LOOKING FORWARD TO GREAT THINGS IN 2008

Yes! I am looking forward to great things in 2008. Life is like a road you can not see what is around the corner until you go forward. Drive ahead and see what is to come in 2008. You can not live without an expectation when you know you are living in the care of the Great Creator who knows our Past, Present and Future and is all about loving and taking complete care of us. Yes! I am excited and going to another year with great expectation, purpose and a plan. I want to be better, healthier and giving more allowing Him full access of my life what about you? Let's go see together!!!

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?.......

Been thinking about this time of year. Are you caught up in the “hussle and bussle” of what’s going on out there with everyone trying to get ready for Christmas? And when it is over, it just seems to be a blur….you have these questions: “Where did it go?” “When did I charge that?” “Will I even wear this?” “What where they thinking, giving me this?” and on and on……

We lose sight of the reason for this season. God sent His son Jesus. We are celebrating His birthday, but are we even remembering that special event, the special event that is the Ultimate Gift to us? Man tries to take something and make a mess of it. Christmas is to be experienced and to be a reminder of His coming.

The scripture says “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:2) I just know if we do this, when we look back on the events of this Christmas, we will have memories we will cherish all year long. And….in our hearts we will know the real meaning of CHRISTMAS!!!

A FREE NATURE MAKEOVER

Speaking of what a difference a Season makes.....Kate from Wildcat has a big change this season compliments of Mother Nature. Thanks to the changing of the leaves it makes beauty all around us. I am really enjoying it how about you?

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A SEASON MAKES

Don’t know about you but I am enjoying the changing of the season. The temperatures are going from warm to cooler. The smells of smoke from chimneys are in the air and the color of the leaves….what can I say? Beauty is all are us as we look in amazement. It’s sad if we get so busy that we don’t look outside or even take a walk and look around. What are we busy doing? Could it be we are can get so introspective thinking about our “little world” that we miss what we will never get to see again? This year’s great display! A season will go and the beauty God displayed for us will be missed if we don’t get up put aside those petty things that concern us and go experience the good things in life.

STARTING YOUR DAY

Been busy lately and have not taken the time to post here. I ran across this little statement this morning in my "Setting My Mind" for the day time. I couldn't go on without sharing it with you. I think if we all practice this we would not have the "mind chatter" we experience, those things we say to ourselves without knowing it. Those things drive us and cause us to live in the negative and not the positive with a Purpose and healthy plan for our lives!

So here it is. Use it daily to start your day and maybe print in on a card to carry it with you until you know it and can own it as yours. You can own it you know because it is THE TRUTH about you!

RENEWING YOUR MIND

“Lord, I accept your unconditional, complete acceptance of me. I accept myself as a much-loved, desired, wanted valuable person to You, one who belongs. I renounce the lie that Satan has perpetrated against me that I am a reject. I rest in Your embrace.

Thank you that this acceptance I have is not based on what I feel or do but rather on what I know to be true from you.”

Renouncing the lie and accepting The Truth is renewing your mind.

WHERE TIME HAS NO HOLD

I attended a funeral for the father of a good friend the other day. I was moved by her son's poem/song presented in honor of his grandfather. After getting his permission to place it here, I share it with you in hopes it will speak to you as it did me. To me it had a message in it about how time goes by so fast and how we need to take time with those we love because before we know it they will be gone. Please read it and see what it says to you:

WHERE TIME HAS NO HOLD

It really seems like we were laughing

Just the other day.

So it goes that, I got older

and time got in the way.

I never even came close to all I had to say.

I must admit I feel an emptiness

Now that you’re not here anymore,

But I take comfort in believing

You’re only passing through a door

To where there’ll be no regrets anymore.

Where we will be

Forever in the presence of the love that made us whole.

Where we will be

Fulfilled beyond imagination

Beatific new creations where time has no hold.

All the hallways of my memory

Are scattered with images of you.

When I add up all those moments

They still seem too few

But death holds no sway over this truth:

That we will be

Forever in the presence of the love that made us whole.

Where we will be

Fulfilled beyond imagination; beatific now creations

Where time as no hold.

Where a day is like a thousand years.

A thousand years like one day.

We will be there, before the Throne

When He wipes all tears away.

I must admit I feel a happiness

Knowing that I’ll see you again.

I will be here, holding on ‘til then

When real living will begin.

Where we will be

Forever in the presence of the love that made us whole.

Where we will be

Fulfilled beyond imagination, beatific new creations

Where time has no hold.

In Loving Memory of My Grandfather, John Berlin Adams

By: Tom Gregory

A NOTE FROM HEAVEN…..

 We received this from a dear friend, Betsi Calhoun yesterday. We love she and her husband Mike. Amazement was what we felt as we observed God’s Grace sustaining them as they walked a dark journey in life losing their daughter, Misty.

Father’s Grace has proven more than sufficient in their midst of loss and tragedy. I share this with you for encouragement.  Hope these words speak into your Soul today!

I am awed at how God is using Misty’s Life’s Message as it lives on reaching others although she is on the other side. Consider it “A Note from Heaven” to you as she must be smiling down from Heaven knowing we need what she left behind at the direction of her Father and ours!



This is the email from Betsi, her Mom:
    "Just returned from a Ladies' Spiritual Life Retreat in PA where I had the opportunity to minister to about 200 women. The subject matter was taken from some special journal entries from our Misty's journal and one of the things I shared was FIVE DAILY RESOLVES she had put on a little yellow index card and plasticized. - I often think of you all in relation to our daughter because you all were so THERE for us in the aftermath of her death (Graduation to Glory!). We don't often ever get to talk with you and share about Misty - but thought you might all like these resolves and be able to apply them in your own lives in some way :)"

Misty’s hand wrote this. I think she’s aware you are needing this life plan today to encourage you as you face tomorrow with courage…..

Today is a new day - HENCE,

1. I refuse to be shackled by yesterday's failures.
2. What I don't know will no longer be an intimidation: it will be an opportunity.
3. I will not allow people to define my mood, method, image, or mission.
4. I will pursue a mission greater than myself by making at least one person happy he saw me.
5. I will have no time for self-pity, gossip or negativism . . . from myself or from others.

My personal note:
If you have passed this way please know I care and my prayers are with you...

"GOD’S WORD IS ALIVE – THE BIBLE”

It sits on the table, we carry it to church, it is written to help us understand it in modern day language which has brought it into many sizes and colors--and to think it started out on simple paper of scrolls. It is criticized over and over, questioning if it is truly God’s Word, and yet it still stands True to the test.

It is a light to the world. Man may try to destroy it but it will still exist. It’s a Light! It’s Alive! It carries one through the long night of darkness until the morning light breaks. It brings the lost soul to Life Eternal. It is the pathway to Truth!

“There is no hope” is the thought of one taken by the angst of life, as they see it lying on the table, as if illuminated…they look over and decide to open this book called The Bible. Words taken in seem to be the answers they were searching for to unlock the tightness they felt. It was as if its words had jumped off the page into the eye gate, going straight to their soul, as a laser would go to its target. Hope fills the heart when just moments before they were overcome by life’s pressure. It’s Alive, It’s Alive! It’s indestructible! It’s there and freely available. It has all the answers for life. But, it has to be picked up, read, and believed by the person for whom his Maker wrote it, as His love letter….THE BIBLE.

LIVING IN THE MOMENT

I read this verse, “Be Still and Know that I am God,” Psalms 46:10. It caused me to take note that I had not experienced a time with Him in a while, a time to get to know Him and learn of His care for me. Living so fast is like driving in Europe on the Autobahn. You're driving fast, with the speedometer showing over one hundred, looking out the window cars are passing going faster than you. There’s something wrong with that!

Is it good to go so fast that life is but a speed of light zooming by? Well, NO! So what can you do? Just say, “Stop it” and experience the moment. Get alone, sit quietly using your senses God gave you. Ask these questions; maybe write them in your journal. What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I feel…inside and out? Begin to get quiet in your mind where all the “chatter” goes on. Now be still in your Soul where your Mind, Emotions and Will reside. Let your Spirit be open to the voice of God. He wants to speak to you as His child. The words you might be hearing are, “I love you my child." "I’ll go with you.” “It will be OK, you are going to make it, I will always be with you and never leave you or forsake you.” You might be saying by now, “Why haven’t I taken this time before now?”

After experiencing this time alone with God I feel refreshed, realizing it has been a time of getting in line with those things that are His and made mine to live out life each day. Setting my mind on His love for me, and for me to give my love back to Him, has brought strength to my being. What if I had not taken this “time out” to focus on the Truth to guide my thoughts and feelings? Then the things of this world would have been my directing power instead causing worry, doubts and fears, resulting in a life of defeat!

Now that I know what this has done for me, this devoted time; I can’t wait until another day to Stop and LIVE IN THE MOMENT!

WHAT IS FREEDOM?

Freedom has many definitions, I suppose as many as you want to make it have because you are free to do so!

The meaning you attach to Freedom will be related to where you are in life right now. Feeling tight, constrained and trapped is your making, but when you think about it, you don’t have to live there.

So…what do you do? Free yourself, open the door, walk out--you have the key. What am I really saying? It is a choice you are making right now. Can you become bold, taking the chance walking through the door, or shy, afraid and living with such limits you never see the light of a bright day?

In your mind you live where the past traps you, the future scares you and the present is not even recognized. You are running so fast, you don’t take time to stop and get into the moment.

Step out into the future where Freedom really lives! The space is wide, the path is clear. It is like walking with a flashlight in the darkness though. As you walk forward in the light’s beam, you will see more and more as you take one step at a time. It will take trust, belief and confidence in the One who died for you and me that we might live FREE!

WAITING TOGETHER

I sit alone, waiting and going through my mind thinking of the things that lay heavy on me--those “weights that so easily beset me” that the scripture talks about. I look over at the chair sitting in the corner. The one my Grandfather, Papa, sat in so many years ago, I was a young child then. As I walked by his room, I could hear him praying. Ever so often, I would hear my name as he would talk to God about the family needs. His prayers were for me to come to Him one day believing and entering into Eternal Life, then to guide me and keep me on the path promised.

Could this possibly be one of those prayers answered today from back then as I struggle with current issues? I am realizing life is heavy as I am trying to do it on my own. I am stopped right in my tracks. My heart tells me I am going in the right direction, but my ears and eyes try to lie to me, telling me to be “scared of this darkness,” or the sounds are telling me, “I can’t do it.” My steps are being hindered with every step. Each time I think I am benefitting as I get through a dark spot, wading through the tightness of despair. I begin to sense a growth taking place with strength, in the muscles of life. Could that be why we are to be “thankful in all things”? Waiting in a “holding pattern” is “pregnant silence" (something going on, but not to be delivered yet), but when it is finished, I can take off and soar like an Eagle through life so grand.

I am not waiting alone. Oh! My! I can see it now. I have Him waiting with me. My Heavenly Father, my Creator is so patient, so kind, so ready to pick me up and dust me off. He has not left me alone, He has given me The Comforter to live in me, to guide me, to wait with me as the tapestry of my life is woven. He is here in me--waiting, wooing, holding, and loving me through the things designed to build me into the One whose image He is conforming me into--the waiting is over, I was not alone. I do get through and the me, the REAL me, can FLY! Papa, thank you for caring those many years ago, you must be rejoicing with the Angels!

SOOTHING OF MY SOUL

Deep in my Soul my MIND/EMOTION/WILL exists and sometimes there is unrest. My Mind is racing, my Emotions are running out of control, and in my Will, I then tend to make bad choices. I don’t want this to happen--at this point I become responsible and turn to the Word of God. It most likely is one of those times when things seem to be out of control. I am waiting to hear from Father about a situation I am facing, or just plain everyday stresses that are trying to move me off of the Truth!

Someone shared with me years ago a plan for reading God’s Word. They told me this will help you in the hard times and the peaceful times too! The scripture is food for our Soul. It lifts you up and puts you back on course and gives direction. David had a lot going on in his life and, when I read his writings from the Psalms, I know his experiences and his love for His God can give me the encouragement I need just for that moment.

I hope this will guide you to begin the path God has for you and you listen for Him to speak to your heart. My prayer for you is for you to enter into a rich relationship such as you have never experienced before with your Heavenly Father.

Begin reading today:

READING THE PSALMS IN A MONTH:

Whatever day of the month it is start reading that chapter number in the book of Psalms. For example, if it is the first day of the month read Ps.1. After reading Ps. 1, add 30 to it and read it, and add 30 again until you come to the end of Psalms. For Example:

First Day: Ps. 1, 31, 61, 91, & 121

Second Day: Ps. 2, 32, 62, 92, & 122

On the day you come to Ps. 119, skip over it. If the month has 31 days, you will read Ps. 119 only on that day. Reading the Psalms this way will allow you to read them through in a month. You will be surprised how you will need just the chapters for what you might be facing on that day.

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Talking with a wife recently she shyly commented, “Don’t you think we can Agree to Disagree”? I said, “Glad you ask”! My husband Phil says, “if two people always agree one of them is not necessary”. Promising to send information to her on this subject, I got the idea to pull out my Journal and use some notes on “Working Our Way Through Disagreement”. We all could use this as a reminder to keep our marriage sweet!

Sometimes marital battles will happen and keeping your cool seems nearly impossible. Disagreements WILL happen. There is a way to have a healthy discussion concerning an issue. Resolutions can be accomplished with out one or the other walking away feeling “run over”, “put down” or “just plain NOT HEARD”. Couples can have civil discussions reaching the goal of resolving an issue. When you don’t agree, try these steps and reach out with the gift of Grace.

1. Count to ten before you open your mouth. Think about what you are about to say. Think..., "What effect will my words have?"

2. When expressing your point of view use, "I feel...,"I believe...," or "I think..." Avoid "you" messages. " You" messages sound accusatory and may put the other person on the defensive. If you are asking the other person to change his/her behavior, describe the behavior you would like to see changed and indicate how their present behavior causes you to feel. An example: "I feel angry/hurt when you don't consider my opinions. It makes me think you don't respect my feelings."
3. Avoid saying “never” or “always”. These words bring up the past and elevate emotion. Instead, focus on the immediate problem.

4. Confront wisely and in love. Don’t confront in front of others----even when it’s difficult to keep silent. Good instructions are found in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearer.
5. Love and forbear. Remember that your spouse has faults and so do you. But you married each other. Forgive and then move on. Extend to your spouse the unconditional forgiveness that God extends to you.

What better place can two people practice Christian Principles? In the marriage relationship you have the best place to “life out” God’s plan. The result is Peace and Harmony. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all used these in our life and marriage?

BEGINNING "YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE"PLAN

When you take control of your life you need a plan. One without a plan goes in all kinds of directions. You might follow someone else’s plan for you or their plan for their life. You might follow the plan that is “THE IN” for-now-plan which will change with every wind that comes along. A person in an unhealthy relationship called Co-Dependency will have the tendency to be this way; they can’t make a decision without the permission or idea of the one they are connected to, or following so closely behind.

Having control over your life brings a healthy mindset of Independence. This can bring on a feeling that is sometimes scary and maybe out of your “Comfort Zone.” Then there is “Perfectionism,” the “Wanting to do it just right,” that kicks in and that’s another article in the making! So relax, get your cup of coffee and read the following and make your plan. Remember…. YOUR LIFE BELONGS TO YOU and You can create it as the “Master Creator” of You had planned all along. He has the plan, and as you take the first step, you get into it and it will be a Life of Adventure, I promise… “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Ps. 16:11

• Step one - get some idea of what You Really Want from Life, even if it is very basic at first.

• Step two - begin an attack by setting and beginning to work on some basic goals.

• Step three - make a plan for continuing the growth of these goals and some instrument to measure their success, failure or even partial success, which is STILL PROGRESS, in most cases.

• Step four - Gather the best information you can to set wise and achievable goals. Start with - Proverbs 24: 3 & 4; etc.

• Step five - Plan "check up" and "goal setting times."

• Step six - Begin to enjoy your Freedom and the Developing of You ….THE REAL YOU!!!

THE NEW BEGINNING

This is a NEW BEGINNING for me to have a place to share and vent. I find it easy to talk and write. In fact it has become enjoyable. What you can expect is maybe some articles placed here to be read at your leisure. When I write I try to describe the place so you feel as though you are there so you might be traveling to places you have never been. I want to encourage you so you will see some "Self-Helps" from time to time. All of us need some attention to make ourselves better...so come and visit Mary's Place. It will be a comfortable place. So come and sit a while with a cup of fresh brewed coffee, the flavor of your choice....can't you smell the aroma now?! Or maybe you would like a cup of spiced tea. Now let's go... sit back and read. It's like reading a good book when you put it down you can't wait to get back to it.....
Looking forward to seeing you!
Mary

WHAT IS LIFE?

WHAT IS LIFE?..and Do I Matter?

Life, what is it? Life is created by God. It was given to us by Him. You only have one. It is VALUABLE and becomes serious what one does with it. God says, "life is like a vapor it appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away." It is short.

Life, You can either be selfish and keep it for yourself or give it away, but sometimes there is not enough left for you. If you are not careful people will take advantage and take it from you for their selfish reasons. Then, when you need some you are left with none and all worn out.

How do you find what is yours? A part belongs to you, where is it? You feel as though everyone is having their part and it is going fast. Where is yours? Is it there? Are you strong enough to say, "This is mine!".

You might ask "Where are you God while all this is going on? Have you closed Your eyes like You don't care?" You might even dare to say, "You sure are quite, or are You? Are You the One who is causing me to come into this awareness?" It could be cause You know all things and say they are for my good."

Then, how do you stand up and say, "This is mine"?, you might ask. Are you bold enough? Do you feel worthy of any of this life? Who will do it for you if you don't? Can't you receive it? "Fear" comes over you when you see the vast space before you. "Hope" fills your heart when you know there is life ahead, although we are not promised a tomorrow. Is it "Faith" that is absent in us? "Faith" is belief. Believe in what or is it Who? We have faith in God, who we can not see, but is it not having faith in ourselves who we can see?

Where inside of you does the answer come? Why wait for that, like some. All around look and see....Life rings out clear for you. Take it, take it, while its here. The time is now, step out bravely and have you some. You realize now, what the real truth is. The truth is if you don't have your life.... there want be any for you to give! You do matter enough for God to one day say "I want YOU so He took the time to make a creation..YOU... and there is nothing or nobody else anywhere like you. You DO MATTER!

A BALANCED LIFE IS A HAPPY LIFE!

LIVING A BALANCED LIFE ....BRINGS HAPPINESS!

Have you ever had a day where everything went wrong? 

Is your house in shambles? 

Does it seem like your "to do list" just goes on and on with no end? 

Are you frustrated with it all and feel like your life is taking up someone's space and the air you breathe belongs to "someone else"? 

And to top it all...the chairman of a committee called asking if you could take a project at church? 

You are screaming inside saying, "will somebody stop this roller coaster I want to get off"!

Where has the BALANCE gone in your life? Or has it ever been? 

God wants you to have a Rich Balanced Life that will cause you to be free to be you. The you He created, like no one else on this earth. 

The good news is God has provided for you a Successful Abundant Life. John 10:10 says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." God has a plan and He wants you to have it. 

He is a God of order and your life in order brings a Good Strong Mental Health that causes you to reach the Maximum of Your Potential. You are asking, "What does that mean and how do I get there?" 

Well here we go follow me on this and it will come together….

God wants you to choose a Balanced Life. III John 1:2, says "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 

The word "health" in this verse means to be able to function the way He created you. The choice is yours. You can say, “STOP" and you can step back take a look at what has been going on in your life. You and only you can bring change by getting your priorities in the right order. What are right priorities? Having right Priorities is living life in an order that will cause you to be FREE TO BE YOU!

FREE TO BE YOU

1. Free being you means you become responsible for who you were created to be

     A. DISCOVER.. your Purpose, discover your Core Values.

     B. STOP.. take an inventory of your life right now!

    C. CHECK.. from time to time to see if you are in Balance. 

They can move without you being aware until you are spent out  (it's important to get away by yourself and take a look at how you are living in the here and now).

            2. Plan to change things..

                A. Realize this is a life long journey.

              B. Discover Priorities that work in this order brings a good                    Balance:

1. God -  Get to know Him in a rich growing relationship by spending time with Him.2. Yourself - Get to Know you / Find our what you are about / What does it take to maintain a healthy you in Spirit, Soul and Body?

3. Your Mate - Study and get to know your mate, see what God says about marriage and your position in a Biblical  Marriage.

4. Children - What stage are they in right now? Are they still in the home? / Are they grown and on their own? / Or grown and back home again? 

For instance:

a. Birth - will take more time. You and your mate will be building their foundation in their "belief system".

b. Toddler - will need your strong attention still building their character and the foundation in their "belief system". 

c. Adolescent - will need your attention and parental guidance.

d. Young Adult - will need your presence at a distance to help answer their questions as they search for answers in life.

e. Adult - will still be investing yourself in them but respecting their adulthood, making yourself available for counsel when asked.

5. Work - your occupation, or if retired whatever fills that 40 to 60 hours a week. Take this test below,* the "W-A-R-T" test to see how you rate. Is your work out of Balance? Are you controlling work or is it controlling you?

6. Ministry - God has given each person gifts and the provision to carry them out. How are you using them? Do you know what your gifts are? Don't confuse #1 with # 6. They are each separate. Your relationship with God is separate from your ministry. Your ministry is an overflow of what God is about in and through you.

If you live out daily these priorities in their order you will have enough “time” to go around.  Get your True North. Your LIFE counts and YOU Matter!

(This tool below will help you discover how you use your time and will cause you to get your life in the perspective that works so you can be the best you...see you around and you will be saying I AM Free To Be Me!)

* Work Addiction Risk Test (WART)

Put the number that best describes your work approach beside each statement: 1 – never true; 2 – sometimes true; 3 – often true; 4 – always true.
1. I prefer to do most things rather than ask for help.
2. I get impatient when I have to wait for someone else or when something takes too long.
3. I seem to be in a hurry and racing against the clock.
4. I get irritated when I interrupted while I am in the middle of something.
5. I stay busy and keep many irons in the fire.
6. I find myself doing two or three things at one time, such as eating lunch and writing a memo while talking on the telephone.
7. I overcommit myself by biting off more than I can chew.
8. I feel guilty when I am not working on something.
9. It's important that I see the concrete results of what I do.
10. I am more interested in the final result of my work than in the process.
11. Things never seem to move fast enough or get done fast enough for me.
12. I lose my temper when things don't go my way or work out to suit me.
13. I ask the same question again without realizing that I've already been given the answer.
14. I spend a lot of time mentally planning and thinking about future events while tuning out the here and now.
15. I find myself continuing to work after my co-workers have called it quits.
16. I get angry when people don't meet my standards of perfection.
17. I get upset when I am in situations where I cannot be in control.
18. I tend to put myself under pressure with self-imposed deadlines.
19. It is hard for me to relax when I'm not working.
20. I spend more time working than socializing with friends, or on hobbies or leisure activities.
21. I dive into projects to get a head start before all the phases have been finalized.
22. I get upset with myself for making even the smallest mistake.
23. I put more thought, time and energy into my work than I do into my relationships with loved ones and friends.
24. I forget, ignore or minimize celebrations such as birthdays, reunions, anniversaries or holidays.
25. I make important decisions before I have all the facts and have a chance to think them through.

After responding to all 25 statements, add up your score:

67-100 exhibiting highly workaholic behavior
57-66 considered mildly workaholic
25-56 not engaging in workaholic behavior