How Gospel Music Strengthens Faith

Have you ever been feeling down, and suddenly the right song comes on the radio and turns your mood around? Music has been proven to have a positive impact on your brain and can help you feel better. If this is true of mainstream music, imagine what kind of positive impacts that gospel music can have on the brain.

It Sends a Message

There’s a reason that early childhood educators teach songs to young children about things like the days of the week and months of the year: it helps them to remember. Think about the alphabet. Chances are that you learned your ABC’s by singing the song, which has stuck with you all your life.

Listening to faith-based music acts the same way. The ministries of The Way International, a Christian-based organization with a choir of its own, would agree. You are hearing a positive message and retaining it, whether you realize it or not. Oftentimes Christian music contains Scriptures and verses from the Bible. Lyrics can be powerful. Even if we know a song and have been singing it for years, its true meaning can hit home and come together at certain points in our lives. Take the classic Amazing Grace, for example:

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear

And Grace, my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

At face value, one might assume that Grace is somebody who the singer is afraid of. By analyzing the context of the song, however, we understand that Grace is representative of the Word and the singer’s humility of it.

It is Ancient

Christians have been singing songs of worship for as long as Christianity has been a religion. Ephesians 5:19 encourages us to praise the Lord in through song: “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.”  Christian music’s positivity is good for the soul. Hearing and singing songs about God’s love for us and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ reminds us of His presence, as it has for millennia. The joy of the singer radiates within us and helps our spirits soar.

Contemporary Choices

There is no shortage of uplifting Christian songs, and more are produced every year. Contemporary Christian songs have as deep a meaning as traditional ones do. One of the wonderful things about gospel music is that in contemporary times, it can spill from Christian radio to mainstream radio. There are some bands that consider themselves to be Christian singers and mainstream radio might not even be aware of this. Some of those bands include:

• Switchfoot: “We were meant to live for so much more/have we lost ourselves?”


• Lifehouse: “How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?”


• Skillet: “I need a hero to save my life/a hero will save me just in time.”


• POD: “There's got to be more to life than this/there's got to be more to everything I thought exists.”

Gospel music gets into the very fiber of the soul and can help a troubled spirit. There are nothing but benefits to be had by listening to it.

               

5 Things You Might Not Know about the Legal System

The legal system is full of different intricacies and deficiencies, most of which you will have no clue about whatsoever. From legal cuts to claiming compensation, there are probably many things about the law that you have either never taken any notice of… or ever actually been made aware of.


In order to shed some light on everything you probably don’t know about the legal system, make sure to read on.


Legal aid cuts have lowered lawyer access

Today, thanks to major cuts in legal aid, only one in four defendants have access to a lawyer. This means that parties are now, more often than not, examined by the jury and people that they know, rather than professionals in the courtroom.


Husband and wife are deemed as being one entity

They may be individuals in reality but, in the eyes of the law, husbands and wives are regarded as being one entity. This is why, when serious cases go to court involving married couples, they can never be deemed to have conspired alone with another. There must always be a third-party involved if, in fact, conspiracy has taken place.

There is no presumption that children must live with the mother

It is common knowledge that, when their parents split, the child is legally bound to go and live with the mother, right? Wrong. There is no lawful presumption that children must live with their paternal mother rather than their paternal father — in fact, the courts don’t even have any favorites in this instance. Both mothers and fathers alike stand on equal ground when it comes to where their child lives, as it is up to the child to choose where they feel most comfortable living.

Barristers are there to serve their client and the court

You’ve seen the crime dramas, so you know how heated the courtroom can get when barristers begin their fight to win their client’s case for them. Did you know, however, that barristers are bound just as much to the court as they are to their clients? They cannot, then, mislead the judge or the jury in any way to ensure their client’s freedom.

You can claim compensation for personal injuries

Have you ever been left injured by ignorance or malpractice of another person, regardless of who this person was? If so, then you probably could have made a claim for compensation at that time. It’s important that you bear this important factor of the legal system in mind, as it could help you immensely in the future should this kind of plight ever befall you again.

To make a personal injury compensation claim, first, you have to align yourself with expert lawyers in this industry, the likes of which can be found at the-compensation-experts.co.uk. In order to successfully win your claim, you and your solicitor of choice must be able to prove that:

1. You were owed a duty of care at the time in which you suffered your injury

2. The defendant breached that duty, which resulted in your injury

Hopefully, the information laid out above has shed some light on the legal system for you!

How to Manage Anxiety Without Medication

Anxiety can be crippling if you’re dealing with it on a regular basis. It can make you feel like avoiding social situations, completing simple tasks or even going into work. If anxiety is an issue for you, you’re probably searching for ways to manage it. Of course, it’s always best to get a medical opinion when you’re suffering from anxiety but there are some ways to manage it without medication. Take a look below.

Vitamin B6 and Iron

Many people who suffer from anxiety are deficient in B6 and Iron. It’s worth asking your doctor to check if you have a deficiency. Both are essential for the production of serotonin in the body, which is also known as the happy hormone. The production of serotonin can help you to think more positively or develop natural coping strategies for negative thoughts. Iron will also help to boost your energy levels which helps you deal with life’s problems when they arise.

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Breathing Exercises

Bouts of anxiety can often result in panic attacks. If you suffer from a panic attack, you may find it difficult to breathe from time to time. Learning some simple breathing exercises could help you to manage these types of attacks. For example, diaphragmatic breathing teaches you to inhale and exhale from the stomach instead of the chest. Concentrate on your stomach and think of it as a balloon inflating and deflating. Take long and slow breathes until you feel yourself calming down.

Smoking and Drinking

Smoking and drinking can add to the problems created by anxiety and depression. It can seem like a relief when someone with anxiety smokes a cigarette or drinks some alcohol, but neither of these are good for the body or mind in the long run. If you find the task of giving up smoking too much to handle, using disposable CBD vape pens instead could actually benefit your anxiety and stress levels. Drinking alcohol can have a damaging effect on the mind, especially if you’re prone to periods of depression. Try and limit the amount you drink to one glass per night.

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This Too Shall Pass

The key to remaining calm during an anxiety or panic attack is to remember that it will eventually pass. Many people who suffer from anxiety attacks panic and it can feel like it’s never ending. Of course, no-one wants to suffer from these types of attacks at all, but if you do, you must remember that they won’t last forever. Try and use your coping methods until the attack has passed. If it helps, write down your coping mechanisms and keep the list with you at all times. It can be difficult to recall anything when you’re in the midst of an anxiety attack.

Drink Less Caffeine

When you’ve got a lot on your plate, caffeine can get you through the day. However, if you suffer from anxiety attacks, you may want to limit the amount your drink. Caffeine is a stimulant for the central nervous system which triggers your fight or flight response. As someone who suffers from anxiety, stimulating your central nervous system could result in more or worse anxiety attacks. Research suggests that sufferers of anxiety should limit their caffeine intake to two cups of coffee per day.

Find Time to Laugh

They say laughter is the best medicine, and when it comes to anxiety, they aren’t far wrong. Laughter is a natural energy booster and mood changer. Sitting down and watching your favourite comedian or spending time with friends who always make you laugh is a great way to combat anxiety. Even if your anxiety doesn’t improve, it’s a great way to distract yourself from the symptoms you suffer with on a day to day basis.

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Adult Coloring Books

When you want to manage anxiety, you need to find activities that you find calming. Adult coloring books are a fantastic way to distract yourself and they have a wonderful calming effect. Anxiety often creeps up on you when you’re feeling under pressure or stressed. Using a coloring book is a good way to forget about responsibilities and clear your mind for a while.

Exercise

Physical activity has been proven to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. Just twenty minutes of moderate exercise a day can improve your symptoms. If you take part in exercise outdoors, it’s even better. The combination of exercise, fresh air and sunlight will help you combat any attacks and increase the endorphins in your body.

Anxiety is never easy to beat, but you can try and manage it.

Feel Those Positive Vibes

Life should be all about these positive vibes that so many people are feeling. By so many people, we mean all of the Instagram influencers you see, and the odd random person that you bump into, that's just full with so much happiness and optimism that it almost makes you sick. It's the jealousy that we have for people like this that should drive us, but instead, it just leads us to wish and hope for our own lives to change, without even doing anything to change it. But it is these positive vibes that we all need in our life, whether they be fueled by the people around us, or whether you're going to have to draw the motivation from within, it's definitely something that you should be trying to do. Positive vibes need to be spread throughout all aspects of your life, because there are so many factors that could bring you down. It's not secret that life has its twists and turns, and without that daily positive mental attitude, you're just going to be a walking ball of stress and sadness. So, let us show you how we think life should be lived, and if you struggle to be positive about anything, how you can turn it all around!

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Changing Your Mindset

The first thing that you really need to be able to do, is change your own mindset so that you're being more positive. For some people, this would involve changing their whole personality, which you obviously can't do overnight. When you've been the way you have for so long, changing your mindset into a positive one is going to work in a step by step process. You first need to think about why you're being so negative. A lot of people turn nearly every situation into a negative drama, simply because they can't be bothered to deal with what's happening.  So if this is the way that you think, think about how tackling the situation positively would go. At least if the situation doesn't even get resolved, you've still got a positive mind rather than a negative one that's bringing you down. You then need to think about creating positive situations for yourself. If you're just living the same life over and over, and surrounding yourself with all of the things that are bringing you down, then how do you expect to ever live a positive lifestyle again? So say for example your job, one of the most negative situations that you could find yourself in. It's hard to go to work and be happy and positive, when you don't even like the work that you're doing. You might not get on with your managers and what not, and it just ruins your whole day. Most of you will admit that if you have a bad day at work, you'll have an even worse night at home. So take yourself out of that negative environment, and put yourself into a line of work where you feel positive. The same goes with anything else in life that gives you a negative vibe. Remove it, and it's obvious that your life is going to change for the better!

Making The Most Of The People Around You

The people around you are definitely the ones that you need to be focusing on, as long as they're the ones giving you all of the positive vibes. But you had to admit, there are groups of people in your life that you know you can always go to, to help make you feel that little bit better. Your family, your partner, your friends, they're all people you need to be surrounding yourself with. Isolating yourself because you're ‘busy’ when really you can't be bothered, is just not what you want to be doing. The more happiness you're surrounding yourself with, the more lust for life you're going to have. But you need to be able to treat people how they treat you, and be able to show your appreciation at the right time. Getting gifts for your friends and family randomly should be a new thing for you to adopt, it shows them you care about them, and gift giving for most people really does feel good. You get a little buzz from showing the people closest to you that you care, and there doesn't need to be a special occasion for you to have to do this! As well this, just make sure that you're making as many memories as you can with the people you love the most, because life will pass you by in a flash!

Creating Better Opportunities

Ok, so we've spoke about how you should get all of the negative situations out of your life, but what are you going to do then? You need to be able to create better opportunities for yourself, so you can have the most enriched life possible. Now, a lot of people might have told you this before, but you really need to think about something like travelling. Travelling is one of the best ways that you can create a better opportunity for yourself. There's so many wonderful places that you can visit, and so many opportunities that can be created when you start to travel. We don't just mean going on your usual holiday, we're thinking about going to all of those far fetched tropical countries, with the most beautiful landscapes for you to explore. Take Bali for example. You could spend a three week holiday there doing something different every day. From surfing on Kuta beach, to walking around the monkey forest. So enrich your life through things like travel and other amazing opportunities, and it'll be hard not to be positive!

Doing Something Amazing

Being positive will come from the vibe you feel around you, so why not think about doing something amazing like volunteering. When you know you're doing something great for someone else, you can't help but feel positive and so happy. You suddenly realise how much you have compared to other people, and you can't help but have a newfound respect for life. There are so many organisations that you could volunteer for, you just have to find one you're passionate about!

Why Family Time Is So Important

Image by Daniel Park from Pixabay

We’re in 2019, and the idea of a ‘traditional’ family has completely changed. Today we have blended families, families with two mums, families with two dads, families living apart, children living with aunties or grandparents and much more - there is no such thing as ‘normal’ because everyone is different.

However, no matter what shape or size your family comes in, one of the most important things you can do for your children or those in your care about is to spend time together. The environment in which your child is raised has a big influence on how he or she deals with relationships, copes with situations, and learns about living life. Family lawyers, Stephenson, Chavárri & Dawson, know firsthand how situations can happen to any family, no matter where they’re from or what they do. Kids can be resilient but the stronger the family unit is, the more they can cope.

We often think that it’s all about quantity when it comes to spending time with your kids when it is the quality time that you need to give your family and children. According to studies, healthy families make family time for talking and listening, accepting differences, showing affection and encouragement, sharing chores and decision making, keeping in touch, and making time for each other. So, block out some time in your calendar because this is why family time is a must:

Strong Bonds

Your family will only be strong if you develop ties and bond with each other. Often the reason that children join gangs or groups is because they are welcomed in and want to be part of something and belong. Your kids need to feel secure, and they need to feel they have someone they can turn and look up to, for anything. Spending quality time together as a family ensures that a deep, strong, family bond develops.

Talk And Listen

In life, people need to share, talk, and listen to each other as a family. Parents often think that it might be tough to talk to their children because they think differently from grown-ups. However, parents often forget how they felt when they were young and that people you liked were the ones who listened to what you had to say. Listening doesn’t mean only hearing the words your child is saying, but also feeling what your child is trying to convey.

Teach Lessons

If you do not teach children at home, they will learn it elsewhere, so as a parent, would you want your children to learn life’s essential lessons from someone else? While children do have to learn things on their own, it’s important to have family time for discussions, where you can introduce your children to specific ideas and then discuss them.

Appreciate And Encourage

Giving hugs, holding hands, being thoughtful and kind are all things that can show praise and encouragement. According to studies, teenagers who remember being praised, hugged, or kissed are likely to do better at school than those who don’t have this experience. Take family time to ask what each family member has done in the day, and show interest in each other’s lives.

Enjoy Family Traditions

Little rituals or things that you do daily and on special occasions, help to build a sense of belonging, contentedness, and inner security within the family. Daily rituals like the way you greet each other, or say goodbye, what you do at mealtimes or bedtimes, can all be something to share within your family time. Families benefit from coming together to celebrate occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, or festivals like Christmas, etc., where they learn the traditions about what happens at these times.

Accept

Family time helps people to appreciate, encourage, and value the differences in each family member. Knowing that everyone is unique in their own way allows each family member to be excited about their interests, and show respect, tolerance and acceptance towards them.

Keep In Touch

While your immediate family unit needs to be strong, so does your relationship with extended family.

Knowing that there is support outside your immediate family helps you children to feel more secure, shows them good examples of relationships and makes a difference to your child’s happiness. It also increases the chances of them making good friends later in life.

Stay Involved

All parents and family members need to find the time and make an effort to get involved in their children’s education. Research shows that when parents involve themselves in the family, their children get better grades in school, are most likely to go on to higher education and have more positive attitudes and behave better. Keeping up to date with your kid’s education doesn’t have to mean overseeing every little thing they do, but can be just reading with your kids, checking their homework, getting involved in PTA or it can be as simple as asking your children, how their day at school was, but asking every day.