The Week in Quotes!

I’ve done precious little blogging this week.  Haven’t written much and haven’t read much.  But I have found some really great “nuggets” of wisdom in much of the little I have read.  I wanted to share with you some quotes from a few of the writings I was impacted by this week.  This is also a great way for you to perhaps discover a new blog you’ll love.  And, who knows, maybe I’ll pick up some “finder fees” for sending you their way?  I doubt it, but a boy can dream, right?!?  🙂

This pretty much punched me in the gut.  Lots of wisdom in this quote:

“No one is ever satisfied when they’re not doing their best.  When you do your best and fail it’s more acceptable than failing when you aren’t really trying.”

The quote below touches on some conversations my wife and I have had this week.  I’m “thankful” to know others are in our shoes and can speak to it in such a powerful way!

“The last few times I was faced with this blatant ungratefulness I didn’t handle it very well.  I got irritable and frustrated and snappy.  How dare my children be so ungrateful?  Don’t they appreciate all I do for them, all I give them?  It was at about that point I felt God whispering in my ear about my own gratitude towards Him.  Do I even notice all the things He does for me on a daily basis?  How many blessings in my life do I treat as burdens? …I realized then and there that if I expect my kids to be grateful, I need to show them exactly what it looks like.”

Charles is such an encouraging blogger/author/poet.  I look forward to reading his homespun wisdom and Godly insight every week.

“God puts us on this earth to do His will, and He blesses us with everything we need to do it. It might be assets, talent, a strong body, intelligence, health, or just a good and loving personality. Whatever attributes you need, to do what the Lord needs done, are available to you, and I believe when you begin to focus on God and His will for your life, He will provide them to you, and you will know how to use them to His glory.”

Linnea’s site has become one of my favorites to read each week.  Especially this week!  Things were hopping over there, and as usual, she brought much insight “to the table.”

“My hope in readily confessing my dark side is to get people to stop and think about their own….Truthful self-awareness must exact humility and humility is required in order to love others as we love ourselves.”

RabidMongoose always is a straight-shooter with well informed posts about issues of spirituality—especially for men.  But this post was a great read for all of us since it deals with an issue we all face at times.

“We look at resentments. We’ve found out they are a distortion of the truth – a way to take a situation, cast the blame on somebody else, and totally escape, so we have nothing to do with it whatsoever!” – Joe McQ, The Steps We Took …This quote from Joe McQ’s book The Steps We Took sums up perfectly what I do with my resentments: I absolve myself completely of all responsibility for a problematic situation, making the issue everyone’s’ fault but mine. Resentment is a tool I use to live in denial: It allows me to create a shield around my fragile persona that ‘protects’ me from the truth about myself…I cannot keep holding all these resentments in. I need to accept responsibility for my own actions…

Feel free to share some quotes you have found (or wisdom you have written) in the comments below!  You’ll help me do a better job of catching up before the week is *officially* over!

Now I have the privilege of getting ready for a “date night” with my Beautiful Bride.  Hope to catch up with all of you wonderful bloggers soon!

How to create a 93% chance of success in your marriage!

I originally started this blog with the intention to mostly write about marriage & men stepping up as “servant leaders” in their homes, churches, and communities.  I’ve branched out quite a bit since then, which has been enjoyable.  But I still have a passion for the issues mentioned above.  Here is a great post I came across yesterday and wanted to share with others on wordpress.  This article can be found on Trey Morgan’s site.

I want to be a 5 to 1 husband!

Statistics on marriage scare me, but the Studer Group has released a new study on “Compliment to Criticism” ratio. They’ve told us from their studies, that people in general need 3 compliments given for every 1 criticism that is said to them. While that didn’t surprise me, the following statistic FLOORED me …

“Reports now show that when it comes to marriage, if you have a 5 to 1 compliment to criticism ratio, the divorce rate in that marriage drops from 50% to 7%.”

DID YOU CATCH THAT, husbands and wives? We are now learning how to beat the old statistic that says that 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. How? Give 5 compliments to your spouse for every 1 negative thing you say. When you take on the 5 to 1 plan, the divorce rate in your marriage drops to 7%. I like those odds!

My goal (and hopefully yours) today is to become a 5 to 1 kind of spouse. Today is a great day to start.

5 to 1 … that’s it! And the divorce rate goes from 50% to 7% … It’s time to pass the word.

You up for the 5-1 challenge with your spouse?

Finally Sharing the Love!

I posted my response to this award over a week ago.  I’m honored that I was nominated for this award, and now it is time to share the honor with others.  It’s really hard to choose only 15 fellow bloggers, but I’m choosing based upon people who I really enjoy reading, who I don’t *think* have received this (or other) award yet, and those who haven’t stated they host an “award free blog.”  🙂  If you’re nominated, please don’t feel obligated to participate.  And if you aren’t nominated, please don’t be upset!  I’ll be happy to share the love with you next time…just let me know you’re interested.

So, here’s the deal.  Once I nominate you, tell us 7 things about yourself that most of us don’t know.  Then you nominate more people! (15 is the suggestion)  By the way, here is my list of 7 odd facts.  And below is the list of bloggers I’ve nominated for “The Versatile Blogger” Award.  Enjoy.

http://linneann.wordpress.com/ <—— amazing writer, “supermom”, & all-around wonderful person!

http://xoevelynortizhasspoken.wordpress.com/  <——-  this young lady has tons of drive & determination, plus she’s an awesome commenter!

http://hangingoutandin.wordpress.com/  <——- another “supermom” who shares incredibly heart-touching stories!

http://chris9911.wordpress.com/  <—– hilarious blogger, great dad, crazy in love with his wife, & he can help you buy the right p.c.!

http://simplystriving.wordpress.com/ <——–  one of the most inpirational bloggers you will ever read!

http://rabidmongoose.wordpress.com/ <—— tackles some really heavy subjects, & offers incredible insight…plus you can learn about gardening!

http://dailymomprayers.wordpress.com/ <—– yet another “supermom” with a “superblog”!

http://sberris0.wordpress.com/  <——- a young woman who is wise beyond her years!..very artsy & creative too!

http://theactsproject.wordpress.com/  <—– you will find amazing writing from an amazing mom/wife here & you will love it!

http://tasmith1122.wordpress.com/  <—– this is one of my wife’s fave poets/bloggers & I’ve grown very fond of her as well 🙂

http://ladywithabirthmark.wordpress.com/  <—- adding some international flavor with this delightful blogger!

http://mylifeuncutalmost.wordpress.com/  <—– wonderful woman of wisdom & integrity!

http://illumylife.com/  <———- pretty pictures, creative crafts, wise words, lovely lady!

http://newkarensue.wordpress.com/ <———- new pic everyday, and always something worth reading!

http://causeisaidso.me/  <———– terrific, heart-felt writing from a terrific mom…super enjoyable blog.

What Has Your Journey Been Like?

written for Kellie’s Free-Write Friday prompt

The “blogosphere” is a somewhat new experience for me. I’m still learning much; in fact, I’m barely able to post my own writings. No joke, this is the second time I’m writing this post because I just lost the original writing!

What I’ve come to enjoy most about the blogosphere is the genuine sense of “community” that can be found when one is actively engaged with other bloggers. It’s really quite a wonderful community to be a part of! Plus, there aren’t any speeding tickets given out in this community! (Can you tell I’ve been the victim of a couple of “small town speed traps”?) 🙂

It has been a real joy to read your blogs and get to know you through your posts. Fellow bloggers have inspired and encouraged, made me laugh and cry. Thankfully, I’ve laughed more than cried! And you’ve also made me think. An example of this was earlier in the week, when I read a post by a blogger who is new to me. In his post, he shared the story of how he came to a faith-relationship with Christ. I commented (a brilliantly insightful comment I’m sure…lol) and moved on to read another blog. However, this new friend invited me back to his blog by asking a really important question: “What is the story of your journey with God?”

That question has stayed with me all week. It’s stayed with me because I think it is not only a great question to ask of others but is also a crucial question to ask of ourselves from time to time. Today, I discovered the perfect photo prompt to motivate me to write about this question. My personal journey has been a drama and a comedy (you’ll understand if you ever see me *try* to dance). My journey has been poetic, but it’s also been some very poorly written prose (of course, that was mostly due to college assignments!). I was fortunate enough to become a Christ-follower at a young age. However, I’ve been stubborn enough to choose several “wrong paths” in the years that have followed. In spite of my obstinacy, God’s love has been constant and His Grace sufficient. The longer I live, the more I realize I am completely dependent upon God’s faithfulness!

And now it’s your turn to share. I’ve been so blessed, and even honored, by the honest comments so many of you have left in the past. So I end today’s post with the same question for you: What is the story of your journey?

An Award Winning Week

It has been a pretty exciting week around here.  Personal life and “blog life” both have seen some awesome developments.  Firstly, I’m blessed to celebrate an anniversary with the most amazing woman I’ve ever known!  Thank you Sweetie for the best days, weeks, months & years ever!  This week has been especially wonderful.  🙂  An anniversary celebration with my Beautiful Bride has already made this week “award-winning,” but then…

Secondly, a couple of my favorite bloggers have honored me with blog awards.  Terry (an amazing woman in her own right!) has nominated me for the “Sunshine Award.”  And over at “allthingsboys” (not written by boys by the way—published, in fact, by another amazing female) I was nominated for the “Versatile Blogger Award.”  You both have lots of readers and followers so I feel really honored by the selections.  Just need to get busy and answer some questions!

And just today I found out a poem I’ve written has been selected as the winner in Kellie’s poetry contest.  To say I’m shocked would be a huge understatement!  Thank you Kellie for the recognition; I’m looking forward to receiving a copy of your new book soon!

How to Get Freshly Pressed

Post a picture of a Volkswagon. Maybe several. They really seem to like the VW vans.

Here’s a really groovy VW van:

If that doesn’t work, make a post about a TV show. Especially one that appeals to twentysomethings. I watched the season finale of Justified tonight. It was great and “the bad guy” even hijacked a yellow VW van. Not sure that’s enough to get me “freshly pressed,” but it is a weird coincidence! 🙂

Another good idea is to write about dating. More specifically describe in detail every horrible date you’ve had in the past week or two. And the more descriptive you are in running down some poor sap who was foolish enough to shell out a few bucks for your frappe or entree, the better your chances! I think a great many of my readers are beyond the “dating stage” of life, but you can always write a fictional account. Just be sure to make fun of the fake text messages your supposed admirer sent to you.

This week is my anniversary, and it just so happens I’m married to the most amazing woman in the world. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to start dating again (nor do I want to!). I’m tempted to post about the first two suggestions from time to time, but I’m just sharing this bit-o-wisdom to help the rest of you. 🙂