tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46736770502875781442024-03-13T22:52:16.957-07:00Better Than Having It AllA Blog For Modern Women On A Quest For Their Spiritual BestTracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-77069244024163995012009-09-29T06:19:00.000-07:002009-09-29T06:30:57.442-07:00Love Your Enemies?Jesus Christ was very clear about abiding in HIS commandments. We are reminded again and again in Scripture "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey his commandments" (1 John Chapter 2: verse 3). The first is to LOVE GOD...and the second is to LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR as JESUS LOVED US. <div><br /></div><div>That is easy to do when you care about someone. But what about the people you despise? What about the people who have hurt you? What about the people who have ignored you or passed you by? Can you LOVE them? </div><div><br /></div><div>Scripture tells us that although we may not be able to do this on our own, the Holy Spirit will not only convict us that this is the right thing to do....the Spirit will also enable us to do it by the power of the risen Christ.</div><div><br /></div><div>Remember that Christ has forgiven you and loved you...and now you MUST pass this profound and often difficult love onto others.</div><div><br /></div><div>So next time you come up against someone who has injured you in some way...remember the great commandment and allow Christ's work of redemptive love to move through you and out into a needy and hurting world.</div>Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-15763715323368198772009-09-22T17:25:00.000-07:002009-09-22T17:36:43.891-07:00Knowing Jesus<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">What we know about Christ is that he was in fact the</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth. He existed and is vouched for by pagan as well as Christian writers. He was a real human being who ate, slept, wept and lived his daily life.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We also know he was a testament to a certain set of ideals. As John Stott, minister and author, points out in many of his books on Christianity, “Jesus was a fearless critic of the establishment. He championed the causes of the poor and the needy. He made friends with the drop out of society. He had compassion on the very people who despised and rejected him. And although he was fiercely and unjustly attacked, he never retaliated. He told his disciples that they must love their enemies and he practiced what he preached.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span><!--StartFragment--></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, serif;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We also know that Jesus was the unique Son of God. There is ample testimony to his power and authority. He taught the multitudes, He healed the sick, He governed nature, He had power over death, He performed miracles and He forgave sins.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But the most intriguing and powerful aspect of Jesus Christ is what He said about himself. He referred to himself as “the light of the world”, “the bread of life”, “the way, the truth and the life”, the resurrection and the life, and finally he put himself forward as the object of people’s faith.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And as John Stott continues to proclaim.... this is the ultimate paradox of Jesus Christ. He proclaimed things about himself that seemed insane and yet he showed no signs of anything but ultimately reliable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Jesus asks in the Bible: "who do you say that I am?"</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Can you answer that question for yourself????</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; "> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-25218423038028654642009-09-17T15:58:00.000-07:002009-09-17T16:19:04.399-07:00Out of the HeartFree speech is an amazing thing. It is one of the tenets of freedom we honor as Americans. But often we don't think before we speak and there in lies the problem. This week was particularly stirring because we had so many bad examples of people's speech.... Serena Williams screaming at a line judge during the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament using profanity and threats because she did not like the call. Joe Wilson, screaming "Liar" to the President of the United States of America during a televised Joint Session of Congress because he did not like what the President was saying regarding Health Care Initiatives, and Kanye West dismissing Taylor Swift's win at an award ceremony because he felt another person should have won, leaving her in tears on national television.<div><br /></div><div>All of them have left their indelible destructive imprint simply because they opened their mouths before thinking. And haven't we all done the same thing??</div><div><br /></div><div>The Bible is very clear about one's speech. It says in Luke Chapter 6, "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." The Bible warns us to be careful about what we say and reminds us that words may be small but they have the power to change the world. God's word reminds us to look at what's in our heart before we speak. </div><div><br /></div><div>We all need to choose our words more wisely.<br /><div><br /></div></div>Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-57973192932829394972009-09-15T06:18:00.001-07:002009-09-15T06:30:36.338-07:00Finding Purpose Inside YourselfAugust Turak <a href="http://www.augustturak.com/">(http://www.augustturak.com)</a> is a fascinating individual who has been a seeker of spiritual wisdom his entire life and has been on a journey of finding purpose. He discovered truth and answers at Mepkin Abbey Monastary where he encountered the Trappist Monks. One of the most profound discoveries of his life is that we are all in search of transformation but the problem arises on how we achieve that goal. Many of us look for transformation outside of ourselves. We think fame or fortune or a list of credentials will change our state, but in fact all that ultimately changes is people's perception of us. If we want real transformation, then we need to change from the inside out. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was very clear, that once you surrender your life to him, only then can you have real change. He said, "you must lose your life to find it". The Apostle Paul also said after he had encountered Christ..."It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me"<div>If you want transformation and a real purpose for your life, go the source and ask Jesus to send his Holy Spirit to reside in your heart and just watch what happens!!!</div>Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-14077003855162862282009-09-11T05:24:00.000-07:002009-09-11T05:28:59.570-07:00A Perfect Role Model for Us Perfectionists<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Women love their role models. We want Heidi Klum’s body, Oprah Winfrey’s success, Martha Stewart’s decorating talent, Susie Orman’s financial savvy and Hillary Clinton’s perseverance. We are constantly looking around to see if we measure up.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We check Glamour magazine, we check the scale, we check the mirror, we check out each other.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We wish for, we strive for and we demand perfection.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> But the Bible suggests that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the perfect role model.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We know that Jesus was the unique Son of God.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">There is ample testimony to his power and authority. But He also taught us a specific set of ideals.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He cared for the poor, He had compassion on his enemies, He made friends with people the rest of us might despise, He served everyone he met and He used every opportunity to speak about the Kingdom of God. The most fascinating thing about Jesus is what HE said about Himself. He claimed to be the one and only son of God, he said he was the light of the world, the salt of the earth and that he was the image of the unseen invisible God, the full manifestation of God himself.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Now I would call that a remarkable role model!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Comments???</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-87924262606136163432009-09-08T06:50:00.000-07:002009-09-08T13:14:53.514-07:00Read The Bible...You Have Got To Be Kidding Me?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">A fascinating survey was done on who was actually reading the Bible. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">92% of Americans own a bible and every household has at least three of them. However as </span></span><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">George W. Gallup, the nation's foremost religion pollster, has put it</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, </span></span><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">“We revere the Bible but we simply don’t read it”.</span></span></span><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Many reasons are cited for the apparent crisis in biblical illiteracy. 64% of Americans don't read the Bible because they're too busy, and a large majority, 80%, say the Bible is confusing and way too cumbersome to read, finding the “Shakespearean-era” language difficult to get through.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">What is troubling is that the Bible is frequently referred to as the keystone of American values, however a Gallup survey shows that 6 of out 10 Americans can't name half of the Ten Commandments, fewer than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible (Genesis), and only one-third know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (many named Billy Graham, not Jesus).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Only about one-third of Americans today believe the Bible is absolutely accurate and that it should be taken literally word for word. The rest feel that the Bible is the inspired word of God. And most of us agree that the Bible </span><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">"answers all or most of the basic questions of life”.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms', serif;font-size:medium;">However the Bible itself says it is the infallible WORD OF GOD. I can attest personally to the fact that if you read the Bible, your life will change in ways you cannot anticipate or imagine and it is all good because you are tapping into the most powerful resource in the universe - God Himself. The Bible puts it this way in <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span style="Century Gothic"font-family:";font-size:14.0pt;"><b><i><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></i></b></span><b><i><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=65&chapter=4&verse=12&version=31&context=verse"><span style=" ;color:windowtext;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hebrews 4:12</span></span></span></a></i></b><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> ”For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”</span></span></i></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But don’t judge a book by its cover. If you have never read the Bible….open it up, read it, and decide for yourself!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><b>To become a follower..just click on "follow" in the left column and fill out your information...also to leave a comment...just click on comments... we love to know what you think....</b></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-82892276123758739402009-09-03T10:32:00.000-07:002009-09-03T10:38:49.230-07:00Pray, It Works<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In today’s world we have never been more plugged in and less connected. In our search for answers, we turn on the television, we Google, we Twitter, we text, we phone, and we email. We listen to Dr. Phil, Oprah, the therapist, our life coach, talk radio, girlfriends, magazine advice columns but we rarely go directly to God. Many times these solutions can be a good temporary fix but they don’t usually speak to us at the most essential level or give us the sense of personal fulfillment that we crave. And that is where prayer comes in.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Century Gothic', serif;font-size:6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"> </span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Century Gothic', serif;font-size:6;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The truth is that there is a profound difference between the information the world gives and the wisdom that God imparts.People use various methods to pray. Prayer can be oral or mental, once in while or constant, formal or informal.Most of us approach prayer with the idea that our petitions can affect the outcome we desire and, in addition, we hope that through prayer, we might get a direct experience of God.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">John Calvin, the French Protestant theologian summarized prayer this way, “Believers do not pray with the view to inform God about things unknown to Him or of exciting Him to do his duty, or of urging Him as though he were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on his promises, that they may relieve themselves from anxieties by pouring them into His bosom; in a word that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others all good things”.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pray, It Works!</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-13777078040381937322009-09-02T05:22:00.000-07:002009-09-02T05:28:42.164-07:00How To KNOW God<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">There is a PROFOUND difference between KNOWING ABOUT God and KNOWING GOD. Just like any relationship you have on this earth. You can either put in the time and energy and devotion to getting to know that person or you can hear about them and judge them based on other people's opinions. If you want to truly KNOW GOD for yourself, you can do this 3 simple ways. One is PRAYER. Find the time to speak to God, have a conversation and then be intent on listening for HIS response. Secondly, READ SCRIPTURE. That is right, pick up a Bible and read it for yourself. God speaks through HIS WORD...just like we do. Don't base God on what other people say...read it for yourself. THIRD...study the life of Jesus Christ. The Bible says the JESUS is the full manifestation of God himself. If you want to KNOW GOD...get to KNOW Jesus.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Please leave your comments or inspirational thoughts below....thanks</span></div>Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4673677050287578144.post-22261636086642017682009-08-31T16:46:00.000-07:002009-09-01T05:54:20.754-07:00Better Than Having It All<span style="font-size:100%;">The phrase “having it all', was first coined by Cosmopolitan Magazine editor Helen Gurley Brown to suggest a “Cosmo” girl could do anything she wanted. Unfortunately, there is an entire generation of women who bought into the doctrine that personal success would solve all of their problems and lead to eternal happiness. Dr. Myles Munro, a minister and international best selling author believes that although many of us seem to be in search of a huge degree of outward success, there are a growing number of people who are becoming inwardly bankrupt. He summarizes the problem by saying this, “It seems that our society has confused success with fulfillment, accomplishmentwith satisfaction and achievement with peace”. </span>The truth is you can climb every corporate ladder, have your house featured in Architectual Digest, fine tune your body to tip top shape, get invited to every lavish party in town and have the Jones as your neighbors and friends, but until you put God first in your life, it will always lead to a dead end. That is because God created you to be in relationship with Him. It is the sole purpose you were born and it is your destiny. So What is Better Than Having It All? It is having a meaningful, significant, eternal and personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.<div>Please Leave Your Thoughts and Ideas by clicking on "comments" below!</div>Tracy Baumer Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03169119426407764549noreply@blogger.com5