The Lamp

I recently watched the movie The Lamp on Netflix with my mom. We both really enjoyed the movie. It was a moving story with a powerful message.

In the movie Stanley and his wife Lisa lose their son to a tragic accident. The death of his son causes Stanley to distance himself from everyone and causes Stanley and Lisa’s marriage to suffer. Lisa is given an oil lamp as a gift. A man appears from the lamp, and tells Lisa and Stanley that he will grant them any three wishes they want. The wish just can’t be anything that they can accomplish on their own, and it can’t be to bring someone back from the dead.

 

This is an excellent movie to watch if you have ever lost a loved one or if you have ever given up hope. It has the message that sometimes all you really have to do is believe. If you watch this movie I recommend you have Kleenex on hand

domestic violence awareness month

This month is October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Since there are many myths associated with domestic violence I decided to write to dispel some of those myths.

Here are some of these myths:

1)      Domestic Violence is uncommon. The truth is domestic violence is common. One in every three women will be abused by her partner at some point in her life.

2)      Only poor women are affected by domestic violence. The truth is domestic violence does not discriminate.  Rich people are affected by domestic violence, just as much as poor; they just may have more resources available than poor people. Also people of all races, ethnic groups, ages, sex, cultural group and religions can be affected by domestic violence.

3)      The woman causes the abuse. There is nothing that one person can do to cause another person to hit them.

4)      Domestic Violence is caused by stress, a mental illness, or drug abuse.  These things can cause violence to escalade, but they do not cause the violence. Many batterers use these things as an excuse to harm their partner, but abuse is  a choice

5)      Children are not affected by domestic violence.  40- 60 percent of batterers also abuse their children. Even if they do not hit their children, the children are still affected by the abuse. Many children who witness their mothers being abused suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and nightmares.

6)      IF the abuse were bad the woman would just leave.  Many times if a woman leaves she is putting herself in harm’s way. 75 percent of women who are killed by their partners are killed after they left or when they are in the process of leaving.

7)      If someone was a batterer you could tell by looking at them. There is no “type of person” who is a batterer. Batterers can come from all races, religious backgrounds, and economic statuses. Often many abusers are not abusers in other relationships, so they may appear like a nice person.

8)      Victims of domestic violence are weak people. This is not true. Often times abusers use control and manipulation to bring their victim’s self-esteem down. The process can be so subtle that the victim is unaware of the mental abuse is leading up to physical abuse.

Source www.domesticviolence.org

www.domesticabuseshelter.org

God's promises

I have been taking a bible study about God's promises and how his promises are always true.  I want to write a little about these promises as it is helping me to study them. God is an honest and truthful God. Unlike some people you may know if he says that he is going to do something you can count on him to do it.

1.)    God is always with us, so we do not need to fear. Deuteronomy 31:16 God is with us through all things. This means that we do not need to be afraid of anything. Fear is such a massive problem bible talks about it almost 1,000 times. The word fear is used in the bible 441 times. The word afraid is used 167 times. The word tremble is used 101 times, the word terror or terrified is used 121 times. God and fear can not coexist. If we are living in fear we are not wholeheartedly trusting God. We are saying "God is with me and he can protect me in all things except this...When you remember that God promised to always be with you will not be fearful. You will trust that God is with you through all situations and trials. "Fear must be replaced by trust. Fear looks at the real or imaginary thing that is provoking those feelings. Trust deliberately looks to God, concentrates on God's word, knows the promises God has provided, and applies them to every situation." James McDonald.

2.)    God is always in control, so we do not need to be in doubt. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” Trust in God and doubt can never coexist. If you focus on God’s sovereignty and control over every situation doubt will disappear. When you are going through a tough situation, always thank God that he is in control. This will allow your doubt to lesson,

3.)    God is always good, so we do not need to despair. “Despair is not a reality, but to every person who is there they think it is a reality.” James McDonald. Sometimes it feels like life is spinning out of control. When despair comes, it feels like life is spinning out of control and it will never get better. It makes us feel like things are hopeless. However, God has a plan for our lives. Regardless, of how terrible things may appear on the surface God will always use the terrible for good. “God is working all things together for the good of those who are who are called for his purpose.” Romans 8:28. God has a plan for all of us, He is a good God and he has a great plan for our lives. “For I know what plans I have for you declares the lord Plans for wholeness and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

4.)    God is always watching, so we will not falter. When you falter in your Christian life you have moved away from God and are not walking in faith. According to the Merriam dictionary to falter is to walk unsteadily, to give way, to move waveringly or hesitatingly.” In the Christian faith faltering is a severe form of fear, doubt, or despair. When you falter you are extremely overwhelmed by a problem or situation that may take weeks to improve. The good news is that even if we begin to falter we will never stay in this state. God has redeemed us and he will always bring us back to him. God is always watching over every part of our lives. He knows when our faith is beginning to falter. He knows all of our trials. He will always pull us through all of our times of falter. God is faithful and will never allow us to go through any trial or temptation that we can no handle.

5.)    God is victorious, so he will never allow us to fail. Sometimes it feels like our trials are, so difficult that we will not be able to overcome them, but God will not allow us to fail. Jesus did not promise to take away our problems, but he did promise that he would get us through. We are victorious in Jesus Christ.

Source

Always True God’s Promises When Life is Hard. By James McDonald 2011