No one (except maybe my kids) likes to “sleep in” more than I. Even now after having to get up early for most of my life, I love those days where I can just roll over and get just a few more “zzzz’s”

When my oldest started school, I had the hardest time waking up a little earlier than he so that I could have a few moments of quiet and get his lunch packed and breakfast ready. So many mornings I would jump up just in time to get him up. Rush around so that he was not late to school and then collapse back at home after dropping him off. Not a good way to start my mornings. But I was stubborn. I soooo wanted that little bit of extra sleep that I was willing to suffer the consequences of the mad scramble each day.

Because of my affinity for sleep, I used to hate to read Psalm 63:1…“early will I seek thee…” I would respond in my mind with, “Hey, God made me this way. He understands I don’t “do” mornings. Plus, we’re under grace not law, right?” But as we all know, the day seems to have a life of its own and before we know it we’re falling into bed maybe with a prayer and a proclamation of “tomorrow will be different” only to wake up the next morning to the “get-ready-for-school-scurry” or the “hurry-up-hustle”.

Well, this note is not to beat you over the head for not getting up early to do your quiet time, though I did figure out that my day goes a lot better when I do. Maybe because getting up early is not as much of an issue for me any more (notice I said “as much”), but what I do have trouble with is coming to God “early” with my problems, as in early in the process. Too often I try to figure it out on my own THEN seek God’s guidance, counsel and wisdom.

The verse “seek first the Kingdom of God…” comes to mind. We can try to change the verse to “seek at my earliest convenience the Kingdom…” and believe me I’ve tried. I’ve tried to have my quiet time at my convenience and I’ve tried fixing my problems (usually for my convenience) only seeking God when I just can’t figure it out. Neither is effective. I encourage you today to not wait for the convenience of time or circumstance to seek God. Seek Him early, convenient or not.

Here are a few of the daily vitamins from his book. If you like these, I encourage you to visit his website at www.KinderBrothers.com and order a few copies. They make great gifts.

Vitamin #131
“The Middle of every successful project looks like a disaster.” Rosabeth Moss Cantor

In the middle of a project, don’t step back and take a look at where you are. Keep your eye on where you’re going. Keep on keeping on.

Vitamin # 149
“To bring out the best in others, give the best of yourself.” Harvey S. Firestone

Whether you are a parent, teacher or a business leader, you are always trying to get the best out of others. Harvey S. Firestone taught me that in order to bring out the best in others you must always give the best of yourself. I have found that when I give the best of myself and believe the best about others, everybody is a winner.

Vitamin # 181
“The most important things in your home are the people.”

Many people acquire assets. They buy grown-up toys. The most important thing in any home or any business, is the people. Be sure you are building relationships for these are things that last.

Vitamin #255
“He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread, but he that followeth after vain persons, shall have poverty enough.” Proverbs 28:19

There are two great messages here:
• Do your work, it can cure a lot of your ills and you will always have money.
• Keep away from people who are not focused on the right things. If you are going to follow someone, make sure they are going where you want to go and that they are out in front of you.

Thelma Wells (Mama T) is Speaking for our luncheon in June!
You won’t want to miss this special event.
Join us on
Tuesday,
JUNE 25, 2013
12:00 – 1:00pm
Positive Woman Connection

PRESTONWOOD COUNTRY CLUB
15909 PRESTON ROAD
$20 Fabulous Buffet Luncheon

Email: dskell@RoaringLambsMinistries.org
Or call Donna Skell at 972.380.0123

I was reading recently a marriage devotional called “Make Someone Happy”. The author was not talking about only making your spouse happy, but the people around you who might be watching your marriage play out. Interesting concept.

Ron and I have been married over 33 years. That seems to be quite an accomplishment this day and time. Believe me, it hasn’t been “marital bliss” all of those years. Getting married at age 19 and 20…well, you can imagine, we had a lot of growing up to do and thinking of each other’s happiness much less anyone else’s, was not a top priority for either of us. I’m really afraid to think what someone watching us would have thought about marriage. There are probably some single people out there now who called off their weddings after watching our attitudes. Ha! Oh dear.

I think one of my favorite things to see is two people who are obviously in love well into their latter years of life. I love hearing about 30, 40, 50, and yes 60 or more anniversary celebrations. Watching an older couple hold hands, sit on the same side of the booth or just have a friendly conversation is so heart-warming to me. While we are not (hopefully) in our latter years of life, I want people to look at us as inspiration and not dread.

One morning while on vacation, we stopped at the Original Pancake House for breakfast. As some of you know, OPH is the traditional hangout for, well let’s say those who have more experience and maturity than some of us. We sat at a table for 2 and watched as one couple in their 70′s pulled in to the parking lot. The husband waited so patiently for his wife, who used a cane, to get out of the car. They walked in together and sat on the same bench. Another elderly couple, sat across from each other and shared their breakfast. The waitress knew their names and their “usual”. They didn’t even have to ask the waitress for a piece of foil to wrap the extra bacon in-she just brought it to her like she’s probably done many times before.

Watching these couples gave me such hope and assurance that there are people in the world who cherish the richness of having a marriage and relationship “’til death do we part”. Knowing someone so well that their thoughts are in your mind before they speak them. Caring for someone so much that your needs are rarely thought of for yourself because they are already taken care of by the person you’ve chosen to cherish. I aspire to that kind of marriage and in the process I hope it makes someone else happy as well.

“Make someone happy today–by loving your spouse. You may not realize who is watching, but I’ll guarantee you this: someone is.” Gary Thomas-Devotions for a Sacred Marriage

This past Memorial Day our family gathered together to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. I was blessed with an amazing dad. He taught us not only by his words but by his example. I thank the Lord for allowing me to grow up in a home with such a wonderful family leader. Some of the qualities I admire most about him are his:
Integrity
Love for the Lord
Honor to his parents
Consistency
Strength
Wisdom
Compassion
Thoughtfulness
Generosity
Love for our country
And of course, positive attitude in life
I could go on and on about all that I admire about him.

Father’s Day gives us that opportunity to let our dads know how thankful we are for them, so I want to encourage you to use this day to offer your dad encouragement and love. Perhaps you didn’t have a dad who was present in your life, or maybe he was a very difficult or painful person in your past. This may be a day to ask God to help you forgive the past hurts and move on past the pain. No matter what your earthly father is like, we do have the reassurance that we have a loving Heavenly Father. He hears our prayers and cares for our needs. I want to encourage you to look to Him to meet your emotional needs and heal your hurting heart.

No matter what your dad may have been like, let us all determine to build into the next generation by teaching and living out the qualities we desire to see in our kids lives. We may not be perfect, but our Heavenly Father is. We can go to Him and ask Him to pour His love through us as we touch the lives of our family.

Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther’s honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone. Esther 2:16-18

Esther was in what appears to be a glorious place. Xerxes, the king of Media and Persia, certainly loved and adored her. He even declared a holiday in her honor. If only we could live out all the days of our marriages in similar wedding-day bliss! It seemed that Esther would be happy forever in her position as queen.
Then her circumstances changed. The Israelites, who were living in exile in Persia, were being threatened with death. An Israelite herself, Esther was the only person in a position to appeal to the king. The problem was, she had not been invited to see the king in over a month—imagine that, after Xerxes made such a great declaration of love!—and anyone who approached the king without an invitation put his or her life on the line.
What did Esther do? She took her insecurity to the only one who could provide security: God. She asked the Israelites to pray and fast for three days. She recognized that her life was in God’s hands.
What do you with your insecurities? Do you take them to your loving heavenly Father, or do you try to handle your circumstances yourself? Perhaps your marriage, like Esther’s, has moved away from wedding-day spectacular and settled into a distant connection. There is hope! God worked in a miraculous way in Esther’s life when she cried out for help and then left the results to him. Let’s be positive, courageous women who place our hope and security in God. People and circumstances may not be secure, but our God is faithful and unchanging.

“Mighty Lord, I praise you, because you are my rock and my refuge. I can run to you and find strength and hope. Thank you for always being with me and for the great security I feel in you. I trust your love for me. Father, I ask that you continue to strengthen me. Help me to keep my eyes on you, for you are trustworthy and unchanging. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen.”

When my daughter, Allie Beth was about 13 she was in competitive cheerleading. She was a “flyer” which meant she was the one standing on someone’s shoulders and/or being thrown into the air and caught (hopefully). It was scary and she didn’t really like it, but that was her position.

As her team was preparing to go into their first competition she told me that she didn’t think she could do it. She didn’t think she could stand on someone’s shoulders without falling. “I don’t want to fall” she kept saying. I told her that the mind couldn’t process the word “don’t”. So she must tell it what she wants to happen not what she doesn’t want to happen.

She looked confused. So I said, “Don’t think about a pink elephant.” She closed her eyes. I said, “What are you thinking about?” She said “A pink elephant”. I said, “But I told you NOT to think about a pink elephant”. She said, “Do it again.” “Don’t think about a pink elephant” I said. “Blue, blue blue blue blue” were the words coming out of her mouth. When I asked what she was doing, she said “I’m thinking about a blue elephant.” She got it! Say what you WANT to happen not what you don’t want to happen!! Oh and she “flew” without falling.

The Lord instructed the Israelites to get twelve stones from the river bed and set them up at camp as a memorial for them to remember what God had done. Joshua said, “In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you will tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel.”

God not only wanted His people to remember what He had done, but He also wanted them to remind their children over and over again. Just as we should never forget the sacrifice our veterans gave for this country, so we should never forget the blessings God has given us each day. In Deuteronomy 8 God warned the Israelites, “When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations and laws.”

Let us be faithful to remember God’s goodness, mercy and care. Most importantly may we remember the sacrifice He made in sending His only Son to pay the penalty for our sin. Let’s take time every day to stop and remember God’s goodness and mercy toward us.

This powerful story reminds us to bring our worries and difficulties to God. He cares for our needs, and will give us direction and provision. Several other great truths that we glean from this story are:
• Focus on what you do have rather than worrying about what you don’t have.
• Recognize the importance of community and reaching out to others.
• Do not neglect the still time alone with God.
• Give God the talents you have and watch Him do great and mighty things.
• Step forward in faith, courage and obedience.
• God is generous with love, wisdom and grace.

May God continue to impact your life in a powerful way as you allow Him to take your gifts and talents and use them in ways beyond what you can ask or imagine.

During the summer, we will be taking a break in our Allen and Grapevine groups. You can join us on June 25 in North Dallas with our special guest speaker, Thelma Wells. Mark your calendars – more details to come.

We, as believers, must walk our talk or better put, God’s talk. Additionally, we must stop representing our faith as judgmental, holier than though hypocrites. Am I guilty of this? Of course I am, as are 100% of you. We must stop hating the sinner and only hate the sin. We as Christians are called to love others as Christ loves us. That means everyone at all times. Not only are we to do this ourselves, and here’s the tricky part, we need to stand up to other believers who aren’t representing our God as they should. That means calling each other out (in love).

Let me make this clear; I’m not saying we need to close our eyes to all the evil around us and live in a bubble. We have to fight it. Evil is everywhere we turn. We must “live in this world, not of this world” John 17:14-16. I am just saying that we need to love on people. Show them through our words AND actions, what it means to be a follower of Christ. No, don’t start preaching fire and brimstone to every “sinner” you see. Just love them, nurture them and make it impossible for them to not want to come to you and say “I want what you have, how do I get it”.

We as Christians and especially parents must, stop judging, hating, gossiping and looking at people funny. Stop ignoring the homeless guy or the teenager with pink hair and piercings and give them a smile and a kind “Hello” and when called, a helping hand. Start representing the perfect Man who died a brutal, unimaginable death for you, a sinner, by loving others with kindness, empathy and most importantly, your Christ like words and actions. Finally, you, as a mom, know all too well, that our kids learn by watching us, not by listening to us. We need to teach by our example, how to be a true believer.
Written By Kelley Gatewood