Category Archives: affirmation

affirmation, Blogroll, emotions, Enlightenment, faith, God, Gratitude, Growing, Healing, journey, mindfulness, personal growth, positive, scripture, self help

Gratitude Changed My Life!

Have you ever noticed how we often look at others and envy them because they seem to have it all together? As I think back on my life, I can remember observing certain individuals and thinking: “Man, they’ve got it made!”, but as I lived my life and grew closer to some of these folks, I realized that way too often ”looks” can be very deceiving. I have discovered in my own living and learning that most all of us that are living on this great big spinning ball of blue and green have challenges, frustrations and struggles. I have also discovered that everyone of us have a choice about how we will respond to the things that happen to us, in us and through us.

Often times, when people see me, they think that guy sure is lucky, but they have no idea the roller coaster ride that life has taken this ole boy on. I don’t think I am lucky, but I know I am blessed. Most people look at my life today and think: “This dude is one lucky dog!”, but they don’t know that there was a time that I pretty much lost everything and had to start over from scratch. A lot of folks see my relationship with a beautiful wife of almost thirty years and think: “He certainly out punted his coverage!” And they are right, but most do not realize how many times we wanted to throw up our hands and give up on each other. Looking at the life I live, a lot of people might be tempted to get jealous or envious, thinking that I have it all together, but the truth is: Everyday is a battle, learning experience and often a struggle.

I say all of that to say this: I am not better than anyone else. I am not smarter than anyone else, I am not more blessed than anyone else. If anything, I am just learning how to get out of my own way. I am learning how to let God be God and His will become the guiding force and purpose of my life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:4-7

One day as I was thinking about how my life got headed in this right direction, it hit me that it was small, consistent changes in my attitude and thinking. As I spent time with God and thought about all that I had been through and was still standing, then I could not help but to be grateful. As I looked back on all the things in my life that should have killed me, but instead made me stronger, I could not help, but to be grateful. The more grateful I became, the more I focused on the reason for my gratitude and the reason was and is God. He loves me and has a plan for my life. He does not get rid of the bad, but He does use it every time to take me some where that I could never take myself, God is growing me at whatever pace I choose and am comfortable with and that makes me very grateful for it all.

Gratitude Changed My Life! Gratitude is a spiritual practice of seeing and celebrating the good in the world around you, regardless of how bad, challenging or tough things may be. One day I realized that worry was doing me no good and decided to replace it with faith in God and His promised plan for blessing. This simple change made me grateful and started me down a path of learning and growth that has changed my life for the better in every way you could ever dream or imagine…

If there is one discipline that I could recommend that would help to get your life headed in the direction it was created for, then it would be to start practicing being grateful. When you want to get good at something, you have to practice, so here are a few ideas to help you get started:

1.) Start A Gratitude List! Take some time to start writing down and thinking about all the things that you are grateful for. Big, small and in between. Actually think about how you feel and why???

2.) Write Down Three Things You Are Grateful For Everyday In Your Journal! In my personal journal, the very first thing I write down at the top of the page is today’s date. I then write out my Scripture verse or verses for the day and then right under that Scripture, I write out 1, 2 and 3. “Thank You for _____________!

3.) Remember This: Perspective Changes Everything – Good Or Bad = The Choice Is Yours??? You are the only person that can change your perspective! The world can mess it up, but you’ve got the power to fix it and making and taking the time to make sure that it is right will change your life.

God loves you and God made you, because He wants to bless you, because you really are something special…

affirmation, appreciation, Blogroll, choices, emotions, Enlightenment, Expectation, Family, Gratitude, Growing, journey, Lessons, life, love, mindfulness

Cherish Each Moment!

A few months ago, I had a stroke and did not even know I was in this world. I finally came to myself in the ICU at the hospital and my wife Joy began to tell me about my very eventful day in the Emergency Room with the Stroke Trauma Team that I knew absolutely nothing about.

In the past several months as I have worked to recover, I have learned many lessons about many things. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is just what a precious gift we have been given with this thing that we call life.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. -1 Corinthians 15:52

One of the most meaningful lessons that I am learning is the preciousness of moments and how careless and flippant I have often been with them in the past by simply taking them for granted.

The reality of this human existence is that we are not guaranteed the next moment and if we don’t get the next moment, then the last moment was it, so we better allow every moment to unfold and learn be grateful for the gifts it brings.

One day last week, I was sitting in our living room and there were toys scattered all over the place. In the middle of the floor was a wooden bowl, spatula and a little car. When I looked at them I smiled inside and out and then began to cry tears of joy as I thought about my Grand Daughter Addi Jo stirring up some “make believe” deliciousness in that bowl and then offering me a bite. I was still getting blessing and joy from the moment even after it passed.

Life is a series of moments strung together by memories, so make sure that you are cherishing each moment as the special gift from God that it is, because we never know when this moment might be our last…

affirmation, Blogroll, Values

VALUES ADD VALUE!

One of my mentors was talking to me about decision making and he challenged me to think through my values before making any decision. He then challenged me to think through and figure out what my values are, so that I can think through them when I have a decision to make.

Most all of us have values, but if we are put on the spot, we might find it a bit difficult to name them, so it is a good practice to think through what is it that we really value in this life? Once we know our values, it is then a good idea to prioritize them and think through them every now and then to make sure that our life and living is lining up with what we say really matters to us.

I thought I would share my top ten values with you, in the hopes that it might encourage and motivate you to think through your own…

1. LOVE – For me this is where it all begins and ends. God loves me and when I love God back by loving others, it creates a powerful flow of energy in my life and living that makes this life worth living. Without love, life would be meaningless, but with love, it is full of potential and possibility.

2. FAITH – This is about trust and belief and without someone or something to trust and believe in, then we are like a ship with a rudder. Faith is the mechanism that allows our life to go somewhere meaningful. Faith gives us purpose, direction and motivation.

3. BLESSING – Our Creator blesses us, so that we can bless others. This allows divinity to flow to us and through us. This divine energy is what life and eternity are all about. Learning to receive is important and learning to give is important to. Blessing is all about learning to receive and share, which makes us more like the One Who created us.

4. FAMILY AND FRIENDS – Family and friends can be the greatest blessing and the greatest challenge. Sometimes you feel like you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. The truth is: We need our family and friends and trying to do life without them is not really doing life at all.

5. JOY – We were created to be blessed, happy and fulfilled. We are supposed to have an inward excitement that expresses itself in outward joy. When we learn to embrace and appreciate the things of our Creator, then joy becomes the natural by product, so that we find joy in the blessings and challenges of life.

6. PEACE – This inward contentment, regardless of outward circumstances is one of the great gifts of our Creator. When we begin to align our values with His values, peace is the natural by product that helps us to realize what a special gift this thing we call life really is.

7. MINISTRY – Each of us have been given special gifts and abilities that can be a tremendous blessing to others and when we use these gifts and abilities to serve others, it gives glory to our Creator and brings fulfillment to our created purpose.

8. LEARNING – No matter how old we get, there is always something else to learn and the older I get, the more I realize just how precious a gift we have been given in the ability to learn. A willingness to learn new things helps to keep us young in heart, mind and soul.

9. HEALTH – Life is tough and it is even tougher if we don’t feel good. This is why health and taking care of our physical bodies is so important. Daily exercise, eating right and proper rest have to be on our list of priorities or we are going to miss out on what really matters, because we just don’t feel like it.

10. WISDOM – When I was a little boy, I remember going to Sunday School and hearing about God telling Solomon that he could ask for anything he wanted and Solomon asked for wisdom and God was pleased. Wisdom is not just knowledge. Wisdom is the proper application and use of knowledge. Our would could use a lot more of that and that starts with me.

I challenge you to think about your values, make your own list and then use that list to help you make better decisions in your life and living…