My search for housing is again a major event in my life...
As a senior, the problems seem much worse... I am hoping that GOD will deal with the problems I can't change, and help me to find solutions that will last for the rest of my life... however long or short that will be.
I am still looking for ways to share my basic prayer request.
I am still trying to earn the money through online sales, through sales of WT Trial Memberships that will lead to wage income for me and others, through donation possibilities at my "crowd-funding" offer (my fiverr gift gig)... and letter, email, and other contacts with Christian resource possibilities.
I have been out of any "loops" for several years now, dealing with work problems, health issues, location issues, etc., so finding people who know me well is impossible. It makes me wonder what I can do, who to ask, where to search. And there are those other issues beyond my ability that I pray to GOD for resolutions for....
I hope you are still praying for my housing request. I think the official post is on this blog... entered on the 10th or 11th of FEB I think.
My life hasn't been what I thought it would be, but it has been the best I could do with my circumstances.
26 February, 2016
19 February, 2016
Friday, 19 FEB 2016 :: Sharing my thoughts on global persecutions
The internet is a spiritual battleground and I don't know how to protect my online efforts for myself or Working Together, so I keep trying to work with what I discover there. I don't know if Etsy is against GOD as a business, or if it's employees take those actions on their own, but it has an active population of sellers and administrators who thwart those who love GOD as often as "legally" possible. I am not saying this to detract from the business site that is Etsy, because I think it is a very great possibility space for anyone who does crafts and wants to sell online. I am sharing this today because I have decided to share my Bible Verse post for today... because I never know if my entries will be deleted.
The internet has made our world a global neighborhood... which is very different from what we know as people who live in a house in a neighborhood in a town or city in a county in a state or province in a nation. We use to only have to deal with the people in our small group of friends and acquaintances, the schools we went to, the stores we purchased at, the church we attended... now we are monitored without our knowledge by people who live on the other side of the world, affected by strangers who can destroy our lives and never be held accountable for their actions, told our opinions have become political attacks toward someone who exists somewhere and disagrees with us -- and wants everyone want to submit to their ideology. It is a different world.
In the beginning... I tried to share my small booklet, "What if there is NO Rapture?" as an Etsy listing and someone decided it was "anti-gay" and refused to let it remain available. There was nothing I could do or say to make it not so... someone disagreed with my opinion.
These are the methods we face. "Politically correct" invades the spaces we live, the businesses we operate, the freedoms we once had. We will never know the extent of how our lives are affected on the internet by those who disagree with our beliefs and feel they have a right to do to us what they would not want done to them. These attacks, this rising power, feeds itself and grows. The ones who choose this method of battle do so without considering the message it brings, the effects it has on all of us, our freedoms, our process, our individual and corporate rights.
We, all of us, all of us living in the world, have to find a way to blend (to exist in one place at one time) our individual rights in a global environment.
I hope to find a better way to create my own income needs on the internet, at a personal level and as a business. Etsy and other websites have been an important lesson for me about the internet, about selling websites, about the power employees have, about what we face in the future, and about how little we know when we contact a business.
If GOD will allow, I also hope to find better solutions for the Body of Christ through my efforts on behalf of Working Together.
Right now, I have decided to share this post here. There may be more to follow, I don't know yet.
*******************************************
https://www.etsy.com/teams/21913/chitchat/discuss/15608919/page/49
Friday, 19 FEB 2016
Been making my THANKFUL posts here at the Etsy forum threads, but avoiding my BIBLE VERSES here... sorry for that. Today I will just share a Psalm to get back to you with some thoughts...
=====================
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. Psalm 89:7 KJV
=====================
I have been thinking a bit about the fear of the Lord in the past many years, not sure how we can reflect that in our lives. The fear that the Bible tells us about is a healthy fear, a realization that His power cannot be matched or thwarted...His judgments are firm once they are made, and we can believe in His prophecies because He does not lie. It is a tremendous awareness for us when we understand that GOD is merciful toward us in so many ways. When I hear about mainstream denominations going against the Word of GOD, I feel that they have lost their fear of Him, thinking they can get past the line that GOD has established for us. I don't know what the future holds, but I pray that I will be able to stay true to the truths that I know. I pray that you will do the same.
17 February, 2016
Wednesday, 17 FEB 2016 :: Praying for America
Today I received a PRAYER JOURNAL for the 2016 Decision America Tour.
( http://www.decisionamericatour.com/get-involved/ ) I thought it was so beautiful that I wanted to share the only information I have about it here.
The Decision America Tour is an effort to increase the Christian vote by holding prayer events at each state capitol before the November elections. Franklin Graham, as part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, http://www.BillyGraham.org, is organizing the tour. Prayer gatherings have already been held in several states during January and February, many are scheduled through April, and the rest are being arranged. You can find out more information about your state at the links I have placed at the bottom.
My desire in sharing about this Prayer Journal in this post is for every Christian in America to have one of their own.
When I looked through my new copy, I realized it would be a wonderful way to keep track of each state. In the journal, each state has two pages, one with details about the state, and another with lines for your entries. In the process of starting this blog, I realized that this could become an ongoing tool for prayer by using the lined page for notes about its major needs, things that won't be solved by this election.
I have never really focused on the individual problems that each state in America faces, I have always been more focused on national problems, human problems, spiritual problems. This Prayer Journal helps me to think about each state, about how their problems affect the entire nation, about the things we can all help solve together.
========================================
You can find the tour dates that have already been announced at this link...
http://www.decisionamericatour.com/tour-dates/#fndtn-announced
You can find a list of all the states at the following link. Find out what is happening in your state.
http://www.decisionamericatour.com/tour-dates/#fndtn-states
( http://www.decisionamericatour.com/get-involved/ ) I thought it was so beautiful that I wanted to share the only information I have about it here.
The Decision America Tour is an effort to increase the Christian vote by holding prayer events at each state capitol before the November elections. Franklin Graham, as part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, http://www.BillyGraham.org, is organizing the tour. Prayer gatherings have already been held in several states during January and February, many are scheduled through April, and the rest are being arranged. You can find out more information about your state at the links I have placed at the bottom.
My desire in sharing about this Prayer Journal in this post is for every Christian in America to have one of their own.
When I looked through my new copy, I realized it would be a wonderful way to keep track of each state. In the journal, each state has two pages, one with details about the state, and another with lines for your entries. In the process of starting this blog, I realized that this could become an ongoing tool for prayer by using the lined page for notes about its major needs, things that won't be solved by this election.
I have never really focused on the individual problems that each state in America faces, I have always been more focused on national problems, human problems, spiritual problems. This Prayer Journal helps me to think about each state, about how their problems affect the entire nation, about the things we can all help solve together.
America is my country.
It is the only country I know.
It is the country I love.
I can't solve all of the problems my country is dealing with, but I can pray, ask GOD to show us the answers, and try to find ways to be part of the solutions. This Prayer Journal helps me to do that with wisdom, with knowledge, with commitment, and with other Christians. I hope you will get one of these journals for yourself -- right away !! :-)And I am worried about it's future.
========================================
You can find the tour dates that have already been announced at this link...
http://www.decisionamericatour.com/tour-dates/#fndtn-announced
You can find a list of all the states at the following link. Find out what is happening in your state.
http://www.decisionamericatour.com/tour-dates/#fndtn-states
11 February, 2016
Thursday, 11 FEB 2016 :: My very first PRESS RELEASE !!
I am so excited to share this... I don't know how well it will be evaluated as a Press Release, but I did my best to answer all the questions I read were important for a press release. :-) I tried to explain the details of Working Together and membership. I hope I accomplished that task.
If you can, please share with any Christians, churches, ministries, etc., so they can all read about WT and join the effort. Thanks.
*******************************************************************
FEBRUARY 2016
NOW YOU CAN JOIN WORKING TOGETHER ONLINE !!
What is the "Body of Christ?" According to the Bible, it is everyone who believes Jesus Christ
died for their sins. It isn't one denomination, one church, or one spiritual group, it is E-V-
E-R-Y-O-N-E who has been saved by Christ... and, hopefully, millions of people. The logo of
Working Together explains this viewpoint well :: "One God, One Bible, One Christ, One
Salvation, One Body."
How can a global Christian community gather in one space for worship, for support, for
prayer and benevolence, for protecting each other as much as possible? That is the challenge
Working Together is trying to overcome...and why membership is the foundation of all it
hopes to achieve.
Working Together is a business-ministry hybrid designed to meet the various survival needs
of CHRISTIANS as we encounter the increased persecutions of the End Times. The End Times
is often a topic few Christians want to think about, but it also requires MANY YEARS OF
PREPARATION to meet just the basic needs (food, shelter, safety...) of those who will exist in
that difficult future. Gathering together now to begin the building process in Working
Together's twelve current global regions is essential to achieving their goals.
Created in 1987, Working Together has struggled to exist. Through various efforts to
establish Working Together over these long years, founder and owner Deborah Martin has
been its primary support. With a new PayPal button established on the Working Together
homepage (http://work2gather.us) this month, she is again trying to reach the Christian
community, the Body of Christ, with a TRIAL Membership offer.
The TRIAL MEMBERSHIP is a one year introduction to Working Together through an emailed
quarterly newsletter. It is offered at the very low price of US$5. Every December existing
members and the general public will be offered an opportunity to join Working Together as a
regular member for the next calendar year. The TRIAL MEMBERSHIP is available all year and is
offered once per member.
If you can, please share with any Christians, churches, ministries, etc., so they can all read about WT and join the effort. Thanks.
*******************************************************************
FEBRUARY 2016
NOW YOU CAN JOIN WORKING TOGETHER ONLINE !!
What is the "Body of Christ?" According to the Bible, it is everyone who believes Jesus Christ
died for their sins. It isn't one denomination, one church, or one spiritual group, it is E-V-
E-R-Y-O-N-E who has been saved by Christ... and, hopefully, millions of people. The logo of
Working Together explains this viewpoint well :: "One God, One Bible, One Christ, One
Salvation, One Body."
How can a global Christian community gather in one space for worship, for support, for
prayer and benevolence, for protecting each other as much as possible? That is the challenge
Working Together is trying to overcome...and why membership is the foundation of all it
hopes to achieve.
Working Together is a business-ministry hybrid designed to meet the various survival needs
of CHRISTIANS as we encounter the increased persecutions of the End Times. The End Times
is often a topic few Christians want to think about, but it also requires MANY YEARS OF
PREPARATION to meet just the basic needs (food, shelter, safety...) of those who will exist in
that difficult future. Gathering together now to begin the building process in Working
Together's twelve current global regions is essential to achieving their goals.
Created in 1987, Working Together has struggled to exist. Through various efforts to
establish Working Together over these long years, founder and owner Deborah Martin has
been its primary support. With a new PayPal button established on the Working Together
homepage (http://work2gather.us) this month, she is again trying to reach the Christian
community, the Body of Christ, with a TRIAL Membership offer.
The TRIAL MEMBERSHIP is a one year introduction to Working Together through an emailed
quarterly newsletter. It is offered at the very low price of US$5. Every December existing
members and the general public will be offered an opportunity to join Working Together as a
regular member for the next calendar year. The TRIAL MEMBERSHIP is available all year and is
offered once per member.
Wednesday, 10 FEB 2016 :: This is my prayer for help.
I am on a quest for help from the Christian community.
I am praying for a decent house
(as large as possible,
not in need of serious repairs)
with internet access,
on as many acres as GOD will provide,
on a major bus route,
and in the Eugene OR area.
I need to purchase this property privately,
with very flexible terms,
from a Christian person.
I must have help to move.
And I must have enough money
to help me survive the first three years.
This is a lifetime prayer,
a near the end of my life prayer,
and urgently needed at this time of my life prayer.
My deadline is the end of March 2016.
I have just begun to share this prayer, adding different explanations to it depending on where it is being shared. I decided that making it into a blog post would help me to share my prayer (and its many, many details) as a short link on Twitter and other places. I won't have to keep writing it out.
I give you permission to share this prayer need with other Christians, in your church prayer groups, or with anyone you think may be GOD's answer to it....
Please remember, I am looking for ONE Christian...
It is my hope that this will be the last time I will have to move, that I won't have to lose all my belongings again, and that I will finally be able to build Working Together. (http://work2gather.us)
**********************************************************************************
Praying is as much a matter of faith as salvation is. I will admit it has been a difficult challenge for me to keep my faith alive through my long years of poverty and my struggles to overcome its grasp. It can be hard to keep believing in GOD, a good and loving GOD, when your prayers seem to go unanswered -- while the testimonies of other Christians sound like every request they make is immediately granted! It takes a long, long time to find a way through the spiritual maze of understanding faith and prayer.
One of the biggest hurdles in Christian circles is deciding which praying theology is right :: do we tell everyone our need so they can participate in the providing of it, or do we keep it to ourselves and expect GOD to provide what He knows we need?
With this request I have chosen the public sharing route, which is kind of like crowd-funding without an official website.
Crowd-funding is a wonderful tool to solve financial issues... I hope to see it become part of Working Together's efforts to meet the needs of individuals all over the world. Crowd-funding is very similar to what I hoped to achieve with ACTION PRAYER, Working Together's program to meet the needs of others.
The group funding idea, by prayer or by crowd-funding, is to share a need, provide a way for others to respond to that need, and then deliver the response to the person with the need. The internet makes this sharing process much easier than it use to be, and allows the message to reach a much wider audience for the resources needed to help. Christian oversight can make this a better, safer process.
With my own request for help, there are a number of ways to connect with me and help answer my prayer, many of which I have mentioned before. I hope you will become part of this process.
I am praying for a decent house
(as large as possible,
not in need of serious repairs)
with internet access,
on as many acres as GOD will provide,
on a major bus route,
and in the Eugene OR area.
I need to purchase this property privately,
with very flexible terms,
from a Christian person.
I must have help to move.
And I must have enough money
to help me survive the first three years.
This is a lifetime prayer,
a near the end of my life prayer,
and urgently needed at this time of my life prayer.
My deadline is the end of March 2016.
I have just begun to share this prayer, adding different explanations to it depending on where it is being shared. I decided that making it into a blog post would help me to share my prayer (and its many, many details) as a short link on Twitter and other places. I won't have to keep writing it out.
I give you permission to share this prayer need with other Christians, in your church prayer groups, or with anyone you think may be GOD's answer to it....
Please remember, I am looking for ONE Christian...
the one who owns the house and land I am looking for.
It is my hope that this will be the last time I will have to move, that I won't have to lose all my belongings again, and that I will finally be able to build Working Together. (http://work2gather.us)
**********************************************************************************
PRAYER is just a bunch of empty words, right?
People who pray are talking to the air.
There is no "power" in prayer.
Our prayers are really our hopes and dreams.
Praying just make US feel better.
There is no GOD, so praying is pointless.
Any prayer that gets "answered" is a coincidence.
Praying is as much a matter of faith as salvation is. I will admit it has been a difficult challenge for me to keep my faith alive through my long years of poverty and my struggles to overcome its grasp. It can be hard to keep believing in GOD, a good and loving GOD, when your prayers seem to go unanswered -- while the testimonies of other Christians sound like every request they make is immediately granted! It takes a long, long time to find a way through the spiritual maze of understanding faith and prayer.
One of the biggest hurdles in Christian circles is deciding which praying theology is right :: do we tell everyone our need so they can participate in the providing of it, or do we keep it to ourselves and expect GOD to provide what He knows we need?
With this request I have chosen the public sharing route, which is kind of like crowd-funding without an official website.
Crowd-funding is a wonderful tool to solve financial issues... I hope to see it become part of Working Together's efforts to meet the needs of individuals all over the world. Crowd-funding is very similar to what I hoped to achieve with ACTION PRAYER, Working Together's program to meet the needs of others.
The group funding idea, by prayer or by crowd-funding, is to share a need, provide a way for others to respond to that need, and then deliver the response to the person with the need. The internet makes this sharing process much easier than it use to be, and allows the message to reach a much wider audience for the resources needed to help. Christian oversight can make this a better, safer process.
With my own request for help, there are a number of ways to connect with me and help answer my prayer, many of which I have mentioned before. I hope you will become part of this process.
These are the ways you can choose to share your financial blessings toward my need ::
http://work2gather.us
When you join Working Together with the current TRIAL Membership (only US$5 for one year), you build its ability to create resources for members and to hire employees...including me! (11 FEB 2016 :: I had computer problems before I could post this yesterday, and have since created a "press release" about my new PayPal button for joining Working Together. I will be creating a new post with that information... be sure to read it!)
When you join Working Together with the current TRIAL Membership (only US$5 for one year), you build its ability to create resources for members and to hire employees...including me! (11 FEB 2016 :: I had computer problems before I could post this yesterday, and have since created a "press release" about my new PayPal button for joining Working Together. I will be creating a new post with that information... be sure to read it!)
When you make a purchase at my ETSY shop, you help provide personal funds for my living needs. I have requested people buy my SERVANTS writing, which is also only US$5, as my fundraising item. I want to share its words with every Christian.
At FIVERR I currently have my "crowd-funding" item - a GIFT gig, which is basically a donation of US$5 reduced by sales fees. These funds would also go toward my personal living needs.
I have a Fiverr shop for Working Together (http://fiverr.com/workingtogether), but have to find an appropriate gig to put there again. When I do, all the funds from its purchase will be used for Working Together income.
I currently do not have any items available at my personal eBay shop, but I am working toward listing personal belongings for sale.
I also started an eBay shop for Working Together products, and have been trying to find suitable listings to offer there. (http://ebay.com/usr/workingtogetherinc)
03 February, 2016
Wednesday, 3 FEB 2016 :: Deceive, Divide, Destroy - the tools of Satan
I am up early today. I was lying in bed with the radio on for company when the David Jeremiah program came on. He was referring to the new series on TV called "Lucifer" and how the culture has come to embrace Satan through various media, including music and video games. The words that Jeremiah used to describe the process are what caught my attention. I was so impressed by them I got up to write them down.
These three words are an easy way to remember the process Satan uses to lead us into hell forever.
DECEIVE :: Deception is the heart of Satan. He is a "liar and a thief" in the Bible. No matter what he might tell you, it isn't true, he is just telling you what you want to hear so you will do what he wants you to do... and that is always something that will harm you and the ones you love.
Remember the temptations of Christ when Jesus was at His weakest point -- Satan offered food and power, he tempted Jesus to test GOD's protection. These are common and repeated themes in the actions of Satan to deceive us.
DIVIDE :: I have seen how Satan lures people away from those who love them. It is the tool he uses in families, in businesses, in churches, in as many places as he can. Our nation is divided these days, more and more we are becoming polarized by party, by issues, by finances.
I found a writing once that described the way Communists overcome their enemies and achieve their goals...I think it was called the "Little Red Book." One of the points I noticed was the focus on isolating and overcoming those who are on the fringe, who don't have anyone else, who can't fight back. It seems to be a tactic that comes from Satan.
DESTROY :: This is just the final step in the process, like the Communists in the preceding explanation. After you believe the lies, and no one wants to be around you anymore, there is no reason to keep you alive... Satan's goal has been achieved. If you die in your sin, you will spend your eternity in hell and the lake of fire. Your soul is the prize that Satan is after.
I hope you will remember these three words and consider them each time you are facing questions about which way to go. Deception is the hardest thing to discover... and the most painful. It seems we all have to learn these things by experience, but I pray yours will not be too traumatic. Learning through the experiences of other (biographies, sermons, testimonies...) may help you to avoid some pain, but we humans are difficult students... we tend to want to find things out for ourselves.
These three words are an easy way to remember the process Satan uses to lead us into hell forever.
DECEIVE :: Deception is the heart of Satan. He is a "liar and a thief" in the Bible. No matter what he might tell you, it isn't true, he is just telling you what you want to hear so you will do what he wants you to do... and that is always something that will harm you and the ones you love.
Remember the temptations of Christ when Jesus was at His weakest point -- Satan offered food and power, he tempted Jesus to test GOD's protection. These are common and repeated themes in the actions of Satan to deceive us.
DIVIDE :: I have seen how Satan lures people away from those who love them. It is the tool he uses in families, in businesses, in churches, in as many places as he can. Our nation is divided these days, more and more we are becoming polarized by party, by issues, by finances.
I found a writing once that described the way Communists overcome their enemies and achieve their goals...I think it was called the "Little Red Book." One of the points I noticed was the focus on isolating and overcoming those who are on the fringe, who don't have anyone else, who can't fight back. It seems to be a tactic that comes from Satan.
DESTROY :: This is just the final step in the process, like the Communists in the preceding explanation. After you believe the lies, and no one wants to be around you anymore, there is no reason to keep you alive... Satan's goal has been achieved. If you die in your sin, you will spend your eternity in hell and the lake of fire. Your soul is the prize that Satan is after.
I hope you will remember these three words and consider them each time you are facing questions about which way to go. Deception is the hardest thing to discover... and the most painful. It seems we all have to learn these things by experience, but I pray yours will not be too traumatic. Learning through the experiences of other (biographies, sermons, testimonies...) may help you to avoid some pain, but we humans are difficult students... we tend to want to find things out for ourselves.
for Tuesday, 2 FEB 2016 :: My BIG prayer request
It is actually Wednesday, 3 FEB 2016, but I thought I better share a Facebook prayer I entered yesterday... I hope you will also pray for GOD to provide these things for me. [ I couldn't get the quote function to work, so here it is as an indented bulleted list :-) ]
I suppose you can support these efforts with purchases
at my Etsy shop (http://etsy.com/shop/work2gather)
and with my fiverr gift gig (http://fiverr.com/work2gather)...
I will be creating a partial membership link to PayPal for Working Together (link above), which you can also choose... and which would be the best option for me. Building WT is what all my efforts have been about anyway. Membership is the key to getting everyone at the same placed. I think I will be going back to my original TRIAL membership for $5/year, which will only be a quarterly newsletter (in print OR by email). We can build from there.
I have another faith blog to write for today... please share this prayer request, if you can.
|
I suppose you can support these efforts with purchases
at my Etsy shop (http://etsy.com/shop/work2gather)
and with my fiverr gift gig (http://fiverr.com/work2gather)...
I will be creating a partial membership link to PayPal for Working Together (link above), which you can also choose... and which would be the best option for me. Building WT is what all my efforts have been about anyway. Membership is the key to getting everyone at the same placed. I think I will be going back to my original TRIAL membership for $5/year, which will only be a quarterly newsletter (in print OR by email). We can build from there.
I have another faith blog to write for today... please share this prayer request, if you can.
01 February, 2016
Monday, 1 FEB 2016 :: Found an old writing of mine
Yesterday (Sunday), I began the process of "cleaning" up the room I live in because a realtor is going to be looking at it next weekend. I was trying to decide what to keep, what to recycle, what to give away, what to get rid of... and praying for the miracle I am always praying for :-)... In the middle of one of my pile sorting, I discovered a copy of an old writing of mine. I thought it would be a good thing to share on this blog.
I also decided to share it on one of the forums I regularly post at on Etsy.com -- one on the inspiration of the Bible in our lives. Since it wasn't an actual Bible verse, I began to attach it to other things in my life, what I remembered about writing it. It became more than I expected to share.
When we are young, and trying to find our own lives, the things we know as kids don't always "fit" our search, especially if the people we hang out with are very different. I try to understand the way my life went, but it isn't really something we can answer.
I guess the "proximity" rule is very true, though. We end up having to choose from the ones that are around us... friends, work, schools, activities... mates. This may be why wealthier parents want their kids to go to the "best" schools, have the "best" friends, and live in the "best" neighborhoods. We don't all have that choice, so we have to recover from the effects our pasts may have had on our lives.
Proximity rules affect a lot of things. I don't want to develop this thought tonight because it is late and I just wanted to enter a quick post. Think about the topic if you can. Our choices are affected by the ones we have in our lives. If we can choose their influence, that is good. If we haven't got a choice about who we are around, we have to find a way to deal with the negative issues they can bring into our lives. We may need to learn how to say "No" in a really nice way.
Remember that GOD walks with us through the hard places, but we have to make the right choices as we walk through those valleys... they are the places we often fail.
I pray that GOD will help you, that you will have the strength to choose what is right and good in GOD's eyes, that blessings will be yours with every godly choice.
Lord,
I daily offer my life to you.
Help me to see clearly.
May I never be afraid
of the hidden attacks of the enemy,
who would like to destroy
your precious orchestrations
of humanity.
Move my life toward complete
submission to your decisions.
May I always be your obedient child
because I love you so much.
I long to honor you with my life.
It is for your glory that I live.
Make me worthy of your love,
a benefit to Mankind.
In Jesus' Name I pray.
Amen.
I also decided to share it on one of the forums I regularly post at on Etsy.com -- one on the inspiration of the Bible in our lives. Since it wasn't an actual Bible verse, I began to attach it to other things in my life, what I remembered about writing it. It became more than I expected to share.
I don't remember what inspired me to write this, I have rewritten the OUR FATHER prayer, but this isn't that writing. I think I titled it "Daily Offer" - it's been awhile... -- which is what we do as Christians. We aren't promised any more than the moment we are living.
It is a challenge to stand with GOD against the pressures of this world, to trust that GOD is what we know about Him and will do what we have been promised... that His warnings are true. I think it was a huge moment when I realized the way out that GOD tells us exists was sometimes just to say "No." In the hardest times, each day can be a big battleground, and we need to remember that GOD will help us through it.
When we are young, and trying to find our own lives, the things we know as kids don't always "fit" our search, especially if the people we hang out with are very different. I try to understand the way my life went, but it isn't really something we can answer.
I guess the "proximity" rule is very true, though. We end up having to choose from the ones that are around us... friends, work, schools, activities... mates. This may be why wealthier parents want their kids to go to the "best" schools, have the "best" friends, and live in the "best" neighborhoods. We don't all have that choice, so we have to recover from the effects our pasts may have had on our lives.
Proximity rules affect a lot of things. I don't want to develop this thought tonight because it is late and I just wanted to enter a quick post. Think about the topic if you can. Our choices are affected by the ones we have in our lives. If we can choose their influence, that is good. If we haven't got a choice about who we are around, we have to find a way to deal with the negative issues they can bring into our lives. We may need to learn how to say "No" in a really nice way.
Remember that GOD walks with us through the hard places, but we have to make the right choices as we walk through those valleys... they are the places we often fail.
I pray that GOD will help you, that you will have the strength to choose what is right and good in GOD's eyes, that blessings will be yours with every godly choice.
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