People talk about faith like it is just a rolling thing that we just do. But no one really takes the time to find out why? Why do we have faith? Why do we believe what we can not see? Why do we not ask why? Is it bad to ask why? Well, here is my thoughts.
We have faith because whether as a child or becoming a Christian you were told faith is believing in what is not seen. For those who are Agnostic or Atheist, they want something solid. They want you to show them proof that can be described no other way but in your heart you feel sure you have faith for a reason. You believe that faith is a requirement of being a Christian and you would be right.
Faith is a belief in things that are unseen and trusting God's word. It is knowing that we don't have the answers. It is trusting that if we fall, we will be caught.
The bible references faith. Faith Of God. Without faith it's impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Why would it displease God if we did not have faith? That is a simple answer, without faith, how can you follow his commandments fully. You can not step fulling into your relationship with God if you don't trust him. Faith is truly trust in God and his plan in your life. That plan for your life may not be what you dream or envision, however, it is his plan and not ours that we should trust and follow. This is why Christian's must have faith.
Faith is such an important part of our lives as Christians and yet we so often take it for granted. We say we have faith and we then go about our day and our actions try to impart our own will on our lives. We don't allow God to lead us. We show our lack of faith often and we have to work to maintain our faith. Do we get nervous? Do we get scared? In those moments, we are not trusting that God has a plan. We are not allowing God to work his will onto our lives. Being startled is not the same as being scared. We have to know that no matter what the outcome of a situation, God is in control. I had struggled with this a LOT in my life. I always wanted to know what would be happening in my life, where it was going. I would jump on a opportunity without praying on it. I would have that gut instinct telling me that this was not the right decision and then be sadly correct.
We show our faith by trusting God even when it isn't easy. We have to wake up daily and make a decision to be faithful. When we don't trust God's plan we need to step back and let god lead us.
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Friday, September 16, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Gulf Shores things to do! Cobalt Restaurant Review!
I try to cover different places we go to and see while we are living in our own little paradise! Today I will tell you about our favorite restaurant! (Seriously our favorite!) The restaurant is called Cobalt. It is located just over the bridge in Perdido, Al. First of all you can't beat the view. Seriously beautiful. There is a sand bar just out in the water from the restaurant and during the day you can see boats pulled up and people laying on the sandbar beach. There is also a great little state beach right next door. On the other side is the beautiful Caribe resort. (We are hoping to stay there sometime to really get a full experience).
First of all, the prices are amazing for a resort restaurant. You can get appetizers for about $8 - 10. You can get sushi and our favorite Firecracker shrimp. (SOOO GOOD!) The sushi stack they have has tuna sushimi and layers of avocado and crisp chips with an aioli drizzle on the bottom which is to die for. Seriously good stuff if you like sushi. The firecracker shrimp are popcorn shrimp that are covered in a remoulade sauce that is a little spicy but not so spicy you can't handle it. It has a slow burn spicy that just fills your mouth with amazing flavor. The size of the firecracker shrimp is impressive. Honestly two to three people an easily share this and be satisfied..well except that you don't want to share it because it is so good. We have shared with three and gotten a good amount of shrimp on our plates. They also serve warm bread in a basket with butter. The bread is usually a mixture of white, asiago cheese covered, rye and whole wheat all mixed together. The bread is complimentary.
My favorite drink here is the bushwacker which is a southern alabama favorite. Kind of like a mudslide with some kick. It has amazing flavors and is so yummy! You get your money's worth on a drink here as well! But they also have soda, sweet tea and lots of other options as they do feature a full bar.
Often on the weekends, you can hear a band play while you eat on the outside eating area and enjoy watching the boats go by and the sunset off in the distance. A nice gulf breeze will keep you comfy while you look at the amazing display they have outside which includes fire places and waterfalls. It seriously feels like a 5 star high end expensive restaurant. My favorite food is the Shrimp Po Boy it comes with fries and coleslaw as well as a pickle slice. All of that for just $10! Seriously just $10. We have also tried the Cobalt Burger which is a great bison burger with blue cheese on it. It is my sons favorite meal. That runs about $12 (seriously). You can get a fish of the day dinner which generally runs in the mid $20s for pricing to high depending on the fish of the day. That is the most expensive food but, that being said, you get 2 sides and amazing food. It is still much lower than going to most restaurants. Overall you will get a high class meal for a regular family restaurant price.
The dress code is casual. You will have people going out on their first dates and people celebrating birthdays or just people who spent the day at the beach and want a nice meal. You will see shorts and tees to full dress up and everything in between. It really is a must go to restaurant. If you haven't been, well then you just have to come to Alabama gulf shores and Go!
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Monday, September 12, 2016
The Political Arena
I very much have tried to stay open minded through this entire year of fighting and mudslinging which is known as an election year. I was open to hearing every side out and pick the best person to put in the Whitehouse. The job of president is NOT without amazing stress and amazing required determination. The person who lives in that house must put America first. I have watched as the president,which I voted for 8 years ago, went from a man I believed could make a change for parts of our society that desperately needed a voice failed over and over again. I believed him when he said that we needed to be one america. I have watched while he depleted our military to a point where we are now beatable. I watched while he stood up for illegal immigrants and while he failed my African american brothers and sisters. I have friends who still think he is the best president ever but none of them are low income, none of them have a job that doesn't offer insurance so they have never tried to navigate. Because I work in the medical field, I have seen these people daily in my life. Interacted with them and heard their stories.
Now, getting to the final 2. I don't appreciate listening to people calling people who support the other party names. Hillary's comment of people being a 'basket deplorables' Previously, Mitt Romney had referenced how 47 percent of america didn't matter. Obama stated that the people in the rural areas had a regrettable attachment to God and guns. I also take issue with calling people racist.
I will preface my comments on here that I am still investigating third party options I have not decided and may not decide until I walk into that voting booth but I see some glaring issues that just have me definitely against one person which yes, I know makes this a dangerous post and one that could get me in trouble with some of my readers. But, the great part about America you can either respect that fact that I am practicing my rights to free speech or you can attack me out of anger because I don't agree with you (check my next post about that topic).
Hillary Clinton has called Trump a racist over his desire to review who is here illegally and deport most if not all of them. The first misconception of this is that all illegal immigrants are Mexican or Hispanic. 40% of illegal immigrants are NOT Hispanic at all. In 2005, there were 11 million undocumented immigrants and 6.5 of those were Hispanic. That leaves 4.5 million people in the US who are not Hispanic and NOT legal. Trump realizes this and knows that all of these people need to follow the same rules that everyone else who comes to our country follows. You see while these people are overstaying their Visas or sneaking over the boarder, thousands of people are waiting to be able to come here the legal way. They have gotten a sponsor, they have worked on having the funds to support themselves for at least 6 months once they get here etc. etc. Why should we disrespect those who come from other countries with a dream and do it the right way and give it over to people who want to sneak in or just not go home like they were supposed to. So calling someone racist because 'all immigrants are Hispanic' is actually the racist belief. I will address immigration in a further blog but I wanted to touch on this.
Hillary has asked us to believe (a few days ago) that she received no training in how to handle classified information. She was a first lady and a senator and a Secretary of State. As a military mother and previously a military spouse I was trained in what is considered classified. It was drilled in our head. There is NO WAY that she wasn't shown. But then fast forward 3 days to the presidential interviews with Matt Lauer. She then talked about how she was trained and knew the difference. Which is it? We all know she knew what was classified and instead of saying I screwed up she is still saying she did nothing wrong. She lied and said her daughter erased the server. Then it comes out her attorney team did it with a program they knew would completely wipe the emails forever.
There is no way I can vote for Hillary. Not withstanding her past history of lies and being fired from jobs for being unethical, her stance so far during this election is that she has lied over and over again and thinks the american people are just stupid. Sadly I have seen many people who are. They believe her lies, they excuse when she is caught and they see her do no wrong. I am not sure where they are coming from or how they can overlook the outright deception of this candidate.
Hillary's team has accused Trump supporters of being violent etc etc. The only people I see being aggressive and being keyboard warriors attacking others are Hillary Supporters. They did it to Bernie Supporters and they have done it to supporters of anyone but their candidate. The only people I show getting in other people's faces and yelling are Hillary supporters.
I also have a major issue with her views on Guns, Immigration (IE we can't just bring in immigrants of any culture who are not properly vetted and an open door policy is a death sentence for many Americans) and her abortion up to 30 weeks, is not even something I will address further, but I do not agree.
Now you have the concerns about her health. I have seen some of the videos showing her being unsteady, falling, tremors etc. Yesterday she collapsed and I watched tremors before she went down. There is more that is going on than 'Pneumonia". Yes Pneumonia can give you a larger chance at being dehydrated. That being said, that was not what I saw. The only reason you would hide a condition is if it is something that would make her ineligible. My concern is this, is she so set on winning over anything else that she would risk our country due to her medical condition. Would she put us at risk because she could be in another country and collapse, or have a brain issue that makes her not make appropriate decisions and she could risk us all? I don't think I am at all OK with this. So for me Hillary is definitely out. I will be reviewing other candidates on here such as Stein and Johnson as well. I am definitely interested in one of these candidates and I will explain why soon. This is a 4 part weekly blog to review the political arena and our options.
Make sure you follow me for updates! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Southern-Yankee-Blogging-414162468673211/ Snapchat: lynn74 Instagram: Lynnmjansen
Now, getting to the final 2. I don't appreciate listening to people calling people who support the other party names. Hillary's comment of people being a 'basket deplorables' Previously, Mitt Romney had referenced how 47 percent of america didn't matter. Obama stated that the people in the rural areas had a regrettable attachment to God and guns. I also take issue with calling people racist.
I will preface my comments on here that I am still investigating third party options I have not decided and may not decide until I walk into that voting booth but I see some glaring issues that just have me definitely against one person which yes, I know makes this a dangerous post and one that could get me in trouble with some of my readers. But, the great part about America you can either respect that fact that I am practicing my rights to free speech or you can attack me out of anger because I don't agree with you (check my next post about that topic).
Hillary Clinton has called Trump a racist over his desire to review who is here illegally and deport most if not all of them. The first misconception of this is that all illegal immigrants are Mexican or Hispanic. 40% of illegal immigrants are NOT Hispanic at all. In 2005, there were 11 million undocumented immigrants and 6.5 of those were Hispanic. That leaves 4.5 million people in the US who are not Hispanic and NOT legal. Trump realizes this and knows that all of these people need to follow the same rules that everyone else who comes to our country follows. You see while these people are overstaying their Visas or sneaking over the boarder, thousands of people are waiting to be able to come here the legal way. They have gotten a sponsor, they have worked on having the funds to support themselves for at least 6 months once they get here etc. etc. Why should we disrespect those who come from other countries with a dream and do it the right way and give it over to people who want to sneak in or just not go home like they were supposed to. So calling someone racist because 'all immigrants are Hispanic' is actually the racist belief. I will address immigration in a further blog but I wanted to touch on this.
Hillary has asked us to believe (a few days ago) that she received no training in how to handle classified information. She was a first lady and a senator and a Secretary of State. As a military mother and previously a military spouse I was trained in what is considered classified. It was drilled in our head. There is NO WAY that she wasn't shown. But then fast forward 3 days to the presidential interviews with Matt Lauer. She then talked about how she was trained and knew the difference. Which is it? We all know she knew what was classified and instead of saying I screwed up she is still saying she did nothing wrong. She lied and said her daughter erased the server. Then it comes out her attorney team did it with a program they knew would completely wipe the emails forever.
There is no way I can vote for Hillary. Not withstanding her past history of lies and being fired from jobs for being unethical, her stance so far during this election is that she has lied over and over again and thinks the american people are just stupid. Sadly I have seen many people who are. They believe her lies, they excuse when she is caught and they see her do no wrong. I am not sure where they are coming from or how they can overlook the outright deception of this candidate.
Hillary's team has accused Trump supporters of being violent etc etc. The only people I see being aggressive and being keyboard warriors attacking others are Hillary Supporters. They did it to Bernie Supporters and they have done it to supporters of anyone but their candidate. The only people I show getting in other people's faces and yelling are Hillary supporters.
I also have a major issue with her views on Guns, Immigration (IE we can't just bring in immigrants of any culture who are not properly vetted and an open door policy is a death sentence for many Americans) and her abortion up to 30 weeks, is not even something I will address further, but I do not agree.
Now you have the concerns about her health. I have seen some of the videos showing her being unsteady, falling, tremors etc. Yesterday she collapsed and I watched tremors before she went down. There is more that is going on than 'Pneumonia". Yes Pneumonia can give you a larger chance at being dehydrated. That being said, that was not what I saw. The only reason you would hide a condition is if it is something that would make her ineligible. My concern is this, is she so set on winning over anything else that she would risk our country due to her medical condition. Would she put us at risk because she could be in another country and collapse, or have a brain issue that makes her not make appropriate decisions and she could risk us all? I don't think I am at all OK with this. So for me Hillary is definitely out. I will be reviewing other candidates on here such as Stein and Johnson as well. I am definitely interested in one of these candidates and I will explain why soon. This is a 4 part weekly blog to review the political arena and our options.
Make sure you follow me for updates! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Southern-Yankee-Blogging-414162468673211/ Snapchat: lynn74 Instagram: Lynnmjansen
Saturday, April 30, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, April 29, 2016
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.
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.
Monday, April 25, 2016
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!
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!
Friday, April 22, 2016
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.
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.
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