Holidays with Jesus #6 by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

Blog Post #6 of the Holidays with Jesus Series of books

Book #1: Thanksgiving to Christmas
Written: 29 November 2009, Sunday
Posted: 03 December 2009, Thursday

HOW DO WE FOCUS ON JESUS AND NOT ON THE HOLIDAY ALONE?
How do we take the focus off of the holiday and put it onto Jesus? Also, how can we use the foundation of the holidays to remind us of different things to worship Jesus because of and put our focus on during the different holiday seasons?

~ Grab your notebook/journal, a pen, and a mug of your favorite drink and answer the above questions. What do you think? Take several minutes and answer the above questions in a minimum of 8 sentences.
FOCUSING ON AND GETTING TO KNOW JESUS/REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
The questions below are two-fold. One is for you to take time and answer each as fully as you can today. Take a lot of time and answer each one. Answer each one fully and don’t rush your answer. Ideally, you could answer each in 8-12 sentences (or a lot more). However, try for 4 minimum. Then, the second part of these questions is they will be answered through this book and through the “Holidays with Jesus Series.”

Part of focusing on Jesus is to get to know:

1. Who was Jesus when He lived on earth?

2. Who is Jesus to us today?

3. Who is Jesus in the future?

4. What did Jesus do?

5. What’s important to know about Jesus?

6. What has Jesus done for you?

7. What can you do for Jesus?

8. What did Jesus do?

9. What did Jesus say?

10. What did Jesus feel?

11. What would your life be like without Jesus?

12. What have you been forgiven from because of Jesus?

13. Where did He come from? (Before birth, while alive, when resurrected, and when He comes again)

14. When did He live on earth?

15. When did people first realize He was the Messiah and the Savior of the world?

16. When did you first get to know Jesus as your Savior?

17. When will you focus on Jesus today?

18. Why is it important to know Jesus?

19. Why did Jesus come to earth and was born?

20. Why was Jesus crucified?

21. Why was Jesus resurrected?

22. Why will Jesus come again?

23. Why should you believe in Jesus?

24. Why is Jesus important to you?

25. How did Jesus worship God?

26. How has Jesus changed your life?

27. How can you share Jesus with others?

28. How can you focus on Jesus and on Him alone?


By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

Holidays with Jesus #5 by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

Blog Post #5 of the Holidays with Jesus Series of books

Book #1: Thanksgiving to Christmas
Written: 29 November 2009, Sunday
Posted: 02 December 2009, Wednesday

TODAY: LET’S GET TO KNOW WHO JESUS CAME FROM AND HIS ANCESTRY
One of the ways to get to know people is to know where they came from and who they came from. Even though Jesus was God, He was born from a woman. He was raised by an earthly father and mother as well. Hence, He was fully man.

Even in cases where we try to deny our family heritage, much of who we are can be directly linked to them and what we learned from. Jesus is no exception. It was even more true back then because in those times, and according to His faith, heritage and remembering the past was essential.

Who God chose as the family line for the Savior of the world is important. Who they were, what they did or didn’t do, what God thought of them, etc. is critical for us to know. After all, everything Jesus said and did was meant to be an example for us and to teach us how to live the best lives possible. He came so that we could learn how to live for and worship God on this earth and how to bring Him glory. Therefore, let’s see what example is set for us in his family line.

Please read Matthew 1 below and then let’s start to break it down and look at person by person and what they did or didn’t do in the name of God.

Matthew 1


The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah


1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:


2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.


3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.


4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.


5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.


6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.


7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.


8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.


9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.


10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah.


11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.


12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.


13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.


14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.


15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.


16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.


17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.


Conception and Birth of Jesus


18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.


19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.


20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.


21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."


22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:


23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."


24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,


25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus, (NASB).



(Author’s Note about the NASB: "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.")

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
~ Grab your journal/notebook, pen, and a mug of your favorite beverage. Sit back and answer these questions.

1. What names do you recognize?

2. Can you remember what names you recognize did, didn’t do, who they were, and why they’re mentioned in the Bible?

3. How many women are listed above? Who are they? (The answer is 5, as a hint.)

4. Why were the women listed? Any idea? If not, it’s okay. This will be studied later in this study.

5. Why is his heritage important? (Also, his heritage is important because they prove He is the Messiah. There are verses which refer to them. We’ll get into this later as well.

6. What is important about Babylon? (We’ll discuss this later as well.)

7. What do you think Mary thought when she found out she was with child—in an unnatural and abnormal fashion?

8. What would you have thought if you were her and in those circumstances?

9. What do you think Joseph thought when he found out Mary was with child?

10. What would you have thought if you were him?

11. What would you have done if an angel appeared to you?

12. What would you have thought if you discovered you were carrying the Son of God?

13. What kind of pressure would you have felt?

14. What responsibilities would this bring?

15. Would you have believed the angel?

16. What would it be like to carry the Son of God?

17. What would it have been like to give birth to the Son of God?

18. What would this have done to your faith?


By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

Holidays with Jesus #4 by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

Blog Post #4 of the Holidays with Jesus Series of books
Book #1: Thanksgiving to Christmas
Written: 29 November 2009, Sunday
Posted: 30 November 2009

THANKSGIVING
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

GREETINGS
Good day to you. I hope all is well with you and if not, I'm grateful you're finding solace with God in this blog and blog posting. May your hearts and minds be comforted. If you are suffering in any way, please let me know so I can pray for you. Send me an email to: stacyduplease@storiesbystacy.com or add a comment at the end of this blog. If you want me to add it to my prayer requests on this blog, tell me to do so.

If this is the first time you've read this blog, I hope you go back and read the other three. You can find them in the ARCHIVES of this blog on the right-hand side of this blog about halfway down the page.

HOLIDAYS WITH JESUS: THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS

INTRODUCTION
Today marks the forth day after Thanksgiving and I pray that you had a blessed day and are still feeling grateful. However, realistically speaking, for a lot of people, the holidays aren't the joyful time of year between Halloween and New Year's Day. Rather, Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring pain. They can be a reminder of what you don't have. Moreover, because of the negative emotions and connotations the holidays can conjure, we may want to try to forget them altogether.

That's why I have written this blog and will turn it into a book on the subject. It's for those who love the holidays and those who would prefer to forget. Additionally, for those who love the holidays, do we love them for the right reasons?

This blog and book is to help us focus on Jesus all year long and to evaluate our faith and where we stand. It's to help us get to know Jesus even more and is meant to help us follow the Lord and the Word. After all, we are nothing, and our lives are nothing without Jesus being in them and without us being in the Word (the Holy Bible).

KEEP READING
All of the blog posts that I do for this series will eventually be put into book form throughout the next two years (preferably over the next year and a half). Therefore, please sign up as a follower for this blog and/or keep checking it because I will try to do a posting on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Some days will comprise of multiple. I will always label it and you can always find it that way, in the blog archives, or use the search engine that I have on this blog on the right-hand side of the page about halfway down the blog page.

BIBLE STUDY, REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS, PRAYER, & LIFE APPLICATION
This is meant to be a Bible study as a whole. It will also offer Reflective Questions, Prayer, and Life Application. I will also include some stories to help make you think and learn how to apply the Bible, an ancient text, to your lives today. Additionally, I hope it helps you to develop a passion for the Word, for Jesus and God, and for prayer.

LET’S GET STARTED
Grab your journal or notebook, along with a pen and a mug of your favorite drink and let’s get started.

THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS
The focus of the first book in the “Holidays with Jesus Series” is on making the shift from Thanksgiving to Christmas. We’re going to look more at Jesus Christ than on Christmas. After all, the reason for the season is He—not presents, not stress, not missing anyone or anything, not wishing things were different, not on the fact that you don’t have money, the should’ve been’s or could’ve been’s. or anything else of the sort.

The Christmas season is supposed to be about JESUS and Him alone. Period. End of sentence, paragraph, and story. If you don’t like Christmas, then maybe this is why. Your focus is on the insignificant.

If you love Christmas, is it because of the parties or the gifts? Both are good. However, is Jesus the first focus and priority you and your family have?

My family, for example, no longer gives gifts on Christmas. We give what we would have spent on one another to charity, instead, and on the people who can’t afford to have Christmas. I’m not saying that for a pat on the back. No, no, no. But, we got tired of the stress it brought and wanted to enjoy one another. This brings true joy. We got rid of the stuff that doesn’t really matter—the stuff. After all, we all have what we need. Why collect more stuff? It clutters.

Jesus is to be the focus. Nothing and nobody else truly matters on this day, but Jesus.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
What can you do to focus on Jesus for the holidays and not on what you wish for but can’t have, or what was and never will be again?

Who is Jesus to you?

How can you celebrate His life?

What can you do to be more Christ-like?

TOMORROW
Tomorrow, we’ll look at the ancestry of Jesus.

By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

Holidays with Jesus #3 by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

Holidays with Jesus Series
Book #1: Thanksgiving to Christmas

Blog Post #3 on
Posted 29 November 2009
Written on 24 November 2009 Wednesday
Was meant for Before Thanksgiving

NOTEBOOK OR JOURNAL
Please note how in this book, there are no lines to use to write your answers to the questions. However, you need to know that's because I personally find lines rather confining. I don't think that in most cases, lines provide adequate space for us to respond to thoroughly not just now but in the future. Furthermore, if you write on the lines, it means you may never return back to this book in the future. The ideal is that you'll return to this book periodically in order to see how much you've grown or where you might need to review and try to relearn the lesson missed or forgotten. Furthermore, I'm a firm believer that every time you re-read something, you get more out of it. Consequently, it's important to re-read things from time to time.

Since this book does not have lines, please purchase a notebook or journal to answer all the questions in this book or answer on your computer and keep a permanent digital copy where it's easy to add comments to at a later date. Just make sure to write the date of each time you answer a question so you can see over time how you grow. Every time I ask a question, please write your answer in a notebook. That is of course unless I put a (x) behind the question. That means it's something you don't need to write. For example: What do you think about this study so far (x)?

Reflective Questions
When was the last time you intentionally spent an entire day in prayer and thanking God for what He's done, is doing, and will be doing in your life? Yes. An entire day.

Have you ever taken the time to do so? If so, when did you take a day to offer God thanksgiving?

How about half a day? Four hours? Two hours? An hour? Ten minutes?

Why has it been so long or not so long?

Why would this be important?

How meaningful is thanking God in your opinion?

Take a few minutes and think about these questions. Evaluate your life and where you are with bringing God the proper respect He deserves through thanking Him for what He has done, is doing, and will do in your life, through your life, and around you.

Do not feel guilty about what you may not have done. Acknowledge it, ask God for forgiveness, repent, and change your course of action today. Don't wait. While you may not be able to take an entire day for thanksgiving, you can give what you can now and for the rest of your day whatever you are able. This is what matters most. It's what you choose to do now. You can't change the past, but you can learn from it and make your every today and tomorrow better than your yesterdays. That's what you can control.

So, start thanking God.
A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
We just asked ourselves some very difficult questions. I'm sure they were rather weighty. They were meant to get you to think before the big Turkey Day. Take some time to thank God and think about these things.


By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

Thanksgiving: Holidays with Jesus by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

Thanksgiving: Holidays with Jesus

Blog Post #3 on 24 November 2009 Wednesday
Before Thanksgiving

NOTEBOOK OR JOURNAL
Please note how in this book, there are no lines to use to write your answers to the questions. However, you need to know that's because I personally find lines rather confining. I don't think that in most cases, lines provide adequate space for us to respond to thoroughly not just now but in the future. Furthermore, if you write on the lines, it means you may never return back to this book in the future. The ideal is that you'll return to this book periodically in order to see how much you've grown or where you might need to review and try to relearn the lesson missed or forgotten. Furthermore, I'm a firm believer that every time you re-read something, you get more out of it. Consequently, it's important to re-read things from time to time.

Since this book does not have lines, please purchase a notebook or journal to answer all the questions in this book or answer on your computer and keep a permanent digital copy where it's easy to add comments to at a later date. Just make sure to write the date of each time you answer a question so you can see over time how you grow. Every time I ask a question, please write your answer in a notebook. That is of course unless I put a (x) behind the question. That means it's something you don't need to write. For example: What do you think about this study so far (x)?
Reflective Questions
When was the last time you intentionally spent an entire day in prayer and thanking God for what He's done, is doing, and will be doing in your life? Yes. An entire day.

Have you ever taken the time to do so? If so, when did you take a day to offer God thanksgiving?

How about half a day? Four hours? Two hours? An hour? Ten minutes?

Why has it been so long or not so long?

Why would this be important?

How meaningful is thanking God in your opinion?

Take a few minutes and think about these questions. Evaluate your life and where you are with bringing God the proper respect He deserves through thanking Him for what He has done, is doing, and will do in your life, through your life, and around you.

Do not feel guilty about what you may not have done. Acknowledge it, ask God for forgiveness, repent, and change your course of action today. Don't wait. While you may not be able to take an entire day for thanksgiving, you can give what you can now and for the rest of your day whatever you are able. This is what matters most. It's what you choose to do now. You can't change the past, but you can learn from it and make your every today and tomorrow better than your yesterdays. That's what you can control.

So, start thanking God.
A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
We just asked ourselves some very difficult questions. I'm sure they were rather weighty. They were meant to get you to think before the big Turkey Day. Take some time to thank God and think about these things.


By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

NaNoWriMo: I See the Glory of the Lord by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

BLOG POST: 24 NOVEMBER 2009, TUESDAY

TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING
Written at 5:26 p.m.

BLOG POST TITLE: NANOWRIMO: I SEE THE GLORY OF THE LORD and TO GOD BE THE GLORY

May all glory, honor, praise, and glory be given to the One Most High.

NaNoWriMo and My Book: John and the Bible Time Travel Machine:
You may wonder how my NaNoWriMo and the National Novel Writing Month Book is coming along. I think you might have an idea. However, I want to take you down the road I've traveled the last couple of days first before I confirm or deny what you may be thinking.
YESTERDAY
Yesterday marked the final push and the last seven days for me to write my 50,000 word novel in 30 days. You need to understand that when it come to crunch time, I always without fail start to stress and panic. I wonder how on earth I can possibly get it done. I stress and I usually make everyone around me stress. I try not to, but I have to be real and admit to my fatal flaws. This is one of them.

Yet... The reality of the situation is I always work best under pressure. I don't procrastinate by any means because that only multiplies my stress levels a thousand-fold. However, when it comes down to the final push, I give it my all. I grit my teeth and dive head first into it (whatever it might be). I grow determined.

So, here comes yesterday. Monday, 23 November 2009. I was stressed because I realized I lost one more day than I realized this week for wring this novel because I didn't realize my husband had Friday off from work as well as Thursday. This is a very good thing. I love to spend time with my hubby and will move everything to do so. The only problem was this novel hanging over my head.

Sigh. Stress. Freak-out internally was my reaction to the situation.

I HATE having to work if my husband is home because he is my best friend and I like to be with him... But, if I had to, I knew without a doubt he would understand. He's just that type of man.

That meant, I had three days to finish it and then edit next Monday.

Gulp.

Tremble.

Chew on fingernails.

My husband had to work late last night. Hallelujah! That gave me almost five extra hours.
TODAY
My husband also could have had today off from work. Let me start with that fact.

I had Bible study today in the morning. That meant four hours of my day would be lost. I actually debated on not going because the NaNo deadline is so close. But, no. That's not the thing to do. I went. I didn't care for it as I drove there. I did not want to go. But, when I got there, it was well worth it and God sure spoke to me. Well worth every bit of it. Plus, when is giving God time the wrong thing to do?

Bless my husband, he waited for me to come home. We had lunch and then he went into the office, after he made the announcement he would be home late because of a meeting. Hallelujah! That gave me extra time to work on the novel. God bless that man of mine.

I was able to grit my teeth and go for it and guess what?

I FINISHED MY NOVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrations at the Duplease household!

I called my hubby and told him so he could share in my joy.

Then, I decided to share in my joy with you.

I finished the writing of the novel! Praise and glory be to God. I couldn't have done ANY of it without Him.

Now, I need to edit it a little between now and Monday.

So, you know what my hubby and I will be doing the next four days. We're going to edit that book.

But, it's written! This is HUGE! Yay!

There's nothing like the feeling of finishing a novel. It's the realization of another dream. It's throwing all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength into a project. It's asking God to use my pen in spite of me. It's a very sacred thing. Shame on me for stressing about it and doubting I would get it done.

Now, I can breathe easier and start to edit it. Over the next two and a half months, I'm going to edit it and will have it published in March or April 2010. It will be the first I'm having published.

Thanks for listening to me. Praise the Lord!

God bless you.


By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

Blessings by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

Blessings are something special. They are the aspects of life that enrich our lives and show that God is God. Our blessings are one of the ways that God gives us a hug and shows His glory.

How often do we miss or overlook them?

How often do we forget to count them?

How often do we forget to thank God for them?

How often do we forget to write them down so that during the hard times, we can look them up and see that we really are blessed?

The song from the old Bing Crosby movie, White Christmas, of: "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" is a reminder to put these aspects into practice.

Take some time today to count your blessings and make sure you record them.

Updated Prayer Requests:
My Granny had a colonoscopy today. It went well and they found nothing--thank god! But, the doctors are back to square one of figuring out what's causing her abdominal pain. Thank you so much for your prayers! Please keep them coming.
 
By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

The Latest News of Stacy Duplease and Stories by Stacy

Happy Friday Everyone
I hope you have nice weekend.
Welcome Follower
Welcome Justin Nelson. Thank you for following me! I appreciate it. God bless you.

The Status of My NaNoWriMo Book:
Travels to John
As of this moment, I have 27,939 words of my 50,000 word novel written. I'm through Chapter 18. My goal to finish this novel is 30 November. I'm actually slightly ahead of schedule at this point--THANK GOD!

Future Writing Plans Schedule:
I'm all excited because I have the next five and a half years of novels planned. I finished that list this morning. I am QUITE thrilled with it and have a do-able plan where as long as I keep up with it, I can accomplish the feat easily.

Publication and Release Dates:
I will publish my NaNoWriMo novel, Travels to John. I will edit it in January and February, which means with any luck, it will be ready sometime in April at the latest. Hopefully March, though. Then after that one will be published every month to two at the absolute latest (preferably once a month, though).

Take care. That's about it for now. God bless you! Thanks again for the follow or for reading this blog.
 
By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy

Blog Post #7: The Fluidity of Life and Writing by Stacy Duplease of Stories by Stacy

I love the days where you plan on writing about one thing, but it ends up being another deal altogether. Today is one of those days. Writing a blog post for me can be very fluid at times. I think it's far more important to write about what's on my heart than write something that isn't. What do either one of us get out of it if I settle for something less than the best?

I also go against the grain in that I refuse to write according to what everyone says a blog ought to be and cater to that rule of thumb. I prefer to write where God leads me. In all reality, I write for Him and not anyone or anything else. If you get something out of it, it's all the better and I count myself blessed that God gave me a vision to help others through my rantings and writing. It's in spite of me, trust me.

As you can tell, I'm a little off today. There are five reasons for this state of mind:

1. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts in a couple of days and I had a great start for a book... But, no. I went and got even a better of an idea last night and am having to start from scratch. Also, I'm pretty nervous and excited rolled into one because of the task at hand. I need to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days. (Yikes! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me... I'm praying as I type this.)

2. I find it sad how little people have regard for life--or how people are in such a state that they cannot see a way out of their situation. It's weighing heavily on my heart today. What started it? I was told a prayer request to pray for a wife and her children after the husband committed suicide recently. That only reminds me of a friend from Middle School who committed suicide and it breaks my heart how people can feel so hopeless.

3. I had a great time with my aunt and uncle who came into town Monday through yesterday and I miss them, and the rest of my family--never mind Denver and the Rocky Mountains. Sigh. I'm not going to see any of them again until Christmas and it's rather sad and depressing. (But, maybe NaNoWriMo will keep me so busy I don't have time to think too much about it. So, I guess I need to get writing and see if that helps with my homesickness.)

4. My husband just got news that we need to move for about four months for his job and I'm stressing about finding a place to live, leaving this house, and not losing more time with writing. Ugh.

5. I want to start writing a book every 45 days and publish a book every month.

LIFE
How are you living today like today is a sacred gift you are given--meant to be set apart and made sacred through how you live? Are you living life to the fullest? Or, are you taking it for granted?

When was the last time you enjoyed a sunrise or a sunset? How about listen to the birds sing?

Do something good for yourself. Have a long hot bath by candlelight. Even light some candles throughout the room you're spending time in--even if it's daylight. Grab a cup of coffee or tea or even some water. Snuggle with a loved one or pet. Don't forget to dream. Go for a drive.

HOPELESSNESS
Do you feel hopeless at times? Turn to the Lord. Talk to Him. Yell at Him. Ask Him questions. Just remember to pray a lot and get in the Word. If you do these two simple things, I guarantee you'll pull through and will see how there's more faith and hope inside your heart than you realized. You will naturally start to live again if you pray and read the Bible.

Another key which helps is to journal. Throw up on paper as I call it. Get it all out--no matter how ugly. Purge everything you're holding inside so that you can be free inside so that the good stuff can move back in. If you're so full of the bad and the ugly, it's hard for the good to enter you. So, free yourself. Get the burden off your shoulders. So, journal. It helps.

If you are so far gone that you see no way out, make sure you talk to someone AND seek professional help. Christ shows through His healings how God understands people need healing from a variety of ailments--psychological and emotional included. So, don't think that you need to handle things all on your own.

FICTION BOOK SUGGESTIONS ON SUICIDE OR DEPRESSION?
Do you know of any, or recommend any, fiction books which are based around depression or suicide? Please send me an email to: stacyduplease@storiesbystacy.com or attach a comment at the end of this blog post. I would sure appreciate it. Thanks!

I'll try to write another blog post today. Have a good day.

By Stacy Duplease
of Stories by Stacy