Great words!

I ran across these words while reading my Monday Motivation devotional-- so very true!


If you want great patience – expect great trials
If you want great wisdom – expect great trouble
If you want great faith – you will at times find yourself on the brink of disaster
If you want a great harvest – expect great work
If you want a great ministry – expect great preparation

Stereotypes

Recently; I had a discussion with my 17 year old son. He has a new classmate from England, who relocated to the United States last year. The boys have became friends & got together to hang out while on their Mid Winter Break from high school. My son was bringing a few DVD's over to his friends house to watch & was amazed that since his friend was from England, had not seen "Monty Pyton: Holy Grail" yet. We started talking about stereotypes and how they are commonly used today.

Sadly, stereotypes are used frequently in todays world. My question is how can we focus on the individuals that the Lord created us to be with sterotypical remarks in the world today? It's frustrating to me! In the past; Ive personally dealt with stereotypical remarks made toward myself; but it doesnt change my identity. Just because I have a certain hair color and happen to be female doesnt make me less of a person. I have also heard stereotypical remarks being made towards Christians as well. Just because we choose to follow Christ; some individuals think we are "holier than thou" Not true! Its not about legalism, its about love for our creator and being in a relationship with Him!

I used to struggle with my identity years ago, as I grew up as a child with a Mother who was capable of being verbally abusive at times. Ive came a long way since then; because I know who I am and where I am going in life as a confident, intelligent woman! After all, we all have our strengths and weaknesses!

Enough said! LOL

The Confident Woman

I am currently enjoying Joyce Meyer's new book "The Confident Woman." What caught my attention was: "Many people have the mistaken idea that Christianity means to do for everyone else but sacrifice everything in life you might personally enjoy. I dont believe this! We will certainly be called to times of sacrifice all throughout life and whatever God asks us to give up we should do so gladly. But we dont have to make it a contest to see just how much we can do without in life in order to try and impress and please God. Jesus said, "I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full) till it overflows (John 10:10)"

People may misinterpret this verse to say that this is meant for us in Heaven. Well, that's true... but I do strongly believe that our creator doesnt want his children to live in mediocrity & have a poverity mentality. We were meant for so much more. It gives me confidence just to know the difference of what the world perceives us to be & what God sees us as. :)

True Faith

Yesterday; I had a discussion with a good friend about how today's youth are desensitized by the world today by the worlds belief system. One thing that we both agreed on is how today's teen generation don't chose to believe is that Christianity is not appealing to them. Todays teens are subject to peer pressure and we noticed how things have changed since the 70's-80's, when we both still were in school. Times were easier then, compared to what teens deal with today.

Perhaps today's teens (and the older generation as well) don’t think faith is mainstream. I don’t think it gets the popular vote. Real faith does not win mass-market appeal. True faith is a challenge of wits. It’s the mover and shaker of the status quo. Faith kicks us out of our safety net and into the world. If nothing’s on the line, then there’s no faith required. That’s dangerous, but all the more exhilarating when God shows up and shows himself to be true to his promises.

My life...

I was listening to the lyrics of a Switchfoot song on my way home the other day. The lyrics,"This is your life, are you who you want to be?" is what caught my attention. Okay, on the 17th; I will be another year older. I guess you can say that this made me stop and examine my life.

Well, I can honestly say; despite some trials and a few set backs-- I feel pretty darn blessed! I feel like my life is where I am exactly supposed to be at right now. I feel fortunate, cause there are some who still struggle with this issue. Not only that I am a wife, a Mom, and a friend to many-- I know who I am in the eyes of God & as the woman that God created me to be. I know that my identity doesn't matter what my address is or what I possess.

I strongly believe that my life would be totally different if I didnt follow God's Word & be under the covering of being planted in my church. After all, if you sow into the worlds beliefs & values-- you naturally reap the consequences. It just works that way supernaturally. Of course, even at 40 something, I'm still learning & growing. I look back on my life & Im amazed how far that Ive come. Life is a journey & the journey has been a long one, but thankfully; it still continues. Ive grown through those trials and setbacks. I wouldn't trade them for the world, cause I noticed how strong I have become because of them.

How it feels great to be 21 again-- with 21 years of experience. (wink!) I give God all the glory for this, after all... this is my life, by His design, of course! :)

Awesome Java Machine!

Yesterday, Joel & I went to First American Title to sign some documents for the refinance on our town home. They offered us a cup of java in their office and I was just amazed how this Flavia SB100 worked. We got to choose between a variety of flavored coffee, which coffee packet was loaded into the machine & then a fresh, individual, steaming cup of coffee was done just a couple minutes later. I chose Irish cream & I was impressed by how flavorful the coffee was. It tasted gourmet! Hmmmm.. I am so tempted to buy the less expensive model of this-- which is the Flavia Fusion. In fact, it just might pay for itself if you add up what you would pay at Starbucks for a year... LOL

http://www.myflavia.com/Myflavia/en-US/brewers/FUSION.htm

::My Valentine::

LOL.... I am laughing cause my sister-in-law had the same idea on her blog! This is a pic of my Valentine & me. We have been married for 7 years this August (together for 8) When I prayed for a husband, I feel like I hit the jackpot of all husbands. Joel is sacrificial, kind, romantic & loving. He has a heart of gold like no other guy that Ive known. He keeps me balanced, picks me up when I am down and is my best friend. It is amazing, cause back in 1999 before I met him; I prayed for a guy like this. I remember standing on my apartment balcony with a long stemmed rose & saying one specific quality on each rose petal that I wanted in my future spouse; before releasing them into the wind.

I just knew he was the one when we were dating, when he showed up with a beautiful bouquet of roses. Anyways, I just wanted to dedicate my blog to my husband, my love and my best friend today. I love you unconditionally! Kisses!

Love one another

Ahhh... another Valentines Day is upon us. Hearts, flowers, cards & candy seem to run amuck as we browse through the stores. Even the television ads are trying to intrique us with their latest bobbles to give to one's honey that says "Be Mine". But, wait a minute! I believe that Valentines Day is not only a day for couples, but a nice reminder to love another--from our creator. After all, God IS Love (1 John 4:8)

Shouldn't we be showing our love for one another all year long instead of concentrating one specific calendar day? We can do this by loving one another--Everyday. As we can see by the newscast every evening, the world is in dire need of it. Love is the healing balm of our wounds. So what do you say? Lets start by taking a step up & looking past one's iniquities (we all have them!) race, religion, and sexual orientation. After all, no man is an island... we all need love.

A Monday LOL !

I got this email from a friend this morning & it put a smile on my face:


"This morning on the freeway, I looked over to my left and there was a WOMAN in a brand new Ford Territory doing 100k, with her face up against the rear view mirror, putting on her eyeliner!!

I looked away for a couple seconds, and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on her makeup.

As a MAN, I don't scare easily, but she scared me so much I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the McMuffin out of my other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my mobile phone, which fell away from my ear into my coffee which was between my legs, splashed and burned my lap, ruined the phone, soaked my pants, and disconnected an important call.

Bloody women drivers !!!!"

Waiting on the weather to change... LOL

You've heard of that song, "Waiting for the world to change", right? Well, my mantra is that I'm waiting for the weather to change. Thank goodness that we've made it through our cold snap here in the Evergreen State; but it was followed by cloudy, rainy days. Okay, I must admit that we were blessed with one gorgeous one in January!

I love Spring. Its one of my favorite seasons of the year. Im so ready for the flowers to be in bloom again, especially the tulips and the cherry blossom trees. They are always a nice reminder of how the Earth is renewing itself after being in its Winter sleepy slumber.

Anyways, Joel and I are getting ready to get the details into place for our trip to New York City that he won in January. We still need to confirm our travel dates, so I took a peek of what either April or June would be weather-wise in NYC.

Not bad... either month would be better than a rainy day here in the Seattle area! Here's the average temps for NYC. 60 degrees would be perfect for a walk in Central Park in April... Ahhh... can't wait!

Month
Maximum / Minimumin Fahrenheit
Maximum / Minimumin Celsius
January
39 / 26
4 / -3
February
40 / 27
5 / -3
March
48 / 34
8 / 1
April
61 / 44
16 / 6
May
71 / 53
21 / 11
June
81 / 63
27 / 17
July
85 / 68
29 / 18
August
83 / 66
28 / 19
September
77 / 60
25 / 16
October
67 / 51
19 / 10
November
54 / 41
12 / 5
December
41 / 30
5 / -1

How about those Super Bowl ads???

I must admit that the Super Bowl ads is probably the main reason that I watch the Super Bowl every year. This year, there were some pretty good ads & some not so great ones. Here are my picks for the best ads:

First Quarter:
Blockbuster total access
Fed Ex: Moon Office
Budweiser: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Snickers: Mechanics

Second quarter:
Budweiser: Spot wink

Third Quarter:
Taco Bell
Fed Ex shipping

The link to these ads can be found at: www.sportsline.com/superads.

Age is just a number

Its now February-- my birth month. Isnt it funny how the older people wished they were younger and the young wished that they were older?? Recently, I had this conversation with a good friend, whom Ive known since we were 12.

Back then when I was a pre-teen; I remember thinking, okay... 40 is old! But now that I am more than just 40 something... I have to reexamine that a bit. I still feel young, even though my body is going through the normal aging process. :) I still have a whole lot to learn, but I feel a lot wiser, especially than when I was in my 20's & 30's. :) Im not afraid to get one year older, cause I know that with each year that passes by--at I will learn something more than I did when I was just one year younger. :)

I thought this article had a nice spin to it about the topic of Aging:

Age Is Just A Number
by allinspiration.com

Many people experience growing anxieties as they get older. And often, the main source of those anxieties is just that fact itself - they are growing older.
With each passing birthday, each landmark age that we reach, we moan and groan. It is as though we have one eye on death, and are counting down to it with each passing year, fearing that we are running out of time. In truth, it doesn't really work that way, because we don't really know when we are going to die. Rather than complain that each passing year means we are closer to death, that we have one year less, shouldn't we rejoice that we survived death, that we have had one year more?

Age does bring with it certain physical and mental deteriorations. Obviously you can't run that fast anymore, climb the stairs that quickly, or finish your mental sums as promptly. But age brings with it experience and wisdom, and an improved way of looking at the world. Revel in it.
Just because you are getting older, it does not mean that your quality of life will depreciate. It does not mean you must stop learning, and it certainly does not mean you have to be become less happy. In fact, studies have shown happiness levels to be unrelated to age.

Seize the day, and live every moment. Your life is in your hands. And if there are certain things you had always wanted to do, but feel it is too late now, remember:

"Better late than never, better now than later! "