What’s New with The Blog by Matthew Baker

A Creative Writer at Heart

And more to come soon...

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Date: 09/20/25 - Multiple sections improved

Date: 06/29/18 - All sections edited

Date: 06/18/18 - What inspires creativity in you? Finding inspiration

Date: 05/27/18 - Which charities will you choose? How to choose your charity

Date: 04/28/18 - My favorite prayer from Romans

Date: 04/28/18 - A written prayer

Date: 04/28/18 - A poem/prayer of gratitude

Date: 03/22/18 - "A Moment in Time" A tribute to my father

Date: 03/17/18 - The Old Testament (the short version)

Date: 03/14/18 - A mnemonic device to remember the order of the books from the Old and New Testament

Date: 03/14/18 - A favorite psalm. Psalm 23

Date: 02/26/18 - Communications Tips

 Date: 02/26/18 -  Super-foods (and their benefits)

Date: 02/26/18 - A short thankful prayer

Date: 02/24/18 - Bible verses for memorization

Date: 02/23/18 - Just for fun my to-do list (my first post)

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Date: 06/18/18 -

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What inspires creativity in you…

Are you inspired? Whether it's music, movies, a beautiful person that just passed you on the street, a girlfriend, boyfriend or significant other, or God there are many places that you can find inspiration. Inspiration improves creativity and gives you a direction; a purpose. And it's something many of us need in our lives. Where will you find your inspiration?

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It's just how I feel right now! Thanks for reading.

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Date: 05/27/18 -

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Which charity will you choose? I hope this educates you on your charity options and helps show you the resources that are available for finding the perfect charity for you. Enjoy!

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Fisher House Foundation received the highest scores among veteran's charities from The American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator and was ranked number one for veteran's charities by CNBC. Fisher House Foundation gives housing to veterans while their families are receiving medical treatment. It's around this time of year that people start wondering what they can do to give back to our veterans and Fisher House Foundation is an excellent choice for a charity.

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Toys for Tots because, bringing joy to these kids early in life when their family is financially unable to provide them is amazing. Bringing a smile to these kids faces and teaching them the joys of Christmas is a wonderful way to give back. Many of you may have a few unused toys that could be donated to Toys for Tots right now! It can make all the difference in the lives of these kids.

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Alzheimer's Association is the most popular charity for Alzheimer's disease. Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation, is another highly rated charity that received four stars from Charity Navigator and was given a rank of 98/100. Alzheimer's disease affects one in ten people above the age of 65 and above the age of 85, it affects one in three people. Alzheimer's disease has the highest cost of health care for diseases in the United States.

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The Salvation Army provides rehabilitation services for people who are in need of help with an addiction. The Salvation Army is one of the highest rated charities for how much of your donation money actually goes to the charitable cause. The Salvation Army accepts a variety of donations like furniture, clothing, automobiles, appliances, and household goods.

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American Heart Association is a four star rated charity that focuses on reducing the number of deaths caused by heart disease and stroke. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. With one in four people passing away due to heart disease in the United States. This is an excellent choice for a charity.

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Breast Cancer Research Foundation received excellent marks for a charity for breast cancer research. Living Beyond Breast Cancer works to help those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer instead of contributing money towards treatment or a cure. One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

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Homeless charities vary greatly. If you are interested in donating to a homeless charity, many people prefer to donate to a local chapter. For example, in the San Diego area, Feeding San Diego is the most popular charity for donating to the homeless. Homeless numbers have been rising through the years and your support helps the very people who need your help financially the most. This allows the homeless access to better meals improving their health, well being, and allows them to receive a better health care.

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The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation received a 100/100 by Charity Navigator and focuses on finding new treatments for cancer, especially in children. The Cancer Research Institute is a highly rated charity also and focuses on improvements in Immunotherapy. Cancer is one of the most widespread health problems in the United States with almost 40% of the United States population being diagnosed with a cancer in their lifetime.

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Animals are also a common choice for charity for many animal lovers, with many people choosing to contribute to animals and the conservation of wildlife. The Wildlife Conservation Society is a popular choice for both animals and wildlife conservation. You can also look for a charity with a specific goal for the type of animal and/or the type of wildlife you want to protect.

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With many natural disasters recently across the United State, disaster relief charities are becoming a much more common choice for people's donations. You may decide to donate to one of the most famous disaster relief charities, the American Red Cross (which received a three star rating) after a disaster. The America Red Cross was recently criticized in the news but, they are still a strong choice for your charitable donations. Direct Relief (which received a four star rating) is also a wonderful choice. Direct Relief uses their donation money towards both natural disaster relief and poverty. If you would like more of your money to go towards disaster relief the American Red Cross may still be an excellent choice for you.​

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There are many charities to donate to, I just wanted to list some of the highest rated charities that are popular charities as well. There are many people out there that also have a sentimental charity of choice in honor of someone they have lost to a cancer or a disease which is also a great option. Well, that's all for today. Cheers, thank you to everyone, and I hope you enjoyed reading today's post!

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Date: 04/28/18 -

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My favorite prayer from Romans. 

Father God, we thank you that your amazing unfathomable love has been poured out for us at the cross and poured into us by the Holy Spirit. We want to taste and experience more of the depth, and breadth and length and height of your amazing love. Help us to walk by faith. Help us to endure in suffering. Help us to own our need of you. Help us to fully embrace your Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. So, pour out your love into our hearts, in increasing measure by the power of your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in his name that we pray, Amen. 

Romans 5:1-11

A new prayer that may be memorized in the near future. Thank you to everyone who checked the blog for today.

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Here's an old prayer for family I wrote a while ago. Wanted to share it with y'all.

God, thank you for what you did for us at the cross. Your love is everlasting. Praise you LORD.

My mother gave birth to me and you gave me life. I ask that my mother remain strong, healthy, and happy for many years to come. My sister and Ben are truly inspirational to me. Please watch over them as well. I pray that they remain blessed and happily married. I ask that peace and love be with our family always. Amen.

And more to come in the future! Thanks!

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A poem/prayer for gratitude by Ralph Waldo Emerson today.

"We Thank Thee"

"For each new morning with it's light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything thy goodness sends."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

A poem of gratitude by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the public domain that I really enjoyed. I found it very beautifully written and memorized it the other day! I may use it for a Thanksgiving Day prayer for next Thanksgiving!

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Date: 03/22/18 -

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"A Moment in Time"

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I improved and edited the previous stories for reposting this year for Father's Day. Here are my favorite memories of my father, Thomas Woodman Baker, re-released for Father's Day.

Kim Leisering Wrote a Beautiful Tribute

Kim Leisering wrote short stories about her memories of my father as a kind passing gift to our family after my father passed away. I thought it was a great idea in remembrance of my father so, I decided I would follow in her suit and also write my favorite and most memorable short stories of my father for Father's Day. It is my hope that he will be remembered in these memories by both his friends and family. These are my favorite and most memorable memories of my father, Thomas Woodman Baker.

Putting Together Mom's Birthday Gift

I still remember when my dad and I got my mom a barbeque pit for her birthday. What we didn't know was that mom had come home early while we were putting together her gift. Dad quickly yelled something like this, "Matthew! Keep her from coming in here while we're putting together her gift!" Her gift, a barbecue pit was supposed to be a surprise for her...so I went over and yelled something like, "Mom! You can't come in here because we're putting together your barbeque pit!" It just slipped out! I had told my mom her gift before it was ready to show it to her. We all got a great laugh out of me telling her. It was a great memory of my dad and me putting together my mom's gift that I enjoyed thinking about later in life.

Boat for my Birthday

I remember the day Dad gave me a boat for my birthday as a young man. Mom laughed knowing it would be his project to fix it up to get it ready for us to take out on the lake. We worked on the boat together periodically throughout the coming years. It was the best present I had ever been given in my mind. He definitely put a smile on my face that day and the boat is still remembered as the most exciting gift I have ever received.

Pushing Me to Play Soccer

I remember when I wanted to join the youth soccer team, my dad drove me up to the soccer field and I was feeling a bit shy about going out on the field with so many kids out playing soccer. My dad pushed me into getting over my shyness and going out on the field with the other kids to play soccer. Soccer became almost like a passion for me later on in life. That was an important decision that he helped me get through and I am very thankful that he pushed me to play soccer with the other kids on that day.

Coaching Sports Teams

My Father and Bill Leisering got the idea to coach sports teams for their kids. We had not only a soccer team but also a basketball team that they coached. I can't remember the name of the basketball team that Bill's son, Thomas, and I played on but, our soccer team we named The Vipers. It was a close group of friends with my father Tommy and his friend Bill Leisering as our coaches. It was a good time practicing with our friends with Tommy and Bill coaching us. They were both great parents and they were both actively involved in the lives of me and my friends.

Building a Birdhouse

My father and I in my youth worked together to build a birdhouse. After building it we both worked on painting it together. The birdhouse turned out great and we had it for many years to come on a pole at the back of our backyard. I'm thankful that I had a dad who included me in his projects. We still have the picture in our photos that reminds me of the day we built the birdhouse together.

Living by our Pool

After our pool was built it seemed like we were hanging out by the pool almost every weekend. I would put lemon in my hair and float, swim laps, or invite friends to come over and hang out by the pool. But long before I could take full use of the pool, my father had to teach me how to swim. He would sometimes take my hands and ask me to try and stay afloat without my hands swimming only with my feet, or play pool games that got us swimming for the fun of swimming. Thanks to my dad and our pool that he built, I became a great swimmer. After he taught me to swim I took full advantage of our pool. Friends and family would play at the pool for hours, whether it be pool volleyball, tackle basketball, or Marco Polo, we would always have a good time. I am thankful for my father taking the time to teach me to swim but, also for the time he took building our own pool. He was a great father to us and I appreciate all that he did for us. We miss you, Thomas Woodman Baker.

Happy Father's Day!

Date: 03/17/18 -

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The short version of The Old Testament Cliff Notes is the topic for today!

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Genesis

Moses tells of God's creation of the heavens and the earth, the sky and the sea, land and plants, stars and moon and all living creatures of the sky, the sea, and the earth.​ Adam and Eve were also created and were placed in the garden of Eden where they nurtured the land. God warned them to not eat from the tree of good and evil. One day Satan came to the garden of Eden in the form of a snake and convinced Eve to eat from the fruit saying that they would become like God if they ate of the fruit. Eve then convinced Adam to eat the fruit of the tree. In their shame, they hid from God and God cast them out of the garden of Eden.

In the time of Noah the earth was flooded for the sins of mankind. God told Noah to build an ark and to bring two of every animal with him. When they reached land, they saw that the land was green once again. One day during the night, Noah was seen drunk and naked in his tent by Cain who then told his brothers. As a result, Noah cursed Cain and his descendants, who are known as the Canaanites (pronounced like Cain-ann-ites).

A man named Abram was promised by God, to have descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram's wife, Sarai, didn't think that she could get pregnant and sent Abram her handmaiden, Hagar, to provide them with an heir. Abram and Sarai received a son whom they named Ishmael. God told Abram that he would be known as Abraham, meaning "father of many" and God renamed Sarai, Sarah. God then told Sarah that she would have a child at the ripe age of ninety years old, and she laughed. They then had a child.

Later in Genesis, God appeared before Abraham and told him that Sodom was a city of evil and that it must be destroyed. Abraham asked God, if there were ten good people in the city would God spare the city? God responded by saying he would spare the city if there were ten good people in it. The city of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.

Abraham was also told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. He bound his son on the altar and at the last moment God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son. 

Genesis ends with God's people wandering a foreign land.

Exodus

Moses was adopted by pharaoh's family and eventually found out that he was an Israelite. Moses was sympathetic to his people. He told the pharaoh to, let his people go. Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites, and in response, Moses turned the river waters red and God released ten plagues on the land. Pharaoh, however, still refused to release the Israelites. God then promises the death of every first born child in pharaoh's land that did not identify themselves as God's people by putting lambs blood on their doorway. After the death of pharaoh's child, he released the Israelites from their slavery. Pharaoh's army pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea. Moses then parted the Red Sea and Moses' people escaped pharaoh. God next gave Moses the 10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai.

Leviticus

Leviticus tells of the sacrifices to God, the duties of priesthood, and the religious law.

Numbers

The Israelites sought the promised land. They were punished by God and one generation lived their lives out in the desert. They fended off two nations that confronted them and sent spies out into the promised land. After they dedicated the Tabernacle, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, the Israelites left Sinai and they were guided by a cloud that rested above the Tabernacle.

Deuteronomy

Moses passed his authority to Joshua and passed away on Mt. Nebo. The Israelites then traveled from place to place for 40 years before the promised land was given to them.

Joshua

Joshua was sent as an Israelite spy to Canaan (Canaan was the area containing Jerusalem) by Moses. An angel of God showed himself to Joshua and told Joshua to march around the city with his armies for six days, and then, on the seventh day to march around the city seven times. God then split the rock of the walls of the city and the Israelites attacked the city. The Israelites were victorious.

Judges

Judges tells of a total of fourteen judges meant by God to save Israel, the most famous of which were Deborah, Gideon, and Samson.

Deborah - wrote a song in remembrance of Israel's victory over the army from the north. The army from the north, led by General Sisera, was defeated in battle and Sisera fled and entered a female named Jael's tent for refuge. Jael lured Sisera to sleep and hammered a peg into Sisera's head killing the general and winning the battle for the Israelites. 

Gideon - is charged by God to defeat the Midianites. Gideon destroyed his fathers altar to Baal and gained the support of the Israelites. God demanded that fewer men fight in Gideon's army and so, Gideon sent home a portion of his army.  Gideon's army yelled and made such loud noises that the Midianites ended up attacking and killing themselves and Giddeon became victorious.

Samson - was blessed by God as a judge. Samson was told that if he ever cut off his hair he would lose the strength given to him by God. Samson married a Philistine even when Philistines were his sworn enemies. His wife was killed. A Philistine woman then seduced Samson and cut off his hair. This caused him to lose the strength that he was given by God. The Philistines captured him soon after and gouged out his eyes making him blind. In a climactic moment, God gave Samson his strength and Samson broke down the columns of the building taking many Philistines with him.

Ruth

Ruth is rewarded for her kindness to her friend and daughter-in-law Naomi by a wheat farmer named Boaz. She worked in his fields and is rewarded by Boaz for her kindness to her friend. Boaz later married Ruth.

Samuel I & II

Samuel anointed Saul as the people of Jerusalem's first king. Saul did not follow God's commands and because of this, Samuel looked for a new king of Israel. Goliath challenged Israel and David stepped forward. David defeated Goliath, becoming a hero to the Israelites. David was anointed by Samuel as the next King of Israel.

Saul, soon after, sent David on a suicide mission but, he still returned victorious. Saul was later killed in battle and David became the king of Israel. David erected Zion, "The City of David."

Kings I

Solomon became king after his father David's death. He married a woman who created false idols for other Gods and because of this Israel was split in two.

Elijah was a prophet of God who was sent to end the cruel king Ahab's rule. Jezebel, Ahab's wife, had God's people slaughtered. In a military coup Jehu (Gee-ew) defeated and overthrew Ahab and Jezebel.

Kings II

King Josiah brought back the worshiping of God to Israel and then had all of the priests of Baal killed.

Elijah, a prophet of God, had a follower by the name of Elisha. Elisha became a prophet of God herself and performed many more miracles.

The Assyrians took over the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Hoshea, and the southern kingdom also faced problems as they receive the judgement of God.

Chronicles I

Chronicles I ran through the genealogy of Israel starting with Adam. It also reviewed the time from King Saul's passing, to King David's rule and Solomon's preparations for a new temple. Chronicles I told of King David's successes. It further told of the Kings of Israel and the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and Levi. Chronicles parallels Kings.

Chronicles II

Chronicles II follows Solomon and Solomon's construction of the temple in Jerusalem. It describes the events surrounding the split of Israel into two kingdom and the dynasty of King David. In Chronicles II, Cyprus, the king of Persia, allowed the remnants of Israel to return to Jerusalem.

Ezra

A temple was built and the Israelites partook in the Passover. The second group of Jews were also led back to Israel. Ezra then taught the Israelites the laws of Moses.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah asked the king of Persia for permission to rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah helped Ezra reinforce God's law and reestablished the Sabbath.

Esther (Es-ter)

After Babylon was conquered by Persia, Esther miraculously became queen and saved her people. Mordecai refused to punish himself to Haman, the grand vizier, and in response Haman asked the king for the extermination the Jews. Esther revealed herself as a Jew herself and then suggested that Haman be hanged instead. She became a hero to her people.

Job

God allowed Satan to destroy Job's life. He is tempted and persuaded by his friends in all the wrong ways. He had terrible circumstances and still remained faithful and because of this he became blessed.

Psalms

Religious songs and poems.

Proverbs

Words of the wise that convey morals and teachings.

Ecclesiastes (Ecleesiatstees)

Written by Solomon, Ecclesiastes followed a cynical, philosophical, and wise man named Kohelet. Ecclesiastes tells of the life of Solomon in order to teach from his experiences.

Song of Solomon

A poem about the love between a young couple. It tells of their courtship, their love, and their marriage (Song of Solomon is also known as the Song of Song's).

Isaiah

Isaiah spoke about the sins of the North and South Kingdoms. He spoke of hope, judgement of evil deeds, and hope for the afflicted. He prophesied the coming of the Messiah.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah's visions showed the destruction of Jerusalem and of a disaster as God's response to Pagan worship. King Zedekiah threw Jeremiah in prison and ignored his warnings. Jerusalem fell, as was prophesied, to the Babylonian army.

God promised to save the Israelites.

Lamentations

Poetic laments about the destruction of Jerusalem. It is separated into five poems.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel received a vision. He became a prophet of God. He prophesied the destruction and renewal of Jerusalem, and the coming blessings to the Israelites. Ezekiel told that a person is judged in the next life, by the person they are when they pass.

Daniel

Nebuchadnezzar once told all of his people to bow before him, but Daniel's friends were faithful to only God and would not bow. They were thrown into the fire by Nebuchadnezzar where God saved them. This renewed the peoples faith in God. Nebuchadnezzar later went mad and the people of Israel were freed from Nebuchadnezzar's rule. 

Daniel and his people soon accepted King Cyrus as their ruler. The presidents of King Cyrus became jealous of Daniel and convinced Darius the Mede, the leader of the presidents, to toss Daniel into a lions' den for not worshiping him. King Cyrus had a dream that led him to rush to free David and Darius the Mede was instead thrown in to the lions' den in David's place.

Hosea

Hosea is about Hosea's relationship with his wife Gomer. It is believed that the relationship is symbolic with Israel's relationship with God. Hosea told of the sins of the Israelites in worshiping other gods. Hosea pushed for the Israelites to return to worshiping God, and God only.

Joel

Joel pushed for penitence. He compared the judgement of God to a locust storm. This happened during a period of locust storms and drought.

Amos

Amos prophesied the punishment of Israel. He also prophesied it's restoration. He challenged the idea that proper worship led to material gain and warned against seeking success using immoral means.

Obadiah

Obadiah told of the wickedness of Edom and the victory of the Israelites over Edom.

Jonah

Jonah disobeyed God by going to a different destination than the destination God had directed him to go to. He was then thrown out to sea by the sailors he was with and he was swallowed by an enormous fish. The fish spit him out and he returned to God's mission. He preached to the people of Nineveh and asked for their repentance and to his surprise the sinful city repented. Jonah wrote about God being a gracious and merciful God.

Micah

Micah told of the judgement of wicked nations and foretold the coming of the Messiah in Bethlehem.

Nahum

Nahum preached God's judgement on Nineveh a second time. Nahum then predicted the annihilation of Nineveh.

Nineveh was later destroyed.

Habakkuk

Habakkuk asked God why evil was winning as all of Babylonians neighboring groups were falling apart. God responded by telling Habakkuk to be patient and to trust in Him. Habakkuk then gave the glory to God for answering all of his questions.

Zephaniah

God raised up his prophet Zephaniah to warn of the coming judgement and push for repentance. He spoke of the future desolation of Nineveh (the Assyrian capital at the time).

Haggai

Haggai pushed to continue building the temple of God. The Israelites had previously stopped building it because of their fear of their neighboring nations. Haggai said that God would bless them for continuing the construction of His temple. Twenty-four days later construction of God's temple continued.

Zechariah

Zechariah encouraged the people to reinstate the priesthood and other religious law. Zechariah prophesied the coming of Jesus Christ.

Malachi

Malachi told of the day God would send a messenger who was later known to be John the Baptist. He also expressed the importance of tithes and told of the day that God would pass judgement. Malachi told his people that the followers of both God and of righteousness would be saved from judgement.

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And that's all for the Cliff Notes version of The Old Testament. I hope you enjoyed reading at least a little of this longer post for today!

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Date: 03/14/18 -

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Today's post is a mnemonic device to remember the order of the books of the Old and New Testament.

New Testament

Mighty men light John's Acts. Righteous codes cause good graces every part coming. The thankful times took timely prayers. Hearing James' prayers perfectly. John joins joyful Jude's Revelation.

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You can take the first letter of the sentences above and use them to remember the first letter of each book of the bible.

(Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Corinthians 1&2, Galatians 1&2, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians 1&2, Timothy 1&2, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter 1&2, John 1&2&3, Jude, Revelation)

Old Testament

God exudes light not darkness. Joshua joyfully joined reading Samuel's scripture. Kindred Kings created Chronicles. Even Nehemiah's extra Job protected principles. Everyday started in joy. Lamentations' example dynamically healed Jerusalem. Amos offset mighty Nahum. Heavenly zeal hyped Zechariah's Messiah. 

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(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel 1&2, Kings 1&2, Chronicles 1&2, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)

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The best way to use this mnemonic device is to say the first word in your head, and then the book out loud until they are learned. Hopefully this helps out a few of you guys out there! Thank you for reading today's post!

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Date: 03/14/18 -

Today's topic is a memorable psalm from the Old Testament.

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Psalm 23 (A psalm of David)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

For his name's sake.

Even though I walk

Through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

For you are with me;

Your rod and your staff,

They comfort me.

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You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

All the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is one of my favorite Psalms. Thanks again for reading!

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Date: 02/26/18 -

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Innovated ideas on communication is the topic for today's post.

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1. Activation Energy - When it's something important take a second to fire yourself up before speaking. The activation energy will improve your communication. Try it! 3, 2, 1, Go!

Idea: Robbins, Mel. The 5 Second Rule. Narrated by Mel Robbins, Audible, 2017. Audiobook.

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2. Show appreciation for the small things people do for you. People like being appreciated.

3. Ask employees questions about what they can do differently in the future to fix a mistake they make at their work.

Idea: Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Narrated by Andrew MacMillan, Audible, 1998.

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4. Try your best to make allies at your job position. Making an effort to learn from your coworkers when you're new to a position is very beneficial.

5. Show appreciation for criticism, it can be constructive and disarming (Ex: "Thank you for...")

Idea: Patterson, Kerry. Crucial Conversations. Narrated by Joseph Greeny, Audible, 2002. Audiobook.

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6. You learn your subject of choice better when you also make an effort to teach what you have learned to others.

7. Probing or asking questions to better understand someone's position can be beneficial at times.

Idea: Covey, Stevens. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Narrated by Stephen Covey, Audible, 1989. Audiobook.

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8. A Dramatic Entrance can be made when you enter a party or room by scanning the room from the entrance.

9. Make an effort to make the other person the subject of the conversation, they will most likely enjoy it more.​

Idea: Lowndes, Leil. How To Talk to Anyone: 92 Tips for Big Success in Relationships. Narrated by Joseph Bean, Audible, 1999. Audiobook.

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10. Indian talking stick - A fun game originally used for Native American Indian councils. The person that is holding the stick is the only one that is allowed to speak. Others may only ask questions for better understanding. The Indian Talking Stick works as a speaking and listening game. 

Idea: Covey, Stephens. The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, Audible, 2004. Audiobook.

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Date: 02/26/18 -

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Learning nutrition and bringing you along for the ride! A super-foods post for today!

Common Super-foods included: 

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Avocados (Healthy fats, potassium, and lowers cholesterol)

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Blueberries (Antioxidants)

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Bananas (Potassium and can be added to a cereal for sweetness)

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Almonds (Nut protein, vitamin E, and Calcium)

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Flaxseed (Omega-3 fats)

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Pomegranate Juice (Three times as many antioxidants as green tea, and protects the heart and arteries)

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Eggs in moderation (High quality proteins, Vitamin D, and minerals)

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Yogurt (healthy low calorie snack with protein)

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Vegetables (Essential vitamins)

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Fish (Great source of omega-3 fats and minerals in moderation)

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My favorite Super-foods for today's post. Thank you for reading today's post!

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Date: 02/26/18 -

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A thankful prayer written earlier today.

God, I am thankful for my family. Your love is everlasting.

I am thankful for music and movies. Your love is everlasting.

I am thankful for quitting smoking. Your love is everlasting.

I am thankful for gifts given and received. Your love is everlasting.

Thank you for everything God. Your love is everlasting. Amen.

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Date: 02/24/18 -

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Bible Verses to be memorized for today!!!

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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

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In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:12-13

This is the day the LORD has made, We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

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For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4: 4-7

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Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

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Lord's Prayer -

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

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They have since been memorized and as far as Bible verses go, they are some of my favorites!

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Date: 02/23/18 -

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My To-Do List for the Day - Thought I would share for fun! 

1. Terri's Gift

2. Picture at the beach

3. Guitar/Spanish

4. Fear 3

5. Workout/Shower

6. Blog

7. Brooke's Facebook Page

8. Beef Jerky for Ben

9. Bible Study

10. Sweep Patio

11. Neutron Joke

12. Irish Joke

13. Thankful Prayer

14. Prayer Audiobook

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This is my very first Blog post. More and better entries to come in the near future. Thank you!