Watch for GOD!

This morning I was searching for hair bows for my 4-year-old daughter ...who was in tears because she did not want to go to school… BUT concerned all the while that her hair was just so, with the perfect bows for her two perfect pigtails (we girls feel better in any situation when we know our hair looks great). While searching for  two matching bows inside a bucket of bows, barrettes and other items for little girls hair, I found this bracelet.

I am not sure where the bracelet came from… I am thinking a halloween treat since it is purple and orange but I cannot be sure. But when I found it, I was desperately trying to think of ways and words to comfort my daughter who is still, after week 3 of school, so uncomforted by the absence of my presence during the school day. I wanted the bracelet to say “God is Watching” or “God is with you” so I could put it in her book bag as a reminder and for comfort (it was too big for her to wear on her tiny wrist)… but instead, it said “Watch for God”, so I slid it on my own arm and finished putting the matching bows in my sweet little girls adorable pigtails. A glance in the mirror, and she perked up a bit!

Back at home, after the dramatic dropping off of my sad 4-year-old, I start reading the book of Romans in the Bible. I have been studying the Apostle Paul’s books and letters recently and this is the next book on my list of books by him to study (I skipped around, read the short ones first..bible order not chronologically... and now I am going back to his ever important first one). When I got to verse 20 in chapter 1 I read this:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- His eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
I stopped reading at the end of chapter 1, realizing that this was going to not be the one-day read in the way I proudly conquered Paul’s letters. After reading Chapter 1, I just needed to stop and ponder. The chapter ends with verse 32 but my attention was drawn back to verse 20. I looked at the bracelet that I had slipped on my writst earlier and said… uh hu, yep, okay… there it is!

In the amazing way it always works, God uses what seems pretty much meaningless or confusing and connects the dots to send us messages when we read His word.
Sometimes I get so caught up in my day-to-day routine with my children and my life that I forget to look around and see that God is not invisible! I don’t need to rearrange a message on a bracelet to fit my situation but to be reminded to stop take a breath and look around at the evidence of his existence surrounding me. Look at the things of this world that he has made. I am reminded that there are no excuses for his eternal and divine nature to not be clearly seen by me… that these things have been surrounding us since creation.

And in that verse and that message on this bracelet truly is the message that I needed to comfort my child, myself and even you today. Without rearranging the words… READ: Watch for God… and you will find that the message is that he surrounds you with His comfort, His grace and His love. All you have to do is look around… God is Watching, God is with you… it says all of these things and much more.

Watch for God
reading Romans & connecting the dots

love,
Andrea

The hustle and flow of slavery

It's not just an international problem, but it is a problem that plagues the United States. It's an epidemic that exists in front of us in plain sight, but many people don't see its dark side. It's hidden from our conscience, the reality of this issue, but that's the hustle and flow of human trafficking-- it has lulled and lured our country into placating this perversion. The truth of the issue is this--sex trafficking exploits our own women and children. 

In 2011 statistics show that over 80% of confirmed cases of human trafficking in our country were Americans. When you first think of the term human trafficking, images of immigrants being smuggled for use in the sex industry may have come to mind ,  but the reality is that our own people are enslaved.

 Human trafficking is a cruel work load that no one should endure. 

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month but everyday a place of grace should be given to the victims of sex trafficking.  It is a complex issue that has one solution -- hope. 

 Sex traffickers prey on vulnerable women and children who are looking for hope, acceptance, love and compassion. The stories of these victims to the trade are diverse, but all have the same flow; in some shape or form these people were exploited.  A common cruel thread through each storyline is that traffickers find the ones who are vulnerable.
 Like the vulnerable child who has been either physically or sexually abused in their home. These troubled ones come to believe that abuse is love. And traffickers feed on that. They  reach them through social media, or other ways,  offering a false love. Feeling unwanted and unsafe, the child runs away to this false love, only to be groomed for prostitution. A trade that captures many of them for years.

All the child or teen ever  wanted was ---love. 

Circumstances for adults who are captured by human traffickers are similar-- lurking in that adults back story is abuse. So then, abuse is heaped on abuse. 

 Some may ask or wonder why don't they leave their situation? Several reasons.  Many are locked behind closed doors. Others are closely monitored and threatened with violence. They are beaten, raped, or their loved ones threatened. Victims are shamed--humiliated by their activities,  and so many stay in it. They have no self worth left. And though they are forced into it, they become brainwashed into believing they deserve it.
Also, victims have a dependency on their pimp for survival. Even an abused dog not on a chain will stay for loyalty and food.

Sometimes victims don't  know their surroundings and are afraid to run. Typically, victims don't trust people and have a general sense of hopelessness. Why should they run? What else is out there? 

But there is hope. 

And that hope can come from an awareness, instead of a judgment that renders a prostitute worthless. This awareness seeks out troubled youth who may be at risk and intervenes. This hope comes through supporting rescues like the WellHouse in Birmingham that reaches out to victims of human trafficking. 

Human trafficking is in plain sight. It is ugly, but it has to be recognized for what it is and hope given to end its abuse. 

Some ways to help.
There are practical guides online that can explain how to start projects, events or campaigns to end human trafficking. 

Another way is to support missions that offer hope. The WellHouse in Birmingham is a faith based non profit group that is a shelter for victims of human trafficking. One of the few in the U.S., this organization gives shelter, food, clothing,  counseling, education and teaches job skills to women. You can find them on Facebook and  reached online at www.the-WellHouse.org.

Talking about the issue is bringing awareness to the issue. It is taking responsibility for the issue in our "own" backyard. According to Nita Belles, author of In Our Backyard, the following red flags can help identify victims:

A person is not free to come and go as they please; they are under 18 and giving sex acts; has a pimp or manager; is unpaid or paid very little or through tips; works long and or unusual hours; owes a large debt and can't pay it off; was recruited through false promises; high security measure in the work or living conditions like opaque windows or boarded up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc. Their behavior is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense and exhibit unusual fearful behavior after bringing up law enforcement. The person lacks health care, appears malnourished, signs of physical and or sexual abuse, physical restraint, or torture are present. The person may have few possessions, and not in control of their I.D. or documents, no financial records or bank account. The person is not allowed to speak for themselves and a third party may insist on translating. The person claims to be just visiting the area and can't clarify where they are staying or their address. They have a lack of knowledge of their whereabouts or the city they are in. They may have numerous inconsistencies in their story. (source www.the-wellhouse.org)

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, but everyday a place of grace is needed for the victims of sex trafficking. Will you give it? 

To report suspected human trafficking call 1-866-347-2423. To get help from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center call 1-88-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).

To report suspected human trafficking:

The Power of HIS NAME!!!

Philippians 2:10-11
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Dear Friends,

I can’t let another week go by without writing something.

Lately all I have wanted to do is read and study, read and study, and then later read and study… and learn it and let it sink in and then use it.

But, I guess I am not fully using it if I don’t tell somebody!!

I am talking about the Bible… God’s word, His message to us all.

How important it is that we take his word, let it sink into our brains, bodies and especially our hearts so that when we are asked to face the world, we have a firm foundation to stand on.

I think right now, that foundation is forming in me and around me and I want it to flow through me… to you, so that you may also experience this. It is exciting and awesome when you realize how real God is and how perfect Jesus is and how much He loves us.

I just can’t stop thinking about it.

So, I just wanted to write a post today to especially thank God for the power of His Name. There are so many examples in the bible where His name is used as a powerful weapon, a source of hope, a healing device and a Holy place to go when you need to unload your burdens.

Psalms 61:8
So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

If I can sing praise for only one thing today it is that God told us His name so we could use it to praise and to pray. I hope we can all comprehend the power in it for us believers. I hope and pray we have the faith to use it as he wants us to.

Just letting the name Jesus come from your mouth should be a Sacred and Holy moment with so much emotion and feeling and love behind it that people will hear that name coming from you and immediately want to know more about Him.

All my praise to Jesus… the Healer, the Savior, the King.

Proverbs 83:18
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Love you all,
Andrea

More bible verses to read about the power of His Name:
Matthew 6:9
Exodus 20:7
Exodus 3:13-15
Jeremiah 16:21
Judges 13:18
Acts 4:12
Isaiah 7:14
Proverbs 30:4
Psalm 83:18
Psalm 68:4
Psalm 45:17
Psalm 5:11
Matthew 1:21
John 14:14
Acts 2:38
Romans 10:13
Mark 16:17
Acts 8:12