My favorite verse is a tie between "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation." And "He who the son sets free is free indeed." And another favorite "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom." Praise God for freedom!
Why are these my favorite?
I love the fact that when someone gets saved God transforms them into a completely different person. God takes away their heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh.
I love hearing testimonies from people of how there was a very noticeable difference in their life when they got saved. Anyone who needs proof that there is a God, just listen to some amazing testimonies on youtube. There are several. My favorite is of a guy who used to be into Santeria etc.
But we do become a totally new creation once we are in Christ. There is still an element of our flesh there but we are free. We are not bound by sin. And there is God's peace with us that passes understanding.
Also I love the fact that God brings freedom. Praise God! People often think that God's laws are binding of human beings, but they actually set us free. What binds us is sin and deceit from Satan. What sets us free is God's laws and truth. "The Truth shall set you free." Amen!
The more you follow God's ways, the more free you are.
I know it seems counter intuitive. We think the more we follow our own ways, the most free we are. But the opposite is true. We put ourselves in slavery to sin when we follow our own ways. But when we follow God, we are free and we find life and peace. Why? Because our natural bent is toward sin, and sin enslaves us.
For example, our natural bent might be to shop more, which puts us in major bondage to creditors. Or our natural bent might be to drink or to eat too much, which puts us in bondage to doctors eventually.
Or our natural bent might be to work more, which also puts us in bondage to doctors because we can work ourselves to death.
Sin and addictions lead to death, but God's law leads to life and peace. Chose God's law. Chose freedom; not sin. God says "godliness with contentment is great gain." God says, "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so honor God with your body." God says, "It is in vain that you stay up late and rise early for God grants his beloved rest." Amen. Follow God's ways, not your own. "There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death." Choose life, not death. Submit to God, and you will live and have peace. Amen.
God bless! :)
Saturday, November 28, 2015
How to Avoid Abuse
Forgiveness isn't saying kick me again, it's just not holding a grudge.
In any situation in life, if you don't want to get hurt again, get yourself out of the situation. Don't just stand there and let someone keep kicking you. Walk away. And forgive and forget about it. But as long as the person is still kicking you it's almost impossible to forgive and forget. You have to walk away.
On a Lack of Empathy
Sometimes we as people have a hard sympathizing with the pain of others because we don't allow ourselves to feel our own pain. We might tell ourselves "get over it" and so we send the same message to others to just "get over it."
Repercussions of Parenting
The way parents are now toward their children will inevitably affect their futures and lives forever, because a mom and dad's fingerprints or imprints are all over their children permanently, for good and bad. That's just the affect a father and mother have on their kids. Like it or not, what you choose to do now in regards to your kids will echo into their futures, like ripples when a stone is thrown into a lake. There will be effects.
On American Parents
This seems to be the current condition of America, everyone seems to have rich loving parents who care about them very much but don't do a very good job of showing it. And I mean rich in comparison to the rest of the world. But parents, don't just show your kids you love them with your money, show it with your words. Spend time with your kids, don't avoid them. Tell them they are special etc. encourage them.
God bless!
God bless!
Women and Shopping
Here's how women get a shopping addiction; they buy one thing that makes them happy so then they think "oh since this one thing made me so happy so maybe the next few things I buy will make me happy." And so they go buy more. But then if they buy something they don't like then the thought is "oh well now I have to go buy something else because I don't like this." See? Now do all you men understand women and their shopping issue? Lol 😃 except then the question could be, why did they buy something they don't like? But I suppose the answer is that not all things are as good as they seem or appear at first, which is the cause of buyer's remorse for anyone. 😀
Workaholism and Shopoholism
My husband and I have a catch 22 going on; and I'm sure this represents about 80% of marriages in the U.S. The more he works, the more I spend and the more I spend, the more he works. So his addiction becomes work and my addiction becomes spending and each propels the other. It is of course a very sad cycle to be in, and contentment and love are most likely the solution.
I heard a funny quote once, "Blessed is the man who can make more than his wife can spend." But it actually isn't funny. Spending for women can almost be like an alcoholic going on a binge drinking day. Women spend to make themselves happy; to fill the void inside.
We all have a void, if we are honest enough to admit it. Some fill it with over eating, some with drinking too much, some with shopping, some with work, some with working out etc. We all have some addiction, something we do to compensate for the emptiness we all feel. Some fill it with religious addiction even and attending church every night etc.
Some say religion is a crutch, but we all have our own crutches. Religion and listening to sermons seems to be the healthiest one; because it causes the person to be nicer to others, usually. Or it might turn them into a self-righteous jerk who then points the finger at everyone else. It's hard to say really.
So what is your void filler? And why do you do it? Ever stop to think about why you do what you do? Instead of just doing it?
We all have this inner sadness and discontentment with life I think, which is understandable given the world we live in. The older we get, the more aware we become of it. We come to realize more and more that we are in a fallen world. Nothing is as it was supposed to be. We are not in the garden of Eden that we were created for. And so we try to busy ourselves in order to not think about how much the world sucks. We try to bury our heads in the sand with activity or addictions or "diversions", as someone I read once put it. The search is never ending for what will make us happy, but we never are happy. Why? Because that is just life.
Paul said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." Why did he say that? Was he suicidal? No, he was just stating the truth. Because being alive is so hard, because our world is fallen, and if we are die, it is gain, because we no longer have to live with this ache. The ache of wondering what is wrong with the world, and what is wrong with ourselves and everyone else. We wonder why do we all seem broken? Why do we let each other down over and over again? To die means to not have to ask these questions anymore. For the Christian, death would be better than life because it means being with our Savior in eternal bliss, and leaving this broken and sad world behind finally.
But God keeps us alive for a reason, to fulfill the Great Commission and to spread the gospel. Nothing else in life matters, and nothing else will satisfy us. So go out and spread the word today! Write a blog, share Christ with a friend etc. Do something that actually means something with your time. Don't just eat another donut or drink another beer or buy another outfit. Do something that actually has eternal significance. Go be a blessing to someone else today and be a witness.
God bless! :)
I heard a funny quote once, "Blessed is the man who can make more than his wife can spend." But it actually isn't funny. Spending for women can almost be like an alcoholic going on a binge drinking day. Women spend to make themselves happy; to fill the void inside.
We all have a void, if we are honest enough to admit it. Some fill it with over eating, some with drinking too much, some with shopping, some with work, some with working out etc. We all have some addiction, something we do to compensate for the emptiness we all feel. Some fill it with religious addiction even and attending church every night etc.
Some say religion is a crutch, but we all have our own crutches. Religion and listening to sermons seems to be the healthiest one; because it causes the person to be nicer to others, usually. Or it might turn them into a self-righteous jerk who then points the finger at everyone else. It's hard to say really.
So what is your void filler? And why do you do it? Ever stop to think about why you do what you do? Instead of just doing it?
We all have this inner sadness and discontentment with life I think, which is understandable given the world we live in. The older we get, the more aware we become of it. We come to realize more and more that we are in a fallen world. Nothing is as it was supposed to be. We are not in the garden of Eden that we were created for. And so we try to busy ourselves in order to not think about how much the world sucks. We try to bury our heads in the sand with activity or addictions or "diversions", as someone I read once put it. The search is never ending for what will make us happy, but we never are happy. Why? Because that is just life.
Paul said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." Why did he say that? Was he suicidal? No, he was just stating the truth. Because being alive is so hard, because our world is fallen, and if we are die, it is gain, because we no longer have to live with this ache. The ache of wondering what is wrong with the world, and what is wrong with ourselves and everyone else. We wonder why do we all seem broken? Why do we let each other down over and over again? To die means to not have to ask these questions anymore. For the Christian, death would be better than life because it means being with our Savior in eternal bliss, and leaving this broken and sad world behind finally.
But God keeps us alive for a reason, to fulfill the Great Commission and to spread the gospel. Nothing else in life matters, and nothing else will satisfy us. So go out and spread the word today! Write a blog, share Christ with a friend etc. Do something that actually means something with your time. Don't just eat another donut or drink another beer or buy another outfit. Do something that actually has eternal significance. Go be a blessing to someone else today and be a witness.
God bless! :)
Friday, November 20, 2015
The Dentist
I had to get four fillings today. I have now had 14 fillings in my life already. Too much coffee I guess. :( And I'm thinking the sugarless gum I chew a lot might be bad for my teeth too.
I was sitting there while getting my teeth drilled vowing to myself to never eat sugar again. No more soda, candy, ice cream etc.
That would be pretty hard to achieve though. Maybe I'll just floss more lol :)
Here's a really, really funny routine by Bill Cosby about going to the dentist. This makes me laugh super hard every time I see it. He's always so funny! There's a great one on drinking and one on drugs that he does in this same routine that you can search for on youtube too. Cosby is such a comedy genius! Check them out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBqY6cJD3CE
May God bless you all!
I was sitting there while getting my teeth drilled vowing to myself to never eat sugar again. No more soda, candy, ice cream etc.
That would be pretty hard to achieve though. Maybe I'll just floss more lol :)
Here's a really, really funny routine by Bill Cosby about going to the dentist. This makes me laugh super hard every time I see it. He's always so funny! There's a great one on drinking and one on drugs that he does in this same routine that you can search for on youtube too. Cosby is such a comedy genius! Check them out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBqY6cJD3CE
May God bless you all!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Make Disciples
"Go and make disciples of all nations."
Mt. 28:19
This verse implies a few things. One, that someone can't be racist as a Christian. We never really think much about this verse but think about the fact that Jesus commissioned us as believers to make disciples of ALL nations, as in all people groups. We can't just witness to whoever we want to witness to; we are commanded to witness to anyone and everyone, regardless of race, gender etc.
Another key point on this is simply that we must go. You can't GO if you aren't doing anything. Like Jesus said, there is no point to light a lamp and put it under a bowl. But it can become easy as a stay at home parent to put your light under a bowl. It can become a time of a lot of hiding from the world, but it doesn't have to be. Stay at home moms can write a blog, like I do, or do part time work like waitressing to get out in the real world and still witness for Christ that way.
I recently started waitressing and love it. The pay isn't great but hopefully I am being a good light to my co-workers and the people at the tables that I serve. I got the great idea to buy special pens from Amazon that have the fruit of the Spirit on them. It's subtle but you never know what something like that might do for someone's faith. Of course then I have to be the best worker I can be and serve them well since I am trying to represent Christ.
I also work with a bunch of high school kids. Pretty much everyone I work with is 16 or 17. I feel kind of like a youth pastor in disguise. They don't realize I am like their youth pastor, but in a way I feel like one. So hopefully I can be a good mentor for all of them. :)
Pray for me in my new job please, that I would shine well and brightly for Christ. May my time at work be worth it, even though I'm not making much. I pray I am pointing people to Christ in the small things and hopefully making an impact for Jesus somehow. And I pray you all are at your jobs as well. :) God bless!
Mt. 28:19
This verse implies a few things. One, that someone can't be racist as a Christian. We never really think much about this verse but think about the fact that Jesus commissioned us as believers to make disciples of ALL nations, as in all people groups. We can't just witness to whoever we want to witness to; we are commanded to witness to anyone and everyone, regardless of race, gender etc.
Another key point on this is simply that we must go. You can't GO if you aren't doing anything. Like Jesus said, there is no point to light a lamp and put it under a bowl. But it can become easy as a stay at home parent to put your light under a bowl. It can become a time of a lot of hiding from the world, but it doesn't have to be. Stay at home moms can write a blog, like I do, or do part time work like waitressing to get out in the real world and still witness for Christ that way.
I recently started waitressing and love it. The pay isn't great but hopefully I am being a good light to my co-workers and the people at the tables that I serve. I got the great idea to buy special pens from Amazon that have the fruit of the Spirit on them. It's subtle but you never know what something like that might do for someone's faith. Of course then I have to be the best worker I can be and serve them well since I am trying to represent Christ.
I also work with a bunch of high school kids. Pretty much everyone I work with is 16 or 17. I feel kind of like a youth pastor in disguise. They don't realize I am like their youth pastor, but in a way I feel like one. So hopefully I can be a good mentor for all of them. :)
Pray for me in my new job please, that I would shine well and brightly for Christ. May my time at work be worth it, even though I'm not making much. I pray I am pointing people to Christ in the small things and hopefully making an impact for Jesus somehow. And I pray you all are at your jobs as well. :) God bless!
Sunday, November 15, 2015
How to Be Led by God
This is a great sermon! My favorite line from it...."We think hearing from God has to be some supernatural spooky thing, but it's as simple as the thought 'Maybe I need to go to bed earlier.'" lol yep!
It's always the simple things that we already know we need to do to be a nicer and more loving person but we don't do them. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=autcAtrKXDY
It's always the simple things that we already know we need to do to be a nicer and more loving person but we don't do them. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=autcAtrKXDY
So Thankful
Things I'm Thankful for....
In light of it being almost Thanksgiving I thought I would write what I am thankful for. :)
I just had my second daughter almost exactly one month ago, so of course I am super thankful for her! That she was/is healthy and that I am healthy. I am still alive lol praise God. You certainly think you might die when doing natural child birth. This last one was all natural for me so that was intense. I am very thankful that that is over with lol. That's for sure!
I am thankful that my mom is letting us live with her for a month or so until we can get either a house or an apartment here in Austin, TX.
We might wait on buying a house and just get an apartment again. It's much easier and I just found the most amazing apartment complex! Only $1300 for a three bedroom and it has a pool, hot tub, basketball and tennis court and even a bike trail woohoo! That would be like living in paradise lol. Everything anyone could ever want in a complex right there for a decent price. I am so glad I found it! So hopefully we will get to move there soon. :)
I'm thankful that we will be living by my mom and step dad now, yay!
I just got a job at a nice restaurant by my mom's house so I am thankful for that. So far I think I will do well there so that's good, and it's a super fun job. :) And the people there are all very nice. :) It's called Putters in Sun City/Georgetown, TX. Come check it out sometime!
I'm thankful to be in this awesome retirement community in Texas. It's an "active retirement community" so it's set up just like any other housing community which is nice. They have the most amazing indoor pools! I am so grateful that my mom can babysit so I can swim every other day and get back in shape. Praise God!
I am thankful for Serenity. She is my sunshine for sure! Such a little bundle of joy and cuteness. Every day she keeps me laughing all the time over how cute she is. It's so nice having little girls. :)
I got to do a line dancing class today with my mom which was lots of fun! I picked up the steps pretty fast so that was nice. Every dance feels like an IQ test lol. It's of the most challenging things you can do physically and mentally. It is a serious workout for your legs and your brain for sure! Tons of fun. They played some really fun country songs today so that was cool, and one Christian one. yay :)
And I am SO thankful that my hubby most likely just got a high paying job here so he should be able to join us here in Austin soon woohoo! Praise God! Please pray that he gets hired for sure soon. He will be hauling oil and finally using the Hazmat certification that he got. Then I might not need to work at all, but maybe I still will just for the social aspect of it. It's nice to be out in the real world again! :)
So those are all the things I am currently thankful for. God is so good to me! Amen :)
Maybe try writing up your own list. It's always fun to think about all the things that are going well and right in your life. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Phil. 4:8 Amen. God bless!
In light of it being almost Thanksgiving I thought I would write what I am thankful for. :)
I just had my second daughter almost exactly one month ago, so of course I am super thankful for her! That she was/is healthy and that I am healthy. I am still alive lol praise God. You certainly think you might die when doing natural child birth. This last one was all natural for me so that was intense. I am very thankful that that is over with lol. That's for sure!
I am thankful that my mom is letting us live with her for a month or so until we can get either a house or an apartment here in Austin, TX.
We might wait on buying a house and just get an apartment again. It's much easier and I just found the most amazing apartment complex! Only $1300 for a three bedroom and it has a pool, hot tub, basketball and tennis court and even a bike trail woohoo! That would be like living in paradise lol. Everything anyone could ever want in a complex right there for a decent price. I am so glad I found it! So hopefully we will get to move there soon. :)
I'm thankful that we will be living by my mom and step dad now, yay!
I just got a job at a nice restaurant by my mom's house so I am thankful for that. So far I think I will do well there so that's good, and it's a super fun job. :) And the people there are all very nice. :) It's called Putters in Sun City/Georgetown, TX. Come check it out sometime!
I'm thankful to be in this awesome retirement community in Texas. It's an "active retirement community" so it's set up just like any other housing community which is nice. They have the most amazing indoor pools! I am so grateful that my mom can babysit so I can swim every other day and get back in shape. Praise God!
I am thankful for Serenity. She is my sunshine for sure! Such a little bundle of joy and cuteness. Every day she keeps me laughing all the time over how cute she is. It's so nice having little girls. :)
I got to do a line dancing class today with my mom which was lots of fun! I picked up the steps pretty fast so that was nice. Every dance feels like an IQ test lol. It's of the most challenging things you can do physically and mentally. It is a serious workout for your legs and your brain for sure! Tons of fun. They played some really fun country songs today so that was cool, and one Christian one. yay :)
And I am SO thankful that my hubby most likely just got a high paying job here so he should be able to join us here in Austin soon woohoo! Praise God! Please pray that he gets hired for sure soon. He will be hauling oil and finally using the Hazmat certification that he got. Then I might not need to work at all, but maybe I still will just for the social aspect of it. It's nice to be out in the real world again! :)
So those are all the things I am currently thankful for. God is so good to me! Amen :)
Maybe try writing up your own list. It's always fun to think about all the things that are going well and right in your life. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Phil. 4:8 Amen. God bless!
Amazing Christmas songs
Here are some amazing versions of Christmas songs. Very talented group here! This will blow your mind lol :) God bless!
(my all time favorite Christmas song) Oh Holy Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MptnOJsIlyE
Mary Did You Know?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE
Little Drummer Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ_MGWio-vc
(my all time favorite Christmas song) Oh Holy Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MptnOJsIlyE
Mary Did You Know?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE
Little Drummer Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ_MGWio-vc
Monday, November 9, 2015
Nothing is Impossible
Here is a phrase that can totally change a person's outlook on life in general. I have heard the phrase a lot "With God all things are possible" or the verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But here's a different twist on it: NOTHING is impossible, because God is with me.
I think thinking that every second of every day, as hard as that might be, can have the power to totally change a person's day. Instead of thinking that something is impossible, learn to think instead, NOTHING is impossible....because God is with me. Amen. Try it. :)
God bless!
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Mother Update
Breastfeeding isn't for everyone. Pretty much every mother has the goal to breast feed but it doesn't always work out too well.
Personally I seem to have scoliosis in my neck so any kind of looking down for too long leads to headaches and migraines for me.
Don't feel too bad if you didn't have success breast feeding as a mom. We are lucky to live in our current day where there is formula.
Of course mothers who get frustrated with breast feeding can always pump milk but it can be hard to find time to do that as well.
We all do the best we can as moms, and that is enough.
God bless!
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Super Cool Outgoing Message
Super Cool Outgoing Message
Hey whoever you are reading this, call my phone like you're gonna leave a message! Do it right now! lol I won't pick up cuz I never answer my phone lol but I think the outgoing message will encourage you. :) It's my all time favorite song by Out of Eden, and if I'm ever feeling overwhelmed or depressed, I listen to that song and I'm happy again. lol
(For the record I don't answer my phone cuz I enjoy having the freedom to not answer it. :) I don't like feeling like I'm on call like a doctor lol)
Hey whoever you are reading this, call my phone like you're gonna leave a message! Do it right now! lol I won't pick up cuz I never answer my phone lol but I think the outgoing message will encourage you. :) It's my all time favorite song by Out of Eden, and if I'm ever feeling overwhelmed or depressed, I listen to that song and I'm happy again. lol
(For the record I don't answer my phone cuz I enjoy having the freedom to not answer it. :) I don't like feeling like I'm on call like a doctor lol)
Anyways, I just recorded the coolest out going message and I'm so proud of it! lol yay....My number is 432-250-1390.
And I very much encourage you all to record your favorite Christian song on your outgoing message too! Do it right now! lol
When I worked in student loans at Nelnet about 3 years ago I was in the collections department for awhile. Yes I was one of those annoying collectors calling you lol. And I just LOVED hearing the song "I Smile" by Kirk Franklin on people's cell phone outgoing messages. It seemed literally like every 5th phone number that I called that was the song that was recorded. Pretty ironic. I guess God was really trying to speak to me through that song. lol :)
Here's the song "I Smile" for any interested, which very much relates to debt and the recession we went through, so it makes sense past due people had this as their outgoing message lol. :) So funny....May God bless you all!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SPwT3nQZ8
And I very much encourage you all to record your favorite Christian song on your outgoing message too! Do it right now! lol
When I worked in student loans at Nelnet about 3 years ago I was in the collections department for awhile. Yes I was one of those annoying collectors calling you lol. And I just LOVED hearing the song "I Smile" by Kirk Franklin on people's cell phone outgoing messages. It seemed literally like every 5th phone number that I called that was the song that was recorded. Pretty ironic. I guess God was really trying to speak to me through that song. lol :)
Here's the song "I Smile" for any interested, which very much relates to debt and the recession we went through, so it makes sense past due people had this as their outgoing message lol. :) So funny....May God bless you all!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SPwT3nQZ8
Moving to Jarrell
I packed up our WHOLE apartment last night and I woke up so incredibly sore it was insane! lol :) Oh well at least it's done. Now there's just the adventure of getting all our furniture out and loaded in a few days. Fun stuff! Can't wait to move though! yay :) We have our house picked out and settled and everything is pretty much complete. woohoo! Ben and I are planning to live in this house until we die. :) lol Wouldn't that be cool. yay for moving to Jarrell, TX!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Kari Jobe
Wow! This is seriously the most amazing thing I've ever watched! lol Send this video to anyone you know! Great worship leading by Kari Jobe and a guy shares an amazing poem. God is awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/
That will knock your socks off! lol :)
That will knock your socks off! lol :)
My favorite line from that guy's poem, "Hope has a name! Joy has a name! Peace has a name! His name is Jesus Christ!" Amen! woot! Praise God! :)
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