True Beauty

The cool crisp morning air, vividly bright blue sky with white cotton ball  puffs sporadically placed in the sky.
Fresh air flowing through my nostrils and beauty through my eyes....
Jolted in a split second by a disgruntled child, hurried husband, and a clock...
I quickly load the car and turn on the ignition.
Driving along the cold, hard black pavement, maneuvering around potholes
I am captured once again by the beauty of the sky, the cleanliness, neatness, and precise
positioning of the clouds.

Beauty.
Captivating.
Intriguing.
Breath taking.
Relieving...

My mind is racing about this word -beauty.
Yes, God made the creation and in my eyes this morning, I was taken back by its beauty.
What then, is beauty, really?

Beauty is defined as the qualities that give pleasure to the senses.

In essence, beauty looks, tastes, smells, sounds and feels pleasurable.
I think for many of us, we limit beauty to some of our senses and we do not open all of our senses.  The definition clearly says senses - plural.

We may see something that catches our eye and we think wow that is beautiful (this can be a person or thing).
After it catches our eye, we may pursue it, find out more about it.... only to find that it doesn't taste, smell, feel or sound beautiful!

When we look at our life, we need to think about what our beauty looks like and make sure that it is balanced.  We can't take so much time, energy and effort to adorn our outside appearance to look beautiful, that we neglect to groom our words and gestures in loving other people - which can leave us tasting bitter, sour and ugly.  What do people that you encounter everyday in all different circumstances take away with their 5 senses?  What smell or aroma are you leaving?  An inviting perfume that is intriguing (smell), a flavorful taste that makes their appetite church to want to be around you more (taste)?  Warm embraces (touch as in hugs, handshakes, pat on the back)?  What sounds will they repeat in their mind... did you leave words of encouragement, joy, laughter?

As a follower of Jesus Christ, it is important that  I groom myself inwardly and outwardly.  As Paul states,  "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.  For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves." 1 Peter3:3-5


Matthew says that we are here to be "salt seasoning" which brings out Godly flavors.... if we lose our saltiness how can people taste godliness? (Matthew 5:13, The Message)


Here's the reality...
What is on the outside doesn't make us beautiful.
The inward beauty is what shows outwardly that makes us beautiful and attractive.


So as you put on your lipstick ask God to help you speak words that will be tasteful, flavorful and encouraging.  As you listen to the radio, television or conversations at work, ask God to help you filter out the garbage and take only the treasures and to give you the strength to walk away from unhealthy conversations or turn the channel from music that fills our ears with dirt and filth that clogs that pathway for true beauty.... And may people when they leave our presence have a sweet smell, that resonates with them that makes them think about and lead them closer to Jesus.


Let's give our 5 senses a makeover and by doing so, become the beautiful daughter of the most high king!

Got Oxygen?

by Michelle E. Georgiana

Do you ever feel like you are drowning? The air in your lungs is fleeting out of your mouth and not returning
to refill and refuel the lungs to keep your body going?  It is as if any moment the last breath will escape and there will be no more life left within you?  I am talking about emotional drowning.  We are so busy with appointments, places to go, people to see.  As a mother of 4, a wife to a wonderful man, an employee, a youth leader, to list a few, there are times where I have found MYSELF drowning.

With 6 people in my home, 5 other people's schedules bombarding my life, swamping my mind with details of what needs packed, what slip needs completed, somebody needs money, oh and the refrigerator is empty, food needs bought -wait its 4pm and I don't even know what I am cooking for dinner!  My dear hubby will come home and expect a smile and a happy wife, picked up house, while the children are wrestling about, destroying all the labor of "picking up" that occurred while their minds were engaged in learning all day....  Just writing this makes me want to GASP!  Air, people, I need air!

A revelation came to my mind a few years back and I was recently reminded again about this concept....

When you board an airplane and take your seat, shortly the plane will begin to move towards the run way for take off.  In the mean time, the flight attendants, begin reviewing the procedures for "what if" scenarios and what you need to do!  As a parent, the rule has always been, put the oxygen mask on you FIRST!  Then put it on your children or others who need help.  Seems backwards, right?  I mean I would do anything to help my children and the mother instinct in me is to reach out and grab their masks making sure they are nice, neat and presentable, then I will get my mask.  Take care of the kids first!

But how backward, my thinking was!  See, what  good am I to help them if I don't have my own oxygen?
If I put on my oxygen, then I am breathing (not gasping for air) and I am able to appropriately (without panic or hurriedness) put their masks on.  I am constant and alive, because I chose to put my mask on first.  It is not selfish, it is a priority.

So, how does oxygen masks on an airplane help me today?

In our busy lives, we work diligently as women, as mothers, as wives, as employees to meet everyone's demands... and often we neglect ourselves.  We forget to prioritize.

Priority is defined as "precedence: status established in order of importance or urgency..."
If you are gasping for air daily, failing to put on your "oxygen mask" by doing what is necessary to keep you
functioning as the mother, wife, friend, family member, employee that you want to be - then you need to prioritize yourself.  (GASP! I know, it seems so selfish, but you can't do what you want to do if you are dying or dead - because it will take everything that you have to just exist!)


My life line is the Word of God.  I need it to sustain my life.


Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.  (Matthew 4:4)


My kids don't define my life.
My husband doesn't define my being.
My ministry isn't my Creator.
But God is my Author.


It is through Him that I am able to do all things, for he is my strength. (Philippians 4:13)
If God isn't on my priority list, but only a thought to be on my priority list, then I will be gasping for air, because he is the breath of my existence.  Our minds will say, I will pray once the kids are in bed or I will read my chapters after I handle this - and before we know it, we fell asleep before we could say amen or read more than one chapter!  It is vital to our health, wealth and being to read the Word and pray to the one who has all the answers when we are alert.  It is actually more selfish to not prioritize God in our life, because when we do not seek his renewed strength, direction and wisdom everyone else in our life suffers.  Instead of flourishing, blooming, thriving, we are withering, dying, gasping for fresh breaths.  Our lives aren't consistent, stable, and rooted, rather they are wavering, unstable and swaying!  What we think is good is not!  We need Him to be first, to be our guide so that we can be who our families, friends and employers need us to be!


This, too, applies to our marriages.  Many marriages today fall apart, because parents forget to date each other! They forget that before there were kids, there was just the two of them.  Kids will not perish for being left with a babysitter, they will not feel neglected nor rejected because their mommy and daddy left them!  Rather, they will be loved in even a greater capacity, because the oxygen mask for a good marriage is spending time together alone!  When the husband makes the wife a priority and the wife makes the husband a priority, emergency oxygen masks aren't needed, because their lungs are full of air and not gasping.  


Where in your life do you need to check priorities?
If you are gasping for air, there is one who is able to keep your tank full, 
change the current survival mode you are in, and set your feet on the path he created for you to walk.
Sometimes we just need to cry it out with God and allow him to send the Holy Spirit to show us
what we need to change. 


 Girlfriend, I have been there - I have tried to be the all in all to everyone, instead of letting him be my all in all.  No matter the madness in your life, no matter the discouragement in your life, Jesus is there!  Just call out to him and put on your oxygen mask first!


God Bless!

One Word

Before 2010 came to its almost midnight closure and 2011 struck with the sound of midnight, God laid it on my heart to enter this new year with prayer. It's wonderful how he prepares you in advance for what is to come.  Prior to Christmas, my husband and  I had multiple conversations about gifts - and how we spend so much time, money and effort finding the right gifts for people.  Yet, we spend so little time seeking the right gift to give to Jesus on his birthday.  This year, on Christmas Eve, before presents could be open, we sat our family down for the story of Christmas, followed by our family singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, then writing on index cards the gift that we would give him.

Mine read, "This year, I will give Jesus more time to talk as I take more time to listen.  Prayer is ESSENTIAL, not OPTIONAL."

And this has sunk into my heart since Christmas.

I have been revising, prioritizing and revamping

to not just give half hearted prayers, to give short time frame

prayers, but to spend quality time in prayer.... listening more than speaking.

Allowing his words to penetrate silence, just as the baby's cry did the night

Jesus was born.

As the new year was dawning, I wrote to several people and asked them if there was any

specific need in their life, that I was spending the last hours of 2010 and hours during the first day

of 2011 to pray for specific requests.  With each prayer request I raised them to the one with all the

answers and this word kept reappearing in my listening ...... PREPARATION.  

Preparation is defined as the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose.

We, as God's children, cry out in our anguish, we rejoice in deliverance.  We expect our God to supernaturally intervene in situations when we can see no way out!  We know he holds all the answers,

he holds that miracle we seek, because he is our all in all.  

But, I ask this question, have you PREPARED YE THE WAY OF THE LORD?  

John the Baptist did - you can read about what he did for the arrival of Jesus in the gospels.

We ask God.  We seek God.  We pray to God.  We cry out to God.

Yet, in our daily lives have we PREPARED ourself, have we set in order our lives to be ready 

when God shows up...and not just for the second coming of Jesus, but are we ready for when that

answer comes.  What will God find when he shows up to deliver a gift that you have been longing for

the words HEALING, DELIVERED, FREED!

This year, I am not making a resolution.  I am making a commitment to prepare daily for the moments when

God shows up that he may find a clean heart, a renewed steadfast spirit, for no man knows the hour of his arrival, but God has appointed times for all things to come to pass.  May this be the year where his children are PREPARED, when they are made READY IN ADVANCE

to receive, to give, and to be whatever comes to pass.

May his peace, his love, and his mercy shower over your life as you PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD.

Operation Christmas Clean Up

all of our hands holding
the most precious gift this Christmas

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Falalalalala
Tis' the season to be jolly,
Falalalalala

Oh, but Christmas Eve came.
Christmas Day arrived.
And then its the next morning - and all the hustle and bustle
all the baking, all the preparations that went into making it the "perfect"
Christmas is over - in less than a 24-36 hour period.

I usually leave my Christmas tree up until New Years Day then take down all the decorations that afternoon and evening.  Sadly, packing them away until next year, when all the tubs come back up and the inside of the house
starts twinkling with white lights, the house smelling like Christmas cookies, and carols all day long.  Its the time of year I love!  However, this year, I woke up the next day and thought, its time to clean up, get organize and get moving!  My husband was quite surprise as the roles are usually reversed.. he is ready to pack up and move on and I just want to sit and bask in the last moments of the season.  Not this year.  Something really hit me.  Matter of fact it was words that my husband spoke in his last Sunday's message (Dec.26th/ Click here to listen) He said, "For a Christian, Christmas isn't just a day, Christmas is an experience."  Those words tossed to and fro in my mind and jolted in my mouth as I chewed them before swallowing and allowed them to sink into my belly and nestle there.  Christmas isn't just a season, either, I thought.  While the decorations come down and get tucked into the basement for storage, Christmas goes on day in and day out.  See that precious baby came in a time of silence... there had not been a message heard from God in 400 years (the time between the old and new testament), but one night, one appointed night, a virgin woman gave birth to a baby, and the baby's cry broke the silence.  There wasn't a parade announcing this birth, there wasn't a banner blinking and tickets being sold, but nonetheless, God doing things in HIS WAY, not ours, sent a baby to be born - to be raised and then crucified- because he LOVED us.  Selah.

See, the season of Christmas reigns in our hearts, resides in our soul.  He is with us always, never leaving or forsaking.. he gave the ultimate gift, His life. So, while the houses lose their seasonal decorations, while we pack stuff away and put our houses back in order, may the spirit of Christmas continue to be in our hearts and  be on our lips so that we can give the gift that keeps on giving... Jesus.  He is the perfect gift to re-gift.

I am actually considering leaving my manager scene up all year as a reminder, that Jesus isn't a birthday to celebrate once a year at Christmas, but something that we can celebrate daily.  I want to engrave in my heart and mind, my children's hearts and minds that his birth broke the silence, his birth was the beginning of the ultimate love letter that signed off on the cross.  May the manger scene remind us he is the reason for all seasons... may God's gift to us always be in the forefront of our minds and the gift in our hearts that we continue to share.

New Year's Resolution

As the new year approaches, many will begin to make resolutions, a list of things that they want to change.

Maybe its weight loss, maybe it is to quit smoking, to get out of debt....

Whatever it is, just remember that it takes time, perseverance, and commitment.

It reminds me of a time when.....

I was standing in the kitchen, I was preparing my ingredients to cook dinner.  Often times, while I am doing house chores (being a Martha),

I will incorporate prayer (being a Mary).  This particular day, my heart was heavy -

And for no particular reason.  I just felt like something in me was stirring and

it I didn't feel like it was for pleasure?  

I began to pray like this, "Lord whatever it is, let it be so.  I know that I stand on your

word, that you mean all things for good (Gen 50:20)even when I can't see it.  You are the one who foresaw

my birth and who knows my death, you are the one who has directed my steps (Psalm 119:133, Proverbs 16:9), my thoughts aren't yours (Isaiah 55:8) and more times than not,  I can't wrap my mind around your thoughts and ways.  But I trust you..." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

And as I began to chop my onion, tears streamed.

Tears from just chopping an onion

but also tears from within my heart.

See I am like an onion and so are you.

We are pulled out of our old life (before Christ), and planted into a new life (with Christ.)

And things in my former life, didn't always smell pretty, look pretty or taste good!

As I am planted in my new life, and new nutrients are being poured into my new life (the Word, the Holy Spirit, the grace and mercies of God, etc.)  I begin to see that layers of me, need to be changed,

roots from my past life (hurts, rejections, abandonment, lies, anger, etc) need to be peeled away, bad parts cut out and thrown in the garbage, while the good parts of the onion (me) are kept and prepared, made ready, to be sauteed into a delicious, tasteful, appealing person.  

This can't all be done in one process.

See, God is good and if he revealed to me how awful I was, well

I, personally, would become discouraged.  Since he knows me, since he knitted me together

in the womb of my mother (Psalm 139:13), he knows the number of hairs on my head (Luke 12:7), he also knows what I can handle.  He knows the amount to reveal to me at one time and says, "Now, child, let's work on this."

As I walk this Christian walk, I am always learning.  I am always seeing. I am always striving.

No, not until Heaven will I be made perfect in his sight and sin there will no more be.

But until then, I am taking one layer at a time, and allowing my God to help me

discard the bad, save the good and become a person to his pleasing.

Will you do the same?  It's a powerful thing to do, but I challenge you sister to sister (or sister to brother) ask Him, Lord, show me an area that I need to work on, maybe its my spending habits, maybe its my temper or patience, or lack of kindness or selfishness, you name it!  And say Lord as you sift me, as you peel a layer, I know its going to hurt, that tears will be shed, that heartache can happen, but in the end, you intend all things for good, to prosper me, not harm me, to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).  I trust in you.  Send those around me who will uphold me, encourage me, spur me on, pray for me and love me -- let thy will be done, in the mighty, magnificent name of Jesus, so I can become the child you intended for me to be.  Amen.

Oh, the process isn't always joyful, but the end result after time, work, perseverance is always pleasurable.

Work through it, stay the course, and see the progress will be more apPEALing than before the PEELing... ;)

What Gift Will You Bring?

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."  Matthew 2:11

Oh, Christmas time!

We shop and shop and shop some more!

We wrap, we stress and finance galore!

This first Christmas the shepherd came to the manager and brought themselves,

an act of worship.  The first time that Christ is worshiped by the wise man, the magi, they brought him treasures, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  No one had to ask them to bring it, no one set up a list of rules that said you can only see the child if you bring treasures... nope, none of that happened, rather, from in the depths of their hearts they felt drawn to bring a willing sacrifice - to lather the Messiah with gifts.  

Gifts of significance at that... gold which represented his kingship, frankincense which foretells of his priesthood, and myrrh which signifies his death.

As I read this story year after year, and retell it to my small children, I can't help but to be marveled in the details of it this year.... I have thought day in and day out... as I come to Christmas this year, what gift shall I give my King?  What will I bring to him.... 

As I meditate and pray over this during the last seven days leading up to Christmas, I wonder, if there is anyone else out there like me.... who would love to give a gift to Jesus this year on Christmas morning.  

Have you been holding something back? Have you withheld part of your heart, your time, your treasure, your fruit of the spirit, etc? May the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob allow the Holy Spirit to visit you and speak to you, so that this Christmas you can lay a gift at the manager.

May the little drummer boy in this video speak to your heart!  God bless you friends.

The Star that Leads

There once was a star, that shone so bright
It caught the attention of some wise men one night
They said, "this is it, this is the one"
Then they gathered their belongings, a new journey begun...

Oh that star, how precious it is,
Yet, so many times, we blow it adrift
In our busy lives, time we don't take
Busy, busy, busy, no moment we make.

What is a star?
Something that twinkles.
Something that shines.
Something that gives off radiant light?

Why it says in the Psalm that it was breathed by God - Psalm 33:6
In the beginning, my God created this twinkling gift. - Genesis 1:1

The star led the wise men to a place where they found
a toddler walking, building, and talking
There they lavished this prince of ages
with gifts that would be used in the coming life stages

But what does the star do for me and for you?
Why the Bible being tried and true
Says a light I should shine, because Jesus lives in you
A light, a light, that should shine so bright
Not kept bottled up, but on a stand in everyone's sight  - (Matthew 5:14-16)

See just as the Star of Bethlehem did lead
The wise men to the Messiah that day
We are the stars that twinkle on Earth  - (Philippians 2:15)
And lead others to their second birth.

So as you go about your days
Keep the grumbling, complaining at bay
And look to the East in your daily walk
and let the love of Jesus shine from your talk. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

May this day and every day, you look for the chance
to be Jesus's loving feet and hands.
Just as once you were led to the cross
by someone who let Jesus's love and light shine from their heart. (Matthew 22:36-40)



Dear friends,


As the Christmas season is approaching, as fast and furious as it does, take time to remember the stars in your life.  The someone who took the time to share the love of Christ Jesus with you.  Maybe it was people all along the way, but whomever it was, it led you to him one day.  And just as a "star" led you, today you too can lead others!  In our walk, our talk, our actions, or time, in giving, and being the servant we are called to be... we can share the light that shines so bright from within our heart to someone who is lost, dark, cold and depressed simply by meeting a need, sharing a word of encouragement, inviting them to church or hey, picking them up and taking them, inviting someone who has no one to celebrate Christmas to your home to enjoy a time of fellowship... whatever it is, where it may be, be his light, shine ever so bright!  Twinkle, twinkle, my dear friends... Jesus's love never ends.  It is always there, never disappears!


So this Christmas season, remember the stars that were in your life, and be the star in someone elses life! And may your Christmas be the merriest and brightest ever!


Much love and many blessings to my sparkling friends.
I love each and everyone of you and pray that this Christmas is different then any other you have experienced! 


In His Amazing Name,
Michelle