WARNING: YOUR HEART LIGHT ON?

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

Well today's Mona Girl Blog started brewing in the wee hours of the morning last Saturday......with Holy Spirit bringing back to my memory a song I LOVED back in the day. It's by Neil Diamond (who STILL looks and sounds Amazing).......and it's all about our "Heart Lights".

There's no Real definition of "Heart Light" in the dictionary, just takes you back to Neil Diamond's song BUT here's Mona's Definition: the genuine glow, the authentic and pure light emanating from a person's heart.  Hmph! What do you think? Does that work?  Well, it does for me and for where Holy Spirit is leading us today with His message.....

How's Your Heart Light? Is it Bright?  Does it shine from Your Heart to Other's Hearts? Is there a warm glow from Your Heart that draws folks to you? Or is it just the opposite? I'm finding, as I walk out this thing called Life, that sometimes we tend to let our Heart Lights be dulled and dimmed by what's going on in our lives, by "life's stuff".  And I know (whewee! do I KNOW) it gets so hard sometimes to keep our heads above water and to stay afloat.  But, we must try and make every effort NOT to let our Heart Lights be hindered, covered by the darkness of this world, and instead Rise Above whatever our "It" is and let Our Heart Lights SHINE Brightly! This is the ONLY way to survive the stuff life brings our way....it's the ONLY way to keep Our Heart Lights healthy and bright....it's the ONLY way to draw folks to US instead of turning them away from us.....it's the ONLY way to have Peace and Love in Our lives and in Our Hearts!!

And Loves, take it from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who at sooooooooo many times during his Earthly walk, because of how He was treated and from what folks said to/about Him......had EVERY reason NOT to let His Heart Light Shine......had EVERY reason to say "I Give Up" loving these folks who hate me so.....but instead, chose to be a Beacon of Light, to give HIS Life for Us so His Heart Light would draw us closer and closer to HIM....so we are Now One with Him and His Heart!

"I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live I live by believing in God's Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins." (Galatians 2:20, GW)  

And take it from my Fave Mighty Man of God, King David (A Man after God's Own Heart):

"My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26, NKJV)

And it's VERY clear Our Heavenly Father wants our Hearts........our Heart Lights to be an important part of our Souls and Lives....just look what He instructs us to do with our Hearts as described in the Book of Proverbs (referred to as the "Manual of Living"):

"Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.  Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.  Keep you eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.  Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.  Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust." (Proverbs 4:23-27, MSG)

YES Loves! Guarding our Heart Lights, letting our Heart Lights Shine, letting our Heart Lights Bless others is high up on Daddy God's "To Do List" (smile). And from what I've learned from experience and watching others...it's ALL about How we allow life's stuff to get inside our Hearts and affect Us.  It's How We handle our day-to-day stuff. It's How we interact with others.  It's How We let folks affect our Hearts. It's How We walk out our lives that determines if our Heart Lights continue to Shine or become Dim. And again, from what I've learned, it ALL revolves around our Love for Our Heavenly Father. Because when We LOVE Him........when We TRULY have a Heart for Him....when We have His PEACE inside our Hearts....it's impossible...Impossible, (on a short or long term basis), to let the outside stuff, the stuff of this world, the stuff folks throw at us on any given day affect us.....dim/snuff out our Heart Lights. 

"And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Jesus Christ." (Philippians 4:7, NLV)

So Family, let's make a pact from here on out to Guard, Watch, Monitor, Manage, Take Care Of Our Heart Lights so they can Shine Brightly, so they can be a Beacon to Others....so Our Heart Lights can reveal our True and Loving Selves.  Oh Yeah!!  Your Heart Light On?? How Bright is Your Heart Light? 

Loves, today's Mona Girl Blog would not be complete if I didn't share the Song Holy Spirit placed on my Heart a few days ago to get this whole thing started........so sit back, relax and ENJOY Heartlight by Neil Diamond!

Thanks Shellie!!

Continued Success and Blessings!!

ANIMAL LOVER FUNNIES!

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

Today's Mona Girl Blog is ALLLLL about making you Smile :)

I LOVE Animals and can remember when I was a little girl, my Mother and I were Always rescuing stray doggies.......and that continues to this day.....it's in my DNA.  Animals make me Smile and bring a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart.  So take a look at these cute pics I found out there in Cyberspace.

"All the animals in the forest are mine and the cattle on thousands of hills." (Psalm 50:10, GNT)

Smile and enjoy a Chuckle or two, it's good for the Soul......

Continued Success and Blessings!

CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?? #BeTransparent!

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

Wellllll....Hmmm.....Ummm.....LOL! Holy Spirit keeps nudging me, dropping into my brain, whispering to Me: "Be Transparent".  So who knows where He's leading Us today.  I sit here as His scribe, His vessel to share His Word with You. Please buckle up Family, this could get a tad bumpy.......here we go.....

Loves, I'm sure it's clear (if you read Mona Girl Blog every Wednesday) that Mona's been through some "life stuff" (smile). And to be honest, because I've been through some "life stuff" is the main reason why I'm able to sit here with You every Wednesday, sharing His Word and My Heart. You can't genuinely share, be authentic in your feelings, be #FRFR, be Transparent, if you haven't been through some "life stuff".

Growing Through is what gives Us the Humility (Hallelujah!) and the Peace (Glory to God!) and the Power (Thank You Jesus!) to lay down our Pride in order to open up our Hearts and Souls.........to be Transparent with ourselves and others.....which ultimately draws us closer, and closer, and more intimately connected with Our Heavenly Father.  And if you ask me, that's what (at least for the last 8 years) my life journey is ALL about!

"As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle.  Patiently put up with each other and love each other.  Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united.  Do this by living at peace. All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God's people. We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. There is one God who is the Father of all people.  Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us." (Ephesians 4:1-6, CEV)

This afternoon, I got so tickled in my spirit when I heard Holy Spirit say, "Can You See Me Now?" And I Knew this would somehow come into play in today's Mona Girl Blog Title. I know that I SEE Mona better now than I used to and from what I hear from those who've been riding shotgun with me over the last 8 years.........Hmph! They SEE Mona better as well.  When you really stop and think about it, we All should be SEEING ourselves and each other better as life rolls on.....we should be on a consistent path, a consistent walk, have a consistent goal to become, live, and BE better.....and more Transparent in our lives.

"What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself."  (Ephesians 4:25, MSG)

When we live our lives in a Transparent way, we have less stress, less worries, less anxieties, less DRAMA! When we live this way, we don't have to keep "one-upping" other folks, we don't have to boast and brag, we don't have to "remember" all the little white lies we've told (smile), we no longer have *IKIA* (I Know It All) Syndrome (Thanks Esi!), we don't have to impress ANYONE......ANY MORE!!! And Family, raising my hand wayyyy up high in this class!!  What an Awesome, Peaceful and FREEING way to live out life!  Oh Yeah!! Can You See me Now?? Really.....REALLLLY See Me?!? #I'mBeingTransparent!

"We are proud that our conscience is clear. We are proud of the way that we have lived in this world.  We have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity, especially toward you.  It was not by human wisdom that we have lived but by God's kindness." (2 Corinthians 1:12, GW)

Like I said up top, when we all buckled up for today's ride....I had NO idea where Holy Spirit was leading Us.....but I like where we've been over the last few paragraphs and where we've landed.  Being Open, Being Ourselves, Being Loving, Being REAL, Being Transparent can Only be achieved with Our Heavenly Father's guidance; by Growing Through (not running away like a coward) "life stuff"; by being Willing, Patient and Humble; and most importantly, (just like the underlined part of the Scripture above says), by being Open to God's Mighty Love, Grace and Kindness.  Because Loves, we can't achieve this level of TRANSPARENCY, this level of FREEDOM, this level of PEACE in our lives without HIM!

I Love You Lord!! Thank You for dropping by today with this Powerful Message to ignite our Souls! And Blessing Us with Your Mighty Wisdom, that's especially motivating, as we enter the Lenten Season leading up to Easter (my Fave time of year), with today being Ash Wednesday!! 

Ohhhhhh YES!! Can You See Me Now?? #BeTransparent!!!

Continued Success & Blessings!!

IT'S SHOW TIME!!! #Action!!

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

For today's Mona Girl Blog, Holy Spirit has me sharing a couple nuggets of His Wisdom before you hit Play on this Amazing Video below by DeVon Franklin. Thanks Angel Shellie for sharing the knowledge!

There are sooooo many distractions and detours and just life "stuff" that can take us off course of God's Mighty Plan for our lives.  We can especially jump ship and go off course, if we see that God's Plan is NOT lining up with Our Plan (smile).  HIS Plan may take us through trying and difficult times, trials, humbling circumstances, not so glamours situations, and out-of-our-comfort-zone seasons (shout out to King David and Joseph in the Bible....two Men truly molded, shaped and pruned by Our Sovereign Lord), but I'm here to share with You, that His Plan for Our Lives......His Journey for Us may NOT be the most comfortable and direct route but, IT IS THE BEST and ohhhhh so WORTH IT.....Blessed Beyond Blessed... if we can just hang on......and not give up!!

As you watch DeVon Franklin's Video, The Movie of Your Life, I hope you take it to heart....let it sink down deep into your soul to a place that will Ignite You, Motivate You, Encourage You to Keep Your Eyes on HIS Plan for Your Life.....to Hold on Tight to HIS Mighty Loving Hand......to TRUST HIS All-Knowing, Perfect Timing Ways so You can Live Out Loud, Live Boldly, Live Joyfully......HIS **BEST** FOR YOU!!

"My thoughts," says the Lord, "are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours.  As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours." (Isaiah 55:8-9, GNT)

Oh Yeah......IT'S SHOW TIME!  #Action!

Continued Success and Blessings!!!


P.S. A quick Shout Out to My Metsies........two weeks (14 days and counting) until Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training! ME GETTING EXCITED!!! #LetsGoMets!!! #GotYoBack!

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

For today's Mona Girl Blog, Holy Spirit has us gleaning His wisdom from one of His Anointed Men of God, Max Lucado.  Max's An Encouraging Word for US today is An Attitude of Gratitude!

Enjoy the Peace and Love of this Word and I Pray WE will Walk Out what Our Lord is sharing with Us through Max.........

**An Attitude of Gratitude**

A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. Thankful people focus less on what they lack and more on the privileges they have. I attended a banquet recently in which a wounded soldier was presented with the gift of a free house. He nearly fell over with gratitude. He bounded onto the stage with his one good leg and threw both arms around the presenter. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He hugged the guitar player in the band and the big woman on the front row. He thanked the waiter, the other soldiers, and then the presenter again. Before the night was over, he thanked me! And I didn't do anything.

Shouldn't we be equally grateful? Jesus is building a house for us (John 14:2). Our deed of ownership is every bit as certain as that of the soldier. What's more, Jesus cured our leprosy. Sin cankered our souls and benumbed our senses. Yet the Man on the path told us we were healed, and, lo and behold, we were!

The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night. Thank you, God. A miracle of muscles enables your eyes to read these words and your brain to process them. Thank you, God. Your lungs inhale and exhale eleven thousand liters of air every day. Your heart will beat about three billion times in your lifetime. Your brain is a veritable electric generator of power. Thank you, God.

For the jam on our toast and the milk on our cereal. For the blanket that calms us and the joke that delights us and the warm sun that reminds us of God's love. For the thousands of planes that did not crash today. For the men who didn't cheat on their wives, and the wives who didn't turn from their men, and the kids who, in spite of unspeakable pressure to dishonor their parents, decided not to do so. 

Thank you, Lord.

Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God's accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up.

Join the ranks of the 10 percent who give God a standing ovation. "Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20 NLT).

Love & Blessings!!

#TravelLIGHT in 2016!!

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

For today's Mona Girl Blog, Holy Spirit said **SHORT AND SWEET**......so Here's what He's got for US! #NuffSaid!

"Give your burdens to the Lord.  He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall." (Psalm 55:22, TLB)








Continued Success & Blessings!!

GOT PRAYER??

Happy Blessed Wednesday Family,

Welllll, for today's Mona Girl Blog, Abba Father is stopping by to find out if We've GOT PRAYER?!?

Meaning, do We Pray for Ourselves on a regular basis, do We Pray for Others regularly......do We have an Active Prayer Life?

I know, I know, that's a tricky one, Right!  We may go to Abba Father once and awhile with our Laundry List of Needs/Requests.......but that's NOT An Active Prayer Life.  Or we may join in Prayer in church or at a Bible Study when our Pastor asks us to stand and Pray.......but that's NOT an Active Prayer Life.  Or we may even get a group together on the phone once a month and Pray for each other........but that's NOT an Active Prayer Life. And in most cases, what we're doing, if we're doing what I described above, is kinda sorta going to Our Heavenly Father like He's a Prayer ATM. Going to Him Only with NEEDS, WANTS and REQUESTS on a sporadic, crisis driven basis.

But what I've learned, as my Faith Walk continues to grow and become more mature, Our Heavenly Father would LOVE if we would come to Him more frequently, on a regular basis in Prayer.  Not just when We Need Something but come to Him and REST in His Presence when We don't need anything.  Coming to God just to Thank Him, Chat with Him, Chill-lax with Him is also a form of Prayer.  To be honest, I actually think this is the Kind of Prayer Time HE likes BEST and this is the Kind of Prayer Time with Our Lord and Savior that Blesses US more than we realize.

One of my fave Pastor's, who I read his Daily Devotion every morning, is Dr. Charles Stanley.  And I like his take on Prayer:  "God wants His children to ask for what's on their hearts, because He delights to give. Even more, He wants to fellowship with us.  It's ongoing communication with the heavenly Father and should involve listening, speaking, and acting on what we hear from Him.  What joy can be ours every time we meet our heavenly Father through prayer!"  What I like about this quote is the word FELLOWSHIP. When we go to Our Lord, on a regular basis, we are actually FELLOWSHIPPING with Him.  And that regular time of Fellowship brings about RELATIONSHIP! There's a bond, a friendship, a communing in love and respect that develops......we develop TRUST not just in HIM but He develops TRUST us.  When we Fellowship with Our Lord, when we have a Relationship with Our Lord......we have come to a place on our Faith Walk where We Have an Active Prayer Life....where we've GOT PRAYER!!  Oh Yeah Family!!!! There Nothing like that feeling of safety, love, genuine communication and authentic sharing that comes from an Active Prayer Life.  We will feel more comfortable going to Him with our Prayers for ourselves and others.....we will feel more confident that He hears our Prayers.......we will have more assurance that Our Heavenly Father will Answer our Prayers....we will have a better idea of His wisdom/guidance on the correct actions/steps we need to take in our lives.

Hmmm, I can hear you - LOL!  I hear you saying, "That sounds all good Mona, but I don't know HOW to even begin to Pray."  Well, if you really think about it.....Our Lord ALREADY KNOWS what our needs, wants, concerns are and when we come to Him in Prayer, He Knows what we're going to say.  Sooooo, since He ALREADY KNOWS, this takes the pressure off of Us as to "what to say", "how to Pray", "how long to Pray", "where to Pray", etc.  We can just come as WE ARE, tired, broken, worried, nervous, whateva, wheneva and howeva we are feeling and just TALK to Our Abba Father.  JUST TALK.....JUST CHAT.....and most Importantly,.....JUST LISTEN. Yeah, that LISTENING part of our Prayer Life is Very critical.  When we get to the LISTENING part of our Prayers, that's when HE speaks to Us.......that's when HE answers Us....that's when we learn how to really HEAR His Voice.....that's when we realize (Yesss, I am repeating myself), that We are in FELLOWSHIP.......in RELATIONSHIP with Him.  That's when we KNOW we are Moving and Breathing and Enjoying an Active Prayer Life! We are no longer desperately or hurriedly stopping by to rub the holy genie......and how disrespectful to Our Heavenly Father is that (insert sad face emoji here). And Loves, when We are Believers with  an Active Prayer Life, this is what He Promises Us:

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14, NIV)

"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen." (Jeremiah 29:12, MSG)

"Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3, GW)

Oh Yeah! Thank you Jesus! And Family, what will happen if we step out beyond OURSELVES and develop an Active Prayer Life with other folks?!?  Oh YES! There's Nothing like Praying to Our Daddy God with a few friends.......and this is what He Promises Us:

"Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you." (Matthew 18:20, CEV)

Loves, I know this Prayer stuff can be a tad confusing but I KNOW that I KNOW that I KNOW that PRAYER WORKS!  And it Works in a way that is Personal and Authentic and Intimate between You and Your Heavenly Father.  Please don't Ever, EVER feel as though you need to Pray like the folks in church, like the folks you see/hear on T.V., like the folks in your Small Group, like ANYBODY ELSE but YOU! Your Abba Father wants to connect with YOUR Heart, YOUR Soul and YOUR Mind during Your Prayer Time with Him......because You are in FELLOWSHIP.........You are in RELATIONSHIP with HIM.

*Real Talk*: Family, there are times when I'm walking down the street, at the gym, on the subway, sitting in the airport, etc. that a friend may pop into my mind or I may pass or see someone who looks down and depressed, and I just immediately (without stopping what I'm doing and getting down on my knees, just continue walking, riding, sitting, etc.) say: "Jesus please Bless (insert Friend's Name or Stranger I just saw).  You know their needs Right Now at this Moment. Thank You Lord. Amen".  And Loves, THAT IS A PRAYER!  No formality, no getting down on your knees, just a quick "Hey Jesus, Please....." and it's Done!  Again, Our Heavenly Father ALREADY KNOWS what our friend/the stranger needs........We are just doing our Prayer Part by standing in the gap....standing in Prayer for them! Whewee! And as most of you know, I LOVE, LOVE Praying For and With folks!

Now I know I sound like a broken record ova here.......but when You arrive at this point in your Faith Walk....in Your Active Prayer Life.......it is Wonderfully Personal and Amazingly Awesome what you will Say during your Prayer Time and what you will Hear during your Prayer Time.  Oh Yeah, let's ALL Agree Together Right Now...to make it a Priority to continue, establish, cultivate an Active Prayer Life!  #GOTPRAYER??

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.  If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter.  He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.  He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.  That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (Romans 8:26-28,MSG, emphasis added)

Family, Please send me Your Prayer Requests and Questions, Wincty@aol.com.  

I would LOVE to Stand in Prayer for/with YOU!

Continued Success and Blessings!