Salty Zebra

Hey there! I'm an Amazon Associate, which means I earn a commission when you click one of these links and buy something. This does not change your cost at all.  In recent posts like, " When the World Is Just Too Loud " and " Seeing the World Through Rose Colored Glasses " I've talked about being a Highly Sensitive Person (an HSP). Just in case this is new to you, like it was to me a few years ago, I thought I'd share a bit about it today.  How long have I been a Highly Sensitive Person? Probably since I was born, maybe before that! How long have I known it? Only for a few years now.  I don't remember the exact circumstances where I learned about HSPs, but the more I learned about it, the more sure I was that this explained my whole life!   You see, about 15-20% of the population is born different from the rest. Some are introverts while others are extroverts.  What they all have in common though is that things affect them differently.  Everything fro...

  Today I’m going to share with you words from another author, Shai Linne. These are his lyrics from the song, “Active Obedience” release on the album  Lyrical Theology Part 1: Theology . Active Obedience (hook) Jesus, there's nothing greater God could give for us But before He gave His life, He lived for us  It’s one of salvation's massive ingredients The Lord Jesus Christ and His active obedience (repeat)   Verse 1 Yeah, Matthew 3:1-15 Scene 1 of our story takes place at the Jordan River John the Baptist proclaiming that the LORD delivers As He shares truth in each and every sentence  He's telling them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance This God you can't handle, man, turn from your scandals There's one coming: I'm not worthy to hold His sandals When John saw Him, his mind was straight in a whirlwind Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the world's sin! Jesus- John's heart was to magnify Him The Lamb surprised Him when He told John to baptize H...

“For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   Romans 6:23 Today I am filled with imagery, with imagination. I am remembering themes and ideas presented in movies I’ve watched over the years. Trigger warning: This is an intense scene with children and families in danger. Do not watch if it will negatively affect you.     Don’t ask me why because I usually avoid films where children are in danger, but a few years ago I felt drawn to watch the movie, The Impossible . It chronicles the experience of a family that takes a Christmas holiday in Thailand just as it is hit by a tsunami. It comes to mind today as I read these verses about sin. When the tsunami hits, it is like sin in our life before Christ. No one has any power or control to save themselves, everyone regardless of race, age, class, religion, nationality, everyone is overtaken by the wave. And then, as the wave is receding, they are all equally pulled towards ...

  Hey there! I'm an Amazon Associate, which means I earn a commission when you click one of these links and buy something. This does not change your cost at all.  Yes, you heard me right. Anti. Monkey. Butt. Powder. I'm committed to bringing you information no matter how awkward or uncomfortable it may be. This is my honest review, I hope it blesses someone out there!  On a recent trip to a warmer climate, I began to experience some... uncomfortable chaffing between my thighs while wearing a dress. This doesn't happen at home typically because it's not warm enough for me to sweat! But I've been learning of late as well that heat + humidity makes my skin fragile. I'm more likely to have skin tears or blistering from normal, basic things. For example, I wear flip-flops as much of the year as possible at home with no issues whatsoever. If I wear them in a warm, humid climate I end up with multiple blisters almost immediately. I even got a blister on the bottom of m...

    Have you heard about NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line)’s Upgrade Advantage bidding program but wondered how it worked? After successfully receiving my first upgrade through this program, I’m finally ready to share with you all about it.   Several years ago, NCL switched to a bidding system for cabin upgrades. You can bid on cabins up to three classes above the one you’ve booked. This means that if you book an inside room you can bid on an Oceanview, Balcony, or Club Balcony Suite. If you book a balcony or above you can bid on a Club Balcony Suite, a Suite, or a room in the Haven.   Typically, you will receive an invitation to bid via email, but if you haven’t you can use the “Room Offers” link on the reservation in your NCL App or visit the upgrade page to enter your reservation information. If you receive a message saying, “We are sorry, we have no space available” you are out of luck. If you receive a message saying that your reservation is not eligible, this ...

  “As for the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. He is a reliable God who is never unjust, he is fair and upright.”   Deuteronomy 32:4 “But the Lord rules forever; he reigns in a just manner. He judges the world fairly; he makes just legal decisions for the nations.”   Psalm 9:7-8  There’s a lot said in the news lately about different judges. Which judge was appointed by whom and gave what ruling. Who overturned whose ruling. None of it sounds very impartial and therefore none of it sounds very fair. It would be easy to mistakenly see God’s judgment in the same way. How can we influence Him to our side? How can we get on His good side? But thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that! Just like His righteousness, God’s justice is absolute. He doesn’t decide based on how you look, or what kind of house you live in, or how you vote, or how much money you have. He decides based on what is right. He knows the heart, the motives of peop...

  “The person who does not love does not know God because God is love.”   1 John 4:8 “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16  What does the love of God mean to me? It is my anchor, that peace and surety in the storms of life. It cannot change, cannot be taken, cannot be earned. It is my joy! I delight in the love my Heavenly Father has for me. It gives me peace, hope, satisfaction. It is my inspiration. If God could so perfectly love me like He does, how should I love my fellow man?   God’s love is an absolute certainty. It is not just what He does, it is who He is . God loves us perfectly. There is no selfishness or ulterior motive in it. He does not love us for what we do, nothing we could do could ever earn His love. He does not love us for what we give Him, again, His love cannot be bought. Contrarily, nothing we could ever do ...

    Today I’d like to share with you an incredible little spot. Some people like to keep secrets like this to themselves, but I want this bakery to stay open forever, so I’d like to drive lots of business in their direction! I’ve dealt with restrictive diets and food intolerances for as long as I can remember. One of the most well-known and yet still difficult ones of these is being gluten-free. We’ve come a long way in recognition of this allergy with many restaurants marking their menus with safe options and occasionally offering gluten-free alternatives like pasta or sandwich bread. Still, if you’re going out to eat, your options will be limited. The cruelest thing you can say to someone who is gluten-free is, “At least you can have a salad!” We’ve heard that so many times it’s become a trope. I almost cried the last time my husband said that to me.   Said husband has completely redeemed himself though by finding this little gem for me! He was out serving the homeles...

“They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”   Isaiah 6:3 “for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:16  In the face of God’s holiness, we are nothing. We cannot even stand. There is absolutely nothing we can do to align ourselves with His perfection. So how can we obey the directive from 1 Peter ?   I think that in and of ourselves, this is hopeless. But God did not leave us on our own to obey His command. He has sent a part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, to dwell within us and sanctify us. This process, sanctification, isn’t like flipping on a light switch. It takes time. God brings us through life’s circumstances, the beautiful and the hard, to help grow our character and make us more like Himself. When we encounter hard times, difficult times, really wretched times, God meets us there. We get to experience His provision and care. We get to kno...

    This verse beautifully portrays the three parts of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a mystery to humans as our brains can’t quite wrap around how God could be One all-powerful, all-knowing being and also be three distinct, individual parts. There are lots of analogies out there, but they all end up falling short because God is just that much bigger than this world. After having walked with God for a couple of decades I feel more comfortable with this concept, but how much of that is just me becoming ok with not fully understanding? As my faith in God has grown, I’ve gained a peace about those things that I don’t quite get. But today, let’s explore the Trinity. Let’s flesh out what I do know and then be ok with what I don’t.   God the Father is the clearest part of this grouping for me. He is above all. He is eternal (another concept difficult to grasp). He existed before the world and will exist after. He has no beginning and no end. He is a...

   I wrote recently about Learning to Live Within My Limits . Lately I haven't been succeeding at that very well. Instead, I've been, "Living in the Pink." In my Visible app, my points show up as blue when I am at or under my limit. When I go past the tracker during the day, it shows up as yellow because I still have a chance to rest and get back under my goal. But once the day is done, if I have used more points than I should, it turns to pink. I guess they felt like it was a gentler color than red. For the last six days, I have not stayed under my goal. Yesterday I only surpassed it by 0.1 points, so I feel like the pink is not fully deserved, but other days I went over by as much as 10 points, more than 30% of my planned total.   So why do I care? It's in the past, right? I care because my points overage doesn't stay in the past. Each day I go over affects the next, and sometimes more. When I have a stretch like this of days in a row of going over, it can t...

  In the travel industry, companies have decided to reward loyalty to their brand by offering status earning programs. For Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), this is the Latitude Rewards program . Once you have travelled at least one cruise with NCL, you can sign up .   You start out at the Bronze Level which lets you start collecting pins when you’re on your cruise. Each level has a different pin and it’s a fun collection to add to. They will also add your Latitude Rewards program level to your cruise key card. They say they’ll give you free artwork at an art auction, but I think they do this for everyone. You’ll get a discount on purchasing an open bar package straight out, but this doesn’t affect the price of a “More at Sea” Drinks package you can choose when you purchase your cruise. Realistically, the “More at Sea” package will always be less expensive than purchasing it outright, even with a discount, so I’m not sure why this is a thing. If you like to shop at the duty fre...

  “Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”  Hebrews 11:6   Hebrews tells us that we are not only to believe in God, but also to believe that He will reward those who seek Him. I’ve always struggled with the last part of that verse. I felt like if I was a true believer, I wouldn’t need a reward. I should just believe in God and not expect any benefit. Whether that belief was conscious or subconscious, I think it has overshadowed much of my faith walk. I’m afraid that this perspective has caused me to discount or miss out on many of the blessings that He has sent my way. Right now I’m sitting on a heating pad in a beautiful balcony cabin with the door open to hear the sound of the waves and feel the fresh sea air. I’ve got lovely music playing in the background. My tummy is full of good food and I’ve got a cup of coffee next to me.  I’m wearing my favorite jump...