Is it them or me?

Hobby Lobby Photoshoot: My Two Cents

I know a few photographers who took the "Hobby Lobby Photoshoot Challenge" and my number one question is, "But did you buy something?" The response is usually know and I am very disappointed to hear that.

Us creatives are at the top of the list of people who complain about prospective clients wanting our services for free but then we constantly search for "free studios". Some photographers are not even asking for permission. One photographer noted that the employees didn't mind, but Hobby Lobby is a business! It's not fair to do to Hobby Lobby what we constantly admonish the public for doing to us: using our services for free.

Fellow creatives, if you use Hobby Lobby as a studio please at least make a purchase. We want Hobby Lobby to be around for years to come so lets support their business financially.

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#ByJRochelle

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude, don't complain.
Maya Angelou

Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
(which one is worse?)

Do you tweet? Me too, find me here. Also, find me on Facebook.

TheJRochelle about.me/jeanicia.elder

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

Keep Your Seat

1. In the old testament the priest had to go into the temple to offer sacrifices for people's sins at a certain time. When Jesus was crucified he said "it was finished"
1. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, Hebrews 10:12
2. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6
2. When you live seated you keep your peace.
1. Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me. Psalm 138:7
1. You can work hard and dream from a place of rest knowing that God's favor is on your life.
1. Inner rest is just as important as physical rest.
2. Live from a place of Trust.
2. …28 After this, Jesus, knowing[a] that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
3. It Is Finished
1. John 19:28-30 New King James Version (NKJV)When Pastor Joel first started ministering from the pulpit he's worry about whether or not he'd be successful. After every sermon he'd be relieved for a few hours then he'd 
4. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
3. It's easy to LET your mind play all of the "what ifs". 
1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
4. The first thing you should do when you're under attack is put your feet up.
1. The Lord says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." Psalm 110:1
2. It takes work to stay seated
1. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:11
5. Living guilty is NOT resting
1. The priest had to make a sacrifice every day
2. WE HAVE new grace and mercy that is available for every day.
6. You are working FROM victory not for victory.
1. Be faithful when nothing is changing.
2. Sometimes we are frustrated because we are trying to change something that we can't change.
7. Don't focus on pleasing others
1. Some people aren't being disciplined to manage their own lives
1. When you run to help others you are enabling their dysfunction
2. You can't fulfill your own destiny if you are allowing others to pull you out of rest
3. Co-dependent relationships
1. Be nice but be firm
2. It may be uncomfortable at times
3. Sometimes you have to ignore some text messages and phone calls
8. VIII.Don't give away your joy to someone who you don't even know'
9. Be an eagle not a crow
1. The crow is a smaller bird with significant maneuverability. The eagle is a large bird with great physical strength.
1. Due to physical strength, eagles have been spotted flying much higher in the air than a crow. Rising above the conflict, to an altitude where the crow cannot fly is an interesting method of dealing with the conflict. And it communicates a different demeanor than the direct aggressive frontal attack.
2. Rise Higher

Victoria Osteen @ Lakewood Church

Staying Strong in God Through Joy

I Life tries to show us difficulties and heartaches but Jesus wants to show us that we have what it takes to handle those difficulties.

A Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

II The joy that Jesus gives doesn't have anything to do with what is going on around us.

A I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11

B God's  blessings start on the inside but then they show up on the outside.

III When Victoria got a lemon tree it didn't have any lemons on it. Victoria cultivated and developed it so now it has produced fruit.

A Victoria didn't put her lemon tree in the ground when she needed lemons because it would take time to grow those lemons.

B Store up the word on the inside for use when needed.

IV Rejoice means to brighten.

A Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

B You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

V Facial Feedback Theory

A Your brain is constantly monitoring what's happening in your body. It analyzes things like muscle tension, posture, heart rate, breathing, and, yes, facial expressions, to judge how you are feeling.  Put yourself in a happier position, and you can boost your mood. Practice a depressed face and slumped posture, and watch the gloom set in.

B The pencil trick

1 Put a pencil between your lips in just the right way, and you'll feel happier

2 Forces your face to mimic a genuine smile, recruiting just the muscles of the mouth, cheeks, and eyes that come to life when you are happy.

C Don't let life's difficulties push your joy down

1 Joy signals victory

1. 

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#ElderPartyMonth

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude, don't complain.
Maya Angelou

Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
(which one is worse?)

Do you tweet? Me too, find me here. Also, find me on Facebook.

TheJRochelle about.me/jeanicia.elder

Conversations Overheard: In Chick Fil A

So I'm in Chick Fil A overhearing the most ridiculous conversation. It started with 2 people angry about football players not standing for the national anthem and how disrespectful they feel that is. They say they watch football to get away from that crap and that they don't understand how football players are "allowed" to do that on their company time. The lady goes on about how people stopped watching football and they lost advertising which "serves them right". This somehow morphs into thoughts about the bakery that was sued for not making a cake for a gay couple, how WRONG that was because EVERYONE is entitled to their own opinion, and how having your own opinion is what this country was founded on. They went on to agree that it was horrible to impact their livelihood over their personal opinion.

I'm over here thinking "so the personal opinion that they were having on their company time"?

😐

Spiritual Authority

Joyce Meyer @ Lakewood

Love is the highest form of spiritual warfare.

The greatest deficit in the evangelical church is teaching about the devil.

The devil can attack us through peopke who actually love us because the enemy knows that we want our loved ones' approval. Like with Jesus and Peter. 

But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!" Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."

Matthew 16:22‭-‬23 NLT

But Jesus didn't swerve. "Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works."

Matthew 16:23 MSG

Your enemy may not be who or what you think it is.

The only way to overcome fear is through faith.

Fear is a spirit that creates feelings. When the Bible says fear not it means to stand firm and keep moving forward. Courage is actually forward motion in the face of fear.

Be willing to be wrong just to find out whether you might be right. Everytime you try to make progress, the devil will try to frighten you. 

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.

Galatians 1:10 NLT

Do it affraid.

"Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?"

Zechariah 4:10 NIV

If the Devil isn't bothering you then you're not bothering him. 

The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.  The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.  The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him.

Deuteronomy 28:7‭-‬9 NIV

A lot of people sacrifice joy when they make mistakes. The devil takes stuff hoping that your joy is attached to it. 

Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord , and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.  The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

Deuteronomy 28:10‭-‬12 NIV

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Deuteronomy 28:13‭-‬14 NIV

If God all of that was available under the law then what more is available under grace?!?

When you're in a battle tighten the belt of truth. Hold on to it.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35‭-‬39 NIV

We are more than conquerors when we handle trials correctly.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:26‭-‬28 NIV

We focus too much on what we don't know than on what we do know.

Stop trying to figure everything out.