Here at Making Life Magnificent, I strive to motivate and inspire you in every area of your life. The spiritual side of you is no exception. A life without Jesus Christ, in my opinion, is no life at all. How can we live closer to Jesus without His word? The answer is that we can’t. So today, I want to feature some of my favorite visual scriptures and quotes that really inspire me and help build up my faith. Enjoy and share some of your own below! 
Ok, ok…I have to confess: I can be weird at times! (Awww, that’s so sweet, you were totally surprised by that confession!) Although I am committed to Making Life Magnificent, I never said I was perfect, and I don’t try to be. I want to live a better life, but the only one who is perfect is Jesus. Besides, I think it’s healthy and can be healing to be able to laugh at yourself at times. To help us embrace our love for laughter and our weird ways, allow me to introduce Wacky Wednesdays! Each Wednesday, I will be plugging in a bit of humor to help us all lighten the load and get our laugh on!
To kick start this weekly tradition, today we are going to talk about weird food habits. In addition to my weird ways, one other thing you will learn about me is that I LOVE good food! (My favorite is Italian by the way!) Yet, when it comes to food, I can be pretty weird and wacky. I do have one really weird food habit…drum roll…I heat my ice cream up in the microwave before I eat it! I know, I know…you’re either shaking your head like “this girl is crazy!” or you’re scratching your head like “Why would she do that?”
The truth is, I don’t know why I have this weird food habit. I’ve been doing it for years. Anytime I get a bowl of ice cream, I immediately take it to the microwave, nuke it for about 15 seconds, then enjoy my delicious bowl of runny, soupy ice cream. Ha! Weird, I know-but very good. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.
Do you have a weird food habit? I want to hear about it. You got a chance to laugh with me at me, so return the favor. Comment below. 🙂
PS-Butter Pecan is my favorite ice cream too 😉
Although I am deeply interested in this topic, I am actually nervous to feature it on Making Life Magnificent. Yet, I am choosing to engage in this conversation because it’s one that MANY people are interested in: Should someone who claims to be a Christian consistently listen to music that is not Christian based? Basically, people want to know is it a sin to listen to secular music if you are a Christian?
This question reminds me of the question that was brought up to the apostle Paul by the church of Corinth when they asked, “Is it wrong to eat meat that has been offered to idols?” Paul responds by saying, “Food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.” (read the entire discussion in 1 Corinthians 8: 4-13). Paul’s answer was YES-it can be wrong and NO-it’s not wrong. What does eating food have to do with listening to music Tanya? Basically Paul wanted them to see that the entire debate was centered around heart issues. Is it wrong for Christians to listen to secular music: the answer is YES and NO.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Bogdan Kipko, author, blogger, and pastor asked this exact same question and after careful consideration stated that
Ultimately, it is not the music that saves a person but Jesus.
I want my life to be magnificent in every area and that includes my spirit. Saying I am a Christian and Living like I am a Christian are very different and it’s the everyday things that can seem really vague. It takes honesty, prayer and personal reflection for you to determine the right answer to this topic question. Be real with yourself! For some the answer to the question is a resounding YES…it is wrong for a Christian to listen to other music because it influences you too much for wrong. And for others, your answer is NO…as long as it’s all kept in balance, you can listen to secular music and still grow in the Lord. I think the most important piece to remember is that we want to find our answer to this question from HIM and HIS WORD only! Well meaning family and friends will be eager to tell you what they think, but your walk with God is an individual one…they can’t walk it for you.
So as you wonder more about this in your own life, meditate on these scriptures as a guide to finding the answer that’s right for you:
You may have more scriptures or insights to share and I would love to hear it! We are all striving to Make Life Magnificent, so don’t be shy in responding. 🙂
Christmas 2013 is here!! Can you hear those sleigh bells ringing?! Well, it’s almost here. Today I am spending Christmas Eve with my in-laws and already it’s going crazy! A water pipe burst in the middle of the night knocking out water supply for every house on the street. A house full of people for Christmas Eve and we have no running water! (which is going to make using the bathroom very interesting)
So we’ve been spending the morning buying gallons of water… and baking cookies. Yes, you heard me right. No hair pulling or yelling or going bananas. Just watching old Christmas movies and making desserts. You’d think the water news would put a damper in the Christmas festivities, but the Spirit of Christmas is still going strong. My mother-in-law just said to me, “Today is going to be a great day.” “Yes it is,” I said back to her. And it’s true. The water may not come back on until tomorrow or the next day. Who knows, the sky may even fall before the day ends! But Christmas is still here and so are we.
Although all the presents are still neatly wrapped under the tree, I realized something that I’ve heard time and time again: the best part of Christmas doesn’t come in wrapping paper with pretty bows on it, the best part of Christmas isn’t even a physical gift at all. We already know this truth, but it’s so easy to get swept up in all the activities, advertisements and hoopla of the holidays that we forget the most important thing: PEOPLE. The greatest gift for Christmas is being able to spend it with people that love you and care for you. Even beyond that, the greatest gift of Christmas is spending it celebrating the birth of Jesus who loves you and cares for you even more than the people he’s blessed you with.
Let’s remember today that someone out there may not have this realization. Reach out and make life magnificent for someone else today and tomorrow. Don’t just send a crummy text message either! (Although I guess a text is better than nothing at all.) Call someone, visit them, send some love towards family and friends today.
Great Christmas Eve indeed. Comment below on what your family is doing for Christmas Eve and Christmas today. I would love to hear your stories 🙂
Seek in Webster’s Dictionary is defined as: to try to find, to search for; to aim for; to look around; to hunt or go in pursuit of; go running for
In Matthew 7:7a (KJV) it says “Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find…”This word SEEK is mentioned in Matthew again earlier in Chapter 6, verse 33 when he says, “Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”In Isaiah 55:6 the prophet tells the people to “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.”
Seek in Biblical terms isn’t implying to just look around casually, it implies a deep desire for the object of your pursuit. Is God lost? Why does the Bible tell us to look for Him as if He is indeed missing???
Life can be so busy and these days we have a lot of background noise pulling our attention away from God. These things are not necessarily bad things, they are parts of our everyday life: work, family, and school. But remember God wants to be #1 in your life! So He reminds us throughout scripture to push all those “life distractions” aside and focus only on Him. Remember seeking isn’t just looking, it’s also desiring. Do you desire God enough “to hunt for or go in pursuit” of Him?
To help you remember the importance of seeking Him first, think of a B.A.G. These three letters will offer some practical things you can do to begin seeking God more intentionally:
1. Become Isolated
If there are lots of other people around you, they will distract you from focusing on connecting with God. So find a quiet or secluded place where you can pray and read your Bible alone. If this is too difficult, choose a time of the day or night when everyone around you is asleep or busy, so that you can seek God in silence.
2. Abandon Electronics
Just like physical people in your presence can be distracting, people in the cyber world can be even more distracting. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social networking sites are awesome at staying connected, but when you are dedicated to seeking God consistently, these sites can suck your focus away from that. Try to use a physical Bible for your quiet time instead of the Bible apps available on your phone or IPad, which also have apps for social sites that pull you away from seeking God.
3. Get Accountability
Just like I mentioned earlier, life can just become busy! We may have the best intentions of having quiet time in the Word with the Lord, but everyday life will get in the way. So get help…choose an accountability partner. Someone you trust that will serve as a check-in to help you remember to find consistent times to grow your spiritual walk.
This person needs to be someone who:
So what are you seeking?
Psalm 100:3 offers a beautiful reminder that “God made us…” Although this statement seems quite simple, when you think about it, it is so liberating. The Almighty, All Knowing, Alpha & Omega, Creator of the entire universe took time out of His busy schedule to create you! Every feature and flaw was all apart of His glorious design for you. Just look at what else scripture says concerning this:
Psalm 139:14 I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship [masterpiece] created in Christ Jesus…
Jeremiah 1:5 (Amplified) Before I formed you in the womb, I knew and approved of you…
What should WE say concerning this? Back in Psalm 100, immediately after verse three talks about how he made us, it tells us in verse four to enter into his gates with thanksgiving. Is this an arrogant boasting and ostentatious display of ourselves? No. It is a great reminder that in Christ, we can have an humble confidence that everything about us was carefully planned for HIS glory. If we don’t have it, we probably don’t need it!
Let’s rejoice that God made us. 🙂
The beautiful struggles of a young widow, writer, teacher, and mom.
The beautiful struggles of a young widow, writer, teacher, and mom.
The beautiful struggles of a young widow, writer, teacher, and mom.
The beautiful struggles of a young widow, writer, teacher, and mom.
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