What are you thinking about when you worship?  Are you singing one thing and really thinking about what the singers in the video below are singing?  If you leave worship time feeling like you were never there - perhaps YOU weren't. 

After the commercial, this amusing video truly gives us something to thing about.

Enjoy!

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re on the game show, Jeopardy?  God is so awesome that sometimes He gives us the answer before we know the question.  That’s called God-has-a-plan-for-your-life.  When we’re ready to receive it and everything is in place, He reveals the question and then we realize that God had already given us the answer.

Funny how God works.

Feed your faith.  Starve your fears.

Every word and every deed is a lesson to our children.  When we joke about things - our children are listening.  When we complain - our children are listening.  As we work - our children are watching.  When we pray or don't pray - our children are watching.  When we show respect, offer a word of kindness, tell the truth, don't tell the truth, lend a hand without asking for anything in return, pay our tithes with joy - our children are watching, listening, learning.  Even though we may not have spoken a word to our children, please know that every word and every deed is a lesson that will shape the life of that child.

Everyone has a something with which they struggle.  Your "something" might be easy to me and a struggle to you.  My something might be easy to you and a struggle to me.  But everyone has a something.  One thing for certain, our struggles, whether great or small, are all easy for God to handle.  He makes certain that we aren't carrying any more than what we can handle.  He NEVER sets us up to fail. 

For God, all our struggles are easy for Him.  So, why not let Him carry the load.  He's willing AND able.

There's no something to great.  There's no something too small.  My Lord can carry them all.

Mind what you confess.  Your words DO matter.  I can’t say that I completely understand this, but I’m learning that our words do have a profound impact.  I use to say that I was tired and old.  That was my response to nearly everything.  It wasn't long before I began to internalize it.  I can't, truthfully, say that I'm young and energetic, but what good does it do to drill it in my head that I'm tired and old?  Is it of any help to me?  Does it encourage or inspire me to do better?  No, it makes me want to give up and call it a day. 

My new confessions:
I am anointed to speak
I am called to speak.
I am fully committed to God.
I am surrendered to God.
I am consumed by the Holy Spirit.
I am saturated with the Word of God.
I am full of wisdom.
I am unstoppable when God directs my path and when God says it’s time to move out on HIS Word.

So, what words do you want to speak over your life?

I believe God wants us to look good - our husbands want us to look good, too.  First Ladies of the church and other women of God, as we adorn ourselves, we should answer this question:  Does the way I dress cause people to focus on me or on God?  I'm not suggesting that we dress in a dowdy manner - that brings negative attention to us.  Let's look good.  Let's look excellent and attractive.  More importantly, let's look appropriate for ministry.

One of the presenters at a recent marketing seminar stated, "To succeed, you've got to have more than a wishbone.  You have to have a backbone."  I agree that wishes and dreams are wonderful in helping us to have hope, but let's face it, persistent and focused work can make it a reality. 

From the sea of useless chatter posing as words of comfort, came two things to which I had devoted no thought.

My sister-in-law, Melvina, shared with me how important it was for me to decompress.  I've been trying to do that ~ not knowing that was what I was doing.  In hindsight, I wish I had made arrangements to take a trip for about a week or so.  I needed to go alone, relax and get rid of the pressure.  For the past several months, I've been in one position:  "GO!"  I'm exhausted!  I've been able to slow down a bit, but mentally, I'm still in the "GO!" mode. 

I multitask waaaaaaay too much!!!!  I was working on 6 websites at the same time.  I finished 4 and planning to finish another in the next few days.  As for the 6th one - I might put that on the back burner for a minute or two.  Now I'm working on writing - 5 books are in my head.  So, I set up folders for all 5 of them and I drop notes and ideas into each folder.  That's insane, but it seems like that's how I function.  I seldom do one thing at a time, at least not on purpose.

Another friend, Erma impressed upon me the significance of having closure.  This explains why from the moment of my mom's passing until the burial, I was pretty much a basket case.  By the time we got to the repast, I was fine.  I haven't shed another tear.  I'm ok now.  I have closure, total peace, and no regrets.  I still can't remember my mom with much of a smile, but I'm getting there.  At least I'm not falling apart anymore.

I still don’t have a handle on that decompress idea, but at least I understand that it is necessary.  I may have to work on it a bit at a time and simply change the way I do things.