He is there!

I am posted something today that touched my heart and I know it will touch yours.  Thanks Patti for allowing me to share this on my blog.  It really follows with what I wrote earlier this week.  I wasn't expecting to post anything else this week, but sometimes God has other plans.  We all have struggles, trials, as well as joys.  God provides the assistance for the experience.  He will always be there! When we don't know the reasons for our situation...He Knows!!  GISG

~Tina

GOD SAID...

• If you never felt pain, then how would you know I am the Healer?

• If you never went through difficulties, how would you know that I am the Deliverer?

• If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?

• If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I am the Comforter?

• If you never made a mistake, how would you know that I am the Forgiver?

• If you knew all, how would you know that I will answer your questions?

• If you were never in trouble, how would you know that I would come to your rescue?

• If you were never broken, then how would you know that I can make you whole?

• If you never had a problem, how would you know that I could solve them?

• If you never had suffering, how would you know what Jesus went through?

• If you never went through fire, how would you become pure?

• If I gave you all things, how would you appreciate them?

• If I never corrected you, how would you know that I love you?

• If you had all power, how would you learn to depend on Me?

• If your life were perfect, why would you need Me??

-Author Unknown

Boy Oh Boy, Are We Blessed….So Remember to be Thankful!

Thankful in all things?!?!?

I’ve been struggling with some respiratory and sinus issues since mid-November. Am I ready for this “thorn” to be gone, most definitely. Do I see blessings in this time? I definitely didn’t, but as time continues to go, I see how my thinking is changing when dealing with a more chronic issue. I should know how to deal with chronic issues…I’ve been dealing with fibromyalgia for over 10 years now, but this…why this. It’s all in my head, right!!!!


“Always giving thanks to God the father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” What encouraging words Paul said to his audience in Ephesus and he continues to say to us in the scriptures Ephesians 5:20.


Notice in the above statement. He said to be “thankful” for EVERYTHING!!!! That’s very easy to say, but can we or do we put this in practice? Several years ago I had the privilege to create and teach a study on  the book of Titus. At that time I spent ample time on Chapter 2:3-5. One of the things that we found is that we must accept God’s high calling for all the characteristics that are listed in Titus and within the text of those characteristics we are to be self-controlled/disciplined, and ready to serve, from the heart, whenever the opportunity arises. As older women (and we are all older than someone) we must set our minds on good things and seeing events, whether a terribly difficult situation or just an unexpected happening. We then have the opportunity to exercise our given calling with the choices we make to deal with the event. All this to say…giving thanks in everything!!! What a task before all of us, but yet again another high calling for us as Christians.


How do I do it you may be thinking, (I know I've thought that) when I’ve suffered such loss throughout so many situations? I truly believe when we encounter unexpected severe losses, we may never receive the answer while we are here on earth, but we, in time, see the hope (Hold On Past Earth)  in receiving the answer when we see Jesus face to face in heaven!!


SO, the question again, how do I handle it while I’m here on earth!!!


Jesus gave us an example to follow, for He gave thanks in the blackest of circumstances: He gave thanks for the bread and wine that He served His disciples at their last meal before His death. “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, GAVE THANKS and broke it…saying, “Take & eat; this is my body.’Then he took the cup, GAVE THANKS and offered it to them…” How could Jesus THANK God for His own broken body and spilled blood? The only possible way: by looking at suffering and death with eyes (self-controll/displine) that saw the “Big Picture”, the eternal perscpective.


Isn’t it the same for you and me? The only way we can always be thankful is to look at the difficult circumstances from God’s perspective and the examples that He provided for us in His Word. Easy to say, but as I mentioned above, we must rely on the hope of the answer and live according to that promise. This is how Paul can say to us today…”giving thanks to everything….in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. By giving thanks through Christ, he is our mediator and buffer of the times when we don’t know why and though we’re distraught, we must and can realize that He is working out the situation, as we continually give it to Him in prayer, to the ultimate good from the eternal perscpective.


Through the Psalms and David’s writings we learn lesons on living life. What a prayer warrior David was. He was continually thankful in all aspects of his life. The psalms of struggle and despair always lead back to thankfulness and hopefullness of the later reward of blessings. I found a comtempary praise psalm that David might have written if alive today.  Again, I would love to give credit to the author, which in my findings is unknown.

Praise the Lord

Praise God in the glorious sunshine;

Praise Him in the freezing drizzle.

Praise Him as you drive to church;

Praise Him as you drive to the dentist.

Praise Him in the checkout line;

Praise Him in freeway traffic.

Praise God on the job;

Praise Him on vacation.

Praise Him on pyaday and as you make the house payment.

Praise God when you open your eyes in the morning;

Praise Him when you can’t shut them at night.

Praise Him for take-out food and elegant dinners.

Praise Him for computers and E-mail.

Praise God when you’re 13

Praise Him when you’re 93.

Praise Him in the racket of a family gathering;

Praise Him in the quietness of a lonely room.

Praise God through your music.

Praise Him with your heart and voice—

Or in silence.

Let EVERTHING that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

The day that lies ahead of you—or the one you just finished may be stormy and overcast. A Texas newspaper editor, William A. Ward, once said, “God gave you a gift of 86, 400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “THANK YOU”!


So though the uncomfortable situation we may be experiencing right now feels like it isn’t going way. Give Thanks! As I said earlier, I’ve been trying to find the “good” in my current health situation. Surprisingly, (if I truly believe what I’ve written above, I shouldn’t say suprisingly), I am seeing blessings in this struggle. Would I like to be “back to normal”, most definitely, but am I learning more about myself through this event, definitely, will it help me in the future, again a resounding YES. Have I prayed more specifically about this and my been reliance on His Will, YES, YES, YES!! I am thankful, YOU BET I AM!!!


~Tina

Gifts that Don't Cost A Cent

In today's economic times we are all looking for ways to save, save, save!  Here are some ways to give a gift without involving dollars.  The rewards will be greater than when a child on Christmas morning who received "the gift", find more enjoyment with the box then the prize purchased. Practical...see what you think:

THE GIFT OF LISTENING... But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.

THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT... A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

THE GIFT OF A FAVOR... Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE... There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION... The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.

The GIFT of OURSELVES.  Small happenings in our daily lives are priceless!  May you see them and know what a "gift" they are from God.

Have a wonderful week!

~Tina

God’s Closet

 I've been purging some closet's the last few weeks and have several more areas to purge.  As I have been working on organizing areas I had several thoughts popping in my mind.  The ideas may be a bit jumbled, but I thought I would share my blabbings with my blogger friends.  If you desire, I'd love to hear your comments. (I always do). 



Every morning we go to the closet and decide what we’re going to wear. It’s one of the 1st decisions of the day. Will it be jeans/dressclothes/sweats? Black/brown/cotton/wool? If you’re the parent of small children, you choose clothes for them to wear even though you know you’ll probably hear them say, “I don’t want to wear that! I was reading in Colossians 3 and it reminded me of decisions of clothing to wear? God Himself has a clothes closet and we’re able to make the selections of what we want to wear as well!


Col. 3:12 As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with….. Paul goes on to list 5 wardrobe selections: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.


You might think, well today I don’t want to put on patience, at least not until I have a chance to give my husband a piece of my mind about some incident that happened! Humility? I’m a bit too big for humility to fit at this moment. Gentleness not today!!! Kindness, now that something I wish the kids would practice with each other instead of arguing over who gets what!!


The fact that Paul says we can “put on” these qualities enables us to choose!!!! I have something to do with whether or not these qualities are evident in my life. That means it’s pretty important that I get up in the morning in time to get “dressed” spiritually from God’s wardrobe BEFORE I face my day. (and many of you know that I’m not a morning person) But individual pieces of clothing don’t necessarily make an outfit. Over all these virtues PUT ON LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Love is the garment that coordinates and pulls the outfit all together. Love is what makes me “pleasing to the eye”.


Wouldn’t we all be a lot more attractive if we dressing God’s wardrobe?

~Tina

Happy Birthday Matt

Our oldest child, Matt is 28 today!  I can still remember the emotions from holding him for the very first time after a 24-hour delivery!  My life change instantly.  For us, our life was about him and his needs.  He captured our hearts without doing anything. He was 9lbs and 24" long!!  Ouch, some things you never forget!!!  He has been a joy and a delight and we are very proud of the strong Christian man he has become.

He is a caring brother and a devoted son and grandson.

In many ways January 13, 1982 seems like yesterday, but we have watched Matt grow into this dynamic man over the years.  We have seen him make great decisions and not-so-great decisions, but with those choices, we have seen him grow, learn, and mature. It is such a bittersweet blessing seeing him now as man.  I will admit, when he first "flew the nest" a bit of my heart went too, because he will always be our son.  The greatest gift now is that though he is our son, we are now blessed to call him a best friend!

Matt's got a great sense of humor.  He has a servant heart!  He will make a wonderful uncle and father someday. He is reaching his set goals in his life!  He is at a very good place in his life.  What a blessing.  Happy 28th Birthday dear Matthew!  You are loved beyond explanation!

Luke 2:19 - "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." This scripture has become my favorite since I have been given the title "mother".  I am honored to be a mother!!

He IS

I can't say it any better!  ~Tina

He Is

He is the First and Last,

The Beginning and the End!

He is the keeper of Creation

And the Creator of all!

He is the Architect of the universe

And the Manager of all times.

He always was, He always is,

and He always will be...

Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated,

And never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing!

He was pierced and eased pain!

He was persecuted and brought freedom!

He was dead and brought life!

He is risen and brings power!

He reigns and brings Peace!

The world can't understand him, The armies can't defeat Him,

The schools can't explain Him, And the leaders can't ignore Him.

Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,

And the people couldn't hold Him!

Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him,

The New Age can't replace Him, And Donahue can't explain Him away!

He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.

He is Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.

He is Holy, Righteous, Mighty, Powerful, and Pure.

His ways are right, His word is eternal,

His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.

He is my Redeemer, He is my Savior,

He is my guide, And He is my peace!

He is my Joy, He is my comfort,

He is my Lord, And He rules my life!

I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is light,

And His goal for me is abundant life.

I follow Him because

He is the wisdom of the wise,

The power of the powerful, The ancient of days,

The ruler of rulers, The leader of leaders,

The overseer of the overcomers,

And the Sovereign Lord of all that was, and is, and is to come.

And if that seems impressive to you,

***********************************************************

Try this for size:

His goal is a relationship with ME!

He will never leave me, Never forsake me,

Never mislead me, Never forget me, Never overlook me,

And never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!

When I fall, He lifts me up!

When I fail, He forgives!

When I am weak, He is strong!

When I am lost, He is the way!

When I am afraid, He is my courage!

When I stumble, He steadies me!

When I am hurt, He heals me!

When I am broken, He mends me!

When I am blind, He leads me!

When I am hungry, He feeds me!

When I face trials, He is with me!

When I face persecution, He shields me!

When I face problems, He comforts me!

When I face loss, He provides for me!

When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody, everywhere,

Every time, and every way.

He is God, He is faithful.

I am His, and He is mine!

My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.

So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure,

understand this...

He said it and that settles it.

God is in control,

I am on His side,

And that means all is well with my soul.

Every day is a blessing for GOD Is!

I love the Lord

And thank Him for all that He does in my life.

Yes, I do love Jesus!

He is my source of existence

And my Saviour.

He keeps me functioning each and every day.

"Without Him, I will be nothing.

Without Him, I am nothing,

But with Him I can do all things."

Philippians 4:13

HANDBOOK 2010

I received this email today from a friend.  I found it to be a good list of things to remember in this new year. Thanks Becky!    ~Tina

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about, I just did. (There is NO need to do this)

A New Year! A New Way of Thinking

I have had a personal encounter. It wasn't anything earth shattering, but at the same time, it was life changing for me personally. I have a tendency to receive many good opportunities. You're thinking, well that's something we all want! YES, I would answer you, but for me it becomes an issue of too much of a good thing. I thought I was maturing in this aspect, but finally I realize that it is not a bad thing to be the recipient of opportunities. The "bad thing" (for lack of better words) is that just because the opportunities presented are good, they may not be the opportunity for my best interest at this time. I have always been away of "keeping a door open" when moving on to something new or different. I guess I also don't want to miss a "good opportunity”. My realization is simple. Opportunities will continue to come and I must evaluate all aspects of those opportunities then make my decision. Knowing that with this decision doors "may close", but "others always open". That's the key!! A good opportunity for you, if offered to me may not be good, but in the past I tried the option with results of stress, anxiety, lack of purpose. We all have opportunities and with prayer and evaluation we confidently "open the door" or "close the door" to that opportunity. 

This post was more of babbling then encouragement for those few that read this blog. This was a "shot in my arm" for how I make choices and follow through on those choices. I am thankful for all my opportunities, but I am very thankful for God allowing me to learn this process through maturity of my choices.

I'm at a good place in my life. I'm grateful to say that with confidence and hope for what lies ahead. God continues to amaze me and comfort me in my opportunities.


May your day be filled with opportunities that are stress-free and joyful. Ps 138:3

Recall

We always here about recalls on certain purchases.  This is something I received several years ago, but still find it to be worthwhile in 2010. Authorship is not available, but I would freely welcome to give credit where credit is due.  Blessings ~Tina

RECALL:

The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless

of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component

of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the

reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been

technically termed "Subsequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly

known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some other symptoms include:

1. Loss of direction

2. Foul vocal emissions

3. Amnesia of origin

4. Lack of peace and joy

5. Selfish or violent behavior

6. Fearfulness

7. Idolatry

8. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is

providing factory-authorized repair and service free of char ge

to correct this SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously

offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs.

There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE

procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:

1. Love

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Patience

5. Kindness

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Self control

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions

Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to ope rate the human being unit without correction voids

any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too

numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently

impounded.

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have

to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter

Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.

Thank you for your attention.

GOD

Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall

notice, and you may contact the Father any time by "kneemail".

ABC'S of Life (and for the New Year)

I have permission from a dear friend to post the following "steps" for a better 2010.  Thanks Andrea!!  I haven't taken the time to look up scriptures for all these, but several came to mind while I read this advice.  It already made a difference for me, because I started looking up scriptures that equal these statements.  It was a great way to begin 2010 on a personal note!  I may even list the scriptures in a future blog as an "update".  May you find more contentment, more peace in your personal life this New Year.  Enjoy the smaller things...they are the best!!!    ~Tina

ABC'S FOR LIFE

Accept differences

Be Kind

Count your blessings

Dream

Express thanks

Forgive

Give freely

Harm no one

Imagine more

Jettison anger

Keep confidences

Love truly

Master something

Nurture hope

Open your mind

Pack lightly

Quell rumors

Reciprocate

Seek wisdom

Touch hearts

Understand

Value truth

Win graciously

Xeriscape

Yearn for peace

Zealously support a worth cause.