In Spirit and In Truth

*For whatever reason, the clip is not showing please click Ministry for the Deaf, Salvation.

Because I am hard of hearing, naturally it was fascinating to watch a news segment of a man named Kevin Hall who is not only deaf, but the first African-American to attend Ohio State on a full golf scholarship! I'm a sucker for a good success story! So here are the links: CBS News MSNBC Galludet University's World Around You There is no "more" :)

I've changed the name of my blog to "In Spirit and In Truth" ( John 4:23 )! The reason for this change is to convey my worship of Him in a more specific light. This name change does not indicate a change in intention, but rather adding to the purpose of my blog. I feel compelled to as I continue to blog to promote the unity of Holy Spirit amongst believers regardless of their church status. That is promoting unity and edification of the Body of Christ. This change, in no way, compromises my writing. I will continue to promote the infallibility and truth of the Word. I will continue to stand for truth, by faith, and with the Holy Spirit. The Vineyard is up and ready to go! I'm hopeful The Vineyard , (another blog of mine) will also be a tool for the promotion of the Body through the unity of prayer. The main object of The Vineyard is praying for the unity of the spiritual Body of Christ. Prayer requests will be posted for all to pray upon. Prayer requests can be person...

I have been hearing impaired since a young child. It's genetic in my family. I have four sisters and a brother who are all hearing impaired to some degree, as well as a host of nieces and nephews with the same condition. (only 3 out of 10 are hearing) I was mainstreamed in my education growing up. For those of you who don't know that that term, it means that I took regular classes with hearing students as opposed to special education classes. I had a sign language interpreter for a few classes, but not all. Looking back now, I don't understand why I wasn't given an interpreter for all of my classes. I remember two classes that I struggled in. Biology was one of them. Not only did the teacher show favoritism towards particular students (not me!), but he mumbled a lot! I would focus on what was in the text in order to keep up with the class. I would pay extra close attention to his body language and facial expression in the hopes of catching a glimpse of comprehension. Al...

As you've noticed, I've been changing my blog! My two column blog is now three without professional help I may add. :) My heartfelt thanks to my sister in Christ, Shalene for your invaluable help with incorporating the "read more" function! I have been struggling with these specific html codes and Shalene figured out the problem! So now my readers can enjoy my posts without continuous scrolling. I will continue with updates to my blog. Thanks so much Shalene!!! If you are a new blogger, or not so new, I've discovered a wonderful link. Called Tips for New Bloggers It has easily explained instructions on how to incorporate 3 columns and more for your blog! Another link that has tips as well is not my most favorite, but does have valuable information. Hackosphere is a good informative blog, but again, I'm not too crazy about how it instructs, but everyone receives instructions differently. The same can be said for the Word of God!! (Is it any wonder why we have s...

In my last post, True Blessings, I mentioned my financial situation. I wanted to thank those who prayed for me and who have contributed to help us out in this time of need. My most heartfelt and humble thanks to you, you know who you are! I haven't posted in awhile in light of other responsibilities at home, I thank you once again for your patience! We are doing well and continue to be blessed with "gold tried by fire"! My husband and I have an appointment tomorrow to finalize our business plan. We are hopeful and prayerful that we can get back on track. Provident Medical Billing Services was established in 2005. Take a look at the website if you wish to see what we do. However, it has been "dormant" for a while. Hopefully with an approval for a business loan I will be able to dust it off! Though our situation still remains at high alert, we are confident and hopeful that the Lord will see these seeds sown in faith and give increase to our effort. We are also p...

Out of my five children I have at least two picky eaters. When I present my created concoction of food, carefully arrayed and thought out in terms of healthiness, there will always be someone who doesn't like something on their plate. On very rare occasions, all five, will eat, lick every last piece of food on their plate. As a mother, I'm pretty firm on having them eat most, if not all of their food. After all, having a balanced meal is good for the well being of the body and mind. I most certainly want my children to grow healthy and strong. As a young child, I was a picky eater as well. I remember clearly the evenings when my father would cook liver. How I abhorred those evenings! I would come home from school, greeted by the smell of cooked liver, and cringe. I knew what was coming. A long evening at the table, swinging my legs in rebellion, emitting a whimpering/whining sound as my liver sat on my plate...cold, an hour after everyone had left the table. My father would i...

My husband was once told in no uncertain terms that he needed to certified to be qualified to read the Bible and understand it's contents. In other words, he needed to have taken a Bible course of some sort. I thought that that statement would make for a good post. Do we need to have a degree to be able to understand the Bible? Is the Bible a hard book to read? When I read passages such as Isaiah 55:7-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. How are we to understand the Potter if we are mere clay? How does He expect us to understand, apply and live His Word in this light? Why would He hold us accountable if His ways are completely unlike our ways? I believe that God has given us EVERY resource available for spiritual salvation and comprehension . It is up to us to accept the RESOURCE that He has given. Only the Spirit...

I've been awarded "The Power of the Schmooze" award! Thanks to my dear friend Beverly at Perpetual Expressions and her moving tribute to my blog! “The Power of Schmooze” award was created by Mike at Ordinary Folk and Danielle at Pink Reviews to help “recognize those people that were [are] exceptionally adept at creating relationships with other bloggers by making an effort to be part of a conversation, as opposed to monologue.” The rules: If, and only if, you get The Power of Schmooze Award, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think, or have schmoozed you into submission. Link to this post and Mike so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme Optional: Proudly display the ‘The Power of Schmooze Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote. Since I'm now a schmoozer chooser. I have a bit of dilemma. The schmoozers I would have chosen have all been nominated. The amount of schmoozers I'm now left with is one. That would ...

Worth a Thousand and One Words 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. Revelation 1 There are so many pictures of Jesus nowadays. Many denominations, have various pictures, or ideas of who Jesus was/is and what He looked like. Most of them show him, as fair skinned, with wavy, long, brown hair and blue eyes. Some show him a bit more rougher, thick, dark, curly, short hair with weathered, brown skin and piercing eyes. A picture says a thousand words. The description of John's vision of "the S...

GRACEFUL SPEECH "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Colossians 4:6 If someone were to ask you about your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What would you say? How would you answer? Confidently, or shyly? Knowingly, or unknowingly? What if you were asked about sin and hell? What if you were asked about the book of Revelations and it's surrounding issues? How would you fare? THE LATEST TREND I am witnessing a disturbing trend with Christianity and it's church today. Either they don't know the Bible very well, or they read the Word in part (reading passages, by itself, instead of in context of the message). And sometimes, a mixture of both. The other scenario that is prevalent; a mixture of biblical Scripture and man made theologies, in other words, "new and strange doctrines" as defined in Hebrews 13:9 ; Ephesians 4:14 . I've had many a dialogue with Ch...

"Was King David along with Moses and the prophets saved? If so, how can they be saved before the arrival of Jesus?" This question was posed to me in one of the comments left on my post  James and Adrian It is with prayer and scripture, I present this post. IN THE BEGINNING... From the moment God created Adam, He has consistently emphasized faith. Faith, trust, belief and obedience in them are the necessary components to be reconciled unto Him. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:12 This decree, a commandment, required nothing less than obedience. It spoke of the relationship God had with Adam, and the expectation of trust, faith and belief in Him. The disobedience in the Garden of Eden was the manifestation of the absence of trust, faith and belief. ABRAHAM,...

James and Adrian, a fictional story based tentatively on a true story James was a man of accomplishment. For many years, he worked as an entrepreneur, developing a variety of products that brought him much acclaim and prosperity. He was a man of order, direction and purpose. He controlled his holdings and interests with stellar leadership encased with kindness and respect for his employees. The only luxury he allowed for himself was his home. His home was built upon a vision he had held near and dear to his heart. Over the span of his career, he would slowly and surely add to his house. Every room, every item and every place for it was carefully thought out and planned. His contractor understood his vision of the dream home and fulfilled every desire James had for his house. They became one in their vision and desire for this beautiful creation. One day, it was finally finished. James decided it was time to retire from his long, successful career and enjoy the home he had built for him...

To my readers, I apologize for not having a new post as of late. I love to write of Him, who has blessed and strengthened me so, but I am reminded always that my ministry and my testimony belong first and foremost to my family. So I pray that you are blessed this day in the Lord and that He may enrich your quest for knowledge of Him. I invite you to look over old posts and comments. My post, "Modern Day Prophet?" has interesting comments that I invite you to look over and add to. "For who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:5

I have tried my very best to walk the life of faith in full. In doing so, I've been criticized for my unconventional lifestyle choices. I have been called foolish and unwise, and I'm pretty sure those who think that of me consider me cocky and arrogant for my lifestyle choices. But God remains a constant in my life. He continues to show me the blessing of FAITH. I continue to grow confidently in Him, in spite of those who call me "crazy". Any confidence, of any sort, emanating from me, is totally, completely His. I walk the way I do because I KNOW His love for me. This is the power of His love, the ability to overcome any and all. Those of you who are unsure of who you are in Him, receive His love and be strengthened ! "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 Praise God this day, for the Glory of His Might dwells in us!

A MODERN DAY PROPHET? Miracle blessings by special anointed oil! A special red prayer cloth anointed by a prophet of God! Anointed olive oil soap that washes away the sin of poverty! It would be apparent to most, that statements such as these, uttered by wild-eyed men and women claiming to have received a vision from God are clearly false and unbiblical. The truth is, this business is a prosperous one! There are people who DO give money with full belief and faith in these men and women! That is the most amazing aspect of these types of "ministries". If there are people who give willingly, to what is transparently false, how much more are being mislead by those who are not quite as obvious? This begs the question, is there such a thing as a modern day prophet, a prophet that brings a message from God? VOCATION -EDIFYING OF THE BODY 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, seconda...

Occasionally, I write for Helium. They have a variety of topics that you can choose from and respond to. I wanted to share the article that I wrote in response to a topic titled "Why God Punishes Evil When He has Given Free Will": We call out to Him, "Abba!", but He isn't seen as one. He is a Father who lost His children. He is a Father who wants a relationship with them. He gives us free will, not ONLY because he wants us to choose "good" and avoid consequences of "bad". He gives us free will, because He wants a reciprocal relationship with us. He wants our love. He wants us to love HIM freely! Love cannot be forced, it has to be given! All of us who have been blessed with the privilege of parenting know intimately the sweet, sweet savor of a child's unconditional love. Those of you, whose beautiful babies grew into rebellious teenagers, understand the heart wrenching pain, when that savor dissipates. And then anguish, when they become w...

Yesterday, I opened a box of books that I had long forgotten. I happened upon a book I had purchased a few years ago, called “The Trouble with Christians, The Trouble with Jews” written by Zola Levitt, who was a Messianic Jew (Jewish Christian). Zola Levitt passed away last year, but his ministry is headed by Dr. Jeffery Seif. http://www.levitt.com/ I found Zola Levitt to be a source of amazing insight as a Jewish believer. His life’s story was a compelling one. Through his ministry, I was able to “pull” the Old Testament and the New Testament together. He also had amazing insight into the condition of modern Christianity. I will quote segments from his book mentioned above. “The trouble with Christians is that they do not really study the Bible, and thus they do not know the genuine principles of Christianity. Those called Christians have widely divergent views of Scripture, and they seldom arrive at those views by their own study. They are much more likely to take some pastor’s or te...

I am, at heart, a bargain hunter. I love to find the lowest prices for the best quality. There is just something about the thrill of finding a service or product for a reduced price. Its a sense of victory and accomplishment for me. I bring my conquests home and lay it out for my husband to see. Explaining how each and every item was obtained at a low price. In the same light, life lessons can also come cheap, in the fact that they can cost little or nothing by the way of negative consequences. I have found, as the youngest of six, the cheapest life lessons can come by simply watching and noting the results in the lives of others. My siblings have made many painful, life-altering choices. I hesitate to say that these lessons came cheap for me, it was heart-wrenching watching them go through the consequences of their choices. At the same time, I did sit up and take notice of how their choices have impacted their lives. Very much of who I am and the choices I've made in my own life, ...

Blogsvertise is a company that pays bloggers to review products and services and write articles regarding them on their ( bloggers ) blog. I have signed up to review products and services for Blogsvertise and will occasionally post articles for review. I want my readers to be assured that my review will in no way affect the quality or the integrity in which I write. My commitment to the Word of the living God is that of truth and will not be compromised by my reviews of certain products. I will, as a matter of fact, weigh the quality of these products/services against the inerrant Word if necessary. If anyone is interested in writing articles for Blogsvertise , you may find them at the following address: http://www.blogsvertise.com/ .

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" The 11 th chapter of Hebrews contains example after example of those who lived and died by faith, in hopes of obtaining a promise." Who can deny hope? A better question would be who can hope deny? Hope has an insistent way of creeping into a doubt ladened mind. Hope is a threatening promise of life and fulfillment, resulting in happiness and joy. When is hope embraced fully, unconditionally, when it is embraced without fear, hope becomes faith. Faith quickened the feet of those who saw things "afar off". Faith breathes life into a weary body, mind and soul. Faith moves mountains and builds empires. Faith is LIFE!

I can be impatient at times. I snap at my family unnecessarily so, and find myself remorseful for the impatient attitude that creeps its way into my heart. Then the Spirit, reminds me of one word, love. I look at the faces of whom I'm being so impatient with, and apologize. My attitude tempers, flutters, and then melts away. Yes, I love the liberty that comes with Salvation! I love the Grace that loosens the bond of sin! Yet, how many of us try to relink those broken chains? Chains broken by Christ, in trying to walk the Christian life, by their own power? Trying to be right, or behave righteously through condemnation. Whether it be of themselves or of others. Whether it subtly or outright. Romans 8 The essence of Grace is made so clear, yet so subtle that if one blinks, it might be overlooked. 1 -There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2- For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath mad...

I've always seemed to march to a drummer who's a beat off. As I dwell on this earth amongst others, who I am and what I believe seem to be continually in conflict with others. It took me a while in my walk, not to be intimidated by these conflicts. As my journey translated into a loving relationship with my Heavenly Father, I understood that those beats, were those of His own Heart. The Spirit of Truth whispers daily into my heart, words of encouragement, words of faith. To walk in a way that reflects the Glory of God and to stand for truth always. I see lot of people, Christians, to be specific, seemingly comfortable in their day to day surroundings. Blended into the woven fabric of this society. Having worldviews that, at times, mix the secular and biblical. There have been times, when I happen upon a person, conversing with them, only to be surprised later that they profess themselves Christian. Being able to differentiate between a Christian and a non-believer is becoming d...

"When the plain sense of the Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense, but take every word at its primary, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context clearly indicate otherwise" -Dr. David L. Cooper