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"If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine."
~ Morris West

Enjoy life! Happiness is now!

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"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses."
~ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Sometimes we just need to tweak our perception

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"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again."
~ Flavia Weedn

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"Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is."– Aleksei Peshkov

How do you define happiness? Happiness is not in the future or tied to experiences….oh, no. Did you know happiness is now? Indeed happiness is precious, so let’s hold on to it in every moment!

Class-In-Secession

I either heard or read this gem:

Professionals built the Titanic and amateurs built the Arch!

HA HA HA…How true!

Rest on the lesson that is displayed in that sentence.

Education is important. Education is truly a beneficial tool to help improve self. Education does not always need to be conducted in a classroom. Life in of its self, is an evolution of self-improvement (if you chose to learn from what life is trying to teach you). 

Having said all that….listen up to what is about to be taught next.

God can use you in ways that you could never even begin to imagine. God can fulfill dreams and desires, and stretch you out into more blessings than you think you could even handle. College degrees and fancy titles may impress man, but does it impress God? No. This is God’s world, and God can put a great call on anybody’s life. God can use anybody at anytime to fulfill something impactful and meaningful. In fact, God is using all of us, right where we are to help minister to those around us. You are here with purpose.

When God has an assignment for you, he will anoint you to successfully complete it….as seen in the great amateur arch build.

Trust God that he wants to use you. Don’t be intimidated by the fancy smancy elite groups and professionals that make you feel small because you don’t hold the same titles and education as them on your résumé.

Today’s Lesson:

Ephesians 3: 20

^“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”

Class dismissed.

Right now…

Right now…

I want you to realize and understand…

That you are loved.

Right now…

You are loved and enough.

You. You are enough.

You. You are loved.

In this moment, you only have to be yourself.

God has chosen you and accepts you just as you are.

Right now, God is smiling on you.

You don’t need to fight for approval…

You don’t have to earn acceptance…

You don’t have to seek love…

God has already given you value.

God knows everything about you, and loves you.

Take this love knowledge in, right now.

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"A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work."
~ John Lubbock

Let’s remind ourselves that worrying really truly is a waste of time and energy.

Cast your cares to the Lord.  

Elle’s Favorite

If you like my blog, you can thank my friend. My good friend asked me to be a guest writer. I wrote this piece for her…and shortly following was the creation of Renewed Corner. My first post was a re-post of the material I wrote for her.

It is one of my favorite posts, because it talks about love, and it started me on this journey to connect with all of you! Enjoy my favorite post which I am re-posting for you today….

L.O.V.E

What are four letters that can change a life so deeply? It’s LOVE. The world swims in the pool of love. We love hearing love stories, watching love movies, and singing along to our favorite love song. Let’s examine love for a moment. What does the face of love look like? How does love feel? Do you scratch for love in your life or does it flow to you like an endless river? Go ahead, and pause reading this for a moment and think about your view on love; we’ll resume when you’re done.

Welcome back. Love cannot be placed in a box. Love flows like a sweet intoxicating perfume. Have you ever had a person walk by and their scent brushes your senses and you can’t help but think, “What is that yummy scent?” Love works in the same manner, but love is the most magical powerful potion.

Love really begins with the personal relationship that is between you and God. That is where I recommend your love journey to begin. Yes, love is a journey, as is your whole life. The bible teaches us about love in Corinthians. Review those scriptures everyday to really get those love words rooted in you.

You have two parts to you. You have the ‘real’ you and then you have the ‘ego’ you. The ego is an ugly thing to control, but there’s hope, because the real you can control that ego. The ego can think that you’re better, faster, smarter, and prettier, than anyone it comes across. The ego likes to think it’s always right and it’s always trying to prove. The ego is cocky. Have you had anyone sport that ego perfume? It stinks and you can’t wait to get away from that scent, right??? We all have an ego, but the real us is bigger and better than the ego; and that’s not my ego talking. 

First, think about what you’re thinking about. Do you speak kindly to yourself? Do you forgive yourself as well as others? Are you accepting of yourself, flaws and all? If your answers were yes, congratulations; you’re on the right road. If you answered no, then now is the perfect opportunity to start.  Get quite with God everyday and start talking to yourself. Talk to myself? Yes! Say what God says about you. Remind yourself that you are Gods child and think on how much he loves you. Say out loud, “I am loved. God loves me.” Say it 100 times a day if you have to. Have that quite time with you and God. Real love will start a reaction in you that will heal any situation. God’s words will make you feel beautiful, respected, and valuable. What does the face of love look like? Look in the mirror. How does love feel? Accepted and enough. And, love will never make you scratch for it, for it is that endless river that never dries up.

When you get real love rooted in you, it will supernaturally pour from your pores and when you walk in a room, everyone will wonder what’s different about you; they’ll be drawn to you and show you the same respect you’ve been giving yourself.

Sniff. Sniff. You smell good already!

~Elle

My Favorite is…

I am amazed at the grace behind my blog. I give God the credit for the creativity, because without creativity and life lessons, it would be so difficult to post something almost every day. Thank you all for coming to visit me.

Does Elle have a favorite?
A favorite blog post that is.

I have a couple of posts from the beginning of this blog that really stand out as favorites:

Have you ever

&

Heart of Man

But my favorite is……

You’ll have to tune in tomorrow for the answer!

Favorite?

Do you have a favorite post? If you do, I’d love to hear which post spoke to your heart the most.

I love reading comments from readers. Enjoy your Saturday!

~Elle

Miracle on 34th Street

It may be a famous Christmas movie with an impactful message, but do you believe in miracles? Do you believe a miracle can show up on your street?  

Miracles happen. Miracles can happen at any time. In fact, the bible is full of marvelous miracle stories. I heard a phrase that I just love, “Our God is in the miracle making business.”

But what is your definition of a miracle? It’s natural to think of a miracle as this grander than life-life changing, manifestation turn-around of events. We think of grand, unthinkable, supernatural, unexplainable actions as miracles, right? For example, Jonah who in the bible gets swallowed by a whale and gets spits back up (I believe three days later) to live and tell about it! Now that is a grand-daddy size miracle. Does this story play with our minds? Do these big stories keep our minds thinking we have to experience something oh-so-grand to label it a miracle?

What about the everyday miracles? What about the small-scales experiences? Phenomenons in small packages shouldn’t lose out on divine titles!

Look for the miracles in your life. Look at the ways the Lord is helping you, teaching you, guiding you, talking to you, and strengthening you. God is making you come through your situation better and stronger than before…isn’t that a miracle?

Sometimes we cannot even see all the ways the Lord is protecting us. You may be stuck behind what feels like the slowest driver on the planet, but have you ever thought that the driver might have been sent so you can slow down…potentially saving you from an accident? Isn’t that a miracle?

Someone shows up right when you desperately need help or assistance! Miracle!

A kid choosing to say no to drugs! Miracle!

You receive a job offer the very day unemployment assistant services ends. Miracle!

You don’t have enough change when you’re purchasing your groceries and the stranger behind you makes up the difference. Miracle!

Open your mind to the different sizes and shapes miracles come in. You don’t have to watch a movie to see a miracle, and they definitely stretch beyond 34^th street.

Back to Basics

Money does not burn a hole in my pocket. Guess it’s safe to say that I am not a big spender. I know this is bad, but sometimes when I buy something new, I fear of it getting ruined; I need to work on that emotion and enjoy things.

Shopping in the U.S can be a real head scratcher. From big monumental purchases like buying a house or a basic everyday practical purchase like toothpaste can be overwhelming. Why?  Because we have soooo many choices. Have you noticed the oversupply of choices today in the market place? Next time you go to buy toothpaste, please think of me. Take a moment and look at the toothpaste isle and observe all the different brands, flavors, different promises, sizes, packaging, that each tube contains. Well, make it a quick observation because you’ll be there until Christmas if you take your time!

What’s my point? Whatever happened to the basics? What happened to simplicity? It’s amazing to have choices and options, and to have things available to cater to our needs and wants. But, have we gotten spoiled by all these choices? Have vast choices hurt our society in the long haul of things?

ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) an attention disorder. I want to be sensitive to this issue and I am not making light of anyone who is impacted by ADD. Think back to the famous question: Is this nature or nurture? I think it would be interesting to ask that question when talking about ADD. Let’s keep talking, and I’ll ask this question again….stay with me.

Not only do we live in a society where we have so many choices, but we have so much entertainment. If I go out to dinner, I’ll notice children with their parents at another table. These children are watching movies on their portable laptops. New cars even have screens in them for movie watching; they didn’t have anything like that when I was growing up. My entertainment on road trips where counting how many red cars that passed us, and making sure I had my pillow so I could sleep.

I was in the doctor’s office last week (thanks to my first Bee sting! Ouch! But, I’m okay and thankfully not allergic!) and there were two men already in the waiting room. Typical waiting room behavior is….drum roll please…..waiting! You wait with a magazine. Not these fellows. They were taking care of business. They were on their phones….which today are like mini computers. They were returning e-mails, checking their schedules, and I think one may have just been playing a game or surfing the internet. It’s all a distraction. Distraction! Distraction! Distraction! What happened to the simplicity of just waiting?

When do people ever turn their minds off and just relax? I find that in moments like that (at the doctors where I am truly waiting for my name to be called) I like to go back to basics and just be.

Same thing happened when I went to the movies. This cute young couple was sitting a few seats down from me. I say they were a couple but I truly don’t know if they were a couple or just friends. Why couldn’t I tell if they were a couple or not? Because they were too busy gazing at their phone screen, then with each other. Basic body language and interaction has even changed.

Our minds are on overdrive with product purchases, entertainment overload, and keeping our professional and social circle so wide open, that anyone can get a hold of us…literally at any time and place. No wonder our focus is well…out of focus. It brings me back to the ADD question: Is it nature or nurture?

 Renewed Corner is about reflection; that is the intention with this topic. Reflect and think if this overload is impacting you. Maybe it will get you to think about ways you to improve your focus and come back to basics.

Training Day

You never know what God is preparing you for.

Don’t think of your situation as being ‘stuck.’  Think of your situation as ‘training.’

Anytime you get some training experience…

promotion will follow.

Your day will come!

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"God makes a promise, faith believes it, hope anticipates it, patience quietly awaits it."

~unknown

Couldn’t have said it any better!

Checking In

I want to check in with my readers and see if you are doing your affirmations? Today’s post is to help keep you on track. I’d like to hear from you out there…. Check in and let me know if your affirmation experience is going well for you. Do you like the experience?

If you are new to my blog or you need a quick reminder about the affirmation task….

please refer to my post: It’s Like that saying

Buzzzzzzzzzzz…..

The great and powerful oz! Well, in 2011…it has become the great and powerful center! Have you heard about the center? I’m trying to be cute with that question. The center is all the buzz.

We have centering prayer. Centering prayer has been around a long time…2011 can’t claim it as hers; however, Centering prayer is when you find 20 minutes to rest in God, resting your mind from thoughts, as you sit in silence. If you want to learn more about centering prayer, there are great internet articles that can help you in your search (thanks, Google).

Mindful mediation (or centering prayer) may cover the mind, but the body has a much-talked-about center too! Ask any pilates or yoga groupie, and they will tell you how the workout poses and techniques are driven to help create a solid core (aka center). When the core (center) is strong, then it’s a safe bet to say that the rest of your body is in solid form too.

Does our soul have a center? I think so. I think the mind, body, and soul are all connected.

Why is creating or finding your center so important?

“Each one has to find its peace from within. And peace, to be real, must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

I think Gandhi’s quote is the answer to my question. God talks about how HE has given us every spiritual blessing….we have it! We are made of sound mind…we have it! But as Gandhi puts it, each one of us must find it within! Within! The peace we seek, the love and acceptance we fight for, the real us that we long to know, is all within. We need to strip away the ego and ego-like things (that are not real) and connect to the real us. The real us is not in our circumstances. The real us rests in our center.

When you connect with your center, you’ll find what you’re seeking from within; no outside circumstances are going to be able to buck the real self worth you have connected to. You will be living a balanced life reflective from that stability. It is like the yoga concept…when your core is strong, then the rest of your body is strong. If your spiritual core is strong, then the rest of your life is strong.

That is power! I understand the buzz, 2011!

Dating the Why’s-How’s-And When’s

Some people really enjoy living in a state of drama. They feed off the turbulent dilemmas they seem to seek and attract. I, on the other hand, cannot stand to have an affair Mr. Chaotic. However…

Mr. Chaotic has an ugly relative. This relative may not be as obvious and as flashy as Mr. Chaotic, but they definitely share a blood line on the family tree; the ugly cousin is confusion.

Confusion is a draining state of mind. Confusion usually comes when we find ourselves saying…Why God? How God? When God?

I have been confused more times than I would like to admit. I want and seek clarity, and when I don’t find it, it causes me to be confused and frustrated. Have you ever felt that way? There are times when I felt the Lord strongly directing me, but the direction led to nothing, which leaves me scratching my head in confusion saying, “how did I get this so wrong…did I mis-interrupt the situation? What does it mean? What do I do now?” I can analyze a situation into confusion.

A spiritual guru may say that you need to let go and trust God more, when you are screaming your How’s, Why’s, and When’s. There is truth to that response; let go and trust more.

Now that I have admitted to you all that I don’t like Mr. Chaos, but have escorted his cousin confusion to the prom, let me tell you a few things I have learned.

Letting go is a very useful skill to develop. There has to be a circular flow of energy that is giving and receiving. If you are always hanging on, and clinging to situations trying to make things happen, then you are disturbing your natural flow. Letting go helps you stay open for God to work; by bringing things in and moving things out with divine order and purpose. I found this quote on the internet that is most fitting for our discussion today:

“The bamboo which bends is stronger than the oak which resists.”

~ Japanese prov.

Trust. Let God figure your Why’s, How’s and When’s. If you are confused, then step back and trust that God is going to show you what to do. Ask God to give you a revelation. It’s way too difficult to hear God when your mind is spinning in confusion. Pause. Trust that our Lord will work things out, because HE has your best interest at heart. Let God be in control.

If you seek the Lord, then know that HE is peace.

1 Corinthians 14:33
“God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

Ditch the chaos, confusion, worry, stress, and frustration that are followed by the Why’s, How’s, and When’s of life, because they are not your friends.

Beware of Mr. Chaotic and his relatives; even the best of chaperons can’t help you navigate through those dates.

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"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody."

~ Lily Tomlin

Practice P-ing

We put demands on ourselves when we feel we are lacking something in our lives. Yet, God is all providing. Knowing God is all providing requires us to trust in HIM in a greater way; especially when lack feels to encumber our lives.

We must make a solid effort to connect with God. Connect in order to feel HIS direction. Remember, God wants all of us to enjoy life and live in abundance.

Put yourself in practice. Practice praying…Practice patience…Practice peace.

Don’t worry about how fast your prayers get answered or when good news will float your way. Realize that God has divine order, and if you are practicing your P’s, then God is working on your behalf.

Happy P-ing!

Always There

There are not many constants in life; Does death and taxes spring to mind? Death and taxes may be a joke wearing a smile because of its truth, but think about what is truly always present… always constant… always there.

I am always there. Everywhere I go…there I am. I don’t mind doing things alone; never have. I enjoy being alone…maybe a little too much. I gain the most personal growth when I am alone. On the other hand, I have known people who shrink in fear at the thought of doing something alone….a tag-along buddy must always be there. Is one scenario better than the other? No, but there should be balance. Knowing how to be independent and when to have healthy companionship are both important.  Whatever your comfort level is, know that God is always there. Always.

So what is constant?

God is a constant.

God is always there to talk to. You can talk to God about anything: help, guidance, protection, concerns or gratitude.

God’s love is another constant.

No matter what are mistakes are, the foolishness we’ve caused, the bad choices or behavior we’ve displayed, God’s love doesn’t change. God is in a constant state of love and loving you. God already knows the shenanigans we are going to get into, and HE chooses us and loves us. God’s arms are always stretched out towards us. Always.

 It is not good to rely on things, people, or circumstances for happiness or worth, because they change.

I may always be with myself, but I am constantly trying to improve and evolve. I’m changing. I can say with certainty that I am not the same person I was five or ten years ago. I’m sure you can say the same thing about yourself. That buddy that is always with you may suddenly not be a buddy, move, or not have time to always be a tag along. Relationships evolve and change. It’s only healthy to find your happiness, security, and worthiness in the constant force that never changes: God. Belonging to God is what gives you your worth, value, and importance.

The world is always moving forward. In the middle of change, find stability in our never-changing, ever-loving God, who is always present… always constant… always there.

Quick Note

Hi Everyone…

Do you like the new background? I like to mix it up…keep things interesting.

It’s Friday as I post this, and I want to wish everyone a great and safe weekend.

I’m going to be taking the weekend off; I need a little vaca….but I will be back first thing on Monday!

~Elle

Heart of Man

There is this man. A young man. He has walked the streets a thousand times, without anybody ever noticing him. He keeps his head down when he walks. He speaks when spoken to.  He can’t bring himself to make eye contact through his thick bottle neck glasses he nervously adjusts, when you toast him. This young man is different and quirky. This man humbles me; he literally melts my heart. He makes my soul freeze in silence; I start to see our society and then I start to see our God.

I can sadly understand why people treat this man like he is invisible. He is not the pretty boy. He is not going to wow you with swagger. He is what our world describes as painfully shy and noticeably odd. He has probably gotten overlooked countless times in his life, simply because the jock-ess guy bullshitted there way pass him by using their angelic looks and charm (the only tools they know how to use because they lack any real depth or resourcefulness).

This man is so gentle and smart. If you engage in conversation with him, you’ll quickly learn how immensely bright and well educated he is; he completely surprises you.

I think we look past people too often in this world. I think we get caught up in the pretty instead of the real. Notice the soul in the corner. Notice the soul that wants to use their voice, but has a hard time finding somebody to listen.  

Charm is great, and when used appropriately, it can be very effective. But remember, pretty fades, charm gets old, and shallowness gets ugly.

God has used this man in a very unique way. I’m sure all the people that once were shamelessly poking fun at him, misunderstanding him, or completely ignoring him are now dumb founded by his success.   

Don’t pass through life not noticing the beauty hiding in unassuming disguises. God can use anybody…no matter what the package, background, experience, or circumstances look like.

Our society may see exterior but our God sees the heart of man.

Soak It In

I hope you find, “it’s like that saying,” beneficial.  Please continue to read it and apply it to your days.

I don’t want to jump into another blog post just yet.

I would really like for my readers to soak in the post below:

It’s like that saying.

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It’s like that saying

Do you believe in words? Do you believe that words have power?

Words can be uplifting or destroying. Imagine how you would feel if someone told you, you are beautiful. Being told you’re beautiful would make you feel so good and supreme that it would probably put an instant smile on your face. But let’s flip the scenario for a minute. Imagine how you would feel if someone told you, you are ugly. Being told you’re ugly would hurt; it would hurt to the core. If you shared that ugly story with someone who loved you, they would probably spend some time comforting you (hoping to lift your mood back up). Why? Because words spoken over us, about us, and through us, have energy and influence. I hope my beauty/ugly scenario brings an easy awakening to what I mean by: words have energy and influence.  It’s like that saying in Proverbs 15:4, “A gentle tongue brings healing.”

Your mind is always working. The mind takes in so many contexts. What you are always hearing, reading, saying, or watching is a form of meditation. Context is programming your mind if you realize it or not. It’s like that saying, if you hang out long enough at the barber shop, you’re bound to get a haircut. It’s so true. What you surround yourself with will eventually become your norm and standard…you’re choices and life will become a reflection of that surrounding.

But what if you don’t like your surrounding or you want to change? The good news is, change is possible, and re-programming can occur.

One great tool that I’ve discovered on my journey is affirmations. I believe in affirmations a great deal. The key to affirmations is to constantly keep up the practice. It’s like that saying, fake it till you make it; to me, affirmations are sort of like that….you speak victory over an area of your life until it manifest.  

I have broken down areas of life by category. In each category, I have a few pre-made affirmations that you can use. Give affirmations a real chance. Say these affirmations as often as you’d like through-out your day. Write the affirmations out on paper in your spare time. Look in the mirror and repeat these affirmations to yourself. If I don’t have affirmations that fit into a specific area of need for yourself, then feel free to create your own; just remember that affirmations are a statement as if the situation is already in place.  

Relationships:

·        I have healthy relationships

·        I have friends that love, nurture, and encourage me

·        I have peace in all relationships

·        My relationships are real and long lasting

·        God only puts me in healthy relationships

Prosperity:

·        I live in abundance

·        God supplies me for all of my needs

·        Everything I touch prospers

·        I’m rewarded for my hard work

·        He (God) will cause me to succeed in everything that I put my hand to" (Joshua 1:7)

Health:

·        I have perfect health

·        My body is whole

·        My health functions perfectly

·        God watches over my body

·        I have abundant energy and strength

Peace:

·        I am peace

·        I have peace in every situation

·        I am made of sound mind

·        I make peace with myself

·        I make peace with my past

Success:

·        I am successful

·        God opens only the right doors for me

·        God is my source and supplies all of my needs

·        God is promoting me

·        God rewards those who seek Him

Employment:

·        I love my job

·        I’m good at my job

·        I love going to work

·        Employment is easy to find because God directs my steps

·        God anoints my opportunities

Self Esteem:

·        I am worthy

·        I am designed with purpose

·        I am unique and one of a kind

·        God has wonderfully made me

·        God has given me special gifts and talents and is using me in a great way

It’s like that saying, save the best for last.

Love:

·        God loves me

·        I accept love

·        I’m loved unconditionally

·        Love is meant for me, always

·        I’m surrounded by love

It’s like that saying, love conquers all; if we use affirmations as a template for change….you will become a conquer… just like that saying.