YEAR OF THANKS

The past few years have been challenging to say the least. I've been through too much and I am declaring that 2015 will be my YEAR OF THANKS! I want to renew my relationship with God, learning His word, growing spiritually, and letting it all take root in my life! With the new year I had already challenged myself, that every morning when my alarm goes off to immediately open my Bible app and read the scripture for the day. Then, on Joyce Meyer Ministries Facebook page, they have been posting so many wonderful daily devotionals (which I have been reading). As well, they have issued different challenges, the #YEAROFTHANKS challenge (which I will be doing), and the 3030 challenge (I didn't sign-up for but, in essence I will be doing anyway).

For my Year of Thanks challenge I am going to post something I am thankful for in my life each month. This will help me in different ways. It will help me spiritually, it will also help me to overcome the fear of expressing what I am thankful for. In the past, when I have praised or shown appreciation for something in my life - to me - I felt that it was taken away from me. I know God does not want me to live in fear and if I continue to be afraid, then that negativity will consume my life. I want to be happy, God wants me to be happy, and I know this is the route to my happiness. This is the journey He wants me to take...

JANUARY

So, to start off my Year of Thanks Challenge, the first thing above all else that I am irrevocably thankful for is God. Without Him by my side, I don't know how I would have survived everything that I have. I know He was with me when I was in the hospital, I know He's been with me through the darkest of times, and He always will be. He has understood when I have been mad and He remains patiently by my side. "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV 

For the past couple of years I have sort of crept into this depression where I thought I wasn't getting "the good things in life" because, for some reason, God wasn't rewarding me. My entire mind-set was wrong and because I wasn't studying His word or working on our relationship, that depression fueled those delusional thought patterns. After losing so much and having to move back in with my parents, when I'm well into my 30's now, is rather depressing. However, my faith tells me that God has a plan and I should not seek worldly desires. What I want for my life isn't necessarily what God wants or has had planned. "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 ESV

I pray that God will continue to guide and teach me, that I continue to grow, and to honor Him. Through His timing, that I walk His chosen path for my life that He has blessed me with. I praise God for everything that He has blessed me with in my life so far and look forward to what He still has in store for my future. I pray for those less fortunate than I am, that He work in their lives, and that we all work together to glorify Him. Amen.

The Writing Is In The Sand

The Writing Is In the Sand

ICHTUS

We hear about Christians being persecuted and savagely murdered over seas and it seems like we, as a people, have been in this lethargic slumber that we didn't rise to the call. Where are the actors pulling together in aide? Because religion is such a taboo? Are we so desensitized to such brutality that we rather look the other way while history continues to repeat itself. It's no news that Christians have been mistreated, imprisoned, tortured, and killed because or our faith. But, you would think in this day and age that surely, this wouldn't be happening. Think again!

Muslim "Nun" Symbol

History has taught us that Christians and people of faith have been prosecuted over and over again. ICHTUS fish for different reasons, but nonetheless, they used a symbol in a spiritual, positive message. We are blessed living in the US that we can proudly display our symbols of faith without persecution. While people are dying overseas because of a symbol that expresses "Nun". It is the Muslim letter for Nun and an extremest group are using it to mark Christians; the Nazarene.
Christians, way before the 3rd century, were using symbols to communicate their faith. They used the symbol of the

Let's Break This Down

Seeing a posting about how Christians today are being beheaded and made to leave their homes, I wanted to learn more. Reading over article after article, I came across an article written by Rod Dreher (July 19th, 2014) where he states "The genocidal Muslims of ISIS used it to mark Christian houses, businesses, and properties" the article continues that these individuals (ISIS) are using this mark as a mark of shame (The American Conservative, Mosul Christians: And Then There Were Nun). This is a great article to read because I really liked how it expressed that ISIS are using this as a mark of shame, but in reality and for those of faith, it is a mark of hope.

ISIS is a collection of individuals that have broken from another group more recognizable called Al-Qaeda. What is the deal with ISIS? Here is another great article pointing out what they want, compiled by Zack Beauchamp (August 8th, 2014), Beauchamp states that "ISIS wants to establish a caliphate" (Vox, 16 things about ISIS and Iraq you need to know). What's a caliphate? Basically a caliphate is led by a caliph, who would be the political and religious leader who is a successor (caliph) to the Islamic prophet Muhammad (thank you Google search). They are part of a very intricate war waged a long, long time ago and has only been further complicated by political agendas. What's new, right?

Cause and Effect

On August 7th, 2014 the US took actions to strike ISIS. Why? Because there were innocent people held up on a mountain and ISIS had them cornered without provisions for their survival = genocide. Now what? We have to sit and hold our breaths between this conflict, the boarder issues, and the Ebola outbreak. It's enough that all people should have their eyes wide open. Some say that this crisis doesn't matter, that the US should focus more on what is going on at home (there are plenty of issues). 

What I believe we could do as a united people, is to show our support for those afflicted the most. As a people of faith we pray for them. Since we are blessed to live in the land of liberties, we can proudly display our symbols of faith. I remember reading once how a supremacy wanted to mark the forehead of their people to demonstrate their loyalty to their causes and that these people were to bow down to the supremacy, to worship them. People of faith that cannot do this because God is the only God and they were to worship only to him. They were killed or persecuted when they refused the mark yielding to their faith.

So What Now? 

Would you display the "Nun" symbol? 

I know driving around I see the ICHTUS all the time. If you were living in a region where there was a group like ISIS, would you still be driving around with the ICHTUS on your vehicle? Or would you fear if you came home from work and saw that someone had spray painted the Muslim letter Nun on your house marking your religious beliefs? 

Originally, I had started to compile information and write this post because I wanted to show support for those being affected. When I thought about how they must be feeling, I couldn't help but to think this has been happening for way too long and something needs to be done. Plus, I got really aggravated because there isn't more being done.  

What is your take on what is going on?

Links

The American Conservative, Mosul Christians: And Then There Were Nun

Religion Facts, The Christian Fish Symbol

Vox, 16 things about ISIS and Iraq you need to know

F is for Faith

FAITH

A loose interpretation of Matthew 17:20 suggests that if we have the smallest of faith (as small as a mustard seed), we can move mountains "Nothing will be impossible for you."  By definition faith is a complete confidence or trust in something or someone. Like the video below demonstrates, as Christians we put our faith in Jesus, the son of God.

There have been plenty of times within my life that I have slipped, or thought I was slipping away from my faith. Not so. When I was mad at God after my son was born with special needs, he calmed my spirit and told me it's o.k.' it's o.k. to be mad at God. I transformed and he gave me the knowledge that He had been preparing me for my son, Kaleb. I had worked in the special education field for years before we were blessed with Kaleb; God was preparing me.

Since I was young I have battled suicidal thoughts. When I was 14 I attempted to take my life by swallowing some pills. To look back now, I was struggling with my life and the hardships that I was going through. If I could tell that girl something, I would tell her life is going to get much tougher and she would be amazed at the strength that she is capable of. What has always pulled me away from the vale of darkness, has been my faith in knowing God has better plans for my life. Also, in battling with these thoughts for so long now, I have realized that life is a gift from Him and I don't want to be disrespectful. I want to go to heaven, especially now more than ever, so that I can be reunited with Kaleb and my loved ones. When I think of ending it all, it has always been because I have lost sight of hope and feel consumed by hopelessness. It is faith that brightens the darkness; faith that I will get to heaven and have the ultimate experience to see Kaleb running around, laughing, and ultimately running up to me to give me a huge hug and telling me "I love you Mommy."

What does faith mean to you?

Faith

March7th, 2013
By definition faith means to have complete confidence in someone or trusting something.  Faith also is defined as a "strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof" (Google search, 2013). You can read the words, but I think faith could also mean something different for everyone.

I had always believed in God growing up. When I was 25 I went through a really tough time trying to come to terms with what had happened to me in the hospital and having my son (who is severely handicapped). To me, faith is something that you feel in your soul. If I am having a difficult time, I may be upset that it is happening, but I have faith that He will also see me through it.  It goes with that saying "God doesn't bring you to something without bringing you through it" (I think that's the saying). This was a difficult concept to swallow after the birth of my son and my ordeal in the hospital.  I had felt like I was being punished and I kept asking God what I had done to deserve this. What I had learnt since then is, who am I to question God? It is His plan not mine. An epiphany about a year later was that God had actually given me the training that I would need for my son.

Before my son Kaleb was born in 2002, I worked with special needs students.  I started working in this field first when I volunteered at the age of 14. So, you can imagine, I had a great deal of knowledge and resources already after the birth of my child - much more than most parent's have. The anger I had inside toward God was immediately replaced with understanding. You see He understands our agony and He does not think any less of anyone who is angered by what this earth presses on us. He only wants us to have faith in His timing and for us to come to Him. God has given us the ability to choose, in His own way.  Think this way, if we were to go to a foreign country (the foreign country being the Lord) if we went without any knowledge of the dialect, we couldn't understand what was going on.  In this case we're not suppose to understand or have the 'knowledge'. We aren't suppose to constantly seek the fruit of knowledge. We're suppose to have faith in Him, period. We can read the Bible and understand all the different stories of how time and time again God must have been disappointed in His creation of man. This is why God knows our suffrage, He knows the challenges of the flesh and of this earth. Our mortal minds cannot begin to imagine the immensity of it all. Not needing to understand everything, to know He is in control and finding the peace within this; that is the definition of faith to me. What is it to you?

Until next time or the next... dream
K.E.Nowinsky