A Practical Series (Intro)

"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2 

A Grateful Heart:

To Mr. Watkins, my "Lead the Field" mentor,

Thank you for investing in the lives of my cousins, my siblings, and myself during our teen years. We are grateful that you shared the "Lead the Field" study with us and taught us how to live a successful life. You are a great example! Thank you for inspiring us to study truth/fable and to think critically for ourselves. Thank you for helping us understand how to set up worthy goals. We thank you for sharing the spiritual side of this study (for the Bible is the basis for these basic life principles). We know that we wouldn't be where we are today... without your investment in us. We are indebted to you. This study is dedicated to you. I pray that this "Lead the Field" series will be a blessing to others as you and your dedication to it has been to us. 

What is "Lead the Field"?

Earl Nightingale did the Lead the Field study in the 1950s. He writes that "it is the result of more than 20 years of research on one subject.... why do some people do so very well in life, live so very successfully, while the majority does not." It was written primarily for career success, but the principles apply to success of any kind, even motherhood or in your Christian life. The lessons that you learn from this series are: Attitude, Opportunities are all around us, Choose your Goal, Use your Mind to Improve it, Serve First and so much more! 

For Joy-Givers?

I have prayed about this for several weeks and I truly believe that God wants me to share this series with you. I believe this will help you enjoy life more, get more things accomplished and just feel more focused about your dreams (even seeing them become reality). I am praying to see more successful mothers, wives, and/or individuals as a result of this. :D

It Made a Difference!

I can testify that this series has helped me from being a procrastinator to setting reasonable goals to even completing them. I have three little girls under the age of two. I maintain a clean house (laundry and dishes), feed my family with healthy meals, read my Bible daily and even create Bible questions for my church. I also help maintain the "Joy-givers" facebook page (link here: https://www.facebook.com/joygivers14) and write my weekly blog. My brother, Valeriy, works as a Chase bank manager and maintains a successful Instagram gallery (link here: http://instagram.com/Mrvalography). My sister, Lidiya, completed her Associates Degree at 17 years old and went on to complete her teaching degree by 22 years old. My brother and sister are both appreciative for this series and for Mr. Watkin's investment. :D

I am excited to share these practical life lessons with you! Stay tuned for the first lesson next week: "Attitude" ;)

Burdened with a Load

1. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Difficult Days, Dates, or Moments:

Are you going through some hard days knowing the pain/heartache will only get worse? Are you aching to get through another "anniversary" date that you can never forget? Are you having a moment where everything is going wrong? Are you have a moment that makes you cry? Are you feeling alone?

Words of Encouragement:

Don't go through those days or moments.... alone. Please. First, take a empty book out and write out your thoughts of heartache and sorrow to the Lord. Share your deepest pains and aches with Him. He calls to us to cast our burdens unto Him and He even keeps our tears in a bottle. (1 Peter 5:7, Ps. 56:8) Let them go. Give them to Jesus.

Pray in those moments. Close your eyes right now. Just pray. Ask your Heavenly Father for strengthen and encouragement. God hears you. Truly, He does. Ask Him to comfort you and guide your steps. (Pr. 3:5-6)

Phone or spend time with a friend. Rely on a good friend and share your heart with her. Allow her to be a listening ear. God tells us to bear one another's burdens. Ask her to strength you and pray for you.

Look for the good. Remember that you are giving so many blessings. Past, present.... and future. Cherish the good memories. Bring to mind the positive things, the joyful memories, and the happy moments. Take pictures of the present memories. Treasure them in your heart. Smile. Make good moments. Laugh at silly things. Look toward the future. Know that tomorrow is a new day. Know that heaven is home. :D

Take a bath. Read a relaxing book or magazine. Bake some cookies. Listen to classic music. (Yes, it makes a difference what you listen to.) Take a walk. Smell the flowers. Breathe.

Remember:

God is always with you. A friend can "hug" you. Time will heal all. Heaven is home. :)

Yes, I Iron...

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deut. 6:5 KJV

"And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:31

Discovery:

I never enjoyed ironing... Confession, I never did it. After I got married, my husband "cheated" by putting his ironing clothes in the dryer, which would take many crinkles out. Ironing is such a time consuming task... especially when you have three little girls and a house FULL of laundry. But, I've made a discovery: Iron clothes makes my husband happy.

Love Languages:

My husband's primary love language is "Acts of Service." (If you want to discover yours... do the quick survey here: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/. They have it for couples/singles/even children!) When we were first married, we thought his love language was "Receiving Gifts." My husband LOVES gifts, small or big. He enjoys specialty cereal and snacks, and BIG gifts like a new Seahawks jersey with the Superbowl logo on it! ;) ...but I've begun discovering that he appreciates MORE... when I give him a haircut and iron his dress clothes. He brags about it, even. 

Your Relationship with GOD:

What is your favorite way to say "I love you" to God? Do you enjoy serving in a ministry? Do you enjoy spending time in His word, the BIBLE? Do you enjoy when God does something special just for you? That could be your Love Language! I really enjoy reading my Bible. It's my "Quality Time" love language. I just love being with my Saviour. I picture myself sitting at His feet and hearing Him speak.

Others:

It's important to discovery the love language of others around you. What is the love language of your family? What about those in the church? As we try to reach the world with the God's love, we need to do it in a love language they understand and love. :D 

Try to figure out ways to love others in their love language. Sit by someone who seems lonely. Say an encouraging word! Give her a card or a note. Shake their hand or give her a hug. See if they need help. :) Each of these are different "Love Languages"! Give it a try this Sunday!

Discovery your love language! 

Speak their (family/friends/church) love language today! :)

A Patient God

Patience:

"And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." Ex. 34:6 KJV

God is Patient with Us:

Ever had a bad day? An unsuccessful or unproductive day? Ever felt like, instead of moving forward, you had taken two steps back? All your progress is now undone? Ever made a mistake or two... or three? Ever felt like you failed God or yourself? 

You are not a failure. GOD designed you and knows, exactly, where you are in life's journey. He knows what you want to accomplish and what your heart's desires are. (Ps. 37:4) He knows how you are progressing. He knows each step you take: the good and bad. He even knows your mistakes and your faults. He is patient with you and each step you take.

"He accepts us with our flaws, He is kind and understanding and He welcomes us because we are His erring children, and He loves us everyone, and He freely and completely forgives all that we have done." Helen Steiner Rice 

He loves you. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. (Rom. 5:8)

Patient with Ourselves:

We judge ourselves more harshly then we do others. Sometimes, we need to remember that God forgave us first. It's easy to see our faults and failures or to get frustrated with our lack of progress. But God loves us, even while we are yet sinners. God is patient with us... through each trial as we learn and grow. Some days may be difficult and some easy... but God is with us... Each step of the way. We must remember that we are not perfect. Although we may not be where we want to be and we still have a road to take to get there. That's okay. Be patient with yourself. Sometimes, we need to rest. That's good, too. We need breaks. Sometimes, we need strength and to pray.

Take a moment, now, and breathe. Tomorrow, try again. It's a new day! :D (Lam 3:22-23)

Patient with Others:

Just as God is patient with us: our faults and mistakes, our lack of progress, and even wrong attitudes or pride, we should also be patient with others. They are learning too. They are growing. They may be just starting on their journey. They may be simple-minded or arrogant. As fellow believers, we are traveling on the same road together. As God has given us grace and mercy, we should extend that to those around us. 

Love them through their journey and be patient with their progress. Give a helping hand. Encourage/support the good and resist judging or voicing the bad. They are trying... just as you are trying. Be slow to speak. Be patient with others.

Strive to live your life right... and they will follow your example... as you follow Christ's. "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." 1 Cor. 11:1 KJV

People We Don't Like

Anyone You Know?:

There are the people we simply don't like. They annoy us. They frustrate us. They are mean. They are too happy at times. They can be clingy. They wear us down. They talk a lot. They are rude. They've said/done things that hurt us. They are just hard people to get along with.

These people obviously aren't our best friends, but we wouldn't say they are our enemies either.

A Biblical Example:

Peter seemed like one of those people to me. I’m not sure I would have gotten along with him. He was too up/down emotionally. He was outspoken and did things without thinking them through. (Matt. 14:28, Mark 9:5) In the end, Peter betrayed his friend deeply. (Matt. 26:33, 35, 75) Honestly, Peter would have been the last person I would have wanted close to me. He would have been one of the twelve…. But not someone I would have made significant.

Yet if you read your Bible, you’ll see that Peter was actually favored by Jesus. Jesus befriended him to a “best friend” status. (Matthew 17:1)

Be a Good Friend:

We need to make it a priority to love those people we don’t like. We are to bless them, feed them, clothe them, be kind to them. Favor them. (Matt. 5:44) Have you ever considered praying for them and their needs/desires? Remember they may act that way because of scars they bear. Maybe they need prayer for God's mercy/kindness. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person availeth much. (James 5:16) 

Maybe they just need a listening ear and a compassionate heart. Maybe they need someone to strengthen them and encourage them.

When we choose to love the unlovable, GOD can do the unthinkable... and change their lives. If we have compassion on them and love them unconditionally, over time, we will have won a friend and gain a close companion; but we will have also brought someone closer to Christ…. In the process, we ourselves grow in the Lord too. :D

Show compassion. Love those people you don't like.

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21