God is good always.....

Hello my friends!
Well Christmas has come and gone but I have to say this year seemed a little less rushed for me mostly due to time management on my part which took the hustle and bustle out of the scenario, it was a most enjoyable Christmas day. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you too were lucky enough to find some breathing time.

Hard to believe we are headed into a new year which will be filled with memories that mark the year with significance of some life altering event that is sure to be a part of it. 2016 had many moments like this for our family. Larry was out of a steady job, I began working from home, AC went out, my nephew was put on a permanent trachea, my sister was diagnosed with colon cancer to which she will continue chemo until February, but in the face of these events hope still shined through and brought out so much good when we could have chosen to let it beat us down. I see strength and hope, grace and mercy, as they sculpt us into better versions of ourselves. I see a God who places people in our lives that not just help us through difficult times but find joy in them too. I do not know what this new year will hold but I am confident in the one who does. God is good always no matter what may arise.

With every situation we have an opportunity to grow and despite the human inclination to focus on the here and now and the emotions of any given situation if we would just remind ourselves that "this too shall pass" we can cling to the promises that God is in control even when we feel out of control.

My prayer for you and myself is that we never forget to find God in every moment, good or bad, and find Him first because no matter how in control or out of control we might feel, the only one with real control is Him.

We have one very specific call on our lives, and mom's it is not the calling of being a mother (there is nothing biblical to support that) or the calling of a wife (we choose this) but the calling of seeking God FIRST. We take pride in being in control or taking control of this or that and never realize that very control is a trap, a distraction that can leave us feeling powerless when things don't work out as we plan because we actually think we are in control and never really are. God has got this, always has, always will, let Him be God and let us seek God, control how you can make that happen this year.

Happy new year my friends, may God always be your first response

Happy Thanksgiving.......

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

I know it has been a while since I have written, but I did not want this day to pass without telling you all how thankful I am to have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life. I may not get to see you all, or even talk with you sometimes, but I hope that does not ever diminish the significance of how each of you have come to mean to me.

This morning I think back on the first Thanksgiving  in 1621,  I am amazed that very special day, between the Indians and the Pilgrims, would come to be one of our most treasured holidays between family and friends. Although I sometimes wonder if this holiday should be more about friends and strangers then family. How cool would it be to get together with several family members and friends, cook up a yummy thanksgiving feast together only to put them in "to go" containers and go out and feed those who are less fortunate? Perhaps an idea for another thanksgiving.

There are many blessing that come from being grateful for the good things we enjoy. Did you know that counting your blessings literally increases your emotional health? The more you focus on the good in your life, the less power the not so good things in your life can weigh you down. In addition, the more you think about how blessed you are, the more blessings you begin to see in your life. The world around you becomes more and more beautiful, the little things become big things and many seemingly big things become small things.

Thanksgiving may be a day set aside on the calendar, but it should be practiced everyday of the year. I will admit there are times that I don't feel much like reflecting on all I have to be thankful for, but it is in those very moments when I need to the most. So I encourage you, on this Thanksgiving day, and everyday to come, practice focusing on all that you have to be thankful for, and don't let anything steal the joy God so much wants for each of us.

Happy Thanksgiving, and don't eat too much!!!!

All my love............

Plant a seed.......

I want to share this facebook post from a friend of mine that comes at a time when many need to see love and kindness in what they believe to be a world of uncertainty. No one should ever nit see this in anyone who labels themselves as a "Christian".
From my friend Heidi:
Friends, I’m sharing this story because I want love to win. Today I experienced the very immediate, tangible realization of what happens when we obey Christ in loving one another as He commanded. Sometimes this is difficult, because of presuppositions, assumptions, divisions, or misunderstandings. Sometimes we are selfish or withdrawn when we should be selfless and accessible – and I am guilty of sometimes being at the front of this line.

In reading today’s news stories, it hurt my heart to read about how deeply anxious and concerned many people are regarding outcomes of the election. Of special significance is the storyline that Muslims in America report feeling threatened and on alert. I understand this feeling, of being singled out and treated badly based on my spiritual beliefs, from events both here in America and in my travels abroad. I’ve been praying and pondering throughout the day what could be done to bring people together to rebuild trust and relationships where political and religious faultlines – which in some cases have run silent and dormant for decades – suddenly shook and exposed the true core of our nation just 24 hours ago.

The Lord reminded me of Pastor J Mark Johns’ leading of the “Plant a Seed” effort we as a church undertook a couple of years ago. The idea was to do something kind, on purpose and without an agenda, for someone who could use a little help or encouragement. It was described as a conspiracy of kindness, to purposely send out signals of love everywhere that we went, without expecting anything in return. It was done just to live out the true love of Jesus that we talk about every week, with the message that the real proof of our faith comes not in our attendance on Sundays but in what we do on Monday in the office, Tuesday in traffic, and Wednesday on the way home. In response to his prompting, some of my friends from church mowed lawns for their neighbors; others bought movie tickets and provided free babysitting for overwhelmed parents who needed a night out; still others paid for lunch or dinner of the person behind them in line at Panera.

Today, I went to Starbucks over my lunch hour and took my time browsing before getting in line. I’d picked up a Christmas Blend pack of K-cups and found myself behind two young women who I thought may have been Arabic or Egyptian. They spoke in a language I did not recognize, and one was wearing a Muslim hijab, along with long, flowing clothing. As we drew closer to the front I felt moved to pick up their tab for coffee, and when the time was right I asked if I could do so. The woman closest to me, who spoke English, looked at me quizzically and said, “No, you don’t have to do that…” I said I would like to, if it was okay. She half-smiled and stepped back and said, “But WHY?” I said, “I just really want to do this for you, my treat.” Then she was smiling full-out, and said that was sweet, I didn’t have to, but okay. Then before agreeing she again asked, “But WHY?”

Before speaking to them, I thought about what I would say if asked this question. I didn’t want it to be about the election, either of our religions, or anything other than courtesy and friendliness. I wasn’t looking to make a statement, but to metaphorically wrap my arms around them and tell them everything would be okay. I wanted both women to feel surrounded by support just as I did in Cairo when a group of Muslim women befriended me and assured me they would watch out for me, as I felt and must have looked terrified after a series of stories best saved for another essay. 

To the woman in Starbucks who could not understand why I was reaching out to her and her friend, I simply responded, “I want to plant seeds of kindness and love.”

Her face was visibly overwhelmed with surprise and wonder and happiness, and she said, “Okay, then….uh…that’s so nice of you. Thank you, thank you very much. Oh, that’s so nice of you. Thank you.” The other woman, who I don’t think spoke English, was watching all this go down with the same wondrous look, looking as though she wasn't sure what was going on.

After I inserted my card and finished paying, the first woman thanked me again and let out a relaxed laugh and said, “You know, I think we should just move on from what happened yesterday and go forward." I nodded, and before I could respond, she said, "I think we should just hug it out!” I beamed, gave her a hug, and as we embraced, I whispered in her ear, “Bless you.” By this time my eyes were watering and I couldn’t look at her anymore for fear I would lose it right there in Starbucks. My heart was bursting with love and astonishment. She thanked me again, extended her hand to mine, and said, “I hope you have a happy Christmas.” I thanked her very much, and they moved on to the end of the counter to wait for their drinks and marble loaf. As I placed my order and paid, I could hear the two talking and I think the one woman was telling the other woman what had just happened. You could see the other woman – the one in the burka – slowly begin to smile, then full-out beam, until she looked at me and nodded with her hands clasped in front of her and we too spontaneously embraced in a hug. Just as they were about to leave, the woman in the burka came over to me, and in the most joyous, genuine smile I have seen in a number of weeks, using her best English she said, “I thank you so much and wish you a happy Christmas.”

Two Muslim women, wishing me happy Christmas, and all of us embracing, because of two cups of coffee and one marble loaf. I share this as commentary on the power and importance of bold, courageous acts of love during difficult times among people. Here we three were, in the middle of Starbucks in Gainesville, Florida, never having met before in our lives and on the surface, seemingly worlds apart in terms of religion; potentially distant in terms of politics; but sharing the unifying love of comforting, warm coffee. Never in my life would I have imagined that a Muslim, yet alone two Muslims, would wish me a happy Christmas. Perhaps it is because never in their lives would either of them have imagined that a random stranger would pay for their coffee, simply out of the desire to plant seeds of kindness and love. No agenda, no motivation, no craftily-worded propaganda or political positioning, just love and kindness as a singular platform. All of this went down in less than three minutes, which leads me to believe that if others engage in similar acts, we as a people can come back to the enjoyment of human decency and respect for each other. And we can do it far more quickly than the time during which we became so divided.

Please join with me in this conspiracy – to love one another, without stopping to determine what you can get out of it or whether you think the other person is worthy. Join with me in this quest to overcome our own fears, our own faultlines, and our own failings. Each of us is responsible for the energy and messages we send out into the world, for better or for worse. What happens to one, happens to all, and unless all of us are free, none of us is. Live and let live. Let’s make sure that love wins.

That's the call.........

In 1964, reflecting on the events surrounding John F. Kennedy’s recent assassination, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, “God’s Word teaches us to have respect for authority. There can be no power, except as God allows. The Bible does not teach that this world’s governments are righteous, or representing God. But, so long as God allows them to wield an authority He established—even though they wield it contrary to His laws—to disrespect the government is to disrespect God.”

Well tomorrow is the big day and whatever the outcome of the election one thing remains, God is still and will always be on the throne and in control.  It is sad to see how many relationships were put to the test over this election, but if someone unfriended me because my views are different from theirs, then so be it. I will not deny my faith or shy away from what I believe for the sake of man, any man, and I will respect anyone who does the same even if it is different from my own.

As a Christian, I try to follow the rules of the Bible, and it is very clear we are to submit to those that have rule over us,  pray for those in leadership,  and obey the laws of the land.  Nowhere in the Bible did I see where we are to wish death,  and destruction to our leadership,  I live in America, and I do not wish harm to my leaders whomever they might be.  My prayer is that they walk in the wisdom of God and put the American people before any political agendas. Above all else my prayer is that God's will be done, I may not like it, I may not understand it, I may even question it, but I will place my trust in Him and His plan for my life and this world, whatever they may look like. That's the call.

Please don't let this election weigh you down, go vote based on what you believe is the best choice, and if you lose some friends based on that, then honey they are not really your friends and have probably done you a favor. May the peace of God be with you and His blessings on our country.

I will vote for...............

In realizing the lasting impact this topic can have I do so reluctantly as an individual but obediently as a child of God because one of you is struggling with this election, as I have, both as a woman and as a Christian.

One thing I have come to learn and accept is that no two people agree on everything no matter what the subject is because our individual life experiences impact us in different ways.

You are all intelligent women and realize that this election is more significant than which candidate we choose to vote for, because although they may be the president for 4 to 8 years, the supreme justices will impact the long term effects for the next 40 years. That is what I believe this election should be about.

As you know, I am not a fan of either candidate but as an American who believes in the vision and foundation this nation was built on and my own personal beliefs as a Christian and a woman, a vote for Hillary would compromise much that I believe in , as would those to whom she would chose for the supreme court.

Trump, well he is like that kid you don't much care for but you really like his parents so you tolerate him. I believe, in having spent much time praying, that Trump genuinely want what is best for the country, and one thing that we are overlooking, with all the dirt and dirt bag behaviors we have seen is that this candidate has consecutively, throughout this race, sought Godly council. Ask yourself "what has he really done that was worse than the murdering and adulterous acts of tha man after God's own heart". The man you and I have come to love and admire through the stories we have read? The man that ruled a nation? David was no angel.

Trump aside we need what he brings to the table. I do believe that the America we know today will be a very different America in the Clinton administration. When a tag line such as "one world government" is associated with a candidate the jerk knee reaction should throw us to our needs and seek Godly council ourselves.

I appreciate your respect of my views, as I will respect yours, and remember no vote is still a vote and voting for anyone other than someone who can actually win is just silly. Happy voting and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!

More than just a card..........

Good Morning Friends!



If you have known me for any extended period of time you know I LOVE Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the smells, how much nicer people seem to be in general, and I love giving and receiving Christmas cards, hint hint! It seems like sending Christmas cards are becoming a thing of the past, and that makes me a little sad. I know not everyone is going to love sending Christmas cards but if someone has taken the time to sit down and include you in the list of people to remember for Christmas, and you might be one of those people,  maybe you might consider, at the very least, having some cards on hand just so that you can return the thoughtfulness and send them a card in thanks for them thinking of you?


For many sending Christmas Cards is not just a tradition, it is an opportunity. For example. Each year, weeks before sending out cards, I window shop for a while before choosing or settling for the card I will send out that year. I think I have only sent out photo cards once or twice, typically I send out the traditional cards, put I love it with I get the photo cards. Once the card has been chosen I grab a cup of holiday cheer, cider, pumpkin spice, or Christmas Cocoa, put on some Christmas music and begin. Sounds pretty normal right? Well as we all know I am not normal.  As I go down my list and write out each address, one by one,  I also start to pray for that person and their families. I pray for stronger marriages and Godly children. For daily provision and unexpected blessings. For loving conversations and renewed appreciation. For restored health and increased faith. For grace and mercy and love to abound in their lives. Each time I whisper a prayer, I am reminded of how blessed I am and how grateful to God I am for placing these special people in my life. Truth is sometimes it may take more than just one set down, but it is important to me to give more than just a card to those I hold dear enough to even consider sending a card to.

I tell you this, not to make anyone feel bad about not sending me a card in return, but to remind you that for most people who do send out cards, rather it is holiday or birthday or something in between, it is never just a card, but a symbol of a much greater thing, that YOU are loved and thought of.

If you have not yet read the "Five Love Languages" I highly recommend the read. So many relationships struggle because we fail to love someone in the way they need to be loved. People who send out cards, year after year, regardless of how many return one, are usually some of the most thoughtful and caring people you know. They are also some of the most forgiving and in many cases also feel unloved sometimes. Why? We tend to love people the way we want to be loved, and yes something that may seem silly to you, like sending a card in return,  can be quite meaningful to someone else. There is that saying , 'to know me is to love me' but it should  be 'to love me is to know me'.

Just some thoughts :)

PS My mailing address is: 23838 NW 176th Ave, High Springs FL 32643. LOVE YA!!!!!!

Just don't be you.........

Good morning my friends,

I thought before my day got too busy, with meeting after meeting, at this quarterly board meeting I was just stop and chat with you.
I am sitting on my balcony at the Ponte Vedra Inn Beach Resort. I am about 100 yards from the shoreline and breathing in the salty breeze as my ears enjoy the sounds off crashing waves, which is what finally put me to sleep last night.

I must admit the beach is definitely one of my 'happy places". This is a place that I cannot help but see the wonderful works of God's hands. The vastness and depths of the oceans, and all that dwell within it has always left me in wonder and amazement. There is nothing 'man-made' that compares to all the glorious things that God simply spoke into existence.

Last night, or should I say, in the early morning hours, I came across something on Facebook shared by an acquaintance. It was an article written in the Huffington Post titled "White, conservative, Christians- I wish you really were pro-life", on which the acquaintance replied that they agree wholeheartedly. To be quite honest, I found the article irritating mostly because it was directed at this white, conservative, christian, who does not fall under the description laid out in that article, not to mention the contents could be directed at any race, political and religious individual, but was singling out one group, mine.

Stereotyping is just as bad as racism and discrimination. No one is perfect, but no one should be found guilty of acts and behaviors committed by someone else, or should they? The article spoke of love for all life, and yet I heard hate and disgust towards white, conservative, Christians. IF there is to be this proclamation of your love for life, all life, does that not include the white, conservative, Christian?


Like any other thing, there are good Christians and not so good Christians. There are those with God's agenda and those with their own hiding behind or using their faith or religion as the reason why they behave so poorly in the sight of others. I will be the first to admit that I am embarrassed and even angered by some who claim to be apart of my faith family, because if God's message of love is not what others see in you then you have much to learn about how to be less of you and more of Him.

In God's word we are warned that we would be persecuted, and I can live with that knowing that Christ paid the ultimate cost, and if He can pay the price for the crimes/sins of others, who am I to really be upset regarding the article? If you claim to be a Christian, and don't take this the wrong way, but don't be you, be Him, filter all that you are through grace and mercy, get back to the basics people. If you don't have anything nice to say, if it does not build up, if it looks or sounds like anything other than the red letters, just don't be you. (I am saying this to myself included)

Well have a great day everyone and thanks for being my friends :)

Ten Commandment NO, NO.............

Hello my Friends!

In 586 B.C. and unimaginable thing happened: The Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. This building represented God’s presence with his people, The Israelites, and ensured they would always have a way to worship God. Interestingly, it was God who used a pagan nation to punish the Israelites for their idolatry. Big Ten Commandment NO, NO. No other god’s is numero uno. I don’t know about you but I personally tend to list things from most important to least important. The destruction of the temple was a beginning, not an end although I am certain the Israelites did not see it that way. Eventually the Israelites rebuilt the temple, but it was not as awesome as the one Solomon built. Be that as it may, it continued to serve as the center of Judaism’s life and worship.

During the time of Jesus, the temple remained of vital importance to the Jewish people.  This is the place where their sins were acknowledged and dealt with and where God revealed His presence to His people in a unique way. Imagine how shocked it must have been for them when Jesus declared, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Jesus was obviously very creative but unfortunately the Jewish people did not realize the temple Jesus spoke of was Himself.

Although it did not seem like good news then, this would change everything, and we all know how unsettling change can be. For the Jewish people, all that they had come to know about connecting with God, passed down from generation to generation, would now be irrelevant. No longer a need to go to the temple, no animal sacrifices or Levitical priests. In one single conversation, the place of worship was relocated.  God wanted more from His people then just time at the temple. God wanted worshippers who would worship Him in “spirit and truth” by means of Jesus, who is not confined to a specific place and time. We are all aware of those “come to Jesus” moments we have when we take time out of our busy lives to designate time to go to church and turn our focus to God. It feels so good and we wish that we could always feel that way, and because of Jesus we can, if we would only turn our focus to Him throughout the day, every day.

Idolatry is still alive and well in our lives, it is just disguised in a way that seems less obvious than praying to another god or some idol. Whenever we love and serve anything in the place of God, we are engaging in idolatry. That can be our husbands, children, favorite past time, TV, books , anything that we pursue, serve or are emotionally drawn to more than to God. What takes up most of your time? No I am not saying any of these things are bad, but just as we connect with God through the filter of Jesus, we too must filter all that we do through Him, as Christians. This may of course require some changes in our choices. By filtering our choices through Jesus, we make Him our focus, and it may not be a catchy tune, or resounding word, or a prayer than moves mountains, but it is worship.

The point I want to make is that Jesus, our connection to the Father, is not confined to the four walls of our churches, He is in us, all around us, always present, no sick days, vacations, holiday leave, etc., He is where and whenever we are regardless if we choose to acknowledge him.

I use to joke about caring around a little Jesus. Why? So that I would never be tempted to be so involved with living this temporary life,  that the life He gave seemed insignificant. I owe all that I am and every hope to be to Jesus, and He deserves to be acknowledged in every moment of my life, good, bad and ugly.  That is worship.

Arise worshippers, God wants to spend more time with you!

Unsettling

I have not blogged much lately and truth be told, my emotions have been a little high due to the presidential race. I do not recall a time when I have seen more ugliness between two candidates or "we the people". I have read comments from family and friends, christian and non-christian, that I find embarassing as an American and a christian. The moral and spiritual decay of this country is growing at alarming rates and I fear it will only continue in that direction.

I am not overly thrilled about either candidate but it is evident that one of them will become our Commander and Chief. I have never felt so unsettled about my decision of whom to vote for then I do right now.

I am not a worrier but I have great concerns about the state of this country under the leadership of either of these candidates. Even though I realize that there is not one man or woman who truly runs this nation alone, the influences they have in that postion can certainly be weighed in their favor.

I have been questioned this week, several times, regarding my views as a christian regarding this or that, I even had someone ask me to pray for them and others who are passionate about this county as they are. My response was that I pray for this country and all "we the people" because I believe the one thing that damages this country, above all else, is the division between us.

It is obvious that we, as a country, have steppped out from under the unbrella of God's authority, and have not yet figured out, that as long as we continue to stay out from under it, we will not see or experience the wisdom and leadership we so desperately need as a nation.

As an American, I find this presidential race to be appaulling and with the way that we behave,  no other country can cripple us more than we are crippling ourselves, we are our own worst enemy.

The election is only a few short weeks away, prayerfully seek God's guidance with me that we not vote our conscience but rather we vote underneath the unbrella of God's authority, not our passions or emotion regarding this or that, but based on biblical foundations that once was the foundation of this nation - God.

I hope you are all well.

Niece's Wedding..........

Please welcome Mr. & Mrs. Taylor & Family - Addy
 

 The wedding was on Saturday and much work was put into getting it ready and I had quite a bit of help and although I am grateful for all the help I felt unorganized and unfocused probably because I am use to working with a team of two to four but we made it work. To the left is a photo of the Bride - Brittnie, Groom - Phillip, and Flower girl, Phillip's daughter. I wish them all the blessings as they begin a life together as husband and wife and family.

Cupcakes by: Ginny Keough
Wedding Cake by: Joanie Winsett


 To the right is the dessert table which includes three flavors of cupcakes: Lemon, red velvet and white. Ginny Keough did a wonderful job, everyone commented on how moist they were and I heard some say how delicious the frosting was. I am not a big frosting fan, but I tasted it and they were right, it was good! My sister, Joanie, made the bride and grooms cake and it too was tasty!
Much thanks ladies, you both  did an awesome job.

Needless to say I am spent! Thank you everyone who helped make this a special day for my niece. It was an honor to have been asked to help her with making it a special day. My only regret is that my sister Angie was unable to be a big part of it, chemo is taking it's toll, I felt a sense of guilt being in a role that the mother of the bride is usually such a huge part of but at the same time I am grateful that she recognized that I did not just do it for her daughter but for her too because if the situation had been reversed I know that she would have been there for me too.

Have a wonderful day everyone.


Reception area

Ceremony guests setting

 



Tyson

Welcome Table



 

Love is...

Photo Booth

Love is....






Stuff and Politics..............

Hello my friends.  It's been a crazy week. I received my new work computer and spent most of Monday getting that set up, they are still working on the encrypted files, but for now I can do my job. Tuesday I caught up on most of my work, so I feel some relief, I do not enjoy falling behind.

I decided not to take the afterschool position, I just felt it was not worth what I would be giving up , so I will just have to trust that God will provide and help me figure out some ways to save and make money that won't keep me from my kiddos. Truthfully I feel a sense of relief, and I very much appreciate having friends that will allow me to express my doubts and fears and will prayerfully offer an ear and some words of wisdom. I have wonderful Christian friends.

The wedding is Saturday and I really think everything is going to be beautiful! My friend Ginny made all the cupcakes prior to leaving for her girls cruise weekend and she always does such an amazing job, I hope she has a wonderful time! Joanie will be here some time on Friday, but in the mean time Buker will be assisting me on Friday in transforming the Poe Springs Lodge  for the big day. Can I ever say enough how blessed I am to have such great friends?

I have been steady learning new songs for the two upcoming Sundays that I will lead worship again at Fellowship Church, October 9th and 16th. Anyone who does not have a place of worship I would LOVE IT if you would come and worship with me on those day, church starts at 10:30 sharp!! Please continue praying for God's direction for this church.

You all get to catch up with me by reading my blogs, I would love to stay caught up on you so if any of you have a blog, I would enjoy the opportunity to be apart of that, if not send me a 'blog' (aka note/letter) from time to time and let me know what is going on in your lives and if there is anything I can help you pray about, because really that's what friends are for. I cannot however make any guarantees regarding the outcome of my prayers but I can promise God will hear from me regarding them, repeatedly. For some "what's going on in your lives" you can email me tjasales@outlook.com, text me 352-226-7029 or PM on Facebook, or feel free to call or stop by, if you stop by I like at least a 10 minute heads up cause I could still be in my PJ's, the perks of working from home. I realize life keeps us all running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, but if you are on my blog then I consider you someone I care about and I don't want our friendships to be a one way street. I do appreciate those of you whom message me about a blog that spoke to you in someway, it means a lot to me.

Now for some possibly controversial words:

I watched the debate the other night, and I am sure that many of you did as well. I will not go on and on about my take on that whole event, but I would like to encourage each of you to make praying for this country a priority. The whole concept of "United" States seems to be nothing more that a mere title we no longer, and have not for quite sometime, lived up to. Division is not a God thing so I hope you understand who is at work here and he does it under the disguise of political correctness, moral compromise and dare I say faith compromises to the tune of "love one another", sneaky, slithering deceiver. Yes, for any of you wondering, I believe in the devil, if it's in the Bible, I believe it and that includes heaven and hell.

Foundations are vital, and when you slowly chip away at that foundation you weaken any structure that was or every will be built on it and for us that is these not so united states of America. Foundations should never be considered mobile.  Since we are so divided maybe we should consider literally splitting America in half by political affiliation? If you are mostly a democrat live west of the Mississippi and Republicans live east of the Mississippi. The west would be governed by the Democratic President and east by the Republican President,  then perhaps we would begin to see some glimpses of unity again. Unconventional I know but we NEED a great change, and  maybe even a revolution. I am tired of voting the lesser of two evils, aren't you?

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for this country ladies. I want to live in a country where the foundation is built on a solid rock and I only know one Solid Rock!

Peace out!

Stuff and Politics..............

Hello my friends.  It's been a crazy week. I received my new work computer and spent most of Monday getting that set up, they are still working on the encrypted files, but for now I can do my job. Tuesday I caught up on most of my work, so I feel some relief, I do not enjoy falling behind.

I decided not to take the afterschool position, I just felt it was not worth what I would be giving up , so I will just have to trust that God will provide and help me figure out some ways to save and make money that won't keep me from my kiddos. Truthfully I feel a sense of relief, and I very much appreciate having friends that will allow me to express my doubts and fears and will prayerfully offer an ear and some words of wisdom. I have wonderful Christian friends.

The wedding is Saturday and I really think everything is going to be beautiful! My friend Ginny made all the cupcakes prior to leaving for her girls cruise weekend and she always does such an amazing job, I hope she has a wonderful time! Joanie will be here some time on Friday, but in the mean time Buker will be assisting me on Friday in transforming the Poe Springs Lodge  for the big day. Can I ever say enough how blessed I am to have such great friends?

I have been steady learning new songs for the two upcoming Sundays that I will lead worship again at Fellowship Church, October 9th and 16th. Anyone who does not have a place of worship I would LOVE IT if you would come and worship with me on those day, church starts at 10:30 sharp!! Please continue praying for God's direction for this church.

You all get to catch up with me by reading my blogs, I would love to stay caught up on you so if any of you have a blog, I would enjoy the opportunity to be apart of that, if not send me a 'blog' (aka note/letter) from time to time and let me know what is going on in your lives and if there is anything I can help you pray about, because really that's what friends are for. I cannot however make any guarantees regarding the outcome of my prayers but I can promise God will hear from me regarding them, repeatedly. For some "what's going on in your lives" you can email me tjasales@outlook.com, text me 352-226-7029 or PM on Facebook, or feel free to call or stop by, if you stop by I like at least a 10 minute heads up cause I could still be in my PJ's, the perks of working from home. I realize life keeps us all running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, but if you are on my blog then I consider you someone I care about and I don't want our friendships to be a one way street. I do appreciate those of you whom message me about a blog that spoke to you in someway, it means a lot to me.

Now for some possibly controversial words:

I watched the debate the other night, and I am sure that many of you did as well. I will not go on and on about my take on that whole event, but I would like to encourage each of you to make praying for this country a priority. The whole concept of "United" States seems to be nothing more that a mere title we no longer, and have not for quite sometime, lived up to. Division is not a God thing so I hope you understand who is at work here and he does it under the disguise of political correctness, moral compromise and dare I say faith compromises to the tune of "love one another", sneaky, slithering deceiver. Yes, for any of you wondering, I believe in the devil, if it's in the Bible, I believe it and that includes heaven and hell.

Foundations are vital, and when you slowly chip away at that foundation you weaken any structure that was or every will be built on it and for us that is these not so united states of America. Foundations should never be considered mobile.  Since we are so divided maybe we should consider literally splitting America in half by political affiliation? If you are mostly a democrat live west of the Mississippi and Republicans live east of the Mississippi. The west would be governed by the Democratic President and east by the Republican President,  then perhaps we would begin to see some glimpses of unity again. Unconventional I know but we NEED a great change, and  maybe even a revolution. I am tired of voting the lesser of two evils, aren't you?

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for this country ladies. I want to live in a country where the foundation is built on a solid rock and I only know one Solid Rock!

Peace out!

Lessons........

My niece, Brittnie's wedding is quickly approaching, October 1st! Yesterday I did a trial run of the archway which I am glad I did, learned a few things, it was a bit of a challenge at first but ended up going pretty well, except for the part when I dropped the antlers and broke it, oh my! I think I can fix it, if not back to Target to get another one or use real ones. The photo to the left is my first run (ignore the messiness of my living-room), I will do it again and set it up outside to get the outdoors feel for it. There are shepherds hooks for the lanterns, which will be set up at different heights and more greenery, I think it will turn out nicely. There is quite a bit to set up ,aside from the archway, unfortunately I will not be able to do a trial run with that, but I have drawn it out in hopes that all my planning will make it possible to just implement the plan. Brittnie did not waste any time getting this all planned, she knew what she wanted, knew her budget and it was full speed ahead, sometimes the best thing to do is just get out of the way and wait till the dust from her speed settles and do your best to make it all come together the way she wants it. I think it is going to be a beautiful wedding!

I think one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in the past 47 years is learning how to be pliable with different personality types, well with people in general. Mind you this has not always been an easy task especially with those whom share my particular personality type. To be honest in some cases it has been down right painful, but some the most valuable lessons are forged in the midst of pain. I am a perfect example of being able to teach an old dog new tricks.

God is more than able to make changes in someone's life, and it is not always initially evident that you are aware of His big plan. For me God has a tendency to place people in my life to show me things about myself that I need to grow in and grow out of. For example; I do not like to be late for things, matter of fact I like to be early, on time, but never late, and if I am running late, I make sure to always give the person a heads up cause I don't want them just waiting and not knowing, this also means it bothered me when others are late too. Well God insisted on placing just those types of people in my life who are always consistently late but over time He was working on making me more pliable regarding this particular pet peeve, and therefore teaching me baby steps about grace and mercy.

I don't like it when God puts a mirror up to my face and then points out things about me that need work and HE typically does this when I am in a state of feeling pretty good about myself, thinking I am this awesome creature because of all the changes He has already made in me. There have been times that I shut closed my eyes and acted as those I could not see what He was trying to show me, be He is persistent!

I have no doubts that God puts people in our lives for two reasons. For them and for YOU! There is not a relationship you will encounter that cannot teach you something valuable about yourself. Try it. Look at each of your relationships and ask "what is it that I can and need to learn"  if you don't do this I promise God will continue to put those same people and situations in your life until you see it and learn from it and then it will be on to the next thing He wants to work on in your life.

I have not nor will I ever arrive at the destination that God intends to take me, I am a work in progress as long as I have breathe in my lungs and I only hope that I remain pliable to Him.

Direction........

Time and time again we hear that we should seek God's direction for our lives. We are told that we should seek God's guidance in making big decisions, we should pray for the answers to life's big questions, and we are told that we should aspire to carry out all our actions in accordance with God's plan for our lives.

We have all been guilty at times of being overly confident in our own abilities. Our egotism has at some point given each of us over to an over-inflated sense of self-assurance. Having experienced some successes we come to believe that we can function without the Lord. In some cases, many of us start in the right way - fervently seeking the guidance of the Lord, and as He promises, He guides our steps. As we begin to develop a level of comfort that the Lord is with us, and is smiling upon our endeavors, we sometimes then begin to seek the Lord's guidance less, and trust more in the unfounded confidence in our own hearts.

It's easy for Christians to believe that we are in alignment with God's will and we are capable of making our own decisions. After all, we have been saved by grace, we are His chosen, and we live by the aid of the Holy Spirit. We begin to believe that our own decision making is sound, and forget that it was because of God's good providence that our decisions were blessed to begin with. In either case it is by an over-grown sense of self-righteousness that we then cease seeking God's guidance in our decision making. When we begin to believe we are "good" people, and believe we operate with "good" intent, we become confident that our decision making is consequently "good". We then become dependent on ourselves for our own guidance, and unfortunately, as has been demonstrated by thousands of years of history, self-reliance ultimately leads a person far from the Lord.

Jesus teaches, "No one is good except God alone" (Luke 18:19). We must not begin thinking that because we have come to know Christ that we are now "good" people capable of making righteous decisions. The truth is, we are sinners, soiled by sin, making decisions with a fractured conscience and deceitful heart (Jeremiah 17:9). Though we are justified to God through Christ, it is by Christ's righteousness alone, and not by any good of our own (Ephesians 2:8). No person does righteously apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must remember who it is that is good - He who makes us good - and seek His advisement always.

Sometimes the best thing for us to remember is that WE are His children, and like our own children we require/demand that they ASK FIRST before they are allowed to do anything. Why do we do this? We want the best for them, to keep them safe, knowing that we have experience and knowledge that they have not yet acquired which allows us to provide both. Is it so crazy to imagine our Father wanting the same from us?

Obviously we will make independent choices and decisions based on the things we know and that are good and right, these are not what I am referring to, but rather those times when you don't know the how, when, where, what or why and certainly not what the outcome of what your choices will be. Thankfully God does and we just need to ASK.

Church Hurt...........

Happy Monday my friends!

As you know Sunday I lead worship at Fellowship Church and I feel like it went pretty well. I was nervous but once the music started and the songs began I just focused on making my own connection with God, and just placed it all in His hands. My brother and his wife came and once I saw them in the congregation I felt a little more at ease. Although I would love to have this position I can only trust that whatever decision is made that it will be God's will. I hope that a decision will be made soon, because I have to decide rather or not I should accept the position with the school board at one of the after school programs because I know how many hours I put into practicing the last two weeks and I would not have that luxury if I chose to do all three jobs. My preference would be to add the position of worship leader to my already permanent part time job that I have been at for over 8 years now, this would also allow me to be actively involved with my kids extracurricular activities, such as soccer. If I take the after school job I would miss most of Nick's games and a few of Allie's and I would rather not miss any if at all possible. Please be in prayer regarding this above my own desires I want to be in God's will.

I want to thank all of you who reached out to me on Saturday and Sunday about leading worship, I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to me that so many of you sent prayers and encouraging words and even followed up afterwards to see how it went. I am truly blessed with some amazing people in my life.

I want to talk a little today about 'church hurt'. Most of us know what 'church hurt' is and many of us have even experienced it, but for anyone who does not know, basically it is when either a church body, or group of people at a church has done something or said something that deeply wounded someone, so deep in fact that some have chosen to have nothing to do with the church because of it. This can be anything from being publically humilitated, alienated, spoken lies about, gossiped about, etc..I have to be completely honest right now about how angry this makes me. We, as Christians, are representatives of Christ, and when we fail to show love, grace and mercy then we are not Christ like at all! Matthew, Mark and Luke says that if anyone causes someone who believes in Jesus to stumble that it would be better if they tied a large stone around their neck and be thrown into the sea! That is how important our roles are as Christians.

It would kill me to think that I hurt someone so badly that because of me they may never know how truly wonderful it is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. How horrible to think that we as humans could cause a pain so deep as to turn people off to what Jesus has to offer them. How incredibly selfish and arrogant. As you can see this really lights me up and I don't mean in a good way more like an atomic bomb type of lighting me up. I don't even want to imagine how this affects the Father, but I am guessing, based on some of the stories I have read in the Bible, that He is NOT pleased.

Being a Christian takes complete surrender, it is all or nothing. There is no lukewarm, it is hot or cold, you are in or you are out. It is a way of life that must be lived out everyday, in every way, with everyone, not based on this or that religion or doctrine of faith, or altered depending on your mood or the mood and actions of others. You could say "but we are only human", no we are not ONLY human, we have the Spirit of the living God dwelling within us and we need to allow Him to do everything it takes for Him to make us more like Christ and the only way to do that is by feeding that spirit instead of the spirit of human nature.

If you have been deeply wounded by a "Christian" or church body, I am so sorry that instead of experiencing the love, grace and mercy of a loving Savior, all you experienced was the ugly side of the sinful nature of humanity. Jesus loves you and truly desires to have a personal relationship with you and longs to heal the hurt that you carry around deep inside of you caused by the people who should have shown you the love, grace and mercy of Jesus. Don't cheat yourself out of the best relationship you could ever have, and don't let anyone, past, present or future, be the reason. There are millions of people walking a path of faith, and many of those people will fail horribly at being like Christ, but there is only ONE JESUS and it is Him that I encourage you to give a chance and I happen to know He has been waiting on you.

Thursday thoughts........

Last night I had my first practice at Fellowship Church to serve as the Worship Leader for this Sunday. I was super nervous but I think it was mostly because the Pastor was in attendance and will playing drums for that service. It started out a little shaky but ended up being a pretty good practice. They have a solid group for their worship team members and I really look forward to being apart of that this Sunday. PLEASE keep me in your prayers, I know you might think I am this outgoing bundle of joy (lol) but in all my years of being on stage in front of hundreds of people I have never out-grown stage anxiety. The set includes: One Thing Remains (Jesus Culture), Resurrecting (Elevation Worship), Great are you Lord (All Sons & Daughters), and Only King Forever (Elevation Worship), for those of you who listen to 93.7 or 106.9 (myfav). I am super excite that Andy and Kristen will be coming to add some much needed support, I don't know anyone there.


My computer virus issues are still being worked on. Sadly I have lost ALL my personal files including photos from 2005-current, because my external hard drive was plugged in at the time of the virus. This includes my soccer files, taxes, bible studies, Christmas, well everything! I am sad, I even had myself a big fat cry about it. I wonder if these people who do those have any real thoughts of how their behavior can really hurt someone. Lord help me to accept the things I cannot change. Obviously I will make better choices in the future, hard lesson learned folks!

I want to give a little shout out to those of you who make an effort to reach out to me from time to time, I can't tell you what that means to me. Heather B thank you for the US Open coffee mug. Leah, thank you for including me in your current bible study on Thessalonians I am looking forward to that. Kristen, you are family but you are also one of my closest friends, thank you for your continued thoughtfulness and support. Misty, thank you for your note this morning. I have been blessed with so many wonderful and amazing people in my life and could go on an on, so overall Thank you all for your friendship!

Have a nice day!!

Other People's Children........

With everything else currently going on in my life right now I have had a heavy heart about a friend and I just want to take some time to talk about our roles in regards to children that are not our children.

As Christians we have a responsibility to one another because we are all apart of the body of Christ. Those responsibilities do not change in regards to the children of others. The bible does not change based on this or that situation, matter of fact that is one of the awesome truths about God, He does not change!

Children hold a special place in the heart of God. Psalm 127:3 - "behold, children are a heritage from the Lord..." However "Honor (aka respect) your father and your mother" was not a suggestion and neither is "children obey your parents". If we are to live by the word, we should also encourage children to do the same, including the children in our lives that are not ours.

Loving someone's child is a wonderful thing, it is our calling to love one another. Speaking truths and wisdom into the life of a child is also a wonderful thing. Being in a position agreeing to work together with another parent  for the benefit of a child, is a wonderful thing. When working together, there must be a mutual understanding between the parent and non-parent that cannot and should not exceed the boundaries or interfere with the parent/child relationship, with the only exception being if there is some sort of abuse involving the child (physical, sexual, etc.)

We honor God, when we honor His decisions. We honor God when we encourage and direct a child to behave obediently and respectfully towards their parents. We honor God when we do not nurture a divisive spirit between a parent and a child. We honor God when we love the parent in addition to the child and respect the role that a parent was given, by God, over that child.

On a different note. I can see how difficult it might be to practice some tough love, but if a child insists on being disobedient and disrespectful, action has to be taken. Tough love isn't just something that we have to show them but something we share in, because it is tough on a parent to practice tough love when all they want to do is hold that child down and hug and love the negative and bad  behaviors right out of them. It is not okay for people to be treated this way and children, no matter what their age, needs to learn this hard truth and we, as parents, have been given the responsibility to "Train up that child".  I don't know what tough love will look like for you, and it may be different for everyone, but whatever that tough love looks like it won't be easy for you or for your child, but as we have done throughout that child's life, we have to continue doing and this is having their best interest at heart. They may say they hate you, move out, stop talking to you, withhold love and affection, find ways to hurt you, or just continue to treat you unkindly, but they have to learn that you cannot treat people that way and reap positive results.

Doing what is right or best doesn't change how much you love someone, it confirms that love and eventually, could be years down the road, they realize how great that love for them from you was and is.

If you are having some relationship issues with your son/daughter, they may or may not be because of something you did or didn't do. It is important to take a long look at yourself when issues arise in a relationship between women especailly, including your daughter, and the roles that you may have played that helped get you to where you currently are in that relationship, and take ownership. It is also possible that you have done everything right and to the best of your ability and things still went wrong. Whatever is going on there is nothing that is out of the reach of our loving heavenly Father and I highly encourage having many conversations with Him for you and for your child.

May God bless the relationships in our lives.

Two books worth checking out:

Mothers-Daughters-Mending-Strained-Relationship &
When Parents Hurt

Ransomware computer viruses

I am just sick to my stomach today and I have a tension headache on top of that. Why? Computer virus! That's right the new strain of the Locky ransomware virus called Zepto. Most of the company files have been backed up so the worst case is that we have lost the last 3 months of saved files. Sadly my external drive was connected at the time of infection and all my documents and photos for the last 11 years have also been encrypted. My photos since 2005, I am just sick! I don't know what we are planning to do at this point but my hope is that the company chooses to either have a recovery company come in a decrypt the files or pay the ransom for the decryption key. I will be very sad if they choose not to go one of those routes, so pray people, PRAY!

I gets so angry when I think about the people who do these types of things and did I mention the ransom fee? $1900 for the description key! They should be paying me for damages and time! There has got to be a better way to inform the public of these vicious attacks and a better way to track theses bottom feeders. Like any virus these are continuously changing and even if you keep your virus software up to date there is no guarantee that they will identify before it is too late, as is what has happened to me. I have both Norton and Malwarebyte/anti-malware software on mine.

Needless to say having prints would have been good. 😢

Whispers of fall......

Was it just me or did any one else notice the whispers of fall in the air this morning? I cannot wait, I am NOT a summer heat kind of girl, and for the record I never have been, even when I was sporting less insulation, ya know.....thinner! I know I still have quite a bit of time to endure the summer, but hope comes in whispers sometimes. :)

Well the storm thankfully has come and gone and it did not cause too much damage in our area. We are so lucky to live in this part of the state, it is by far the safest location, in Florida, but still not too far from the beaches, which totally contradicts my lack of love for the summer heat, but hey waves crashing on the seashore is wonderful anytime of the year.

As some of you may know, I broke my favorite coffee mug this morning, which was a replacement to my old favorite coffee mug that my sister Amy shattered on my kitchen floor almost 8 years ago. Amy felt terrible so she bought me that one and once again, it has become my old favorite coffee mug. I immediately thought "I hope this is not an indication of what my day will be like".  (This was after my refreshing dog walk this morning and whispers of fall and yes I can clearly see my error was walking the dog before my coffee). Anyway,  I am happy to report that is not the case...so far.  Matter of fact, my sister-in-law Chrissy (Scott's wife) saw my post on Facebook and would you believe it, she has three of those exact coffee mugs in need of a new home and believe you me I am gonna welcome them in gladly!!!! I know it's just a cup, but you know exactly what I mean, you too have a go to cup/mug.

So as most days go there are ups and downs through out them, but so far the scales are tilted to ups!

I don't know about you but I have been super busy for the last several days. Thursday night Allie and Nick had a 'pre-hurricane" get together at the house with some friends which, lucky for me, turned into a jam session, and I am pretty sure that at least half of us really enjoyed it, me included. Three guitars, quite a few singers, and music that ranged from 70's to current was played and sang and to be honest it was not all good but was still a good time. Friday I worked and started on some yard clean up. Saturday was a carry over from Friday with more yard clean up and Sunday after church more outside cleaning and babysitting my great nephew Hoyt, who is such a happy baby. For the record I am not one of those women who could see myself with a baby of my own at this stage, no thank you. Since my yard looked so nice I decided to invite my brother Andy and his family over for a cookout for Labor day to also celebrate Larry's birthday, it was a great couple of days!

Well I wish you all a wonderful week and that the whispers of fall will come closer and speak louder as quickly as possible.

Worship.......

I recently applied for a position with a local church for their Worship Leader position. This consist of several levels of interviews. First there was a phone interview, followed by a face-to-face which included preparing and performing (singing and playing guitar), next step is leading worship one Sunday, and for me that Sunday is September 18th, finally the congregation will then vote on which Worship Leader they feel/believe is best suited for the position. I am very excited about this opportunity for a number of reasons. I am very passionate about music, that passion is never more lived out then when I can use the gifts that God has given me to fulfill the very reason we were created for and that is to worship and glorify God. In addition, it is an honor and privilege to be in the position to help others point their hearts toward God not just to help them connect with God but to help them ready their hearts and minds to receive from God.

By definition, worship is ascribing worth to something or someone. But true worship is a matter of the heart. It must be felt. It can't be ritualistic. It can't be just an external going through the motions. True worship is a heartfelt expression of love, adoration, admiration, fascination, wonder and celebration. It's something that happens in your heart and soul when you begin to praise God for who He is and thank Him for what he has done.

There is nothing difficult about worship. Christian or non-Christian, pagan or holy, every human being was designed to worship, and does worship - something. Consider a group of sports fans watching and talking about a game. They worship. Consider a group of teenagers at a concert. They worship. We readily worship food, sports, arts and music. We worship comfort, control, power, achievement, work, money, and relationships, but God calls us to worship Him. He commands it, desires it, pursues it, deserves it and will reward it.

Worship brings an upward look, a glance at God on His throne in all His glory. It refocuses our view of God. It pulls our affections off our idols, and we all have them, and puts them onto God. It causes us to remember how good He is, how big, kind, powerful, loving and how holy He is.

Worship also brings and inward look. When we see God for who He really is, we start to see ourselves for who we really are. We start seeing things in our heart and life that really didn't bother us before. That's what happens when we really worship.

Genuine worship always leads to an outward look, a personal response or action, a desire to be obedient to whatever God calls us to do.  Genuine worship allows us to see God for who He really is - His power, greatness, holiness, sovereignty, love, and compassion, and then giving Him what He's worth - the best of our time, talents, thoughts, words and deeds.

Are you a bit overwhelmed? I know I am. Remember, we were created to worship and that takes the pressure off because we do it naturally. now the only thing that needs to change is the focus of that worship. If we begin to purposely look for God in all things, we would begin to realize that all that we are, have or ever want to be is because of everything that God has already done for us.

As I continue to prepare for this opportunity to lead worship I pray that God will become more visibly evident and help us to find new ways through our days to worship Him.

Strength and Weaknesses..........

Recently, during an interview, I was asked what my weaknesses were, and not only could I not verbalize what those weaknesses were, I struggled for the next few days searching, within myself, to bring to light what those weakness are. It wasn't that I believe that I don't have them, I just could not think of any at the time.  When you are interviewing for a position you  focus  on what you have to offer, and including the not so awesome things about yourself, just does not seem like a selling point, if you know what I mean. 

As I said, I struggled with this, perhaps it was my pride, or maybe it was something more. I guess we all just want to believe that if our strengths outweigh our weaknesses then they are not worth mentioning or is it that we just don't want to deal with them?

It was not until I talked with a friend about them that I began to see, that just because a weakness can also look like a strength, it is still a weakness. Take for example the following:

- Sometime I take on more than I should

- It is easier for me to do something then try to explain to someone else what is needed

- I can be intolerant of people who are late, unprepared and/or lack commitment

- When my name is attached to a project I have a difficult time delegating it someone else

- If I do not know something, I research it, rather than admitting I don't know

These are just a few examples that come to mind, but when you take a long look at these you begin to see that I have boundary issues, I lack trust in others abilities, I need more patience and understanding, my pride can use some humbling and I struggle

with not being enough. Ouch!

Many of you know me well, some just know the surface of who I am, others are just starting to get to know me. Like many of you, I want to be loved, respected, admired, needed, valued and appreciated and it is difficult to believe that is possible when someone knows your weaknesses as well as they know your strengths, or if they see your weaknesses more than your strengths. 

There is a face we show the world in hopes that they never discover the flaws that we try so hard to cover with all that we believe is good about us. Why do we do this? I could list things like rejection, fear, and pride, but the reality is that grace and mercy rarely play huge roles in our interactions with others. We are a harsh and judgmental people, it's not that we don't wish we could just be real with people, it's that there are very few people that we can be that way with. 

Here is an example. Someone you have encountered, for what ever reason, has decided to be ugly with you. Maybe it is something they heard, or a feeling they get from you, or just that you are different than them,  whatever it is they just don't seem to care for you enough to  give you the time of day. However, all of a sudden they find out from this person or that person that you go to church and all of a sudden they begin being nice to you because now you share a common interest, that has always been there if they had only taken the time to invest in getting to know you.  Why do we have to play these games with one another?

Truth is we already have so many things in common. We are all human, all imperfect, all struggling through life with its ups and downs, all have insecurities, all have secrets, all have strengths and weaknesses, and we all, or at least most act as though we are somehow better than one another to some extent. Why can't we give others what we so desperately want and need from others? 

Many of us are people of faith. We believe in God and we try to take Him at His Word, but we pick and choose which Words will work for us and which ones do not. There is a verse in the bible, that we all know, but somehow leave off the verse that follows "Do not judge others, or you will be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging other is the standard by which you will be judged" (Matthew 7: 1&2) I have been guilty of harsh judgment of others that I would not want to receive from others. Galatians 6:7 says "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap".  

Sometimes we live this life, as Christians, thinking that these words are meant for later down the road, as if they do not apply to the here and now, but they do. With all the do's and don't we can get caught up in the complexity of trying to live a life of faith that we lose sight of the simplicity of God's love, which is the one thing that can make all the other things expected of us so much easier. 

Grace and mercy are the best ways to love each other, because they are the foundation of what it means to be like Christ. If we never understand anything else that God is trying to teach us through His Word, and can learn to live out our lives through the filters of grace and mercy, we would not have to worry so much about all the 'do nots' because what God wants most from us is to give to others what He has given us.

I have strengths, I have weaknesses, and although knowing and understanding what they are can be beneficial to my personal growth, as a christian, neither of these matter if I don't have grace and mercy towards others. Who we really are is how we treat each other, because that is what others will remember about us, not our strengths and weaknesses.