Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Thankful Thursday: Simple blessings
It’s Thursday and I am thankful for simple blessings.
But it wasn’t the grand title of today’s event that made the day special, it was the children. All the beautiful, sweet children who were dealing with so much more than anyone would ever want to face. These kids had all sorts of disabilities—from autism to Down’s Syndrome—and I could see them struggling in their illness yet trying to simply be a kid and enjoy the day’s activities…and my heart broke. My spirit was humbled as I observed the multitude of children gathering in the gym with their adult aides, some in wheel chairs, some barely able to walk, some with helmets on their heads and other special aides…it was heartbreaking in the truest sense and at the same time, humbling because all of my “challenges” and “issues” started to fade in comparison to the plight of these sweet kids, a plight that would last a lifetime.
One of the teachers who works at the school told me that these are kids who people in society often write off saying they can’t do anything but the opposite is true, these kids he told me, can do so much more than you’d think. His words warmed my heart for all teachers who are dedicated to helping special needs children make their way through this world in a dignified and holistic way because that’s exactly what they and any child really needs, someone who believes in them, someone who will be their personal cheerleader encouraging them not to sit on the sidelines of life but to get in the game and enjoy it to the best of their ability.
And here I am, I thought, thinking that I have issues and I have challenges. But here are these kids who deal with more than I could ever imagine or handle and yet they’re not letting it bench them, they’re participating in the Special Olympics games with bright smiles and a winner spirit of perseverance.
If anything, the kids taught me something today and that is to be thankful for my life through and through—from the simple blessings today, to the greatest opportunities I may have tomorrow—I became thankful for it all, ten times over.
A popular pastor/motivational speaker named Nick Vujicic is an example of perseverance and keeping the faith in God. He was born without arms and legs yet he travels around the world speaking to people of all ages/backgrounds/social status and giving hope, inspiring everyone he encounters with his story of overcoming his challenges through his faith that all things work together for the good of those who love God and you will see in this video (shared in my blog post today) that Nick really loves God!
Be inspired.
Love,
Alexis
Simple blessings are the things you take for granted in life such as the ability to: move without an aide, walk without stumbling, breathe without needing an oxygen tank, see with both eyes (with or without glasses, contacts or perfect 20/20 vision), hear with both ears without an hearing aide or cochlear implant…and the list goes on! There are so many simple things in life that we all can take for granted because we use them freely each day and it is for these simple blessings today that I am most thankful.
Earlier this morning, I covered an event called the "Special Olympics" for a newspaper. It took place inside an expansive school building equipped with classrooms, a gym, cafeteria and something that you won’t find in most public elementary schools—an indoor pool.
But it wasn’t the grand title of today’s event that made the day special, it was the children. All the beautiful, sweet children who were dealing with so much more than anyone would ever want to face. These kids had all sorts of disabilities—from autism to Down’s Syndrome—and I could see them struggling in their illness yet trying to simply be a kid and enjoy the day’s activities…and my heart broke. My spirit was humbled as I observed the multitude of children gathering in the gym with their adult aides, some in wheel chairs, some barely able to walk, some with helmets on their heads and other special aides…it was heartbreaking in the truest sense and at the same time, humbling because all of my “challenges” and “issues” started to fade in comparison to the plight of these sweet kids, a plight that would last a lifetime.
One of the teachers who works at the school told me that these are kids who people in society often write off saying they can’t do anything but the opposite is true, these kids he told me, can do so much more than you’d think. His words warmed my heart for all teachers who are dedicated to helping special needs children make their way through this world in a dignified and holistic way because that’s exactly what they and any child really needs, someone who believes in them, someone who will be their personal cheerleader encouraging them not to sit on the sidelines of life but to get in the game and enjoy it to the best of their ability.
And here I am, I thought, thinking that I have issues and I have challenges. But here are these kids who deal with more than I could ever imagine or handle and yet they’re not letting it bench them, they’re participating in the Special Olympics games with bright smiles and a winner spirit of perseverance.
If anything, the kids taught me something today and that is to be thankful for my life through and through—from the simple blessings today, to the greatest opportunities I may have tomorrow—I became thankful for it all, ten times over.
A popular pastor/motivational speaker named Nick Vujicic is an example of perseverance and keeping the faith in God. He was born without arms and legs yet he travels around the world speaking to people of all ages/backgrounds/social status and giving hope, inspiring everyone he encounters with his story of overcoming his challenges through his faith that all things work together for the good of those who love God and you will see in this video (shared in my blog post today) that Nick really loves God!
Be inspired.
Love,
Alexis
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Thankful Thursday: The Value of You
It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for you, yes, YOU!
Jesus Christ is our Mediator because He, on a daily basis, stands in the gap that sin created between us and our Creator God and when we mess up Jesus pleads before His Father for us asking God to give us another chance. The point of Christ’s sacrifice was so when we sin and ask for forgiveness, God will not see our “sin”. Instead, God will see His Son and remember the whole point of His Son’s sacrifice—to give us a second chance at eternal life. And being the great and merciful God He is He will forgive us of our sins. But please note: this will not happen forever (Revelation 22:11). So seek God while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6).
Now while salvation is a FREE gift from God to you, it only works if you decide to accept it and then obey God’s commandments (which you can find in The Holy Bible). When you accept Jesus Christ into your life and start to grow in your relationship with Him, you will see that following God’s commandments is easier than you may think because when you love someone, you want to please them, right? Well when you love God, you can please Him by following His commandments and having faith in His Word (Hebrews 11:6).
But let’s go back to my original point: I am thankful for you because YOU matter to God which means YOU matter to me because I love God. And because I love God, I want what’s best for you. I want for you, if you have not already, to get to know the Creator of the Universe who is the same One who created you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). I want you to fall in love with a Faithful Friend (Jesus Christ) who will NEVER let you go or let you down (Matthew 28:20). Essentially, I want you to discover and then embrace your TRUE VALUE which in the eyes of God is priceless.
You are a rare treasure. You are a precious soul. You, dear reader of my “God is Love” blog, are one of God’s own.
Why? Because YOU matter to GOD! And that means you matter to me too because I love God.
How do I know that you matter? Simply because the Bible tells me so in John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
GOD loves YOU so much that He sent His ONE and ONLY Son Jesus Christ to live here on Earth and experience every trial ever known to mankind, die as a ransom for our lives (Satan wanted us all to be condemned but God loved us too much to let that happen without us having a choice) and be resurrected to live again (only this time forever) as our Savior, Redeemer and Friend and even more importantly, our MEDIATOR between God and mankind. Since Jesus Christ lived, walked and ministered on this Earth for the 33 years he journeyed here, He knows what you're going through and because He's been where you are, He's experienced your joys and sorrows so He knows exactly how to meet your needs which I believe, makes Him the perfect mediator.
Jesus Christ is our Mediator because He, on a daily basis, stands in the gap that sin created between us and our Creator God and when we mess up Jesus pleads before His Father for us asking God to give us another chance. The point of Christ’s sacrifice was so when we sin and ask for forgiveness, God will not see our “sin”. Instead, God will see His Son and remember the whole point of His Son’s sacrifice—to give us a second chance at eternal life. And being the great and merciful God He is He will forgive us of our sins. But please note: this will not happen forever (Revelation 22:11). So seek God while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6).
Now while salvation is a FREE gift from God to you, it only works if you decide to accept it and then obey God’s commandments (which you can find in The Holy Bible). When you accept Jesus Christ into your life and start to grow in your relationship with Him, you will see that following God’s commandments is easier than you may think because when you love someone, you want to please them, right? Well when you love God, you can please Him by following His commandments and having faith in His Word (Hebrews 11:6).
But let’s go back to my original point: I am thankful for you because YOU matter to God which means YOU matter to me because I love God. And because I love God, I want what’s best for you. I want for you, if you have not already, to get to know the Creator of the Universe who is the same One who created you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). I want you to fall in love with a Faithful Friend (Jesus Christ) who will NEVER let you go or let you down (Matthew 28:20). Essentially, I want you to discover and then embrace your TRUE VALUE which in the eyes of God is priceless.
You are a rare treasure. You are a precious soul. You, dear reader of my “God is Love” blog, are one of God’s own.
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