Me Time: Vital for Maintaining Relationships

 

We live very hectic lives. We often have stressful jobs, come home to take care of the children and spouses, pets, and piled-up household chores. There seems to hardly be any time left to relax, let alone keep relationships fresh, exciting and healthy. As a result, many couples start to drift apart. Families start to drift apart. The good news is that does not have to happen to you, my friend.

By occasionally taking time off and spending it at some of the local escapes, you can find refresh, refocus and rejuvenate yourself.  With our limited spare time, it is often difficult to take extended vacations; but, surely you can spend a couple of days on a weekend getaway.  It is important to rekindle your passion for your spouse, refocus on the importance of family, and just plain have some fun with each other. Forget about paying bills, soccer practice, ballet lessons, cleaning the carpet and other things that won’t matter after you’re gone. What your family will have left are the memories that they shared with you. Will that memory be one where you never spent time with them? Will it be one where they felt that everything else was more important than they were?  

You need time to yourself. If you are all spent out, you have little to give to others.  A local coffee shop, bookstore, or park can provide some breathing space and time to do some of the things that you enjoy. You may even book a suite at one of your local hotels and treat yourself to some much deserved rest and relaxation.  How would it feel to go to an unhurried breakfast Instead of the urgency of others wanting you to get up to go make breakfast? Or, you and your spouse could cuddle undisturbed, and sleep until your body is truly rested. Think about it. Life is short, but the memories of your spouse and family are long. 

 

 

God is for the Underdog

Today I'm blogging on a dynamic church in the South-New Hope International in Warner Robins, Georgia, Jordan Poole, Pastor. Bishop Jeff Poole, Overseer, and Pastor of New Hope Port St. Lucie in Florida, did an amazing job of showing how God is with us no matter what our situation may look like. I am providing the sermon notes for you here.

God is for the Underdog (Judges 6:11-16)

Underdog- a person who is expected to lose. We've all felt like underdogs at some point in time; overwhelmed, out numbered, like the situation is out of control, like you can't make a comeback. People under-estimate what and Who you have inside you. But this can be a positive situation. The Bible says that a righteous man may fall seven times, but gets back up; Darkness cannot put your light out. You can extinguish what is trying to put you out. We Americans spend $8 billion on makeup each year. We care about our appearance. And, we should. But we can appear ok on the outside, but the inside is not ok. People under estimate the value of who you are. Vs. 1 tells us that for 7 years, the Middionites have the Israelites live in dens, caves, and strongholds after God had already delivered them- put them back in bondage, robbed them of what they had sown. How often do we see our efforts no turn out like we want them to? When we see that happen, we begin to withdraw and hide ourselves. But you're still in the game, in the war whether you want to be or not. We may take ourselves out, but God never takes us out. The enemy never leaves us alone! Israel and the Middionites have a history. It's not their first encounter. The Middionites now want revenge. The enemy is not happy when we defeat him. Don't think it strange the fiery darts that come against you. We, too, have a history with the enemy. The Israelites cried to the Lord because of trouble, because of the enemy. There's nothing like trouble to get you to pray. They cried out to God and He sent a prophet. They had a history with God, also. He said, "I'm the one that brought you up and out". We have a history with God, too. Because of their history with God, He sent an angel. Be careful how we treat strangers. They may be angels unaware. Gideon was doing something in hiding that he should have been doing in the open (threshing wheat) because of fear of the past. Fear can fuel us or intimidate and paralyze us. How many of us have become inhibited because of past battles. He was supposed to be threshing wheat in the open on a hill so that the wind could separate the wheat from the chaff. But he was next to a wind press, a hole in the ground where wine was made. How often do we expose the things that we should hide and do openly and vice versa. We shouldn't hide our joy and peace, our faith, our victories.

You cannot do anything without wind, the Holy Spirit. Quit trying to control everything in our life. Let the sails up in your life and let the wind guide you. If you let the Spirit of God control your life, He'll blow things that have been there for years. The wind will separate. The angel of God said to Gideon, "The Lord is with you, you mighty (strong, champion) man of valor (power, efficiency, wealth) while Gideon was still hiding, before he showed these traits. This is because God sees us as we are in Him, as a victor.  Gideon says, "If the Lord is with us, why is this happening?" But, some things we will only know in part. Our situation causes us to not feel God. We can question God. He let's us get it all out, our whining and questioning, then still says "Go" without addressing our questions. Then He says, " I sent you". He'll never send us anywhere to lose. Ask yourself, " How do I see myself? A winner, victorious, intimidated? Israel couldn't see themselves the way God saw them. Ask yourself "What if"? and fill in the blank. Martin Luther King had a dream, not a plan. Think about it. It all has  to begin with what's in you. Gideon says "I can't do it. I'm weak (needy)". (Needy people will drain you). God called Gideon. He had no gear, but he had game. He felt insignificant, but that's not how God saw him. We need to have dreams. Bishop used the example  of Maurice Alexander, who was kicked off the college team because of a mistake he made. He said that he got a job working at the stadium where the team played, and a job cleaning the stadium, cleaning toilets. He didn't let this defeat him. He worked hard, didn't let his failures 
and mistakes paralyze him.  He went back to college, played football, and was drafted for the NFL. He's now on the St. Louis team, not in a janitor uniform, but in a football uniform! 2nd Corinthians 
says we have treasure in earthen vessels, cracked vessels, imperfect vessels. Our present 
situation does not define who we are. He also used another example of a footage of Autistic Jason (J Mack) on that played on CNN. We're still in the game in God's eyes, even when everyone else 
counts us out. 

                  Be blessed and keep your dreams alive!       

Make Today Count

Let's make today count-each moment, each second, each hour!

Finding success and finding your "why" in life is all about taking action.

You can read all you want about success and read about "finding your why", but nothing will happen until you begin to execute; begin to take action.

That is why today, I’m inviting you to take some needed action.  Instead of reading my blog, I want you to make a decision to do something – right now. Do something for your blog, your business, your goals, your book or your life that will get you moving forward, create momentum and help you reach your goals?

All I ask is that you leave a comment below about what you’re about to do (sort of like a pledge or accountability pact), and let’s see how much we can all get done today.  Wishing you much success!!!

 

 

Family Reunions...A Southern Tradition

Something truly southen. Families meeting for good food and seeing family members that you haven't seen in "a coon's age". That's a southern saying, in case you don't know it. It means "in a very long time".

We recently held our Canady, Lewis, Jackson Reunion in Warner Robins, Georgia. Family showed up in droves! The small kids got to meet and play with cousins that they did not know. It was an awesome sight to behold-the next generation. We were amazed at how we have turned into the elders that we once looked upon with awe and were saddened that so many of them are no longer with us. We ate sooo much good food, worshipped together and made plans for the next reunion in 2016 in Miami, Florida. Just in case you haven't started the family reunion tradition, here are some resources that I have found helpful. Happy planning!

1.  celebrate.myevent.com has a basic package that is free and enables you to accept registration and social media integration.  Paid packages allow for an address book, family tree, emails, memorials and other neat features.

2.  family-reunion.com is Mister Spiffy's Reunion Planner. It includes everything from reunion software to free resources to planning tips.

3.   reunionsmag.com is for reunion planners of every kind-from families, to classes, to military and others.

4.   http://issuu.com/premier/docs/reunions_2012_12th_edition_lr (a reunion workbook).


Me with one of my daughters and some of my grands at the reunion

Love is in the air. It's fresh. It's exciting. It's in Georgia. There is a rumor floating around that love is illusive and cannot be found. I beg to differ. It can be found. It all has to do with where you're looking and  what and who you're looking at. Georgia is a beautiful place, full of all kinds of people. I'll share some of them with you. You'll even find some of them very colorful. Let's explore their personalities, their tastes and interests. If you have someone to suggest, send me an email at liferenovator@gmail.com.

Today, I'll begin with me. I have found some of the most interesting places to visit in Georgia. Oxford is one such place. A hop, skip and a jump from Atlanta, it has the flavor of a small town with a hint of city. There are beautiful homes and beautiful places for nice, long drives. There I met a real Southern Gentleman who is a talented author and speaker whose name is Gregory L. Towns. Be on the look out to hear more about him. He writes with a flare that draws you in and makes you feel as though you know each character. His  writing is engaging and makes even those who claim they hate to read want to know what happens and who done it. And did I say that he's a gentleman? Of course, I did. He is also writing a new chapter in his own life. Intrigue. Intrigue. Stay tuned.

High School, Life School

 

 

A.L. Miller Sr. High School in Macon, Georgia as I knew  it as a teenager years ago. It is a place whose halls have many stories to tell. Some stories elicit beautiful memories of friendship, pranks, detention, study halls and, yes, education. While others evoke not so pleasant memories of our quest to bridge the racial divide and appreciate each other's diversity. You see, the years were during the late 60's and early 70's when we were told, "Miller girls don't act that way". The teachers and staff were referring to how we were to carry ourselves as young ladies. Even though we were of different races, the standard for our behavior was the same. We were to carry ourselves with dignity, a quest for knowledge and goal-directed living. Yet, in the halls, racial differences peeked their ugly head as we were reminded that we were black because of names that we were sometimes called. And they remembered that they were white because of names that they were called. But it is amazing how these experiences have created a bond and connection that still connects us today. I chose to begin my Junior High School years at A.L. Miller Jr. High during "Freedom of Choice", prior to mandatory integration. I was reminded of these times recently when I say some of my fellow classmates who were white. Our conversation ended with lessons learned from that period in our lives and how we need to meet up again with others from that period and stay in touch with each other. We reminisced and realized that those times helped to build character in many of us. The lesson that I carry is that, yes, ultimately I was a Miller girl and the good and the bad helped to mold me into who I am today. The powers to be may have decided to get rid of the building as a school, but they can never erase from the blackboard of our memories the lessons that were learned there.  

 

 

A.L. Miller Sr. High School in Macon, Georgia as I knew  it as a teenager years ago. It is a place whose halls have many stories to tell. Some stories elict beautiful memories of friendship, pranks, detention, study halls and, yes, education. While others elicit not so pleasant memories of our quest to bridge the racial divide and appreciate each other's diversity. You see, the years were during the late 60's and early 70's when we were told, "Miller girls don't act that way". The teachers and staff were referrinng to how we were to carry ourselves as young ladies. Even though we were of different races, the standard for our behavior was the same. We were to carry ourselves with dignity, a quest for knowledge and goal-directed living. Yet, in the halls, racial differences peeked their ugly head as we were reminded that we were black because of names that we were sometimes called. And they remembered that they were white because of names that they were called. But it is amazing how these experiences have created a bond and connection that still connect us today. I chose to begin my Junior High School years at A.L. Miller Jr. High during "Freedom of Choice", prior to mandatory integration. I was reminded of these times recently when I say some of my fellow classmates who were white. Our conversation ended with lessons learned from that period in our lives and how we need to meet up again with others from that period and stay in touch with each other. We reminisced and realized that those times helped to build character in many of us. The lesson that I carry is that, yes, ultimately I was a Miller girl and the good and the bad helped to mold me into who I am today. The powers to be may have decided to get rid of the building as a school, but they can never erase from the blackboard of our memories the lessons that were learned there.