All Things Must Pass

Prayer Meeting

“You can always tell the people who took the Dale Carnegie course; they stand up and talk for too long during prayer meetings.  They don’t know when to sit down.”  

Well, that’s how I heard it as a 9 or 10-year-old. My Dad may not have said it that way, but that’s the way I heard it. 

So, Dale Carnegie…. was on my mind at a very young age.  All I knew was that you would talk too long during prayer meetings if you took the course. 

During the Wednesday prayer meeting, I found myself thinking…. he is rambling and should sit down, or we are never getting out of here by 9 p.m.!  I need to go to bed, and for those of you who know me…. you know I have to be in bed by 9!

In the 1990s, I finally had the opportunity to take the Dale Carnegie Course.  And I like to say I “had to” take the class 3 times, but the truth is I went back as a Graduate Assistant twice.

 It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  The instructor was AMAZING, and to this day, is someone I admire, and I am so grateful to know.  He walks his talk with the Lord.

The one thing that sticks out when I think of Dad talking about how long Dale Carnegie students spoke during prayer meetings is TIME!  This sticks in my mind to this day because your talks were all timed to 2 ½  or 3 minutes.  Don’t go over your allotted TIME!  And Make Your Point!

I need a refresher course.  My dream would be to have the class with ALL of the same people from the 1^st class.  We had a wonderful group, about 8 Mennonite men and 1 Amish man, along with many other wonderfully interesting people. 

When I took the course, I was growing in leaps and bounds, both professionally and personally.  I know the Dale Carnegie course helped me to raise my children. I used everything I learned on both of my children!

When my Daughter was in College, she came home one day and told me the Professor reminded her of me.  Some of the things she was saying in class.  I thought to myself, well, she must be about my age.  Then one day, Francesca said, we are reading a book by Dale Carnegie. You have a few Dale Carnegie books, don’t you?  You bet I did.

Many years ago, I was going through a rough time in my life.  My husband and I frequently visited friends in Huntsville, AL.  During one of our visits, I received a phone call that sent me spiraling into a dark, dark place.  As I prayed to the Lord for help, an inner voice told me to go to the bookcase in the bedroom. 

I went to the bookcase and quickly browsed the titles and said to myself, “There is nothing here for me,” and then the inner voice firmly said, “Go back and read each title,” so I went back and read each title.  Nested in the bookcase was How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie.  I open the book to a page that immediately soothed my heart. 

And as I cried, thanking the Lord for direction, the burden lifted.  Things were much more manageable.  I am not going to tell you it all went away because it didn’t.  I could see things in a different light and realized that the truth would eventually come out, and I had nothing to worry about. 

Worry – What an Enemy.  What a time-waster. 

I learned to live in Day Tight Compartments

I love the idea of taking your worries and putting them in a box and closing the lid. 

100 Bible Verses on Fear & Anxiety

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The Back Story

One of my favorite things to do is get in the car and drive down a road I have never been down before; I actually try to get lost.  I know that makes my husband nervous, especially when you are in West Texas, where you know you are driving through someone’s property, down and up a steep (thankfully dry) river bed…. But I find it thrilling. 

I love saying to myself, I have never been down this road before!  This is pretty cool, and still to this day, being amazed at the beauty.

This is really what is happening right now.  I am taking a journey, going down a road I have never been down before.  Trying new things.

All Things Must Pass & Lord I Hope This Day is Good are two of my favorite songs.

All Things do Pass, and asking the Lord for a Good Day is Always a Good Thing.

Don’t lose your adventurous self, your curiosity, your ability to make the sunshine even on dark days. 

I joke all the time that we have to make our own sunshine up here in Ohio, and it is actually quite true.  But, today, somewhere, the sun is shining, and someone is struggling to see the sunshine. 

Remember, This Too Shall Pass.  Lord, I hope this day is good.

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What to Write About?  – Writing Prompts

How Prayer impacted or impacts your Life

A Story of Prayer

A Prayer you have Never Forgotten

What you Prayed for Last Night

What you Prayed for this Morning (it changes with age! like thanks for letting me wake up)

Getting Lost and Finding Your Way Home

It is In Spite of Adversity That We Succeed