Relay for Life Vendor Fair pictures

Here are some pictures from the Relay for Life Vendor Fair.  It was a nice day!

Just say NO - then say YES!

I am grieved by something someone told me recently.   They said that marijuana is just like using alcohol, and if used as an adult (not a teen) for self medication like people use alcohol for, no harm done.  After all, "everyone is using it!"  No, not everyone is using it.  I know many people who have never nor would ever touch alcohol or recreational drugs.  I am one of those people.  I can stand here and say that these lips have never touched alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.  I have never allowed a swear word to slip past these lips.  I am proud of that!  One disclosure I do have to sadly make is when I was about 8 or 9 yrs. old, someone (an adult) handed me a cartoon-looking carton (1/2 pint) and said to drink it because it was orange juice.  I was thirsty and loved orange juice so took a sip, but it tasted disgusting!  It had vodka in it.  But I didn't know it when I agreed to take that sip, and I never took another.  But other than that deceitful moment, I can say alcohol never passed these lips.  I was around it - I had a step father who was an alcoholic, and my mother smoked for a little while and I was tempted once to take a puff, but as I thought about it, I decided to say NO.

Listen to me: whether it is drugs, alcohol, smoking, even eating too much (which is also an addiction) that is binding you with chains, let me tell you that only Jesus can satisfy your soul.  You have a REAL enemy - the devil - who wants to destroy your soul.  PREACHERS - don't be afraid to say it!  Don't be afraid to bring some revival to this world!!!  He is a REAL enemy, and we need to get as enraged about THAT enemy as we do about ISIS and the political concerns we have today in this nation and this world, because WHO DO YOU THINK IS BEHIND IT ALL?  Yes, that roaring lion.

1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."  What does God say to do about it?  The next verse says this: "Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

JUST SAY NO to drugs - and that includes alcohol and cigarettes!  NO!  NO!  NO!   These things are addicting, they are harmful, they are dangerous, and they can ruin your life!  Don't play with fire.  My response to that person I spoke with recently was this: "THE BEST WAY TO STOP A BAD HABIT IS TO NEVER START IT IN THE FIRST PLACE."  Just don't go there.  Find satisfaction where you will find real satisfaction, the real living water that will quench the thirst of your soul so much that you will NEVER thirst again!  Now THAT'S satisfying.  This is what Jesus said to the woman drawing water at the well:

John 4:13-14: "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

If you have already done it, then STOP IT!  CUT IT OUT!  It's not too late to stop. Get tough with yourself.  Hey, we have no problem saying "NO" to other things, like church, reading God's Word, listening to healthy music for our souls, and praying.  It's about time we say YES!  YES!  YES!  to God and godly things.  "YES, GOD!"  "I WILL OBEY!"

I am telling you RIGHT NOW - JESUS is the only One who can truly satisfy that hunger in your soul.  JESUS has the power to break those chains - ONLY  JESUS.  I don't care if that's not politically correct - it's the truth.  HEED it if you want to be wise.  Don't make excuses.  

I am linking two songs; one is a beautiful song that I didn't write that is called, "Only Jesus Can Satisfy Your Soul."  It's so true!  What a blessed song.
Listen to "Only Jesus Can Satisfy Your Soul"

The other one is one I wrote called, "Wisdom and Understanding", taken from the book of Proverbs.  See how much God loves wisdom and understanding, and the value of it.
Listen to "Wisdom and Understanding"

I hope and pray you will turn from this culture of bad choices and unhealthy lifestyles, and let's not allow anything to control us but the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18-20: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Klekolo World Coffee book signing event with Dawn Foss

If you live in the CT area, I hope you can come to a book signing event on Saturday, May 14 from 1-3 pm at Klekolo World Coffee shop at 181 Court Street, Middletown, CT.  I will have all my books and CD's with me.  

My inspirational Christian books teach biblical truths in a warm, friendly way, and my music is soothing to the soul with great spiritual truths that will draw you closer to God.

Listen to a sample of Dawn's music: "This is Why I Love Him"

6th Annual Women's Health Conference

I had a great time at the 6th Annual Women's Health Conference last weekend.  There were a lot of people there, and as always, it was a very educational event that promoted women's health.  I was one vendor who represented spiritual  health, and was so pleased to be able to promote my books and CD's.  I was very happy when they played a couple of my albums over the loud speaker!  It was a blessing to be there.

Bristol Craft Fair April 2016

I had a great time at the Bristol Craft Fair!  I always enjoy the atmosphere of a craft fair, meeting other vendors, and enjoying a quiet day.  I love meeting people, and being able to share about my books and CD's I have written.  I often think of my grandfather, Irving B. Howe, when I'm at these fairs because he enjoyed writing poems and music.  He also had a little store in his barn, and would go to flea markets on Saturdays to sell his stuff.  It's a great feeling to be part of my community.

The Charging Bull

"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian." – Dennis Whole  

Isn't that profound? Life is what it is. The Lord allows it to rain on the good and the bad. Matthew 5:45 says, "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

We're in this world, and just like a bull is just being a bull and charging whoever is in front of him, so life will bring many challenges, no matter who you are. The difference is in knowing the Lord, and trusting Him to help you get through each challenge as it comes.

Good alternatives

I had a dream last night that I found out someone, a business, was trying to shut down a filthy song that was on the air.  I was so proud of them for standing for what was right, which doesn't happen every day in our society, so I was ready to help in any way I could.  In my dream my daughter came along, and I was updating her on the stand we were taking.  The title was so filthy I couldn't even say it, but she had heard of it.  I was shocked!  I realized how popular this song had become that it reached even over to the Christian kids.

I woke up and thought again about my dream.  In reality, we can't censor things in our nation because if we were to censor the bad, someone could censor the good.  We can have standards of what can and cannot be on certain TV stations, prime time vs. late night, etc., but as we have all seen, even those standards have declined over the years.  Pornography, swears, disobedience to parents, premarital sex, extramarital sex, unthankfulness. bad attitudes, laziness - these things are and will always be promoted out there in the media.

So what can Christians do about this?  We can offer positive alternatives.  Where evil is prevailing, we can promote good.  We can promote it and promote it and promote it.  Why do you think I have spent thousands of dollars of my hard earned money to write books and music?  Because I am trying to provide good alternatives to the evil around us.  People have to make their choices.  Are there good choices out there?  Are there enough?  I believe we should continue to put all the good out there that we can.

What are you providing for your children?  How about for your grandchildren?  How are your children or grandchildren going to remember you?  Will they remember you as someone who never stopped fighting for righteousness, for goodness, for purity, or for godliness?  Or will they see you as someone who was afraid to take a stand, or perhaps someone who didn't feel it was worth the effort.  What will they think you really believe?  Will that be obvious to them?

I have written mainly to young people, creating interactive devotionals, books to help young people defend their faith, guidelines from Scripture on how to make wise music choices, practical stories to encourage them to promote goodness in their communities, and Christian fiction which put good morals into exciting, adventurous stories they will enjoy.  I have written music that is Bible-based, that will promote good things with music that matches the words.  Not everyone will like my style, but some will.  I'm just one example of people who are putting good choices out there.

My prayer is that you will consider being active and not passive when it comes to promoting good things for your kids and teens.  Don't let the secular worldview's "village" rear your kids.  Look to the biblical worldview's "village" to help guide and direct them into godliness, which includes Sunday school, church, youth group, Christian school, church activities, personal and family Bible studies, and good reading and listening sources, including clean movies and TV shows and Christian radio.

If you agree with this, take a stand.  I'm excited about having that dream last night, because it reminded me that there is a good purpose for what I have worked hard to do the past 4-5 years.  I hope many stop by my table today at the Bristol Craft Fair and at least check out what I have to offer, and decide if these items will help their families.  God bless you as you do your best to raise up a strong and godly generation.

Deuteronomy 6:2: "That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged."

www.dawnfoss.tateauthor.com

Relay for Life Craft Fair

I'll be here - I hope you can come!  Be sure to stop by my booth and say, "hi!"

The secret to a healed nation...

2 Chronicles 7:14: " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

How do we know God is true?

I read something this morning from Greg Koukl's "Stand to Reason" email message that I thought was really good. He said this to his 8 yr. old daughter when she asked how we know God exists, and as he answered her, he thought it really is the bottom line for all the arguments and debates. In one sentence, the best answer to give people who ask, "How do we know God is true?" is: “the reason we believe God is true is that God is the best explanation for the way things are.” It doesn't deny other explanations, which we can listen to and consider, but in the end, "God is the best explanation for the way things are." I like that! People know things are "bad" or "evil" because there is an inherent sense of morality. If there is moral law, there has to be a moral law giver. If you bang your hand on the desk, there had to have been a banger. If the Big Bang exists, someone banged it - in this case, with His spoken word! So don't get stumped - just answer with a loving answer: “the reason we believe God is true is that God is the best explanation for the way things are.”  

See Stand to Reason's Facebook page