A place where my thoughts, words and feelings converge…
Category: Portraits of Life – Seeing God in All
I have discovered a new and exciting hobby of taking photos and sharing God’s Words as they inspire me to be in complete “AWE” of how great our God is! I hope you enjoy the photos.
The Photo-a-Day Challenge word for today is: Alive
This video was taken is Wisconsin and it was a very happy day! Very ALIVE!
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
“For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: ALIVE
• having life
• not dead or inanimate
• knowing or realizing the existence of something
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”
Rev. Sam tells a story in the Lenten pamphlet on page 30 about someone that keeps retelling the same stories. At some point in our lives I’m sure each of us has encountered such a person. We may even recognize that person when we look in a mirror. Rev. Sam shared a quote from a spiritual leader of hers, “You’ll move on when you’re tired of talking about it.” That was in response to Rev. Sam retelling her story of a bad breakup. Having a trusted friend, who will listen to our stories is a gift. Listening is their gift from God, and they are a gift to us from God. When we speak of our stories, retelling them over and over can be very therapeutic in that their power over us is diminished as we bring it out into the light. Grieving a loss, whether it is a breakup or a death, sharing it aloud can help sooth the broken hearted. God, wants to listen to our stories, He will heal our brokenness.
As I read the devotional for today, it made me think of a dear friend in my life that has listened to many of my stories and not once stopped me from retelling or to stop repeating myself. She has never offered her own opinions without first being ask to do so and is the most humble individual I have ever met. She is my friend, teacher and spiritual leader. I am thankful for God’s timing of her friendship and God’s abundant blessings.
How magnificent that we serve a God that will bend down to listen to us, who hears our voice and our stories.
“We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn,’ and I accept it. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”
Practice:
What story are you retelling? Voice it to God. If you are ready to RELEASE, ask God for help to let it go.
“Today was a Difficult Day,” said Pooh.
There was a pause.
“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Piglet.
“No,” said Pooh after a bit. “No, I don’t think I do.”
“That’s okay,” said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.
“What are you doing?” asked Pooh.
“Nothing, really,” said Piglet. “Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don’t feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.
“But goodness,” continued Piglet, “Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you’ve got someone there for you. And I’ll always be here for you, Pooh.”
And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs…he thought that his best friend had never been more right.” A.A. Milne
Sending thoughts to those having a Difficult Day today and hope you have your own Piglet to sit beside you 🧡
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
• to travel to and stay in a place for a period of time
• to be habitually in a certain state or condition
Mark 16:15
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”
Go, most generally means action. As defined above it can mean both to travel to and stay in a place for a period of time. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 16:15, “GO” and proclaim the good news!”
During these difficult times of COVID-18 when we are social distancing one another and abiding to the “stay at home” directives it is nearly impossible to travel to places to share the good news. Social distancing DOES NOT keep us from sharing the good news through the many different mediums of technology. To list a few: FB, Twitter, Instagram, email, zoom, Skype, phone calls, and text messages…It is as important as ever right now to let others know about salvation through Jesus Christ and to let people know that are loved and that they were created with a purpose and plan. Be patience, be kind, be grateful, pray for one another, seek ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting world. Even in our darkest moment we can still be thankful, God loves you and He loves me, too! My prayer is that we can see the good in each other! ~Peace to you 🙏🏻
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
~Selah~
Have you ever held onto something so tightly that your hands hurt? I remember playing tug-a-war as a kid, the rope we used would hurt our hands and fingers from clutching so tightly. What about things we keep pinned up inside ourselves, like guilt over something we just can’t let go or let out? Promises made to keep secrets? Sometimes we even convince ourselves that if anyone ever heard these secrets our lives would be ruined. There is one who knows everything about us and loves us just the same, He is God! We certainly do try to keep things from God, but to what end? We cause undo stress and guilt that are so unnecessary. God wants us to confess and be redeemed. I convinced myself that I had to live with guilt and that I could not trust anyone with my secrets, wow, I was so completely wrong. God did not want me to continue punishing myself and take responsibility for things that were not my fault. It took several years to recognize that I did not need to hide, especially from God. The easiest part was to tell a trusted and reliable person. The hard part was carrying all that extra baggage around for way too long. The hard part was keeping my fist clinched and my mind closed. The sweetest release was to let it out. Once I set it free, it no longer had a hold on me. My hands were open and so were my thoughts. Life is short, do not let guilt and a clinched fist keep you from living a life of repentance and forgiveness. You are loved! You matter! You make the world a better place. God Bless You ❣️🙏🏻
Practice:
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
Dear friend, my prayer for the world today is twofold, first and foremost for the gospel of Jesus to be shared around the world and secondly, I ask for an awaken of all people to unite and conquer COVID-19. We all have a responsibility and can do our part in minimizing its effects around the globe. Most importantly wash your hands often, do not touch your face, cover your coughs and sneezes, avoid physical contact and practice social distancing. No hugging, no handshaking. I will be the first to say this is difficult! I need physical contact with others; I’m a hugger, I like to shake hands and pat people of the shoulder but in order to conquer and extinguish this disease we all must do our part.
Dictionary: Awaken
• rousing
• quickening
• coming into awareness of something
• a renewal of interest in religion
• a realization
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
The words we use matter. When we release words without thought, we are often quick to say things we didn’t intend on saying. “Listen more, speak less” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot of people use. Speaking from profound experience, it is always better to think about your words before speaking them into action. I have spoken words that were uninformed, making myself feel and look foolish. A lesson I’m continually working on. I have to remind myself of that foolish feeling every time I start to critique someone else’s misspoken words. God has extend grace to each of us, we should be practicing that grace with one another. None of us are perfect and I know I make mistakes everyday. I’m thankful for my friends, family and colleagues that extend grace to me. Let us release our grace freely to all we meet.
Friends, thank you for spending time with me and I pray we all share more love, more compassion and more grace to one another.
Practice:
1. How do you contradict yourself?
2. Ask God to help you confess and release these contradictions.
3. Offer yourself and those around you grace.
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
Beauty is found in the eye of the beholder. Story below.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: GLORY
• something that secures praise or renown
• great beauty and splendor
• the splendor and beatific happiness of heaven
• to rejoice proudly
One of the first things that comes to mind when I hear or think of the word “GLORY” is God! As a born again Christian, I say this, “All Praise and GLORY to God the Father for all He has done or ever will do.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
So, here’s the back story of the photos. The image is not really an Angel, it was some lint from my dryer vent that attached itself to my wire shelf. When I first saw it, I immediately saw an Angel and then I thought of my mom. I thought of mom for two reasons; the first was that this is a sign from God, telling me that I’m ok and she’s ok too. It was as if God was saying, “she’s in Heaven with me!” I took the photo on 08/05/2016 and my mom had passed away on 06/22/2012. The second reason is my mom taught me from a very young age that keeping your home clean and neat was important, this lint would not have passed her test! In that brief moment in time I experienced so many emotions, but mostly I’m thankful for the reminder that God’s in control and deserves all GLORY!
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
*Photo taken by me at Butler University-Clowes Hall
Ephesians 5:8-11
“For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
RELEASE: Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• to set free from restraint, confinement, or servitude
• to relieve from something that confines, burdens, or oppresses
• relief or deliverance from sorrow, suffering, or trouble
Rev. Sam writes on page 27, “Our lives are a delicate balance of darkness and light.” She had references how this process is very much like developing photos via a dark room. Old school film developing.
My own personal experiences of light and darkness have evolved as I have grown and accepted certain truths.
• Light chases darkness away
• Darkness and fear are not the same thing.
When I was a very young child, I experienced fear and darkness together in a single moment that haunted me into adulthood. I allowed that one incident to permanently join fear and darkness together. That singularity of mind caused me a lot of grief through the years. It wasn’t until I was forced to face this obstacle straight-on that I discovered it wasn’t the darkness I feared but the lack of light. That was the simple truth, the light was missing. This is equally applicable in my Christian life; when I begin to feel scared, fearful and afraid I take a look at what I’m doing and what I’m not doing. The questions are: am I reading my Bible; am I getting enough rest; am I eating healthy; am I getting exercise; am I getting outside and soaking up some sunlight.
Best advice:
Spend time in the Sun!
Spend time with the Son!
Practice:
1. Where is the darkness in your life?
2. How has this darkness shaped you?
• Now find a way into the light.
• Sit in the sun or light a candle.
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed below.
This photo was taken at Walt Disney World in Florida in September 2019. It brings back wonderful memories of a vacation I shared with three coworkers. It is such a blessing to be able to look at photos or even recall from memory the fun we shared. With the current situation going on in the world and lots of things on lockdown or closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m thankful to have these things to celebrate.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” ~Psalm 118:24
ειρήνη – “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
Beverley has been serving the Lord since she was a child. At an early age, she recognized that God had a special plan for her life, but it was not until in her adulthood that she surrendered her total life to God and accepted the mandate that God placed on her life. The Lord called her into His Kingdom to be an encourager, intercessor, teacher, scribe, priest, and to proclaim the Word of God. Since then, Beverly has established a blog to teach us to become the oil and wine. The oil and wine are purified and mature products, which is the advanced level that the Lord expected of us. In 2017, Beverley published her first book, Harm Not The Oil And Wine. In it, she described her trials and how God helped her to overcome them, and to live more victoriously. The book also exposed the enemy of our souls with detailed information about his past defeats and future extinction. Wright spents most of her time studying the Bible to know the truth of God’s Word. She believes that only God’s truth can expose the deception of the enemy, and uproot and tear down spiritual strongholds. You can learn more about Beverley’s life and testimony on her website becomingtheoilandwine.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Google+ under the name of her blog, and on Twitter as @Theoilandwine.View all posts by Beverley
The Sunshine Blogger Award Rules
Beverley’s Questions To Me:
Do you consider yourself a people person?
What is the best thing that you like about yourself?
How do you spend your free time?
Have you read through the Bible and can you memorize scripture verses?
What is your opinion about the coronavirus pandemic?
My Answers to Beverley’s Questions:
Yes, I enjoy my quiet time alone but I need people. Socially engaging with my family and friends helps me emotionally and spiritually.
I like my eagerness to learn..
I love taking pictures of nature, I like to read, I like to write, I love eating out in restaurants, driving my car in remote places seeing the beauty of God’s creation.
I have not read the Bible cover to cover in chronological order. I have read portions of each book of the Bible but not in it’s entirety. I would like to accomplish this in the future. I memorized many verses as a kid in Sunday School and while attending a Christian High School as well as a Christian College/University. Many are still easy to recall.
COVID-19 has disrupted the entire globe and affected so many people. I am cautious in stating a personal opinion because I do not want to sway anyone in any one direction. I will say that we have a real opportunity to renew/refresh ourselves and how we treat others through this pandemic. People matter and Words matter! We should see this as a way to unite as humans, no one is exempt from this disease, no one person is more important than another. We are all God’s children and we should starting treating one another as siblings and not enemies.
Thank you Beverley for this nomination and award, I am honored for the recognition. I am so thankful for my dear friend, JJ who encouraged me and prayed for me as I began this new journey. I am continually astonished at the individuals around the world reading my blog, living in places that I can only wish to visiting some day. This is the work of God, I am blessed to be a messenger and vessel to share the love and promises of God to the world.
DISCOVER 
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