I am grateful that God gave me athletic abilities and all the fun I got to have in sports over the years; that I got to play on a soccer team, softball, swim team, basketball, volleyball and track teams. :)
I'm grateful that God made school relatively easy for me and that I always enjoyed learning.
I'm grateful that God always gave me good friends in every grade or group; that I always had people to hang out with and talk to.
I'm grateful I never had to live alone, that I have always had someone there for me, to share life with. :)
I'm grateful for all the times my step-dad took our family out to eat. I love eating out! :) And for the movies he took us to. :)
I'm grateful for Jesus of course, and that he died for me so I can go to heaven someday. :)
I'm grateful for great churches I have been in, great church people that have felt like family, and great sermons.
I'm grateful for Hillsong worship music and how it just leads me right into God's presence every time! For how phenomenal they are and their brilliance in song writing and for how real and inspired their lyrics are.
I am grateful for all the times I got to sing in school assemblies and churches etc. Even though I was super nervous for them, they were all fun experiences.
I am grateful that I have mostly gotten to live in California and for the beautiful weather there.
I am super grateful for the beach and all the fun I have had boogie boarding in the waves.
I am grateful that Disneyland, Seal World, Knotts and 6 Flags exist and are so much fun! :)
I am grateful for the camps I got to work with and go to all these places for free. :)
I am grateful for all the jobs I have gotten to have with kids and how fun they have been. :)
I am grateful that I never stayed with the wrong person for too long. That God made me wise enough to break things off when they needed to be. :)
I am grateful that in everything God has guided me and showed me what to do.
I'm grateful for all the times I have gotten to move and explore and see NEW things. :) woohoo! :)
I am grateful that the end is near, at least I think it is, and that Jesus will take us home to heaven soon. :)
I am grateful for all the pools I have gotten to swim in over the years and all the fun I had with friends at the pool when I was younger. :)
I am grateful for the laptop I currently have and that it is so fast and easy to use. :)
I am grateful, very grateful, for fruit and how good it tastes while still being good for me. :)
I am grateful for encouraging Bible verses that have lifted my soul so many times. :)
I am grateful that God is always listening to me, that he is always here beside me and I always feel him and know that he is protecting me. :)
I am grateful that the Holy Spirit lives inside of me and guides me into seeing things more clearly about the Bible, about life.
I am grateful for comfortable clothes and tennis shoes that don't hurt my feet lol. :)
I am grateful that I have a comfortable bed to sleep in; people in most other countries do not. :(
I am grateful for all the times both my grandmas put me to work and trained me to love working and find joy in getting things done. :)
I am grateful for good movies I have seen that have taught me more about life and broadened my view of things.
I am grateful for nature and how BEAUTIFULLY God made things in nature! :)
I am grateful for raisin bread; I really, really like cinnamon raisin bread. lol :)
I am grateful for all the road trips I have gotten to do with my mom and brother; being in Vegas together, seeing Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and Colorado Rockies. So many good times. :)
I am grateful for the time I got to hike down the Grand Canyon and camp out with friends after high school. :)
I am grateful that I have always had enough money, enough to meet my needs, but not too much as that may have spoiled me. :)
I am grateful that for the most part I am content with what I have; I love my car, the clothes I already have, things we have etc.
ah....so many things to be grateful for in life for sure..... :)
Saturday, June 22, 2013
I Am Grateful For...
I am incredibly grateful for my husband first and foremost.
He always gets me groceries, whatever I need, which I always find amazing lol. I hate the process of carrying them in so it is so nice that he is willing to get them. :)
I am grateful that he is so sweet and so kind to me. :)
That he takes me out to eat a lot and to the movies.
I am grateful that we will be having a baby soon. I can't wait to see what he or she will look like!
I am grateful that my mom is a good mom and that she raised me in the church. :)
I am grateful for air conditioning. I really don't like the heat lol. :)
I am grateful for winter and snow and pretty landscapes.
I am grateful somewhat for summer in that you can go swimming in the summer. :)
I am grateful that Ben and I might be moving to Texas soon and we might get into the nicest apt I will have ever lived in! I am so excited about that! May God open the doors. :)
I am grateful that Ben doesn't mind working 12 hours a day so I won't have to and I will be able to stay home with the baby. :)
I am grateful for this blog and that it gives me a sense of purpose in life and something to do with all my time.
I am grateful for my brother and best friend Ashley and how they have always been there for me. :) For all their great advice over the years. :)
I am grateful that I have a very godly grandma who encouraged me to follow God as best as I could. :)
I am grateful that most of my family is Christian or at least religious, so we have always been united and there has always been a lot of love there. :)
I am grateful for all the pets I have gotten to have over the years. They were all so wonderful and so cute! :)
I am grateful that even though Roger died, God has replaced him with another wonderful, loving Christian guy and I have everything now that I did then. :)
I am grateful that I got to do my life long dream and go to Australia when I did. :)
I am grateful that I live in America and that we are still a free nation, for now, and that we are pretty well off overall.
I am grateful for my car and this it hasn't had any major issues in 10 years! Yay for Toyota Echos! lol :) I am so glad I have only had to do oil changes on it and minor up-keep and it has never broken down on me. :)
I am grateful for all the jobs I have had over the years and all the great co-workers I've had who I learned so much from about life and inter-personal relations. :)
I am grateful to all the authors who wrote all the great books I have read over the years that have encouraged me in my faith and made me wiser.
I am grateful for my professors in college that they passed me even though I didn't always do the reading. lol :)
I am grateful that God gave me the gift of writing and that I can use it for his glory. :)
I am grateful for all the times I have gotten to travel....India, Taiwan and Mexico.
I am grateful for getting to work on a cruise ship when I did and how fun that was. :)
I am grateful for the cruises my step dad took our family on and that he bought me my first laptop and printer etc.
I have been SO blessed in so many ways and I know I am so lucky to have gotten to do and have all that I have!
God has blessed me beyond reason really. He is so good to me! :) THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING! Amen :)
He always gets me groceries, whatever I need, which I always find amazing lol. I hate the process of carrying them in so it is so nice that he is willing to get them. :)
I am grateful that he is so sweet and so kind to me. :)
That he takes me out to eat a lot and to the movies.
I am grateful that we will be having a baby soon. I can't wait to see what he or she will look like!
I am grateful that my mom is a good mom and that she raised me in the church. :)
I am grateful for air conditioning. I really don't like the heat lol. :)
I am grateful for winter and snow and pretty landscapes.
I am grateful somewhat for summer in that you can go swimming in the summer. :)
I am grateful that Ben and I might be moving to Texas soon and we might get into the nicest apt I will have ever lived in! I am so excited about that! May God open the doors. :)
I am grateful that Ben doesn't mind working 12 hours a day so I won't have to and I will be able to stay home with the baby. :)
I am grateful for this blog and that it gives me a sense of purpose in life and something to do with all my time.
I am grateful for my brother and best friend Ashley and how they have always been there for me. :) For all their great advice over the years. :)
I am grateful that I have a very godly grandma who encouraged me to follow God as best as I could. :)
I am grateful that most of my family is Christian or at least religious, so we have always been united and there has always been a lot of love there. :)
I am grateful for all the pets I have gotten to have over the years. They were all so wonderful and so cute! :)
I am grateful that even though Roger died, God has replaced him with another wonderful, loving Christian guy and I have everything now that I did then. :)
I am grateful that I got to do my life long dream and go to Australia when I did. :)
I am grateful that I live in America and that we are still a free nation, for now, and that we are pretty well off overall.
I am grateful for my car and this it hasn't had any major issues in 10 years! Yay for Toyota Echos! lol :) I am so glad I have only had to do oil changes on it and minor up-keep and it has never broken down on me. :)
I am grateful for all the jobs I have had over the years and all the great co-workers I've had who I learned so much from about life and inter-personal relations. :)
I am grateful to all the authors who wrote all the great books I have read over the years that have encouraged me in my faith and made me wiser.
I am grateful for my professors in college that they passed me even though I didn't always do the reading. lol :)
I am grateful that God gave me the gift of writing and that I can use it for his glory. :)
I am grateful for all the times I have gotten to travel....India, Taiwan and Mexico.
I am grateful for getting to work on a cruise ship when I did and how fun that was. :)
I am grateful for the cruises my step dad took our family on and that he bought me my first laptop and printer etc.
I have been SO blessed in so many ways and I know I am so lucky to have gotten to do and have all that I have!
God has blessed me beyond reason really. He is so good to me! :) THANK YOU GOD FOR EVERYTHING! Amen :)
On Depression: Drugs Make it Worse
Check out this radio interview. This guy is brilliant! He is so wise! It would be good for any and all of us to heed his advise and take note of what he says.....
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/02/143055122/combating-depression-with-meditation-diet
Some of what I thought were his best points....
"About one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 takes an antidepressant drug, according to a report from the CDC, and the number of Americans taking antidepressants has gone up over 400 percent since 1988. Why the rise? Are we more depressed than we used to be, simply more medicated or both?"
Wow that is insane! Yes I know most people I know have taken an anti-depressant at some point. I am one of the few people I know that never have. I considered it a few times, because wouldn't it be nice if one little pill could solve all of our problems lol, but I always knew deep down it wouldn't. Thinking that is a lie from Satan really. Only God can help us, and even then all our problems won't be solved. Life is hard because we live in a fallen world, and it always will be hard. We just have to accept that and appreciate when things are actually good and when we are happy. :) But no one can ever be always happy. Not until we reach heaven we can't be. :)
This is so true! "Many parents think that it's their job to make kids happy all the time. We're not supposed to be happy all the time. Our moods are supposed to vary. They're not supposed to vary so extremely that they disable us, but I think it is perfectly normal to have lows, as well as highs, and there may be even some value in those experiences."
Yes there is value in the lows. I have learned my most in the lows and grown the most in wisdom when times are the most hard. The lows make you appreciate the highs of life. So in the end, they are good. We wouldn't realize how good things are sometimes if we had nothing to contrast the good times with. Thus, bad times are good as well as good times. :) What a paradox.
"One of the research findings that's - I think, find very interesting is that the more people have, the less content they seem to be."
Very true. Why? Because those who have are always wanting more. Those who have are so used to shopping and getting and getting that they rarely stop to be grateful for what they already have. Life becomes a rat race, a never ending acquiring of more and more things, only to leave them more and more miserable. Very sad. :(
"The pharmaceutical companies have been very effective at convincing people that ordinary states of sadness are now matters of imbalanced brain chemistry which needs to be treated."
Yes this is so true! Doctors, for some reason, often seem to want to convince you that something is wrong with you. Why? So you will need THEM! So they can "fix" you. So you will depend on them. So you will spend all of your money on Them. It is a huge scheme if you really think about it. I know some doctors are good, but some are con artists. Just like some dentists who tell you you need 5 fillings and you go to another dentist and they say no, you have no cavities. It's like that. Watch out for the con artists in the medical field. They are certainly out there, like wolves in sheep skins. :(
We are not forever victims to our circumstances. This is a lie of depression and what can lead to depression. We can change things sometimes. But if we cannot, we can change how we react to it. I love the quote, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." :) Do what you can with what you have. :)
"There is a disturbing and growing body of evidence that the major class of antidepressant drugs, the SSRIs, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, don't work so great, in fact that they barely can be distinguished from placebo even in severe depression now."
Yes I have always been skeptical of how well they work for sure. The placebo effect means, the person taking the pill expects to feel better simply because they are taking the pill and so they do, even though the pill may not actually be doing anything. Very funny and quite ironic. :)
Wow "There is also, I think, great concern about... a new problem just coming to light. It's called tardive dysphoria. That means lingering depression caused by the drugs."
Yes I have heard that in taking Advil too much it can actually cause rebound headaches. Taking headache medicine can give you more head aches. The same can be true of anti-depressants. They may actually only worsen the problem. :( Very sad.
".... The drugs produce the very problem they're meant to treat."
What? Yes how ironic.
"If you increase serotonin at neural junctions with a drug, the body responds over time by producing less serotonin and dropping serotonin receptors."
Yes this makes sense. If you are synthetically taking something your body thinks it doesn't need to produce it anymore, thus it shuts down production of whatever supplement you are taking. So if you are taking serotonin essentially your body will just stop making serotonin, therefore making you forever dependent on the drug, on this outside source, to give your body what it needs. So crazy. :( And quite scary. Hence, once doctors get someone hooked and started on any medication, they may just have to be on it for life!
A lesson in this: don't mess with nature and the way God created the body to function. It runs just fine most of the time if we would just leave it alone. :( And always remember to eat apples lol :)
"It's just like trying to treat acid reflux with drugs that suppress acid: You take it away, and you have a worse problem than you did to begin with. So the drugs may create their own need."
Wow what a trip! I have noticed that since I stopped taking Advil for headaches, since I need to be careful of that in pregnancy, I have been getting less headaches. How ironic isn't it. :)
A call in...."My niece, who is a freshman in college, was given antidepressants and committed suicide shortly thereafter." So sad :(
Writer's response: "There are some significant adverse effects of antidepressant drugs. They may increase cardiovascular risk. They may increase cancer risk. A latest finding is that pregnant women who take them, there are higher rates of autism in their offspring. These are not benign agents."
No they are not at all my goodness!
Prescription drugs are drugs just like street drugs. They have negative effects on the body. They are addictive. They lead people to more depression and suicide even.
In the case of the girl who committed suicide, my theory is that anytime we take drugs, prescription or not, we are opening a door to Satan in our lives.
He then has greater access into our minds, our dreams, even over our bodies.
My husband had an odd encounter, believe it if you want. He was smoking heavily for a time and some demons literally picked him up off his bed in his sleep and told him, "You have given us authority over your body since you have chosen to smoke so much and damage your body."
I know many people smoke, but everything in moderation. Perhaps one cigarette a day isn't horrible, but if you allow it to master you, to control you, you have opened a door to Satan in your life.
If you allow anything to master and control you, you have opened a door to Satan, it doesn't matter what it is.
May God help us to be self-controlled in all things. Amen :)
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/02/143055122/combating-depression-with-meditation-diet
Some of what I thought were his best points....
"About one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 takes an antidepressant drug, according to a report from the CDC, and the number of Americans taking antidepressants has gone up over 400 percent since 1988. Why the rise? Are we more depressed than we used to be, simply more medicated or both?"
Wow that is insane! Yes I know most people I know have taken an anti-depressant at some point. I am one of the few people I know that never have. I considered it a few times, because wouldn't it be nice if one little pill could solve all of our problems lol, but I always knew deep down it wouldn't. Thinking that is a lie from Satan really. Only God can help us, and even then all our problems won't be solved. Life is hard because we live in a fallen world, and it always will be hard. We just have to accept that and appreciate when things are actually good and when we are happy. :) But no one can ever be always happy. Not until we reach heaven we can't be. :)
This is so true! "Many parents think that it's their job to make kids happy all the time. We're not supposed to be happy all the time. Our moods are supposed to vary. They're not supposed to vary so extremely that they disable us, but I think it is perfectly normal to have lows, as well as highs, and there may be even some value in those experiences."
Yes there is value in the lows. I have learned my most in the lows and grown the most in wisdom when times are the most hard. The lows make you appreciate the highs of life. So in the end, they are good. We wouldn't realize how good things are sometimes if we had nothing to contrast the good times with. Thus, bad times are good as well as good times. :) What a paradox.
"One of the research findings that's - I think, find very interesting is that the more people have, the less content they seem to be."
Very true. Why? Because those who have are always wanting more. Those who have are so used to shopping and getting and getting that they rarely stop to be grateful for what they already have. Life becomes a rat race, a never ending acquiring of more and more things, only to leave them more and more miserable. Very sad. :(
"The pharmaceutical companies have been very effective at convincing people that ordinary states of sadness are now matters of imbalanced brain chemistry which needs to be treated."
Yes this is so true! Doctors, for some reason, often seem to want to convince you that something is wrong with you. Why? So you will need THEM! So they can "fix" you. So you will depend on them. So you will spend all of your money on Them. It is a huge scheme if you really think about it. I know some doctors are good, but some are con artists. Just like some dentists who tell you you need 5 fillings and you go to another dentist and they say no, you have no cavities. It's like that. Watch out for the con artists in the medical field. They are certainly out there, like wolves in sheep skins. :(
Amen...."We can't change what happens to us, but we can change our reaction to it."
We are not forever victims to our circumstances. This is a lie of depression and what can lead to depression. We can change things sometimes. But if we cannot, we can change how we react to it. I love the quote, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." :) Do what you can with what you have. :)
"There is a disturbing and growing body of evidence that the major class of antidepressant drugs, the SSRIs, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, don't work so great, in fact that they barely can be distinguished from placebo even in severe depression now."
Yes I have always been skeptical of how well they work for sure. The placebo effect means, the person taking the pill expects to feel better simply because they are taking the pill and so they do, even though the pill may not actually be doing anything. Very funny and quite ironic. :)
Wow "There is also, I think, great concern about... a new problem just coming to light. It's called tardive dysphoria. That means lingering depression caused by the drugs."
Yes I have heard that in taking Advil too much it can actually cause rebound headaches. Taking headache medicine can give you more head aches. The same can be true of anti-depressants. They may actually only worsen the problem. :( Very sad.
".... The drugs produce the very problem they're meant to treat."
What? Yes how ironic.
"If you increase serotonin at neural junctions with a drug, the body responds over time by producing less serotonin and dropping serotonin receptors."
Yes this makes sense. If you are synthetically taking something your body thinks it doesn't need to produce it anymore, thus it shuts down production of whatever supplement you are taking. So if you are taking serotonin essentially your body will just stop making serotonin, therefore making you forever dependent on the drug, on this outside source, to give your body what it needs. So crazy. :( And quite scary. Hence, once doctors get someone hooked and started on any medication, they may just have to be on it for life!
A lesson in this: don't mess with nature and the way God created the body to function. It runs just fine most of the time if we would just leave it alone. :( And always remember to eat apples lol :)
"It's just like trying to treat acid reflux with drugs that suppress acid: You take it away, and you have a worse problem than you did to begin with. So the drugs may create their own need."
Wow what a trip! I have noticed that since I stopped taking Advil for headaches, since I need to be careful of that in pregnancy, I have been getting less headaches. How ironic isn't it. :)
"There's a simple exercise from positive psychology called keeping a gratitude journal. You get a little notebook, keep it by your bed; during the day, make mental notes of things you have to be grateful for, jot them down when you go to bed. Doing that for one week can cause improvement of mood for up to six months. And that's pretty dramatic."
I have done that for quite some time and yes it is very effective in keeping you happy and positive! It is very cool and so simple :) but u have to remember to keep what u write positive. lol
I have done that for quite some time and yes it is very effective in keeping you happy and positive! It is very cool and so simple :) but u have to remember to keep what u write positive. lol
A call in...."My niece, who is a freshman in college, was given antidepressants and committed suicide shortly thereafter." So sad :(
Writer's response: "There are some significant adverse effects of antidepressant drugs. They may increase cardiovascular risk. They may increase cancer risk. A latest finding is that pregnant women who take them, there are higher rates of autism in their offspring. These are not benign agents."
No they are not at all my goodness!
Prescription drugs are drugs just like street drugs. They have negative effects on the body. They are addictive. They lead people to more depression and suicide even.
In the case of the girl who committed suicide, my theory is that anytime we take drugs, prescription or not, we are opening a door to Satan in our lives.
He then has greater access into our minds, our dreams, even over our bodies.
My husband had an odd encounter, believe it if you want. He was smoking heavily for a time and some demons literally picked him up off his bed in his sleep and told him, "You have given us authority over your body since you have chosen to smoke so much and damage your body."
I know many people smoke, but everything in moderation. Perhaps one cigarette a day isn't horrible, but if you allow it to master you, to control you, you have opened a door to Satan in your life.
If you allow anything to master and control you, you have opened a door to Satan, it doesn't matter what it is.
May God help us to be self-controlled in all things. Amen :)
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Random
Why depression is such an epidemic in America today. Poor diet, no exercise and drugs. Everyone is on drugs. :(
Kids are eating fast food almost every night which is horrible for their health. They never run around outside anymore like they used to but sit all day playing video games or watching TV or movies. They are given Ritalin if they show any excitement about anything and this excitement is called ADD or ADHD. It's crazy really. And that is how we are investing in the future of America. They will grow up unintelligent, unhealthy and sedated. Very sad. :(
A good and compelling reason to NOT ever eat at McDonald's. And to eat fruit! yay fruit! lol :)
More reasons to eat fruit...... :)
and here's an awesome fact about bananas woohoo! :)
And this is a good and quite true quote, but anything worth doing is hard right? Yes :)
"Marriage is glorious but hard. It's a burning joy and strength, and yet it is also blood, sweat, and tears, humbling defeats and exhausting victories.
Marriage, next to our relationship to God, is the most profound relationship there is. That's why, like knowing God himself, coming to know and love your spouse is difficult and painful yet rewarding and wondrous." (Timothy Keller)
The same can be said of kids. I haven't had them yet but that has been my experience working with kids the last 14 years. It's very hard but good and rewarding.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Love Quotes
Some GREAT love quotes I saw online. I echo all of these for my husband! :) He is so awesome! :)
"You are my soul-mate, my best friend, and the love of my life… I don’t ever want to be without you… You make my life so much better than I could ever imagine it could be… You make me feel so safe and so secure and I know it will all be OK… I am so blessed to be on this journey with you my love…"
"I needed your love and then you were there… I am the luckiest woman in the world… There is a love in your heart like I have never felt before and a tenderness in your eyes that melts my soul… I fall in love with you more each and every day….... "
"You made me a believer; you reminded me that God sends people into our lives for a purpose and to bless us. I thought my heart was broken forever and it would remain shattered into pieces. But God has his own ways of showing his love. He sent you into my life to heal my soul and to soothe my sad heart. Thank you for coming into my life when I was lonely and sad and bringing life to me again."
"I want to grow old with you and spend the rest of my life with you……You charmed me with your patient nature and stole my heart with your smile. I adore you for every thing you do for me. You understand me completely. I am so very deeply and irrevocably in love with you for your sheer awesomeness! You know how to cheer me up on the sad days. You encourage me to do things and to not give up. You help me overcome my fears and learn to trust again. Thank you for being so wonderful!" :)
"You made me a believer; you reminded me that God sends people into our lives for a purpose and to bless us. I thought my heart was broken forever and it would remain shattered into pieces. But God has his own ways of showing his love. He sent you into my life to heal my soul and to soothe my sad heart. Thank you for coming into my life when I was lonely and sad and bringing life to me again."
"My love for you is timeless and endless. You enrich my life in more ways than I can ever express in words. I felt strongly connected to you the moment I held you for the first time. I was drawn to your soul in a way I have never experienced before. Your presence brings a sense of peace, calmness and happiness to my heart and soul. We were created and paired by God to be together till eternity. We are tied in an unbreakable divine bond of soulful love." Amen! I love that one. :)
"I want to grow old with you and spend the rest of my life with you……You charmed me with your patient nature and stole my heart with your smile. I adore you for every thing you do for me. You understand me completely. I am so very deeply and irrevocably in love with you for your sheer awesomeness! You know how to cheer me up on the sad days. You encourage me to do things and to not give up. You help me overcome my fears and learn to trust again. Thank you for being so wonderful!" :)
"Love is one of the most beautiful feelings in the world. To love and to be loved back, to care for and be cared back, to yearn for and be longed for in return, is simply magical! To love is to give away everything, to sacrifice everything, without the slightest desire to get anything in return." Amen :)
Praise God for his gift of our ability to love one another. :)
Be blessed! :)
Be blessed! :)
Cancer and Our Lifestyle
When I was younger I thought I would discover the cure for cancer someday. :)
I wanted to get a degree in Biology, become a botanist, and climb trees in South America.
I thought maybe the cure for cancer would be in some undiscovered plant in some exotic dense rain forest.
Cancer is a very odd phenomenon if you really think about it.
And as far as I know it didn't even exist over 40 years ago.
No one's great grandparents died of cancer.
So what do we have in our modern society that they didn't have then?
McDonald's and other fast food for one.
Medications. Pharmaceuticals. Ever since the drug revolution of the 60's, drugs have become a huge part of our every day lives, some are legal and some are not.
It's possible the ozone layer is getting more and more depleted due to increased emissions from cars etc. So we are getting more and more harmful rays from the sun.
I don't think that has led to the myth of "global warming," but cancer, perhaps.
What did the American diet consist of 50 or 60 years ago? More salad I'm sure, and more vegetables.
Meatloaf, pasta, fruit, nuts.....
What did it not consist of....not as much ice cream or cake I'm sure. :) Not processed foods like TV dinners. I have always been very much against TV dinners. All the preservatives in them could easily be a cause of cancer.
Did you know every day our body produces a cell that would have been cancer but our immune system kills it.
So cancer, therefore, seems to be caused by the breaking down of one's immune system.
What keeps a healthy immune system?
SLEEP is a BIG NUMBER ONE on that list. Most people really need at least 9 hours of sleep every night. But how much sleep do most people get? 5, maybe
What else....eating green things, as my grandma always told me. Anything green that you eat will make you live forever she said, except green jello of course. :)
Just think of what Adam and Even probably ate in the Garden of Eden....lots and LOTS of fruit....probably vegetables, because Adam worked a garden, tomatoes, grain of some sort....
Also how much would they have slept?
They most likely slept from sundown to sun up, which if you think about it would be about 12 hours in the winter and 9 hours in the summer.
That was how things were supposed to be.
My entire life I have always gotten at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I have always known that sleep is very, very important.
People may say they don't have that much time. But we make time for what we want to make time for. It would usually just mean less or no TV for most people and hence more sleep. :)
Also, it's interesting that humans didn't even eat meat until after the flood.
I've always been somewhat anti-meat, at least anti eating a lot of meat.
I probably only eat meat once a week, like chicken for one meal.
I get my protein from eggs, cheese, nuts, yogurt and milk. And I eat a lot of fruit. :)
Although according to my grandma I shouldn't even have milk, yogurt or cheese. She always said milk was made for baby cows, not people. But I love dairy and that would mean no ice cream either, which would be very sad. lol :)
But biblically milk would seem to be ok, because the Israelites were headed for a land "flowing with milk and honey." That could have been goat's milk, but who knows. :)
I think exercise is important, but not as important as what food we put in our body. Some foods simply can't be digested, and all the exercise in the world won't matter if you're eating a lot of processed foods.
But our lives are very sedentary now. I'm guessing in the Garden of Eden, Eve's life consisted of walking around the garden all day while Adam worked the garden. It doesn't really say what Eve did, but I'm guessing she walked around a lot.
But today we sit a lot. We sit when we drive. We sit while the laundry machine is running, instead of how we used to manually have to wash clothes. We sit and watch TV.
And we don't have to walk to get anything. We don't have to walk to get water. We don't have to walk to get food, except just a short saunter into the kitchen.
Everything is right at our finger tips. Hence the obesity epidemic in America.
So what is the cure for cancer?
Perhaps just eating better and sleeping more.
If I get cancer at some point then you will know I'm wrong. :) But for the most part I have slept plenty and eaten relatively well, and I don't think I will get cancer. At least I'm hoping I won't. :)
I have never been addicted to smoking. I've never been addicted to anything really.
I have only drank in excess I think 5 times in my life. I admit I tried pot once but otherwise have not done drugs.
I have never taken a prescription for anything, other than anti-biotics when I was very little for ear infections.
I have tried to avoid soda for the most part and desserts other than ice cream. I haven't eaten candy much since I was a kid.
The only thing that really is lacking in my life though is eating more vegetables. I'm big on fruit but not so big on veggies.
You know how they say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Well perhaps 5 fruits a day keeps any disease at all away and will keep you out of the hospital completely. :)
The only time I've needed to see a Dr. was when my appendix burst when I was 10. I had surgery and they removed it. But otherwise I have been perfectly healthy, aside from getting the flu sometimes.
Praise God! Of course my good health could also be attributed to God's protection and my guardian angels. :)
But yes, I highly advise you look at what you eat and try to eat more fruit. :) And you will live long and prosper lol hopefully.
God bless!
I wanted to get a degree in Biology, become a botanist, and climb trees in South America.
I thought maybe the cure for cancer would be in some undiscovered plant in some exotic dense rain forest.
Cancer is a very odd phenomenon if you really think about it.
And as far as I know it didn't even exist over 40 years ago.
No one's great grandparents died of cancer.
So what do we have in our modern society that they didn't have then?
McDonald's and other fast food for one.
Medications. Pharmaceuticals. Ever since the drug revolution of the 60's, drugs have become a huge part of our every day lives, some are legal and some are not.
It's possible the ozone layer is getting more and more depleted due to increased emissions from cars etc. So we are getting more and more harmful rays from the sun.
I don't think that has led to the myth of "global warming," but cancer, perhaps.
What did the American diet consist of 50 or 60 years ago? More salad I'm sure, and more vegetables.
Meatloaf, pasta, fruit, nuts.....
What did it not consist of....not as much ice cream or cake I'm sure. :) Not processed foods like TV dinners. I have always been very much against TV dinners. All the preservatives in them could easily be a cause of cancer.
Did you know every day our body produces a cell that would have been cancer but our immune system kills it.
So cancer, therefore, seems to be caused by the breaking down of one's immune system.
What keeps a healthy immune system?
SLEEP is a BIG NUMBER ONE on that list. Most people really need at least 9 hours of sleep every night. But how much sleep do most people get? 5, maybe
What else....eating green things, as my grandma always told me. Anything green that you eat will make you live forever she said, except green jello of course. :)
Just think of what Adam and Even probably ate in the Garden of Eden....lots and LOTS of fruit....probably vegetables, because Adam worked a garden, tomatoes, grain of some sort....
Also how much would they have slept?
They most likely slept from sundown to sun up, which if you think about it would be about 12 hours in the winter and 9 hours in the summer.
That was how things were supposed to be.
My entire life I have always gotten at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I have always known that sleep is very, very important.
People may say they don't have that much time. But we make time for what we want to make time for. It would usually just mean less or no TV for most people and hence more sleep. :)
Also, it's interesting that humans didn't even eat meat until after the flood.
I've always been somewhat anti-meat, at least anti eating a lot of meat.
I probably only eat meat once a week, like chicken for one meal.
I get my protein from eggs, cheese, nuts, yogurt and milk. And I eat a lot of fruit. :)
Although according to my grandma I shouldn't even have milk, yogurt or cheese. She always said milk was made for baby cows, not people. But I love dairy and that would mean no ice cream either, which would be very sad. lol :)
But biblically milk would seem to be ok, because the Israelites were headed for a land "flowing with milk and honey." That could have been goat's milk, but who knows. :)
I think exercise is important, but not as important as what food we put in our body. Some foods simply can't be digested, and all the exercise in the world won't matter if you're eating a lot of processed foods.
But our lives are very sedentary now. I'm guessing in the Garden of Eden, Eve's life consisted of walking around the garden all day while Adam worked the garden. It doesn't really say what Eve did, but I'm guessing she walked around a lot.
But today we sit a lot. We sit when we drive. We sit while the laundry machine is running, instead of how we used to manually have to wash clothes. We sit and watch TV.
And we don't have to walk to get anything. We don't have to walk to get water. We don't have to walk to get food, except just a short saunter into the kitchen.
Everything is right at our finger tips. Hence the obesity epidemic in America.
So what is the cure for cancer?
Perhaps just eating better and sleeping more.
If I get cancer at some point then you will know I'm wrong. :) But for the most part I have slept plenty and eaten relatively well, and I don't think I will get cancer. At least I'm hoping I won't. :)
I have never been addicted to smoking. I've never been addicted to anything really.
I have only drank in excess I think 5 times in my life. I admit I tried pot once but otherwise have not done drugs.
I have never taken a prescription for anything, other than anti-biotics when I was very little for ear infections.
I have tried to avoid soda for the most part and desserts other than ice cream. I haven't eaten candy much since I was a kid.
The only thing that really is lacking in my life though is eating more vegetables. I'm big on fruit but not so big on veggies.
You know how they say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Well perhaps 5 fruits a day keeps any disease at all away and will keep you out of the hospital completely. :)
The only time I've needed to see a Dr. was when my appendix burst when I was 10. I had surgery and they removed it. But otherwise I have been perfectly healthy, aside from getting the flu sometimes.
Praise God! Of course my good health could also be attributed to God's protection and my guardian angels. :)
But yes, I highly advise you look at what you eat and try to eat more fruit. :) And you will live long and prosper lol hopefully.
God bless!
Myths of Medicine
"
It seems that the healthiest people on the planet right now are those that have deviated from the norms of conventional medical quackery, and have migrated towards natural health.....Find the healthiest 5 people you know and you’ll find they typically don’t subscribe to the health myths promoted by mainstream medicine."
http://www.realfarmacy.com/top-5-health-myths/
Yes I am the healthiest person I know and I know it's mainly because I eat a lot of fruit, take walks when I can, but don't overdo it on exercise, and have never taken any type of medication. :)
I heartily agree with everything in this article! Please read :) "People perish for lack of knowledge." Increase your knowledge so that you will live long on the earth and live well. :)
Myth #1
Conventional medicine and the healthcare system helps sick people.Perhaps the biggest health myth today is the public’s misconception that mainstream medicine and the healthcare system helps sick people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The freedom of people to choose natural healing, alternative medicine and methods of disease prevention could soon be threatened by corporate lobbyists who will do anything to protect their wealth at the expense of your health.
Promoters of conventional medicine claim that all the drug studies, approvals, surgical procedures, all other treatments are based on scientific evidence. But is it really science? What passes for “science” today is a collection of health myths, half-truths, intellectual dishonesty and fraudulent reporting to help serve higher interests. Science is not really science anymore.
90 percent of all diseases (cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease, etc.) are easily preventable through diet, nutrition, sunlight and exercise. None of these solutions are ever promoted by conventional medicine because they make no money.
No pharmaceuticals actually cure or resolve the underlying causes of disease. Even “successful” drugs only manage symptoms, usually at the cost of interfering with other physiological functions that will cause side effects down the road. There is no such thing as a drug without a side effect.
There is no financial incentive for anyone in today’s system of medicine (drug companies, hospitals, doctors, etc.) to actually make patients well. Profits are found in continued sickness, not wellness or prevention.
Almost all the “prevention” programs you see today (such as free mammograms or other screening programs) are nothing more than patient recruitment schemes designed to increase revenue and sickness. They use free screenings to scare people into agreeing to unnecessary treatments that only lead to further disease. Mammography is a very good example. Chemotherapy is another.
Nobody has any interest in your health except you. No corporation, no doctor, and no government has any desire to actually make you well. This has served the short-term financial interests of higher powers in the west very well. The only healthy, aware, critically thinking individuals are all 100% free of pharmaceuticals and processed foods.
MYTH #2
Vaccines prevent diseases and increase immunity.
The term “immunization”, often substituted for vaccination, is false and should be legally challenged. Medical research has well established that the direct injection of foreign proteins and other toxic material (particularly known immune-sensitising poisons such as mercury) makes the recipient more, not less, easily affected by what he/she encounters in the future. This means they do the opposite of immunize, commonly even preventing immunity from developing after natural exposure.
The actual frequency of health problems has been estimated by authorities to be possibly up to 100 times, or more, greater than that reported by government agencies. That difference is due to the lack of enforcement or incentive for doctors to report adverse effects. With the anti-vaccination movements now exposing the truth on the internet, the medical community is now on high alert, defending their claims and being told by vaccine manufacturers that they must never let their patients (or parents) think that the risks could outweigh the benefits, when in reality, it is precisely the opposite that is true.
The benefit risk ratio is an important decision in anyone deciding whether to vaccinate or not. Contrary to popular belief and marketing, childhood diseases in a developed country are not as dangerous as we are led to believe. Catching a particular disease does not mean you will die from it. Vaccines were actually introduced at a time when diseases had already declined to a low risk level. This fact is proven, scientifically.
The actual frequency of health problems has been estimated by authorities to be possibly up to 100 times, or more, greater than that reported by government agencies. That difference is due to the lack of enforcement or incentive for doctors to report adverse effects. With the anti-vaccination movements now exposing the truth on the internet, the medical community is now on high alert, defending their claims and being told by vaccine manufacturers that they must never let their patients (or parents) think that the risks could outweigh the benefits, when in reality, it is precisely the opposite that is true.
The benefit risk ratio is an important decision in anyone deciding whether to vaccinate or not. Contrary to popular belief and marketing, childhood diseases in a developed country are not as dangerous as we are led to believe. Catching a particular disease does not mean you will die from it. Vaccines were actually introduced at a time when diseases had already declined to a low risk level. This fact is proven, scientifically.
All vaccines contain sterility agents, neurotoxins, immunotoxins, and carcinogenic compounds. Some examples include formaldehyde, a carcinogen found in almost every vaccine, neurotoxins such as monosodium glutamate, potassium chloride, thimerosal, sterility agents such as Triton X-100, octoxynol-10, polysorbate 80, and immuntoxins such as neomycin, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium deoxycholate to name a few of many.
It is no coincidence that the more educated you are, the less chance you will vaccinate which contradicts the misconceptions of many health professionals who profess that parents don’t vaccinate because they are under-educated, poor or misinformed. Those who become fully informed of the dangers of vaccines never see them in the same light again, as their motives then become clear.
MYTH #3
We must all focus on lowering bad cholesterol.Perhaps one of the biggest health myths propagated in western culture and certainly in the United States, is the misuse of an invented term “bad cholesterol” by the media and medical community. Moreover, a scientifically-naive public has been conned into a fraudulent correlation between elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cholesterol has not been shown to actually cause CVD. To the contrary, cholesterol is vital to our survival, and trying to artificially lower it can have detrimental effects, particularly as we age.
We have become a culture so obsessed with eating foods low in cholesterol and fat that many health experts are now questioning the consequences. Could we really maintain a dietary lifestyle that was so foreign to many of our ancestral populations without any ill effects on our health? Many researchers are now concluding that the answer to that question is “NO.” Current data is now suggesting that lower cholesterol levels predate the development of cancer.
The ‘noddy-science’ offered by marketing men to a generally scientifically-naive public has led many people to believe that we should replace certain food choices with specially developed products that can help ‘reduce cholesterol’. Naturally this comes at a price and requires those who can afford it to pay maybe four or five times what a ‘typical ordinary’ product might cost. But is this apparent ‘blanket need’ to strive towards lowering our cholesterol justified? And, indeed, is it healthy?
The cholesterol itself, whether being transported by LDL or HDL, is exactly the same. Cholesterol is simply a necessary ingredient that is required to be regularly delivered around the body for the efficient healthy development, maintenance and functioning of our cells. The difference is in the ‘transporters’ (the lipoproteins HDL and LDL) and both types are essential for the human body’s delivery logistics to work effectively.
Problems can occur, however, when the LDL particles are both small and their carrying capacity outweighs the transportation potential of available HDL. This can lead to more cholesterol being ‘delivered’ around the body with lower resources for returning excess capacity to the liver.
(So go eat some eggs, refried beans, and peanut butter lol And may God increase our wisdom more and more. Amen. :)
Family Traits
Psychologists say that we pick someone to marry that remind us of someone in our family.
They usually say we pick someone who has the same addictions or negative qualities as someone in our family of origin, but it can also be that our spouse reminds us of the good things in our family. :)
In many ways I feel like I have known Ben my whole life.
He is very funny and silly, like my dad was. He can do a million different voices, which is really cool. :)
He has the build of my brother, being tall.
And he is a good listener like my mom and has a lot of patience like her.
He has done good things for people and tried to share the gospel with others like my grandma.
And he is a good spiritual leader like my grandpa.
He has a sense of fashion like my brother, which I appreciate. :)
His teen years were very much like my brother's.
However, his adult life has been very much like my mom's, or my own, in that he has read several Christian growth books by Max Lucado etc.
His calm, relaxing nature is like my mom.
But his silly, funny side is like my dad and brother.
His patience and ability to forgive so easily is like my step-dad.
Likewise I think I remind him of his sister in my intellect and love of learning, his dad in my independence and his mom in my caring, compassionate side.
And my silly side reminds him of himself I think. :)
Praise God for sending Ben into my life. He is such a blessing! :)
They usually say we pick someone who has the same addictions or negative qualities as someone in our family of origin, but it can also be that our spouse reminds us of the good things in our family. :)
In many ways I feel like I have known Ben my whole life.
He is very funny and silly, like my dad was. He can do a million different voices, which is really cool. :)
He has the build of my brother, being tall.
And he is a good listener like my mom and has a lot of patience like her.
He has done good things for people and tried to share the gospel with others like my grandma.
And he is a good spiritual leader like my grandpa.
He has a sense of fashion like my brother, which I appreciate. :)
His teen years were very much like my brother's.
However, his adult life has been very much like my mom's, or my own, in that he has read several Christian growth books by Max Lucado etc.
His calm, relaxing nature is like my mom.
But his silly, funny side is like my dad and brother.
His patience and ability to forgive so easily is like my step-dad.
Likewise I think I remind him of his sister in my intellect and love of learning, his dad in my independence and his mom in my caring, compassionate side.
And my silly side reminds him of himself I think. :)
Praise God for sending Ben into my life. He is such a blessing! :)
Monday, June 17, 2013
Love and Respect in Marriage
Why does the Bible say that husbands are to love their wives? Why does the Bible say that women are to respect their husbands? What is the significance of love and respect and how are they played out practially? How can women show respect and men show love?
Respect does not come naturally to women, because we think in terms of love. Love does not come naturally to men, because men think in terms of respect. Women love to love. Men have a "Man Code" of honor and respect amongst each other. Watch the movie Gliator and you will understand this. What do the men repeatedly say to each other in that movie? "Strength and honor!" Then look at chick flicks. What is the main theme? LOVE, of course. :) Men understand the rules and conditions of "The Man Code." Women, however, usually do not. Women need to seek to understand men more, just as men need to seek to understand women more. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR6n6LFy8tU
The host in this clip says that he has almost been married for 20 years. He admits that there were some rough years in his marriage, but he said that the principles in the Love and Respect book really made a difference in his own marriage. That book opened his eyes a lot. He says every guy needs to read this books, because it is one of the only relationship books that makes sense to men.
The host asks Emmerson, "What do you say to a guy who says, 'I don't have a good marriage. I am miserable.' "
Emmerson says that many times writers and leaders in the church have contributed to these miserable marriages that just don't work by giving the wrong advice. He says that most relationship books that you read and most pastors will say that it is the man's fault that things are not working. But the fact is, that is not always the case. I know us women, are quite capable of making a considerable amount of waves ourselves. Women are not angels by any means. It takes two to tango right? As in it takes two to have a fight, and it takes two to not have the kind of marriage that would be possible if both were trying harder.
Emmerson himself used to think that men were primarily the reason for problems in marriage. But look at what Solomon says repeatedly in the Proverbs. "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." "A quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof."
Wives can be just as guilty of ruining marriages as men can. Sometimes women are the victims in cases of domestic violence. But sometimes it is the men who are the victims, of emotional violence, from women. The world is so easy on women, and with feminism we always want to point fingers at the man and say it is his fault. But what if it isn't? What if it is the woman who is causing more of the issues?
Emmerson says, "The love and respesct message is based on Eph. 5 which says a husband must love and a wife must respect." But what happens is that when she feels unloved, she reacts in ways that seem disrespectful to the man. And when the man feels disrespected, he reacts in ways that feel unloving to the woman.
Many good willed people are in a crazy cycle in their marriages, and we need to decode this and understand what is ACTUALLY going on. The truth is that when a woman acts disrespectfully she is most likely crying out that she needs to be loved, but she doesn't feel able to say that directly for whatever reason. To stop the crazy cycle the man needs to love the woman even if the women is not acting in a way that is loving or deserving of love. Why? Because we love each other "as unto God." Even though our spouse does not deserve our love or respect, we are STILL called to love and respect them unconditionally, no matter what they do.
Without respect from the woman, the man will react defensively without love. The man really does love his wife, but he goes into a self-protectant mode when she is acting disrespectfully. In his mind, she has now become the enemy and he must gaurd against her so that she cannot hurt him anymore. However, if her life was threatened in that moment he would still lay down his life in a heartbeat for her. His unloving actions are only a momentary self-preservation mode. Like pulling out an umbrella to protect us from the rain, men pull out unloving acts to protect them from the woman's disrespect.
He may say something hurtful to her in an attempt to push her away. Or he may just shut down, stone-wall, and retreat into his "cave" as John Gray likes to call it, the author of Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars.
We all have our ways of self-protection. Women see this as the man has stopped loving her. But the fact is, he will always love her, but he very well may have stopped liking her in that moment because of her actions, and that is ok. Like moms say to their children, "I'll always love you, but I don't like you right now." Husbands will always love their wives, but sometimes they feel the need to hide when the storms are raging. And women, we know we can start some storms. :)
What men want most in relationships is for them to be more positive and more happy. But women love drama. Why we do, I don't know. Perhaps because women see drama as a way to connect more. But men see drama as a disconnect. Women love the thrill of heightened emotions. Men like to stay calm, keep things mellow and easy. Women love discussing problems. Men like to ignore problems and pretend they don't exist. Thus the battle of the sexes. :)
Ultimately marriage is not about your spouse, it is about serving God in your marriage. We are to do everything as unto God. Regardless of how respectable your husband is, RESPECT him. Regardless of how lovable your wife may be, LOVE her. Love her as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for it, as Paul commands. This is unconditional love, loving or respecting someone no matter what they do. This is what God is calling us to do in marriage. This is what He empowers us to do when we stay connected to Him. Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." So remember to stay connected to God, and you will then be able to love or respect your spouse as much as is humanly possible.
When men choose to put on love toward a woman who is angry she will immediately soften. Try this men, the next time you are in a fight. Try walking up and holding your wife when she is yelling at you and see what happens. The fight will most likely instantly be dissolved, and her anger will melt when she feels loved by you.
We have to believe that each spouse has good intentions towards the other. That is the base from which to start.
Every couple WILL have troubles. But successful couples know how to do the dance of disagreement better and come out of it ok.
It's hard to be thankful while being negative. We need to give thanks for everything regardless, because we recognize that God has our best intentions in mind. In marriage it is common for people to develop a negativity about their spouse. But we are are called to give thanks and that releases the peace of Christ in our lives in every situation. In marriage, we have to force ourselves to give thanks, even when we may not feel like it. Our actions can lead our hearts to where they need to be.
It is a good idea to keep a thankful journal for your husband or wife; to periodically write all of the reasons we are thankful for that other person, our team mate. It is even better if we would share what we write with our spouse to encourage them. Everyone needs encouragement. It is so key that people in marriage do that often, and compliment each other. It will greatly improve your relationship.
May we as women learn more and more how to respect our husbands and may men learn how to really love their wives "as Christ loved the church." Grace and peace be with you.
God bless!
Respect does not come naturally to women, because we think in terms of love. Love does not come naturally to men, because men think in terms of respect. Women love to love. Men have a "Man Code" of honor and respect amongst each other. Watch the movie Gliator and you will understand this. What do the men repeatedly say to each other in that movie? "Strength and honor!" Then look at chick flicks. What is the main theme? LOVE, of course. :) Men understand the rules and conditions of "The Man Code." Women, however, usually do not. Women need to seek to understand men more, just as men need to seek to understand women more. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR6n6LFy8tU
The host in this clip says that he has almost been married for 20 years. He admits that there were some rough years in his marriage, but he said that the principles in the Love and Respect book really made a difference in his own marriage. That book opened his eyes a lot. He says every guy needs to read this books, because it is one of the only relationship books that makes sense to men.
The host asks Emmerson, "What do you say to a guy who says, 'I don't have a good marriage. I am miserable.' "
Emmerson says that many times writers and leaders in the church have contributed to these miserable marriages that just don't work by giving the wrong advice. He says that most relationship books that you read and most pastors will say that it is the man's fault that things are not working. But the fact is, that is not always the case. I know us women, are quite capable of making a considerable amount of waves ourselves. Women are not angels by any means. It takes two to tango right? As in it takes two to have a fight, and it takes two to not have the kind of marriage that would be possible if both were trying harder.
Emmerson himself used to think that men were primarily the reason for problems in marriage. But look at what Solomon says repeatedly in the Proverbs. "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." "A quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof."
Wives can be just as guilty of ruining marriages as men can. Sometimes women are the victims in cases of domestic violence. But sometimes it is the men who are the victims, of emotional violence, from women. The world is so easy on women, and with feminism we always want to point fingers at the man and say it is his fault. But what if it isn't? What if it is the woman who is causing more of the issues?
Emmerson says, "The love and respesct message is based on Eph. 5 which says a husband must love and a wife must respect." But what happens is that when she feels unloved, she reacts in ways that seem disrespectful to the man. And when the man feels disrespected, he reacts in ways that feel unloving to the woman.
Many good willed people are in a crazy cycle in their marriages, and we need to decode this and understand what is ACTUALLY going on. The truth is that when a woman acts disrespectfully she is most likely crying out that she needs to be loved, but she doesn't feel able to say that directly for whatever reason. To stop the crazy cycle the man needs to love the woman even if the women is not acting in a way that is loving or deserving of love. Why? Because we love each other "as unto God." Even though our spouse does not deserve our love or respect, we are STILL called to love and respect them unconditionally, no matter what they do.
Without respect from the woman, the man will react defensively without love. The man really does love his wife, but he goes into a self-protectant mode when she is acting disrespectfully. In his mind, she has now become the enemy and he must gaurd against her so that she cannot hurt him anymore. However, if her life was threatened in that moment he would still lay down his life in a heartbeat for her. His unloving actions are only a momentary self-preservation mode. Like pulling out an umbrella to protect us from the rain, men pull out unloving acts to protect them from the woman's disrespect.
He may say something hurtful to her in an attempt to push her away. Or he may just shut down, stone-wall, and retreat into his "cave" as John Gray likes to call it, the author of Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars.
We all have our ways of self-protection. Women see this as the man has stopped loving her. But the fact is, he will always love her, but he very well may have stopped liking her in that moment because of her actions, and that is ok. Like moms say to their children, "I'll always love you, but I don't like you right now." Husbands will always love their wives, but sometimes they feel the need to hide when the storms are raging. And women, we know we can start some storms. :)
What men want most in relationships is for them to be more positive and more happy. But women love drama. Why we do, I don't know. Perhaps because women see drama as a way to connect more. But men see drama as a disconnect. Women love the thrill of heightened emotions. Men like to stay calm, keep things mellow and easy. Women love discussing problems. Men like to ignore problems and pretend they don't exist. Thus the battle of the sexes. :)
Ultimately marriage is not about your spouse, it is about serving God in your marriage. We are to do everything as unto God. Regardless of how respectable your husband is, RESPECT him. Regardless of how lovable your wife may be, LOVE her. Love her as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for it, as Paul commands. This is unconditional love, loving or respecting someone no matter what they do. This is what God is calling us to do in marriage. This is what He empowers us to do when we stay connected to Him. Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." So remember to stay connected to God, and you will then be able to love or respect your spouse as much as is humanly possible.
When men choose to put on love toward a woman who is angry she will immediately soften. Try this men, the next time you are in a fight. Try walking up and holding your wife when she is yelling at you and see what happens. The fight will most likely instantly be dissolved, and her anger will melt when she feels loved by you.
We have to believe that each spouse has good intentions towards the other. That is the base from which to start.
Every couple WILL have troubles. But successful couples know how to do the dance of disagreement better and come out of it ok.
It's hard to be thankful while being negative. We need to give thanks for everything regardless, because we recognize that God has our best intentions in mind. In marriage it is common for people to develop a negativity about their spouse. But we are are called to give thanks and that releases the peace of Christ in our lives in every situation. In marriage, we have to force ourselves to give thanks, even when we may not feel like it. Our actions can lead our hearts to where they need to be.
It is a good idea to keep a thankful journal for your husband or wife; to periodically write all of the reasons we are thankful for that other person, our team mate. It is even better if we would share what we write with our spouse to encourage them. Everyone needs encouragement. It is so key that people in marriage do that often, and compliment each other. It will greatly improve your relationship.
May we as women learn more and more how to respect our husbands and may men learn how to really love their wives "as Christ loved the church." Grace and peace be with you.
God bless!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
The Job Market
Does anyone else find our current job market to be quite frustrating? Why does there seem to be a huge lack of good paying jobs anymore in America?
It could be Divine retribution. We have spit in God's face since the 60's, the drug revolution, and done whatever we wanted, so we are now having to pay the price for it. Our economy is falling and will continue to fall and there is probably nothing we can do about it, except move to another country. :) New Zealand perhaps?
But, for some reason, the whole world is in debt. Even Japan, who seemed untouchable, fell and is no longer part of the "big 5" anymore. Really, what is the world coming to? This is why I think the end must be near, or at least I hope it is lol. :)
I remember when I was in college in SoCal the goal was not to have kids, among my female co-students, the goal was to succeed, to become somebody. But success seems completely impossible in our current economic recession.
One day one of my friends even said, "What's the point of getting this degree just to have kids someday?" And yes, indeed, what was the point? We wanted to make money. We wanted to go somewhere, change the world. But none of us have, really. One of my friends, one of the smartest girls in the English program, went on to get her Masters to become a college Professor but ended up not doing that, sadly. That also has been my goal but it would mean acquiring more student loan debt, which would not be wise, of course.
What really is the point of any one's degree these days? So many people can't find jobs so they go back to school to get a masters only to find that that degree also is useless. Why? Because there just aren't jobs like there used to be. I heard about this all the time at my last job at the student loan company I worked for. I was in their call center and talked to people from all over the states about this all day. And I could understand first hand their frustration for sure.
I was preaching to my class about 3 years ago when I taught Jr. High English that I believed we were entering a 2nd Great Depression. I remember thinking the kids would think I was crazy, but seriously, I think it is just around the corner.
I remember I was quite disheartened when I graduated from Biola with the B.A. in English and went on to Cal State Fullerton. I completed the 5 pre-req classes required to get into the teaching credential program, had trouble with the final test, the CSET, but I realized at that time that about half the teachers in California were getting pink slips and getting laid off, so why on earth was I trying to become a teacher?
I seemed to have graduated at the worst time in history for trying to become a teacher.
All four of my grandparents were teachers so it seemed like I was destined to do that, but my destiny didn't jive with the recession we were entering. :(
If you really think about it, the only decent paying jobs for women, really, are teaching or nursing. We say that feminism has opened doors for women and we can do any job we want to now, but that isn't really true. Most women, pretty much all the women I have known over the years, either went for nursing or teaching and that was it. Or retail jobs or waitressing. In the few restaurants I have worked in I have worked with many other people who had degrees but couldn't find better jobs. There really aren't too many other options for women.
And what about for men? Of course everyone knows becoming a doctor or lawyer is the ideal route to go, but who wants to rack up that much debt for school? The highest debt I saw at the student loan company was 250K! Can you imagine. I would always joke, "Man if my loan debt was that high I would probably just go jump off a bridge or something." I mean these people would have student loan payments of $1,000 a month. That would be insane!
So why is the entire world in debt and where is all the money going? To the bankers. Who owns these students loans? The banks. And not necessarily the American bank, because we as a country are trillions of dollars in debt as well, it's the private world bankers. They have a massive scheme.
They have all of us like puppets on strings. We think we can't get a good job without going to college, so people take out outrageous loans to go to college and then what? They are in bondage the rest of their lives to their debt and on top of that can't find a good job to pay off the debt.
College used to be affordable, doable, now it is completely ridiculous.
And what does, or what did, college promise? Good paying jobs like being a doctor or lawyer right? Well then why was I working at a $12 an hour job with a lawyer at one point who himself couldn't find work? Why are private practice doctors almost having to shut down their offices because taxes are getting so high?
Is there really any profitable work to do these days? Is there any way to find success in our modern economy?
It would seem that the answer is no.
My step dad has had a great job working for Orange County but even he is being forced to take un-paid days of work due to budget cuts. And he has three degrees!
So what does that say for our future?
If high paying jobs start to fall apart like doctors and lawyers, then the retail industry will fold because people will stop buying stuff and the restaurants will all shut down because people won't be able to afford to go out to eat anymore. So what will be left in the future of our country? Nothing. We will most likely end up becoming a third world country or a ghost town because everyone will move elsewhere. But we deserve this, really, if you think about it.
If you google world country debt 2013 in google images you will see what countries are actually doing relatively ok now. Russia, New Zealand, parts of the middle East and some countries in South America are only billions of dollars in debt as opposed to trillions, much better lol. :) And that is about it. China's debt is about the same as ours. Brazil, most of Europe, Australia and India....we are all in the same boat.
Eventually this trillions of dollars of debt will begin to show. People don't see it now. You wouldn't know it walking around in the states. Everything looks fine, normal, but it's under the surface. Like lava boiling under the surface of the earth, eventually the volcano will erupt. Our country's debt will destroy us soon, it's only a matter of time.
Check this out....http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-long-and-painful-history-of-sovereign.html
What is really funny about the map on this page is that most of Africa, who has always been completely third world, is actually in the green, and we, the great and powerful America lol are in the red. The tables have turned. "Those who want to be first shall be last?" Is that us? Now? Perhaps.
So pray. Ask God for help and wisdom of what to do in these last days. Get saved if you are not already. Repent, seek God's face before it's too late, because tomorrow is not promised.
May God be with you!
It could be Divine retribution. We have spit in God's face since the 60's, the drug revolution, and done whatever we wanted, so we are now having to pay the price for it. Our economy is falling and will continue to fall and there is probably nothing we can do about it, except move to another country. :) New Zealand perhaps?
But, for some reason, the whole world is in debt. Even Japan, who seemed untouchable, fell and is no longer part of the "big 5" anymore. Really, what is the world coming to? This is why I think the end must be near, or at least I hope it is lol. :)
I remember when I was in college in SoCal the goal was not to have kids, among my female co-students, the goal was to succeed, to become somebody. But success seems completely impossible in our current economic recession.
One day one of my friends even said, "What's the point of getting this degree just to have kids someday?" And yes, indeed, what was the point? We wanted to make money. We wanted to go somewhere, change the world. But none of us have, really. One of my friends, one of the smartest girls in the English program, went on to get her Masters to become a college Professor but ended up not doing that, sadly. That also has been my goal but it would mean acquiring more student loan debt, which would not be wise, of course.
What really is the point of any one's degree these days? So many people can't find jobs so they go back to school to get a masters only to find that that degree also is useless. Why? Because there just aren't jobs like there used to be. I heard about this all the time at my last job at the student loan company I worked for. I was in their call center and talked to people from all over the states about this all day. And I could understand first hand their frustration for sure.
I was preaching to my class about 3 years ago when I taught Jr. High English that I believed we were entering a 2nd Great Depression. I remember thinking the kids would think I was crazy, but seriously, I think it is just around the corner.
I remember I was quite disheartened when I graduated from Biola with the B.A. in English and went on to Cal State Fullerton. I completed the 5 pre-req classes required to get into the teaching credential program, had trouble with the final test, the CSET, but I realized at that time that about half the teachers in California were getting pink slips and getting laid off, so why on earth was I trying to become a teacher?
I seemed to have graduated at the worst time in history for trying to become a teacher.
All four of my grandparents were teachers so it seemed like I was destined to do that, but my destiny didn't jive with the recession we were entering. :(
If you really think about it, the only decent paying jobs for women, really, are teaching or nursing. We say that feminism has opened doors for women and we can do any job we want to now, but that isn't really true. Most women, pretty much all the women I have known over the years, either went for nursing or teaching and that was it. Or retail jobs or waitressing. In the few restaurants I have worked in I have worked with many other people who had degrees but couldn't find better jobs. There really aren't too many other options for women.
And what about for men? Of course everyone knows becoming a doctor or lawyer is the ideal route to go, but who wants to rack up that much debt for school? The highest debt I saw at the student loan company was 250K! Can you imagine. I would always joke, "Man if my loan debt was that high I would probably just go jump off a bridge or something." I mean these people would have student loan payments of $1,000 a month. That would be insane!
So why is the entire world in debt and where is all the money going? To the bankers. Who owns these students loans? The banks. And not necessarily the American bank, because we as a country are trillions of dollars in debt as well, it's the private world bankers. They have a massive scheme.
They have all of us like puppets on strings. We think we can't get a good job without going to college, so people take out outrageous loans to go to college and then what? They are in bondage the rest of their lives to their debt and on top of that can't find a good job to pay off the debt.
College used to be affordable, doable, now it is completely ridiculous.
And what does, or what did, college promise? Good paying jobs like being a doctor or lawyer right? Well then why was I working at a $12 an hour job with a lawyer at one point who himself couldn't find work? Why are private practice doctors almost having to shut down their offices because taxes are getting so high?
Is there really any profitable work to do these days? Is there any way to find success in our modern economy?
It would seem that the answer is no.
My step dad has had a great job working for Orange County but even he is being forced to take un-paid days of work due to budget cuts. And he has three degrees!
So what does that say for our future?
If high paying jobs start to fall apart like doctors and lawyers, then the retail industry will fold because people will stop buying stuff and the restaurants will all shut down because people won't be able to afford to go out to eat anymore. So what will be left in the future of our country? Nothing. We will most likely end up becoming a third world country or a ghost town because everyone will move elsewhere. But we deserve this, really, if you think about it.
If you google world country debt 2013 in google images you will see what countries are actually doing relatively ok now. Russia, New Zealand, parts of the middle East and some countries in South America are only billions of dollars in debt as opposed to trillions, much better lol. :) And that is about it. China's debt is about the same as ours. Brazil, most of Europe, Australia and India....we are all in the same boat.
Eventually this trillions of dollars of debt will begin to show. People don't see it now. You wouldn't know it walking around in the states. Everything looks fine, normal, but it's under the surface. Like lava boiling under the surface of the earth, eventually the volcano will erupt. Our country's debt will destroy us soon, it's only a matter of time.
Check this out....http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-long-and-painful-history-of-sovereign.html
What is really funny about the map on this page is that most of Africa, who has always been completely third world, is actually in the green, and we, the great and powerful America lol are in the red. The tables have turned. "Those who want to be first shall be last?" Is that us? Now? Perhaps.
So pray. Ask God for help and wisdom of what to do in these last days. Get saved if you are not already. Repent, seek God's face before it's too late, because tomorrow is not promised.
May God be with you!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Conflict
"Conflict brings people closer." An odd concept but true.
It is the silent couples who never say anything about how they feel that are more likely to get divorced I think.
"Don't let the sun go down on your anger" because it gives the devil a foothold in your marriage etc.
Quiet resentment can be more toxic than heated discussion about things.
So talk about what you are feeling, with the person you are feeling it about, and you will feel a lot better. :)
Like John Mayer's song, "Say what you need to say." :)
And remember, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
The sharpening process is sometimes hard :)
But it's worth it. :)
God bless!
Prayers
Even though everyone else might, God never will. :) Amen?
What burden have you been carrying?
What are your past hurts? What do you need God to renew in you?
Lavish. I love that word lol. "How great is the love the father has LAVISHED on us that we should be called Children of God!" Amen? Amen :)
Amen!
lol this one is funny :)
Monday, June 10, 2013
Treasures in Heaven
Are there levels of rewards in heaven? Do we all get the same thing when we get to heaven, or do we get more or less depending on how we lived in this life?
The Bible says that we will be judged on the day of the Lord. If we are already saved in Christ why will we be judged?
Perhaps because there will be rewards based on what we did and did not do with our lives and with what God gave us. Were we good stewards with our time, money and talents? Were we grateful and tried to not complain? Did we love those in our lives the best we could? etc.
Look at the story of the talents. The master was very pleased with the servants who got a good return for their talents.
I think the more we do for God in this life, the more he will reward us in the next. Why wouldn't he? He loves us as a parent loves and so he wants to reward us.
Some have the fear of loosing their salvation to keep them in check and living relatively well. But others have this hope that what they do in this life will matter, somehow, in heaven. That there is a positive incentive for trying to live out the Christian life as best as we can.
The rewards are also in this life though. The reward is somewhat intrinsic in doing good. When we do good and follow God's laws we keep ourselves from harm. That in itself is a reward. We will live long and prosper if we follow his ways and what he has told us to do.
It is not necessarily money that we will prosper in. I don't like the prosperity gospel and I do not think God wants us to be rich per se. He will always give us enough though. "Give us this day our daily bread." Our needs will always be met as long as we are following God correctly.
His blessings come in many other ways that are not money; peace, joy, love, new friends etc.
And what about blessings in heaven?
Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven."
What will these treasures look like I wonder? A bigger house? More pets? I personally would love to have a pet white tiger in heaven. lol :)
Does it mean we will get more acreage in heaven?
But that is thinking in earthly terms. What could the treasures in heaven be I wonder?
We cannot really know until we get there. :)
(Here is an example of what a reward might be....getting to rule with Christ. :)
The Bible says that we will be judged on the day of the Lord. If we are already saved in Christ why will we be judged?
Perhaps because there will be rewards based on what we did and did not do with our lives and with what God gave us. Were we good stewards with our time, money and talents? Were we grateful and tried to not complain? Did we love those in our lives the best we could? etc.
Look at the story of the talents. The master was very pleased with the servants who got a good return for their talents.
I think the more we do for God in this life, the more he will reward us in the next. Why wouldn't he? He loves us as a parent loves and so he wants to reward us.
Some have the fear of loosing their salvation to keep them in check and living relatively well. But others have this hope that what they do in this life will matter, somehow, in heaven. That there is a positive incentive for trying to live out the Christian life as best as we can.
The rewards are also in this life though. The reward is somewhat intrinsic in doing good. When we do good and follow God's laws we keep ourselves from harm. That in itself is a reward. We will live long and prosper if we follow his ways and what he has told us to do.
It is not necessarily money that we will prosper in. I don't like the prosperity gospel and I do not think God wants us to be rich per se. He will always give us enough though. "Give us this day our daily bread." Our needs will always be met as long as we are following God correctly.
His blessings come in many other ways that are not money; peace, joy, love, new friends etc.
And what about blessings in heaven?
Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven."
What will these treasures look like I wonder? A bigger house? More pets? I personally would love to have a pet white tiger in heaven. lol :)
Does it mean we will get more acreage in heaven?
But that is thinking in earthly terms. What could the treasures in heaven be I wonder?
We cannot really know until we get there. :)
Luke 14:12-14 says:
"He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”Matthew 6:1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."Matthew 19:21-22
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.Malachi 3:10
"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."(Here is an example of what a reward might be....getting to rule with Christ. :)
Revelation 3:21
"The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."Sweet Things
My husband says the sweetest things to me!
I have never been with a guy who says so many wonderful things. :)
It is very nice and very reassuring.
Us girls, we need a lot of reassurance don't we? :) For our insecurities etc. For some reason it is quite important to us that we always hear how special someone thinks we are and that they think the world of us. This helps us to worry less about things. :)
No man can fill us up as much as God can, but it sure helps when our husbands say sweet things to us. :)
He was just saying, "You're my beautiful princess; you will be my beauty queen always, forever and ever."
He has written poems a lot so these beautiful poetic lines just flow out of him naturally lol, which is really cool. :)
Or he'll call me his "cupcake gumdrop with sprinkles." lol I like that one a lot. :)
I love when he says, "I'm so in love with you."
That means a lot more really than just saying, "I love you." We can love a lot of things, but to be in love with someone is something totally different. :)
When we were first together he would say "I love you" about 15 times a day. It was funny. :)
Yesterday he said, "I have never been happier. I am so happy with you!"
It is so nice to hear these things. Hopefully, it will always be this way and he will never tire of saying sweet things to me. :)
I know it is very much God loving me through him. God has filled him up to overflowing so he can be a blessing to everyone around him and build them up.
That is so nice. :)
God has blessed me SO much in giving me Ben! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world most of the time. :)
It's not always perfect with us. Sometimes we do our own thing or get annoyed with each other, but that's just part of life. We are still both fallen human beings.
But the fact that it can be as wonderful as it is and that he can be as sweet as he is, is really, really nice!
Praise God for love and marriage. :) I pray we continue to grow more and more in love each day.
Amen. :)
I have never been with a guy who says so many wonderful things. :)
It is very nice and very reassuring.
Us girls, we need a lot of reassurance don't we? :) For our insecurities etc. For some reason it is quite important to us that we always hear how special someone thinks we are and that they think the world of us. This helps us to worry less about things. :)
No man can fill us up as much as God can, but it sure helps when our husbands say sweet things to us. :)
He was just saying, "You're my beautiful princess; you will be my beauty queen always, forever and ever."
He has written poems a lot so these beautiful poetic lines just flow out of him naturally lol, which is really cool. :)
Or he'll call me his "cupcake gumdrop with sprinkles." lol I like that one a lot. :)
I love when he says, "I'm so in love with you."
That means a lot more really than just saying, "I love you." We can love a lot of things, but to be in love with someone is something totally different. :)
When we were first together he would say "I love you" about 15 times a day. It was funny. :)
Yesterday he said, "I have never been happier. I am so happy with you!"
It is so nice to hear these things. Hopefully, it will always be this way and he will never tire of saying sweet things to me. :)
I know it is very much God loving me through him. God has filled him up to overflowing so he can be a blessing to everyone around him and build them up.
That is so nice. :)
God has blessed me SO much in giving me Ben! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world most of the time. :)
It's not always perfect with us. Sometimes we do our own thing or get annoyed with each other, but that's just part of life. We are still both fallen human beings.
But the fact that it can be as wonderful as it is and that he can be as sweet as he is, is really, really nice!
Praise God for love and marriage. :) I pray we continue to grow more and more in love each day.
Amen. :)
Making a Name....
In our women's Bible study this morning we discussed how we may have tried to make a name for ourselves.
Jennifer Rothschild talked about the tower of Babel and how those who were making it wanted to make a name for themselves.
They were prideful. They wanted to build a tower that would reach God and the heavens. They wanted to become like God really, just like Satan did.
She noted how they built the tower out of bricks and not stones. Stones are natural and made by God, but bricks are man-made.
So she had us think about what bricks we have used to try and build our lives on and make a name for ourselves.
I have a lot. Various things I have put my identity and trust in. Success was the biggest one throughout my life.
My mom was always huge on me getting straight A's, and I usually did, so that was certainly something I built my own tower with.
In California, where I was mostly raised, grades and degrees are everything.
After I got my B.A. several of my friends were going on to get Masters degrees and I definitely wanted to and have ever since. We all felt I think that our worth was in our intellect and how many degrees we could get etc.
In high school my bricks were made out of sports accomplishments, being popular, singing in front of people any chance I got, being attractive, etc.
I have always wanted to make a name for myself really.
When I was little I wanted to be the next Mariah Carey. lol
As I got older I wanted to write and publish 50 books someday like Joyce Meyer.
But why wouldn't I want to make a name for myself when all I heard growing up was, "Make your mark on the world." "Change the world for Christ!"
So I took them, speakers and teachers I had, literally and thought I actually would change the world. :)
But now I realize it is not I who will change it, but if anything, Christ in me.
I need to keep reminding myself of that. :) And stay humble. :) Apart from Christ we can do nothing.
What bricks have you tried to use to make a name for yourself? Most people want to feel that they have a purpose, that their lives matter and mean something.
The problem is when we go too far and seek our own glory rather than God's.
May all the glory go to God in everything I do, because if it weren't for him, I know I couldn't do anything.
"You are the vine, I am the branches."
Amen? Amen :)
May God bless you in all you do!
and something to think about: "Competition is the thief of joy." Yes it is. :)
Jennifer Rothschild talked about the tower of Babel and how those who were making it wanted to make a name for themselves.
They were prideful. They wanted to build a tower that would reach God and the heavens. They wanted to become like God really, just like Satan did.
She noted how they built the tower out of bricks and not stones. Stones are natural and made by God, but bricks are man-made.
So she had us think about what bricks we have used to try and build our lives on and make a name for ourselves.
I have a lot. Various things I have put my identity and trust in. Success was the biggest one throughout my life.
My mom was always huge on me getting straight A's, and I usually did, so that was certainly something I built my own tower with.
In California, where I was mostly raised, grades and degrees are everything.
After I got my B.A. several of my friends were going on to get Masters degrees and I definitely wanted to and have ever since. We all felt I think that our worth was in our intellect and how many degrees we could get etc.
In high school my bricks were made out of sports accomplishments, being popular, singing in front of people any chance I got, being attractive, etc.
I have always wanted to make a name for myself really.
When I was little I wanted to be the next Mariah Carey. lol
As I got older I wanted to write and publish 50 books someday like Joyce Meyer.
But why wouldn't I want to make a name for myself when all I heard growing up was, "Make your mark on the world." "Change the world for Christ!"
So I took them, speakers and teachers I had, literally and thought I actually would change the world. :)
But now I realize it is not I who will change it, but if anything, Christ in me.
I need to keep reminding myself of that. :) And stay humble. :) Apart from Christ we can do nothing.
What bricks have you tried to use to make a name for yourself? Most people want to feel that they have a purpose, that their lives matter and mean something.
The problem is when we go too far and seek our own glory rather than God's.
May all the glory go to God in everything I do, because if it weren't for him, I know I couldn't do anything.
"You are the vine, I am the branches."
Amen? Amen :)
May God bless you in all you do!
and something to think about: "Competition is the thief of joy." Yes it is. :)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
God Opposes the Proud
Why does God oppose the proud? What does God hate about pride?
Pride is at the root of all sin. Pride was what caused Satan's downfall. Pride is what made him want to rise up against God and take his place.
Pride is what makes people lazy and slothful. It makes them unwilling to help and care for others because they are too focused on themselves.
Pride leads people into lust because they are following the flesh instead of the Spirit. They are living life the way they want to live it, not the way God does.
Pride leads to anger and dissension among people. "Pride only breeds quarrels."
Pride leads to gluttony and over eating because you want all the food for yourself and forget about others who may actually need it rather than your just wanting it.
Pride leads to vanity, obviously. If you have pride you think you are the most imporant, most attractive, most wonderful person in the entire world. But that is not possible, because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
And the irony of pride is that if you think you are humble, you probably have a lot of pride. But if you recognize that you have pride, you are most likely actually quite humble. :)
What else does the verse say? "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Grace. Such as good things. Gifts. He shows his favor on those who are humble.
He opens the present bag of heaven for those who are humble. :)
Those who think they deserve nothing, he wants to give them everything.
But those who think they deserve everything, God may give nothing.
Not only will he give nothing, but he will actually oppose someone if they are proud.
Make their life harder. Close doors. Cause misfortune to come upon them to teach them a lesson.
I love the quote, "Bend the knee or have it broken." :) That is how God works.
Sometimes people have the thought that God is punishing them. I have never had this thought. But some feel that because of past actions God may be punishing them.
God does discipline those he loves, but if we have confessed it and repented of sin "there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Amen?
God has grace on the humble, on those who confess their wrong.
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will heal us from all unrighteousness."
But the prideful person who does not think he has anything to confess, that is the man that God will "punish" or oppose until the person sees that he needs to come before God humbly and confess.
So be humble and lay down your pride. Recognize that you have pride, because everyone does. That is the first step. And then ask God for help with it.
We can't do it, but God can. God can help us become more and more humble; become more and more like Jesus every day.
Amen :) May God bless you!
Pride is at the root of all sin. Pride was what caused Satan's downfall. Pride is what made him want to rise up against God and take his place.
Pride is what makes people lazy and slothful. It makes them unwilling to help and care for others because they are too focused on themselves.
Pride leads people into lust because they are following the flesh instead of the Spirit. They are living life the way they want to live it, not the way God does.
Pride leads to anger and dissension among people. "Pride only breeds quarrels."
Pride leads to gluttony and over eating because you want all the food for yourself and forget about others who may actually need it rather than your just wanting it.
Pride leads to vanity, obviously. If you have pride you think you are the most imporant, most attractive, most wonderful person in the entire world. But that is not possible, because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
And the irony of pride is that if you think you are humble, you probably have a lot of pride. But if you recognize that you have pride, you are most likely actually quite humble. :)
What else does the verse say? "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Grace. Such as good things. Gifts. He shows his favor on those who are humble.
He opens the present bag of heaven for those who are humble. :)
Those who think they deserve nothing, he wants to give them everything.
But those who think they deserve everything, God may give nothing.
Not only will he give nothing, but he will actually oppose someone if they are proud.
Make their life harder. Close doors. Cause misfortune to come upon them to teach them a lesson.
I love the quote, "Bend the knee or have it broken." :) That is how God works.
Sometimes people have the thought that God is punishing them. I have never had this thought. But some feel that because of past actions God may be punishing them.
God does discipline those he loves, but if we have confessed it and repented of sin "there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Amen?
God has grace on the humble, on those who confess their wrong.
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will heal us from all unrighteousness."
But the prideful person who does not think he has anything to confess, that is the man that God will "punish" or oppose until the person sees that he needs to come before God humbly and confess.
So be humble and lay down your pride. Recognize that you have pride, because everyone does. That is the first step. And then ask God for help with it.
We can't do it, but God can. God can help us become more and more humble; become more and more like Jesus every day.
Amen :) May God bless you!
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