Author: brandondonnalee

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Discomfort – Finding Abundance in The Abundant Life

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Discomfort Finding Abundance

Want a car? Sure. But which one? Isn’t finding abudance in the abudnant life really just about lifestyle? Got a car but you got a new raise? Well, you need a better car. Got a better car? Then you need a better place to live. At a certain level of earning, you need a second car, a second house (beach, mountain or lake). No matter how much your check is, you always seem to end up with the same amount at the end of each year – little to nothing.…

Things I Learned Alone On The Farm

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Brandon-Blankenship Things I Learned Alone On the Farm

There is always something to do on a farm. Even when you fix everything that is broken, there is preventative maintenance to do: greasing equipment, treating wood handles, sharpening…. If you get all of the preventative maintenance done, there is always something that could be improved. Better soil, better fences, better drainage, better water, all of this makes a better farm. Often, my mind joins my hands and is consumed in the work. Other times, the work itself (like driving a tractor) lends itself to watching things, to learning. Here are…

The Solution For Divorce May Be The Three Year Marriage

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Things I Learned Alone On The Farm

C.S. Lewis did not marry until after he was 50. Even then, his marriage was not consummated for over a year. As he writes about his marriage, he reveals that it was everything you might hope for. Lewis considered his wife an intellectual equal, enjoyed debating her, got her humor and her his. His love for her was every bit as giddy as the first love of youth. He loved her passionately and was content sitting with her in silence. Three Year of Marriage Soon after they were married, Lewis’s…

Blankenship Farms Pottery

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About the Artist, Donnalee Blankenship I grew up with creative parents, and admired my art teacher aunt, but had very few artistic opportunities in school. In fact, my small town high school had no art classes at all. I always loved photography, painting, drama, ventriloquism, and creativity in all forms. In 2010, I signed up for a pottery wheel class at the Shelby County Arts Council in Columbiana, Alabama, and I was hooked. I took class after class as long as my schedule allowed. Then, I started taking classes at Tena…

Blankenship Farms Honey

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Three Bottles Blankenship Farms Honey

Blankenship Farms Honey is made by honeybees in Shelby County, Alabama under the management of apiarist Brandon Blankenship. Blankenship Farms Honey starts flowing early here. We start each day with a tablespoon of pure raw honey that has been dissolved in a glass of water with a squirt of lemon juice. We are convinced that it is the best way to satisfy an early morning thirst. Blankenship  Farms honey is pure and raw – it is not filtered or heated above 105 degrees. Our honey bee hives are free of…

Spring Break Adventure 2016

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I love adventure blogging. First, it requires an adventure. Check. Second, there are sure to be some family “discussions” (loosely translated “tense voices”) on how we are doing what we are doing. Check. Check. Yep, I am adventure blogging now. It really started as a quick trip to Nashville during spring break. From there we would drive to Atlanta for ice dance testing. Then home. True to Blankenship form, we had no sleep accommodations when we left the house. No road map planned out. No ideas on where to eat.…

Only One Power Has Authority Over Marriage

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Only one power is given authority over marriage; Not loneliness, Not depression, Not addiction, Not anxiety, Not self-injury, Not money, Not sex.1 Only death has authority over marriage.2 The cause of the ending of every marriage that is not overcome by death, is surrender. Don’t surrender. ### Brandon Blankenship, Alabama Image Credit: Fat Chance Michael Smith flickr CC 6OCT2011 ↩  Matthew 5:32, 1 Corinthians 7:39-40, Romans 7:2-3. ↩

Will We Celebrate Your Day?

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Fireworks

As the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. week comes to a close, I am sharing this post from by friend Darrell “Coach D” Andres, CSP. This post appeared earlier this week on Christian Professionals Network and poses the question, will we celebrate your day?: Dr. Myles Munroe’s Challenge No question that Jesus my Lord and Savior has had the greatest impact on my life as a father, husband, minister and business owner. Besides my mother, the one person he placed on the planet that has impacted my life personally more than…

Return on the Investment of Intention

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… what a person plants, he or she will harvest. 1 I am encouraged with the farm-to-table movement in the United States. The side benefit is that as a new generation studies the source of the food on their table they become interested in things like seeds. Heirloom or hybrid, instead of thinking that fruit comes from the grocery story a whole generation knows that an apple grows on a tree and that there are many varieties of apple trees. The simple knowledge that apple seeds, when planted in good…

Truth or Dare and Money

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If you don’t want anyone to find out, don’t do it. -Chinese Proverb Ever hid money from your spouse?1 Ever bought something and just kept it to yourself? Got a credit card only you know about? Turns out you are not alone. According to Credit Karma, 17% of millennials confessed to hiding purchases from their spouse, while 11 % said they had a hidden bank account or credit card.2 Here are some thoughts to consider. Nothing is really hidden, at least not forever. No matter how smart you are or…