Happy Kwanzaa

I'd like to wish all of the good people who are celebrating out there, a very happy and blessed Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a holiday that lasts seven days and has seven principles.

The first one is Umoja which means Unity.

The second one is Kujichagulia which means Self-Determination.

The third one is Ujima which means Collective work and responsibility.

The fourth one is Ujaama which means collective economics.

The fifth is Nia which means purpose.

The sixth one is Kummba which means creativity.

The seventh is Imani which means Faith.

God bless and keep the faith. Happy Kwanzaa

Remembering Christ

I would like to wish all of you good people out there a very, happy and blessed Christmas. Christmas is a time for sharing and caring for one another and of course it is a time to give presents to our loved ones, especially the young children who are so precious in God's sight.
During this Christmas season, we should of course remember how this celebration all began and be thankful for Jesus Christ that this is all possible. Over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, a baby was born to be the savior of the world and his name was Jesus, and his spirit still lives til this day and he helps many people across the globe.
According to Luke 1:26-2:20, this is how the story all began and this is the story that should be told today to all people who celebrate Christmas and they shall forever Remember Christ.
 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,
60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.
63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.
66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[c]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

According to Matthew Chapter 5:1-11 in the Bible, Jesus walked onto a mountainside and said these exact words to the people of that time and these wonderful words are relevant for every person today. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. These words that Jesus spoke many years ago to the people of his time also describes the kind of life of our beloved President Nelson Mandela. Blessed is he.

Happy Thanksgiving

This is a very special day to give thanks for all that you have. This is one of my favorite days because there is no material gifts that a person is obligated to give, it is just a nice time to spend with family and friends and to be thankful for what you have and to eat and share good food.

I have heard some people say that Thanksgiving is not a day people should celebrate because some say it is a day that the land was taken from our Native American ancestors. However, I feel it is good to give thanks and to be positive and to be thankful that we are still here regardless of many bad things that has happened in the past. We should be thankful that we are still thriving and doing good works in this world.

Each culture from across the globe has a very special day where we all come together and give thanks for what we have and our Native American ancestors has always put a special day aside to gather with friends and families and to give thanks and this is good day to do just that.

Also while you are celebrating this wonderful and special day, be sure to remember the less fortunate and give what you can to help others in need.

Thank you and have a very great Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Take time to help others

We all should help one another and do what we can to seek out those who need help and help them. Many people complain and say they are too busy to get involved and help those in need and others simply just do not care.

 Many have the resources to help others, but are selfish. When you see a person who is hungry, feed them. When you see a person who needs clothes, clothe them. When you see a person who needs help in finding a job, then help them. If you have the resources and know someone who is hiring, then help the person who is seeking work.

When you see a person who is struggling financially, and you have money to spare, then offer them some. If you know of agencies that can help the poor and the needy, then direct them with kindness.

 Remember that saying in the bible, in verse Matthew 25:33-36, Jesus said,
 "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."

In Matthew 25:38-39, the people responded and said,
"Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" 

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus responded, "Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

When we all take time out of our busy schedules to help those in need, we shall receive greater blessings in return, so take time to help others and you shall see the difference.

The power of love in our hearts

 Everyone should have love in their hearts for every person. No one should hate on anyone. Hate is the enemy to all humanity and it does nothing but causes pain. When you hate people, you are sending out negative rays that will eventually bring you down to destruction. If you love and help people, you are sending out positive rays and good positive things shall return to you. So have love for every person and lend a helping hand to those in need. Below is a verse from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 which is one of my favorite that speaks on the power of love.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love

Live a much better life

Today, I would like to discuss how to live a better life and how to get over past problems. Many people in this world have had a rough childhood and because of that, they maybe unstable and sad adults and have broken spirits. Well I am here to tell you that there are ways to get out of this sadness and to have a much better and straight forward life. These are some strategies that may help you if you are facing some some challenges. Pray multiple times a day. Praying multiple times a day to God keeps you focused and creates a much more spiritual balance. Write things down. When you write things down that have happened to you, it can be very therapeutic. You can also write the person or persons a letter that have wronged you and let them know what has been bothering you. Talk to a good counselor. When you talk to a good counselor, the counselor can point out certain things that you may not be aware of that can really help you heal and move on in life. Forgive and forget and move on. Let go of any grudges you have on anyone and you will see a new difference and feel much better. Do some Yoga. Yoga is known to strengthen and help heal the body, mind and spirit and it makes you feel much better. Meditate daily on many positive things you would like to have in your life and you shall see them manifest

Try to Stay on a Positive Mood

Today I'd like to talk about people's moods and emotions. As human beings, we all have different emotions. We get happy, sad, angry, excited, etc. We will always experience different moods, but we just have to know how to handle them. The key is to not let ourselves stay in an upset mood. Some days we may be going through family problems, school or work problems and so we need to understand these feelings and pray for each other and offer help to each other. When we are experiencing sadness and anger, the key is to look to God and try to put a smile on your face. Also, talk to someone you trust about your problem. When you do this, you shall feel much better.

Being thankful

Today I would like to discuss the importance of being thankful of what you have regardless of what is going on in your life. I have learned that when a person is thankful for the little things in life, then the big things will surely follow. I have spoken to some people who have been through many trials and tribulations and they feel that they shouldn't be thankful because of some bad things that have happened to them, but if we only dwell on the negative and never focus on the positive, then we will be forever miserable. There is always a bright side. If you have little money because you may not have a job, then focus on the things that you do have instead. If you had to go to a shelter to receive help, then be thankful that that shelter was there to help you. Be thankful that you are able to get up to see another day and that you have an opportunity to change things if you want, instead of loathing. I hear stories from people who have had hard times, but God has pulled them through. When you are thankful and ask God for help, then you will receive help. Do not give up. Be patient and believe. God will see you through.

Meditation is the Key

Today, I would like to discuss Meditation and how we can properly hear from God. Meditation is the key to getting answers from the Almighty God. I have seen many people distressed about life's problems. Many would say their prayers which are good, but yet some do not seem to get the revelation they need in order to have a breakthrough in life. The Almighty God has a plan for all of us, and he wants us to listen and follow, but in order for this to happen, we have to be quiet enough to hear him.

When there are so many things going on in life, it can be hard to listen to God and to receive revelation. I have heard some people say that it is best to just read the Bible or Quran and to just follow the instructions there, and that would be best instead of hearing from God directly, since some claim it is mighty difficult to actually hear from God. However, some people also misinterpret these good books, leaving people in more despair then they were before. Also, before any holy book was written and published, God spoke directly to people who took time out to actually meditate and listen to God. All of the great prophets from the past all received divine revelations from the Almighty God.

They were all human beings just like you, no special magic or anything up their sleeves. They were people who lived uprightly and followed God, and they took time out to sit and to listen to God. So my suggestion is to just make time out of your busy schedules and sit, meditate and ask God about any problem or difficult task you may be facing, and you shall receive answers just as the Prophets before you.

 

Be helpful to all

Today, I’d like to discuss the importance of helping people regardless of a person’s race or faith. I feel I have to discuss this because I have seen many people that feel that they should only help people who may look similar to them or who may share their religious belief. I feel that it is very important that we help all kinds of people regardless of a person’s race or faith. If God has blessed you with many possessions, then you should find it in your heart to help people who are less fortunate and not just people who look like you or who have the same religious belief, but all kinds of people. If you happen to see a person on the streets with torn clothes or no place to stay, it is not right to say, “I would only help this person if that person was of my race or if this person would share my religious belief.” That’s not right. If you see a person in need, then you should help regardless and that actually shows the true character in a person. In fact in Matthew 5:46-47, Jesus said “If you love only those who loves you, then what reward have you? Do not the tax collectors do the same?” And if you greet your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not the tax collectors do so?” During these times, the tax collectors were people who preyed on poor, innocent people, so if a person feels they should only help people of their own and no one else, then what help are you really?