My Cross to Carry

A troubled and burdened man prayed and prayed that God would lift his burden. Day after day he prayed that his life would be easier and he begged for God's intervention.

One day, Jesus came to the man and asked, "My child, what troubles you?" The man replied that his life was full of turmoil and that it had become too much to bear. He again asked for help stating that he just couldn't continue to go on.

Jesus, feeling the man's anguish, decided help was in order. The man was so happy that his prayers were about to be answered that his burden already felt lighter.

Jesus took the man to a room and stopped in front of the door. When he opened the door, what the man saw was amazing. The room was filled with crosses; little crosses, big crosses, giant crosses. The man, bewildered, looked at Jesus and asked how this would help him. Jesus explained that each cross represented a burden that people carry; small burdens, big burdens, giant burdens -- and every burden in-between.

At this point, Jesus offered the man the opportunity to choose his burden. The man, so excited that he was finally able to have some control over his life, looked around the room for just the right cross. He saw a tiny little cross way back int he corner. It was the smallest cross in the room. After a bit of thought, he pointed to the cross and said, "That one, Lord. I want that one." Jesus asked, "Are you sure, my son?" The man quickly replied, "Oh, yes Lord. Most definitely, yes."

Jesus turned to the man and replied, "My child, you have chosen your own cross. It is the burden you already carry."

~Author Unknown~

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

"...if you've got young kids, it doesn't take long to realize that there won't be many Christmas seasons when the little ones will race downstairs in the morning to see what Santa brought. They won't always be eager to bake with you, spilling flour on the counter in their excitement. Eventually they won't care if you don't put up a giant tree or go caroling or make hot chocolate. They'll allow you to beg off making a snowman because you're tired. But there are only a few winters-and only a few days each winter when it's snowy and you all are home together-that your children will ask to make snowmen with you. Someday, perhaps, you will be staring at the snow from the too-simple room of a hospital or nursing home, dreaming of the days when making snowmen with your children was an option. This realization leads to a different question than that suggested by all these tips on simplifying the holidays. Namely, what are you saving your energy for? This is all there is. Anything could happen and you are not guaranteed another snowman. So make a fuss. Make a show. Spend your energy now."

~taken from What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam

Quote from Aristotle

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

~Aristotle

Helpful Tip Tuesday: Questions to Ask Yourself about Praise

1.  Am I a "fair-weather Christian" who praises the Lord only when all is well and my circumstances are ideal? (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

2.  Does my life lack that overflowing spirit of praise that characterizes those who are rooted, grounded, and established in the faith? (Colossians 2:6-7)

3.  Have I submitted myself to the Lord to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, by "continually praising and blessing God"? (Luke 24:53)

4.  Am I a "draw-back Christian" in whom God has no pleasure, because I withhold joyful, unceasing praises to my Lord? (Hebrews 10:38)

5.  Am I neglecting the thanksgiving and praise that are essential to an effective prayer life? (Philippians 4:6)

6.  Do I fully comprehend that every time I offer words of praise to God, I am truly glorifying Him? (Psalm 50:23)

7.  Am I experiencing the victory in spiritual warfare that can only be brought about through praise? (2 Corinthians 10:4)

~taken from There's Dynamite in Praise by Don Gossett

Helpful Tip Tuesday: 11 Questions Kids Can Ask A Grandparent

"If the conversation doesn't flow freely between your kids and their grands, consider these ways to jump-start it.

 1.  What was Daddy like as a kid? What was your favorite thing to do together?

 2.  How did you and Grandma first meet?

 3.  What jobs have you had? What was the        worst? The best?

 4.  Whom did you look up to when you were a      kid?

 5.  Can you tell me about the day Mommy was      born?

 6.  What kinds of toys did you like to play      with when you were little and what          activities did you do for fun?

 7.  What was your hardest chore as a kid?

 8.  Did you or Grandpa play a musical            instrument or a sport? Were you good at it?

 9.  In what ways are you and I the most          alike?

10.  Did my mom give you any trouble as a kid? Can you tell me a story about it?

11.  How did your family celebrate the            holidays when you were a child?"

~taken from Parents Magazine, pg. 183, Sept. 2014

Real Love

"A person who feels loved, lives with relief that they do not have to perform. They live with joy to know they are acceptable as they are. They live with hope because they are not alone."
~Sally Clarkson

Power Of Praise

Praise unlocks heaven's portals;

Praise causes doubts to cease;

Praise brings precious blessings;

Praise leaves the sweetest peace.

Praise breaks all bands asunder;

Praise sets the captives free;

Praise lightens every burden;

Praise is the master key.

Praise changes circumstances;

Praise establishes the heart;

When praise becomes perpetual,

Praise is a Holy Art.

-Francis Metcalfe

The Touch of the Master's Hand Poem

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune
All battered with bourbon and gin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on. 

He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

~Myra Brooks Welch

Quote from Beth Moore

Don't assume that God will always work in your life the way He always has. A sunset is proof that God colors outside the lines. He has no status quo. Even the laws of nature are His to interrupt. As many times as you've prayed before, today may be the day when God sends the answer so swiftly-so divinely-that you're windburned.

~Beth Moore

Quote from Ann Voskamp

"...it’s only when a woman knows her real identity that she can really defeat the enemy."

~Ann Voskamp

Quote from Corrie Ten Boom

You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.

~Corrie Ten Boom