~~~Love is the debt that we owe one another~~~

My Perspective

God’s Beauty Treatment

by Deborah Blackburn

Canadians and Americans spend billions of dollars every year on cosmetics. The big thing now for women is, getting a complete make over. I think most women deep down are quite intrigued by the idea of having a complete make-over and many would love to give it go. Moreover; it sure would be fun to see the "before" and "after" images.

However; as fun as it sounds, the best beauty treatment for us is not found in a bottle, but in a book : the Bible. Proverbs 31:30 and 1Peter3:3-5 reveal God’s beauty treatment for women. . "Do not let adornment by arranging hair, wearing gold or putting on fine apparel determine one’s beauty - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with a gentle quiet spirit decide upon one’s real beauty, which is precious in the sight of God."

God is clear in reminding us that it is not make up on her face but the make up of a woman’s heart that truly makes her beautiful.

I wonder how many of us spend as much money and time on our spiritual beauty as we do on our physical beauty? In this day and age I think Christian women seriously have to consider this question and understand that; God’s standards for determining a woman’s real beauty is what really matters most in the end.

We certainly can’t all be fashion models, but we can all be fashioned by grace as models of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving Message

Executive Privileges

By Deborah Blackburn

Here are just a couple of news headlines from 2007:

"Bangladesh Floods maroon Thousands."
" Bridge Disaster in Minneapolis...dozens injured, 9 dead."
"American Pastor and Wife Shot Dead in Islamabad."
"Hurricane Dean’s Death Toll Rises to 26."
"UN Reports Cholera Outbreak in Northern Iraq."
" Christian Leaders Detained in Zimbabwe for "Unauthorized" Prayer Meeting."
"Deadly Fires Takes Toll on Greece’s Spirit, 64 Dead."
"Ravaged Gulf Coast Still Struggling 2 Years After Katrina."
" 10 Civilians Killed in Attack on US Base in Afghanistan."

Really...Need I say more about :) What am I thankful for?
Natural Disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and fires continue to plague our world. According to the World Disasters Report, natural disasters have risen about 65 per cent over the last decade. Typically the poor are the worst hit as they do not have the resources to rebuild.

While I feel no matter where we live that we are all vulnerable to disasters; I am very thankful I live in a country where I have never experienced a severe and devastating disaster.

Political and social unrest’s potential for violence exists in all societies to some degree. We never know what is brewing on the horizon even here in Canada. However; I am thankful to live in rich democratic country that ranks 9th overall in the world for health and happiness. Think about the many societies around our Globe that are suffering immensely due to political injustice.

Christian persecution continues to run rampant in our world today. It started with Jesus Himself. In the two thousand years since, about 70 million believers have been killed for their faith. I am thankful I can freely worship my God not only on Sunday mornings but any day of the week without fear.

I understand that tragedy can strike at anytime especially as I read our local news headlines about our city’s crumbling infrastructure . Yet, I cannot deny that we have so much to be thankful for here in Canada. If one were to consider that each year more than eight million people around the world will die because they are too poor to stay alive one would surly thank God for our abundant blessings? Nearly three billion people live on less than two dollars a day!

We really do have "executive privileges" compared to billions of people all around us.

The privilege that I am most thankful for is having the freedom to know Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I can write about Him, sing about Him, rejoice in Him, worship Him, pray to Him and trust Him every single day of my life...and no one has tried to stop me yet! I realize that my "executive privileges" I enjoy so freely here in Canada should never be taken for granted as things change.

However, Jesus Christ, in what is one of the most documented facts in history, rose victoriously from the grave. In this troubled world, today we can take hope in the risen Christ. In this troubled world, today we can be thankful Jesus loves us.

This Thanksgiving what are you thankful for???

My Perspective

This month's article was originally written after the Dawson College shootings and then rewritten after the Virginia Tech shootings. I have children in University, Seminary and high school and I pray and hope they will never have to experience what many have with the horrific shootings in the past. My prayers go out to all the families and victims still suffering as a result of these terrible events.




Hope is the Answer
By Deborah Blackburn
(To Honor the memory of All the victims of Virginia Tech )
The awful events that took place at Virginia Tech on April 16th, 2007 effected us all deeply. This article is to inspire us and helps us realize true hope is the answer.
"To Cherish a desire with anticipation or to expect with confidence." This is the definition for the word hope according to Webster’s Dictionary. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." Albert Einstein once said, " Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow."
Hope is necessary in our lives because often the way is unknown. Hope is the habit of our hearts and without it life soon becomes hollow, meaningless and unsatisfying. "Were it not for hope the heart would break." I believe true hope is not wishful thinking; it is faith in fact. Having a strong faith brings with it what our hearts truly seek...hope. I dare say that the man responsible for the Virginia Tech shootings this month had certainly lost all hope. Perhaps if this man had a faith that promoted hope this senseless tragedy would not have occurred. At a time like this we need to be reminded of the importance of investing in our children when they are young. For the values that we instill in our children are the values by which they will raise their families. So the life of our investment is not just one generation, it is generation after generation.
Our world keeps reminding us of the danger, unfairness and disappointment in which we live. In understanding that hope is essential for our well being we must then search for the strongest source of hope available to us. Sadly, many still do not realize the most important thing God offers mankind is ...hope. This hopeful answer we all need is found in Jesus Christ. We understand this in His redemptive mission to rescue us from all sin, plight and darkness and His assurance of protective care in His Kingdom forever...Heaven. (Col. 1:13) A Chaplin once said " We think we are in the land of the living going to the land of the dying, when in reality we are in the land of the dying headed for the land of the living." The belief in the reality of heaven would not only be clearly in view, but through this hope our actions and the way we live our daily lives would also become wonderfully rearranged. Once we lift our eyes to heaven and understand what awaits us there, our way of life takes on new meaning. We then cherish a desire with anticipation.
With faith in Christ, one has hope for today, tomorrow and the future. Hope for our pain and our sicknesses. Hope for our tears and our sorrow. Hope when life is simply not fair. Hope for the things that we cannot change. Hope for loneliness when it seems no one cares. Hope for life and most of all, eternal hope for our souls. I believe it is never too late to get back to instilling a faith in our children that equips them with true hope. Moreover, the family is the main root that must be accountable and responsible to do this.
My prayer for the many who are suffering during the aftermath of the horrific rampage that took place at Virginia Tech is that when they are searching for answers they will turn to God. In finding God they will find the hope we all desire. Remembering that, we all need hope because often the way is unknown until ..........you know Jesus.
Please remember to pray for the families and friends of all the victims, the students of Virginia Tech and countless others effected by this horrific rampage.

~~~Quote of the Day~~~

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

"Mary Engelbreit"

My Perspective

Count your Blessings

If you have been following my articles lately, you will notice they all carry a message promoting positive living. This month I would like to remind us, the importance of being grateful.
I have been told that I can be, "too nice." That my "thank yous" are over done. In other words I am overkill! After turning to the scriptures and reading "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." ( Ephesians 4:32) I came to the conclusion that, in this world one can never be too nice, too thankful and there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to gratefulness! In my opinion this weary old world needs heaps and heaps of it!
Many years ago when I would drive my children to school, I would often provide a "food for thought" idea for them to consider. I remember teaching them, when looking ahead and setting goals to remember to always look back and realize those that are less fortunate. In doing this they would then appreciate their lives. I also quoted the following verses many times to them: "It is better to give than receive." (Acts 20:35) "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Luke 6:31) One of my favorites was a Persian proverb: " I complained I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet." My goal was to train my children to be grateful and to count their blessings. In doing so I hoped to promote positive living.
I have found that, in fact hardship is sometimes the path to gratitude. Through my battle with MS I have learned to be thankful for all the things I can still do. When I was diagnosed, I spent most of my energy complaining and feeling sorry for myself. I must admit I still get upset over the things I can no longer do. The trick is, I no longer allow my grief to consume my thoughts each day. I also made a willful choice to be grateful for each day and discover new things that I can do. We all have the choice of being grateful when meaningful situations arise. We alike can learn to be grateful at all times no matter the situation. If we were to direct our thoughts on the blessings in our lives, we would end up complaining less. We would be choosing, to be, a winner not a whiner.
We are goal seeking, and achievement oriented people. Nothing wrong with that. Except when it takes over your life to the point that you start taking for granted your blessings. All blessings are the gifts of God’s grace. We should make a daily conscious consideration of our blessings and I think we will notice them taking on a greater presence which in turns will promote positive living.
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;Love your neighbor as much as yourself.
" Author Unknown"

God Loves You No Matter What You Do

Food for thought~~~No matter what you do or how you fail, God will still love you because the love of God is not dependent upon it's object; it is dependent upon His character. Most of us feel that when we mess up and sin we don't feel like God loves us. God loves us not because we are lovable, but because it is His nature because God is love. If you are a parent you will understand that even when your children make mistakes you might discipline them yet ultimately try to love them more. God as a loving parent loves and forgives His children. Don't let sin and mistakes rule your thoughts and keep you from having a strong faith; ask for forgiveness and move forward with a positive attitude.

Quote of the day~~~ It's not how much you do, it's how much love you put into the doing.

Quote of the Day~~~God has promised to supply all our needs, not all our wants.

Quote of the day~~~" Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31)

CHECK THIS OUT !!!!

I was quite inspired by this young artist's talent and outlook. Take a moment and visit her website I am sure you will be amazed as I was . . . enjoy! http://www.artakiane.com/home.htm

Quote of the Day~~~ Be a bridge of encouragement to someone today.

"Oh, I would be to others
A cheering ray of light,
Inspiriing them with courage
To climb some newfound height!" - Bosch

Here are some cute games to try when you want to take a break!
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/ Have fun!

Quote of the day~~~ "Do what you can where you are with what you have."

Food for thought: "We learn the lesson of trust in the school of trial."

Are you being called to taste a bitter cup of pain or loss these days? I am and as hard as some days are for me lately I must remember to pray that of trustful submission to my God because even life's most bitter cup is held in God's hands. Christ pleaded with God "If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me." (Matt. 26:39) I have prayed the same prayer if it is His will to take this cup from me as He certainly holds the cup and can do all things asking in Jesus' name. If you are going through a difficult or even dark time do not loose sight of who holds the cup and trust in Jesus He will get you through it.

Quote of the day~~~We are neither saved nor sanctified by how we behave, but how we believe~~~ Neil T. Anderson

Quote of the day~~~ When God forgives a sin, He never brings it up again.

Quote of the day ~~~ Contentment is not getting what we want but being satisfied with what we have.

My Perspective

The Essence of Christianity
We live in an age of much skepticism where nonbelievers are quite confused about Christianity. It is quite easy to understand how the nonbeliever can be so confused. Recently I had to ask myself if I am doing my part being a good example to the skeptics and nonbelievers or am I contributing to their confusion? I think it is a question that all Christians should ask themselves.
Many nonbelievers do try to understand Christians. Unfortunately what they find sometimes is there are many who are Christians in name only, who seem to barely practice or believe their faith. Or they find the ones that have seemed to have gone off the deep end by expressing their faith loudly and appear intolerant and self-righteous. Christians like the Pharisees in Jesus’s time that assume they are right with God because of their moral behavior and right doctrine wind up with feelings of superiority! This is not what God wanted the Christian faith to be like. Was Christ fanatically over zealous during his ministry years? On the other hand was he quiet and indifferent about Christianity? The essence of Christianity is, salvation by grace, salvation not because of what we do but because of what Christ did for us! Believing that you are accepted by God by sheer grace is profoundly humbling.
Christ was humble, sensitive, loving, empathetic, forgiving and understanding. I believe if Christians spent more time trying to be Christ like and actually lived by "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7) they would actually become fully committed to Christ and His gospel. The skeptics and nonbelievers would see what true Christianity is really all about! Are you a Christian saved by grace? When people examine your life do they see a humble true Christian not perfect but forgiven? They should because a humble forgiven Christian who is honest in their Christian walk are the ones who tempt the nonbeliever to consider the Bible and Christianity. God expects us to be positive Christian examples to those around us because one never knows who might be impressed and see the true essence of Christianity in their lives . . . Christ!