Life Change Habits

From a message I received recently: "I need help to help people to give with joy. Can you help me?" This man expressed frustration over his financial troubles, health issues, and career disappointment. Problems, financial troubles, and declining health can indeed be discouraging. They happen to all of us at one time or another. I too have suffered from financial setbacks, loss and ill health. Nevertheless, what I have found most important is to be thankful in all things. Breathe, walk, stretch. Meditate and be mindful of what is good in your life-- loved ones and friends.  Every day, make of list of five things you are grateful for, and you will have more peace and joy. When we focus on our struggles and problems, we lose connection with what is good. And we often forget that though we may not have full control over what happens, we do have control over our attitude and how we deal with our problems. Always be mindful of your blessings and be thankful, and ...

When I woke up this morning, Thanksgiving Day I turned on a tap to get some water and discovered the water pressure was much lower than normal. By about an hour later there was no water at all. I was on my way over to my next door neighbor's to see if theirs was off too, when I found them outside with a couple of other neighbors who were all wondering what had happened to the water, and of course how that would affect their plans for the day, to be cooking and having guests in for a meal. Funny how suddenly losing something that we take for granted disrupts our plans and causes us inconvenience. Water of course is a basic necessity of life, but here in North America it is still relatively abundant and inexpensive, and also easy to obtain even when the normal flow is turned off suddenly. As it happened, the problem was caused by a broken water main down the street, which took most of the day to repair, and our water utility crew came to deliver bottled water and inform us of...

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." -- Psalm 68:19 During the past year I have experienced numerous instances of God's grace at work in my life; in this journal I will attempt to record and reflect on how grace has come to me. I have faced financial disaster, significant health problems, been on the brink of foreclosure and near bankruptcy; yet through all of these circumstances I have been able to find a way through them and the strength to keep going. Through it all I kept praying and praising God, and thanking him for answering my prayers even before I could see the answers. I had a vision that I should move to another state where I could be close to my family. I did not know how I could do this, but I trusted that God would provide. I wrote out a vision statement and kept praying, seeking God's help. I began to get ready to move by clearing things out so that I would not have so much stuff to move. I gave away carload...