Hey Kings & Queens, 


I hope you are healthy, cute & well! Lol I was reflecting on the phrase “the joy of the Lord is my strength” which comes from the verse Nehemiah 8:10.


Sometimes we get busy doing everything we need to do. Our plates are full! Some of us have kids, enrolled in school, work full time, have a crazy baby momma/baby daddy, we’re starting businesses, trying to invest in stocks, etc. & we get used to the busyness & routines of our full lives. 


When our plates are super full, we can get weary & tired sometimes. Although we’re doing everything for everyone, we’re doing our best, & we may be right in the middle of purpose, buttttttt.....we still get overwhelmed!

We're human.


Guess what? If you connect back to the vine (John 15) by praying, worshipping, journaling & tapping into God (however you do that), HE will renew your joy & strength!

Joy comes from HIM, not from the things.

Don't get me wrong, the things are nice! Taking care of business is nice. Feeding and teaching our kids is nice. The money, fame & stuff is very nice.

BUT, pure joy, peace, and happiness come from the Father!

I encourage you to join me this week by starting your day with worship, prayer & spending time in God's word.

Maybe start with 15 minutes if you can. If you can do more, 30 minutes- 1 hour. 
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 

Seek Him and He will fill your cup and give you your joy back. Joy that overflowing! 

Love you!

Please comment how your morning devotionals are going!
​ Of course leave prayer requests & comments. 

Blessings, 
Shameka

Verses: James 4:8, psalm 16:11

DCFS Conference of Champions
5/12/22
at the Hellenic Center
Lancaster CA.

Hey Kings & Queens, 

Y'all was this week a struggle for anyone else besides me? Because....everyone I know has felt down, heavy, complacent/stuck, lost, sick and other not so good things! Last night I realized "this has got to be spiritual!" There is no way that every single person is feeling bogged down at the same time and it be a coincidence. 

I think something amazing is about to happen for believers, my circle and myself! (Get ready for it!)

Y'all this week was so strange. I started off on a good page then, I got in a few disagreements with business partners, I realized that other businesses were duplicating my project ideas and cutting me out of them, people are getting funding for services that they don't even do meanwhile other nonprofits (like mine) need funding, and my feelings were hurt from seeing one of my friends intentions as envious, malicious, and hateful towards me. 

Here's a glimpse into my prayer life. I asked God " is this how business is going to be? I am literally just trying to do your will and help the world! I'm doing my best Lord! Why can't we all work together and not have drama? Why are people duplicating ideas instead of collaborating? Why do people have bad intentions for me when I just want everyone to win? Why is everyone else being funded when I'm literally working so hard for everything I'm doing? This can't be it! Lord I need to go to a different city/state! I don't want to be in this city anymore. Why is this so difficult? No one knows how hard it is to live by faith & not take short cuts to riches & fame!" 

After thinking this, my sister invited me to church. I definitely did NOT want to go. I wanted to go home and cry to my pillow lol. I ended up going. It turned out to be a prayer night. I thought "great! I definitely don't feel like praying for however long!"
I sat in my chair, started praying and felt overwhelmed with sadness, hopelessness, and weariness. I was trying so hard not to cry. 

Everyone started praying for each other. I didn't want anyone to come and touch me, hug me or pray for me! I didn't want to fall apart!

Although I knew I needed a whisper from God. I desperately needed someone to pray for me. 

Finally, the pastor walked up to me and asked if he could pray for me. He started off with a cute prayer like "thank you Lord for Shameka's impact on the community..." next thing you know he's talking about working together with the people in the AV, collaboration, brining unity to the AV, my heart being pure to help people, business partners, resources, not being weary in well doing, strength AND he said "God is rejoicing over you! God is proud of you! Your parents in heaven are proud of you!" The flood gates were GUSHING! When I tell y'all I couldn't stop crying...My jeans were soaked from the tears falling! 

There was no way he could have known everything that was in my mind and heavy on my heart!
THAT RIGHT THERE, was a display of God's divine knowledge and Holy Spirit!
I hadn't told the pastor anything about my situation. I'm actually not even a member of his church! This was the first time at his church in months! I was shocked! 

After other members of the church prophesied over me, "God is rejoicing over you" kept ringing in my mind!
God rejoices over ME?
Imperfect me?
Overthinking me?
Emotional me?
Sinful me?
WOW!
I then realized that if God is pleased, proud and rejoices over me and I feel lost sometimes and afraid to mess up, imagine if I REALLY stepped into everything with confidence, authority and boldness that the creator is proud and rejoices over me! Imagine the woman I would become! 

Y'all better watch out! I thought I was a force to be reckoned with before, but wait until you see me after this settles in! I am solely here to do God's will/ live out my purpose! Now that I know I'm doing just that, WAAATTCCCHHHH OOOUUTTTTT!

Do you know that God rejoices over YOU TOO?
When you are seeking Him and living out your purpose, God celebrates you! Your creator is rooting for you, guiding you and sending reminders 24-7 to keep you on the right track!

If you need prayer/support, please comment or email me! I'd love to check in with you! 

We are the King's kids! We are royalty! We can do anything! 

Blessings, 

Queen Shameka (: 



Verses: Gal 6:9 Nehemiah 8:10

Hey Kings & Queens, 

Long time no blog right? I know. I'm back! I forgot how therapeutic writing is for me! I missed blogging, and God put it on my heart to write today so I refused to go to sleep before publishing this (: 

It has been 3 years since I quit my job and 2 years since I launched my nonprofit Youth With A Purpose and other things (my online clothing store, nonprofit consulting, speaking engagements, writing books, YouTube, etc.) Today I went to a meeting at Santa Monica beach with other amazing CEO's, huge funders and investors, and community leaders! It was beautiful! Definitely inspiring! But, guess what? 

In the middle of the key note speaker answering questions, 4 thoughts ran across my mind quickly. Here are the thoughts:

1. "Wow you're out of date on all of your statistics. These people are so up to date on everything. You need to read more, learn more, research more...        
2. You raised a ton of money for your nonprofit in year 1-2, but what about now? The money is going to run out...
3. Why aren't you talking to people? You should talk to everyone! You're not doing enough.
4. Talking to people and networking isn't important! Everyone is going to think you're too young. They won't care or respect what you have to say...

All of those negative and self limiting thoughts led me to feel like I was completely lost, didn't know what I was doing and needed to take a break from my nonprofit. *sigh*

Yep, I said it! 3 years into this leap of faith journey and solely trusting God & I was finally at the point where I thought "maybe I should just work for someone else for a second, realize I hate working for other people, and miss running my own nonprofit full time and come back to it!"  (weird right?)

Of course today wasn't the only day where I LET self limiting thoughts live rent free in my mind! That's why it was building up. Today wasn't the first day, but it was the first day that
I shifted my thoughts BACK TO GOD.

God told me "Girl don't follow that voice! Those thoughts are leading you to the dark. I AM THE LIGHT! You are NEVER LOST! I have allllll of the plans, insight, funding, rest and E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G else you need!" The tiktok song started playing in my head "Hold Up! Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute! Tik Tok" (google it)

I remembered that we think thoughts, God can give us thoughts, but the enemy can also put thoughts in our minds! God says to take every thought captive (to obey Christ) and cast down thoughts and imaginations (that exalted itself against the knowledge of God).

​God already told me He would always provide for me, the money will NEVER run out, people will alway listen to me because HE has given me favor with man, there's nothing that I cannot learn and He knows that I am not perfect and grace is sufficient for me! 

This literally cancels out every thought that I listed above!

Isn't it so beautiful how we can renew our minds daily?! We don't have to KEEP the same faulty thinking that is not working for us anymore. We can change, redirect and cast thoughts down! 

This is a clear example of how I renewed my mind. 
I rejected those thoughts, came in agreement with God's truth about me, and was instantly renewed, strengthened, inspired, motivated, empowered and hopeful!

I hope this blog is also inspiring and motivating to you! God loves you way too much to even let your own thoughts bully HIS child (meaning you!) 
You are a child of the most High God! 
You are royalty!
You are a joint heir with Christ!
Never let the enemy bully you and bombard you with LIES! 
Renew your mind daily!

 
So no, I'm not lost. Neither are you.
WE ARE RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE.


With Love,
Shameka (: 

Verses of encouragement: Hebrews 13:5,  2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 8:17.

"I can't imagine working a 9-5 job for the rest of my life!"
As the years went on after finishing college, I became stressed out! Like many of us that graduate college, the burden of planning every single detail of life crushes us, we need a 401K, to be married, have at least 1 kid, be settled into our perfect career, and this and that and this..... adulting right? NOPE!
After working full time at the lowest paying job position in my career field (direct care staff in a residential facility) I kept having thoughts like "I got a degree in psychology to clean bathrooms? Cook for kids? I don't event cook for myself that often! I'm breaking up fights with kids? I'm playing taxi for these kids? I KNOW THIS CAN'T BE IT! GOD! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO IN LIFE SO THAT I CAN DO IT!"
Lol, how many of us have gotten to the point of "this can't be it!" ?
Don't worry. That's normal. That's the process of becoming more self aware in our purpose & career. 
​
So, after praying "God, just tell me what you want me to do in life so that I can do it" I started having thoughts & desires to run my own business. I was offered every single position at my last job. Thoughts started to come like "if they offered me every position and they trust me to run their organization, maybe I can run my own?" or "I can be my own boss". God started putting the desires into my heart for what my true purpose was. I then started to become so frustrated at my job. I was angry with my management, with the kids, with coworkers and then I started becoming angry at myself & God. I was confused at why I was still there.

Then BOOM! God gave me a dream and told me to start my own business!! I wasn't sure if that was God speaking or if the frustration from my last job was playing out in my dream lol. 4 days later after that dream, I was in the car with my dad on our way to church & I told him "I think God wants me to start a business. But, I have no idea what to do!"
We went to church and a pastor that I didn't even know, called me to the front of the church! He said "can I pray for you?" 
I said "sure."
Him: *pause for too long* "Um....did God tell you to start a business? You have a passion for working with youth right? You're not sure what to do? God will SHOW you what to do!....."
Crazy right?!
This man that I did not even know, confirmed everything that was in my dream. He told me about funding, the name, my past experience with youth, being in grad school, etc!

Right after that, God told me the month and date to quit my job. Now that's scary right? QUIT MY JOB! WHAT? Lol. In order to follow purpose, we have to get rid of our way, our routine, and.....our job sometimes. Haha. 
So although I was scared to death, I knew that if God said it, provision would come! Like my dad said "If its God's will, its God's bill". PERIOD!  I also knew/know that in life, we will experience fear when something is too big for us to do alone! If God has given you something to do in life (which He will!) it WILL BE BIGGER THAN YOU! 
DO IT AFRAID anyways! Seek His peace and boldness! He said "be strong and courageous, do not be afraid" because He knew that we would be afraid lol. 
It has been 1 full year since I quit my job and stepped into purpose!
Glory to God! 
What does stepping into purpose look like? Come back for my next blog to find out (:

To my sister (or brother) reading this, do not be afraid! You were created for such a time as THIS! Live on purpose! Own your space. Own your calling & your purpose! Go and be impactful! The world is waiting for YOU to show up! 

With Love,
Shameka B. 

Verses of encouragement: Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 37:4, Proverbs 3:5-6

People have told me “Shameka you should start a blog”, “you should start a YouTube channel”, “you should make hair posts”, etc & like many of you who have been told things you should do also, I didn’t do it, lol........until NOW. Why now?

Not because I feel like starting a blog right now, although I do lol, but because I feel like I can ACTUALLY help people through my stories now. People have said before that my IG or Facebook posts have inspired them, but it is not until now that I actually feel confident embracing my “super power” which is to inspire, motivate, & encourage others. #IME
​
Yes, I’m a mental health professional, yes I have an online store, yes I dance a little, yes I sing a little, yes, yes, AND yes, it all goes back to purpose. Which, I’ll talk about throughout most of my blogs (:
Once I figured out what my purpose was, I then was able to show up authentically in every aspect of my life! You may be wondering “well, what is her purpose?” “How do I find my purpose?” “How do I live my best life?” Come back for my next blog posts for more tea on how I got to the place of living my purposed life.

(Please comment & say what’s poppin in your life. I’d love to hear from you!)

With Love 
Shameka B.