One Bad Apple...

We have all heard of the saying "one bad apple spoils the bunch".  I wanted to know if one apple really spoiled the rest of the apples that surround it.  What I found is that apples give off a hormone called ethylene which is a ripening agent.  The riper the apple is, the more of this hormone it will give off.  Eventually it will lead to a concentration of the gas that is enough to overripen all of the apples.  So one fruit that is ripper than the others can cause the other ones to get ripe prematurely! 

Think about the people you have in your life.  Do these people assist you in your walk with Christ? Do these people pray for you? Can you count on these people's faith when you can't seem to find your own? Or do these people look at you crazy when you say you aren't interested in doing the things you used to do? Are these people always complaining? Always trying to find something negative? That one seed of negativity can throw you off.  You may be thinking you have it all together, but get around those bad apples and they make you feel as though other people have it better than you do and you start to doubt God and yourself.  You may start thinking you should be further in life than you are currently, instead of being thankful from where God pulled you out of.  When you sit back and think about it, why would you even want to be around people who aren't on the same mission as you? There will come a time when you approach a fork in the road and some of the people you thought were your "ride or die" friends will look at you crazy because your destiny is to the left and theirs is not.  It is ok to love and pray for people from a distance.  God will start to confuse your languages, what was once familiar about a person becomes unfamiliar.  Things you use to do with those people or that person will now feel uncomfortable and you will have no interest in doing them.  God has to separate you from bad company so He can position, then propel you! Thank God for the people He took out of your life, don't grieve or wish them back, He removed them for a reason.  I am so thankful for the people I have in my life.  When things start to get uncomfortable and people start being removed from your life get ready for the breakthrough that God has for you!

Prayers for the heart

The heart is a very powerful organ it controls the pumping of blood to all of the other organs. Dangerous waste gets removed and oxygen gets carried through blood it really is an essential organ. Besides the heart controlling all of the blood and oxygen it is often referred to as changing or having changes through feelings which is really controlled from the brain. Our emotions are controlled from the brain, the heart and brain work together and that's where my topic begins. How do we have a change of heart, how can we care for others that we do not care for? How can we pray for others that are enemies to us? All great questions right Well the answer is simple. In the Bible God Says that Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit , but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Remembering what the bible says about prayers for others will help us know how to treat others as well. It will definitely show us how to have a "change of heart". Praying for others will help you grow as a person mentally and spiritually and growth is what we need in order to get closer to God. I have learned that forgiveness is not for the other person but it is for you, harboring ill feelings will only break you down and cause you stress.

This year I was challenged already forgiving and learning how to let it go. Letting go is forgiveness 100% just saying the words I forgive you or I'm sorry will not suffice if you still have ill feelings towards a person or choose not to interact with or around them. God commands us to love one another and we as God's children should honor his word.


 I pray that this passage will help many people whom are lost in dwelling on ill feelings of  anger, fear, annoyance and just plain hate take comfort in knowing how to deal with it. Praying for others and 100% forgiveness will help your heart in the long haul and help you to have a "change of heart".

Amazing Grace

"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." ~Ephesians 4:17


I am really hard on myself about every little thing, I hate making mistakes, and to some extent I'm a perfectionist! As a result of this, I often reflect my expectations of myself upon my son. At times this has created a wedge between my son and I, especially now that he is a teenager and trying to discover his own identity. We often butt heads as most parents to with their teenagers. The closer he becomes to being an adult the more I panic and the more I find myself trying to control every little thing he does. But how can I expect him to discover who he is or figure what he likes if I'm trying to control him? He can't! So, I decided I needed to take a step back! I want to enjoy my son and not control him. Sometimes as parents we try to make our kids be what we want them to be but we can't. It's Gods job to do that. Since I've decided to take a step back, I've been able to enjoy him more, we've been able to enjoy each other more! If he makes a mistake or does something wrong, I don't jump down his back trying to get him to see the error in his ways. I take a step back, I let him process it on his own, and then bring it to me and we discuss it. Don't get me wrong, its not easy to do this because I always want him to make the right decisions but if he doesn't make the wrong ones, how can he learn the lessons he's supposed to learn about life? He can't! When you think about it, God is the same way when it comes to us. We are His children, He loves us, and doesn't want us to hurt, but as a parent He has to take a step back and let us figure it out on our own. He watches fall, make mistake after mistake until we've learned the lessons we're meant to learn. If it's hard for me to watch my one child make mistakes, I can't even imagine how hard it is for God! With each mistake we make, God extends us his grace, with each mistake I make, God extends me grace. As a parent its my responsibility to extend grace to my child as God has done for me time and time again. See if I just love him, parent him to the best of my ability, and extend him grace when needed, God will do the rest! I'm sure of this because God has done the same thing for you and I time and time again! The next time your in an uproar with your teenager or they've made the same mistake for the fiftieth time, just remember to extend a little grace as God has done for you a million times over!


"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." ~Ephesians 4:17

Un planned

I was a bit shocked and surprised but what ever challenges I can endure. Last month I got some unexpected news I was pregnant, I was thinking oh my goodness again. I have 4 kids already and now I am bringing another child into the world. As soon I got a grip on reality, told my best friend and my husband I felt at ease about the situation. I homeschool my children so, that means I am the Mother, teacher, principle, lunch room aid, disciplinarian, coach and friend. A normal person would think that it is too much but I thoroughly enjoy being with my children, I have free time when my spouse comes home and we have been getting better about understanding that it is normal to need a break at times.
True indeed this pregnancy was not planned and at first I was ashamed but then I thought about it I'm married. My husband supports the six of us now and another mouth to feed will be ok, I still have a lot of items from my daughter whom will be two in a few weeks and I have a lot of support from my family and friends. At that moment I realized that this will all be ok and that God does not make mistakes. Even though this baby was unplanned, I know whatever the outcome I will persevere.

All things from God are already written and we are merely a piece of the puzzle. We are not supposed to lean on our own understandings but trust in the lord.  AMEN