In 2010 I...

Learnt to truly love God

Was baptised

Fell in love

have come to appreciate my family

Passed my A-Levels with great results

Went to Spain for the first time

have come to appreciate my friends

Developed a great appreciation for London

Met an awesome girl called Ola

Experienced a term at Loughborough University

Went to see Wicked

Met two cool people named April and Kevine

Overcame fear

Learnt how to forgive

Was hurt

cried

became independent

learnt to cook

Think about what you learnt, how you've grown and as I end 2010, truly fulfilled and happy, I hope God will bring me and you so much more in 2011!

My mind has changed...hello New Year!

So yesterday I had a mini rant about the fact that we don't need New Year's Resolutions, we need to make promises to ourselves continuously etc. However my mind has changed, and I've realised that new year's resolutions are helpful and often the time for reflection comes at the end of a year.

The end of a year helps us to look back over a vast time period and acknowledge how far God has brought us. David says in Psalms 63:6 (MSG) 'If I'm sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection...' I urge you to think about your life from just January 2010 to the present day, and no matter how quickly the year may have felt to have gone - a lot has happened. No matter the rough patchs, failures or unhappiness that was encountered don't be ungrateful, because surely they have made you a stronger and wiser person, and probably strengthened your trust in and relationship with God. And let the good times, happiness and laughter serve as brilliant memories for you to take into 2011 and of course, more to be grateful to God for.

Tonight I thought about everything that has happened this year, and my first words were 'thank You Lord' because really I would not have made it without His grace. I wrote a list of the things that I wasn't happy with in 2010, and burned the list. It was like a metaphorical freedom and I just feel ready to go into the new year with an embracing attitude rather than a fighting mentality. I'm ready to keep praising, keep enjoying and to keep putting the devil in his place. Are you ready to do the same? My point of all this is to be grateful, no matter the circumstance, good or bad and persevere! Never give up, God will not give you more than you can bear.

So now I say, Happy New Year, apologies for my rant and make sure you enjoy 2011 no matter what it throws at you. Make the most of the good times and grow in the rough.

Love You all

Jade Chanel xx

The Music Industry today...

Now I know that this is a deep topic, and not something I know a lot about, but really is it me, or is the secular music industry getting darker and darker everyday? Like seriously? I mean I already knew and greatly disliked Jay-Z with his Illuminati business, which cancels out my appreciation of any of his signees or associates, namely Rihanna (despite her Bajan heritage), Willow Smith (I don't really care that she's 9...that's what it makes it more disturbing), Beyonce (Yes, I did once like her) and now Cher Lloyd (although I didn't appreciate her from day dot). But things are on a brand new level now and it's just deep.

Now I absolutely adore music, and there is no point in hiding that listening to purely Gospel music has been difficult. I mean there are times when I listen to songs that are not typically 'Christian', for example, I am a massive Coldplay fan and listen to a fair few other artists, and usually when someone posts a song on Facebook I tend to have a listen to see what's going on in the secular music world today. I've come to realise, I'm really NOT missing anything. This theory was confirmed after I watched the video for Kanye West's 'Monster' today, and seriously I have never seen anything so disturbing and grotesque in a music video ever. That's something I'd expect in a horror movie, and me, I hate horror movies! And I read someone's comment claiming the video was 'sick' but 'sick' as in good, not the original meaning of the word - which is what I would attribute to the video and perhaps the song in general. After having a brief conversation with my cousin, we confirmed the idea that the devil is rife in the music industry, and a lot of people are blinded by hype. He told me to watch Kanye West's video 'Power' which he said was worse than 'Monster' but after watching 'Monster' I definitely didn't want to watch something that was worse.

(I've put the videos on the page so you can make up your own minds, be aware, the above warning goes for all the videos to follow)

Also the lyrics, what are these people singing about? Literally a month or two ago, I kept seeing this Nicki Minaj song popping up, called 'Roman's Revenge' and the lyrics are 'I’m startin’ to feel like a dungeon dragon'....ermmm what is that supposed to mean? To me the lyrics sound really rubbish, yet this woman is selling records, and has got a lot of people claiming that their middle name is 'Minaj' on Facebook (something I find a little hilarious). Really I feel a bit fogey-ish wondering what the young people of today are listening to, but seriously...like a dungeon dragon? *sigh*

Be warned as well that the way artists talk about the opposite sex, can often be describing the role of God, something that I noticed in Alicia Keys' songs. Firstly in 'Teenage Love Affair' she says 'want you to be my first, my last, my ending and beginning.' Now I don't know what context she means this in, but Revelation 22:13 reads 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.' Also this isn't biblical but the song 'How Deeply I Need You' by Shekinah Glory says 'like the desert needs the rain, I need you' and Alicia Keys also says this but instead about a man. I guess this one is about personal choice really, if you don't have a faith you might want a man like the desert needs rain, but for me, I choose to need God that way not a man.


Furthermore, the sexual activity and innuendos nowadays, are just too much for my head and mind, anyone with a child or with young family members needs to be on guard. As per usual, I'm on Facebook, and I see a link to a video of Keri Hilson's new song, and I don't mind some of her songs, so I thought I'd listen, and low and behold I am confronted by a whole lot of explicit, vulgar language by someone usually soft and slightly suggestive but never so in your face. Her song entitled 'The Way You Love Me' - which may I point out, is the clean version of the title (substitute the word love for a word rhyming with 'luck') is just disgusting, really lacks any form of sophistication and commands no respect whatsoever. If you want to get the jist of the video you get it in this one phrase which I heard in a Youtube review of the song:

'Only a gynaecologist sees that much va-ja-jay'

Those who watch X Factor, will probably have seen Rihanna's somewhat 'raunchy' performance of 'What's My Name?' and whilst many loved it, some loathed it. I was hurting my bum on the fence, perhaps because I'd been exposed to Keri's video, I didn't find it that bad, but my closest friend was disgusted. We both came to the conclusion that our children would not be watching MTV, and after posting Keri's video on her Facebook wall (to emphasize how terrible it was), she had to delete it because it made her Facebook page look 'dirty' (her own words).

This has just been on my mind recently and I thought I'd share it and bring awareness to it. Remember this is my opinion so don't take it personally if you're a Minaj lover or West's greatest fan! Just insight for you to bear in mind and make up your own minds about the information.

Love you all,
Jade Chanel x

The purpose of N.Y's resolutions?

This month, I've seen a lot of the following statuses, comments etc.

'Leaving behind a lot of people in 2010'

'New year, new me'

'2010 wasn't my year, 2011 has to be better'

I'm not going to lie, I'm guilty of that mentality as well - believing that I'm going to be transformed when the clock strikes 12 and I enter the 1st of January, as if I'm a twisted living Cinderella. The truth is, I'm not going to be revealed as this fantastic, new person all of a sudden, and fundamentally why does this change have to happen at the start of a new year, and why not start implementing the change from the moment of realisation?

New Year's Resolutions may as well be forgotten, because really the entrance of a new year seems like a lot of hype, yes it's another year that the Lord has blessed us with, but really, isn't it just another day? We can make a resolution each and everyday to change our lifestyle, right? New Year's resolutions just give us the opportunity to indulge in our bad habits for that little bit longer. Now, I don't want to appear critical, but think - what is stopping you from changing whatever it is that you want to change from today? Seriously, why wait? Tomorrow isn't promised to us, so make the most of today. If for example, you want to get closer to God, read the bible, pray! But do it today! Do not deceive yourself in saying for example 'From the beginning of 2011 I'm going to read the bible everyday and pray.' Just simply do it from now!!!

The road isn't going to be easy, but don't give up, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going - no matter what you are trying to achieve. God isn't going to love you any less, if something goes wrong and remember, you should not love yourself any less if something goes wrong. Keep persevering to reach your goal, because it's you that is going to have the satisfaction and happiness of that achievement.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against celebrating the start of a new year, I just want to encourage a new, refreshed mindset. Take your life day by day, make yourself happy and don't wait for others to do it for you and start changing your life from the moment the thought enters your head not the 1st of January.

I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas and have a blessed New Year.

Love you all

Jade Chanel x

Psalms 18

I love you, GOD -
you make me strong.
GOD is bedrock under my feet,
the castle in which I live,
my rescuing knight.
My God -the high crag
where I run for dear life,
hiding behind the boulders,
safe in the granite hideout.

I sing to GOD, the Praise - Lofty,
and find myself safe and saved.

The hangman's noose was tight at my throat;
devil waters rushed over me.
Hell's ropes cinched me tight;
death traps barred every exit.

A hostile world! I call to GOD,
I cry to God to help me.
From his palace he hears my call;
my cry brings me right into his presence -
a private audience!

Earth wobbles and lurches;
huge mountains shake like leaves,
Quake like aspen leaves
because of his rage.
His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke;
his mouth spits fire.
Tongues of fire dart in and out;
he lowers the sky.
He steps down,
under his feet an abyss opens up.
He's riding a winged creature,
swift on wind-wings.
Now he's wrapped himself
in a trenchcoat of black cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness bursts through,
spraying hailstones and fireballs.
God shoots his arrow -pandemonium!
He hurls his lightenings - a rout!
The secret sources of ocean are exposed,
the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered
The moment you roar in protest,
let loose your hurricane anger.

But me he caught - reached all the way
from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide open field;
I stood there saved - surprised to be loved!
GOD made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together
God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I'm alert to God's ways;
I don't take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

The good people taste your goodness,
The whole people taste your health,
The true people taste your truth,
The bad ones can't figure you out.
You take the side of the down-and-out,
But the stuck-up you take down a peg.

Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;
I'm blazing with glory, God's glory!
I smash the bands of marauders,
I vault the highest fences.

What a God! His road
stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.

Is there any god like God?
Are we not at bedrock?
Is not this the God who armed me,
then aimed me in the right direction?
Now I run like a deer;
I'm king of the mountain.
He shows me how to fight;
I can bend a bronze bow!
You protect me with salvation-armor;
you hold me up with a firm hand,
caress me with your gentle ways.
You cleared the ground under me
so my footing was firm.
When I chased my enemies I caught them;
I didn't let go till they were dead men.
I nailed them; they were down for good;
then I walked all over them.
You armed me well for this fight,
you smashed the upstarts.
You made my enemies turn tail,
and I wiped out the haters.
They cried "uncle"
but Uncle didn't come;
They yelled for God
and got no for an answer.
I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.
I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.

You rescued me from a squabbling people;
you made me a leader of nations.
People I'd never heard of served me;
the moment they got wind of me they listened.
The foreign devils gave up; they came
on their bellies, crawling from their hideouts.

Live, God! Blessings from my Rock,
my free and freeing God, towering!
This God set things right for me
and shut up the people who talked back.
He rescued me from enemy anger,
he pulled me from the grip of upstarts,
He saved me from the bullies.

That's why I'm thanking you, God,
all over the world.
That's why I'm singing songs
that rhyme your name.
God's king takes the trophy;
God's chosen is beloved.
I mean David and all his children—
always.


Sometimes there are no words that can come from the human mouth to encourage another, but there will always be the word of God that will encourage someone - an individual, a group or a population. I pray that this scripture will arrive in perfect timing for someone and just hold onto this word.



I love you all, stay encouraged

Jade Chanel x