WHAT IS YOUR FROG?

John Grant, Week Seventeen, 2021

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

Mark Twain is purported to have given this advice. If you ever have to eat a live frog, it’s best done first thing in the morning. If you have to eat two frogs, he reportedly recommended eating the bigger one first. I know this scenario is awfully unlikely, but it’s good advice, nonetheless. Why eat the BIG frog first thing in the morning, you ask? Because you can go through the rest of your day knowing that the hardest task is behind you!

What “to-do list items” are you most tempted to procrastinate on? What goals have you had forever, but not taken the first step toward? What difficult decision have you been delaying? That, my friend, is your big frog! Give yourself a deadline; then get started.

The bottom line? You can’t just pray like it depends on God. You also have to work like it depends on you. If you want God to do the super, you’ve got to do the natural. And you have to start first thing in the morning.

How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of it, yet many of us never give the morning a second thought beyond getting out the door on time. Our morning rituals are as unplanned as an earthquake. Is that the best way to start the day? That’s sounding the retreat before the day even begins. If you want to win the day, you’ve got to attack the day. How? Eat the BIG frog First.

Some people like to ease into the day without breaking a sweat, and I totally get that. Perhaps even sleep in on occasion, which is totally fine. But there is something to be said for starting the day with a challenge. It might be raising your heart rate via exercise or lowering your blood pressure via meditation. Either way, consistency is king.

What’s the one thing you least like to do, but you feel best about afterward? That’s your frog. The good news? Well-begun is half-done! If you do the natural, it sets God up to do something super. Start each day with HIM. Read His Word and go to him in prayer. Then whatever the day hold, you are ready to eat your frog.

What is your BIG frog?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

We need a proper perspective of the giants in our lives. We need to take our eyes off of the problems and look instead on the Lord. We need to remember that God is for us, and He has made all the resources of heaven available to us. Through the power of the Lord, every giant in your life can fall. But we must trust Him. Dan Shock

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Parking Lot and Vehicle Safety

In your car:

1. Lock your car door immediately after getting in your car.

2. Do not sit in your car in a parking lot — get in and drive off.

3. Check your surroundings before you turn off your car and get out. Anything suspicious – Drive Off!

4. Keep your cell phone handy at all times. A decent medical kit along with a flashlight, raingear and tire repair tools is highly recommended.

5. Make a practice of filling your gas tank when it drops below 1/2 full.

6. Don’t EVER park next to or get in your car next to a panel van.

7. When stopping, make certain you can see the bottoms of the tires of the car ahead of you. This leaves you room to drive around that vehicle.

8. If you are being followed, drive to the nearest Emergency Room.

Around Your Car:

1. Be alert and aware when leaving stores, malls, etc.

2. Have your keys in your hand as you approach your car. Around 40% of all robberies happen at the door of a car.

3. Look inside your car before getting in.

4. Lock your car and take the keys when you get out to pump gas.

5. Don’t use ATMs at night or in vulnerable places.

6. Avoid filling your arms with packages that obscure your vision.

7. Avoid stairs in parking garages —walk down the ramp facing traffic.

8. In parking lots, walk down the middle, not close to parked cars (unless there is traffic approaching).

9. If a driver asks for directions while you are on foot, stay back several feet from the car.

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WE CAN AVOID TRAGIC MISTAKES BY:

(1) ALWAYS ALLOWING GOD’S WORD TO GUIDE OUR DECISIONS.

(2) NEVER MAKING A DECISION UNTIL YOU HAVE FIRST SOUGHT GOD’s GUIDANCE THROUGH PRAYER. Dan Shock

NOT A SINGLE WORD OF GOD HAS FAILED. Dan Shock

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

When we read the Bible, God talks to us, but when we pray, we talk to God. Dana Hardee

When God cleans us up, we are ready to go to battle; when we try to clean ourselves up, we just move the dirt from one spot to another. Dwight Short

God is looking for men and women with open, willing hearts, those who would say, “Here I am, Lord. I am not content with my life the way it is, Lord. I want to give it all to You.” When discontentment brings you to a total commitment to Jesus Christ, that’s good discontentment because it leads to progress. Dan Shock

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. MAYA ANGELOU

NOT A SINGLE WORD OF GOD HAS FAILED. Dan Shock

I’ve always been amazed at folks who think that success in life is anti-Biblical. How can anyone think that God created us to be unsuccessful in any area of life that He ordained as good? The Preacherman

He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life. RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Don’t be busy; Be productive