Life is going along, absolutely amazing, you have it all together, you feel great and WHAM, "LIFE" or better yet, "your perspective" hits you with a lesson, and obviously not one you've prepared for.  In front of what seems like the entire world you fall apart.  You've had a momentary lapse of reason.

Now what... Give up, back to the old drawing board or seek out God.  It's your choice and we tend to do all three.  But picking the best choice for this test called life will advance you from a C to an A Plus with a circle around it.

Here is what I suggest.  Start seeking out God.  Don't start beating yourself up, that will do no good.  We have a situation and our job is to resolve it using God's ways.  Why God's ways, because everyone in the world can not prove they don not work.  Matter of fact, they work 100% of the time, if we have that faith level.  I'm not quite there, so I tell God I believe, but please help me with my unbelief.  God knows your heart better than you do.  You might be walking along thinking life is perfect and WHAM, life, or better yet, God,  hits you with a pop quiz. 

Now once this happens, from a million experiences of it, I can tell you two things.  Either you are going to play the victim, or you are going to climb that hill and overcome it.  Remember that saying, God will never give you more than you are capable of handling?  Yep, it's Biblical, so let's break it down.  

1 Corinthians 10:13  New International Version (NIV)
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  In other words, you will be tempted just like everyone else, and we can relate to each other because we are in this together. There are no surprises to God regarding what you're tempted by or anything else for that matter.  He is in complete fellowship with you, even if you are not actively in fellowship with Him.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  God knows your current limits, and I guarantee you these limits get increased by experience and faith.  How quickly you learn this, is how you handle each pop quiz.  In life you never fail... Unless you give up. Otherwise, your lowest score is a C and you're always given an opportunity to retake it until you pass with an A plus with a circle.  It will always be a pop quiz though, so you have to be disciplined to study beforehand.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. There you have it.  God has already set up the path that leads to the A plus.  You just have to look at it.  The best way to do this is to take a deep breath, count to 5 Mississippi, take several deep breaths without hyperventilating, stretch, shake your body out (all stress relievers, scientifically proven for a reason) and start asking God to show you the way out and how to endure it.  Surround yourself with Biblical friends who will pray, turn off the world music and turn up the praise music and if you're feeling brave, open up that Word of God and figure listen to what God says about your situation.  Search for it.  It's in there.

One day you'll get a pop quiz, you won't even recognize it's a pop quiz, because you've formed such a habit, you simply react by overcoming it immediately.  It's then you realize that this time you didn't get a C, you passed with an A Plus with a circle...  

That circle that I keep addressing, should remind you that God had you completely surrounded the entire time.

Thanks for being there for me!
Ang

The home phone rings, then you get a text on your cell phone, the kids need something, the spouse needs something, you haven't Facebook stalked yet, nor have you Tweeted,  you will have to prepare for that meeting tomorrow and that weekend event, we've joined just about every board our there, plus you promised yourself you'd get on that treadmill this week and read that book.

We are in a Permanent State of Constant Distraction.

Our generation is getting extremely intelligent when it comes to technology.  Most 2 and 3 year olds can handle a touch screen and run through applications better than we can at 40.  We hand our kids the new toys and tell them to make them work and they can.  Ask them anything about technology and not only can they tell you the best, they can tell you when the next best one is scheduled to arrive.  But ask them the word of God and many cannot tell you.

We are in a Permanent State of Constant Distraction.

Let's see if we can pencil in time to get together to take the kids somewhere, or if we can make supper, or if we can go walking, or if we can have a good talk or if we can make it to Church. Someday never seems to get here.  I may not have enough time because I'm too busy answering texts, hitting deadlines, meeting needs, making money, checking Facebook, attending meetings, watching my favorite program.  God's on the bottom of the list, and the best thing for me to do to keep Him in my life is simply put God on my agenda in the back of the burner and go with my gut feeling about what He wants in my life.  We are so busy it is easier to assume what he wants for us. After all, I am too busy to actually read the word, and God understands.

We are in a Permanent State of Constant Distraction, and Satan is having a field day!

Yes, God does understand, and He still allows us to make our own choices.  When I sit down to talk with you each morning, I have to do it early and I have to do it alone.  It has to be quiet, because I want to hear from God.  My mind is easily distracted and I have to work hard to distinguish between my words and Gods.  I follow the pattern of the above, this is my life, it is a constant whirlwind of activity and then SQUIRREL!   It is important to me, that I don't taint what God wants me to share and I'm sure sometimes I miss it.  I can't get my focus when my children are visiting with me or my husband sits down to have coffee with me, or turns the TV on to watch some show for Alaska.  I shut everything down, I either listen to worship or get into the Word I listen with my heart and then I talk to you.

Friends, if I can offer you any bit of advice, it would be to take the time first thing in the morning and put God first in your life.  If you want to hear Him, you have to know Him.  It is not enough for us to base our image of God on our own thoughts, because more times than not, it's not what we'd expect.  Open up His word, that's how God speaks 100% of the time.  You may hear him in your heart or even audibly if you're really lucky, but you will always hear Him 100% in his Word.  In order to do so, however, you have to take time to listen and get away from the permanent state of constant distraction.

What we have here is a failure to communicate.  Either "Cool Hand Luke" or "Guns and Roses", you get this.  You get this because it has been repeated and programed into your head so often, it just becomes normal.

Last night I asked my husband what would he consider to be his "failure" and he shared, and I thought about it and I said.  "Mine would be my emotions"  I get so far and then I fall apart.  I'm too dramatic.  It is the biggest failure I have.

Then I thought about being programmed.  I didn't grow up with this negative failure attitude.  Somehow I was taught it.  I was taught it by people who didn't understand who I was inside.  People who were not like me.  People who's DNA God wired differently and for a reason.  People like you and me, who said, "ANGIE" you're too emotional.  ANGIE, you think too much.  ANGIE, your over analyzing.  ANGIE, let it go.  ANGIE, you are too dramatic.  ANGIE....

Pretty soon, what we had here was a failure to communicate.  All I started to hear was Angie, you are a failure, Angie you are a failure, Angie, you are a failure....and guess what, It was said so often, I believed it.

What is your name...the name you associate your perceived failure with?  God knows you.  He created you.  He knows your DNA, He knows the truth about your emotions, your feelings, the reason you are wired as you are.  You can trust that he knows what to say to you.

Our generation currently is going through an identity crisis.  They are told who they should be or who they are, or they are labeled and you and I tell them so much it becomes normal.  We tell them that they can win at anything without even competing, we set them up for the easy road and forget to tell them there will be bumps along the way that build character, or break your back depending on what your perspective is.

God would tell you that your name is "CHILD OF GOD", "OVERCOMER" "VICTORIOUS" "BELOVED" "REDEEMED" "SANCTIFIED".  Then He would take you through a series of tests and He would hold you through them, keeping you safe and protected, even while you are going through the battle of your life, just to show you, you have what it takes and you got this!

His name is Jesus.

Here's a Blog for my Director Personalities.  Straight and to the Point.

I heard a testimony today in Church that a person 94 yrs old, going to church their entire life, but only because the spouse makes them, does not believe in Jesus.

This individual has survived cancer twice.

I guess I would say, Jesus is still trying to show his child how much He loves them.  God's relentless!

It's hard to explain to someone something that they've never gone through.  For instance,  You can't make a civilian understand what it's like to have PTSD and you can't tell a man, how it feels to have a baby and expect them to get it. 

I would sincerely love to sit down with soldiers and hear them out, share hope with them. I would love to sit in prisons and listen to those stories.  It's always been my passion.  I'd love to be able to point them to the Savior and then share their story through writing.  Perhaps one day, God will open those doors.  Maybe he won't.  Until then I have my story.

Yesterday was an interesting day for me.  I struggled with some internal issues and they wouldn't seem to go.  I worked on the website, I cleaned a bit and I even went out to dinner, but found it hard to shake my emotions.  We do a Bible study each night with the kids and I crawled in to snuggle with my boys and I started to give one of my "life lessons".  Teaching moments, preparation for the future.  I stopped and said.  "Listen, not all lives are hard, not all lives have issues.  Some people go out there, have no cares in the world, they don't understand all the "drama" because they don't have any.

This sat with me, I got to thinking about my current audience, and my story, how it hasn't been perfect and how I did make mistake and how more than likely many can not relate.  Sometimes you start to rethink what you are doing in life.  Maybe I sound like a broken record.   Sometimes you can think you can tell what people are thinking, sometimes they actually say things.  But then I remembered my 10 day goal.  Find someone that has a need and meet it. Usually it doesn't take more than 10 days, however sometimes it does.  

There's people out there with needs, they need answers.

This morning I prayed on it.  I asked God about it.   Sometimes we need to be encouraged and get nudged to keep going.

God said:  When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."  Mark 2:17

CHARISMA - "The Likeability Factor".  Some people have it naturally some have to work at it.  What is it, what causes it, how do you get it, and what is it's worth?  Reagan had it and so did Hitler.  Jesus has it and so does Satan.

I love to learn, give me a self help book and I'm gobbling it up.  I look at the world through lenses that have this amazing way of allowing me to see beauty in the smallest of situations.  My favorite self-help book is the Bible.  It's full of amazing truth and it's the one thing that if applied to your life, will become alive and will without a doubt forever change you.  It's one of those action books, though, one that doesn't end, you know the kind where when you get done reading it, you could start again and take a whole new adventure.

I love change, many people fear it, dread it, and fight it.  Not me...I wait for it.  Give me people like Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, Zig Ziglar, Dave Ramsey, etc, and I can listen for hours.  It's no wonder when I came to Christ, I couldn't get enough of people like Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Greg Laurie, Ravi Zacharias, Pastor Dwight Fearing, Pastor Kirk Snaza and of course Jesus.  There is just something about changing yourself to make the world a little better that gives a person a sense of purpose.

The one thing I don't have yet, is that ability to see myself like Christ sees me.  I see others like that, but looking at myself, I'm not there yet.  My blogs don't make me anyone special, I do it to connect with Christ and I share it because of you, to make contact, to connect, to share and to Inspire.  All the great leaders will tell you, when you learn something worthwhile, immediately share it with others within 24 hours. It's called a testimony.  God's love is always twofold, He always has someone else in mind as well when you are blessed.  PAY IT FORWARD. If you don't, the blessing dies. Is that the hill you want to end your journey on? I think not, climbing the next and reaching the top of that next one sounds like a much better accomplishment. One thing I think I could definitely market myself on is the power of POSITIVE THINKING.  After much struggle in the darkness, I have that!  You cannot go around thinking that you're not good enough.   If you do, that is where your gifts, abilities, and hope will end.  You are good enough, and there are nearly 7 billion people on this earth that need to hear it.  Alone, I will never reach them, but collectively as a team we will.

I mentioned Charisma.  My significance with this word is when I hear it, I think of several things, one of them though, if I had to be bold and gutsy and put myself out there, I'd say does reflect me.  Why God chose that word yesterday as one I can look through His lenses and see myself, I don't know, but I did.  I'm thankful for those positive words, and what they do to you when you believe them.  The world will immediately try to "knock you off your high horse" as they like to call it, because misery loves company.  Remember that.  Because if you plan for it, you can prepare for it.

Don't give up on yourself.  God hasn't, He has a lot of Positive words and Charisma to fill your life with.  You need it, and you need to believe them.  That's why I'm here, for those of you that need to know that you will succeed.  Freely received, Freely given.  At no cost.  You need to know that God knows the plans HE HAS for you, and those plans are to PROSPER YOU, they are not to harm you, they are plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE!

It's Friday!  I can tell I've been pouring out and not really been filling up this week.  What I mean by that is that if I continually pour out encouragement all week, and I haven't found someplace for my own encouragement, I get pretty drained.  It's hard to encourage on empty.

I think that's why I'm trying to find new and exciting ways to tell you you are worth it.  Running on empty feels just that....empty.  

It took me a while to find people I could trust to be my encouragement and experience has taught me a lot about encouraging.  I don't want just anyone pouring into my life with suggestions of how to live.  I want to make sure that I'm challenged with living for Christ, even when it would be easy not to.  

There's lots of encouragers out there.  Writers, bloggers, many of which stop me in my tracks and make me rethink my own life.  I think everyone should "like" and "follow" as many encouragers on Facebook and Twitter as possible.  Surround yourself by POSITIVE Christian reinforcement.  Create a hedge of warriors around yourself.  I'm pretty excited that I have a new venture coming up with one in particular.  You'll see her on here soon.  I bet she'll stop you in your tracks too!  I can't wait to share her with you!

Have a great Friday, and don't forget to take the time!
Ang

I wonder how you're really doing today?  I wonder what words I can pray over you and visit with God about for you?  I wonder if anything I'm saying is providing you with action or simply crutches?

Last night I thought back to a time where life was completely black.  That's the color I saw.  You can ask a select few people, they will tell you, I had some very dark emotions.  I fell apart and was left "naked" before my peers.  It was a time in my life that I will never forget.  I had made choice after choice in the wrong direction and now I was getting "punished" for it.  I had no hope and I had no joy.  I could have stayed that way and let my circumstances control me.  My mind was telling me "give up"

But someone in my life would not give up on me.  She drug me to God for the millionth time in my life.  Metaphorically speaking, she drug me out to that "dirt field with the comic stripe Bible" to find answers.  (That is another story I will tell you about sometime).

For three long years I battled my way out of that darkness.  I was called the "cry baby" of the church.  Which isn't much different today, only the crying is over thankfulness instead of hurt.  I took action over my life.  I handed it to God.  I said, "PLEASE HELP ME"! For three long years I didn't think He was. 

But someone in my life would not give up on me.  Matter of fact, they'd seem to hone in on me every time I was having my major meltdowns.   I was near giving up, and the phone would ring, the doorbell would ring, or I'd go to Church.  And they would have this strange way of knowing exactly my thoughts and what I cried out.  At first I thought that someone was telling them, (even though I was alone at the time).  Then I thought they had a microphone in my house somewhere, (except it would happen where ever I was.)  Finally it dawned on me.  God was a tattle tail!

I had no joy in my life, and I wanted it back.  Somehow (hmm I wonder how) I was lead to the verse.  "The Joy of the Lord is my Strength"  I simply repeated this in my head until it stuck with me.  Three long years, this is the verse that I lived with daily.  I didn't have joy, and I didn't know where I was going to get it.  But I believed God was truthful and I believed He didn't go back on His promises, so I grabbed a hold of the hem of His garment and I begged!  "GOD PLEASE HELP ME"

I started to notice one day, that negativity irritated me.  To the point, I shut my Facebook down, several times.  I couldn't stand it.  Everywhere I went someone was complaining about this, or that. Not things you would think, though, not like the garbage on TV, or the way life was headed.  It was things like.  I don't like the weather, I don't like this person, I don't like the way people post on Facebook, I don't like your race, I don't like the way you talk about God.  Every time I read something I wanted to take my nails down a chalkboard.  I must have gotten "judgmental" as people like to point out.

But someone said something to me one day, and they continue to do so.  They said.  I don't like you because you are "too happy".  Do you know what I did.... I went home and cried about that!!!  I said God, no matter what I do, I can't win!  I stewed about this for a while.  Then I got a call from someone very close to me and she said.  I don't even want to hang out with you because my life isn't going the greatest and you seem like on Facebook, your life is perfect. Do you know what I did.  I cried.  First people didn't want to hang out with me because I was depressing, and NOW "I'm too happy"  Next I went to work and a lady told me I irritated her because I was too churchy and "too happy".  I went home and this time, it hit me.


Someone didn't give up on me, I had found  joy again. 

I notice that people will use the Bible to pick one scripture here and there and make it fit for anything.  So they will use God's brand and put it on Satan's product.  What I mean is, people will accept the scripture if they can fit it into a different belief system.  God's scripture does reflect God's word, you can't change it or twist it to make it fit, it has to be Truth.

Many days I feel like I'm in a loosing battle.  To every 1 encouragement I can provide, 100 negative flood that person.  I know that without Christ in people's hearts they are also fighting a hopeless battle.  What keeps me going is that God is above all and his word never goes out void.  I've read the end of the Book, I know how it ends.

The question was presented to me yesterday, "do you write to make money, or do you write because it's your passion" ? 

People need to know their worth.  They need to start believing in themselves.  They can't always look through the world through the negative lenses, because eventually they will believe it.

My answer to the question above is simple.  It's my passion.  There is no money in the world that can give me the feeling I get when I can encourage someone.  I've heard too many people come to Christ to express the freedom they have, the burdens that have been lifted, the joy it gives to share anything else but HOPE in His Word.

~Ang

Watch anything on tv, repetitively enough, whether it be true or not, and you will find yourself remembering "that thing" and you will eventually tell yourself it's the truth. Same with our music, videos, internet, and apps.   Just ask your grandparents how they lived and about their ethics.  There is a huge difference between our Baby Boomers and our Gen Y's.  Technology shapes and forms and molds each generation as they want them to be.  Almost re programming them.  Feeding them with the lifestyles that are so appealing, many will follow.  Because, as all advertisers and those out to take something from you know, lies told to you long enough eventually become accepted as truth.  


EXCEPT


You know I'm far from perfect, but I'm close to the one who is.  I know we don't have to fall for lies and choose to make mistakes or figure out what are lies and what is truth, if we just study The Word. Ugh, I said the dirty phrase "study the Word".  The place where all the answers are to all the questions we could have possibly asked.  The problem is, if we know the truth, then we can't go on living without feeling the Holy Spirit's nudge in our lives.  That is difficult for some because they view that nudge as "condemnation".  That's another lie.  God doesn't come to condemn, He comes to set you free.  

We have a new generation, one that has information pouring into them so fast, they are used to microwave meals.  And that's good.  We say it's bad, because we should slow down and be patient, that's what we used to do and it worked then.  These kids are quick, they don't like patience, and God can work with that.  God doesn't change, not now, not then and He won't in the future, even through all our changes.  God will work in His time, and many times throughout the Bible it was instant.  We have healers among us, we have prophets, we have those that can rise up in their Spiritual places, but if we don't feed them Truth, they will fall for lies.

I watch my 3 year old niece work through most any app on an IPAD.  I look at the example I set for my own children.  Children pick up quickly what you example, before them, and then they will go and live it out.   What do they have to work with, in their homes.  What do we teach them?  Do we fight with our spouses, do we scream at the top of our lungs, spitting profanity, watching pornography?  Do we live unhealthy lifestyles with drugs, alcohol, tobacco use?  Are they spending hours babysat on video games that teach them death, violence, zombies, and profanity?  Do they view us engaging in this as truth?  Do we encourage them, or do we discourage them?


Today is a good day to evaluate, start in the Truth, it's not found on TV or in someone else's lifestyle.  It's found in God's Word.  Our children's generation deserves it.  Give them a chance to make their lives successful, your investment is worth the effort because you will leave a legacy in your own family so strong, the lies cannot penetrate it.

Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
 apply your heart to what I teach," 
for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
  and have all of them ready on your lips.
So that your trust may be in the Lord,
  I teach you today, even you.
Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
  sayings of counsel and knowledge,
teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
  so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?
Proverbs 22:17-22

Lord, thank you for being the speaker of Truth, in a world where lies are so abundant.  Keep us bold and steadfast and swift, in Jesus name.  Amen