Archive | July 2012

Dating and baggage are best friends

Jul30

Baggage and dating go hand in hand. After every break-up, you carry the wounds of the past relationship into the new one. Some of you think you’ve moved on, but even if you have, there’s things that happened between you and your ex that broke trust, created bitterness, apathy, lowered your expectations for the next guy, something. I know there’s a rare few who simply didn’t “hit it off” with the guy and you both broke up for mutual reasons, however, if you were sexually active with this dude, whether it was all the way or not, you’ve bonded with him, and because of that, it’s going to be harder for you to bond with the next guy. It’s really just one big horrifically vicious cycle that produces much more pain than it does contentment. My goodness how I wish I never shared all the connections I did with exes. Some people say, “Oh, but it’s good for ‘experience.’” Experiencing what? Heart-break after heart-break? I’d rather that I had no experience and instead grow in experience with my husband (which I’d have plenty of time to since we’re planning to be together for life). Trust me, that’s the lamest excuse there is. You can grow and learn with your husband. I lost my virginity to my husband, and no, our sex wasn’t amazing in the beginning because it was painful for me, but it grew to be better and better. I was able to share that with one man, rather than go into a marriage already knowing it all.

So please ladies, save yourself and others (not to mention God), from heart break and just wait till the right guy comes along, meaning the guy that will wait for you, and honor God until marriage. Because trust me, if you just put God first in your life, make Him your first love, He will bring that man to you at the perfect time. He did for me, and plenty other girls. I will have a video with some testimonies of girls who received their prince after first making God their King in a week or two. Until then, know your worth!

With love,

             Natasha

Chivalry hasn’t died ladies, and if you think it has, you’re with the wrong guy!

Jul22

http://tv.yahoo.com/photos/how-long-do-bachelor-and-bachelorette-relationships-actually-last-slideshow/

Out of all the Bachelors and Bachelorettes there have been, only three couples are together to this day. My, what a shocker! Okay, for real, dating just sets you up for failure. The focus of dating is the emotional and physical aspect of the relationship. It’s mainly about the sexual attraction, and once those fluttery feelings begins to fizzle (because we all know they eventually do), your relationship starts to fall apart. All that “chemistry” you built up because of the physicality doesn’t hold you together, but eventually drives you apart. Why? Because to put it simply, it’s not how God designed it to be. It was never His intention to have you serial date, get your heart broken several times, have numerous partners hence various connections with guys that leave you confused and with a ton of baggage to bring into your next relationship. He had a much better and simpler way: be with one person for the rest of your life.

Ever heard of the word “courtship”? Courting is a process that protects your precious heart from getting trampled on multiple times over. It guards not only your heart, but your mind and your body. What you basically do is don’t give any guy the time of day unless you think he is someone you’d like to marry, and then you don’t have sex with this guy. You set boundaries in other words. Now this guy, if he’s worth your time, will respect you. He’ll literally wait for you until marriage because that’s what he has in mind from the start of the relationship–getting to know you because he can see himself marrying you someday. He’s not wasting your time, and you’re not wasting his.

And trust me, there are guys who will wait. I know this personally because my husband waited for me. And I happen to know several guys who are doing–and have done–the same. If you really hope to someday be a princess bride, honey, you gotta save your goods. “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”

Courtship (unlike dating), focuses on the friendship, and also the spiritual aspect of the relationship. It is what Christians are supposed to be doing (unfortunately, not all of them do because they’ve bought the same Hollywood romance lie that the majority of the world has). It honors God and the person you’re with. It builds true commitment that lasts because there’s not a selfish gain i.e. “I’m with this person because of how they make me feel in bed.” Rather it becomes, “I’m with this person because I love their heart, I love their soul.” When you’re having sex, all this gets confused. You no longer know if you truly love this person for them, or for how they make you feel. You begin to fight because of all the mutual disrespect, not realizing you’ve been disrespecting each other ever since the moment you decided to have sex before marriage. I mean really, what makes a guy worth having all of you? Call my standards high, but according to the God who made both of you, when that man makes you his wife he’s worthy of getting full access to your body.

We ladies so open ourselves up, binding our souls to men when we have sex with them, and when we do this with more than one guy we’re completely torn because our souls are divided. There’s literal studies that show when you have multiple partners it becomes more and more difficult for you to bond with the next person you’re with. Save your heart. Stop selling yourself short. No guy should be able to get into your pants or even under your shirt until after he’s said, “I do.”

I’m gonna be having a video on Courtship this week, and next week I’ll have one from guys themselves who are courting and have courted and are now engaged or married so you can see that there ARE guys willing and desiring to treat women with respect and honor. Be encouraged, chivalry hasn’t died.

It’s okay to kill a child in the womb when…

Jul18

Who remembers Hitler? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler) This man chose to kill 5,860,000 people. It was his choice to kill them. So, was it right then? Was it okay? Then what makes it okay for a woman to kill her child? If that child was outside of the womb, the woman would be thrown in jail for life, or would have her own life taken from her. By eighteen days the child has a heart. By eight weeks it can feel pain and 88% of all abortions are performed when child is already 12-13 weeks:

 

That is a child, people! Sixth commandment: Thou shall not kill yet since Roe v Wade there have been over 52 MILLION abortions! Abortion is a business. Planned Parenthood just wants your money because they make about 813 million on women choosing to kill their children every year! Why are the American people so deceived? I believe we’re willfully ignorant! We don’t want to face the harsh reality of exactly what abortion entails: the dismembering and tearing apart of a small child that is defenseless! Forgive my passion, I just know how wrong this all is, and it breaks my heart that so many people are turning a blind eye to it. If my heart breaks to the point of wailing over these poor children, I can’t imagine how God must feel. But there is hope for you if you’ve had an abortion. God does forgive and restore. But you have to choose to trust in His Son who died for you us all while we were yet sinning! He knew you were going to have an abortion, and he died for that mistake. If you repent, which simply means turn away from your sins and believe on Jesus, God will completely forgive your sins and grant you access into heaven. He loves you as much as He loved and loves every unborn child in this world. He gave them life as He chose to give you life. He wants to mend your heart, and fix your broken-ness. Let Him.

Good friends vs Bad ones

Jul16

I’ve been out of high school for four years now, and I have about five friends that are still friends. What’s my point? if you’re reading this and you’re a high schooler, listen, girl (or guy), CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY.

First reason: Don’t be fooled, bad company corrupts good character.

How can friends that are hurting themselves with drugs and excessive alcohol, and/or sexing it up with boys care about you if they don’t even care about their own bodies? To make it simple, they don’t! They don’t love you. They like your company, and the pleasure they receive from your presence and your support of their self-destruction.

Second reason: They’re going down, and they’re taking you with them.

“The percentage of poisoning deaths among those aged 15–19 years with prescription drugs as a contributing cause increased from 30% in 2000 to 57% in 2009.”-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/16/prescription-drug-abuse-poisoning-deaths-children_n_1429458.html

Out of 19 million Americans that get a new STD infection each year, about 9.1 million of them are teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 24.

STD stats show, among those teenagers having teen sex, about one in four will contract an STD prior to adulthood-http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-sexuality/std-statistics.html

Reason three: Your life is too precious to waste for someone who isn’t going to be there for you once high school’s over. 

You know that God public schools try so hard to make you believe doesn’t exist by feeding you an unsubstantiated theory that you’re an evolved ape? Well, He is real, He does exist, He does see and know everything, and He understands what you’re going through. He is the only one who cares enough to die for you and who has the power to give you a new life, free from the chains you’ve gotten bound by. Not sure you believe me? Ask Him yourself. I cried out to the God of the Bible, yup, the one Jesus claimed was His dad, and He answered. Jesus isn’t some cool guy that lived 2,000 years ago to teach you how to be a “good person.” Quite the opposite. He came to show us all that no one, but Him and God (who He said he was one with), can be good and live a perfect life worthy of heaven.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father, but by Me.”-John 14:6

He came to give you life abundant, joy, peace, hope, and love. He alone offers the solution to every problem you’re facing and are going to face later on. Do yourself a favor, and drop the ”friends” that are harming you, and choose a real Friend that never will.

14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.-John 15:14-17

Wanna know Jesus’ commands? Love Him, and love others. He’s the coolest, best, most caring friend you can ever have. Try Him. I promise you won’t regret it.

Abortion: The reality of what is being done to these unborn children

Jul16

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4gQ6Yug4Js

The child is being crushed, torn, limb by limb, by the cold steel objects of the abortionist. They rip the child’s body until there’s only shreds, then they grab the last piece, the head. They don’t want you to know what is truly happening to your child. Abortion is a business, in 2005 $813 million. Watch this if you say you’re pro-abortion.

Suction Abortion: A powerful vacuum tears the placenta from the uterus and dismembers the body of the developing child, sucking the pieces into an attached jar. There is a risk that the uterus can be punctured during the procedure. Also, the abortionist must take care that all the body parts are removed from the womb, as infection and hemorrhage can occur if fetal or placental tissue is left in the uterus.

 

In a D&C abortion, usually performed between seven and twelve weeks of pregnancy, the doctor inserts a curette, a loop-shaped steel knife, into the womb through the dilated cervix. As the curette scrapes the wall of the uterus, the baby is cut into pieces. Bleeding can be considerable. As with a suction abortion, there is a risk of infection or hemorrhage, so the abortionist must reassemble the body parts to make sure the uterus is empty.

 

This method is similar to a D&C, except that forceps must be used to grasp the baby’s body because of the child’s advanced development. The baby is dismembered as the abortionist twists and tears the parts of the body and slices the placenta away from the uterus. Bleeding is profuse. Although relatively safe for the mother, the procedure is devastating to the hospital staff and many doctors refuse to do advanced D&E abortions.

 

“Salting out” is the second most common method of inducing abortion and is usually used after sixteen weeks. The doctor inserts a long needle through the mother’s abdomen and injects a saline solution into the sac of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. The baby is poisoned by swallowing the salt and his skin is completely burned away. It takes about an hour to kill the baby. After the child dies, the mother goes into labor and expels the dead baby. Saline injections have been outlawed in some countries because of the risks to the mother, which can include lung and kidney damage if the salt finds its way into her bloodstream. In spite of the horrible burning effect, some babies have survived “salting out” and been born alive.

 

The day I married my dream prince

Jul10

From the simplicity of decorations, the 100 or so guests, and the mere $6,000 we spent on my wedding, my big day wasn’t what most girls would call their “fairy tale wedding.” However, I saw it as the perfect wedding I could ever have, not because my dress was the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen and I looked like Cinderella, but because I was marrying the man of my dreams, the prince I had wanted ever since watching my first Disney Princess movie. Jonathan Sapienza isn’t perfect [as no man on this planet is, sorry single ladies], but he is perfect for me. Why? To put it simply, because this is the man God wanted me to marry.

Let’s back track.

By the time I had turned eighteen my hopes of ever getting married were pretty much shot. Since Kindergarten I had been through over fifty toads with no luck of finding a prince. My heart had been broken several times, and at eighteen, I endured the worst heartbreak of them all. Dace was definitely not perfect. He had lots of baggage, insecurity issues, trust issues, relationship issues, family issues, and spiritual issues. Which, many and most people do. But his were by far the greatest than any guy I’d been with before him. Reflecting now, I realize the spiritual issue was the real issue, the issue that affected how he dealt with all his other issues. And since his view of God was tainted by an imperfect human being, his past and current issues greatly affected our relationship.

He couldn’t forgive the person who wronged him, and because he couldn’t forgive them, he ultimately couldn’t truly forgive me for the times I wronged him. Since he had put the Bible down and forgot God’s promises such as “He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose,” and that He’ll “restore the years the locusts have eaten,” and “God’s plans for you are good, acceptable, and perfect,” he didn’t have much hope that good can prevail, and that God can restore his past so he can be free to walk into his future (e.g. future relationships) unhindered. Since he was trying to handle his issues in his own strength, with his own opinion on how best to deal with them, and not trusting in God to work out those problems, he ended up doing several things that further worsened our relationship. He chose to create an alter-ego to protect himself from getting too close to another person, and when that didn’t entirely succeed, he ran away whenever he felt he was becoming vulnerable with me. Now, although I believed in God, and didn’t view him in the negative light my ex had, I did not know God. Sure I knew the basics, He’s good, He’s powerful, and He’s everywhere, but I didn’t know His will for me. I’d shoot up some prayers every night, but like my ex, never read the Bible nor attended a Bible teaching church. So, I was just as ignorant as he was on God’s promises, will, and opinion/wisdom on how to do life and relationships. So, I tried to do the relationship as best as I knew how based on what I knew from the media, my friends, and my parents. I’d throw a fit when he didn’t come and see me. Since God was not truly my God–my everything, the one I love more than anyone else)–but my ex was, I was very clingy and needy. This pushed my ex away even further. I didn’t completely respect him because when his will was contrary to mine, I’d force my desires on him, trying to manipulate him to comply to my wants.

Finally, things ended for good and that’s when I really sought God. I cried out to him on my bed on February 29th, 2009. He answered me undeniably through the Bible and because of that experience, I decided to seek to know Him. I delved into the New Testament for the first time and in six days my broken heart was mended. I was filled with joy, and interestingly enough, I again desired and had hopes to someday marry. I’d read a book on being a godly wife, and knew that someday I’d actually get married. However, I did not dwell on this thought, or meditate upon it for hours, or allow it to consume me. On the contrary, I allowed God’s will to consume me. I had completely given Him my heart and was ready for whatever He wanted me to do. To my surprise, I met (in person, we had a prior phone meeting thanks to my sister’s heavy insisting) on March 4th, 2009, the man who is now my husband.

When I first laid eyes on Jonathan I truly thought (still do), that he was the most gorgeous looking guy I’d ever seen. Stranger still, the first outing we ever did, (March 4th), we went to Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale together, the church we eventually got married at a year and half later.

See, Jonathan was a Catholic at the time. I had invited him to come to my church, and he really enjoyed it and got something out of it. On March 9th, he walked me to my door-step, kneeled, and asked me if I would honor him in being his girl-friend. I knew this kid was the one. A few days later we exchanged the three words (I love you), and were on a romantic joy ride filled with surprise bouquets, expensive restaurants, exotic sites, theme parks, and church. Things were going great. Jonathan had bought himself a Bible, and was visiting my church. But me, being a “new-born” in Christ, was a bit pushy with having a relationship with God.

See, I understood religion, I was raised (albeit not very religious), Catholic, and it honestly hadn’t done much for me and my family. So I was a little preachy in regards to the importance of reading your Bible to get to know God personally, and Jonathan started to get turned off by this. He ended up not going to church with me anymore. He would attend his Catholic church, and I would sometimes go with him, but deep down I knew that although every other aspect of our relationship was wonderful, the Spiritual side of it was not. We both believed in the same God, but we clashed heads on how to relate with Him. This, became a serious problem. I had moments where I’d cry and pray to God asking Him if He wanted me to break up with Jonathan because we were not on the same page spiritually. Every time, I would read a Scripture that spoke of trusting God, and waiting. So I did.

I had received a random friend-request from a girl I didn’t know well, but used to be associated with back in middle school. She had become a Christian and was engaged. I got her number and one day texted her, and she was so joyful about being engaged, informing me that there was a point where her and her boyfriend almost broke up. I asked if she wouldn’t mind sharing with me why they almost did, and interestingly enough, it was because she was very Catholic, and he was Non-denominational Christian. Their differing views about how to relate with God caused problems. She wasn’t comfortable at his church because of the many differences from her Catholic one so she stopped going. After a big fight they broke things off, but then her boyfriend apologized and told her he wanted to really try to work things out. They watched Fireproof together (by this point I was freaking out, because Jonathan and I had also watched that movie together), and decided to remain boyfriend and girlfriend. She told me her boyfriend would just pray for her, and next thing you know, she’s invited to a non-denominational church by her cousin, and thoroughly enjoyed it. She began reading the Bible and fell in love with God and then became engaged. She encouraged me to pray for Jonathan, to not say anything to him about the Bible, but to simply pray. I did so, still struggling a bit with our differences, but believed God wanted me to stick it out. After a powerful word from the Bible that God used to tell me literally that Jonathan was His chosen man for me, I stayed with him.

But one day I realized our physicality (although we weren’t having sex) was messing things up. God had tried to get a message across to me a few times that He desired for Jonathan and I to court rather than date like they do in romantic comedies and the Bachelorette (make-out, be all over each other, build up all the romance, making it very difficult to remain in purity toward one another until marriage).

All I knew was that God wanted me to break up with Jonathan. I found out after the fact that He had me break up with Jonathan so we can start over, on a “clean-slate” if you will, and begin a courtship. We did, and from then on, Jonathan started to really change. He began reading the Bible, going back to church with me, and even joined a men’s Bible study group with guys from the college/post-grad ministry from Calvary. He stopped going to Catholic church altogether, on his own, without me yapping, and soon proposed.

There’s so many things God did to confirm to both Jonathan and I that He wanted us to get married that I wrote a book about it. So, to finish, my wedding day was absolutely perfect, because I was marrying the man I knew God wanted me to be with for the rest of my life.

Me just overjoyed that I was finally marrying Jonathan (and doing my own make-up)

How nine women fit in that tiny room, I do not know.

See the look on my face as I walk down the aisle to my dream prince?

See, not fabulous decorations, but I wasn’t complaining. I just wanted to get to the “I do.”

The man who married us was our spiritual father (vital in courtship)

This pic says it all

I take it back, this one does.

Lifestyle of the rich and the famous:drug-related deaths” A list of notable people who have died from drug-related causes

Jul8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_drug-related_deaths

The list is literally too long to post, but here’s a few.

Jennifer Lyn Jackson 1969–2010 Playboy Playmate Heroin overdose. [215]
Michael Jackson 1958–2009 Pop singer Cardiac arrest. Personal physician administered lethal dose of propofol along with lorazepam, diazepam and midazolam. [216]
Peter Jackson 1964–1997 Rugby league player Heroin overdose. [217]
Joyce Jameson 1932–1987 Actress Overdose of unspecified pills. Suicide. [218]
Steven Ronald Jensen 1959–2005 Musician (The Vandals) Unspecified prescription drug overdose. [219]
Anissa Jones 1958–1976 Actress Overdose of barbiturates, cocaine, quaaludes, and PCP. Accidental. [220]
Brian Jones 1942–1969 Musician (The Rolling Stones). Drowning under the influence of alcohol and drugs. [221]
Chloe Jones 1975–2005 Pornographic actress Prescription drug overdose. Accidental. [222]
Rob Jones, aka The Bass Thing 1964–1993 Musician (The Wonder Stuff). Sources report contradictory information which include: heart problems,[223] heart attack potentially caused by heroin,[224] or simply “drug related causes”.[225]
Russell Jones, aka Ol’ Dirty Bastard. 1968–2004 Rapper Overdose of cocaine and tramadol. Accidental. [226]
Janis Joplin 1943–1970 Musician Heroin overdose. [227]

K

Name Life Profession Cause of death Reference
John Kahn 1947–1996 Musician (Jerry Garcia Band) Heroin overdose. [228]
Chris Kanyon 1970–2010 Professional wrestler Antidepressants overdose. Suicide. [229][230]
Phil Katz 1962–2000 Computer programmer Acute pancreatic bleeding caused by chronic alcoholism [231]
David Kennedy 1955–1984 University drop-out Overdose of cocaine, Demerol, and Mellaril. [232]
Beverly Kenney 1932–1960 Singer Alcohol and Seconal overdose. Suicide. [233]
Bernard Kettlewell 1907–1979 Lepidopterist, medical doctor Unspecified drug overdose. Accidental. [234]
David Kelly 1944–2003 Weapons expert Consumed around 30 dextropropoxyphene pills. Disputed suicide. [235]
Jack Kerouac 1922–1969 Author Cirrhosis, caused by a lifetime of heavy drinking. [236][237]
Dorothy Kilgallen 1913–1965 Journalist Fatal combination of alcohol and barbiturates. Whether it was suicide, accidental or the result of foul play is undetermined. [238]
Richard Charles Knellar, aka Dickie Pride 1941–1969 Singer Sleeping pill overdose. [239]
Thomas Kinkade 1958–2012 Painter Acute ethanol and diazepam intoxication. [240]
Arthur Koestler 1905–1983 Author Sleeping pill overdose. Suicide. [241]
John Kordic 1965–1992 Hockey player Unspecified drug overdose. [242]

Sometimes fame isn’t all it’s cut out to be. Trip Lee’s song is brought to mind…

 It’s cool to like fairytales Until you try to live inside of ‘em, that’s where we fail The media pushin’ death and they do it very well Man, who woulda thought that obituaries sale? Look, you’re livin’ in a dream

Open up your eyes, things ain’t always what they seem

Reality ain’t always what we found up on the screen

They got bait, in they hooks, they got rhymes full of schemes, it’s fantasy.
Fantasy, masquerade and mansions

Smokin’ lies, but there is never light within us

The smiles full of envy, a full house that’s empty

Once the night is up, it’s never enough

I used to want fame: that was what I chased after, never considering how selfish I was. It wasn’t until Jesus woke me up that my heart changed and I no longer craved that lifestyle. ”There’s a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in death.” Don’t let the smoke and lights blind you from the reality of a party-hard lifestyle. In the end, it never fails to destroy. There’s been too many examples in Hollywood for you to fall into the same trap. Don’t be another statistic. Fight the culture. Be different. Rebel. The only way you can have strength to overcome is when you take a stand for what’s real, what’s true.

We’ve all lied, lusted after someone we weren’t married to, used God’s name as a cuss word or in vain. We’ve all broken the ten commandments. Because we messed up, because we are imperfect and stained with the guilt of our mistakes, God cannot accept us into heaven. We rightly deserve hell because we’ve all gone astray, done what was wrong, wronged someone else, and ultimately, wronged God. But God loves us so much, even while we were yet sinning against Him, He sent His only Son to die in our place, brutally upon a rugged cross designed for criminals. He did that so you wouldn’t doubt that He loves you desperately and would do anything to get your attention, your affection. If you merely believe, which means trust, that Jesus died and rose for you, and turn away from your sins and run into His arms, He will grant you access to heaven, and more importantly, an eternal relationship with Him and His Father. Once you do that, and begin to know this God who visited our world in human form over 2,000 years ago, you will, by His grace, be able to stand against the pressures of Hollywood and the “Fame-Monster” within. Know that you’re not alone, and know your incalcuable worth in the sight of the God of the universe.