TWENTY THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day -- it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read. I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Love is a promise to listen, to laugh, and to understand. To be there for one another during good times as well as bad.
 

Tips for a meaningful life . . .

      (1)    When you wake up each day say, “Good morning God, what are You and I going to do today?”

(2)          Live with the 3 E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

(3)          Try to make at least three people smile today.

(4)          Don’t waste your time on negative energy, thoughts, gossip, or regret over past failures. Invest positive energy in the present.

(5)          Life is a school and you are in it – failures and successes are part of the curriculum so learn from both.

(6)          Life isn’t always fair but it can always be good.

(7)          Smile and laugh more – it drives away the energy vampires.

(8)          Don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember, nobody else does.

(9)          No one is in charge of your joy but you and God.

(10)    What others may think of you is not your concern.

(11)    No matter how bad the situation, give it time, time heals all things.

(12)    You already have all that you need so don’t worry about what the neighbors have.

(13)    Remember, it is your friends, and not your job, that will take care of you when you are sick.

(14)    When you are up to your hips in alligators as yourself; “In five years will this really matter?”

(15)    Make peace with your past so you won’t mess up your future.

(16)    Take on one task at a time and finish it – then move on to the next.

(17)    Start your day doing the most difficult tasks and finish with the most pleasant ones.

(18)    No matter how bad you feel, get up, dress up, and show up. The best is yet to come

Do inventory at the end of each day and say to God, “I am thankful for……..” and “Today I accomplished…..”  

Eden was Paradise here on earth where Adam, Eve and the animals communed with God in the evening hour.  God set a pattern for worship from the beginning.  God created humans with a need for worship, and if we fail to worship Him, we will worship something else.  You might be surprised to find idols in our homes.  Idols can be things and habits other than statues.  The things that manipulates all your time an attention replacing God from your life, are idols.  Ignoring your responsibility toward your children  and relatives, can become idols.  Who is training your children? You might be leading your children in idolatry.  Remember, they learn from our examples.  The enemy of our souls is always busy  trying to lead us away from God.  May God bless you with a sound mind.  (Pr. 5:20-23)

After a While -

After a while, you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn't mean
leaning and company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that
kisses aren't contracts and presents are not promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes open,
with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So plant your own garden and decorate you own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure . . .
That you really are strong,
And you really do have worth.

a poem by Veronica A. Shoffstall

God grades on the cross, not the curve.
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us!

CELL PHONE vs. BIBLE

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we forgot it - and turned back to go get it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go.."Hmm...  where is my Bible?"
Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.   Makes you stop and think "where are my priorities?
. . . And no dropped calls!
 

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there

People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

Some minds are like concrete thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.

I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?!

A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

He who angers you, controls you!

If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not  protect you.

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to........discourage him.