Gateways to Joy

Image via Wikipedia Have you ever responded to a circumstance in a way you wish you hadn't?  Me too.  I do it way more than I'd like to admit—even to myself. Take last night for instance.  A friend and I were talking outside in a parking lot,  I felt like he wasn't being totally forth coming about an issue he and I have been dealing with for a few years now.  Although I handled the situation better than I've handled some of our encounters in the past, I still didn't handle this issue the way I wanted to.  Clearly I see how the Lord is using me in this relationship to build my character, but I keep faltering.  We both ended up calling each other rude and he even called me mean before driving off. Let's try and remember this: OUR CHARACTER IS REVA LED BY OUR RESPONDS TO THE UNEXPECTED. Today, I was pulled toward Mary, the beloved mother of our Savior.  What a girl!  Look at her responds to her unexpected situation.  " 'Behold, the bondslave of th

In the practical way that he delivers all his messages, be it through his written words or preaching, Charles R. Swindoll  doesn't disappoint his followers with his latest book, 'THE CHURCH AWAKENING:  AN URGENT CALL FOR RENEWAL.'   In this book Chuck   gives keen insight into the going on of the evangelical church of the twenty-first century and contrast it to the church of the first-century. In all honesty, I wasn't sure I would like this book, though Chuck authored it.  I thought that any book that dealt with the church and how to handle it—"the church" should be read by a pastor or someone in a "leadership" position.  However, being a fellow blogger as well as a friend to Ronnie and knowing how he and my mother simply love Chuck I felt obligated to chose this as one of my review books.   I can honestly say, that the joke turned out to be on me because this is one of Chuck's finest and I feel privilege to have been one of the ones able to rev

Food news ... Did you know that ... Blackberries contain natural antioxidants that help protect us against numerous diseases including cancer.  These black beauties also contain ellagic acid, a chemical known for its ability to prevent sun damage; it's also said to have restorative effects on previously damaged skin. one cup of blackberries provides more than 30 percent of our daily fiber needs and about 36 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin k—which promotes calcium absorption. Blueberries have more antioxidant than any other native fruit?  The antioxidants in the blue beauties may help lower the build up of bad cholesterol in our bodies, thus decreasing risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. One serving of blueberries provides about a quarter of our daily need for vitamin c, and about 14 percent of the recommended daily in take of fiber. In several studies blueberries have been shown to reverse brain degeneration caused by aging.  So its been said tha