Expect Favor

Recently hubby and I were blessed to hear inspirational speaker Dr. Dave Martin at our church. With thought-provoking concepts and belly laugh humor, he preached an entire sermon focused on one verse using the acronym DARE.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! (Eph 3:20 The Message)

Hang with me. I promise not to summarize the entire sermon or go into all of the letters, just E.

EXPECT favor. 

As in...expect favor from God, the Creator of the entire world. Who filled it with a sun that lights our days and warms our backs, and makes it rise and set without us ever having to lift a finger. He created seas that roar, rivers that trickle, and mountains that surge to the heavens. He crafted man from dust and woman from man and gifts us with precious little souls with miniature toes and fingers who grow to look just like us. He’s amazing, right? He’s able to do infinitely more than we can ever imagine, but --

Do we really expect Him to?

Martin’s philosophy is that when we recognize and celebrate His involvement with the little things, we'll begin to see an increase in the bigger things. Cool, huh? 

Pumped up with a renewed attitude, we headed straight to our favorite lunch place (translation: my fave). 

Doesn't the space look festive and neighborish? :) My go-to dish is a chicken salad loaded with bacon and pecans and topped with a crisp apple cider vinaigrette...is it lunchtime yet? No? Bummer. lol. When the temperatures plummet, their Chili Nachos tempt me to veer from my usual, but on this particular day, the special was Chicken Mac and Cheese. Oohlala! What to do....what to do??

Hubby came up with the perfect solution. Why not order both the Nachos and the Mac and Cheese and we'd split everything? What a win! When I thanked hubby for suggesting this and God for granting me favor, this sparked a lively discussion on what favor really meant. How about weighing in? Maybe you can help settle the matter. :)

Does favor mean something that's given to us or an unexpected blessing in any form? What's your opinion? Do you live every day expecting favor?

20 Ways to Get Your HAPPY back ~ Part 3

Last week we discussed long term solutions to finding your HAPPY. Today we'll be talking about short term ideas.

Remember...

HAPPY involves a choice, a daily decision, on my part.

Here's a list of short-term temporary activities sure to help. 

Walk around a park or take up gardening. Admire the scenery. God created it for us to enjoy.

Soak in a bubble bath. Make yourself stay there until your body relaxes even if that means adding more hot water. Make sure you have your favorite beverage and a great book handy.

Sit on a bench in front of a lake and watch the ducks frolic.

Swing. When was the last time you pumped a swing high in the air, letting the breeze ruffle across your face? Do you have a porch swing? That works, too.

Visit a friend in the hospital. If you don't know anybody in the hospital, go anyway and sit in the cafeteria. You'll find someone to talk to.

Offer a smile to someone who looks like they need it more than you.

Visit your local humane society. Pet a dog or cuddle with a kitty. Even if you don't bring one of those furry friends home with you, they're sure to spark a smile.

Bake some goodies and then take them to your local fire department.

Take your kids to visit the zoo. If you don't have any children, grab the neighbor kids. Animal antics are sure to produce a smile.

Call a friend you haven't spoken with in ages.

Meet a friend for coffee or lunch. Or just go by yourself and splurge.
Vacuum. Yeah. I know. This one sounds a lot like work, but don't you love the way your house sparkles after you're finished?

Iron. The mindless repetition is therapeutic.

Go horseback riding. Another way to feel the breeze ruffle your cheeks. Warning: this activity is physically strenuous and may cause soreness, but it's so much fun!

Join an exercise class.

Buy a bird feeder and watch who comes to dinner. Listen to their melodies.

Sink into a recliner and listen to worship music.

Offer to babysit for a single mother.

Drive until you don't see any houses. Enjoy the scenery.

Pray. Pray. And pray some more.

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:22 (NIV)

What would you add to this list? I'd love to hear your ideas.