My Journey...: March 2012

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Love Is Always There...

Lyrics to Love Never Fails (Brandon Heath) :

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse...

This is for the married people!!!
My dad sent this to me in an e-mail and I thought it hit a lot of important points...

March 26, 2012

10 Ideas to Make Time for Your Spouse

by Mary May Larmoyeux

My husband, Jim, and I have been married for more than 30 years and we consider one another to be best friends. Despite this, we have to intentionally keep our relationship and marriage on the front burner of life.

Finding time to be with just one another is important to Jim and me. But I confess, it’s not always an easy thing to do. And this isn’t just our isolated problem. It’s common in most marriages—regardless of age.

The following 10 ideas can help you and me intentionally make time for our spouse:

1. Cultivate a common interest. Your spouse should be your best friend, and friends enjoy spending time with one another. If you and your spouse have different hobbies, find something that you both enjoy doing and do it together. You may want to go bike riding, walk together at the end of a long day, play tennis, or learn how to ballroom dance. Shared experiences enrich marriages and deepen friendship.

“I realized that our relationship had to be a higher priority than my hobbies,” says FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey of his early days of marriage. “Barbara and I had to decide what we wanted to be at the end of our lives—two people who had grown old together as partners or two people who had grown old alone.”

2. Have a regular date night. If you don’t have a relative nearby who would gladly watch your kids, then consider swapping babysitting with a friend on a regular basis. For example, you would watch their kids on the first Friday of every month and they would watch your kids on the second Saturday of every month.

With a little imagination, you can also plan some great dates at home … not only while the kids are sleeping, but also while they are enjoying pizza or watching a special movie.

3. Try new adventures together. We only live this life once. Try doing something different to force yourself out of the rut of normal day-to-day living. If you and your spouse would like to do something a little more daring, consider activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, etc.

“When my husband, Jim, and I said, ‘I do’ 37 years ago, I never envisioned myself camping on a budget or whizzing through the countryside on the back of a motorcycle,” LaRue Launius says. “And Jim never imagined himself thousands of feet up in the air. But God has used these experiences, and countless others, to gradually knit our hearts together as best friends.”

4. Write love letters to one another and read them over a romantic dinner. Writing letters is almost a lost art form today. You may want to redeem it by regularly expressing your love to your spouse in a letter. Then read it to your spouse over a romantic dinner.

You could purchase special wooden boxes for your love letters. Or, record them in individual journals as a lasting reminder to your legacy of your love for one another.

If you’re not sure how to begin writing your letter, read “Tips for Writing a Notable Love Letter.”

5. Go on overnight getaways—without the kids. The possibilities are endless. Many state parks have great campsites and beautiful lodges. Staying at a nearby bed and breakfast can be a real treat. Also, hotels often have special weekend getaway packages.

Bill and Carolyn Wellons have written a getaway guide for couples titled, Getting Away to Get It Together. After being married for 10 years, they discovered a secret that re-energizes their relationship—regular getaways. “We may relax at a friend’s lake house, camp at a state park, or book a resort condominium in the off-season,” Bill explains. “God has continued to teach us to step off life’s treadmill and examine the health of our relationship. When we evaluate where we are heading, we reap a fabulous return on investment.”

6. Set aside regular time to talk with one another—without any distractions. Make time to focus on one another and talk about the day’s events. When our children were young, my husband and I tried to visit together for 10-15 minutes before dinner each evening—just the two of us. You and your spouse may want to do this after the kids go to bed. The important thing is to share heart-to-heart and face-to-face.

If the kids are in school, you may want to have lunch together once a week. Put it on the calendar and make definite appointments. I read about a pastor who did this for years. He had a standing invitation for lunch one day a week that could not be broken—lunch with his wife.

7. Read a book together and discuss it over coffee at a local coffeehouse or bookstore. Take turns choosing the books. If a movie has been made out of the book, read and discuss it together and then watch the movie. Compare the book to the movie.

You could also go through one of the HomeBuilders Bible studies® as a couple. Although these Bible studies are designed for small groups, you could do one with your spouse. Studies include Building Teamwork in Marriage, Improving Communication in Your Marriage, and Growing Together in Christ.

8. Be accountable to one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.”

You may want to ask your spouse to keep you accountable in a certain area. For example, I have a habit of over-committing myself and having way too many things on the to-do list. My husband is great about bringing me back to earth and helping me establish a more balanced schedule.

Being accountable to our spouse requires one-on-one time—whether it’s over coffee in the morning or evaluating a to-do list together in the afternoon.

“Accountability gives each marriage partner freedom and access to the other,” Dennis Rainey writes. He adds that it means asking for advice and gives a spouse the freedom to share honest observations. “It means we're teachable and approachable. We both need to be accountable to the other because each partner is fallible and quite capable of using faulty judgment.”

9. Pray together. When we regularly pray with our spouse, our souls and hearts are uniquely knit together. Sadly, we’ll forget many of the ways God answers our prayers unless we write them down.

You may want to record how God answers your prayers in a notebook. Once or so a year, go on an overnight getaway with your spouse and review it together. Spend some time thanking the Lord for all He has done.

10. Tune-up your marriage at a Weekend to Remember® marriage getaway. Attending a Weekend to Remember will help you get away from the distractions of life and focus on one another.
“We had a wonderful time,” one wife wrote after attending a recent Weekend to Remember. “Everyone was so welcoming. We didn’t come to this as a couple who was looking to save their marriage. We came as a couple who needed a tune-up. We’re running good and would like to keep it that way.

Monday, March 26, 2012

JONAH - The Life Interrupted 3 (part1)

Wow...It's been busy the last few days...
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Let's get right to it shall we!!!...

The reading on the 2nd day of my Jonah study started out with a verse from I Corinthians 3:9, and it says, "For we are God's fellow workers."

Priscilla begins by telling us a story about a women that she knows, who works for one of the most people in the country. She says that her friend had to completely change her lifestyle to fit this position because it was so demanding of her that she be willing to drop what ever she was doing at the exact moment her boss would call her.

She always makes sure her communcation devices are charged up and ready to go at an arms length away for when she is called to do something. When Priscilla asked her if she ever felt overwhelmed or disgusted with having to be able to drop everything in a second, her friend responded my saying "No way. It's an honor to have this job. And he's a nice guy. While everything he asks for is not always convenient, he's very considerate. I want to do a good job.".

When we choose to follow Christ, we are accepting a lifestyle of being open to God's "divine interventions" (God's interruptions). Even though His timing is always perfect, we should have the same attitude as the woman above and be willing to put down everything else that doesn't matter and be willing to serve God in what ever way He would have us. We need to remember that being able to partner with God is an honor because we are given the opportunity to help God fulfill His purposes for this generation. In Psalm 145:17, we are given a promise that will not soon be broken, "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds."
Partnering with HIm doesnt mean we can't have any plans or ambitions of our own, it just means to hold them loosely and to always leave room to make adjustments as the Lord would have us to do.

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Let's go back and re-write the equations we learned from the previous day...

Insignificant Person + Insignificant Task = Interruption
Significan Person + Significant Tast = Divine Intervention

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Based on how Jonah responded to the Lord's calling, would you think he considered it as an interruption or devine intervention?
- I believe that he considered it an interruption because he chose to run from God instead of following what He had said to him first.

Priscilla noted a could more verses to look at and asked that we determine whethere the people refereneced considered God's words to be and interruption or an intervention?

First was, Noah (Gen. 6:13-14, 17-22):

¹³ So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. ¹⁴ So make yourself an ark of cypress^[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
¹⁷ I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹ You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. ²⁰ Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. ²¹ You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” ²² Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

My thoughts are that he considered this a "divine intervention" because he began doing what God told him to do without asking any questions

2. Second was, Gideon (Judges 6:11-27):

¹¹ The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” ¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
¹⁴ The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
¹⁶ The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
¹⁷ Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. ¹⁸ Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”
¹⁹ Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah^[a] of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
²⁰ The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. ²¹ Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. ²² When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
²³ But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
²⁴ So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
²⁵ That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.^[b] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole^[c] beside it. ²⁶ Then build a proper kind of^[d] altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second^[e] bull as a burnt offering.”
²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

My thoughts are that he considered it to be both because even though they listened to God and what He told them to do, they still did it at night because they were fearful.

3. Third was, Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8):

¹ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. ² He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. ³ One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” ⁴ Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. ⁸ He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

My thoughts are that Cornelius considered God's words to be a divine intervention because he did just as God told him to do without question.

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I will be back to post the second part to this day later, but I have to get some work done now...I pray that your day goes well and that you are able to open your eyes and heart to what God has to say to you...

Saturday, March 24, 2012

The BIG Day!!!

Well... two of my good friends are finally getting married today =) and I can't wait to see them!!!!!
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Marriage is a wonderful thing for two people that are in love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies,
they will cease;
where there are tongues,
they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge,
it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO JASON AND MONICA!!!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Jonah - The Interrupted Life 2

DAY 1:
I AM JONAH

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son Amittai saying.." Jonah 1:1

I am Jonah.
I want to serve God,
     as long as it is convenient.
I desire to do His will...
     until it is a tad uncomfortable
I want to hear His Word...
     as long as its message is one I'm supposed
     to pass on to someone else.
I don't want to have my plans interrupted.
Oh yes, I am Jonah, and I suspect that in
     one way or another, you are too.

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Let me start by asking you a couple questions I was asked yesterday during my study time...

     Has your life ever been interrupted???
       [ x ] yes   [ ] no   [ ] not sure

     Have you ever run from God???
       [ x ] yes   [ ] no   [ ] not sure

           Think about it...

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Throught the years, many people have come to believe that the story of Jonah is too good to be true ( I know you've been told that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is), but in this case it is true!
People can't seem to believe that teh events could really happen - such as, a great storm, big fish swallowing a man, the city's revival, the east wind, and the plant that all make this story a role in this compelling narrative.

I can't help but believe that this truely happened because I am a firm believer in Christ and I know with Him, all things are possible!!!

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If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, then you are Jonah and his story is your story.

***I hate to be interrupted!
Now you say it... "I HATE BEING INTERRUPTED!"***

***Take a few moments to think about some of your life goals that you've yet to see become reality... How has life tampered with those goals???
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           - I thought that I would be a teacher after I graduated college but when I got there I ended up changing my major four times and decided to get a degree in business. Even though I am uncertain what I am supposed to do with this, I have been able to hold a job in my degree since I was 18 years old and I am done with school and I am also married to a wonderful man who loves God. I believe that if I would have stayed with my original plan I would still be in school and I also would have never met my husband. We are now in the process of following a new path that God has set before both of us in ministry, and even though we are scared, we are excited to see what God is going to do in our lives.
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In my book Priscilla made the statement - Some changes we are delighted with, other disappoint us and leave us buried in questions. Without a firm belief in the goodness and the care of God, we can spend years mad at ourselves, others, and even mad at Him because we did not get to acomplish what we originally set out to do.

***Now take a moment and think of three adjectives that describe how you feel about interruptions you've faced in your life plans:
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Excited
Scared
Surprised

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I learned that often times we tend to define the word 'interruption" as being terrible, and we have good reason to because most of the time it is... But if we take a closer look, we realize that there is an issue of value. We generally put priority on the things that we plan for ourselves and don't like it when we have to steer away of that.

In II Kings 14:25 we learn what Jonah's priorities were:

II Kings 14:25 says, "King Jeroboam restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prohet who was of Gath-hepher."

***Do you remember what Jonah's job was? He was a prophet of the Lord
***Do you think he was successful at his job?
I believe he was because the verse states that the king restored the borders according to the word of God.

As a prophet to the kingdom of Israel, Jonah's priorities were:

Hearing from God
Declaring God's message to His people
Being identified as a true prophet of God

God and His will held high importance to Jonah. He loved his people and wanted to see them rise in power and in influence and Jonah enjoyed his success because he prophesied what was happening.

***From you personal goals you thought about, would you say you gave highest importance to God and His will???

- I haven't...

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Now, you may be wondering what else we know about Jonah other than the fact that he is a prophet of God... Well, we don't really know much about his life prior to what is in the book of Jonah. All we know is that he foretold good things for his people so he must have been popular, respected, and appreciated and more than likely had financial security.

Jonah 1:3 says, ³But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His prophet] and went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading places then known]. So he paid the appointed fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish from being in the presence of the Lord [as His servant and minister].

***What might this verse reveal about Jonah's financial security???
- To me, it seems that he was very secure because he was able to pay the fare, but I can't be 100% sure because it doesn't state how he paid the fare (ex. if it was through trade or money, etc.) ***

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At the beginning of this study we learned that Jonah's life was interrupted in the very first verse of the first chapter in Jonah when "the word of the Lord came" to him. His priorities and comforts were completely disrupted and set of the course he had planned.

***What do you think might have been some of the comforts Jonah had to leave behind in Israel to follow God's instructions???

his family
his home
his job (if he had one other than being a prophet)

***If your life is being "interrupted" right now in some way, what "comforts" are you ahving the most difficult time leaving behind to follow God's directives???

- I am currently still trying to figure out what my comforts are...

***What challenges doyou think you will face that will amke it difficult for you to see life interruptions in a positive way?

my stubborness
letting go
not being in control of certain things

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This study of Jonah is supposed to help me/us redefine interruptions when it comes to our relationship with God. If we make Him our priority and His will out primary purpose, then when "the word of the Lord" comes to us or when He allows us to see His hand in our circumstances, we must see it as an essteemed opportunity to participate in the kingdom purpose.

Priscilla redefined the meaning of "interruption" in her study book as this, "God's plan is a "Divine Intervention" not and "interruption".

She gave a few equations for me/us to consider:

Insignificant Person + Insignificant Task = Interruption
Significant Person + Significant Task = Divine Intervention

***She asked that we explain the meaning of these equations in our own words.

- To me, when we choose to follow our own path, we will never be able to succeed and be happy, but when we choose to follow God's path and accept His will, we will be able to be successful in everything we do and also feel satisfied.

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In closing, I would like to just take a moment and state a few other things that Priscilla has noted:

If you find yourself balking at God's instructions inyour life, it is an indication of the importance you place on God and His will.

Interruptions only become positive when we consider the person or the circumstances interrupting to be more significant than that which currently occupies our attention.

To handle life's interruptions appropriately, the prophet needed a fresh view of God!

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I pray that you take in what God is saying to you because it is a GREAT priviledge to be able to hear the voice of God!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

JONAH - The Interrupted Life 1

It's a new day!!!
I first want to apologize for my rant yesterday, it was all true but uncalled for in the way I expressed my feelings...
If you don't mind, I would like to share a new Bible study I started last night...
It's 6 weeks long with 5 days of reading in between... I am going to be documenting what the lesson was about and also what I am reading during my quiet time...

So, buckle up, because here we GO!!!

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I started a bibly study last night at my parent's church and it's called Jonah by: Priscilla Shirer...

[If you don't know the story of Jonah, it's the one in the Bible about the man who was swallowed by a whale, or as the Bible stats it, a big fish...]

Many people think that the book of Jonah is all about the big fish but what they don't realize is that it's really about a BIG GOD and whether or not we are going to choose to run from Him or trust that He knows what is best for our life...

*Every chapter, every verse in Jonah is about the GRANDEUR of our God.

*Jonah was the only prophet who received instructions from God and RAN from what God told him to do.

- It is a great priviledge to to hear teh voice of God so directly and many of us do not get that priviledge very often. So we need to be open and willing to accept the things God has planned for our lives because only He knows what we will accomplish in our lives before we even start the plan we set for ourselves.

The Bible study started off with the a verse from Isa. 55:8 and it says " 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways', declares the Lord".
It's not unusual for people to make plans for their life and try their hardest to make it them come to pass, but often times, the people of God will experience things in their lives that are not necessarily what they had planned and they think of them as INTERRUPTIONS in their life.

*Our journey with Jonah helps us REVAMP our view of a life interrupted.

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I hope you're ready because here we GO!!! ...

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying..." Jonah 1:1

The INTERRUPTED life is the PRIVILEDGED life.

We need to realize that God does not INTERRUPT our lives to ruin our plans, He does it to give us the PRIVILEDGE to turn and follow His path He has prepared for us.

In the first verse of Jonah we are presented with 2 miracles:

God Spoke
God allowed a mere human to hear His voice

*To get a new view on what the INTERRUPTED life really means for believers in Jesus Christ, we need to get a new view of God.

- Life Interrupted can also be viewed as a Divine Intervention -

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Let me stop to add a few of my notes...
Take a few minutes to think of how your life has been interrupted lately...
Can you recall?

I sure can... My life is still in the process of a "DIVINE INTERVENTION" by God right now.

***In a way we are ALL Jonah. We have all been given a path by God that is in the opposite direction of where we want to go, but it is not about what WE want it is about what GOD wants!***

In Psalms 135: 15-17 it says,
¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
¹⁷ They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.

In Bible times, many people worshiped many "gods/idols"... you may notice "gods" is not capitalized, and that is because there is only one God that can do all things.
These few verses are stating that all these other "gods/idols" may be made of tangible things and may have the outlines of a mouth, eye and ears, but can they heal the sick, raise the dead, hear your prayers, see you pain or speak the plans for you life?????

I DON'T THINK SO!!! Sorry to dissappoint you... (not really...)

*The ONE TRUE God comes down to talk to us! He does not wait for us to come to Him.

Unlike these other "gods/idols" that make their believers come to them... There is a buddhist country that makes people walk up the side of a mountain for miles and miles just they can pray to it... Does that sound like the kind of god you would want to serve?

God is everywhere!!! He says in His word that wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I will be also.
He is even right beside while you're walking down the street, driving in your car, sitting at work... HE IS EVERYWHERE!!!

"Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." Jonah 1:2

Nineveh was city full of sin, murder, adultry, etc. and it had been brought to God's attention and He wanted to do away with it...

We often times hear the voice of God and say "I got it!" but when He begins to start His plan we turn and run and let it fall to the ground...

God wants us to be His hands and feet until He comes back to take His children home to Heaven! He has created us so that we may go out and share his good news that there is a better place waiting for us all we have to do is put our faith in Him and trust His plans He has set for us.

*One of the greatest revivals in history occurred because one man responded in obedience (Jonah).

*Jonah was a prophet. His job was to HEAR the word of God and then to ADMINISTER is to other people.

- God's word - instructions/translations to things we may not understand. -

*Nineveh, as I said was just a place of sin and hopelessness.

*God often send us into the HOPELESS place because it's in the hopeless place that we can see the HOPE of God.

Can you think of a something in your life that me be your HOPELESS PLACE? We have one or many... our "hopeless" place is our "Nineveh".

THE INTERRUPTED LIFE is the SIGNIFICANT life.

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- There are some things in our life that can not be started/fulfilled until our life is DIVINELY INTERVENTED by God and until we allow Him to do His work in our life so that we can go out and tell His word to other children of God.

Unless we do something with the word of God, we are missing the point. We need to be God's voice, hands and feet to others who are in their "hopeless" place and need to be told that there is something better out there... We just have to be willing to accept it. -

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There is only one other time that Jonah is talked about in the Bible and it is in II Kings:

In II Kings 14:25 we are told 5 things about Jonah:

his name: Jonah
his religion: servant of God
his family (father): Amittai
his job: Prophet of God
his hometown: Gath-hepher

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In closing...

***THE INTERRUPTED LIFE is the cure for the SEARCH for significance.

*****When we go where God is leading us, He is setting us up the a DIVINE INTERVENTION so He can start something in our life so we have a story that marks people for eternity*****

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As this week goes on I pray that whoever may read this, will realize that there is so much more out there other than being accepted by a certain group of people or being the prettiest or skinniest or richest... God has made you beautiful in His eyes, and made you who you are so that you are an individual and He has also made you rich and has riches upon riches waiting for you in Heaven. All you have to do is pray and ask God to take the wheel in your life and tell Him you are ready to live the life He has had planned for you all along!!!

I pray that God keeps you safe and surrounded with his angels and I can not wait to see what He has in store for me.

GOD BLESS!!!!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

well... here we go...
It's aweful when you really sit back to think about all of the things that are happening in the world that are starting to turn everyone/everywhere/everything into something that is no longer different.
Whatever happened to individuality?
I've decided to take a leave of absense from the whole facebook scene to see how different my life was before I became wrapped up in it...

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Sitting here trying to think back to a time that I never used to the internet is making me sad because honestly I CAN'T REMEMBER!!!
You can say all day long that you're different than everybody else and you don't want to be like "those" people, but when you really sit down and think about it... YOU'RE JUST LIKE THEM!!!
The people in todays world have become totally reliant on social media and the internet that they don't know what the phrase, "use your brain" means...
STOP RELYING ON GOOGLE FOR EVERY LITTLE THING...
I think life would be so much more simple if we would communicate with letters and face to face like we used to...
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It really erks me when i'm walking down the street or sitting in a public place and I see kids anywhere from ages 7-15 with cell phones, walking around with their heads down typing text messages... WHAT'S UP WITH THAT???
Watch what you're doing...i'm tired you running into me because you can't see me and then blaming it on me!!!

REALLY...what business does a 7-15 year old have for a cell phone??? They can't drive and shouldn't be out anywhere without adult supervision...
Why would a 7 year old need a cell phone...i'm sure they don't have that many people to talk to...

In my opinion...you don't need a cell phone until you can drive so that you can get a hold of your parents if you get into trouble and need their help... Also, if you get grounded and get your phone taken away, don't think it's the end of the world! Go take a walk and get some fresh air...
When I was a kid my parents made me play outside and I didn't get a cell phone until I turned 16, could drive, and also pay for it!

My advice to you guys.... GO GET A JOB!!! Stop making your parents pay for overage charges because you don't know how to talk to the person sitting right beside and also because you can't pay attention to how many minutes/text messages you use.
I started working at age 13, saved money for my first year of car insurance for when I turned 16, started paying for my own clothes and for food when I went out with my friends.
I have been able to buy 2 cars in MY name and for those of you that don't understand that, that means that I can actually call MY car, MY CAR!!! It's in my name and has my name on the title.
As far as i'm concerned, if your parents are paying for you cell phone, bought a car for you (and chances are they are still paying for it), paying for your car insurance, giving you money to go out with your friends, and also paying for the gas going into your gas tank... then technically it's not your stuff... GUESS WHAT!?!?! IT'S YOUR PARENTS!!!
They can take it all away if they feel like...

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I really shouldn't but now lets talk about video games!!!
This should be fun...
Back to my comment about going outside... GO OUTSIDE!!! Stop being complete buttholes to your parents when they tell you it's dinner time. Go down and eat with your family and stop grabbing your plate and going back to your room.

People wonder why are kids are so socially challenged... DUH!!! ...wake up and see what kids spend their time doing...
Parents wonder why their kids sleep the whole weekend away and are doing terrible in school... TAKE THE GAME SYSTEMS, TV's, and PHONES OUT OF THEIR BEDROOMS!!!
Put time limits on their game systems so they automatically shut off after a certain amount of time!!!

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Sorry to just rant and rave but stuff like this really makes me mad!!!
I'm also sorry if i've affeneded anyone...it wasn't my intention...