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~Pray…Not Wish~

Valerie Rutledge's avatarPeace of My Heart

“Huneeee, do you think that since we are approaching our 7 year anniversary all the debt we’ve accumulated over the years will be forgiven?”  “I don’t know.  Have you asked God for that?”  “Not exactly, I’ve been a little vague.”  “Well dear, the Bible says we have not because we ask not.”

I’ve got to hand it to my man, when he makes a point, he sure does drive it home like an iron spike straight through the heart of the matter.  As painful as it is to admit, he was right (somebody better write that down).fingers_crossed

We go through this life filling our days with wishes:

I wish we had some freedom in our finances.

I wish my friends marriage would be restored,

I wish the cancer would stop wreaking havoc on my mother’s body.

I wish my lost family member would come to know Jesus.

Do you know…

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Where You Really Are With The Lord

Quote 4 2day title logo Blog

To ascertain where you really are with the Lord, recall what saddened you the past month. Was it the realization that you do not love Jesus enough? That you did not seek his face in prayer often enough? That you did not care for his people enough? Or did you get depressed over a lack of respect, criticism from an authority figure, your finances, a lack of friends, fears about the future, or your bulging waistline? ~ Brennan Manning

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To My Body

Quote 4 2day title logo Blog

You are always dragging me down,‘ said I to my Body. ëDragging you down!’ replied my Body. ‘Well I like that! Who taught me to like tobacco and alcohol? You, of course, with your idiotic adolescent idea of being grown up. My palate loathed both at first: but you would have your way. Who put an end to all those angry and revengeful thoughts last night? Me, of course, by insisting on going to sleep. Who does his best to keep you from talking too much and eating too much by giving you dry throats and headaches and indigestion? Eh?’ ‘And what about sex?’ said I. ‘Yes, what about it?’ retorted the Body. ‘If you and your wretched imagination would leave me alone I’d give you no trouble. That’s Soul all over; you give me orders and then blame me for carrying them out. ~ C. S. Lewis

Related posts:

My Name Is “Meth”

Wow, i read this on a friends Facebook timeline. This is so powerful and real! Please take a minute to read and share!

My Name Is “Meth”

I destroy homes, I tear families apart,
take your children, and that’s just the start.
I’m more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold,
The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold.

If you need me, remember I’m easily found,
I live all around you – in schools and in towns
I live with the rich; I live with the poor,
I live down the street, and maybe next door.

I’m made in a lab, but not like you think,
I can be made under the kitchen sink.
In your child’s closet, and even in the woods,
If this scares you to death, well it certainly should.

I have many names, but there’s one you know best,
I’m sure you’ve heard of me, my name is crystal meth.
My power is awesome; try me you’ll see,
But if you do, you may never break free.

Just try me once and I might let you go,
But try me twice, and I’ll own your soul.
When I possess you, you’ll steal and you’ll lie,
You do what you have to — just to get high.

The crimes you’ll commit for my narcotic charms
Will be worth the pleasure you’ll feel in your arms, your lungs your nose.
You’ll lie to your mother; you’ll steal from your dad,
When you see their tears, you should feel sad.

But you’ll forget your morals and how you were raised,
I’ll be your conscience, I’ll teach you my ways.
I take kids from parents, and parents from kids,
I turn people from God, and separate friends.

I’ll take everything from you, your looks and your pride,
I’ll be with you always — right by your side.
You’ll give up everything – your family, your home,
Your friends, your money, then you’ll be alone.

I’ll take and take, till you have nothing more to give,
When I’m finished with you, you’ll be lucky to live.
If you try me be warned – this is no game,
If given the chance, I’ll drive you insane.

I’ll ravish your body, I’ll control your mind,
I’ll own you completely, your soul will be mine.
The nightmares I’ll give you while lying in bed,
The voices you’ll hear, from inside your head.

The sweats, the shakes, the visions you’ll see,
I want you to know, these are all gifts from me.
But then it’s too late, and you’ll know in your heart,
That you are mine, and we shall not part.

You’ll regret that you tried me, they always do,
But you came to me, not I to you.
You knew this would happen, many times you were told,
But you challenged my power, and chose to be bold.

You could have said no, and just walked away,
If you could live that day over, now what would you say?
I’ll be your master, you will be my slave,
I’ll even go with you, when you go to your grave.

Now that you have met me, what will you do?
Will you try me or not? It’s all up to you.
I can bring you more misery than words can tell,
Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell.

Author Unknown

This is powerful. I think that it should be posted in every school.
In the email that this was poem was attached to it was said that it was written by a young Indian girl who was in jail for drug charges, and was addicted to meth, and that she wrote this while in jail. She was released from jail, but, true to her story, the drug owned her. They found her dead not long after, with the needle still in her arm.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

Sarah sat in the window of the lighthouse looking out over the sea

My Thoughts 💭 

When I received this weeks challenge, I instantly thought of this photo of Sarah sat in the window of the Old Hunstanton Lighthouse, we rent the lighthouse for a week every year for our wedding annaversary and this is Sarah’s favourite seat,

Sarah works in London where it is very fast paced, crowded,  built up and very grey she looks forward to escaping the stress and relaxing by the sea.

Related posts:

 

WordPress Family Award

WordPress Family Award

A huge thanks to all of the kind people on here for inviting me into the WordPress Falimy as their loving brother! 🙂

  •  Thanks Adeline for thinking of me for this award. Adeline is such an inspiring sister who lives out and mirrors the love of Jesus around the world. Please check out her blog “Dancing In The Storm” and be blown away with how God works in and through her life!
  • Thanks Sherri for being such a loving sister who always encourage’s  and inspires me. Please check out her amazing blog A View From My Summerhouse and be filled with hope, peace and love!

A message from Shaun, the creator of this award:

“This is an award for everyone who is part of the “WordPress Family” I started this award on the basis that the WordPress family has taken me in, and showed me love and a caring side only WordPress can. The way people take a second to be nice, to answer a question and not make things a competition amazes me here. I know I have been given many awards, but I wanted to leave my own legacy on here by creating my own award, as many have done before. This represents “Family” we never meet, but are there for us as family. It is my honour to start this award. Thank you, Shaun @ http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com/”

Rules:

  1. Display the award logo on your blog.
  2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
  3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.
  4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.
  5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.

Adeline has already listed a few of the people I was going to nominate (you know who you are!) 🙂 So I will continue to add 10 more who have truly made me feel loved, encouraged and part of this amazing WordPress Family.

My nominees

  1. The Most Excellent Way
  2. Wannabephotographer87
  3. thinkinaboutjesus
  4. Peace Of My Heart
  5. Nancy Loderick’s Blog
  6. Diary of a person being human
  7. Simplyenjoy
  8. Fragrant Grace
  9. Unwalled
  10. Heavenlyraindrops

Once again I need about 200 more blogs to nominate! 🙂

📖 Verse 4 2day! 

Romans 12:5 (NIV)
so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

God Will Invade!

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God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks onto the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else – something it never entered your head to conceive – comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it. ~ C. S. Lewis

Related posts:

My own little world

This video really challenged me to look at the mission field between my own two feet. I hope it will challenge you too to realise that there is such a huge need right on our own door steps or in our own town/city. It helps show that if we really loved these people around us instead of judging the way they look, act or the situations they find themselves in, then we can understand and show the compassion, grace and love of Jesus and help transform lives!

Related posts:

 

The A21 Campaign

At our church meeting on sunday morning i was moved by  Rebecca West and her talk about the A21 Campaign, and how she is running a 10k run to help raise money and more awareness for this great charity. Rebecca started by playing the video above then told us a little about what she was doing to help.

Rebecca’s message:

Hello, me and two other friends are doing a 10 k run on the 18th of May, called We Own The Night, in London Victoria Park!

We wanted to use this opportunity to raise money for an amazing charity called A21. (More details below)

The charities aim is to abolish sex slavery across the globe and provide medical care, life skills and job training so those that have been effected by slavery.

There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.

BUT! we can start with one life and the little amount you can give will release a life of slavery into a life of freedom.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you so much for your support!

Rebecca West

Heres how you can find out more about A21 and donate through Just Giving.

How you can donate on the Just Giving Site

http://www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-West2?utm_source=emailvision&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FR_page_creation

Related post:

My Own Little World

FX Photo Studio Pro

FX Photo Sudio Pro Logo

 App 4 2day!  –  “FX Photo Studio Pro” for Mac, iPad & iPhone by Macphun 

Description from the Mac app store:

Description

  • New version. 50% for a limited time! Back to $40 shortly ✮
  • Your pictures will never look ordinary
  • FX Photo Studio is a digital powerhouse for your artistic photography. Easily give images stunning new look with hundreds of photo effects, filters, frames and pro editing tools.

Intuitive, inspiring and feature-rich! Here’s what you get:

★ Mind-blowing variety of over 170 photo effects & filters
★ Dozens of photo frames and borders from classic to lomo style
★ PRO image editing tools and color controls
★ Masking with effects and Color splash tool
★ Integration with Aperture, Lightroom, iPhoto, Photoshop
★ Intuitive user interface
★ Sharing via most popular social networks and more

Read full Description

My Thoughts 💭 

After more amazing comments on my photos I thought I’d share another fantastic app with you. I use this to edit my photos to get some great effects and frames.

This is another great powerful app that is really easy to use and the interface is so clean.

Please have fun , go check it out!

Also please could you let me know what apps or programs you use and/or like, I am just interested and curious to know how you all get your amazing images! 😀

Related posts:

The “CololorStrokes” App

The Screwtape Letters App

Bible.iS App

Blind Photographer

✞ Music 4 2day by Christy Nockels

After i enjoyed playing “Hosanna” on the drums at our church meeting yesterday, it inspired me to share a few songs by one of my favourite worship leaders.

This next song  brings me such comfort. So many people believe there isn’t a God or that God wants to punish them in some way so spend their whole lives running, but he just wants to Love you, so just ‘Be Loved’

Related Posts:

Yet I Will Praise You

My Own Little World

Money

Prayer 4 2day wireless logo

Jesus, take inventory of my heart right now. Show me where I love money and the material. I confess that I often want to serve this master. By the power of Your Spirit and the wisdom of Your Word, free me from the master of money so that I can follow You in complete freedom and truth. Amen.

Related posts:

The Glad Sound Of The Gospel

A speech bubble with a drop shadow effet withQuote 4 2day written inside.

“He who has not felt what sin is in the Old Testament knows little what grace is in the New. He who has not trembled in Moses, and wept in David, and wondered in Isaiah will rejoice little in Matthew or rest little in John. He who has not suffered under the Law will scarcely hear the glad sound of the gospel.” ~ R. W. Barbour

 Related Posts:

 

The Super Sweet Blogging Award

An image of the super sweet blogging award logo with a drop shadow effect

I can’t believe this, but I have been nominated for another award ~ The Super Sweet Blogging Award. I’d like to say a huge thanks to Kristy who is an inspiring and encouraging fellow blogger at Family, Friends and Everything in Between. Please go and check out her blog and spread the love.

Rules for this award:

  • Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated you
  • Answer five super sweet questions
  • Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in your blog post
  • Nominate 12 other bloggers.

Time for the 5 sweet questions:

  1. Cookies or cake? ~ Both please! Ok so I need to choose just one, it will have to be cake. 🙂
  2. Chocolate or vanilla? ~ vanilla.
  3. Favourite sweet treat? ~ Banoffee Pie (tart)
  4. When do you crave sweet things the most? ~ Pretty much as soon as I wake up!
  5. Sweet nick name? ~ Sarah most commonly uses “My Angel”

My 12 super sweet nominees:

  1. ThinkinaboutJesus
  2. Fragrant Grace
  3. Simply Enjoy
  4. My Tropical Home
  5. HeavenlyRaindrops
  6. Ramblingsofabipolarwoman
  7. Life or something like it
  8. KerriChronicles
  9. bareyournakedtruth
  10. Unwalled
  11. Nancy Loderick’s Blog
  12. WannabePhotographer87
 As usual I would like to nominate so many more super sweet bloggers!

 

Diabetes Blog Week.

As my lovely wife Sarah lives with type 1 diabetes and has an insolin pump, i am keen to learn and share anything about people who also live with this 24/7! 🙂

Elizabeth's avatarLife, Or something like it.

 

English: The blue circle is the global symbol ...

 

Some would consider me a newbie blogger but I can say it is something I am truly passionate about. Recently, while searching the internet for other diabetic bloggers, I discovered that there was a (fourth annual) Diabetes Blog Week. This link here (BitterSweetDiabetes) is where you can find the signups and all the information you need about participating. I’m very excited about this whole thing because 1) I love writing/blogging and 2) the topics are diabetes related..and I know all about that. 🙂 With that said I thought I would share in case some of you that blog about diabetes would also like to take part in this. It hasn’t started just yet, signups are today, and the week starts on the 13th.

I  am a huge advocate of anything that gets people talking/learning/sharing about this disease.

I am looking forward to reading new blogs. There…

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Macassar Ebony

Macasser Ebony Taylor Guitar 1

Macasser Ebony Taylor Guitar 2

Macasser Ebony Taylor Guitar 3

Description

On my recent Sunshine Award post, I answered the following question:

Q. What is your favourite pattern’

A.’Macassar Ebony’

I thought afterwards that maybe some people would knot know about this stunning exotic wood that is sometimes used to make acoustic guitars. So I thought I would take some photos of my Taylor custom acoustic guitar.

I feel so blessed to own this guitar and be ably to play my chords for the Lord on such a beautiful instrument

Read more about Macassar Ebony

You may also like:

Me playing my Dean USA Razorback Rust

Songs/Poems

V8 Pickup

Pickup Truck

Description

While on holiday last year in Hunstanton, Norfolk I kept hearing a fat american V8 driving around the town, and one day it was parked up so I could snap it with my camera!

My friends dad always had american cars  and vans and I’ve enjoyed them for most of my life, so I was excited when I could finally put a picture to that beautiful sound.

Camera Used ~ iPhone 4s

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Brooklands Museum

 

My Recent Spiritual Attack

💬 Quote From My About Page by Broken Halo

Steve, what an amazing testimony you have! I am so thankful that when the world took sight from you God gave you a new vision and perspective. What a blessing that God graced your life with a love in Sarah when your life was at its darkest…I pray that God continues to bless you both…. ~*~

My Thoughts 💭

After receiving this lovely comment on my About page from Broken Halo, it convicted me to write about the recent spiritual attack I have been battling with.

A couple of people have said to me that if I just had more faith or if I believed just a little more then God would heal my Sight!

The God I love and believe in is awesome and bigger than I can imagine, so I know he can heal anyone or anything if it is his will.

In the amazing book “Where is God when it hurts” by Phillip Yancey, I’ve read how destructive and poisonous peoples comments can be, it makes me wonder what they think about people like the truly inspiring and faith filled follower Joni Eareckson Tada?

Would they say f she just had more faith would she not be disabled and her amazing ministry Joni and Friends that helps transform lives and bring so many into the kingdom of God not even exist??

Can anyone please help me clarify?

All I know is, if God didn’t arrest me from my old life where I spent every day abusing my eyes with all kinds of wrong things,then I would never have had a relationship with him, never have found such a loving wife, never have this blog to hopefully inspire people, I would be another wasted lost soul.

The eyes of my heart are truly open and I’ve never seen so clearly since I’ve been blind, and if God thinks our relationship could be improved by having the sight that veiled me for so long, i’m sure he would give it me.

I know the apostle Paul talked about the thorn he lived with that God would not take away as it was for his own benifit that he didn’t receive healing.

 I would love to hear your opinions on this!

RNIB Supporter Receptions

Ageas Bowl panoramic

Yesterday Sarah & I attended an RNIB supporter Reception at the Ageas Bowl in Hedge End. (image above taken using the panorama option on my iPhone 4s)

As part of Sarah’s work as a legacy marketing officer at RNIB and editor of Outlook Magazine, she gets the chance to attend some of RNIB’s supporter receptions, held all across the UK at some amazing locations. She interviews people, finds case studies and learns more about the ever changing new technologies and services that RNIB provides to help transform the lives of blind and partially sighted people and offer them a brighter future to look forwards to. On a personal level we also like to speak with the people to inspire them and more importantly, for me, break their misconceptions of what a blind person should look and act like. (as a blind photographer I often inspire a range of questions which I am happy to answer)Sarah interviewing

Portrait of one of the lovely ladies who help support RNIB and Action for blind people

Portrait of one of the supporters Sarah interviewed

Candy enjoying helping and chatting to James

Sat listening to the speakers

One of my memorable moments was when John walked to the front and said:

Today and everyday  in the Uk alone 100 people will be told by specialists that they will lose or have lost their sight and there is nothing that can be done. Yet 80% of those 100 people could have avoided it, see Spot The Signs

The reception ended with this moving video.

It was a great day and we always learn so much, meet some lovely people and leave feeling well informed on all of the amazing services and work that go on behind the scenes to help blind and partially sighted people have a brighter future!

Related Links:

Reprogramming

📖 Verse 4 2day! 

Romans 12:2
New International Version (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

My Thoughts 💭 

I have had a real impression on my heart to focus on the pollution that goes into my body through the filter called my face.

Travelling into London on the train I felt a real conviction to listen to what God was trying to tell me in that moment. As I was stood up and squashed into the carrage, I could just make out a few people intently reading books, magazines and newspapers and I thought about their brains as the most advanced computer on the planet and how they were programming it with the computer language from the stories they were reading. My thought process continued and as wondered how that code would affect their behaviour when they left the train to meet people,

Reprogramming….

On my iMac (desktop computer) there is an app called Terminal, if you type in a simple piece of code it can change the way the iMac responds, reacts and behaves for the rest of its life, or until you remove that piece of coding.

Billions of pounds (maybe more) are spent trying to protect and secure ourselves when using a computer, smart phone, tablet etc, yet we fail to protect ourselves from this creeping death that we choose to let into our immeasurably more advanced brains as we watch TV, listen to music, audiobooks, Read magazines, listen to gossip etc we’re failing to empty our own trash and also stop more from seeping in and reprogramming our brains and hearts!

So…how is your programming doing? Are you using “wholesome” or “Worldly” code?

Are you aware of the code you use and how it affects your life and the people around you?

Or do you wear a face filter?

📖 Another Verse 4 2day! 

Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 

Christian Metal 4 2day ~ Red

Wiki ~ Red (stylized as RED and R3D) is an American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band’s lineup consists of singer Michael Barnes, guitarist Anthony Armstrong, bassist Randy Armstrong and drummer Joe Rickard. They are known for their Christian rock music which incorporates other sounds such as alternative rockhard rockheavy metal and post-grungeJasen Rauch and Andrew Hendrix were the rhythm guitarist and drummer, respectively, at the time of the band’s formation. Hendrix was replaced by Hayden Lamb in 2006, who was then replaced by Rickard. Though Rauch left the band in 2009, he still contributes to songwriting.

To date, Red has released four studio albums: End of Silence (2006), Innocence & Instinct (2009), Until We Have Faces (2011), and Release the Panic (2013). The first two albums earned the group Grammy Award Nominations for Best Rock Gospel Album while Until We Have Faces had a No. 2 debut on Billboard 200.

 

Life After Delivery

Julie Garro's avatarfollow the light

The following was posted on facebook by Ryan Garrelts. Enjoy!
 twins
In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”
The other replies, “why, of course. There has to be something …after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.
“Nonsense,” says the other. “There is no life after delivery. What would that life be?”
“I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths.”
The other says “This is absurd! Walking is impossible. And eat with our mouths? Ridiculous. The umbilical cord supplies nutrition. Life after delivery is to be excluded. The umbilical cord is too short.”
“I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here.”
the other replies, “No one has ever come back from…

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The Nobodies

💬 Quote 4 2day 

Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody; then he spent forty years on the backside of the desert realizing he was nobody; finally, he spent the last forty years of his life leaning what God can do with a nobody! ~ Dwight L. Moody

“If he has a Bad Imagination, that’s His Problem”

daddyslittlebrat's avatarDaddy's Little Brat

A woman’s figure is absolutely powerful. It has the ability to completely intoxicate a man. It is one of the most beautiful sights that has been beheld on the face of the earth. It is sacred, and therefore should be treated as such.

In this section of Crystalina Evert’s “Pure Womanhood,” the main topic is modesty. She describes how dressing inappropriately will attract men who are interested in only one thing.

Women have power. By the way we dress, by the way we dance, and by the way we carry ourselves, we can invite a man to be a gentleman or a beast. So if a girl wants a guy to appreciate her intelligence and personality, she’s probably better off not distracting him with her pierced belly-button (pg 4-5).

Crystalina then poses an intriguing question: “What do I really want? Is it more exciting to be loved by one man…

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