Happy Easter!

“It’s really happened!!  The Master has been raised up- Simon saw him!”  Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.  While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be withyou. Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over.  Look at my hands and feet- it’s really me.  Touch me.  Look me over from head to toe.”  Luke 24: 33-42 (paraphrased from the Message Bible”

This Easter take a look at all the things in your life that you doubt or worry about and give them to Jesus!!  Jesus said to not let your doubting take over.  I believe this is true in all aspects of our lives not just in our belief that he rose from the dead!!  Since we can’t touch Jesus and look him over from head to toe literally, I pray that you will dig into his word and look him over from there.

Easter is a celebration of life!  On Good Friday we remember that Jesus died and on Easter we remember and celebrate his coming back to life.  All of this is not just a piece of our history- He did these things so that we could have eternal life with him!!  If you’ve already acknowledged your belief and faith in this concept- CELEBRATE!!!  If you haven’t, I encourage you to pray right now and acknowledge that belief and faith.  Dear Heavenly Father,  Thank you for sending Jesus to earth.  Thank you for letting your son die just for me.  I know that I am not perfect and I never will be.  I believe in this story.  I believ it to be true.  I have faith that I will go to heaven to be with You when I die.  Thank you Jesus!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

If you have said this prayer today, please send me a comment so that I can pray for you.

8. Save your pocket change- IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT

Do you have a place at your house, probably near where you lay your keys down at night, that you dump your pockets at the end of the day?  Maybe it’s a jar or a piggy bank or something like that.  I dare you to fill that jar, put it in your savings account, and then repeat as many times as necessary throughout a year.  You would be surprised how much money that adds up to be!! 

I must admit, we don’t do this near often enough.  Our change jar is typically used for monetary rewards for our kids.  They get paid for doing things and behaving themselves.  We don’t do an allowance and we try not to bribe them with cash (however, it does work! LOL) but when they are caught helping around the house without being nagged- they earn money, and hugs and kisses and words of affirmation.   My older two then spend this money on their beloved Pokemon and my youngest forgets where he puts it or gives it back to me to “reward me” for being good too!  LOL

But anyway, people say that pennies really aren’t worth anything but I disagree.  They add up to dollars and dollars add up to more dollars- IF you don’t spend them on candy bars, happy meals,  and cappucinos instead!  (which is what I love to do with mine).

7. Stop blowing your tax return check!!!

The money that you get back from the IRS is your money that you should have been saving all along!  It’s not free money to be blown on an upgrade for your television or new speakers for your mini-van’s stereo system.  You earned this money and putting it in the bank to earn some interest would be a much better option, financially speaking.  So, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun but think about 30 years from now when you want to go to Florida for the winter?  Will you be able to afford it on your Social Security check?  No!  Keep these same things in mind when you get that “improve the economy” free money from the government this summer.  I dare you to put that in a high interest savings account or CD or IRA.  The government wants you to keep spending money- show them whose boss and save it instead!!!  You will thank me for this advice when you are retired. . . . . .

6. Using coupons may be costing you money

I have a bad habit with coupons.  I go through my coupon file folder thingy and if the coupon is about to expire, I add that item to my shopping list- AUTOMATICALLY!!!  Every time that I have done this, my grocery bill is nearly double what it is when I shop with a list and no coupons.

Coupons are only good and helpful things if:

• you must use name brand of something (i.e. we can only eat Kraft mac n cheese)
• the coupon makes the name brand item less expensive than the store brand item
• you truly are out of that item and don’t have 10 of the item back home because you get alot of coupons for it
• you don’t have to be a math professor and a lawyer to figure out what the coupon is for (i.e. buy 4 of these products from our parent company and get money off your milk purchase but only these products from our parent company qualify and these products do not, etc, etc)
• the time it takes you to get them ready to take to the store is not time that should be better spent doing dishes, laundry, or getting kids homework done so you can have time for a bedtime story and prayers.
• you actually SAVE the money that the coupon saved you!  Don’t spend that extra fifty cents on a candy bar that you don’t need!  That’s not saving!  It’s spending!!  Stop by the bank on your way home and deposit it into your savings account.

5. Make your menu after looking at the store flyer, not before.

Creating a menu and then making up your shopping list is much better than just going to the store and picking up whatever “looks good” while you’re there.  A list period is always a good thing.  It keeps us focused on what we came to the store for in the first place and helps us budget (if we know approximate prices) and at least slows down impulse buying. 

However, there is an even better way to save even more money!  Look at your grocery store flyer before thinking about what you want to eat in the following week!  Base your menu on whats on sale.  Don’t make a menu and then look all over town for that particular item to be on sale.  Wait until the sale comes to you, to make that special item!!! 

Here’s what I like to do.  I receive the store flyer on Tuesday’s.  I like to glance through it as soon as I get it and then sit down with a pencil and paper later that same day or the next.   I know what my family likes to eat.  I know what sales are actually on sale and not some scheme from the store to rob me.  (Some stores will put things in their sale flyer at regular or inflated prices and tell you they are on sale! You have to educate yourself on pricing by studying your receipts now and again.)  I know what we use up on a regular basis.  As I look through the flyer, I write down items that we would eat/use that are on sale.  I look at my dry erase board (things are written there as we run out of them) and compare it with the items on my list.  Items on the  shopping list that are not on sale, I decide whether or not they can wait another week or not.  If they can’t, I write them down too.  Then I look at my list and see what all can be made with what I have on hand plus what is on the list.  If I need some other things to finish off the menu, I add them as well.  Then I go shopping.  I will talk about couponing at another time!

More On Why I Love the Message Bible

I received a comment on my previous post about the Message Translation of the Bible.  I have chosen not to allow the comment to be put on my web page.   I could tell by the short comment that this person does love the Lord and is only trying to do what they see as “the right thing to do” but my goal of this blog is to bring encouragement to people and to offer my thoughts and suggestions on subjects that interest other people in situations similar to my own.   My goal in discussing the Message Bible is not to have a theological debate about it’s worth and accuracy.  My goal in discussing it is to share with people that God uses many forms to teach and share His love for all of us. 

There are Christians in all walks of life.  There are well educated Christians, there are illiterate Christians, there are simple minded Christians, there are theology scholars who are Christians. 

Every Sunday my pastor and all the other pastors of the world stand before us Christians and give us their personal interpretation of what the Bible means.  They read from it, study it, study other books about it, etc and then share with us what they have learned and how the Bible instructs us to live our daily lives- as our pastor has interpretted it.   To me, the Message Bible is very similar to my pastor- just in written form.   I am college educated and have learned more about living my life according to Christ through reading the Message Bible, listening to a “down home” pastor, and answering questions from a dear man who is very intelligent but not well read than I have ever learned through a King James Bible, a New International Version, a Scofield, or any pastor who has spoken to me basing his information on theological beliefs. 

Studying the scriptures is the best way to learn what God was/is  trying to say.  I do not believe that God intended for all of us to argue about which translation is truly “of God” and which ones are not.  All of them, I believe, are serving a purpose for God.   People who are highly educated might find certain translations to work best for them, illiterate people might learn about God only through word of mouth,  simple minded people might learn more about God by reading common language and listening to the common man.  All of these people are different and all of them need a different form of God’s word to help then learn to be more like Jesus.

If you are one of those people who feel that Christianity is not for you because the Bible makes “no sense”, I encourage you to try the Message Bible.   If you are one of those people who is well read in scripture and can understand more complicated or more exact translations, then please do so.  We all love God and He instructs us to love everyone – He does not specify. . . . . . . God uses the broken, the abused, the simple-minded for His purpose.   How many famous people of the Bible that served God well were well educated and without many flaws?  Not many, I’m afraid.  He uses those who cannot speak well and speaks through them.  He uses those who are dying and heals them so that they can spread His message.  He uses those who disobey his commands and works through them to bring greatnes to His kingdom.  He uses the shy and timid to bring about great change.  I could go on and on. . . . .

God can and will use the Message Bible to bring more people to Christ.  He has already and he will continue to . . . . .

Feel like you live in chaos and you don’t know where to start?

www.flylady.net  is a wonderful website and group!!!  The flylady helps you stop your stinkin’ thinkin’ so you can be proud of yourself and FLY (finally love yourself).  She believes the key to a well organized home and life is baby steps.  Achieving baby goals/steps helps you feel proud of yourself- that you are worthy of love and respect (from yourself, especially).  Baby steps lead to big steps!!!  Chaos (can’t have anyone over syndrome) is not a necessary part of life!!!  Check her site out and know that you have taken one huge step toward getting your life back!

The flylady does not know that I have promoted her site.  I have been a member for several years now.  Although, some days I cannot tell that I have made progress in my life, when I stop and look back at how I was before the flylady, I know that my baby steps are adding up. 

4-H programming is a good thing

4-H is for kids grades 3-12 who have an interest in learning more about just about anything.  4-H is not just for farm kids.  It’s not just animals and gardens and farm land.  It is scrapbooking, fishing, computer, public speaking, creative writing, aerospace, sports, woodworking, reading, health, veterinary science, cake decorating, sewing, shooting sports, arts and crafts, and animals and gardening. 

Many 4-H organizations also have a club for future 4-Her’s who are kindergarten through 2nd graders. 

To learn more about 4-H programming in your area contact your local cooperative extension service.  If you are not familiar with that agency search the web under your county/parish name and cooperative extension.  If they are not directly affiliated with the local 4-H group, they will know how to get you in contact with them.