Merry Christmas!!!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!! This is by far my favorite holiday! Not just because of gifts and good food. But because it is a time where families get together a celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the time of year where songs glorifying to God are played over the music systems of stores all across the world and for the most part are accepted by everyone. I love Christmas because this is the day where the world celebrates the birth of salvation for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

Just A Little Update.

What have I been up to lately? I have been keeping myself busy with Photoshop and Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for fun. When I am not creating things on Photoshop or as the gamers say...Pwning noobs A.K.A. Kicking butt. I have been busy in Church and Church activities. These past few years have been the greatest of my life. I feel a purpose and that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing, and there is no question about it.

As far as the family goes.....

They are all doing well! We set out into the wild and captured a Christmas tree with an axe. The boys had a ton of fun helping me to chop it down. Unfortunatly it was at the bottom of a steep hill. So it took a ton of Kids and 3 adults to pull it up. It is too huge for our living room so it will require trimming. We tried to put it up tonight but after two dysfunctional Christmas tree stands. We decided to call it good and get a new stand tomorrow and do the decorating then.


Well that is all for now. I must be off to bed, there is much to do tomorrow.

The Foundation Of Forgiveness

What is forgiveness?

Forgiveness:
1.Act of forgiving; state of being forgiven.
2.Disposition or willingness to forgive.

Forgive:
1.to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
2.to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
3.to grant pardon to (a person).
4.to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.

In order to understand how to forgive we must understand what brought it into existence. That one thing is what we call sin.

THE BEGINNING OF SIN

In Gen:3 we read about how sin entered the world because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God. Before sin entered the world there was no need for forgiveness because there was no sin. However since the day Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden there was need for reconciliation of Sin.

Of course God could have decided to start over from scratch once sin entered the world but he clearly decided to let it continue to exist. WHY? The answer may seem mysterious to you and I until we fully understand that God Loves us! Out of Love he let us live even if it was in a fallen state. He forgave Adam and Eve even though they sinned against him.

He held them accountable for what they did but none the less he forgave them. Just as he forgives us know and stays his judgment against us because of what his Son Jesus did on the cross for all of us. Out of Love he died for us. He paid our ransom granting us forgiveness so we could share in eternity with him.
John 3:16 so clearly states this….

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I. Love A Foundation To Build On

In order to forgive we need to know how to start the process of Forgiveness. Just to say you forgive someone is not enough. The old saying goes actions speak louder then words. Forgiveness is not only a communication through words it is an act of reconciliation in a relationship. In order to reconcile a wrong done against us we must stand on solid biblical ground.

We must understand what God would have us do, and just how he’d have us do it. We need to look the the Bible our field manual to life. Like a users manual for a Car that lets us know exactly what specific part of the car does what the Bible tells us exactly what we are to do in specific areas of life. So to learn how to forgive we must first understand how to take the first step in that direction. What is the foundation of forgiveness?

Love is the foundation of forgiveness.

There are different degree’s of Love when it comes to us in our relationships. There is the Parental love towards ones children. There is the Love shared between Married couples. There is Love that is shared between friends or even our pets. There is Love for God and heavenly things, and there is God’s love for us. Love is broad but yet it is specific in its Characteristics.

We can find these Characteristics in I Corinthians 13. These Characteristics are what Love truly is and not exactly what the world tells us love is. Today I want you to look at Love as the basis for all your relationships. Love should be the foundation of every relationship we have. Yes even those bad relationships!

we are to Love even our enemies!

Because whether we like it or not we know people who don’t particularly care for us and that we don’t particularly care for in return. Those are still classified as relationships and Love should be the foundation we rebuild those relationships on.
Through Forgiveness we can tear down the decrepit walls that have been built on the quicksand of hard feelings and grudges, and we can build a solid structure of Love and respect that will create a new relationship far different from the ashes of the old.

The strained relationship is the relationship we are going to focus on today. These are the relationships that are hard for us to be forgiving in. So in order to truly forgive someone we must understand how to LOVE FIRST rather then cast judgment.

What is love?

In today’s culture many people have the impression that Love is just a feeling of butterflies and floating on air that we have that leads us to never want to leave the side of our companion of choice. This misconception has completely destroyed families and has mis-lead people away from what Love truly is!

What people don’t realize is that LOVE is an ACT of COMMITMENT. Love is an action not just a happy go lucky feeling. Our culture has it burned into our minds that Love is this euphoric state that never goes away once you find it. In this mindset we are set up for failure from the beginning. When the euphoric feelings fade away, when the going gets tough. People decide not to stick it out for the long run because this relationship isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be.

Don’t get me wrong being in Love and Loving others have a lot of good feelings that accompany it, there are also bad feelings as well. Especially when we are asked to forgive those who have hurt us the most. Love is not just the feelings we have but the actions we take to maintain healthy relationships pleasing to God.

True love is an act of sacrifice.

Let us look at how the bible describes love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

What do you see when you read that? The first thing that pops off the page at me is LOVE SUFFERS LONG.

WHAT OTHER WORDS POP OFF THE PAGE AT YOU?

DO THOSE WORDS DESCRIBE FEELINGS OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Paul is not writing about how love feels, he is writing about how it can be seen in action. True love is always demonstrated by action. YOU SEE LOVE IS AN ACTION NOT JUST A FEELING. IT IS AN ACT OF COMMITMENT TO THOSE WE LOVE.

Now you might be thinking to your self that you don’t really love those who have treated you badly and wronged you. And really you don’t want to. What you are thinking is based off of feelings. It is easier to Love those who treat you kindly and with respect.

Remember: LOVE IS AN ACTION! LOVE IS LONG SUFFERING!

My wife Stacey's Love has suffered long for a period of about 13 years! She has had to put up with my bad moods, my high pitched signing first thing in the morning. (and strange voices) My sleeping in the middle of the bed, and squeezing the toothpaste tube from the top rather then the bottom yet she still sticks with me. You see I'm not perfect even though I'd like to think I am. I have bad days and good days. I can sometimes say the wrong things and sometimes say the right things. I have hurt her feelings before.

Those butterflies we feel in our stomach when we first got together come and go. They aren't constant. In fact they fly away when we get in a fight and leave us with a bitter stomach. This is where true love prevails! Through our act of commitment out of love towards each other. We press forward and our love strengthens.
We are married and have made the commitment to each other that we’d follow the ingredients of Love in 1 Corinthians 13. For better or for worse.

However everyday relationships aren’t always that committed so it is hard to forgive those we are friends or acquaintances with. It is easy to hold a grudge or even end a relationship out of anger then it is to reconcile it some times.

What about someone who has hurt us deeply?

In trials you must always make sure you a setting out from a position of Love no matter how much a person has hurt you. Even if they are what you would call an enemy.

JESUS TELLS US TO LOVE OUR ENEMIES!

Matthew 5:44-48
44 But I say to you, LOVE your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you LOVE those who LOVE you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.


We are called to LOVE our enemies

In my own experience I have found that grace is a hard thing to give those who seemingly take advantage of it when you practice grace towards them. There is a great lesson to be learned in that when it comes to Gods Grace towards us personally. We should never take that lesson for granted.

Think of all the times you’ve fallen short when it comes to sin. How often has God forgiven you when you have done him wrong? Shouldn’t we extend the same forgiveness to those who have sinned against us?

AREN’T WE SUPPOSED TO BE IMITATORS OF CHRIST?

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma .

How do you feel when someone continually wrongs you after you have forgiven them time and time again? We get angry or frustrated right? According to the gospel of Matthew we are to Love our enemies and bless those who curse you. We need to look to God as the example on how we are to actively forgive. Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do especially when you have been deeply hurt by those who have wronged you. However we are called to do so without hesitation. Isn’t that what God does?

HOW THEN DO WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES?

II. The Ingredients Of Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.

We must suffer Long We must look at how God has dealt with us as the example of this.

2 Peter 3:9 –The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance

God does not take his promise lightly. The root of Gods forgiveness is love! If God’s love is in us, we will be long suffering to those who annoy us or hurt us.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we find a list of ingredients that make up this love we can build forgiveness on.

1. Love Is Long Suffering!

We have to put up and remain calm in situations where someone is persistently pushing our buttons or wronging us. This is one of the hardest things to do especially when you are not being treated justly. We can see there are quite a few ingredients of Love that we must have to sustain active forgiveness in situations where you have endured many wrongs from certain people.

2.Is Kind

We must be kind even if we are being treated poorly.
Take time to cool down before you speak or Act.

3.Does Not Envy

In certain instances we may Envy what another has. Envy is the root of jealousy and causes conflict. If we Envy someone then we often harbor ill feelings for them. Envy murdered Abel (Genesis 4:3-8) In order to forgive we must not envy.

4&5.Does not parade itself and it is not puffed up (PRIDE)

If you are gloating and trying to be viewed better then the person you are having conflict with you are not acting in Love towards them. We must sacrifice our pride and respectfully humble ourselves, we must swallow our pride.


6.Does Not Behave Rudely

Even if you are being treated rudely by another, treat them with respect even if they don’t deserve it. When we act rudely in return we are not acting out of love but out of anger.

7.Does Not Seek Its Own

Philippians 3-4
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

If we take this to heart and apply it to our lives then forgiving others will become easier to do. We will see conflict with others diminish because we are paying them respect. Often our own selfishness causes others to lash out against us.

8.Is Not provoked

It is easy to get provoked by someone who likes to push our buttons. We must remember to not let anger lead us into sin but to let love lead us into Grace.
Someone once put it this way…..

“When the man who possesses this love gives way to provocation, he loses the balance of his soul, and grieves the Spirit of God. . . surely if he get embittered against his neighbour, he does not love him as himself.”

(When we don’t let love lead us, we set our selves up for a fall)


9.Thinks No Evil

Don’t think of ways to get even or to gain revenge. By doing so we are giving thought into acting on our anger. This is premeditation of sin or sin in the fact that we are judging someone out of malice.

10&11.Does Not Rejoice In Iniquity But Rejoices In Truth

Love . . . does not rejoice in iniquity: It is willing to want the best for others, and refuses to color things against others. Instead, love rejoices in the truth. Love can always stand with and on truth, because love is pure and good like truth.

12.Bears All Things

This is a big one! Love Bears all things it covers all things! In the act of forgiveness if we are truly walking in love it will cover the worst possible transgression against us. We being human must seek divine providence when it comes to some matters. We will be able to carry the burden of being sinned against. IF SOMEONE WERE TO HURT MY FAMILY I’d have to seek God in order to forgive that person.

13.Believes All Things

In love we must believe that by showing Grace towards those who sin against us that because of the Grace and respect we’ve shown them will cause them to have a change of heart when it comes to us and God. In some cases it may seem we believe in the impossible!

14.Hopes All Things

As we forgive we hope that whatever the problem was will cease no longer. We hope for reconciliation with those we argue with. In hope we are looking to the future in a positive manner rather then a negative one. This helps us to Forgive and Forget.

15.Endures All Things

Meaning if we are walking in LOVE we are able to have superhuman strength when it comes to the slings and arrows of everyday life. We are able to withstand trials and come out strong. (Arrows Just bounce of us as if we were made of steel!)

15.Love Never Fails

Underline NEVER FAILS No matter what….If we are walking in LOVE we will never fail to Forgive those who have wronged us. No matter what has occurred. Because In LOVE all is Forgiven Jesus Christ is the example of that!

No matter what we have done or what others have done to us. Christ Forgave it all!!!

III.Prayer

Prayer is the mortor that holds the foundational bricks together in our Christian walk. We must always be prayerful in all situations.

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO WRONG US

I HAVE FOUND THAT PRAYER TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED ME IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL FOR ME IN FORGIVING THEM. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO START PRAYING ON A REGULAR BASIS IF YOU DON'T ALREADY. ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED YOU.

WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY FOR?

1.ASK GOD TO SOFTEN YOUR HEART

2.ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU WHERE YOU FALL SHORT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.

3.ASK GOD TO HELP YOU FORGIVE THEM

4.ASK GOD TO GIVE YOU THE ENDURANCE TO CONTINUALLY SHOW THEM RESPECT. EVEN IF THEY DON’T SHOW YOU RESPECT BACK.

5.ASK GOD TO HELP YOU TO LOVE THEM

We must remember God even loves those who don’t Love him!

Matthew 5:45-46 for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you LOVE those who LOVE you, what reward have you?

Even if non-believers are not accepting of his saving grace they are still blessed and provided for by him. If you think about it every breath is a gift from God. Even though they mock him and continually deny him. He still provides for them so they might know his LOVE.

God still is LOVING to those who hate him even if they don’t deserve it. Jesus died not only for you and I but for them as well. We don’t deserve the Grace he has given us. Yet he extended it to us out of LOVE.
So we must do the same to those we need to forgive because the same has been done for us. The price of their Sin against us has been paid in full whether they have accepted it or not. We should not stand against them in Judgment but stand with them in LOVE.

Jesus Mocked On The Cross Prayed to His Father As He Died.

“Father Forgive them for they do not know what they do!”

As He hung there dieing, He prayed for those who sent him to his death. He Loved those who beat him, who scourged him. Who spat in his face and insulted him. He prayed for those who mocked him as he drew his last breath. He prayed for those he Loved even though they hated him even though they crucified him. He took all their sin on to himself and paid the price in full.

As Jesus loved his enemies so should we love ours until our dying breath.


Matthew 6:14-15 - 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


Read Matthew 6:14-15 and realize we are asked to do the same as Jesus. We must pray for those who mock us. Who down right hate us for who we are or what we stand for. We must love them as Christ loves them. If we can't extend the same love towards our enemies as Christ extends to us. Then we are not standing in love or grace, nor are we doing what God would have us do.

I urge you all to take inventory of your lives. Look deep into the relationships that you need to be forgiving in. Seek God for guidance and provision, so that you can take steps towards forgiving those who have wronged you. Stand in Love and let your grace towards them be a light that shines forth the glory of God so that the world may know his Love.

Day Off

Today I spent the day doing absolutely nothing except being lazy with the family. It is nice just taking a day to do nothing. We watched movies, and T.V. shows such as LOST, Heroes, and old Popeye cartoons. We ate a ton of candy accompanied by some of the amazing goodies my wife Stacey cooked from scratch. I took a couple of hours to play around in Photoshop and made a desk top wallpaper for my Brother's band "Betty and The Boy" and it was a great release. There is something in creating something that really gives me a sense of pleasure. I have been messing around in Photoshop quite a bit lately and have been learning new things every time I use it to create something. I have to be honest, I would love another day off and I am not looking forward to getting up early tomorrow. With that said I am happy to still have a job in such hard times. So I'm going to enjoy the rest of the night with my family and go to bed early so I can face tomorrows challenges head on. There is nothing like getting rested up so you can start the week off on the right foot.

The Media

Have you ever wondered who owns your favorite News Channel? Have you ever noticed why other news channels seem so one sided when it comes to politics? If you look closely at the corporations that own these media outlets and look at their political contributions, you’ll see that not only do they report for the benefit of the party they contribute to, but they completely ignore anything that isn’t on their political agenda or along party lines. Let’s take a look at General Electric to start out. What networks do you think they own and who politically do you think they support? You can find out here to see what political contributions were given by G.E. between 1999-Present.

http://www.campaignmoney.com/general_electric.asp

Do you notice any political affiliation there? Now let’s see all that G.E. owns when it comes to television.

Television networks: NBC Networks, Telemundo, Ion Media (partial stake).

Cable: NBC Entertainment, NBC News, NBC Sports, NBC Television, NBC Universal, CNBC, CNBC World (Arabia, India, Asia, Europe), MSNBC, Bravo, Sci Fi Channel, Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, Weather Plus, Mun2, Sleuth, Chiller, Universal HD, A&E Networks (25%; includes A&E, the History Channel, History en español, the Biography Channel, Military History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, the History Channel HD, History International), the Weather Channel (partial), Sci-Fi Channel HD.

Production and distribution companies: NBC Universal Television Distribution, Universal Media Studios

26 television stations, owned under the “NBC Universal” division. These include NBC affiliates, 46 stations, Telemundo affiliates, and a small number of independents.

International Channels: 13eme Rue (France), 13th Street (Germany), Studio Universal (Germany), Sci-fi Channel (Germany), Calle 13 (Spain), Sci Fi Channel UK, Movies 24 (UK), DivaTV (UK), Studio Universal (Italy), Universal Channel (Latin America), CNBC Asia, CNBC Europe, 18 Hallmark Channels (worldwide), KidsCo (worldwide, partial).

Programming: NBC Network News, NBC Universal Global Networks, NBC Universal International Channels, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Meet the Press, Early Today, CNBC, Squawk Box, Mad Money, CNBC World, CNBC Arabia, CNBC-India TV-18, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the Rita Cosby Specials Unit, Morning Joe, Mun2, Sleuth, A&E [partial], the History Channel [partial], the Biography Channel (partial), ShopNBC (27%).

General Electric has a large amount of Media might to get whatever political contribution to pay off as you can see. This is one of the “BIG 6”. There is not one Network that doesn’t have political ties. Each network is working for some sort of political gain. Why? Because their money is in the political view they hold. In basic terms this is how it is broken down.

Non-Bias News Network (NBNN) is owned by a Corporation.
The Corporation gives political contributions to political party or candidate.
Political party or candidate works for what Corporation wants in return the Corporation whether right or wrong makes the political party or politician look really good. Sort of a I’ll scratch your back you scratch mine kind of deal. In the process we’ll both make a ton of money! So you see our favorite News organization has political ties and they report what will benefit them most. Our freedom of press has basically been sold to the highest bidder.

This is just one Corporation that owns many major media outlets. I am not bashing one network and while holding another in esteem. In my opinion they all are in the business of politics rather than in the business of journalism.

Who is the CEO of General Electric and what is his back ground?

Jeffrey R. Immelt is the current chairman of the board and chief executive officer of GE. He was selected by GE's Board of Directors in 2000 to replace John Francis Welch Jr. (Jack Welch) following his retirement. Previously, Immelt had headed GE's Medical Systems division (now GE Healthcare) as its President and CEO. He has been with GE since 1982 and is on the board of two non-profit organizations.

His tenure as the Chairman and CEO started at a time of crisis — he took over the role on September 7, 2001[13] four days before the terrorist attacks on the United States, which killed two employees and cost GE's insurance business $600 million — as well as having a direct effect on the company's Aircraft Engines sector. Immelt has also been selected as one of President Obama's financial advisors concerning the economic rescue plan.

We wonder why NBC tends to side with liberal politics when it comes to reporting a story. It is this way with every network whether it is CNN or Fox News. They are all politically affiliated whether we want to admit it or not. This is all available to see for yourselves, and once you read up on it. You can see that all media has a political agenda disguised as Journalism. True Journalism reports the pros and cons of both sides of the political coin. However as our media outlets are owned by corporations that have invested in political ideals and rubbed elbows with politicians. They can’t possible report on both sides of the coin without hurting themselves and their political standing. That is why we have the bias media we have today.

Local channels are all owned by the same media outlets and so all of our news is filtered through the politically correctness of the Corporation that owns it leaving freedom of press under the watchful eye of a consolidated media system within our country. Consolidated meaning that all news facets are narrowed down to a select few of powerful corporations who dictate what the news is.

Photoshop Addiction

I haven't messed around in Photoshop for a while so I figured I would a bit the other day. It started out just doing things I was used to doing. I realized that I haven't really stepped out of my comfort zone in Photoshop. Meaning I've never challenged myself to do something new. So I decided to watch a tutorial on creating 3 dimensional letters and also one on reflection. Luckily my wife had messed around with reflections so I didn't need to watch that tutorial(Thanks honey). So after learning these new techniques I decided to experiment and to see what I could come up with. The above picture is my 4th try on reflections and 3d letters it is one of my favorite verses out of the Bible.

Romans 12:1-2; 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

So that verse is my inspiration for the photo you see. I don't think I could ever tire of creating things on Photoshop. It is almost as addicting as coffee! Anyway I am pretty stoked that I learned a couple new tricks in Photoshop. Now it is on to details and textures. I think I'm going to look for more pointers so I can learn some new tricks.

Problems

Life is good even when times are hard. It is easy to get discouraged when things tend to work against you. Your car breaks down or you struggle to make ends meet. Health issues arise and you have no clue on how you are going to pay for the medical bills that will accompany the Doctor visit. Often we let the stress of every day life bog us down and let it eat at us a piece at a time.

We let our circumstances blind us from what could be. What I mean is that we let our stress cloud our thoughts. We start drowning in self pity and let our troubles dictate our life. If you take a moment while you are in the midst of these troubles and really take a look. You'll see that some strange way there is a blessing in each struggle we face. When you think about it, we really have no control of anything. We like to think we do but we do not. For instance when you are sick you can't control how sick you are or what the Doctor is going to charge you for treatment.

You may ask what kind of blessing comes out of being sick? I'll tell you what I learned from watching my Mom go through a life of diabetes, 2 kidney transplants, and Cancer twice. Even though she was on the verge of dying multiple times and feeling horrible for months on end. She often spoke of all the blessings she received due to her illnesses. She used to speak of all the amazing people she met while at the hospital. All the bonds she made with people as she sat hooked up to a dialysis machine for hours at a time.

She gained an appreciation for life and the relationships we share in it. Through her trials she gained riches greater then gold and she wanted us(her children)to know about them. She would often quote Matthew 17:20 - for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. She moved many mountains in her life and I saw that verse lived out by her every day that she lived. Sure she has weaknesses like all of us. Yet she never let her troubles get the best of her. She often talked to me about how God provides no matter what circumstances we face.

The challenge for everyone is looking for those blessings in our troubles. It is hard to see straight when it seems the world is falling in all around you. You just got to take a moment and hit pause, pray and seek the Lord in the midst of the chaos. When you do this those blessings seem to pop up everywhere. Sure you still are burdened by whatever trial you are in. However there is less burden when you finally see the blessings that are mingled in within that trial. So I encourage you all who face trials to pause,pray, and seek the Lord so that each trial you face becomes not a burden but a blessing.