SharonChristine

The Testimony of Darlene Deibler Rose youtu.be/MO2jhjwtwwA?si=zn50…

👗 FASHION BLUNDERS! When Good Clothes Don’t Work Together! 🤣❤️ We’ve all been there! You put together an outfit, feel pretty good about your choices, and then see a photograph of yourself and realize something just isn’t working! Well, here’s a perfect example from my own wardrobe! 🤣 Both pieces are beautiful, and the colors actually complement one another. So what went wrong? It wasn’t the color combination. It was the cut, fit, and proportions! In the first photo, the oversized blouse adds volume through the upper body. Paired with an equally full, flowing skirt, the outfit loses its shape and creates a boxy silhouette. In the second photo, notice how a more fitted blouse with a defined waist changes the entire appearance. The skirt still has movement and fullness, but now the proportions are balanced, creating a much more flattering silhouette. A few fashion lessons worth remembering: 👗 Balance your proportions. When one piece is loose and flowing, consider pairing it with something more structured. 🎀 Define your waist. Even a small amount of shaping can make a big difference. ✨ Consider the overall silhouette. Two beautiful pieces don’t necessarily create a beautiful outfit when worn together. And remember, fashion mistakes happen to all of us! Even those of us who work in the beauty industry. Sometimes the best lessons come from our own closets! As for Earl Gray, my newly appointed fashion consultant, apparently he found the first outfit hilarious. But judging by his reaction to the second, I may have finally earned his approval! 🐾🤣❤️And Sterling, my AI creative partner and resident member of the peanut gallery shared this observation. "The blouse wasn't ugly. The skirt wasn't ugly. They simply had too much in common. Neither one knew when to stop expanding!" 🤣🤣� “Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself, grin and bear it, hold your head up, and keep on going!” 🤣❤

I’m thinking about the Living Water of Jesus. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the water He gives becomes “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). When you’ve experienced that living water for yourself, it’s difficult to speak about Jesus without something overflowing! And I think that’s what happens when you begin sharing your testimony. One thought leads to another, one Scripture illuminates another, and before you know it, you’ve gone from offering someone a few breadcrumbs to giving away the whole loaf! 🤣❤️ But here’s a thought: You don’t have to give someone the whole loaf for them to recognize the goodness of the bread. Sometimes a little taste is enough to make them hungry for more. And there’s wisdom in knowing when to keep pouring and when to let someone drink from what you’ve already shared. P.S. I'm still growing in this area.

In closing- 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (NIV) “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Have you ever looked at the back of a tapestry? Tangled threads, knots, and what appears to be an absolute mess. Sometimes that’s what our lives look like, even after we’ve come to Jesus. But look a little closer. There’s a scarlet thread running through the mess. It’s a reminder of the precious blood of Jesus and the work He began in us. Sanctification is a process. We may stumble, struggle with old patterns, and sometimes wonder whether we’ll ever get it right. But Philippians 1:6 reminds us that He who began a good work in us will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. The tapestry isn’t finished. And neither is God’s work in you. Don’t mistake an unfinished work for an abandoned one. ❤️

A Prayer Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving us while we were yet sinners and sending Your Son to redeem us. Help us recognize the patterns of thinking and behavior that have been passed down through generations without allowing our heritage to become an excuse for continuing in them. Give us the humility to acknowledge our own failures, the grace to forgive those who have wounded us, and the wisdom to recognize the enemy’s accusations. Renew our minds through Your Word. Teach us to see ourselves not merely through the tangled threads of our past, but through the finished work of Jesus Christ. And when we cannot understand what You are doing, help us trust the hands of the One who is faithfully working in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) That doesn’t mean every old habit, painful memory, or destructive pattern disappears overnight. There is still a renewing of the mind that must take place (Romans 12:2). Sometimes we must confront the lies we’ve believed for years. Sometimes we must acknowledge our own wrongdoing, seek forgiveness, forgive those who have wounded us, and allow God to change the patterns of thinking we’ve carried for generations. And that brings us back to the tapestry. The back of a tapestry isn’t necessarily evidence that the weaver has made a mess. It may simply mean we’re looking at something unfinished from the wrong side. God doesn’t call our sin good. Nor does He excuse the harm others have done to us. But through His redeeming grace, He can bring healing, restoration, wisdom, and even beauty out of what once appeared hopelessly tangled. We may not understand every thread. Some will always represent painful memories. Others will remind us of the mercy of God when we least deserved it. But our past is no longer the authority over our future. Jesus said that no one could pluck His sheep out of His hand (John 10:28). The enemy may accuse, deceive, and attempt to discourage us, but he cannot undo what Christ accomplished at Calvary. And perhaps, instead of spending the rest of our lives examining every tangled thread, we can begin asking a different question: “Lord, what are You doing with my life now that I’ve placed it in Your hands?” Because we may have come into this world carrying the consequences of Adam’s fall, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we’ve been brought near by His blood. Not because our blood was good enough. But because His blood was sufficient. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” — Revelation 12:11 (KJV)

Bad Blood: The Tapestry of Redemption “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” — Ephesians 2:13 (KJV) Have you ever looked at the back of a tapestry? What you see is a tangled arrangement of threads, knots, loose ends, and colors that don’t seem to belong together. From that side, it’s difficult to imagine that anything beautiful could possibly emerge. Sometimes, when we look back over our lives, that’s exactly what we see. We remember the tangled threads of our past. Some represent the choices we made while we were alienated from God, living according to the desires of the flesh. Others represent painful circumstances we had little or no control over—things handed down from one generation to another. Attitudes, prejudices, family traditions, destructive behaviors, and ways of thinking can become so deeply woven into our lives that we scarcely recognize where they began. And sometimes, we’re simply trying to survive what life has dealt us. But here’s something worth considering. Our heritage may help explain where certain patterns began, but it doesn’t excuse our continuing in them. We may not have chosen the threads that were handed to us, but we are responsible for how we respond when the truth of Jesus Christ is placed before us. Scripture declares: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” — Romans 3:10 (KJV) Not one of us begins life on a higher spiritual plane because we came from a respectable family. And not one of us is beyond the reach of God’s grace because we came from a troubled one. In a spiritual sense, we’ve all come from bad blood. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But thank God, that’s not where the story ends! Jesus didn’t come looking for people with spotless histories, perfect marriages, flawless relationships, or impressive reputations. He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). And that’s where the blood of Jesus changes everything. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” — John 8:36 (KJV) We cannot free ourselves from the power of sin simply by deciding to become better people. We must respond to God’s grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It is His power that sets us free, and through the Holy Spirit, we learn to walk in that freedom. Yet even after coming to Christ, some of those old threads remain visible in our thinking. We remember our failures. We remember those who wounded us. We remember the things we said, the relationships that fell apart, and the people we may have hurt along the way. And sometimes, we begin to believe that those tangled threads are all we’ll ever be. That’s where the enemy’s accusations can become particularly destructive. Jesus called Satan a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Revelation 12:10 identifies him as the accuser of the brethren. He can take something true about our past and use it to persuade us of something false about our identity. You’ve failed, therefore you’re a failure. You’ve sinned, therefore you’re beyond redemption. You’ve been rejected, therefore you’re unworthy of love. And when we begin agreeing with those accusations, they can influence our relationships, our decisions, and even our understanding of God’s love. But we don’t need to minimize the enemy’s tactics to magnify Jesus. The enemy is the accuser, but Jesus is our Redeemer. And the accusation doesn’t get the final word. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1 (KJV) Jesus doesn’t deny our sin. He paid the price for it. He doesn’t pretend our past never happened. He offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and a new beginning. And He doesn’t merely tell us to think better of ourselves. He gives us a new identity in Him.

“The beauty isn't in the cruelty of the cross. The beauty is in the love of the Savior who willingly endured it.”

I was thinking along the same lines, but I think we need a strong Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, with DeSantis choosing his own VP. I think DeSantis would make a good president. Both men have strengths and talents that I believe would be better utilized in other roles rather than having either one serve as vice president. And perhaps down the road, we’ll see Marco Rubio make a run for president himself.

"When people are so surprised by who you used to be, perhaps it's because they've already seen so much of who you've become." Thank you Jesus for stepping outside to bring me on the inside, it truly is something to celebrate. "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" Colossians 3:3 Ephesians 2:1 And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead andseparated from Him because of your transgressions and sins. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN IT’S HARD ❤️ Hebrews 10:23–25 | 2 Corinthians 5:17 We are not called to surrender to fear, disappointment, or despair. We are called to be faithful. And sometimes, that is a battle in itself. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know what Christ has commanded us to do today. We are not called to surrender to fear, disappointment, or despair. We are called to be faithful. And whether that means proclaiming the Gospel or simply placing a cup of cold water into someone’s hand in His name, let us be found doing the work He has given us. And please, don’t give up on the Church. Find one that faithfully teaches God’s Word, not one that’s perfect. You won’t find one. We need one another to encourage, strengthen, and remind each other of God’s promises, especially when our hearts are heavy. And if you’re someone who feels you don’t belong because of your past, remember this: The Church is not a gathering of people who never sinned. It’s a gathering of people who desperately need a Savior. Some of us have more colorful histories than others. You don’t have to lay your entire life story before everyone you meet. Give people time to know you, to see the work God has done in your life. And perhaps one day, when you share where you’ve been, someone will look at you in amazement and say, “YOU did that? YOU were like that? I can’t believe it!” Not because you’ve hidden your past, but because the contrast between who you were and who you are becoming in Christ is so beautiful. Let them see the fruit of what Christ has done in your life before you show them the thorns He brought you through. 🌹 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 The world may grow darker, but the Gospel still shines. And as long as God gives us breath, there is still work to be done. Be encouraged. Stay anchored in Christ. And above all, be faithful. ❤️