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Tuesday, June 22, 2010
SEASONS
Season: Deuteronomy 28:11-13 (New International Version)
11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
To everything there is a season: Eccles. 3:1-8
This passage teaches that there's a time and place for everything. On the one hand it's a sobering reminder that nothing lasts forever; but it's also encouraging to know that difficult times will eventually but inevitably be followed by times of peace. God is in control of it all.
Are you in the middle of a “dark season” in your life? Do you trust God to keep watch over you until you’ve made it through?
Just hold on and know that God is in the midst of it all. No one likes the rain but we all will go through storms but know that the sun will shine again. Keep me in your prayers God is in the blessing business. He delivered me from domestic abuse and now he has delivered and healed me from cervical cancer. I know that if I made it through this then you can make it through whatever you are going through. You might be in your sun shine season, if so intercede for others and store up all your prayers because there will come a time in your life that you just dont know what to say and those prayers will make intercession for you. I am not telling you what I heard but I am telling you what I know.
Keep me and my family in your prayers and I will do the same for all my facebook family. Let's sound the alarm people and raise awareness on domestic abuse and also educate ourselves and help fight cancer of any kind.
Thanks and regards,
Atara Estes aka Sound The Alarm Outreach
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
HIS SPIRIT
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay;
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
We are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10
Come, Lord, and give me courage----
Thy conquering Spirit give;
Make me an overcomer
In power within me live.
The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the
bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.
I Samuel 17:37
From my heart to yours. We dont have to be beaten down by the enemy any
longer. Stand and sound the alarm with me fight against domestic violence.
Save a life!
Atara aka Sound the Alarm Outreach
www.soundthealarmoutreach.blogspot.com
soundthealarmoutreach@gmail.com
facebook/groups: Sound the Alarm Outreach
www.myspace.com/soundthealarmoutreach
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?
Information adapted from The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and
Sexual Violence publication The Nature and Dynamics of Domestic Violence.
Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive or coercive behaviors
that adults or adolescents use against their current or former intimate
partners. Domestic violence occurs in intimate relationships where the
perpetrator and the victim are currently or previously have been dating,
living together, married or divorced. They may or may not have children in
common.
Domestic violence can take many forms. Some types are more subtle than
others and might never be seen or felt by anyone other than the person
experiencing the abuse. The abuser uses a combination of tactics that work
to control the victim. The abuse also usually increases in frequency and
severity over time.
PHYSICAL ABUSE: Physical abuse is easier to recognize and understand than
other types of abuse. Physical abuse can be indicated when the abuser:
· Scratches, bites, grabs or spits at the victim;
· Shakes, shoves, pushes, restrains or throws the victim;
· Twists, slaps, punches, strangles or burns the victim;
· Throws objects, that could possibly cause injury, at the victim;
· Subjects the victim to reckless driving;
· Locks the victim in or out of the residence;
· Prohibits the victim from leaving by blocking the exit;
· Withholds food as punishment;
· Attacks the victim with weapons;
· Makes threats to cause physical harm and/or injury to the victim.
SEXUAL ABUSE: Sexual violence and abuse can be extraordinarily difficult
for victims to talk about because of the ways in which this type of
violence often is perpetrated.
Sexual abuse can be indicated when the abuser:
· Calls the victim insulting sexual names;
· Pressures the victim to have sex, even when s/he does not want to;
· Coerces sex by manipulation or threats;
· Physically forces sex or is sexually violent;
· Coerces the victim into sexual acts that s/he is uncomfortable with,
such as sex with a third party, physically painful sex or verbal
degradation during sex;
· Inflicts injuries that are sex-specific;
· Denies the victim contraception or protection against sexually
transmitted diseases.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE: It is the abuser's use of physical and sexual force or
threats that gives power to psychologically abusive acts. Psychological
abuse becomes an effective weapon in controlling a victim, because the
victim knows through experience that the abuser will at times back up the
threats or taunts with physical assaults. Psychological abuse can be
indicated when the abuser:
· Verbally attacks and humiliates the victim in private or public;
· Attacks the victim's vulnerabilities, such as language abilities,
educational level, skills as a parent, religious and cultural beliefs
and/or physical appearance;
· Forces the victim to do degrading things;
· Stalks the victim.
Remember - - Every victim of domestic violence has a different and unique
experience. Even if an abuser does not engage in one or more of the
behaviors listed above, his/her intimate partner may still be experiencing
abuse.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Letter in postal service
Meredith and Abbey
This is one of the kindest things you may ever see..
It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the
dead letter office of the US postal service.
(Embedded image moved to file: pic07355.jpg)
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4
year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed
Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got
to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so
she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in
heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog
even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I
am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is
my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and
addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith
pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it
would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That
afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days
later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I
thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch
addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside
was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside
front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On
the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in
your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.. Since we don't need our bodies in
heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending
it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to
remember Abbey by...
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you
write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked
her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God
Forward to all your friends, including me..
And don't tell me you're too busy for this.
Don't you know the phrase 'stop and smell the flowers'?
Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps you Glowing ,
But Only Friends Keep You Going!
...............see how many you get today
When will I change? When I let God Choose.
I become transparent to you all to get to that next level in God.
When will I change the way things happen to me in my life? When will I
accept the things the way they are in life? When will I have the job of my
dreams? When will I stop being afflicted with illnesses? When will people
stop taking all the time from me and start to give in return? When will my
family stop fighting and being divided? When will I have the house of my
dreams? When will I meet that special one of my dreams? I guess that is the
problem I am dreaming and I need to face reality. I have a job and it might
not be the dream job but I must be thankful for having one. I must believe
that I can make things happen for me and at times I fall short on my inner
ability to believe that things can come to pass. Lord I pray and ask for
your wisdom to receive all that you have for me. I don't know what I should
be doing. Please show me the way so I wont stray away from you. Hold me
close because apparently I am sinking deep in thought and it isn't for the
healthy things of life. Why am I challenging and second guessing myself?
Even though my friends share their thoughts with me it doesn't always mean
that you are able and ready to receive it at that time. I am a survivor but
at times you just get tired of fighting every time you turn around. What
did I survive to do in life? Just to be miserable or what? There has to be
so much more for me but I don't see the end for looking at my right now.
How do I change that way of thinking? You say in your word by the renewing
of my mind. In Matthew 6:33 says but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. I need for
my heart to be mended and be made whole. I don't want to fight this battle
alone any longer. I got it now CONTENTMENT COMES WHEN WE WANT GOD'S WILL
MORE THAN OUR OWN WAY. You make it happen the way you find fit Lord and I
will do exactly what you say. I surrender all. I will not do anything else
on my own.
Take a good look at yourself and make sure that it lines up according to
God's Word or you might just be living in vain. (food for thought)
Atara aka Sound The Alarm Outreach
www.soundthealarmoutreach.blogspot.com
soundthealarmoutreach@gmail.com
Tell me what do you think about the word for today?