Monthly Archives: June 2020

The World Needs People Who Have Come Alive

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Jesus Did…

When our older daughter was graduating high school, she sought after the perfect quote to add to her yearbook picture. As a family friend became aware of her needs, he put forward for consideration one of his favorites by a prominent religious figure who played a leading role in relations between individuals and society, in the twentieth century.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

An opportunity to do, to be, and to live everyday awaits us. All we have to do is see it that way.

One morning, sweet words from my friend Donna Moore-Stewart, (through her morning radio segment) woke up my intellect. Donna asked, “Do you know your assignment?” The word “Assignment” resonated with me. At the time, I was in the process of creating a beat sheet for my book Delilah, in order to be a bit more organized and have a clearer picture of what I was writing. As I decided to make a commitment to go through each chapter with a fine-tooth comb, I gave myself nine days to stay focused on eight chapters, along with the introduction page. A chapter a day, weaved in through working full-time, homemaking and all that life has for us to do.

God’s timing is always perfect. Donna’s words came at the very point that I was working on a particular section of the book. She conveyed how assignments are universal. They are a course of action which one is required to take, whether it’s within a family, school, place of worship, employment, and-so-forth. She noted that some assignments are meant to be completed and yet others are on-going, even beyond our lifetime. Donna also touched on the most beautiful and important part of her definition for this discussion, in her words, “Jesus did exactly what He was ‘Assigned’ to do. Our Lord and savior came to perform miracles!”

Jesus’ course of action: 

● Raise the dead  ● Heal the sick 
● Teach us how to live victoriously  ● Serve others 
● To to testify to the truth 
● To give life 
● To reveal the Father  ● To call all sinners to repent 
● Ultimately, to be a ransom for many.

Jesus is the Savior of the world; of you, me and all of history, if only we want Him to be. He does not force Himself on anyone, none-the-less, is here for everyone!

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Scripture is a beautiful invitation that encourages us to dig deeper into the treasures of God’s marvelous love!

Highlighted by the birth of Jesus, the scriptures consisting of the Old and New Testament provide us with knowledge, discovery, and implementation, making it relevant for enriching any present day living. What’s more and to the point, it concerns the future comings of our spiritual state of everlasting communion with God. Your assignment is waiting for you ~ the world needs YOU, Come alive!

A teacher is not so much responsible for what our students know, but more so for the seeds we plant to help them grow.

Let us thank the Father in the Name of Jesus, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Let us praise You Lord, our God in Your sanctuary. Teach us to do Your will,
for You are our God; Let Your good Spirit lead us on level ground. For the sake of Your Holy Name, O Lord, revive us. In Your righteousness bring our soul, the souls of Your people all over the world out of trouble. And in Your lovingkindness, be with us in all we do. For we are Your servants…

Sweet blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

Deannadanielle.com

Teachers go to work every day to transform and inspire ~ A classroom treasure from 2016 ❤️

A Bird’s-Eye View

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Land of Opportunities

In a world that is filled with awe and wonder, it is with great expectation I seek to dig deeper into the rich soil and elegant beauty of God’s (Creator of all things) marvelous love. A flowing river of wealth that lies within God’s creation. Words are powerful, words have meaning, words are like seeds with roots that go down deep into our mind, and soul. Below the threshold of sensation or consciousness, the word ‘Subliminal‘ takes a seat. It holds a message meant to slip passed our mental radar, embedding itself deep into the subconscious affecting the mind without us even being aware of it. This being both good and/or evil, let’s aim to give a bird’s-eye view of what goes on in the environment connected to the works of subliminal:

*Sub ~ to act as a substitute: under: beneath: below
*Limen ~ a Latin word that means “threshold”
*Al ~ is a suffix that means relating to, process of, or an action.

What we listen to has a strong affect on us emotionally. Take the power of music, it has a huge influence on our mood, emotions, and our day. When we merge the strength of music with the heart, hope and passion of the Gospel, it has the ultimate power not only to change our day, but to impact us for eternity. In a similar way, who and what we surround ourselves with, affects us intellectually. As each person is responsible for his or her own choices, the consequences for our behavior come at a cost. Businesses, in the same manner know that subliminal messages are one of the elements that most attract attention in advertising, film, art and television work; otherwise, billions, would not be spent trying to convince us that we need what they are selling or have. Bottom line, what we read, what we watch, and what we listen too, affects us. If we are exposed to what God calls good, then we are more likely to be affected for the better. If we are exposed to what God calls evil, what is immoral is more likely to get the better of us and bring out the worst in us.

When the Holy Spirit is within us and the Word of God is teaching us, all of creation takes on new beauty, and magnificent blessings. The sky shows a deeper blue, and the earth becomes richer in its glorious tones. We just don’t see creation; we see our Creator, our Heavenly Father, who cares so deeply for and about us. In the Olympic Games, rules, fouls and penalties play a major part in all their sports and are regulated and enforced vigorously by referees, umpires, judges and other officials. Every participant knows the boundaries must be set and behavior monitored or the game will disintegrate into chaos. There are laws in the world as well; boundaries and rules for living, established by God. These boundaries and rules are not set to harm us, but to bless us, protect us, keep us safe and ultimately bring us victory for eternity. The greatest victory is knowing God and the love He has for each and everyone of us.

There is an affirmation in the Good Book, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” These few words follow up with the simple conclusion, “Because you have forgotten the law of your God.” [Hosea 4:6]

God’s love for us is not based upon our performance:

  1. “We love because He first loved us.” [1 John 4:19]
  2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” [Romans 12:2]
  3. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” [Philippians 4:8]

Where there is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land; there you will have cursing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery, idolatry, disorder of structure and function which break all bonds.

Let’s take a look into the stylish motion of the rhythmic word, ‘Opportunity.‘ We are all given an equal amount of time each day and how we use it determines its value. The word of God tells us to make the most of our time on Earth. Our choices will have an unswerving effect on our lives and the lives of generations yet to come. As opportunity knocks, let us look at this word in more detail. “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” [Ephesians 5:16]

*Op ~ A set of planned actions for a particular purpose: operation; observation post *Port ~ A place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload *Unity~ The state of being united or joined as a whole.

God’s divine land of opportunities, may be challenging, convicting and even candid sometimes, but it is a reminder of the many ways in which God desires to use each of us daily in His beautiful purpose and plan. May we rise-up and take a bird’s-eye view in the beauty of His unlimited possibilities that were made just for you.There is power in words, there is grace in heeding the call, there are miracles waiting for you to take action! Rocky Balboa, said it right:

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth! But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that! I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.” ― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

A teacher is not so much responsible for what our students know, but more so for the seeds we plant to help them grow.

Let us thank the Father in the Name of Jesus, by the power and grace of His, Holy Spirit. “Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in his mighty heavens. Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.” [Psalm 150:1-6]

Sweet blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

Deannadanielle.com

Photo By: Ricciardi Photography ~ Outlook

The Color Purple

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We have only just begun

As our eyes behold God’s creation, we see magnificent color. Color is essential In a designers’ world. Understanding color can help us gain a deeper understanding of the beauty in God’s design. Let’s take the colors blue and red, together they make a majestic purple.

The color red is an intense color. It represents blood, fire, love, just to name a few. Red pigment made from ochre (a natural clay) was one of the first colors used in prehistoric art.

The color blue by way of example, represents the seas, the sky and peace. Of all the colors, it is not only favored by both men and women, but even so, beyond half of the countries on earth have blue in their national flags.

The color purple presents a great deal of prestige and brings forth a powerful history. It was the most expensive dye in the Bible. A well known pigment of choice for those of noble or royal birth. It holds the most intimate secrets of the Bolinus brandaris, (a medium-sized predatory sea snail) found on the beaches of the eastern Mediterranean, to the emergence of synthetic dye. What once serviced only emperors and Popes now service of all humanity.

I believe there is an even deeper lesson here for our times as well. As a people, our history defines who and what we are. As an individual, we are known by our actions. Just as blue and red, together make a purple; genetics, environment and attitude are some of the main ingredients that make a single human being. As each individual has their own strengths and weaknesses, what we choose to do with those strengths and weaknesses, are up to us. God’s word is known as the Living Word that provides us with the essential, “basic instructions before leaving earth.’ Take the first letter of each of these words, it conveniently spells out, BIBLE.

As each of us has a personal responsibility toward God, and all He has given us; our free will gives us the capability to choose between different courses of action. As in all good decorating jobs, a conversation with the decorator is indispensable, as is our dialogue with God. Saying YES to God is the most important choice we will ever make. This is where the beautiful accessories come in; out of living the life we have been given, even if it may not seem as though it is so lovely sometimes. God waits for our permission to unfold His incredible plan in our lives. We have great value because each of us is made in God’s image and likeness.

“For each will have to bear his own load.” [Galatians 6:5]

From our personality, inherited characteristics to our physical appearance, genetics, set the stage. As it takes a village to raise a child, our environment, is the stepping stone, that help us share stories that echo to one another, God’s gift of love. Attitude, seals the deal; that little thing that makes all the difference.

By the grace of Christ, here are some tools for our shed: * Overcome evil with good.” [Romans 12:21] * Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [Proverbs 3:5] * Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” [Ephesians 4:32]

Words of Love: * God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. [Genesis 1:27] * I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. [John 10:10] * Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good…” [Genesis 1:31]

Our Lord, our God, Our living King, how merciful and kind is He! His word tells us that, He is the Vine and we are the branches. [John 15] ~ The branch produces fruit, but it is the vine that nourishes the branch. Without the vine and the branches dead but being one with the Vine it is nourished. How do we begin to thank God for the privilege to be nourished in Him, by His beautiful and Holy Word. How do we thank the Father, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, by the power of His Holy Spirit, as He so desires to come into our lives. Let us pray that God will continue to teach us, nourish us and be with us in all we do.

Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” [ Luke 13:6-9]

From the history of the color purple, to the mystery of the fig tree, we have only just begun to discover and experience some of the incredible hidden treasures, in the breathtaking agape love of God.

A teacher is not so much responsible for what our students know, but more so for the seeds we plant to help them grow.

Let us ask the Father in the Name of Jesus, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, to open our eyes, ears and hearts, so that we may see His reflection and peaceful harmony, in all that He has created for us!

Sweet blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

Deannadanielle.com

Photo by ~ Deanna Danielle ~ Purple Rain