“There are two days you can’t do anything about, yesterday and tomorrow, all you have is today, and today is going to be a great day.” - Celine Dion. The Apostle Paul said “… but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead”… (Phil. 3:13 AMP).
The reason Jesus died for our sins is because we have them, we are not perfect, and we fail many ways. That’s why we need a Savior. As believers, we stand in our forgiveness, we are freed from our past failures and sins through the blood that was shed for us on the cross at Calvary. Karen O'Leary is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She has her BA in Bible Theology and her Masters of Divinity. She has 8-years of experience as a Social Director at a non-profit organization helping those in crisis with financial assistance, brief supportive counseling, and being a spiritual presence in their time of need. In her free time Karen enjoys reading, cooking and traveling.
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How can I help my baby become a good sleeper? What can I do to help my baby fall asleep? What sleep strategies can I try? Getting your baby to sleep can be a challenge and it is often the number one concern of parents. Even though there isn’t any sure way to get your baby to sleep, there are some things you can do to ease your mind and help the process along.
After 3 months, babies will sleep 13 to 15 hours a day, some more or less than others. Babies will also need naps from 2 to 4 times a day, so just remember not to let your baby nap too close to bedtime. Between 3 to 18 months, the baby learns to soothe himself to sleep. Place your baby down to sleep when he is drowsy but awake. Babies need to be able to fall asleep independently so that they can self- soothe when they wake in the middle of the night. Once your baby sleeps through the night, you can put him to sleep in his own room.
Just remember, babies don’t naturally take to sleeping through the night. Consistency is key. Sleep is a learned skill and it isn’t learned overnight. Karen O'Leary is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She has her BA in Bible Theology and her Masters of Divinity. She has 8-years of experience as a Social Director at a non-profit organization helping those in crisis with financial assistance, brief supportive counseling, and being a spiritual presence in their time of need. In her free time Karen enjoys reading, cooking and traveling. The next time you feel like putting someone in their place, put yourself in their place instead. (Anonymous) As I interact with the residents here at New Beginnings, listening to their problems, concerns, and resentments, along with their needs for right now and hopes for the future, I am reminded that I need empathy. I need to understand their responses to circumstances they are facing. I know (but knowing is not empathy) that past hurts influence reactions to present situations. I know that if we are believers, we are not all growing in the same way at the same time, but we are all growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I know that the bottom line is that I need to feel for the other person and listen. Though the word empathy does not appear in the Bible, the Scriptures do refer indirectly to the quality of empathy: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the laws of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) We need to give each other space to grow, using empathy, bearing with one another. Thankfully as Christians we don’t have to do this on our own, in our own ability, because we have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Karen O'Leary is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She has her BA in Bible Theology and her Masters of Divinity. She has 8-years of experience as a Social Director at a non-profit organization helping those in crisis with financial assistance, brief supportive counseling, and being a spiritual presence in their time of need. In her free time Karen enjoys reading, cooking and traveling. As a new year opens for us, let’s remember that God works every detail in our lives into something good. A new mother was sharing with me how God had so magnificently brought together so many details in her life to bring her to New Beginnings, and how God continues to bless her and her child through the New Beginnings program. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8: 28 One of the things that means so much to me is the devotional every evening at New Beginnings. It is a time for the staff and mothers to share their meal time, and be encouraged as we read and discuss Grace Moments together. Do you think you can lose something worth keeping by God’s ordering of the affairs of the world? You can’t! What a blessing to be able to come to New Beginnings and learn about our Savior! He is our God, and has called us according to His own purpose. God works out everything in agreement with the purpose of His will. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, (Ephesians 1:11). In Him, in everything that occurs we will gain something. It might be hope, or praise, holiness, faith, patience, wisdom, or something else. However, always our best interests are made sure. Everything is working for the good of those who love Him, and even if it may seem hard, it is the right way for us, the best way for us in the end. Karen O'Leary is an Assistant Home Manager at New Beginnings. She has her BA in Bible Theology and her Masters of Divinity. She has 8-years of experience as a Social Director at a non-profit organization helping those in crisis with financial assistance, brief supportive counseling, and being a spiritual presence in their time of need. In her free time Karen enjoys reading, cooking and traveling. Today I would like to talk about friendship. The dictionary defines it as: 1. the state of being a friend; association as friends: to value a person's friendship. 2. a friendly relation or intimacy. 3. friendly feeling or disposition. One Sunday a month the residents, staff, and RAs at New Beginnings-A Home For Mothers go to church together; afterwards we join for a family meal. This is called Friendship Sunday. Two Sundays ago, as we all (there were ten of us) walked into St, Marcus, a beautiful modern Gothic style church with large stained glass windows, we heard perfect harmony coming from the four person choir as they sang Friend of God. Written by Israel Houghten it goes: "Who am I that you are mindful of me, that you hear me when I call. Is it true that you are thinking of me. How you love me, it's amazing." Then 3 XS the chorus - "I am a friend of God." finishing with "He calls me friend. God Almighty, Lord of glory. You have called me friend." That is not a small thing! That is a mind blowing, life changing concept. Through Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross we have been united with God and we are called His friends, James 2:23 says "And the scripture was fulfilled that says, " Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God's friend." In John 15:15 Jesus says, "I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Do you believe that today?
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