Fear
My eyes are faint with dissolution Holding my mind and heart back with confusion Chills
creeping up my back Shutting me down leaving my muscles kleptomaniac Blood racing through
my veins Speeding up my pulse and bottling my brain One thought traces through my mind and
everything becomes clear As I feel myself crying on the inside realizing this is fear
Written by Capria Pearce
EMBRACING CHANGE CONFRONTING THE FEAR - LIVING AND BEYOND
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7) Key Thought: Fear knocked at the door Faith answered. No one was there.
Many years ago I listened as a friend of mine who was sharing in a anonymous meeting he was very articulate making his remarks before our group. He told us prior to getting clean the one thing he feared most was change, but being a man meant standing perpendicular before GOD and when he had made a decision to turn his will and life over to the care of GOD that replaced all of his fear. Then he said something that most people don't say in those closed meetings instead using the term "God of my understanding" or "Higher Power" he said Jesus Christ. The room was quiet as he spoke loudly and boldy and later those comments changed the way people viewed him they began to refer to him as a "Spiritual Giant" he begged to differ by responding to them by simply saying "I'm no spiritual giant but there is a GIANT in my spirit."
That takes a lot of courage for anyone to admit to have any fears publicly, but as humans all of us do experience fear on some levels especially when a change is comin!
We often become complacent or get comfortable with our lives then don't realize that when we aren't challenging ourselves often we become stale, staggnate, and we stunt our growth. It's like eating the same thing for dinner every other day because it's routine quick and easy then on Saturday you treat yourself to fast food at McDonalds at the same spot order the same thing and every time it tastes good until one day it loses the appeal and taste. Another analogy would be to wear the same hairstyle everyday for a period of time never change the way you comb it even part your hair the same place. (The Condolessa Do) The hair style that used to get compliments somehow appears dull and played out.
Change comes often and people evolve just as quickly as the seasons change. We work hard at perfecting a routine with our friends, lovers, or spouses only to look up one day and find that they have drifted off in another direction and many times instead of accepting the fact we either run or walk quickly in the opposite direction because we lose the stamina to embrace them where they are at and the same thing holds true when we experience changes in our lives a need to shift gears or do something different to improve ourselves. We can also shift into reverse gear and do some things that destroy our character and ruin relationships.
But one thing that is constant in change, if nothing changes, nothing changes. As the saying goes where ever you go there you are. So you can't be afraid of what we understand or don't understand in life or death, sometimes it has no explanation. So many of us are never prepared financially, mentally, or spritually and the end result is devastation.
When we are young their is a feeling that we will live forever or are invincible, can leap tall buildings in a single bound. As we mature and experience life we get some hard knocks and realize that some of those buildings just a tad to steep to leap across. Thats when we become more practical in some cases but people just ignore facts. Some die young or live miserbly because they foolishly believe they can trick life and end up being the trick.
Pay now or pay later, the bill is always in the mail and one day you'll have to pay. So if you're living in a comfort zone, maybe it's time to raise the bar a little, you can always become better - strive for change. Remain teachable, humble, and loveable. Never be afraid to embrace change - because if you are living a fruitful life you can surely count on eternal peace when you exit the building (your body) a living temple.
We never know what GOD's plan is for us - remember that it's okay to make the plans but you can never plan the outcome. Faith and hope is your best weapon for overcoming fear. Prayer is your insurance policy. Love is unconditional so keep an open heart and willingness, and stand determined to face the challenges of life.
Even when your down it feels like hell in the hallway but remember just because you might be down but dont' count yourself out. Look straight up and stand perpendicular to GOD. Fear not. As Human beings we fall short and have many shortcomings but GOD has never failed or come up short it's impossible. I'll prove it; isn't it a fact that we can count on the sunrise and sunset. A fact we know that there is a moon and that will always come out in a way shape or form. We know that the seasons will change and we always prepare for those changes. Same holds true as humans we go through many seasons in life, but If we can trust GOD to do all of that for nature and the universe then we can trust in Him to see us through any changes that affect our lives today.
Just for today, we can hope for a tomorrow and plan ahead. But no matter how it all turns out we embrace it with humility, knowing it was HE without beating our chest in vain glory.
Our faith shows us what we cannot see.
An idea begins with a thought and then is brought forward into reality. An artist sees the painting in his mind before it ever touches the canvas. He touches the canvas until what was inside of his mind sets before him and the passion makes him more eager to bring it forth. Imagination is just an image in our mind we decide when begin - to make it a reality. Most of us go to bed at night convinced that surely they are waking up in the morning and that's okay too. That's called having faith.
Faith without works is dead being alone - change should not be feared but reveared. It takes courage to color outside the lines step outside the box- change is an inside job with you the indivdual and often has a ripple effect on others.
Change allows you the luxury of knowing whose sincerely committed to you because whoever stays around to see that person evolve til the end are the ones you usually come to love and trust. These are the people who are not afraid to be honest with you right or wrong, good or bad. They are your mirror, mirror on the wall. Always have one friend that won't lie to you even when it hurts and you can be reciprocal in love, spiriit, and truth. Nine times out of ten this is the person you probably have even taken for granted along the way.
Embracing Change brings you face to face with love, love of self, life, and GOD.
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WHAT IS KWANZAA?
From Encarta AfricanaKwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that begins on Dec. 26 and continues through Jan. 1. The name of the holiday comes from the Swahili words matunda ya kwanza, which mean "first fruits." The holiday's roots are in harvest celebrations that are recorded from the earliest periods of African history. These celebrations bear various names that reflect the languages of the societies that have celebrated them as well as those that still celebrate them, including Pert-en-Min in ancient Egypt, Umkhosi in Zululand, Incwala in Swaziland, Odwira in Ashantiland, and Odu Ijesu in Yorubaland.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 in the United States by Maulana Karenga, an activist/scholar who is currently professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Rooted in ancient African history and culture, Kwanzaa was developed in the modern context of African American life and struggle as a reconstructed and expanded African tradition. It emerged during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s and thus reflects the movement's concern for self-determination, a "return to the source," and the reaffirmation of African identity and culture.
Moreover, Kwanzaa is founded and framed in Kawaida philosophy, which stresses cultural grounding, value orientation, and an ongoing dialogue with African culture—both continental and diasporan—in pursuit of paradigms of human excellence and human possibility.First celebrated by members and friends of the Organization Us (meaning us African people), which Karenga chairs, Kwanzaa is currently celebrated by an estimated 26 million people on every continent in the world.As explained in Karenga's 'Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture,' Kwanzaa is organized around five fundamental kinds of activities that originate from ancient African harvest or first-fruit celebrations.These activities are (1) the ingathering of the people to reinforce the bonds between them, especially the bonds of family, community, and culture; (2) special reverence for the Creator and creation in gratitude for the bountifulness and goodness of the earth and in commitment to preserve and protect it; (3) commemoration of the past, to fulfill the obligation to remember and honor ancestors and to teach and reaffirm the mission and meaning of African history; (4) recommitment to the highest African cultural values — ethical and spiritual values that bring forth the best of what it means to be African and human; and (5) celebration of the good of life — that is, the good of family, community, and culture; of relationships; of old age and youth; of knowledge and sharing; of work and wonder; and of all things of benefit and blessing.
At the heart of the meaning and activities of Kwanzaa are the Nguzo Saba (the seven principles), which Karenga developed to reaffirm and strengthen family, community, and culture. These principles are umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles and is organized around activities and discussion to emphasize that principle.
At each evening meal during Kwanzaa, family members light one of seven candles to focus on the principles in a ritual called "lifting up the light that lasts." This lifting-up means upholding the Nguzo Saba and all the other life-affirming and enduring principles that reaffirm the good of life, enrich human relations, and support human flourishing. In addition to the mishumaa saba (seven candles), the other basic symbols of Kwanzaa are the mazao (crops), symbolic of African harvest celebrations and of the rewards of productive and collective labor; the mkeka (mat), symbolic of tradition and history and therefore the foundation on which to build; the kinara (candleholder), symbolic of ancestral roots and the parent people, or continental Africans; muhindi (corn), symbolic of children and the future of African people that they embody; the kikombe cha umoja (unity cup), symbolic of the foundational principle and practice of unity that makes all else possible; and zawadi (gifts), symbolic of the labor and love of parents and of the commitments made and kept by children.
There are also two supplemental symbols: a representation of the Nguzo Saba and the bendera (flag), which contains the colors black, red, and green. These colors are symbolic, respectively, of African people, their struggle, and the promise and future that come from their struggle. A central and culminating event of the holiday is the gathering of the community on Dec. 31 for an African karamu (feast). The karamu features libation and other ceremonies that honor ancestors, narratives, poetry, music, dance, and other performances to celebrate the goodness of life, relationships, and cultural grounding.
Kwanzaa ends Jan. 1 with the Siku ya Taamuli (Day of Meditation), which is dedicated to sober self-assessment and recommitment to the Nguzo Saba and all other African values that reaffirm commitment to the dignity and rights of the human person, the well-being of family and community, the integrity and value of the environment, and the reciprocal solidarity and common interests of humanity. One way that persons conduct this self-assessment is to ask themselves three questions: Who am I? Am I really who I am? Am I all I ought to be? In this way, they measure themselves in the mirror of the best of African culture and history and recommit themselves to standards and practices of human excellence that reflect and support those cultural ideals.
article written by Dr. Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga
Dr. Maulana Karenga Creator of KwanzaaChair, The Organization UsChair,
The National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO)
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Kwanzaa for Kids
Share the glories of this African-American holiday at home with your childrenRich in cultural and historical information about people of African descent, Kwanzaa is a perfect tradition to share with children.
Created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach, it’s a celebration that brings African-Americans together, acknowledges our talents and achievements, and reveres the Creator. The holiday, observed from December 26 through January 1, reinforces basic values--the Seven Principles, termed Nguzo Saba in Swahili--that support the African-American community.
Kwanzaa continues to gain recognition, with more than 15 million people worldwide now celebrating it. To me, Kwanzaa is how you live, how you make a commitment to your Black culture," says Eric Copage, author of Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking (Quill; $15). "I got involved with Kwanzaa because of my son. I was looking for a way to instill in him a positive sense of his African-American heritage."
Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of the children’s book Seven Candles for Kwanzaa (Dial; $15.99), has a number of tips for parents who want to share Kwanzaa with their children. While not every tip is tied to a specific Principle, they all celebrate the spirit of the holiday.
* Savor important family moments. Pinkney recalls, "One year we made a memory quilt. We designate one person as the maker of the quilt, and each person brings fabric from something that’s important to her. Each person’s piece of fabric is incorporated into the quilt. Our quilt contains a piece of my daughter’s christening gown and a piece of the sweater I wore when I went into labor with my daughter."
* Pay homage to our loved ones. Pinkney suggests, "We’ve done an ancestral circle where we get together as a family, light a candle, and form a circle around it." Pinkney explains how this works: "When the spirit moves you to speak, call out the name of someone who has passed on, and say something nice about them." This ritual is especially suitable for older children.
* Preserve the traditions of Kwanzaa. There are many tools used to celebrate Kwanzaa, and children can help make them. Pinkney suggests, "Kids can use construction paper to make the traditional Kwanzaa mats that are used for holding fruit and corn."
* Teach your child the importance of community support. "My family has made an ’Ujamaa box,’ " says Pinkney. (Ujamaa, Swahili for Cooperative Economics, is the Fourth Principle: "to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and profit from them together.") "We help the children find and cut out pictures of Black icons--everyone from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Oprah--and paste them on the box. Throughout the year, we all put money in the box, and during the holiday season, we use the money to make a purchase at a Black-owned business in the community." Pinkney adds, "This year we plan to donate the money to charity."
* Celebrate with music. Many types of music are an integral part of African-American culture. Pinkney shares her family’s way of celebrating our rich musical tradition: "Throughout the year, we encourage the kids to collect songs that they like. Each child chooses a spiritual, we help them get the words, and we put all the songs together to make a hymnal. Then we get together as a family and sing the songs."
* Encourage and express creativity and talent. Pinkney suggests, "Let the kids put on a little show; they can perform a puppet show with finger puppets that they make." (The Sixth Principle--Kuumba, or Creativity--encourages us "to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.")
* Share family memories. Remembering the past is a crucial part of celebrating Kwanzaa.
written by Tonya Adams who is the channel producer of Feel at Home
What is Kwanzaa? juiceenewsdaily - 4 hours agoKwanzaa (sometimes spelled Kwaanza) is a week-long secular holiday ...
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THE FEAST
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