You only lose what you cling to (!)

"You only lose what you cling to."

 

  ~The B

Fwd: How much laughter do you bring to your home?

From our earliest days, much of life makes up its mind around the dinner table. Good food and fun moments go together. Is it the same at your house? Many of our favorite family memories include sitting around the table after the meal has been enjoyed with the kids—now with their kids—full of questions and begging for humorous stories. "Tell us about the time . . . that Aunt Luci taught you to smoke dry cedar bark rolled up in notebook paper . . . or you drove the motorcycle through your high school English literature class . . . or when you and your buddies put the football coach's miniature Crosley on the roof of an equipment shed on your high school campus . . ." Your family may already know your stories by heart, but they still want to hear them, and truth be told, it does us good to remember them ourselves. Perhaps in the telling of those crazy things that happen in life, we learn how not to take ourselves too seriously. We lighten up! Yes, yes, I know—life is serious . . . but that doesn't mean your family time must always be. I've said for years that I want my children to remember not a preacher who yelled and pounded the pulpit as much as a dad who laughed and had fun—to remember the man who threw their mother in the pool and lived to tell the story. (Throwing their mother in the pool was no big deal. Living to tell the story . . . now that was!) We live in a world that robs the fun out of life. The world emphasizes our sense of responsibility, of duty and propriety, but seldom does anybody emphasize the need for a sense of humor. Yet it is a sense of humor that keeps us sane. People often write me and say, "You can stop preaching, but don't stop laughing." Sometimes they add, "Yours is the only laughter that comes into our home." Now that is tragic. I know of no greater need today than for joy! In spite of the serious circumstances around us, we need to remember Solomon's counsel: "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. . . . All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast" (Proverbs 15:13, 15). A good, loud time of laughter is overdue. In the past, our team at Insight for Living has captured some of m y lighthearted stories and jokes and put them on Laughter CDs. They've been a hit. Now, because more of you have asked, "Got any more stories?" we've gathered some new ones, this time specifically on the subject of family life. I think you will really enjoy them. This new CD is titled, Laughter, Volume 3: Chuck's Formula for Family Fun. After fifty years of preaching, there are plenty of stories to go around. In fact, some of these stories have never even been on the air. Here's your joy prescription: Get inspired to tell your own stories and fill the walls of your own home with laughter. Give your kids great memories for their museum. If you didn't share fun times with your children, why not do that now with your grandchildren? (It's easier with the grandchildren!)         In Christ—the Source of our joy and life, Charles R. Swindoll         Unsubscribe from receiving e-mail or change your e-mail preferences © 2011 Insight for Living. All rights reserved worldwide.

 
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Do You Want to
Live Happy?

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

"The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes"
(Psalm 19:8, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria

I have a friend who is going through treatment for cancer. He's a young man, very talented, very athletic. If he had not told me, I would have never known anything was wrong. I've never once heard him complain. He's always friendly, upbeat and enjoys life. I asked him the other day how he could keep such a good attitude during such a difficult time. He said, "Joel, when I get up in the morning, I ask myself, 'Do you want to be depressed today or do you want to live happy?' I choose to live happy."

Understand that if you're going to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. Happiness is not going to fall on you. You have to choose it by choosing right thoughts and focusing on the Father. You have to set your day in the direction that you want to go. You have to choose to meditate on His Word because His Word lights your path and gives joy to your heart. Today, choose to live happy, set your focus on Him, and embrace the blessing He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I set my heart and mind on You. I receive Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I will store Your Word in my heart and receive the joy it brings me. Today I choose to live happy in Jesus' name! Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

God laughs

-----Original message-----

From: Joel Osteen Ministries <no-reply@joelosteen.com>
To: TYLERMOORE@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, Sep 9, 2011 21:16:55 GMT+00:00
Subject: Today's Word with Joel & Victoria

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Why God Laughs TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “He Who sits in the heavens laughs...” (Psalm 2:4, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Have you ever imagined God laughing in the heavens? Think about it for a moment. Right now, God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about the economy. He’s not upset with us. No, God is full of joy and laughing on the throne. It goes on to tell us in Psalm 37 that He’s laughing because “He can see the destruction of the enemy coming.” In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is that you and I win. God always causes us to triumph! Imagine watching the Super Bowl when you already know the outcome. You already know who is going to win. No matter how far behind the winning team falls, no matter how bad it looks for them, you wouldn’t get upset. You wouldn’t be worried. Why? Because you’ve got inside information. You know the final outcome. That’s what God is saying to us today. When it gets tough and things don’t look like they’re going to work out, we know that with God we are on the winning team! Today, you can laugh with Him knowing that He has favor, strength and victory in store for your future! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, I choose to rest and trust in You. Thank You for bringing victory in every area of my life. Give me opportunities today to share Your joy and love with the people around me. In Jesus’ name, amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen WITH A GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT REJOICE New CD/DVD resource WITH A GIFT $40 OR MORE EVERY DAY A FRIDAY Plus: REJOICE WITH A GIFT $125 OR MORE FRIDAY & MONDAY Custom Design Mugs Plus: REJOICE and EVERY DAY A FRIDAY

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You are the creator

"If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see that your life is your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?"

 

  ~Don Miguel Ruiz