REJOICE!

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS! PHILIPPIANS 4.4

This was the message for the day from my little devotional called Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham.
This is what it goes on to say: when our hearts are surrendered totally to the will of God, then we delight in seeing Him use us in any way He pleases. Our plans and desires begin to agree with His, and we accept His direction in our lives. Our sense of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life increases, no matter what the circumstances, if we are in the center of God's will.
The Christian life is a joyful life. Christianity was never meant to be something to make people miserable. The ministry of Jesus was one of joy. The Bible teaches that a life of inward peace and outward victory is a Christian birthright. It also goes on to say this, will others see the joy of Christ in your life today?
This really spoke to me because I tend to focus on things that keep me out of that joy instead of focusing on my joy in the Lord. Here's hoping you have a joyful day!

Fax from God

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.


P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.


Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose?


Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to share this with a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.



God


This is from an e-mail that a friend sent me.

The Note

I was browsing the book store in search of Karen Kingsbury's newest book when I came upon this book called The Note. The photo on the front caught my attention first and then I read the back of the book and here is what it says:
When the unthinkable happens.....
En route from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Tampa International, Flight 848 bursts into flames and crashes into Tampa Bay. All 261 passengers and crew are killed. For one week, newspaper columnist Peyton MacGruder and her fellow reporters cover one of the nation's worst air disasters in years with overwhelming and numbed emotions.
Then a woman Peyton's never met gives her a plastic bag that has washed up behind her house. The bag contains a note, almost certainly from the doomed flight, with a simple yet wrenching message:
T ~ I LOVE YOU. ALL IS FORGIVEN ~ DAD
Combing through the passenger list to find the victims whose children's names begin with T, Peyton is determined to deliver the note to it's proper owner. A quest that will prove as important to Peyton's own life as to the mysterious T.

I am about a fourth of the way through this book and it is good. You guys know I am a big Karen Kingsbury fan so I am thrilled to find another author. The woman who wrote this book is Angela Hunt and this book is considered women of faith fiction. In her author's note at the back of the book she writes about how God has written mankind such a note as the one above. Just like the fathers in the book, He loves, He cares, He mourns when his children leave Him out of their lives. He wants us to know he loves us and has forgiven our neglect of this all important relationship.
Maybe that is what drew me to this book. In the note he doesn't say that this thing is forgiven or that thing is forgiven but all is forgiven. Awesome....
On an end note, this book has been made into a Hallmark movie you can go here to check it out. It is on this Saturday @ 9pm on the Hallmark Channel, it stars Genie Francis. It does look like they have changed a few things. The location is North Carolina instead of Tampa and it is Christmas time instead of the summer but they always do that in movies. I am going to DVR this movie. I don't know how this book will translate into a movie. Sometimes a good book doesn't make a good movie and sometimes a book I can hardly get through makes a good movie. Who knows why, either way check out the book, it is a good read. Have a good day!

Smart Cookie

This picture is not coming up as clear as I would like it too. But the fortune cookie says "Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday" This was on my fortune cookie last night after my sweetie and I got Chinese take out. I thought it was worth passing on. It made me reflect once again on Matthew 6:34 " Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own" Have a great weekend!

Goose Sense

This fall when you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in a "V" formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. (People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.)

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into the formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. (If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going.) When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. (It pays to take turns doing hard jobs - with people or geese flying south.) The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. (What do we say when we honk from behind?) Finally (now pay attention), when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshot and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is either able to fly or until it is dead, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose we will stand by each other like that.

My mother in law gave me this article and I thought it was just so interesting. Hope you are having a great day!

Safe Travels,

Joan

50 Promises For Marriage

>I found this on a card in a restaurant's bathroom. I thought it was worth passing on. Can't say my hubby and I do all of them but I hope you enjoy them. I wonder what happen to number 7??

1. Start each day with a kiss. 2. Wear your wedding ring at all times. 3. Date once a week. 4. Accept differences. 5. Be polite. 6. Be gentle 7. Seven was missing from the card. 8. Smile often 9. Touch 10. Talk about dreams 11. Select a song that can be "your song" 12. Give back rubs. 13. Laugh together. 14. Send a card for no reason. 15. Do what the other person wants before he or she asks. 16. Listen. 17 Encourage. 18. Do it his or her way 19. Know his or her needs. 20. Fix the other person breakfast. 21. Compliment twice a day. 22. Call during the day. 23. Slow down. 24. Hold hands. 25. Cuddle. 26. Ask for each other's opinion. 27. Show respect. 28. Welcome the other person home. 29. Look your best. 30. Wink at each other. 31. Celebrate birthdays in a big way. 32. Apologize. 33.Forgive. 34. Set up a romantic getaway. 35. Ask, "What can I do to make you happier?". 36. Be positive. 37. Be kind. 38. Be vulnerable. 39. Respond quickly to the other person's request. 40. Talk about your love. 41. Reminisce about your favorite times together. 42. Treat each other's friends and relatives with courtesy. 43. Send flowers every Valentine's Day and anniversary. 44. Admit when wrong. 45. Be sensitive to each other's sexual desires. 46. Pray for each other daily. 47. Watch sunsets together. 48. Say "I love you" frequently. 49. End the day with a hug. 50. Seek outside help when needed.

Because God Loves Me 1st Corinthians 13:4-8

Because God loves me He is slow to lose patience with me.

Because God loves me He takes the circumstances of my life and uses them in a constructive way for my growth.

Because God loves me He does not treat me as an object to be possessed and manipulated.

Because God loves me He has no need to impress me with how great and powerful He is because He is God, nor does he belittle me as His child in order to show me how important He is.

Because God loves me He is for me, He wants to see me mature and develop in His love.

Because God loves me He does not send down His wrath on every little mistake I make, of which there are many.

Because God loves me He does not keep score of all my sins and then beat me over the head with them whenever He gets the chance.

Because God loves me He is deeply grieved when I do not walk in the ways that please him, because He sees this as evidence that I don't trust Him and love Him as I should.

Because God loves me He rejoices when I experience His power and strength and stand up under the pressures of life for His Name's sake.

Because God loves me He keeps on working patiently with me even when I feel like giving up and can't see why He doesn't give up with me, too.

Because God loves me He keeps trusting me when at times I don't even trust myself.

Because God loves me He never says there is no hope for me; rather, He patiently works with me, loves me and disciplines me in such a way that it is hard for me to understand the depth of His concern for me.

Because God loves me He never forsakes me, even though many of my friends might.

Because God loves me He stands with me when I have reached the rock of despair, when I see the real me and compare that with his righteousness, holiness, beauty, and love. It is a moment like this that I can really believe that God loves me.

Yes, the greatest of all gifts is God's perfect love.

Courtesy of Dick Dickinson.

I had this on a piece of paper taped to the bottom of a drawer in my desk and of course over the years I guess I piled stuff on top of it and just found it again while cleaning out my desk. Hope you enjoyed it.

Safe Travels,

Joan

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company......a church.....a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past......we cannot change the fact people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude......I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.



Author of "Attitudes" is Chuck Swindoll

Chuck Swindoll is a Christian writer & teacher. Alot of you probably have already seen this, but I think it's very well said. My sweetie keeps the above next to his desk at work. I know I need to remind myself of my "attitude" sometimes. Have a great day!

Safe Travels,


Joan

Thinking out loud

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand."




Philippians 4:6,7




So I woke up this morning with this verse on my mind and then I checked my e-mail and the K-Love's encouraging word of the day was Philippians 4:19 which says "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches." HELLO, do you think I'm suppose to read Philippians? I think the Lord shows us sometimes where to go in His word for what is relevant in our lives at that time and I know He just did that.




Safe Travels,



Joan