How Do You Pay Others Back?

1 Peter 3:9 (NIV) - Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

---

by Carley Cooper

It’s a regular day in your life.  No, on second thought it’s better than regular.  You’re having a great day.  Everything is falling into place.  Your teenagers got up and got off to school without any squabbling about who gets the bathroom first.  Your spouse got off to work with a promise to be home for a nice family dinner together.  Your boss, called you in to give you praise, and a bonus, for a job well done on your last big project.  Even the weather is cooperating with a beautiful blue sky filled with sunshine all day. 

Life is Wonderful Today!

That is, until you’re on your way home from work.  You’re driving along minding your own business when some guy pulls out in front of you without looking.  He cuts you off and you miss hitting him by mere inches.  This kind of thing makes you angry.  What was he thinking?  Doesn’t he know the rules of the road?  Someone should teach him to drive so he doesn’t put others in danger!  You yell at him and shake your fist, even though he can’t hear you from inside the car.  Then again, some people might even open their window or get out and yell at the guy.  Road rage has kicked in.  You almost had the perfect day; until one person had to ruin it for you. But you told him!  You’re proud of yourself.  He won’t mess with you anymore.

Evil + Evil Does Not = Blessings

Maybe you don’t get road rage.  Maybe you react in other situations though.  How would you react in some of these situations?:

• You see a Facebook status that you don't like, is embarrassing or hurtful to you or someone you love?
• You get overcharged in a store?
• You get a telemarketing sales call?
• Someone does / says something to hurt you, or betray you or someone you love?
• Your boss asks you to work overtime when you have other plans?
• Your neighbours are playing their music too loud?
• Someone embarrasses or humiliates you in public?

I bet there’s at least one of those situations that would get your back arched up.  You would want to get back at the other person by telling yourself that you’re just defending yourself or your loved ones.  Or, maybe you wouldn’t react in public.  Maybe you would feel enraged and just imagine what you would like to do or say to that other person.

Well, guess What?!  You may be proud of yourself, but God is not proud of you in situations when you don’t respond how He wants you to.

God Wants to Give You Blessings

God can’t give us blessings if we repay evil with evil.  That’s not at all how we are to react to upsetting situations with other people.  1 Peter 3:9 says “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” 

I know what you’re thinking.  “What?  You mean God wants me to be nice to a guy who just nearly killed me?”

In a word… YES!  The correct response would have been to be nice to the man.  In situations like that we are to bless the other person.  I know you can’t imagine wishing someone blessings in a situation like that, but try it.  Even if the other driver can’t hear you, say “God please richly bless that person.” (and mean it!)  I think you will find that you feel much better afterward.  Not only that but you’ll start seeing more blessings happening in your own life. 

So next time you’re in a sticky situation with someone else, how are you going to pay them back?

Let’s Pray

Dear God ~~ Thank You merciful and loving Father for all Your blessings.  So often I react before thinking.  Thank You that Your Word teaches how I should react.  Please help me respond in a way that pleases You in every situation.  Please help me to bless others every time I interact with other people so that they will see Jesus shining through.  In Jesus name, I pray.  AMEN.

Now It’s Your Turn

Thoughts?  Questions?  Want to share your story?  Ask for prayer? Please share in the comments section.

(If you’re on the homepage, click on the post headline, & scroll down to find the comments section.)

Check out these other great options and join in the conversations...

Facebook	Twitter	YouTube

2013 Year in Review

~~ 2Timothy 1:7 (KJV) ~~ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

---

by Carley Cooper

Carley on Bitstrips!

Another year has gone by.  How was your 2013?  Was it good?  Not so great?  Did you accomplish your goals?  Make any new friends?  Did you make any great memories with your loved ones?  Did you get closer to God?

The High’s & the Low’s

For me, some things have stayed the same; I’m still single, I’m still overweight (instead of losing weight, I gained), I still don’t have a car, Jesus hasn’t returned yet, and my hair still frustrates me.  Then there were some really upsetting points; I lost my dog that was 14 years old.  I also lost 2 friends (both young men) and my uncle; all to cancer.  Those were the low points of 2013.  However, there were many things that changed in 2013; and most of them were great changes.

There’s a Facebook feature that takes the 20 biggest moments from all your posts from last year and puts them into one thread called “2013 Year in Review”.  I have to say that it was interesting to see the items on the list.  Some of them I had already forgotten about.  It makes me wonder about the items that didn’t make the list.  I also wonder how Facebook seems to be able to determine so accurately from your posts what ones are the big and important ones.  But I guess that is a discussion for another day.  It made me realize that 2013 was a very good year; at least incomparison to 2012.  In that year I had a bad 6 month Bipolar Disorder episode with a series of breakdowns, I thought I was going crazy for certain, I had lots of medication changes, and one of my best friendships ended; and that was just for starters.  

During this year that just ended my high points included:

• I was featured on SparkPeople.com as a Spark People Motivator
• An articlewas written and published about me in the HuffingtonPost Canada, Living section
• I finished my manuscript ‘Cocoa with Jesus’
• I moved into a house where I get to be close to my family all the time
• I got a new puppy (a wonderful little Shih-Tzu that I’ve called Maggie)
• My doctors and I have found a fantastic medication cocktail that has kept my Bipolar Disorder stable all year long
• I went to the most wonderful women’s weekend women’s retreat where I made some new friends and had an amazing experience getting closer to God (Plus I won a wonderful handmade quilt on a raffle ticket)
• I got to do another short public speaking engagement about my weight loss and healthy living journey (watch the video here)
• I won a contest and my prize was 16 books by Christian authors
• I went to Scarborough, Ontario and spend some way overdue quality time with my BFF
• I made a big decision that, after many years, I want to return to work because I am well enough to do that fianally (part time, to start)
• And the sprinkles on the ‘sundae’ was discovering Bitstrips!  (LOL)

Power, Love, and a Sound Mind; They’re Good Things

Unlike 2012, this past year was a pleasant year.  All these things I see as blessings from God.  I got closer to Him this year.  I’ve overcome some of my fears, and my faith has grown along with God’s peace within me.  As a result my power and love have grown, and most of all the realization that no matter what my diagnosis is I have a sound mind.  

Focus on Jesus and You Will Be Blessed

So what about you?  What were your highlights, and your lowlights?  No matter what, God is with you and He wants to get closer to you.  As you look back at your 2013, have you grown from the past years?  Did you get to be more like Jesus?  Keep your eye on Him and you will grow and be blessed.  

Let’s Pray
~~ Dear God ~~ You are so graceful, loving, and merciful that I cannot even wrap my mind around it.  So often I try to live my life without looking to You for guidance.  Thank You for never giving up on me, and for helping me to grow and be blessed from year to year.  Please help me to continue growing to become more like Jesus with each passing year.  I pray this in Jesus name, AMEN.

Now It’s Your Turn

Thoughts?  Questions?  Want to share your story?  Ask for prayer?  Please consider sharing in the comments section; even if the link you clicked to get here was on another site.  (If you’re on the homepage, click on the post headline, and scroll down to find the comments section.)

Check out these other great options and join in the conversations...
RSS Feed	Facebook	Twitter	YouTube

Collecting Rewards Options

~~ John5:8 (NIV) ~~  Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

---

by Carley Cooper 

We live in a world where we are rewarded every day for everything from shopping in the right store, to traveling, to cheating on one’s spouse.  Did you see that late night television advertisement by a business that provides the service of helping you cheat on your partner!? *Insert shaking your head in disbelief here*

Woo Hoo!  Easy Rewards Points!

Did you notice that all these programs require some sort of easy action on our parts?  Shopping ‘Dollars’, Gas Points, Air Miles; whatever the program there are free goods that come with the rewards.   Or are they... free, that is?  Don’t forget that we have to hand out our hard earned dollars to get those prizes.

Rewards are Never Free

I was at my regular Thursday night bible study when the pastor told us a story about a man he knew who prayed for God to not let him get drunk anymore.  The problem was he kept on going to the bar and drinking; because he liked it.  This man didn’t want to put in his share of the work to get the results he claimed he wanted.

Then, I read an article by my friend, and author, Brenda Wood  called Instructions from A to C, which said:

I often wonder about this verse. Jesus said to him, Get up! Pick up your bed (sleeping pad) and walk! (John 5:8, AMP) This guy just doesn’t get it! Jesus has to tell him to (a) get up, (b) pick up his bed and (c) to walk.

Let’s ask ourselves this question today. Am I waiting for direction, even when I know what I am supposed to do? In case you forgot… (a) get up, (b) pick up your bed and (c) walk.

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."--Woody Allen

God Wants to Bless You

I realized I have been doing the same thing.  I’ve wanted blessings from God without doing my part.  I want a husband, money, and other things.  I’ve gained back some of the weight I lost in the last year or so.  I want to lose weight again, and didn’t want to get back into the SparkPeople healthy living program.  I even tried Green Coffee diet pills (the latest fad)!  As I should have expected, they didn’t work.  If I want the benefits, I have to do the work!  Getting back into healthy eating and exercise is what it takes if I want to be thin and healthy.  God wants to bless us, but we have to do our part.  He gave us free will for a reason.  He can hand us blessings but we have to want to reach out and take them.  He won’t clobber you over the head and make you take His gifts.  Jesus died for our sins, but unless you decide you believe it and want the gift, it won’t do you any good.  I couldn’t help but wonder... where else in my life have I wanted to reap the rewards without putting in my share of the work?

Let’s Pray

 ~~ Dear God ~~  You are so loving and giving.  So often I forget how loving You are.  Thank You for all the blessings that You have given me, and have in store for me.  Please help me to remember that I have to do my share of the work, and reach out to You with a loving heart if I want the rewards.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

Now It’s Your Turn

Thoughts?  Questions?  Want to share your story?  Ask for prayer?  Please consider sharing in the comments section; even if the link you clicked to get here was on another site.  (If you’re on the homepage, click on the post headline, and scroll down to find the comments section.)

 

Check out these other great options and join in the conversations...
RSS Feed	Facebook	Twitter	YouTube

Can You Recognize a Blessing in Disguise?

~~ Hebrews 11:1 (NIV84) ~~  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

---

by Carley Cooper

Photo Credit:  Microsoft Office Copyright Free Images

God often talks to me through the things I read.  Today it was devotional messages in my email.  I bet you didn’t know that God has email, did you?  I got two emails this morning that spoke to me about something that’s been bothering me for a long time.  I realized that I’m stuck on this and God wants me to move on.

Uh Oh!  Now What?

Lynn Cowell, with Proverbs 31 Ministries in an article called When I Stray, talks about  how she said something that accidently made one of her friends look bad.  She stressed about it, feeling guilty.  Basically she didn’t think before she spoke and then felt terrible about it.  In the end she turned to God, and then to her friend for forgiveness.  She received it from both and her friendship was left intact.  But what about those times when we don’t get forgiveness from a friend?  What then?

Another devotional message I received was by Mary Southerland of Girlfriends in God, and was titled Doubt your Doubts.   Mary starts out talking about how we are so willing to accept man-made things even though we don’t understand them, yet we find it difficult to accept stories of miracles God tells us in His Word.  This is because of our lack of faith in Him.

God Will Help You Climb the Mountain

Mary says: 

God does not promise to remove the mountain or that we will even understand the mountain. However, God does promise to help us climb the mountain and He does promise to climb it with us. We must make the continual choice to fix our gaze on God and our glance on the circumstances. When doubt comes, reject it.

That’s when I realized that I am stuck on this situation that’s been bothering me.  You see a number of years ago in my BC (Before Christ) days, I said something to someone in an email that was meant as a joke.  However, it wasn’t received as a joke.  Not only that but this private conversation was shared with three other people.  They all took offense to what I said even though three of them were not involved.  I lost four friends.  One of them called me and gave me a nasty run down one side and up the other that left me with nightmares for months.  I’ve wanted to fix things with these people for a long time.  I think a lot about it.  I recently reached out to all of them hoping that we could move beyond the past as being more mature, and more forgiving.  I wanted them to see that I forgive them, and hoped that they forgive me.  I was rejected.

God Does Not Waste Anything

I’ve been trying to climb this mountain for a long time by myself.  These people are all what I call ‘worldly Christians’.  They claim to believe, yet they don’t live the life, read their bibles, go to church, or have a relationship with God.  Sometimes the relationships in our lives end for a reason.  I know now that I was stuck on trying to fix a situation… alone without God… when He wants me to let it go and move on.  If / when these relationships are meant to be fixed is up to Him and will be done in His timing.  God wants me to surround myself with believers who can support me and help me on my journey toward Him.  Going back into these relationships would mean surrounding myself with worldly attitudes.  Granted I hope that somewhere along the line I have planted a seed in them.  If so, it’s up to Jesus to help it to grow.  It’s out of my hands now.

I’ve been trying to hold on to relationships that God wants me to let go of.  It’s a hurdle in front of me in my path toward Jesus.  I have to let it go or I will be separated from Him.  Sometimes what seems like a bad situation is actually a blessing in disguise.  Keeping faith during the tough times is hard to do.  Letting go is hard to do.  Sometimes it’s a necessary step in order to go higher on the mountain.  We can’t reach the summit if we don’t trust God, have faith, work hard, and put up with some falling rocks along the way.

Let’s Pray

 ~~ Dear God ~~  Wonderful, graceful, Heavenly Father.  So often I try to climb the mountain by myself because I don’t have enough faith that You can help me get to the top.  Thank you that You never give up on me, or leave me stranded on the side of a mountain.  Please help me to see the blessings in every situation; and to let go of unnecessary baggage so that my journey up the mountain is much more enjoyable and filled with blessings.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

Now It’s Your Turn

Thoughts?  Questions?  Want to share your story?  Ask for prayer?  Please consider sharing in the comments section; even if the link you clicked to get here was on another site.  (If you’re on the homepage, click on the post headline, and scroll down to find the comments section.)

Check out these other great options and join in the conversations...
RSS Feed	Facebook	Twitter	YouTube

---

We’ve Changed our Second Address Too!

by Carley Cooper

 

Tin Roof Sundae has updated our URL - the address you type into your address bar to get here.  It is now:

www.TinRoofSundaeBlog.com

For those who have not subscribed to it yet; just like the ice cream, Tin Roof Sundae is about ‘Bits & Bites of Fun & Curious Stuff’.  I try to keep it light hearted and talk about fun things with a sense of humor.  

Here are some of my popular TRS posts (Click the title to read the post):

• This 'n That (Stuff about me that you always wanted to know!)
• Books I Want to Write (I'll bet this list will surprise you!)
• 20 Lesson’s I Learned in Life (The good, bad, & the ugly!)

Please update your bookmarks & share with your friends.  Blessings to you all, and thank you for the wonderful feedback and support.

~~Carley

Thoughts?  Questions?  Want to share your story?  Ask for prayer? 
Please share in the comments section.
(If you’re on the homepage, click on the post headline, 

& scroll down to find the comments section.)

Enter your email address to get Tin Roof Sundae posts in your Inbox

Delivered by FeedBurner

To prove you are not a robot or spammer you will receive a confirmation email. Click the link provided.

---

We've Updated Our Address

Worshipers:

Worship Melodies has updated our URL - the address you type into your address bar to get here.  It is now:

www.WorshipMelodies.com

Please update your bookmarks & share with your friends.  Also, check us out on these great options as well.

Blessings to you all, and thank you for the wonderful feedback and support.

~~Carley

Enter your email address to get Worship Melodies posts in your Inbox:     Delivered by FeedBurner To prove you are not a robot or spammer you will receive a confirmation email. Click the link provided. . Check out these other great options or join in the conversations...
RSS Feed	Facebook	Twitter	YouTube

---

Learn to Let the Stars Lead

~~ Isaiah 40:26 (NIV84) ~~  Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

---

by Carley Cooper

Photo by Carley Cooper.  All Rights Reserved.

Since my last post Learn to Read Your Stars, have you looked up?  Did you find any hidden blessings in the midst of your dark times?  Finding the bright points is often like looking for the smallest star in the sky.  Sometimes when you can’t see the stars in your night sky it’s because it’s overcast; the sky is hidden from us.  Other times we are just not looking hard enough, even on a clear night.  Yet, other occasions it’s because the enemy is distracting us.  Look a little harder, up a little higher; I assure you, the lights are there. 

Look, at Those Stars Twinkle!

God even gives us some patterns within the stars.  Did you know that?  There’s the Big Dipper, the Small Dipper, planets to be seen, and thousands of other fascinating consolations and tidbits.  Other than those few things I don’t know many other details about the starts because I’m not an astronomer.  In my family, that would be my Dad.  He has a telescope that’s bigger than me. 

There’s a lot we can learn from that great expanse we call the sky.  God is a God of order.  Everything in this world, and out; has detail, pattern, and a reason.  It’s one of the ways that He reveals Himself to us.  We can only see the star at night, in the darkness; just like we can only learn our greatest lessons by going through struggles.  Without the pain, we would not have any comparison to know what is good. 

God Will Clear the Sky

I’ve been asking God for months to give me  a break.  I needed a vacation, time off, space between me and my problems.  The noise it is creating has been blocking God’s voice from my heart, and I don’t like that feeling.  Among other things, I’ve asked Him to show me how to prioritize better; gain some time management skills.  There was always something standing in my way; a reason why I couldn’t accomplish these things myself, now without His help. 

Last week, I got a call from a friend I haven’t seen in a long time.  She was going on vacation to her trailer at nearby ToJo’s Christian Campground.  I know the place well, as do most Christians in Simcoe County and beyond.  My parents have a trailer there, and it’s where I first met my friend years ago.  She wanted some company on her time off.   Suddenly my schedule was clear.  Things that was normally on my agenda were not this week.  I decided that I would go with her and stay at my parents trailer, so I could have some quiet time alone with God, and still be close by to socialize with my friend and others in the park.  I asked God to help me hear His voice again, and to give me answers to the things I struggle with.        

God Will Show You the Leading Star

Many have said that as they drive through ToJo’s gates they can feel peace lay upon them like it is a warm blanket on a cold night.  “There’s something different about this place once you cross the gate boundary.  You can just feel it here”, they’ve said.  I agree.  I was  here less than two days and I could see my sky clearing.  I am able to feel the calm fill me.  The noise is lessening.  His voice is slowly becoming clear again. 

Without going into long-winded details, I can tell you that in such a short time, He has shown me that one of the biggest distractions in prioritizing my time is the internet.  I spend time online like the average family watches TV.  I’m not a big telly watcher in the past ten years.  It seems I’ve replaced with the internet.  I spend too much time answering and reading emails, on social networking sites, and trying to keep other people happy before God or myself.  He’s also reassured me, again; that Happy Endings do indeed happen.  My concerns about relationship, career, health, church family; are all in His hands.  He loves me.  I love Him.  He has blessings in store for me, which will go into effect according to His schedule; not mine.

Granted all is not completely silent here, but the distractions are not leading me away from God.  The distractions here remind me of Him.  I can hear children laughing and playing just up the narrow park-road in the manmade pond, others at the other end of the park in the pool.  There’s a couple of dogs barking, that remind me of the happy memories of my own babies.  There’s a couple of chipmunks that never seem to run out of energy.  They’re pretty brave at times, and come close to me.  As I try concentrating on my writing, I’m forced to keep stopping for photo opps; because Blue-jays and Chickadee’s are landing in the trees around me and in my Mother’s nearby bird bath.  My own little Chicklet is loving some, very rare, outdoor time as I set his cage on the patio table next to me.  It’s wonderful to see him react to the sounds he hears.  Then there’s the sounds of my Mom’s wind chimes.  There must be a dozen.  Dings, dongs, cling, clang, and even clicks from one made of bamboo.  Oh yea, and the other blessing is that I get to sit outside in the wonderful sunshine with my computer and do what I love most; write!

What Stars are You Following?

Whatever it is that you are going through right now, God wants you to look up to Him.  He wants you to see the stars in your dark sky.  They are beautiful blessings that He has in store for you.  Look to Jesus, the  brightest Leading Star.  He is waiting to twinkle the night lights in a show that will  bless you and leave you in awe. 

Let’s Pray

 ~~ Dear God ~~  Thank You for blessing me with every single night time.  Without it, I would never know the beauty of the stars .  One of my favorite things to do is lay on the grass at night time looking up at the stars.  I can’t help but feel the extreme magnitude of space, which helps me feel like I have some concept of how big and how amazing You really are.  Your works are fascinating.  Every star is perfectly positioned, named, and counted.  I love the feeling of knowing that as big as the universe is, You love me.  I have a place, a position, and a purpose in Your great plan.  Thank You for that Lord.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

Worship Melodies Photo Sharing

Check out our Facebook photo albums on Worship Melodies Facebook Page.  ‘Like’ us, and click on the album ‘Vacation at ToJo’s – Summer 2012’. 

Now It’s Your Turn

Thoughts?  Questions?  Want to share your story?  Ask for prayer?  Please consider sharing in the comments section.  (If you’re on the homepage, click on the post headline, and scroll down to find the comments section.) 

Enter your email address to get Worship Melodies posts in your Inbox:

Delivered by FeedBurner To prove you are not a robot or spammer you will receive a confirmation email. Click the link provided. . Check out these other great options too!
RSS Feed	Facebook	Twitter	YouTube

---

Great Writers Series: Start Ugly

~~ Isaiah 64:8 (NIV84) ~~  Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

---

by Carley Cooper

It’s day seven of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.  Just to recap for those new to this series, so far the habits we’ve talked about are: Declare, Believe, Initiate, Practice, Prepare and Steal.

Jeff Goins tells us that the next habit of great writers is to ‘Start Ugly’.  When I first read about this next habit and the assignment of ‘making it ugly first’, I had to laugh because my first thought was “Well it’s about time; a habit that I’m already very well skilled at!  What’s the next one?”  Jeff says “All creation comes from chaos.  All works of art begin as splotches of paint on a canvas.  It’s never beautiful at first.  Before your work can reach its potential, it will first have to be bad.” 

Everything I’ve ever written starts out ugly.  If that’s the sign of a great writer, I’m off to a good start.  Each time I get a first draft done and think to myself “This one is sooooo very much a lost cause.  Toss this one into the waste paper basket now.  Let it die a quiet and peaceful death.  Don’t let it suffer by keeping it alive.”  But, each time I have to follow my stubborn instincts and keep trying to improve on it.  The idea of quitting is a thought that just makes me crazy.  It’s like a beast that I have to conquer just so I can say “Ha.  I knew I could do it.  I told you so!”  By the time a work is finished; it turns out to be a creation that I didn’t know I had in me to write.  Many times when I am done it is a whole different creature than what I had started out to construct.  I always pray and ask God to lead me in my writing; to use me to write a great message that can touch others and bless them.  Each time, I complete a work and I see how it turned out; how well the thought process flows, and the logic behind it my first thought always is “Wow, this is incredible Lord.  I wish I would have thought of it.  I could have written something like this myself.”  But wait!  I just did.  And, I guess that’s the point of starting out ugly.  When the final polish is applied, the end product is exciting; and accomplishment is something to be proud of.   

Quite often, when I am in a depression episode, I have gone back to read things I have written in the past.  Reading the feedback that I received helps to inspire me; to remind me of how God is using me to bless others.  This, in turn, blesses me.  I have often forgotten lesson’s that I’ve learned and written about.  As I reread journals, stories, and blogs I wrote I am reminded of the lessons I was taught with them at the time.  I get re-motivated by my own work.  It’s as though I’m seeing it for the first time, again.  Again, I am reminded how much God loves me.  He never gives up on me, even though He has plenty of just cause to do that if He should choose to.  Each time that He uses my own words to remind me of the lesson learned, there is just a little more of an improvement than there was the first time around.  He guides me to make a work that can help others, and then uses it to help me too.  He helps me write pieces that start out as something ugly.  With each series of revisions it is being molded to be something more beautiful... just as He is doing with my heart and my life.  Slowly I’m becoming the person He wants me to be; beautiful just like Jesus.

---

~~ Dear God ~~  Thank You for each revision that You make in my life, and in my work.  I started out ugly, but slowly I am becoming a beautiful work of art.  Please use me to bless others, and to show Your glory always.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

---