Let Him carry it

Last year when we chopped down our first real tree I noticed how heavy my ornaments were on the branches. The branches were unable to hold my ornaments and they bent to the floor with some even breaking. I started to remove the ornaments from the branches that couldn't sustain the weight and realized that our branches on our tree were much like our arms trying to carry our own burdens. We carry around so much weight that we don't even realize it is what weighs us down, holds us back and breaks us. The weight of your problems, your circumstances and sometimes even the world is too much for one person to carry much like the weight of my ornaments was too much for one tree. But when we take off the burdens we are carrying and leave them at the foot of the cross, our "branches" lift and we praise God because His yolk is so much lighter. So whatever burdens you might be carrying this holiday, leave them at the cross, lift your arms up and praise Him for He is good!

Our praise and prayers lift us, so this year we decided as a family to decorate our tree with prayers for those who are experiencing burdens. Truly lifting our branches on our tree with prayers to the Lord. If you have something you would like for us to be in prayer for either comment, message me or slip it under my door of Rise & Gouaux! Merry Christmas!!

Be the Vessel

Being a vessel for change can be brutal. You face the world in way you would have never thought possible. You evoke feelings and emotions from people you never thought would speak in such a way back to you. But being the light in darkness is piercing to others and sometimes it hurts.

But Jesus!

There has never been a more crucial time to deal with our brothers and sisters the way Jesus would. It is important to stand, but we must do it in the most righteous of ways. Or we have failed our God!

Today we were able to testify to some of the concerns we have over the state of our children's well being at the State Capitol in a House Committee meeting for Health & Welfare. We were only given 3 minutes each, yet I cannot tell you how proud I was to actually be a resident of Louisiana for a moment. To watch as one by one people courageously came up to speak. Christy Foret Falgout your boy was amazing!! (I think they might have thought he was my kid tho. ) And your passion Monique L Hodson I pray sparks change. (We are about a hour and a half in on the video)

It is easy to judge based on the face value, the cover of a book or the facade of a person. You only see it for a moment and can speculate you know everything you need to know. Even in our words we stumble and think did I say everything I wanted to say? Did I say it right? Was it clear? It is time we break the habit of judgement and start to dig deeper into the heart of the matter. It is time to see people's hearts and not just their faces.

https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/VideoArchivePlayer?v=house/2020/nov/1123_20_HW

#bethechange

#bethevessel

#whereisyourheart

Cross the Bridge

2021 graduates and many other students are having everything ripped away from them. Sports, extracurricular clubs and organizations, ring night, homecoming ... and so much more. All because of policies that make no sense and are inconsistent compared to other parishes and states. The mental well being of these children is just as important. And if you tell me it won't matter to them in 10 years or that these are not the things that truly matter - I will say to you this: tell your 14 year old self that it didn't matter. Tell the child that can't wait to possibly run in the Olympics it doesn't matter, tell the child that wants to play in an orchestra it doesn't matter, tell the child that wants to act in a Broadway play it doesn't matter, tell the child with hopes of becoming everything they have worked for most of their lives it doesn't matter. And you can say I might be reaching for the stars in these dreams for these kids, but why should we limit them. In limiting them, we limit God. And I ain't boxing that man up. (I learned my lesson on that one )

There have always been people who seek beyond what they might be capable of and reach for the stars - pioneers of their generation. While some feel that they have to settle for the status quo and are satisfied with whatever is made available to their generation.

In the bible there is a man named Enoch. In Genesis 5:24 it says "Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him."

This quite possibly might seem simple and not such a great and achievable reaching for the stars thing. Yet, stay with me - many at that time were not walking with God and walking with God seemed so far out of reach. God had walked with Adam many years before, but since then no one else. After the fall, men had only the promise of death, the earth was filled with violence and the ungodliness of men was a filthy stench. There were no churches in every village, no saviour yet who had died for the sins of men and saints of God were almost unheard of. Yet in the midst of this, Enoch believed that he could reach beyond the limitations of his generation and walk with God.

Hebrews 11:5 says that Enoch pleased God. It also says that he was a man of faith and by his faith he would not see death. This was something unheard of at that time. Yet Enoch reached for something and worked toward it to attain it and it pleased God.

We have to know that God's promises are on the other side the bridge. But if we stay where we are and never responsibly cross the bridge, we will never truly please God. What are His promises in your life? What does He have planned for you? Cross the bridge people, cross the bridge!

What are you filling?

Are you filling a seat or filling the atmosphere?

Are you filling a spot or filling a spirit?

Are you filling a position or filling a heart?

There are times I walk in my flesh and let the world and its circumstances get in the way of progress. It might even take me a day or two to survey the damage I have inflicted on myself or others. We are inevitably sinful. We are not perfect, but if 2020 doesn't start causing you to reflect I don't know what will.

I ain't gonna lie this year has been sucky. No other word for it. Like there have probably been so many memes and hashtags made about this year there has got to be a record broken. Yet have you seriously looked at the good things that have happened? Change your perspective. I refuse to not clearly see what God is doing in the midst of it all. We have to walk across the bridge to His promises. We have to know He will part the sea, provide bountiful provisions, move the mountains, defeat the giants and bring the walls down. But we will never see it happen though if we never cross the bridge. We will never see it if we stay stuck where we are.

I am not angry about our indifferences or disagreements about how we perceive the world and its issues. But I can honestly say I am sad that our differences cause divisions that have become so unrepairable without God in our lives.

My heart hurts for those that are not lifted in this time by:

His love despite our transgressions

His kindness despite our hatred

His patience despite our stubbornness

His faithfulness despite our loyalty

His gentleness despite our violence

His joy despite our disappointment

His goodness despite our evilness

See without Him none of it can make any sense. If we don't give Him the helm and let Him guide our ship into the correct harbor. We will dock ourselves in uncharted areas that will fill us with sin, hatred, stubbornness, idolization, violence, disappointment and evilness and our boat will rot in the harbor. We then are just filling a seat, filling a spot, filling a position that might not be ours to even take. We should be filling the atmosphere, filling a spirit and filling hearts.

Choose Love

Choose Kindness

Choose Patience

Choose Faithfulness

Choose Gentleness

Choose Joy

Choose Goodness

Choose Him

And it is gonna be hard trust me I battle with it every day. Yet It will be the path worth taking, because at the end of it is God's promises.

#crossthebridge

Taking back Thanksgiving

I pray some of y'all don't bring to Thanksgiving & Christmas what y'all been dishing out on Facebook. The only dishes I want to see are some casserole dishes. #takingbackthanksgiving #crammingmyfaceonchristmas

Word

Some of y'all need to start checking who you are idolizing and what are their platforms because I'm over here idolizing Christ and His platform.

#checkyourselfbeforeyouwreckyourself

#RealTalk

Lead by Example

Why do I feel like these protestors are going through a phase - oh yes maybe because it kind of looks like my kids when they were toddlers and went through their phases. (It could also be because phase is one of the top trending words on google).

If you need to protest or stand for something - do it where it counts. Lead by example and civilly speak to the proper people about your cause.

Matthew 18:15-17 says “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

Don't hurt innocent people, don't destroy businesses and also don't hurt yourself. What's the point? Anger only incites anger. Invite someone in for an actual discussion and BE THE REAL CHANGE in the world! America can always stand for an improvement. We could all stand to improve ourselves.

Philippians 1:6 says "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

He ain't done with any of us!

Share your love for your cause, not your hatred!

Just my two cents!

& grease!