No one starts off being excellent.

Oh this is so true! Give yourself a little space (and time!) to learn. We always want it done quick and easy but like they say, good things take time.

Life is like a book

Book: How To Say No Without Feeling Guilty

SaraHHouse365 | RIP Zig Ziglar

SaraHHouse365 | People Change and forget to tell each other

30 Challenges | Day 9

 

30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth

April 9, 2013

9. Address and acknowledge the lesson in inconvenient situations. – It’s important to remember that everything is a life lesson. Everyone you meet, everything you encounter, etc. They’re all part of the learning experience we call ‘life.’ Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don’t go your way. If you don’t get a job you wanted or a relationship doesn’t work, it only means something better is out there waiting. And the lesson you just learned is the first step toward it. Over the next 30 days keep a written log of all the lessons life taught you.

Credits: Mark & Angel's 30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth Article

SaraHHouse365 | 30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth

SaraHHouse365 | 30 Challenges | Day 6: Dedicate an hour

SaraHHouse365 | 30 Challenges | Day 7: Treat Everyone Nicely

Day 30 | Shaped for Serving God

The Purpose Driven Life expanded edition
What on Earth Am I Here For?
Day 30 | Shaped for Serving God
Notes from 3/18/13
Women's Small Group Bible Study
pages 232-238

YOU WERE SHAPED TO SERVE GOD.

Before architects design any new building they first ask, “What will be its purpose? How will it be used?” The intended function always determines the form of the building. Before God created you, he decided what role he wanted you to play on earth.

“Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” This means that nothing that happens in your life is insignificant. God uses all of it to mold you for your ministry to others and shape you for your service to him.

God never wastes anything. He would not give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences unless he intended to use them for his glory.

“Each one should use whatever gift he’s received to serve others.” 1 Peter 4:10

Spiritual Gifts:
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experience

SHAPE: Unwrapping your Spiritual Gifts

You can’t earn your spiritual gifts or deserve them – that’s why they are called gifts! Also, no individual receives all the gifts. If you had them all, you’d have no need of anyone else, and that would defeat one of God’s purposes – to teach us to love and depend on each other.

Your spiritual gifts were not given for your own benefit but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given gifts for your benefit.

When we use our gifts together, we all benefit. If others don’t use their gifts, you get cheated, and if you don’t use your gifts, they get cheated. This is why we’re commanded to disocver and develop our spiritual gifts. Have you taken the time to discover your spiritual gifts? An unopened gift is worthless.

Two common problems are “gift envy” and “gift-projection”.

Gift Envy: occurs when we compare our gifts with others, feel dissatisfied with what God gave us, and become resentful and jealous of how God uses others.

Gift-Projection: happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate about it as we do.

 QUESTION TO CONSIDER: In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?

SHAPE: Listening to Your Heart

purposedriven.com/day30
SaraHHouse365 | Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

Nick Vujicic

I first heard about this Nick Vujicic from one of our business friends, Scott Schilling. Scott was staying with us in Westlake Village for a few days and was fortunate enough to meet with Nick for lunch. When he got back, Scott was so enthusiastic when talking about this Nick guy. He even left Nick's number on a napkin, urging us to get in contact with him. I stumbled upon Nick's book, "No Limits" at the library at a few weeks later. Then it wasn't long before another great business friend, Bob Donnell came to stay with us. Bob had an extra ticket to go see a speaker and when he started describing the speaker, I couldn't believe it was thee Nick Vujicic! This guy was popping up all over! I jumped on the chance to go and have been a Nick V fan ever since! Seeing Nick speak in person was amazing! What a role model!

Here's Nick's story copied and pasted from his website: attitudeisaltitude.com

Hi Friend,
My name is Nick Vujicic and I am thankful to have been born 30 years ago with no arms and no legs. I won’t pretend my life is easy, but through the love of my parents, loved ones, and faith in God, I have overcome my adversity and my life is now filled with joy and purpose. I reside now in California with my wife, Kanae, and we both love seeing people’s lives changed for the better or touched in some way. It is my hope that your life is positively impacted by my story.
I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and it was a shock to my parents that I arrived without limbs. There is no medical reason for it. My parents did their very best to keep me in the mainstream school system and give me every opportunity to live to the fullest. I was blessed to have a brother and a sister as my best friends too.

We later moved to Brisbane, Australia, where I lived for 14 years before I made the move to California. At age eight, I could not see a bright future ahead and I became depressed. When I was ten years old, I decided to end my life by drowning myself in a bathtub. After a couple attempts, I realized that I did not want to leave my loved ones with the burden and guilt that would result from my suicide. I could not do that to them.

I wasn’t depressed my entire childhood, but I did have ups and downs. At age thirteen I hurt my foot, which I use for many things like typing, writing and swimming. That injury made me realize that I need to be more thankful for my abilities and less focused on my disabilities.
When I was fifteen years old, I sealed my faith in God and from there it has been an amazing journey.
A janitor at my high school inspired me to start speaking about my faith and overcoming adversity when I was seventeen. I spoke only a dozen times to very small groups over the next two years. Then I found myself in front of three hundred sophomore (grade 10) students and I was very nervous. My knees were shaking. Within the first three minutes of my talk, half the girls were crying, and most of the boys were struggling to hold their emotions together. One girl in particular was sobbing very hard. We all looked at her and she put her hand up. She said, “I am so sorry to interrupt, but can I come up and hug you?”
She came hugged me in front of everyone, and whispered in my ear, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. No one has ever told me that they loved me and that I am beautiful the way I am.”
Her gratitude inspired me to go across 44 countries and speak 2,000 times. I realized that we all need love and hope and that I was in a unique position to share that with people around the world.

While majoring in both accounting and financial planning at a university, I also worked on developing my abilities as a speaker. I worked with a speaking coach who helped to cultivate me as a presenter. He especially worked on my body language as my hands flew everywhere at first!

I spoke on motivational topics after creating the company, attitude is altitude. I also launched a non-profit ministry, life without limbs, to spread my messages of faith and hope around the world.
Whoever you are, wherever you’re from and whatever you are dealing with, I hope that you will be inspired by my story and my message. Please enjoy browsing around this website where I share with you my thoughts on faith, hope and love to encourage you and to help you overcome your own challenges.

Dream big my friend and never give up. We all make mistakes, but none of us are mistakes. Take one day at a time. Embrace the positive attitudes, perspectives, principles and truths I share, and you too will overcome.

Sincerely,
Nick

What a story!
What an amazing way God is using Nick to reach out to others!

Staying Passionate about Life!

Listening to Joel Osteen today on Daily Bible App....

Staying Passionate about Life
Joel Osteen

Anything can become routine. You need to keep that routine fresh, fun.

Don’t let it become ordinary.




Click here to listen to audio.

When your children were born, you cried at the amazement of that brand new baby. Now that their teenagers, are you still amazed at the beautiful gift of children?

Stir up the gift.

Fan the flame.

 “The Miracle of the Hudson” happened a few years ago when Sully landed the plane on the Hudson River. A reporter asked one of the survivors how he felt. Soaking wet, freezing cold and a little frazzled, he replied, “I was a live before but now, I’m really alive!”

Are you really alive?

The day you quit getting excited about your life is when you go from living to existing.

Get your fire back. Get your passion back.

I’m going to stay passionate about the life God has given me.

Staying Passionate about Life
  |Joel Osteen

Listen to the devotional about Staying Passionate About Life http://media.lakewood.org.edgesuite.net/JOM/podcast/mp3_audio/521r_Podcast.mp3 #Bible
 http://j.mp/10Kr3RY


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Cash or experience?

Today's life jar message reads:

In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.  - Harold Geneen



Not always an easy decision. Experience is priceless though. Many times when starting out at an entry level job, we're not satisfied with the coins. Little do we know that every task we are given, it is gold. Next time you get a task that you know nothing about, look at it as an opportunity to grow and learn something new. Once you accomplish that "can do" mentality, you will rarely get frustrated. A "can do" attitude is worth gold!