The Reason Behind Our Contest that Ends April 30

Our contest is ends April 30 and we will select a winner on May 1.  If you haven't done so already, please go ahead and enter while there is still time.  The reason my husband and I wanted to do this contest is because we realize that we have to be creative in order to win souls for the Kingdom of God.  We figure, people love contests, and  nobody argues with winning free stuff.  So the main reason for this contest is to get our ministry to as many people as possible, so they can hear the Word of God.  I feel many people preach the Word of God and younger people may find it boring because they have never read the Word.  We honestly want to bring some "newness" to it, to where we can explain things in a fun and fresh way.  We want people to know that we struggle with things in our life and in our family, but God has been with us through it all, and delivers.  Our goal is to reach  every country in the world.  We know we serve a BIG God, so we put our trust in him.  I wanted to share the reason behind this contest, so everyone can see our vision.  The rules are below, so please go ahead and support us in this mission, and have a chance to win free stuff while you are at it.  ;)  Thank you so much!!!!

Rules:
1) You have to "Like" our page Young couples/ Singles
2) You have to "share our page/link in your status"
3) Then when you have done that, all you have to do is leave a comment on our page "Young Couples/Singles" saying "Done!"
       You will then be eligible for the contest and we will announce the winner on May 1.

***** Our page link is below***********

http://www.facebook.com/carlosandkatynogales

Second Book Review: Prayer Warrior Mom

For my second book review I chose to review "Prayer Warrior Mom" by Marla Alupoaicei.  This book really is geared towards mothers who want to develop a stronger prayer walk for their children.  It teaches you how to be bold as a mother, and gives you the best tools to succeed at it.  As being a mother myself, I sometimes struggle with taking the authority I have in Jesus, and covering my children in it.  I have always made a point each night to shower my children with prayer, and show how important Jesus is in our lives.  This book equips you with tools and prayers so you are able to cover your children in different areas for spiritual warfare.  Marla talked about a phrase in this book that I actually made an art project about.  She says that she saw a saying at a store and it read "Being a Mother is A Holy Privilege."  I thought that was so powerful, because so many mothers just look at it as a job or work.  There are also lot's of mothers in our world today, so it can become the "norm."  That saying reminded me that it is a true gift to become a mother.  God has blessed me and made me fruitful by bearing my children.  He has trusted me with raising these children.  Their lives are in my hands, and it is a holy privilege.  This book is designed to be read by reading one chapter a day.  This book is perfect for mothers who are busy, and only have time to read a few pages a day.  At the end of each chapter there is a prayer that you pray for your children.  The prayers were my favorite part because my husband and I would pray them out loud together.  I can honestly say that I feel stronger as a mother.  We all need to have our refresh courses and our reminders, and this book is one of those.  It reminds you that mothers have a daily duty, and that is to shower our kids in prayer and protect them and raise them up Gods way.  This is my first book by this author, and I am a fan.  I can honestly say that this book is in one of my top 5 now.  I read through this book once, and my plan is to read through it again each day, so I can really take my time and apply everything that is talked about in this book.  I highly recommend this book for all mothers.  You will feel Gods peace after reading this book.  You will also laugh and cry at the stories she shares in this book.  Towards the end of the book there was one story in particular that had me crying beyond belief.  I then had the experience of the Holy Spirit revealing an area in my life that I hadn't surrendered yet to God.  This book did that for me, and I feel that it could do that for others.  So gear up Mothers, it is time to take back what the enemy has stolen.  We need to get angry, and get our spiritual warfare on and fight for our children.  We need to fight for our families and husbands.  Join me in becoming a Prayer Warrior Mom.  (Below is the art project I made with the saying I found in the book)

Overwhelmed with Grief......

It is 11:20pm and I am literally bawling my eyes out and overwhelmed with grief.  I am currently doing my second book review and the book I am reading is "Prayer Warrior Mom."  I am almost finished with this book, so I will be writing a review on it next week.  The chapter I just finished reading is called "Live With A Spiritual Perspective.  I just finished reading this chapter and there is a story told by a Christian Music Artist, Steven Curtis Chapman.  The story is told of what he and his wife went through with their daughter.  Sitting down and actually reading in detail what this family experienced and went through, left me crying beyond belief and not able to breathe.  I do not know how they were able to experience what they did, and come out alive from it.  After reading this, I am asking myself " God, I couldn't be that strong and go through that, I would lose it."  I am at a loss for words after reading this story because I honestly don't know how I could come back from experiencing something that this family went through.  It makes me cling even harder to God and wrap my arms and legs around the cross that Jesus carried.  I don't want to let go, I want my entire family to take hold with me and not let go.  I am praying even more protection around my family, and really praying for my children.  My children are such a blessing to me, I honestly would have NO purpose without them.  They make my day so much brighter, and I look forward to seeing them each morning.  The thought that keeps coming into my mind is that God has blessed me with my children, but these are HIS children.  I may have my "plans" for them and for their future, but so DOES GOD.  God's plan is PERFECT, my plan is flawed.  God knows my intentions and my heart for how much I love them, and how much I am trying to do it Gods way.  My husband and I have dedicated our children to God, and we vow to raise them up Gods way, and pray for God to equip us as parents to do it HIS way.  After reading this story it makes me want to trust God even more than I already do.  I have told God before, that I am ALL IN!!!  I am doing it his way no matter what. I refuse to have one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world.  I now have enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, that I need to be ALL IN, no matter what the cost or circumstance.  Horrific and terrible things are going to happen, because we live in a sinful world and the world is corrupted with sin.  We are sinful human beings, and their is sin all around us flourishing.  It makes me pray even harder because I know our battle is in the Heavenly Realms.  I pray that Christ uses me fully, and that I am a light in this dark world.  I pray that my husband is made into the man of God, that God wants him to be.  I pray that he can lead our family as the head of the household and to always  have the wisdom and knowledge to do it Gods way.  I pray protection over my children (Gabriel and Rafaela) I pray that they have hearts that love God with every inch of their being.  I pray they are obedient, and have the word of God hidden in their hearts.  I am just blown away hearing other people's stories of what they have went through and endured.  It makes me sad for people who don't have Christ as their Savior, and don't know God.  I can't imagine what it is like to live in this world with NO hope.  To not have Jesus as your Savior means that you have absolutely NO hope whatsoever.  There is nothing with value, or nothing good to look forward to.  It makes me sad because I know there are people already perishing in Hell, and would give ANYTHING to have the opportunity to choose Jesus as their Savior.  It saddens me even more that there are people today in our world that are on their way to hell, and don't even know it.  In Gods word it says that we perish for lack of knowledge (hosea 4:6)  People think they are in charge and that they have it ALL figured out.  They want to choose how to live their life and be their own God, and here they are perishing for lack of knowledge.  Then you have the people that say they have God, but their lifestyle clearly shows that they don't love God.  The way God knows that we love him is this: If you love me, keep my commands (John 14:15)  It is very easy to tell people what they want to hear, but keep on living for yourself.  There is no fooling God.  God has something to tell people who are lukewarm Christians who claim God is their Savior, but don't follow his commands.  He says this:It would have been better for them not to have known the way of the righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. (2 Peter 2:21)  Partial obedience, is DISOBEDIENCE with God!!!  We need to be ALL in!! There is no half way in with God.  I am getting peace as I finish this post, I have finally been able to clean up my face and wipe my tears away.  I am beginning to calm down and breathe slow now.  I now understand that this was supposed to happen for a reason.  I have seen an area in my life just now that I didn't surrender to God.  I see that I need to surrender the BAD TIMES to God.  I was aware and able to surrender everything else, but I was still having that shield up trying to protect my loved ones by my power and will.  I was playing God and putting myself before God.  I now see that I need to surrender the Bad times to God and trust him that HIS plan is perfect NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!!!!  I honestly pray with my whole heart that someone reads this and feels the Holy Spirit moving in their spirit.  I pray that you make Jesus Lord of your Life and start surrendering ALL areas of you life to him.  I pray that you have a peace that washes over you right now, that surpasses all understanding.  We serve a mighty God that is ALWAYS in Control and takes care of his children.  

What Do You MAKE Time For?

Being social beings we need to interact with others in order to thrive and survive.  I remember when I was a child in school and I heard a study that a teacher told me about two babies being involved in an experiment.  One baby was left alone and only fed/changed when needed and the other baby was held and touched and nurtured and that baby was the one that thrived.  God designed us from the very beginning to be social beings.  So with this being said, we are very busy people.  We are very busy with family, friends, work, physical activities, etc.  If we don't learn to be organized and scheduled, then we can miss out on alot of things that are important.  We have 24 hours in one day.  Everyone gets the same amount of time in one day.  Do you notice that some people seem to get more done in their day then others?  This is because they prioritize and make time for things that are important for them.  If you sit down and figure out what is a top priority for you, then you will schedule it "on purpose" to make sure it is done daily.  You can adjust your  morning schedule to make sure you get up early, or adjust your night schedule and stay up late.  This is something we should all do because we can become easily overwhelmed and distracted from day to day.  So the point of this blog is this:  What do you make time for? What is important to you? What do you schedule to do on purpose everyday?  We need money to survive so most of us have to make that a priority so we can have food/shelter/clothes/water/heat etc.  So this would be on the list then.  I know everyone honors their family members, so that is also important to each person.  It is important to have quality family time daily with our loved ones.  Maybe some people don't have family members around them or living today.  Then close friends would be a priority to spend time with daily.  Now my next question is this:  Do you need to write down on your list "Make sure I eat food today?"  No!! This is something that is a natural reaction.  Our stomach let's us know that it is time to eat, or our body will let us know that our energy is down and that it is time to fuel up.  This goes the same with Jesus Christ.  The majority of people today go around on "empty" and don't even know that they are "hungry for God."  They walk around this life looking for things to fill their void, but go from one thing to the next.  God designed us to be in fellowship with him and be intimate with him DAILY.  So when we don't do this, we are not functioning properly the way we need to in order to thrive.  I have heard friends of mine give me countless reasons why they don't go to church.  The excuses I hear are: I'm too busy; I work; I was out late on Saturday;Church is boring; I don't get anything from it; It's my only day off so I want to rest; Not enough time; etc.  If Jesus and Church were important to you, then it would be your top priority and you would make time for it.  If there was an important football team playing or even an important music artist in town, I am sure you would organize your whole schedule just so you could go.  Do you ever see grown men saying "Wow, I am just so busy that I don't have time for football on Sunday?"  No!!!! People MAKE TIME for events, because they get pleasure from them and find them to be a priority.  This principle goes hand in hand with Jesus.  People don't make time for Jesus because he isn't important to them.  They think just because they went to church when they were young, or even go two times a year (Easter/Christmas) then they are covered.  This is a trick the enemy plays on people, and they fall for it every time.  He keeps us busy, and overwhelmed.  This is why it is so important to sit down and ask yourself, what is important to make time for.  If it isn't set from the beginning, then it can be missed.  This life is temporary so this earth will pass away along with all of the people and all of their things.  What do you have waiting for you in eternity?  What are you going to be able to say when you stand before God and his throne?  Were you a true disciple of Jesus Christ? Did you have Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Did you truly love God?  People can say they love God, but their lifestyles will truly show if they love him with all of their mind, soul and heart.  So I encourage you, sit down today and make a list.  Make time for Jesus!! Schedule it daily with him!!! Our creator created us to make time for Jesus!!! Let's begin to thrive as a society!!

This NEEDS to be TOLD......

This blog is going to rub people the wrong way and the majority of people are not going to understand this.  I know I am probably going to get "Hate" mail for this blog, and going to be put on blast, but I can handle it.  I am amazed at our culture and how people react to tragedies.  We have something horrific happen and the first thing people do is start hating people and want people dead.  After the horrific tragedy that happened in Boston has really shook up our entire nation.  The first response is disbelief, sadness, grieving, and then anger sets in.  Who could of done this, we ask?  Why would someone do this?  We want answers, we seek revenge.  The "eye for an eye" mentality sets in.  We all of a sudden want the people who did this horrific crime to PAY for this tragedy.  We want them dead!!!  If they killed people, then they must die as well.  Once these two men were caught I had never read so many things on the news, facebook, twitter, etc of all the hate.  I saw people posting things that were making fun of how the men got caught by the police.  I heard jokes being made, I heard a sigh of relief when the one was killed.  What has our society become?  I saw the  same thing happen with 9-11.  When the planes crashed into our towers in New York City, people in other countries were cheering that they killed people on American Soil.  Then we get angry as Americans and seek to revenge.  The moment we capture Osama Bin Laden, there is people then cheering outside of the White House because we killed a leader of the Taliban.  Do I feel as a nation we need to protect ourselves?  YES!!! Do I feel it needs to be the "eye for an eye mentality?" NO!! Seeing people post things on facebook about how people are stupid at the crimes they commit, and how it is funny when people get caught, or even get killed, leaves my jaw on the floor.  As being a disciple of Christ, it grieves my heart at this world.  This behavior is tolerated and it is the majority.  People view themselves better than others, and feel they have the right to judge others punishments.  People look at criminals who do crimes, and compare themselves to them.  They feel better about themselves, and feel as if they deserve more.  Do you know that in Gods eyes, WE ALL FALL SHORT!!!  Do you know that in Gods eyes, WE ALL SIN!!!  Do you know that in Gods eyes, we ALL DESERVE HELL!!!  I have never killed another human being, but I am in the same lifeboat as if someone who has killed another human being.  For me to speak like I am "better" than someone, is an absolute LIE from the enemy.  On Gods scale, we all deserve hell.  On our absolute BEST days, we come before the Lord as filthy rags.  Being here on this earth we are to extend our hands to one another and offer comfort and love.  We also know that being a true disciple on this earth, that our REAL struggle is in the heavenly realms.  God created every human being in HIS image, and to fulfill HIS purpose.  Do you think God created someone to plan out horrific crimes?  Do you think people just wake up one day and think "hmmm today seems like a great day to do a crime?"  There are principalities behind every one of these acts.  People are weak minded, and there are higher things that happen around us, that get in our minds and encourage behavior like this.  Do you know that God loves EVERYONE!!! He loves the people that even planned the Boston Bombings.  God has a plan for each and every person, and it must grieve him to unbelief because this was never his plan.  We live in a world to where we fuse God out of EVERYTHING, then the moment a tragedy happens, we start quoting scriptures and God.  God has been taken out of schools, people are told to not mention Jesus when they speak.  The moment 9-11 happened, the next day people were on the steps singing Amazing Grace.  Where were they the day before 9-11 happened?  Doesn't everyone understand that there is going to be a day, that only God knows, to where Jesus is coming back, and EVERYONE will acknowledge that he is Christ and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS AND EVERY KNEE WILL BOW!!!  Why do people want to wait until it is too late? There is a day where the ark will be closed to where it will be too late to call upon the name of the Lord.  I have to filter what I read and hear on the news because there is so much hate spoken and ignorance.  I hear people quoting scriptures that clearly don't live a God life behind closed doors.  It is very easy to stand up in front of people and tell people what they want to hear, but when nobody is looking, become a people pleaser.  Does God support abortion?  Does God support Gays?  God loves EVERYONE but he NEVER had abortion or Gays in mind with HIS plan.  Why should a baby have to die?  When is it ok to save a life, and when is it not ok to save a life?  God is clear on marriage from the very beginning, why do people make up their own "gay" bibles now? This is work from the enemy, and everyone is falling into this trap.  People can read this blog and roll their eyes at what I am saying, or even delete me from facebook/google, etc.  The point is I don't need to please everyone!! I live to please MY GOD!!! He is my judge, and I am a disciple of his Son, so I  need to make sure I preach HIS word and spread the truth, which is HIS gospel.  There are people in other countries who are persecuted daily for Gods Word, but here people can't even wake up and go to church on Sundays.  This blog needed to be written.  People need to hear the truth!!!  

Ephesians 4:26-32

This scripture has truly opened my eyes.  This is a scripture that each person should examine and read.  I am going to go line by line in this scripture.
  When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day.  Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.  Those who are stealing must stop stealing and start working.  They should earn an honest living for themselves.  Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.  When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need-words that will help others become stronger.  Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.  And do not make the Holy Spirit sad.  The spirit is Gods proof that you belong to him.  God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the final day comes.  Do not be bitter or angry or mad.  Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others.  Never do anything evil.  Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
   Anger is a human emotion, God knows we are going to get angry.  Anger is not a sin, it is an emotion.  It becomes a sin when you take it to that level.  We have a choice in our anger to either talk it out with God and let him know we are upset, or get enraged with others and start speaking harsh words or even getting physical.  I love how God says to not let the sun go down on your anger.  So many people go days, being angry with someone and they get so stressed out because of the anxiety and strife.  God knows that anger is the doorway to the devil.  When anger starts, we need to capture it from the beginning, and give it right to God and stay Godly.  The devil is desperate, he will use whatever and whoever he can to defeat you.  God also addresses people to make an honest living and not steal.  There are so many people in our world today that abuse our system and choose to lie and cheat their way to get benefits, money, etc.  There is an honest way to make a living, and when you do that you will be blessed and then you can bless the poor.  God makes a point to mention how powerful our tongue is.  We just spew horrible things from our mouth to others, and we have this mindset where we think it is "just words."  Did you know that people take their own life, over "words?"  Words are powerful, words speak life and death over a person or a situation.  We need to encourage one another today in our society.  So many people are in competition with one another and jealous of everyone.  We should be uplifting and praying for every brother and sister.  If you say you are a Christian, then act like it.  We should be setting the bar for how to act.  The problem is that others see "Christians" acting the same way as themselves, so they feel they are doing ok.  Do you know that you have the Holy Spirit in you? Do you know how sacred that is?  That is precious, that is something that not everyone has.  We have all of the fruits of the spirit in us (love, joy, peace,
forbearance,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness, and self control) so whenever we do the opposite of these things, then we are grieving the holy spirit.  When I hear the word "grieve" I think of sobbing to the point where you can't breathe, or being in so much pain that you physically can't get up.  We do this on a daily basis to the Holy Spirit.  Do not be angry, bitter or mad.  God is the final judge.  Each person will have to stand before the great judge and answer to him for their actions.  Why do we feel like judges?  Why do we feel we know each persons punishment? When we think like this, we put ourselves before God, and that is idolatry.  We are basically saying that we can give a better punishment than God can.  The biggest lesson we all need to learn is forgiveness.  Unforgiveness will put a leash around your neck and hold you down and hold you back.  To forgive someone, is actually doing ourselves a favor.  The enemy tries to raise the pride level in unforgiveness, because he wants you to stay stuck in that bondage.  Pride is the sin that got the devil kicked out of heaven, so this is a sin that is his favorite.  Anytime you act prideful or see someone with pride, then you know the enemy is working strong in them and using them.  Instead of pointing it out, or saying something harsh, pray for them.  Pray Pray Pray!!!!!!  This is where the real battle is.  So many people in our world ignore what goes on in the heavenly realms, and they are focused in this life, which is only temporary.  There will be a day when every one's eyes will be opened, and they will see the truth.  As being Christians it is our job to show with our actions that we follow Christ, and that way we lead by example.  There are many that come to church on Sundays and feel that coming on Sundays is enough to get them through the week.  The truth is when people leave church, they go right back into their sinful mindset and lifestyle and then come back in a week and repeat the process.  We should go to church to be with other members in the body of Christ, and be built up with the Word and then that week we should have our actions show it to others!!  Now wasn't this scripture powerful? Share this scripture with friends, family, and co-workers.  Everyone should read this scripture and really strive to live this way.  

Do you know someone who is struggling with the effects of life?

This is something that could be for someone you know, or even possibly yourself.  This life has it's struggles, pain, and trials.  I have spoken to people who have told me that they take a look at this life, and that is the reason why they do not believe in God.  They say if God is so good, then why does all the bad happen?  This message is for people who don't believe in God, or Jesus.  Science can only go so far.  Everybody has their theories on things and equations, and big bang theory's, etc.  I can see people backing their stuff up, and showing how they got their facts, etc.  I am not ruling out science.  I am not saying science isn't right.  What I am saying is...... that there is God who created ALL of this, and it is WAY ABOVE any science ever calculated.  I have read the Bible from front to back, in the middle of reading it again, doing bible studies weekly, nightly, and teaching a class to others and I can tell you what I have learned.  The reason we live in THIS horrific world today is because of three letters.....SIN!!!  It is explained in Genesis in the first three chapters.  God created us to be in fellowship with him one on one.  Here us humans had to find another way to do it, and that is called "Pride" and we told God, we didn't want it his way, we wanted it OUR way!! So as we know EVERYTHING has it's consequences.  We want to do it our way and be separated from our Creator, then we reap what we sow.  This is opposite of what God had for us, so we get these consequences.  We now have violence in the world, sickness, death, trials, hurt, shame, rape, abortion, etc.  The list can go on and on.  Satan is the Prince today in this world, and he makes sure we remember it, because all of the violence today is started from him.  He is the father of lies, and deceit.  He will deceive us, and make things look good, when in fact they are false.  He will tell us there are one hundred ways to get to Heaven, he will tell us there is no God, he will tell us to live everyday like it is our last, and to live it up.  He will tell us that nobody loves us, or cares about us.  He will present HIS options before us making us choose one or the other.  He loves to trap us and entangle us in his web of lies.  Does this sound like a fun abundant life to you?  I have one name that can turn ALL of this around.  JESUS!!!!  Jesus conquered ALL of this, when he walked on this earth, and became human.  He came down so we could know him, and he could relate with us.  He came down to sacrifice himself for OUR punishment and OUR sin.  He did EVERYTHING for us, all we have to do is accept him as Lord.  We live in this society today that is so people pleasing.  Everyone wants to agree and make everyone happy.  Everyone wants to say "Gay marriage is great, because people love people and it shouldn't matter the sex, etc"  This is putting views BEFORE Gods view.  God is the creator, not us.  If God has a standard set, then nobody's is above his.  God set his standard for us in the beginning of the Bible.  Satan likes to twist things and confuse people, to make us question Gods word.  God loves people, God loves EVERYONE.  But God HATES sin!!!  When our time is done here on earth, we will stand before God on Judgement day and have to answer to EVERYTHING we have done in our lifetime.  He will be able to see right through us, we will be transparent.  Did you love others?  Did you share Gods Word? Were you a true disciple of Christ?  Did you bear fruit? These are questions we are going to have to answer for.  This is a reality check right now, if you don't have Jesus in your life, there is one way to live and one way to die.  If you don't have Jesus in your life, you will live a life in Sin and when your time is up, you will be separated from him in eternity and be condemned to hell.  This is the time!!!! We are not promised another day!!! Today is the day to make Christ your Lord and Savior.  Do NOT let this moment pass you by!!! Without Christ in your life, you lose EVERYTHING, With Christ in your life you lose NOTHING.  Get alone with God right now and give your life to the Lord.  Make him Lord and Savior of your life!!

Learned A Biblical Perspective at Disney World.....

I know you are probably looking at this title and thinking this might sound crazy, but please stay with me and I will share what I am talking about.  We recently took our little 2 year old to Disney World and had the most wonderful day.  We did things that were catered to him, and made sure he was having the best time.  We loved seeing him view Disney World through his eyes.  We were smiling ear to ear the entire time! Well towards the end we wanted to make sure that he got the chance to see Mickey Mouse in person because Mickey is his favorite.  So we went, and of course the line was about 10 minutes long, so that was tough for him.  Trying to tell a 2 year old to wait, and hold on when he can see Mickey Mouse 5 feet away was very hard to do.  Well eventually it was his turn and he was able to meet Mickey face to face!!! This is a HUGE moment :)  I want to explain this part VERY slow, because this is the reason for this post.  He saw Mickey and knew that Mickey was looking right at him.  Mickey then got down on one knee and opened up his arms.  Gabe forgot all about the tantrum he just threw earlier while waiting, and literally ran full speed to Mickey.  Gabe could NOT take his eyes off of Mickey.  His jaw was open the whole time, and he kept smiling.  He was giving Mickey high five's, lot's of hugs, and even let Mickey play with his car.  I was on the side watching all of this happen, and was speechless because I have never seen Gabe act like this, in this way.  He was speechless, and just wide eyed, and mouth left open.  Of course we got lot's of pictures and as we were about to leave, I pick up Gabe and was carrying him and looking at him, and I see his eyes get big again, and mouth open again.  I turn around and Mickey was behind me, and he was waving bye to Gabriel, and you could tell that Gabriel could not believe that Mickey knew who he was and was waving goodbye just to him.  Ok so let me get to the point.......
  My son just demonstrated a biblical principle here, and I had to write about it.  Gabe loves Mickey Mouse, he gets excited every time he sees him on T.V, he loves the clothes, songs, toys, etc.  Here he got to see him in person, and Mickey made him see how special Gabe was, and made time for him.  It was Mickey and Gabe in that room and nobody else, when they were together.  It is the same with Jesus.  Jesus is our everything.  We get excited when we hear his name, we love everything he represents, we are waiting for his return and cannot wait to see his face.  When we do see Jesus, we will be eyes wide opened and jaws hanging open.  We would be in awe, because we cannot believe that Jesus wants to make time for us.  Imagine, you are walking around a corner and see Jesus just standing there, and all of a sudden he looks at you, and drops to his knees and opens up his arms to you.  How fast would you run? Could you take your eyes off of him?  You would enjoy EVERY minute spent with him, and just want to take it all in.  Anything you were struggling with before, would be forgotten.  This is real life.  This is the real relationship you can have with Jesus.  You can run into his arms and crawl up into his lap and just be a kid.  I am probably the only person that can go to Disney World and see an actual biblical perspective while in the park, but maybe the Holy Spirit made me see it that way, so It would click with one person who would come to know the Lord.  If you don't have that type of relationship with Jesus, then you are missing out.  You are missing out on what he died for you to have.  So the way Gabe acted really showed me how eager we should be to spend time with Jesus, and how we would act when we see Jesus.  It was so beautiful to see in person!!

I am in AWE......(read about these two amazing women and what they went through)

I am in total and utter amazement on seeing the things that people go through.  Just when you think you have a "real trial" you see someone else going through something that puts things into perspective.  Everyone has their trials and tribulations but it seems like you always meet someone that is going through an unbearable trial. Recently I've the opportunity to meet some STRONG women who have left me in total and utter amazement with my jaw hanging open. These women are the definition of STRONG. I looked up the definition of "Strong" and it read:  Strong- Having Great Resources, Well Established (Firm). Seeing what people go through and hearing their stories make you see the true definition of "Strong" come to life.  I like how it said "having great resources."  What this says to me is that God is their GREAT RESOURCE!! God will establish them in their trial and keep them firm and strong. Let's see what Our Great Source has to say; I have said these things to you,  that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6. Count all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. James 1:2-4. God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in things at all times,  you may abound  in every good work  2 Corinthians 9:8.

To maintain Supernatural strength when faced with a life/death trial is to endured through the Grace of God.  He gives us the grace we need for that trial and the mercy we need. Without God we would crumble.  Without God we couldn't breathe. Without God we wouldn't want to get out of bed each morning.  Sometimes we as people, can barely put one foot in front of the other because we are so overwhelmed with grief. We don't understand why such horrific things happen to us, but then we are reminded of SIN. We are reminded that we were born into a sinful nature and have a sinful nature. This sinful world is not what God had in mind for us. So unfortunately we are going to face many trials and even death because of sin, but God!!! But God will give us the grace to go through the trials of life. God gave us HIS ONLY SON. Jesus did not deserve to die for us, but he did it willingly. It must of grieved God to know what his precious son was going to endure.

We get a clear picture of what Jesus went through in the Garden of Gethsemane. We know that he was so anxious and scared to death. I couldn't imagine how God must of felt watching his son from above be in so much pain, and have done nothing to deserve it. God knows the ultimate definition of grief, so when we are going through our trials, we can remember that God also can relate with what it is like to have grief and sorrow.
 
Two women in particular come to mind that are behind the reason for this post.  These two women have two different testimonies but the same God!!

 I recently met Kirsten who has the most beautiful baby boy named Bryce. I was able to see pictures of this precious beautiful baby boy that the Lord Almighty Blessed them with. You can see the love this family had over baby Bryce. One day their lives would be changed forever. This came as a surprise to them, but not to God.  God knew about his day before the foundation of the World. Their baby was 21 weeks old (4 months old) In 6 days Bryce would of been 5 months old. Bryce was at the babysitters house napping and passed away from SIDS. I cannot imagine the day Kirsten and her husband got this news. I cannot imagine the phone call they received from the Nanny. I cannot imagine how the Nanny must of felt. This event changed their lives and their family's life FOREVER!! I spoke with Kirsten and she made it clear that they are still close with the Nanny, and have no blame towards her. This was powerful to hear, because today's society is always looking for someone to blame. This just shows an even more powerful example of how godly this family is. If this family did not know about Christ Jesus, then I don't know how they would get through this. There would be no hope! There would be nothing! In Christ Jesus they know that Bryce fulfilled his divine purpose from God. They know that Bryce is in the lap of Jesus playing and getting kisses from Our Savior. They know that when they go to Heaven, that Baby Bryce will be running leaps and bounds to get to them. They know that they will get to hold their baby again. In Christ Jesus, we can find peace when we don't understand the "Whys?"  It is not to say that this family doesn't still struggle today, but since they have Jesus in their life, then they will have his grace and mercy to get through this and have complete healing. This picture shared by Kirsten literally left me grasping for air to breathe. I asked her if I could share it, and she is letting me share this in my blog.

I recently met another mother, named Jen. Now with Jen I had always seen her at church in the nursery because we have children that are around the same age. But to be honest, we never stopped and talked to each other. We would just smile and nod politely. It was a God Divine appointment the way we met and how we hit it off. We actually both got pregnant around the same time with baby number 2. We were a few months apart with our pregnancy, but it was exciting. She was actually pregnant with her second boy and the name they chose for their second child was Brice. They had a rough start with the pregnancy, but everything progressed and she was into her third trimester. It was time to deliver and in the middle of labor they couldn't find Baby Brice's heartbeat. They were unable to get him out in time, and he was Stillborn. This little boy had the cutest round face and was a chunky little boy :)  Here this family was excited to meet this new little person, and now are still waiting to meet Baby Brice. Just like Kirsten and her family have Jesus in order to get through this, so does Jen and her family. In our human strength there is no way we can grasp how something like this can happen. The "what ifs" come into play all of the scenarios are played out on how things could of been different. But once again, God knew about this day before the foundation of the World.  Baby Brice had a divine purpose and will, and he fulfilled it. Jen and her family's lives are now changed forever, and will never be the same again. What does this cause them to do now?  It makes Jen cling to the old rugged cross just as Jesus did. This family needs peace, and needs Gods presence, so they get it by continuing to seek and believe in him. They know that in Jesus there is true healing, and they will not stop until they get it.  I asked Jen if I could put a picture of her Brice, and she is letting me post it in this blog.

If you are like me right now, then you are probably crying after reading the testimonies of these two amazing

godly women. These are two real life situations that these women now face daily. They have to live in the process of healing through Jesus Christ. The only way to heal from overwhelming grief and sorrow has to be straight from Our Great Source, Jesus! There is no way we can get through this life without him. We need him in our EVERYDAY!!  Take a look around, there are women and men all over that have God's Almighty Strength. These women now have the opportunity to bring Glory to God's Kingdom. Other women will see these two mighty women of God and ask how did they get through this. The answer these women will give will be; Jesus!! The enemy wants people to breakdown and never build back up again. He wants to discourage us and give us the feeling of hopelessness . The enemy does not want God to be given glory in this. These women will have the opportunity to share their testimonies and give glory to Jesus Christ!! I encourage you today, if you don't have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then today can be the day! You can face any trial or tribulation, and have the supernatural strength to endure it. Each day is a struggle but God gives us enough grace and mercy day to day. Now don't these two women just leave you in awe with their strength and faith? 

I truly would like to thank from the bottom of my heart both Kirsten and Jen for not only sharing their story with me but also for allowing me to write about it and share it with the world. God Bless these two mighty women of God and those who share the same story.

Am I in your face too much??

I wanted to write this because I honestly feel at times I can be in peoples faces too much.  My personality is very outgoing, positive and happy.  I get very excited about things, and one of those "things" is Jesus.  I know what Jesus did for my life and in my past and that is why I am so excited.  I don't need to explain it to people, because it only matters to me.  On Facebook I started doing daily posts with updates, blogs, etc.  I can tell at times people get annoyed with my posts or even pretend that they don't see them.  At first this really bothered me because I took it personal and thought I needed to change my personality.  But I realized after time, that God made me who I am  with my outgoing personality and my talents.  If I want to preach about God 3 times a day, then so be it.  If I bother people, then they can delete me or not look.  My husband and I started a page on facebook called "Young Couples/Singles" this goes with our ministry that we do on Sundays.  We wanted it to be globally, so others could attend our class and know the material we cover.  We want to preach the Gospel to people our age and get the word out.  We have a contest that we just started a couple of days ago.  I have friends that have seen the contest, but for some reason choose to not participate.  It is like people see it, then just ignore it.  It makes me laugh because I see people putting posts of complete strangers with lottery tickets hoping to get thrown a crumb, but when we post a contest to spread the word to God, and to also win an amazing prize, people look the other way.  God sees our heart and knows our goal is to get people for his kingdom and we will do it many different ways to get peoples attention, if that means doing a contest that nobody wants to participate in, then so be it.  We can become people pleasers if we are not careful and I refuse to be a people pleaser.  If I come off silly, and people laugh, I am ok with that.  I have a God that accepts 100% of me, I  have a husband that is godly and adores me, I have two children who shower me with kisses daily.  I have everything I need.  So this blog is to let you know, go out be bold and who cares if people don't respond, ignore you, or pretend they don't see you.  Be Bold for Christ.

CONTEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hey Everyone!! We are having a contest! The contest will run until April 30, and a winner will be drawn May 1 !! We have an amazing prize pack to giveaway, to one lucky winner.  See the rules below:

All you need is a Facebook account, and fulfill the list of the rules, and you will be eligible!!!

Rules:
1) You have to "Like" our page "Young Couples/Singles" (the link to our page is on blogger menu, on right side)
2) You have to "share" our page/link in your status
3) Then when you have done that, all you have to do is leave a comment on our page "Young Couples/Singles" saying "Done!"

*** It is that easy!!! ** We will have a video announcement of the winner on May 1.  Good Luck!!

How To STAY In A Godly Mindset......

This is something we should strive to achieve daily.  This should be our goal: morning, noon and night.  Since Satan is the King of this world, then we already know that we are going to expect MANY trials and struggles.  We shouldn't be surprised when things happen to us on a daily/weekly basis.  We are IN this world, not OF this world.  Our home is not here, so it only makes sense that we are going to be foreign aliens here.  So now we get into the topic: How Do We Stay In A Godly Mindset?  We need to have a washing of Gods Word daily.  We need to renew our minds daily.  In doing this, then the truth is shown to us, and have the instructions we need throughout each day.  Find favorite scriptures that speak to you, and mean something to you.  Get these scriptures memorized, or even written on index cards.  For every negative thought, action, etc counteract it with 2 positive things (2 scriptures)  We need to work on getting EVERY thought in the obedience of Christ Jesus.  Since these mental attacks aren't a physical thing we can see, they are harder to notice.  We need to train ourselves when we can see these attacks coming.  When someone says a harsh word to you, or makes a comment about your image, that is when you look at yourself and remind yourself who you are IN CHRIST.  ALL THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY AND YOU ARE BRAND NEW!!!  People hear this over and over, and just nod it off, they don't believe it and take it for what it is.  We can choose to receive things or not too.  When someone says something bad over you, you can choose to not receive it.  When someone does something bad to you, you can stay godly by doing something nice back to them.  They won't understand it, they might not even notice it but God sees EVERYTHING.  We need to know that we are held accountable by God, and not others.  So we answer to him not others.  Once we understand this, we go by his standards.  He says to forgive, then we do it.  There aren't "terms" with people on when they Deserve our forgiveness.  As you can see from all of this, it is alot to take in.  We can't do it on our own, we need Gods help.  We need Gods Word.  Start off doing this by getting scriptures that speak to you, and go from there.  Apply the scriptures in times of trials and negativity.  

The THREE F's........

My father always told me when I was growing up that the three most important elements in life are: Mental, Physical and Spiritual.  I decided to come up with my own saying for those three elements.  I am going to go into great detail into explaining my three F's. 


The First "F" is Faith.................. Now Faith is something that is learned in a long process.  You have to first give your life to the Lord and have him as Lord and Savior, then the process begins.  You will begin your walk with the Lord, and learn how to fall in love with Jesus.  You will go through many trials and tribulations but you will be able to endure them, because Jesus will NEVER leave you or forsake you.  You have this faith that is unshakable to where nothing can phase you.  You can strengthen your faith through the Word of God, attending Church to have fellowship with other members in the body of Christ, and to surround yourself with godly people.  This once again is a process, and we will never have this perfected until we are no longer here on earth.  This is the MOST IMPORTANT "F" out of all of them.  If you do not have this "F" then the other two don't matter.  So make this one a priority, and get a strong unshakable faith.

The Second "F" is Firm.................. Now the definition of "firm" is inflexible.  I chose Firm because our minds (mental) need to 
be right.  We need to be positive, and we need to educate ourselves.  Our society today has a way of "dumming" people down with the trash television shows on T.V, and the youth today think it is "cute" and "funny" to not be educated.  We need to have a firm mindset to where it is inflexible.  Now when you apply the first "F" then you will have the word of God in your heart, and mind to where when things happen, your mind will stay firm and set to where it is inflexible and you will NOT compromise.  You will not settle for less than Gods Best.  When negative thoughts come into our minds, we will be smart enough to know where they come from because we will have educated ourselves on who is the master behind those thoughts (Satan).  Once our faith is set, and our mind is set firm, then nobody can shake us.  Not even our thoughts can shake us.  Mental is one of the hardest of the three because we don't see these attacks coming.  One moment we are good, and the next minute this horrible thought enters our mind and then we have the choice to either: 1) accept it and buy into it or 2) rebuke it, and recite our faith and choose to be positive because we know we serve a greater God that HAS overcome.

The Third "F" is Fitness..................Now I didn't want to be one of those people who writes about something they have NO clue about, so I am going to put in some pictures and information to back it up.  I have played tennis since I was 5 years old.  In grade school I played all the sports I could: Volleyball, Basketball, Softball,  and Cheer leading.  When I got to high school I chose to stick to Tennis because that is my passion.  I was blessed to receive two 

tennis scholarships to two different schools for Colleges.

   

 In the second scholarship I was blessed to become a National Champion (2008).  We had an amazing team, and we worked hard on and off the court, and it payed off.  Now I was used to practicing 7 days a week, we only had off Sundays.  We played twice a day (morning, evening)  I know lot's of different workout variations, nutrition, stretches etc.  We had the best of the best coaches brought in to educate us and train us.  Well let's fast forward.... married and two kids later I have other priorities now to where the kids come first.  I am only 10lbs heavier than when I was before but my tone has been lost since I haven't kept up with the fitness.  Well just recently I got real with myself and had a "reality check."  I know what I like and what I don't like.  I am 5"2 so running has never been a strength for me, I have tried the video workouts, etc.  I finally found what works for me.  I am now taking care of my Fitness by doing "Speed Rope."  I have always been good at jumping rope because of Tennis, but now I am able to fully focus on this.  I highly recommend this to everyone, because to buy a jump rope is cheap, you can bring it with you anywhere, and when you do if for just 10 minutes at a moderate pace is the equivalent to running one mile in 12 minutes, cycling 2 miles in six minutes, swimming a quarter mile in 12 minutes, two sets of tennis or playing an 18-hole golf course.  So as you can see, it is very effective.  The more you do it, the better you get.  So the last "F" is very important to keep up with.  You can look around and see that the majority of our society is overweight and out of shape. This isn't because people choose this lifestyle, it is because they are busy and lack motivation of how to get back to being active.  Start doing walks every night with your family, do SOMETHING.  Once again God did not die to give us an ordinary life, do you think he wants us to have bodies that are out of shape? No, he wants us to be healthy with our faith, mind and body. So spend some time and get a plan started on how you can get the Three F's, into your everyday routine.  Just start SOMEWHERE!! I hope everyone got motivation from this message and that today is a brand new day!!

The Bible, Episode 5

This is the final episode of "The Bible" on the History Channel.  I have been writing reviews for this series, and this is my final review on the last episode.  In this episode Peter denies Jesus and Judas hangs himself; the crowd shouts for Jesus's death; Jesus is crucified, then Mary Magdalene goes to his tomb, and finds out he is no longer there; Paul has a vision and experiences a miraculous change of faith on his way to Damascus; John receives a revelation that Jesus is coming back, and we need to keep the faith and we will be rewarded.  If you missed this episode and want to see future airings, they are listed below.  April 1- 12:01-2:01am, April 3-9:00-11:00pm, April 4-1:01-3:01am.  This episode was one of the most intense of the series because it showed Jesus being crucified.  It shows what Jesus did for us, and how much he truly loves us.  My husband was angry the whole time during this viewing because it was hard for him to watch the priests  be so prideful and jealous that the spotlight was not on them.  Satan uses pride and jealousy with the High Priests to where they will lie and cheat and do anything else to get Jesus dead. There were 2 things that absolutely amazed me in this episode.  The first was when Jesus was on the cross being mocked and Jesus said " Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  I have heard this before and read this in scripture, but tonight I saw this on a deeper level.  I feel the Holy Spirit revealed something to me when I heard this and I really took alot from it.  After seeing this part, I told my husband that in our home we need to start saying this to where it becomes a habit for us, and then it will be passed down to our kids.  We need to start saying this whenever someone does something mean or hurtful to us.  (In traffic, at work, in a store, at church, etc)  I really felt the Holy Spirit move in my heart in this, and I want our children to learn it from us, and that way they will say it.  I know children face many struggles today in school and in life, and I want the FULL ARMOR OF GOD on our children.  The second thing that amazed me, was when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they all started speaking in tongues.  This part gave me goosebumps, and was so cool how they had translation in this scene.  I know people that believe speaking in tongues is dead, and is in an "old testament things" but I can confess that it is NOT DEAD.  I myself, speak in tongues and it is alive and well.  To have that prayer language directly between you and your heavenly father, is so sacred.  The coolest part is that the devil does not know what you are saying when you pray in tongues.  So I encourage you, if you do not have your prayer voice, get it.  If you do not know much about this, feel free to email me, and I will give you some information on how you can get your prayer voice.  My email is:  zlkaty@aol.com  
   This episode did a good job of showing the type of person that Paul was before he met Christ.  It is a good example of how "we are" before we came to Christ.  My husbands most favorite part was when you could see Jesus's hands with the nail scar in them.  It was so moving to see him alive and walking around with  his pierced hands and feet.  Our Savior is mighty and Powerful and is LOVE.  I highly enjoyed this series, and now it is available for purchase.  You can now have this amazing DVD series in your home.  They have it online and at your local Christian Store.