Faith

We all know that God placed a measure of faith in each of us. We also know that Faith is the substance of all things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. How many know that faith comes by hearing? How many know that faith without works is dead? How many know that we must meet God halfway in order to receive all that He has for us. While God will not do it all, He also doesn't expect us to. We can't go to him in prayer for everything and do nothing ourselves. He wants to see your level of commitment, your heart, and your love for him. We use faith in all aspects of our lives.

While we know we are to sow seeds, we can also ask God to bless us with a seed to sow. You can have faith to sow the amount of your heart or the amount God calls you to give. Some don't realize that sowing a seed is not for God. He already owns your house, car and accounts. He has the kingdom that never goes broke, that never withers. God calls us to sow seeds to bring out our inner potential or deliverance. It is only to get you to the next place in your life and in Him. He tests our level of obedience by putting on our heats what He wants us to do or to give. Sometimes we are confused of whom the speaker is. We say, "God won't tell me to sow my last 300 dollars". But how many know that satan will not have you giving to God's Kingdom. We also have reservations because we have never been called to do such a task. Many don't realize you are being called to do something you've never done before so that God can take you where you've never been before. Our minds can't conceive what our hearts are trying to achieve. Our natural minds cant fathom it. A lot of us feel that now is not the time. Bills are too high and too much is going on in our lives. Well, that is the best time to do so.

Faith without works will be void. Do your part. Not because you want something in return, but because it's the least you can do considering the blood he shed for you. Don't have a seed to sow? Your faith will make it happen. Give God 10% of your time, of your day, of your hours.

Sow your seed for a renewal of Faith, wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and I promise you, God will give it back 10 fold!

Def and living with Tourette

Meet Shawn Jackson. I met him on a social networking site and we became fast friends. My hubby and I even had the pleasure to have him accompany us to a business meeting, in which he kindly gave us a copy of his magazine J'Adore!! He is an inspiring, down to earth, humble young man that has learned to play the hand life has dealt him. Even if that hand was a "fold". Check out his magazine and a poem he wrote about being def and having tourette!

WELL SAID MY FRIEND!!

Several parts of me Alone. Many of you know I have Tourette and I'm Deaf. But I never told anyone really how I felt. This is it.



I scream, I hiss, I flail, I miss

I hurt, I maim, and I feel this

A hurt, a twitch, an internal dis

A loss of control, a nuclear near miss

I can't help it, Can't stop it

Can't undo it, can't block it

I can't restrain or refrain it

Can't train my body to contain it

Its built up, can't shut up,

like a faucet that's dripped up

Movements and vocals stay popped up

And through it all, I stand up

Can't stop me, can't contain me

I won't allow it to define me

It doesn't explain the real me

I'm quite sane, here is no insanity

You see the Tourette and think it's me

But is that all there is of me that you see?

Is my yelling indicative of my capacity?

Or is that all you can judge as my quality?



Silence, stillness, yet a static noise

The quiet, the irritation, yet a fake poise

Bearing derision, isolation, yet still making noise

Aloneness, tears welling, yet joking w/ the boys

The hunger for hearing, for understanding, and learning

Yet none stepped forward to hear my yearning

None wanted to learn a new way of communicating

with me, and so I was left wanting and hurting

Alone, quite bare and cold, left needing an ear, a hand

another soul who could understand, with hands,

my words. And the last sounds i heard was in some distant stands

on TV in a crowd gone wild. And here, I thought, alone I stand

Depression took me hard like a terrible earthquake

And to it, there is nothing I can quite equate

to the sadness that enveloped me whole, made my soul deflate

Nothing prepared me for a world of Deafness, a totally new state

I had to move away to find my world, a new world of silent words

it was "Fire" and "water" said with hands, pictures became words

It was first place in my mind, no where near a distant third

Being able to talk without uttering a single word

Months became years, and years piled on and on

yet my wanting, while on hold, had finally won

The road to finally getting my CI was one that was hardspun

on an axis delicately balanced, as if I carried a ton

And now that I can hear, it's not totally a clean sheet

Still with the triumphs and hardships settling beneath

I still struggle, day and out, without using a cheatsheet

Reading lips, saying "pardon?" and "Repeat please?"



My life is my own, and its not been easy

Still not, but life isn't for the queasy.