THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY ~ Found Money ~ June 30, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
A strange thing happened to me on my morning walk. I usually walk two miles every morning with my husband but today he was off mowing our daughter’s lawn. I decided to stick my ear plugs in and enjoy some music as I walked alone. I met a few people on my path. One was a jogger, one was a biker and one was a mother with two young boys. As I walked along enjoying the music, I spotted a sealed envelope on the grassy boulevard that obviously all three of these people had missed. Initially, I thought someone had dropped a piece of mail so I picked it up and thought I would just pop it in the mail box for them. On closer inspection, I could see through the holes in the envelope that there was cash inside because I could see a $50 bill. On the front of it was written the name Gina ($200).
I have found money before but it is usually in the form of coins. I have also found the odd paper money but never have I found $200. About 30 years ago I found a $1 bill that has “Jesus Loves You” written on it and I still have it folded up in my wallet today. When I find this kind of money, it feels good. However, finding this $200 did not feel good at all. It reminded me of when my teenage daughter had a paper route. She was supposed to go shopping after school and when she used the rest room, she accidentally forgot her cash in an envelope by the sink. There was $100 in it and she was absolutely heartsick that no one turned it in. We helped her out by giving her some money but she has never forgotten that moment and neither have I.
Today when I found that cash, in my mind, I saw my heartsick daughter. I knew in my heart I wanted to make every effort to find Gina. I never opened the envelope nor did I put it in my pocket. I hoped someone would see me carrying it and claim it. I held it my hand visible for anyone to see. I kept my eyes open for someone who might be searching for it. As I backed tracked, I ran into the woman with the young boys but now she was alone. Her back was to me but I could see that she was on the phone. She didn’t seem to be looking for a lost envelope but I decided to call out to her anyways….
To be continued tomorrow….
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BLOG HOPPING DAY ~ Who Are You Performing For? ~ June 29, 2011
I feel so fortunate to find these little gems along the way and to have the opportunity to share them with all of you. I don’t know everything, nor do I have all the answers. This is the reason I want to share other people’s knowledge and insights when I come across a pertinent article.
This is just a short snippet from Sandra’s article. In it, she writes about the difference between performing for God and performing for others. She states, “Performing for others will yield power struggles, anger, rejection, sadness and so forth. Performing for others can sometimes be abusive….”
If you are interested in reading the whole article please visit : Who Are You Performing For
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES AND ANECDOTES ~ Regrets ~ June 28, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
How many of us live without regrets? No one…I am sure! How many of us repeat the same mistakes over and over again? If we don’t learn from our mistakes, this is exactly what we will do. Often times, I will ask myself the rhetorical question of why a certain situation arises over and over again. My daughter’s answer is that I didn’t learn my lesson the first time around.
When history repeats itself, even if the players are different, I try to remember my daughter’s words. When a situation keeps revisiting me, I have no choice but to acknowledge and accept that there is a life lesson in it for me. It’s up to me to figure out what it is and perhaps I will have fewer regrets and more learning power. Wisdom…
BOOK REVIEW ~ His Love For Lexi ~ June 27, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
AUTHOR : Kasandra Jamison
TITLE: His Love For Lexi
PUBLISHER: Tate Publishing & Enterprises
As soon as I started reading His Love For Lexi, it brought me back to my own youth and innocent dreams. There is a brief prologue explaining that Lexi has been stood up by her boyfriend Jeff at their prom. She is totally ashamed and immediately afterwards, decides to leave town in order to get away from her embarrassment. Lexi never gives Jeff the opportunity to explain his absence. Jeff, on the other hand has a secret that he is very reluctant to share with Lexi. He fears he will lose her if he does. Never having the opportunity to explain his actions, Jeff mourns the loss of their relationship as does Lexi. Neither one of them finds the true love that they once shared, although, they both decide to keep their distance and make no effort to reach out to each other.
Five years later, after absolutely no contact with Jeff, Lexi returns to her hometown for family reasons. There are many twists and turns as the plot unfolds which revolve around revenge, greed, lust for money and power. It is necessary for Jeff and Lexi to learn how to set aside their pride as they work through their conflicts. It is also vital for them to relearn how to trust each other after all the secrets are revealed. They discover that they are not the only ones with family secrets which adds to the interesting plot.
His Love For Lexi is a well written book for the young at heart. It is a romance novel that is suitable for young adults and up. Kasandra’s morals and values shine through as she lets her story unfold. Her faith in God is apparent as she manages to incorporate her own beliefs into the story line.
Well done Kassie!
To learn more please visit Tate Publishing.
SPIRITUAL SATURDAY ~ INSPIRATIONAL POEMS ~ The Lamb ~ June 25, 2011 by Charles Betts
INSPIRATIONAL POEMS
I am the Lamb the Good Shepherd would hold
Protected from heat and sheltered from cold
Then I got rebellious, wouldn’t do what I was told
One day I decided to run away from the fold
I ran away under cover of night
As hard as I could to get out of His sight
I didn’t stop running until I saw morning light
Back when it happened I thought I was right
I went to the city and joined in with the crowd
I went to the parties and learned to be loud
They all seemed to like me. I became proud
I did what I wanted because I was allowed
I never once thought the Good Shepherd would leave
The ninety and nine, this poor lamb to retrieve
He didn’t love me, is what I chose to believe
I lied to myself. Myself I deceived
I had a good time for quite a few years
No inhibitions. I overcame all of my fears
There were only good times. No sorrows, no tears
Then I realized, life is not what it appears
I began to get lonely. My friends went away
My health began failing. I could no longer play
I had no one to listen to what I had to say
I cried every night and was sad every day
Then it happened to me, right out of the blue
I heard the Good Shepherd say “I’m looking for you
Your life that is ruined, I will make it brand new”
I felt so guilty, I didn’t know what to do
The day Jesus found me I was filled with despair
I was all by myself. I had no one to care
Who I thought were my friends were no longer there
I was useless to them. I had nothing to share
This time I answered when He called out my name
“I’m here to help you and I’ve taken your shame”
He lifted me gently and healed all my pain
I am so glad to be in His arms once again
I am the Lamb the Good Shepherd now holds
Protected from heat and sheltered from cold
No longer rebellious, I do what I am told
I’m just so happy to be back in the fold
Now I feel safe and I sleep well at night
Knowing I am never really out of His sight
I waken with joy to face each morning’s light
And I know in my heart that this is what’s right
A Poem By Charles Betts
Apr 12th 2011
Great Poem Charles…thanks!
Critical Thinking versus Criticism ~ June 24, 2011
This is a short follow-up to yesterday’s post.
In his book Becoming Human, Jean Vanier writes “Wisdom grows when we cast a critical eye not only on ourselves but also on the group to which we belong.”
Let us not confuse critical thinking with criticism; let us be willing to search our spiritual home to see whether there is any use of fear and control that can lead to spiritual abuse. Let us promote a safe environment for wounded people to tell their stories and find healing just as I did in the adult class led by a member of our profession in our church nearly twenty years ago. With God’s grace, the faith that hurts can also heal. (Source Unknown)
What do you think?
THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY ~ FIRST THINGS FIRST~ June 23, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
Not too long ago, I wrote an article titled, Confidence In God. If you happened to read it, I was referring to a little booklet my that dad gave me many years ago. Today, I would like to share a passage with you from that booklet.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
“From our childhood many of us have been told more of the punishments God has in store for us if we fail to please Him than the rewards He looks forward to giving when we do please Him….The first thing in loving our Lord is to believe Him lovable. What are the sort of persons one loves? First, they must be easy to get on with. How many in their heart of hearts think our Lord easy to get on with? We think Him touchy, unapproachable, easily annoyed or offended. And yet all this fear of Him pains Him very much. Would our father wish us to hang our heads, be shy and shrinking in his presence? How much less so our Heavenly Father? He has an almost foolish love for us.” (Rev. Daniel Considine)
How many of you can relate to this quote? How many of you can think back to your childhood and remember the fear that was instilled in you? How many of you remember hearing about the fires of eternal damnation and that you would burn there if you didn’t do what God wanted? Yes…we learned full well the punishments of God!
On the other hand, how many of you ever heard that God loved you?
In all the teachings I learned as a child, I never once recall hearing the word LOVE to describe how God felt about me or anyone else for that matter. If you are in my age bracket, the word God and LOVE, never went hand in hand. The word reward was never heard either. The word punishment definitely was used to describe what God was all about and what His plans for us would be if we didn’t tow the line. How much damage was done to some of the children of my era? Are you one of them?
I think Rev. Daniel Considine has it right. It took me twenty-five years to write I’m Not Perfect & It’s Okay. It’s hard to believe it took me that long to put pen to paper but in actuality it took me that long to garner the courage and determination to set the record straight. God loves me, warts and all and He loves you too!
BLOG HOPPING DAY ~ Humility ~ June 22, 2011
Many times in life, we will come across a post or passage that we couldn’t express any better even if we tried. This article by Jan Coates is an example of one such article.
She starts off by saying…We in America are definitely not a humble bunch. We see magazines, newspapers, and televisions filled with information on how to build ourselves up, how to increase our self-esteem, and how to be bigger and better than the rest of the world…
I hope you will take a few moments to read Jan’s entire article as she shares so much about herself and her beliefs. Please visit Humility. Thanks Jan for being so open and honest!
BOOK REVIEW ~ Roses Are Red ~ June 20, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
