My first book review....Altar Ego

I am very excited to report that I have just completed my first book review as a critic.  The book I chose to read was Altar Ego, by Craig Groeschel.  This was the first time I have ever heard of this author and was excited to see his style.  The premises for this book goes into detail of how we have "our" egos and that Jesus died to give us more than what we are used to.  We settle for less and get caught up in this world with our bondage and think that this is all we have in this life.  This book gives a reminder of what Jesus died for us to have.  He goes into great detail of the characteristics we should have as a believer in Christ Jesus. He lays out these traits to where you can make them your own traits and start applying the thought process right after you read them.  He shares funny stories that will have you laughing out loud.  I found myself highlighting and underlining things in this book that I didn't want to forget later on.  I would highly recommend this book to others.  It is simple enough to read for someone who doesn't know the Word of God.  This book is a little over 200 pages, so it isn't alot to read.  I am happy I chose this book to review, because I now have a brand new author to add to my "favorite" list of authors now.  I encourage you to check out this book and see what it really means to have an "Altar Ego."

Good Friday.... what exactly happened today??

Today we celebrate Good Friday! Today is when we remember that Jesus died for us on the cross and that he did it for mankind. 

 Last night, was The Last Supper and the Garden of Gethesemane.  I was overwhelmed with a great amount of grief last night, trying to imagine what that night was like.  Now I have been a Christian in and out of Gods Word and Church a good amount of my life, but I can honestly say this has been the first time in my life where I took the time and acknowledged that very special night.  I imagined them all sitting down and having their last meal together on earth.  I thought of the anguish Jesus faced while trying to explain to his disciples what was going to happen that night and the next day.  Here the disciples walked with Jesus as he did his ministry here on earth, and now they were being told that he was leaving them.  I could imagine the questions and confusion, and the tears.  I think of Judas who Satan tempted with money in exchange for Christ, and here Jesus knew EVERYTHING and it was STILL a part of Gods Master Plan. 

 After the Supper Jesus makes his way to the Garden to pray to his Father.  Jesus had so much anguish and anxiety, to where it says his sweat became drops of blood.  The medical condition that Jesus had was hematohidrosis. Dr. Frederick Zugibe (Chief Medical Examiner of Rockland County, New York) explains the details of this medical condition. Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form.” Under the pressure of great stress the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes “the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands.” As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface - coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.  Here Jesus KNEW everything that was going to happen to him, he knew EVERY TINY detail.  We are humans and we are sinful to where we literally have to live one minute to the next because we don't know what is going to happen.  Jesus could see the entire picture, so he knew every beat, whip,punch, kick, stab, that would happen.  This is why he was in such agony and anguish because he was human so he was going through the emotions that we go through.  I really pray that you all had a night like I did last night.  I hope you had quiet time with Jesus and talked with him about what that night must of been like. 

Today is Good Friday to where we know he was crucified today.  Jesus is held in prison, seen before the High Priests during the night, and then goes to trial.  He is found guilty and the punishment they choose is Crucifixion.  I want to go into detail now on what happened today. First Jesus was "flogged" he was tied to a post and receives whips by a flagrum over his entire back.  This flagrum was a tool the Roman Soldiers used that had small pieces of bone and metal attached to leather strands.  When this happens the skin on the back is separated to where the muscle and bone is exposed to where there is major blood loss.  

The Soldiers then strip him naked and put a robe on him and start to mock him.  They fix a crown of thorns for him and put them right on Jesus's head. They spit on him and took a staff and hit him over the head again and again.  Jesus had a crown of thorns on his head that could of been 1-2 inches thick of each thorn.  With each beating on the head, it would drive the thorns deeper into his scalp and head.  It mentions that Jesus was beaten so badly, that he didn't even resemble a man anymore.   

Jesus now has to walk to where he is going to be crucified.  He has to walk to Golgotha.  The path that Jesus walked with the cross was:an estimated 650 yards. The cross that he carried was probably around 80 to 110 lbs. Jesus could no longer carry the weight of the cross so he fell down.  With each fall the cross would then fall on top of him and crush him. 

Jesus  is now at the site to be crucified.  The Cross is now layed on the ground and Jesus is laid on top of it to where they are getting the nails to put into his flesh. The nails were about 7 inches long and a diameter of 1 cm that were driven into the wrists. He then had the nails driven into his feet as they stood the cross up. 

Now this position to be crucified in was an awkward position since the cross was standing up and he had nails in his hands and feet.  This position would of caused dislocation of shoulder and elbow joints.  Here is the process of what would happen to a person that was crucified. 

In Death by Crucifixion it was slow suffocation.  There was shallowness of breathe because small areas of the lung collapse.  There is decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide that causes acidic conditions in the tissues.  Then there is fluid build up in the lungs. The heart is then stressed and eventually fails.

While Jesus was on the cross and when he died there was darkness over the land from noon to three. While Jesus was on the cross there were two men next to him that were criminals. The soldiers came to the man next to Jesus  and broke his legs so he could not push up on the cross and take a good breathe of air. (This was a normal thing to do during crucifixion) They made their way to Jesus and saw that he was already dead so they didn't do it on him.  The soldiers took a spear and pierced Jesus's side and out flowed blood and water

 Please today look at the clock and let us remember what happened today.  Jesus went through all of this pain for you and for me.  If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would of still went through this.  He loves us that much that he died for us WILLINGLY.  Let us remember what happens 3 days later.  Jesus defeats death.  Jesus rises from the dead, we now have an open relationship with our Heavenly Father again.  We can come boldly into the throne room and be in his presence.  You need to have Jesus as your Lord and Savior to have this kind of relationship. There is only one way to Heaven and that is through Lord Jesus Christ.  So I encourage you, if the Holy Spirit is pulling on your heart after reading this, give your life to Christ today!!! Today can be the first day for the rest of your life.  Let us remember what Easter means, and what happened on Easter.  Satan wants to put the attention on a bunny and an egg hunt.  That is NOT what Easter is about.  Educate yourselves and your children what happened on Easter and what Jesus did.  Let us celebrate him rising from the dead.

Two things that happened this week, that I feel God wants me to share

There are two things that happened this week that I feel I am supposed to share in this Blog.  First and foremost, when you have Jesus as your Savior and you pick up your cross and follow him, you know become a disciple of Jesus Christ.  This means that we now must die to our selfish /flesh desires and do what Jesus wants us to do.  What is that you ask?  We are to spread the Gospel of Jesus to others.  You don't need a degree to do this, or to know the entire bible, you can just show love and actually BECOME love.  Express love to others and actually put others before yourself.  My first point that I wanted to share was this:  In my prayer time I always pray for divine appointments.  I want God to place specific people in my path, I want to help others, and if someone can help me then that is amazing too.  My husband and I have our routine (anyone that has children knows that you have a routine that is concrete proof to where the schedule is always predictable)  Well we have our routine to where we get in the cycle of going through the motions at times.  Well this week we were doing our routine and all of a sudden I met a lady that I had never met before.  We just had small talk and the small talk started to get deep.  Well this lady started sharing personal details with me and started to tell me that she is having the most difficult time.  Right away I knew that this was a divine appointment that I have been praying for.  I listened, gave advice here and there, told her I would pray for her, and actually had the opportunity to give her scripture.  I share this not to tell everyone how great I am and how awesome I sound.  I share this because this was ALL GOD RIGHT HERE.  He did this, not me.  I prayed for it, he gave it to me, and i was obedient and was aware to see it.  At times we get so caught up in ourselves and routines that if we are not careful we can miss divine appointments to where we need to really stop and talk with one another.  So next time, keep your eyes open because you never know who God is going to put in your path.  My second point is this:  There are people in this world who have disabilities.  Something happened this week where I honestly need to share this because this didn't sit right in my heart.  There is someone with a disability that I see on a regular basis and it is in a public place to where everyone knows everybody.  Well I honestly look forward to seeing this person because this person is so sweet, never is rude, innocent, just as kind as can be.  I know this person is going to be greater than me in the kingdom of Heaven because this person is just that amazing. Well I saw this person this week and I was in the middle of conversation with someone else, and this person came up to me and I started talking to them.  As I was talking to this person, I could see the person that I was talking with prior, was giving me "a sarcastic look" almost like (Yea this person is annoying, just get away from me, etc)  This literally broke my heart because the thought that ran through my mind was : Do you think just because you were born healthy, and this person has a disability, that you are better than this person?  God doesn't make mistakes in his creation.  I share this message because at times we can get in this mindset that we are better than others, because maybe we were blessed in one area more than someone else.  EVERYTHING comes from God above.  We didn't create ourselves, so why do we think we are entitled?  So please take these two principles I shared with you, and apply them.  These are two principles that could actually improve your life.

The Bible...Part 4

As you all know I have been writing reviews for the new series "The Bible" on the History Channel.  Well last night was Episode 4, which means there is one episode left and it ends on Easter. In this episode  Jesus feeds the crowds in Galilee and brings a dead man, Lazarus, back to life; Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey–a declaration that he is the Messiah; Jesus turns on the money-changers in the Temple; Caiphas coaxes Judas into betraying Jesus; Jesus throws the disciples into turmoil at the Last Supper; Jesus is arrested and condemned to death as the disciples scatter. The repeats of this episode are listed below.

Upcoming Airings:

• March 25, 2013 - 12:01-02:01AM
• March 27, 2013 - 09:00-11:02PM
• March 28, 2013 - 01:01-03:03AM
• March 30, 2013 - 10:00-12:02AM
• March 31, 2013 - 02:01-04:03AM
• March 31, 2013 - 06:00-08:00PM

So as you can see from above this episode was packed with lot's of amazing scenes taken from the Bible.  A few of the scenes that stood out to me was when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life.  The gentle touch and voice he had during that scene was so beautiful and loving.  My husband and I absolutely loved the "Last Supper" scene with all the disciples.  You could physically see the pain that Jesus was about to face, and knowing the truth of what was going to happen.  Then when Jesus mentions that all the disciples would fall away and that one would even betray him, was speechless to see.  You could see in all the disciples faces that they really believed they would stick by their Savior until the end, and they were in disbelief that it would happen.  The part that stuck out to my husband was the betrayal by Judas, and how Jesus just called him out on it and said to go do it quickly.  What a mighty strength Jesus had.  This episode was a reminder on how Jesus knows EVERYTHING and IS LOVE.  He loves people so much and serves his heavenly father, and this angers people so much.  You could see all the Pharisees jealousy and were upset that the spotlight wasn't on them.  Satan played huge in this episode with all the pride that were in the people.  I honestly believe the Pharisees knew how powerful and amazing God is that they expected the most almighty ruling king.  I think that is why they didn't believe that God would humble himself the way he did by coming in on a donkey and spending time with the sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes.  I think they thought that Gods Son would only hang with the wealthiest and powerful.  Once again another amazing reminder on how much Jesus humbled himself, to come down to our level.  The next episode is the last episode, and the most important episode.  It is where Jesus will be crucified on the cross and where he rises from the dead.  Jesus dying on the cross for you and for me demonstrates how much he loves us.  I know you would lay down your life for a family member, but how about for a stranger?  How about for someone who is causing you great pain and hurting you?  This is what Jesus did, he died while we were still sinners and didn't know him or accept him.  So please tune into this final episode and see how amazing Jesus is by dying for us on the cross.  See him get the keys back from hades and how we conquers death.  He is the way the truth and the life, and nobody comes to the father except through him.  There is only one way to Heaven and that is through his son Jesus Christ.

How to Raise Godly Children....

First and foremost, to have a child from the Lord is a blessing.  It says that sons are a heritage from the Lord (psalm 127:3).  Raising children is hard work, but doing it Gods way requires a different way, then what the worlds standard is.  As being parents it is our duty and responsibility to train up a child the way the of the Lord and when he gets older he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6) There are so many young children in our world today that are so lost and have many issues.  Some parents don't take the time to sit down and actually raise their children.  Some parents let TV raise our kids, or even others people raise their kids (friends, teachers, other parents, etc).  Then when something happens, everyone wonders what happened and what went wrong.  It all starts with us, being parents.  God has equipped us with enough tools to raise our child.  God has blessed us with a child that nobody else could raise or parent to.  God has a divine purpose and will for our children and it is our duty to help mold our children into Gods Ambassador.  Our Children need to be "lights" in a dark world that we live in.  I am going to put things that my husband and I do as being parents to our children.  I am going to put things that we learned from church in here, and things that we have agreed on starting from the very beginning.  In our house we have agreed that our children will never hear us shouting or arguing.  If we have a disagreement we agree to hold off and wait to talk things out until our children go to bed.  This way our kids will learn behavior from us on how to act composed and godly and not let our tongues get the best of us.(proverbs 21:23) We also have agreed to always pray before meals and hold hands.  We want our children to learn to always thank God for what we have, especially our necessities (food, clothes, shelter)  We then agree on disciplining our children.  (proverbs 29:17) We know that disciplining our children comes from love, and they will learn how to understand what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.  One of the most important things on raising godly children is to get them plugged into a good church to where they can grow with other kids like them.  We have  a church that we truly love and consider family.  We go 2 times a week and our children are used to this, they have had it ever since they have been born and know that twice a week we go to church and they look forward to it.  We know that they are around people that are pouring into them with Gods Word and also around other children developing friendly relationships. Children need to be involved in a church, they need the fellowship.  Something that I would consider the MOST important is to pray for our children.  I am talking about being a REAL prayer warrior for our children.  Each night I take our son into his room and tell him to get his bible and he runs and gets it with a big smile on his face.  We read his bible and he points things out and then when I am done, we go get a treat before bedtime and he eats it.  After he is finished I tell him to lay down because it is now time to pray.  I pray out loud over him so he can hear me praying for him,  I pray for Gods blessing on him, his health, future godly friendships, his future spouse, teachers, mentors, I build hedges of protection around him, I put on his shield of armor to quench the fiery darts from the evil one, I pray Gods Will to be done in his life, and other things.  I want my son to always remember that I prayed to God over him and i wanted him to hear me.  When I am done we both fold our hands and do the "Our Father" together.  We want our children to know who is the most important to us, (God) and I want them to have God as their number one.  These are just a few things we do as a family and we will stick with them because it is our duty to raise Godly children and we have promised God that we will do the best to our ability.  So to all the parents out there, start doing it Gods Way, let's raise a godly generation in a sinful world.  Pick up your armor, and let's move forward for Christ.

please come and "like" our new page

We are very excited to have a page on facebook for our ministry : Young Couples/Singles (age group 25-35) ** But this material is for ANYONE and EVERYONE no matter what  age***  We have the privilege of teaching a class and we decided that we wanted to reach others who aren't able to attend class.  So when you come and "like" our page we will post things we are covering in class to where this material will help you have a better understanding of Jesus, and how to have a fulfilling life with more meaning.  We all have an individual purpose here and we are to figure out how to best utilize our talents and abilities.  So please take a moment and go to the link below and "like" our page.  We would love to meet you!!

www.facebook.com/carlosandkatynogales

Going through "the middle."

It seems there are always 3 stages to trials and tests.  There is always a beginning, a middle, and an end.  The beginning can sometimes be predicted or it can come by an unexpected surprise.  Once the first stage starts, usually it is hard to accept but within time it becomes the "norm" for that moment and then you adapt to it.  Now in the second stage "the middle" this is a waiting period that can be the MOST frustrating because  we do not know how long this process takes.  We can try and have our plans to get over it quicker, but that usually NEVER works and we have to just be patient and endure.  In the last stage, "the end" this is when we have finally overcome the trial/test and we have conquered it, and we are free!!! (But usually a brand new test/trial comes shortly after that, and it starts all over again) :)   So the reason for this blog is because in our family we are currently in stage 2 (the middle)  We are in the waiting period to where we are keeping our eyes focused on God and we know that he has an appointed time for everything.  We know he meets our every  need and that he ALWAYS takes care of his kids.  We are choosing to see the good and the blessings instead of focusing on the waiting process.  This is a tactic the enemy loves to do to people today.  He loves to see people lose their faith, stressed, angry, etc.  When you have Jesus as your Savior you have a peace that surpasses ALL understanding, to where you can be going through any storm, but still look peaceful and rested.  We are not made for this world so we are going to constantly have trials, but God can turn those around for HIS glory and we can have peace through EVERY trial.  As a "baby" christian I used to have the strongest faith when things were ok, then when something went wrong I went to panic/freak out mode.  It took me MANY years to finally see how I was acting and that the true faith comes, "in the storm." It is easy to give God praises when everything is going the way you expected, but when it isn't the plan you had in mind, then usually we lose it and try to "force" it back to the way it used to be.  Maybe you are in one of the stages right now and going through a trial.  I want to encourage you that everyone experiences this, but not everyone has Gods blessing and peace through it.  Do you remember back in school when you knew you had a test that week?  Well the teacher usually tells us far enough in advance so we can prepare for it and study.  In life we don't have that privilege to where God says "Hey (name)____, I am going to give you a trial by having your car break down when you are running late to work and see how you act."  We don't get the "heads up" that we got back in school.  But I am going to let you in on a secret (call it a cliff note if you may ) :)  Gods word has promises that you can hold on to and get them in your mind and heart to when something happens, you can still get through it and have peace and not panic.  You will have the "hindsight" to where you can see that God is using this for HIS glory and that it will strengthen your faith.  So please whatever you are going through, see the good and fix your eyes on our Savior.

ATTN Christ's Ambassadors.....

If Christ is your Lord and Savior, then guess what???  You are a NEW person now.  You have a NEW image now.  You have a NEW name now.  All the old has passed away, and you are made brand new.  Your old self has died and you have now been raised in Christ Jesus.  Now when you go out, you do not only go out for yourself or your own cause.  You now go out for Christ's cause, you go out to glorify HIM.  You are now an ambassador of the Most High.  We get to now represent Christ all over the world.  We get to walk and reach the lost with the gospel, we get to heal, we get to do everything Christ Jesus did.  Now guess what?  We are not meant for this world, so the world will not like us and they will not accept us.  They will call us crazy, make fun of us, etc.  It is ok, because this is not our home and we work for HIS will and work to glorify HIM.  Was Christ Jesus accepted in the world? NO!!! He was actually put to death for saying he was the Messiah.  So if the world didn't accept Christ himself, then why would they accept his ambassadors?  They don't!!! Do you see someone getting ahead at work and doing it the wrong way?  It's ok, do not get bitter, God has an appointed time for YOUR promotion.  We are not "made" to be on top of this world, because we were not made for "this" world.  The devil is the king of this world, so the evil will prosper.  Now remember this key sentence: God is in control of EVERYTHING, NOTHING is out of HIS control.  He blesses and curses.  The most amazing thing about God is that he can take what the enemy meant for harm, and turn it around for good and glorify him.  We have a short time on this earth, we do not know when our time is up, so it is important to do it Gods Way.  Eternity is FOREVER, and there are lost souls that NEED to be reached and ministered to.  There is going to be a day when each person is going to have an account for their life before God, what will you have to show for?  Did you use all of your talents that God gave you?  Were you selfish with your blessings?  Did you reach the poor and hungry?  Most importantly who do you serve?  Do you serve money? Idols? Satan? God? People?  There is only ONE that you can serve.  It must be God!!!  I encourage you today, if you have not commited your life to Christ Jesus and this message is pulling on your heart, please make a change today.  Do not ignore the Holy Spirit, he is drawing you to your Savior.  Today is the day to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.  The way to do this is to admit that you are a sinner and that you can't do it on your own anymore and that you are done doing it, then believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that he died for you and rose again and that he is Gods Son, and then confess it with your mouth, be a witness to others.  When one sinner repents and turns over to Christ, there is a party in Heaven over you with all the angels.  Christ loves you so much, when you ask Christ "How much do you love me?"  Christ says "this much" and stretches his arms out and lays his life down on the cross for you and dies for you!!! Now this is true love!!! So please I encourage you today, to give your life to Christ Jesus.  I am giving my email address, please email me if you need prayer, have questions, etc.  My email is zlkaty@aol.com  In the subject line just write "blog" and that way I will know to read it!!!

HELLO PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD!!

I want to say thank you so much for being a part of my blog.  I look forward to seeing all the views from different parts all over the world.  I have hope that one day I will get to travel in person to all of these different places, and see it for myself.  It means so much to me, to have all of you view my blog and be a part of this ministry.  We are all together in this world and we all need to unite with one another for the cause of Christ.  We were not designed to do it alone, we need to lock arms with one another and stand strong.  My husband and I have a small ministry at the moment.  It is geared towards Young Couples/Singles.  The age group we are catering to are:25-35.  When it comes down to it, there is no age preference, we just say that because that is the core age group we want to reach.  In our society today there are so many people suffering and hurting and we want to reach that group.  We started a page on facebook to start reaching others around the world who aren't able to come to our class.  We are learning Godly principles and on our page we will be posting things from class, so you can be a part of this.  We want everyone to grow strong and have knowledge of what God did for us, and how we actually apply it.  So please take a minute and go to the link below and please "like" our page.  We would love to get to know another brother and sister in Christ.  Thank you so much for your support!!!


www.facebook.com/carlosandkatynogales 

 

My Brand New Beautiful Bible...

I am so excited right now, I just received a Brand New Bible as a birthday gift from my husband and brother.  I have had my bible for along time now, and have all of my notes in it and markings.  I really do enjoy my Bible because it is what I am used to, and what I am familiar with.  I have always loved the "Amplified" versions because it explains things in better detail and I love having notes explaining certain things in the Bible.  My Bible is an "NIV" which means New International Version.  This New Bible is an Amplified version Bible and it has alot of personal notes and study from Joyce Meyer.  This Bible is HUGE and thick, which I love, and at the beginning of each Book in the Bible, it has a detailed description about the author and when it was written.  I took pictures of it, so you can see my new Bible.  I will also post a detailed description from a website, just in case you are in the market for a new Bible.

Amplified Everyday Life Bible-Pnk/Expresso Bond

By: Joyce Meyer

+ View Larger

This pink alligator grain is bold, hip and feminine. This leather makes a statement because of its vibrancy, depth of grain and subtle leather aroma. The deep espresso inset with tight grain and satin luster is the perfect color complement.

Inside the pages of the Everyday Life Bible, readers will experience the opportunity to study Scripture as if Joyce were sitting next to them, chapter by chapter and precept by precept. Not only will they learn more, they will be able to share this new understanding with family and friends in a practical and down-to-earth manner. This Specialty Bible contains five standing features and will be published in bonded leather.

For years audiences have watched Joyce Meyer deliver powerful messages while holding the source of her inspiration, the Bible

The Bible (Part 3)

This post is a review of the series last night: The Bible, on the History Channel.  The episode last night covered Daniel, and also covered Joseph and Mary.  It also showed the birth of Jesus and it showed John the Baptist baptizing others (and even Jesus), and then it showed Peter fishing and Jesus helping him.  There was a scene where it also showed Jesus being tempted in the desert by Satan.  I have pros and cons about this episode and I will explain.  In the beginning it covered Daniel, and I thought they did a good job showing the King and the scene where they were thrown into the fire was very powerful.  The scene when Daniel was in the lions den was also very intense, at times the lions looked real, not fake.  My disappointment was how fast they rushed through Daniel and how they left out alot of things from the Bible.  They showed the Babylonian empire, the Median - Persian empire, then they completely left out Greece (with Alexander the Great) and skipped right to Rome.  In this episode it really felt rushed and there were lots of gaps that didn't connect.  As for Joseph and Mary I also wished they would of shown them more and highlighted the birth of our Savior.  Once again everything was so rushed to where it was sped through. Two of my most favorite scenes were: 1)Jesus being tempted by Satan and 2) John the Baptist baptizing Jesus.  During the temptation of Jesus as the devil was speaking and tempting him, they showed Jesus's thought pattern as Satan was trying to tempt him.  I thought the director did an excellent job of this, because it reminded me that Jesus was human and when "humans" are tempted or given opportunities we always have a snapshot of how our life would be if we took that, or how much different it would be.  This scene really put it into perspective for me, and reminded me how humble Jesus was to become human and do what he did.  I loved during the baptism when John was baptizing everyone and he sees Jesus and asks him to baptize him, Jesus just walks in the water and asks for John to baptize him.  Once again, a beautiful illustration of Jesus humbling himself again.  I couldn't imagine having Jesus come up to me and ask me to baptize him, what an honor!!!!  My husband highly enjoyed the scene where Peter was introduced on the scene and the relationship you see begin between Jesus and Peter.  He thought that scene was clever and believable.  So as you can see, I had good things to say and even some bad things about this episode.  I look forward to the next episode and interested to see how they are going to cover everything in just 2 more episodes.  The only thing I want to stress is, If you haven't read the Bible or don't read the Bible, this show is not a substitution for it.  The Bible is the REAL deal, it is Gods living Word, and as you can see from above, this series has left ALOT of things out.  When I was watching this last night, for some reason I felt I needed to share this.  I can see people watching this series and saying "Oh wow, I watched the series, so now I know whats in the Bible and I don't need to read it."  If you enjoy this series, then it should intrigue you to open the Word because there is sooooo much left out.  You should want to know EVERYTHING, and want to know the truth of the gospel. 

Praise Report....

I mentioned in a post today that I have been believing God for restoration and healing and I said I would give updates.  Well today 3/16/13 it came in the mail today.  God is so good, he gave me the signs I needed to heal.  He gave me peace that surpasses all understanding.  I have tears of joy right now!! I am so thankful that God does things on HIS timing and that he is ALWAYS good!! This by far is the BEST birthday present ever!! This is a HUGE praise report, it is all about standing on Gods Word and believing him and trusting him ALWAYS!!!! He has come through for me in the biggest way possible.  He has given me healing on my birthday and restoration.

Birthday weekend.....

This blog is just thanking the Lord my God that he has kept me alive for 29 years here on earth!!  There are people I know that haven't lived to see their 29th Birthday, and I am just so grateful and thankful that I am still here.  I am happy that God is not finished with me yet, and I still  have a divine purpose to carry out.  I have the most godly husband that truly is loving and serves the Lord Almighty.  I will tell you, nothing is sexier than seeing a man worship God Almighty and take leadership of the household.  Men, if you are not stepping up and doing this, and you wonder why your marriage is lacking, this is why!! Women need this, women yearn for this.  Be bold in your love for Christ and take the role at home in a godly way, and you will see a change in your marriage.  I have two beautiful healthy children that the Lord has blessed me with and has found favor in me.  My children are just so special to me and it is such a privilege to be a stay at home mother and really pour into my children.  Well this weekend we are able to have the kids with my mother in law and we are able to just really enjoy being husband and wife.  We are so excited to go on dates and talk, and relax.  There is nothing huge planned for my birthday, my true present is to have the grace of my loving Savior, my godly family, and our ministry.  I am just so thankful, so this birthday is going to be giving non stop thanks to God for everything he has given me and for everything he hasn't given me.  God might have something in store for me this birthday and time will tell.  I believe God is in the process right now for restoration and I am believing for a revelation this weekend and just before my birthday on Tuesday.  So be in prayer with me and I will let everyone know!!! God Bless

Can you Worship when you have strife?

Let us take a look at the two definitions of the two words and see if we can put them together.
  What does Worship mean?

-Reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence

 a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual

   What does Strife mean?

-Bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension <political strife>

 an act of contention : fight, struggle

 exertion or contention for superiority

 

After seeing these two definitions side by side we can now see if we can do both at the same time.  After reading this what do you think?  Is it possible? What do we get when we do these both at the same time?  Now when I mention "worship" this is what I mean: praising God in Church, praying for someone or over someone, and praying.  As you can see above the dictionary makes clear that there is a reverence offered to a divine being or supernatural power.  It is an act of expressing such reverence.  So when we are to worship God we should be in such awe and wonder of how powerful he is and what he has done in our life that we can only think of him and how great he is that we just want to offer it up to him.  So now let's get "Strife" into the equation and see what we get.  As you can see above, Strife is a Bitter sometimes even a violent conflict or dissension (quarrel) an act of contention or exertion for superiority.  So right from the beginning we can see the word "bitter" we know God only gives us a peace, love and sound mind (2 Tim 1:7) So now we know that this "strife" is a direct hit from Satan himself.  Now let's see what Satan wants to do by bringing us strife.  He has come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) Also in scripture 2 Corinthians 2:11 we are told:So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.  So if we don't know scripture then we aren't armed with Gods word and we aren't able to have the wisdom to see when the devil is attacking us.  We see now he ONLY comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  What is "strife?"  Strife is basically a disruption of peace, a fight.  Fights destroy relationships, it creates distance and it gets us alone to where the devil isolates us from others.  So let me now fast forward to the original point of this blog.  Can you Worship AND have Strife?

 

       It is possible to do both, I have seen people in church doing it.  I have known people who fight on the way to church and then once they get in church, they are smiling and praising God.  I have done this myself, especially very early on in my christian walk.  Now that I am a mature christian I am now bothered to the point where I can't have peace and it needs to be settled immediately.  Now before I was saved, oh boy! I could probably went for weeks before I talked to someone that I was in a fight with. Now I am going to ask this question:  Can you have TRUE worship with God and Strife at the SAME TIME?  The answer is NO!!!!  This is impossible to do.  In order to come before God fully we have to leave everything to God, and I mean EVERYTHING to God.  We need to surrender our entire lives to him, and we can't have anything blocking us from God.  When we try and take "control" of things or even people, then we are playing God and that blocks us from the Lord.  Do you ever wonder why you can't hear from God?  It could be that you have things blocking you and you haven't surrendered it all. We can try and fool everyone we want by acting one way behind doors and then one way in front of people, the truth is that with God he sees it ALL, so there are no two sides, there is only one side with him.  So next time you are in worship singing, praying, or even praying for someone ask yourself this: Is anything blocking you from the relationship with God that he wants you to have?

 

 

 

The Bible (Part 2)

I started to write a blog on the new series on The History Channel, "The Bible."  I wrote about the first episode in my blog, and now I am writing one on the second episode.  In this episode you see Joshua conquer Jericho, the betrayal of Delilah of Samson as the Israelites battle the Philistines, and David is anointed King.  You see the Bible story played out when Saul becomes angry and jealous over David conquering Goliath, and then when David was on the top you see him fall into be heavily seduced by Bathsheba.  I really look forward to each episode because I never know what scenes they are going to focus on from the Bible.   It is fun to identify the characters and see how they act out the scenes.  In this particular episode I really enjoyed seeing the "David and Goliath scene." It was very powerful to see how confident David was in the Lord because he knew he was blessed and anointed.  Another part that spoke to me was seeing David become King and he was doing it Gods way and then all of a sudden you see Satan playing into his weakness by having a naked women bathing on top of a roof.  You look at our society today and I believe that if men today saw a naked women bathing on top of a roof, it would be hard for them to turn away.  This is something the enemy knows, and will play into.  Then enemy uses lust, temptation and sex to rip people away from God and get off Gods path.  This is why we must pray daily to be guarded with Gods love and protection.  To guard our eyes, ears, and heart.  Here with David it all started with one glance, and then lust began, and then he acted on it, got her pregnant, had her husband killed, and then lost Gods blessing, and their son died.  Here this ALL started with one look.  I will put a copy of the times and schedules below so everyone can see the repeat of this episode.  I  hope everyone is enjoying this series as much as me and my family. 
Upcoming Airings:

• March 13, 2013 - 09:00-11:02PM
• March 14, 2013 - 01:01-03:03AM
• March 17, 2013 - 06:00-08:00PM

The Opposite...

If you take a look around the world today you can clearly see a clear example of things we are to not do.  We can look at people at work, driving on the road, in stores, at movies, etc.  You can take a look around and see that everyone is all about thelmselves.  We have lost what it is like to truly care for one another in todays culture.  People now tend to act on impulse and go on feelings rather than thinking things through.  Somebody hurts us or offends us, then we have to get them back.  If somebody did us wrong, then we hold our heads high and don't offer any compassion back.  It seems like everyone is always in a rush in whatever they are doing, or wherever they are going.  Do you ever notice that?  Our microwave ready society has really taught us to depend highly on technology and not on real interaction with one another.  We can go days with not talking to someone face to face, we would just rather text or email.  This is ALL an example of what NOT to do!!! These are all examples of the OPPOSITE on how we are supposed to live.  Why are we in such a rush and stressed out?  We have ONE chance at this life.  None of us know when our time is or when our last day is.  We get too caught up in the word where we take things for granted and just assume we are waking up tomorrow.  How do we break this mind-set so we can truly appreciate life and what we have?  Two words.... The Bible.  Paul talks about a daily renewing of our mind.  We need to take our daily bread DAILY, we need to constantly be feeding ourselves the word of God.  We need to be reminded of how we are supposed to be in this world and what we are here for.  I challenge you today and this week:  Actually Stop and help someone-address someone by their name-reach out to someone that you haven't talked to in awhile-encourage someone with loving words.  Be a blessing for OTHERS and stop focusing on yourself!!! Do the OPPOSITE!

Marriage..... What does Gods Word Say about it?

Marriage-
   We are going to jump right into Gods Word and see what he actually says about Marriage. 
Genesis 2:22-24

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh

Proverbs 18:22

He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 12:4

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Deuteronomy 24:5

If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married

Matthew 19:4-6

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

1 Corinthians 7:1-16

Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Ephesians 5:22-23

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior

 

    Ok, so as you can see from several scriptures above that Gods word is very specific on what Marriage was desinged for.  God created the  unity of a man and a woman from the very beginning and when they come together, he sees them as ONE flesh.  The two become one when they unite.  When we get married we make a covenant with God.  We have a "meeting of the  minds" (as they say in legal terms in law) we are all on the same page and we are coming to our Heavenly Father and saying it to him as a promise.  We are promising that we will become one flesh and that no matter what we will remain together because his word says so.  Then the order that God designed is for the man to be the head of the household.  He is supposed to love his wife and sacrifice, just as Christ did for the church.  By him doing this, the wife then is to submit under him and follow.  The husband needs to have God first, then his wife.  The wife is to have God first, then the husband.  As you see, if the husband is truly following God, then the wife is just supposed to be able to just look towards her husband, and then everything will line up.  The husband is supposed to be aligned with the word of God to where when he is, he is the most sacrifical and more weight falls on him.  If there is a decision to be made in the house, then there should be a discussion of what to do, but at the end, the husband needs to make the final decision.  This may be hard because our world teaches us the exact opposite.  This may also be difficult if kids are involved because both people may have differnt parenting styles.  But you both have to be in agreement, and he has to make the final decision.  The way we can keep learning Gods style that he intended for Marriage is to keep getting in the Word of God to renew our minds.  Marriage is a sacred union that is not to be perverted or distorted.  It is a holy act and a holy union.  The devil perverts marriage by having people do everything together, besides marriage.  He wants us to live together not married, sleep together not married, women ordering the men around and making them feel like nothing, etc.  There is a holy order that God designed and when you do it HIS way, you will be blessed.  You WILL have a blessed marriage, you will become one.  But, it takes God to be number one in your marriage.  Start putting God first and you will become blessed.  I highly recommend having talks everynight so you both can get on the same page on how to do it Gods way. 

The Bible- The new series on the History Channel

This blog wanted to be about the new series "The Bible" that just started on the History Channel on 3/3/13.  I wanted to write this blog on what I thought of the first episode of this series.  I have seen several bible shows back in the day and the characters were always really old or funny looking, and the acting was really hard to relate to.  When I would see shows it would make me laugh at the characters because it was always done poorly.  I honestly can't see a non-believer sitting down and seeing these poorly made bible shows and actually taking Jesus seriously.  So when I first saw that the History channel was airing this new series, I was excited to check it out because the previews looked like scenes out of the wonderful movie, "Gladiator."  So my husband and I eagerly waited for this showing last night, and of course we had to watch it later because we had to put the kids to sleep, so we ended up finishing the show at 11pm.  The show started out in Genesis with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, etc.  It was very cool to have read the bible and then see it "acted" out.  It was exciting because with each scene I knew what was going to happen, so I was excited to see how they were going to show the scene.  The characters were intense, the acting was at it's best, and the fighting scenes had power behind them.  I was literally on the edge of my seat in suspense and Carlos was blown away as well.  We look forward to when Jesus comes on the scene and see the rest of the Bible brought to life.  I honestly believe that everyone needs to see this series, I highly recommend it.  I guarantee it will not be boring, and you will actually have a understanding as the Bible is acted out in this series.  So if you never read the Bible, then this series will motivate you because it acts it out, and then when you start the Bible while you are reading you will remember the characters in the series, and identify them as real people and feel like you know them.  The part last night that brought me to tears was when Abraham took his son Isaac up to the mountain to sacrifice him to God.  When I first read this in Genesis I was balling like a baby because I played out a visual in my head of how hard it must of been for a father to be so obedient to God and putting him before his son.  I sitting and asking myself "Wow, what if Abraham wasn't able to be obedient?"  He needed to have his faith tested and prove that he truly loved God with all of his heart.  I am so thankful for Abraham and that I am part of that family now.  Another part that blew my mind was when the egyptians were chasing the israellites and moses went to part the Red Sea.  The way he shouted to God and the authority he took with the Faith he  had in God, gave me goosebumps.  Please I encourage you to tune into this new series on Sunday nights at 8pm on the History Channel.  You will be on the edge of your seat, and you will fall in love with what Our Savior did for us.  You will see what a loving God we serve, and how EVERYTHING is in his hands and in His Control.

     

Is the Church much different from the World?

This is a question I ask myself all the time: Is the Church much different from the World?  When you look at the Bible and what the church is supposed to represent (Christ) this is where the church needs to be at.  Now what did Christ represent?  He was sacrifice, unconditional love, forgiveness, understanding, peace, unity, kindness, etc.  When you look at the world everyone thinks it revolves around themselves and that people should cater to their needs and feelings.  In the world it is : How can I get ahead?" In the Church do you see the same spirit?  In the Church we should be representing Christ, because we are placed in Christ, so that should only be natural.  This blog is for the church.  When you go to church do you act the way you do at church and at home?  If you have a fight with your spouse before church, do you act like everything is fine in church? Do you judge others in church? Are you quick to reach out to someone who needs prayer?  These are questions "the church" needs to ask itself.  If Christ sees someone suffering, did he judge or was he quick to reach out a hand?  Women need to reach out to women, Men need to reach out to men.  I understand it is easier for women to be open and share, but Men need to get past that "barrier" of trying to be tough and not share the sensitive side.  We are all humans we all have pain and hurt, we need to get past that pride and get real with one another.  Do you share your testimony with others?  Are you looking for ways to get involved and serve?  Are you bold with praying for others?  These once again are questions the church needs to ask itself.  Christ says we are to be known by our fruits, and if we dont have any fruits and look just like the world, then how are we any different?  Please I beg you church, start having a heart for others, there are so many people suffering in the church that have nobody to reach out to.  If we take our eyes off of ourselves for a few moments we see people struggling and God can actually use us to lift one another up.  In the church there should be nobody struggling, but that isn't the case today.  There should be so many people praying for one another, helping one another, checking in with one another, to where the love of Christ would be spilling over from one to the next.  If you are just the type to "attend" church and get your food for the day and leave, then I am sorry but that is selfish.  It is all about you, and what you can get.  We need to get bold in our faith walk, and actually lift our hands and say "USE ME GOD/"  I challenge you next time you go to church look for someone to bless, look for someone new to meet, go up to someone and ask "can i pray for you?"  Better than that say:  I would like to pray for you today, any requests?  I challenge you, Men and Women of God, be bold and go to another brother/sister in Christ and actually be a disciple of Christ

Walking by FAITH.....

Believers have heard the term of walk by faith, not by sight.  What does that mean?  Lets look at the definition of faith:

Complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Now lets look at the definition of sight: The faculty or power of seeing. Verb Manage to see or observe (someone or something); catch an initial glimpse of.        So we are going to disect "sight" first.  This is something that we can actually experience today before our very eyes.  Some of us have been blessed with sight and being able to see.  This is one of our senses that we have as human beings.  We are able to see objects, people, shapes, colors, read, watch tv, etc. We don't have to think about our sight because we just open our eyes and we have it.  The term people say is "seeing is believing."  If we walk outside and we look up and see storm clouds coming in, our eyes give us the idea that it is going to rain and storm soon, even if the weather channel predicts no rain, our eyes would tell us differently and we would trust them.       So now lets go to "Faith."  If we go by the definition above it says complete trust or confidence in someone or something, and based on a spiritual apprehension rather than proof.  So here we have 100% trust in something that we don't need proof to believe.  People will ask us about our faith, and we can tell them until we are blue in the face, but when someone wants proof and facts, sometimes we are able to present bits and pieces of proof but for the most part it is just by faith, not by sight. Now God gives us our testimonies to where that is living proof that others can relate with today.  We can tell others on what our faith has done for us and how God has directed us by our faith to where we are today and to where we are going.       There is one strong point I want to really bold for a moment:  Now earlier I said sight is something we can see and use to read with.  Well if we pick up the Bible and read then our sight sense can pick up what faith is and then the rest is up to God.  As earlier above it says that faith is something that is based whether or not there is proof.  Well in the Bible there is proof that the Word of God is REAL and truth because in the Bible those who have read and study it, know that events have been predicted 100 - to 300 years ahead of time.  We have been studying Daniel on Wednesday Nights and in the Book of Daniel he was able to predict future events of empires and how they would fall and who would take over them.  The people did not know how he was doing this and thought this was impossible, but once again look at this: With God NOTHING is Impossible with him.  God used Daniel and he was obedient and here if people want "their proof" the bible has prooved itself time and time again.             So when we say we walk by Faith not by sight this is because: we know Gods word and we believe everything in it.  We know when God says he has done and when he WILL do, we don't need to ask for proof or the why's and how comes.  We know God is the only living true source of life in this world.  We know that he is LOVE because he sent his Son Jesus to die for us, so we know we are special to him.  We know he gave his son for us to have an abundant life, so we place our lives in his hands and ask him to lead.  We know he will NEVER leave us or forsake us no matter what is going on around us.  We can truly rest in God and not have worries about tomorrow because we know they are in HIS hands and control.  HOw do we achieve all of this? Because we walk by FAITH not by SIGHT.