The Blessing Rental Cabin

07/22/2024

This is EXCELLENT information shared to me by a Pastor friend. He has not allowed his blindness to affect living his life to the full. He was even the announcer for baseball games.

When people who are sighted say “Hello” to someone who is blind or partially sighted, a few AWESOME and helpful things happen!


1. When you know our name, it is helpful when you use it to greet or address us. Saying “Hi Gina” lets me know for sure that you are talking to me. Often, many of us who have low to no vision don’t always know it is us that you are talking too.
2. When you introduce yourself to us and tell us your name, it allows us to make a connection with you that we cannot do visually. Example: “Hello, I am Shelly the store manager” or “Hello I am Brian, we met a couple times at the bus stop.” This helps us identify who you are.
3. When you say “Hi Gina, this is Cory from the flower shop on Maple street” you get my attention, I know for sure you are talking to me, and I know who I am talking with. We then have a normal interaction with each other.
4. It can often be difficult to identify someone by voice alone - even if we know you well. Surrounding sounds can interfere with our ability to recognize a voice -- even ones that are familiar to us. The sounds of daily life like traffic, kids playing, coffee brewing, photocopiers printing, people talking, or music playing in the background are distractions that can take away from identifying you by your voice.
5. Being quiet and not announcing your presence to those of us who are blind or partially sighted can feel very unsettling - even scary for some of us because we cannot visually see your intentions. Please use your voice and just say “Hello.” We take your Hello as that nod, smile, or acknowledgement people with sight give each other throughout the day. When you do this, you are treating us like everyone else and that is all we really want.
6. If you want to shake our hand, it is appreciated when you let us know, as many of us may not see your gesture. Saying something like "I'm extending my hand to shake yours" or "May I shake your hand" works just fine.
7. Please do say goodbye, see you later, or "I’ve got to go" when you leave so we don’t continue talking to someone who is no longer there.

So please when you notice us, say “Hello,” introduce yourself, and learn our name so the next time we meet we will know who you are and we can share a friendly acknowledgment together.

“Losing my sight has not changed who I am, it has changed my interactions with the world.” Gina Martin.

Breaking through Barriers
Follow me on my Diverse Abilities page to learn more😃
https://www.facebook.com/DisabilityAwarenessConsultant

Diverse Abilities offers Youth, Senior’s, Community and Workspace training in inclusion and accessibility.
www.DiverseAbilities.ca

Photo Description
Gina standing on a walkway, holding her white cane and smiling.

07/18/2024

These are my cousins. If you know anyone near Richmond Virginia,
Please share this with them ~
and ask them to share it.
Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/P2ZJDugNUH4bpusk/?mibextid=WC7FNe

This 3621 square feet Single Family home has 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It is located at 4813 Kensington Ave, Richmond, VA.

07/18/2024

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

07/14/2024

This is SO TRUE

Once, after a really rough day, I crumpled into my beddings, lifeless and besides myself with weeping. The only words that could come from my lips in between the rivers of tears were, "Father, You know as well as I do that in all of creation, I have no one else. All I have is You. I have nowhere else to go. I have no one else to turn to. If you don't help me NOW, I am finished. If You are not with me in this situation, I am done for."

I don't know how to explain what happened next, but I experienced God as the very substance of comfort and encouragement. I fell asleep feeling like I was enclosed in a very warm, comforting, soft, tender and gentle place. A very safe place.

He did not say a word. He just held me. And when I woke up in the morning, I was whole. Completely whole. And though being whole was a relief, what overwhelmed me was the consciousness that He allowed me to know that He was right there at my bedside, all night long. Not saying a word; just watching over me and holding me, just as a loving parent holds a crying child until she sleeps, and then keeps holding her while she sleeps.

God does not just give us hope, encouragement, and comfort in our distress. He Himself is that Substance and Person called Hope, Encouragement and Comfort.

If this is where you're at today, or you're so close to the edge of the cliff, I pray that God will envelop you with those same loving arms. That you will not give up or cave in, not for any other reason, but because God will hold you all night long. Then morning will come, and the sun will shine again.

Yes beloved, morning will come. And the sun will shine again.

Psalm 30:5
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 46:5
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

07/06/2024

As I breathe slowly and deeply, I ask You, Father, to make me aware of Your own personal breath filling me afresh today. As You do, open the eyes of my heart to see Your loving smile, and help me to realize the truest reflection of who I am can only be grasped in the light of Your adoring gaze.

I think of someone I know today who for different reasons is feeling ‘dead’ inside - void of life.

Holy Spirit, breathe on them afresh, reminding them that they are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ and helping them to experience the abundance of Your life (Psalm 139:14).

From Lectio 365

Not sure who The Lord wants to “see” this but

It is to YOU
He loves you
Do not ever doubt that
May you truly experience the depth of His love for Y❤️U

PS I love you too

07/06/2024

The most effective and powerful antidote for anxiety is thanksgiving and praise. When we feel it coming on or even begin to think about the possibility of it coming on we want to nip it in the bud. We want to immediately stop and "BOW." Here are three things to help us find the calm when we are encountering the overwhelming waves of anxiety.

BOW

Bow before Him. Bring all of your cares to Him! Lay them at His feet. Humble yourself before Him. Honor Him as God. He knows all. He can handle it all. Bring Him your heartache, your children, your spouse, your finances, your day, your future, your life — all of your concerns. He knows what is best, and He works all things according to His wise and loving will. Cast all of your cares upon Him believing that He cares for you. He is able. You are not. He is God. You are not!

Offload your angst. Humbly hold each thought up to the Word of God. Take your worry, your anxiety, your fear, your unbelief, your anger — all of the sin that is weighing down your little water craft — and confess them to the Lord. Throw each and every one overboard, and let them fall to the bottom of the sea of His grace.

Worship the Lord. Fix your eyes upon Him. Take your eyes off of yourself and off of your circumstances and set them securely upon your Lord. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise. Thank Him from the bottom of your heart following the example of the psalmists. Humbly acknowledge that you can't see all things, but He can. Worship Him in the spirit of holiness, praising and thanking God because He knows what is best. He is all powerful. He is in control. He knows what He is doing. No one can stay His hand. And He has you in the palm of that mighty hand.

Take a moment to practice taking these truths to heart. Turn to Psalm 96 in your Bible and bow before God. If you are not able to bow literally, humbly bow before Him in your heart. He is God. He loves you with a love that knows no bounds. He is good, and He is working on your behalf even as you pray. BOW before Him now.
From the
YouVersion Bible Reading Plan
The Calm

06/30/2024

The Christian world has been deeply broken and fractured, often over significant issues of belief and practice.

I pray today for a place of unreasonable division, particularly where gossip, slander, or bitterness have sharpened a divide between Christians. Holy Spirit, will You show us how to be one, so that the world might believe. Show me if there is any way I can be a person of peace in this place of division.
From the Lectio 365 app

06/18/2024

Holy Spirit, my teacher, as I dive into the Bible would You
awaken my heart,
expand my mind,
and shape my identity today.

{Excellent way to pray before starting to “get” into The Word}

From one of my Bible reading apps

06/06/2024

05/29/2024

Taking on Jesus’ yoke means we invite him to be the master of our life, leading us, equipping us, and walking in the direction he points. It is hard work to follow Jesus; there is a great cost to our flesh, comfort, and pride, but the reward is far greater. Lest we walk away overwhelmed, Jesus reassures us in verse 30: “…my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” We should never be afraid of working for Jesus because the truth is that we work with Him. He is the only Master that both leads and works alongside us, shouldering the load, calling us friends.

In all this, we see that God is intimately interested in how we both work and rest as these are big parts of our lives and our relationship with him. So much so, that he sends his own Spirit as our helper. When we take on the yoke of Jesus, every part of our lives—both work and rest—are centered in him.

Will you take a few moments and give over your day to Jesus, asking to take on his light and easy yoke?
From the
YouVersion Bible Reading Plan
Reclaiming Rest

05/22/2024

A long read but oh, so worth it !!!!

So earlier last week, I saw several people online mentioning a controversy about an NFL football player named Harrison Butker. This was definitely the first time I’d ever heard of him, especially since I’m not exactly a football person. (I know, shocker)

And honestly, his speech didn’t even interest me that much at first…untiiiil I saw how many people were outraged at him for his “inflammatory” words.

Before I say more, I should probably let you read it:)

“𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑟? 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑔𝑜 𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.

“𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑗𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.

“𝐼𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝐼 𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙: ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟.”

The scandalized reaction this speech invoked surprised me, (although I shouldn’t really be surprised by anything these days) and it got me to realize how drastically different the world I live in is from the world my grandparents were born into.

At some point between then and now, it has become controversial for us to embrace the roles that God designed for us. Society wants to convince us not to just believe that women are the same as men, but that the most valuable and fulfilling job to have ever been created is somehow degrading and inferior.

Young women, such as myself, are growing up in this culture. Everyone is telling us as loudly as they can that we should desire to be independent and pursue careers, and at the same time look down on women who embrace homemaking.

Now, I wholeheartedly advocate for strong women. I encourage women to push themselves, work hard, and learn new skills. I absolutely LOVE seeing young girls be assertive and confident.

The lie is that you can’t do both.

Many people have the perception that women who have chosen to embrace motherhood and marriage have done so because they are weak.

The truth is, the strongest, most hardworking, confident, and brave women I have ever met are wives and mothers: homemakers.

For me personally, I love Jesus and know him because my mother chose to have children and teach us about God. She nurtured us, both spiritually and physically. Now, as I am a young adult, I look back on my childhood and am overwhelmingly thankful for her influence and sacrifice.

My mom is NOT a quiet person; she is loud, confident, and strong. She is intelligent and bold. She could have done anything with her life, but she chose to get married and have children and homeschool. She wasn’t settling for a lack of options, but because she looked at all the choices she could make and chose the best.

I can’t say what God has planned for your life on an individual level, but whether you are a grandmother, new mom, or young woman, I want to encourage you to be firm in your faith. The world is full of lies, and many of them will look wholesome and enticing; guard your hearts.

In conclusion, I will say this: Harrison Butker is just one voice among many who are speaking up, but the ultimate verdict we should seek is the Creator Himself.

It is your responsibility to dismiss all other opinions on the matter and seek to rest in HIS will first. I can guarantee you that there is no better place to be.

05/02/2024

Have you ever thought about the difference between a human message and God’s message?
Human news has the power to inform, and perhaps to evoke emotion.
God’s message possesses the power to transform.
It has the ability to change the whole course of our lives.

Lord, thank You that Your message is powerful and has the ability to transform lives! Thank You that accepting the gospel isn’t only a one-time decision, but continues to change us from the inside out. Amen.
From the YouVersion Bible reading plan
Love God Greatly
Draw Near

04/03/2024

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Psalm 19:7-8 (NLT)

01/27/2024

These are friends of mine that are in the process of becoming missionaries.

😃We are so excited to announce that we are releasing "A Light Has Come (Remastered & Reimagined) tomorrow on December 1st! We would love for you to check it out wherever you listen to music. 🎧

Our friend Kurtis Parks did a wonderful job mixing, mastering and adding some instruments to the song! Also, a special thanks to Brian Beihl Drums for the amazing drums he recorded on the song. 🙂

If you are looking for a Christmas song that will stir your heart to share the good news of Jesus in your community and around the world then check out this song. We still have good news of great joy to share with the world! 🙏❤️🌎

12/04/2023

Stand for a culture of life

11/28/2023

https://www.facebook.com/500883375/posts/10160762899708376/?mibextid=r5uJeJ

06/08/2023

God wants our relationship with Him to be like close friends who share no secrets.

Psalm 25:14 (ESV) “The friendship of the lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”

The Hebrew word used for friendship here is "Sod" which speaks of the kind of intimate counsel one close friend gives to another. That's how God knows us. He speaks to us through His Word with intimate, trustworthy advice. So instead of seeking after knowledge to gain an advantage over others, God wants you to seek after Him as you would a friend. When you have a deep friendship with somebody, you remember the things they say, the things they like, what lights them up, and what breaks their heart. That's how He knows you right now, and He wants you to know Him more and to grow closer and more familiar with Him and His Word every day because He doesn't just want to be your savior, father, and helper. He also wants to be your friend.

From The YouVersion Bible Reading Plan
KNOWN

05/28/2023

Know your Master.

05/19/2023

God listens and hears all prayers, no matter the format or length of the prayer. No matter the time of the day you are praying, God hears it all.