SMARTT-CHOICE Inc.
LITHONIA, GA 30058
"Empowerment Through Education"
Doc's Blog Jots
Posted on July 16, 2014 at 11:32 PM |
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Posted on July 5, 2014 at 10:07 PM |
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Until Vista Print can correct my blog technical issues please visit me at the link below and continue to pray for me as I lift the name and teachings of Jesus higher and higher... Thank you! Dr. JoAnn |
Posted on April 9, 2014 at 8:54 PM |
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Good morning! This is
a beautiful Thursday that the Lord has made and we are rejoicing and being glad
in it. Today's power scripture comes from Psalm 150:4 – “Praise him with the
timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.” (KJV) The
other day I was watching a favorite movie and during the opening and closing
scenes one particular song of the sound track really struck my fancy and I had
to jump to my feet and get my groove on.
I loved the heart-pounding rhythm, the driving bass line beat and the
lyrics were spontaneously jubilant as well as catchy. Needless to say I was caught up in the moment
and for a period of time, I forgot about the movie, my environment or anything
else that might have been on my mind. I
had engrossed my entire being into allowing the music to fill my spirit with
gladness and I responded by clapping my hands, kicking up my heels and throwing
a shoulder roll into a Bankhead Bounce
move that could shame any Soul Train dancer.
Don’t let the gray hair fool you, Dr. J still knows how to ‘cut a rug’;
but don’t get it twisted, I don’t twerk. With
the same excitement that we display when earthly things inspire us, we should
even more express our exuberance for and toward our God. He lovingly presents us with new mercies
every morning and is sure to forgive us of transgressions we have yet to even
commit. Why would we not want to give
him the highest praise at all times. As
I was getting my groove on I noticed that my breathing was increasing and I
actually worked up a little bead or two of perspiration on my forehead. As I enjoyed the moment listening to a
secular song; I digress to think about the breath of life that God breathed into
us to make us a living soul and the living water that is Jesus which allows us
to never thirst again. With the same exuberance that we muster when cheering
for our favorite team; or receiving our tax return or watching Olivia Pope
cover up yet another scandal; we should explode with just that much or more joy
when we electric slide our way to church to praise God for his
ever-present love that gets us so cranked that we have to walk
it out to avoid that stanky leg.
Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day!
Dr. JoAnn
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Posted on March 30, 2014 at 10:55 PM |
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Good morning! Happy Monday. Today's power scripture comes from 2 Samuel 9:
7 &13: “ And David said
to him, “Do not fear; for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father
Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father; and you
shall eat at my table always. So Mephib′osheth dwelt in
Jerusalem; for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his
feet.” (RSV)
One ear a little
larger than the other? Freckles and blotches scattered about on the skin? An unruly birthmark? A crooked smile or a hairline that starts so
far back that you have a five-head instead of a forehead? These are only minor imperfections but for
some these imperfections have caused debilitating self-esteem issues. If you believe that your physical traits are so
offset from the norm that it makes you less then acceptable or desirable - Stop that negative thinking. Society paints pictures of perfection on the
images that are portrayed in media and it is a fallacy. Even high-priced fashion models utilize
touched up and modified photos. There
are no perfect bodies. Everyone has something about themselves they wish to
change. There are things about me that I
cannot change any more than I can change the distance between the Earth and the
sun. I am tall, very dark skinned and one
of my eyes is larger than the other. I
accept my looks and praise God for he made no mistakes in fashioning me in my
mother’s womb. God is a spirit and we
must worship him in spirit and in truth and personally I don’t think he cares
whether that worship comes in a thin body or one with a large nose or flat
feet; just so it comes in truth and love. The very traits
that we think can hinder us from making great strides along our life’s journey
are the very things that if we are not ashamed of and use them to God’s glory,
he will make provision for us in ways we could never imagine. When David was established as King, he sought
out any relative of his friend Jonathan to bless. It happened that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth,
crippled as a child, was raised to a place of honor and dignity that was
neither hindered nor contingent upon his disability. The king honored him because of a deep
abiding love. God does not bestow his
blessings upon us because of or in spite of our shortcomings; he does it
because of his love for us. So don’t
worry what others might think about your bald spot, or the curves that
arthritis has placed upon your limbs or the fact that one of your legs is
longer than the other. Moses had a
speech impediment; Jacob walked with a limb; Sampson did some of his best work
blind as a bat and you can do even greater things than you can imagine when you
forget about your imperfections and know that you are perfectly and wonderfully
made in the image of God. Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day! Be blessed – Dr. JoAnn |
Posted on March 27, 2014 at 10:53 PM |
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Good morning! TGIF Today's
power scripture comes from Luke 17:15-19:
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with
a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet,
giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering
said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There
are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”(KJV)
Of the
ten lepers cleansed by Jesus, only one turned back to give thanks and in doing
so he was made whole. The other nine were
indeed healed but purely by the grace and mercy of Jesus, despite their
ingratitude. The thankful man was not only healed but Jesus made him whole. Nothing lacking; nothing missing. His wellness
was because of his faith. He got the
cake and the icing too. I think I like the fact that God sees my heart and rewards
me for my faith which is pleasing to him in comparison to receiving grace gifts
where I give nothing to God. Don’t get
me wrong I LOVE GRACE AND MERCY and if
it were not for the diet of grace and mercy that I have been living on so lavishly
for the past few years I would surely have wasted away; but I appreciate that
God gives me opportunity to show him how much I love him through my
faithfulness and thanksgiving. Right now you
might be going through some tough situations and that so-called light at the
end of the tunnel is nothing more than another fast-paced locomotive speeding
toward you ready to run you over. The
greener grass seems to never grow on your side of the fence and the silver
linings of your dark clouds keep flaking off.
Regardless of these things we must remember that daily God is providing
for us and if we take our eyes off of the things that seem to be going wrong,
we can channel enough of our consciousness to be thankful for the many things
that are going right. The devil always
wants you to shift away from the positive to dwell on the negative. Don’t do it.
It isn’t worth it and it takes you down a rabbit hole of despair and
potential depression. The lepers might
have wanted an instant healing, but it happened as they were walking toward the
priests – who knows maybe they were so focused on what was wrong and
anticipating relief later that they didn’t even realize that their healing was
in their walking. One did…and he turned
back and gave thanks. Don’t be so
focused on your problems or what might even seem to be a solution that you miss
the healing and the opportunity to turn back and give thanks. Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day! Have a GREAT
weekend. See you on Monday! Dr. JoAnn |
Posted on March 26, 2014 at 11:02 PM |
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Good morning! Thankful Thursday. Today's
power scripture comes from Psalm 61:3 (AMP: “ For You have been a shelter and a
refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary.”
Earlier
this week I told of how I was so thankful for my ‘stuff’ and that even through
the displacement and downsizing how grateful I am to have had, and still have
some stuff to call my own. Well today my
focus is on the fact that I have a place to put some of my stuff. Having shelter is no joke. One of the first things that settlers in any
new area try to acquire is some form of shelter which provides protection from
the elements; a comfortable place to rest the body and emotional safety and
security. When the certainty of leaving my previous adobe became a reality, I
asked God where was I to go. Utilizing his usual method of communicating with
me when I attempt to panic, he was silent.
As I calmed my spirit, his voice became more clear and distinct and in
essence he told me to ‘wait’. And I
did. I packed but I waited. I packed the essentials and I waited to find
out where they would go. I packed things
to store and I waited for further instructions.
I packed things to give away and I waited for news of my next move. I worked while I waited. I
considered a myriad of relocation scenarios; even contemplated foreign
missionary service; but in it all, God told me to wait. Shelter came from an unlikely but providential
source. And although I know this is
quite temporary, I am at home and I know all parties are being blessed by this
union. Daily I give God praise for a
roof over my head; a door to lock out danger; ample food and enough ‘stuff’ to
make it all comfortable. I praise God for the shelter of his everlasting arms;
the shelter of his abiding Word; the shelter of knowing that I am saved and
safe. I thank God for shelter. Whether you live in a 10 bedroom mansion, a
rental double-wide trailer or found peace on a friend’s pull-out sofa, give God
praise and thanksgiving for shelter.
Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day!
Dr. JoAnn
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Posted on March 25, 2014 at 8:50 PM |
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Good morning! Wonderful Wednesday. This week, as the Holy Spirit directs, my
blogs has centered on THANKS. Today's power scripture comes from Philippians
1:3: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you”.
As the camel from
the GEICO insurance commercial says – “Guess what day it is?” - Yep, yep…Not
only is it hump day but it’s my birthday – get busy – its’ my birthday –
yeah…yeah… and a special birthday
cheer to my oldest son Steven Gaither, II and all the other wonderful and beautiful
people blessed to call this day their natal day. This is the day that the Lord has made and I
have been thankful about it all month!!
I am thankful for
my mother, Eula Mae Williams Smartt Boddie, who made sure to eat properly and
not smoke or drink so that my introduction into this world was not as a sickly,
under-developed or malformed baby. I am
thankful for her nurturing and care for many babies do not make it pass the
first few months of life. I am thankful
for my aunt and uncle, Charles and Sara Gunn, who raised me ; my father (Joseph
Smartt); my siblings (Stanley Smartt, Deborah Anderson, Joseph Winters and Ron
Garlington) and cousins (Arthur Houser, Jr, Jackie Smartt, Ali Hasan, Juanakee
Hargrove Butler and a host of others)who love me and my friends and associates
who tolerate me. I am blessed to have
sons (Steven and Charles Gaither) who honor and cherish me and a granddaughter(Kamari Gaither) who looks and acts just like
me. I am thankful.
I am thankful to a God who created me; a Savior who redeemed me and a Comforter who guides and teaches
me. I am grateful. I am blessed and I won’t waste a minute of
this fine day complaining or wondering or speculating about anything. I am fully persuaded that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate [me] us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord - so therefore I am thankful. Enjoy
your day! I surely plan to squeeze all
the greatness out of it I can.
Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day!
Dr. JoAnn
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Posted on March 25, 2014 at 12:47 AM |
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Good morning! Terrific Tuesday. This week, as the Holy Spirit directs, my
blogs will center on THANKS. Today's power scripture comes from 1 Timothy
1:12 (GNV): “Therefore I thank him which
hath made me strong, that is, Christ Jesus our Lord: for he counted me
faithful, and put me in his service”
Today is an
especially thankful day for a few reasons. Today is a good friend’s birthday
(Jackie Spinks of Birmingham, AL) and also the eve of my own birthday, along
with my oldest son Steven; but more importantly later on this afternoon I am
privileged to share in a special time in the life for another believer. God found me faithful and someone thought me
worthy to serve on her dissertation committee as she defends her academic
development in the awarding of a doctoral degree. Having gone through the grueling process
myself many years ago, I understand fully the ups, downs, triumphs and heart
strains associated with completing this hallmark.
It is a privilege
to stand with her as she shows the evidence of her long trials, multiple
studies, numerous sessions and final declarations. I am thankful that God allowed me to be in
the position to assist this young woman move on to another level in her academic
development and I do not take it lightly.
Today is a special day and I give God praise and thanks for how he has
kept her through all of the rigors and provided for her as she dealt with unanswered
questions, sleepless nights and endless revisions.
I am thankful for
all who have ever ‘vouched’ for me; promoted me; stood up for me; nominated me; pushed and
supported me. And I am always responsive and thankful when I can be of service
to help others along their journey.
Today, remember those who helped you and give God praise!
Remember those upon whose shoulders you stand and give THANKS! Every day is a good day, it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day!
Dr. JoAnn
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Posted on March 24, 2014 at 12:12 AM |
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Good morning! Happy Monday.
This week , as the Holy Spirit directs, my blogs will center on THANKS.
Today's power scripture comes from Ephesians
5:20: “Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (KJV)
In one of my
prayer times on Sunday afternoon I focused on how thankful I am to have
‘stuff’. To have things that I can call my own and that I have free liberty to
use and do with as I please. It might
seem strange for me to give special recognition to the tangibility of ‘stuff’
but I am grateful for all that God provides– life, health and yes…’stuff’. As I have alluded to in previous blogs, I
recently relocated and REALLY downsized.
At first mention of the need to relocate, I was traumatized; not because
I had to move, but because I had to pack.
If you never really took inventory of what you have – it will amaze you
when you have to pack it up. I am not
a bone fide pack rat, but I do like having the convenience of ‘stuff’. I have a
gadget for most chores and a tool for most jobs. Why borrow when I can have my
own?. I believe in waste not, want not; so therefore
I do recycle and reuse and save for a rainy day. And if anyone knows about
Georgia…there is ALWAYS a rainy day. My
saving grace is that I have a touch of OCD so therefore I am extremely
organized and very neat (Praise God); so chances are if you need something not
only do I have it (in assorted, shapes, sizes and colors), but I can usually
put my hands right on it. Although it was a
pain in the neck (and back) to pack up some of my things; and difficult to part
with many of my things; in the long run I was able to realize how blessed I am
to be afforded the luxury of ‘stuff’. To
give away dozens of pairs of shoes makes one realize that there are many who do
not have a change of footwear. To
dispense of furniture and furnishings makes one think about those whose whole
existence can be crammed into a backpack or pushed along the street in a
shopping cart. Who has time to worry
about matching china when you eat most of your meals out of ‘to-go’ containers
from soup lines? One of the things that
we forget when we complain about our ‘stuff’ is that there are many who wish
they had stuff. Don’t let foreclosure or
eviction or a house fire be the cause to shake you up to think about how thankful
you are for your ‘stuff’. Look around at
the stuff you have accumulated and give praise. Don’t’ complain about it…if it
is too much, then give it to someone and share your blessing. If you are junky and your stuff is in your
own way, then clean up, but don’t complain for there are millions out there who
wish they had ‘stuff’ and a place to put it.
I am thankful to have both; a bit downsized, but still gifts from God.
Every day is a good day, it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day!
Dr. JoAnn
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Posted on March 21, 2014 at 12:48 AM |
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Good morning! Today's power scripture comes from Deuteronomy
8:7
For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land
of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and
hills;.”
Well for some it is official and for others
they probably won’t believe it until they can really feel it….but it is now spring.
Supposedly very soon the harshness of winter is to give way to the mild
caresses that the spring weather will impose upon the land. Many have suffered long and hard this past
winter, with record breaking temperature lows, back-to-back storms and never
ending rains. Regardless of the way
March has entered into your neck of the woods; it is a much needed transition. As I watch the dogwood trees bloom it is also
delightful to view the pear and Japanese maples changing colors. Song birds fill the air each morn with
melodious tunes to their Creator. The squirrels have gotten friskier and even
the local insects are making a comeback from their winter hiatus.
I must admit
that while my favorite season of the year is autumn, I do enjoy the pleasurable
transition that March brings…especially since it is also my birth month (March
26). God has given us a promise of revival,
renewal and rejuvenation. Take some time
today to give God thanks for his marvelous creation, Mother Earth, and for the
blessing of the seasons. As Solomon
scribed in Ecclesiastes, there is a time and a season for everything under the
sun. Give God praise for the majesty of
his precise workings; as we watch the heavens obey his laws. Buried bulbs awaken from their months of
slumber and push their tulip tops skyward, and even the smallest bush responds
and knows when to bud. There are hidden
treasures deep inside of each of us. God
placed them their while we were yet being knit together in our mother’s
womb. Some of them are awakening now and
yearning to break free. Let God’s beauty
come forth . Now is your time to blossom.
Every day is a good day, it is up to us to make it a
power-packed GREAT day! Have a fantastic weekend. See you on Monday. Be blessed! - Dr. JoAnn
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