A chance to defeat stress?

http://thestressoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stress.jpg

Hey Readers,

Today I'm dishing out a dose of reality that we all experience, and that my dear readers, is stress.
I don't know about you guys, but whenever i get stressed, i feel unbelievably guilty...do you?
why that is? easy! because i get told it is wrong to worry.
I mean, whenever i talk to anyone about my premature grey hair (just kidding). They always say that we are to trust! often times that's not exactly what i want to hear.

I want a pity- fest for crying out loud, is that too much to ask!?

the answer is yes, it is too much to ask. Sorry. 

 Now, now, don't go closing this page with an eyes rolling saying "here we go again, no one understands!"
because i do, seriously.

I am a teen girl in university studying youth work, which is like social work only focused on teenagers who have issues like abuse, mental, physical or spiritual, depression and suicide, and anything from alcohol to drugs, well, anything really.
Now tell me that's not stressful! Not only that, but as I'm sure most of you are experiencing that family life is.not.easy! It's enough to make you lose hair like crazy, and add in other factors,volunteer jobs, responsibilities, lack of sleep, work and sometimes, church could be a pressure you face.
We have now a recipe to reduce the toughest body builder to tears.

Sheesh, sometimes (most times) I like to imagine myself hopping on a plane and moving as far from life as possible! Canada became one of my favourite words when i think of running away.
However, like what my Pastor's wife tells me when i speak of my Canada fantasy, she'll say something wise like:

"No matter how far you run, your trouble will always catch up to you, so why not face them now?"
Yep she's wise and sometimes it's not what i want to hear, hands up people who huff when the truth is told?
i must say, i am positively guilty of pouting at such words.

praise the Lord for patient church leaders!

So what does the Bible say about the evil that is stress? Let's see, wow there's actually boat loads!

"Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you' he shall never permit the righteous to be moved." -Psalm 55:22

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11: 28 - 30

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 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 40:30-31

AND SOOO MANY MORE VERSES! So Amen anyone? The Lord knows i'm young and weary! This week has been trialing for me, I'm facing things at the moment that are not fun, stress is making me sick (literally).
 You know those people who overeat when they get stressed? well, for me it's the opposite. When i get this badly stressed, i don't eat at all and when i do i feel horrible stomach pain, and feel like the food will come back up!
 So this results in me not having enough nutrition and having university friends ask me why I look like I'm about to faint.
Not good stuff! one meal a day is not enough to function at university...i'm learning that now!

So what's the right thing to do? I guess i may as well sing a bit of frozen "let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore! let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the dooorr etc..."

  okay, here is a few tips to let things go:

 1. acknowledge that you're stressed or you have a problem! (this may seem obvious, but majority of people don't know they are stressed until a meltdown happens!)

2. If you start crying, that's okay! (tears often help, i find when I'm bawling my eyes out, tears are the beginning of healing and prayer sessions get more intense!)

 3. Find a GODLY (and i stress the Godly) someone you trust that has a no judgement policy! (This helps! You need a Godly someone to open your heart to, how else will you get good and sensible advice? i have two people in my life and church, my pastor's wife and a youth leader! If you do not have these, maybe find a christian counselor or christian youth worker?)

 5. Be honest with yourself (any anger and resentment bubbling inside of you?)

 6. Remember, God loves you, he doesn't condemn you because you worry, he wants to give you rest and take your heavy load! (remember Matthew 11: 28-30?)

 7. Smile, and take time to go on long walks or start working out!

8. Nothing worries you less than taking the Bible and reading God's promises and his acts of love (I will never leave nor forsake you- Deuteronomy 31:6)

 9. Pray!

10. Think of the good things in your life and not just the nasty!

 11. Things will get better, Hope is the enemy of stress, anxiety and depression. Hope in God and he WILL see you through the storms of life!

12. You can't run away, face the issues now and the stress will one day be a distant albeit unpleasant memory, but you'll remember how the Lord came alongside to help you, because you asked him to be there with you :)  Hope that helps!

We were MADE to thrive! (A take on Psalm 1)

ARE YOU THRIVING?  

Emmeline's Photography-Redwoods New Zealand
yes i did take this amazing photo!

Readers! HELLO! yes I'm still alive. I know, I know, I had to take a special trip to space since April...they didn't have internet there...so, i couldn't blog. Just kidding!

Let's begin by a few questions-

1. Are you happy? I'm not talking about happy in the sense that you're not exactly throwing your body on the floor, and bawling your eyes out, so that must constitute as you being okay and happy. I'm talking about a happiness that radiates out of your soul, you can't help but throw your hands in the air to worship and laugh.

2. Are you simply surviving? again I mean this in the sense of- do you wake up everyday to simply...well go back to bed later? Or are you waking up in a very sponge-bob manner and saying:

"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it (!!)." -Psalm 118: 24

okay some more questions later about your self-evaluation, lets begin with another Psalm:

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. -Psalm 1:1-3 

I know most days when I sometimes (most times) throw my body out of bed, i have the insane urge to throw my hands in the air and declare- "it is all meaningless!" (come on I can't be the only one)

But then, in the throws of my teenage tantrum, i realize that, well, if i get out of bed thinking that I'm going to do nothing worthwhile, then my big problem here is that my spiritual condition is less than alright. I'm shriveling up...not exactly thriving at all...and definitely not being like a tree planted by the rivers of water! fruitful what is that?!

I guess I got the wake up call that what I've been doing lately is merely surviving, and that's quiet sad, definitely not what the LORD has in mind. You know what I mean?

So that's when I decided, enough is enough! ladies and gentleman, inwardly you know you want so much more than just surviving too! I mean have another look at that picture, isn't it pretty? (i know I'm biased) but don't you want your life to radiate such wonders, growth, fruitfulness and just absolute awesomeness (I am aware that this is not a word :P)

When I went into my local christian bookstore and saw the new casting crown album and saw the cover, i was intrigued and quickly made my purchase. When the song 'thrive' came up, i couldn't help feel a deep sense of happiness at it, (yes, some serious head-bobbing was happening, maybe a little dancing too!)

I realized that, that particular song had something special in it. You see its not so much the song itself, its the lyrics...the message and the scripture behind the song that made me feel so unbelievably happy! dare I say even Hopeful!
Here have another little read of the lyrics:

So living water flowing through, God we thirst for more of You. Fill our hearts and flood our souls With one desire,  Just to know You, and To make You known, We lift Your name on High. Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide, We know we were made for so much more Than ordinary lives, It's time for us to more than just survive. We were made to thrive.

Now a bible verse:

"...So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:17-19

to have purpose on this earth we need to be GROUNDED in love, have faith. Take a dose of the wonderful Living Waters that is Christ, how you might ask? spend time with him. Not just 20 minutes of reading the word, while mentally blanking out or make plans for the weekend, OR think what you might eat in a moment.

Find your joy in Christ because Joy +Love + Faith =Growth (Thriving)

again some Lyrics from that song:

Joy Unspeakable, Faith Unsinkable, Love Unstoppable, Anything is possible!

That's what I'm talking about, those are the things that make us alive.

So start living my friends! The bible says:

One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.

in other words, life is short!

change your mindset and see the glories of being alive!
It isn't easy...but then again, is anything worthwhile easy?

we live in a world that endorse easy living, we become spiritually lazy. I know! trust me i do! so i challenge myself, just as I do you! stop merely living, if we begin thriving...we might just have some -positive change in this world....hey now, wouldn't that be awesome?

so my last question is this- what are YOU going to do now?

check out Casting Crowns' song on YouTube via this URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M
Disclaimer:- The Lyrics of the Thrive song is by Casting Crowns, Not my own at all.

Everything was meaningless...a chasing after the wind.

Dear Readers,

I know I've been M.I.A for the past two or so months, I had started University, and assignments kept piling up, but I do apologize because blogging is a commitment!
Observation of the month: While attending University, I have never realized how easy it is to forget yourself and to become someone you're not. Its appalling really when you think about it, all notions of who you are in Christ suddenly takes a back-corner, and you end up submerging yourself in the non-Christian world.
That is if you're not in a Christian University, which my area is sadly lacking...but even then, nothing is guaranteed...but I digress.

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun."- Ecclesiastes 2:11 NKJV

or in other words:

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."- Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV

It's really interesting when you realize that the wisest man on earth saw all he did as a waste of his life...as a torrential waste of time. Food for thought-
I strongly believe that in the end of Solomon's life, he saw it all like that because he knew that all he had done was not unto the LORD but unto his own desires...fleshly desires that led him to his downfall.
Have you read Solomon's story? Its worth a look I assure you!

Now don't go scoffing at Solomon, because he began the same as we all do; with a determined purpose to serve God with all his heart, soul and might, and by golly he was like a torpedo! He began to build the temple of God with a single intent: build the dwelling place for the glory of God and to honor his Father's (David)- dream. Soon enough, Solomon began to feel he wanted more, his thought pattern changed, it wasn't about pleasing God anymore, it was all about him (i like to call it me-ism). He began to think that he was king after all, wasn't God pleased with him? Didn't he deserve more? (Isn't that always what we tell ourselves? how deluded are we?) but to Solomon that meant 'women' that was his weakness...but enough about that for now.

My point is- it's just too easy to forget that the things you've set out to do for God, If your mind is off of Christ, then your purpose tends to simmer away and complications come to bamboozle you from your walk of faith. Then all that's left is a huge mark of regret and utter dejection, because you wanted to serve the LORD so much, but now, you believe that you can't do it...you can't reach it and you feel guilty. Wake up and smell the toffee my friend! Solomon's fate doesn't have to be yours! Christ came to give us a second chance! Is there a lingering sin in your life that is hindering you and making your walk with God more like a drag? Or more like something that began so awesome and now feels like a pain? It's time to reevaluate your set-out commitments to Christ.

I just want to be blunt and tell you, you can be the best looking, unbelievably talent and whatever else the world holds dear today, but all of THAT stuff is MEANINGLESS! because at the end of the day the Bible says:

"...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal".- Matthew 6:20

Key point- wealth perishes!

The things that hold worth in this life is-

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." - Galatians 5:22-25

So have you felt slack lately? Losing the joy of your salvation? then read up on David's plight when he had transgressed against God. Psalm 51 is a comfort, it is a prayer of repentance.

You can do it friends, don't you want to say at the end of it all and say:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."- 2 Timothy 4:7

let that be your war cry, keep your eyes on Christ! you can do it, we all stumble, but Christ is always there for us! Stop thinking of what this will profit you, and renew your mind to focus on Christ! and don't forget:

"We love Him because He first loved us" - 1 John 4:19

God bless you Readers!

A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson

Book review

I was given this ARC by Bethany House publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

A sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson is a story of forgiveness as well as how love can bud through loss.
This story portrays two protagonist named Marty (Martha) and Jake, both no longer believe in love due to many hurts from the past and through a 'convenient marriage arrangement' both are either running away from something or seeking to please someone.

Now, let's get to business. I give this book a whooping 2.5 stars out of 5.

I will not lie, I love Tracie's books but this one did not amaze me, to be honest i found that it lacked depth.
I say that because we first meet a still grieving widow who can't bear to remain in her home state, so of course she seeks to run away from the daunting memories. Then we meet Jake, who is also a widower who feels much the same, and after many betrayals and hurts, he's sworn off love.

This book had some really nice themes but again, it felt like everything was too easy. The problems they faced were so easily fixed, faith in God restored without a large amount of struggle despite the fact that the characters appeared to have monumental issues and anger towards God, yet 'BAM!' easy fix...no worries. The Romance...it was too quick! no love comes softly and flourishes into something sigh-worthy, Jake and Marty despite Jake's unwillingness to love and Marty's broken heart, they fall in love so quickly that it made it feel so unrealistic.

But let's be a bit more positive shall we? Tracie Peterson is so amazing in setting the scene, the description of Denver and it's opulent society was really well done! I must say, I praise the Lord that I don't live in those days, i don't think I could handle it! but also i'd probably be a servant...but I digress. I truly enjoyed the household servants! Brighton and Mrs. Landry were so cute, to be perfectly honest, the secondary characters had more depth and complexities to them than the main 2 characters! What up with that?
What I did like though, was the one realistic quality to Marty's character, Tracie Peterson did something a lot of writers don't usually do, and that's to make the character a *wait for it* LIAR...so that was nicely done! I really liked Alice! She's so sweet and strong in the faith, she also had spunk! But again, that means I like a secondary character more than the main.

Now the no-no thing for me...a pet-peeve of sorts- is to finish a book without completing the story. I swear that when i got to the last page, i felt like a chunk had been left out! It didn't say anything on who Mr. Smith was, nor anything about Marty and Jake with the Texas situation nor didn't it explain why Mr. Morgan was investing so much in Jake, I mean, he could be plain nice...but it doesn't feel like the Morgans would invest in someone without an expected return. I know authors like to leave cliff-hangers to make the readers excited about the next book, but this one annoyed me frankly...too much was missing!

You'll like this book if you want an easy and very light read...without lots of conflict and a quick romance.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I promised honesty.
.
Congratulations Tracie Peterson on your 100th book!    

- E

This is your wake up call! (Fear of growing up?)

Redeem your time. 

"redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is... -Ephesians 5:16-18"

Hello Readers,
Lately I've been keenly aware at how fast time is in it's passing, seriously we're already advancing into February 2014, that's talking crazy to me.
When I was a child i used to wonder at time and think on just how slow it went, I did the usual thing for a young bored girl- play with my toys, draw and sigh my young life away and yet the days never seemed to move fast enough. So here I was; my seven year old self wondering when i would become the young adult I aspired to be, ah you know what i mean! I didn't want to remain the awkward, curly haired, skinny little girl but the dashingly beautiful princess...yea that didn't work out too well. However, little did I know or realize was that it would come sooner than i expected! It felt kind of like being hit by a truck at full speed, because one moment i was playing with my toys, the next I'm wondering at my life's purpose...yea toys definitely sound more fun.

My point is, is that growing up is frightening stuff, because all the sudden you have all these responsibilities and you realize that hey, money really doesn't grow on trees. (yes, yes i know paper is made from trees, don't argue with me.) Also you realize that man,you now have to consider the amount of electricity you use or how much food you eat, but the more astounding thing is when you understand that you can't always buy that puurr-fect outfit or the latest Ipad because let's face it; you need to save your dollars to spend on things like University or Rent.Joy.

Now I know I made that sound anxiety- worthy, but breathe in and out slowly, it isn't all that awful. (I'm not bluffing.) Growing up- you begin to develop character and gain more opportunities to serve the LORD Jesus Christ, you can go on life changing missionary trips or off to Bible college (I did my first semester of it at 17 years old!) I remember going there and feeling woefully inadequate, sheesh I was not only the youngest there but had no idea on how to distinguish my 'Christophany's' from my 'Theophany's' (depiction of Christ-like figure or God-like manifestation in the Bible.) Yea i do believe i blushed and cringed a fair bit when i lifted my hand up the most in class, but oh well...the good thing is that i learnt what i needed to! I remember praying during that time and thinking man, these people probably don't take me seriously, I'm so young! But then many people close to my heart reminded me of what of Heavenly Father spoke through Paul to Timothy in the Bible:

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit,in faith, in purity.-Timothy 4:12

Bless my heart if i was not convicted, I had held back so many times from doing something that i felt compelled because i thought, I can't say that to this person they're twice my age! But then again...

And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?- Matthew 21:14-17

if that's not enough, well then:

Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.- Acts 18:9-11

Yea we have no excuse, when the Lord tells you to speak, SPEAK! I learnt that the hard way ha ha. It's scary at first but follow the Lord and he will make a way.
Okay back to growing up, I've realized that there are two types of people in this world, one who goes through it head on because they realize that growing up is unavoidable, and others who i have diagnose have the peter-pan Syndrome, they're the ones who fight growing up by acting like children or refusing to take up responsibilities. Trust me when i say that I have met the latter and they are older than me! So unhappy they are that it's heartbreaking. Don't be like that, time is so short and the older i get the more time is flying away from me, I now understand the value of your average day, how could you possibly justify sitting down or laze around when millions die without ever hearing the word of God? How do you sleep knowing that you could have made a difference but felt too woefully inadequate for the task? You can't there's no excuse, I'm sorry I can't sugar-coat it for you. Like Ephesian 5:16-18 says (above verse) the days are evil and I just think that what we do today matters! Yes i will take a quote from the movie Gladiator (don't judge) but "What we do in life, ECHOES in eternity." I'm saying this as much to you as I am reminding myself. Yes you may be young but the Lord can and will use you in a mighty way if you allow him to. You never know what may happen or when you'll be called home to heaven, all that I can hope is that i can say that when I am, i can say that I have redeemed the time, run the race and didn't just sit down fearfully watching my life go by. So i urge you right now...seek his will and remember it's time to grow up:

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. - 1 Corinthians 13:11

Ring, Ring, Ring this is your wake up call, is it time to put away childish things? Yes? then wake up my friend and breathe in a new day, you can make a difference!!!

Dear Lord Christ Jesus, I thank you for my life, I thank you lord if you have used me to encourage anyone as well. Jesus i pray Lord that fear of growing up no longer cripples your children, I pray that they may be forever bold in your ways and words, I pray that they don't feel inadequate but know that you are there with them always. Thank you Christ Jesus i pray, Amen.

God bless you all,

Emmeline

Light Afflictions, a world in pain.

Happy New Year Readers!

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV

Do you know that feeling, where you're marching up and down like a prowling lion, and finally you put one fist on your hip in frustration and the second fist is raised and shaking in the air; while your whole being is filled with pain and anger? Usually in these moments there might be tears dripping down your face and you're telling...well more like accusing God things like this: "How could you let this happen..." or "I can't believe you did this!" or "why,why have you forsaken me...?"

Starting to sound familiar? i thought it might! I myself have done the whole self-pity gig, but it never ever helped that's for sure. So if you're nodding acknowledging it , that's great! If you're like "who-me? pfft!" then you're most likely in denial...or you do it so often you can't see it anymore. These are but simple snap-shots of our "woe-is-me" tales where we look up at the clear blue (sometimes gray) expanse of the sky and deem it impossible  for God to know a smidgen of what goes on down here.

We scream that he doesn't know what it feels like to be human, but worst we entirely discount that he's with us at all. I get it, seriously I do! It's easier when we're hurting to have someone come along, even if we're knee-deep in radical sin, we like to have people rebuffing the fact that we're at an all- time- wrong. We like self-pity and indulgence, therefore a wrong sympathizer is more than welcomed, but I can't agree with that, I see nowhere in the Bible that says something like this: "When thy brother is in sin...thou shalt tell him that he doth no evil..."  or another way of saying it ("when your brother is sin, you should not tell him that he is doing something wrong") yea, no, nothing like that in the Bible...that's for sure. The bible tells us the opposite it says:

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.- Matthew 18:15

So we shouldn't be bad sympathizers like Job's friends, but i digress.
My point is all feel that way at some point even the stronger Christians, if you don't believe me, let's have a bit of a look at what the Bible says;

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”- Mark 15:34

Now Jesus felt forsaken on this earth, Okay, this might not sound as momentous as it does for me right now as i am writing this, but i noticed just how easily it is for us to forget that Jesus who is God; came as a human being filled with emotions. He felt exactly what we felt, saw the things we deal with today...that's huge! It's so easy to see our circumstances and think, yea i got it so bad, no one else's pain could ever compare...uh wrong attitude my friend! Now Jesus came as 100% Human and 100% God...and he felt forsaken in the ninth hour by the heavenly father...re-read that line if you must, because that's huge. And yet Jesus being so sorrowful trusted in God, here have a look:

"Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.” He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."- Mark 14:32-35 NKJV

Jesus felt so sorrowful unto death, he knew that he would suffer the worst imaginable death, a death so vile and horrible it was only men who committed the worst of offences who were nailed on the tree. Can you imagine knowing the way you were going to die? I don't think i'd ever have a proper night sleep! Not only that but he had 12 disciples, Judas the betrayer left which meant 11 were with him, and most of us with 11 christian friends with us when in trouble would be like "oh man, I'm so glad, they have my back." but the disciples upon Jesus' arrest this is what they did:

"Then they all forsook Him and fled."- Mark 14:50 NKJV

Ouch. Yet despite that pain that was afflicted on Jesus, he yet died and rose again for us! I can't judge the disciples for fleeing- we're all on fight or flight mode, yet as the Bible says all that has been done in evil, the Lord will turn it to Good. Man, I Love Jesus, what God would willingly do this for anyone!? he is the one true God! thank you Jesus, I'm sorry i don't say it often enough!

So...can you dispute that Jesus truly does not know what we face on earth? can you truly hands-down say he has no idea how we feel? I'll let you answer that for yourself.

Now the first verse i wrote at the beginning about the 'Light' afflictions' The apostles were men who gave it all for Jesus Christ, our LORD and Saviour. They endure, beatings, floggings etc... all things that today would make us dramatically throw our hands in the air and scream "I QUIT!" but they kept going, how about we try this on for size, i just really want you to understand what I'm saying here;
On a website (link at the bottom) it tells you how the Apostles died, I'll share some now:

 Peter died 33-34 years after the death of Christ. All agree that he was crucified. Origen says that Peter felt himself to be unworthy to be put to death in the same manner as his Master, and was therefore, at his own request, crucified with his head downward. 

James the son of Zebedee: He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44 or about 11 years after the death of Christ. From Acts 12: 1-2.

John: No death date given by early writers. Death date is by conjecture only and is variously assigned as being between 89 AD to 120 AD Andrew: No accurate death date given. A variety of traditions say he preached in Scythia, in Greece, in Asia Minor and Thrace. He is reported to have been crucified at Patrae in Achaia. 

Bartholomew: There is no information concerning his death, not even by tradition Matthew: He must have lived many years as an apostle, since he was the author of the Gospel of Matthew which was written at least twenty years after the death of Christ. There is reason to believe that he stayed for fifteen years at Jerusalem, after which he went as missionary to the Persians, Parthians and Medes. There is a legend that he died a martyr in Ethiopia. 

Thomas: The earlier traditions, as believed in the fourth century, say he preached in Parthia or Persia, and was finally buried at Edessa. The later traditions carry him farther east. His martyrdom whether in Persia or India, is said to have been by a lance, and is commemorated by the Latin Church on December 21 the Greek Church on October 6, and by the Indians on July 1.

Jude (Thaddeus): according to tradition Jude taught in Armenia, Syria and Persia where he was martyred. Tradition tells us he was buried in Kara Kalisa in what is now Iran. -

See more at: http://amazingbibletimeline.com/bible_questions/q6_apostles_die/

And yet with all that these men faced, they called it light afflictions...how can we possibly think that we have it tough. They were Martyrs but died with Christ Jesus' name on their lips, praying, loving those who yearned for their blood... that's amazing. Paul died by decapitation, and his parting words to Timothy are those that drive us today:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.-2 Timothy 4:7

Let this be our boast, so when you feel like having a self- pity party just remember that Christ knows what you're going through and is right there with you and that he promised you;

...“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”- Hebrew 13:5

 Life is tough, but Jesus is there and just remember what we have to look forward to:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelations 21:4

Oh man...that's definitely something to look forward to!

Dear heavenly father, thank you Jesus for everything that you are, thank you for loving me even though i don't deserve it. Thank you for never giving up on me, my Lord Christ Jesus...you amaze me, forever you own my heart, I love you Jesus Christ.
Amen

God bless you,
Emmeline