Gratitude

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought I would share a wonderful devotional series from Joyce Meyer ~ The Power Of Being Thankful.
To recognize on a daily basis all the amazing things God has blessed me with it by thanking Him, I see and feel how His love for me is always present!

The Best Way to Begin in Prayer
No matter what we pray for, thanksgiving can always go with it. A good habit to develop is starting all of our prayers with thanksgiving. An example of this would be: “Thank You, Father, for all You have done in my life; You are awesome and I really love and appreciate You.”
I encourage you to examine your life, to pay attention to your thoughts and your words, and to see how much thanksgiving you express. Do you murmur and complain about things or are you thankful?
If you want a challenge, just try to get through an entire day without uttering one word of complaint. Develop an attitude of thanksgiving in every situation. In fact, just become outrageously thankful—and watch as your intimacy with God increases and He pours out greater blessings than ever before.
Prayer of Thanks: Thank You, Father, for the way You guide me in prayer. Help me to come to You in thanksgiving before I do anything else. Let gratitude be the foundation of my prayer life. I make the decision today to put aside complaining, being thankful in prayer instead.
1 Chronicles 23:30 And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even;

Balanced Body Bands...Teaching Children a Balance in Life With Faith, Food and Fitness

Have you ever had a thought that you have dreamed about, then experience it come to life before you?  I have seen, heard and experienced for myself the life of a busy mom.  How can we be healthy with our crazy busy lifestyles, then to be examples for our children?

Well, I am NOT perfect!  You can still find me having ice cream, treats and other food/drinks that are considered "not healthy".  As I see it this is how my life flows, however for more times than not I am making "healthier" choices.  This lifestyle has now made me an example to my children how good your body feels when you are making those healthy choices in a balanced way.

This has been a project in the works for a couple of years.  I am passionate about helping others on their health journey with my focus on young adults to adults in age.  Now I'm expanding my mission or "Mommies Mission, LLC" to help all ages including children.  My partner in this project, Tammy Olson, has been a true blessing! We look forward to the launch of this very soon.  Here is a little synopsis and cover of the book...“Alex Chan and His Balanced Body Bands” is meant to be read to your children with the hope that they too will want to be like Alex and wear the bands on their wrists.  The book teaches children about the bands representing faith, food, and fitness.  While you read the book with your children, teach them how the bands work.  The story will help you do so!

I will keep you posted on its launch as well as an app that will be coming soon!
Holy hugs
~Deb Gray

Daily Challenges

We all have daily challenges that we face.  Some are "good" and some "not so good"...for me I have to remind myself that I am never alone with these challenges.  There are days I get so overwhelmed with thinking, planning and worrying for what is ahead, when in reality all I need to do is slow down and live in the moment...one day at a time....

Below is a Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life ~ daily devotional
Take Challenges One Day at a Time

"I strongly urge you to face your challenges one day at a time. Looking too far down the road only tends to overwhelm us. Trusting God requires that we believe He gives us our 'daily bread'; that is, we receive what we need as we need it and usually not before.

Sometimes challenges can seem impossible and overwhelming, but God is always with us. We just need to be courageous and receive the strength He gives us. Without thinking too far in advance, we can set our minds to quickly and efficiently do the task before us today.

This principle applies to many other areas of life, getting out of debt, cleaning and organizing your house, solving marriage problems, disciplining your children, being on time for work or completing a project. Whatever you need to do in life, you can do it.

Remember, Philippians 4:13 says you are ready for anything and equal to anything because God gives you strength. Nothing is too much for you when He is on your side.

Prayer Starter: God, even when the challenges before me seem impossible, I know that I can tackle them one day at a time because You are with me. I receive Your strength today."

Achieving Balance With Your Resolutions

If you are like most people, you set New Year’s resolutions. These may include personal, finance and fitness goals. I want you to approach this year’s resolutions by following your ABC’s: Attitude, Believing and Consistency. Creating a balanced list will help you set and stick to your lifestyle/ health goals. Your attitude can either be positive 
or negative. In turn, your attitude affects your emotional response, behavior and cognition.  
Start on the right track....have a positive attitude about the process and this leads to believing. When you really believe something can be done, your mind finds ways to do it. And this leads you to be consistent with the process. When you are consistent, your end result and goals are achieved. If your ABC’s are in balance, I guarantee you will succeed in achieving your resolutions. 

Happy New Year!!!