I'm Praying for you!

With social media continuing to grow and grow, I see many people who were school friends, or acquaintances from years gone by encounter health, family, social, religious, or other issues in their lives and posts them onto FaceBook or other social media.

During those times, people will write about the issue and ask for prayer.  I think this is outstanding because they recognize their limitations in solving the problem or issue and need the help from the Creator and corporate prayers.

One such incident posted on FaceBook was where the person asked for people to pray over an issue.  45 people replied, "Praying for you."

This got me to thinking. Do we now use this phrase when we don't know what else to say?  Do you really take the time to go to the Lord and petition Him for comfort, healing, marriage, or any other situations?  Do they take 5 to 10 seconds and toss up a prayer and then off to other things?

Have we come so far away from taking the time to talk with the Lord and concentrating on the person, their issue, and the thankfulness for Him hearing our prayers that we think if we say the words, God is the fix it and God and gets on it right away.

A long time ago, I learned that God has three answers to prayer.  "Yes, I'll take care of it right away", "No, if I answer the prayer you ask, it will harm you and you will have learned nothing from it."  Wait, there are some things you need more important or there are consequences from actions which I know you will learn from before I bless you."

In my life the toughest ones are No and Wait.  Yet as the years past, I am so thankful that he answered No and also Wait because I can see now that I would have destroyed my life if he was just "Bruce Almighty" and said Yes to everyone.

So if you are going to post, "I'm praying for you".  Do it!  Take time from your day and focus on the person and situation at hand.   The people you are praying for will be blessed because of your prayer and not just a "feel good" that will not last beyond the time when, the person asking for prayer, turns off the social media.

We all need to lift each other up to the Lord in prayer, but just make your words are sincere.

Listening to a Smart Man!

I find it sad today that our country is going in a backward direction.

In talking to a local grocery store owner, he told me that 83% of the purchases are from EBT cards.   A local business has over 50 job openings that can not be filled.  He pays from $9.00 to 13.00 per hour for sewing and can not get them filled.

Even a few of the people who work there will only work "x" amount of hours each week because it they work more or get overtime, then the government will stop their federal payments.  These are smart individuals who know how to work the SYSTEM!

Pride is gone for working.  People who will work locally, work for cash only.  They do not want anything to show as income and impact their monthly checks from the government.

A local restaurant closed here because she could not get people who wanted to work.  Her pay was $10.00 per hour to start plus tips.  She got plenty of interviews, but when she called them to offer them a job, they said they were not interested but interviewed just to record it for the government that they had a job interview.  Laziness has turning into an income.  What is happening to our Country?

I love this devotional for parents:  The scripture is from the smartest man God ever created!

Work for It (Proverbs 10:4)

The Bible is very clear about the difference between someone who is poor and someone who is merely lazy. Many people have nothing because they make no effort to help themselves. This is unacceptable. Yet, there are a lot of lazy people in our society.
This issue often becomes political when it’s actually a Biblical issue. God expects us to work with all of our skills to provide for our family. Then we are to teach our family to provide for themselves, and that should continue into future generations. To instill this value in our children and help them appreciate the difference between laziness and hard work, it’s a good idea to work together as a family to accomplish chores and other projects around the house.
Getting your children involved may slow down a task a bit or mean that something isn’t done exactly as you would have liked it. But remember, that’s okay because in the long run you are teaching them how to work. Focus on the big picture. That’s most important.

Parenting Principle

Give a child everything, and they will never stop taking. Teach a child to work, and they will never stop giving.

Points to Ponder

• How do you define a hard worker?
• What age-appropriate chores are your children learning?
• What is a way that you could work together more as a family?

Taken from Once a Day Nurturing Great Kids

I have no answers but am just sad that our government wants everyone poor and controled by the government. 

Happy Mother's Day to the single Dads

I know we love to celebrate special days and Mother's Day is the beginning of the summer Holiday season.

First to all the Mother's I want to wish you a Happy Mother's Day!  But I also want to wish all the Fathers who have to be both Mother and Father a blessed day as well.  These men should get the same appreciation that the mothers get beause they accomplish dual roles and most of our society never say a word of thanks.

Now on Father's Day I too will wish the dual role parents in wishing the single parent ladies a Blessed Day!

For now, stop and celebrate Mother's Day with the one who has been that support in the good times and the rough times.

Why is Evil Growing?

In recent studies, I am seeing people from all around the world turning on each other, fighting in the streets, men slaughtering women and children in the name of God and then others just living life like there is no tomorrow.

So I asked the Lord, "Why are you allowing evil to grow in the world today more than ever before?"  He then said, "Read my parable and understand my love."  "But I fear for my children and their children?"  Again, He said, Read my parable and understand my love. I will protect MY children and it is your job to turn the weeds into a harvest."  "But I'm just a businessman, I said."  

The Lord said, "Look around you, you encounter weeds (people who do not know me) every day.  Your job on earth is to give them an opportunity to build a relationship with me.  Not by a religion, but by a personal relationship that can change the world.  The weeds (Evil) will continue to grow and there will come a day when the final harvest arrives, so your job is to turn weeds into a harvest."

The Parable of the Weeds Matthew 13: 24-30

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared."

 The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

'An enemy did this,' he replied.

The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

                                        

Now is the time for all of us to demonstrate God's love and to tell of the love the Lord gives which comes in a relationship and not in fighting or other life actions.  Most weeds will not listen, but you have to try with every person you encounter.

Looking Through Dirty Lens

Today I heard a pastor from Hillsong church in Australia talk about the restoration of Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's painting of God in Creation of Adam.

Scholars who studied the painting said that God was in the shadows because it was so dark in that area of the painting.  They thought that Michelangelo wanted Adam to be the highlight of the artwork.

Yet when the work began on the restoration, layers of dark soot were removed carefully only to discover that God and the entire area around God were NOT dark but in the most brilliant colors available to Michelangelo.  The soot came from the candles below the painting burning at all times and the smoke from those candles had darkened the painting.

The pastor went on the say that the sad thing  today is that the churches in all their religious teachings have lost the brilliance that is God.  Some churches have so many rules and regulations as part of their platform that God gets into this darkened area of the church whereby the message is on the religious regulations.

God is the bright and morning star and he is to be praised, through our excitement for the relationship and not for rules and regulations that have darkened who God might be.

Never condemn those who are excited about their worship or call them any names.  Instead focus on your own life and how to improve your relationship with the creator of the Universe.   You will then know the brilliance that is God.

Quit looking through dirty lens and strive for that personal relationship with the Lord which is really exciting!

Love Like a Dog

 

 I believe God made dogs to let us see a little of what unconditional love can look like each day on earth.  The only way that you can train a dog not to love you is to beat them, yell loudly at them, keep them in a cruel place chained down with no hope.

Yet if you take care of your dog, love them and train them, you will never have a more loyal friend.  

We have four dogs and each one has it's own personality.  Yet when I come home in the evening, all four are at the door with their tails wagging and thrilled to see me.  Rusty, our Golden Retriever, even has a big broad smile with his greeting.  Yet if I accidentally happen to step on his toes, he does not run and hides but puts his head down, then quickly rises back up with a smile and is ready for love and play.  He never recalls what you did for any length of time but inside loves me at all times unconditionally.

Two of our rescues were dumped at our gate and you could tell they had been beaten because we assume their master had wanted hunting  dogs and these two were afraid of loud noises.  Yet they are two sweet dogs who are great watchdogs and protectors with unconditional love for us.  Over the years these dogs have been the most loving dogs you'll find but I'd hate to be an intruder as they know to protect us.  Yet when there is a storm, they simply want reassurance from us that everything is alright.  The impact of the past easily comes flowing forward.

God loves us the same way.  His love is unconditional and will never go away.  Yet the hurt of our past, many times in the name of religion will turn us away from God.  So God uses the attitude we see in our dogs and always smiles at us,blesses us even when we have been hurt, and has compassion waiting with open arms.  He caresses us with his peaceful whisper and loving hand of mercy in every part of our lives no matter what is happening around us.  He demonstrates in our hearts what our dogs show openly.  Great example of unconditional love.

Take a moment and think of how your pet is like God int this way with unconditional love for you.  The difference is that God loved you so much that he sent His son to have an eternal relationship with you!

Then there's Princess Rosie,our Alpha dog, but that's for another day's devotion!

Time to Get Away

Time to Get Away 

No, this has nothing to do with getting out of the cold weather this week

Mark reports that “while it was still dark,” Jesus had a habit of heading to a “solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).  Jesus felt the need to fellowship with his heavenly Father in an undistracted setting. In like fashion, for you and me to hear where the Lord is leading us in our journey, to have the ability to commune with him without interruptions, we must get away from the “noise” of our lives, with its endless eye candy and diversions.

This is easier said than done. Almost anywhere you go these days there are televisions cackling away in a room.  TVs in our homes, to the multiple TV screens hanging from ceilings in restaurants, to the TV in our pockets on our cell phones, our laptops, FaceBook, text messages, our Internet mail, and with the list going on and on makes it’s difficult to escape the constant stream of entertainment and distractions. Nevertheless, we have this example of Jesus who went to a solitary place to hear from God.

Elsewhere Mark notes, “After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray” (Mark 6:46). Luke writes, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). What’s more, sometimes Jesus “spent the night praying to God” (Luke 6:12). Are you seeing a pattern here? He wisely leveraged quiet places to hear from God the Father and fellowship with him.

I’m not necessarily suggesting that we have to leave our homes in order to experience solitude—although retreating to the mountains, a state park or a beachside cottage would be a wonderful way to leave behind the noise of this world.  In many cases that’s not always practical.  But the isolation necessary to hear from God can exist wherever you are physically. How? By turning off your cell phone, television, radio and any other electronic device that might break your focus.  Find your quiet spot and use it.  Mine is along the Tellico River in the Cherokee National Forest.

 

You might also consider spending time outside in the spring, summer, or fall, especially during the dark of night or the predawn morning hours. A local park or preserve offers a great place to sit and meditate on the Lord. This time is best spent alone—no spouse, children or friends; no phone contact; no texting. Although the noise of civilization may be around you, such a setting will be much more quiet than your normal routine.

“He Is Not Silent,” a song by Out of the Grey, summarizes our situation: “He is not silent. We are not listening.” Do you really want to experience the Lord’s leading in your career or life transition?  We all experience changes every day and every week of our lives and in constant transition.  Recognize that none of us will ever know what His direction is until we nurture a closer relationship with creator of the universe who is passionately in love with you.

Edited from Why Did I Lose My Job if God Loves Me?

How could God do it?

Send a person to hell? Permit sin and suffering? Allow bad things to happen? I've heard this so much recently.  Part of the answer centers around God’s justice. We have chosen (and chosen, and chosen again) to rebel against this One who causes our bloodstream to operate through no effort on our part. The germs He has allowed our body to resist and deflect in the last two days could easily be enough to kill us if He had not given us—given us, for nothing!—an immune system that fights harmful attackers. The fact is, we do not deserve our next breath. Even though He continues to send rain and sun and corn on the stalk, we have thought badly of Him, or thought nothing at all of Him, treating Him like an unnecessary intrusion into our lives.
So rather than wonder why some will spend eternity in hell, we ought to wonder in grateful amazement why He chooses to rescue any of us. Have we really been good enough to earn His highest rewards? Have we been so devoted to His ideals that He should welcome us with open arms?
Though famine, war, battered wives and children’s hospital wings will always be hard to square and swallow, what we are seeing is the result of life in a fallen world, what human sin has done to our mortal condition. This is not because YOU or your past are to blame. . . we all are.  The fall of mankind—the curse of sin that each of us is born with, based on the original sin of Adam—has given evil, decay and sadness a period of time to operate on Earth until they are removed eternally for God’s people at the end of days. Yet even now—even though we have brought so much on ourselves—the Bible teaches us that “in all [our] distress, he too [is] distressed” (Isaiah 63:9). Though we struggle mightily, He is carrying us through. He loves us that much. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

This is an excerpt taken from: 

The Game Plan for Life Bible, NIV: Notes by Joe Gibbs

Pursuit - Works Both Ways

A few weeks ago I saw a sermon on women and heard that men and women are different.  Duh!   OK I agree fully that there are so many differences beyond the physical, mental, and emotional part of God's creations.

The point made in the sermon in the differences was that women have the "desire to be pursued".  There were several illustrations given about Satan, Samson, and David being the pursuer as a man.

That has stuck with me because I disagree that this only applies to women.   Women do have the desire to be pursued but men relish the concept of being desired and pursued.  Women have the desire to build a relationship and men many times have the desire to fill a missing need in their lives.  No it is not all sex but more of a desire to be appreciated.

Years ago I knew of men in my office who were excited to have a women in the office pay attention to them to talk, have lunch, or converse about a topic.  The goal was not sex but to fill a gap they felt missing at home.  Only the more they talked, the man would reveal his issues with his spouse and the woman would see an opportunity to build that relationship need and then rescue the man with comfort.  Sex seemed to be a way to try and enhance that new relationship.

These "Office Affairs" are big drivers in marital issues because, instead of working on the relationship at home, even before they start, they run to a lawyer.

To every man reading this, do pursue your wife in weekly dating (one on one), setting time to be alone, and to remember to pursue her like you did when you were first dating.

To every woman reading this, pursue him,  not with complaints, failures, and chores, but also plan a date, a vacation, or clothing just for him to see.   It will be a great way for him to feel pursued.

Pursuit works both ways in a relationship, so put on your thinking cap and start pursuing each other tonight.  You will reap bigger rewards and strengthen your relationship.  Just remember this is not an event but a daily journey.

Now

 GO PURSUE!

Never discount what God created in You!

What started on Easter Sunday came full circle yesterday in surgery and recovery.   Easter Sunday afternoon I started seeing a black curtain in my lower vision.  Based on a detached retina in the right eye three years ago,  I knew the left eye had detached, so that Sunday evening we were at the specialist office and Monday morning the doctor performed laser surgery to reattach the retina plus repair five tears.  As with any retina surgery you quickly develop a cataract from the trauma of surgery.

When it came time for a new lens surgery for the eye to replace the cataract, the doctor noted that I had good close vision in the right eye but difficulty with the far vision.  So he said he would give me a lens for far vision.

My first thought was that I would then have glasses so I could see evenly.  What surprised me was the doctor telling me that the brain will adjust so you can see far away and close up without glasses.

Yesterday they took the packing off the left eye and I could see.  At first I had to close my left eye to see up close but by last night, I could see up close and far away with no distortion and eyes wide open.

God has created a way for you to compensate to things that go wrong with our bodies.  God made us perfect, but we abuse our bodies on a daily basis. Therefore God repairs the pieces of our body and our brain readjusts so we can be somewhat normal.  God's design for cell regeneration

I know that the man made lens may flatten over time and I will may need glasses again, but I had to marvel this morning as I looked at the mountains in the distance and could see them so well and still see the readings on my dashboard.

God really is an awesome God in what He has created in you!  Know that you are special and the Creator of the Universe is passionately in love with YOU!  All the way down to cranial readjustments.

Psalm 139:14

Embracing the "Long No"

If you are a small business person, you are probably familiar with the "Long No" when trying to get a business loan.  The banks will entertain you and say they can loan you money and all you have to do is fill out endless amounts of paperwork.  Then they ask for more information and take weeks on end to give you hope.  Only after a month or so of this encouragement, the banker calls or just sends you a letter saying they can not loan you any money.  One time a bank said we would be happy to loan you the money but you have to deposit the same amount you want to borrow in their bank.   My one comment was, "If I had that amount of money to invest, why in the world would I be talking to you?"

Recently a friend was trying to get a loan for new hotel in our town.  Banks song and danced him for months only to give him the answer above.

Yet today, I am having to embrace a long no that has been seven years in the making. In 2004 Lynnette said we would have to start a contemporary church like to one we left in Florida.  My reaction was "No way" but in 2007 we found a 38,000 square foot building, that during our time of praying, the building became vacant.  We found churches that desired to establish campuses and so we prayed harder.  For seven years the building has remained empty and God kept the building secure and in great condition.  Then in reading the Circle Maker, I began walking around the building each week.  It would be two years in October of being faithful to pray while walking the building each week.

Then today I found out that the building is going to be occupied in the near future and will no longer be available.  My heart sank and I cried out of disappointment.  Going back to work has kept this heavy on my heart because I know of all the people in our area that need the Lord but will not drive 45 minutes to build a relationship with the Lord.   My cry was, "Why Lord have you let me be filled with hope for seven years only to allow it to be taken away?"

With a crushed spirit, I can only say that I trust the Lord with all my heart and He must have something better in mind for us.  Therefore I now struggle with,"What do I pray for?"   My pain is not for a building but for the lives of 26,000 people in our area who want nothing to do with the Lord or church.

I could keep this all bottled up but I pray that in my transparency, the Lord will open a door for us to walk through and see life change here in our area.  The hard part emotionally is to get a "no" after 364 weeks of praying for something.

More than Just a Good Friday!

There are so many events going on this weekend which may be religious, relationship,or family celebrations.  But I want to take a moment and think about how we got to this day.

People today discount God; who He is, was, and will forever be.  As many of you know I live in a beautiful mountain area where I see His handiwork everywhere.  Yet there are some people who try to humanize and limit God in terms they can wrap their minds around.  Therefore we tend to cut God up into little bits we can swallow.  But expand you mind for a moment.

God is the one who began the creation of earth with just a simple sentence,  “Let there be light.”
 A few verses later, with one hand he was forming the giant fish for the sea and with the other hand we was making the hollow bones for the hummingbird and placing the miniature feathers of the wings.  More exciting it was not just a one off creature but was every creature in the water and on the land.

I'd like to think that he did all the rest of creation as practice for His best work.  In Genesis 1:26 God made man.  Then in Genesis 2:21 He made woman, not to be in front of or behind but beside Adam. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

If you have read the Bible you can see how man got too big for it's britches and would not keep the things God asked of man.  Being part of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) I am sure Jesus know from the start that he would have to come down to save us from ourselves.  Then Jesus spent 30 years here to give us hope and direction.  But then the religious leaders became afraid of Jesus and did not see Him as a part of God.  They wanted their power so bad that they did want they could to eliminate His free speech to the people.  

They lied about Him and set Jesus up to death. I love the words of this old song of how Jesus noted how much He loved us and how He was here for the people then, now, and in the future. Listen to this great Dallas Holm song that says it all!  Rise Again   

May you have a Blessed Easter and just take a moment to appreciate how wonderful the creator of the Universe is so that we can have an everlasting relationship with Him.

Buyer Courtesy

Long before emails many corporations had secretaries or assistants in the procurement (buying) departments who answered the calls for the buyer.    Being in that type of position from 1980 to 2006,  I learned fast that you always try and call the person back before you left for work that same day.  If a salesperson was trying to make an appointment, you had the assistant control your calendar and the appointment was made.

Then comes the internet and assistants became fewer and fewer , so you had to set your own appointments.  We were taught that even if you do not want to meet with them, you gave them the respect to return their call within a couple of days.

Fast forward to the last five years.  I am on the selling end of several new products and am experiencing something frustrating.  A buyer is contacted and we are invited to make a presentation at their corporate offices.  We get a positive feedback at the meeting and go away with some tweaks on the proposal.  We email them to the buyer and then we get dead air.   Now with the "read request" set to on, we know exactly when they read the material but there is no response.   In one case the buyer met with us in October 2013 and told us he would make the decision in January and we supplied him with his requested information and even went and added our product to their EDI site as requested at the meeting.  Since then we have sent numerous emails and telephone calls which we know he has read, but get no response.

I talked to one buyer's assistant and she said that the buyer was just so busy that they do not have time to respond to emails.  Therefore I asked what is the best protocol to get a response, as I have left voice mails as well.  Her response was to keep trying with no other thought.

In calling on over twenty-five retail companies at the present time, I would like a grunt of some kind to accept our offers, reject our offers, or negotiate our offers.  I think many do not realize the "READ" email I get when they do open the email, but since there is no response, we continue to spend time and resources chasing the buyer.  If they do not want the products, then just say "no thanks" and we will move on.

I am not sure if this is taught today to buyers, but I know it is frustrating to carry on this practice as a way to do business today.

Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No.

Thanks for reading!

Reminiscing About my Wonderful Daughter

When you get older, you tend to reminisce about things of the past.  You forget  about any negative times but focus on the good times in life.  Today I am thinking back about a little baby girl that was born this day with all the fight that a little girl could muster.

You see this baby was born with a skin color of green.  As soon as we heard the first cry the doctor immediately took here away and into another room to analysis.  She had a blood virus and had to have a complete blood transfusion.  I recall being the same blood type as her and it was a no brainier to give blood for this precious child.   This was accomplished quickly but required her to be kept in the hospital in an incubator.   Her mom could not stay with her during that time because of the healing process that was necessary after childbirth.

My bond with this little beautiful baby came every evening after evening when I could come to the hospital after work to feed, hold, and rock this little angel in my arms.  I vaguely recall our conversations, but do remember singing quietly as I rocked her and having her hold my little finger.

I remember crying as I saw her sleep and praying over her every day until she was strong enough to come home.  But that was just the beginning.

As she grew her legs turned in so badly that they had to put casts on her while she was still in diapers.  She was active in the crib and would bang the casts against the sides of the crib until they would crack.  After a few replacement casts they had to put a bar in the middle of her casts so they would hold together.  Then we had to strap foam around the casts so she would not break them on anything she came into contact with in the crib.  

I have so many more wonderful memories of this little girl and some pain along the way, but today on her birthday, I want thank God for giving me a wonderful daughter.  I want to thank her also for putting up with this crazy Dad who went off the wall sometimes with nuttiness.

So,  thank you Stephanie Dawn for the joy you have given this father and pray that each birthday will be filled with love being received by you from so many people who love and adore you!

I LOVE YOU BUNCHES!
Dad

Extend Your Youth - Part One

I get kidded a lot for not acting my age.  My thought is that "Age is a state of mind!"  Therefore many times I consider that I am in my 20's to 30's or half my age (or so).  This came to life this fall when I was fortunate to become a Security Guard for the University of Tennessee at their football and other sporting activities.

Going into this task, I knew I was not going to make much money but wanted to see if I could have an impact on the people I served.  The company placed me to guard the locker room entrances for the UT football team.  I was in Volunteer heaven.

Standing on your feet for twelve plus hours is tough for an ADHD person and so when there was music playing before or during the game, I would dance in my location.

Recruit potentials are always escorted by student hostesses.  As they walked by the locker room I'd smile and greet each family with a "Great to have you here" as I never missed a step to the beat of the music.  Soon hostesses would stop and dance along with me.  For some reason, that broke down the barrier from old man to someone they wanted to talk to each week.  I made it a special effort to learn their first names and some of their last names.

I learned of their majors, where they were from, what they wanted out of life and made sure to invite them to the Faith Promise UT campus for Sunday services.  When they walked by and did not smile or laugh, I'd stop them and say, "Are you OK?"  The barriers were down and so I learned a lot about these thirty some young men and women.

Another aspect was that the trainers for the teams are "second class" people in the world of college football.  Each time they would go into the locker room  or leave the locker room for the field, I would hold the door for them.  This little task paid off with big results.  I'd get a smile and many thank yous and learn of their life goals but the best was when a trainer would say, "You don't have to do that for me".  I'd reply, "You are important and it is my honor to serve you."   Everyone would see them stand taller and smile with a renewed vigor.  Even though I was three times their age, I felt younger to be serving the next generation.

So often we think that getting old we must rely on the youth to take care of us, yet you can feel so much younger yourself by doing things for the next generation, who we may think are going the ruin our world.

Funny but they said that about us and we have not done a great job of saving the world but we can show honor to the next generation and in turn extend our emotional youth.  The secret is to use your experiences to teach as you serve those youth.

Go out and extend your youth by being young of heart and mind!

What's under the water where you live?

We live near a couple of TVA lakes which not only helps with our electricity costs but also provides some great enjoyable sporting activities for all the people.  Each winter, TVA lowers the water level as demand increases and in anticipation of increased water from rains and snow which avoids flooding.

In the summer time the water table is raised up to the upper banks and looks fabulous, but in the winter as the water lowers things change.  You see within the valleys use to be homesteads with families living their lives near the creeks that were dammed up by the TVA.   When the water is lowered you see home foundations exposed.  In fact one railroad trestle going across the valley that use to carry lumber to the mills from the mountain areas can still be seen only during the low water periods.

In looking at these, my mind goes back to what might have been the life activities of the people then.  What were their joys?  What were their struggles?  What secrets are buried under the water?  What happened within the homes where foundations are now the only thing standing?

But as soon as the lake begins to rise all that is covered and the people boating over the top of these homes have no idea what lies below.

Each one of us has a past history.  Some was joyous, some were hard, and some damaged us emotionally.  Yet when people see us, we only show them what is on top of the water and never come to terms with what is under the water people see.

This year consider doing something with the feeling found in the foundations of you life.  We can never get rid of those foundations but consider confiding in a friend who will not judge your foundations found under the water, but help you to move on to a healthy life with others.

Like the TVA foundations, they will never go away but focus on what is on top of the water and not what is underneath.

My two cents

When You Point Fingers

  

Try this little exercise.  Point at the screen right now.  Look at what is happening as you point.  One finger is pointing forward and three fingers are point back at you.  God's got a great sense of humor in the little things.  We all do this every day but need to take a look more at the three fingers point back at us.  GUILTY! 

Recently, I saw where someone who was attending our church commented on social media that our pastor Dr. Chris Stephens and said, "All he ever talks about is money."   If that person or anyone wants to criticize a pastor today, they never need a reason.  They really miss what is being said because they get turned off with one or two words and miss what is really being said.   Time and time again, I hear Dr. Stephens say, "We want more for you than we want from you!"  Or, "God can do all things without your money but know that what is in your heart is where your relationship with the Lord really lies.  That includes your finances."

Quoting Dave Ramsey, "God has given us more than 800 Scriptures about money."
Matthew 6:24  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."   Tough for many people to swallow.  Yet our church has a 90 day money back guarantee .  If you follow Malachi 3:10   "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

So to say the least this person and others who point to the pastors, who step on our toes, need to see that they are guilty three times worse of errors in their life.

Realize that the goal of having a strong relationship with the Lord of the Universe is to accept His Son,  listen and read His word with an Open seeking mind, serve wherever you can (there is so many areas where you can serve), and give what the Lords asks and that goes beyond the Old Testament of 10%.  Everything here is a heart issue and not a command.  If you have a problem with that then you really need to look at the three fingers pointing back at YOU!

So as you end 2013, take a look at your new resolutions (goals) for 2014 and try to quit pointing fingers but instead strive to learn how to make a difference in the lives of everyone by encouraging instead of tearing them down with your social words!

When you lose a Great friend suddenly

This thing called life may have been a song some time ago, but today I am taking it more seriously.

I met Angela in Minneapolis many years ago and we had a good formal conversation about our new product we were displaying but Angela went further as she asked about my background in business and the organization industry.

Soon I was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Professional Organizers and at our first meeting I sat next to Angela and we became quick friends.   Later that first night Angela said she needed to go to the drug store.  Since I was the only one on the Board who got a rental car for the meeting, 30 miles from the airport, me and three other ladies headed off to find a drug store that is open after 10:00 p.m.   As soon as we got back in the car Angela said, "I want some ice cream."  So we traveled all over the place about 10:30 at night to find an ice cream place.
This became a ritual and for the next four years, every time we met, we made ice cream runs with all the laughter and fun that friends have.

We both respected our boundaries, knew that what we talked about stayed private, and some sensitive things we spoke of only briefly, but the friendship was so much more powerful because of it.  We talked about family often and oddly in our last conversation we talked for over an hour just to catch up.  We talked politics, family, NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), other NAPO people who were on her mind, and my church activities.  Just before we hung up, I now recall her saying that she was looking forward to working with me again and to tell Lynnette she said, "Hi".  I never did tell Lynnette that as I figured it was a nice closing comment which I hear from many conversations with people.   I was wrong.

I say all that because part of our closing conversation was that she wanted me to be at the next national convention just so we could make some more ice cream runs.  We laughed!

I encourage every one who reads this to call someone who may be near or far away.  You never know when it could be the last conversation you'll ever have with them.  Cherish every relationship because when you lose a friend suddenly, you will have heavy sorrow but great memories and understand the plans they had which were cut short.  That is more important than the next deal you might make.  Call now!

I miss you Angela Wallace!

Miracles are NOT Always Instant

In today's American society we are a people of instant gratification. The same seems to apply to so many people who have a illness or in any life situation. We cry out to God to "fix it now!" We expect God to do a miracle immediately and I have seen that happen several times in my lifetime.

But what do you do when that miracle does not come, month after month and year after year? Often we get discouraged and ask ourselves, "Are we praying right? Do we not deserve the miracle? Is the lack of a miracle mean something is lacking in me? Why isn't God listening to my cries for a miracle?"

All these cries and many more, I have asked myself and it is during that weakness the Satan jumps in and places doubt in my mind that I don't deserve a miracle. It is those times that I just cry and ask for the Holy Spirit to come rescue me. You know what? He does.  No miracle but an inner peace.

In these times while I am waiting on a miracle I have learned that the miracle may require other people praying for the same miracle in order for God to be working in a miraculous way.

We came to the mountains 13 years ago and encountered so many people far from God that we felt that God was calling us here and began praying for a miracle of a church that wanted to be different. WE did find people of liked minds and so we just prayed. Soon a family moved here from NC with the same passion, the another family from WV and others from other locations with the same passion and heart for God to move.

The miracle is happening over time but there are some more pieces that the Lord must need to put together before this miracle becomes a reality.

A building was vacated in our community in 2006 and Lynnette and I began to pray that this would be a great location for a church. In 2012 a sermon series called "Ripple" talked more of our prayer for a miracle. Series - RIPPLE  Every week now for a year I have walked around this building and drew a circle in front of the front door where people would enter and I stand inside the circle and pray. 

The reason for this blog is for you to know that God IS in the miracle business but it has to be in His time and know that the miracle will be better than you could every pray.  It may not be instant but be patient and know that we will never be able to say we had anything to do with it when the miracle happens.

But that's what Miracles are all about anyway!