happy
Happy Thanksgiving! What Are You Thankful For?
Happy Thanksgiving! What Are You Thankful For?
Thanking God for All His Blessings!
Enjoy the above video “Thankful” by The Skit Guys –
and may we all give God the thanks and praise due His glorious name!
“Blessed are you, LORD God… forever and ever.
Yours, O LORD is the greatness, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty;
for all that is in the heaven and earth is yours;
yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exhalted
as head above all. Both riches and honor come of you,
and you reign over all; and in your hand is power
and might; and in your hand it is to make great,
and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God,
we thank you, and praise your glorious name.”
— 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
Have a Blessed, Safe, & Happy Thanksgiving!
God bless you always,
Brenda
P.S. Feel free to leave a comment and share what you are thankful for…
P.P.S. Here is a little bit of History about Thanksgiving Day
Happy In the Skin I’m In – 3 Things to Consider for a Happier You as the Clock Keeps on a Ticking!
Happy In the Skin I’m In – 3 Things to Consider for a Happier You as the Clock Keeps on a Ticking!
You Can Be Happy In the Skin You Are In!
Happiness shouldn’t be based on physical appearance.
Sure, everybody wants to look good…
but some people let themselves get worked into a frenzy over it.
They soon find they cannot be happy unless they look a certain way.
Are you happy in the skin you’re in?
The condition of the physical body tends to mess with people’s minds way to often; especially in today’s society. But, don’t forget that your spirit, the condition of your heart, should take priority over your flesh.
Have you bought into the lie that you need your body or face to look a certain way in order to be happy? If so, well then no better day than today to flush that lie down the toilet!
Let’s take a look at three things you might want to consider for a happier you – while the clock keeps on a ticking.
The Body Changes – We Are All Aging
The body is constantly changing and aging, that is just a fact of life. And another fact is that we have all been born with a unique set of physical features, which may or may not be considered beautiful by today’s standards.
Sure, you can fight it. You can get fit and strong as possible and that’s great. You can have procedures and surgeries if you want. But I don’t care how good you make that body look, it is only temporary and doesn’t change your internal clock or the condition of your heart.
We are living in a corruptible vessel.
“Let it (our adorning) be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
— 1 Peter 3:4
If You Need to Shape Up and Clean Out – Then Do it
Now, by all means, take care of yourself and keep your body healthy. Be a good steward with the body you have been given. If you think you need to shape up, tone up, or detox, then go right ahead.
Do the best with what you have, but don’t beat yourself up over it. Remember, your joy is in the Lord – not in numbers on a scale or lack of wrinkles on your face. God looks at the heart, so go ahead and be happy even when your body is going through changes.
Set Your Affection on Things Above
The world is going to constantly be pointing out your flaws and dragging down your perspective. Don’t let that happen to you. Aim higher for more of God’s presence and let Him clean up your perspective. You’ll find you are a much happier you if you do.
Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Why aren’t we to set our affections on earth? Because everything on earth is only temporary and going to pass away.
If we hunger and thirst after righteousness and the things of God, we’ll stop judging ourselves by weight, wrinkles, and facial features. We’ll stop beating ourselves up and in fact, start discovering a contentment that brings true happiness and joy.
Aim higher: Set your sights on God’s truths begin to see yourself the way He sees you. Set your affection on things above and you’ll be blessed with many blessings including contentment, peace, joy, and happiness. 🙂
May your heart be beautiful, may you live happy, and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!
God bless you always –
Cheers,
Brenda
Self-Esteem – 10 Empowering Ways to Look Your Best and Live with Confidence!
Self-Esteem – 10 Empowering Ways to Look Your Best and Live with Confidence!
Empower Yourself With Confidence and Look Your Best
Empower yourself with confidence on the inside and you’ll begin to look your best on the outside.
We often spend lots of time and money on dressing up our outward appearance with the latest hair styles, lotions, sprays, make-up, designer clothes, etc.
Yet, there are many things we can do on the inside…
that will help us shine on the outside.
10 Empowering Ways to Look Your Best:
1. Help Others. You’ll Be Glad You Did.
How can helping others make you look good? We are here to serve others and in doing so we build our confidence. The satisfaction of helping others allows us to walk tall with our head up knowing we take time to put others first.
2. Talk and Walk with Happiness. God Created You.
Why walk around feeling sad and talking about yourself like a worthless nobody? The Almighty God of the universe created you with a unique divine purpose for your life on this earth. Be happy knowing your heavenly Father favors you and let your talk and walk show it.
3. Choose Joy No Matter What Happens Today.
How can you choose joy when there is trouble in your life? True joy comes from peace with God and putting your trust in Him. You can live with joy and confidence knowing God is with you even in your days of trouble.
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.” — Psalm 28:7
4. Be Content With Yourself and Do Not Envy Others.
Why let the stress of jealousy and envy of others make you look your worst? Learn to be content and thankful with who you are and what you have. God made you the unique you for a reason. Ask God to help you change what needs to change in your life and be happy for others when they are blessed.
5. Be Generous to God and the People Around You.
There is nothing like being refreshed to look your best! And God says that those who refresh others will they themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25) When you are generous with your time and money towards God and others, you will enjoy a refreshing from the inside out that lets you shine and look your best.
6. Speak What is True and With Lots of Kindness.
How do you look at honest, kind people compared to liars and mean people? Those who speak the truth with kindness put their best side forward; and it shows on the outside. Honest people look their best, because they live their best.
7. Keep Your Heart Free of Wrong Desires.
Keep your heart full of healthy, positive, godly desires. The desires of our heart are the things we are going to think on and speak on. And these are the things that are going to come to pass in our life. So look your best by letting godly desires manifest in your life.
8. Take Care of Your Appearance.
Okay. So we weren’t all born looking like Barbie and Ken. But we still need to do the best with what we have and learn to ‘accentuate the positive.’ Taking care of your outward appearance increases your confidence, and greater confidence helps you look even better on the outside; a nice little cycle to get started.
9. Be Real. No Need to Fake It.
Can’t you usually spot a fake a mile away? No need to be one. No need to try and be someone else, because you are not. You are you. So just be real and be you. Again, learn to do the best with what you have and be confident in you who you are. The real you looks much better than the fake you!
10. Wear a Smile. Smile God Loves You!
Who can deny a smile to look your best? And who can deny the power of love to put a smile on your face? Even if you don’t have a special sweetheart in your life, you always have a God who loves you. And when you have the love of God in your life, you can’t help but smile and look your best.
Start Today. Begin to put these ten empowering ways into practice, and walk confident and look your best.
May you be empowered on the inside so you can look your best on the outside and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!
God bless you –
Cheers,
Brenda
Happy July 4th! Celebrating Freedom
Happy July 4th! Celebrating Freedom
Celebrating the 4th of July!
Independence Day in America is a time of celebration of freedom, both spiritual and physical.
May you all have a safe and happy day!
And special thanks and prayers go out to all those who have served and are serving in the military on our behalf; that we may continue to enjoy freedom.
Thank God for all His blessings!
John Adams
2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence
“Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be.”
–Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.
“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”
–Adams wrote this on June 28, 1813, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson.
“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your precepts.”
— Psalm 119:45
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
— John 8:32
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
— John 8:36
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
— Galatians 5:1
“In Him [Christ] and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
— Ephesians 3:12
1861 (July 4), Senate Prayer:
“Almighty and everlasting God, be not angry with us for our sins, which we only confess and deplore; but pardon our offenses and extend to us Thy favor. We thank Thee for Thy goodness on this anniversary of the nation a day tenfold more precious by reason of our present troubles, and sacred to the heart for the ever memorable Declaration of our fathers, in which Thou didst begin more openly to give us a name among the nations of the earth. We thank Thee for all Thy manifold and abundant mercies hitherto to make our nation exceedingly great and glorious; but now disasters have befallen us and darkness broods in the land. And now we ask Thy mercy as the Senate is convening at a most momentous crisis of our history. Give to Thy servants all needed help. Add to their deliberations wisdom and unanimity, and profit and speed to their conclusion. Bless Thy servant, the President of the United States, our veteran Commander-in- Chief, and all that have functions in the civil and military power. May the angel of Thy presence walk in the Cabinet and in the Congress and in the camp, to go before, to purify, and to direct the now greatly and universally-awakened love of country. And we beseech Thee to guide us, to overrule and order all things, and so to cause that nothing shall fail, that the disorders of the land may be speedily healed, that peace and concord may prevail, that truth and righteousness may be established, and that Thy Church and Kingdom may flourish in a larger peace and prosperity, for Thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.”
— Rev. Byron Sunderland, D.D.
(Source: Congressional Globe, 37th Congress, first session, new series, 1, 4 July 1861.)
Happy 4th of July!
God bless you always –
Cheers,
Brenda
Top 5 Proven Techniques for Living a Truly Happy and Joyful Life Inside and Out!
Top 5 Proven Techniques for Living a Truly Happy and Joyful Life Inside and Out!
Learn to Be Happy by Adjusting Your Thinking and Living Habits!
True happiness can be experienced by all who apply ‘happiness habits’ to their day. There are some who are simply born with a happy disposition. But the truth is; most people have to learn to be happy by thinking and living in a particular way.
Often people are happy in life when everything is going just right. Yet those who have learned how to be truly happy aren’t always the ones who ‘have it all.’ External circumstances do not control their level of happiness. They have discovered the secret of being able to experience an underlying peace and well-being; which is the essence of true happiness.
Happy people live their lives differently. And when acquiring any new skill, it pays to learn from the pro.
“We can think of happiness as a skill no different from learning to play a musical instrument…it is possible to train our minds to be happy.” – Richard Davidson, Ph.D. UW-Madison
So if you are ready to let some joy shine through you from the inside out, then take a look at these five key skills.
Top 5 Proven Techniques for True Happiness
1) Notice and Give Thanks for the Happy Things in Your Life
Learn to take note of everything good and positive in your life, regardless of how small. What are the things that you see, feel, taste, hear, or smell that bring pleasure?
Intention activates a part of the brain, the reticular activating system (RAS), which is responsible for turning on our memory and allowing it to bring anything important to our attention. When you decide to look for the positive, your RAS makes sure that is what you see.
We tend to feed the unhappy, negative side of life. Make it a game to see how many good things you notice during the day. Take a few moments to savor the positive things and make it a habit to feed your happiness.
2) Do Not Believe Everything You Think
Do not believe everything you think. Our thoughts are not always true.
For example, you may give a presentation and focus in on the one person with a frown on their face, and think you’re doing a terrible job. Yet the fact is you are really doing a great job, but you do not notice the rest of the group that is smiling and nodding.
It is said that we average one thought per second during our waking hours and the vast majority are habitual, negative thoughts. This whirlwind of automatic negative thoughts can stimulate parts of the brain that involve depression and anxiety.
Learn not to believe every negative thought that wants to hijack your happiness, and instead focus in on the positive compliments. It is important to break the natural tendency to register the negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences more deeply than the positive happy ones.
3) Exchange the Bad Thought for the Happy Thought
When challenged with negative, unhappy thoughts and feelings in a situation, learn to exchange them for equally true, positive, happy thoughts.
For example, have you ever faced a deadline and thought it was going to be impossible to finish on time? Why not exchange that self-defeating thought by searching your mind for an equally true positive thought such as: I regularly manage to get things done on time and I can ask for help.
Learn to be more optimistic and see the glass half full. Pay more attention to the positive part of the truth in a given situation and lean into those thoughts. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength.
4) Appreciate the People in Your Life
People with good social relationships tend to be happy. Under times of stress we need the support of friends and family. And the best way to keep relationships happy and healthy is through appreciation.
“One of the most important things a person can do to raise his or her happiness level is to acknowledge those around them.” – Judith W. Umlas (author of The Power of Acknowledgement)
By showing appreciation to others for the support they give us, we reinforce that behavior; which in turn deepens our relationship with them. Engaging and communicating with others during times of stress has a calming effect and keeps us on the road to happiness.
5) Live with a Passion and a Purpose
Bringing a sense of purpose and passion to your routine activities will boost your happiness. Think about the activities in your life that you are passionate about. What is it about those things that make you happy?
One person may feel like an underpaid janitor, but another may passionately do their job the best they can with a purpose to make the building a beautiful place for others.
Learn to incorporate purpose and passion in your daily life at work and at home. Do all things gladly from the heart as unto the Lord.
The truth is: You do not have to let life just toss you around in unhappy waters. You can choose to learn new skills, live your life differently, and raise your level of happiness. 🙂
May your happiness increase daily and your life be filled with growing prosperity!
God bless you –
Cheers,
Brenda
Growing Prosperity – Generosity is Like the Secret Sauce of the Abundant Life!
Growing Prosperity – Generosity is Like the Secret Sauce of the Abundant Life!
How to Virtually Guarantee You Will Experience Growing Prosperity?
Growing prosperity will flourish when generosity is a daily part of life.
Generosity is like the secret sauce of an abundant life because it causes a person to receive more than they give…
Sound impossible?
It is said that the two greatest motivating forces in a person’s life are their desire for gain and their fear of loss. Generosity directly affects both.
Generosity Equals Growing Prosperity
If there was something you could do to virtually guarantee you would never lack for your physical needs, and that you would experience growing prosperity, would you want to know what it is? Well good news, because that something is available to you today. All you have to do is to become truly generous.
The wise Solomon tells us that if we are generous we will never lack for anything, but every true need will be provided and we will have growing prosperity. (Proverbs 11:24-25)
A generous person readily and freely gives a considerable portion of what they have to meet the needs of others and they do so without any expectation of getting something in return. And being generous isn’t just limited to financial and material generosity. It is actually about meeting the real needs of others, regardless of whether it is with your finances, actions, or emotional help.
Too many people think they have to be rich before they can be generous. But this is simply not true. We all have something to give, such as; time, kind words, thoughtfulness, and considerate acts.
Additional Benefits of Generosity
Generosity is one of the most admired characteristics anyone can express. Think about the business man who donates large amounts to charity, or the child who gives his hard-earned allowance to a disaster relief, or the elderly woman who freely gives a portion of what little food she has to a food drive. We appreciate and admire their generous giving.
However, appreciation and admiration are not the only benefits of generosity. A generous person will experience heartfelt joy when they help meet the needs of others. They will be happier and find that just as they refresh others, they too are refreshed. Their own needs will be abundantly supplied for.
“There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.”
— Proverbs 11:24-25
What about those who are not generous? Well the same proverb previously mentioned says they will fall into poverty. This could be financial or material poverty, or emotional poverty. They tend to never be satisfied with what they have and continually need more.
Why not choose to develop your generous side? Generosity begins in the heart and is expressed through action. Extending generosity to others is a win-win situation. As you willingly bless others, watch as your own needs are abundantly supplied for in life.
May you be generous always and enjoy growing prosperity!
Be blessed to be a blessing –
Cheers,
Brenda
Self-Esteem – 7 Ways to Live With Bold Confidence
Self-Esteem – 7 Ways to Live With Bold Confidence
Transform Yourself Into a Shining Success!
Healthy self-esteem and bold confidence,
when put to work in your life…
have transforming power to make you a shining success.
Have you been living with intimidation, self-doubt, anxiety, fear, and rejection? If so, then you know it is time to change the insecurity into security.
Do yourself a favor and take a little time to focus on some ways you can overcome those negative, unwanted traits you’ve been carrying around for way too long.
7 Ways to Help You Live With Bold Confidence:
1.) CHOOSE TO RISE ABOVE
Make a commitment to yourself today, to begin overcoming the weaknesses and inadequacies you’ve been dealing with. Even though it will take hard work and you are bound to mess up along the way, make a conscious decision to keep pressing on and rising above. You are worth it!
2.) SPEND TIME WITH ENCOURAGERS
Be cautious who you spend time with. Your relationships are a key factor in overcoming a low self-esteem. Choose to spend time with encouragers. Regardless of your past, you can have healthy relationships.
“He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
— Proverbs 13:20
3.) SHIFT YOUR FOCUS ON OTHERS
There is a great empowerment that comes from shifting your focus off yourself and on to others. It is easy to keep our minds focused on our own problems, fears, and insecurities. But this only intensifies them. Look around at someone struggling and reach out to lend a hand. True peace comes from giving.
4.) MAKE YOUR POSITIVE THOUGHTS RULE
Keep your mind filled with positive, empowering, confidence building, and happy thoughts. Overcoming a negative, and weak self-image is going to require that you eliminate those self-defeating thoughts. Squeeze them out of your mind by replacing them with healthy, confident thoughts.
Remember, God is not the one who gave you a spirit of fear. He gave you a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind! (2 Timothy 1:7)
5.) LEAVE THE PAIN IN THE PAST
Do not waste any more time replaying painful, embarrassing, or intimidating experiences from your past. This keeps you stuck and prevents you from walking into the future with the bold confidence needed to succeed. You do not have to let others (or past memories) cause you to lack confidence and live with insecurity.
Forgive anyone that has hurt you, and forgive yourself while you are at it. Then put the painful past behind you and face your future with strong confidence.
6.) TRUST GOD
God has a good plan for our lives. If we spend our lives trusting in ourselves and other people, the result is disappointment after disappointment. We need to put our trust in God and let him guide us. He is the one that will give us the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:3-6)
7.) TALK CONFIDENCE
Just like it is vital to your self-esteem to get control of your thoughts, the same is true of your words. What are you saying about yourself? Do you make self-defeating confessions such as: ‘I am so ugly,’ ‘I am such a loser,’ ‘I am worthless,’ ‘I am stupid,’ ‘I never do anything right,’ etcetera?
The words we speak have power to affect us for the good or bad. Use this knowledge to empower yourself with confidence building confessions. It does not matter if you or others have spoken negative, curses over your life; you now have the choice to speak positive, encouraging, faith-filled words.
“In all things I am more than a conqueror through Him that loved me.”
— Romans 8:37
Your next step? Make the decision to begin applying these seven steps to help you conquer low self-esteem, intimidation, fear, and insecurity. Encourage yourself and refuse to give up. God says you are a victor and you really can be all that God has called you to be. You can live with bold confidence and transform yourself into a shining success.
May you live empowered with bold confidence and enjoy a life of growing prosperity!
Soar higher in Him –
God bless you,
Brenda
P.S. Do you have any additions for this list? Feel free to share…
Happy Earth Day 2010
Happy Earth Day 2010
Thanking God for His Beautiful Creation of Planet Earth!
In an article at ChristianPost.com entitled
“Creation and Man“,
Chuck Colson says…
“…No doubt you’ll be seeing plenty of news coverage about rallies, marches, and activities associated with this major environmental commemoration…
Saving resources and money, ensuring our human habitat is clean and healthy, this is the stuff of good stewardship and common sense-things that especially we Christians should be known for. I say this knowing I’m going to get letters from concerned listeners…
After all, Christians are rightly concerned that extremists have turned Earth Day into ‘Worship-Earth Day’…
Our faith, our Christian worldview, tells us that the earth is good precisely because God created it and declared it good. It is worthy of our care, and indeed, we were commanded to tend it. Wasteful and immoderate use of natural resources is not a Christian virtue.
We must also realize that creation care begins with the care of the crown of creation: man, alone among living things, created in the image of God. In creating a clean sustainable environment, we do so primarily for humanity’s benefit…
Celebrate that God has created such a beautiful planet, populated by humans created in His own image, and that He has called us to tend His creation as His stewards.”
You can read the complete article “Creation and Man” by Chuck Colson at ChristianPost.com
Today is a great day to give thanks to God for His beautiful creation.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the waters.Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD
Or who shall stand in His holy place?He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face.”
— Psalm 24:1-6
Happy Earth Day!
Have you thanked God yet today for all His blessings?
Cheers,
Brenda