Posted on by Kristina Knowles

My favorite type of High…

will always be Jesus!

I am often asked how I stay so positive and happy. It happens almost daily and my response will and always be Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! In fact, some of my new friends in Texas call out Jesus as soon as they see my face. I love it, I love that they name Him out loud.

Now for the bad unfortunate, heart-breaking news. We have an alarming amount of people getting high daily off of things that are dangerous. So dangerous that they are ruining families, disrupting classrooms and reeking havoc on all of our lives in one form or another. One joint, one peek, one line, one pill, one drink, one deal at a time for a senseless high.

I wish I could take away the urge for so many to want that unnecessary need to disappear from the reality of their mental or physical pain. I would love nothing more than to be able to give people the tools to deal with their pain sober and not under the influence.

We live in a highly distracted world that doesn’t allow us to stand still. However, I make time every day for God because He makes time for me. It’s the least I can do for He does so much for me. I didn’t deserve to wake up this morning to write this blog but God deemed it so. I want to honor Him and help other’s too.

My Mother and Father are great people for different reasons. They are not perfect, neither are you. And if you watch your surroundings carefully, you will see the other Mother and Father figures God brought into your life, just at the right time. We should want to reach out and take care of each other daily.

Satan is and will always be the soft whisper of hatred, self doubt and ugliness. Evil convinces you that being good is bad and being bad is good. Dark forces will encourage you to hold grudges and to not forgive the unforgivable. And you should know we are ALL the unforgivable, all of us. No one person gets more of a “pass” than the other, none of us are worthy. Here is the good news, by the grace of God, we are forgiven by Him through Jesus. Why is it so hard to forgive your Brother or Sister?

Are you trapped by Satan or redeemed by God?

Peace be with you!

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

Did you know that it takes…

The same amount of effort to be fat/unhealthy as it does to be fit/healthy?

I know, amazing right!? How did I come to this conclusion? What in the heck am I talking about? How dare I compare the two? You have no idea what you are talking about? Are you kidding me? Huh, what, really?!  Yes, really!

The minute you wake up you makes choices all day long. When you go to the grocery store you make choices that affect you and your family eating habits. Which absolutely 100% positively or negatively affect your overall health. Wow, have you ever thought about it in those terms? I have, every time and that is why I live the way I do.

Over the summer, Griffin requested a care package with some food items I wasn’t too happy about. I went to the store and begrudgingly bought the items from his text message. I can honestly report, I was embarrassed waiting in line waiting to buy this junk. I didn’t even want to go down the isle in which these items lived. They had the entire isle dedicated to this type of junk. Our produce isles are not even this big, how sad.

Let’s be honest, Griffin is one of the most healthiest 20 year olds that I know. He has his weak moments, just like I do but they don’t rule our lives or my shopping lists. Letting yourself indulge once or twice a month is fine. However, if the reverse for you is true, more unhealthy vs. healthy items in your kitchen, that is not good. And that my friend is why it takes the same amount of effort to be healthy than it does to be unhealthy.

If you boil down the truth, it’s really all about choice. Who do you choose to be? Your best, healthy, happy, full of energy and restful version of yourself? Or do you chose to be your worst, unhealthy, unhappy, tired and sleepless nights version of yourself? I think you know which version I chose, and the good news is, so can you.

God created the human body to be cared for, He wants us to fill our mind, body and soul with things that are holy, healthy, good and right. Today clean out your entire kitchen and remove the junk. Day by day, your life and your family’s life will change for the better, I promise.

Peace be with you!

 

 

 

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

The one that got away…

Thanks be to God!

I know society talks about this person in television shows, movies and talk shows. The infamous “person that got away”, I am here to explain to you why this person doesn’t truly exist. We can waste a lot of time pining away for this person with questions or statements. Why didn’t I do better? Where did I go wrong? Why couldn’t they change? What if I said this? Waste. Of. Time.

I read the bible for thousands of reason, this would be one of them.  We live in a world that requires us to believe in man more often than we should believe in God. Healthy and well meaning relationships are important and necessary to strive in this world, we need them. The most important relationship we create is the one we establish with God.

After we develop our relationship with God, the next relationship we create is the love for ourselves. I see so much self hate, it’s terrible. People would rather ruin their lives with medication, drugs, fantasy, alcohol and jealousy. Instead of loving themselves, accepting themselves as God created them.

When we are in right relationship with God and ourselves we tend to attract the good people of our lives. And even if we don’t, a few bad seeds might slip in from time to time. Just know in your heart that God gave you an internal hard drive that allows you to know the difference. It’s up to you to listen or ignore the truth.

So let go and let God be the ruler of your life. Let go of ” the person who got away” and don’t look back at the “what if’s” of life. Just realize at this very moment you have the opportunity to change everything that is wrong about your life, especially the relationships. Learn from these past relationships, learn what you loved and what you hated. Don’t look back, its just a waste of time…

God bless “the one who got away”!

 

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

The silly and unnecessary…

Games we play.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could be real and honest with our thoughts and feelings? I feel like people would rather play games than be honest. And if you don’t know already, playing games is a form of deception. Deception is lying and lying is wrong.

How did emotional game playing become so popular? Why don’t we call out the other person for playing games? And why do we settle for mediocre relationships with people who want to play games? It’s because on some level we are too tired to care or we have let it become normal to be treated this way. Or worse, maybe you don’t even know you are being played.

My parents, mostly my Dad and my Step Father Robert, taught me to be clear, direct and honest. If you’ve ever met either one of them or both you would see two completely different men but both were in the Military. You can’t be playing games or be vague in the military. However, lots of people are playing games in every day life and it doesn’t create safe or healthy relationships.

Let me tell you what is the worse kind of game playing, when it’s a family member. Family takes on a different definition for everyone. I would hope that your family is a safe, loving, respectful and caring group of people. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone but it’s a start. If you have a poor relationship with your family/loved ones, it’s time to make an effort to fix it and mend the brokenness. When family members play games with other family members there is an area of hurt, pain or dysfunction present. It’s so important to break down the barriers, be forgiving and mend the hurt.

The Five signs you are being played:

  1. Unclear conversations that are meaningless in order to avoid a real conversation
  2. Questions that are not answered with a direct answer
  3. Vague responses
  4. No meaningful connections, keeping relationship at a distance
  5. Deception, deceit and lying.

God never wired us to hurt each other, He commanded us to love and help each other. It’s  important that you change your life today, no more games that people play. In fact, contact each and every person in your life that play games, tell them that you are on to them and it’s…

Game OVER!!!!

 

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

Sowing seeds of goodness or…

Sadness, which one do you do?

I recently met a girl who I think is smart, beautiful and adorable. We were getting along great until one day recently she told me her Mother let’s her underage drink. I was so hurt, sad and shocked. I think she could see it on my face. She then immediately defended her Mother by saying,”My Mother is teaching me to be responsible by letting me drink alcohol now.” Huh!?

I instantly went into Momma Bear mode and had a heart to heart with her. “Megan” was so upset with me, she got angry and mad. How dare I care about her? How dare I take the time to explain most alcoholics started drinking alcohol at her age? How dare I go against her Mother, the very woman that raised her? The conversation didn’t end well. And you should know that it didn’t end well because she was still hung over from the night before.

“Megan” wasn’t interested in hearing what I was trying to say. She wanted to continue to live this lifestyle that her Mother gave her permission to live so conveniently. It broke my heart hearing her defend the trappings of this world, that more often than not, get out of hand or control for so many.

Our conversation lead me to another great question, what type of permission are we giving our children to live out? Are we giving them a blind eye to certain bad behaviors that will manifest later in life and ruin our children? Or are we sowing seeds of goodness and greatness into them? Do we even know the difference?

Let’s all make an effort to make the necessary healthy changes for ourselves and especially for our children today. We need to clean house of all the bad habits and hang-ups that we have displayed to our children. There is no better way to make the world a better place than to first make “our” world a better place.

Peace be with you!

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

Journaling for Jesus…

Is a rewarding experience.

I want to help you get closer to God, besides being in right relationship with Him. Journaling is mind blowing. So let me help you get started, it’s so fun and easy. And you will see the blessing of becoming more intimate with your relationship with Him. Here are 5 easy steps from me to you.

Step 1: Purchase for yourself a beautiful or handsome journal, composition book or note book immediately, today. Pick out something you will pick up and write in every day or night. Make sure it catches your eye to remind you why you bought it.

Step 2: Find a pen or pencil that you love and enjoy to write with. Why you ask? You need a great writing instrument to record your journaling with Jesus. It needs to be comfortable and effortless, trust me.

Step 3: Pick a special place and time in your day that you are willing to dedicate to journaling for Jesus. I like to journal in the morning because it starts my day off with my thoughts on Him. Some prefer to journal before bed, try both so you can determine what is better for you.

Step 4: I like to journal for Jesus in a way that allows me to pray for everyone in my life. Family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and the world. When I think about and concentrate on each group, I tend not to forget about anyone. Easy, right!?

Step 5: Need some ideas on how to Journal for Jesus? Let me help with a few suggestions. You could write Dear God, instead of Dear Diary for starters. Why didn’t someone tell me this sooner?! Another good idea is to list the person, situation, blessing, hurt, question or prayer and be specific on how you’d like God to help you help that particular person.

Now let’s get started, aren’t you excited? I am, if you have any questions I am so ready to help you. Please don’t complicate this experience, it’s super special. Relax, have fun, get real, be meaningful and journal for Jesus.

God bless!

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

Suicide is an expression of…

Self hatred.

Wow, what a horrible thought to think that people who want to take their life on some level hate themselves. And it’s probably safe to say, they hate their lives as well. Have you thought about how it might feel to hate yourself?

Do you know where self hatred comes from? I will share with you a few prevalent places. Home, the very place that is “suppose” to be safe, encouraging and happy. A Father, Mother, sibling or any other family member can attack another family member at any given moment. We should lift up each other, we should speak words of encouragement into each other and love each other with all we have to give.

Outside the home, children, friends, neighbors have an even greater influence on our life. You will either surround yourself with people who uplift  you, love you and encourage you. Or you will surround yourself with people who want the absolute worst for you, will encourage you to sin against God, discourage you and degrade you with mean words about your features, body image and your thoughts/ideas.

I am constantly thinking about other people, places and things. It’s just been my personality, very instinctual. I have come across a lot of people who have low self esteem but project outwardly a high sense of regard for themselves. It’s fascinating for me to watch, but it breaks my heart. However, it doesn’t serve anyone to pretend to be happy if you are really not happy or to suffer alone in silence.

I believe we must check in with our friends and family more often. We need to let them know we have good boundaries in place for good things to happen. It’s good to be a strong and supportive sounding board but don’t be a sponge. And always recommend good Christian therapy or counseling to those in your life who might be suffering alone.

 

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

Evil has been in this world…

Ever since Satan fell from grace out of Heaven.

I know it’s hard to believe or even fathom the heart ache that we all must endure as a society. Natural disasters, mass shootings, murder, addiction, abortion, disease, accidents of any kind, the list goes on and on. And the over arching question is always…why?

I choose not to ask why. My faith in God far outweighs my fear of Satan. Our world has a heart and sin issue that we so love to ignore. Our hearts are filled with hate and our sin nature prevents us from realizing the truth. A hate in which we refuse to let God into our hearts completely. A sin nature we inherited from Adam and Eve.

It can and will get better if we let God into our life for good. It can and will get better if we refuse to let Satan command our thoughts and actions. An idle mind is the Devil’s Workshop, my Grandma Miles use to tell me, and she is correct.

Guard your heart from evil, fill your mind with the goodness of God, put your family first, love your neighbors, speak kindness into everyone you meet, lift people UP instead of putting them down. Encourage people to want to be better, do better. Be the light in a world of darkness. Change what is wrong and do more of what is holy, right and just.

The more I see and read of this world, the more I turn to God. We believe it is good to be bad and bad to be good. Our children would rather be under the influence of drugs and alcohol than to be sober. Our children would rather take the easy road than the more difficult or hard road to be challenged. Our children are watching and we need to do better, be better.

Let’s all make a change today to really make this world a better place.

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

To pick up or to not pick up…

Your dogs poop.

Please just pick it up! I am beyond boggled by any individual that rescues, purchases or fosters a dog and refuses to pick up their own dogs poop-mind blowing. I believe just like the people who believe it’s okay to leave shopping carts anywhere and anywhere-completely selfish.

While walking Bentley today, I was stopped by a person who was amazed to see that Bentley poops into a bag…lol. I know, it’s a sight to be seen. Way before I moved to Texas with my Son and my dog Bentley, Bentley was trained to poop into a recycled grocery bag.

I don’t mind being confronted now and again by someone who has just watched Bentley poop into a bag. I live on a golf course, we see a lot of traffic, people are amazed. Then it dawned on me, why don’t people stop and ask the people who don’t pick up their dog’s poop?

Where I live, it’s the rule, pick up your dog’s poop. The city where I registered Bentley, it’s the rule, pick up your dogs poop. You may not believe it’s a big deal,”It’s just dog poop.” I’ll tell you why it’s a big deal. Once again, we are teaching our children how not to follow the rules, how not to take care of our dogs and how not to care-period. And with that, you will start to erode away good principles we as a society put forth to make the world a better place.

So let me make this clear, you have a responsibility to pick up your dog’s poop. If you don’t, you are a selfish, uncaring, lazy and inconsiderate law/rule breaker. Here’s the good news, you can start picking up your pets poop today. And you can apologize to your family for not making it a priority to be a better role model. Make today, the day!!!

Posted on by Kristina Knowles

A table and chairs…

From God.

After my divorce, I moved from Virginia to Maryland. I sold a lot of items and kept a lot of items. There was one thing I would need, a table and chairs that I could put in the kitchen. The eat-in kitchen sat empty, I needed a table to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with my son, Griffin.

There were only a few things standing in the way of buying a table and chairs. Limited funds and a lack of desire to buy anything. However, I have always believed that my meals with Griffin were and will continue to be important. Griffin and I have had some of the best conversations while breaking bread.

I had gone to Wal-Mart and Ikea to see what type of table and chairs I could find that were inexpensive, nothing moved me to buy it, despite my need. So I decided to go to God instead of relying on my own decision, I prayed. Once I prayed about it, I never thought about it again. Then this happened…

One day my friend Ray and I decided to go to a Farmer’s Market in College Park, Maryland. We found a lot of delicious fruit and vegetables, it was such a fun day. As we headed back home, I started to drive home a different way. I couldn’t even tell you why.  We were driving past a few stores then I saw it.  There it was in plain view, a sign on the side of the road that read: Free table and chairs. I started to tear up, drove past it in shocked then pulled over. I am not sure what Ray was thinking but I didn’t care.

There was my table and chairs all for me from God. When you ask God for His help, His provisions He delights in blessing us. God is here for the little stuff(table and chairs) or the really big stuff. We need to go to Him for everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Which school, where should we live, what food should we eat, all of it everyday-all day!

So I am happy to report, I still have the table and chairs. I was even able to feed 12 family members on this beautiful blessing from God. God blessed me far better than I could have ever imagined with faith and patience.