A Great Recipe

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti- depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

What are we thinking???

Have you ever stopped to think about your "default" thinking? Default thinking is simply the thoughts that we have that we aren't conscious of, those automatic thoughts that pop into our heads or our old ways of thinking about what we observe and do. Our thoughts become habit and unless we are aware of our thinking, we may be getting ourselves into trouble!

How many times have you heard, or even said, it's going to be a bad day, or I think I'm getting sick or making remarks about ourselves such as that was stupid, I'm not very smart, etc. Or how many people have had people say things about them that they aren't going to amount to anything or they're stupid or something about how they look? Sometimes we grow up with these negative inputs so our thoughts are just programmed to think negatively about ourselves.

The Bible states: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he". Prov. 23:7. We know that what comes out of our mouths is in our hearts. "What you say flows from what is in your heart". Luke 6:45. We need to reprogram our hearts. The more we read good positive materials, listen to good positive teaching series and use affirmations, the quicker we will get reprogrammed.

Think about these quotes: "There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge; both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought." Napoleon Hill. Someone on The Secret said "What you think about you bring about". And Mike Dooley (from The Secret) also says "Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®

This instruction is found in Phillippians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." That is plain enough, but The New Living Translation states it a little more in our modern language: "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." There will be no room for negative thoughts if we fill our minds with these good thoughts.

We have read many reports stating that stress is the cause of 95% of all sickness. If we take control of our thoughts (and we can!) and become aware of what we think and say, we can eliminate so much trouble for ourselves. Isn't it worth it???

Pictures from recent activities

Sunset at Ft. Gibson Lake

Love those friendly butterflies

Tour through Har-Ber Village
Karla and Rick at Har-Ber Village Spavinaw Spillway

The big catch at Spavinaw Creek

Christianese

J. B. Phillips version of the New Testament is my favorite. I only wish he had lived longer so he could have written a version of the Old Testament too. [Then we would have had "Phillips 66".] :-) This following devotional that I received is very good and definitely is one with which I totally agree. I thought I would share it.

The defenders of the jargon and phrases of the Church's traditions hold that there must of necessity be a specialized vocabulary, just as there is in any other specialized form of human activity, whether it is music, architecture, or electronic engineering. To me, at least, this is a thoroughly unsound argument, for Christ did not come into the world to bring men "specialized activity," but life, fuller and more satisfying than it had been ever before. If the churches have made Christianity appear to be some kind of specialized spiritual performance so much the worse for them. The real purpose of Christ, the real relevance of the Gospel, is surely to enable men to live together as sons of God. Human beings, like children, love to have secrets, love to be "in the know." But the Christian religion was never meant to be a secret recipe for living, held by a few. It is Good News for all mankind and, because it is that, the more clearly and intelligibly it can be presented, the more faithfully it is following its Master's purpose.... J.B. Phillips (1906-1982), Is God at Home?, London: Lutterworth Press, 1957, p. 8-9

Yes, there are certain words that apply to various occupations or group activities, sports, etc., but when a newcomer is around, does it make them feel excluded? Why can't Christians just be normal people, living in the world, living life to the fullest, without all the Christianese? Any language can be learned and people who "join" the church can learn this language too. Does it have any meaning or is it just the need to be like everyone else? Sometimes Jesus' ideas and teachings get lost in the shuffle as we focus on all the superficial things. And many words or phrases are repeated and become a habit more than an intentional statement.

Jesus meant for us to live a simple life (I Tim. 2:2b that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.) No facades, just being real. Many people have lived a life so "perfect" that they don't really know what being real is all about. To me being real is recognizing your mistakes and learning from it. To be real is to be yourself with all your flaws and yet having an intense desire to grow and learn and be that better person that we all want people to think we are. Being real to me is not following a set of rules which because you do, makes you better than others. Many people have lived a life that may appear to be perfect because all their ducks are in a row. They go to the right places, have the right friends, avoid all the wrong activities, say the right things, have the right upbringing, etc. Years ago as I was getting acquainted with a new friend, she said, "Now I'm getting to know the real you!". I answered that I would rather be real and growing than stuck in a facade that wasn't really me! I am thankful to her for that statement because it caused me to think.

Did Jesus emphasis doing the right thing (obeying a particular set of rules and we know the various denominations have different rules, from what to wear in clothes or jewelry, what activities you can or cannot do, etc) or did he empasize having a relationship with God through Him? Jesus' parable about the prodigal son shows that this son that squandered his money and did all the wrong things was welcomed back like he was royalty. Being real means admitting where we are in humility and the mistakes we have made and then growing from the experience.

I am not advocating doing wrong things so that we have some experiences or "reality" but to understand that although we may "act" perfect, we all have issues and baggage. However, sometimes our biggest problem is that we don't even know we have a problem. Let's not be too introspective but let God reveal to us our flaws and mistakes and show us how to live life to the fullest completely free from the bondage of having to be perfect.

Happy Times

Yesterday we had a combination birthday party for three people in our family, Chris, Bob and Andrea. It was at Larry's and was very enjoyable. Jason and Andrea provided homemade ice cream (and some desserts), Karla provided the birthday "cake" and other desserts, and the rest of us provided the remaining food for a wonderful meal. Here is a picture of the birthday "cake":


This looks like a hamburger and french fries but it really is dessert!! Cupcakes, brownies, frostings, and sugar cookie french fries. It was yummy!! and so cute.

What a blessing to have family gatherings and see our family grow as the grandchildren marry and add spouses to our number. And to have friends join with us is an added blessing.

It is great to have a 3-day weekend so some projects can get accomplished. We went to a llama farm yesterday to pick up some large fans for Warren to repair and there are many more that need repair. His electronic repair business is picking up. Word of mouth works!! The llama farm was very interesting and we learned about raising llamas. They do not like humidity and therefore need lots of large fans circulating the air in their barns. Their nature is more like a cat. They are curious but kind of standoffish in nature. They do spit but usually turn their heads and it is used as a warning much like a dog growling. It was very fascinating.

It is time to get ready for church so I leave you with this quote which is directly relating to our fun time at the birthday party: "Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment." Grenville Kleiser 1868-1953, Author

Enjoy the long weekend.

Rainy Day

About 3 am this morning the thunder was sounding in the distance. By 4:00 it was raining and the thunder and lightning was putting on quite a show. As I write it is raining again and I am thankful that all of our trees and flowers are getting a drink without the effort of dragging a hose around to water our newer trees and plantings. It saved the day for me!!

My thoughts this morning go along the lines of being quiet. Guy Finley had a quote the other day on his website that says: "There is nothing as certain as silence, stillness, and solitude to introduce you to the secrets of yourself." Not only do you find "yourself" in the stillness but you find God. "Be still and know that I am God". Psalm 46:10.

These are the times when there is noise all around us. Many people have to have the radio on, the TV blaring, music going, or talking with friends. All those things are good but when is the quiet time to contemplate? Years ago I heard that a person that has to have some kind of "noise" always coming into their ears is one that does not like to be alone with their own thoughts.

We need time to meditate. We need a time to be quiet and still our mind from all the stress of the day or the stressful times in which we live. We can either just sit quietly or even lay down for a few minutes to relax every muscle.

Even when we seem to have time we tend to fill it with busy thoughts, phone calls, TV or any number of activities. Maybe we should arrange in each day a little time to think about our day and cultivate an attitude of gratitude. We don't usually have any trouble finding time to think of negative things, like what someone said or did to us, all the bad news we hear on TV, the political scene, etc.

Remember the quote on The Secret: "What we think about we bring about". So what are we thinking about. Are our thoughts building or tearing down? Are they relieving us from stress or adding to the problems?

"Quiet time to be alone is not an optional nicety; nor is it just for the retired, the lazy, or those naturally inclined. It is for all of us. It is valuable time well spent. And above all, it needs no justification other than its own noble purpose: to become more fully awake and to remember what you most need to remember about yourself and your life." David Kundtz’s Quiet Mind

Just something to think about! Have a great day!

A violinist

You may have received this story in an email but I thought it was worth putting here. It makes you stop and think about our lives... if we would have been any different than these people. I googled the name to find out about this guy and found out the story is real.


Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A violinist played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3 year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes: The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. He collected $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written with one of the most beautiful instruments ever built... How many other things are we missing?