Imagine Me

Whilst I was a sinful soul
You saved my soul and made me whole
I sinned and turned my back on you
Turned away from your shade and grace


But Lord you kept on calling me
To my heart you made that plea
Spoke to my heart, now I understand
I am saved, yes by your gift of grace


Amen


I just had a family meeting with my parents yesterday, and though it was nothing too serious, my father talked about retiring and moving away from the country! I spent so much time hating him for his woes, that the important things in life have been overlooked. He is not without blame but I turned my back on him (and Him). 


On my way back home, I reflected on our meeting, and broke down as soon as I heard from Kirk Franklin's Hero album, 'Imagine Me'! This was because I was and am so thankful that God did not abandon me even though I had abandoned Him over the years. I could have been homeless, or depressed, which could have lead to more serious mishaps if He did not speak to my heart and save me by His grace.


I'll leave you with Imagine Me, and hope you realise that Jesus will do more in your life if you trust in Him. He is the only way.

"Imagine Me"

Imagine me

Loving what I see when the mirror looks at me cause I

I imagine me

In a place of no insecurities

And I'm finally happy cause

I imagine me

Letting go of all of the ones who hurt me

Cause they never did deserve me

Can you imagine me?

Saying no to thoughts that try to control me

Remembering all you told me

Lord, can you imagine me?

Over what my mama said

And healed from what my daddy did

And I wanna live and not read that page again

[Chorus:]

Imagine me, being free, trusting you totally finally I can...

Imagine me

I admit it was hard to see

You being in love with someone like me

But finally I can...

Imagine me

Being strong

And not letting people break me down

You won't get that joy this time around

Can you imagine me?

In a world (in a world) where nobody has to live afraid

Because of your love fears gone away

Can you imagine me?

[Bridge:]

Letting go of my past

And glad I have another chance

And my heart will dance

'Cause I don't have to read that page again

[Chorus x2]

[Vamp:]

Gone, gone, it's gone, all gone

Pastor Barmy Jones

I wonder why the media is making such a big deal about the insane pastor that is planning to burn copies of the Koran in two days time! No doubt their aim is to ignite the people of America’s fury and give extra negative vivacity to their hatred of all things and people non-American, in this case Muslims. Why else would they constantly draw attention to the nonentity that is Pastor Terry Jones? Forgive my impudence, but as far as I am concerned, burning the Koran is not a very Christian thing to do, then again slavery is not, but that did not stop ‘them’ from forcefully taking people from their lands to involuntarily strengthen the Western world through slave labour! But that's a story for another occasion.

Pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Center, plans to put copies of the Koran in a bonfire to mark this week's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The top US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, the White House and Nato have expressed concern over the plan. BBC news website states that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that "any type of activity that puts [American] troops in harm's way would be a concern to [the Obama] administration".

The Dove World Outreach Center may only represent a handful of people, but its incendiary plans haven't emerged out of nowhere. This is not the first time the pastor, 58, has attracted attention for anti-Islam behaviour. Jones was expelled from a previous church in Germany for Islamophobic behaviour and creating a 'climate of control and fear'. It is obvious that there is a trend of Pastor Jones inciting hatred. According to Andrew Schafer, an official responsible for monitoring churches in the region of Cologne, Terry Jones appears to have a delusional personality. My surprise is that this delusional psycho has successfully deceived and garnered a congregation that will assist him with his 'INTERNATIONAL Burn a Koran day'. Let's hope this lunacy stays within the shores of America and does not go international! 


I really would like to know what this 'pastor' is trying to achieve. Even if his intention is to convert Muslims to Christ [allow me to speculate please], surely this is not the way to do it. This will definitely increase extremists fury, and cause more harm than good!

Ponder on this

Here is a quiz I have nicked borrowed from a blog, Lucie's Smiles. It is so true, so I thought I would share:


Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
Name the last half-dozen Academy Award winners for best actor or actress.


How did you do?


The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:


Name five family members who have helped you through difficult times.
Name five friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.


This was an important lesson I learnt during my two year hiatus. I found myself hating the wealthy but parsimonious members of my family who had all the money and titles in the world, but hearts and compassion of stones. I despised them because in my time of need, they were nowhere to be found. Actually, they were right in front of me but their help was not. They were presently absent and visibly invisible! 


I decided not to focus on the people who came under the first set of quiz questions, but under the second, because those truly were and are the ones who cared and still care for me. It is only God who is lifting the clouds and helping me to focus on the important things in life.


I'll leave you with two quotes:


"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." 
Unknown Author (please let me know the author if you know)


"I get by with a little help from my friends." - John Lennon