The Queen's Journey

(John 11:25-26)... "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?'" Yes, Lord, Yes!  I believe!  My daddy lived and believed in You, so You're telling me he's ALIVE! If you believe in the supernatural, then you can believe with me that daddy is still alive.  If you believe in the Bible being a history book of eye witness accounts, then you can believe with me that Jesus arose from the grave.  If He arose from the grave, and you believe in the supernatural, you can believe that Jesus is alive; just like daddy!  AMEN & AMEN! O, death, where is thy sting?  The grave cannot hold those who die in Christ for they shall live! Live and Believe in Jesus Christ, and live FOREVER!

As children of God, instead of shutting down streets and bridges with divisive and angry protests, use those voices, energies, and emotions in organizing prayer vigils?  Gather together in front of the police stations across this country and pray.  Gather around our youth and pray.  Go into the neighborhoods and pray.  Physically encircle the people who are angry...and pray.  There is more POWER in venting anger through prayer. Is prayer not more powerful than anger?  Is prayer not more powerful than screaming and yelling?  Screaming and yelling begets anger, does it not?  Does this form of protest accomplish anything positive?  The more powerful and effective answer to anger is kindness, gentleness, and love.  And, are these not "fruit" of the Spirit?  If we are children of God, and are to grow in maturity, then the fruit of the Spirit is our guideline.  And, nowhere in the Fruit of the Spirit is listed dissension and divisiveness.... (Galatians 5:22-23) "But

God is God.  God is Father.  And, Jesus is Jesus.  Jesus is Son. God does not get us to heaven.  Only through His Son, Jesus Christ, can we get to heaven. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  (Acts 4:12) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"   (John 14:6) ********************************************************************************* In the passage found in ACTS 10, we find a Roman centurion named Cornelius who was "devout and God-fearing; giving generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly". (Acts 10:2) In the passage found in ACTS 16:11-15, we find Lydia, a business woman, who "was a worshiper of God".  (Acts 16:14) In both of these examples, Cornelius and Lydia believed in God and followed the moral and ethical teachings of scripture.  They were Go

The hope of this nation is not in gun control or building a wall or protests or the police.  It is not in our government or politicians or in our programs or in people.  The hope of this nation, and for this world, is in Christ Jesus.  If I had to build my foundation and security on the hope that people will do right and make the right choices, then my hope is built on sinking sand.  And, what kind of hope is that?  It is nothing.  So then, where does that leave me as far as feeling secure and protected.  It leaves me with a lost hope, that's where. As humans, it is innate in us to hope.  It is what propels us to live.  Hope gives us the foundation to live fearlessly.  If a person has no hope, then why even try?   And, how many times do people take their lives because they have "lost hope"?  We need hope to live. But, hope based on the ever-changing voices of this world will eventually lead to chaos because trust is lost and no one knows what to believe.  Humans nee

My soul is overwhelmingly burdened by the escalated killings in our country.  I must speak.... Hate has been with us since the beginning of time.  Hate will never go away and will only increase. Love has been with us since the beginning of time.  Unfortunately, there will be a waning of love. (Matthew 24:12)  Why?  Because we live in a fallen world.   The Bible tells us that the devil goes to and fro like a roaring lion, looking for whom he may devour . (1 Peter 5:8)  He is certainly doing that through instilling hatred into the hearts of mankind.   The Bible also tells us that there will be wars and rumors of war. (Matthew 24:6)   We are seeing this increase all over the world.  And, now, moving rapidly into our own country, the United States of America.  Sadly, this is our new normal.   BUT... there is hope.  Yes, hope!  That hope is through Jesus Christ.  He is our ONLY hope.  Death will come.  It is inevitable.  We cannot stop the hatred that is ramping up in our world.  I

FLIP FLOP to the WORLD www.facebook.com/FLIPFLOPtotheWorld VOLUNTEERISM: Give... so that others can Live! ♥ $1.00.  That's all.  $1.00!  And, we can give Hope, Love, and Encouragement to the poor and orphans throughout the world through $1.00 flip flops; at the same time, helping to protect their feet from infections.   We don't have to give an arm and a leg in order to make a difference.  Give from your HEART .  Give with integrity.  Give in genuine love.  Just give what you can.  That may only be a SMILE....but a smile can save a life. ♥  It may only be PRAYER.....but prayer can save a soul. ♥  It may only be $1.00....but that $1.00 dollar can buy a pair of flip flops and give hope to a people who struggle to find it. What is YOUR Give? In Love, Live and Give!, ~ SPRUCE ~ To donate to Flip Flop to the World 1.  PayPal account:  flipfloptotheworld@gmail.com 2.  Mail:   Spruce Dickerson Enterprises P. O. Box 17292 Austin,

Re-Route?   But, doesn't this indicate failure?   Doesn't this say "you couldn't do it"?   So what if it does?  Re-routing is okay.  Failing is okay.  Embrace failing.  Not being able to do something is okay.  It is through failings we understand we aren't perfect; that we do make wrong decisions and mistakes.  And, wrong decisions leads us to right decisions.  Wrong decisions leads us to where we need to go and where we need to be.  I'm thankful for failing....because it takes me to a deeper search for understanding.  It causes me to ponder "why" did I fail in my decision, or in my quest.  And, when we go deeper, we grow wiser, stronger and in character. Also, some things are meant for some people, and some things are not.  The process of your life's journey is to find out what works for YOU, not to follow the "fad" or "what's cool" or even what someone else says you should do.  Search YOU, and find out what w

 Congratulations to Mirella Paz on becoming an official  MISS UNIVERSE Peru 2016 contestant! AND....she's plus size !! Making strides!!! What are YOUR thoughts on this, though?   Should pageants be segregated by size?   What if the shoe were on the opposite foot?  Would thin contestants be welcomed in a plus size pageant? What does the criteria for competing look like with this? If plus size is going to be allowed, should there be a weight/size limit?   If women are "all equal", then how can there be a limit on weight/size? How does one judge a thin contestant against a full figured contestant? Weigh in below in the comment section.  I'm curious as to what your thoughts are. #loveWHOyouareWHEREyouare but #workonbeinghealthy #beautyisforall #missuniverseperu

Just finished watching Mirror Mirror with Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, and Armie Hammer.  So good. Snow White reminds us that LOVE is the key to the kingdom.  Love triumphs over evil and breaks all spells. ♥   It should never be about ourselves, but always about others.     Just take into consideration that if others would think about you, and help you, then you'll be taken care of.  And, vice versa.  If we all went around only thinking about our own needs and how we can satisfy "self", how empty we would all be.  Think about that for a minute.  None of us are an island unto ourselves.  We were created for each other.  No, not dependent on each other, but inter-dependent.  We alone, can't satisfy all our needs.  Reflect on how richer your life is when there are others participating in it.  And, that's what happens when you give your love to others, as well. Love is the key..... ♥ #LoveLiveandGive #itsamatteroftheHeart #love XX! SPRUCE

Fun-loving Faith transforms into Superhero Zephyr! Making strides!!!  Valiant Comics publishes the FIRST .... PLUS SIZE female Superhero comic book !!  However, not so sure about her superhero costume.  That could be worked on. LOL  But, this is a remarkable first step. And, the one thing I am appreciative of about this.... is that the character isn't the "market" plus-size.  This superhero is depicting a plus-size woman who often gets forgotten about...the larger full figured woman.  So, thank you Valiant Comics and Jody Houser.  Thank you for recognizing and incorporating a community within a community.  Yes, it is difficult to represent every shape and size, but I believe you are spot on with this representation, which does speak for the larger community of women who are just as important as our smaller counterpart. Within the world of womanhood, whether it's fashion, pageantry, beauty, business, motherhood, etc., it's not about "size"; it&#

ONE MONTH REPORT One month of working out with a personal trainer and I can tell you this is one of the best decisions I've made.  There are no huge significant changes, but I do feel better.  My knees don't hurt like they used to and that's a big plus.  Inches have been dropped, but no loss of weight, yet.  But, the weight shouldn't be a governing tool.  Losing inches is a better indicator of improvement.   Change isn't going to happen over night.  It took awhile to get to this point, and it will take awhile to return.  The important thing is to just take one step at a time, one day at a time.  Stay the course and the results will follow.     Make it a lifestyle change!   Be determined!!   Decide today to CHOOSE, and take control! Your decisions today will change your tomorrow.    YOU can do it, too!!! XX! Spruce

It happens.   You are standing there in the spotlight.   Grasping tightly the hand of the other girl.   Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for the emcee to puh-lease announce the first runner up.   Because you know…if your name is not announced, then YOU are the newly crowned queen of the pageant!   Then, it happens.   You hear YOUR name.   Sudden disappointment engulfs your whole being.   From the follicle of the hairs on your head to the tips of your beautifully sculptured toenails.   “Nooooooo!  My name was not to be called!” you scream silently in your head.   All the work you’ve done.   All the time you’ve put in.   All the emotion spent getting to that moment on stage….and it wasn’t meant to be.    Well, I have wonderful news for you, my sister –  all is not lost! Actually, NOTHING at all was lost, but a whole lot gained.  Take a look at the journey you traveled getting to that point.  Look at the growth in many areas of your life that you went through.  There are a few pe

Don't ever, ever, ever quit!  Every day is a new day and a new beginning.  Always remain open for the in-pouring of renewal.  Always search, seek, and be ready for the moment "IT" hits! Follow your instinct.  When it's right, you will know it!  You will know it with every fiber of your being.  Listen to yourself.  Receive guidance and counsel from others, but YOU make the decisions for your own life.  Don't be swayed.  Listen to YOU!  You know what is right for you.  Stay the course, and..... DON'T EVER QUIT!

How would you feel, if..... in front of millions of people your newly crowned self was dethroned?  What would you do?  How would you feel? Well, it happened to Miss Columbia 2015 in the Miss Universe pageant.  And, in her own words she says, " It has been very hard for me, truly, it has been a great shock. Because it is a dream I fought for...I have always dreamed of this, of being Miss Universe...It was very humiliating for me,".   Miss Columbia went on to comment that s he believes production should have done something better than stripping her of the crown on stage and in the face of the entire world.    "They could have done it...the next day in a press release or a press conference," she said. What do you think about this? My thought?   This major faux pas is the best thing to happen to Miss Columbia.  Don't you know she will be getting more media coverage and opportunities now, than if she had been crowned Miss Universe?  She has made histor