Thoughts

Thoughts are the thermostat that regulates what we accomplish in life. If I feed my mind upon doubt, unbelief, and discouragement, that is precisely the kind of day my body will experience. If I adjust my thermostat forward to thoughts filled with vision, vitality, and victory, i can count on that kind of day. 

Thus, you and I become what we think about. 

 

Neither Dale Carnegie nor Norman Vincent Peale originated such a message. God did. "For as [a man] thinks within himself, so he is" (Prov. 23:7). "Therefore, prepare your minds for action" (1 Peter 1:13).

The mind is a "thought factory" producing thousands, perhaps hundred of thousands, of thoughts each day. Production in your thought factory is under the charge of two foreman. One we shall call Mr. Triumph, the other Mr. Defeat.

 

Mr. Triumph specializes in producing reasons why you can face life victoriously, why you can handle what comes your way, why you're more than able to conquer. mr. Defeat is an expert in the opposite. He develops reasons why you cannot succeed, why you're inadequate, why you should give up and give in to worry, failure, discouragement, and inferiority.

 

Give a positive signal, and Mr. Triumph will see to it that one encouraging, edifying thought after another floods your mind. But Mr. Defeat is always standing by, awaiting a negative signal (which he would rather you call "reality" or "common sense!"), and when he gets it, he cranks out discouraging, destructive, demoralizing thoughts that will soon have you convinced you can't or won't or shouldn't.

Let God Be Magnified

He Answered

I Know...

You Say...God Says

Happy Mother's Day

M-O-T-H-E-R

On this Mother's Day, I think of my beautiful Mom and all of the lessons she taught each of her daughters. I also remember how she loved flowers, especially lilacs.  She would often cut them and put them in a vase indoors. 

It also reminds me of a song that my Dad would sing on Mother's Day. Maybe you remember this old favorite?

 

M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me. 

- Howard Johnson

Things I Have Learned

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

— Maya Angelou

Priorities of Spiritual Nourishment

by Charles R. Swindoll / 1 Timothy 4:6; Psalm 55:22

 

No one can deny the importance of nutrition. Our level of energy, our ability to cope with life's challenges, and even our mental attitude are directly linked to the proper intake of the right foods eaten regularly and in proper amounts.

We've all experienced times when we have not eaten a balanced diet or we've eaten too many sweets or we've been in a hurry and completely skipped a meal. Invariably, we have endured the consequences of feeling sick, light-headed, and occasionally depressed, or we became irritated and jumpy, sometimes we got a little shaky---in our family, we call that "getting the jitters." It's the body's way of letting us know that it's lacking nourishment. It's a fact: "optimal health requires optimal nutrition."

The same is true spiritually speaking. Without sufficient and regular nutrition, our inner life begins to suffer the consequences. Our souls long to be fed, nourished, and energized on a regular basis. When we fail to set aside time to absorb healthy spiritual food, it isn't long before the consequences kick in . . . and it's not a pretty sight. We start to operate in the flesh rather than under the control of God's Spirit. We get shallow and selfish, more demanding and less gentle, quick to react impatiently, rashly, angrily. These are all signs of inner malnutrition.
 

For the next few moments let's think about what's needed to maintain a healthy level of spiritual nutrition. It isn't rocket science.

 

1. We need a regular diet of God's Word. Just as we must eat each day, so we must take the time to read the Scriptures each day. Our souls must be "nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:6).

 

 2. We need to pray regularly. In reading the Bible, God speaks to us; in prayer, we speak to Him. Prayer helps us realign our lives to the Lord's timing and direction. It also shifts the load off our shoulders and onto His. David wrote, "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you" (Psalm 55:22).

 

 3. We need time to be still, to meditate on the things of God. Such moments of quietness calm our nerves, clear our thinking, and enable us to refocus. After directing Joshua to structure his life around God's truth, the Lord added, "you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it" (Joshua 1:8). Tragically, meditation is a lost art of the twenty-first century. How few truly take time to "cease striving and know that [He is] God" (Psalm 46:10). How seldom do we make deliberate plans "to do according to all" that we have observed.

Courage

“Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering 'I will try again tomorrow”

Courtesy of Mary Anne Radmacher

Simple Scalloped Potatoes

 Courtesy of Food Network 

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
1/2 clove garlic
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 fresh bay leaves
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 2 ounces) 

Directions
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Generously brush a large skillet with butter, then rub with the garlic. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the potatoes, sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste, then arrange the remaining potatoes on top. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour the broth and milk over the potatoes, then add the nutmeg and bay leaves; simmer 3 minutes.

Generously brush a shallow baking dish with butter and slide the potatoes into the dish; arrange with a fork, if desired. (If your skillet is ovenproof, you can skip this step and bake the potatoes right in the skillet.)

Dot the potatoes with the cut-up butter and sprinkle with the gruyere. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Discard the bay leaves.

Photograph courtesy Anna Williams