Changing the name of my blog

As my blog gets linked to more resources, I was thinking that perhaps I should get more creative in the title of my blog. Right now it's simply, "Dawn's blog", which is comfortable, to the point, and personal. However, it doesn't really identify much about my blog except that the author's name is Dawn.

The reason I started blogging is so that I could have a means to promote and update people on the progress of my books, and I could write opinions and devotionals and poems. Now I've created a music album, so will be updating about that as well. I strive to communicate truth from God's Word in a written format, and rather than having something that I have to write on any particular schedule, I simply write "as the Spirit leads." Sometimes I write about something that is heavy on my heart, or I want to give some information about a book signing, share photos, etc. I like to share resources that I believe would be helpful, or share something great I read or heard from the preaching of my pastor. My desire as I write my blog, as well as my books and music, is to be down to earth, practical, and kind in my approach, not trying to be "preachy", but rather to be edifying and encouraging. I hope you as my readers find this to be the case.

Having said that, I am hoping for some ideas from my readers on a good title for my blog. "Christian Corner" comes to mind, "Standing Strong", or something like that. I'd appreciate any input!

Thank you!

A Word of Thanks on Memorial Day Weekend

This memorial day, let's remember things we ought to remember, such as:

…the men and women who bravely fought for our freedoms, but did not live to enjoy them.

…the men and women who bravely fought and did survive to continue to ensure our nation’s safety and freedoms.

…the pastors and spiritual leaders in our nation who faithfully teach us how we ought to live morally before God.

…the moms and dads who work hard to teach us how to be responsible in our conduct and character so we too can have strong families that are pleasing to God.

Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Strong families make a strong nation. Let's remember what God has done for the United States of America by reflecting on the often left-out verse of “The Star Spangled Banner”.

4^th verse of

The Star Spangled Banner

O thus be it e’er, when free men shall standBetween their loved home and the war’s desolation.

Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Twenty pearls of wisdom for the Christian woman who is getting married...

I sat down and thought about things I've learned over the past 24 years in my marriage, from personal experience and from watching others, as well as things I've been taught. I shared these with my daughter at her bridal shower, and had positive feedback that these words of wisdom were very helpful. I decided to share them on my blog, in case they will be helpful to anyone else as well. God bless you!
 

1. First of all, enjoy your wedding!  Don’t get too crazy over details. Do everything you can to prepare ahead of time, and then have fun! Let it reflect the two of you as you share this special day together with your family and friends.

2. Honor your commitment. When things get tough, remember the promises you made on your wedding day. It means something. It’s a vow before God, your spouse, and witnessed by your family and closest friends.

3. Set the mood for your home. You have a big influence on whether or not your home is a haven of rest or a den of dissention.  Keep your place homey and welcoming. It can be stylish, but don’t ever make your “stuff” more important than the people in your home.

4. Resist the temptation to be your husband’s boss or his mother. He already has those. He needs an understanding wife, someone who will go through life’s trials by his side, not over his head…or under his feet like a mat. Keep the balance and be a help to him.

5. Be kind and treat your husband with primary respect at all times, just because he is your husband, a fellow human being, and a brother in Christ. Even if he ever sacrifices his secondary respect to you as a godly husband, always treat him with human dignity and care enough to help him find his way back again.

6. Support him with his dreams and projects, as he learns and grows and develops as he matures into an older man. The same should be expected of you. You two will change as the years go on, and that’s OK, that’s normal. Don’t compare each other with how you are right now in your youth, and show disappointment that change has occurred. Embrace it, and support each other in that change, and don’t leave one another behind. Move forward hand in hand through the journey of life. There are many adventures ahead. Enjoy the ride!

7. Be honest, and have integrity in all that you do. Don’t do things behind his back. Be up front so you never compromise the trust that you have in each other. Trust is hard to earn back once it’s lost.

8. Always be faithful, even if and when other men grab your affection and attention. Be gracious for admiration others give you, but never lose the respect in yourself as a godly married woman. Keep yourself pure, even if things get tough in your marriage relationship.

9. Try to keep life manageable as far as other commitments and time wasters. This can be challenging, but always make some one on one time with him, even when children demand the majority of your time. Remember he came first, and then the children, and he will be there when the children leave the nest.

10. Make mealtime special. It’s a great opportunity to talk about your day, and hear about his. Show interest in him; even if what he has to talk about seems boring to you, don’t forget that it’s important to him or else he wouldn’t have brought it up. “Boring” is relative and based on perspectives, not reality.

11. Allow him to make some mistakes. Give your advice and wisdom, but be careful not to play God. He may need to learn things the hard way, and sometimes that is how people grow and mature. Be there to support him the best you can, especially if you know his heart is in the right place.

12. Don’t forget to play! Have fun together, and find things you both enjoy doing together.  Games and a little healthy competition can bring a spark to your relationship.

13. Learn the wisdom of compromise when it won’t hurt anyone or anything.  Don’t treat preferences like law. Don’t always be the one compromising, but make sure you know how to give in for the sake of the marriage relationship, and try to find a happy medium whenever possible. 

14. Remember that your husband is the head of the home, and will stand before God one day and give an account of how he did. There is great responsibility on his shoulders for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of everyone in his home. Respect that, pray for him, and do devotions together to keep your relationship strong with the Lord. A man who walks closely with the Lord will not lead you astray. When it’s hard to submit, do it for the Lord’s sake (2 Peter 2:13).  Remember, however, that your opinion counts, and you contribute much to the relationship and household, and he will depend on you for wisdom and advice. Be that helper God designed you to be. Be organized, and run the things well that you are in charge of.

15. Don’t overspend. It’s better to have fewer things and fewer bills than to have more things and debt hanging over your head. Don’t buy things that require a lot of maintenance or monthly bills attached to it. Learn to live simply, and get creative doing activities and having nice things on a budget. There are also many wonderful things to do that don’t cost much money, such as cooking together, taking a walk in the park, spending time reading together, taking the kids to the library, watching a good movie at home, etc.

16. Control your moodiness, even when you have PMS. It’s not his fault! Curb your moods, and remember to treat him with that primary respect, even if he is annoying and irritating you. If you find yourself really on edge, put some distance between you before you say or do something you’ll regret; take a bubble bath, a walk, window shopping, or spend some time with a friend who will make you feel better.

17. Don’t forget your friends or family. While the majority of your time will be spent with your husband and children when you have them, don’t be an island unto yourselves. It’s healthy to have girl time and extended family time once in a while.

18. Be faithful to God, to church, and to ministry. Don’t burn your candle at both ends by trying to do too much, but keep your family close to the Lord. Setting the example to your children is important so they can appreciate the importance and priority of God in your life. The teachers and people they can look up to at church are very important, and it will be helpful to you as you train your children.  Being involved in your community is also a wonderful thing to do together. It gives a sense of belonging and togetherness, reaching out to others for the common good.

19. Be careful not to bash your husband to others.  If you need some godly advice, then respectfully seek it from people you can trust, always with the goal of restoration of your relationship. Don’t confide in people who will gossip about you or further trash your husband. 

20. And last but not least, keep the romance going. It may get trickier as you get older and have a lot of responsibility with work and children, but be creative and keep the sparks flying. It may take conscious effort, but keep yourself as attractive as you can, and keep that special romance alive.

Grieving vs. Quenching

I was at our Wednesday night Bible study tonight, and we were talking about the difference between grieving the Holy Spirit and quenching the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 4:30: "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

1 Thessalonians 5:19: "Quench not the Spirit."

I was further reflecting on grieve vs. quench on my way home from church. I wonder if grieving the Holy Spirit is something that makes God sad, grieves His heart, in much the same way we feel when we are disappointed in someone for falling short when they could have made a wiser choice. When we do wrong or don't do right, this grieves the Holy Spirit. An example that our pastor gave was when someone chooses to work instead of going to church. Yes, you're busy, but couldn't you put that aside for an hour or two in order to put the Lord first and be in His house? He loves the church, and gave Himself for it. He refers to the church as His bride. We ought to love what He loves, and be a part of it. When we don't, we grieve Him.

Then I was thinking about quenching, and how we discussed how that stops the power of God on our lives, and how that affects us. I have fallen short of my expectations when I see my quarterly reports from my publisher. When I go through a couple events where I expected to sell some books and didn't, it gets a little scary because I have spent a lot of money, and I'd like to at least break even. When I sit for 4 weeks in front of a computer to proof my manuscript, I wonder if I am just wasting my time. When I look at my ordinary life, I wonder if I can really make an impact in this world around me. When I look down at the mess around me, my fire goes out, and the spark and power that God gave to me is quenched.

That, too, must grieve the Holy Spirit because He has so much more for me, and for any of us, but our will has to accept it. He doesn't force Himself on us. I don't want to be another statistic of someone who gave up too soon, who put the value of money before the value of God's work and spiritual impact. I don't want to be a quitter, another one fallen by the wayside, one more person that Satan can rub in God's face. Ha! She too was only doing this for the money! She was weak and selfish! Instead, I want to be sold out, and let God know that even if times get rough, I am still there for Him to stand strong for His glory and in His strength. Whether He is testing me, or I am really not going to have much financial success, it doesn't matter. I didn't go into this for the money, and I can't look at it that way. Money means nothing to the God who owns everything. 

I am sure of this: God called me to do what I'm doing, which is why that is so important to know before going into a venture because when the going gets tough you can fall back on that security of knowing you are in God's perfect will. I don't know how much more He wants me to do or write, but He's gifted me, and when I die I want that legacy left behind. I want my struggles to have some eternal value in the lives of others. Plus, I'm having the time of my life doing it!

As I kept driving, I put out my right index finger toward the windshield, and I asked God to plug me back in to His power! He and I are in this together. I quenched His spirit with my discouragement. That was MY loss of God's power. There's no better feeling than going on adventures with God, spiritually on fire, hand in hand with the Creator of the universe, standing for God and truth...and hope.

Grieving hurts God, but clearly Quenching hurts me as I limit God's power on my life to impact those around me He wants to touch. I lose that power during those times of discouragement, and the opposite of being on fire for the Lord is to be discouraged, powerless, deadbeat...yuck. I don't like it. Like Peter walking on water, we have to keep our eyes on Him or else we'll sink in despair. Praise the Lord for His goodness and patience with us!

2014 Women's Health Conference May 31, 2014 8:30-3:00

2014 Women's Health Conference

You are invited to come to the 2014 Women's Health Conference. The attached link gives more information.

I will be there with a booksigning table.  There are some great speakers and activities planned, so don't miss it. It's on May 31, 2014 from 8:30-3:00 at Cross St. AME Zion Church on 440 West Street in Middletown, CT. I hope to see you there!