A Thought for the Day

Hey Everyone,


Just something quick to think about... 


"Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle."
Crystal Middlemas

Make yourself Irresistible!

A tribute to Krispy Kreme...

Think: Irresistible! I don't know about you, but when I think irresistible, I think of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts!

Unfortunately, although it's probably better for our health, my family and I don't have the luxury of enjoying their doughnuts whenever we want, because of where we live. 
But believe me, whenever we travel out of town we take full advantage of any special treats! 

So a couple of weeks ago we were in Tallahassee driving and I spotted one. My two younger siblings were in the car and I knew they hadn't yet had the exciting experience of watching the doughnuts on the conveyor belt. So of course, we stopped; even though the "Hot Now" sign wasn't on. We found out once we went in that the previous shift had gotten off schedule and that the new batch of doughnuts that would have already been out, were going to be late. That was a little disappointing. But nonetheless we got some doughnuts and watched them being made and going through the icing part...

That has to be one of the coolest things to see!  

For those of you who don't know, whenever the Hot Now sign is on, that means that fresh, warm, melt-in-your-mouth, which = irresistible, doughnuts just came out and are ready for customers. I'm pretty sure the locals know what time that is. 

It got me thinking. What if people started becoming as irresistible as Krispy Kreme Doughnuts? Now, I know what you're thinking... How on earth could we do that?  Well, to translate the question: How do you become a warm, compassionate, irresistible person? 

Look below for recipe. 

But to sum it all up...... I just want to say that Krispy Kreme is "doing some wonderful work over there"... and maybe its time we start too.

And while you are at it, check out Tim Hawkins' take on Krispy Kreme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U70N552uuk


Love's recipe:

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. -1 corinthians 13 

Life with a glue stick

Yesterday, I was sent on an errand for my mom, who was having me pick up some home-grown honey that we get from a gentleman in town who sells it to any locals who know about it.  


She called the man first to tell him I was coming by. When I pulled in the driveway I turned off the car and got out. I had been there once before but never actually met the man myself; at least, not that I could remember. My mom had given me instructions so I could find where he lived and also informed me that he had a lot of cats. When I saw a couple of empty pet cages at the front door, I knew I was at the right house. Since the front door was blocked I went to the carport door and knocked. In a few moments an elderly man opened the door. 


I said, "Hi, Mr......."
I told him my name and said that my mom had called earlier about me picking up the honey. He talked in a very slow and deep voice when he asked me how many jugs we wanted. I said two. He left the door open and went to his dinning table where the honey was. He wasn't at all what I expected him to be like. He had extremely white hair and was using a cane to walk, despite the fact that he looked in good health for his age. Obviously, he was much older than I had originally thought.


When he came back with the honey I paid him and told him to keep the change. He said, "thank you ma'am." Then he said, "You're a mighty pretty young lady," in that same deep voice and I told him thank you. My parents taught me growing up to always say please and thank you, yes sir, no sir, and to always ask people how they are doing when you greet them. I tried my best to use these manners when I spoke to him. I think he appreciated that and the way he spoke to me said that he was in no hurry to end the conversation. I was pressed for time though, and so I thanked him again and got in the car. As I backed up and drove down the street I thought about what he may have said further or what kind of questions he may have asked me if I had not been in a hurry.


It lead me to think about how sad it is that most people today are in too much of a hurry and far too busy with their own life to show interest in someone else's.
On several occasions over the past couple of weeks I have run into people who have reminded me of this. Even though I had been short on time, I tried to honestly show that I appreciated this gentleman as a person. It seemed that he recognized this and told me, "thank you for buying my honey." 


I replied by saying, "Well, thank you for providing it," which hopefully made the impression I wanted to give. When I got home my mom told me that she thought he was even older than my grandparents. Of course, age isn't everything... and by the way, I'm not calling anyone old here; but in this case it made the difference. When this gentleman was my age it was a social custom to say please and thank you, and at least pretend that you honestly valued the person you were talking to. He comes from a generation that was taught a lot more than just manners. Today...


I have met people my age and older who do nothing more than blow you off when you're trying to have a conversation with them and can't even look you in the eyes. But I've also met and know many others who are very polite and possess those rare traits that used to be a staple in a society that has almost completely left us. Down here where I live, people would call these rare traits southern hospitality. Others might just call it being polite or mannerly. But I like to call it walking in love... 

Real love always shows sincerity and care for others. And I've found through experience that walking in love is like living with a glue stick. It will get messy at times, but it sure keeps things together... and if you're lucky, it just might stick to someone else:)

What is love?

So what exactly is love, anyway?
And why is the word used so freely if it's supposed to be a serious thing?


To be completely honest, we all probably have our own opinion on that. Which could be one reason that the word is so overrated in our culture. The word itself is just a word. I'm mean, come on, it's just a word!
Or....................is it?
Either way, it's what the word represents that holds the significance. And believe me, the word represents something different to each of us. The sad thing is, in society today (especially the U.S.), it has become something that fifth graders doodle in their text books, a reason for another special day on the calendar, like Valentines Day, and the word used for advertisements on a bunch of dating sites.
Wow, pretty pathetic, right?


But if you're at all like me and my family, the word goes a little deeper than that. Which brings me to the whole point. For some people, it's more than just a word. It's how we feel about our family and friends, it's the reason we spend so much money around the holidays, and it has to be something we have experienced. See, we each have the ability to love others, but only to the point that we have experienced love from someone else. That's why so many people have messed up pictures of what love is.


Have you ever seen a toddler just flipping out at the checkout line next to you because the mom just told him he can't have that candy bar? Most of us would find this comical and just laugh, but behind all of that there is something very serious going on. As adults, we have hopefully already been taught that life isn't all about us. But to a two year old, he's still learning. But just think about it for a moment. 


Each of us used to be that way. And maybe we still are. What's the difference between screaming for a candy bar, and yelling at your mom or your spouse because dinner wasn't ready? 
Both situations are based on rights. So maybe we all are still learning.... 
Real love isn't based on conditions. But until an individual has experienced unconditional love, it can't be given. So as you go about your day, think about what love means to you. 


This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.-1 John 4:10(NLT)


But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.-Romans 5:8(NKJV)


Comment on your thoughts and look for my next post, coming soon. 

What is the colossians 3:14 project?

But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. -Colossians 3:14 (NKJV)

And above all these [put on] love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony].

-Colossians 3:14 (Amplified)

Welcome to the colossians 3:14 project!!

First, I guess I should tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Sarah, and I love to read and write things that are encouraging and relevant to real people in today's world. I live in beautiful and sunny Florida with my wonderful family... and more pets than we can handle. I'm currently a senior in high school, and although everyone nowadays likes to tell me that I have my whole life ahead of me, I figured that there was no reason for me to wait until I was in my thirties or forties to say what I think people are waiting to here but most of us don't say it.
So I finally started this blog and sincerely hope you enjoy it!

It is inevitable in life to never bump into to new people, and it is often hard to cope with those you are already close with. The Colossians 3:14 project is dedicated to bringing you a new perspective on how each of us have the opportunity to influence others, and how we do influence people everyday, whether we realize it or not.

Love is the glue that has held my family, my friends, and many others I am close with together. I'm still learning, but I hope you will be blessed as you follow me and my journey to put on love, and make a difference with the strongest kind of adhesive glue out there.