Enter your Email to Sign up for Dr. Joey's Today's Story


Powered by FeedBlitz

Thursday, July 26, 2007

"Does Junior listen to life?"


If you’re familiar even a little bit with NASCAR, you’ve heard of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. And you may even know that recently he announced his plans to change employers from the company his now-deceased father started, DEI, to Hendrick Motorsports.

"Junior" is one of the, if not the, most popular driver on the Nextel Circuit so of course there were lots of teams interested in hiring him when he announced his plans to change. It wasn’t an easy decision for him, he said, to leave his father’s company. Some people accused him of making the switch for more money.

I watched an interview when he was asked that very question, if he was changing teams for the money. And he said, "Money isn’t everything. Peace of mind is more important than money."

Sounds like Junior listens to life, doesn’t it? And discovered that God didn’t create him to just make money, but to enjoy life and the peace God brings as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living? Good for you, Junior!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

"Do you know an angel?"


Last month, I shared with you about angels, even including some children’s thoughts about them. That Story prompted a lot of responses, including an email from a woman whose husband died in the last year or so and a friend wrote a poem about him. Let me share part of it with you.

"The world is blessed with angels who reach out and touch our lives,

God gave these angels insight and made them very wise.

God filled their hearts with love and taught them how to share,

Gave them great compassion and the ability to care.

God taught them when to come around and when to stay away,

How to listen and the perfect words to say.

As if these things were not enough, God blessed them with a smile;

Bright eyes that glow and twinkle, and great hugs that last a while."

So do you know someone like that? Of course you do. We all do. Today as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, let your angel know of your love and appreciation…while your angel is still here, okay?

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

"DId you know God has a jar?"

I vacationed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my family earlier this year. I went into a pottery business where I discovered Nancy with her wheel spinning, making what she calls a God jar.

A God jar comes in all different sizes from small to large and has a cork top. Buy a God jar—which I did for my wife—and you get a piece of paper that explains it. It says, "For everyday use, as problems arise over which you feel powerless, and you know you must turn them over to a power greater than yourself, write out your problem or your worry and put it in this jar. Take your jar and your problem and literally "turn them over" to God. Put the jar on the shelf because it is no longer in your hands. The problem is now where it belongs, in God’s hands, not yours." (Go to www.NancyWarePottery.com to get yours.)

There’s something very healing and comforting to actually go through the motions of writing down your problem, putting it in the God jar, and "turning it over" to God. Try it the next time a problem overwhelms you, as a part of your listening to life and making a life, not just a living.

Monday, July 23, 2007

"Does God know you?"


Our family raises yellow Labrador retrievers. Recently Princess became mother to ten of the cutest little puppies you’ve ever seen. She’s never had that many puppies before so I was really curious to see how she would care for them.

Basically she spent the first day or so getting to know each of her puppies extremely well, making sure they all nursed enough, and keeping them clean and all systems functioning. Then after a day or so, after she knew each puppy well, she created two shifts of them. One group of five nursed while the other group of five slept. Then when it was time to change shifts—basically when the nursing group fell asleep—she got up and moved over to the other group and started nursing them.

Here’s what I heard as I listened to life with Princess—if a yellow Labrador retriever can know each of ten puppies that well and care for them that carefully, then how much better can your infinite, eternal God who created you care for you? Sure, there are a lot of us here, but God uniquely knows and cares for you as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

"Is it hot where you live?"


It was one of the first hot summer days of the year. I was working outside on our farm. I don’t know about you, but it takes me a few times of working outside in the heat for my body to adjust. Since this was one of the first hot days, my body had not adjusted yet. So I was feeling pretty hot, sweaty, and tired out there working away.

I stopped to take my hat off and wipe my brow and in doing so looked up. And what to my wandering eyes should appear? Vultures. That’s right, three or four vultures were circling over me. And I thought to myself, "I must be feeling worse than I know." I stood there and watched them for a few moments as they circled and circled me, eyeing me to see whether I would make it or not. The good news is they passed on over to somewhere else.

Often times in life, it seems like something ominous is circling you—rising interest rates or rumors of layoffs or a loved one has a terminal disease. In those times, remind yourself that it isn’t as bad as it seems. That’ll it pass…and that God is with you in the heat of your life.