Saturday, June 30, 2012

Hunting Season


Facial hair was growing wildly on the face of a young man; he questioned to other people, “what do you think, should I keep it?”

Surely, we all can relate to this scenario…even if we are incapable of growing a beard. How many times do we present our, “what do you think?,” question to others? Why do we feel comfort in gathering the opinion of others on decisions we should be making for ourselves. We make countless decisions from new hair cuts to confronting a friend…and yet, I find that people will still do what they want…even after their opinion hunting season is over. Why?

Human behavior is fascinating to say the least, and I am sure there are some hard-driven factors as to why people like to get input before making decisions. This post is clearly not saying that one must never or should never go to a friend or family member and get their thoughts and reflections. What this post is clearly saying, is that one must be able to do you.

Do you! Do what makes you happy. The young man that was debating if he should keep his razor tucked in his bathroom drawer a little longer…really shouldn’t be bothered by what others think, after all, they’re not the ones who have the beard; he should do him, and keep it if he wants too.

There is no trend or appeal greater than when you see someone who does them. Confidence comes from being who you are and not by trying to mold your style in order to make someone happy. IF someone if pressuring you to not do you, then that person needs to be evaluated, and possibly distanced in your life.

God has made only one of you…be the person HE has created you to be.

Stop hunting for opinions, stop hunting for approval, and stop hunting for comfort outside yourself, and just do you!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Knows & Chose


You are not a surprise to God.

God knows everything about you.

God knows the beginning from the end.

With everything HE knows about you…
all your weakness, fears, sins, or mistakes…

The good news is…

HE loves you, chose you, and calls you good!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Today’s Point:


Are you enjoying your life today?
Find the joy. Take time for the joy. Embrace the joy.
Don’t be discouraged for anything!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Quote


"Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway."

~ Mary Kay Ash


See yourself in this quote!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Scripture Sunday: Mind & Heart


John 14:27

 I am leaving you with a gift peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives.
So don't be troubled or afraid.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Quote


"Mount the stallion of love and do not fear the path, love's stallion knows the way exactly.
With one leap, Love's horse will carry you home."


~ Rumi

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Today


You’re stronger than you realize. Don’t give up on your breakthrough, your hopes, or your dreams.
You’ve come too far to throw in the towel.
Keep moving forward!
Let today be the day where you dig in deep and stay focused on the good things ahead!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Quote & Thought


"In all affairs, it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."

~ Bertrand Russell

Never take things for granted. Write a list and say out loud some of the things that you are grateful for. Your mind cannot hold a negative and positive thought at the same time, so it is wise to ALWAYS opt for the positive thought!


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Scripture Sunday: Delight


Psalms 37:4
Take Hold of the Dream. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Open Letter


Hello Renewed Corner!

This open letter is to all of my great and loyal readers. I apologize for the lack of posts in recent weeks. The Lord has me going through so much transition right now; change is good, even if the unknown looks a little scary. The transition has pulled me away from posting on a regular schedule; again, I apologize for that.

 I will do my best to keep you informed on my reflective thoughts to help encourage you. I feel honored that the Lord has placed all of you in my presence, and for HIM using me to reach all of you. Remember that the Lord is so good.

Please keep checking in with me, and if you ever feel that a post could help someone, I would appreciate you forwarding that article of work.

I hope that all of you are doing well! I want all of you to hold your head up high and keep excepting God’s best in your life, because HE wants you to be happier even more than you do…so always trust HIM.



Have a beautiful weekend, Readers!



~Elle

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Quote


"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."

~ John Ruskin

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Right


"Every so often
the RIGHT thing
happens to
the RIGHT person
for the RIGHT reason"

 I read this without knowing who the author is…and it got me to think…was the author the right person? 
 Does the author speak from personal experience?
Someone’s experience can bring such hope to others.
Does this bring hope to you?
This post reminds me of alignment. Being in the right place, in the right time, in the right season, can bring such:
joy
refreshment
and

new life

Wait for your right place, for your right time, for your right season. Remember, good things do happen to good people…isn’t that, right!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

T


Trust…
Because HE wants you to be happy more than you do.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Scripture Sunday: Praise


Psalm 71:8
Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.

Declare only good things over your life today.
List three things that you are thankful for.
Let your voice be filled with song.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Broken Dreams



Broken Dreams

(A poem by an unknown author)

As children bring


their broken toys

With tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams

to God

Because He was my Friend.

But then instead

of leaving Him

in peace to work alone,

I hung around

and tried to help

With ways that

that were my own.

At last I snatched them back

and cried,

"How can You be so slow?"

"My child," He said,

"What could I do?

You never did let go."



~Author Unknown





Happy Friday, Readers!
Broken Dreams is a poem that someone shared with me recently; I’ve never heard this poem before, have you? This poem speaks volumes to the way we try to handle our problems, concerns, and delayed dreams; we may initially take these things to our Lord, but do we REALLY let go?
I want to encourage all of you (and this includes myself) to take all problems, concerns, fears, and dreams, and give them to our Lord without taking them back to figure out on our own.
No dream can ever be truly broken, if you give it to the Lord to fix. Nothing is too damaged for our Lord. Nothing is too big for HIM. Rest in knowing, that the Lord already has an answer to your problems.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Quote


"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle."

~ George Orwell

No need to struggle. Let go and let things unfold the way
 they are meant to. And to always know what is before
you takes the magic out of the romance in the unknown.
 Live life with expectancy and wondermentand enjoy!

Friday, June 1, 2012

Returned Call


For the love of bees, what is going on out there??? That question came a couple of weeks ago as I looked outside my window into my backyard.

Let me set the scene for you…

It was lunch time and I was at home. My neighbor had their lawn service provider over as they normally are, maintaining their yard. I could hear the gardener working with his over-the-top loud equipment. Within a matter of seconds, bees were overtaking my backyard. The gardener (I presume) hit something, and when I say something, I mean a bee hive, which caused the great unleashing of bees.

If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to tango with bees. My only option at the time was to leave the house for an afternoon appointment and return to handle the bee situation.

When I returned home (around 6:00 pm) I tip-toed outside to see what happened to those swarming bees; there must have been thousands of bees grouping on one of my outdoor plants. My worst fear was that my neighbor was going to let me host the Queen B of bees. I knew I had a serious bee problem on my hand; I was on the hunt for a solution.

Thanks to the internet and Google searches, I was able to find a couple of g-r-e-a-t bee companies that handle such problems that I have going on in my backyard. The first company I found had this fantastic website with video demonstration and an A from the BBB (Better Business Bureau); P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

I called this company and l was forced to leave a voice message…and so I did. Know what else I did? I waited for them to return my call to set up an appointment. Did that returned call ever happen? No. That company never returned my call.

On to company number two. I found another local company that deals with bees; P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

I called company no. two and I was forced to leave a voice message…and so I did. Know what else I did? I waited for them to return my call to set up an appointment. Did that returned call ever happen? No. Company no. two never returned my call.

What’s with the calling déjà vu?

Later on I discovered that my local county and the agricultural department should be able to help me; By the time I received this nugget of information it was way past business hours…guess I would be calling in the morning…and that’s exactly what I did.

I called my local county department and they were P-E-R-F-E-C-T! They were able to give me names of people who handle bee problems AND there services are FREE!

The gentleman that I spoke with (early in the morning) set up an appointment with me and my bee problem for later in the day.

Lunch time comes back around and I go check on my grouped bees.

For the love of bees, what’s going on here? I find myself saying this once again! The thousands of bees that were finding rest on my outdoor plant were nowhere to be found. No bees in sight.

I called my bee guy back and talked to him about my lack of bees and he informed me how quickly bees can travel and move on. He said that the bees in my yard were most likely the bees from my neighbor, that there home was disrupted and they found a temporary home in my back yard…and now the bees are off to find a new permanent home. Needless to say, there was no need to keep the appointment; thank goodness for the smooth outcome.

I know this is a long post but there is purpose behind this situation…so please, keep reading as I explain why this bee story is relevant.

I saw this huge problem that needed service; like any service, people want to be paid for their services. So here I am, I have a problem that needs fixing fast and I have an unexpected expense.

Why didn’t company one call me back? Why didn’t company two call me back? I think it’s because God has my back. If either one of those companies had called, I would never have been led to the free services my county provides. What seemed like a hassle of the non-returned phone calls led to favor to my bank account. I can’t arrange people to not return calls or to arrange favor…but God can.

Within 24 hours my bee problem fixed itself. I didn’t have to arrange my schedule to meet with the bee keeper, I didn’t have to worry about the money, I didn’t have to worry about hosting the Queen B…everything just worked itself out on its own without my help.

This is a reminder of giving our problems over to the Lord. What seems big to us in the moment, could easily blow over if we just trust God to handle it; don’t get in your own way.

If there is a rejection or missed opportunity or an un-returned call…look at that as direction and favor. Remember, God sees the whole picture. God knew those bees were going to move on….so HE didn’t even waste my time or money.

God wants to be involved in every area of your life, even if it’s dealing with bees in your backyard.

Even when you don’t think God is working in your life, remember that HE is…

Remember that for when that person or company doesn’t give you that... returned call.