Month: March 2015

The Buffet Table

Welcome to the buffet table! I’ll be jumping from one subject to the next, so get your plate and fill it up. The good news: you don’t have to worry about portions, fat, sodium, sugar, GMOs, nor calories.

TOMORROW We’ve all said at one time or another, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” I’ll begin that project tomorrow. I’ll go on a diet tomorrow. I’ll start a savings plan tomorrow. I’ll start getting more sleep tomorrow night. I’ll give my life to Christ tomorrow. I’ll start working on things that God has laid on my heart tomorrow. I’ll get life insurance tomorrow. I’ll start exercising tomorrow. I’ll choose to be happy tomorrow.  Tomorrow came, and you still didn’t do what you said you were going to do. The cemetery is full of the bodies of people who said, “I’ll do it tomorrow”, but tomorrow never came. Books, ideas, songs, inventions, plays, crafts, testimonies never to be shared, and destinies never to be fulfilled have been put in files labeled tomorrow. It’s so easy to put things off for tomorrow. Tomorrow is not promised.

Let your tomorrow begin today!

RESURRECTION DAY You usually don’t hear people talking about Resurrection Day until around Easter. The ultimate resurrection was when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He died but when He rose, He rose with all power in His hands. His resurrection made it possible for us to have resurrections in our lives. We all go through things. Sometimes the situation looks, feels, and smells so bad that we think it’s dead. Just like God raised Jesus up from the grave, and just like Jesus raised up Lazarus from the grave, He can raise your situation up from the grave also. So when you find yourself in what you are sure is a dead situation, rest assured that your Resurrection day is on the way!

REFLEXOLOGY It is said that a large percentage of disease is stress related. Getting a massage is one way to release stress. There are many more benefits associated with massage therapy including relaxation, increased and improved blood circulation, and increased flexibility. Reflexology is a therapeutic form of foot massage and of course, hand reflexology is a therapeutic form of hand massage. Reflexology may benefit people in the same way massage helps people relax and reduce their stress levels.

Reflexology is based on the belief that each part of the foot is a mirror site for a part of the body. The big toe, for example is considered a reflex area for the head. The heart and chest are around the ball of the foot. The liver, pancreas and kidney are in the arch of the foot. Practitioners believe that certain areas of the hands and feet are linked to other areas and organs of the body. For example, the brain can be helped by putting pressure on the tips of the three largest toes on both feet.

One day while on the computer, I did a search on hand reflexology. I found a web site that allowed me to print out a free 10 step hand reflexology self-treatment. I sat at the computer and did some of the exercises. I can’t begin to describe how good my hands felt. I have two different foot rollers and a porcupine massage ball that I ordered online. I had no idea that my feet and hands could feel so good after using them.

One time I had a pain in my neck. The pain was there for more than a week. I took aspirin. I applied a heating pad. Neither of those things worked. The Holy Spirit brought to my attention my porcupine massage ball. I began to roll one foot and then the other over the ball and immediately the pain began to ease. I did it the next day and the next, and then the pain was totally gone!

Check out reflexology. Visit the library or google it. There are reflexology charts available that show the locations and therapeutic indications of pressure points on the hands and feet. I thank God for letting me discover the benefits of foot and hand reflexology. I use my porcupine ball on a regular basis. I get so busy that I sometimes forget about my foot rollers and hand reflexology techniques. That’s why I like sharing healthy living tips: As I review topics and share them, I get reminded of certain things.

GROWING UP It’s generally thought that wisdom comes with growing older. It does happen with some people, while others become stupider (yes, I had to look it up: stupider or more stupid). I like using stupid because it really gets people’s attention. I’m growing up while growing older. Sounds silly doesn’t it? Life seems backwards. By the time you grow up and begin to figure life out, it’s time to exit.

“I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it makes sense.” Harold Kushner

I like to think that my life would have turned out much better if I would have had the wisdom I have now, when I was 25. But I don’t dwell on that thought because I can’t go back to when I was 25. I can’t undo what’s already been done. All I can do is learn from the mistakes, stupid decisions, trials, and disappointments because they were instrumental in making me who I am today. Not that I’m all that, but I like to think that I have become a better person. I’m not where I need to be, I’ll be growing up until I die, but I thank God I’m not where I used to be.

“In the trials we’ve faced, something good has happened too: God has fine-tuned us so we are more compassionate, more caring, more loving, more aware of others’ pain.”

I would have never chosen this path for my life, but my strategic, all knowing, loving, Daddy God had other plans. He knew and still knows the best route for my life. After all, it was He who formed me while I was yet in my mother’s womb. He tells me in Jeremiah 1:5a “I knew you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart for me before you were born” and in Jeremiah 29 verse 11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Now that’s good news!

HUMOR TIME Willing to take a bullet for Jesus? The two thousand member Baptist church was filled to overflowing capacity one Sunday morning. The preacher was ready to start the sermon when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered through the rear of the church.

One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons.

The one in the middle announced, “Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!”

Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor.

After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The preacher was holding steady in the pulpit.

The men put their weapons away and said, gently, to the preacher, “All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service.”

The dog closed his eyes in concentration. This fundamentalist Christian couple felt it important to own an equally fundamentally Christian pet. So, they went shopping. At a kennel specializing in this particular breed, they found a dog they liked quite a lot. When they asked the dog to fetch the Bible, he did it in a flash. When they instructed him to look up Psalm 23, he complied equally fast, using his paws with dexterity.

They were impressed, purchased the animal, and went home (piously, of course). That night they had friends over. They were so proud of their new fundamentalist dog and his major skills, they called the dog and showed off a little. The friends were impressed, and asked whether the dog was able to do any of the usual dog tricks, as well. This stopped the couple cold, as they hadn’t thought about ‘normal’ tricks. “Well,” they said, “let’s try this out.”

Once more they called out to the dog, and then clearly pronounced the command, “Heel!” Quick as a wink, the dog jumped up, put his paw on the man’s forehead, closed his eyes in concentration, and bowed his head.

I hope you leave today – as full as a tick.  laughing happy face with tongue   Bye for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Resources http://www.christian-jokes.net/Jokes/Church-Jokes/115-willing-to-take-a-bullet-for-Jesus.aspx http://www.christian-jokes.net/Jokes/Bible-Humor/141-The-dog-closed-his-eyes-in-concentration.aspx Jeremiah 1:5 International Standard Version http://biblehub.com/isv/jeremiah/1.htm Jeremiah 29:11-13New International Version (NIV) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+29%3A11-13&version=NIV Johnson, B. (2006). I Don’t Suffer From Insanity….I Enjoy Every Minute of It! (Mar. 3) Siloam Springs, AR: DaySpring Cards, Inc.

Hold on, it’s not over.

I love plants!  I don’t have a lot of space for them so I only have five.  I try to get plants that are low maintenance because I don’t have the gardener’s touch that my mama had.  I talk to my plants.  Research says it’s good for them.  I have given my plants names:  Tangy, Grapefruit, Sunshine, Blossom, and Rae.

One summer day a few years ago, I decided to try to prune Rae’s leaves cause she was getting too big and I didn’t want to put her in a bigger pot.  Then I had this bright idea to just take some of her leaves out of the pot.  I ended up taking her completely out of the pot, and she kind of fell apart.  I put her back in after removing some of the leaves.  She didn’t like it.  Her leaves started withering one by one.  I was sad to see that she was dying.  I took her outside on the back porch.  She’s an indoor plant but I thought that maybe being outdoors would help.  It didn’t seem to help.  She continued to wither away.  I saw little gnats on her soil.  I placed her in the corner on the back porch and stopped watering her.  I figured it was over.

All her leaves withered and turned brown.  She looked completely dead to me.  My feelings were a little hurt because she had been with me for a long time.  You may be saying, “My goodness, it was only a plant”, yes, but it was my plant.  One day I was getting ready to throw everything out of the pot, I saw something green.  Now remember all the leaves were withered and brown.  I immediately pulled out the brown, withered leaves and there it was: a little green baby leaf.  I asked myself, “How could this possibly be?”

I added some dirt to the pot and left it outside.  I noticed a few days later that she seemed to be doing just fine.  I cleaned up the pot and took it back inside.  Everyday Rae grew a little bigger, and then I saw another leaf.  I smile now every time I look at Rae.  She seems to be doing just fine.  What would have happened had I just dumped everything out of the pot without looking closely at it?  Yes, it was just a plant, but I think God used that plant to remind me and you that, it’s not over until He says it’s over.

Are you on a quest to be fit for the Master’s use?  Have you been on a quest to be fit for the Master’s use and have given up and quit?  Have you been letting healthy living information that you have heard about go in one ear and out the other, thinking that it’s too late to change or improve now?  Well my friend, it’s not too late!

Let me share two examples of when it looked like it was over, but God said it wasn’t.  We read in the 11th chapter of John about three people whom Jesus loved: Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus.  One day Jesus got the message that Lazarus was sick.  Jesus didn’t go see about him for two days.  Lazarus had died and had been buried by the time Jesus arrived.  Now you’ve got to admit, this was a hopeless situation.  It was indeed over!  When Jesus arrived, they took Him to the tomb where Lazarus was buried.  Jesus took time and spoke to God the Father.  He then cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth and in the first part of the 44th verse we read: And he that was dead came forth.   God showed everyone that it was not over!

We read in the book of Exodus about the freedom of God’s people from slavery and the beginning of national identity.  Pharaoh had finally let the people go in verse 13, but later had a change of heart.   He took his army and went after them.  They had gotten as far as the Red Sea when they saw Pharaoh and his men.  This situation looked hopeless.  I’m sure they thought it was over.

God said it wasn’t over!  He divided the waters of the Red Sea like a wall in two directions at once (north and south).  The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground.  The Egyptians pursued and went in after them, like a bunch of fools.  God released the waters once the children of Israel had crossed to the other side.  That was the end of Pharaoh’s army.  They drowned in the Red Sea.  Can’t you just imagine God saying, “Now, it’s over“!

You may be sick in your in your mind, in your body, in your spirit and/or financially.  It may seem like every time you lose five pounds, you gain back eight.  It may seem like trying to live a healthy lifestyle is just too difficult. You may feel like you will never get to where you desire to get to in life.  You may have already said, “Just forget it.”  There have been many times when I have said those words – but God is saying, “It’s not over.”

Job 22:28 reads, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”   We want to decree and declare these words:  “It’s not over, it’s not over, it’s not over until God says it’s over.”  Family members may say it’s over.  Circumstances may say it’s over.  You may have said before you read this blog, that it’s over.  My friend, it’s not over until God, the author and finisher of your faith says it’s over!

You can still experience peaceful living if you have a right relationship with God.  You can still learn a way of eating that is simple, balanced, and easy to understand.  You can still make time to do some form of exercise. You can still stop smoking and drinking.  You can still stop speaking negatively.  You can still be delivered from any habit.  You can still have the victory. You can still give your life to Christ and let Him use you.

When I think of Rae, I am reminded that it’s not over until God says it’s over!

A little humor

Jonah and the Whale

One day, a teacher was talking to her first grade class about whales when a little girl had a question.

Little Girl: “Do whales swallow people?”

Teacher: “No, even though they are much bigger than a person, they have throat pleats that filter their food of krill and plankton.

Little Girl: “But Mrs. Thurston says Jonah was swallowed by a whale.”

Teacher getting angry: “Blue whales cannot swallow people.”

Little Girl: “Well, when I get to heaven I’ll just ask Jonah if he was really swallowed by a whale.”

Teacher, still red with anger: “What if Jonah went to hell?”

Little Girl: “Well, then you can ask him.”

Do you want to go to Heaven?

Father Flannagan was diligently trying to win souls for the kingdom of God. One day he had a fine idea. He would go to the local pub to evangelize the local drunks and bar flies. He walks into the pub and notices one of his flock from the local church he preaches in. “John!” he screams, John! do you want to go to heaven!!!! John answered,” Father Flannagan,, why ,,yes! of course I want to go to heaven.”” Then, get over here behind me now,” says the father. “Patrick!, Father Flannagan screams out again.. “Patrick do you want to go to heaven?” Well father,, yes… yes ,, I do. “Then get over here with us now… so Patrick joined the two men..

Father Flannagan spotted anouther and said,, ” you! do you want to go to heaven? The third man paused. No answer! Flannagan again asked the man,” you sir! Do you want to go to heaven!! The man paused again and then shouted,” no!” the Father was dumbstruck and asked the same quesion,, What do you mean you DON’T WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN?? The young man then stated, ” no,,not today ,, it seems as if you’ve got a group to go today and I don’t want to go today!!!!

Bye for now.

Jonah and the Whale            http://www.jokesclean.com/ChristianJokes/

Do you want to go to Heaven?     Submitted by Evelyn  http://www.christian-jokes.net/Jokes/Heaven-and-Hell-Jokes/404-Do-you-want-to-go-to-Heaven.aspx

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