This ring...

Yesterday, someone very special put a ring on my wedding ring finger.

No, it wasn't a wedding ring.
It wasn't an engagement ring.
It wasn't a promise ring.

It was just a simple little ring that I typically wear on the right hand ring finger. It's nothing fancy, nothing expensive...just a simple little silver ring with the words "Everything is Possible When You Have faith."

I'm keeping the ring where it is though because of who put it there, and the way that he placed it on my finger...as if he were practicing for the real thing.

So that's it...keeping this post short and sweet...very sweet.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: For those of you who are single, do you wear a ring on your wedding ring finger anyway?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Happy 3 year "Birthdaversary" to Me!

This was my Facebook post today and I thought I'd share it here with you as well. Today is my 3 year "Birthdaversary" Today...is a GOOD day!

***

3 yrs ago today I had to visit a retina specialist. It was the WORST doctor's visit I have EVER been to. In a nutshell, he basically told me that I shouldn't be able to see, and if I continue to see...it wouldn't be for much longer. When I asked what could be done he shook his head and said "nothing". What a blow! However, I write this today to say that I serve a God who is ABLE! Every morning when I wake up, before my feet hit the floor, I thank Him 1st for another day...then I thank Him for another day of EYESIGHT. I never take for granted the fact that these eyes are STILL working. He made these eyes and He is sustaining the vision in these eyes. And as they well up with tears as I type these words, all I can say is THANK YOU Lord for being the Ultimate DOCTOR who has the FINAL say in all things. Doctors predict...God KNOWS. ~ Matthew 19:26 "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' "

***

There ya have it folks. What more can I say?

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Has God ever reversed a bad diagnosis in your life?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

UN-photogenic

So I went to a party last night and had a great time. Danced. Sang. Laughed. The whole nine.

It was a birthday celebration so lots of pics were taken. Unfortunately, there was one too many pictures taken. THAT picture was of ME. YUK!!!

I'm dancing, making a hideous face, and with about 3 chins showing. AARGH!!!

And you know what's coming next...

Yep...

I was tagged and the pic is publicly posted on Facebook. I just want to crawl under a rock!!!

Fortunately, I was able to untag the pic, but I'm hoping and praying that ultimately it will be deleted. I sent a message to the person who posted it, asking that they delete it. Haven't heard back yet and the pic is so hideous, I don't even want to look and see if it's still there.

So I'll check again tomorrow, hoping and praying that it will be gone by then.

I don't know WHAT could have made anyone possibly think that that pic was something that I'd want the world to see. It's HORRENDOUS. Really. And I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not.

Unlike the "pretty people" of the world who take fabulous photo, after fabulous photo...the camera is NOT my friend. No, I'll correct that. The camera is not really the issue...bad timing is the issue.

I mean, I took other pics last night and they turned out lovely. Are those posted? Yes, but not in the PUBLIC album like the horrific pic is.

Can you tell that I'm just a bit perturbed by the whole situation?

My best friends know the drill...do NOT post any pictures of me without me seeing them FIRST. Never, EVER.

Why is this the drill? To avoid situations like the one I'm in now. This is sooo not good.

I really hope it goes away. I really really do.

So...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Has anyone every posted a bad picture of you? Did you ask them to delete it? Did they delete it?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Religion divides. Jesus UNITES!

So...I saw a video yesterday titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word" and it spoke to what I have been saying for YEARS.

In MY words...Religion is man-made.

God does not want RELIGION.
God wants RELATIONSHIP.

That RELATIONSHIP comes through His Son, Jesus.

There was a line in the video that I absolutely LOVED...

"Religion says do. Jesus says done."

So profound! And so true.

Religion says that if I do A,B,C...and don't do X,Y,Z...then I'll make my way to God. Yeah...good luck with that.

Jesus says...I've already DONE everything FOR you.

That means that all I need to do is BELIEVE...in Jesus.

Another thing that caught my attention when I watched the video was this:

Jesus > Religion

Again...so profound!

With that I would like to add my own thought: Religion divides. Jesus UNITES!

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Are you following religion or Jesus?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Thoughts and Prayers

An interesting thing happened yesterday.

While I was at home cleaning, a thought came to mind about a minister I know. I was thinking about how I've never heard him preach and wondered when and where he does because I'd like to hear him one day.

He's not a Pastor of a church, however he is a Reverend/Minister, so surely he preaches SOMEWHERE at least on occasion.

Well...I go to Bible Study last night and at the end of the evening as my Pastor was going over some announcements, guess what...

He told us that this coming Sunday, the minister who I had just been thinking about hours earlier, would be preaching at our church. Wow!

All I could do was smile.

I was smiling over the fact that God had answered my THOUGHT. Are you hearing what I'm saying?!?

Not only does God answer my PRAYERS, but this time He answered my THOUGHT!

I practically skipped out of Bible Study because I was so excited about what had just happened. God is AMAZING...simply AMAZING.

After realizing what had just taken place, Ephesians 3:20 popped into my head:

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,"

I can't remember the last time I simply had a THOUGHT, and God answered it, this may be the first time...or at least the first time that I was THIS aware of what had just happened.

This incident was just another reminder for me that He really is listening, and answering my every THOUGHT and PRAYER.

And I am so greatly looking forward to church this coming Sunday. I already know...it's gonna be a GREAT day!

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever had a THOUGHT answered by God?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

$.96

96 CENTS.

That's how much I have in my bank account right now. Not even a whole dollar. 96 cents.

Wow!

Deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Keep breathing.

Push forward.

With only $.96 in my bank account I STILL stand on Psalm 34:1 and proclaim:

"I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Am I worried? Nope.

Why?

Because Worry and Prayer don't go together. Worry and Prayer are like water and oil to the faithful...they don't mix.

Am I telling you my bank account balance as a way to get you to help me financially? Nope.

Why?

Because not many would even if I did.

And that's alright. I know that Jehovah Jireh IS my Provider, and because of this fact, I will not worry. My FAITH tells me NOT to.

So there you have it. My two cents. Hey, if I give you two cents, that'll leave me with $.94

You know what...I'm STILL smiling! Life is good, and God is BETTER.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What would YOU do if you only had 96 CENTS in YOUR bank account?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Extra letters?

So today is one of those silly, not so serious posting kinda days.

Today, I wanna talk about words that have extra (unpronounced) letters in them.

By the way...my spell check is telling me that "unpronounced" isn't a word...but it's the word that I want to use, so guess what...TODAY...it's a word!

For the purpose of today's post, we'll use the word RECEIPT as our example. Now for those who know me, you know how I pronounce this word.

REE-SEE-PUH-TUH

That's right!

I mean really...why have that "P" in there if you're not gonna pronounce it? Otherwise...get it outta there.

So how 'bout we have some fun with this one today.

Let the DIALOGUE begin! How many words can YOU think of that have letters that aren't pronounced? I don't think we'll include the ones that have vowels because I think we understand why those are needed. But for the words with extra consonants...let'er rip!

Talk to me!

Til next time...

One Piece Puzzles

A few years ago I was asked to speak at an event where the topic was UNITY.

I don't remember everything that I said but I do remember stressing the importance of how much we need each other and how everyone has their own unique and important part to play in the grand scheme of life.

Before I spoke, I handed out puzzle pieces to every one who was in attendance. At the time that they received their puzzle piece they had no idea what it was for.

As I spoke I explained to them how WE are like the puzzle pieces that they each held. Each piece needed to connect to another piece, and that piece would need to connect to another piece, etc...until...all of the pieces were connected. No one piece could stand alone.

Each piece was unique and had its own space on the puzzle. A corner piece could not fit in one of the inside spots, and vice versa. Every piece had to go in the specific spot for which it was intended otherwise the pieces would not fit properly and the puzzle simply would not be complete. This is how we should look at ourselves. We have all been created with our own purpose to be fulfilled. I can TRY to do what you do, but if it wasn't what I was created to do, then it'll never happen. The same applies to YOU trying to do what I do. Too often, we strive to be like someone else and have what they have, losing sight on our own intended purpose. And in striving to BE like others and/or HAVE what others have, we often end up frustrated because we're striving for something that wasn't meant for us, and as a result...those things are never obtained.

Instead, we are to encourage, support, and uplift EACH OTHER in our efforts so that ultimately, we all achieve our purpose. For example, if I have a talent or resource that may help YOU to get where you're trying to go in life, then I should help you. And you should do likewise. If we all use what we have, not only to help ourselves, but to help others as well...think of how much better this place would be, and how many more success stories there would be to share.

The days are over for that "crabs in the bucket" mentality. We need to STOP pulling each other down, and instead...LIFT each other up.

As I continued to speak on UNITY, I shared this with my audience: There are no ONE PIECE PUZZLES.

There just aren't. At the very minimum, a puzzle needs 2 pieces.

We are all pieces of God's great puzzle. So let's start connecting with one another, encouraging, supporting, uplifting...and make this a better place while we can.

I'm ready for more success stories...aren't you?

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What can YOU do to help lift someone up and help them fulfill their purpose? I can think of a good place to start. You can support ME by encouraging me in my writing efforts. It's such a small thing to do, yet it would mean so much to me. You can follow the blog and/or, "like" The Dialogue Den page on Facebook. It won't cost you a penny, yet your support would be invaluable to lil' ol' me.

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Azodicarbonamide

Don't eat it!

Kinda tough to do though when it's in most of the bread that's sold in stores. I found out about azodicarbonamide about 2 years ago, and since then I've switched the brand of bread that I buy.

So far I've only found 2 brands that don't have azodicarbonamide in them. They are Home Pride, and an "off brand" whose name I can't even remember right now.

Other than that...think of a brand of bread and that brand will have azodicarbonamide listed on the ingredients. What exactly IS azodicarbonamide? I'm no scientist so I can't tell you exactly. I just know that I don't want it in MY bread.

If you want specifics, I'd say, "Google it."

Home Pride may be more expensive, but my family's health is well worth the extra expense.

That's all. There's my PSA for the day.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you care that azodicarbonamide is in most bread? Would you pay a little more to have bread that does NOT contain this ingredient?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Open Hands...(not so empty)

Two days ago I wrote about the pain of letting go. I was ready to unclench my fists and open my hands to let go of what I had so desperately been trying to keep, and to receive whatever God wanted to fall in.

Well...not even an hour after I finished that post...that which I was letting go flew right back.

Wow!

I guess my holding on was not in vain.

It got me to thinkin'...maybe we do have to "let go" just to give our hands a little rest so that they'll be strong enough to hold what falls back in.

Maybe...just maybe.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever let go of something (or someone) only to have them come right back to you?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Open Hands

“Change happens when the pain of holding on becomes greater than the fear of letting go.”
― Spencer Johnson

Powerful and profound.

After holding on to something so tightly my knuckles have turned white, I realize that it hurts too much to keep holding on and relief will only come when I finally let go. I had fooled myself into believing that if I kept holding on then the shred of that thing I was holding onto would still be mine. The fact of the matter is...it never was mine. It had to WANT to be mine. Instead, I was holding it by force. Anytime you hold something by force you're gonna eventually feel pain.

So I've done the hardest thing I ever thought I'd do in this situation. I decided to open my hands and let go. Ironically, I was FORCED to open my hands, so the only option WAS to let go.

Am I feeling the pain any less?
No. Not yet.

Will I eventually feel the pain any less?
So I've been told.
Only time will tell, right?

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What (or who) have you had to let go of, even though it hurt to let go?

Talk to me!

Til next time...