Sometimes We Need Inspiration

In my search for movies, I usually look for something that will inspire me. The other day, I had the pleasure of watching the story of Mother Teresa. This sweet, little woman was a giant among giants in her time hands down. I had a lot of takeaways but wanted to share a few.

There’s Knowing and ‘KNOWING’

There is a difference between knowing God and ‘knowing’ God. We all know who the President of the United States is but we don’t ‘know’ him. Most of us can’t walk into the White House, kick off our shoes and have dinner with him. People know of God because they’ve heard many stories of him, but they don’t ‘know’ God intimately because they’ve never formed relationship. It’s easy to dismiss God when you haven’t made an effort to prove or disprove.

Mother Teresa KNEW God. Although it’s a known fact that nuns take vows and are considered married to Jesus, we miss the point of such dedication. We think that it’s solely for nuns and get hung up with looking at the religion and forget it’s all about relationship.

The Constant Talk

Throughout the movie, the girl would drop to her knees at a drop of a hat to pray. She must have prayed at least 50 times within the 2+ hours! Most could accept that because she’s a NUN. If a regular Christian would do that, they would be considered a loon fanatic. But here is what she discovered, that most never do. The constant talk towards heaven opened up a world for her that is available to everyone but only revealed to few.

We often think of prayer as a one way conversation when it is not. God is real and constantly speaks back. Why in the world would you pray to a God who wouldn't answer back? Unfortunately many people have the wrong story about God and don’t make the effort to find out the truth.

(By the way, God is not interested in the posture of your body when you talk to him. He’s more interested in the posture of your heart. You see relationship, whenever you desire one that’s intimate, comes from the heart. What this means is that you can talk to him anytime throughout the day without any kneeling and any scripting because he wants and craves your conversation.)

It’s All About Love

Naturally when you talk to someone constantly that you want relationship with, you just eventually love them. It’s part of the intimate relationship dynamics. The beauty of discovering God’s love is that it spills over to others.

Mother Teresa loved God and loved people but a lot of us fail miserably with the second one. Too many Christians are all about talk. She showed God’s love by her actions. Even when she was hurting, she understood her hurt would work itself out when she helped others through their pain.

Our playing field may not be India or the world, but we all know of people who are in need. We should be looking for opportunities to step in and love on them.

The Power of One

Many would say Mother Teresa’s calling is not mine. I do not have her destiny…but you do. We all have something we should be accomplishing in our lifetime. We were not put here to take up space and God makes no exception. We are all called to greatness and excellence. Our sphere of influence may not be as large as Mother Teresa’s at the moment, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have that potential.

What amazed me was how she started out as one person with one vision and how over the years it became contagious throughout the world. Her calling was simple - to help people in need…that was it.

Keeping it Simple

We often think that to accomplish something memorable, it has to be big and elaborate. Mother Teresa loved simplicity and she achieved all of her objectives because of it.

She started her dream with absolutely nothing tangible…NOTHING. She had no money, no location…not even a team to help her but that didn’t deter her. She began laying groundwork with what she did possess; her love for people and her talent for persistence and stubbornness. She wouldn’t quit and was relentless and made sure that all of the dreams that God had deposited into her heart came to pass.

The Faith Factor

When we board a plane, our expectation is that that we will reach our destination even though we don’t know the pilot personally. We don’t know if he has the right credentials. We don’t know if he’s in training (perhaps his first flight). We don’t know whether he’s sober or getting over the effects of sleeping meds from the night before, etc, BUT we have faith this man we DON’T KNOW will get us there.

You exercise faith every day for many things, but when it comes to God it eludes you. Ever wonder why you waiver with your faith in God or your faith for what God can do? Sometimes I think it’s because we’re scared of what he’ll do. It freaks us out to know he may just answer a little too greatly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, supernaturally and unexplainably. It’s easier to expect he won’t answer.

Over and over again, I witnessed throughout the movie answered prayers. I was amazed and Mother Teresa was not because it was her expectations. God would give her a MASSIVE dream and she would move forward, fully confident that if he wanted it done, he would provide…period, end of story.

It looks like an easy concept but it isn’t. There are those of us who know the turmoil that one goes through when you’re going from point A to point Z before that HUGE dream comes to pass. I think that she minimized the turmoil because she often reminded others and herself that the timing factor was not hers to dictate and she learned the art of patience and waiting.

Sometimes we all need a moment of inspiration.

There’s so much more that can be said about this incredible woman, but the fact is, she was incredible because she lived what she believed. She believed she was a representative of a God who loves and lived it out loud, unashamed and unapologetically. Her inspiration was the people around her in need. It kept her going.

Where is your inspiration? I believe inspiration is always around us but I think it serves a greater purpose when we live to inspire others.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The Legacy of a Man

The legacy of a man becomes the outward display of his character. Legacy demands that the life of a person be praised when merited. A legacy cannot exist unless there is investment of self into others. One is never remembered by how much they did in the material sense, but by how and where their time was devoted. If their devotion was their job, the reaping will be in the temporary memory at that place. However, if commitment was to a wider audience that included not only family, but also community, the ripple effects will be felt for generations to come.

Being Remembered
When we’re young we don’t worry about forging a legacy because we feel time is ours, but as we grow older we begin to value relationships, especially that of family. As we start to lose those that are dearest to us, those who have begun the next journey, we start to question what spiritual, cultural, and family inheritance, we will leave behind to our children. This is not limited to our own children, but also comprises of extended family and those we’ve extended the privilege of calling kin.

Six of the eight Humphreys

The Loss of a Humphrey’s Patriarch
My father’s family consisted of eight brothers and sisters. They were eight orphans who understood and still foster the importance of maintaining sibling-relationships. For as long as I can remember, they’ve always sought each other out, and showed all of us (my cousins) the meaning of love, support, friendship, and just the act of being family.

My Tio (my uncle) was one of the middle children, and though he went through some rocky times, about 20 years ago he decided to turn his life around. Most people would say he found religion, he found Jesus. However, I like thinking that what made his find so much more precious was that he knew how important connection was, and he just transposed what he already had with his siblings to his walk with God.

God quickly became his new best friend, and in doing so, he understood the significance of making his relationship an overflow experience. We all witnessed the transformation in his life, and with it, all of his family values became exemplified to a wider audience. His sowing ground became his community. He understood that one word, one sentence, or one conversation could change the life of another in such a way that they would never be the same. Yes, my Tio did this time and time again.

What Was His Legacy?
The only word that comes to mind is LOVE. He mimicked his God in everything he did. He loved his wife not only through the day to day, but in illness. He loved his children by giving his all, and letting it spill over to their children by being a grand dad in every way he could. He was the pastor to the hurting, and the encourager to the depressed. Tio was Jesus’ smile to his community and neighbors.

I truly believe that Tio learned to love people for who they are and practiced seeing people through God’s eyes. He was a warrior who took his place in the ranks and ran the course he was supposed to. As he slid sideways out of this life (think surf board), his greatest, concluding-achievement was the ability to say, “I did it God…I loved all…I did what you destined me for.” My Tio lived his life to his fullest.

Honoring the Man
What is expected of us, all of the children, not just Tio’s sons and daughters, but all of Tio’s kids? Shouldn’t we be the Humphreys, a proud and loving family who should continue to foster the importance of relationships?

Absolutely, however, when thinking of all the different levels of bonding, I’m sure my Tio would emphasize that the first and foremost relationship should be with God. He understood that the overflow from that relationship would only strengthen all others bringing our connections to deeper levels.

How can I honor, my Tio, a Humphrey’s patriarch? One day of remembrance, one honor-writing piece will never suffice. T he honoring is in continuing the legacy he so carefully forged in the last few years. Although he embraced his calling and his ministry, he never forgot family. He cherished it and I’m sure he expects no less from us.

Honoring those who have gone before me is a daily action. It is living my destiny, embracing my calling, and being everything that I should be. I know that one day I will see them, him, again, and I want to be able to tell him, “I did it Tio…I did it….Thank you for being one of my inspirations”.

In loving memory of my Tio Miguel Angel Humphreys Herrera

Why Does God Hate Me?

On any given Sunday in our church, new songs are introduced and become the favorite of many. What I find is that often certain songs just stay with me for days and echo in my mind. I hear it so clearly that I catch myself going to youtube and looking up the song so I can hear it yet again and sing along.

Amy, one of the girls at the front line, sings a song that has become one of my favorites. As a matter of fact I’m writing this because all I can hear in my head is this song. I truly don’t mind because the reminder is something I cherish. Unfortunately there are many women that don’t know this truth and the live broken because of it every day. I was reminded of that when I watched Tyler Perry’s “Why did I Get Married?” This movie portrays 4 couples and each face problems that challenge and unfortunately break up most marriages. Towards the end of the movie, there is an emotional recount of one woman’s life for the past 8 months and it goes like this.


She was a heavy woman whose husband fell out of love with her. He was completely insensitive, emotionally abusive and treated her with disdain and ridicule. She prayed that God would change things in her marriage and even told her friends that she asked herself “why does God hate me” when nothing happened. My heart just broke with those words and yes I am one of those who blubber at times along with the character. I guess those words struck a chord because I knew how she felt because quite honestly I’ve felt like that when I’ve been in crisis and there is no answer in sight.

She continues to tell her friends how she was able to basically work on herself and how God turned her life around and gave her a man who loves her for her. She kept repeating how every morning her heart is full of joy.

Movies have to truncate the ugly becoming beautiful for the sake of time. Reality is that the transition takes a while and is very painful and you have to be brave enough to want change and follow through. A lot of times we may feel like this woman “why does God hate me” because the silence may be deafening to our prayers but did you ever stop to think God is waiting for you?

Her change didn’t come until she took action. She had to go through a series of changes to obtain that answered prayer. Let me give you a few examples…

1.She had to stop accepting and believing the abusive behavior towards her. It had nothing to do with size and everything to do with how she viewed herself. Although there is no excuse for the things her husband said and did, she enabled it because of her insecurities. She did not know who she was and how valuable she was.

2. Once she recognized that she was a loveable human being, she wanted to become better in every area of her life. In her case she had the assistance of a man who loved her for her but that doesn’t always happen. Most times, a woman will have friends that will provide that support. We need to learn to soak that up and accept that constructive criticism for the better.

3. She took certain actions. She didn’t like her weight. It made her feel less attractive so she went on a healthy regimen. She did it for her not him and was proud and pleased with the outcome. She changed her environment and who she hung out with. She chose to listen to positive voices and shut out the negative ones.

Many times God can’t answer prayers because we’re not ready for the change. In our present state we enable behaviors from others and within ourselves. If he’d answer, we would undo everything because we are part of the problem.

So what does this have to do with the song that Amy sings going around my head? Well the song is quite the opposite of this woman’s once sentiment. However, after she and I changed, we both discovered that God really loves us and was willing to answer our prayers all along, He was just waiting for us to be willing to change.

I can hear Amy singing again. I wish we had our church’s rendition so you could all hear… How He Loves Us So….It’s an awesome song…

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

Pre-Chorus:
And oh, how He loves us so, Oh how He loves us, How He loves us all

Chorus 1:
Yeah, He loves us, Whoa! how He loves us, Whoa! how He loves us, Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us, Whoa! how He loves us, Whoa! how He loves us, Whoa! how He loves.

Verse 2:
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He is Jealous of Me

Too Arched to Live Out Loud

I have this bad habit of engaging in conversation a lot of times with whomever is around me, whether I am waiting on line, sitting in a waiting room, getting my nails done, etc. Instinctively, the words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop myself and, yes, I am guilty of starting conversations that entice others to jump right in. It’s not done on purpose. My upbringing had a lot to do with it. My siblings and I learned from the best. Both my parents knew how to draw in anyone in their path and still do today. It’s a habit that we all have. I think my siblings are worst or shall I say better than me.

It’s during these types of conversations that you learn so much about the life of others. Sometimes you are reminded how blessed you are. Other times the wisdom that is poured out is undeniable and you walk away awed and inspired. However, lately, I find that there are more and more women who are deeply hurt and haven’t found a way to heal. Their dialogue is stuck in the past and they continue to struggle.

What saddens me is how many people I meet or know that are brimming with potential that haven’t taken the first step or are afraid to. Creativity has been deposited inside of each of us in abundance but if there is no motivation, that art remains silent and hidden. It doesn’t have a chance to shine or proclaim to the world, look how beautiful I am, an example of the awesome design of my God. That gift of creativity, combined with talent, motivation, imagination and the willingness to jump into the path of exploration, gives each and every one of us the opportunity to be great at something. Yes great; not just wonderful but I dare say excellent.

Why is it that so many of us settle for a mediocre or substandard life? Perhaps it is because it is easier to point outside of ourselves and provide excuses for doing or not doing. Unfortunately, in the process many become too arched to live out loud.

What does it mean to be too arched?
It means that you’re too curved in your living. You live in either extreme and have a hard time being balanced. Somewhere along your life, the path got so buckled that you’ve become trapped. You go forward but can’t get enough traction so you kind of slide right back. Sometimes it’s all the way back. Sometimes it’s just a few steps. However if those few steps happen often enough it tends to discourage you and makes you want to give up. You get to the place where you can’t live out loud because there’s nothing to shout about in your life.

Now some of you may feel that being invisible is quite fine. However, God didn’t put you here to blend in. He put each and every one of us to represent a different facet of His image, His being, His likeness. Each of us should stand out in our unique way and our differences should compliment like colors on a magnificent painting.

Jesus made many profound statements throughout His life. One of them resounds in my mind. “I’ve come to give you life and to give it more abundantly”. Yet for some reason, we get so hung up and drag our past like a ball and chain or set it up as a trophy for all to see.

If you are too arched to live out loud then it’s time you drop off the dead weight from your back…

• The negative voices in your head from the past and present
• The man or woman that left you
• The man or woman that abused you
• The disappointment of (fill in the blank)

Straighten out that spine and chin up. Make it a point to make each and every day count. Make a difference and be a difference and influence those around you. Cultivate your gift. If you haven’t discovered what it is, then that’s your mission. Don’t live an arched life a moment longer. Live out Loud!

What Good Do You Possess?

Do you think that some of us fail to see the good in life when we’re experiencing down times? Perhaps we can take it a step further and say that some of us have probably gone through so many low points that we can no longer see any rainbows. The unfortunate reality is that at one time or another we all fail to see the good we already possess.

As I rewrite one of the chapters of my book covering the topic of becoming conscious of the good within, I often wonder how many of us out there have forgotten that no matter how bad things get, there is always something good in our lives. There is always someone who loves and cares for us. Most of us, if not all, have a roof over our heads. We have food on the table and in our fridge. We apparently are among the living or I wouldn’t be writing and you wouldn’t be reading right now.

Where Are You Today?
 I wonder where you are today while reading this. Are you sitting comfortably with your legs tucked under you, or are you sitting rigidly in your seat with your jaw clenched? When was the last time you slowed down your mind long enough to meditate on the things in your life that you should be grateful for? When was the last time you looked up at the beautiful blue sky full of cotton clouds or the incredible twinkling, dark-bowl of the night?

Make A List
I ask you now…what good do you possess? If just for this moment, give yourself a break from pondering on the negative and start listing mentally (or on paper if you so desire) the good stuff. What kind of stuff? Think of the things that put a smile on your face.

Accept Love
Finally remember one thing. No matter where you’re at in life, you are and will always be loved whether you accept it or not. I don’t know about you but being reminded of that warms me up inside. Knowing that there is a God who loves me entirely for me, unconditionally, helps me to keep the layout of life in perspective.

Future Sight

Remember, it’s easier to look down from a mountain then up from the bottom. From the top you can see your surroundings clearly. The bottom only allows for limited vision. Don’t hesitate to climb on up within your thought process by meditating on the good you possess.

Voice Your Gift

Today I watched the Disney film “The Greatest Game Ever Played”. Of course, like most movies like this, the little man ended up being the hero or shall I say the winner in this case. Although everyone in the audience knew that, wanted that, heck expected it to happen, the getting there had a powerful message.

Sometimes in life we let others kill our dreams be it those who we may feel inferior to, or even those we love. When our gifts or are dreams manifest, there are times when we must make the lonely stance of following a path that others may not understand or accept. Some times those dreams can be hindered by past voices that we have not learned to silence. Other times they can come from present influences. Both past and present can hold you back if you choose to believe the lie of you cannot.

Just like the characters in the movie, there are instances where perception can push us to strive to be better. Challenged by that better we can develop the vision to be just as good or surpass it by focusing and doing our best. Too many times we get hung up on comparison and that limits us to others altitude and not our potential.

We all want and need to give voice to our gifts, but it’s up to us whether we will embrace the makings of our future or chose to plainly disbelieve in ourselves.

The Do Over

Kids learn pretty quickly, the significance of the do over, when they start to approach the school age. This usually happens when a parent or an adult figure points out that something was done incorrectly. Sometimes a child triumphs during the do over and sometimes they experience disappointments. What was brought into adulthood by that child was dependent on the harshness of those figures in their younger years, especially during the disappointments.

Those past adult voices are the ones that either encourage us or haunt us. You and I know them well because they creep up from time to time without much effort. They either cheer you on or relentlessly knock you down. Often they’re thought of as our inner dialogue but in reality they’re the byproduct of the voices of the past that infiltrated and adapted to sound like your own. As individuals, we’re supposed to constantly renew the mind…our thoughts and inner dialogue. Some learn to master that in a positive manner, while others have accepted and believed that a do over is not in scope for their lives. They’re just beaten.

I believe that the do over is available to anybody. Some of you may be shaking your head in a very negative manner and perhaps saying not for me. You have probably failed time and again to get out of situations and circumstances that seem beyond your control. You feel stuck, trapped and hopeless. Some of you may even feel like you deserve to be where you’re at because you’re guilt ridden and imprisoned by your past choices. The do over is not an option. You must live your punishment for the rest of your days…or so you think.

A lot of the sadness in this world can be contributed to the lost of hope for a do over. It’s something that is felt as undeserved although it’s an equal opportunity offer to all. The possibility of the do over entices many but few run into the cradle of its arms. Are you wondering why?

The do over is avoided by many because it always beckons one to action – the action of change. It doesn’t encourage doing the same thing the same way to produce the same results. It propels you to do something different to achieve positive results. It pushes you to think outside of the box, cheers you on into the unknown and gives you the courage to shut out the familiar voices. Once there’s momentum, deep down inside you know that you’re headed in the right direction. You accept that you can’t undo the past but you also know that you can create a better future.

It will challenge you to make the tough choice to let go of people who hinder you and will introduce you to others who have discovered the secret of the do over. The do over will put you in a place where you get tired of listening to the voices that tell you that you can’t. In its place you will crave for the voices that will root for you even when the mistake was of your own making.

The do over will always cost you. It will take you out of your comfort zone. It will turn your life upside down. It will make you cry, feel unsure during the journey and will probably stress you out until you have a sure footing again. However, even in the midst of all of that, it will remind you that it’s not the bravest that wins, but the persistent one that gets the prize because the focus is on the desired outcome, not the going through.

So today if you’re faced with the challenge of the do over, don’t get discouraged. It’s a great thing when we’re presented the chance to do it again, a new way.

I confess I don’t like the do over at times, okay a lot of the times…but the experience of past do over wins hands down and I know that in the end it’s all worth it.

I dedicate this to all of you who are in the do over stage. Don’t lose hope. You will not fail! Failure is defined by those who do not try.

For the rest of you, stop living a substandard life, stop blaming yourself, others, the past and God. Take responsibility, buck up and move forward. It’s time.

The opportunity for a do over is here and now. Go for it!

(I love you J – this one is for you.)