“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
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Are You Easily Distracted?
Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. It’s so WARM here; it feels like summer – 85 degrees, clear and sunny. Kind of strange for November 17th, but it is what it is I suppose. Even though I would much prefer some snow, I can’t be too upset with 85 and sunny☺
Can’t Complain About a Sunny Day!
Anyways, earlier this week I was looking for something new to read in the Bible – I had just been reading random passages as they came to me – and decided to start reading through Proverbs. I’ve read Proverbs before, but never really read through everything slowly, taking time to process all the little nuggets of wisdom.
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Passion Without Action Is Dead.
Hello Friends! How is your week going so far? So far, so good over here. It finally cooled down over the weekend [Saturday was actually in the 50’s!!] so the Michigander inside of me was rejoicing just a little bit. This week hasn’t been too hot either, which has been so nice – I really do miss Michigan fall quite a lot. Can’t wait for leaves to [finally] start changing colors around here!
Michigan Fall Is The Best!
In other news, I got my computer back last Friday! Yay! It was so strange not having it, but it looks even better now than it did before the LCD went out, so the repair shop did a mighty fine job. Very happy to have it back though so I can start writing more regularly again.
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Sneak Peek of [RE]volution YOU – The Book!
Hi guys! Hope you all are having a great week so far! Sorry I have been so infrequent in my postings lately – it’s been a very busy [and really fun] summer so far. Last weekend my aunt and uncle were here visiting from New Zealand! They are going to be in America for a bit, and we were their first stop on their trip. We had such good time hanging out, showing them around Dallas, and just spending some quality time together. It’s always so good to see them! I’m in the process of editing some of the photos from the weekend, so I’ll be doing a post on all of our adventures soon here on the blog:)
In the meantime, I thought I would do something a little bit different. As some of you might know, I have been working on an inspirational type book for the past couple of years, and am in the final stages of editing and read throughs. I hope to release it as an e-book in the VERY near future, so if you think of it, I would really appreciate your prayers as I am finishing up the process. Seeing as I am still in the editing stage, and am in need of some feedback, I thought it would be a good idea to share a portion of the first chapter with you all here on the blog. I truly value your opinions [you are me readers after all – I write for you guys!] and would appreciate any and all feedback you can give me. So without further ado, here is a portion of the first chapter of [RE]volution YOU. Let me know what you think!
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Believe in Your Dreams.
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
Sometimes I just feel like giving up.
I feel as though I’m not accomplishing anything, and that everything I do will eventually fail. I know what God has promised me, and I know that he has a plan for me, but sometimes I just don’t see it.
Have you ever felt this way?
Paul says in 1 Corinthians that when we are working towards the goals God has placed in our heart, nothing we do is in vain. No matter how long those goals may take to achieve. When we feel like giving up, it’s important that we stand firm and remember the promises God has spoken over us. He has a plan and a future for us—one that is better than anything we could ever imagine. And even if we don’t see immediate results from our efforts, we can’t just assume it’s time to quit. No. We need to press on, stand firm and let nothing move us.
I recently came across this quote from Earl Nightingale…
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
If God has planted a dream in your heart, don’t let yourself give up on it! Dreams take time, commitment, determination and a lot of patience before they ever come into fruition. Don’t let the time and energy required in accomplishing your dreams deter you from becoming the person you were intended to be. Because in the end, nothing will be better than looking back on what you’ve done and realizing that you actually did it.
Use Your Talents.
Something hit me this morning.
Randomly, as I was driving to work, I started thinking about the parable of the three servants in the Bible. You know, the one where their master goes off on business, leaving them each with varying amounts of talents [or gold coins/money], along with specific instructions regarding the use of said talents. He wanted the servants to do something with the money given to them—something that would benefit him upon his return.
When the master arrived home after his travels, he was pleased with the first two servants because they wisely chose to invest and grow the amount of money given to them. So, in reward for their services, the master put each of them in charge of even more money. However, the third servant chose not to do anything with the money given to him. He was afraid of the master, and chose to hide the money away so as not to lose it. The master’s money was safe, but nothing had been gained or accomplished from the servant possessing it. This made the master angry, and he threw the third servant out of his home.
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The Problem with Fear.
Good Morning! How is your Thursday going so far? Mine has been going well so far—I got to sleep in which is always an added bonus:) I feel like it’s been awhile since my last post—I apologize. I have no excuse apart from general business over the past few weeks. Anyways. Let me share with you what I read from Exodus this morning…
“The Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:11-12
The Lord was speaking to Moses when he said this, right after Moses started giving him excuses why he couldn’t lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Obviously God didn’t really think Moses’ excuses were relevant.
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The Problem with Instant Gratification.
Hello! Hope you all are having a great Thursday so far. I’m a little off in my days this week—I keep thinking today is Friday for some reason. Bummer. Anyways, I was reading in Genesis this morning again, and came across something I thought I would share. Remember the story of Jacob? How he worked seven years for his wife Rachel, only to be given her sister, Leah, instead? And then, he had to go and work another seven years to finally have Rachel? That’s fourteen years! That’s a long time.
“So Jacob server seven years [plus another seven] to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.”
Genesis 29:20
Romantic, right? But, while it may have only seems like mere days to love-crazed Jacob, it was still fourteen total years before he received what he desired most in the world—Rachel.
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Stuck in the Past.
Hello and Happy Friday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. It’s kinda gloomy here—definitely a good day to cuddle up with a good book and a warm kitty:) This week has been crazy busy for some reason, so I am definitely looking forward to the weekend. Although I wish my family was coming to visit again, like they did last weekend. Ah well, I’m sure we will all see each other again soon. How about you? Any fun plans for the weekend?
Thought I would share something I read from Genesis yesterday about Lot and his family, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. When Sodom was being destroyed, God rescued Lot’s family. As they were hastily leaving the city, God’s messengers told Lot’s family not to look back on the city or they would surely die. Seems like a simple command, but unfortunately, Lot’s wife decided to look back…
“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Genesis 19:26
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Being Courageous.
Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was pretty low key…actually really low key. We did take an evening excursion to Trader Joes though on Saturday, which was excellent, and made a quick stop at our favorite bubble tea shop which was right down the road [so convenient]. But, other than that, nothing new to report.
In other news, I’ve been reading the book of Esther over the weekend. If you haven’t actually read the whole book, I would encourage you to do so—it’s very good! If you’re not familiar with Esther’s story, let me give you a brief background. Esther was a Jew, who was chosen amongst many other beautiful women to be the new queen in Persia. During her time as queen, an evil advisor convinced the king to issue a decree stating that anyone could kill any Jew at any time beginning on a certain set date in the near future. The king wasn’t fully aware of what this decree entailed, and definitely did not know that his own queen was, in fact, a Jew. When Esther learned about the decree from her cousin Mordecai, she was devastated. Devastated and afraid. But, under her cousins’ instruction, she decided to approach the king [which was illegal and punishable by death] and plead with him for the lives of her people. In the end, the king accepts her, listens to her, and eventually executes the evil advisor who instigated the imminent slaughter in the first place. He then gave the Jews the right to fight back and defend themselves against anyone who would attempt to harm them. In the end the Jews were saved—all because of Esther’s bravery. But just because she was brave, doesn’t mean she wasn’t afraid.
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”
Esther 4:14
Esther didn’t have any of the usual qualification for becoming a queen in Persia, and the circumstances that brought about her queen-ship were far from ordinary. But, God knew what he was doing. He knew about Haman’s [the evil advisor] plot to kill the Jews before he even spoke of it. He knew that someone who supported the Jews needed to be in authority to save them at that specific time. So, what did he do? He placed Esther in a position of authority, granted her favor with the king, and through her courage saved the Jews from imminent destruction.
She was right where God wanted her to be, exactly when he wanted her to be there. She was faithful to God’s promptings in her life, and her people reaped the benefits of her obedience.
We can learn a valuable lesson from Esther’s life. While we may not be destined to become royalty, or to save an entire nation from destruction, God has a specific plan and purpose for each of our lives. He has things for us to do, and a timeline for us to follow. It’s so important to be doing what he wants us to do when he wants us to do it. And the plans he has for us may require us to be courageous. They may not always be the most comfortable or easy actions for us to take—Esther definitely didn’t have an easy task. But, the end results will always be worth any discomfort we may initially experience.
Well, on that note, I’m off. Enjoy the rest of your day, and God Bless:)