Men 101

Sometimes you just need to be told your good enough!

Sometimes you just need to be told your right!

Sometimes you just need the FACTS....

"If he’s not calling you, it’s because you are not on his mind. If he creates expectations for you, and then doesn’t follow through on little things, he will do same for big things. Be aware of this and realize that he’s okay with disappointing you. Don’t be with someone who doesn’t do what they say they’re going to do. If he’s choosing not to make a simple effort that would put you at ease and bring harmony to a recurring fight, then he doesn’t respect your feelings and needs. “Busy” is another word for “asshole.” “Asshole” is another word for the guy you’re dating. And you deserve a fcking phone call."

the word busy is a load of crap and is most often used by assholes. The word "busy" is the relationship Weapon of Mass Destruction. It seems like a good excuse, but in fact in every silo you uncover, all you're going to find is a man who didn't care enough to call. Remember men are never to busy to get what they want."

If he wants to see you, he will find a way to see you!

If he wants to marry you, he will find a way to marry you!

If he wants to be with you, he will be with you!

"A man who wants to make a relationship work will move mountains to keep the
woman he loves"

"Don’t spend your time on and give your heart to any guy who makes you wonder about anything related to his feelings for you"

"Life is hard enough as it is without choosing someone difficult to share it with"

Cut your losses and don't waste your time . Why stay in some weird dating limbo when you can move on to what will surely be better territory? Don't want to hear it? Fine. Here's the answer you're looking for, "Hang in there, baby. He's not the loser everybody's telling you he is. If you wait and keep your mouth shut and call at exactly the right time and anticipate his moods and have no expectations about communication or your own sexual needs, you can have him!" But please don't be surprised if he dumps you or continues to drag you through a completely unsatisfying relationship.

No matter how powerful and real your feelings may be for someone, if that person cannot fully and honestly return them and therefore actively love you back, these feelings mean nothing.

Being lonely ... being alone ... for many people ... sucks. I get it, I get it, I get it. But still I have to say that yes, my belief is that being with somebody who makes you feel shitty or doesn't honor the person you are is worse.

You deserve to be with someone who is nice to you all the time.

Never make someone your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.

"Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we're told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe... it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is... just... moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope."

Settling

Everyday people are settling, there settling down, some are settling and then some people refuse to settle for anything less than best...Don't settle for anything. What you want in your heart was placed there for a reason. Wait. It will come! And if your settling right now or thinking about settling DON'T. God knows the desires of your heart because he made you and placed those little desires and dreams in there for a reason. If he took out the time to make up your very being and package all of those wonderful little unique things about you from your favorite flavors to your desires I guarantee he finished out the work and worked out all of the details in your life to make those things happen for the good of his will. Your will be done in our lives Lord, not on our time or by our understanding but by YOURS! We will wait...

Half Empty or Half Full

In life I believe we all carry emotional buckets, so to speak. We know that some people in the world are bucket fillers. These are the people who pour into you and encourage you. They leave you feeling better about yourself and life than you did before encountering them. And then there are bucket dippers. These people are often running on empty themselves and deplete others of their strength and energy. Some people just suck you dry. We all go through times when our emotional bucket is running low and we need to be refreshed.

The question today is: Who is filling your emotional bucket?

When you go through those low seasons, it can be tempting to look for fulfillment in material possessions, addictions or from other people. But the truth is nothing or no one can satisfy you and fill you up the way Jesus can. He is the source of all joy, peace, love and contentment. Relationships are good and we need people in our lives, but we can't depend on people to keep us going. Only God can keep us going. Only God can heal our hearts and restore our souls!!! Yes, He will use people in our lives, but if we want to live truly satisfied and happy, we have to know Who our source is and go to The Source when we are in need.

Today, if you've been looking to others to fill you up and keep you happy, if you've been waiting for something to change in your life in order to be content, decide today to be the one who changes. Instead of waiting for a trickle of happiness from the world, get your bucket filled to overflowing from the One who has an unlimited supply. Lift up your eyes to Jesus...the ultimate bucket filler =) He loves you with an everlasting love and is ready to refresh you and pour into your life today.

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again… John 4:14

overflowing buckets of love, contentment, and happiness,

always yours

CLC

Life In The Fast Lane

As I drove home tonight I couldn't help but get stuck behind every slow driver it seemed. Then I thought about how life is like that sometimes. We feel like we are stuck in the slow lane in life straining our necks to find a break in the traffic to go around what's holding us up and get moving on in life. What's the reason to these obstacles? It's hard to recognize when your in it but I think its to teach us something. If we are going through something or stuck in life more than likely its because we are learning from it or going to learn from it.

In the same way, in the natural, it may look impossible for you to get well. The laws of medical science may say, "No way!" But the good news is that Someone is riding with you that can supersede those laws. God's law supersedes the laws of medicine, the laws of science, the laws of finance, the laws of nature! But so often we just consider the natural, what we can see and where we are right now. Sometimes in life, you'll face circumstances when every report, every expert will tell you, "It's never going to work out. It's impossible. You might as well just settle where you are." No, that's when you have to dig your heels in and say, "No way. I have come too far to stop now. I'm not going to consider just what my bank account says. I'm not going to consider just what the medical report says. I'm going to consider what my God says. My business may be slow. The economy may be down. But God says He will prosper me even in the middle of a desert. My bank account may say, 'You're not going to make it.' But God says, 'I'll supply all of your needs.' My checkbook may look like I'll never get out of debt. But God says I will lend and not borrow. The medical report may say, 'Just learn to live with that sickness.' But God says, 'I'm restoring health back unto you.'"

Today, don't just consider your circumstances, consider your God. His ways are higher. His plans are for your good. He supersedes the laws of this natural realm. Call upon Him today. Give Him complete control, and let Him lead you and guide you down the path of victory in every area of your life!

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:9

Past

What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.”

When your brain wants to re-live the past and all the "what if I did this, that or married that one" or when it wants to dream up the future into some crazy perfect life...STOP it there! God gave us THIS day to live. We can't go back in time and get the past back, so leave it behind. And don't think too hard, too much or too long about what your future should look like...because 9 times out of 10 it won't match up and then you'll be frustrated. I've found that it's best to live right now, this minute and enjoy it NOW. Let tomorrow arrive with all of the surprises and challenges it has. Sometimes, thinking less, is BETTER!

Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Not the most uplifting scripture, but it sure is to the point! Ha ha! Here's a good one to end on, I always like to end on the HOPE we have.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Yeah...Im a trip!

I know the way we are viewed by others to a degree is important and we shouldn't live our lives based by what others think but where is the fine line. What is a healthy level of caring what others think of you since the world is so obsessed with telling their opinion of you? I met someone today that my boyfriend knows. When I mentioned it to him he just simply said "yeah she is a trip". Immediately my mind went into over drive in the over analyze department and I wanted to ask what exactly does "she is a trip" mean? I mean if you think about everyone has heard someone say or described

someone else as...

"oh she is a nut"

" he is crazy"

"she is a mess"

Someone again remind me why people are obsessed with labeling people. And why are the good people never labeled? I don't know about you but usually when someone is telling me about someone else and say "yeah she is a mess" doesnt it make you intrigued and you want to know more, you want to know that person and see first hand how much of a mess or how crazy she really is. But when someone says "oh she so sweet" its just generic, not intriguing and your just another nice person in the world. Why is it backwards?

Back to my example. I called my boyfriend after I got off work and it came up in conversation again about me meeting this lady that he had refereed to as " a trip". So I simply asked what do you mean? He said she was the one I was telling you about taking her 18 year old daughter and her boyfriend to a bar. She is also the one that tried to sneak her 16 year old daughters friend into a bar with her. Okay.....So my point. Why is it always people like this are the ones remembered? Usually when someone says "oh they are a mess" or "she is crazy" they normally follow up with someone crazy story about how they were at a party blah blah blah and then the next thing I know Linda Lou is doing hand stands in her underwear or some crap like that. Do you ever wonder what people say about you? I don't know about you but I don't have any crazy stories. I am just a regular ol girl that works hard, gives a 100 percent in life, and just wants to be appreciated by someone. Why aren't normal regular people ever recognized? What's being said about you? I guess you attract the crowd of people that are attracted to you by what others are saying of you.

CLC

Dream On...

Taller, thinner, smarter, funnier, good hair, more money...you name it and I have wished I had it. From Harry Potter to Carrie Bradshaw I have wished I had someone else life or someone else opportunities. Whether it be someone else life, a successful friends position, or even a complete stranger "glamours" life I have wanted it all. I know I am not the only one who suffers from the "I wishes" and "I wants" and "if only's"....I wonder what God thinks when he sees his children thinking "I wish I had a life like so and so". I think he winces every time we say it.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE.

Jeremiah 1:4 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

He knew us before we ever came to be. He invited all of the cool shows or that cool person you are sitting by wishing you were them, don't you think he loved you enough to make you unique and cool all on your own without having to be or act like anyone else? He knows us all individually down to the number of hair's on our heads. If God had a refrigerator YOUR picture would be on it! If he had a wallet YOUR picture would be in it! If he had a desk once again YOUR picture would be on it in the center. He is crazy about you and loves you SO much that he sent his only son to die for us so that we may have a choice to live eternally. LOVE doesn't get much better than that. It’s easy to compare our self to others. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting what other people have. It’s easy to believe that someone else is living a more glamorous life then us. It’s also important to face ourselves; to really face our life. God has a great plan for your life that is tailor made just for you, so don’t face someone else’s plan, face your own. Face in God’s direction and believe in him for your fabulous life.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well!

fearfully and wonderfully made

CLC

Ideas...

Location: That house on 15.th street with all of the rustic shit out in his front yard. Rusty old horse trailer with the "cross" on it, rusty old cars, old wood, old rusty tractors. Green fields beside it, trees, shot gun houses.

Model Outfit: Purple NYC shirt, black tank top, black leather zip crooked jacket, 2 old black rustic belt slung around hips, spiked black rings, lose messy hair, smoky eyes, black or brown zip or slouch knee boots.

Location: Old tool shed with the big tree in front of it beside the pretty house on warrior river road. Old wood shed, glass windows, pastors beside it, steps going into the shed.

Model Outfit: Old faded blue jean over-alls lose fitting rolled up knee high, white men tank underneath, bare footed, minimum make-up, tall blond girl with freckles on her face, long hair, red bandanna,

Location: Old tool shed on White Drive beside Fredrick's pond. Boarded up, glass windows, steps leading to the door.

Model Outfit: Couture strapless dress white/beige, brunette girl teased BIG hair, black jewelry, black rocker belt wrapped around waist of couture dress, black see through net hose with rips in the knees, funky kick ass black boots, umbrella, purse

Picture This...

As I sat on my toilet after showering today and cried/wept/pleaded with God for answers and direction in my life I realized that I needed to do something NOW. I may not get answers or the direction I am looking for today, tomorrow, or within a month but today I have to give my 100 percent and try to see where it takes me. So with that said I feel led to try photography. Its weird. I don't even know why or how I thought of it but before I knew it it was something I had been planning out in my mind for hours. How do I start? What camera do I use? Who will I practice shooting? Where will I get the money for a nice camera? AND then the biggest question of them all...WHAT DO I REALLY KNOW ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

Then the list came of why I shouldn't do this...

I don't have experience.

I never went to school for photography.

I don't have a portfolio.

You cant make a living off of being a photographer.

Who would hire me for something like that around here.

Where exactly would it take me.

The reasons why I believe I can do photography...

I have an eye for it.

I have the ideas.

I have the creativity behind it.

I am always taking pictures.

I drive by so many things through out the day and think wow that would be a cool picture with so and so standing in front of it or this or that.

Even as a little kid I have always loved looking at pictures.

I scrap book. Not because I have been a lot of wonderful places but because I appreciate photography.

Anytime I go out with someone..friends or boyfriend I am always the one to think oh we need a picture of this.

If I go out of town I always take a lot of pictures and try to capture my surroundings behind the lens.

I guess like the cliche saying goes " a picture is worth a thousand words" meaning that the idea that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. A picture tells a story just as well as a large amount of descriptive text. After all beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not everyone looks at everything and sees the same. Maybe this is where the Lord is leading me. Maybe I dreamed it all up. We will see..

the girl behind the lens

CLC

I Must Not Tell Lies

Somewhere I was lied to. I lied to myself for years. My lie was in perfection. I wanted to be liked and talked well of. I wanted to avoid embarrassment and teasing from others. I thought that I could be grand by being number one, because we all like winners, right? I remember not wanting to do certain activities because if I thought I wasn’t going to be good at it, then why bother, why put myself though the embarrassment. I thought that if I was number one, the cool one, the talented one, the level-headed make good decisions one, then people would like me, and if people liked me, then I would feel accepted and all would be right in the world…or in my world anyhow.

Lies, lies, and more lies. It didn’t matter how I programmed my mind for this lie, because it already built a home in my head. Once the lie was in my head, it showed itself it my behavior. That is why knowing who you are in God and having a healthy positive thought life is so important…your thoughts will show up in your behavior.

I had to let the perfection go. My number one attitude that I thought would lead to popularity was an illusion. I was alone. I found myself not getting close to people because I thought that if they knew me- the real me, the flawed imperfection me, they wouldn’t like me. I was chasing the quick encounters that seemed so put together and pretty on the surface. Seeing and meeting people for short moments leave you looking pretty, but if they stick around they might catch a glimpse of normalness and not be impressed anymore. I wanted strong healthy relationships so badly. I wanted to have people close to me and like me for who I am, not because I was this or that. But my desire for strong healthy relationships can never be reality until I let fear go.

It’s okay to just be yourself. It’s okay to have flaws and make mistakes, as long as you are doing your best to be your best you. God made us and loves us just as we are. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why must we compare or compete with others? Life is meant to be enjoyed. If I am accepting of myself the way God is accepting of me, then I know that I don’t have to chase anyone’s approval. It has to come from a real place of love and acceptance; not this fakeness we see on reality shows were everyone runs around screaming how fabulous they are while making fools out-of-themselves for a little fame and some money.

When you realize how much God loves you, that real love comes with such confidence, that you don’t need to prove your fabulous by mentioning it to anyone in shouting distance.

Let the one (God) love you into acceptance; don’t chase it. Let yourself be the one who is kind and accepting and not putting pressure on yourself to be someone you’re not for admiration. If my healthy strong relationship starts with me and God, then I will attract the one that will love me and adore me for just being me. I think I was alone while chasing perfection which in return I thought would bring me love, is because people are smart, and deep down they could smell the fakeness. I think I was alone because when you chase something so hard, you’re not trusting and whatever you want won’t show up until you know you can be fine without it.

No illusions, no fakeness, no competing, no comparing, and no complaining. Remember that we are so important to God and that he even went to the trouble of making everyone’s fingers have unique fingerprints that no one else will ever have. The details that God has done to make each one of us special is amazing. Be kind and accepting of yourself the way God is. Remember how many of you are in the world…..only one.

HI

I cant tell you how many days Ive had where I want to just pull the covers over my head and stay in bed. A lot of times those days we have are tests I think. Test so see how we react to people, situations, and choices. One thing I have learned over the past few years is that working in costumer service everyday is HARD! There a lot of days I just have to smile and bare it so to say. On the inside I'm dying....dying for answers in my life, dying for a hug, dying to hear something positive, dying to have someone say something nice and make my day. We never fully know what our neighbor is facing or what's going on in their life. In a way we just assume everyone else has it together and we are the only one's struggling in life or having a bad day. That same person we are trying to smile at and act like we have it together could very well be battling something of their own. So next time your having a bad day or just not in the mood to be friendly think twice. That person that just walked by could have been given bad news today, lost a loved one, or released from their job. You never know what a few words with a smile can do.

Be kinder than necessary, everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!

big smiles,

CLC

Whats NEXT...

I’ve known people who jump from relationship to relationship. I’ve seen celebrities divorce and before the ink on the divorce papers dry, they’re already engaged to someone else. Is this healthy? Is it so challenging to be single for longer than five minutes? If you don’t take time to learn who you are, then how can you attract the right person into your life? There seems to be this rush, a surge of urgency to find someone to love or to be loved by; when that one person isn’t floating your boat anymore why do we scream, NEXT!?!?!

I’ve noticed that so many people never really grasp how loved they are. People seem to get value from how much money they make, how much stuff they have, how many friends are in their contacts, or what their job title is. Even though God wants you and I to live in abundance and enjoy nice things, remember that God does not want you to rely on material things to make you happy or to determine your worth. People break up, things fade, brake, get old, and become out dated. Real love is more valuable than material objects or fleshly needs.

We all want love. I’ve learned that the best love, the most stable dependable love ever found is the love that God has for me. God loves each one of us so much. There are so many scriptures that talk about God’s love for us. If you are breathing, then you have purpose. Turn to God for your love and worth. The next time you find yourself single, turn to God for sending you the right mate. The next time you feel alone, don’t feel the need to turn to a relationship for validation. I heard this wise lady explain how you should not spend your time looking for that right person to be in a relationship with; instead, you should be spending your time working on yourself so that you can become the right person to be in a relationship with. This is priceless information. If you work on yourself (and obviously I’m going to recommend working on yourself with God’s help) you will learn what you need, want and require in order to be in a healthy relationship; Take the time to discover who has those qualities instead of kissing a bunch of toads. Just think of all the heart aches you could have saved by taking your time.

Don’t spend your time looking for the next job, the next car, the next relationship, the next anything to make you happy. Be happy with who God made you to be. It’s good to have goals and dreams; God wants to give you the desires of your heart. But while you dream, remember its God you trust with your dreams. You are enough in this moment, even while you wait for those dreams to come, and when you see others reach their dreams before you. Develop the best you, because you never know what amazing thing will show up next.

Circles

i feel like life is nothing but a big cycle right now and my number one goal is to break this cycle. there is this desire for me to go sit at the airport pretending like i have somewhere to go. to feel like i know my destination and that in a matter of hours i will reach it. just to sit and watch the people traveling, sipping starbucks and moving along in life. that's how i feel now. im stuck at a terminal and dont know where i am going and everyone around me is "catching their flights" making connections and moving along in life. i feel like i have been sedetary for too long. in my mind all i can think of is what i could be doing. something needs to change. im not saying i am completely unhappy..im just unsettled.

Joel Osteen's Daily Devotion:

Not long ago, we were at the airport traveling for an event and needed to make a connecting flight. We didn't have much time, so we were rushing through the terminal trying to dodge all the people with a smile on our faces so we could make our connection. You probably already know that there's nothing fun at all about missing a flight, and my heart was racing as we hurried to our gate. Well, we finally arrived not knowing what to expect, and lo and behold, our plane had been delayed. There we were with all the other passengers just sitting at the gate. I was so relieved we didn't miss our flight that I just took a deep breath and let my bags fall to the floor. In that moment, I thought about the scripture that says, "Come to Me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." I could just hear Jesus saying to us all, "Come over here, take a deep breath and set your bags down. Just let them go and exhale! Find rest in Me."

If you've been rushing through life anxious and worried that you are going to miss something, frustrated because there are obstacles in your way, and tired because you've been carrying a heavy load, today the Father invites you to set your bags down and rest. He wants to refresh and revive you. He wants to renew your strength like the eagle and restore your soul. He's not anxious about your future. He's going to make sure that you are in the right place at the right time. He's not going to let you miss His wonderful plan when you submit your ways to Him. Today, take a deep breath, let go of your burdens, and enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV).