What is our country coming to?

So, lately I have been watching as our country seriously LOSES ITS MIND! And I am beyond worries. You see in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 there is some very clear verbiage regarding end of days. "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people." I look at he news, I look on social media, I look at people and I see all of these things coming to pass. I wonder, is it possible to change these things? Can we save our people? I don't know if we can. It is like this lust for things and desires versus what is right has overtaken our country.

I have never seen such foul mouthed, Unappreciative, conceited people as I have. We have famous singers claiming to be Jesus, inciting violence and people saying it should be ok to have an abortion at 36 weeks pregnant? OMG. This has seriously got to be a joke or a bad dream I am going to wake up from. Before anyone jumps on me, I am not judging people. I am judging the judgement of our government and our culture. The culture as a whole has become about how much does an item cost. What name is on that item? Oh your purse is from Charming Charlies...that's cute, mine is from Michael Kors. Who cares. My purse is going to last as long as yours does. Just like any item it depends on how you take care of it. I don't care if you have a Volvo in your driveway. So don't tell me how much better than my car yours is. Love of money.....everyone wants to be a millionaire. Why? I want to pay my bills. Period.

If I won the lottery you can bet one thing, I'd be shocked cuz we don't play and not because we live in Alabama we just don't use our money for that. Have we yes. We have purchased a ticket for a huge jackpot. Mainly because someone once said to me well if you are willing to lose your money and you aren't planning on winning then it really isn't gambling is it. Yes potato potahtoh. But once or twice we have said well shoot if God wants us to have that money one ticket will win it. We don't go spending hundreds of bucks on tickets. We get 1. And that hasn't been much in the last 5 years. I don't buy scratch offs etc. But even if we won we know exactly what we would do. We have our dream plan if we had the money. I can tell you there would be top of the line care for homeless people. Whether it be drug treatment, mental health or just plain old medical care. Fully paid for. There would be families who didn't have to worry about groceries who live on that line of barely making it and not qualifying for services. The list is heck of a long list of things we would do. I'd love to find families struggling and pay off their Christmas Lay Away. Yes it would be amazing. I'd love to support missionaries around the world and fund church plants. I could go on and on. That being said, we know that those dreams, although great would probably never happen but it is nice to dream of making a difference.

What I see on TV is more and more of our youth of all colors and creeds choosing a life of drugs, drug dealing, gang banging and robbing. I see more people saying you can have your own opinion as long as it agrees with mine. I see people putting people like the Kardashians on a pedestal when they have done nothing to help society. A sex tape doesn't help society and neither does surgery to change who you are. I'm tired of people looking down on single parents and not being mad as heck at the other parent who walked away and didn't help that family they left behind. Im' tired of seeing people being hateful towards each other and calling each other names that have nothing to do with who that person is. Why is this happening and why are we ok with it. Why is the Whitehouse hosting Muslim prayers but deciding to no lnoger host other prayer groups to pray on property? Why are the Muslim tenants being taught in schools where they are not allowed to teach about Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism etc. Why are some groups being given carte blanche to do or say whatever they want even including the pain and hurt to others.

Recently, a major news group said that when Trump says we need to put America First, its Nazism. How is that? Why aren't we taking care of our own hungry, our own homeless? I get it we have always helped other people, but we have never been this much in crisis in our country before and we have to stop and fix us before we can fix anyone else. Mexico says it is not ok for us to build a wall, however, they do have wall built between themselves and Guatemala to delay people coming into their country and they have some of the strictest immigration laws in the world. But if we enforce ours we are bullies. I just don't get it. Its about stopping the bleeding in our country. I can tell you right now, I know a few people who if given the option of working on a farm gathering fruit and that would include a free place to stay and a stipend of money weekly they would jump on the chance. There are lots of people who are homeless because even though they work hard, they can't afford to live where they are. What if they had that opportunity. Put them on buses and relocate them to the job and tada workforce created where supposedly there isn't one. There are ways to fix some of the issues here, there are ways to help our vets, our homeless, our mentally ill etc. And spending our money helping other countries may not be the right answer right now. Maybe we need to pull back for a time to fix things. Kind of like when you get a divorce. You have to work on you and get good with you before you will be any good to anyone else.

I don't know who I will vote for. I am not claiming to be on anyone's side but I don't think someone saying we need to fix our country sees the problems. Someone saying there is nothing to fix we rock....is blind as a bat.

Faith Fridays - Judgement of Grief

With the passing of Prince, I really had no intention of doing anything about his death etc. Then I saw the posts. There were people posting, oh, great you can grieve for someone because they are famous but not for our dying soldiers. You can grieve for someone famous but not the people who died in XYZ. I saw all kind of situations that have happened. Personally, I feel like that is a bunch of bologna. Yes, probably not the right word. Let me tell you why people grieve for specifically Prince. I'm not going to lie, other famous people died and I reacted with oh that's sad. I didn't have to take a moment to think about them like I did Prince.

Let me start with all the people who said, "Seriously on Faith Friday?" Prince is an icon. Prince has never had a lawsuit against him, he has never been arrested. Yes he was different but that man was seriously comfortable with who he was. He was also raised a Christian and died a Jehovah's Witness. Although many people don't consider Jehovah's Witness to be Christian, they do believe in Jesus and God and they by definition do try to be more Christ like thus making them a form of Christianity. People connect with Prince because he is not ashamed of who he is. He does have sexual tones in his videos and some of his music was yes over the top not acceptable. But he himself admits some of his music occurred when he had fallen away. Have you never fallen away? Have you never sinned or made bad choices? Just as a litmus, are you wearing white cotton? If the answer is no congrats you have a sin! Sorry its the easiest one to pull because some people have done great at avoiding the other ones. You also aren't supposed to eat pork because it has a cloven hoof and doesn't chew its own cud. That being said, we have all screwed up. God still loves us.

But I ask you now, have you ever read his lyrics? Let me give you a few to read. For copyright reasons I can't just transfer them over here, however, that being said, I can give you some lyrics to look up. Here is a list of lyrics that might make you see the man behind the music.
- I Would Die 4 You
- The Ladder
- The Cross
- I Wish You Heaven
- 7
- And God Created Woman

This is a short list. But that being said there are many more. 7 is a little less obvious than the others...but what do you know about the bible that is 7. How do we fight the 7 deadly sins. We use our minds and what we have learned with our bible and we use our ability to avoid thing. Now if you are going to watch all 7 fall because they stand in the way of love....what love? Gods love. If you look at 7 the way it is meant, the whole song...has a great connective story.

For me personally, I wish I could say that my connection with prince was completely because of these songs. For me music has always had a connection to my life. I can hear a song and know I danced with this boy for the first time. I was listening to that song during my first breakup or I listen to that song EVERY TIME I am upset. No I wasn't saved when I used to listen to prince and wear out cassette tapes (yup I'm that old). I did however, recognize the meaning between his songs that were Christian based. I heard the word and I got the point. I honestly adore listening to prince and listening to some of his songs even now. There are many of them if you listen to the words you get the point. We all have sin. We all make mistakes. But this man connected with people's lives in a way that no other artist since maybe Elvis really has. Everyone knows who Prince is. Yes there is Michael Jackson but look at all of his legal troubles and accusations. Some people liked David Bowie but he was a like him or hate him performer. I liked him but I didn't listen to him like I listened to Prince.

Maybe just maybe this is a sign that at the end of the day, you don't really know someone's soul. You can refuse to listen to a song because that one song has stuff in it you don't want put into your mind. I get that. I do that daily. I make my own CDs of music I already own so I can listen to what I want to. But don't rule out an entire person because of one bad thing or 50 bad things. There is usually still something good inside that person. And if you give up, who will ever see it. Ultimately, I know some people who read this, probably most, won't look up the lyrics to these songs. Some may already know this information. But those who didn't and do. You may have a whole new outlook on this performer.

I also ask that since you are reading this....you step up and look at the people you judge. Do you look for that mustard seed inside of them? That thing that God has given them that makes them special? Or do you decide that because you don't agree with something they are or something they do that you have some right to push them aside. Things we are and things we do.....they don't determine what we are to God. We are all God's children. God has asked us to look at the world as children. What would a child say about someone different. Would they not talk to them. And if you say no they wouldn't, is that because they wouldn't want to or because their parent told them not to. God has never told us not to. Just a thought.

Have a blessed day.

Mystery Tacklebox Review - Unboxing - April Box

My husband is an avid fisherman. I like to get my hook wet but I am not as obsessed as he is. I quite often give my husband a hard time about all of his fishing gear that rarely ends up with him bringing home a fish. Not that he doesn't catch them but he won't keep them if he doesn't have enough for everyone to have dinner that night. (He still hasn't gotten the concept that we can freeze them and then when we have enough make them for dinner). But its all good. He has a good time. I think the only time I could have strangled him was when he caught a HUGE sting ray and he let it go. I was all ready. I had the videos on how to clean them and recipes ready for a few meals. He came home empty handed and I was heartbroken. I was so excited to try the new dishes. But, its all good in the end. He has photos of that big sting ray and he had a blast reeling it in.

Living where we do in Alabama it leads to a lot of different sorts of fishing. Both salt, brackish and fresh are all available within a short drive in a direction. Kind of makes it fun. But it also means we have to have something for each kind of fishing and each kind of fish. This year his goal is a shark, a sheephead and a red. I think he just wants a sheephead so he can see their teeth. They have human like teeth which is kind of cool. Well enough about the kind of fish we go for. I'm reviewing a monthly box!

Mystery tackle box is great. You pick your fishing type. The species in the monthly box that is $15 per month is Bass, Inshore Saltwater, Walleye, Panfish, Catfish and trout. If you get the $25 box, it is only available in Bass. With the $15 box you can change your fish type monthly and get a variety of tackle. Really a great deal overall. This month, we got trout.

With your box you get a couple of cards that list the items included in your box and their retail value. Those are always right on top. You also get a little booklet with fishing tips and tricks. Downside those always seem to be bass related. We would love it changed with the type of fishing gear you are receiving that month. But I digress, overall it isn't that important.

The most fun part is removing those and seeing all of the goodies inside! We got a lot of great items. We received a new tackle called the Hurt. Love that this one says it dives in the water and is a crank bait. We also got Krill Bait and Biopro eggs. Because of where we live a favorite is the Mayfly larva. Something that our fish are used to seeing during certain times of the year. We also got a float and some worms that are all in chinese or japanese...and a Diamond Dazzler that looks like a lot of fun to use.

Overall value of this box was $25.93 for everything retail priced and we got it for $15. So we saved $8. Now the one thing is you may never have picked up these items yourself in the store, so there is always a chance. That being said, my husband has had great luck trying some of these items he would never have tried out without having the opportunity with these boxes. We have gotten quite a few items that have really made him very happy with the quality and the response of the fish and he will go find more or order them directly from the site if he can't find them locally. We honestly highly suggest this box. We did not receive any discounts, this is just a box we have delivered monthly that we thought you might enjoy! I am including photos of the items received. I believe you can also order the items straight from the site without having a subscription box. So you too can have any of these items if they look like something you would enjoy! Happy fishing. And remember, if you always caught something, they would call it catching!

Faith Friday - Bound by Bitterness

God is good every day. Every day God is good. Easy to say sometimes hard to believe. Bad things happen around the world every day. When something bad happens to you, it is very easy to let bitterness creep into your heart and break your spirit. But you always must remember God is with you in those moments. Psalms 34:18 says "God is close to the broken-hearted. He heals those who's spirits are crushed." It is human nature to be upset when a relationship ends. If you trust in God's plan in your life, then you have to believe that this is a moment of change in your life. A new season to begin in your path.

I have had romantic relationships end as well as friendships in my life. I have been so broken from the ending of these that I have been inconsolable. That being said, those moments were before I really had a relationship with God that was healthy. (Yeah I was one of those people who would question EVERYTHING about God's plan for me.) So often I find myself telling people that are struggling to read the bible because the answers are there. God's word is the one thing in our lives that will NEVER change! And by never, I mean not from the day you are born to the day you finally see him face to face.

And another dies in the bitterness of his soul, and never eats with pleasure. Job 21:25 Can you imagine letting your faith fall from bitterness so much that your soul is dead? Have you ever felt this way. Helpless, lost and you pray and feel like you are praying in silence. You aren't alone, you have separated yourself from God through lack of faith. Bitterness is a form of lack of faith. You are not trusting God's plan for you. People come into your life for a reason. Some come for a long time and some just for a season. There is a reason they are taken from you. Bu the one thing you can never forget is that God has a plan for you. Even if that plan doesn't line up with what you want, there is a plan.

But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. James 3:14. Envy, bitterness and strife are NOT of God. They are the seen by many as a form of sin in that you are letting the devil into your heart. God would never make you feel this way. God would never wish you to feel pain. God wants you to live abundantly and full of joy. Any negative feeling or thought is not of God and only you can pull your faith together and get where you need to be. Its about how you think. Its all about your attitude.

Can you change how you think? How about when you break up with someone or they break up with you or a friend decides that they no longer want to be tied to you. Initially you feel hurt. You feel pain. You may cry. You may get angry. You will be sad. But in that moment the best place you can go is to God. Ask him to lift you from this pain. Reaffirm your commitment to him and know that there is a plan and that you trust his path. You will find comfort in this. The best thing you can do after that is pray for the person that has left your life. Pray for them to find amazing happiness. Pray that they find their path in this world and that they will receive the love and grace of God. Pray that they find all of the happiness in the world. I know it is so much easier to take the path of anger and bitterness, but as a child of God.....you MUST not follow that path. That is not the path of a Christ follower. Follow the word in the book. Forgive and move forward. Do not give them a place in your heart and your soul by holding onto anger and bitterness. Give yourself freedom.

What is coming! Man has my email been full!

So, I like to try to keep you guys up to date on what is coming up! Obviously I do my Monday topical post, We have Writer Wednesdays and We have Faith Fridays! Well now, we can be very excited about the fact that I have been getting a lot of opportunities to look into some great products for you! Some products I have coming for some upcoming features:

So, first of all I have some great dorm room solutions coming up! Everyone who has a high school senior and is trying to figure out what they might be able to use to maximize some space in the tiny dorm rooms! My daughter will be giving some info on items she found VERY helpful when she was in a small dorm room as well! Great planning for college blog.

Do you love fun products! What about water bottles! We have a great one we will be reviewing. This water bottle has a bluetooth speaker and lights up and MORE! Yes I said MORE! Its a very fund and useful water bottle I can't wait to share the information with you about this great product!

I have also received some requests from sellers to review some other great products a few funny glasses, trunk organizer, a bluetooth product hat lets you lock your computer remotely AND MORE! Yes the reviews are coming in and YOU will be the first to get to see these awesome items! If you have some sort of topic you would like me to review, please feel free to reach out to me on facebook or through my email. We are always looking for new and interesting items to review!

So what kind of items do we review. Almost anything (Except adult products we like to keep our family pages family friendly). Between the group of us, my kids are into video games, baking and makeup. Myself I am into anything crafting (soap making, scrapbooking, cardmaking, crocheting etc.) as well as baking, gardening, reading, anything faith based. My husband is an outdoorsman. He fishes, kayaks, hunts even has a mini cannon (yes that is FUN!). So pretty much all products will be intriguing to someone in our home! We host exchange students and love products and things from around the world! So you never know what you will end up seeing on this page!

Writer Wednesday - Not a writer but a great program to find new writers!

Have you heard of a page called Kindle Scout? It is a great program really. Basically writers can feature their books on there. They give you a synopsis of the story. They tell you about the plot, the characters and the story line in detail. You get a feel for the book. There are lots of books to look through and you can pick three to nominate to be selected to be available to shoppers in the Kindle Store. The page describes the process as follows: "Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing." (kindlescout.amazon.about)

So if you are like me...you are thinking ok and why do I care....well let me tell you why! You care because if the book you nominate gets selected to be available you get a FREE COPY! So that book that intrigued you can be yours for free just by nominating it. As your selections are pulled after 30 days for nominations they are then reviewed for number of nominations. The winning nominated books are then decided. Then if one you nominated is released you get a free copy! This really works best if there are a lot of people using this program. Great books and great writers get a voice in the market by your nomination. (You really have more direct say than the current elections it seems).

Are you a writer? Are you tired of getting the letter saying, No sorry, not interested in your story but everyone tells you its great! Well worry no more. You now can be a published author! Follow the submission checklist. Submit your book to Kindle Scout. Agree to the publishing agreement and then get ready to launch. Once it launches, share with your friends and family. Have them share. And then also make sure your description of your book is intriguing so that people like me will find it that way too and you too may be a published author with a great publishing deal. Just so you know the process of getting your book on Kindle Scout can take up to 45 days!

So for you readers, this is a great program and really helps aspring writers and readers that love new books and are on a budget! Check it out today. Just go to and start reading TODAY!

Personal Accountability - Has anyone seen it? It is missing!

On April 14, 2016, a judge in Connecticut ruled that a lawsuit can go forward placed by families of the Sandy Hook victims against the maker of the gun that killed a number of children and adults in the shooting there. I am absolutely in shock that this is being allowed. I am, for one, personally over the lack of accountability that this country has come to. He stated in his answer to the request the following information: The maker knew or should have known that their weapon would be used in a way that may injure a person or persons.

Reality yes guns can be used to kill someone. So can knives, rope, toothpicks, forks, toothbrushes(see somewhere online about how to make a prison shank) etc. Really any item can be used to kill someone and this is common knowledge. It is a tragedy that 20 children and 6 teachers were killed that day. It is really heartbreaking that families had to endure that in 2012. Just like my family dealt with the loss of an amazing friend in the shootings at the Aurora theater. They are indeed tragedies, however, the finger is pointing in the wrong place.

From my research it appears that approximately 20% of all guns made in the US have AR15 patterns. Now, that being said. There are approximately 100 million rifles owned in the united states. 20-30 million of those would be considered Assault Rifles. 99% of those owners of the 'Assault Style Weapons' owned other weapons previous to the purchase of this gun. Almost half of the people who own these guns have previous Military or Police Experience.

If anyone is crying but these aren't for hunting you are right. Sometimes people just like to blow stuff up. We had a friend, when we lived in IL, who was a former marine. He served to help train the local PD at the time in their training etc. He also did crime scene work as well. He had a gun that would be considered in this family of weapons. He actually probably had more. He had land and he would buy these canisters of Tannerite and set up 'practice runs' for ideas for training police officers and such. He liked to have fun and would apply the Tannerite to targets for an easier way to tell when shot etc. He only shot his weapon there. When not in use the guns are always locked up. Most weapon owners are diligent if not obsessive with the safety of their family and the security of their weapons.

There is a large gap in the mental health system of this country. Let's just take Connecticut for example. Since Malloy took office in 2011. It is really not even questionable that his budget cuts have left an already struggling mental health system in Connecticut even more broken. As recent as 2016, Malloy has requested MORE cuts that will cut back availability of the services that people with mental health issues have available. What this means is when parents struggle (as did the mother of the shooter in Sandy Hook) to get help for their child, they will be told over and over again no. They will be put on waiting lists for help. They will be ignored.

Instead of suing gun makers, these families should be suing the state to provide proper mental health care. They should be requiring these different organizations to be making less hoops for parents in need of help for their children to find that help. We also need to start cracking down on the guns on the street that are owned by criminals. There are laws in place to help with this one, however, no resources are being used to start doing this crackdown. We can all agree that a sane person doesn't gun down children. But, there is also many documents that show this mom tried desperately to get her son help and was turned away. The change that needs to happen is not gun makers it is our medical system.

Faith Friday - Forgiveness

Usually someone we don't know can't cause a hurt that needs forgiveness. But, it can happen. The hurt that cuts the deepest is when a friend or family member hurts us. We allow ourselves to trust these people in our lives so when they let us down, it just cuts us to the bone. It distances us from others and it makes our faith walk a little bit harder.

I am not perfect. I have had people hurt me very badly and I had a lot of them that I thought I had forgiven but during a recent class I am taking through church called LIFE, I found that some of those I had 'forgiven' was not full forgiveness and I had lied to myself. After some deep and thorough reflection, I found feelings that were hidden within me. I had been denying hurt that I was holding onto. This worked into my daily reactions to events and people. It was taking away from my ability to really truly experience my life and my faith.

Below are some verses that talk about how God wants us to forgive others. It isn't easy but it is something that we as Christians need to do. Some people find writing down what someone did and acknowledging our feelings and making a decision to let it go. Some people then burn the hurt to make it go away. Now i am the first person who will tell you that I did not used to do the give it to God thing well. I still struggle with it from time to time, however, with forgiving others, I sincerely have found a great path to that by just saying to God, it is your will that I forgive and I give this pain to you. It has seriously helped me!

The first verse is Collossians 3:13 - Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.

God has forgiven all of us. He gave his only begotten sons life for our sins. Would you allow your son or daughter to die to save someone else? Could you love someone else so much that you would be willing to do that? As a human, I can not say that I would so his strength is more than me. I have found peace in this thought. But that same strength that I find in the love and forgiveness of God.....tells me I must forgive others.

The second verse is Matthew 18:21 & 22 - Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?' 'No, not seven times,' answered Jesus, 'but seventy times seven.'

Jesus tells Peter in this verse to continue to forgive. He technically says 490 times, however, all of the other verses show the never ending forgiveness of God is what we should show to others.

One of my favorite verses...the Third Verse is Ephesians 2:4 & 5 - But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved.

I have been saved by Gods Grace. He has given me infinitely more mercy than I have ever earned. In that same love (recall Jesus said, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another in John 13:35.) we must forgive others.

In Luke 23:34, Jesus showed us that even in that moment of desperation, Forgiveness is the required response. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Jesus was dying for our sins and he asked God to forgive those gambling to take his clothing. He could have said no that's my stuff stop. He could have said, ' look at these people, I'm not even dead and they are divvying up my stuff! He didn't. He asked for forgiveness for their actions.

In that he loved us we were forgiven. In that he loves us, we must forgive. Don't forget. Getting angry is human. Feeling pain and betrayal is human. Forgiving is divine.

My challenge for you this week is to make a decision to cast lots or to forgive. If you choose to forgive feel free to post why you forgave someone. What they did. Let me pray for you that you can maintain your freedom. Take your faith to a new level. Open your heart larger to let others inside. No longer be a prisoner to anger and resentment and let love fill you instead.

Have a blessed week!

Personal time off has given me a new mission...

So I have seriously tried to take some time off to get myself good. I found that on my blog I had no form, no plans and it was kind of winging past. I have finally stood up and said What is MY VOICE! Well this is what you will find with the new and improved blog.
#1 You can follow me on Google Plus. I am not doing an email because, well, lets be honest do you really read those emails telling you someone posted another blog link. On Google Plus my updates will load in your feed. Or you can just be awesome and check back frequently for updates.
#2. I have a plan. Most of the week will be random we will be posting a Vlog post weekly on our new Vlog site and I will write a coordinating blog post which will correlate with the release of the Vlog. So links to things etc. Now, that being said, I recently found out that writers have a really hard time being seen. I will be doing Writer Wednesday. Featuring a book that I have read. Hoping to find some through referrals (feel free to email me if you are a writer.) I will also be doing Faith Fridays. I am a Christian. I may discuss non Christian Religious issues as well. Depends on what is important at the time or on my mind. Again if you want me to research a topic please feel free to email me.
#3 I am going to be faithful. I have had a very hard time with changing jobs and working 50 to 60 hours per week and trying to sleep and be with my family to be able to maintain my blog. There has been a lot in the last year that has really gotten in the way of me being faithful to my blog. Even though my blog is important to me it falls down the line after my family, my faith and my job. I am currently not working. I walked away from my job in the hopes that I can find something part time that will bring in what we need for extra money and then not have to give up what else is important to me.
#4 You can see me in other places too!
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If you have any products, books, etc you want me to review and you are the 'owner' of this company or writer of the book feel free to message me through the Facebook link.

You have a great and blessed day. And can't wait to show you so much more!

When you have church hurt......

I know not everyone that reads my blog is a Christian and not everyone has had Church hurt. But, it is a topic that I think needs to be addressed more with Christians. So often, we are quick to say well this person said this and they are this at church. You are putting yourself in a place of judgement or a place of victimization that allows you to give up what is most

I think the first thing to make very clear. All too often we put our faith in people not God. We struggle to keep our faith because people let us down. If you lose faith because you are hurt by a church, then your faith was not in God, it was in people. That is a very important differentiation to make. I have been church hurt before but I have never let it affect my faith. I very clearly saw the difference between the 'fake Christians' and 'self proclaimed Christians'. My church hurt has never affected my faith. It has never caused me to question my faith. It has, however, made me question the faith of others.

You see, yes you have a pastor, you have people who operate in different areas of the church but not a single one of them is a perfect person. Not a single one of them is Jesus. If you have questions and you seek help and you don't feel like the members of your church are giving you the guidance you need that is because all the guidance with your faith you need is already available to you in the bible. There are many concordance options available online or in book form that can help you find guidance. Granted there are times when you definitely need a little more human support but it is truly support not guidance you are seeking. There is a huge difference.

Many times, you will hear those who have been church hurt referred to as the Walking Wounded. It's true they are wounded. They are hurt. Their emotions, their stability, their world has been changed. Why is this more painful than other hurt from people. Well, probably because when you go to church you go to be part of a community. You go to share your love for God. You let yourself be completely vulnerable in those moments in order to let god teach you by listening to sermons and talking about your life. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable a human can break your heart and it will hurt worse than a stranger yelling at you telling you that you are ugly etc.

My church hurt story. I have actually been church hurt more than one time. But I will speak on my most recent time. We moved to a new home, it was far away from friends and family. We knew basically no one. We went to a church recommended by our realtor. She said she loved it. We did too! We loved the people and we loved the sermons. My husband actually went forward and gave himself to God and was saved in that church and baptized. We truly loved the church. There were weird things that we started noticing as people got 'comfortable' around us. Comments about someone who had brought someone who was gay into the church. And how the pastor wouldn't agree to baptize them if they came forward because they are gay. Being told that they absolutely can judge other people. That it says in the bible you can judge the fruit of the tree. I was told that I was absolutely wrong to believe that God would want us to love everyone without fail and let God do the final judgement for sins. I started finding these types of comments over and over.

Then the next thing happened. My son had moved home after being injured in the military. He was having some transition issues. He came home in March. I asked the pastor to meet with him and there was no contact. I asked him 10 times in the course of time between March 6 and July 4th. I gave him my sons number 5 times. He was at our home for my daughter's birthday and never said a word to him. He never met with my son. We were dealing with a young man who had lost faith while in the Army due to events that happened. I begged this pastor as a former military person and a pastor to reach out to my son. What I was doing was not working. 2 weeks after 4th of July, I had vented to someone else that went to our church and it got back to him immediately (so much for venting to a friend) His response was to tell my son "I said I'd get to you after the fourth of July and I am. Ball is in your court. What kind of supportive message is that? Also during this time I was struggling. They stated they needed someone to work with Worship team and in the office.I had volunteered to work for free to prove myself and was ignored. I have many years of performance experience and love worship music and have a number of worship leader friends. I was told by someone else, well you can't be a worship leader silly you are a woman. Say what? Shortly after that commentary and after they flew in three families who all turned down the position for the man to run the worship and his wife to work in the office. The church was hit by lightening, not once but twice. What do you think the lightening took out? Their office equipment and music equipment. That being said between those events and his response to my son who desperately needed his support we left.

I was absolutely church hurt. But I clearly could see it was the man not God who failed me. Sadly when I had tried to talk to him about it he said never put your faith in man, man will always let you down. Although true, his actions were not actions of a man of God. We struggled, we prayed we begged God for guidance. We were finally led where we belonged. Is it perfect? Heck no.....It is not perfect. It has learning curves. But, it is good. It is better. And my son is back in the fold. He loves that this church in no way expects you to be perfect. They don't judge where you are at in your path, they just love you for who you are.

Churches were never meant for saints. They were always meant to be hospitals for the broken. If you have been church hurt. Do not give up your faith. God did not do this. Man did. Always remember somewhere out there is a place you can worship and be loved. Just like any relationship it sometimes takes time to find the right one. And you may kiss some frogs before you have the experience you are looking for.

God Bless and prayers go out to anyone who has been Church Hurt that if you have not yet found your way home, you will take this as a sign to pray for a guiding light from God. He loves you in your broken form. A solid object has tobe cracked to let the light inside.