I was raised on fried chicken, cornbread, biscuits, green beans, squash, turnip greens, cabbage, corn on the cob and banana pudding!  I like my tea sweet and it ain’t sweet tea if it doesn’t have ice and lots of it!  I spent part of my time growing up on the “Mill Hill” in Williamston and the other part out roaming the countryside of a community called Cheddar!  My friends were a mixture of kids my age and a bunch of senior adults who I loved to make laugh!

I like dogs, horses, chickens, cows, pigs and goats.  I still love growing tomatoes just like my Grandpa showed me!  My second home is my truck and believe that a home is not a house but the family and friends that come and go from it!  My favorite clothes are jeans, t-shirt and a good pair of boots.  I’m not crazy, but I’ve been accused of it!

I know how to have a good time and almost always do!  I love get togethers in the back yard and think it’s hard to beat a homemade churn of ice cream or an ice-cold watermelon!  This is just a little bit of who I am, but I had it on my mind and thought you might enjoy a piece of my mind!  I don’t have much to spare, but my Momma taught me to share – so enjoy!

I walk into the local hospital to visit one of my sick church members and as I walk into the lobby filled with people, one of the ladies behind the welcome desk shouts:  “I still have your pants in my car, what do you want me to do with them?”  I honestly in that moment was speechless.  I looked down and I had my pants on.  Everyone else was looking at me and then looking back at her and waiting for someone to say something.  Everyone was wondering what is this lady doing with the preacher’s pants in her car?  Then the other lady behind the counter said:  “I don’t think that came out right!”

The lady with my pants turned about fourteen shades of red and we all had a big laugh!  She did have my pants, but of course there is more to the story.  A few weeks ago, her son was graduating and the school was requiring them to wear dark dress pants and the family had already gone out and purchased him brand new dress khakis.  She and I are friends on Facebook and she was venting her frustrations and I suggested that we might have some pants that would work at Grace Place.

I carried her several pair for him to try on, and she was simply returning what he was not going to use.  Just another reminder that ministry can be a lot of fun, if you will let it be.

By the way, just in case you here any rumors – they are true!  There is still a red-headed lady driving around Greer with my pants in her car!  If you see her, tell her Pastor MJ said hello!  G3!

Do you ever have one of those day where you just get to feeling sorry for yourself?  You know – several things have not gone your way and several other things seem to be working against you?  You start thinking:  “Life Just Isn’t Fair!”  And you know – you are right:  “Life Isn’t Fair!”  If life were fair, we would be in a bigger mess than we often find ourselves.  We don’t deserve anything, but God in His grace has offered us everything and then some!

You are going through something and you just don’t know how you are going to make it.  Have you ever stopped to think – there are millions of people on this earth that are going through something just as bad and many going through something a whole lot worse?  Our problem is we often get stuck in complaining about our circumstances and do little to nothing to change them.  Stop complaining and do what you can!  Circumstances happen to everyone!  Stop complaining and start doing something about it!

If life is going to change, then you are going to have to change.  You can’t keep thinking and doing what you have always done and expect different results.  Determination and belief are powerful allies in helping you to overcome the personal behavior that often sabotages even your best efforts.  Stop being negative and start looking for, pulling into and hanging around positive people.  Life on this earth is too short to keep playing around and being miserable.

The more of your time and energy you spend dwelling on the things you don’t like and can’t do, the less time you will have to enjoy the things you do like and you can do!  Life presents you with choices and it’s what you do with these choices that determine the quality of the life you will live!

God created you to be happy and fulfilled, so don’t let the enemy steal what your Creator has given you!  John 10:10 says “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly!”  Life is hard and life is tough, but you were created to face it, overcome it and become stronger and better for the effort.  I know it’s tough, some days I have to pray extra hard for the faith just to make it through, and then as God provides that faith, I do make it through and I discover that I am much better for it!

Hang in there and remember you are not alone!  You have a Creator, who is walking with you every step of the way.  And you have a friend, who is right here praying for you and willing to help you in any way that I can.  I hope this helps, encourages and gives you victory today!  God Bless And Give God Glory!