End of Year Reflection

December 31^st

This is the time of year when we reflect

 

We think of the happy and the sad.

We make a list of so many reasons to be thankful

Thankful for another 535,600 minutes of life;

Thankful to still be walking around on this planet;

Thankful for the incredible yet untapped potential of the next 12 months

 

We determine to learn from our mistakes, to let go of the pain,

to remember the happy, and hang on to the good

 And we wonder, what will next year bring?

And we decide, what will I bring to next year?

 

I made a list of my happy, sad, wonderings and decisions

 (But I will not share that list on this blog (some of you are thankful to hear that (smile))

 I will simply share some of my end of the year thankful and wisdom*

And some end of year thankful and wisdom from others:

  

 

*We do not always have control over what will happen around us,
but we do have control over what comes from us;
and what comes from us can often change what happens to us.

~ Connie 

 

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book.
Write a good one.”

~ Brad Paisley

 

 

 

*I do not understand, or even like the pain of growing.

But it is a fact that in this life pain is a part of growing,
so I am thankful for it

 ~ Connie

 

“For a new year to bring you something new, make a move.

Like a butterfly tearing its cocoon!
Make a move!”

~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

 

 

* Rejoice in the moment. Be thankful for the now.

Just the fact that we are living is amazing.

And second chances! Second chances are double amazing!

 ~ Connie

“I have the opportunity, once more to right some wrongs,

to pray for peace, to plant some trees,
and to sing more joyful songs.” 

~ William Arthur Ward

 

 

 

* Nothing is impossible!

But the impossible has to start somewhere.

Sometimes impossible comes from above.

Sometimes it comes from us.

Your impossible may just be waiting for you to take the first step.

 ~ Connie

 

“Whatever you can do or dream you can…begin it.

Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

 

 

* If you look long enough in the mirror,
keeping always a smile on your face, you will see it – beauty!
~ Connie

 

“Maybe this year, we ought to
walk through the rooms of our lives
not looking for flaws, but looking for potential.”

~ Ellen Goodman

 

 


 

*Don’t look back
except to be thankful for how far you have come.

Don’t count today as an ending,
count it only as a stepping stone,

Keep moving forward.

 ~ Connie

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,
with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

~ Oprah Winfrey

 

 

 

 

*Our bodies, souls and spirits were created for joy, and for today

We were not built to carry the weights of worrisome things
past or future

When a load of yesterday or tomorrow is heavy on our shoulders
we begin to break
 

When we break, the load will fall off
that is a good thing
 

But how much better if we lay it down before we break
that is a better thing

 

 We have been given a body, a soul, and a spirit

capable of so much

And when we are weak, He is strong

And His love, His strength, His wisdom never fails

~ Connie


 


 

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning”

~ Lamentations 3: 22-24

 



 

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth,
do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

~ Isaiah 43:18-19

 

 

 

 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for good and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

~ Jeremiah 29:11

 

For those of you who are happy tonight
I rejoice with you! Party on!



 

For those of you who are sad and lonely tonight
my heart hurts for you! Don’t give up!

 

 

For all of us,

I pray a healthy safe new year, f
illed with answers to long prayed prayers,

and joyful surprises at every twist and turn;

for dreams fulfilled, and goals recognized;

and for hearts filled with a thanksgiving
 that breaks through the grey,
breaks through the sadness,
breaks through the weary,

and motivates us to make the most of this
amazing life we have been granted.

 
 

Welcome 2014!

I am thankful for you!

~ Connie

 

  “The Voice of Love” by Connie Ruth Christiansen
www.thevoiceoflovebook.com

 “Take The Thank You Challenge!” by Connie Ruth Christiansen
www.thankyouchallenge.org
  

 

If you haven’t already done so, consider TAKING THE THANK YOU CHALLENGE!

What a great way to start the new year!   www.thankyouchallenge.org

Learn more about Connie or her books at www.connieruthchristiansen.com

Thankful for the Dark

We seek the light; in the natural and in the spirit we long for the light.

 

God is Light, and He is Love -- The Light is Love

God is Truth – the Truth is Light

The darkness does not warm us

The darkness holds secrets; we long for revelation
The darkness holds the unknown which we sometimes fear
The darkness robs of us our natural eyes

But God, who is Good, and who is Light, created the dark

The dark is a good thing

•  The darkness invites us to close our eyes for a much needed rest
• In the darkness the seeds begin to grow, and the butterfly grows his wings
• When darkness and light touch in the sky, beauty is inevitable
• When darkness and light touch on the ground, the shadows tell us stories we would not otherwise see
• Even the spiritual darkness of evil will, in spite of all efforts to the contrary, reveal the glory of light by opposition
• Darkness has a beauty all its own; and darkness reveals the beauty of the light.

 

The darkness is not to be feared. 

God who is Light is omnipresent; present in the darkness 

Evil likes to try and hide in the darkness, but do not fear that evil,

for the Light of Truth is always greater than the lies of evil

 It is sometimes in the darkest night of the soul that we will finally

find a beauty of the soul that has so long eluded us.

 

 

 

 

 

 "When it is dark enough you can see the stars."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

Thank You for the light; thank You for the dark

 

Rest well tonight; be at peace in the dark -- Joy comes in the morning

Connie

 

 

Faith, Hope, Love

I may have been absent from this blog for a time -- Been busy finishing up a new book

But thankful is never far from my mind

Today I am thankful for absolutes; for the things that never fail

Truth

Faith

Hope

Love

 

Truth – it is not always easy to recognize, and it is not always easy to accept; but truth, if recognized and accepted will never fail – it WILL set you free!

Hope – it sometimes seems far from us; and when it seems gone our hearts grow sad and weary. Because of love, because of truth, there is always hope. And if we can grasp onto that faint glimmer of it, like a flower buried under the snow it will once again find its way to the spring sunlight – hope will not fail; it will bring new life

Faith – faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; faith is not always easy to grasp; not always easy to speak, and sometimes we have to hold on to it and speak it out for what seems like forever,  but if we will hold on, if we will speak it out, it will not fail us – faith will move mountains, create healing, change circumstances, change us

Love – love is the ultimate absolute, outlasting even life on this planet, surpassing death; even in the darkest of nights, the greatest of trials, the pit of hell, love is greater, love cannot and will not fail

 

Today I am thankful for truth, hope, faith and love, and I remind myself to hold them high above any other principle of my heart; I remind myself that they are greater than all

 

 

 

"The truth will set you free"

~ John 8:32

 

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

~ Hebrews 11:1

 

"Now these three live forever, faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love."

~ I Corinthians 13:13

 

"Love never fails."

~ I Corinthians 13:8

 





 

FAITH

 



 

HOPE

 

 

LOVE Never Fails!

 

And that is the Truth!

 

 

 

Hold On!

Never Give Up!

 

~ Connie

 

 

 

 

Coming Soon -- "The Voice of Love"

Get on the waiting list -- go to www.connieruthchristiansen.com

or leave a message on this site

 

ORDER Now:  "Take the Thank You Challenge"

www.thankyouchallenge.org

 





 

 

 

 

The POWER of Praise

I am thankful today for the POWER of Praise

 Praising the people in your life:

 Praise Defined – Words and actions of honor; applause, adoration, a compliment, a pat on the back, a recognition, celebration, thanks, appreciation

 

Praise is a means by which you give honor to an individual for who they are

or for what they have accomplished

Praise is a good thing

·         Give your children praise for a job well done, and they beam!
·         Give them praise just because of love, and they blossom!
·         Give them praise on a regular basis and they flourish!

·         Give your friend, co-worker, neighbor praise and they respond in kind – they may not believe your words and actions of praise or thanks as easily as a child will, but somewhere deep inside they will grab on tight and they will be lifted up to a higher place

·         A child giving praise to a parent or caretaker prompts a response of satisfaction, of love returned, of warmth, of joy

 Praise Recognized -- brings joy, grants strength, restores courage and self-esteem, motivates!!

 

Praise grants blessing to the giver and to the receiver

Praise is Powerful!!

 

Praising God:

Praise Defined --  Words and actions of worship: applause, acclaim, adoration, exaltation, celebration, giving glory, thanks

·         God is not in need of a self-esteem boost; He is very aware of His greatness, His goodness, His power

·         He enjoys praise from a place of perfect love….love for us
               o   As the ultimate Parent, He just plain loves that we love Him back
               o   As the ultimate Giver, He loves the praise for our sake:

·    He created us with a need to  receive and to give praise… there is fulfillment in the act of Praise

·         In addition, He has arranged that in our giving of praise and thanks, we create power and possibility in the spirit and soul realm!

There is an incredible promise that Praise and Thanks actually releases God to work on our behalf:
“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." ~ Psalm 50:23 NIV

I don’t claim to understand this concept  (Why does God, who is all powerful, request our participation in order to work on our behalf?)

I don’t understand it, but I accept it…. this is the way He has set it up.

Yes, He can and does do miracles on a regular basis that have nothing to do with us.
Also on a regular basis we work with Him to create miracles:

We work WITH Him to see goals met

We work with Him to see mountains moved

We work with Him to see evil overcome

We work with Him to find freedom from chains

We work with Him to find healing

We work with Him to see doors of opportunity opened

We work with Him to let the past go, enjoy the present, prepare for the future. 

We work WITH Him

One of the ways we work with Him, is to give Thanks and Praise

PRAISE is POWER!!

 

We are more fulfilled, more at peace, more free, more powerful,

when we give thanks, when we give praise!

Praise on the lips brings beauty to the countenance.

 

I love that old song that says:

“Praise looks good on you”

~ Don Moen

 

Some days it is easy to give thanks to people or thanks to God; some days it is easy to live from a place of praise….. Joyful days of thanks and praise are my favorite.

But, some days it is difficult to live from a place of praise. It can be especially difficult when troubles are weighing us down; long term illness, financial difficulty, relationship disappointments, rainy days without end, the death of a loved one, the list goes on of reasons that we may not feel like giving thanks, we may not feel like offering praise.

Our “natural” tendency is to respond to difficulties and evil with fear, frustration, anger, discouragement, doubt.  Those tendencies have a place in the grieving process when we face loss. But beyond that, those tendencies do not bring us what we long for.

We can rise above those tendencies, and make a choice to give thanks, to live from a place o praise…. And then we WILL find our heart’s desire.
 

Praise if often a choice….and if we will make that choice

Praise is always Powerful!

 

Praise changes the atmosphere and

paves the way for Miracles!

Praise has the potential to change circumstances and

it will ALWAYS change you!

  

I’m with that master musician and poet, King David, who throughout his life knew many trials; he knew rejection, and betrayal; anger and doubt; sickness and despair. And he always returned to praise!  

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to Praise Him”

~ King David; Psalm 92

 

 

Here’s to the Power of Praise!
~ Connie

Experience the Power of Praise by DAILY give Thanks!  Take the Thank You Challenge!

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Contact Connie @ connie@budbooks.org

Thankful for Another Year of Love

Birthday Blessings:

Another of my years has come and gone. I have faced some giants and knocked a few of them down; and I have prayed a couple of mountains out of the way. I have walked through some doors and walked through some fire – I have even looked death right in the face.**

New friends have been added to enrich my life; precious old friendships have been renewed. New ideas have been formed; old ideas have been strengthened or discarded.  My body is a little older, a few more grey hairs… my soul has a few more bruises, lumps and bumps…my spirit is restored and strengthened, my faith is returning to childlike.

For another 12 months on this planet, I have listened for His voice and followed His leading (some of the time willingly, some of the time dragging my feet.)  It has been a challenging year of stepping stones, of building blocks, of preparation for something new just up ahead. I am looking forward to what comes next.

(**Regarding death, I want you to know that it is lovely on the other side…So much light, so much love there… when it is my time to go I will be glad to step over into that place. But it was not my time yet, and I am thankful to still be here; to have some time on this side left….)

I have learned a lot this year; about life, about love, about God, about me.

I have gathered some wisdom, from here and from there…. Here is just a bit of that wisdom for you to ponder….some words from others, and some from my heart:

FROM MY HEART:

·         God rewards bravery.

             Bravery opposes fear
             As fear’s enemy, bravery becomes an ally of love
             Bravery is a friend of the greatest Love that pushes out all fear

When you do come to the end, and your life passes before your eyes (and I found out recently that it does actually pass almost as a video tape before your eyes), it will not be the things you tried and failed that will bring you regret; but you will regret the things you did not try because of fear.

As you are getting ready to cross to the other side, you will begin see all things more clearly, and that clarity will allow you to see fear for what it is – the opposite of love – it is not a good thing.

Fear is an evil robber of good gifts, of gifts that belong to you; gifts that are meant to be yours, meant to be enjoyed by you while you are living on this side of the grave.

On the other side there is no fear...only love.
 

Love is all that lasts. Love is the beginning and the ending. Everything else falls away. Everything else is just noise and clatter.**

Never make decisions based on fear
Instead let love build brave into you.

(**Refer to I Cor. 13)

FROM OTHERS:

·         “Wisdom is a blessing only to those prepared to absorb it.”

~ Author Unknown

 

 

·          “If you wait for perfect conditions you will never get anything done. You will never love, you will never learn, you will never grow, you will never dance.”

~ Author Unknown

 

·         “I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”  
~ Mother Teresa

 

·         “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength. Loving someone deeply gives you courage; makes you brave.”
~ Author Unknown

·         “As long as you have breath, it is never too late to love. It is never too late to laugh. It is never to late to dance.”

~ Author Unknown

 

·         “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
~ George Eliot

 

What if today you grab ahold of this truth:
                     God IS Love!...Whatever you know or think you know about God, all that He is; who He is, all that He does or has done, all that He promises… all of Him is wrapped up in this: He IS Love!

What if today you are not afraid of love?

What if today you based all of your decisions on love?

What if today you take a chance because of love?

 

 

Connie

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