text:
Don't You Know That I'm Singing...
Yesterday was one of those days.
One of those days where I woke up with tears all over my face from having nightmares. One of those days where everything hurts. One of those days that I argue with a sibling. One of those days that I wondered what on earth I, a teenager, was doing in the legal profession. One of those days I felt like I was annoying, inadequate, and a train wreck.
I like to think I'm the girl that has her troubles, but oh! They don't faze her for a moment. Things could be so much worse, she's so blessed, and she's strong in the Lord!
But I'm not always that kinda girl.
Sometimes I'm that girl that has troubles, and struggles with them. I'm the girl who randomly has nightmares of mistakes she made and didn't make, flashbacks of experiences she's been through and thought she'd moved past. I'm the girl who grows weary in doing good, struggles in her relationships with family and friends, and falls again and again. And I'm the girl that pulls herself down because things could be so much worse, and she's so blessed, but guess what? She's still struggling, still not as grateful and thankful as she should be.
But God reminded me of something else yesterday, while I was in the car, by myself, with tears running down her face.
I'm the girl that God will hold up someday and say, "this is a testament to what I can do, to My power, My mercy, and My grace." I'm the girl that has been born again, and is a child of the King. I'm the girl that the Lord has sworn to never leave, or forsake. I'm the girl that God loves. I'm the girl that, when weak, God can be strong through. I'm the girl that can't do it on her own, but can do it through God, who strengthens her. I'm the girl who was broken, but will be healed; was lost, but was found; was blind, but can now see. And I'm the girl that already has the ultimate victory, and who will conquer.
And I hope, ultimately, that's who you are too.
Now let's hear from you!
What have you been struggling with, and what are some verses that help you when you're dealing with those struggles?
Tags: 2020, Bible, Challenge, Fears, Life Lessons, Prayer, Salvation, Trials, Vision
Hey Everyone!
There's no denying it - society as we know it is on a heavy downward trend. Humanity is taking into its own hands authority that belongs to God and Him alone.
We've assumed the authority to create who we are. We think we can decide whether we want to identify as man or woman, or even something else, even though God has clearly shown in His word that He created male and female (Genesis 5:2). Not transgender, not gay. Not interchangeable. God made us how He wanted us to be and we can't change that no matter how much we want to.
We've also assumed the authority to redefine marriage. We no longer treat it as a sacred covenant between man and woman and before God, but a relationship between any two individuals, not treated as sacred in the least, and terminable at any time for any reason. But God created marriage to be between man and woman (Genesis 2:24), and who are we to break asunder what God has brought together? (Mark 10:7-9)
And of all things, we have the audacity to take the matter of life into our hands - who is to live and who is to not. Not only do millions of babies die from abortions, but in New York they have made it legal to kill your baby after birth if the mother had a failed abortion. What manner of madness is this??? Not only is the blood of the innocent upon our heads, but the blood of babies. We are becoming a nation of murderers.
And as for us Christians in this hectic world? Many of us are barely living in the horror and insanity of it all. We can barely cope. Some of us don't... Some of us are simply allowing the mindset to seep into our own brains, like a potent poison. It's terrifying. Many of us are asleep in our faith.
What we need is revival. We need the Lord to turn the hearts of His people back to Him in these troubled times. We need to get our act together and fight this evil. If the LORD is for us, who can be against us? What are we waiting for? We have remained quiet for too long. We need a stirring of the Spirit in our hearts again, and we need to get back on our knees and back into the word of God if we are ever to make it through this sinful world without falling for the evil one.
Friends, please pray that the church of God would be turned once again to Him!
Send Us Revival
Chorus: Lord send us revival, old fashioned revival
Give us more to live for than simply survival
Reignite your spirit within our souls
Give us ears to hear and make us whole
Lord send us revival
Verse 1: We are living in a time full of evilness
A time full of sinfulness
Us Christians often live in hypocrisy
Lord wake us up from our apathy
Turn our hearts to you again
Remind us how to say amen
Lord move your Spirit within us
Verse 2: Lord I've seen how your hand can move in hearts of men
Like the time when you fed the thousands
And I know that you're all powerful and mighty to save
Even the most depraved
Lord, turn us from our paths of sin
Make us pure and whole again
Bridge: We're dead on our own
We are lost without You
Work a miracle within us
And our faith renew
Tags: 2019, Bible, Challenge, Critical, Identity Focus, Life, Life Lessons, Salvation, Songs, Southern Gospel, Storms, Trials, Vision, Revival
I pulled on my seatbelt and slowly began rolling out of the driveway. I was sad I was going to church by myself, but I understood, being that most everyone else wasn't feeling well that morning. The radio was playing some contemporary Christian music. "I don't really want to listen to this…" I thought. I unbuckled my seatbelt while still driving to reach into my pocket and grab my cellphone. I was about to turn onto the road and buckle up while I was still driving, but then I decided better safe than sorry and stopped at the edge of our driveway to strap in. As if anything would happen anyways I thought to myself.
I glanced at the clock as I pulled onto the road. 10:55. I'll be late. Bother. I stepped on the gas a little. As the turn down the hill became tighter, I stepped on the brakes. And then I started fishtailing.
The car swerved wildly to the right, so I instinctively jerked the wheel left. The car then jerked in the other direction. My mind was racing. Should I be hitting the gas??? No, I remember I shouldn't… Uh… Do I hit the brakes when I'm swerving or let off??? I DON'T REMEMBER!!!
I began jerking the wheel back to the right to avoid the steep ditch on the left, but the car wasn't turning. And then I suddenly came to the terrifying realization: I'm going to go off that ditch. There's no way I'm gonna get this thing turned in time.
The out-of-control vehicle hit the gravel on the left side of the road and ran madly into the ditch, but I didn't actually start screaming until the thing actually began rolling over. I finally came to a stop – I had landed upright on the neighbor's t-post fence facing up the hill I had been driving down.
I grew hysterical. "Daddy!" I screamed. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!!!" I couldn't find my phone and I wasn't sure if I would be able to get out of the car. And my left hand was becoming a red balloon.
For some reason I thought that when people grew hysterical, their brains stopped processing or whatever. But mine was racing. I didn't want to open the doors because I wasn't sure if it would break something more than it already was. I wasn't worried about the car – I knew I had wrecked it. I just didn't want to make my situation more dangerous. I knew that if I didn't find my phone I'd have to wait for someone to drive by, which I knew could be an 1-2 hour wait being that we lived on a little country road and that people were at church.
I continued screaming and started crying as I continued looking for my phone. Somewhere between 5-10 minutes I finally found it and immediately called Dad.
Within 2 minutes he and my sister came down in his truck with my two older brother's following in Daniel's truck. They pulled me out and got me home quickly where I sat on Mom's bed with ice.
To make an already long story somewhat shorter, I'm still at home and only appear to have minor injuries. They were able to get the neighbor's yard all cleaned up and put back together. Apparently you can barely tell anything happened. I haven't been there yet – this was yesterday morning and I'm still taking it easy.
I totaled the car though. They brought it back up to our place, and when I saw it, my stomach churned.
I realized just how happy I was to be alive.
And I began to wonder, was I ready to die? Yes, Jesus is my Savior, and I know where I'm going when I die, but am I spending the little bit of time I have down here to the fullest? Because we never know how long we have left. I've been thanking God so much – He was so good to spare my life. The new year may have come, and my siblings might not have had their big/little sister anymore. My parent's might not have had their daughter anymore.
So many things could have gone wrong. I had taken my seatbelt off. If I had waited any longer to put it back on… I don't like to think of what could have happened. And I rolled that thing over. I'm so glad it landed upright. And if I had swerved left first instead of right, I would've rolled down a hill covered with trees and with a pond at the bottom instead of in a ditch. (When you lie awake unable to sleep at night, you have plenty of time to think of all of the things that could've gone wrong!)
I emerged alive and so far with only minor injuries, and I've still been able to be up and about. God was so good, and I'm so thankful for the prayers of all of my friends who I scared so badly when I told them. Friends, as you go into the New Year - 2019 - don't take life for granted. Take every moment captive. You never know what day may be your last. And also don't take prayer for granted. I am so amazed every time I see that car that I actually walked out of it by myself.
And hey, I'm leaving the year with a bang! That's to be sure. Gotta leave my mark on 2018 before I leave it behind. ;)
Tags: 2018, 2019, Bible, Challenge, Fast + Sloppy Post, Fears, Holiday, Life, Life Lessons, ME!, Prayer, Salvation, Storms, Surprise, Trials, Vision
I once (actually fairly recently) had someone tell me, "I don't believe in hope." Those are some of the saddest words I've ever heard. My response was, "I believe in hope, but I believe there's only one source."
I think that a lot of us who are saved take hope for granted. We were given hope, and we live with it every day, hear about it every day, see it before our eyes every day. We get used to hope.
But if we take hope for granted, do we truly have it? When we take it for granted, we begin to look around and see the devastated world we live in. A world full of hurt, sin, messiness. We begin to wonder what the use of living is. We get caught up in our own struggles, misery and mistakes. We begin to define ourselves by what has happened in the past. We begin to lose sight of hope when we look at what the future seems to hold.
I had a rough year. One of those things that every conservative Christian girl things would never happen to them happened to me. I tried to take control on my own, trying to make the mess I was creating magically fall into place. I made mistakes. Things spun out of control and I was left with the tattered pieces. I hurt people badly, and I felt heartbroken and scarred. The thing I had longed for and worked for more than probably anything else this year fell like a delicate glass frame on a rude, concrete floor and shattered into pieces. And those pieces cut me. I cried a lot, and spent a week in despair, barely eating.
But then I remembered I had hope. Hope for healing. Hope that my mistakes did not define me. Hope that healing could be rendered to those I had hurt. Hope that the meaning in my life that I had forgotten could be restored.
Christians, have you ever stopped at all to think about how those without Jesus feel? How they truly don't have hope? Think about it. What do they have to live for? How meaningless do you think life is for them? Don't take hope for granted. Cherish it with everything you have in you. It's one of the most precious gifts God gave you.
And to my dear friend who doesn't believe in hope (though I don't figure you're reading this), and to any other unbelievers who may stumble across this post, like I said earlier, hope comes from only one source. But there is an abundance of it, and if you truly seek it, you will easily find it. Hope came in the form of God humbling himself to come in the form of a baby, born amongst animals and laid in a manger, and was made abundant and free to all who believe when that baby died on a cross for the sins of man.
Yes, my friend, I understand: this world is a disaster right now. Sin runs rampant. Hurt abounds. But we have hope because, where sin did abound, grace did much more abound. We have hope because God, if we humble ourselves as he humbled himself, and submit to his will, will free us from the chains of our sin. If we only give our hearts to Him (which, being that He is our Creator, belong to Him anyways) we can have hope that although we turmoil in sin down here, and live a life of struggling against evil and hurt and pain, one day it will all be over, and we'll live in peace forever on that beautiful shore.
Merry Christmas to you all, and a happy New Year, and may we all enter this new era of our lives with renewed hope and invigorated faith.
This is a song I wrote shortly after having the aforementioned conversation and several similar ones with my unsaved friend. In the devastating times we live in now, it's important to remember that even in there's mess, we have hope, God still loves us, and through His strength our faith can remain strong.
There is Love
Verse 1: You say you don't believe in goodness, you say you don't believe in love.
You've lost your sense of purpose and your faith in God above
You don't trust anybody, and you're hurting from your past
And you invest your life in things you know aren't really gonna last
Chorus: But I tell you there's a God that really cares
And He has a purpose for each single life
I tell you there is goodness everywhere
Despite the sin and strife
And I tell you there is hope for where you are
And with faith that you can step on every star
And emanating from God's throne above
I tell you there's love
Verse 2: I know you feel you've been forsaken and that your life has always seemed so wrong,
But God has authored all your circumstances and He's been with you all along
He's waiting for you now with arms of love and care
He wants to help you on this journey and all your burdens share
Tags: 2018, 2019, Beauty, Bible, Break, Christmas, Critical, Hello, Holiday, Identity Focus, Life, Life Lessons, Poetry, Prayer, Salvation, Songs, Southern Gospel, Storms, Trials, Vision
Hey everyone! Today I want to share with you and interview I did with Chloe Hale upon the release of her book Why I'm Waiting! Without further ado, here's the interview!
Hey Chloe! Thanks for joining me today! I'd like to start with some random questions so that our readers can learn a little more about you.
1. Favorite icecream flavor?
I really don't have a top favorite, I don't suppose! But I prefer the flavors that are not just plain-like cookies and cream, chocolate chip, strawberry swirl, etc.!
2. Favorite book?
Besides the Bible, the SHIELD series by Beth jane and Dawn of a Thousand Nights by Tricia Goyer!
3. A pet peeve?
People leaving lights one when they leave a room!
4. Favorite verse?
Isaiah 53:5 and Isaiah 55:8-13
5. Country or city?
Most definitely COUNTRY!! I've lived on the same farm my whole life and country life suits me great!
6. Sweatpants and t-shirt or fancy dress?
Well, I'm a t-shirt gal (and jeans!), but I adore a big, fancy dress!! (not for around the farm, of course! lol) So guess I pick both!
7. Sweet or savory?
8. Favorite color?
Hmm... A few of my tops are certain shades of pink, and I like teal, brown and certain blue shades!
9. What's a favorite memory?
I have lots of nice memories, but one that I like is when I got some wood up my foot when I was really young, (we got the wood out) and when it was supper time, my older brother carried me on his back to the table! (my brother's pretty amazing)
10. Alright, onto the author-related questions. When did you first want to start writing? How long after that did you start?
Well....My older sister is a writer and I suppose I was just doing what she was doing at the time; I had tried to write before, but the books never amounted to anything. But I started this one book called Home Is Where The Heart Is (western fiction), and I musta been around 15, because I finished it the night before my 16th birthday. It started from there! I've written around 10 books now-and only this one if non-fiction!
11. Is "Why I'm Waiting" the first book you wrote?
No, it's my latest one!
12. When and how did you decide to write "Why I'm Waiting"?
Well, purity and waiting is one of my greatest passions, and I'm saddened when people are down because they don't have a person in their live yet. I wanted to write this book just to let everyone know Why I'm Waiting! And I want this to encourage them to know that God sees them as worth having the one He has for them, and I believe this book is God-inspired. He showed me things regarding purity during the research of this book thatI didn't know before!
13. Do you have a favorite chapter? If so, which is it? Why is it your favorite?
I'm not sure I have a favorite, but I believe chapter 2 titled Being Content is something that all single people need to hear!
14. What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
I really didn't want to sound judgmental to people who do date, or do things before they're married. Sometimes I come off sounding like I'm judging people and I didn't want my readers to think I was doing that!
15. How long did it take you to write it?
I believe it took 4 days! It was easier because I was writing non-fiction, just sharing a subject with people! I didn't have to plan things to happen, etc. like you do with fiction!
16. Which of your books was your favorite to write? Which one was easier to write?
Oh, my! I don't really know which was my favorite to write...this was the easiest!
17. What was one of your biggest inspirations for writing this book?
God was, and I reckon the desire that Jesus has given me for purity was an inspiration. No one knew I was writing this book (except my sister who knew what I was doing without me even telling her!)
18. If your readers could only remember one thing from reading your book, what would you want it to be?
That it will be so worth the wait when God brings the one he has for us into our lives! And to be content during that season of waiting, etc.! Jesus died for our purity, let's not deny it!! And even if we have made mistakes, Jesus restores and gives back what we lost!!
Well, thank you so much for allowing me to do this! Congratulations on your first published non-fiction book!
Thank you so much for doing this! God Bless!!
The links to Chloe's sites are:
Website: givegodtheglory.weebly.com
Blog: heresclo.blogspot.com
If you would like to see another post about Chloe's new book, check this out (done by a dear friend of mine):
Christ's Light: http://christslightmagazine.com/blog.html
Tags: 2018, About, Analyzing Literature, Beauty, Bible, Blog Tour, Book Release, Challenge, Critical, Family Life, Fears, Fun, Guest Post, Hello, Interview, Life, Life Lessons, Prayer, Questions and Answers, Salvation, Suggestions, Surprise, Themes, Trials, Vision
What am I?
What am I? Who am I?Hear the desperate, honest cry;Answer the question? Shall I try?To a question of my own reply?Who am I? One in a millionLiving in vanity under the sun(1)Undistinguished, here barely at allAnd none here my name again will recallWhat am I? Tissues, organs,Bones formed in the shape of ManArms and legs, neck and spineBody parts that I call mineWhat am I? An atom massInhales gas, exhales gas(2)A million particles all in oneDecingrates when life is done.What am I? Depraved, disgracedA past of sin I can't eraseMade of dust, returned to dust(3)A vile creature worthy of disgustWho am I? A wretch now calledTo be redeemed from effects of the fallElected to be saved through ChristAccording to His sacrificeWhat am I? A human soul;Washed in blood and now made whole.Nothing good on my own,Full of worth through Christ Alone.What am I? A work not yet doneStill being conformed to the likeness of the SonHaving, through faith, been justified(4)In the process of being sanctified.Who am I? One of fewSaved by grace, made new;Promised glory when I flyTo a land where I'll never die.
(1) Eccl. 1:14(2) Oxygen and carbon dioxide(3) Genesis 3:19(4) Romans 5:1
1) If you have not asked questions in my current Q&A, you can do so HERE!
2) I have exams tomorrow... Prayer is appreciated! My grades have been good so far... We'll see what happens. ;)
3) Yes, I know I posted earlier today. But I wrote this and wanted to show it to all of you. XD
Tags: 2018, Critical, Identity Focus, Life, Life Lessons, Poetry, Prayer, Questions and Answers, Rhyme Scheme, Salvation, Themes, Vision
Today I found out that a lady I know abandoned her faith.
To say the least, I was shocked.
As I listened to several of her family/friends discussing it, an important truth was brought up:
What your parents told you growing up is not enough. What your pastor teaches is not enough. You need to know what you believe and why you believe it or else you won't be strong enough to resist when the devil lies to you. You need to be grounded in the truth or you will be swept off your feet. You need to have a relationship with God and know Him and his attributes or else you will question and doubt Him and loose faith.
Your parents' and pastor's beliefs won't do you any good if you don't understand them. Don't live your life assuming they're right because that's how you grew up. NO. Dig in yourself. Figure out the truth. Don't stop until you've found it... Your life for all eternity depends upon it. Don't be a lukewarm Christian. Be passionate, and live your life fully for Christ or not at all. The Bible says that exceedingly bad things are in store for apostates (Hebrews 10:19-39) and lukewarm Christians (Revelation 3:15-16).
Ask your friends:
Parents, make your children think:
Siblings, challenge eachother:
We don't have forever to get it figured out. Temptation will come and lead us astray if we do not TRULY know what we believe.
So I now ask you:
***Please take the time to share a link to this post through text or email or take the time to ask your friends and family this! Souls are too precious to be left to wander without considering this question!!!***
Tags: 2018, Challenge, Critical, Fears, Life, Life Lessons, Prayer, Salvation, Storms, Trials, Vision
Just thought I'd drop in really fast and say hi! I've been very busy with school, spending time with the littles while Daniel, Abigail, Jake and Dad went on a camping trip, and saying so many goodbyes to friends going out of state, and I am afraid that I'm not quite finished with goodbyes because I have a friend leaving this month and two others leaving in a month or two. I'm glad that most of them will be back this fall and the others will be back next year!
A few random things that I've been learning this year:
-Life is only as complicated as I make it.
-Following God requires faith. Nothing more, nothing less.
-When I feel I am at the end, or things are too stressful, emotional, painful, or hard, God gives more strength. Thank God! I have very little of my own patience and strength.
-A laugh and a smile help everyone and everything.
-Listening is the best thing ever. You can show someone you care by listening, you can help them deal with pain and hurt by listening, and you can become closer friends by listening. And you can learn by listening, and others can help you if you listen. I want to be as much of a listener that I can!!!
-I am superdy duperdy blessed (yes, new words).
-I'm not near as smart as I think I am when I'm feeling proud and not as dumb as I think when I'm feeling down. I'm somewhere in the middle. ;)
-Stressing doesn't help a thing. It only hurts you and the ones you love most or who need you most.
-I need to rely solely on God's strength, mercy, and grace. I'm a failure at best. I see that I am a wretched, horrible, depraved sinner. But I see that Christ can save to the uttermost!
-I never can love or thank God enough. He is too faithful, too good, too kind.
-I'm learning how to lay my cares at the throne of God. It's so hard to sacrifice one's ambitions, hopes, dreams and aspirations for what often seems rather uncertain. But what God has in store for me is so much better than what I could ever dream!
-Reading my Bible helps everything.
-If I give all to God, I don't have anything left to worry about. ;)
-He is the only one I can trust to never let me down, but I can trust Him completely.
-God is really too amazing for me to comprehend. I have done so much to hurt my Saviour, even though He died for me. I do and will continue to. But He forgives me again and again and again and again and again. I am so humbled by His unfailing love.
Okay, this is longer than I thought it would be. My posts are often that way. XD
Now let's hear from you!
What's been going on in your life? What have you been up to? What are some things God has been teaching you?
Tags: 2018, About, Bible, Break, Fast + Sloppy Post, Fears, Fun, Hello, Life, Life Lessons, ME!, Prayer, Salvation, Storms, Suggestions, Thank you, Themes, Trials, Vision
Today has been one of those days.
Those days where I feel horrible... Like an unredeemable shipwreck... Like the sinner I am. When my heart is heavy with guilt and shame.
And you know what? I bet you've had those days too. Days when you can barely live with your own self. Those are long, hard days.
Recently, I've been kind of wondering about those kinds of days. Those days when the weight of my own darkness is on my shoulders. What those mean, and what I should do in those times. I've been learning a few things and I thought I'd share them with you all. I certainly don't have an exhaustive list of what you need to do -- just what I've learned. But I hope it helps all the same.
I've found that these are the times to examine yourself by the scriptures. And I've found that these are times that we have to be deathly honest with ourselves to pursue the truth. And it's important to pray during this process and have a Bible handy (I have one on the desk with me right now!)
Get ready for a bit of intense cross examinations and multiple choice tests!!! ;)
Why do I feel this way? What is the cause, and who's fault is it?
Because it's somebody's fault. Believe me. Thoughts have three sources: God, the Devil, and yourself. And being that God died to take your sins away and bear that burden and grant you release, (as far as I can tell) we're left with two options...
The key here is to ask yourself why you think you're such a bad person. We'll deal with whether you are or not in a minute (by the way, it's not a flattering answer), but for now, we'll deal with why you think what you think.
-Devil's attacks vs. Sin in our lives
This is a tricky question that takes a lot of processing and scripture reading to answer. Now, undoubtedly, either way you're under attack by the devil, whether you're dealing with current sin in your life or he's searching out your insecurities. Right now we're just dealing with what route he's going through.
Ask yourself. Why do you think you are a bad person? Is it because you're thinking of all of the mistakes you've made? Maybe you've received a lot of correction recently from a parent (be honest teens, we're not as grown-up as we like to think, and sometimes we... *gasp* get in some trouble...). Maybe you did something really not-so-great (please excuse my attempts not to use stronger language there) and you can't get over it. Maybe you have some habits that you think are just rather odd or gross. Maybe you feel like you just mess things up all the time and get in the way all the time. Maybe you're frustrated that your lack of confidence gets in the way of being a better friend or a better coworker. Maybe you've made someone mad recently. I could (obviously - just proved it) go on and on and on with the list.
These could very possibly attacks from the devil, but it could also very possibly be... something worse. Perhaps you've got something in your life that you really need to deal with. Something in your heart. Let's cross examine ourselves to see what it could possibly be that is troubling us.
Feelings or Knowledge?
Think for a moment. What's bothering you? Is it just the feeling of guilt and shame? Or is it a knowledge of something in your life that disturbs you? If you just feel like you're a miserable failure and an all around bad person, it could be an attack from the devil on you and your identity in Christ. If you can lay a finger on something a little more tangible (we're not talking about an action/thought difference, we're talking about vague/specific difference), it's time to take things to the next step.
Sin or Strangeness?
Now that you've perhaps identified the thing that's bothering you, hold it in light of the scriptures. Do you feel prone to making really foolish mistakes? Look at the scriptures. Is that a sin? No. (Thank God!) Is feeling dirty, tired, and stressed a sin? Look at the scriptures. No, it isn't. Do you feel like a highly unproductive person? Look at the scriptures. Is a lack of productivity a sin? Yes. God calls us to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-16). The lazy man is repeatedly scorned throughout the book of Proverbs. Diligence is a highlighted virtue in the scriptures. Now, as for being down-to-earth serious with ourselves... Call everything what it is. If you look for "exceedingly tired all the time" in the Bible, you're not going to find it. But is it really just that you're tired all the time? Or is that maybe... laziness??? And that works the other way around too. Don't slide something under the title of sin because you feel horrible. It'll just make things more confusing. Examine things in the light of the Bible. Don't nitpick and misinterpret God's Word to get the results you want, expect, or feel you deserve.
Past or Present?
Okay, so maybe you've narrowed it down to a sin that's bothering you. Think about this sin. Is it something that is currently part of your life? Or is it in the past? And when I say in the past, I don't mean last decade. I mean last year. Last hour. Last minute. Maybe even just a few seconds ago. Think about it. If it's an action, look to see if you've been doing it consistently recently. No? That's past. Have you apologized to those you've possibly hurt? It's past. Was it a heedless accident? It's past. Have you prayed about it? It's past. You need to let go. What we're dealing with is chronic sin. We're always going to be struggling with sin. We're going to do wrong things, repent, ask forgiveness, move on. What we're specifically looking for right now though is those ugly little creatures that continuously and persistently pop their heads into our lives. Wrong thoughts are often chronic sin (not always, but often). Remember to make sure they're wrong thoughts and not attacks from the devil. Thoughts about who you are are often just the devil trying to get you down because who you are is identified by Christ as a believer. But other thoughts that don't follow the guidelines of Phillipians 4:8 are often sin.
Let's look at some things you should not do when you're dealing with the devil attacking you with insecurities in your life or using your sin to discourage you.
-Don't flatter yourself. You aren't a good person. You ARE a very bad person. Telling yourself that you're not as bad as you think is just a way of running away from the problem and trying to cover it up, and if it makes you feel better, it probably just puffed up your ego (P.S. Not a good thing).
-Don't try to 'wait it out'. If you're dealing with something, deal with it! Don't let it sit and soak in you and drain you. From personal experience, if it does 'go away', it'll come up again later in full strength.
Okay, now the things that we should do.
-Pray and read your Bible!
Pretty obvious. If it isn't, that's very possibly your problem.
-Pray and study those scriptures some more!
-Talk to someone about it!
If I'm having a seriously rough time over something, I talk to my Mom or my sister about it. They always have lots to share, and it's easier for them to see what might be going on from the outside looking in.
-Remember who you are in Christ.
If you're struggling with attacks from Satan, remember that God has washed your sins away. He took them to the cross, and they didn't last any longer than that. They're gone. Don't let them trouble you anymore. Lay them down. Jesus' sacrifice was and is sufficient. To doubt that those sins are gone, to feel that you still bear the guilt of them, is to doubt the grace and power of God to take those sins away!
-"Go and sin no more."
God has commanded us to sin no more! We are to be following in His footsteps. Are you struggling with chronic sin? Do you consistently deal with anger? Pride? Lust? Some other sin? Tell someone and ask them to pray for you and help keep you accountable. And then replace those bad thoughts with something pure and holy. Replace those wrong actions with their opposites. Jealous? Thank God for the success of the person you're envious of and pray for those who aren't as fortunate in life as yourself. Lazy? Find something useful to do! Selfish? Think of unique ways to be generous!
-Search for things that heighten your feelings of discouragement.
Here's a list of things that cause us to be unnecessarily discouraged:
1) Lack of sleep
If you're over tired, you're going to struggle with stress.
2) Neglecting Bible reading/prayer
No-brainer! God is our Sustainer. He is the center of our lives as Christians. He's the one who took away our guilt. If we're forgetting him, we're gonna feel down.
3) Not keeping up with health
I struggle with chronic heartburn and I have a sensitive stomach. If I eat something that bothers it, it'll throw me fully off balance. This is an area that I really need to work on. If I neglect to take my vitamins, I run the risk of becoming deficient in certain things and that will throw me off.
4) Stress
Brothers and sisters, lay those burdens down! Cast your cares upon the Lord. Take heed for nothing. God has everything under control. Just let go and let God.
Okay, I hope that was of some help! Like I mentioned earlier, this is not an exhaustive list of all of the solutions. There are things that I certainly haven't addressed. This isn't a fix-it-all formula to be sure. It's just me sharing from my heart and my experiences on a bad day. ;) If you have anything to add, if there's anything on your heart, or if there's anything I can pray for you about, comment and let me know! (Or use the contact form if it's something personal. ;) Here's some random resources and verses that I thought of or looked at while I was writing this (this list is by no means exhaustive either!). Not everything is necessarily even related to the whole general topic... Sorry if I list a resource down there and you don't know why I did! Hahaha!
By the way, I commend you if you made it to the bottom of this post!
2 Corinthians 10:5
Phillipians 4:8
Eccl. 9:10
Prov. 6:11
Eph. 5:15-16
Acts 17:11
II Corinthians 13:5
Looking Higher, Reaching Farther
I Stand Redeemed - Legacy Five
As Many Times - Kingdom Heirs
Big Enough - Clark Family
Was this helpful to you at all? Did it make sense? Have you been dealing with feelings of guilt and shame recently? Remember, these are great times to grow in Christ! Do you have any thoughts to add? Is there something that you disagree with? Is there something I can pray about for you?
Tags: 2018, Challenge, Critical, Fears, Life, Life Lessons, Music Suggestions, Prayer, Salvation, Songs, Storms, Suggestions, Trials, Vision, Themes
Hello everyone!
Here's the beginning to the first series... I know you all have been waiting!
The title of the first series is called "Identity Focus". I'm anticipating somewhere around eleven posts in this series, so it's gonna be pretty long.
So... What's up with this series? What exactly is it about?
Well, we find in the Bible that we're to get our identity from Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21, Phillipians 3:9, Romans 4:22-24). We are the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-9). We are children of God (Romans 18:16).
This series is about some things that take our focus off of our identity as believers in Christ.
Why is it so important to remember our identity?
1. Who we are in Christ is our only hopeAs the song goes, "In Christ Alone my hope is found." We only have hope when we are covered by the blood of Christ. We only have hope when He changes us and give us a new identity.
2. When God looks at us, He sees His Son and declares us innocentAs another song says, "When You look at me, You see the nail-scarred hands that bought my liberty - I stand redeemed." When God looks at the believer, he sees the righteousness of His Son that was imputed to him (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is where our Salvation lies - our identity in Christ. Righteouss. Holy. Set apart. It's important to understand a little more clearly who we are so we know who to be. Imagine not being sure who you were and acting like an enemy to the king in a castle - when you were actually His son or daughter!
To wrap things up for this week:
1. For anyone who may be wondering, I will be using KJV most if not all of the time I quote a verse.
2. If you disagree with anything I've said or have something to add, voice your opinion! Just make sure to do so in a respectful manner. As believers, it's good to have discussion, especially with things that we disagree with. Not arguments. DISCUSSION. It helps us to recognize what we truly believe in and can help us learn deeper truths.
3. Spread the word! Invite friends and/or family to join us on this journey! The ride will be fun and, I'm praying, insightful.
4. I'll have a resource section at the end of each post in this series where I'll post resources (songs, verses, videos, books, lyrics, other things) that relate to what we talked about. There might not be much, and sometimes maybe nothing. Sometimes whatever I share down there may be what was down there for the past 3 weeks. But sometimes there may be something down there. ;) If you all have anything to share, comment and let us all know! Don't keep it to yourself!
P.S. If I share lyrics and there happens to be a recording of the song, I most likely haven't listened to it so I can't verify that it's worth your listening in my opinion. Just sayin'. :)
I'm not defined by what others say
Or by the standards of the day
I am defined by my faith in Jesus
And what he's done for all of us
I won't judge my worth by how I feel
'Cause what I feel often isn't real
I get my worth in Christ alone
The greatest status ever known
- Verses 1 and 4 of Looking Higher, Reaching Farther
I Stand Redeemed - Song
When You Look at Me - Song
Looking Higher, Reaching Farther - Lyrics
In Christ Alone - Lyrics
Now let's hear from you!
Did you enjoy the first part of Identity Focus? Are you looking forwards to the Family Life series starting next week? Did you look at any of the resources listed? If you did, which ones did you enjoy? Have you seen any of them before? Do you have any resources that are related to this topic to add?
Tags: Identity Focus, Series, Salvation, Vision, Themes, Songs, Music Suggestions, Suggestions, Life Lessons, Life, Fun
Hey everyone!
I'm running behind in life so I've not got time to say much, but here's a song suggestion and I'm hoping to put up some of my own inspiration soon. After this, the rest of the songs for the year will probably be Christmas music. Yay for Christmas! I can't believe it's December tomorrow!!!
This is another one from the Bontrager Family Singers.
Did you like the song? Are you excited for Christmas? What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? Let me know in the comments!
Tags: Fun, Music Suggestions, Songs, Themes, Salvation
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Cairo, Egypt
Grid Supply Chain
Smart City Dubai - 2018
Grid Supply Chain, based in Egypt, was founded by Ehab El Shishiny, Mostafa Adel and Mohamed Osman. Grid is a freight and logistics marketplace. Through "Internet Of Things" and Machine Learning technology, Grid enables instant Freight quoting and maximize utilization for all logistics assets. e.g. trucks, ships, warehouses.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A result of the historic partnership between Oxford University Press (OUP) and AMTA to publish music therapy journals, the second issue of the NEW Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 51, Issue 2, is now on its way to members' and subscribers' mailboxes.
The journal also appears online through OUP's partnership with HighWire Press. HighWire is a division of Stanford University Libraries that works with scholarly societies and other publishers to create a collection of the finest fully searchable research online.
Archival material is available online with unlimited access to past issues as a benefit for subscribers and current AMTA members. Mobile app functionality is available, as well as eTOC updates (Table of Contents), where you may sign up for notifications delivered to your email inbox when new content is available.
As a reminder, current AMTA members may access the journal online through the portal in the AMTA website. Log in with your AMTA-recognized email address and password, then go to Research>Journals and Publications and then scroll to the link titled "Journal of Music Therapy AMTA Member Access Portal." Or, for fewer clicks, log in and click the "Journal of Music Therapy AMTA Member Access Portal" under Quick Links on the home page. Enjoy this new and important member benefit! Journal of Music Therapy subscribers may log in with subscriber information on the journal's webpage: http://jmt.oxfordjournals.org/
The new Journal of Music Therapy demonstrates AMTA's dedication to promoting quality research in music therapy. Be sure to check out this journal when it arrives at your door with its brand new cover design and featuring an Editorial by Dr. Robb, Editor in Chief, regarding the partnership with Oxford University Press. Thanks to our friends at Oxford for their commitment to advancing public awareness of the benefits of music therapy and increasing access to quality music therapy services in a rapidly changing world.


text:
B&H Worldwide's information management solutions focus on the customer's supply chain, not simply a transport consignment. This is reflected in our comprehensive platform of inventory and order management systems.
Our OnTrack system is a web-based IT platform that provides real-time visibility of static inventory, orders in production, detailed event based transport progression and online access to all order and transport documentation.
The search capabilities within OnTrack allows the user to search by purchase order, repair order, part and serial number, date ranges, aircraft tail numbers, airway bill or a range of customer designated references. Orders are also tracked by more than 20 critical process milestones, ensuring supply chain efficiency is achieved at every step in the order process.
With its extensive industry based EDI connectivity channels, OnTrack is an integral part of our customers' engineering supply chain.
A genuine supply chain information management system must provide risk mitigation through sound operational decision making, managing service consistency and ensuring cost control is achieved.
Our exceptional operational expertise, together with our OnTrack information management system, will help you manage your logistics network and achieve the optimum outcomes for all your stakeholders.
Our information gathering (data collection) commences at the time a part is removed from an aircraft, establishing an environment whereby B&H and the customer collaborate effectively to manage service delivery and supply chain costs.
OnTrack combines intuitive functions, on-line customer interface tools and comprehensive order-level data capture to help you cost-effectively manage your supply chain.
This is achieved by:
- Online engineering reviews of unserviceable parts improving Repair Order turn times
- EDI and online order placement and progression data sharing giving greater data accuracy and visibility
- Order specific work flow milestones and tolerance breach alerts designed to minimise service failure risk and reduce inventory carrying costs
- Managing order priorities to meet delivery time expectations
- Engineers receive live track and trace progress reports by tail number or maintenance event
- Comprehensive suite of operational and financial analytical reports, managing performance by service type, part number, aircraft tail number, business unit or purchasing mechanism
With the support of its information management solution, B&H takes ownership of our customers supply chain performance.
Financial Reporting
The B&H financial reporting suite provides comprehensive detail resulting in unprecedented levels of cost control across the freight and logistics network.
While tenders and procurement processes aim to deliver a balanced cost and service platform, day to day operational interactions can quickly derail financial objectives. By working in collaboration with our customers, our extensive financial reporting suite is tailored to address the day to day variability by providing visibility and control across the standard logistics platform, and a detailed focus on key areas of their business where elevated levels of cost management is required.
The reporting suite is presented to meet the needs of specific levels of management:
High level financial KPIs
- Executive level periodic spend breakdown for high level analysis
- Isolating extraordinary cost items impacting regular spend patterns
- Standard financial KPIs for monitoring trends, i.e. cost per shipment, cost per KG, KGs per shipment
Base platform detailed analysis
Breaking down key cost drivers for ongoing management control, including:
- Spend by order priority, i.e. AOG, Critical and Routine
- Spend by route or trade lane
- Spend by invoice charge code
- Spend by part number
- Cost impact by internal business unit and purchasing officer
Customer critical cost management
- Program and project reporting to track cost impact and recovery
- Spend by aircraft tail number
- Maintenance event cost analysis
- Customer and/or vendor spend
- Standing Purchase Order cost impact
- Pooling or power-by-the-hour agreements
- Warranty tracking
- Tax concessions by commodity or part number
While an initial focus on base price and associated service parameters is vital, this unique approach to financial reporting ensures genuine cost control is achieved by focusing on the variables in the supply chain that can often have a significant impact on budgetary expectations.
Moving away from the traditional contractual performance approach to reporting, B&H views operational KPI reporting as a critical input into the supply chain management process. This is reflected in the B&H KPI reporting suite, where standard route transit time performance is expanded to provide a genuine basis for supply chain and inventory management optimisation.
While most freight and logistics contracts will have agreed specified freight transit and operational handling parameters, the actual performance will be clouded by the application of a set of agreed exceptions to the service specification, in turn adding risk to resource planning and inventory decisions.
To minimise this problem, the B&H KPI reporting suite will:
- Present detailed and accurate transit performance analysis, with no exceptions
- Focus on individual milestone measurement to remove potentially invisible process issues and roadblocks
- Provide frequency of occurrence data for inventory risk management
- Include detailed breakdown by service priority, routes, carriers, vendors and even part numbers
The overall reporting package provides sufficient detail to ensure optimum performance is being achieved across and within key elements of your supply chain.
OnTrack Order Management
B&H Worldwide's information management solutions gives you a complete suite of functions that have been specifically designed to add genuine value to the supply chain. OnTrack helps by improving visibility, reducing process turn times, enhancing operational execution and provides comprehensive analytical data.
When viewing the life cycle of an order, one or more of the OnTrack features can be called upon to drive efficiency at every stage of the process.
Order initiation:
- Orders are received via EDI feeds
- Customers use online portals to initiate stock release from inventory
- AOG instructions are received via our Freight Talk system which activates critical action
- Engineers provide unserviceable part information for B&H to initiate the repair process
Order progression:
- Order criteria determines the workflow and milestones to be tracked against an order
- Repair Managers conduct online review of unserviceable parts, then issue repair orders directly into OnTrack
- Data feeds continue to update the status of orders in progress, with pending service failure alerts driving action and triggering escalations
- 'Order follow' function sends tailored messages to designated recipients for real-time status updates
Post order analysis:
- Aircraft part removal reconciliation for regulatory compliance
- Round trip repair order tracking to manage vendor in-shop performance
- Comprehensive global turn-time analysis, from order placement to completion
- Detailed spend analysis by aircraft type, tail number, part and serial number
End to end, B&H systems ensure detailed levels of visibility and control over each step in the logistics process.
Integrated Cloud based Technology
- Comprehensive EDI connectivity with customer MRP/ERP systems, third party OEM's, MRO's and part vendors, carriers and regulatory authorities
- Web-based access for customers to place orders and provide follow up communications directly into our systems
- Comprehensive global turn-time analysis, from order placement to completion
- Cloud based technology platform that allows you to access information globally 24/7/365
Track and Trace
- Track orders by more than nine different reference numbers
- Priority orders can be flagged to allow you to 'follow' them within the system and receive alerts as they progress
- Bundle orders for tracking by aircraft tail number or maintenance event
Order Progression Management
- Orders actively managed from placement with suppliers to the moment it is made available for shipping
- Manage unserviceable parts from removal to repair and return to inventory
- Track supplier performance and warranty


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Monthly Archives: November 2010
E-Marketing: An inbox full of puppy-dog eyes, pleading for a one-click purchase.
One thing I have really noticed recently is a huge increase in targeted email marketing. From architecture-related suppliers. Which means they have a List. Emails for everything and from all over the world. From the orthographically-challenged Far-Eastern CAD outsourcers, via local … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged e-marketing, email lists, marketing, new business model, online marketing, recession-proof Leave a comment
Reduce waste in construction costs, yes, but let's not go back to the 60's…
"In the Sixties, everything was built cheaper, faster and nastier. If you are going to try to fix buildings, then really you won't have too many problems with anything built earlier than the Fifties or after the Eighties." Paul Morrell, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Construction, efficiency savings, Paul Morrell, waste Leave a comment
The Truth About Free Schools
I've just chaired a panel debate on Free Schools. Opposite ends of the spectrum were represented by Fiona Millar and two parent-promoters, Jon Da Silva from Wandsworth and Sobia Bashir from Kirklees. As a parent-promoter myself (Hackney Free School for … Continue reading
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