robinhebert’s Neighborhood

I always say God's timing is perfect.  I never know when I turn on the radio what great thing I may hear on my favorite Christian talk radio station.  Many times I get delayed then I turn it on and think, wow, if I had been in the car 15 minutes ago or 15 minutes later I would have missed this.

Well, today I was listening to Family Life with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine.  The neat thing is they were interviewing a woman named Sharon Jaymes and she is the author of a new parenting book a friend gave me on How to Be a Great Mom and Raise Great Kids.

A quote was shared during this broadcast that really struck me and it was about managing yourself...mind, body and spirit. Especially your spiritual life.....

Here is the quote:  "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you're listening to yourself, instead of talking to yourself.   The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself."  That's ultimately what you're talking about here, is knowing how to handle yourself.

So many times people just let life happen to them without truly engaging in a relationship with God.  God has really been teaching me about really listening to Him and being led in all things.  I am trying to look at predictable patterns that work and do not work and how to be more effective.

In fact, my latest prayer has been, "Lord teach me a better way.  How can I be a better mom, wife, friend and disciple. God show me how to be more effective in all I do."  But more imporantly than that, I am just learning to trust God when I do not always see how things are going to turn out.

Also, I am really worshiping the Lord a lot.  Our family listens and sings a lot of praise and worship music.  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  So I am excited to see what God has in store for myself and my family.  Life is full of many ups and downs and uncertainty.....but that makes the certainty of God so much sweeter.

I am so thankful for a Savior because I have needed a lot of saving :)

I always like to share a video.  My daughter and I have been practicing this together for her to sing as a solo.  Love this.

Recently I heard someone say you should focus on what God is about and what He is for, not about trying to argue but trusting God to give us what to say in due season to bless in His Power.

I am always intrigued by Christmas Cards as so many are just useless.  Like cards that say Happy Holidays.  Well....what Holiday.  How can it be happy if there isn't one.  Why not say Merry Christmas.  I find it maddening that so many people want my money for gifts under the tree but don't want to let me call it Christmas. 

The beauty of faith is that no one can take away our freedom of thought, our salvation and our heart to worship God and love others.

So I am praying that people will look for meaning in Christmas.  That it will be more than a Holiday.  God says He draws all men unto him.  Draw us Lord and let us respond to your calling.

Recently I have been focusing on blessing others.  Finding kind words or helping someone.  I try to show my kids how to find something nice to bless someone whether it be their hair, smile, or painted fingernails.  Just asking someone how they are really doing knowing that you really mean it.

I have found that giving freely of my time and blessings is the greatest blessing of all. 

Be blessed this Christmas and remember that JESUS is the reason for the season.

I recently heard this song and loved it.  I love to end with a worship video.  Enjoy as this is what Jesus is longing for.

First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!

The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.

TypePad Micro

10 comments

A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.

Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.

On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.

And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!

~ daisy

As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.

The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.

When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.

It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.

Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.

As always, thanks for your patience.

~daisy

Go forth and fill your libraries with media.

Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.

~daisy

I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.

I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.

Cheers,

daisy

Several times I have been thinking about something and wish I could see or think in three dimensions.  I want another angle on something or I need another perspective.  Many times God is that third dimension for me.  Where I can go beyond myself and my limited thinking.

Also, I think it is important to surround ourselves with sound teaching.  Listening or reading what other's have to say is not a substitute for our own relationship with God, but it can provide another view.

God reveals himself in so many wonderful ways and I love to read the excitement others have when sharing their experiences.  I have listed some resources on my blog and I hope you will enjoy them. Batterson, Jentezen and Moore are a great place to start.  Do you have any other resources you would like to share.

Also, I have been searching for new, deeper worship songs that can really minister to my family.  We all love to sing and there is nothing like a good song to touch the heart.  Here is one of my recent favorites.  I love to preview songs on You Tube since it has become quite expensive to buy so many songs.  Enjoy this simple song that is so profound.

We all go through tough times. At times I have heard people say, "Oh my problems are small compared to this or that."  God cares about each one of them.

I love reading God's word.  I have learned that when you read it in the good times, you are more prepared for the harder times.  So many people are short on answers but the word of God is the answer.

I love seeing how God works through other people's lives that are truly seeking God.

The three devotionals that I love to read are Mark Batterson at www.evotional.com, Beth Moore at livingproofministries.blogspot.com, and Jentzen Franklin.  They all have very different styles of blogging but I know they all love the Lord and value biblical truth. 

For many years I was jealous of other people and what God was doing in their lives, but I came to the realization that God's plan for me is straight from Him and is for no other.  I have learned to not covet other's dreams above God's dreams for me.

I pray you enjoy these resources for yourself.  I encourage you to explore how God is working and moving and that you seek God above all. Read Matthew 6 and Ephesians 3 for a great reminder of who God is and just how much He loves us.

Love, Carol

I think it is very important to have a solid group of resources to count on in your spiritual walk.  These resources should be spiritually sound but stretch us in many different directions.  I like to read blogs, books and listen to music of many different faiths.  I don't want to be guilty of "group think" on issues on one hand, but on the other hand, everything must line up with the word of God.

In the coming days I will be sharing some highlights of these resources and how you can use them in your life. I know they have been a huge blessing in mine.

On that note, here are some of my regular favorites:

Blogs:

Mark Batterson (pastor,author) - National Community Church:  www.evotional.com

Jentzen Franklin (pastor, author) - Free Chapel:  http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/blog/

Beth Moore (speaker, author, bible study writer) - Living Proof - http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com

Family Resources:

Focus on the Famiily:  www.focusonthefamily.com

Family Life Ministry - www.familylife.com

Music:

Jason Upton - www.jasonupton.com

Hillsong Music - www.hillsong.com

Casting Crowns - www.castingcrowns.com

Worship Music - www.worshipmusic.com

Favorite Ministries:

Samaratains Purse - www.samaratainspurse.com

Life Today - www.lifetoday.org