Thanksgiving 2014

I have so much for which to be thankful. People probably get tired of me saying it but it is absolutely true: I am so grateful for all the little things that I so often take for granted. The things that come to mind are the ability to walk and talk and think and comprehend. The ability to communicate and listen, to see and imagine, to come and go.

I have been blessed with all the extras - the best wife in the world, the privilege of being her husband and a dad to my kids. We have a very modest but comfortable home. We have vehicles to drive and places to go. We have a great network of family, biological, spiritual, and emotional. We have jobs that we enjoy, which allow us to have food and clothing, a feeling of fulfillment, and so much more.Yes, I have all of life's blessings.

Today's word is just a thought that came to me: "We so often take for granted the very things that others would so deeply cherish."

I am the worst of the lot. I will complain about my arthritic knees and hips, while I am sure others would love to just be able to walk on sore knees and hips. I find myself complaining about the high price of electricity or gas or cable, while others would love to have the privilege of having a home.

This Thanksgiving, I want to be more grateful, more aware, more cognizant of the many rich blessings that GOD has bestowed upon me. I am going to quit taking for granted those blessings that I have that others would so deeply cherish.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

We need some help

There are times in each of our lives when we need a little assistance, a little help. It might be financial help. It might be something physical, like helping lift something. It might be spiritual, a little praying. It might be emotional, a shoulder to cry on. Suffice it to say that we will all eventually need a little help.

No one is immune from the wear and tear of this world. We will all have moments of happiness and moments of sadness. We will all have moments of strength and moments of weakness. We will all have moments of up and moments of down. It is in those latter moments that we need a little help.

Today's word is Psalm 55:22, NLT, which reads, "Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."

In those times when we need help and no one seems to be able to lessen our load, GOD CAN. Whatever you may be carrying, whatever burden you may be bearing, whatever weight you are dragging, GOD can help. Give Him your burdens and He will take care of you.

And, notice the last sentence in the verse. "He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." It may seem that things are bad and only getting worse. It may seem that one more step is one too many. It may seem that one more straw is all it will take to break the camel's back. But, rest assured, He will not allow His children to fall.

We all will need help from time to time. Cast your burdens on the LORD; He will take care of you!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

The right Equipper

We recently purchased new cellphones but kept the same service. The phones are pretty nice; the service is still the same really sketchy service. Just this morning, I tried to send a text and it would never send it. NEVER. I walked around outside trying to get it to do better, no luck.

Same for my golf game, or lack thereof. I have purchased new golf clubs and still played just as poorly as I did with the old ones. You can have all the new stuff, made of the newest materials, with all the bells and whistles, but if you don't have the right equipper, the equipment means little.

Today's word is Isaiah 45:5, NLT, which reads, "I am the LORD: there is no other GOD. I have equipped you for battle."

Whatever may come our way, whatever problem or situation or opportunity, GOD has equipped us with the necessary tools to handle it. We don't have to worry about sketchy service or poor mechanics; He will give us what is needed for each and every battle.

We can buy all the new gadgets, all the latest equipment, but if we aren't hooked to the right Equipper, our efforts are in vain. It's all about the right Equipper.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Pride can be a funny thing

There's an episode of M*A*S*H where Radar is Uncle Walter to a local lady's young son. Radar asks Capt. BJ Honeycutt to go with him to give the young child a full checkup. As they are walking along, BJ tells Radar that he is envious of him. When Radar says, "But, you're an officer and a doctor," BJ replies, "Yeah, but you have your family, and that is worth more than either of those."

We often allow ourselves to lose sight of the really important things. Our pride gets in the way and we begin to believe that we are more important than a relationship or that we are too good for certain things. When this happens, we tend to miss out on the most important things.

Today's word is a quote from Alice Hoffman that says, "Pride is a funny thing: it can make what is truly worthless appear to be a treasure."

Our pride can cause us to think that our education, our raising, our position, our whatever is more important than the people that helped us and/or continue to support us. A leader is no leader if he has no one to lead. Yes, our pride can certainly lead us to believe that something is more important than the truly important things. Don't allow your pride to blind you from what is most important.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

What you need is a good laugh

There is absolutely nothing like a good laugh, especially a good belly laugh. You know the kind; where your whole body shakes, you can't catch your breath, tears rolling down your face, yeah, a good belly laugh. I don't know why people don't laugh but some people seem as if there face would break if they did.

There are proven health benefits from laughter. Laughter has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, is a fun ab workout, improves cardiac health, increases T cells (they protect immunity), triggers release of endorphins (the feel good hormones), and laughter produces a general sense of well-being. So, laughter is good for our health.

Today's word is a simple quote I came across that reminds me not to take life so seriously. It says, "Life is better when you're laughing."

I think we all agree that life is definitely better when you're laughing, though, we all get in that rut from time to time that doesn't allow us to laugh. It is often quite hard to break that funk too. I have had funks last for weeks, which is an absolute shame but is the absolute truth.

We all know that laughter is good. We know that laughter is good for our health and well-being. We know that laughter makes life better. Go ahead - have a good belly laugh. You'll be glad you did.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Time for some cleaning

I like to weed eat. Now, I don't necessarily like weed eating as much as I have to but I do like to weed eat. You know what I like about weed eating? You can see what you are accomplishing. You can see that you are cleaning something up. You can see that you are making things neater. You can't always see that with other things.

I have seen things that looked really good from one side but the other side was horrid. I've seen a really nice, expensive fence that was only there to hide the junk behind it. I have seen cars with really nice paint jobs that were there to try to distract you from the poor mechanical shape it was in. I know we can all put up a false front to hide what we don't want anyone else to see.

Today's word is Psalm 51:10, NIV, which reads, "Create in me a pure heart, O GOD, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Sometimes, it is necessary for GOD to do a little cleaning, removing those things that are hindering good growth. We need Him to knock down the weeds and to create a clean, pure heart. You can't grow good things until the bad weeds, those things that steal from the good, are removed. GOD is the keeper of our hearts. Then, we have to be steadfast, determined, to keep the good things going.

I don't always look forward to weed eating. I bet GOD doesn't always enjoy having to discipline His children in order to get the bad stuff out. Yet, the end results are so rewarding.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Learning from the children

Watching the little man the other day, I was reminded how simple things could be if I would only let them. He was having a grand time just driving two half eaten Doritos around the coffee table. In his three-year-old mind, they were firetrucks on a mission to "help somebody".

He "drove" the two Doritos around the coffee table, stopping here and there to mitigate any emergency that cropped up. There were no expensive toys, no extensive graphics, no complicated controls; just two half eaten Doritos and a wonderful imagination. His sound effects were astounding; his lesson was humbling.

Today's word is part of a quote from Paulo Coelho, which I have paraphrased: "Learn from children: be happy for no reason and always be busy with something."

Yeah, the lesson really resonated with me. I have a tendency to allow things to bog me down, to wear me down, to steal some of my happiness. Yet, here was a three-year-old having a grand ol' time "driving" two Doritos around the coffee table in order to "help somebody". He was happy for no particular reason, though, Doritos can usually make me happy. And, his joy was in doing something to help someone else. Children can teach us so much, if we will only look and listen.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

You'll get it back

You ever lend money to folks knowing you'll never get it back. Yeah, you know the ones. They will ask if they can "borrow" some money but you know that "borrow" for them is synonymous with "give". It gets pretty easy in these situations to become jaded and not want to help anyone out.

How do you know who really needs to borrow money and who really doesn't? How do you know when you are really helping someone or just aiding them in their slothfulness? How do you know when giving someone something is the right thing to do? All good questions...

Today's word is Proverbs 19:17, NLT, which reads, "If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD--and He will repay you!"

It takes some discernment when it comes to "lending"; we need to be sure that we aren't enabling, which I am sure I have done. But, when we do it sincerely, when we do it knowing GOD wants us to, when we do it knowing GOD is in it, we can rest assured that we will never miss what we give. But, it is even more than that...

If we give, knowing we are led by GOD, we can also be assured that GOD will give it back. I don't know about you but I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination. GOD has given me more than I deserve, more than I ever expected, more than I can ever thank Him for. If GOD leads you to give to someone, He will repay you!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Blessed and Highly Favored

When people ask me how I am doing, my usual reply is, "Blessed and Highly favored." Some people look at me like I am the idiot that I can be, while others look at me like I am bragging. Well, let me clear that up - I am bragging - on GOD! He has truly blessed me and favored me far more than I deserve. FAR MORE.

I think we often lose sight of all that we have been given because we focus too much on what we think we lack. Yes, there are lots of people in this world making lots more money and living in much nicer houses and driving much fancier cars and eating the finest of foods but, if they don't know JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR, they aren't nearly as favored as I am.

Today's word is John 1:16, from the New Living Translation, which reads, "From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another."

I have said it before but it doesn't lessen it...do you know how blessed you are to have been able to get yourself out of bed this morning? To have dressed yourself? To have had something readily available to eat? To have been able to get up and walk and talk and move and speak and hear. Yep, you're blessed!

I don't know about you but I have received one gracious blessing after another. I am indeed Blessed and Highly Favored.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

There's no qutting

Well, yesterday was a cardio day. I HATE cardio days. I know they are a necessary evil. I know that they are benefiting me in ways that I will one day realize. I know that doing the cardio will help me in the long run. But, as I climbed on that elliptical yesterday, there wasn't a lot of want to.

It's not just cardio that we have to, sometimes, overcome. We are often confronted with things that are difficult and taxing, that just plain suck. Yet, we have to find a way to get through it; we have to find the strength to muddle to a finish.

Today's word is a simple prayer that reminds me from whence my strength comes. It says, "Thank you, LORD, for giving me the strength to keep going when all I really want to do is give up."

Psalm 121 begins by saying, "I lift my eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help. My help comes from the LORD, which made Heaven and earth." GOD gives me the strength to keep on going when all I want to do is quit.

We will all face those things that will cause us to want to throw our hands up and say, "I give up." When those times occur, and they will, call on GOD. He will give you what you need to keep going because He loves to see His children succeed.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

Health and Nourishment

My thoughts today are on the impending health fair that we will have at work today. It is an annual event in which they check blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, bmi, etc. I usually do pretty well with the blood pressure and blood sugar but I excel with cholesterol.

I am a cholesterol manufacturing machine. I can take the medication or not take the medication and have numbers off the chart either way. I really try to eat fairly healthily but it has little effect on my numbers. I try to exercise fairly regularly but that, too, seems to have negligible effects. But, I have to do what I can.

Today's word is Proverbs 3:7 & 8, NIV, which reads, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."

If we want to be really healthy, there is nothing better that we can do than to fear the LORD and shun evil. There are so many bad things that we can get into that will have detrimental effects on us physically. I won't go into long lists but we will suffice to say that doing certain evil things can cause you to get diseases that will KILL you, often slowly and painfully.

Not only will shunning evil keep you healthy, it will nourish you. I have had a busy stretch where that I haven't made it to exercise as often as I had been. But, once I got back into the routine, I felt better than I could have imagined. Sore? Yes. Tired? Yes. Achy? Yes. But, better.

Yes, it is important to try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We can really aid ourselves by trusting GOD and shunning evil. Now, let's go see how high that cholesterol meter can really read!

Be Blessed,
Mickey T

See and say

I have a simple approach to things. If you know me, you know that I am a very simple guy. My approach is that I believe half of what I see and a fourth of what I hear. It really comes down to perception. I have had the wrong perception of things that I thought I heard or saw, which brought about this approach.

I am sure we have all done it. We hear something but we allow it to meander through our minds and what we eventually think we heard is not exactly what we heard at all. Then, when we share what we think we heard, it causes more erroneous perceptions; same thing with what we often think we see.

Today's word is a quote that I don't know to whom it is attributed but I really like it. It says, "Don't let your ears witness what your eyes didn't see; don't let your mouth speak what your heart doesn't feel."

We often allow our perception of things to cloud the truth. We allow what one person tells us to influence our belief about someone else. While everyone may have an opinion of everyone else, I truly try to form my own opinions of everyone and not take theirs. If the evidence doesn't substantiate it, I try not to let my ears formulate it.

It's easy to get drawn into things we never intend to be involved in by allowing others to influence our decisions. We would all be better off to allow ourselves to see it to believe it and to only speak the truth. You know, believe half of what you see and a fourth of what you hear.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T