Canada Just SHOCKED The World With Terrifying New Law

Dear Friends,

I would not consider myself well versed in these matters and I admit that I don´t actually know much about this supposed law.

But I am particularly fond of freedom of speech.

Is Russell Brand correct in this video?

Is this new law actually as bad as this all sounds?

If you are Canadian, please do your due diligence and find out more about this issue.

We must do our part to protect our personal civil liberties in this beautiful country of ours.

Peace and beauty in Christ Jesus,

Carla.

Pandering to Likes and Follows

The thought rolling around in my head this morning is simply the

beautiful concept of "definiteness".

That whole wonderfully old fashioned idea 

of "letting your yes be yes and your no be no".

And yes, there is a scripture regarding that notion that can be found in Matthew 5:37.

I want to encourage you especially if you are a spouse or a parent.

Try to be stable in following through on the things you commit to with words.

Yes, this applies to friendships as well. When you offer your assistance to a friend, do your best to actually provide that service that you have offered in good faith.

We don't get points for "trying" or "just doing things when it is convenient....or when the sun is shining."

We earn the trust of our loved ones and friends when we do what we say we are going to do.

We become someone that folks can rely upon.

There is a beautiful result that comes about from this kind of stability too..... We come to trust ourselves too. We become someone that we can rely upon to take proper care of ourselves. We like the way we take care of ourselves. We become an example of what it means to respect ourselves and nurture ourselves.

And then, the beauty of noticing that our children are picking up some good habits from us.

This is not about getting likes and follows. This is not about building a following on social media.

This runs so much deeper and lasts so  much longer.

It's about character....about doing what we say we are going to do. About being a God pleaser instead of a people pleaser and becoming someone reliable, both to ourselves and those around us.

Let your yes, be a strong yes....and don't apologize for allowing your no to be a strong no.

Peace friends,

Carla

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Pick Your Mentors WIsely

It has been many years since I began my financial education journey. I had scoured my world for the best books and speakers who could enlighten me on the " money mysteries" that I needed to learn.

Little did I know that my search would yield such a huge bounty....a bounty that I did not realize I needed to 

cautiously sort through.

Not all gurus, especially the financial ones, are operating out of a spirit of kindness or wisdom.

Most guru's or financial educators, teach about what worked well for THEM, and that my friends, is not necessarily what would work for you.

Yes, there are some general principles which most folks can adhere to, which will help them in their financial journey but there are some HUGE differences in approaches which can mean utter ruin, if you follow a path that is not intended to be YOUR path.

Well, let me just spit it out. There are some financial educators that have a HUGE appetite and willingness to handle risk. They may even advocate taking out your credit card and using cash advances to invest in real estate or some other entrepreneurial activity.

They don't realize that telling someone who does not handle risk very well, to use a credit card in that manner is not wise, and NOT good advice.

There are casualties of bad financial advice all over the world. Folks have been eager to learn and bow down submissively to financial speakers who are full of ego and pride. They followed their advice and wound up broke and near bankruptcy.

Be aware, my cyber friends across the world, that you need to filter through your financial mentors until you find one that suits your personality and risk tolerance. You don't need to accept some loud person on Youtube to become your financial mentor. Be cautious and slow to follow risky advice. Pray and think first before taking financial steps. Ask trusted folks with experience and a wise personality for good advice before you proceed on a new financial path.

I used to be intimidated by those who were very ultra confident. But just because someone is confident, and has a best selling book or seminar series, does not mean that teacher is the right teacher for you!!!!

Be good to yourself friends, and use your good sleuthing and discerning skills to figure out good teachers from the pompous fools. Ask God to give you wisdom in your searching.

God is the Father of wisdom and He delights to lead you into paths of righteousness and prosperity.

Perhaps some of the following financial thinkers would appeal to you.... Let me know in the comments what you feel about their teachings. Are they wise? Do they take reasonable amounts of risk?

examples:

Robert Chilton....( Canadian advice)

Derek Foster....( also Canadian advice....his website is https://stopworking.ca/

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Well, that's all for today.  Be empowered, friends, with your ability to choose your own teachers in your self led learning journey. 

Peace,

Carla

Spreading Good Things?

Friends,

Do you have something that you are passionate about sharing with others? Is it food? Is it clothing you make at your home? Is it an encouraging smile to someone you think is having a rough day?

There is something to be said about consistency. About continuing to do good things even when it falls out of trendiness.

If you are really doing good things for God´s sake ...then you don´t really need to worry about the credit and whether anyone is noticing the good things you are doing for others. God sees all. He will give you credit in due time. Maybe your credit will come in a week, or in a year or in ten years. Maybe your credit will only come when you are in Heaven. 

The credit doesn´t matter. Doing good is good. Period. You don´t need to see your name in the paper or be trending on the latest popular social media app.

You don´t need to see your name in lights, to know in your heart that you are doing well by continuing to do good things for other human beings.

There is much to be said for doing things on the good weather days AND on the bad weather days.

So, I will keep this post short. Just know, my friends, both far and near....that if you are doing things for other people, you are doing good. You are sowing good deeds into the world. The world will be better off because of your good deeds. Some day you will be rewarded.

Peace and kindness,

Carla

The Two Dollar T-Shirt

As any proper frugalista would do....I swung my head around when I saw that sign ¨T-Shirts...$2.00¨

Say what? Can I actually be as frugal as this? What´s the catch? (Canada is not known for low cost clothing) 

So the catch is this....the men´s T-shirts with the guy-ish neckline.... was $2.....and the women´s t-shirts with the cute vneck line were thin as tissue paper and see through....and too short.

Yikes. I had been hearing lately about the ¨ pink tax¨ and for the most part I actually ignored it. But I guess I need to admit that it is real in some settings. 

And yes, you would be correct, by saying that I have no right to be demanding if I only want to pay 2$ for a tshirt. Ya ya.... hear ya. But it´s my blog and I´ll rant if I want to.

So back to that noted dollar store.The men´s t-shirts were of a quality well known sport brand name in the T-shirt world...the fabric thick enough so as not to be see-through and thoroughly washable. The women´s t-shirt was NOT made by that same brand name and was see-through, too short for normal length and would probably not survive well through a couple of washes and dryer rounds.

I get annoyed when people I hope are wrong....are absolutely right.

There is no logical reason why a men´s t-shirt should be stronger, better quality and of a better quality brand than a woman´s t-shirt.

We gals like cheap clothes too once in a while.

I happen to believe we shouldn´t have to go to thrift shops and buy used clothing just because we are trying to stay on budget. Brand new clothing should be available for all in this modern computerized age of manufacturing. Factories are constantly making improvements in robotics and now with AI, they can probably run a shirt factory with almost no labour costs. Am I wrong? ??

New Clothes should be getting cheaper, not lower quality.

Does this mean perhaps I must learn how to sew???.....then I could alter cheaper new men´s clothes into Women´s designs...and have the benefit of the low cost and still have good quality fabric. 

But I sooooo don´t want to learn how to sew.

How ´bout you? I know that environmental activists are horrified by statements about the right to ¨new¨ clothing. Fast fashion is not environmentally correct. Buying thrift store treasures is a big movement right now....and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. But there are other options.

If the fabric from used clothing can be sterilized and broken down and made into ¨new to you¨ clothing, that would be a more appealing third option. The worst part of thrift stores is that the lack of cleanliness and the fact that you just might be touching and buying someone´s unwashed clothing. There are risks, both emotional and otherwise, from wearing things that once were worn by other humans. They can have hidden contaminants, chemical residues or insect infestations that may not be obvious. 

Sorry, friends, I am not trying to gross you out. But let´s be a little realistic. Nobody knows what that second hand item has done before it wound up on a rack in a thrift store. It has an unknown history and therefore an unknown level of cleanliness. 

The hope with new clothing is that it has never been worn and therefore, there should be minimal risk of dirt, germs and insects.

A good quality clothing manufacturer and retailer is going to ensure that the clothing they sell is going to be a clean and nice smelling piece of clothing for the proud consumer. Good work leaves a good trail. We feel safe and confident buying from a brand we have come to trust and rely on.

Any thoughts friends?

Peace,

Carla

Your Prayers are Heard

No degree required. Heaven is not closed to you because you don´t have a degree. Or maybe you have 10 degrees and a Phd to boot.

It doesn´t have any impact on how accessible God is to you and your prayers.

That is the beauty of spirituality, of knowing the God of the Bible.

People, in their humanity and ¨unique" status in life, may take great pains to exclude some folks, to build fences and complex alarm systems to make sure only those they choose ....to have access to their lives.

Take heart, my friends, my brother and sisters in the Lord. Be good to all, no matter what their station in life, as much as you can, with the energy and the motivation and power that God gives you.

You think that nobody is watching? There is always someone watching....and usually someone listening too.

God knows your heart. His Word says in James Chapter 5:16b ¨The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.¨

What does that mean? It means...if God considers you a righteous person and you take the time to pray in earnest and with perseverance, that you are going to accomplish a lot with these prayers.

Why? Because God answers prayer.

Don´t waste time wondering if He hears. Keep moving forward. Don´t second yourself. Never question if the time you are spending in prayer is wasted time. NEVER. Prayer time is an excellent expenditure of your time on this earth. Period.

Prayer time is golden time, platinum time, angelic time and miracle time.

You are not missing out on anything that you have sacrificed in order to spend time in prayer. God will, in his timing and wisdom, reward you accordingly, of that I am certain.

Are you asking....well Carla, if prayer is so important .....what should I be praying about? 

Well, I would start by looking at how Jesus addressed his Father in the Lord´s prayer( see Matthew 6:9)....

Jesus said we should pray like Him...... And He addressed His Father in prayer like this....using the plural ¨Our Father which art in Heaven¨

Prayer builds community. We are a ¨WE¨ congregation. We have a mutual father, who is Father God.

We pray  as community minded Believers when we state ¨Our¨

Father in heaven. 

Sometimes, I am grieved by all the individualization that has occurred in the modern church. Instead of thinking communally, we have talked about our own individual testimony and our ¨personal¨ relationship with God. But my understanding of the scriptures leads us to OUR, not to my. We are an interconnected Body. WE are a WE body. Many parts of one whole.

This is why prayer is so deeply important. Pray for your brothers and sisters in the Lord. Pray for those who are rich and those who are poor. Pray confidentially. No one needs to know who you are praying for.

Pray for those who are old and those who are young. Pray for those who are succeeding in life and those who are struggling. Pray for those

 who are hurting and those who are healing.

Your prayers are powerful. Your words matter.

Would you allow me to thank you? Thank you for praying for me. I am deeply grateful.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you.

Peace,

Carla.

Be Strong Today Friends

Be strong today my friends. This is not the time to be anxious and to fret.

Allow God´s peace to inhabit your day...to inhabit your mind.

Be gracious to yourself and to those around you. Know that what you do today plants seeds into your life tomorrow and next year and beyond.

Forgiving someone today plants favor into your life for years to come.

Remember what God said when He wrote what is now known as the ¨Lord´s Prayer¨

Matthew 6:12 Kjv And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Some folks think that only refers to money.....but it doesn´t.

Someone can treat you harshly for whatever reason, whether real or a silly excuse, but you still have a choice. First of all, you don´t take an offense personally.... if at all possible. 

You don´t know what someone may be going through privately, that it started overflowing into how they are interacting with you.

Also, just based on my background studying psychology, you learn about how humans can react to someone just based upon how they remind you of someone who offended them decades ago.

For example, if someone with a red streak in their hair was very mean to them when they were 12 years old in elementary school, they may keep within their heart an unspoken fear of people with red streaks in their hair. They may unconsciously think that anyone who has a red streak in their hair is not a nice person. It may be illogical and invalid, but realize that the human heart is often irrational and illogical.

These kind of associations happen without us even realizing it. That´s why we need to develop a greater maturity, that we can rise above the petty resentments we may sense around us.

Don´t allow small things to deter you from  doing what your goals leads you to. You are still in the driver´s seat of your life, no matter what everyone is doing or saying. Learn to build yourself up in prayer and time in the scriptures. Listen to speeches and lectures that build up your ability to live with clarity on your goals and peacefulness in your heart.

Surround yourself with good music. If you find that hearing lyrics and humans singing is distracting, then find some good instrumental tracks to which you can work. Great music builds up your peace reservoir and allow you to still concentrate on tasks at hand.

White noise.....what a great invention. Loads of them are available for free on youtube.

You listen to hazy background anonymous sounds like ocean waves or bird chirping and it allows your mind to focus on your task at hand rather than trying to sort through the meanings and nuances of songs and lyrics.

Well, friends, that was all I wanted to give you today....a  word of encouragement. I want to encourage you to rise above the minor irritations of the day and focus on the greater good. You have so much strength....so much possibility. You are alive. You have time left on this earth.

Use it my friends, to forgive and move on to the goals you have set this day.

Peace,

Carla

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