Why blog is entitled "simply abundant living"

As I sit here in my recliner reading my bible, doing my daily study, and reading through a couple of daily guides I have-I thought I'd take time to share why I chose the title "simply abundant living" for my blog.  While I was living in England, my sisterchick-Lori-and I were scooterpootin' (our title for a girls day of running around having fun:) when I came across this book in a thrift shop.  The title intriqued me, so I picked it up and skimmed the first few pages.  The book is entitled, "Simple Abundance a Daybook of comfort and joy".  I ended up purchasing this book and going through it day by day in the year 2007.  It has a daily "reading" that inspired me to look at my life from a different perspective.  Though it is not a biblically based book, many of the thoughts contained within encourage you to live authentically as God created you to and also the thoughts come from principles found within the word of God. The theme of the book reminds me of the scripture in John 10:10 where Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  Jesus was speaking spiritually in the context of this scripture. He was a poor man and many of His followers were also poor by the standards of the world. However, a life lived as a follower of Jesus Christ will bring MUCH abundance to the soul, both here on this earth and finally in eternity with God! Satan (the thief) would love to take away our joy-this theme is also repeated throughout scripture. While I was reading through the "simple abundance" book, all of the things I read, I read within the context of my life being abundant, spiritually, through Christ.  I enjoyed this book so much, that I promised my sisterchick Lori that I'd send her the book upon completion at the end of '07 so that she could go through it the following year. I received the book back from Lori in Jan '09 and decided to take this year to go back through the book again.  I will try to remember each time I blog to share a snippet of the guidance/wisdom that I've found helpful from this book.  For now, I'll use this blog to update you on the highlights from Jan 1-Jan10.  Hope you each enjoy it as much as I have.

Jan 1-"Today carve out a quiet time for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand.  Only dreams give birth to change"

Jan 2-"What if you new that a year from today you could be living the most creative, joyous, and fulfilling life you could imagine? What would it be? What changes would you make? Love the questions, they are so important for your tomorrow."

Jan 3-"Become aware that you already possess all the inner wisdom, strength, and creativity needed to make your dreams come true. You already possess all you need to be genuine"

Jan 4-"Life's not a dress rehearsal, though many of us unconsciously act as if it were. We hold back. Examine the quality of your real life journey."

Jan 5-"Though we may accomplish much of what we set out to do, we sense that something is missing in our lives. We are disconnected from an authentic sense of ourself."

Jan 6-"Choose today to live the "good life", by acknowledging the good that already exists in our own lives. We already have everything we need in life to make us happy but simply lack the conscious awareness to appreciate it."

Jan 7- "It's difficult to experience moments of happiness if we're not aware of what it is we genuinely love. Save the small authentic moments that bring contentment. Simple pleasures waiting to be enjoyed but often overlooked. Let us consider our personal preferences and learn to recognize and embrace these moments of happiness that are uniquely our own."

Jan 8-"Start making happiness a habit right now Every morning is a wonderful gift-another day of life-let's make the most of it.  Stop thinking that things outside our control will bring us happiness. Happiness that the world cannot take away flourishes in the secret garden of our souls."

Jan 9-"Do you have everything you need right now? Our sensibilities become confused and overstimulated by a mass media. It's easy to lose clarity about what it is we need to live authentically. Make peace with fact that you can't have everything you want, but you already have everything you need."

Jan 10-"realizing our heart's desire is possible every day if we recognize what it is that makes us happy. We cannot afford to throw away even one day by failing to notice the wonder of it."

I will end this post by saying that without God I am nothing.  It is through Christ that I have become everything that I am.