How Do You Socktober?

God tells us in Isaiah 58:7
New Living Translation
Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

By now, millions of people have heard of Kid President. He has captured many hearts with his cuteness, but more importantly, he has a heart and helps motivate others to good. I am challenging churches and schools everywhere to help him reach his goal of 3 million. Set up your own Socktober Drive. Don't limit it to socks, you can choose blankets, canned food, toiletries, deodorant, soap, brushes, etc. We want to help the homeless shelters and get them supplied with items before the cold winter. Check out the website: happysocktober.com They even have an official seal! Check it out:

God's Grace

Grace of God
 Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter rain, Just pray to God for a better umbrella. That's Attitude! Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship. It's not how we care in the beginning, but how much we care till the very end. Some people throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make with them; a Wall or a Bridge? Always remember you are the architect of your own life. Search for a good heart, but don't search for a beautiful face, coz beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful. It's not important to hold all the good cards in life, but it's important how well you play the cards you hold. Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, be silent for a Moment, remember God and pray. "It is often just a bend, not the end". One of the basic differences between God and humans is this: God gives, gives, and forgives. But the human gets, gets, gets, and forgets to do the same. Always Be Thankful . . . If you think it is your alarm clock that woke you up this morning, try putting it beside a non-living body and you will realize, that it is the Grace of God that awakened you. If you are grateful to God for your place in life and the abundance given you, please share this with all your friends. BY GODS GRACE ALONE We are here experiencing BEING, and have been given so many Intrinsic Gifts. Have Faith, and you will 'demonstrate' a happy & successful life. ~*~ The One GOD is always with us GOD'S BLESSINGS BE YOURS! ================================ This came across my email sent by a dearSister in Christ. Do not have information on who created it. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

What is Love?

Well folks, I have been on a 5 week vacation from work. I spent the first portion battling pneumonia and with the good Lord's grace, was able to overcome it after 3 rounds of anti-biotics. While recovering, I read more than normal, and studied God's word. The last portion of my vacation was spent with family and grandkids. We love having each of our grandkids over during the summer to visit and join their cousins to play and interact with each other. This is exhausting, but very rewarding as grandparents. Today, I came across this video that I wanted to share. Before you watch the video, think how YOU would answer the question, "What is Love"? Hope you enjoy this.

National Unrest

I have had uneasy feelings and have been somewhat depressed since the Supreme Court made its so called ruling on Gay/Lesbian marriage. I have read much literature on the topic with debates in comments that bash each other with their personal opinions. Of all the articles I have read, this is probably my favorite that was pointed out by our preacher this morning. Thank you Ray Wells for you honesty, and knowledge as you teach us the truth according to God's Word.

To our friends and neighbors in Branson, We love homosexuals. You read it correctly. The church of Christ in downtown...

Posted by Branson church of Christ on Friday, June 26, 2015

Rules for Life #2

This post is a continued article from the original post called:
7 Cardinal Rules for Life 
Rules for Life #1 (with bible references) 

Rules for Life #2:
What other people think of you (is none of your business)

I am taking the seven Cardinal Rules of Life and looking for scripture that supports the rule and giving my thoughts about it. Here are some verses that I have found that apply to rule #2:

• Proverbs 29:25 (NIV) Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
• Luke 12:4-5 (NASB) I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
• John 5:41 (NIV) I do not accept glory from human beings,
• John 5:44 (NIV) How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
• John 12:43 (NIV) ...for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
• 1 Corinthians 15:10a (NASB) Bus by the grace of God, I am what I am,...
• 1 Peter 2:15 (NASB) For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
• 1 Peter 3:17 (NASB) For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for what is wrong.
• 1 Peter 4:14a (NIV) If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of Glory and of God rests on you.
• Romans 12:18 (NASB) If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
• Luke 6:26 (NIV) Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
• Mark 12:14 (NIV) ...Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are, but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth
• Galatians 1:10 (NIV) Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

There are so many scriptures on pleasing men or gaining praise from others rather than from God. Our focus in life should be pleasing our maker. God is happy when we share the gospel (good news) with others. Pleasing Him is foremost above all else. We should not put our efforts into satisfying others; nor should we worry what others think about us. Seeking praises of men will trap us and get us off of our true purpose in life. Knowing God's love gives us confidence and helps us appreciate our uniqueness and individuality. You have quirks that annoy others? Become comfortable with being YOU. The more relaxed we can be with our own differences, the more comfortable we start to feel just being ourselves. Thank God for our differences and use them to His glory. God controls all and carries us through the fun times and the dark times. When we put our trust in Him, we can overcome the trials and tribulations that come our way. I love this saying, "God can't please everyone, what makes you think you can?"  Some people can fill our heads full of negative thoughts and pull us down if we let them. Allowing this self-doubt to creep in will torment us if we let it. Don't let others ruin your self-image. Our self-worth, and true acceptance comes from within...with God. Live your life by God's standards, not the world's! He is supreme!

Christ is Risen & Alive

Watch this video on how every person needs Christ in order to wash away your sins. Without Him, life is hopeless. This is a great visual. Hope you enjoy it, especially after Easter, knowing that Christ is alive and sitting on the right hand of GOD, waiting for us to hear, believe, repent, be baptized, and obey.

He took our sins away...

Posted by Jesus Christ is KING on Friday, September 12, 2014

What’s Your Attitude?

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I ran across this by Charles Swindoll and felt it was worth sharing. See what you think about it:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.

by Chares Swindoll

Are You Making a Difference?

I don't know about you, but there a times when we can become very discouraged, disappointed, and upset with ourselves. Do you ever wonder if your life is pleasing to God? Do you make a difference in someone's life? We have been studying Jennifer Rothchild's book, Me, Myself, & Lies in bible class on Wednesday nights and tonight's lesson was great. The word that kept coming up this week was "perseverance" in the wake of our battles. Life is not always pleasant and can heap lots of troubles, heartache, and misery.  What can we do to get through the rough battles? Balance is important in life if you want to remain UNSHAKABLE. If you picture a table's four legs, we can remember the four areas that are important for us to keep grounded and firm.

1. The mental leg (keep mentally strong, don't get bored...learning never ends)
2. The emotional leg (not every feeling is a fact, nor are feelings all productive)
3. The physical leg (our body is God's temple with basic needs: eating, moving, & resting)
4. The spiritual leg (this leg bears ALL the weight and is most important to remain unshakable)

I want to leave you with this awesome video I ran across today (thank you Lord for that) which made me realize how very short a time we have on earth. I want to make each day count! Time's a wasting and too many 'beans' have gone. See what I mean by watching it for yourself.

Rules for Life - #1

I mentioned in  an earlier post that I wanted to take the seven Cardinal Rules of Life and search out scriptures for them. Today, I will focus on the first one:

1. Make peace with your past so it won't disturb your present
   
   
   Isaiah 43:18 (NIV)
   Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past. 
   
   John 14:27
   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
   
   John 16:33 (NIV) I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
   
   Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
     
   Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

   
   Colossians 3:15 (NIV) 
   Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

   
   

   2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV) 

   Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 

   
   

   Romans 8:6 (NIV)
   
   

   The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 

   
   

   
   

   2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV) 
   
   

   Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
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   My thoughts:
   Dwelling on your past brings you down as you think about life before accepting Christ as your savior. Once you become into the blood of Christ, your former life is no more, it has been washed clean and God remembers it no more. I love the scripture in Psalms 103:12 that says, "As far as the east is to the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Folks, the east and west never meet! This means your sins are no more. If you continue to dwell on that sinful life and all the wrongs you committed; you are not trusting in God's word and His power of forgiveness. May you spend time on God's grace and mercy, thanking Him for bringing you peace as you live daily for Him.

7 Cardinal Rules for Life

Rules of life that I try to always follow! pic.twitter.com/w5rZbvNfjK
— Sima Levy (@SimaMAW) February 25, 2014

It is my plan to take these 7 cardinals rules and put scripture (book, chapter, & verse) to them. Maybe someone out there in the blog-o-sphere can beat me to it. I'd love that. Please visit Sima's Twitter feed and/or website! She is such a lovely person that I just met online on Twitter. Mothers Art World (MAW) was created by her and their mission is to give students all over the world access to Art education! I think I had a deficiency in this area. What she is doing is inspiring and I commend her. I cannot wait to share her with the world. Make sure to visit her site and check out her books.

Stinkin' Thinkin'

What I like about the new year is that it brings about reflection. Hopefully, most of us are reflecting on ways to improve ourselves, improve our lives, and improve our relationships. I have been reading and studying a book by Jennifer Rothschild called, "Me, Myself, and Lies". It has made me think more about my self-talk (sometime called Soul Talk) and how powerful it can be if they are negative ones. I want to admit that my thoughts are not always pleasing to me or God (He counts most). I have a problem with Stinkin' Thinkin'! It is something I plan to change in 2015. Have you ever told yourself that "You can't do something?" or "You're not important"? "You're too fat, ugly, stupid, dumb, fill-in-the-blank with your choice of word(s). Our thoughts need to be acceptable and pleasing to God. Our theme memory verse is taken from Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth, and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (KJV). If you are one whose thoughts hurt more than help, replace them with God's truth. It is helpful to memorize scripture and erase negative thoughts with God's loving words. I love this acronym for MIND. These are the kind of thoughts I want and that should fill our SELF TALK. Join me this year and don't let Satan keep you down this year. He wants us to fail, to think we aren't capable of achieving His purpose in our lives. Together, we can fill our thoughts with things that are pleasing and acceptable to God, our Father and creator. Enjoy the journey!