Month: August 2017

Working for God

Posted on by Crystal King

Have you ever wondered why you work where you work? Why you do what you do? Why you chose your profession?

Well nothing is never done without God’s approval.

Life tends to direct us in ways that aren’t always pleasant and can be very trying. Going to work everyday, dealing with work issues and then coming home to deal with family life can really add to your stress levels.

I’m here to reassure you that everything you are going through is not by accident, you are suppose to be at this very place, at this very time, however there are ways to make your outlook on life better. IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW YOU THINK.

Have you ever been fed up with your job, felt unappreciated, maybe even felt like your boss or supervisor doesn’t care. Are you constantly complaining about what is wrong all the time? Do you even remember why you started working in the first place. I know for me, it took a life altering event to make me realize the importance of a job. I guess I had the attitude of I’m good at what I do and I knew I could be replaced, however I didn’t actually think that I would be replaced.

If you’ve read my previous blog post, you’ve read how I was unemployed and continued to pray for a new job and how God came through for me. Believe me, I’ve prayed! However this new job had given me a different outlook on how I view my job. I AM the only person that can control how I think about my job, my life, and my decisions.

Having a job is very important, not just for money, but to be able interact with others, to help others and to have a chance to spread God’s word to others. Keep in mind that you aren’t just working….YOU ARE WORKING FOR GOD!

If you’re having trouble with deciding if this job is for you or what you’re suppose to do in life. PRAY ABOUT IT! Ask God what exactly he wants you to do for him. Ask him how he can use you today. Everyday pray about it! And then pray more.

Here are a few thoughts from Joyce Meyer’s Book Power Thoughts to meditate on and can help you get through your tough times at work. It’s all about how you think. Are you going to think positive or think negative? It’s a chose you have to make. Tell yourself theses power thoughts before, during, and after your work day to help focus on why you’re working every day.

  • I am so thankful to have a job.
  • I am going to do my very best every day.
  • I believe that God gives me favor every day with my boss.
  • I am committed to be focused and diligent while I’m on company time.
  • I would like a raise, so I will work to earn it.

Blogging with Confidence

Posted on by Crystal King

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So I thought I would talk a little about this subject for all the first time bloggers or the bloggers that are just starting. 

I follow a lot of social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and I have come across the same questions, How can get more traffic? How can I keep people for unfollowing me?

Well I’m here to tell you, don’t worry about those things. 

Yes, you read that right, my first advice is to find what your niche is. Finding a passion for what you like to do and putting those ideas on paper really makes blogging a lot more fun and it doesn’t feel like you’re having to force anything. Writing about what you enjoy makes this extremely easy. You will catch the attention from a good size audience if you’re genuine about your posts.

Secondly, read other blogs. Comment on their articles, and share your opinion. I love nothing more than others reading and giving me their feedback on my blog. Feedback helps you interact and it also helps you learn from others. Remember, never stop learning.

Third, find social media outlets to help you grow. Follow Facebook pages with similar interests as you. I follow about 3 or 4 pages on Facebook, and I get a lot of traffic from those pages. These pages have a large number of followers and they also give you leads to others. The pages have helped me to help others as well. There is a very large blogging virtual community, with a lot of positivity; they have great advice and can help you reach others too.

Fourth, try not to focus on who is doing what. You have a particular style that is not like anyone else. You have a gift of your own, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Don’t look at others with envy, look at yourself with accomplishment of how far you have come and how far you will go.

Fifth, stick with it. Try not to get discouraged when the followings aren’t what you like them to be. Give it time, time will pass and it will grow. I first started out reading pins on Pinterest, seeing how others got started and what they did to achieve their accomplishments. I think I questioned myself several times on whether I should or should not start a blog. The articles are great reads, plus they will help you as well with gaining the followers, attracting traffic to your blog etc.

Remember everyone started at the same place you did, THE BEGINNING. Don’t get discouraged with your progress, be excited about what is to come. With hard work, and dedication to your blog, the followers will come.

You can do this, keep going friend! 

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God Bless!

God’s Plans

Posted on by Crystal King

Life sometimes has a funny way of trying to get you. You have a life planned out and what you’re wanting and all of a sudden it crashes. Yes, literally crashes and for a moment….seems like no survivors.

Everyone has this type of season at one point in their life. Maybe not that dramatic, but a season where it’s time to learn and listen to God. A time when God is asking, will you trust me? Will you put your life in my hands? Will you allow me to take you further in life?

For me, this happened a few months back. Becoming unemployed was not what I had in mind, however I am happy to report the season of being unemployed is over. Was it hard? Yes. Was I sad? Yes, my lively hood was crushed. Was I uncertain? Man was I.

However, at this point I did what anyone would do. I cried like a big baby and was very upset. I kept asking why me? How did this happen? How did I get here? I even questioned God and asked how could this be? How could he let this happen to me?

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Well God answered.

For a while before this, I was praying and asking God about my work situation. Not that I was unhappy at work, I liked my job, I liked helping people, and being able to the person that would send help to who needed it, but I was tired of working shift work, I was tired of working holidays, weekends, I wanted to see my son, I wanted to spend more time with my family. I knew I needed a job so just not having one wasn’t an option. Have you ever bought groceries for a 14 year old boy? It’s expensive. I would also pray to God and bargain with him, if you help me get another job, I promise I’ll be in church every Sunday.

Well it happened, I no longer had a job, with no back up job and for the last few months I have had a ton of free time. I began blogging in hopes to make money from it (How to Make Money Blogging), looking for at home jobs, making extra cash. But the one thing that I did begin to do, I began my journey back to God. Not that I left God, I just wasn’t doing all I could for God. Ultimately that’s what we are called to do, do what God wants us to do. I now attend church regularly and have joined a rosary making group. We hand make rosaries, so if anyone wants one, please feel free to email me your address and I’ll mail you one. It’s free!

I began reading books. I really enjoy reading the Bible, I mean all the answers are in there, but I also enjoy reading books by Joyce Meyer. The two books that I really recommend are Living Beyond Your Feelings and 12 Power Thoughts These two books have really helped my confidence to get back out there and take control of my life with the help of God. I do believe you are what you think, so if my thoughts are always horrible, negative, and being the victim, that’s exactly how life was going to be too.

Well since going back to church, and spending a lot more time with God, I really see how God wants me to be. I have always put others before myself, sometimes too much, but that’s what God wants from me. My journey began back in March, and I can tell you it’s the absolute best thing that could have happen. (at the time when it happened, not so much) Don’t get me wrong, I am far from where God wants me to be, I make a bunch of mistakes and make some choices that could be different, but God also is a God of forgiveness and he knows my heart.

I do believe God puts us through situations just to see how we will react. I’m sure at first God just shook his head at me. Now I believe I am doing great. He continues to show favor to me and uses me to help others.

Forcing me to a direction of uncharted waters made me to trust God. It forced me to see what he wants for me. This showed me what I need to work on as a person, as a mother and as a friend. I do need more work. 🙂

Truly trusting God with your life is very hard, however when you continue to put God before everything, he has no problem with making your life as easy as possible. I also believe that God put me through this situation so that I could tell you about it. To show that although we may not know what direction life is going, God will always be there to help you and get you through it.

Will you trust him?

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Be blessed.

No spend challenge – HUGE SAVINGS

Posted on by Crystal King

Learning to budget my money was pretty easy after I realized how much money I was throwing away on nothing. I actually did a no spend month and had some savings with it. I did this right before Christmas last year.

Now when I say no spend, I don’t mean, don’t pay your bills or don’t go grocery shopping. I mean not to spend money on anything that is not a need.

I love to get my nails and hair done, those were both a no during my “no spend month.” We didn’t go to the movies, I also had to cut out my going out budget. No girls night out for me that month. On the plus side though, I did have money I could use for Christmas presents, and also had extra to spend on my son’s birthday, which is also in December.

To get started on the no spend month, make a list of all the things you spend on the “wants.” That’s your starter list of what you can not buy in that particular month.

Here is a list of ideas of free things to do on the “no spend month”:

  • go to a park
  • binge watch on Netflix or Hulu
  • family game night
  • check your area for movie night in the park
  • KSBJ also has great free things to do on their site
  • volunteer at church
  • if you have a neighborhood pool – spend the day just relaxing
  • picnic
  • family bike ride
  • teach the kiddos how to cook and other how to’s
  • movie night
  • check your city’s website to see all the free events happening

With school starting for most, there may not be too much time to plan things during the week, but the weekend is a good time to get closer and more involved with the family.

Saving money is pretty huge for me, I have a teenager that eats everything, lol, but spending time with him also means a lot too.

Be blessed.

Bible Study Supplies and Tips

Posted on by Crystal King

When I first started reading the Bible, I was just reading it. I was retaining the information however I wasn’t quite sure of how to place emphasis on what was really important to me. I’m a pretty organized person, so color coding and making sure the important scriptures I have to memorize really stand out to me.

I have come up with a few tips that have really helped me with my bible study:

  • Bible Pens. I like using micron pens because they do not bleed through the page, they also have a guide on the package to follow that is color coded with the pens. I write a lot of notes in my bible so the pen type is very important so that it doesn’t bleed or smear.
  • Highlight. I really like these gel bible highlights. These highlighters do not bleed through the page, they don’t smear and they glide on smoothly. I also labeled each color highlighter with its category. There are 6 colors in a pack, so you if you have more than one child or have categories you’d rather have, use them to fit you best.
    • Pink: I use pink for verses that pertain to me. How I should be as a mother and future wife.
    • Blue: these are the scriptures that I come across that pertain to my son and how I should teach him.
    • Green: I use green for my future husband. I highlight the verses on how I should be with my husband and how I should pray for him.
    • Yellow: this is for those verses that don’t have a particular category.
  • Tab. I have managed to come up with a key for using tabs. I tab the pages that have a some kind of importance or something I should memorize.
    • Red: Salvation/Blood of Christ
    • Yellow: holy spirit and miracles
    • Purple: prayers and praise
    • Blue: wisdom and discernment
    • Green: word of God, Life, Growth
  • Tab Placement. Tab placement is very important to me as well. I keep a key for this at the front of the Bible.
    • Top of page inner spine: Good to know
    • Top of page center: Memorize
    • Top of page outer Edge: Good to study
    • Side of page center: Stories I love

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  • Journal. Having a journal with you during your bible study can help you a lot. This journal is dedicated to just the Bible. You can write out your prayers, your thoughts, and feelings. Keep track of the date so that you are able to reflect on your writing. The journal is yours to go back and read how far you have come. Also, when writing out your prayers, once your prayer is answered, go back and write the date of when you prayer was answered. It’s great to go back and see how blessed you truly are by God.
  • Note Cards. I use notecards for quick documentation of the scriptures I need to memorize. This way I can take the card with me and keep it on me, and through out the day I can go back and read it over and over.

These are recommendations that I have found very helpful with my studies. If you have any other ideas, please feel free to leave a comment with your idea. I enjoy seeing how others bring the Bible to life.

Be blessed.

Late night talks with God

Posted on by Crystal King

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and can't seem to go back to sleep? Has something been on your mind and you can't seem to figure it out or the thoughts just won't let you rest?

I have gotten in the habit of thinking this is the time to talk to God.
I mean to really talk to God.

I used to get really mad and upset when I couldn't go back to sleep. I would toss and turn, think about work or what I have on my to-do list to complete. Then get even more upset because if I don't go back to sleep, then I'll be tired, I won't be productive, I'll have a bad attitude. The upcoming day will be horrible if I don't get back to sleep.

Has that ever been you?

God wants to be in all parts of your life. He wants you to talk to him about your good times and bad. He wants you to lean on him for guidance and to trust in him. When I can't go to sleep or go back to sleep, I PRAY.

God may feel this is the best time to get my attention and this maybe the only time to get my full attention. No, my life isn't so busy that I don't talk to God through out my day, however there are things that bother me that I can't really share with anyone but God and this maybe the only time I can really sit and chat with him. To open my heart and open my ears to really hear from him.

When life was going in all directions for me, I was emotional, felt sorry for myself, felt betrayed, I was asking why me? Why me?

Turns out, that "why me?" was a blessing in disguise. I prayed and prayed, it took a while to understand it, however here I am telling you to take full advantage of God's late night talks because this is the time he knows you're really listening. So what if you're tired, God knows you'll be able to handle the day with lack of sleep if you keep him beside you. He is always with you.

Next time you can't seem to sleep or you're waken in the middle of the night, talk to God, he is always listening.

Be blessed.

It’s not You, it’s Me!

Posted on by Crystal King

At one point in my life the title of this article was a tough pill to swallow. I have to say controlling your emotions really is a huge part of your day. For me having coffee and then reading my bible does prepare me for my day, but thats just the beginning.

I have to remind myself how I react to others through out my day, that’s the difficult part. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is also difficult to do. Trying to remind yourself to think then respond is also a difficult, especially if you are the person who has to have the last word. That was me! Still is on some occasions, don’t judge, I’m a work in progress. Thank you for God’s grace.

My experience with this has been to always fall short. I would always react over my emotions then think back to and kick myself for my words. Having to apologize for your words later is so difficult. “The Bible teaches us to always believe the best of every person.” Joyce Meyer I use to have the absolute hardest time to do this. I was so upset and angry with everything in life, I really didn’t know how to manage it all.

From no longer going my path, but having to trust God’s way and not my way. I couldn’t believe it, but I threw an adult tantrum. I was couldn’t believe I had allowed myself to get so worked up and upset and then take it out on others.

BUT GOD!!! 

I started to really focus on my thoughts around March. Yes, it was just a few months ago, I recently obtained a lot of time on my hands, but I can really see a difference in how I think and how I react to people and their attitudes. I don’t let people get to me.

Learning how to think according to the Word of God is harder than you may think, especially when you aren’t used to doing it.

These are the tips I used to get me on track with this hard and difficult task:

  1. “Living Beyond Your Feelings“ by Joyce Meyer, this book really opened my eyes to seeing things a different way. I absolutely love this book and I do refer back to it a lot. Her book outlines how to think about others first, thinking how Christ wants you to think, how making decisions based on your emotions is never a good idea, and it uses the Bible scriptures to show you how God expects you to act as well. I refer to this book because it makes me check my thoughts and what comes out my mouth when something isn’t going my way.
  2. Get a journal Always document your progress, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Make notes on what happened to cause you to act a certain way or say something that you maybe shouldn’t have said. I know when I write my occurrences down and then think how I reacted, it opens my eyes to a whole new attitude. It is much easier to walk away or not say anything at all then to have to apologize later for it. Also it gives you a chance to reflect on your progress and see how far you’ve come. That can be an amazing feeling. Reward yourself, you’re growing and maturing into what God wants you to be.
  3. Schedule your time with God. I can not tell how important it is to keep a time marked on your calendar. This frees up your time to really focus on yourself and your time with God. What better person to talk to about yourself than God? He is always there to listen and offer guidance.
  4. Get you some study cards. Writing out your favorite scriptures and reading them throughout your day really helps, and it gives you a chance to look at your day. I have found that reading scripture always helps me get through my day and it increases my happiness too. I try to reflect on God’s word daily and through out my day even more.
  5. Take one day at a time. We all make mistakes, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember to focus on today, tomorrow has its own worries. No one is perfect, and God knows your short comings. Continue to ask God for his forgiveness and he will continue to help you. Remember God will never leave you nor forsake you. Put your trust, hope, worries, difficulties in his hands and you will see a difference in yourself.

Be blessed.

Maui, Hawaii

Posted on by Crystal King

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What a great vacation I had this year. Every year my son and I take a week vacation somewhere. I have tried to teach him to see the world, and to work hard and reward yourself. Well this was our reward, MAUI!! 

Through my work friend I found the nicest travel agent, Theresa D Chapman. She was so helpful and very patient with all of my request. You can imagine I had a thousand questions about Maui, I’ve never been. Also I don’t know when I’ll be going back, so I needed to make the best of this trip. She took care of everything. I highly recommend her for your traveling needs.

We flew with American Airlines, and the flight was great. I did expect the flight to be long, however it was manageable, no swollen feet or neck pain. Our luggage made it as well. There were no issues.

We stayed at the Royal LaHaina Resort. They were very kind and helpful. The room we wanted wasn’t available so they upgraded us to a cottage. This was a room outside, and bigger than what we wanted with a patio. Through out the stay I could not have been more pleased with their service. They have onsite help with car rental, excursions, and shopping. There is also a trolly service that picks you up and takes you around the area for shopping and good food. The trolly service is free, however tips are encouraged

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Now lets get down to the trip:

Luau. I attended my first luau while in Maui. The Luau was located at the resort and it was a great experience. From the pig, to the huge buffet, the entertainment, the romantic dance for all couples, it was just amazing. We learned a lot at the Luau, the history of the island and the culture. It actually started to shower during the event, but with the energy that was there that night, you didn’t even notice it.

Food. The food at the resort was great. We did venture out to a few other places for food and drinks as well. We ate at several restaurants and I was pleased with it all. From burgers, to fish, to steak, to lobster. It was all great. We celebrated a birthday on our vacation as well, and the restaurant, Fleetwoods on Front Street was very kind to assist with our requests. The lobster was so delicious, and the service was quick. Fleetwood’s also has live entertainment for your dining pleasure. Another place with tasty root beer floats, which was free for us, was the Cool Cat Cafe. Very laid back environment, with friendly service.

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Pearl Harbor. So with the help of our travel agent, she helped with getting our group to Honolulu. As I said before, I don’t know when I’m coming back so Pearl Harbor was a must for me. So she booked us a flight from Maui to Honolulu which is about a 35 minute flight with Hawaiian Airlines. We weren’t really happy with the guessing where we were suppose to go or who we were suppose to meet at the airport. I won’t mention the name of the tour group company, however I did write a review of a few improvements that could be done. The day trip consisted of Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, USS Missouri, and a tour of Honolulu. The entire experience is a must see. Pearl Harbor is very emotional and has some graphic pictures, however it is something worth seeing.

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Maui Ocean Center. This aquarium would have been an all day activity as well, however we did not take advantage of the water park or the food and shopping. This aquarium did have a lot of information about the fish in Maui as well as an area where you could actually touch the fish. This was a great place to cool off and enjoy the indoors. The aquarium also has a tunnel where you can walk and the fish in the water. The picture below is a huge sting ray laying on the glass. He was very picture ready.

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Shopping. We did quite a bit of shopping on the trip considering I dind’t think we planned to. I highly recommend Front Street. That place is amazing. Its a long strip with several shops, places to eat, shaved ice and more. We had a great time shopping, We rented a car and trying to find parking really wasn’t all that difficult to do. Another good spot that is close to the resort was Whalers Village. They have several stores, including the ABC store where I was able to find all my souvenirs and goodies for my family back home.

Cost. The trip price and flight will differ depending on when you’d like to do. The day trip to Pearl Harbor did cost an extra $1000.00 for us including flight.  However I did follow a rule to spend $150.00 a day per person. So for my son and me $300.00 a day for food, drinks, shopping. I will tell you though I did not spend that everyday. There was so much to do and you can always go to the store and purchase drinks and snacks.

This trip was by far one of the best trips I have taken. I really enjoyed the beach, the air, the cooler nights. God really blessed me with this trip.

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Make time for God

Posted on by Crystal King

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Have you ever been so busy, that you forget to pray? Or maybe that you forget to even just take a few minutes for you? Well it’s time to change that. We have to make time for God to get through this chaotic life. I know over the years I have really tried to keep up with my prayer journal or my morning readings but then life happens; my son is late for school, I woke up late for work, and if you’re like me when my day starts off late, I feel like I am trying to catch up all day long.

Here are a few things to consider when scheduling time with God:

  1. Schedule the time in. Yes, make it that intentional. Write it down in your calendar with the time too. If you schedule the time, you’ll be more likely and willing to spend that time with him. Set the alarm on your phone as well. That always helps too.
  2. Keep your time with God. Have you ever been stood up? Like your date never showed or tried to call and let you know what happen? Well that feeling, I imagine is how God would feel if you didn’t keep your “date” with him. He knows that things happen, but however just forgetting about the “date time” then we are standing him up. Yes, that’s a bit dramatic, however I like to think that if we are able to keep time for anything else, why not keep the time with God. It really is that important.
  3. God is your BFF. I had a talk with one of my friends, and I explained to her that you speak to God like he is your bff. He wants to hear about you day, what you did, how you did it, your good and bad choices. God cares deeply about what you do and how you do it. Since we are made in his image, why wouldn’t God want to know all about how your day was.
  4. Your prayers don’t have to be long. I have gotten in the habit of saying small prayers through out my day. I find it a lot easier to get through a bad day this way. So if the day is good, I really have no problem talking to God about my excitement. A prayer is a prayer whether it’s long or short. Either way, God is very willing to hear everything you have to say.
  5. You will never be an inconvenience to God. Some people think the sometimes they are asking for too much, or when they pray it’s always an issue. That is farthest from the truth. God enjoys hearing everything about you and what you have going on in your life. He cares about your choices and he cares about you.

Spending time with God daily is the most important decision you can make. He will always listen and he always has time for you. I encourage everyone to try it and see how it changes your attitude towards life’s challenges. Don’t tell God how big your challenge is, tell your challenges how big your God is.

Be blessed.

Time for Change

Posted on by Crystal King

Have you ever had life planned out. I mean like really planned out. Where you’ll live, where you’ll work, retirement, marriage, etc. Well I did! I had it all planned out, but you know I forgot one very important thing, something I didn’t give a second thought to…

GOD! I forgot to ask GOD about my plans.

You see the problem with planning your own life is if you don’t take God with you, you’re pretty much riding solo on this trip with no directions, no GPS, no google maps, no Waze, (coolest app ever, it tells you where the cops are) I don’t know about you but I do need a navigator to watch my steps, lend a helping hand and clarity. What better person to watch your steps/direction than God? A friend once told me, “if you put something before God, he will take it away from you.” Now at the time I knew what he meant but I really didn’t feel what he meant until recently. God really changed my world all around, and although I can say I have know clue what I’m doing or where I’m going, I’m so glad that God is my navigator.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This bible verse has never felt so real to me. My favorite bible verses are from the book of Proverbs 3:5-6, believe me I honestly thought I trusted the Lord, but I didn’t trust him enough to keep him first before all things, including my life. When God decided that my life needed a change, I was not ready. I was taken out of my comfort zone, was tugged, pushed, being pruned was even another example thrown at me and the devil had no problem trying to remind me that I was completely lost. BUT GOD!

I can tell you that life is not easy, nor did God every promise that it would be, however he did say he would never leave you or forsake you. He loves you unconditionally and if all you have is God then you have more than enough. Continue to pray and push forward through whatever obstacles you may have in front of you. Rest in the fact that God is right there with you, navigating and watching your steps. You can get through this, and watch how much happier and blessed you are once the change is complete.

Be blessed.

Study these Bible verses, write them down in a journal, memorize them; they will help you to keep a strong, spiritual relationship with God through times of change.

Jeremiah 29:11
Proverbs 3:5-6
Hebrews 13:5
Deuteronomy 31:6