Sunday Style: A Straight Look

I had a big fat FAIL with my hair this Sunday. I have noticed the last few times that I have straightened my hair that I lack styling skills when it comes to styling my hair when straight. I wanted to set some curls on the end of my hair so I applied coconut oil and set the ends on flexirods overnight. The next morning on one section actually curled. By the time I arrived at church that section had fell. So I ended up with straight, full, messy hair. A bad hair day.

Sunday Message (03Apr2011)
The Crossroads Between A Blessing And A Curse
Deuteronomy 11:13-17
If an eternity in God's presence is your destination then you should know which way to go. When faced with a crossroad, oftentimes we will choose the option that will cause the least amount of pain even when that option is not the best for us. In the text Moses wanted the people to know where they came from and how they got there. He was basically telling the people to love the Lord, walk in his ways, and fear Him. We can't just live any kind of way and expect God to keep blessing us. Sometimes it seems that the more God blesses us the less we do for him.
Other reference verses:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Deuteronomy 10:12, 10:22
Deuteronomy 11:26-28

Sunday Style: Curlformers Set

I got the energy to do it again and during the process I discovered that my hair has seem to have grown quite a bit. I had to send Hubby (He's so good to me) to the store to get some extra long curlformers because my hair was hanging out of the end of some of the curlformers.

Day 2 Curlformers set

The steps I followed for this set include:

• Shampooed hair with Giovanni SAS Shampoo
• Deep conditioned with Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula Deep Conditioning Protein Pack
• Rinsed hair thoroughly and applied a leave-in conditioner to each section
• Just before putting in the curlformers a setting lotion mix was applied lightly to each section of hair
• If sections started to dry when styling then a leave condition was used to re-moisten the hair

Sunday's Message (27Mar2011)
The Myths of Marriage
John 3:16

Myth #1: "Marriages are made in heaven" - marriages suffer because people go into marriage without taking prayer into the marriage
Myth #2: "The perfect marriage" - How can imperfect people make a perfect marriage?
Myth #3: "Don't say anything and you won't have anything to take back" - Lack of communication causes problems
Myth #4: "Once you get 'em, you got 'em" - People tend to get to the point in which they take the relationship for granted. Keep doing what you did to get them.

Love is needed to sustain marriage and that love must be a capital L kind of love. Meaning that the love should have a vertical dimension and a horizontal dimension. Vertical: love God first, you can't love others if you don't love God. Horizontal: reach out and touch others with love

When love hurts you and can seem to forgive, turn it around and "give for" - you will never know what the response will be. Just as God gave us his son (John 3:16) after man caused him trouble in his heart (Genesis 6:6).

Sunday Style: Braid-out

To achieve this look I did seven individual braids with SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie.  Three braids from the crown to the nape and four on each side. I did not curl the ends I just twisted the end of each braid after braiding, put on my satin bonnet, and called it a night. In the morning I took the braids out and fluffed until it was well blended.

Sunday's message
Extravagant Love
John 12:1-3
The action of Mary in this verse was her way of showing love to Jesus - because she used such a costly perfume it was considered significant. Immediately following her actions they were questioned by Judas Iscariot. The message explains the significance of Mary's extravagant display of love.
Extravagant love is:
1. Precious to us - an offering that honors the Lord must be dear to us
2. Pleasant to others - your work will speak for itself
3. Perplexing to some - people have a hard time understanding your actions; many times the people that are perplexed are usually selfish people
4. Pleasing to Christ - His is the voice that matters

Sunday Style: Dry Twistout

On Saturday night after removing the yarn braids I did not have the time and energy to wash & deep condition my hair. As I removed the braids I did twist each section with Suave Tropical coconut conditioner to keep the hair from getting tangled. When I was done I was so happy that I chose to twist each section because this lead to a last minute style for Sunday. This look is simply a twistout from those twists.

Twistout

The hair is not as curly as my twistouts normally look because the hair has been stretched out from the braids.  The ultimate goal was just to come up with something quick that I could wear out in public. If this did not work I was planning to pin my hair in some form of an updo. I happier that the twistout worked out okay.

Curl Shot

Sunday's Message
What to Realize When Sin Abounds
Romans 5:15-21
1. WE ARE justified - All the good works you do can not justify you , justification is a gift from God and Grace is not measured according to merit. {Romans 3:20-24,28}
2. Power is made available through our faith - Faith is the key because it releases power; it is the key that activates the power of God's grace in your life.{Romans 5:1-3}
3. Our responsibility is to righteousness - God wants us to act responsibly and righteously. Act, walk, talk, be, and give right! {Romans 5:17-18}

Sunday Style: Side swept yarn briads

I've been wanting to have some fun with styling my yarn braids since day 1 and so far I like this style the best (more styles to come later). It was quick and easy. To achieve this look I flipped the front section back to get the look of a bang and then wrapped the rest of the braids around themselves to achieve the side ponytail.

Sunday's Message
Where To Be When Sin Abounds
Romans 5:20
1. You should not be close to the sin - You don't have to be sinning to be close to sin. Meaning that you're not doing anything sinful yet but you're thinking about it. {James 1:14-15}
2. Don't be with the wisdom of man - Sometimes we believe that we are so holy that we can't be around other folk. People should see the God in you, they should see that something is different in you and just because you are with them does not mean that you have deserted God. {1 Corinthians 2:1-5}
3. You should be with God - There are times when the enemy will set a trap for you but God will use that trap for your good. God makes a way for you to come out of situations if you stay close to God. {2 Kings 6}

Living righteous does not mean living free from sin - it means living in the right position God has for you (which is in the will of God).  The thing that makes one thing possible and one thing impossible is the position.

Grace makes the impossible possible [Luke 1:37]; sin makes the possible impossible.

Sunday Style: Pin-curls All Over

Inspired by the work of Thierry Baptiste:

Here's my attempt:

 

As always, my hair was washed, conditioned, and a leave-in conditioner was applied. I flat twisted the front section first and then proceed to two strand twist the remaining hair. Once all the hair was twisted I pin-curled each twist. For night-time maintenance a du-rag has been perfect for keeping this style in place and keeping the frizzes away.

Sunday Style

11/07/2010

This style is a repeat from a style I wore maybe a year ago. I received a lot of requests to do a tutorial for this style. If you are interested in achieve this look please check out the tutorial posted on YouTube.

Sunday's message:
Untitled
Jeremiah 8:18-20
There were many points made with this sermon and the referenced text but there was one particular point that struck a cord with me. The point made was pertaining to how life is like the seasons:
Spring: This is the beginning of life, development is occurring, and now is the time to plant the seeds of what you will reap.
Summer: This is the working season. The season in which you store up for the fall and winter.
Fall: This is the time in which your crops are harvested. This is also the time that you may start to find it difficult to do things that your used to do (in the Spring).
Winter: The season of slowing down, winding up, and dark days.

This portion of the sermon made me think about what season my life falls in and also how quickly other seasons have gone by (for me and others). I have to (for myself) learn to enjoy the season that I am in while still preparing for the next. I am seeking the balance.

Sunday Style: NCCU Homecoming Edition

This past weekend was spent enjoying Homecoming 2010 with my fellow NCCU alumni and friends. Although the homecoming festivities take place all week long, I was unable to partake in any of the fun until the weekend (the joys of adulthood and working).

Hair: I wore cornrows all week because I knew that once I got off of work I would not have enough time to do my hair before heading out. My cornrows resulted in a big braidout that lasted for the entire weekend.

Friday Night

Homecoming Cabaret 2010

Saturday Night

NCCU/UNC-Chapel Party

For Saturday night the braidout was pinned to one side for more of an edgy look. To maintain this look for more than one day, I simply slept in a bonnet at night.

Since my hair was cornrowed all week and then worn in a braidout all weekend, you can just imagine the amount of shed hairs that came out on Sunday. I shampooed with Giovanni SAS, conditioned with Suave Rosemary mint, and then styled in two strand twists using shea butter. I am quite comfortable right now. Last weekend is the last time that I plan to wear my hair out for awhile. I don't want the SSKs and splits ends to re-emerge. My goal is to remain in protective styles until at least the first day of Spring 2011.

Sunday Style: Braid-out

I learned a lesson with this braid-out: When doing braid-outs on straighten hair, it takes more than a few hours overnight for the style to set properly. Braid-outs on dry hair are not as easy. This braid-out was achieved with 5 braids. One in the back and 4 in the front & crown area.

Sunday's Message:
The Value of Small Things
Zachariah 4:10
Human nature causes us to value big things and can cause us not to notice how great things come in small packages. Proverbs 30:24-28 provides us with examples of how God uses small things. We must remember not to overlook the value of small things. A rod was used to part the Red Sea, the jawbone of a donkey was used to slay a thousand men, and Jesus said "if we have faith the size of a mustard seed..."

I got so much out of this service that I was more into the service of did not take great notes - I hope the little I have blesses someone ;)

Sunday Style: Alicia Keys Inspired

I saw this hairstyle in a magazine a few years ago and never got around to trying it out.

I wanted something quick this weekend because I wanted to style my hair but I was tired. I altered the look a bit and instead of a pony I wore my hair loose. I got a lot of compliments on this style. Also, I couldn't see what was going on with the cornrows on the side so I took my best guess.

To make it through the week, I turning this into a protective style.

Undeserved Favor

2 Kings 25:27-30

If we look back into our own pasts we will see the many times in which God has shown us favor. "Favor" is grace multiplied with some added kindness. Society would have us believe that favor is a coincidence - a streak of good luck.

What leads us to favor?

1. Love {Psa 23}

2. Faithfulness {1 Sam 26:23}

What can we learn from this text?

1. God has a purpose for showing us favor {v. 27}

2. God has a plan for showing us favor {v. 28}

3. God shows us provision by showing us favor {v. 29-30}

Sunday Style: Wedding Weekend

This weekend we ventured out of state to attend a wedding so, here is my wedding hairstyle:

I did flat twists on one side, pulled the front over to one side to stretch the hair that would be laying down and two strand twisted the exposed hair. This style was done on damp hair that was freshly washed and conditioned.

Sunday Style: Pin-curl Braidout (Chunky)

I really enjoyed the pin-curl braidout and I wanted to see how it would work with larger plaits, seven total:

And this was the outcome:

We didn't make it on church again (UGH!!!!) because we overslept. The Hubby and I talked about finding another church that we can attend on those Sundays when a late Saturday night causes us to oversleep. From what I heard Sunday's sermon was a good one so I will be trying to get those notes from someone.

Sunday Style: Pin-curl Braidout

Sunday 08/29/2010

The braid and pin-curl was a style inspired by Koos over at The Fiesty House blogspot.

Due to the thickness of my hair I had to do quite a few braids. So it did take me about an hour to set my hair for this style. I like that this style stretched my hair out and showed off some of my length. The best part...it was easy to sleep in!

Check out my YouTube channel to see how I did the style.

An Inside Look

1 Corinthians 8:4-9, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33

For those in the church, the Bible is our guidebook. The "church" in this context refers to the living entity as well as the congregation- it's organic. In the text the people were concerned about meat - a petty issue. The concern about what meat was proper to eat was a surface issue for a deeper matter and that was: "What do you do when the people in the church are not on one accord?" When you have matured in Christ be careful that your freedom does not become a stumbling block for others (as with the weaker Christians and the ones with knowledge in the text). We were all once babes in Christ. When the church is in you, you will focus on what gives God glory and NOT YOUR gratification.

Sunday Style

From 08/08/2010

This is another Voluminous Twist out. It is so easy to do that it is becoming my "go to" style for big hair. To see how I achieve this twist-out please see the YouTube tutorial.

Practical Basis For Tithing

Malachi 3:8-10, 1 Corinthians 14:8

Many churches have traded in their prophetic voice for a consumer voice. Meaning that they tend to say what is pleasing to the ear rather than what people need to hear.

When we tithe:

1. We receive the opportunity to test our faith

2. We receive the opportunity to receive the best of God's blessings (Luke 6:38)

3. We receive the opportunity to witness

The tithe is God's method to finance kingdom initiatives. When you fail to tithe you don't rob God - you rob yourself (of His blessings).

*hair pics are from another Sunday Style edition of the same style

Sunday Style

After an extremely busy weekend I had no time or energy to do my hair. So I opted to go to my "go to" style and wear a high bun for the day. It must have worked great for me because I got tons of compliments that day. Also, you can see just a bit of my dress in the second pic - my hubby brought it for me and I love it! It's sheath style with a large leopard print pattern.

Sunday's message:

This Sunday my pastor spoke on a message that many people are usually not too happy to hear - tithing. My opinion on it? If you are doing what the Lord (not man) lays on your heart and you are doing it cheerfully you should not have a problem with hearing this message. I have found the more I give cheerfully whether it be my tithes or someone in need, I get so much more in return. At this very moment I am cleaning out my house and selling items on Craigslist for $20 and under - those items cost me about $50 and over. All the money I collect is going to the March of Dimes. I am not keeping a cent for myself and it makes me feel GREAT.

On to the notes....

The Scriptural Basis for Tithing

Malachi 3:8-10

Tithing is not about raising money, it's about raising people. Tithing assesses your trust level in God's provisions for the vision He has given you for your life. Some will argue that tithing is an old testament practice but there is scripture in the new testament that supports tithing. It's surprising to many to find out that the Bible addresses the topic of money more than any other topic. Some verses to review:

Genesis 14:19, Genesis 28:20-22, Numbers 18:21-24, Deuteronomy 14:22, 28-29, Deuteronomy 12:6, 26:12, Malachi 3:8, Matthew 23:23, Luke 18:12, Hebrews 7:5-9

Sunday Style

This weekend was so busy that I didn't have time to do the hairstyle that I had planned. It was humid so I did my 'ol reliable twist-out. It got bigger as the day progressed. I achieved this big hair by doing four flat twists, two on each side, on damp hair.

Sunday's Message:
It's Party Time

Luke 15:22-24

Some "church folk" believe that Christians can't have fun and can't party. But in the Word you will see that God is a partying God: Psalms 23; Song of Solomon 2:14; Isaiah 62:5; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalms 129:3-6; Ecclesiastes 3:4; 2 Samuel 6:14; and when Jesus turned water into wine so that the party could continue (John 2:1-11).

In the text the Father celebrated his son's return:

1. He had a reason to celebrate because his son was dead and now he's alive

2. He had a right to celebrate what the Lord had done

3. He had a responsibility to tell the world what the Lord had done for him.

This song always makes me want to move.

"Party by rejoicing in the Lord and His goodness. What makes a party memorable is your relationship with the host. You can never get so low that the Lord can't pick you up."

Sunday Style: Twist-out w/ side comb

(It was early and I was still sleep, lol)

I achieved this style quickly and easily with two strand flat twists. I first parted my hair in the sections and directions that I wanted my hair to go (about 3 sections) and flat twisted each section. Prior to styling my hair was shampooed and deep conditioned.

Sunday's Message:

"The God of Another Chance"

Jonah 3:1-4

There is a saying that goes "He's the God of a second chance," but when you hear that it conveys that God only gives us two chances. However, for many of us God has given us more than two chances - we serve a God of mercy. The story of Jonah represents God showing mercy and giving another chance and it also represents the storms in life that we may go through when we don't do what God says.

Three things learned from the text:
1. Failure is not final (Jonah 1:1-3)

2. God still has a plan for your life (Jer 29:11)

3. God will give you another chance (Jonah 3:3-4)

♫I've been anointed to prosper♫

Sunday Style: Lots o' Curls

This style was achieved by setting two strand twists on flexirods. The result is a head full of a lot of curls. I washed, conditioned, and applied leave in conditioner. No other products were needed and my curls were soft and held all day long - plus, the hubby really like it :). Feather hair accessory and long pearl necklace available from I.M.I.

Sunday's Message:

"Don't Go There"

Mark 10:46-49

In the text Bartimaeus was only disabled by his sight but he "heard" that Jesus was in the area so he cried out. Crying out gets more attention than speaking because crying is the leak valve of the soul. The people around tried to quiet him. "Don't go there" when someone is crying out when you don't know their situation.

This story reminded me of "Father Can You Hear Me" because just like Bartimaeus, we can't see him but we hear and feel His presence.

Can anyone get through this song without getting a little teary eyed? I can't. :)

Sunday Style: another Cornrow-Twist Updo

This style was inspired by a loc style that I ran across while Googling styles one day:

Sunday's Message:
Man Up

1 Kings 2:1-2

Note: Sunday was "Men's Day"

If you are wise you will listen to the wise counsel of those that have "been there done that." In today's text David was telling Solomon how to be a man.

To be a man:

1. You must be disciplined - Discipline yourself to walk in a Godly manner.

2. You must be decisive - A double-minded mind is unstable (James 1:8)

3. You must be determined - When you do what the Lord says folks may laugh at you but they won't be laughing when your reward comes

*When you are disciplined , determined, and decisive the Lord will recognize that and the Lord will respond by decorating you.

Sunday Style: BBA!

BBA = Big Beautiful Afro

I wore this style to the NC Natural Hair Care Expo, the Triangle Meet-up, and then the next day to church. So what you are seeing is Day 2 hair. I refreshed by spritzing with water and fluffing with my fingers.

Sunday's Message:

It's Time To Grow Up

1 Corinthians 3:1-2, 13:11

Just as babies are supposed to grow and develop, we as Christians should grow and develop. So we should experience two births -- physical birth and spiritual birth. Some people think they are spiritual grown because they have connections or can quote a scripture. Some churches are full of babies because they birth folks (spiritually) but don't help them grow.

To be the head of your house (men):

1. Be the prophet of your house - instruct your house by what "thus says the Lord"

2. Be the priest of your house - intercede for and make provisions for YOUR house (not the one down the street)

3. Be the king of your house - set the tone and rules

If you are going to grow up you need to:

1. Grow in knowledge - you can be educated and still be a fool (Hosea 4:6)

2. Know about the kingdom of God - 1 Cor 6:9-11

3. Know the Lord for yourself - not what someone told you, have a relationship with Him for yourself