I had a company contact me last week and wanted me to build a website for them. I actually think they wanted me to work for them and they have been looking for webmasters/developers.

They seen the website that I did for my church. I explained to them that I don’t build website for other people. I did my churches St.George Community Church,  New Covenants, and a few for friends. He asked me how much I charged for my churches website and I told him I don’t charge my church for anything I do and I refuse to make money on the site since I would feel like I was charging God. It is my way to give back to God.

He let me know that with the quality of the website and the graphics I create, I could have easily charged my church a minimum $15,000. Just for a simple update and that could be 1 word or a paragraph, I could make a minimum of $50.00. Which is true. I use to build other websites and I would charge $45.00 for a simple update. Sometimes that was just a telephone number or an address.

He continued on and on about how much I’m losing money wise since I do everything and anything that has to do with our website. He was actually ticking me off a bit by now. He was asking me about if I use templates for websites, which is basically a layout or do I do my own HTML. I told him I use a little of both. But, I always do my own coding when it comes to applications and such. I was wondering if I should just hang up on him or should I serve him some humble pie. So, humble pie it was.

I went on to explain to him that even if the website and the hundreds or thousands of hours I spend on creating a website for my church helps one person, than it is all worth it. There is no amount of money that is worth losing a soul for. I then let him know that by putting contact forms on our churches website, it allows people to contact us in case they need prayers. The person who is visiting our site might need a word or two of encouragement. You never know what someone is going through, but God does and there is no amount of money that could take the place of a person in need.

I told him that I know I could make a lot of money, but to me it isn’t worth it. He then asked me if I charge the church for the hosting and the domain and I told him no. He was shocked that anyone would do that. I got the idea that this man didn’t really do anything to help someone out and I don’t think he goes to church lol. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing I’m not wrong.

I have made it a point to not tell many what I donate to my church or what I do. I personally feel that when a person does that, they are tooting their own horns and it isn’t to glorify God. They are only doing that to get a pat on the back. There are only a handful of people at my church that knows what I do. I have been doing my churches website for many years and I’m fine with that. There have been some companies websites that I have built and I made a whole lot of money on them. Without a doubt I could have by now made over $40,000 when I take everything into consideration. But to me, I would never take a penny for anything I do for my church.

Most don’t know that I have never gone to school for anything that I do. The first time I sat down at the computer, I didn’t even know how to turn it on. I didn’t want a computer in my house. Then one day, my Dr’s told me I could never work again because of me having the CIPD variant of Guillian Barre Syndrome and I had Myasthenia Gravis. I knew I had Guillian Barre Syndrome but nothing else. I thought once I got better from Guillian Barre Syndrome, it would never come back. I was wrong big time. I have the chronic form with is the CIPD. I felt like I was never going to do anything positive in my life.

As I sat at the computer when my daughters were at school, I prayed for God to use me in some small way. I always did something. I felt worthless since I couldn’t work or anything. I was an usher at church which meant I passed the offering plate and I did a bunch of other things. When I asked God for a way to help others even though my body isn’t able to do the things I did before, it was like God was revealing an answer. Sitting in front of me was a computer. I was terrified of it since I had no idea how to turn it on or what a red x on the screen was.

Thankfully my daughter Jessica showed me a little bit. I found my way to a website called Angelhaven. I actually think it was my husband who told me about this website. I didn’t even know what a website was then. But, I found my way there and some of the people who I met in a chat-room taught me some of the things I needed to know about the computer. As I was praying and feeling sorry for myself and all of the things I couldn’t do, God put it on my heart to do something more with the computer. I honestly think that it was God who gave me the ability to build websites. He put the right people in my life at the time I needed them the most.

At that time, they didn’t have templates for websites. So, God basically showed me what I needed to do. I don’t know how many realize that in order for you to see what you see on a website, you have to use HTML. For example. If you want to have your text show up as black, it isn’t as simple as typing and it is there… This is just one way to have it where your text is black, <p style=”color:black;“>These fonts are black!</p>. Or sometimes instead of writing the color as black, you have a code which is #000000. So, instead of writing black, you will substitute the word black for #000000.  The picture above is the code that  I have on the front page of my churches website. Part of this code is also for the font which is “lucida sans“/

I had a local dentist that I bartered his website for dentistry. He thought I went to school to learn computer programming and building websites. When I told him that I’m self-taught he was surprised.

When I sat at the computer and prayed for God to use me in ways that I couldn’t think of, He took me literally. A I was praying and my hands on my keyboard, the answer was literally right there in front of me. I was able to share this with the guy who wanted me to build his website or to work for his company and he was shocked. Because of God’s gift, not only have I been able to help my church and to share with people all over the world, but I was able to witness to this man about why it is that I couldn’t take him up on his offer.

He still wanted me to do his site and told me that with my gift I could easily make thousands and thousands by building other people’s websites. I let him know that I’m doing fine and thanked him for his kind words, but that my gift is reserved for glorifying God, not myself or the world.

There are many things I have learned when it comes to building my churches website. It isn’t the actual time, money or anything else that is important. What’s important is that when I thought I couldn’t do anything that I use to do, God showed me that there are many ways I can give back. It wasn’t and isn’t about money for me. For me, it is about feeling useful and giving back. I love it when someone says that they found our church because of the website or the Facebook page that I did. The most important thing for me is that God found a way for me to do something. If God can teach me HTML codes and how to do websites, then anyone can find a way to reach out to those around us.

This man who contacted me didn’t understand that there are people out there who aren’t all about money. I should have asked him how he found my churches website, but that isn’t important. I’m just really honored and blessed that my church allows me to do what I do. There are many who worry that I do too much, but in my opinion, I don’t do enough. I could always do more. I want to thank everyone at my church for letting me give back. There are some who thinks I should do nothing, but that isn’t what God has in mind and I know I don’t.

I was going to post this on my Facebook page, so hopefully people will read this. I normally only post about me having CIPD/GBS and Myastehenia on awareness weeks or months. I will go into what they are more when it is the awareness months since this is about having a little bit of respect for those who can lose their lives if they get sick. But, I am rather ticked off right now that I am sick once again with a different strain of either the cold of the flu. I get that people may not know they are coming down with something. But, for those who know they are sick, please stay away from me.

I told her that not everyone can get sick because it could kill them. As she was getting ready to fill in her check, she had the audacity to even ask to borrow my pen. Oh my gosh, Bill was my angel that day. He said what I couldn’t say. He ripped into her and anyone else in earshot about the dangers of me getting sick. Even though he didn’t know exactly what I had or how to pronounce it, he made sure to let her and everyone know that if they are sick they need to stay home. My boss listened to what Bill said and he was very impressed. I then told my boss that Bill just got diagnosis with cancer and I believe he was on hospice at the time. Bill brought tears to my eyes with what he did. I actually had to take a break. I’m pretty sure that woman and everyone else got the message that day. My heart sunk though because I knew how critical Bill was at the time and here he is going to bat for me and not even saying that he is fighting for his life too. I can totally feel Bill around me.

My first choice of pharmacies is Brents Pharmacy:

Brent’s Pharmacy & Diabetes Care

Mon-Fri 10:00am – 6:00pm

Sat 11:00am – 3:00pm

Sun Closed

Website: brentspharmacy.com

Phone: (435) 674-5667

Address: 1091 N Bluff St, St George, UT 84770

The Meaning of the Advent Wreath

Jesus is the light of the world, and  we should always be prepared for His return. At Christmas time, people have their minds set on getting ready for the return of Christ. In reality and in my view, we should ALWAYS be prepared for the return of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”…

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, (Micah 5:2, 4-5)

Isaiah 9:6 – 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.

In closing, I just want to leave you with this prayer; 

Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of your son Jesus who came to be the Prince of Peace and save us from our sinfulness. You sent Your Son as a teeny tiny little baby. He inspired a new way of living in this dark world. Your Son Jesus Christ inspired an awesome way of being in this world, but not of it and I know that I am eternally grateful for His gift of life. Because of this sinless and perfect child’s gift He has become the brightest light of hope and mercy in an otherwise dark and empty world.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

I don’t celebrate very many holidays. Matter of fact most of them, I can totally live without. For me, the most important celebrations and observances are Christmas and Easter.  This year, I did put up decorations, but we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Easter Sunday. We celebrate, the birth, death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most of the other holidays are all a money thing.

Week 1-
JESUS is our HOPE.
Hope believes that the best is yet to come.
Christ, in You, is the hope of glory.
It is HE Whom we proclaim.
Colossians 1: 27

Scripture Reading

Mark 13:33-37 (NIV)

³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.³⁴ It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servantsin charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵ “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.” —Hebrews 11:6

Advent means ‘coming’.  In the Old Testament believers anticipated and was watching for the coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament believers are eagerly waiting for the second coming of Christ. I know I have been watching for and waiting for Christ to come again.

We live in fast paced world. We expect everything to happen right now.  Waiting is very difficult since we are use to getting emails right away, food from the microwave and all kinds of other things. Even though I would be more than happy to have Christ come right now, I can pretty much guarantee that I will have to wait just like everyone else. But, He is going to be coming again and what a joyous time that will be.

Romans 15:13 May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in Him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Patience aren’t my cup of tea. Some of us aren’t very patient. People have said that                                                                                                                                                                                           elf and return home.

Many of us are waiting for the phone to ring so we can return to a job with a normal salary and benefits.

Others are waiting for an eye-opening spiritual breakthrough.

Waiting is the embodiment of faith.

In Hebrews 11:13 we are reminded that faith involves trust in God’s promise even if the promises of God are fulfilled long after we’re gone. The writer says, “These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance …” (Emphasis added.)

Remain Faithful

Advent is about faith and waiting. What are you waiting on God for this year? Remember the years of silence as God’s people waited for the Messiah. Take time today, right now, to reflect on the fact that God’s timing is quite different from ours.

The story of Jesus’ birth gives us assurance and joy because even though the waiting lingered for decades, God broke through at just the right time.

Are you struggling with a lack of faith? That’s OK. It doesn’t take much faith to get God’s attention. Jesus encouraged his frustrated followers this way:

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

• An entire nation waited centuries before their eternal king appeared.
• Mary wasn’t given a full-grown son.
• The Wise Men from the east didn’t see the Messiah to appear at their front door.

Are you willing to plant faith and wait upon God? Nothing seems to be appearing on the horizon today, but just wait! God always keeps his promises, even to those who have little faith. Just wait.

Today: How Waiting Affects You

Share: Share with a friend or family member something you are waiting for.

Encourage: Encourage someone you know who is weary of waiting. Remind them of God’s promises.

Evaluate: Take inventory of your relationship with God. Are you struggling with His silence?

Pray: Lord, I remember the years of waiting for a Messiah. I’m often impatient with my life. Please teach me to enjoy You and not just the blessings I see in Your hands. Fill my days with laughter and joy through hardship and uncertainty. Remind me that when I think I’m waiting for an eternity, it really isn’t. Life on this earth is infinitesimally smaller than a second in the light of true eternity.

Express: Create a decorative graffiti poster of things you have faith God will do for you, your family, and your church in the coming year. If you have kids, invite them be a part of the project. This is a great time to teach them about the concept of faith. Display it in a prominent place in your home.

First Sunday of Advent 2017
December 3, 2017 in the World

An Advent wreath with a burning candle.

The theme of readings and teachings during Advent is often to prepare for the Second Coming while commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas. With the view of directing the thoughts of Christians to the first coming of Jesus Christ as savior and to his second coming as judge, special readings are prescribed for each of the four Sundays in Advent. This text has been taken from www.cute-calendar.com

Video about the advent week 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7ZEi4iMbQ

God created man and man sinned against God. Ever since then there has been no escaping the curse of the garden. We experience the effects of the fall every day and in every season.

The beauty of this Advent season is the building anticipation of our coming Hope. Jesus Christ is our only hope in life and in death. He is our Savior from the effects of sin, as well as our Redeemer from the wages of it.

I know this sounds like a lot, and it actually is. But these things have become part of the fabric of this season for our family.  It all started out very simply when our children were young.  As they grew older, we began branching out, but they didn’t want to stop what we were doing previously.  And so it continued…

Over time, tradition has been created in our home, and now what used to be a chore has become a much anticipated precious time with our family.  It changes our entire Christmas season by helping us focus our hearts on Christ.  We’ve been marked by the manger.

If you’re not already, we encourage you to begin an Advent journey with your family.  Make haste toward the “baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”. (Luke 2:12)  Build the excitement and awe of the Creator taking on the form of the created to redeem fallen man and call His own for His glory.

During this time of the year, you will see all kinds of special requests from people who say that they need to get gifts for their children and they can’t afford to buy gifts. I am one of those people who will do what I can do to help people out and especially when it comes to children. It breaks my heart. But, there are also a lot of scammers who will prey on the kind-hearted. So, please be careful. In some of the groups on Facebook, I have noticed a trend of where people will get donations of money, food and toys and they will turn around and sell those items. Please make sure that the person who you are giving to are legit and the toys are going to the kids, not the adults pocket-book.

I was just thinking after reading a number of posts from different groups and don’t get me wrong, I realize people don’t have a lot of money to buy their kids everything they want. But, I have been seeing people posting about wanting items such as the thing shown before, which my grandsons would love and only $400.00. They are asking for Lego sets (new preferably), Apple Watches, Lap Tops, Hover Boards, X-Boxes, keyboards and not cheap ones. I guess I am of the mindset that kids don’t need these kinds of things. If people have to beg others to full-fill toy wishes, then they should be re-examining their priorities.

One parent even went as far as posting pictures of what it was that they wanted to make sure it was in the right color and such. I posted the picture of that. They sell that kitchen at Kohls for close to $300.00.

One of the items that ticked me off was that someone posted that they wanted a “purebred toy cup poodle” for their kids because of allergies. Hello!!! So, I shouldn’t be calling people idiots and scammers, but to me these people are. I have no problem at all helping someone out. This year I am sponsoring a family since they won’t have the finances to get gifts and such. I happen to know this family and I know they would never think about taking people for granted like some of those on the Facebook Online Yard Sale sites and such.

One mother even asked for Ulta makeup for her teenage daughter. I was surprised by this because my daughter Jessica buys that and it is far from cheap. Why do people think it is OK to ask strangers for things.

Last year my church did an angel tree program and we aren’t doing it this year. We only did the Operation Child Christmas. I had people leaving me messages about what they wanted for their kids and all of this stuff. A few families were legit and after I got talking to a few of them, I realized they were getting stuff from all kinds of places. I ended up taking them off the list. There are so many children that are needy and parents genuinely need help. But, when you get people taking advantage of the system and kind-hearted people, it makes it bad for everyone and the ones that are paying the price are the children.

My husband and I adopted our daughter Rebeckiah (Rebecca) from the Foster Care Program. I use to babysit for her and her parents were good friends of mine. When Beckiah would come to our house, she had her own room, even though I was just babysitting her. When she was taken into foster care, there was no way I was going to leave her there if I could find a way to get her out. We thought it was temporary, but when we got a call from her birth mom that she didn’t want her back, then we were asked about adopting her. That was a no brainer.  After all of the paper work and background checks were done, the caseworkers called us and told us we were approved as her foster parents. We were so happy, but worried.

The reason we were worried was because they were bringing her over 4 days before Christmas. We already did the shopping for Jessica and we didn’t have any money left over for gifts let alone food. Instead of asking for handouts from others, we had a talk with Jessica who was only 4 yrs old. She and Beckiah were just 4 months apart in age, so all of the things we got Jessica would be awesome for Beckiah.

We told Jessica that Beckiah (Misty at the time) was going to be coming home. She was so excited and for her, it was like Christmas. Jessica and Beckiah were the best of friends. I asked Jessica if it would be OK if we gave Beckiah some of the gifts we had already gotten her. We only had $100.00 to spend on our entire Christmas. Thankfully there was a store called Pic N Save which I think is Big Lots now. That money was to pay for all of the gifts and the food. There was no money left over and we didn’t get paid for a couple more weeks.

Jessica truly amazed me with her gesture. Jessica was super excited to see Beckiah. She immediately went to work under the Christmas Tree. Jessica had no idea what she had under the tree since it was wrapped. She did a two pile thing. One for her and one for Beckiah. She and I put new tags on the gifts that she had for Beckiah. Everything she had was split down the middle and hand-picked out. She didn’t keep more for her.

We did have to go to my husbands boss to see if we could borrow an extra $100.00. He worked for Progressive Roofing in Phoenix at the time. The reason we needed to borrow a little from him was because we knew that Jessica had a big wheels coming her way. We didn’t want to give Jessica one without giving one to Beckiah. His boss did give us the money. He didn’t ask for us to take it back.

The Big Wheel was only $20.00, but we also needed to get Beckiah clothes. Thankfully Jessica and Beckiah wore the same size. When Beckiah was dropped off to our house. She immediately ran to her bedroom. She knew where it was. She put her clothes away. The social worker talked to us and we had to sign some papers. I asked her where the rest of the stuff like clothes was for Beckiah and she said that is all she had. She came in with one brown bag of clothes. We needed to get clothes for her. They put in a request for a clothing voucher, but it would take a couple of weeks to get to us. Again, Jessica went to her dresser and closet and she made sure that Beckiah had clothes. She even let Beckiah pick out what she wanted.

It bothers me to no end that people are taking advantage of those who want to help and make a difference. Last year I had so many asking for help and then I started seeing them posting the items that either I gave them or others have donated for sale. The children weren’t getting the items. They wanted them for resale. During the holidays people like to tug at others heartstrings.

I feel like as a Christian, I should be helping people. Over the years I guess I have been more cynical because of all of the people taking advantage of others. The internet has been a huge tool when it comes to getting what they want. It’s sad that people are doing this and it ruins it for others. That’s why this year I am just sponsoring a single mom and her children that are still at home. If you’re going to donate, please make sure it is legit. My personal favorite places I donate to are the Salvation Army and the Hope Chest.

Here are some links if you are in need. These are in Southern Utah…

Salvation Army- St. George Utah

• 803 S. Bluff Street, St. George | 435-275-4975 (Kmart Shopping Center) Click here to learn more about what they do and the services they offer.

Hope Chest Thrift Store – St. George (Facebook Page) This is a thrift store and if you are pregnant and are in need, you can call them and they offer a number of services.

Hope Pregnancy Care Center–  Click on the link and it will give you the address, times and services.

Hope Pregnancy Care Center is a free and confidential, life-affirming resource center for unplanned pregnancies. We offer practical, emotional and spiritual support to women and men through our various compassionate programs, eg. options education, parenting, material resources, and past abortion care and education. With the view toward prevention of unplanned pregnancies, sexual risk avoidance education is provided to clients and to public school students.

Switchpoint- Beyond food and shelter: Switchpoint Community Resource Center is a stepping stone to independence for homeless individuals.

Most churches and organizations will send those in need to Switchpoint. They have the ability to hook people up with the resources that they need. The have so many services so I just put the link have it where you can check them out.  Find out more information on their website – Click Here

I know that once I give something to someone, then it is theirs. It shouldn’t bother me. But it does. When I seen one family get all kinds of stuff from other people and then on another Facebook Group, they sold all of those items. When they post that they need a bed or clothes for their children because they are cold and sleeping on the floor, who wouldn’t want to help out. I can see why a lot of the churches around my area have started handing out information to homeless shelters, Salvation Army and food banks. They have the resources and ability to make sure the ones needing the help are getting it. I have donated a little here and there if I see the homeless. Usually if I see someone homeless, I will go through drive thru and buy the food. I don’t give money anymore.

During this time of the year, be careful and safe. Most of the people are honest, but there are those out there that don’t care.

Psalm 100:4-5 …… Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good and His mercy is everlasting. (NKJV)

Wow, time sure flew by. It wasn’t till last week when I realized that Thanksgiving was next week. I didn’t come to this realization on my own. My daughter picked me up on Monday to cash my husbands check and she mentioned how she had to get stuff for Thanksgivings. Ooops, I almost missed it.

As the years go by it seems as if Thanksgiving and Christmas are here before we know it. This past year for the most part have been uneventful. Now watch something crazy happen. Because nothing major happened besides a couple of hospitalizations, it was a pretty good year overall.

I’m not really a person that goes all out for the holidays. I enjoy decorating for Christmas. I will be putting some Christmas decorations up this year. We celebrate Christmas at Easter, but I will decorate in a low-keyed manner during the Christmas season.

Christmas seems to be on everyone’s minds, but for some reason Thanksgiving get’s lost. For me, Thanksgiving falls where it should. It is a good reminder of what I’m thankful for. If it wasn’t for my faith in God, I don’t think I would be thankful for much. There are many who feel that Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for everything we have. But, I personally feel that in all things we should be thankful, good and bad. Even though it is hard to be thankful and grateful when things are going bad.

There seems to be a growing mentality when it comes to what it means to be thankful and grateful. We humans have a way of thinking that everything is better on the other side of the fence. Instead of being grateful and thankful, we grumble about everything we don’t have. I have been guilty of this also. As I get older I have found I am more grateful, but it wasn’t an easy process to get to this point.

Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (NKJV)

It isn’t an easy process to be content and thankful for thing things we have been given. It took me a very long time to get to the point of  where I must be thankful for all things that God has blessed me with, even in the worst of circumstances.

There are some days, weeks and years that are worse than others. It is during those days when I just want to throw in the towel.  It would be easy for me to just give up when bad things happen. Many have asked me how I deal with the things I deal with health wise and the only answer is because of my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I don’t know how people go through life without God.

I honestly feel that it is important for us to go through dark days and the losses we experience. Of course I hate going through tragic loss and hard times, but, maybe it’s important for us to go through them so we can realize how important the blessings and good things are. It’s because of these dark days and losses that I’m grateful for what God has done in my life.

Thanksgiving is a great time to encourage each other and remember the things we should be thankful for and grateful for.  Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to thank God for His grace and mercy, and a time to remind ourselves that we shouldn’t be taking God for granted.

(Psalm 100:4)   “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”

What I’m Thankful For;

• My family: I have the most awesome daughters and grandkids. I also have a patient husband who puts up with the things I like to do, even though he doesn’t enjoy it (i.e. decoration for Christmas).
• A roof over my head and food on my table.
• The freedoms I have due to those are fighting for those freedoms such as religion, speech and a whole bunch of other things.
• My mouthy pugs
• Awesome and crazy friends
• My church family
• God’s undeserved love, grace and mercy

The other day, I was watching a video that a church in Charlotte put out. It was geared towards Christmas and all of the gifts and blessings we have received in our lives.

• Click here if you want to read the article.  
•  Here is the link to the video on youtube.

I wanted to leave you all this last message.  The most important thing that I am grateful for is that we have never had to earn God’s love. God loved us all before we loved Him.  God says “Your guilt is all paid for in Jesus Christ”. “Thank you!” When I think of everything I can be grateful for, it is that Jesus paid the ultimate price for my sins and He has paid for your sins as well.

God didn’t need to forgive us. He didn’t have to send His only begotten Son to die for our sins, but He did. God wasn’t under any obligation to save us. But because He loves us, He has chosen to save us.

It seems like the cold and flu season is upon us. I love the weather, but not all of the sickness out there. This is one of my pet peeve topics. With all of the sniffles and sneezing going on I get a bit apprehensive when it comes to being around to many people. I don’t wear a sign around my neck that says that I have an auto-immune disease. But, as people are hacking out their lungs and going into places sicker than a dog,  I am strategically planning my path to stay away from those people. What may cause people to get sick for a short time could end me up in the hospital for a long time.

Those who know me really well knows that if they are sick they need to stay away. But, that isn’t always the case. I know many people and I have chosen years ago that my life or my medical history isn’t an open book.  My medical stuff is hard to understand. It is hard for some of my Drs to understand, let alone anyone else. Plus, I’m just not into the whole 20 question thing unless your my Dr, nurse or someone I am super close to.  During the cold and flu season I will go a little bit into things and this is that yearly post.

If you are sick and you know me, then please stay away. If you are sick, please send someone to the store instead of you going. There are many people out there who can’t afford to get sick. Just because someone doesn’t wear a sign around their neck that says they have an auto-immune disease, cancer, aged or a whole group of things, that doesn’t mean they can handle getting sick. Not even a simple cold. When I worked at Lins, I can’t even count how many customers would come through my line as they were blowing their nose, running a temperature and throwing up. Really!!!

Then you have those who swear by the flu shot and granted, they are great for most people. But, not all people can take the flu shot, myself included. I ended up with Guillian Barre Syndrome from the flu shot. There are many people who can’t take it. If you are sick, stay home and call someone to pick up your medications. Shoot, anymore some pharmacies deliver and there is drive-thru. You don’t even need to leave your house or your car.

Here is a link on how to survive the flu season.

You can’t turn the TV, radio or just about anything and not hear about what happened in Las Vegas. I will not use this evil mans name in my blog post.

Opening Prayer– My heart is broken for all those who have lost lives in Las Vegas and for those who survived these terrorist type of attacks. May God be with each of you and my prayer is that you are present with the broken and wounded souls. Lord, I pray for them to find peace and comfort in the days ahead. May they feel that they aren’t alone. Lord, I send my love and sympathy to those who don’t know where to turn and that they aren’t alone in their suffering.

Heavenly Father, my prayer is for those who have survived and for the victims, that they will find the strength to come with the tragedy that they have been through. I pray that they are able to find wisdom to live their lives and continue on the path that is ahead of them.

In Jesus’s name, Amen

Click Here to learn more about those who died during the Las Vegas Terrorist Attack. 

As I was watching the news and learning more about the lives that were lost just made my heart sink. The gun mans home is just 30 minutes from my home and it is way to close for comfort for my own good.  I live in Utah, but just over the border. Mesquite is like I said about 30 minutes from my home. I was listening to the names of those who died and I was just hoping and praying that there were no familiar names. Even though I didn’t hear any names of those I knew was there, my heart got heavier and heavier as the names and ages started to be mentioned.

All of those who have lost lives and have been hurt are loved by someone. They have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, children and friends. I have no doubt that those who are hearing the names of a loved one dropped to their knees in anguish and pain. What was supposed to have been a night of fun and enjoyment, turned into hell.

Portraits of the Las Vegas Shooting Victims- Videos and Portraits

In what is described as the deadliest mass shooting in American history,  there have been countless accounts of hero’s stepping in to help. Those at the concert came from all over the country and I think there were even some who have come from outside of the United States. Those who attended the concert reacted to this terrorist with bravery by saving lives while this psychopath rained gunfire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino. Some have said he was no terrorist, he was a lone wolf. I don’t care what they call him, he is a terrorist and evil.

Hero’s were present in the form of military personal, Dr’s, nurses, firemen, friends and strangers.  There was a former marine Taylor Winston that found a truck that was unattended. It was the first truck he found that was unlocked and had a key in it. I would stay that was a God thing. He stole the truck so he could transport up to 30 people to the hospital. Instead of running away, he was running into the line of fire. There are countless heroes and most have said that they aren’t heroes. They were there doing what they needed to do.

There was one particular story that came out that angered me. 

CBS has fired a legal executive who  decided it was a good idea to post on their Facebook page, just hours after the shooting took place at the country music festival that killed 59 innocent people and hurt over 500 others. took to social media Monday morning with harsh words for the victims.

This woman, Hayley Geftman- Gold, was a  VP and senior counsel in strategic transactions at CBS. She said something to the effect that if Republicans wouldn’t do anything about children that were murdered and I am guessing she meant Sandy Hook, they she isn’t sympathetic to country music fans since country music fans are Republican gun totters.

I’m glad they fired her right away. I know many that love country music that aren’t Republicans. I don’t know why this has to be politicized. It has nothing to do with if a person is a Democrat or a Republican. It doesn’t matter where you live, the color of your skin or anything else. This is about lives that were lost and they were all innocent lives. I like some country songs and I like Jason Aldean. I am not a Republican and I’m not a Democrat. I am non affiliated. Her remark angered me and I hope that she is able to see that all lives and people matter.

Of course there has also been a great deal of debate over guns and the 2nd amendment. In my opinion I don’t think the average person needs to own assault rifles. I don’t own a gun for my own personal reasons. But, my daughters do in order to protect their family. These aren’t assault rifles or machine guns. I have no problem with people owning guns if they are trained and they are responsible gun owners.I also see no problem having guns if you are a hunter. My problem is average people do not need assault rifles.

I came across a story about a veteran stated that he doesn’t want an assault rifle. He served in Afghanistan either and he didn’t want to be there. He seen first hand the effects on the bullets impact and he wants nothing to do with it any more. Why would the average person need a weapon that literally shoots thousands of rounds in the matter of minutes? The reason I bring up this young soldier is that he doesn’t want to believe that we live in a world that is so dangerous that a person would  require these types of weapons.  He found himself in a situation that startled him and his hand was on the trigger. It was at that moment that he could see himself killing someone who was innocent because his finger immediately moved to the trigger and the little girl who came up to his vehicle would have been dead.

He stated that he would rather be hopeful when it comes to mankind and that there are more good people than evil ones.

He carried an M-4 because he was living in a combat zone and he was a infantryman I don’t know anything about guns, so I’m not sure what a M-4 is. I will have to find a picture of one to put in this post. He had to be ready to fire hundreds of rounds at humans instantly. If he didn’t shoot, they would kill him first. What he said next really stuck with me and I totally get it considering what happened in Las Vegas, Orlando, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Charleston and Columbine. I’m sure there are other places, I just can’t remember them all.But, he said;

 These weapons are intended for the battlefield. I don’t want an assault rifle, because I don’t want to think of my home country as a battlefield. I don’t want civilians to own assault rifles, because I think the risks outweigh the rewards. If people really do believe that they need them, maybe it’s because they see a battlefield where others don’t.

But, I also feel that it isn’t the gun that killed the person. I mean it is, but it was the evil person who killed that chose to kill. The guns are a tool. I don’t know what the answer is. But, I whole heartedly feel that nobody should have assault rifles unless you are in the military, police or in a field where you are protecting someone.

My heart and soul is hurting for those who must go on. They are suffering from unimaginable pain. Thank you for putting people in the right place and the right time. While they may not call themselves heroes, they are to those who they helped. Those who lost their lives were innocent. We don’t want to accept the terrorist attacks, but we have to. Our hearts and souls rail against the suffering of the survivors and their families, against the death of innocent bystanders. The first thing we can do is offer prayers for peace and comfort after a terrorist attack. Then we need to look for ways to help, to be Jesus’ hands and feet. To minister, serve, and bind wounds.

I wasn’t sure exactly what the Second Amendment said, so I have to look it up. It’s rather long, so you can click here to read it in its entirety.

In closing, I want to end this post with a prayer and if you would like to add your prayer, you can comment. You don’t have to have an account to make comments.

Dear Lord Jesus, protect us from the evil that seems to be plaguing our country and our world. I ask that You send Your comfort and healing to those who have been hurt mentally and physically. We ask that you show Your presence in a hurting world. I don’t know that the answer is, but You do. All things are possible when we put our faith in You. I ask these things in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I have been thinking on this whole NFL thing and listening to all sides and the only thing I think about is that for myself, I think we need to respect those who have put their lives on the line and have given their lives for our country. I totally respect our flag and our country. I am beyond grateful for all of those who made it so we have the freedoms we have. I also think that everyone has a right to protest and while I don’t agree with how they are doing it, I am glad they aren’t killing each other.

Click Here to Read What the Flag Codes Are

What bothers me the most is that there are a ton of distractions and I wonder if the point is being missed. People are taking sides. You are either on one side or another. Over the past year or longer it has been about are you a Republican or a Democrat. There is no middle ground. I refuse to jump on that bandwagon. Just today I have seen post after post about how Liberals aka Democrats should go to hell. I find it horrible when it comes to those who profess to be a Christian.  Players and people are using their platforms as a way of taking sides. I don’t see a problem with people using their platform like the NFL or NBA or whoever else to raise awareness. But. why do it in this way?

This next section is still about not saluting the flag and not saying the pledge. Even though they don’t solute the flag and they don’t pledge allegiance to the flag, they only pledge their allegiance to God.

I have many family members and friends that are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Hopefully my cousin Raelene will be OK with me sharing this. I don’t even think she would remember this since I was about 9 yrs old. She and I were in the same classroom and at the beginning of the class we all stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Since her family is Jehovah’s Witnesses, they didn’t recite the pledge, but she was still respectful. I have always remembered that. They also didn’t participate in holidays. Which is why I don’t do most of the holidays. Even thought I’m not a Jehovah’s Witness, I can’t in good conscience celebrate holidays that have pagan origin. Everyone is different and can choose for themselves, but I can’t do it. I don’t think she realized how much I observed and I learned from her. Even though she didn’t recite the pledge, she didn’t do anything to stand out and make it about her. For her and all Witnesses, it is because of their faith.

I have asked some of my friends a long time ago about why is it that they hate the flag and they said that  even though they don’t solute the American flag they still respect it. Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the governments and flags under which they live.  Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the flag salute is an act of worship, and a “pledge of allegiance” can only made to God.  They make it a point to be neutral. I’m bring up the Jehovah’s Witnesses because I have seen some people on Facebook compare the two things and say that they hate the flag, and that isn’t the case.  But, this whole thing with the NFL is different, I don’t understand what the purpose is.  Click here to read more about why they don’t vote, do the pledge and solute the flag. 

My mother in law would be spitting mad over all of these things going on. I remember many times where she would have been in tears over people not standing when the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance. Oh man, would she be upset to the point of tears. I have seen it where she was so overcome when people wouldn’t stand, that she would walk up to the people and she would give them a piece of her mind. She lived through WW2 and my father in law served.  I have to say that I didn’t always stand until I seen how important it was to her.

I would think there would be other peaceful ways to protest. I don’t understand the whole taking the knee. I guess I won’t since they aren’t people or groups I know. But, I do know that I am grateful to everyone who has served our country.  Not just those who are in the military, but those who protect and serve like the police and the firemen.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done and by protesting in any form, changes needs to happen long-term, not just during football games. Are they accomplishing anything by taking the knee and not standing up for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem? I guess in some ways, but, I don’t know what it is accomplishing. I wish there was other ways to come together and support each other. Anymore I feel like it is more about politics instead of human rights. It seems like it is more about Trump instead of what they want to say. I’m guessing others may be confused as well.

Anyone who knows me knows that I didn’t vote for Trump and I wouldn’t in the future. Everyone has a right to vote for the person they want. I am an Independent and I vote for the person not the party. I vote for the person who best aligns themselves up with what I find important which is why I voted for Kacish out of Ohio. Everyone has their own reasons for who they vote for and that’s one of our greatest freedoms. I just wish that for those who want to protest that they would make it about the cause instead of doing things the way they are doing them.

I was watching a town hall meeting on CNN that Anderson Cooper was doing.  Those who participated were Spike Lee and former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and York Jets player Michel Faulkner,  Click Here to watch it or watch clips. I know there are many Republicans who don’t watch CNN and they only watch Fox News. This may be one of those times where you may want to watch it. The reason why is that they are having a healthy discussion and those who have served our country, veteran’s, and people from all sides sat down and talked about the issues. I don’t watch just one news station. I watch them all, that way I am informed.

When I was the video manager at the grocery store I worked at was asked a question by a veteran who just returned to the United States from serving in Iraq. He asked me point-blank what I thought about the United States being in the war. I knew what I thought and believed about it, but I was afraid to answer that question for a couple of reasons. The main reason was because I didn’t feel like we should be in Iraq and the second was because I was at work, and I could get in trouble for talking about religion and politics. I always talked about my faith and felt if I was going to get fired for something, I was OK with sharing my faith in Christ. But, I told him and I was very honest with him, that I felt that we shouldn’t be in the war, but at the same time, I support those who were called and those who served and have served our country and for that I am thankful. If it wasn’t for men like him, then we would not have the freedom of free speech and freedom of religion that we have. I thanked him for his service and told him that I was happy to see that he came home safe. He was part of the 222 National Guard.

If someone was to ask me to stand with them and march against those who are being treated unfair such as those who have been treated badly, killed and judged because of their skin color, I would stand beside them without thinking twice. I have marched against the KKK, hate groups and in support people of color. I have participated in awareness marches and protests when it comes to my faith. I just can’t see what is being accomplished by the taking a knee.

I think the best thing would be if people would start treating people in a respectful way. Change is taught in the home and that we should be treating others as we would want to be treated, no matter the race.  I would find it very interesting for people on all sides of the fence, all colors of their skin to come together and find a way to work with each other in a respectful way.