20 fun facts about me

You think you know, but you have noooo idea...

1. Famous people I've met: Larry Bird, Vince and Tamar Braxton, David and Tamela Mann. (And those are just the ones I think most people would know.)
2. I am anti-Facebook
3. I prefer a good dark chocolate over milk chocolate
4. I read at least one book each month. My favorite genre is young adult dystopian novels.
5. My favorite sport is boxing - favorite fighter is Miguel Cotto
6. Chicago is my favorite city - Go White Sox! Go Bulls!
7. I used to play the flute and piccolo
8. The farthest I've been from home is London
9. People used to tease me about my family being a real life version of the Cosby's
10. I love my day job!
11. My name (Nicole) means victorious. All I do is win. :)
12. I started tap dancing as an adult and love it
13. My favorite singer is Ella Fitzgerald
14. I do a toe-touch every year to make sure I can still do one. (Not sure why I find the need to keep that skill sharp.)
15. I always thought I'd make a great waitress or jingle writer
16. I am very protective of my time
17. I do not miss dental appointments
18. I met my husband when I was 14
19. I am very introspective
20. I'm saved, but you will get checked. ("I'll say I'm nicety!")    

Review of Jonathan Nelson's Fearless

I don't purchase a lot of albums, but my brother told me to buy Jonathan Nelson's latest project. Here's my short and dirty review...

1. Intro - I kinda hate intros. Just get to the music already.
2. Fearless - I like the rap on this track, but the song is just OK to me.
3. My Hope - Thumbs way up. Mid-tempo, not too many words. Good for praise teams.
4. Name of the Lord - Thumbs up. A good mix of new school and old school.
5. Name of the Lord Reprise - Thumbs way up. I kinda love reprises. That's because the artist knows the song is good so why not keep going.
6. Anything Can Happen - Meh. I like it starting at about 1:37, but this is the longest song e-v-e-rrrrrrr.
7. Baba Oh - Baba yesss! Thumbs way up.
8. Rehoboth - Thumbs way up. This is a singers' song. There's a lot of intricacies. The musical styling is beyond pleasant. Great track.
9. Forever Settled - This is your old school praise party song. Not my favorite, but a decent song.
10. Brand New - Thumbs wayyyy up! Absolutely love this song. Like listen to it every morning song.
11. I Believe (Island Medley) - Thumbs wayyyy up! You had me at Island Medley! This is a hit.
12. Amazing Love - Thumbs up. This song makes a great solo. Shout out to Jade Nelson; she sounds really good!
13. Everything You are (Jesus Chant) - Thumbs up. I will def be playing this in my personal worship time.
14. I Give You Glory - Thumbs up. Nobody brings it like Tye Tribbett. You can "dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance all night" on this one!
15. Victory Chant - Thumbs up. I wish they would've let this one play a little longer.

Overall, Fearless has something for everyone. New school, old school, Caribbean, chants, - you name it! The album is currently $7.99 on iTunes. (Finally, an album priced right!) Long story short, get Fearless!

So long, bye bye... (In my Island Medley voice :)

The simple is often the profound

I recently took out a book from my public library called Take Your Soul to Work. When I gave it some thought, I realized that not only am I leader at my church, but also within my church district, and at work. (No wonder I get burned out rather easily at times!) I like devotions and I figure I could definitely use some soul-searching when it comes to my day job.

One of the first activities was to write a prayer about your leadership no longer than 3 sentences long. I have to say, after writing my brief prayer, I was amazed at how profound it was.

Lord,
Let me lead with others in mind - with clarity and inspiration. Give me insight on how to face and overcome challenges; do not let me be overwhelmed or exceedingly stressed. Teach me how to become a better leader.

Honestly folks, I don't think I've ever prayed anything this good ever. Not even in lengthier prayers. This is how I want to lead, not only at work, but in every area of my life. Taking a few minutes to think about it and pray about it can only help.

Blessings

My mic sounds nice check 2

A few weeks ago I wrote about the lousy PA system we have. To reiterate how lousy it is, my dad jimmy rigged one of our mics with tissue so that the inner cord wouldn't make so much noise whenever somone moved the mic. (Yikes!)

In an effort to upgrade us, I did some research and ended up buying a Shure SM58. I was all excited because I just knew this would be the end of our technical problems. And then I found out that the amp we're using for vocals is actually a guitar amp. No wonder the sound isn't great! Now we have these nice mics and still sound like crap.

Clearly, this is why churches have technical staff who specialize in AV. Small churches like mine don't have this luxury. I have no idea what we need - other than Jesus. I have a friend who DJs, so now I'm gonna ask him for his advise cuz we gotta get our stuff together.

I decree that in 2017, I will not be posting about our mic system. In Jesus's name!

Relax, relate, release (in my Whitley Gilbert voice)

I'm at a point in my life where I have a lot of issues going on and often find that I'm looking for small ways to escape. You know how we do - treating ourselves to small treats to try to unwind. (e.g., coffee, shopping, chocolate, vacations, mani/pedis, the list goes on.)

I've been telling myself that I need to be more active so I started going for walks recently. This was going to be some much needed "me time." Time where I could listen to the music I wanted and walk to whatever destination fancied my interest (as opposed to the park when my toddler and I are walking). I set out early this morning before work and turned my Pandora station to Beyonce radio. I was gonna listen to some upbeat, mindless music to keep my tempo up.

I was halfway into the first Bey song and I wasn't feeling it. Maybe it was too early for all of that mess. Enter Tasha Cobbs's station. Immediately I felt more relaxed. Then I thought about the scripture that I posted to IG Psalm 5:3 "... in the morning shalt thou hear my voice..." so I started singing along with the songs that were playing. 2 of them I didn't know, but caught on to fairly easily. Let's just say that the good thing about walking at 5 am is that there aren't many people outside to hear your raspy morning voice.

Then to confirm that I needed that moment of time in worship, my morning devotional talked about how society's way of refueling is different that how Jesus refueled. (Read the devotional Unshakable Mom Day 2 here.)

If you are like me alone time is a rarity and you might find yourself filling that space up by catching up on a TV series you've neglected, reading a book or magazine, or taking a nap. But when life seems especially hectic choosing to lean into worship, prayer, and connecting with God is always the right way to escape.

Blessings