MD, Amputated, Rare Diseas And Whatever Else

I have been following different stories on the Internet of people who have all sorts of different difficulties that they navigate through daily. One of my favorite stories that I have been following is of a young marine who's lifelong dream was to be in the marine corps until retirement. On a night deployment in Iraq his vehicle was hit by an IED that wounded his hand and was eventually amputated, therefore changing his life plan. Now he is consistently making improvements to adapt to everyday life. Along with only having one functional hand, his daughter is diagnosed with a very rare disease that in ables her to sit up, walk, talk, and is fed through a tube. My heart is burdened and I find myself at a loss for words and extremely emotional. What am I able to do to help him and his family through their daily challenges?

Many of you don't know that I have a daughter who three years ago was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy with Marosin Deficiency. She has very low muscle tone, she is unable to walk at this time, and sit up on her own. However, she can scoot around the floor, play, and when it comes to a vocabulary, watch out! She...is... Witty! Every day we thank God for the blessing he has given us, and we are faced with new challenges that keep us believing for daily miracles, monthly miracles, big miracles,  and the small miracles.

I know there are so many other stories out there. I know that as I read,  I find a new story of someone who is facing similar circumstances and I find myself asking, "what can I do?"

What Can I Do? Thank you to those who submitted prayer requests in regards to this post. It was good to be able to pray for you. I hope that you are able to see the hand of God moving on your different situations.
My Daughter Jayci's Story http://www.jaycisplace.blogspot.com/

Popcorn! Really? Popcorn!?

Popcorn! How in the world did I get the idea to write about popcorn? Seriously! I like a good bowl of popcorn from time to time. There is nothing like the smell that fills the room, the creamy butter that you can melt and dump on top of the lonely little white kernels, and every once in a while you get that annoying piece stuck on the back of your throat and you honestly feel like you are going to die because you can't cough enough to get it off your throbbing tonsils. I have always eaten popcorn the same way. Lots of Butter, and medium salt. That's my normal menu when it comes to popcorn. But this month my popcorn world was flipped upside down. I went to a popcorn stand that I thought was just the normal popcorn, but when I took my first bite, something amazing happened in my field of taste buds. It was no normal piece of popcorn, not even close! It was this amazing burst of creamy ranch flavor that I was not expecting, but after I finished my bag I was shocked! I was excited! I was pumped up and couldn't wait to get another bag of that flavor of popcorn. So here is the flavor I am trying to pour on you today. When life seems to be the same day after day, don't be afraid to switch up the flavor. There are so many things that life has to offer, and so many opportunities, but sometimes it means switching your flavor.

Daily Work Goal #4 For 2012

I heard a quote this week that I really appreciated. "Remember, Smoke Isn't Necessarily Fire." During the work week we all experience a little smoke. For example, a disagreement with a co worker could be considered smoke. Our boss letting us know we need to improve our performance, and it rubs us the wrong way could be considered smoke. We accidentally oversleep and arrive at work late could be considered smoke. Some of the gossip that goes on during the work day, and you know "that" person is running their mouth, could be considered smoke. And it's ok, in my opinion, for us to experience some smoke in the workplace. Now don't twist my words and tell someone that you read a blog and the author said it was ok to smoke in the workplace. Ha Ha.. The problem arrives when we take the smoke that comes during a normal work week and turn it into fire. Fire kills, destroys, and spreads quickly. It is intimidating and even scary at times. If it is not managed well, it gets out of control, and people can get hurt. Make it a goal this year to take the smoke during the work week and recognize it's only smoke. Don't take something small, ignite it, and allow it to burn those around you. Let the small things remain small, and when you experience a true fire, find a noble way to put it out.

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.."

Daily Work Goal #3 For 2012

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday! Do you have the Mid Week Blues? I am trusting that your answer is "No Way Kevin!" This morning I pulled into a parking spot and the person who pulled into a parking spot on my left got out of their car and said the following: "You sure parked with a lot of space on your right side. Maybe next time it should be the left side you focus on." I could have let that bother me, but instead I decided to try and bring a little humor into the situation, so I decided to respond with this statement: "Well, I noticed you are pretty skinny, so I didn't think you needed too much room to get out of your vehicle, and I don't know the other person I parked by, so I may have blessed them with a little extra room." She laughed, I laughed, and the entire situation was a motivator for the morning. I call this bringing a little "LOL (laugh out loud)" to the mid week. Wednesday should be a day that we focus on bringing a little "LOL" to the day. Let's admit it. We have all been working hard to get our week off to a good start, and mid week is usually a time where the weekend starts to look pretty good. Unless you are in retail Ha Ha! As Wednesday rolls around this year, don't forget to bring the "LOL!" Laugh a little, and if it is possible, make someone else laugh too!

Key Verse: Proverbs 15:23 "A man finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely word."

Daily Work Goal #2 For 2012

Have you ever had those mornings that you are not motivated to go to work? Those are awful. Especially if you have a couple of them in a row. We do funny things when we are having a non motivated morning. We drive slower to work. Maybe, even take a longer route, pull in slowly to the coffee drive through hoping the line is long, make a couple phone calls, and then try to hide in our office for a while.
Tuesday is "precision focus" Tuesday. Every Tuesday think to yourself "I need to have precision focus." On your way to work, visualize the things you want to accomplish at work. If you are giving a presentation, spend time thinking about how you want to look and speak during the strong points of that presentation. Get focused, get excited, and take the ability that you have been given to do your job to the next level. Whatever it takes, have precision focus when you show up to do your job. There are things you can do to start your "Precision Focus" for the day. For example, there is a song that I play on my way to work that gets me totally jacked and focused. It takes my mind from sleep mode, to "let's do this!" mode. By the time I open the door and step inside my workplace, I am energized and focused. Hit your workday hard on Tuesday! You have what it takes to do amazing things. In fact, I would go as far to say you have what it takes to do things you don't think you can do. Stay energized, stay excited, and hit your day with Precision Focus.

Daily Work Goal #1 For 2012

Most of us are employed somewhere in the World. We wake up, go through our morning routine, jump in our car and head toward that workplace where we spend 8 hours of our day. Calculate this for a minute. Lets say you start your full time, 40 hour work week career at the age of 21, and retire at the age of 65. If you do the math, you will have worked 91,520 hours, or about 23 percent of your life will be spent at work. That is an astonishing amount of time! With that in mind, I want to help you have the best days at work that you can have, so every Monday Keep this in Mind:

No Body Likes To Be Around "Whining Whitney" or "Complaining Clarance". Think about the person at work who always complains or whines about everything? They are just a ball of fun aren't they? If you can feel the negative energy oozing from their life, I would be willing to bet that your boss can also sense the same thing. When you go to work every Monday of this year, don't be this person! You will drag down those around you, and cause drama that is not needed. When the Monday work day ends, don't bring the negativity of the day home with you. Your Husband/Wife, Kids, Mom/Dad need you to be positive and uplifting. Spare your home from the stress of the workday, and the negative things you have encountered.

Key Verse: Philippians 2:14 "In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing."

A Few Things I Learned In 2011

Here are a few things I learned from 2011.

1. I hit a wall about half way through the year. I started to compare myself to other pastors in the country. I know that I have blogged about not doing this, but I found myself watching so many different people online preach, and thought "wow, if I could just preach like that.." This is something I will absolutly not do in 2012

2. I gained insight into how urgent it is to keep a good name. I am reminded that a good name is important, so doing whatever is necessary to make the right decisions is what must be done.

3. Words are strong. Speaking positive even when I don't want to is the only option I have. Even when people royally tick me off, I am obligated to speak positively to them and about them.

4. Praying daily is essential for spiritual momentum. Staying connected with God on a daily basis needs to be a top priority.

5. Don't let your family go too long without you. Your kids need you, your brother and sister need you, your wife need you, your husband need you, and your parents need you.

There is so much more that I could write on what I have learned this year, but it would take hours to read, so I hope this little burst encourages someone out there in internet land.