The Gratitude Issue
OCTOBER 2020
The Everyday Crown Rocker It's The Little Things
Grateful For HIS Rest!
Flip The Gratitude Switch
OUR COVERGIRL: RUE GUMUNYU Rue Gumunyu is an Accounting and Tax Strategist. Her passion is helping individuals and business owners navigate their financials with ease and gain more revenue. She is also a mom, speaker, and a workshop facilitator for financial literacy workshops. Her signature workshop, Brunch and Learn has helped a lot of women attain financial freedom. She also serves women across the nations, through her Facebook group Ladies Building Wealth. She teaches various topics like credit, stock investing, money management, taxes, real estate, entrepreneurship and so much more. Ladies Building Wealth also serves as a platform for other female experts and entrepreneurs to share their experiences and expertise. Get in touch with Rue at:
Primetaxandaccountingsolutions.com
5 Things I am grateful for: Family, Health, My Business, God and My Friends.
How I have maintained an attitude of gratitude in this season: I have been intentional about celebrating every accomplishment, no matter how big or small. I also practice meditation and actively seek peace in every situation. Above all? Prayer, prayer and more prayer! What have you been doing?
EDITORS NOTES. Isaiah 41:17 - “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.”
Let me tell you! Over the last 8 months God has shown me in real time what it is to have him cause springs to burst forth in the desert. In the midst of my driest, most difficult desert experience of my life, so many women, strangers, friends and family have offered me relief in one form or another. So far in 2020: My marriage ended unexpectedly. I found out the person I loved, the person that was supposed to love, honor, and protect me had violated my trust in the worst way. Investigations and arrests ensued. I lost
⅔
of my income at a time
when God had called me to full-time entrepreneurship. The quarantine phase of Covid hit 2-weeks after the collapse of my marriage.
I found myself trying to navigate homeschooling
in the midst of it. On top of that my boys and I all contracted the Corona Virus and a month and a half later, we moved back across the country .
Life has brought me to my knees and
God has brought so many people into my life, that have supported me and encouraged me to keep going at a time when I was ready to give up on everything.
Isaiah 41:18 New International Version I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.
New Living Translation I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.
English Standard Version I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
Sustenance is not only money. It looks like a listening ear, it looks like excellent customer service. It looks like offering a kind word, meeting an agreed upon deadline, being obedient to what God has called you to and the steps he illuminates.
EDITORS NOTES I am so incredibly grateful for the lessons learned, the miracles and incredible answers to prayer, and God's continued steadfastness.
I am grateful for clients that gave me work so I could sustain my family financially. I am grateful for friends that have listened without judgement and given me space to process. I am grateful for the women that have not given up on me and who refused to let me give up on myself. I am grateful for all those that have very literally been God's hands and feet to me.
Even in the midst of trials, there is hope, there is joy, there is peace and God, being a man of His word, is always faithful.
That, I am nmost grateful for!
Cover Picture: Hair: @TwistItSistah Makeup: @Jah Woo Beauty Accessories: @Dainty Dazzle Adornments Photography: @WithUNMindPhotography Follow them on Facebook
Jasmine Tosseth-Smith Editor-In-Chief
Kelly Ramsey is the owner of Developing People, Inc. is an experienced presenter and workshop leader in the areas of early childhood education, parenting, relationship development and adult education. Her work in the field of early education has spanned local, state, regional and national leadership over the past 35 years
Mike Davis also known as “The Emotional Success Coach”, is an author, speaker, corporate trainer and pastor. He has a doctorate degree in first century Christianity in It’s Jewish Context from the Centre for the Study of Biblical Research, Division of Graduate Studies. He has trained and coached individual clients and teams in Fortune 500 companies in live, face to face training as well as through virtual online events, across the United States, and around the world for the past 25 years.He is the author of 2 e-books “Sanctified Emotions” and “Tapping Into Your Emotional Success Power Now!” and the Amazon.com paperback bestseller “The Power of Emotional Success…Now!” As an Emotional Success Coach Mike’s goal is to help people make their emotions their ally rather than their enemy in the pursuit of their goals so that they can live the life of their dreams. He lives in Southern CA with his wife of 30 years, His 3 daughters, niece and 2 grandsons and a grand-daughter. I am Mompreneur of 6 (4 boys and 2 girls) in a “Bourg-Bunch” Blending family! With dear husband Fred (also an Entrepreneur/Consultant), I am Nanapreneur to 11 (as of May 2020). I spent the first third of my career pulling teams of medical technologists together to offer Medical professionals and patients the most efficient and complete care they could receive. I loved it! I spent the next third of my career as a Biblical Counselor/Licensed Professional Counselor and family therapist walking alongside and offering wise counsel from the Word to bereaved families and families in crisis, supervising LPC Interns, and speaking/teaching. I loved it! (I still Supervise LPC Interns, and have turned the rest of the Private Practice over to others! Loving life’s “transitions!”). I realized the minute I opened my Private Practice offices that “if you build it, they will come” is a fallacy! And I’m now blessedly devoting the next third of my career to helping other entrepreneurs build and grow to extraordinary levels of success worth CeLeBrAtInG! I love it – I eat, sleep and breathe it as President of the National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs @ NACWE http://nacwe.org and Karen Bourg Companies http://karenbourg.com LaTara V Bussey is a certified master life coach, author, entrepreneurial mentor, storyteller, and vision keeper. She has been there; done that, and now writes books, helps people have healthy emotional conversations and speaks nationwide about a life not lived and the dangers it causes.After losing her business in 1997 and becoming homeless, LaTara went on an 11-year journey of depression, anger, bitterness, and un-forgiveness that taught her the value of soul prosperous living.In February 2008, at her heaviest weight of 360 lbs, amid an emotionally, mentally, and spiritually abusive relationship, with her kids in the next room, she tried to take her life. That was her rock bottom and the reason why today she believes in laughing, loving, and living each day to the fullest. She gets that life is not to be taken for granted and has learned that it is at the core of the woman, where the success she desires, exist.It is the mission of her brand to help people tend to their soul, get comfortable with their truth, and succeed in discovering, developing, and delivering vision.--Facebook - www.facebook.com/coloryoursoul Mighty Networks: https://www.coloryoursoul.online/share/hmz5I8uck_lEPoFO? utm_source=manual
THE CONTRIBUTORS
Anne M. Scott is an up-and-coming author who has dedicated her life to helping others. She shares her life experiences with those who are going through difficult times to help them redirect their struggles to God and have Him work it out for them. She believes in putting your faith to work and watch how God works things out.
Nikki J. is an author, speaker, coach and HIV advocate. While in college she went to a local clinic, and received the devastating news that she had contracted Human Immunodeficiency Virus. After receiving this news, she decided to get educated on the disease and seek out services. When she began her journey to educate herself, she noticed a major gap in representation of women living with HIV. The statistics were high for women but low for education among women. Nikki J. took this information and decided to change her major to nursing. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia State University in Nursing and continued to expand her education by receiving her Masters in Nursing Informatics at University of Phoenix in 2015. Nikki J. is on a mission to educate women around the world via the internet and through community events about the stigma associated with HIV as well as many other complications like mental illness. She is collaborating efforts with other community organizations including the Iknowawareness, LLC., and Positive Women’s Network, in order to accomplish her goals. She has published one book entitled Life After HIV: Removing the Mask which details her life story. She is a member of the Metropolitan HIV services Planning Council, Fulton County Planning Council, Gilead Advocate Network and a blogger for the Girl Like Me Blog through the Well Project. You can connect with her ministry at www.flowconnectionministries.com
Kathryn (Kathy) Gifford, M. Ed. is a recent graduate of the University of West Alabama where she graduated May 7, 2020, with a Masters of Education degree in Design, Technology, and Learning. A life-long learner who continues to facilitate students of all ages with art, reading, writing, and technological literacy to become lifelong learners who acquire the highest level of education they desire. Kathy volunteers as a family crisis coach and has coached young women through crisis situations in finances, marriage, parenting, and pregnancy with the Women’s Resource Center of Athens, AL where she currently serves on the board of directors. Kathy was a Bilingual Parent Liaison and Assistant to the Director of Federal Programs for Athens City Schools in Athens, AL for two years. Before that, Kathy enjoyed 13 years in corporate America, downtown Dallas, TX as a Sales Support Specialist in Desktop Publishing with LexisNexis. Kathy lives in Harvest, AL with her husband of 20 years, Stephen, and three spoiled rotten dogs, Peanut, Rocky, and Milo. Together they enjoy their church family, traveling, art, and spending time with extended family including 13 Nephews, 5 Nieces, 5 Goddaughters, and 1 Godson. Get in Touch with Kathy: LinkedIn | Facebook |Instagram | TwitterDoodle Facilitator at Doodle All the Day-OHead Bug at 2020 Virtual Camp Doodle Bug Graduate Portfolio Website: www.kathygifford.solutions
Kelly Garcia resides in Flagstaff, Arizona where there are reportedly two seasons, Fourth of July and winter, or more affectionately known as a beautiful town of four seasons. She enjoys writing, as well as all things social, looking forward to the one producing the other after this Covid season. There are more houseplants and cats in her home than she openly confesses, yet enjoys them all, as well as a good long drive through beautiful country. Follow her on her blog at godspeak.home.blog.
THE CONTRIBUTORS
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THANKFUL & GRATEFUL BYÂ KELLY RAMSEY
In our daily walk it is easy to forget to remember the
WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR? TAKE A MOMENT TO CONSIDER IT.
simple things that we partake in. This month we revisit our daily intentions and the simple things that bring us a spirit of thankfulness. Being thankful is focusing on the everyday things and pausing to reflect on the goodness all around us. Recently, on a busy weekday morning I took a moment to focus on gratitude as I reached for a towel. I was mindful that the towel was placed there by my husband who carefully folded the towel after he washed a load of laundry. The laundry had been gathered from the
I later called him, to tell him thank you for taking care of us and to let him know that we are blessed to have him and that he is well loved. This simple act of thankfulness, continued to unfold as I worked to serve others that day. Follow the path of the thankfulness and uncover the layers that lie beneath. When we make being thankful a daily act we change our perspective and we ignite gratefulness for all that God has allowed.
bathroom, taken downstairs, loaded into the washer with the detergent and fabric softener. What I realized was
Seven months ago we were living a very different life free
not only was I thankful for the towel that I was grabbing,
from worry and anxiety. We are coming into the Fall season
but I was thankful for my husband who had mobility in his
as leaves turn colors and we feel the day’s get longer. We
legs to climb the stairs, bend and gather the laundry, and
settle into sweater weather and cozy spaces to share as
take it to the washer that was housed in our home.
families.
Steps Of Thankfulness. Here is a guide for the Fall season that focuses on areas of gratitude and thanks. Make it a practice and watch your home be transformed. 1. Make a list of all the things you are thankful for. Share your list with others by talking about the things on your list. 2. Create a thankfulness jar for each family member, and write one thing you are thankful for and place it in their jar. 3. As you create spaces in your home, add fall decor to the table and include a thankful tree with leaves. As the family sits down to eat, have everyone write one thing they are thankful for before they eat their meal. At the end of the week, as a family read off the messages on the leaves as you drink warm apple cider and eat home baked cookies. 4. Invite guests into your home and share a meal or dessert with them. Sit together and talk about the things you are thankful for. Make time for laughter, sharing stories and storytelling 5. Fill your home with scents of cinnamon, pumpkin, and maple for a warm presence in your home. Fill a pot with sliced oranges, cinnamon sticks, and cloves and bring it to a boil. The scent will fill your home and your heart. 6. Take a walk in your neighborhood and pay attention to the changing colors of the leaves. Take a few pictures and print them off and place them in a simple frame. 7. Create a simple display on your porch, with a few potted mums and some pumpkins.
Welcome Fall! Recipes Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookieshttps://pin.it/GyLCEXb
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THE FLIP FORMULA BY: MIKE DAVIS
"WANT SOME MORE GRATITUDE IN YOUR LIFE? THEN FLIP THE SWITCH!" Mike Davis - The Emotional Success Coach Gratitude is one the most important emotions we can experience. Research has shown that it has multiple benefits such as increased happiness or joy, greater resilience, and the healing of negative emotional experiences that have left their “emotional mark” upon us. For years I sought out and worked with different ways of helping people to access and experience gratitude more easily and consistently in their lives. A friend of mine, speaker and author Kevin Clayson developed a nice acronym and formula for doing just that. It is called the “FLIP the Switch” and is a wonderful way of feeling and consistently experiencing gratitude in your life on a daily basis. During the holiday season we are entering, with its frustrations and stresses, knowing how to access gratitude when needed is a great skill and gift to give yourself. So what is F.L.I.P., and how does it work? Well FLIP is an acronym. Each letter stands for a step in the process of moving from emotional distress to gratitude and joy! With Kevin’s permission I will share each step of his F.L.I.P. formula below. I will also share additional actions you can take that I have found help me experience and actualize gratitude when using his F.L.I.P. formula.
The F.L.I.P. Formula When going through a time that is difficult and distressing: F = Find the Frustration. This means acknowledging how you feel, acknowledging that a frustration exists. And then as Kevin writes you “…. take that acknowledgement and use it as a way to do some work on it”( FLIP the Gratitude Switch p. 74). What can also help you even more at this step is if you are able to specifically label the distressing emotion you are feeling. Dr. Matthew Lieberman of UCLA tells us that by labeling an emotion you lower the intensity of it and that makes it more manageable (see his online article Putting Feelings Into Words). By acknowledging and labeling your frustration you begin to exercise authority and power over it! L= Look for What’s Awesome. At this step in the process you look for what is good in your situation not just what is frustrating, annoying, irritating or upsetting. How can you find what is awesome? Here's a way I have found that is very helpful: ask yourself the following question “If I absolutely had to find or pick just one thing that was good in or about this situation what would it be? Now answer the question. What is ONE thing you could focus on in or about the the situation that is good? Now sometimes this can be a little difficult. If that is the case here is something else that can help. Focus your mind on an absolutely good thing that has happened in the past. Something that you can say with absolute certainty “That was GOOD!” Now as you focus on the good of the past feeling, positive feelings will came with it. As you feel all of the good feelings ask yourself “What is one good thing in or about my present situation? When we are feeling “good” it is easier to see the “good” in or about our situations. I = Initiate and Feel the Gratitude: This is a really important step. Initiating the gratitude is more than just saying an empty “Thank you”. As Kevin writes in his book you want to actually feel the gratitude and DO something to express it. (ibid p.97). How do you do that? Here are a few options: take a moment and focus on what is good in your life, what can you naturally feel good about and grateful for? I will often bring to mind images of my family: my beautiful wife Karen, my 3 wonderful daughters, my 2 grandsons, my new granddaughter Zoe (also known as “my Cuteness”). Just thinking about all of these now brings a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. And so I can utter to God a “Thank you” - but one that is heartfelt. And I can write it down in my gratitude journal. I can tell my wife how much I appreciate her and so glad she has been my wife for the past 32 years. These are specific actions I can take as an expression of the gratitude I feel. SO what things can you think about and focus on that can cause you to feel gratitude…and then what can you DO to express it? P= Power Up with Gratifuel: This is the last step in the formula. Here is where you pay attention to how you feel when you access the feeling of gratitude. In his book Kevin states that “Gratitude fuels life” (ibid p.104) hence the word “gratifuel” (a combination of gratitude and fuel). You” fuel up” with gratitude by focusing your attention for a few moments on how good you feel when you experience the emotion of gratitude. In psychology this is known as savoring an experience. In their book Buddha’s Brain Dr. Rick Hanson and Dr. Richard Mendius state that by focusing on and giving your attention to a positive emotion you enrich, strengthen, and intensify that emotion. This helps you to internalize the emotion even more and make it a part of you so that it begins to shape how you think about, perceive and approach life (ibid pp.67-70). By focusing on the feeling of gratitude – by consistently powering up with gratifuel - you internalize it; gratitude becomes not just something you feel, it becomes your way of being in the world. You become a person of gratitude, you become a grateful person.
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So that is the F.L.I.P. formula for generating and experiencing gratitude daily and more consistently in your life. And it really works! I have used it (and do use it ) in my own life and have taught it to my church fellowship and other churches I have spoken in. With Kevin’s F.L.I.P. formula daily frustrations, distresses and problems become opportunities to experience feelings of gratitude that can empower and change your life!
So are you ready to F.L.I.P. the gratitude switch? Go for it! .
If you would like more information about Kevin Clayson’s book “FLIP the Gratitude Switch: A Simple Formula to Change the Trajectory of Your Life” or would like to buy the book you can find it on Amazon.com as well as on Audible for those who like to listen to their books.
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Grateful for HIS rest BY: DR. KAREN BOURG
Praise God! There are so many things to be grateful for! Gratitude is an attitude that provides hope and healing. After my young husband died when our children were seven, six, and four years old, I knew I turned a corner when I was more grateful for the years we had together than I was fretful about the years we would not have together. My relationship with God changed. It became stronger and more steadfast with that grateful heart. My relationship with others changed for the better with that grateful heart. I looked back to discover I have written a lot about gratitude/gratefulness! In Blogs at RhemaCounseling.com and KarenBourg.com - but I see gratefulness in different ways now that have grown! Can you name five things you are grateful for right now? I am grateful for 1. Faith 2. Family 3. Friends 4. Grace 5. Hope I’m Grateful for His REST! But, right now, I am most grateful for the pure rest that God gives us. Looks can be deceiving! I am one of those type A personalities that looks like a type B personality most of the time. Just about everywhere I go, someone walks up to me and comments that because I was at peace, not nervous, not stressed… they felt at peace, not nervous, not stressed. I usually smile and tell them how glad I am; but if I know them, in all honesty, I usually admit that I often times look like a duck skimming gracefully across smooth waters, when indeed, under the surface, I am paddling frantically, not at peace, sometimes even anxious or stressed! The journey to rest is not always a restful journey! Through the amazing entrepreneur coaches and clients I have had, over the last three years, I have begun to learn to rest in God more than ever before. All have encouraged me to rest. Shelley set the example of getting away for extended periods of time without technology to intentionally hear from the Lord. Jessica set the example of getting away on guided spiritual quests without technology to hear from the Lord. Shae set the example of truly living out The Message version of Matthew 11:28-30 to live and work in God’s unforced rhythms of grace, and in her book Grace Over Grind, to wait on Him and rest in Him before moving forward on any life or work/entrepreneur/ministry project. The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine Page 15|
Matthew 11:28-30, The Message 28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” After an amazing #2020NACWEConference, our family left for an extended two week vacation at the beach at South Padre Island to rest. Then, this week, before I wrote my article, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith explained that in her research as an Internal Medicine Physician she has discovered that the Bible presents seven different types of rest for us. (I grabbed her book, Sacred Rest and took it to the beach with me!) Usually, hopefully (for us sleepless ones), we rest after we work. But… REST Comes First! Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith also shared that in the first part of Genesis, God created man, then He/they rested. He gave instructions for the work that was to be done! That work didn’t begin until after His REST! I can’t wait to read her book because I want to know, more deeply what she says about rest before work! Genesis 1, ESV 26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
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Genesis 2, ESV The Seventh Day, God Rests2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. I finally experienced true rest! For the last three years, every time I have taken advantage of time to rest or quest, it has taken great effort to rest. In some ways I have felt like the effort to rest negated true rest. But this week I feel I have finally rested - body, soul, and spirit - without great effort! I have felt the presence of the Lord. I have not felt the need to grind toward work, have been able to fully trust Him with my entrepreneur endeavors, and I have felt His Grace! What have I learned, (at least, so far?) Rest is purposeful Rest is intentional Rest is learned (especially after “the Fall”) Rest is worth the effort Rest comes first; work/ministry is the direct result of His rest Rest is pure… I have a lot to learn about rest! What about you? I am SO Grateful for His REST! Do you want to join me on this journey? We prayed that the #2020NACWEConference would be the most restful conference we’ve ever had! It was for me! And I’ve been able to continue that rest into this family vacation, sometimes with as many as 16 family members in the same small home! For the last quarter of this year, it is our prayer that you will find rest beyond your human understanding. Let’s work toward rest together! Join me at https://www.facebook.com/groups/658447098196832http://Facebook.com/groups/re stfulentrepreneur
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CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT DENY YOU LIFE BY: LATARA VENICE
On Friday, September 18, 2015, my family and I experienced what I am calling a cleansing death when an electrical fire took over our home. We lost just about everything we owned but were all able to get out with our lives. You can listen to my testimony on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latarabussey/videos/1015780622 8356478/
There are many lessons I could share with you but the most valuable lesson is that there is no circumstance that can deny you the right to live. Catch that and catch it fast. There are far too many people who are stuck in a circumstance that has them bound. Don’t let that be your story. I decided on the day of the fire that moment I was in would not be my stuck point. I walked around my house praising God and thanking Him for the fire. Yes, I thanked Him. You see there is absolutely nothing that happens, that He is not allowing or doing himself. There are many reasons why I truly believe that God started that spark. Our home was very old to a point of wood being dry rotted in some areas. That house should have burned in a matter of minutes, but it was contained in one main area until the firemen arrived and it started to burn a bit faster. There was also a tree right outside of the area where the fire started and it never burned. That was not the enemy and we saw it as a cleansing death and God was preparing us for something more. What do you see with your circumstances? Do you see opportunities to live life? Or moments to play the victim? The path of your life is truly determined by how you choose to live it. You can stay stuck in the midst of your circumstances, or you can determine that you will live each day intentionally out loud and without shame. It is that simple. Now that does not mean that you are not going to have issues but it does mean that you can determine how to deal with them. Five years later we are in the process of purchasing the home we have been leasing since 2016. I no longer cry over the moment. Instead, I thank God for sparking the flame and pushing us into our true destiny. We chose to thrive and not just survive. When you survive you are giving more credence to the circumstance and not the victory on the other side. I want to encourage you to make sure that you are being more intentional with how you allow your circumstances to determine how you behave in life. The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine Page 19|
“POVERTY WITH A VIEW” By: Kelly Garcia
My town has been known to many as a serene place to retire, a town with a country feel, a progressive place, and, as the title stated, an economically difficult place to survive. “A Beautiful Place to Starve” is another nickname, but it is also known as our nation’s recognized “First Dark Sky City” because of all the extensive efforts to reduce the lumens used across the city. It is home to the observatory where the planet Pluto was discovered and the sixty-thousand residents who enjoy living in the middle of the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the world! So why the economically bad reputation? There is a high cost of living that taints the beautiful view of the forest and twelve thousand-foot mountain that towers over our seventhousand-foot city. What is your view of life? Is it resembling the twotoned opinions of our town, which has many a vacationer pass through it to admire its beauty, though a commonplace to the residents thereof? We are only eighty miles from the Grand Canyon, but I haven’t seen it in over 15 years. It’s a hole in the ground, as is the famous Meteor Crater thirty-seven miles east of here, used for helping train astronauts who went to the moon. Such a meager opinion of the world’s wonders is almost blasphemous.
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!” Ps. 107:1 NKJV
Allow me to describe what the experience is of a fresh fallen snow that blankets the entire town in a hush that can be felt, bringing peace to the soul. Stand under the shimmering golden aspens that set our mountain ablaze in October with a brilliant yellow that attracts visitors far and near. Permit me to paint a picture of the setting sun’s rays glistening on the dark green needles of the Ponderosa Pine tree. Through your imagination, listen to the sweet birds that fill the still morning air with their singing in the rising of the sun on a fresh new day, or watch the fluffy tail of the gray squirrel scamper up the tree with its treasures. From the shelter of your home, listen to the deluge of rain during our monsoon seasons that wash the town clean, leaving the soil smelling sweet with freshness, and painting the evening skies with the most brilliant of sunsets! The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine Page 21|
The following alternative is also my view: Acute homelessness Trash in the forest Old and dirty winter snow on the sides of the roads Hazardous driving on icy roads High costs of living that require families to have two or three incomes.
““In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV
A sage centenarian once taught me: “It’s all in the attitude”. What is your attitude of mind? Do you lead your conversation with a negative view of your circumstances? This same lovely centenarian always led her conversation with: “I just thank the Lord that I don’t have an ache or a pain!” Thankfulness is the key. Not only am I thankful for the beauty all around me, I can also be thankful for: Individuals and agencies reaching out to help the homeless Caring citizens who collect the trash in and around their neighborhoods and in the forest Snow plows, no matter how slow I have to drive behind them Car insurance ;) God’s miraculous provision for where he plants me.
Have you felt the joy one expresses when they receive a hand-up in the depths of difficult circumstances? Have you experienced a sense of satisfaction when you see caring citizens keep their neighborhood or forest clean just because they feel a sense of duty, as well as pleasure, in giving back to the community that contributes to their happiness or well-being? Have you shared the burden of someone’s tragedy, which somehow brings your soul to an inexplicable completeness, a wholeness of being alive? All this consequently produces a sense of gratitude for one’s own circumstances that may not be as bad. The entirety of life’s experiences can surely have a two-sided view and it’s up to us to choose which side to view it from. Difficulties have a way of capturing our attention, or even seizing our hearts for a time. But so does the ephemeral happiness. It’s the balance of the two that encourages thankfulness. Balance is wholeness. Thankfulness lifts us out of despair.
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““A merry heart does good, like medicine...” Proverbs 17:22 NKJV The antidote to all the negativity we see in this world is not to ignore it, fight it, argue everyone else’s point about it, or be unrealistically positive of a hopeful outcome. The remedy, antitoxin, or balance to negativity is to be thankful. Thankfulness has a powerful way of diffusing negativity, disempowering it from taking control of our thoughts. As any other prescription one may give for an ailment, try thankfulness for 30 days and watch it improve your emotional and mental health, and even your physical well-being. Thankfulness battles depression’s stronghold and lifts your spirits to the view of our loving heavenly Father, who is always good, and has good in store for each one of us. It is the will of God to be thankful because we need to see the view through His eyes, and it is because of Christ that we are able to see such. For this I am very thankful!
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV …allow me to describe the joy that springs up in you when you wake up happy each morning, ready to face the new day. .…sense the peace in your soul as you thank God for all the good He did throughout the day. .…feel the laughter rise up in your spirit when none of the toils of the day have a grip on your gut. .…experience the relaxation of the muscles in your furrowed brow in exchange for the tightness of your cheeks as you begin to smile more.
Thankfulness turns the tide into a bright new day.!
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COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!
A Lesson in Gratitude.
BY: KATHY OWEN GIFFORD, DOODLE ALL THE DAY-O
Lately, I’ve been counting my blessings more often.
I recently had COVID19. I’m grateful to report I had a very mild case. My main symptoms were a lack of sense of smell, hiccups, body aches, and a stuffy nose (mostly attributed to also having a sinus infection), I had no fever, no cough, no headache (aside from the aforementioned sinus infection typical face pressure). I had a mild case and for that I am grateful. No really, being on the other side of it has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I mean, it lasted so long! – 14 days sick, and 10 days quarantine afterward to make sure I was well! I was 24 days isolated with my husband who cared for me so well and who tested negative even though we shared a bowl of cherries that one day and a bag of chips another day! I am grateful for my life, my husband, my family, my friends, my home, my dogs, that my hair looks a bit shiny today, my plants didn’t die when I forgot to water them for a month! Ladies, I am walking around so grateful!
I find myself after having been mostly patient in my affliction (Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.) … my worst affliction being that I couldn’t go anywhere! …and, I have rebounded in a feeling of extreme gratitude for my days. Isn’t it amazing how suffering through tough things stretches us, grow us? I find I’m slowing down and keeping track of myself better on the other side of it too. It also had me thinking of Heaven, my grandparents, old hymns, and reflection on life. What a life I’ve been given. I don’t say that lightly, I’ve had real struggles in my life, I’ve made horrible, ghastly, cringy decisions and suffered their consequences … and I’m better for having suffered. Let me say that again, I’m better for having suffered… now, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d say. I’m so grateful to the Father for allowing me His presence, His mercy, His compassion. To be a daughter of God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth. So today I will count my blessings (Psalm 105:1). I will think about the good things (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I will praise His name (Psalm 103:1). I will rock my crown (Psalm 103:5).
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I will do my work (even the laundry and the dishes) with gladness and joy (Psalm 90:17 CSB 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands— establish the work of our hands!!) Why? Because He – the God of Creation - loves me enough to mold me, to make me, to refine me like silver (Zechariah 13:9 CSB 9 I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”). He loves you and He can do the same for you. As I count my blessings, I count these two often! Two of my greatest blessings are my grandmothers, two Proverbs 31 women! I pray these memories will bless and inspire you. I was fortunate to know my grandmothers quite well. My paternal grandmother was called Mom O, her name was Mildred Louise, I can hear her in my head saying, “Count your blessings, Kathy!”. It was probably in response to me as a child bemoaning “I’m bored!” or “I can’t sleep”. “Middie”, as her siblings and friends called her, was a force who loved fiercely! My Mom O was an entrepreneur’s wife, a mother, a grandmother, businesswoman, director of a huge pre-school, and loved roses and rose fragrance. I can remember her singing, “Count Your Blessings” - Text: Johnson Oatman Jr., 1856–1922 Music: Edwin O. Excell, 1851– 19211. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.[Chorus] Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings; ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by.3. When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold. Count your many blessings; money cannot buy Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.4. So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.(Listen here: https://youtu.be/900jWVSWS3M, and for more about how/when this hymn was written see: https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/count-your-blessings-lyrics-story-behind-hymn/ ) My maternal grandmother, Nanny (Much to her dismay I couldn’t say Granny when I was little!), whose full name was Sarah Elizabeth Strozier was different, she would hug me, kiss me on my head, and divert my attention to something else – so, we did a lot of crafts! - A LOT OF CRAFTS! - She even taught me to knit and crochet at age 5 but that’s another story! Elizabeth was a Master Sargent/Carpenter’s wife, beloved sister, mother, grandmother, Director of Vacation Bible School and the Sunday School Board, she tatted, crocheted, quilted, canned, gardened (vegetables and flowers) and, was also a force who loved fiercely! I can still hear her in my head singing hymns, she had a wonderful voice, she also sang in the choir for over 30 years! I wish I could remember which hymns she sang most often. I do remember one she sang,
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“This is my Father’s World” – Text: Maltbie D. Babcock, pub.1901; Music: Franklin L. Sheppard in 1915.1 This is my Father's world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas-- His hand the wonders wrought.2 This is my Father's world: The birds their carols raise, The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker's praise. This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.3 This is my Father's world: O let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father's world: Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King: let the heavens ring! God reigns; let earth be glad! (Most people are currently familiar with Amy Grant’s version. https://youtu.be/8dQSmvUTcn8. You can read more about Maltbe Davenport Babcock here: https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/this-is-my-father-s-world/. ) In Psalm 103 as in many Psalms we see David counting his blessings!Psalm 103 The Forgiving God Of David. (CSB)1 My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits.3 He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases.4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.5 He satisfies you[a] with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle.6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.7 He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.14 For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.15 As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field;16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.[b]17 But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren 18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts.19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.20 Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command.21 Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will.22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules. My soul, bless the Lord!
May I challenge you this month to count your blessings and see what God has done in your life, dear Crown Rocker? I will keep counting mine. We all have so many things to be thankful for! Mostly, I’m thankful for the King of Kings, and that He knows my name and counts me as his own. My Soul, BLESS THE LORD!
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WHAT GRATITUDE CAN DO FOR YOU CRM By: Nakeisa J
My thoughts were going crazy. They fired rapidly from thought to thought. They were almost out of control. I initially wanted to cry. I was overwhelmed and stressed out. Once again I had too much to do and not enough time. I began to feel defeated. TRIGGERED. That’s what was happening, I was being triggered. I usually do well managing my triggers, but honestly at that time I had not taken my preventative medicine. My preventative medicine is found in Phillipians 4:6 NLT
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. It says tell Him what you need and thank him for all he has done. Showing gratitude in every situation works even when overwhelmed. Sometimes we cannot see the way out but God has the way out. He tells us how to handle, worry or as I like to say anxiety. I had not taken a moment in weeks to just be thankful for everything. I have so much to be grateful for and my thoughts were so overwhelming I forgot in the moment that being thankful is necessary. I want to share with you 5 things that showing gratitude can do for you when life is coming at 500 miles an hour. 1. Remind you where your help comes from: This is so helpful because when we are thankful for everything we realize how big God is. We also remember that it is our father in heaven who helps us in every situation. We also realize that He is all knowing. He will not leave or forsake us no matter what is happening. 2. Peace: When you think about all you have come out of and how blessed you are a peace will overtake you. It’s a peace that can only come from one place, heaven. This peace will allow you to relax when things are going everywhere. Let's be honest, practicing gratitude doesn’t mean the problem just disappears, it will help you to relax in those moments when you realize how much is actually happening. 3. Shift your perspective: This one is my favorite thing that gratitude does for me. It helps me to see things in a new light. It helps me to look at things that seem so big to me, remind me that it’s a light thing to God. It also helps me to look at things from the perspective of what I am learning. For example, on this day I had 50 things to do. It helped me realize that I felt this way because I didn’t allow God to direct my day. I also learned that waking up early could help resolve this. It was a call for me to be more organized and intentional about my days. Starting in gratitude would have given me a new set of eyes to look with.
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4. Lead you in truth: Practicing gratitude will let you know the truth from the lies the enemy may tell you in times of feeling anxious. When I get anxious sometimes, bad thoughts come into my mind. Some are from myself, and some are from the enemy. When I start declaring the truth and also remembering how thankful I am it allows me to relax and hear the truth that God has for me. 5. Strengthen You: Being thankful is literal strength. Telling God how grateful you are continually gives you strength at times you feel weak. It allows you to remember the track record of our Father, when the attacks come. As I stated above gratitude is literal medicine. It is a requirement to practice gratitude. We have to remember that every day and every moment is a gift. I want you to jot these down on sticky notes and remember why it’s important to show gratitude regularly. It can change how you operate and how you view yourself and the world. You may not be anxious or feel overwhelmed but if you make it a habit to be thankful, when you start to forget what this is all for gratitude can be so helpful. It can change how you look at everything in life. Gratitude has been the number one thing that has helped me in my day to day life.
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Trust Him When You Don’t Feel Him By: Anne Robertson As we go through this time of COVID-19 quarantine, this should be a time of reflection. This should be a time of soul searching. We should take time to reflect on all we have been doing, the busy lives we have been living and how we can take a pause and find some peace and tranquility in this moment. Sometimes I think crises like this happen to remind us to just pause. Others are focused on the crisis at hand, which is understandable for us as human beings, but let us remember that there is someone greater than the crisis. I would say at this time, try to activate your faith and trust God to bring you through it. Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” We need to rely on God in times like these. Know that we are hoping for this crisis to end. We have the assurance of God fixing it for us. Let us with our deep conviction and trust in God activate our faith and replace your fears with hope (2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and a sound mind.”). Also, Matthew 17:20 states, "…If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there; and it will move. Nothing is impossible for you.” I ask that you stay encouraged, stay safe and remember that God is in complete control and He won’t let you down. The Everyday Crown Rocker Magazine Page 32 |
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Stay Grateful Crown Rocker Photo credit: On Inside Pageh