Don't do too much

I have been known to try and tackle too much at one time. I have also been known to make a complete and total mess of whatever I was trying to tackle. Sometimes, it would probably be best for me to sit down and develop a plan, and a plan B.

We've mentioned before that we should learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. I do believe that we often get so caught up in our failures that we can't move on to our next success. We are all going to fail, which is really hard for me to admit, but it is absolutely true. Learn from them and move on - yesterday is gone, can't get it back, can't change it, let it go.

Today's word is just a saying that I really like that says, "Learn from yesterday, live for today, Trust GOD for tomorrow."

Let yesterday go. The more you continue to hold on to yesterday's failures and hurts and pains, the less you can enjoy today. Once again, yesterday is gone - LIVE FOR TODAY. Today is the only day we have. Today is the day that GOD has given us - make the most of it. Don't let yesterday kill today.

Then, we need to trust GOD for tomorrow. While we are not guaranteed tomorrow, IF GOD chooses to give us another day, we are going to need Him to see us through. You know why? Because, there will be challenges and problems and concerns and failures. And, we need to allow Him to help us see past those so that we can see the love and the beauty and the joys and the fun. We need Him to help us live TODAY.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Silence & Smile

Ever notice how a simple smile can defuse a situation? Now, not if it is one of those condescending/smirky smiles, but a true, sincere smile can really make a situation better. There is just something about a smile that can change opinions of what is happening.

It is amazing to me how quickly we can get ourselves into messes and how we try to fix things once we mess them up. When I say, "We," I really mean "ME". I seem to have an uncanny ability to get myself into way more hot water than folks need to be. This could explain my wrinkled skin, huh?

Today's word is a saying I came across that really sums things up. It says, "Silence & Smile are two powerful tools. Smile is the way to solve many problems. Silence is the way to avoid many problems."

While a smile can often go a long ways in defusing a situation, silence could benefit us more by keeping us out of a lot of situations. I have no doubt that if I could just learn to keep my mouth shut, life would find a way to be a little more simpler. I shared with someone yesterday that my problem is that I have an opinion about everything, and I freely share it with everyone. Yeah, silence could really prove beneficial.

Smile and Silence - two very powerful tools. One can defuse a situation, the other can prevent a situation.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

This is good

Maybe you don't have them but I know people that love DRAMA! I know tons of people that love to keep things going, that love to make things worse than they are, that love to make everything about them, that love to turn themselves into the victim no matter the circumstance. Sound familiar?

Surely you know the type. Someone can have a minor fender-bender but by the time the word gets spread via social media, they have broken their back, their neck, both ears, twelve toes, sixteen fingers, and three hairs. Come to find out, they didn't even get a scrape. The real problem with this is the discord it breeds...

Today's word comes from 1 Timothy 2:2b & 3, NIV, which reads, "...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases GOD our SAVIOR."

What's wrong with trying to live peacefully, without DRAMA? I am anti-dramatic. I am a "just the facts" type of guy. Things are usually bad enough without trying to make them worse. If we would all try to follow Paul's advice in the above passage, we would find ourselves living peacefully and quietly and anti-dramatically.

Now, whether that will happen or not, I wouldn't put any money on it. There are some people who love controversy, and they create it by embellishing and exaggerating. Hey, you may not believe it but if you want to do something good, live peaceful and quiet in all godliness and holiness. THIS IS GOOD!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

He hears us

I have taken a couple of weeks off from posting. My Pops had gotten sick and was in the hospital. Pops never got well and GOD decided to take him home. It is still hard to believe.

There is so much to say about losing someone you love but nothing can explain it. NOTHING. I cannot put into words what I feel. I cannot verbalize how it hurts. I cannot describe it. BUT, GOD knows how I feel. He knows all the things I will never know. He knows how to comfort me even when I don't know how to receive the comfort.

Today's word is from Psalm 116:1 & 2, NIV, which reads, "I love the LORD, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live."

Look, I don't know why things happen the way they do; I just try to accept GOD'S will. I know that when I can't understand it all, He carries me until He can help me deal with it. I may never get it, but He will always help me deal with it.

My life is forever changed, it will never be the same. But, GOD is always constant - He will ALWAYS hear me and carry me through. Blessed be the name of the LORD!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

I am positive

There is a lot to be said for having a positive attitude. Studies have shown that people with positive attitudes usually have better recovery rates after medical procedures. And, it is obvious that we have more friends and more people that tolerate us when we have a positive attitude. No one likes being around constant negativity.

Positive dispositions can carry us through trying times, and we will all have trying times. When the difficult times come, we have to reach back for the things that brought us through, for the positive things that help us persevere.

Today's word is from Psalm 27:13, NIV, which reads, "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."

Our world is in such turmoil. Our country is in turmoil. All we see on the news and hear through media reports is all the negative things going on. It seems that our government is way too interested in playing politics and not interested at all in being government.

But, regardless of what is going wrong in this world, I remain confident, I am POSITIVE, that GOD has it under control and that I will see His goodness despite what is visible through the media. Yes, things are bad. Yes, they only seem to get worse and worse. Yes, people seem bent on making them worse and worse. But, I am confident that GOD is on His throne and His goodness will see us through!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Undervalued

I like my pinkie toe. I mean, I really like my pinkie toe; I don't want to have to live without it. Now, a lot of people probably don't think about the little things as much as others. I am grateful to have all my body parts, even the pinkie toe. I don't know if the pinkie toe is significantly important as far as walking and balance, etc., but it is rather important to me because it is there. I was born with it and would like to keep it my entire life.

Hey, and it's not just the pinkie toe. I am grateful for every fingernail. Fingernails come in pretty handy if you are trying to open something or scratch something. I have smashed a few fingers and lost fingernails, and I have always been grateful when they grow back.

So, what am I getting at? I am glad you asked...Today's word is a quote from Malcolm S. Forbes that says, "Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are."

It seems that far too many people get hung up on what they are not and lose sight of what they truly are. I am not a rocket scientist. I am not a doctor. I am not a race car driver. I am not a professional athlete. However, I am grateful to be what I am: a child of GOD, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, etc. I may never be famous or rich but I a forever blessed and eternally wealthy.

Looking at all the things we aren't is a pretty easy thing to do. Remembering what we are, though, is far more important.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

That one thing

There was a movie years ago titled "City Slickers". The premise of the movie was that there was a group of people with various challenges/disappointments/problems in their lives that go to a cattle ranch and spend a week herding cattle. During the week, they find answers to their dilemmas and they come back resolved to make amends and the necessary changes to guarantee success.

The old hardened cowhand is named Curly, and he gives the main character, Billy Crystal, a line that explains things to him. He tells Billy's character that you have to find that one thing in your life worth going through life for. Crystal's character asks what that one thing is. Curly tells him that it is different for everyone (you have to find your one thing).

Today's word is just a saying that I really like, which says, "When GOD is your Reason to Live, you will never have a reason to quit."

The truth is, we all have to find that one thing that motivates us to keep on keeping on. And, while that one thing might be a spouse, a child, a whatever, the fact is, that it ALL comes from GOD. If we will make GOD our Reason, we will always have that one thing that keeps us moving.

While the movie was made for Hollywood and had some decent messages, the fact is that GOD is the Reason we are here. If we will continue to serve Him and do His good will, we will always have a reason to keep going. Yeah, GOD is that One thing.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

The Atlanta Braves

Well, last night, the Atlanta Braves were eliminated from the MLB playoffs - again. It isn't anything unusual; I should be getting used to it. However, when it is your team, the team you root for, you always want them to win. If you are a Braves fan (or a Cowboys fan, which I am), you know that there will be disappointments.

The Braves finished with the second best record in baseball, and, again, they are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They seem to have a propensity for doing really well during the season and really struggling during the post season. I think we all have those same difficulties at times. We are doing well, going strong, but we relax a little thinking we have accomplished our goal. But, we haven't finished until the end - we have to keep going.

Now, some folks would give up on their team if they kept getting disappointed. I am not giving up on the Braves or the Cowboys or the Crimson Tide, they are my teams. They may disappoint me but they are my teams. There is no room for giving up on something when that something is yours.

Today's word is from Job 17:9, NIV, which reads, "The righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger." To which I add, Stand strong, GOD is on your side.

When things are going bad is not the time to give up, it is the time to bow up. When things are headed south is not the time to jump off, it is the time to jump in. When things are going sour is not the time to split, it is the time to stay. If you truly believe in something, you will hold to it. The scripture above tells us that the righteous will hold to their ways. Followers of JESUS won't abandon ship just because the waters get a little rough, they batten down the hatches and hold on.

The scripture also tells us that if we will keep ourselves in GOD'S will, we will get stronger. Need some strength? Need some staying power? Need to dig your heels in? Stick with GOD - He will strengthen you. And, who knows, the Braves or the Cowboys may figure out how to win in the playoffs eventually. If they don't, though, I will stand strong. More importantly, I will stand strong with GOD Who gives me strength.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Trust is a tough one

If you ask a few hundred people what it means to trust something, you would probably get a few hundred responses. Now, there would be similarities but trust is a tough one to put a finger on sometimes.

We trust that the floor will hold us up as we walk across it. We trust that the lights will come on when we flip the switch. We trust that the person driving in the opposite lane will remain there - in the opposite lane. We trust that everyone at the four-way stop knows how the four-way is designed to work. There are a lot of things we trust; there are far fewer people that I trust.

Trusting people has always proven quite difficult to me. So often people say one thing and do another. So often people will tell you what they think you want to hear, just to let you find out different later. Trusting others is indeed a difficult thing for me. However, there is One we can ALWAYS trust...

Our word for today is from Nahum 1:7, NIV, which reads, "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."

For me, trust means that I can count on you being what you say you are, doing what you say you'll do, and being consistent time and time again. I may fail at that but GOD never will. I like the verse above, how it tells us that GOD is our refuge and that He cares for us. Mostly, though, it is the fact that I can TRUST Him. The Bible teaches us that GOD is the same yesterday, today, forever. HE DOES NOT CHANGE! We can trust GOD to be GOD ALWAYS! For a guy who has his trust issues, that is reassuring.

Trust is tough, but not when we put our trust in He who is trustworthy.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Simple Beginnings

Some of the biggest disasters in the world began quite simply. When a dam breaks, it isn't always the massive catastrophe that is the cause. It is often the little leak that began years ago that went unnoticed or un-remedied.

When things happen, I like to try to get to the bottom of them. If you have a flat tire, you can put more air in it but if you don't find the cause of the tire flattening, it will continue to flatten. Flat tires are often remedied with a simple fix. However, if you don't remedy the cause, it will only get worse.

The same things happen in our lives. We keep going back to the same things, we keep putting air back into a leaking tire, we keep trying to make things work without figuring out why they aren't working. Often, the simplest fix is to just realize that it isn't worth fixing.

Today's word is a quote from Dr. Steve Maraboli, which says, "The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go."

We like to hold onto things. So many of us are pack rats with everything. We will hold onto old hurts as easily as we hold onto old hats. We will hold onto old grudges as much as we hold onto old gadgets. How simple our lives would become if we would just learn to let it go. And, I am speaking to me...

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Same Mistake?

Now, if you know me personally, you know that I am not the brightest bulb in the tool shed. However, I have a knack for learning from my mistakes early. I don't often repeat the same mistake. If I hit my thumb while swinging a hammer, I quit swinging.I try to learn from others' mistakes, and I try to never repeat mine.

Some folks seem to keep going back and doing the "same mistake" over and over. They will do something they know is wrong, feel bad about it, try to make amends, and, then, go right back and do the exact same thing again. Why?

Today's word is just a thought that says, "You never make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it is not a mistake, it is a choice."

We so often find ourselves doing the same things the same way and not understanding why things don't change. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. I like to say, "If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting what you're getting." The first time might have been a mistake; the second time is a choice.

So, here's the deal...if you hit your thumb with a hammer - STOP SWINGING THE HAMMER. If you find yourself making the "same mistakes", make a different choice. You may just be surprised at how much that choice will change things, and that's no mistake.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Someone's listening

I have to admit that I am bad to overhear others' conversations. It is not that I am eavesdropping, I just have really good hearing. I promise you that I am not trying to hear their conversations, I just do.

Often, though, it seems as though no one hears us. It seems as though we are screaming at the top of our lungs, that we are hurting and yelling, and, yet, no one seems to hear us. There are few things more disappointing than needing to be heard and everything falling on deaf ears.

Today's word is Psalm 66:19 & 20, NIV, which reads, "but GOD has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to GOD, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!"

GOD ALWAYS LISTENS! Pay attention. I didn't say that GOD always hears. I said that GOD ALWAYS LISTENS! There is a big difference between hearing and listening. Hearing implies that you recognize there is a noise; listening implies that you distinguish what the noise is. GOD knows what we are saying - HE LISTENS!

Folks will hear us, and, often, not listen. GOD ALWAYS LISTENS! Tell Him your problems, your burdens, your concerns, your fears, your obsessions - He is listening.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T