God’s gifts to us | Author Cygnet Brown

Here we are in a new year! Can you believe that 2015 is history and 2016 is now here! What are your plans for the coming year? Though I am not big on New Year’s Resolutions, i am big on taking a little time at the beginning of the year to decide where I want to go now. Here is what I have planned for this blog this year.

This post not only marks my first blog post of the year but it also is my 201st post on How My Spirit Sings! 2015 has definitely been a busy year for me and i expect 2016 to be even busier, except in a somewhat different way. The day before yesterday I went over the final edits of two the two booklets that I have written. One is Help from Kelp and the other is Using Diatomaceous Earth in the House and Garden. Within the month these two books should be ready for general distribution. I do however did get a few of each published yesterday. I had them published so that I could have some ready for the Ozarks Sustainable Living University.. The University will be held the first day January 23rd at Faith in God Church where I am pastor and the second day will be at the Next Step church on the other side of town.

To promote these two books, I have started a Facebook page called Naturally Improving our lives. Click here to Check it out and Like!

Every Journey Begins with a single step.

Changing Days of my Blog Postings

I am changing the days of the week that I post this blog. Beginning next week, I won’t be doing Monday and Friday posts. Instead I will be writing blogs on Tuesday and Thursday, but will continue writing my Wednesday Christian based blog post. This way I will put up three new posts a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and not have any on the other four days.

Tuesdays-The Productive Writer

On Tuesdays, I will be writing about how to be a productive writer. I am a very productive writer. Last year I finished the final edits on three full length novels, wrote the second draft of three novels, wrote a complete first draft of another. I also wrote two nonfiction booklets about diatomaceous earth and another about kelp. I also started two more nonfiction books about how I have always avoided writer’s block. Add to that, the fact that I have written three blog posts almost every week since the beginning of last year and you should be able to see that I practice what I preach.

Wednesdays-A Year of God’s Gifts

A couple of days ago I told that God has numerous gifts that he wants to give us, but for what ever reason, we either don’t know about or feel that we don’t deserve these gifts. This year, every week I am going to share one of these many gifts that he has for us. If we are willing to accept them, that is.

Thursdays-The Marketing Focus

Last year my main focus was on being a productive writer and preparing to market my books. Though I do intend to publish several books, this year, since I have a number of books out, my primary focus is switching from writing my books to marketing those books. Like last year, I will be dividing my year into three sections. The first four months I will be focusing on marketing myself. The middle four months will be focusing on marketing my books, and the last four months will be related to marketing my writing business.

Donna Brown is pastor at Faith in God Church 1 1/2 miles south of Brandsville, Missouri on Hwy 63. Sunday services are at 10 am and Wednesday night Bible Study at 6:30 pm. As Author Cygnet Brown, she has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues, and most recently, A Coward’s Solace, Book III of the Locket Saga.For more information about Cygnet Brown and her book, check out her website at http://www.cygnetbrow.com .

In Galatians Chapter 3, we learn that the law was created as a teacher to teach us that we cannot be right on our own. The Law was created so that we would know that we needed something more.

Last week, we celebrated the holiday where God came to earth as a baby. In Galatians 4:4 it says that God sent his Son made of woman under the law so that we could be made sons. You see, we weren’t able to follow the rules, so God sent us one who could and did. As it says in 4:5, he came to redeem them that were under the law so that we could receive the adoption of sons. We receive this adoption when we choose to believe, as it says in Hebrews 11:6 that we must have the faith to believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

We can call Him Father

In Galatians 4:6 it says that because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of HIS SON into our hearts so that we could cry out to him as Our Father. WE are no more servants but heirs of God through Christ. Once adopted, God doesn’t unadopt us when we do wrong, but he does allow you to suffer the consequences of our actions until we ‘see the light’.

The Son That When Astray

Jesus told about a younger son who decided that he didn’t want to have to follow his father’s rules and decided that he wanted to go out and see the world for himself. He took his inheritance and went out into the world. At first he had a great time. He partied. He chased women. He enjoyed himself, but then his money ran out. the next thing he did was start accepting work that was against everything that he was taught to believe in. He had to feed pigs which were considered unclean animals in his culture. He was underpaid for the work he did and didn’t even have enough to eat. He started stealing the pigs food in order to survive. Finally he said enough was enough. His Father treated his servants better than that. He decided that he would go back to His Father’s house and ask to be his servant.

If you know anything about the story of the prodigal son, you know that the father would have none of that. When he saw his son coming from afar off, he run to him, took him in as the son that the son always had been even when he was not acting like a son.

The Son That Didn’t Know What He Had

Which brings us to the part of the story concerning the older brother. This older brother was not happy when his brother who wasted all that he was given was welcomed back with open arms. The older brother could not understand how it was that the Father could accept him with no questions asked. He then compared himself to the other brother. he had done everything as the Father had told him, but the Father didn’t celebrate that. The Father then said that he could have celebrated any time he wanted, that everything the father had given him was his to do with as he wished. The older son, because he always obeyed the Father acted more like a servant than one who was to inherit everything that belonged to the Father.

Learning What We Have In Christ

This parable reminds us that though we go out into the world and live like the world, it’s not all its cracked up to be. However, this story also shows us that living under the Law is bondage as well because it keeps us living as though we were servants rather than the Sons that God created us to become. Like the older brother, we have not because we ask not. Everything that the Father has, belongs to us, and yet we don’t accept it because we think that we have to somehow earn it. The truth is, Jesus already earned all of it. What we have to do is learn to accept what he has already given us and it is more than simply keeping us from going to hell when we die.

During the coming year,I am going to look what our father has given us. He saved us from more than just hell. We simply have to accept what he has given us and celebrate those gifts. Won’t you join me in learning what it is that God has for us. He has so much more to give us than just a “get out hell” free card?

Donna Brown is pastor at Faith in God Church in Brandsville, Missouri. As Author Cygnet Brown, she has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

—Author Cygnet Brown

Author of the Books Folks "Swan" to read.

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