I heard a statement on my way to work this morning at 3:30, and it was so powerful that it almost woke me up! In his book The Road Less Traveled, Dr. Peck makes this statement, "depression can be a natural occurrence of giving something up. " What I hear him saying is that not all depression is bad. In fact, it can be a sign of personal, mental, and spiritual growth. And I can give you several examples: the alcoholic giving up booze, divorcing or breaking up with someone that is abusive, or giving up dependence on a parent. In all of those situations people will often times get depressed, because they are giving up something.
Where we can get into trouble is when we resist making the necessary changes or we don't make them at all. Because that means we are unwilling to do the things that will help us grow. I believe this explains the phenomenon known as the midlife crisis. Think about that for a moment…when we hit our forties a lot of changes begin to take place! Some changes that we make and some changes that are out of our control. I believe that is why so many men and women go through a major depression later in life. The depression isn't always a sign that we are doing something wrong…in fact, it may mean that we are doing something right. I will write more about this in future blogs.
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Marriage by Tony Russel, posted Nov 7 2011 12:00AM
Amy and I have been married for 12 years. During that time we have faced everything from moving 6 times to her battle with cancer (cancer free for 1 year). Throw in there that during this time I was the pastor of a church, I'm ADHD, I'm in radio, and we have both been married before then you would probably think that our marriage is full of turmoil. I'm happy to say that we have had a very happy marriage. We are far from perfect, but at the end of the day, no matter how bad that day may have been, I knew that I was loved and that I loved her with all my heart. And I knew that there was no other place that I wanted to be. I believe that one of the reasons for this is because of one simple principle that I will discuss next.
I have learned that during stressful times you have two choices. You can allow it to push you apart or pull you together. I believe that we live in a wonderful world, but all at the same time it seems to be a battle ground for marriage. From the day we say I do it seems like someone or something is trying to get us to say I quit. So Amy and I decided quickly that we would ban together whenever anything or anyone threatened our marriage. Meaning we would become a united front And this included family, friends, occupations, and etc.
I truly believe that one fo the biggest mistakes a couple can make is bringing family and friends into their marriage. Meaning, when you have an argument with your spouse you then call momma or daddy to discuss it. I mean come on...momma and daddy will always take our side right? And then they will take it a step further and start being critical of your spouse. And then what happens? During the next argument we say, "well my momma says you are ______." And now there will be bad feelings between momma and your spouse And from that point forward it is a downward spiral. And friends can be even worse..especially if they are divorced or having problems in their marriage! So be very careful where you go for support. I have made it very clear to friends and family that they are never to say a bad word about my wife And fortunately that has never been an issue.
And with all of that being said I have to mention the number one reason that I believe our marriage has worked well for the last 12 years. It is because of our relationship with God. Now please don't think I'm saying we are spiritual giants. We are far from getting it all figure out and we have daily struggles like most (maybe more). However, God changed our hearts and has given us the ability to love one another despite our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. It his love and forgiveness for each of us that helps us realize that we can surely forgive each other.
To my wife, I love you with all of my heart. I thank you for being an incredible wife and an amazing mother to our 3 children. I fall more in love with you every year that we are married. Your courage in the face of our many challenges has been an inspiration. And your willingness to help me pursue my dreams has been overwhelming. You have accepted me as I am without trying to change me, but challenged me to be a better man and father. My prayer is that we will grow old together while spending a lot of time on a beach in Mexico, and that we will have a house full of grandchildren to spoil and keep us young.
Miranda's new CD is out and if you are a big fan of hers then you are not going to be disappointed! It is full of great rebel rousing songs that come from the heart of Texas, and well...Blake too.
Last week almost 300 women in India changed there names.
No, they didn't change their names because they got married.
They did so because of the meaning...the meaning their names
had in Hindu. Each of the girls had been given a name by their
parents that meant "unwanted". From the time they were born
the message was clear to them. They were not what their parents
hoped for or wanted.
I know a lot of people today, regardless of their name, who feel
that they were unwanted. It wasn't so much that their parents told
them that they were unwanted, but they were made to feel that way.
What about you? What would you say that your name means?
What is the meaning behind your life?
Regardless of what you or your parents think...you are wanted and
needed on earth. God designed you with careful precision. Some
of you reading this may not need to change your name, but you
definately need to change the meaning you have given to it. In fact,
you need to realize that you have meaning.
Well I knew it would happen! Scotty McCreery did a great job singing the National Anthem last night, but before game one of the World Series was over the critics were blogging and broadcasting. They were talking about him forgetting to turn on his microphone and flubbing a line.
Well let me address the first "flub" for you. I'm guessing that he was told that he would get a cue as to when to start singing. Therefore, he likely thought the stadium's sound folks were going to turn on his microphone. When it comes to his tongue tied moment...Billboard reports, "The notoriously tough song did trip him up once, when he appeared to swap "O say does that star-spangled…" with "No Jose does that…" Okay, so that obviously didn't come out right, but you have to admit he still sounded good singing it! If you are one of the haters then I want you to consider something. This time last year Scotty was playing baseball in high school. And last night he stood and sang in front of nearly 50,000 screaming fans inside the stadium and another 12 million or so watching on television. It is safe to say that few of us could stand up and speak one clear sentence in those conditions, much less sing on key.
We should also consider that this young guy's people probably have him on a horrendous schedule, and he is likely getting less sleep than Charlie Sheen on a bender in Vegas! Hey, y'all know that I enjoy being slightly sarcastic in these situations, but not this time. Scotty sang one of the most important and difficult songs to sing, and I was impressed. Yes, I still want to know who Jose is and why the Star Spangled Banner doesn't wave for him, but that will have to remain a mystery.
Well is it Wednesday...meaning you may likely be beining to struggle with that diet you started or habit you stopped on Monday. Hang in there...you can do it!
Tuesday by Tony Russel, posted Oct 18 2011 12:00AM
I'm sorry but I really don't like Tuesdays! Seriously think about what a horrible day Tuesday is in relationship to the other days. Monday is the first day of the week so at least we feel a little rested. And Wednesday is the middle and called humpday to remind us we are almost to Friday. Thursday isn't great but at least it is the day before Friday. And then of course Saturday and Sunday are great days. Well, Sunday is great until around 3:00 and then you start dreading Monday. Do you hear the problem with my thinking? The problem is work. If I didn't have to work then all the days would be the same...great!
Who do you think the sexiest country artist in America is today? That is the question Country Weekly is asking. You can see the list they are giving you to vote on below. Don't worry if your favorite is not listed, because you can submit your choice under "other".
Personally, I am voting for either Jamie Johnson or Eddie Montgomery just so they will at least get one vote! I almost didn't recognize Lee Brice without his signature backwards cap. And I'm not sure they picked the best picture to represent Joe Don Rooney. He looks like an ugly woman! I'm actually not familiar with a few of the selections, and secretly wonder if they copied and pasted their picture from GQ Magazine. I will go ahead and give you my prediction. In fact, I would be willing to bet a large sum of money on it if you want to contact me. I'm saying our young buck Scotty McCreery will take this one with ease. He already has a fan base that could seriouly take over a small country. I know this because they all hate me due to a blog post I made a last week. I still have security in front of my house!
Depression or Growth
love this pic of Miranda Lambert from