Words to Live By

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there can be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.


~William Penn

Don't Worry...

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry.
If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

Tenzin Gyatso

14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

Great news if you feel like you need to do it all this week...

I'm thinking of you today,

wondering about a new week,
asking, "How am I going to do it all?"
Here's the great news:

Through Christ.

I can do everything through Him who gives me strengthen me. Philippians 4:13

And here's the secret...

Just offer what you have.

I've been thinking of this, how I fear what I have falls short.

But then God whispers, reminds me, that He can redeem anything.

So as long as we do something, as long as we have the courage to move forward, then He can use whatever the outcome may be for His purposes.

(Oh, and resting, waiting, praying are most certainly doing something too.)

The greatest risk is doing nothing at all.

I heard someone say recently, "The world isn't looking for perfect people--it's looking for people who just haven't quit."

Your to-do list for the week?

Don't quit.

Just keep going.

God will do the rest.

Promise.


As a new week begins I thought I would share this daily devotional from 'Heart to Heart with Holley'.

holley@holleygerth.com

A Much Needed Reminder

Thought for the Day: “Many of us are always the ones that seem to need to be strong for everyone else. We are the providers, the caregivers, the listeners, the mothers, the fathers, the protectors, the “go-to” people… And when the day is done who do we have to turn to to be the strong one for us? God… He is always waiting to give us His shoulder to lean on.” Have a great day today everyone! – Elmer Laydon

Memories of W.P.I.X New York !!!

This sums up my childhood in seven minutes and 36 seconds...enjoy the trip down memory lane!

God Cares About the Details

This was in my 'Five Minutes For Faith' devotional this morning and it hit a chord with me. As I am often in conversation with God throughout my day, blabbering on about all sorts of things I found it comforting to know he does care about the small details of my life. Somedays I imagine Him sitting in Heaven going 'Okay Diva, I hear you, you can stop now'...or 'I do believe we've been over this before dear child, don't you get it yet?' I picture Him as a parent simply longing for some peace and quiet and all he gets are constant requests, well isn't it wonderful to know there is a story in the Bible to remind us that He really does care about the details? I hope this helps you along your day today.



Posted: 17 Jan 2011 05:56 AM PST

Ever had those days when you felt you were throwing up emergency prayers that seemed unimportant in the big scheme of things? You know the ones. “Lord, please let me find my car keys or I’m going to be late, again.” “Lord, please let me find a parking place close to the door, because I have to get these children and all this stuff in that store quickly in the rain.” “Lord, please let my child sleep through the night, because I have to get some sleep.”

If you are a mom, I’m sure you’ve prayed one or more of these prayers on some occasion. I know I’ve prayed them many times. I used to think they were sort of “silly” prayers. After all, there are much greater problems going on in the world while I’m looking for my keys. But for some reason it makes me feel better to tell God what I need, as trivial as it seems, so I keep praying them.

I was reading through 2 Kings recently and came across the passage of the floating ax head. This story takes place right after Elisha has healed Naaman of leprosy and right before Israel’s army is delivered from the Arameans – an important man and an important event.

The prophets who were following Elisha were cutting trees by the Jordan to build larger quarters to accommodate their growing numbers. One of the men’s iron ax head fell into the water. He became panicked because the ax was borrowed. Upon hearing the man’s distress, Elisha asks where the ax head fell. The man showed Elisha the place. Elisha cut a stick, threw it into the water, and the iron ax head floated to the top where the man could reach down and lift it out of the water.

The man was obviously not a big, important person like Naaman, as he didn’t even have enough money to buy his own ax, but had to borrow one. He didn’t seem to be performing some big, important task like fighting in Israel’s army. But he was doing what God had called him to do – building a home so that God’s Word and work could be furthered. Most people focus on the fact that the iron ax head floated, certainly a miracle; but I notice that Elisha focused on meeting the man’s need, even though it might have seemed trivial.

As moms, we sometimes feel our needs or wants are trivial. We don’t feel we are important or that we are accomplishing anything important, but we are. We are building a home. Hopefully it is a home where God’s Word and work are furthered. And God cares about the details. He wants to hear our “silly” prayers. He cares about our worries and concerns and He wants to meet our every need.

1 Peter 5:7 says cast the whole of your care, all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7 (The Amplified Bible)

Many times God will use our “silly” little prayers and the answers He gives us to teach us about Himself and His purposes for us. We simply must ask for the spiritual vision to see the lessons. He wants to use our everyday life circumstances to draw us to Him, build our faith and ultimately change us into His likeness.

The next time you feel your prayer or need is silly or unimportant; remember the floating ax head and that God cares about the details.

Martin Luther King Jr.

We are now confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968

American Civil Rights Leader



Life is like Coffee Movie

Life is like Coffee Movie: "Do you know people that just seem to be happier in general? Do you say to yourself, "I want to be more like them"? Often, the happiest people in the world don’t have the best of everything...they just make the best of everything!"

Observations on Growing Older

~Your kids are becoming you...and you don't like them...but your grandchildren are perfect!

~Going out is good..

Coming home is better!

~When people say you look "Great"... they add "for your age!"

~When you needed the discount, you paid full price.

Now you get discounts on everything...

movies, hotels, flights, but you're too tired to use them.

~You forget names .... but it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~The 5 pounds you wanted to lose is now 15 and you have a better chance of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything .... especially golf.

~Your spouse is counting on you to remember things you don't remember.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than he does in bed. It's called his "pre-sleep".

~Remember when your mother said,

"Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"? Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!

~You used to say,

"I hope my kids GET married...

Now, "I hope they STAY married!"

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

~When GOOGLE, ipod, email, modem .....

were unheard of, and a mouse was something that made you climb on a table.

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ....

"what?"...."when?". ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~Your husband has a night out with the guys, but he's home by 9:00 P.M. Next week it will be 8:30 P..M.

~You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you've read it.

~Notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~Now that your husband has retired ....

you'd give anything if he'd find a job!

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ....

2 of which you will never wear.

~~~~But old is good in some things:

old songs, old movies, And best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Spiritual Sundays



It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.


Mother Teresa, 1910-1997

"Five MInutes for Faith" Devotional

Don’t Play With Matches!


As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. Proverbs 26:21 NIV

“I can’t find the thing,” I spat into the phone.

“Which thing?” my husband questioned me.

“The thing. The thing! The thing that tightens the car seat!” My patience thin, I shouted into the phone while my husband tried to explain how to install my daughter’s car seat.

I hunched in the back of the van, stepping on toys and castaway cereal, heat dripping down my face, trying for the life of me to find the magical tightening strap for baby Grace’s seat. The temperature outside was ninety-eight. I was sure it was ten degrees hotter in my vehicle.

Later that afternoon when my husband came home, an apology was necessary for my short temper and blistering tongue. “It’s okay,” he told me as he kissed my forehead, “I knew you were just hot.”

Heat is one of my trigger factors.

When tempers quickly flare in any relationship, trigger factors are often the reason. They are outside influences that can affect our temperament and lead to conflict. Trigger factors vary for each person. Mine are heat and clutter. One of my husband’s is hunger. If he is hungry, he will often snap at me for no good reason. He isn’t actually mad at me; he just has a hard time controlling his emotions on an empty stomach.

Think of a match. At first strike, it flares and fizzes, then settles down for a quiet but quick burn. You can do two things before you get scorched.

1. Drop the match and leave it alone; it will sputter out in a hurry. Or

2. Throw the match on something and start an even bigger fire.

When your spouse hits a trigger factor, it’s like those matches. You can drop the issue and choose to overlook some harsh words knowing you aren’t the true cause. Or you can start a rip-roaring fire by focusing on the quick flare.

Identify trigger factors for both you and your spouse. Next time you sense a fight coming on, look for those tricky little nuisances and make a choice. Drop it or start a fire.

Choose wisely.

this devotional was in my mail box this morning and I thought it was worth sharing...







 



Have You Got Mail ???

Now I must admit that my mailbox always has something

waiting for me at the end of each day,

granted it's usually junk mail, bills and an occasional

magazine, but I still love to check it.

Mail delivery has changed a great deal over the years...

from the early Pony Express days to

the more efficient and speedier delivery we are

currently used to,

and everything in between.

My fondest mail memories are those of my

childhood, when you would eargerly await

the mail's arrival hoping there just might be

 something for you

(maybe that secret decoder ring you mailed away for).

     

I am as guilty as most these days and do

most of my bill paying online and much of my 

correspondence is via email,

 but I still

enjoy sending out Christmas cards,

Birthday greetings and of course

Valentine's cards.

I am overjoyed when I actually recieve

a note from a friend or card from

a loved one in my mailbox so I plan on joing

with Suzanne over at 'Colorado Lady'

http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

in her year long challenge to send

at least one handwritten  piece of mail

out to a friend each month.

Hop over to her blog to read all the details

and join us before your mailbox starts

to look like these...

sadly neglected and under used!

I happen to have a 'mail lady'

She's a real sweetheat and always gets

out of her truck to bring me my mail when it

won't fit in my box

(none of those pick up at post office notes for her).

So in order to insure her job security I'm taking

on this challenge, if you'd like a piece of snail mail

from me simply email me your address and I'll put you

on my list!

Here's hoping your mailbox is filled

with lovely letters and less junk!

Welcome 2011

Another fresh new year is here …

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, and fear,

To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me

To live each day with zest …

To daily grow and try to be

My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity

Once more to right some wrongs,

To pray for peace, to plant a tree,

And sing more joyful songs!

William Arthur Ward, 1921-1994

American Author and Poet