We are Still Growing

"In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."  Ephesians 2: 21, 22
  I read these verses this morning and they gave me hope.  I am so far from perfect but God knows I am still growing.  Blessings on you today.

Do What is Right

"Do what is right;  do it to please God and do it in a pleasing manner."

A quote from my Pastor.

Voices of the Faithful, Book 2 Book Review

 


I love daily devotionals and this one has turned out to be one of my favorites.  Voices of the Faithful book 2 is a collection of inspiring stories from Christian missionaries around the world.  It is compiled by Kim P. Davis and Beth Moore is the Series Creator.  Kim Davis writes a monthly introduction.  Beth Moore has written an introduction in the front of the book.  
This book has reminded me and admonished me that there are Christians around the world who are putting their lives on the line for the cause of Christ.  Each story is about real people and the very real problems they are having.  That includes the missionaries themselves and the people they are sent to serve.  Each time I read one of the devotions I am pulled back from the world just a little bit and I remember what my life is supposed to be about.  We are all to be missionaries.  We don't have to go around the world to show others the love of God.


 I was given this book to review by BookSneeze and give my honest opinions and that is what I have done. 

What Are You Thinking About?

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."  Proverbs 23:7

We can change this a little and say, "As a woman thinks in her heart, so is she."  What you think about determines what mood you are in.  It determines what you say.  Your thinking determines your actions.  Think about what you are thinking about.  Are your thoughts loving, kind, understanding?  Or are they hateful, mean and selfish?  What if you could change your new year by changing your thinking? 

Planning is Key to Keeping Resolutions.

Happy New Year!  Below is an article I found that is perfect for Ringing in the New Year.  It shares some helpful tips on planning and keeping your resolutions and goals.



Planning is key to keeping resolutions.    Most people have made New Year's resolutions at some point in their lives with varying degrees of success.  The secret to making and keeping a New Year's resolution is to start thinking about it before New Year's Eve.

1. Be Realistic.  The surest way to fall short of your goal is for it to be unrealistic.  Resolving to never eat your favorite food again is a set up for failure.  Set a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding that food more often than you do now.  If your resolution is something like losing weight, do some research to see what a realistic, attainable goal would be.
2. Choose wisely.  Don't decide on a resolution at the last minute on New Year's Eve.  It may help to make a list of possible resolutions and develop this list over time.  Keep it with you and ask others to contribute ideas.  You should know what your goal is well before Decebmer 31st arrives.
3. Create a Plan.  To be successful it helps to have clear steps to put into action.   Write your resolution and plan down in a notebook or journal.  Decide how you will deal with the temptation to backslide.  This could include calling a friend for support, taking a walk around the block or simply thinking  positively.  Start your plan during the first few days of January to harness your motivation.  Don't expect overnight miracles.  Resolutions are accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year.  You should think of a New Year's resolution as  nothing more than a starting point and that developing positive habits will keep your plan moving forward.
4. Talk About It.  Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better.  The best case scenario is to find a friend or family member who has also made a New Year's resolution and agree to motivate each other.
5. Remain Flexible.  Obsessing over the occasional slip won't help you achieve your goal.  Do the best you can each day and keep moving forward.  Expect that you can and will change.  Sometimes even the goal itself will change.  But most importantly, recognize partial successes at every step along the way.  Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality.  Give it time and your new habits are sure to become second nature.

This article was found in the Pasco Shopper.  The author is not named.

New Year's Goals

This is the time of year to start thinking about setting new goals for yourself.  Setting goals is the easy part.  Reaching them is the hard part.  Some of my goals that I set last year I reached and felt a since of accomplishment.  There were others that I did not do so well on.  
    Instead of kicking myself and lamenting over this, I have decided to go ahead and try again.  If I don't set some goals and try to reach for them, I won't get too much accomplished this year.  
    I think about my grandson learning how to walk.  He would take a step and fall.  He would take another step and fall.  He kept doing this over and over again until finally he has started walking.  That is what it takes to reach a goal.  Just take a step and if and when you fall, get up and take another one.  Then take another one.  Pretty soon you will have made some amazing strides in your life.

Get UNSTUCK (and Get Moving Toward Your Dream!)

Get UNSTUCK (and Get Moving Toward Your Dream!)

Close Encounters of the Moose Kind By Linda Rondeau

I gasped as the gigantic mound stepped from the woods into our path, heads taller than our compact car. My husband swerved and we missed the animal by inches. “Was that a moose?” my husband asked.   I laughed.   “What’s so funny?”   “My heroine’s life is changed when she runs into a moose.”   We both giggled over God’s sense of humor.   That we found ourselves on the back roads of Franklin County at four in the morning was in and of itself God’s doing. I hadn’t planned on attending the ACFW Writers Conference in Minneapolis. “If I final in the contest then I’ll go,” I told my husband.   I did final, and my words haunted me.  And so once again God changed my plans to fit into His. In rural upstate New York, flight connections often require a pre-dawn departure, and we had taken the country road to save time.   I shared my moose tale with a writer friend who laughed her prophecy. “That moose was a smile from God. He has plans for this manuscript.”   As time went on, God continued to smile affirmation after affirmation even through a dramatic relocation to Florida. Then, eleven years from the day that I felt God’s call to write professionally, my agent called with the news—a publisher had offered a contract. “It’s for Dawn’s Hope, but the editor wants to change the title to The Other Side of Darkness,” she said.   I did agree the alternate title sounded better and trusted the editor’s choice.   Yet, it wasn’t until later that God revealed His hand had been in the making of the book long before the first words were typed, long before I imagined my character’s accident, long before He sent a moose to confirm He would soon fulfill a promise made to me over a decade ago.    During a speaking engagement at a local women’s meeting, I shared my journey from call to call, reading a poem I wrote that very day God pulled me from one life to set me on another, one undefined and uncertain. I had obeyed His leading and He immediately gave me a poem, “The Song of Peace.” As I shared the poem with the women’s group, my eyes misted when I read the line, “Praise the Lord when Hope seems foolish…There is light on the other side of darkness.”   Could it be that even then, God was smiling on a book not yet imagined? I believe He did.   Author Bio

Linda Rondeau Award-winning author, LINDA RONDEAU, writes for the reader who enjoys a little bit of everything. Her stories of redemption and God’s mercies include romance, suspense, the ethereal, and a little bit of history into the mix, always served with a slice of humor. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, mother of three and wife of one very patient man, Linda now resides in Florida where she is active in her church and community.  Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com.

The Other Side of Darkness by Linda Rondeau   PUBLISHER: Harbourlight Books ISBN-10: 161116138X ISBN-13: 978-1611161380 PRICE: Paperback: $16.99, Kindle: $5.99   Available at: Pelican Book Group Amazon

"Close Encounters of the Moose Kind" is loaded at docstoc.com.