Random BCU musings–episode 300

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • With the help of the Lord, we are celebrating episode number 300 of the BCU podcast!
  • For this podcast, I plan to chat about “unrelated and random” topics, as well as answer a few questions.
  • If this podcast goes as planned, it will also be in video format located here.
  • As a continuation of a previous podcast, tune in to see which questions I answered.

Q & A

  1. What is your favorite holiday movie, and what does that say about you?
  2. What has been your favorite job you’ve held?
  3. What has been your least favorite job to date?
  4. What is your favorite Scripture and why?
  5. If you could go back and give your 18-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
  6. Tell me about the three most influential people in your life and how they impacted you.
  7. What does your morning routine look like?
  8. What was your favorite subject in school?
  9. What’s your favorite color, and what does that say about you?
  10. Who has been your most important professional mentor?
  11. What’s one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their life?
  12. What are three other podcasts you’d recommend to my audience and why?

Scripture references

Proverbs 16:28
A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends

Proverbs 18:16

 A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

Mentions:

Sharon Wilharm | All God’s Women.com

Chrystal Evans Hurst | The Sister Circle

Adam Graham | The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

BCU Fam, I have to confess, with the packed week I had, I was not sure how this podcast would turn out, but as always, the Lord worked things about beautifully! I am honored that the Lord has entrusted me with such an important assignment and will do what I can with His help to continue to keep encourage your hearts so we can #StayOnTheWall together! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You, today, we thank You, for blessing us to see 300 episodes together and we bless you for the entire BCU family! Please bless all who are listening today and every family represented here as well. Please remember those who are going through trying circumstances and need Your help, comfort, strength, guidance. Please speak to someone’s impossible situation, and let them know You have heard their cry and will answer according to Your will and way. Thank you for being the lifter of our head and strength we need, in Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesU2 Comments

What happened to my website?!

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • UPDATE: The BlenCouragesU.com site is BACK UP. GLORY to God!!!!!
  • Currently, there is some sort of debacle with my domain name which is now http://www.bl-encourages-u.com. (insert face palm).
  • I tried to get this fixed straightaway, but am still awaiting a response.
  • After taking this to the Lord in prayer, we are going to give thanks and go in another direction with our format.
  • Please listen in to see which of the questions below I answered.

Scripture references:

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I Thessalonians 5:18

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Questions:

  1. What’s your favorite childhood memory?
  2. How did you meet your spouse/significant other?
  3. What is your favorite holiday movie, and what does that say about you?
  4. What has been your favorite job you’ve held?
  5. What has been your least favorite job to date?
  6. If you could go back and give your 18-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
  7. Tell me about the three most influential people in your life and how they impacted you.
  8. What does your morning routine look like?
  9. What was your favorite subject in school?
  10. What was your favorite trip you’ve ever taken?
  11. What’s your favorite color, and what does that say about you?
  12. Who has been your most important professional mentor?
  13. What’s one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their life?
  14. At what time of day do you get your best work done?
  15. What are three other podcasts you’d recommend to my audience and why?

BCU Fam, I hope you enjoyed our chat—I know I did! I confess I was a little stressed about this situation, but after taking it to the Lord in prayer, my choice was to leave it with Him and work around the situation with His help. Additionally, I was thinking to do a post like this for my 300th episode, but since things got shifted, we pivoted and adjusted as needed. Sometimes, these light afflictions come to test our faith and reliance on Jesus. With His grace, I believe I passed the test and we thank the Lord for that! Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You today, thank You for this special time together with my BCUFamily! And we bless Your name in the midst of the confusion that surrounds us. We thank You for the privilege of taking all of our concerns to You in prayer, and to hear Your voice as to the next steps we should take. As many of us wait for You to handle our situations, we thank You for helping us to maintain a demeanor and countenance that reflects You at all times, so that You are praised and honored in our lives! In Jesus name, we thank You, Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, if you so inclined, join us for our Thursday Night Bible Study––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform BCU is available on. Some of those platforms are Amazon Music, AnchorFm, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify,  Stitcher Radio , and many more of your favorite podcast platforms!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Room A203: I’m officially 30…

Hey there BCU Fam!

Typically, you have the option of listening to our podcast, reading the notes or both. For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • Birthdays are a special time for many of us, myself included.
  • I have NO qualms about celebrating—–all birthdays are a blessing from God!
  • My “government” birthday is in April, but August 23,1992 is my REAL birthday.
  • 30 years ago this month, I was filled with the Holy Ghost!

Scripture references

Acts 2

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?… (Acts 19:2).

“….we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God”(Acts 2:11).

BCUFam, I’d be less than truthful if I told you that the last 30 years have been a smooth, silky walk in the park of a life. Salvation does not guarantee a stress-free life–in fact, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). So while trying times are a part of the walk with Christ, we can be of good cheer because of Jesus has everything under control. And even when we “feel” that tribulation, we can call on Jesus in prayer at ANYTIME day or night. We can come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16).

When you have the Holy Ghost, Jesus lives down on the inside of you—leading, guiding, comforting, chastening and loving on you all the while. Along with so many wonderful things about Jesus, He is a heart-fixer, mind-regulator, heavy-load bearer, tear-dryer, attitude-adjuster, company-keeper, battle-axe, The lover of our soul, a Fence around us, A Rock in a weary land, a Shelter in a time of storm, A Sword, A Shield, and The Everlasting Father that always supports all His children! Who would not want to know a God like this?

If you are saved according to Acts 2:38, stay, stay, stay with Jesus! If not, today is your day to repent (be godly sorry for all your sins). Then ask the Lord to send you to a church that will be baptize you in Jesus name for the remission of those sins. Finally, ask Jesus to fill you with the gift of the Holy Ghost. The initial evidence will be you speaking in tongues–just like in Acts 2! Please note, that after repentance, the Holy Ghost may come in before you get baptized–especially if your heart is ready to receive it. Just be sure to follow up with the baptism. Please reach out to me if you need further assistance!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, if you so inclined, join us Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you SO much for stopping by. God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

Room A203: The BCU Story Part 2

Hey there BCU Fam!

Typically, you have the option of listening to our podcast, reading the notes or both. For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • Last time we were together, we talked about my early childhood career choices.
  • I was to a point of burn-out on my current job–but God had a plan for me.
  • The Lord led me to a career in teaching/training on my job which led me to the gift of teaching in my saved life.

Scripture references

Proverbs 18:16
A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

Ephesians 4:11-12

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Romans 12:4-8

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Lord is so marvelous. He has a way of orchestrating the individual events of our lives so that He gets the glory.

BCU Fam, the Lord is so marvelous—He has a way of Keep in mind I had no previous teaching/training experience (other than playing school with my brothers), or any formal education at the time–God just smiled on me and worked things out in my life to His glory and for my good. I am so VERY grateful for how the Lord has blessed me to be a blessing to all of you.(Insert happy sigh).

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, if you so inclined, join us Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you SO much for stopping by. God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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Room A203: The BCU Story

Hey there BCU Fam!

Typically, you have the option of listening to our podcast, reading the notes or both. For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • As a young girl, I used to want to be a nurse or a teacher.
  • When I grew up, my career choices eventually led me to corporate America.
  • My early career days (before Christ) were filled with a lot of “fun” that wasn’t pleasing to the Lord.
  • The Lord saved me and took me through quite a few hard times and lessons–as well as good times that led me to my gifts of encouragement and teaching.

Scripture references

Proverbs 18:16
A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

Ephesians 4:11-12

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Romans 12:4-8

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Sometimes our choices come with hard consequences we have to walk out. The good news is that God will walk with you.

BCU Fam, the Lord is so marvelous—He has a way of orchestrating the individual events of our lives so that He gets the glory. I had no idea that all of the hard situations I had been through would bring me to His perfect will both in my work and spiritual life. If the Lord says the same, I’ll continue the story the next time we are together!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, if you so inclined, join us Thursday nights––we are LIVE on YouTube 8:05EST/7:05CST. You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you SO much for stopping by. God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

BlenCouragesU1 Comment