Enjoying the Journey

Before the weekend approaches, I learned another valuable lesson that I wanted to share.

When I write my devotionals, I typically write out everything and then go back to fix, rearrange and edit it. Many times after sending it, I realize that there were several typos and grammatical errors. I get irritated and beat myself up over it and then if someone sends me a message pointing out the errors, mainly one of them being my sixteen year old. She loves grammar so much that she is nicknamed “The Grammar Nazi.” I have learned more about grammar from my sixteen year old than I ever learned from school.

I appreciate the art of grammar and value the literary world but I also often tell her that sometimes while focusing on the imperfections you miss the message. While focusing on the flaws, you may lose appreciation of the beauty. While being so busy with details, you can become distracted and lose the lesson. While walking down a broken, dirt covered path, you forget to look up at the beautiful scenery surrounding you.

This can come in many forms.

For example, I love to be a hospitable host. When people visit, I like to have the food perfect, the atmosphere relaxed and I want them to feel welcome. Sometimes I am so busy focused on perfecting that I never really get to enjoy their company.
I have witnessed many bride- to-be’s doing the exact same thing. They get so focused on the details of the wedding planning that the engagement period is diluted into stress and worry taking focus off of the marriage. The wedding is the ceremony that is in celebration of the marriage and only lasts a few hours but the marriage is a lifetime.

So I ask you before leaving for the weekend, “What is more important- The journey or the destination?” I encourage you to enjoy your life’s journey and all of the flaws, mistakes and trials that come along with it. Embrace those that you love and enjoy their company and embrace those that challenge you as they make you stronger. The beauty of our life is that it is unpredictable, our mistakes become our lessons and we never know when it is going to end.

If you see typos in my devotionals, just laugh it off. One thing I know for sure is that my typos are there to remind me that I still have a long way to go on my journey, but I am enjoying the ride!

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

Have a blessed weekend!

© Copyrights, All rights reserved

Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

God's Jesters

Do you sometimes find yourself in situations that you wonder how you got into them, yet again? You just wanted to have fun. The next thing you know, you woke up somewhere that you did not plan on. After the party is over, you are left with a spirit of brokeness. It overwhelms you with feelings of guilt, inadequacy, insecurity and unworthiness? You think, "How could I be so foolish?"

These are God’s jesters. They are the people who bring us our happiest memories in our lives; the life of the party that always bring jokes and fun. They make you laugh so hard that your stomach hurts with their wit, charm and sense of humor. They love to socialize and party. They are spontaneous, free-spirited and love to live life on the edge. Their downfall is that they tend to juggle with sin that sometimes lead them to make foolish decisions that bring serious repercussions. The same virtue that makes them a ball of joy is the same virtue that makes them susceptible and vulnerable to sin. Life would be boring without the jesters, wouldn’t it?

These are the fools that God so loves and are often called for a divine purpose. They have a spark and charm within that call attention to the masses because of their vibrant spirit. God calls the foolish to turn to Him to show the power of His spirit. So if you see yourself as a jester, don’t be mistaken, you have a divine calling. God calls the foolish because He wishes to transform them into the wise.

God specializes in super-natural transformation. What once was, will longer be with the power of God!

Read and meditate on the scripture below:

“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:20-31

Have a blessed week!

© Copyrights, All rights reserved

Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

The Red Pill = Truth

The concept of the "red pill" in the 1999 film “The Matrix”. A hacker named Morpheus offers a choice to the film's protagonist, Neo, to take the blue pill, where "the story ends, you wake up in your comfortable bed and believe whatever you want to believe", or to take the red pill, where "you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbithole goes." - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Working in the industry that I work in and the communities that I serve, I have seen society deteriorate at a disturbing rate that is hard to keep up with. I believe that it may be due to our “need for speed” or in other words, our desire for instant gratification. This is the world of the blue pill. It makes you comfortable and life extremely convenient but it also supresses the truth. It's a false reality.

The red pill is truth. Can you handle the truth?

We live in an age of technology and convenience. As a child, I remember when we had to get up and turn the knob on the television, turn the dial on the rotary phone and if we needed to communicate from a distance, we probably had to handwrite a letter and send it through the mail. We had to wait for a video or cassette tape to rewind in order to watch or listen to it. If we needed to do research, we actually had to go to our local library and look through the index catalogs. We would cook our food more times than not, work a paper route to get something as small as a pair of Converse and more than half of my friends came from two parent households. Today, we have remote controls, plasma T.V’s, cell phones, laptops, internet, email, iPods, fast-food, prescription drugs, Google and single parent households are the normal family structure. We even want instant salvation without picking up the cross and the burden of carrying it.

So you may be asking, “How does this relate?”

When everything is at our fingertips, some of our most precious and valued fruits of the spirit are suppressed such as patience, contentment and gratitude. Not only does it suppress those virtues, but it also breeds bad character traits such as anger, selfishness and shallow desires. If we sit in traffic too long, we scream and shout. If the internet isn’t fast enough, we get irritated. If we have marital troubles, we file for divorce, if we don’t watch our step and trip in a grocery store, we file a lawsuit.

We live in a world where everything can be upgraded and replaced. The billboards, commercials and music lyrics surround us with messages of materialism and encourages us to upgrade. If you don’t like it, upgrade. If it gets old and boring, upgrade. If it requires too much maintenance, upgrade.

Instant gratification pours over into relationships and finances. Don’t believe me?

• We have the highest Bankruptcy filings ever in U.S. history.
• We have the highest Foreclosure rate ever in U.S. history.
• We have the highest Divorce rate in U.S. history.
• Single parent household count for 40% of all families in the U.S.

In January 2009, Apple made one of the highest net profits in history. If you remember this time period, it was also a time of economic disaster. Although our neighbors, families and friends were unemployed and on the verge of homelessness, we still bought iphones and ipods. It makes me wonder where the next generation is heading. If you don’t know how to wait on anything, how will you ever learn about patience, contentment and gratitude? At the rate of the bulleted stats above, I’m afraid two parent households and personal accountability will be a thing of the past. Satan is busy at work. With the second arrival of Christ, he is attempting to fill our heads and spirits will unnecessary clutter and noise to distract us from Christ.

He will not stop until our homes are filled with materialistic designer clothing that we cannot afford yet our home and our neighbors home is in foreclosure, our children are fatherless and we care so much about instantly gratifying our desires, that we forget that we are servants of Christ.

I encourage you this week to take a look at your life. Are you content or are you always looking for the next best thing? What is more important to you? A home full of “things”or heart full of joy? Are you falling into Satan’s trap or are you following the footsteps of Christ?

Excerpts from the Matrix:


Morpheus: Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Neo: The Matrix.
Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is?
Neo: Yes.
Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind.

“Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25

Have a blessed week!

© Copyrights, All rights reserved

Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

The Highway of Life

Last night after I left work, I was rushing to get home so that my son could get in at least one hour of swim-time before the pool closed and I was stopped three times. Once by construction, the second by a car accident and then a third by a train. My twenty-five minute commute turned into an hour. I found myself aggravated until I pulled up to the accident scene and saw that someone was hurt and the woman was standing outside of her car crying. I immediately felt guilty.

It made me think. Life is much like a highway. We all share the journey and arrive at a destination. As I sat there waiting on traffic I noticed two things:

The Drivers:

Some want to rush through traffic as fast as they can, not appreciating the sunrises or sunsets on the way. Some go too slow missing entrance and exit ramps called opportunity. Some of us drive and get aggravated at other drivers because we have somewhere to be, honking the horn, cursing and screaming making all kinds of unnecessary noise. There are those that take short cuts, cutting off people who were in the lane first, making U-turns, ignoring stop signs and red lights.

There are those who are so focused on their own journey that they ignore others attempts to pull into a lane that they having been patiently waiting for. There are those that are very generous, always allowing other to pull in front of them or stop and help someone who is stalled along side of the road.

The Signs:

The stoplights and stop signs are there to remind us that everyone gets a turn. When it’s your turn, the light will be green, when it’s not, the light will be red. Then there is the yellow light reminding you to take caution before proceeding. The stop signs tell us to stop first, look both ways, then proceed.

The highway signs are a guide telling us where to go and how to get there. Sometimes we pay attention and sometimes we ignore them but it doesn’t negate the fact that they exist. We just need to look up.

The construction and detour signs are such a pain and they are so inconvenient. Without construction, there would be no roads to drive on or bridges to cross. They exist to pave a path to our destination. Yes, they sometimes make us late to our destination, but maybe that is the plan. Maybe that construction and detour signs are there to show us another way. It may not be convenient but the path we are on is too dangerous to drive on.

The funerals, fire-truck, ambulance and police sirens. Why does it seem like whenever you are in a hurry, that you run into one? They are there coming to the rescue of someone who had a rougher road than you. They need help. While you are there complaining about those sirens, someone is facing a life and/or death situation.

The police radars and speed limit signs. It seems like they exist just to harass you but what if they were gone? You wouldn’t have anything to remind you to slow down on your journey. Going too fast can cause accidents and a lot of people can get hurt. They keep you disciplined and accountable.

Last but not least, the construction workers. It seems there is always construction but never any workers. Does that mean that they don’t exist? Of course not. Keeping the road safe for millions of drivers takes a lot of work. Maybe you can’t see them because they are ahead of you clearing the path and building a firm foundation so that you can make it to your destination safely.

I encourage you this week that when you are driving, look around at all the drivers and signs. We all share this journey and we all have destinations so be kind and patient to one another. Take a breath and if you get detoured, that just means that your ultimate construction worker, God is paving your path.

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. Proverbs 15:18

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20

Have a blessed week!

© Copyrights, All rights reserved
Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

Temptation of the Serpent

Have you ever wanted something so bad and you know isn’t good for you but it just seems so irresistible?

This is the Forbidden Fruit that surrounds us in our daily lives.

We always want what we can’t have, aren’t content or happy with what we already have and even though we know it may cost us a great deal, we take a bite anyway.

It’s so beautiful, enticing and tempting, isn’t it? It seduces you with false promises that it is far better than the dull fruit that you have been eating for so long and that once you taste it you’ll never be the same. It carries a haunting glow and sweet aroma making your mouth water and your heart race.

It can take many forms such as fame, fortune, women, men, cars, houses, affairs and careers.

The Forbidden Fruit is there to test our obedience and measures our level of contentment, loyalty, and faith in our lives. It exists to test your mind, body and spirit. It separates the strong from the weak.

Don’t be mistaken. The forbidden fruit is guarded by the serpent, not by God. God never promised that temptation would not come our way, but that he has given the ability to overcome those urges. It is up to us to use it. Temptation is not the sin, submitting to it is.

Take a look at your life. Are there people, places and things that are calling you, begging you and luring you to just come and take a bite? Have there been situations in the past where you finally took a bite and that tiny bite sent poison throughout your veins and caused you to choke to the point that you can’t breathe? That bite took everything you loved and came with a hefty price tag that you couldn’t afford. It didn’t taste as good and was not as delicious as it appeared and the satisfaction was short-lived. Now when you look back, you miss the fruit that you had been eating all along. The fruit that you had was far greater than the forbidden fruit; you just lost your appreciation for what was given freely.

I encourage you this week to take a look at your life. Appreciate all of the beautiful fruit around you. Take care of it. The more you care for the fruit in your life, the more it will flourish. If you are busy gazing at the forbidden fruit, your fruit may be spoiling.

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 1 Timothy 1:7

"Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Genesis 3:13

Have a blessed week!


© Copyrights, All rights reserved


Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

Change Starts Within

Have you ever found yourself analyzing others and quickly judging them? You may not speak it but you may certainly be thinking it.

On my way to work this morning, I was running late as usual. (I’m still praying on that one!)

Of course everytime I am running late, I hit every red light on my way. As I pulled up to a red light out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman applying makeup and texting! The first thought that came to mind was, “Couldn’t she do that at home?” Then it hit me! It was my reflection in an office building window. I felt a sudden embarrassment come over me and then it was followed by guilt. Of all the layers that God is peeling off of me day after day, I still struggle with that nasty sin called pride.

It is so easy to look at others short-comings, faults and behavior. The real revelation comes when we realize that change starts within. Self-Reflection is the harshest reality! How can you change the world if you don't change yourself first?

This week when you find your thoughts critiquing someone, imagine that person being you. In fact, pull out a mirror and look at the reflection.

“Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Author Unknown

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

Have a blessed week!


© Copyrights, All rights reserved

Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25

The High Price of Fame

I was flipping through channels and there was a show that I came across and watched called “Toddlers & Tiaras.” I was quite disturbed as I watched these little girls forced into beauty pageants undergoing hours and hours of hair, makeup and coaching by their mothers. They had hair extensions, spray on tans, false teeth to replace the missing teeth that most children proudly display, false eyelashes, nails and clothing that you would typically see on Vegas showgirls.

The mothers would either pressure the girls to be something that weren’t and the child would become upset or the mother would cater and bribe the child so that they would comply making the child spoiled with a nasty attitude. The competition is fierce and the pressure to be perfect is very apparent as you look at the child’s faces. I felt sorrow and pity as I watched the torture that they endured attempting to smile through the make-up but found it difficult. Their innocence and inner spirit was being drowned with make-up, glitz and glamour.

This reminds me of Brittany Spears and the grooming that took place when she was a child. She was thrust into the public eye as a pre-teen sexualized for fame and fortune. This was all done at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and raise her up in the way that she should go.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

She became an American sex symbol that young girls worshiped and idolized and grown men lusted after. If you follow her today, you can pretty much come to a conclusion that none of the beauty, fame nor fortune bought her love, contentment or inner peace.

In fact, many of the childhood celebrities that were thrust in the public eye while their minds and spirits were still developing have had issues with drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, broken relationships and suicide. As they rise to stardom and are idolized, they are surrounded by lights, cameras and fans and they attract people who just want them for what they can get. Then as the beauty, fame and fortune fades and dwindles, they are not accustomed to the loneliness and do not recognize their own reflection. They realize that they were just a product, a novelty for sale and no one ever really knew who they really were as a person. Do they even know who they really are?

This doesn’t just apply to celebrities. The professional sports industry is a very dark industry as well. Fame and fortune arrives with a hefty price-tag. Very few can handle the pressures that come along with it. It’s just like the old saying, “All that glitters ain’t gold!”

Parents, before you thrust your child into the entertainment industry, please think about the cost that comes along with it. What is your child’s soul worth? What is your soul worth? Scripture made it clear as it pertains to thrusting a child into darkness, sin and idolatry.

“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:6


© Copyrights, All rights reserved


Have a blessed weekend!

Katrina Green
President
Butterfly Ministries, Inc.

Take a Stand. Spread the Word. Save the Butterflies ♥


"It is the mission of Butterfly Ministries, Inc. to empower and inspire positive transformation in girls and young women by encouraging them to take a stand against gender exploitation and to give rise to a historic revolution."

COMING SOON! Join the Butterfly Movement!

Launching Fall 2010!

"Strength and honor was her clothing" Proverbs 31:25