In 2015 men still can't win (LOL)

Why Men Can't Win

1. If you work too hard, there is never any time for her.
   If you don't work enough, you're a good-for-nothing bum. 
   
   
2. If she has a boring repetitive job with low pay, it's exploitation.
   If you have a boring repetitive job with low pay, you should get off your butt and find something better. 
   
   
3. If you get a promotion ahead of her, it's favoritism.
   If she gets a job ahead of you, it's equal opportunity. 
   
   
4. If you mention how nice she looks, it's sexual harassment.
   If you keep quiet, it's male indifference. 
   
   
5. If you cry, you're a wimp.
   If you don't, you're insensitive. 
   
   
6. If you make a decision without consulting her, you're a chauvinist.
   If she makes a decision without consulting you, she's a liberated woman. 
   
   
7. If you ask her to do something she doesn't enjoy, that's domination.
   If she asks you, it's a favor. 
   
   
8. If you try to keep yourself in shape, you're vain.
   If you don't, you're a slob. 
   
   
9. If you buy her flowers, you're after something.
   If you don't, you're not thoughtful. 
   
   
10. If you're proud of your achievements, you're an egotist.
    If you're not, you're not ambitious. 
    
    
11. If she has a headache, she's tired.
    If you have a headache, you don't love her anymore.

Goals For 2015-Burn In Me!

John 20:21-23 "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

Acts 2:3, 4 "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
The fire of the Holy Ghost doesn’t just burn in the hearts of certain people. It is available to all who ask for and receive this baptism of fire from heaven above.

-You can be filled with this fire because it's available to all generations.

-You can be filled with love, joy, optimism, enthusiasm, energy, vitality, and have a oneness with God.

-You can brighten up the souls, warm up the hearts, and light up the lives of those around you.

-You can be a flame of goodness in this dark, cold, and troubled world.

-You can become a blazing torch for everyone to see even on bad days. 

-You can share this Holy Ghost Fire and light a candle inside of each person you meet as well.

So don’t let yourself be a smoldering ember in 2015, but let the world see your fire. Let your prayer be, "Holy Ghost Fire, burn in me!"

My walk in 2015

Steve Goodier shared this story on his blog a few years ago. I've had some of the same experiences when my son was little and maybe you have too. So I thought as we start off this New Year it might be a good time to be reminded again that someone is always watching us. Not to make us paranoid, but to remind us about how powerful our daily walk for Jesus can influence or denounce our life for Christ.

"An unusual thing happened to me a few years ago. I spoke casually with a woman who served tables at a restaurant I frequented. We knew each other by first name only, but usually chatted for a few minutes each time I dined there. 

One day, she asked me, “Do you have a son about eight years old?” 

'What has he done?' I thought. I nodded yes. 

She pressed on. “Does he play soccer?” 

When I said that he did, she asked if he played in a game the previous week at a particular field. Again, I answered, “Yes.” 

“I thought so,” she smiled. “I saw him and thought he must be your son.” 

Since there were tens of thousands of young boys in the city, I was amazed and exclaimed, “I didn't know he looked that much like me!”

“Oh, I didn't see his face,” she said smiling as if she were keeping a secret. 

“Then how did you know he was my son?” Now I was puzzled. 

“I was just sitting in the car, and I saw a little boy in a baseball cap walking across the field to join his team. He walks like you.” 

Walks like me? Now I was curious. How do I walk? Since I'm doing the walking, I don't notice how I look to others. Maybe I could watch him amble around to get an idea. 

That said, how we walk down a street and how we walk through life are very different things. Perhaps I can't help how I walk down a street, but I want to be intentional about how I walk through life. 

Through life, I want to walk gently. I want to treat all of life – the earth and its people – with reverence. I want to remove my shoes in the presence of holy ground. As much as possible, I want to walk in peace. 

I want to walk lightly, even joyfully, through whatever days I am given. I want to laugh easily. I want to step carefully in and out of people's lives and relationships. I don't want to tread any heavier than necessary. 

And throughout life, I think I would like to walk with more humility and less anger, more love and less fear. I want to walk confidently, but without arrogance. I want to walk in deep appreciation. I want to be genuinely thankful for life's extravagant, yet simple, gifts – a star-splattered night sky or a hot drink on an ice-cold day. 

If life is a journey, then how I make that journey is important. How I walk through life. 

But still I wonder how I look when I walk down a street."

    

Making every step count in 2015

Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way."

Every step you take beginning today counts for the rest of your life and not just for this coming year. God allows all of us our fair share of ups and downs, but you can make things worse when things go wrong by not taking care of the steps the God has ordered for your life.

As you move forward in life every step matters more than you realize.

-You have to think before you tread. Don't just step on hearsay. Seek God's will for His direction in you life and pursue the pathway that He puts you on.

-Every step is just as important to God and to you as the last step. Maybe last year's walk was confusing and difficult and no matter where your footsteps were they seemed out of balance and disjointed. Yet somebody saw you overcome your struggle, and because you kept going so did they. You were more of an influence than you realized. So keep on walking and don't give up. Your steps were important in ways you never even thought possible.

-If you find yourself always sliding backwards perhaps you're not making every step count. I shared this in a message this past week: "What's in the past is in the past and you can't relive that season." Often times we loose our footing because we want to dwell in familiar territory. That's the time we have to realize what it means to go forward into unchartered territory rather than keep sliding backwards into areas that we have no control over.

-Successful action is more than just a once in a while effort. Each step requires that you put 100% into what will be the most meaningful actions in your life. In other words you have two choices-step forward or step back.

God has not called us to retreat, but to make every step count for His glory. That's my intention for this year 2015. How about you?

I believe 2015 is the year God is going to prove to the church His great love for us. I am ready to see and experience that. Until then, I am high stepping in the direction He has called me. 

My friend, how about you?

Never Too Old To Be Young

After last year's unexpected winter storm had dumped 12 inches of snow here in the Upstate the schools were cancelled, roads were treacherous, and all I wanted to do was stay in bed. Still, I knew I had to get the day started so I bundled up and walked outside. The snow was over my shoes. The cold wind was chapping my lips. My 60 year old back ached in anticipation of the shoveling I would have to do if the snow didn’t stop soon. 

Yet, when I looked out on the crystal blanket that covered the ground I couldn’t help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snow plow on the interstate, the barking of a happy dog let out to run in the snow, and the laughter of my grandchildren playing outside, enjoying their day off from school. 

The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of snowfalls past. I remembered catching snowflakes on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angels, sledding down hills, and always losing the snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own son. Standing there in that warm coat of remembering made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore. I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue, and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy, and like love. I looked up to the Heavens and thanked God for all of my memories and for the simple truth that you are never too old to be young again. 

May you always feel young in spirit no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the heart of a child. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter, and your warmth to others even on the coldest of days.

A New Year's Survival Kit

This is a New Year's Survival Kit. Use it and this could be your best year ever! It includes:

-A Toothpick to remind you to pick the good qualities in everyone, including yourself.

-A Rubber band to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.

-A Band-Aid to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else's.

-An Eraser to remind you everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.

-A Candy Kiss to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment everyday.

-A Mint to remind you that you are worth a mint to your family.

-Some Bubble Gum to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.

-A Pencil to remind you to list your blessings every day.

-A Tea Bag to remind you to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.

This is what makes life worth living every minute, every hour, and every day. I hope in 2015 you have 365 days of love, gratitude, friends to cherish, caring, sharing, laughter, music, warm feelings in your heart and that you soar with the eagles rather than cluck with the chickens!

My New Years Wish for you

1. May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-endocrinologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your gynecologist, your plumber and the IRS. 
   
   
2. May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise. 
   
   
3. May you find a way to travel from anywhere to anywhere in the rush hour in less than an hour, and when you get there may you find a parking space. 
   
   
4. May Wednesday evening, December 31, find you seated around the dinner table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends, ushering in the new year ahead. You will find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night. 
   
   
5. May you wake up on January 1st, finding hope and personal peace.
   
   
6. May you ponder how did this ultramodern civilization of ours once managed to get itself traumatized by a possible slip of a blip on a chip made out of sand, but thinks nothing of the coming of the Lord.
   
   
7. May you be awe struck by God's sense of humor as you wrestle with the possibility that a professional wrestler once had a chance to become President of the United States. 
   
   
8. May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. 
   
   
9. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues. 
   
   
10. May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, and may your check book and your budget balance and may they include generous amounts for charity. 
    
    
11. May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parents, your friends; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor. 
    
    
12. May we live as God intended, in a world at peace and the awareness of His love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart. A Very Happy New Year to All!