Little Acts of Kindness: Day 11

Call or write to a teacher who changed your life.

Why we do what we do: Highlights from this Morning's Show

Purpose in Life:
"A question every speaker should ask themselves is... 'What difference is it making in people's everyday lives'?"
The guys from Sidewalk Prophets have been tweeting over the past couple of weeks about their upcoming album "Live like that" and how it's coming together.  Last week they were asking fans to submit stories about people in their lives who make them say, "I want to live like that!"  I love the concept behind the album, because it's something that I think about often.  I feel compelled to find my purpose in life and in each moment.  As a Christian I believe that everyone's purpose is to love God and love the people around us.  Regardless of your financial status or social platform we are all leaving an impression of some sort on everyone we meet.  We can and should make a positive difference in the now and leave a legacy of love for those to come.  The people who have made a lasting impression in my life or even cultural figures like Mother Teresa all have a factor in their lives that is in my opinion the source of the impact, and that's Love.

Be Encouraged:
Matthew 7: 8-10 says, "For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you, if your son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?"
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend who was feeling a bit discouraged about some unanswered prayers.  I've been there; I'm sure you have too.  It's frustrating when you have been praying for the same thing for what seems like forever.  If you are going through a similar season, keep in mind that God has done tremendous things for you in the past.  Look at your blessings and remember that He will do good things for you again.  God doesn't have some random answer for your prayers; He has a special custom-made blessing waiting just for you.


Artist News:   Tenth Avenue North
Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North tweeted a link to this Youtube Video their band made discussing the paradox between being a Christian band whose focus is to take the attention off themselves and putting it on God while being on a very public platform in the entertainment industry. It's quite interesting and very well done. I hope you enjoy it.

Motivation
We all could use more motivation from time to time.  Whether is for a project at work, a goal or simply to get going in the mornings.  There's a key to unlocking your motivation that may surprise you.  Did you know that what you believe about yourself and your abilities, not on not how talented you are affects your overall initiative in life and that people who believe that they can accomplish what they set out to do perform better than those who don’t.

Little Acts of Kindness: Day 10

Offer to pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor, especially in extreme weather

Little Acts of Kindness Day 6-9: Kindness Catch-up

I got behind due to limited computer access.  Hopefully my laptop will be up and running soon so here is a catch-up post on the Daily Little Acts of Kindness Ideas.

Day 6: Put change in an expired parking meter.
Day 7: Out of the blue, send flowers to a friend
Day 8: Bring a co-worker coffee

and today's

Day 9:  Take your shopping cart to the shopping cart corral or back inside the store. 
Bonus points for taking a few extra carts.

Overthinking and Some Really Cute Photos: Highlights from this Morning's Show

 

Battle of Overthinking:
Something I mentioned this morning is that one thing I find really cool about God, is that He will surround you with people who are strong in areas that you aren't yet.  He's definitely done this in my life in my family, friendships, and at my job. For me, one of those weak areas is Overthinking.  I know that overthinking seems like it would be a good thing, but it can be counterproductive.   It has the potential of being a huge hindrance to one's goals and faith walk.  Typically God doesn't always show us the entire picture; we get little puzzle piece sized snippets of His plan along the way.  I think the main reason is that He wants to build in us a greater faith in Him.  If that's something you are dealing with, a great tip is to redirect your attention back to what God says in the Bible and hold on to those promises.

I found this link showing images of this adorable photo book for new moms.  Adele Enerson used her daughter's naptime to create an adorable storybook world and ultimately this uber cute book.   It's so cute I had to post a few pictures.  You can view the entire article by clicking on this link.  Enjoy the cuteness!


       

Seriously, don't worry!
This morning I shared a portion of a devotion I was reading out of the "Love out Loud" devotional.  It said, "When you find yourself in the midst of a battle...remember that every round you fight produces  valuable experience and strength.  Every time you endure an attack, you become stronger.  Loving God means trusting Him in every situation..."  If you let it, situations that arise in life will still your joy and rob your peace.  The entire tactic of the enemy is to keep you out of the presence of God.  So don't let worry keep you from walking in faith.  Worship God and find time to pray and spend in His word.  You will find peace in His presence.

Birthday Wishes:
We celebrated some very special birthdays this week!
88.5 WJIE turned 24 years old on January 1st.  Thanks for listening for the past 24 years.  We appreciate you.
Also, afternoon host Chris Crain celebrated his birthday yesterday.  If you would like to wish him a happy birthday, visit the 88.5 WJIE Facebook page today.

Successful New Year: Highlights from this Morning's Show

Like it or not, The New Year brought with it lots of attention on improving ourselves with New Resolutions for this year. Personally, I always reevaluate myself every year; but typically after a while I'm like everyone else and fall back to my normal routine.  Studies show that 4 out of 5 people break their resolutions.  That doesn't have to be the case.  God wants you and I to succeed in life.  Matthew West tweeted yesterday, "New Year's resolutions fail when they start with words like 'I will' but they succeed wehen we ask for help and say 'With God's help, I will."

I want us to succeed in actually accomplishing our goals for this year.  So when setting your goals keep in mind these words "Less is more".  Set a limit for your amount of resolutions. It’s perfectly ok if you don’t learn a completely new language, write a novel, fully cut out sodas, visit Europe, bike every day, learn to make your own butter, and repel down the tallest mountain in Asia within the next twelve months. Your list should be inspiring, not daunting. Find goals that excite you, but keep your expectations realistic.  You may not be able to complete them all as quickly as you like.  By making a couple of diverse, meaningful resolutions, you will limit the opportunities for failure and find yourself more excited about the ones you've chosen.

Have you ever considered that some of the things that you feel you need to change about yourself were actually intentional characteristics that God gave you for a specific purpose.  Some people have scientific or mathmatical minds others are better with words.  Some are artistic and that can appear to be random or sporatic because of all the creative ideas.  Embrace who God made you to be.  Build on your strengths. 

Here's something else that I want you to keep in mind.  It sounds counter productive, but prepare yourself for the inevitable setbacks.  You are human, and whatever it is you are trying to accomplish will get difficult.  So when it does, don't give up as soon as you hit a wall.  Just change your mindset when it comes to your goals.  Instead of Interpreting a single mistake as a failure, think of it as a mere bump in the road that's part of the path to success.  If your goal for this year seems a little daunting a good thing to do is to Set smaller goals or check points.  It will make it more manageable if you break it into little chunks instead of trying to tackle the whole thing at once.  You will be more likely to reach your longterm goals if you break it into several smaller ones.  Have your family and friends join you.  The buddy system will keep you inspired and challenge you a bit.  If you have a friend who loves to run, and you are interested in beginning that person would be a great motivator and keep you accountible as well.  Finally, don't forget to give yourself rewards when you do a good job.  Celebrate yourself; you absolutely deserve it. 

Southern New Year

Happy New Year!  Since I am from the South, the first day of the year's meal plans usually involve very traditional fare - beans of some sort (preferably black eyed peas), cornbread, and egg rolls (because I don't like steamed cabbage with sausage).  Ok, the egg rolls have nothing to do with southern tradition; I just like egg rolls and it's a great way to justify eating them on New Year's.  Typically my mom would make pinto beans.   Over the past few years we've all enjoyed 15 bean soup so that the Black eyed peas are covered.  I'm pretty sure that like all New Year's food traditions, these southern foods started with superstition; but  my family isn't superstitious.  It's just a fun little tradition we keep.  Plus, since January is usually when Winter really starts hitting us, this meal is very cozy and welcoming.  This year, I broke tradition completely and did not eat any of my southern favorites, but I thought I would share a recipe with you that I have tried recently that is very delicious.  I highly recommend it, and hope that you give this a try the next time you need a new soup recipe to add to your culinary repertoire.

Black Bean Soup with Jalapeno Salsa

Note: I modified this a bit when I tried it.  I added all of the salsa ingredients directly into the soup.  It was delicious.  Personally I would always serve this with cornbread, but the day I made it I served it with Garlic Butter Ciabatta Bread 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large poblano or green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, or 1 heaping cup dried black beans, soaked and cooked
• 12-ounce Quality Chicken Stock
• 3 to 4 jalapeños, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the poblano, garlic, all but ⅓ cup of the onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin.
3. Add the beans, stock, and ½ cup water (I used more stock instead). Mash some of the beans with a fork or potato masher. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat broiler. Place the jalapeños on a broilerproof baking sheet and broil until charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Slice crosswise.
6. In a small bowl, toss the jalapeños with the cilantro, lime juice, remaining ⅓ cup onion and 2 teaspoons oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the soup.

Enjoy!