Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Do You Live in Neverland?

Who likes Peter Pan? Wish you could fly off to Neverland with him? You may already be living in the land of Never and never realize it!

How many times have you been told "never"? My parents were told I would never walk and never contribute to society. I've been told I'd never be a success in business. I was told I'd never be an accountant (thank God I'm not). I've never worn high heel shoes which is never a good thing for a woman. I even created my own "never". I always told myself I'd never be married because of never having ten toes!

The people who told me "never", never knew me! They've never known my God either. Jesus is not from Neverland. He's from "Yes, I Can Land!".  Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Jesus helped me walk these four toes all the way to Disneyland Paris in 2013...quite a distance for a girl who would never walk!

Jesus has never said these things to anyone. You will never be mine if you sin against me. I will never love you if you do others wrong. I will never forgive you even if you ask. You will never amount to anything. You will never get to heaven if you cuss, drink, do drugs, cheat on your spouse or dance. Jesus says in Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." That's the kind of positive "never" I'm talking about!

Don't be one of the "lost boys". Invite Jesus into your heart and be forever his. He does say if you don't accept him as Savior you'll hear "Depart from me, I never knew you."

There's one thing for sure...If you continue to listen to the negative "nevers" in your life, you'll become a person God never intended you to be.

"Never is an awfully long time!" - Peter Pan
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Super Bowl Sunday

super bowl xlix

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

Saturday, January 17, 2015

5 Ways to Make your Man Happy for FREE!

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! 
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!"
  4. 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.
  5. 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?

christian warning label

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......
No warning label required!

Feeling dizzy,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Monday, January 12, 2015

5 Things I Never Thought About Facing

Pride Mobility
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.

  1. 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.
  2.  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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

It’s never an easy task to ask yourself the tough questions. I’m sharing these questions about Five Things I Never Thought About Facing so you can be somewhat prepared and less uncomfortable if they are staring you in the face tomorrow.


Feeling confident with Pride Mobility,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap