For All My Queen Bey’s

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to see Beyonce live in concert in Atlantic City. My wonderful best friend surprised me with tickets as a late birthday present, so we made it into a short family vacation (Jen, my bff, her parents and another high school friend).

This entire experience is something I knew I had to share with the B&F readers, so follow me if you will.

First of all this concert was Bey’s first one back since her pregnancy about a year ago. In literally just a few short hours of tickets going on sale, all four of her shows were sold out. Thousands of fans paid anywhere from $200 to well over $1,500 all to see one woman perform a set of about 20 songs. Wow.

Fast forward to the venue where her concert was; The Revel is a brand new hotel and casino that made its world premiere and grand opening this weekend with Beyonce as the headline. The hotel was absolutely breathtaking with gold and diamond chandeliers, marble floors, glass windows, sleek and chic interior, a dj in the lobby, the works. Literally a place built with kings and queens in mind.

Now I might seem a little dramatic in my descriptions 1. Because I am biased as I have loved Beyonce since she was with Destiny’s Child and 2. It was my first concert ever, but honestly Bey’s show was an amazing experience. The lighting, her song choice, the dancers, everything was simply perfect. I’m not gonna lie, I was so overwhelmed when she took the stage that I cried lol. To see that one woman could bring so many different people together (including the first family, YES Michelle and the girls were in attendance) was an incredible thing. She is, hands down, one gifted woman. Truly one of a kind.

I Got Some Scars

For anyone going through a storm… no matter who’s hurt you, no matter what the doctors say, no matter what you’ve lost… know that you’re built to withstand it all and come out of it on top! We win despite of what it looks like or how we feel. As I go through my storm, I’ve adopted a soundtrack to push me beyond my circumstances and live out the call of God on my life. My heart’s desire is that God is magnified when the storm finally ends and lives are transformed because of it. Check out the top 3 songs on steady repeat right now…

Breaking.All.Strongholds.

After a beautiful weekend celebrating my mom and all that she’s been to me over the years, I thought it fitting to share an excerpt I read from Joyce Meyer’s book, “Battlefield of the Mind.” It’s a passage that should forever change the way you view your life if you have children or desire to have children one day.

“Your decision to obey God affects other people, and when you decide to disobey God, that also affects others. You may disobey God and choose to stay in the wilderness, but please keep in mind that if you now have or ever have children, your decision will keep them in the wilderness with you. They may manage to get themselves out when they are grown, but I can assure you they will pay a price for you disobedience.

Your life might be in better shape now if someone in your past had obeyed God.”

CHRISTIAN BUSY BEE!!

Last week, while waiting at the doctors office to be seen for my appointment, a woman who was also waiting to be seen looked at me and said, “I’m sorry I don’t remember your name sweetheart, but aren’t you a singer?” I said, “Yes.” She said, “I knew that was you. I never forget a face. You sang at a New Years Eve program at my church a couple years ago.” She went on to tell me that me & my singers were phenomenal. She started talking about all the local and famous Gospel singers she knows personally and that she even sang background years ago for Andre Crouch. Then she went further and began to go down a long list of ministries she’s currently involved in and good deeds she’s done and in the process of doing.

No Frill, No Fuss… Just Me and Him

Okay so I was pressed to get this out before the clock striked midnight! I am positive that the storm I’m going through right now is not for my benefit but for the benefit of others. So when the option was to hibernate under the covers or write out my thoughts for my B&F family to read… you know the choice was easy! Since I’m racing against the clock, there’s no pictures, no bible quotes… just a quick story of the conversation I had with God today.

Tylenol Believer

I’ve been in Vegas for the last week enjoying the company of my sister and 3 year old nephew who have made a home here for the last 6 years. With all of the kisses I exchanged with the baby came a nice virus that is likely responsible for the nasty cold I’m fighting through as I type. BLAH!

At first, I thought I could conquer the cold with good old fashioned remedies. So for my sore throat, I made hot tea. For my headache, a cold rag. And for my stuffy/runny nose, soft tissues. After a long and painful night of tossing and turning, and after waking up to a fever, I decided to give in and take some medicine. All hail Tylenol Cold and Flu Citrus. I took the first round at 1pm, the second dose at 5, and the last at 9 and let me just say I am feeling 10x better.

This got me thinking about the God I serve. In some religions, there are gods for every and any purpose. I used to love learning about the Roman gods, one for war, one for intelligence and wisdom, and one even for fertility. I recall talking to a co-worker and hearing about all of the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. In each case, there are specific gods that one would go to for different requests. So if I needed help with finances I would pray to the god of prosperity. If I needed something in the area of love I would pray the the god of love. In my mind, this kind of life jus doesn’t seem feasible or even reliable; which is why I am SO THANKFUL I serve the God of all gods who takes care of EVERY  request I could ever have in this lifetime, much like the tylenol I took for my cold.

HOW EASY WE FORGET!!

I spent the last few days in New York City with my husband. We didn’t choose that location for sentimental reasons; we just felt we needed a little time away from home together, to have fun and enjoy one another, outside of our normal stomping grounds. We had a blast!!

As we began to return home last night, we were met by unfathomable traffic jams flooding the NY City streets. Low and behold, there were massive security check points all the way down Broadway and parallel streets. On the huge Broadway street-screens, we saw news that the city was on high alert because it was the ANNIVERSARY OF BIN LADEN’S MURDER BY THE USA!! Then it hit me… Wow!! That was a year ago and I completely forgot about it already!!!