I CAN ATTEST TO THIS!

25 Things Every Woman Needs to Know

The article originally appeared on hannahbrencher.com. but I came across it on The Huffington Post. You are going to love it!:)

 

An Impartation of Good Choons

MUSIC moves an undefined part of me, and one of my favorite things to do is give different artists (old & new, local & international) and different genres a chance. my eclectic taste in music and thirst for blissful tunes have caused me to discover some extremely and uniquely talented musicians who, in their individual ways, have managed to reach into the depth of that part. Here are some of my latest golden discoveries...


LAURA MVULA   lauramvula.com

 “If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.”
― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

NAKHANE TOURE 

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination
and life to everything.”
― Plato 

Z_Lus  Listen to his choons on Soundcloud

" I'm a lyricist that is spirit filled and spirit lead. God is the center."

- Z_Lus

" For gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;

 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what's right and just and fair;

 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-

 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-

 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

 the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

I met God at a cross road...

It has been a long while since i have posted something here, so i thought I should share with you a piece I wrote with a friend a while ago, and here goes something:

Thuso: I met God at a crossroad, trying to figure out my position in this world, going back and forth with shoe laces untied to the loss of direction, He had a featured map of my life under His arm…

Ole: Under my arm I had secrets shoved so the world wouldn’t know my face, my facade I offered. While I was by a cross road with a veil over eyes blurring my life’s vision, Jesus was on a cross and His life’s last breath tore the veil…

Thuso: I could see clearly where the sun rises and never hope it sets, the light was in my Bible the darkness tried creeping in, I had a fake love fake smile and shoes to match such a past, but safely in the Lord I drew my cross and begged for Christ to fit in me…

Ole: …to fit my size but He showed me perfection and said I want you to be bigger than that. So I was a size 6 n wondered how I will fill such big shoes. Tears I cried were a lake of truth. Water falls for the grace of God, while standing by that cross road wondering which way… One way,Jesus..

Thuso: …Because the ‘J’ mapped a turn where my heart began to burn, my feet were giving in to the dance of the Ghost, I felt the need in me to be the first on that road, to leave my footprint on its face, but like those that prayed to God, Jesus carried us through its thorns…

Ole: …carried me with His golden hands, spinning me around and spending Himself on me. Now my head and my heart spin around for the God whose cross wrote my life again..

Thuso: It was a multi-edition kinda love brought in volumes, the type that draws my heart in outer space…and rhaptured when I was drenched in the Joy of the Cross, figured a couple of items where in my box of faith…a single line of prayer and letter to Proverbs’ 31 days of being the faith my heart was built on, so I could pray within the tongues that recite your name

Ole: It was a coal burning in fire type of love,and with every scripture interpreted fuel was being added… Handed Him the coal so He could deal with it, Holy ghost replaced negative energy,now I spit tongues of fire and lines of power… Pursuing life in its purest form so I may be clear enough for tiny eyes to see this glory, and pursue it through faith grace n love…

Thuso: …And my knees will continue to itch, will continue to bruise, my thoughts will continue to pray and my eyes will see His glory, my faith will continue to grow, I will continue to move the world, impose on life a counter shift method that makes me feel alive, my breath will be my prayer, and Christ shall be the voice, as God is my witness, no more crossroads again…my path is found

You might have noticed that I tend to draw inspiration from the same person over and over (likeKris Vallotton), but what you don't know is that the person changes almost every fortnight,hehe.So my favorite person for the past two weeks has been a P4CM poet, Jackie Hill ( @JackieEHill ) . Now, this lady is a poet and a half! She stirs my passion for poetry, and makes me want to grab a mic and do the right thing! How awesome it would be if more of our youth could use their talents to bring glory to God. Just think of the number of young people who have quoted this saying "your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God" 

You can read more about her here>> http://www.jackieehill.com/About.html
And check out some of her recitals, "JIG-A-BOO" and "A poem about weed"
More videos on youtube under "P4CM"

"we define our own 

happiness by identifying 

those

moments we spend

smiling out wide like

retards, 

feeling that wave of

genuine joy and delight." 

-@Ole_Motshegoa

"
I wasn't born to be a passive pundit, tossed like a tiny ship on the stormy seas of evil schemes. Nor was I conceived to be a weatherman, predicting the next deadly assault on the shores of humanity. NO! I was purposely born behind enemy lines as a force to be reckoned with. I was commissioned with a mandate to destroy the works of the devil. I was given power and authority to set captives free, release prisoners, rebuild ruined cities, and make disciples of all nations.
I have been assaulted, slandered and hated. I have known depression so deep that I've despaired of life itself, and anxiety so horrific that I could scarcely function.
I spent 20 years building businesses, sweating payrolls, scraping and clawing my way through life to compete with ruthless competitors who would stop at nothing to destroy their opponents. I was celebrated as one of the top entrepreneurs in my field. Yet when the dust cleared and the moving vans were gone, I was left sitting in the rubble of a once thriving enterprise with a $1.6 million debt as a memorial to my hard work…my house and most of my possessions gone.
My soul has known the pain of heartbreak and betrayal. I have staggered my way through years of abandonment and abuse. I've experienced the humiliation of poverty, and the intense pain of being the only kid on the field with no one cheering for him. I have pleaded for attention, only to be locked outside all by myself. I have hid for hours while my stepfather was on another drunken violent rampage with my mother, locked in a room as he beat her. I grew up in a culture of intense fear.
I understand what it's like to be unable to read in high school, and to be called stupid by my leaders. I have felt the pain of being the untalented little boy who no one wants to play on their team…standing on the sidelines, raising my hand, hoping to somehow be chosen. Many times I have stood by silently as my peers argued over who had to put me on their team.
Yet I refuse to be crushed by the circumstances of life, or be deterred by the opinions of the "experts". I won't wallow in self-pity, or waste my days hating the people who abused me. I reject the spirit of regret, and I will not drive my life by being fixated on the rearview mirror of the past. I have decided that feeling sorry for myself is taking up valuable time that could be used to rescue cities. My past pain will not dictate my future victories. I was born to win, equipped to shape history, empowered to extend the borders of the Kingdom, and redeemed to display the unreasonable love of my King to a desperate and lost world.
This mandate has become my mission, and with the help of God, I intend to accomplish it!!!!!"

"My mandate" by Kris Vallotton, via Kris' blog http://www.kvministries.com/blog/11

"Change comes in a little box called patience"

- LoveGlori 

Listening to God's voice through Kris Vallotton...

One does not need to be very observant to see how depression and anxiety are slowly destroying our people. Both unbelievers and believers suffer from this cruel monster that black people believe to be a “white thing”. Depression is real, and you most probably have steered in that direction in some point of your life. We all have those days when we feel fear and hopelessness. It is unfortunate that for some of us it becomes medical, even more unfortunate that it is spiritual for all of us. (Ephesians 6:12) 

Kris Vallotton is a senior associate leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California. He also co-founded KV Ministries, together with his wife Kathy. He and Danny Silk flew in for the “Invasion” conference, and on April 10th he spoke at UJ. This is a man who has gone through some real struggles in life, but those struggles are what lead him to serve and touch the lives of people through his testimony (for you cannot lead a people to a place you have not been to or experienced before). For 3 years he church-hopped just for an encounter with Christ, right after he had said to God: “if you heal my mother I will serve you for the rest of my life”. God indeed healed her, and he started to diligently seek the face of God. One day while taking a bath a thought settled in him. He believed he was going to die soon, and there he started to suffer from a panic attack that became worse and lasted for many years after.

I remember him describing it as fear. He became fearful and totally hopeless. A person who had come to know the goodness of Christ Jesus suffered from fear and hopelessness. These are the tricks of the enemy, and you need to know that fear is faith in the wrong god. Angels and demons travel at the speed of thought, so the thought you entertain is the one you give the authority to govern your mind. An old Cherokee legend put it this way: It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil and the other is good. The same fight is going on inside every person, and the wolf that wins is the one you feed.

“Feeling bad about yourself is an open door to demonic activity”- K.V

All this boils down do identity. See, you have got to know who you are and whose you are. You cannot be a child of the King and feel like you are a loser. “God is the artist, Jesus is the model, and you are the painting”. You were made in the image of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Surely you know that by now, but the Christ you believe in is also the prince of peace. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. Every time you feel fear, shameful, confused and hopeless something in you has been broken, but that does not define you. The name of Jesus breaks chains that have kept you in bondage and condemnation, depression and anxiety.

The environment you create within you is the environment you create around you. If you have the Kingdom of Light within you it matters not where you are put, you will change the place. Kris makes a comparison between a prince and a pauper. Place a pauper in a palace and he will turn it into a mess because that is all he knows and that’s the kind of environment he has inside of him. Being a prince (princess) means you carry the Kingdom with you wherever you go. You impact the lives of those around you, and give hope to the hopeless. You impart the spirit of light that is within you. Kris Vallotton continues to do just that, and I believe he spoke to the hearts of many that night. He sure did speak to mine, even though he didn’t prophesy over me:(

You can take the Prince and Pauper test here>> http://kvministries.com/prince-pauper-test   and see the kind of environment that is within you.

Be blessed:)

Scandal of Grace... Hillsong

This has been my song for the week. Do enjoy:)

10 LAWS OF EMBRACING CHANGE…

 

On Good Friday my family and I went to church, and the attendance that day was really impressive. Our CEO’s had graced us with their presence yet once more. Christmas-Easter-Occasionaly’s… you know those? hehe. Guest Pastor Bheki Twala was on the podium that morning, and along with his sermon on embracing change, he gave out interesting ways on how to go about doing this change thing. The following are the 10 laws of embracing change, according to Bheki Twala:

 

1.    Make sure your future is bigger then your past.

2.    Make sure that your learning is bigger than your experience.

 

3.    Make sure that your contribution is bigger than your reward...

Be more motivated by what you are going to contribute, more than what your are going to gain

 

4.    let your performance be bigger than your applause.

 

5.    make sure your gratitude Is bigger than your  success...

your thanksgiving should always be greater than your success

 

6.    make your enjoyment greater than your effort.

 

7.    always make your cooperation greater than your status.

8.    make your confidence greater than your comfort.

9.    always make sure your purpose greater than your money.

 

10. make your questions be more than your answers.

 

 I personally find these "laws" to be interesting.We all know that the only constant thing about life is change, and you really cannot run away from it. So, instead of avoiding change, just embrace it:)

Later!

  

When life hands you lemons...

... make chocolate cake and leave them wondering how you did it! Turn you setbacks (lemons) into a come back.

See, lately I have been feeling so angry and sour at the world. In fact I have been on a roller coaster of emotions, most of them negative. From anger to anxiety, bitterness to dicontentment, and worthlessness due to previous failures. It's been more like a 'tower of terror' of emotions. I'm not ashamed to admit this, because im busy tearing my facade of neatness down, exposing my weaknesses, and going through transformational change. I'm facing my demons, all guns blazing! I am planning my come back.

No matter how many lemons, how sour, you got to strive to improve yourself at all times. Don't get too comfortable in a position or a season so much that you forget to take the next step up the ladder. When you face failure and fall, you don't wallow in the mud. You get up, and improve yourself! This is how you maintain balance in life. You improve yourself step by step, so when you fail you fall back into the previous, then try again.

As a part of life you will have people who will use their time and energy pulling you down. The PHD (Pull Him/ Her Down) syndrome is real!! Now those come in two forms. 1stly, the ones that honestly want to see you fall and suffer. 2ndly, those who aren't aware of what they do to you. They are constantly passing negative comments about you, but never see the good that you do. I get a lot of the latter, and I am learning how not to listen to them. How sensitive you get when someone makes negative comments about you is a choice you make.

1 more way of maintaining balance is taking those lemons and putting sugar on them, or drink o' pop! See, lemons aren't that bad;)

*comments from some BBM friends*

• @tshoyonce "...Bake lemon creams,lol"

• "...use 'em for tequila, why would I wana drink lemonade at this age?"- Nomvula Mashinini <--- contrary to popular preference lol

•  "Just make lemonade. We are pressed from each side, but never crushed. 2 Cor 4:7"- My aunt.

Love, Ole:)

"Self-love, self-confidence, self-empowerment. That's the message I want to convey."

 

That is really what I am about and what this project is about. We'll tackle a few other issues that the youth faces too, but that is the main focus.

Throughout high school I struggled with the above. Instead I was living in a lil' dark world of self-doubt and low self-esteem, and the likes. One would never say though, because I came across as strong and was among the top students. Little did they know it was all a facade. The intimate enviroment of high-school and my competitive nature are what kept me going. Also, I learnt how to be "strong" at a very young age when I'd watch my biological father raise his hand to my mother countless times. I had to be strong for her, and never shed a tear. I tip-toed around her feelings because i didn't want to hurt her any further, cause her any more grief, and burden her. And so I became the good child, while emotionally I was suffering. That's the gist of it, I'll spare you the soppy story. It might have not affected me back in high school, but it did at a later stage of my life.

My point is, I know I am not the only one who has been faced with this. We all have a story to tell, of how and why we feel what we feel. I am simply offering a platform to share with each other, and empower one another. I want to impart to you this courage i found, this wisdom I continue to receive, and share ways on how to go out and change our nation!

So T.I.P is (as I describe it) an empowerment initiative, for the youth by the youth! It aims to awaken the extraordinary citizen in the ordinary African child, with an average background and out-look on life. We empower minds, inspire paradigm shifts, and advocate individualism. We aim to improve! I see communities being uplifted through empowered individuals, and a nation rising as a result of an innovative & enthusiastic youth! I plan on going around township schools doing motivational talks, and also hosting events for the youth. For now, lets blog!:)
 This is the beginning of a long, and fruitful journey.

"We were all born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same."- Mariane Wilson, A return to love.