Thankful

• I am thankful that we made it through another January.
• I am thankful that we had no damage from the wind storms that blew through on Tuesday.
• I am thankful for good friends that showed up to help Brian repair the roof damage at the church.
• I am thankful that Stephen's bought with the stomach bug was short-lived.
• I am thankful for the weather man being wrong about the weather yesterday. I really don't like sleet and ice.
• I am thankful for electricity, running water, a warm dry house, and a million other things that I take for granted on a daily basis.

Check out more at Sting My Heart.

Christian Ways to Destress

I don't really have anything original for you today, but I did get this great email this morning. I know I need to work on a few of these myself.

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33 Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?"
(Romans 8:31)

Thankful Thursday

The theme this week over at Sting My Heart is hope. I am truly thankful for the hope we have in Christ. Without Him all hope is lost.

I am thankful for my health as well as that of my family. We often take our health for granted, complaining about minor aches and pains, but there are many others much worse off than we are. I have several people on my personal prayer list right now who are struggling with health issues - some severe. It is hard to know how to pray sometimes. Of course we always have hope they they will be healed, but the truth is if they know Christ we know they will be healed. We may not see that healing here, but even if they pass on from this life, they will be healed and free from all ailments when they get to heaven.

I'll leave you with a list of names of people who need your prayers and just ask that you lift them and their families up. Bobby, Steve, Pat, Granny Price,Crystal, and Rosa. If you have someone close to you that you would like to request prayer for, I encourage you to leave a comment.

On Forgiveness

After a long, at times heated discussion with some peers a few days ago on the subject of forgiving those who have hurt you, I had a few thoughts. First of all, forgiving someone doesn't mean you give them permission to hurt you again. We are not to be doormats for others to wipe their feet on. Forgiveness also does not mean we forget the pain we have been through. It means letting go of the bitterness of the past and moving forward, though sometimes with a guarded heart.

If you happen to have a copy of The Purpose Driven Life, day 18 has an excellent example of what I am talking about. We are not to hold grudges nor retaliate -

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. Col 3:13

And we will never be asked to forgive anyone of more than God has forgiven us. It is our choice to forgive and have a resolution to the problem.

Where many people have a problem is that they get forgiveness and trust confused. I love the way Rick Warren explains the difference. Forgiveness is letting go of the past while trust has to do with future behavior. While forgiveness must be immediate, trust must be rebuilt over time. No one has permission to hurt you over and over. Either they will prove they have changed and the trust will be rebuilt, or they will continue to hurt you and though you forgive them, without the trust you will eventually lose their fellowship. So while we are commanded to forgive - even when no apology is ever offered, we are not commanded to remain in fellowship with those that continually hurt us. Being a Christian doesn't mean being a doormat.

There are people in my life who I have chosen to forgive, who have questioned my forgiveness. Just because I don't allow them to be as close as they once were does not mean I haven't forgiven them. It means that they have not rebuilt that trust yet, so I approach them with a guarded heart. While forgiveness has to be freely given, trust has to be earned.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while since I took part in Thankful Thursday, so here goes:

I am thankful for Gods unending grace that covers all of my transgressions when I take them to him.

I am thankful for the grace extended by those I love when I fail them.

I am thankful for friends and fellowship.

I am thankful for the new women's Bible study that started at church this week. I have so much to learn and there are some wonderful mentors in the group.

I am thankful that God puts the people we need for encouragement, accountability and fellowship in our lives.

I am thankful for those of you who read this blog. I am always amazed to see visitors from all parts of the world, visitors who return, and even a few who visit several times a day. You are all a blessing to me. I am especially thankful when you leave a comment - hint, hint.

For more Thankful Thursday and a sure blessing, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

Have I Mentioned, I Hate Shopping

I reminded Brian yesterday just how lucky he is...his wife, unlike the majority of women, hates to shop. I have been in need of some new dress pants for work for several months, but for some strange reason I decided yesterday I was going to buy some. After three stores, I had not bought a thing...and then I remembered why I am in such need of pants. I hate to shop. Nothing fits me. I remember before I lost weight, I had this grand illusion that if I was thinner I would be able to find all kinds of cute clothes to wear. Well I was right about finding them, just not for me. The racks are full of cute clothes...just none to fit my apparently oddly-shaped body. And so I headed home, still in need of pants and even a little depressed. I know I shouldn't let it get me down but for some reason it really bothered me yesterday.

Oh - and Brian told me I didn't have to remind him how lucky he is. He realizes it every time his co-workers come in ranting and raving about how much money their wives have spend on clothes.

It's That Time of Year - Tax Season

I know what you are thinking...I haven't even got my W-2 yet, how can it be tax season. But did you ever consider that there is some poor soul slaving away out there just so that you and the other 12 zillion employees in the good ole US of A have their W-2 by the end of January. I bet you also didn't realize that it's not just a matter of hitting a button on the computer and suddenly the W-2's are flying off the printer. Oh, don't get me wrong, we COULD do it that way, but like many other things in life there is an easy way to do them and a correct way. And as most of you probably know, the way that seems easiest now usually always just causes more work down the road, and so it is with W-2's. So, for those of you patiently waiting for the end of January to arrive so that you can file for your refund - Thank You for being patient. For those of you that started calling in December to see when your W-2 would be ready - you just got moved to the bottom of the to do list...

One Room at a Time

On a rare occasion, I wake up in the mood to clean. It doesn't happen very often. In fact it doesn't happen nearly often enough, but I have been bitten by the cleaning bug twice already this year. New Year's Day, I tackled our computer room/closet. Today it was the living room. What started out as just vacuuming, ended with what most would classify as "spring cleaning." With Brian's help, all of the furniture was moved, everything got dusted, and even the corners were vacuumed. The only thing left to do is clean the carpet and then install a device to electrically shock the kids when they deposit their junk in the floor... wonder if they make one of those...hmmm.

So now that two rooms in my house are presentable, I have a new goal. At some point in my life, I would like for my whole house to be clean at one time. Usually, I can manage to get one or two rooms in the house to a point that I would not pretend not to be home if someone showed up unexpectedly, but to have them all clean at once almost seems like an unattainable feat. There are always a couple of little elves going behind me messing faster than I can clean, dirtying laundry and dishes at an unimaginable pace. Those same elves seem to magically disappear at the mere mention of cleaning.

If you have any tips on keeping a house clean, short of locking everyone outside, please let me know. In the meantime, I will continue to tackle it one room at a time, hoping the cleaning bug bites a little more often. And if you happen to show up at my house unexpectedly, and no one answers the door, but you are sure someone is at home, you will know that the elves have been hard at work.

Happy New Year

So I am a couple of days late, but happy new year anyway. I have no resolutions to share with you like I have seen on many blogs. I stopped making them a long time ago, because they are a joke anyway right. And why wait until the new year to resolve to do something good, productive, or fun with your life. Each and every morning that God allows us to wake up and get out of bed is a new day full of potential...a fresh start each and every day.

That's how I am approaching the dreaded "tax season" here at work too. One day at a time. Otherwise, I will just be overwhelmed. I started stressing yesterday and it was the first official day. There is so much to do and only so many hours in the day, but I know we will make it through. We always do. It won't be easy. It won't be stress free. But we will make it - on day at a time.