Good Morning Dear Ones,

I started this blog to share my spiritual journey and people, books, movies, etc., that speak to me on a faith level. As you've noticed in the past, I occassionally posted something from a friend that was meaningul, beneficial, and fit into these guidelines. Today is one​ of those days and you'll see them more often as I've invited folks to share their spiritual truths with us. I hope you'll enjoy these visits as much as I do and welcome our guests.

Jill DeVille is a devout lover of Jesus, multi-published Author, Motivational Speaker, the Pastor of Gift Minsitry of Louisiana and my dear friend. In her latest book, This Holy Day: Be the Light in the Darkness, Jill reveals what the Lord showed her about being the light on even the "darkest" holidays and that every holiday should be a holy day.

I feel the same way! In fact, after Jill's book came out, I shared with her a poem I wrote years ago about this very subject. I'll share it with you now and then we'll hear from Jill...       
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Once I truly surrendered all to the Lord, I began reading the word of God a lot. Within four months, my bible looked like I’d had it for decades. I was seeking and wanted answers. Why did I feel like I could do some things that religion was saying, “no” to?

Why did I feel God saying, “you can be the light in the darkness”?

With my attempts to be the light, pastors or Christians would look at me funny or make comments when I carved a pumpkin for Halloween. Matthew chapters five, six, seven, and twelve stood out to me the most in regard to the Holidays. That is where God would take me. God’s voice sounded like this, “be the Light in the darkness.”

“How can I be the light in the darkness,” I would ask? Holidays look like the celebration of self or sin to me. I wondered and asked God, wouldn’t others think I am trying to have the holiday another way to please myself?

Then He would take me to Matthew six, in all things do it for Me so I can see you and I will bless you. Seek me first and my right standing then all will be added to you.

All and first stood out to me. All…So all things? Interesting, right? All things that would still honor and please the Lord, to be clear.

If we take all the things that God has given us access to and turn them for the good of God, others, and us, like He taught us, traditions and religion would change. Then when our children come into this world knowing the way, truth, and life of the Lord in our traditions, they will naturally follow Him in all things without feeling uncomfortable. It will be what they know and believe naturally. It will allow them to be the light in others’ darkness too.

Many will give up what appears to be the worst of sin. While they keep a death grip on a tradition like a sport event or holidays like Halloween or Christmas. They will pray, like I used to, for the Lord not to come each year during that season. Crazy right? I know!

Maybe I am the only one. Ha!
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Why not find a way to serve the Lord in all things and be that very light for others to see their way through it too?

This Holy Day: Be the Light in the Darkness can be found at Amazon and at The Charmed Page bookstore in Lake Charles, Louisiana & Gospel Book Store in Gretna, LA.
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​Pastor Jill Deville is the Speaker, Founder, and CEO of Jill Deville Ministries founded in 2023. Through Jill Deville Ministries, Jill is a speaker at conferences and events throughout the world both online and in person with God’s Girls and Book It! Conferences and Events.

​You will find her on Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook and in your community. If she is not there then she will be, just ask her!

​Email Jill at:  [email protected]

As Christians we are encouraged to become more like Jesus, but how is that possible in a world where hearts have grown cold and mutual honesty, integrity and respect is almost nonexistent?

In his book, Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado offers us numerous examples. I own this treasure trove of encouragement and have read it numerous times, but I must say, loving as Jesus loved/loves and living as He lived, is not easy!

Sometimes it seems as though Life sets out to prove just how difficult a task this is. Not wanting to get into particular situations here, let’s suffice by saying I have never considered myself capable of emotions strong enough to actually hurt—I mean physically—hurt someone. But I have. I’ve experienced anger, so deep, so raw it nearly rendered me incapable of feeling basic kindness much less compassion.

I’m not proud of it and am certainly not advocating acting on those feelings! But there have been a few times in my life I can honestly say I’ve experienced something so fierce, so strong… so dangerous that it actually scared me.

I’ve seen social media posts that say when asked WWJD remember that turning over tables and taking a whip to someone is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Yeah, there are times when I’d like to do that.

Or worse.

Without a qualm.

Hard to believe, right? Especially for those who know me personally.

Hard for me to believe too.

Thankfully, I haven’t felt such intense rage like this often or in a long time.

So how can we be more like Jesus when we have such undesirable emotions?

Scripture gives us the answer… “But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Matthew 5:44 and Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.”

So that’s what I did and continue to do: Pray and trust that God has the entire situation under control and will show Himself strong on my behalf, help me see the people/circumstances in a different light, or change my heart completely. I’ve prayed, “Lord, I’m willing to forgive and I surrender this situation and these emotions to you, but only YOU can make the forgiveness true in my heart.”

Three other prayers have proven beneficial when faced with something like this…

• Ho'oponopono, the ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, meaning "to make things right." I’ve studied and practiced this prayer and am a Certified Ho'oponopono Practitioner. With this prayer you take full responsibility for your emotions by apologizing to and asking forgiveness from the perpetrator(s), saying “thank you,” and ending with, “I love you.”

 
Which isn’t easy when our ego mind screams, “yeah, but…!!!” One thing that helped me was to add, “I forgive you and I release you to God,” at the end of my prayer. Another was to write the prayer in full using the person/people’s names. In her book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, Edwene Gaines suggests writing your forgiveness statement 35 x twice a day for 7 days (70 x 7). I have this book and will discuss it at a later time. I want to re-read it first. 😊

Surrogate Tapping for those involved helped too.

• The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and the Amni Christi are wonderful too because both help you focus on emulating Christ.

 
Have these things made me more like Jesus?

Maybe, a little, but I know there’s always room for me to learn, to heal, and to grow.

Something to think about...
PamT
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“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in Pj's" ™

​I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts so leave a comment!

Many enter into the Christmas season expecting peace on earth and goodwill toward men. This is how it should be, or used to be, but ‘Christmas’ has become so commercialized that few of the original sentiments exist. For many, stress, painful memories, loneliness or grief over loved ones who are no longer present, steal the joy right out of the holidays.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The Bible is filled with scriptures that talk about joy…..

“They that sow in tears will reap in joy, (Ps 126:5)” …. “Sorrow may last for a night, but joy will be found in the morning (Ps 30:5).”

One thing I’ve discovered is Joy, Happiness, and Bliss are all options we can choose.

I know, some of you are frowning right now but think about it.

When you get out of bed in the morning, you can choose how you want to go about your day. In those first few moments of waking, you are most susceptible to creating your day by the thoughts you think and feelings you allow to permeate your entire being.

So why not make them pleasant ones?

Here are a few ideas on how to increase the joy in your life….

Start each day with “I choose to be happy today” as your motto. Write this down and place it where you’ll see it upon waking and then carry it with you throughout your day.

Gratitude is one of the best ways to increase your joy. Think about and thank God for all the good in your life. Keeping a gratitude journal by your bed is an easy and effective way to do this. In fact, meditating on your blessings before you go to bed induces better sleep. If you’re not one to write things down, simply begin by saying “Thank You” as you open your eyes and be conscious of your blessings throughout your morning routine and daily activities and then again as you drift off to sleep.

Music is another way to feel and experience joy early in the mornings. If your alarm clock blares some hard country, loud rock or heavy metal, chances are you’re not going to wake up very joyful. Find a soft rock, classical or Christian music station and awake to songs of gladness. If your cell phone is your alarm, set the tone to something spiffy and joyful.

Share joy in every instance you can. Close your eyes and pray that divine joy go before you into every activity and conversation.

Send joy and blessings to everyone you come in contact with or pass on the street. Wave, smile, nod, and speak joy every chance you get.

These are just a few ideas but as you begin, I’m sure you’ll come up with more ways to increase the joy in your life and by doing so, increase joy in others’ lives also.

Does this guarantee you’ll never have a moment of sadness or a gloomy day?

Of course not!

We are all human and sadness, depression, etc. are normal, human emotions. However, making a determined effort to be more joyful will lessen the severity and length of those less-than-joyful times.

Philippians 4:4 encourages us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I say, "Rejoice!" 

May you find reasons to rejoice each day and may joy abound in your life.

Something to think about...
PamT
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in PJs" ™
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Other Scriptures on Joy: Esther 9:22; Job 41:22; Jeremiah 31:13; John 16:20 & 21

*©2012 Previously published as Pamela's Ponderings Dec. 2012

Happy Thanksgiving Folks!
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Jesus teaches us that with God ALL things are possible and that all things are possible to them that believe (See Matthew 19:25-27, Mark 9:22-24, Mark 10:26-28).
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Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”

Why then do some things we desire, need or want seem impossible?

Is it possible this is because we block God’s blessings and talk ourselves out of miracles every day?

Is it possible we have deep-seated doubts and fears and feelings of unworthiness?

Is it possible the fire and brimstone preaching we’ve heard or experienced sometime in our life has caused us to fear God’s wrath more than believe in His love, grace, mercy and goodness?

Is it possible that we have so much guilt around asking God for what we truly desire that, even if He were to show up with that in hand as a free gift to us, we’d turn away?

Is it possible we’ve heard so many contradicting facts about who God is and what He can/will do that we just don’t know what to think anymore?

The Bible teaches us that the blessings of God shall chase us down and overtake us (see Deuteronomy 28:1-3), yet so many live in lack and poverty, sickness and disease!

Is it truly possible that if God said it and Jesus did it, we are supposed to live lives of abundance in every area?

I believe ALL of these explanations are possible and very possibly the root of our not receiving the gifts and blessings God has for us.

So how can we overcome these doubts, fears and negative concepts we’ve developed in our lives for whatever reason and open up to receive from God?

Here are a few ideas…

Pray. Don’t just pray for what you want, pray for God to open your eyes, ears, heart and hands so that you may see, hear, know and receive.

Listen. Often we pray/talk to God without taking time to listen for His response. Prayer should be a two-way conversation, not you talking to then walking away from Him.

Obey. Many times, we pray and listen but when God asks us to take action we disregard that part of the entire time of communion. The Bible teaches us we should be willing and obedient yet most of the time we are willing but not obedient or vice-versa. If you feel in your heart God is asking you to take some kind of action in order for Him to fulfill your desires and His plan, take it! Even if that means stepping out in faith despite your doubts and fears.

Meditate. A lot of folks shrink at the thought of spending time in meditation thinking they just don’t have hours to spare, but meditation can be as simple as closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths while opening your mind and heart to the Holy Spirit. Better yet, pick a Scripture that deals with one of the current situations or needs in your life and repeat it over and over in your mind while taking those deep breaths and watch God work.

Express Gratitude. I know, I know you are grateful but how often do you say it? How often do you say a simple “Thank You” to God or to people? Better yet, how often do you spend 10 minutes, an hour, or a whole day in an attitude of gratitude? Try this: For one hour write, “I am so happy and grateful that (or for) ---fill in the blank). If you don’t have an hour, write 1 page a day or 10 items or whatever, just do it! Once you’ve gotten into this habit, challenge yourself to keep gratitude uppermost in your mind for the day and see what doors open for you. After all, God’s not going to give you something else to complain about.

Sing. Yeah you heard that right. Sing a song about being happy. Find a couple songs and play them over and over in your vehicle and in your mind. Here are two that come to mind: Happiest Girl in the Whole USA by Donna Fargo, or Happy by Pharrell Williams (here’s the song/video on Youtube!) I dare you to listen to this and not be in a better mood! Better yet, make up a silly little ditty to express your own happiness, gratitude and praise to God. After all, the Bible tells us to make a “joyful noise” unto the Lord (Psalms 66, 81, 95, 98 & 100) and that God inhabits the praise of His people.

Try one (or all) of these simple exercises and see God work in your life. Now I’m not saying this is the cure-all for every problem in your life, but even if all these exercises do is make YOU feel better for an hour or a day…what can it hurt?

Something to think about...
“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™
"Coaching in PJs" ™

*©2014 Previously published as Pamela's Ponderings April 2014