Beautiful and Handsome

On March 19, 2012March 18, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts2 Comments

As God’s children we should aspire for the best as we are the children of The King. With this I’m not talking about our expectations for others, but for our own selves. The media is filled with images that define beauty for us, and in my quest for meaning I decided to research the world view and God’s view on beauty.

When talking about the beauty in terms of human attraction these tend to be defined by gender. Women are beautiful; men are handsome. What does that really mean?

Beautiful

I usually start with my friend Webster who says that beauty is the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). It’s an individually pleasing or has beautiful quality; grace; charm.

Reading this also entails that beauty is very subjective. Something pleasing to my eyes is totally disgusting to the person next to me. Therefore beauty will depend on our personal experiences, our culture and our personal taste. Not much for an objective definition.

Of course I went to the Word of God and this is what I found:

Proverbs 31:30(NIV)”Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” This one I found particularly interesting because Webster said that charm was part of beauty, but the word of God tells us that charm is fleeting.
1 Peter 3:3-5 (NIV) “such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.”

So according to the Word, in reality being beautiful has nothing to do with how we look, but who we are. I think this definition can transcend cultures, tastes and personal experiences. I could even dare to say that it doesn’t divide even by gender as a man can have a gentle and quiet spirit as well.

Handsome

Now for the gentlemen, this was Webster’s definition of handsome: having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking; having pleasing proportions, relationships, exhibiting skill, taste, and refinement.

Once again it focuses on the outer appearance and the subjectivity of what is perceived by it, but in this case it goes further talking about skills, which is something that I think I never thought was included in this definition.

I found in Daniel 1:4 the following message, “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace” The bible doesn’t deter much from Webster in this definition, it talks about no physical defect, which I’m sure is not talking about lack of flaws, but about a healthy body; but adds something to it, which is knowledge and the ability to learn. So for a man to be attractive, the six packs may be as equally important as the knowledge he presents, if not more.

The irony for me was that doing this research I found pictures that do not conform to our Hollywood mentality of beauty, which reinforces the notion that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yes, I did find pictures of Brad Pitt in the midst of it and of Julia Roberts, but I found pictures that defined beauty that are unusual for our traditional mindset. Here I share some:

Beautiful:

Handsome:

So here’s the bottom line:

Are you woman, being defined by the world’s definition of beauty or are you beautifying your spirit with the Word of God? Also, are you looking at men within the God’s definition of beauty?
Are you man, being defined by the world’s physical view of handsome? Or are you being teachable and in the search for the true knowledge? Also, are you looking at women within the definition of beauty that God has set for you?

Food for thought,

Blessings

Naty

WF: I surrender

On March 9, 2012March 8, 2012 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

As we continue with what we’ve learned this week, we close this Worship Friday with the basic lesson…Let’s surrender it all!!!

Have a blessed weekend!

Don’t wait too long

On February 27, 2012February 26, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational ThoughtsLeave a comment

I have the pleasure to share with you a new Christian Author friend Joana James. I hope you enjoy this!

The other day I wrote an article on Waiting on the Lord, but as it was pointed out to me today, there are two sides to every coin. It’s very important to wait for God’s timing before we move. It could be the difference between failure and success or life and death. But what happens when we wait too long? What happens when God says to go and we hold back?

There are several reasons why we may not move when God says to. One of them is fear. God may be moving us in a direction that we are afraid of. He may be calling us to a particular ministry that we feel ill-equipped for, so we say “Lord, I’ll do it later.”

Or we may have our own agendas, so we say, “God, as soon as I send all my children off to university, I’ll become a missionary for you.”

Or the devil may be planting seeds of doubt in our mind, “Is it really God talking? Maybe you should wait, if that house is yours, it will come back to you.”

I remember as a teen, I came across a poster and it has stuck with me since and I think it will stick with me for the rest of my life. It was the image of a woman’s skeleton sitting on a park bench. She was dressed in a bridal gown and veil and she appeared to be waiting for something. The caption above her head said “Waiting for the PERFECT man.” She’d waited so long that she missed her opportunity. She was dead, and she could no longer marry.

Some of us wait so long to move forward that we lose our opportunity for great things. We procrastinate and complain at everything God places before us. If we don’t think it’s good enough, or we don’t feel ready but whatever it is, we don’t move when God says we should. So we abort our destiny.

It’s so sad to see lives wasted because of procrastination. To see time, treasure and talent unused must certainly hurt God. My encouragement today is to move in the timing of God. Don’t run ahead of him, however don’t waste time either. By the time you are ready to move, you may just miss your destiny.

Joana James – Author of Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa’s Secret

Joana James is a young Christian author from the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. She is an I.T. professional by day but in her free time she escapes from the logical world of technology into the artistic world. She is an avid reader and her kindle is her favourite piece of technology. Music is her best friend and that manifests itself through her love for dance and singing.

Joana writes stories that portray the reality of her world. Her first book, a two-part short story series called Rise from the Ashes featured the lives of two young girls struggling in dire circumstances.

Her latest book, Nightmare at Emerald High, brings to the fore a world that everybody knows exists but no one talks about.

Follow Joana’s blog for frequent devotionals and for a list of some of the best and most affordable Christian Books available for Kindle. http://joanajames.blogspot.com

Baby Steps

On February 22, 2012February 21, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts4 Comments

If there’s something that is constant in life, it’s change. We are living our life normally (whatever our definition of normal is) and all of the sudden something happens that takes the wind out of our sails. You are living and someone you love dies, someone in your household loses a job or both of you do, a relationship breaks or starts (yes, new relationships can be stressful too even as happy as you may be), the car breaks, someone gets sick, I can go on forever…and at that time you feel like life has hit you on an all time low. What can you do?

One moment at a time- The part of the serenity prayer has never been more true than in these situations. You can only handle your emotions and the situation that is in front of you. Fretting over what will happen tomorrow will only enhanced the anxiety and not solve a single thing. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” Matthew 6:34
Take care of yourself- even when some of these events may not be happening to you but to a loved one, you need to take care of YOU. When you’re on an airplane they always tell you to place the oxygen mask on you first and then on your children; that is because you can’t do anything for your kids if you’re not breathing. The same principle applies to other parts of life. “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” 3 John 1:2
Take a leap of faith- When we are at our lowest, we automatically slow down life and we wait for that magical moment that will give us the clue that its safe and ok to get back on track. I have something to tell you that moment doesn’t exist, you make that moment. No matter what you’re going through, there is never going to be a moment where the pain magically goes away. You have to take a step in faith to move forward with life. You have to take a stand and that’s when you will find yourself again. Maybe it is a new self that you find, and that is ok. Life is all about changing and evolving as long as it is for good.
If you need to, seek help- Sometimes we have to build something and we only have a butter knife in out toolbox. There’s no shame on talking and asking for help. This happens to me all the time, sometimes all I need is to talk things out loud to hear myself and find the answers. Sometimes I need someone to correct my stinking thinking and speak truth into my life. Either way, seeking good council is a biblical principle, therefore use it!

Regardless of what you’re going through, know that you are loved by God. If there’s a particular prayer need that you have I would love to pray for you. If you have a prayer request you can leave it on the comment section or if it’s a private matter just email me to therisingmuse at gmail dot com (have to spell it to avoid hackers…lol)

Be blessed

BEES IN YOUR BONNET

On February 20, 2012February 19, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Articles5 Comments

by Peggy Blann Phifer

Have you ever gotten into your car and an uninvited guest joined you. Like, maybe, a hornet? But you don’t realize he’s there until you’ve driven a mile (or a few blocks) and then it decides to buzz around your head or cruise the windshield, driving you crazy. The more you swat at it or wave it away, the more it bugsyou. All that bee wants is to get out. You roll down the window, hoping it’ll seize the opportunity and escape, but it doesn’t. Finally, for safety’s sake, you find a place to stop, open the door, get out, and the bugger exits and happily buzzes away.

That hornet is the beginning, the start of a story buzzing around in my head, refusing to leave. Sometimes it will go dormant and I won’t hear it for a while. Other times its incessant droning compels me to the computer, or a notepad, or a pad of sticky-notes, whatever is at hand, and get the words down, even if they don’t make sense.

You see, I’m what they call a pantser . . . a seat-of-the-pants writer. I don’t lay out a plot first and then write the story. For me, it usually happens the other way around. Something catches my attention, or tickles my imagination, and I’m off to chase it down. An intriguing face, a snippet of a news headline, even a name, is all it takes to start the buzzing.

I’ve written about this in another interview so I won’t repeat myself here too much. But what is now my debut book release, To See the Sun, began with a young woman’s pensive face I saw in a women’s clothing catalog. She appeared several more times in that issue and I had to cut her pictures out and keep them. Shewas the first ‘buzzing’ sound for me, the hornet in the car. And that hornet, a lovely, pensive, tousle-haired young woman became Erin Macintyre, heroine. From victim to victory.

A second hornet joined the first . . . a handsome cowboy model from Sheplers Western Wear. (Clothing catalogs are excellent sources for finding faces for your characters, by the way.) My male lead, even before I knew where I was going with the book, had always been a cowboy in my imagination, and the name Clay Buchanan stayed constant through all the rewrites.

To See the Sun has only two POV characters . . . Erin, and Clay. As I wrote, the other characters buzzed in. Some stayed, some flew right back out. The characters of Racine and Paul, by the way, were total surprises. But they introduced themselves at exactly the right time. Where they came from I have no idea. But I loved them immediately.

That’s the fun part of being a pantser. I never know what’s going to happen. And, since I have no real plot to stick to, I’m pretty much free to let the story, and the characters, take me where they want to go. The only thing that might be considered a plot, in my writing world, is that I have the ending fairly well set. I know where I want to go. I just have no idea how I’m going to get there. And it’s a great ride!

Thanks, Naty, for having me on your blog.

I’m offering a free giveaway of To See the Sun in the form of a Gift Card for download for either the Kindle or Nook version. Followers of my blog will receive an extra entry.

Back Cover Blurb:

Pregnant and widowed hadn’t been part of her “happily ever after” dream. And now, someone was trying to kill her . . .

Erin Macintyre never expected to be a widow and a new mother in the same year, anymore than she expected mysterious notes, threatening phone calls, and a strange homeless man who seems to know all about her. The thought of raising a child without a father is daunting enough—worse when you have no idea who might want to harm you. Put an old flame into the mix, and her life begins a tailspin into a world she never knew existed.

When P.I. Clay Buchanan, stumbles upon Erin at her husband’s gravesite, he’s totally unprepared for her advanced pregnancy. Her venomous reaction at seeing him, however, waspredictable. But Clay can’t let her distrust, or his guilt, get in the way—not when he has evidence that proves Erin’s life is in danger.

With few options left, Erin begrudgingly accepts Clay’s help . . . and it just might be her undoing.

Read the first chapter: http://peggyblannphifer.com/my_books.htm

BIO:

Peggy Blann Phifer is an author and columnist, book reviewer and author interviewer, whose work has appeared on various Web sites and writer periodicals both in print and online. She is also an avid reader who loves to escape by diving between the covers of a good book. Peg enjoys handcrafts of all kinds and her home shows off some of her work, though most end up as gifts for friends and family. A retired executive assistant, Peg now makes her home in southern Nevada with husband of 25 years, Jim.

TO SEE THE SUN is her debut novel, released January 2012

Contact her at her website at: http://peggyblannphifer.com

Visit her blog “Whispers in Purple” at http://www.whispersinpurple.com

Facebook.com/pegphifer

Twitter.com/pegphifer

Where to get To See the Sun:

· Amazon.com

· Amazon Kindle

· B&N (nook)

WF: How Much

On February 17, 2012February 16, 2012 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

This week the focus was on love demonstrations to those in our lives. We know how much we love others, but do we know how much you are loved, especially by He, the one who is love itself. Join me to worship the Lord knowing that we are worthy of his love, not because of anything we did, but because he created us to Love us.

WF: Worship Friday

Giveaway Winners:

As promised, today we announce the winners of our Book Giveaway: Love Letters to my Queen Bride. Know that you will be individually contacted via email to provide you with your awarded copy in the format of your choice (kindle or paperback)

And the winners are:

Rachel Hardeman
De Fleischer
Michelle Jacobson

Book Review: Love Letters to my Queen Bride

On February 14, 2012February 14, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Book Review1 Comment

I think this has been one of the most challenging book reviews I’ve written recently. The reason for that is that I can’t find enough words to describe this book, but I think it can be summarized as live changing.

When I started reading this book I had to stop myself, this is not a book you read in one sitting. This book has to be savor in bits and pieces, no more than a letter a day. Each letter is so rich with love, energy and spiritual enlightenment.

On a day like today where people have chosen to celebrate true love, I chose to celebrate the source of Love, and this book is a great way to understand the Love of God. Love Letters are letters that seem written personally by the hand of God expressing in simple English his love, his need for us, the way he sees us and his purpose for our lives. This book is bible based and it speaks so much truth. I recommend this book for every woman and if you have teenage daughters, this is an awesome gift to give them. It’s never too early to understand where real love is found.

Now let’s meet the author behind this awesome book:

Beth Walker has been married to her husband, Ben, for over 40 years. She is the mother of three adult children and seven grandchildren that she adores.

After raising her children she founded a Christian counseling center where she served as director and counselor for sixteen years. She also founded and directed in her home town Drug Free Clubs for high risk youth at 23 sites. For over eleven years she has led an interdenominational worship group. She also has served as a Christian speaker, Sunday school teacher, and Eucharistic minister.

Among the various organizations that she has served as volunteer include the Board of the Montgomery Mental Health Association for twelve years and the Montgomery Board of Women’s Aglow International.

She is quick to say only through the help of the Holy Spirit was she able to do anything and will be able to do anything in the future. Her passion is Christ. She says, soaking in worship and then listening to Him, after knowing His word is the only way to go.

If you want to obtain a copy of his wonderful book just click on the picture above, but even better; if you want to win a Free copy of this book, today is your last day to enroll in our Giveaway. Go at the top to the Book Giveaway page and leave us your email. The winner will be announced this Friday.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

WF: Unrestrained

On February 10, 2012February 9, 2012 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

Surrendering to unconditional love is scary, experiencing the true nature of it it’s amazing. Men (women) can fail, but God’s love never fails. How should we live in love?

The Word of God says that ”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails”. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

That’s the love God gives us, that’s the love we need to learn to give…Unrestrained

WF: Worship Friday

Talking about unrestrained love, remember out book giveaway “ Love Letters to my Queen Bride” by author Beth C. Walker. not going to disclose much about it because I have a treat for you. You can win one of the three copies of this wonderful book that will be given away on Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is go to the page that says “Book Giveaway” give us your name and email address (at least your email if you don’t want to give your name) and you can win a copy of this fabulous book in the format of your choice (Kindle or paperback)

Also remember that you can obtain a copy of Growth Lessons on sale for $1.99

I’m Not Perfect… I’m Priceless

On February 8, 2012February 7, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

My dear friend Staci Stallings is visiting us today with a special message for us, without further delays I’ll let you enjoy this delightful read…

By: Staci Stallings

My almost-ten-year-old daughter got a little too much of her mother in her. What is it with this perfectionist gene? You’d think one generation would be far plenty for it to run its course and leave us alone. Alas, it has not.

My gorgeous, lovely, loving, wonderful daughter got this one in spades. I first knew this the year she took violin lessons and adamantly REFUSED to play for anyone she knew. When Grandma came over, we begged and pleaded and bribed… to no avail. She simply would not play a note lest she not sound just perfect and reveal to all the world that she was anything less than.

We battle this monster in school. She has all-A’s for now. And truth be told, I’m not looking forward to that streak coming to an end. (I still haven’t recovered from MY OWN three-week cry-fest when I got my first B in 5th grade. Don’t laugh. Trust me, it makes it worse!)

With the beginning of volleyball, we are wading once again into the deep waters of perfection psychosis, and I have to be honest with you–I would have thought that since I’d been through this one, it would be easy to diagnose and treat in my own child. Sadly, I was mistaken. The diagnosis has been easy, but wow is this thing hard to heal.

Tonight on the way to volleyball, my beautiful, kind, wonderful little girl spent most of the trip in tears. “Why does everyone think I have to be perfect?” “They don’t.” “Yes, they do. If I do one little thing wrong, they yell at me.”

Now, really. How do you argue with that? Because too often we do sound like we’re yelling. Our corrections sound to a delicate perfectionist like we don’t or won’t love them if they aren’t perfect. It’s such a vile, rotten trap.

On the way home later, we were hashing out the whole perfection thing again because this time it was the coach who yelled, “just because I missed one serve! I got all the others.”

I finally made this simple observation. “You know, you’re not perfect. You’re priceless.”

That stopped her. “What does that mean?”

“It means you are not perfect. You have chips. You have flaws. You make mistakes. But God and Mama still believe you are priceless, and no matter what, that will never change.”

Strangely she stopped arguing and crying at that point, and inside, so did I.

Maybe I’m not perfect, but God says I am priceless, and who am I to argue?

Thank you Staci for those wonderful words. Guys, don’t forget to enter into our Valentine’s book giveaway. Go to the top and give us your email address for a chance to win one of three copies of “Love Letters to my Queen Bride”. The winners will be picked on Valentine’s day and announced on Friday February 17th.

To add sweetness to the pot, you can get your copy of Growth Lessons for $1.99 until Valentine’s day (better than chocolate).

Find Staci online:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/StaciStallings @StaciStallings

Facebook profile:http://www.facebook.com/staci.stallings.author

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-Light-Author-Staci-Stallings/266593276699576

Where love starts

On February 6, 2012February 5, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

February is the month with a heart. It’s the month that people dedicate to talk about love and the demonstrations of love. You can’t talk about love without talking about the source of love.

It says in Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” It is wonderful to know that our God has a covenant of love with us. A covenant is bigger than a promise, it deeper than words. It’s a permanent compromise to love us.

His love is unconditional. He gives us the freedom to love him back or not and even if we choose not to love him, he will still love us and receive us when we decide to come back.

Have you ever said that you forgive but don’t forget? Have you ever been told that you were forgiven but your transgressions were not forgotten? He who determines out eternity doesn’t measures us that way. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”Micah 7:18

If you have been around for a while, you know that I like things to be plain, simple and down to earth. I ran into a book titled “ Love Letters to my Queen Bride” by author Beth C. Walker. This is not only a must read, it’s a book that has personally improved my relationship with Christ because it has really given me practical way too see his love for me… But I’m not going to disclose much about it because I have a treat for you. As a sign of my love for all of you my readers, you can win one of the three copies of this wonderful book that will be given away on …you guessed it…Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is go to the page that says “Book Giveaway” give us your name and email address (at least your email if you don’t want to give your name) and you can win a copy of this fabulous book in the format of your choice (Kindle or paperback)

Also remember that you can obtain a copy of Growth Lessons on sale for $1.99 until Valentine’s Day as well as a token of my love for all your support.

Have a blessed and loving day!

Naty