Tonya Ferguson's Blog, page 31
September 24, 2012
little inspirations
"My life is a quilt of carefully stitched memories." ~tf
little inspirations
"If you wait to love someone until you love all their ways...
you'll never Love." ~tf
you'll never Love." ~tf
September 21, 2012
my life in words
September is WORLD ALZHEIMER'S MONTH. Today, September 21,2012, is "ALZHEIMER'S ACTION DAY!"
Purple is the color of awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. So, in HONOR of my mother's life, not her death, memory or the disease, I'm wearing purple today.
"I'm not Celebrating the disease of Alzheimer's, I just don't want the awareness of the disease to go away until we find a cure. Whether it's for money, knowledge, man-power, facilities, education, or prayers for a miracle, I don't want Alzheimer's to ever be forgotten until it no longer exists.
This disease is based on "forgetting." It robs you of your memories, prevents you from making any new memories, and steals away who you are. I just don't want "forgetting" to be a part of cure."
I don't want people to know her only as "Tonya's mom that died from the devastation of Alzheimer's." She was so much more than that. So on "Alzheimer's Action Day," in "World Alzheimer's Month," this is a very small portion of what I would like people to know about Wilma Walker.
Wilma Walker's life was Love. She was a woman that never said never. She always knew how to make lemon aid out of any lemon that was handed her. What her childhood may have lacked in reality, she more than made up for in her wonderful, creative, imagination. She could build an entire world around a single thought. Her life was a non-stop adventure. She made everything fun and exciting. It didn't matter if you were cleaning your room, working in the garden, taking a walk, or going to the store, she made EVERYTHING fun and an adventure. She took me places in my mind I never would have visited if it weren't for her taking me there.
Nothing ever stopped her if she had her mind set on something. She was a prize fighter. She taught herself to be a business woman that I truly respected. She ran three businesses, a home, and a family with one hand tied behind her back.
She was funny. We told her she was like a goose that woke up in a different world every day. Not for any negative reasons, but because she would never let the strains of yesterday's life cause her to miss the opportunity for today's joy. Lucy Ricardo had nothing on her. In fact we often told her she was just like Lucy. I can remember the story of her first job interview at a bank. She had no experience, but desperately needed the job. She didn't know how to type and knew she was going to have to take a typing test, so she bandaged up her finger and told them she couldn't take the test that day. Well, she got the job anyway, and then went home and taught herself how to type. Doesn't that sound like a "Lucy" episode?
She was a wonderful actress on our family's music show. You couldn't help but be drawn to the dramatic ways she would tell a story. She also was a writer that needed to write, but unfortunately didn't have the time until it was too late.
Wilma Walker was a tremendous teacher of life, love, laughter, and so much more. Oh yeah, and I'm privileged enough to be able to call her mom." ~tf
Purple is the color of awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. So, in HONOR of my mother's life, not her death, memory or the disease, I'm wearing purple today.
"I'm not Celebrating the disease of Alzheimer's, I just don't want the awareness of the disease to go away until we find a cure. Whether it's for money, knowledge, man-power, facilities, education, or prayers for a miracle, I don't want Alzheimer's to ever be forgotten until it no longer exists.
This disease is based on "forgetting." It robs you of your memories, prevents you from making any new memories, and steals away who you are. I just don't want "forgetting" to be a part of cure."
I don't want people to know her only as "Tonya's mom that died from the devastation of Alzheimer's." She was so much more than that. So on "Alzheimer's Action Day," in "World Alzheimer's Month," this is a very small portion of what I would like people to know about Wilma Walker.
Wilma Walker's life was Love. She was a woman that never said never. She always knew how to make lemon aid out of any lemon that was handed her. What her childhood may have lacked in reality, she more than made up for in her wonderful, creative, imagination. She could build an entire world around a single thought. Her life was a non-stop adventure. She made everything fun and exciting. It didn't matter if you were cleaning your room, working in the garden, taking a walk, or going to the store, she made EVERYTHING fun and an adventure. She took me places in my mind I never would have visited if it weren't for her taking me there.
Nothing ever stopped her if she had her mind set on something. She was a prize fighter. She taught herself to be a business woman that I truly respected. She ran three businesses, a home, and a family with one hand tied behind her back.
She was funny. We told her she was like a goose that woke up in a different world every day. Not for any negative reasons, but because she would never let the strains of yesterday's life cause her to miss the opportunity for today's joy. Lucy Ricardo had nothing on her. In fact we often told her she was just like Lucy. I can remember the story of her first job interview at a bank. She had no experience, but desperately needed the job. She didn't know how to type and knew she was going to have to take a typing test, so she bandaged up her finger and told them she couldn't take the test that day. Well, she got the job anyway, and then went home and taught herself how to type. Doesn't that sound like a "Lucy" episode?
She was a wonderful actress on our family's music show. You couldn't help but be drawn to the dramatic ways she would tell a story. She also was a writer that needed to write, but unfortunately didn't have the time until it was too late.
Wilma Walker was a tremendous teacher of life, love, laughter, and so much more. Oh yeah, and I'm privileged enough to be able to call her mom." ~tf
September 18, 2012
little inspirations
"Even in the middle of having Sorrow in our lives,
we can still have Joy in our hearts." ~tf
we can still have Joy in our hearts." ~tf
September 17, 2012
little inspirations
"There are NO scars we will carry,
physically, emotionally, or mentally,
that will ever compare to the scars
we put on the hands and feet of
our Savior, Jesus Christ.
By HIS stripes we WERE Healed." ~tf
physically, emotionally, or mentally,
that will ever compare to the scars
we put on the hands and feet of
our Savior, Jesus Christ.
By HIS stripes we WERE Healed." ~tf
September 13, 2012
practical life lessons
Change Is From God
Please DON'T fight change in your ministry or church. If you don't accept CHANGE , then one day you will have to accept death. The death of your ministry or church.
Change is necessary to keep us from becoming stagnant or shriveling up and dying on the vine. Now, don't get me wrong, the Word NEVER changes, but the way it's presented, in all aspects, NEEDS to change with the times in order to keep reaching the world. You've heard the old saying, "You snooze, you lose," haven't you?
The church's mission is, and always will be, to equip the saints to go OUT from that building and REACH the Lost. It's not to settle down in the same chair or pew you've sat in for the past 40 years and build a nest. You should never get so settled in that you do more INSIDE the building than you do OUTSIDE the building. But, before you can send the equipped saints OUT of the building, you have to get them IN the building.
The way you do that is to be WILLING to CHANGE . You need to be willing to CHANGE the way you dress, worship, communicate, welcome people in your church, teach, use technology, and ALWAYS remain open to change. All of those things will benefit you in reaching the lost by getting them to come into your building and feel comfortable enough to want to come back.
The clothes you wear in church do not determine the depth of your relationship with God, but it could determine the level of comfort your visitors feel. Our witness is not based on us wearing a suit and tie instead of jeans, or a dress instead of capris. As long as we are covered and our maintain modesty, it shouldn't matter if it's overalls or leggings.
We need to start LOOKING through the very eyes of the people that enter our buildings. Look with the eyes of someone that is one or any combination of the following: new, lost, weary, searching, struggling, in the world, doesn't own a Bible, single parent, never been to church, has addictions, pregnant teen, jobless, abused, neglected, poor, low self-esteem, a prostitute, ashamed, or beaten up by the world, and take note of what they would SEE and FEEL as they walked into your building and sat through a service. Would they feel uncomfortable? Would they feel they weren't good enough? Would they feel loved? Would they feel accepted? Would they feel shunned? Would they feel they couldn't measure up? Would they feel even more lost? But most importantly... WOULD THEY FEEL JESUS ? Who, by the way, dressed the SAME as all those He taught, blessed, and healed.
God is a the SAME yesterday, today, and forever, His Word will NEVER change. But He is also a God that wants us to use anything and everything in our means, to REACH and TEACH . It's not about HOW we REACH them...it's THAT we reach them. The only way to do that is to be willing to meet them ON THEIR LEVEL , JUST AS THEY ARE , just like Jesus does us.
September 11, 2012
little inspirations
"It is with a humble heart that I lift up the families and friends
of all those who lost their lives on 9-11-01 today. Their loved
ones who paid the ultimate price will never truly be gone.
They will live on forever in our hearts.
The concern now, is never wanting the way our country pulled
together on that day to ever end. We need this day to constantly
remind us of just what kind of a country we really do have. Don't
let us find out the value of what we have, only after we lose it." ~tf
of all those who lost their lives on 9-11-01 today. Their loved
ones who paid the ultimate price will never truly be gone.
They will live on forever in our hearts.
The concern now, is never wanting the way our country pulled
together on that day to ever end. We need this day to constantly
remind us of just what kind of a country we really do have. Don't
let us find out the value of what we have, only after we lose it." ~tf
September 8, 2012
little inspirations
"Who will help them if you don't?
Who will love them if you don't?
Who will save them if you don't?" ~tf
Who will love them if you don't?
Who will save them if you don't?" ~tf
September 7, 2012
little inspirations
"Don't allow the Lies of the all Distractions
that are bombarding you steal your focus
of living out your Purpose." ~tf
that are bombarding you steal your focus
of living out your Purpose." ~tf
September 6, 2012
little inspirations
"Let your Light Shine today and you just
might lead someone out of the dark." ~tf
might lead someone out of the dark." ~tf
