The Picture of Dorian Gray

What do you do when your family is under attack by an unseen enemy? How do you handle a situation that looks hopeless? In my life, I've tried to pretend like a problem doesn't exist or simply sobbing in my sorrow. No good results came out of that. The problems persisted and my eyes grew weary. I gazed from afar as everything I knew about family crumbled before my eyes. All of a sudden, things were different. All of a sudden, different realities that I didn't even know existed exposed themselves.Nobody likes to see there family torn apart., but it seems more and more prevalent and accepted as time goes on. What's the problem here? When you love somebody, you look out for their best interest. You consider them better than yourself. That's the issue. We live in a "Me, I, and My" society where other people's interests, dreams, and desires are...irrelevant. Family has been shoved to the bottom of the totem pole right next to God. Different aspects of the equation for a fruitful life are being deleted daily.

I have found in myself the desire to simply do it differently. Life, that is. I guess my biggest fear is knowing too much about the latest Jersey Shore episode, but knowing virtually nothing about my next door neighbor. I get distressed at the thought becoming a Sybil Vane falling for a Dorian Gray instead of making a close friend a homemade birthday gift. I run away from the status quo and think about a life somewhere else. Somewhere simple. A place where I'm not swarmed by fraternities and sororities, consumerism, college pageants, Gucci Mane concerts, The Game, lace fronts, football, name brands, drugs for the impressionable, sex, wannabe rude boys and video vixens.....it goes on. Somewhere simple, away from the fluff. The self-portraits of the world are horrendous, according to my own implications. People prance around looking young, eerily beautiful, and virtually flawless, but the self-portrait in their room takes on the burden of their corruption, growing older and uglier day by day. So many Dorian Grays. It will be the death of us to throw our age and wickedness on our paintings. It will literally kill us.

God is my only escape from these things. I feel that if I were to let go of God's word...I wouldn't make it. I would either succumb to the sameness/lameness of the world around me or get lost in some strange land in between. I want to find out what it means to be living. I do this daily. Pray steadfastly...don't stop. Do not be moved. Do not be shaken. You HAVE to believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do despite what your situations look like and despite what everyone around says.Who will survive in America? Who will survive in this world? Find your escape from the sameness/lameness of the world, of America, of your school. Back away from the television. Back away from dumb people...I'm not feeling the euphemisms today. "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20 It's a sweet feeling to have a purpose for living. I've decided that if I ever get married and have a family, we will live and not die, but we will die in order to live. Amen.

Thought provoking movie that personifies the thought process of today.
"The Picture of Dorian Gray"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eAQWllCHHU

Peace and much love to you.

Sincerely,

Bri

#Justathought

What if the majority of people in the world were as passionate about Jesus as they are about sports?

There's a good chance the world would be super DUPER different. Just imagine it: Ben Hill Griffin stadium filled with people worshiping God with the same amount of zeal we see at the games! Or maybe the same fervor we see at the World Cup! A good thing can easily become a god thing. Play the game. Enjoy the game. Keep God ABOVE the game!

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs"
Jonah 2:8

There's an interesting concept about the idols in America that I'd never really thought about until hearing this clip (please excuse the super obnoxiously long intro!). Idol-free is the way to be!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rp-QcVEUhU

Peace and much love to you!

Sincerely,
Bri

My Crazy Heart

I want that kiss of life that electrifies my soul. God says, "Wait my child. Pray for peace and self-control." Antsy and anxious, I'm rebuked in my spirit. A fiery love swells up my heart. My mind, I have to clear it. When I think about it, it becomes hard to breath as my chest pumps with passion. The tiny heart whispers sweet nothings to my mind, deceitful in its fashion. The light sleeper that is love tosses and turns in her sleep. The travail she brings about causes my huge baby eyes to weep. My bitterness, you'll never know. My joy, you won't understand. I finally stopped moving, sat still and asked God "What's the plan?" Immature and child-like, my love's been put to rest. However, I can't even lie, I'm so excited for God's best!

A few words from my crazy heart.

So glad to have found my one true love.
Happily taken!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqy3LljAdA4

Peace & Love to you.
Sincerely,
Bri

p.s.- I love my vegetables now! I'll elaborate later! ;-)

So you say you love God...

"I'm thinking golly, God guard me from the ungodly!"

Wow...this has been on my heart for a while now. After coming to the realization that if I say I genuinely LOVE God then I have to hate what he hates, I started to make an assessment of just what that was.
Let's begin (I'll put it in practical terms):
You say you love God YET you
Chart in dangerous territory in terms of sexuality. Fondling, rubbing, caressing, touching; in essence, you play with fire.
Watch television shows and movies that contradict everything that God is.
Listen to music whose message contradicts everything that God is.
Hold grudges against people.
Talk about people.
In an ungodly relationship.

And the list could go ON and ON. As Christians we are called to hate iniquity. "I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate, they will not cling to me." Psalm 101:3 When I sit and REALLY think about the magnitude of hating sin, it goes so deep. All the movies that I, at one point, really enjoyed were ones that had cute love stories and casual sex. Think about how the world portrays sex. They make it seem as though things like this are okay. Guy meets girl. Guy likes girl. Guy takes girl out. Guy gets lucky. They fall in "love." The end. Here's a few movies and shows that may not follow this story line exactly, but fall somewhere in this category of premarital sex or just awful in general.
Brown Sugar, The Notebook, Love and Basketball, Something New, Superbad, Knocked Up, The Hangover, Bad Girls Club, Jersey Shore, The Real World. And the list goes on. Have you ever laughed at something God hates? Laughed at something Christ died on the cross to forgive you of? I won't ramble on about this stuff, but my point is if you say you love God, but hardly hate sin (which is of Satan) then you may want to reassess your so-called "love" for him. Either God is Lord of ALL or nothing at all! The end. If you say you love him, but still flirt with sin, you don't love him. The end. If you aren't disgusted by the trash that the world spews out, you don't love him. Dancing with the devil while walking with God isn't possible, just throwing that out there. Don't get me wrong, I have definitely been in the position where I talked a lot but my actions were saying otherwise, but I've come to a place in my relationship with God where I DETEST wickedness. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 said it best about the godlessness in the last days.
"Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people."
Turn on Mtv or BET and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. I'm done for now. The question I'm posing right now isn't how much do you love God, it's how much do you HATE Satan? It's not enough to just say you love Him. You say you know God, but what's important is does God know YOU? Love you guys.

A God sent man with a powerful message: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYsClDclvf0

Peace & Love to you.
Sincerely, Bri

I am Addicted to You: My addiction

"It started off with a kiss.
Never expecting this.
And now I'm here coping with, my addiction."

Not sure if you are familiar with that song, but I remember when I first heard it, it clicked with me immediately. I thought it was just crazy how ONE touch, ONE kiss, ONE view can strike up such an infatuation. When I was 16, I handed my innocence over to somebody that I was on the verge of being dangerously in love with. I was already to the disturbingly in love stage, and PRAISE GOD I didn't make it to the next level. But when I got just a small taste of what this person was like, a simple kiss, I could not get enough. I was allergic to God and addicted to him and the lust that accompanied him. ADIDAS could have been my theme song. How many people face addictions everyday, but don't tell anybody? I remember when I was in middle school, I had a crush on one of my guy friends and I wrote his name on the mirror when I got out the shower. When my brother took a shower, the name reappeared and my brother asked me "Who is Barry?" A hot aggravation shot down the back of my neck and I said I didn't know what he was talking about. I was so embarrassed that he found my secret out. This may be the same case with people who have addictions. For me, my exposure to sexual immorality first happened when I was only FIVE years old! From age five up until recently, I have never had a pure mind. Never. So, to put it plainly, conquering lust and sexual impurity has not been easy. I am coming out and talking about this because I am sure there are countless people that have or are currently dealing with problems with watching pornography, fornication, or just sexually immoral acts against oneself, just as I have! Not many people think about girls having problems with things of that nature. Girls are human with fleshly desires too. It takes a lot to come out and talk about stuff like this, but hey, there is no shame in my game because I represent Jesus' name! I have given so many discounts to guys, that I am fed up. I have vowed not to give away my kisses freely. My body is God's property, so NO man can touch what doesn't belong to him  until God gives it to him. My body is God's temple and I'm keeping it locked 'til I get that rock. This is something serious man! I want the FULL experience when I get married. I want my last first kiss and I want the best sex of my life to be with the man that God has prepared for me. God created sex and the world has perverted it. I want it in its purest form. There are plenty of men putting in applications to this Ivy League school (me lol) but the competition is fierce and not just any ol body can get accepted! I'm a fee-male. I'm going to COST you something! Dr. Lindsay Marsh gave an example of virtuous women being like cars. The Rolls Royce is the only car that you cannot test drive. Either you buy it or you admire it. Daughters of the most high=The Rolls Royce. Think about it! We're top notch baby!
 If this was too real for you, um...I don't know what to tell you other than don't read my blogs! lol I don't sugar coat stuff. It is what it is. If you are in bondage to an addiction in your life man, go talk to somebody that you trust! TELL somebody so that they can pray with you and for you! Mine was lust and praise God for deliverance! Conquer your addiction, whether it be sex, money, food, whatever! I'm proud to say I am addicted to Jesus now! A person is a slave to whatever conquers them. Who's your master?

Sincerely, Bri
Peace and Love to you!