An Amazing Accomplishment!

My beautiful bride, sensational son and noble nephew were with me when I graduated on June 14 with the doctorate degree. That experience was a miracle!

I am not the scholarly type, but I had to become one during the last three years. My sixth grade teacher and my high school counselor told me to not even try to go to college because I was too stupid and would never make it.

This experience is not about a title or a degree. It is about overcoming many monumental obstacles. When it seemed impossible to keep going, my project mentor and my wife encouraged me with a radical revolution of empowering encouragement.

My beautiful bride had a dream a few months ago and saw me walking across the platform to receive my degree. I hung onto that dream like a cat hanging onto a limb stretched out over a cliff. My mentor told me that I needed to see myself walking across the line.

Several miracles happened for me to cross that line. It was the most difficult and demanding experience in my life. For me, it was like climbing Mount Everest without an oxygen mask and like learning Chinese in Hong Kong without an interpreter.

You may be facing an impossible situation. If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT! Cry out to the Lord with your whole heart! He will give you faith that He will strengthen you to break through! He will give you people, resources, wisdom and all you need to make it!

Trust God from the bottom of your heart and don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God. Run from evil. Your body with glow with health. Your very bones will vibrate with life. (Proverb 3:5-8, The Message)

You are Highly Honored!

I want to honor you today. Thank you for taking the time and energy to look at my blog!

Each one of us needs to feel like we are valuable.

We all need to feel that we have a contribution to others.

You are here right now to experience hope, encouragement and value!

You are deeply loved, completely accepted and highly valued. Translating those words from your head to your heart is a huge growth curve!

The challenge comes to each of us to replace negative words about ourselves into positive words!

We are designed to think about the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly and things to praise and not things to curse!

Square your shoulders back and say, "I am highly honored" and know that you are highly honored!

Your Perspective

All of us have experienced deep disappointments and discouragements. We have many choices from the experiences.

We can either learn and grow or we can lament and become bitter. It is painful to work through disappointments. It requires courage to face and work through discouragement.

We must rely on the One who created us. We need His grace. Grace is a Person. His name is Christ. He gives us the ability to be who we were created to be and become and do what we were created to do.

If we call on Him, He answers. He wants to help us! He wants to help us more than we want to be helped!

We need safe people who call upon Him to help us!

If you don't know Him or anyone who knows Him, call upon Him!

He will reveal Himself to you and direct you to the right people at the right place in the right time!

Extra Movement

I recently started exercising on an elliptical machine we have in our back room at home. What a difference I have felt in my life!

I started out at pedaling for 15 minutes, then worked up to 20 the next day. The third day I made it to 25 minutes. On this, my eighth day, I just burned 404 calories in 34 minutes!

Now, I want you to know that I'm not an exercise fanatic, but I have noticed a deep healing in my mind, emotions, body and relationships through extra movement. I feel more hopeful and encouraged!

If you need hope and encouragement, why not try something different?

Start out by taking a walk around the block or go up and down some stairs. Start out slowly and then increase it a minute a day with a goal of working up to 30 or 35 minutes each day.

I heard a medical doctor once say that if you walk 20 minutes a day, you will lose a half a pound a week.

When you move, think about the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse!

Extra movement has worked for me! I encourage you to try it. Little victories add up!