Your Daily Dose of Good Cheer

After finally going to bed at a decent hour (yeah!), I had loads of sleep and woke up before the sun. It's rare that we actually have HOURS to enjoy a quiet time and coffee and morning routine before getting ready for church.

Now, if your family is anything like mine, Sunday mornings are probably the least likely day to find everyone smiling and cheerfully getting ready to head out the door. We're usually running into each other in the bathroom, frantically pulling out the iron, and grumpily foregoing breakfast in order to speed to church, just in time to be late for the worship service.

But thankfully I was in a better state of mind this morning to meditate on this Proverb...

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."
~ Proverbs 17:22

I've read this a hundred times, at least. And in the Bible I carried in college, my friend Ginger Conner's name is written in the margin next to this verse. She is what I aspire to be. No inturruption or inconvenience has ever set her off-course from being positively cheerful to everyone around her.

In the study notes included in my Life Application Bible, I found a few helpful hints:

"To be cheerful is to be ready to greet others with a welcome, a word of encouragement, an enthusiasm for the task at hand, and a positive outlook on the future. Such people are as welcome as pain-relieving medicine."

There is likely someone you will encounter today who could use a cheerful word of encouragement. Go for it!

Heart to Heart

Several months ago, I was flipping through a magazine and ran across an article featuring several well known celebreties - all dressed in RED.

It was, of course, for heightened awareness of heart disease in women. Good idea. I was reminded of it again a few days ago, when I read something I've read at least a hundred times before. But this time, it held a new meaning.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life." ~ Proverbs 4:23


I don't know if Solomon or the writer of this particular wise-saying had the physical heart in mind, but I think there is a truth there to ponder.

The design of the human body is amazing. Only an all-knowing creator could have even imagined such an intricate structure. At the center of it all is our heart, pumping the springs of life throughout our body.

It does seem wise indeed that we should guard it, protect it, take good care of it.

Visit www.americanheart.org/ for more information.

Xtremely Full

Well, it’s been a busy month! At the end of June, we went with the COTR high-schoolers to XMA (Xtreme Mission Adventure) camp in Brownsville, TX. As you can imagine, the week was filled with long, crowded van rides, great praise and worship, challenging speakers, mission opportunities, little sleep, and LOTS of fun!

Seriously, take me to your real leaders!

When we returned, a little more sunburned, and a lot more passionate about what God’s doing in our youth group, I found my Proverb of The Day summed up the event.

Honey seems tasteless to a person who is full, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
~ Proverbs 27:7

Our trip to Brownsville brought a fresh experience with God. It left us feeling more passionate about the things of God. When I returned home, I found that the things that were such distractions a week before – T.V., Surfing the Internet, complaining about little things… - seemed dull and unimportant.

If I am filled up with the Spirit by spending time in prayer and praise and the Word, then even the most alluring distraction will not pull me away from my focus. But if I let myself run empty - if my soul is hungry - then even something mediocre will seem satisfying. And I’ll likely settle for it.

As I thought about it, the same principle can apply to our physical bodies as well. After a week of “camp food”, (which was surprisingly tastey!) and the usual road trip food (M&M’s, Flamin’ Hot Munchies, Bottled Frappuccinos, and don’t forget the Icees!) Jeff and I decided to go through somewhat of a “detox” diet.

Once we’re filled up with some fresh fruits and veggies, we almost forget how good that Papa John’s pizza tastes…… almost!!