Jessica S. Preston

This matter is pressing on my heart because we’re seeing not only wars going on across seas and in other countries but in our country also. Right in our back yards. There is a thing going on with the police brutality and it’s not just in our minds but it is real and it’s sickening and disheartening. I know that many people look at the riots as it looking bad on those who are rioting part. Which it does and I don't excuse any of the behavior. The question is not why they are tearing up their own communities. The response is not, they should have obeyed or shouldn’t have done what they did to have it happen. The closer look is WHY they are rioting. WHY they are so upset. WHY they are so angry. WHY they are so hurt. WHY they are so disappointed. WHY have they lost so much respect for authority. A sheep without a shepherd will always go astray because there is no covering. There is no protection. When kids feel like they are alone and are left to figure things out on their own what e...

Let me introduce you to a recent conversation between myself and another young man...   "So say that you were an option and I were to choose you, what value would you add to me? What value would you bring to the table? Well let me put it like this. Say that you were a piece in a furniture store, where would I find you?"...   This conversation took place during a time where I had been introduced to a new guy in town. He was considered to be a good catch. We met, obviously saw something in one another because we continued to communicate. My oh my, what an excellent communicator he was. I enjoyed being in his presence. I enjoyed talking on the phone with him. I enjoyed the simple texts from him. It was good… for a while. During our time of talking in our first real, long conversation (you know that one) he asked me the questions I opened up with. My immediate response to him was I’m not sure what I would bring to the table, we would actually have to be aro...

Intervention...   I am reminded of the movie Frankie and Alice. I said that I was going to go back and watch that movie. Because Frankie has a personality disorder. Frankie had Alice, Frankie (herself) and Genius to deal with. Frankie was trying to cope with life the best way that she knew how to do so. In her regular self, Frankie was an exotic dancer and did things that comes with that lifestyle. Alice was a person Frankie had tucked away from her past and it was almost like she didn’t exist. Alice was determined to make Frankie pay for what she had done to her at such a young age. Frankie knew the events had taken place but back in that time and even still in her present time, there were many things that were left unsaid. So Frankie accepted her reality but never let the memories go. This was a place she would visit every so often but instead of her prompting the memories the memories would be triggered by a song, vision, an event or person that closely resembled anyth...

Confidence... So I’m sitting here thinking about confidence. I was picturing myself getting out of a car and attempting to walk cute towards a guy without walking like my feet hurt in my heels. You know that walk.   LOL. I compared the way I see a woman on the T.V or in movies how they get out of the car and just stops traffic and I thought, how in the world do women do that? When they walk not only do they turn heads but their presence commands attention. That’s when I thought about this must be what confidence looks like sprinkled with grace. We all know that woman who is confident yet arrogant with it. But man oh man that woman with confidence and graceful with it… There’s nothing like it in the world. She’s broken yet possesses a strength that allow her to keep going. She’s afraid yet stands in the face of fear with the passion and determination of the woman with the issue of blood. She’s awesome. So I kept thinking… When a woman possesses a certain nature, it comes nat...

Lord, it’s a very scary experience when we have built a cage around our insecurities and find ourselves trapped; even when we know it’s no good for us. Father we’ve been so hurt that we’ve vowed to ourselves that no one will hurt us like that again. So we stop hurt from coming in and we stop it from leaving. We’ve closed ourselves off and now are unable to allow you in, in order to heal the hurt we already experience. So it turns into fear, and we know that fear torments. Lord you came so that we may have life and life more abundantly. You desire for us to worship you with a pure heart in spirit and in truth. Lord as I peak outside the windows of my cage, and mentally prepare to step out for good, Lord Grace me for the journey ahead. Grace me that as I want to get back in the cage due to fear of the unknown, to embrace life in the wild. To be free in all that you have created me to be and purposed me to do. -Jess