Scraps for Scrapbooking

As you know, this is my blog for “anything goes,” and so…here it goes.

I just started scrapbooking. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it, but felt I lacked the creativity to produce something as nice as I’ve seen out there. But what triggered me jump in was an idea I saw on Pinterest for Father’s Day and thought I’d try to do something unique.

What I came up with was this.

A memory book for my husband, starting from the day we met working on the boats together in Chicago. I found this mini “passport” notebook at Marshal’s. (They have GREAT deals on scrapbook products, however, they are quite limited compared to hobby/craft stores.)

(My picture in the life preserver, giving a guided tour.)

“Big shoes to fill…but I will!”

I used sticker paper for some of the photos, which worked out perfectly.

Cutting people out from the photo makes it look 3D. (For all of you reading this who have been scrapping for ages, bear with me, this is all new and so cool to me!)

My husband absolutely LOVED his Father’s Day gift! He has it displayed on a plate hanger/holder on his desk in his studio.

So then I got the scrapbooking bug and went GUNG-HO. I wasn’t sure if I decided to go all out because I needed something to take my mind off my mother’s death, or if I was truly engrossed and enjoyed the process of creating.

I had done some digital scrapbooking before, creating a baby book for our son, Tavin. I used the scrapbooking program, Scrapbook Factory,  and bought a portfolio book at Barnes & Noble. And since I’ve been obsessed with stickers since I was twelve, my obsession only got worse with the idea of cool 3D stickers available now for scrapbooking.

 

Although the program offered pre-designed layouts that I didn’t like so I had to create my own, I just didn’t feel like I was truly “creating” anything special. The digital embellishments were nice, but they didn’t jump out at you.

So the bug got in me after making Jared’s book. After depleting two and half dozen eggs from GFS, I was left with an empty egg protector. And since I’ve been seeing all these clever ideas on Pinterest on reusing things you’d never dream of having any practical use for, I had an idea.

I opened it up as if I were going to tear it down.

And this is what I came up with…

Because I love biblical scripture memorization, I decided this would be my book dedicated to some of my favorite passages.

I loved the inside of the carton and didn’t want to cover it with paper. So I just used some pictures I cut out, along with some die cuts and stickers. You can also see that I added clasps on the “binder” to insert pages.

Then it was on to making the journal pages, and this is probably where I feel I lack in honest creativity. I just see so many awesome pages that other’s have done, and mine pales in comparison. I don’t get crazy with embellishments and layering, so my pages tend to be a bit more simplistic.

This style card stock didn’t have any pattern on the other side, but I still wanted to make use of it. Again, I’m not one for overdoing it. I’m more of a Mies van der Rohe person when it comes to “architecting” my pages: Less is more. I know that in the world of scrapbooking, that whole theory is thrown out the 90th story window, but I just can’t bring myself to it.

But I was inspired by some great ideas I’d come across, and came up with my own design and layout for the beginning of “Our Storybook.”

Again, since Jared and I met working on the sightseeing boats in Chicago, I wanted a boat, water and Chicago-skyline theme. (It took me forever to draw and cut out that skyline! Drawing it on the back of the paper, I kept forgetting that I had to draw the skyline backwards so it would cut out in order on the design-side.)

Yesterday I went to Michael’s to search out some memorial products for a memorial book I’ll be putting together for my mom, but instead I ran across tons of items that were only $1! I bought 70 dollar items, including cool stamps and ink pads! (Someone keep me FAR, FAR away from that store!)

When we cleaned out my mother’s house (we’re still not completely through it yet), we discovered she, too, had a room designated for her arts and crafts! My mother was incredibly talented at drawing, and like me, she tried her hand out in other crafting areas. So she had an entire dresser full of supplies, mostly things I would never use, but I did find some goodies, like these gold and silver ropes on our individual boats, connected to and anchored by “love”.

These may seem a bit lame in the world of scrapbooking, but I’m enjoying myself nonetheless!

The Waiting Game

When I lived in Chicago and relied on public transportation in order to get where I needed to be, I often found myself waiting…and waiting and waiting!

As frustrating as that may have been, my bus or train always showed up, usually not on my time frame, but that’s the joy of relying on something—or Someone—that is out of our control.

I have spent the past few years trying to control something I cannot. Despite my best efforts to prevent a financial downfall last winter, it happened anyway. Yet here we are. We made it through somehow. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pleasant by any means, but God got us through.

Today I asked God to speak to me, that my heart was open to receive His Word for my life today, and I heard, “Be patient and wait on Me.”

Anyone who knows me knows I’m incredibly impatient, so when God asked me to be patient, I reacted in panic in two ways: 1. how in the world do I do that!?; 2. help me! It was as if my head jumped into the future again, to our destitute winter, and began mapping out how I wouldn’t respond.

Like the Chicago bus, it eventually came and picked me up and took me where I needed to go. I was sometimes late for work, or missed the next means of transportation in the route of transfers, but I got there. Not in my timing, but in Chicago’s. As much as I hated relying on public transportation it was all I had.

Once I began doing things my way and brought my car to the city feeling I could outwit the system, my car was towed twice, I racked up parking tickets upon parking tickets, I often paid a hefty price to park downtown when I needed to work, I was still sometimes late for work because traffic is the same for both cars AND buses, and eventually my car was booted for all those unpaid parking tickets. The consequences of doing it my way, thinking that it would somehow be easier, only made my life (at times) more unbearable, particularly in the unforeseen future.

So what does waiting on God mean then?

When we wait on God He will teach us His ways and lead us in truth (Psalm 25:4-5). Integrity and uprightness will preserve us (Psalm 25:21). God will strengthen our hearts (Psalm 27:14) and become our help and shield, showing us mercy (Psalm 33: 20, 22). We shall inherit what God intends to give to us(Psalm 37:34). He hears us (Psalm 40:1) and becomes our defense (Psalm 62:1). He will give us hope and be our rock and salvation (Psalm 62:5-6). We will become glad and rejoice (Isaiah 25:9). He will be gracious to us and bless us (Isaiah 30:18). Our strength will be renewed, we’ll mount up with wings of eagles, run but not get weary, walk and not faint, and we won’t be ashamed (Isaiah 40:32, 49:23). He will be good to us (Lamentations 3:25). 

Although the waiting game seems like a losing battle, we eventually get where we need to be. It is in God’s timing, not our own. However, when we try to make things happen outside of God’s timing and will, we may see instant gratification, but the ramifications are unseen in our future.

I’ve never been good at waiting, but God promises to be good to me if do.

Meet You in the Night Sky

This may sound ridiculous, but for the first time in my life I know for a fact that my mother loves me.

I spent 99% of my entire life wondering why my mother didn’t love me. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what I’d done to make her dislike me so much. I struggled every day of my adult life trying to make her love me and see me for who I really was, not who she had made me out to be.

The fact of the matter, as sad as it may sound, is that she found nothing in me that she liked or respected. She honestly thought I was a loser and a lost cause. She constantly berated me for being “too sensitive” or emotional, and she despised my goofy side as she was much too mature and serious for things that were silly. She never thought I was smart enough to amount to anything special, not even after producing straight A’s in high school, or making the Dean’s List in college, or getting my novel published. She didn’t approve of any choices I made in my life, and found unique and cutting ways to tear me down at any chance she could find.

We spent the majority of our lives arguing and fighting, sometimes not talking for up to two years. She seemed to enjoy belittling me in front of my friends and always made me feel as if everyone else around me was far more superior than I could ever dream of being. She went out of her way to make sure to complain about anything and everything I ever did—even the good things.

When my oldest son, Josh, was growing up, she favored him over me and pitted us apart continually. She reduced me to nothing in his eyes by overriding any important decisions I would make concerning his life. She gave him all the love, attention, and affection I craved from her my whole life. She never let me forget that he was her favorite. She went out of her way to make sure I knew exactly where I stood, and eventually where my youngest son, Tavin, would stand. She even said to me when I told her we were having a boy again, “Just so you know, nothing and no one will EVER replace Josh.” There it was. Tavin wouldn’t mean much to her as long as he was a boy.

It all sounds so horrible, doesn’t it?

The past few years, though, were much better. Had it not been for the cancer eating away at her insides, her heart may have never been found. That’s just the sad reality of this horrific story of my life. Ask anyone who knew my mother before the cancer, and they can “tell you stories.”

One day, nearly four years ago, after a week’s worth of constant fighting and back and forth nonsense, I had finally had it and told my husband, “She’s dying. And for all I care, she can die alone.” That’s how awful she was being to me and I just couldn’t take it anymore. And then it dawned on me: she’s dying and she could die alone. Regardless of everything, she was still my mother and I loved her. So I confronted her and called her out on everything she had done to hurt me over the years. We eventually ended up crying and realizing…this was it. We either ended this maddening cycle and recovered most of what we’d lost over the years, or we could just go on, business as usual, hating each other until the day she died.

I used to think my life would be better off without her. Now I can’t imagine not having her in my life… 

The last few years have been bittersweet. To see my mother change the way she did, and the way she tried so hard to respect me and love me, although it didn’t come easy, was astounding. She eventually wanted to do things with me, which she never had before. She tried new things with me, like going to the Harbor Market and the museum. She would call at night just to say, “Hey, how’s it going?” or to tell me about a movie on the old movie channels. But I knew it would all end so very soon. All this love and compassion. It was all too brief, but I still cherished every second of it, even though my heart was breaking.

And then just a few months ago we had that very odd warm weather in March. We had just started going to church together again, and something in my mom changed. Everything about her changed. I went over to her house one night and she ended up sitting next to me on the couch—something she NEVER did! And we talked like school girls and laughed about silly things. Then she surprised me and asked me to come sit out on the porch with her because it was nice outside. (My mother NEVER did things like that!) We sat on the steps looking out into the sky, noticing how many stars were out that night. And then all of a sudden she leapt up and said, “You’ve got to see this! Come here.” And she took me to the driveway and showed me these two amazingly bright stars in the Western sky. “Look at how bright they are! They can’t be just stars. I wonder what they are,” she inquired. I told her I’d go home and look it up and let her know. And I did. It was Venus and Jupiter, on March 14th. Those stars were me and her. Me and my mother. Much like the Venus Jupiter conjunction, our two lives were finally lining up.

"Both Jupiter and Venus are very bright objects—the second and third brightest, after the moon—in the night sky, so it's not surprising a conjunction would historically always be watched with interest, simply because both are so bright that they sort of command our attention. One alone is ignorable, but both Venus and Jupiter together draw the eye."

(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120313-conjunction-venus-jupiter-sky-space-science/)

It was only a few weeks after that experience that things would start getting worse for her, health-wise. And her mood went from peaceful to incredibly irritable and angry all over again.

Now more than ever, I know my mother truly knows me and fully loves me. She’s gone and resides in heaven. God has revealed to her the real me she resisted to know here on earth. She is finally proud of me and believes in me like never before. For the first time in my life, I no longer need to prove anything to her anymore, because she “gets me” now. I can’t even begin to explain how comforting that is to me.

It took my mother’s death for me to honestly feel my mother’s love for the first time in my life, the way I’ve always wanted her to love me. And now I’ll never have to question my mother’s love, ever again.

We are Jupiter and Venus, aligning in the night sky.

Reading the Bible in 90 Days

I recently finished a Bible reading plan in 90 days called, B90. It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had reading God’s Word.

When I first landed on MomsToolBox.com, I read the comments of how so many graduates of the program had connected with God in a way they never thought possible. I wasn’t scared by the timeline, in fact I was fairly confident (for the first time in my life) that I could accomplish the task. But more than anything, I desperately desired to take my walk with God to a new level, and had hoped this program would help get me to that place.

If you are considering participating in the B90 program, there are some things you need to be fully aware of. It starts out great for the first few weeks. You’re cranking along, feeling great, reading things you’ve never even noticed before that you read a million times. God’s Word will quite literally come to life, and your spirit will quicken. However, the program has consequences.

About midway through the reading plan is when our son Tavin developed an illness that we’re still in the dark about. We spent countless hours in ER, at Children’s Hospital, and having every test imaginable done on our poor little guy. He endured so much trauma and pain for nearly 6 weeks straight. The pain for him was so horrific that he spent hours screaming in agony and writhing in pain every day, and suffering from extreme night terrors each night.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, my mom’s cancer began to progress rapidly, and she ended up in the hospital for a week at the very same time that our son was sick. Her cancer had nearly doubled in only one short month. Our family was devastated.

To top it off, financially we couldn’t keep afloat. Our bills backed up and we realized we had no other option than to get further in debt just to buy the things we needed.

I often found myself angry with God throughout all of this madness that was encircling us, but being committed to the B90 plan kept me in God’s Word and in God’s presence. However, I also realized I had fallen days behind. Fortunately you are offered two grace days, which I took, but was still five days behind. I did complete the program; however it wasn’t in 90 days, it took me 95.

As I made my weekly contact with our group leader on her website, I read what other people were commenting about throughout the process too. As I read through them, I began to see a trend. This wasn’t the first time many people had attempted to complete this program. Many were on their third or fourth try. And the number one reason most people stopped was due to some kind of personal tragedy that tore them away.
This was a common thread throughout our group. People were being attacked left and right by the enemy. Some were strong enough to keep pushing through it, while others, like my husband, just couldn’t take the added pressure of being confined to a stringent timeline on top of everything else crashing around them.

Many people ask me, “What was it that made the experience so great?” And the first thing I have to admit is that I read the whole entire Bible, cover to cover. No small feat for any Christian. Most long time Christians have read “scriptures” here and there but  haven’t experienced it in its entirety.

Better yet was the short time frame to complete the 1500 page, 6 point font book. And I say this because when you need to keep reading so much in such a short period of time, everything remains incredibly fresh in your mind. Suddenly the puzzle starts coming together like a rubix cube, only it doesn’t feel so overwhelming and complicated. The veil is lifted and everything that seemed so confusing suddenly begins to make sense.
I was also able to visualize the series of events that took place, and the Bible became an incredible lesson for me in our world’s history, starting at the beginning of time! Something no school book in our system will EVER offer!

Reading the Bible on a two year plan reduces your chances of experiencing the wholeness and completeness of what God is trying to teach us in our walk with Him. You can lose so much. It’s no different than asking you to sit down right now and do a long algebra problem from high school. If you’re not doing that sort of thing on a daily basis, you will struggle with the equation. So when you read the New Testament, it will be incredibly difficult to remember where you read scriptures that Jesus, Peter, Matthew, James and Paul referred to. When you read Isaiah or Jeremiah, you’ll have a hard time recalling their roles in Chronicles or Kings. (Did you even KNOW that most of the prophets were first introduced in those books?)

Through the B90 plan, you will see and experience God like never before. He will show you things you’ve glazed over in the past. There is no glazing in this program. No skipping forward because it’s not what you want to read about at that time. That’s how most of us read the Bible. We search out what we want to hear, or even dumbly fumble through it “accidentally” landing on a scripture in hopes God will talk to us. And you’ll be fascinated to see how God will actually begin to speak to your circumstances through your daily readings.

The program offers a bible specifically sectioned off for 90 days. However, you can use your own Bible, but they recommend that you use one that does not include devotionals, study notes, or things of that nature, because those things will distract you from the reading.

I found that things were jumping out at me all over the place, so I just grabbed a pencil and began to underline scriptures that spoke to me or surprised me so I could go back to them later. I also held a weekly B90 small group with my brother-in-laws and my husband to discuss those very things. That increased my experience so much more!

You need to be seriously committed to this program if you’re considering it at all. Know your time limitations. Each daily reading take approximately one to one and a half hours, depending on your individual reading pace. Again, you do receive two grace days, but if you don’t use them then technically you will have read the Bible in 88 days. I chose to do my reading at night after our son went to bed. Of course, I’m not tied down to television programs or other activities, so that made me a bit more confident that I could complete the program.

You also need to be aware that the enemy will try to prevent you from moving forward, because he realizes just how powerful this reading plan is in maturing you in Christ. But if you know these things going in, you can be prepared for it and seek the Holy Spirit’s strength and guidance.

I recommend that you join an online community to encourage you through the program. Otherwise, try following the reading plan on your own or with a friend or two. Find an outlet to express and share what you’re learning and what God is doing in your life as you venture through the Bible. I have been considering starting a small group this summer (as I will be following the B90 schedule again myself), so if you’d like to take the journey with me, please express your interest in the comments below. I would want it to be interactive with a weekly group participation through skype or google+ hang out.

I Do NOT Hate Polar Bears

I do NOT hate polar bears. I repeat: I do not hate polar bears, nor do I wish them to die.

On the other hand, I also value life, particular the life of the unborn children. After that, my next and most pressing concern is for the women who have gone through the experience of abortion.

My big mistake (apparently) was naming the thread on CBN.com linking to my blog (originally and still titled, “Living Sacrifice”) something catchy and attention grabbing such as, Polar Bears vs. Unborn Babies. And boy…did it grab your attention. Unfortunately, it grabbed the wrong kind of attention.

Some of you have implied that I’m insisting that we—as Christians, or pro-life advocates—must choose one over the other: the poor, helpless, innocent, dying polar bears; or the poor, innocent, helpless murdered unborn babies. I never said that, nor did I EVER imply that. There is a place for us to be concerned for both. But I would say, quite frankly and without shame, that our concern should be something we can somewhat control. Meaning, if we preach to the polar bears, they won’t be saved. Their lives won’t be changed. The environment is still going to do what it’s doing.

We can, though, control the abortion situation that is happening right in our backyards, so to speak, some in our own neighborhoods. We can minister to these women, pray for them, tell them and show them the truth, encourage them that there are options, educate our communities that there are clinics and people who can truly help them during their difficult time and provide real, honest hope for their future.

And when that doesn’t work and they proceed with an abortion, as Jesus said, “the field is ripe” to counsel these women who are dreadfully living with the consequences of their actions. Pray for harvest hands.

I am one of those harvest hands. As a post-abortive woman, I am pro-life, but I’m also keenly aware that that means nothing in today’s society. So when women decide to exercise their pro-choice decisions, but realize in the long run the horrific emotional, spiritual and physical pain they endure, I want to help by  providing God’s education to healing through His Word, His love, and His compassion to save and heal them.

I won’t be bogged down with the heavy burdens of other people’s desires to skew the truth I spoke, or mislead others into a heated political debate about global warming vs. abortion. That’s not what this blog, or the past blog, was about. It is solely about educating the world about the truth about abortion.

“But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing are lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth” (Romans 1:18).

If somehow that message got lost because everyone who read it was misled by this notion that I hate polar bears, my apologies are extended and hopefully forgiven. I hope this clears the air and settles the deceitfully harmful debate that somewhat drew attention away from the reality of the topic.

Where Are They Now?

I would also like to share something that a reader asked about on CBN pertaining to the aborted children and what happens to them. Paul described it like this in Romans 9:11:

“…her babies were still innocent in the womb—incapable of good or bad…”

That assures us that those innocent babies are up in Heaven.

We also know God formed us in the womb, that HE is our Creator, and we are His children. Those unborn children are God’s children, too. So they are in Heaven, be rest assured of that. If that doesn’t satisfy the nagging question, maybe this will help, too:

"God sovereignly made me--the first, the basic--before He did anything else. I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got its start." Psalm 8:22-23

 

"Don't you see that children are God's BEST gift? The fruit of the womb HIS generous legacy?" Psalm 127:3 (MSG)

 

What About You?

If you ever had an abortion and you are currently wondering about your child(ren), those scriptures should give you comfort in knowing that God is taking care of them now until the day you will see and meet them face to face. They are in good Hands. But what about you? Are YOU in good hands? Are you being taken care of? Is God tending to your needs?

God is our healer and our comforter. Please seek help through any number of resources available for post-abortive women. Seek out local community family resource clinics or centers (NOT Planned Parenthood! They are pro-abortion and don’t offer such classes or counseling, since they don’t believe there are any side effects to having an abortion). Consider a weekend healing retreat with Rachel’s Vineyard. Or find an online community that offers confidential bible studies specifically for this type of healing.

Otherwise, if you’re just staring at this screen, afraid to move or reach out somewhat publically yet, why not instead reach out to the One who loves you dearly, and calls you His treasure and the apple of His eye. Reach out to the One who took your abortion on the cross. Who holds nothing against you, but only wishes to free you from your sorrow, anxiety, and guilt.

If that’s you, reach out to Jesus Christ now through this simple prayer and let Him begin the healing process through salvation and/or restoration:

Lord Jesus, thank You for taking my shame and guilt on the cross. Thank You for loving me so much that You stood in my place and took my wrath. I’m grateful to know that nothing surprises you—not even my abortion(s). I come to You right now, freely offering myself to You so You will be my Savior and Healer, asking for Your forgiveness, as I know You will faithfully accept me into Your Presence and take me into Your loving arms. I receive You as My Lord and Savior. I repent of all of my past and present sins. I hand over my life to You and denounce any evil strongholds that are currently trying to hold me down. Break the chains of darkness in my life, as I am confident that You have conquered sin on the cross when You died, and offered us a new life of hope through Your resurrection. I am also grateful to learn that my children are safe and sound and in Your eternal care and comfort. Thank You for showing me that my children, too, forgive me the way that You do. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Living Sacrifice

Today I found myself tangled in a messy debate over abortion on facebook. What triggered the conversation was someone’s post regarding how great the weather has been correlating to global warming.  A “friend” commented and said:

“I bet you won't be saying this when all the polar bears are extinct.  But I bet you don't care about the polar bears.”

I immediately found myself responding:

"I wish more people were concerned about the holocaust of unborn babies in our country than they are about polar bears in Antarctica.”

To which she responded:

“Use the word "holocaust" in its correct context. Holocaust means sacrificed by fire. Abortion is not a "sacrifice," it is a choice. A choice that is no one's business.

However, I did have to correct her, because although the word “holocaust” does indeed mean “sacrifice by fire,” it also means:

“Any mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life” (dictionary.com).

I followed it with a link to the movie, 180, which absolutely correlates abortion with the Holocaust. (The 30 minute movie is provided below. It is well worth the time, and you’ll be amazed as some of the answers that are given to random people on the street. Some knew nothing about Adolph Hitler, and others said they’d choose to bury Jews alive if given a choice to do that or be killed themselves. But what was incredibly fascinating as you continue to watch the movie connect abortion with the Holocaust, is the absolute transformation—right before your very eyes—of some of the people interviewed. You will see the shock and horror in their eyes, and their revelation of what abortion truly means in our society. Thus the name, 180.)

Pro-choice. Is the choice of abortion a “sacrifice”? When we think of ancient times, are we not horrified by the human sacrifices of babies? How does abortion differ?

I think the real sacrifice comes when we decide to be Pro-Life. When we choose life instead of murder. The real sacrifice is putting ourselves aside and taking responsibility for our actions, behaviors, and “choices.”

Abortion is quite literally a living sacrifice to selfishness and foolishness. It’s not a choice by any means. Not when we consider how many people are fooled into the notion that abortion is especially okay within the first trimester. According to Pregnancy Period:

“The first trimester is the stage of pregnancy that begins on the first day of your last menstrual period and ends at 13 weeks. During the first trimester, the basis for all of your baby’s organs will form.”

So let’s consider what happens during those first 13 weeks that everyone is so convinced is not life:

Day of conception: baby’s features, including sex, hair and eye color are determined (Before You Decide resource booklet).

Week 4: the babies heart is PUMPING and his/her movement is easily seen on ultrasound.

Week 6: the baby has fingers and has begun to move.

Week 10: fingernails and toenails start to form.

During training to become a post-abortion counselor, we are shown a video of an actual abortion. As the doctor inserts the instrument to grind the so-called “tissue,” the baby STRUGGLES to keep away from it. It squirms and fights for its life.

So let’s go back to the idea that the choice of abortion is “no one’s business.”

“Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva claim if a fetus can be aborted, a newborn can also be ‘terminated.’

‘Merely being human is not in itself a reason for ascribing someone a right to life,’ the authors write in an article published in the online edition of the Journal of Medical Ethics.” (Click here for the source.)

Once we say that an abortion during the first trimester is “legal” and ethical, we begin to push the boundaries concerning what life means. Is it no one’s business when we take a life because we may or may not think a child has a right to a life? When have we been given that right to decide? 

When will we MAKE this our business? If we were burning newborn babies in a calf or throwing them in poisonous showers would we still insist, “It’s no one’s business”?

Hitler did…

If you watched this movie from my site, please comment below with your thoughts.

THIS is a Christian Blog?

I’m usually not one for bad mouthing other bloggers, but today I was led to what seemed like a promising devotional blog. I was hopeful to find some encouraging words there, or scriptures that would inspire me. Oh no…that’s not what this website was about at all. Try to find God anywhere,  and it was only in the header photo with an image of the bible and the word “devotional” in the title.

Sure, the blogger has 2,404 followers, but only because it offers COUNTLESS giveaways, offers, coupons, and recipes, despite the “about me” declaration:

“Everything about my life is devotional and a living sacrifice for my Lord and Savior. In this blog, you will find prayers, inspirational thoughts, challenges, and everyday thoughts on living in the real world. I have included my passions--music and books--in addition to thoughts on real world living as a Christian and occasional giveaway.”

“Occasional giveaway”? The site was jam packed with everything about nothing. And I guess why I’m writing this and bringing this to the forefront of my blog, is because I have been desperately trying to find a way to get paid to write my devotional blog, NOTE TO SELF: Daily Reminders from God. If I were to do that, it seems God would get completely and utterly lost in the shuffle of recipes, coupons, contests, products, and other nonsense that has NOTHING to do with God or His sacred Word.

Do I want 2,000 followers? Uh, YEAH! But I want the RIGHT followers. I want the type of followers that come to my blog to find true and honest inspiration and hope. I want “followers'” of Jesus, not followers of giveaways and freebies.

Will I do the occasion book review and/or giveaway? YES! But they will truly be “occasional,” and they will ALWAYS be Christian books or products that are relevant to what my blog is about. I will never take God out of my blog…EVER!

I keep trying to find unique ways to get my name/blog out there, and the more I see of those who are “making it,” so to speak, are the ones who have utterly sold their soul for a couple bucks. I don’t see much value in many sites out there anymore. I’m sorry, but that’s a fact.

And when these so-called experts keep telling us, “Content is king,” don’t buy into that lie, because content means nothing. Half the people out there don’t even have a clue how to “write” or construct a paragraph worth reading. Any proper English/Writing teacher would gladly mark a big, fat, bold, red F on their home page. Quite honestly, most of the “sponsored” sites I’ve seen out there are obviously written by amateur writers looking to make an easy buck in cyberspace because blogging is all the rage.

My gift is writing. I use it to honor God. My content is about THE King of kings. I write to express, explain, and encourage. I take my time to write, and don’t rush things out the door just to make sure my mailing list (which I don’t have) can get the latest and greatest gadget for free in hopes of driving in faux traffic. I will absolutely have typos here and there/their/they’re, as that’s only natural, but they are not by any means intentional because I don’t have a clue how to write.

I’m truly sorry if this offends some bloggers, but I have to be honest about what’s going on out there because it’s despicable and shameful. I am publically resolving myself to that fact that if getting paid to blog means minimizing my message, I’ll gladly keep doing it for free…and for God!

I encourage you Christian bloggers out there who are trying to get your blog or website sponsored that you don’t lose focus on WHO you are, WHAT you believe, and who you believe IN. That you don’t sell your soul to the devil in hopes of sharing God’s Word (see the contradiction?).

What truly matters about your site or blog? Who is your target audience? Shoppers or Believers? If they are shoppers, don’t try to push your site off as a Godly place where followers can find and experience God. If they are believers, then don’t lose them by trying to buy them.

I am incredibly selective about the blogs I follow for this very reason. There aren’t many sponsored Christian sites that haven’t lost focus of their “faithful” following. There are a few sites that I absolutely love and I believe hold true to the values, morals and ethics of writing for God. And those bloggers know who they are because I am devout to their sites, their ministries, and their messages.

If your site is about giveaways, product promotions, contests, coupons or money saving tips…ignore me. But if you are a blogger, blogging for Christ you should consider this:

“God’s Message: ‘Guard My common good: do what’s right and do it in the right way’” Isaiah 56:1 (MSG).

Nuff said.

(I originally linked the blog that has me reeling, but I don’t feel the blog deserves anymore “mis”hits than it’s already receiving.)