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{entry:     Prompt: Paul mentored Timothy. As Christians it is important to mentor somebody. Do you have a Timothy?Yes I have a Timothy. I don't really feel comfortable stating his name publicly but he is a dear friend and confidant. I feel it is very important that we all have somebody we are investing time into as Christians. Perhaps that person needs to make a commitment to Christ as my Timothy does or perhaps your Timothy is fully committed and you are investing in their spiritual growth. It is important that we have somebody we can focus our efforts on. "Prompt: Creation Saturday Prompt: Use these words in your entry: inspiration, hope, rose, love. frustration."I don't have too much creation left in me. I'm passing a kidney stone, which makes me want to be creative in the curse words I come up with but my creativity is at an ebb. My inspiration is coming from pain, which isn't much inspiration. My hope lies in knowing that this too shall pass. I should give myself a rose for trying. I loveto write even in all this frustration. Creation Saturdaysaid this would be a perfect writing prompt... I posted it as a meme on facebook on Wednesday. I think she's right so let's see what you do with it. "While I was out shopping today I tripped in the store, a woman saw this and wouldn't stop staring. So I smiled at her and said, " sorry it's been a while since I possessed a body." Have fun. The woman stared at me as if I was from Mars. "What ever do you mean", she asked. "I just mean that the last body I possessed was Benjamin Franklin. I left his body when the idiot flew a kite in a thunderstorm and was hit by lightning." "Oh", the woman responded. "So you are the reincarnation of Benjamin Franklin?" "Did I say reincarnation? No! I'm an alien from another world whose name you could not pronounce." "Okay', the lady responded. "If you say so I'll give you credit for either being completely delirious or having a good imagination." "Now do you believe me", I ask as I take possession of her body.    |
"February 13, 2019"  What are some of the trials in your life?Trials are actually good for us. It is through trials that we grow into mature Christians. God is faithful with our trials and never allows us to be tested beyond our capacity to endure. I sometimes wonder just how much God thinks I can endure but I always prove Him right. How about you? "Prompt: "As we said goodbye late that afternoon, I thought: "Don't go. I want you in my life. And in a sense, she didn't go." Write a poem or anything you want about a friend you have in your life. "The most important person in my life is Jesus Christ. He will never leave me nor forsake me, Hebrews 13: 5. Jesus loved me enough to die for me. Now that I am a Christian I know I will live with Him forever. "Prompt: Write a letter or a poem to someone inviting them to be your valentine."Very truly you are mine After all you're my valentine Love surrounds us everywhere Each of us in love somewhere Nicely fitting into the mold Tiring not of this thing so old In each other's arms we'll stay Never wanting to go away Ever loving the old fashioned way. {image:2147967-33%| |
| "February 12, 2019" Prompt: What is your most comforting scripture? The most comforting scripture to me is Philippians 1:8 which says that He who started a good work in me will see it through to completion. In other words I am saved and will continue to be saved in spite of my mistakes and screw ups. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate me from the love of God. "Prompt: Since we’re so near Valentine’s Day, what does “to have a big heart” mean to you? The obvious meaning or something more perhaps?"Valentine's Day is a pagan holiday adopted by the Catholic church. Therefore I don't put much stock in it. We are to love all years round. Not just on certain days. Having a big heart means doing the right things at the right time for the right reasons. "Prompt: "Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." Sara Williams, The Old Astronomer to His Pupil Let this quote inspire you blog entry." The Old Astronomer likely believed in the zodiac, which I do not. Astrology is a pagan form of witchcraft and worship and I disagree with it. So I guess I disagree with the Old Astronomer. I will say that I too will rise by the light but my light is not from the stars.My Light is Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. All my darkness goes away in His presence because in Him there is no darkness. |
| "February 11, 2018" "Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen", Hebrews 11: 1. How would you explain faith to a non-believer?" I have a Christian friend who is always praying for God to present evidence in his life. He wants so badly to speak in tongues or see some other miracle in his life. I keep telling him that Jesus told the Pharisees that they sought a sign and none would be given them. Signs would negate faith by proving that God exists. God wants us to believe even though we have no proof. "Prompt: Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me. ~ Sojourner TruthLet this quote by Sojourner Truth inspire you blog entry. " I would imagine that life was very rough for Sojourner. She spent a portion of her life as a slave. The remainder of her life was spent still subjected to prejudices and discrimination. She was an over comer though as she overcame all these things. The old cliche applies here. "When life gives you lemons make lemonade." Sojourner Truth made lemonade from her lemons. She was one of the great abolitionists and human rights workers of her time. Human rights is something that all too many people overlook. I just read a book for class in which the Salvadoran Army was said to have massacred two or more villages in El Salvador. Thousands of civilian men, women, and children were raped, tortured, and murdered. Sojourner Truth spoke adamantly about another human rights violation: slavery. Man will never learn to care for his fellow man as long as we are plagued by pride, greed, hatred, and other sin. The answer to sin is Jesus Christ. "Prompt: After visiting the museum at Auschwitz, journalist Sigrid Rausing writes: “Afterward, I wanted to burn my clothes. Shower and wash my hair and brush my teeth and throw away my shoes. I wanted to get rid of every trace of Auschwitz, as though I had never been there.”https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/02/05/the-museum-at-auschwitz/ Can you relate to Sigrid Rausing’s feelings in relation to this or any other place you have visited? What do you think made her feel this way?" If I went to Auschwitz, which I never would do, I would probably feel the same way. I'd want to wash away all traces of the place. This would not change the fact that millions of human beings were massacred there though. The only good that might have come from their sacrifice is that Hitler diverted funds to their demise that may otherwise have funded his war effort. Those funds may well have changed the tide of the war. Auschwitz and all such places are another testimony to the power of sin. If Hitler had been a Christian he would not have committed such atrocities. |
| "February 9, 2019" Prompt: Tell us of a victory in your life. I posted the topic of victories because today is a major milestone in my life. As of today I am now officially 10 years clean. I took my last dosage of my drug of choice on February 8, 2009 and by the grace of God I have not had to use a drug since then. When I say "drug" I am including alcohol. Just because something is legal and socially acceptable does not mean it is any less a drug. Alcohol is a drug! I have had to use no drugs in ten years, which is a miracle. I remember a time when I could not get up without craving a drug of some kind. I used drugs in such proportions that doctors who hear my story scratch their heads wondering how I survived. I lived that way for a very long time. Then somebody came along and gave me a solution, which I would be happy to share privately with anybody. Just email me. You probably think that my solution was that I became very religious. Surprisingly my Christian faith did not get me sober. After I got clean I became a Christian and my faith is what keeps me clean today. However in the beginning Christianity was not my original solution. As I said, I will gladly share my original solution with anybody who emails me. I will also gladly share my Christian faith if it seems appropriate but my main focus now is to say that Jesus used spirituality, physical well being, and self-help groups to get me clean without my becoming a Christian. Jesus loves us all and He does not want people to suffer from addiction. If you are an addict reach out to me and I'll show you a way out that is not religious. "Prompt: It's Creation Saturday so write a story, a poem, a rant, or a letter to your muse. Whatever you want about creativity. "I'm doing a little creating of another sort right now. My urinary tract is producing and passing a kidney stone. Please forgive my muse today. I almost did not blog at all because I have to suffer through writing a paper for my science class and I have another writing assignment due for science class. I almost opted out of my blog altogether but wanted to write something. Besides today is a big anniversary for me. I quit using drugs ten years ago today and have been sober for ten continuous years. If you had seen me in the throes of my affliction and addiction you would know what a miracle that is! I wanted to write a little about that. I am eternally grateful to the Son of God, who made this possible for me and to all the countless people along the way who shared in my battle both when I was using and in sobriety. My whole world has changed from one of suicidal despair to being on the verge of graduating with distinction from a prestigious university. If anybody reading this is addicted and tired of the routine, please contact me. I will gladly explain the NON-RELIGIOUS path I took out of addiction. Yes faith keeps me sober today. Faith however was not what originally got me sober. What got me sober eventually led me to Christianity but many who follow the path I followed do not become Christian and still maintain their sobriety. You can too. E-mail me for details! Prompt: "It's creation Saturday! Please use these words in your entry: bend, sneeze, rend, thinkable, dynamic and buzz."I'll try. As I said earlier in another part of this entry I am very ill. I have a kidney stone, which while not painful, is causing me a lot of nausea. So I'm taking medication, which is giving me a buzz on the day I am celebrating my tenth anniversary of not intentionally getting a buzz! This high however is on medication that I am taking as prescribed for a medically legitimate condition so it is not against the rules. The rules bend a little when it comes to medically necessary medications. However I do not sneeze at the fact that I have to take controlled substances in sobriety. I take precautions to prevent myself from abusing them such as allowing the nurses of the domiciliary in which I live distribute my medications and being totally honest with myself about what is tolerable pain and when medication is necessary. I try not to rend myself to too much pain but then I also allow myself to feel a tolerable level of it. All questions have honest answers. I never would have considered it thinkable eleven years ago that I would have ten years sober today but I do. I credit that to my Savior Jesus Christ but to be totally honest the program I started out with was not a Christian program. I was five years sober before I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ. You do not have to be a Christian to be sober. If you are addicted and want a way out please email me. Here is a link to my port and email. Chris Breva   . I will tell you privately how I did it. Due to the constraints of the program I used I will not reveal my secret publicly in a blog. Just trust me when I say this dynamic program works for people from all walks of life, both people of faith and even atheists! Although faith is what keeps me strong today I started out agnostic at best. Many people have decades sober who have never become religious. You can too! |
| "February 8, 2019" What is faith? Hebrews 11: 1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of what we do not see. In other word things exist because we say they exist. Faith believes in the unseen and makes the unseen real. We don't see air molecules but by faith we believe they are real. We don't see atoms but faith tells us they are real. Likewise we don't see God but faith tells us He exists. Prompt: “Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.”~ —Paulo Coelho"Life definitely tests us. It is this testing that pushes us to get out of our comfort zone and take the risks necessary for survival. I am grateful to God for every test because I know I will grow. I also know He will never give me more than I can handle. Prompt: What do you think about podcasts? They seem to have a huge variety available and more coming everyday about every topic under the sun. Are they going to replace lectures in classrooms?"I hope not.I hate pod casts and they allow no room for discussion and questions. |
| "February 6, 2019" Prompt: "My friends do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit to see whether they are from God..." I John 4: 1. What does it mean to test the spirits? I believe John was referring to watching and listening closely to what was said and seeing if it lined up with the word of God. All too often the message preached does not come from God. If it is godly it will line up with the word of God. We must be critical of all messages we hear to determine whether they line up with the word. This means we must have intimate knowledge of the word. Prompt: “People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren't already complicated enough.” Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of The Shadow of the Wind What are your thoughts about his quote? Do you make your own life more complicated than it needs to be. Do you know other people that do? "I think we all make our lives more complicated than they need to be. I have a screwed up computer in my brain. I add two plus two and get six. I have to depend on God to lead me because I cannot depend on my own thoughts. If my thoughts are godly I know I can trust them. If they are dark thoughts I must reject them as the thoughts of my screwed up brain. I'm a recovered drug addict. I know my brain is hard wired to do drugs. Being clean is an abnormal state for me. I have been living in this abnormal state for ten years. I will have ten years exactly on February 9. I think I can make it until then if I do today what I did yesterday, which was depend on God. Jesus Christ is my pilot. He gets me safely through. ** Image ID #1971173 Unavailable ** "Prompt: "On the TV Show "Heartland", the family members each have a brick in the fireplace that is theirs. Each new family member gets to pick out their own brick. Do you have any traditions like this in your family?" No. My family is scattered and few of them even speak to me. They say they are busy. I no longer bother to try to have relationships with them. |
| "February 5, 2019" Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Prompt: What is sin? Sin is lawlessness, 1 John 3: 4. It is a violation of God's commands. Everybody is guilty of sin. One of the first things people often say when you are trying to lead them to salvation is that they are doing okay on their own.When they do we must point out that man never does "okay" on his own. If it were possible for man to be "good enough" to save Himself then Jesus would not have had to have died. Isaiah tells us that our righteousness is like filthy rags compared to God's righteousness. (Isaiah 64:6). Paul tells the Romans "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God:, Romans 3: 23. The wages of sin of course is death or eternal separation from God. Romans 6: 23. So is somebody asks what is sin I tell them sin is lawlessness and explain my meaning. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: “Sometimes there is no darker place than our thoughts, the moonless midnight of the mind.” Dean Koontz Why do you think people experience those dark thoughts, and even some become fixated on them?" Of course I do. I'm a Christian. I know that within man there is no good. Man is inherently evil. See my entry above and it will explain sin. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one's voice. Joseph B. Wirthlin Write about the little things you are grateful for." I am grateful for the next breath. I am grateful for a triple chocolate mocha every morning at Starbucks on campus,which is my treat to myself for suiting up and showing up. I am grateful for professors who respect my point of view even if it differs from theirs. I am grateful for Jesus Christ who walks with me all the way. I am grateful for my friends who are closer than family. I am grateful for my church and the many opportunities I have to serve there. I am grateful for homework as I learn from it. I am grateful for a B when I could have had a C. I could go on and on. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- |
| "February 4,2019" Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Prompt: What is the "why" of your church? My church, the Salvation Army, recently undertook a new goal at the territorial level. We set out to make sure that all of our programs were helping us meet our "why"? Our why of course is why are we doing this to begin with? What is our ultimate goal? Our ultimate goal of course is saving souls. So we are revamping our programs to be sure that the ultimate goal of all of our programs is saving souls. If it is not we eliminate the program. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "How do you develop your characters typically? In Writer's Digest Cassandra Lipp suggests an interesting approach. She suggests to research for your protagonist by listening to poetry or music on youtube as a source to help develop your character? These poetic verses or notes could inspire your character in ways you hadn't thought about. What do you think?" Maybe I'm not the greatest writer but I don't put a lot of emphasis on character development. I'm more about action. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: The Flowers of February are the violet and the primrose. Let these two beautiful flowers inspire your blog entry today." I live in West Virginia. There are no flowers here in February unless they are imported or greenhouse grown. I would imagine there are flowers someplace because this is a big world. Winter here means summer someplace else and flowers always grow in the summer. So there are purple flowers somewhere,just not here. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- |
| "February 2, 2019" Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Note: I apologize to those who follow my blog for not blogging yesterday. My Internet had crashed. Image #2177637 over display limit. -?- Prompt: What is your church doing to reach people for Christ?my table today. We just had a big series of meetings at the Salvation Army, all aimed at the "why" of of our mission. The why of our mission is the reason for our existence. We are all about salvation. This whole study we just completed at our church lets us know what we can do better to reach the lost for Christ. Today I will be attending our first annual Salvation Army animal show. One of the features of that show is going to be a prayer table. I will be running the prayer table. It is my sincere prayer that somebody will come to Christ at my table today. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: February 2 is Groundhog Day. The day a furry little rodent sticks his head out of his burrow and may or may not be frightened by his shadow. Will he see his shadow? Does it matter if he sees his shadow? How will the polar vortex impact the groundhog seeing his shadow or not? Have fun. Be creative." Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not does not matter. Either way the weather is going to go exactly as God has it planned to go. The groundhog cannot predict it though it is always cute to see the groundhog. I don't buy into superstitions although my mother raised me to do so. She was very superstitious. I have since come to realize that God is in charge and I don't need superstitions to run my life. Groundhog Day is a superstition. Besides it only stands to reason that regardless of whether he sees his shadow or not there is still going to be six weeks of winter. Winter ends March 21, 2019. Six weeks from now! Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- |
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