"How do you stop when you shop?"

Today is the busiest shopping day of the year in America. Millions of people are crowding malls and centers right now. Some of them got up earlier than they do when they go to work!

It’s easy to start shopping, but how do you stop when you shop? Like when you’re shopping for clothes? You know you can’t just get a new pair of dress slacks. Suddenly you need a new belt or pair of suspenders. Next it’s a new pair of socks to match that unusual shade. And you can always use a couple of new ties, right?

Or, that new blouse begs for a new skirt. And of course, the color of that new skirt just doesn’t match any of your shoes so you simply must have those designer pumps. And you can always use a new pair of hose, right?

You know the best thing about God is that you don’t have to shop for God. When you find God, you can simply stop right there without adding on a bunch of accessories. Because when you find God, you’re satisfied. So find God and be satisfied as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Today is Thanksgiving. Are you counting your blessings?"

A pastor was on a mission trip leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. There was time for one more song, so he asked if anyone had a request. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around to make her request.

She had the most hideous face you can imagine. The woman's nose and ears were completely gone due to the leprosy. Despite all of this personal devastation, she lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, "Can we sing Count Your Many Blessings?"

Today when you feel stressed out or burned out or cast out and don’t think that you can face one more minute of a hopeless, despairing, end-of-your-rope day, think about this woman who despite her personal devastation chose to count her many blessings. Remember her example, take one step away from your self-pity, lift your fingers, and count one blessing God gave you no matter how small it is. Then listen to your life and give thanks for who you are and all you have as you make a life, not just a living.

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"Are you special to someone?"

I shared with you a story last month about special people who’ve made a positive difference in your life and encouraged you to call or write them to say “thank you.”

But I didn’t think about that story from a receiving perspective until a friend wrote me this email: “I liked your story about special people and immediately thought of you. You and your wife have been very special to my children and me. You were and are such an important person in my daughter’s life growing up. You did so many things for her that I will be thankful for forever. I will always be appreciative of the things you did for me, too. You were such a wonderful influence on her and I know you’re proud of what a great, loving adult she has become. Thanks for being her “other Daddy.” I hope your daughters make you as happy as my children have made me. Thanks again for being such a special person to us.”

I’m keeping this very humbling letter to read often and remind me of God’s goodness poured through me into others. It helps me listen to life.

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"What do you know?"

I read recently that the amount of information available to us doubles every eighteen months or so. I don’t know if that’s accurate or not, but I can tell you that there’s a whole lot more information out there than I can ever get to.

For instance, do you remember when the Internet was first available to the public? I mean there were lots of websites, but every Tom, Dick, and Harry, Jane, Sue, and Mary didn’t have their own personal one. Now there seems to be no end to the amount of information out there.

And books—my goodness! My three books are among tens of thousands published just this year. Many of them are really good, some of them aren’t worth the paper they were printed on, but all of them contain information.

Suffice it to say that there’s a lot more information than I can ever learn. But there are two things I can honestly say that I do know, unequivocally, no questions asked. They are: (1) There is a God. And, (2) I am not God.

I’m discovering that these two bits of information are worth more than all the rest combined! Listen to your life and discover what you know.

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"Do you clarify?"

I spoke to a group recently as they held their meetings in a very nice hotel. They were kind enough to let me stay in that same property and the accommodations were very generous. In fact, the bathroom was outfitted with all sorts of lotions and other “smell goods.”

The soap came in its own little carton. It read, “Clarifying Bar.”

Now I know I’m just a man and not really genetically equipped to properly understand much less appreciate the intricacies of such finer points of the daily cleansing process, but…”clarifying bar?” Cleansing bar, yes; but “clarifying bar?”

The only thing I can figure is that when you clarify, you clear something up. So maybe a “clarifying bar” clears up my skin?

Now wouldn’t it be great if you could clarify more than just skin with this bar? What if you could clarify your boss? Or your spouse? Or yourself?

Or life? When you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, that’s what you do—clarify life and focus on God. So scrub well today!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey