"The Lord told me..." - Part 2

As a follow up to my post from two days ago, I thought a word of explanation was in order.



When anyone claims to be speaking for the Lord, this is what is commonly referred to as a 'prophetic utterance', a statement made by God, Himself. This, by its very nature should be considered a gift of the Spirit. There are a lot of differing viewpoints on the gifts of the Spirit. But they fall into two very broad categories. There are those who believe the gifts are currently functioning in the church (continuationists) and there are those who believe they stopped functioning around the time the Apostles finished their writings and passed away (cessationists).



Much of the controversy centers around the interpretation of 1 Cor 13:8–12 (NASB95) 8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.



To narrow it down even further, the majority of those discussions revolve around the meaning of 'perfect' in vs 10. It comes from the Greek word telios. To oversimplify, most cessationists believe (for valid reasons) that "perfect" describes the Bible and now that we have it, there is no longer a need for gifts, especially those of prophecy and tongues. Most continuationists believe (for equally valid reasons) that "perfect" describes the believer when he gets to heaven.



I lean very heavily toward the second viewpoint. I've seen too much evidence of functional gifts in the Body of Christ to believe otherwise. That being said, I could be convinced of the veracity of the cessationists and am unwilling to declare either side to be right or wrong.



I bring all this up so that those who read my previous posting on this subject do not misunderstand me in what I shared. My struggle with someone who "hears directly from God" is not whether or not God is actually speaking to them....He may be. To be frank, I have no way of knowing whether He is or not. My difficulty is with the ways some folks interpret what they're hearing.....and furthermore....how they put it to work.



There are three possible scenarios here:



1. God has spoken clearly and concisely and has been understood completely, in which case everything that was uttered will come to pass exactly as it was portrayed with no variance whatsoever. I think this is a very rare occurrence. Probably far more rare than most of us think.



2. God has spoken but in relating what was said, the recipient has either embellished or altered what was said in which case things may happen the way they were portrayed or not. In either case, the "word" was tainted by the filters/feelings/preconceptions of the recipient and is no longer a valid "prophetic word". In my opinion, this is the case with most prophetic utterances. The hearer hears....and proceeds to act on his own assumptions about what he/she heard.



3. No one actually "heard" anything at all but is responding to a feeling or intuition and has a lot of personal conviction concerning the way things should proceed. I also believe this case occurs far more frequently than most people think it does.



In all three cases, if the only one affected is the hearer, then he/she is left alone to deal with God on all of this. Things get significantly more complicated when the hearer begins to impact those around him/her with his/her revelation. This is a whole new ballgame, as far as I can see. Now, the hearer is speaking directly from God, into someone else's' life. If it is authentic, it bears authority. It should exhibit power and....it should be absolutely perfect in all respects...and.....it is equal to Scripture.



So...how do we know the difference? well, we have a few indicators we can follow:



1. Since there is no new revelation (Rev 22:18-19), any prophetic utterance should compliment or clarify Scripture. It will never contradict it nor countermand it.



2. It will exhibit the character and nature of God in all respects particularly in its perfection (James 1:17). There will be no errors or misquotes, no ambiguity (especially regarding sin), no inaccuracies and no variations.



3. It will, in every respect, bring glory to God and not to anyone else (Isaiah 42:8).



This is why we have to be careful, folks. We have to listen carefully, evaluate against Scripture ruthlessly and pray fervently when these things come to us. God does speak to us today. But His message has not changed and will not. Whenever He speaks to us, whether it be through revelation, Scripture, another brother or sister, our situations or our environment....it will always line up with his written word and bring peace, even in the storm.



I repeat, we would all be much better if we heard the phrase "I believe you/I should...." much more frequently than the phrase "God is telling me...."

Resurrection Morning Dance - Budapest, Hungary

I got this from Richard Bird...it's fun!

Conifers define hardy Front Range garden - The Denver Post

 Pat Hayward deals with plants — and more precisely, plant questions — all day as executive director of Plant Select.

Check this article out about her garden~

Man Stabs 28 Children at Chinese Kindergarten

Two knife attacks on school classrooms in as many days have sent Chinese parents into fright, prompting demands for greater security and a bout of national soul searching over the atrocities.

Yesterday a former insurance salesman ripped and stabbed his way through a kindergarten in southeast China, wounding 31 people.

Officials said that Xu Yuyuan, 47, broke into a classroom at the Zhongxin kindergarten in Taixing city, Jiangsu province, about 9.40am and attacked the children with a knife. Residents living next door, armed with fire extinguishers and brooms, finally restrained the man until the police could reach the scene, one report said.

The man stabbed twenty-eight children and one teacher, a security guard and a school volunteer who tried to defend the terrified four-year-olds. A staff member at the Taixing No 1 People’s Hospital said that some children were being treated there. “The doctors are trying to save them,” he said.

Five students were in critical condition in hospital, said Zhu Guiming, an official with the propaganda department in Taixing city.

The well-regarded Caijing magazine said that 4 children had died in the attack, but officials told state media that no deaths had been reported and the condition of those who were most badly hurt was stabilizing.

Police arrested Mr Xu, who was described as unemployed. He worked for a local insurance company in 2001 but then took part in illegal pyramid selling schemes.

Less than 24 hours earlier a former teacher with a history of mental illness stabbed 16 pupils and a teacher in a primary school. The man, 33, rushed into classrooms at the Leizhou primary school in the southern Guangdong province, brandishing a knife about a foot long. None of the injuries were reported to be serious.

The attacker then went to a top-floor balcony where he threatened to throw himself off. He was eventually arrested and taken away in handcuffs.

Several schools in China have experienced similar attacks in recent years. In a country where many parents have only a single child under the strict family planning policy, shock and anxiety have spread in internet chat rooms. Some have called for adults to be allowed to enter school premises only if they have a photograph of their child; others are saying that their children should be armed with sticks as a minimum defense. Commenting on the attack at the primary school in Leizhou the Beijing News said: “More concrete measures should be taken to make school the safest place.”

FAREWELL MY LITTLE SAM, OUR BELOVED SAM

We have been babysitting him since he's 11 months old. He's a very active and also so adorable in so many ways. His name is Sam. He's our love. Sam is actually the only son of our friend. What I could say about him that, he is a very obedient, responsible and easy to take care of.



The reason that I'm making this entry - today is the last day Sam coming to our house. He's going back to Miri next week, for good. Words can't define how hurt I am while writing this but I must be strong as strong as Sam.



Sam, will you always remember your Aki, Inek, Tatak Bibi, Dedek, Baby Atong, Uncle Muk and Aunty Pat? I hope that we always have a special place deep down inside your heart,...



Don't forget the sweetest moments that you spent everyday with us, helping Aki to sweep the floor, feeding the crayfish, watching cartoon with Atong, oh yes, knocking my bedroom's door if I'm taking leave. I know Bujang the van vendor would misses you too since you love to grab some sweets from the van and share it with Tatak and Dedek.



Sam, do you still remember Inek used to bath you in the sink and we played the shampoo bubbles till you cry because you still insisted to play in the bubbly water?



Sam, please don't forget us. If you feel like talking to us, please ask Daddy to dial our numbers. We've never thought that you are gonna leave us so soon. Aunty will always pray for your happiness, Sam. Be a good boy to your daddy, Popo and Ah Kong, promise to aunty will you?

Sayonara my little love, we always love you. We have loved you since the first time we saw you at Pizza Junction 3 years ago. *sob sob*



With Love,

Calling all DC area moms……it’s giveaway time!

Do you need a night out? I have got a deal for you! How about a Mom’s night out at MusiKids? What is MusiKids you ask? Well it is the premier kid’s music studio in the DC metro area. Musikids has been touted by many publications for helping children embrace their love of music.

Don’t Miss Moms Night Out at MusiKids

MusiKids will host its first Moms Night Out at its Bethesda studio on Thursday, May 6 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Come sing, socialize, and relax with musiKids staff and other DC-area mothers.

In addition to tasty nibbles and refreshments from Thyme Out, the evening will feature mini massages from Be You Bi You Spa, mothering tips from the Center for Growing Families, and karaoke to release one’s inner songstress.

Lucky for you, I have 2 tickets to the event and I want you to have them! Simply leave me a comment as to why you want to go. I will be selecting a random person On May 4th 2010. To received 2 entries, tweet about this giveaway be sure to link to the post and leave me a comment that you have tweeted

Good Luck!

Tickets to Moms Night Out are available for $12 by calling 301-215-7946 or e-mailing info@musiKids.com. They can also be purchased for $15 at the door. musiKids is located at 4900 Auburn Ave. in Bethesda. For more information, visit www.musikids.com.

China's Hu Jintao first Chinese visitor to Russian pavilion at Expo 2010

Chinese President Hu Jintao became the first Chinese visitor to attend the Russian pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

The Chinese leader on Thursday visited the Russian pavilion and checked out its exhibition. Then he made some notes in the honored guest book.

"Those who visit the pavilion, will see the wisdom and intelligence of the Russian people," Hu said adding that he was sure "the pavilion will have great success."

The Chinese president said Russia and China have strong and developing ties among their people. He said the concept of children that Russia chose for its exhibition theme is very important as children are the future.

Russia is constructing its Expo pavilion for the first time in 30 years, rather than renting one from the host country. The sun-shaped pavilion will comprise 12 white-and-gold towers symbolizing the 12 months, and occupy an area of 6,000 sq. m. It will showcase Russia's recent scientific and economic development, as well as offer a diverse cultural program.

The 2010 World Expo fair is to run from May 1 to October 31 under the motto "Better City - Better Life." Some 70 million visitors are expected to attend the event. The spokeswoman said leaders of all countries are invited to attend.

Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Este juego se ve bueno.

Molly the Witch Peony by Duane Davidson

Last year I wrote about an unusual peony, the fernleaf peony, that makes its appearance earlier each spring than its better-known cousins. Growing nearby, and blooming even earlier, is another little-known member of the peony family. This one bears the nickname "Molly the Witch," a rendering of its unpronounceable botanical name Paeonia mlokosewitschii. A half-dozen flowers began opening last weekend to join the tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring bulbs blooming on my street.

Like all peonies, Molly was slow to establish. I found her as a young seedling at the Denver Botanic Gardens spring plant sale about ten years ago. For several years I wondered if she would survive, and then nearly forgot her. Four years ago she surprised me with a bloom.

Molly is one of the first plants to send up shoots in early spring. This year they weathered at least two snowfalls. Her flowers are less resilient, of course, but are holding up well this year.

Molly the Witch originated in the Caucasus and is also known as the Caucasian peony.

Led Zeppelin is one of my favourite band.I really love this group.They rocks:) So I decided to put some photos here.In case you don't know I love they're hippie-folk clothes,especially Robert's ones...And the hair too of course.

WORLD HEALTH DAY @ KUCHING WATERFRONT

Hola people!

Wow. It's been like ages I don't rock this blog. Dear blog, I miss you too but since I'm so busy, my brain can't provide creativity that much for this blog so now I'm back. +_+

On 11th April, I was performing, it is more to a 'come back to the scene' after hibernating for more than 3 years. Wow. (How many times do I have to repeat the Wow, haha). The function was for the WORLD HEALTH DAY with the theme, 1000 cities, 1000 lives. Wow again.

Performance by BB-Boyz

The function started as early as at 7:00 a.m. with mass 'Senamrobik' and the launching of 'Jom Kayuh' (bicycle team) by Datuk Amar Abang Johari Bin Tun Abang Openg. This event was divided into few zones and our busking/acoustic team was performing at Zone B. I'm very proud to perform with my best friends like Max, Karen, Errol, Nat, Sam and other rocking band members like Polar, Guru, Nice Stupid Playground, ZDNeosaber etc, etc. We arrived before 7 a.m. since the road along Jalan Tunku Abd. Rahman was going to be closed before 8 a.m. Had our breakfast at Greenhill Corner, oh how I miss this place but sadly speaking, we picked a wrong table. The stinky drain really killed our appetite that morning.

My noobs buddies. These are young magicians from Kuching. From left, Iki, Darius and Harvill.

I wonder where have my nervousness gone? Normally, I would shake myself on the stage, prior to my nervousness but this time, I really enjoyed my performance maybe because I have tons of fans shouting for me down there. Not fans, they are my colleagues and friends if you wanna know.

Battle of the drums. From left, Sam, hubby, Polar's drummer, Edwin and Nat.

Songs selection were made by Max. Since my turn to perform started at 12 noon and the place was started to pack with people, we chose the killer songs like Dia, Sinaran and Bitterheart to be rendered first. Then we rest for a while. The next session, I sang Kiss Me, There She Goes and Hebat. The show was managed by Mork, Odie and Raykana. Bravo guys!

We left the venue at 3:30 p.m. when we realized that we haven't had our lunch yet so we stopped by Tracy's Kitchen to have my favorite, Porky Leg Stew. Yummeh! Anyway, I really enjoyed the day and looking forward to a bigger celebration next year, can we Mork?

Gob gob! Don't ask who she is. Hahaha..

With Love,

Thai Protesters Send Convoy to Suburban Market

Thai troops have fired into the air near a group of anti-government protesters in an effort to block them from taking their protest to a suburban Bangkok market.

Several thousand Red Shirt protesters left their fortified encampment in Bangkok's downtown commercial district in motorcycles and pickup trucks on Wednesday to move their seven-week campaign outside the city.

The government has guaranteed to keep the Red Shirts from spreading the protest outside their encampment.

The convoy is traveling on a road where a group of Red Shirts briefly set up a barricade earlier this week to block additional Thai security forces from heading into the city.

The anti-government forces have virtually brought Bangkok to a standstill in their drive to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to announce new elections.

The Red Shirts placed tires along Bangkok's elevated railway system on Tuesday, shutting down the system for several hours. The activists said they were worried that Thai troops might use the station to attack them from above.

The protests have turned bloody, with at least 26 people killed and nearly 1,000 wounded during clashes with Thai security forces.

The Red Shirts are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006 on accusations of corruption. They say Mr. Abhisit was installed in office illegally.

The Thai government has accused Red Shirt leaders of plotting to overthrow Thailand's revered monarchy, a charge the movement denies.

But Mr. Abhisit said earlier this week his government will try to implement the law with "minimum losses," as he put it. He also promised to try to find a political resolution to the crisis, and he pleaded for "patience and cooperation."

"The Lord told me....."

This is a fascinating post over at Dan Phillips' blog. He's also one of the contributors to the highly regarded Pyromaniacs .This posting, which is worth a complete read addresses the Pastor of a well recognized church and his decision to leave his church based on a "leading" he supposedly had from God that gave him no more information other than to leave. Here's an excerpt:

The target quotation

...Lisa and I believe God is calling us to take a step of faith. We believe we are supposed to move into a major city such as LA, San Francisco, or New York. ...I’m still not completely sure of everything, but it feels great to be living by faith.

"God is calling us... we are supposed to move"

The whole picture summons to mind the call of Abram, which I think is probably either deliberate or semi-deliberate. Is that a fair allusion? This is what a Biblically-minded interviewer would ask Chan. "Are you likening this move to Abram's move from Ur?", I would ask. To anything like an affirmative response, I would follow up with this: "So are you saying that you received an inerrant, verbal, prophetic, morally-binding revelation directly from God, apart from Scripture, telling you that you needed to walk away from your pastoral commitment abruptly and go off doing other unspecified things?"

You can read the whole post here. It's even worth clicking through to his response to some of his critics.

This has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time. I've made this same error myself in the past and try as hard as I can to avoid it since I've realized its implications. The bottom line is this: When we say God has spoken to us regarding any subject, the statement itself implies an infallible, inerrant and perfect word spoken by the author of Scripture itself. If God has truly spoken to us, then that message must bear the same authority Scripture bears. It should be written down, passed along and held to the same depth of examination and meditation Scripture is subject to.

This is difficult, if not impossible, to do when we "hear" from God that we are to....say.....quit our job and go to Africa to be a missionary. Fortunately in that scenario, only the speaker and/or their family will be impacted if there is any error or miscommunication.

Things get significantly more complicated when these "words" impact other people. For one thing, one who hears a directive preceded by "The Lord is telling me that you should....." is placed in an impossible position. If they don't agree, or if they feel the Lord is telling them something different, there's no way to resolve the conflict without looking like they're disobeying God. It gets even worse when the one who bears the "word" is a person who has spiritual authority or influence over others.

We have to be careful with the words we choose when we are trying to advise or counsel another brother or sister. As soon as the idea that "God said!" enters the picture, everything changes. That "word" is then attributed to a perfect, holy and sovereign God. It had better exhibit those godly attributes in all aspects of its fulfillment and application. Every one of these types of statements must be subjected to the test of Scripture. If Scripture is ambiguous about it...or worse yet, if Scripture contradicts it, then it should be regarded with tremendous caution and apprehension.

Things would be so much easier if those who have a tendency to do this sort of thing would preface their statements with, "I think you (or I) should" instead of "God wants you (or I) to...."

Vegetable Gardening Advice From a Pro by Janet Shangraw

We’ve had a few warm days, the grass is greening up, and the trees are beginning to bud. Gardeners may be dreaming of colorful spring blooms, but the serious vegetable gardener has not only been planning the vegetable garden for months, they have prepared the beds, organized efficient irrigation, have been carefully cultivating their own select plants from seeds for weeks now, and probably have their cold season vegetables already planted.

The gig is up.  Apparently, I am NOT a serious vegetable gardener.  I am simply gazing longingly at my garden, and starting to think about what I’d like to grow this year.  So for inspiration, I interviewed Boulder County Extension Agent Carol O’Meara who IS a serious vegetable gardener! 

Carol is the Boulder County Extension Agent specializing in Horticulture and Entomology, better known as the “Bug Babe”.  She has an extensive vegetable garden and harvests and processes foods each season to feed her family for the entire year. 

Carol’s Fun, Interesting Veggies to Try:

·      Green Doctors  - a cherry tomato that gets rave reviews!  This tomato consistently wins blind taste testings -  YUM.

·      Pacman Brocolli – cold season veggie that tastes much better out of the garden than from the grocery.  Carol says it has a nutty, sweet flavor.  Be sure to harvest before the florets on the main head are fully opened.  Then harvest from the side shoots which will produce smaller heads. 

·      Blacktail Mountain Watermelon – Performs well in the metro Denver area and tastes great.

·      Homegrown garlic – Carol says that she grows enough garlic “to feed a small Tuscan village”.  (Watch for a blog this fall about planting and using garlic from your garden!)

Most Common Pitfall for Novice Vegetable Gardeners:

‘Go Big or Go Home’ does not apply to beginning vegetable gardeners.  Carol warns about starting with a garden that is too large.  It can be overwhelming and before you know it, your garden can be inundated with weeds. 

Helpful Tips

·      Pay attention to soil temperature.  Be sure that warm season crops are not planted until the soil temperature is between 55 and 60 degrees F.  Cool season crops need soil temperatures between 45 and 50 degrees. Using black plastic around the plant can help warm the soil. The Wall-of-Water® also provides protection for plants. Check out CSU Extension’s Garden Notes for more information.

·    The right way to plant a leggy tomato…..this is a revelation for me! Plant it horizontally.  Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it makes sense.  Dig a trench 2 to 3 inches deep.  Place the plant horizontal with only the top two or three sets of leaves showing above the soil.  Pinch off the lower leaves below the soil line before planting.  The plant will root out along the stem in the warm soil near the surface and provide better support for the mature tomato plant. 

·    As with any kind of gardening, soil preparation is key.  Amending the soil with compost is a top priority. Another helpful CSU Extension resource is Vegetable Garden: Soil Management and Fertilization.  

     You can find more information on deciding where to put the garden, what to plant, when to plant, when to harvest, information about raised bed gardens, container vegetable gardening and more on the CMG website.
   So now along with my usual herbs, zucchini and a few struggling tomatoes, I plan to venture out and try some ‘new to me’ varieties.  I can’t wait to start cooking from the garden again!  Thanks, Carol!!

SKIPPING RICE!

Today is my 8th day of rice skipping trial.  It's not that I totally skip rice but just trying to avoid it as much as possible.  As far as I remembered, I had only 3 plates of rice, one at home, one at my Mom's place (hey, who can resist Mom's cooking anyway, haha) and we had Chicken Rice on Saturday.  The rest of the days, my carbs came from noodles, potatoes and bread.

Look at what I had for lunch today.  'Umbut kelapa' masak lemak with 'Ayam Masak Kicap' & 'Ayam Masak Sos'.  (Translation: Chicken in Soy Sauce and Chicken in Chilli Sauce).  Nyam nyam!

The aftermath.  I finished everything for less than 5 minutes.  3 minutes perhaps.  I don't know how long will I do this but so far, I've been doing it so good but sometimes, I will run out of idea of what I'm gonna eat later in the end of the day.

The verdict:

1. My menses flow longer than usual which is good.  Normally, I will experience it like only in 2 or 3 days.  This time I'm still having it, now it's coming to my 5th day.  Yay!!
2. I don't feel bloated or sleepy after lunch time which means I'm more productive.  Yayy!!
3. I feel lighter and my skirts and blouses also seems to loose and yayyyy!!!!

No.  Don't ask me how much I have lost.  I'm still in a very premature stage. +_+  Support me, will you guys?


With Love,

Iran discusses nuclear issue with IAEA

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano here to talk about issues related to Tehran's nuclear programmes, including exchange of fuel for further enrichment.

"The meeting was held in a business-like atmosphere," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement which did not provide any further detail.

The two sides "discussed the issue of the provision of fuel for the Tehran research reactor and exchanged views on the possible modalities for its realisation", said IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor.

Mr. Mottaki is in Vienna to gain Austria's support to counter any new UN sanction against Iran, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, Austria's Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said Iran must cooperate with the West if it desires to avoid sanctions.

"I hope it will not have to come to this sanctions and that Iran is ready to cooperate with the international community," Mr. Spindelegger said at a joint news conference with Mr. Mottaki.

Iran agreed in principle to send low-enriched uranium abroad for further re-processing, in October. But later it told that the fuel swap should take place inside its territory and simultaneously.

According to the West, Iran's nuclear program is aimed at making atomic bombs while Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes only.

Food Poisoning!

I contracted a very nasty case of food poisoning last week. It came from a sausage sandwich I ate on Saturday morning about 8 days ago. I has some suspicions about the sandwich right from the start but rather foolishly ate most of it anyway.



Needless to say, the last week has been a tough one on my stomach and my capability to digest the food I eat. I've had food poisoning before (a sure indicator that I'm not very smart when it comes to the things I'm willing to eat.) but never as nasty as this one has been.



By early that Saturday afternoon, I was convinced I had the flu. But by early Sunday afternoon, I was sure it was more than that. I was feeling better by late Monday but a strange thing has occurred. I've lost my appetite. My diet, for a week now, has been VERY bland, mostly steamed rice and broiled fish or chicken. I have had no coffee, soda, milk, sweets or spicy foods. Earlier, I tired some of my regular style foods and I've just been unable to process them without major and extended effect on my stomach. The net effect has been that, at least for now, I not only don't want those things, but the idea of ingesting any of them is upsetting.



"All in all, this has been a good thing." I keep saying to myself. I really don't enjoy feeling like this but I know God has a reason for it. Isn't that what we've been learning in our studies over the last....oh, maybe three years or so? I'm sure one of the things I'm supposed to be learning is to take better care of this "temple" of the Holy Spirit...if only to honor Him in how I eat and drink.



Another great lesson is that God is sovereignly in control of all things, even the pulpit at WBF. I had to leave church last Sunday at the last minute. John Boswell (who had a full sermon prepared) stepped in and did a great job. I ended up with another week to work on my message and a whole new vista of understanding rose up from my studies in Ephesians 6. I was really excited to bring that sermon this morning.



Yet another blessing has been to see how considerate, understanding and loving my wife can be. She's hovered over me and been a great help in encouraging me to stay with the "bland" foods until I'm better. All the fantastic folks at WBF have been a similar blessing of encouragement and concern.



We don't always get to see God's hand moving in our lives. It's particularly hard to see this when times are tough. I'm just praising Him for taking my naive carelessness and having the patience to teach me these beautiful but hard lessons.... even while I endure the consequences of my own actions.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Thank you, our gracious, holy, heavenly Father.