A

In this new year I challenged you to discover who you are.

One realization I've discovered is this:

Almost every time someone stops by the house,

or if I'm hanging out at someone else's home,

I tend to grab a magazine and start thumbing through it.

I find myself needing to keep busy.

Sitting still does not come easy for me.

(I guess that is one of the side effects of raising 5 children.)

Another observation

  about myself is

 I always look 

at a magazine

from back to front.

Why?  I don't know why.  I just do.

I don't know if it's

the excitement
of getting to the end

wanting to know and see the whole picture

not wanting to miss out

or just habit.

Before I read the bible

there are a couple lines from a couple verses
that always flash through my mind
and stir in my heart.
Interestingly those couple of verses are at the 

 back or end of the bible.

...If anyone adds anything to them...
...And if anyone takes words away...

Revelation 22:18-19* 

18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll:

If anyone adds anything to them,

 God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.

19And if anyone takes words away

 from this scroll of prophecy,

God will take away from that person 

any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, 

which are described in this scroll.

Whenever I set out to separate truth from lies.

Meaning:
set out before me, side by side
I have the bible- Truth 

and

I have the NWT(New World Translation-Jehovah's Witness Bible)- Lies.

There are verses that begin to stir in me that won't allow me to sit still.

I feel a sense of urgency to unveil to you 

what has been unveiled to me.

One verse in particular get's me going every time it never fails.

John 1:1 KJV

The Bible reads:

In the beginning was the Word, 

and the Word was with God,

 and the Word was God.

The NWT reads:

In [the] beginning the Word was,

 and the Word was with God,

 and the Word was  A god. **

Stay with me here...

Now remember 

I do not hold any bachelors, masters, or doctrinal degrees 

in English, grammer, punctuation, The Dictionary or of any such related topics.

I do not hold any degree for that matter.  Which could be held against me by some.

However I am a layman/laywoman who wants the truth so I dig.
I dig, and pray, and wait for "The Truth" to be revealed to me by God through his word.

Now if I take John 1:1 and parallel them I see that

  in the 1st line there are some words moved around

the 2nd line is the same

and the 3rd line a word is added.

One letter. One word.

A

The first letter of the English alphabet.
A

Definition according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary on-line:
A; is used as a function word.
A; is used as a function word before a singular noun followed by a restrictive modifier
Example:  a man who was here yesterday
Any: a man who is sick can't work

Interesting Any...
Definition Any: one or some indiscriminately of whatever kind:
one or another taken at random.

This one letter, this one word
may not seem like much to some.
Some have said
"What does it matter?"
"Your bible says that, ours says this, it's really the same thing."

This one  added  word
changes, denies, and ultimately strips Christ of his deity.

It is one of the beginning processes
of the mind stripping
mind controlling
the reprogramming
 of who God is and who God is not according to Jehovah's Witnesses.
This is one of the defining doctrinal beliefs in the Jehovah's Witness Organization
that Jesus is not God.

We have been told to say and fully believe, be fully convinced
"That yes indeed we believe in Jesus."
"That we don't deny Him."
"Yes as a Jehovah Witness
we believe that Jesus existed
that he walked this earth."
"Jesus was The Greatest Teacher who Ever Lived."
"He is the example we are to follow."
"He is like a god."
"He is godlike, but not God."

He would fall into the any, category according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

We were told to say these things at each door we knocked on.
"Yes that of course we believe in the same person."
However as you begin to study, and learn, and go deeper into the
doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses
we were told
that Jesus is
A god.
That he is in fact Michael the Arc Angel.
That Jesus is not coming back.
That Jesus was not with God before creation.
There is a plethora of lies told about Jesus
that I once believed.

A god?

NO!

GOD!

God always was.
He was not created.
He was not an after thought.
Jesus is God.
Jesus is God in the flesh.

He is not
A god.
He is not just some other idol or god to think about believing in, or worshiping
for some sort of spiritual enlightenment.
Not to be used for a good energy or vibe to feel.
Once again, not to be thrown into the any category.

He is God.
The God to be revered.
The God to be respected.
The God that has all of life in Him and through Him.
The God who created all things.
The One and Only God.

He is the One who wants you to come to know Him.
He wants you to be free and know
"The Truth."
He doesn't want you to be bound any longer.
He doesn't want you sitting in limbo.
He wants to unveil to you
Who He is.
GOD


He says;
"I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end,"says the Lord God.
  " I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come--the Almighty One."

Revelation 1:8

It amazes me what one little-BIG word
A
added to God's word can do.
It can strip God of everything He is.

*Revelation 22:18-19 (my emphasis added)
** My emphasis added on  A .

New Year Challenge-Discover Who You Are...

I'm 38 years old.

Most women don't like to share their age

I on the other hand, don't have any qualms about it.

Maybe that will change once I turn 40 or 50

but for now

I feel like I've just begun to live these past 8 years.

As I discover more about myself

my likes, my dislikes

what brings me up and what takes me down

I get more familiar with

me, myself, and I.

One thing I have made an observation about
 is that if you were born and raised as a Jehovah's Witness
things for you are slightly different
then if you entered the organization as an adult.

When entering the organization as an adult
you entered with a free-open mind.
You fell into a trap
were mislead for a time
but were able to make
assessments
observations
 and begin the process
of breaking through the trap to that place of being free once again.
Able to adapt back into "the real world."

Being born and raised as a Jehovah's Witness
you are conditioned from infancy on.
How you acted
 talked
 behaved
was normal
inside the organization.
A place where things are decided for you and
you learn to not question
and you always go with the flow.
Making decisions do not always come easy.
Adapting in "the real word" is different.
 It's a whole new world.
Language, lingo, academics, jokes, every day banter
 in "the real word"
is foreign when you come out of the organization.

When you come from a mind controlling background
 there comes a day when you question

Who am I?

Freedom can seem overwhelming.
Sometimes that freedom takes you further than you ever thought you'd go.

When most people have had a lifetime
 to develop social skills
voice their opinion-admitting likes and dislikes
practice the 1st amendment-freedom of speech
these everyday normal ways of life
  can sometimes feel like a daunting task and may pose to be a challenge.

I want to challenge you in this
New Year.

Discover who you are.
Begin to admit your likes and dislikes.
Ask God who He made you to be.

Here's a little bit of what God spoke to me when I began my self discovery 8 years ago.

"You know who you are

You are the girl
 who had her room painted pink and still love pink.

You are the girl
who loved to swing on the tire swing under the willow tree.

You are the girl

who was every bit girly girl

and every bit tom boy because of all those brothers.

You are the girl 

who loves to give special gifts.

You are that girl
who is loyal to the bitter end.
Just be who I created you to be."

What is holding you back from discovering who you truly are?

If there's something or someone you need to go see-Then Go.

If you need to just go discover the forgotten-Then Go.

If it's starting a whole new beginning-Then Go.

But go with the Love that is stirring within you this very moment.

38 years ago there was a love that brought me into this world
every new direction
every new discovery
every new step I take
where ever I go off too...
 I make sure I take that same Love with me.
Christ the Creator of my beginning.

The miracle isn't the life I missed.

It's the life I got.