Monthly Archives: August 2019

This Is The Way. Walk In It.

Noise.
Lots of it.
TV. Traffic. Chatter. Social media. Friends. Radio. Video Games. Kids. Adults. Life.

A lot of things are clammering for our attention these days. There is noise everywhere. So much we can’t take it on a lot of days. We need to stop. Listen. Sort.

Sort out the good noise from the bad noise. The good voice from the bad voice. The right way from the wrong way. God’s voice from the evil voice.

Take time to stop and sort. Don’t follow footsteps just because they are already there. Be sure it’s the path God is leading you and not the noise of something else.

How do we know? Ask God. Then listen. Be still. And really listen. He will lead you. It may be tough but following the footsteps of Christ will lead you to eternity with Him.

Following the footsteps of noise of the world will lead to destruction.

Stop. Pray. Listen. And seek His footsteps.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying “This is the way; walk in it.”” Isaiah 30:21. Isaiah was telling God’s people that the world will try to have you follow idols but listen because God will lead you the proper way. Just ask Him to lead you in His way. Whether it’s to the right or to the left, His footsteps are always the “right way”.

Junk Out. Joy In.
Noise Out. God’s Voice In.

It’s A Brand New Day!

I heard it said that when you wake up you have two ways to greet the day.

A) Good morning, Lord!❤️
B) Good Lord, it’s morning!😳

It made me laugh when I heard it but it really stuck with me. We do have two choices and whether we say those words, say other words or speak no words at all, it’s a mindset that we start our day with that carries throughout the next 24 hours.

It’s a positive attitude or a negative attitude. It’s finding the good in things or focusing on the negative. It’s saying, “God I trust you no matter what” or “why does everything go wrong for me.”

It’s faith or fault.

I want to choose faith.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not always easy. I dwell on a matter. Give it to God. Pick it right back up. Give it back and on and on. I lay it down at the cross and truly trust Him to take care of it. But then when He’s not moving fast enough or I don’t see change or improvement, I go grab it back and start the worry all over again.

I hope as Christians we remember who is in charge but as humans it’s a given that we will fail to remember. We will fail to trust. We will fail to see God in the details. But we can also ask Him for forgiveness (and we have to do that day after day) and start improving our attitude, start improving our trust and start improving our faith.

It’s never too late to ask God to forgive you and start over with Him as your guide for the day.

So let’s start today out right…together. Are you ready?

Good morning, Lord! 🌞

Be Your Selfie.

Sparkling Smile.
Not a hair out of place.
Makeup looking professional.
Dressed in designer clothes.
Kids could be junior models.
Husband holding you close in affection.
Background of pix looks like it came straight out of Beautiful Home Today.

Cheeeeeese.

SNAP.  All done.

Let’s look.  Perfect Selfie!

BREAK.

Kids fighting. Parents snapping.  House piled. Yoga pants on. Hair in ponytail.  Chaos.

Have you ever felt that way?  You get everything perfect for the selfie that you will put on social media portraying the perfect life with the perfect family with the gorgeous house.  You snap the selfie and then go right back to normal life.  Hurried. Snappy. Messy.  Chaotic.  Real.

That’s normal life!  And it’s okay.

Social media makes us think we have to be someone we are not.  It makes us think we are not good enough and when we act this way we portray to our kids and those “liking” that we have to be something that we are not.

The devil wants us to think that way, too.  He wants us to live in fear.  He doesn’t want us to remember that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to die for us.  All we have to do is follow Him.  Believe in His Son.  Know that we are loved for who He made us.  Sinners who can be redeemed by the cross.

You don’t have to put on the fake smile, perfect-life appearance to come to Jesus.  He wants you just the way you are.  Don’t be someone else or try to be like the magazines.  Show the world you are a child of the King, an imperfect, forgiven sinner who loves Jesus.

Smile.  You are an heir.  You will live in a palace.  And your father is a King.

Be your selfie with Jesus by your side and love as your background.

A Great Big Thank You From The Tiniest of Tots

My Hill-Rom colleagues from the Cary, NC office filled and delivered around 100 buckets to the Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, NC.   One grandmother sent the following thank you note when her grandson received a bucket.  Every single person volunteering for Bucket Buddies makes a difference!

“Good morning Deanna & Team,

I want to reach out to you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for my grandson’s bucket delivery at Duke Hospital yesterday. He is 3 weeks old today and we are blessed to finally be able to bring him home tomorrow!
It brought me such joy to see the older children playing with their buckets as we walked in. It was a unexpected and pleasant surprise when we got to my grandson’s room and saw that you also delivered buckets to the littlest of children.
Even though he will be too young to remember any of this, as a family who has been weary/worried the last 3 weeks, to walk into his hospital room yesterday and see the thoughtful gesture from your group, brought HUGE smiles to our faces.
When he grows up, we will make sure he knows about the kind people who generously donated their time and efforts to make our family smile and bring joy to the children fighting hard battles.
Forever Grateful,   Carla A.”