Saturday, February 26, 2011

One Thousand Gifts: The Gratitude List

Dear friends,

I'd like to share this awesome idea with you: Buy a journal and make a list of what you're grateful for with the aim of seeing if you can think of 1,000 gifts you're grateful for in your life and you will find out that the items on the list are actually revelations of God's love for you!

It's an amazing adventure! Listen to the video on Vimeo of One Thousand Gifts book author Ann Voskamp being interviewed by Angie Smith and Jessica Turner (of The Bloom Book Club), speaking on this very topic:


One Thousand Gifts- Chapter Three from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

Monday, February 21, 2011

The value of today

Dear friends,

Tomorrow is not promised (Proverbs 27:1).

If there's anything in your life that's keeping you from God, let it go, today.

I would like to share this throwback video of The Winans singing "Tomorrow"-- a perfect musical illustration on this very point.

May God bless you and keep you.

Sincerely,

Alexis

Friday, February 18, 2011

Sharing God's love

Happy Sabbath!

For those of you who may be wondering, I am a writer and 
I'd like to share my column online with you.

It's called Growing Up and it's new on the first of every month on the official website for Collegiate Quarterly otherwise known as "CQ."

This month's column is called, "Unfailing Love from the Heart of God."

And for those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about when I say "Happy Sabbath" on Friday evenings and Saturdays before sunset, check out an explanation in my column "Sabbath Rest".

Simply double-click the (underlined) links in the text above to visit the CQ website and read my column.

May you bask in the warmth of God's love for you...today, tomorrow, and always.

Love,

Alexis

P.S._For those of you who have not already, you may want to check out a Sabbath sermon by Adventist Pastor David Asscherick! His sermon was called, "Why Not Tomorrow?" Enjoy! :)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Time to Believe God



~*~
Dear friends,

Have you ever found yourself doubting the Word of God?

If you've been there, this song "Time to Believe," by Forever Jones is for you!

I've been thinking lately, God's Word (The Holy Bible) tells me, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). So why not put this promise into practice? It's so easy, I've found, to talk about all the great things having faith in God can do but when you're faced with a challenging situation, it's equally as easy to shrink back and resort to using your own strength and resources to solve the issue at hand. And usually when we rely on "number one" (yourself) to solve a problem or situation that's bigger than ourselves, we fail miserably!

So one of my "life resolutions" is to speak faith into situations! My grandparents used to say, "To receive, you must believe." The Bible supports their statement (read Matthew 21:22). If I want to lose weight and be in the best shape, I must believe that I can do so with faith that God will get me where to I need to be. If I want to run a marathon and cross the finish line in the top 10, I must believe that I can, with God's help, do it! If I want to land my dream job and make a positive, lasting impact on this world, then I must believe that if that's God's plan for me, it will happen. If I want to marry the man of my dreams, I must believe that he actually exists (ladies, we've all been there).

Now here's the key...you have to put work into it! Speaking faith into situations is only part of the process. The Bible says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). We must speak faith and then trust God to work it out. While we're trusting God, we need to continue to work toward our goal!

We need to let God lead and follow His direction in every area of our lives.

So, if you're trying to achieve total fitness like me, remember it's a lifestyle change. Start a healthy eating plan and make a commitment to go to the gym and work out on a regular basis. If you're trying to run a marathon then start by running for a while in your community...each day, increase your endurance and time that you run...you may even want to have someone experienced in this area to train you for the marathon or practice running with a friend who's been there. If you're looking to land your dream job, then keep sending out your resumes to potential employers, network and pray for God's plan for your life to be revealed. And if you're waiting to meet the man of your dreams, keep praying and believe that God has a script for your true love story and you will not, with faith in what God has said (Jeremiah 29:11), miss it!

It's time to believe in what God said!

Blessings, 

Alexis