Good Medicine from God

Blessings Precious Princess Warriors! Before I continue, I want to give credit for this photo, but can't as I found it on an image search for "laughing princess." I loved it. This lovely princess is literally bent over with laughter. It can't get any better than that. Too often, we're stopped over in pain and heartache. A good laugh can bring some major physical blessings and a sore tummy (good sore tummy, though).

When is the last time you laughed so hard your belly ached? If you can't remember, it's been too long!

I spend a great deal of time on this BLOG talking about the challenges that face us in a fallen world. Today, I'm going to suggest we take some time out to fully experience the "joy of the Lord." He's given us the capacity for great joy, laughter, and fun times. I believe we face so many difficult situations in life that we can forget to have fun. We fail to laugh, and forget to smile. Well, let's put a stop to that, right now, shall we?

We are God's girls and we have reason to celebrate.

Recently, I was asked to prepare a presentation on the benefits of laughter. This was a work project and listing scriptures on the subject wasn't an option. However, I was able to find some very interesting information on the topic. This article made a compelling case for the many unique benefits of laughter. Take a peek and hurry back!

http://helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

God gave us an all-natural "medicine" to boost our emotional, physical, and social health -- laughter. I've been on a quest lately to add huge doses of laughter to my life whenever possible.

So, go on; read the following CHURCH NOTICES. If you've seen them before, no problem, they're still funny! And remember these sentences actually appeared in printed church bulletins or were announced in church services. Ready, set, laugh!

1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Berth Belch all the way from Africa.

2. Announcement in the church bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING Conference. "The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals."

Are you chuckling yet? I am.

3. The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."

4. "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands."

5. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

6. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.

7. Don't let worry kill you off -- let the Church help.

8. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs. (the misplacement of one coma ...)

9. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

10. Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.

11. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. (uh oh!)

12. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

13. Please put your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

14. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. (Okay; I'm laughing.)

15. Low Self-Esteem Group will meet Thursday at 7:00 PM. Please use the backdoor.

Last but not least: This evening at 7:00 PM there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. (Gotta love it!)

I hope you had as much fun reading those as I did. What a hoot.

Here's the challenge Princess Warriors: Today, let's show the world just how much fun it is being daughters of the King. Let's smile. Laugh. And share joy whenever and wherever we can. We truly can make someones day better and brighter, while experiencing new levels of joy in the process.

Please feel free to make comments on this post, including any clean, funny, jokes you might have. I'd love to share them. God bless you!

Hunt for Him

Seeking God is more than having a casual interest in Him. It's similar to going on a hunt, and the place for us to start is in God's Word, where He reveals Himself to us.
- Ellen Banks Elwell

A hunt. Hunting for Him -- for God. Is that your priority? Let's come back to that question later.

I don't know about you, but I've been known to hunt hard for that certain pair of shoes, a specific music CD, a highly recommended restaurant, a ... well, you get the picture. We ladies know how to hunt for what we want, don't we?

I bet if I could see you (and you were being completely honest) I'd see more than a few hands raised in response to that question. Actually, before heading to the mall for a day of shopping, we could simply announce: "A hunting we will go," and our families would know exactly what we meant. Granted, we'd be leaving armed with coupons, credit cards, and checkbooks, rather than firearms. But still ... we can be dangerous.

I've seen exactly how dangerous after working my younger years in retail sales. Stampeding women the day after Thanksgiving are hard to miss. I never realized how important buy one get one free socks could be. Thankfully, that's one hunt I've learned to avoid.

Please, understand, I'm not trying to shame the avid shoppers reading this, but am only demonstrating that when we are eager to find a certain something or someone, we will indeed hunt, as well as, make the time and effort to ensure a successful hunting exhibition.

Several months ago, when Sundae, the fattest gerbil I've ever seen, was alive and well, I was treated to a true hunting exhibition right here in my bedroom. I was sitting in the exact same place where I'm seated this very moment, typing away on my keyboard, when I felt a whoosh of fur blast by my feet. I knew it was one of our feline friends chasing after something. Surprised by the intensity of the chase, I turned around to take a better look.

What I saw gave a whole new meaning to stalking. After that initial sprint under my desk, Patches, our patch-colored cat, crouched low to the ground, scooted forward every few seconds, her eyes trained on the over-fed (really fat) rodent scurrying (rather slowly) a few feet ahead.

By the way, chubby gerbils have difficulty reaching and maintaining high speeds. Sundae was sort of speed-waddling away from the fierce predator bent on his destruction. No one (not even a super-sized rodent) wants to become dinner for something bigger, badder, and faster. Patches on the other hand, was fixated on her prey. With predatory perfection, she wiggled her backside and prepared to pounce.

You might be thinking: "Geese, Carol! You just sat and watched your kitty munch on (mutilate) your daughter's helpless gerbil. What's wrong with you?"

I promise, I did not do nothing. In fact, from the first gerbil sighting, I'd attempted (unsuccessfully) to lure Patches away. I cooed, called, and eventually threatened. Granted, all this was happening really, really fast. When it was apparent that Patches had no intention of stopping her hunt, I stepped in and rescued Sundae before he became the equivalent of a gerbil sundae. (See, I'm not some animal hater!)

One definition of hunting is: to pursue or search for something. Hunting seems to be a process of sorts. Consider human hunters. They spend a great deal of time preparing for their hunting trips. They pack, prepare, and plan their schedules carefully. They spend hours tracking their prey. The enjoy the whole process of "the hunt." Ultimately, at some point, on one of their hunts, they are rewarded with a trophy buck, duck, of for fishermen/women -- a prized fishy. They've invested time, energy, research, and money to make they're hunting experience more enjoyable and fruitful.

So, what about us and our hunt for God? I bet you wondered when I'd get back to that.

Do we eagerly look forward to our time seeking Him in the Word, learning more about how to best approach Him, hunting for those special nuggets of truth He has just for us? If I'm honest with myself, I have to, and hate to, admit that I've spent more effort and energy hunting for a certain book or mascara than I have hunting for God on some days. At times, I hurry into His presence and my mind wanders a million different directions. I promise you, when Patches was after Sundae the Gerbil, she was 110% focused on the hunt, and enjoying every minute of it.

To often, we take our relationship with God casually. We think, I've been on this hunt before. I've read that verse a million times; I've studied that chapter ten times before. I've searched and found all there is to find. Oh, precious princess warriors, how wrong we are when we adapt that frivolous attitude about the King of Kings -- our King and Savior -- our Redeemer and Deliverer. We can never know all there is to know about an all-encompassing God big enough to create our universe and everything in it. How can we be bored with such a mighty God? Why would we want to stop hunting for everything He has for us? It is with Him, after all, we will spend eternity.

Doesn't a bride eagerly hunt for the truth about her future mate? She explores his past, his present, and his future dreams. She wants to know what he likes, dislikes, and believes. The bride will spend countless hours searching for the most intimate information about her betrothed. She never grows tired of the hunt. She wants to know everything possible about the object of her affections. Yet, we may find ourselves tired of our time with God, no longer excited about learning more.

I want to deny that I've ever felt that way. That, sisters, would be a lie. Thankfully, after reading the above quote, I am preparing to recommit on a whole new level to the heavenly hunt. I want to know my King more tomorrow than I do today. Don't you?

Go on. Get your Bible. Grab a pen, a journal, and a cup of tea. Curl up at the feet of the One who made you, the One you will spend forever with. He promises if we search (hunt) for Him, He will be found. When we find ourselves immersed in His love, those other worldly hunts will no longer hold the same appeal. For Christ has all we need today, tomorrow, and always.

Happy hunting!