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Faith

Apr 12
Love0

Journey with Jesus: Day 2

By Easter, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Learning From Others, Love, Love God, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian, When Bad Things Happen

DAY 2

JESUS SEES HIS MOTHER    (Luke 2:25-40, Lamentations 1:12, John 19:26-27)

THOUGHT   Jesus sees his Mother, can you even image when their eyes met?  She has seen him whipped and you know she feels his suffering.  Jesus gives her the look knowing this is his Father’s will, so nothing is spoken from Mary’s lips.  I can only believe that the pain and the tears were overwhelming for both.

REMINDER   We too have to endure pain around us with loved ones and the suffering of this world. It is harder to watch the ones you love suffer more so than your own suffering but we know with suffering producers endurance.  Roman 5:3-5 reminds us,  “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”  Hope that when we suffer we come together in love and we know when love comes in all things work together.

PRAYER   Dear Heavenly Father, you know my heart and all my pain, please help me to know that I will gain character and hope through every struggle. I know perseverance builds character and with a relationship with you will help me find the way.  Amen

SIMON HELPS JESUS   (Mark 15:21, Mark 8:34, 2 Timothy 2:3)

REMINDER   How often do we try to carrier our own burdens (cross)? Be reminded when someone helps you, they are given the chance to be a Simon and to carry some of your burdens through love and prayer.  Every time you help others, feed the hungry, lend a helping hand or give a simple smile, you too are being a Simon in this world.

THOUGHT  Again, God shows Jesus as a human; his strength is gone and he needs help because he can’t bear this cross alone.  Even Jesus needed help.

PRAYER  Dear Heavenly Father, Please let me allow people to help me in during my struggles, that I may be able to ask for help even if it is in just prayer.  Please take away the shame or  guilt when asking for help, allow me to receive it with your grace. Father, please show me who I need to help in time of need even during my own suffering.  Amen.

Keep moving forward on your ride!

Until tomorrow, blessings

Tina

Apr 10
Love0

Journey with Jesus: Ride Up to Easter

By Easter, Faith

As we ride through this week, join me in a little special moment to remember the Easter season.   Every day until Easter I will share a thought, reminder to ponder and a prayer.

JESUS IS CONDEMNED Jesus is judged by Pilate (Luke 23:13-25)  Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns (Luke 22:63-65; John 19:2-3)

THOUGHT    Think about the fact our perfect Lamb of God, Jesus was condemned.  Jesus realizes that Pilate is unjust and how Pilate followed the will of the people and that Pilate had power over Jesus.  Jesus the Son of God obeys the earthly law but Jesus knows it is his Father’s will.

REMINDER   This is a great reminder that we should try to obey our Lord and really think….. What is His will for me? Do we often listen to much to the earthly will and to our peers and not silence ourselves to really hear God’s will for us.

PRAYER   Jesus, I love you.  Please help me to recognize my faults and to fully submit to doing your will in all I do.

 

 

JESUS IS GIVEN HIS CROSS Jesus takes up the cross (Mark 15:20)

THOUGHT   The cross is real to Jesus and He knows that this is what his Father chose for him.  He receives it with grace.

REMINDER How often do we complain or feel that our life is so painful and we have discomforts that seem unfair.  Let’s be reminded that we have our little crosses to carry and Jesus carries our crosses for us each and every day.  Be grateful in all situations.

PRAYER   Jesus, I love you.  Please help me to recognize that you suffered for me and that I need to remember that my burdens little or big need to be laid at your feet.

 

 

JESUS FALLS 

THOUGHT   God shows us again the human side of Jesus and how he falls and how often we can fall.

REMINDER   We need to try to accept our weaknesses and be reminded that God sees no weakness in us.  He will give us strength to get up after each and every fall. We shouldn’t give up for He is with us in all we do.  Trust that he can help carry your crosses.

PRAYER   Jesus, I love you.  Please give me the strength to understand my own weaknesses in order to learn and grow closer to you, knowing you are the great “I AM”.

 

 

Until tomorrow,

Blessings

Tina

Nov 23
Love0

Love Thy Neighbor

By Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Learning From Others, Love, Love God, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian, Soul, Thanksgiving
My traditional Thanksgiving prayer ~ wishing you all the warmest season with your loved ones!

When I started to pray about this, one thought came to mind loud and clear; our second commandment. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” With all that is going on in our nation and the world, this prayer is about gratitude, grace and giving but with a cry out to pray for us all to love thy neighbor.

“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD Leviticus 19:18

But first we need to understand to love thy neighbor we need to love ourselves first. God loves us so much ~ he is ginormous, we need to open our hearts and truly love ourselves through His gracious love. Quietly seek His love through His living word. Here are a few verses that I find helpful.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10N (NIV)

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. Song of Solomon 4:7 (ESV)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

God Bless & Happy Thanksgiving

Tina

THANKSGIVING PRAYER 2016 by Tina E. Boyd

Dear Heavenly Father,

We give you thanks for your love and your grace, we truly thank you for the family and friends here with us and the living memory in our hearts with the ones who are in heaven with you. We ask that you open up our heart and mind to give us the wisdom and grace of the commandment, “love thy neighbor as yourself.” We are so ever blessed with your deep and eternal love. Teach us to stop to see your image and feel your love all around us… in the beauty of nature, the deep navy skies with the diamond sparkles of a star, the falling of crystal pure white snow, the sunrise, the rain storms, the rainbows and the all glorious sunsets. You are the love that is around us, through our family and friends. We give you thanks! Help us Lord to love unconditionally as you did for us by giving us your only Son.

We pray for your presence to be shown to us in our inner being so we may love ourselves to love thy neighbor. Lord please protect our loved ones and we thank you for our country and all the men and women continuing to serve you and our freedom. Show us your will Lord, we are ever grateful for our journey that is before us, we know you have our way, let us depend on you. We praise and love you in your name as the Trinity, The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Amen

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” Luke 6:27 (NIV)

Sep 08
Love0

The Smile Game

By Beliefs, Faith, Grace, Learning From Others, Love, Love God, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian

As I sit here early at the airport, yeah early, I am catching up on all my personal and inspirational emails that I get very little time to read, I came upon an email about Mother Teresa, the homily Pope Francis did this past Sunday to celebrated the Rite of Canonization for Mother Teresa of Calcutta, at a Solemn Mass offered in St Peter’s Square. Something struck me when I read  this email.  The smile game I play,  when I am at airports which is weekly these days,  I always like to play the smile game, people are coming and going so fast and they bury their heads in the phone and they all have a serious face on, look around next time.   Well, my game is no matter how many bags I have and how loaded down I am I SMILE, big, strong and genuine one to everyone I have eye contact with.  I want to change their mood, share happiness and be love, you would be surprised how many people smile back, more than not. Even boarding the plane and exiting the plane and one time the pilot said, “gosh it is nice to see a smiling passenger, it warms my heart.”  That gets 100 points!  It does make a difference. Pope Francis shared what Mother Teresa loved to say, “Perhaps I don’t speak their language, but I can smile”. Let us carry her smile in our hearts and give it to those whom we meet along our journey.  Mother Teresa was a true example of the best volunteer but even if you don’t have the time or the money right now to give remember smiling is free and you get less wrinkles than a frown but more importantly it is sharing God’s love.

Play the smile game next time you are out and share what happens

“Many people say, ‘Who will show us better times?’ Let your face smile on us, LORD”  Psalm 4:6

Aug 19
Love0

Tears of Joy and Loss ~ Have a Child Leaving You? Read!

By Back to School, Beliefs, Faith, Grace, Love, Love God, Mom, Prayer, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian, Soul

Andrew moved to California in March for his career with excitement and joy. Brigette just left this past Wednesday for her last year of college finishing her mining degree and now my little one, Olivia, all of 5′ 11″  is leaving for her first year of college in Florida. Tears of joy and loss come over me. Andrew, Brigette and Olivia I love you all and thank God for you everyday.  I will work on letting you go. (wink, happy face, sad face)

I wrote this for all the mom’s out there letting their children go, whether it is kindergarten, high school, college or off to start an independent life, this is for you……………………

 

Being a mother is such a gift from God. The intense nature of mothering, we nurture, protect, pray and release them different ways on their journey. When it is time to release them; even if that means seeing them walk into kindergarten a little bit of independence is given to them. We get a glimpse of release but they come back, this slow release happens over and over throughout the years. When they go off to college or to live on their own is a crucial time in a mother’s life……….. as they move from total dependence to independence. The battle and fight begins in our head trying to grasp the conflicting forces and ever-changing alterations in roles we are entering in. What develops is the true understanding of release and the changes with the mother-child dynamic from that moment on.

Letting go is something I feel is very difficult for a mother, we were brought into this world to nurture, to be a caregiver, to teach and that even means encouraging them to be independent.   Enable your child to be independent is the long term goal and guiding them to realize their own potential in this world. The heart is full of joy of accomplishments and then full of loss, “letting go.” The transition feels like watching a tree branch sway back and forth, the pendulum sways, from joy to loss, excitement for them and scared for what they may face, happy for their wide eyed dreams, sad for the trials they may endure. This motherhood feeling continues no matter what age or stage we are in. These feelings of joy and loss are an essential part of this evolution.  Embrace your faith and depend on God and through his grace we can always move forward in this transition, remembering they are not our children to begin with. Tears of joy and loss continues.

Great verse for all the moms to remember as they walk in faith letting their children go.

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he”  Deuteronomy 32:4

Great verse to share with your children as they go off.

“My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.”

Proverbs 3:1-4

Jun 19
Love0

5 Second Conversation

By Beliefs, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Love, Love God, Prayer, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian, Soul

I hung up the phone today after only a 5 second conversation and said, “Thank you God”. Do you ever get that feeling after talking to someone even for a few seconds that you are so grateful that they are in your life? I felt that way after the short talk with my husband. Now, I am not telling you it is always that way and we have bumps and blow outs on our ride in marriage, but those blow outs are what makes the gratitude so powerful and the feeling so true. You might think, wow, what did he say in that 5 second conversation? If you know me you might think, he said, he loved her and that she was a great wife and mother and hung up. No, he shared that he was on his way to another appointment and that his mother would be joining us for our nephew’s, her grandson’s graduation party. Just communication, yes, that simple.
Have a heart of gratitude no matter what you have in life, it is that simple to have a thought come across your mind after any conversation. Gratitude is a practice we should walk in.
In honor of father’s day I wanted to share how grateful I am for a father’s love, husband’s love and the love of our Heavenly Father. Whatever your journey may be with your husband, your father or a father figure, God gives us the most important Fatherly love, His eternal love on this earth. We need to remember, He wants us to communicate with him on all thoughts that come in our mind. If we do this and become grateful for the little things imagine the grace of the big things that may come our way.
Communication is the key and I miss my conversations with my dad, but I am so ever grateful for the loved he shared with me, my mom and all my siblings. Missing him reminds me how grateful I am to have a husband that has been a beautiful loving father to our children and I am grateful for even a 5 second conversation. I remind myself never to take anytime for granted and to think gratitude.
Our words are so powerful, be aware of your words and try not to think too deeply into others people’s words. We get so caught up with our wants and needs we try to change the meaning of the conversation, just be in the moment. Stop to ponder the gratitude in all we have, as simple as a communication.

Happy Father’s day to all the men that are fathers or share a role as a father, thank you for your love!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Mar 27
Love0

Love In His Name – Happy Easter

By Beliefs, Faith, Grace, Gratitude

As I sit a ponder about Easter and the glorious meaning, I start thinking, how can we really thank God for sending His one and only Son. How can we be ever grateful?  We have forgiveness for every sin and He has given us eternal life and eternal love.   I will see my Heavenly Father one day and I will see my earthly father again, wow!

One true heartfelt thought comes bubbling up and that is Love but love differently,  love in His name.   Think about how we truly love and how we use the word, “oh I love this or I love that.” We toss the word around like we are adding an ingredient in our salad.    I have taken the word, “love” on for my word for 2016, trying really hard not to say, “oh I love those shoes, I loved that movie, or I love my car,” you get the picture.  Trust me when you start listening to how often and when you say it you may be shocked.  My daughter keeps me in check often! Using the word so freely, is that really loving in His name and is it glorifying the true meaning of love?

We often put conditions on sharing our love that we give to others, setting up conditions even thou you don’t realize you are doing it. Wouldn’t be nice if we could always live in the Spiritual world.    How about loving just where you are in life, loving your family and friends for not only their precious gifts but loving them for their imperfections; meeting them right where they are and not expecting anything!  Jesus loved this way and he left His legend in the glorious stories in the bible, the Good News teaches us how to love, learn and grow.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV

Easter morning arise and think, “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Luke 24:6-7 NIV

How can we repay this back?  Love in His name, give your heart freely and that means to all, without any expectations.  Be humble and kind just as Jesus did.  He left the Holy Spirit to guide us, call on Him, reflect… “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118: 24 NLT

Remember …  “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”  1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV

Happy Easter & I love in His name,

Tina

Feb 17
Love0

Roadside Assistance Needed!

By Beliefs, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Love, Love God, Prayer, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian, Soul, When Bad Things Happen

During our ride in life we often get confused, which way to go and get frustrated when we have a blow out or a wrong turn. As I mention, over and over again when the ride goes wrong we go to our belief system with in our mind and heart.  Sometimes that is not the right system to lean on. We need to revamp and rethink the thoughts and beliefs. Faith only becomes an outward reality when we hit these potholes on our ride. Now what? Discipline is the first word that comes to my mind, do you have the discipline to choose faith and have Christ’s presence in your life at all times? What does that look like? How do I do that?

What does that look like?  The discipline to stop get off your ride and sit in stillness with your thoughts and your beliefs, asking for God’s helper, the Holy Spirit, to be the roadside assistance we need.  When we take the time to reflect on the wrong turn or the surprise blow out, the beliefs and thoughts may become quite different with the power of the Holy Spirit. I think about Jesus’ words, “I have to leave you and my Father will give you another helper.” He is talking about the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit resides in you, you know you can have victory at any and all levels, the Holy Spirit enables you to triumph over all sin, to guide you to the right path.

How do I do that?  Prayer, study his word, fellowship with other believers to attain a discipline. Learning to use your roadside assistance, the Holy Spirit.   He is always with you and will lead you to optimistic living and vibrant faith.

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17 NIV

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,  I know that you have plans for me and sometimes the plans are not easy and they are challenging.  I pray to have the discipline to stop and listen to the helper you have provide to reside in me through you, Lord.  Give me the wisdom and knowledge to ask for assistance always.  In your precious name, of the risen Christ we pray.  Amen.

Jan 11
Love0

My God Surprise Today

By Faith, Fashion, Food For Thought, Grace, Gratitude, Learning From Others, Look Inside, Love, Love God, Prayer, Ride of Your Life, Self Help Christian, Soul

God Surprises are real!  God wants to give you a joyous life and we should expect God surprises everyday. During my ritual of my morning prayer I always ask God, “please show me my God surprise today,”  often I can run around and miss my surprise.    Yesterday my God surprise was a late night call with a friend  and she repeated kind words someone said about me.  I am always humbled by kind words and often think I am not worthy.   So this morning my God surprise wasn’t really a surprise but an honor to be featured on a new blog “Living It Up”   Check it out and sign up to follow!  Great place to put your prayer request, get feed by God’s word and enjoy living it up with many others.  I am grateful and ever so blessed.

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out   Deut. 28:6

Grateful,

Tina