I Can Only Imagine Trailer #1 (2018) - A Movie About The Power of Redemption and Forgiveness

Welcome Back Readers~

I had the pleasure of going to see I Can Only  Imagine as it premiered in theaters worldwide this weekend. For those that are unfamiliar, the song was one of Christian bands' MercyMe first hits. This movie  goes deeper into songwriter Bart Millard's childhood and examines what events led up to the song's concept. From his difficult upbringing to trying to make his dreams happen on his own, every step leads him to depend more and more on God. Despite his growing faith, Bart finds himself unable to let go of the past and forgive his father; this in turn leads to a lack of inspiration in terms of songwriting. That is, until he finds out his father is dying from pancreatic cancer and has found the Lord. In the last few  weeks of his life, Bart and his father repair their relationship and learn to forgive each other.

Along with the power of redemption and forgiveness, this movie has a strong sense of destiny and fulfilling God's plan for your life. Throughout the movie, Bart encounters many obstacles towards his dream of becoming a singer- his father's opinions, the industries'opinion and his own self-esteem etc. But despite this, God accomplishes his goals anyway- bringing him deeper in the faith  and showing Bart (as well as everyone else) who ultimately remains in control. It is in those times of doubt that you grow character and faith. No matter what if it's something God intends for you to do with your life. It will happen. It doesn't always happen immediately though. It's in God's timing, not ours.

J Michael Finley stars as Bart Millard;Dennis Quaid does a marvelous job playing Bart Millard's father. The rest of the cast does a wonderful job as well. This movie shows how one person has the chance to influence the younger generation for a wonderful purpose- if only they are given the chance.

For more information about Bart's story or the movie, please go to:
https://icanonlyimagine.com/
https://www.facebook.com/icanonlyimaginemovie/
https://www.amazon.com/I-Can-Only-Imagine-Memoir/dp/0785216731

David Francisco auditions on American Idol

Welcome Back  Readers~

American Idol has done it again. In its triumphant return on ABC, the series continues to show audiences how music has the capability to influence people's lives when it matters the most. With a new cast of characters including Lionel Richie, Katie Perry, and Luke Bryant, it hopes to continue highlighting inspirational stories and inspire a whole new generation of singers for the music industry. One of these stories is that of David Francisco- a young man recovering from paralysis after a hit and run accident; for his audition, he played and sang Stevie Wonders "Isn't She Lovely?"

Grace by Laura Story

Welcome Back Readers~

Failure.

No one likes it.

But what if I were to tell you it’s all a matter of prospective.


A New Way Of Looking At Failure

Failure can be looked at from two different perspectives. Generally, our first thought is "I failed." or "What could I have done differently?;it causes us to look inward and blame ourselves. Let's face it. We're human and that's going to be our first instinct-to lose sight of God and beat ourselves up for our mistakes. But what if we chose a different path, looking at our failures the way God sees them?

This is where grace comes in.

As Christians, God doesn't see our sin (failures, mistakes, etc.) instead, he sees Jesus. He laid his 
life down for us so that we may live with him forever in  eternity.

G- God's
R- Riches

A- At

C-Christ's

E- Expense

We don't deserve it.

We can't earn it.

It is only because God's Grace and Mercy that we have it

Here me clearly, this in no way means things will go perfectly once you accept Jesus into your life. This is fallen world and their will be temptations and difficulties. God does not expect you to the perfect, just to rely on him in every circumstance.Think of it like this, We are both saints and sinners at the same time. How can this be? Well, we are saints because God's grace covers us when we pray for our transgressions. But we still are in the flesh.

What am I getting at here? Maybe we should start thinking of our failures as an opportunity- an opportunity to trust God and see what He is going to do in spite of our mistakes. It's in these times of weakness. God shines the best. (2 Cor 12:9) As the movie Mom's Night Out says, "I'm a mess, but I'm God's mess..."

That being said, I've highlighted two of my favorite songs getting me through this season of doubt and discouragement. The first is Laura Story's Grace.and the second is Tauren Wells' Hills and valleys

Laura Story's Grace

My heart is so proud. My mind is so unfocused.

I see the things You do through me as great things I have done.

And now You gently break me, then lovingly You take me

And hold me as my father and mold me as my maker.

I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up,

When I keep on letting you down?

And each time I will fall short of Your glory,

How far will forgiveness abound?"

And You answer: " My child, I love you.

And as long as you're seeking My face,

You'll walk in the power of My daily sufficient grace."

At times I may grow weak and feel a bit discouraged,

Knowing that someone, somewhere could do a better job.

For who am I to serve You? I know I don't deserve You.

And that's the part that burns in my heart and keeps me hanging on.

I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up,

When I keep on letting you down?

And each time I will fall short of Your glory,

How far will forgiveness abound?"

And You answer: " My child, I love you.

And as long as you're seeking My face,

You'll walk in the power of My daily sufficient grace."

You are so patient with me, Lord.

As I walk with You, I'm learning what Your grace really means.

The price that I could never pay was paid at Calvary.

So, instead of trying to repay You, I'm learning to simply obey You

By giving up my life to you For all that You've given to me.

I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up,

When I keep on letting you down?

And each time I will fall short of Your glory,

How far will forgiveness abound?"

And You answer: " My child, I love you.

And as long as you're seeking My face,

You'll walk in the power of My daily sufficient grace."

Tauren Wells' Hills and Valleys- https://youtu.be/8iDuZv_5MQk

Carly's Café - Experience Autism Through Carly's Eyes

Welcome Back Readers~

Not many people really know what it's like in the   mind of someone with autism, but this YouTube gives you a glimpse into their world. Thanks to medical and technological advances, some are able to break through the wall to communicate with family and friends- like Carly. Being  nonverbal, she uses a computer to put her thoughts down on paper; her intellectual prowess and comedic timing inspired her to create a Internet channel interviewing celebrities. .

 For more information about Carly and Carly's Internet talk Speechless, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeKKQlMB1NeOLN31_CSJFRQ?sub_confirmation=1

This Time,Next Year- Inspirational Transformations Throughout One Year

Dear Readers,

Last night I watched an interesting premiere on lifetime that encapsulated people's personal transformations throughout one year into a matter of minutes. From a disabled man injured in a car accident promising to walk again to a woman's dream of becoming a bodybuilder, As the host of This Time Next Year,Cat Deely follows them on their journey to make their dreams come true. The Show airs on Lifetime Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

On a personal note, I was deeply touched by story of Derrick Strong. This amazing young man was always interested in taking care of others as aa nurses aide; until a tragic accident left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Doctors said he would never walk again, but he was determined with the help of family and friends to walk by himself by this time next year. During the montage which showed his journey, he encountered at another incredible obstacle- he was involved in another accident on his way from therapy. That still did not stop him though and he was able to walk with the assistance of a Walker and able to hug Cat as he walked through the "Next Year" doors. His amazing testimony of "The Impossible is Possible with God" left the audience in tears.

Try as I might, I was unable to find any more articles about this inspirational man. I'm not sure that he knows how much his five minute interview changed the minds of millions of  people across the world- including myself. I wish him the best in all his future endeavors and hope he continues to walk tall whatever life brings him.

My Favorite Holiday Assistive Technology

Welcome Back Readers~

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday with family and friends; I certainly did. Some of my favorite gifts included a Ultimate Harmony remote which allows me to control several devices such as my Amazon fire and my TiVo all through my Alexa simply by using my voice. For example, I can say, "go to 240" and it switch the channel as requested. I can also turn up the volume of the TV by simply saying, "Turn up the volume." In order to switch to the Amazon fire,I, I simply ask Alexa to "turn on Fire TV,"; I don't have to ask my personal assistant to switch inputs because it does so automatically
This remote does require some programming experience in order to make the devices work together to complete complex demands.

For more information on harmony products, please go to:

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-universal-remotes
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-logitech-harmony-amazon-alexa-echo/

The Nest thermostat was my next favorite present; this assistive technology works to with the app as well as Alexa to control your thermostat. It also has the ability to recognize when you are away from the home and lower the temperature: when  you return, it will increase to a preset temperature.

For more information on Nest technology, please go to:

https://nest.com/thermostats/nest-learning-thermostat/overview/
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/tips-for-your-new-nest-thermostat/

The last assistive technology is clearly not yet; but Toyota is doing its best to make the lives of quadriplegics a whole lot better with the introduction of a personal assistant robot that retrieves drinks

Reflections on The Christmas Season

Dearest Readers,

Last week begun the traditional start to the holiday season; for the first time I can remember, our church has decided to continue the tradition of lighting candles until Christmas.. This week's candle was the Candle of Hope.

But hope for what?

Financial stability??

True love??

Continued health and wellness in the new year??

The Oxford dictionary defines hope as “A feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen”. Peter said we have a “living hope” and this is that we have an inheritance of eternal life kept for us in Heaven. (1 Pet 3:3-5). Our faith is focused on this -  “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). So, what is our hope?  It is eternal life. And in Whom is our hope? It is in  Jesus Christ  (1 Timothy ).

Throughout the generations, Christians have lost  their awe for what happened the night of Jesus's birth- how everything came to pass as was prophesied. I'm not saying we should forget God's kind and compassionate character, but it is only when we acknowledge our need for Him that we can truly comprehend God's master plan of allowing us to point others toward Jesus himself.  Or as Isaiah put it in Isaiah 6:5-8:  

"Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Take for example Jefferson Moore's A Perfect  Stranger movie trilogy. Although the premise of the movies are nice  in theory (because Jesus did come down to earth to live among us to spread the gospel news) these movies tend to gloss over how powerful God truly is and what he is truly capable of..

This brings me back to   my original question:  How Do We Get Back To The True Meaning of Christmas?