"Do you know God cares for you?"

Recently something happened that was potentially dangerous and I didn’t even know it. The woods at the back of our farm and some other nearby woods caught on fire. And not just a small fire either. The National Forest Service was called in and our local fire departments came by, too.

We were extremely dry at the time with no rain for quite a while. All the leaves were on the ground so it was a real recipe for disaster. And that evening, the wind was gusting upwards of 35 mph. The fire threatened several homes behind us. In fact, the conditions were so severe that the fire fighters and the Forest Service were pulled out of the woods for their own safety.
As they were leaving the woods, it started to rain—a steady, soaking rain. Had the rains not come, the results would have been far different.

And my family and I never smelled the first smoke. The wind was blowing away from our farm.

God took care of us and we never even knew we were in danger.

God is with you today in ways you don’t know about. So be grateful!

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"It's the little things in life, isn't it?"

A friend who listens to life with us through www.listentolife.org emailed me that she lives on a horse farm just as our family does. She and her husband shoveled sawdust into their truck to use as bedding for their horses’ stalls.

She watched the sawdust very carefully for larger pieces of wood that aren’t pulverized completely. Those pieces can’t go in the horses’ stalls because if a horse steps on it, it might pierce the hoof or bruise it, abscess and cause a problem. So she tossed these pieces out.

As she tossed them, she started thinking about how some word or action she might say or do could have the same effect on someone. It might seem insignificant at the time, but it could have far-reaching consequences if not caught. So she decided to watch her words and actions as closely as she does her sawdust.

You and I can learn from her listening to life while shoveling sawdust. Let’s pay attention to our words and actions which seem little, but can have big consequences, as we listen to life and make a life.

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"Do you want what someone else has?"

You’ve heard the old saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” Well, I’ve come up with a new variation on that one: “The snow is always whiter on the other side.”

I came up with this one when the area where I live on the East Coast was hit with a winter storm in the fall. We had about six inches of snow and ice. Well, I did a phone interview about that time with one of our Life Network radio stations in Minnesota. I mentioned something about all the snow we had and then shared a story from my First Book about making a snowman with my daughter. When I finished my story, the announcer said, “We sure would love to have some of that snow up here. My snowmobile’s ready to go and we don’t have any snow!”

It seems like we always want something that someone else has, don’t we? Here I was freezing and this guy wanted my snow and I wanted his fall weather!

Let’s be satisfied with what God sends our way as we listen to life today and make a life, not just a living.

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"Where's the good news?"

After you listen to or watch or read the news, do you ever wonder some days, “Is there any good news in the world? Did anything happen today that’s happy?”

I know I do. Well, let me tell you about a web site I recently discovered: HappyNews.com. It features news that doesn’t grab the headlines or attention of reporters, but news that is news just as much as the other stories, only it’s about goodness and kindness in the world. The things that make you happy.

For instance, daily you hear about how many soldiers are killed in Iraq, but did you know that a school re-opened? And electricity was restored? You read about the devastation from natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis, but did you know that college students traveled last month to rebuild homes in Sri Lanka?

There really is good news in the world. It’s just that you don’t hear it first. But today you can choose good news by listening to life and making a life, not just a living…now that’s happy news!

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"Have you walked with a two-year old?"

Have you ever tried to take a two-year-old on a straight-ahead walk? It just doesn't happen. Children that age have an entirely different agenda. For a two-year-old, there is no sense of accomplishment with leaving point A in order to arrive at point B.

The only reason for even venturing out the door is the prospect of the journey—or to meander—between point A and point B.
When you’re two, the world is still a new and fascinating place. Every stone deserves investigation, every mud puddle calls you, and every creepy, crawly creature must be scrutinized and subjected to awe, or torture, or screams of delight and horror.
When you’re two, the only possible reason for finally arriving at point B is so that now you can begin the trek back to point A.

In this New Year, don’t be in too big a hurry to get where you’re going. Avoid getting consumed with checking every item off of your to-do list. Enjoy the moment as you listen to life today like a two-year old and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey