Hi everyone!  Recently a friend had small kidney stones which put me on a search of what can be done to aid in the passing of these or better yet to aid in avoiding getting them period. I found some interesting info, I would share with You, my friends and neighbors.  It is things like this I find to be good forms of ” loving thy neighbor”.  Knowledge is Power ya know.

Ok, to help a kidney stone OUT…. try out some  Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey. Need a little more than honey to get that down: Try 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 lemon, and 1 tsp olive oil in 8 0z. of water..hmmmm good. LOL   Seriously,     Apple Cider vinegar is an amazing healer…Google it and you will be surprised at all it’s attributes. My Mother told me that years ago and of course then I had that attitude, ” that is that ole wives tale stuff”  Well, I should have listened, she was right !

If you think you just can’t or Won’t try that one, how about some Dandelion Tea or Dandelion greens in your salad. Just for a week. Hey just try it before you poo poo me.  Or you can take the simple way out & go to your health food store and pick up some Uva Ursi herbs. You say, Uva what? Here is a site with some info on Uva Ursi : http://www.drugs.com/npp/uva-ursi.html

Now for tips in the prevention of painful kidney stones ever darkening your door; get into a habit of Drinking Water when we are thirsty. Pay attention to how many times you are actually thirsty and Don’t listen to your body and drink some water. I keep a 25 oz bottle handy and have been getting ” in tune ” with Me & when my body says, ” Hey, I am feelin’ like the desert. Just because there is a water shortage in Cali doesn’t mean I am where you cut back. “  Yes, my body and mind think they are comedians. LOL   Make sure you have magnesium in your diet. Good sources of this are: Broccoli, Black Beans, Pumpkin/Squash seeds, Spinach, and Okra.  Sounds like a tasty salad to me. Oh and pour a blend of the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil on top and the battle is now on !   Again, listen to your body. When things are getting out of order within; Our inner voice and our bodies do tell us: Warning, Warning Will Robinson. And how many times have we heard the warnings of: AVOID sugary things and Soda! Holds true in this case too.  And of course on the top of the list when it comes to helping our Kidneys out is: Avoid Stress and Exercise 30 mins. daily!!

Every time I look up those last two are in my face. Looks like, Along with the wise Words of my BFF, Jesus they are the best helpers in maintaining the Mind, Body, and Spirit !  On that note, I sign off for the night saying,                                                   ” In this house, we will dance, drink kombucha,(which I forgot to mention), eat salads, & allow my mind to relax in the world of pure nonsense with my fav night time drama: General Hospital ! Thank God for Hulu! ”

Have a good evening !

http://draxe.com/7-reasons-drink-kombucha-everyday/

Today I just want to share some of the Word from my little daily reading book, ” Jesus Calling”  and add a few words as well. Smile

As you walk with Yeshua (Jesus) through this day, practice trusting and thanking Me all along the way. Trust is the avenue through which My Peace flows into you. Thankfulness lift you up above your circumstances.  Yeshua does his greatest works in those with grateful, trusting hearts. Rather than planning and evaluating, practice Trusting and Thanking God continually. This practice will Revive, Restore, and Resurrection LIFE within you & without.

Suggested Reading: Phillippians 4:4  Psalms 95: 1-2  Psalms 9:10

Have a Blessed Week ! Shalom my friends.

Did you know:

Most know that the Hebrew word shalom is understood around the world to mean “peace.” However, “peace” is only one small part of the meaning. “Shalom” is used to both greet people and to bid them farewell, and it means much more than “peace, hello or goodbye”….

Hebrew words go beyond their spoken pronunciation. Each Hebrew word conveys feeling, intent and emotion. Shalom is more then just simply peace; it is a complete peace. It is a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well being and harmony.

Philippians 2:15 talks about being a Light in the World just as Yeshua was a Light in this world – Lately, it seems I hear more grumbling and complaining than praising almost everywhere I go anymore. Reality TV including the “comedy” shows are just full of cutting one another down, yelling, disrespecting one another, and so on. Even some of the faith based programs.  And yes it is easy to get caught up in nonsense of it all… the pity party of Life. Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments too. Which is why I am doing this post. It is why I share and turn to theses verses on a regular basis; Phil 2:13-18 For God is carefully working in you both to desire and to do that thing which you desire *.14.Therefore, Do everything without complaining and without division, 15That you would be perfect and without blemish as purified children of God who dwell in a hard and crooked generation, and appear among them as lights in the world. 16For You are in the place of Life* to them, the day of The Messiah….from here I recommend you open and read all of Philippians. Smile

I read these verses often, because trials and tribes do come my way, almost daily. Ole Grumble and Complain do drive bys and all to often hit me hard. And Praise God, Holy Spirit “Wisdom” comes by quickly and shines her LIght on me singing, ” Reach Out and Lean on Me” That’s when I reach out to these verses to be reminded: God is working in me & most of all to remind to do “everything” without complaining and division. This is the Tough part of these verses…especially those times when mankind is grating your last nerve. LOL  Or maybe I am grating on mankind’s last nerve. For that matter, I can grate my own last nerve. LOL    Ok, ok let’s get back on track here before all our nerves are whack. For me, these verses also remind me how grumbling and complaining not only grates my nerves & the nerves of others but, the effects of that grumbling and complaining both to my spirit and literally my physical being.

Did you know being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you Dumb!? Research shows that exposure to 30 minutes or more of negativity–including viewing to much negativity on TV–actually peels away neurons in the brain’s hippocampus. (That’s the part of your brain you need for problem solving,)  Basically, they say, ” it turns your brain to mush.”  For more on this study check out: http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/listening-to-complainers-is-bad-for-your-brain.html   Based on this we need to heed the wise words of this Proverb: “Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thorny bush has roses.”   Studies have also proven: “What we focus our attention on becomes our reality”   Like when you check out a car you like and over the next few days you see those same cars all over the place. That ever happen to you? This is not to suggest that you should pretend there’s nothing ever wrong when a challenge arises. We must acknowledge the truth about a given situation. But there’s a big difference between complaining and making an observation or comment about the situation.  And” dwelling ” on the situation day in and day out really takes its hold.  When you complain, you play the victim role, which takes you down the road of negative energy in your thoughts, words and actions. Just like seeing that car all over the place, the more you complain and focus on the situation the bigger it becomes and the deeper down the dark hole you go. If not careful you will find that One thing leads to seeing all things with a dark shadow around them. Next thing ya know Life is consumed & you are looking for a drink or a quick fix happy pill. Trust me, been there, done that, got a T’shirt and they don’t solve a darn thing. In fact, they just make matters worse both inside and out. You loose your YOU.  – who your were created to Be and that grubmling and complaining only Grows. Like when you leave something in the fridge to long and mold starts out just a little thing but quickly consumes the whole container ! What is your response when you open it? Typically, ” Yuck, I gotta throw this whole thing out ! ”   Another bummer about grumbling and complaining is it Blocks the ability for God to show you The Way to a Lighted path up and out of the darkness. Now on the other hand, when you make a Neutral observation, you are examining the truth of a situation without indulging in a pity party or taking potshots at others. In this way you leave doors both inside and out; open to answers & possibilities.  You avoid going down the dark avenues of despair. Your mind doesn’t throw up walls, your body doesn’t tense up, your tummy doesn’t begin to grumble and complain right along with you.  Another thing these verses remind me of is that Yeshua says, I Can Be like Him, perfect and without blemish, IF I seek Him with all my heart and follow His Way & His Words of Love and Peace. I am reminded instead of grumbling and complaining to ” worry about nothing, and pray about everything.”  And that even though ” I ” may not can handle something, HE Can, He Will, and He promises together We will make it & we don’t even have to fake it! Smile  All I have to do is remember these verses, listen, and ” Do ” as His Word guides me to do….His Word only works if you work it. smile    What He doesn’t say is; ” let’s just talk about it.”

So, I ask you, ” don’t you want to feel better and have a Light to shine the way both inside and out? ”

If your answer is Yes, Let’s give ’em something to talk about and Practice what Yeshua preached !  Come on let’s Live a  Life smelling the Roses instead of being stuck by thorns. This is great timing to Resurrect His Word in honor of His Sacrifice for us by “ choosing ” to be conscious of our words and stop with the grumbling and complaining in our everyday life.  Should you decide to join me, for 21 days, Keep a daily journal of the changes you see both inside and out by not complaining. I think you will be surprised, I know I always am just after a few days, sometimes even within a day when I choose to change my attitude and words.  May your good thoughts, Words, and Actions bring forth Abundant Blessings.

The Lord says, ” I Am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting me guide you through this day.”  Even when our future looks uncertain or ” feels” flimsy – maybe even scary, this is how it should be. Things are for a reason & are as they should be. Maybe it is for you to learn something, or for someone else to learn through you, and sometimes, I have learned it is to keep you protected from making a wrong turn on the path He has laid out for ” You “. Secret things belong to the Lord, and the future of our lives are “secret” things to be revealed in right timing.                 Why? you say. If we were to know all things of the future it would for sure create unnecessary anxiety. Look at the anxiety we create as it is. We being who we are as a people try to take control and “change” parts “we feel” are not going our way. I am not saying we should not have goals and desires. But, we do Not know more than the Creator of All things. Instead we should seek His Word, Pray and ask then Listen and Pay attention..He does answer. But, all to often we don’t like the answer that is right in our face and then Look at the consequences of our Not listening. Look at the simple things we are told over and over we are told we shouldn’t do “in this moment” Mark 10:19 Heck, we can’t handle what we are given in the NOW, much less the future and (literally) let’s not discuss our rebellions of the pasts. When we try to figure out the future or dwell in the past it is a form of worry, an act of rebellion actually; which results in our missing the joy and blessings This Day has in store for us.  As the Word says, ” Worry about nothing, Pray about everything.” Phil 4: 6-7. And as Matthew 6:34 says: do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself.

So, whenever you find yourself worrying about the future or dwelling in the past and the fears or regrets it may hold, Repent and return to God. He promised he will show us “The Way” – the next step forward, if we but seek Him with all our heart, mind, and souls. Trust Him to open the way in each step of your journey. When you feel tempted and adversity is washing over you, remember His Words “Do not be afraid, because I’m with you; don’t be anxious, because I am your God. I keep on strengthening you; I’m truly with you, helping you .”  Isaiah 41:10. Your gravest danger is worrying about tomorrow, in this your Joy and blessings of today are stolen and lost. Instead keep in your mind, God wants you to; Rest in His Presence, allowing Him to take charge of This day. Do not bolt out the door like a racehorse released, instead walk purposefully, with the Best BFF’s you could have, the family of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Be Thankful & let those who know what’s Best for YOU, direct your course one step at a time. Be thankful for each blessing that comes your way along the way; this brings Joy to both You & the Father. A Grateful heart protects you from negative thinking. Thankfulness allows you to SEE and HEAR the abundance even in the little things showered upon you each day. Blessings that shared from many directions – it is in these blessing the course of your day is directed: in the Sunshine as it draws you out for fresh air which is good for the body, the beauty of a flower; which brings peace, affection of a loved one, friend, or pet – Love rises within, a Hug which comforts you when you are troubled. Or look around at your home (not everyone has a home ya know) & Be Grateful that you have one – not to mention all the “things” in it. Then, Thank God daily for  ALL this and anything else that You see as you look around. A Grateful and Thankful heart fights the darkness and shines My Light within you and without to all those in your presence. Allow His Love, gratefulness, mercy, & Joy to permeate your being that you might share in your relationships His Love planted within your inner garden.  This should be your focus of each day: to cultivate those seeds & bear good fruit and an abundant harvest with the gifts and talents given YOU….not worries of tomorrow, no regrets or beating yourself up from days gone by. You cannot change the past, the future is not yours to know ( Yet ). It is Only In This Moment we Live. It is in this moment we can Ask for the desires of our hearts, pray for others, and Enjoy the Life’s Journey we are on. Not another’s journey but, Our journey with our Lord trusting & Knowing He will take us where we are supposed to go.  I must confess, I am guilty of worrying about the future. This past week God began to deal with me as All These words were in my face, along with the reminder to me keep my BFF, Yeshua’s words, ” Follow Me ”  1st & forefront in my mind. In doing this all the energy around me changed and once again, all is well and I can See and am hearing all He has for me ” In This Moment”. 

Today I want to give Thanks to Sarah Young’s daily devotional ” Jesus Calling”. It was from this little book  “some of the words” &  the inspiration of this Post was born! . It is a wonderful little daily devotional book, I highly recommend.

Shalom and may this post plant a seed to always Remember, ” Life is In this Moment”.

Now the choice is yours whether you choose to Live today or waste today in worry of tomorrow.

All seed must have a place to be planted. A place to take root, pulling nutrients from the Earth. In the beginning these new seeds require nurturing, light, & protection – “a relationship of Love” becoming One in it’s environment. In this that seed grows and bears good fruit in it’s due season. This is the design of the Creator..Our creator, God. Think about it, the perfect place was created, Earth – with every need to sustain the Life of the seeds He planned to plant on Earth. Carefully, He cleared & cultivated Earth, holding back the waters in all the right places which left mountains, flat plains, lakes, & streams. In this design, He even left waters within the Earth to continually nuture the nutrients that deep roots might be established once He was ready to share & plant his seeds from the heavenly places. Seeds of Love with potential to bear an abundant harvest in the Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. Once the clearing was complete, He began His planting. 1st seeds of vegetation were planted, life sustaining seed to support the next level of seed planted – animal life who in turn would bear another level of life giving food & aid in the support & comforts of His most cherished seed..that seed within himself. You see, He had cultivated the Earth carefully with loving care, allowing the seed planted to grow & recreate itself as it reproduced each season. In this relationship with the Earth he toiled & prepped the Earth to plant the seed of all seeds, His seed from within. He was making sure His seed would be able to take deep root in solid ground. His most cherished seed grown within the heart – His heart. Have you ever landscaped the Earth then planted a garden? It is no cake walk, it takes loving care & constant attention to bear good fruit and to continue to grow and produce. Whether it’s seed bears good fruit or weeds is up to you & the “relationship” you share from the heart. Once the outer garden was perfect, God formed & created man from the clay of the garden He had cultivated so carefully. A body of the garden that He then planted that most cherished seed – the seed from within His inner garden. His most high seed full of potential & possibilities. A seed that if Loved & cared for, as He had done over and over, would continue to produce Life in it’s due season. A seed that If man would but follow the Way of it’s creator would continue to bear good fruit for eternity. Yes, in each new season both the garden within & the garden on Earth will continually produce from the seeds we plant within it. Just as it does & is in Heaven. All it requires is the fertilizer of the “relationship of Love”, tenderness, & it does work when you work it. When all is done in it’s right times & the work, Yes work, is done in both gardens inside and out, just as God did cultivating the gardens in preparation of His seeds, those seeds will bear fruit & nourishment for our times of rest. Times & seasons that we allow nature to take it’s natural course, providing times to just enjoy and share to fruit of all the work. I suggest if you want a better understanding of the Necessary “relationship” both with God and Earth you, like He started, plant a garden..even a small garden & be very conscious and aware of it’s development each & every day. It is an eye opener of Oneness & of the fruit it bears both within You and without in the earthly garden.

Greetings everyone!  Once again Life has kept me so busy I haven’t done a post lately. But, I had to make the time to do this post. I hope Valentine’s Day was filled with Love for all of you. I know mine sure was and some revelations too.

My Bible study group decided we are going to pull together 30 bags and fill them with daily living needs for the homeless. And with Valentines’ Day just around the corner what a perfect time to show my BFF, Jesus some love by being obedient and listening to His Words “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. .” 1 John 3: 17-18   Ya know the homeless need things like toothpaste, combs, soap, wipes, granola bars, a bottle of water, and things like that on more than just Christmas. So, we took donations, Albertson’s gave a big discount on very nice waterproof bags, and we loaded up our ” Bags from the heart “& come Valentine’s morning 2 of us took off downtown by the San Diego library to hand them out. We didn’t see many people at 1st but, as we turned a corner we saw another small group making pancakes and coffee for our homeless neighbors. Perfect ! We parked the car and went to handing out our bags, along with some women’s clothes. Just after I had handed out the last bag, a Vet rolled up in his wheel chair saying, ” Ma’am, I have the daily needs covered, “all I need” is a Bag to put them in. Do you have an extra Bag?”  It started to come out of my mouth, “sorry, I gave them all out” then it hit me, I have My shopping bags in the back of my car. So Praise God I was able to say, ” Yes, yes just one minute” and got him a bag. I tried to give him 2 and with a big smile on his face he said, ” no ma’am one is perfect ” . We chatted with a few more people, including the boyfriend of a young drug addicted pregnant girl who he said just needed a shirt. You see she had lost hers and had only a bikini top to wear.

As the day wore on, those two people kept coming to my mind. I kept hearing him say, ” Ma’am All I need is a Bag”.  And then there was the image of  the drug addicted young pregnant woman who just needed a shirt. This was a painful memory actually and my spirit reminded me, ” but, by the Grace, Mercy, and Love of God there go I “.  She was in the same space I was when pregnant with my oldest, about 3-4 months along & head hangin’ in shame. Yet, it was clear she was not wanting to interact with me & doing her best to stay away sending her boyfriend to get the shirt. I was struggling whether to talk to her anyway and remembered, I couldn’t stand people imposing themselves on me at that time…but, I did respond to actions of caring & Love. I tried to show her a few shirts and a pair of pants -she wouldn’t even look me in the face but, she reached out and took them with a very quiet ” thank you” .  I remembered exactly how she felt..  So I did not bother her and instead have spent everyday since praying she, like me, would have a come to Jesus moment letting Him into her heart. That touch of the Spirit that lets Him lead her on the road to safety for her and her unborn child. Now I am asking anyone who reads this post to Pray for her too.  I am also asking for prayer for all those who are homeless, I have been there, done that, and it is no fun. And trust me everyone who is homeless isn’t there by choice or because they don’t want to work. There are so many reasons for the homeless: mental health, drug addiction, loss of jobs, emotional pains that leave you hopeless, and the list goes on.

I also, ask for those reading my post to remember how Blessed you are with ” stuff ” and remember what we are called to do in our neighborhoods for those less fortunate…get up & get out there and share some Love and some stuff!  Don’t just donate to an organization. Have a heart on any day, You (& your family if you have one) take a little time go share Love from the heart and share some stuff ! It will be good for you and yours. I bet you will be reminded too, ” But, by the Love and Grace of God that could be ME” And wouldn’t you want someone to come share some Love and Stuff with you?  Pay attention to the little things you use daily and create some bags of your own. Don’t hand out money, it can be misused..Get out and take your neighbor some needed Stuff – especially your Smile, a hand shake, & Hugs are nice too. Trust me when you are down & out those personal touches are Huge!

Peace

BTW: should you get out there, I would love for you to come back and post your experience on my site.

If you are a product of the early 50’s, you are standing in 60’s door, and I don’t mean the 1960’s. I don’t know about you but, Often I will be dancin’ around my house, listening to my fav jams, & I think I don’t “feel like” I’m almost 60. But, reality says,” it is just around the corner.”  Wait, I have to run to the little girl’s room. (hey, age does make you say, gotta go right now). Well, before I left the ladies room, I looked In the mirror (vanity from days of old.) & the woman looking back at me says, ” now do you ” feel Like” your almost 60?  I look at her a moment and say to self, ” Well, this body may be aging but, within the inner garden I think I am actually “feeling like” I am getting younger. I am at that age the kids and even the grandkids are grown (or think they are), I am single so have lots of freedom, and have been around the block enough that Wisdom and I have an understanding. I at a place that I actually have some time to remember Me and to listen for His Word to guide me toward the next steps of my journey.  I am blessed ” Praise God” to have a nice place, food to eat, a job, a car, overall healthy family, good friends, and my list could go on and on….which is the point. I am at a place I can cultivate & co-create with my Lord, both in my inner & outer garden. I am walking into my ” golden years” and I want them to be just that, “golden”.

” Me & JC ” can take road trips, He is helping me pull the weeds that have been trying to choke ” me ” out, new seeds are being planted along with a little grafting in of some hybrid thought that will enhance the growth of ” Me “.  Our friendship is growing even deeper. A romance of our Spirits becoming One.  I am having Fun sharing the Love He shares with me. Nope, I don’t “feel like” I am aging. Instead I ” feel Like” (even in my aging body) that I am being resurrected from the grave and that I AM part of the I AM. That my “golden” years will be an exciting journey. A journey I just know is going to be overflowing with milk and honey. I just “feel” it in my bones!  mean just think about it, many of us, I for one, have been to Hell, made it back, road the waves, & have found solid ground where life can take root and bring an abundant harvest. Again, Praise God !  How can that Not produce a Joy that in turn gives energy & youthfulness back into Life?

So, take 10 and look at all you have to be thankful for….watch how it rejuvenates you both inside and out!

Have a Joyful Blessed Day!

Let me begin by saying, Please take a moment to read this post. I pray once you read it you will join me in my new journey of ” loving they neighbor as thyself. After a trip to the downtown library a few weeks back, the Spirit of our Lord has tapped me regularly with  the TWO most important commandments of Life itself. Mark 12: 38-31 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus reply:  The first of all the commandments is,  The Lord our God is one Lord in which we should Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

As I walked from my parking place downtown,  I saw San Diego homeless with their tents and make shift shelters lining Block after Block of our downtown streets. Also, while I walked along I was greeted by those same people with smiles and greetings of; ” Hello, beautiful day isn’t it?” My spirit felt this like it was  A Gift of Loving their neighbor. Since then, God has brought to my attention how blessed my friends, co workers, heck just people all around shopping, going out to eat, and so on. Along with these visuals, I hear the spirit saying, ” and how are all of you, in whom I bless daily,  loving your neighbors (those same homeless) as yourself ? You are well able to give more than a smile and a kind word, what are you going to do now that this has been revealed?”  Well, I do love the Lord with all my heart and want to share the Love shared with me everyday. So, I mentioned it to my Bible study group and suggested we show some Love for Valentine’s Day by giving a gift of Love to our neighbors downtown. Everyone agreed and we are in the process of creating Valentine Bags with an assortment of healthy breakfast bars, little toothpastes and toothbrushes, combs, sanitizer wipes, gloves, caps, things that you would want to “love thyself”. These things are needed ALL year round Not just at Christmas. This is the 1st, I pray, of many trips throughout the year of ” loving my neighbor as myself and as God Loves me”  And, since Valentine’s is on a Saturday this year I believe this is why the Holy Spirit kept tapping me with ” This would be a good kick off for a ” Love thy Neighbor” campaign.  I agree and on that note: We will be going downtown San Diego and handing out our Valentine’s Bags on Feb.14th, 2015 @ 10 am.  Anyone who would like to donate items, cash, or Join us with some bags you make yourself Please email me at allaboutchoices@Hotmail.com and I will tell you where to send your donation or where to meet us on Feb.14th.

Those of you Not in the San Diego area, maybe you can get with some of your neighbors and give a gift from the heart to those in need in your neighborhood.

By just following these two greatest commandments seeds of Love that will grow and flourish manifest. I have learned within these two commandments are healing, mercy, compassion, and in them ” all things are possible.”

Shalom

“For years now, Everywhere you turn you hear about Mind, Body, Spirit & Work/Live Balance. There is a whole host of information everywhere you turn too, online, TV, & book. The funny thing is, ALL things for Mind, Body, Spirit, & Work/Balance IS in His Word. What we are seeing all over the place is His Word repackaged for marketing to fit the times. Which don’t get me wrong, I love seeing all the creativity and presentations of His Word…a form of co creating with God. Which by the way, is what His Word calls us to do. That was/is part of His master plan in the original design of Earth. God created Earth with ALL we need and created man giving him authority on Earth to utilize and Create in the garden on Earth.  The healthiest things in life for Mind, Body, Spirit, Work/Live balance Do come from the Earth – from the very universe itself..as ALL things operate together in the big scheme of things, including all of mankind.

On that note: Here is a great site to access products and connect with the healing aspects of Earthing: Earth.http://www.earthing.com/Shop_s/1824.htm

Consider this: Kick off the New Year by reading the first 4 books of His Word, reading with eyes to see all the ” natural ” eating habits and healing shown in His Word.  It can be and has been very enlightening to read His Word as I would any helpful book Instead of from the place of Religion…boy, the difference in what it reveals.

I would love to see posts of your New Year’s Resolutions posted…so, post away.  Said in the truth that Yeshua (Jesus) is my BFF, I Follow the words of Ruth as I begin my New Year:

“For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, & your God my God.” Ruth1:16 Remember: God dwells where man lets Him in.

Peace and Happy New Year!

Yes, I am putting out this reminder of the Reason(s) for the Season. Though dwindling in today’s world, lost in the bling and glitz of Stuff , Jesus is still the reason for the season for many. A celebration of His birth and reminder for many of what His birth would represent in the Lives of many. A time of gratefulness that God gave His Son to show us ” the living Word” and what that Word(s) can produce in Life. As for the assortment of views mankind has created on whether December 25th is really the birth of Christ, I found this site that gives information on those views, of which I leave to you whether you read it or not. http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-Christmas/

For me, it is not the Date of December 25th that is important in relation to the birth of Yeshua. For me, December itself is the beginning of the season of gathering for family and friends to share Love, to see the faces of Joy as we share gifts, (which by the way shouldn’t be carried to the extreme – the result of that is only greed) it is a time to sing songs full of Praises of the Glory of God and the awesome GIFT of His son (no matter the actual birthdate)  A time to Light the nights with the beauty of our blessings on Earth. It is a time chosen to remind me (and others) what a Gift the birth Yeshua (Jesus) represents. And Who He IS: the fullness of the Spirit of God – of Love.  The Gift of Yeshua, a practicing Jew who was/is willing share the Word clearly literally “giving” His Life. In this willingness this Gift opened the door, not only to the Jew but, the Gentile ( ALL of Mankind ) thru Love which is the Spirit breathed In us when Created by God. That the door to Love and Living Life on Earth as it is in Heaven is Open to ALL. Showing us that The Way to that life is found in the Word(s) we speak and think and that those Words like seeds open, bloom, & produce in the gardens of our Daily Lives. Yeshua was/is a Gift who taught the meaning of Love, of the power of the tongue and the effects Word(s) which produce actions have on each and every one of us. And He died because He refused to stop sharing and revealing the POWER within each of US; that spirit of God’s LOVE & The fact it is The Word(s) that carry His Love. Word(s) are the Expression of God’s Love. It is thought that creates the desire to Hug one another, to give gifts of Love, to create a festive celebration of Life to be shared. Without words there are no emotions, feelings, only emptiness and darkness.

For me it is a time to reflect & ask ” how ya livin?”  What are you livin’ for? Who are you livin’ for? I was reading Ecclesiastes 3 (definitely worth reading ALL of this short book) and it reminded me, ” There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”  And this season is a time where the old is allowed to die off, leading into a time of preparation for the coming season of planting. A time to snuggle down with His Word on the cold winter days, to till the inner soil, & pull weeds so the Love planted thru the Holidays will ultimately produce good fruit throughout the year.  What you say, ” I didn’t have much love thru the holidays”   Hmmm…so maybe this is a clue you need to look at where & who  you are choosing to spend your holidays. If Love is not what you are feeling, look around you & your neighborhood, trust me there are places and people you can go join who are Living and sharing the Love of God in this season. Maybe even you might go to another community to share in the joy of the season – a little mini vacation with new and smiling faces & maybe they are seeking to share the Love too. Donate some time and a smile with a community group, lend a hand to a neighbor or give a gift to someone you know is alone during the holidays. Visit the hospitals or nursing homes. Trust me there are many Alone during this season and they would love to share the Love you have to give. Many will say, ” well we should be doing these things daily”  And I totally agree; each day should be a Celebration of Life and the Blessings God gives us. But, reality is: more often than not we get caught in our daily grind, troubles, and woes and it takes the changes within the seasons to tap our Minds & bodies with a few wake up calls. To pull us together in the Celebration of Loving and Giving.

I for One am very thankful for this season we are stepping into, I am enjoying the decorations, celebrations, time with friends and family, love and giving, and the wake up calls that comes with it. That call of the Reason for the Season:

The Gift of His Love.

Happy Holidays and may Love Fill your Life not only this season but in all the days to follow.

A Reading for the season: Isaiah 9: 6  (NIV)
⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.