All posts by Dee

About Dee

Dr. Dee Jackson was born and raised in Oakland/Berkeley, California and attended private schools. She is an educator with over 25 years of experience working as a Classroom Teacher, Literacy Coach, Reading Recovery Teacher, Biblical Studies Instructor and ELD Teacher. She is also an Entrepreneur (home based business), Marriage Coach and Blogger. She has been the keynote speaker at various churches sharing the Gospel. Dr. Jackson was a co-producer of a Christian Radio program out of Florida. Dr. Jackson’s blogs are focused on a variety of subjects. Her challenges and experiences in life have produced in her the character and strength to persevere in spite of challenges. She has a passion for helping couples and family live out their covenant commitment. She shares her experiences in order to encourage, motive and remind others that each day is a new opportunity to fulfill one’s purposes and to be someone’s smile.

Hand of G-d

When I was working on my Masters at Luther Rice Seminary, one of my professors insisted we memorize Psalm 139 as one of the requirements for the course. Later, during my quiet time, I was compelled to reread and pray this Psalm. Briefly, let me share one of my impressions.

Psalm 139 is a profound psalm, which speaks to the sovereignty of G-d, i.e., He is all-knowing and ever-present! He is subject over all things and all things are subject unto Him. There are several lessons we can draw from this particular Psalm, but for the purposes of this piece, I want to focus on the hand of G-d. If you read vs. 7-12, you will notice that David’s first response was to flee or run runner-femalefrom G-d. Nevertheless, where could he hide for wherever he went, G-d was there! However, in v 10, David realized that G-d is not trying to entrap Him, but to lead Him into His presence.

So it is with us! Many of us feel whether justified or not, that we are trapped in negative situations and/or conditions irrespective of the source of the negativity. Our first impulse similar to King David is to flee, run, escape, hide, or take flight without consulting or seeking G-d’s will. Often times, we look only at the natural circumstances, and fail to see G-d’s hand in the mix! And, if you are a believer in G-d, with faith in Mashiach, (Messiah), then G-d is in the mix!

Therefore, like David, we need to focus on the hand of G-d ,and follow His directive in whatever situation envelops us, and from there, do what G-d says to do! This is extremely heartdifficult at times, because it means dying to self, and living unto Mashiach. However, if we could only remember that it is G-d’s love, which draws us to Him, and that He will use whatever He feels necessary to get our attention; we would weather pessimistic conditions in our life a lot fairer.

Ultimately, our response is to notice and obey His leading. Living in this world is tough sometimes, but in Mashiach, we can be assured that His hand is leading us and not entrapping us! Therefore, be encouraged, persevere, persist in loving G-d and others, and prove your faith by good works, study His Word, and share the message of our Savior. Finally, know that G-d loves you and desires your/our undivided attention.

mountain

#DocsMusing,

Dr. Dee

Uncertainty

My L-rd* G-d, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor, do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean I am actually doing so. But, I believe that the desire to please you, does, in fact, please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And, I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (Prayer composed by Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk)

Recently, I was watching an episode of West Wing on Netflix, and I heard one of the characters in the program paraphrase the prayer above. I was captivated by the prayer and decided to find out if the prayer was fiction or if in fact, had someone really composed this prayer. In the Netflix version, the character says, I always don’t know the right thing to do, L-rd, but, I think the fact that I want to please you pleases you.

 ocean-waveThis prayer is very intriguing, because it speaks to our weaknesses and our heart motives as believers in the Most High G-d. I find it very interesting that life is often challenging and difficult at best; and yet, most fulfilling as well. And, still, often times we, at least me, has no idea where I am going. My desires and dreams seem to keep pointing me in a certain direction, but the course and the ultimate goal is an uncertainty.

Many might say this sentiment exudes a lack of faith, determination, a certain grit, if you will. And, though dreams, desires and goals are necessary and a productive force as we travel this life, the end results, prior to the end results are completely unknown with absolute certainty! I propose that if the end were absolutely known, the entire sense of celebration during the process and  at the end, as well as the need for faith would be a waste of time.

G-d, however, did not call us to know exactly how things would turn out in this life with utter cast-iron certainty. goals-picHe did call us to trust Him with our dreams, desires, needs and/or goals. He has called us to love Him with the desire to please Him, even in our uncertainty of what lies ahead.

I believe in G-d and choose to embrace His subjection over me. He has proven His love, provision, protection over and over again in my life, the life of my family, friends and even those I do not know or dislike. The fact that you are reading this blog, proves that you are still here for a reason. Now, you may not believe in the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Yeshua, but irrespective of that point, He is subject over all things and all things are subject under Him.

My point, as a G-d fearer, I feel all the things the Word of G-d tells me not to feel at times. Yet, my true heart’s desire is to please G-d and be an imitator of Yeshua (Jesus). My flesh is weak, and though He is greater in me than he who is in the world, more times than not, my weakness rules! And, yet I always desire to please Adonai (L-rd). My desire is to please Him and to do His will.

When Thomas Merton wrote this prayer, supposedly he was in a dark place. I have experienced many dark places, and sometimes darkness still nudges at my soul as I navigate this life. Many of us understand the depths of darkness, and yet, we grapple for light-bridgethe light knowing it is our only hope of salvation in this life, and the life to come. G-d who sees all and does whatever He pleases (Ps. 115:3), I believe, understands us far beyond our ability to understand ourselves – thus our need for a Savior. Merton’s prayer exudes a sense of pure humility and dependence on the Creator for guidance in all matters of life, as well as a plea for understanding his motives.

We sometimes exemplify our false sense of being in control to no avail; and, thus, we are amazed when things go awry in our lives. For those of us calling ourselves believers, whether it is by the name Christian, Messianic, Followers of the Way, G-d Fearers, Believers or some other name, our first response is to love Him and desire to please Him.

So today, as I ramble on and deeply consider the nuances of this prayer, I ask you to do the same. My thoughts and feelings are all over the place this morning, because I don’t know for certain where I’m going, but I do know WHO to put my trust in.

#JustMusing

Dr. Dee

Note two things:

  • The “o” is missing for G-d and L-rd as a sign of respect and honor, for He is the Most Holy G-d, the One true One, the Creator, and Sustainer of the universe, and He is the Uncaused Cause. By leaving the “o” out of G-d and/or L-rd, it makes the distinction that I am not speaking of an idol, or any other entity, which uses the name “god”. This writer is referring to the one true G-d who revealed Himself to Moses as the I AM. In addition, it is my belief this is one of the ways, I can fulfill the first commandment. The first commandment commanded believers to honor the L-rd’s name. Therefore, by eliminating the “o”, His name (HaShem, G-d) is honored, if the paper were thrown away, burned or destroyed in some manner, as well as for the benefit of online readers. It is this author’s intention to honor G-d in every area, in traditional and non-traditional ways as directed and led by G-d’s Breath – the Holy Spirit.
  • Photos taken from Fresh Paint and program purchased.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy The Process

goal

Ever heard the following?

  • Enjoying the process
  • Smelling the roses along the way
  • Comfortable with being uncomfortable
  • Trusting when the end is not near
  • Seeing where only faith leads
  • Prayer were no other path leads
  • Goal achieved now what…

For me, they all mean the same thing…

Recently, I read that achievement seldom produces a sense of lasting happiness as one might think. I can truly attest to this. After receiving my doctorate, I thought I would be so happy, but shortly after graduation, (which by the way, no one could attend), it was really no big deal, and I have considered going back to school, and getting another graduate degree. For me, being in school afforded me a definite sense of purpose, a refuge, a circle of acquaintances, and a goal to work towards. In other words, a sense of direction. I have found, and other experts as well, that once a person finally accomplishes a goal, at least two new goals come along unexpectedly. And, that which we worked so hard to achieve, and chased after for so long, soon becomes the status quo. Yet, our achievement though exhilarating, along with a sense of satisfaction, we are also frustrated and desiring a new adventure or goal. In my case, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand I was excited about earning my degree; yet, I thought and felt…now what? What am I going to do now?

Consider other goals, whether losing weight, getting a promotion, some business venture, exotic vacation or even considering marriage. If you have ever been in love, then, you know about those special moments of euphoria and the fluttering of your heart when you think about that special someone, hear their voice and/or lay your eyes on them! Remember when you couldn’t wait to see them or hear their voice, or how much you hated to say goodbye? Then something began to change, especially after the honeymoon for at least 50% of marriages in this country.

How many of you longed, even ached to get married? Many people who have anxiously anticipated being married to their lover, soul mate, and/or best friend of choice in a blissful ever after scenario, have been devastated by the nightmare they felt trapped in. Once married, they were disillusioned by the difficulties of living with this special someone, and often times fled the relationship. Again, at least 50% of married folks in this country choose to flee their marriages, though some need to flee, many of us are afraid or unwilling to die to self and be a loving spouse. Yet, those who endure to the end tend to thrive through the challenges, and happily live their lives with their mate.

Our goals in life whether reached or not gives us a sense of purpose or at least helps us to feel worthy of this opportunity called life. However, I have found that often times, people are so focused on the goal, that they fail to enjoy the process, or give up when matters get difficult. I have been guilty of this.

Many of us get so focused on the goal, that we fail to enjoy the process or we flee from our purpose in hopes of escaping whatever we find problematic. Yet, in my many years on planet earth, I have come to realize that we/I must enjoy the process in all areas of my life, or life is just existing; or in many cases just working to survive and going through the motions.Health500

Now, when it comes to work, I can hang with the best of them. As a matter of information, all the letters behind my name were earned as an adult, raising children, while unemployed, during an extremely challenging marriage(s), during a divorce(s), working full time, deaths of family members, and/or working full time. I know about working, multi-tasking and the like. I mean intimately acquainted with trying to do it all! Even now, as a mature woman working full-time, building a business, co-producing a radio program, writing a book, this blog, etc., more often than not, I feel like the absent-minded professor running around doing it all, yet doing nothing or at least not getting it all accomplished in the manner most effective without sleep deprivation, irritability, stress and the like!

Still, in spite of the challenges or the goals we aim for, I have learned that we must enjoy life along the way. I have found that doing the following things on a consistent basis are extremely helpful for enjoying the process of life as you reach for your goals, after achieving your goals; and then reaching for new or higher goals. We should always strive for higher and worthy goals! This is a biblical principle handed down from Heaven. Therefore, I live by the following and I encourage you to embrace many if not all as well:

  • Daily prayer, reading G-d’s Word, and interaction with like-minded people
  • Sleep/Rest: G-d created the Shabbat (Sabbath) for a reason. He knew many of us would work ourselves into the grave as a result of unbalanced or an obsession to achieve our goals or dreams. Our insistence on embracing sleep-deprivation and lack of rest causes chronic tiredness, illness, irritability, stress and premature death. We need a weekly Shabbat for a reason. Really and truly, sleep will find us whether we like it or not.
  • sabbathHealthy Choices: Sleep/rest is a healthy choice, but also the foods we eat. Choose clean foods, minimize fast foods, processed foods, soda and sugar. You will feel different and be more energetic with mental clarity.
  • Exercise is vital for weight loss, flexibility, stress reduction and more. We need to exercise our bodies to optimally perform each day. Our bodies are the only place we have to live.
  • Celebrate and love others.
  • Be grateful for all things in your life. Celebrate the great and good. Learn from the not-so-good.
  • Help others achieve and grow. Be an example of determination, persistence and generosity.
  • Try to see the good and have a positive attitude.
  • Spend time doing things you enjoy and spend time with family and friends.
  • Laugh, have fun and enjoy being you. Laughter does do the heart, mind, soul good!

live in bodyWorthy goals, dreams, and desires, as well as working towards them have their place. Yet, on the way to success, remember to enjoy life throughout the process. Once you achieve whatever goal(s) you are longing for, enjoy that process and the new goals soon to follow. Again, enjoy wherever you find yourself in life, otherwise, what awaits you on the other side, may be more disappointing than you imagined.

#DocsMusing,

Dr. Dee

Improve Your Twitter Market Base With 6 Easy-Peasy Tips

 

Emails done for you!

 

 

 

Challenging Relationships

couple on red couchRelationships can be challenging especially when goals and desires are different, and the marriage lacks love and friendship.  I guess the ultimate goal of being together in a marriage and being happy is determined by the love factor and our determination to get through difficulties which will arise.

Steve Harvey wrote a book, which states, if a man tells you “we are friends” then believe it. This statement for many women may give them the impression that more will come, and possibly more will come down the line, but maybe not. I have spoken to many people who claim their relationship started off as friends, and then they married each other. Their marriage is like being married to their best friend, and they are very happy. Others, have waited for many years for marriage to their special friend to no avail.

As I am writing this blog, I can think of at least two women who dated a man for over 20 years and they never married. Both women desired marriage, but marriage never came. In fact, one woman was with her special friend for over 21 years. They went their separate ways, he found salvation, another woman, and married his new friend within six months.

So my question, how long should a woman wait for a man to ask her to marry him? Now, I can hear many women say, why should she wait? Or, she can ask him? Hum, but, I’m of the mindset, that men should ask women. I admit, I’m old-fashioned and my thinking is based on the Bible – he who finds a wife finds a good thing and finds favor with G-d; but, I also believe, most women would prefer being asked by the love of their life, and not the other way black couplearound. Disagree? Tell me all about it. I would love to hear your opinions.

Anyway, back to my point. Relationships can be challenging, but also invigorating and wonderful. I believe it depends on the willingness of each person to give 100% of their efforts to enjoy the relationship and contribute doing their very best to be the kind of person which makes a loving and positive difference in the relationship. I believe couples have to be very best friends, in addition to being in-love, committed, loyal and G-d fearing to name just a few.

Relationships based on love, true love will stand the test of time.  Issues must  become non-issues when it comes to choosing to do what is required to work things out.  When things are fantastic, great, exciting, and new in a relationship – we know and understand how easy and glorious the flow between a couple can be.  However, when things are strained, stressful, challenging, etc., in those times, love must prevail, if the relationship is going to survive.

In case you forgot, no one is perfect, not me or you.  Therefore, what we bring to the table in a marriage is love and raloneespect, and a willingness to grow; that is, if you love someone and desire to be with them. If not, then single-hood has its advantages as many of us are well aware.  But, at the end of the day, having someone dear and special to navigate through this planet, called life, is worth the effort to be a great mate committed to love, transparency, and understanding towards their spouse.

As I have matured, I have met a lot of people with a lot of money! I mean multi-millionaires! By the way, I’m expecting my millions today in the mail! Seriously!! 

As I was saying, I have met and become acquainted with many rich people, and though their money can buy almost anything, it can’t buy happiness or a stress free marriage.  I know people who are just getting by (financially), but are extremely happy with their life-mate.

Again, my point, relationships can be challenging, but so is everything else at least some things at some point. Our choice…choose to love your spouse, because at the end of the day, we have to decide who and what is most important. As always, you decide…woman man quote

Just Musing,

Dr. Dee

Why throwing the football to yourself doesn’t work.

On October 12, 1997, Brad Johnson completed the only quarterback-to-quarterback touchdown pass in NFL history.  In other words – Brad threw the ball, the ball got blocked, Brad re-caught it, and then Brad proceeded to make a touchdown. Truly a one-man-show. But over his career, he threw 165 more touchdown passes – and all of them were to other people.

TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 14: Quarterback Brad Johnson #14 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks to pass against the Carolina Panthers defense on September 14, 2003 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Buccaneers 12-9. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)
Brad Johnson taken from Google Images

Here’s my no-brain-er takeaway: Pitch the pigskin, dummy!

One-man-shows rarely work. https://fred139.clickfunnels.com/copy-of-vida-divinap9rw0ekv

And yet most small business owners are trying to throw themselves touchdown passes. They try to do everything themselves:

  • Website and landing page design
  • Product development
  • Closing sales
  • Constructing a high-converting sales funnel

When what they really need is a high-performing team to help them score big. But where do you find a team when you’re just starting out? That’s where I come in.

It’s your offensive line, backfield, and receiving team that makes the difference.johnson_brad2

When you sign up, you get:

  • domestic team support
  • international team support
  • free sign-up
  • awesome product
  • impressive comp plan

…all working FOR you. A high performance team that will help you score big commissions online. You’ve got the ball, and they’re dancing in the end zone. Try to throw yourself the touchdown pass, and you’ve got a 1 in 165 chance. Throw it to them, and you’re bound to score.  So what’s it gonna be?

https://fred139.clickfunnels.com/copy-of-vida-divinap9rw0ekv

Best,

Dr. Dee

Know The Steps To Use For Social Media In Building Your Brand

 

Description:
This video provides the viewer tips and tricks to reach more customers and increase brand recognition. Specific detailed steps are given that are easy to follow yet are effective in improving any business’s marketing strategy.

How to Improve Your Inbound Marketing to Increase Sales Leads

marketing adsInbound marketing is an essential component of modern marketing practices. As you’re probably aware, when it comes to lead generation, quality is generally more important than quantity. By focusing your efforts on improving your inbound marketing techniques, you can increase the quality of traffic you receive.

The way to obtain the best sales leads is to attract the right consumers. While PPC ads and other forms of advertising will draw traffic to your site, you want to ensure that these visitors are actually looking for the services or products that you provide.

You’ll find that gathering quality leads is more beneficial than gaining a lot of leads. The following tips will help you improve your inbound marketing in order to increase sales leads.

Create Customer Personas

Creating a buyer persona is an effective method of targeting a specific demographic. What is a buyer persona? It is essentially a detailed description of your typical customer. It includes factors such as age, sex, income level, education, geographic location, shopping habits, and website browsing habits.

You can research the demographics of your visitors and customers and develop multiple buyer personas to cover your entire spectrum of customers. You will use these buyer personas when developing content or creating a marketing campaign.

Whenever you write content, imagine you are writing specifically to one of your buyer personas. This applies to social media posts, blogs, advertisements, and landing pages.

Learn More About Your Customers

In order to create detailed buyer personas, you’ll need to learn more about your customers. There are multiple ways to do this. First, you could send out a survey to your subscriber list. Ask general questions about their preferences and interests.

Another way to learn more about your customers is to look at their social media profiles. Perform a little bit of research on some of the customers that follow you on Facebook or Twitter. Find out what other companies or businesses they follow.

You can use the information that you gather when creating your buyer personas. The goal of a buyer persona is to make your content more personable and directed at a specific individual.

Perform Long-Tail Keyword Research

Before you begin an ad campaign, you need to perform detailed, long-tail keyword research. By using keywords that are more specific to a particular interest, you’re more likely to generate higher conversion rates.

When you’re vague with your keywords, you’ll find that you attract a wide range of visitors, many of whom may have no interest in your product or service.

Run Multiple Targeted Campaigns

After developing your buyer personas, you should begin running multiple targeted campaigns. You should develop landing pages and ads that focus on one individual buyer persona at a time.

For example, you could create a landing page and ad that targets your younger demographic. Then, create another target campaign for your older demographic. Each landing page is written specifically with one person in mind. You should notice a natural increase in conversion rates.

Target the Fears and Interests of Your Customers

When creating an effective call to action, you should target the fears or the interests of your customers. Consider your buyer personas. Think about their primary fears or interests and how your products or services can help. Come up with a way to express that you have the solution for their needs.

You can start using these tips today to improve the ability of your inbound marketing practices to generate quality sales leads. If you’re interested in additional advice and solutions for improving your internet marketing techniques, then click on the following link to learn more about my done-for-you system.

To Your Success,

Dr. Dee

 

Advertising word in tag cloud
Advertising word in tag cloud

Who Will Be The Next President Of The United States?

The political campaign for the new president of the United States is far from ordinary to say the least. Both candidates are flawed, and neither candidate is a supreme choice for this country. However, when you consider the evidence of each of the candidates, there is clearly one who is better for this country, but you have to decide which one. My choice is clear, but unfortunately, it is the lesser of two evils. Hum, the perils of living on earth. Honestly, I don’t like either candidate, Republican or Democrat. But, my choice is clear based on the evidence displayed for the world to see, and the information, which has been filtered through the news. world blue black

Yet, regardless of who becomes the new president of the United States in November of 2016, the subjection of this country is still under the Creator of the Universe. Therefore, those who believe in the power of prayer need not only vote, but more importantly pray for the leaders in this country, the police system, the educational system, the religious system, the medical system, the societal structure, the disenfranchised, the impoverished, the racial injustices and more!

Now, is not the time to apathetically sit around and wait for someone else to intercede for this country and the world. Now is not the time to lethargically live life, and let someone else fulfill your G-d given purpose. And, now is not the time to be weary in well doing! Each one of us called by G-d to walk in His purposes, in the earth, have been summoned to make a difference, wherever we find ourselves on a daily basis. We have not been called to idly watch, complain, and gossip about the state of affairs, but to make a difference and be the difference.

This is my difference, at least one of them. I implore, plead with each of you reading this blog to pray for this great nation, and to critically examine what each candidate is proposing. Consider their platforms, their words or sarcasm, their tweets, the evidence of political and/or social experiences, and weigh their pros versus their cons. Carefully consider recent events, and the tragic loss of lives, and political volleying with international countries, and the ostracizing of various groups in our society. Carefully categorize the content of their speeches, experiences and their implications for not just this country, but their international relationships with other countries, and their call for unity or their call for order.

images prayers hands in the airAgain, now is not the time to idly just sit. Now is the time to pray, vote and encourage others to do the same. Prayer is the path where no other path can make a difference. Prayer is about beseeching the ONE who can make the difference. If you just boo and not vote, then do not complain when your choice isn’t the new president of the United States.

As always…the choice is yours!

DocsMusing!

Dr. Dee

7 Ways to Drive Traffic by Offering Your Knowledge