Journal of Faith: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2:12

People sometimes talk as if you can't be saved unless you are a horror first. To go along with this people can act as if those who have been Christians since they were little are fakers who are looking down on everyone. As a result it seems that people praise the experience of the super sinner turned christian and push aside or worse try to find the flaws of the Christians who grew up avoiding sin. This is the backdrop for several disastrous thought processes that travel through the people of God. Here is my list of disasters and lies: 1. Holiness is fake and perfect is impossible : This is a flat out lie. God said to be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:16) therefore holiness must exist and be obtainable. Holy is not arrogant, and stiff is not holy. It is not stuck up for a person to want to please God with every part of their being, and to choose God over everything else including trends and popularity. In stead of making fun of these people, trying to find their flaws, or tryin...

Whether in person or on TV, we have all experienced the "He Man". He sticks out his chest, throws his shoulders back, and takes those giant steps that say "I am here and I won't be ignored." finally he gives the all confident smile smirk. It is pretty entertaining to watch one of these "He Men" because it's such a spectacle. I am somewhat unaffected by the "He Man" and satisfied just to roll my eyes and laugh to myself, but recently I layed eyes on the cutest "He Man" I have ever seen, MY BABY! Every morning when he gets out of bed he happily strutting his way into the living room with his chest stuck out and his head leaning from side to side. He sticks his arms out when he gets there as if to say "good morning everyone. I have arrived so let the party begin". I get to see it every morning without exception and it is the cutest thing! There is nothing more dashing than a confident man except for a confident baby...

It can get pretty difficult being a mother let alone a single one. You feel unappreciated, disrespected, and even victimized sometimes. Children can be so self-centered and demanding it makes you want to run away screaming saying, "why me!." I start to reflect on how unfair it is when I realize that the demanding, self-centered ungrateful child use to be me. My mother took care of me like the champion of my life, and my dad made room for me even when he was tired from work. What I didn't know while I was living my wonderful life is that my mother was sick a lot of the days she took care of me. She really didn't want to play Candyland or watch cartoons. She went to bed late and got up early to make sure that my brother and I had everything that we needed and the house was in order. My mom spent most of my childhood bone tired, but she did a wonderful job making my life the best that she could. She suffered with me through my homework and let me cry on her, coug...

As a mother of a toddler you NO LONGER have the right to Move freely: With so much to see and do your toddler can't afford to miss a thing, which is why they won't let you leave them behind. for the trips around the house leg or arm is good enough to secure their transport, but outside trips require their first class seating with entertainment, a smorgasbord, a nap, walking breaks, potty/diaper breaks, a change of clothing, moist towelettes, snuggling breaks, juice breaks, perfect temperature, and above all else easy access to mommy. With these things you and your toddler will be ready for the long haul. just don't make it more than 10 minutes or get caught in traffic. Avoid bad smells or big messes: They dealt it now you smell it and clean it quickly before it spreads. Ew! This includes but is not limited to poop, vomit, spit, and pee. when you hear "uh oh" it's time to go clean up the mess. the posibilities for what you ...

I know that a lot of people consider Halloween to be just a fun day, but for some it is a day where evil runs freely . I refuse to give evil any day of any week, and today I declare the day of the Lord God almighty. Every day has belonged to God from the very beginning, and what God has blessed no one can curse. This is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. October 31st is a victorious day of Jesus Christ just like every other day. Victory is the Lord's and no so-called evil holiday will change that. All power in heaven and earth was given to Jesus and as joint heirs with Jesus Christ every christian has that same power within us to do great works by the spirit of God through Jesus Christ. I am calling every christian to stand and declare the day of the Lord today and every day. Is it wrong to dress up, no. Is it wrong to eat candy, not prudent but not evil. This isn't about dressing up or eating candy. I just believe that God should be glorifie...

I am now the result of reaping too many of the benefits of nursing. Before I got pregnant I was very happy with my weight. I was a solid, but my no means fat. I was pretty much muscle with just enough cushion to say "hey I am a woman and proud of it". I was pretty active during my pregnancy, but still managed to gain about 35 lbs. It actually didn't look bad on me, but as soon as I had the baby I knew that somehow the weight would have to go. Fortunately for me I opted to nurse. One of the great advantages of nursing is that your weight comes down faster. I lost the weight in no time at all but failed to realize that since I was still nursing my weight was still coming down. I am now smaller than I was before I had the baby, and none of my clothes fit right. I know that most women wouldn't complain about getting thin, but I hate it. I liked not being able to be knocked over by rude people who disrespected personal space, and I don't like the prospect of having t...

As I write this my strong willed son is trying to find his way out of bed and back with mommy protecting his precious milk supply. My son of late is completely unsatisfied unless he is held by me and can check on his milk regularly with a gentle (or not so gentle) pat. He also has decided that he hates diapers, being fed, playing with baby toys, and of course sleep. I thought I could ware him down on the nursing thing, but so far I have been very unsuccessful. When he realized what I was doing he pushed to nurse more than ever. It got so bad today I just had to put him down and walk away at which point he followed me and grabbed my legs to cry into. Babies sure know how to get us. I thought about just starving him out, but that seems a bit cruel. On top of this I am sure everyone else in my house would be begging me to feed him too since they would have to hear the crying also, and boy can he cry. Not only is he strong willed, but he is strong everything! Today he pushed over ...