Last night, one of my Facebook friends posted that he saw the legendary Al Green perform at an outdoor concert in Buckhead, GA (North Atlanta). I thought, "Wow!" I love Al Green! I know this sounds corny, but...when I go back to Cincinnati to visit my brothers and sisters...one of my brothers (who is also my best friend) pulls out some Al Green for me. And I always end up dancing around the room to "Let's Stay Together." :)

http://youtu.be/COiIC3A0ROM - "Let's Stay Together"

One of my Facebook girlfriends posted this..."Don't confuse your path with your destination.  Just because it's stormy now doesn't mean that you aren't headed for sunshine."

This is good..."What you allow is what will continue."

I like this..."If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside."

One of my special Facebook friends posted this, and I think it's awesome..."As I attempt to acknowledge how incredible You are, I become speechless at the thought of Your name. Your ways are awesome...Great God that you are!!!!!!!!"-REK

"Sometimes, we don't need advice. We just need somebody to listen."-K-Love

"If you walk in wisdom, you will find peace."-JM

 

 

"Learn from your past mistake and resolve not to repeat it. Then let it go."-JM

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!"-Rocky Balboa

"You see, we tend to think of the world as revolving around us. We are the star of our own films. We are the featured characters of our own novels. And then, when something bad happens, the first thing we want to know is, "Why is this happening to me?" But the bigger picture, ultimately, is God's glory—not our personal happiness. So let's just leave things in the hands of God. We don't know the whys. But we do know this: God has a plan."-Harvest Daily Devotional

I came across this several times..."You can’t start the next chapter of your life, if you keep re-reading your last one."

I just came across this on Facebook..."I was going to complain about the heat today, but then I realized...It isn't 120 degrees. I'm not 5,700 miles from home. I'm not dressed in full uniform. I'm not carrying 70+ lbs. of gear. There is little chance of me driving over a bomb today! Thanks To All Who Serve."

"You might be embarrassed by your past choices and actions. But, you’re wiser, stronger, more tenacious and resilient. Because of these things, when you praise God, you’re praising Him for not giving up on you when all looked lost. Go ahead…give Him Glory!"-TDJ

 

Today, while I was out running errands, I heard this on the K-Love radio station. My eyes began to fill with tears, and there was a tug on my heart. So, I pulled over and wrote the words down..."How many times, in your life, have people hurt you and all you wanted to know was...Why?"

"If you can believe that God, Who is perfect, loves you, then you can believe that you are worth loving."-JM

"The enemy is gambling on you not being able to let go of the pettiness of your past and look up to see what God has in store for you."-TDJ

 

This makes me smile..."Who would have thought that after being locked up in cell block B with a guy called Bobo, Joseph, the next day, would be controlling the wealth of an entire nation? Serves to remind that there is life after hard times!"-TDJ

"Even your enemies are serving God's purpose!. They don't know that, when they locked you out, they thought they were fighting you; but, they were really being an instrument in the hand of God. They were God's servants locking you out of what He didn't want you to have, so that they could usher you into what God had for you."-TDJ

 

Today, when I saw these words, I was reminded of these words..."If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...Let It Go!"

"You can’t get what God has for you until you look up at Him. Looking down will make you see what hurts you and weakens you. Looking up will make you see Who strengthens and establishes you."-TDJ

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."-1 Peter 5:10

"We need to agree with God that when He created us, He created something good."-JM

 

When I saw this, it made me smile...and it made me think of these words..."What matters most is how you see yourself." :)

"The real test in life is not based on what happens to you for the rain falls on the just and the unjust. It’s not what happens to you that matters; it’s how you handle it."-TDJ

 

Today, my youngest son, Drew, is 26 years old. I've been thinking, over the past several days, about how much he has blessed my life with hope, fun, compassion, understanding, and love. Drew is a treasure and a wonderful young man. I am so thankful, happy, and proud that he is my son! Happy Birthday, Drew! ♥

 

One of my Facebook friends posted this Marine story. This is one of the reasons I love Facebook! ... A Marine Corps sergeant took a new job as a high school teacher. Just before the school year started, he injured his back. He was required to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. Fortunately, the cast fit under his shirt and wasn't noticeable.

On the first day of class, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in the school. The smart-alec punks, having already heard the new teacher was a Marine, were leery of him and he knew they would be testing his discipline in the classroom. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom and not saying a word, the Marine opened the window wide and sat down at his desk. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he pulled the staple gun from his briefcase and stapled the tie to his chest. Dead silence.... He had no trouble with discipline the rest of the year.

I came across this the other day, and I've been thinking on it. Then, today, I came across it again..."Worship washes your spirit, worship renews your mind. In fact you cannot worship and be anything at the same time. When you start worshiping God, He flirts through your soul. He gives you peace. He gives you your stability. So, while you sit there with your lips glued together and your mummified self too cute to worship, you’re missing the best therapy that your soul needs."-TDJ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2nLyfzBfKw ~ Here I am to Worship (Chris Tomlin)

My smile & grin for today..."Why does Sonic ask you, "fries or tots?" when...every time you get them...you have half and half?"-LD

 

"God loves us. Don't rush over that, and don't misunderstand it. Let it sink in. God loves you. Human love is fickle. It fluctuates. It comes and goes. But God's love for us is consistent and never changes. God's love for us is everlasting."-Harvest Daily Devotional

 

"After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure, you really are strong, and you really do have worth. And you learn...and you learn...with every goodbye, you learn."-Veronica A. Shoffstall

 

 

I just read these words, and my eyes teared up..."In every journey comes a moment – one like no other. And in that moment, you must decide who you are and who you want to be. This is your opportunity to grow or simply go on existing."-J.C. Marino

 

Today, June 20th, is my oldest son's 30th birthday. When we came to Oklahoma, he was 10. Now, I ask myself, "How did we get from 10 to 30 so fast?" Time goes so fast. I am so thankful to God for giving me such an amazingly awesome son! Jason has blessed my life for 30 years. He has brought me so much joy, hope, and special life moments. I pray he has the "bestest" birthday EVER...as he turns 30 in one of his most favorite cities in the world...Barcelona, Spain. Happy Birthday, Jason! ♥

 

I'm not sure exactly why, but this quote made me smile. Perhaps, it is because I can personally relate to it. :) ... “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”-Mike Tyson

I like this..."The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words."

I came across this scale, along with this question..."What spiral are you on?" (click on the picture to enlarge)

"There is power in what you've been through. Never despise what God used to make you. God used lions, bears, and rejection to make David. He used jealousy, slavery, and prison to make Joseph. He used isolation from family to make Abraham. Whatever you have been through God has used to make you. All of it was working for your good. It may have gotten painful. It may have gotten foggy, but through it all, it was working for you and on you! Don't be ashamed or bitter. Process is a powerful ingredient used in promotion."-PTC

I like this..."I think what messes us up the most is that we all have this perfect picture in our minds of how things are supposed to be."

"Looking to others for happiness is next to unhappiness. The problem when we look for happiness in others, or rely on others to give us happiness, is that when they leave, they take our happiness with them. We are left with only one thing - ourselves.Thus, be happy with who we are when we meet them, so we won’t be unhappy when they leave."-Unknown

"Wisdom knows that if we need a change, we will not get it by continuing to do the same things we’ve always done."-JM

 

I came across this quote, and I thought, "Wow!"..."Here’s to the people who try their hardest to be good enough for everyone; who spend hours reading random quotes to find the right one; who listen to the same song dozens of times because the lyrics mean a lot; who deserve so much more than they get and are willing to fight for it and whose wish upon a shooting star was wasted on someone that will never care."-Unknown

It’s not whether or not the promise is coming. If God promised, He will deliver. The question is, “Will you believe Him and hold fast to what He said?” --TDJ

 

One of my special Facebook friends posted this, and I think it's awesome... "Father, thank you for your word; it's so true. Thank you for your judgment; it's so light. Thank you for your mercy; it's so patient. Thank you for your grace; it's so inexhaustible. Thank you for TODAY, because it could have ended yesterday.  But, above all--Thank you for YOU. Great GOD that you are!"-REK

I like this quote...“At one point I asked myself how I could go on living even though I didn’t want to live anymore. My first thought was that I had to live one day at a time but when I tried that, I discovered that was too much for me. I found that I had to learn to live as if I was learning to walk, first the right foot – then the left foot – repeat as often as possible. One day I will be running.”-LOGGA







I love this..."Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place."-J. Rumi



Since 2003, I've been waiting on a specific promise from God. So, this is my encouraging word for today..."When God’s promise has grown in the fertile ground of a faith-filled heart and reached the time of maturation, it will come to pass! It will be a direct result of the Presence of God and not human power."-TDJ

I like this..."If you feel like your life is a maze, keep your hand on the wall. Eventually, you will find your way out." :)



I really like this..."Sometimes, people throw away something good for something better, only to find out later that good was actually good enough and better never even came close."

I like this..."A negative mind is full of bad faith, which assumes the worsts, accuses the innocent, and creates a problem before it exists. A positive mind is full of good faith, which denotes sincere, honest intention or belief, regardless of the outcome of an action."

 

 

 

Yesterday, I came across these words, and I think this is really true..."People make mistakes because they are either trying or hurting."

This is my encouraging word for today..."So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."-Galatians 6:9

This morning, I came across this, and I have found it to be true..."You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will continue to bleed. You can bandage the bleeding with food, with alcohol, with drugs, with work, with cigarettes, with sex, but eventually, it will all ooze through and stain your life. You must find the strength to open the wounds, stick your hands inside, pull out the core of the pain that is holding you in your past, the memories, and make peace with them."