The Unknown Author Free eZine Archived Articles
Tim Hooper
Before we can achieve success we have to know the definition of it.
Success: The achievement of one's aim or goal; financial profitability; One who, or that which, achieves assumed goals OR Resulting in success; assuring, or promotive of, success; accomplishing what was proposed; having the desired effect; prosperous; fortunate; happy.
One basic theme in both of those definitions is in having goals. You can't measure success unless you have a predetermined desired outcome to aim for or shoot for. The idea that I want you to take from this months' column is broken down into three steps.
1: Take some time to reflect on your life, your surroundings, and what you want to accomplish.
2: Take a piece of paper and write numbers one through ten on it and then proceed to write down the top ten things you want to accomplish in life.
3: Keep this paper with you at all times and take it out to review it regularly.
You will be absolutely amazed at the difference this makes in your life! Join us next month as we continue on our Journey Toward Success. Let me know what areas in which you specifically have challenges.
“EZ-2 -Make!”
Nathan Hooper
Many of us like to throw parties during the Christmas Season. Whether it is for your work place, an organization you are a part of, or just friends and family, you want to be able to enjoy the event without worrying about preparations. So the best thing to do is to plan ahead. A few simple planning tips will save you money and time and make things go much smoother. Here are a few… Make a menu! (A week to 10 days ahead) Begin to write down the menu for the evening. Think about simple recipes that require little preparation time such as frozen meatballs or little “smokies” that can be thrown in a crock pot with a simple home-made sauce. Buy prepared foods, such as desserts, dips, etc. I have often used something like chocolate covered cream puffs that only require thawing but make a great presentation. And don’t forget that you can make ahead items that can be frozen, refrigerated, or stored in container such as dips, brownies, cookies, etc. You can buy several cans or jars of pickles, olives, and marinated vegetables to make a simple relish tray. Buy cheeses in blocks to save money and cut in cubes or bite size slices and store in plastic storage bags. Instead of buying an expensive vegetable or fruit tray, buy items that require little prep time, such as baby carrots, grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, etc. and arrange on a favorite plate with dip. Get as much done ahead of time so you can enjoy your special event. Take inventory! (5 to 7 days ahead) Next, based on your menu, write down what you have on hand and what you need to buy. Go over your recipes and check for each item that is needed to prepare and as well as serve your food. Write down grocery list of items that you need to purchase while going through your supplies. This saves time. I often take it a step further and separate items that I need to shop for under the heading of each store that carries them. Sams or Cosco may carry some items that my local grocery store does not. Service items, such as flatware, plates, and napkins might be purchased cheaper at a dollar store rather than at a mainstream retailer. Place each item needed under each appropriate store that you will need to shop at. Map it out! (2 to 3 days ahead) Write down times and locations to pick up items that are needed. Some things are time sensitive and may have to be purchased the day before or the day of the event. Other items can be purchased in advance. Weave in shopping with other trips already scheduled. For example, after your doctor visit, shop at nearby dollar store. If you have to get an oil change, try to do so near a store where you can shop for food items while waiting. On your way to work, drop off dry cleaning and pick up on your way home. With a little strategy and planning ahead, you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and fuel. Oh, and by the way, don’t forget the ice!
Simple Sweet ‘n’ Sour Sauce
Equal parts of red plum jelly and catalina, country french, or russian dressing Microwave jelly until warm and thoroughly stir in dressing. Serve with egg rolls, chicken strips, or pork tenderloin.
For sweet n sour meatballs, you can place frozen fully cooked meatballs in crock pot on low and pour sauce over and cook until heated through (about 3 – 5 hours) Makes great party dish. You can substitute little cocktail sausages for meatballs. For quicker solution, microwave meat items and pour sauce over, stir and serve.
1 cream cheese at room temperature Raspberry chipolte dressing/sauce Place cream cheese in small oval bowl and pour about ¼ c. of sauce over cheese and serve with assorted crackers. Can pair up with summer sausage or other sliced meats, such as ham. Delicious. If you can’t find sauce make your own with ½ c. of raspberry jelly, microwave until heated through and add ¼ t. of chipolte powder, mix well and use for dip.
Nick Rozier
The chief end of God is to bring himself glory(1), therefore, our purpose is to glorify God(2); this was why we was created(3). Our means through which to do this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of sin and the fall, instead of giving glory to God we sought to give glory to ourselves4, but through Christ's work on the cross we am now free from sin and death and able, once again, to give God glory(5). Although our flesh is at war within us to turn and glorify yourself(6), we can have victory through Christ over our flesh and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to give God the glory(7). But how do we glorify God? Glorifying God does not mean that we make God more glorious, but that we acknowledge his glory, value it above all else, and make it known. We do that by living out the first and second greatest commandments, to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, with all our mind and to love our neighbor as yourself(8). But these are very general statements, how do we specifically go about this task of bringing God glory in loving him and loving our neighbor? I believe that this is done through living in the fullness of the gospel, obedience to the five purposes of the New Testament church; to evangelize, fellowship, disciple, worship and minister/serve others. In my observation, I feel that the greatest of these, in bringing glory to God, is evangelism, to proclaim the gospel, Christ's work on the cross, that others might be freed from their bondage to sin so that they too can glorify God. Evangelism is the only one of the five purposes that loves both God and men directly. By proclaiming Christ and his work on the cross we are showing our love for him and his work, our love for God, and by proclaiming this work to others so that they might be freed from their bondage to sin and death we are showing our love for our neighbor. Evangelism and worship love God directly, while evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and ministry/serving love men directly. We can see that evangelism is the only one of the five that shows love for both. To conclude, this is what our focus should be and these are our priorities: Glorify God, by loving God and loving our neighbor through living in the fullness of the gospel. Note- these two ‘loves’, and their ensuing means, the five purposes, must be conducted with joy; otherwise it is all done in vain and brings no glory to God. Footnotes 1- Isaiah 43:7, 48:9-11 2- Ex 20:1-5; 34:14; Deut 5:6-10; Jer 9:24; Isaiah 43:7; 1 Cor 1:30-31; 6:20; 10:31 3- Isaiah 43:6-7; Ephesians 1:11-12 4- Romans 1:18-25 5- Romans 8:2 6- Romans 7:15-25 7- Romans 8:2-5, 9-11 8- Deut 6:4-; Matt 22:36-40; Mk 12:28-31; Lk 10:25-28
“Blessed Home”
Lisa Rozier
For my first article I wanted to share a little bit of a book that I am writing, “PreggoCrummies”. Mainly to introduce my writing style and myself. As I said in my bio if you have anything you want me to share about please contact me, I love hearing what others want to read about. Enjoy a portion of Chapter 1 from my book: Chapter 1 My husband and I got married young on March 10, 2002. We both knew we wanted kids but we wanted to wait, see I was still in college and wanted to finish. Three months into our marriage I changed my mind about waiting. We were very outdoorsy, active people. We loved to camp, hike, rock climb or just hang out at the park. I wanted our kids to enjoy an active life style while we still could. About a week after I changed my mind and we started trying, I got really sick, I felt as though I had the flu but no throwing up. Nick got really excited and told me to take a test. I told him we had only been trying for a week, that there was no way, but I did and it said no. The next week I was still sick, I took another test at Nicks request and the answer was again no. Now a week later I was still sick and I decided I was not going to kick this by myself so I went to the doctor. My doctor told me I either had mono or was pregnant, so she drew blood. I could not believe the two were that close. The next day she called and said that I did not have mono but was not pregnant either. I went to work the next day. I worked in a government office building. I was wearing a brand new (so cute) sun dress, after lunch a co-worker came up to me and asked when I was due, I looked at her and said, “Girl, I am not pregnant that is so rude”. I had eaten a large lunch and thought the bump was just me being bloated, plus i was just finishing up a cycle, so you know what I am talking about. A week later I was feeling a lot better, we had family in town and had decided to go to six flags. We had a great time, I rode just about every roller coaster there. On the way home I got to thinking and told Nick I was feeling really different. He stopped at the next grocery store to buy the test. When we got home I went straight to the bathroom. Three minutes later I walked out and told Nick he was going to be a great father, we hugged and then the tears came. He looked at me and said, “I thought you wanted a baby.” My reply was, “I do but I gave our baby brain damage.” I fixed my face and we went to tell our family. Everyone was very excited, I can remember Nicks’ mom hugging me for so long I thought she would never let me go. The next morning Nick got up before I did, and was not there. When he got home he had a copy of ‘Your pregnancy week by week’, I was thrilled.
Lisa Steele
As I sat down today to write this I have to admit that I struggled. I struggled with the overwhelming guilt I have felt for years. Like many of you, I have a very busy life. I work a full-time job, many responsibilities at home, and now I have decided to go back to school to finish my teaching certification. The problem is, any time I spend time away from my family I feel guilty. It’s almost as if we have it engrained in our brains from birth. As mothers, girlfriends, wives, even as friends, we have to spend every waking minute devoted to our loved ones. If for one second we detour from those responsibilities we are selfish and somehow, whether it is from society or even just from our own inner being, that equates to our being a bad person. I have guilt from spending time on myself and taking it away from my children and my loved ones. I know this is a life issue that many women have and I wonder how they deal with it. I know that it is the best thing for me, and yet, as a mother, I feel guilty. I feel guilty taking time away from my loved ones. I have known for many years that I need to finish my degree but that nagging sense of guilt always won out. We had a “family meeting” and divided up the things I would need help with. I was so impressed that my children took on more responsibility than I had asked them to. My 20 year old son said, “Mom, you have taken care of us for all this time. We had our own family meeting and decided that we need to help you out more. This is a good thing for you and we are very proud of you.” Of course, I cried like a big baby! I sat back and just looked at them. I think as parents we always wonder if we are doing right by our kids. In that moment, they showed me that I had done exactly that. I think this was my proudest moment as a parent and in that instant, I let go of all the years of guilt I had been feeling. I learned that it’s ok to do something for you, whether it’s taking classes, buying yourself a new pair of expensive shoes, or even just taking an uninterrupted bubble bath. You see, when we take time out for ourselves, it rejuvenates us. It helps to make us a better mom, wife, girlfriend, friend…who doesn't’t want that? I challenge you to take a few minutes each day to let go of the guilt and take some time for yourself. You’re worth it and you deserve it!
“Life Lines”
FaithAnn Joy Counts
“Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jesus said in John 11:26).
“Mommy said we have to die to go to heaven,” was the startling statement from a sixyear-old little girl in my primary Sunday school class.
Life and Death – do you think about it? I could tell that the little girl was comforted by her mom’s explanation; that it made death less fearful because there was life in heaven to gain.
Death is not a Dead End but a Doorway! That fact hit me tonight while attending a new writer’s group all because of one wonderful woman I met. She was the first one at the meeting and her warm welcome represented a bright light in my unpublished darkness. She laid no claim to being a writer, her husband was the published one, yet fondly she told of her collaborative work with her husband on children’s stories (yet to be published) that revolved around their cute puppy.
The last thing I remember before leaving the meeting was this woman’s bright eyes and sincere invitation to come again and be sure and bring some of my work to read to the group. All the while I basked in her kind attention to me and my dreams of becoming an author, I never realized what heartache she had recently endured.
On the way home, the friend who invited me told me the woman’s husband had recently passed away. I had no idea. Her unselfish thoughtfulness toward me instead of her own cares made me think with compassion of the loss of her companion so dear for so long a time. How she must miss him in a million ways known to herself alone.
But if the verse above is true, and I believe it’s so, her dear man is close to her in that he is holding Jesus hand walking along in heaven and she is holding Jesus other hand while walking along here on earth; until their time to be united – Jesus is their Life Line!
Although I never had the privilege to meet this lady’s husband, of whom my friend spoke so highly, it’s almost as if I could picture the couple side by side – one on earth’s side of the eternal sphere, the other on the side unseen, yet near.
The picture in my mind was of this sweet lady walking along the outside of a waterfall with fingertips outstretched skimming the water, while her husband walked along also with outstretched fingertips skimming the wall of water from inside – almost touching, almost sensing each others’ presence. Even though they could not actually touch or see their beloved, there was a knowing they were near. What sweetness! What hope we have who know Jesus and walk with Him! One day we will skim the waterfall with fingertips of faith no longer, but while others think of us as “gone” we will with an immortal body step through that waterfall into Paradise!