Once Upon a Time...that face...that feeling..

The King and His Daughter Snow...

Last night I watched a show called Once Upon a Time and as the title indicates…it’s about fairytales..sort of.  Yesterday’s episode showed a scene that looked painfully familiar.  As I watched it unfold, that icky feeling you get in the pit of your stomach where you see a train getting ready to hit the brick wall, and you know you’re gonna get hit with the residue, but you stand there and watch anyway….and then you bleed and vomit…yeah it was THAT feeling.

 Scene: In a flash back.. a King in a formal setting at the palace..big dinner event, all of the people in the land are there.  He has remarried Queen Regina (who is now known as the villain of the show) and yet Regina sits alone at a table in the background. Snow White takes centered stage in the throne area with her father, the King as he gushes over her and tells her and everyone present how wonderful she is and how beautiful she is and how much she reminds her of her mother as she was the fairest in all the land…the camera pans to his new wife Regina, sitting out of the scene... and in that one quick moment when I saw her face, I knew that that actress deserved an Oscar.WHY??  I KNOW that face. I’ve made that face. I know "that" feeling.

Queen Regina

 Contrary to popular belief or misconception, it’s not the feeling of jealousy....look at it...its heartbreak...its a yearning for more.  The stepmother (as the Evil Queen evolves to be) is not “wicked” in this scene as she is labeled later.  This feeling is that daunting consistent realization that he may have married you…but you are not “her” and no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter how many hoops you jump through, no matter how awesome you really truly are..you will probably never hear your husband say that you are “indeed the greatest thing that has ever happened to me…the fairest in all the land..” if you will.  If he does, it will be in a private moment, with no one around, or with a disclaimer, or with him constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure that no one heard him, or without some “explaining” to do later…neither of which compare with an abandoned declaration, security and assurance that every wife wants settled in her heart. If a wife tells you differently, she's probably lying.  The Bible says that our desire is to our husbands, that's in biblical order to crave that. To not have that in totality and not become bitter, vindictive or cold and STILL trust God in your marriage takes an overwhelming amount of grace. 

Needless to say that the character.. "Regina" is a tad short on grace and ends up in all kind of foolishness all because she did not know what to do and had noone to turn to when her husband screwed up his priorities, disregarded her and her needs. The King is caught between a rock and a hard place, with a deceased wife he wants to always honor and the child he had with her...but its at the expense of the new wife he claims he loves…what would YOU do? There are no two "best". One is and one isn't, it requires a choice.

 Second wives, especially those married to a former widower NEED grace.  There are some things that you are going to have to settle in your heart for yourself and be ok with. Don't fall into the trap of bitterness.  God will and can fill in the blanks, I guarantee it! It is NOT easy; I don’t think it would have been given to me if it were easy. God entrusts me with the hard stuff. Some days are harder than others and sometimes you want to cry and retreat, find another way to be happy rather than explain yourself, once again.  But I know a God who is available to us.  He is a GREAT companion.  He is a very present help in the time of trouble.  Call him, he has NO problem declaring his love for you and shouting out to the world through his blessings…that, that one is MINE…I love her completely, there is no one like her and no one can take ever take her place, her design is unique and she is the best to do what Ihave called her to do….She is fearfully and wonderfully made…she is and will always be my number 1.

The Superfamily Visits The Holocaust Museum

I have an unyielding respect for the Jewish culture..outside of fact that they are God's beloved..their tenacity, work ethic, sense of family and business is unmatched by any other race of people.  We visited the www.HolocaustCenter.org.; which is America's 1st freestanding Holocaust Museum. Just in the opening timeline mural and section where the Jewish culture began (with Abraham) was enough to keep you enthralled. I still had more questions and things I wanted to read more about. I learned so much and was reminded of some things too...such as not using the term "ghetto" so loosely, now that I remember where it really came from. The whole tour and our guide was AMAZING. The kids that went with us were just as engaged...when we walked out...we had no idea we had just spent 4 hours there..

They burned thousands of books of the Jewish culture..There are thousands of books that we haven't seen and authors we haven't heard of because of this. It is said that a people that will burn books will eventually burn people...and that is EXACTLY what happened.

Depiction of a family sitting down for regular sabbath dinner...when they get a knock on the door saying they have 2 hours to be prepared to leave for the concentration camps.  They know that meant a place of no return.  They would be told that they were going to be showered..which was how Nazi's tricked Jews into getting into these large tanks...they were told that they would be showered...but instead they were gassed and killed.

The Mezuzah was a piece of parchment with scripture that was kept in a fancy case like this and put over the doorpost to fulfill the command in Deuteronomy.

This is known as the portrait of evil..this annoyed me to no end..this picture is HUGE..Its from floor to ceiling...probably the biggest thing in the museum.  His evil demonic presence is still sensed.  His decision to hate the Jews to this day cannot be explained except that he may have blamed them for losing the war.

This was a DETROIT paper that buried the story of 2 million being put to death on the 3rd or 4th page of the paper on top pf a jewelry ad..DISRESPECT at its highest level...it was like they were NOBODY...2 MILLION (just in THAT particular story) people and nobody said a WORD.

My Favorite section...I could have spent all day here looking at the Torah shown above...also note the "pointer"...Jews did not touch the Holy Scriptures...they felt that that even the words were Holy.  It took over a year for ONE of these to be written...they were done by HAND.  They also had a replica of the ark of the covenant and Shofars..just an awe inspiring exhibit.

Symbols of evil (once a Japanese tantric and Buddhist symbol)...the flag and its symbol is known universally now as a the sign of hatred, prejudice and death!

The DEARBORN (Michigan) paper writes an article discussing the Jewish Question.. It is defined as " a neutral expression for the negative attitude toward the apparent and persistent singularity of the Jews as a people against the background of the rising political nationalisms" .  It was sort of a Code Word.  To this "Problem"...a solution was created...dubbed "The Final Solution"-the systematic extermination of the Jewish people-known to us as The HOLOCAUST.

Their people today call themselves SURVIVORS...not victims.  Its that survivors mentality that has served the Jewish people well...a large percentage own businesses, are educated, family oriented, and are religiously grounded. They have not only survived...they have THRIVED...

The Superfamily will continue to pray for the peace of Israel..as commanded by scripture...there is a blessing in blessing an incredible people of God.

Adjusting the spiritual DNA...

We chose the Superman colors for obvious reasons...but of course I needed to study the colors and find out other meaning or insinuations that the colors represent.  I wanted to be certain that these colors on our crest reflect UP. These colors have now become a part of our spiritual DNA.

The colors Deep Red (Sanguine) stands for many things but we chose the blood of Christ.  His Highness wanted it expressed that we were a family that was blood bought.  We want our heirs to know that if it had not been for the shed blood of Jesus Christ, no remission of sin would be possible.

The Blue color (Sapphire) represents royalty, power, and authority. We believe that we are a chosen generation and a royal priesthood.  We want our children and our grandchildren and their grandchildren to know who they are and WHOSE they are. 

Lastly the GOLD (Aurum) symbolizes excellence, purity and wealth.  In other words, do what you do with all excellence as unto the Lord, keep your hands clean (do it with integrity and honesty) and be a generation that understands, studies and perpetrates wealth (not just riches).

 

The four POWER words for the Superfamily are “clockwise” Wisdom, Creativity, Insight and Prosperity.  The cycle or order is even symbolic. 

 Wisdom is the principal thing.  The Bible teaches that.  When you have sought the Wisdom of God in any area (family, business, ministry parenting…anything!!) you will need creativity to do what you do with distinction and excellence. Next is insight..in order to have continued success you must have insight (which is “CLEAR perception”) on how things are going. We want our family to always assess themselves…always be honest with where they are and how they can improve. With wisdom, creativity and insight working…prosperity (favor, wealth, influence, health) can be handled and shared with maturity…and then the cycle continues.

That in a nutshell is the meaning behind our crest...there is still the sword, the shield itself and the helmet which I am getting more information on as I study further.  I know what we want it to mean...but God is revealing SO much more...what an exciting journey...

Thanks for giving me these last few posts to publish this for my family.  I want this to always be available to them so they know who they are, what they can do and what has been spoken over them!

Starting next week...The Superfamily goes to the Holocaust Museum and family organization techniques that I used to set the tone for this year!

Blog Break-GET MOTIVATED

Yes, we are still covering the background for the Superfamily coat of arms this month, but I needed to share this after stumbling across some notes.

Going through my notebooks for 2011 I came across my notes from the “Get Motivated” Seminar I attended.  I don’t remember sharing them on my blog. I believe I initially thought…they were more business related versus family oriented.  But in reviewing them, some of the principles that govern stable businesses are relevant for families as well.  There is no corporation more strategic, valuable and intricate than a family.  The added dimension of the complexities of a blended family rival that of merging two major conglomerates!

 So review these nuggets with your family AND your business in mind.  I hope something is recorded in them that will help you build and develop your strategic plan for 2012!

1. During the time of change and disruption, seek and you will find opportunity.
2. Take on the tough assignments.
3. Be easy to manage, stay humble, meek and learn how to accept bad news.
4. It may take several attempts to achieve success.
5. Build your personal value and know what value add you bring to the table. [In nana's words you gotta be more than breath and britches]
6. People from the the 2^nd top country in this world wishes they were here with your opportunity.
7. Even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat. Keep the main thing, the main thing.
8. Work diligently to restore relationships.  The crime problem is directly related to the father-son problem.  This is why in the Jewish culture you find less of their young men in jail.  Fathers in their culture, verbally bless their children often.
9. “Why” is often more important than “how”.  Understand motive and any “how” will do.
10. What are you willing to do EVERY single day of your life?
11. Keep it simple.  Meet the customers’ need, make a profit. Business 101. 
12. If you finish last in medical school…you are still called doctor.  So don’t be discriminate and think just degreed individuals are the brightest bulb in the pack.  In 2010 93.9% of all billionaires in world never even finished college and if they did it wasnt until after they were wealthy.  Wisdom is the principal thing, you can learn from anyone.
13. W.I.N. “What’s Important Now”??
14. First we will be the best, and then we will be first.
15. Failure=succeeding at the wrong thing.

Lastly…raise your hand as high as you can (no, actually do it) …now raise it higher!  Why didn’t you do that at first??  Because we always hold “something” back.  Fear and vulnerability keeps us from always giving our best.  Conquer fear, be strong and courageous.  The worst that can happen is that you stay where you are...but what if you actually achieve...all...or maybe even 2 of the things that you are dreaming of.  Ok, put your hand down…and make your plans 2012! Its NOT too late to get motivated.

Sweet "13"

13???  This throws some people off...not sure why- its simple, Superfamily started with 13 people. Myself and my husband, his six kids and my five kids..which equals 13.  We have in-laws and grandchildren now that are added as a part of the family, however the Superfamily core started with the 2 plus 11. We became a family unit on June 30^th 2007 and whereas my husband and I symbolized our union with a covenant agreement the family symbolized our union by taking communion together.  Its like the 12 tribes of Israel…that number “12” never changes even though the descendents of Israel are now too numerous to number.  Israelites just let you know…I’m of the tribe of Judah.  So I guess our Great grandchildren will say that they are of the tribe of Jerica… Jason??  You get the point. 

What’s interesting is that although the 12 tribes were looked at as a unit called “The Children of Israel” (for us its the Superfamily), each tribe had its own distinction based on the giftings and talents of the founding member of that tribe.  For example, the most well-known two are the tribes of Levi and the tribe of Judah.  The Levitical tribe is where the priests came from and the Tribe of Judah is known for the “praisers”.  If you were of the tribe of Levi…your expectations were that you would have an empowerment to carry the office of priest.  You lived it, you were preparing for it.  The tribe of Judah was the same.  If you were a child that was a descendant of Judah, it was expected that you knew how to usher in the presence of God with spiritual songs and praise. But EVERY tribe had the blessing of Abraham.

Each of our children carry a uniqueness that is defined by the calling and gifting of myself, my husband and what God has called them to do individually. However, there are some empowerments, anointings and blessings that we are speaking over them and into them that they are to spread down into their “tribe”.

Think about it:  What are you telling your children that they are and what they can do? What are you speaking in their spirit and having them say out of their mouths? What blessing are you preparing as a legacy for them and your heirs?? Don't just rattle off something..fast/pray about it and turn it over for awhile and then when God gives the green light on your proclaimation..start ta' speaking!

Who are we..and WHY??

For those that have followed us for awhile, you will note the new mast head with the Superfamily Coat of Arms/Crest in the corner.  His Highness and I worked diligently about every detail of the crest.  We decided on every color, every picture, every word, each symbol…everything.  What you see is a finished product of a lot of prayer, compromise and creativity..which in essence is what the Superfamily is about.  I am publishing this to give you a glimpse into what the crest is about and cause you to think of what your family represents.  More importantly, I want this be available to those in our family that come after us as a testament of what our ‘walk” should look like. 

To the 13 and beyond…now hear this and tell your children and those you choose to marry-we are NOT common, ordinary, run of mill people.  We are not like everyone else. Everywhere we go our presence dominates a room, not just because there’s a lot of us…but because there is a light that goes before us.  It’s in our laughter, our gestures, they way we look out for each other. Understand, you are not “better” than others per se’…you are simply anointed. Individually, we are unique and valuable; BUT together we are a dominating mighty force of wisdom, creativity, insight and prosperity.  Never take that for granted.

Now to the crest...The Superman “S” of course stands for our new "family" name.  When we combined in 2007, we were no longer just the Stephens, Jamerson’s or Anderson’s.  No one name encompassed everything and everybody fairly, so I asked God for a new name.  Along with our “super” size, it takes supernatural favor, wisdom, insight, and patience in order to manage and be a part of our family. I also felt I needed a cape in order to keep up with all of the demands that were dropped on us running a conglomerate called “family”.  So Superfamily…definitely fits.  We’ve got people that want to “apply” to be in our family, because of what they see on the surface.  However, we can tell you…it’s not for everyone.  There is an empowerment necessary to blend as a family successfully…we’ve been at it for years and aren’t “there” yet.

So let that be encouragement to those of you that are in complex families.  1.  Don’t allow anyone to tell you how long it should take to blend.  Noone knows- period.  Every family dynamic is different and blending successfully looks different depending on your point of reference.  2.  Also, look at your family characteristics, your talents, abilities and things that both families do well or your “opposites”…somewhere in there you may find the purpose for why God brought you together. 3. Look for ways to unite the family. It could be a crest, a picture, a tradition or a moniker that everyone knows. Where there is unity, there is strength.

Stay tuned  for what the colors stand for…and the #13!