I did not feel like exercising this morning...but I did it anyway and I am glad!
In fact, I must say that I have never worked out and not felt much better afterwards.
This is a good point to remember! As a 50 something woman, exercise brings on growth, whereas a lack of it can bring on decay...I want growth, and I'll bet you do, too!
This reminds me of another kind of "DO IT ANYWAY!"
As we journey through life, we will often encounter what I call "sand paper people". You know, those that can be difficult to get along with no matter what.
These folks need love just like the rest of us.
In our home, I have the following framed in our living area...I try to read it often, because it reminds me of fitting ways to LIVE and LOVE!
ANYWAY
"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered, forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends, and some true enemies; succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight, build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway." ~MOTHER TERESA~
LET'S DO IT ANYWAY!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
THE GRASS WITHERS AND THE FLOWERS FALL
As I studied some scripture this morning, I was moved by some Truth in the book of 2 Peter...It has so many of life's answers in just a few short verses:
"For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, LOVE. For if you possess THESE qualities in INCREASING measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, (s)he is nearsighted and blind, and has FORGOTTEN that (s)he has been cleansed from past sins." 2 Peter 1:5-9
So, today, if you have are asking some difficult questions of LIFE, I hope you will consider these verses as part of the answer He may have for you.
Also, I have been renewed by a particular website that I know will bless you, too.
I was introduced to Martha Williamson by my sister, Laura Lea when she was going through the nearly year long trial with her son, Brad. Martha's work is an inspiration and an encouragement...Just view one of her very short videos, and I know you will agree.
Go to:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/MarthaWilliamson
Today's topic goes along with this scripture and is entitled:
"Tell ME Why"
And before I leave this idea of studying the Word, I must share one of my favorite ways to read it often, if not daily:
I read a Proverbs of the day, depending on the day of the month. Today, for example, I read Proverbs 12 for May 12th. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs...one for each day of the month! There is such wisdom and life application in this book. Billy Graham once said: " I read five Psalms a day and that teaches me how to get along with God and I read a chapter of Proverbs a day because that teaches me how to get along with my fellow man."
Here is an example of the wisdom that is in today's Proverbs! Proverbs 12:1 really spoke to me this morning..."Whoever loves discipline loves knowlege, but (she) he who hates correction is stupid." Note: If you don't want to learn, years of schooling will teach you very little. But if you want to be taught, there is no end to what you can learn.
And I will add to that: "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement." (unknown)
So, in closing, let us always remember that...
"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8
"For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, LOVE. For if you possess THESE qualities in INCREASING measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, (s)he is nearsighted and blind, and has FORGOTTEN that (s)he has been cleansed from past sins." 2 Peter 1:5-9
So, today, if you have are asking some difficult questions of LIFE, I hope you will consider these verses as part of the answer He may have for you.
Also, I have been renewed by a particular website that I know will bless you, too.
I was introduced to Martha Williamson by my sister, Laura Lea when she was going through the nearly year long trial with her son, Brad. Martha's work is an inspiration and an encouragement...Just view one of her very short videos, and I know you will agree.
Go to:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/MarthaWilliamson
Today's topic goes along with this scripture and is entitled:
"Tell ME Why"
And before I leave this idea of studying the Word, I must share one of my favorite ways to read it often, if not daily:
I read a Proverbs of the day, depending on the day of the month. Today, for example, I read Proverbs 12 for May 12th. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs...one for each day of the month! There is such wisdom and life application in this book. Billy Graham once said: " I read five Psalms a day and that teaches me how to get along with God and I read a chapter of Proverbs a day because that teaches me how to get along with my fellow man."
Here is an example of the wisdom that is in today's Proverbs! Proverbs 12:1 really spoke to me this morning..."Whoever loves discipline loves knowlege, but (she) he who hates correction is stupid." Note: If you don't want to learn, years of schooling will teach you very little. But if you want to be taught, there is no end to what you can learn.
And I will add to that: "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement." (unknown)
So, in closing, let us always remember that...
"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8
Monday, May 11, 2009
ARE YOU A HOSTAGE TO A BAD HABIT?
I started on a three week journey yesterday. For the next three weeks, I am planning to destroy a habit that has burndened me for some time. While I do not plan to specifically name this habit, nor do I expect you to name yours, I hope in reading this you, too, will be encouraged to overcome a habit that has been a burden for you.
A good friend of mine recently said it like this: "You know the difference between freedom and slavery...if a particular action on your part does not give you the feeling of freedom, therein may lie your problem."
As 50 something woman, or actually, any age, man or woman, we can ALL begin to conquer habits that imprison us...Let's start today!
Here's how to replace bad, old habits with good ones-a simple plan to change your life. I really don't remember how or when I heard that it takes just three weeks to form a good habit. The initial few days of the three weeks, you may very well expect to be miserable as you attempt to gain victory over a habit that has been with you for sometime... YOU may even feel that this is an impossible undertaking. As time marches on, and you mark each successful day off the calendar for the next three weeks, you will begin to feel like a true winner! YOU will experience empowerment! YOU will see a change in yourself that you will appreciate and love!
YOUR habit that you choose to rid yourself of can be a physical one...
"I want to eat more fruits and vegetables.",
"I want to floss daily."
a relational one..."I want to be more positive and encouraging, less critical to my child/spouse.",
"I want to stop with the negative self-talk." or
_______________________________FILL IN THE BLANK
with the habit that has kept you imprisoned...YOU know what it is!
Yesterday was DAY ONE for me...Will today or tomorrow be DAY ONE for you?
Let's destroy our bad habits together one at a time!
AS we journey through our days, we can release the burdens of a lifetime of bad habits... just one day at a time...WE can help ourselves to become better people by plugging away at particular areas of our lives. WE can review each week the GOOD habits we've managed to acquire to avoid falling back into old patterns. The best part of this is that the aforementioned experience can give us the confidence to see that we can reform ANYTHING we want to refine about ourselves by PERSISTING for three weeks! Let's start today!
(Note: information taken from a Reader's Digest article by, Anya Bateman, September 1983)
A good friend of mine recently said it like this: "You know the difference between freedom and slavery...if a particular action on your part does not give you the feeling of freedom, therein may lie your problem."
As 50 something woman, or actually, any age, man or woman, we can ALL begin to conquer habits that imprison us...Let's start today!
Here's how to replace bad, old habits with good ones-a simple plan to change your life. I really don't remember how or when I heard that it takes just three weeks to form a good habit. The initial few days of the three weeks, you may very well expect to be miserable as you attempt to gain victory over a habit that has been with you for sometime... YOU may even feel that this is an impossible undertaking. As time marches on, and you mark each successful day off the calendar for the next three weeks, you will begin to feel like a true winner! YOU will experience empowerment! YOU will see a change in yourself that you will appreciate and love!
YOUR habit that you choose to rid yourself of can be a physical one...
"I want to eat more fruits and vegetables.",
"I want to floss daily."
a relational one..."I want to be more positive and encouraging, less critical to my child/spouse.",
"I want to stop with the negative self-talk." or
_______________________________FILL IN THE BLANK
with the habit that has kept you imprisoned...YOU know what it is!
Yesterday was DAY ONE for me...Will today or tomorrow be DAY ONE for you?
Let's destroy our bad habits together one at a time!
AS we journey through our days, we can release the burdens of a lifetime of bad habits... just one day at a time...WE can help ourselves to become better people by plugging away at particular areas of our lives. WE can review each week the GOOD habits we've managed to acquire to avoid falling back into old patterns. The best part of this is that the aforementioned experience can give us the confidence to see that we can reform ANYTHING we want to refine about ourselves by PERSISTING for three weeks! Let's start today!
(Note: information taken from a Reader's Digest article by, Anya Bateman, September 1983)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
CHILDREN ARE A GIFT!
Just the mention of or the thought of children brings to mind so many beautiful memories...of either being a child and/or having children yourself. Every human being since Adam and Eve, several billion of us, began life in the same way, as children. The majority of us have gone on to have children and grandchildren of our own.
"Babies are such a nice way to start people." ~Don Herold~
"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~Carl Sandburg~
"You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you, for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." ~Kahlil Gibran~
As we come to the end of Mother's Day 2009, it is good to reflect on our childhood, on our own mothers and also on the kind of mothers we have chosen to be, that is if we have been blessed with the holy privilege of being a mom.
I know my children, a daughter, age 20 and a son, now age 17 have made me feel extra special on this day. I realize more with each passing day that even though motherhood is the hardest job ever, I would not trade it for the world!
I love these young people so much! They have added a richness to my life that is indescribable
And...those who have not become mothers may want to consider the impact one can have on children in other ways...like being a wonderful aunt, a good and loving neighbor, a gifted teacher, and a friend of children in church or here and there.
WE are all here for such a time as this.
All children need to know that they have someone they can count on.
Perhaps YOU are that someone in a child's life today...if so, that is incredibly special!
"Babies are such a nice way to start people." ~Don Herold~
"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." ~Carl Sandburg~
"You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you, for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." ~Kahlil Gibran~
As we come to the end of Mother's Day 2009, it is good to reflect on our childhood, on our own mothers and also on the kind of mothers we have chosen to be, that is if we have been blessed with the holy privilege of being a mom.
I know my children, a daughter, age 20 and a son, now age 17 have made me feel extra special on this day. I realize more with each passing day that even though motherhood is the hardest job ever, I would not trade it for the world!
I love these young people so much! They have added a richness to my life that is indescribable
And...those who have not become mothers may want to consider the impact one can have on children in other ways...like being a wonderful aunt, a good and loving neighbor, a gifted teacher, and a friend of children in church or here and there.
WE are all here for such a time as this.
All children need to know that they have someone they can count on.
Perhaps YOU are that someone in a child's life today...if so, that is incredibly special!
Friday, May 8, 2009
MY MOTHER REMEMBERED
Everyone is focused on the holiday of this weekend: MOTHER'S DAY, and so am I! I am, once again, thinking of my own mother and all that she taught me and gave me in the forty-eight years we were here together. One of the main things she taught me is a quote by Stephen De Grellet:
"I shall pass through this world but once.
If, therefore, there should be any kindness I can show,
Or any good thing I can do, let me do it now...
For I shall not pass this way again."
My Mama was adopted at the age of three by a Southern Baptist Preacher, his wife and their three biological sons. She was always so very thankful for the secure and happy haven this family provided for her. Later, she married my Daddy and fulfilled her lifetime dream of being a foreign missionary along with him since that was also his dream and passion. They lived in Africa for 5 years before returning stateside to care for their aging parents. Once they returned, they had 3 more of their six children (including me! I was # 5!) They celebrated their 58th year of marriage just before her death in 2006. What I remember the most about living with Mom was that she was always helping others...taking fresh baked cakes and punch to the veterans at the local VA Hospital, preparing Wednesday night dinner at church, and helping anyone, anywhere that needed a hand.
When I think about and remember my Mama, it is confirmed to me that the best moms don't just talk about what's right and wrong-they set good examples and inspire their sons and daughters to follow in their footsteps.
Being a good mother isn't easy.
Robert Louis Stevenson said it very well:
"To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to love with such generosity of heart that your love is still a dear possession in absence or unkindness, these are gifts which money cannot buy, and in many cases, which ONLY a wise and devoted mother can bestow as the greatest of all possessions to her children."
THANKS, MOM, for everything, and God bless you!
"I shall pass through this world but once.
If, therefore, there should be any kindness I can show,
Or any good thing I can do, let me do it now...
For I shall not pass this way again."
My Mama was adopted at the age of three by a Southern Baptist Preacher, his wife and their three biological sons. She was always so very thankful for the secure and happy haven this family provided for her. Later, she married my Daddy and fulfilled her lifetime dream of being a foreign missionary along with him since that was also his dream and passion. They lived in Africa for 5 years before returning stateside to care for their aging parents. Once they returned, they had 3 more of their six children (including me! I was # 5!) They celebrated their 58th year of marriage just before her death in 2006. What I remember the most about living with Mom was that she was always helping others...taking fresh baked cakes and punch to the veterans at the local VA Hospital, preparing Wednesday night dinner at church, and helping anyone, anywhere that needed a hand.
When I think about and remember my Mama, it is confirmed to me that the best moms don't just talk about what's right and wrong-they set good examples and inspire their sons and daughters to follow in their footsteps.
Being a good mother isn't easy.
Robert Louis Stevenson said it very well:
"To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to love with such generosity of heart that your love is still a dear possession in absence or unkindness, these are gifts which money cannot buy, and in many cases, which ONLY a wise and devoted mother can bestow as the greatest of all possessions to her children."
THANKS, MOM, for everything, and God bless you!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
TAKE IT EASY
As a fifty something woman, I am learning to let things go...to not be burdened with regrets and hold onto negative memories in my past.
It has been said that if all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart.
The point is that everyone has things they could hold onto with regret, but it would be wonderful if we would make a conscious effort to free ourselves of these burdens.
Today is a new day!
What would you like to let go of today so that you can move forward with peace and happiness in your heart?
It has been said that if all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart.
The point is that everyone has things they could hold onto with regret, but it would be wonderful if we would make a conscious effort to free ourselves of these burdens.
Today is a new day!
What would you like to let go of today so that you can move forward with peace and happiness in your heart?
A GREAT Disappointment CAN BE AN Appointment
Sometimes our greatest disappointments are God's appointments to be a blessing in someone else's life. I discovered this to be so true when I met Sarah L. Johnson on a Monday morning, late August, 2005 at the Boots Ward Community Center minutes from our home. A Red Cross Shelter had been set up there and my shift was 6:00-10:00 a.m. Sarah was a New Orleans native, 85 years old, never married and she was here in my community! Funny, she said she had always wanted to visit Atlanta, but didn't realize she would come like this. The story of how she got there is a story in and of itself. After the initial evacuation, though there was a power outage, Sarah and her fellow residents were returned to their apartments. When she heard banging on her door, she glanced out the window only to see water rushing into the streets and rising rapidly. We now know that the levies had broken down, but at that time, the residents had no idea what the rushing water was from. They were hurried to the roof of the building where they stayed overnight until a helicopter could pluck each one of them off the roof.
When boarding the helicopter, in all the confusion, this 85 year old woman lost her walker, her glasses, her shoes, and worst of all she was separated from a friend that was holding all of her IDs for her.
When I first met Sarah, she was just waking up in the Red Cross Shelter. I helped Sarah with her laundry, got her breakfast and she talked with me about her strong faith in God and how surely God had a plan for her even in this crazy situation. At the end of my shift, I gave her a hug, thinking I'd never see her again this side of heaven. A few days later, I received a phone call from a friend that had worked at the same shelter telling me that Sarah needed to see a Cardiologist and could I help her to get in to see someone. I had the blessing of taking her to a doctor the very next day. Her heart was just fine and this was the beginning of a sweet friendship, one that I will forever cherish. After four weeks at the shelter, Sarah was moved to a wonderful nearby assisted living facility where she was embraced by the other residents. She came to our church and even gathered at my sister's home for a huge family lunch! She shared her heart with me and told me why PSALM 27 was her mainstay scripture. Mama and I took her to the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta and she shared her memories of the Civil Rights Movement.
Later, Sarah was happily returned to New Orleans to her same first floor apartment.
I believe that God gave me this opportunity to serve and help Sarah during a time when my heart was broken over the loss of my young friend, Jil.
So if you are going through a great disappointment today, look around for the appointment that may be waiting around the corner for you to be a blessing to someone today.
When boarding the helicopter, in all the confusion, this 85 year old woman lost her walker, her glasses, her shoes, and worst of all she was separated from a friend that was holding all of her IDs for her.
When I first met Sarah, she was just waking up in the Red Cross Shelter. I helped Sarah with her laundry, got her breakfast and she talked with me about her strong faith in God and how surely God had a plan for her even in this crazy situation. At the end of my shift, I gave her a hug, thinking I'd never see her again this side of heaven. A few days later, I received a phone call from a friend that had worked at the same shelter telling me that Sarah needed to see a Cardiologist and could I help her to get in to see someone. I had the blessing of taking her to a doctor the very next day. Her heart was just fine and this was the beginning of a sweet friendship, one that I will forever cherish. After four weeks at the shelter, Sarah was moved to a wonderful nearby assisted living facility where she was embraced by the other residents. She came to our church and even gathered at my sister's home for a huge family lunch! She shared her heart with me and told me why PSALM 27 was her mainstay scripture. Mama and I took her to the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta and she shared her memories of the Civil Rights Movement.
Later, Sarah was happily returned to New Orleans to her same first floor apartment.
I believe that God gave me this opportunity to serve and help Sarah during a time when my heart was broken over the loss of my young friend, Jil.
So if you are going through a great disappointment today, look around for the appointment that may be waiting around the corner for you to be a blessing to someone today.
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