It's all in how you respond to STUFF

I get an email newsletter called Mikey's Funnies. 95% of the time its filled with cheesy jokes but this story was too good to not pass along.

"One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, "Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage -- frustration, anger, disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!"

Good advice. I'm still learning this life lesson myself. Let's put this practical advice to practice today.

-andy

Thankful

Ever looked back one year to see how God has worked in your life? Have you made progress in the 365 days that you are reflecting on? What are you using to measure your successes and failures? One thing I don't do often enough is to look at things through the eyes of thankfulness.

I looked back one year ago and realize that we were going through a really crazy time financially last year. Things were failing left and right in our house and we were literally trying to keep our head above water. We prayed that God would provide. Now, I will be honest with you, I wish that God would have rained down money from heaven but he didn't. What he did do was provide payment plan for our septic system. He provided a way to pay to fix our basement after it flooded and the insurance company decided not to cover it. He allowed an appliance insurance policy to cover replacing a hot water heater and fix a fridge.

Sometimes God doesn't give us the thousands to go out and purchase the biggest and the best, but he does provide just what we need to get through another day, another month or another year. He is faithful. Period.

Continuing to read through the Bible in a year

Five months into anything it's easy to just give up and go on to something else especially when it's something as tedious as reading the Bible in a year! I have been pretty good. There are days however that I've been "catching up" because I've missed a day here and there. But, today I'm caught up and rocking it!

Today I read some really cool stuff in Kings about Elisha and I read the first chapter in Acts. What a privilege it must have been to actually be one of his chosen and actually see Jesus to appear after his death. He spent forty days which seems to be a significant number in a lot of ways in the Bible to show himself and to encourage them. Then he said, adios but told them to wait! Which is what I'm going to do now because I'll continue this conversation later! Seriously read Acts 1 and mull it over and meditate upon it! There is a lot of stuff in this first chapter that will rock your socks off!

If you've stopped "eating an elephant in 2009" I want to encourage you to start again! To me its a great motivator to keep my mind bathed in the Word of God. If you've gotten out of the habit join with me and start here in May and work your way through in a year!

Just lettin everyone know that I'm back on trrack with my blog. I've got so much to share with you. God's been doing some amazing things @ Horizons!