"The Power of Praise"

By: Ashley B. Downing

Never underestimate the power of praise, if God our Father takes pleasure in praise, it is only natural for His children to be encouraged by compliments. The assurance that you give someone by acknowledging their skills, talents, and abilities gives support and cheers a person on in their development! Where would our little ones be without the support and praise in reaching milestones, like taking those first wobbly steps? Whatever our chronological age, we are still God's children. 

 

Praise propels a person to fulfill their purpose. People confuse flattery with sincere praise. Flattery is fake. Flattery is emotional manipulation rooted in insincerity. Compliments are honest, sincere unselfish expressions that provides assurance. Compliments compel you to reach the next level.  Praise propels a person to fulfill their purpose. And how extremely pleased we are when we fulfill our purpose!

Self-esteem and self-worth is found at the cross. I am not talking about self-esteem. I am talking about esteeming others, aiding them to be all that they can be in God, fulfilling a duty as brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, grands who have been adopted into the family of God.

Scripture says: "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

—Matthew 22:35-40

In other words, that double reference is really the core of Christianity. God should consume us. He should be in our hearts, souls and minds. Our social interactions should be filtered through  love. We are to love our neighbors like we love ourselves. This begins in praise and ends in a whole lot of joy!

Haters are going to hate. Encourage someone today and see how your words make a positive influence in someone's life. There is enough hate in the world.

My Prayer for you and me: Father, Please bless this person reading this and awaken their heart to You. I pray that you are acknowledged right now as the one and only true Living God, perfect and profound in every way. I ask for grace and perfection, for myself, and my neighbors, because I understand that perfection can only come through Your grace, first. Please encourage us as we move toward fulfilling your perfect will in our lives and fulfilling our joy! Thank you Jesus for the work on the cross and the work of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen! 

{Loves}, Ash

 

 

 

 

 

Responses ... and the mystery of the missing text message

So, if I were a writer for a mystery show, say Scooby Doo (.... because that is about as mysterious as we get around my house), I would probably use the title of this blog post as the title of one of the episodes.  When I wrote for the local paper, I always had a problem with choosing a title for my articles... I would either (a)be too wordy and explanatory about its contents or (b)leave it with a vague one word title that didn't leave anyone wondering or interested in what I had to say. I would just let an editor or publisher come up with a suitable title 90% of the time. Now, for this blog, I feel the need to be totally creative for the purpose of grabbing your attention. So maybe this isn't really much of a mystery... I could probably explain it away easily.... although, I don't really know the true occurrences in this particular situation. But, for now I am using the title just to get you to read this, so if you are already here, you might just want to read on!! I do believe I am writing for someone other than just myself!!! And after all, sometimes it's  really not about the message...  it's more about the response!!!

The mystery:
It was a hot but rainy afternoon in these parts of Alabama... and I was feeling a bit down. Maybe the graduation of my oldest son had gotten the best of me ... it is a season of change for this Mom and I am slowly adjusting. In the midst of these feelings of resenting this change, I craved only the words of someone who loves me unconditionally, someone who goes out of their way to make my life just a little better or easier... someone like my own Mother. I had received a text from her a couple of days earlier. The text was short and simple and of a spiritual and uplifting nature. I will not repeat the text because I, as  a general rule, don't share texts from other people with anyone if they are personal or without their permission. I will just say that, at that moment, I wanted to re-read this particular text, thinking it would make me feel better.
I opened up the message on my phone and realized that the text was missing... not all of the text messages between she and I, just the one that I wanted to read. What was left and the only reason I knew for sure that there had ever been that message, was my response, "Oh that is so great!!"... and a couple more words.
That was a couple of days ago, but this morning I woke up thinking about the vanished text and thinking that there is a new message in my very own response. Although I can't explain how a text message was plucked out of a group of to-and-from text messages between my mother and I, I can say that what remained was my response .... and mirroring life in certain situations, sometimes all we are left with is our very own response.

Thinking back:
When I had the idea to create a platform to speak out about my beliefs as a Christian... the idea was stemming from a feeling or a message that I received. I had a felt a "pull" (is the only way I know how to word it) to write or speak or be used in some way to talk about things... mostly about loving one another and sharing my journey as I become stronger in my faith in God.... what my co-blogger Ashley and I refer to as becoming Unshakable. I feel this same thing almost weekly, much like I did this very morning of what to write and how to write it. This "pull" forms the content of my blog posts. I realize that I can't make you, the reader, feel this pull... I can only attempt to make you feel something by my response to it.

To You:
I think we all feel these pulls and urges to do certain things when we let God take control of our lives. But, I also believe we shouldn't get caught up in trying to convince someone that God is using us for something in particular.... because while others may not ever be able to see our received message, they can see our response. Sometimes, it is just all about the response.
I encourage you to respond when you should ....because the true message meant to be heard or felt will live in that response. There is no better feeling than letting God use you for good things. If you feel unworthy or incapable, that is only in your mind... you never were intended to set your own limitations with regards to sharing the joy and love that is God.

and on another note....
In some situations we should think think about our response:
Think about our responses to every day situations... when we choose to judge someone, when we choose to post or re-post an article, picture, or just have an original thought on social media and especially when we add in our own response to whatever the situation might be... all that people are left to know about  me is how I responded, if we choose to put that out there. As the world is today, we all have the freedom to give other people a feeling for who we are and what we stand for by what we post on facebook, twitter, blogs... or whatever form of social media we use.  That freedom also gives us a responsibility. Our response identifies us as belonging with one group or another, with one belief or another. How about think about it first? How about think about others first? How about let God be the judge... or how about stand for something that actually needs standing for? How about think about the real reason we love to display others faults? How about thinking about standing in the crowd on that day Jesus was judged... are we in the crowd that screamed "Crucify Him"? Or are we one of the few that choose a different path? Think about how Jesus taught us to let the person without sin cast the first stone. Think about how the disciple's responses to Jesus' life have changed the world and how we too can change it. Think about who we really are and who God wants us to be.

The thing about responding is it can do good or bad... it can create a positive or a negative change in our mentality or morals... and  it can leave others either bitter or better.
As for the mystery of the missing text message... my response is still all that remains... and so I realize the weight of a message is sometimes only visable in our response to it, and that is what we have left to pass along to others.

Let's think about responding... and when we think about it, think about God's love.

Love,
Andrea




 

Friends...

To my friends,

What is a friend?... a friend by definition is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection.

My three year old... who I love to quote often because of the innocence, honesty and humor in her thoughts.... was hugging her older sister and looked up at me and said "Mommy, I have a sister... do you have a sister?" I smiled and tried to think of an answer that she could understand... I replied "yes Summer, I have a sister that lives with Jesus." She said "Are you sad?" I have no idea why she would have asked me that... did I look sad when I said that? ... I attempted to say it in a positive way but maybe she saw through that? "I am a little sad that I can't hug my sister like you can" I replied "but I am happy my sister gets to live with Jesus. I am happy God gave me two little girls who I get to watch be sisters and love each other, and I have other people that are like sisters to me here... God sent these people to be part of my life... they are my friends." She asked who.... and I am blessed enough in my friendships to be able to have named a handful of people... a few who she knows and she smiled when I said their names. And then she changed the subject to princesses and pink dresses but left me thinking how blessed I am to have the friends I have and how I hope my children have these same blessings from their own friendships.

The story of my sister is for another blog post at another time. And, the friends I named to my daughter don't take the place of my sister... who, looking back now, was truly my best friend. But my friends are so special. Each one of them listens to me when I need them to. Each one of them has been there for me when I called them. Each one of them has seen me through different and sometimes difficult times in my life to help pick me up and move me along.... just like a sister would.

I have no doubt in my mind that along life's path, we are destined to encounter people who redirect us.... who change our way of thinking and open our minds to new possibilities. The ones who truly care where we end up, we call our friends. To be able to name a few people who fit this description in my life, is truly a blessing.

I am watching my children grow and make friends of their own. I treat these friends of theirs like family... just like some of my close friend's families have treated me. Because I realize that when the time comes and they are out there on their own, the friends will be the ones with them through some things and not me.

Along the way, some of these friends come and go... some have even gone in an indescribably heart wrenching way... but left a profound impact on mine and my children's lives. We count each moment as a blessing now, always in the back of our minds not knowing which is the last. Some experiences, we pray we never have to experience again.

But, what I have learned through my friendships and my children's is... to never take friendship for granted... whether it is the friendship from a sibling, a neighbor or a best friend.... it is there for a reason... the two of you, of us, have a bond of mutual affection because you were meant to be in my or their life.

God sends us who we need when we need them or when they need us...  even if we can only be together for a short time.

My message to my children is to be the friend my friends were and are to me.. loyal, trustworthy, respectful, giving, helping, loving, thoughtful, fun and supportive.

I love you, my friends, and pray that my children have or find friends that are much like you! (And loving my kids as much as I do, I don't think I could compliment you better than that statement
!!)

Love,
Andrea

It's time to move! ~~Ash

I have been busy and I know that my co-blogger, Andrea, is feeling the crunch of life, as well, but we talk often of our blog and how we want to keep pace with our writing, and want to include it in our everyday lives. It may not be a daily blog, but what happens in our daily lives definitely forms our blogs.

Both of us have been in moving mode! Andrea moved the location of her business and I moved into a new home. So life has been a series of trips and hauling boxes from one place to another. Boxes, boxes, boxes! Those boxes revealed my life and my family's life. And man did I sort some stuff out! Making decisions to hold on to or let go of certain items was exhausting at times.  I must admit that I held on to some junk for sentimental value or because it had been a part of my household for years. Even though, I have absolutely no use for some of that junk, I still held on to it. But isn't that what we do sometimes? Don't we hold on to junk when we should just let it go? In my new place, I have found that junk that I carried over,  has gotten in the way and takes up much needed space that could be used for something useful, something better. And this moving experience taught me that it is easier to accumulate stuff than to move it!

That can be said of our spiritual life, too.

Maybe it is time to sort out some things that you have been holding on to just because you "own" it. If the past keeps you in a place of shame, although you have repented, then it is time rummage through those second- hand goods and sort it out.  Some of that junk can be recycled and used for the good, and some of it should honestly be scrapped--lesson learned, it's nothing more than official trash. 
So, my sisters,  let's work together to let go of our hoarding tendencies. How can God replenish that which is full of refuse? That is a waste!

 A storehouse that is full, even of junk, satisfies space--it is time to break through, clean-up and get to the fresh new wine! He can restore in ways that are far superior than anything we can imagine!

"Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over." Proverbs 3:10

Pray that God shows you what needs sorting and restores exactly what you need!

And Praying that we remain faithful to a faithful Father! Ash

A message from a tiny ant....

Many years ago, after my sister and I had been called weird many times (by our friends and usually in a friendly way), we made a decision that when someone called us weird... we would just say thank you and take it as a compliment. Our reason-- it is easy to be the same, it is more difficult to be who God made you to be. Never has there been a better time (that I can think of) to form opinions based on what is truly in your heart and not based on those ants marching beside you:

I have been so busy lately that I feel like I am running a marathon most days. As life goes, and most of you probably feel the same way, I have intentions of doing this and that... I even make a to do list at the beginning of each week... and try to check off as many things on that list as possible. Some days I just stop for a few seconds and think... really? Is this really how it's going to always be? And then I try to remember what it's all for. And I take a few moments to look up and give thanks and remember that nothing is as important as one thing.

I can imagine if one were to be able to physically rise above this world and look down at our world as a whole.... we would all look like little ants. Ants always look busy running here and there but following the same path as the one before them.  Just think of those ant farms you can buy, the ones that are thin and glass so you can see all of the ants as they go about their daily routines. We, I am sure, look like those ants from up above.

To my eyes, looking down at this ant farm, I see busy little ants and wonder what they are in such a big hurry for. They spend their entire lives slaving to build their homes and increase their numbers and what is it all for?  Does even just one ant stop to look up at me looking down at them? Maybe... maybe there are a few ants in the farm that realize there is someone bigger and much more powerful watching. Maybe these few ants realize that this someone could easily wipe out the entire farm in seconds if that is what they choose to do.

Other ants think that this tiny ant farm is all there is .... they think whatever decisions they make are only seen by their eyes or the ones right around them. They think it is okay to live in a way that totally disregards the fact that there is a powerful someone watching every move they make and every form of communication with each other.

Looking down at these ants... maybe they start to make terrible decisions... because they are angry, because their fellow ants are not doing exactly what they want them to... so they turn on each other. These ants begin to commit horrible acts .... killing, stealing.... all the while I am watching these ants, my ants. The ants I put together in this lovely farm neither acknowledge or appreciate it or each other.

What would I do? The ants have rebelled against each other against and ignored the gifts and freedom that each of them were given... What would you do? If you had the power to end this ... if you saw from above the pain and that the majority had this disregard for life... what would you do?

There is no comparison between the ants and God and his children, really.... because we cannot grasp his love for us and patience with us with any analogy that might surface in our minds. What we would all probably say about this ant farm... this is sad, these ants are not worth keeping, they hurt each other and they think there are no consequences... they think they can keep on living in this place that I made for them while they are corrupting all that is around them and they are changing all that I meant for it to be.

But then, maybe we see that one ant that stops and looks up and says ... wait, thank you!... What can I do to create a change? This ant taps on the shoulder the others passing by and says: look up!!  There is someone watching us... someone that wants us to live in harmony and love... someone that gave us all that we have... let's tell that someone thank you.

Of course, this is a partly silly analogy of life... I try to find my own way to grasp the concept. All I know for sure is that there are some terrible, scary things going on. Why don't we stop and make the attempt to show others the one looking down on us?! Acknowledge that we are each accountable for the change we COULD make!!! ...Are we just too busy or do we think those terrible things that are happening around the world are not happening to us directly or not affecting us directly? Yes, they are.

So in this moment I am just a tiny ant... and I am tapping you on the sholder

We can create a change together ... Just look up with me!

Thank God! He loves us and he shows us he loves us everyday.... even when we are the ants that never look up.

Love,
Andrea

Possum and Sweet Potatoes

Pictured is a blessed and talented resident of the nursing home I visited in Meridian, MS

I hope that the title of this blog post got your attention the same way it got mine.... because after those words "possum and sweet potatoes" were said, a blessing followed. I am hoping to pass along that blessing now.

I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer my photography skills at a relay for life fund raiser at a nursing home in Meridian, MS. I have always loved nursing homes and the way some of our older generation that you experience at these places seem to have a return to innocence as they age. But along with that innocence, there is knowledge and experience and an acceptance of things of this world and beyond. If you really open your heart to some of these people, you might just get an unexpected blessing.

This sweet lady pictured above rolled into the room where I was set up to do pictures while I was on a break. I sat at one table as she began talking to a lady that was helping me for the day at another table. She began to talk about her life. She said she was born in 1921 and that she married young. She went on to talk about her life and I was listening quietly, enjoying her walk down memory lane until she said this "I couldn't keep anything down when I was pregnant with my first child. The only thing I wanted to eat was..... what do you call it?.... oh yeah, possum and sweet potatoes." I couldn't contain my laughter at this odd (to me) menu. My laugh is always loud and she heard it and looked me directly in the eye and she knew she had my attention as she continued her stories. We eventually ended up in the room with just the two of us. Her joy was contagious to me... this 93 year old seemed like a child playing and giggling and just enjoying her life... at the same time confined to wheel chair and with probably a few more stories in the pile than she wished to recall. I thought of my own life, I thought of my complaints about it... I realized that, at times, I take it all for granted. I totally admired this woman.

Then the biggest blessing happens.... she rolls over to a piano and starts to play... I insist I move the bench out of the way so she can get closer to the keys but she shoos me away insisting that she can play fine just as it is.... and she does... with no sheet music in sight this beautiful woman with beautifully wrinkled and aged fingers starts to play and does not miss a single note of the classic hymn In The Garden. Music always speaks to me on a deeper level and this was no exception. A few more people entered the room while she played and some even started to sing.... I just listened. I wanted to learn more about that song... was it her favorite?... had she known it all her life?... what was that song really about and who wrote it. When she finished, I asked her if she played piano at her church when she was younger and she replied "No, they like for you to read music when you play for church.... I just play, what they call, by ear... I just hear that music and I can feel how to play it". She rolled her wheelchair out of the room after that and left me sitting at that table with tears in my eyes because I knew I had just experienced a moment in my life that I would remember for a long time... people who make me laugh always have my attention and then a musical soul on top of that... she had my complete attention and there was even more of a message to come it turned out.

I mentioned in a previous blog post that I am a "digger" I like to know the background on something before I write about it because it makes me feel more adequately suited to write when I feel informed about something. So, I looked up and read all I could about the song In The Garden. I found when I finished reading one particular article, that I was smiling... I got it-- the connection to the song, the lady, the lyrics and me.... there is always a lesson or message and this time, I got it....

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

This hymn was written by C. Austin Miles in 1912. Miles was a pharmacist turned song writer/amateur photographer!!! Yep, photographer!! The story goes that he had a vision of Mary Magdalene while in his dark room waiting on his photographs to develop. He called it a profound spiritual experience. In his vision he was present as Mary visited Jesus' empty tomb on resurrection day. The words to the hymn In The Garden had filled his heart and mind as he came out of the vision... he quickly wrote them down and later composed the music to it. The song became a classic, much loved hymn that is still in most every hymnal printed in America.

Miles wrote this song to take us to that garden with Mary ... to feel that realization that Jesus was risen.

I think the 93 year old lady that I had the pleasure of keeping company with, if only for a few moments, brought me out of my "dark room" where I sometimes go... reminded me of my own "visions" and feelings of what God really wants me to do while I am waiting on certain things to develop. She brought that garden into that room and reminded me that Jesus is risen and he is present and reveals himself in the most unexpected moments. He is there and always reaching out to you and me through experiences, other people and life. It is those sweet moments that bring tears to your eyes when you feel you can almost touch a little bit of what life is really all about.... when you strip away material things and distractions and judgements and just see.... love..... there is Jesus.

Love,

Andrea

Mom, Don't Say Hate!

 Pictured is my three year old: Summer Heart

"Mom, don't say hate" whispered my three year old to me recently. What did I say to cause this remark? I can't remember exactly, but probably something like this:


I hate to wash dishes
I hate to sweep
I hate these clothes
I hate we missed that event


... but really, my three year old made that remark because I, the same Mom that has probably recently said all of those statements above, told her that hate is a bad word. I have taught each of my children that hate is not to be used as a way to describe your feelings toward someone or even something. I mean after all, what I really meant to say when I made those statements above was ... I really don't like to wash dishes but I am really thankful that I have dishes to wash and a dishwasher to wash them in and sweeping isn't my favorite chore but I sure am glad that I have these nice floors under my feet everyday. My clothes may not fit exactly like I want but I have nice things to wear and for that I should be thankful. And, yes we missed going to that event because we had a conflict with an activity with one of my children or decided on family time instead.... so we made that choice and we are blessed to have the freedom to make these choices about our time and our lives.

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

I need to strive to take the word hate out of my vocabulary. I need to word things in a way that will tell my children and everyone else around me how I truly feel and that sometimes when I say something I really mean the opposite. I don't hate those things... I love those things and truth be told, I am very thankful for those things.  Sometimes I don't stop and think how my words change the minds and attitude of those around me.

The definition of hate is- an intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury.

When hate is directed towards a person, we have a entirely new set of problems. If we feel hate towards someone, we need to dig deeper and find the real feelings we have for them. Are we scared of them or the consequences that their lifestyle and choices might have on our lives? Are we angry with them for words they have said or something they have done? Have we been physically or emotionally abused by them? It is likely that you and I will say yes to one of these things when we feel hatred toward someone.

What does the bible say about hate?

1 John 4:20
If anyone says "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. 

Matthew 5:43-45
You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. 

In 1 John 4:20, it tells us that we cannot love God if we hate a person. So if we know that we really do love God,  maybe it is time to dig deeper... we need to try to find out if that is really hate we feel or if that is another emotion. The bible gives us instructions on how to deal with these bad feelings towards other people in Matthew 5:43-45. We must love those who cause us fear, anger or a sense of injury. This is how we become sons of our Father in heaven. God can bring to light the bad and the good in each and every situation. We have the opportunity in each situation to be the light of God and to shine that light so others can see the true way to happiness is by doing the opposite of hate. The truth is God loves you, me, the liar and the murderer. He loves us even when we hate others. But, we cannot be the light of God with hate in our heart. We can not truly love God if we hate another person.

I want to truly love God, I want all the hate in my heart to disappear.

I taught my children not to say the word hate because I know that hate is the opposite of love. God is love and we all know what the opposite of God is... so hate is not a word I like to hear come out of the innocent mouths of my precious children. It almost hurts my heart to hear that word come from them!!!

We are all God's children... I am pretty sure how I feel when it comes to my children and the word or feeling of hate, is similar to how He feels when we choose to hate.

Obviously, I need to heed my own teaching because my youngest has decided she will point out each time I go against it. Thank God for her and the lessons I am taught from little, innocent and curious ears.

It's time to let go of hate and to take hold of love. Let it go in prayer and receive God's Love to fill the space it left. Be the light God wants you to be and thank God for this gift and all these blessings.

Love,
Andrea