Monthly Archives: June 2013

Truth

Walter Joshua Fretz – The story of our son who is impacting so many even though he was on this earth for only a few minutes

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For anyone that thinks it is okay to abort an unborn child before 20 weeks, you must see these pictures. Sometimes in order to help one understand that a life begins at conception, knowledge must be passed on.

F2 Photography

Thank you to everyone who has written and messages me. I was trying my best to respond to everyone but I just can’t keep up. I am reading every message that comes to me and am thankful for them, except for the occasional negative and nasty ones. Please do not be upset if I don’t respond, I wish I had more hours in the day so I could respond to everyone who has opened their hearts to me. ❤ to you all'

*Please be advised that the photos in this post are emotionally hard to handle. I believe they are beautiful and shows that at 19 weeks my child was fully formed. I do not want anyone to be upset with what they see. You should view them before showing them to a child because they will bring up a lot of questions. Thank you all for reading and sharing…

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Personal Growth, Truth

Weeds

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This morning I was outside spending some alone time with God worshiping Him through music. As I sat on my patio, I noticed that the weeds were getting a little out of hand so I started pulling them as I continued to worship. I was a little frustrated because just two weeks ago I pulled all the weeds and this morning there were at least twice as many than when I pulled them last time and they were also twice the size. I realized an important lesson. Just like the weeds in my flower bed, the weeds in our lives can seem very insignificant but if left unattended they will eventually take over, affect other areas of our lives and get so big they are hard to get rid of.

What weeds in your life are you watering instead of pulling them out by the root? How could letting them continue to grow affect your life in the future?

Truth

Tattoo or No Tattoo?

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A few weekends ago I found some temporary tattoos that reminded me of the power of God in my life. I put one on my wrist and one on the side of my heel. I posted on Facebook saying, “Tattoo or no tattoo, that is the question.” Much to my surprise, I got an array of responses. Who knew that such a simple question would stir up so much controversy? Several people said yes and a few said no. A couple of the no’s provided scripture that on the surface is pretty clear that tattoos are not something God allows. I was quick to respond by saying that I would not be getting one because of what the bible says. At that moment, one verse provided that answer I was looking for so I felt confident in my quick decision. A wise friend reminded me that we no longer live under the Old Testament law so getting a tattoo or not was a personal preference. At this point I felt stupid that I was so quick to make such a decision without doing the research myself. So my homework began.

According to Leviticus 19:28, one is not to put tattoo marks on their body. Not knowing much about Leviticus, I referred to my bible to get a little history on this particular book. Leviticus means, “matters pertaining to the Levites,” the priestly tribe of Israel. It covers topics including holiness, sin, sacrifice and atonement, and worship. The Old Testament ceremonial laws functioned as a means of separating the Israelites from the surrounding tribes. This separation was removed when Christ sent His son to die on the cross. Because of God’s invitation to faith in Christ, these laws are no longer observed. Although they don’t apply today, they do reveal that God cares about every aspect of our lives. Everything we do matters to Him.

So in regards to tattooing, I personally feel that this decision is one that must be made by each individual. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why do I want a tattoo?

2. Who am I trying to draw attention to? God, myself, an idol, etc…

3. Would God approve of the image or writing?

I did my research and after watching several videos and listening to a number of opinions on the subject, John Piper says it best. You can listen here:

Thoughts of Tattoos & Body Piercings by John Piper

God knows my heart and if I do decided to get a tattoo, it will be a symbol of His love and the amazing changes He has made in my life.

Thank you to everyone who voiced your opinions on the subject. It forced me to dig deeper into the Word of God and that is always a good thing!

My Journey, Truth

Tithing of Time

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The Bible is very clear about tithing a tenth of our income. We are to give back ten percent of what we have been blessed with to The One who gave it to us in the first place. One day while I was spending some alone time with God, he challenged me. He told me that if I was to give a portion of my income, then why wouldn’t I do the same with my time? That question shifted my perspective in regards to giving God the time He deserves. We are given twenty-four hours in a day, so if we use the ten percent rule of tithing, we should be giving God two hours and forty minutes. As followers of Christ our alone time with our Heavenly Father is crucial to the depth of that relationship. The more one on one time we spend with Him, the deeper the relationship. Think about it this way, if you are dating or married it is crucial to spend alone time together to keep the relationship alive and thriving. Failure to do so would result in the death of that relationship. Or think of it from a food standpoint. You cannot eat one meal a week and expect that to provide the nutrients necessary to fuel your body for an entire week. So why do we as Christians think that going to church on Sunday is enough food for our souls the remaining six days of the week? Well, it isn’t. God created us for relationships and our relationship with Him must be our top priority if we want to live the Godly lives He created us for.

My challenge to you is to put God to the test in this area. In Malachi 3:10, God says, “Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” He promises that if we tithe what He requires of us, His blessing will overflow.

Once you have started this challenge, please share your experiences and stories as a result of taking sure a bold move in your walk with Christ.