Discipline = Self-Commitment

Anybody can be a mother, father, daughter, son, wife, husband, friend, employee, etc. but it takes a commitment to be a Christian wife, daughter, friend, employee, etc. It requires discipline. I have noticed that if we are not careful and if we don't establish positive routines, it can affect us in the long run. We don't realize it until its too late to go back and change.

I feel that because of my job, I am becoming more lazy and I'm losing energy even on the days when I'm  busy. I feel like a different person from when I started. When I started, I was confident and was motivated to learn new things. I wish I learned in college on how to be motivated when others are not. It's hard because I am in my office more than I am at home with my family and friends. It has already affected me at home. It's up to me to decide if I want to change that. Although, I have to say this, I am extremely grateful for my friends at work. If it wasn't for them, I would have to change jobs and that's hard to do in this economy. Sometimes it's a good idea to change jobs especially if you're in a very hostile environment and that can affect your mental and physical health from stress. I don't have that type of stress but I am not in an engaging environment where I feel like I can grow. So this is something I need to work on my part to change that feeling.

It's the same thing as being a Christian, we live in a world and in an environment where everyone has different beliefs and ideas on how to live on Earth. The hardest thing is to be yourself in this world. So I feel like I need to carefully pay attention to my environment before it slowly eats me away. Last weekend, a pastor at McLean Bible Church talked about the Potter and the Clay, since I was home, I watched it online with captions so I was able to save his quotes...

"We live in a culture of do it yourself religion. No longer do we live in a world 
where people adhere to a system of belief that they see as external to 
them. That they embrace. No, no, no. We live in a world of designer 
religion. Where people mix and match various systems of thought and 
beliefs, never mind the glaring incongruities that are involved in this 
process. And they develop a system of belief that entirely reflects 
them. 

Truth becomes what I make it. What I believe is that which doesn't 
inconvenience me or require anything of me. And now God is made in my 
image rather than the reverse. 

Have you ever heard anybody say: Well, you know, I believe in God, I 
just don't believe in organized religion? 
Translation: Living in a world that has trained me to be the center 
of my own life, I cannot tolerate a belief system that includes 
anything that requires something of me or inconveniences me. 
How about this one? 
I just can't believe that a loving God would -- fill in the blank.

Even Jesus said I did not come to do my will:but the will of him who 
sent me. How much more should those who claim Christ recognize that 
it's about him and his grace and His mercy

God is the potter. We are the clay. And we live in an environment 
that doesn't help us to believe and embrace that." Jim Supp

It's true, we don't live in an environment that embraces God's will for us. Who are we really? Do we only think of ourselves as a daughter or a wife or a friend? Do we see ourselves as God's child? A Christian? It should matter how we perceive ourselves. Once we have establish our identity as a Christian, then we should learn how to live in an environment that allows to be ourselves no matter what circumstances we are in. It takes commitment and discipline - God wants us to be " faithful for 30 years and conquer every attack of discouragement with God’s word." - John Piper 

I know he said "30" years but what he really meant was that you should be faithful to the Lord as soon you accept Jesus Christ in your life and conquer every attack of discouragement with God's word.  Easier said than Done!! That's why God doesn't allow us to see the future, he only wants us to focus on today and take one day at a time with our commitment. Basically, if I feel that my job is changing who I am, then I need to make sure nobody is changing me who I am as a Christian either.

I have been looking at my past blogs to see what I have been writing over the time. I have to admit, I am surprised at the stuff that I wrote. It feels like the holy spirit was with me helping me get my message across. Or, maybe help get God's message's across?


I felt that I was learning from my blogs again even though I wrote it! I think it's a good habit to read the blogs that we have wrote before we write a new one. Most of them was are about God and his love for us. How God has sent his son to save us and show forgiveness to others.  How we love God for who He is. There's a lot of stuff that I wrote and I have learned that because as humans we are not perfect, we are constantly renewing ourselves. It will continue to the day we die. I do feel like I have a lot to learn before I can have children and pass on life lessons to them. And children will also pass on life lessons to us and continue to transform us. 

So I have been reading Tom Newberry's blogs/articles 

Good Habits vs. Bad Friends

Do your words build up or tear down?

And I am going to prepare myself to start doing daily EMSR

Tom Newberry's EMSR: Early Morning Success Ritual

This will help me focus one day at a time. I also liked his suggestion of waking up early to be with God and learn about him and review what I have already learned before starting my day. That helps too.  First, I need to pray and mentally prepare myself to get up early and break that bad habit of mine!!! :)

God's Glory

What Does It Mean to Serve God? by John Piper


The difference is that God has told us not to serve him as though he needed anything..

“He is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25).
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).


God is seen as glorious when all our serving is moment-by-moment receiving from God’s supply.
We receive this supply by faith. That is, we trust moment-by-moment that what we need, in serving him, he will supply (“life, breath, and everything”). This is the opposite of being anxious. Such serving is happy. And it makes God look no less authoritative, but infinitely more desirable. This is the glory he means to have. The giver gets the glory.

I enjoyed this post about Serving God and his Glory. Life is a beautiful gift and He enjoys giving it to us if we trust His gift and we can thank him by living it. I can enjoy every moment in His presence, because He has always has taken care of us -whether we asked for it or not. He shows us the purpose and if we pay attention, we will know what it is. I can understand this because, think about it, this is why people enjoy volunteering and doing charity work. It makes us feel good knowing that we can help others when they can't help themselves. When we see that they are successful because we helped them get started, it makes us proud but at the same time we don't want to ask for credit for it. The only way they can thank us is to use our gift and do the same for others. Why do you think there are so many poor people in this world, they are here for a reason, we can help them for God's glory.

I also read this blog about this woman's conversation with God. She talks about how God was trying to ask her this question - "Why do you love Me?" and she responded " I love you because of all the things you've done for us and thank you for all the gifts you have given us." She could feel God ask her again "But why do you love ME?" Do you love God for God's sake and for who He is?      or for what He has done for us?

That was a great question. I thought about it myself. I love God because not only because of all the things He has done for me. I love for what He represents. There's no better feelings than feeling love, trust, pure happiness, confidence, satisfied, generous, forgiving, etc. I want to live in a world like that. That's why this Bible verse is my favorite "Turn from evil, do good. Seek peace and pursue it" (34:14). Peace is where I want to be and follow, because that's where God's glory is.

 

Isn't she beautiful? Peaceful? I just love her picture.  She's a good friend of mine and she has the most beautiful and radiant soul. There are a few out there that are like that. I'm very blessed to know them. My husband is definitely one of them, he has God's forgiving quality. My mom has the unconditional love. We are His children and I love seeing God's qualities in everyone I meet and it touches me.

As you can see, she's about 8 or 9 months pregnant in the photo. She has an adorable baby and she's a wonderful mother to him. I have another friend who is also a wonderful mother to her daughter, she works so hard and expects nothing in return. I read a blog about motherhood and how it's not a "job" it's a calling.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank

It's very interesting and very true. I do believe that it's the children that teach us what life is about. Children teaches us sacrifices, just like Jesus sacrificed His life for us. We would do the same for our children. Children teaches us unconditional love just like God has unconditional love for us.  Having children gives us an "idea" of what kind of love that God has for us. So if we love our children this much, can you imagine how much He loves US?

Check out this cute story...

“Ossie and I have made arrangements (for after our death). Cremation after a public ceremony, and then, into the urn. A special urn, large enough and comfortable enough to hold both our ashes. Whoever goes first will wait inside for the other. When we are reunited at last, we want the family to say good-bye and seal the urn forever. Then on the side, in letters not too bold—but not too modest either—we want the following inscription:
“RUBY AND OSSIE—IN THIS THING TOGETHER.”

Psychiatrist Thomas Hora defines this profound truth for us: “The love of being loving is the desire to manifest or reflect the goodness of God unconditionally and non-personally.” We are not here to ruin ourselves but to love the way God loves (John 13:34), without desire for reward or regard for person. We are all images and likenesses of Love, and are in this thing called love as one, like ashes in an urn.
Excitement is such fun, and such misery. Learning to love is so hard. The love of being loving—being God-like—brings peace and assurance. Why is it that we look for excitement first?  (Michael Leach)

Enjoy today. Think about all the beautiful things you have and...... stay in that moment.

You learn things over time...

Today, I was driving back home from Upstate --visiting my family. During the time I was driving, I realized how time is very important and how we manage our time on Earth.

First, I want to start with this--Gil and I saw two cars in Myrtle Beach each car had a Bible verse. One car had "Psalm 3" and the other car had "Act 1". I told myself to look it up when I get home but didn't get around to it so on the way home today, I wanted to look it up and I loved what I found. 

I knew it wasn't a coincidence that I saw these Bible verses because that was God's way of communicating with me. He has taught me a lesson today and it took me a while to get it. I have been resenting a couple of people that I know and I have already forgave them but I still felt there was something missing. Then I realized that I was supposed to forgive myself too. Sometimes when I get mad or get annoyed with something, I have a habit of letting that person get the best of me and then I regret for letting that happen. Because over time, I would get over it. There's no reason to complain about it when it's going to go away later. So I know I can't take back the words that have already been said but I can forgive myself and move on. 

It's actually easier to forgive others than ourselves. We try very hard not to fall into our weakness and when we do, it makes me feel defeated. Then God reminded me that we are never defeated with Jesus Christ in our hearts. That's when I became so happy and free---I forgave myself. What a difference it makes!!! I stopped wasting time and start making plans. Then God also reminded me that I am going to be tempted again and how important it is to keep making time for God to keep us from sinning again.

So Psalms 3 talks about David's son Absalom, led a rebellion against David, forcing the king to flee from Jerusalem. 

I liked what the last verse said (Psalm 3:8) 

Salvation belongs to the Lord: your blessing be on your people! 

It is the Lord's decision and not of the enemies to make us feel ashamed or punish us for what we did. We should only care about what the Lord thinks of us. We should be wishing well even for the people who opposes us and bless them anyway. 

I take mistakes very personally because I want to honor Jesus for saving our souls. God sent his Jesus so we could be with Him. It's a precious and loving gift from God and the last thing I want to do is to let Him down. So when I make a mistake sometimes I feel like I am not worthy of anybody's forgiveness, including myself. But, then I have to remember that God made us who He designed us to be and gave His son to save us. For that, I will be forever grateful for Him.

Over the weekend, we were all talking about our families and how hard it is to get along with them and even with our friends too. We love and care about them but it's hard to keep peace if someone is so negative and bitter. One of my dad's cousins said this - "Who knows, there may not be a tomorrow, why waste the whole day feeling miserable with regrets"  and after she said that, a lightbulb went off in my head. I have heard this before but this time it had more meaning to me. It is important to use our time to connect with God and mediate with Him so we won't have regrets and just enjoy the day and life. God will guide us and tell us what we need to do in our life to remain in peace and harmony. He doesn't always answer questions right away, it is important to give Him time. I remember Lon Solomon talked about God's timing and that it's always perfect and that we should trust him guide us in the right direction- when he wants us to.

It was one of the best weekends ever, I was surrounded by family who maintained a positive environment and everyone was so honest with each other. It was so wonderful and refreshing. 

I also learned that cousin - is my Grandma's Goddaughter. And she has the same name as my Grandma too - Philomena. I have never met my Grandma Philomena since she died before I was born and I have always wanted to get to know more about her. I learned new things about her this weekend and it meant the world to me. I guess over time , I would get to know my Grandma in many different ways. 

In Act 1:7 it says...

He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Time will teach us a lesson, time will force us to depend on God for the uncertainties and live our life to the fullest. 

One Nation Under God

America is so diverse. It represents God's children. He made all of us different and unique, if you remember what I wrote in my other blog ...

"That's why government and major corporations value diversity because all of us together can meet so many different needs in this world. A world with diverse people is a complete picture for God.  That shows you that God meets all of our needs. Also, it teaches us to step outside of the box and come up with new ideas for our products/services. Along the way, we figure things out a lot faster if we know there might be another shortcut if we use different way of thinking.This helps us to show and learn respect for each other. That creates Harmony in this world."

 Living in a diverse country shows us how to love and respect unconditionally because you have no choice but to do that. You basically have to surrender to God and love everyone as they are because he designed them to be this way just like he designed us to be this way. Acceptance is very important as a Christian. We may not understand individuals or their culture but we can choose to accept them or not.

I am so grateful that we live in a country where we can attend to any Churches we want and most of all, we can praise God in however we want and not be punished for it. People don't realize how important it is to have Churches in our country...

"When the church was rebuilt, a famous sculptor offered to make new hands; but, after considering the matter, the members decided to let it stand as it was—without hands. “For,” they said, “Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work on earth. If we don’t feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, entertain the stranger, visit the imprisoned, and clothe the naked, who will?” Christ is depending on us to do the very things which He did while upon earth. My friend, if the gospel we preach does not have a social application, if it will not work effectively in the work-a-day world, then it is not the Gospel of Christ." - Billy Graham.

It's true, if people won't take care of others, who will? That's why Jesus created the Church to take care of those who are in need no matter who they are. In other countries, they don't have a choice. It's their way or the highway.


Remember, we are one nation under God, we can't be too busy to take care of our souls....


"Prayer is a two-way conversation; it is our talking to God, and His talking to us. As a Christian, you have a heavenly Father who hears and answers prayer. Jesus said, “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Every man or woman whose life has counted for the church and the Kingdom of God has been a person of prayer. You cannot afford to be too busy to pray. A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian. Jesus Christ spent many hours in prayer. Sometimes He spent the night on a mountaintop in solitary communion with God the Father. If He felt that He had to pray, how much more do we need to pray!" -- Billy Graham

America is a fast paced society and we shouldn't let it interfere with our relationship with God. America represents free will. We live in a country where there is good and evil and it is up to us to decide which direction we want to go in...

"The way of life that God desires for us is the way of life we desire.  “What do I really want?” is a simple question.  But simple doesn’t mean easy.  Usually this question is quite difficult to answer.  Our deepest desires are confused by pride, fears, ambitions, and attachments to money, honor, security, and a host of other things.  The process of getting a clear vision of who we really are  is essentially a process of stripping away these false desires and finding the desires at the core of our selves." - Jim Manney

God blessed us with this country, let's honor it and praise Him for it.

Happy 4th of July, I am proud to be a Christian and an American. I want to thank the troops for sacrificing their lives for us to keep us safe from evil and defend our freedom to choose between good and evil.

Love never fails.

Today I opened up three cards from our family and friends to wish us happy anniversary. I loved the cards they sent us, they were so sweet and still were so excited to be part of our wedding day. I really liked my mom's card to us and this is what it said:

For a special Daughter and "Son"     Today in the midst of your busy life, take at least one moment to sit back and relax-- when you don't have to do anything or be anywhere in particular. Take a moment to reflect on all you've accomplished in the past year, and all you have to look forward to in the year ahead...

But most of all, remember what a gift your life is- not just to you, but to everyone who knows you and how wonderful it is to have you for a daughter and "son."

Thank you mom, I love you. Thank you for being my best friend and a great mother-in-law to Gil.

When I look at Gil, it is not hard to see why God has chosen him to be my husband. Being married to my best friend is a blessing. I will never forget the day I married him. I felt everything. There was a feeling of romance, love, excitement, and glory. We felt complete.  We can't wait to grow together and expand our family and love.

Every year for our anniversary, we always make the effort to go away on a vacation and do something special. We always appreciate each other and try our best to spend time with each other but life can get in the way. That's why anniversary trips are so special. We look back and see how much we have grown together as one. I love how that whenever a problem or issues arise, it brings us closer and our bond grows stronger.  We have always found God's glory.

I love when Gil is so random and says the sweetest things to me because I know it's coming from his heart and he means it. He said to me that he rather be with me than with anybody else and that I would be his first choice over anything. That meant a lot to me since I thought golf would be his first choice!! He said no and pointed at me. I was like awww. It's hard for me to believe because I never thought I would have a husband as wonderful as him and loves me the way he does.

Then the other night, he said this to me while watching the academy awards for soap opera --"Amanda you should be there getting an award for being the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."  What a compliment :)

We both agreed that only with each other alone, we feel at peace and completely centered. He makes me feel like I can be myself and he only brings the best out of me. When I'm at faults or when my flaws shows, he shows unconditional love to me and makes me feel silly for being hard on myself for when I make a mistake. He embraces love and pursues it. I love that about him- he is so forgiving and so loveable.

Having Gil on my side since the first day I met him has been a wonderful joy, I wanted to take the time to Thank God for one of life's greatest gift....my husband.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

The Bible

1 Corinthians 13. 4-8

When Life Gives You Lemons - Give it to God.

 1 Peter 5:7

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I have a whole month's supply of Lemons. If you're interested, stop by and I'll give you a really sweet lemonade :) I have received lemons before and knew what to do with it but sometimes I get too much to handle that I begin to wonder if the lemons will ever stop coming!!  If things happen all at once, it is so easy to get confused and distorted --- that's why my mom's saying is SO helpful - "Take One Day at a Time".  Well I didn't heed to that advice and I'm sorry I didn't. I  do think I handled myself rather well and was feeling indifferent on some issues but I didn't separate those issues. I kind of made a lemon peanut butter pie when it should've been a lemon meringue, unomsayin?

Today I am trying to throw out my feelings on the table and see if I want to keep some of them or toss it away before I move on with my day. So there it is.

My feelings about a divorce that happened in May. It is risky to talk about this since I am not sure who is reading this blog but all I have to say is that it is their business and I worry about them. Most of all I worry about how this affects my husband. I've had a nice talk with him and he seems to be used to it unfortunately and knows how to deal with it but he worries too. We both agree to support and try our best not to get involved. Space is important. We are trying to figure out when to see them too so we can get a visual image of how they are REALLY doing. Its hard to tell over phone, text and emails. So we are not gonna worry about it until we know what really is happening.

My grandmother's death - the day after we found out about the divorce. That was something. I have to give you a small background information. She was a difficult woman to love and get along with for my mother. I know my mom cares about grandma and I know grandma cared about her but it was hard for her to maintain an unhealthy relationship with her. Fortunately, my grandma came to her senses and decided to clear up with air with my mother and APOLOGIZE. I am feeling very happy and at peace with her. She had a hard life and she is in a better place with God and we all feel liberated because of that. We forgave her and let her go to be with God.

I don't think it's a coincidence that she died THAT particular weekend. First of all, my mom had a dream from her father hinting that she was going to pass on in the spring which she did. Then the divorce happened that weekend. I may not have experience PARENTS getting divorced but I have experienced being divorced from  my mom's family. It reminded me how important it is to forgive and have a healthy relationship with your family in best way possible.


Now, My husband has decided out of the blue to throw himself to the ground where he would break his two elbows and a wrist for his softball team at work. I reminded him that it was not the world series and that I thought he was overdoing it. He agreed. My darling husband, I love him with all of my hearts - I love his faults and his strengths. He makes my world go around a little faster than it should. Accidents do happen whether it was intentional or not. Life goes on. We go to the ER and take care of everything and of course I am thinking about ALL the bills and co-payments that we might be getting in the mail that will make my heart race and sweat profusely. I then will probably need to be admitted to the ER for myself. You  know what? I'll let God take care of the bills for me and take care of Gil's broken elbows and wrists. It was never in my control. I just need to learn how to control my feelings/attitude towards it. I'm now happy that his surgery is over with and that he is recovering nicely and I hope it stays that way. I will take one day at a time with his frustrations on his limitations.

Also, another thing happened, I have been resenting a friend of mine and it has been bothering me. Everybody is different so there are a different ways to approach to people. Some people are easy to approach where you can say what's on your mind and I'm grateful for those friends. Some people are not easy to approach because you can sense their defensiveness. I thought about addressing the issue with her but I have decided not to because she was probably under stress and I know how that can affect people so instead of taking her awkward comments personally, I have decided to let it go. There are some people I have decided I want to invest and become closer with and there are some people that I have decided not to. I shouldn't be hard on myself for not investing in them. I will respect the person no matter what. I have learned to use my sense of humor and just let it go. I can't be best friends with everyone but I can be a good person to everyone.


So now you know how my lemons taste. It could've been a lot worse,but you know what it's not. My husband is here with me -- healthy and can function everyday that most people cant. I'm healthy and safe. My parents and family and friends are healthy and safe. What we don't realize that every day is a miracle it is truly a gift to live in the PRESENT. A present from God is His grace that he gives us to be able to live through every day.

Thank you God for being in my life and for turning lemons into lemonade.

Amen!!

Do you know what your heart desires?

From the book "Desire" by John Elridge:

"I believe Desire is a gift from God. After all, the Psalms say things like, 'May he give you the desire of your heart' (20:4) and 'Praise the Lord, O my soul...who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's' (103:5) and 'You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing' (145:16). Clearly, God is not opposed to desire....far from it. He gave us a heart that desires deeply, and He uses those desires to draw us to Himself and to the life He created us to live"

"What we need to learn is how to listen to desire, how to INTERPRET it. Desire is speaking to us, all the time. It is one of the deepest voices of the heart. A voice many of us have never been taught to understand. Desire can lead us to the life we were meant to live. It can shape our hopes and dreams, fill them with passion and determination. It can sustain us in times of distress and suffering too. It can lead us to God, IF we will listen closely"

Yesterday, I had a great conversation with Gil about what our heart desires. I was so happy to say that I know exactly what my heart desires and it's to have a family with him. I can understand that it might be a challenge for me to become a mother because we don't know what will happen. It will also be a challenge to be a mother with children because anything could happen. Challenges like this usually makes me want to turn the other way but instead it makes me want it even more. That's when I knew - family is what my heart desires.  I love the concept of family closeness where we all bond and support each other. I even want to be part of the community and help out too. 

Gil feels the same way, he also feels that his heart desires to have a good career to be a good husband and father to our family. He feels that it's important to find the right job so he doesn't get burned out or affected by the job negatively where it can affect the family. I agreed with him and was so happy that he is listening to his heart's desire and interpreting it. We went through so much with our family that we know exactly what we were talking about. What our parents do for a living has always affected us as kids. If they are not happy, we are not happy. 

It's sad that many confuse with heart's desire with competition. I honestly don't care about what others are doing and if they already have a house with kids. OR what type of house or what neighborhood they live in. If they have nice cars, etc. I'm not interested. I'm interested in finding the right place and the right time to raise a family. I am going at my pace where I'm following God's timing and plan for us. 

Competition is healthy where it helps us survive. Competition is not healthy when we overdo it that we can't survive spiritually. Competition is good for hospitals, military, etc. It's the survival of the fittest. Wasting money on luxurious cars like porsche, bently, or anything that costs over 50 Grand!!! Those money could go towards to people who need it around you. 

Unecessary competition like this can cause people to be impatient and unappreciative. It was interesting because that night, Gil and I went to the Bible Church for a night sermon. It was amazing. We were reading the first chapter of James. Let me give you a background information here. In the book of James,  you will find practical ways to live as a Christian. James describe the evil of a tongue out of control, showing favoritism towards the rich and boasting about plans for tomorrow. 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is double-minded man, unstable in all he does. " (1:2-8)

"My dear brothers, take notes of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteousness life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you" (1:19-21)

Listen to what your heart desires because that's where God is, He will give you wisdom to live the life that he created for you.  Make sure you LISTEN and DO. He is the author of our life.   :)

In Jesus' name. Amen!