The Art of Humility

Psalm 147:10............."Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."







Humility has become a lost art. What is it? According to Wikipedia, humility is "...seen as the act of posture of lowering oneself in relation to others, or conversely, having a clear perspective, and therefore respect, for one's place in context." Humility, in short, is putting others before yourself. C.S. Lewis explained in his book, Mere Christianity, that pride--which is the opposite of humility--is "anti-God". In Proverbs 16:18-19, God says that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty [prideful] spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

I would like to include a documentary that Dr. Charles Stanley wrote on why God hates human pride:


"The Bible makes it very clear that God hates human pride. James 4:6 states very clearly, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." The same message gets stated in the Scripture no less than three times....

"Why does God hate human pride so much? Because it is the one sin that keeps us from allowing God to use us for His purposes. When we commit ourselves to doing things our way, we are in no position to do things God's way. Pride renders us useless in the kingdom of God. We fall prey to pride when we forget that God does not exist for us, but we exist for Him." 

[Note: Emphasis added in some parts]



Last February, I started a Leadership and Management course through CollegePlus and I learned a great deal from it on what to look for in leadership and qualities to have to be a great leader. As you have probably figured out by now, yes humility was a strong virtue that made a leader likable. Because honestly, who really likes to work for an employer who has a big head?

Mr. Thompson tells his employees of how he worked his fingers to the bone and built up the company over the years. He brags of his advertising skills, communication capabilities, and his technological know-how. His employees get tired of listening of his one-sided conversations. His brother, on the other hand, runs a simple gas station on the corner. He has fewer number of employees, but they work hard to please him. This Mr. Thompson has never bragged of his accomplishments, but has rather given credit to the wonderful people who have made the business what it is today. See the difference in the two men? The first Mr. Thompson may have more workers at his larger business, but is undoubtedly going to have fewer friends than his brother at the smaller store. 
 
The above story is fictional, but the sin of pride is very real. It exists in the heart of those who live in a disillusioned state that THEY did it all on their own.



I think we would all agree that God created us; therefore, He created everything about us. Our physical features and our talents to name a few. Now why does pride live in the lives of even Christians who believe the above statements?

Simply, because we're humans. At some point in our lives, we think that everything we find we can work through, accomplish, amaze others with is all done on our own strength. We forget that the God we cannot see with our naked eyes was our Designer, our Creator. When He made you, He decided if you could sing, be an Olympic athlete, or super good at math! Everything you and I do are all gifts that our God above has bestowed upon us. It's NOT something we should ever boast about.

"I can sing better than Suzie", "Nancy can't sew nothing like I can", "Bill is soo much less talented than I when it comes to playing basketball"....all are thoughts of the devil, making us believe that we have somehow become superior to everyone around us. But just maybe we're overlooking the abilities they were blessed with that we aren't able to perform. Suzie wins the debating award every year. Nancy makes people laugh and feel better about themselves. Bill may not be tall enough for basketball, but he is the track star.


We have nothing without Christ. We cannot save ourselves, we cannot give ourselves life, we cannot choose the talents we will be able to share with others. As Psalm 89:47-48 says: "Remember how short my time is; for what futility have You created all the children of men? What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?"

"Humility a strange thing. The minute you think you've got it, you've lost it."

Let us strive to humble ourselves before God and give Him the credit, the praise that is due Him, and to use the talents He grants us for His glory.

God bless,
Anna

July 24th Photo Shoot (Samples)

Peach colored day lilies

Sunlight Through the Leaves

                                                       

Birdie watching me!

Orange day lilies

Yellow day lilies

Red day lilies

Down the road....

Marshmallow Clouds

RVWPA Show

The Welsh Pony show went well in early June and I'm so happy with the way McAnna is such a good, little pleaser. She's got that wonderful attitude like: "Okay, mama. I'm tired, but I'm still listening to you". We entered seven classes over the two day show and received seven ribbons: Reserve Champion pleasure driving, being our best accomplishment!

Getting ready to go in the class

Making last minute adjustments 

Driving around

Taking Tasha for a pre-class ride (and practice time ;))

In the showring!

Lined up at the center for inspection

"Strong trot. Call is for a strong trot!"

Can I take a nap after this, please?

Ah! So tired. Can't you tell?

Slowing crawling back to the stall....

That was SO much work!

Looking GOOD.

What a cutie pie!

Potential!

  "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~Romans 5:8

Some people look at a blank piece of paper and wonder what to write on it. They may start making a checklist of some chores they need to do for the day. They may actually start a story but then become discouraged because they can't think of anything worthwhile to write. Blank papers can sometimes scare people because they have no idea what to fill in the lines with.

When I look at a piece of paper, I see "potential". When you take a piece of paper, it's all about your attitude. How you're going to look at it is vital in keeping a positive spin on it. For example, has it got potential or failure already written on? Any writer will see potential if they see that word already etched in every line. They start writing and keep writing. In their "mind's eye", they see greatness in basically a worthless sheet of paper.

In very much the same way, God saw you in His "mind's eye". You were just like this blank piece of paper. You were empty, formless, and had nothing to offer. Without God, none of us have anything worthwhile to give. In short, though while others may have called you "worthless", do you know what He saw? That's right: potential! God made you, formed you, and made you into something that pleased Him.

You don't have to work to earn God's love, His grace, His mercy. God saw a meaningful purpose in creating you LONG before you were even born. Out of nothing, He made you into the beautiful person that you are today. You were worth creating and God has never stopped loving you.

Psalms 139:13-14:

"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."


You will never be worthless because God says your life is worthwhile.

God bless,
Julianna

Fact, Not Fiction

A man whispered, "God, speak to me".
And a meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled, "God, speak to me".
And the thunder and lightning rolled across the sky.
But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God, let me see You".
And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see it.

And the man shouted, "God show me a miracle".
And a life was born.
But the man did not notice.

So the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and let me know You are here".
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

The man asked God for encouragement.
And an email arrived bringing good news.
But the man deleted it.



God does not have to show His face to us in order for us to know He exists. When we look at the beauty around us, we see God's handiwork. God gives us just a glimpse of His beauty through His creation, letting us see a small portion of His strength in the powerful waves or seeing His gentleness in creating a little bird. God Himself does not need to be seen in order to be believed in, though many times, we humans have problems believing in something that we cannot touch or see.

Yet we know that our cell phones have service, even though we cannot see the power from which it sends and receives messages.  We can think, though we have not seen our own brain waves. We know the power of the wind, and yet the wind has no face to touch, no hand to hold, no arms to hug. There is so much proof around us that this world was designed by a Supreme Being.  We see the majestic, white capped mountains reaching to the skies, the power in a mighty wave crashing against the rocks, and hear the angelic voice of a robin; but yet, many will still doubt that our powerful and Omnipotent God exists.

Fact: We cannot disprove the existence of Almighty God!

Blessings,
Julianna


You are part of God's handiwork! Ephesians 2:10

God's Not Dead!

         "How do you hate someone you say doesn't exist?"                         ~Josh Wheaton, God's Not Dead


I had the privilege--a few weeks ago--of going to the theater to see one of the most talked about Christian movies of the year. Actually, it was my first experience in a theater and it was very exciting with all the loud speakers, the smell of popcorn in buckets worth $19.50, and the largest screen I had ever sat in front of! But this was just the beginning.

I had not even watched the trailer of the movie, and in fact, I hate watching trailers to anything unless I question it. But I wanted every scene to be a complete surprise. Not only was I surprised....

                             ....I was amazed!


                         Anna's Movie Review on....God's Not Dead

The story revolves around a young college freshman, Josh Wheaton, who needs to attend a Philosophy class to put credits towards his pre-law degree. His faith is then challenged by Professor Radisson who not only personally hates God, but makes it his mission to make all the students in his class write "God is dead" or they will fail the class. Josh and the professor are at odds with each other from the beginning and Josh must prove God's existence in the classroom. He tells the class that Professor Radisson is the prosecutor, Josh himself is the defense attorney, and the class is the jury who gets to decide if God is really dead or....not.

Though Josh endures many hardships when he takes on the professor's challenge, the story also encompasses other people who are somehow "connected" to each other. These people's faith are also tested and that makes this show so real, as their trials are similar to ours. Some actually came to know the Lord personally at the end of the movie; unfortunately, as in our lives, many will turn away after hearing the truth. Josh was given two Scripture verses to read to help him make his decision. I will not expose them, as I implore you, the readers, to watch the movie for yourselves and see how Josh's Pastor's advice will help us in our individual missions to reach the lost.

The show as a whole is moving and demonstrates the power of our witness to the world. Pastor Dave told Josh that he should not be "clever", but to let the power of God's Word be proof enough. I remembered Moses in the Old Testament who thought his words were not eloquent enough to come before Pharaoh. But God still used Moses and God will use us in a powerful way to complete His plan. We just have to believe that we can still be instruments that God uses. He will give us the strength we need to reach out and stand boldly for Him.

As I watched Professor Radisson tell the class to write "God Is Dead", I kept thinking, 'You must believe in God, because to say that He's dead, must mean that He was alive at one point'. But we know that God is still alive, well, and working in this dark world. Man may say that God is non-existent, but without Him, life would not be worth living. Indeed, God is alive!


Final thought:

My encouragement to you would be to find, if you have not already, a movie theater near you and see this powerful film. I guarantee you that this film that I give 5 stars to, will not disappoint you. It's certainly not a waste of money to see it and even buy it when it comes out in DVD format in August, possibly.


For more information, go to: God's Not Dead Official Movie Link

My Big Little Surprise

Everyone, I'd like you to meet my new horse, Braje (Bray-ge or if that doesn't help, it has the "garage" sound at the end). She's the big surprise I mentioned on the G+ post. She is a fourteen-year-old, chestnut reining mare who hasn't been used in the last six years or so. She's got a lot of good reining blood (ancestry) in her and has the perfect temperament. She stands at 14.3 hands high, although is a little taller in front since a friend of ours put plastic shoes on her front feet. She wasn't cared for the best at her previous home and if the cracks in her front feet hadn't been taken care of in a couple more weeks, she would have probably ended up lame..for good. So, we're fixing the problem by spraying on a plastic substance on the bottom of her feet to bring the sole back together again. The cracks were so deep that you could see her foot--not her hoof--but the actually foot sticking out. Our friend had to dig all the dirt and stuff out of it--making it bleed--so that it wouldn't become infected. But she's home now and being taken care of. She's not in pain now! :) My hope is to show her in reining classes (around here and Minnesota) and give riding lessons on her. So, she kind of earns her keep. ;)  

Here she is in her "private" pasture, so she and the others can "meet" each other without hurting themselves.

Looking out at the other horses.

                                       

                                                                                                                                                                              

                           

Soft eyes, good confirmation, and smart     

                                   

 

        .

Has a low head carriage (Sky in background)

                                                                  

                                                                                

First time she ever heard cows. She's like "Wha?" :D

2013 Summer Pictures

For this post, I wanted to share some pictures with you that I was able to take in the last few weeks. With all of the rain, the flowers and crops are growing nicely, and everything is looking green. Hope you enjoy them. 

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters. Which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

"For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." Isaiah 61:11

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable." Isaiah 40:28

"Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are those who wait for Him." Isaiah 30:18

"You are  my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 118:28-29

"Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" Psalm 68:19

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Matthew 13:44

"For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100:5

"For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:11-12


In Christ,
Anna

The Star Maker

I haven't done a blog post in awhile and decided to do one on a devotion that my Mom had read last night. It's a book by Max Lucado called: "Live Loved" and I absolutely love the life lessons that he gives. And I'd like to share this one with you:

It's entitled: "Loved by God the Creator".

"Venture away from the city lights on a clear night, and look up at the sky. That fuzzy band of white light is our galaxy, the Milky Way. One hundred billion stars. Our galaxy is one of billions of others! Who can conceive of such a universe, let alone infinite numbers of universes?

No one can. But let's try anyway. Suppose you attempt to drive to the sun. A car dealer offers you a sweet deal on a space vehicle (no doubt solar powered) that averages 150 miles per hour. You hop in, open the moonroof, and blast off. You drive nonstop, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. Any guess as to the length of your trip? Try seventy years! Suppose, after stretching your legs and catching  a bit of sun, you fuel up and rocket off to Alpha Centauri, the next closest star system. Best pack a lunch and clear your calendar. You'll need 15 million years to make the trip.

Don't like to drive, you say? Board a jet, and zip through our solar system at a blistering six hundred milers per hour. In 16.5 days you'll reach the moon, in seventeen years you'll pass the sun, and in 690 years you can enjoy dinner on Pluto. After seven centuries you haven't even left our solar system, much less our galaxy.

Our universe is God's preeminent missionary. "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1 NIV). A house implies a builder; a painting suggest a painter. Don't stars suggest a star maker? Doesn't creation imply a creator? "The heavens declare His righteousness" (Psalm 97:6). Look above you...

If God can make a billion galaxies, can't he make good out of our bad and sense out of our faltering lives? Of course He can. He is God."

What a powerful God that we serve. And that is no understatement. :)

Psalm 40:5 "Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

Hebrews 1:10-11 "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain."