And the winner of the Lettuce Stitch Elegant Lace Design Skirt Giveaway is
Tracey M
Congratulations!
I will be in contact with you soon.
Thank you to Mary Jo Hanson and Donna Kmetz from Lettuce Stitch Designs for giving me the opportunity to style one of their great designs.
There were a total of four official entries on this giveaway.
According to the true random number generator from Random.org, the winning entry was Number 3.
I am late with the Live Second post. I had a Christmas program at church that I was a part of that I had to devote my time to. It turned out awesome and really done well. The invitation for people to give their lives to Christ was so wonderful.
The Christmas Program made me think about what I wanted to discuss from the Live Second book.
Session Two, Issues
Day 3 Love
It’s easy to love someone who loves you back. However it’s more difficult to love when a person doesn’t show love in return.
I remember if someone hurt me or treated me wrong or said the wrong thing to me, I would never have to speak to them again.
Isn’t it my right to treat them the way they treated me?
No, it’s not right.
In the book, the scripture in the book says
“The most important commandment,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 29-31
Love Thy neighbor as thyself
If some one says something unkind to me, for me to say something back unkind would make me just like them. I want to continue to see blessings flow in my life. In order to be blessed, I have to be a blessing. With God’s help I have turned situations around because I reacted in a kind loving matter than retaliate.
Is this easy to do? No! I have to pray everyday to act in kindness and repent if I miss the mark. I am a work in progress. The beautiful thing about God is that if I happen to miss it, I can ask God for forgiveness and repent in Jesus name and it’s a fresh start.
In what ways are you showing love?
To purchase the book click on Live Second.
Christmas is soon upon us. My hubby and I pretty much have the decorations up and only have a few minor touches left to do. Wouldn’t it be great to go on a holiday getaway? I often search online to find great discounts on vacation packages.
When my husband and I search for trips, the first major factor is the budget. One of my favorite sites for destination inspiration is Travel and Leisure magazine. There are five key factors to think about when planning perfect holiday getaway.
1. Climate
Check out the forecasted weather for your destination to make sure that you have packed the appropriate attire. If the climate is going to be warm, you still my want to carry a jacket, just in case it gets cool at night or at a different elevation. I remember we traveled to Colorado a couple years back. We were at the base of Pike’s Peak and it was in the 60s and sunny. However, when we got to the top of the mountain, it was only 32 degrees and snowy. A much different temperature and coat was needed.
2. What are favorite sites to see
My hubby and I thoroughly research all the sites and points of interest in the places that we are planning to visit. It is so important to find out the hours that museums or parks are open and if you have to pay fees to get in. Estimate how much time you think you spend at each place and then add in a little extra time just in case you you want to spend an extra few minutes enjoying one of your stops. Being prepared makes the trip much more fun and enjoyable. And you do not have to feel stressed and rushed seeing what you want to see.
3. What mode of transportation do you need or can you get around town on foot
Road trips are so much fun because we are in your own truck. You can get out and stop where you want if the mood suits you. If you fly to your destination, you will have to factor in possibly getting around with public transportation or renting a car. Determine how close your sites are to each other and where you staying. Some cities have cheap trolleys and buses; and often stop at the many of the sites you are planning to visit.
4. Can we stay at a Bed and Breakfast or what hotels are an option
There are so many different places that you can stay while on your vacation. I simply love staying in a Bed and Breakfast because they remind so much of home. It is so cool to see the differences in designs of the homes. Where ever you plan to stay, look for a place that meets your needs. Do you want to be in a quite neighborhood? Or do you want to be in the middle of all the action in a heart of the town? Most larger cities have so many options available, you just have to take some time to find the right place.
5. How much luggage do I plan to take?
My first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico I packed entirely too much luggage and believe me, I did not like it one bit. I promised myself that I would learn how to pack light; but have more than enough changes of clothes. When my hubby and I went to the Caribbean last year, I was able to have more than enough clothes while using smaller and fewer suitcases. Think about how far and how much you will be carrying your luggage while you are on your trip. If you have transport it through an airport and onto plane, you don’t want it to be heavy. And these days, the airline want to charge you extra fees if you have more than two suitcases or if they are over a certain weight. These restrictions really make you think about how much you want, or need, to take with you.
Please let me know if you are planning a Holiday getaway!
This is the second post in the series of theI Live Second: 365 Ways of Making Jesus First blogger launch.
Live Second is a daily devotional book that makes me take action on having a better relationship with God and truly live an awesome life for Christ.
I wanted to discuss the section of the book entitled, Undeserved.
God gave His son so I am already forgiven.
All our sins were forgiven when Jesus died on the cross; He already paid for our sins.
Why are we forgiven?
Romans 10:9 says
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Once I gave my life to Christ, it is up to me take hold of the gifts that he has given me. I have to reach out and grab it.
There is no sin to little or to big. All sin is equal in God’s eyes. Please do not get caught up in condemnation. If you feel you have sinned, repent and ask God for forgiveness In Jesus Name, and don’t look back. You are forgiven. It seems to be too simple, that there has to be something more. But that is the way God has designed it. It is so simple that anyone can take part in it.
I know that my worst critic is me. If I wanted to really feel undeserving of anything in life, all I would say I am never good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough, not small enough. Why did I eat that? , Why did I say that? It was negativity because I felt that no matter what I did, I was never good enough. My husband told me you have to stop that because you are so hard on yourself that you can’t see the grass for the trees. Lack of self confidence, Lack of self worth was me. It was me.
I prayed, “Lord I cast this care on you, I am somebody I am formed in your image.” I had to repeat those positive affirmations to myself everyday and I still do.
God’s word says that I made you perfectly and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
When I would be undeserving of myself, it was as if I told God that He messed up when he made me.
God loved me (and us) enough that He gave His only Son.
I replaced those negative thoughts with God’s word. When that negativity creeps in, I have to cast those imaginations down because that is not of God.
I am deserving and I Am Second.
I am honored to be given the privilege to blog about the inspiring book, Live Second: 365 Ways Of Making Jesus First. This book, written by Doug Bender, makes a deeper look at my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In his book, Bender writes about ways, one for each day of the year, in which a believer should live his or her life; with God and Jesus as the number one priority. Please check back on Monday, Thursday and Friday of this week for additional posts on living a life second to God.
Release
Have you every held on to an emotion, even though you knew deep inside it was bad for you? For me that emotion was grief.
The scripture in the Live Second book says,
Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? (Matthew 18:32-33)
I have to forgive myself?
For a long time, I had felt that I that I never “fit in”. I often used the analogy of a “square trying to fit into a circle.” No matter how I tried, I was never the popular girl. I was always different than everyone else. One thing that set me different than others was the fact that it was my responsibility to take care of my parents at such young age. As the only child, I had to help care for my mother who battled cancer. While the other girls in my class were going off to prom and school parties, I was taking care of my mother and the house and working on homework. When it was time for me to graduate from high school, instead of selecting an out-of-state college, I picked one in my home town. That way I could stay at home with my parents. My mother depended on me to be there to care for her needs. My daddy worked hard to provide for his family, so he could not be there to care for my mother. I believe it was a part of God-given my purpose here at a time when my parents needed me the most.
My mother battled cancer for a long time. Some days were good days and some days were not so good days. I prayed for my mother to be healed and made whole, however she went to be with the Lord in 1994, the year I graduated with my master’s degree.
I would ask the Lord, “Why why did she have to leave me?” She was not only my mother she was my best friend. I knew in my heart that the Lord did not take my mother. This was an attack from the enemy. I was so angry with myself because I was being blamed for my mother’s death. At this most challenging point in my life, I almost shut myself down from the grief and the anger. I had to release those emotions and cast my cares onto the Lord. My daddy was still here and I had to live to fulfill God’s purpose for me.
Soon after I married my best friend in 1999, my daddy started showing signs of dementia and was frequently falling. It got to the place where I could no longer pick him up. I had to make the decision have him move into an assisted-living facility. That was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my life. I felt as if I was throwing my daddy away even though my husband and I visited him everyday. The assisted-living facility could only did so much. He started falling more, so we had to find a good nursing home for him that could provide a higher level of care. My husband and I found a place where he had his own private room.
As time went along, my daddy became more unresponsive and not knowing who I was. One night at the nursing home he suffered a major heart attack. I was not there with him? I was not by his side? He’s gone! He’s gone!
Feeling of emptiness and alone, not having any earthly parents here with me.
But God. Yes, but God.
My parents are always with me. They both accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, so to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I know I will be reunited with them in Heaven. I had to get that in my heart and to release the grief and anger. I asked God to take that feeling from me and He did just that. I miss my parents, however I had to change that anger and grief into thankfulness that I have God loving parents who instilled in me the word of God.
My name is JTwisdom and I Am Second.
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