Alecia Baptiste

Writer, Speaker, Mentor

Encountering Jesus… in Walmart?

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christmas bells

Last night my daughters and I were doing some last minute shopping and had to drop by Walmart to pick up a gift that my parent’s sent us.   I hardly ever go to Walmart, but this time I’m glad I did!

We were checking out at the service desk, and I began to chat with the cashier.  I asked her how her christmas season was going.  She replied, “TERRIBLE!”  She talked about how mean customers have been to her.  She talked about people yelling at her and her having to work really long hours. She also confessed that she hadn’t done any of her own Christmas shopping.  She’s so tired, that all she wants to do is sleep when she’s not working.
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Lessons I’ve Learned from my Students Part 2

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Continuing with my previous post, I’d like to continue sharing lessons that I’ve learned from my students.

Focusing on the negative sucks the joy out of life

Let me just say that this is a BIG lesson for me.  I’ve been a pretty negative person most of my life.  I’m always finding the mistakes.  I have a hard time seeing the good I’ve actually accomplished, because of what I haven’t accomplished.  I believe this comes from this unrealistic expectation of perfection.  As a result, I’ve found myself being hyper critical of myself and others, and at times–joyless.  I’ve seen the negative affects that it has on the people around me.  My negativity tears down the very people that I want to build up.  Instead of speaking life into my husband and children, my negativity sucks the life out of them, leaving them deflated.  This should not be!Continue Reading

A Day in Prison

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I recently went to prison.

Did that get your attention?

I was among a team of people who spent a Saturday in the prisons in order to serve the inmates. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I wanted to be an instrument of God’s love and grace to the women there. I knew the prison would be filled with broken, battered, messy women who are in desperate need of God’s love. (Btw, we all are. Some of us just hide it better than others.) And I was right. The facility that we visited housed female substance abuse offenders.

These offenders are beautiful women created in the image of God.
Women created for a wonderful purpose.
Gifted women who have beautiful gifts to share with this world.Continue Reading

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