Room A203: Getting to know Ty Crable, founder of NeKeShea Organic Blends! (Part 2)

Hey there BCU Family!

ty-cLast time we were together, we were chatting with NeKeShea Organic Blends founder, Ty Crable on her decision and tips on going natural. In part 2 of our interview, Ty talks about faith in God and how she got started in creating her awesome brand of  organic and all-natural hair and skin products. Take a listen to this non-sponsored,  products-bought-with BCU’s-own-money, affiliate-free interview and prepare to #GetYouSome! (that’s Ty’s tagline)!

nekeshea-condish
Yes!! The nourishing and creamy NeKeShea goodness!

 

Is your curiosity piqued? I know, I know!!! And yes, please stay tuned for the finale of our interview–as a matter of fact, you may want to listen to part 3 prior to making your purchase! *insert raised eyebrows*.

Until then, please visit Ty over on her Etsy shop, so you can start making your list!

As we wrap up, please remember there are additional podcasts for you to enjoy on the BlenCouragesU.com site that are available 24-7!  You can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes.

Before you go, we’d LOVE to hear from you! Need a nudge? Try answering this question:

Which of NeKeShea’s products will you try first? 

As always, thank you for stopping by and may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you! #StayOnTheWall!

BlenCouragesU1 Comment

#ThatMomentWhen–you are attacked on your assignment!

Hey there BCU Family!

As usual, you have the option of listening to our podcast (click the BCU avatar below to listen), reading the notes or BOTH. In any case, we pray the podcast blesses you. If so, please thumbs up or leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy your study!

Let’s dig into Nehemiah chapter 4!

V1) But it came to pass, that when Sanballat [his name means enemy in secret] heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

Now the work was going fine—everyone building as they should and here comes the enemy. Once again angry from just hearing that the work was being done. Notice how that spirit started off alone in mocking and teasing the Jews.

V2And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

Then Sanballat speaks in FRONT of his people and a Samaritan army—who knows HOW many people that was! That prideful, angry, distracting spirit needed an audience to help stop the work on the wall.  He goes on by name calling, belittling their efforts—like they could not do this alone, questioning their ability to sacrifice, would they be able to do it in a day? How could they get stones out of burnt material?

God had that covered when Nehemiah got all his supplies from the king/letters. See..the enemy does not know everything! Nor was it his business to know! He kept pulling out the fiery darts to stop the work of the Lord. We need to recognize the darts for what they are and rather than argue in the flesh about WHY we are called, we need to rest and continue working knowing WHO called us! And EVEN when things on the assignment really start to look impossible–remember OUR God specializes in the impossible! Ask me how I know!

V3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
In ancient times, the walls built around cities were tremendously thick and high–some in Babylon were reported to be 380 feet thick and over 100 feet high. Obviously an animal who averages 4- 31 pounds was NOT going to break the wall down. That comment was a distraction from the enemy. We have guard against being distracted! Those comments/tricks serve two purposes: to delay you from doing God’s work or to destroy you in the process of doing the work. And in either case, the end result is not what God has called us to.

v4Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:

v5And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
What I LOVE about these verses is that Nehemiah and his folks never answered these people. No justification, no explaining, no running, no getting in feelings, no stopping the work, no hiding—they took it to the Lord! The mothers of the church used to sing “if I hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battles, victory, victory shall be mine!” It is not necessary in every case to get into someone’s face. Let the Lord do the work!

v6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. 

This scripture is just speaks to my heart and it where the BCU tagline comes from. In the midst of the attacks, they KEPT working. We keep ministering, we continue serving, being a blessing, preaching, ushering, whatever your job is. You may cry and get hurt—no doubt!! Give it to the Lord and keep working. You’ll be blessed for it.

v7But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

v8And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

So now the walls were up and and the gaps were being closed, Sanballat and Tobiah — and now the Arabians, Ammonites, Ashdodites are heated!!!!!!!!! So they join forces to fight against and hinder the building process. The more determined you are to do what God says, the more you’ll be fought against. When we recognize these attacks as spiritual rather than personal, we know how to respond PROPERLY.

v9Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

Verse 9 says they prayed and watched. Prayer will not always stop the enemy, but it will strengthen YOU! Are we watching?  Not in a creepy, fearful way–using the wisdom and discernment God gives us.  Does the enemy come through that co-worker or family member? Through an old, new, smoldering flame? How about creeping up on you with self-destructive behaviors like over-eating or nipping. Perhaps loneliness, fear, people talking about you effects you? Then you respond in angry outbursts, passive-aggressive behavior, slothfulness? The enemy may come in a different vehicle but the operating parts are usually the same. Different package—marked new and improved, but the contents are still the same! WATCH so you KNOW who the enemy is, how he is attacking so you pray and GUARD against it! Amen? Amen!

Well, BCU family we have to stop here, but there is PLENTY more to this challenge for Nehemiah coming up, so, please stay tuned for that! In the meantime, there are other podcasts for you to enjoy–you are welcome to peruse the BlenCouragesU.com site 24-7!  You can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You can also listen in and subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher Radio , Google Play, and iTunes.

Before you go, please comment and tell us what stood out to you in this lesson and how will you apply it?We’d LOVE to hear from you!

In the meantime, thank you for stopping by and may God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you! #StayOnTheWall!

 

 

Love,

 

BCU

 

BlenCouragesU14 Comments

Lessons from the book of Ruth (1:1-15)

 

Hey Family!

While the content is very similar, the written transcript varies slightly from the podcast. I am trusting you will be blessed in whichever format you choose to enjoy the Word through!

God bless you and welcome to BlenCouragesU! Last month, a few of my friends and  I thought we’d do a Bible study on Periscope,  and the Lord led me to the book of Ruth. You may be thinking, “seriously–Old Testament?” “This same story?” Trust me, there are some nuggets here! I know I found a few that paralleled MANY of my life situations! To prepare, read though Ruth chapter 1 and then we’ll dig in.

Background: This was a time when Israel was pretty disobedient. In fact, Judges 17:6 says “and there was no king in Israel, but everyone did what was right on their own eyes.” (Times sure have not changed much).  So a consequence here was Israel was experiencing a famine in the land, so Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion move to Moab.

So–what’s Moab got to do with anything? This is significant because Moab had oppressed the Israelites for eighteen years under the leadership of king Eglon, (Judges 3:12-14),  ON top of the fact, when the children of Israel were fleeing Egypt, Moab would  not feed them, AND the Moabites hired a prophet, Balaam to curse the children of Israel (Numbers 22:1-6 and Deuteronomy 23:3-5). In fact, verse 6 of Deuteronomy said: “you shall not seek their [Moab’s] peace or prosperity all your days forever.” With all this history and direct command from God, Elimelich moved his family. Anyway. Not so fast, family! How many times have we directly disobeyed God for something we needed, but did not trust He would supply..maybe out of curiosity, fear, desperation, no other way out? I just told one of my young people, God would never tell you to do something bad to get something good. 

Situation: After a space of time, Naomi’s husband, Elimelech dies and her sons marry Moab natives Orpah and Ruth. After ten years, the sons pass away, leaving Naomi, Ruth and Orpah destitute widows.

 So, they were widows…why is that important?  In biblical times (and in many homes today) men provided for their wives and families–and they did that well. Widowhood at that time is not like now–we have life insurance (well, we should–if not, please invest today) and many women work outside the home, so they can help/provide for themselves. At the that time, even if a widow did work, she was often fleeced, neglected, and overlooked.  God, in His infinite wisdom set up a law that said the widow must marry the next of kin on the deceased husbands’s side of the family. But…think about it…who would be related to Elimelech in Moab? No one. And after so many years, what relative would be alive back home? How could they find not one, but three relatives? Hence Naomi’s impassioned plea for her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and start over as she prepared to go back to Judah. Orpah took Naomi’s advice and went back to “her people and her gods”.  Ruth insisted on staying citing, she would stay, worship Naomi’s God and be her family until death.

Relationships: I’m sure Orpah loved her mother-in-law, yet despite knowing the laws, situation and what hardships were ahead of the elder woman, Orpah still chose to leave Naomi to fend for herself. While we may chide her for doing so, in all honesty, how many of us would take on in-laws or other members of the family indefinitely? (As God directs, of course). Would we do it lovingly, or automatically think of the extra work, inconvenience and responsibility involved? While the Word does not tell us Orpah’s thoughts, she clearly left Naomi to fend for herself.

Well family, this is a good place to stop, reflect and meditate on what the Word of God has revealed in our hearts, and more importantly, to talk with the Lord on how to apply the Word in our lives, with His help. I’m going to part here so we can all take the time to do just that. Lord will, when we get together next time, we’ll finish up Ruth 1, starting around verse 16, make our way to the end of the chapter, and prepare for Ruth 2.

I trust this study was a blessing to you as much as it was to me! If so, please take a moment  to give us a thumbs up, share and comment–we’d love to hear from you! Thanks SO much and may God bless you for stopping by, and until next time, #StayOnTheWall.

 

Blen

BlenCouragesU5 Comments

Be on high alert: Holiday blues

Hey Family,

As many of us prepare celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s with family, friends, serving others, or what have you, I’d like us to keep ourselves, those around us and especially those we do not know in prayer.

I recall a few years back on a Friday night, I was at a  Christmas dinner party with some friends, where we ALL laughed and talked for hours–it was one of the best times I had ever had!  Fast forward to the following Monday and we learned one of the guests had committed suicide. I was SHOCKED..and as I recounted the time we had together, I did not detect this engaging person intended to carry out their own demise. It still breaks my heart to think about it. 😦

*Sigh* "The holidays are here again"...
*Sigh* “The holidays are here again”…

While there is not a set time, the enemy, adversary or plainly, the devil seems to come around hard during November, December and January, working on the minds of people to convince them there is no hope, you’ll never get a job, your family does not love you, you have no friends, things will not get better, that relationship will not work, nothing goes right, the pain is too great, things will only get worse..et cetera. And the ultimate–if you end it all, you will finally be at peace. That is NOT so–your soul has an eternity to live with that decision, and it WILL be one you regret.

God is the giver of life and whether we saved or not, as depressing, sick, tough, painful, ugly, unbearable, tiring, impossible, messy, hurtful or what ever is happening  (and yes, I DO understand.. we have ALL been here some time or another), God does not give us permission to end our lives–that’s HIS job. Rather God directs us to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). The Word also reminds us that Jesus wants all who labor, are burdened and are heavy laden to come to Him for rest! He wants to exchange burdens with us because His burden is light. (Matthew 28:11-30).  Is that easy to do? No! Think about the alternative, though–as we carry burdens, they get heavier, we get weaker, sicker, less motivated, depressed and then the suicidal/self-destructive thoughts  and actions come. It is true we will have troubles in this life,  but God really wants us to come to and depend on Him to help us with every situation we have.

Bottom line: Sometimes, behind the smiles and jokes, there is a person who is hurting and does not know how or to whom they should reach out. Pride, fear of ridicule, stigma, losing social status, gossip, being bullied more (all coming from the enemy), can rob a person from this earth prematurely leaving the family and friends reeling from the shock and praying for God to heal their shattered hearts.

My Holy-Ghost filled readers, please… ask God to sensitize your heart, spiritual eyes, and give you what to say to those around you. Be on the lookout for people who are laughing, but there is pain in their eyes. Make it a point to call or SEE someone (NO texting or email unless it’s to set up a meeting). Only use Skype or FaceTime if needed..just make a personal connection. Pay attention to folks at the market, pray silently (or with them if they would like) for the representatives you speak with on the telephone.  As you are getting your hair cut or styled or shopping about, ask the Lord to bless, heal, deliver and save anyone who comes in the shop.  As you think about it,  pray for those who may be depressed over losing a loved one, relationship, job, hurting, and over life in general. Ask God how to help–maybe you can cook a meal, give a gift card, buy them a coffee, or just listen –be a friend. Your act of kindness can turn things around. Also, ask God to help YOU (yes, believers feel sad sometimes), to take all your heavy burdens to Him. Confide in a trusted friend or prayer partner as needful.

If you do not know Christ, and are feeling blue or know someone who is, know that we are praying for you. Take every situation to God in prayer right now–you do not have to be fancy about it, just talk to Him.  Ask Him to send you a sensitive, Holy-Ghost filled counselor who will give you biblical and practical advice. God is STILL in the saving, fixing and healing business. He has done it for me and wants to do it for you and others as well..you have His word on it! He promises.

You can reach out to me at:  Blencouragesu at gmail dot com. (just type it out like you would any other email address).

God bless you for reading and taking action!

 

Love,

 

Blen

 

 

 

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Visual: What are you thinking?

Hey Family!

Take a look at the chart below. I saw it on Linked in—I’m not sure who the original author is (if anyone knows, please let me know), but this SPOKE to me!

The Word of God reminds us that we are to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). That’s important because what we think translates into words and they effect our actions.  In fact, Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue and you will “eat the fruit of your words”. Every self-depreciating comment, negative affirmation or put-down is like eating rotten, deadly fruit. How many of us would knowingly eat harmful food? If you’ve ever had food poisoning or ANY gastrointestinal trouble after eating a particular food or at a place, you would totally avoid it! We need to incorporate this in our thought and word choices.

Additionally, the result of the rotten fruit not only effects you to the point where you feel like you cannot do anything correctly, it either draws other “flies” to you (fellow bad fruit eaters–that’s another post) and/or can drive away the folks who prefer to speak life. Moreover, it is a like a slap in the face to God, who has made us and not we ourselves (Psalms 100:3).

Bottom line: If it you are reading this, it’s not too late to repent for thinking and speaking in the negative. We all say things on the left side of the list from time to time, myself included—the thing is not to continue practicing this behavior. How different would our lives be if we spoke life into ourselves, children, co-workers, et cetera? In fact, after praying, the Lord blessed me to tell a couple of folks with God’s help, they would be a blessing to all they came in contact with. Do you know they came back with a victory report?! Thank you, Jesus!!! So it’s best to ask God to help us line up our thoughts, words and actions with His Word and enjoy the fruit of the spoken labor. Amen?! Amen!

God bless you and thank you for reading!

Blen

What are you thinking?
What are you thinking?

BlenCouragesU3 Comments