Joanne's Gems:

   This selection is from YOUR BEST LIFE (by Joel Osteen)

-"God is not like an ATM machine, where you punch  in the right codes and receive what you requested.  Prayers are not always answered     within    twenty-four hours.  God often works the most when we see it and feel it the least.

-    When you misunderstand God's  timing,  you live upset and frustrated, wondering when God is going to do something. But when you understand God's timing, you won't live all stressed out. You can relax, knowing that God is in control, and at the "appointed time."  He is going to make it happen. It may be next week, next year, or ten years from now. When it happens, you will see the culmination of everything that God has been doing!"

-God promises to meet our needs...not necessarily our wants...when we become frustrated trying our way...banging into the cement wall that won't move...God is telling us to go to the left or right...it's time to let go of what we want and trust  that He has a better plan !

-Everything we experience today is woven with all that  has gone before...we are a tapestry in progress..we will add many new colors and stronger threads to our tapestry...there is a wonderful design for our lives....so when confusion is with us...trust  that the Master Weaver  knows what will bless us...loose threads become a new stitch!  Be a colorful tapestry!!


Have a God-Bless week!!
Love to all of you,  Joanne

Joanne's Gems:

-A friend sent me this story the other day..It seems so fitting:

Mary and her husband had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a real character
Whenever Mary and Jim had company for a weekend, they would warn their
friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself
to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and
something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy
box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's
other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and
he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her that she was going to die of this disease....in fact...she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The
night before she was going to go to the hospital, she cuddled with
Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the
3 yr old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I
die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I
didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of
her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had
anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over 2 wks. Jim took Lucky
for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped,
whining and miserable. Finally the day came for Mary to leave the
hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't
even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable
on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he
didn't come to her when when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep
soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She
couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon
gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered,
literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she slept,
the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his
beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her
with his love!! Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began
living again, walking further and further every day. It's been 12 yrs.
now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky still steals treasures and
stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure!

Remember.....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing
from God. And never forget...the people who make a difference in our
lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the
most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

-If you see someone without a smile today, give them one of yours! Live
simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God!

-Dear God, I pray for a cure of cancer. Amen.

- A smile is a sign off Joy. A hug is a sign of love. A laugh is a sign
of happiness. And a friend like me, well....that a sign of good taste!!

-Thanks for all your love, prayers and support.

Joanne's Gems;

-Life is all about our attitude. We create Heaven or Hell by how we think.

- God doesn't meet us halfway. God is there all the way, all the time. It's up to us to reach out and make the connection, like plugging a lamp into the wall. It won't light unless plugged in.

-There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it!

-Dancing with God. When meditating on the word "Guidance", one can see "Dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading somewhere that doing God's Will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and let's the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back, or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.  It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. 
The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.  Look back at the word GUIDANCE:  When I saw the G: I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".  "God, "u" and "i" dance." As I lowered my head I became willing to trust that I would be willing to let God lead. Dance together with God, trusting to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

Have a God-bless week
Love, Joanne

Joanne's Gems:

As I was walking down life's highway many years ago, I came upon a sign that read,  
HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE... When I got closer, the doors swung open wide
and when I came to myself, I was standing inside.
 I saw a host of Angels.  They were standing everywhere.  One handed me a basket and said,
"My child shop with care." Everything a human needed was in that grocery store
and what you could not carry you could come back for more.
First I got Patience.  Love was in that same row. 
Further down was Understanding, You need that everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom and Courage to help me run this race.
My basket was getting full but I remembered I needed Grace,
and then I chose Salvation for Salvation was for Free.
And Faith a bag or two..and Charity, I would need that too. 
I couldn't miss the Holy Ghost; it was all over the place.
And then some Strength,  I tried to get enough of that to do for you and me.
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything to do the Masters Will.
As I went up the aisle I saw Prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside I would run into Sin. 
Peace and Joy were plentiful,
The last things on the shelf.
Song and Praise were hanging near
so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel, "How much do I owe?".
He smiled and said, "Just take them everywhere you go".
Again I asked, "Really now, How much do I owe?"
 "My child", he said, "God paid your bill A long time ago".

Joanne' Gems:

-"God does not require that we be successful....only that we be faithful." (Mother Teresa)

-Some feel depending on God is a crutch..and that we are called to find our own way through this maze called life.. God is not a crutch but a foundation on which to stand especially when the world is swirling too fast around us. We seek His guidance and make choices and decisions that help our way..His way.

-A very wise and spiritual person had this to say:  LIFE is like walking behind a huge cow.  Every now and then it will lift its tail and drop a mess in front of us. We can either look at the mess and see nothing but nastiness, or we can look at it as Fertilizer in the messiness of our lives.  Ultimately, no matter what form suffering takes, we are called  to have profound Trust in God, who has known suffering Himself as a human being, and who has Promised to be WITH US ALWAYS!
 
-What to do with HAPPY Moments,    PRAISE GOD.
-Difficult Moments, SEEK GOD.
-Quiet Moments, WORSHIP GOD.
-Painful Moments, TRUST GOD.
-Every Moment, THANK GOD.

-There are 86,000 seconds in a day. Enjoy every one of them!!
Have a God-bless week!! Luv you all, Joanne

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass....It's about learning how to dance in the rain!"

DAILY SURVIVAL KIT;
  Items needed.
 
Mint
Candy Kiss
Tea Bag
 Eraser
 Rubber Band
 Toothpick
 Chewing Gum
 Band Aid
 Pencil

 WHY????????

TOOTHPICK--  to remind you to pick out the good qualities in other... (Matthew 7:1)
RUBBER BAND--to remind you to be flexible.  Things might not  go the way you want, but it will work out.  (Romans 8:28)
BAND AID--to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's. Romans 8: 28)
PENCIL-- to remind you to list your blessings everyday. (Ephesians 1:3)
ERASER- to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay.  Genesis 50: 15-21)
CHEWING GUM- To remind you to stick with it, and you can accomplish anything. (Philippians 4:13)
MINT- to remind you that you are worth a mint. (John  3:16-17)
CANDY KISS-  to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday. (John 4:7)
TEA BAG- to remind you to relax daily and go over your list of blessings. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)


Lord, thank You for loyal, loving friends who are there in winter or spring time fair. 
New acquaintances are easy to come by, but true friendship is extremely rare. 
A friend always sees the best in you. although they've known you at your worst.
They laugh  with you in the good times, when storms threaten, they'll be there first.
They'll offer a shoulder to rest your head when tears are welling in your eyes.
Take a walk down friendship's path with you and help chase away those stormy skies.
Lord, thank you for all the gifts you give;
Everyone makes our life seem more worthwhile. But one of the finest gifts you've given us is the warmth of friendship's loving smile!

Have a God-Bless Week!!!

Joanne's Gems:

-To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands  to receive something better.  Concentrate on this sentence...The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.

-Four things you can't recover:
    -THE STONE..after the throw       THE WORD...after it's said            THE OCCASION...after it's missed         ...THE TIME...after it' gone

-Knock, knock. I knocked at heaven's door this morning. God asked me...."My child what can I do for you"  And I said, "Father, please protect and bless the person reading this message." God smiled and answered..."Request granted/"

-There comes a point in your life when you realize:
    -Who matters,
    -Who never did,
    -And won't anymore...
    -And who always will.
   
Have  God-Bless week    I love you all, Joanne

Joanne's Gems:

-A friend sent me this story the other day..It seems so fitting:

Mary and her husband had a dog named Lucky. Lucky was a real
character
Whenever Mary and Jim had company for a weekend, they would warn their
friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself
to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and
something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy
box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's
other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and
he was very particular that his toys stay in the box. It happened that
Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her that she was
going to die of this disease....in fact...she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The
night before she was going to go to the hospital, she cuddled with
Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the
3 yr old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I
die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I
didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of
her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had
anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over 2 wks. Jim took Lucky
for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped,
whining and miserable. Finally the day came for Mary to leave the
hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't
even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable
on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he
didn't come to her when when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep
soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She
couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon
gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered,
literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she slept,
the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his
beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her
with his love!! Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began
living again, walking further and further every day. It's been 12 yrs.
now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky still steals treasures and
stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure!

Remember.....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing
from God. And never forget...the people who make a difference in our
lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the
most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

-If you see someone without a smile today, give them one of yours! Live
simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God!

-Dear God, I pray for a cure of cancer. Amen.

- A smile is a sign off Joy. A hug is a sign of love. A laugh is a sign
of happiness. And a friend like me, well....that a sign of good taste!!

-Thanks for all your love, prayers and support.

Joanne Gems:

-Very few situations actually need our input. We love most by observing and listening to others..often all another needs is someone who listens.

-We can draw close to God as we travel along the way of life and nothing can keep good from us...only our own limited thinking..believe and receive...doubt and go without...

-Nature always teaches us how God's plan for us is designed; the seasons come and go...a seed planted...sprouts in the right time...I look at all the beautiful blossoms...they don't worry about holding their blossoms back for a rainy day...even if no one was around to enjoy them..they still blossom for that is what they were created to do...they are simply reflecting God's abundance!!

-Have a God-Bless week ahead!!