It is not by Will Power, but Thought Power

Not many people have seen me lose my cool, but I've have been guilty and embarrassed a few times when I have.

It is during those times that  I've seen my own true colors as well as of those of others.

Proverbs 23:7 ⁷For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Thinketh - The Hebrew verb is found here only, and probably means, "as he is all along in his heart, so is he (at last) in act."


Our reactions define who we really are inside. Reactions are not premediated actings springing from our best motive, carefully thought out, planned and weighed. They are emotional responses, breaking looses when we feel hurt, cheated, used, or misunderstand.

I almost never go a day without wanting to rip someone's head off. Fortunately, I have controlled myself and have not done that but I have had a few emotional outburts which I'm not very proud of.

For the most part, we lose our preserved "front" when we are pressured beyond calculated thinking. then, who we really are is made manifest.

The good news is when we stop and take an inventory of our thought life, we can choose to change our thoughts that will change the way we feel and the way we react. Our reactions are our thought life inside out.

The way we think every day determines the way we feel, which will evidently determine how we react.

Our heart is filled with thoughts and it is out our hearts, the mouth speaks either words of praise or bitterness. I've never heard a negative person speak postiviely and vis versa.

I have tried many times to control myself and give myself a prep talk to maintain my cool around irritating people and situations but it is not by will power. I need to continually check to see my thoughts toward this person. Haven't you noticed when you don't like someone and you h ave made up your mind that you don't like that , no matter what they say or do is annoying and offensive? But I challenge you to think otherwise and see how things will start to shift.


 Solution:

Romans 12:2

New International Version (NIV)

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Not an Option

It was a privilege to hear one of my all time favorite and one of my most admirable speakers and authors Lisa Bevere at Angelus Temple last night.

Almost ten years ago, her hubby John Bevere was there speaking but I couldn't make it; however my mom was able to go and it is then she came home with Lisa Bever's books which she bought for me. One of them was Kiss the Girls and Made Them Cry and the other one was You Are Not What you Weight and in that book here is what my mom wrote.

 

Fast forward ten years and last night I met the woman herself. I was so excited and honored to get to speak with her and give her a big hug.

Last nights message was "Not an Option" and I took some notes to share with you. 

It's your choice whether you may be a victim or a hero. 

There are a lot of challenges in life but don't try to get out of it pre-maturily. Life is full of tests and if you try to get out of it before season, you'd have to go through it again and the second time around it will be harder.  Don't give up. Stick through it so you will see the fruit of your labor. 

This was my favorite take away: God knows our condition. But under pressure is when we know our condition. 

A skinny person can have more fat than an actually bigger person which is called skinny fat. Our churches have skinny fat instead of muscles so we're not bearing strong fruit. What we may see from outside are good looking people with nice clothes and that's how some Christians are. They look good from the outside but they're not bearing fruit. We need to work out our faith and live it out so we can bear much fruit.

We only have two options: God option or NO OPTION.

Sometimes God wants just one person to stand up and say "it's not an option!" It's not an option to have a loveless marriage. It's not an option to have a nation that's falling apart. It's not an option to have a rebellious child. God is the option. 

xoxo

El

Life doesn't have to be Perfect for it to be Wonderful

 Every morning I wake up and have my quite time before work. That's the only time I have to myself- Just me, cup of coffee, and my Lord. I am reminded that I can do everything I need to do through Christ who strengths me....His grace is sufficient for me...I renew my mind and I'm set for the day. If I'm not careful, i can lose my joy and peace in an instant to a recklace driver, traffic or some other annoyance before I even get to work.

Through the day things happen and come up that I much rather snap and throw a fit but choose to otherwise.

I'm better at some things than others but I'm just as weak, and have faults like everyone else.


A week ago, I decided to print out this Housekeeping Schedule which I stuck with a week faithfully and I'm still trying to follow through! I actually like it a lot.But now that Emma is holding on to things and walking, I can't have her be still for me to do much around here. I feel like pulling out my hair when I look at the mess with toys on the floor, the kitchen sink piled in dishes and the sticky floors.

I keep going back and forth with my housekeeping schedule and finally I have decided it's not going to look like a museum and it's impossible to keep it perfectly the way I like our place to be 24/7.  Sometimes I wish I didn't care so much about things being in place and order but I have this thing where I can't enjoy much if there is clutter.  Last night after we finally put Emma to bed, I was able to finish the dishes but had to leave the floors sticky...

I'm so grateful that Osh helps me out or else I don't know how I would be able to do it with a full time job.I love the way how he keeps me grounded and reminds me what it's all about it. I love how he can bring things into perspective. Honestly, I've known Osh for 6 years now and have never seen him bothered much or if he is, he never loses his cool or lets outside factors control his joy like a dirty kitchen. He brings so much balance and order into my life. I learn a lot just by watching him deal with stuff.

With that said, I have come to the conclusion that I'm going to enjoy the season we're in,  because the truth is,  life doesn't have to be perfect for it to be wonderful.

Happy Mom,

El

Palmolive to remove dark toner from hair

Ladies!

It's my joy to share with you a great discovery! I was able to get most of the brown toner out of my hair by washing it with Palmolive dish detergent. It works! My coworker told me about it yesterday after I told her I miss my blond hair and I can't wait for the brown toner to wash out. Thank God, I didn't use a permanent color.

Anyway, if you ever, whether by accident or not put in a dark toner, you can wash it out with Palmolive! My hair today is two shades lighter and I can see the highlights!

Lots of love,

El

Emma's First Easter

It's so nice to be married into a Persian Armenian home. Armenian food is amazing generally speaking but to have the cooking of both Persian and Armenian, it's the best! Saturday night, we went over to my in laws for dinner then Sunday we went to church followed by lunch at my parents.

It was mostly exciting because it was our little Emma's very first Easter! I was overwhelmed and overjoyed at the generous gifts friends and family gave to our little princess. So thankful!

Above all the enjoying food and family time together, it was mindful of reflecting on the true meaning of Resurrection Day- celebrating our risen Lord. Thank you Jesus.

Created to be His Help Meet. Chapter 1: God's Gift

After hearing Candace Cameron Bure speak so highly of the book Created to Be His Help Meet  by Debi Pearl. I got the book to check it out for myself. I started reading the introduction last night and didn't want to put it down. I decided to take good notes and share my "take aways" with my girlfriends especially those who are married.



Chapter 1 -God's Gift.

A Wise Woman doesn't take anything for granted. She is thankful to be loved and seeks to make herself more lovely.

If God created a special woman, perfectly suited to be your husband's helper, would you be that woman?

God's gift to Man: God gave Adam the most precious gift a man will ever receive - a woman.  "And the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a help meet for him." (Gen 2:18)

You are by nature, equiped in ever way to be your man's helper.  You are inferior to none as long as you function within your created nature.

"A Virtuous woman is a crown to her husband." (Proverbs 12:4)

  God's perfect will for your life is to be his help meet.

Make a New Habit 
Think of ways you can be your husband's helper.

On this Easter

  In memory of Jospeh Tati: my dad's aunt whom I considered my grandma; went home April 3, 2012.

As a teenager I didn’t enjoy listening to tatik (grandma in Armenian)  tell me about Jesus. I thought I believe in God that should be enough. It was also annoying every time she’d tell me she had been praying for me because I didn't feel like there was anything wrong with me that needed to be prayed about.  My idea of church was only the elderly and people who need help go there. I don’t because I’m fine and I believe in God. I also didn't like church because they were full of hypocrites.  But the way her and her daughters continued talking about Him and the peace that they brought with them when they came over to visit us made me question things and want what they had. Their kindness was also sincere and I could tell they really cared about me. They had invited me to church a couple of times but I had rejected their invite every time due to busy plans, better things to do on a Wednesday night and Sundays. I wonder why they were so into it though.

When I was fresh out of high school, 17 years young, during summer vacation, before staring my first year of college, mid-June of 2001, I was home alone and was doing a lot of thinking about life, my future, what I wanted to do, the major I was going to go for in college and how I was miserably single and seemed like none of them met would fill up this empty void in me.  I thought there must be more to life other than what they taught us in school with humanity, evolution and survival. I thought if survival is what we are here for they why do we always want more than just that? With all of these questions, and the seeking of answers, I asked God to make himself real to me and immediately after I felt this warmth like blanket cover me and I couldn’t deny the encounter that day. I cried tears of joy and I knew that I knew in my heart that there was more to Life and that I just might have found it. I ran to our phone and called my cousin’s cell but she didn’t answer. Then, I called the house phone and grandma picked up. It turned out her daughter was in Hawaii with the family and she was home alone. I told her the next time she goes to church; I want to go with her. With excitement she asked will you pick me up this Wednesday and we’ll go together?

That Wednesday, I gave my life to Jesus. I felt something in my heart that I couldn’t describe in words but my heart found all the answers it had been searching for.  I got saved at Media City Church June 2001. Ever since then, my life hasn’t been the same. It’s like I was lost but now I’m found. I was blind but now I can see. My spirit was dead but now alive in Christ. All old things are gone and behold all things are made new.

I pray that you come to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, in order that you may attain to the resurrection from the dead.