I'm about to break up with 2011!

As I sit here thinking, I must admit.....I'm a bit SHAKY! I'm trying not to use the word "fear" anymore because it has paralyzed me for so long. I'm a bit "shaky" because I don't know what's going to happen in the next 5 minutes of my life! What I do know is that some MAJOR changes are getting ready to take place. Though I'm excited, I'm also sitting here bucking my eyes like a deer in headlights because if you know God, you know he does it BIIIIIIIG, lol! I'm so grateful of just how far God has brought me, especially with this blog. We will be turning 1 in January, and I am so ecstatic!!!! My reasons for wanting to start this blog were just to expound a bit more on ALL of the things concerning me, NINA! From my "shakiness" to anxieties, to what makes me happy and mad, amongst other things.

So, I'm gearing up for the changes that are about to take place. I want this blog to serve as a means of RELEASE for not only me, but for YOU as well. Yep, here you can feel free to vent, get angry, share your opinions, cry, etc. I want to go a bit "deeper" and be more transparent in my content, not holding anything back unless I feel it would be detrimental to my overall being. I want to talk more on relationships, my successful, saved, & single journey, weight gain/loss/health, religion, finances, beauty, school, my dreams, goals, ambitions....and MORE! I want to provide quality, more interesting, funny, emotional, informing......but most importantly, REAL, RAW, & RELEVANT information on my blog. On top of this, I want to offer more *free* giveaways and contests for those that faithfully follow and read what this ol' big headed country gal has to say, lol. I am so appreciate of where God has brought us all, me especially because I'm very good at starting things only to not finish them. Well, I'm PROUD to say that I have one more month to go before I would have successfully completed my first year as a blogger! **YAY!**...lol! If you would like to be a GUEST BLOGGER talking about any of the aforementioned topics or even your own, please feel free to let me know!

I'm writing the vision and making it plain for 2012, and I only predict POSITIVITY, OPTIMISM, & STRENGTH in the forecast! 

What are some things you'd like to see me post more on? I'd love your feedback :-)

THANKS!!!!

LATE HOUR CHAT

I personally believe that being transparent & respectfully real as a Christian is part of what draws unbelievers to Christ! Truthfully speaking, sometimes I just don't feel like it! Period, point blank. Its not that I'm angry, mad, or frustrated...its just that some days I "feel HERE". Everyday is definitely a blessing & a joy to live, but if we are real about it, they aren't always cherries & berries! I don't wake up & carry a smile with me 24/7 because life gets hard for me too. Yes, I know God is good & yes I know with him all things are possible, but I don't want people, especially unbelievers to think that everyday is going to be struggle free when you walk with Christ! If you walk into/along this Christian journey & think that all of your problems & frustrations are going to go away, then think twice. One of the great things about knowing who God is, is when you develop a relationship with him, you'll never have anything to worry about anything because he already paid the price, though you will still encounter some uncomfortable things! He never said living for him would be easy, but it is TOTALLY worth it!

So we (Christians) must start being honest with people & using our struggles, hardships, trials, & tribulations as testimonies to those who don't quite know him. There is a way to share your story without telling the nitty gritty of all your business! Many people don't even want to know who God is because of what they've seen those that "claim to know & live for him" do. Did you know that someone is waiting to hear what you've been through & how God worked it out for you? Not because they want to be nosy & messy, but because they too are struggling & NEED a "Christian" to let them know that if God did it for one, then he'll do it for them as well!

If you're an unbeliever & reading this now, please know that being a Christian is so worth the struggle, but you won't always get it right. Its not to turn you off, but if anything I want to be honest with you & turn you TO God, in hopes that I can help you breathe a little easier, lol! You are going to mess up, you are going to experience pain, & you are going to cry & be hurt sometimes...and its all okay, as long as your remain connected to the source (God), repent, & continue striving to be like him daily. Though God will always forgive, it doesn't make it right to continue living any kind of way & expect him to always bless you because he won't. He loves you just that much to let you go & do your thing, in hopes that you'll ALWAYS find your way back to him (just want to throw that in there, lol). BUT, when you are saved & truly live FOR Christ, he makes ALL things new! That's part of the JOY in knowing him!

There are too many super Christians that claim to have it all together when they really don't! I know I don't because I'm still a work in progress & I strive to be like him daily, lol! But you know what?.... I bless God anyhow & continue to press throughout it all because I know greater awaits me! JESUS is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm so glad to know that in spite of all I go through, he's there & he cares! LIVE FOR GOD! Don't be scurrrred, lol! Tell your story & allow others to "see" Christ in you! :-) *just my thoughts*

~HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011~

GOD IS SO GOOD! I just want to take the time out to say that I am THANKFUL for YOU, yes YOU! I'm thankful for you because you took the time out to read what I posted. Some things may be interesting to you and some things may not be, but I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to express myself, especially to those that constantly comment & encourage ME to keep going! You guys ROCK and it has not gone unnoticed!

I'm thankful for life, family, health, strength, & a sound mind!

For me, EVERYDAY is a day of Thanksgiving! I'm thankful to God for LIFE....period. Besides my family, friends, & other material things/necessities, I'm thankful to God for just being GOD! If I had one million tongues, I couldn't thank God enough. I pray that your Thanksgiving be filled with lots of love, laughter, fun, excitement, and joy! I pray that God mends broken relationships, restores families & marriages, mends broken hearts, and fills those lonely voids with happiness EVERYWHERE! Below are just a few ways to say THANK YOU that I found, courtesy of factmonster.com. I may try my hand at pronouncing and learning all of these one day to show even more honor to God, lol! 

Any who,  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

Language	Thank you	Pronunciation
Afrikaans	dankie	dahn-kee
Arabic	shukran	shoe-krahn
Australian English	ta (informal)
Chinese, Cantonese	do jeh	daw-dyeh
Chinese, Mandarin	xie xie	syeh-syeh
Czech	dêkuji	deh-ku-yih
Danish	tak	tahg
Finnish	kiitos	kee-toas
French	merci	mehr-see
German	danke	dahn-kah
Greek	efharisto	ef-har-rih-stowe
Hebrew	toda	toh-dah
Hindi, Hindustani	sukria	shoo-kree-a
Indonesian/Malayan	terima kasih	t'ree-ma kas-seh
Italian	grazie	gra-see
Japanese	arigato	ahree-gah-tow
Korean	kamsa hamnida	kahm-sah=ham-nee-da
Norwegian	takk	tahk
Philippines (Tagalog)	salamat po	sah-lah-maht poh
Polish	dziekuje	dsyen-koo-yeh
Portuguese	obrigado	oh-bree-gah-doh
Russian	spasibo	spah-see-boh
Spanish	gracias	gra-see-us
Sri Lanka (Sinhak)	istutiy	isst-too-tee
Swahili	asante	ah-sahn-teh
Swedish	tack	tahkk
Thai	kawp-kun krap/ka'	kowpkoom-krahp/khak
Turkish	tesekkür ederim	teh-sheh-kur=eh-deh-rim

Shenina the POETESS! {BUT I PRESS}

Things have been busy for me the last week or so. As I begin to seek God more on my future, the more he reveals to me, so I know I have to get in position and be prepared to receive it ALL! Anywho, a few weeks ago as I began meditating & reading my Bible, I did something different. Normally when I read and pray, I'll pace back and forth praying, then sit down to read. This time I opened my blinds, put a chair in front of my bedroom window, sat down, and faced the window looking outside to study and pray. Low & behold, I ended up writing an entire poem, lol! It was so amazing and funny to me because I don't consider myself to be a poetess at all. The thing is, it turned out really good & expressed part of what was on my heart that day. So I wanted to share it with you in hopes that it will help you as much as it did me. Makes me want to write another one, lol! We shall seeeeeeeee.....ENJOY!

BUT I PRESS

By: Shenina S.Brown

I press on knowing heaven awaits me, though the enemies know this too

That's why its a constant struggle, and they continue to do what they do.

I sometimes wish that God would just take it all back,

That he would somehow feel remorse for the tears I've shed and want to pick up all of my slack

BUT I PRESS.

God, don't you see me hurting and crying out to you? 

Don't you see the anguish I've experienced and all of the hell I've gone through?

Now come on Jesus, I know you love me and all,

but this world doesn't care about me, they only want to see me fall!

BUT I PRESS.

The Society we live in today is all about self

No one cares about the next cause its all about how they can personally store up wealth.

God, even the "CHRIST'ians hate me and want me dead,

even though I'm being obedient and doing just as you said.

But it seems like the better I try to become, the more their evil desires want to succomb,

but even so, 

I PRESS.

Now hold up just one minute my child, straighten your face and attitude!

Where I'm about to take you exceeds far beyond your current alititude.

You see, what you are currently doing is all for me,

its not about you or them, because its all for my glory! 

SO YOU MUST PRESS.

Yes, some that profess to know my name do in fact hate you,

but you have to remember that you're my child and that they first hated me too.

I've never said it would be easy because we live in a wicked times,

but everything you're going through is worth the blessing, more than the result of multiplying two dimes.

So no matter what people may say, think, or do, 

as long as you're obedient to me and stay in my will, I'll see to it that all of your dreams come true!

Stop focusing on them and start focusing on me.

You're almost at the finish line and soon you'll share my wealth and live even more joyfully!

Now's not the time to give up and pout, 

I've placed everything you need inside of you, so go ahead and leap for joy and shout!

I see every hurt, tear, and frustration you've felt, 

but oh my child if you would just trust me, I'll make your enemies so weak they'll have no choice but to melt!

BABY GIRL, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND BE ENCOURAGED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, BECAUSE ONLY WHAT YOU DO FOR ME IN MY NAME AND FOR MY SAKE WILL ANYWAYS......

SO YOU MUST PRESS!

Remember to P4: PRAY, PRAISE, POUR, & PRESS! God bless & thanks for reading!

Brothers & Sisters, you must "P4" EVERYDAY!

Hi all! Its been a week since I last made a post, and things couldn't be better for me! Not only is God amazing, but he keeps blessing me over and over and over and over and over AGAIN! So I'm more than grateful, thankful, appreciative, and then some! I pray each of you that are reading this is doing more than well and that you are continuing to allow God to work a mighty wonder in your lives :-)!

God has placed this in my spirit lately: P4! What is "P4" you wonder? Well, I'm glad you asked :-) 

P4 is: PRAY....PRAISE....POUR....PRESS! We must each P4 every day of our lives, in season and out of season! We must:

PRAY- without ceasing! Not only for ourselves, but for others that God's work will be done according to his will! There is so much going on, things we know and don't know. That's why it is vital that we pray in the spirit, on all occasions, with various prayers & requests, be alert, and keep on praying some more for all saints (Ephesians 6:18). The prayers of the righteous availeth much!

PRAISE- without limitations! No matter where you are, what you're doing, or how you feel, you have to praise God on a consistent, never-ending basis because he is so worthy! Whatever we're going through, our breakthroughs, relief, answers, and more lie in our PRAISE! He's been too good for us NOT to! "PRAISE" is both a noun & verb! *think about it*

POUR- into others. Someone, somewhere needs you to pour into their lives with positive words of encouragement, motivation, inspiration, and more. Instead of gossiping, cursing, swearing, hating, and talking negatively, we should be speaking LIFE and LOVE, pouring into others what God has poured into us!

PRESS-on. Life is hard to live sometimes, especially when you have all kind of wickedness around you. Even when you're doing the right things and living for God, the enemy will try his/her best to get you down and throw you off course. But you must PRESS on regardless! God knows and sees what's being done, and in due time he will take care of all of the foolishness. Don't lose focus, don't give up, and don't throw in the towel. For in due time you will reap if you faint not....so you must PRESS on!

Remember, each day you live you must P4! God bless you all & thanks for reading :-)

Just a silly picture of me laughing! Sometimes, that's what we have to do in life. Things get rough, but God's love & grace is sufficient! Live your life to the best of your ability & remember to P4 everyday! LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE...you have permission :-)

I'm in LABOR!!!!!!!

So, this was one of my facebook statuses today:

I don't know who this is for, but baby........YOU GOTTA' PRESS! I dare you to open up your mouth & shout! Praise God for the hurt, Praise God for the pain, Praise God for the uncomfortableness, Praise God for not having a job right now, Praise God for your singleness, Praise God for being misunderstood, Praise God for the tears.....whatever your case, JUST PRESS! The BLESSIN' is in the PRESSIN'! ITS IN YOUR PRAISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From that status, God revealed this to me.......


Pressing & Pushing are the same! In order to PUSH, you have to bare down on something & PRESS it. Just as a woman is in labor, she must press & push in order to give birth to her miracle, her blessing! The same goes for US! When you go through the "labor pains" of life, sometimes they seem unbearable. You constantly do the work (labor) only to be frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, and more.....and truth be told, many of us give up before we"see" our blessings come to pass. But in order to give birth, many women HAVE TO FIRST ENDURE THE PAIN, and the same goes for us once more! God has so much more in store for us, and even though many of us can't physically see it right now, we must keep pressing & pushing! Your breakthrough is in your PRAISE! In spite of what you are facing, what you're currently "going THROUGH", or what it looks like, you have to give our RIGHT NOW GOD, a RIGHT NOW PRAISE for the miracle that's about to take place! Don't wait until the battle is over, shout now! Shout right now through the tears, the pain, the disappointments, the misunderstandings, etc.!


If a mother doesn't press down & push the baby out, then she risks her miracle DYING! (Glory hallelujah for this word y'all, lol!) Don't be moved by what it looks like, for we walk by FAITH and NOT by site! God has implanted wonderful things inside of you, but in order to get to the next level & witness those awesome blessings, you have to first endure the labor pains, press, & then push to see the light!


I pray this word blessed someone's soul as much as it did mine! Now I'm about to eat a late breakfast, lol!!!!!!! THANK YOU LORD FOR BEING SO AWESOME! We have to keep pressing! The BLESSIN' is in the PRESSIN'!


Thanks for reading!!! :-)

Don't give up! You're almost there! I know it hurts, but you must TRUST God with your LIFE! Be abundantly blessed!

GRATITUDE JOURNAL

Today,

I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY TASTE BUDS (LOL!)


I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY HEALTH & STRENGTH


I AM GRATEFUL FOR SECOND CHANCES


I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE FOOD IN MY REFRIGERATOR


I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE COOL WEATHER


I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING ABLE TO STAND UP TO SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN


I AM GRATEFUL FOR HATERS


I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE AWESOME SUPPORT TEAM THAT I DO HAVE


I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY FUTURE HUSBAND


I AM GRATEFUL FOR WISDOM


I AM GRATEFUL FOR STRENGTH


I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE ABILITY TO MOVE ON


I AM GRATEFUL FOR BEING ABLE TO GROW THICKER SKIN


I AM GRATEFUL FOR DISCERNMENT


I AM GRATEFUL FOR JUST BEING ME!

I VOTE 'YES' ON 26 (Respectfully, its YOUR choice!)

Hey everyone! PLEASE RESPECTFULLY READ THIS WITH AN OPEN MIND. This has been on my heart to share for a while, and I must be obedient to the Holy Spirit. Sometimes many of us overlook issues such as this out of fear of what the next may say, but if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything! Regardless of what you stand for, its your choice! I'm not trying to convert you over or anything, lol, but to simply bring you a bit of information. You are still free to think what you will and I respect your thoughts:

Okay, many of you know about the "VOTE FOR LIFE: VOTE YES ON 26" (Personhood Amendment) Initiative/Campaign to end abortion in Mississippi. With all due respect to everyone's opinions & feelings, there have been so many lies & some truths told. Though this is not up for argument, I just wanted to shed a bit of light on one of the biggest misunderstandings I think there is (though there are so many): The banning of Birth Control.

IF YOU VOTE 'YES', YOU ARE NOT HELPING TO DO AWAY WITH BIRTH CONTROL! BIRTH CONTROL WILL STILL REMAIN! According to Yeson26.net (via the Q&A section), "The Personhood Amendment will NOT ban the use of hormonal contraceptives, including most forms of the "Pill". However, drugs such as RU486 which allow a baby to be conceived and then expelled will be banned...."

In a nutshell, voting 'YES' gives an unborn child a chance to live and has nothing to do with the mother herself! If anything has a heartbeat, that means it is alive & deserves a chance at life to be the next President, Doctor, Lawyer, Preacher, Business Owner, & more! Its just protecting the child. Many people are saying/asking, "How can someone tell me what to do with MY body"....."I have the RIGHT to choose what I want to do"...."No one knows whats best for me"....etc, and all of this is very true, but its not talking about the adults, the amendment is only protecting the unborn children who have a right to live & make something of themselves just as YOU were blessed with the opportunity to do so!

If a woman conceives a child from a rape, incest, etc., then many people feel as if she has a right to an abortion. The amendment is saying that regardless of how the child was conceived, it still has a right to live & should not be done away with because of something that was out of "their" hand. There are many alternatives to not keeping or raising a child with the common alternative being ADOPTION! There are so many people that are willing & more than capable of raising a child(ren) that actually WANT to love & care for them. Abortion is not the only option...just think about it!

Now don't get me wrong, NO I do not know everything there is to know about this, and am still educating myself on it. I'm not telling you to vote 'YES' or 'NO'...but I'm simply coming to shed light on one of the biggest mis-conceptions I think there is about this (but you are free to make your own assumptions and formulate your own opinions). At the end of the day, YOU have a choice! I just ask that before we listen to what everyone else is saying that we read for ourselves and formulate our own opinions. As Christians, regardless of what we "feel" we should do, we have to have the heart & mind of CHRIST! That famous question, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO (WWJD) is what we should be asking ourselves! We must not hear only what we 'want' to hear, but pray & ask God to show you in the spirit of what this amendment is all about! I love each of you & you have the right to believe what you want. These are some of my views on it and I just want you to know for yourself! God bless you!

With all love & respect,
NINA

Educate yourself. You can start by clicking HERE & formulating your own opinion. Pray & ask God to show you what it is you need to do as a Christian (if you are one). 

For SCRIPTURAL references, please click HERE 

 THANKS FOR READING :-) AT THE END OF THE DAY REGARDLESS AS TO WHAT YOU CHOOSE, ITS NOT ABOUT US! :-)

Nails...Nails...and life! Lol!

Sooooooooooooooooo, in LIGHT of my previous post, I'm doing & feeling much better! Just had to take a breather and realize WHO was in charge (God!)

I forgot to show you pictures of my latest nail polishes. One day, I'm going to really get er' done & do something extra wacky and creative with them, lol. I love to humbly and subtly show my personality either through my attire, so this fits right in! Hopefully I'll start making more posts on beauty, confidence, and the like....so stay tuned! Check out my previous nail colors HERE

My blue toes with silver & white accents. I love those sandals I had on! My faves, lol!

This picture is a bit dark, but I liked it anyway!

This Royal Blue polish was only like $1, but its one of the BEST polishes I've ever bought! I only needed one coat.

Love this polish and how smooth it glided over my nails.

This was the 30 second Insta Dry nail polish in a cream/ivory color! I like how fast it dries, but it took me almost 4-5 coats to get it thick & solid like I wanted it! I messed my pointing & thumb fingers up a bit though :-(

The polish didn't last very long either, however I enjoyed it while it did :-)

So elegant & lady-like....lol. That's one of my favorite rings! Nice nails and a statement ring makes everything better! Oh yeah, don't forget smooth, moisturized hands! I can help with that....purchase one of my BODY BUTTERS today! Lol!

EMPTY

Today, I just don't know. I think I went to bed last night with a lot on my mind and woke up this morning with a lot on my mind. Even through my prayer to God this morning, I felt as if I just couldn't get "to" him. On facebook, I wrote a status about "choices" and that we can choose the outcomes of how we feel today. Though it encouraged me with hopes to know that it prayerfully encouraged at least one person, I still feel just a bit empty. It has nothing to do with others, but it does have everything to do with me. Daily, I pray that God will change the way I view certain things, basically to renew my mind and spirit. I do most of my work, whether it be with school, helping others, work through my businesses, etc. on the computer, so that's where I spend most of my day. Though I don't physically come into contact with a lot of people everyday, I do in fact come in contact with them virtually, and sometimes you can "feel" the next's pulse through their conversations and their posts via facebook, email, etc. SO, it can all sometimes be a bit much. I've gotten much better at not carrying other people's burdens on my shoulders, yet they seem to "magically" appear in my thoughts.

Even as to now, I'm looking out the window and its GORGEOUS outside, more than enough reason to make you just want to get up, get out, and do something, lol. BUT, I'm sitting here empty. I'm not depressed...I'm not mad....sad...nor angry, its just that I feel a bit empty and sometimes long for another person to speak LIFE into me! I try my best to do that to other people, and I'm not sure if people feel I "have it all together" or what, lol, but that is certainly not the case! You know, I too need that motivation and encouragement that I give so freely and sincerely to others. At the same time, I know that if I continue to wait on others to encourage me, I may very well be waiting forever, lol. So the song is certainly true, sometimes you just have to "ENCOURAGE YOURSELF"...but darn that sometimes, lol. I sometimes feel as if I'm not even strong enough to do that. Don't get me wrong, I certainly know how to get to God.....but it just feels good when an encouraging word is spoken over and into your life by someone else of like faith & relationship with God.

I'm really not sure if "empty" is the terminology I need to use to describe how I feel, but its the first thing that popped in my mind. For when you're empty, you have nothing inside and I know that's not the case. I guess its just one of those BLAH days for me that I've written about many times, lol. But one thing that remains TRUE....God is STILL worthy of the praise, honor, & glory! So I must press through these moments and know that everything is already alright! Thanks for reading....