Quote of the Day: The Danger of Religion

"The incentive driving religion is not communion with God; it is the blessings of life."

~Larry Crabb from SoulTalk

Incredible

I am Grateful For...

3. I am grateful for my dog! We have been through a lot together and I know God played a huge part in bringing him back to me...I love my Babbas!

Quote of the Day

"You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings."

~Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

I am Grateful For...

2. I am grateful for my health and being able to take care of myself. I work with disabled people and I see the challenges and struggles they go through in their everyday lives.

Overlooked Blessings: I am Grateful For...

Yesterday at church my pastor taught on Gratitude. It was a huge eye-opener for me and just reminded me of how much I have to be thankful to God for. So for the rest of this month I will be writing posts expressing my gratitude of all the blessings in my life. Feel free to join me!

1. I am grateful for my relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He is my Creator, my Father, and my Everything. Without Him, I am nothing.

Natural Hair is Beautiful

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I am a Twi-Hard!

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Ok, I looove Twilight yall! Don't judge. I know there are some of you out there!

Anyways I am SUPER excited about Breaking Dawn coming out in a couple of weeks. And I am really loving this song by Christina Perry from the soundtrack. Beauuuutiful. So romantic...

Ahhhh, I want me an Edward!

Good Tips on Thrift Store Shopping

Yes I know it has been a while since I posted about thrifting but I had to go cold turkey for a while! Babygirl was getting out of hand lol!

So now that I have better control over my hobby, I'm back! I've limited my shopping trips to once at month, if that. Proud of me?

Here are my latest finds!

I love the colorful skirt! Kinda throwback huh? I have the perfect shoes to match.




Long flower skirt-3.99
Short teal skirt-2.99
(with 50% off)

These pants are from Banana Republic...only $3.99 with the discount! Shirt- $1.99.

And these heels are my new favorites!

Check out some great thrift store shopping tips by Elsie.

Happy Thrifting!

Be Creative

Check out how to make this wool poncho here...perfect for fall!

"Are We There Yet?"

Imagine being a kid again riding in the backseat while your parents are driving. You're so anxious to get to your destination because you know and trust that wherever mom and dad take you will be good. You're leaning forward in your chair trying to see where you are and where you're going. Thirty minutes pass and you're still not there yet.

Why is it taking so long? you think. If only I were driving...

Time passes and you're still not there. It seems like you're getting closer but not close enough. Then you ask the question, "Are we there yet?"

And your mom turns around and says, "Now be patient honey, we will be there soon."

Sounds familiar huh?

Here's what Elisabeth Elliot has to say about waiting on God:

"Waiting requires patience--a willingness calmly to accept what we have or have not, where we are or where we wish we were, whomever we live or work with. To want what we don't have is impatience, for one thing, and it is to mistrust God. Is He not in complete control of all circumstances, events, and conditions? If some are beyond His control, He is not God."

Whew! Mrs. Elliot hit it right on the head didn't she?

Waiting on God requires much patience. It's trusting in His providence and His character.

"To want what we don't have is impatience." Waiting on God involves accepting what we have and where we currently are. It doesn't mean we are not praying for something to change if change is needed, but that we are not moving ahead of God and trusting His timing. It's relinquishing control.

It's leaving God in the drivers seat and not trying to take the wheel.

God Gave Me You

Such a sweet song. God has placed people in my life that have really been such a blessing to me and are helping me become the woman He has created me to be.

Shout out to all my close friends and loved ones! Thank you for being YOU!

When People Love Well

Love is an amazing gift.

I think my biggest hindrance when it comes to loving others well is fear and doubt. I'm afraid to go all out and like Sarah talks about I'm afraid to be "found out." I hold back a lot.

I want to release myself to love fully and unashamed. I want to love freely, unexpectedly, unconditionally, and unexplicably.

I want to love like Jesus.

This is a great post from Sarah Mae from Like a Warm Cup of Coffee on loving others well, something I learned a lot about from my former roommate.

http://www.incourage.me/2011/10/when-people-love-well.html

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Scripture of the Day

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I Refuse!

When I hear this song, I can totally relate to the words and his heart. I've been feeling like I've been living a mediocre life, just barely doing enough.

And enough just isn't good enough anymore!

"Cause I don't wanna live like I don't care!
I don't want to say another empty prayer!
Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself.
Oh I could choose, not to move but I refuse."

This is my new anthem! It's time to Do Something!

Quote of the Day

"People are not what they do...they are someone God loves."

Taken from The Uncommon Woman by Susie Larson

Getting Ready for Fall

So excited for fall! Time to bring out the scarves and boots ladies!

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

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Dinner parties, especially with loved ones, are fun! It's relaxing to kick back and enjoy each other's company and fellowship over a good meal. Great conversation, great fun, good vibes going all around. Good times. Friendly atmosphere. Everyone feels comfortable and at ease, right?

Maybe too comfortable...

I have always been intrigued by what Jesus says in Luke 14:12-14 "And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

If we really think about it, the people we normally invite over to our homes for dinner can return the favor. Sometimes we take turns hosting, like a pay-back.

But I think here Jesus is challenging us to invite the poor and the disabled people, the untouchables of society, the ones who cannot extend the invitation back to us.

Yeah I know it sounds scary and may even be inconvenient and uncomfortable for us to invite a blind person over or someone in a wheelchair. Or a poor and struggling mother who has nothing to offer. But shouldn't we be ministering to those people too? Shouldn't they be able to experience love, hospitality, and fun times at the dinner table too?

As I'm thinking about the home I am going to have soon, I wonder who is going to be at my dinner table?

I don't want the same people at the table over and over again. I can just imagine days when my family and I will play the Guess Who's Coming to Dinner game and we get all excited about the awesome people we have over!

Sidenote: But first I have to get the cooking part down so they can have a tasty meal to enjoy and want to come back lol!

Natural Hair is Beautiful

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Quote of the Day

"Thou know'st not what is good for thee, 

But God doth know-

Let Him thy strong reliance be, 

And rest thee so."

~C. F. Gellert

Quote of the Day

"Anyone who willingly enters into the pain of a stranger is truly a remarkable person."

~Henri Nouwen

I concur!

Remember This?

Don't laugh at me yall but I love oldies music and I keep hearing this song everywhere! And I still remember all of the lyrics!

Style

Love this chica's style!

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Devotional Thought: Notes from Proverbs

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This morning I took time to study the book of Proverbs. I am facing some decisions that I will have to make in the near future and am in need of wisdom and guidance from the Lord. Here are a few of the key points I learned from this study and I pray that it blesses you too!

• Discernment-giving thought to ones' steps- Prov 14:15; 16:21:3
• Whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way- Prov 19:2
• My ears only listen to words of knowledge- Prov 23:12
• God's purpose will stand-Prov 19:2
• An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, the ear of the wise seeks knowledge- Prov 18:15
• Ponder how to answer-Prov 15:28
• Humility comes before honor-Prov 15:33
• Commit my work to the Lord and my plans will be established-Prov 16

It's always best to go to God when making decisions and trust that He will guide us!

Quote of the Day

"Fulfillment is not a goal to achieve, but always the by-product of sacrifice."

~Elisabeth Elliot

Interior Inspiration

I really like the colors and patterns. I could learn some lessons about being bold and daring!

   

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Quick Update

Hey guys and girls :)

I've been doing a lot of writing lately and am waiting until I am satisfied with my work (and have time to edit it) before I present it to you all. So you may be seeing fewer posts from me but don't fret, I'm still writing!

Here's a preview of upcoming posts.

• Book Review on Praying for Strangers (which was absolutely awesome and I'm going to share with you my new resolution)
• The Untouchables (new series on the throwaways of society)
• Are We There Yet? (Waiting on God)
• Overlooked Blessings
• Chronic Pain (How pain becomes a part of our everyday lives, and not just the physical kind...)

So much good stuff to come so hang tight! Thanks for reading!

Love,

Ash

Quote of the Day

"God is your Source, everything else is a resource."

~Dr. Tony Evans

When We Stand Together

Heard this new song by Nickelback on the way home from work...me likey!

Quote of the Day

"If you are having difficulty loving or relating to an individual, take him to God. Bother the Lord with this person. Don't you be bothered with him-leave him at the throne."
~Chuck Swindoll

True Beauty

1 Peter 3:1-6 "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear."

Courageous

Speaking of being courageous...

Going to see the movie this weekend!

"Don't Speak"

As a person who stutters, I have never experienced discrimination or ridicule in a classroom setting by a teacher/professor. Matter of fact, most of my teachers had no idea I stuttered because I never spoke up in class! But what this guy had to experience was just hurtful and plain wrong.

Click on the link below to read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/education/11stutter.html?_r=2&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

Crazy, huh? I applaud this guy for being persistent and making sure he gets heard in spite of. I wish I was more courageous like that!

Back in the Day

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Am I really just an Introvert?

I'm beginning to disagree with this introvert/extrovert distinction. I think we can be both and we should be. I've always considered myself and have been told by others that I am an introvert, meaning I enjoy spending time alone and actually need the time to refuel away from others, I'm mostly soft-spoken, and very introspective. That is pretty much true but I also think I have an extrovert side to me...

Some moments I do like to be alone but I enjoy being with people just as much. I love laughter and serious conversations, I like the work I do which involves working with people and helping others. I enjoy talking to friends and family and spending time with them. It feels good to have relationships and people who care about you and want to spend time with you.

The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary's definition of extroversion is "the turning of one's self-interest toward objects and actions outside the self rather than toward one's own thoughts or feelings." I realize I need to bring out more of this side of me! It's in there! Contrary to my introverted side that focuses on myself a lot, I am reminded of the verses in Phillipians 2, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (vs. 3-4)

What I'm realizing now is there has to be a balance between the two, not an either/or. I should be aware of myself and of others. Bottom line, I'm not going to say I'm an introvert anymore.

Quote of the Day

"Sometimes what we see as a curse one day becomes a blessing the next day. How much more simple it would be if we would learn to thank God for everything instead of using our own judgment."

~Corrie Ten Boom

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Quote of the Day

"Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble; prayer is a life attitude."

~Walter A. Mueller

Natural Hair is Beautiful

Isn't she so cute?!

Love Unashamed

He flips over on his back, lifts his arms to get his tummy rubbed. He knows what he likes, he goes for it unashamed, no fear involved. It's like second nature to him.

Oh, but it is a risk!

To be vulnerable, not knowing if you are going to get what you desire, possibly even what you need.

Yet he takes the risk. He holds nothing back.

He goes for kisses on instinct. He doesn't think, plan it out, or wonder if she's in the mood or not.

He's spontaneous.

Determined.

Eager to express his love, loyalty, and appreciation. Not waiting to be asked. He offers it.

Persistently.

My Puppy

So much we can learn from him.

It's Just a Music Thang

Music is another one of my sweet escapes, 2nd to reading of course... I just put on some jamz and I'm outta there!

Here are my latest iTunes purchases:

1. Stereo Love by Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina
2. Waiting for Tomorrow by Mandisa
3. Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve
4. Out of My Head by Lupe Fiasco
5. Keep Your Head up by Andy Grammer
6. Hold On by En Vogue

I had a wide variety of taste in music as you can see!

Mr. Know It All

I've always liked Kelly Clarkson and her big strong voice since her American Idol days. Now she's back and this song is on my top 5 list. I think you can apply this message to anyone or anything that is trying to bring you down.

"You don't know a thing about me!"

Be Creative

OMG I really need to do this! I have so many necklaces and they keep getting tangled and it's driving me crazy!

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Click the link above to learn how to make this...it's definitely on my to-do list!

Also check out this photo wall, makes me want to start taking pictures more!

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My First 5K!

So I did my first 5K!! It was called Run for Recovery, supporting people who are in recovery from drugs and alcohol abuse. The race was hard for me but my boyfriend was very supportive, cracking jokes the entire time we were out there lol. He's great.

 

We had a blast with my friend who's been encouraging me to run this whole time. She is pretty awesome and really loves to run! We all plan to run the Texans 5k race again together this month...already getting pumped up!

Do Everything for His Glory!

Such a good song!

1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Colossians 3:17 "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

Love is Simple

I'm totally in the Love Zone lol. I'm intrigued by love, confused by it, overwhelmed by it, and terrified of it all at the same time! This is a rough draft of what I've been working on lately. Nowhere near finished; I'll add to it as the thoughts keep rolling.

Love is simple. It is. Just do it. We, the people that make up relationships, make it hard. All the hassle, drama, expectations, obligations, frustrations. It's too much.

Simplify. Love. Cherish. Treat each day and each person as if it were your last and they were the only people on earth. I know that's cliche but just try it. See how simple it feels, how light and freeing love really is.

Because love is freedom. Freedom from selfishness to selflessness, bitterness to forgiveness, a sense of duty to pleasure, a desire to receive to a desire to give. You will never know how free you are until you truly love.

Tell me your thoughts :)

Quote of the Day

A Gift in My Lap

I'm learning that

Every person,
Every opportunity,
Every struggle,
Every circumstance,
Every interaction.
Every relationship,

are all gifts. 

I'm choosing carefully how I unwrap them.

Quote of the Day

"Prayerlessness results in failure to receive many of God's blessings."

~ESV Study Bible

Natural Hair is Beautiful

Friday Fun

What's so funny about this one is that I would be the one going up the escalator! LOL!

Only In America

Love Song

I heard this song on my way home from work and I really like the lyrics and the message. It's Anita Baker's "Just Because."

They don't make love songs like they used to back in the day anymore...songs that described what it really meant to love someone. Check this one out and more to come!

When I think about how much I'm loving you
No limitations, no set of regimented rules
I'm amazed how much this love has touched my life
And the commitment that we share is a welcome sacrifice

This must be, sweet fatal attraction
My life-long date with destiny
Love this strong, it just brings out the passion
I never knew was here in me

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you
Just because you're you

You're a diamond in my mind, a treasure found
A precious gem to me, you're nice to have around
I'm so glad I took the path that led to this
And it's amazin', loving you, I'm doin' things
I never thought I'd do
I don't know, there ain't no explanation
Of why I'm sharin' love at last this way
I won't try to work out all my reasons
I'll use these words to simply say

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

Could it be that there's more to this than meets the eye
Maybe that's the reason why
All I know is when I'm in your arms it feels all right
I'll hold you tight and I come alive

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

I love you just because, I love you
There ain't nothin' I can do
Nothin' I can do about it, there's nothin' I can do about it
I just love you, I just love you, I just love you

Quote of the Day

"Failure is success if we learn from it."

~ Malcolm Forbes

Fine Again

Such an uplifting song...just love his soulful voice. Couldn't find a better recording but I know yall will enjoy it anyway :)

Reading, One of My Favorite Sweet Escapes

Had to repost this one lol!

For all of you who know me, and those who don't you can tell by some of my posts, yall know I love to read! I can't say it enough! Here's why...

Books have always played an important part of my life. Even as a little girl I had a complete library full of books from The Babysitters Club Series, Sweet Valley Twins, Goosebumps, you name it! I loved the Friday trips to Borders with my mom where I was allowed to spend my allowance on books. I would literally escape into the book, place myself in each scene and totally identify with the characters.

I never minded the reading requirements in school. I looked forward to seeing what books the teacher or professor would assign. Friends used to make fun of me because I would get super excited about the textbook list and run to go buy them lol!

Lately I have had people question me about why I like to read so much. (I think reading is becoming more popular and people are more interested in reading with the rise of book clubs and books being made into movies.) But to answer the question that I know you all have been dying to ask (haha) here are some reasons why I love to read and why I think everyone should read more books:

• Knowledge- It broadens your understanding of yourself, others, and the world. I can't tell you how much I have learned by reading different kinds of books. It's so worthwile. It also builds your vocabulary.
• Hobbies- It is a good and safe hobby, and an educational one too.
• Conversation and Relationships- You have something meaningful to talk about! Good books often give me great ideas of conversation topics. You can also have good convos in book clubs and develop more intimate relationships with people as you discuss personal or controversial things that may come up in the reading.
• Sidenote:There is nothing better than a rainy day, snacks, and a good book to curl up and read on the couch!
• Cost-you can find really inexpensive books at places like Salvation Army and Half-Price books.
• Therapeutic- It's calming, relaxing. Sometimes when I'm in a blah mood, I can pick up a good book and feel better because I've either learned something or it made me realize my problem really isn't that bad.
• Fun- Reading is just plain FUN! It's especially fun to enter into a fictional character's world and experience life as they do.
• There are many more but I will leave you with these as I can get overly excited...don't wanna scare anyone off!

Why do you or don't you read? Please share!

Quote of the Day

"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."

~ Maya Angelou

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Devotional Thought: Come, Hear, Do

This theme has been running through my devotionals lately. It all began while I was reading Luke 6:46-49  where Jesus says "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:...." read the rest here (NASB). 

Then I was reading James 1:19-27 (NASB) and verses 22-25 stuck out.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves...But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (ESV)

Come, An Open Invitation

• Jesus invites us to come to Him, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst...All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out." John 6:35, 37 ESV. If you are hungry and thirsty and need to be filled, He says Come.
• "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 ESV. If you are we weighed down with the cares of this world and need rest, He says Come.

Hear, Listen to His Word

• "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27 NASB. Are we His sheep attuned to His voice through His Word?
• If not, what or who are we listening to?

Do, Obey His Word

• "Samuel said, “ Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22 NASB. God did not need sacrifices like the other gods in different religions but He desired obedience and He still does today.
• "...Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" Luke 11:28 ESV. Blessings come upon those who are doers of the Word.
• "But He answered them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who are hear the word of God and do it." Luke 8:21 ESV. Notice the "and" after hearing God's Word. Hearing the Word of God requires action, application, obedience!

I hope this blessed you guys :)

Just Say NO!

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Many of us struggle with saying the word "no" when we really don't want to do something. But this simple two-letter word can relieve us from so much unnecessary stress in our lives! See the article below from the Mayo Clinic of why and how we should learn to Just Say NO.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00039

Quote of the Day

"How much does it really take for any of us to slow down to attune ourselves to the human condition, to look to another soul passing through our little universe that might need a little encouragement?"

Excerpt from River Jordan's Praying for Strangers

Natural Hair is Beautiful

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Artist Spotlight: Royal Tailor

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So this amazing band came and visited our church. I really like them yall! Their music is different, kind of reminds me of Maroon 5. You can tell they are involved in youth ministry by their unique super energetic worship style.

The four members Tauren, DJ Cox, Blake, and Jarrod all met in Bible college and formed their band then. They also ministered to the youth in a local church, mentoring and teaching music to them.

"The overarching message is a call to action," says Tauren. "A lot of our songs have to do with being Christ in the world.  We want to create a culture where students are doing the ministry. They are creating the ideas. They are dreaming the dream,  and then they are actually going out there and doing those things."

I believe they are doing just that! Here's a song from their album Black & White, Make a Move. Really great message.

Check out more of Royal Tailor here.

Quote of the Day

"The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer."

~F. B. Meyer

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Friday Fun

One of my all-time favorite shows! Hilarious clips of Will gettin down, ROFL!

Quote of the Day

"Beauty captures your attention. Personality captures your heart."

~Author Unknown

Love Song for a Savior

And speaking of love...love, love, love this song!

Is Your Love a Stubborn Love?

 There are people and relationships that I have held on to for years through some very hard times. There are others I have ended gradually and sometimes easily. I believed I genuinely loved the person but in the end I just didn't see the need to continue the relationship.

Why is that? Why do we fall in and out of love so easily, and I'm not just talking about romantic relationships. It could be a with a close friend or family, a passion we once pursued wholeheartedly, any relationship we were once so committed to that just kind of fizzled.

I know their are certain relationships we may have to end because of serious reasons that cannot be repaired or reconciled. But more often than not, don't you think our love and commitment to relationships is weak, complacent, even soft and easily damaged?

Determined, persevering, bullheaded, fixed, firm, persistent, relentless, steadfast, unshakeable....all of these are synonyms of the word stubborn.

What if we really started loving people the way God loves us, Stubbornly? These verses help describe and demonstrate the love of God that I believe we should emulate:

Psalms 36:7; 136:26;  Romans 8:38-39; Lamentations 3:21-22; Ephesians 2:4-7; Jeremiah 29:10-14

Over and over Scripture describes God's love as steadfast, enduring, long-suffering, in other words stubborn. I mean He sure does love the nation of Israel in spite of all their rebellion! And the same with us! His love is unfailing. Boy we sure can learn from Him huh?

So...is your love a stubborn love? Are you persevering in your relationships, through the good times and the bad? Are you fighting for love (I know, so cliche :) We should though! And as we evaluate our relationships, let's think about the benefits of loving others stubbornly. I believe our relationships would be steady and lasting, and there would be much less heartache because we won't be walking away so easily! Ahhh, I'm know I'm a sap but I honestly believe this

Quote of the Day

"Speak up. Silence is deadly boring, and sometimes deadly."

~Author Unknown

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Quote of the Day

"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, it empties today of its strength."

~Unknown


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Photo of the Day

Pretty...

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Food for Thought: Expectations

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See, I definitely struggle with this. I have been so disappointed and hurt by others because I have placed these impossible expectations upon them and to my dismay they fail to meet them. Then I get so bent out of shape because I just know that if the tables were turned, I wouldn't have disappointed them (yeah right!). 

Gosh, where is the grace? Where is the humility? And while I'm at it, where is the love?

Here's what I am discovering about expectations and the role they are playing in my life and relationships with others:

• Sometimes Most of the time they place unrealistic demands on others
• They can be selfish in origin
• They can be impossible to meet
• People, including me, will fail and not meet them
• No one is perfect and the only One I can expect absolute perfection from is God
• They can cause bitterness and strife in relationships when they are not met
• I have to learn to extend grace and forgiveness to others and myself when expectations aren't met
• Ease up on myself and others; release the need for control that expectations really reveal

What say you? What do you think about the expectations we place on others, and even on ourselves?

Natural Hair is Beautiful

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Making Decisions: An Interesting Approach to the Will of God

Whether it's which job to take, what school to go to, which church to attend, which car to buy, we all know life involves making decisions. (And frankly as Americans we have too many choices that don't make decision-making any easier)!

I hear so many Christians, including me, struggle when making these types of decisions. We worry and even procrastinate because we want to make sure that we are following "God's will for our lives." Sometimes we won't even make a move towards something until we are certain that it's a part of God's plan. (We have this obsession with the future). And then if we do take a leap of faith and it doesn't work out like we thought it would, we question our "wrong decision" and fear that we missed out on God's best for our lives. Boy do I struggle with this!

But what if there is more freedom in decision-making than we had ever imagined? What if God trusts His children that are spending time with Him in His Word and through prayer, and are consulting with other believers to (gasp) make their own decisions? What if we as Spirit-filled believers are capable of choosing between two or maybe even three good options?

A guy on the local radio station 89.3 KSBJ put it this way and it really made sense to me, "God's will is not always, if ever, connect-the-dot. God may have an umbrella of blessings available for you and is just waiting for you to pick one." Sounds like freedom huh? Sometimes it may not be a matter of yes/no but sure/sure.

I believe the freedom to choose is a blessing to those who are walking with God daily and are already in His will through daily obedience.

Furthermore, God consistently reminds us in Scripture not to worry about our lives. He tells us in Matthew 6:33 to "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." If we are seeking and obeying Him daily, we are already in His will! God's will is NOW, it's not some far-away life we have to chase and find.

So whadya think? Still trying to connect the dots? Well, I'm still learning and I want to share two books with you that are helping me with this topic. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments. :)

Gerald Sitter's                                                                Kevin DeYoung's     
The Will of God as a Way of Life                                 Just Do Something
                                                                           

Also read and meditate on these Scriptures:
Matthew 6:25-35; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; 5:16-18

Quote of the Day

"You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created."

~Albert Einstein

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