RejoiceIn2007.com

Now that you’ve made some progress on your mission statement, it’s time to make room for it. Most of us have dozens of things that waste our time, drain our energy, or block our paths. They may be little or they may be big, but even if they are tiny, cumulatively they add up and place a heavy burden on our backs.

These “Stressors” are things we tolerate. We allow them to exist and put up with them for various reasons. Some examples of stressors are clutter, clothes that don’t fit, a car that frequently breaks down, extra weight, a job that makes you miserable, inadequate income, annoying coworkers, demanding bosses, controlling family members, a house that’s too small for your needs, self-imposed deadlines, bad habits, unresolved issues with family or friends, or poor diet.

As you go through lesson 4 if you have any epiphanies you’d like to share or would like to discuss ideas on how to remove the stressors from your life, please do share them here. That way we can all learn from each other!

Most of you should have received Lesson 3 by now. Be sure to download the scriptures that go along with it. The link for them is right there on the same page from which you downloaded the lesson. I’m excited to share this lesson with you because it is an exercise that can work wonders for you. I’ve restarted “walking with God” in the last few days after having stopped for a while and already I can see the impact on my frame of mind and the results in my life.

I grew up going to Christian schools and had the wonderful opportunity to commit a great deal of scripture to memory over those years. As a result, verses come to mind when I need them and that has been a great blessing in my life. The scripture cards associated with this lesson are from the King James Version of the Bible. I realize there are many different versions of the Bible out there, but I decided to use the KJV for several reasons:

1. That’s what I grew up memorizing and those are the ones written upon my heart.
2. Traditionally speaking the KJV is widely accepted by almost every Christian religion as a valid translation.
3. It was the first major English translation of the Bible so it’s had the least tampering by man.
4. It has a lyrical quality about it that makes it easy to memorize.
5. It holds a special reverence. Even though we aren’t used to the thee, thine, thou’s, this language is the language of prayer and has a reverential quality about it that I believe helps remind us of the greatness of God. It reminds us to show Him respect and gratitude for all that we have and are.

You’re most welcome to make your own scripture cards using your translation of choice, but I hope you’ll give the KJV a try and come to appreciate its lyrical beauty and reverence as I have.

As you start walking with God, please do share your experiences and insights with the rest of us!

Since some have expressed an interest in posting their mission statement here, I’m opening this section as a place for you to post yours. This, of course, is totally optional. You need not feel as if you must post your mission statement - it’s just available for those who would like to share theirs and/or possibly receive feedback or ideas from others.

The first two lessons of RejoiceIn2007.com we’re working on creating a life mission statement. Since I’ve been getting some great emails from people on their progress, I thought it would be fun to start a blog where those who would like to share their thoughts, ideas and successes could do so. I also hope this will give us more of a sense of community - especially for those who can’t attend our telecalls.

You don’t have to post your mission statement if you don’t want to, but maybe we could discuss roadblocks you’ve encountered or successes you’ve had as you progress along your journey in 2007.

So please do take a moment to introduce yourself and tell us how it’s going.

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