New Blog Address!

Please join me at my new blog:

http://www.consideritalljoy.com

Just a quickie!

I am still sick - ARGH- ARGH!!!!

I am trying to work on my new blog but have made absolutely no progress!

(Frustration)

I suppose I am just more technically challenged than I want to admit.

I hope that my next post will be the address to my new blog.

Have a blessed day!

Honestly Speaking

Hi Everybody,

It is always my goal to speak positive affirmations and stand on the promises of God's word, especially when I am not feeling at my best. So, this past week I kept claiming that I was just a little under the weather when really, honestly speaking, I was just plain sick!!! It seems I must have acquired some sort of respiratory infection that knocked me for a loop.

Since beginning work at a pediatric medical practice a little over a year ago I have succumbed to several 'little bugs' more often than I'd like to admit. This has caused me to realize that though my spiritual immune system is well developed because of all the years working at a church, my physical immune system is much weaker than I thought.

Therefore, eating healthy and taking vitamins is going to be a must in my daily routine.

Any suggestions?

I am feeling some better though I still have a horrible cough which caused me to have to leave church in the middle of Pastor's sermon (I hate that).

What do you learn while you are 'under the weather'?

Well, if you are a wife and/or mom you learn that 'the show must go on' and 'dinner must be prepared'. I did somehow manage to cook every night but my wonderful husband did all the dishes (Thank you babe). That is a very workable routine for me - wish it would happen all the time.

I am working on creating and designing my new blog. I have a friend coming over this week to help. I am looking forward to putting so much more of myself and God's gifts into it. When it is ready I'll post it here.

I cannot believe as I type that it is almost Monday again.
Have a Great Week!!!
Cindy

I've been a little under the weather the past couple of days.

I hope to be up and writing in a day or two.

I hope your week has been great!!

Cindy

Faith Challenge!

Tracie at 'Seeking Peace in God's Will' has issued a challenge I am going to take on.
Hope you will join me. Check out her blog for Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

Day 5 Challenge: "Take an extravagant LEAP OF FAITH - embrace the call that God has impressed upon your heart. Listen to the right voice, and forget the excuses." Read John 15:16 and Galatians 1:15

Day 4 Challenge: "Share your faith with three people today." Read Mark 16:15

Day 3 Challenge: "Forgive them. Forgive that person whom you have been holding a grudge against for days, weeks, months, maybe years. Bask in the freedom that you will gain from being obedient to God in this way. Your rewards will be great." Read Job 21:23-35 and Matthew 18:21-22

Day 2 Challenge: "Let God's light shine brightly through you today - even if someone licks the red off your sucker. Be kind to those who are unkind. Be giving to those who don't give. Look for the positive in every situation you encounter". Read 1 Peter 1:13-16 (The message)

Day 1 Challenge: "Spend 30 minutes a day in quiet time with God for the next 5 days". Read Mark 1:35

Medication Sunday

It's another wonderful Sunday afternoon in Phoenix. It's cloudy, the temperature is about 100 with 40% humidity. We are having our usual rest and relationship afternoon. It is a time when we just hang out as a family doing stuff we enjoy. Napping, movie watching, reading, swimming, scrapbooking, video games, and fly tying or fishing rod wrapping are just a few of the hobbies we love.

Over the past few years Sunday afternoon has also become a time of preparation for the week ahead. One of the things I have the priviledge of doing is preparing my husband's medication for the week. He had a kidney transplant 4 1/2 years ago and continues to need several medications to keep his kidney healthy.

So, I sit down with all of his bottles and begin the process of filling little boxes with various colors, sizes and shapes of pills. It does take some time but I really enjoy doing it because it helps me to be a part of what he goes through. I place the boxes in their special area and with that my part is done. Then, it is up to Mark to take his pills on the perscribed days and times. I can not do that for him, he must make the choice every day to do what it takes to stay physically healthy.

As I was preparing his medication this past week the Lord began to speak to my heart about my own spiritual health. I absolutely love when God speaks to me through the everyday things in life. He teaches me a lesson and then affords me the opportunity to share it with others. This past year I have spent developing my quiet time with God so I thought I was in great spiritual shape but as I prepare to embark on a new adventure God is fine tuning my time with Him.

We have a great Pastor at our little church. I know he takes time each week to prepare a message from the Lord to deliver to his flock. I listen and always take something away from his lessons. But that is not enough to keep me spiritually healthy. It is up to me to meditate on the message for the rest of the week and to add study and prayer time to my days.

"Instead you thrill to God's word, you chew on scripture day and night." Psalm 1:2 MSG

"I treasure your word above all else; it keeps me from sinning against you." Psalm 119:11 CEV

I cannot have a healthy spiritual life with just the preparation my Pastor does. Though it is good, it is not enough. I must make a choice every day to meditate on God's word. To keep it every present before my eyes. To keep it flowing through my mind. To keep it stored within my heart.

Just as Mark needs to take his medication several times a day, I too must spend time meditating on God's word several times a day. No, that does not mean that I must sit for hours at a time reading the Bible but it does mean that I must keep His word constantly circulating through my mind and heart.

God has upped my dosage of meditation this week and I am challenged to become the spiritually healthy child He desires me to be.

When I walk into church next week I want to know that what God spoke to my heart today is deeply rooted within me.

I pray you have a blessed week filled with meditating on God's word!

Cindy

Thank You!

A huge thank you to Angela at Becoming Me for hosting the Mission Blog Tour this past week. I have really enjoyed getting to know so many new faces from around the world through this tour. There are several that I believe will become regular reads.

Blogging is new to me and I realize that I have so much to learn. This week has given me a new perspective on why I blog and what my blog means to me. I may change the name and refine my mission statement. I will definately try to figure out how in the world to change my design (just using a premade templete now). I bought Photoshop Elements 6 and can't even figure out how to use it - Help! HAHA!!

Thank you to all of you who visited and/or left comments on my blog - I appreciate all of them.

I look forward to regularly posting inspirations and lessons learned as the Lord speaks to my heart. Come back tomorrow for a post entitled 'Medication Sunday'.

May you all have a blessed weekend!
Cindy