I'm Back!

Hey guys! It's been entirely too long since I've blogged and I'm making this a resolution before the new year!

Some things that made me happy today:
Passionate people
Beautiful Christmas trees

And the thing that made me the most happy today is the spirit of the time of year! It's amazing how different a season can make people act!

Genesis 45

I was reading last night and I came across Genesis 45. This chapter is all about Joseph being revealed to his brothers after they sold him into slavery and he was made governor over the land.

Quick summary - There was a famine across the land and Joseph's brothers came to his country because they were hungry and they heard there was food there. It makes me happy to know that God takes care of us even when we are in sin. I mean really how much more sinful can you get than selling your own sibling into slavery, yet God knew Joseph would be governor and would supply food to his brothers even though they sinned against him. I'm not saying we should just sin because we know God should take care of us ... but it's so nice to know that even when we are at our weakest and the farthest away from God he still loves and cares for us and is preparing plans for our future.

Genesis 45:5 - 8 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a prosperity for you in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Only appropriate!

I am such a slacker when it comes to blogging but it's only appropriate I write about what makes me happy today! Veterans and people serving in the US military make me happy! I'm so glad people care enough about this country and our freedom to risk their lives for us! Happy Veterans Day!

Antoine!

Well obviously Antoine Dodson performed on the BET Hip Hop awards last night ... it makes me happy that he was able to buy his fam a house and move out of the hood all because of his flaming homesexual news story. Happy they invited him to perform at the awards too! YEAH! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNky6v2ZSNI

Promises!

Pile your troubles on God's shoulders—  he'll carry your load, he'll help you out. He'll never let good people topple into ruin. But you, God, will throw the others  into a muddy bog, Cut the lifespan of assassins and traitors in half. And I trust in you.

Psalms 55: 22 - 23 (The Message)

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. 

   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. - 1 Corinthians 12:10 (The Message)

And my favorite promise of the night is:

God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!" - Exodus 14:14 

It's easier said than done but I'm glad I don't have to fight my battles ... an almighty God is fighting them for me. 

Weekend ramblings!

I haven't posted in a couple of days but here's recap of what I'm happy about the the days I missed:

Friday: happy for shorter work days ... it's nice sometimes to leave a few hours early and do something you enough. (even though it doesn't happen very often) ... also for a new found talent of cake decorating!

Saturday: early morning hair appointments, bonfires and homemade cake icing

Sunday: breakfast at my parent's house and long afternoon naps!

Here's to a great week!

Tiffany

Cheese In A Can!

Today, cheese in can makes me happy, of course it tastes amazing but it's not just that, it takes me back to a simpler place. As I child, my family went on a yearly vacation and every year my mom bought cheese in a can and chicken biscuit crackers! She didn't generally buy it so it was a special thing that we had during vacation!

I remember many a time when I was a small child, I would come to back to the room from the ocean or pool or wherever we were and sit around eating it with my family. Ahh, to go back to the good old days when my biggest concern was when the next time I would have a sleepover!

Love!

Bluebird Cafe!

I went to the Bluebird tonight for the second time in my life and it makes me happy! It's amazing the talent in this town and we take it for granted so often! I'm glad I got out tonight and took time to be thankful for the songs (and the stories behind them) and allowed them to inspire me!

Piece of advice - go out and listen to live music ... you won't regret it!

Night world!
Tiffany

Today!

Today makes me happy ... sure I'm doing fun things tonight but that's not why today makes me happy! It's just that I have today ... far too often I take it for granted that we have today! God didn't have to give me today but I'm glad he did.

If you're not happy for today ... read this and you'll be reminded just how precious life really is!
http://bowensheart.com/2010/09/15/the-morning-of-september-14th/

Be sure to listen to the song!

Happy Fall Y'all!

So I'm such a slacker and haven't blogged in forever but rest assured I haven't had a lack of things to be happy about!

Starting back today, I'm happy for the chill in the air. There's nothing better than the cool breeze to refresh your spirit after a hot summer!

I'm also happy that it's October ... My favorite month because of all the birthday celebrations and of course Halloween!

HEre's to a great start to the week and to the month of October!

Happy Fall Y'all!
Tiffany 

Geraldine!

I may have wrote about this before but it makes me happy every time I get a chance to go back to Geraldine! Nothing like being at "home" with your family and reminiscing! Here's to a great weekend

My awesome friends!

I had some awesome friends at my house over the weekend and as usual they were harassing. I have a mirror in my bathroom and it's not super high so Adam said this is what he looks like when he is trying to look in the mirror:  It was hilarious. MADE. MY. DAY.

Slow Dance!

Slow  Dance 
Have you ever  watched  kids On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a  butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the  fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't  dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music  won't  last.
Do you run through each day
On  the  fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear  the  reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie  in your  bed
With the next hundred chores 
Running through  your head?
You'd better  slow down
Don't dance so  fast.
Time is  short.
The music won't  last.
Ever told your  child, 
We'll do it  tomorrow?
And in your  haste,
Not see  his sorrow?
Ever lost  touch,
Let a good  friendship die 
Cause you  never had time 
To call  and say,'Hi'
You'd  better slow down.
Don't dance  so fast.
Time  is short. 
The music won't  last.
When you run  so fast to get somewhere
You  miss half the fun of getting  there.
When you worry and hurry  through your 
day, It is like an unopened 
gift.... Thrown  away.
Life is not a  race. Do take it  slower
Hear the  music
Before the song is  over. 

Randomness

Heineken doesn't make me happy but this advertisement does. 

Behind The Scenes

I have no idea what God is doing in my life or where this road will lead me but I'm glad he's doing work "Behind the Scenes."

You may think
I’m just fine
How could anything
Ever be out of line?

I take my time
To set the stage
To make sure everything
Is all in place

Even though I’ve got the lines rehearsed
A picture only paints a thousand words

(Chorus)
Things aren’t always what they seem
You’re only seeing part of me
There’s more than you could ever know 
Behind the scenes
I’m incomplete and I’m undone
But I suppose like everyone
There’s so much more that’s going on 
Behind the scenes

Sometimes I can’t see 
Anything
Through the dark
Surrounding me
And at times I’m unsure 
About the ground
Beneath my feet
If it’s safe and sound

When it’s hard to find hope in the unseen
I have peace in knowing it will find me

(Chorus)

You may think I’m just fine
How could anything ever be out of line?

(Chorus)

One More!

I had a crappy day today but I'm glad to know all of this is working together to make "God's cake."

Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?' Here is a wonderful explanation! 

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. 

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.' 

'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers. 

'Yuck' says her daughter. 

'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!' 

'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?' 

'Mom, those are all yucky!' 

To which the mother replies: 'Yes , all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! ' 

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful! 

  

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

If you like this, send this on to the people you really care about. 

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance! 

Rick Warren

How awesome is it that he served God for free! Amazing what God does for the faithful.

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity..

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life..

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD..

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen. But it will just be nice to pass it on to a friend....just like I have done.

God's Blessings

This!

Bristol Race

Psalms 37

 ^1-2 Don't bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
   In no time they'll shrivel like grass clippings
      and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.

 ^3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
      settle down and stick to your last.
   Keep company with God,
      get in on the best.

 ^5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
      he'll do whatever needs to be done:
   He'll validate your life in the clear light of day
      and stamp you with approval at high noon.

 ⁷ Quiet down before God,
      be prayerful before him.
   Don't bother with those who climb the ladder,
      who elbow their way to the top.

 ^8-9 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
      cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
   Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
      God-investors will soon own the store.

 ^10-11 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
      you'll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
   Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
      relishing a huge bonanza.

 ^12-13 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
      obsessed with doing them in.
   But God isn't losing any sleep; to him
      they're a joke with no punch line.

 ^14-15 Bullies brandish their swords,
      pull back on their bows with a flourish.
   They're out to beat up on the harmless,
      or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
   A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
      slapstick figures in a moral circus.

 ^16-17 Less is more and more is less.
      One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
   For the wicked are moral weaklings
      but the righteous are God-strong.

 ^18-19 God keeps track of the decent folk;
      what they do won't soon be forgotten.
   In hard times, they'll hold their heads high;
      when the shelves are bare, they'll be full.

 ²⁰ God-despisers have had it;
      God's enemies are finished—
   Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time,
      vanished like smoke in thin air.

 ^21-22 Wicked borrows and never returns;
      Righteous gives and gives.
   Generous gets it all in the end;
      Stingy is cut off at the pass.

 ^23-24 Stalwart walks in step with God;
      his path blazed by God, he's happy.
   If he stumbles, he's not down for long;
      God has a grip on his hand.

 ^25-26 I once was young, now I'm a graybeard—
      not once have I seen an abandoned believer,
      or his kids out roaming the streets.
   Every day he's out giving and lending,
      his children making him proud.

 ^27-28 Turn your back on evil,
      work for the good and don't quit.
   God loves this kind of thing,
      never turns away from his friends.

 ^28-29 Live this way and you've got it made,
      but bad eggs will be tossed out.
   The good get planted on good land
      and put down healthy roots.  (Psalm 37, The Message)

Home!

I am so happy that I have a nice cool home to come too. Tonight as I was eating dinner with my small group there was a homeless man hanging around and it just gets me to thinking.

1) He may be homeless but he's just like me and you. What makes us any more worthy to have a home, job and awesome life more than the next guy?

2) What if he's homeless because of one major mistake? Could we be on the verge of that? I know more than likely it's more than one mistake but by making one wrong choice we could be going in the same direction.

3) If Jesus were sitting at the table with me. What would he have done?

Brings this song to mind:



I want his eyes for just one second!