Words... choose them wisely for a positive impression!
To thrive in our world today I have to make my point.
Quickly.
One word sentences are now allowed. Paragraphs are choppy blocks. We used to think of our kids as juvenile for their text language. Now we all use it. And how sweet it really is.
I can even express a thought with just one letter… k?
The impact on our attention span: Exuberant!
I believe that everyone is a creative.
Often when we think of creatives we think of artists and writers… however, we all use creativity in a unique way when we apply our gifts. For instance, if your gift is to serve, you might think outside the box and commit a random act of kindness… show God’s love, hope and compassion to a homeless person on the street… giving them your time and encouragement… listening to their needs, helping them and praying with them. You’ve just completely changed this person’s day… creating a loving environment… maybe even reconnecting a lost soul to the body. Post it on your Facebook status if you like… or just give Him all the glory and keep moving and grooving on your blessed day!
I know, I know… the time change was last weekend!
I’m springing forward to March 26th, taking a week off from posting new material here at I’m Just Thinkin’ to focus on two very important blessings in my world…
it’s Love and Life…
Until then…
I’m thankful… (and you may still find me on twitter 
)
“Winds from the east… Mist comin’ in… Like something’s a brewin’, about to begin… Can’t put me finger on what lies in store… But I feel what’s to ‘appen, all ‘appened before…!”
Those were Bert’s infamous words when his friend Mary Poppins blew in to London and landed in front of No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane… riding the breeze from the east with her umbrella.
Mary landed in response to the Banks’ needs for help with rearing their children for “a season.”
The keenly observant Bert knew the shifting winds would bring a season of change.
Bert was a whimsical one… he had an optimistic outlook, to say the least. A working-class sort eventually turned chimney sweep by day, he readily kicked up his heels and moved to the beat of a different drum. He seemed to be pretty much game for and making the most of whatever God would throw his way. I like that attitude!
“Seasons” in life are referred to as blocks of time as we move from one setting or experience to the next.
Seasons come and go… we can also think of “a season” in terms of the quarterly calendar… and there is some goodness as we look forward to each new season of the year.
Fall is just around the corner and everyone is fired up for something…
gettin’ fired up for ________ (you fill in the blank)
maybe for you it’s football season, new Snooki and Jersey Shore, cooler weather and the change of seasons…
or even the change that Bert felt in the breeze from the east…
energy and excitement fill the air!
You may be in the middle of a season… just coming out of one… or maybe just looking forward to tomorrow and fall for some other really good reason…
whatever the circumstances, 2 Timothy 4:2 says we should “be prepared in season and out of season”
Prepared for ??
“… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Fill your world with God’s love so that all that you do will give Him glory!
What does the this “season” bring to mind for you?
Hoping you have the Happiest Monday!!
You can purchase Jolt by clicking here
Phil Cooke takes a relevant, current topic… the fact that our world is rapidly changing… and gives the reader a “how to adapt or thrive” book mixed with some very interesting personal experience stories. From the book… “A ‘jolt’ is a shock, a disturbance, an abrupt change. It shakes things up and realigns our thinking. Like the Reset button on a computer, it cleans out the clutter that was slowing us down and allows us to start fresh.” Jolt helps one feel through where to go next when a “jolt,” or change, occurs. This is like a good old Tom Peters book for managing life change.
Cooke gets the “A” for the pitch… catchy title and subtitle that drew me in. I liked the way the book was divided into 25 short chapters centered on 5 related themes. I basically read this one like a daily devotional, just a chapter or two a day. The advantage I find to reading some books this way is that I can ponder the concepts and better absorb the material. I found Jolt to be a very powerful and inspiring book. Phil shares through his creative writing style a helpful topic that will be significant well into the future.
Do you find change to be scary? How do you accept or adapt to life’s Jolts?
All of the answers are found up there
There’s a whole lot to be thankful for in our world today… and this is an incredibly exciting time to be in Jacksonville, Florida!
God is working miracles right before our very eyes…
both glambitiously large and nano-signficantly small…
remember, some of the biggest WINS are sprouted from tiny seedlings!
and it’s…
edge-of-your-seat
hold-onto-the-railing
you-won’t-want-to-miss-a-beat
GOOD STUFF!!!
We need to keep looking up to Him to:
What do you have to be thankful for today?
Sometimes it seems we just fall into a rut. I know that, generally, when I follow my same routine that I can be at my best. However, it also seems like when things change it often leads to a glorious revelation that I never would have experienced if I stay with the same.
This is inspired by Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase. Mark says God is life’s ultimate constant. He is unconditionally loving, omnipotently powerful and eternally faithful. I like that! However, sometimes God is so good at what He does we take Him for granted. That’s not so good. Sometimes it also seems we take miracles for granted, simply because they’re all around us, all the time.
And whenever a new stimulus is introduced into our environment we become intensely aware of it. Eventually, the awareness fades and it becomes the norm. This is called inattentional blindness.
This can happen with life in general and we essentially loose the joy of living. The sacred becomes routine. If we occasionally change our routine, take some risks, and try new things, we find ourselves coming alive again. And living with adventure.
Is there somewhere in your life that it just seems dull, boring and routine? There’s nothing wrong with a good routine. Developing healthy and holy routines are known as good spiritual disciplines. We don’t want sacred routines to become empty rituals. Like even the prayers we say before meals… always the same? Or change them up to show God we are thinking about it?
Carol Peterson (9)
Dan Black (5)
Joseph Lalonde (5)
arny (3)
TC Avey (3)
Christine Niles (2)
Adam Collings (1)
MGalloway (1)
Seth Caddell (1)
Traci B (1)