HAVE A GOOD LAUGH!

I have read this humorous piece a number of times and I can’t help but have a good laugh every one of those instances. You too might have and if you haven’t do enjoy it with me.

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grand -motherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?” She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”

The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?” She again replied, “Why, yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.” The defense attorney almost died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, “If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you to the electric chair.”

Do hope you had a good laugh and I wish you a blessed weekend. You will succeed!

RETIRE TO RE-FIRE!

Retreat is no cowardice; it is a sign of strength! He that runs from fighting today will live to fight another day.

To go forward at times, you may need to go backwards. Retreat is not always regress. Today you may need to retreat and re-strategize. And retrace your steps. Then re-fire! Have a pleasant weekend. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

THE MINISTRY OF MOTHERHOOD

My thoughts go to the womenfolk today. I have a wonderful mom and I’m married to an incredible woman, who is both my friend and mother (supermom, I should say) of our three adorable kids. Mothers, I celebrate you today!

Motherhood is a ministry. It is tasking and it can be exasperating. I know and I’ve seen it firsthand. Olufunmilola, I salute you! But to every mother out there, be encouraged by this. I’m not the author of the piece, Angela Thomas Guffey is. I’m sharing it with you in the hope that it would bless and encourage you, moms out there.

Even if you’re not a mom, send this to your wife; share it with your ‘mother’ friends.

“Mothering requires everything. But eventually, everything given plus little replenished equals desperately empty. [(Everything given) + (Little replenished) = (Desperately empty)] (This mathematical allusion is mine.) I held the empty cup of my soul out to my husband and begged him to fill it. I held out my cup to a bigger house and a minivan. But only Jesus could fill my soul. I tried my children and my girlfriends, but again, they could not fill the place designed by God for Himself.

“I had been mistaken. I thought that the goal of motherhood was to be a supermom. But in fact, the goal of mothering is to be a woman of God to your children. A woman of God is intimately connected to her Savior. A woman of God can love and give from the overflowing cup God has filled.”

This piece reminds me of David’s heart cry in Psalm 61:1 – 2:

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Mothers, let the overwhelming nature of your assignment lead you to Him who only can refill and reenergize you. I love and respect you always. God bless mothers! YOU WILL SUCCEED!

LESSONS LIFE HAS TAUGHT ME: OBEY THE LAW OF THE SABBATH – REST!

I want to do a series of posts on the lessons life has taught me here on this blog. I will talk more about it later, but first check this out and be blessed!

OBEY THE LAW OF THE SABBATH – REST!

If you do not put your body to rest, your body will put you to rest!

The world is run by tired men; I can almost hear you say. But I will tell you what you already know – fatigue is not good. It can kill your vision. Tiredness can stop your dreams!

Fatigue stops your dreams by stopping you – the dreamer! No dead man pursues a dream! Hardly can a sick person execute a vision. “The lifespan of any job is more than that of a human being!” (Yoruba saying) So, here is my advice – Rest, in “pieces” before you “rest-in-peace”. Rest, in one piece before you are rested, in pieces!

Fatigue opens the door to the enemy. It brings frustration, depression and can even lead to suicide. Rest, however is refreshing. It injects new strength and vigor into your day.

A good hour of sleep may be all you need now to get back on track. You may need to take a break or a day off from work. And really use that day to rest. No phone calls. No checking of emails. (I’m touching sacred cows now.) Switch off your blackberrys. Laptops closed. Tablet PCs off! Give yourself that long-deserved leave. Even God, the Infinite One, rested, who are you finite man that want to continue without a pause?

Boredom is one of the things that lead to fatigue. Inject creativity into your life. Change what you’ve been doing. Do things differently. Reschedule/reprogram your routine. Rearrange your workstation. Take a different route to work. Just do something fresh!

We must all admit, our twenty-first century 24/7 work-life pace is killing! We want things done and that very fast. We are an impatient generation. But it’s not helping us. Well, it has its benefits but you know what I’m saying. So, I tell you my dear friend, slacken your pace. Slow your roll (if I may borrow that colloquial phrase)! My preacher brothers/sisters are very guilty of this. Hear me: You cannot finish the work of God! That dream will outlast you, whether you like it or not.

I enjoin you to learn from the young Scottish preacher and missionary, Robert Murray McCheyne, who said on his deathbed at age twenty-nine (29), a victim of fatigue: “God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I’ve killed the horse and now I cannot deliver the message!” Dead men don’t preach!

I close with Jesus’ very words: “Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves, let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat. So they got into the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves.” (Mark 6:30-32, The Message)

Consider my words and may the Lord give you understanding. I’m off to rest!