Make Something Happen

[This is the final article that I posted on Enriching Your Life Now. But since it is so timely, I thought it would be good to post it here as well.]

Make Something Happen

In today’s world of uncertainty and confusion many people are afraid of what the future will bring.  There are many who engage in endless conversations, voicing their opinions of what should or should not be done.  Meanwhile, a growing number of people are convinced that the government is out of control in spending money that we just do not have.waiting-crowd

With all of this uncertainty and confusion, some wait for the government to do something to help them.  Others just wait to see what happens next, hoping things will get better.  But some have decided to make something happen in their own lives.  Which group are you in?

Stimulus?

There is a lot of talk these days about “stimulus.” People question whether the “stimulus package” is working. One of the dictionary definitions of stimulate is, “to excite to activity or growth to greater activity.”

Because of fear, many people wait for something to stimulate their lives.  They wait uninspired; they are frozen. But why should you wait for someone else to change your life?  Why not trust God to help you to change your own situation, regardless of what the government does or does not do?

What About The Recession?

A recession does not put God out of business.  For those to who choose to put their trust in God, there is nothing that ties His hands, including a famine.  As bad as a recession can be, it is nothing compared to a famine.

Countless records in the Bible show God’s help, from small situations to desperate life threatening situations.  For those who trusted Him, He always provided a solution.  That is His nature.  Why would He stop now?

Some people might argue and say that they are not afraid.  But inaction is a product of fear.  Fear will always hold you back or push you back.  The reason so many people are just waiting, and not taking action, is because of fear.

Waiting And Wishing

It is very easy to wait and see if things will get better.  It’s easy to wish things were better.  It’s easy to hope things will get better. But it takes courage to move forward, trusting God to help you, having confidence in Him that things will get better for you.

It is sad that so many people feel absolutely hopeless.  They feel that way because they have forgotten just how powerful and delivering God is.  They look only at their own abilities and see no way out.  And so, they wait.

Here’s A Plan

But if you are tired of waiting, here’s a plan.  Get inspired and take action by faith.  It really is that simple.  You first need to be inspired.  And you’re not going to get inspired by watching the news or having negative conversations with people about how bad the current situation is.  Those things simply build more fear into your life, so avoid them.

Get inspired by reading the Bible and seeing your God in action!  Get inspired by talking to bible-2other people who want to trust God and make something happen.  Get inspired by thinking thoughts of possibilities, instead of consequences of the current situation.  Get inspired!

Faith

Then by faith in God, which is believing and having confidence in Him, start moving forward, asking Him to direct your path.  He has promised that He would direct and light up your path… but if you are sitting on the side of the road, there is no path to lighten or direct.

Have you ever gone fishing? I like to fish in a small boat anchored in the middle of a lake. Now I could just sit in the boat and dream all day long about catching lots of fish.  I could watch others in their boats and see them catching fish.  I could even wonder if perhaps another fisherman might even bring me a few of his fish.

I never do any of those things.  Do you know why?  Because I would never have any fish.  When I get out my pole, and bait my hook, and cast my line into the water, then and only then do I have the possibility of catching some fish.fish-net-happy

And, I’ll let you in on a little secret; I pray when I fish.  I ask God to help me, to direct my path to the fish.  Why not?

You can either sit and wait for the government to do something, or, just wait to see what happens next, or, decide to make something happen in your own life.

Mike Verdicchio

Do you have a comment about this article?  Is there something happening in your life despite the economic conditions?  Want to share it with us?  Just type your comment below, we’d love to hear from you!

I do hope that you subscribe for free to this blog so that you can get a free membership to Enriching Your Life Now.  Details below.

Have a great weekend!

Are You BrainStorming Or Blame Storming?

I think brainstorming is a good thing – looking for possibilities and solutions. But instead of brain storming, some people are blame storming. Not a good thing.

In this short 1 1/2 minute video, listen to the difference between brainstorming and blame storming.

Enjoy the video.

Do you have a comment on today’s video?  Share it with us. We would love to hear from you!

Do You Deserve God’s Favor?

Some people feel like they don’t deserve favor from God.  They feel like they just aren’t good enough, or that they haven’t done enough good things.  Some think in order to receive God’s favor they must do something to earn it.

In this short 2 minute video, find out why you really can expect God’s favor in your life!

Enjoy the video.

Do you have a comment on today’s video?  We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and share a blessing you received from God.

More about God’s favor.

Stop Looking Back!

Getting ready to drive off in my wife’s car the other day, I checked and adjusted her mirrors. I first adjusted the side mirrors and then finally the rearview mirror.  And suddenly, it dawned on me.  rearview

Ever notice how much smaller the rearview mirror is than the windshield?

Of course I realize that this is not some startling new discovery.  Anyone who drives knows that the rearview mirror is much, much smaller than the windshield for very obvious reasons.

But as I sat there before I drove off, I wondered just how fast and how far you could drive if the windshield was the size of the rearview mirror, and the rearview mirror was the size of the windshield!

Not An Idea For GM!

No, I am not losing my mind with a wild brainstorm idea for General Motors!  I car-little-blueam trying to make a point.  We all know that the reason the windshield is so much bigger is because the road ahead of us is so much more important than the road behind us.  We need to see and focus clearly on as much of the road ahead as we can.

This is so true in living life.  Where we are going in life is so much more important than where we have been.  Yet far too many people are living in their past.  They live day to day staring into their rearview mirror with all their focus and attention on what happened to them in the past, instead of looking forward to the future.

What’s In Your Past?

People are living with regrets, guilt, shame, disappointments and discouragements resulting from things in their past. Many people go around feeling sorry for themselves.  Some are living with anger or seek revenge from being hurt.  Regardless of what has happened or how they feel, they all have one thing in common:  they are all starring into their rearview mirror.

What is there in your past that you can change?  Absolutely nothing.  What great profit is it to spend your time and mental focus on the past?  There is none.  Even if there were some really fantastic things in your past, they are all still in the past.

Some people are still trying to live back in the “good ol’ days,” back when their lives were so much better.  They think about it and relive a happier time without all the stress or hardships that they face now.  Doing that is still looking into the rearview mirror!

The Way To Move Forward Is To Move Forward!

Yes, there are disappointments in life, some small, and some not so small.  But if you are going to move forward with your life, you have to put your eyes on what is ahead.  As you drive your vehicle, you not only see the road immediately in front of you, but you can also see a good ways up the road.

So why not do that with your life?  Stop dwelling on the past.  Stop reliving it over and over and over.  Stop talking about it.  It is over with and there is nothing that can change what has happened in the past.

Of course, there may be circumstances that you have to deal with as the result of something that has happened in the past.  Take care of those, but then be determined to move forward.

Confidence In God

The Bible talks about forgetting those things which are in the past.  That means that it is a freewill choice to let go of the past.  We can choose to look forward or to look backward.

When you are driving your vehicle, you can’t get very far without running into something if you’re constantly looking into the rearview mirror. I don’t recommend trying this!  And neither do I recommend doing it with life either.

road-rainbowIf you want to have confidence in God, take your focus off of the past.  If you have read “My Story,” then you know I have done this numerous times in my life.  And I know it’s not always easy.  But I also know it’s the only way to move forward.
If you want to move forward with your life, then stop looking back, ask for God’s help, and keep looking and moving forward.

…..

Did you find this article helpful?  Do you have a comment about letting go of the past?  Has forgetting the past helped you to move forward?  I love to hear your thoughts, just type them in below.

Mike Verdicchio

Related Posts:
Were You Unfairly Laid Off
What Kind Of A Day?
I love Baseball

Were You Unfairly Laid Off?

Many people have lost their jobs.  A number of those who have been laid off feel that they were terminated unfairly.

If you were fired, or you know someone who has been laid off, this video offers some great insight on what to do now.  This video shows two important keys on how to move forward after losing your job.

I experienced an “economic layoff” last December. I am now on a new adventure. I choose to not live in the past; I am moving forward.

Enjoy the video. It’s about two and a half minutes long.

Do you have a comment?  Take a moment and leave your comment below.  We would love to hear from you!

A Visit To Shell Beach

This video was taken this past Sunday at Shell Beach, California.  Kathy and I took a long weekend to visit some friends.

I was way overdue for a change of scenery, which is an excellent way to regroup and get refreshed.

Enjoy the video.

Do you have a comment on today’s podcast?  We would love to hear from you!  Take a moment and leave your comment below.

Against All Odds

[If you cannot see the player or it’s not clickable on this page, just click the title above]

It’s Another Podcast!

Have you ever felt like all the odds were stacked against you?  Have you ever felt like there was just no way to get out of the situation that you are in; no way to get ahead; no hope of things getting better?

With God’s help, do the odds really matter?  Is there ever a situation that is just too big for God to bring you deliverance?

In this podcast you will hear about a number of seemingly impossible situations with ridiculous odds.  And yet, in each situation, there was a remarkable solution.

Enjoy this podcast. It’s about 12 minutes.

Related Posts:
TV News
He Is Willing
Confidence

Do you have something to share about God doing something wonderful for you when the odds were against you?  Got a comment, a complaint, or even a rant?  Just leave it below and let us all know what’s on your mind.

For past videos and podcasts, click the tabs above. Look for more podcasts as well as more videos  coming soon to Confidence And Joy!

Back To School – Review

Alpha Omega Publications Home School Products

You probably know someone involved one way or another with “homeschooling.”  I do as well. There are many dedicated and hardworking parents who have chosen this option for their children.  It takes commitment. school-son-dad

There are a number of places to get supplies for homeschooling.  I recently checked out Alpha Omega One of their two offices is right here in Arizona, in Chandler, which is a suburb of Phoenix. The other is in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

I Called Them Up

I called up Alpha Omega in Chandler and talked to Nancy for awhile.  Very nice lady. Alpha Omega Publications has been around for over 30 years helping families by offering them quality educational materials that promote Christian values. They have provided thousands of families with exceptional, Christian home school curriculum, learning resources, and educational services.

They offer innovative and time-tested homeschool curriculum such as Switched-On Schoolhouse®, LIFEPAC®, Horizons, and The Weaver Curriculum®. Here’s a quote from their web site:

Confused about which homeschool curriculum to buy? Feel free to look around and check out our affordable homeschool curriculum options for PreK-12th grade. We’re here to serve you, and we look forward to making your homeschooling enriching and enjoyable.

Helpful Even If You’re Not Homeschooling

school-mom-daughterNancy also pointed out to me that even if you’re not homeschooling, but a student needs some additional help, they have individual subject courses that are available. Or, you can also check into their tutoring service.

On their web site, they offer some free resources to help you.  Some of that information could be  really helpful for someone who might be thinking about starting homeschooling.  They can also help you to find local homeschooling support groups in your area.

If you are involved in homeschooling, or, just starting out, check out Alpha Omega Just click the banner below.  By the way, they have a sale on right now.

And, if you have comments about Alpha Omega, or about homeschooling, we would love to hear what you have to say.  Type your comments in below.

12% Off All Preschool -12th Grade Curriculum

TV News

Have you watched a lot of TV news lately? 42-17253129 It’s not very encouraging, is it?  Well, in fact, it is pretty depressing. I don’t watch a lot of TV news, but when I do it is filled with gloom and doom and predictions of more gloom and doom.

Now with a background in broadcasting, I know all too well that the news has never been designed to be positive and uplifting.  There’s an old saying in journalism, “If it bleeds, it leads.”  That means the story that contains the most dramatic negative elements in it is usually the lead story.

But how do you feel after watching the TV news?  If you’re like me, you don’t feel happy and elated or encouraged and inspired, do you?

Are You A Reporter?

So much of what has happened here in the United States in the last 10 months has led many to criticize, blame, and condemn.  Many people are re-reporting to others what they heard on the TV news:  “Did you hear what happened now?  Do you know what they are trying to do?”

Now I am not saying we have no problems, because we certainly do.  My head is not in the sand.  But, there is some other news that you can choose to focus on rather than the TV news.  You can put your focus on the Good News.

I believe that regardless of circumstances and situations, no matter how big they may seem, the promises of God are still true.  And God will bring His promises to pass for those who choose to believe Him.

Why Are They In There?

bible-1The Bible is not only full of God’s promises of help, deliverance, healing, and prosperity, but you can also read many accounts of people facing very adverse and even impossible circumstances who received His deliverance.  Have you ever wondered why those accounts are in the Bible?

I’m not talking about the obvious and most memorable ones, like the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.  You have to admit, that was a pretty adverse and seemingly impossible situation.  The odds were certainly stacked against them with the Egyptian army on this side, and the Red Sea on that side.  But God came up with a remarkable solution.

And there are of course other memorable accounts, but what about some of those that are less familiar, and more personal?  For example, the woman with two sons, whose husband died, leaving them with unpaid debts?  It was bad enough in that culture to be a widow, let alone to have debt.

This was a seemingly impossible or hopeless situation.  According to the culture, her two sons would be taken to work off the whole debt.  But again, God came up with a solution that not only allowed the woman to pay all of her debts, but have enough for she and her two sons to live on.

How Bad Is A Famine?

What about living through a famine?  A famine is about 100 times worse than a downturn economy.  A woman and her son were about to eat their final meal and then just die.  But, once again, God brought a tremendous solution.

So, again, my question is why are those records of deliverance in the Bible?  Why are there numerous accounts of God’s help and deliverance against all odds in adverse and seemingly impossible situations?  Are they there just to entertain us?  Or, are they written to inspire us and encourage us to have confidence in God?

In my own life there have been many times when it looked like the “odds were all stacked against me.”  Those situations were very real.  Perhaps you have been in situations where you were discouraged and felt like giving up.  I certainly have.

A Really Big Key

But I have learned a big key is where I keep my mind. Where do I choose to put my mental focus? I can look at my present reality and accept it, and then project a very negative outcome as a result of where things are right now.

Or, I can take a different approach.  I can look at what God has promised me, and keep my focus on what He has said.  I can look to Him for solutions.  Instead of expecting things to get worse, I can choose to expect things to get better, regardless of what is going on around me.

We all choose what thoughts we think.  The TV news will not encourage you or build your confidence in God. But the Good News will. And when it comes to the economy, here is something to keep in mind.  In fact, you can remind yourself of it every time you spend money.  On every piece of currency we still have the words, “In God We Trust.”

in_god_we_trust

Some may choose to immerse themselves in all that the TV news is reporting, and then hope that somehow the government will take care of all their problems.  I choose to accept the Good News, and believe His promises of prosperity. I choose to trust in God.

Michael A Verdicchio

Related Posts:
Is He Willing
A Lack Of Confidence
How Big Is Your God?

Do you have a comment; a suggestion; a complaint; a rant??  Feel free to leave your comment below.  We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Christian Merchandise – Review

ChristianGear.com

Has this ever happened to you?  You want to buy some kind of Christian item for yourself or someone else, but you can’t find what you want on the item.hat-3-16

Yesterday I told my wife Kathy about a web site I found called,  Christian Gear. When I told her what you can do on that site, she said, “You don’t know how many times I’ve tried to buy something for someone and the item just didn’t have exactly what I wanted on it.”  Has that ever happened to you?

I too have been in Christian gift shops looking for a T-shirt, or a mug, or something for someone and more often than not, I just could not find what I was really looking for.  The item didn’t have the verse I wanted on it, or, I didn’t like the picture, or the art work.  Well, now you can design it yourself, online.  I did. I’ll tell you about that in a minute.

One Of The Largest

Christian Gear. is one of the largest producers of custom made Christian merchandise on the internet. They do their own in house embroidery, screen printing, glassware printing and banners! Fast, quality merchandise with no middle man.mug

They carry over 600 gift items such Christian apparel, hip Christian t-shirts, Christian shirts, fun Christian items, religious stuff, religious apparel, religious merchandise, hats and cups and lots more.

With millions upon millions of customers going to their website and having an almost unlimited supply of custom products, Christian Gear is fast becoming the largest online source for Christian and Religious merchandise.

Their Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide the easiest way for Christians to buy merchandise on the web. We think the Internet ought to be fun and that shopping should be as fast and convenient as shopping for anything else on the Internet. We are making a personal commitment to every customer that Christian Gear will be the best source for all of their Christian needs.

What They Promise

  • They promise that you will discover the largest selection of Christian merchandise available anywhere.
  • The best customer service in the industry.
  • You will receive your order lightening fast.
  • You will get the best value offered anywhere, guaranteed.
  • They have more Christian Inventory then anybody

But One Thing Is Missing

I spent quite a bit of time looking around on their site, and the one thing I didn’t like was that they don’t promote their “Design Your Own” features in a big way on their Home page.  Wow, this feature is very cool! You can design your own Christian gifts, clothing and lots more!  And it is so easy.

I actually designed a T-shirt with text and a picture imported from my files, in less than five minutes!  Pick the color; pick the text; type the text; import a picture if you want; position everything and you’re done.  Then you pick the size and quantity.  It is really that simple.

Now obviously, if your quantity is more, the price is lower, but I just picked “one.”  The price was under $25 and that was for a T-shirt that had exactly what I wanted on it, and in the color I wanted.

I tried to copy/paste my final design, so I could show it to you here on the blog, but I couldn’t. But just to give you an idea, here is what I designed:  A light blue T-shirt, with the following text and picture.

More Than A
Conqueror

CatAndMirror

I’m not trying to go on and on about it, but for me to get exactly what I wanted, it was really cool.  Yes, of course they have tons of items that you can buy, but they really ought to promote this part of their site a lot more.  To find that feature, just look on the left side bar for Design Your Own Christian Gifts, Clothing & More!

Click the banner below to get to Christian Gear And, please to feel free to leave a comment, especially if you decide to design something;  let us know what you did.