October Ramblings...Are your leaves only half changed?

We have a tree in our yard that usually turns a beautiful red in the fall. This year, the leaves on one half of the tree have changed and the other half hasn't yet. And, they aren't as brilliantly colored as they have been in past years.  It reminds me of me sometimes.

When I came back to the church it took me a long time to recommit myself to Christ.  What do I mean?  Well, I had made a statement that I belonged to Him but I wasn't living for Him.  What did that look like?  I went to church, I attended a small group bible study and I had a passionate prayer life.  But, I still struggled with BIG sin issues. I didn't change my habits on the outside.  I still drank- a lot, I still struggled with sexual sin, I swore a lot, I basically did what I wanted and only felt a little bad about it. It was at a "Revival" type of event that God showed me that I had one foot on either side of a chasm and I needed to choose which side to be on.  I made the leap that day. I would like to say that it was an immediate change, it wasn't.  In fact, it took a couple more months for me to realize that I was still looking back to the other side of the chasm and even then change wasn't immediate, it took hard work to get there.

Change is hard!

I was and still am the type of person who likes to "stick it to the man".  In this case, I was fighting hard against giving up what I considered "freedoms" and moving to what God calls us to do. I eventually made small choices that helped with the big things in my life, all with the help and grace of God and my new Christian friends.  That meant giving up a lot of my old habits, which included a lot of my old friends.  It sucked, it really did.  I felt like I was giving up a part of myself.  And I was, because in order to take up our cross daily we have to die to self and become a new creation in Him.  It meant losing relationships I had from childhood or at least a big change in them.

Where are you at in your journey?

I encourage you today to take stock of where you are in your life, with your faith. In fact, I will be encouraging you to do so frequently this month, at least I hope to.

Look inside and see where you are.  This is something I think we need to do daily, and I try most of the time.  Lately I have to remember that His Grace is Enough.  When daily life gets to you, when it seems like you are in a holding pattern or sometimes slipping down a slope, remember that He is throwing you a rope, but you have to grab it and do some of the work.  There will be some days that will feel like you are slipping down that rope and getting rope burn, other will feel like you are just hanging on for dear life, still others will feel like you are drifting. Then there are days that burdens feel lighter and because of that it feels like you don't have to pull that hard to make progress, it just happens.  In the end just know that he is always holding that rope and he is cheering us on like a parent who loves His children and wants what is best for them.

Happy October.  Here is gets cooler and the leaves change, things look a bit brighter when the sun comes out and the air smells crisper.

Do what you need to do to get back on the right track.  It isn't always easy, but in the end, it gives you Hope.   Do you have hope?

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for 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. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Movie Review: I Can Only Imagine

Do you remember the first time you heard MercyMe's song I Can Only Imagine?  I don't remember the specific day but I had an overwhelming response to it and at that time I had walked away from my faith and the church.  I can't pinpoint what it did for me, but I do know that it made me weep and long for something greater than me.

I still feel that way now when I hear it.  I remember when I came back to the church, while rediscovering my faith I heard many MercyMe songs that spoke to my heart and need for a savior.  I clung to those songs and their lyrics while I fumbled and found my way.  To this day, MercyMe's songs help me through some serious times.  I remember when my Uncle passed about 6 years ago and their song Hurt and the Healer came on the radio.  It wrecked me so much I had to pull over. But, it allowed me to work through my grief so much easier.  

Music can do that for some people and I'm definitely one of them.

So, I didn't get to the theater to see this movie. I just put it on my Netflix queue and finally watched it.  I was blown away!  It's an amazing story of how Jesus can change people when they truly wish to be changed.  I cried and laughed and cried again and in the end I felt a feeling of peace and satisfaction.  It made me be very introspective as well.

I watched most of the special features on the disc as well.  I was in awe of the casting of Bart Millard.  Apparently, the actor that portrays him, J. Michael Finley was the under study for the main role in Les Miserables. Of course, casting Dennis Quaid as his father was crazy good as well.  It was Dennis Quaid's first role of a "bad" guy changing into a "good" guy.

I highly recommend this movie.  It was an amazingly moving film about redemption and forgiveness.

There is also some resources available from Bart Millard @ http://bartsstory.com/

Here is an excellent resource on forgiveness and what it requires and what it is/is not.


Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

Do You Have Hope? Have you shared that Hope?

The subject of the second coming keeps coming up in conversations, bible readings and sermons lately.  Not sure what God is trying to tell me.  What I do know is that in this world it's hard not to get caught up in our day to day lives and just let the day pass us by without thinking about how we should maximize our days for the Lord. 

Why is it that I don't feel the urgency to share the Gospel?  Is it because I believe I have plenty of time?  Is it fear?  Laziness? Selfishness?  For me, I think it's a bit of all of the above, especially the selfishness one.

After Jesus was resurrected, he told everyone to go and spread the good news: "The Gospel".  But we see that most of the believers just stayed put for some time.  It's not until they were urged back out again by other apostles and endured persecution that they moved outward.

Maybe that is what the issue is in many parts of the world today. Where we are so free to believe and act almost anyway we like to, that we don't have an urgency to share it with others.  But, there are parts of the world where people are constantly persecuted for their believes and they want nothing more than to worship God with others and to share that Good News with others, that it can cause loss of family ties, imprisonment and even death.

So, what can we do about it right now?

Well look inside yourself and think about how you can share your faith.

For me, I think this blog tends to be my outlet. But I also look for small opportunities to say things to people.  For instance, when I'm in the store and I see someone struggling with getting something from a top shelf, I stop and ask if I can help them and then I say "God must have made me a little taller for a reason." No, it's not sharing the Gospel, but it's getting people to think about God.

Have you heard about Gospel Tracts?  These are nice little gems you can leave around places. Doctors offices, gas stations(at the pump), on a car windshield, etc.  You can find these all over the place on the internet.  Personally we have purchased from Living Waters. 

Point people to the take The Good Person Test. 

Use resources like The Way of the Master to help you get comfortable sharing the Gospel with others. This isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it helps to understand how to share.

Use your own personal story to share with others.

We are called to plant the seed, God will handle the rest. 

What is Mustard Seed Faith?

It only takes a spark to start a fire.  Hey, that's a song I know.  Here it is!

No matter where you are in life, there is hope to have and to share.

God Bless!

How to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan 2018

Ramadan starts tonight for the Muslims in this world.  Last year I did something different by walking along side daily with Frontiers, they showed me how we can pray for Muslims during this time.  Here is last year's post.  Maybe you don't know much about Ramadan and are wondering what's it all about.  Here is an informational link about it, similar to the one I linked to last year.

Last year was eye opening for me.  I wrote a couple more posts about this as well, you can read them here(Followup 1) and here(Followup 2).

If you sign up this year, here, the point of view is different from last year, it's a family's journey to share the Gospel.  I look forward for my heart to understand more about this culture and how to pray for their salvation.  Each of us need a savior, we should be saddened by how many people grab hold of something else instead.  It should spur us on.  Sometimes fear gets in the way and it does it because we don't understand or we are selfish.  When I focus on others I learn way more about myself in the process and how I need to change.

I encourage you to join me in prayer this year.

A lot of times we become apathetic about our salvation. We forget that there are others in this world that don't have a savior.  When we join in prayer for those people so much can happen.

Got Questions about Ramadan or Muslims?

There is a great resource that explains the differences between Muslims and Christians, check out https://www.gotquestions.org.  Try typing in Ramadan and you will see quite a few articles explaining the differences.

Mark 8:34 

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

May 1st-May Day! Mayday mayday mayday!

Ever wonder about the 1st of May-May Day and it's origins, you can check it out here. Although we don't celebrate it in the states anymore-we celebrate Labor Day, you can check out my blog about that here.

I prefer to think about it as a welcome to Spring instead. Here in NH the weather is warmer and the sun is shining more than not. It's a time for a fresh start, a do over-what ever you want to call it.  Like the perennial flowers that bloom in our yard this time of year, they get to start over. Why not us?

I was reading a devotional this morning that talks about faith in an interesting way.  Most of us can't identify an evergreen tree. You really only notice them when it turns winter. It can be hard to tell the difference between them in the other seasons. When winter sets in it can become a lot clearer which trees hold onto their leaves and which don't.  The same can be said in our spiritual lives.  Perhaps we don't really know what we are made of until we encounter winter, when things feel off, things are tough and that's when we find out what kind of spiritual walk we have, how we truly worship God.

For me, it's a struggle every day to get into the word, never mind actually feel like I'm getting something out of it. When tough times come it's a reminder of how close or far away from God we truly are.  So, if you are in a place-a little farther away that you would like to be, start fresh. It's May!  Sometimes it's re-evaluating monthly, sometimes weekly, for me lately it's daily, sometimes even hour to hour.

A lot of us don't really understand the struggles of others and how well off we are.  It can be hard without some type of context.  If you haven't engaged with Voice of the Martyrs ministries, I implore you to do so now.  Check out my post here.

Ramadan is coming this month, it starts on May 15th. I am ramping up to engage myself in praying for others during that time frame.  I wrote a couple of blog posts about that last year, this is one of them and to this day it remains my highest hit post on my blog. 

This year you can sign up here.  I look forward to learning more about other cultures and taking the time to focus my prayers on people who need them.

Don't forget to pray for yourself as well.  It's a connection to the Father through Jesus that we often take for granted in this life.

Do you feel like you are failing, falling or in need of help today?  Why not call out Mayday, Mayday, Mayday to our heavenly father?  

We seemed to be beholden to time, but Our Father in Heaven, well his love endures forever.

Psalm 136

Forever God is faithful, Forever God is strong, Forever God is with us..... 

40 Acts Wrap Up 2018

I was really looking forward to engaging a lot more during this Lent season with the help of 40 acts.  At the beginning it was working really well, I had been doing a bible study on James a couple of weeks before and it happens that this 40acts year was based on James.

Then Life Happened.     

I started having more and more issues with my stomach.  I have been having some food issues for awhile now, but it seemed to culminate right before Lent started.  I finally decided to do some research and then made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor. She spent quite some time with me and we decided to start the Whole30 diet but without caffeine, chocolate, strawberries and all other things that have bothered me in the past: which are a lot of foods.  The first 11 days felt like torture.  I have never cried so much over food before, and I felt like a complete and utter baby.  Needless to say it pulled me away from 40acts in a big way.  I still read the emails, I still prayed(although not in depth) and I still tried to keep an eye out on opportunities that fell into the acting generously. 

As I continued focusing on myself, my food, my self pity- I focused less on God.

What is it with all consuming things in our lives that pulls us away from God and not toward him?  

It's been 37 days now on this "diet" and I am falling into a bit of a swing with how and when to prepare food for myself, while trying to feed my family as well.  When you need to make 3-4 different meals everyday it can be overwhelming and time consuming.  What I did learn is that although I wasn't eating poorly, I wasn't eating healthy either.  I will write a separate blog post about my experience in awhile once I can get my head around things again.  I am still struggling with this experience and trying to find some type of middle ground.


When life throws me in the middle of something like this, I have to ask myself, why do I run away from God instead of toward him?  I need to make some changes to my lifestyle.  Encourage better habits for myself instead of just running back to the old comfortable ones that can be destructive.

I know, I'm babbling a bit.  My brain isn't firing properly right now.  

What I have to say is that I am having some encouraging results right now with all the changes, however, there are a lot of discouraging things as well.  But, life can always be less than optimal.  When it comes to leaning on something or someone, I know it needs to be God.

This applies to any type of hill, mountain, pot hole, rut, ...inset weird metaphor here for what you are going through-no matter the size.

I implore you today to turn around, repent, do a 180 and turn back to Him.

Remember, that after Lent comes Easter.  He is Risen!  Without this, life would be unbearable sometimes. 

I have a hope, that someday all this pain will be taken away and we will no longer be strangers in this world but live for Him in eternity.  I want to try every day, hour, minute to focus on him. It's hard but I need to remember that it's worth it.

Things could be so much worse.

And Yes, I look forward to next year's 40acts.  I will continue to do this until it becomes a part of my daily life.

When Jesus rose from the dead, Death was Arrested.  What a powerful thought and image.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”

If you would like to know the back story of this song check it out below.  It's worth the listen.

Review of PureFlix & VidAngel Services

Pureflix

Some of you that read my blog might recall my post series called "Let's Talk-" all about forms of entertainment. You can take a look at them here: TV, Movies, Music, Video Games & Books.

Since then I've been trying a few things out.  One of which is Pureflix. I asked for a gift subscription for Christmas and I received money for a few months worth.  I am currently in my last month, after the free trial I had enough to get me through 3 months worth.

Pureflix is full of some really great movies.  They have some bigger budget movies that have some great acting.  They also have some lower budget movies that have some not so good acting.  But like any movie, I try to go into it without too many expectations and see what I can get from it.  I have started watching movies and not finished them because they were just too boring for me.  But, I've found some really good ones too.  

Often times when I watch a movie and like a specific actor/actress I will go to IMDb and see what else they've been in.  In this case, Pureflix is where I watched the movie Like A Country Song and when I looked up the actor in this movie I came upon the movie Priceless, you can read about my review for that movie here.

I've had some laughs, some cries and a lot of introspection after watching these movies, which doesn't happen as often in mainstream movies.

I think the Entertainment circuit is catching on though, people are realizing that there is a whole lot of untapped potential for Christian movies being put into the mainstream. There is a large audience for it.  I came across this article on this in particular which gives me hope that maybe the way things are now are going to keep going and getting better. 

But, I also came across this article from last year that speaks to faith based films in a different way.  I can see where the writer is coming from although I don't completely agree with her entire article. But I do agree especially at the end of her article where she says " "Christian" shouldn’t mean "safe." "Faith-based" shouldn’t mean "ham-fisted." Audiences shouldn't expect to leave the theater comfortable. Movies should change our lives and expand our imaginations. If it just reinforces our prejudices and lines in the sand, then it’s just a feature-length infomercial."

Back to my review of Pureflix... I think it depends on the person really.  I liked a lot of the movies on here and I think I am going to cancel after the end of this month.  But, that doesn't mean I won't ask for another gift subscription for my birthday or Christmas to watch some more movies to get my wheels a turning.  Give it a whirl for yourself, it's a free trial to start, just don't forget to cancel before the trial ends so you don't get charged, unless of course you wanna keep it.  I like companies like this that want to give us "clean" entertainment at a small cost, some of the movies aren't for everyone, but some are those gems that really make you think.  And some help you have sympathy or empathize better for people in situations you would probably never find yourself in.

VidAngel

Onto VidAngel review:  This is a really cool service.  You ever wanted to have your kids watch a specific movie but it had too many swears or those unnecessary nude scenes? Yeah, that's me.  What this service does is use your already existing subscription to Netflix or Amazon Prime and allow you to filter out all the things you don't want. They are still ramping up there services as they are currently under a law suit. Along with Netflix and Amazon Prime they also have HBO subscription.  I tried both Amazon Prime & Netflix through the service.  I signed up for a free trial and canceled before it renewed into the new month.  

I thought this is one of the coolest ways to handle filtering. You link your accounts to VidAngel and then when you go into VidAngel you can look for a movie or show you want to watch and filter out whatever you want.  They break it down for you a lot!  For instance I wanted to watch a Sci Fi show that looked really good on Netflix.  Of course it's rated TV-MA.  Now this rating can mean a lot of things, but without watching it you really don't know until you get in there.  In fact, this show is what prompted me to start the free trial at VidAngel.  

I watched the first few episodes through Netflix. I was hooked.  However, I was disgusted by all the nudity.  I can handle the swearing for the most part, but the nudity was just gratuitous, uncalled for. It was, as my husband would put it, "putting a wet blanket on the whole thing".  So I signed up for VidAngel. I had watched part of an episode through Netflix the previous day and so this was the perfect way to test it. I started watching that episode through VidAngel from the beginning to see how it went. If I really missed out on anything.  I filtered all Nudity and all the F-words.  I found that I was able to watch the show without any distractions. I really enjoyed the story line so much more. I wasn't irritated or disgusted at the end of the episode. This is a big deal! There have been so many great story lines out there that have had so much over the top nudity and the like in them that I just had to stop watching them, it was disturbing and irritating because I really enjoy entertainment. I like to watch a show, a movie, read a book and really engage in it. I love story lines that are thought provoking and intentionally get you involved with the characters. It can cause so much introspection.

The technical part of this service is super easy. I didn't have any issues linking the accounts, or finding out how to filter. And they did a superb job with the transitions from scene to scene.  Sometimes, when you filter something out it can seem like it's choppy or cut, but this almost seamed seamless to me.  As to removing the profanity, it just blanks out the words, no beeping - just silence where it would have been.  Of course, that also means that if you have a large amount of dialogue with a lot of profanity in it , most of words won't be there.  However, in this case because the writers only used the profanity in a way that could make sense in those situations, it didn't seem strange. The reason I haven't told you the name of the show is because I don't want anyone to watch it unfiltered.  I don't think it would be a good idea at all.

I am hoping that over time we can see more subscriptions for filtering available through VidAngel.

Another nice thing is that you can get a monthly membership or can just buy credits through them to use as you like.

I also used the service to watch a movie on Amazon Prime and it did well with that one too. There wasn't all that much nudity in the movie, but there was a decent amount of profanity that I filtered out a lot of it.

Some of you might want to argue about creativity here.  That isn't the way that the director or the screen writer intended the film to be. Well, to you I say this: This world we are living in today isn't the world God intended. I think enough said on that subject.

Wrapping it up

So, if you are looking for some good clean movies or you are looking for a way to watch movies and TV shows a little more filtered, then these are definite good services for that.


Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.