A= Aging Isn’t for Wimps!


The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine. Proverbs 4:18 TMWB

Aging isn’t for wimps! It’s true. Whether you’re 25 or 85, there are probably things about getting older that you don’t appreciate. Extra pounds? Hormone imbalance? Another gray hair? Of course, if you’re nearing the 85 year mark, you might be feeling it even more. Yet, as a God-honoring woman, He assures you that the longer you live and the more wisdom you accumulate, the brighter your influence. So congratulate yourself. You’re not a wimp, you’re a star.

NEW BOOK: EVERYDAY WISDOM–I’ve dreamed of writing a GIFT BOOK. You know, the kind that you see in hospital gift shops, airports, and grocery stores. With short practical and inspiring messages from God’s encouraging book; with pretty designs on the pages. Well, God gave me the desire of my heart. It just hit book shelves online and in local bookstores. In time for MOTHER’S DAY! Visit http://tinyurl.com/WisdomDevo for a peek and to purchase gifts. Or go to your local bookstore. This pretty little coffee table/night stand book is only $7.99. NOW YOU HAVE ALL YOUR MOTHER’S GIFTS FIGURED OUT!

Read and be inspired. A=Aging Isn’t for Wimps! Then you’ll read B is for Balance…G is for Growth…L is for Listening… and on through the alphabet gathering wisdom from the Proverbs for EVERYDAY WISDOM living. Have fun.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with me. I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what you think of the new book AND what you’re planning for Mother’s Day 2010!

Relief blessings from Kansas City where I am this weekend,

Joan

Calm When I Goof

Calmness can lay great errors to rest. (Ecclesiastes 10:4)

As I left the store, I noticed a flashing red light in the parking lot. Soon I realized the police were prying into my car with a coat hanger. Racing to the scene I asked, “What’s the problem?”

“This your car?” shouted one policeman, ignoring my question. “You didn’t put it in park,” accused the other officer. “It rolled back and creamed this van. Besides that, you left your lights on!”

Shame on you, Joan, I scolded silently. How stupid! I didn’t want to run this errand for my husband anyway.Then I caught myself. Okay. It isn’t my husband’s fault. I made a mistake. I wish I had put the car in park and turned off the lights, but I’m human and I goofed.

I drove my car forward in response to the officer’s directions. Thanks to sufficient safety bumpers, neither vehicle incurred any damage. The policemen smiled sheepishly.

Sometimes I panic and first resort to belittling myself (or others) when I’m faced with a problem or crisis. Perhaps you’ve experienced this as well. The good news is that with practice, you and I can learn to release our shaming and blaming tendencies and respond in new—and relaxed—ways to each day’s diverse situations and unique mistakes. Relief follows. Ahhhh.

Lord, help me break my old habit of shaming and blaming. I want to practice calm when I goof up. I need Your help.

Make It Personal: When’s the last time you goofed? How did you react? Given an opportunity to respond again, what would you do differently? ____________________________________________________________________________________

This devotion was taken from It’s a Wonderful (Imperfect) Life: Devotional Readings for Women Who Strive Too Hard to Make It Just Right by Joan C. Webb and released by Regal Books. Three minutes a day will help to free you from the joy-stealing temptation to try to make yourself, your family, your spirituality and your dreams “just right.” For more information about purchasing this book click http://tinyurl.com/DevoBook.

WIN A BOOK: To put your name in the hat for the April 21 drawing for an autographed copy of It’s a Wonderful (Imperfect) Life, comment here with your response to the “Make It Personal” Q’s . . . or just a “Hi Joan!”

What’s That?

“Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep.” I proceeded to the hotel check-in desk. Then again “cheep-cheep-cheep.” I filled out the necessary papers, got my room key and started down the hall. “Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep!”

“What IS that?” I said to myself. THEN I noticed a small fenced-in area in a corner of the lobby. Reminded me of a playpen. Inside baby chicks scattered, pecked, and peeped. Seems this is a common way of observing the Easter season in the Middle East and Mediterranean where I was working at the time. After that, I heard the familiar “peep-peep” in public places repeatedly.

People around our country and the world mark Easter in various ways. But I wonder how many men, women and children know who is behind this springtime celebration.It’s God!

God who is all knowing, all powerful, all good, all right, all just, and capable of seeing everyone and everywhere at the same time. It is contrary to his perfect nature to be intimate with sin or wrong (yours and mine included), not because he tries to be difficult, judgmental or stern, but because he is God.

There is a gap between who God is and who you and I are. He cannot say, “Well, I realize you’re inherently flawed and disbelieving, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll just pretend you’re perfect and ignore that you are often self-preoccupied, untruthful, controlling, and emotionally abusive to those you’ve promised to love.” If he did that, he would be untrue to himself—and then he would not be God.

God sent his flawless Son Jesus, as his exact representative, into my imperfect surroundings in order to reconnect me to himself, the omnipotent Creator and Heavenly Father. Such a costly solution to the gapproblem between God and me! God could get very pushy about it. Yet he treats you and me—his human creation—with such incredible respect that he allows us to decide whether we want to accept his reconciliation proposal. God shows such compassionate understanding of our bottom-line dilemma: he is perfect and we are not. He provides our solution and yet our refusal to believe and trust his provision is our deepest and basic sin. We need him and the good news is: he wants us and created a way for us to connect.

Here’s the ultimate Easter celebration: when you and I acknowledge our need and internally agree to partner with him, the gap that kept us apart, no longer exists. What do you think of God’s Easter plan?