Somewhere

I need some type of refuge; a hiding place.

[You are my refuge. I need You in my physical. Where I am, where my flesh lives].

My own tabernacle. A place where quiet dwells. A place where all is still, always. A place where loud is silenced; where noise runs from, who clamor fears.

Child0fGod

Twitter.

(photo credit netzkobold on flickr.com)

Hey y'all.

I was to be blogging about some other things this weekend, and still plan too, LORD willing.... I hope. But, something else I've been thinking about. Kind of off the radar. I don't really blog about too many personal things on here, unless it's about like baking, couponing or other casual happenings. This is mainly a devotional blog.

On the other hand, I'd consider this blog post to be concerning "a devotional-thing," because I hope for God to work with me more on my character and developing a more comely attitude.

So, here goes. [I'm sorry if you're not familiar with Twitter; that website is mainly what I am blogging about this evening. If you're not familiar with it, that's ok. My hope is that you get something from this as well. Please leave me a note if so desired and I'll reply, LORD willing].

Now that I've gotten the disclaimer out of the way-- hehe!

The Run-Down,

I have two Twitter accounts, one devotional and one casual. On my devotional Twitter, my purpose and objective is fairly certain. I only update that one with Bible scriptures, strictly "God-material," if I may say, and what ever it may be that I feel led to tweet. My other Twitter has all godly material as well [surely]. It's just less devotional--- how's that sound? Twitter is social networking. In tandem, I prefer to have two accounts; everyone wants an account where they can just tweet something like the latest on my casual Twitter: "Blogging and enjoying some hot cereal. Cream of Wheat is one of my tastiest childhood memories!," yet still be taken seriously as a God-fearing woman.

...that's where the separate Twitter accounts come in: Whitney, the disciple of CHRIST, who in real-life, is non-compromising when it comes to decisions, choices and every day life. AND, the chill-Whitney who tweets the everyday tweets and @ tweets, my other endeavors/interests: couponing, my books/reading, entrepreneurships/ventures, thoughts, concerns, observances, whatever it may be-- all of which is a part of who I am. For me, it works. Well.

The Meat,
I need help in understanding this one thing that always leaves me scratching my head.

I follow someone --> they follow me. Someone follows me --> I follow them.

[For non-Tweets (if you're not onTwitter), this means that there is reciprocity between the two Tweets. We have something in common, we can DIRECT MESSAGE one another! Non-Tweets: without this feature you can only talk to someone on open-air. Think Facebook! If you delete me as a friend, that's it! I can no longer send you a direct message. Same applies here].

So,

I've "known you" for x-amount of months [on Twitter]; we've exchanged some good tweets! Even casual tweets/funny tweets! [And, this is on my NON-casual Twitter, mind you :)].

Later, I see my follower-count drop by one, two. When noticed, I proceed to checking friendorfollow.com-- because it's like losing a friend on Facebook to me, right.

I see exactly who is no longer following me, and it's the people who I've chatted with on several occasions! They're like family!

What happened!
What happened??

I reaeally loathe stuff like this, because it breeeeeds doubt. It's hurtful, almost. It's important enough [important enough to me], that I chose to blog about it. And.......... I blogged about it on my devotional blog. ....Do you see where this is going, friend?

I care! I really do care!

Is it that-- the person who unfollowed me is insecure in some way? [Lack of validation? Affirmation?] I don't understand. I want to understand. What would cause someone to deliberately (consciously, purposely, knowingly, intentionally) unfollow a friend in Christ? [LORD God, help me to not stress out too much over this. This is my prayer!]

I'm concerned!! I love y'all, man!,
Best in Christ,
Whit

Contrast

Snow began falling on yesterday! It was so nice, it's our 3rd snow of the year for North Carolina! The county I live, we don't get much snow, all right! It was such a pleasant sight to see. I wish I had a camera to capture the snow's full essence; as it falls! Those are the two items on my wishlist: A Nikon Camera and a Treadmill (haha!)

But, the snow.
Yes.

The snow! It was so pleasant to wake to such a sight this morning. It's such great time for reflecting, daydreaming and everything godly!!

I ended up taking a few snapshots with my camera phone, but only when I saw the sun bursting through my widescreen windows! Aww, so pretty! To see snow upon the ground and resting upon the tree limbs, with the sun shining brightly in the sky. What beautiful contrast!






Listening to:

• "Bless the LORD (Son of Man)" by Tye Tribbett & G.A. (Greater Anointing)
• "Hallelujah" by Troy Sneed

Sincerely,
Whitney

50 Blogger Friends!

Oh wow! A milestone! We have reached 50 Blogger Friends! How wonderful! You'd think I'd blog about our one year anniversary on January 22, 2010! But wow! I'm so glad! This is great!




To GOD be the GLORY,
Whitney

Monumental!!

Just to know that people acknowledge Christ for having actually lived, walked this earth and have been crucified-- is incredibly; hugely monumental! Atheists acknowledge Jesus having lived, non-theists and pagans do too!

For born-again believers this is pretty incredible and I'm just realizing it myself! Not that we have been given the "approval" or "go-ahead" from man himself, but that even non-believers cannot deny Jesus Christ having been [being] a real person who walked this life!!!! Gosh I can hardly explain the epiphany I just had this evening! Praise GOD, saints and believers in Christ!

WOW. It's like extra confirmation. Just that little umph that is undeniable. My LORD! Thank You GOD, my, my, my!!! Man is confirming/has confirmed that Christ was indeed a man-- He is real. This is so wow. You'd think it'd be a newbie-moment but even now I'm in awe! AWE! When you consider the Christian and that child of God who worships, adores and deeply loves Jesus as so; and who has had a glimpse into who Jesus Christ is through a direct relationship with His Spirit. Dwelling with God. HOW MONUMENTAL! THIS TRULY LIT MY FACE AGLOW!!

LORD YOU ARE GOOD!!!!!
WOWWWWWW!

"What Matters Most!,"
Whitney

Concerning the things God Forbade

Those who contact the dead; are a medium to dead spirits; those who allow their bodies to be channeled/entered by unfamiliar spirits; those who give voice to dead spirits:

Psalm 66:4
All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

Matthew 25:46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Mark 12:27
He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Spirit of God,
In Christ,

Whitney

"Fireside" Thanksgiving

Went out with mom and sis this evening and I had my eyes set on Bath & Body Works. lol. I was interested in purchasing the Fall scents [Pecan Pie, etc] and any other similar items that may have been on discount. They didn't have those. Bummer.

Soooo, browsed around and found "Fireside" by Slatkin & Co. Phenomenal scent! Pick this up next time you're in there! I also bought "Gingerbread" scented lotion, which smells JUST like Pecan Pie Fall scent from last year! They totally just re-packaged it and gave it a new name, lol.

Anywho. I signed up for Bath & Body Works text messages a while back and received one the other day: spend $25, get 20% off entire purchase, until 12/14. YAHOO!! I did this deal and I'm so happy I did... love my Gingerbread lotion and Fireside candle!

Here is the family for this years Thanksgiving [Ctrl + click to see larger photo!];
In Christ,
Whitney

Wintry

I am soooo in love with the scarves I bought recently, that blogging was a must.

I typically buy my scarves at Wal-Mart because they have great styles and [of course] affordable prices. And, this purchase was no different! All of these were an incredibly reasonable $7 each!!

That's gotta be my limit. Anything higher, no matter how cute it is-- stays in the store.

I got three, in three different colors; same style. They are scrunchy just as scarves are supposed to be, so there's automatic rouching, which means less effort when it comes to "styling" the scarf. I don't have many scarves, so these three make five total for my small collection.

They are soooo soft. Can I say that they feel like cashmere?! ...And, did I mention how gorgeous they are?!

In Christ,
Whitney

Strange.

I'm so fascinated with the way I look in pictures. What is that about? I can sit for hours on end, fiddling around with my Twitter page, just staring at my avatar. I found myself doing this tonight, as soon as I changed my picture. This cannot be healthy.

I had the same problem with Facebook... or, on Facebook I should say. Imagine countless photo albums upon albums instead. That was before I deactivated my Facebook account though [go figure?]

Here's my recent photo. Taken in November, the day I got my new [DKNY] frames:

color


black and white


I really don't know what this is about. I don't even post many pictures on my blog for this very reason. I'm only the face behind the Spirit. God is in control of me.

And, sometimes I resent myself for being so absorbed in my beauty... [insert goofy laugh here]. I thank God for it, my attributes and all-- I wouldn't change it for the world.

I just pray sincerely that I do not become any less humble. It's pretty serious. I've considered, and have actually replaced my default pictures and avatars with images like a cross, a flower, or something similar... [you've seen those avatars too!] I love looking at myself, and that's the problem; but for many it's not! [??] It's all about personal conviction [see Book of Romans 12].

There's a scripture:

James 1:22-27, NKJV
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
²⁶ If anyone among you^{b]" [b]} thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

It is as if I may have somehow "forgotten" what I look like, since I have a tendency to stare at my photos for so long. So strange. There's a scripture for everything.

LORD, help us to be humble in Your sight. To be lowly in heart, spirit, thought and action. Meek in our [Your] ways and seeking Your face always for repentance. Lift us up in Your sight, according to Your will.

I Peter 5:6-11, NKJV
⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because^{c]" [c]} your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may^{d]" [d]} the God of all grace, who called us^{e]" [e]} to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ¹¹ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

This is my blog and it's an account of my life, my pursuits, love and devotion to a HOLY and righteous God in Heaven. I desire not to see anyone stumble, beloved. BE in Christ. Let us examine our ways.

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

In Christ,
Whitney

@ 11:01 p.m. Searched "the thoughts of man" on biblegateway.com... would you believe this is the single scripture it turned up? ... "The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity." Psalm 94:11.

Praying in the Spirit: The Quick Version

The LORD actually shared the following to me on Sunday, October 18, 2009. I'll do a quick version here, as I have written about it in my offline journal.

God does not want us to be concerned with what we're wearing or how clothed we are, while praying in the Spirit. [This is our time to focus on Him, what He will have us to say and the prayers that will be lifted up unto Him].

Think back to the Book of Genesis when the serpent revealed to Adam and Eve that they were naked. Being concerned with how clothed we are; hiding ourselves from the LORD, while praying in the Spirit [speaking in Tongues], interrupts our prayer. As soon as your thoughts shift from the things of God to being concerned with what you're wearing, that prayer line begins to dwindle. This is because you have began focusing on yourself and how you look, instead of focused on prayer and staying under the anointing of God's Spirit.

This is the same thing Adam did in the garden of Eden-- he was soooo concerned with how clothed he was [physically] that he HID himself from the presence of the LORD. And by hiding from the LORD, he was no longer in His presence; He was no longer covered [spiritually].

Genesis 3:6-11, emphasis added,

⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

⁷And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

⁸And they heard the voice [sound] of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

⁹And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

¹⁰And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself

¹¹And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

...wasn't this the first sin?

When the GLORY of the LORD [His Spirit] descends on you; lands upon you, you are not to be concerned about how you are dressed! You are now in God's righteous, heavenly and HOLY presence! You are now clothed in THE SPIRIT. He will take care of you! Know this and trust in Him the next time His Holy Spirit falls upon you. LORD help us with this, in Jesus' Name. Help us to get over ourselves and consciously know that we are COVERED, in JESUS' Name!

In Christ, dear friend!,
Whitney

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Status Update #5: Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3:8-9, emphasis added,

¹To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

²A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

³A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

⁴A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

⁵A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

⁶A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

⁷A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

⁸A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

This is where I am right now, saints. A new season in my life on this journey with Christ. And, I'm happy. I'm glad, I'm content. I'm JOYFUL... I'm at ease, at peace. AND, I thank God.

I'm very glad where I am right now in-Christ. Sooo grateful. A time of silence, a time of peace (see Ephesians 3:7-8). How lovely. Just pondering on Jesus day by day. Spending time with Him. Relishing our joy, our time and enjoying our sanctuary that we have built here at home.

HALLELUJAH!!
JOYFUL NOISE!

\o/,
Whitney