The Evalutionary Race

In light of the current events surrounding our country, I thought I would share an interesting article I read this week about racism.  I realize that racism is an ongoing issue in America and among many other issues we have here, this one seems to never end.  I have often wondered, "what will it take for Americans to be Americans without division" I have this hope.  We fight, blame, picket, protest, march, rally, and demand but no real change takes place.  Laws may be changed with these efforts but people are still discriminated against.

How can we elicit real change?  How can discrimination be eradicated?

These are questions that I'm sure many people have asked and maybe even thought they had the solution.  I'm not writing to answer these questions or give a solution.  I simply want to share some information that might help us look at each other with a different set of eyes.  Isn't that really the problem; our perceptions?

This article is entitled, "Where Did the "Races" Come From?" by Ken Ham, Dr. Carl Wieland, & Dr. Don Batten.  It is located in the back of my King James Bible with permission from "Answers in Genesis," a ministry of Ken Ham.

This article talks about how the acceptance of evolution has made people think that some races are further along on the road to being more human and less animal than other races, which gives them a superior thinking of themselves.  "A leading evolutionary spokesperson, Stephen Jay Gould, stated that 'Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1850, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory.'"

Now, maybe many of you already knew this and I am among a few who are being enlightened.  However, I believe that when we know where the root is then it is a lot easier to kill.

On a side note, I have a wisteria tree in my backyard.  Five years ago I thought it was beautiful and couldn't wait to plant it,  Now, there are wisteria trees trying to grow all over my yard.  I spent several days last summer digging up roots that all lead back to my original tree.  If I want to kill them, I have to do something with the original root.

"Knowing is half the battle" (GI Joe).  I love this phrase because after we gain knowledge then we can begin to make real change.

How do we fight the other half of the battle?  I don't really know, but at least we have a starting point that can change how we have been fighting.

There is only one race - the human race!

Ways to Start the New Year Right - Episodes 3 & 4

Janie and I did not realize that our show was going to be right in the middle of the inaugural festivities until the Wednesday before the show.  We had big plans to talk about faith and discuss the way we have used the word faith in place of our denomination; Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, etc. is my faith.  We thought all our plans were foiled, but God made it clear that we could still talk about faith.

Some people are very scared about the new administration, but we can still trust God in the unknown future of our country.  So we spent some time talking about the inauguration and how we can continue to trust God because He is the ultimate authority.

Episode 3 - Recorded live on KWXC 88.9 Christian Talk Radio

The following Friday, we continued our discustion on faith and gave some encouragement for how to grow in our faith through our relationship with the Lord.  Faith is the foundational building block for our spiritual growth.  All other aspects of spiritual growth is built upon it.  2 Peter 1:5 "...giving all diligence add to your faith..."

Episode 4 - Recorded live on KWXC 88.9 Christian Talk Radio

 We invite you to listen to the show live every Friday at noon CST on kwxcradio.com 

Ways to Start the New Year Right - Episode 2

Janie and I have enjoyed getting to spend some time reminiscing about 2016 and established our turning points for the year.

My turning point was April 2016 when I understood the protocols of forgiveness through Bruce and Toni Hebel and their ministry at forgivingforward.com.

Janie shared that her turning point was when God taught her to perserve through the daily pain in her body.

Establishing turning points will always help us to remember where God has brought us from and allow us to continually hold on to that victory.

We invite you to listen live every Friday at noon CST at kwxcradio.com

Episode 2 discusses things we can do differently in our conversations with God and each other.

Starting the New Year 2017 - Episode 1

It's been a few weeks since I have stopped to share with you my mentoring journey.  I have had a heavy class load at school which consumed my time before the Christmas season hit.

Now the new year is here and, like many of you, I have taken some time to reflect.  I have shared with you much of what God has done for me this past year; from helping me to learn how to forgive through the forgiveness protocols to opening the door for the Proverbs 31:30 Woman to Woman broadcast, it has been an amazing journey.  

As I begin this new year, my "resolution" is to have a closer relationship with the Lord at the end of this year than I have right now.  I know that may sound like a silly resolution since most Christians are naturally working toward growing in the Lord anyway, but I want to make a conscious effort toward my relationship with God.

It is easy to get busy, just as I did over the past few months, and neglect the most important relationship(s) in our lives; which includes our families.  Between work, school, church, chores, and errands, we can neglect spending time with our spouse, children, friends, and God.

I know I'm not alone in these struggles and I want to use all the resources God has given me, so the Woman to Woman show is changing slightly this year to be more focused on being a mentor on air.  I have asked Janie Ratzlaff to join me each week on the show to discuss a topic that relates to our Christian journey.

Janie has become a mentor to me over the past six months, not because I asked her to be, but because when I spend time with her I always walk away encouraged in the Lord, strengthend in my faith, and lifted in my spirit.  I hope you feel the same way as you spend time with us listening as we share in our relationship to the Lord.

We invite you to listen to the show live, every Friday at noon CST on kwxcradio.com

Episode 1 - Ways to Start the New Year Right

The Lost Generation

I have been fortunate to be able to bring much of my ministry work into my college classes and vise versa.  This blog actually started because my class, "Tools for the Digital Age" required a blog.  I was able to choose my topic and make it my own.

Mentoring is a subject that the Lord has laid on my heart and I have had the opportunity through school to research many aspects of mentoring.  Last semester I had to write a speech and video myself giving it.  The speech had to discuss a problem, a solution, cite five creditable sources, and call the audience to action in less than five minutes.

I chose mentoring, of course, what better subject could there be!?  It was difficult to get all the information in while citing other sources in such a short period of time.  I hope you are persuaded to look at your own heart, search for the right tools, and begin a new culture within your group.  You can watch the video by clicking the link below.

The Lost Generation 

Time is what separates each generation, but time is also what brings us together!

Open and Shut Doors

I have been hosting a radio show on KWXC 88.9 in Grove, Ok which can also be heard live at www.kwxcradio.com, every Friday at noon since April 2016.  The show is called Proverbs 31:30 Woman to Woman.  I invite Christian women to share what God has done in their life, what they are doing for the Him, or how they came to know Jesus as Lord.  Each woman that I have interviewed has had something valuable to share with me, and with all who listen to their story.  Some women step on my toes while others have opened my eyes and blessed my heart.  It has been exciting to watch these women light up with God’s love as they share about Him.

Recently, I had the privilege of sharing my testimony on the show.  The station owner, Debbie Martin, interviewed me about when I gave my life to the Lord, how I began writing, and the new door that has opened to host my own radio show.

After sharing my story, it’s hard to believe that it’s real.  There have been times in my Christian life that I felt stagnant, unproductive, and useless.  There have been things I have done that didn’t seem that they would ever be accomplished.  I think I wrote and re-wrote my first Bible study, “Rebekah’s Confidence”, three times over a period of two years.  I was afraid to publish it, scared to call myself an author, and terrified that others would hate it.  For me to now say that I have written and published three Bible studies is a long way from where I started 8 years ago. 

I am thankful for the doors that God has opened for me, and I am just as thankful for the doors He has shut in my face.  This year has been a pivotal year in my life with many doors opening to me and I am excited to be walking through those doors with His guidance each step of the way.

Remember to be thankful for the doors God shuts, they are blessings too.

Mentoring in the Church

Hello everyone, welcome to the first episode of Sharin Hearts; your Christian mentoring connection for resources, tools, and encouragement into the journey of discipleship through mentoring.  This is your host Sharon Hoskins. 

Today, I would like to talk about the lack of Christian mentoring within the church. 

While the church is faithful to offer discipleship to those who are new to the Christian faith, it has overlooked the importance of a continued discipleship through mentoring.

I didn’t understand the importance of having a mentor until recently and realized that the most difficult time of my Christian life was when I had no one to share it.    

Although I went to church and was a part of the ladies group, I didn’t have that specific person that I could call on for prayer and counsel. 

I’ve learned that having a mentor is having someone to share in my struggles and joys.

My mentor is my cheerleader, my sounding board, and my confidante.  She is a person that will pray with me, listen to my emotional craziness, and give me godly wisdom and counsel. 

I believe that the lack of mentoring offered in the church is a lack of an awareness of its importance.   

This problem can be solved by starting a program that connects women for the purpose of mentoring. 

This program would explain mentoring, make it available, and allow women to build relationships to find a mentor that is right for them. 

I started asking the ladies at my church about mentoring; their opinions, thoughts, ideas, and experiences.  This has already made an impact on at least one relationship.

With the help of two or three women who share the same passion, mentoring can become contagious within the church. 

Talking about it will make others aware of how important it is and cause them to join in. 

I would ask you to prayerfully consider mentoring, no woman is too young or old to be a mentor or have a mentor. 

I hope this has encouraged you to get involved in mentoring.  If you have any questions, ideas, or advice please leave a comment.  You can follow this site and like Sharin Hearts on Facebook; I’d love to have you join me on this journey to learn and grow together.

Let’s begin a new trend and start sharing our hearts through mentoring each other! 

I look forward to our future visits, talk to you soon…bye!