monuments and memorials...

Exodus 26-27:21

Years of labor, tons of finances, and materials imported by majestic standards went into building the tabernacle of God. History tells us Solomon spared no expense when creating a dwelling place for the Lord Almighty.

I don't want to get mystical or ethereal, but Paul said we are a temple of the Holy Spirit. How much labor is put into building our temple? Are we investing in bringing majestic standards into our life?

The exterior of the temple was a monument. But the interior of the temple was a memorial; a place to dwell and meditate on the sovereignty and goodness of God. Are we only shells of what we should be? Does God have the ability to be worshipped and extolled in the interior of hearts?

In the words of @RevRun, this is real talk. So keep it real.

borders in life...

Writing is like photography. Given a frame, you can omit anything if it's outside the frame. The background can be cropped out, the foreground can be highlighted. Essentially, you reveal what you want to reveal.

I have a frame in writing. My frame includes the pretty and excludes the ugly. My frame highlights the good and ignores the bad. My frame crops out secrets battles and highlights successes. Internet, if we're truly honest with each other, we all have frames in life.

Yesterday I was speaking to my sister (who ironically is a photographer) and listed a host of things I'm battling. Some serious, some hilarious. At the end of the conversation, she encouraged me to be real. Hello, this is what I preach about, right? Why don't you just be you, she encouraged. It's not a novel concept, but it's frightening.

I don't like the Me who is outside the frame. I like cropping out the secret food binges I've struggled with childhood. I like highlighting speaking events that I love, but hide the feeling of failure as I walk away from the podium. I like saying I live in Los Angeles, but will never discuss the financial toll this comes with. Why? Because being on the inside of the frame is clean, neat, and perfect.

But life is not lived in a frame. I'm not clean, neat, and perfect. I'm jacked up, messed up, and addicted to food. But I'm Me. And I will continue to believe the facade if don't write like I live. So this is me. Stripped, bare, and honest.

Pull down the borders and share what's outside the frame. At least you can comment in anonymity! Now the world knows that Oprah and I struggle with diets?!

What do you struggle with?

Photo credit: Jasmine Star who wrote a blog and posted this picture of us when we were twelve. I'm wear stripes which obviously adds 40 pounds. Obviously.

real me campaign...

The real me.

The real me laughs loud, hugs hard, loves deep.

The real me is without makeup, without care, without consequence.

The real me is frightened and fearful and functioning under unwarranted grace.

The real me is simply complicated.

The real me appears in control, but knows chaos rules.

The real me strives for perfection, but fails believing the delusion.

The real me teaches about a faithful God, but wavers in faith of His promises.

The real me needs a friend, a savior, a redeemer.

The real me is broken and perferated and ugly and empty.

The real me desires to be accepted in spite of failures, known in spite of fear, loved in spite of me.

The real me believes there is a real you. I've spoken about keepin' it real many times before on the blog, but Mike Foster and the crew at People of the Second Chance have started the #RealMe campaign for Twitter and facebook sites. And it's rad. The challenge is to change all glamor shots and replace them with the real us. No pretenses, no photoshop, no StarShots. The real you. Go check out their site. It's rad.

So, the question remains: who is the real you?

100 word wedneday: be a realist...

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15

Paul was a student of his heart. He paid attention to the desires and impulses that churned within. I don't think it's a stretch to say that he knew he was capable--given the right circumstances--of the worst of sins and vilest of motives.

Paul was a realist. He wanted to see God and himself truly. No hiding behind a facade of pleasantness or religiosity for him. When we take a look within, let's be realistic. What's lurking in the crevices of our shady heart? Be a realist.

be who you is...

Recently I've been labeled as being urban or ethnic. Labels may be a simple way to categorize and organize groups, but it also compromises diversity. I find the label comical since I've been out of the 'hood for over fifteen years. Apparently home school, public school, private school, and graduate school can't cover my roots. Maybe Snoop Dogg was right when he said, You can take the boy out the 'hood, but you can't take the 'hood out the homeboy.

While in New Jersey teaching at a women's conference, a very sweet woman came up to me with her eyes bright and hands excited as she communicated with every ounce of her being. I love when you talk your ghetto-talk when you share. It's so fresh and real! I know she meant well and her intentions were flattery, but she solidified deep fears. I was the only woman of color speaking at the conference and I felt different, odd, slightly out of place. It was if I spoke like Rosie Perez or Bon QuiQui and simply needed fake gold hoop earring and bangle bracelets to complete the image.

I called my dad and he siphoned through the jokes. He saw the hurt from 3,000 miles away.

Words dipped with honey soothed my soul as he assured me with the words of Paul--we all belong to something bigger than us. A body is comprised of different parts, even parts darker than others, but all parts are necessary. His accent permeated the sentence, his life has permeated this belief. Be who you is, B. Be who you is.

There's something great about being different, odd, and slightly out of place. Different exposes new possibilities; oddity reveals diversity; slightly out of place expands territory. As members of something larger than us, expose new possibilities, reveal diversity, expand territory. Be who you is.

don't stay down...

Failures and false starts are a precondition of success. Paul Arden

Sometimes people want us to fail. Sometimes we false start and fall flat on our faces. Sometimes it's self-imposed stupidity that causes us to stumble. At other times it's not being equipped enough to handle what was required, dooming us to failure. The question isn't when will it happen, but rather what will you do when it does?

A righteous person may fall seven times, but he gets up again... Solomon, Proverbs 24:16

I can't be honest with myself if I'm not honest with others. I have fallen and stumbled in my walk with Lord. Stupid dating decisions, poor financial investments, flat-out transgressions that I knew were wrong [but I did them anyway] all led to falling into a pit that was deeper than I ever thought and darker than I could ever imagine. But where am I now and what have I learned?

Matthew Henry in his commentary on Proverbs 24:16 said this:

The righteous man, whose ruin was expected, recovers himself. He falls seven times into trouble, but, by the blessing of God upon his wisdom and integrity, he rises again, sees through his troubles and sees better times after them. The just man falls, sometimes falls seven times perhaps, into sin, sins of infirmity, through the surprise of temptation; but he rises again by repentance, finds mercy with God, and regains his peace.

I hate to burst spiritual bubbles, but the truth is that you will fall, you will stumble, you will fail, because we all do (Romans 3:23). But don't stay down. Get up! Like Matthew Henry pointed out, we rise again by repentance to find mercy and regain peace. In the words of Notorious B.I.G., If you don't know, now you know, you know, you know... Now get up, dust yo' self off, and keep walking. Beyonce did.