Acts of Random Kindness, Anyone?

I have been hearing lately from my church and even online that we should be spreading more kindness. I even watched a couple of online videos of people helping others out randomly. One video has 2 guys giving t-shirts, water, and snacks to homeless people.  Another video has various people helping others in various situations.
I think of myself as kind, yet I realized I need to work on being more kinder.  Sometimes the physical pain I am in gets in the way of what I want to do. So since I am at the doctors' appts a lot lately, I decided to be kinder to the patients that go on the elevator. I have to ride 6 floors up to get to my doctor's appts and the elevator door constantly opens on various floors as I go up and down the elevator.

Recently I started smiling more and chatting with everyone that enters the elevator...Then I noticed that people who looked like they were in pain or overcome with health issues were returning my smiles and some were even laughing. They looked surprised that a stranger was actually talking to them. Then I started smiling and waving at children that walked by me and  I noticed the children and their parents started smiling.

This last week while I was at Kaiser, waiting for my bus to arrive, I noticed an older lady who seemed like she was struggling and looked worn out. She was trying to get her husband who was in a wheelchair settled in their car, plus she had a bag, purse, and other items she was juggling. She looked so worn out.  I decided to leave my seat on the bench and go help her.  While she was in the car fastening her husband in the seat belt, I grabbed her bag and put it in the opened trunk. I told her that she looked like she could use a hand. She thanked me and smiled a big grin. As I went back and sat on the bench, I noticed she was smiling while she was in her car...Before she drove away, she honked, waved, and had a huge smile on her face.

We don't always know what people are going through.  Just a simple act of me putting one bag in her car, made her day,,,and it added joy to my heart.  What can you do to brighten someone's day?  Just one act of random kindness can add a smile and happiness to someones day.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35b
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18


Watch these inspiring u-tube videos of some ways you can help others. Click on these links below: 

Random Acts of Kindness Caught on Film

 You are Here for a Reason (Life Vest Inside)



(Picture is by Expressive Praise_Tanya Mae K
videos are from http://www.youtube.com/)

Expressive Praise Art by Tanya Mae K

photo by Expressive Praise 2013

Besides creative writing, I also enjoy being an artist.  I have loved to take pictures most of my life, even when I was a child I had a C110 camera that allowed me to express myself through taking silly pictures. As an adult I have grown to love nature and I just love to capture God's beautiful creation.

I try to find new and creative ways to use my artistic ability that God gave me.  Who knew that I would be an artist?  I took art classes when I was a kid, but I never thought that I was any good at it.  My family encouraged me to write poetry and expand my creative writing skills. So I did...I so enjoy writing to this day.    It wasn't until 5 years ago, that I just wanted to try oil painting so I bought an inexpensive, miniature oil painting kit from Michaels Craft store. I bought the 99 cent one, just in case I wasn't good at it, I didn't have to worry about wasting my money. Well, the rest is history... I thank God for him allowing me to use these gifts for his glory...It's these gifts that keep me going.

I added more pictures of my artwork to my art portfolio. Please click on the link below to view them:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151605309576611&type=1&l=0c40de905e

"The Pathway" copy of oil/acrylic painting by Expressive Praise 2013

God bless, and may you discover and enjoy the gifts that God has given you...

Tanya

The Trinity, The Triune God

I thought I would blog about the triune God since one of my pastor's have been preaching about this topic lately.

Have you heard about the Trinity a.k.a. the Triune God? The Trinity is God in 3 persons also known as: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes it's hard to comprehend that God is three, yet one. I remember around 20 yrs ago, one of my pastors (Pastor Jamie)  gave me an analogy because I had a hard time comprehended the Trinity.  He said God is like a watch. (Remember those old things that everyone used to wear that told you the time, before cell phones existed?)  God has 3 parts to Him like  a watch does.  The watch has 3 parts to it. There is a minute hand, hour hand, and the second hand. Each plays a different part in the watch, but they all are part of the watch...Just like God...There are 3 persons. There is God (The Father), God (the Son who is Jesus), and God (the Holy Spirit)...they all make up God, yet even though each has a different role, they all are the same God).

Recently my pastor used an analogy about the Triune God which is like water. Water has 3 elements; there is liquid, ice, and steam....It's in 3 different forms yet it's all a form of water.

The word "trinity" is not actually in the Bible, yet it is implied in the scriptures. Free Dictionary defines Trinity as:

1. A group consisting of three closely related members. Also called triunity.

2. Trinity Theology In most Christian faiths, the union of three divine persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one God.   (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/trinity)

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."  1 John 5:7

(The Word is the Son of God, Jesus. This scripture is 
talking about God, as the Father, the son, and the 
Holy Spirit)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."  John 1:1-3

(Since Jesus is the word, in the scripture above, place the name "Jesus" wherever it says "the Word."  You will see that, in the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.)

Allow yourself to experience God as a whole, as the Triune God...view Him in three persons yet as one true God...


God bless
Tanya
p.s.
Here is a sermon from Pastor, Kevin...I added this a week after I wrote this post. It's from Sept 8, 2013...Click on this link below to hear his sermon on the Triune God, part 2
The Ark Church


Picture is from photobucket.com (watch)