I grew up in an Italian/Sicilian family, and as far as my family knew, they could trace our ethnicity to Italy and Sicily; however, thanks to my parents’ genetic makeup and my receiving whatever they had, I found out my ethnicity, my family’s ethnicity is not just Italian/Sicilian.
Back a few months ago, my husband and I received two Ethnicity DNA kits as a gift. I made sure I followed the instructions to the letter with the help of my husband so I didn’t miss a beat, and he completed his kit; we sent both DNA kits off to the center.
It took awhile, but in the last two weeks, I FINALLY got my results. And while it was not surprising based on Italy’s history, it was most definitely an eye opener.
“Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
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“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” –Matthew 7:15-20
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya Angelou
When we give of ourselves to help those around us, we demonstrate the love of Christ; and in the Gospels, when we see our Savior being moved with compassion, we also should be moved with compassion as we follow His example and help those around us.
May we always remember to be His hands extended.
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
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“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” -Luke 6:38
“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” -Hebrews 6:10
“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” -Hebrews 13:16
You may be left standing alone as you stand for what you believe.
You do NOT need man’s approval.
You need God’s approval because
His approval is the only thing that matters.
DO NOT COMPROMISE FOR ANYONE. Mankind is as temporal as everything else. First John 2:15-17 states, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
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Just like everything else, mankind is temporal, not eternal.
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Even if you were deserted by family and friends and neighbors, be assured you are NOT standing alone, God is The One Who Has Got You Covered all around. He is your Hedge of Protection, your Strength, your Shield, your Portion. He is your All and All; He is Everything.
“‘I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished.Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. ‘Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, ‘When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times. ‘Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.'”-Luke 12:49-59
Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have clothes on your back? Food on the table? Do you have family… friends? Did you wake up this morning?
IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED YES TO ANY OR ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU ARE BLESSED.
Put a smile on your face. Count your blessings. You have been given another day, a fresh start, another chance. Rather than focusing on yourself or all things negative, DO SOMETHING nice for someone else. Look for opportunities to commit random acts of KINDNESS. Believe it or not, those opportunities to commit random acts of KINDNESS happen quite frequently. Extending yourself to help someone else will help begin the mending of a broken heart or a crushed spirit.
The most miserable people are those who have not learned to be content with what they have and not learned to be grateful. Develop an attitude of gratitude; it will carry you through good and bad times
Much love to you all,
L.A. Knowles
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” -1 Timothy 6:6
I’ve loved paper and pen for as long as I can remember, and when I went to college, college only fueled my love for it a lot more. Some say I was addicted, and many have wondered what my fascination was with pen and paper; if I could write on it, I was fascinated. No matter where I was, no matter what I did, paper and pen were immediately within my reach.
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There’s nothing like opening a brand new ream of paper, fresh scent, crisp feel to it where secrets, thoughts, things in life that make no sense can be worked out, described in detail until everything inside is out of your system… A safe place, a friend, and a great therapist which can be immediately ripped to shreds, burnt up, or put away depending on the thoughts and/or the confession. I know it may sound crazy to some people, and that’s fine. However, each of us has some way of dealing with stuff. My way happens to be with pen and paper.
One does NOT inherit Christianity, and one cannot get into Heaven riding on someone else’s coattails. There’s a choice that must be made. The book of John tells us TO ALL WHO BELIEVED AND ACCEPTED HIM, to them, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).
As children of God, we are called to live righteous and holy lives, not to live as the world does. We’re in this world, but we’re NOT of this world because this world is a temporary home, a place we’re only traveling through; and we’re chosen to bear fruit, walking the walk, not just making claims but actually living the life. We must keep in mind our faith needs to be backed up by actions, walking in obedience to God who has chosen us to be His own. It is not enough to make claims. If we love God, we’ll obey Him. We’re called to bear good fruit such as helping our fellow man/woman, encouraging one another, following the examples Christ has given us. May we always be His hand extended.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” -Matthew 7:21-23