Well, at least there’s that...

I've heard this scripture so many times, but it never really took on any profound meaning until my devotional time today. I have been doing a lot of research on "agreement" and "I am" statements.  Everything we are drawn to in our lives starts with an agreement. I am not speaking of trauma, or tragedy. Nobody wishes those things upon themselves. I am talking about your "I am" statements. Jesus absolutely knew who he was, but he asked the questions anyway. 1) "Who do men say that I am?"  Was Jesus looking for affirmation? No. You can't get any more affirmation than a dove descending from Heaven saying "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased". Then he asks  2) " Who do you say that I am?"  Since I've been delving into my "I am" statements I started wondering if it was possible that Jesus wanted to hear his disciples 'You are" statements to see how connected t

I was taught that JOY stood for three words. 1) Jesus first 2) Others  second  3) Yourself last "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Mark:12:3 Sounds good, right?  Believing that a selfless life is what is required has been a key ingredient to my story. Loving myself? That was just selfish. But Jesus thought it  was so important that he made it number two on the list. So, Love God! That's a given, but how do I love myself? 1) Selfishness is preferring yourself over others in an unhealthy manner. 2) Loving yourself is taking care of yourself so you can help others. Wow! See what I mean? It sounds so much different than what I  believed.  No wonder I found it hard to find joy. I thought that "sacrifice" was the motto of all Christian. You know... be miserable so others can be happy? When you're on an airplane and the stewardess/steward says,  "Please put your mask on first; then assist others around you." WOW! Isn&

All my life I've heard the saying, "Be grateful, it could have been worse."  That never sounded quite right to me. Why? Because a lot of times worse was compared to something horrific that happened to someone else. There is no comfort in someone else's pain.  I literally had a Dr tell me once, "Be grateful that you re not a child going through cancer!"WHAT???? So, I have to "one up" my praise because I'm not a suffering child? If you're a parent let me ask you this....is it more painful for you to be ill or for you to watch your child suffer? I can be grateful for what I'm not suffering anymore . I'm grateful that it's not 17 years ago when I was given a death sentence of 6 months. I'm grateful that it's not 10 years ago when I was told I may never walk again. I'm grateful for things I have discovered were lies that I thought was truth. I bet I got you on that one! Have you ever known down in your hear

So, Lincoln, my beautiful Australian Shepherd has finally trained me. Yep. I have wood floors so he has learned how to use them against me. In a previous house I had a light that would come on in the closet when you walked in, but this house.... no, the floors are his new megaphone. In the other house when he wanted me to get up he'd walk into the closet, the light would come on and then I'd wake up. If I didn't wake up, he'd wait and do it again. Lately he has become very bossy! My schedule is quite strange and he's not really used to it. He used to eat at the same time every morning and evening and we had a regular routine. He doesn't like change so anytime thing change he would leaves me "notes" that he is unhappy. For example: One time I was gone longer than he thought I should be so he unrolled the toilet paper all the way into the living room without tearing one sheet! Yes, he did, Now that my schedule is different he thinks he shoul

I keep my promises...lol! Let me tell you a few things about adult coloring books. I really can't advise you as to which coloring book is the best, but I can tell you what to look for in a coloring book. The paper is the key ingredient. Aren't they all the same? No. I have one by the manufacturer "Crazy Art" that will not take the color. It's full of beautiful pictures, but I have to work really hard to get the color to transfer to the paper. Now, if you're using markers, this is probably a plus as it may not absorb the color to the extent that other paper will. However, I have found it clearly frustrating to have something to help me relax only to be frustrated by it.  I have books by: Jade Summer, Cherina Kohey, Dan Morris and New Seasons. These are all excellent coloring books.  What's your pleasure? There are many different types of books. Some with dragons, some with hair,, yes you just color the hair (a beautician told me about

I know I said I’d write about adult coloring books and I will. But I read an article today that changed my way of thinking. I’m sharing it with you here. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-games/201809/abused-women-are-not-codependent-and-heres-why I’ve heard the term codependent and tried to swallow it with all humility expected. But I always felt like being “codependent “ was my choice or fault. This article clearly states the difference between being codependent and a survivor of abuse. I hope you’ll read it. Let me give you some highlights.  Codependent = it’s all about me and I need your approval to survive.   The mind of an abuse victim is trained “if I say or do the wrong thing I will pay for it. My survival depends on my ability to monitor the situation and try to avoid what will inevitably happen. “. You see victimization is all about surviving today in hopes that tomorrow will be better,  but it rarely is... better. I was trained to believe that something I

Dear Pastors' Kids, Due to circumstances beyond my control I have lived a life of invisibility. It's weird isn't it? I grew up believing that "People are watching me". "I must be an example" only to wish I were invisible. So, what did I do? I became invisible. This has been a very long journey, but somebody needs to hear this. I needed to hear this. You know the old saying that everyone has new shoes except for the shoe makers children? It's true of so many career babies. We are loved, we are important but what our parents did/do came/comes before us. They loved people with all of their hearts. Don't get me wrong, But there must be a balance. What do I mean by that? I've seen it happen more often in the church world of recent times. I've seen Preacher's put their families first. Isn't that wrong? No, it's absolutely correct. Church people leave and go home, preachers meet their need, they give them good information and

Okay, so the Bible clearly says to "pray for those who spitefully use you."  I thought that meant that I was supposed to pray that the Lord would bless them. But lately I've been thinking. If Jesus told the disciples to "dust off their feet" from the towns that did not accept them coming in his name, why would he want me to bless those who use me with an evil purpose? I've also heard to "Bless those that curse you." How do you do that? I've heard people "bless people out" that cursed them... ha! But how do you bless someone that curses you? Do you give them stuff? Do you pray that their enemies fall at their feet? Do you ask God to make them rich and add no sorrow to it? .....umm...NO! I've also heard scripture taken out of context saying that "Job's difficulties turned around after he prayed for his friends."  So, how do I bless them?  See, it's confusing. Here's the scripture references: Matthew 5

Hi! I have been experimenting with different coloring pencils and adult coloring books and I have some suggestions. I have written about using adult coloring books as a great tool to de stress the mind. I find it much more relaxing  than games on my phone; such as Solitaire, Backgammon, Yahtzee with Buddies. Those games are relaxing and fun, but the changes in the light can keep you awake when you really just want to relax. First let's look at the pencils. Unfortunately the Crayola coloring pencils break off too easy. I haven't been able to get a clean tip and keep it. This surprised me because they  make great crayons. Next I tried a brand called, "Conte". these pencils are black and it is often unclear as to what color you are using until you use it. However, these pencils have a waxy coating so they last longer and need less sharpening. I found these at Walmart. I also tried "The fine touch" pencils. These keep a pointy tip longer and have to s

Remember this stuff? I have found some excellent uses for it! Let me tell you about a few: Who in their right mind...lol, would buy a white bedspread? I loved it so much that I thought, "why don't I Scotchgard  it?" So, I did! Guess what, it worked? Staying white. I also Scotchguarded a white living room throw rug. It made the room look so much brighter. In both cases I washed the items first. In the case of the throw rugs, I vacuumed them, then I cleaned them with a spray on cleaner (because I had already used them), I vacuumed them again, sprayed them with Scotchgard and tada! Did I tell you that I have a dog? Yep. He lays on the white throw rug and it's still white. I had a guy come and work in my yard, he had to come in for a moment and guess what....white carpet, not white anymore. So, I tested my theory....I vacuumed it! Guess what? Looks like it never happened. I had a beautiful fabric dining room chairs. They were amazing! I had them for over 11 years