Glo, Author at 1Africa | Page 7 of 27

4 Qualities That Make A Real Man

Glo

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September 10, 2015

There have been many changes in the roles of the sexes over the past 60 years. As a result, the expectation of men and the standard they are held to have morphed a little. But one thing is for sure: There are certain traits that define masculinity that most men and women would still agree upon.

Studies reveal that what most teenagers struggling with addiction have in common is an absent father. Either dad was not in the picture or he was emotionally unavailable. The result was blurred boundaries, low self-worth, and very little awareness. It caused anger, and emotional voids that were filled with unhealthy habits.

Men underestimate the impact they have in this world. Definitions of what make a real man need to be challenged. I believe every man should possess these four characteristics:

1. Men respond.

Generally (and I emphasize “generally” because I know not all guys are like this), most males don’t think of how their words and actions will affect others. An example of this is a husband who assassinates his wife’s character or verbally vomits on his children. Someone who gets into physical altercations to prove something. Someone who pulls from his ego instead of his heart.

It takes discipline, patience, and maturity to filter oneself and think about others before one responds. A response requires thought, meta-cognition. A reaction is instinctual. Boys react. Men respond.

2. Men look inward first.

They are willing to examine their defects. They practice transparency and non-defensiveness. They express how they feel. They don’t try to be someone they’re not. By walking with a mirror, they don’t get caught up in heated arguments. They handle confrontations by acknowledging, taking responsibility, and making choices. And they move forward, changed.

3. Men have a cause.

Something worth fighting for. It doesn’t have to be to end world hunger. It can be to save a marriage. Fighting for one’s position in life. Expressing art. Sharing gifts. Being a better version of oneself. Something he believes in, even if others don’t. Whether it’s one’s character or an empire, men build. Boys deconstruct.

4. Men take action.

Boys complain. I have to admit, I have only recently made a choice to stop complaining when things don’t go my way in life. Many habits like complaining and losing one’s temper stem from undisciplined thinking and the inability to manage emotions. I know many men who talk about change. Who talk about wanting to “fix” their relationship? To lose weight. Be a better father. To stop drinking, cheating, spending, hiding, and numbing. But only a few take action and climb that mountain daily. Only a few fall down over and over but keep getting back up. Only a few put their money where their mouth is.

Think about all the men you know in your life. Friends. Fathers. Uncles. Brothers. Coaches. Boyfriends. Husbands. How many possess all four? If they do, acknowledge them. Because we need more of them in this world.

Strength, reliability and action are all still core parts of what makes a man’s man. This doesn’t mean that you’re failing if you aren’t achieving some of these aspects, but rather, they’re goals to keep in mind as you forge through your quest to become better. Click on the banner below for more on living life with purpose and character, and to be introduced to the greatest example of a man that ever lived.

Sourced from: askmen.com , mindbodygreen.com [Edited]

Dos And Donts To Preserve Your Brainpower

Glo

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September 9, 2015

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Dos And Donts To Preserve Your Brainpower

Like any good machine, the brain needs a little care and attention as it ages to ensure it continues to run in good working order. If only there were a manual to its maintenance that could tell us how to fine-tune its circuits. Unfortunately, the available advice is often contradictory and confusing, but BBC Future has sifted through the evidence. Read on to discover the six most promising ways to sharpen your wits.

Don’t… lose faith in your abilities

Do you ever walk into a room, only to find that you’ve forgotten why you were there? As people get older, it’s easy to assume it’s a sign your memory is already fading. In fact, it is just as likely to happen to young and old alike. And we shouldn’t be so speedy to jump to the worst conclusion, since the doubts can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Over the last 10 years, Dayna Touron at the University of North Carolina has found that with age, we tend to lose confidence in our mental abilities, even though they are often in working order. The result is that we rely on crutches, such as our car’s GPS or our phone’s notepad. Ironically, by failing to test ourselves, we may accelerate own decline. So if you do find yourself dithering in a doorway not really knowing where you are meant to be, just see it as a reminder to push your memory a little bit harder.

Do… protect your ears

The mind suffers if it becomes isolated from its senses. Perhaps by placing extra strain it places on your attention, and blocking us from useful stimulation, hearing loss seems to trigger the loss of the brain’s grey matter; according to one study, it increased the risk of cognitive impairment over a six-year period by 24%

Whatever your age, it’s worth taking note of situations that could be contributing to your ears’ wear and tear. Listening to loud rock music for just 15 seconds a day would be enough to damage your hearing; even using a hairdryer for 15 minutes a day could harm tiny cells that pick up sounds. And if you think you are already hard of hearing, try to seek medical help – nipping the problem in the bud could stall further decline.

Do… learn a language or a musical instrument

Rather than fiddling with a brain training app or a crossword (which often appear to have limited general benefits), you might want to consider a more ambitious mental workout, such as learning the piano or picking up a new language. Both rely on a wide skill set, exercising your memory, attention, sensory perception and motor control as you try to wrestle new scales or the unfamiliar sounds of new words.

The practice should help you to become more mentally nimble, with potentially lasting benefits into old age. One study last year found that musicians were around 60% less likely to develop dementia than people who didn’t play a musical instrument; another showed that speaking another language may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by five years.

And if you find that your job is just too demanding to allow yourself to pick up a new skill, consider yourself lucky: more stimulating occupations do seem to help you preserve your mental powers, although the benefits may not last far into retirement.

Don’t… feast on junk food

Obesity can harm your brain in many ways. The build-up of cholesterol in the arteries can restrict blood flow to the brain, starving it of the food and oxygen it needs to function. What’s more, neurons are highly sensitive to levels of the gut hormone insulin. A regular diet of sweet, calorific food can disrupt that insulin signalling, triggering a chain reaction that leads deadly plaques that build up in the brain.

The good news is that certain nutrients – like omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamins D and B12 – seem to damp down age-related damage to the brain. This may explain why older people eating a typically Mediterranean diet tended to show the same cognitive skills as people 7.5 years their younger.

Do… build your body

We often make a distinction between brains and brawn. In fact, getting in shape is one of the surest ways to build your mind. Physical activity not only establishes a better blood flow to the brain; it also triggers a surge of proteins such as “nerve growth factor” that can help stimulate the growth and maintenance of neural connections in the brain.

The benefits seem to stretch from cradle to grave: children who walk to school get better grades, while taking a leisurely stroll seemed to boost pensioner’s concentration and memory. What’s more, a wide variety of exercises can help, from gentle aerobic exercise to weight training and body building; just choose a training regime that suits your current fitness.

Do… party like you’re 21

If all that sounds like hard work, one of the best ways to protect your brain is to socialise. Put simply, humans are social creatures, and our friends and relatives stimulate us, challenge us to try new experiences, and relieve us of stress and unhappiness. Astonishingly, one study of 70-year-olds found the most socially active individuals were about 70% less likely to experience cognitive decline over a period of 12 years, compared to the people with the least active social lives. Everything from memory and attention to overall mental processing speed seems to have benefited from the regular contact with other people.

Ultimately, the scientists suspect that there is no single magic bullet to train your brain. The people who age best have a lifestyle that incorporates a little of everything: a varied diet, stimulating activities, and a circle of loving friends. And that’s not so much a recipe for a smart brain as a healthy and happy life.

Source: bbc.com

Kim Davis: How Far Would You Go For What You Believe In?

Glo

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September 9, 2015

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Kim Davis: How Far Would You Go For What You Believe In?

Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to grant a gay couple a marriage license due to her religious beliefs against homosexuality, was released from jail on Tuesday among a throng of cheering supporters.

“Thank you all so much,” she said, in tears. “I love you all so very much. I just want to give God his glory. His people have rallied and you are a strong people. We serve a living God who knows exactly where each and every one of us is at. Keep pressing. Don’t let down.”

Earlier on Tuesday, a U.S. District judge ordered that Davis be released from jail and that her contempt order be lifted—as long as she did not stop her deputies from issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

Davis was introduced by Republican presidential candidate and former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee along with comments from her attorney, Mat Staver. Huckabee and Staver spoke to reporters before Davis’s remarks, embracing her.

“We don’t gather here because we hate anybody,” Huckabee said immediately prior to Davis’s arrival on stage. “We gather here today because we love God and this country. And we do not want to see this country become the smoldering remains of a great republic.” Huckabee followed with an offer to go to jail himself to protect what he views as the right of elected officials to follow their religious convictions.

The Rowan County clerk was sent to jail last week for refusing to grant marriage licenses—and ordering her deputies to also not issue licenses—to same-sex couples on religious grounds since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in June.

Her lawyers asked for an injunction from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals directing Kentucky governor Steve Beshear to remove her name from the marriage licenses the county issues. Tuesday was her sixth day in jail.

Kim Davis is currently taking some harsh criticism on social media for rebelling against the law of the country because of her belief in Jesus Christ. The fact that she chose jail over compromising her relationship with God brings into focus what this piece of article is really about. What is your dream and how passionate are you about it? How deeply rooted are you in the vision you have for your life? If the whole world was to rally against you and show you how wrong you are in pursuing this venture or that business idea, would you give up or stand your ground?

Kim Davis teaches a major lesson which goes beyond a discussion merely about religion. Truth, conviction and vision when clearly defined, are things we should not allow any hardship or pressure to sway us from.

At 1Africa, we make it no secret that we believe in the teachings of the Bible in which we learn that God’s desire is for marriage to be a union between man and woman.

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24

But again, we are often quick to profess that we’re Christians but how many of us are ready to face jail or worse death, for what we believe in? This is a deep conversation we’d like to take further. If you’d like to engage in it with us, please click on the banner below.

Additional content from time.com

6 Bad Habits Christians Should Drop

Glo

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September 8, 2015

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Christians are known for doing some good things: helping the poor, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, uplifting the downtrodden, fighting for justice and many other feats of love.

But Christians also own a poor reputation for numerous bad habits. Here are six things we must stop doing:

Being Judgmental

One of the few sins Jesus repeatedly warns His followers not to do is be judgmental.

Despite this, many Christians mistakenly assume that withholding judgment is a form of accepting, condoning and even affirming sin. But judgment from Christians doesn’t determine whether a particular belief, action or lifestyle is either wrong or righteous in the eyes of God.

Predicting the Future

The Gospel message of Christ’s love is often overshadowed by misguided Christians who make predictions and “prophecies” about political affairs, planetary alignments, environmental phenomena, current events, natural disasters, the Antichrist, End Times and the Apocalypse.

When this happens, they inevitably blame a particular person or people group they assume are responsible for God’s wrath, and are actually participating in a sinful form of divination, fear-mongering and dishonesty.

Overcomplicating the Love of Jesus

There comes a point, unfortunately, in the Christian journey when many start to feel bored, unfulfilled and dissatisfied with the unglamorous task of loving others.

It’s very hard work to follow Jesus. It requires sacrifice, humility, service, patience, forgiveness and lots of love. It can be tempting—and much easier—to focus on specific parts of the Bible that don’t require as much endurance, are more flashy, will draw more attention and will instill a greater sense of excitement.

So some of us create a “Christian” platform that becomes our passion. A political agenda, social cause, moral practice or specific theological belief can become central to our faith—overtaking Jesus’ command to love others as yourself.

Thus, we get people who will practically fight to the death over things such as Calvinism, infant baptism and various other causes and doctrines. In and of themselves these things aren’t necessarily bad—everyone has their own convictions about theological issues—but when things are prioritized above Christ’s love, it leads to idolization.

Posting Garbage on Social Media

The clickbait links, offensive political memes, self-righteous condemnations of others, bitter theological rants, and out-of-context Bible excerpts cause more harm than good.

Posting vitriolic, superficial, and offensive content on our Facebook feeds and Twitter accounts doesn’t glorify God.

Before posting anything, stop and think: “Is this true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind?”

This rule has saved me from putting lots of foolish and reactionary content online, and it would do all Christians a world of good to carefully reflect on whether their social commentary is motivated by the love of Christ.

Being Hypocritical

It’s easy to talk about God, argue theological issues and post about faith issues on all sorts of communication platforms. But in order to follow Christ, we are required to actually put our words into actions. As the old adage goes, we must practice what we preach.

Unfortunately, too many Christians talk about Christ’s love without actually being loving. Meanwhile, the rest of world witnesses this obvious contradiction and simply stops listening.

Being Closed-Minded

The problems listed above are often caused by being closed-minded—not considering, acknowledging or even dialoguing with the infinite amount of diverse factors that exist beyond our own limited experiences.

Source: relevantmagazine.com

Shia LaBeouf Healed By Movie

Glo

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September 8, 2015

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The 29-year-old star has caused a stir in recent times with his bizarre behaviour – including interrupting a Broadway show and attending a premiere with a bag over his head – and has also sought treatment for an alcohol problem but says working on ‘Man Down’ with director Dito Montiel was good ”therapy” and got his life back on track.

He said: ”He came to my house when I was in a really low place and offered it to me like therapy, like ‘Here’s a healing process so we can jump into together and get well.’ ”

And Shia has now vowed to only work in ”loving, familial environments” where he has the support he needs from now on.

He added to reporters at the Venice Film Festival: ”I want to work with people that I have a connection with. I think for a while I was chasing the 10 list, right? The 10 directors you want to work with — and that didn’t fare well for me.

”I do much better with loving, familial environments where you feel like you can fail and the dude will get you on the other side. So I’m trying to make friends now and work with those people.”

The actor was also delighted to reunite with ‘Lawless’ co-star Gary Oldman in ‘Man Down’.

However, he admitted he follows his ”hero” around ”like a weirdo” because he worships him so much.

He said: ”He’s my hero, I love him.

”I do anything he tells me. I follow him around like a weirdo. I hear he’s going to sound mix or something and I’ll just show up and dude’s looking at me like ‘What are you doing here?’ because I’ve already seen the sound mix but I’m back there and go ‘Hey, what’s up Gary? Looking at sound mix huh?’ ”

Shia has been through a lot in recent months, some even believe that he is ‘troubled’. But what stands out in his latest interview with reporters at Venice Film Festival is how much he has come to value the benefits of a good and authentic relationship especially in times of crisis. Shia may be criticized or believed to be on yet another ‘episode’ where he is exhibiting more of his bizarre behaviour but, isn’t love/relationship something every human being craves? When our world is falling apart, all we desire is that loving, familial environment in which we can refocus and make sense of life again.

More than every loving and supportive relationship we can form with our friends, colleagues and family members, is one strongest relationship that can carry us even in moments when those around cannot do much for us; and that is a relationship with God. If you’d like to know more, please click on the banner below.

Additional content from tv3.ie

Benefits of Adding Garlic To Your Diet

Glo

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September 7, 2015

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Not for nothing was garlic nicknamed ‘Russian Penicillin’ in the old times. Throughout history, garlic has played a big role in many a culture’s diet and medicine: Egyptians fed it to their slaves for strength and soldiers for bravery; as an antiseptic and antibiotic, it was used to save thousands of lives many years before modern medicine and, apparently, for protection from vampires and the dead, it was the go to vegetable.

Aside from keeping vampires at bay, it is important to add garlic to one’s diet because not only is it an important anti-oxidant, it also boasts numerous health benefits.

Antioxidant Elements of Garlic

Two important antioxidant found in garlic are diallyl disulfide (DADs) and allacin. Of the two, DADs is less volatile and doesn’t lose its health benefits after cooking while allacin, though in possession of bigger percentage of health benefits, starts to degrade immediately after chopping, deteriorates during cooking and gets completely destroyed after microwaving.

Why garlic is important to your body

Fights cancer
Improves blood quality and circulation
Promotes health of the heart and cardiovascular system
Lowers blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol
Combats bacteria, viruses and yeast
Treats lung ailments
Thins blood
Expels worms

Eating garlic the right way

For your body to fully enjoy the benefits of garlic, garlic is best eaten crushed/chopped and added to food.

Caution

However, garlic should be taken in small doses because when consumed in big amounts, especially raw, it can become toxic to the heart, liver and kidney.

Source: africanwomanmagazine.net

Image Of Drowned Syrian Boy Echoes Around The World

Glo

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September 7, 2015

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Image Of Drowned Syrian Boy Echoes Around The World

A few days ago, the whole world was left horror-struck when pictures of a young Syrian boy who drowned as his family embarked on a journey to seek refuge in Europe rocketed across the world on social media.

His name was Aylan. He was 3 years old, from war-torn Syria.

His final journey was supposed to end in sanctuary in Europe; instead it claimed his life and highlighted the plight of desperate people caught in the gravest refugee crisis since World War II.

The smugglers had promised Abdullah Kurdi, the boy’s father, a motorboat for the trip from Turkey to Greece, a step on the way to a new life in Canada. Instead, they showed up with a 15-foot rubber raft that flipped in high waves, dumping Mr. Kurdi, his wife and their two small sons into the sea.

Only Mr. Kurdi, 40, survived.

The images of the toddler’s lifeless body on a Turkish beach have reverberated across the globe, and have galvanized public attention to a crisis that has been building for years. Once again, it is not the sheer size of the catastrophe — millions upon millions forced by war and desperation to leave their homes — but a single tragedy that has clarified the moment. It was 3-year-old Aylan, his round cheek pressed to the sand as if he were sleeping, except for the waves lapping his face.

The photograph has forced Western nations to confront the consequence of a collective failure to help migrants fleeing the Middle East and Africa to Europe in search of hope, opportunity and safety. Aylan, perhaps more even than the anonymous, decomposing corpses found in the back of a truck in Austria that shocked Europe last week, has personalized the tragedy facing the 11 million Syrians displaced by more than four years of war.

The case of this young boy’s doomed journey has landed as a political bombshell across the Middle East and Europe, and even countries as far away as Canada.

Stories like that of the Kurdis highlight the immense tragedy and hopelessness that is a part of life in the world today. In particular, they demonstrate a single, yet often underestimated truth – that all human beings long for happiness. Everything else may be a bonus but happiness is what we all pursue.

In a BBC feature aired recently, a teenager – originally from Africa – spoke of his appreciation for Germany, the country where most of the refugees and migrants caught up in the current crisis are trying to go. He narrated how, as an African, he mourns because many countries do not give people a chance to fully become who they were meant to be. Now that he is in Germany, he said, he has been granted a world of opportunities. He has found a home for himself.

We all long for happiness and a home. Yet, while it’s true that we want to live at peace, prosperity and stability in the countries where we live, how great it would be if that peace were to start from within. God makes a promise to all who believe in Him that peace can be found in Him. It’s not a solution to the troubles of the world or a quick-fix but, rather, a new perspective that helps us weather life’s tumultuous waters. If you’d like to know more, please click on the banner below.

Additional content from nytimes.com

10 Signs You’re In A Relationship With A Sociopath

Glo

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September 4, 2015

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10 Signs You’re In A Relationship With A Sociopath

We all want to be loved, don’t we?

Well, no. There are people in the world who don’t care about love. They don’t even know what love is. But they do care about power, control, and sex.

These people are called sociopaths. The media would have us believe that all sociopaths are deranged serial killers. This isn’t true. Sociopaths know exactly what they are doing, and most of them never kill anyone.

But they are social predators, who exploit just about everyone they meet.

Unfortunately, I learned about sociopaths the hard way — by marrying one. My ex-husband took a quarter-million dollars from me, cheated with at least six women during our two-and-a-half-year relationship, fathered a child with one of them, and then, 10 days after I left him, married the mother of the child. It was the second time he committed bigamy.

I know this now, but I didn’t know it as it was happening. You see, sociopaths, at first, don’t act like jerks. My ex-husband presented himself to be a dynamic, successful entrepreneur who was head over heels in love with me. He wanted to be with me all the time, was always sending me e-mails and faxes, told me I was the woman he’d been waiting for all his life.

I now know that what he was doing is a typical sociopathic technique called love bombing.

Sociopaths engage in calculated seduction. While they’re trying to hook you, they are extremely attentive. They shower you with flattery and what appears to be affection. But they have an agenda.

You have something that they want — perhaps money, sex, business connections or a place to live. A sociopath will keep pouring it on until they convince you to give it to them.

Sociopaths, it turns out, all operate from the same playbook. If your new romantic interest exhibits the following behaviors, be careful. One or two traits don’t mean much, but if you see most or all of them, you might be dating a sociopath.

1 They have charisma and charm.

They’re smooth talkers, always have an answer, never miss a beat. They seem to be very exciting.

2 They have an enormous ego.

They act like the smartest, richest or most successful people around. They may actually come out and tell you that.

3 They’re overly attentive.

They call, text and e-mail constantly. They want to be with you every moment. They resent time you spend with your family and friends.

4 They have a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

One minute they love you; the next minute they hate you. Their personality changes like flipping a switch.

5 They blame others.

Nothing is ever their fault. They always have an excuse. Someone else causes their problems.

6 They always have lies and gaps in their story.

You ask questions, and the answers are vague. They tell stupid lies. They tell outrageous lies. They lie when they’d be better off telling the truth.

7 They give intense eye contact.

Call it the predatory stare. If you get a chill down your spine when they look at you, pay attention.

8 They move fast.

They quickly proclaim that you’re their true love and soul mate. They want to move in together or get married quickly.

9 They pity play.

They appeal to your sympathy. They want you to feel sorry for their abusive childhood, psychotic ex, incurable disease or financial setbacks.

10 They have sexual magnetism.

If you feel intense attraction, if your physical relationship is unbelievable, it may be their excess testosterone.

Many things in life elude us and often we find ourselves in situations we never dreamt to be in. We need wisdom, everyday! Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on our changing emotions or limited wisdom alone whenever we are faced with big decisions to make such us choosing a spouse. There is help. If you’d like to know more, click on the banner below.

Source: thoughtcatalog.com [Edited]

3 Challenges You Should Expect By 30

Lifestyle

Glo

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September 3, 2015

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There’s one thing you’ve probably figured out by now: life can be hard. You might categorize your life as relatively pain-free (Education? Check. Paycheck? Yep. Indoor Plumbing? Thank you, Jesus). But sometimes, in the guilt of knowing we should be grateful, we struggle in the disparity between what we think we should feel and what we actually feel.

And for many of us, life just feels hard.

But what if some of the trials we face in everyday life—the ordinary crucibles—are actually places where we can grow?

Here are three tests you should expect by 30—and the surprising benefits of each.

Urgent Decisions

There is no time in life where more important decisions are made than in your twenties. Choosing a major, a place to live, handling money, getting married—our rootedness for the rest of adulthood starts now. And these decisions can create an urgent striving within us, leaving us asking, “How will I know? When will I know? What do I choose?”

We find this reality in Scripture: Martha faces the crucible of the everyday urgent when she’s forced to choose between immediate decisions and time spent with Jesus. She confronts Jesus with the problem and her plan: “But Martha was distracted … she came to [Jesus] and said, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40-42)

We face a crucial test when we realize that Jesus doesn’t work on our timeline or in our plans. Instead, He calls us to “choose what is better” and seek Him first.

The crucible of the urgent is where two things can come together and form something new—where God can replace your striving with His peace, where you can make the choice to repent of your worry and self-created plans and “seek first His Kingdom and righteousness.”

We can’t ignore the urgent decisions that have to be made, but we can experience them differently.

Unclear Outcomes

After spending our childhoods led by others’ timelines, values and decisions, most of us relish the freedom and independence of adulthood—until we realize that boundless freedom can be paralyzing.

The crucible of the unclear is the place where we recognize how wide the chasm is between our ideal and the reality. Our future isn’t as linear, our goals may become unclear, and no one is waiting at the end of the school year to promote us to the next level.

If we don’t graduate from the crucible of the unclear, we will arc toward a cynical, disappointed attitude that poisons our perspective toward the future.

But the Bible describes all of life as unclear: “Now we see but a poor reflection in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am a fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). This now/then dynamic is about the hope of our eternity in heaven—which also means that the reality of our life on earth is that we will always see in a hazy mirror, and we will always only know in part.

But the promise of this Scripture is also that we are already fully known—defined supremely and exclusively as sons and daughters of the living God. We may understand partially; but He understands fully.

The crucible of the unclear is whether we will allow the element of ambiguity to drive us to seek the Lord more deeply—to worship Him fully even when we don’t understand, don’t have the answers, or can’t make our lives make sense.

Unconventional Choices

In the account of Martha and Mary in Luke 10, Mary was used by Jesus as an example of the “better” choice—which was also the unconventional choice for women at the time.

In your twenties, you face the crucible of choosing the unconventional life. This might mean choosing a career that’s very different than what your parents expected from you. This might mean being bold with the way you spend your money and time because of what you believe about Jesus.

Unconventional living requires confronting the voices in your soul that speak loudly and strongly about who you are—and are not—to be. Flourishing in the crucible of the unconventional means apprehending every one of those voices and taking them “captive … to be obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

God has always been the author of great stories—and every Christian has the chance to live one. God is looking for men and women who are more interested in His glory than they are in their own—who allow their reverence for Him to outpace their fear of what others expect or demand from their life.

The crucibles of your twenties come back every decade. Perhaps it is always in the urgent, the unclear and the unconventional where we seek God most fully. Maybe that’s why these crucibles are the places where He can make something new—in every decade of our lives.

Source: relevantmagazine.com

When You Have No Strength To Carry On

Glo

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September 3, 2015

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So much is happening in this world and the struggle to survive is getting more difficult. Everyone has been affected in some way by the economy as jobs are scarce and homes are being foreclosed on daily. The increase of broken marriages is staggering even among Christians. And it seems like so many health issues are affecting people everywhere. Though prayers are being offered, some may wonder if God’s power is enough to take us through.

Many times, things do not make sense. It feels like there is no God looking after us or protecting us from harm. Many times, we question God’s existence because life can be cruel, so much so that it seems impossible to believe in mercy and justice. We do not understand where we went wrong or what else have we not given.

What did we do to deserve the loss, the injustice, the tragedy?

It could be frustrating to look for an answer, and we may never find it in this lifetime. We may never figure out the beginning and the end of the mess we are in. We may never understand life. But, we were never called to understand. We were never called to solve the mystery of life. We were called to believe. We were called to trust.

Your life may be like a giant jigsaw puzzle right now; full of complexities and odd events that do not seem to connect with one another.

You may feel like there are pieces that do not belong, that maybe some pieces are missing, or that you will never finish what we have started.

When all hell breaks lose, and you feel overwhelmed, about to reach your limits, here are few important things that we believe will help you make it through those difficult times:

1. The most important thing you can do in any situation is pray.

2. Focus on who God is. Focus on His attributes and that He is a great, powerful God, even when we are very small and weak. Listen to praise and worship. It will minister to your heart and soul and help you to enter into prayer.

3. Ask others whom you trust to join you in your prayer. Praying friends and family are one of God’s ways to strengthen you during the difficult times.

4. Read the Word. The psalms are particularly easy to identify with during dark times. Read God’s promises and find hope in victories of others in the Bible through God working in their life.

5. Know that God is with you through the fire, the deep waters and the darkness. He does not cause these troubles but He will allow them for a purpose that we may never understand. But as you come to know God, you will see that His ways are higher than our ways and He has the perspective of eternity that we do not have.

It may be difficult to trust that everything is going to be okay, but it will be. The puzzle of your life has all the pieces it needs to complete the picture. Some pieces may look out of place, but it belongs there somehow. You have everything you need; you just do not see it yet because of all the mess that is going on right now.

Someday all those pieces will fall in the right places and connect. One day you will step back and you will see how beautiful your life still is. Keep praying. God will answer your prayers. Trust Him. Even when you feel you have no strength to carry on.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. ~Proverbs 3:5

If you are struggling with feelings of despair and helplessness, take a step of faith to trust in God — His love and faithfulness. Be encouraged by the truth that He is always in control and that He desires our best in all circumstances. We would like to engage with you further, walk this journey with you and believe with you that you will find peace again. Click on the banner below.

Additional content from : mvbernard.com , theprayingwoman.com

Glo

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