Can't Insult Me

A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

There's a commercial I see frequently that always makes me smile. It's for MasterCard with Peyton Manning, the quarterback for the Indianopolis Colts. In the first scene, Peyton is waiting for the elevator in a hotel in New England with the bellhop. The bellhop tells Peyton "You're going down Manning" to which Peyton replies "Yep, 4th floor, going to get a massage, I'm excited." The next scene Peyton is in Cleveland and room service brings him a fruit basket telling him "Don't choke on it" and Peyton says "Good call, I'll cut it up and make a fruit salad." The final scene Peyton comes onto his balcony at his hotel in San Diego and says good morning to the maid cleaning on the next balcony to which she tells him "take a hike." Peyton tells her he's "going to do that, the weather here is sweet."

A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

I found this little prayer many, many years ago. I liked it then, I like it now.

Prayer of an Optimist by Jerry Spinelli
I saw a worm with an apple around it;
The tiniest speck of a bug flew into my eye, but I got it out before it drowned;
I flipped a coin and called heads - it came up tails -
Flipped it again and called tails - it came up heads -
Sure glad I'm not a coin, having to be wrong all the time;
I reached into a rosebush for a ball and got nicked by a thorn near the loveliest rose I've ever seen -
I wonder how long that proud bush had been trying to get my attention;
My tire went flat, so was my spare - I walked - I may never ride again;
For the fifteen thousand one hundred and first day in a row, I breathed approximately
twenty-six thousand times - That's - get this Westinghouse - nearly four hundred million without a failure!
And another Partly Sunny day tomorrow?
You're going to spoil me yet.

The next time I'm driving down I-235 and the car next to me honks and waves at me with their middle finger in the air, I'm going to smile widely and wave with my whole hand. Some people are so friendly.


Thanksgiving
1. Church and dinner with Dena and Greg last week.
2. The people in my small group.
3. The ladies in my Women of the Word group.
4. E-mails and text messages from Cody, Elizabeth, Carson and Carissa.
5. Phone calls from Rachel and Betty.
6. Hearing from a couple girls who graduated from Waukee a while back.

I Am Praying For
1. Tate.
2. Barack Obama and the leaders of our country.
3. The United States of America.
4. My D-group.
5. People who have lost jobs.

It's A New Year, So It Must Be Time For Resolutions

I'm hearing a lot these days about New Year's Resolutions. Certainly not a new phenomenon, but the topic you hear every single year at this time. The most popular seem to be to lose weight, eat better, stop smoking, start saving more money, etc. I don't really do resolutions because it feels like a setup for failure. I'm not going to go from eating Hostess cupcakes today to grapefruit tomorrow. Just ain't gonna happen sister. However, I do like to evaluate my life and see if I'm on the right track so to speak. So here I go.

Eating. My body is a "temple of God" so pouring donuts and Diet Pepsi into it probably isn't honoring my body as a temple. So I should eat better. There is always room for improvement there. And truthfully I have been eating better. Maybe not the five vegetables and fruits per day as recommended, but quite frankly if I get any in a day, I let myself feel pretty good about me.

Exercise. I actually don't mind exercising. Today at negative whatever below zero kept me from my hangout at Anytime Fitness, but I can be fairly regular. Of course, the challenge is not getting there, but working at a beneficial pace rather than just taking a stroll on the treadmill while watching the Today Show. Because it's so much more fun to just stroll. I try to be aware of how blessed I am that I am able to walk, to move. To dance if I feel like it although not if anyone is watching. Not everyone has that blessing.

Save money. I love to shop. But if a need comes up, I want to be in a position to write a check or give money in that instance. My work hours are Monday through Thursday noon to 5 so that give me a 3-1/2 day weekend every single week. I earn approximately 4 hours per pay period of PTO (paid time off) that I can use for vacation, if I get sick, etc. However, with a 3-1/2 weekend every week, I rarely dip into that PTO time and thus I have accrued quite a bit of time. With our Employee Giving Campaign we could give away PTO hours or if a fellow employee has a need for lots of hours due to illness or a family crisis. So with the number of hours I had built up, I have had the opportunity to give many of those hours away. That's how I visualize the money in my life. Have enough stored up to be able to give it away when I see a need. So, I'm becoming a relentless bargain shopper in all areas of my life and the truth is, the more you give away, the more you have.

To Know God. This is actually #1. When I am right with God and spending time in His Word and prayer, then the other stuff falls into place. I will never completely know God until I am no longer on earth, so it's a goal I won't achieve, but I think the journey is pretty fabulous. Because there are many circumstances where I am surrounded by people who do not know God, being with people who are committed to Him is a blessing I can't begin to describe. So keep strengthening relationships and being focused on knowing Him better is something I truly desire. "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually."1 Chronicles 16:11

As part of growing closer to God, I want to keep reaching out to people with notes, phone calls, anything that God puts on my heart. It's easy for me to send the note, the hard part is to do this and expect absolutely nothing in return. Too often I expect a thank you or some sort of return. That's what I'm hearing from God right now. Do it in His name and delight in His joy. "... it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20.

Happy 2009.