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WHAT THE ENEMY HAS FOR EVIL. GOD TURNS IT AROUND FOR OUR GOOD.

GOD TAKES ARE MESS AND TURNS IT INTO A MESSAGE.

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-- Simone

The R-word just won’t go away. I’m talking about rejection. Writers know it well.

As an independent author, rejection is just a painful part of the game. I didn’t mail my manuscript to a hundreds of publishers like other authors, but I did mail it to several over the years. And, well, you know the rest.

However, my story is a little different because I finally got a “nice” rejection from a major publisher. And when I say nice I just mean the editor liked my book, but those with the decision-making power did not. The one who liked my book encouraged me to keep writing. So that’s what I did. I took my bruised ego and hurt feelings and decided that I had enough encouragement to find another way to get published.

I surmise many of us who opt for partner-publishing or self-publishing decide the same thing. We just don’t have the patience, interest or heart to sit around and wait to be discovered. But somehow we find the money, time and determination to get it done.

Now that my novel, “The Second First Lady,” is out, the R-word is still an issue. I made a call recently and it wasn’t exactly a rejection, but it was an honest “call us back in a few months.” Yet it felt like the R-word at work.

Just because you finally have your book in hand doesn’t mean rejection will leave you alone. It’s challenging to get press coverage. It’s tough to get people to buy your book. And if you’ve ever sat at one of those vendor tables as people walk by, you know what I’m talking about.

Sometimes it’s tough to be taken seriously.

But I’ve decided to face the R-word head-on, not run from it. I tell my kids that life isn’t fair and rejection happens. I tell them they have to tough it out sometimes and do whatever it takes to get what they want. So I’m taking my own advice and putting on my game face, doing what I have to do to get what I really want.

My stories – and your stories – are just as amazing and engaging as those who have the big publishers behind them. The world just doesn’t know it yet.

So, c’mon Mr. R. Give me what you got. I’m ready.

Vanessa W. Snyder is a writer, National Board-certified teacher and mother of two daughters in Washington, D.C. The author of a new novel, “The Second First Lady,” and co-author of titles in the “50 Ways to Christ” series, she can be reached at vanessa@blackdoorventures.com.

Jas 3:2  For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 

Jas 3:3  Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 

Jas 3:4  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

 Jas 3:5  Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

 Jas 3:6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 

Jas 3:7  For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 

Jas 3:8  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison

I have been in reflection for several weeks now, gathering ,MY THOUGHTS.. It is a must for all of us to    take stock of self at one time or another in our lives. Many times we can avoid going off the track if we stop look and pay attention to the direction in which the wind is blowing... 

I read these scriptures before as I have done many times in my past. But Until you follow instruction from our GOD; they wont mean much, one will only continually get a surface meaning from the scriptures. We must mediate day and night on the scripture as we have been instructed in the book of psalms the very first book..

Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

I have often said until you do this you never truly know what GODS words are saying.. So,So many times in life we read and comprehend in error what the word of God's words are saying. One example that I recall that is a blatant misunderstanding is the words Come as you are, these 4 words are taken out of context daily to mean that we can dress anyway that we choose.  JUST Imagine ! why would Jesus tell folk who wore robes and sandals daily,listen some had nothing on there feet. Why would he say come as you are meaning dressed. The only people who had choice of ROBES were Kings Queens and people who were well off.  No this is a statement about spiritual well being. I once thought this same thing , until I meditated day and night.. 

Listen to where I am going with this, when I study on the scriptures of James 3:2 -3:8 I AM DEEPLY MOVEDBY THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE that can be done if we are not careful to watch what comes out of our mouthes..  

I think GOD is plain from the start on what we are dealing with here.. The first thing that we are told is how hard it is to tame the tongue, We can see here that it is a impossible task from the door, to tame the tongue...

Jas 3:2  For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

This tell's me even when we dont want to offend people with our tongues we do, amen who can relate ?How many times in life have you found yourself saying I am sorry i did not mean to hurt your feelings or I am sorry that came out wrong amen this is what this is speaking of the word of GOD is complete. you never need to add or take away from it.. As long a you pay attention to do all you will be fine..

Have any of us ever considered the damage that we do with our tongues? Listen, when we are involved with half truth's or out right lies.. [GOSSIP} These are all ways of doing damage to people with our tongues.. I have seen and heard of folk loosing employment over people quick to repeat something that they heard about.. People I just want you to realize what the lord is saying here about taming our tongues. This is all collateral damage because of our tongues .. It does not speak to the direct destruction t hat we can cause if we choose to use this part of the human body without discipline . 

This is illustration below on what we are dealing with, these examples are about great inventions, both large in size but controlled by very small controls.. IN many cases we must take several verses at a time to get the fullness of t he meaning. this is what I have done here.

Jas 3:4  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

 Jas 3:5  Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

 Jas 3:6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

All these things are controlled by our tongues,all things that we must realize lies therein. We speak what we know correct amen. I can recall baring witness to a situation that came to pass when we were growing up. I use to be a bully and I would often pick on my Little cousins and bully them around.  Well as a grown man I recall playing basketball with them and in the middle of a game one of my cousins stopped and said "do you recall when you use to pick on me" ? So we all looked at him as if he was crazy, but he said that was messed up how you use to treat us and I bet you wont do that any more..  This was no longer a joke to me, because that was a disguised threat and obviously something that he had been carrying all this time

This is another way that I have witnessed with my own eyes blessing and cursing in the tongue. A young woman that I new was pregnant, but it was something that had to be kept from her parents . Well as the pregnancy began to show her family would often ask her  why her stomach was getting bigger ? She would always say it's not a baby it cancer, its a tumor.. Well I am here to share with you that this baby was born with cancer.. Sure poor baby was cursed from the womb because her mom had no understanding of spiritual things.. 

Jas 3:8  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison...

Indeed this scripture screams off the page at me. How many of us can bare witness to the damage that we have seen done by words to our friends. We all made fun of them back in the day not realizing that we were causing irreversible damage. Their parents played a role in the damage with us, we all called     him or her stupid, worthless dumb.. People have feelings and although they laughed with us inside they were building a serious resentment.. Today many of them have anger problems. Some have committed serious crimes, because of misdirected anger..  Our TONGUES truly the key to what makes the world go around. We must  learn to think twice in some cases 3x before we speak . A word can knock a man down for life. When in all reality a bruise can heal in a week.. So that old saying sticks and stones make break my bones but names will never hurt me,It is not true is it ?..

Until next time saints..

P.E.T Darryl G Gilliam 

Major Change Network 

and Foundation...........

ARE YOU UNDER COVER?

Ge 3:9 -21And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

What do we do when we are already caught up in something ungodly? How do we get out of…….works of foolishness?

How do we get out of …..the works of unforgiveness. How do we get out of …..the works of anger, or hatred, or addiction, or gang activity, or lying.

How…..do we get out of the works of foolishness? In order to get out of foolish works, we must first see what is the meaning of a fool.

The Bible tells us in Ps 14:1 <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. And then we see this repeated in Ps 53:1 as it says <<To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.>> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. So here we see that a fool says in his heart……or a fool believes that there is no God and that their works are no good. A fool does works of foolishness or works of……..iniquity. Iniquity is most generally defined as a bent away from God, in other words, iniquity is that something that tends to bend or turn us away from God and what God has called us to do. It’s that something that makes us say “God we are fine up to this point…..but at this point, even though you are calling me to do it one way…..I’m going to do it ……another way.”

When we look deeper into this “bent away from God” we notice a few things, one thing is that ultimately this bent is due to our own selfishness which was passed down to us by Adam, and we know that through Adam all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which further lets us know that this “bent away from God” is something that all of us have. We all have a bent in us, somewhere. We also know that where there is a bent, there is crookedness. It is naturally impossible for something that has a bent or bend in it, to be strait, so that crookedness that is in each one of us, causes us to do…..crooked things.

We already know that Adam and the woman had partaken of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and let us note that the name of the tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…..not the action of good and evil, not the speaking of good and evil……it is the knowledge of good and evil which lets us know that this tree will give them some knowledge of some things, that God does not want them to know. This lets us know that the forbidden thing that will be exposed to all humanity is something that will be on the inside and not the outside. The corruption will deal with the thoughts and manifest themselves through our actions on those thoughts. So we see Adam and the woman, covering their nakedness, and hiding from God’s Word. The Word of God leads to works of God. We also see in our text that God gives what is called the proto evangelium which means “the first Gospel” in verse 15. Some of us have missed this in the past because it sounds foolish and I must submit that every now and then in order to get out of our own foolishness, we need to listen to and obey….the foolishness of God

1COR 1:18-29

There is…..an importance in the work of preaching….if God thought it was so important that He took it upon Himself to do it first…..and then directly pass it down to man as a specific work to do, then it must be important to God……and what does it say about us, what does it say about our faith on and in God and what does it tell God about us and what we think about God when we want the preacher….to do something else, and put preaching in a secondary, or low priority. How does it look to God when people say that they love God, and here is something that God deemed to be so important that He did it first himself , but people show that it is really not that important in how unimportant they treat the work of the man of God and to some it is not even considered to be a work. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ has power to give us faith. The Bible tells us that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and how can they hear without a preacher, and how can a preacher preach lest he be sent. The Word of God brings a saving faith. Now don’t get me wrong all of the saints are called to share the Gospel and one of the ways that we as saints are equipped to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ is through our Spiritual Gifts. However there is also a specific call to individuals to preach the Word of God or what we call the Gospel Ministry and even with the specific call to preach, all preachers have a different way of preaching.

God made each of us unique and with that,

God has different gifts,

for different works,

for communication of the same Gospel,

in different ways,

to different people,

in different situations.

And God has gifted you, and with His gift, God has a unique work for you. In Adam‘s case……In Gen. 2:19-20 We find that one of his works, was to name the things of God‘s creation, but as we know….Adam fell. How many times have we fallen when God has given us something to do. How many times have we gone left, when God says go right or we’ve said it’s a bad day, when God said it’s a good day or we’ve blessed somebody out, when God said Bless the Lord….at all times. In the midst of our mess God is still calling us to Him because we are worth something. When Adam heard the word of God, Adam was afraid, which lets us know that he had an emotional reaction, do our emotional reactions bend us away from God. When Adam heard the Word of God and said that he was afraid because he was naked we see that his rationalizing, that his reasoning, that his mental reaction, that his new knowledge, bent him away from God. Does our thinking bend us away from God. When Adam heard and was afraid because he was naked he ended up hiding, which lets us know that because there is something already crooked in us and we start following crooked information from crooked emotions which lead to crooked reasoning, which leads to crooked action and we end up hiding. But yet while we are hiding, God is still calling out to us, while we were yet sinners, God showed His love for us in this, while we were doing our thing, God sent a Word. We must remember that God is a just God so there are consequences for our disobedience. God shows us that in order to get out of our disobedience we need to know about the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. We need to know about the one who is the seed of the woman, the one who bruised the head of that old serpent, the one who’s heel got bruised, that while we were yet sinners, God sent one….who was tempted at all sides….but yet without sin, and God just’s asks us to do the first work of faith, or what Jesus calls in John 6:29 the work of God.

We see Adam doing the work of God in verse 20 of our text and we might say all he did was change her name, however upon further review, we find that Adam changed her name to Eve. The name Eve, means mother of all living. God already let them know that the Messiah was coming and that the Messiah was coming through the woman. By Adam being on the earth before the crucifixion then Adam is looking forward to the coming Messiah, and His work on the cross. Whereas in our case, we are looking back at the work already done on the cross. That is to say that Adam shows his faith in the Word of God by agreeing that the life giver, the quickening spirit, will come from the mother of all living. Remember, one of the works that God assigned to Adam was to name the creations of God, now we see this work as a work of faith. So what is your work of faith? What names do you need to change? What situations do you need to change? What actions do you need to change? What is your work of faith? It took a work of faith to get you from where you used to be to get you where you are now and we know that on this journey there were times when the world said that it was impossible for us to get here! Through works of faith the power of God is seen, and the power of God is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So if it is of God, then the work has to lead to the introduction or revelation of Jesus Christ. We find that after Adam shows His faith, God clothed them with coats of skin, God covered them with the skins of something that was living.

They were covered by something that God did, they were covered by something that was sacrificed, they were covered by something without sin, they were covered by the first of animals, and there was a man, who is more than a man. Who is 100%God, but yet 100% man. This man, was the first amongst many brethren. He was born by the seed of a woman, in other words, He was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life, in other words He was without sin. He gave His life, on the cross, that we might be saved. The first Adam, was given life, but Jesus the second Adam, is the life giver. Adam was covered by the shedding of blood but the blood of Jesus was shed to cover us. Are you under cover, of His blood? If you are then through His Holy Spirit, it’s time to work out your salvation in fear and trembling and work your gifts. Work…..the works of faith.

Don’t worry about what they enemy has thrown at you…..

Don’t worry about the situations that got you down……

Don’t worry about those weapons formed against you because you are under cover. Remember that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world because you are under cover. That we can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us, because we’re under cover.

We might have a bent…..but the blood of Jesus lets us do some strait things.

The world might say that it‘s impossible for a crooked person to do strait things but I just wanted to let you know that you can, when you get under cover.

Let your life preach for you, let your actions preach for you. Stand on the word of God, stand on the works of God, and stand under the covering of the blood shed on the cross by Jesus Christ

Get under His cover.

Do the work of Faith!

May God Comfort, Strengthen and Encourage You,

Bishop W.C. Maddox

www.mesarimtabernacle.com

Don’t you just love saying and hearing it?

It’s such a wonderful word but not always easy for writers to find.

Admittedly, I’ve never truly had writer’s block.  (I’ve had a few cases of lazy block but that’s another blog). I love to write so much I can almost always come up with something to say.

But today I’m thinking about what inspires me and maybe what inspires me will inspire you –to write.

Lately, I’m feeling pretty inspired. I think the reason is because I’ve decided to slow down a bit so I can see, think and absorb the intricacies of my life and those around me. When I’m not moving too fast I can hear what my kids are saying and I can see who they really are. In fact, I learn a lot about myself by watching my kids.  A good friend of mine, Kimberly Parker has created several books from listening to her kids.

And I’m not just watching my kids. I’m watching and listening to the kids I teach. Good educators should do that anyway. If we don’t hear and see them, I don’t think we can truly teach them. The teens I interact with are full of stories, experiences and insights to feed my never ending writing appetite.

As a wife, there’s plenty to hear when my husband speaks. I think that’s why I decided to make the main character in my novel a male. Somehow I got inside the male mind and created a character. I’ve gathered so much from listening to my husband of 20 years — and my father, brothers, cousins and friends.

Then there are the people I interact with daily. These interactions may be fleeting. Others might be significant. When I take the time to engage with people I learn so much. These interactions somehow find their way into my characters and plots. In my creative mind I can embellish and twist these moments into stories that will move and inspire others. But they wouldn’t be there if I wasn’t slowing down enough to hear.  Characters really do summon you. While writing The Second First Lady, I couldn’t take a break because my characters wouldn’t let me.

Need inspiration?

Slow down. Look. Hear. Listen.  Write.

Hopefully, it’s not too late for me to make my writing affirmations for the year. I’m purposely not calling them resolutions because I want something “affirming.” So much of writing begins with your state of mind (see my previous 2 most recent blogs)

I’ve decided to keep it simple.

        Here goes:

1.      I will write consistently, whether it’s journaling, blogging or novel writing

2.      I will read about writing so I can get better. One good source: Better English 101

3.      I will “commune” with other writers.

4.      I will write my ideas down so I don’t forget them.

5.      I will look for new places to showcase my writing.

6.      I will be a prolific writer.

7.      I will copyright my work.

8.      I will be encouraged by the writers who are already successful.

9.      I will not be discouraged by those who reject my writing.

10.  I will believe in the uniqueness of the writing gift God has given me.

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NOT NECESSARILY NEEDLESS THINGS

Ge 3:1-9 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Have we ever had a time where we had something that needed to get done but we’ve found ourselves sidetracked by something else.

Has there been a time in you life where there is something that put before you and you knew it was part of God’s calling on your life and you got…….sidetracked.

We get called by God to share the Gospel somewhere or to go witness to somebody, help this homeless person over here, or help that addict over there, or that person struggling with their walk or we might get called to minister to someone that is sick or who might be in grief or in a suicidal condition, and all the sudden here comes somebody telling you that they got something more important for you to do, they say “ Oh it’s not that important that you do that now, or they will be alright, or every body goes through stuff like that then they say it’s not really…..necessary”

God has a funny way of sending us to minister to people who suffer from the same things that we have suffered from and sometimes minister to people who suffer from the same thing that we currently suffer, so that not only will we be a blessing to someone, but also that someone will be a blessing to us and reconfirm to us that God is still in control and God….still has something for you to do and let us know that, Yes……..it is necessary.

God will remind us that not too long ago we were in those same situations and it took somebody to take the time to do what God told them to do and minister to us or else we would be dead so we should be thankful to God that somebody was being obedient….to God, and for us, it was necessary.

Folks try to get us sidetracked, the God of this world wants take our focus from what is necessary…….and dwell on what is secondary.

In our text we have an account of Adam and the woman ( we must keep in mind that at this point, Adam has not yet named her Eve), and in the text we see that the woman is approached by the serpent, she is deceived by the serpent then takes a bite of fruit that God said not to eat and then she proceeds to give to Adam for him to eat (also note that the text does not say that Adam was deceived or tricked into this by the woman) in other words Adam did this knowingly, but we must remember that although Adam prior to Adam doing this that Adam did not know sin. After this they hid themselves amongst the trees. We see a crooked action, coming from a crooked understanding, from a crooked word. A crooked action, from a crooked understanding, from a crooked word……..crooked things……..We know that the god of this world is a deceiver and let me clarify, the god of this world, and the God of all creation are different, and the god of this world is still doing his job….and I have found that the same deception that he was doing back then is the same thing that he is doing today. Just like Adam and the woman back then, we start out walking how God wants us to walk, but then we end up hiding out amongst the trees. We get caught up by some crooked things, and end up being caught up in, some crooked things yet God is still asking……”Where art thou?”

There’s somebody that should be preaching and yet God is asking “Where art thou? There’s someone that should be singing ….and yet God is asking……where art thou? Where art thou, when you are called to teach?

Where art thou, when you are called to serve? Where art thou, when you are called to worship?

Many times when we examine the portion of scripture about the deception of the woman we have a tendency to look at when the woman added to the word of God in verse 3, however upon further review we find that what we are looking at is actually the result of her already being deceived. We find that the deception has already taken place. If we look at God’s instruction to Adam but for the woman as well, we find that God said in Genesis Chpt.2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now that’s what God said but look at what the serpent asks the woman, Ge 3:1 reads “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Notice the serpent had questioned the eating of all the trees in the garden, not just the one tree. We notice that God named a specific tree, but the serpent just said every tree, and we might say big deal, however, what the serpent did by bringing into question all of the trees and not specifying the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was that by not acknowledging that that tree has a special name implies that this tree does not have a special designation which further implies that this tree does not have a special purpose, which further implies that this tree did not come with a special command and that this special command did not come from….a special God……..in other words by not setting apart this tree from the rest of the trees implies that all of the trees are the same…….but we know that…..one of these trees….is not like the other, but that’s what the god of this world wants you to think. He wants you to think that all these things are the same, that all people are the same, that all preachers are the same, .that all ministries are the same, that all churches are the same. The tempter says oh prayer is not needed, christian relationship is not needed, worship is not needed, praise is not needed, and the word of God is not needed. He says see everybody else has rules of a god and not relationship with God, he says see everybody else is doing church this way. He’s saying church is only a hobby that it’s only what you do cause your parents did it that its only something you do in your spare time.

Just like in the garden then we are still being told today that the word of God is unnecessary. We are told it is not needed, we are told it is just like any other book, but some of these things are not like the other. The need in the garden was obedience to the word of God. The need in the garden was for the woman to be able to stand on the command of God. Because the woman got sidetracked on God’s command, The woman got to looking at needless things, and how many times have we gotten caught up in needless things?

You know what I’m talking about, things that are really wants, but we want them so bad that we make them needs. We get so bad with this that we try to get God to cosign on our wants without dealing with our needs and we start praying to God about what we want instead of praying to Him about what we need. We start replacing our needs with our wants and when we start doing that then eventually our needs will not be taken care of.

We will be stuck with nothing from a bunch of…..needless things.

This also lets us know as it shows in the text that the best thing to do is to follow the word of God by properly understanding what God said, what God meant by what He said, and how God wants us to apply His Word to our lives so that we wont stray on needless things. Don’t get me wrong, I know that sometimes God will allow things that are unpleasant to happen in our life for our good. I know that God will allow us to mess up at times in order to teach us a lesson. He will allow things bad to happen to get us back on track with Him. But this is not necessarily….needless….things…..so God saw fit for the women to get caught in what might seem needless so that through her the Savior Jesus Christ may come. God finds things necessary in some things that seem needless. God saw it necessary to take care of our needs, if you feel that you need to overcome some needless things in your life then first of all see what God might be doing with those needless things, to make sure that you get to the necessary things of God. Jesus says in Mt 6:30-34 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

In other words….seek the kingdom of God….and God will supply your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God

Its necessary

May God Bless You,

Bishop W. C. Maddox

When it comes to writing, we have to find a way to focus on the writing we want to produce. But in reality, “focus” can be challenging,especially when your days and nights are full. The distractions arereal and unavoidable, but so is your desire and passion for writing.

As I reflect on my journey in completing “The Second First Lady,” I somehow found my focus.  So here are some tips that I hope will help you:

*Don’t stress yourself out by trying to write for the same number of hours every day. Do what works for your schedule.

*Find a friend who will hold you accountable for writing consistently.

*Share your writing with a friend who is willing to listen. Talk about the characters and where the story is headed.

*Go to a writing conference or start a writing group so you can network and get feedback from  other writers.

*Read author websites and join their mailing lists.

*Make a positive affirmation everyday about your writing.

*Read an article or book that will help you improve your craft.

As simple as these tips may seem, they contribute to the focus you need to become a writer who actually… writes.

VWS

There’s an old adage that says we make time for things we want to make time for.

I’m always amazed at what my daughters can accomplish when they decide it’s important enough, i.e. slide-shows of their Christmas gifts, clean rooms (when an immediate incentive is involved) and any number of tasks.

I’m also amazed at what I can accomplish when I decide it’s important enough. Since the completion of my novel, The Second First Lady, many mothers, friends and family members have asked me when I found the time.

I don’t really have a clear-cut answer – other than the fact I just kept at it, writing whenever I could. It wasn’t easy, since I work full-time, have two kids and cook, clean and shop every week. I also help with homework, grade my students’ papers and spend time with the family. Still, somehow, I got it done with God’s help.

I can think of other examples in my life, too. I earned my Master’s Degree while working and managing the household, and I gained National Board Certification in the same manner. In the midst of it all, I did wonder… Why am I doing this? But I kept on. There were doubts, discouragements and fears along the way, but I kept at it. Completing the novel was no different.

As I reflect, I got it done through consistency. Some days I wrote for two hours or less; other days I wrote longer. But I did it, because writing creatively is one of my passions and I was determined.

So the message for all you Moms (and everyone else): You really can do it, if you want.

--Vanessa W. Snyder

Instilling a true sense of responsibility within our children is a goal my husband and I embrace. Initially, I assigned my children the task of cleaning their respective bedrooms. From there, I moved onto other household chores like assistance with the dishes, laundry, lawn, and the bathrooms. Considering the extent of my “to-do” list, I never reject helping hands...no matter how small.

On occasion, my beckoning for assistance was met with resistance. The children quickly asked to be pardoned because, “There’s only five minutes left of the show, Momma!” Then there were times when they reluctantly obliged the request. The deep sighing, overdramatized body language, and slight mumbling clearly indicated that the interruption was inopportune.

Eventually, their frustration was beginning to be met with ours! The lectures (“How many times have we…?”), warnings (“OK! I’m going to conduct a spot check!”), and even idle threats (“You won’t see an after-school dance if...!) were beginning to take its toll. Frankly, I had gotten tired of hearing myself fuss!

Instituting change in my children’s behavior started with changing my behavior. The old adage “If it is to be, it’s up to me!” addresses an often dismissed truth. While it is very easy to point a finger at them, the three fingers pointing back at me reveals who is the most responsible party. So I pondered a way to achieve the results I desired while annihilating the aggravation.

As is my custom, I awaken my family daily. One particular morning, I added a twist: I announced that I had an important announcement to make in thirty minutes. Rapidly, all three children were out of the bed and making their way to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later they were dressed and sitting in their seats asking, “What’s the news, Momma? Tell us!”

I took my time and chose my words carefully in an attempt to build the excitement...and it worked! After side-barring a time or two, I finally said:

Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the Cleanest Bedroom Award is…

With dropping draws and widened eyes, my children looked as if they had seen their favorite TV star! As the winner claimed his token of appreciation, my other two children were positioning themselves to win the next time. But, there was a twist: the next announcement would not be about bedrooms, but another category just as important. This way, they will focus their attention completely on the tasks assigned and work hard to complete them all!

Since that day, I’ve given out the “Initiates Homework” award to the child that does her homework without being asked, “Do you have homework?” and the “Yes, Ma’am” award to the child who responds to my requests without debate. I love the change I see in myself and my children! I have minimized my frustration and they have maximized their accountability.

If you find your situation mirrors mine, consider using this “system”. I sure hope it works for you, too.

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