My Daily Breath of Life

Growing up, we use to have testimony service during our night services in church.  This was time for people to stand and be a witness of how good God is.  My testimony today, is how I was blessed to encounter a new friend by the name April D. Byrd through the blogosphere.

April D. Byrd, Author of Breath Of Life Daily

April is the creatress and author of Breath Of Life Daily (BOLD) blog.  It is through her posts, people are able to gain strength from the word of God not only from the bible, but through life in general via her life or through the lives of others.  Every Tuesday, April chooses to share testimonies from others to be shared with the world.  At the end of this post, I will leave the address to contact April for you to submit your testimony to her to be shared with the world.

While reading Ezekiel 37, I immediately felt a connection with this scripture and BOLD blog.  In this chapter, God took the Prophet Ezekiel in the Spirit and set him in the middle of a valley full of bones that were very dry.  God told Ezekiel to speak to the bones and command them to hear the word of the Lord. Ezekiel spoke to the bones and said, "Behold I will cause breath (Ruach - breath of God) to enter you that you may come to life."  As he spoke to the bones, the bones began to make a noise and come together.  The sinews (nerves) and flesh began to grow and cover the bones.  But there was no breath in them.  God told Ezekiel to speak again and say to the breath, "Breathe on them."  When he did, life came into them and they stood to their feet as a great army.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that God is using Breath Of Life Daily blog to speak into our lives to bring back life into us.  Purpose being, you have to live in order to receive what God has with your name on it.  Later in the scripture verses 12-16, Ezekiel was commanded to speak again and declare that God will open their graves and they would come out; and God would bring them into a place that has their name on it.
What has held you down, can hold you down no longer.  What has held the very thing(s) you need God to supply, will no longer be kept from you.  There are things on this earth with your name on it.  God specifically chose April to speak and call the four winds through the blogosphere to speak into our lives to bring forth life, mobility, and the authority to claim what God has for us.  These things are not just so we can go on with our lives for ourselves, but to testify to others how good and great God is.  It is also to bring us together as one, unifying us to speak life into others around us.  Our responsibility in all this, is to hear God.  Only when we hear Him, Ruach - His breath - will come into our lives and cause things that were dead to rise up and live again. His breath will enable us to claim what is ours, becoming one, speaking into the lives of others so they may live according to the plan of God as well.  

Becoming affiliated with Breath Of Life Daily has been an empowering experience.  Since my beginning of reading BOLD, my life has been enriched with every post.  April, thank you so much for allowing God to use you to speak into our lives.  It is an awesome responsibility.  You were chosen because you were ready to serve, willing to listen, and able to do it.  May God continue to bless you and Breath Of Life Daily blog.

You may reach April by Clicking Breath Of Life Daily link here, or under her photograph, and going to the testimonies tab on the blog.  To share a testimony you would like April to share with the world, you may reach her at boldbloginfo@gmail.com

Much love,
Granny

Happy Birthday Sissy

This is my sister.  She is daughter #2, I'm the eldest.

It's my Sissy's birthday.  And all I can think to get her for her birthday is her favorite slushy from 7-eleven.  She could never turn those down.  It's impossible to be on a road trip with her and pass by any 7-eleven without stopping to get her one.
 Winona, Noni,  single mother of three; graduate of National College; vlogger; songtress; comedienne; the list could go on and on. Noni was always the family's clown.  Always keeping laughter in the atmosphere whether by singing and dancing, telling jokes, or just plain being silly.

Winona's children l to r: Jaizon, Natailsha, and Asia

I'm especially proud of the relationship she has with her three children.  The joy of the Lord has truly been her strength.  Her joy has gotten her through everything in her life.  There is so much more I could write, but while writing this post, I decided to introduce everyone to all of us in the next post.
For post I did on her earlier this year click here.


Happy Birthday Sissy!  Let's go get those slushy's!!!

Much love,
Granny

These Mothers of Mine - Part 2

This post will honor my step-mother, a powerful woman of God.  We choose to call her our "Other Mama".  We don't like to use the term step.

Pastor Patricia J. Braxton of Change Me Ministries and Fellowship

Patricia J. Braxton, Ma, has been one of the greatest blessings for my sisters and I.  She married our father when we were still in grade school.  This moved her status of being the mother of one, to the mother of five children.  She has impacted our lives greatly.  Teaching us money skills, how to sell products you make, teaching us the word of God, how to forgive and change your life for the better are some of the things we learned form her.  There has never been a time when we called upon her for assistance to understand things happening in our lives that she didn't assist us. My Mother's Day would not be complete without honoring her as well.

Ma, is Pastor of Change Me Ministries and Fellowship in Lynchburg, VA, and is also Director of Bright Hope Educational Center.  She has an Associates and Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (it appears I have followed her footsteps), and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Religion.  There is so much more I could tell you about this powerful woman.  You can see more about Pastor Braxton and/or the ministry of Change Me by clicking here or the link under the photo.  Support the ministry and stop by for a visit if you're ever in the area.

Thank you Ma for being a part of our family and assisting in our rearing.  It definitely took another great woman of God to help raise three girls.  You have been more of a blessing to us than you know.

Love you much,
Granny  aka  Danielle

Click link for part 1 to meet my other Mother -  http://www.1elegantgranny.com/2012/05/these-mothers-of-mine.html

These Mothers of Mine - Part 1

Since I'm back to writing now, I suppose I could honor these mothers of mine in this fashion. Wasn't sure what else to do or say for Mother's Day this year. In the next two post, I will honor my mother in part 1, and step-mother in part 2.
 

Nah Nah in her Sunday's best celebrating Women's Day at her local church

Phyllis Elliott-Braxton, "Nah Nah", born and raised in Virginia started in Rustburg, Va where most of her relatives lived until the family's house caught fire when she was around 4yrs old.  Her father, Phillip Elliott, built another house in Lynchburg, Va with the help of his best friend.  Mama graduated from the historic Dunbar High School in 1965 (now Dunbar Middle School), attended the historic Phillips Business School (now Miller-Motte College) and attended Central Va Community College. She didn't finish college due to tending to her family.  Raising three girls as a single parent:  keeping up with our school lessons, helping us practice our singing lessons (she played for us while we sang in various churches), helped us with reading and understanding the bible, teaching us how to cook her way (just go in there until it's right), selling dinner plates - chitterlings, chicken, and ham -  during the summer so she could get our school supplies, teach us the proper way of sitting as a lady, the correct way of setting a formal dining area (we always had guest), the correct way of walking in high heel shoes (I still haven't conquered that one yet), all while taking in private sitting jobs to provide for her girls. 
My mother always emphasized to us, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  She instilled the value of not hurting people on purpose.  There are times when it may happen but to always remember how you would feel if you were that person.
On her job, she was known as the "Hat Lady", always wearing a variety of hats to put smiles on faces of her patients, friends, and others she came in contact with.  Now, Nah Nah is retired from Centra Health as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Hospice, helping attend to her grand-children and teaching the youth at her local church how to be a lady.

Love you Mama.  Lord knows it took another great woman of God to help with three girls from the hills of Virginia.  Happy Mother's Day.

Love you much,
Granny aka Danielle (Danny-Tee)

Click link for part 2 to meet my other Mother -  http://www.1elegantgranny.com/2012/05/these-mothers-of-mine-part-2.html