Menu for Success

# 11 Sincerity - honesty of mind or intention At my home town church about 20 years ago, a young pastor was our guest speaker that day and he started his sermon with the question, "Is God in this church?" The small congregation said, "Yes, God is in this church!" He proceeded to tell us that about three months prior to preaching at our church, he had the privilege of being a guest speaker at a Presbyterian Church; and wanted to know if this church was truly a Christian church or a religious church.  He told how he let his beard and hair grow out real long and shabby to the point of looking homeless. He dressed himself in torn and dirty clothes so he looked the part as well. When he walked in the door that Sunday, he said, "Not one person acknowledged him; not even the ushers."  He purposely sat on the front pew; whereas, no one on his left or right looked his way. The service lasted about an hour or so; and when it was over, it was...

“It is difficult to see the picture when you are inside the frame.”  ―  Unknown Author  There is nothing to fear but fear itself, so why do you fear living? What is it you are afraid of? The Mothers of this generation put themselves, their lifestyles and their children in a little frame and expect to grow and blossom without any difficulties of it all fitting within that perimeter. Not communicating properly with your children, spending quality time with them, and educating them with something as simple as washing their hands after using the restroom. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 NLT You don't eat broccoli, you don't eat carrots, you don't eat roast. All which are full of vitamins, protein, and enhance the internal organs in your body. Well you eat carbs (which turn into sugar), fried foods (which clog your arterie...

Two car loans, mortgage, loan on furniture; and Uh Oh, the washer just broke down, "Man", there is no money. Put it on the charge card and pay it later! Well, well well, robbing Peter to pay Paul! Most people would say, I'm going to be in debt anyway, it's a way of life! It's not a way life is, it's the way you choose to live your life or in other words ~ the American Dream~ spend spend spend and borrow borrow borrow - - - -WHOA HORSEY!  You are working to pay bills, not working to live! In ( Proverbs 22:7 AMP) ; The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender . Put in another way, the song the seven dwarfs sing goes, Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho it's off to work I go ~ we are going to change that to, I Owe, I Owe, It's off to work I go!  Does it really sound like you are living the American dream? Not at all! It sounds like you are working MORE than you are enjoying life -- and getting nowhere! There are bills we are going to ha...

Merry Christmas to everyone! I pray you all truly gave Thanks for Christ's birth and how we enjoy paying homage to a Savior who exudes Joy, Peace and Love! Let's Celebrate!

# 10 Dedication – commit oneself to a certain cause. “I will never attend an anti-war rally; if you have a peace rally, invite me.” Mother Teresa Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you (recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all) – your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you. And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in (intelligent and sympathetic) appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line (the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly; encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls, (and) be very patient with everybody (always keeping your temper) I Thessalonians 5:12-14 AMP In the Old Testament of the bible, war was necessary to conquer territories, protect kingdoms, and for the rig...

Have you ever been somewhere and thought you heard someone call your name? I have; and I turn around and there’s no one. Then I go somewhere else and I’m sure someone is calling my name. So I turn around again and don’t see anyone, nor does anyone come toward me as if they know me. All day long I kept hearing my name being called and all day long I did not see anyone that looked familiar or identified themselves. About the tenth time, I’m getting agitated. I can feel my anxiety rise; however, I know that I cannot react out of speculation, so I keep my composure and decide it’s time to get away from that area. By the time I get home, I go over in my mind of how I heard my name being called all day long and yet there is no one that comes forward or says, “Hey Gwen, it’s me!”  I know I heard my name loud and clear because not many people have the name “Gwen”. That is how God feels every time we use Oh My God (OMG) or Lord. I’m sure He has answered us many times, just ...

“I cannot take those pain pills”, I told the nurse. She said, “You have to take something because I know you’re in pain.” Yes I was in pain after my hysterectomy; however, the pain pills did not take away the pain. They only made things foggy - - - and made me feel loopy! I asked if I could take the 800mg of Ibuprofen instead, which helped more than the pain pills and I was coherent! After that experience, I realized that anyone who is dependent or addicted to something:  alcohol, drugs, food, work, sex- - their daily lives are foggy with wrong thinking. In their minds all they want is some clarity of mind. Why am I thinking this way, or why do I feel this way?  What in my mind is causing these negative thoughts and feelings of defeat! Be careful though, because Satan is a deceiver of the brethren. He is so manipulating and crafty that he can make you think you are insignificant and worthless. When you have those thoughts come to mind, say out loud, “God loves m...

I politely asked this student to sit down more than I wanted to. And he acted as though I was not talking; completely ignoring me and hoping to get a laugh from the other students. Yes, he got laughs, sneers~ and took 15 minutes of everyone’s learning time. Surely you don’t think he had the upper hand? Nor did he leave the class, No ma'am, he had extra work piled on him that was not an easy one page essay to write---due at the end of class. No respect for authority figures at all! I am reading a book called, “Five Things Every Christian Needs to Grow”, by R.C. Sproul; who is a minister and college professor.  In Chapter 3 titled, “Worship”, Sproul recalls studying abroad at the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands years ago. He expresses how much of a culture shock it was to him; due to the respect the students gave the professors and clergy. On his first day of class, the professor enters from the side door and immediately every student stood at attent...

Did you pray about it? Yes I just ask you did you pray about it. I know I’m probably getting a puzzled look right about now, or your saying under your breath, who does that? Which is easier, getting on the phone and ramping and raving to your friends, and they call their friends and before you know it, EVERYBODY knows your business and NONE of them can help you ~ nor have a solution to your problem. I do not own the rights to this photo  So now what? Your blood pressure is up, you’re probably in tears by now and you just found out who your friends are. I know, it does hurt --- you thought you could confide in that person and they cared about you like you cared about them. Well take a deep breath, let out a big sigh, get up off the couch, wipe those tears and pray! Now let God handle your friends and your problems! Yes, it does feel better! One more thing; don’t forget to Thank Him! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with tha...

# 9 - Confidence is defined as faith I know many of you are tired of hearing about my failures, but here I go again (SMILE)! In 2013 I had no money, was off on Christmas break from substitute teaching, and no car! I kept thinking that God was going to bless me with finances any day now and it didn't happen. The closer it got to Christmas, the more fearful I became ~ and the more lack I received.  (And I was being taught the true concept of Christmas~ we have made it about gift giving, instead of how our lives are better by the birth of Jesus) I remember crying for two days - - - -just boohooing to the point of being inconsolable! Well, this is 2014 and although it took a year, I have learned from my own experience, that the more I focus on negative thoughts the more I'm going to get it! Thoughts of lack, defeat, worry, why me, etc.~ the Word says, "and unto us a child is born...................and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Fathe...

How in the world did my life get so out of balance? I know many of you are asking yourself that question and some of you may not even be aware that we all get out of balance in something! Eating too much, too many sexual partners (uh oh, did I go there?), drinking too much, and I’m going to even mention exercising too much. Yes our body needs exercise, and it’s a necessity to do so! Whereas, giving your muscles and your heart rest allows the oxygen to flow better in the body and increase muscle mass, instead of strains and burn out ~ which leads to giving up  - - - - - and again being out of balance! One minute you’re up WHEE ~ and the next you’re down~ UGH! I do not own the rights to this photo  I know I can look at someone else and see immediately what is causing them to be out of balance; however, I don’t see my own iniquities and many times can regress into a situation instead of making progress! Can it be we are in denial, or truly feel we are OK?  I d...

Yes ma’am----It’s time to clean house! Nope not that kind of house cleaning~ I’m talking about the junk we fill our minds with - - - such as:  worry, doubt, fear, anger, hate, resentment, unforgiveness, selfishness, hurtful words, lust, and irresponsibility! Whew Wee, with all of that dust and dirt in there, I don’t think I’ll be able to have a relaxing visit with you. Maybe, I’ll come back another day, however; don’t hesitate to ask for help! I’d be glad to assist you. Just let me know in what area you need help with. I won’t stand over you or force you do all of the cleaning in one day – It’ll probably take a while; as you can see it’s accumulated quite a mess? Just an FYI ~ dirt and dust settles deep in cracks and crevices; so don’t lose the enthusiasm! I have the perfect tool to help also! My number one tool is the Word! Girl, I use it faithfully, and believe me, it CLEANS HOUSE! You can use it for everything: c leaning worry, cleaning doubt, cleaning fear and s...

What does it take to be a winner?  Could it be perseverance, determination, hard work, integrity, or perhaps a winning attitude? I’m actually asking you! What drives you to be a winner? Could it be passion, you have something to prove, or enjoy the challenge? I know from being an athlete, I did not like to lose; however, we all lose at something.  I recall getting out there in practice determined it will not happen again. Or I would get a “C” on a paper that I knew deserved an “A” in my mind. So instead of getting upset and just not trying, I would ask the teacher what I did wrong. Once he/she explained to me why I got that “C”, I swallowed my pride and used that information to improve each time we had a writing assignment~ until I received that “A”!  And it didn’t stop with just that one! We as a people (in general) want the “A”; however, we don’t do “A” work! We throw a bone at you and feel it’s enough!  What it takes to be a winner is “discipline”, fir...

In order to be better in anything, we need to seek someone who will push us to be better. Take for instance someone who is smarter than you are. If you hang around them long enough, you will understand and in many instances begin to want what they want and have what they have, so you seek to do the things they do. If they have a way of studying that is better and more effective, then you will adopt their way of studying ~ and before you know it, you are doing better in school, reading better, testing better, and even feeling confident about your studies. Remember if you are smart, there is someone who is smarter, if you are pretty, there is someone who is prettier, if you can run fast, sooner or later, there will be someone who can run faster. All of these wonderful God given talents have a way of getting us noticed and admired~ Yes, the attention we get is awesome and even gives us confidence. Sometimes though, it is the wrong type of confidence and we develop what is called ...

I know I have mentioned that I was a substitute teacher and preferred high school students over elementary and daycare. I could relate to them better, they are self sufficient, and they can come to class on their own and leave on their own.  At the age I am now, it is convenient and less hands on! What I didn’t enjoy was the degradation these children faced from being neglected by their parents at such a young age, that when they were in high school, many of them were not mentally handicapped, but considerably behind other children on their level due to various reasons. It’s important to set aside at least an hour a night for homework, reading, and any other school projects that need parents’ involvement. I have always said and still say, you take God out of anything, you have chaos! If he is not in your home, there is chaos, if he is not in the schools, we have armed police to assist with children who also come armed, if we take him out of our daily lives...

My sister and I had a discussion in regards to a married couple who were at odds with each other about who was right in a family issue. This is not about marriage; but about how there is no such thing as a grey area in this instance. It is right or wrong, there is no grey area. It might not be simple to some; but I'll give you an example. If you have already re-modeled your bedroom, painted it, purchased the furniture and all the beautiful accessories that goes in it - --- Now all you need is the bedding and the room will be complete! So with the bedding being the only thing left to do; you decide, you want others opinions over your husband's. So what do we do, we ask a friend, neighbor, co-worker and Mom or Dad. Guess what? They didn't help either! So you compromise - Mom likes this one; which is pretty, and my husband likes this one; which will also work ~ so you choose something down the middle so you can please your Mother and your Husband. In this example, t...

Father as we approach the Holiday season, help us to be mindful of those around us. Our neighbor  who  lives alone, a co-worker who is miles away from home and has no money to be with family this  year, a person in  jail, that is out of sight, but not out of mind; or a single Mother with four  small  childre who is struggling to put food on the table. Those who are blessed should always look  for  opportunities to be a blessing! Therefore seek out ways to conquer Satan, on purpose , by  helping our forgotten brothers and sisters in Christ!  In Jesus Name, Amen! And so it is! “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” – Luke 14:13,14 ESV

My Mother is still alive and doing well; however, I remember when we were young, she cooked and baked often. Along with her five children, she always cooked in excess on many occasions; because she was and still does think about those around her who are in need.  At Christmas time, was the most vivid memories I have of her baking for days (or so it seemed like it to me). She would bake at least five different types of home-made cookies, peppermint, cinnamon, and clove flavored hard rock candy, bourbon balls, fruit cakes, peanut butter and chocolate fudge, top and bottom layer cake (which is a chewy caramel like top over a cake like crust); pecan pies, and me my sister would always do our cookies as well. My sister baked what was called Christmas wreath cookies and I baked what was called Christmas Tree cookies in addition to what our Mother would bake. There is much more, but I'll stop! Every year she would make up at least ten Christmas tens full of all those delici...