Chew it up (11/26/2014)

Welp, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I know most of yall will be prepping tonight for tomorrow's dinner. I just wanted to remind everyone, that just like all the other pagan holidays such as Mother's and Father's Day, or Valentine's Day and Christmas, NOT to get caught-up in using that one day out of the year as an excuse to show your loved ones your gratitude; EVERY DAY that we are blessed with life, is an opportunity for us to reach out to the ones we love, to do something nice for someone outside of our circle, and more importantly, to show our "Thanksgiving" and praise to our Father in Heaven for His grace and mercy. May your time with family and friends be a joyous and safe occasion. PRAYER REQUESTS: Although I am practicing letting go of pagan traditions, there are many people out there who are still very conscious of societal norms when it comes to the "holidays," so in lieu of those individuals, specifically those without loved ones to spend tomorrow with - pray for their spirit to be lifted and at peace this season. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Unfortunately, I did NOT receive any nominations for this year's Thanksgiving meal box. However, there will be another campaign held in the same manner for Christmas; I will solicit nominations for deserving families not only to receive a meal box, but also one gift for each child living in the selected household. If you have any families in mind, it is NOT too early to submit your nominations, contributions, and/or monetary donations. 

HEALTHY LIVING TIPS:

Seeing as how tomorrow is a day mostly spent devouring good eats, today's tips may help you avoid overeating this Thanksgiving. Enjoy! When "you're surrounded by tempting food... (1) Sample only the special stuff: There's a big difference between eating homemade rugalach made by your office mate's Great-Grandmother Sadie and a box of store-bought Santa cookies with sprinkles. Eat what will give you the most satisfaction; (2) Listen to your body before, during, and after you eat: If a cookie looks good to you, ask yourself: Do I want it because I think it will curb my hunger or because I want to treat myself? If you really are hungry, then eat it. Enjoy the taste, the texture, and the whole experience of devouring it. But be sure to pay attention to how you feel 10 to 15 minutes afterward. If you're tired, spacey, or depressed, it wasn't really a treat, was it?; (3) Learn to recognize hunger cues—an empty feeling or rumbling in your stomach: As you become more aware of what your body is telling you, you'll be better able to eat only when you're hungry and stop when you've had enough" (Geneen, R. (2011, November). 12 Real-world tactics for dealing with the season of overeating. Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.prevention.com/).

JOIN OUR CAUSE: Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (FMBS Inc.) is on a never-ending quest to locate deserving individuals to extend our services to. Therefore we are always in need of monetary donations and/or contributions of hygiene items, sealed snacks, bottled water, winter items (gloves, scarves, blankets), mini bibles, etc.; our YEAR-ROUND mission is to serve homeless and/or needy individuals and families in underprivileged communities throughout Southern California. We are a NON-profit 501(c)(3) federally exempt organization, which means that ALL donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. NO matter how big or small your contribution or donation is, YOU are helping someone in need. We encourage YOU to participate in our ongoing campaign whenever and however you can. If you were on the receiving end and needed a helping hand, wouldn't you want someone to reach out to you? Accept this opportunity to HELP LIVES. If interested in supporting our organization in helping others, simply make a donation and/or a contribution; make all checks payable to FMBS Inc., provide one of our representatives with your cash donation/contribution, or use the PayPal link located on our website. We are successful because of YOUR continued support. Please join our cause!

 

For more information about our organization, visit our website at http://www.fmbs-inc-bytye.org and/or add our Facebook page, Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (and/or Fostering Mindbodyandsoul), and follow us on Twitter @FMBSInc. On behalf of my team of volunteers, I thank you in advance. ~Tylesha "Tye" Allen, CEO/Founder, FMBS Inc. Est. 2012~

 

BE ENCOURAGED: TRANSFORM your body, mind, and soul TODAY because tomorrow is NOT promised; by feeding your body healthy nutrition, and being cautious of what things you allow your eyes, ears, and spirit to be exposed to (e.g. media, books, TV, music, etc.), YOU can start anew and become a better you. CHANGE BEGINS WITHIN... Continue to keep one another in prayer, thanking God for the victory, and refraining from claiming defeat from the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome. Do NOT lose sight of God in the midst of adversity. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "be the change that you want to see in the world." Have a blessed rest of the week.

Lord please clear our minds, and open our eyes, ears, and hearts so that we may see, hear, and receive your intended message from this fellowship. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

 

PASSAGE - PSALM 1:2: 

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

***Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible***

 

REFLECTIONS:

"It seems there are a great many questions in our hearts. We come to God’s Word and seek, and hope to find good Biblical principal by which to live our lives. If we don’t, we should. But when we do, what are we looking for? Perhaps we are looking for the answers to particular questions. There is much that God has prepared for those who will seek Him. But there are many simple truths within God’s Word that often become the “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” passages. They are often the treasures overlooked as we hurry to something more tailored to our wants. Moms are famed for instructing children to “chew” their food. God’s Word is something to be savored—something for us to consider—to reflect on. As we meditate on His Word, His answers are revealed. Sometimes we are looking for wisdom, but He is leading us to worship. Sometimes we seek purpose, while He is leading us to simply praise Him. The question we must ask when we come to His Word is foremost, “What does God want to say.” And with that, it would be wise for us to take the advice of moms to heart—and simply chew our food" (Chambers, R. (2014, August 11). Chew it up [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://reflections.daybyday.org/). 

"You can learn how to follow God by meditating on His Word. Meditating means spending time reading and thinking about what you have read. It means asking yourself how you should change so you're living as God wants. Knowing and meditating on God's Word are the first steps toward applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what He says. This "law of the Lord" includes ALL of Scripture... the more we know of the whole scope of God's Word, the more resources we will have for our daily decisions" (Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Psalm. Life Application Study Bible: King James Version: Notes 1:2 (pp. 804). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.).

Have yall paid attention to the prayer preceding our "reflections"? Note that is says "so that we may... receive your intended message..." The purpose behind that prayer is so that God will remove us from self, so that we may be filled with the Spirit, allowing room for God's true message to enter-in without interruption from our own understanding, and/or preferred interpretation(s). We often times are in search for answers, yet when we pick-up the Word, we focus on Scripture that is tailored toward a favorable outcome, desire, and/or explanation - we only review the Word according to what is appealing to us, rather than asking God to lead the way, and actually waiting for and accepting His response. The more we "study to show ourselves approved" (refer to II Timothy 2:15), the more we will meditate on the Word, and the more equipped we will become with the whole "armor of God" (see Ephesians 6:10-18); God's armor - the Word - is our shield of protection and our guidance map; knowing and abiding by God's Word will prepare us for the test of trials, and guide our decisions according to the Will of God. To obtain and maintain a closer relationship with Christ, you must get to KNOW Him first.

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Lord we thank you for your grace and mercy. We thank you for the peace that passeth all understand. Father God we thank you for the ability in our words alone to defeat the enemy. We thank you for your continued love, forgiveness, and protection. We thank you for the ability to smile when we are hurting. We thank you for revealing what darkness has kept in the shade. We thank you for providing clarity in the midst of satan's confusion. We thank you for the victory over sin, defeat over the enemy, and deliverance from a heavy load of burdens. We thank you for the strength to keep on keeping on, and the power in our words to make the devil flee. We thank you for reversing all the negativity in our lives, and for transforming and restoring complete positivism into every facet of our lives. We thank you for keeping us filled with the Spirit, that the words that depart our mouth no longer posses corruption. Instead, help our words to speak life into every circumstance, and may they always prove acceptable and pleasing in your sight. This is our affirmation of faith Father, we claim these things and thank you in advance for the victory, in the matchless name of Jesus, Amen!

Respectfully,
Tylesha "Tye" Allen

CEO/Founder

FMBS Inc. Est. 2012
Ministry Blog: http://sodbytye.blogspot.com/
Non-profit Website: http://fmbs-inc-bytye.org/

Follow FMBS Inc. on Twitter: @FMBSInc

Change begins within; work on becoming a better You
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)