It's Getting Toasty Outside!

IT'S SUMMER IN JULY!!!! 

AND THAT MEANS

WAIT FOR IT. . . .

FRESHSTART MOMENTUM BLOG 

IS ON VACATION!!!!

WE BET MANY OF YOU ARE ALSO ON VACATION 

AND 

NO ONE IS ANXIOUS TO PAY ATTENTION TO 

IN-BOX MESSAGES!

SO ENJOY YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT

AND THEN JOIN US AGAIN FOR A 

BRAND NEW BLOG ON 

MONDAY, AUGUST 2ND!

 

   

Summer and 4th of July

Fresh Start Momentum is on Summer break. Hope you are too!

Stay tuned for special 4th of July post!

How Do You Express Thankfulness This Season?

The start of summer unofficially began this Memorial Day weekend (even though the calendar shows June 21^st as the day). Time for BBQs and eating all that mouth-watering food, beach and camping vacations, and, of course, a day off work. A definite fun season!

Hopefully, we are also not forgetting that today is a time to remember those who sacrificed for our very freedom to have vacations! We owe our sincere Thank You to all the men and women of every single war who fought and sacrificed their lives in one way or another. Some of us remember firsthand the stories that have been told because we personally know friends and family members who have our deepest gratitude.

Who Is Counting?

"There are approximately only 496,777 American veterans remaining of the 16 million who served our nation in World War II and the oldest of these living today is 112 years old and he smokes 12 cigars per day!" [Dept of Veteran's Affairs].

"9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (Aug. 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975)." [Veterans Affairs]

"2.7 million service members have been to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 and over half of them have deployed more than once. Many times, that number of Americans have borne the costs of war as spouses, parents, children, and friends cope with their loved ones’ absence, mourn their deaths, or greet the changed person who often returns." [Watson-Brown University]

These are only three of the most recent in our memories. In 243 years on our own U.S. soil, veterans have fought over 25 wars for our freedom [Our Country published by Silver Burdett Ginn, Inc.; and Wikipedia].

The Daily Unknown

Please understand, no one likes war. No one. Obviously, we wouldn't be enjoying American freedom if it were not for our military. And military spouses and children should not be forgotten either. It takes great courage to "hang in" when the unknown must be faced every single day. Never knowing where or when they will need to pack up and go live somewhere else. Spending years waiting while their spouse is overseas. Children who never learn to make permanent friends because it takes time and time is elusive in the military. Today, stop and thank a military family you know or see. Just do it. They deserve respect and honor!

Living in the military sometimes takes its toll on women with devastating results. "Military workers of all ranks were most likely to be divorced by age 30, at a rate of 15%.” [Marketwatch.com]

Where is the Good News?

In a world filled with evil people, sometimes war is necessary to prevent an even greater evil. If Hitler had not been defeated by World War II, how many more millions would have been killed? If the American Civil War [1861-1865] had not been fought, how much longer would African Americans have had to suffer as slaves? (Before the Civil War even ended, President Lincoln, on January 1, 1863, formally issued the Emancipation Proclamation to liberate all slaves.)

"It is an error to say that God never supports a war. Jesus is not a pacifist. The most important thing we can be doing in a time of war is to be praying for Godly wisdom for our leaders, praying for the safety of our military, praying for a quick resolution to conflicts, and praying for a minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides." [gotquestions.org]

For a further study, click on this Link from GotQs.com:

WHY WAR?

“For everything there is a season. . . A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8 NLT).

What Unique Site Will Delight Your Eyes?

Traveling Route 66

Anticipating a long road trip can be very exciting, especially if we have never before visited our chosen destination. While traveling, it’s important to keep our eyes open and take in all the sites or else we can easily miss unbelievable landmarks. It’s easy to see the terrain in one area is very different in another area.  

Softly rolling hills that burst with patchwork colors from local farms in the “Plains” states are a feast for the eyes! We get a sense of exactly where our food is harvested and brought to our grocery stores. Lots of water in both the northern Great Lakes region and in the constant “wetness” of the Northwest keeps everything green with its own type of natural “irrigation” system. If we are not into daily, massive humidity, the dry Southwest will be our favorite places to park for a while. We have so many options and each one so different.

There is an infinite number of things to see in this country and if we are beginning to plan summer vacations, we simply can’t go wrong by giving the “good ole USA” a chance to amaze us. The best of the best sights are the out-of-the-way places such as: 

Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana is 50 miles from New Orleans

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is 76 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado, and is the most visited national park in the U. S. 

Plum Island, Massachusetts offers a secluded, 11-mile long sandy beach

National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a great place to explore to your heart’s content! 

There are numerous other out-of-the-way sites just like these in every state in America! No sense having to stick to the commonplace attraction for a vacation!

A Blessed Nation

No, this isn’t an advertisement for great summer vacations. We are just pointing out the vast landscape terrain that we, thankfully, live on and can enjoy day in and day out. Land (or more exactly, soil) is where it all begins. We choose to build homes on it. Great cities have survived on it for decades. Bridges connect us. We construct beautiful roads to drive our candy-apple red 1956 Ford trucks, original VW Bugs, and shiny SUVs on. Farmers scatter the seed on fertile soil that produces good food for our table. We are truly blessed!

Still, all this construction and growth is really difficult to soak into our brains and understand. It’s always been there (or so we think), therefore, we don’t even give it a single thought at times. Maybe some of our great-grandparents, though, had stories to leave us telling of hard times building this country from the ground up. Or maybe we’ve read about or seen documentaries of the 1930s Dust Bowl or the Great Depression and the devastation they brought.

We suppose some people have no comprehension of the birthing of the United States of America if they have not read or studied it. Maybe some do not even believe most of the historical stories they hear. If it’s not on YouTube or the latest website, it seems beyond their grasp. That is exactly the importance of visiting our own national sites in person whenever we can. If we don’t ever do that, it will remain a fictional mystery.

The Beginning

There is one important book whose stories have also been discredited from the very beginning ever since the invention of the printing press (yet, it has never gone out of print!). It’s called God’s Word—or more commonly, the Holy Bible. 

It’s a biblical and true historical account of God’s creation since the beginning of time itself. God’s own breath inspired every single word found in its pages just to benefit each one of us! Yet, we must ask ourselves, do we believe God? Do we believe in God? Is his “seed” taking root in our lives? Or is it just lying lifeless alongside the “road” we travel?         

“This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message [the Holy Bible]. The seed that fell beside the road is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but the devil comes and takes it away from them [doubt] so they cannot believe it and be saved” (Luke 8:11-12 NCV).

18 Simple Ideas for Summer

Summer is for relaxing and taking much-needed breaks, wouldn't you say? So let's keep it simple today and see what we can do to make life a little bit better now that almost half of 2018 is behind us. Congratulations! You've come a long way! 

Without getting too serious (who needs that when we are looking forward to summer vacation?), see if any of the following eighteen simple ideas will boost your life:

Simplify. Nothing wrong with paper. Digital calendars are fine for what they can do faster. Then they crash, we lose information and our minds! Do yourself a favor and shop for a mid-year day planner. Really. 

Organize. Make sure your purse has a pocket for everything: cosmetics, phone, keys, pens, water bottle, and of course, day planner. Let your purse double as a tote instead of carrying both.     

Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. Use it under make-up and at bedtime after cleaning. Takes years off the face.

Do one good and new thing for your health. Change to smoothies for breakfast. Switch to a new salad dressing. Do spinning instead of Zumba for exercise. Anything that’s new creates happy momentum. 

Connect. Instead of texting, call someone for an invite to lunch. 

Tackle the next thing on your Bucket List.

Find God. Find Peace. Don’t do life alone! He’s waiting.

Exchange a real book in print with a friend. Or stop by your local library for a free one. Radical!

Bake extra cupcakes and bring a few to a shut-in neighbor.

Pick a subject you know nothing about and take a class.

Practice saying “No” once in awhile instead of resenting your “Yes.”

Declutter your home office. Place some things out-of-reach to force yourself to get out of your chair now and then. 

Clean out the freezer. Not everything will keep for the next nine years!

Buy your own Christian Bible and read for just seven minutes a day (or night). 

"Wind Chime" Flower

Plant something unusual this year like White Alpine Strawberries - a gourmet treat; Sunzilla Sunflowers - they are Giant!; or Parrot Tulips for multicolor magic!

Explore where you’ve never been (besides countries or states), how about the symphony, underground caves, a rodeo, or a fashion show. There are a million things out there!

Splurge this one time and hire a maid to do spring cleaning top to bottom.

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Have fun and keep going! Remember God loves your heart and wants to see you enJOYing the abundant life He gave you. "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). 
  

Have You Opened Your Surprise Gift?

Ahhh, summer is on its way! We think and dream of beach vacations where we can wiggle our toes in the sand and slather on the suntan lotion. Or, it might be more our style relaxing in the cool mountain pines and camping out near a lake. Whatever we choose to do with our next summer vacation, we need to take it all in with a sense of wonder and awe, grateful for what has been given to us.

If an out-of-town vacation is out of the question, we can put effort into creating something fun and unique to do near home. Take a different route on a daily walk and discover new sights that have been taken for granted. No one has ever seen every single site within twenty miles of their own home. Now is the time!

Take along a camera and capture the beauty of hometown sites then print, mat and frame the collection to hang on our walls. Visit local museums that have been bypassed, try a different nursery and buy a plant we’ve never nurtured before, and go on inexpensive day trips in our own state. The possibilities are endless.

Breathe!

Jumping into new adventures not only breaks the cycle of “sameness,” but helps us to deal with a few of the not-so-fun summer activities. June, of course, is the typical month for weddings. It seems like everyone we know has a significant other and is either getting married or getting engaged. We get invited to these celebrations and the good, bad, and in-between memories “light the corners of our minds.” Nostalgia sets in and we are at a loss to handle the feelings.

Take a deep breath and let it out s-l-o-w-l-y, because our emotions are normal. There is nothing wrong with our response, nor is there anything wrong with ourselves. Being single-again is not a curse as some seem to think! It just gives us more options and freedom to choose what we want to do. It’s critical to understand--whether we are single or married--both positions are equally important for different reasons.

We can consider singleness as a “gift,” just as marriage is a “gift.” Some people simply work better together as a team. But some of us enjoy the independence we have to get things done at a pace that works best for us. We are organized and know what we need to do to accomplish the next step. When our brains are in “think” mode, we enjoy the peace and quiet.

Believe It, or Not

God has much to say in the Bible about marriage. But, here is an amazing thought: it is not His only plan for humans! One of the most prolific men in the Bible is Paul. He wrote thirteen or fourteen books of the New Testament himself. That took a tremendous amount of time and concentrated effort, believe me. It’s not like he had a smart computer to make things go faster. No, he needed to spend day and night on his creativity. Better that he was never married. His wife would never have seen him if he was.

We could say Paul’s best “gift” was his singleness. He was able to serve the Lord with all he had in him without distractions or interruptions. Therefore, he felt he could do more for the Lord than if he had been married. Makes sense.

Although rare for women in the Bible to remain single, there are a few. None more famous than Deborah, the first and only woman judge over Israel. Wow! She would have fit right into the 21st Century with no problem! Deborah, most likely, recognized a “higher calling” and served the Lord with courage (no reference material speaks of Deborah as ever being married).

Please remember: remaining single, or not, is between you and God. He knows and cares about your situation. He has a plan. Ask for His wisdom and he will direct you in the way you should go.

“But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows--it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am” (1 Corinthians 7:7-8 NLT).