Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Super Bowl Sunday
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It's Super Bowl Week leading up to the most anticipated
professional football game of the new year. February 1, 2015 is Super Bowl
Sunday! Are you excited? Are you prepared? Will you be watching on TV or will
you be there, on the sidelines? What's the menu for the party? Hot wings,
pretzels, Subway sandwiches, chocolate desserts, etc. What is your favorite
part of the game? The half-time show or the commercials? The Super Bowl is an
event that attracts millions.
 Now imagine this. February 1, 2015 is Super Roll Sunday. Although, it's an event that happens every day and you got your ticket the day you were born. You're a player in this game of life and death this Sunday. Your number is up. You made the Super Roll. Are you prepared? Have you planned for the big day? Many years you've watched others participate, but today, it's you on the field in the middle of the action. This event attracts thousands daily. Are you excited? Probably not. Everyone (even Jesus) wants to live another day or as the famous Bond movie implies "Die Another Day". Job 14:15-16 says "Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. For now thou numberest my steps:..." What's the favorite part of Super Roll? Hearing THE LINE JUDGE say "Well done my good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" After we thank him and get up from a bowed position at Jesus' feet, I can see us now...stretching both arms straight up in total praise, closing our eyes in profound joy and whispering...
Touchdown!
Enjoy the game,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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Saturday, January 17, 2015
5 Ways to Make your Man Happy for FREE!
Happy Birthday to my Husband!
He's 58 today. How do you make a man happy that has everything he wants? His past wishlist included:
- a shop filled with every tool imaginable
- the brand new Harley Davidson that seems to purr to him with a hypnotizing love noise
- the restoration of his baby (a 1979 CJ5 Jeep he bought new). He tells everyone that he will get rid of me before that Jeep
- the restoration of a 2000 Ultra Classic Harley Davidson. He had that motorcycle in so many pieces (down to the frame). I'm impressed he got it back together and sold it for a profit.
- and then there's the GLOCK!
At this time in our lives, big stuff becomes less important and the small stuff becomes much more important. Here's my list of 5 ways to make your man happy for FREE!
- Cook him a meal. Yes, the way to a man's happy place is through his stomach. Take-out is easier but it won't guarantee you the compliment that's sure to come whether he likes the food or not! Take-out doesn't say "I love you enough to take my time and use my hands to make something just for you." Click to Tweet: While woman may overlook small sentiments, men don't.
- Listen to his suggestions. I know you tune him out and hardly listen more than you'd care to admit. I'm guilty myself. I've learned over the years though my husband is very smart and ingenious if I will pay attention and simply listen to him.
- Change his sheets. Is there anything better than lying down on a clean set of sheets? Nope, didn't think so and neither does he! 5 minutes to a crisp, clean, relaxing haven. Clean sheets have their own special message whispering "Come here!"
- Agree with him. What a novel idea. Just in case you forgot what "agree" means, it is the direct opposite of argue. When I notice I'm disagreeing or arguing, I check to make sure I'm wearing my hormone patch.
- Thank him. No matter how small the deed, compliment or thought, thank him for doing, noticing and acting on it.
Simple is good. Try these and see how it works for your man. You may make him happier than he's ever been for FREE!
Love my Steve,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Should Christians come with Warning Labels?
I received an email from a sweet friend last week. She
forwarded a devotion from Holley Gerth entitled "Why
Your Joy is Worth Fighting For Today." You can read it by
clicking on the title in red. As I was reading the devotion, I got an unusual
yet close-to-truth thought. Should Christians come with a warning label? The
words in her post that rattled this question from my brain are "We've all
probably had well-meaning people say to us, "Just be joyful!" like
it's an easy thing. As if the moment we decided to follow Jesus our lives would
be cotton candy happy forever so we should just get with the
program."
I must admit it is difficult to be joyful every day. I don't think we should so easily use "we are human" as an excuse, although we are broken and fallible. I think here's where the injustice lies. Christians (I want to call us Believers) understand other Christians. Folks who don't have their belief rooted in Christ don't understand when we aren't cotton candy happy forever. Therefore, should we come with a warning side effect label?
Some days our moods and what comes from our mouths might cause depression or nausea. We can get so mundane about our salvation, our speech causes drowsiness. We might be overly zealous causing agitation and nervousness. We can even cause confusion. These side effects occur in others not us. We think we are holding up our end of the joyful noise verse when others are wondering if they really want to trust our God with their lives.
Paul said there would be days like this. Romans 8:16-18 tells us "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." There will be suffering if we live for Jesus. There will also be glory. Let's purpose to suffer joyfully with no side effects for others and......
I must admit it is difficult to be joyful every day. I don't think we should so easily use "we are human" as an excuse, although we are broken and fallible. I think here's where the injustice lies. Christians (I want to call us Believers) understand other Christians. Folks who don't have their belief rooted in Christ don't understand when we aren't cotton candy happy forever. Therefore, should we come with a warning side effect label?
Some days our moods and what comes from our mouths might cause depression or nausea. We can get so mundane about our salvation, our speech causes drowsiness. We might be overly zealous causing agitation and nervousness. We can even cause confusion. These side effects occur in others not us. We think we are holding up our end of the joyful noise verse when others are wondering if they really want to trust our God with their lives.
Paul said there would be days like this. Romans 8:16-18 tells us "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." There will be suffering if we live for Jesus. There will also be glory. Let's purpose to suffer joyfully with no side effects for others and......
No warning label required!
Feeling dizzy,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Monday, January 12, 2015
5 Things I Never Thought About Facing
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| This is a sponsored post for Pride Mobility. |
We do life daily. Somewhat unsuspecting. The “American Pie Life” consists of a family of four and usually a dog. Two parents working toward a common goal hoping to grow old together. We are taught to think about things like home mortgages, family planning, budgeting for vacations, paying for Junior’s college tuition and retirement. What happens when retirement starts early due to health issues? I hope you find Five Things I Never Thought About Facing a beneficial use of your time. You may be facing some of the same tough questions.
- What if I become disabled? My husband and I both are disabled. I am disabled due to ambulatory challenges. My husband has pulmonary fibrosis requiring oxygen. Needless to say, disability was not in our long-range plan. I’m guessing it’s not in yours either.
- How can I maintain independence while disabled? An adult electric scooter provided by Pride Mobility Products is a convenient way to stay mobile. These versatile scooters are designed for indoor and outdoor maneuverability.
- What will I be able to do while disabled? Maintaining a consistent quality of life becomes a repeated question when faced with disability like our family. We are considering things like power lift chairs and portable wheelchair ramps. When simple every-day tasks become difficult, you will find many assistive devices available at Pride Mobility.
- How will I handle disability emotionally? A big advantage of getting fitted with mobility devices from Pride Mobility is ongoing support. The Pride Owner’s Club offers free membership to help you stay connected with other mobility users, share pictures and videos and keep up with current news. Staying connected with others is key to staying off the emotional roller coaster.
- Will my own pride allow me to use mobility devices? My husband finds it difficult to deal with people staring at his oxygen cannula. I think a mobility scooter is kind of cool. I agree, my pride almost won at Disney World deciding whether or not to use a scooter. My feet were so happy I put my pride aside.
Feeling confident with Pride Mobility,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
A Plan Better than Dave Ramsey's for Debt-free Living
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| photo credit: empressofdirt.net |
Is your 2015 resolution to get out of debt? If so, Dave
Ramsey promises to make you debt-free. Dave says in his blog "You can get
out of debt no matter how much you owe!" He tells you how people act that
are debt-free in his article "7 Characteristics of Debt-Free People." Debt-free
folks are wise, patient, confident, goal-driven, responsible, not materialistic
and willing to make sacrifices. The question in my mind is "Are we ever
really debt-free?"
I've never had a month where I didn't have to write a check for a bill or schedule a payment on the world wide web. Think about it. If you're alive and want to stay warm or cool, you'll always have a utility bill. If you want to stay connected and be mobile, you'll always have a cell bill. Unless you use an antennae, you've got a cable bill. Then there's insurance if you want to drive or be healthy and oh, let's not forget taxes! You will even incur debt as you draw your last breath and someone else will take care of your bills after you're gone. Can we ever be truly debt-free?
John 8:36 says "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Our souls are the only thing about us that can truly be debt-free because Jesus paid it all. As the old song goes, "All to him I owe". Except, I don't owe him. His grace and mercy are free. You don't owe him either. You don't have to be wise, patient, confident, goal-driven, responsible, not materialistic or willing to make sacrifices to become free indeed. You do have to believe in Jesus unto salvation with your whole heart and love your neighbor.
You may already be monetarily debt-free as much as is possible but your soul may be burdened with a debt you can't pay. Have people seeking to be debt-free heard Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom? I'm glad some people are still willing to make sacrifices but that went out of style about 2000 years ago. Make your 2015 resolution to get out of debt, not materialistically but...spiritually. Become a living sacrifice. Jesus can give you new meaning to Debt-Free Living!
I've never had a month where I didn't have to write a check for a bill or schedule a payment on the world wide web. Think about it. If you're alive and want to stay warm or cool, you'll always have a utility bill. If you want to stay connected and be mobile, you'll always have a cell bill. Unless you use an antennae, you've got a cable bill. Then there's insurance if you want to drive or be healthy and oh, let's not forget taxes! You will even incur debt as you draw your last breath and someone else will take care of your bills after you're gone. Can we ever be truly debt-free?
John 8:36 says "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Our souls are the only thing about us that can truly be debt-free because Jesus paid it all. As the old song goes, "All to him I owe". Except, I don't owe him. His grace and mercy are free. You don't owe him either. You don't have to be wise, patient, confident, goal-driven, responsible, not materialistic or willing to make sacrifices to become free indeed. You do have to believe in Jesus unto salvation with your whole heart and love your neighbor.
You may already be monetarily debt-free as much as is possible but your soul may be burdened with a debt you can't pay. Have people seeking to be debt-free heard Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom? I'm glad some people are still willing to make sacrifices but that went out of style about 2000 years ago. Make your 2015 resolution to get out of debt, not materialistically but...spiritually. Become a living sacrifice. Jesus can give you new meaning to Debt-Free Living!
Happy to be free,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, January 1, 2015
5 Predictions for 2015
Happy New Year! I pray it's a great year for everyone.
Here's my 5 Predictions for 2015:
- ASK
AND YE SHALL RECEIVE. I feel like sometimes we turn this into "Give
and ye shall receive." We miss a lot of things God wants us to
have because we've convinced ourselves we don't have anything to give
in order to receive. The good news is Matthew 21:22 says "And
all things , whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive." Quit worrying about giving and simply ask!
- REGRET
IS WORSE A YEAR OLDER. Haven't you always heard "Don't put off
tomorrow what you can do today?" This is so true
concerning doing things we know in our hearts we should. Repent
where you need to, forgive where you need to, love where you
need to. The longer the sorrow goes, the bigger it grows. Proverbs 15:13
tells us "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow
of the heart the spirit is broken."
- EFFORT
WILL BE REWARDED. Remember the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady won
the race. Staying in the race is the moral to the story. This may be your
year! You aren't napping, are you? Because it is true, you can't get
something for nothing. Proverbs 28:20 says "A faithful man shall
abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be
innocent." That old rabbit is guilty as charged.
- TALKING
TO STRANGERS BECOMES THE NEW CRAZE. If people ever realize they may be talking
to a supernatural creature when they speak to a stranger, talking to
strangers will become the latest, greatest crazy thing to do. Can you imagine a
world of friendly people with everyone talking to everyone? Sounds
like heaven doesn't it? Hebrews 13:2 says "Be not forgetful to
entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels
unaware." You can talk to an angel today!
- I'LL
WRITE IF YOU'LL READ. Thank you for your faithful readership in 2014. I
promise to seek God's guidance to continue to bring you a "word"
each week. Please feel free to share these weekly emails with family,
friends, co-workers, etc. or ask me to add them to my list. I love to
share the splendor of our Heavenly Father!
Happy 2015,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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