by Tannika Nikeya

Happy New Year: My Own 12 Favorite Posts

Happy New Year!!!! I pray that this year is one that you continue to grow, heal, learn to trust God, have God’s peace that surpasses all understanding, and that you have joy for the joy of the Lord is your strength. And that you are healthy, laugh a lot, and live life as well as live meaningfully.

Alrighty then, in celebration of a new year and with much reflection brought upon this time, here are my 12 favorite posts I have written since the start of my WordPress and public writing/author journey.

No specific order here:

1. Walking In Your Own Shoes

I wrote this post in relative to the release of my second book. I explored what it meant to walk in your own shoes. What it meant and what it meant for me. I remembered setting my heels out for a photoshoot for the book cover. The process for this book was fun and a great time of reflection.

2. Go To War

I love this post also. I love when God download or shall I say uploads a word to my spirit for myself as well others. It more so feels like a word for me that I get so excited about and sometimes nervous about sharing with others. Sometimes, if you are like me, confrontation and fighting scares you but there is a spiritual warfare that we as Christians cannot ignore. And God wants to teach us how to fight and how to strengthen our faith while doing so.

3. The devil’s loss

This is my favorite poem. I wrote this for a church service/event. Much prayer and seeking God led me to the book of Job and reflecting upon my own experience. Subsequently, this poem was birthed. Thank You, Jesus!

4. Seized By The Storm

I wrote this post after watching an episode or entire series of Raising Dion with the youngin’. We enjoyed this series. And as usual when I watch some things I found a lesson or two that spoke to my heart. I feel like God uploaded another one to my spirit.

5. The Enemy’s Trick (Lesson’s From The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is my favorite tv show. And I wrote this post after watching one of the episodes (I forgot the season, it may have been 9). Anyways, once again the lightbulb went on and I got another word.

6. Tannika’s Writing Vault: Sunday School Blues

I started a new series last year I believe or the year before: Tannika’s Writing Vault. This post featured a skit I wrote for church that never made it to production or event. Yet, I had so much fun writing it and preparing for it.

7. Guard Your Heart Like An Athlete Guarding A Football

This is another favorite as I visited what it looked like for me as a Christian and subsequently someone else to guard their hearts. As a believer and follower of Christ Jesus, I am to guard my heart and do so intentionally, even when my flesh says otherwise.

8. Let Go and Let God

This is one of my all time favorite posts. I wrote it for another blog titled EmpowerMoments. My time with EmpowerMoments brought a lot out of me as a writer and editor, and I am forever grateful. This post, whew, I knew it had to be another upload to my spirit from God partly because of the transparency and the grace to write it and upload it. And I love how He used a scene from a movie I enjoy watching to express a message to me that was needed.

9. Introducing My New Book

This post is simply that, introducing my latest book, titled Bring It To The Surface: Poetry & Journal. I love my growth as a self published author. And this book, I believe showcases my growth as an author, poet, and writer. I also was so excited to bring forth something a little different than what I had done previously with my poetry books. A Journal for self reflection. A guide to self reflect and begin a journey of healing. One that allows God to bring some things or all of them to the surface but one day/step at a time.

10. Was I Really Free?

I wrote this post because the I Am Free promo photoshoot for my first book or post for it resurfaced and it got me to reflecting on my life and struggles with anxiety and fear at the time. I felt like I either was lying or had fallen backwards since I wasn’t feeling free. So hence, the post “Was I Really Free?” came about.

11. My DIY Project

I desired to change my bathroom for awhile and finally did so. I documented the journey and thought it would be different and fun to post. I had fun painting the bathroom walls, not so much the ceiling. And I enjoyed redecorating the bathroom.

12. Favorite Christmas Movies

I don’t really like being on camera. I am a behind the scenes, shy one. However, I thought I would step out of my comfort zone as I thought of fun videos to do for Christmas, especially since I was in the Christmas spirit. This is what came to mind. I had fun doing the video and definitely watched my most favorite one the next evening.

So there you go! I love many more posts and I also enjoy my writing tips series and the interviews I did showcasing awesome writers/authors and much more; nevertheless, these are my favorite 12 posts for now.

Sincerely,

Tannika Nikeya

07.10.21

by Tannika Nikeya

Poetry Dance

05.07.20

by Tannika Nikeya

Black Wonder

Appeared on the scene like thunder

She stands bold

Gets the story simply, directly told

Black Wonder

Doesn’t follow anyone’s tail

She not only gets the men’s respect

But the ladies’ look up to her as well

How she does it I never know

To see a Black woman’s trailblazing

power and love, it amazes me so

Black Wonder

Full of knowledge and understanding

Will share

The wisdom she gains and definitely

wears

Black Wonder Passes it down

The soul of a Queen honoring her

crown

Blesses her daughter with gifts of

virtue, dignity and a figure

Teaches her son to pray and not pull

triggers, and to not refer to his friends’

as niggers

Black Wonder fills our midst

Mighty like the Black fist

Always present in church on Sundays

And faithful to the Lord

Battling in prayer like a knight with his

shining sword

Black Wonder raised us with creativity,

sacrifice and strength

Takes no stuff off anyone and is no

one’s fool

At any age, amidst trials and

tribulations, Black Wonder still keeps it

real, phenomenal and cool

She’s an example of God’s taste

And a woman of grace

Dedicated to all the Black Wonders in my life who are great role models and examples of perseverance and courage, especially my mom who helped me to become the woman I am today.

01.03.18

by Tannika Nikeya

When A Still Life Moves

I was an Art & Design major in college before I changed to English. It was during this time I learned about still life. I remember eying a bowl of fruit neatly propped up on its stand trying to capture its essence, simplicity, beauty, and shadows.

A Still Life is a work of art, particularly a painting or drawing, displaying objects such as flowers, fruit, a vase, a skull, etc. These tangible objects are still and lifeless but express liveliness and simplicity in its form of art.

Thinking of ideas for poems, my experience with this work of art would later lead me to the following title, When A Still Life Moves. What happens when a still life moves and what or who gives it the life it needs to no longer be still?

Jesus is our life giver. If the same power that raised Him from death lies within every believer, then we too have been raised and positioned with Him. We are no longer the still lives. We have been enabled to move and fulfill our destinies as one and as individuals.

Read When A Still Life Moves from my first book, Setting The Captive Free.

When a Still Life moves,

God’s work of art no longer stands still

It is revived and alive to the touch

Its spirit, you can feel.

It is lifted and free

Motivated and able to breathe

It is patient and knows when to yield

For it has learned to be still.

When a Still Life moves,

It enters a new season

It has discovered its purpose

And embraced the Creator’s reason.

It changes the nature of the picture

Its colors become richer.

When a Still Life moves,

It gives a new meaning to the space it occupies

It is not limited or bound to one site.

It follows its heart and allows its imaginations to take flight

A Still Life begins to move with time

And can no longer be simply defined.

It moves past the fears and the doubts

It perseveres and knows what it is about

The light doesn’t just shine upon it but through it

And it attracts Life to it.

When a Still Life moves,

Its laughter is like a bouquet of joy

Its smile is like a child who is fixed upon a new toy

It lives each day renewed

When a Still Life moves

True existence and living we choose.

Tannika Moore

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To purchase Setting The Captive Free poetry book visit: https://stcfpoetrybook.com/setting-the-captive-free-poetry-book/

05.07.16

by Tannika Nikeya

Mother’s Day: A Daughter’s Prayer

A Daughter’s Prayer

By Tannika Moore

Lord, I pray for my mother

By first thanking You for her

I acknowledge that You created her for a reason

And it wasn’t just to be my mom

So, I pray

Lord that she seeks

Out her gifts and purpose from You

For You are her creator

Lord, I pray that she realizes

That she is fearfully and wonderfully made

And that she was set apart for Your use and Your use alone

I pray Lord

That You will grant her the grace

To reject all negative and deceptive comments, beliefs, and thoughts Satan tries to inject in her mind

I pray Lord that You will bind up

Every critical spirit that tries to pollute her mind and her emotions

Lord, I pray that she will be filled with joy and peace

Peace that surpasses all understanding

I come against fear that she may have for You did not give her the spirit of fear

But that of power, love and a sound mind

I pray, Lord, that she will see herself the way You see her

And that she surrenders every area of her life to You

I pray, Lord, that she believes without a doubt

And she prays without ceasing

Give her strength, Lord, to move forward and be what You have

called her to be and do what You have called her to do

Grant her Godly wisdom, knowledge and understanding of Your Word

Help her exude holiness and virtue continually so that her girls

may imitate these attributes that You possess

Help her to trust You and depend upon Your strength

for only with You there is stability and security

Give her direction for her children

Help her to be anxious about nothing even when it comes

to her children, but to pray about everything

Lord, help her to forgive and

Love even when it becomes difficult

Build her up and encourage her

And let her learn to encourage herself when others won’t

Let her not lose sight of the visions and dreams You have placed in her heart

Let her have time to devote to You

And let her experience Your presence in her devotion time

Help her to take time also for herself as well as to reflect and laugh

Let her identity be wrapped up in You Lord

Let her know that her prayers are not in vain

Her praise has not gone unnoticed and her tears have not gone unseen.

Now Lord, I pray that Your angels encamp round about her;

protect her, guard her heart and her mind

Lord, I pray that she develops the fear of the Lord

within her heart and the joy of the Lord always

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

And thank You for my mother’s love

because of a mother’s unconditional love

I know how you feel about me

—From Setting The Captive Free poetry book

Happy Mother’s Day to every woman who has birthed a child in love and hope and who has nurtured a child through love and the Word of God!

For more information on author, Tannika Moore, and her books visit www.stcfpoetrybook.com

02.19.16

by Tannika Nikeya

Changes And Challenges

Changes and Challenges will come as quick and unexpectedly

as a Chicago winter,

Embracing you like a warm touch

or piercing you like a splinter

Fear lurks

when patience and faith are absent,

And embracing life outside your comfort zone

can be taxing

Think for a second about the plans you made

some plans we create will be interrupted or halted

only to be changed or necessarily rearranged in proper fit

because change is always approaching and sometimes coming quick

You can’t control what happens to your life,

You will learn through time

that you have most control over what you do,

and how you react to

than some of the challenges that come for you

So to whom it may concern,

Hold onto your grace,

Life isn’t always comfortable

and things don’t always go your way,

Sometimes we settle for the ordinary

because the unknown can be scary

Sometimes we let fear take control

because it is comfortable and that’s all we know

Yet embracing change allows us to grow

And trusting in God through the challenges and the process

Reminds us that God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow, and He knows best

He has the strength and authority to get you through any discomfort and any mess

Change allows us to stretch, elevate and spread our wings,

to venture toward new territories and experience new things

to leave comfort zones, same actions, same results and same old ways behind

Growth comes from challenges,

but transformation must start with the renewing of your mind

–Written by Tannika Moore & from Setting The Captive Free poetry book

As always, I love to give and here are some Tools for your Journey!

I don’t have any tools to share, but I did come across this prayer on Pinterest and thought I should share it! Take time to pray this and talk to God about your fears concerning change and the unknown. Ask Him for help to embrace new seasons, trials and all, and to trust Him through it all.

Put your shoes on honey, our journeys await,

Tannika

Question: Do you fear change? What changes and challenges are you experiencing this season?

_____________________________________________

To purchase my books, Wearing Someone Else’s Shoes Ain’t Never Been Me or Setting The Captive Free, click here. Kindle versions also available!

Trust God and Set The Captive Free!

11.12.15

by Tannika Nikeya

Party Hats, Cake, Tablets, Two Books & More!

Yes, I said it! Grab your party hats and tablets because my best friend and I are having a virtual book launch party! We will bring the books, some virtual cake, and our new books!

We will be hosting our virtual book launch via Facebook on December 5, 2015! (Click on the link below for more details.)

Tannika Moore & Saneatra Polk Book Launch

Saneatra Polk writes,

“I am happy to announce that on December 5th, I will be joining poet, Tannika Moore in a virtual book launch via Facebook. She will be releasing her second poetry book Wearing Someone Else’s Shoes Aint Never Been Me and I will be launching my first novel My Momma Loves Me. I’m hoping you all join us in this joyous occasion. The simplicity of this event is you don’t have to buy a special outfit, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll get to the event, and you don’t really have to fit it into your schedule. The event is from 12 pm to 6 pm central time; you can ‘drop by’ at any time or stay logged on for the entire period. This is an opportunity to get to know us as authors, join in on the topic of ‘walking in your own shoes’, and much more.”

There you have it! I look forward to having your presence online!

Trust God and Set The Captive Free!

08.06.14

by Tannika Nikeya

OPTION

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV).

You’d like to quit, wouldn’t you

And succumb to your fears

Throw yourself a pity party and invite your tears

You’d like to give up and make excuses

Why you can’t win

And contribute your failures with where you’ve been

You’d like to tell God, “I’m not quite right

And although you’ve helped me before,

I just don’t have the strength to fight.”

Times are hard and this world is rough

Instead of carrying heavy loads, you trying to lift trucks

You are burdened, you are drained

Frustrated in every way

You’ve reached the point where it’s even hard to pray

I feel you when you say, I’m tired

I face those times when I want to quit too

But God posed this question to me

That I will ask you….

“What if quitting was an option?

An Opportunity Present To Ignore Or Neglect God’s will for your life

So think about it, if quitting was an option right….

Ministers would change careers

After dealing with serious declines of character, teamwork

And faithfulness among their peers

Your assigned angels would have resigned

After having multiple slow workdays

And Jesus might have left the cross and took a loss

Because some people refuse to be saved

But let’s go back further….

If Quitting was an option,

Joseph would have ignored the angel of God and bailed on Mary

He would have left her to raise Jesus alone

Mary would have told God, “I have no strength to carry Jesus. This is just too big of a role for me to take on.”

Job would have cursed God and died

After being afflicted, tested and tried

And although Ruth loved her mother-n-law, Ruth would have left Naomi and missed the chance of new love, happiness and prosperity

Joseph, son of Jacob, would have had no charity or integrity. After being persecuted and oppressed,

He would have forsaken others, especially his family, and would have also been depressed

Noah, like many of us, would have procrastinated, half-obeyed or even failed to complete the ark

He would have let the people or even the size of the assignment discourage him so

And what if Moses never showed up for his meeting with Pharaoh?

And how about Jesus’ disciples?

They would have left Jesus standing

Because the job was too demanding

How about the Canaanite woman? She would have backed down

after Jesus didn’t answer the first time around

and her daughter would not receive healing

So if Quitting was an option

and God quit as well

Prisons wouldn’t be the only overcrowding place,

It would be Hell

But God is a god that cannot fail, nor lie

His righteousness is forever, His grace is sufficient

His mercies are daily

His word is bond and if He woke you up today,

God has not given up on you

You’ve already been reconciled

Already granted the opportunity to be saved

And set free, your price paid

How could we think of quitting,

When God is the God of victory

He is the author and the finisher of our faith

How could we quit

When God is working on our characters and our hearts

And always finishes what He starts

And how could you say you’re done?

Quitting on the Lord

Is like walking off the battleground

After your Team wins

Looking defeated

Not knowing you already WON!

—from Setting The Captive Free by Tannika Moore

So fellow sisters and brothers in Christ, do not give up; God has not given up on you. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9 NIV). Persevere and trust God with the results of your obedience and your holding fast to your faith. Encourage one another and share God’s love and Word with others who may not know God’s unfailing, sincere love for all of mankind. Jesus persevered all the way to the Cross so that everyone would have the opportunity to be saved eternally and reconciled back to the one true God. Trust God and set the captive free!

Are you getting weary? Do you feel like throwing in the towel? What does God tell us about pressing in? What things do you do to get over feelings of despair, hopelessness and defeat?

06.24.14

by Tannika Nikeya

I Am FREE Photo shoot Book Promo

I to send a special thanks to my sisters-in-Christ Barbara and Dawnielle for being my models and for sharing their testimonies!!!! They were open and honest enough to share with the world what God has delivered them from. Dawnielle says, “I am FREE from lust, insecurities, fear, bitterness and unforgiveness…” Barbara says, “I am FREE from anger, depression, lust, financial debt and anxiety…” I, myself, am FREE from anxiety, depression, generational curses and people-pleasing…”

The I Am FREE Photo Shoot, which took place at my neighborhood park, was amazing! After having fun displaying our freedom, we had a glorious time praising God and praying for each other and the surrounding community right there in the park!!!

Before you check out the photos of the shoot below, think about what God has delivered you from. Or what are you expecting God to free you from? Feel free to share your testimonies of deliverance or your desired deliverance below in the comment box. If you would like prayer or to discuss your testimony or desired deliverance privately, please email me at stcfpoetrybook@yahoo.com, and everything you share will be confidential.

To God be the glory!!! I love You Father!!!

Trust God and Set the Captive Free,

Tannika

05.29.14

by Tannika Nikeya

Welcome!

Greetings Everyone,

I am so excited about the place God has me in right now! I admit at times I am nervous and taking deep breaths because the tasks before me are too great for me to do it alone. So when God says you can do nothing without Him, He is so right! Thank God for His amazing grace that enables me to do what He calls me to do and be who He calls me to be. Thank God for His grace to do even the seemingly simplest things like breathing, writing, walking, praying or calling on His name because some of the simplest tasks may be hard for some people.

I can do all things through Christ^[a] who strengthens me (Phil 4:13 NKJV).

Yet, that crafty, evil one sometimes tries to make me doubt that I can or I will. That ratchet devil is a liar though and “I ain’t goin'”, but to the Lord in prayer and to every step of the pruning process no matter how daunting it looks to my flesh. I hope you too continually allow God to use you and also allow Him to stretch you. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. The secret is that He actually will do the work; you just have to be a willing vessel and surrender every area of your life to Him. He will bring resources, opportunities, strategies and ideas your way; you just have to trust Him, submit and obey!

Now, let me formally welcome you to STCF Poetry Book and Moore as well as my blog. This site introduces my first book titled Setting The Captive Free. It is a book of poems that I have been writing and rewriting since high school up until last year. Named for the leading poem, my book is one of energy, honesty and sincerity, enlightenment and exhortation, liberty, prayer and God’s Word. It details journeys of love, tribulations and relationships. So exhale with me, dance with me, praise God with me, and embrace your self-worth and heritage with me. Let’s assess some things in our lives. Let us express what God has put in our hearts through every talent and gift He has given us. Let’s walk out on faith by trusting God and allow Him to set the captives within us free.

I thank you for embarking on this journey with me. I also thank you for your support and for embracing my first published book. I look forward to seeing the fruit from God using me to impact your life in some kind of way and also myself being continually processed and set free!

Love,

Tannika Moore