So then,^[a] my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.        James 1:19

After being married for almost three years, I believe this scripture speaks life to me every time I read it. Anyone knows that no matter how people try to portray it, nobody’s marriage is perfect. Marriage is a beautiful thing, but it takes prayer, effort, communication, and patience on both parts. I personally love being married, and I absolutely love who I am married too. Over the 5 years that I have known my husband though, God really had to reveal to me how to revere, respect and honor him.  I hope my testimony blesses you all!

When you are in close proximity to anyone all or a majority of the time, tempers can flare at any moment. Disagreements are going to happen, and things are not always going to go your way. When I first got married I understood the idea of Submission and reverence for your husband in theory, but not in practice. This was something that was going to have to take time for me to develop. We would have little spats, I wouldn’t follow through on things he asked me to do, and I would submit, but only to a certain extent. My husband, being the awesome man that he is, never waivered in his love for me despite my faults. He always still treated me with respect, loved on me, and treated me how he wanted to be treated.  I was never mean to him, I never witheld from him, and I never blatantly disrespected him, so I thought I was ok, until one day God spoke to me after a conversation that my husband and I had just had.

God showed me how even though I loved my husband, I didn’t totally reverence him.  Submission, in some cases was optional for me, and even though I wasnt a roof top wife, I needed to praise my husband more and honor him (Honor-to show a courteous regard for, to think highly of). And honestly in some cases I didn’t. As God really ministered to me about this, my heart started to change instantly. I started to see qualities of my husband that I had never seen before, I started to think the best of him in all situations, and I started to be more of a listener than a talker. God really showed up!

Being able to produce the righteousness in your marriage is a wonderful thing. When you are angry with your spouse, being able to hand that anger over to Christ and let him deal with it, is such a wonderful feeling. The bible says,

  ”Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light    - Matthew  11:28-30.

With so much on our plates, holding on to anger, contempt, or bitterness does nothing for us. We have to give it to Christ and let him handle it. All of our problems and issues he can fix if we just ask him to help us do it. I am a true believer that the word works in every situation and in every area of our lives.

We have to remember that even when our spouse doesn’t do everything we ask, or act Godly toward us, we still have to remember they are God’s child. When we weren’t obedient to the things God wanted us to do he didn’t turn his back on us, or treat us differently, he loved us in spite of, and in order to be more like him we have to emulate his behavior in our everyday lives.

Total submission to Christ, his word, and your husband is necessary to produce the fruits of the spirit in your marriage. 

²²But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,²³Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [^[a]that can bring a charge]. Galatians 5:22-23.

 When we are not submitted to God and to our spouse, we prevent God from coming in and changing and rearranging things for the better. We have to always remember that no matter how our flesh feels we should respond to certain things. we have to follow the word and allow the word to take over so that God can be glorified in your marriage. Your life is a testimony, and whatever situation you may go through, God can make it better if you ask him to come in, listen to his word, and submit to it. Trust God, his word is the truth, and it will always produce peace in your life every time.

Love,

Dara

- Psalm 127

I am still in shock and awe… I can’t believe I am a mommy! There are really no words to say how happy I am to have a beautiful baby boy to cuddle and hold. Well, let me introduce him to you and give you a synopsis of how my beautiful son was brought into the world.

On June 27th 2011 at 4am, Mathieu Joel Walker was born. The first thing he did was look me right in the eyes, an he didnt cry at all. It was like he knew everything was going to be alright. Because we never found out the sex of the baby, the anticipation was driving us up a wall, but we were happy to bring Little Mathieu into the world.

When we got home, the real work began. A lot of women talk about how emotional they were. I think my emotions were about a 5.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. I had a little bit of experience with children from working in my church nursery, but this was different; this was my son, and I was responsible for him in every way. I think that was just an overwhelming thought. At any rate, my husband was a great help, and as friends came over, brought food and gifts, I started to fall into a groove. My husband cooked and cleaned while I took care of the baby and myself. I really believed this strengthened our marriage, we had to work as a team, and think about each other and the baby, not just ourselves.

Now two months later, I am enjoying my son more and more. His smile, his cooing, and even his cry. It just all makes me so full and grateful that God gave me the ability to have children. I truly thank God for that gift, and will spend the rest of my days raising Mathieu up and ministering to him about God’s goodness.

As some of you may know, I am 9 months pregnant! I am officially due on Tuesday and very excited about what is to come. I wanted to write a blog about my journey and I wanted to encourage any women out there that You can do this! I’ve seen it done, and I know God will give us the grace to be excellent wives and mothers while also fulfilling the dreams God put on the inside of us.

On April 4th, 2009, I made one of the best decisions I could ever make by marrying my bestfriend. The whole day was beautiful and annointed by God. That year, spring was taking a little long to get to Michigan, but God made sure that April 4th had “Brilliant sunshine” as the weatherman put it. As I look back on my day, there is nothing I would change about it. God blessed me with an awesome man, and my intentions are to feel the same way I felt on April 4th when I said “I do”.

Since we’ve been married, we have traveled to various places, enjoying each others company…..

I would honestly say it’s one of our pastimes and we make sure we have a good time when we travel.

Last year, we were both in agreement for me to officially birth my first book. and honestly it was a success! God really blessed my event, I sold a lot of books, and have met so many people in my journey as a new Author!

God blessed us to be able to do all these things within two years, and now, it’s time to birth our first child!

Though I haven’t had our child yet, I can only imagine the balancing act a woman has to have in order to take care of her husband, her baby, keep her career in tact, and continue to pursue the things of God and the dreams that he put on the inside of us. What continues to keep me going is the fact that I know God will never give me anything that I cannot bear. And even though motherhood, marriage and walking in your purpose are all a blessing, it takes character, integrity, grace, and most of all prayer to continue to be prosperous and joyful in the Lord.

Before I got married I would always hear people say “I love my spouse even more than I did the first day I met them”, and at first I never understood what that meant. But as time progressed in my marriage I truly understand. I don’t necessarily love my husband for the things he buys me, but for his patience, his unconditional love, and his support. being married has it’s ups and downs, and you go through situations that you may not always know how to work out, but One thing I can say, is that since I have been married, I have leaned on the word of God, and on Godly counsel, and it has always seen me through.

So for anyone out there who is balancing being a mother, working full time, being a wife, and walking in your purpose, remember, the Lord will give you the grace to see you through to the end. He never said it would be easy, but the reward in the end is well worth it.

stay with God, trust God, and know, he is always by your side!

love,

Dara

   The other day I had some friends over, and we were talking about Facebook, and what it has become since our introduction to it almost 10 years ago. When Facebook first started, it was a place to connect with friends from College, then High School, and Elementary Schools. It even became a place to share photos of yourself, your family and friends, and even late nights of hanging with the girls, or your wedding etc.

I think what happens though, is that statuses turn into bragging, and your page turns into a facade of who you want people to think you are, which can become a little annoying to some of the readers. I don’t mind the statuses with links to websites or blogs, or even YouTube videos and things of that nature, but when it goes from saying how wonderful your day was, to bragging about how great your life is over and over, and over again, it gets a little agitating.

Please don’t think I’m hating on anyone, because that is not my intention, I just believe, we as people need to watch how much information we put on facebook, and just how it may affect the intended reader. Are you looking to impress your FB friends or are you looking to share some great news. We all know the difference, some people just play dumb .

THE BIBLE even talks about bragging and boasting, and whether you believe it or not, we all have to check ourselves, whether it be in person or on Facebook or Twitter. Jeremiah 9:23 says;

 ²³Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;

²⁴But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.^(B

This week I posted a status that went a little something like this;

Your self confidence should not be wrapped up in how many ppl you know, or how much money you have, or what ppl do for you. Those intimate moments with our Lord should show you who you are, and how valuable you are to the kingdom. #walkinconfidence

I think this quote in someway summed up the scripture above it. We can’t rely on so many likes from FB friends to gain our confidence, or boast and brag about how wonderful our life is and put all of your business out for people to know you are blessed.

When you read about the Proverbs 31 woman it doesn’t say anything about her telling about all the great things that God has done for her. In fact it says that;

“Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her…

Now the bible does say “And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony” (Rev 12:11) 

This is where our relationship with God comes in, and the discernment to say the right things will come into play. We have to remember that in the process of creating this falsified “brand new you” on Facebook, who are you depriving of seeing who you truly are, and appreciating you for the things you say, and the things you have gone through. Transparency is key.

All in All, I just want to say I love you guys, but we have to start developing a true relationship with God that fulfills us and our needs, then and only then will our Self confidence be based on God’s love for us and the purpose he has for our lives.

Love,

Dara Nichole

Being a writer can lead you to so many different professions. Whether you would like to write movies, be a journalist, write books, or write professional speeches for Presidents and dignitaries, there are a few things you must focus on now:

• Developing your writing skills

You can do this by starting or writing for a school newspaper. When I was in 5^th grade, the students all got together and started a newspaper. We wrote about any and everything we could think of. It also gave us an idea of what it would be to write for a real paper.

• Join Organizations or clubs that promote writing

Join clubs either online or in your area to motivate the writing process, or even start one of your own! Here are some websites you can visit below:

http://www.writing.com

http://www.motownwriters.blogspot.com

• Blog, blog, blog

Blogging not only assists you in developing your writing skills, but you also can learn from other bloggers. Blogging is the art of posting entries on your personal site how often as you would like. If you have a Facebook page you can also connect your blogs to FB, and have people comment on whatever subject you decide to discuss. Here are some blogs (including mine) that you can refer to as examples.

http://jaylenlagrande.com/blog.html

http://www.walkinconfidence.com

http://inspirationista.blogspot.com/

http://galstanberrygirlz.com/

• Find people in your field and ask them to mentor you

Whether it be though Facebook, a Google search, or through people you know, connect with adults in your area and have them connect you with writing resources. The opportunities are limited in what you can do, so meet people, step out of your comfort zone, and explore your options!

So we have all heard most of the scriptures about not giving up, and we’re very aware that we need to continue the good fight of faith.

But when you are going through those tests and trials how easy is it for us to forget the very thing we confessed over ourselves that morning, that past Sunday at church, and at our prayer meeting the night before. Do we really understand the importance of the gifts on the inside of us?

Understanding the vision that God put on the inside of us to fulfill his purpose and plan for our lives is key to walking into that very thing. Sometimes when we don’t fully understand something, we don’t recognize the value or power it holds.

The bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My People are destroyed for a lack of knowledge..” When we truly seek God and understand the vision that he has for us, and stay in constant prayer and contact on what God would have us to do, then we get the revelation on that matter, and obedience becomes easier.

I truly believe that when we have an understanding on our vision and realize to an extent how people can be affected positively with the gifts on the inside of us, more confidence in walking in God’s will comes forward. I always think about if my pastor would have decided to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or even a school teacher and not walked into the calling of being a Bishop. How many lives have been changed through his ministry? How many people have been restored, renewed, refreshed, and given hope?

The bible says in Romans 5:20 “For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him.)” Now Jesus definitely was obedient and understood the calling on his life, he knew that he had to give his life for us. We are to be like Christ as well, and just like Jesus, God Will use us to bring people to him and bring them into right standing through our obedience to God and our selflessness.

See how important your gift and your obedience to walking in the will of God is important to the Kingdom!

Now as you are reading this, raise your hand if you have ever been in the process of accomplishing your goal and have been distracted, lied on, talked about, or even physically or mentally pushed off course. If you have it proves, how important your gift and obedience is to the body of Christ.

What I have learned is, in our process to becoming all what God wants us to be, we are being developed. We are being molded. While we go through the rumors, the jealousy, and the distractions we are able to use the word to develop and feed our faith. As we grow in faith, we are able to disciple people under us, and show them the way that leads to Christ. And the cycle of vision, obedience, and faith start again in someone else.

Not sure if any of you have ever read my debut E-book novel ‘She is, but he ain’t”. If not, here is a review. After you read this, I’m sure you will want to get your copy!

I just recently gave in to reading fictional books. The excerpt I have chosen is from a short novel titled She Is But He Ain’t by Dara Nichole. The story is about a girl who has been a victim of emotional and verbal abuse by her boyfriend of 4 years and how she discovers herself worth and realizes that her boyfriend is not what she desires in her life. Abrielle is the girl who is the main character. In this part of the novella, Abrielle has regained herself dignity, respect and interest in who she wants to become. It has been 2 months without communicating and thinking about her ex-boyfriend, Joshua. Now, a man of respect and class has sought after her and she is ready to begin to date him. The first ‘real’ date encounter takes place and the ending is as follows: “by the time I got home, it was about 2:30 am. We walked and talked for so long. We discussed our families, our childhoods, our most embarrassing moments, and even our future dreams and goals. In just about four hours I learned so much about this man. He was funny, sweet, sensitive, and faintly arrogant. I guess I could deal with that” (49). I believe that this excerpt is descriptively expressive. Nichole chooses words that are alluring to keep the reader interested, entertained, and anxious to follow more after this scene.Nichole’s alluring works of writing keeps any reader engaged as if it was a movie or a sitcom. As I read and read I desired to want to pause and re-wind as if it was a show I recorded on DVR.

Ironically, the ability to create a work of literature into a visual masterpiece takes lots of skill, talent, and effort. Needless to say as a technological fast paced world we have not yet discovered a way to instantly invent literature into screen. As much as I would love to see a story come to life right before my eyes as I read, I believe it may become a distraction of keeping up with the author and a film composition in one.On the other side, my anxiety arose while anticipating what would take place next. This short story is about 52 pages set to keep any reader on the edge of their seat; anxiously awaiting the adrenaline rush of bumps, bruises, brokenness summing up to a complete wholesome sense of credibility. It took me approximately 2 days with work and such but in closing to this story, I was on the edge of my bed engaged for hours looking at the time questioning, what time do I have to get up again? So, when you begin to read make sure to have the time to do so; no yawning in class or at work from a late night read like I did.

Infusing words properly and placing in its correct spot to work well in any literature format is a work of art. I truly believe that this piece of the novella has reached that potential. I suggest anyone who is interested in fictional, urban based, Christian published books or are drama related readers/viewers pick up a copy of Dara Nichole’s, She is But He Ain’t novella today! It is a simple, captivating piece of literature that keeps the reader’s anticipation on the edge. Also, check out her newest release: Called Out! (The hyperlink is accessible to download an e-copy for FREE or purchase the cover bound book at your local bookstore!)

Happy Readings! Teresha “TeRenae” HendricksWorks Cited: authordaranichole.com ©September 2010

http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=dara+nichole

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying there hump day! Check out my interview on “The good news talk show” and let me  know what you think!

be confident!!!!

I don’t know about you, but there are certain television shows that I plug into my DVR every week to watch. Just so that you are aware (If it hasn’t been reiterated over and over again on the website)  I am a Christian, and with that in mind  I decided to talk about my new television line up this year.

As some of you may know. The television show “The Game” was cancelled about two years ago, and was recently brought back by BET. In it’s first debut episode, the ratings were through the roof with an astounding 7.7 million fans watching. For BET this was one of the highest ranking shows on their network, and undoubtedly  one of the best decisions for The Network. This, to me was a personal triumph for a television show that had been on for so many seasons, was moved to a so-called “death slot” and then cancelled for losing half of it’s viewer ship. The fact that Fans won over the Network was a great accomplishment. it shows that they do indeed listen to our opinions.

However, after watching this show, along with a few other new television shows (Lets stay together, House of Payne, Are we there yet?) I questioned the state of African American Television shows that have made their way to prime time spots in the past two years.

Televisions shows like ‘The Game” aren’t in my opinion classified as ‘Family television”. Besides the time slot it holds, the banter, jokes, and situations that happen within the television show aren’t necessarily family friendly. but how does this compare to such television shows that us 80′s babies grew up on? shows that promoted education such as A different world, or shows that portrayed African Americans as entrepreneurs, such as “The Jeffersons”.

What about the shows that promoted fearless African American fathers, such as ‘The Cosby show” and ” Good times”? What about shows that ushered in the era of ‘The Rich black man” such as “Fresh Prince of Bel Aire”? Are these topics not important to main stream America anymore?

Shows like “House of Payne” and “Are we there yet” are looked at as more cheesy television, and most young teenagers may not necessarily enjoy the serious topics that may be discussed in these television shows. Now, in my opinion,  I am not downing the new line up of African American Shows, we have come a long way from “Good times”, but how will this generation of youth be effected by watching “basketball wives” and “celebrity rehab” as their evening routine, versus us watching ” Family matters” and “The Parent hood”?

Just my two cents…what are your thoughts?

I hope the first 18 days of this year has gone great for you! It has for me! This month I am the Book of the Month author for “AFRICAN AMERICANS ON THE MOVE BOOK CLUB” and I am so excited!

It is with great honor that I post this interview for you to enjoy! This is alos an opportunity(If you haven’t already) to purchase my book “Called Out” or the E-book version to read and review before my interview at the end of the month.

My birthday is soon approaching, and I do plan to start my video blogging series… I will mix it up, and maybe even bring in special guests to keep you entertained, informed, and abreast of what is going on in the wonderful world of books!

At any rate, check out my interview, let me know what you think, and I will keep you updated on the interview! Have a great day!!!! and Be confident!

http://aambcgroup.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/called-out-by-dara-nichole/