The Face…A True Miracle, The Shroud of Turin

    

Here is the very last sneak preview of “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” * The last selection I have chosen for the final day of the Book Launch is from the “Bonus Chapter, The Shroud: My Opinion”*  The bonus chapter is ONLY available on Kindle during the book launch and today is the final day to get your copy! Enjoy the preview!

“….Imagine what it would be like. Suppose for a moment that you are a scientist, an archeologist, or a historian, and presented before you is a piece of a linen. On that piece of linen appears to be the blood stains and outline of a man; a man who has been crucified and buried in the tradition of what is considered a Jewish burial. The anomalies in the cloth closely resemble the features and trauma of He, who in the Bible as documented by the apostles and history, tells us is Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, The Christ.
The linen is remarkable in its exact resemblance to the documented burial of the crucified Son of God. The features and the positioning of the stains on the cloth, down to the very last details, appear to be what has been depicted as the burial cloth of Christ. What if it was up to you to examine this cloth and determine its authenticity? Would you be fair in your assessment? Would you consider all possibilities? What if logic proved only it was a Miracle? What would you think? What would you do?
As a scientist or historian, just as all those who have examined the Shroud before, you would probably do everything you could to determine or disprove its authenticity. After all that is what you are there for, right? You would probably use every method of verification and new technology that you had available.
You might try tests based on new technologies and theories. You might even be biased by science or Faith. If you were a Christian, a Preacher, or a Pastor and you were asked to examine the cloth, you would probably be in awe. You might possibly be in shock beholding what may be an image created by the presence of God.
Perhaps you would be moved and hurt when you realize what this crucified man went through. Perhaps you would realize the extent of sin and of Faith. Perhaps, you would doubt what you saw. If you are not Christian, perhaps it would shed new light.
Though I have never actually seen The Shroud of Turin in person, I recently I set out to research it, view it online, and to try and understand the mysteries it holds. What did Jesus look like? It’s not important what Jesus looked like, but to me when I am truly passionate about something, when I thirst for knowledge and give myself over to something, I want to know everything I can.
I believe in Jesus. For me being curious about what Jesus looked like is a way for me to feel closer to Him, to understand that He was a Son of Man, and he felt what we feel and he physically suffered. He was flesh and blood. It’s a way for me to understand all that he was and he is and to understand and appreciate His sacrifice to humankind. Based on what I have seen and heard with my research, I believe the shroud is authentic.
Though I won’t document every single thing I’ve seen and heard over time (It would be impossible to do so), I will note my primary sources and my reasons for believing. Most information on The Shroud of Turin is, in my opinion, common knowledge. What most of us seem to “know” about the shroud has been told to us, blasted by numerous news reporters, or passed along casually. I will get into my sources and my reasons for my belief in just a moment, but remember, this is a book of Miracles and no matter who’s hand made The Shroud or when, God has the power to create Miracles at any time.
That being said, if you believe in Miracles, isn’t it possible that Jesus could have hidden that Shroud for years? Couldn’t it have been God’s will that it was found? As far as carbon 14 testing, I think the samples could have been switched when they did the test. That is an answer to why the test didn’t give validation to what everyone believes to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. After all, we have reason to believe that the church has held back information from us. Google it. See what you find out. You may be shocked at the plethora of information available. There is a visionary who recently had a vision of Mary. In her vision, Mary said that the church has blocked information from us. That’s reason enough for me to believe the Church has hidden things. In addition, people have found what appear to be lost or hidden scrolls from the Bible, from the Knights Templar and from testimonies of the Apostles.
What if someone on the inside switched the samples during the carbon 14 test? Isn’t it possible and/or probable that if everyone knew for sure that The Shroud was real people might kill, fight, or who knows what to get it or even destroy it? Maybe it’s good that people doubt its authenticity…”*

Get the rest of the story TODAY on Kindle. This very special Bonus Chapter is only available for one more day. Please click the link below to purchase your copy.

*”In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” written by Leslie S. Miller © 2013

 

 

 

 

Truth or Dare

Today I want to talk about the truth and why we should all be daring! Before I begin, I want to tell you this:

God is great!!!    God works wonders in our lives every day!!!!

I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and I believe His Gospel and that He is the path to salvation.

Now, let me ask you this. Did that embarrass you? If you know me, did it make you cringe? Did you smile or laugh? Do you not think that I, a sinner, who has made grave mistakes, can believe this or talk about God or Jesus?

If any of the above happened then I challenge you to open your heart and mind to God.

Never be ashamed to believe or follow Jesus Christ. Believe there is a hell and if you don’t repent and achieve salvation through Christ you will pay. 

Remember what Jesus said about denying Him. If you deny him to people, He will deny you to God. Remember what is written about Judgement. “Judge not lest, you be judged”. Remember “Let those without sin throw the first stone.” I know I don’t want to throw a stone, what about you?

So today, Thank GOD for all you have. Really think about all you take for granted and the opportunity to have life and to be redeemed by Jesus. That’s wonderful. Think about all the things YOU do that you KNOW you shouldn’t. Do you follow the Gospel? Do you really? Or do you just know it? Do you even know it?

I have a long way to go to following the Gospel, but the good news is I still can!  I can still change. Jesus is always here. He’s here now. But what happens when it’s too late? 1 millisecond from now could be too late. You don’t know the hour of your death or the hour of the His Return. A heart attack or accident could strike ANY time….but you should appreciate and follow God every day

You follow people on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, why aren’t you following God? He should be your first TWEET (aka PRAYER of the DAY)

So do you make rude comments? Could you give more to the man on the corner? Do you judge people? Do you blame God for all your problems? Have you ever really considered God’s words? Are you one of those people to whom Jesus will say “I know you not?” Do you believe your body just decomposes and that’s that? Do you hurt other people? Do you put everything, anything, or anyone, in your life before God? Do you lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, kill, covet, and put anything or anyone before God? I don’t kill, but I certainly am guilty of some of the other things. Are you? I know that you are you if you are truthful. You can’t reconcile with God if you are not truthful. There is not a single one of us that doesn’t sin. Think about it. Are you nice? I mean really are you? Could you be nicer? Couldn’t we all? There are still starving people and lots of horribly selfish things going on so apparently we are not nice enough.

Tell the truth. Then comes the daring part. Be daring. Reach out to God and make a change. Not just for yourself…

PS. Look up to heaven today and thank God. Really thank Him and apologize for all you do.

Remember to say The Lord’s Prayer.

Have a blessed day.

A note about Mother’s Day

As has been the case since I can remember, stores and businesses touted their goods for weeks and, in some cases, months in preparation for mother’s day. Cards, goods, pretty flowers, and services of all kinds were sold with the hope of good profits and a special day for mother: Mother’s Day.

I had plans to go to a nice restaurant with my family for mother’s day, but as I was preparing to go something occurred to me. Not everyone “has” a mother. Some people’s mothers may have passed away. Some people never knew their mothers and some may wish they never new their mothers. Truth be told, not all people are good. Not all people have a positive impact on your life.

That being said, I want to wish everyone who “doesn’t have” a mother a happy mother’s day late. Remember, you have a  Heavenly Father. Always. You have a Brother and a Lord, and you have His mother, You are never alone.

If you are grieving, it will get better. If you are depressed, find someone to talk to or talk to a Dr. There is no shame in that. It happens. If you are down and life is hard, pray. If you lost a child, I know it hurts. If you have people who are negative in your life, turn away from them. Turn to the light. There is always hope, no matter how hopeless it seems. There is always The Lord. There is a Way because you have will.

I know that holidays (even though some aren’t really holi ..aka holy…days)  can be rough when certain situations arise. Who wants to be alone on Valentine’s Day or have horrible memories of an abusive mother at Mother’s Day? Who wants to be out of a job on the 4th of July or in the hospital on Memorial day? Who wants to have a death in the family at Christmas? But…I for one understand. So just know that if you are down there is at least one person.who understands and who cared enough to think about you on Mother’s day.

A song popped into my head on mother’s day. It was “The Rose” by Bette Midler* and I remembered some of the lyrics.

“....when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long, when you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong, just remember that in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, lies the seed that with the sun’s love in the spring….becomes the rose*....”

If you have never heard that song or even if you haven’t, please take a moment to look it up and listen. It’s really a beautiful song. We have so many blessings, even small ones like that, every day.

Also, if it makes you feel better, going to a nice restaurant with my mother and family on mother’s day did not change or undue any old hurts or any current problems. You have to make a choice to do what’s best with that stuff. You really do.

For those of you who don’t know already, I wrote a book called “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles”* I wrote that book because I felt moved by The Spirit to share my stories. Now, every story is a real miracle I either experienced or discovered. Some are simple things and some came out of my own trials and tribulations. For those of you in a struggle that book may help you find peace and that’s another reason I wanted to write it.

I realize that whoever is reading this may not need a “boost” or any “encouraging” words, but if you do I hope it makes you feel better and if you don’t, please share this post with someone who does. Consider it a virtual hug form a stranger.

If you know someone that might enjoy or might need a boost in faith or in life and there is even a chance that the Miracle book might make them have Faith or even smile for just a moment, then buy it for that person. If they don’t have a Kindle or a smart phone, buy them a printed copy on CreateSpace.  $24.99 for a miracle book is not a lot if it bring someone a little joy…This blog really isn’t meant to be a sales pitch, but my goal is to help people find faith or renew their faith through that book and it IS possible that the people who need it the most, can’t access it. Even for $5.99 on Kindle. So my plea is for us to work as a team and try to get this book to anyone who might find Hope in it.

There are links to the book on my blog. Thanks. Have a blessed day.

*”In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” by Leslie S. Miller

“To sleep perchance to dream”

Dreams are certainly an interesting subject. The same can be said about social media. How so? In today’s world we are both blessed and sometimes inundated by social media. Social Media can be advantageous or potentially problematic depending on how it’s used or if it’s not used. So here is the question: what if social media became dangerous and it was tied to your dreams?

“Wildest Dreams”* is a murder mystery I have written and combines all of these things. It should be available on Kindle and in print on CreateSpace in the fall.  If you missed it this weekend, here is the link to the book’s landing page. See you there. Don’t forget to send me an email.

http://lesliesuzannemille.wix.com/wildestdreamsbook

 

*”Wildest Dreams” written by Leslie S. Miller © 2014

 

 

 

Next book, Wildest Dreams, fiction

Here is a link to the landing page for my book “Wildest Dreams”* will should be available on Kindle and print in the fall. 

“Wildest Dreams”* by Leslie S. Miller © 2014

How to write and use a “To-Do” List

It sounds pretty simple doesn’t it?  If you want to write a To-Do List you just write down the things you need to do that day and check them off as you go. If you want to prioritize or learn to prioritize you put the things you must do that day in the order they need to be done at the top of the list.  It’s pretty easy and helps you keep from getting diverted during distractions and helps you keep from forgetting to do certain things that need to be done. “To-Do” lists are particularly helpful when you have many goals in both your personal and professional lives.

However, I know that  many people don’t use them and are struggling with time-management. That being said, a simple thing like a “T0-Do” list can keep you motivated, help you meet deadlines, and help you organize your day. Plus, if you have a change in plans you can always come back to the list. If there are things on your list you know you can’t get to, you can decide which ones don’t have to be done onn that particular day and put them back on the list for another day.

The key here is to remember you can’t always do everything all in one day. Some days you get busy or have to change your schedule. Some days you have more important things to do or things come up unexpectedly. Some days you are sick. You have to set realistic goals and learn to prioritize to use your list with a good result. The ” To-Do list”  can be a beneficial tool if you learn to use it and it definitely helps with time management.

When I was a manager in the staffing  industry, I found that recruiters seemed to have the biggest issues with time management. Now, I’m not going to lie to you, some of it was laziness on their part and some recruiters wanted to sit around and “wait” for something to happen. Some recruiters waited, despite encouragement, proper training, and reprimands, until the last minute and then tried rush around to get everything done before the boss got back in.

I can tell you that didn’t work out for them. From my experience, successful recruiters need to have some inside sales background and be able to work in any type of  environment from slow to fast past pace. When”the sky is falling” they need to be able to be calm and consistent in their work. They shouldn’t be overly outgoing or else they may get “bored” in the office or want to take on management responsibility too soon. If the recruiters were too interested in general office clerical they didn’t seem to have the drive to seek out new employees, fill job orders, and help themselves and the company grow.  Staffing industry recruiters need to understand that “slow periods” are never really slow because you can be actively seeking new employees and these are also times to work on paperwork and other things on the “To-do” lists they should have been keeping. They also need to understand that when things are “really busy” they need to be able to prioritize.

The catch twenty two is that a recruiter, or any employee, who doesn’t already have time management skills, may not have the knowledge or drive to make a “To-Do” list. However, without a list they may not be as productive. So you have to teach them how and why.

How to write a “To-Do” List is easy. I illustrated the “how-to” above, but why does anyone need one?  The simple fact is that as an employee when the boss asks you to do something that usually means they want it now or in a reasonable time frame.  If you are unclear on the time frame, you just should ask. Now, if you are struggling with your duties, then you need to discuss time management with your boss and see if there are things you are doing that are unnecessary. Perhaps you need assistance in certain areas or on certain projects where you can share those duties. It may come to light that someone is not doing their fair share or that perhaps the job is not right for you. That’s not always a bad thing. It can help you make positive changes or at least learn from the experience. So the “why” of making a “To-Do” list is because there are things at work that are expected of you and if you want to be more organized and successful a “To-Do” list may help.

Now, if you have dreams and goals for your life that you have never started, if you have dreams you have never even tried, if you have things you meant to do or goals for yourself that are positive and you have forgotten or procrastinated, a “To-Do” list can help you get started and/or  help keep you on track….but remember your success ultimately depends on you. Put God first. Believe all things are possible with God.

Now, I get to  cross this post off my “To-Do” list!  Have a blessed day.

Make someone happy.

Amazing Miracles….no miracle chasing here

This morning I awoke to find an email in my inbox notifying me of a new blog post. The blog post was about “miracle chasers.” Now, I do not know if that post had anything at all to do with my own posts and my promotion of  the book  I wrote, “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles.”  However, since I wrote the book because I felt moved by the Spirit to share my stories of real life miracles, I wanted to speak to you today about miracles.

Miracles are any act coming from God. They aren’t limited to things like when a person is rapidly cured of a fatal illness or when you suddenly win 100K in the lottery. They aren’t limited to when you manage to make it home on less than a quarter of a tank of gas when you drove 50 miles. Miracles aren’t just when God spoke to Noah or sent an Angel to Mary. God has given us so many miracles just by living and in our daily lives.

Miracles aren’t always big things. Miracles are the little things God gives us every day. Every Day Miracles. Now, in some of the stories in my book the miracles are obvious. Some are more “dramatic” than others and some are based on my interpretations and opinion. How and if you experience miracles depends on your Faith and what God’s plan is for you. I do NOT at all profess to know God’s plan for any of you.

But, again, Miracles aren’t always big things. They are everything. They are all around you. They are the Good things God gives you every day and the Opportunity to be saved by Your Savior, The Lord.

What I know for sure is that I am NOT a “miracle chaser” and that I know that I am doing what’s right by sharing these stories and trying to help people. There is no evil in that. Not on my part. I am promoting the book to try to reach and help as many people as I can. How can someone read the book and be aware that there are other people who have been through what they have been through if I don’t let them know about it? How can those who may need to know that I  and have been through my own hell and back and then found God, if I don’t let them know the book exists?

As far selling a book. Yes, I am. I priced it as low as I could to make it accessible to people who may need a reboost of Faith. Is it horrible to sell a book about Miracles? I don’t think so. God knows my reasons. I have discussed this with Lord through prayer.

I may take flack for what I wrote, I may not. At least I had the guts to stand up for what I believe in. I may be called a “Holy Roller” by some people for what I say and do. I don’t care. Every Christian since the very beginning, has been persecuted in some way for trying to spred the Gospel and for believing. It’s worth it! I’m not ashamed of our Lord or of my mission. Again, God knows my reasons and if He wishes to correct me I have asked him to do so and believe He will guide me.

Perhaps it’s not “miracle chasers” we need to worry about. It’s those who stand in judgement we need to pray for. Remember Jesus and the Pharisees? The Pharisees liked to pray and be seen praying. They liked to make the rules, but not follow them. They liked to say they were “holier” than thou. They liked to point out the flaws in others while acting like they were free of sin. If you are trying to find fault in someone, what are your faults?

We are all guilty. We are all hypocrites. That being said, we should do all we can to put God first and try not to judge others, which is not easy.

Miracles are not just the things you see in the Bible. They are in your life every day.

To really experience and, quite possibly< to see a Miracle you have to see not only with eyes, but with your heart.

How do you define a miracle chaser anyway? It’s Good to believe and appreciate that God gave you everything. It’s Good to know He is reponsible for all that saves you. Remember that Jesus granted miracles and told some people to share them and some not. He knew that this would make people believe or question. He told some people not to “tempt the Lord”, but people were asking for a miracle to have a reason to believe, they just didn’t realize by lack of Faith, they already had one. If anything brings one person to Jesus, even a book, isn’t that a good thing?

Again, I’m not saying this person’s blog post was about me, but it certainly makes you think.

Make someone happy.

The Story it Hurts to tell*

Today is the last day of the Going Live Ultimate Book Launch. For today’s book launch reading I have selected an excerpt from “Chapter 20: The Story it hurts to tell”* This is actually Day 9’s selection.

“……Many years ago a terrible thing happened to me. Now, this is a story that, up until now, I haven’t told often.That sounds a bit cliche’ doesn’t it? It’s true though. Up until now I have only told maybe 3 people about this that weren’t there or involved. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to tell it. I didn’t want to relive it. Here’s why. Years ago I was attacked. I was actually attacked pretty violently and beaten up pretty badly.
How it happened was I was out in my yard putting out something for my cat, but let me start at the beginning. My neighbor and I had purposely picked out the lots for our houses in our brand new subdivision because our backyards faced the woods. The area we lived in was a nice suburb not far from the mall with a close knit, community, feel.
Oddly enough, my neighbor and I were similar looking. We were about the same height and weight and we both had long, dark, hair. We didn’t look exactly alike as far as facial features, but we looked like we could have been sisters or relatives at least. From behind you probably wouldn’t have known who was who.
This neighbor came to me one day and told me that she was being watched by a peeping tom. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. I just figured it was someone interested in her. She thought it might have been someone who knew her from school because she was a teacher. She also considered it could have been someone she met at a party so I wasn’t worried. I continued my normal routine taking walks to the store for exercise and carrying on with daily life.
The way my house was set up, I had an eat-in kitchen with sliding glass doors that opened into my back yard. I had a concrete patio, but I didn’t have a fence up yet since the house was brand new. My yard and my neighbor’s yard had no barrier between them.
Anyway, one of my cats had been making a mess in my brand new house, so I put the cat out in the yard. Of course I was still taking care of the cat. Then one night, though it was already March, we had a cold snap. It was really cold so I was worried about the cat. I woke up early that morning, around 3:00 am, and decided to put out a cat carrier with a blanket or something in case the cat was cold. I then grabbed the carrier and went out to put it in the back yard. I decided to set the carrier down under my bedroom window.
I set the carrier down as planned and, as I was going to stand back up, something hit me in the back of the head…hard. I was hit hard enough that it knocked me to the ground. For a second I didn’t know what happened. I thought at first maybe something popped off the window. As I stood up and started to turn, I was assaulted. I was beaten continually in the face and punched and hit. I blocked my face as best I could, not having a clue what was going on. I found myself faced with a life or death situation…my own.”*

It’s not hard to see a miracle in this story as I am here to tell it, but there were many miracles to come out of that incident. Want to know more? Get your copy of “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” *TODAY. Today is the last day of the Going Live Ultimate Book Launch and you get a bonus chapter and bookmarks on Kindle. The Book is also available in print on CreateSpace. Just use the links below to purchase your copy at the very special intro price of $2.99 on Kindle.

* “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” written by Leslie S. Miller © 2013

https://www.createspace.com/4711806

 

The Parking Lot

Today’s miracle story comes from “Chapter 22: An Angel’s Hand.”*  Enjoy!

“…. Years ago, there was this one day when I went to get a check cashed on my lunch break from work. The place I went to cash the check wasn’t a bank, but one of those check cashing places. That particular location was in the middle of a strip mall in a busy area of a very busy street. There were always a lot of cars parked in that strip mall. One reason the mall was so busy was that it had a fairly popular restaurant in it and it was also close to a lot of businesses. Amazingly, that little mall would sometimes get so packed at lunch that there wasn’t any place to park.

Anyway, I had parked in the lot and was walking toward the door. On my way, I noticed a wire coat hanger on the ground near the building. Something told me I should pick it up or move it, but I didn’t. I went in to the building, took care of my business, and then went out through the same door. As I stepped off of the sidewalk and into the street, my shoe got tangled in that hanger….”*

What happens next? Find out today. Get your copy of  “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” available on Kindle or in print on CreateSpace! For your convenience I have included links on your blog. Thank you. Sometimes an encouraging story can make a difference in someone’s life. Make someone happy.

*”In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” written by Leslie S. Miller © 2013

The Getta Sandwich

Growing up my brother and I had kind of a sarcastic since of humor and we would find all kinds of things to laugh about. As we got older we went our separate ways. However, when we did get together, there were times when we still found silly and ridiculous things to laugh about.

That being said, one day when my brother was in college we met at my grandmother’s house. It was around lunch time and we were sitting there eating while my brother read the paper. Suddenly he got a very peculiar, funny, and confused look on his face. It was the kind of look where you scrunch up your face and shake your head at something.

“What is a Getta Sandwich?” he said.

It still makes gives me a good laugh remembering this.

“What?  A Getta sandwich? I don’t know. Let me see” I said, already beginning to giggle.

My brother was looking at an advertisement that said “GETTA SANDWICH” followed by the price of said sandwich as in $7,99. I burst into laughter. I think I said “Your kidding right?” which was followed by almost continual laughter that was severely interfering with my ability to explain what, exactly, was so funny.

The ad was using slang to say “Get a” sandwich for whatever the price listed was. Now my brother was not stupid, but do you ever have one of those moments when you look at something and the words just make no sense at all?

When I was in high school we had several foreign exchange students at the school during my junior and senior years. One of the Swedish foreign exchange students that attended our school was in my speech class and on one occasion she just didn’t understand something my classmate said.

“What does it mean this …in the palm of your hand?” the exchange student said as she pointed to her hand.

She had never heard that expression before. Now  I’ve heard that the English language is one of the most difficult to learn for many reasons. One is that we have words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently with completely different meanings. For example lead (metal) and lead (I lead them into the forest). Then we have words like affect and effect. Then we have synonyms, expressions. Idioms, and now of course we have text and email jargon. LOL. (Or LOLL as in that silly insurance commercial…”it’s so easy a caveman can do it”…hahaha)

Though the difficulty some foreigners have when learning the English language doesn’t apply to my brother and his “GETTA SANDWICH,”  brother’s mishap did remind me of that foreign exchange student’s confusion.

Sometimes if an idea is not communicated properly, it can be confusing, misleading, or just plain silly. So watch your branding and advertising!

Did anyone besides me think the KMart commercial with the underwear and the jinglebells was in poor taste?

Seriously. Maybe the advertising agency who came up with that should “GETTA SANDWICH” and rethink the next ad.

Make someone happy.

 

PS…every day we live, every waking hour, every flower blooming in spring is a MIRACLE. Don’t forget to get your copy of “In His Glory, A Book of Miracles” on Kindle or in print from CreateSpace. Just click the link on my blog. Thanks!