The Saint Louis Blues are the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions!!
For most people, that means nothing. You may be thinking, who are the Blues?!? What is the Stanley Cup?!? But if you are a Blues fan, winning the Cup means everything. For the first time in its 52 year history, the Blues won the National Hockey League championship. Hockey may not be America’s pastime or its favorite sport, but you would never know that if you lived in or around Saint Louis. Saint Louis is often described as CardinalNation, but right now, you would have to say that the Cardinals are taking the backseat to the Blues.
photo from St. Louis Blues Facebook page
I will admit, I am not the biggest Blues fans. Heck, I am not the biggest hockey fan. Growing up, I watched the baseball and football Cardinals on TV and knew nothing about the Blues. It was not until I moved to Saint Louis more than twenty years ago that I learned about hockey. I did not know the difference between a floor check and a cross-check, but that didn’t stop me from going to my first game with my future wife.
I would describe myself as a casual fan. I don’t live and breath sports like some of my friends. I don’t subscribe to the cable packages so that I can watch all of the games. I haven’t even been to a game in more than ten years. But when it comes down to it, I am a hometown fan. I will check the sports headlines to see if Blues won or not, and then check the standings to see how the playoff chase is going. I don’t keep up with the players and their stats and how they compare with the teams.
And this year was no different. I knew that the Blues were supposed to be a great team. But when they fired their coach and were sitting in last place I knew that this was not going to be their season. But still, I would check the headlines for the scores and check the standings. I noticed something different after the first of the year. The headlines mentioned a Blues winning streak that had taken them out of last place and moving into playoff contention. The winning streak topped out at eleven and suddenly people were talking about making the playoffs. All the while, the people of Saint Louis never doubted their chances.
When the playoff began, the Blues were the hottest team in the League although many people (outside of Saint Louis) doubted if they could win the Stanley Cup. By making the playoffs, I turned up my attention to the team. I always want my hometown team to win it all, even if I didn’t know the difference between a Parayko and a Pietrangelo. I began to watch the playoff previews, to learn more about the players and I realized how special this team was.
And, after four tough series, the Blues prevailed and are now Stanley Cup champions. And Saint Louis could not be happier. I never knew how much Saint Louis loved hockey and their Blues. An estimated 500,000 turned out for the Championship parade in downtown Saint Louis.
photo from KMOV Channel 4 – the rally under the Gateway Arch
I will be sharing more about the Blues and their run for the Stanley Cup in another post, coming soon. If you are a Blues fan, let me know what was your greatest memories of the championship and what it means to you.
Today’s world is filled with many so much noise that it can be difficult to hear anything clearly. From our social media outlets to the countless TV stations to the people we come in contact throughout the day. It can seem impossible to know who is correct or which one you need to be listening to. One question that I often hear from Christians ask, “With so much noise, how do I when God is speaking to me?” Our Pastor has a very simple answer to this question. God can speak to you every day. All you need to do is spend time reading and studying His word that is found in the Bible. But learning what the Bible is saying to you can be a daunting task if you do not how to study it effectively.
Sunday, June 16th is Father’s Day and what a better gift to give than God’s word. I often hear friends ask questions like, “How am I going to raise these kids? This is such a hard time to raise a family? How does God tell me how to build a solid relationship with my wife? The answers are in God’s word. If we read the Bible and allow God to give us wisdom and advice, He will do it.
If you have often struggled with reading the Bible, the He Reads Truth Biblemay be what you need for that breakthrough. With 125 full-color charts, infographics, and illustrations; 17 full-color timelines; 21 full-color maps, this Bible can help bring clarity and revelation as you read and study God’s word. There are also two sewn-in to the binding ribbon bookmarks for you to mark your place while reading. It features a one-year reading plan for the entire Bible and a curated reading plan for each book of the Bible. The curated plans give you an opportunity to study related scriptures and passages in other parts of the Bible that provide further context and explanation of what you are reading. This Bible uses the Christian Standard Bible text, which captures the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, which will help you read, understand, and share God’s word more effectively.
Released on May 1, the He Reads Truth Bible was put together by the He Reads Truth group. According to information provided with the Bible, this worldwide community of men reads God’s Word together every day. Founded in 2015, the group invites men to engage with scriptures through daily reading plans and devotionals. Although the Bible is edited by men and geared to men, I believe women would also benefit from reading this version of the Bible. However, there is also a She Reads Truth version. Looking through the more than 2,300 pages of this Bible, I realize that I have the tools right in front of me to take that next step. The text on the page is a bit on the small side, but don’t let that stop you from getting this Bible and hearing what God is saying today. The Bible retails for $49.99, but different online stores have various prices.
Why read God’s word?
To get to know God and have a personal relationship with Him, I know I have to read his word. I am a Christian! However, when I am asked about my faith, do I really know Him? Well, this is a great way to get to know Him and have one-on-one time with God. Our Lord talks to His children through His word and what better way to start than with the He Reads Truth Bible.
Why a book instead of a tablet or phone?
I also use my iPhone and an iPad to read the Bible. Those pieces of technology are awesome, I know that there is nothing like having a book in my hands that you can make notes and highlight as I please.
GIVEAWAY
Here is your chance to win your own copy of this amazing Bible, with Smyth-sewn binding and Bible Serif typeface. In collaboration with LEV3L Digital, we are giving away ONE copy. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below, stating why you would like to receive this Bible. Then, one commenter will be selected at random, to receive his or her own copy. But hurry, the giveaway closes at 11:59 pm (CT) Saturday, June 22, 2019. The winner will be announced on Sunday, June 23, 2019.
Happy Sunday to you.
Today is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, the week when Christians around the world recognize and remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is time to spend with friends and family, reflecting on what these events mean for us individually. In our home, there are a number of classic movies that we enjoy watching. From the Ten Commandments to Ben-Hur, there are many choices that will stir and strengthen your faith. And this year, a new movie will be added to this list of faith-based movies to watch over during Holy Week.
The Pilgrim’s Progressfollows the life of Christian and his journey and his struggles after receiving the revelation of God’s grace and mercy. The movie is based on the 1678 novel written by John Bunyan and is considered to be the second most read book of all time, behind the Bible. With top-notch animation, this movie shows through metaphors and allegories what it means to be a Christian. Despite being written over three hundred years ago, the struggles talked about in the book are still being dealt with today and are still relevant to the 21st-century believer.
Christian (left) meets up with Evangelist (right) while on his journey
We highly recommend that every make time to go see this movie during this Holy Week. The impressive animation will you draw you in, but the storyline will move and change your life. Please know that the movie will only be shown in theaters twice. The times are * Thursday, April 18, 2019, at 7:00 pm * * Saturday, April 20, 2019, at 12:55 pm *
To find a theater that is showing the movie in your area, click HERE!
The Pilgrim’s Progress follows the journey of Christian.
In collaboration with LEV3L Digital, my wife and I had an opportunity to preview the movie and offer two giveaways to our followers. The second giveaway included an illustrated copy of the book and two tickets to the movie for three people.
The three winners are
* Buddy G
* mami2jcn
* Natalie
Congratulations!
We will be contacting you shortly to let you know more details about claiming your prizes.
When God speaks to you, you may not always understand it or know what it means. But if you are obedient and follow His voice, He will not lead you astray. Just know that He is watching over you and is protecting you.
I wanted to share with you a series of events that happened to me over the last week. I didn’t understand it at first, but in the end; I knew that God was speaking to me and directing my path.
Jay in the Jeep Wrangler
On Saturday, February 9th, I am at the Dobbs Clocktower in North Saint Louis County. The Jeep Wrangler was in for a state inspection and an emissions test. As I finished up and made my payment, I remembered that I needed to make another appointment for our Jeep Grand Cherokee, for the same thing. I knew that I wanted the appointment to be on Thursday, February 14th. I was going to be off of work on that day and it is a good time for me to complete errands and the like. I typically make the appointments for 9am or 10am, so I can go straight there after I drop off my wife at work. The associate offered me the 10am appointment time. But immediately I said, “No, do you have anything later?” Not sure why I said that, but it is what had come out of my mouth. He then offered 12pm or 2pm, so I took the 12pm slot. I left the store and came home.
Now, fast forward to Thursday, February 14th. I dropped my wife off at work at 8:30am and began my day of errands. I went off to Target and Trader Joe’s in the Brentwood Promenade in Central Saint Louis County. I needed to pick up a few groceries because these stores were not far from where I dropped off my wife. As I was finishing up, I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was only 9:30am. I still needed to get to fill up the Jeep with gas, go by Aldi for a few more groceries, and then to Walgreens to get a Valentine’s card. I thought that I would go to the Aldi in the Clocktower (next to my Dobbs) by 10am, get the gas and go by Walgreens; and still have enough time to get to Dobbs for the appointment. As I finished making the plans in my mind, I heard this voice on the inside of me say, “Go to the Aldi in Maplewood, it’s closer.” Yes, it was closer to my current location, but further from my Dobbs. I thought about it for a second but nevertheless I decided to go to the Maplewood Aldi. I filled up the Jeep with gas on my way there. After leaving Aldi, I decided to go home, unload the groceries before heading back out to Dobbs. I would wait on Walgreens until after I finished at Dobbs. I arrived home by 11am and I was back on the road to Dobbs by 11:40am and arrived at Dobbs at 11:55am.
When I got to Dobbs, I spoke with Ken. He is the Assistant Manager and has been seeing a lot of me lately, with inspections, new tires and oil changes. As he got me checked in, he says to me, “It’s a good thing you were not here a few hours ago.” Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?” He then says to me that there was a shooting in the adjacent parking lot a little bit ago. One person had been shot and another person’s vehicle has been shot up. Not really sure where or what he was talking about exactly, I said, “WOW!”, signed my paperwork and took my seat in the waiting room.
As I sat down, I grabbed my phone and quickly searched the local news to find anything about what Ken had just told me. I was drawn to a headline that said there was a shooting in North Saint Louis County. I clicked the link to find out the details. The article had stated that just before 10am, in the parking lot of Ross’ Dress for Less and Aldi in the Clocktower Shopping Center, a man had been shot and about thirty rounds of bullets had been fired. I quickly went to another website and saw the same details.
I just sat back in my chair with my hands over my mouth, in awe. I was supposed to be in that parking lot at about the time that the shooting had occurred. I had wanted my appointment to be at 10am so I could already have it done and I could go about my day. But when I made the appointment for 12pm, it wass till okay. I thought I could still be in the area, doing my other errands.
But That Still Small Voice told me, twice, not to be there at that time. As I sat there and thought about it, I realized that God, through the Holy Spirit, was speaking to me. He didn’t want me to be there at that time. He was watching over me and protecting me. He knew that I wanted to be there at the time, but He knew better. He was speaking to me, I just had to be obedient to Him and listen.
We don’t always know when God is speaking to us. Sometimes we think it has to be this loud audible voice that everyone hears. Not always. Sometimes, He will speak to us through the words that come out our own mouth. Sometimes, it is a gut-check to our heart that leads you to do something that you are not planning to do. Either way, we just have to be able to hear to that voice, obey it and to listen to it. We don’t always know what God is telling us, nor why? But in time, He will reveal it to us.
In the world of smartphone technology, companies released new models of their phone almost every year. In the early days, consumers would rush out to get the latest and greatest technology. However, In the last couple of years, I have noticed that many people are not buying every new smartphone that comes out. But instead, they are waiting up to three years or more before making that new purchase. I believe that there are a couple of keys reasons. 1) The price of the latest smartphones increased significantly. It is easy to pay up to, or over a $1,000 for the one phone. People now see their smartphone as an investment item and are not willing to keep paying that about of money every couple of years. 2) With the new model that is released, people realize that the upgrades were not significant enough to make a change.
If you are like me, you have been waiting for those significant upgrades, or if your current smartphone is wearing out and in need of being replaced. In my own smartphone world, my wife and I have our phones for almost four years. We are still using the 6, if you know what I mean. So when Verizon Wireless asked if we would be interested in trying the Google 3XL, we were excited to see what the latest upgrades had to offer. Needless to say, after our demo period, I was sold on what Google had brought to the table for the following reasons.
Google Pixel 3XL
The XL Factor
Since trying the XL, the larger model, I am convinced that larger is better and there is no need to go back to a smaller phone. The screen size makes it easy to find what you are looking with more apps on the screen at one time. A larger view screen makes taking photos much easier because you have a better idea of what you are capturing. The phone measures 3.02 inches x 6.22 inches. Although it is larger in size, it is not weighty and is comfortable in the hand or in the back pocket.
The Camera Factor Let’s be honest. If you are like me, of all the things that I use the smartphone for, making a telephone call is probably low on the list. One of the most common tasks is using the camera. People are not carrying their point-and-shoot or DSLR cameras with them everywhere they go. But a smartphone is at the ready, whether it is in a handbag or in the back pocket. The smartphone has become the go-to camera to capture the important moments in our life, whether it be a selfie while on vacation or a video of your little’s soccer match.
In the four years since I bought my own smartphone, the camera features have drastically improved, as seen in the photo collage below. The photo on the left was captured by the Google 3XL and the one on the left is my four-year-old smartphone. The difference is remarkable. The colors in the Pixel 3XL are crisper and there is not the glare or fuzziness found in older smartphones.
Google Pixel 3XL (Left) / a 4-year-old smartphone (right)
The Google Pixel 3XL features a 12.2MP camera and includes not found on older smartphones. These new features make taking those photos easier and the end result is in a photo that is as good as a higher-end camera. The selfie mode includes zoom and wide-angle features and there is a night-effect option for photos and videos. We used the Pixel 3XL to capture our YouTube video on how decorated for Christmas. We turned off the lights in the rooms so that there could be a greater focus on the lights. The Pixel 3XL was able to auto-adjust the level of lighting without any issues. You can see that video here:
The Google Pixel 3XL is packed with so many features that you will need to spend some time exploring the phone to find them. One feature that I found by accident was the Google Lens. The Lens will scan a photograph that you have taken and is able to determine what is in it. Then it will search the Google search engine for similar items. For example, we had taken a photo of our inflatable snowman (Christmas item) and then scanned with Lens. The results included animated snowmen, other inflatable snowmen, and even Frosty. You can click on those results for more information.
In the new year, if you believe that it is time to replace that old, worn out smartphone, and you may want to consider Google Pixel 3XL. The Pixel 3XL features many upgrades over the older smartphones and incorporates many new additions that will leave you with a positive experience. I recommend it with 3XL thumbs up.
FTC Disclosure:
Verizon Wireless provided the Bubbling With Elegance and Grace Team with the Google Pixel 3XL to demo for a six-week time period. After that time, the smartphone was returned back to Verizon and this review was written. The team did not receive any monetary compensation to write this review and all opinions are our own.
Learn More About JT Bubbling with Elegance and Grace is a place for life long learners. The Bubbling With Elegance And Grace team was created 14 years ago. A passion for fashion sparked a lifestyle blog for our Elegant Community to enjoy. We are thankful and in gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who have been with us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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