Encouragement – Page 52

Treasure hunt…

Hey family!

For the second time in as many years, the local and national news (http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/24059298/2013/11/25/black-friday-shoppers-already-camped-out) have highlighted “Black Friday” shoppers who are already camped out in parking lots awaiting for all the bargains merchants are offering. While I am certainly NOT against sales, saving money, purchasing things you need or even desire, I wonder a couple of things.

First, what message does this send our families and children? Thanksgiving is traditionally a special day set aside (and in addition to all the other 364 days we give thanks) for families to come together, share a meal and count the blessings God gives us. While I suppose that can be done in a pop-up tent in a parking lot, is the specialness of that time dismissed by rushing the security guard who opens the door? Trampling the lady who steps in front of you? Pouting and cussing the clerk if they sell out of the $200 56 inch flat screen television before you get one? Are we giving God thanks while loading the cart? Are we going into debt trying to lay up our treasures on earth?

Second and more importantly, how does God feel about this? Again, while there is no sin in getting a bargain (we need to be good stewards), are we putting material gain over family time? In 5 years, Lord will, is getting the Wii more important than sitting around the table and recanting stories from when Junebug and Haskell were little? Is there any value left in building relationships, friendships or just enjoying company of other people? What about just thanking God for life, health, strength, food and whatever He gives us richly to enjoy? When I was a child, my siblings were just content to stuff ourselves and take a nap!

Bottom line: Yes, I realize this is America and we can choose to celebrate holidays anyway we choose. If we think about it, every holiday that comes around is focused on the deal of the day, rather than God or even a family aspect, which God created. And if we are not careful, we can get sucked in to believing that happiness is just a purchase away.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

What we value the most in our hearts comes out of our mouths and actions. As the coming of Christ comes closer, my prayer is that The Lord will be reflected in our speech and actions over the upcoming holidays and all year round!

God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving and always!

Love,

Blen

Pic courtesy of: http://www.monroecommunitychurch.org/blog/uploaded_images/title-and-sermon-755879.jpg

26 Nov 201319 Dec 2015

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Stewardship

Hey Family,

A while back, the Lord blessed me with a thought about stewardship and what our responsibility is, so I thought I’d share a condensed version. Let’s start of with some background. So what is a steward?

In the Old Testament a steward is a man who is ‘over a house’ (Genesis 43:19; 44:4;).

Similarly, in the New Testament, a steward is a person who’s been entrusted to care or honor something. This could apply to Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard:

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first’ (Matthew 20:8).

Steward also means a manager. This would likely be more around the parables of the Talents and the Unjust Steward.

After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard
man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest (Matthew 25:19-24, 26-27).

He also said to His disciples: “there was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ (Luke 16:1-2)

WOW! Since we know what NOT to do, what are some areas can we exercise good stewardship in?

Money–besides tithes and offering, alms or giving to the poor.

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given (Proverbs 19:17). When God pays back, it’s going to be FANTASTIC! He gives good gifts to His children.

Time–we make time for what we want. Ask God for better time management skills and commit with His help to break the cycle of tardy. We also should allocate proper time for things like chores, family time and of course, prayer and time with Christ. We should be thirsty for Him!

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water (Psalms 63:1 NKJV).

Body–Physical health–How are you feeling?

Yes, yes, we are not here to stay, gotta die of something, etc. While that may be true in theory, why purposely self-inflict illness? Isn’t it a blessing to witness, praise and worship God in a working temple? Sometimes things just happen and we fall ill, but we want to do what we can to honor the temple or home God gave us by giving it whole foods, vitamins, rest, water and treats in moderation.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 KJV).

Gifts–God does gives gifts and talents, what are we doing with them?

Are we burying the gifts God gives us? Or are we using them well? Think back to the parable of the Talents.The servants that took risks had to get up, go out and do something to earn the other talents! While the Bible doesn’t say, I wonder if they immediately got the new talents or if they messed up a couple of times? Most things take some trial and error to perfect and God will honor your faithfulness. There is a cost of not using what God gave you:

‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:29-30). If fear, doubt or concern of failure, what others will say comes up in your spirit, take it to God and trust He has properly equipped you. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25).

Bottom line? ALL things, including time and money that we have are on loan to us by God. He trusts us to take good care of His things, so we should want to always do our best with His help! Amen? Amen.

God bless you!

BlenCouragesU

4 Nov 201319 Dec 2015

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Smoothie love (infographic)

Hey Family!

Awhile back, I spoke about the love I have for smoothies, specifically green smoothies. I have one or two almost daily packed with spinach or kale, a banana, almond milk, and super foods like cacao, coconut oil, chia, flax and hemp seeds.

I usually supplement my healthy-ish meals (hey, sometimes you need a little cake!) with my smoothie and other times, I take it with me as I run errands or in between church services. It fills for a bit and keep me out of fast food land. This infographic, courtesy of superskinnyme.com, gives you a great idea on different types of smoothies and their effect on your body. Take a look and let me know if you have questions!

21 Sep 201316 Dec 2015

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Visual: Food swap 101

Hey Family,

I often say since I’m “over 19”,😛 I have to (actually, want to in many cases) to do things a little differently. Part of my “differently” is recognizing when there is a healthier alternative for certain things, I typically do a little research and try it out.

The following infographic on healthy food swaps from MBG Wellness Expert, Jess Ainscough (WellnessWarrior.com.au), outlines 80% of the swaps I’ve successfully incorporated into my diet. (I’m not a rye bread fan, nor have I tried nut cheese, but I’m willing). 😃

When you’re used to eating a certain way, it can take some time (and nerve) to add something different–and you may need to experiment with cooking methods, herbs, spices and condiments. Once you do, you and your body will reap overall health benefits. No, we didn’t come here to stay–we do want to be as healthy as possible while we are here so we can be a blessing to others. Let me know what changes you’ve made!

Love and God Bless you!

Blen

18 Jul 201316 Dec 2015

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A Fixed fight—David & Goliath

Hey family!

Happy July to you! Can you believe we are more than halfway through another year? I have heard the older you get, the faster time goes and I am certainly a witness to that! Anyway, I’d like to share a classic Bible story with you–David and Goliath. While many of us know and remember the story from Sunday School, I was recently reminded of the spiritual significance.

I Samuel 17 tells how giant Goliath, champion of the Philistines taunted the Israelites twice daily for over a month–looking for someone to fight him. He was “kind” enough to make a deal with the Israelites: if they won, the Philistines would be their servants, but if he won the Israelites would be servants to the Philistines. I wonder if Goliath and his crew rested assured thinking, “yep, we got them right where we want them.”

Meanwhile, the word tells us the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid! These were the same people who experienced the blessings (and punishment) of God, but likely because Goliath was so big (almost ten feet) weighted with all that armor, and so confident, he frightened his opponents so NO one wanted to fight him. That is until David, a youthful shepard came by, heard Goliath, and was incensed that he would defy the army of the living God. David went to Goliath with no armour, rather with The Lord on his side, and a rock to Goliath’s forehead. As I was reading this story, a couple of things came to me.

Notice Goliath never touched the Israelites—he just spoke to them and they fell to pieces. In comparison, the adversary is a type of Goliath. He taunts, accuses, brings feelings of doubt, fear, worry —sometimes paralyzing us so we fall apart and we will not fight. We allow the enemy to stop us from doing what God called us to. We draw back when we notice the stern, unsmiling faces at church when we speak. We stop praising God freely because someone is looking at us. We stay out of the prayer line fearing the congregation will be wondering why we are up for prayer–again. We think,”what if God doesn’t…..” or “maybe people will laugh” or “what if I mess up?” The list can go on and on, but you get the picture. Proverbs 29:25 reminds us, the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Whose side are we trusting on?

Also, while what we feel may be real, we have to recall what David said to Goliath: You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied (1 Samuel 17:45). David had total confidence in God and the ability God gave Him. AND David didn’t have the Holy Ghost, but WE do. We’ve got THE power in the name of Jesus, we just have to use it!

Also, while we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (no stones needed) 😄, we do wrestle against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Those battles are fought and won with fasting, prayer, reading your Word, and knowing that our God is God! While things may not go the way we want them, God in His infinite wisdom has won every battle–the fight is fixed!

Bottom line: while there are some “Goliaths” in all our lives from time to time, those of us who are Holy Ghost filled have the privilege to know the same God on whom David relied, is the same one we can call on for help. Psalms 98:1 reminds us His [God’s] right hand and His holy arm has gotten Him the victory. Because He lives in You, you can rest in knowing God is working on your behalf to ensure you will be victorious, according to His will! Fight on!

Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly!

~Blen