45 Life Lessons

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of Cleveland, Ohio (as seen on sethbarnes.com).

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3.. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone.. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time..

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

new life rehabilitation center

as you know, i spent last april in the philippines. in one of our first days, the american missionary we were working with told us that our main focus would be one thing: to love the orphans...and then he listed off a bunch of other things we would be doing throughout the month.

one of those things was prison ministry. he told us that we would be going to the local prison to preach and build relationships with the men there. honestly, i was kinda dreading it and was more excited about hanging with the kids at the orphanage.

however, on our first sunday a group of us headed to the prison where the men in our group preached to four different cells while the women went and interacted with the juveniles. after we left, you could just see the fire that ignited in a few of my female teammates (jodi, marissa, emily), i could just feel the passion radiating from them.

but jodi was on a whole different level. i

don't even know how to describe the radical transformation i saw happen in her that month. she would literally spend like every waking hour at the prison or working on some sort of teaching/workbook/scrapbook for the juveniles. and when she wasn't doing that...she was praying for the kids.

i'll be honest, my initial reactions were to remind her of the bosses instructions, "love the orphans" but i could just tell there was nothing getting in her way. so after a bit of a hesitation and reservation (and getting over myself), i stepped aside and watched god and jodi change that prison. and let me tell you, they flipped the lives of those youth upside down!!

there's too much to include here but i can tell you this: jodi is giving it all up to move to the philippines. she's quitting her paid staff position at a big church in georgia to move to the philippines.

jodi's vision is to build a rehabilitation home for the juveniles. it'll kind of be the equivalent of a "halfway house" here in america but one focused on the love of christ and life skills. and get this, the philippine government is donating the land to build the home on!!! god is all over this project.

check her page here and check out this vid:

New Life Rehabilitation Home from Jodi Greenlee on Vimeo.

i have so much love and respect for jodi. she is giving it all up for a dream. a dream to bring new life to the imprisoned kids in the philippines. with our love, support, prayers and contributions she will be moving there to give these kids a new life. what a beautiful portrayal of radical faith.

and more proof that:

god is love, nothing is impossible.

my resolution...er, statement

i was talking to a friend last night and she asked me if i had any resolutions. i didn't. i haven't had one in a long time. i'm not really sure why but i think it's because i don't like to do things i know i won't be good at. i don't wanna fail. i don't wanna fall short of a goal. and honestly, i don't wanna look bad. so why would i make a resolution?

but last night, as i was laying in bed, i was thinking about it. i was thinking that i should come up with a theme or a vision for the year...like something that i could strive for...i thought about it for a bit but couldn't come up with anything. until this morning, when i saw what i had written in my notes from the denver christmas conference.

see, while at the conference, i heard about a study where 50 people over the age of 95 were asked, "what would you do differently if you lived life over again?" and these were the themes that emerged:

-risk more

-reflect more

-live for something that outlives me

"risk more, reflect more, live for something that outlives me"

that resonated with me. so thats my theme for 2011. i'm going to risk failure, i'm gonna take time to slow down and i'm gonna do something that will make an eternal impact. will you join me?

god is love, nothing is impossible.