PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST is coming to a theater near you on Friday, March 23rd. Just in time for the Easter Season. The movie examines the life of Paul, portrayed by James Faulkner, who in his latter years holds on to what he believes despite being tortured from all sides. And how Luke, a physician and Paul’s friend, played by Jim Caviezel, wants to recount in his writings how a person can truly be changed and then convey that message to the early church. This is a dangerous time for the new followers of Christ. Paul wonders if the word is getting out and if it is still important what he has to say.
Take a look a the film trailer below:
As Christians, we are noted for being quick to judge and condemning if a person is not on high of a pedestal as we think they should be. We have to realize that no one is beyond God’s mercy. “For we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23 Paul, early in his life, hated Christians. Paul became a dramatically changed man, who is a key figure in fighting for Christianity and ended up writing a majority of the New Testament. Before we cast the first stone, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror. “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” Luke 6:41 (ESV)
Paul, portrayed by James Faulkner
This is such an important film to see in these days and times. Even while in prison, Paul sang God’s praises and some of his most loving writings came to be during this time.
Behind the Story
I am looking forward to seeing this movie with my husband. It is on our must-see list and I believe that it should be on yours as well. And you and a loved one might be able to see the movie for free. Bubbling With Elegance And Grace is collaborating with LEV3L Digital to give one person two free tickets to see the movie.
To enter the giveaway, you only need to do two simple tasks.
1) Leave a comment below about the movie
2) Share this article on your favorite social media outlet to get the word out about the film.
The giveaway begins now and will run until midnight (Central Time) on Monday, March 19th. the winner will be announcement on Tuesday, March 20th.
Are you getting your annual check-ups with your primary care doctor?
I cannot stress the importance of going to the doctor every year for blood work and regular examination.
You may have many excuses for not going; but I am here to tell you that your health is more important. The following infographic by hims shows the recommended health exams by age group. The earlier in your life that you start, the better you will be.
You may say, “I don’t have time!” Well, I say, “You have to make the time.” You make the time for the other important things in your life. Whether it is work-related issues, or personal things, you plan for them. If you want to take a vacation, you plan for it months in advance. The same effort should go into your health. Decide when you want to get the examination, make the appointment and put it in your calendar. In my experience, the appointment lasted less than one hour. Your health is worth one hour of your time!
You may say, “I don’t like going to doctors.” Well, I say, “It is much easier to go to a doctor when you are well; instead of going when you are sick and needing care.” The point of an annual examination is to establish a record of your health and to see how it has changed from year to year. If you wait until later in life to go to a doctor, he or she will not have any basis for the symptoms or know where you have come from.
You may, say, “I don’t have the money to do it.” Well, I say, “Most insurances will cover an annual examination to you at no cost.” Check with your insurance company, and see what is covered and what the total cost will be to you. If you don’t have insurance, check with local doctors and clinic to see what the actual cost would be and if they accept any kind of payment plans.
When it comes down to it, your health is the most important thing in your life. If you don’t have your health, you cannot enjoy life. For me, it is a personal thing. My father passed away from lung cancer when he was only 54 years old. He was not one to go the doctor, even when he was sick. When he found out that he had cancer, the tumor in his lung was already the size of a softball. Had he gone to the doctor more regularly, I believe that the cancer and the tumor would have been found sooner. And his chances of beating the disease would have been much higher.
Because of this tragic story with my father, I had found a primary care doctor for my annual check. I was determined not to let this same thing happen to me. The doctor I had was very good and encouraged check-ups. However, he retired and his replacement had a completely different philosophy. I would go in for my appointment, and he would wonder why I was there. On several occasions, he told me that he didn’t want to see me until I was fifty. Something about that didn’t seem right. So, I decided to find another doctor. It was a challenge finding one, but ultimately I was able to find a doctor who agreed that annual check-up was not only important, but a necessity.
So men, I challenge you!
This is a call to action.
Find a primary care doctor!
Make that appointment!
Get that examination!
How your week has been a great one!
Around here, the weather has been crazy, to say the least.
On Thursday, the temperature topped out at 79 degrees. Unseasonable warm for February. I had a spring coat with me, but it turned out that I didn’t need it by the afternoon. Then in the evening, the rain moved in and the temperature started to drop. By Friday morning, it had bottomed out at 34 degrees. So I had to pull out my winter coat to wear to work. The temperature only rose up at 39 degrees.
Then today, as I woke up to heavy snow and 30 degrees. If you know me, I am a snow bunny. I really enjoy being out in the snow with my hubby and my doggies. Ever since I was a kid, I would look forward to the snow days and I would get not have to go to school.
So this morning, it snowed about an inch by 9am. Here is a couple pics of me and my doggies enjoying the snow.
JT enjoying the snow.
Gio and Vinny enjoying the snow!
Then as the day went on, the temperature rose to 42 degrees. The snow changed to ice pellets and then into rain by the afternoon. And by the evening, the rain stopped and the snow was gone, much to my disappointment.
The snow is gone! (sad face!)
Well, it was pretty while it lasted. My hope is that we will more snow this season. I would like to go out and build a snowman, or throw a snowball at my hubby.
Today, we celebrate the birthday of a wonderful person we affectionately call MOMMY BERNICE.
Eighty-one years ago today, Bernice Matilda Schulte was born in Freeburg, Missouri. She is the daughter of Henry and Katie (Linnenbrink) Schulte, She is the third of six children. Her life is filled with many wonderful stories of faith and resilience. She makes me proud to be her son. Here are a few stories for you.
When she was only fourteen years old, her father had gotten sick and was unable to work his job at the local MFA feed store. In order for her daddy to keep his job, she had to quit school and work his job. Her brother would also work with her in the store. While her father would recover from his illness and was eventually able to return to work, she was never able to return back to school. However, she didn’t allow the lack of a formal education stop her. She served her family as a wonderful mother; and raised her children well.
After getting married to my father in 1957, she gave birth to nine children, with me being the youngest. Sadly, four of her babies died only days after being born; and a fifth child died at the age of 37. At one point, she lost three premature babies in just four years. Despite these setbacks, she and my father never lost their faith in God and persevered through the hard times. Ultimately, the doctors found the source of the problem, fixed it and then she was then able to have three successful pregnancies. I guess they stopped after having that perfect baby (me)!
During their marriage, my father dealt with many sicknesses; from bleeding ulcers to lung cancer. Unfortunately, he would lose his battle to cancer and his life ended prematurely in 1987. She once again battled through, raising her youngest children on her own. I know it had to be a tough time for her, but she never would let me know it. And if you ask me, I will say she has done an awesome job.
Later in her life, she has overcome her own health challenges, from a broken hip, a broken ankle, and a fractured back (not at the same time); to macular degeneration and rotator cuff tears. But in spite of this, she still keeps her faith in God and maintains a positive attitude. She has been through so much, but I believe it has made her stronger.
Mommy Bernice is wonderful example of Godly woman who maintains her faith despite the circumstances. She is one who is deeply loved and admired by her family and her many friends. I can definitely say that I have not meet any one like her. I thank God for her and want the world to know all about her. We Love You, Mommy Bernice!!! And, Happy Birthday!!!
I hope you are having an awesome day.
I wanted to give you a quick update on the 23 and Me DNA test that my wife and I completed back in early December. The test analyzes the DNA in your saliva to determine your ethnic composition; meaning where in world your ancestor come from. To learn more about the reasons why we took the test, click here!
Typically the test is completed in six to eight weeks. Well, we are still waiting on my test results. Tamaki’s results came back in mid-January, without any problems. However, my test is taking a little bit longer.
Apparently, the first attempt to extract sufficient quantities of DNA from my sample was not successful and that my sample had to be reprocessed. So, now they are reading my DNA with a genotyping chip. During this analysis step, they make copies of my DNA so that they have enough to analyze. Then they place my DNA on their genotyping chip and use a computer to read my genotype at each location that they test.
What this means is that I did not give them enough of a sample of saliva to extract the DNA. They told me that it will be another couple of weeks before they complete my test and the results are sent to me. So, we are waiting, patiently, to find out what my test reveals about my ancestors. We wanted to wait and share the results of both tests at the same time.
We will be back in a couple of weeks (or sooner) with the results.
Until then, Take Care! And enjoy the journey!
Life comes with stress, there’s no way to get around it. The older we get, the more worries we have; house, car, pets, children. And it’s in the middle of adulthood where we amass all of these things the most. Quite often the most expensive time is when all the kids are still at home, the house still has a mortgage, and you’re trying to support your family in doing all that they can to have the best start in life. And no one can fault you for that. But it doesn’t mean that it all comes stress free.
Stress can be one of the biggest issues you face in your life – it can crush a person if they let it. But you can very easily learn to manage and to even get rid of the stress in your life. The first thing you need to do is to identify where the worries are coming from and then to deal with them individually. This way the problems don’t seem so big.
Finances From the richest person to the poorest, everyone worries about their income. Albeit some more than others. But if you’re in debt – this is probably where the majority of your stress lies. The way to lessen this stress is to get organized. Budgeting will forever be your greatest asset. Set out a financial plan months in advance, have a clear understanding of your income and outgoings, and you’ll be able to see where money is being wasted. A well-organized budget will reduce your stress immediately. If you have multiple debts then it might be an idea to look into debt consolidation for bad credit. This allows you to concentrate on one payment and one interest rate, making this a lot less complicated.
Work Work is one of the leading causes of stress, luckily there are a few ways to solve it, but it does depend on the level of stress you are experiencing. A vacation might be all you need to refresh yourself. Or, you might need to combine a vacation with lessened shifts or hours for a while to give yourself time to recuperate. Or, it might be time for you to switch it up and find a new job – either the same role in a new place or something different altogether. Starting a new job is nerve-wracking even without the responsibility of bills and family. But if your current work situation is doing nothing but giving you stress – then a complete change might be everything you need.
Health Ironically one of the biggest contributors to health concerns is stress. Health is something people agonize over constantly. There are a few things you can do to help, but you need to remember that there is only so much you can do to keep yourself healthy – there are some things, like old age, that no one can control. First of all, get health insurance. That way your stresses over health and money don’t clash. Next look at your lifestyle; your health will only improve if you work at it. Eating right and exercising regularly is the easiest yet the biggest impacts you can make on your health and well-being. If you smoke, quitting will be the best thing you have ever done for your body. The same goes for lessening your alcohol intake. Get a good night’s sleep – and with your lessened stress, this should come a lot easier to you.
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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