Wednesday, December 31, 2014

BEHOLDEN Review




"A book that makes you examine your Christian walk. This story is told through the lives of everyday people which makes it very relatable. The author takes a look at the "little" things that we allow into our hearts and lives that eventually grow to overpower our thinking, attitudes, viewpoints, choices, etc. and eventually lead us away from our Lord Jesus. This book forced me to think about my daily choices and brings home the fact that there is a spiritual warfare going on for our minds and hearts.

This is a MUST read, especially for those who want to make their lives count. I will be re-reading this book at least once per year!

I received this book as a prize in a Facebook online book club (BRAB) giveaway." - Severine Bryan-Johnson


Monday, December 15, 2014

Stop and Smell the Roses



We have been created to be sensual beings. Not so much as to be led by our senses, but to enlist them in our appreciation for all that God has given us. Our sense of hearing, taste, smell, sight and touch are avenues that are to be taken in order to bask in the splendor of the Creator and His creation. There are myriads of brilliant colors that are pleasing to the eye and many levels of sound all around us. There are countless delicacies to tantalize our pallets and bouquets of fragrances to tickle our olfactory nerves. And, there are varying degrees of textures that will not leave our sense of touch bored and disenchanted.
            God has taken into careful consideration, our “need” for things to appeal to us. We are not left without a witness and a testimony of His greatness. Evidence of His existence is all pervasive in our tangible world and those intangibles that have yet to be discovered.  We are inundated with things to be explored … we will never stop being amazed at what He has done; however, the Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. All that we unearth has been and what was discovered is yet to be seen. God is aware of what we do not know. He is never surprised because He is in every living thing. The atmosphere is alive with Him. Therefore, what we experience (at any given point of our life and living) is God.
            He cannot be missed. We are made up of living matter, so what we see is God. We breathe in the air around us, infused with life forces. In Him we live and move and have our being. We cannot escape the Creator of all living things. In what we would consider the absence of sound, is still sound … it is just outside of our natural selves to experience it; therefore, God can be heard on all levels. Imagine if this is the reason that God wants us to step outside of our “natural” inclinations – so we can enjoy and experience Him in new and amazing ways. There is so much that is missed when we think that God is just what can be experienced sensually.
            It is true that if we were just to experience God on the level of what we can observe, we would never run out of reasons to give Him glory. However, it is not where He desires for us to remain. We are not to approach Him with what can be perceived. He wants to reveal to us those things that cannot be ascertained through our carnal discoveries. Therefore, He speaks to us in the deepest parts of ourselves; that place which cannot be engaged by our five senses. We use what we can sense, naturally, to spark a level of curiosity that beckons us to lift ourselves above. He wants us to come up higher and go deeper.
            So, as we continue to discover and uncover that which can be sensed and manipulated, let us not forget to marvel at His splendor. We have our five senses to help us appreciate the Creator. He has given us these things to spark wonder and awe. Every natural sight and sound is filled with Him. As we think on these things, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.