Funny Friday: Little Bunny Foo FooThat darn Little Bunny Foo Foo! All those innocent field mice and he just bopped them on their heads!
“…I am so upset and distressed, I am beside myself.” Psalm 55:2 (NET)
I didn’t get the creative genes gift in my family, at least not when it comes to decorating, crafting, sewing, etc. My mom and my sister Shawna probably possess the creative prowess in these areas of a hundred people. Not me. Nope. Give me something to write, teach or stick me in front of a crowd of people to speak any day! But put me in a room of kids to pull off a birthday party, and I’m toast. That is utter torture to me.
Thank goodness my kids have their aunt and grandma! Without them my kids’ birthdays would consist of some really sad decorations (or none at all), maybe a really ugly but yummy cake (I can cook even if it doesn’t look pretty), maybe a few family members over to our house (or better yet a restaurant, that way I don’t have to clean up after everyone), and probably some pretty cool presents (I AM really good at shopping 🙂 ). I guess I’m somewhat of a minimalist. I typically like to keep things simple—probably more because I’m not very good at the creative stuff. It’s not one of my gifts or talents. I am so very thankful that God made us so that our gifts complement one another.
I’ve learned that that keeping things simple is not all bad. I’ve also learned that my kids can have the really cool birthday parties, and it’s STILL simple. It’s simple because I’ve learned the art of delegation. I simply delegate those tasks that I’m not good at or that seem torturous to me to others who actually enjoy doing them and are quite good at them to boot. In other words, it’s their gift to do those tasks that I despise.
Take this past weekend for example. Continue reading
Our family recently adopted/rescued a new puppy. She is obviously a very good fit for me because she is a very spiritual puppy! 😉 See…even at the shelter she was ministering to other puppies.
“Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:17 (ESV)
Her name is Lucy. I think our Cinders would have approved. 🙂
Feeling Lucky? It’s Not Luck, It’s Favor.There’s a lot of talk about luck on St. Patrick’s Day. People who know me often call me a lucky person. Today I thought I would share the secret to my “luck” with you. It’s not luck; it’s favor.
I think God blesses people. I think many “coincidences” are God-ordained moments and opportunities. In my opinion, many people are just favored, not necessarily lucky. I also think that this has a lot to do with what we speak out of our mouths. There is TREMENDOUS power in words (I could share enough on this for a whole series of posts). If you’re somebody that always says, “I never win anything” or “I’m just not lucky” or “I don’t have good luck” etc. Guess what…You’re going to have exactly what you say. On the other hand if you say and agree with what God’s Word says, that you’re favored, then you’ll have exactly that! You’ll be favored (or some might call it lucky). Either way, it’s good to be favored or lucky.
“Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12 (NIV)
Some good things that come into our lives are a direct consequence of our actions. The flipside is true as well. I think some bad luck is just flat-out reaping what you sow or in others words…Karma, getting what’s coming to you, or getting your comeuppance. Eric actually thought I made that word up, when I said I hoped somebody would get their comeuppance (I think I actually said “comeupins” probably with a bit of a southern drawl). So I looked it up to show him that it was a real word and that I didn’t make it up. I think I have a lot of sayings that I picked up from my parents or grandparents that he’s never heard before so he thinks I just make stuff up. In his defense…I really do sometimes! 🙂 In fact the other day I went to a Moms In Prayer luncheon with a friend, and we were admiring the table setting. I told her that it was very “Pinterestable”. One of the other ladies asked if that was a word, and I had to admit “No. I just made that up.” However, I did later go and google that word and found that other people actually already use it, so I guess I didn’t really make it up! I didn’t make favor up though—it’s real.
As Christians, prosperity is something that is ours simply because we are children of God. God wants us to be prosperous. I don’t call my site Happy, Healthy & Prosperous for nothing! I also believe that prosperity is so much more than wealth or monetary or superficial gain. I believe Continue reading
A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn’t want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe. So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn’t notice her.
Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed. The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for the whole week.
As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy’s little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally she said to Timmy, Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?
Timmy nonchalantly replied, ‘Yeah, I know who she is”. The little girl said, “Well, who is she?” “That’s just Shirley Goodnest”, Timmy replied, “and her daughter Marcy”. “Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?” “Well”, Timmy explained, “every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, ‘cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, ‘Shirley Goodnest and Marcy’ shall follow me all the days of my life’, so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it”!
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalm 23:6 (AKJV)
May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy follow YOU all the days of your life too! Happy Friday!
Sadly many of us have had the misfortune of dealing with a tragic circumstance or incident in our lives which can lead to insecurities and affect our self-esteem and self-worth. Painful and traumatic experiences can affect our identity and how we view ourselves. Tamar in the bible had to deal with a tragic circumstance of being raped by her half-brother, Amnon, and she felt shame and lived in desolation thereafter.
“But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her … But now Tamar tore her robe and put ashes on her head. And then, with her face in her hands, she went away crying … so Tamar lived as a desolate woman in her brother Absalom’s house.” 2 Samuel 13:14, 19, 20b (NLT)
There are a variety of traumatic experiences that could affect our perceived worth and value. Death is a tragic circumstance that can sometimes cause low self-esteem. When we lose someone close to us, we not only lose that person but we lose the role that we played with that person which can sometimes affect our self-worth. We could potentially have feelings of insignificance, uncertainty, vulnerability, fear of the future, feeling of no longer being needed, etc. These same types of feelings can accompany a divorce (a death of sorts) and even a traumatic health problem or injury (cancer, debilitating injury, etc.) in addition to insecurities about appearances if they have been altered in any way. God HATES death and sickness and the pain and negative side effects that accompany them. God wants to set us free from these and heal us (physically and emotionally).
“And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26 (NLT)
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV)
Abuse (emotional, physical or sexual) is a tragic circumstance that can make us feel like we have little value. It can lead to feelings that we are “damaged goods” or guilt that maybe we deserved the abuse somehow. Many people that have suffered abuse start to believe the lie that they are worthless and aren’t deserving of love and affection. God HATES abuse. He wants to protect and avenge us from this.
“The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.” Psalm 11:5 (NLT)
Infidelity (emotional, physical, or pornographic) is definitely a tragic circumstance that affects one’s self-esteem and one’s worth and value. Often those on the receiving end of infidelity feel that if they were “enough” then the infidelity wouldn’t have happened. This can lead to feelings of being unloved or unwanted as well as leading to comparisons with the other person(s) involved (i.e. affair partners or pornographic images). The unfaithful person also struggles with negative feelings—especially guilt and a low sense of self-worth because of the pain that they have caused their loved one. God HATES infidelity and the pain of the aftermath that it causes. He wants to restore and heal people in these situations.
“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Hebrews 13:4 (NIV)
“But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 (NLT)
I’m sure there are many, many other examples of traumatic incidents that lead to insecurity other than the few examples I’ve given here. Ultimately God hates them all. He wants to free us from the pain that they cause. He wants us to see ourselves the way HE sees us and get an accurate view of our self-worth and value.
If you are a victim of a tragic circumstance, God wants you to know: Continue reading
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT)
We are instructed to pray for our unsaved loved ones. Sometimes it’s just hard to know how or what to pray. I encountered this same problem, so I did some study and research to find the best ways to pray for unsaved loved ones. I say “unsaved loved ones” but really these things could be prayed even for those who are saved that may have drifted away from God for some reason.
It’s very hard to see someone you love so lost or far from God or even questioning God. You want so much to help them, to fix them but you inevitably know that it’s not within your control. To receive Christ and to have a life-changing relationship with God is a personal and individual decision that we can never make for someone else, no matter how badly we want it for them. We can “plant seeds” (i.e. talk to them in a non-threatening and non-pushy way and/or show example in our own life), and we can pray for them. The rest is up to them. God gave us free will. Jesus Christ is his free gift to us, ours for the taking. However, a gift demanded or forced is no gift at all. We don’t have to take it. Sometimes we want something more for someone than they want it for themselves. It kind of stinks to feel this way, but guess what…You’re in good company. That’s how God feels all the time. All is not hopeless though! Prayers are extremely powerful!
“…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16b (NLT)
I have heard numerous people tell stories, my pastor included, that they are where they are today as a result of someone praying for them. God will go to work on our behalf, but we have to ask.
After studying and researching how and what to pray for unsaved loved ones, I compiled a list of things that I started to use. I actually wrote the list of what to pray in my notes of my phone and would open it and pray through the list for my unsaved loved ones. However, you don’t have to pray ALL of these things all of the time. I have done that, but for the most part I just picked a couple of these things to pray for each day (or whenever my unsaved loved ones came to mind—not necessarily every day).
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