365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 295

On Survivor last night, one of the women made a comment about another returning player who was very scheming and lots of other not so good things. On the first day, he told everyone he had changed but by day 4 all of them were well aware that he really hadn’t changed at all. This women made the comment about can a zebra change it’s stripes. Our temperaments are something we cannot change. We are who God made us to be but with the Holy Spirit we can be God-honoring, God-glorifying people. The “weaknesses” within our temperament can be changed to all God wants them to be by his spirit. Can this man change? He will always be what God made him to be but God can make more out of him if he lets Him in.  

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 164

I am a fan of Survivor and last night saw a beautiful example of selfless love. Despite the game, Brenda who had just won the reward challenge and was going to get to spend time with her Dad at a floating BBQ was asked to choose one person to join her with their family member. She and Dawn have been close allies and seem to have really connected on a deep level so it was an easy choice to pick Dawn. But Survivor threw a wrench into the plot and told her she now had another option; she could send all the remaining survivors not with just one family member but two to the BBQ and stay behind with Dawn. She called it a “no brainer” and gave the reward to her fellow survivors, minus Dawn. Dawn was devastated but everyone else was so thankful to Brenda. But in the end, one of the survivors felt that her likeability just went through the roof and she needed to be voted out. You don’t want to be with someone more likable than yourself in the finale. Dawn ended up stabbing her in the back and voted her off. It was heartbreaking. I was inspired to see if I could send a message to Brenda and found the Survivor Connect website http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/connect?ttag=mktg_sem_srv_con_gg_0411

 and sent her a Tweet to let her know what an amazing act of selfless love that was and to not be swayed by the actions of others to change who she is and love like that. May the Lord bring her blessing upon blessing.

1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 110

Reality TV is popular for a reason. It is real and you see some real emotions. Usually, it is the heartfelt tears but this week’s Survivor had a man who was really mad. He was so mad he literally dumped out the rice and beans for the tribes food. That is a big bad on Survivor! His tribe had unanimously voted to forfeit the immunity challenge to the other tribe and go to tribal counsel which has never been done before on all the seasons of this show. This man was crazed with his anger and it was like a volcano going off to watch it. He was out of control. He is one of the fan favorites from a past season who from the past talked about his faith and God but not this season. He has strayed the path and it showed in his total loss of self-control and tantrum of anger that he displayed. He was proud to be voted off in the end because he wanted to control his destiny. He needs our prayers. This was a very real example of how our temperament weaknesses can be played out. Without God in his life, this weakness with anger was able to take reign over him. I pray that he will find his way back to God and get in the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help him with his anger, give him self-control and especially understand and accept that God is the one in control. 

Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. 

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 286

Ah, the interview process. It is not a favorite of mine. Although, I have prepped for all the typical questions, it was those hypothetical ones that had me shaking in my boots. I am thinking I did the best I could do. I went back over one of those hypotheticals with my hubbie and he said that would have been the answer
he would have given. Of course, it came out better when I told him because I had been thinking about it for several hours. But the answer was there. Hopefully, they saw it through my rambling thought processing of an answer. I get to do it all over again today with another panel of people. I think this time I may write down the key word for each question so I don't end up taking a tangent on my answer and not getting back to answering what they asked. I feel very honored to have found out that I am one of 4 remaining candidates. I feel like I am living a reality TV show where people get voted off, like Survivor. I am fighting for survival to get this job. The good news is I will probably find out fairly quickly if I make it to the final two because the final two get to do another panel interview next week. Whew! It is a very thorough process they have done trying to find the right person for the job and I told them so. It says something good about the place I want to work for which happens to be my church. But in the end, it will be God's will that is done. Thank you Lord for this opportunity at my church and though only one can get the job, I pray that each of us feel blessed as I do for having come this far.

Psalm 105: 1-2 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 41

My hubbie and son got me hooked onto a show on AMC called The Walking Dead. Yes, it's about zombies but it is well done and very suspenseful without too much gore or grossness. The human aspect with the relationships is really the big draw for me. Some survivors have banded together and are trying to survive each other and the zombies. Despite the harsh reality of their circumstances and what they are up against, they still have issues with each other. It's one of those things since the very beginning with Adam passing the blame onto Eve and Eve passing the blame to the snake and Cain and Abel and the jeolousy that drove Cain to kill Abel. We pit ourselves against each other when we should be banding together in complete unity as brothers and sisters. Our only hope is Jesus and thankfully we have him to steer us away from those relationship issues, help us through them or help us restore relationship that have already turned south. I struggle with the jeolousy thing when it comes to my parents and how much time and energy they spend on my brother and his family. Thankfully, because of my knowledge on the love languages I figured out they are service love givers and you can see the trend through our lives on when each of us was in need they were there. My brother's family is in need now because their adopted daughter, Grace has issues that no child or family should have to go through. So, I am thankful and praising God for helping me with these issues that can come up within our relationships with others so that I can see them for what they really are and not be thinking just of myself.
Gensis 4:6-7 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.