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Keep safe, remember that Your Wellness Matters, and live life on purpose in Hope, Faith, and Love.💕💕
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK, and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, and it’s free!.
Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author, and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:6, Said that “godliness with contentment is great gain”.Besides, “we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
This verse puts everything we have discussed in this chapter into the right perspective. It also shows that we do not really ‘own’ anything. One day we will leave this world permanently, and when we do, we can’t take anything with us.
We work hard all our life for material possessions, then one day we leave it all to someone else at our death- or maybe before that.
Ecclesiastes 5:15 “As he came from his mother’s womb, he shall go again. Naked as he came and shall take with him nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.”
The idea of bringing nothing into the world was self-evident for the apostle Paul in giving his instruction to his young protege Timothy. The apostle implies that we fail to find true contentment, (which is intense happiness) because we get on the treadmill of clinging to those things that rot away or break. the cycle continues throughout our lives when we strive to get more of the same. Theologian Jack Wellman pointed out that Paul had a secret about contentedness, found in 1 Timothy 6:2-10 we discover what that secret is …
These are the things you are to teach and insist on. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between people of corrupt minds, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is a significant gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that—those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap. Many foolish and harmful desires plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (NIV)
And…..Philippians 4:11 (NIV)
……I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content in addition to that. … Not that I speak as regards privation, for as to me I have known in those circumstances …
Striving to obtain contentment and not material things is that great secret that is worth aiming for. There is a deep discontentedness that lies in the heart of every human being. The vacuum of discontent can only be filled by God’s Spirit.
When welcoming the Holy Spirit of God, we become ONE (unity) with God. We are regenerated into a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). This phenomenon is called- born again or born anew (John 3). We move from being dead in our sins, to being alive through Christ (Eph; 2:1-2). Trusting in God is not a strange thing to do. Instead of trusting in those things that will eventually fall away, trust in the solid rock of the Great Shepherd and you shall not want!!💕
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren and lives in South Wales, UK.
Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, and it’s free!.
Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
Verse two is a beautiful picture of rest and refreshment. We find peace and refreshment when we rest in God. There were times when David was tired and weary. It is at these times he paints with the written word a lovely image of the rest that the Lord provided for him.
Like David, we can lie down in the green pastures of tranquillity and be led beside still waters of refreshment. In a place of peace and quiet, there is no trouble or turmoil. It is a place where we can just let go of the busyness of the day and enjoy an undisturbed breather. This rest space in the green pastures of tranquillity and beside still waters offers you an even flow and calmness. So, when things get too hectic; when your body needs replenishing; when the soul needs rest, come by the still waters and lie in the green pastures in God’s love.
The Lord knows just what it takes to lead you to a peaceful place to rest in tranquillity and calmness, so let yourself be led there. You cannot help yourself or others to your full potential if you are tired and weary. Sometimes you may feel guilty when resting because of your busy schedule so you feel the need to get on with things.
As humans, we are so adapted to the hustle and bustle of life and have lost the art of rest. I know a lot of people who have retired but have not retired in their minds and heart. This is excellent, on one level, because we need a reason to get out of bed in the morning and have something to look forward to on a new day. It’s lovely to learn new things and accept new challenges that stretch us and make us grow. However, for many people, their mind is still in employment mode, so they just find it challenging to stop and cannot allow themselves to rest.
I know a lovely couple who are in their mid-80s. They have been retired for many years. Betty says that she feels guilty when she sits down in the afternoon. She doesn’t get out of the house much because her mind and heart are still in work mode with the many chores in the house. Is it any wonder that she had a massive heart attack and now is pumped up on medications that have a lot of side effects?
The family doctor told her that her condition is due to stress. The stress was caused by a lack of rest, putting great strain on her heart, and causing it to fail.
Then there’s Mary, a pastor’s wife who I knew many years ago. Mary had young children to run after so would get little rest. Mary was always busy, both at home and church and she never gave herself a day off or did anything that gave her pleasure. If she wasn’t working at home, or at her paid employment, she was working in the Church to support her pastor husband. Sadly Mary suffered a debilitating stroke at 34 years of age. When she received her diagnosis, it revealed that it was high-stress levels causing her blood pressure to rocket, which in turn caused the stroke. She literally wore herself out!
Now meet Max, who after retirement wanted to take up running and other healthy pursuits. However, into his retirement, he continued to stick to a work schedule to give him a structure for his day. The schedule was 12 hours in duration- after all, he was home and could work longer hours because he didn’t waste time traveling. Max accomplished more in a day at home than she ever did in the office which had a limited working time frame. He always said that he wanted to wear out and not rust out. So, Max created for himself a tight daily schedule that exceeded the one while employed. In the end, Max was putting upon himself a heavy workload and was so busy that he could not fit in his much-wanted running program.
Then one day, Max on the spur of the moment without any preparation, decided to do a vigorous run. Max reasoned that he had to start sometime, so he geared up in running shoes and shorts, Max did not have a lot of time to spare, so without warming up, and taking things slow, he ran flat out to reach his goal. Max was found dead on the pavement. The coroner said that he had a massive heart attack due to great strain on his heart. Max didn’t take the time to ease himself into gentle exercise until his body adjusted to it. For Max, it was his first run and his last.
I could share much more with you, but the thing is, what all these people have in common is that they abused their bodies by refusing to take rest and or relaxation. These dear folk had to get stuff done and we’re always in a hurry to achieve the end result. We need to realize and accept, and indeed enjoy that work, as well as rest, pleasure, enjoyment, and refreshment, are gifts from God.
Jesus Christ did not come to start a new religion; he came to show us a new way of living. Religion, or our idea of religion, can drive us to the point where we can’t enjoy life anymore because we are exhausted. Jesus doesn’t drive us but leads us, and there is a big difference between the two. When one drives, they are behind pushing forward. When one leads, they walk ahead paving the way forward. When a person leads, they see the dangers ahead and clear them for you to pass, keeping you safe.
On the other hand, when you are driven, you encounter dangers head-on and suffer for it. Our Shepherd leads, rather than drives. Religion drives us, but Jesus leads us into a new way of living in a peaceful resting place.
It’s worth thinking that when we allow ourselves to be led by God, it does not mean we abrogate responsibility.
We have a duty to nurture our own well-being. We are holistic beings, which means we are body, mind, and soul. We must learn self-nourishment on all levels. It doesn’t seem to come naturally for many of us, we need to pause and think about it.
We need to change our mindset by educating ourselves about how to consciously replenish ourselves. In so doing, we replenish our creative selves. Julia Cameron, who wrote the Artist Way, calls this filling the well, it is only you who can fill your well..
I hope reading this blog has helped you in a small way. If it was, please like and feel free to comment, and please subscribe to this blog so you may receive your free freebie and regular updates.
Would you like to receive a free e-book? If the answer is Yes, then take notice; as you come onto my site, a banner will pop up after 50 seconds that describes the content of the e-book. So, if you wish to receive the e-book, please subscribe through the banner, which will lead you to a few steps.
After you confirm your free subscription, the e-book will be delivered to your email inbox. If it’s not, please let me know, and I will send it to you directly.
Keep safe, remember that Your Wellness Matters, and live life on purpose in Hope, Faith, and Love.💕
Enjoy this excerpt from my book, Psalm 23 Unwrapped, available on Amazon.💕
Your life is a well. By life, I mean your mind, body sort and lifestyle. Wells are built to hold water. Wells without water are dry, empty, and purposeless. Full wells are useful, intriguing, and beautiful.
Psalm 23 verse 2 uses the metaphor of water because no living creature or plant can survive without it. Generally, a person can only survive without the refreshment of water for about 3 days. After that, your body begins to shut down, fails to function properly and finally dies. Likewise, no living being can function healthily without the refreshment of regular quiet, peace, and rest, or else we will burn out and run into all sorts of physical, mental, and spiritual problems.
Each day, we need to take responsibility and seriously take into consideration our body, and mental and spiritual well-being by doing things that nurture us. The Bible clearly tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so, let’s get purposeful about good health and wellbeing by taking care of ourselves. Because you have been given the task to look after yourself, observe God’s Word be respectful and cherish yourself. The scripture below reminds us of this….
Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and is given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself; you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body.
To learn how to chill out, refer to my book Nothing Good about Grief, where you will find guidance on contemplation and how to overcome anxiety. I know from experience that just ten minutes of contemplative meditation or even listening to peaceful music is a great refresher. Also, you may enjoy cooking or crafts which help to fill your dry and empty well.
Try taking a short nap in the day, or put your feet up and watch a bit of wholesome telly, enjoy a good book, or instead, take a nice walk that refreshes you. Whatever it takes to bring you peace and rest, do it and accept it as a pure gift from God to you. Do whatever healthful activity you find refreshing and relaxing and beneficial to your well-being, give it a try. Gather appropriate information and learn how to be your own therapist and fill your well. Remember that you are not alone in this the Holy Spirit will help you be open. It is the Spirits’ job to counsel you and walk beside supporting you always.
God purposes the best for you as these scriptures reveal…..
Ephesians 3:19 … that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
John 14:16… I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper–
“Helper” is the Greek word parakletos. It is a form of a word you may be familiar with—Paraclete, which means- the one who walks alongside. It describes a spiritual attendant whose role is to help, support, aid, advocate, and provide guidance. This is the divine counsellor’s ministry to you if you will seek and receive it. How to do this is outlined in my book, Nothing Good about Grief.
Jesus used the Greek word allos to describe the Holy Spirit—he is “another (allos) Helper (of the same kind). The same kind as what? Jesus was promising to send his disciples a helper exactly like himself. A compassionate, loving, and totally sufficient Paraclete, just like himself. In fact, Jesus is called our Paraclete in 1 John 2:1 “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate [Paraclete] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
You wouldn’t question a therapist’s capabilities in the counselling room, would you? God, the Holy Spirits’ ability to get to the heart of your issues is unparalleled. God knows you better than you know yourself, John 2:25. The Father has sent another helper, co-equal with Jesus Christ to be your counsellor. Take responsibility for your own health and well-being and don’t doubt his ability to help you.
I hope reading this blog has helped you in a small way. If it was, please like and feel free to comment and please subscribe to this blog so you may receive your free freebie and regular updates. Keep safe, remember that Your Wellness Matters and live life on purpose in Hope, Faith and Love💕
My parents told me that as a child, I never wanted help around the house, and I didn’t want my parents to help me either. In the 60s we had summer and winter school shoes. Our winter shoes had laces. I couldn’t manage to tie them myself, so I talked my big sister Susan into doing it for me. I could not figure out the pattern of movement to tie the laces, but apart from that, I tried to do most things by myself.
The task of learning was stressful for me, so I didn’t have the patience to accept instructions. I winged most things. Fake it till ya make it– I would say. It may have been that as an undiagnosed dyslexic, I found learning taxing. Maybe that is why I refused to follow instructions, perhaps I just couldn’t. I remember very clearly as a child trying to absorb instructions, and I would get very angry and agitated inside. I just could not understand the idea that was being conveyed to me.
All I wanted was to get whatever it was over and done with, I didn’t want to hear all of the ‘how’s to’s, so I became very impatient. Maybe it did have something to do with my dyslexia, or maybe it is more to do with a stubborn personality that resisted instruction. Some of us live our whole lives in a cycle of resistance. It becomes an ingrained habit where we react to everything that way, and when we eventually meet God, we resist his leading- I certainly did.
Many of us don’t want to be patient and wait for God to lead us. Instead, we want to do it our way – right now! Were in a hurry, we want it all done yesterday. When in the throes of bereavement the first reaction may be-I want to get outta here – Now! You may want to be rid of the feeling of sadness as soon as possible, escaping from the feeling of shock and trauma. At these times, we can get agitated and get ourselves wound up, and fail to listen to good advice. Most of all, we fail to listen to God’s leading and counsel. Then when it all goes pear-shaped, we blame God or others.
Any person that travels and uses a map knows the principle of learning from those who have gone before. Someone mapped a journey for the very first time so others could follow. It is the expertise of the map maker that guides us. When we are going through difficulty, we can get impatient, and we might rip the map up, we think we can make it to our intended destination without guidance. Without the guidance of the map, however, there is a chance that we will lose our way, and so it is with our lives. When we navigate the dark valley, we rely on the expertise of the map maker. God, the Shepherd, is our map maker.
With God’s guidance, we can avoid the detours that may be quite dangerous for us. Our Good Shepherd leads us, not because he wants to control us, but because he loves us. God our Shepherd leads us into the path of righteousness, the good and right path that will lead us forward out of the valley.
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK, and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, and it’s free!.
Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author, and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
Christianity, in many ways, has caused anxiety and fears because of the emphasis on sin and hell. Many believers have been taught that even the most minor misdemeanor requires hellfire from a small child. Therefore, to think of oneself as having a ‘worth’ escape many.
Reformed theologians have criticised Mindfulness as being a ‘religion of self’. This claim is another dangerous doctrine that takes away the preciousness of our living and puts us into fear and despair.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there is no sin, and I believe sin’s wages are eternal death. However, what I am saying is that the merciful goodness of God runs a lot deeper than any sin. The good news is that the power of sin is conquered through the cross and resurrection. Therefore it would do us good to focus our attention on that truth rather than on the details of punishment and hell.
THE MIS-USE OF THE DOCTRINE OF HELL
Children are often taught about the extreme fundamentalist view of hell and wrongdoing to keep them in control. The idea is to scare the ‘hell’ out of them. But the result is that the child grows into an empty religiosity void of love and grace and missing out on a deep, personal relationship with the loving Creator God.
These children may develop such a deep fear that motivates them into subjection. Furthermore, as adults, they may inflict that same fear upon others. Therefore, the sad thing is that they may never experience a genuinely loving relationship with God.
MINDFULNESS and GOD
Mindfulness is a practical and straightforward way to ease our fears by stilling our minds, so we can focus on the good things of God, as we see in Philippians 2 from verse 5.
5 In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 instead, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord,
When we are honest with ourselves and confess and turn away from our sins, we are reconciled to God by repentance and faith. Then it’s up to us how our relationship with God develops. We can choose to image God as a wrathful God or one who is full of grace, mercy, and love. Fear moves us toward the wrathful God-image. Fear blocks our understanding and experience of grace and mercy.
If we are in genuine fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and this is where perfect love casts out all fear. Fear is an enemy of God and, therefore, our enemy. Fear distorts our view of God, ourselves, and others. It colours our perceptions, wrapping our decisions making, thus turning us into hardnosed religious people.
But when we embrace a love relationship with God, casting out all fear, we enter a productive, righteous, peaceful, and joyful spirituality. We bask in the Son in the Holy Spirit, who is with us forever.
HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST
St Paul declares that we have the mind of Christ because Christ was in perfect fellowship with his Father, and as we walk in the love and grace of God, we are shrouded in God’s loving embrace. Therefore, the Christian can rest in the Lord. Our relationship with God deepens as we fill our minds with his word of truth and then applyit to our circumstances; however, this takes spirit, mind, and body discipline.
How many times were you distracted from what is really important? Maybe you thought about the next thing to do and failed to notice what God said to you?
So many times, in Christianity, we over spiritualise stuff that should be accepted on a purely practical basis. Mindfulness is an efficient practice to help you to have the mind of Christ.
I encourage you- don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater by outright rejecting Mindfulness. Instead, be open to new possibilities by allowing your mind to be disciplined through a Mindfulness lifestyle.
A helpful illustration of God and Mindfulness is found in the Christianity Today magazine, which writes that ‘Mindfulness is ourGod-given, universal capacity for awareness and attention.’
One example of how it works is in dealing with anxiety. A non-mindful person might think, “I am an anxious person”. Someone trained in Mindfulness might think, “I have an anxious thought.”
Mindfulness and Jesus teach us that we are not our thoughts and feelings –Matthew 6:34.
The command of Scripture regarding all our fears and anxieties is to cast them all upon God because he cares for us, and in so doing, God will keep those in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3). God’s peace will guard our minds, not empty them (Phil. 4:7), and it is this reality, not cessation, that surpasses all understanding.
Try Mindfulness today- it may change the way you perceive God, yourself, others, and the world around you! To help you to learn more about Mindfulness, click on the links below to short articles to help you.
People ask me how they learn mindfulness this video answers some of that questions.
We need to understand that there is really nothing old about this Testament because all of it is still relevant in modernity and links beautifully with the New Testament. Without the Old Testament or correctly known as the Hebrew Scriptures, the New would be irrelevant, not least exceedingly difficult to understand.
Psalm 23 is situated in the Old Testament. During more than 40 years of ministry, many people have related to me that diving into the Old Testament is a risky and scary thing to do, so it must be avoided like the plague! They say the main reason for this is that it seems to be a lot about getting rid of people, wars, and exiles all in God’s name. When we try to weigh up a loving God with the stories of violence we find it difficult to make sense of it all, which creates many more unanswered questions and makes it easier for us to avoid the whole book. Moreover, most of us would rather shy away from all the horror of the OT to concentrate on the good news of the gospel in the NT, which is quite understandable. The problem with avoiding the Hebrew Scriptures is that it limits our understanding of the Gospels of Jesus Christ, who he is, and why he came.
Jesus of Nazareth knew, used, and quoted the Hebrew Scriptures. He understood the law and obeyed it in daily life and taught and interpreted the law in the way that God had always intended. Jesus taught nothing brand new he simply explained the law as God intended it to be implemented, with love being the focus. Jesus’ re-interpretation had nothing to do with killing but had lots to do with turning the other cheek and loving one’s enemy. It never had anything to do with selfishness but has everything to do with feeding the poor and hungry. It has nothing to do with keeping strict laws, or with an eye for an eye vengeance system. Conversely, Jesus’ re-interpretation of the law has everything to do with forgiving and loving everyone. Luke 11:2-4 (NIV) Forgive our trespasses and we forgive those who have trespassed against us. In other words. We forgive those who have hurt us. Jesus turned popular belief on its head displaying the way of love – which has always been God’s way of doing things.
If we approach the Hebrew scriptures/Old Testament at face value without applying the eight principles, the lessons will be easily misunderstood. This ancient book is full of God’s love, justice, grace, and mercy towards all, and Psalm 23 is within the OT and echoes God’s love. The OT sets the stage for God to show humanity, who he is, how he feels toward us, and the plan for saving the world. The OT heralds the coming Messiah – Jesus Christ and the NT confirms him. It is there we see the beginning of time as we know it, and the ending of time in the prophetic (foretelling) writings. The Hebrew scriptures help us to touch base with God and the New Testament helps us to know God intimately.
Knowing Jesus is Knowing God
All the books of the Old Testament have links to the New, which demonstrates to us that knowing Jesus is knowing God. Through the birth of Christ, the cross, and the resurrection, we can enjoy a relationship with Jesus. If we are acquainted with Jesus Christ, then we are acquainted with God who is our humble Creator as well. We in fact dance with the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in celebration of the universal beauty and diversity of all creation of which you are an integral part. Jesus said, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father -John 14:9-14, also, the Father and I are One (unity) in John 10:30. Therefore, when we come into a relationship with Jesus, we also come into a relationship (unity) with God who is the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To go one step further – God lives in you! Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among all peoples the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, if you did let me know💕
😀So many people want their faith and church to grow. The problem is to figure out where to begin. This site is about helping people do just that. It’s for anyone who feels stuck in their faith and longs for a breakthrough. It’s for people who are exploring Christianity and want to know what it’s all about – apart from what they see in the media. If that’s you – please consider subscribing.
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse The University of Derby, UK.
BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK, and a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, coach-led workshops and retreats, and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality. Author of over 100 articles and two books, Paula Rose continues to write on the spiritual life. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, it’s free!.
Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author, and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. and many other qualifications and a lifetime so, I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
Great to have you back on my blog, and if you are new here welcome, I’m Paula. I help you live life on purpose mindfully to achieve success and happiness for your mind, body, and soul. So read till the end, and we will do together a short exercise that will help you with mindful breathing, and remember to subscribe, Like and share this blog.
Just Breathe!
When I am anxious or nervous, I tend to ‘hold’ my breath. I don’t know why I just do.
Or I often breathe shallowly. I was feeling often getting tired and dropping off to sleep during the day. Even when I had a great night, sleep dropping off in the day persisted. I knew I had to do something about it, so I decided to be mindful of the situation.
I began to be in the present moment and noticed my breathing throughout the day. It’s didn’t take long for me to realize that I was holding my breath during times of stress or shallow breathing. I also noticed that after these episodes of holding my breath, I would suddenly feel acutely tired. It was then I realized what was actually going on- I was doing this to myself!
Therefore, I continued to be mindful and began to create the well- habit of noticing my breathing throughout the day and then deliberately breathing deeply.
Since then, I rarely felt drowsy during the day. Instead, when I catch myself holding my breath or shallow breathing, I stop- and take several deep breaths and continue to breathe with ‘all’ of my lung capacity. I had to learn how to correctly breathe for health, and calm.
To remind me to deep breathe, I have stickers in my planner and elsewhere that say in bold letters
Just Breathe!
If you don’t breathe, you’ll die- simple. But, equally, breathing incorrectly can reduce your life span and wellbeing. It’s something you just don’t think about; breathing is a necessity of life that usually occurs automatically from birth.
Correct Breathing and Health
With each breath, blood cells receive oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that’s carried back through your body and exhaled, purifying you. So breathing does more than keep you alive. Improper breathing can upset the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange and contribute to anxiety, panic attacks, fatigue, and other physical and emotional disturbances. When people are anxious, they tend to take rapid, shallow breaths that come directly from the chest, like I did, so let’s look at all the types of breathing.
Thoracic Breathing
Shallow breathing is called thoracic or chest breathing, which causes a disconnect in the body’s oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, resulting in increased heart rate, dizziness, muscle tension, and other physical sensations. These symptoms occur because your blood is not being properly oxygenated. This type of breathing is what most people do, and learning the new habit of correct breathing can challenging.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
The goal is to create the habit of diaphragmatic or deep breathing. Deep breathing stimulates the part of your nervous system responsible for regulating heartbeat, blood flow, breathing, and digestion. When you feel stressed, deep breathing helps you avoid the “fight-or-flight” response. Instead, it will make you feel alert yet calm, ready to handle anything.
Mindful Breathing
This is the one you want to learn today and maintain, When I trained as a nurse, I learned that the easiest way to determine your breathing pattern is to put one hand on your upper abdomen near the waist and the other in the middle of your chest.
As you breathe, notice which hand raises the most. If you’re breathing correctly, your abdomen should expand and contract with each breath, and the hand on it should raise the most.
If you can stop and pause, it’s vital to be aware of these differences during stressful times.
Here is a short exercise that will help you with mindful breathing
Mindful breathing The primary goal of mindful breathing is simply a calm, nonjudging awareness, allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go without getting caught up in them. If you are new to Mindfulness, I have a link down below outlining that for you. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on your breathing and bringing your attention to the present. This is done without allowing your mind to drift off to the past or future – Just be………. be in the now.
Now, Choose a calming focus, which may include a sound, the positive word “peace” for example, or the phrase “Just breathe” to repeat silently as you inhale or exhale. You may want to focus on an object or candle to help you focus now.
(picture of a candle)
Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight.
Bring your attention to your breathing.
When you notice your mind has drifted, take a deep breath and gently return your attention to the present.
Enjoy the feeling of the air passing in and out of your lungs.
Notice how it feels in your nasal passages.
Notice how alert your mind feels.
Notice the sounds around you……
Notice your mind becoming more alert.
You don’t have to follow those thoughts or feelings, don’t judge yourself for having them or analyze them in any way. It’s okay for the thoughts to be there. Just notice those thoughts and let them drift on by, bringing your attention back to your breathing. No matter how many times this happens, just keep bringing your attention back to your breathing.
Be careful not to hyperventilate…
Imagine that you have a balloon in your tummy. Every time you breathe in, the balloon inflates. Each time you breathe out, the balloon deflates. Notice the sensations in your abdomen as the balloon inflates and deflates. Your abdomen rises with the in-breath and falls with the out-breath.
To learn more about Mindfulness and managing stress, head over to Udemy for my Course-…..The Mindfulness Stress Relief Master Class.
The link is below for you.
Also, My books are available on Amazon and soon be available to buy on my website; the link is for you below.
And remember to subscribe, like, and share this article and comment- I would love to hear if you and how you got on with Mindfulness breathing.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog. Please come back here as I post regularly. Within the next few months, I will be starting a YouTube channel about personal growth and lifestyle design through mindful living.
Check out my menu bar above; there, you’ll find the online courses about mindfulness masterclass that will help you begin your mindfulness journey.
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
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When many of us take a step outside, it’s impossible to miss the signs of springtime. In some places, the trees are flowering, the air feels a little warmer and fresh, and signs of life emerge from the cold, once-frozen ground. Just as some of our physical surroundings are bringing forth new life, we hope that all of us see the beginning signs of new life budding within our church. As we look towards the hope of Easter, how might we extend that Easter joy to others? How do we balance our joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection with the enduring reality of our fallen world? How might we celebrate new life and new hope in Jesus Christ, allowing a new or renewed vision for worship and mission to emerge.
We find a renewed vision and mission when we accept as fact Gods’ radical incarnation and when we are personally grateful for the God who humbled himself as a sinner among sinners. The God who fell prey to death and succumbed to the power of brokenness as we do describes a God worth following and worshipping and working with.
Our resurrected Lord is the first concrete fruit of the “new heavens and earth” (Isa. 65:17; see 1 Cor. 15:20). The church’s first mission is to faithfully proclaim the newness of God’s kingdom of grace, forgiveness, and promised return. Scripture gives us several ways to illustrate this gospel. God’s love and mercy are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:23). Jesus often likens the kingdom to the agricultural cycle, which is new every year, which some of you are personally familiar with.
But of course, the most personal and powerful testimony is your story. the newness of the regenerated, converted life is powerful, which is what the text in John depicts. “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,” a literary clue that something new was about to dawn, Mary discovers the empty tomb. While Peter and presumably John return home without understanding……. Mary lingers and encounters the new Jesus.
Although we are in the fall, I thought I would share an Easter story. With all the leaves falling and the days are drawing in, we need a bit of good cheer!
The God of the Bible is always active, always making new, consistently doing a new thing. It is one of the ways God is different from idols, those things we make who do not move, speak, or do anything at all. By contrast, the God whose story is told in the Bible is continuously creating and recreating. It is why God is surprising, the God of surprises.
Of course, not everyone likes surprises. However, a quiet, dependable sure and steady life is what many desire, particularly after the drama of COVID 19. In enjoying quiet, dependable sure and steady life, we feel secure; at least we know where we are. Anyway, even those who profess to like surprises must acknowledge that not all surprises in life are pleasant and welcome, and some surprises come as a shock!
So, recalling that part of John’s Gospel 20.1-18 (please read), we might imagine how it was for Mary Magdalene. She was deeply in love with Jesus. He was the one who had given her back her life, love, and dignity. Yet, she comes on the Sunday after Sabbath to his tomb in the grief that goes with profound bereavement. The one she loved is dead and buried. That is a hard enough reality to bear. But how will she live without him?
(Dear friend, if you are struggling with grief, please check out my book ‘Nothing Good About Grief’ available at Amazon).
Getting back to Mary, who finds her way to the tomb. She expects to find everything as she left it days ago; after all, there are no surprises in death. It is all so predictable and final, except that she finds the tombstone is rolled away. This must have been for her an upsetting experience, a cruel and wounding surprise. She may have been wondering- ‘Can Jesus not be left in peace after all that has been done to him?’ She feels a knife being turned in her wounded heart.
She goes to find Peter. Her first word of witness on Easter Day is of sorrow and anger, and she cries, “They have moved his body! They have taken away the Lord! “It’s scandalous. She speaks in sorrow and burning anger. Her message is bad news indeed.
On hearing this news, Peter and John race to the tomb, with thoughts confused, they may question- “Can this indignity be true? ” When they reach the tomb, they find that Mary’s testimony, unfortunately, is the truth. The grave is empty. Strangely the grave clothes are in their place. Are they not needed anymore? Someone must have moved the body. It is the obvious but bitter explanation.
The Gospel writer says that John is outrun by Peter, nevertheless, goes into the tomb first. Then, says the evangelist, he saw and believed. Believed what? We are not told. However, the evangelist does tell us that they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. This possibility is not available to them, and all they have is an empty tomb, and there may be many reasons for that; grave robbers, a meddling gardener, who knows? So, they go home.
So far this story, is not much of a good news story- where are the angels and the great hallelujahs? It’s what we latter-day readers expect, but to this point, the text is bleak like it was for Mary and for many in the face of death. What a disappointment this story of Jesus has turned out to be! We are left with emptiness in several senses. But, like the disciples, we are left with a puzzle.
So, Mary is weeping and looks deeper into the tomb. John says she saw two angels in white. They ask her why she is weeping. She tells them, “they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. ” That is reason enough for tears. She turns away to hide her grief, but she is aware of another standing near in this morning of surprises. It must be the gardener. He asks, “why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
Perhaps this man has the answer to her cruel puzzle. She replies, “Tell me where you have laid him.” And the man says, “Mary.” this is when she realises that it is the Lord! The calling of her name is the start of Mary’s resurrection because Jesus is not dead and gone. The tomb is empty, and Jesus has come to her in his risen love and grace. Now she has a different testimony. I have seen the Lord in her experience and announcement to the disciples.
This is how John tells the Easter Day story. No one expected this, despite what the ancient scriptures said of God. Easter is a surprise. It is the good news we proclaim today. Both the approaches in John’s witness are essential. Does the empty tomb story matter? Yes, because we are not talking about something in a private otherworldly sphere of inwardness.
The empty tomb matters because it speaks of the new creation, of that work God is doing with the matter he first created, how he is doing a new thing. Christians proclaim that the tomb is empty, and the new resurrection body is recreated by God. Death is not the end, not even for this vulnerable creation that waits for renewal.
Although scientists today speak of many dimensions, life on other planets and parallel universes. We can hardly imagine what this means, and the Gospel proclaims that here is the work of God, taking our failure, taking the love of Jesus, and from it, bringing forth something new and wonderful. It is a miracle, a work of God.
Some of our teachers speak of a miracle as an overflowing love at the heart of creation. The love that was in Jesus, even unto death, is met by the endless love of God for his creation and, in the dynamic, new, and beautiful things happen. Death is not the end.
As we have seen, however, the empty tomb is not necessarily good news. It needs setting in a context. That context is God’s work from the beginning, in the creation and the call of Israel, in the coming of Christ and his remarkable life of suffering love, breaking the cycle of sin and violence in his sacrificial death on the cross. It is over this Christ that God speaks the great “Yes” of resurrection. He is let loose again in the world, and Mary and countless others will speak of being restored, healed, renewed by his presence.
God raised Jesus from the dead. For Mary, this means her grief is turned to joy as he calls her name. For Thomas, it means his doubt is turned to faith as he meets the risen Lord in the company of the disciples. For Peter, who denied the Lord, resurrection means being welcomed again by Christ and entrusted with new and vital work. John wants us to understand that resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus. It is God’s work for us.
It means that each act of worship, each gathering at the Lord’s Table, is an encounter with Christ Jesus. It means that far from life being full of boring predictability, there are the surprises of God who raised Jesus from the dead and is ever seeking to make all things new. It means that our death, even the decay of our planet, is not the end, and the tomb of Jesus is empty because God is at work. So, Christ comes to us with grace, forgiveness, love, and laughter. The Lord has risen! He is risen indeed!
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
If it was, please follow this blog you’ll find a button on the lower bottom right and leave a comment with any questions or prayer requests.
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Remember to Live Life on Purpose
Virtual hugs, I look forward to your visit to my next blog postxx
How you can find a solution when accused of something you didn’t do, here I share how to find a positive way forward.
Being misunderstood leaves an absolute sick feeling in the pits of your guts, but being accused of something you haven’t done is even worse. When your accuser is absolutely convinced of something you have said, did, or failed to do. and tells everyone about it leaves you totally helpless.
You try to fix it, but no matter what good evidence you put forth in your defence, your accuser remain firms in their charges against you. Then, your life is devastated when the same accusations filter through to your social circle, family, and perhaps even within your professional life.
I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL
This awful situation leaves you perplexed and very upset. You’ve been accused of something you have never even thought of, let alone done. It is causing you stress, anxiety, and many sleepless nights. You feel a sense of deep powerlessness, rejection, and hopelessness in not being able to remedy this situation. You weep and position yourself on the couch with the big tub of ice cream or wine or something that is mildly destructive to your body and mental health.
Sometimes we think nothing can be done, so we let things float, and the misunderstanding or accusation grows exponentially.
The hardest part is to recognise and understand is what can be done.
A POSITIVE WAY OUT
I am speaking as a Christian believer, and this is where I find my solutions. So now, dear reader, if you’re not a person of faith, don’t stop reading because some of this just may resonate with you and work towards a solution for you.
So, let me share a little story with you about one of my experiences of being accused of something I haven’t done.
MY STORY
I was married to the father of my four children for over 15 years. Then out of the blue, with no prior warning, he packed up our only car and literally disappeared into the night. We were abandoned. Try as I might, I could not trace him. Finally, words returned to me not to look for him because he didn’t want to be found.
I won’t mention the devastation that caused my children and me mentally and emotionally. Instead, I just want to share on a practical basis how you can find a solution to being misunderstood or accused of something because, in this story, I show you how I found a positive way forward.
I have two boys and two girls, and one of the girls, AJ, told me that she had a dream just after her father left. The dream was about the story of Joseph in the Bible, which you can findhere.
AJ said that the dream involved not Joseph being placed in the pit by his own brothers, but me and the four children by my husband, their father, who then peered down into the pit, laughed, and duly walked away. So now she felt that God gave her the dream because we were discarded like Joseph was, and our end would also be similar to Josephs’.
I took her dream seriously because it encouraged my other children and me enormously, I then proceeded to study the life of Joseph in detail. I consulted many books from various theologians who had various points of view. I consulted the original language in which it was written to see what that might say to me. Finally, I asked the Holy Spirit to lead me into truth in this matter.
Over months, I concluded that AJ was shown this dream for us to learn how to deal with our misfortune. Joseph was wantonly discarded by those he loved. He later was accused of assault by the Egyptian king’s wife, and of course, he didn’t do this. It was a setup. He rejected her advances, so she got upset and spread terrible rumours that he tried to rape her. And, of course, that landed him in jail for the second time.
ONE LIE DESTROYED US
I could relate to this because after my husband left us, word started trickling down through friends and ministry connections that he left us because he could not bear the fact that I had taken a lover, which was supposed to be the local male hairdresser. Now, this could be no further from the truth, I would very rarely go to a hairdresser because I am a hairdresser myself, and I always did, and I do to this day, tend to my own hair and that of my family’s, so I have no need for a hairdresser!
Sadly, my children also heard this rumour through the grapevine; thankfully, they knew it wasn’t true.
My eldest daughter Micahrose said to me, ‘mommy, we know this isn’t true because you are always working from your office here at home, and when you go shopping or visiting anybody in your ministry or do anything, you take us with you. Nobody ever babysits us because we are always with you, and we can’t see how it would be possible that you would have the time or the opportunity to take a lover’. This was coming from a 15 my old daughter whose maturity and opinion I valued time very much.
Although my children knew the truth of the matter, some of my work colleagues – without checking – believed the lie. Within a few short months, the lie found its way to the shores of Australia, where my parents live. One day, my mother phoned me, and the first thing she said to me was, ” What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
My husband was still disappeared, and I didn’t know where he was. Finally, however, I found out through his family that my husband flew to Australia and visited my parents, telling them a sad and sorry tale about the demise of our marriage due to my alleged infidelity. My husband was a textbook narcissist; he could sell ice to an Eskimo, so they believed him. Sadly, my parents did not question me if this was true or not, nor did they tell me of the full content of the conversation. Still, obviously, judging by what my mother said to me over the phone and subsequent conversations, she accepted what he had said as truth and was going to sort me out!
It wasn’t until 10 years later when I visited my parents in Australia, I actually had the opportunity to sit down with them and share the whole experience in detail. Then, at last, they accepted my version of events.
When my husband took it upon himself to visit my parents, he told them he was now alone and desperately hurting. But what my parents did not know, is that his lover flew over with him from the USA, and was waiting for him in their accommodation. I know this because he told some of his family, who duly contacted me.
Now I won’t go into any more detail because this blog will be far too long otherwise. But, perhaps I can make a YouTube video on it to share a bit more detail. So, if you’re interested in that, please let me know in the comments.
But the point is that how I learnt to deal with false accusations was the same way as Joseph dealt with them. Below are a few pointers to what I have found that may help you to deal with a similar experience………
1) Ask God to vindicate you. Joseph was eventually vindicated; it took years, but it happened. Finally, the truth came out, and he was loved and respected once again.
2) do not try to vindicate yourself. This is because you fall into the trap of very quickly take some kind of vengeance without thinking it through. Instead, trust that God who loves you, has got your back and will sort it out in due time as was done for Joseph.
3) do not spread gossip about your accuser. Because if you do, you might embellish the story to get back at them. The problem with this is that approach will eventually affect and reflect poorly upon you and your character.
4) do not even entertain one thought of vengeance. God says vengeance is mine I will repay. You will find that here.
5) Joseph’s brothers became his enemies, yet he still loved them and chose to care for them when they were in need during the famine. So likewise, Jesus said to us to love our enemies and pray for them. So, I blessed my husband and prayed for him regularly, although he had disappeared. I prayed for his well-being and success, and happiness.
6) Do what you would have others do to you; you will find that here. Treat your accuser with respect because they are fellow human beings. Eventually, that respect will come back to you in buckets.
7) Thank God every day for the answer to your situation in advance. Joseph never lost hope amid his difficulties. On the contrary, he expected a better tomorrow and for the solutions to come.
Well, that’s a few things I learned how to deal with this horrible situation. But, because of my daughter’s dream, I learnt that things would work out for good and for the children’s good in the end.
THEN THIS HAPPENED!
About three years later, my vindication came. By that time, I was residing in the United Kingdom (a long story) when I received a very unexpected telephone call.
A group of colleagues from the USA searched for me and eventually found me because they wanted to issue an apology collectively.
During this phone call, they told me that they found out that it was, in fact, my husband that took a lover and left his family as a consequence and not me.
They recognised that the children and I were left destitute, without any support and eventually experienced homeless for over six months – which had dire consequences for us in the short-term and long term. I accepted the apology, and I thanked God for the vindication. Those same people recommended me for full-time ministry to the denomination that I now work for.
BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS
The bad news is that the lie about me reached my close circle of friends in Australia to whom I would visit, and they would visit me on my trips to Australia. I know this because one of my friends told me that she believed my husband’s story over mine. This surprised me because they had never seen or spoken to my husband since he left us and had no idea where or how he was living. But they did speak to his brother, who spun a convincing story to protect his brother. It is sufficient to say that I decided to break contact with those friends. However, although they hurt me very much, I still pray for them, and I hold no hatred or bitterness against them. In fact, I actually feel sorry for them because they believed and propagated disgusting gossip, so they have revealed something of their true character.
The good news is that all of my children are successful adults with their own families and careers. And I did not have to unload any baggage of hatred or bitterness because I never adopted that attitude in this situation.
It’s good news that I trusted God from the word go to vindicate me and restore us because I was determined to deal with it the Joseph way. So, when I got down and upset, I would re- read the story of Joseph, and I thank God to this very day that AJ shared that dream with me.
HAS MY SHARING CANDILY BEEN HELPFUL TO YOU?
I hope this post has been helpful to you. If you follow me you will know, that health and well-being of mind, body, and spirit is the focus of my ministry and my websites and social media platforms. This is because our thinking, attitudes, and manner in which we deal with our lives directly impact our health and well-being.
Let’s be like Joseph, who came out of the situation successfully, healthy, and well because he dealt with it in a Godly way.
So, to encourage you, even if you don’t believe in God, give it a try, and you may be surprised how you can come out of this situation in such a positive way and move forward in hope for faith and love.💕
A lot has been said over the past 20 years or so about climate change. Initially, when the subject of climate change began to appear on our screen, few people believed it thinking it was just another way to extract money from the working person. As the years have passed, and research has progressed, the fact of climate change is slowly being accepted as a crisis of our time.
As followers of Christ, we have a God-given responsibility toward our planet.
Genesis 1: 28 New International Version God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
We need to be aware, therefore, of the small things we can do to help heal our planet before it is too late. In order to do this, we need to be clear of the biblical plan and mandate regarding our earthy existence.
God Created the Earth
God is not just a powerful figure in the world—he is the creator of the world. He brought it into existence with all of its interconnected processes, animate and inanimate, which means that even the smallest pebble is the work of his design:
Psalms 104: 25-30 “There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”
John 1:3 “Through him, all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.”
Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.”
Nehemiah 9:6 “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”
Every Living Thing Is Part of God’s Creation
The weather, plants, and animals are all part of the environment God created on the Earth. The Bible says that they are as much a part of God’s creation as mankind itself:
Isaiah 43:20-21 “The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”
Job 37:14-18 “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised; those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?”
Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
God Uses the Earth to Teach Us
It is important, according to the Bible, to study the Earth and the environment. The Bible says that knowledge of God and his works can be found in understanding plants and animals and the delicate web of life:
Job 12:7-10 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all humankind.”
Romans 1:19-20 “…since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Isaiah 11:9 “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
God Asks Us to Take Care of His Creation
In the Bible, God commands man to be a steward of the environment. Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesy about the dire consequences that occur when man disobeys God and fails to take care of the Earth:
Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and overall the creatures that move along the ground.'”
Leviticus 25:23-24 “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.”
Ezekiel 34:2-4 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.”
Isaiah 24:4-6 “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore, earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.”
Jeremiah 2:7 “I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.”
Revelation 11:18 “The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
If you are a believer and follower of Christ, then you have a God-given mandate to care for the earth that feeds you and shelters you. The earth is your home. If you trash your home, eventually you will have nowhere to live- so, let’s look after this beautiful blue planet for now and for future generations.
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Paula Rose Parish is an author, and the founder, of Hope. Faith. Love. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, coach and taught at Christian university, led workshops and retreats, and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality. Author of over 100 articles and two books, Paula Rose continues to write on the spiritual life. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA. Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse The University of Derby, UK. BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK
A life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula is an Ordained Minister, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author and has a Master of Arts in Counselling and many other qualifications and a lifetime so, I have heaps to share with you.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
Free Excerpt for You Here – Full Book available only in paperback on Amazon (at the moment). Copy and paste the link below into your browser to purchase your copy!
Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? What about one of those weeks, where every day is one big blur, and nothing seems to work out? You may look back over the last 12 months and just see disaster after disaster happening and all is totally out of your control? I think most of us can relate to one or two of these at least. How many people do you know who suffer from a restlessness that makes them so disconnected that they fall into depression, or just give up on life? Perhaps the death of a loved one has stripped the person of purpose and meaning, the grief being so overwhelming that they feel that they will never get over it? I know loads of people in this place, and I have helped them and in fact, I’ve been there a few times myself – and I am sure you have too- not a nice place to be! Or possibly you are unwell and facing your own impending death, and you don’t know what to think or which way to turn.
So, what can we do when things like this happen? How can we find joy and a realistic coping strategy to get us through rather than allowing it to defeat or destroy us? Contentment is a precious thing, but how can we find it in our darkest valley? Lots of people ask these questions and spend a lot of time and money looking for answers.
If you have loved much you will grieve much. Grieving is not bad, but for it to hang on for years is certainly not good either. As pointed out in my book, Nothing Good about Grief, bereavement can leave us with the feeling of utter emptiness. As human beings, we have a need to grieve because it is healthy to do so. We must understand that there will be a silver lining somewhere. Grief can be turned around self-discovery in the long run, even when we can’t imagine it at first. But this only happens if we are willing to learn, change, and learn the right attitude allowing bereavement to be turned around for our benefit. However, it is also true that there is a possibility that we can become trapped in our grief, not knowing how to let go of it.
This is book is designed to help you find solutions to work through the difficult times in your life. Psalm 23 Unwrapped shows God’s nature as Father in the image of the Good Shepherd. In the same way, as a good Father does, the Shepherd leads, provides, protects, and guides. Whatever your circumstances, this book offers ideas that will assist you to discover coping strategies while maintaining equilibrium. If you rely on the right conditions to make you happy, you will always be tossed about and will never experience inner calm and joy- even in the face of death. Psalm 23 Unwrapped, can be used as an enhancement to my book Nothing Good about Grief. The book you hold in your hands will help you to let go of the pain of your problems, resentment, grief, and the fear of death. Using Psalm 23 as a template – which is also known as the Psalm of David – this book guides you in your journey through your troubled times, to find meaning, purpose, and peace.
The experience of loss, mainly if it is sudden, can bring about the reaction of immense psychological shock. This traumatizes us psychologically. Some people think the effects of grief are purely psychological things and have nothing to do with our physicality. However, recent research shows that our psychological health has a direct bearing on our physical health. This is why I approach my work holistically. It is my aim to minister to the whole person, body, mind, and soul. Our spiritual life cannot be separated from our everyday existence and adjusting to a daily rhythm to fulfill your basic human needs is the first step to getting a handle on the feeling of fear, panic, and uncertainty. It is a step to curing the virus of anxiety and panic. It helps us to see life, health, death, and spirituality differently, even amid your difficulties. When we have re-connected to the sense of the present while trusting in God, we will find peace – the peace we lost in all that stress – is closer to us, deeper within us, than we had ever imagined.
Psalm 23 Unwrapped, offers strategies to cope with your journey through the dark valley. I have chosen the study of Psalm 23 because it shows the Lord as our Good Shepherd, our protector, our daily provider, our peace and rest, and our guide through every circumstance in life or death. God’s faithfulness leads us through dark valleys while watching over us with his rod and staff. All of that is amazing enough to prompt us to praise him, but we may wonder what happens after we pass through the valley? What does the Lord do then? How do you maintain your joy and happiness?
Studying God as Shepherd helps us with these and other questions. For instance, Jehovah-Raah, which means The Lord, my Shepherd. A shepherd is a role description, not a name of a person. Jehovah is not a name either. Translated as The Existing One or Lord. So again, it describes who God is. Also, it suggests becoming or specifically becoming known. This implies that God always discloses who he is. God reveals himself in the metaphor, or even in the image of a shepherd. A shepherd is the one who feeds or leads his flock to pasture (Ezekiel 34:11-15). An extended translation is a friend or companion. This indicates the intimacy that God desires between himself and his people.
Untangling the nature of God reveals to us that God is our friend, guide, companion, and the ever-existing One. The One who loves and cares for his sheep. The Shepherd guides us on our journey. The loving One who just doesn’t point us the way but walks with us through the darkness.
We can view our life’s experience as a spiritual journey beginning and ending in mystery, full of inexplicable pain and joy, yet full of wonder. In the end, it is faith, hope, and love that frees us from any kind of fear. However, we are exposed to our real predicament: not having a spiritual path in times like this. We may lack even a trace of meaning, not seeing the bright spark of life hidden in the darkness of our anguish or in our demise. All these are symptoms of another virus rampant in our materialism and delusion. I hope that this book shows the way out of that delusion. Faith in Christ Jesus is good news because it is the remedy that overcomes the hopelessness of grief and the fear of death and dying, and what is beyond.
In this book, we Unwrap Psalm 23 verse by verse to guide us in this journey. I invite you to travel with me – the adventure awaits……….
What makes us well is an important subject. If we are conscious of our health and how to maintain it’s more than half the battle.
Do you know what makes you healthy and how that can impact our faith? Watch the video and read the article below to find out!
In this article, I will share with you what I call well- habits to keep you well. I am not a nutritionist; I am doing a diploma in health and wellness, and I want to share with you that I have learned and found works for me and my work for you also.
The problem is that what is not good for us often tastes great, so we want more. There are man-made foods that are readily available and cheap to buy but are toxic to our bodies.
Sometimes we consume food that makes us unwell, but the goal is to regularly consume the food that heals us and maintains our health.
God put on this earth are as a Bible says herbs for our healing so to be aware of exactly what we are putting into our mouths and what it actually is doing to our bodies is so important if we want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay well.
Track What you Eat
Over the years I have struggled to find what food works with my body. As I have been getting older and now on the other side of menopause my nutritional needs have changed. I have tried my best to accommodate this by alerting my diet.
What I could eat a few years ago, seems disagreeable with my body now. So, I try to keep in tune with my body and take notice of the changes.
To be healthy, you need to look at your overall daily nutrition. A good way to do this is to write everything down that you eat. Starting from the first thing in the morning to all of the snacks and everything you drink to the last thing at night.
The reason for this is because we get busy during the day, and we can actually forget what we eat, and we can start eating mindlessly managing the things which are actually detrimental to our health.
A lot of fast foods, readymade meals, snacks that are readily available have are loaded with chemicals that actually can poison us in large enough quantities. Many of them are toxic to the cells of our body and actually can affect us profoundly in a negative way. So, researching to understand and it writing down what you need, is really important if you want to stay well.
One of the advantages of writing everything down that you consume is that you can review it at the end of the day, and indeed at the end of the week, and make the right adjustments.
You can go even as far as documenting exactly what food you’ve eaten and how it has made you react or feel. For example, when I discovered that I was having stomach pains after I was eating started writing down the reactions and discovered over a few weeks that every time I had something containing onions that I suffered from acute stomach pains.
So, this is helpful to me because it helped me to identify the problem and so I could eliminate onions from my diet, and soon as I dared say I had no more pains. And now many years on I’ve tried to introduce a few onions into my diet and I’m fine are if I overeat onions of the pains come back but now I can have a small number of onions and there’s no pain so writing things down and even documenting on how that food reacts with you can be really helpful to you.
Track what you Are drinking
It’s easy when you’re thirsty to just grab the nearest thing and drink it and think that your thirst will be satisfied sometimes we may be drinking value-less beverages which are actually a waste of time and actually could be making our bodies set.
For example, carbonated drinks research shows that they can actually leach calcium from our bones.
I’m sure in very small amounts carbonated drinks would be quite harmless but if you are regularly drinking it throughout the day and you have a significant amount are you actually might be this might be detrimental to your bone health. Particularly if you have osteoporosis in your family and if your woman is you may be likely to get it so you want to stay away from carbonated drinks or anything else that actually may be detrimental to your bone health.
Carbonated drinks are heavy with sugar or contain chemical sweeteners that are known to create cancer in rats – not good!
Low self-esteem and bad eating habits
When what you consume controls you, rather you are controlling it, you have a big problem on your hands. Being not in control lowers your self-esteem.
Self-esteem is where you respect yourself to the point that you esteem yourself enough to look after your mind body and spirit.
When what you eat and drink controls you- you can lose your confidence, self-worth, and then you just start eating any old thing even if it makes you sick. I know I’ve been there, and I am sure you have as well.
A Few Tips to Help
Self-esteem has got a lot to do with a variety of eating disorders. I remember when I was in my late teenage years, I had a bad relationship with food. I was actually frightened to eat because I didn’t want weight gain.
It took me several years to recover, and I had to teach myself to enjoy food. And then later into adulthood had an abusive marriage and my husband was gaslighting me, and my self-esteem was at an all-time low.
My husband would comment on how I looked, my confidence remained low, so I became anorexic for many years once again.
Food is fuel for your mind and your body and without it, you will die, and without it, you will get sick.
Understanding Wellness
To understand what wellness is, we are needed to understand our minds our bodies in relationship to food and whatever we consume.
If you have an unhealthy diet by consuming loads of takeaways and carbonated drinks, and other foods that have no nutritional value, you going to be unwell.
For example, MSG is a chemical that is in most takeaway foods and for some people, it causes swelling of the joints and pains in the legs. You may be treated for those symptoms and may be diagnosed with something else but try it if you remove MSG from your diet, you may find that swelling of your joints and pains in your legs may go.
MSG is in most Chinese food and I remember when living in Australia I ate a lot of our Chinese food and began to develop terrible pains in my legs. I discovered the truth of MSG and what it actually does to people, so I removed MSG from my diet – and bingo – the pains stopped.
And now when I have Chinese food I tell them I don’t want any MSG in it. MSG is an emulsifier enhancing the color of the food to make it look more attractive. That’s why Chinese food is beautifully bright colored and it in most frozen foods, takeaway foods and lots of snacks contain MSG. Please read the labels before you but, see if there is MSG present.
Make Nutrition Fun
I found that the best way to approach your nutritional needs is to make it a hobby – make it fun. I make it a prayerful activity as well. I pray over the food as I am preparing it and give thanks to God for supplying me with enough food to keep me healthy.
This also helps me to be conscious that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and I have a big responsibility towards my health, ensuring that I put good food into my body.
You can make it fun by writing what you eat down, researching it by talking about your nutrition to friends. read books and make it a bit of a hobby, and a bit of a challenge by writing down your goals and the steps towards reaching those nutritional goals.
In this way, it won’t be a chore but a pleasure. Your newfound hobby will become a good habit. Healthy habits maintain and keep your body well – because you are worth it!
It never ceases to amaze me how people look after the houses and their vehicles and never think to look after their health. They spend hundreds of pounds on their pet’s health and grooming but do not spend one penny on their own health. Many people spend time tending their gardens, decorating their houses, learning new skills, climbing the corporate ladder, but they won’t pay any mind at all to their health or wellness.
Until that is that they become unwell and then suddenly their interest is sparked. But I always say prevention is better than cure. It is best to make health and wellness a hobby, make it a fun thing to do while you are healthy so can maintain your health into older age.
Supplements
The human body possesses an innate ability to heal. But that process can be strengthened and sometimes accelerated in a safe and healthy way, with the use of natural supplements (Not Chemically Derived).
Prevention is better than cure – right?
Well – Yes of course- that’s why natural supplements are also used to prevent potential health problems before they develop. For pharmaceutical alternatives, use quality, natural supplements in a preventative way. When you take natural supplements, you will get a better result than if you take lab-processed, chemical supplements.
So, with natural supplements, it’s about prevention and support. It’s also about having the right information, and only taking natural supplements that are proven, trusted, safe.
Like it or not, if you’re over 50, your body isn’t the same as it was when you were a 20-year-old one, so you need exercise now more than ever. I exercise daily and really feel it if I miss a day.
I exercise for 60mins each morning before I start my day. I find this sets my mind to success, health and improves my mobility. I have arthritis throughout my body now, and moving like this first thing helps me be more active during the day. Exercise in the morning removes all stiffness from lying in bed.
As you know, and I know- you can’t do the same things, at the same pace as you once did. This, of course, is understandable and very natural. Grumbling and complaining is not the way to approach it. But embracing your age and is and finding new ways to improve your mobility is.
You may not want to hear this, but exercise is key to your independence and good quality of life as you age.
If you are a Christian, serving God will be important to you. So, if you are well, serving God is more doable. You will have more energy to help and love others in the name of Christ. Regular exercise will help to maintain your wellness.
For many people, this is no problem as they enjoy exercise. However, many others have not had the experience of incorporating exercise into their daily routine. Therefore, don’t give up hope if you are not in the habit of exercising because you can change this by developing new well-habits.
If you don’t move it- you will lose it! Our bodies were created to lift things and move. Our muscles are like rubber bands; if they are stretched, they remain healthy and flexible.
However, if they are not stretched, they can contract and shorten. Muscles that have contracted are stiff, stiff muscles are painful muscles, painful muscles that are not used become weak. Muscles are created to support your bones and keep them safe. Weak muscles cannot support bones, so the bones become vulnerable to knocks and falls. So, exercise is so essential when at any age.
The Secret
The secret to fostering the habit of exercise to improve your mobility is to find an exercise you love doing because you’re more likely to stick with something that you enjoy and look forward to doing.
You must build up your exercise steadily. If you push yourself too hard, to begin with, you can cause injury or unnecessary pain. If you hurt yourself, you will probably give on the idea of exercise, and your mobility may decline.
Get started at home with a 10min workout that you can find anywhere on YouTube for free. Or exercise with friends or groups for support and encouragement.
Put it in Your Planner.
To create the habit of exercise, plan exercise into your diary to always make time for it. If you don’t plan for it, the likelihood is that it wone get done.
Setting targets or goals will help to motivate you to get off the couch and do your 10 ins experience routine. Do you want to lose weight? Get fitter? Improve your mobility? Make a goal and ensure you move toward that. Celebrate when you reach that goal – Great Job!
Particularly if you’re over 50, For obvious reasons, it’s wise to speak to your doctor before doing any new exercise.
So, give it a go and enjoy the experience. Then, let me know how you get on with creating your exercise well- habit.
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Bye for now- and remember live life in Hope, Faith & Love!
Virtual Hugs
Paula Xx
😀So many people want their faith and church to grow. The problem is to figure out where to begin. This site is about helping people do just that. It’s for anyone who feels stuck in their faith and longs for a breakthrough. It’s for people who are exploring Christianity and want to know what it’s all about – apart from what they see in the media. If that’s you – please consider subscribing.
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA
Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse The University of Derby, UK.
BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK
A life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is and author, and the founder, of Hope. Faith. Love. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, coach and taught at Christian university, led workshops and retreats, and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality. Author of over 100 articles and two books, Paula Rose continues to write on the spiritual life. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
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Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. and many other qualifications and a lifetime so, I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals
Hope. Faith. Love. 