LET GO... @yolanda-let-go - Tumblr Blog

Vision +capacity =Impact

To my fellow young people, God has graciously given us visions that have the potential to make a positive IMPACT on the state of affairs in our families, schools, workplaces, churches, towns, countries and even the world. That is AWESOME, but we can't run (to the end) with visions if we do not have the CAPACITY! It is important to know what you carry but it is equally important to chill and invest in adding value to yourself. Let us BUILD OUR CAPACITY before we go running around with our visions. No impact without capacity!! Yes we will do great and mighty exploits, but attached to the vision should be commitment!! One of the signs you are committed to your vision is how much you invest in building your capacity to turn your vision into reality. Of course this requires a whole lot of PATIENCE but whats a whole lot of patience compared to where you are going? (Inspired by Mr. Caswel Mkanda).

#vision youth personaldevelopment #buildingcapacity #patience

In 130 days Iâm getting married, and a friend recently asked me why I love my fiancÃ©. I wanted to share a deeper perspective on Amanda and Iâs relationship, so before I answered why I love her, I h...

May God be glorified!!

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www.doitandhow.com

"Let thy food be thy medicine"…part 1

October 24, 2013 – Today I have decided to embark on a food journey to combat the blemishes I've had to put up with for years. I have tried different products (Garnier, Neutrogena, Mary Kay, Gill, Ponds, Clear Essence …and the list goes on) to clear up my face but nothing has done the trick except for one thing - CHANGING MY DIET.

Two years ago I saw a nutritionist who put me on a 21 Day Detox Plan (I will refer to it as 21DDP from now on). A tough regimen was recommended by the nutritionist - I was off meat, sugar, cheese and lots of other delicious stuff. I was quite happy with the results on my face but unfortunately, I also lost weight in the process, (not part of the plan). Water, fruits and veges did most of the work!!

Since the 21DDP I have been saying I will do it again because somehow the blemishes came back. BUT I just can't get myself to get on it again, reason being: I am too worried about missing out on a good chicken dish, or the cheese topping, or the sugar and the list goes on & on.

This morning I finally realized what my problem is, it’s PERSPECTIVE. I realized I need to approach this whole thing from a different angle. It’s kinda like my walk with God. I’ve discovered that you won’t get to see how good God is if you focus so much on what He says you should not do. You gotta get rid of that sin-consciousness. God does not want me to focus on my sin! He wants me to be driven by my desire for righteousness!! When I focused on “how much can I flirt with sin and still remain saved” I missed out on God’s plan for my relationship with Him.

Alright it’s so easy for me to turn any post into a sermon so I will stop right there but I hope you get the point.

I want this skin repairing process to be as pleasant as possible and this is how I’m going to do it. Instead of thinking about the red meat I cannot have, i will think more about how creative I can get with my new diet (I just realized there are so many options/recipes out there and I love to experiment with food so why not do that with the fruits & veges).

STEP 1: Start drinking 2L of water a day

STEP 2: Make a list of “foods to include” (I’m taking these from the 21DDP)

STEP 3: BE CREATIVE – ensure that I have a variety of recipes to prepare the foods on my list

STEP 4: Include the foods in my daily diet

(Note that I have not yet talked about what not to eat!)

STEP 5: (Gradually) Increase intake of the foods (Prioritize!)

STEP 6: Watch how much less of the “other” foods I’m now eating

STEP 7: RECORD THE CHANGES

This is my pilot program to eating food that heals and using less make-up on my face :) !!

FOOD LIST COMING UP IN THE NEXT POST...

thepowerofprayer

I made this blog because a photo of my husband and I has gone viral on the internet. I wanted to share the story behind the photo for the hundreds of thousands of people who found inspiration through this sweet moment we had.

The Story Behind the Photo

Moments before I was to walk down the aisle my soon to be mother in law came in the dressing room where my bridesmaids and I were all gushing with giggles and fluttering about finishing last minute details.

“Sweetheart, your groom has called for you!”.

In a nervous tizzy I said, “What?! I’m not ready! I have to get my shoes and…” She had already taken my hand and led me to a corner, where my groom was waiting. I barely sat down; I was filled with so much anticipation! So much excitement! So many nerves!

“Is he going to like my dress? Does my hair look pretty? Can he see me?!”

Right around the corner sat my soon to be husband, I so was nervous he might see me yet secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of him. In my excited state I was the first to speak,

“Hi sweetie! We’re getting married today!”

“I know baby and I want to pray with you before we do.”

There we sat around the corner hand in hand, and together we bowed our heads. People were rushing about; the wedding coordinator directing people here and there, the photographers snapping photos and the bridal party enjoying each others company. Yet in that moment, in the quietness of our hearts and minds, my husband and I were alone in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

My husband prayed that God would bless our marriage, that through thick or thin together we would never lose hope in one another. That instead of focusing on each others imperfections we would always rely on Christ’s perfection. That we would wake up every day and chose to love one another not through our own strength but by the power of Christ’s perfect love.

With our hands clenched tightly to one another together we said “Amen”, both with shaky voice and just like that I was whisked away to blot the tears off my face and put on my veil.

After my bridesmaids, mother, mother-in-law and every other girl in the room had finished zipping, curling, tucking and blushing me up I looked in the mirror. There I stood wearing my pure white wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle to my Prince Charming.

See, he is not only my Prince Charming because of his incredibly handsome looks, or wonderful humor, or the fact that we have so much in common. He is my Prince Charming because he helped me protect the most precious gift that I owned, my purity.

Soon after we had started dating I nervously told my Prince that I was a virgin and planned to be until the night of my wedding; to which he replied he would have it no other way.

Throughout our dating relationship and engagement we constantly fought, what at times felt like a losing battle. We fought temptation with prayer, scripture and accountability. I had friends checking up on me if they knew we were together late at night and he regularly met with other Godly men to pray for strength. At times, especially as the wedding grew closer, we thought we were attempting to do the impossible.

“Why are we doing this?” I would ask in my weakness, and he would remind me, that it’s because God had told us too.

“I can’t do it, I can’t… this is too hard!” he would confess to me and I would pray for his strength.

When I walked down the aisle in my white dress, I looked straight into the eyes of the man that had laid himself down to protect and honor the wife that God had given him.

When his eyes first caught mine he looked into the face of the woman that had waited for him, the woman that would support him and love him for the rest of His life, through good times and bad.

I share all of this because in that prayer we prayed, which was captured here on camera we asked the Lord to use our wedding to bring Him all of the glory that He rightfully deserved. We had not gotten where we were by our own strength, but by His hand of protection on our relationship.

God has used this photo to inspire hundreds of thousands of people already and for that we are humbled and honored! I wanted to take it a step further and give God praise and thanks for how we arrived at that quiet corner, holding hands and ready to begin our lives together.

(photo by the incredible Kim Burke, www.kdburkephotography.com)

I dare you...

While reading the Nation on Sunday (Malawi), dated December 2, 2012, I came across a moving story about John Samson, a Standard 6 student at Jacaranda School for Orphans. The young boy aged 12, recently had the chance of meeting the Queen of England after winning the 2012 Royal Commonwealth Essay competition. In his essay titled "The Day I Wore My Best Clothes" John Samson authentically narrates the struggles he encountered in his life before he was enrolled at Jacaranda. After losing both his parents and being chased from his home by his uncle, John became a street child and resorted to begging to survive. He also shares about his long walks to the hospital to receive the medicine he needs to take on a daily basis. Fortunately enough, John's story has a happy ending - the day he wore his best clothes! Here is part of his story:

“I did not have any clothes or shoes. I wore my old torn clothes that I had for many years. I wanted to go to school but I never had a uniform. We are not allowed to start school unless we have a uniform and some copies of books. I did not have that so I just spent my days begging on the streets and my nights I went home to sleep alone in my house. My uncle never came back and when I went to my other relatives, they said they did not have money to feed me.

One day I heard that there was a school nearby that was only for orphans and that everything was free there. We did not have to pay school fees or buy books or buy a uniform. The school provided all this. So I went to ask the school if I could go there. The school allowed me to start. I was very happy. I really wanted to go school. Then the day came when they gave me a new school uniform. It was the happiest day because I had new clothes. Now I looked like all the other children. I did not look poor like a beggar and no one could tell I had HIV. I looked just like everyone else. This day was very special to me. I felt good about myself and I think I looked good in my new school uniform”.

Currently working with children rescued from the streets at the Lilongwe Social Rehabilitation Center (SRC), I can tell you that John Samson’s essay speaks for many orphaned children in Malawi today. It is shocking indeed that there could be hundreds of children with a similar story but it is the truth; a very painful truth. Fortunately for John, his story though heartbreaking in the beginning is now a success story. Today, he is a standard 6 pupil and has a bright future ahead of him. For majority of the children experiencing similar struggles today, the future still looks dim. The SRC is currently accommodating 27 children who are also enrolled at a nearby government primary school. For these children, it is not as easy for them to lead normal lives at school as it is for John Samson. Right off the bat labeled as “problem-children”. At the end of the day they feel like outcasts and are seriously unmotivated. Did I mention they are also the only children who do not own uniform at the school?

I may not be an expert at childhood development but I am pretty sure love and being accepted by others is essential for this process. It is great that they have the opportunity to attend school after all they have been through but the interventions and strategies implemented are vital to how well they can be rehabilitated. With poor interventions and strategies in place it is likely that rehabilitation will not take its full course.

Chatting with children at the center it is evident that they have the potential to change the course of their lives if given the chance to. However, they cannot do it alone. They need our support and it has to be holistic. Let’s not leave it up to government institutions such as the SRC to transform the lives of poor and needy children. The next time you encounter a street child, I dare you to look beyond the sad looking, unclean and foul smelling street child and instead look at the potential that waiting to be released. The next time you encounter a street child ask yourself how best can you help the child unlock the hidden treasures God purposefully deposited in him/her -I dare you to give him/her a chance.

Sources:

Nation on Sunday, Vol 7. No. 48, Sunday, December 2012

southerngraceandsunshine

EVERYTHING

God in my living There in my breathing God in my waking God in my sleeping God in my resting There in my working God in my thinking God in my speaking

Be my everything Be my everything Be my everything Be my everything

God in my hoping There in my dreaming God in my watching God in my waiting God in my laughing There in my weeping God in my hurting God in my healing

Christ in me Christ in me Christ in me the hope of glory You are everything

Christ in me Christ in me Christ in me the hope of glory Be my everything

You are everything Jesus, Everything

Tim Hughes Holding Nothing Back Album - Song "Be My Everything"

Ever heard the phrase "no news is good news"? If you haven't now you have. I am not one to read the daily newspaper, but since I graduated and been on the job hunt, I can't wait to get my hands on the paper when my dad gets home after work. On weekends, I am the one who reminds my parents to make sure they buy the papers. When my dad is out of town, my mum is likely to forget to get the papers and when that happens I ask my dad if he bought the paper when he was out of town. His response is usually "no, sorry" and then in a funny voice he says "no news is good news". Now, it was okay when he said that when I was not on the job hunt but not when reading job ads became my JOB. I was dying to get the next day’s paper before it even came out.

The proverbial phrase 'No News Is Good News' means that if you have not been informed of anything, everything must be just fine. In other words, you have nothing to worry about. When letters and telegrams were the only means of communication people did not communicate as easy and frequently as we do. Not very often did people write to each other just to say "hello"; it was not worth the trouble. As a result, people were likely to communicate bad news rather than good news.

Aren’t you happy you are living in a technologically more advance period? I cannot begin to imagine how frustrated I’d be if I had put this blog in the mail for you to read it. Fortunately, I don’t! In fact the moment I uploaded this on the internet, it was made accessible to millions of people! That is mind blowing! We are no longer limited to sending messages only when necessary.

The advances made in communication technology have indeed made life a lot easier and people more efficient. I just wish we could say the same about our communication with God. SELAH (Pause and think about this).

The bible tells us that God is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-12). This means He is everywhere (at once). We also know that God does not sleep nor slumber (Psalm 121:4). More importantly, God hears us and there are many scriptures that reveal this. Here are just a few:

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him ~ Psalm 91:15

The Lord is near to everyone who prays to him, to every faithful person who prays to him. He fills the needs of those who fear him. He hears their cries for help and saves them. ~ Psalm 145:18-19

Before they call, I will answer. While they’re still speaking, I will hear. ~Isaiah 65:24

Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. ~ Jeremiah 33:3

I don’t know about you, but these truths are not congruent with my prayer pattern. Now I ask myself, what is the problem? Why is God not the first person I talk to when I say I need someone to talk to? I wish my answer was that I didn’t know that God is EASY TO TALK TO. But that would be a lie.

Many of the things I should be talking to God about end up as Tweets, or Facebook/BBM/Whatsapp statuses. How often do we post things online for others to read? How often do we move your lips for God to read?

Retweets on twitter and Likes on Facebook cannot give me that warm fuzzy feeling inside or the goose bumps I get when I think about God’s love for me and His genuine desire to hear from me. The Creator of the universe longs to hear from us. That sounds unbelievable, I know – but who don’t even know half of it!! Think about grace and you’ll know what I’m trying to say.

The internet can be accessed almost everywhere, but I cannot access it without a device that connects to the internet. In other words, I alone cannot connect to the internet. On the other hand, I can be in anywhere in the world – even in the midst of a natural disaster and yet still have access to God. You can CONNECT to Him anywhere, all by yourself! The only device required is YOU! To God, no news is bad news. He wants to hear from you, in your good times and in your bad times. We have 24 hours access to Him and there is no reason not to talk to Him.

jaykroid-deactivated20141021

POWERFUL VIDEO.

this is exactly what i’m looking for. a man that has lost himself in GOD. the only standards HE lives by is the LORDS. because one day i will be pregnant with the seed that will transport a mans legacy so that GOD and his name will both have longevity even after they bury him, so i want a man to learn to love me like GOD loves me.

how can he be my covering as an umbrella with holes in it. IMPOSSIBLE!! be made complete with GOD, by GOD, and for GOD. so then one day he can be made complete with me.

i want him to learn to love me like he oughta.

be a man — not by societies standards. BUT the LORDS standards.

yolanda-let-go

AMEN!!!

invado-deactivated20120917

Mehmet Ozgur smoke art

We are so frail that we have to become helpless and unconscious and blind and weak every day in order to live at all. Sleep is a terribly humbling experience. We are never more weak, never more childlike than when we sleep in faith. And has not God said, "My power is made perfect in weakness"! And, "Unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God."

John Piper