GOD’s Plan

 When GOD has a plan for you, don’t worry about what comes up in your life. 

I remember when David had to use his sling and a stone to protect his daddy’s sheep. And later in his life, he used a sling to fell Goliath! 

And then I think about Joe Biden. He worked all of those years in the Senate and learned to be a master negotiator and statesman. And now, he uses those statesman and negotiation skills to talk to heads of state the world over and congressmen in Washington.

You can look down through the annals of time and see people who became great at whatever, by using things from their youth that eventually became strengths, all according to GOD’s purpose, apparently.

Now you know what has kept me going all these years. 

You see, I had to learn that it was not all about me, 

But about the plan for my life made by 

The GOD, Who governs eternity

Though I never dreamed, a church leader’s wife 

Or writer I’d be

Folks, I’ve learned

It’s not all about me.

And that’s why I use caution in dealing with young and old alike

The young because I may be helping to shape a soul destined to make history

The old because I may be interacting with GOD’s blessed one

And far be it for me to cause them misery.

Alma L. Carr-Jones

My Momma’s Love

 My Momma’s love

Taught me the love of GOD

In the TRINITY

My Momma’s love…

My Momma’s love

Pushes me on

Because she taught me

That though she might be gone

The Trinity‘s love would

Carry me home

…my Momma’s love.

And now I share that love

That she showered on me

With every body…

Every body I meet

By living my life

For the TRINITY…

My Momma’s love.

Happy Mother’s Day, Momma!

To My Young People

 To my young people 

It’s going to get better

Some generations have to be stronger than others, it seems

Some generations as children had to contend with world wars

Instead of playing with toys

Now, the age of not feeling safe in your classrooms, 

No more carefree times at the mall…

Threats of climate change catastrophes

And/or the emergence or reemergence 

Of some dreaded disease

Has caused young years to be replaced

By seemingly unfair adult like tears

Due to unnatural occurrences 

That have given rise to faith destroying fears…

Don’t despair; it’s going to get better 

You ask me how I can say this

How do I know

I come telling you about my best Friend

Who my Momma introduced me to

A long time ago

If life has called upon your generation to be strong

Talk to GOD in prayer 

And watch Him turn your thoughts 

Away from despair

And deliver peace to you then and there.

Yes, like Joseph in the Bible and David, too

Your carefree days may be through

Because GOD’s next leader

Is somewhere among you.

But, I don’t want you to despair

Because this old soul who was once young like you

Can tell you, young folks 

Our great GOD, The CREATOR of this world

Loves you and will bring you through!

So, what am I asking you to do?

Keep loving, praying and trusting

In Him and you will see that

Just like He did to that old Covid Virus

He’ll wipe out your problems

And bring you right on through!

You ask me how I know

That’s easy enough

I started praying when I was just a kid

And now I stand a seasoned warrior 

Telling you about the miraculous things

That GOD, Our FATHER did!

So, keep praying or start

My sweet little innocent souls

And you will one day be like me

And brag on Him as He brings you through

And molds and holds you with tenderness 

As He allows your dreams to come true.

 

Hello - A Question for You

Good morning! I have a question for you.

What say you

I’m asking your opinion

On the next book I should do.

 

1. Alma’s Quotes - This will be a compilation of all of my sayings. I’m often reminded of something that I said to my children years ago, during my tenure in the classroom

2. Children’s book - this will be a book about a pesky little squirrel that has occupied a space in my head for about three years.

3. Memoirs - this will bea collection of stories, moments, etc. from my childhood.

I’ll make a decision within two weeks.

Thanks for your readership and time,

Be blessed!

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

 Let’s work harder this year to not be in that shoulda, woulda, coulda club at The Judgement as we continue life here below.

Loving My GOD

 Loving my GOD

Gets hard for me sometimes

Because the world does not understand

This love for GOD

By a human.

Stress Reliever

 

The weather turned cold in our area a couple of days ago, so I pulled out a throw that I made a couple of years ago. The added weight felt good on the bed and I got extra joy out of knowing I had made it with my hands. I remember my joy when I made my first flower. Such a simple joy.

I went to sleep with a smile on my face. Do you know why? When you do something you like to do, it makes you feel good. I like to crochet and seeing the throw that I had made raised that joy in me again. 

I always tell you to find something that you enjoy doing and work your stress out that way. It might be reading, going for a walk, embroidering, cooking, etc. When you do that, you build endorphins. You can read further about it in one of my books,  Bear the Good News.

And, just so that you know, paying someone a compliment does the same thing, for you and for the person receiving the compliment.

In these times of political turmoil, it pays to be prayerful and to practice doing things that alleviate stress. Be blessed!

Through It All

 Good morning! Hope you have been faring well, are faring well and will continue to do so. 

As most of you know, I have been posting a few words daily on my Twitter account. If the LORD wills, I will endeavor to post weekly on this blog, as well.

Through all of the turmoil of Covid, etc., our GOD kept us and is keeping us still. So, this morning, I want to say, “Thank You, FATHER, for Your love, mercy and grace! I do not have adequate words for thanking You for allowing my readers and me to hide in the shelter of Your wings and keeping us through it all!”

Though there have been changes 

That we could not foresee

GOD kept you and He kept me

Through it all!

Note - GOD has blessed me to publish 11 books to date, with another one at my publisher, TMP Books. GOD’s grace!

Talking to GOD and Stepping On

 Yesterday was Mother’s Day and it was bittersweet because, though I received calls, texts, and gifts a plenty from my husband and my children, I missed my Momma, so I did a tribute poem in her memory which I have included below. And while my missing her is ever with me, I talk (in the poem) about how she equipped me to stay in the vineyard and keep working for the LORD come what may. (cont. tomorrow)

She taught me to read my Bible and pray

And I used that teaching on yesterday

To get me through the pain of missing her

And did a bit of teaching as I reminded

Everyone that life, death, life is the way

That Our lives have been set up by GOD

Thus saying that losing mothers and other loved ones

Is just our life’s process

And if we maintain our trust in Him

At the end of life, we will be blessed.

Here is the poem from yesterday:

GOD’s Way

Another Mother’s Day with my Momma gone

But that has to be okay

Though that is a hard thing for me to say

Yet, she prepared me as best as she could

For her departing day

So that I could be reunited with her

When I reached the end of my life’s way.

She planted the seeds of faith in me

About her loving GOD’s way

When I was just a child 

And she nurtured and watered the seeds

And watched me grow in them while

I fed from the plants as I had need.

My Momma, with her infinite love

Prepared me for my lonely walk

A walk that I would embark upon

When she, alas, was gone

And I, her baby, would be forced to walk alone.

I no longer cavort with a child’s carefree glide

But now walk with a wounded, battle-hardened soldiers stride

Determined to see my Momma again

When I am called to my eternal home

By JESUS, my GOD and FRIEND.

(Based on Psalm 78:6-7.)

Saying Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and offering this poem as a tribute to my Momma (R.I.P.)

I’d Rather...

What is the opposite of rose tinted glasses? Negativism or cynicism could be the opposite.

And why does the world hate it when a Christian continually has a smile on their face? Could it be that the old adage that misery loves company is in play here?

And why would a Christian just keep a smile on their face anyway, as if they have some miraculous secret that the rest of the world doesn’t?

I submit that they do and I will be discussing that thought in the prose part of my upcoming book, Excelsior.

BYDWP

 BYDWP

What is it and 

What does it mean to me?

BYDWP 

This is the essence of MY faith, you see 

Because no matter what disturbs my day 

I always fall back on 

The privilege I have to pray. 

BYDWP

BYDWP

Is all I really need to say 

Because there is no better way 

To begin or end your day 

Because BYDWP is the banner that 

Has carried and sustained me 

So, the last thought that I want 

To leave with you about prayer is BYDWP.

Stubborn Faith

 

That GOD has always been

Able to reach into the highest echelon

To obtain favor for HIS chosen 

Is a fact that is tried and true

So, I just wanted to remind you

To never give up and to hold on

To that “stubborn faith” because

GOD has determined that, to you

Enough has been done.

9 Books and Counting

 I posted this several years ago and thought it was prudent to repost today. 

12/5/15, 4:21 AM

She was told that a goal was set for her

And she came to believe it

Then with determination

And bulldog tenacity

She labored to achieve it.

It has been said, "Children learn what they live." That is a true statement for I am an example of it.

Folks, I will not pester you with my blog posts, unnecessarily. It just so happens that I have been inspired tremendously two days in a row, so I took the liberty of reposting my blog from today.

As a child, it was drilled into me to be kind to others. I was told that Jesus liked and expected it. Okay, so I practiced being kind and as a result, I am a kind adult. 

Another case in point, I had a geometry teacher who was very strict. I don't know who she thought I was, but she saw something in me that I did not fully know was there. She told me repeatedly and told the class too, that I was very smart, but that I was lazy. Folks, this was a unified geometry class! I resented her making that statement and calling me lazy. I resented her thinking I was not doing all that I could in my work in her class. I remember thinking, "I don't know who she thinks I am, but I am giving this class all that I have." Well wouldn't you know it, as a result of her statement, some of my classmates started to ask me questions about some of the theorems, postulates, etc. and I endeavored to answer. It came to be that whenever the "smartest" people in the class were trying to come up with an answer to something and couldn't agree, they always, somehow included me. I remember one time specifically that we were having a similar discussion and I was asked for my input, which I gave. I was ridiculed and laughed to scorn about my answer. When our teacher came into the room, I was in tears saying how I never said I was smart and saying that they asked me what I thought and I told them. We had all gotten quiet when the teacher entered. She asked what all of the arguing was about and the "smartest" girl said that we were having a discussion about a correct way to apply, whatever. (Have to forgive me here because I do not even remember what point was being argued.) Anyway, you know it, it turned out that I was right. The "smartest" girl argued with the teacher about how "she" (meaning me) could be right. Yeah, folks she was looking at my outside trappings and not listening to what I was saying because she thought nothing good could come out of me, surely. I still laugh about that sometimes today, but I took a big lesson with me from that point on in my life. I realized that while I might not be the "sharpest crayon in the box", I could hold my own. I took on a new respect for that geometry teacher and for myself. Of course, I realize now, that the Lord had a hand in the whole proceedings.

So, what did I do with the lesson that I learned? I kept it in my heart and used it to nurture my spirit when I finally made it to college and was thrown in with, what to my mind, were "great brains." I held my own in most college classes and sometimes led the discussion. And that is not all that I did with the lesson that I learned, I used that same tactic with my kids in my classes when I became a teacher. And you know what, it worked! I had my children bemoaning the fact that they had me for a teacher at the beginning of the year, only to thank me profusely at the end of the year for a challenging class and for teaching them to think. I set high expectations for them, told them they could do it repeatedly and they did! And get this, by the end of the year, they were challenging me! They would beg me for something challenging, projects, etc. That's a laugh! 

I recall reading somewhere of a Carpenter who was not deemed "good enough" to be listened to. And where is He today? Sitting on the right hand of His FATHER, in preparation of returning to get His church.

If you have a persistent dream to do something and it will not go away, put the Lord in front of you, lean on Him and reach for your dream. Who knows, may be meant to be.

About children, they can and will learn whatever we teach them and push them toward, be it academic excellence, love or hate.

Lastly, you "Can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens you." Do it and do it to His glory! 

I did

I do

And will continue.

Doing What I Can, While I Can

Alma Jones

What else did I do with the lesson that I learned that day, why I'm sharing it with you. (Smile)

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How Did I Make It?

 Luther Barnes put into a song a sentiment that I have used to carry me all these years.

The title of the song is “GOD’s Grace”. The first  couple of lines of the song say,

How did I make it, all these years

How did I make it this far?” 

 The song gives praise and thanks to GOD for HIS amazing grace and those are my sentiments exactly! For I know what it is to be in want as a child when compared to the material goods of others. I know what it is to be lifted higher than anybody thought I could go! And I know that the heights I’ve reached, though to some may seem small, are but by the grace of God. And it is where HE deemed I should be.

You see, after my Momma and daddy separated, I became to the world, “a fatherless one.” So, I learned to live with the ridicule that comes with living with few material goods and laboring under the “You ain’t got no daddy slogan.” I learned when other kids had a tiff with some child or another and they wailed out, “I’m gonna tell my daddy,” and they went running off to tell him, that I didn’t have the luxury of having a daddy at home who I could go running to like that.

But, you know what folks, I learned that GOD loved me and I learned to tell HIM all of my problems. If it worried me, I ran to tell GOD. I ran in my mind to HIM until I could get home by myself and let my tears flow as I emptied my heart to HIM. I learned that the fatherless are looked upon with extra tenderness by HIM. (Deuteronomy 10:18, Psalm 82:3, Hosea 14:3) I learned. I learned how to tell HIM, thank HIM, and praise HIM.

And I learned, as HE allowed me to be taught, how to share the knowledge of HIS love with others, the more the merrier, and hence my blog to you this morning and my numerous books that HE allowed (through HIS glory) me to pen.  Somebody might think, “You surely do brag a lot on God.” To that I say, you are right, yes I do. But if you never get tired of bragging on your earthly daddy, how much more  should I brag on the one who has carried me and you all these years and WHOSE power supersedes any man’s power?! 

How did Alma make it all these years? She made it by the grace of GOD and I stand on the top of the place where HE has put me and I yell to the world, “GOD’s Grace!” 

Be blessed today, y’all and read with a reassurance of faith from a fatherless one that HE has carried all these years! HE loves us all and will take care of us all...if we let HIM. 

One of My Friends

Became introspective upon

Hearing of the passing of a dear friend

There comes a time when you 

Realize that all that has not been

Will never be

As you turn your sagacious gaze

Toward ever-beckoning eternity.©

Calling Card

More than one person said to me, “Sis. Alma, it’s like you are right here in the room with me when I’m reading your books.” I replied, “Good, because  that is exactly the kind of warm feeling tone I wanted my books to have. I wanted a person reading them to feel as if she were sitting down talking to me and had my undivided attention!” 

After I have gone you will know that I have been here, because I am leaving my calling card of inspirational love (my books). You see, I just walk in a CHRISTlike fashion. I add my testimony to that great crowd of witnesses that have sung GOD’s praises for ages. The Bible was written before time for our learning. One of the things we learn is of GOD’s love through CHRIST, for us. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.” (Psalm 107:2, KJV) My legacy is my “say so.” 

Every Day I Pray

Every day

Every day I pray

For you

For me

And for our country 

Because I know how powerful

Our GOD is and

What HE can do

For my past attests to

The lovingkindness, justice,

And righteousness that

Is in HIS powerful hand!

A Caring Touch

 Let your touch be one that heals

Whatever it may feel

Let your caring flow

Thru your fingers

Wherever you may go

‘cause the gift that you were given

Requires that you give back much

For you bear that gift for nought

But to help wounded soldiers who

On the battlefield have fought.

From me to you

As the waves caress the shore

The love that GOD has given,

From vessel to vessel, 

Lasts forevermore...

There Comes a Time

 There comes a time when some unreached goals or desires are just that, and for the most part,

will remain so. There comes a time when other goals are made secondary or left behind and 

getting one’s house in order becomes the chief objective. Sometimes this comes about because 

of a new or rediscovered faith in GOD. At other times, catastrophic things such as the current 

pandemic cause people to reprioritize their thinking about what is most important.

New Faith, Rediscovered Faith, or Pandemic

It ought to make you think...

If you have been harboring hatred 

In your heart toward your fellowman 

That change of heart may have

You thinking that you need to mend

Your ways while you can.

I could have taken this poem on

For a few verses more

But, there is no need

Because I have given you some

Fodder for the teeth of your mind

To chew upon, as this morning’s words 

Cause you to take heed.©

Maintaining Hope

 Never forget that Matthew 19:26 says that “All things are possible with GOD.”

Hold on to that thought as you look toward the future with...

GOD has carried us far; let’s remain one nation under HIM as we (people of all colors) pray for the situation in Florida.