WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD ... make this world a happier place!

What causes irritation in your life? If you are anything like me, at times, it can be the slightest thing that irritates me. In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question: "When do you find yourself to be most irritable?" The top 3 answers were:

1. 37% of those voting said that they are most irritated when someone breaks a promise to them.
2. 33% of those polled said that they are most irritated when they are at Wal-Mart!

3. 29% voted and said that they become irritated first thing in the morning, before they even have a cup of coffee!

To be irritable basically means that you are "near the point of a knife". In other words, you are not far from from the edge of the sword. You are locked, loaded and ready to aim or overreact. There are many reasons we arrive at this point, most likely it is not because of the cashier at Wal-Mart. Most likely, something has occurred to stress you out prior to arriving at Wal-Mart but your irritation just boils up and over when the cashier does not greet you politely! Stress can weigh us down, it drains our energy and gives us an open invitation to be down right cranky!

We all have a "bad" day here and there, but if you are irritable by nature, then possibly there is a problem. When under pressure, does love escape from your lips? When we walk in love, we will strive to be a joy and not a jerk.

Next time you feel irritable, ask yourself this: "Am I a calming breeze or am I just a storm waiting to happen?"

PROVERBS 16:32 " He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city."

Releasing love instead of irritation will channel patience and encouragement instead of anger and exasperation towards those around you. Choose today to react to those tough situations with love instead of irritation. It will make this world a happier place!

A PIECE OF MY HEART ... What would you grab?

I have often wondered if my house was on fire, what would be the one or two things that I would quickly try to grab before making my exit. Of course, number one I would make sure all of my family got out safely. Everything else inside the house probably could be replaced but my kids and my husband ... that's a different story!

But if I had a chance to grab a thing or two besides them, I would most definetly want to grab some photo's. Such memories as graduations and weddings and birthdays cannot ever be recaptured. The other memory keeper I would want to grab is my Bible. My Bible is chocked full of memories. Verses highlighted that God has spoken loud and clear to me with and pages that are worn ever so lightly from hours of study.

My Bible is like oxygen to me. There is no other book like it. A.W. Tozer wrote this:

"The purpose of the Bible is to bring men to Christ, to make them holy and prepare them for heaven. In this it is unique among books, and it fulfills its purpose."

As Christians, we are called to share God's Holy Word with a world that is desperate to hear the Truth. The Bible is a priceless gift, a tool for Christians to use as they share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Unfortunetly, too many Christians keep their spiritual tool tighlty closed and out of sight. Too many times, the only time the Good Book is picked up is on the way out the door on Sunday morning.

I know that if a fire consumed my house, and I was unable to grab my Bible in time - I could always go down to the local Christian bookstore and buy another. But when a Bible is read and used, it doesn't take long before it fits like a glove. Using someone else's Bible always seems weird to me, it feels strange because MY Bible fits perfectly with me, because it is the tool that God has used to speak directly to me. Losing my Bible would be like air being sucked out of my lungs.

God's Holy Word is indeed, a priceless, one of a kind treasure. We need to handle it with care, but more importantly, we need to handle it everyday!

MATTHEW 4:4 "He answered, It is written: Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

This has been a piece of my heart today!

Watch it burn!

One of my favorite things to do in the spring and fall is to build a big bonfire. Sitting around the campfire while camping is the greatest way to relax in my opinion. I love it so much that a couple years ago we bought a firepit for our backyard so we can sit around a fire for hours. Listening to the crackling wood, feeling the heat of the fire on my cheeks and roasting marshmellows ... it just doesn't get any better than this.

Stoking the fire takes a good pile of wood and some perseverance! The more wood and stoking, the bigger the fire. John Wesley said this:

"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn."

His words still ring true. When we fan the flames of enthusiasm for Christ, our faith serves as a beacon to others. Just as others can see our bonfire burning in our backyard ... we have people all around us who recognize the flames of enthusiasm for christianity. We either keep our spiritual fire stoked by the fruits being alive in our spirit or the flames have dwindled down to a slight ember from the lack of Spiritual growth.

Our world desperately needs faithful believers who share the Good News of Jesus with joyful exuberance. Be such a believer! Stoke your spiritual fire so others can watch it burn with passion!

JOHN 14:12 "I tell you the truth, whoever believes in me will do the same things that I do. Those who believe will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Wanting what I can't have!

Have you ever wanted something so badly but you couldn't have it? Maybe a new car? or a different job? Some of us not only dream of bigger/newer things but often times we dream about things that almost seem impossible to have.

Some of our dreams are shattered when we lose people that we love. This happens for different reasons, death, divorce, indifference, etc. The reason may differ but the feeling is the same ...we want badly what we used to have.

Too many times, I have seen people measure their success in life based on how many trophies they have. They base their fullfillment on whether or not all of their dreams have come true. People place their faith in things and people instead of placing their faith in God.

If we place our lives in God's hands, our faith is rewarded in ways that we as humans cannot fathom.

HEBREWS 11:6 "Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to HIm, must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him."

Trust God with every aspect of your life. When we draw near to Him, those things that seem unreachable will not seem so far away after all.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...strength for today!

I've been thinking about getting more in shape. Physically that is. I need to exercise more and eat better. My body (physically) needs alittle bit of toning, re-shaping and rebuilding. I need to find some more strength. Where do you go to find strength?

The gym?
The health food store?
The espresso bar?

Not only is my physical body in need of some strength but my spirit man is also in need! God is a never-ending source of strength and courage whenever I call upon Him. I love the scripture in Exodus that says "The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my victory. He is my God and I will praise Him." (Exodus 15:2)

Now THAT is the kind of strength I need...the kind that leads to victory! Have you tapped into the power of God? or are you muddling along under your own power? I am so thankful that God is my source for the strength needed for day to day!

I am blessed to be able to host THANKFUL THURSDAY this month, next month you will find us over at Lynn's Place. Please join your grateful heart with ours. HAPPY TT!

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD ... Love is not being rude!

Nothing irritates others as quickly as being rude. Rudeness is simply saying or doing things that are unpleasant for another person to be around. To be rude is to act unbecoming, embarrassing or irritating.

I bet that just described a person or two in your life...I know it did in mine!

I don't care what anyone says, being around a rude person is something that none of us enjoy. Rude behavior may seem insignificant to the one being rude, but how unpleasant is it to those on the receiving end?

a foul mouth

poor table manners

sarcastic remarks
cutting someone off in traffic

So...what does love have to do with any of this? ALOT! When someone is driven by love, they intentionally behave in a manner that is pleasant to be around. In other words, if you love someone, you will purposefully avoid saying or doing things that frustrate them.

Unfortunetly, old habits are hard to break. Some of us are still saying and doing things that we as Christians need to put away. Being rude may just be one of those old habits that needs to get buried. Rudeness is not gender related. Both men and women struggle with barking at strangers or pouting around the house. Rude behavior can also come in forms of talking on your cell phone during a lunch date, burping out loud at the table, snapping at the local store cashier or hanging up on a sales call.

Recently, I took a poll on the YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL and asked the following question, "Has anybody been rude to you this week?" The top 3 answers were:

1. 66% of those responding said that THEY themselves were the ones who had been rude.
2. 44% voted and said that their spouse had been rude to them.
3. Another 11% said that someone else had been rude to them.

This poll reveals to me that we all deal with this issue of rudeness. How interesting that the majority of us said that it was our own selves that were being rude. We recognize such behavior as soon as it comes out of our mouth ...don't we? It is my prayer that the things that come out of my mouth will be edifying and gracious to those who hear it.

ECC. 10:12 "The words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious."

Have you ever wished that those you love would quit doing the things that bother you? Maybe it is time to stop doing the things that bother them ~ for love is not being rude!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...What color shoes goes with camel?

Choosing the correct color of shoes to go with your outfit is one of the most important decisions you can make before walking out of the door. It is apparent to me that some people either do not have their own stylist or they are just plain color blind ... that is the only explanation I can think of as to why they would leave the house in THOSE shoes!!

Accessories can be just as important as the outfit! Have you ever considered what color shoes goes with camel? This is probably not a decision any of us have ever had to agonize over, but John the Baptist was known for his dress attire of camel.

MARK 1:6 "Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey."

It appears that John probably did not have his own stylist, but he would definetly get a thumbs up for being clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. He had cornered the market on his presentation of his garment of praise.

How would you look dressed in camel? Remember that your accessories are just as important as the outfit. Don't leave the house without your garment of praise (compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience).

 Before you think your shoes won't match your camel outfit... just remember that the devil wears Prada!!

and this has been a piece of my heart today;