Joy

Good morning my dear sisters and friends,

As I sit on my couch, listening to the rain and fighting the urge to focus on everything that's not "right" in my life at the moment I am reminded that .....

Joy is a decision!

When we are tempted to dwell in sadness or disappointments you can choose instead to think on those things that are of good report and praiseworthy. We can choose to focus our attention on our father and his love letter to us. We can opt to walk in faith and not doubt. Sometimes joy comes easy and natural, and sometimes you have to go and get it....on purpose! If you are having one of those really tough days, then reach out to one of your girls and be reminded of where you can get some joy;-).

Have a wonderful joyous day,

~bdr

Praise Report: Family Member Surgery

Hi All - I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Thank you for your prayers regarding my uncle's surgery. He made it through the open heart surgery and 3 day recovery period well; his aorta has been fully repaired. He is still in the hospital for observation purposes until Wednesday of this week, but the prognosis is great and he's in high spirits, which is a blessing!

Thanks again for your prayers and be blessed!
Kristina

Success Mantras

I have several success mantras that I like to recite to myself from time to time. Here are a few that I wanted to share; perhaps you will find them useful as well.

• If you will do diligently what most people won't, you will soon have what most people want.
• Extraordinary people do regularly what ordinary people do irregularly.
• Your attitude determines your altitude
• Money is a terrible master but a wonderful slave.

~Barbara

Memory Scripture 8

2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Psalms 118:1
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
(also found in Psalms 118:29, 136:1, 136:2, 136:3 and 136:26)

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Message translation: Let every detail in your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Prayer Request: Family Member Surgery

Good Evening Ladies,

Please keep my Uncle Charles in your prayers over the next few days. My family has just been informed that he has an aneurysm on his aorta and will be taken in for surgery tomorrow for 4 - 6 hours beginning at 1 PM. Please pray that the Lord is in the midst of the operation, the hands of the doctors are steady throughout the procedure, and that my uncle has a speedy recovery without any complications afterwards.

May God bless you for your prayers,
Kristina

Memory Scripture 7

2 Corinthians 10:4 - 5

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

I love how vs 5 is written in the message bible:
We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

In the words of my dear friend Tara, when it's all said and done, spiritual warfare is "it is written." Don't you just love it? Doesn't that simple definition take the fear and spookiness out of warfare? Everything we do, say or think should be rooted in the foundation of God's Word. This takes me back to Tamara's post on "The Center." If we are to be salt in this Earth and live the life that God fashioned just for us, our center, our core, our compass - must be His Word.

Yep, even now, even this moment i'm having to smash warped thoughts. Food for thought, sometimes you can't fight a thought with a thought. You have to fight a thought with verbal words. Not sure if it's just me but I can't seem to think and talk at the same time. So when it appears that the thoughts are winning and my "thinking" on God thoughts is not enough, I open my mouth and guess what - GAME OVER - I win everytime.

***revisit memory scripture 1 and what it means to mediate as we are instructed to do in Joshua 1:8.