JOYNOTE!

JOY is the BEST Medicine! Hmmm....it's  not on sale at Walgreen's!

Sadly, I have not been singing notes of Joy lately! 

But God, had me start afresh in the Deep Creek parking lot with a message, seemingly just for me.....on a a license plate, no less.

It didn't have a melody, just a note! 

Think JOYNOTE! 

If a spiritual boost is needed, it comes from heart joy! 

Joy found in God's word.... (chara in Greek, simchah in Hebrew) 

• Boosts the psyche.
• Helps relaxation.
• Creates unity with other believers.
• Increases tolerance to pain/struggles allowed by God. 
• Did I hear a giggles aka "note" of laughter ⁉︎

God often fills us with joy through His presence----through His people.

His people rose to the occasion on my behalf. (texts, a memory from 2009, a devotional book in the mail, a neighbor's smile, a special cane to "lift" both my body and my Spirit, Pastor Buddy's reminder...."Keep praying it will keep you staying".....(implying importance of staying right where God has placed you) and shared prayers from prayer warriors, without a specific request from me.   

A cheerful heart is good medicine. (Proverbs 17:22a) Dispensed from the hearts of others NOT from RX though both Karen and Cassie dispense joy through kindness at the corner of 50-US 19.

Joy is more than a moment! Joy is a sustaining anchor seen on a license plate across from my handicap parking place! And.....not for the first time!

.....shout to God with cries of joy. (Psalm 47:1b)

Keep your eyes open for any JOYNOTE God might send you!

MINDSET MATTERS! #2

"Set my Mind, Lord."

Repetition is important in teaching! So is prayer.

Renewal of one's mind can transform one's mindset! (Romans 12:12)

Did the Preacher learn, if a mindset of wisdom doesn't give God glory it is vanity? 

Wisdom without faith is also vanity of vanities---a striving after the wind. What lies within your mind and heart counts and is visible to others in your actions.

Mindset does matter. But it's not a one-time end all. 

When all has been heard, the end of the matter is, "Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man". (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

CHOOSE JOY!

JOY is a choice!

Joy of heart changes perspective.

Feeling battered by life's circumstances; joy can brighten your spirit.

Joy no matter what!

A joyful heart is good medicine, (Proverbs 17:22)----the best RX!

Choose joy as a way of looking at life.

Former neighbor, Art, corrected me when I labeled my fence as rotting.

He dubbed it weathered. He saw the beauty in it and took a photo, a needed reminder which I keep in my prayer room.

Gladness of heart, regardless = JOY!

TUESDAY'S TICKLES

We've all heard the old adage, laughter is good for the soul. Even in Scripture there is a time for laughter. 

Ecclesiastes 8:15 commends mirth. After weeks of both mourning and celebrating eternal rest of friends, I needed not only a smile to be a curve that sets things aright, but outright laughter. 

Much laughter was delivered right to my home on a previous Tuesday.

HA!.....ha....haaah

Hope you are able to make a "right' turn onto this road until I return from Mississippi to finish writing this entry. I know.....it's so me! I keep forgetting to make the "right" turn myself!

For dear friends, Aubrey and Gayle, its' just a right turn and a left turn to the right turn onto Laughter! (Though in MS the word rhymes with slaughter---but not for me!) 

Laughter is contagious. Unlike many COVID19 strains and Omicron BA.5 variants and subvariants that are floating around these days, laughter is worth "catching."

I wish joy and laughter were as easy as a drive down a road. Folks dealing with chronic pain would have this address in their GPS. More often than not....they wear "guilt" over their inability to choose joy as they live with said pain, day in and day out. Pain is no laughing matter!

Old wives tales say it takes more muscles (53) to frown than to smile (12) David H. Song, Chicago plastic surgeon, gives the numbers smile (12)  frown (11). Regardless of the core numbers it takes more effort to frown.

Most folks in ongoing physical pain are not worried about numbers of wrinkles at this chronic stage. Sufferers are grateful for every laugh line that appears!

Relief is at the top of the list. Plus, for Christians, acceptance is key.

Choose joy. We're trying.

Learn life lessons. Okay will try today & ask my prayer warriors to pray. (Psalm 30:2)

Trust God. We're still trusting. (Psalm 62:8)

Share what you are learning as a way to encourage others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Today for my suffering friends I prayed that "joy came with your morning"....despite the pain. (Psalm 30:5) and your "mourning was turned to dancing as our Lord clothed you with gladness for your day." (Psalm 30:

FUNCTIONAL AGING (A.M.A.P.)

At our church, the LLL or Triple Ls are the ones whose class members would all check the last box on the age information-----above 65! Chronologically aging.

Functional aging is physical and out of our control. Attitudinal aging is a choice.

I'm wondering if checking that last box for some years now should have been an alliterative reminder for me---one who, too often, languishes in lethargy or lapse into anxiety.

Lethargy looms.  Lethargy lingers. Lethargy lessens.
Anxiety accelerates. Anxiety agitates. Anxiety adds angst.

Lethargy and anxiety are on opposite ends of a dysfunctional spectrum, but both are disturbances in a healthy relational life. Think sluggish vs wired!

Attitudinal lethargy and anxiety have their root in our thought life.
It's a mind battle. It's our "thoughts" which need positive intervention.
A.M.A.P. ---As Much As Possible.

I need A.M.A.P. of God's word in my thought life to be "transformed by the renewing of my mind." (Romans 12:2) I need to apply Philippians 4:8 as I capture thoughts at the entry level. and "think on these things."
True. Honest. Just. Pure. Lovely. Admirable.
Meditating on these truths will "please my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Functionally.....A relaxed (not sluggish) attitude lengthens a man’s life.  (Proverbs 14:30, TLB) and a cheerful heart is good medicine.  (Proverbs 17:22).....
......RX = daily dose ASAP of a cheerful heart. A.M.A.P.

A Cuppa Acceptance....

For every season there is a time for every activity under heaven.....a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance....(Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)

Laughter can be the best medicine. It's good for the soul. Often just what the soul needs---a little levity in the midst of life struggles.

A cheerful heart brings good healing---so needed by one who is crushed in spirit. The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? (Proverbs 18:14)

The perfect "happy" from Wynellen. A brisk cuppa with an apropos quote. 

The need for a merry heart must be a universal need as it is mentioned twice in Proverbs.
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13)  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.(Proverbs 17:22) 

The cup says it all. Sometimes we just need to accept life just as it is, with all its struggles.......and laugh---AND....it's much more fun to laugh with a dear friend! 

FIRST DAYS!

A joyful heart is good medicine...(Proverbs 17:22) For a grandmother that includes first day of school pix from pre-school to 8th grade.

Pre-school Lucy

Pre-K Andrew

1st Grade John Parker

2nd Grade Owen

l-r 8th Grade Nathan, 4th Grade Caleb, 6th Grade Noah

Walkabout Wednesday: a reprise

30 Days of Pop-Up Opera (Photo by April, age 8)

9/19/12 Walkabout Wednesday took on a new twist this afternoon as my walking buddy, Ellen, has “turned” to swimming for exercise because of a foot malady. I miss our times together. I miss the different places we walk. I just miss her.

But.....today I had the granddaughter of friend Claudia Parlow to accompany me. We “walked” through the Farmer’s Market at the Botanic Gardens.  What a surprise we found there. The Opera Memphis folks were performing. Good music with great food. How serendipitous was that!

My young friend asked the OM director, “What are they singing?” When I asked her what he said, she replied, A word that tickles my tongue---“La Boheme.” 

I explained to her that this music was opera---and that they had been taking opera “to the people”----just popping up in different places like festivals, universities, parks, libraries and even the Greenline. I was thrilled that we had happened on one of their outside "free" productions!

When I asked her how she liked the music, I loved her response. “It crackles me up, and makes me shiver.”

Well done, Opera Memphis. That sounds like a rave review to me.

Since the group will be performing at Shelby Farms on October 6 (at the playground) I suggested a "walkabout reprise." Hearing the word playground, she was all for it.