Happy New Year, dear hearts! :)

Merry Christmas, dear blog readers! :)

Christmas Cards and A Valiant Cause that needs YOUR help

Christmas cards have a wonderful way of warming the heart of its recipient and making its reader feel loved. People often spend hours shopping for the perfect card that perfectly words the sentiments of their heart toward someone in their life that they care about and want to be there to help whenever needed.

So what if I told you that this year, you can be there for someone who needs you? What if I told you that you be there for many people who need your help? 

Today, I'd like to present you with an opportunity to support a valiant cause simply by purchasing a Christmas card.

Curious to know more? Keep reading.

The (RED) Foundation is partnering with Paperless Post, which sells correspondence like Christmas cards and invitations, to raise awareness for the (RED) Foundation. To celebrate the holiday season, each purchase from the (PAPERLESS POST)REDChristmas collection supports (RED)’s fight for a world without AIDS.

See the graphic aid below to discover what's in it for you:

So, what are you waiting for? Visit Paperless Post's website and purchase their products. Look at this as your way to spread holiday cheer and help someone who needs you!

Pay it forward, my dear blog readers. We're all in this world together. We need to help each other to live a happy, healthy life and leave a good legacy for future generations. 

Merry Christmas! God bless you. 

Love,

Alexis

A song and post-Election thought

This song "Always Be My Home" performed by Rachael Lampa, has ministered to me for the past few days after the results of the U.S. Presidential Election.

In case you have not heard, times are troubled and tough here in the United States of America. People are scared. People are angry. People are hurt. People are wounded. People are very upset with the outcome of this election. However, there are also people who are happy, if not elated, by the election results. This message is for the ones who are fearful of their future and worried about what tomorrow holds. 

God always gets His message across to me best when He speaks to me through music created by His children who have the gift of song.

A few days ago, God led me to remember this song "Always Be My Home" by Rachael Lampa. His timing was perfect because He brought it to my memory just as I was starting to downward spiral into a dark place with all the woes of the world and the injustice in North America. He sent this song to me just when I was depressed about how when you're Black in this world, you literally have no place to go to be relieved of all the negativity and hatred directed toward you just because of your skin color and heritage. No matter how professional, perfect and amicable you are, there are still people who can pull the race card  and make you feel next to nothing. You cannot even return "home" to "The Motherland (Africa)" to escape the oppression and injustice because systematic racism, bigotry and oppression was brought to the continent of Africa and exists in many of its countries. So where are you supposed to go? What are you supposed to do? I tell you, I was spiraling downward deep and quite quickly into despair and darkness...until God threw me a lifeline. He gave me insight into this song.

I realized that God's heart will "always be my home" and it made perfect sense. Despite not having anywhere to go in this world to breathe easy, be prosperous and not deal with racism and injustice directed to people of color, we still have Someone who welcomes us with open arms, treats us fairly, and can make a safe place for us through a saving relationship with Him. God is that Someone and He invites us to enter a safe state of being by trusting Him with the outcome for everything during our lives here on Earth. We may not have tangible solace in any physical location in this world but have very real comfort when we draw near to His heart of compassion.

The Bible says to "draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). We can be anywhere in the world and experience God's comforting closeness. We can live in a nation divided against people of color and still have peace because God can give us a "peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). We can be discriminated against and still have love because God is love and He loves us. We can be hurt and still be healed because God is the Great Physician and He cares about every detail in our lives. We may not have a "safe place" in a physical location of this world to seek refuge but we can feel safe in the arms of Jesus Christ (God's Son) who is the Savior of the world. Our Savior is everywhere for everyone in the world.

The song "Always Be My Home" is about God's forgiveness, grace and mercy. He loves you and no matter how far you've strayed from His Peace and Presence, you can always come home. He's waiting to welcome you back with open arms. Why? Because His Heart is your home and He loves you!

I love it that God's Heart of compassion provides that safe place that we so desperately need and in the midst of these turbulent times, I choose to trust a God who forgives, blesses and restores. I choose to trust His Heart for humanity and know that He is in control. God is still on His throne and He is the ultimate authority. God is fair. He delivers justice that's not blind. He's watching out for His people in this nation and throughout the world. He loves you and wants to offer you peace in the storms of life. Draw near to Him and experience Him drawing near to you.

Remember, there is hope when God is in the picture...and God is always in the picture! I say this to encourage you and to encourage myself. Finally, I ask that if you talk to God and trust Him, please pray for our nation and our people. We need it. 

A Truth to Remember, for Election Day 2016 in the U.S.A.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” ~Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

Earlier this year, it made me so mad when someone told me in the midst of my emotional pain, “I know it hurts but let us fix our eyes on Jesus (Christ).”

I disregarded her advice until tonight when I looked at what I’ve been overlooking for months—a Bible verse that I keep taped onto the screen of my computer. The verse is found in Isaiah 26:3 and it reads, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.”

So, what does that mean?

It means that no matter how much hate and injustice this world hurls at the oppressed, we must focus on Jesus and keep a heavenly perspective because when you look at the bigger picture, you realize that everything we go through on this earth is temporary and will not last forever. Read 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (MSG): “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

It’s so important to believe and remember that Earth is not our home. If you believe in what God’s Holy Bible says about our life and eternity, you know that the troubles of this world are temporary; Jesus WILL return to take His faithful followers home to heaven and He’ll console us for what we went through on Earth (Revelation 21:4) and we’ll spend eternity with Him. It’s going to be beautiful, ya’ll. So hang in there!

Meanwhile, what are we to do while still experiencing life on Earth? Are we just to sweep injustice under the proverbial rug and carry on as if it doesn't matter? No! The Bible doesn’t say to condone or agree with injustice. The Bible says: “This is God’s Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don’t take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering!” ~Jeremiah 22:2-3 (MSG)

God requires ALL of us to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8, KJV). He even advises people who have servants who society would says are beneath them. In Ephesians 6:9, God says, “Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.”

So in the midst of depression, oppression and injustice and all the emotional trauma it causes, I’ve realized that the best way to survive it (in addition to speaking out against it and finding good way to promote peace and harmony) is to as that prayer warrior I know said, “Fix our eyes on Jesus.”

Is it easy? No! 

But, Is it worth it? Yes!

So does fixing our eyes on Jesus mean that we are supposed to accept injustice and tolerate abuse? No! God doesn’t call us to be silent as we fix our eyes on Jesus. He calls us to live peacefully with everyone and renounce injustice! We are to defend the defenseless, be a voice to the voiceless and be a light for Jesus Christ in this world.

Perhaps the best approach to eradicating injustice and healing hearts is found in the words of the great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” We are to love one another like God loves us.

I want to be a light for Jesus Christ and drive out darkness. I want to drive out hate with love. I hope and pray that this blog post touches your heart and that you’ll be inspired to drive out darkness with light; drive out hate with love.

God bless you!

Sincerely,

Alexis

P.S._ Here are two songs by Christian musician Scott Krippayne that aligned with my message to you in this post: “Every Single Tear” and “The Best is Yet to Come.”

Injustice WILL End

Read Romans 12:19 (KJV).

My thoughts

Pain isn’t pretty. Pain isn’t always articulate and to tell a person who’s disenfranchised, marginalized, discriminated against, oppressed and depressed to “properly articulate” their pain in an article or even a blog post is not right because when you’re going through all that, you’re not going to be articulate and it’s not going to be pretty.

~A thought by Alexis A. Goring

More to come on this topic...stay tuned!

A Message from Pastor Charles A. Tapp about racial tensions in America

Bigger than Black and White from Sligo Church on Vimeo.

Seeking God in Times of Need

It's so incredibly important in times like these to remember WHO God is (He is the Great I AM) and HOW He can help us.

God looks upon His children (you, me, ALL of humankind) with compassion and He's very involved with human affairs in this world.

A pastor once said, "When you can't trace God's Hand, trust His Heart." So even when in troubled times, you cannot sense God's presence, it does NOT mean that He's not there or that He doesn't care!

Quite the contrary. The truth of the matter is that HE is HERE, with US and He cares ALL about everything that affects our lives here on Earth.

The Bible says that He will supply ALL our needs and that we are to come BOLDLY before the throne of God to ask for help in our time of need. Read Hebrews 4:16.

So won't you join with me in going to God in prayer, seeking His wisdom and solutions for these tough times concerning race relations in America and the ill treatment of people around the world?

Reasons Why Black People in America may want to "Call in Black"

Be You

                                               "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." 

~Oscar Wilde

The movie Be Somebody truly inspired me.

Growing up, even as a young adult, I've wrestled with caring too much about what other people think of me. I did not want to be labeled with any negative words. You know, in high school in American culture, everyone wants to be the cool kid. Nobody wants to be a nerd. All the students, especially the girls, want to be popular. 

The desire to feel loved and accepted by your peers does not go away in adulthood unless you've worked through those issues and arrive at the point where being popular no longer matters but being you, staying true to who you are, is your focus.

Tonight, after watching the teen movie Be Somebody, I finally arrived at that point and it is liberating!

The heroine in this story was played by actress Sarah Jeffery and her portrayal of small-town art student Emily Lowe was awe-inspiring! There's this one scene where she's walking in the hallways of her high school, after she spends time with the hero (Jordan Jaye, played by Matthew Espinosa) decorating her school with her unique and captivating artwork the previous evening and she owns it. I mean she slays! She walks with confidence but even better, ease. You can tell that she's comfortable being herself. She's mastered the art of being "you." 

It's clear from early on in this movie that Emily, unlike her former best friend, doesn't care about being liked by the popular crowd and being invited to all of the cool parties with the popular kids. She cares about her art and she cares about following her dreams. Honestly, I wish I had the same confidence about being myself when I was her age, it would have made a world of difference in my life.

But all that matters is that now, finally, as a grown adult, I "get it": Be you! Be comfortable in your own skin and don't care about the haters or the negative labels that people use to try to stereotype you or keep you down. Be confident in the skills that God gave you. Pursue your dreams and develop your God-given talents! Move boldly forward into the amazing future that God has for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

You'd be surprised, being yourself is pretty cool! God only made one you! You are unique, valued and loved by the Creator of the Universe. He thinks you're worth dying for (literally, read John 3:16) and He loves you with ALL of His divine heart.

Your Heavenly Father created you and placed you here on this Earth for a reason. Seek Him through prayer and Bible study, ask Him to reveal that reason to you and then soar with it!

All the best to you!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the official trailer for the movie, Be Somebody:

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's a card of appreciation for ALL the MOMs of the WORLD!

God bless your dear hearts.

Happy Valentine's Day, dear hearts!

God loves you!

Read John 3:16