Devotion: Better Than It Was

Better than It Was

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  

- Colossians3:23-24 (ESV) 

Today I listened to a recording on NewLife.com about procrastination. The two counselors giving advice had a good deal to say about perfectionism and the phrases and attitudes our parents had. My dad's favorite saying was, "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all." While his heart was in the right place and he meant that you need to do things properly, for me, it meant that if I didn't have time to do a task perfectly, I just needed to put it off.  And as life always has a way of getting in the way, I never could find the time to do many of the things I longed to. My ‘to do’ list got longer and longer and more and more overwhelming.

Dr. Milan Yerkovich talked about his own perfectionism and how his wife’s attitude freed him. I love Kay Yerkovich's saying and will adopt it from now on:  "It's better than it was." If I can't clean the entire house and instead, only get to one room, well, it's better than it was. If I can't write the entire devotional that I long to, as long as I can get a few words written, my book is better than it was. If I'm unable to read ten chapters in the Bible and pray for an hour a day, but have time to read a few key verses and pray with a sincere heart, then my soul will have been fed and you know what? I’m better off spiritually than I was.

Yes, in my advancing years, I’m adopting a new, less perfectionistic, and less stifling motto. I won’t be a slacker – I'll always offer my best, but my best will be all that I can do at the time with God’s help.

The Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 1:31b). I have many goals, but I’ll never accomplish anything if I wait for the perfect time and place. The key word for me is ‘Do!’ – not wait. Let’s get busy working for God’s glory.

Now where did I put that list? 

Review Moment: Cook'n Recipe Management System

In February 2012, I posted a review of Cook'n, a Recipe Management System. My original review can be found here: http://reviewsbydonnashepherd.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-of-cookn-recipe-organizer.html

Cook'n has been the #1 recipe software program for more than 20 years, and the best way to organize your recipes. I liked the program very much, but now - a new version has been released with even more features. Are you on Pinterest? I have entire Pinterest pages devoted to recipes. I'm excited that Cook'n can even sync Pinterest recipes. Yes! 

Watch  the video for more information and visit the website for more videos and to purchase: http://www.dvo.com/. You can like Cook'n on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/Recipe.Organizer

Interview Moment: Authors' Garden

Post by Donna J. Shepherd, Writer, Speaker, Singer.

Joyful Moment - One Lovely Blog Award

I received the One Lovely Blog Award. 

Here are the rules for accepting this award: 

• Thank the person who nominated you for the award. 

Thank you, April Boyer, for blessing me today. 

• Add the One Lovely Blog logo to your post. 

 • Share 7 things about yourself.

 • Nominate up to 15 bloggers you admire and inform the nominees by commenting on their blog. 

7 things people might not know about me: 

1. I used to live across the street from a Native American Mound. 

2. I first sung in front of the church at the age of 9. 

3. I have at the very least six books started at any given time. 

4. I love to cook. I don't like to clean up. 

5. I have become a Bird Nerd and have multiple feeders and camera ready.  

6. I went to the top of the St. Louis Arch.  

7. I usually have over a dozen Christmas trees in my house.  

Now to nominate other bloggers deserving of this award. All of these are truly lovely and worth discovering. 

• http://djsthoughts-dj.blogspot.com/2014/11/aaaawhow-nice.html (Diana Jenkins - DJ's Thoughts) 

• http://kit-grady.blogspot.com/ (Kit Grady Creations) 

• http://aheart4heaven.blogspot.com/ (Elaine Bridge - A Heart 4 Heaven)

There were many more I could have nominated, but I'm sure the love will spread from here. Congratulations, fellow blogging friends. Pass on the blessing. 

Writers' Moment: "Writing on Purpose"

My devotion "Writing on Purpose" is featured this week on @RobinLBayne blog "Between Sundays." I hope you are blessed. 

Between Sundays: Week Fifty-Seven: Donna Shepherd: Writing On Purpose  

Post by Donna J. Shepherd, Writer, Speaker, Singer.

Fun Moment - Quadruplet Babies Laughing

If this doesn't bring joy to your heart, I don't know what would. These babies are precious.

 

Devotion: Which Path Have You Chosen?

Verse of the Day: Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. - Matthew 7:13-14 ESV

Have you ever been waiting in line to check out at some place like Sam's Club and a new register opens? Whoosh! The people in the other lines flock to the new one hoping to get checked out faster. After a few seconds, most disperse and end up at the back of the lines they were in originally. I've done it myself -- and oh, is it exasperating! 

It's easy to follow the crowd, isn't it? We've all done it. Have you ever done something really goofy just because some of your friends coaxed you into it? Again - I've done it myself. 

When it comes to standing strong in your walk with Jesus, sometimes you have to go against the grain, stand out against the crowd, and dare to be different. If the gate to destruction is wide, then that would be the easier path. Our natural tendency is to take the easy way, but Jesus never said it would be easy. He said, "Remember the word that I said to you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20). 

I don't want to be led down a path of destruction and I'm sure you don't either. I'm always struck by the fact that the Jesus said that those who find their way to heaven will be few. I want to be a part of that number, don't you? 

Prayer: Lord, I call on You for strength as I journey down this road of life. Thank you for that narrow path that lead to life everlasting. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen. 

Devotion: Let's Go to Church!

Verse of the Day: Hebrews 13:15 - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.

How about this for a change? Instead of thinking, "Oh, man, I SHOULD go to church today..." why not flip that around to "I GET to go to church today!" It's a privilege and a blessing to get to be with like-minded believers, worship God. get re-charged, and come away REVIVED.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that I can worship You any place, any time, but today, I make the choice to be with brothers and sisters to praise You as a member of the Body of Christ. Bless this day and Your Church. We honor You. In Jesus' precious, sweet, holy Name I pray. Amen. 

Inspiring Moment: More Jesus, Less Me

Fun Moment

Scripture Moment: Be Your Best

My quote for you today: 

"Never accept acceptable. Strive for superb!" - Donna J. Shepherd

Colossians 3:23-24 -Today's New International Version (TNIV) -^"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Just for Fun - This is Einstein!

Today's post might be fun to share with the kids - or kids at heart, like me!

My Tips for Writers Using Pinterest

What is Pinterest? Here's the official definition from Pinterest:

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

Here are my top ten tips for writers in particular, although many will apply to anyone learning to use Pinterest.

1. Post your favorite books on your personal Pinterest page by adding images
of all the books you love in your life.

You will probably want to have one board devoted to your books. That's fine, but be sure to have other boards devoted to books and authors you like and different topics that interest you. Avoid giving the impression that your Pinterest profile is being used solely to promote yourself. Be sure to follow the site's rule: "Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you're proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion."

2. Find other writers on Pinterest and follow their examples. Use a board for characters, clothing, research, and scenes.

3. Someone said a Pinterest board is like your high school locker (remember those?) as it is a way to show your readers what interests and inspires you as well as what you're working on right now. 

4. Look for book recommendations or comment on other boards in the Film, Music & Books section.

5. Share writing tools, stationery, journals, books and writing-related items in the "Gifts" section.

6. Use #hashtags and keywords. Much like on Twitter, tagging your pins with trending hashtags or keywords will help you find new followers. Searching for other pins and boards using hashtags will also help you find similar brands on Pinterest to follow.

7. Add the Pinterest bookmarklet to your browser's bookmarks bar. This is a time-saver, because it allows you to easily pin things you find while browsing without going to the Pinterest website first. To get it, visit the Pinterest "Goodies" page and drag the "Pin It" button to your browser toolbar. Now, when you see something you want to pin, click the bookmarklet and you'll be prompted to create a new pin. Be sure to scroll to the correct board for each pin.

Another vital tip from Pinterest - "If you notice that a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Google Image Search or a blog entry."

8. This tip has saved me a lot of time. If you're pinning an image from a website using the Pinterest bookmarklet, you can highlight some of the text on that page before you hit "Pin It" and the text will automatically show up in the description box. Still edit and add hashtags.

9. You can also tag other Pinterest users by using the @ symbol with their Pinterest user name. You have to be following at least one of their boards. That user will see the pin, and it will link to their Pinterest profile. Use this tip to help promote each other on Pinterest.

10. And finally, follow me! I'm at http://pinterest.com/donnashepherd. My boards are a hodgepodge of recipes, crafts, interesting and funny pictures (Bonus tip - funny pins gets re-pinned more often!), and of course, a couple are dedicated to my books. I have links to wonderful inspirational and Bible quotes, too. I hope you'll check them out.