Jeremiah 29:13   You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

It started years ago when I was in college and I went ” treasure hunting” with my childhood best friend and her husband.  I found myself in the basement of an old church set deep in the woods of a tiny town in Maryland.  My friends loved to go to antique sales.  I took them because I thought they would enjoy the day, never really thinking it was my ” cup of tea”.  Then tucked away in the back corner of the old choir room ,I spotted a beautiful teacup and saucer that just happened to match the very set my grandma had in her home.  My heart started to flutter as I picked up my new found treasure.  I was hooked.  Over the years I have come to love the treasure hunt.  Wherever I travel, I love to look in antique shops.  It is so much fun to find a beautiful treasure tucked in amongst the “junk”.  Now when I look around my house, I see fun things I have bought over the years and it reminds me of great times spent with my family and friends as we patiently walk the stores looking for just the perfect little trinket.  Just last week my sister and I set out on such a treasure hunt.  I was reminded once again how fun it is to seek and find a little treasure.  My husband will now tease me and ask ” What are we the proud owners of today?”

As fun as the treasure hunts have been over the years, nothing compares to the treasure I have found by knowing the Lord.  Our real treasure is not found hidden on a shelf or in the basement of an antique store.  Our treasure is found in seeking God with all our hearts. In pursuing our relationship with our heavenly Father, we are seeking Him – the Almighty.  Reading through the Bible  has always been the best treasure hunt for me.  I am amazed at all the verses that have spoken to my heart over the years.  Each time you open the pages of your Bible, I would encourage you to look for those hidden treasures.  What is God trying to tell you through His word.  As a young girl, I started looking up words in the dictionary/concordance of my Bible and I would read about what God had to say about love, about truth and life.  Dig deep into God’s word and find the treasure that awaits.  His promise found in the book of Jeremiah is a wonderful treasure…….

Jeremiah 29:13   You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.   Start seeking ladies, a vast treasure awaits.

Blessings !

Sherri

The x-factor.  It is all the rage in the reality TV world of our day.  Do you have it?  Do you know someone who does?  What is it?

The x-factor has been described as an unknown but vital quality that sets one apart from others.  A certain undefinable yet undeniable quality that someone has “it”.  Also known as a magnetic personality.  The popular TV shows , American Idol and the X-factor shows portray this well. You watch several contestants all with very similar quality singing voices yet you are drawn to watching and listening to certain people because they exude that  “x” quality.

If you are a Christian you have the best “x-factor” of all – you have Christ.  I encourage you today to be that person that others look to because you have something that perhaps they don’t.  Your personal relationship with Jesus allows you to have a magnetic personality that will draw others to Him.

I know, some of you are saying, ” Really Sherri, have you seen me lately”.  You can’t sing, you don’t see yourself as beautiful, charismatic, or maybe even above average.  See we always get stuck in the “Hollywood mode” of comparing our self worth with the things that don’t really matter.  A person with a truly magnetic personality isn’t necessarily the most beautiful, talented or funniest person in the room.  It is the person who is best at making everyone they come in contact with feel validated and empowered to be the best they can be.  It is the selfless interest in others that makes them attractive – Why?  Because they see Jesus in you !  You point others to Him not yourself.  Living a life for Christ and pointing others to Him requires you to use your God-given “x-factor” each and everyday.  You want people to say there is something different about her. What is it?

Be bold, use your “x-factor” for Him today !

Be Blessed –

Sherri

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps   Proverbs 16:9

I often feel sorry for the Barista at my local coffee shop,  Why?  The good mood/bad mood syndrome.

I was ordering my favorite coffee drink the other day and the young girl who usually waits on me was looking quite sad.  When I asked her how she was doing she said ” I would be doing better if everyone wasn’t in such a bad mood today”.  She proceeded to tell me about the lady who yelled at her because there was too much foam on her latte, the man who spilled his drink and came back in to yell at them for not securing the lid properly , the lady who was disgusted that they had sold out of her favorite coffee cake.  She then said ” Why do I let their bad moods get me in a bad mood?”  ” Yesterday everyone was happy and I had such a good day.” Good question.  Why do we let others affect our mood so greatly?

A bad mood is contagious but a good mood can be too.  It really is our choice.  So much of what affects our moods is not in our control, which only adds to our moodiness because no one likes being out of control.  Yet when we allow our moods to take over everything seems to fall apart.  It is important to pinpoint the cause of our nasty mood.  Are we sick? hungry? tired? frustrated? sad?  Are other people’s actions contributing to our bad mood?  Pin it down and then move on.  Keep in mind, we can’t usually change others but we can change how we react to them, and we can choose whether we are going to let them get us down.

A dear friend told me one time when I was facing a challenging time in my life that really our mood was all about choosing a perspective.  Our earthly perspective or God’s perspective.  Ultimately, He is the only one who can make a difference in our mood. I would encourage you to find positive people to be around and challenge you to be that positive person.

There is nothing wrong with a pity party now and then but life is too short and party decorations are expensive – choose the good mood – and oh yeah… be nice to your Barista !

Blessings to you –

Sherri

Hello, Are you there?  I hate to admit it, but that is what my daughter asked me last week as she was trying to tell me about the craft she wanted to purchase at the craft store ,all the while I was lost in my own little ” to do list” in my mind.  Her tugging on my sweater  snapped me back into the reality that I had not heard a word she had just said.  I quickly apologized, looked her in the eye and this time listened to the creative project she enthusiastically was explaining to me.  We purchased the materials and I added a candy at the check out line to help with the guilt.

Too often we listen with our mind preoccupied.  Have you ever talked to your husband and the whole time he is talking you are figuring out your response?  Not really active listening, right?  The act of being present in conversation is a skill that is dying all around us.  We see it all the time as kids are engaged with their electronics, adults sometimes even worse ( remember the lady who walked into the fountain at the mall as she was texting and walking).  Who is your favorite person to meet and have coffee with?  The friend who looks you in the eye and listens and conversation goes back and forth and before you know it several hours have passed, or would you rather meet a friend who is preoccupied with texting and answering her cell  phone every time it rings.  I prefer the caring and engaged friend.  I know my husband, kids, family, and friends prefer that too.

Each of us needs a forum where we can express without censor ,our dreams, our fears, and our fun crazy ideas.  We need people in our lives who will listen to our rants, to our silly jokes, and who will make us feel that what we have to say has value.  One thing I look forward to every week is my Thursday afternoon phone call from my Dad.  We started this tradition years ago when I moved to Indiana for a short time.  It was our way to stay connected and for me to share with him what all the grandkids were doing.  My Dad still calls every Thursday without fail even from far away places when he and my Mom are traveling.  I know every Thursday that no matter what kind of day I have had,  I can share that with my Dad. He will listen and then most times he will share a very corny joke.  Communication at its best !

As I mentioned earlier, too often we listen with our mind preoccupied with our own response.  But when communication – the real connection – takes place, it is wonderful.  I encourage you this week to really communicate with the people in your life.  Be engaged.  Most of all, communicate with your Heavenly Father, He always listens !

Colossians 4:6   Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.   NIV

Have you ever received a thank you note from someone and it made you want to write them a thank you for blessing you with their kind words?  I know that sounds silly but that is how I felt a few days ago when I received a thank you from a dear friend.

This note I received was to thank me for a birthday present I had given her.  The gift I gave was quite modest and we had gone out to dinner with a group of girlfriends so she also was thanking me for taking time out of my busy life to spend with her.  Her words of affirmation and gratitude warmed my heart and prompted me to write another friend a note thanking her for something she had done to help out my family.  It is that pay it forward theory and it really does work because my friend to whom I wrote the note called me and said it made her day to receive something in the mail that wasn’t a bill, something that was uplifting.  She used the words ” it warmed my heart”

That is the beauty of a thankful heart, it makes others feel thankful as well.  My encouragement to you today is to think of someone that you can write a note to.  Thank them for a gift, a kind deed, or maybe just thank them for being someone special in your life.

Teach your children the joy of a thankful heart and encourage them to write thank you notes too.

Blessings to you !

Sherri