God Given Cupcake :)

His Banner over you was and always has been...love

2011-10-19T22:45:00.001-04:00

This song has been rocking my world lately... love love love it. It reminds me of a quote I read a while back. I'm not sure who said it but it says...

"Trust Steadily, Hope Unswervingly, Love Extravagantly..."

May we all be so bold as to love like Jesus did.

"He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love" - Song of Solomon 2:4

One Conference: Unite, Ignite, Impact

2011-07-22T11:59:00.010-04:00

I am seriously exited for this conference. I can hardly wait!

It is going to be EPIC!!

If you haven't heard of it yet...weeelll...let. me. tell. you.

Watch the video...

OneConference 2012 | Teaser from oneconference on Vimeo.

(The music alone makes we want to dance...ha ha!)

anyway..

You can sign up by clicking the link (picture) on the side bar :)

and get ready for lots of awesomeness

Three days...fourteen speakers, and the worship music is going to be rocking...

all under one roof...can't beat that with a stick!
You don't want to miss this.

__________________________________________________________________

***EDIT: The worship bands still had not been announced when this was originally posted...but that the big secret is out I can share it with Y'all!!! I am so exited to announce....drumroll please...

The one and only...Hillsong United....AHHHH...It's going to be epic!

God is going to rock your world on

February 10-12 2012

Raspberry Bar Goodness

2011-07-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday !!

Here's a recipe I thought ya'll might like.

I made made these babies a few weeks back, with a friend for a friends birthday...

They were SOO good!! ...Like for reals...

Check the recipe out HERE from SheCooks By LeAnn Rice

I adapted it a little by adding almonds instead of the pecans.

I had almonds on hand so I just used them.

Hope you give it try...They are amazazazazing!! :D

Yumm!!

Smile

2011-07-19T23:20:00.000-04:00

I could listen to this song on repeat forever...I absolutely love it. It's so simple yet, profound. It's quite magical. It reminds me of my greatgrandfather and his love of singing. As a little girl I used to love going to his house and would often see him singing to my greatgrandma when was feeling romantic...which was probably all the time. It was too cute. When he wasn't seranading my grandma we would sit by his radio, enjoy his music....so peaceful...good times. :) Hope you enjoy Nat as much as I do. He's a real gem.

Smile though you heart is breaking,

Smile even though its aching,

when there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by.. .

if you smile through your frear and sorrow

smile and maybe tommarrow you'll see the sun come shining through for you..

light up your face with gladness

hide every trace of sadness

although a tear may be ever so near

that the time you must keep on trying

smile, what's the use of crying?

you'll find that life is still worthwhle if you just smile...

Thats the time you must keep on trying

smile, what the use of crying?

youll find that life is still worth while if you just smile...

That which is called Love

2011-07-05T10:11:00.001-04:00

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" - Nature boy by Nat King Cole

This came directly from the pages of my Bible. It was printed on the first page as an introduction to the book of 1 John. I thought it was too nice not to share

"Love.

We can’t touch it, count it, bottle it, or even see it. But who among us can argue that love isn’t real?

Love.

It makes sane people do crazy things; it prompts selfish people to do noble things, what else on earth has that kind of power?

Love.

It can hurt like nothing else in the world. And yet, paradoxically, not loving is much more painful.

Love.

The most talked-about, sung-about, and thought-about theme in the world- as well as the most misunderstood.

Love.

1 John, the most eloquent description of love ever penned.

Love.
It’s not everything you think it is. It’s more…much, much, more."

"Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."- 1 John 4:7–8

Hooray for French Toast!

2011-07-01T13:51:00.001-04:00

HAPPY JULY!!!

I’m sharing with you all one of my favorite things to eat. Panettone! It’s a sweet round loaf of bread. It comes in two flavors: Chocolate Chip and Golden Raisins. I enjoy both of them but the chocolate it my favorite. I usually just slice myself a piece and enjoy it with some butter while I sip coffee. I had an “aha” as Oprah likes to call them the other day. As I was enjoying my snack I thought it would be great to use for French toast!...Here I was thinking…"oh yeah...great idea…I bet no one’s thought of that..."until I saw this…

Hahaha!...ok, so apparently I’m not the only person this idea has dawned on, because it was printed on the box…anyways. I didn’t follow the recipe because it was only two people eating and I wasn’t going to be eating six slices of French toast. That would be a crazy food coma! I might follow the recipe one day…for now I’ll just wing it old school. J

Anyways...Supposedly the tale behind this yummy treat goes like this…

A young Italian man named Ughetto Atellani, who was madly in love with a lady named Algisi who owned a bakery. Business was not going so well for the her as there was a competing bakery nearby. Christmas was near, but customers continued to flock the other shop. So Ughetto decided to use the last bit of money he had to buy butter, sugar, eggs and raisins, kneaded them all together with flour and out came the Panettone…translation: “large bread”. It was a hit! Oh, what motivation! The long line in front of the shop was proof that the fate of Algisi changed and, needless to say, the couple married and lived happily ever after!

Whether that is how it really came to be, no one knows…(but it sure is a feel good story!). Panettone has always been for Italians, a symbol of Christmas and the unity it brings when celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus! So, here’s to Christmas in July! Enjoy! :)

Waiting on God

2011-06-30T10:29:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! Enjoy!

I came across this video while I was looking for some song of the band Tenth Avenue North (Their lead singer is on the right). The gentleman speaking to the left is Brenton Brown. He uses an analogy that I thought was a pretty ingenious way of looking at how we wait on God. Let’s just say…God and the DMV may have more in common than we realize...haha. ;)

“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” - Habakkuk 2:3

Random Musings

2011-06-24T16:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!!!

I've always been fascinated by words. I've been collecting quotes for as long as I could remember. It's just one of those quirks that God made me with. I love words. I was even in the scrabble club in high school!...ha! Yeah...it's true. But, seriously I wanted to share several random quotes I came across this week from different places. Some funny, some not. Some from twitter, other's from preachings, online, even some from my professor!...lol. They're in no particular order. Enjoy!

"Look within and be depressed. Look without and be distressed. Look to Jesus and be at rest" - Corrie Ten Boom

"Sometimes God seems distant until He shows up in some little detail that only He and you would know, proving He was always near" - Bobbie Houston

"Only in a math problem can you buy 60 cantaloupes and no one asks what the hell is wrong with you" - Shultz

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give" - Winston Church Hill

"Religion is boring. Life with God is an adventure" - Michael W. Smith

"Be careful of your thoughts, because your thoughts can lead to words. Be careful of your words, because your words can lead to actions. Be careful of your actions, because your actions can lead to habits. Be careful with your habits, because they can lead to what is your character. And be careful to what is your character, because it will lead to your destiny." - Pastor Jack Graham

A humorous saying from my professor while speaking on the obesity epidemic in America..."God said 'our body is a temple', yet we have them filled up with Krispy Kreme" - Dr. Kilpatrick

Devo Day EIGHT...My Reflections...

2011-05-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

February 9, 2011
There are a few things that I’ve learned through all of this….
1.The Lord’s timing is not our timing. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are REALLY NOT OUR THOUGHTS! (Jeremiah)

It’s not about the perfect fast, or the our “right timing”, but about the bigger picture. God has a plan for us and we cannot fathom it all. It’s just too great and too much for us to handle. Max lucado described it perfectly in this quote “Our hearts are like a Dixie cup and God is Niagra Falls”..God is just bigger and greater than we can literally handle….wow.

2. The Lord is calling His people to step up to the plate and really live those “balls to the wall” radical lives for Jesus. I saw how many distractions I was allowing to hinder me and how things that I once thought I “needed” were just distractions. That’s the enemy’s game…to keep us busy with the things that do not matter in the light of eternity….why does he do that?...because he is a hater. Remember this: Misery loves company.

3.God wants us to develop Character. Character that can go against the norm of this world and be a TRUE REBEL and go against the grain of this world…to be the change the world needs…like Jesus was.

4.He wants us to develop our faith. He wants us to know that “We have not because we ask not”…we need to remember that we serve the almighty himself and he CAN do ANYTHING better than we can ever hope or ask (Ephesians 3:20)…and all we need is to just believe and ask and declare in faith and not be deterred by thoughts of “ but what if God says no..” I say.. think about this…what if He says yes?...crazy! haha and remember that while living our lives for Christ we WILL be tested and attacked and that through all of that we need to develop that faith that is needed to withstand trials (Psalm 40)

5.And my personal favorite…I was reminded again of how powerful the tool of prayer is…That is they greatest offense tool the Lord has given us….We need to tap that power that God has given us, be diligent with it and we will see how powerful and CRAZY GOOD and SICK NASTY it really is.

At the end of the day all that matters is your heart…and how bad you want what God has for you. My brother so beautifully said in his reflections…(I’m paraphrasing) “This fast is the sort of thing that changes us. We cannot stay the same..we don’t wanna stay the same." It’s these experiences that the Lord uses to make beautiful things out of us…all for His glory. People should be able to look at us and say “how did you do that?!..or how did you succeed in that?!...you’re not good enough, your not qualified enough” and we should be able to say “you’re right I’m not good enough!! I don’t know enough!! But I got caught up in the grace of God and it has taken me further than what I ever imagined!”
So, my prayer is that we mediate on and be filled with the things in (Philippians 4:1-9) and not only that but that we continue to grow and change and be molded by Him, so that with each passing day we are more and more in His Likeness…until the day He says “Well done my child…enter in and rest”

So, until the next one…
I couldn’t have said it better myself…In the words of Paul to the Philippians: “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished…” (Philippians 1:6)

Be blessed y’all. Let’s do this! XOXO

Devo Day SEVEN

2011-05-25T23:37:00.001-04:00

February 8, 2011
Buenos dias mis hermanos...hope your morning has been a good one. Mine has been particularly peaceful...eventhough I got more traffic than normal...got to work late,I'm swamped at work and Im being pulled in a million directions. Even with all that going on around me all I wanna do is sing and praise God. I woke up this moring with my favorite worship song blasting in my head...(How He loves us the Kim Walker version)I wasn't really sure why but I'm sure now...(I couldnt stop singing it)it was a reminder from God to me that I will pass to you as well. "We are His portion and He is our prize...drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes..if His grace is an ocean we're all sinking" let yourself be completely engulfed in the presence of the Lord always and He will carry you through anything till the end.(Mathew 28:20) because He loves us.."Oh how He loves us!" So I encourage you to keep your eyes on your prize Jesus and you will see how the worlds glory and anything it can offer to you will be dim in comparison to His glory and what He has for us when we cross that finish line. (Galatians 6:9) Lose yourself in Him. (Mathew 10:39). Be blessed y'all. Xoxo

Devo Day SIX

2011-05-25T23:37:00.000-04:00

February 7, 2011
On this morning devo I wanna us to meditate on this word:Grace. "If there is one word in the bible that we cannot afford to miss it is that word that we call grace!"-Carl Lentz Grace is favor,blessing,everything we don't deserve. I had the pleasure of hearing a preaching by Carl lentz last night and was deeply moved by his word. I wanna share with you all some of what he said.(Ephesians 2:8&9) "if you truly understand the unmerited grace of God you would walk differently,talk differently, worship differently..." when we understand the magnitude of what God did on the cross we change from the inside out. It reminds me a lot of Psalm 51...David understood how filthy he was and how pure God was and how the closer he got to God the more he prayed psalm 51 not because it would make him holier but because he saw how much more he needed grace. He understood that we are saved first by the grace of God through our faith..not our works. We do works not to be saved but because we are saved..we do it out of the love and grace that was bestowed upon us. (Ephesians 2:10). And if there's one thing the devil doesn't want you to know is that "the grace of God will ALWAYS overshadow your weakness. So we have no more excuses" God qualifies the called...not the other way around. In our weakness He is made perfect (2corinthians12:8-10) think about that...God's glory shines brightest when a "ordinary, normal" person is used by Him. Don't believe the lie the enemy is trying to feed you that you are not good enough to fufill the calling of God in your life. With God's grace we are more than able...so get caught up in the grace of God and it will take you further than what you ever imagined. Be blessed y'all! Let's do this! Xoxo

Devo Day FIVE

2011-05-25T23:36:00.000-04:00

February 6, 2011
Morning y'all..hope you all are on your way to get your grub on at church with the Lord. Today's morning devo is short and sweet. Well I'll try to make it that way...lol....When life gets you down and the devil just wont let you forget your past mistakes..just take a look at the cross and remember that God chose in his awesomeness to forgive and forget. There is no sin so black that the blood of Jesus cannot cover. When we choose to not forget it hinders us...just like David wrote is Psalms 32:3...so let go and let God do what He does best...forgive and forget (Isaiah 43:25) and when we do we will hear those sweet sounds of deliverance. Psalm 32:7. You are forgiven in Christ so stop calling God a liar by not beliving and living it! Be blessed y'all because you are! Xoxo

Devo Day FOUR

2011-05-25T23:35:00.001-04:00

February 5, 2011
Buenos dias amigos! Rejoice! Today's a new day. As we enter the half we point of our journey I pray the Lord has been speaking to you all like never before. I don't know about you guys but I'm excited about the next one already...ha ha. The word has come more alive for me the then ever before. So my prayer for you all is that God continues to speak to you and challenge you all (not only in this fast but always) with His spiritual steak and potatoes to make us grow big and strong and deeper with Him. (Hebrews 5:14) and with time we would(if God wills it) do as Hebrews 6:1-3 says(that would crazy!!..but in a good way..haha). I know God is able to do it and evenmore than anything we could ever hope or ask. (Ephesians 3:20,21) So, the question is are WE willing (notice how I didn't say able... we are able in Christ)to do the work and climb the mountain to get there? I know I want my Hindsfeet on the high places! (Habakkuk 3:19) Be blessed. Lets do this! we are more than conquerors! (Romans 8:37-39)

Devo Day THREE

2011-05-25T23:35:00.000-04:00

February 4, 2011
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BROTHER ALEX!)
Good morning my lovely people of God...I hope this third edition of the morning Muse finds you well ;) I find myself looking forward to the nightly devos to see what the Lord is showing us. I couldn't help but laugh as I re-read last nights devo about prayer. In the words of my big bro Mando: "There is No coincidence with God!" Just last night the Lord woke me up to pray for a friend and speak to her...in the middle of th night! I thought it was crazy but the Lord burdened my heart and I was able to see the fruit of that immediatly...crazy! God is super sick nasty with it! PTL!! With that said I leave with you a quote by Samuel Chadwick "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayer-less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." There power in prayer...let us stand in the gap for the lost and hurting just as Moses did for his people when they had turned their backs on God.(Psalm 106:21-29,39-45) and also rejoice in His faithfulness when we heed to His calling. (Psalm 107:1-6) Peace! love ya guys!

Devo Day TWO

2011-05-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

February 3, 2011
Hi guys! As we start the second day of this new endeavor the Lord has asked of us I pray that you keep this in mind: Obedience is better than Fasting. Fasting is more than just "not eating " or "not ...fill in the blank". We fast because we are to be filled with God himself. (Read:Matthew 4:4) It draws us nearer to him. He will fill every need as we seek Him and His will. So,search your heart and make sure you're doing it for the right reasons,if not we are in disobedience/iniquity and we have missed the mark. (Read: Zechariah 7:1-5,8-12) one last thing...Here's little water cooler knowledge for you just for fun: Iniquity in Greek is called: Ava --to be twisted out of shape. To do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Second greek word: Shafa: when we miss the mark. When we live subpar to God's calling. Have an awesome day! Godbless

Devo Day ONE

2011-05-25T23:32:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! Here are the devotionals I was telling you all about in my last blog post. I will be posting them individually. They will all have the title Devo Day... I pray you all are blessed by them. xoxo

February 2, 2011
Morning y'all! I'm real excited to see what the Lord has in store for us as we feast on His word and draw nearer to Him. There are a few things that I encourage you to pray about. 1) Each other by name. We should be holding each other accountable and growing. So let step up to the plate and live Christ like lives and not stay in our comfort zone. 2)for those that do not know Jesus. May we be that light in the darkness that shines God's love for the lost and hurting to come to Jesus. 3) yourself. What does God want to show you. Pray that He reveals things to you whether it's sin that you're unaware of or a decision you're trying to make. Pray that God would speak to you in a clear and loud way. Here's a word of encouragement to dwell on as you seek His face. Isaiah 43:18-19. Read it and believe it! GOD WILL DO A NEW THING....love y'all bunches xoxo-Yesser

I've learned...

2011-05-25T22:37:00.006-04:00

I received these sayings in an email from a friend of mine. I'm not sure who wrote them but I loved them, so I thought I'd share. :) I bolded some of my favorites. Enjoy! :D

I've learned... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. I've learned... That when you're in love, it shows.
I've learned... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
I've learned... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of themost peaceful feelings in the world.
I've learned... That being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes...ha ha
I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
I've learned... That money doesn't buy class.
I've learned... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I've learned...That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
I've learned... That love, not time, heals all wounds.
I've learned... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I've learned... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher...in Christ.
I've learned... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
I've learned... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned... That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.
I've learned... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow we may have to eat them.
I've learned... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I've learned... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
I've learned... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
I've learned... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Fasting and Praying

2011-03-31T09:52:00.000-04:00

So now that you guys know where I've been the last few months...I thought I'd explain to you what started my sabbattical that I turned into the "extended version".

The Lord recently called me to consecrate several fasts. My fasting journey lasted two weeks long. I first felt the Lord call me to do a “Seven day Media fast” (television, internet…etc). This fast started on Tuesday January 25, which happened to be the same night as my church’s small group meeting. The Lord spoke to us as we prayed. He placed in my small group leader’s heart that we should fast for each others needs. We agreed as a group to fast the following Tuesday –February first. Not only was God asking to set myself apart in a personal media fast but also with my small group. As I was drove home that night, I felt the Lord was definitely calling me go deeper with Him. I obediently accepted His request. About two days before I was to start my small group fast, I received a phone call from my bother who advised me that the Lord had placed in his heart that we should fast as a family. Even though I was in the middle of my personal media fast and was about to start my small group fast in two days, I knew the Lord required me to continue on this period of praying and fasting with my family. I accepted what the Lord was asking of me and advised my brother I would join him in this time of fasting which would start on February second-which happened to be the day after I finished my small group fast. The night before I started my family fast, I received a phone call from my brother advising me that the Lord had placed in his heart that I should lead our family in morning devotionals! I couldn’t help but laugh as there is no coincidence with God. Here was the beginning of the manifestation of God’s calling for me. Although I felt unqualified; I accepted the challenge as I felt the Lord say, “Am I not enough? Is My grace not enough?” I could not formulate a concrete reason not to, but I did have a myriad of reasons to lead the devotionals. The following day we started on our journey of fasting and praying and the rest is history.

I'll be sharing my devotionals with you lovelies over the next couple of days; but for now I say "adieu, adieu. to you and you and you"...ha ha. Can you guess what movie that's from?...God bless :)

"Sabbatical"...at least that's what I called it.

2011-03-30T17:00:00.003-04:00

Sooo...it's been a while..yeah...not for lack of inspiration but I guess lack of courage.... Originally my sabbatical was going to be two weeks...Ha!...yeah...here we are three months later. Every time I'd start to write I'd get real nervous...I don't know why. Maybe it's that I overanalyze things...and fighting the "I'm not as cool as Jon Acuff " feelings are exhausting. I guess for fear of judgement or letting someone down...mostly God.

I've been thinking about that for a few weeks.. probably the amount of time I've been on my extended "Sabbatical". I realized God never stopped pouring things into me. I was the one who stopped sharing them...I was guilty of being that fat Christian....receive receive receive, and I wouldn't share...
The other day I was looking at my twitter and I got what Jon Acuff likes to call a "Jesus Juke". That put me over the edge and really made me step back and analyze why I started this blog. He wrote a blog entry about how our inspirations are useless unless we share them, no matter how awesome they are....wow.

"90% perfect and published always changes more lives than 100% perfect and stuck in your head." - Jon Acuff

Yea, that hit me like a freight train. Here I was with these ideas floating in my brain that I knew could bless someone and at the very least myself (there something therapeutic about writing) and I was keeping it all for myself (Fat Christian). I realized that was really selfish and cowardly of me and I’m sorry ya'll.

So, here's to not being a fatty and sharing what was given to me....lol. I can't promise I won't go on another sabbatical but I can promise to give you a heads up at least (If and when there is a next time).

A little late but I always say: better late than never..lol.

Love This :)

2011-02-27T14:07:00.002-05:00

I have no idea who wrote this but thanks This Is Kristin for sharing!

Joy To The World - Seabird

2010-12-23T09:07:00.001-05:00

Musical Muse: Joy To The World

By Seabird

In the Spirit of Christmas I share one of my favorite arrangements of Joy to the World by one of my favorite bands-Seabird. Check them out! They have some amazing music. Hope you enjoy! Merry Merry Christmas to you and yours. God bless!

If you can't see the video click HERE

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love

God,Christmas,Time & Some Football For Good Measure

2010-12-22T13:47:00.002-05:00

Okay so I know this might come as a surprise to a lot because this is...in essence a video about football. Yes, that's right people. I have posted a video about football...whoa! For those of you who do not know me personally, it will not be a big deal. But for those of you who do, I know it will..lol.

Click HERE if you can't see the video

Because...I do not follow any type of sports whatsoever...never been interested in them...ever. And I probably never will...lol. Anyways, getting to my point. I posted this video because it struck a cord me with me about something else. Here is a man who is resigning from what is known as a very prestigious position in the world of collage football for one reason-more time with family. He realized that he will never get the time not spent with family back.

With only a few days left in 2010 this really spoke to me. It's made me think about how I've spent my time this year and what I wanna do with it next year. I originally saw this video at Pete Wilson's blog. He wrote this on his post which lead me to mine. Think about this...

"Despite what you might think, your greatest commodity is NOT money. It’s time. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. Do you have many regrets on how you’re spending your time?"- Pete Wilson

So as the year comes to an end which for many of us can be a very stressful time because we are busy with all that is expected of us. Party's, buying gifts, wrapping those gifts, baking, cooking, getting the house company ready etc. Think about how and where and with who you're spending your time. We must not forget the reason why Christmas even exist. Seek God! Keep Him as number one and He will direct your steps and make sure your most precious commodity is well spent-not only now but in the years to come. He won't let you down-ever.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" -Mathew 6:33

Narnian Thoughts

2010-12-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I went to the movies and saw part three of

The Chronicles of Narnia: The voyage of the Dawn Treader

The whole movie was awesome. I even cried.

There were two quotes from the movie(among the many many many great ones) that really resonated with me.

The first one was from a little mouse by the name of Reepicheep. He was talking to a boy named Eustace who was having a difficult time in believing Narnia was real.

“We have nothing if not belief” -Reepicheep

There’s a lot of truth to that. Without belief we don't have faith Without faith we don’t have hope. Without either- we have nothing. They are all interconnected and intertwined. We cannot fully have one without the other.

King Caspian (far right)

The second quote was said by King Caspian at the end of the movie when he was reflecting at the end of his “voyage” right in front of Asland country. (Asland Country is what I believe to be is C.S. Lewis’s version of heaven in the World of Narnia.) Caspian asked Asland if his father was in there and Asland responded that he could only find that our for himself by entering. But he advised him that if he entered he could never return. In the rush of emotion of knowing that he could see his father, King Caspian turned and started to walk to enter Ashland’s country but then stopped himself and thought for a moment. and then with tears in his eyes he said:

“I’ve focused on what was taken, rather than what was given. I was given a kingdom”- Caspian

In king Caspian’s case he was longing to see his father, and was even willing to leave it all to satisfy that desire to see him but then he realized how that would only benefit himself. He realized that for the greater good he must stay and be King to his people-he was given a kingdom.

WOW! Yeah that stuck with me. Wow, so many times as believers we focus on all the things that we had in the “good” times of life and we forget the promise that God has given us when the going gets tough. He gave us His kingdom to be enjoyed with Him. He is sharing HIS kingdom with us because He loves us that much! Not because we deserve it but because of His grace...wow. I think sometimes we forget to look at all that we gain in Christ rather then what we “lose”. Many times that happens to us when we feel alone because we’ve been ostracized by family and or friends for believing in Christ. But with God there’s always a silver lining…We are never alone. We must be faithful in our walk and believe that God will be with us ‘till the end when He says “Well done my child. Enter in and rest”

"Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

Teach me your way, LORD;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD." - Psalm 27:10-14

God is always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He gave us His only son-He gave us Himself.

Reflections

2010-12-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

I thought this painting was absolutely beautiful.
It's by a lovely artist named Helen Brooke.
Check out her beautiful work HERE

"Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." - Ephesians 3:20

Ephesians 3:20 is one of my favorite passages of the bible. I find that the more I read the word of God the more He surprises me. The Lord is the ultimate romantic, and writer…there’s just something about His choice of words. The fact that He took that time to write us this love letter mesmerizes me. Who am I? Who are we?...Such fickle people, individuals, humans, sinners…That the King of the universe….think about that…THE UNIVERESE…took the time and effort to write a whole book detailing how and why He loves us and why we’re worth it in His eyes.

It breaks my heart to think about how many people don’t know God and even worse..choose to walk away from Him. I sometimes wonder about the latter. Did they ever really know Him?

I think that if one would just give God the chance a real chance I think he would blow peoples minds…(More than “we could ever dare to ask or Hope” Eph 3:20 )

I think a lot of people are on the band wagon of “I’ll believe in God when He reveals himself to me”(..or something along those lines.)

Unfortunately that’s not always how it works…yes God does and can “show” Himself to you but we must acknowledge Him first.

He comes knocking on your door and you must open the door to Him.

Think about it in the natural…One must first hear a knock and recognize that someone is at the door.

Then believe that they are there and it’s not our imagination and then act upon opening it.

Our Super natural relationship with God begins that same way.

We must recognize when He is knocking on the door of our heart.

We must then make a conscious decision to open it to Him

And once we do that we will see Him in all His glory and He will astound us.

(now of course this is all hypothetically speaking because no one has literaly seen God but it is an example in the natural that the Lord give us so that we can understand the supernatural.)

We will not “see” God or anyone for that matter if we do not at least open the door.

Happy Day To You! :D

2010-12-01T14:34:00.000-05:00