Tonya Ferguson's Blog, page 51

practical life lessons

"Abundant Life" 



Abundant does not necessarily mean...

Riches, Lavishness, or Always Being In Great Health.

It doesn't mean you will live without having troubles

or sorrows bearing down on you at times.  It doesn't

mean you will not experience difficulties or harm.

It doesn't mean you are immune to weakness that

will try to lead you into temptation.



It means living in a continual state of being dependent on God.

That's where True Abundance comes from.

That's where our Strength comes from.

That's where our Joy comes from.



Abundant is not necessarily monetary or tangible "things."

It is GOD.  God IS our "Abundant Life" and we will have it 

forever because He has Promised He will never leave us or

forsake us.  He knows our needs before they ever come to be.

All we have to do is Ask, Seek and Knock.



God created us for His Glory.  Our Purpose is to Glorify God.

Why would He create us to not take care of us?  But we must

lean on Him and be Obedient to His Guidance.  There is a

magnificant Treasure, waiting to be found, for each one of us

through listening to God.  That is our "Abundant Life."



God takes Great delight in us.  He rejoices over us with singing.

He gives us Joy that no one or nothing can take away.  He gives

us a secure future in Eternity with Him.  He clothes us in His

garments of Salvation.  He will not allow us to be tempted beyond

what we are able to bear.  He gives His angels charge over us, to

preserve us in all our ways.  He has made Plans for each of us.

Now THAT my friends.....is "Abundant Life."



Until the next time we talk.......Stand firm on Philippians 4:13.

Love, Hugs, & Prayers,

~tf 

little inspirations

"Who are YOU to determine if I am, (or anyone is),

WORTHY, BEAUTIFUL, THE RIGHT WEIGHT,

SMART, WEARING THE RIGHT CLOTHES,

or LOVED?  Who are YOU?"     ~tf

little inspirations

"I always choose to take the path less traveled.

That way I know the steps I take are my own

and not the steps of someone else."     ~tf

little inspirations

"Never let someone else's failure

keep you from your success."     ~tf

little inspirations

"Stop living your days like you're trying to fill up a blank page.

Instead, live them by being responsive to what God is doing

all around you.  It's not about how many THINGS you can fill

your days with, it's about how MUCH "God" you fill your days

with.  Slow down and set your sight on Him.  Look for Him

Listen for Him.  Live for Him.  Talk to Him."     ~tf

little inspirations

"How much you receive will depend

on how much you are willing to give.

Hmmm, Think on that for a while."     ~tf

practical life lessons

Hearts With Scars



"Sticks and Stones may break our bones, but Hateful Words leave Scars on our Hearts!"     ~tf



"If you don't have anything Good, Positive, Encouraging, or Helpful to say, then by ALL means............KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!  THINK before you SPEAK!  Guage YOUR Words by YOUR Feelings.  If someone said to you, what you are getting ready to say to someone else, how would it make YOU feel?



There's already enough Hatred in our World, WE don't need to keep adding to it.  HATE is a Coward's INSECURITES coming out.  They lash out in Hate to deal with situations instead of using love, maturity, and responsibility.  Then if no one holds these Cowards ACCOUNTABLE for their sick, destructive, hate-filled actions, they become BULLIES .



It's NOT rocket science.....Hate is a sin, and ALL sin begins with a thought.  If we will Stop THINKING, SPEAKING, and LIVING Hate, then Hate will CEASE to exist.  Listen to what God tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13:  Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.  LOVE must be really important to God for Him to tell us it's the greatest of those three things. 



If we THINK Love, SPEAK Love, and LIVE Love, we will make a difference in the HATE that we all see around us.  If we let the ones who are doing the hating know that we DON'T approve of their behavior, and begin to stand up for those that are being mistreated, we would take the power away from the HATERS.  HATE MUST STOP!!!  We CAN Stop HATE one person at a time!!!"



Until the next time we talk......Stand firm on Philippians 4:13.

Love, Hugs, & Prayers,

~tf

practical life lessons

No More Invisible Children


"ABUSE and NEGLECT create "Invisible Children."  ALL Children DESERVE to have a VOICE and a FACE .  ALL Children DESERVE to LAUGH and to be LOVED ."

 
NO CHILD asks to be brought into this world.  People already living in this world are the ones that CHOOSE to create the children and bring them into the world that we all must live in.  I think we'd all agree it's not the kindest place to live sometimes, and I think we'd all agree that not every child is given the same type of family to be born into.  Without a doubt, we'd all agree children are the innocent victims sometimes, and IT'S NOT RIGHT!



In a society that DEMANDS we take classes, read books, and pass tests to drive a car, join the military, go to school, and work many jobs, it makes me sick to my stomach to think that NO ONE is held to ANY type of ACCOUNTABILITY when it comes to conceiving children, giving birth and raising children.  And who suffers??????  The children suffer.  How did we ever get to this point?  How can we change it?  Am I the only one that finds this disgustingly wrong?



Children are Held like PRECIOUS GEMS in the heart of God, and that's the exact way we should look at ALL children.  If we change the way THIS generation views the responsibility of bringing children into the world and raising them, then we will change all the future generations.  Not ALL children are taught ALL things from their parents.  That may be sad, but it's true.  However, ALL children deserve to be taught why they are so precious and why their children will be so precious.  If they don't learn it from their parents, it doesn't mean they can't learn it from someone.  They can be taught wonderful things from Grandparents, other Family Members, Sunday School Teachers, Neighbor Families, Youth Group Teachers, Private and Public School Teachers, etc.  We are NOT raising children, we are raising the next generation of adults.  Why not incorporate the importance of children and family in all aspects of children's lives?  We need to help instill Self-Confidence, Self-Worth , and Self-Love in every child we come in contact with.  Sometimes the SMALLEST EFFORT on our part could become the GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT in the life of a child.  We ALL HAVE  to do whatever it takes to make sure there are NO MORE INVISIBLE CHILDREN.



Until the next time we talk......Stand firm on Philippians 4:13.

Love, Hugs, & Prayers,

~tf             

my life in words

God's Last Name Is Not Coincidence



I love the moments that happen in my life that make me SO INCREDIBLY AWARE that I am NOT the one in charge of what is happening around me.  It seems to get my attention in such a wonderful way.  I certainly am NOT the AUTHOR that has written my life.



As I said goodbye to many friends I had made on the college campus that year, I didn't know 35 years would go by without me seeing them again.  However, as we all know, life goes on.  It did go on.  Many times I thought of those friends I had met that year.  I wondered where they were, what they were doing, and how their lives had turned out.



Now, fast forward 35 years and enter in facebook.  Those 35 years seemed to vanish as some of those friends from my past found me on facebook and we picked up where we left off.  I was privileged enough to reacquaint with two of those friends, who had gotten married after college, as they were going through a VERY difficult time in their lives.  They were in the middle of battling the worst "storm" they could imagine.  After talking for a while, I offered to go and do a "House Concert" for them in their home.  It was awesome.  We have seen God work miracles in their lives and have continued to stay in touch.  We are looking forward to getting together again very soon.



Then there was another friend that came to me through facebook from college.  I was just finishing writing my book.  We were thrilled with the fact we had found each other again after all those years.  After my book was published she ordered one.  It wasn't until after she read it that she shared with me just how much my words had echoed an event that had happened within her own family.  She was so encouraging to me about my book and began telling all her friends about it.  She loaned it to one of her friends to read.  That friend read it and loved it too.  By word of mouth, another of her friends heard about it and asked if she could read it, so she loaned it to her to read.  This woman who borrowed the book rode the train back and forth to work every day.  But first, she road a bus that took her to the train station.  On one particular morning, as she was at the bus stop waiting for the bus, she accidentally dropped my book.  She wasn't aware she had dropped it until she saw a woman pick it up and immediately started reading it AS SHE GOT ONTO ANOTHER BUS.  So the woman who had borrowed the book from my friend had to watch the book drive away and then tell her friend the book was gone.



At first my friend was upset that her book was lost.  Then...she and her friend that had dropped the book came to the same conclusion that I did when she told me the story.  We ALL believe that woman truly must have needed to read something that was written on the pages in my book.  She probably would have never known my book existed if certain things hadn't "happened."  After all, she is in New Mexico and I am in Missouri. 



So, these are the things that had to take place for this woman to get her hands on my book that day:

     1.  Two friends had to be reunited across the country from 35 years ago.

     2.  One friend had to write a book.

     3.  The other friend had to buy her friend's book.

     4.  She had to loan the book out to a friend.

     5.  That friend had to drop the book at a bus stop on that specific morning.

     6.  A stranger had to pick it up and get on another bus as she started reading it.



NOW...There's certainly NO WAY we could have orchestrated this whole event to play out like it did.  We couldn't even have thought it up in our wildest imaginations.  It certainly WAS orchestrated though.  It happened ON PURPOSE.  It was NO COINCIDENCE.  I know who orchestrated it, on purpose, and His last name is NOT COINCIDENCE. 



I love the moments that happen in my life that make me SO INCREDIBLY AWARE that I am NOT the one in charge of what is happening around me.  It always seems to get my attention in such a wonderful way.  I certainly am NOT the AUTHOR that has written my life.



P.S.

If the woman who picked up a book, "to remember love," that was dropped on the ground at a bus stop, in New Mexico, sometime in February, and found my website in the book and reads this.........PLEASE email me and let me know.  There are a few of us that would love to hear from you and are so glad you have my book.  We pray you were Blessed by it and that it left you Encouraged.



Until the next time we talk........Stand firm on Philippians 4:13.

Love, Hugs, & Prayers,

~tf      

little inspirations

"Please Reach Out for the hands that are

slipping into the darkness of despair,

no matter what the reason.

LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES."     ~tf