by Torrie Oglesby | Feb 2, 2016 | Learn + Grow
February is Black History Month! While this month is controversial, I prefer finding the good and celebrating African-American history regardless of others opinions on the month! One way, that I’m incorporating African-American history in my month of February is taking a look at African-American literature! I’m an avid reader, however last year I realized that I tend to stay within certain genre’s and never explore other genres. Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been intentionally buying books that are outside of my ordinary book buys, a lot being African-American literature based and I’ve been so blessed by reading outside of my norm that I wanted to encourage you guys to read outside of the lines that you have created for yourself as well.
This month, let’s try to focus on African-American literature. From classic like The Color Purple by Alice Walker to newbies like our latest feature in You Should Know Her, Author CP Patrick’s Awiti. If you pick up a book this month, at least have one that is based on African-American history to educate and empower yourself. Below I have created a list of 10 books, some fiction, some autobiographical, that you can start with if you happen to be at a complete lost! If you read or have read any of these, let us know in the comments your thoughts and opinions on the books! Happy reading!
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelo
- The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gains
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coats
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- God Help The Child by Toni Morrison
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
by Kiersten Homalon | Feb 2, 2016 | Faith + Expressions
I am a person that would most of the time seem like an open book. When I sit down with people I have a way of presenting myself as very open. However, there are things that I never really like to put out there…. and one of them is the power I willingly allow the enemy to have over my mind. Now, that may sound really intense but I bet more people struggle with this than most would think. I am one of the ones who struggle with the negative banter in my mind getting way out of hand. When I say out of hand, I mean more than allowing it to make me feel a little blue. This chatter in my mind gets so out of hand sometimes it effects every single aspect of my life. Relationships, my health, and most unfortunately my nearness to God. Even writing this out makes me my tears well up. It seems so easy to just tell myself to STOP ALLOWING THE ENEMY TO HAVE THAT POWER! But there is a lot of ME in the way, and preventing that healing and transformation to happen. That break through is so near I can feel it, and yet the chatter makes my line of sight distorted…. well enough is enough…. time to break those chains.
I realized how much I needed to ask the Holy Spirit to help me regain the ground I had lost when I heard a compelling message at our church. Some of you might be ready to tune out just from me saying that I learned something from Church, but please have some grit and press into what I am about to say. The pastor encouraged us to “Pray to be fertile soil for the Lord to plant GOOD seed.” This may seem like common sense for seasoned believers but for me this was a refreshing reminder, and what he followed up this statement with made the Holy Spirit zing all over my heart! (Thats the best way I can describe feeling the Holy Spirit Haha!) He pointed to 1 Samuel 16:11. This is a story where Samuel was searching for the one God had called to be the chosen King. Samuel looked over Jesse’s sons all strong and promising but God had not chosen any one of them, so he asked Jesse if all of his sons were present in the room and then he admitted that David was still out in the field tending to the Sheep. As soon as David entered the room God told Samuel that he was the one…. The least likely was Gods choice. Point being…. God does not overlook us. We are not forgotten. How does this tie into the negative chatter in our minds? Because I had it revealed to me that our minds are not unseen to God. We may think that we can struggle with things in our mind as if it were some abyss of heart ache, confusion and struggle. However, it is center stage for God. Our thoughts along with our entire being is not overlooked by God, and I stinking LOVE that! Don’t you? It used to scare me or make me feel ashamed, but now, I am overcome with the thankfulness that God is a God that intertwines his being within us, and that joy washing all the embarrassment away. I want God to see the inside of me. And that desire to have God SEE every little bit of me and my thoughts is my highway to having victory over this chatter.
A lot of the thoughts that I have struggled with are, in fact, generational sins and chains that have meandered their way down the line to me. The weight of the baggage was combining with my own allowances of the enemy in my mind and I got to the point where ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. I did not want my little girl to have to go through unnecessary weight. There is enough trials in life, she did not need the past to add to that! So I had a dear friend confront me and reveal to me she could see this chatter compromising my confidence and she did what only the best of friends do. She grabbed my hands and prayed for me, then she did something even more powerful. She made me pray for myself, to break these chains. And I prayed BOLDLY and I felt VICTORIOUS over these chains!!!!
So I want you to take a good hard look at yourself and ask yourself if you are compromising and allowing the negative chattering your head to have too much space. Because if we allow God to work in our hearts, our minds, and in our souls then there will be NO room for anything else! So whats stopping us? Carpe Diem Right!? Each step is a step that the world and the enemy wants to get in the way of. Don’t let it. Keep your nose in The Word, your eyes on Jesus and your side companioned with Faithful friends and family. You are Victorious. Never forget that!
Dear Father,
I want to ask forgiveness for allowing the enemy to take up
space in my mind, please forgive me for letting my eyes slip from you
to the troubles in my mind. Thank you for being my ever present help in my time of need. Lord I
bind any generational chains from me and my children. I bind the enemy from my mind
and I pray for you to take up residence fully in my mind.
Lord I ask for your Holy Spirit to flow freely in my thoughts Lord God keeping them in
line with your word father. The generational sins and chains stops with me!
Reign in my life! Help me to gain ground Lord! Thank you for
your grace and forgiveness!
In Jesus Mighty Name Amen!
by Kiersten Homalon | Jan 28, 2016 | Family + Relationships
I LOVE being a mom. Its something I always knew I would do. I grew up baby sitting all the neighborhood kids and lasted all the way into college! I was the “Go To Babysitter”. I assisted my mother in her In Home Day Care and I worked in various Day Cares separate from hers. I love children! I always thought I would be a teacher one day because of this passion!
I ended up never becoming a teacher because God had other Plans for me, and I am thankful that His hand on my life has led me down the path it has. I am a young mother married to a man I prayed for, for many years, and God answered my prayers ten fold. We are just starting out but thankfully God has blessed me with a business I can run from my home and help women transition from birth into motherhood with community and support! I love what I do and I love that I can be home with my two year old while I am at it! My daughter comes with me on all of my outings. She’s amazing and helpful during prenatal visits and client meet ups, then I am blessed that my husband watches her when I met clients postpartum to honor their sacred space.
My daughter is amazing. Patient, kind, and scary smart!! But with all of that said, she is also 2…. and that presents MANY challenges.
Now that she is getting closer to the age of 3 we are embarking on much more mental break downs, tantrums, and….. ATTITUDE!!!!
I was not prepared for this! ATTITUDE!? I always was on the other end of the “TUDE” but now I am getting a small glimpse of the maternal side.
I know just about every mother goes through this. And there are about a million “How To” books and Blogs and such on how to cure them and treat them, and thats great. But For me they stress me out… and confuse how I feel my daughter should be parented. Or they might intimidate me! But the point is…. Sometimes, my frustration with my daughter gets the best of me, and I sacrifice my influence as her mother for selfish reactions that are always based out of the wrong place.
I have experienced a number of times where, I “snap” and then as soon as it starts, its over, and then my conscience weighs on me, along with the shock in my daughter’s face. This has taken many forms, but they are all ugly, and solve nothing.
Finally, one day it happened again. I lost it…. and It sent my heart crawling back to The Lord for guidance. I am thankful for His forgiveness, and his mercy because clearly I need it. Then it hit me. How God parents me, is exactly how I should be parenting my daughter, with Grace and Mercy. And then a Daniel Tiger Episode popped into my head. “When you’re feeling mad and you wanna ROAR… Just take a deep breath… and count to four…. 1…2…3…4!” Yes there are lessons in cartoons for adults as well it seems!
At that moment I realized that I was in a position to teach and simultaneously learn and hone in the skill of patiently parenting. Firm and strait forward, but full of Grace and Mercy. So now when my daughter loses her cool in the parking lot and everyone is starring at me and her…. I’ll run the Daniel Tiger song through in my head, and then say “Ok God…. guide my discipline here, help me to parent her firmly in the way she needs me to Father.”
At that moment I am WAY more effective as a mother than I was before and instead of two people in shambles, there is one guiding the way for the other, and showing my daughter what is appropriate by treating her appropriately.
I am in NO WAY a parenting expert, but this switch flipping in my head has already really changed the atmosphere in our home, even my husband noticed it! (It could be also that I get gym time ALONE now… Thank you Jesus!) But I know that this change too is contributing to a better vibe to our home. I heard it said before that women are to be the Thermostat in the home….. NOT the Thermometer. And I really keep that vision in the for front of my mind as well….
So when you’re about to lose it…. Flash forward a few years and see how your influence now in guiding your children in their emotions will benefit them… For me it really tugged on my heart strings…. and got my mind turning. Use your unique set of Mommy Sense that I believe God gives the each of us…. and keep your cool momma!
You GOT THIS!
Have Grit Sweet Ones,
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in Truth.” 3 John 1:4
by Kiersten Homalon | Jan 28, 2016 | Family + Relationships
After a full year of day to day hard ship, going into another year is easy to feel many emotions. However, the other morning I got up early while my baby girl was still sleeping to seek time with The Lord. In that time I was just praying and thanking God for the HUGE amount of GOOD He did in this last year in the midst of the hardship. In that moment, a domino effect happened. My eyes somehow were opened to the realization of all the break throughs last year had, the victories, the blessings…. Oh the Blessings! It made me recall a short quote I wrote when I was a Senior in College.
“Music… Vibrational reassurance that beauty is not always tangible, and that melody will still thrive in dissonance.”
God is the music in our lives, and He is Thriving!
I think a lot of us make it to the end of the year huffing and puffing, I know I did. And seeing another year coming strait at us seems like endless waves crashing overhead. But I encourage you sweet one. Stand yourself strait up, Hunt for the Good, and the Good will drive your life forward. Going into a new year, after coming out of a hard year, is a wonderful position to be in. Why? Because you are stronger! Because you overcame! Because you are on the hunt for Good! And Because you are choosing to propel your best into this next year!
CHOOSING to brush off the year that past and look head on into what is to come is invigorating and requires BIG Faith! But I know we all can do it! So, Cut your hair! Dye those locks and get that gym membership you’ve been putting off, but above all, focus on the Good! This is my challenge to you!
Have Grit Sweet ones,
by Torrie Oglesby | Jan 26, 2016 | Family + Relationships
I’m going to go ahead and assume that if you’re a woman you are a giver. The days and weeks of your life consists of serving others. You freely give your time, your energy and the best of yourself to your loved ones. This is such a good quality and the true mark of a servers’ heart. However we often get lost in making sure everyone else is taken care of that we forget to take care of ourselves. I can always tell when I haven’t taken care of myself by my attitude. The minute serving becomes burdensome instead of enjoyable or when I start going through the motions and not be intentional with every action and move is when I know it’s time to stop and treat myself.
I recently fell into a huge writing slump. If you’re a writer you know how scary these slumps can be. It feels as if you’re stuck on sticky tap and can’t find a way to get unstuck. For a whole week, I couldn’t jot down one sentence let alone a word for my novel. I was paralyzed at this certain part of my story and it was looking like it was going to be a long road back to the light. Luckily, I have a husband who knows me inside and out and he came home from work one day and simply said, “On Saturday, you’re going to go take some time to be alone.” It’s amazing how our loved ones know truths about us before we can see them. I agreed and all of a sudden I was looking forward to Saturday morning, a date with myself, and a chance to gain a new perspective.
Saturday morning came, I got up early, before the babies, got dressed and headed out! With my laptop, charger, phone, and headphones in a tote I was ready to write and be renewed by time well spent with myself. As I sat down and was prepared to write I was still in a major slump. So I read a little, listened to music and even called an old friend of mine to catch up and laugh. By feeding myself, I got inspired and just like that the floodgates of my creativity burst open and I was able to jot down 4,000 words!!! The light was nearer than I thought, it just required me to put myself first and allow my creativity to be feed. If you starve yourself, you’ll end up being unhealthy. Same with your spiritual/mental body. If you starve your spirit and mind of love and nurture for ITSELF, then you’re going to be unhealthy and insufficient. Ladies, while I love that we are servers and that that’s a true reflection of our creator, I also want you guys to remember to TREAT YO SELF in order to give to yourself and others in a healthier and happier way.
What will you do this week to treat yo self? Let us know in the comments below!
With love and big smiles,
Torrie.
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