CHANGE (Cont'd)

I believe change truly comes from the power of God and not from us. II Corinthians 4:7 talks about being a hypocrite - I know my husband mentioned that briefly in his message last Sunday. I want to add a thought - Stop pretending to be someone you are not....just be who you are! Be real. Change - if you lie, change to tell the truth always. If you're not caring, change to be caring. If you don't take care of yourself, change to start looking good; take some pride in yourself. If you're hurting, call the 24/7 prayer line at our church and please know you will be prayed for. If you're lonely, try doing something for someone; make some cookies or brownies and take them to someone. Yesterday I took some crackers and chicken soup to a lady in our church who has missed work and church because of not feeling well. She said the crackers are the exact ones she eats. Sounds like I'm on a soapbox.......I can only speak for myself; I feel a zillion percent better when I desire a change for the better - and by all means if nothing else, do something just for you - change the color of your nail polish ....... change your way of thinking - uh-ho this one might freak you out....especially if you have a lot of negative or woe is me thinking - take a risk! Bottom Line: Change is inevitable; putting it off only delays happiness!!!

CHANGE

As my husband always says "Embrace that -- own it for a week.....get back in touch and we'll work on an answer." To me, change takes place. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I love blogging as well as researching blogs of interest. I found this quote: "You can't change the whole world but you can change somebody's world.......somewhere." by George Hoffman. My grandfather on my Mom's side was a Park Custodian who picked up cig. butts daily for a living....and even though he didn't coin the phrase, "Put that in your pipe and smoke it," that was a release on his frustrations for having to endlessly pick up after people!!! That's the way I feel about blogging. My caring thoughts are what I feel would be something to think about, especially if you are looking for a change. My brother, who has gone home to be with the Lord, said "Carol - you wake up in a new world every day!." He couldn't have been more perfectly right! I'm not globally trying to change the world, but I know positive, caring words do more than calculated icey cold, rude words! Beginning my day with blogging keeps me focused and starts my day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude! Seeing God's truth in new, fresh ways-change is inevitable!

PEACE

Peace is the tranquility which comes from order. Order means that everything is as it should be. When my life is running as it should I shall have peace. Seeking after God's peace and praying for "worries" that at some point burden me is the only answer. I've had so many people say, well if you're a Christian, you shouldn't worry. God commands the best for me....in my blind selfishness I run away from Him and in my human frailities, decide to take things in my own hands....at that point I am my own worst enemy....my greatest advantage is to have the Bible persuade me, once and for all, that seeking peace only comes from God. The song says "Peace, peace, wonderful peace; coming down from the Father above. Sweep over my spirit forever I pray....in fathomless billows of love." I ALWAYS feel so peaceful when I enter the Sanctuary at Church and it's time for a.m. Worshp. It's God calming my heart and saying okay Carol, you're here; you've done all the Outreach, Praying, Serving, Caring, Loving, 1-on-1 Invitations, Answered all the God questions, come on in relax, and hear a relevant message of course by the very best Pastor in the Universe.... = ) Want order and Peace.....need help in that decision.....I definitely know where you can FIND A GOOD CHURCH! -- Lighthouse Church.....10 a.m. see you here!
FFW: Family Friendly Welcome!

FRIENDS

You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone....if you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having afriend nearby, you are really in trouble. Proverbs says.... "A friend loveth at all times." and I truly believe it! I thank God for trusting friends!

Go Ahead - Make Someone's Day!

Yesterday I did a semi-study on Blogging (semi-meaning just barely getting started) and one of the great suggestions was have a catchy Title. In "Carol's Chicktionary Library" Go Ahead - Make Someone's Day would be "catchy." To me, just the mere meaning of my blog "Carol's Caring Thoughts" would be enough to pass today's title on........ okay so how would you make someone's day? It's Friday, so my day begins on Friday with my hair appointment and my hairdresser has a boyfriend and one of the questions she always asks me is "I know you have a Friday night date night with your husband, but I need some ideas from you as to what to do with my boyfriend this weekend." So I'm taking her the Entertainment section of the paper and she can choose. I'm positive that will make her day. Next.....I'm going to surprise an acquaintance I know with a cute keyring (she collects them) with a funky pen attached that I paid hardly anything for from Staples.........she suffers from "aloneness" since her hubby passed away 3 years ago. I know that will make her day. I'd love to hear how you will make someone's day and of course what I'm finding out is no one can remember her/his password to send a comment, so as the current saying goes with our kids "No worries." Have a better than happy Friday and okay - go ahead makes someone's day!

SERVING

Serving means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever He needs to. Real servers pay attention to need and with much dedication to the task. Last night I had the privilege of going to a function regarding Women's Health and meeting a great staff of OB/GYN employees as well as Doctors and Nurse Practitioners. To see these people in a completely relaxed, social atmosphere as they "served" each attendee amazed me! I count on God and Him alone for my health and strength, but to know this particular medical profession have the answers to my health issues and for them to extend their service and answer any questions presented to them was way beyond my comprehension. But they did! Their staff was so cordial and serving everyone there a delicious meal of at least four or five entrees. Even though I proudly say I love to serve, I definitely felt served and find that in the medical profession, these people come by it naturally and devotedly!

Homemade Cards

Yep I'm hooked! With the exception of one Sister, all the others have an August Birthday. I have oooed and aweeeed over our daughter-in-law's magnificent homemade cards. Her Creative room is prettier than Michael's or Hobby Lobby for sure! This year for Mother's Day they blessed me with a beautiful "Stampin' Up! Card Kits." (Note: plural "kits) Last night before tucking in for bed, my last thought was I can't wait to get up on Wednesday and get all the birthday cards made! Much to my amazement, I finished at 5:42 a.m. (I'm not even going to say what time I got up.......caring word of advice.....don't do a TO DO reminder before falling to sleep!) :(

All I can say is - it was tons of fun and I will definitely brag to her on my accomplishments! There is an art to it (a little play on words)........and that is knowing what the recepient likes (i.e. colors, collections, etc.) and just put your whole heart and love into it! ......and going with the flow.......I've tried knitting, crocheting, tennis, sewing, keyboarding, but I'm sure this will be my main hobby......why??? because after the cards are made, it's a done deal: address, seal and mail! Waaaaaay cool!

Parenting

I found this quote by Dr. Spock "In automobile terms, the child supplies the power but the parents have to do the steering." Dr. Dobson says: "To apply consistent, loving discipline—resulting in mutual respect and self-control." A Pastor we know says "A child not only has to have esteem and acceptance, he's got to have affection." (Love with skin on it.) My husband always uses the Bible Verse Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Training means lots of patience, but we have to train. Recently I dealt with a lady that, to put it bluntly, was saying discouraging words about her husband to the children. At first I didn't believe it and I'm sure my mouth flew open in disbelief. It was almost as if she was playing a game and wanted to children to "love her more than him." I thought to myself, what in the world is this world coming to? That's disgusting! Well, just go ahead and destroy your home in a matter of 2 seconds! Rules are made to be fair. And I admonish ladies daily regarding parenting: Do not degrade or cast a shadow of doubt on your child's Father while he is out providing for the family! My husband held a "Child Discipline" Seminar. One of the men actually spoke up and said the kids told him it was happening and he felt the "put down." Ladies, Women, Wonderful Girls......The principles and fairness of marriage remains the same for both Father and Mother and for all time. God's principles, as well as His character are immutable. I know it sounds like I am on a soapbox but when I heard that, I couldn't wait until morning to blog on parenting. Give me a call.....if you're considering being "unfair regarding parenting." I definitely care!!!!

A SCHEDULE

What is a schedule? Technically a schedule is a list of times and details of events that are going to happen and projected operations.....time planned it takes to finish. My definition is a timed plan for a procedure or project so that I can flow through the projected operation of my day in a calm, orderly, smooth progressionI would say, a TO BE DONE list for the mark of wisdom. Considering God's Proverbs 31 woman makes my schedule run smoothly. (Tending, serving, getting up early, taking care of family and home first, finishing the To BE DONE list and being flexible enough to go with plan B if Plan A doesn't work.) .......I've always heard "work your schedule or your schedule will work you." Garnish the Schedule with lots of love, prayer, and peace (to name just a few) and we all are bound to have a happy Monday!!!!

YEA, IT'S SUNDAY!

Okay everyone that knows me knows Sunday is my favorite day! What a great joy to be in the service of the Lord. Do I count it a privilege? You bet! Our church is known as a "loving church" - a church where you will hear a message of hope, guidance, and security. FFW-family friendly worship. Several years ago I was invited to attend church with a high school friend. My life has been changed in such a great way for being faithful in church since then. There is a definite difference......to be is the challenge from the Bible message that I receive. Hearing it motivates me to be a better Christian and confident that every battle is in God's hands to fight! See you there!!!!!

Super Saturday

I'm declaring this to be super Saturday! There are so many super things I have to do to catch up.........prepare for Sunday service is what makes it super. Practicing the new worship song; playing on the Keyboard and a song for offertory.....Q&A grocery buying......looking for a super buy in the shoe departments. I love to walk as my exercise and have decided my tennis shoes are not supporting my ankles. I know so many people who have promised to come to church...these people are hurting for someone to care for them. ....and talk about joy being lost and all the disappointments they have. I'm going to do some super Outreach to remind them our church service begins at 10 a.m. I know that's early, but it's only for 1 hour of their time. God's timetable and His motivation tells me to care to call and give a nudge of remembrance of caring...........when I pillow my head tonight.....I can honestly say what a super day!!!!! See ya in church tomorrow :)

NEW WORSHIP SONG

I'm a person who loves to learn something new! I do a lot of research on what's new in the corporate world; what's the latest in worship music; keeping up with various school systems to see what our grandkids might have to face in a new school year; video streaming world; scoping the Mall to see what's the latest in fashion; keeping up with the latest books and Author; oh, good grief the list goes on and on......my life is full of exciting events, and one of the latest is spending a ton of time this week learning a new worship song for Sunday. My husband is brilliant at finding accompaniment music for 99cents on the internet!!! (Imagine that!!!) and he even finds it in the right key...I could never thank him enough because at times music is my life.....practice, practice, practice and strict discipline to as I call it "keeping your voice in tune...." I'm hoping everyone's Friday is happy as we put music in our souls.....whatever music that motivates us to have a phenomenal day! Music moves me closer to being my best self!

A couple of A-Ha Moments at Starbucks!

Yesterday was a busy day for me and topping it all off with 3rd Wednesday, about 4-ish p.m. I told my hubby I was heading out to Starbucks to get my second wind......I had one of the employees discuss how much he loved working at Starbucks and began to tell me how much he gives out to make it a great experience for whomever he serves. To me, they give the customer what they want and to me it is exactly the way you like it. If not, they'll fix it the way you want it! The employee ("Barista") also stated he had been working extra shifts to help fund his College in the fall. I could definitely relate.....One of my first jobs was a "Soda Fountain Attendant" where I made malts, sodas, etc. at a Drugstore to fund my Freshman Year in College. I wanted to leave some encouraging words to him, which I feel I did.....at the same time, I was remembering the customers who sat in my particular area at the Drugstore who left super compliments to me. An added note......Starbucks has new lunch packs...sandwich, fruit or individual salads. What will they think of next? .....What an A-Ha moment.........Being at Starbucks, reading the "New York Times" newspaper while sipping my favorite latte!!!!

Can God fill your emptiness?

Life is full of disappointments. Whether it's a broken heart, a broken dream, or just something that hasn't gone right; we've all experienced true letdowns in life. When people are disappointed, they usually try to cover it up or build a wall; they look for a substitute or a distraction from the pain. Here's some good encouragement......when reaching a place of emptiness where the disappointments run deep, remember you are in the perfect position for a miracle. Why? Because God can make His good come from bad times. In the Bible (John 2:1-11) we read abut the first miracle Jesus had. He was only 30 and this was when he entered His public ministry. Turning the water pots into wine....what a miracle! In verse 7 the servants didn't need water - they needed wine. So they filled the pots "to the brim" v. 7. And then when He asked the head waiter to draw it and taste it, it had become wine. Jesus doesn't put on a big show to perform this miracle; it is almost imperceptible. He transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary. He fills our emptiness with new joy. He will take our empty waterpots and fill them to the brim with His goodness, provision, and love. At our church we have only one Wednesday night Service and it's called "3rd Wednesday." It's the only special time we are served Communion by the Pastor. There's no big show....just a time to let God fill the emptiness as we honor and respect the miracles He has done for us and the new life He gives us! There is nothing we can do about our no-wine situations (emptiness); we must trust in our faith in Jesus to do His transforming work in our hearts. ........the best is yet to come.....a life full of joy, happiness, and potential! ......I don't mean to sound "preachy" just sharing my caring thoughts........have a superb Wednesday!

DISCIPLINE

Actually I love the word discipline. I do not have a clue where I would be if I didn't not adhere to that word DAILY. It takes tough discipline to keep the goals and visions I have. But, without disciplining myself I would just be a glitz on the radar screen! I love to tackle huge challenges.....just like last Sunday at the W.O.W. (Women of Worth) class I teach, I shared with all the ladies there to form a (Siesta) (Sister) common approach and have accountability .....one lady continued to extend it to "Servitude." Now that's having a heart of concern and caring! I've begun this new week with that in mind.....simply disciplining myself to SERVE wherever needed! Yesterday my husband suggested to have just veggies for supper. That sounded so great I decided to have a candlelight dinner and the menu consisted of our 3 very favorite veggies.....green large butter beans, fried okra (only picsweet brand becaue I love to make the coating :) and corn on the cob. mmm-- but today's a brand new day and yesterday is history......so I'm going to continue the week disciplining myself to achieve any and all goals this day, of course looking to whom I may serve!

PEACE

Some caring thoughts about......peace. Having been raised in a home where fussing and fighting continued day after day, I have lived my entire adult life striving for peace, contentment, harmony, happiness (in that order). I couldn't wait yesterday to tell our Son & Daughter-in-Law how marvelous the grandkids were while being at our home last week; especially the fact that they get along so wonderfully. It was amazingly incredible! The Bible says "Peace does passeth all understanding....." And I truly deeply believe this as having witnessed it. In our homes or in our relationship with others, it is needful to give understanding to respect and the right attitudes that causes the home to stand the test of storms and ..... live in PEACE. Also, real living of PEACE is the ability to look beyond the present and view the finished products. Ahhh....... Strive for peace.....that's what it's all about. What a relaxing thought and a great way to get Monday started!

CONTENTMENT

I always make no bones about it.....today is always an exciting day for me. There is a feeling of contentment when I got to church. I know my husband will show everyone from the Bible answers. Psalm 103:1-13 is great to read re: contentment. It's not about what we have or accomplish, it is about who has us and what He has accomplished for us. Contentment leads to gratitude and I truly believe is based on havig my life filled with so much appreciation and God's love! Our church service is only for one hour but definitely worth the time. I call it a time to sharpen our focus! ........and if you read my previous posts on Sunday, I will always be content with giving anyone a chance to plug in to LC which begins at 10 a.m. See you there! (oooops remember "Women of Worth" class is at 9 a.m. as announced but usually every other week!) :)

W.O.W.

Tomorrow is W.O.W. Women of Worth class. We meet every other Sunday opposite of Q&A. I've been up early looking over my notes......the title of my teaching tomorrow will "3 Toughest Things About Being A Woman" I know we have to get up early because the class begins at 9 a.m. sharp and I do want to commend the sacrifice all the women have made to attend. So.....can't wait to see you at church - this time in Fellowship Hall where you will definitely be glad you came! In the meantime, have a very happy Saturday!! I know I will!!!

CHARACTER

In this day and age, that's a strange word to people who have not been raised up with the word. Lately I have had a lot of Ladies & Moms ask me my thoughts on this subject. At the mere mention of this word.....character, appears a puzzled look...........and the question that follows is what's that? I am proud to say that both of our kids were taught character. As we would spend quality time with two huge character books that instilled the value of respect of authority, responsibility, initiative, honesty, to name a few. In a nutshell my thoughts given on character are there is a great value system in place. I can still remember my husband saying regarding almost all the character traits......okay see that cookie left in the cookie jar...there's only one left so if he or I had said "Leave the cookie alone, please." The next time the family looked in the cookie jar, character was revealed by the cookie still being there. That is honesty and trust. Rather than get the cookie and make up an excuse why it was taken - obviously the character support given by the entire family that there was one cookie left - who took it? To me character speaks for itself - what you do when no one else is around. I would write a book on this subject, but as I mentioned, there are already books published. Rest assured character is not only needed, but mandatory! Have a super happy Friday. I know I will!

NEW DAY

This week has flown by! I know it's because I've had the fantastic privilege of having our grandkids. I have actually taken the entire week off of church tasks (except for crisis phone calls only) and answering e-mails! After remembering, we forgot to get photos of our fun time at Chuck E. Cheese the other day; we stopped by this time taking Grandpa with us. He loves great salad bars for lunch and they have a great one! CEC has 2 awesome photo machines now; one that is so cool for the kids; it has their pic and cool things they like to say about what they like; the other one is the standard 5 X 7 black/white drawn pic which we get each time we go b/c it has the date on it. Oh, yes, we have a "CEC Hall of Fame" pic wall!!! Then we went on a picnic to this really cool park (notice I'm talking kiddo language :) and of course, love it!)
The fun part about going on a picnic is getting it ready. Always remember (if you're a Grandma) to take a pillow to sit on; the benches are concrete and iron. Ugh w/o the pillow. "Remember lots of water"...says our Grandson. ...."and banana bread, Grandma; nice and fresh made today" says our Granddaughter. This Grandma, whether out on the town for lunch, breakfast, going shopping, or an afternoon with family albums, stories, playing games and all the other cool things, my time is well spent on this NEW DAY and is priceless with these precious ones!

Glorifying God in My Life

To me, glorifying God is simple. I make use of the gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) according to the grace given me. I let my light so shine before others that they may see my moral excellence and my praiseworthy, noble and good deeds, and recognize and honor and praise and glorify my God who is in heaven. I allow my life to lovingly express truth in ALL things - speaking truly, living truly. Whatever may be my task, I work it heartily (from the soul) (something done) for God and in serving others. Some women may never experience this wonderful way to live, but I love it!!! This morning I'm late with my blog (to me anyway) but I've been busy and totally caught up on Thank You letters, cards, and notes. I can rest assured God is truly glorified in my life at this very moment for getting it all done!! The cycle never ends when we glorify God through appreciation and gratefulness! He gives back to us in definitely more ways than one!

PRAYER

When I "get alone with God" very early in the morning and reach for my Bible - for some reason lately it has always opened to Proverbs 31. I know my day and my schedule begin early even before anyone is up. Vs. 15 tells me my chores are enumerated as my day progresses, so I had better pray first crack out of the dish! I believe prayer does change things; it changes our housework! Since I have the heart of a homemaker and am faithful to pray about this realm of my work, the principle of Matthew 6:21 again goes into effect. To me, prayer transports my homemaking out of the physical realm and into the spiritual realm. It makes me feel like a master manager doing my part to have a peaceful, happy home life! ......Bottom Line: ....the prayer of the righteous availeth much. I can't wait at the end of the day to be ever so appreciative in prayer for all He will do to make sure my day is awesome!

Positive Thoughts on Being a Grandma

I'm totally convinced when a person who is a Grandma "gives up" negative thinking and replaces it with positive thoughts concerning events, conversations, and downright living a Grandma life, there is a change in their attitude and the way they relate to these adorable, precious, amazingly incredible kids! I am doing the thing I love most this week - "Grandma-ing" - I don't have to work at being a Grandma...I AM A GRANDMA and dearly and deeply love it - from the depths of my heart! All the things Grandkids do that are so positive just gets my motor going! To name a few Reading very difficult words in a book and 6 years of age..... Winning at a game on the computer that enhances intelligence regarding words, etc.....at 9 years of age......The creativity they have in writing what they want to say for the "Grandma Room." Another thing.....not minding to have their pictures taken a zillion times..........and most of all, all the things they recite for Grandma just before I declare them an unrecognized genius! No one who has not known this inestimable privilege can possibly realize the great life one can have until they are Grandma. These Grandkids provide me with some of my proudest occasions, some of my tenderest experiences, and without question, some of my funniest moments! These memories will go on forever. I'm definitely known as the "Chuck E. Cheese Grandma" CEC has gotten so hi-tech now and believe you me, our Grandkids can master-mind all it takes to win and rack up the prize points. It's amazing! Being a Grandma is the true joy of life and I will embrace these hours and hours of pure enjoyment and appreciate the time I do have with them and say a gigantic Thank You to their parents for allowing me this grand privilege! After all............GRANDPARENTS ARE TO CHILDREN .............what SUNSHINE IS TO FLOWERS!

CHURCH

Yea, it's Sunday and as all the OUTREACH IS done, of course, I cannot wait to worship in a CHURCH where I know the Bible is taught and one can feel the presence of God. My husband always has relevant great life message remarks and it motivates me to think at the end of the service.....church starts now!!!!! See ya at 10 a.m. TODAY!

GRACE

Awaken to the power of Grace! It's a higher power ready and able to lead us in the right direction. This benevolent energy always has our best interest at heart! I looked up scriptures in my Bible re: Grace and am bountifully blessed that God gives me super great favors because of Grace! Can't wait 'til church tomorrow (10 a) as I know I'll get a double blessing as my husband continues I Peter/Grace, Mercy, and Sufferings. See you there!

ORDER

To me order means doing what's right! I love the scripture "Let all things be done decently and in order." I Cor. 14:40. Yesterday I went to pay our water bill and there were guided ropes to let us know where the line began and ended. Some were standing on the outskirts of that guided rope and really I couldn't tell where the line was and of course it had to all quiet people in line. When I asked where the line formed, no one answered; since it is at City Hall, one of the employees who worked there announced that the line formed over far on the left! Actually I would have been the first in line because since no one answered I figured out where the line began. She said "You are in the right place to begin the line." And I mentioned to her that I should really be at the end of the line since I just walked up....she said, "No, there is order and you are in the right place." Since I was in a hurry, I thanked her and paid the bill and off I went! At another time my husband and I went to eat at CiCi's - they have a great salad bar but there were several teens throwing pizza - a sight for sore eyes as my Mom used to say! It didn't take too long until the Manager appeared and there was definitely order!
Okay...........I want this day to hurry up and get started!!.......The grandkids are coming! Rest assured they have been taught order by their parents.......and we follow up in full support!! Oh, I cannot wait to see them! They add so much to life and as the little sign on the wall by my desk says "Grandmas are just antique little girls!" Have a safe and happy Friday!

LIFE

One of the key ingredients of LIFE is people.....and people take time. I do have a hard time accepting the statement "I thought you might be too busy for me." Ouch - that hurts when someone says that. I am never too busy to care about a PERSON in LIFE'S daily victories or struggles. In my prayer journal I devotedly pace myself. Each and every person that crosses my path I count very important and is sent by God to represent a part of His purpose for my day and my LIFE. And each and every one of them is a soul, a needy soul, needy for something. It's about the other person and the caring comes back 10-fold when we return calls or keep up with each other. Maybe it's just a big smile, (believe it or not the smile can be felt over the phone) a hearty hello, or how are you, what's up? We must keep in touch. God gives me time in daily activities to truly enjoy LIFE'S friendships.......

communal friendships (husband, children, and family)

consistent friendships (best friends)

casual friendships (acquaintances) ......and

coincidental friendships (strangers)

FREEDOM

I'm eternally grateful for freedom. The freedom we have in God we trust and the freedom to be an individual with talents, great worth, intelligence, and on and on. Celebrating Independence Day is awesome seeing the phenomenal fireworks, and just having a day of leisure thinking about freedom we have! IAs I write this blog I am thinking about the year our Son took us to New York City to see (all sites) but seeing the Statute of Liberty was my favorite! Every time I think of it I am awe-struck to this day as it brings tears of joy when I say I am proud to be an American and at the same time a Christian! Living in America; experiencing the freedom we truly have and as we ENJOY this day, I'm looking forward to seeing a parade, seeing the fireworks, eating delicious food and rejoicing in singing "American the Beautiful" and proclaim all to have a HAPPY 4th!

FORGIVENESS

I have experienced forgiveness on a very deep level. It's wonderful! It's lasting and of God. I used to underestimate God's power to give me strength to forgive. I found He was ready for me to step out in faith and relinquish the whole ordeal to Him. This opened the door to breaking the bondage and experiencing freedom. I knew I had fully forgiven when I could talk about the issues that once were so painful. At that point I knew it was a good indicator that I was embracing the forgiveness because it lead to healing. I knew God was deepening my forgivenss and intensifying my healing. A sign of true forgiveness is when issues are discussed, resolved, and put to rest forever!
A very warm hug of unconditional love and a dose of Matthew 7:12, 14, 15 definitely works in the God's tremendous truth in saying "I FORGIVE YOU!"

Apple IPhone

I have a tremendous zeal to know what's going on in the tech world. Of course, I'm so excited for any and all who have an Apple IPhone. What a cool, phenomenal, revolutionary phone!!! I am so happy one of our family members has one and a friend of our's had one at Church yesterday. To me, it's like having Internet in your pocket and even a widescreen IPOD can be used. I'm confident every person, will definitely experience increase in profits and productivity and having this phone will continue to influence every decision that is made. I sit back in amazement and when I saw the speed of him locating everything so fast on the IPhone, I'm left in awe at what will they think of next? It looked to me like each person that has one owns their own phone company right at their fingertips! I'm glad to be a part and truly love to be knowledgable what's new on the market. It keeps me motivated and happy for the brilliancy each person has to even operate them! Hats off and congrats to Apple IPhone for this new invention!!! WOW! And, of course, everyone that knows me, knows I love communication in any shape, form or fashion! ...........Each day is so exciting as I love to begin the day blogging and sharing caring thoughts! ...........hey.......before I forget it....have a super Holiday week!

WISDOM

The Bible says "If any lack wisdom, let him/her ask of God........" If I take heed to God's wisdom regarding time, my life, (years brimming with possibilities) I believe I will have fulfilled dreams, prayers, and goals met! Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says there is a right time for everything....a time to heal....a time to rebuild....a time to laugh....a time to dance....a time to hug....a time for peace.....that is WISDOM! I can hardly wait to have it!!!!!! See ya in Church today (10 a)....how about W.O.W. (Women of Worth) class at 9 a.m. today. (This class is taught by me twice a month.)

PRIORITIES

Priorities out of whack? Many times the biggest time robber of all of us is the mismanagement of our priorities. We've already determined that we are busy women. Just one glance at the calendar and the busy-ness is evident! But busy-ness is not an indicator of effectiveness. If we're busy doing the wrong things, then we are being robbed of time that could be better spent on the things that truly count.....our God-given priorities. Tomorrow I'll be teaching a W.O.W. (Women of Worth Bible Class) - Redeeming the time and Spiritual Gifts are the topics. It begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 9:45 a.m. See you there and can't wait to share what our extraordinary gifts are...........That will set our PRIORITIES into place! I would love to see you there!

HAPPINESS

I'll make this short and sweet and to the point: Thinking about happiness? I truly believe in being happy! Of course FULLY RELYING ON GOD is happiness! I'm just happy it's Friday!!! This has been the week of all weeks after being in the Dentist's chair twice! (After breaking a tooth on some tortilla chips).........ugh...... But I'm happy I look pretty again because my tooth represented my smile because it was the front eye tooth!!!! Am I happy? Hellooooo - I would sure say so!!! And as the saying goes: don't worry.......Be Happy!

QUALITY

I've been reading the book of Esther lately and found in 4:14 these immortal words. "and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" This represents 3 major QUALITY CHOICES in our lives. Wisdom....the nations of the world are facing problems never before imagined. There is unrest and indecision on every hand. Yet, there is wisdom for such a day as this. Patience...Everything we do will not always be to our liking...but we must learn to accept the things we cannot change, have courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference. Strength....He has a plan for our life and gives us strength to carry it through. The same God today is the same as in the days of Queen Esther, "for such a time as this." "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory." What shall we say....We all have qualities that no other individual has. We were born with them. In our alone time we make the decision on how to develop these QUALITIES. Patience is a great quality but I need more of it when it comes to computer technology (but I will not give up on learning!) Bottom Line: Don't hide your light under a bushel. Let the strength of your character and wisdom shine so brightly that others, seeing, it will rush to light their candles from it! ..........Happy Thursday!

Early Wednesday

Okay - I'll admit I'm up super early today. Yesterday when I was out, I ran across a Server from Denny's who said they have a whole new staff since they were not a "corporate" restaurant any more and they are totally smoke free. (Hooray on that one!) Where does that lead me? It leads me to go and meet the new Servers for Outreach and invite them to Church maybe before they get their permament schedule. We always relate because I love to serve others and of course up at the crack of dawn! Oh, before I get ready and go I want to share something that was sent from a friend of mine on e-mail. 'N-joy..........
Today's Message of the Day is:> > > >>> > > >>> > > >> Life is short, Forgive quickly,> > > >> Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And> > > >> never regret anything that made you smile. Send to> > > >> all the people you don't want to lose in 2007, even> > > >> me.... If you get 3 back, you are a great friend> > > >> Life may not be the party we hoped for,> > > >> But while we're here we should dance....

RESPECTFUL

One way to be respectful is to be scarce. There are multitude of ways friends and family can communicate without having to be together physically. We have the phone, e-mail, text messaging, blog, even the postal services.........and prayer! Yesterday we got the cutest, adorable thank you for my birthday stuff card (and she even named the gifts one by one) from our granddaughter and wrote it all by herself (but I see her very talented, creative mOm made the card!!!! What respect (& I'll add very thoughtful)!!! Proverbs 25:17, 27:14 is great on respect for others and is super strong on respect........."Seldom set foot in your neighbor's or someone's house, lest he become weary of you and hate you." Wow! Everyone has their goals, projects, responsibilities, preparations for the family and the home. I respect and support these undertakings, just helping out when and where I can......even if that means being scarce!

The Joy Of Being a PW (Pastor's Wife)

Yesterday I received a beautiful card in my IN box at Church. I truly want to share it because not only has it made my day, but my century! To My Pastor's Wife Carol. A pastor's wife must be many things, you have so many hats to wear, and I want to say thanks for all you do and lift you up in prayer. You adjust your life to meet the needs of helping us so much and helping us cope with a lot of situations. Your presence blesses all of us who know you from day to day. You are always serving God, especially your husband and all the ladies in a fine and worthy way and I appreciate all you do! You mean the world to me!!!! Thanks for just being YOU.
It could not have come at a more perfect timing. The previous week was unbelievably full of life's inescapables; and many problems to solve. Plus the fact that our daughter left to go out of State and then the air conditioning not working in Fellowship Hall...........I surely was not drowning, but looking for an answer to why me Lord? I've always been a "Nip it in the bud" and love the "share it with me now, so we can pray about it person." You never know who needs a word of encouragement. The great card, and the many visitors that our Welcome Announcer brought to Church and the super great Q&A plus the main event...... the great message my husband gave on I Peter series made my day! God always knows what we need. It will never be gloom and doom for me! I'm looking forward today to holding a brand new baby that was born Saturday today (one of our young couples) as I am going to take a caserole to the newly proud Mom and Dad as they come home from the hospital with him. He is indeed precious!
Happy Monday!
Bottom Line: There is no other fulfillment like that of being all God wants me to be as a PW!

Plan B is working GREAT!

I can imagine someone living in a 2-story home and the upstair's air conditioning goes out, so they move downstairs............well, my body is feeling the effects of moving chairs and tables (ugh!) because at our church yesterday we moved Fellowship Hall to the front of the building because the second air decided not to work but the first air is working fantastic! My prayer is that people don't mind change; we have a big day planned and several visitors.....and Q&A afterwards with a super summer meal! So far in my mind Plan B is working GREAT....now I just hope everyone else thinks so. I covet each one's prayers as you read my blog today...I'm a person who loves change for the better but it's not about me, it's about growth in our church and the visitors looking for a church home where they feel "at home" - and that I am positive they will find! (And an incredible teaching from the Bible!) See ya at 10 a.m.

WORDS

If words can kill happiness, they also have the power to create happiness. It is sometimes said that words are cheap. Not so. What price can we all put on the right words spoken at just the right time? It was Solomon in the Bible who said "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Prov. 25:11) A few well-chosen, well-spoken words can make all the difference for good or for bad. I love words of hope, support, compassion and love - wonderful words of life! Yesterday the comment (words) was made to us as my husband was handling a crisis situation - "Are you ever free from hearing problems from people?" And both of our comments were the fact that it is one thing to deal with an unexpected crisis in another person's life but it's quite different when you realize the scripture John 16:33 says " In this world you will have trouble." (& it's our life's calling along side each other to help---that's what we do).... and we get the privilege of telling them......remember God is not surprised. He knows each one of us by name.........He knows exactly what is happening. We encourage talking about it....please do not shut others out. Words like trust, hope, guidance, simplistic formulas for dealing with problems and we are happy each one who calls has "a safe place to land" or the words I like to use "You can get over this.....this, too, shall pass ." And I get the privilege of offering words of joy!

Plan B

I believe in going with Plan B if Plan A doesn't work. Today is Plan B.....what was going to be a phenomenal day with Plan A now is Plan B........... I'm very flexible and actually was raised as a kid of "either/or" so as an adult I prefer the Plan A or B - choices! I refuse to look at the negative today, so Plan B will work! It's beginning to look pretty good. I covet prayers, empathy, (sympathy), encouragement, hugs, and understanding. So, I'll just except what comes my way today with Plan B and have a phenomenal day! To coin a phrase a CEO I used to be Admin. Asst. to would say "Carol you're so committed to positive ideas and plans, so have fun and don't sweat the small stuff!"
Yea, it is Friday and with that robust enthusiasm it's going to be
phe----nom----i-----nal!!!!!!

An Incessant Encourager - A Friend

I have a friend who is such an encourager. She constantly sends me little notes of appreciation...for no reason at all. One day a tiny "Pooh Bear" card arrived in the mail with a terrific note "Remember in Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unfair, he will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your life to Him by caring for other Christians (like me), as you still do." With this incessant encourager, how could I possibly not nurture this friendship. A real friend is one who helps us to think our best thoughts, do our noblest deeds, and be our finest selves. I'm the world's greatest at keeping ENCOURAGING CARDS, E-MAILS, BLOGS, NOTES, my own kids' cards or notes to Mom--- great creative letters or things our Grandkids make when they are here........there's a world of incessant encouragement and I am blessed to count my many blessings this day!!!

COLLECTING CHICKENS

Okay - I'm finally giving in. I've been blogging for almost six months now, and it's clear i still have a lot to learn.....but the ladies at Church are asking me why I haven't mentioned my "Collecting Chickens." Carol's Cheery Chickens - hmmm - Yes, I totally admit I'm obsessed with collecting small, medium sized, and even chicken eggs! My husband recently went to San Francisco and brought me back a chicken with an attitude!!! When I learn how to blog with pictures (don't expect that any time soon) but this chicken has a kingly looking hat on and is strutting his stuff. I love the beautiful pastel colors on this chicken! Because I have a chicken egg plate that has the same colors that I put my "church jewelry in." Our Son and Daughter-in-Law have traveled extensively and in the curio cabinet I have the unique collection of smaller chickens that you have to see to believe! They are magnificent! Then, there's the blown glass chickens which are breathtaking! I remind myself this has been 35 years of collecting chickens due to the fact that our "home Pastor's wife" in Missouri (2,000 in attendance) gave me some fabulous advice "Carol as you begin in the Ministry, start collecting something or you'll get odds and ends of stuff you might not want." So, I chose chickens and have so many I really don't display all of them. But, my daughter recently gave me a side-board piece of furniture that goes with the china hutch for the dining room and it has lots of room for chicken dishes, vases, etc. I'm a happy camper with the great collection I have and am grateful for indeed! Oh, and some are even outside!!!! My husband who is great at electrical work actually put small spotlights to shine on my chickens which are displayed on top of our beautiful white cabinets in the kitchen! (& a dimmer switch to boot!!!) How cool is that!!! Well, I've had fun talking about my chicken collection; how about you? I'd love to hear your comments on what you collect? Don't chicken out on telling me....a-ha!!!

BE ORGANIZED

It is a known FACT that being organized is vital! My husband and I saw a great Oprah show in the spring that was showing clutter and what it does to defeat! Organization means support to me - it supports a busy life and I believe in the age-old principle of "a place for everything and everything in its place.) (And in advanced organization, that place is the place where you need each item to be. Our daughter is in the process of moving. I was so happy when I saw she had the neatest "equipment" and as she calls it "stuff" organized in it. But I guarantee it is organized! We have a counter top in the kitchen that keeps us motivated.....on that counter top are "Crisis" things that HAVE TO BE DONE now. They are not in the way of cooking in the kitchen but as we walk by that counter, it reminds us "now!" My husband cannot tolerate clutter and I love to be organized, so we make a perfect match for organization. I call my part the "one foot" method. I clean out at least one drawer, one shelf, or one foot of space every day. And it's usually done during transitional time, while I'm doing something else, like warming something in the microwave, waiting for the coffee to brew, talking on the phone, etc. I've adopted the Proverbs 31 homemaker as my model for home management. She excelled at her role of home-manager (vs. 29) My thinking goes something like this -- "Okay, I have to keep the house clean, I NEED TO CREATE ORDER...I've got to cook at least one meal a day, so why not be the best?" Why not excel!!!!! ....to bless my husband and others and of course myself!

Gratitude

Gratitude beats guilt and self-criticism....all the time! It makes me wonder how many women spend wasted time on being so critical of their self when all we have to do is think about how blessed and grateful we should be! We create splendid memories for which I am a very grateful person today after having the privilege of having our entire family here. I do not hestitate to say for one minute to say it was a "privilege!" To me, it was a party....a phenomenal mixture of everyone at the table, eating a delicious meal, relaxing, just enjoying each other's company with a great kindred spirit; just to see each other's happiness in and of how they wanted to share it ... I'm grasping for words to fully explain my gratitude because I know how busy our family is and to take the time to come to Mom and Dad's home and enjoy everything!
In thinking about the place we call home. We have little control over most of the events of our lives, but we do have a measure of control over the atmosphere and the order and smooth running of our home. What's inside our doors and under our roof is our sphere. It's our place. By and large, it's a sphere and a place we build, watch over, manage, and love. So why shouldn't we dive in and do it with great passion, love, and happiness? I know women who have trouble getting excited about taking care of their homes. And I know women who have written off homemaking as a worthless occupation. These may sound like random comments, but to me I pillowed my head to a tremendous sleep and rest last night and awakened very grateful for every single precious person that was here to love, laugh, and enjoy life! I asked God to give me everything that I might enjoy life; He gave me life.......that I might enjoy everything!! Happy Monday!

GOALS

It's never too late to have goals. When I think about Father's Day of course I am so happy for each and every DAD because I honor and cherish them! I was reading about some Fathers who had goals; it didn't matterwhat their age was!
Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on his back on a scafford at near age 90.
Strauss was still composing serious music after his 80th birthday!
Benjamin Franklin served his country in France at age 78 and wrote his autobiography at over 80.
John Wesley, at age 83 was annoyed that he could not write more than 15 hours a day and at 86 was frustrated that he could not preach more than twice a day.
Obviously these men never stopped using thir minds and undertaking new laborious and creative challenges, and I don't think we shoulld either! What a wonderful gift God has given us to have goals and accomplish them! My love goes out to all Dads and I hope you have the best day ever!!!!!

Pre-Father's Day

Yesterday I had the privilege of viewing the kids at the Day Care's Father's Day homemade cards. Talk about colorful!!! and cute sayings to their "World's Greatest Dad!" I loved it!
Here's a quote that was on the calendar today.....by Author John Bradshaw "Children are curious and are risk takers. They have lots of courage. They venture out into a world that is immense and dangerous. A child initially trusts life and the processes of life." And of course as Art Linkletter used to say "Kids say the darndest things...." And the Bible says "A little child shall lead them." Happy Pre-Father's Day! Plan on a super day from what I've seen so far!!!

Banana Bread

Father's Day......yea.........a great time to get up early and bake banana bread - does 32 loaves seem like a lot? No, not really. By the time I finished Outreach yesterday, I saw some people I hadn't seen for a while and since they are taking a trip and I know my banana bread would be tastier than a cold crescent in the hotel room! :) It's fun, delicious, and brings back a lot of memories when I first taught our granddaugther how to make banana (she loves cracking the eggs) bread and then when our grandson got older he wanted to help (he loved to stir)!!!!! Usually I make b. bread on Saturday, but it's been fun baking on Friday because my hubby also wanted a dutch apple pie which took 1 hr. and 10 minutes to bake! Happy early Father's Day men! You deserve the best - the very best! It is definitely worth my blog being later.....and our home smelling fantastic! .........Happy Friday!

OUTREACH

What a beautiful day (no rain so far)...I'm headed out to Starbucks for a nice warm latte to get my OUTREACH day started! Usually someone recognizes me and asks me how is your Church doing? #1 Outreach begins and they know they are going to get invited. I've already prayed this prayer: "Lord you have not given me a spirit of timidity - of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear - but You have given me a spirit of power and of love and a calm-well-balanced discipline/self-control to witness for You. I can do all things through Christ Who gives me the strength. Amen." Then after they ask "How is your Church doing?" Starbucks is a small place so then someone else will come up and say "Where's your Church?" So goes OUTREACH - me reaching out to them, caring, concerned, consecrated enough to share my life and what God means to me. The HOPE I have in Him. People are hurting to hear what works........I am 100% sure the Bible works and I know my husband teaches it every single Sunday! See ya there!!!! (10-11 a.m. on Sunday--Worship Center) :)

HOME

Do we make our homes a joy and pleasure for those who live there? A soldier came home on leave to a wife who was very quarrelsome and constantly finding fault. Finally he left and reported back to his commanding officer for duty, saying "I want to get back in the front, where I can fight this war in peace." To me, there are qualities that will build a happy home.
(To name a few: Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Humility, Courtesy, Unselfishness, Good Temper, Love, Guilelessness (thinketh no evil) and Sincerity (rejoicing in the truth!) - I Cor. 13 Building a happy home is found in one word- character!
What starts out to be a courteous conversation, but what ends up is a full-blown argument because of a selfish spirit or a decision was made in peace, but all of sudden the rules got changed! Or, is it because commitments, decisions that are no up for grabs depending on how you feel at a given moment. My husband and I practice the art of discipline with this thing called advanced decision-making which says "It's already been decided, so don't even think about it. " These little signals don't change the fact that we have already made a decision and that is non-negotiable! That my dear friend leads to non-argumentative approaches and advances character qualities as mentioned above that truly work!...........my caring thoughts....my prayer is that peace and contentment will be in our homes today, Wednesday to understand needs and live friendship and ask God for a non-selfish spirit! Every person alive craves the loyalty of a devoted friend! .......For some reason I'm having a hard time closing this blog......Here's another caring thought.....Our daughter got me a "Just for Mom" calendar for Mother's Day 2007 and it has daily quotes...Today's is awesome: "A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but is miles ahead in results." (Poet/Journalist Ella W. Wilcox)

HONESTY

Let's be honest. God already knows what we are feeling. He can handle our anger, complaints, and disappointments. He understands us. He is aware of our human frailties (Psalm 103:14 and can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Hebrews 4:15. Whether discouragement is a business failure, abandonment, depression, chemical imbalance, oppression, marriage problem, financial disaster, or anything else, He will perfect that which concerns us. His Word is honest and true. Psalm 138:8. We are more than a conqueror through His love to us. I believe He wants us to be honest with ourselves and be bold enough to share what He has done for us. Next door to our church is a Day Care and the workers come over to visit me. They need a break from the kids, of course, so we have begun some great honest conversations about issues women go through. I enjoy so much the fellowship and just being downright (that's an Oklahoma term) honest about life's trivialities!....... In all honestly, we are all people persons and love it!

Miles of Smiles

I'm declaring this day "Miles of Smiles" day! Our carpet is getting cleaned! With the recent rains we have had, it's gotten almost impossible to just clean spots here and there. When I'm thinking about a super clean carpet (& home) it reminds me of Matthew 5:16 scripture "Let your light so SHINE before men, that they may see your good works and glory your Father which is in Heaven." Letting our light shine is not always easy (as I was sharing with a lady yesterday) and sometimes is clouded by unconfessed sins or wrong doings. Even though the disappointments are great we need to endeavor to let our light shine and in so doing becomes God's opportunity to live a clean, victorious life! I'll be happy to share how one may obtain this "Light" and "Sins be washed white as snow" - that definitely will also give miles of smiles! :-)

Hate Vs. Love

Okay, that's my favorite subject in the whole wide world.......LOVE! I see too much "hate" and I doubt whether the people who give it even realize it's demeaning. I can remember my husband saying to someone who was in deep despair "You can't say I love you, can you?" And the person actually disappeared - they were going through such agony and we knew it, but didn't even want to discuss the issues - they even moved to another state~~. I Corinthians chapter 13 is the Love chapter of the entire Bible. I have no problem whatsoever saying I love you. Our kids will always respond with a returned I love you. (& so will the precious grandkids.) That could be the answer to life's inescapables.......tell someone you love them.....go out of
your way to spread a little love around. Tell your kids, your parents, your grandparents and even your greatgrandparents. I'm praying the LOVE of God will
shine through me as I attend the best church in the Universe today! It won't be
hard to do when we let Him shine His love through.......I love hearing the Bible
taught by a man (my husband) whom I have seen studying it more than 20 hours
this week alone! (if not more).....as I intend to serve God in LOVE today, I'm
quite positive Love will be forthcoming from our hearts and actions! There's no
sense in even looking on the opposite.

Counting Blessings

Wouldn't it be great if everyone would begin counting blessings instead of griping about what they don't have? Grumbling, faultfinding and complaining.......leaves a down-attitude. Today I am counting my blessings and believe you me, there is a lot of them. I have the most awesome kids in the world, plus grandkids on top of that and a husband that I am eternally grateful for. Plus on top of all that, the people at church! Most of all, I'm counting my blessings for the many friends I have that keep in touch. Today I'm going to give praise to the Almighty God for all my needs being supplied and as I thank Him, the blessings will continue to mount up!!!! No wonder I'm up early......to seek His face.....to count my blessings, naming them one by one! Glory!!!!!

Pathway of Forgiveness

Isaiah 43:18, 19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."
When our daughter was about 9 years of ago, she owned two birds and when we opened the back door once, they, of course, flew out and were lost forever. During the birds' tenure in our home, she often let them out of their cage and they never flew out the back door. The first time she arranged for their freedom, she simply took the lid off the top of the cage and waited for them to get out. Instead of jumping to freedom, they hovered near the bottom of the cage.
Many people are trapped in a cage - a cage of unforgiveness. And sometimes they have been in the cage for so long that when God offers them the gateway to freedom, they are terrified. they have been trapped in unforgiveness for so long that it becomes a way of life - a comfort zone. Eventually they don't even realize the bitter bile beneath the surface of their hearts is contrary to God's perfect will for His children. Pray that you will hear the precious voice of God speaking because He WILL enable you to forgive. Begin that pathway of courage to forgive TODAY!

Non-stop Marvelous Week!

Since our W.O.W. (Women of Worth) class last Sunday, I'm so excited we finished the "Biblical Parenting" study - I've had literally a non-stop marvelous week! Yesterday I spent a great time with an amazing woman of God that attends the class so faithfully...we both have been married many years and our children are all grown. After our lunch at a cool "Tea Room -very lady-like decor" we spent a great time browsing through an Antique/Crafts Mall.. And I believe that's why God gives us sisters...(Sistas) to encourage each other and lift each other up in prayer and fellowship. What a blessing!
I have gotten a lot of e-mail comments. Some have commented they do not remember their password or are concerned their info on them will be seen by all. Not true... but I love the feeling that I can post positive uplifting Bible verses, because it is through His word that we get our mind off our self-pity and begin to praise Him for being so gracious to us!
Here's an e-mail comment I received just last night: "I love you and praise God for the gift of you. Your ministry online has truly touched my life and been such a blessing. As a stay at home mom, I find myself visiting your blogs every day, awaiting your next post so that I can smile and laugh (because it's just what I need) and always find something positive ;) God is so good! I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3......God bless you as you help us sift through indescribables......." Patty from Tyler
Today will be another non-stop day..........OUTREACH.....there are so many who need love, kindness, and a word of encouragement....my day is beginning early as I go to our city's beautiful Senior Citizens Center. It's a challenge to listen to lonely Saints who can share their joys and sorrows. They sing pretty good also! (Thursday is also Church Hymn Day.) I cannot begin to tell what a blessing it is to hear them quote word per word Psalm 23!!!!!
Correct blog time: 6:03 a.m. (3:19 is not correct).

Caring for Others

I've been asked to word a prayer for a Ladies Group this morning. How do I feel about it? I feel joyful and honored! Tapping into a spiritual wellspring always makes me care so much more. I can sum up caring for others is to me a concen we can create measurably greater than any other servitude. It gives us a well-being for ourselves if we do just that - care for others! Getting our mind on ourselves keeps us so selfish, in the pit, and leads a boring life.

Praise Vs. Blame

One of the most unavoidable life lessons is having to deal with the disapproval of others. Look for the approval of God and there will not be a problem! Praise and blame are really all the same in a fancy way of reminding yourself of the old saying "you'll never be able to please all the people all the time." When I think of victory in politics - one candidate secures 55 percent of the vote, he or she is left with 45 percent of the population wishing someone else were the winner. Pretty humbling, hu? The truth is, everyone has their own set of ideas with which to evaluate life and our ideas don't always match those of other people. There is definitely a struggle against this inevitable fact.
I find that there are many days when I experience both praise and blame. One phone call delivers good news, another announces a new issue to deal with. On person is angry, the other person happy with the way things are. Someone gets rebellious against rules, the other looks for the Bible answer. This back and forth, good and bad, approval and disapproval is a part of everyone's life. I would rather praise any day than blame! The Bible says "Praise the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me Praise His Holy name!" The "Blame Game" will eat up the beautiful soul of a what used to be "Praise Person." I choose Praise! Especially for the glorious day my hubby and I had yesterday.......in a storm on the Lake, but praising God for some much needed relaxation!!!! (No sense in "blaming" the weather....the weather can't help it) but "Praise" God we remembered a blanket to share... -- (heavy rain can be very cold as we very well experienced!) Ever had a picnic in a storm? Hey - we praise God the storm didn't sweep us away down the Lake.......(Amen on that one!!) I hope your choice is PRAISE for the great things God has done! As the song says, "How can I say thanks for the things He has done for me....." Another song, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow...." I could blog all day on Praising!!! He's been so good to us!!!

There's That Word Again...JOY!!!!

As I think about the days of our lives, I can't help but feel an urgency - Dear Sister and Brother - I'll say it again - all you and I have is today! Only this one day we can be JOYFUL! Therefore, as we seek a heart of wisdom, we have to pray over our day of potential! We need God's clear direction and challenge for our one day! Without it we won't care about the day....or about others. We'll indulge ourselves, shirk our work, and spend God's golden minutes on the foolishness of this world! What are your priorities - to better your life or make someone else's life miserable? Think about it - the Old Testament admonishes time and time again to "Tend to your own lamp." .........for wisdom (& in wisdom I feel joy) is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.....Proverbs 8:11
Bottom Line: Spread a little JOY around! (When bitterness sets in, it's too late!)

W-I-S-D-O-M

W - Willingly give my life to God.
I - Identify any sin in my life.
S - Shed spiritual laziness.
D - Decide the method and rate of growth!
O - Obligate myself to giving.
M - Maintain spiritual growth.
JUST FOR TODAY.....ask God to give a desire for greater growth.
Remember W.O.W. Women of Worth this morning 9 a.m. and Worship at 10. Begin gaining incredible strength and building momentum with a life of w-i-s-d-o-m.

PERSONALITY

One of the fundamental differences between men and women is the way they express love. Men are goal-oriented and express love by doing, while women are relationship-oriented and express love by being. A woman may say "I love you" by touching, stroking, caressing, and talking. A man, on theother hand, shows love by doing such things as going to work and earning a living. My husband's love language is seldom verbal. He excels in demonstrating his love by doing things for me. If he has a day off and I'm out doing Outreach, he often cleans the house and has dinner ready when I get home. I believe we as women need to accept our husband's efforts. I need to grant him the uncommon luxury of being himself. His personality is different from mine, therefore it brings on a new endeavor to maximize my husband's strengths and minimize his weaknesses. I always make a daily habit to think on the qualities that drew us together (I might add 42 years ago!!). It renews my love for him. Personality? Yes! His personality plus my acceptance makes for a great combination!
Okay, now I'm headed to Starbuck's to get my Saturday started. After having the two most precious grandkids in the Universe for a couple of days (& having a super fantastic time...) I have a busy day, so I need to get up and moving........I'm grateful I only live 2 1/2 blocks from the world's best motivator!!! :-)

TEAMWORK

Teamwork in marriage requires the husband and wife to take up their tandem roles of leading and following. It is the practice that makes a marriage work. God asks husbands to lead and wives to follow (I Cor. 11:3) - for now just hang on to this principle! Functioning as a team, other principles apply - Communicating, Keep up the home - Married or single, your home is an indicator of your spiritual maturity and a direct reflection of your care and character. A lot is riding on a wife's desire to keep up the home. If he's out working all day and the home looks like a tornado, there's always conflict. Teamwork is hand in hand with serving God and reaching out to others. What a wonderful privilege we have with great principles that the Bible teaches us to have - picking out one and begin to make them a part of marriage - more than likely, there will be not only a change in attitude but we as women will ENJOY teamwork! As we grow in the Lord, we become a tremendous support to our husband if we connect as a team, listen to his wise counsel, and at the same time adhere to the Proverbs 31 woman who feared and revered the Lord and was highly praised and appreciated by her husband. (Prov. 31:28-30).

Encourager Vs. Discourager

As one man told us - "When my mate encourages me, I feel like there's nothing I can't do! There's no mountain I can't climb or problem I cannot solve. I'm the man!" Nothing reenergizes more. I have an utmost concern for women who constantly "push" discouraging comments to their husband. The truth is the word "Encourager" is so foreign to them, discourage is all they know how to do. Come on now.......think a moment at this question: Do you look for opportunities to compliment him on his wisdom? Vs. "You don't ever know the answer to any question I am asking?" Bottom Line: Encouragement is to the soul what spinach is to Popeye.

JOY UNSPEAKABLE

Real joy is found within our own heart- it is a sign of spiritual maturity. Real joy is found in doing the will of God. Scientists have been studying the effect of laughter on human beings and have found, among other things that laughter has a profound and instaneous effect on virtually every important organ in the human body. Laughter or joy reduces tensions and relaxes the tissues as well as exercising the most vital organs. What is the source of our joy? Some are dependent on the mood of others to make them happy. When things do not go to their own liking they become hard to live with and often make the lives of those who are around them miserable. Then there are those who make our lives a joy just by association. When you are with them you cannot help but have joy also, for it is contagious.
My hubby and I were watching the weather report on TV last night and all of a sudden, we both started laughing at exactly the same time. We were actually laughing at the same thing! We both knew that the National Weather Guy was pronouncing a town wrong as we used to live in that state; so instead of criticizing him, we burst out in laughter. And then we "joyfully" started laughing at each other's laughing! It's definitely contagious to be joyful! Nehemiah 8:10b "The JOY of the Lord is ...... our strength! And as the song says "It's joy unspeakable and full of glory....full of glory......."

Amazingly Incredible Sunset! Wow!

That's the best way to describe it! We had the privilege of taking a spin on the Lake yesterday and see the amazingly incredible sunset which was definitely a picture card keepsake! To top it all off, there was a Lighthouse at the end of the bend! The only word to describe it is Wow!
We are definitely thankful for an aha and wow moment to stop and reflect on God's great handiwork! Not only that, but a great time of rest and renewed spirit from a previous week of untold challenges. I can only hope your day was inspired, strengthened, and blessed as well.
My prayer is that we all will look forward this week of becoming a more productive, fruitful worker in the workplace or wherever we are privileged to serve!

Memorial Day

Proverbs 17:22 keeps going through my mind on this Memorial Day. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Thinking of the happy times I had with my "Mamma" and visualizing (since obviously I couldn't go this year) her grave decorated in remembrance. Also, remembering the many other friends, family members, and co-workers who are with the Lord but thinking of the great memories they left behind.
I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: regardless of my past I look forward, this day, to what lies ahead. My gratitude list gets longer and longer for so many who care and God's love that is poured out continually! A merry heart.....absolutely!!!

Decisions

Each day God gives me a challenge. (I actually ask for it!) Today's is disciplining myself to flourish in God by making advanced decisions about my spiritual life. Of course I am making an advanced decision about being in Church today. Instead of making 52 decisions to go to Church each Sunday, we made ONE many, many years ago! And I'm going to read my Bible, pray, journal, and spend time face-to-face with God, and seek to love. I was thinking - wait a minute, these are commitments, decisions that are not up for grabs depending on how I feel at the given moment. Just making the advanced decision(s), it is going to be much easier to follow through. I told a dear Lady yesterday....do whatever it takes right now to make marriage mutually satisfying and work by facing conflicts as they arise. Mark on the calendar "new growth...a better decision." I believe by making the right decision and experiencing a little discomfort, the whole rest of the day, even years would be better. This is delayed gratification as it pertains to decisions. When it comes right down to that moment when all of those emotions and voices are converging, it is easy to cave in. (Re: Even a decision about exercising) That's what I mean by advanced decision-making. It's already been decided, so don't even think about it. These little signals don't change the fact that I have already made a decision and that is nonnegotiable. See ya in Church - my husband is ending the "Elijah Series" today with biblical answers to depression.

Prayer

Prayer does not cause faith (faith: Forgetting All I Trust Him!) to work, but faith causes prayer to work. One of my favorite scriptures is II Corinthians 4:18 "We expect His divine intervention while we choose not to look at the things that are seen but at thethings that are unseen, for the things that are seen are subject to change." Prayers to me are personal confession - I pray until I know that the answer is fixed in my heart. When the WORD of promise becomes fixed in my heart, I find myself praising, giving glory to God for the answer, even when the only evidence I have of that answer is my own faith. We have a God whose eyes are over the righteous and whose ears are open to us: when we pray, He hears us. My faith looks up to Him and my prayer is that He supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory! Today I'll be *much in prayer for services tomorrow as *much will be done to reach out inviting others to attend! (I love that word *much; it makes me want to do more .... to further the Kingdom!)

Outreach

I love Outreach. The church will never die. It is eternal. As part of the church, I feel like my task is to step forth and share the good news of what God has done for us with everyone and anyone who will listen. There is an urgency in this when we realize how short life really is. When you feel reserved or frightened about testifying of God, think how you would feel if you inherited a million dollars. Could you keep quiet? Or would you shout for joy and tell all your friends the good news? I'm rejoicing as the heart of the Church beats stronger and stronger and God is glorified. The choice is your's. I can assure you at our church you will hear the Bible taught! That makes me want to reach out even more and have a huge vision to invite others and fill those empty pews and let others hear what I hear each Sunday!

The power of ONE Sentence

God is going to shift things around for you today and great things are going to happen.

Bigger Picture

Knowing there's a bigger picture allows us to be more peaceful and to learn as things begin to develop. Whenever we're pushing against what it is, as though if we tried hard enough we could force the tempo of change, we need to remind ourselves of what is right and fair. Then, as we work to address the negativity (belligerence, aggitation, frustration....) strength comes in from God as we learn patience, gentle spirit, and wait to see the bigger picture. A-ha moments.... Possibly a bigger picture is taking a risk.. doing a great thing for yourself or better yet someone else that offers many rewards. Right now we are already looking at the bigger picture (getting beyond ourselves) and expanding the sanctuary as we grow one life at a time! So many people have the "Me, my four and no more" syndrome. I always want to be a part of a bigger and better picture!

NEW DAY!

My brother (who drove an 18-wheeler all over the U.S.) always commented, "You wake up with new optimism every day!" He couldn't have been more perfectly correct! Energy begats energy! I know some people who have never experienced ENTHUSIASM and that's so sad. A new day means I can experience excitement, new ideas, learning, helping, praying, and all the fun and challenges life has to offer. When asked what is your day going to be like? I would gladly reply- I'm being honored for being an awesome Mom by our daughter who was out of state on Mother's Day 2007. I thank God for having given birth to such thoughtful, kind, and amazingly incredible kids. Although they are in their adult years, they have tremendous respect for "their Mom" and that makes this new day the very best! Excited - you bet! As a Mom and I am polite to my kids, I show in the most simple and direct way possible that I value them as people and care about their feelings as well they care about mine.

Illustrations & Prayer

I love to hear stories (illustrations) because I feel like they mirror our lives. They present choices, surprises, mystery and adversity. The main character learns big lessons--or not. For better or worse, whether we realize it or accept it; we're part of an exciting narrative; big story or little - the great act of God gives an amazing context to each illustration.
Special Note:
We will hear many many stories about Jerry Falwell's life today at his Funeral.l......as we grieve with Macel, Jonathan, Jerry, Jr., Jeane and the amazing grandkids, in-laws, and everyone that knew him, over the loss of Jerry Falwell who also was a dear friend to us... I request prayer from you for all events. One of the great things about Jerry is that he was an avid prayer warrior and he always said "Nothing of eternal consequence happens apart from prayer." Prayers avail much. There would not be enough space on this computer to illustrate all I have to say regarding prayer. Great subject...to be continued at a later blog.

Congratulations Graduates!

I know this is a super great event for all of you graduating from High School, College or even taking classes and graduating over the web. Our grandson goes from Kindergarten to 1st Grade. I know when I was a kid, would you believe we even had Graduation with little cap and gown for that huge event! Congratulations everyone and may your dreams and prayers come true for whever decision you make with your life! You are fit and worthy. Always look for God's favor, good understanding and high esteem in the sight of God! Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ! I Peter Happy Monday!

Serving Leftovers

Busy people rarely give their best to the ones they love. They serve "leftovers." Too drained, too tired or too preoccupied, they fail to give their loved ones the attention they need. I know I have shared something exciting during the day with my colleagues and friends and then when I got home, I had little enthusiasm (if you can believe that..) sharing it with my husband. So lately I purposely have begun keeping things to myself until I can share them with him first. That way he never gets the leftovers.
See ya in Church. Worship is only from 10-11 a.m. (Please be my guest(s) for Q&A afterwards.)

CHOICES

We are faced with CHOICES many times each day. Upon arising we must decide what clothing to put on, what to eat for breakfast, if we are going to take time to pray and read the Bible, plan for the day and work...choices are necessary in every phase of our life. Joshua 24 re: Abraham; vs. 15 Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I love that verse. All through life we must keep choosing. "Yes" or "No" are two of the most important words in our life. We cannot look back and wonder what would have happened if we had chosen a different path when we came to a fork in the road. We have to look ahead and make certain to choose the right path on the road we are traveling TODAY. One of my favorite statements when I coach women is "I wouldn't go there if I were you--it will cause chaos." Especially when they make downgrading comments about their mate. You cannot take back words that hurt. So...the choice would be to say something positive and uplifting. How about a meek and quiet spirit. Again, the right choice is vital! Strive to have peace and contentment. Hey - one other thing. If your choice is not to make a comment to my blogs, that does not bother me at all; my passion is blogging and my choice is to ENCOURAGE anyone who cares to read it! That's my choice and I am so very grateful and blessed to share my caring thoughts!

Carol Day

Good Day......I'm taking a Carol Day (have already been to Starbucks!)....Hair, nails (I don't do pedicures), Mardel bookstore to check out the latest beloved Lady books that are new. Lunch @ LaMadeline's my very favorite lady place in the whole wide world and topping it all off with a date with my favorite husband, confidante, lover, (he asked me out--some day I'll share it with you) (very creative I might add) and come home pretty late to check on the cutie pies (Chloe & Pixie) and then a great night's rest. It has been a rough week with the passing of our warrior friend Jerry.
One of my favorite passages is found in Jeremiah 18:1-6, specifically vs. 6 where God longed to make the nation of Israel into a people that would serve Him b/c individually we are Vessels meet for the Master's Use! See ya in Church Sunday and I'll be sure and share my Carol Day!

He Lightens the Load.....just let Him!

God lightens the load and we truly need to completely trust in His time, His purpose, His way when troubles come. We need to follow each day in His footsteps. It doesn't matter where we stand: in poverty, wealth, fame, or glory. In everything we should put our trust in His care as He lightens the load. Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." No longer do we have to dig in stubbornly and claim our rights, because He goes before us and fights our battles. His burden is light......oh, do I love that promise!

Tremendous Loss

What a shock when our Son called yesterday to tell us of the death of our dearly beloved friend and confidante Jerry Falwell. Then we received a call from Channel 8 news for our opinion of him. Although they did not show most of the interview with my husband, it helped to mourn the loss to tell of Jerry's great legacy. He definitely was a warrior for God and truly wanted nothing for himself but to see others happy. When our daughter lived in Virginia we went to see her, but also had the privilege of going to his 70th birthday party. One would think it was for everyone there instead of Jerry. That's how giving and loving he was. He truly lived up to the title "friend." We undergird his lovely wife, Macel, two Sons, one Daughter and, of course, their spouses and the many grandkids, in prayer over this tremendous loss.

Saying "Thank You"

It's such a great feeling to say "Thank You! It's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "Thank you," that would suffice.

TRUTH

One of my favorite Bible verses is "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." You can't know the truth until you're willing to know yourself-and vice versa. Knowing yourself is a lifelong process, with your biggest lessons often emerging from your biggest mistakes. Giving your power to someone else - believing that the love others have to offer is more important than the love you have to give to yourself. Is God waiting for you to tell the truth, to make a decision to pursue the life that was meant for you or be stifled by the one you are living? The truth is that which feels right and good and loving. Loving doesn't hurt. It feels really good. It's that which allows us to live every day with integrity. Everything you do and say shows the world who you really are. Let it be the truth!
(Added note: I hope your Mother's Day was super....mine was so incredible! celebrated Sat. & Sun....I have the greatest kids in the Universe, so loving and so thoughtful!)

MOTHERHOOD

Motherhood is much more important than a role. A role is something you play; motherhood is something you live.....Motherhood is for real; roles are symbolic. Roles can be changed while motherhood is for life. Motherhood has had a rough trot of it over the past few decades, falling in and out and now has found favor even with pop stars who are willing to give it a go. I believe a Mother should give her children a superabundance of enthusiasm and support! I know my kids are grown adults, but I love them so deeply and I learned after they were leaving home to the adult world to give them "wings to fly." Though no Mom can make a brand-new start, she can start from now and make a brand-new ending! I love people, I love my Mamma dearly who is in Heaven and today I will give tremendous honor to my Mother-in-Law as I talk to her on the cell phone because she lives out of state.
I know many of us have already begun the celebration of our honorable day. Last night I was treated like a queen as my Son and Daughter-in-law took me to eat at one of my very favorite places and presented me with so much love and a fantastic creative gift I definitely appreciate. Since our Daughter is on a trip, however, before she left presented me an invitation to spend the entire day with me. It's like our Son always says, "Mom you will always be my Mom." And our daughter "Thank you for giving me life." Thank God for such truth! Happy Mother's Day! My next big event is celebrating all the Mothers at Church! See you at 10 a.m. :)

PATIENCE

One of the points I left off last night was "Patience." Our electrical power went out this morning and JUST NOW came back on. Waiting to write my blog has seemed like an eternity. I love the Bible verse that talks about giving grace to the humble. It means I should humble myself under God's mighty hand, that in DUE time (patience) I may exalt Him. I know there is going to be so much tremendous outpouring of love to all Moms which begins today and definitely tomorrow, so I'll just be patient because my husband has said all Mothers would be honored in a very special way tomorrow and a gift given to each one. Of course I will wear a white flower and he will wear a red flower. Happy Mother's Day to everyone! The day is ALMOST here! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

DECISIONS

When making a decision, all the facts involved have to be laid out on the table. It takes time to process the information and consider the possible repercussions or benefits of this decision. I worked at a place where my boss always said "Avoid the paralysis of analysis." Evaluating all aspects, to me, is the WISE thing to do. I constantly see people acting in haste and delaying too long to reach a decision. Perceiving what's best for all parties involved is a great undertaking. I am extremely grateful for God's guidance and direction in any decision making and always trust in the Bible. (Proverbs 3:5,6) Think about others and the consequences it brings when you make the right decisions today. I know I am! I have made a great decision to celebrate Moms and Daughters at a Banquet in honor of us. Let's face it, we're all either a Daughter or a Mom! What's my decision.......to HAVE FUN!

GRANDMA

When I blog on being a Mom/Momma I'm reminded of the great promotion I have of being a "Grandma." Having several Sisters (literally in my family and Christian family) I have heard every title in the book! My Grandma was actually called Maam-ma - what a godly lady!!!! Now I could write an Epistle on being a Grandma with the two most awesome Grandkids in the entire Universe! They both offer a smile of delight, a soft cheek to snuggle, a warm embrace, and a proud gaze! Those kids are so smart - honestly from the first time their parents would drive to our home, each one of the kids when they were at a VERY YOUNG age knew the street their parents were turning on to see us! From the moment I became a Grandma I have cherished the chance to see a new generation grow, participating in each one's explorations and have experienced with enthusiasm (renewed energy) each time I see them! I manifest that love not only in hugs and kisses (& banana bread) but also in my consistent support in ANY AND ALL achievements. As I came to realizing what a miracle of God grandchildren are, my first articulated feeling was actually one of utmost respect! Of course our Grandson is only in K5 but when you come for a visit, I have an official Grandma Room! And our Granddaughter wrote me a letter and I have framed it - "Grandma do you know I love coming to your house. I love Chuck E. Cheese and the fun, but most of all I love you. I could go on and on and on but I don't want to write all day. I love you." There's a stick picture of us that she drew. Awesome!
Beauty is accepting what you, who you are.....a wife, Mom, Grandma, etc. Ugliness is when you try to be something else! We turn not older with years, but newer every day! Happy Thursday!

CARING THOUGHTS REGARDING MOTHER'S DAY...

I hope we don't get so wrapped up in nonessential stuff this Mother's Day that we forget to really enjoy ourselves - because it will be over before we know it. Live now and enjoy it! I can remember the year 2000 when I read in my Prayer Journal "It was a perfect Mom/Momma's Day" - our son calls me "Mom" and Daughter calls me "Momma." It doesn't matter what they call me - I know beyond a shadow or doubt that they love me and have shared that love - something to count on FOREVER! They and their Father have been the single biggest influences in my life! I have superb memories of love, laughter, and tears of joy as I reread cards and comments they have made to "Mom" or "Momma." I call them KODAK moments - and even though they are still here (the Kodak moments) I am proud - so proud to wear my new yellow t-shirt this year ---- "World's Best Mom" and cherish great memories of the Mary Engelbreit book called "Mother o' Mine" that they got me that year! I've decided to make every moment count with them, relishing each Mother's Day as if there would never be another. Breathe a great joy of being a Mom - Let go - remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure - TODAY! Happy Mother's Day early!!!!!! I'm really looking forward to celebrating Friday night as a Mom - that's for sure! And I know one thing for sure - we are all going to have a SUPER TIME! The ladies of LC have gone all out for us!!!! Today I honor both the mothers whose shoulders we've stood on and the daughters who will one day stand tall on ours.

COMMENTS

I've had a busy morning with appointments, but want to pause a minute and thank each one of you (either by e-mail or blog). I have about eight minutes to write this. Prov. 24:3 instructs "Through wisdom is an house builded; and by UNDERSTANDING it is established." A house is built but a home is established. Understanding each family member and giving proper respect, to that individual along with wisdom and the right attitudes causes that home to stand the test of storms that will try to destroy the very foundation upon which it is built. In our homes or in our relationship with others it is needful to give understanding to the 'trifles' but they become unbearable if not removed. God is giving me patience today....I tried to place this in the category of COMMENTS and it has fallen under Posting. Since it's Mother's Awesome Week, I'd like to quote something my husband's Grandmother wrote to me: I'm 85 - I spent the first thirty hyears of my marriage expecting my husband to be more like me. I spent the next 30 years resenting that he wasn't. Young girls---and that's those of you under 80 - don't do that. That's not living; that's drudgery. You want to live. You don't want to drudge. Trust me. Understand your man and get on with life. She was 94 when she went home to Glory.

GREAT ADVICE

Don't make your husband a project! Making your husband your project says to him that he's not good enough as he is. It makes him feel mothered, managed, and demeaned. I was sharing my "admonishments" to Women and my husband actually said if a man feels like a project, not only will he not ask for your input, but he also won't receive it. The bottom line I get from this is: If you want a project, take up knitting! My great advice would be to have a servanthood attitude instead of making him a project-- ooops or is that a stranger in your home? If it is, reintroduce it. Oh, I'm thinking of one other for wives. Embrace the power of appreciation!

A GREAT Day!

I am so excited for THIS great day! It's our Granddaughter's birthday and of course I became a Grandma for the first time and I can still remember it like it was yesterday! Going to the hospital and our Son coming out, proclaiming with great joy, it's a girl! She has always offered me a smile of delight, a soft cheek to snuggle, a warm embrace, a proud gaze! Each of these express the unquestioning love of me, the Grandma, and yet her love transcends a gesture. I have cherished the chance to see a new generation grow, participating in her explorations and experiences with enthusiasm (and that she has a lot of) offering steady encouragement at every age! (Actually she offers that to me!) Someone has said "When a grandchild is born, so are grandmothers." I believe that to be true and am indeed honored! Happy, happy Birthday our dear Granddaugher! I cannot wait until we shop 'til we drop!

Getting More Of God.......

As I was greeting one of the dedicated ladies in our church and gave her a hug, a welcome, and I'm so glad you are here ......she answered back - "Oh yes, I must come to church and get more of God from you and Pastor. " Although I enjoyed the compliment, I knew what she meant was that God is here! God is truly the one that sees the whole picture and honestly we don't. If we could, we wouldn't need God. All we can do is continue to trust the One who can see the whole picture. See you in Church!

What does it mean to RESTORE?

The word RESTORE means to bring back to the first state of condition; to recover again. I've been reading the book of Psalms lately. In Psalms 51:12 it says "RESTORE unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit." God cleanses us and gives us a firm and fixed spirit. I've seen many women who like to restore old furniture. They strip all the old varnish and restore the piece of furniture to its original color. It takes a great deal of time to bring out the beauty that had been hidden for so long.
I received the most phenomenal e-mail from a friend I worked with for many years. At the bottom of her e-mail she had this question. "Did anyone tell you how beautiful you look when you find beauty in someone else?" That question gripped my heart. As I sum up the week, I think of all the subjects God placed on my mind to write and I would say RESTORE means to truly find that beauty in someone else and don't be so self-centered that our life is not experiencing the free spirit, the joy of the Lord and finding the beauty in SOMEONE ELSE. The worth of the soul to be RESTORED with the touch of the Master's hand is my heart's desire. Is it your's?

BEING KIND

Kindness is a very rewarding characteristic. The Bible says "a soft answer turneth away wrath." Kind words are never out of place - they are always welcomed in my life! You never have to say I'm sorry for having said kind words. Some times we see someone being unkind when they deal with others. I love the words of a poem I read recently:
KIND WORDS: Pass along kind words you hear; we never know who they may cheer. They may give to someone's heart who's hiding - unshed tears. Kindly words will comfort us, and they may smoothe the path of someone who is near and dear. I know my Friday is as I call it "full to the brim" and I after looking at my calendar began the day with a prayer for people who find it very difficult to be KIND. Of course I immediately opened to Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye KIND one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgive you." Powerful! Have a KIND Friday! I'm going to!

UNDERSTANDING

One of the keys to happiness is found in UNDERSTANDING. My husband's favorite verse in the entire Bible is Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own UNDERSTANDING." In our homes or in our relationship with others it is needful to give understanding to the 'trifles.' A speck of dust in the eye or a small rock in our shoe might be only 'trifles' but they become unbearable if not removed. I am quite sure UNDERSTANDING comes with time and experience. What you do not understand today you may understand tomorrow or even next year. Therefore, do not be frightening with little difficulties, but take heed to what you know and the rest will come in time.

ENCOURAGEMENT

I want to pass on these quotes someone gave me on ENCOURAGEMENT.
Encouragement:

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”~ Mother Teresa
“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”~ William Arthur Ward
“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

ATTITUDE

The world knows our accomplishments, we know our ambitions, God knows our motives!
Our attitude will determine greatly the success or failures we experience. I find the words written in Philippians 3:13, 14 a great source of inspiration. The people who have succeeded in every age are those who have been purposeful and maintained the right attitude.

ENCOURAGER

We talked and talked! I truly missed my husband and was so glad he got to visit the Ship he was on in the Navy! So many women ask me the question: "How do you get your husband to talk to you?" I always say "Do you know the meaning of an Encourager?" And their answer is always, "Not really." An encourager is one who gives strength, one who gives courage. His heart softens towards you as you encourage him. It is one of a man's deepest needs. I say "You can do it! I believe in you! You're the best! Trust me - it works!