FROM DEATH TO GOD

The night was still and the darkness swallowed the colorful sights which daylight brings, surrendered to the eerie blackness of the night.  You long for the comforts that a warm and cozy home brings but, alas, left with only the moist chill of the fog that hits your face as you struggle to find your way but your feet are soaked from the wet and unforgiving ground you have to trek. Not able to see the path before you feels like that same chill goes through you penetrating through your body, to your bones and piercing its way through your soul.  A certain fear comes over you and suddenly you hear the howling of a wolf.  A sound that undeniably connects to something that is not of this earth.  You know it lurks but where?  Is it close? Then, before you can even figure it out for sure, a gust of wind sends your already weak body to push even harder through to a destination unknown.  Your determination keeps you from further frailty to seek refuge, somewhere, somehow, away from that place you got lost in, the place you did not intend to be.  Fear creeps up from nowhere and overcomes your very soul and shakes you to the core.  

Oh how you wish someone was there to save you!  But who?  Anyone.  Someone!  If no help came, death is sure to follow.  But for you, death would be a welcome relief.  Death of body, that is.  What becomes of you after death?  Was the situation you were in before the death wish temporary and more conquerable than the one you never saw coming?

Actually, yes, it is.  There is nothing in this world that God cannot handle for you.  The trick (pun intended) is easy.  Instead of thinking about taking your own life, ask God to take over your life and then let him drive you.  You have to be sincere in giving it up though.  As in, don’t even go back and try to fix it when you couldn’t before.

When the foundations are shaking and you wish you could hide, remember that God is still in control.  His power is not diminished by any turn of events.  Nothing happens without His knowledge and permission.  When you feel like running away - run to God.  He will restore justice and goodness on the earth in His good time.

Remember that death by your own hands will deliver you directly to satan.  Don’t let him get a hold of your body, mind, spirit and soul.  he doesn’t deserve you.  You deserve God and His never failing LOVE.  

Halloween does not have to be a negative event each year.  It reminds us that spirits of the underworld is very real.  It is not a celebration of ghouls and goblins but a reinforcement that there is a more powerful God who is there for us, yesterday, today and forever... if we only allow Him to be.

Until my next rant.  LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WRAP - SOYAMI!!

Ingredients

Butternut squash cut into cubes (i used half only, its kinda hard to cut)

olive oil

1/4 stick of butter

slat

pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

1tbsp onion soup mix (optional)

1tbsp chopped garlic

1/4 c chopped kale

tortilla, wheat wrap, or whatever you like

Shreaded cheddar cheese

Lite Sour cream

How to:

Cut the squash in cubes set aside.

Heat oil and butter then add the garlic and saute.

Add the squash and seasonings

Fry until golden brown like this:

After that, push the squash to the side and add the chopped kale

Stir and cook together.

Remove from skillet.

Heat the wrap.  I used a flatbread type 

and I heated it in a toaster oven and flipped it to heat the other side.  I spread some cheddar cheese until melted.

Like below.

Spoon the squash on top, add sour cream then clutch.

Soyami!!!

GIVE IT UP THEN FORGET ABOUT IT

I’ve been writing blog posts for almost two years now and I am hoping that you continue to take away something good every time.  Whether you agree with me or not, knowing that it somehow helped in any way would be so humbling to me.  Week after week God has impressed in me what subject to touch up on, but sometimes it’s just me sharing what I enjoy doing because I feel so blessed to be able to do so in this type of forum.  

I am not a public speaker.  I do not feel comfortable speaking in front of any kind of crowds.  So when God impressed in me to share my testimony, I struggled in my search for a way to impart His precious message.  I knew that I had a passion for art and then suddenly, one day, He impressed in me to use it to help in getting more people to a path that leads straight to Him.  So, in obedience, here I am.

Oftentimes, I get passionate about what I write just because that is how passionate I am about the importance of having God in my life.  I cringe whenever I hear someone say after a tragedy that there is no God.  As much as I can understand the sadness one must feel when tragedy strikes, I can’t help but wonder have they really done their part in actually having a good relationship with God, or if they even acknowledge Him at all throughout their lives? 

There is a misunderstanding about humans and tragedy.  Please understand that God does not cause tragedies to happen in our lives.  We don’t cause tragedies in our lives.  Satan on the other hand IS the cause of tragedies in our lives.  I believe that anything good that happens in our lives is God’s doing, and anything bad is not.  God does however, use every tragic event to get us to shimmy a little closer to Him so that He can carry our burdens.  Now why would God, the most powerful being, stoop down to our level so low when we don’t even deserve it.  The answer is simple. That’s how much He loves us.  So much so that He gave up His son so that we can be cleansed from our original sins.  And no matter how much we sin even after we are born again, He keeps on loving us.  All we have to do is love Him back enough to become one with Him.  How dare we blame Him to cause us tragedy.  It doesn’t make sense.  Someone who can forgive us with no questions asked, sins forgotten, that same person cannot cause us sorrow!  It doesn’t make sense.

So the next time a love one dies, or when you see unfortunate people homeless on the street, someone with a terminal illness, or even the problems you face daily, stop and think about it first.  Will you be spiritually mature enough to say yes, this is a challenge facing me today, but I will call on you Lord to help me out because this is a burden I cannot carry, nor can I change.  God said in His Word, give me your burdens and I will give you rest.  Let me ask you, can you look around you and honestly tell me, if there is anyone in the flesh around you, whether they be family or friends, who would ever offer to take your heartache, burdens, tragedy, suffering, etc. so that you didn’t have to bear them anymore?  No one.  Only God.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

IF I COULD SAVE TIME IN A BOTTLE...

If I could save time in a bottle... as the song goes, I would open up the one from the 50s.  It was a time when most people were still respectful of each other, calling each other by their last names with a title.  Their morality was still intact.  They were polite to each other, kind to each other, but most of all, the vast majority were believers in God. 

It is clear that the world around us has gotten worse since Christ died and it was prophesied to be such.  So as much as we can’t single-handedly change the world, we CAN single-handedly change OUR world.  What I mean by this is that if you are young parents, whether or not you were raised right, you have the responsibility of making a paradigm shift and raise your children right.  By right I mean teach them to be respectful with you, elders (anyone who is older than them), teachers, neighbors, etc.  It would not only help to make the world a better place but also to be good examples to their peers.

Just like an eagle soars by itself, it also depends on its own cognizance to deal with his own life, where he goes to find food, being self-sufficient.  He is unlike other birds who flock together and do exactly what others do in order to survive.  Teaching you children to be their own person will develop their own self-sufficiency with God’s help and guidance.  Teach your kids to call on God not only in times of distress but also in times of plenty and achievement.  Tell them that they do not need to be one with any group especially when there is bad intent.  That they can stand on their own merits and without having to be a follower.

Our world is out of control these days, and the worse is yet to come.  But I don’t think it’s too late for good to win over evil as long as we work in our little circles, one family and one person at a time.

If you don’t have a role model in your own life, look for others that you admire and learn about them and what makes them tick.  Just remember that they were in the same position you were at one point but they rose above it.  Become the leader and not the follower.  Be accountable to God with your own actions, correct what you think needs correction and most of all....

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

SHE DID WHAT? OH EVE!

How different would our world have been if Eve did not taken a bite of that forbidden fruit! God had the perfect life for them.  Had she not disobeyed Him, we would not have to experience death, sickness, hate, pain, sadness, disappointment, etc. 

Have you ever wondered about that?  I have.  If given the opportunity, I would ask her that very question.  But I think that once in heaven, we will be all-knowing, and would not have to ask any questions or even have doubts.  No negative feelings, right?

Be that as it may, we are humans and not immune to negativity in our lives.  We have all disobeyed our parents, spouses, employers, etc. because of our imperfect nature as human beings.  It depends on what we have learned through those mistakes that shape our future.

I often hear the saying, "Insanity is doing something over and over and expecting different results."  I'm sure this phrase is no stranger to you either.  Do we really learn from our mistakes?  I hope so.  There is no sadder story than intentionally hurting ourselves because we made a decision knowing the results were going to be devastating.  

God knows our struggles.  He knows how our lives will be shaped before we even shape them.  I don't know about you but I made a decision to have the All-Knowing God be on my side when I do make decisions.  I always try to make decisions based on the premise that they would be a testimony of who I am as a Christian and/or Godly person.  Am I successful every time?  No!  Of course not, I am still human, not immune to make mistakes.

See, God doesn't expect you to be perfect when you decided to be a Christian.  He KNOWS that you are going to falter sooner or later.  Indeed there are Christians who profess their perfection in plain sight but at the same time those of us who know better understand that they do make mistakes.  Does it matter, though?  No!  It doesn't matter what other people do with their lives, faith, time or relationships.  It is not for us to judge them.  It is not for us to play God and say "oh they should be punished because they are such hypocrites".  We are only responsible for our own actions.  We, as true Christians, have to love them no matter what.  Yes, I said it!  Love them because if we are true followers of Christ, we should mirror His ways.  His ways point to loving EVERYONE!  Once we have figured out how to do this without letting our "human nature" get in the way, then we will be blessed by God and at the same time we bless Him as well.

God points out that if we only love the GOOD people, then we are not really making a dent.  It is when we love the sinners, or the non-believers and help them to learn God's ways, is when we are blessed and the angels in heaven sing our praises.  God is pleased.

What's that you say?  It's hard to do that?  Yes, of course it is hard to do.  However, we don't really win anything by doing something easy, right?  It is hard to forgive your enemies but once you do, then your testimony and Christian living will show through.  It will melt anyone's heart.  We all know that!  So with that, I forgive and love everyone... including Eve.

Until my next rant.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  

IN LOVING MEMORY OF LUKE AND JAGER

On September 28, 2013, a rottweiler and german shepherd were brutally murdered in Brentwood, CA, a town away from mine.  The dogs were reportedly beaten to death with a shovel and later burned and buried in which law enforcement say is within the law.  The dogs' owner sought help in locating her two dogs, Luke and Jager and people from as far away as San Jose made a the trip to assist in her search.

During the search, the came across a man who admitted that he killed the dogs would not give them back and said that the dogs killed his 20 chickens and 10 turkeys but could not show bodies or proof that the dogs had done so.

After beating the dogs with a shovel, the person took the dogs to another location where he worked, dug a hole, poured gasoline on the dogs and burned them.  He later covered the hole and compacted the dirt with the equipment.

Having three dogs myself, this struck a chord in my heart.  Dogs are the most loyal animals to their owners and are blameless.  For this monster to murder these dogs in such a brutal and horrific manner is  so appalling to me!  For him to not show proof of any immediate threat or even proof that these dogs did kill his livestock, beat the poor animals to death with a shovel, burned and buried their bodies, just reinforces to me that he his a heartless, hateful person.  He couldn't even show any injuries to himself for him to back up his story.  If there were two dogs attacking him, one would have caused some injuries to him.

Full story: v=http://eastcountytoday.net/two-dogs-beaten-to-death-burned-and-buried-in-brentwood/

Meanwhile, I was already creating some donations to Friends For Life, an organization headed by Pokey Bolton that was accepting postcard sized fabric creation to sell in their charitable event to raise money for a no-kill animal shelter in Houston. Here is the link http://pokeysponderings.com/2012/09/28/please-take-our-quilt-festival-pet-project-postcard-pledge/

The postcard I created above is in loving memory of Luke and Jager.  R.I.P.

Until my next rant.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER, ESPECIALLY YOUR PETS!!