Naty Matos's Blog, page 49

What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 Tells us that faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (NLT)

Basically, faith is belief that is not based on proof. In other words, we don’t need to see something in order for us to believe that it is there. But faith isn’t based on the absence of proof. It is based on previous experiences or testimonials from those we trust. It is a knowledge based not on evidence but on witness within our Spirits.

Faith requires trust. If you hear a testimony from someone you trust about something, you believe what they are saying even though you haven’t experienced it for yourself.

In Hebrews chapter 11, we are given several examples of biblical personalities who exercise faith. My favorite is Abraham who was willing to sacrifice his son in response to God’s test. He had faith that God who promised him this son (and many other things through him) could raise the boy up again or in some other way fulfill him promise to him. (Hebrews 11:17) Talk about blind faith.

Believing in God requires a tremendous amount of faith. Believing that the earth was created by this same God; yet another vast amount faith is required. But God doesn’t leave us on our own with this one. He knows that our human nature will require a bit of help, so he gives us that by proving His existence with his presence in our lives, His solutions to our circumstances and His Spirit bearing witness with ours.

Faith is believing in the seemingly impossible but upon closer examination, you’ll see that your faith in God makes perfect sense really. It makes less sense not to believe.

Joana James – Author of From Redemption to Maturity,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa’s Secret

Joana Melisia James is a young Christian author from the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Her work includes the two-part series “Alana & Alyssa’s Secret: Rise from the Ashes”, a Christian Thriller “Nightmare at Emerald High” and her latest devotional series Soul Food, with book one, “From Redemption to Maturity” currently available.

Joana is multi-talented. She has been a dancer for over ten years and a singer for most of her life. She is an Information Technology Professional but her passion is writing. She spends most of her free time relaxing with her kindle or in front of the computer screen.

Joana has plans to release several other titles in the coming months, including her newest project, a three part series called “Her Cross to Bear”.

You can grab a copy of the Joana’s Devotional “From Redemption to Maturity” for kindle today for free.

A SPECK IN THE UNIVERSE

By Ada Brownell

Recently a Christian astronomer spoke at our church. He has a giant telescope and goes out on his driveway in the middle of the night and takes pictures of what he sees. His photos of the universe have been published by some of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world, including those of the National Space and Aeronautics Administration.

Dr. Richard Hammer is a chemistry professor at Evangel University, and his work with astronomy began as a hobby. Now he’s teaching astronomy as well.

After showing slide after slide of the sun, moon, stars and planets spreading endlessly across the sky, he showed us several awesome photos and pointed out how earth is only a little speck humankind can see through the windshield of our technology.

He reminded us David asked, “What is man that God is mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4).

A whole universe, with galaxy after galaxy, and God chose this wad of whirling dirt moving at just the right speed with the correct amount of gravity and oxygen as the place to form a man and woman—His creation. We all know those humans rebelled and didn’t believe if they ate of the forbidden tree that they would die. After all, the serpent laughed and said, “You won’t die.” But not long afterward, they stood beside a dead son and then they died.

The last slide I remember Hammer showing was a photo of bloody hands, representing the nail-scarred hands of Jesus coming to deliver humankind from sin and death, and I couldn’t help but remember we are only a speck in the universe.

That night after we returned home I read 1 John 3: 1-3: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are the children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

John says it all.

© March 30, 2011

Ada Brownell bio

ADA BROWNELL spent 17 years as a newspaper reporter, mostly at The Pueblo Chieftain in Pueblo, CO. She has sold approximately 275 articles and fiction stories to 45 Christian magazines and wrote one story on assignment for US Magazine. Her new book Swallowed by Life is available at http://amzn.com/1466200936

The Kindle version is http://amazon.com/swallowed-by-life-ebook/dp/B007BGCVSU/ref=sr_.1_3?s=books&ie+UTF8&qid=1330035854&sr+1-3

Her blog: http:/www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

Website: http://www.ada@adabrownell.com

WF: You are God alone

In our humanity we tend to forget that we have a God that although we are created to His image, He is not like us. He can be omnipresent, all powerful. He chooses to be loving, forgiving and merciful.

Our evil hearts should be very grateful that he doesn’t think and forgive like we do because we would be the first ones in trouble. Let’s Praise He who created it all and who loves us in spite of us.

WF: Worship Friday

I’ll be happy when

By Staci Stallings

Recently I was talking with some writer friends who are working on marketing their books.  Now stay with me because this isn’t about writing.

The conversation turned to sales and how many sales people had or didn’t have for that month.  I had been having some success in that area and mapped out the trajectory of my sales for the last few months.  One writer piped up and said, “I’ll be happy when I sell 100.”  Another joined in, “Well, I’ll be happy when I sell enough to get a check.” (Which is about 10.)

Ironically, I had just sold about 10 times that 100, and I could see the fallacy of “I’ll be happy when…” in bright, shining colors before me.  Why?  Because I had sold all these books, and in reality, life hadn’t changed all that much.

I still had (and have) laundry in the utility room to do and dishes in the sink and the living room needs vacuumed and dusted.  I need to get the oil changed in the van and the registration paid at my son’s school.  We’ve got to find time to memorize his multiplication tables, and I need to get the bills paid.  Oh, and my shower needs cleaned really badly, and I have several posts to put up on the blogs.

I would love to get some time to work on my new story, and I need to write the VBS plays.  The garage needs swept, and the clothes need taken to the homeless shelter.  I’ve got suitcases from our last visit home to clean out and all of those clothes to run through the washer.  Oh, and Sunday School is coming up again, and I need to practice for that.  There’s a gift certificate I need to get for a friend who did me a big favor, and trash to take out. At some point I would love to get some exercising in, and the bushes out front really need trimmed before they completely take over.

In short, I’ve sold all these books–more than I could have dreamed or hoped for in December of last year–and life is still life!

It was quite funny the day in February that one of my books was climbing the charts on Amazon, going all the way up to #11 in the Free Store.  I was watching the downloads, amazed.  At noon I went into the kitchen to eat and found several stacks of dirty dishes waiting for either the dishes-fairy or me to do them.  My husband happened to be home for lunch that day, and he said, “So how does it feel to be famous?”

I laughed as I started digging dishes out of the sink and said, “About the same as it felt to be not famous.”

See, I think that’s something we all get wrong in this life.  We think that something “out there”–a certain number of sales, getting that diploma, paying off this or buying that–is going to change everything and suddenly then we’ll be happy.

It doesn’t work like that.

In fact, a few years ago I was talking with a friend of mine who at the time was living paycheck-to-paycheck, and I told her that having money in the bank was not going to make her happy if she wasn’t happy now.  She scoffed that I just didn’t understand.

Well, guess what?  She got a contract, sold some books, got on a little better financial footing, and now has money in the bank.  The other day we were talking, and she said, “You know how you told me I could have money in the bank and that wouldn’t solve everything?”  ”Yeah.”  ”You were right.  I have money now, and I still don’t feel good about myself.  In fact, everything I’ve prayed for over the last five years, I have now, and it hasn’t changed anything.  I’m beginning to think it’s not about that stuff after all.”

What a concept!  She’s right… it’s not about all of that stuff.  It’s about YOU.  It’s about learning that God loves you and accepts you right where you are.  In debt, overweight, overworked, sales, no sales, famous or not.  When you begin to understand that and ask Him to help you to be happy now, when those other things show up, they are nice gravy to the situation. But it’s about the Giver, not the gift.  It’s about the Blesser, not the blessing.

So if you’re stuck in “I’ll be happy when…,” may I suggest you try “God, help me to be happy and joyful right now because You love me just the way I am.”  Then put all of those “when” things in His hands and let Him work them out as you willingly follow what He tells you to do.

It will make all the difference in the world!

Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a Contemporary Christian author and the founder of Grace & Faith Author Connection. Staci has a special surprise for you today and tomorrow only…

FREE ON KINDLE TWO DAYS ONLY!

April 18 & 19, Staci’s novel:

Deep in the Heart

“This is more than a romance.  The author cuts straight to the heart of God–love.  God is love. Even through unexpected tragedies.  And we can overcome evil with good–by His love.”

–Betty Anne Bantz

Can Keith defy the most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?

Available as a free download from Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Deep-in-the-Hea...

Faith and Mental Health

 Mental Health is one controversial subject in religious circles. Emotional disturbances are not necessarily visible and therefore sometimes not viewed as real health problems and the treatment of there or lack of thereof is not always addressed appropriately.

Emotional conditions are usually viewed in religious settings as a lack of faith, a lack of prayer or lack of surrendering to God. I don’t discount that there are times were a believer’s struggle are due to those things, but as with physical healing, I wouldn’t recommend a cancer patient to stop or not engage in treatment; I wouldn’t discourage someone struggling emotionally to do the same. Matthew 4:23 (MSG) states, “People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them one and all”; which tells me that in God’s eyes they were all the same.

I think that sometimes believers fail to educate themselves in the nature of mental health conditions.  A high percentage of mental health conditions are biological in nature. Just like diabetes, they are due to a chemical imbalance in the body, in this case; the brain, which is as much as an organ as the pancreas is. Just like diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer, most mental health conditions have a pre-disposition genetic component. It is true that a pre-disposition doesn’t mean that it will happen, just that the chances are higher. This has been proven with alcoholism and depression.

Can God heal people from these conditions? Absolutely, however that doesn’t mean that these struggles are not as real as physical ailments and they should be treated as such.

Some churches have a more open minded approach to these issues and have counseling programs available to their parishioners. There are many Christian programs (like Celebrate Recovery) and counselors out there that can not only understand the condition but also provide the spiritual support to the person dealing with these struggles.

In my opinion there are three major mental health conditions that are majorly misunderstood within the faith community. Those are: depression, anxiety and addictions. Absolutely keeping God first in anything in our lives is a most. At the same time if you or a loved one is struggling with emotional conditions do not be ashamed to seek professional help, or to encourage and support a loved one to seek it.

James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another,
that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person
has great power as it is working.

WF: The Motions

Guest Post by Joshua Bedford

The Motions

 

I don’t want to go through the motions

I don’t want to go one more day

Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t want to spend my whole life asking

What if I had given everything?

Instead of going through the motions

Song by Matthew West

That’s the problem with our world today. Most people who call themselves a Christian are simply going through the motions. They have said the prayer, they go to church, and they even read their Bible occasionally. The majority of “Christians” have become complacent in their walk with Christ.

In the song this post is named after, Matthew West makes a statement. This statement is that he does not want to be one who simply goes through the motions. He doesn’t want to only get through life, but excel during it. He wants the passion of God in him so he will not just “go through the motions.” He also says he does not want to spend the rest of his life wishing he had actually tried, instead of just “getting through it” or going through the motions.

We (Christians) should have this same mindset. We should strive to fulfill God’s will, and not simply try to get by with as little as possible. Christians should neither want to be lazy, and do as little as possible, nor just go through the motions and be pleased with what they are. We should not just do the same things weekly because it is comfortable for us. Be ready to step out of your comfort zone, out of the motions you normally do, and into something new or bigger that God has in store for you.

Include these things when you pray. Pray for the passion needed to want to strive toward accomplishing God’s Will. Pray for strength you need to carry out His Will and to use the passion given to you. Also pray for courage, so you will not fear using the strength God has given you. Last, but definitely not least among these, pray for wisdom, so you will be able to determine when and how to use the strength God has given to you.

Joshua Bedford is a 16 year old young man, and the owner of 1LightforGod.net. He studies web design, and enjoys building websites such as the one listed above. In his spare time he loves to read a good book, study God’s word, and write devotions.

Visit his website at http://1LightforGod.net

Read his devotions at http://1lightforGod.net/devotions

Find him on Facebook: Facebook.com/joshuabedford11

Follow him on Twitter: Twitter.com/joshuabedford

Also follow his website’s twitter: Twitter.com/1lightforgod

I want my freedom now!

I heard one of the funniest stories the other day speaking to a friend. Her son walked into the living room and announced to his parents that as soon as he graduates High School he will move out of the house so that he can do whatever he wants, without supervision. Why is this so funny? Well, first of all because I think all of us when we were teens thought that we wanted to grow up very fast to get to the point of freedom where we would do as we please. In reality, we are all waiting for that moment. As we grow we discovered that that with freedom came responsibility and that it was easier to respond to our parents than to our new authorities: the government, our bosses, our creditors, our spouses and even our children.

Why it's so easy to rebel at that age? I think ignorance takes us to think that we know better than our parents what's best for us and we do that with God every single day. This conversation reminded me of the parable of the prodigal son. He asked for his inheritance while his father was living because he wanted to live his life his way. His father allowed him to and what he found was not freedom but bondage.

In the same way, God as a good father gives us freedom to live our lives, but gives us parameters, boundaries to protect us from getting in trouble. Just like my friend's son, sometimes we think that we know better than our father, that our preferences and desires are a better follow and that at the end of the day we will be ok. Just like the son, we go outside our boundaries and find ourselves in trouble and we then wish that we could go back home.

The good news is that just like at the end of that story, God is always awaiting for us with open arms. We then discover that freedom is a great thing, but it's more enjoyable when we live with within the protection of the boundaries set from God to us. Freedom is awesome and well enjoyed when used well.

Forgetting the Past

By Tracy Ruckman

Some days are beautiful and sweet and precious – days you wished could last forever. Then there are days that you wish you could do over. Days filled with problems and worries you wouldn't wish on your worst enemies (well, maybe some of us wouldn't, ahem.) Days – seasons of life – that seem to last forever, or perhaps just won't go away.

Our pasts are like that too. Past failures, past mistakes, past choices that should have never been made. Although some pasts may be pretty, and filled with wise decisions, others – like my own – need a good washing in an industrial-strength machine.

But you know what? Paul wrote that we all sin, so all our pasts are actually dirty. So how do we handle all the guilt, shame, disgust associated with our past lives? How do we live a life that reflects joy and peace, and God's goodness and mercy?

We must let our pasts go.

Seriously. It's that simple. Or that hard. But we can do all things through Christ, can't we?

Paul says, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24). We are to put the past behind us and put on the new self. Peter wrote about several qualities that we should have in our lives. He said, "make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love" and said that if we didn't have those things we were forgetting that we have been cleansed from our past sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9)

Yes, as Christians, we are indeed new creations in Christ – Jesus went to that cross willingly, so that we might be free from an eternal death. Free from our past stupidity. Free from all our sin. He died for us. For you. For me. Period. No qualifiers, no exceptions. It's done.

That is the message of this Easter season and that is the message of HOPE that we need to share with the world.

It is also the reason for Hope Tour 2012. My publishing company, Write Integrity Press, wants to take HOPE out into the world this summer, in a grassroots effort to connect readers and writers in a unique and fun way. Our purpose is to give HOPE to everyone we encounter, all along our journey. This world is dark enough – it's time to share some of the Light.

We need your help to make it possible though. The Hope Tour 2012campaign only has a few days left. Come on over and pledge a little or a pledge a lot to make this mission a reality. We appreciate your help, and hope to see you out on the road!

Bible verses taken from the New International Version.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Tracy's book, Love Letters from the Heart, isFREE on Kindle today!

From the back cover:

Friends, family, perhaps even strangers, have messages within their hearts they want to share with you, but never found the right time or the right place to speak them. Here, within these pages, you'll find messages of hope, forgiveness, direction, and even prayers – written from caring, loving hearts directly to you and for you.

Know this – you are not forgotten or abandoned. You are not alone. You are loved – more than you can possibly imagine.

Who could love any of us that much? Turn the pages – we hope you'll soon discover the answer.

Tracy Ruckman is owner and publisher of two independent publishing companies , Write Integrity Press and Pix-N-Pens Publishing . She lives in metro Atlanta, and in 2010, returned to school as a full-time college student. She's already looking forward to graduation in 2014, when she will finally be able to breathe again.

WF: In the Light

No matter what God does for us, we still struggle to let it all go and surrender our control. May we all go find his light inside of us and stay in the light!

Happy Friday!

WF: Worship Friday

Interview with Author Amy McGuire

I met this young woman recently and really thought you guys would be interested in meeting her as well. Amy is a Christian Romance author who recently published a book and has a very interesting story to tell.

Amy, welcome to The Rising Muse… Please tell us…What do you do when you are not writing? I'm taking care of my almost four-year-old daughter, leading a tutoring program on a Thursday night or, if I'm lucky, reading a good book. Of course, I'm supposed to be editing the next book in the series, but I'm also a really, really good procrastinator. Maybe I should write a book on procrastination. Then again, I can always do that later.

Oh, I understand that very well. I think most writers can relate to you. You write romance…How did you choose the genre you write in? I didn't actually choose the genre. It kind of chose me. I wrote the story originally as a kind of escape when I needed time to myself while my ten-month-old daughter napped. As I put my book on various critique sites I discovered that my biggest readership was the 13-19 crowd. And so, this book landed squarely in the young adult genre.

Very interesting. It's always good to know, Where do you get your ideas? A lot of my characters are based on people I know, places I've been and situations I have either heard about or been involved in somehow. The world around me is my inspiration for a lot of plot lines, as well as my childhood.

Amy, What project are you working on now?  I'm editing and marketing Sweet Love in e-book format as well as preparing it for paperback edition. My biggest project is the editing and preparation of The Essence of Romance, Volume Two in The Heart's Five Senses saga which comes out in e-book format on December 12 of this year and paperback soon after.

Can you share with us What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write? I have to choose one? It's a bit of a tie between Quito and New Years Eve. I really enjoyed writing the description of the parade in Quito and fell in love with my characters while writing New Years Eve. Both chapters have a different element of romance that I really had a blast writing. Quito's romance is the colors, sounds and overall tactile sense of the old city while New Years Eve is a more emotional romance. Both, I hope, will make my readers very happy.

And Finally, Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? If you're willing to work to hone your craft, you can turn out a great book. If you want to have others enjoy your book you need to do a LOT of editing. No bestselling author ever turns out an error free book on the first try. Even writers like John Grisham have been known to have typos in their book. If you've been told you have a talent for writing, don't listen to the naysayers. Follow your heart and write. Even if you're never published, or you never make it to the bestseller list, you'll be doing what you love.

Guys, I just got a copy of Sweet Love, I will soon let you know my thoughts on it, so stay tuned.

About Amy McGuire

Amy is the youngest of three children of missionary parents. As a result, her childhood was spent mostly in East Africa. She now lives in Ontario with her husband, young daughter, two cats and plants that she keeps forgetting to water.  Almost from the moment she could pick up a pen she has been writing stories and poetry.  She developed a love of English Literature at a young age and considers William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudicetwo of the most romantic books ever written.  She began writing comedies in middle school and by junior high had graduated to writing romances.  Her favorite way to spend a sunny afternoon is on a lounge chair with a good novel, some chocolate and soft tunes off her rather eclectic collection of Cds.  She has written many stories but never dreamt of publishing them until her husband gave her a nudge in 2009.

About Sweet Love

She's a city girl from Quito, Ecuador. He's a small town boy from the mountains of Hope Valley, British Columbia. In his opinion she's beautiful yet spoiled. In her opinion he's a judgmental snob who thinks he knows everything. Can they set aside their preconceptions, become friends and take a chance on love? Or will they be forever separated when a tragic accident claims the life of someone close to them both?

Anjaline Sutherland thought she would live in Quito forever and eventually become an award winning journalist. In pursuit of her dream she has finally convinced her stepfather and mother to send her to the prestigious Cotopaxi Academy in the fall. Just when everything seems to be going her way, her stepfather announces that his job will be moving to Hope Valley, British Columbia in June. Torn from the only home and friends she has ever known, Anjaline anticipates a short, painful stay in Hope Valley. In spite of her prejudice toward Hope Valley and its residents she finds herself falling in love with the tiny village nestled between the Coastal Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. She is immediately attracted to Gabriel Walker but he wounds her pride with his apparent disinterest. Can she convince the boy with the fathomless eyes to glance her way?

Gabriel Walker enjoys his own company. He could happily spend hours carving toys for his baby brother or fully immersed in a school project. He sees his friends once a week and is content with the arrangement. All seems to be right in his world. That is, until the new anthropologist arrives with his teenage daughter in tow. From the moment Gabriel spots Anjaline staring down into the creek which runs through the center of Hope Valley he is pulled to her beauty. As soon as he admits the attraction his self esteem takes a nose dive. Her gratitude after he saves her from certain death only serves to strengthen his resolve to avoid her-and the way she makes him feel-at all costs. Can he overcome his natural shyness and fear of rejection to take the first step toward friendship? Or will Robin or Damian win Anjaline's heart first?