Salty Zebra

“Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.”   John 1:14 “who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.”  Philippians 2:6-7  My mind is blown!  When I saw that we were studying, “Firm Foundations” I expected a simple study that went over basics I had covered over and over again during my walk with God.  Instead, we dive deep.  Last week we covered Faith, the Trinity,  Holiness, Love and Justice.  This week we've looked at the consequences of sin, the required payment for our sins, the doctrine of total depravity and now, the hypostatic union.  This stuff is DEEP, friends!  The concept of the hypostatic union looks at how Jesus was fully God and ful...

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...

“Just as it is written, “There is no one righteous, not even one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, together they have become worthless.”  Romans 3:10-12  The doctrine of total depravity is what the devotional calls it. God made us to need Him. If we were able to be holy and righteous on our own, we would not need God. Instead, we are destitute without Him. There is nothing in us that can save us. No matter how hard we try, we cannot overcome sin on our own. Neither can we account for and recompense all of our past sins. Many people feel like they have to clean up their act and become good before they can come to God. The truth is quite the opposite, we can never clean up our act until we come to God. That’s because we require His mercy.  Again, the devotional shared it well, “Mercy is not getting what we deserve…” The Bible is clear that the penalty for sin is death as we explored yesterday. We don’t want to think about...

  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 ...