Living Proof

Most people of religious faith do it regularly. They want their loved ones to be protected, so they pray for them. Some people pray for the healing of others. They say prayer is the most powerful thing you can do; the best gift you can give. My question is: why pray for others when God is much more powerful than mere humans? This is not a lack of faith on my end but another and theory about praying for other’s well-being. Picture it: God is listening to you. What are you going to ask Him? What kind of conversation would you really have with God Himself? Do we have a lack of faith when we pray to God to heal another person? Do we think that God cannot handle this task on His own without our prayers? Or is it just a reassurance that we’ve got our prayers in so let’s “hope” for the best? Don’t get me wrong—I firmly believe in prayer, but the other day I was sitting down thinking: why are we praying for others when God is in control? Is it because it’s a selfless act and we want to send po...

Lately, I’ve been finding out the older I get, the more reserved I “want” to be with my views on Christianity, but it just doesn’t seem to contain itself. I guess through the years I’ve been writing, I’ve been encountering much more people expressing their different beliefs within many religions. They say that writing is more expressive than verbally speaking your mind. Normally, if you were to approach me in person, I would remain quiet if you brought up topics such as religion and spirituality. I would probably just listen and hear you out, unless of course you asked me about my views. It’s a hard call sometimes, depending on the person who approaches me about it. I will say this: I don’t understand much about Unitarianism. I mean, I understand that they accept all religions, but what about for themselves? Do they pray to each and every God? Or do they just “accept” people and their beliefs? If they’re merely accepting people’s beliefs, then what about me as a Christian who respects ...

Besides writing, playing guitar and photography, one of my favorite things to do is cook. (Lucky Madelene, right?) Another little hobby of mine is taking too many home videos. Some of my friends and family have had just about enough of it. However, here's a great way to make calamari diablo. It's easier than it looks! Don't drool on your monitor.

Does it matter? If we lose a friend, lover or relative through death or separation due to life’s circumstances, we eventually reunite with them in the afterlife. Of course, with the afterlife and heaven + hell being a reality for me, I do believe that we return to our “home”. Some people don’t believe in hell. Hell can be anything from a grim place of pain and depression or it could mean life’s struggles here on earth. With all of our human flaws, I’ve come to a conclusion, which is solely based upon my faith in Christianity and my belief of Satan: our inner conflicts, grudges, bitterness, depression, anxiety, fear and anger are all tools used by Satan to smother any sort of forgiveness, resolution and love in our hearts. Think about it - Satan is brilliant. What better solution to separate people from God by not forgiving one another? And it has a ripple affect: by the amount of bitterness, resentment and hatred toward one person, leaves a lack of forgiveness for the other, which is a...

You can’t mock someone for something they are well aware of. For instance, if someone has OCD and you poke fun at it: the result is at a standstill. Ok. Now what? The same applies when you mock someone for having any mental disorders and that person knows they’re a crazy sunnovabitch’, then you’re results go streaming down the drain like dirty sewer water. On the other hand, the person yip-yappin’ their mouth about how crazy someone is may be the result of a disorder brewing within themselves. Who knows…? One of my favorite quotes: “Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.” ~Nora Ephron Have you ever heard someone rant on and on about their ex-boyfriend or girlfriend calling them “crazy” or they have “multiple personality disorder”, etc., etc., etc.? Have you truly looked at that same person and wondered the same about them? People who claim that everyone else is crazy usually means they are hurt for wh...

During a conversation with a close friend, she reminded about her “bad months”. Bad months can mean anything for anybody. It can be a month when in the past, a loved one died or a significant relationship came to an end, or anything that reminds you of something that took a toll on you emotionally. Most people associate “bad months” with the winter months. Usually there are combinations of why each person gets a little down during this time. For one, technically, winter months shorten the span of daylight, which provides us with vitamin D through ultravoilet rays. If we don’t get enough sunlight or vitamin D through supplements or ultraviolet lights (tanning beds and special lighting just for this purpose), then we could end up feeling down or depressed. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is a very common thing among many people. Some people don’t even know why they’re depressed. The depletion of vitamin D can be very dangerous for some. With holidays approaching, this can wreak havoc ...

The other day, I was reading what a fellow blogger, Ricardo was going through. He explained that he’s experiencing a lot of stress in his life, mainly work-related, and his doctor had diagnosed him with GERD , (gastro esophageal reflux disease). I know about this all too well because back in the beginning of 2006 up until the beginning of 2008, I was so stressed out, where my stomach starting giving me signs that enough was enough. From heartburn, indigestion, chest pains and severe stomach cramping, I ended up finding out I had GERD. My doctor first prescribed me Aciphex for the reflux. This medication is a potent form of the over-the-counter drug, Zantac. Although it did help, once I stopped the medication, my reflux and stomach problems quickly came back. Not too long afterwards, I started having pain so badly that I was taken to the doctor in an emergency. Once they knew it was an ulcer, they gave me a medication that would coat the ulcer and almost “cement it" so that no sto...