Reasons to Be Thankful

Reasons to Be Thankful

Written by Dr. Muriel Larson 

Years ago my husband and I were going through financial problems, and I was distraught with worry. Then I read Philippians 4:6-7, which told me not to be anxious about anything, but to bring everything to the Lord in prayer, with thanksgiving.

After I turned everything over to the Lord and started giving thanks to Him, faith filled me - and I received “the peace of God that passes all understanding” that verse seven promises. But when we are depressed and despairing, what can we thank God for?

I have learned that thanking God for the following can lift my heart to see above the problems of this world:

• His beautiful creation. I grew up in a summer resort in New Jersey, where living close to nature was part of my life - pine trees, water and gorgeous sunsets. My early attention to the beauty of God’s world gave me added appreciation for the amazing variety of plants, creatures, and scenery God has provided for us to enjoy. When I praise God for something He made, it increases my joy. Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field … Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28-29).

• The provisions of life. Even though we say grace, we may take the food we eat for granted. We’d enjoy it much more if we were grateful! The next time you eat one of your favorite foods, be thankful for its availability. Many people in the world only have plain rice to eat. When we think of our less-privileged, hungry brothers and sister in Christ, let’s pray, “Lord, give us this day our daily bread.”

• Everything we have comes from God. Ecclesiastes 5:19 says, “When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God.” When we thank God for our families, our home, warm clothes and all the conveniences that make our lives easier, we are able to enjoy them even more.

• Fellowship of the saints. Wherever we Christians go, we can find brothers in sisters in Christ. That is His fellowship, His church. When we grieve or feel depressed, our brothers and sisters comfort us and pray for us. Their prayers help bring healing and wisdom and carry us through troubled waters on the wings of God’s grace. Many of us Christians take for granted our church, pastor, and fellow Christians. It is sad that we must be struck by some calamity before we realize the blessing our spiritual family can be to us.Our Lord has given us the fellowship of the saints for our enrichment and increase of joy. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

• God’s promises. The Bible is full of God’s promises, especially the psalms. Many times when troubles have been abundant, I have opened my Bible and found a precious promise for me that has proven to be a great comfort. But we don’t have to go through troubled times to appreciate God’s promises. His blessings are new every morning.Thank God! The Lord has promised us freedom from anxiety, along with His peace that passes all understanding, if we simply trust Him with everything (Philippians 4:6-7). He promised to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19), supernatural joy to His followers (John 15:11), an abundant life (John 10:10) and answered prayers (John 14:14). Let’s not forget to thank Him!
• The greatest gift God gave mankind was His only begotten Son, who gave His life to grant us forgiveness of sin and everlasting life. Through His Spirit God gives us joy, peace, and victory. Let us rejoice in our Lord and give thanks to Him in all things!

BECOMING LIKE CHRIST

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

The Esther Day Event!!! Dont miss it!

God, Yourself,and Others!

This book is very interesting; DNA of relationships.
Now i want us to talk about the DNA Code.The relationship DNA code is made up of three simple yet profound strands:


1 .You are made for relationships
Relationships are not an option. From the moment you're born, You're in relationship with your parents,soon you're in relationship with other children.Later you have relationships in workplace, and you develop relationships with close friends.And eventually most people develop a relationship with someone they deeply love.
     When a relationship becomes difficult or painful, we tend to dismiss the relationship and may for a while try to abandon all relationships.But eventually we come back and seek connection once again.
  it is never just about the other person.Think about this; the problem you have with another person is often a problem you have with yourself.it means you are only what by what people say or do only when something rings true.At times, the real problem is not what people say about us.The problem is how you see yourself.you are offended by someone else, and that, then, becomes a relationship problem.instead, you need to take a look at yourself through the right lens.many times the statement that offends us isn't true at all.The problem is how we react to what others do or say.Any accurate snapshot of a relationship problem never focuses just on the other person-the picture must also include you.  


2. You are made with the capacity to choose
God created us with the capacity to choose.You cant choose your relationships-you can choose how you will act in those relationships.God gave you the power to choose. So when it comes to how you will respond in a relationship that has hit some rough waters, never tell yourself "i have no choice!" That a lie.The truth is, you do have a choice.Lots of choices.You have to take control of your life, stop being a victim of your past, and start moving on to something new.
 Not choosing is itself a choice.The mistake so many of us make in our relationships is to think that if we just let things stay as they are, if we can postpone making a choice, making a change, then we can get through a different experience.The most exciting part is that i am made with the capacity to choose is that all of my thoughts determine all of my actions and emotions.




3. You are made to take responsibility for yourself
The story of Adam and Eve is the story of us.They were made to take responsibility for themselves.when faced with the consequences of their choices,neither Adam nor Eve was willing to take responsibility.Each pointed the finger and blamed someone else.We are like that .when we find ourselves in a relationship difficulty, we point the finger at the other person.It's him.it's her.


We can't change the fact that God made us for relationships.you can work either with or against this DNA, but you cant choose whether it exists.The only choice you have is whether you will work to make those relationships great or allow them to cause you-and others-great pain.


 So choose wisely.Choose life.And be prepared to take personal responsibility to make the decisions-even the hard ones-that can keep joy, peace and satisfaction flowing into your relationships.


 If you can get the book fantastic! it is worth it!


DNA OF RELATIONSHIPS BY DR GARY SMALLEY

THE DNA OF RELATIONSHIPS

LIFE IS RELATIONSHIPS;THE REST IS JUST DETAILS.
YOU ARE MADE FOR THREE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS:WITH OTHERS WITH YOURSELF, AND WITH GOD.OUR RELATIONSHIPS IS NOT ONLY IMPORTANT, BUT EACH IS INTRICATELY INTERRELATED.IF ONE RELATIONSHIP IS OUT OF BALANCE, THE OTHERS WILL BE AFFECTED.

Wisconsin Wife, 80, Lands Plane for Dying Pilot Husband

A frail 80-year-old Wisconsin woman spent a harrowing 90 minutes learning how to handle a Cessna plane and then land it after her husband, who had been piloting the plane, collapsed while at the controls.

Helen Collins successfully landed the plane as it was running out of gas and an engine sputtering.

She is expected to be released from the hospital today with minor injuries after her bumpy landing Monday night at Sturgeon Bay. Despite the miracle landing, Helen Collins' husband John, 81, did not survive.

Her son, Richard Collins, recounted the ordeal today, punctuated with tears of grief for his father and chuckles of relief for his mom.

"I can't even tell her how to run a computer, let alone land a plane," Richard Collins, 55, told ABCNews.com. "It was a very trying time. I thought I was going to lose them both."

John and Helen Collins were flying from Florida to Wisconsin on Monday. John had not been feeling well on Thursday and the couple's son James Collins, also a pilot, wanted to meet them in Rome, Ga., where they were stopping, to fly the rest of the way.

"He wasn't right. You could tell something was wrong. He said he had a sore neck," Richard Collins told ABCNews.com today. But John Collins said he would fly himself.

"He had called me on the phone and asked me where I was," Richard Collins said. "I said I was at the airport waiting for him and he said he'd be there in 20 minutes. The next thing I knew, I saw the plane fly over the airport."

About six miles from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., something had gone wrong.

Helen Collins had called 911 to say that "her husband, the pilot of the aircraft, was having some sort of medical emergency and was unresponsive in the aircraft," according to a Door County Sheriff's Office report.

She was going to have to land the plane.

Collins said his mother had flown in the past, even flying solo, but she had never flown the two-engine Cessna and she had not piloted in about 30 years.

Richard Collins worked with the Cherryland Airport to send out the family's other plane with a pilot to shadow his mother and help her land. Another pilot was communicating with her from the ground.

"Robert [Vuksanovic, the pilot in the second plane] got in the air and was flying just off Helen's wing and was consulting her via radio," according to the report. "The two aircrafts did several fly-by type maneuvers as practice runs."

"The sheriff said she was amazingly calm and alert and level-headed," Richard Collins said of his mother who he described as "about as frail as frail can be" after having undergone two open-heart surgeries in the past several years.

Collins recalled his mother saying to everyone instructing her, "Don't you guys have faith in me? I can do this." But moments before landing, she said, "I don't think I can do this."

After circling for an hour-and-a-half, she was able to land the plane.

Keith Kasbohm, director of Cherryland Airport near Sturgeon Bay, told the Associated Press, "She was on her last attempt to get lined up with the runway. She reported one engine was sputtering on that last attempt to land. We were all watching and knew she had to do it."

"She bounced pretty hard," Richard Collins said. "When she bounced, the plane tilted forward and the landing gear broke."

Both Helen and John Collins were taken to the hospital where John Collins was pronounced dead. His son believes he had a heart attack. His mother has a crushed vertebra, but is expected to go home today.

When Richard Collins spoke to his mother, she described what had happened in the plane.

"She said that Dad became unconscious and took off his seatbelt to breathe better," Richard Collins said. His father lay down in the plane and his mother saw him "turning gray."

"She felt his hand and she knew," Richard Collins said as his voice cracked. "Everybody is so proud of her."

John Collins was the president and CEO of the family business, C&S Manufacturing, in Sturgeon Bay and had 50 employees. He began flying planes in the 1980s and frequently volunteered his services for Angel Flight, a group that helps transport patients in need to the hospitals they need to get to.

"My dad is the kind of guy that will help anybody. He's very generous and never turned anybody away," Richard Collins said. "He was like a father to anybody he knew. You couldn't find a better person. He's a better person than me. He's been a pillar in the community, my mom too."

Last week, the family spent time in Florida, relaxing by the ocean and eating out together.

Richard Collins remembered a conversation he heard his parents having in Florida last week while he was in his room going to bed.

"He says, 'Helen, I'm really lucky to have you.' And she said, 'No, I'm lucky to have you.' He said, 'No, I'm luckier to have you,'" Collins said through laughter and tears. "They were very tight."

'DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES' STAR CLAIMS UNFAIR DISMISSAL

A former "desperate housewives" actress took her ex-employer to court, claiming unfair dismissal from the hit tv series about lust and scandal in wisteria lane.

Nicolette Sheridan claims she was fired for complaining that the show's creator, marc cherry, slapped her on the head during rehearsals for a scene in September 2008.

The 48-year-old actress featured in five seasons of the abc series, before her character Edie Britt was written out of it a few months after the slapping incident -- she claims in retaliation for her complaint.

Cherry's lawyer claim he had already decided to drop her character in may 2008, four months before the incident -- but Sheridan says she was assured in 2007 that her character would continue for the duration of the show.

"we know Edie’s character is one we definitely won't be killing off," cherry said, according to Sheridan, the first witness to take the stand in the trial Thursday.

Sheridan filed a lawsuit in April 2010, alleging battery and wrongful terminal of employment against cherry and touchstone television productions, which makes the show.

The actress told the Los Angeles superior court that she wanted a funny line to remain in the script, but cherry resisted because it included part of a Beatles song, for which the studio would have to pay royalties.

While discussing the line, cherry shouted: "what is it that you want?," said Sheridan, who at times struggled to maintain her composure.

When she tried to respond, "Mr. Cherry stepped toward me and he took his right hand and he hit me upside the head," she said, her voice breaking. "it was a nice wallop."

Defense attorney Adam Levin said cherry simply tapped Sheridan on the head, trying to give her directions for the next scene. But Sheridan denied this, and re-enacted the scene with her lawyer Patrick Maloney in court.

"I was stunned, I could not believe he just hit me in the head. I could tell he was stunned," she said. "i told him, 'you just hit me in the head, that is not ok'."

"it was shocking, it was humiliating, it was demeaning. It was unfathomable that i had just been hit by my boss,"

She retired to her trailer, and after some time cherry came to apologize, she said, quoting him as telling her: "I am on bended knee begging your forgiveness."

Several of her former cast mates, including Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, James Denton and Felicity Huffman, are expected to appear as witnesses to defend cherry at the trial.

"desperate housewives," about lust, gossip, and foul play in a pampered American suburb, is to take its final bow at the end of its current eighth season.

The show, watched by 12 million people last season less than half the first season peak, helped turn around abc's flagging fortunes and boosted the international market for us series with complex plots and one-hour episodes.

Maryland gay marriage bill signed into law

Two Mothers of openly gay sons greet Gov. O'Malley. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the state's gay marriage bill into law Thursday evening, capping off a month of big state-level wins for the gay rights movement around the country.
"We're in a much more pro-active place," Michael Cole-Schwartz of the Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest LGBT advocacy and lobbying outfit, tells Yahoo News. "We've been able to achieve marriage equality in more places, and at the same time we've seen the public support go up and up."
In February, legislators in Maryland, Washington and New Jersey voted to allow gay couples to marry, though Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the New Jersey bill. The wins follow June's New York same-sex marriage law, the first such bill to pass a Republican-controlled chamber.
The win in New York was partly due to a different gay marriage strategy: identifying vulnerable lawmakers who are anti-gay marriage and then supporting their opponents in small-fry state races. Denver-area philanthropist Tim Gill used the Gill Action Fund to pump nearly $800,000 into a group called "Fight Back New York" to defeat four lawmakers who voted against gay marriage in 2009 and were shown to be the most vulnerable in polling. It worked. In October, the four Republican New York senators who broke with their party to vote for gay marriage in June were rewarded with a $1 million fundraiser, attended by Gill and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
But, gay marriage opponents have a plan to counter these victories, which may put the movement back on the defensive. Efforts are already underway to reverse the same-sex marriage laws in Maryland and Washington through a November ballot referendum. In Minnesota and North Carolina, the Human Rights Campaign and other groups are busy fending off gay marriage ballot bans, set for November and May, respectively.
Republican strategists pushed the idea of putting gay marriage on state ballots in 2004 and 2006, to stoke voter enthusiasm among the party's base. So far, voters in all 31 states have rejected gay marriage when it was put up to a vote. Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Washington and Iowa--which have all legalized gay marriage--did so through the legislature or the courts.
"These are not real victories," anti-gay marriage National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown says. "In fact, these are going to lead to even more defeats for same-sex marriage [through ballot initiatives]." But in both Maryland and Washington, recent polls show about half of voters support same-sex marriage, suggesting a ballot vote could be very close. Gradually rising support for gay marriage means ballot initiatives might no longer be the secret weapon of the anti-gay marriage camp.
Same-sex marriage supporters in Maine are willing to test out that theory. They're trying to get same-sex marriage on the November ballot, becoming the first pro-gay marriage group to seek a ballot initiative on the issue. "The track record has not been good for the question," says Dave Farmer, communications coordinator at the Dirigo Family Political Action Committee, which is funding the Maine ballot campaign. "I believe the number is 0 in 31." Farmer says the group's polling shows that about 53 percent of voters would vote for the ballot measure to let same-sex couples marry. In 2009, Maine voters vetoed the legislature's gay marriage bill, dealing a crushing blow to gay rights advocates in the state.
In Maine, gay marriage advocates also don't have much to lose. Gay marriage is already not allowed in Maine, and both houses of the legislature flipped to majority Republican in 2010, when the state also voted in a Republican governor who opposes same-sex marriage.
Gay rights supporters have slammed ballot initiatives in the past as placing a basic right up to popular vote. But Farmer says it's not the means that matter. "The bottom line is same-sex couples want to get married for the same reasons other couples do. Whether the means of making that possible are through a legislative, representative process or through a direct initiative, the goal is the same."

Valentine Greetings

Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day is not only for love birds; you can also wish your family and close friends on this day so, send valentines greetings to everyone important in your life. show your love ones you care and not only on val's day but always!

COURT TO RULE ON CALIFORNIA GAY MARRIAGE BAN

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court is set to rule on Tuesday whether California's ban on gay marriage is constitutional in a case that is likely to lead to a showdown on the issue in the U.S. Supreme Court.

California joined the vast majority of U.S. states in outlawing same-sex marriage in 2008, when voters passed the ban known as Proposition 8.

The socially conservative vote by a state more known for hippies and Hollywood was seen as a watershed by both sides of the so-called culture wars, and two gay couples responded by filing the legal challenge currently making its way through the federal courts.

A federal judge in San Francisco struck down Proposition 8 in 2010, and gay marriage opponents appealed that ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Regardless of how the 9th Circuit decides on Tuesday, opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage both have said they are ready to appeal the decision all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The three-judge 9th Circuit panel plans to release its decision at about 10 a.m. (1 p.m. EDT) on Tuesday. Even if the 9th circuit finds that gay marriage is legal in California, judges likely will put their ruling on hold pending further appeal.

The losing side could ask a larger 9th Circuit panel to hear the matter, or decide to appeal directly to the Supreme Court.

About 40 of the 50 U.S. states had outlawed gay marriage before aCalifornia state court ruled in 2008 that a ban was unconstitutional, leading to a summer of gay marriages. But California voters that November by decided to change the state constitution to limit marriage to a man and woman.

It provoked some gay rights activists to take a matter that had been waged on a state-by-state basis to federal court, essentially staking the entire agenda on one case. Republican Ted Olson and Democrat David Boies - attorneys who represented George W. Bush and Al Gore, respectively, in the legal case that decided the 2000 presidential election - joined forces to take on Proposition 8 in court.

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen as a more conservative body than the lower courts that have been considering the case. Should the high court eventually decide to hear the case, much may depend on Anthony Kennedy, a Republican-appointed justice who has written important pro-gay rights decisions but has not explicitly endorsed gay marriage.

Six states - New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa - allow gay marriage, as does Washington, D.C.

In addition, New Jersey and Washington state are considering legislation to legalize same-sex marriage, and gay rights activists in Maine say they plan to bring the issue to voters in a referendum in that state.

THE SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

Preview

TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR LIFE

If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility for everything that you experience in your life. This includes the level of your achievements, the result you produce, the quality of your relationships,the state of your health and your feelings-everything! Trust me it is not enough

In fact, most of us have been conditioned to blame something outside of ourselves for the part of our life we don’t   like. We blame our parents, our bosses, our friends, the media, our co-workers, our clients, our spouse, the weather, the economy, our astrological chart, and our lack of money-anyone or anything we can pin the blame on. We never want to look at where the real problem is –ourselves.

If you want be really successful and i know you do, and then you will have to give up complaining and take total responsibility for your life-that means all your results, both your successes and your failures.

YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP ALL YOUR EXCUSES

If you want to create the life of your dreams, then you are going to have to take 100% responsibility for your life as well. That means giving up all your excuses, all your victim stories, all the reasons why you can’t  and why you haven’t given  up until now, and your blaming of outside circumstances .you have to give them all up forever.

If something doesn’t turn out as planned, you will ask yourself ‘how did I create that? What was i thinking? What were my beliefs? What did I say or not say? What did I do or not do to create the result? How did I get the other person to act that way? What do I need to do differently next time to get the result I want?’’

In conclusion you have to regain control of your thoughts, your images, your dreams and daydreams, and your behavior, everything you think, say and do needs to become intentional and aligned with the purpose, your values and your goals!