My Calling has a Name...

And it’s not O-S-C-A-R…lol!! It’s Social Advocacy!!

 

Is this me, or is this me?!! I’m SO excited to see how God leads me down this road!! J

 

Social Advocacy is the representation done by anyone committed to the concerns of any particular group in society. Such concerns may be rights based or needs based. SA differs from the advocacy done by lawyers or barristers as the latter normally argue from the basis of the law. SA scrutinizes even the codified law that might at times perpetuate wrong behavior(s) to the disadvantage of the voiceless and weaker members of community or society. Usually social advocates have good analytical skills and are fearless individuals who will stand for what they believe in for the benefit of the underprivileged, oppressed or disadvantaged. They question and query the status quo. The list of social advocates include revolutionary leaders, environmentalists, human rights activists, lobbyists, outstanding community workers who are founder members of charity organizations. It should be noted however that SA has got nothing to do with one's academic achievements or profession although education is also a factor when it comes to social advocates' skills.

Heart's Cry

Here I sit - piles of work on my shoulders

My mind is not at this desk, nor in this place

I fly high and far away

Over the surface of the earth as I join Him

And together we see His children

Some are laughing, joyous, happy

Some are singing, grateful, thankful for a miracle healing

Some are crying in pain, crying out to Him for peace and understanding

Some are hurting themselves, hurting others, cold and lost

And when I return to that chair I only have one question…

“What am I doing sitting here?!?! There is a world outside these 3 walls that needs Jesus”

Time to fly!

 

Checking Out

OK, so I’ve got a lot of work on my plate that I should be doing right now...problem is, I’ve mentally checked out. I’ve come to see that when I’ve got too much going on, I get overwhelmed and don’t do any of it. Yeah, it’s not good. Somehow I have to find a way to stay engaged.

 

On a deeper level, if I have to take anti-anxiety medication just to perform my every day job, then this is not the job for me. I think I’ve known this for a while now, but I’ve come to the point where I can finally say enough.  I don’t want to be on meds anymore and I don’t want the stress. Guess I need to do some research & prayer on my next step then! J

SFGate: Walkman, at 30, a mystery to teen

Oh this is HIGHLY amusing!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/07/01/BU2618GKE7.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 (SF Chronicle)
Walkman, at 30, a mystery to teen
Alejandro Martinez-Cabrera

What better way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Sony's iconic
Walkman than to ask a teenager for some feedback on the device?
The BBC couldn't think of one, and neither can I.
I like to imagine that the experience was similar to an archaeologist
rediscovering how a recently excavated artifact was employed thousands of
years ago. But I'm well aware that it must have been different for
13-year-old Scott Campbell, who co-edits his own news Web site. For one,
teenage impatience must have stood in the place where I fantasize
scientific curiosity should have been.
"My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day," Campbell wrote. "He had
told me it was big, but I hadn't realized he meant that big. It was the
size of a small book."
Sure enough, people on the street noticed the antique clinging from his
belt with amusement and friends on his school bus were quick to come up
with some witty remark.
Campbell went on to criticize the portable cassette player's size,
appearance, functionality and the "hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises."
Even when he discovered the cassette had more music on the other side (it
took him three days), Campbell was still disappointed it could only hold a
small fraction of what an iPod can.
"Did my dad ... really ever think this was a credible piece of
technology?"
Ouch.

A daily dose of postings from The Chronicle's technology blog
(sfgate.com/blogs/tech) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2009 SF Chronicle

Brian Grant

I have been dreaming of my ex boyfriend Brian a lot lately, it’s odd. I haven’t seen him in over 11 years, even though our parents live 3 houses away!

I hear this song “I Love The Way You Love Me” by John Michael Montgomery and it’s like I can feel him & instantly remember what it was like when I was in his arms. I don’t have a selective memory when it comes to our relationship…we fought…a lot. He was stubborn, bull-headed, and sometimes when we fought, he was mean…and so was I. When it was bad, it was very tough, but when it was good…it was amazing. Sometimes it felt like we were the only two people in the world who understood each other in a deep way. He used to say, “you make me happy when I’m sad, for some odd reason.” We used to walk over at Fenner…talk about our dreams or just anything, look at nature, see the Buffalo, etc.

I had rebelled against country music until he brought me back to the music of my childhood. And I have some very wonderful memories of us riding around in his Blazer, driving up north, listening to John Anderson. He would sing to me, off key of course. But I felt so ‘at home’ with him. I didn’t feel I had to ‘be’ anyone else. For that, I will always, always be grateful.

We were too young to have any kind of mature relationship…to fight fair. And eventually that did us in. But, for nearly 2 years, we kept going back to each other…over and over again. We couldn’t let go. Until finally, my emotions had enough jerking around and I stood firm. But again…I was only 17, he was 18 when we began dating. He was my first…my first serious boyfriend, my “first”. I adored him and I have so many good memories of us.

I wonder why it’s coming to the surface lately? I’ll have to ask God.

Secrets and Lies

People are full of secrets, gossip, and lies. I absolutely hate being in this place….it’s so negative and mysterious. There are last minute confidential calls, bomb-shells dropped, panic, and confusion. They use cheap labor that causes nothing but chaos. People are rude…you can walk down the hall, look someone right in the face, but if you’re in another department, they quickly look away. HELLO!! I exist!!!

Tracy Sproul has shared a video with you

Hi,

Tracy has sent you a video, "The Life of Jim Sproul ", with the following message:

Happy Father's Day Dad!!

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If you like it, why don't you try creating one yourself? It's free and really simple, so head over to our site and give it a try:

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Sadly, sounds familiar...

 

Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line.

Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers at the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown.

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
aaaaaaah aaahhhhh ooooooooh ooooooh ohhhhhhh.

Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved.

So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke,
Chromium steel.

And we're waiting here in Allentown.
But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaah.

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got.
If something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face, oh oh oh.

Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down.
But I won't be getting up todaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy
aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaah.

GUITAR SOLO

aaaaaaah aaaaaaah aaaaaaah oh oh oh.

And it's getting very hard to staaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
And we're living here in Allentown.

Believing a Lie...

 

In my struggle to understand why I’m unhappy & how to change things, God gave me a moment of powerful break through last week. In a moment, the Holy Spirit spoke to me & I KNEW what I need most… 1) LOVE and 2) VISION.

 

I have been spinning around, desperate for direction for the last 6 years. What’s my calling? Where do I go from here? What could God have for me? Over and over and over again these thoughts plagued my mind & heart. As I was talking (texting) Kylie about it, she asked me “How are you going to get Love and Vision?” I said “Ask for it”, to which she said, “Good plan!”. Then I thought about it for a second and realized that I didn’t believe I would get an answer, even if I asked. It’s not that I don’t believe God’s not powerful, I know He can do anything. When I shared this with her, she said, “Don’t you believe you are WORTH these things?” And there, staring me in the face was the answer, the Lie that my heart believes…”No.”

 

I probed deeper to find out why and wrestled with God over these things. Over the next few days, I cried out in pain to God. And today, I read this article on Joyce Meyer’s website. Here it is again, the answer staring me in the face, this time the TRUTH that my heart & mind need so desperately…

 

Many of us fall prey to self-rejection because we feel that nobody really loves us or accepts us. We figure that if nobody else loves us, then why should we love ourselves? Because we think others don’t love us, we feel that we must not be worth loving. But that’s a LIE we’ve believed for way too long!

We should love ourselves—not in a selfish, self-centered way that produces a lifestyle of self-indulgence, but in a balanced, godly way that affirms God’s creation as essentially good and right. We may be flawed by unfortunate experiences we’ve gone through, but that doesn’t mean we’re worthless and good-for-nothing.

We must have the kind of love for ourselves that says, “I know God loves me, so I can love what God chooses to love. I don’t love everything I do, but I accept myself because God accepts me.” We must develop the kind of mature love that says, “I know I need to change, and I want to change. In fact, I believe God is changing me daily, but during this process, I will not reject what God accepts. I’ll accept myself as I am right now, knowing that I will not always remain this way.”

Many times people who reject themselves do so because they can’t see themselves as good, proper, or right. They fail to see themselves the way God sees them—as precious children He dearly loves.

As you begin to see yourself through God’s eyes—someone who’s loved and cherished—your view of yourself will begin to change. You’ll begin to see yourself not as rejected, but as loved and accepted…unique and beautiful in His sight.

So, with this truth, I will meditate & pray that I can FINALLY love myself as God does.