband and I were blessed to be raised in a community surrounded by healthy examples of marriage. These couples served as confirmation of the teachings imparted in us by our parents. They were surrogate eyes that watched over us in our parent’s absence. They were our village. Each of these couples were unique in their own form. They faced their own set of challenges and setbacks but at the end of the day, the foundation of their marriages were based on three principles: God, Love and Commitment.

Over the past two months, we have received the sad news about the death of two wives from the aforementioned couples. Our hearts grieved their passing and for their husbands. The love these two men showed for their wives even after death is becoming a rarity. One night during pillow talk, Travis looked at me and said “I couldn’t imagine rolling over at night and you not being here. It hurts too much to think about. I can’t even begin to imagine how they (the husbands) must feel." I told him, it was the same for me. I said, “I don’t think I could function if I lost you. I wouldn’t know how to breathe without you.” My husband pulled me tighter and held me like there was no tomorrow.

You would think death would bring people closer but we are living in a time where for most people, it doesn’t. People don’t take the time to appreciate what they have left after a person dies. They don’t take pause to hug their children a little tighter. They don’t kiss their spouses a little longer. Death doesn’t heighten their desire to spend even more quality time with the family left behind. They don’t support families throughout the entire grieving process. After the funeral, they are out!

And then there are those who see death as a payoff. They anxiously await the life insurance check or reading of the will. Some people see death as a release. After the funeral they immediately begin the search to replace the person they’ve lost. There are others who use death as an excuse to show their true feelings to the family left behind. They go from loving the family to hating them. They no longer have to put on an “act” because the person they were performing for is gone. And let’s not forget the ones who are so caught up on self, they neglect the people around them.

When my sister first passed away, we heard the kindest things about her from some of the same people she thought hated her. I was numb from my tears so I sat there thinking to myself while they spoke, “Wow, either Toshia was wrong about you, or you are the world’s most obese liar.” Since I knew my sister, I knew I was listening to fat untruth. Instead of saying, “I should have treated her better”, they continued to mock her memory by lying about the relationship they had with her. The person she thought loved her the most said to us, “She didn’t know me as well as she thought she did. From now on, I’m just going to live my life.” I have watched family dinners decrease, the demise of extended family vacations, and the making of memories slowly fade away. In today’s time, after a person dies, families start over with other people, not each other. Memories are made with other people, not each other. 

You have a few people here and there that  will try to keep everyone together, but eventually they tire out and lose hope. People are becoming desensitized to death. It doesn’t increase their desire to get closer to God or hold tighter to their loved ones. It doesn’t point out poor choices that led to a person’s demise or eternal resting place. Death is now seen only as something that will eventually happen to everyone. 

My husband and I have decided, this is a mindset that will not take over our family. Our family heritage will not slowly fade away with death. We are teaching our children to always love, support and remember. Death will not divide us: on this side or in Heaven. While it comes with tremendous pain, death will serve as a reminder of what’s most important; family, friends and eternal life.

And Two Shall Become One

Whenever her husband would start snoring, she would remedy it by gently tapping him on the shoulder and saying, "Baby, roll on your side." Without waking up, he would rollover and the snoring would stop. On this particular evening, she was extremely tired. She had spent the entire week completing end-of-the-year reports, Christmas shopping and planning for both her daughter‘s wedding and college graduation. When it was time to go to bed, she fell asleep before she knew it. Needless to say she was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of snoring. She was so tired she didn’t even feel like tapping her husband on the shoulder, but the snoring stopped so she went back to sleep. About an hour later, the snoring woke her up again. She listened for a moment, but stopped again. She begin to get irritated. She wondered if her husband was in one of his playful moods. She thought to herself, “I’m not in the mood for games. I know he’s not playing right in the middle of the night. He knows how tired I am.” In the middle of her silent tantrum, she fell asleep again. Moments laters, the snoring woke her up again! She jumped up quickly in the bed ready to confront her husband and irritated at his insensitivity. Her words paused in mid air when she saw his side of the bed was empty. Then she remembered,  “Oh wait, he’s not here.” She couldn’t help but laugh at herself and then she said  “Lord I know the preacher said, 'and the two shall become one,'" but certainly you didn’t mean me beginning to snore as well.” With another quick giggle, she snuggled under the covers and went back to sleep.

I Cried In His Arms

I cried in his arms this morning...

It was 3AM and my sleep was interrupted by my heavy heart and nonstop mind racing. I have so much to do, not enough help/time to do it and challenges to overcome EVERY DAY. PLUS, the holiday season is always the hardest for me. I really REALLY miss my sister. I tried to be a big girl by staying busy but I guess there comes a time when even the strongest woman has her breaking point.

I could feel when he sat up in bed. I tried to pretend like I was sleep but he called my bluff. He asked me what was wrong and I replied "Nothing." I didn't want to talk but he was persistent. He took me into his arms and said "Let me hold you and listen to YOU this time." I laid my head on his chest. His heartbeat sounded like sweet music and the warmth of his arms immediately began to sooth me. I didn't know how to say what I was feeling. I'm sure my initial words seemed more like rambling but he was patient. He listened quietly as I talked. My tears melted away into his t-shirt. After I was done talking, he spoke words of encouragement into me and reminded me of my purpose. He gave me tough love about remaining strong and challenged me to remain grateful for all God has done for me. Then he sealed his words with a kiss and in that moment, I was reminded that everything is going to be okay......

I thank God for my sweet Travis....

Being There...

Last week I had to fulfill one of the most difficult duties as First Lady. A young couple in our church lost their dad in a boating accident. Because of the weather we were experiencing from Hurricane Irma, it took the recovery team longer than expected to recover his body. It was heartbreaking to see the family cry out in agony.They were not only grieving the loss of their loved one, but suffering through the wait of locating his body. I felt helpless and I really didn't know what to do so I prayed silently to God asking him to please give me the words that could help this family in someway. The only thing he told me to do, was be there. 

Please keep in mind, my husband and I didn't know the entire family, we only knew the young couple. While we wanted to let them know we cared, we didn't want to seem intrusive. I was surprised when the mother of the family requested we come back to the site on day two of the search. My husband and I prayed with them. We spoke words of encouragement into their ears, brought them meals and hugged them when needed but still, it didn't feel like it was enough. 

We spent four of the five search and recovery days waiting with the family at the boating dock. Most of the time was spent waiting with family in silence as they watch the recovery team work tirelessly. After five days of searching, the authorities found the body of their missing father in the late afternoon. The discovery was met with mixed emotion. Happiness, because now the family could bring him home and sorrow because his death was now a confirmed reality. We met with the family at the hospital as they waited for the Coroner to complete paperwork. I thanked God for giving the family closure by bringing the search to an end but surprisingly, I found myself giving him thanks for an unexpected lesson that I learned. 

You see, just before we left the hospital, the mother of the young couple pulled me to the side, hugged me and whispered, "Thank you so much for being here. You don't know how much you've helped me." I was surprised by her words. As I said earlier, most of our time with the family were spent in silence at the boating dock. But then God spoke to me and said "It wasn't what you said, it was simply because you were there."  

Sometimes we abandon our friends and family in their time of need because we are afraid of saying or doing the wrong things. By instinct we search for the words that will dry tears and make everything better and when we don't know what to say, we stay away. That can be a huge mistake if the person(s) didn't request privacy. People need love and support. They don't always need words. 

Lesson from God learned....It's not always in what we say, sometimes hearts are comforted simply because we were there.

When You Have A Praying Man

I can't tell you all how much this picture means to me. I am so thankful to God for giving me such a wonderful husband who has a heart completely sold out to Christ. As some of you may know, I've been writing and producing video blogs for years. I can't tell you how many times I thought about giving up. This picture was taken a couple of months ago. During prayer, my husband anointed my lips and encouraged me to "keep talking and spreading God's word in the way God had gifted me". 

You see, I worked for years to master the facade of a strong woman who didn't care about what others thought, when in actuality I was crumbling inside. The words from naysayers hurt because they were spoken from the lips of some of my family members, "friends" and fellow parishioners...I.E..the people I cared about the most.

The prayer you see in the picture gave me the strength I needed to be who God called me to be. In the past few months, I've watched my BMack fan page grow from 1500 followers to over 30,000. I am receiving messages from all over the world (Canada, the UK, Germany, Nigeria and the Islands). I am receiving testimonials from people who say where they were diminishing in faith but now they are encouraged to stay in the fight. While my fan base is majority female, the open dialogue on my page has encouraged the men to reach out to my husband for prayer and guidance. 

I  have begun a product line that is beginning to receive sales internationally. Doors of opportunity are opening for my family and I and we are excited about our walk into this new horizon. We give God praise!

God is blessing our "guest house" ministry. In the past two months and during prayer, two people have received Christ as their personal Saviour and four people have received the Holy Spirit. God is up to something big in the smallest of places.

No matter where you are in life (big or small), keep trusting God. His promises are always PROVEN!

First Lady BMack

PS
COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
I HATE TALKING TO MYSELF.LOL

Five Things We Ask God For and Then Get Mad About

We are a spoiled nation. We pray and ask God to grant request after request only to complain once he blesses us with them. Yesterday, I was folding laundry when I found myself thinking "Ugh! When am I going to be done with this already!" Immediately, God put me in check by saying "You asked for them." I know we are human and subject to complacency and error from time to time, but it's important to remain thankful for all God has done for us. Why do we ask God for these things and then get mad about them later? That's kind of hypocritical, isn't it?

You Asked God for that Job
You've submitted your resume. You go to the interview. You leave the interview hoping they will call and say "Congratulations, you're hired!" You're nervous. You are anxious so in prayer you ask God for favor. You remind him of his word and beg him for the job. They call. You are hired and you jump for joy. A few months later, you hate Mondays because you don't want to go to work at the same job you asked God for. Why?


You Asked God for a Spouse
We ask God to send us the person that will be our forever and when he does it's a feeling like no other. Isn't it funny how when we first meet our mates we can't get enough of them? Everything they do is cute and adorable. You literally ache when you are not with them, and then we marry. All of a sudden, everything that was once cute and adorable is maddening and aggravating. Hmmmm...

You Asked God for Children
You find out that you are pregnant and you can't wait to tell the world. You try on maternity clothes. You decorate the nursery and celebrate with a baby shower. The baby arrives and you can't stop taking pictures. By the first year of the child's life, things are a little different. I don't know one parent (including myself) who hasn't said at least one of the following; "I can't wait for this child to get out of pampers. "I can't wait for this child to walk and start school. "I can wait for this child to get out of my house." Children are a handful (trust me I know) but they are a part of who we are. We bring them into this world and then we complain about their existence only to miss them heavily when they leave the nest.

You Asked God for a Home
You ask God for a home. You toss and turn in anticipation. Wondering "Will I be approved to buy that home or rent that apartment?" You beg "God, please. I need this for my family." And then God answers and you are overwhelmed with joy. You eagerly pack,  move and perhaps even celebrate with your family and friends at the housewarming....only to complain about having to clean your home a few months later.

You Asked God for Clothes
Whether you purchased them yourself or was blessed with them. One of the greatest ego boosters is a new outfit. How many times have you looked in your closet and said "I have don't have anything to wear?" How many times have you asked God to bless your finances so that you buy clothes for your child's first day of school, that job interview or special event? Now answer this. How many times has God granted your request only for you to gripe about having to wash the clothes YOU begged HIM for?....See what I mean?

We ask God for cars, then complain about gas and maintenance. We ask God for money to buy food but then complain about having to cook i. The list goes on and on...

It's important to remember what God says in I Thessalonians; In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  Be thankful now so that God won't mind blessing you later.

How to Save up to $8000 a Year By Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is a goal many of us have but very few actually accomplish. Cleaning and organizing your home can save you lots of time and loads of money! I know..I know..The idea of de-cluttering and organizing your home can seem overwhelming (especially if you are severely unorganized)  but if you commit yourself to the process, you can do it and the results will be well worth it in the end. Listed below is the breakdown of how much you can save per room per year. Keep these tips in mind while spring cleaning and apply them to your household management plan. You will be amazed at how much your bank account increases while your stress level decreases!

THE KITCHEN: $4168 per year

Did you know that the average American family spends $225 eating out each month? This includes dinners eaten out, on the go snacks, and specialty coffees. Also, according to the USDA, the average US family of four wastes more than 2 million calories, which equates to $1,500 worth of food, every year. By cleaning, de-cluttering your kitchen, couponing and preplanning your meals, you can save your family budget approximately $4168.00 a year.

HOME OFFICE: $3000 yrly

Image from Coco+Kelley

A well organized home office can help you to avoid paying late fees and wasting gas. Money.USNews.Com reported…”If you habitually pay bills late and shrug off late fees as a cost of living and staying afloat, consider what a hefty price you're paying. As a general rule, most businesses charge anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the monthly bill for a late fee. If you pay, say, $2,500 a month in mortgage or rent, a car loan, electric and other utilities, you could easily be spending $2,750 with late fees but budgeting to spend $2,500.” That’s an additional $250 per month you could possibly save simply by getting organized!

I think it’s very important for every home to have a command center to help keep track of day to day activities, bills and important documents. “Creating a place for everything and remaining consistent in putting them back where they belong saves you a lot of time looking for lost items, plus it prevents you from spending money to replace items you can’t find.” {dailysavings.allyou.com}

When it comes to wasting gas, you can save both time and money by planning your day and errand runs. This will help prevent wasted trips back and forth.

Image from Closet Couture

CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS: $700

The average profits from garage sales is between $500 to $700. De-clutter your space, throw a garage sale and earn some extra cash while enjoying a clutter free home!

CHANGE YOUR FILTERS AND LINT SCREEN: $295 per year

A dirty lint screen can cause the dryer to use up to 30 percent more electricity ($25 per year), according to the Consumer Energy Center. Cleanalert.com reports you can save up to $270 per year by consistently changing your air filter when necessary.

Add it all up and that’s whooping of $8163!!! Springing Cleaning and Organization really does pay off!

How to Protect Your Work or Design Idea

People ask me all of the time what can they do to protect their literary work, design ideas or inventions. I found this "in a nutshell" info via entrepreneur.com and decided to share...

Josh Owen, who runs his eponymous design studio in New York and chairs the Industrial Design Department at Rochester Institute of Technology, says one key to defending designs against copycats is being first in the marketplace. He warns his students, "Don't hold your ideas so close that you become a paranoid troglodyte hiding in your basement holding onto these ideas. You have to strike a balance between being a steward of your ideas and finding partners who can help protect them."

Listed Below Are Your Legal Options on How to Protect Your Work

The options for legally protecting a design are complex, especially with changes to patent laws scheduled for this year. It is best to consult with an attorney to figure out the most cost-effective methods. "It's better to invest the money upfront and get the protection," says lawyer Marc Misthal of Gottlieb, Rackman & Reisman, "because it's often costlier to compete with and chase down knockoffs."

Here are various levels of protection available to designers. And one last piece of advice from Misthal: When licensing your work, make sure you try to maintain ownership of the rights (as opposed to handing them over to the person who's manufacturing and distributing your design).

• Copyright protects artistic expression (i.e., not the idea itself, but the way it is expressed). A painting, movie, song or piece of writing can be copyrighted, but a functional item like a chair cannot. However, if the chair's form is unusual enough to qualify as sculpture, or if it features handcrafted scrollwork or other artistic elements, it might be eligible for copyright protection. The U.S. Copyright Office charges a $35 electronic filing fee; once granted, the copyright lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years.
• Trademarks identify the product's source. A trademark protects any identifying feature (e.g., a product name, logo or signifier, such as Burberry plaid or the red soles on a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes). The government charges $275 to $375 per claim, and the acquisition process can take several years. Trademarks last forever.
• A utility patent protects a mechanical innovation (e.g., a new way to fold a chair).
• In legal terms this mechanism must be "novel" and "nonobvious," meaning that in the eyes of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examiner, even someone skilled in that area would not have thought of it. This is the most expensive protection to obtain--about $7,000 to $10,000--and takes on average three to seven years to secure. It lasts 20 years.
• A design patent protects the look of a product (anything from handbags to furniture).
• As with a utility patent, the look must be novel and nonobvious. Typically these patents take 12 to 18 months to secure, cost an average of $2,500 to $3,500 and stay in effect for 14 years. "More people should take advantage of these," Misthal says. "They're very powerful--Apple beat Samsung on design patents." (Applications for design and utility patents must be filed within one year of the product being sold or shown publicly.)

Hope this helps!

Curtains Make Everything Better: My Tieback Solution

I bought these Martha Stewart Sheers after catching them on clearance at JCPenny.com for $6.97 a panel. I tried ironing one of the panels but my setting was high and well....that didn't go over so well. On my next trip to Wal-Mart, I will be shopping for a steam iron so don't judge me about the wrinkles. LOL


Now here is where my "Grow Your Own" motto comes into play. The panels didn't come with tiebacks so I used gold ribbon and three flowers from one of my centerpieces to make my own and it came out so Ka-Yute!

Why God Didn't Give It to You

When my husband and I first started preparing for our dream home, our initials plans were to build.
One of the first things we did was look for land.We found a quaint acre lot on the outskirts of town. It was perfectly nestled at the opening of the subdivision. I fell in love with the property. I could see our home and our family living there for many years. Needless to say, we weren't able to purchase the land and I was heartbroken. But God kept his word and blessed us with greater when we purchased our current home a year later.

The house we live in now is actually a few miles down the road from the property I once adored. In the recent months, we noticed improvements being made on the lot. The owner had it graded, removed trees and installed a driveway. The land sat vacant for a few months after that. I figured the owner was landscaping the property so that it would appeal to potential buyers.

Today as we drove past the land, we noticed ground stakes foot printing the shape of a house placed in the center of the property. There was an elderly gentlemen measuring the stakes while a woman (who I assume to be his wife) walked around the stakes clearing sticks. I smiled and said to my husband "Aww, they have to be the ones who are building the house." In my mind I imagined the excitement they were feeling  and I wondered "Was this their first home or retirement home?"

I remembered the excitement Travis and I felt when we built our first home years ago. We visited the building site daily, checking on progress and cleaning up any messes the construction workers left behind. I imagine this will also be the couple's daily routine until their home is complete. While I don't know them, I pray everything works out beautifully for them.

Seeing this was a tremendous blessing for me. Sometimes we get so caught up in what "God didn't give us". We ask "Why did God let the next person have the car, the house or the job and not me?" We forget, there are others who have prayers, goals and dreams as well.  What God has for US is for US but we also must remember What God has for THEM is for THEM. Today, I was blessed with the honor of seeing why God didn't give it to me and I give him praise; not only for the blessings in my life but for the blessings he has bestowed in the lives of others.