tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62884697171859739242024-03-12T19:52:10.574-07:00Two Are Better Than OneAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-41582658517413234382014-09-27T07:07:00.001-07:002014-09-27T07:10:08.508-07:00September: Alopecia Awareness Month. This Is My Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZLED1t9fYwfTClV5vS1cuyVsD0vj1hVnvUON9IsSd8-P48ya4G5ZzwfjsPwZtbrUYyMLbPQrIGvWlUnnRJAOlX0e0VUs8dbs97c-mvOcDbFmA4W6I3EZV2o81zuuUn0t_A2-cO_qInv1/s640/blogger-image--64307042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZLED1t9fYwfTClV5vS1cuyVsD0vj1hVnvUON9IsSd8-P48ya4G5ZzwfjsPwZtbrUYyMLbPQrIGvWlUnnRJAOlX0e0VUs8dbs97c-mvOcDbFmA4W6I3EZV2o81zuuUn0t_A2-cO_qInv1/s400/blogger-image--64307042.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">9 years ago at the age of 12 I started noticing all this hair on my pillowcase. It wasn't until I was 14 years old and a freshman in high school that I had gone into Miami's Children Hospital to get a biopsy done of my scalp to only find out that I had Alopecia. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease. Meaning my immune system thinks my hair is an invader and well, knocks it off my scalp. Here's an a better explanation of Alopecia: </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">"</span><i><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Alopecia areata is a condition that causes a person's hair to fall out. It is an autoimmune disease; that is, the person's immune system attacks their own body. In this case, their hair follicles. When this happens, the person's hair begins to fall out, often in clumps the size and shape of a quarter. The extent of the hair loss varies; in some cases, it is only in a few spots. In others, the hair loss can be greater. </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">On rare occasions, the person loses all of the hair on his or her head (alopecia areata totalis) or entire body (alopecia areata universalis)." - WEBMD. </span></i></div>
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It's basically every girls worst nightmare, and I was living in it everyday. About 50% of the female population will experience some sort of hair loss or thinning by 60 years old, and out of those 50% around 20% happen to have alopecia. Now I happen to be one of the, dare I say, lucky ones? Because my alopecia was different, at 14 they told me my hair would not grow long after about a year or two and that by 5 years I would be bald. Well I am 21 and my hair grows crazy long at a rapid pace and I am not bald, God has shown me so much grace. On Instagram the other day I saw the hashtag #alopeciaawarence and I read all these amazing stories of these beautiful ladies and I thought wow y'all are so brave and I decided it was time to share my story.</div>
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Frozen is an all time favourite of mine. And Elsa's motto of <i>"conceal, don't feel, don't let them know" </i>was my motto for 9 years of my life, until today. I concealed my hair loss and thinning with every updo known to man, hats and little tricks, I blocked any sort of feelings, and I most definitely never let anyone know. People never noticed because my hair is quite long it is easy to cover. I do get a couple of remarks like: "<i>why do you put up your hair so much?" "I don't think I have ever seen your hair completely down before? Have I?" "Oh your hair is so thin and long!" </i>I use to dread them, but not any more. </div>
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I could easily say that I have felt God's love and support through this entire thing and that I have taken this with grace and strength but if I said that I would be lying. </div>
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The last two years have been officially the hardest years of this process. It's also been the first two years of my life in which I have really encountered God, go figure. Last year, my hair was at an all time low, like nothing I have ever seen, I was so angry at God because I wanted to wake up the next morning and have my hair back. As the year past I saw nothing change.</div>
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But this year, 2014, has been different, Theres been a dramatic change in my hair, it is getting thicker and stronger and it feels great. But this year, I was sad. All the years that I have been bottling my feelings up decided this would be the year it would explode. Alopecia not only attacks hair, it attacks self esteem and self confidence. I was in a dark pit that no one could help me out from. I thought God no longer cares and because of that I am no longer going to care too. I had my weeks were I was fine and happy and the whole world was amazing and in those happy times I decided to take pictures of my hair to see the progress of it (pretty cool actually in the long run) but then there were my very sad long days, weeks, and months. The worst week happened three weeks ago, the emotional pain transformed into a physical pain that I had never felt before, it HURT and it hurt real bad. If you know me you know I pride myself in my womanhood, my feminism, my strength and independence. But everyone has a weakness and mines happens to be an autoimmune disease. </div>
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After that day I had a series of breakdowns and anxiety attacks that lead me to just giving up and surrendering it all to Jesus. I thought I had before but I really hadn't. There were many things I still held on to and me wanting to fix myself by my own strength was one of them. I allowed myself to finally feel and be completely broken because <b><i>I was ready to allow God pick up my broken pieces and create a beautiful mosaic.</i></b> </div>
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My healing isn't going to be a "snap of the fingers" type of healing. It's been a 9 year journey, and my healing is going to be a process. A process that I am learning to love and to accept. <b><i>We are not defined by hair, clothes or makeup, We are defined by who we are, who we inspire, who we help, who we love, and who we have compassion for.</i></b> </div>
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I lived off comparing my hair to others, but <i>I stopped and learned to love my own thin strands that make me, well me.</i> I hope that whatever you are struggling with right now makes you stronger, that you embrace everything that comes your way, good or bad. That you love without limits. That you have a heart full of gratitude in even the saddest of days. But you can't do it alone. Run to God, He is there, and it may not seem fair or right that you are going through this trial but know that all things work together for your good! <b><i>And even if I go bald, or if I get a full set of hair back, I will love my God no matter what! </i></b>He knows my path, and he knows yours. You just have to cling to him. <i><b>Trust me life is so much better when you let go and simply let God be who He is suppose to be in your life. </b></i></div>
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Besides God. I would like to thank my parents for being my solid rocks. <b>Mom</b>, from being there with me the day they told me I would be bald for life, and for the nights you held me saying everything was going to be alright. <b>Dad</b>, for taking a day off just to take me to the doctors because I felt sad. </div>
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To <b>Dylan</b>, for the past three years you have seen my hair get to it's thinnest form to slowly getting thicker, I thank you for always saying "<i>I love your hair</i>" since the beginning. For holding me in the car like a baby and just cry with me and pray life into me, thank you for making me giggle till I forgot the hurt and for loving who I am and looking past my imperfections and accepting me, I am a lucky lady. And last, to <b>Sandra</b>, my mentor, my spiritual mother, one of my very best friends, thank you for crying with me and telling me how it is when I need it, for loving me from the day we met and letting me into your family like one of your own. <i><b>Thank you guys for being the people I run to when my skies are grey and allowing me to see the rainbow. </b></i></div>
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Even though I thought the day that I would share my story would be the day I was completely healed, God had a bigger plan and he is urging me to share my story to bring awareness on a disease that is often embarrassing, shameful and saddening. I love you all! <b>Y'all are beautiful and worth everything this world has to offer!! </b></div>
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<i>"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." -Matthew 10:29-31 NIV</i></div>
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Here's what we are all dying to see, a picture! I don't know if you see the difference but I do hehe, and it's still not there yet and I have a while to go but God is faithful and I'll continue updating on my blog about my journey!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zveaOYQHmqb1tFay8QiGID_0WhxHzDP7lzj6GAvS0-vdDEnH1vqDGpBmbbQGyfslPNYEdm2ESXOuJnny9fkGbRhCa_Rbb48_WJtYYK9tqpI4pAiFp4_n-FLWtpuJmmidP784FO3QkTqa/s640/blogger-image-1376626182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zveaOYQHmqb1tFay8QiGID_0WhxHzDP7lzj6GAvS0-vdDEnH1vqDGpBmbbQGyfslPNYEdm2ESXOuJnny9fkGbRhCa_Rbb48_WJtYYK9tqpI4pAiFp4_n-FLWtpuJmmidP784FO3QkTqa/s640/blogger-image-1376626182.jpg" /></a></div>
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I hope this brought awareness to Alopecia and know that their are many suffers of this, both men and women!! </div>
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<b>Never judge, always love! </b></div>
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<i>With love and grace </i></div>
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<i>Diana C</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-91295878276524974792014-09-25T06:03:00.001-07:002014-09-25T06:04:47.560-07:00Winter Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zJS-abvkUQqdwz3eIEcyYer5xQTOpk9A3UYCg36VamGmSkoewBiR9GG7ewVA0-D8pHnyLt40RC5b44K6_rBQbSZ7UMJuRJ1sUjfj4mM1-W7dKMQfsyjlTTzWKWMIjt2I94Je2kCvyKbk/s640/blogger-image-1904587469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zJS-abvkUQqdwz3eIEcyYer5xQTOpk9A3UYCg36VamGmSkoewBiR9GG7ewVA0-D8pHnyLt40RC5b44K6_rBQbSZ7UMJuRJ1sUjfj4mM1-W7dKMQfsyjlTTzWKWMIjt2I94Je2kCvyKbk/s640/blogger-image-1904587469.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hello everyone! It's Diana coming back from a very long hiatus! I thought I should explain my absence, I'll be honest it's been a rough season for me, extremely rough. The inspired-O-meter was at an all time low, right along with many other things. God is slowly picking me back up and I'm totally allowing him to do all the work, which I normally don't (yes horrible I know) but this life is way to grand for me to be stuck in a rut and if you are stuck in rut like I was just think about life, seriously think about it and just feel in awe of your body and how it's functioning, how the Earth slowly moves and you don't feel a thing, and of everything you have which was given to you by God's grace and love. I hope you enjoy this little something I wrote, see you soon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">___________________________________________</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">It's September which means the season of autumn is here. I personally use to hate fall and winter, I'm a Floridian girl living in Canada so it was hard for me to let go of the endless summer love. But this year it has been different, I found myself craving the cold wind, the coziness of fall and winter and all the layers of clothes that come with it. As I was on a walk yesterday afternoon, I started thinking of nature and how awesome trees were and how they adapt to the seasons. In fall, they change colours from green to yellow, red and orange, and then when winter approaches they start shedding those leaves off until springs rolls around and they start growing right back up until summer where they stay nice and green until fall comes back. </span><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">As I was walking, a lot of the trees around me were already yellow, red and orange and when I looked at my feet I could see that some had already started their shedding process. Trees know that winter is coming, so they have to let go of these leaves. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">It made me chuckle because in a way it relates to our lives. But before I go on to explaining that I want to share with y'all why trees loose their leaves. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><i>"<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When winter approaches, our part of Earth receives less sunlight, and the air grows colder. When these changes happen, trees prepare for winter. Trees that drop their leaves seal the spots where the leaves are attached. Then fluids cannot flow in and out of the leaves, which change color and fall off. The falling of the leaves does more than mark the season. It also helps the tree survive the cold, dry air of winter"</span></i></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Conclusion, during fall trees close off the nutrients to the leaves which causes the leaves to change and fall to help the tree survive the winter it is about to face. </span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>We are going to have seasons of coldness and biter air and that's where God comes in and starts closing doors to certain things that will not allow you to survive what is happening around you, the change that you are going to embark on is magnificent that you can not be weighed down, not even by one single leave. </b></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Snow falls on trees all winter long, the tree does not fall, maybe a few branches snap here and there but it stands tall in its new robe of white. It is being transformed into a stronger tree for all the fruit it will bear but it must go through a process before it can blossom with beautiful green leaves; the winter process. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The snow starts melting and the birds start chirping and one leaf starts to grow back. God starts opening everything he once had to close for your protection and it is now more beautiful than you ever expected. The colours are more vibrant and you realize that if it weren't for letting go of these leaves and being a naked winter tree, you wouldn't have had the chance to be the beautiful green summer tree you are now. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Sometimes in life we need God to close doors and shake off things that will not allow you to survive the season you may be going through but know that just because these doors are being closed right now it does not mean that in the next season they won't reopen for your good and under His perfect will. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">So you may be standing on an open field, feeling vulnerable and naked but God is protecting you and He is soon going to clothe you but until then, do not be afraid to be a naked tree and catch the snow on your branches, yes it is cold and the air is biter but you are alive and soon you will blossom and understand what grace he has shown you. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>“It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth; You made both summer and winter.” -Psalm 74:17</i></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>He has made both summer and winter. </b></span></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><i>With love and grace, </i></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><i>Diana C</i></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-71997435199694414542014-07-19T10:36:00.001-07:002014-07-19T13:18:42.719-07:00Are You In A Theory Or A Love Affair?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMuW6RNlRML5_pv82vNJ9q-wk4LFzlDQHrmLFM1HmtAY-TMQG8u9O6JHoEuHBUAAxfH4-dgTHxtaVhrbDFNZKLnQI4eC6T60jd7pbTlvqxSh75GK4jFxgwsry_RV0yC2jTW8m9q4wgX22/s640/blogger-image--457826689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMuW6RNlRML5_pv82vNJ9q-wk4LFzlDQHrmLFM1HmtAY-TMQG8u9O6JHoEuHBUAAxfH4-dgTHxtaVhrbDFNZKLnQI4eC6T60jd7pbTlvqxSh75GK4jFxgwsry_RV0yC2jTW8m9q4wgX22/s640/blogger-image--457826689.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Today I saw a picture on the She Reads Truth app devotional which is the picture above with the saying <b>"let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair"</b>. First off all, I haven't written in a while, so hello blogging world! I'll be honest with y'all I've been very uninspired to write, I've written a few things but I haven't been able to get myself to post them, why? Who knows! But anyways I saw this quote this morning and it was as if God himself gave me a nice slap in the face! A loving one of course. To often we make our Christian life a routine that we forget it's a beautiful love affair. A love affair with ups and downs, faults, struggles, weakness, and strengths. We also forget that there are others doing the same as us. I've seen many Christians bashing on other Christians for not being the perfect Christian that in theory every Christian should be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>THEORY</b>: a coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>LOVE AFFAIR</b>: a romantic relationship or episode between lovers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'll choose love affair over theory any day. Living a life being in love with God and being on a whimsical love affair with Him is different than being in a theoretical relationship. I'll tell you why, theoretical relationship revolves around thinking too much and observing too much. To come up with a theory, you must research, observe, think and come up with conclusion to create a theory. When we are in that kind of relationship with God we question everything. We observe everyone around us, we think of all the wrong they may be going or even think off all the wrong we, ourselves, are doing. And we draw up conclusions of what we have observed. That's the gate way of being religious, we finger point the faults of others, we think we have ways of making everyone better, we start talking like Pharisees. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now a love affair relationship is very simple. I wrote a blog a while back called "Why I Am Dating A Black Man" and I wrote something that I'm going to bring into this, <b>"Many say love is blind. I disagree. Love sees it all; the colour, the perfection, the imperfection, the weight, and the height but love decides to look past all that. Love sees it all and loves it with greater passion."</b> Now that is a love affair. If you are in a love affair with God you are also in a love affair with His people. Simple as that. You love Jesus? Good, but remember; <b>“I really only love God as much as the person I love the least.”- Dorothy Day.</b> When you love, you forget about what the people aren't and you start looking at them for what they have. Like Jesus does to us. The judging stops and the love affair takes over. We start loving in a different way, an innocent way. You may even start to love the annoying things your brother/sister in Christ does. Instead of critiquing you may even crack a joke and enjoy yourself a bit more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ive been in both of these relationships with God, lately I've been on the theory side, were I sit back and draw conclusions in my mind and think I'm right, I caught myself doing this and just started laughing at how absurd I was. As if my God needed a body guard. I stopped myself in my righteous tracks and here I am writing about how good it just feels to love. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Maybe you've been to hard on others or even yourself, I don't know who this is for, but if your reading this just know it is easier to love than to not love. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Make this love affair count, be in love with Jesus and His creations. Don't be afraid to love, love doesn't run out; it's never wrong and never boastful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">With Love & Grace- Diana C.</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-16025792318509646342014-07-02T12:59:00.001-07:002014-07-02T13:04:24.393-07:00Stop Remembering What God Has Forgotten<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of going to an all women’s
retreat that was organized by my church. The point of the retreat was of
deliverance. By this, I mean that the goal was to let the Holy Spirit rid
anything in us that was holding us back from the true potential that God has in
store for us. Many areas were covered, and I can tell you that there was
breakthrough in many areas; but there was one area that really impacted me, and
I strongly believe that God had been preparing me for days, even weeks before
that. That topic was forgiveness. But not your conventional “I forgive you, you
forgive me” forgiveness. <u>I mean, the real deal, the tough kind; forgiveness of the self.</u> I
can’t even tell you how many times I have been guilty of this. It was a really
annoying cycle that I wanted to get out of for years. I would do something,
feel guilty, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would pray and repent,
and get the forgiveness I so desired. But what happened after that? For years,
I remained in a cycle of feeling extremely guilty, dirty, unworthy of
forgiveness. Even though I KNEW that God had forgiven me, I just couldn't let
it go. I wouldn't forgive myself. The lie repeated itself in my head that I was
unworthy of forgiveness; that maybe God didn't forgive me after all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">♥ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> A few
weeks ago as I was praying for expectancy in that retreat, it came to me. God
was like <b>“NEWSFLASH”</b> He HAD forgiven me; He just wanted me to forgive myself.
<u>Whatever sin you have committed doesn't define who you are, no matter how big
or small</u>. That’s where my freedom was. In forgiving myself, just as Jesus had
forgiven me when he died on that cross for me. The bible says that we are new
creations, so why don’t we believe it? Jesus says we are forgiven, but <b>STILL</b> we
don’t believe it. We are too stuck in our own little bubbles, that if Jesus
himself stood in front of us and told us we were forgiven, we probably still
wouldn’t believe it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all a work
in progress, and that’s a fact! There isn’t anyone out there who can say that
they are perfect and free of temptation, and if something is true, it's that we will always fall short of His Glory. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">♥ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I held myself captive for years, and I
know that I'm not the only one out there who has let guilt and shame take over.<b>
I'm here to tell you that God's grace and mercy is sufficient. His love is
never ending, and you are never too deep into sin to be redeemed</b>. We imprison
ourselves by letting ourselves believe that we aren't worth it, and that
whatever we did is too great. I can just imagine Jesus being like "why are
you still on that? I forgave you already, and you are made clean" but then
as imperfect and flawed as we are, we go and play "dress up" and we <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>play the role of the sinner, even though that
isn’t who we are. What we fail to see is that in the Bible, there are TONS of people who made mistakes, but God used that for HIS glory! My God is truly a God of second chances! So I will leave you with a word that has helped me in my
walk. It’s helped me realize that even if you mess up, it is okay, you aren’t
perfect, but as long as you get up, wipe off the dirt and keep going, that’s what
marks the difference. Just remember to stop remembering what God has already forgotten.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again…”
Proverbs 24:16</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With Love, Michelle♥ </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-28499860525226625252014-06-18T08:08:00.001-07:002014-06-18T08:08:12.980-07:00But What About Queen Vashti?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEI-NZPBKOT4yhxGCDP2BlKS-gieQk5gcgEncb_356O_4aP8j3ilQvtfVVc7PUG0bZc-rugNMT5vXyKAmkIB-K1cIlIQk-5nFGNRFhfPh42h-qQbfFKg1vDulBgg_DR5FhRrGMm_-l9-X/s640/blogger-image-618993661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEI-NZPBKOT4yhxGCDP2BlKS-gieQk5gcgEncb_356O_4aP8j3ilQvtfVVc7PUG0bZc-rugNMT5vXyKAmkIB-K1cIlIQk-5nFGNRFhfPh42h-qQbfFKg1vDulBgg_DR5FhRrGMm_-l9-X/s640/blogger-image-618993661.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I reread Esther for the 3rd time recently. This time Queen Vashti caught my attention like never before. As a Christian girl I was taught to love and want to be like Esther, to aspire to be just like her. Esther is great, God placed her in a place where she would save her own people. But God also gave queen Vashti her strong will so she would be banished and allow a Jew girl take her place and save his people. I love Queen Vashti, she sets the tone for this whole book, and sadly she's over looked or misunderstood and casts as a "bad wife".</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>"On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger."- Esther 1:10-12 </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Can you say disobencice? Gasp! But let's take a look why, <b>"For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendour and glory of his majesty. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa." -Esther 1:4, 5.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">180 plus 7 days of banquet = 187 days of King X being drunk, with him asking Queen Vashti to come with her crown. In that time that meant queen Vashti had to come in just her crown, and her birthday suit to parade around the men so that her king could show her off. Queen Vashti did not go she chose to be seen by the king in her timing and to have self respect. She may not have been "submissive" but she was intelligent, and way before her time. She is then disposed off and a law is past that all women should obey their husbands no matter what, in fear that women may react like Queen Vashti. Little did they know that Esther wasn't very different.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>"I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” -Esther 4:16 </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Queen Esther presented herself to the King when she knew she could have died, but she still presented herself in her own timing, she did not wait for him to call her, something Queen Vashti would have done and did but quite in the opposite matter but they both chose the time in which the King saw them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As a women I adore Esther for her strategy and humbleness. But I absolutely love Queen Vashti, for her ability to stand up for herself just like Esther did for her people. Even though these women never met (or so I think), they both impacted many people, they empowered women to believe in something greater than laws. To believe in respect and empowerment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What do you think of Queen Vashti's actions? What would you have done in her place? </div><div><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-53591121713137980372014-05-29T09:00:00.000-07:002014-05-29T11:43:16.032-07:00God Loves Me & He's The One That Really Matters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday morning Dr. Maya Angelou writer of "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" (one of my favourites during high school) and her other 6 autobiographies along with many
poetry books and other phenomenal work died at age 86. Of course many of her
old interviews surfaced up on the web and i watched a recent one by Oprah when Maya Angelou introduces her last
autobiography titled "Mom & Me & Mom" in the interview, Oprah asked her, "Where do
you go for solace, for comfort?" She started talking about Unity Church
and in one of the books she read called "Lessons In Truth" and there
is one particular line in the book that said "God loves me" she says<b>
"When I came to read it to my then mentor, Fred Wilkerson , the late Fred Wilkerson, I read "God loves me" he said, read it again "God
loves me" he said, read it again, read it again and finally I read
"GOD LOVES ME" ..... It still humbles me that this force which made
leaves and flies and stars and rivers and you. Loves me! Me, Maya Angelou it's
amazing, I can do anything and do it well, any good thing I can do it that's why
I'm who I am, yes, because God loves me and I'm amazed at it and grateful for
it" </b><br>
<b> </b><br>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many of us have really grasped that concept? That God
loves me. It got me thinking about Dr. Angelou's life, in "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" she writes how she was send with her brother to her
grandma's house by her father and after a few years he came back and gave them to their
mother. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend and she told her brother who then
told everyone else and the man was arrested for one day. When he came out of jail he
was killed and she became a mute for 5 years because "her voice had killed
that man". In her other biographies she takes about having to work in a not
so modest place and being a single mother at 17. Yet she is still able to
grasp the idea that God loves her. No matter what, God loves her. While singing
to Michael W. Smith's "You're The One That Really Matters" feat. Kari
Jobe I got to thinking about how Maya Angelou might have felt; black, raped and a single mother.
How everything in that time era singled her out as less than a human, and I don't
know her personally but her words are words that have experienced pain and
neglect, so you just know she suffered. But she kept going and at the end she can say "GOD LOVES ME"
because no one matters but Him!<i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><br>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Can you say that with confidence? </span></i></blockquote>
</div>
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Have you ever walked by someone and wondered "I wonder
if they are looking at me, or looking at my thighs rub together, or belly
jiggle or looking at my butt" (the butt one is for me cause it's my
insecurity lol) Sounds silly right? But I'm sure that we have all thought it.
Not just appearance wise but when I was in high school I would wonder if people
would like how I acted or how I carried myself, I worried too much about what
others thought yet putting on a brave face of "I don't care what the world
says". Which was the biggest lie because I really did care, it was a time
when I static in life, I wasn't moving forward but backwards. It is time to
align our thoughts with the thoughts of Jesus. Lets not assume this
"humble" position that it is okay to think less of yourself because
it is "righteous". The one that really matters is Jesus and he loves you. I dare to
say that your emotions to yourself do not matter either because you will
always, always, always find something negative about yourself, but Jesus won't,
He sees you as perfect, clean, pure and not at fault of any wrong doing. Those
are the thoughts that really matter. When we stop wondering what others around
are thinking but start to wonder what Jesus thinks of us when we walk down the
street that's when you start to enjoy life a bit better. You walk with a smile
on your face, your insecurities are no longer just yours but Jesus takes them
and casts them into this huge ocean of grace. No longer do the chains of caring
what others say hold you down. <b>You live to please a living God, not imperfect
humans.</b> No one is staring at you when you eat, no one is staring at your belly,
no one is staring, period. And if they are, do their thoughts really matter? Is the
thoughts of strangers or a person who you know for 2 years really out rule to
the thoughts of a God who has known you before you were created? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Declare "GOD LOVES ME" as many time a day as you
need to, even if you don't believe it, say it. When you are feeling full of
sin, say it. When you are feeling unappreciated, say it. Lonely? Say it. Angry?
Say it. Eating a bowl of ice cream? Say it. Just say God loves me. It will
change your life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>"I know that I have been found. The cares of life can't
hold me down. 'Cause You're the one I want to please. What matters now is what
You think. You're the one that really matters" - <i>"You're the one that really matter"</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<b>
</b><br>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely
admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” <i>In loving memory
of Dr. Maya Angelou</i></b><br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Here's the interview with Oprah, its worth a watch! </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwuAntPHGVM" target="_blank">for cellphone users here the the link </a> </i></b></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gwuAntPHGVM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-87561349553120181832014-05-22T08:20:00.002-07:002014-05-23T14:14:47.667-07:00A Season Of Clarity<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUu1ZkYoH57JhODoTaWunzhnIXQiEQDmqaFVwnBC9p9nVv4P4FtP7cYp8BFaEzs3aq6NXeLcuryIf8VKoC6wlfhlEg6bITief9nDZuvKmuKL9BSHgjz8Xp9xsLgkR2v83hAsAxgAD4KzQ/s1600/clarity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUu1ZkYoH57JhODoTaWunzhnIXQiEQDmqaFVwnBC9p9nVv4P4FtP7cYp8BFaEzs3aq6NXeLcuryIf8VKoC6wlfhlEg6bITief9nDZuvKmuKL9BSHgjz8Xp9xsLgkR2v83hAsAxgAD4KzQ/s1600/clarity.JPG" height="640" width="425"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>s a person who needs glasses to see far (near sighted) I
know exactly what it feels like to have your vision completely blurry and
unfocused. My problem has an easy solution, glasses. With them I can see almost
as if I had 20/20 vision. About 75% of the population in North America wear
glasses or contacts meaning 75% of people have a blurry vision. I'm also sure
that 100% of the earth's population has had some sort of unfocused and blurry
time in their life and I am no longer talking about eye vision but about your
life's vision. In my circle of friend, well actually it's more like a triangle,
we had a season of oceans, where we were just drowning in the grace of God. We
still are but now I know that we moved on into a season of clarity. For the past
few weeks that's all that's been in our hearts. I have three situations in my
life where my life's mission was completely and utterly blurry, I was literally
a blind bat in my own life. I'm going to share these three moments of chaos
with you because maybe you are experiencing a moment of chaos in your life right
now but want to move into a season of clarity and just can't see that happening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<br>
<ol>
<li>Moving countries: 15 years old and packing my bags to
move from sunny Miami, Florida to what I thought was igloo land. Oh Lord was it
hard! My whole world was falling apart, how was I ever going to survive?</li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Ending a relationship: Jesus hold my heart because I was
never going to love again *sob*</span></li>
<li>Changing careers: Crazy I know, I live on the edge. </li>
</ol>
<br>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BUT GOD.. (I really do like those two words together) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<br>
<ol>
<li>But God, moved me to love a city like Toronto, with so much cultures and diversity that I would have never been exposed to in my suburb town in the South. </li>
<li>But God, allowed me to see the destruction of the relationship I was in and if I would have never ended it I would have never meet Jesus the way I know him now, and I would have never
meet my earthly love Dylan, the man God had for me.</li>
<li>But God, gave me the courage and clarity to see how much I would have hated my career, I already hated my job, so I changed my unhappiness and now I love my career, Medical Laboratory Technician, and I graduate this summer.</li>
</ol>
<br>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see I thought my first situations were so permanent, and
that's what happens when you can't see beyond your cloudy vision. I'm not
saying that you need to have your life figured out because none of us do. But what
am saying is that you know exactly what area in your life you need to see with
the glasses that God can provide for you. You just have to ask. When I don't
have my glasses I squint my eyes to see a little clearer, it works..sometimes,
but when I grab my glasses I can see everything without forcing my eyes to
focus. That's what we do when we try to do the same with our blurry life's. You
try in your strengths and you squint and squint and we just feel tired and our eyes
start to hurt. But Jesus is standing right next to you with a pair of glasses,
so that you don't have to try so hard to see, He wants to be your eyes, He
wants to be your clarity! Seek him! Ask him! Pray for clarity! Your answer
might walk straight through the doors, or it may be in a conversation you never
wanted to have or your clarity may be in a walk. Jesus is the mastermind behind all
this but He can't do His job if you don't ask and qualify Him for it. The most
amazing verse is often over looked, are you ready for it? It's 1 Corinthians 13:12:
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling
reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.
All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything
completely, just as God now knows me completely."</b></span> </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mean hello! Hi! How amazing was that?! God doesn't promise
us an easy and clear life but He does promise us that if we seek Him we will
see exactly how He sees! Doesn't that excite you for life? Yes you may be in the
mist of darkness but God is the light, you are the light. Clarity is easy, what
is hard is our human emotions. Clarity is God. God
is not hard to find but we get in our own way of our own clarity. God has the
ability to change your emotions to align to His emotions. You deserve clarity and He wants to
give you that gift, allow Him to fill your atoms, molecules, cells, your whole
being and He will open your eyes to the bigger picture. Get ready to see your
life with new spectacles!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-1921474160887086522014-05-15T12:51:00.002-07:002014-05-15T12:51:55.237-07:00What Would Jesus Do? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6VukNLg6YLHAQbxKv66BlG6n_geoF4N9tToWlq1bGDc778FIw3vHdq67-yel1dB0ComAAUeNc59j8r6WupE6kBDjHr-VymyWeaboJOBGCHvNqAQ3Gxge4QEuL_kf2VpeLfvhXAXzzTXk/s1600/society.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6VukNLg6YLHAQbxKv66BlG6n_geoF4N9tToWlq1bGDc778FIw3vHdq67-yel1dB0ComAAUeNc59j8r6WupE6kBDjHr-VymyWeaboJOBGCHvNqAQ3Gxge4QEuL_kf2VpeLfvhXAXzzTXk/s1600/society.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> It's amazing how much of a difference you can make in someone's life
just by taking the time, and doing something small. Yesterday I was at
work, and I was just about ready to leave when I saw one of the kitchen
ladies. This woman always seemed grumpy and angry, and I always wondered
why. Over time, I noticed that I had never seen anyone interacting with
her or giving her the least bit of importance. So I greeted her. I said
hello and gave her a smile. <b>It was so sad to see that she was surprised
that I had said anything at all</b>. So long story short, we just began to
talk and have a good conversation. I saw her light up and the look on
her face changed completely. She was smiling and laughing, and she was
at ease. She seemed like a completely different person than all the
other times I had seen her. We were both done work for the day, so we
just sat and talked about everything. As outgoing as I am, <b>sometimes its
difficult to put aside what someone looks like, or even the impression
they've given us, and just smile at them or even say hello</b>. In essence,
we've all judged a book by its cover at least once in our lifetimes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">♡</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> In
my experience, I've come to realize that sometimes, <u>the hardest people
to approach are the ones who desire it the most</u>. I've been trying to
walk like Jesus in the sense that He didn't care whether you were the
lowest of the low. Jesus cared and loved those people so much, that they themselves
were surprised that someone like Jesus could even look their
way. I mean, Jesus would see peoples' futures, and what they could become, rather than what they are or what they've done. He hung out with tax collectors (let's just say, a tax collector in Jesus' time was someone to be hated), prostitutes, and people that no one wanted anything to do with. I'm talking about those people that everyone would talk about
because they were different, or those people who didn't quite live up to
society's standards. <b>The ones who put up a hard exterior, but on the
inside are hurting because of rejection</b>. They don't get why people judge
them, if they really don't take the time to get to know them; to even
know who they really are. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">♡</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The ironic part is, that at one point we were
all in the same position. Whether you were the new kid at school, or new
to a city. <u><b>We've all been judged</b></u>. There's no doubt about that. There's a
huge amount of people we don't even know who decided at one point that
we weren't worthy to be approached. I don't know about you, but I don't
want to and I am <b><u>NOT</u></b> obligated to conform to the norms that society
wants us to conform to. <b>If Jesus touched the untouchable, I want to too</b>.
Society says that we shouldn't care about anyone but ourselves.
Everything is about "me" and my comfort. But the gospel is all about
Jesus. What would Jesus do? I used to have a bracelet that had the
iconic "WWJD?", BUT I never took it seriously. I was ignorant. I would
see someone hurting and I would turn a blind eye. But now that I'm
older, and I've taken this seriously, I know what Jesus would do.
Something we haven't done for a long time in this society.....<i>CARE</i>.<br />With Love, Michelle ♡</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-26864952944422996842014-05-10T14:20:00.001-07:002014-05-13T07:38:22.096-07:00A Heart For The NeedyI've had this dream/desire in my heart to make some sort of survival kit filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, bandages, shampoo, and wipes for the homeless. In my head this was just a thought, I'm just a student there's no way I have the budget to do that. Thursday night one of my really close friends, Diego, asked me if I wanted to go on a random homeless drive and give some food and prayer to them. As soon as I read the message God just said, "this is it". My birthday is around this month and I had 30 dollars to buy a new dress for my 21st birthday, in my heart I knew I didn't need that new dress so I went into Dollarma on Friday after school and bought everything on my list for 30 dollars. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignphJDirW5SiG5jSot3FCGocF97FxXDBP8P31BbfCDClHFg3in09gNHRJIKvO-If63FPgigpHkd_t2thyn_ruDgHh8QKMMCX7wAmtTkHzjdWwlOXD9cJnXZiY3K6lS9vPsFy3cU4mHm5Y/s640/blogger-image--1535654140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignphJDirW5SiG5jSot3FCGocF97FxXDBP8P31BbfCDClHFg3in09gNHRJIKvO-If63FPgigpHkd_t2thyn_ruDgHh8QKMMCX7wAmtTkHzjdWwlOXD9cJnXZiY3K6lS9vPsFy3cU4mHm5Y/s640/blogger-image--1535654140.jpg" /></a></div>
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I packed them up and created a little survival kit with love, since I was on an extremely tight budge I only managed to make 10 and prayed over these 10 people that we're going recieve these little packages. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDwJTzy4awkOrMHCA7sRmmNPkvHH2A2t9RMqNY4jjSCDwQ4iNSwbQL2i9-SCoyEvqL7qR9ymLNMKygYSEFUQqMBQlJ_9zl9IRThZvRr3wXGQgZmoblfWf_SXWufDF5isU5AgSJ5zeqmBH/s640/blogger-image-446899666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDwJTzy4awkOrMHCA7sRmmNPkvHH2A2t9RMqNY4jjSCDwQ4iNSwbQL2i9-SCoyEvqL7qR9ymLNMKygYSEFUQqMBQlJ_9zl9IRThZvRr3wXGQgZmoblfWf_SXWufDF5isU5AgSJ5zeqmBH/s400/blogger-image-446899666.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To be very honest with you I never thought people would actually take this with thankful hearts, but boy was I about to be wrong! Today, May 10, 2014 started at 6:20am for me, I literally woke up as if someone shook me out of my sleep, I ran outside to my balcony with my bible to encounter Jesus this morning </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj0H3Xl5UJANrjeyxRn203nb61twzLPleOBu4vI3aYTKvunWXLPaqfoBvUPFhJ380bL25JIpH48TzqP5M-aangh2dy8fhIEMSUOfEX5Rl3pTNkmYbfURSw1aJ2xFPV7DoPgWIws-R7yk9/s640/blogger-image-70659310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYj0H3Xl5UJANrjeyxRn203nb61twzLPleOBu4vI3aYTKvunWXLPaqfoBvUPFhJ380bL25JIpH48TzqP5M-aangh2dy8fhIEMSUOfEX5Rl3pTNkmYbfURSw1aJ2xFPV7DoPgWIws-R7yk9/s640/blogger-image-70659310.jpg" /></a></div>
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Jesus showed up like never before and he gave me this amazing verse that literally marked my whole day:</div>
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<b>“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. (Habakkuk 1:5 NIV)</b></div>
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These were the amazing people who were there bright an early serving the needy when Dylan (boyfriend) and myself arrived </div>
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That picture unites Christians and Muslims together serving people, I love it. These are Diego's friends, they made sandwiches for the needy and were giving them out all morning! </div>
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Most of them left and Dylan, Diego and myself went off to give some money, food and my survival kits. The first person we encountered was Shawn </div>
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He was new in Toronto and just trying to get by in that picture you see part of my toothbrush sticking out, he loved the kit and that's when I really though "wow okay people might take these!" What got me the most about Shawn was another guy name Gor, he was a homeless for a very long time but he found a job and lives with his girlfriend in a hotel(for now) he goes through the streets of downtown Toronto helping the new homeless people find their way and help them stay clean and get them up on their feet, how amazing is that!!! </div>
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We then met Bowser and Brugetta, Bowser's love for his female dog was beautiful, he even had her name tattooed on his back, which reminds me he had the sickest tats ever! He was actually so thrilled that we cared enough to ask him about his tattoos. After them we met a man name Chris who was a social worker and had recently lost his money and work contract, he was removed from his apartment and had to go on the streets but his hunger to leave the streets was intense, next time we go back I'm sure Chris won't be there. The last one was Justin, black-eyed Justin. We didn't have change left but he was happy we had a survival kit left and a sandwich for him. </div>
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Now before Justin we met another Chris and Tabetha with her dog Skeeter. Chris has Leukemia, a cancer in your blood, because of his cancer he had holes in his skin, he showed them to me and he knew that his time on earth was limited. <b><i>Tabetha tabetha tabetha</i></b>, this women with the most bluest of eyes has my heart. Her story touched my heart so much, this lady does not want to be on the street but due to a lot of circumstances she is. She showed us her youngest daughter's picture, the spitting image of her, her name is Layla. Layla is her world along with Skeeter the dog. Skeeter was not eating at all, he's a sick dog with a gentle spirit. Her life story rocked our world. When we left Tabetha my heart was hurting, I could see how people would look at her and all I wanted to do is scream at them and tell them they were wrong! That it wasn't as easy as "get a job" she told us she wished people would ask her why she was on the street instead of looking down on her. We were able to pray for her, her belief in God was crazy! She also wanted a Bible so bad, Diego gave her his personal bible, the joy in her face was beautiful. I walked away with the boys and I just couldn't hold my emotions anymore and cried like I never had before. All three of us were feeling Jesus like never before. <b>I had just encountered Jesus through Tabetha, my heart was bursting</b>. We stopped by a nearby TD where Dylan took out a large undisclosed amount of money and we ran back to her. He kneeled down and poured his heart out to Tabetha and gave her the money. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL42EpX98M4QkDAUQMSi7KoHtuPtEzK4J_gyRVjKfxqIQtrPE_xS3Wvmdt7Mr2yspqRMDdRmGYbz3FQDEF_yfmKUH6uUH9aLvgsrHbaYahffQJT7GP2QUhL-_iX5xnYUNoHRiCKkZvvmv7/s640/blogger-image-1444278655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL42EpX98M4QkDAUQMSi7KoHtuPtEzK4J_gyRVjKfxqIQtrPE_xS3Wvmdt7Mr2yspqRMDdRmGYbz3FQDEF_yfmKUH6uUH9aLvgsrHbaYahffQJT7GP2QUhL-_iX5xnYUNoHRiCKkZvvmv7/s400/blogger-image-1444278655.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I will NEVER forgot her tears gushing out of her beautiful blue eyes. I have never loved a stranger more than I did with Tabetha. We left her and sat down and just cried because that was God's grace and this is what we were made and created for. Many want to go out into other nations but there is so much we need to do at home first,<b> "The change starts with changing our world, our city"- Dylan.</b><br />
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The church is not in four walls, the church is everything under the sky. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-22961823734475772502014-05-08T10:26:00.002-07:002014-05-08T10:28:38.257-07:00The Pursuit of Happiness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>Happiness</u>. We all want it, we all strive for it, but sometimes it can
seem so distant and impossible to reach. I mean, it's normal to have an
off day. You won't feel happy every day of your life, but it's something
that we as human beings desire. No one likes feeling down in the dumps,
and sometimes when you are feeling down, you feel like you just can't
pull yourself out of it. I know how this feels firsthand. It happens to
everyone. There are days where nothing seems to be going right for you,
so the light at the end of the tunnel seems light years away. <b>But I'm
here to tell you that you don't have to be trapped in that sadness
forever, and that there is a <u>solution</u>.</b><br /><br /> There have been days
where I can't even bear holding it in anymore and you have to let out
everything that you feel. I specifically remember one day that I was
trying to <i>"be strong" </i>and hold it in, and as soon as my mom saw me she
asked if I was okay, and I just broke down. All those feelings came
gushing out, every problem, and all that emotion came out as I just
cried. I bet my mom was just standing there like what is going on here?
But she just came over, gave me a hug and we prayed together. I can
honestly tell you, that it totally helped. But I began to think, and I
realized, <b>God does that with us all the time...atleast He <u><i>wants</i></u> to and
we don't let Him do His thing</b>. God constantly waits for us to speak to
Him; to tell Him whats going on in our lives, our feelings etc. But we
just pass Him by. He is an all knowing God, so he already knows every
thought that goes through our head before we even think it, but <b>He just
wants to see that willingness on our part to reach out to our Father. </b><br /><br />It
comes to a point when we've held it in so long, that we just explode,
and as the loving Father that He is, He takes us in His arms, and pours
out His love for us. Even though you may not feel loved, God reminds us
of His love for us, that He even sent His only son Jesus to die for you
and me. It blows my mind to think that Jesus was thinking about me, and
with so much love gave up His life so that I could be free. <b>His love
goes so deep and it runs so strong, that it bothers me to think that
some days I believe the lie that I am unloved or something <i>crazy</i> like
that. </b><br /><br />I think that as a generation, we've been conditioned to
believe that showing emotion and our feelings is wrong. We've been shown
that we shouldn't bother people with our problems. But I strongly feel
that this mindset is so <u>erroneous</u>. We are called to fellowship, and to
be in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ. You never know
how God could use someone to bring revelation to your life if you just
open up. We also have to start being real with God. <b>He already knows
whats going on, but you brushing it off as nothing and pretending you're
okay...well you aren't fooling Him or anyone for that matter</b> (hence my
mom lol). We want happiness and we pursue it, but we totally missed it. We try filling in the gaps with things that won't satisfy, and we <u>settle</u> for temporary happiness. God wants us to be happy. He wants to give us that joy that we
so desire. But we have to get over ourselves and we have to take the
first step. All we have to do is <u><b>ASK</b></u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">♥With Love, Michelle♥ </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-25875546549800117982014-05-05T08:19:00.001-07:002014-05-05T13:10:34.821-07:00My Proposal Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GPsPfEt1zw3H1FHDLk6EqOsJGtoWiGxFCiNo9Xs_i6RbgnX_Ab5QkLM01LY96KEKDK2IKEM6Pbc1DjbNq26JhkXj_0lU7XlhpCJVc0GFyME5noFB8gnK2wUoHDbqlAcbpffXuzyMut6E/s640/blogger-image--671790312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GPsPfEt1zw3H1FHDLk6EqOsJGtoWiGxFCiNo9Xs_i6RbgnX_Ab5QkLM01LY96KEKDK2IKEM6Pbc1DjbNq26JhkXj_0lU7XlhpCJVc0GFyME5noFB8gnK2wUoHDbqlAcbpffXuzyMut6E/s640/blogger-image--671790312.jpg"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I've been in relationships before but prior to the one I am in now (hey boo!) I never ever thought about my wedding or especially a proposal. But as I started turning 20 and my friends and I started to grow up and follow instagramers with the most amazing engagement rings it finally got me dreaming about what my proposal, engagement ring, and wedding would be like. I have days where I will sit and watch viral proposal/wedding videos and discuss them with one of my friends (hey girl lol) and we just gush over everything. So today I actually get to tell you my very own proposal story, to me it's the best story I have ever told!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It started up I'm the sky, this divine supernatural being decided to come down from it's throne, away from His Heavenly Father to come find me. He grew up and became a missionary, He preached and loved like no one on this earth ever had. He was different. The world rejected Him and His love and crucified Him on a wooden cross. How ironic, being a carptener my love got crucified on one of His art pieces. He died, but He rose again after three days. <i>What can I say He's a fighter for me.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fast forward a few years and He's still there right behind me waiting with a little box and shiny diamond inside and He's waiting for me to turn around and act all surprised and say "yes!" But everytime I would turn around to look at Him I would just push Him aside and walk toward "better" things. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fast forward again and I'm a 20 year old girl full of mistakes and rejects trying to find my own identity. I finally decided to join my youth group at a new church I attended to. Little did I know that this was the place I was going to get proposed to. I started to feel Him all around me and all around my church, I started to know Him and actually started liking Him. He allowed me to prepare the environment around me for that special day. Then one Friday night, one of the worship leaders grabbed me in prayer and told me that this day was going to change my life. And it did... This was the day that my Jesus proposed to me, and instead of giving me a diamond ring, He gave me grace. Instead of a ring, He allowed me to touch his crown of thorns. Instead of a ring He gave me true love and identity. I was His and He was mine, forever. <b>He didn't get down on one knee but He gave me salvation</b>. He's pretty epic if you ask me and I loved him from that day on. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I remember coming home that night and just bursting into tears telling my mom "I have found who Jesus is!!" Which is funny because He was ever lost. In my books that day was the start of my love story with a divine man who came down and hung on the cross to save my soul. But in His books our love story started since before time, when He chose my name, and when He knitted me to perfection in my mothers womb, He loved me since then. <b>While some men propose with flash mobs, epic stunts, heartwarming videos or simply on their knees; Jesus proposes to you on a cross. </b>As simple, real, raw, and graceful as it gets. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This was my proposal story. We all have that day where Jesus was so vivid in our lives that we were never the same. I'm sharing this because sometimes we need to go back to this day to remind us of where He took us out of and brought us into relationship with Him. To remind us of that day and the emotions you felt when you aren't feeling anything at all, to remind us that He is good and that He will rescue from anyone and from anywhere. To remind us that we are not alone. I share this because whether you are single, in a relationship, engaged, or in marriage, your first true love will always be Jesus! And while I gushed over proposals or weddings and wondered about my own, I completely forgot that I had already been proposed to, and that it had exceeded my expectations. Jesus and you have a love story that will never have a sad ending, it can never be shaken and it is the most beautiful of all the love stories you could ever imagine. So how did the Saviour of the world propose to you? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>With love and grace- Diana C</i></div><div><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-6479215506568052002014-04-30T18:02:00.001-07:002014-04-30T18:24:40.462-07:00Why I Hate #WCW<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Disclaimer these are my own personal views you can definitely disagree with them and I'm open to any opinions as always! This is just a little rant I'm writing from my phone. </div>
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When Wednesday's roll around I'm sure to find a few #WCW post on Instagram of a beautiful girl. #WCW means Women Crush Wednesday where people post their women crushes on Wednesday's on the popular social media app called Instagram. Usually men post these and it's of the most revealing picture they can find of a celebrity. Society has made it it's pursuit to distract people from the reality of life. #WCW may be something so simple but it feeds the sexual appetite of a male (and females) in the rape culture we live in. Two weeks ago 234 Nigerian girls were kidnap from their homes. <b>Picture this, you are sleeping on your bed, when you feel someone grab you, you fight and they put a cloth over your mouth. When you wake up you are in a dark room smell of blood and sweat, you look around and see girls just like you staring at you or at the ceiling. Ripped clothes hugging their legs tight enough so no one can enter</b>. That is the reality many girls are facing. Porn has become a multimillion dollar business, it makes more money than the NBA NFL NLB combined!! A simple picture of a women on Wednesday may sound harmless but not to the 14 year old boy behind his iPhone looking at these pictures and wanting to know more about a "real" women. The internet is so easy to navigate and from one #WCW picture they may find themselves on a porn site feeding their curiosity which can lead to the addiction that about 70% (probably more) people have of porn. Yes I dislike #WCW I also dislike #MCM (man crush Monday) because while we are posting these picture of these women in bikinis etc. There are girls all over the world, even in your own town, being kidnap for human trafficking for the sake of prostitution, porn, and feeding the sexual desires or the corrupt heart of many men. So men instead of posting your next #WCW think about your fellow mothers, sisters and friends and how you can respect them. How one picture leads to so much that even you wouldn't understand. The more fuel you add to this sex craze society the more they are going to produce for the consumers. Instead of posting your #WCW speak up about how your fellow women are being raped and kidnap every single day from their homes. This post is also to bring awareness to what is happening in Nigeria with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls you can support these 234 young girls and their families.</div>
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With Love & Grace - Diana C<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-75308865673955054962014-04-29T10:37:00.002-07:002014-04-29T10:41:19.606-07:00Because of Him<div class="tr_bq">
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The post for today is a little different than most. It's nice to write and express my words and thoughts but today I wanted to take it back to the source, I wanted to share the things I have learned from Jesus but instead of it being my own words, they are all verses. Often times we get lazy with reading His word, I completely include myself in this. But as I was reading yesterday I went through almost everything I have learned from Jesus and I decided to share it with you (the shorter version of course). <b>Because of Him I am who I am today, and so are you</b>. If you actually make it till the end hooray! But if you get tired or bored at least read the last 3 :) </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">"But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn
back from you.<i> Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay</i>. Your
people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and
there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if
even death separates you and me.” -Ruth 1:16, 17
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<b>Because of Him I see the value of loyalty. </b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">"And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her." -Esther
2:15</span></div>
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</div>
<br />
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<b>Because of Him I find power, intelligence and independence
in being a woman.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">"Even if God kills me, I have hope in him;" -Job 13:15</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"> "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part."-
Job 42:12</span></div>
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<b>Because of Him I know He will never forsake me. Even when the world around me is crumbling down around me I know he holds me with His left hand and will lift me up.</b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">"You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage
them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed" -Psalm 10:17, 18</span> </div>
</blockquote>
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<b>Because of Him I am not afraid to go running to him in tears
and sadness in my heart because he listens to me </b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I
send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8 </span></div>
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<b>Because of Him I am strong enough to say "send me"</b>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.
They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I
ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” -Daniel 6:22
</span></blockquote>
</div>
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<b>Because of Him not even the mouth of lions can prevail
against me </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again,
though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord
loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin
cakes.” -Hosea 3:1 </span></div>
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</div>
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<b>Because of Him, I know that love isn't always easy but it is
always right and it covers a multitude of sins.</b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I.
Don’t be afraid.” -Matthew 14:27 </span></div>
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<b>Because of Him I am not afraid to walk on waters. I am not a
ship meant to stay at float on the shore, for I am made to sail in the vast ocean </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she
said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to
the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “<i>Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall
from their master’s table</i>.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great
faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment." -Matthew 15:25-28 </span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Because of Him my faith is persistent </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">"All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has
come to me through them." -John 17:10 </span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<b>Because of Him his glory lives in me</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to
be executed.</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him:
“Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked
him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We
are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man
has done nothing wrong.” Then he said,<i> “Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom. ” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in
paradise.</i>” Luke 23:32, 39-43 </span></div>
</blockquote>
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<b>Because of Him I know what true compassion and forgiveness
looks like</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “<i>It is
finished</i>.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."-John 19:3 </span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<b>Because of Him I know that love isn't what they show on
movies or TV show and instead of the general 3 letter phrase "I love you",
true love is shown on a bloody cross with an innocent man hanging on it for my
sickness, my weakness,and my sin. With Him uttering the most beautiful 3 letter
phrase possible "<i>it is finished</i>"</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age.” -Matthew 28:20 </span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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<b>Because of Him death lost it's sting, and we will never be alone He is forever be with us till the end of age.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>With Love & Grace -Diana C</i><b> </b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-5988289271246012922014-04-21T14:58:00.000-07:002014-04-21T14:58:22.130-07:00You Don't Have To Do It Alone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I'm sure you all know how much me and Diana <b>love</b> the movie Frozen .
It's so bad, like I catch myself singing the soundtrack all the time,
and I really have no shame in it(yeah, I'm a total dork like that). When I was first watching the movie a
while back, I came to notice Elsa in the song "For the First Time in
Forever". She plays a small part in the song, but a big part in my
opinion. She may not be the main focus of the song like her sister Ana
is, but the little words she contributes are pretty monumental, and I
think that it can really relate to many of us.<br /><br /><b>"Conceal, don't feel, put on a show, make one wrong move and everyone will know."</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />When
I first heard this, I thought to myself, wow, I totally know what she's
talking about. It's always been a hassle for me to talk about my
feelings and emotions, and the issues I go through at that. <i>I was always
really good at putting on a smile when that was the last thing I wanted
to be doing.</i> Yeah, I don't have powers to be able to make snow, ice, or
build a snowman (I have to do that the old fashioned way), but I have
felt that I had to put on a show, to hide my true emotions for the
benefits of others. I would always feel that if I opened up to someone
about something that is really hurting me, that it would be a <b><i>burden</i></b>
they wouldn't want to deal with.<br /> Like we see in the movie, the
answer isn't to endure those issues on your own. Even though it was much
too late in the movie, the answer of true love comes in and is
revealed. When someone is hurting, a lot of the time they just need
someone to listen, to show that they care and that they are there for
them. <br /><b>"Love thaws" </b><br />First of all, the greatest love of all is
always there to comfort us in times of sadness and pain. The love of
Jesus, who <b>IS</b> love. <b>And sometimes, we may know that Jesus loves us, that
he is there for us, but still manage to feel alone.</b> That's why God puts
people in our lives; to make our lives better. I can truly say that God
has put Diana in my life to be there for my ups and downs, the good
times and the bad. As my best friend, she has shown me over the years
that its okay to not be perfect. That its okay to have a bad day and to
want to cry. It's okay to be in a vulnerable in
friendship. Giving up your insecurities, your deepest secrets to a
friend who is there to listen and to help you along the way. They are
there to cheer you on, and believe in you when you don't even believe in
yourself. Like it says in <b>Proverbs 17:17:<br />"A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need."</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Even when we aren't
loyal to <u><i>ourselves</i></u>, a good friend will be. <b>No matter how much we put
ourselves down or how alone we feel. God has placed those friendships
that I like to call "strategic friendships" for a purpose...to prove us
wrong every time.</b><br />All I know is that I'm not alone, and I never will
be. That's why you have to surround yourself with godly people. These
are the people that will encourage you when you are down, and give you
an uplifting word when you need it most. I'm glad to say I have a
handful of great friends who I can count on in that sense (y'all know
who you are♡) and <b>I can truly say that when the greatest love of ALL
time shines through someone, there is no heart too frozen, because love
thaws</b>. As cheesy as it sounds, it is so true. Let the love of Jesus
shine through in your life and let the transformation begin. You will be
so surprised! So I leave you with one of my favorite bible verses which
was the inspiration to start this blog. It speaks on the power of
friendship, and is so powerful. <br /><br /><b>"Two people are better off than
one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the
other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real
trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other
warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be
attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three
are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT</b><br /><br />With love, Michelle ♡</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-12956996315640831022014-04-17T06:45:00.001-07:002014-04-17T08:27:13.532-07:00Guest Post: Rise Strong In Faith And The Flesh Will Follow By Diego Andres Lucero <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US">Hey everyone! I'm excited for today's post! About a month ago I asked a dear friend of ours, Diego, if he would like to write a guest post and he actually said yes! Now I am actually super happy he waited until this long to finally finish his post or else we wouldn't have this amazing testimony of what occurred to him this week. "In sickness and in health" shouldn't be just vows to your partner but it should be your number one vow to your life partner, God! Remember our <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://twoarebetterthanonee.blogspot.ca/2014/01/prayer-worlds-greastest-wireless.html" target="_blank">Prayer -The World's Greatest Wireless Connection</a></span> post? Well this is just a taste of what prayer can do and why it is in fact our best WiFi system ever! And with out further or do, here is Diego.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><i>With Love & Grace -Diana C </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On Monday afternoon, April 14, a fever
slowly arouse in my body. As the night approached the fever elevated as high as
40 degrees C lasting several hours. Stomach pain and headaches tormented me
through this time. Tuesday morning I was submitted to the emergency room for
tests. The doctors found inflammation of the colon due to an aggressive
bacterium called salmonella. As I stayed overnight in the emergency room I tried
avoiding the pain and discomfort by watching a sermon by pastor Bill Johnson on
the sovereignty of God where he covered part of Acts 12. It dawned on me how
important and powerful prayer through family and community can be…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Acts
12: 1-10 (Summarized)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- James, brother
of John, was ordered to be killed by King Herod. He was executed by sword.
Because it pleased Jewish public opinion he decided it was a good idea to
imprison Peter as well, and have him executed. After having captured Peter,
Herod threw him in prison guarded by sixteen soldiers and was expected to be
executed in front of the people after Passover. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">So Peter was kept in prison, BUT the church PRAYED ERNESTLY to God for
him. </b>The night before the execution an angel of the lord appeared and led
him. Unseen by the soldiers Peter and the angel arrived at a gate that led to
the city. The gate opening by itself allowed peter to walk through it. Walking
a certain length the angel left Peter and he was therefore delivered from death</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Notice the difference in outcome for James
compared to Peter, one destination was death and the other life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no mention of prayer for James,
(although I am sure there must have been someone praying for poor James), the
bible emphasizes and only mentions persistent prayer for Peter by the “church”-
believers of Jesus Christ. This part of scripture emphasizes the <b>POWER</b> of
prayer through community in the body of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As I fell asleep I meditated on this
teaching and scripture. When I awoke I found my phone bombarded with text messages
from people from my church and close friends, showing compassion by keeping me
in prayer. I was truly overwhelmed with blessings and love from all of those
who texted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My bro Ken, a youth leader at the church I attend to, even stopped by
and prayed for me. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My fever, which had not come down from the day before,
finally leaked out in sweat and my lungs felt opened and a fresh breath seemed to
fill them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Later on the doctor said to my mother,
<i>“your son must have a very strong immune system for him not to be showing worse
symptoms”</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did he know that it
was prayer and the love of God expressed through my church family that was
empowering my immune system. I was sent home that very day to have a speedy
recovery. As of now I feel a million times better and stronger in my faith! For
all of those who kept me in prayer, I thank and honor you for letting the love
of God shine through you. Just as my family was with me every moment the spirit
of your prayers was felt every moment. The compassion showed through all who
prayed really emphasized the teaching and instilled in me a wisdom which is
hard to describe in words. At most all I can say is this:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span lang="EN-US">Although we know that no sickness comes
from God, he can use our situation to guide us to a deeper level of
understanding of his word through divine encounters.</span></b></i><span lang="EN-US"><i><b> My brothers and sisters do not let your faith
be waivered in times of tribulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let every hit from this world that knocks you down be an opportunity for
you to come back stronger in faith.</b></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i><b> </b></i> </span></span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">James
1:3 – For you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance</span></b></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Let us hold steadfast to the promise of who He is and what His will is:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Mathew
6:10 -Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven </span></b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We know there is no sickness in the kingdom
of Heaven, no death, and no poverty. So let us proclaim His goodness even in
times of sickness for this is faith in action. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And if anything we should remember this: </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">2
Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me “My Grace is all you need. My power is
made perfect in weakness”. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US"></span> </div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Where and when we are weak He is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">STRONG! </b></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Keep fighting the good fight!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Much love, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Diego Andres Lucero </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-88927203361277546242014-04-14T14:18:00.002-07:002014-04-17T07:08:37.719-07:00I Am Who He Says I Am<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxBkX14Gmt1jgJX4Eb3jsZ_oBeFGXHujQI6QVxMQNABH12uOZQUGpRHxd-0slOBDRXVA0FcvQeXqymICKoH591jqCmwMcvzic7TqzUQFpjMq86MTgRYOplxmy9BOA74bIMzeaR4MsmH5X/s1600/define.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxBkX14Gmt1jgJX4Eb3jsZ_oBeFGXHujQI6QVxMQNABH12uOZQUGpRHxd-0slOBDRXVA0FcvQeXqymICKoH591jqCmwMcvzic7TqzUQFpjMq86MTgRYOplxmy9BOA74bIMzeaR4MsmH5X/s1600/define.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am who He say's I am. Now, let’s
be real here. We can say the phrase all we want. I am who God says I am. We can
say it and say it, but deep down, we don't believe it. <i>We're too caught up with
our own negative thoughts about ourselves</i>. "I've done this, I'm too
(insert negative comment here)". I've been listening to Pastor Steven
Furtick’s series on Crash the Chatterbox(check it out if you already haven’t!
totally worth it!). To summarize , it talks about how often times we get too
tangled up in our own thoughts or "chatter" and that holds us back,
because we begin to listen to the chatter more than what God says about us. </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I can tell you that this chatter has been present in my life, and it always
will be, because it’s an everyday battle that you have to fight against. <b>It may
not be easy, but we are fully equipped to do so! We have Gods word, and through
this we can find what God says about us!</b> Not what society says about you, not
what your boss says about you, not what your teacher says about you, and not
what the enemy says about you. <b>GOD</b>, it’s about what God says about you! It's
the only thing worth listening to. </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">♥<br />
The chatter says you are so filthy in sin, that you can't be forgiven....God
says you ARE forgiven. <b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Matthew 26:28</b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>John 3:16</b><br />
The chatter says you were born without a purpose....God says you have a
purpose! <b>Ephesians 1:11</b><br />
The chatter says you are worthless....God says you are full of worth and value! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> Matthew 10:31</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The
Chatter says you are ugly….God says you are beautiful! <b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Song of Solomon 4:7</b><br />
The chatter says you are weak.... God says he gives you the strength. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Phillipians 4:13</b> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The chatter says you are alone....God says you are never alone. <b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> Deutoronomy31:6</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The chatter says you are rejected….God says<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you are accepted! <b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> Romans 15:7 </b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
chatter says you are a captive….God says you are set free! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Galatians 5:1</b><br />
<i>I am who He says I am…I am a child of God! <b> </b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>John 1:12</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>♥ </b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am who God says I am. <b>I am defined by Him and no other.</b> What society wants to
say about who I am is irrelevant because I've found my true identity in Christ.
<b><i>It can be hard to silence your own thoughts, but when you look for the truths
that God has spoken over your life, it makes it a whole lot easier. It's about
time that we realize that sometimes our biggest enemy is comfortably sitting in
our own heads</i>.</b> I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of letting my own
negative thoughts get the best of me. It's time to fight back! Defeat the lies
with the truth! I am who HE says I am.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.” Phillipians 4:8</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> With Love, Michelle ♥</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ps. I'm back! Hopefully you guys didn't miss me too much! I know that you guys had some really great reads thanks to my bestie Diana. Just so you know, I'm gonna be posting a lot more than she is in the next little bit. She's getting crazy busy just as I did. </span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-74800921355740700722014-04-11T07:41:00.002-07:002014-04-17T07:09:12.782-07:00The Thought Doesn't Count<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8ytMtrOtcjDDxBSi1YIyF7sUSEdIvrRuBHZfdL5DTfAH_lz8I9J2WB6cfLuMooYX-TxmVNRYq1LSULpSpSKzkZEltEeFGehKBPJJZAwKeMXi4lfKaJa8bl5XsZa1_xjeBu6aLswEA2Ue/s1600/ifnot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8ytMtrOtcjDDxBSi1YIyF7sUSEdIvrRuBHZfdL5DTfAH_lz8I9J2WB6cfLuMooYX-TxmVNRYq1LSULpSpSKzkZEltEeFGehKBPJJZAwKeMXi4lfKaJa8bl5XsZa1_xjeBu6aLswEA2Ue/s1600/ifnot.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
You see, there was this girl on the bus</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Dark skin, curly hair. Elementary age girl </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wiggling in her seat, uncomfortable in her own skin</div>
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I know because I battle the same war</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Scars. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
All over her hands. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Scratch marks and cigarette burns.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
She tries to cover them with her left hand</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Black hoodie, </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mourning soul</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I should have told her she was beautiful</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I should have told her God loves her</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I should have told her her scars are beautiful</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
But I didn't</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's the thought that counts right?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Well no it doesn't count at all</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Being brave is a lot tougher than it looks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
God's love is much too great and amazing,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
that how dare I keep my mouth shut.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
But I'm learning</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And I won't be quiet anymore</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And you shouldn't be either. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>With Love & Grace- Diana</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">P.s. Michelle is back and the next couple of posts will be all her! It has been a pleasure, don't miss me too much! I'll be back soon :) Blessings to you all!</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-20377448835090661102014-04-07T09:16:00.001-07:002014-04-17T07:09:41.310-07:00I'm Out Of Breath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YiYRg0Y1rF8TUlGzPe4bC2esFl0Lfqf-AQ1-IeG9FES_zfgP2eYl2ifJd94xfndv20-YEPXOfQow6rqOot1yGtZ_FGFbnYAp5v2wgMMVd2WHn9mxBvpcXThIHrWPBDKcYRwpNztch93f/s1600/outofbreathe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YiYRg0Y1rF8TUlGzPe4bC2esFl0Lfqf-AQ1-IeG9FES_zfgP2eYl2ifJd94xfndv20-YEPXOfQow6rqOot1yGtZ_FGFbnYAp5v2wgMMVd2WHn9mxBvpcXThIHrWPBDKcYRwpNztch93f/s1600/outofbreathe.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm sure we have all felt that out of breath feeling. Going
up a ton of stairs, working out, or chasing after the dog. For me asthma gives
me that feeling a little more than the usual so I know that feeling all to well. But have you ever felt
spiritually and emotionally out of breath? Like you've been running for too
long and you feel like you are basically in the same place gasping for air?
Biologically when we run too hard and too long our body starts to breathe in
more and more heavily creating the sensation that you are out of breath. It's
the way our body maintains <i>homeostasis</i>. Homeostasis is, '<i>to maintain internal
stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or
stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function'</i>. Spiritually
when we feel out of breath it is Gods way of keeping us in "spiritual homeostasis".</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have so many plans, goals and dream and we just want to
run towards them. But life was not meant to be a 10k marathon, it's meant to be
the most inspiring and beautiful stroll in the park with a few falls along the
way. For an impatient person like myself this concept is so hard to grasp. We
do so much and burn ourselves out to only be standing a few feet from where we just
were just gasping for air. Take the motto of the story 'The Tortoise and The Hare'; "<i>slow and steady wins the race</i>" to refresh you mind this is the story: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="color: #373434; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Once upon a time there was a hare who, boasting how he could run faster
than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise for its slowness. Then
one day, the irate tortoise answered back: “Who do you think you are?
There’s no denying you’re swift, but even you can be beaten!” The hare
squealed with laughter.“Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there’s nobody in
the world that can win against me, I’m so speedy. Now, why don’t you
try?” Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A
course was planned, and the next day at dawn they stood at the starting
line. The hare yawned sleepily as the meek tortoise trudged slowly off.
When the hare saw how painfully slow his rival was, he decided, half
asleep on his feet, to have a quick nap. “Take your time!” he said.
“I’ll have forty winks and catch up with you in a minute.” The hare woke with a start from a fitful sleep and gazed round,
looking for the tortoise. But the creature was only a short distance
away, having barely covered a third of the course. Breathing a sigh of
relief, the hare decided he might as well have breakfast too, and off he
went to munch some cabbages he had noticed in a nearby field. But the
heavy meal and the hot sun made his eyelids droop. With a careless
glance at the tortoise, now halfway along the course, he decided to have
another snooze before flashing past the winning post. And smiling at
the thought of the look on the tortoise’s face when it saw the hare
speed by, he fell fast asleep and was soon snoring happily. The sun
started to sink, below the horizon, and the tortoise, who had been
plodding towards the winning post since morning, was scarcely a yard
from the finish. At that very point, the hare woke with a jolt. He could
see the tortoise a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leaped
and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and <b>gasping for breath</b>.
Just a little more and he’d be first at the finish. But the hare’s last
leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him to the winning
post. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the
tortoise who was silently smiling at him.
</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>“Slow and steady wins the race”</b> he said"</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<b>"Don't take life so seriously, no one gets out alive
anyways"</b> I have no clue who said that quote but I heard it when I was in
8th grade and I put on my Myspace status (holla). Till this day almost 8 years
later, there is not a week that goes by that I don't have to remind myself
this. Because it is so true, we get so caught up with being the best, having
the best, doing the best that we often lose our breath trying to accomplish
everything so fast.
Slow down and enjoy the world around you. Yes there are
people doing more and getting more than you but that doesn't not mean you have
to go out of your way and run at their pace or run faster. Your time will come.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus' life is the prime example of this. He had two
purposes in his life. Do His miracles(gospel) and die on the cross for our
sins. Simple. He probably could have done this all by the age of 25 no doubt.
But his first miracle was at age 30! THIRTY YEARS of waiting for the right time.
Three years of ministry and at 33 he died on Skull mountain for you and me and to live out the Scripture. So why do you keep
thinking that your whole life should be accomplished by 25? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>"Do not run until your feet are bare and your throat is
dry. But you said, ‘It’s no use! I love foreign gods, and I must go after
them.’ -Jeremiah 2:25 NIV</b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The version The Message says it in a way that I absolutely
love! (and I'm not the biggest fan of this version) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>"Slow down. Take a
deep breath. What's the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after
anyway? But you say, 'I can't help it. I'm addicted to alien gods. I can't
quit.'"</b><b>-Jeremiah 2:25 MSG</b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Don't be in a hurry, catch your breath, smell the roses and
walk, you will still reach the same destination but you'll get to enjoy what is
around you. When you feel spiritually and emotionally out of breath take it as a message from
God saying <b>"Hey there! Slow down a bit, you're losing your
breath, take a walk with me instead of running by yourself"</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>With Love & Grace- Diana C</i><b> </b></div>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="center"><br /></td><td class="center"><br /></td><td class="center"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-62980959463163793442014-04-03T15:07:00.002-07:002014-04-04T06:55:48.288-07:00A Letter To Sex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4cJKScuNR93xzrK1WZ2wW5jnD-0mElrLEqnsVP3jbkMoDhj3s1BsGey9iJEdnHcIvwTZVNLIg0ya3y5nbgbuY7sinhUU9jeaVeFgBXm9qZWI5PjIO5e0H5AZgoKHerOlhyphenhyphen79NJV0UkbI/s1600/letter2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4cJKScuNR93xzrK1WZ2wW5jnD-0mElrLEqnsVP3jbkMoDhj3s1BsGey9iJEdnHcIvwTZVNLIg0ya3y5nbgbuY7sinhUU9jeaVeFgBXm9qZWI5PjIO5e0H5AZgoKHerOlhyphenhyphen79NJV0UkbI/s1600/letter2.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
Dear Sex,<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t
blame you, I really don’t have the authority to blame anyone but what I do know
is that a lot of people are afraid of you, I know funny right? I know that you
know that you have been corrupted, it must hurt you huh? Well I’m writing you
this letter to tell you that I am not afraid of you or your truth. You were
designed beautifully and knitted oh so delicately. You are what they call, a
masterpiece, and made by the ultimate artist of all time, God. I want to remind
people that you aren’t dirty and filthy and you are definitely not what they
see in porn sites and movie scenes. I wonder how it feels to see your identity
and purpose stripped away from you in a flash, I’m sure you know it all too well. We both
know I use to blame you for everything bad happening in my life, you were only
an acquaintance yet to me you were the enemy. Then one day I realized you are
not the root of evil, you are the root of something beautiful. Without you, I wouldn’t
be here, and knowing your truth brought healing to my heart. But for many I see
how the lies they say of you affect people:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shame,
guilt, and depression. They have misplaced you and used you, they no longer
hold you in high regards but they think you have the power to cure their wounds
and make them feel loved. You cry out “<i>the only way that I can activate myself
with such power given to me by the Creator of power only works under covenant</i>,”
but they don’t listen. And they rub you like you are a magic lamp but little do
they know that it only works in marriage. Then there are the ones who are
afraid of you because they have been taught that you are the bad person and can only
be used for procreation. I believe you were created for much more than reproduction,
orgasms and one night stands. I believe you were created to intertwine souls
and make them one. That’s why I believe your magic lays in marriage. The perfect
place were two people need to become one, where in sex they find love, grace, compassion,
and oneness. Lord knows I am not contemning those who have experienced you
outside of marriage because every sin is at the same level from up above but if
only they knew that you are practiced in vain outside of covenant. You are
beautiful and I can not wait to experience you. Yes, I am a 20 year old writing
you a letter about how beautiful you are and no I believe I am not too young or naive to speak about you. You have been locked in a little box with no voice
and 11 year old's are learning about you
in the wrong places because some people are too afraid to speak about you, I am
far from afraid to speak about you, i'll be your voice. You are all together lovely and I will wait
for you this time around. I will wait till marriage to become one. I have not experienced
you in such way but I know you are beautiful, and I will wait for you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Awaiting patiently and with Love & Grace</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- Diana C </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-91157833392266409062014-03-31T15:59:00.004-07:002014-03-31T16:08:15.510-07:00Female Empowerment Gone Wrong?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XBo2MV_IZiXDdZe1UOqlt097PclRvmGR8uwPxLHVBxqksNIJonBjG5dDfXdAH9QnKY08RKTA8DMXynK7qyoRRsUYatKYis4OvaDRHGDhQfU4_Eb46t4T-vwH1vBC_IV7Qg0r7l1d6sVs/s1600/lauerndemoss.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XBo2MV_IZiXDdZe1UOqlt097PclRvmGR8uwPxLHVBxqksNIJonBjG5dDfXdAH9QnKY08RKTA8DMXynK7qyoRRsUYatKYis4OvaDRHGDhQfU4_Eb46t4T-vwH1vBC_IV7Qg0r7l1d6sVs/s1600/lauerndemoss.PNG" height="295" width="320" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->I saw two amazing things this past week, one of them being
that picture right about by the wonderful <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://www.thefulltimegirl.com/" target="_blank">Lauren DeMoss</a></span> which says: <b>"What does it cost you to support someone's dream or efforts? To say 'good job' every now and then or to 'like' someone's accomplishments on social media? To throw your hand up and say 'high five' to someone working hard on their dreams or their ministry or their weight loss or their selfie for that matter? What does it cost you to be happy for someone else's success or happiness instead of being put off by jealousy? To essentially say 'hey, I see you out there doing good.' What does it cost to be kind? Nothing. It cost you nothing, but let me tell you... it sure might mean a lot to them"</b> (#wow) and the next being a
this quote:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtVD18NRSEBX9koVCmxoxc0xQIArqb3BhTgVIe_sYihwknTVtK4BFAbfurnh4k-eJWW89FAuktFBlymHOSIhyBLqyDQTVwgT5CyRoWTBTke0gLS0dPAr1fiXySnsDg3_dD5QDkqcaWVmD/s1600/better.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtVD18NRSEBX9koVCmxoxc0xQIArqb3BhTgVIe_sYihwknTVtK4BFAbfurnh4k-eJWW89FAuktFBlymHOSIhyBLqyDQTVwgT5CyRoWTBTke0gLS0dPAr1fiXySnsDg3_dD5QDkqcaWVmD/s1600/better.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
The source is Naomi from <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://lovetaza.com/" target="_blank">Love Taza</a>'</span>s <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://instagram.com/p/mJ4pmISGcI/" target="_blank">Instagram,as one was of her description in a picture</a></span> and I just modified the saying a
little, "<b>Women need women. We need deep satisfying and loyal relationships with one another. We need to not only love each other more but love each other BETTER</b>" (can I get an amen sisters?!.. no.. just me? okay.) There’s something that has been so heavy on my heart recently and it is exactly what those two pictures talk about. Lauren DeMoss’s
quote is just amazing but it ties in so perfectly with Naomi’s.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We’re in this era
where women are starting to recognize it is time to empower each other, and that
is amazing I’m all for that but there is something that always tugs at my
spirit. Are we, as women, being genuine about it? Is it becoming a power game,
a quantity versus quality type thing? By that I mean, are you trying to show
how much you can love women so you can get the title of “best women lover and
inspirer(this isn't a word, I'm sure of it)” award? Is it becoming something you do mediocrely? Trying to find as
many girls you can befriend and just be nice and see if they think the world
out of your kindness. In the Christian “culture” women are “ranked” by how
kind, nurturing, powerful, or anointed they are(we don’t say it but I guess I’ll
be bold enough to put it out there, I may be hated for it) and a lot of us will
manipulated our way into favouritism. Like I said I’m all for women empowerment
but we have to be genuine about it. Women lack REAL relationships with women,
seriously we are supposed to count on each other, we are the only ones that
understand what it feels like to be a women! We can love each other but what we
really need is to love each other <b>BETTER.</b> By better I mean wholeheartedly, to
love three women with your might rather than 15 mediocrely. <i>“We don’t need to
love each other more”</i> you can love many people but not love them the right way, if you need an example of the "right way" look up to Jesus, John the Baptist, Peter, and Mary Magdalene. <i>“But
love each other BETTER”</i> you may never learn to love perfectly, but you can
learn to love better and more genuinely. Don’t take my rant as limitation to
love; our heart grows with the more people we love, the right way. By no means am I a perfect lover or encourager, I actually
suck at consoling, I just stand there if someone cries, yikes! Which is why this stings,
because I want to love the women I know <b>BETTER</b>! I want to focus on the women I know
and really connect and create genuine satisfying relationships with them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can female empowerment
go wrong? Can it actually happen? Has it already happen? I want to know your comments
and thoughts! This is just a little rant before I start studying for the endocrine
system test I have tomorrow, lets discuss this I am so curious about what my
fellow women have to say!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With Love & Grace- Diana C.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-83201691887185265882014-03-28T06:55:00.002-07:002014-03-28T07:07:53.317-07:00Dotting Your i's And Crossing Your t's<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vNm0DhtrehRpZE7hV2_NfhyphenhyphenxMH3s1xWsTBGrUgOE1SeNgZ_nfyPdu6O23o4Piz6wr4spXggDBL0ipcaCawOnuzGaIENuXAya2MyCSiFbXYjmRrvocUPNiL_7T3acEw0F2w24Wqasdzh3/s1600/dotting+your+i.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vNm0DhtrehRpZE7hV2_NfhyphenhyphenxMH3s1xWsTBGrUgOE1SeNgZ_nfyPdu6O23o4Piz6wr4spXggDBL0ipcaCawOnuzGaIENuXAya2MyCSiFbXYjmRrvocUPNiL_7T3acEw0F2w24Wqasdzh3/s1600/dotting+your+i.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a>I was in school on Tuesday and a friend of mine always sits
on the left side, so he came he sat down took out his laptop and asked
"Your not a *insert certain Christian denomination* are you?" First of all I
never told him I was a Christian, he sort of just noticed it the first week of
school and he's an agnostic. We became the best of buddies, I had questions and
so did he, it was great making friends to someone like him. I said "No I'm
not, why?" And he said something that impacted me so much that I was
speechless.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It went like this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Well these ladies came to me wanting to
talk about Jesus Christ, I mean that's cool but I wasn't interested, I learn
that from you haha, but they insisted, I said no a couple of times and then
they where like "You <b>HAVE TO!!"</b> And I said, "hold up I don't <i>have</i> to hear you, I
don't think your Jesus would have <i>made</i> me hear him so why are you?" But I get it Diana, if I believed in someone like Jesus I wouldn't keep him to myself, if I
believed in something so strong and with such grace, I would want to tell everyone
too but Diana why do they want to shove it down peoples throats? You never had
to tell me you were Christian but your actions, they speak. Words are such
nonsense, we don't need more words, we need action. Why do Christian do that?
Your deeds won't earn you a place in heaven. They don't share Jesus for the
love they have for him but to earn something in return, they are dotting their
i's and crossing their t's to earn heaven" </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I seriously wanted to stand up and applaud and say amen
brother! It seems we are more afraid of hell than our belief in the one who
conquered it. Are your actions because you want an A+ in Christianity? Non
believers notice your true intentions don't think you can fool people. Are you
dotting your i's and crossing your t's to perfection? We believe in Jesus, not to
be perfect and to earn a heavenly place. But because we adore the life out of a
man who came down from his kingdom to save us! The man who wore a crown of
thorns, the one that could easily call down fire from the sky while on the
cross but instead said "<i>Father forgive them for they do not know what they
do</i>" That's why we serve him and share him! Not push him down the throats
of people. Serve him for the right reasons not to earn a spot on His good list.
What are your intentions?<br />
<br />
-With Love & Grace, Diana C<br />
<br />
P.S. Michelle [the other half of this blog] is currently preparing for exams and her sister's wedding! This is her last year of university, so plenty of pressure! For now as you notice it is me writing, she will be back shortly so stay tune for some Michelle posts! But for now I hope you don't get tired of my "With Love & Grace" haha. Thank you all for reading!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-26431299097061960532014-03-25T09:26:00.000-07:002014-03-25T09:39:21.872-07:00Elijah Hid And I Tried To Do The Same<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHvZy9zYY5GhB6zDcpSC9Oc06rvfbLKqzxzOwUno1uvbInR7mo1MJevI2bQH0uACZEBXi7cOmxAKgyYvpNyYp3JgdrQPeDbWIwAUh4FdifI_paM5IwHLonIWWgn1-PU_asqa76apFgnkQ/s1600/elijah+hides.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHvZy9zYY5GhB6zDcpSC9Oc06rvfbLKqzxzOwUno1uvbInR7mo1MJevI2bQH0uACZEBXi7cOmxAKgyYvpNyYp3JgdrQPeDbWIwAUh4FdifI_paM5IwHLonIWWgn1-PU_asqa76apFgnkQ/s1600/elijah+hides.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1 Kings 19:1-18. </b></div>
This haunted me for <i>two weeks, </i>but let me give why the reason why. A few months ago my youth elder asked me and a few of our youths to help with the our church's kid ministry and teach them. Now just at the mention of speaking in front of people makes me shake, so when she told me I literally ran away (this is true I went to the other side of the church) and her being the way she is, she pushed me to do it, in the best way possible. I stopped thinking about it until two weeks ago when she handed me a brown envelope and goes "<i>Here's your class</i>" I nearly had a heart attack. There were many text messages sent to her about being panicked (you can ask her shes still laughing). One of the reasons why I started blogging with Michelle was because I knew some of these words and thoughts were going to help us for later, maybe they didn't apply to our life right now when we were writing them but they will some day. My someday came and two posts stood out, both by Michelle, <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://twoarebetterthanonee.blogspot.ca/2014/01/feara-trust-issue.html" target="_blank">Fear....A Trust Issue?</a></span> and <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://twoarebetterthanonee.blogspot.ca/2014/02/breaking-up-with-your-comfort-zone.html" target="_blank">Breaking Up With Your Comfort Zone</a> </span>for these post I am forever grateful.<br />
<br />
But what really made me chuckle was what I had to talk about and that was 1 Kings 19:1-18 "Elijah flees to Horeb to hide from Jezebel". Oh the irony! <b>There I am trying to hide and run away from something that scares the life out of me and there's Elijah hiding from someone who scares the life out of him, we might as well be besties.</b> Those two weeks for me were panic weeks, I would sit and stare at those bible pages and imagine talking to kids and I would shake. Yes kids are scary to me, I think it is far more important to preach to them than to older people (only by a little though), they have the future literally in their hands and here I am having a part in this child's development, I get to shape their history and I want to do the best job possible and at the same time I want to hide.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too" 1 Kings 19:10 </b></blockquote>
The word zealous means to do something with <i><b>passion</b></i>. Elijah had served God so zealously to the point that someone wanted to kill him. I laughed because he had a reason to hide and I'm here hiding from kids. It was God's way of showing me that if he can do it, of course I can do it too. Elijah tried to hide and die and I was trying to do the same (expect the dying part). I was trying to find my cave and just sleep in it. Just like God woke up Elijah, he also woke me up with <i><b>"What are you doing here"</b></i>(1 Kings 19:9) and I couldn't answer him the way Elijah did because I wasn't serving him zealously but what I could say was,<i><b> "</b><b>I will learn to serve you zealously like Elijah, it is my turn now."</b></i> And so I stopped panicking and started writing my class for Sunday morning. The outcome was great. I sat down with the kids around a table, we discussed about Elijah and God and how he will always provide for you when you are scared and trying to hide. We talked, we laughed and we drew. It was lovely and I am so glad I came out of that cave to serve Him zealously, I have the honour to be part of their development, what more can I ask for? God is too good. Now I leave you now with the verse the kids have to memorize for homework:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of deliverance"- Psalms 32:7</b> </blockquote>
<i><b>He surrounds you with songs of deliverance!</b></i><br />
<br />
With Love & Grace- Diana C </div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-52624017034674474162014-03-20T08:14:00.004-07:002014-03-20T17:54:02.774-07:00The Wonders of Dating<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_70CWpSgyoG79XhCkfTY_XuEPAUHo6jHTsb4xnzuWqj8zsfyk1x26cXXOrvrElHh2Qd_8phTsWws2PyXYqRvM5WUWBIyn3s-D9wDEaMpgT6xPUW09b9-L5kVbvqjxP3ezuJQkX4iRU-B/s1600/thewondersofdating.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_70CWpSgyoG79XhCkfTY_XuEPAUHo6jHTsb4xnzuWqj8zsfyk1x26cXXOrvrElHh2Qd_8phTsWws2PyXYqRvM5WUWBIyn3s-D9wDEaMpgT6xPUW09b9-L5kVbvqjxP3ezuJQkX4iRU-B/s1600/thewondersofdating.JPG" height="320" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8c/fe/04/8cfe044eab2c28dca88ff3b096374eab.jpg" target="_blank">[background image source]</a> </span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> "</span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:19</b></div>
</div>
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span></b></i>ating is probably the scariest most old fashion tradition
that exist besides marriage. I guess now a days dating is losing it's value
and it's became just another status on Facebook. I'm going to venture out on
only two things about dating today. The first the cons: how scary and
intimating it really is, and the pros: how wonderful it is. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've always laughed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>when someone asks "I have good news or bad news. Which one do you
want first?" And usually we all say "bad news!" So I'm going to
state the "bad news" first. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cons.</b></span> Sharing your life with someone. It is terrifying, as
an only child I am use to my own space and bubble, so letting someone else into
my bubble is icky. I know this isn't just for only child's. You may live in a
house of 8 brothers and sisters but you still have your own bubble and now
there's this person who wants to invade your permeable membrane and your brain
is like oh no! But your heart is like Omg yes love me! That alone is scary!
Which leads me to the next con, confusion! Ah confusion, like I said your heart
may want it but your intellectual self is like "<i>noooo</i>". This leads to
a spirit of fear. That probably shouldn't even have been there in the first
place but dating makes you over think way to much(another con!). Sometimes we think
that those emotions are placed there because they belong there but often times
they don't. They happen to be there because you are deathly afraid, maybe you
grew up in a household were parent love wasn't present. Maybe abuse, rejection,
and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>neglect were the main emotions in
your life, so your brain has set such a high wall for love to enter that
sometimes even the love of God gets pushed outside that wall. The last one is
heartbreak. *<i>Sigh</i>* I think many of us have been there and it hurts, like the hulk
came and said I'm going to rip your heart apart *<i>hulk slam</i>* yeah it's not fun
and no one wants it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Now to the fun part! </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Pros.</b> Sharing your life with someone. After you get over
your insecurities and fear there is beauty in sharing your life, dreams, and
goals with a person. I'm not saying you are going to be perfect and that all
your problems should be fixed before you date because no sorry to break it to
you but you are going to be far from perfect and so are they. But there is
beauty in growing together and especially with God by your side, he will show
you how fear and confusion can not co-inhabit with His love, which should be
gloried in dating. I'm going to sound crazy but heartbreak is actually a
positive to dating (did I take crazy pills today?). But let me just explain,
having your heart broken actually allows you to grow. It shows you what you
don't want in a relationship and God mold you into the person he sees you can
be. Sometimes heartbreak is Gods way of pinching you and letting you know the
world is no fairytale and that there is hurt and pain but that He is the only
perfect love in your life and He is shaping you into the women/men that your
future spouse deserves, he is also doing the same with your spouse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is something about Christian communities that have
this idea that the first person you date is going to be your future spouse, to
some people that works and that's amazing! But to many it doesn't, and that does not mean God does
not love you or that you have failed Him in some kind of way. It just wasn't in
His plans for you, and he sees the bigger picture not just the corners like we
do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now look at all I said. It relates to dating another human
right? Well if you reread it, you may notice that these also pertain to God and
dating Him, not just humans! (she definitely took crazy pills). But yes your
dating life isn't only reserved for humans and God never promises us a spouse
but he does call us His bride. We are suppose to date Him first but sometimes
the cons get in our way and we forget to see the positive, just like human
dating. Dating is a wonderful thing. Dating Jesus is messy but it is perfect.
Dating another human and having Jesus as centre is just as messy but still
perfect because He is in it. <b>Love never fails</b>. </div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was
granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine
linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write
this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” -Revelation 19:7-9</b></div>
</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-59290543023718137942014-03-18T06:59:00.002-07:002014-03-18T07:40:26.556-07:00Spring Cleaning<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZnPj2JmgfGEvcFq_fS9X4I7bI99m8wJgwb-z98zSIim_SaBH-XUj6A2_NgTR-GBrOoP1JQOnOpO-e2OT3U2GXyogkpjwoJgPa9a5wSerg40zr69jC1kmhs4zH-Oc0vELtvU0pRZrK-uQ/s1600/spring+cleaning.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZnPj2JmgfGEvcFq_fS9X4I7bI99m8wJgwb-z98zSIim_SaBH-XUj6A2_NgTR-GBrOoP1JQOnOpO-e2OT3U2GXyogkpjwoJgPa9a5wSerg40zr69jC1kmhs4zH-Oc0vELtvU0pRZrK-uQ/s1600/spring+cleaning.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><a href="http://laurenconrad.com/blog/2013/07/friday-favorites-118-summer-pinterest-round-up-lauren-conrad-july-2013/" target="_blank">[background image source]</a></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span>y definition spring cleaning is a thorough cleaning of a house or room, typically undertaken
in spring. This is pretty awesome, winter is such a downer and you can start
getting messy with all the socks and coats and dirty boots everywhere. It's a
time to take the chunkiness and black clothing out of our wardrobe and bring in
the light fresh colours. It's a time to clean the floors and walls and remove
any unwanted furniture piece to make room for new space. <br />
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I think it's time to not only spring clean our homes and
rooms but time to spring clean our lives,thoughts and dreams. We all need it
even if you think otherwise. Here are a few tips to get you into the spring
cleaning mood! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here we go!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1. Sit down and reflect.</b></span></div>
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Yes I know that sounds kind of boring and useless but I
swear it really gets you going!! Get to think on this past season of winter.
What didn't you like? Was it laziness? Lack of self-control? Too judgmental?
Etc </div>
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<b>2. Write them down!</b> </div>
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Writing things down makes the situation real and visible to
the eyes. If you just think of it you might never change it because it was
never actually real just a thought of your imagination. So write it down and
make it real on paper. </div>
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<b>3. Blueprint. </b></div>
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The plans God has for us are so much better than the plans
we have, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have plans and goals for the
future or simply to be a better you in Christ. So you've thought and written
down the things you would like to change. Now write down how you can change
them <b>WITH</b> God at your side. Don't try to write plans excluding God ;)</div>
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<b>4. Actually spring clean. </b></div>
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Nothing gets you more motivated than cleaning your living
space. Seriously throw away everything unwanted or that should be thrown out
(you know what that is) and let it go. It's time for more space and less
clutter. </div>
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<b>5. Letting go of certain people.</b></div>
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This one is probably one of the harder ones. Breaking off a
friendship or relationship is tough but sometimes it's the only way to
bettering yourself. Deep down inside we know exactly who we need to let go of
and sometimes we just don't. And these people might not actually be present in
your life but they live in your memory as if they were. So bye bye to negative
people even if that means you'll be alone, it's worth it trust me! </div>
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<i>Now for the last tip! Drum roll please! </i></div>
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<b>6. Spring clean those thoughts! </b></div>
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Yup there is such a thing as cleaning your thoughts.
Sometimes our thoughts can be so negative and sometimes just mean to you and to
those around you. Pray to the Holy Spirit to clean all thoughts of impurity,
lack of self-worth, and judgement out the window. Allow Him to place thoughts
of love, compassion, worthiness and reverence towards The Lord and His people. </div>
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I am no expert on this nor do I go to school for this, but
these are just tips that I'm going to start doing in myself as of now. I hope
you join me on this spring cleaning spree and feel alive! Not numb like my
fingers do in this cold Canadian winter (which doesn't seem to end!). Know that
God will be with you every step of the way and this cleaning might get messy, quite
ironic. It might open drawers you have been wanting to keep shut and out of
sight, but it's time to clean those drawers no matter how painful and throw
away everything hurtful or unnecessary in there. You'll laugh, cry and get
angry but at the end, everything will be gone and clean and smelling like lavender Pinesol!</div>
<h3>
<span class="note"></span>
</h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but
<u><i>be transformed by the renewal of your mind</i></u>, that by testing you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect." Romans 12: 1-2</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">With Love & Grace - Diana C. </span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6288469717185973924.post-14092832244583111272014-03-12T08:45:00.000-07:002014-03-13T20:01:03.980-07:00Don't Be Fooled By Prince Hans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77QSskquQglht3PWbNRjGYlct7U7xDWskn_ZK6BnMwbNXd-wF3qV6kyIpUMv8wA22QhL7_aWnsbeGnMofEXKxhBWvg4-_dfS2cxfsxqLw4GCqoL6v3L0E-Qo6kTsbwPNB8GbXDlyDCg7P/s1600/dont+be+fooled.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77QSskquQglht3PWbNRjGYlct7U7xDWskn_ZK6BnMwbNXd-wF3qV6kyIpUMv8wA22QhL7_aWnsbeGnMofEXKxhBWvg4-_dfS2cxfsxqLw4GCqoL6v3L0E-Qo6kTsbwPNB8GbXDlyDCg7P/s1600/dont+be+fooled.PNG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b>f you know me you would know I am absolutely obsessed with the
movie Frozen, for more than a couple of reasons. But as the title says,
for the girls reading this, don't be fooled by the Prince Hans in your
life. I've meet a couple of Prince Hans' in my life before I met
Kristoff. In this post we aren't going to discuss the Kristoff's in your
life or potential Kristoff's in your life. We are discussing the Prince
Hans that is, or might show up in your life.<br />
<br />
If you haven't
seen the movie, first of, what are you doing with your life? Please go
watch it. But this is going to be a big spoiler to the ones who haven't
watched it, so if you don't like spoilers and are planning to watch the
movie I suggest you opt out!<br />
<br />
Now to those who don't mind
spoilers (fun fact: I absolutely love spoilers) and have already seen
the movie. Prince Hans wooed Princess Anna of Arendelle to marry her. He
was cute, quirky, and handsome and she was ready for a man because her
loneliness was overbearing. After a few incidents Anna was struck by ice
by queen Elsa and it went to her heart. <i>"Only an act of true love can
thaw a frozen heart"</i> - Grand Pabbie (Troll). So Kristoff and Olaf (<i>the best snowman
ever</i>) took Anna back to Prince Hans, and when they were about to kiss
the worst possible noise came out of his mouth, and it went like this;<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>"If only there were someone out there who loved you......But you, You were so desperate for love, you were willing to marry me, just like that"</b></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
My
heart absolutely sank and I wanted him beheaded immediately! I felt her
pain, I can only imagine the feeling of her heart dropping and when she said to Olaf, <b><i>"I was
wrong about him, he wasn't what I dreamed off"</i></b> I connected. I was Anna
before. So blinded by the shiny things and the pretty words of a man; it
can really get to you. Now Anna was suffering from loneliness, and it
always reminds me of a quote that says <b><i>"love when you are ready, not
when you are lonely."</i></b> Now that quote speaks volumes, there's something
about my generation that absolutely hates being lonely. I know, I grew
up an only child so I understand the fear of potently ending up being
lonely forever, you just don't want to.<br />
<br />
You see that's the
issue, when we are lonely we settle. Your Prince Hans probably isn't
going after your throne or kingdom but maybe after your purity, brain,
and worst of all your heart, and not in the "godly way" or even a respectable way in that manner. You know exactly
the boys I'm talking about, the ones that don't know you in person but
in private they are your boyfriend and they want to touch you like you're
written in braille. The ones that have the sweetest words but their
actions are bitter. The ones that you feel put in nothing for you, but
you put your whole self on the line for them.<br />
<br />
Even though Anna's
heart was literally frozen, so were her emotions. She'd been rejected by
her sister, someone she loved. So she wanted someone else to love her.
Rejection is one of the worst things a human could ever experience. Once
you feel rejected our first thing is to find something or someone who
validates your work, love, or existence. So for Anna, the first person
who showed love meant an automatic wedding. It seems funny when it's
written down and read out loud but how many times have you imagined your
self in a wedding dress with someone who just said you have nice shoes?
That's a problem. Desperation for love can lead a women to the wrong
places, I would know. The only place you find true love is in your
Creators arms. In the movie, Queen Elsa and Kristoff kept telling Anna
she couldn't marry him. You know when your family or friends tell you
that someone may be good but just not good for you? Don't ignore it. We
love to ignore the signs. Don't be fooled.<br />
<br />
Anna's frozen heart
was thawed because she saved her sister from death. This is the best
part of the whole movie (besides the musical parts) because it shows how<b><i>
true love doesn't rely on a Prince to save your day.</i></b> She had this misconception that her life was going to start on her wedding day, let me make this clear <i><b>YOUR LIFE DOES NOT START ON YOUR WEDDING DAY OR THE DAY YOU FALL IN LOVE</b></i>, <i>it started when you were born</i>!Your happiness and
self love should never, and I repeat never, rely on another imperfect
human but only in the one who is the Author of love; the perfect love.<br />
<br />
So
please girls, let's not fool ourselves into thinking we have a Kristoff
when we really just have a Prince Hans in our hands and fooling ourselves to believe that the you in a relationship will be a better and happier version of you, because in all honestly and from personal experience you actually end up feeling lonelier.<i> "Only true love
can thaw a frozen heart."</i> And the only true love who can thaw your
heart, make you feel complete, loved and adored is Christ. He is your
first love, because he knew you before anyone else did, he has dibs on
you. Amen for that. So don't settle for less than what you deserve and
don't let the cute words fill your head because they only leave a sour
taste.<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i> </i></b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>"Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right." Songs of Solomon 8:4</i></b></span></div>
<br />
With Love & Grace- Diana C Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05507486006542425246noreply@blogger.com4