New Hope

Wordless Wednesday: I Wanted a Wii for Christmas

Angry at God?

I've met a few women, lately, who are feeling angry toward God. After Googling "angry at God" I found out that there are many people feeling this way and expressing it on the Internet.

My suggestion is to call people who know what they are talking about. The Hope for the Heart Call Center has counselors available 24 hours a day to receive your call. Tell them that you are angry with God. They will listen and care and offer you hope. 1-800-488-HOPE (4673). It's Free.

This life that we live on earth is not how God intended it to be. When sin entered, because of Satan, the perfect plan got all messed up. And it won't be perfect again, until heaven. God allows bad things to happen, but he also gives many blessings. I wonder how much tragedy He spares us from experiencing. It's easy for us humans to focus on sufferings. We tend to forget about the undeserved blessings that we receive.

I don't fully understand God or His ways. But, I have chosen to trust Him despite the bad things in my life. I've had my share of sorrows, and I expect many more in the future. My favorite song is Blessed Be Your Name. It's a song about Praising God when life is good and Praising Him when life is bad. It's about recognizing that He gives blessings and He takes them away. It's about choosing to always say - "Blessed Be Your Name", no matter what the circumstance.

Above is a YouTube video of this song. Here are the lyrics to Blessed Be Your Name.

Manic Monday

My last post was about praying for salvation and the one before that was about Satan. So, I'm going to lighten things up with a Manic Monday Meme. (Except for #3. That is not a lighthearted question.) They provide the 3 questions and I provide 3 answers.

Is there anything too serious to joke about? If so, what falls into that category for you?
This depends on who it is getting joked about. Most people don't seem to be able to handle joking that hits them personally. I have met many adults who are still holding on to hurts caused by inappropriate joking. So, I'd have to say that anything that could hurt the feelings of another person is too serious to joke about - race, fat, crazy, male and female jokes. Lawyer jokes are acceptable. I don't think lawyers have enough feelings in order to get hurt. Now, I'd like to quote my life verse (that my children have heard a thousand times). Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Would you rather be a tortured genius or a happy simple-minded person? Why?
Definitely a happy simple-minded person. I wouldn't purposely bring on torture, even though brains would be nice. I do much better with being happy and since it is my choice I'm choosing simple minded.

A dear friend or family member has a terminal illness and is in agony. He/she wants you to help him/her die. What would you do?
Interesting. I just mentioned euthanization 2 posts ago when I wrote about The Foul One. Satan is so evil that he gets humans to kill for him - murdering the unborn children, euthanizing the elderly and disabled, and getting people to kill themselves through suicide. I don't like the idea that some of us have to suffer physical pain. But, that is no reason to help Satan murder. 6 posts ago I wrote a post called Why? Basically, whatever good and bad things happen to us are to help accomplish the purposes that God has for each of us - His specific will for each of our eternal lives. God can use our terrible troubles, even terminal illness and agony. He can use them to strengthen us spiritually, bring glory to Him, make us more godly, prepare us for eternity, and to help others going through a similar situation. I would explain this to my suffering loved one, pray for the person, spend time showing love to the person, and encourage the person to bless and serve God despite the physical pain.

Does anyone else want to join in? There are about 40 of us doing Manic Monday.

(Simple Minded Fish image from ChristArt.com)

Pray Others to Christ

The following suggestions were taken from the booklet
Praying Your Friends to Christ

Ask God to open up their spiritual eyes. 2 Cor. 4:4
Ask God to set them free from spiritual captivity. 2 Tim. 2:25-26
Ask God to give them ears to hear Matt. 13:15, faith to believe Acts 20:21, and the will to respond. Rom. 10:9
Ask God to send people into their lives to witness to them. Matt. 9:38
Ask God for ways to build caring relationships. I Cor. 9:22
Ask God for opportunities to witness. Col. 4:3
Ask God for boldness to witness. Acts 4:29
Ask God for an opportunity to invite them to a harvest event. Luke 14:23

Who are you praying to Christ?

The Defeat of the Foul One

The writing prompt for Sunday Scribblings this week is "Foul"

So, I'll start by saying that I am feeling very foul. I got a nasty cold and I think I can trace it back 8 days ago when I went to Wal-mart. I've spent most of the day in bed, which is not normal for me. It's just a cold. These are my only accomplishments for today:

watched an episode of Brady Bunch (Greg had a groovy crush on his math teacher- that's kind of foul.)
heated up frozen chicken nuggets (fowl) and frozen french fries for my kids' dinner
wrote this post about The Foul One

The Defeat of the Foul One

The Foul One was created as an anointed angel. However, due to his self-centered pride, he tried to make himself equal with The Holy One. This got him kicked out of heaven, taking 1/3 of the holy angels with him - those fallen angels became his evil demonic followers.

There is no truth in the Foul One. He does know The Truth and works hard to get you to doubt Truth. He dangles temptation hoping to get others to fall, too.He schemes and cunningly deceives, looking to destroy someone's life. He's especially drawn to those who don't follow The Holy One, wanting to devour them before they decide to believe in The Truth.

The good news is that the Foul One has limitations. He is not omnipotent ,or omniscient; his time is limited, and he knows it. Therefore he is going to hurriedly take down as many humans as he can. And this is the bad news. The Foul One gets humans to do his dirty work for him - perverting the truth, slandering each other, destroying their own lives through addictions, becoming false teachers that draw in the people by offering some promise, but unable to deliver. He also gets us to kill for him - murdering the unborn children, euthanizing the elderly and disabled, and killing themselves through suicide.

There is more good news though. A time will come when The Holy One will send The Foul One, and all his death and hell to a lake of fire forever. "Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:10

When we die, all people of the world will have to give an account of how they lived. We all will be judged. Did we follow the truth of The Holy One, or did we let The Foul One corrupt our hearts?

The Foul One and his followers will be defeated. The Holy One and his followers will live forever in true peace.

Hell's Best Kept Secret

The picture of the chickens (fowl) is a pun on the word "foul". I didn't want any of you to think that I was losing it.

Are You Preparing for Eternity?

Life doesn't end here on earth. We have something bigger that we are working towards - eternity in heaven. Even if we complete all of our earthly goals, we will not feel accomplished and satisfied unless we are working for God's Kingdom.

What are you doing to prepare yourself and others for eternity? (evangelizing, teaching, praying, encouraging, supporting, counseling, growing, helping, ministry work, using your talent or skill). Your answers can motivate and encourage your Christian sisters.

I'd really like to Get Your Answers (with some details).

If you'd like to read more about Eternity, I wrote a post called What Is Eternal Life?

(Fish image from ChristArt.com)

Wordless Wednesday: I Know It's You Grandpa

Why Me?

What have I done to deserve this problem? Why did those bad things happen to me? Why me?

I don't like problems and I imagine that you probably don't either. Some of my problems I bring on myself due to choices that I make and some problems just happen to me. One thing that I have learned about problems is that we can grow spiritually as we deal with problems.

Basically, whatever happens to me is to help accomplish the purpose God has for me - His will for my life. Therefore, I will have problems and troubles, but I will also have blessings. And they will differ from the problems and blessings of other people, because His will is different for each of us.

How are our present troubles beneficial?

They will be used to glorify God.
God will strengthen our spirits in our weakness.
They make us more godly, like Him.
He can use us to help others going through the same trouble.

Through our individual experiences, God molds and makes us into what He wants us to be. Each of us is shaped uniquely to fit into His bigger, eternal purpose. He's getting us ready for His heavenly plan. We should surrender to His plan, instead of fighting it.

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Monday Memories: Building Childhood Memories

As I went to write my post for Monday Memories, I drew a blank. I couldn't think up anything to write about that sounded entertaining. So, I Googled "memories" which led me to a post about childhood memories. That's when I started thinking about what kind of memories do I want for my children. Parents can help provide good memories for their kids. So, after thinking, these are some of the good memories my kids will have and some of the memories I want them to have.

listening to Dad's stories about when he was a naughty boy
watching Little House on the Prairie DVDs over and over
playing lots of card games
family road trips
having "snack food" dinners
doing our family Christmas traditions
trying to raise chickens
going to the County Fair during the summer
doing evangelism and ministry projects as a family
watching their parents get more involved in church
trying to live a more simplified life - in the country, on a lake, chopping wood, playing in the trees
Mom reading chapter books aloud to the kids
going on a summer mission trip as a teen (this one is still to come)

Do you have any neat "building memories" ideas that you want to share?

Friday Fill-Ins

I've never done the Friday Fill-Ins meme before, but it looked like it would make for a good, lighthearted post. My last five posts have been quite serious. The "black writing" is part of the writing prompt. The "orange writing" is the personal part that I had to fill in.

1. Traveling to new places makes me happy.
2. I would like it to be 60* warmer (than 10* F) please.
3. My husband's homemade Fettuccine tastes SO good!
4. Sunday is my favorite day of the week because the whole family goes to church and youth group, for some worship and some fellowship.
5. My curly hair is my best feature. (however, I hated it as a kid when straight hair was "in".)
6. We could learn so much from The Bible, if we studied it on a daily basis.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading a novel (The Shack) that my parents sent to me, tomorrow my plans include taking my kids swimming 2 more times in the hotel's pool, and Sunday, I want to rush back home in time to get the family to Youth Group!

Some Resources for Emotional Healing

New Life Call Center (free) This organization offers free prayer counseling. They can also help you locate a professional counselor or support group. They are used to getting 20,000 calls a month. Call 1-800-NEW-LIFE. (24 hours)

Hope for the Heart Call Center (free) Do you need to talk to someone who cares? They are always there to talk, pray or just listen. They don’t offer professional counseling, but they can provide you with spiritual guidance, heartfelt prayer, honesty, resources and connections to skilled Christian counselors. They are waiting day and night to help you in any way they can. Call 1-800-488-HOPE (4673)

Free Suicidal Help Call 911 or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). There is help for you. People are waiting to help you. It is never okay to act on your thoughts of suicide. Getting help is the answer.

Unplanned Pregnancy Information (free) They will help you find a pregnancy resource center in your area for free services and answers to questions about abortion, pregnancy tests, STD's, adoption, parenting, medical referrals, housing, and many other issues. 1-800-395 HELP or contact them by Email.

Healing is a Choice (book) The power to heal-physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually-is in God’s hands. But the choice to be healed is yours. The author outlines ten choices crucial to receiving healing and ten lies that can prevent you from making them.

Laughing in the Dark: A Comedian's Journey Through Depression (book) Each chapter includes a look into Chonda Pierce's personal journey, insights learned while laughing in the dark,and expert advice from a psychotherapist for those struggling with depression.

Good Grief (book) This book will guide readers through the ten stages of grief: shock, emotion, depression, physical distress, panic, guilt, anger, resistance, hope, and finally, acceptance.

Lose It For Life: For Permanent Weight Loss (book) This is a balanced program that deals with the physical, emotional and even spiritual elements that lead to weight loss. It will help you face the emotional issues that are causing you to overeat.

What is Eternal Life?

I thought that my eternal life was going to start when I die. But, it actually started when I was a little girl and asked Jesus into my life. I've wanted to know more about eternal life (living forever) so I listened to a sermon on SermonAudio.com

Here are Some Evidences of Having Eternal Life:

You've changed inwardly, walking in righteous and godliness.
You enjoy fellowshipping with God, knowing God.
You love other Christians (it's not perfect, but your love is growing, 1John 5:1)
You aren't in bondage to sin anymore (have many victories over temptations, 1John 5:4)
The Holy Spirit is now living in you. (at the moment of becoming a Christian)
You totally believe and trust in Jesus.
You'll have a certainty that you are saved from your sins and saved from hell.

How to Have Eternal Life

Some people think that you have to follow certain rules to have eternal life. Some people think all you have to do is say a "special prayer" and it will work like a magic formula bringing eternal life? This is what 1 John 5:13 says:
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

You must believe in Jesus, and that He is your Savior. (to the point that you are certain, totally convinced that this is the truth)
It's an attitude of the heart, not the words that you say.
It's completely trusting in Him - that He saved you and forgave you of your sins.
It's deciding to repent. (turn from sinning)

There is no special ticket to heaven, no magic words to say.

Salvation is a free gift. He paid the price when He died on the cross. There is nothing that we have to do and nothing we can do to pay for our sins. Just tell Him that you trust in Him alone and that you want to accept His gift of salvation, and that you want to live for Jesus,

Would you like to listen to the online sermon that I heard? It is called How to Know You Have Eternal Life?

Wordless Wednesday: What Was I Supposed To Be?

Self Worth: Molded into the Image of Christ

We need to hope in God's promise - of being molded into the image of Christ.

God wants us to accept ourselves, as He made us. He gave each one of us - a personality, abilities, and talents for His purpose. He wants to teach us more and have us grow more Christlike - into the image of Christ. That way, when the people in our life look at us, they will see Christ.

We should let Him use each of us as He decides best. It is for our own good. When we are following God's will, we will feel valued, and have peace in our heart.

Lyrics: Change My Heart, Oh God

Change my heart oh God, make it ever true.
Change my heart oh God, may I be like You.
You are the potter, I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.

© 1982, Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
Words and Music by Eddie Espinosa