Tuesday Treasure: Life & Gratitude

Good Morning from the Silver Spur Guest Ranch in Bandera, TX!

Yep, I'm back at my home away from home and while on my morning walk I saw our brand new baby calf (only 6 days old). That little creature made me think about this stage we call life and I wonder....are we grateful for this gift we've been given?

In her book, The Magic, Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret) talks about gratitude using the Scripture "whoever has, more will be given and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken (or lost)." Variations of this passage is found in Matthew:13:12; Mark 4:25 & Luke 8:18 and is attributed to Jesus.

Ms. Byrne says that the key to this scripture and a major key to life is Gratitude. "To whoever has "gratitude for what he has" more will be given. Whoever does not have gratitude, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Could there be some truth in this statement?

I mean think about it! Are you grateful for the life you have, the air you breathe, the people you encounter, the work you have to do, the water you drink, the sun that shines down your daily dose of vitamin D; the rain that cleanses and renews?

One of my favorite sayings is "God won't give you something else to complain about." Spiritual leaders across all denominational lines teach the value of gratitude. Self-help gurus and emotional healers encourage us to write a list of things we are grateful for every day. Even if it is something on your wish list, write down that you are happy and grateful for it in advance!

Now I'm not saying a healthy dose of gratitude will solve all of life's problems but I'm betting it'll make them a whole lot easier to bear!

Something to think about.....
"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

Need help developing an attitude of gratitude? Check out The Magic by  Rhonda Byrne in Print & Ebook and while you're at it, read or watch The Secret too! (Print, Ebook, DVD)

PS: Yes I'm aware that The Secret and The Magic are controversial in many Christian minds. For those of you who are wary of reading these books, check out  Top Secret: The Truth Behind The Secret by Robert M Price for a look at these principles from a Christian stand point! Also available in Print & Ebook!

Thursday Thoughts - The Key to Happiness....

Good Morning Friends!

If you could do ONE thing with the guarantee it would change your life, would you do it?

This sounds like a pretty dumb question to me, but trust me when I say there are folks out there who would jump on this with a jubilant "Yes!" and yet others who would mumble, grumble and doubt.

But seriously, there IS one thing we can all do that will not only change our life, but the lives of those around us.

By now you're either waiting for me to reveal that secret....

Well here it is.... Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life.

As the Bible states.... "As a man thinks, therefore he is."

Yes, the key to happiness lies within YOU and only YOU can make yourself happy!

True there are circumstances and situations and people that can ADD to your happiness but unless you Choose to be happy, those things will not suffice. Oh, they may work for a while but why settle for a temporary high when you can have a life of happiness?

Something to think about!

Speaking of Choices...Check out my short story about that very same thing!

Best-selling novelist and songwriter, Camie Rogers has penned numerous accounts of the secret love she holds in her heart. Country-Music Superstar Kip Allen has changed from the shy, humble boy, to the epitome of “star.” Can the two rediscover each other after one night of his Home is where the Heart is Tour? 

Available from White Rose Publishing, Kindle & Nook!


"Inspirational with an Edge!"

Are Your Dreams Big Enough?

We’ve all heard the old adage, “When you dream, dream big cause all of heaven is dreaming with you,” but I wonder, are our dreams big enough?

The Bible talks a lot about God speaking to us through dreams and visions.

In The Secret, Jack Canfield says something to the effect of, “most people don’t think about what they really want because they can’t see how it will happen.”

One of the tools touted by The Secret is visualization, which is fine. But every visualization product I’ve used shows a ‘dream home’ or ‘dream car’ far different from what I have in mind.

Joe Vitale, another teacher in The Secret, says, “We don’t all want the same thing, we don’t all want the same experience.” I can vouch for that! I just can’t imagine myself in a multi-million dollar home or driving an expensive car.

But I can imagine myself in a nice log home and driving a nice SUV or sleek convertible.

The fact that what most people view as “wealth” is sometimes what I would consider “a vulgar display of wealth,” makes me wonder if maybe my dreams aren’t big enough or if I’m blocking my own wealth from coming to me with my mindset – but that’s a whole other post LOL!

You may wonder what my idea of “wealth” is – well, here it is: My idea of wealth is enough money that I can stay home and do what I love most; WRITE while living in my log home. Enough $$ to be able to travel when we want, to where we want, instead of scrimping and saving just to go see our kids up north once a year. And enough invested so that my lifestyle isn’t compromised by social or economic change.

What’s your dream or idea of wealth? I’d love to hear your comments!

Until later remember…when you dream, dream big cause all of heaven is dreaming with you!

Can dreams shattered by domestic violence be restored and faith renewed? Find out in Tempered Dreams!

Pamela S Thibodeaux
“Inspirational with an Edge!” (TM)

Whose Mind?

The more I read The Secret and study some of the teachers featured in the documentary, I’ve noticed that many of them are Quantum Physicists.

One theory Quantum Physicists adhere to is that you can’t have a universe without mind entering to it. Hence, how our thoughts create the world in which we live.

Now, the Bible talks a lot about positive confession and how a man is the product of what he thinks, so there is no doubt that thoughts and attitudes can shape the world in which we live.

But I have a question….if its true that you can’t have a universe without mind entering into it, whose mind created the universe?

If the universe we live in was “created” through thought, whose thought?

Personally this is where my belief in God comes in. This goes back to Genesis and the beginning and how the earth and everything in it was created when God spoke (but He had to think before He could speak, right?).

Just a thought.

On another note: Next week I'll be spotlighting author Victoria Pitts-Caine and her book Alvarado Gold so drop back by!

PamT

Coincidence or a Sign?

Throughout the Bible you’ll find instances of people asking God for a sign. In Judges, Gideon put out a “fleece” before the Lord, which was his way of asking for a sign from God that he was doing what God commanded of Him. In this month’s Guideposts Magazine, in the feature article with Angie Harmon she mentions asking God for a sign that she was in His will when she accepted the marriage proposal from her husband. Catholics who pray a novena to St. Theresa know that the sign from her that their prayer will be answered is a rose.

The rainbow itself is a sign from God that He will never flood the earth again until all of humankind is wiped out.

As you know from my previous posts, I’ve been really studying the Law of Attraction and The Secret. One of the stories in The Secret is of a man who tested the LOA by creating a picture of a very specific feather and visualized it coming to him – which it did.

With this concept in mind I came across a picture of the St Gauden twenty-dollar coin and thought how pretty it is and how I’d like to receive one. I even put a picture of this coin on my vision board.

The Secret teaches that the Universe knows the quickest, fastest, most harmonious way to answer. The Bible teaches that Gods ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Both stress that we should be open to the way that our answer comes to us and that it may not be exactly as we think.

Anyway, back to the coin. Recently I received an email from MindMovies.com offering 6 free mind movies. These are supposed to help supercharge your manifesting abilities. Well, I downloaded the one for Money and lo and behold, one of the clips had a stack of gold coins and the St. Gauden coin was right on top!

Now I’d still like to hold one of these coins in my hand, but I ask you – was this a coincidence or a sign that I am on the right track in learning and developing this creative process we all possess?

I think so.

Until later remember....imagination and an open mind are treasures to behold.

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!"

Criticism and Ridicule

I’m sure my views on the Law of Attraction and The Secret will start a firestorm of criticism and ridicule, but before you get off on a tangent, Dear Reader, please understand – I LOVE the Lord, Jesus with all of my heart, mind, and soul!

I BELIEVE in His teachings.
I Believe in One God, the Father, the Almighty…..
I Believe in One Lord Jesus Christ….
I Believe the Bible which says that one day ‘every knee shall bow’ unto Him!

But I also believe that Faith is a heart issue and that God gave us a brain to think and to reason, to understand, and to seek for truth and enlightenment.

So, please believe me when I say these posts on the Law of Attraction and The Secret are just that…seeking and searching from a desire to understand God and His truths, His universe and the universal laws He put in place on a deeper level.

I’m not out to start a verbal war with anyone and I will not participate in conversations of an inflammatory nature. If I’m damned for my thoughts and opinions…well, so be it.

I’ll see you in heaven some day but until then remember….judge not lest ye be judged. :-)

PamT

No Accountability?

A very dear friend of mine who is a deeply spiritual person read The Secret and made a comment that she would never recommend this book to a new Christian because there is no accountability.

She feels that the book promotes thinking and visualizing through 'the universe' without any emphasis on being accountable to God or anyone for your thoughts and actions.

However, when I read The Secret, the author talks a lot about "you can't harm another with your thoughts or intentions (well you can BUT) those same thoughts and intentions will come back into your life in the form of negative things."

Kinda like the proverb, "whatever you sow you shall reap."

So let me ask you, is there accountabilty?

You decide. :-)

Thursday I'll be spotlighting author Michelle Sutton and her book, It's Not About Me.

Until later remember....sow joy and joy will abound in your life!
Tempered Joy book 4 in the Tempered series is available now!

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!"

Faith in Action or the Law of Attraction?

As I study the LOA I’m reminded of instances in my life and the lives of others I know that reflect this principle in action. Now, before I ever heard of The Secret, I believed – and still believe- that these events were a result of faith in action. After all, the Bible says , “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

However since my introduction to The Secret I began to wonder….are Faith in Action and the Law of Attraction one and the same?

You decide…..

A secret to The Secret is to feel happy now – In 2003 my daughter phoned to announce that she was pregnant. After a moment of surprised shock I thought… “Oh, a little girl.” Now I must say this was more than a mere thought, but something I felt to the depths of my being and now, my Angel Girl is 4yrs old.

Visualization is the key – In 2004 hubby and I had to make one of the toughest decisions a pet owner has to make – at the advice of our veterinarian, we had our beloved Princess euthanized. She was 14 ½ yrs old and suffered from internal tumors that blocked her digestive system and colon. The vet felt that at her age and the severity of her condition, she would not survive surgery. After about a year, my husband and I talked often of getting another dog, however issues like house training a puppy and finding one that would be a good pet to be around our grandchildren and great nieces/nephews, served as a deterrent. During those conversations I would always tell him that I wanted a German Shepard. “Not a big, bulky cop dog, but a slick, slender, female,” I’d say in an attempt to describe the vision in my mind. One morning in 2006 I headed out for my usual walk when I heard a still, small, Voice urge me to “go to the track.” Quick to listen and obey that Voice, I took off. When I arrived there she was, running loose. I brought her home, hubby found who the owners were and they gave her to us! Best news of all – she was housebroken and had been raised around children!

Ask, Believe and Receive – My mother-in-law is a devout lady, a good woman with strong beliefs. At one point in her life she believed she would win “Cash Quest” one of the many options available in the Louisiana Lottery. Not a huge gambler, she simply thought of the few $$ a week as a little fun and guess what? You’re right – she won!

These are just a few instances of events that have happened in my life and the lives of people I know. I’ll share a few more with you in a later post.

Until then….take care, God Bless and remember…Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve (W Clement Stone) OR in other words…As a man thinks in his heart, so he is! (Proverbs 23:7)

The Law of Attraction

I considered beginning a new blog for LOA posts but decided against it. This is my place to share with you, Dear Friends, and frankly I don't have time for yet another blog. Anyway, on to the subject of this post.

In an earlier post I mentioned the fact that I loved THE SECRET and felt that it was fully backed by Scripture. Today I'm going to explore that a little deeper here with you. This will be the first of hopefully many posts where we can open our hearts and minds to TRUTH...biblical, spiritual, universal.

Many people feel that you can't belive in God, the Lord Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and, yet, adhere to the teachings of THE SECRET also.

IMHO that is limiting yourself and your potential and I am radical enough in my faith to be open to THE SECRET and secure enough in my relationship with Christ to see the similarities between the Law of Attraction and THE BIBLE.

On a basic level, THE SECRET teaches that we are the creator of our lives and our destiny through our thoughts and feelings. A favorite Minister of God's Word, Joyce Meyer has commented "we can be powerful or pitiful" and the difference is evident in our lives by our circumstances or "fruit."

God said, "today I put before you blessing and cursing, life and death, therefore, choose life."
Proverbs says, "as a man thinks in his heart, therefore he is."
Jesus said, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

So I wonder...if we create or cocreate our lives by our thoughts and words isn't it true that what we say and feel on the deepest of levels will become our reality?

Just a thought!

Until later take care, God BLESS and remember....out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks - what's in your heart?

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge!"

Resolutions & Goals

“Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams”

Well Friends, it's that time of the year again...time when everyone is thinking about resolutions and goals for the next year of our lives. Every year my goal always seems to be the same...Make enough $$ writing to stay home!

I’ve always wondered why I never seem to get ahead or gain victory in this area of my life until I read The Secret and I realized that victory is within me! Although many claim this book to be “unchristian” I find that it reiterates many Biblical principles.

However much I believe in the power of attraction, I must agree with Judi Moreo’s statement from her book You Are More Than Enough Achievement Journal, “Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams.”

Yes, the power of attraction works…but faith without works is dead. In other words, you have to do something! Even if that something is as simple as implementing the principles of The Bible and The Secret, you are still proactive in creating your life to be what you want it to be.

Experts say that it takes thirty-days to create a new habit, but I've found that it sometimes takes a lifetime to break old ones. When practicing both Biblical principles and those of The Secret, I’ve found that old ways of thinking/speaking are very hard to change. Oh, sure I may start out with a bang…all excited and expectant, but give it a month or so with little or no change and I’m sorely tempted (and very often) go back to the old negative patterns that are embedded deep within my subconscious.

Statistics show that people who make goals and write them down usually achieve more than those who merely think about what they’d like to accomplish. Visualization is also a powerful tool when it comes to making your dreams come true.

My greatest dream is to have enough $$ to stay home. There are only a few ways this life-long dream will come true….

1) Win the lottery (guess that means I have to do something and buy a ticket LOL!)

2) Sell a TON of books/short stories/articles/essays/etc (this is definitely in God’s hands—however I had 1 novel and 1 short story released in 2007 and have 2 novels and 2 short stories contracted for release in 2008 as well as numerous articles and essays to write/sell/post at sites that generate residual income)

3) Write/promote myself into NY Times Best Seller status (another feat that is in God’s hands; however His Word says that He will bless and multiply my efforts as long as I stay in balance between faith and works)

4) Work/invest/find ways to generate more income (ie; grants, write/edit for others, etc)

5) Dream/visualize/call those things that be not as though they are (Romans 4:17; I’ve created a vision board to help me with this)

I am – and will continue—to practice the principles of The Bible and The Secret to make my dreams come true!

How do you plan to make your dreams come true in 2008?

Leave a comment and let me know!

Until later remember....God has given YOU the power to create wealth! (Deut. 8:18)

Pamela S Thibodeaux

"Inspirational with an Edge!"