Life. The Struggle Within (AuthorHouse, July 2007)

Has there ever been a time when you simply wanted to get off the high-speed train of life and take a much-needed break? Maybe you find yourself running on life’s performance treadmill more than you can possibly bear, yet relief always seems to be an arm’s length away from reality.

Everyone struggles with life, and no matter who you are or where you come from, this book is sure to reveal genuine hope to you regardless of your race, gender, culture, creed or religion. Are you willing to be honest with yourself, even if you can’t be honest with others?

Life often seems to be as much a struggle as it is a gift, while pressure to answer the one question every human soul desires to understand continues to hang over your head-what is the purpose of my life? Do opinions matter when it comes to climbing out of the lonely hole of despair? Are there lessons to be learned from generational mistakes, selfish choices, or a determined mind?

Many people have motivated us for a moment through big smiles and charisma, however genuine hope has not been found in them. Have you found yourself listening to yet another lullaby of pleasantries, good ideas or trendy rhetoric? Life. The Struggle Within chronicles the daily struggles of both men and women alike. Finally, someone said it out loud, and it’s no mistake that you are holding this book right now.

Be encouraged!

Life Book_READ IT

Painted on Jeans.

Speaker. Mentor. Podcaster

It seems like yesterday that people everywhere said she was a cute bundle of joy. There just seems to be something special about baby girls that pull at the heartstrings of both a mother and father. Although bruised and exhausted after her stressful journey into this world, she is well known by her beautiful features which resemble heavenly serenity, yet her hidden joy is yet to be realized.

While young and inexperienced, she is a precious jewel with much to learn; yet life will prove to be the antidote to the thing that eludes her most. The early days of bumps and bruises appear to be insignificant, yet soon enough, they will prove to alter her decisions yet feel natural in the process. Fathers do well to protect their prized joy wrapped in pink while sporting barrettes and a tiny purse, whereas mothers claim host to having carried, birthed and nurtured this little girl—its daddy that really made the difference.

The day daddy left, was the same day the earth stopped rotating and all directions led into the ground. That girl is no longer a baby, and an absentee father has promoted the decisions she wrestles with in secret. Mommy did the best she could, and for whatever reason daddy left a hole larger than the Grand Canyon in her heart, family and future. Who needs a compass when you can look for treasure to replace the pain and suffering on your own?

Painted On JeansMany little girls today range in age from their teens to nineties, yet they are still looking for daddy to come home and put his arm around them, cry on their shoulder and say, “I’m sorry, love you and everything is going to be alright”, yet this reality will not be experienced by many.

Little girls are beautiful, simple yet extremely complex. The place where life begins is also the place where life extends. It’s never been enough to be a biological mother or father; little girls are highly impacted and shaped by their relationship and influence from their daddy.

The scales of life offer extreme alternatives to genuine love, purity and hope—while the love and affection of daddy offers encouragement, affirmation and stability; the absence of daddy offers rebellion, promiscuity and insanity. In a world that is obsessed with experiencing everything for the sake of selfish desires, young girls are easy prey to the assembly line of young men who are skilled at feeding their minds with words their hearts can barely comprehend. Respect never begins after your clothes come off.

Titus 2:4-5, “These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands.” (NLT)

So many women and young girls never had a daddy, and were left to navigate through life with a broken compass, often running from one broken relationship to another. Does painted-on jeans, blouses four sizes small and 3-inch heels make a woman? Can a woman without a relationship with her daddy honor others without desperate acts of affirmation?

Depending on your own abilities is exactly what got you into trouble in the first place. Right now all that really matters is a right perspective. Then and only then will you have the ability to make the appropriate choices that will lead you to respect yourself and others.

It doesn’t matter if you’re married, single, a student, or a widow; authentic hope will never be found in starving yourself behind closed doors, blaming men for your choices or giving away your body as sexual trade for the false hope of not being alone. It’s a new day, and new decisions need to be made. Let’s walk this mile together.

Until next time, Be encouraged.

 


I speak to hundreds of thousands of young adults, men, women, and couples annually on leadership, decision making, and relationships.  Sometimes life has a way of being the antidote to life itself. If you’d like more information on this topic or how to bring me in as a speaker for your next event, please  contact me.

In the meantime, I encourage you to subscribe to my Tribe/Newsletter on my homepage. Post your comment below, Share my blogs with your friends on social media, and visit my website often for daily inspiration.


 

Egypt McKee

Speaker | Author | TV Host | Life Coach

©2014-2015 Copyright, Egypt McKee. All Rights Reserved.

Life Book_READ IT

 

Condom Nation.

Speaker. Mentor. Podcaster

If you close your eyes long enough and concentrate on your surroundings, you’ll faintly hear the murmurings of intimate chatter, ruffled papers, and emotional appeals. Warnings of sensory overload overwhelm your mind and the satisfaction of balance is no longer familiar. Profound questions pound against the wall of your character while simultaneous conflicts arise in your mind in secret chambers of privacy and discretion.

Do great gifts come in small packages? Can something so small carry such a burden to shield, protect, yet promise bliss? In an instant, everything around you has stopped long enough to recognize the state of being versus the state of doing. The facial expressions of your closest friends melt away in the face of truth, and the pain of loneliness, depression and insignificance is recognized from across the room.

The magnifying glass of life leaves no burden unaccounted, yet the strength to apply it to self is infinitely more difficult than analyzing other peoples indiscretions. Is it the clothes or lack thereof that is the problem? Never before have you experienced a desire to know the cause beyond the effects. Promotion of failed relationships, hook-ups, and fitting-in has left you scrambling around for cover, yet the promise of bliss is yet to be fulfilled.

The struggles of life have once again confronted you on the grand stage of character and integrity. Until now, neither mattered in a world where purity and hope were senseless commodities; severely lacking popular appeal. The promise to deliver protection and bliss is merely the question that demands a verdict, yet many will not consider the obvious.

Guarantees that “one size fits all” work overtime to ensure delusions of grandeur to be the greatest goal of life. The will to stand up for truth is quickly swallowed up in the first person to show you attention. A beautiful smile, curves that defy logic or muscles that need your attention are merely intoxicating eye-candy that leaves you dazed in emotional euphoria.

Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  (NKJV)

The pressure to perform has skyrocketed to an all-time high and the opinions of others motivate your behavior to appease. Who’s appeasing whom at this point? Whispers from childhood memory, remind you that you reap what you sow, yet payment would eventually come due. What’s the big deal? Live a little is what you’ve always thought, or at least that’s what you heard others say. Unfortunately, the profound depth of “living a little” won’t be realized until its far too late.

Hopeless TeenEventually, an investment must be made, commitments must be given, and actions must be taken. The promise to protect is once again put to the test in the court of truth and popular opinion. Everyone faces the same judge and enters through the same doors of the court. The smell of fresh cut wood line the floors, walls and rafters, yet there is something distinct about the rough splinter-like appearance of this majestic hall. The courtroom is clearly marked and the contrasts of those who are seated in popular opinion far outnumber those sitting on the side of truth and integrity.

Another decision is brought out for all to see. To be or not to be might be “a question”, but rest assured it is not “the question.” The evidence has been presented and witnesses have testified, and there is one thing left before the judge renders a decision—your testimony. Instantaneously, you feel the adrenaline of fear and anxiety cripple your bones, yet giving your opinion will be required without the aid of your paparazzi.

At this point, it is obvious on the battlefield of truth, that your opinions, convictions, and character have been intertwined in the hands of those who know less about you than yourself. Decisions made repeatedly in the past, have now been challenged on the basis of authority and obedience? The desire to reach into your pocket and trust a small silicone package is now more pathetic than the embarrassment of having been called out to make your own decisions. Years of hiding behind the silhouette of false promises and expectations smeared in the lubricant of deception and delusion is no more fulfilling than ransoming your most prized possession—your virginity!

Until next time, Be encouraged.

 


I speak to hundreds of thousands of young adults, men, women, and couples annually on leadership, decision making, and relationships.  Sometimes life has a way of being the antidote to life itself. If you’d like more information on this topic or how to bring me in as a speaker for your next event, please  contact me.

In the meantime, I encourage you to subscribe to my Tribe/Newsletter on my homepage. Post your comment below, Share my blogs with your friends on social media, and visit my website often for daily inspiration.


 

Egypt McKee

Speaker | Author | TV Host | Life Coach

©2009-2014 Copyright, Egypt McKee. All Rights Reserved.

Life Book_READ IT

 

Young World: You Did What?!?

Do you remember leaving your bedroom a cataclismic disaster, yet convincing everyone that it was acceptable? How about dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes all over the house, food in the sofa, lights on all night?

It’s interesting the expectations for hygiene you’ll expect others to conform to when your standards for the same bear judgement.

Being an example is best practiced when others around refuse to acknowledge your standards for excellence. Every choice you make in life determines the kind of person you are going to be. Choose wisely.

I’m honored to be invited back as Guest Speaker in the Young Adults & College Ministry. Join us if you’re in the area.

Date: July 22, 2014
Time: 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Event: Friends Church of Yorba Linda
Topic: Sex, Dating, and Relationships
Venue: Friends Church of Yorba Linda
(714) 777-2875
Location: 5211 Lakeview Ave
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
United States of America
Public: Public