41 & counting

FORTY-ONE! I'm 41 ... I've been around the sun 41 times?! Mercy sakes! 
I'm too old to be young and I'm too young to be old. I'm living in the MIDDLE AGES ... Okay! Y'all, NOW THAT'S FUNNY!!!
This last year has been a year of growth. A year of change. A year of pain. A year of JOY! As I reflect on all I've learned and all I've seen, I'm abundantly thankful and so very blessed. For the last several years, I've been documenting various life lessons/quotes/Scripture verses each year on my birthday. While it serves as a reminder for me to remember what God has done and has taught me, I share it in hopes to encourage YOU, for we are fellow sojourners walking each other home. I also share it as a means of worship to the One who deserves all glory, honor, and praise - my JESUS!

1. Psalm 19:1a "The heavens declare the glory of God ..." & we are blessed to behold this declaration. May we declare His glory!
2. Life is short. Love your people.
3. Pray FOR people, not ABOUT them.
4. The approval and pleasure of God is far greater than the approval/pleasure of man.
5. Respond to life with wisdom ... leave the reacting to the science experiments.
6. Life is beautiful, even in the valleys.
7. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE & WHOSE YOU ARE!
8. Do not allow your fears to become your identity. 
9. The Lord answers even the most stupidest prayers! 
10. You can ABSOLUTELY love Jesus completely and still need a therapist and/or psych meds.
11. Deuteronomy 32:3-4 "I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He."
12. God is so incredibly faithful (see Josh. 21:44-45).
13. The Lord's heart is ALWAYS for restoration and redemption (see 2 Sam. 14:14b).
14. The source of victory is the Lord.
15. What I do in life - vocationally, ministry, hobby - is to ALL be done for the Lord.
16. Less clutter = more calm
17. "Wisdom and peace come when you start living the life the Creator intended for you." ~ Geronimo
18. "The very thing we are afraid of, our brokenness, is the door to our Father's heart." ~ Paul Miller
19. Know your WHY!
20. Your role in life - at home/work/church/anywhere - has eternal value.
21. It's okay to not be okay ... you just can't stay there.
22. Be a FRUIT LOOP in a world full of CHEERIOS!
23. Practice being CALM. Celebrate God's goodness, Ask God for help, Leave your concerns with the Lord, Meditate on good things.
24. Long term consistency is the key to true life impact.
25. "When a person is gripped by God's love for the lost, the greater hardship is not doing anything about it." ~ David Bell
26. "I ground my faith upon God's Word and not upon the church." ~ Lady Jane Grey
27. Learn to prize nearness to Christ as my greatest happiness.
28. Carpe Diem! It's a biblical concept.
29. Write often. Photograph life even more. Cherish each day.
30. Live on the plumb line of God's Word. ~ Kevin Schular
31. THIS is the time to stand up for Jesus. ~ Kevin Schular
32. God is a God of personal relationship, NOT of traditions. ~ Chance Belk
33. Saturate all of life with that which honors/glorifies God.
34. Walk away from toxic people, with your head held high. 
35. "It is BEING WITH HIM [Jesus], and n DOING FOR HIM, that makes us happiest." ~ Rev. John Lamb, 1984 
36. A quote based on Matthew 23:27-28 that is in a friend's house ... "The real beauty of a Christ-follower is the reflected beauty of Christ, not our own shiny presentation as Christians."
37. "I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it." ~ Elisabeth Elliot
38. GO GET A MASSAGE! 
39. Tomorrow is FULL of new mercies (Lamentations 3:21-23).
40. Micah 7:8 "For though I fall I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light."
41. "Ohana means FAMILY. Family means no one gets left behind." ~ Stitch, from Lilo & Stitch

​HERE'S TO THE BEGINNING OF MY 42nd ORBIT AROUND THE SUN!!!