Red Army Choir (Alexandrov Military Ensemble) Plane Crash

I just heard about the plane crash yesterday that was carrying the Red Army Choir.  They were going to Syria to entertain the troops (they are like our USO) and after refueling the plane crashed with no survivors, 91 people lost their lives.  On board were singers, dancers, musicians, reporters and military personnel.  It is sad that their voices have been silenced and the joy they bring to so many has been extinguished.  Such a devastating blow to their families near Christmas (I read that Jan. 7th is when Russia celebrates Christmas, but I'm not sure if some in Russia start celebrating early).  It seems like one of the singers, Roman Valutov, could not get on the plane due to an expired passport.  If this is true (can't find much about this story) then that would be a wonderful thing.

My heart goes out to anyone suffering loss.  In grief - the location, religion, beliefs, customs or leaders I don't agree with do not matter.  Grief is a universal emotion and we all feel it.  Russia I am praying for you, praying for those who have lost loved ones.  This time of year always seems to be more difficult when suffering loss.  Many of the visitors here are from Russia (2nd highest country to visit).  I hope you will join me and pray for those missing their loved ones and the entire country of Russia during this tragic time.  May God give you peace and comfort during this time.

Quote - Merry Christmas

"Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind."

~ Mary Ellen Chase

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas.  I know this time of year is busy and stressful for most people.  It is good to take time out and focus on why we celebrate in the first place.  I know that the birth of Jesus gets lost in the chaos of shopping, long lines, short tempered people, stress, loneliness, high expectations and family issues.

I am guilty of letting stress ruin my Christmas and I'm trying to do better.  I would love to have a peaceful time and that just doesn't seem to happen.  I'm a work in progress.  What if we didn't think about Christmas just as one day and instead lived that state of mind every day.  I think we all would be more peaceful in our lives.

The birth of one boy changed the world forever.  A beautiful gift.  The perfect gift.  

Merry Christmas

Compassion International - Please Act to Help Children in India

We sponsor a child in Bolivia through Compassion International.  This is a wonderful organization that helps not only the child, but their family as well.  I highly recommend sponsoring a child through Compassion International.  It would be wonderful if every child in need around the world was sponsored.

The government of India has blocked funding for nine months that was suppose to go to the children who are in the Compassion program.  Whether you sponsor a child or not I pray you all will click on the link below and sign the letter which will go to your representative in Congress.  If you are in a country outside of the United States, please contact Compassion directly here to see if you can help.  Please pass this link along to others.  The more attention this gets the more our government will know we care and hopefully convince the government of India to change their minds.

If something doesn't change quickly then 130,000 children will no longer be able to continue to get the help they need.  There was no reason given for the change from the government, but when a country chooses to turn it's back on their own children then the devil is there to devour souls.  He does not want them to feel special or loved.  He knows that if given the chance to strike early in a child's life sometimes that is all that is needed to keep them away from God.  I have never understood when a country receives aid for children from another country why they would block the ability to help their own people.  Pride, religious differences or just indifference in general, no matter what the reason it is no excuse to let your poorest people suffer while the leaders live lavish lives.

They are blocking food, water, healthcare and education for the poorest children in their country.

Please click here to help the children in India.  Thank you

Throwing Stones Blind

There are all kinds of Christian blogs out there.  Which can be good and bad.  I have recently read some crazy blogs that just seem to bash on other Christians.  I'm not here to bash on the bashers, but I believe I can speak truth through the hate.

When we sink our teeth into someone we sure do feel knowledgeable and mighty.

I understand that there are false teachers out there and we should hold them accountable when they go off the narrow path.  With this blog I am aware I have an obligation to not misrepresent the Bible.  If I have an opinion I try to say so, but not to confuse it with scripture.  This is why I write out all the scriptures at the top so we can see what the Bible says.  The rest is what I think or quotes from others and helps me understand.  I have no intention of leading anyone away from God.  I will be held accountable by God for what I say.

When I see so much hate towards someone I always look back at the person saying it and wonder why they are thinking that.  These blogs decided to pick on one person although looking at other topics on their blog they seem to be the "Christian Judge" out there making sure that nothing slips through the cracks.  This almost always sends up red flags for me.  The hate, judgement and condemnation are so targeted as to leave no doubt how they feel.

God did not call us to judge others.  We can call out sin, hate, evil, indifference, injustice, abuse; but not people.  I believe if someone is saying things that are against God's word then that is different.  There are many examples of beliefs that run against the Bible; there is always someone who says they know when the world will end, some think there is no hell, some thing Jesus is not God's son, etc.

In my last Bible study there was a girl who said she did not believe in anything that has to do with visions or experiences that are from the spirit realm.  I think most people that say that have never experienced anything like that so they just assume that there is nothing out there like it.  I think both women would think I was a loon hearing some of the things I have seen or felt.  Everything I have seen has made me more in awe of God.  Anything I have seen is not because I'm such a religious person, it's actually because I have been just as stubborn as the Israelite's in the Bible.  I'm also a visual learner so He uses that sometimes.  I will eventually share some of that on here.

If someone is trying to follow God and live for Him and they say something that isn't etched in stone then some will vilify them.  This is sad to see.  I think the core of the issue is pride and/or jealously.  Pride can blind us and jealously can corrupt the soul.  

This example is of someone who thinks that God can only speak to you through prayer and the Bible.  He can speak through anything; dreams, situations, people, in our heads, soul, prayer, scripture and beyond.  This person said the teacher was false because they said God spoke to them.  This right there puts up a wall trying to filter people who are not up to their standards, but it also can keep God out with a lack of wisdom.  I don't always respond to blogs, but this one I did.  Here is my response:

If you are throwing stones at others then please check yourself to make sure you have no sin.  After reading this post I think that you have never had an experience with God besides prayer and reading the Bible.  Which is OK, except when you use it to dismantle someone else.  Anytime anyone says they have seen or heard something that is not "normal" then you should look if what they are saying brings glory to God.  If not then it's self, but what if you are so busy judging others that you miss what God is trying to show you through that experience?  I wonder if you think God is different that the God of the Bible?  He has not changed.  I think He may not always do those big signs, but often we are not paying attention when He does.  He has many ways to speak to use not just in prayer or through reading the Bible.  All you have to do is look at how He interacted with His people.  It's funny how people try to limit Him and put Him in this neat little box while explaining others away.  I hope you will do a heart check because when we push ourselves up we end up pushing others down.

Those who throw stones blind only end up hitting themselves.

Post Election View

I was sad to see the outcome of the election.  This has been a complicated election and hopefully there will never be anything like this in the future.  There is such hate on both sides.  I have seen pictures from schools that kids are writing white power and other hate messages in the bathrooms.  There are protesters who have signs that say "Trump is not my president."  This is really showing that as a nation we really haven't grown much due to this kind of thinking.  It always seems that when someone in power chooses to share their hate that brings people out of the woodwork and they are not afraid to share these thoughts with the world.  

I do not think that everyone who voted for Trump agrees with his hateful thoughts.  We have a short memory and think that since a party is in office for four or eight years that we then need the other party to fix America (neither side seems to do much of anything for the people).  I really hope that Trump does change things in Washington, but if he doesn't then I'm still turning to God either way.

 We Christians are called to pray for our leaders.  1 Timothy 2 says that we are suppose to pray for our leaders so we will live in peace, this pleases God.  God gave us the Ten Commandments, but everything else He said is a command.  He doesn't offer suggestions timidly, He is I AM and does not ask things from us that we are incapable of doing.  We are expected to follow His commands whether we want to or not.  I believe we have the right to our opinions and can disagree with a leaders policy, but we are not to bash on them.  I can't believe how many Christians I know that have bashed on Obama these last eight years feeding right into the fear machine.  Our media doesn't help, leading sheep to the slaughter by using fear.  I think that in some cases there must be some prejudice underlining those comments since they were the worst comments that I have ever hear of any president.  But no one would admit that.  Hiding behind a political party to spread hate is no excuse.  We are called to a higher standard no matter what party is in office.  OK, I have let my Facebook friends know how I feel about Trump because I don't agree with the hate that he so causally spreads.  When he takes office I am called to pray for him and our country so are you.  God knew Trump was going to be president before we even were a country.  He has got this, that I am sure of.  God is calling us to turn to Him instead of another leader.  God is the only one who can take care of this country and He keeps showing us that by the leaders that we have, but we are too busy focusing on what the other party has done wrong to see the real issue.

This is going to be a big test for a lot of Christians besides me over the next four years.  I hope you will join me in giving this all to God.  I assure you that when this happens, I mean giving 100% to Him, you will be peaceful facing the unknown.  This my friend is not a drill, this really is the unknown.  Maybe we need a support group for this sort of thing!

I am now stepping down from my soap box.

If Christians would stand up for God then who knows what would happen in the world.

US Vote 2016

I hope you will go out and vote today if you haven't already voted.  Thankfully Tennessee had early voting so I got to vote a couple of weeks ago with no lines.  I hope the polls will stay open as long as there are voters in line.  Hopefully in the future all states will have early voting, it is crazy that some don't have this option.  We are four years away from one hundred years since women got the right to vote in America.  It is a privilege and a right that we have.  Women were arrested and beaten, Emily Davison in England died for this cause just so we could cast our opinion in the world of politics. 

I know this election is unlike any ever and it is historic.  Either a woman will win for the first time or a business man who has never held a political office will win.  Many women I know didn't want to vote for either and everyone has the write in option. 

I hope this election will start a conversation of what is acceptable and unacceptable to say while running for president.  Both sides have said things that they should not have, but Trump definitely was worse. 

Women are judged differently, I think even more so by other women.  If Clinton was a man this would be different.  I have seen so many women defend Trump, I guess it's because they are a die hard Rep.  The women who came forward to accuse Trump are vilified, by other women.  Yet if that happened to their daughters (more than likely at some time in their lives it will happen) they would be furious.

I think in one hundred years this election may be remembered differently than how we see it today.  I think God is trying to get the attention of Christians.  With this election and the last election I think He has put before us two Saul type of nominees.  Remember the Israelites wanted a king in 1 Samuel 8:7 and God said "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king."  We should not look at leaders to fix everything, we should look to God.

Brace yourself this may rock your world - God is not a Republican.  If you look at the platforms for both parties they both fall short of the Bible.  I know Christians usually vote Republican and I'm not saying to change parties, but if both parties fall short of the core of Christianity then who should we vote for?  I don't know, but I believe God is trying to get our attention and putting Romney a Mormon 2012 and Trump 2016 as the nominees has been very frustrating for many Christians I know. 

I do know that some people in our country have gone crazy or maybe they were always this way, but because Trump has spoken freely about such hatred they are going off the deep end.  That behavior should not be American in an way.  Although I know our history is steeped in that way of thinking.  We should be civil to each other even if we have different views. 

Personally I voted for Clinton.  I am not a charity or church so I can freely say that.  Why?  Look I'm not happy with the Dem platform, but neither am I happy about the Rep platform.  I voted for the person who I thought would be the best fit for our country and could do the job.  I couldn't fathom voting for someone who seems to have such hate for women, blacks, Latino, war hero's and the disabled.  Did I miss any group?  Not to mention, no experience in politics.  If you are a Clinton hater that is OK, I'm not happy with some of her decisions either.  She is in the spotlight so it's easier to see her faults while we keep ours all to our selves and judge from afar.  No one is perfect, except Jesus!  My kids especially my daughter will take it for granted that a woman could get the nomination and possible the presidency.  So many other countries have already had women leaders.  It seems like no one is talking about the possible first woman president, which seems strange to me.  We are independents and until a party follows the Bible I think we will stay that way. 

God knows every single leader we will ever have in ALL countries and in Daniel 2:22 He says that He rises up and disposes leaders.  He knows what He is doing, even if it looks like chaos to us.

Quote - William Penn

"If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again."

~William Penn

What if we acted right then instead of waiting for a later date?  Good intentions are wasted on false sincerity.  

God will align people on our path to either help us or to be helped and if we ignore what is in that moment then there are blessings that will be missed by all involved.  If you have a habit of saying you will pray for someone later, but forget when you are away from that person then just pray that moment or while you are moving on to the next place you are headed.  If you say you will bring a meal to someone, do it.  Nike has the simplest motto that is sometimes difficult to do yet should be on our minds through out the day, "Just Do It."  This coming from a major procrastinator, I am working on it.

The end of the quote shows such urgency since even if you walk the same path every day the scenery, people and your outlook may differ greatly.  That single situation may never present itself again.  Even if you see the same person every day for ten years the missed opportunity may create a void for any further interaction and who knows what could come of it if you only had followed through in the first place.

Question For You - Women's Bible Study 2017

I was thinking about starting an online women's Bible study next year.  I am not sure of the study or when, but wanted to see if there was anyone interested.  I'm not sure of the format either.  I am starting to check on different platforms I could use.

I know you are probably very excited since I have no details for you! ha ha

This would be for women who:

• don't go to church
• may not even believe in God
• have been hurt by someone in the church or their family who say they are Christian
• seasoned church ladies
• can't find time to go to a local study
• are in the middle of nowhere/have no study near them
• have young kids at home and don't dare venture outside the house (I've been there)
• who just want to stay in their PJ's at home (no judgment here!)
• think God does not love them because of what they did in their past (He love you so much!)

If there is only one of you besides me then I call that a group!  Every year I do a study with women at church and even though I meet some new people it is mostly people I already know.  How fun would it be to be in a group with women from all over the US, France, India, Russia, etc?  I know time zones would be an issue for "live" chats, but maybe I can set up something so everyone can visit when they had time.

Bible study can be a great way for seeing a point of view that we have never thought of.  Some people choose not to share in a group in case they have been hurt, but online there shouldn't be anything stopping us from sharing how we feel and what we think.  I would like to have a "place" we could go to chat and discuss the Bible.  It would be a positive place so no room for bashing on others.

I am praying about this so I will see if God wants me to do this.  I know I have not been consistent on here and I need to do a better job.  Maybe this is something to keep me in line:)

Sitting down with my Bible, a cup of coffee and having a meeting online with some sisters in Christ sounds good to me.  How about you?  

If you think you may be interested email me at: beautyforashes88@outlook.com (blog email) and let me know if there is a topic that you want to know more about.  If enough people bring up the same subject then that may be what the focus will be on.  Thank you for your time.

Throwing Stones - Ryan Lochte on DWTS

It's sad that some men rushed over to Ryan Lochte on Dancing With The Stars last night, not sure if they wanted to hurt him or just protest.  He messed up, apologized, got banned from swimming for 10 months and lost sponsors.

No one is perfect and we all mess up, the only difference is our mistakes are not on international TV for the world to judge.  People are so harsh towards forgiving others.  So apparently these men have never sinned before because they felt justified to judge Lochte, insert sarcasm.

John 8:7 "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone." I left out the "at her" part since this applies to men here.  When we look to judge another all it should take to humble us is to look at any number of mistakes we have made and this should stop us in our tracks.

Quote - Paulo Coelho

"The world is changed by your example, not your opinion."

~ Paulo Coelho

You can quietly lead by example or you can push others away by being so opinionated that you alienate yourself from the world.  Those who choose the latter will often find themselves on a very high pedestal so far up that they can not see the people that they are trying to change.

The pattern of a river will change over time.  The water will erode the rocks and it will start to look different or a new path will be created.  The river does not plot to change the earth, it just does what it is suppose to do, flow.

If we live out our lives with intent, love and compassion it will make more of an impact than that person yelling from their pedestal way up high.

Nahum 3:7-11

v 7-11 "All who see you will flee from you and say,
'Nineveh is in ruins-who will mourn for her?'
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?

Are you better than Thebes,
situated on the Nile,
with water around her?
The river was her defense,
the waters her wall.
Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put and Libya were among her allies.
Yet she was taken captive
and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed to pieces
at the head of every street.
Lots were cast for her nobles,
and all her great men were put in chains.
You too will become drunk;
you will go into hiding
and seek refuge from the enemy."

Thebes was a well fortified and wealthy city that was destroyed by Nineveh's king Ashurbanipal around 667 BC.  When Nahum spoke about this the people of Nineveh would have understood what that meant.  I would think that Nahum saying that Nineveh would see the same fate as Thebes would have infuriated the king.  Although he must have thought Nineveh was untouchable, his pride seemed to have no limits.  After conquering city after city Assyria must have been hated by all the surrounding lands.  Assyria was the powerhouse empire of the day which was being watched by other countries who must have been waiting for a time when they could conquer.  

Both cities had the following in common;

• strong natural defenses
• influential foreign alliances
• vast amounts of wealth
• great military forces

Most importantly, they had a false sense of security which God took away from them both.

The part about the infants is hard to imagine.  I think this shows that the insatiable violence of Nineveh was going to be repaid to them in full.  

Many have justified evil when they are the ones wielding it, yet suffer greatly when they are controlled by it.

Quote - Reputation

"Reputation is what other people know about you.  Honor is what you know about yourself."

~ Lois McMaster Bujold

Such a great quote.  We mess up, we are only human.  Yet some are so quick to judge especially when it is something that they wouldn't do.  We tend to sympathize when someone is going through the same thing that we have been through.  I have seen a person show kindness to someone that has been in their shoes then rip apart another person who did something different.  While watching the Olympics in Rio that seems to happen a lot.  These are the top athletes in the world and they are subject to everyone criticizing their every move when most of us could never get to that level.

So let us aim to show compassion to everyone.  Those who have fallen let us help them up.  That might be a seed planted that will grow into a relationship with Jesus.

Quote - Kindness

"Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly and most underrated agent of human change.  Kindness that catches us by surprise brings out the best in our nature."

~ Bob Kerrey

Kindness gets overlooked in this world for things that seem more important.  I can't think of a more powerful way to show God's love than being kind to the people that the world thinks are a waste of time.  When someone is kind to a person who does not feel valued it could be the seed planted that will someday produce an amazing woman or man of God.  Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  I can be kind until my kids push my buttons then it is a struggle that I lose often.  I'm a WIP (work in progress).

If everyone who calls themselves a Christian would be kind it could transform our communities then spread.  It would be much better than the fear and anger that seems to be everywhere around us.

Are you kind as you go about your day?

Quote - Altering Patterns

"Your pattern is your prison."

~ T. D. Jakes

This applies to negative patterns, but positive patterns could be your freedom.  Do you know anyone who has been stuck in the same negative pattern for decades?  Many spend so much time and effort on the negative that there is no room for the positive, even if everyone around them can see what they can't.  Patterns are difficult to break and it takes a lot of work, but the reward for being on the other side is amazing.  Difficult yet not impossible.  I think the first step is believing that change is within our grasp, this step will stop numerous people.

This is a problem area for me and I'm working on changing one thing at a time.  I have to write down daily what I want to start doing.  It has been going very slow and I have yet to make a permanent change since starting a couple of months ago.  I will keep writing the same thing on my To Do List until it is a part of my life then I will write down another one to work on.  I am more focused on starting a positive pattern then fixing a negative one.  It seems like a more reachable goal and less frustrating.  My pattern is laziness and procrastination among many other things so I'm working on changing this.  What about you?  If you are perfect then disregard this post, otherwise why don't you join me in altering patterns.

God knows what we are capable of and it is more then we could ever imagine.  I do know that I can change because I am nothing like the person I was before I had Jesus.  There was such a massive shift that when I think of the old me I am amazed at what God has done.

We are all capable of change if we will give ourselves to God.

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find"

On Twitter Now

Finally on Twitter, not sure why:)  I might have something to say once I get the hang of limited characters.  That seems strange since I'm a writer and seem to write a lot!  If interested then click on the link on the right.  I'm slow to update tech, but working on it.

Blog update June 2016 - WOW!

A few months ago I was happy to see that my page views were up to 25,000, it's not a vain thing because I know this is ALL from God.  I have prayed that He would bring people here so when I see the stats I pray for you.  Who doesn't want prayer?  I don't get much feedback so I felt like if I got a few people stopping by then that would be a great thing.  Seriously, 10 to 40 page views in a week and I thought that was amazing.

I had no illusions that I would have a blog that went viral, this came from a place of love.  I was perfectly happy to have the fewest numbers possible for a blog and still feel like I was doing good for God.  Even if I helped one person besides myself then that would be success.  I just want others to see what I see in our amazing God.  Since starting in December 2012 it has started off slowly and it has been fun to see the numbers and the countries that stop by.  I started this blog for a place to share my thoughts on the Bible, poems, quotes, songs, to organize my notes and since I will not show you a pic of my insane note paper pile, you will just have to trust me that this is a much better way to work!  Since my concussion at the end of 2013 I haven't been posting as much so it was a great surprise to see the number shoot up to 60,000 page views a couple of weeks ago and today it's over 102,000.  I'm not sure what is going on, if there is one person who is telling everyone they know or if this is just starting to spreading all over.  No matter the reason I am thankful to God that He sees a bigger picture than I ever can.

I hope that you enjoy your time here.  There are millions of places you can go during your day and endless things to look up so thank you for stopping by.  This blog has helped me countless times and I'm amazed by what God shows me while typing a post.  This is all Him and I am thankful that He uses a way less than perfect vessel to share.

Most of the time I hope to be inspiring, but there will be times when something I say will make you mad or defensive, that goes for me too.  I write stuff sometimes that is convicting to me so don't feel like you are alone or that I'm just talking to you.  We can not only look at the good parts of the Bible, we must look at all the parts even if it confronts things we don't want to see or hear.  If we only pull out the things we like then we will be forever incomplete, never gaining wisdom.

Beth Moore says there are rib issues and spine issues.  Rib issues are different denominations, when to baptize, belief of the timeline in the book of Revelation, etc.  Spine issues are the defining beliefs: virgin birth of God's son, salvation, Jesus died and was risen from the dead and that God will wrap all this up someday with a Jesus victory.  So THE truth.  Maybe we will not agree on the rib issues and that is OK, discussion is good for understanding and growth.  I am wrong on this journey sometimes, but choose to continue to learn.  I often do not agree with mainstream Christianity on certain rib or spine issues and that is fine, I want to be on the narrow path anyway.  I am not a scholar and my only qualification to have a Christian blog is that I'm learning to live through the weakness because of His strength.

Spine issues are another story.  Some religions present themselves as Christian yet have their own "bibles" or beliefs that they follow which depart from God's word, PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR THOSE WOLVES!  The devil knows the Bible and has created many false religions to try to replace God's word.  If it aligns with God's word then it's Christian, if not then I'm not sure what to call that, but it ain't Christian.  (Not looking to start a fight, just clarifying my position.  I am a redhead so also naturally stubborn).

I won't budge on spine issues, but I think that sometimes we lump rib issues into this category.  Baptism for example, some believe only at birth while others believe it only counts when you make the decision yourself when you are older.  If you got baptized as a baby and also when you were older then maybe your covered twice, this is not an issue to spend time on or fight about.  This issue among others has broken up churches and groups of people and the devil has had a field day when this happens so let's not make him happy OK?

I am now stepping down from the soapbox:)

Thank you for your time and have a blessed day and above all else know that God loves you, yes I am talking to YOU.  He takes you just the way you are so that when He works a masterpiece inside of you everyone sees His work, you are beautiful in His eyes.  

Quote - C.S. Lewis

"Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward."

~ C.S. Lewis

We often want to keep the pain and move forward, but we will not be able to heal and grow until we let go.  It can be scary to venture into the unknown.  This is where trust comes in, believing in something you can't see just yet.

Quote - Foundation

"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel."

~ Unknown

This is a good picture of why it's good to have a strong foundation.  A hem keeps each thread in place otherwise a shirt would start to fall apart and be a useless pile of fabric.  Having a solid foundation is key to living a life as a Christian.  Matthew 7:24-25 Jesus speaks about having a foundation based on solid rock instead of one built on sand.  If you have a weak foundation then everything else you put on top or find value in will not hold up when the storms of life come.  There will not be strength to stand and the result will always be dismal.

If you have your foundation set on The Rock then everything you build above it will be solid.  We worry, stress and cope in harmful ways = foundation built on sand.  When something bad happens and we focus on Jesus and set our life up in a way that will glorify Him no matter what = foundation built on rock.  This foundation will be tested in times of sorrow, trouble, anger, jealously, etc.  Only then will we see what we put our faith in.  

Nahum 3:1-6

v. 1-6 "Woe to the city of blood,
full of lies,
full of plunder,
never without victims!
The crack of whips,
the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
and jolting chariots!
Charging cavalry,
flashing swords
and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
piles of dead,
bodies without number,
people stumbling over the corpses-
all because of the wanton lust of a harlot,
alluring, the mistress of sorceries,
who enslaved nations by her prostitution
and peoples by her witchcraft.

'I am against you,' declares the Lord Almighty.
'I will lift your skirts over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame.
I will pelt you with filth,
I will treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle.'"

OK, I have been away from this for awhile.  I guess doing Jonah and Nahum back to back made me burned out on the evil of it all.  

The city of blood seems to be a fitting name.  This is a war bulletin from the Assyrians which was during this time frame.

"I destroyed, I demolished, I burned.  I took their warriors prisoner and impaled them on stakes before their cities. ...flayed the nobles, as many as had rebelled, and spread their skins out on the piles [of dead corpses] ... many of the captives I burned in a fire.  Many I took alive; from some I cut off their hands to the write, from other I cut off their noses, ears and fingers; I put out the eyes of many of the soldiers."

"I slew two hundred and sixty fighting men; I cut off their heads and made pyramids thereof.  I slew one of every two.  I built a wall before the great gates of the city; I flayed the chief men of the rebels, and I covered the wall with their skins.  Some of them were enclosed alive in the bricks of the wall, some of them were crucified on stakes along the wall; I caused a great multitude of them to be flayed in my presence, and I covered the wall with their skins.  I gathered together the heads in the form of  crowns, and their pierced bodies in the form of garlands."  (TimeFrame 1500-600 BC by Time Life Books) Assyrian War Bulletin

The "bodies without number" is hard to imagine.  The closest that I can think of would be all the people killed in World War II.  The National WW II Museum in New Orleans, LA estimates that 50 million people died during the war from 40 different countries.  It is extremely difficult to grasp the enormity of what happened.

OK, right now I would like to be working on one of those cute DIY, cooking or crafting blogs.  Although this is what I do, so back to the solemn task at hand.

Several times sin is represented as female in the Bible, this does not mean that God hates women.  Wisdom is represented as a woman (Proverbs 1:20-21).  I can't imagine how many times in history that women have been labeled as wicked sinners and held to a different standard than men and suffered greatly because of it.  I think that the lure of Nineveh was great to other countries, they were very powerful and wealthy.  Seduction is usually referenced as female, this shows that there must have been a strong pull towards Nineveh.  Strong's Concordance says that "your skirts" is a masculine noun.  Remember everyone wore robes back then.  This would have targeted their honor and pride.

"Beautiful and impressive on the outside, Nineveh was vicious and deceitful on the inside.  Beneath attractive facades sometimes lie seduction and death."  NIV notes

Quote - Awareness

"I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen."

~ John Steinbeck

This is a great example of our hectic busy life and how we miss so many things.  Many of us look at a phone or tablet while the world rushes by.  How many times do we go the same route for years then after awhile we notice someone or something that has been there the entire time.  I think we would be amazed to find out all we have missed during our lifetime.

Quote - Time

"Time is free, but it's priceless.  You can't own it, but you can use it.  You can't keep it, but you can spend it.  Once you've lost it you can never get it back."

~Harvey MacKay

The one thing that keeps ticking away no matter what we do to try to speed it up or slow it down.  It is a priceless commodity that is often overlooked by people too busy to see it's true value.  Like I said before time is different for me after my concussion.  I know that I waste too much time normally, right now with a broken ankle I have all the time to get caught up with TV, emails, books, etc.  Although I will be glad when I can walk again!  Time is a valuable tool that can work for us or against us.  Use it wisely.

Prayer request

I fell down the garage steps this weekend and now have a fractured ankle.  I would love prayer for a speedy recovery.  It is no fun to twist an ankle so bad that I can't walk on it.  I guess now I have a matching set of bad ankles since I did the same thing to my left foot about 12 years ago.  Thank you in advance for prayers.

Quote - Faith

"Faith dares the soul to go farther than it can see."

~ William Clark

Quote - Rosa Parks

"You must never be fearful about what you are doing, when it is right."

~ Rosa Parks

Hope in Easter

I hope you all had a good Easter with loved ones.  My kids asked me why it's called Good Friday when Jesus died and that was sad.  I told them that it was because God made a way for everyone to be in His family.  His sacrifice was for all people.  It didn't seem like it was good until Jesus had risen.  I think we often forget what this all means and the focus gets put on a bunny hiding eggs with chocolate inside, but there is so much more to it.

This afternoon I read that dozens of Christians mostly women and children were killed by terrorist in Pakistan at a park.  They were Christians who gathered for the Easter holiday.  Also with the news of what happened in Belgium.  There is such evil in this world, yet it is not new.  Satan has been at work for centuries trying to separate us from God.  Every generation the faces change, but the goal is the same - permanent separation and eternal condemnation.  This is when we are to have strong faith, these families have going through such loss.  I hope you will join me in praying daily for our brothers and sisters around the world.  We think it's tough to be a Christian in America or some other countries around the world.  Many of us will never know what it's like to live daily with the thought that terrorism is not an idea, it's a reality.  With all the attacks on people lately it is easy to get down and feel hopeless yet what is beyond this world is pure and beautiful.

Heaven will have no tears or pain, how amazing is that!  Have faith my friend because Love wins, God is watching all the wrong done to His people and He has the final say.  We won't understand His timing.  We just need to have faith that His timing is coming just like the Son.  I am thankful that God made the sacrifice of being separated from His son that I can join His family for eternity.  Jesus is sitting next to the Father and when He returns all will see.

There is hope in the Resurrection even in the darkest of days.

Quote - Perseverance

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

~ Albert Einstein

OK, Einstein was extremely smart and apparently humble too.  This is a great quote for perseverance.  He was thought to be strange because he didn't speak until he was 4 and his teachers didn't think he would amount to much.

Imagine all the things that might have never happened or been delayed for decades except someone tried one more time.

Thomas Edison's teacher said he was too stupid to learn anything, he failed 1,000 times trying to invent the light bulb.

One of my favorite actors, Sidney Poitier was told he was wasting his time at auditions.

Lucille Ball was told that she should choose another profession.

Louis Pasteur's teacher said his theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.

Henry Ford went broke five times before he succeeded.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper for lack of imagination.

Robin Williams, another of my favorite actors, was voted "least likely to succeed" in high school.

Decca Records turned down the Beatles because they didn't like their sound.

Elvis Presley was fired after a show and told he should be driving a truck instead.

Beethoven was told he would be hopeless as a composer.

Leo Tolstoy was told that he was unable to learn.

J.K. Rowling was rejected twelve times for the first Harry Potter book.

Dr. Seuss was rejected be twenty seven publishers for his first book.

Each of these people decided to not let the world pen their story, they did not accept defeat.

Even if everything around them pointed otherwise.

If they had we would never know their names.

We may never be on this list, but that does not mean that we should give up when faced with failure.  Who knows what each one of us could do if we did not let our failures define us and instead we let them show us the way to where we were meant to be after all.

Each failure is a stepping stone to our future, it's just that through the fog we can not see the place the stones are leading us to.  The other side of the river is there whether or not we decide to step out in faith.  

To read about these and more amazing people check out this list from the University of Kentucky, click Here.

Quote - Responsibility

"Do not ask God to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet."

~ Unknown

I saw this quote from an email from Brook Noel, a pro at organizing and motivating people to live their best life.  I am often guilty of praying big, but not actually doing any steps that would get me to my goal.  We are creatures of habit and it is difficult to get out of a rut.  I know better when I'm praying and probably shouldn't even pray certain prayers if I am unwilling to take action.  I know I'm not the only one with this struggle, right?  Hopefully we all can pray then act on what God is leading us to do.  Sure God can do anything, but we also need to take responsibility for our part of the relationship with Him.  To grow in God means we are to have faith in Him, but we also should be using the gifts and abilities He has given us.

He gives us free will and we choose daily what are the most important things in our life.  Let our actions match our best intentions.  

United Together

I trimmed a bouquet of flowers and decided to put them into a smaller vase.  OK, don't bash on my mad flower arrangement skills:)  When I started to put the flowers in the vase they kept falling out.  The vase is short and wide so there was nothing for the flowers to hold on to, but when I put enough flowers and greenery in they started to stay put.  The flowers could not stand on their own, but found support in the other flowers that surrounded them.  I look for lessons in everyday life that I can use so I can understand and learn more about God.  I think we often do not see some of the simple things He is trying to teach us.  God does not intend for us to do life alone.  After the IF:Gathering this past weekend this was a fitting example of community.  Many are often afraid to ask for help or to reach out.  We are called to be a light for those who do not believe, but also for our sisters during the dark times.  To help each other is a blessing because sometimes we are on the needy end and other times we help those in need.  This is a beautiful way to show God's love.

IF:Gathering 2016 Livestream

In case you were not able to watch the IF:Gathering 2016 this weekend there is still time to watch.  Here is the link to watch the four sessions.  http://livestream.com/ifgathering  You will have until this Monday night at midnight to watch for free.  The leaders were some of the best from around the world and it will be just about the best use of your time for the entire year.  So please watch the sessions and if you are feeling God moving you then go to where He is calling you.  The world has not seen yet what women can do if we unite together locally and globally to do God's work without us getting in our own way and being over run by fear.  Ladies we can be one of the most powerful forces on the planet.  I will be watching again this weekend because the amount of information is overwhelming.  Hope you will enjoy, grow, be challenged and take action.

IF:Gathering 2016 Women's Event

I wanted to let you ladies know about an event that will be taking place around the world on Feb. 5th & 6th.  This is the third year for the IF:Gathering event out of Austin, Texas.  I am on the planning team that will be showing this simulcast at one of the local churches in my town.  There are local simulcasts in churches and homes around the world.  Here is the link to try to find a gathering near you IF:Local (if you unclick the private tab then it should show the map).  If you can't find a local event then I believe you have a couple of days to watch online, but grab some friends to watch with you.  After watching this last year I am glad to help put this on for the women in my community.  The speakers are powerful and the worship music is really good.  Last year a very powerful part was a discussion on race and how we should get to know other women from other races, we all should be a support system for each other.  I believe this is vital because the enemy wants to keep us apart and this is a sore issue in America and probably around the world.  This event is a time to gather with other women and grow into who God is calling us to be so we can go out into the world for Him.  I hope you will be able to see this amazing event and be changed for the better.

Quote - Be Yourself

"Be yourself, everyone else is taken."

~ Oscar Wilde

How you see this quote will depend on your outlook.  If you love yourself then you might think that it's not too bad, you are different and special.  If you don't like yourself then you probably won't think this is helpful.  God created each of us to be unique in His eyes, He did not care to get any input from a single person on making you.  God does not let popular consensus dictate how He should make us.  Our beating ourselves up mentally I would think might make God sad.  To create something that you love so dearly only to see it constantly tearing itself apart must be heartbreaking.

YOU are a beautiful creation; no matter what you look like, where you live, your education, your circumstances or even if you don't believe in God (He believes in you).  The creator does not void any of His creation, He brings to life many who may never know Him, but to those who acknowledge it must be sweet to His soul.  He waits and waits for us to really see His love, He never leaves what He created. Never.