Browsing Brings Blessings for a Blog

DREAM, PLAY, GIVE, SMILE, CHERISH -- truly words to live by. This wall mural got my attention while shopping at the At Home Store. This is the way I really want to live! Embracing this one life with as much gusto as I can.

DREAM like there are no impossibilities. Nothing is impossible with God -- so we shouldn't insult Him with small thinking -- BIG THINKING brings Him BIG PLEASURE! “Let the Lord be magnified who has PLEASURE in the prosperity of His servants.” (Psalms 35:27)

PLAY like there are no winners. My son is a marathon runner -- readying up for the Boston Marathon in April..again. He doesn't run to win. He competes against himself -- to finish. He is the winner of every race he runs. And I intend to be the winner of my race! I will finish my course AND my God-given assignment. I will be the single winner of my RACE! "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," (Hebrews 12:1)

GIVE like you have plenty. Generosity is about a heart for giving -- and when we have that heart -- there will always be more than enough to share. Give time. Give intentional focus to that one who needs your undivided attention. How about being such irrational givers that we start to round up when the cashier says "Would you like to donate to whatever charity they're representing?" "Give and it shall be given, pressed down, shaken together and running over" (Luke 6:38)

SMILE till your face hurts. I want my outside to reflect the inner joy and delight I have on the inside. There's just something about a "smiler" that lets us know -- something or SOMEONE lives big in them. I love Nat King Cole's "SMILE" lyrics: "Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by if you smile through your fear and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun come shining through for you. Light up your face with gladness, hide every trace of sadness. Although a tear may be ever so near. That's the time you must keep on trying. Smile, what's the use of crying? You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile." "A cheerful heart is good medicine," (Proverbs 17:22)

And, CHERISH you and your friends and family everyday. It takes a lot to say "I cherish ME", but isn't that what Jesus meant when He said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself"? I really do cherish my friends -- THAT'S YOU -- and my family. My greatest joys and the things that money just can't buy are those people that God has given me. "Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you cherish towards all God's people," (Colossians 1:4)

I'm going to keep my eyes WIDE OPEN for the "God" moments like I saw in this sign. They sure make me want to dream more, play more, give more, smile more and cherish more -- on purpose!

Dream, Play, Give, Smile, Cherish

Day 52 of Photo Inspirations -- DREAM, PLAY, GIVE, SMILE, CHERISH
This wall mural got my attention while shopping at the At Home Store.  This is the way I really want to live!

DREAM like there are no impossibilities.  Nothing is impossible with God -- so we shouldn't insult Him with small thinking -- BIG THINKING brings Him BIG PLEASURE!   “Let the Lord be magnified who has PLEASURE in the prosperity of His servants.” Psalm 35:27

PLAY like there are no winners.  My son is a marathon runner. He loves it.  He doesn't run to win.  He competes against himself -- to finish.  He is the winner of every race he runs.  And I intend to be the winner of my race!  I will finish my course.  I will be the single winner of my RACE!

GIVE like you have plenty.  Generosity is all about a heart for giving -- and when we have that heart -- there will always be more than enough to share.  Pastor Craig Groeschel says "Be an irrational giver.  Round up!  If the tip should be $2.50, round up to $3.00!  Give like you have plenty -- and before long you will have plenty."  "Give and it shall be given, pressed down, shaken together and running over"  Luke 6:38

SMILE till your face hurts.  I want my outside to reflect the inner joy and delight I have on the inside.   I love Nat King Cole's SMILE lyrics:
Smile though your heart is aching, Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow, Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness, Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying, Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile, If you just smile.

And, CHERISH your friends and family everyday.  I really do cherish my friends -- THAT'S YOU -- and my family everyday. My greatest joys and the things that money just can't buy are those people that God has given me.

Mary's Alabaster Box = Audacious Love

Monday of Holy Week: "Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." (John 12:3) So beautiful was this story, and also, how revealing this story was as we see Judas revealing his true colors when he was in such a tiff about Mary "wasting" this oil. The fact is Mary could have used a dime store brand of oil, but, Jesus explained, "She was preparing for my burial", so, of course, he gave the best she had. Oh, that we would LOVE so audaciously -- in such a way that expresses our deepest love for the ONE who gave us His all.

I love this song so much by Cece Winans, "Mary's Alabaster Box", that is so befitting of the unconditional love that Jesus gave her as she poured out her love to Him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5zIOcBiTGg

What's Your Excuse?

"All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming." -- Helen Keller

Those excuses..... "Just too tired", "Bad hair day", "Couldn't find a thing to wear", "It's just too hard", "I've tried that and it just doesn't work for me", "It's just too far to go", "I can't", "I'm too old", -- just don't seem too relevant now, do they? I can't think of one excuse that would keep me from digging deeper, running farther, climbing higher, or giving greater. How about you?