Category: Ways to Cope (Page 6 of 24)

Signs of Hope is Needed for Life, Military, and Seniors.

February 18, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I am very tired today so my spellcheck better work. 🙂

I am getting to the age where every new day is a blessing. I am almost through with my second book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

It is a book for the veterans who are struggling with life. It covers PTSD, TBI, Depression, anxiety, etc. It also shares live for me while I was in the military. Some funny and not so funny stories there.

Go to…www.dougbolton.com to find out more about the book.

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My next book will be called, Signs of Hope for Seniors: The Alligators that Chase us. I am an expert on that since I am 82 years old and counting.

It will talk about aging, of course, but also about loneliness, health issues, depression, lack of memory, being sent to assisted living, and many more of the usual suspects for seniors.

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Also…stay tuned here for excerpts from my first book, which won and national award, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.

It is perfect timing for the way that our world is today. It speaks about being strong when the storms of life try to overcome us. It shares ways to stand up to the rush of daily problems.

I will share my first excerpt in my next post on Monday. So keep coming back to check them out. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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How is it going for you today? Too overwhelming? Too much sorrow and not much joy?

FEAR NOT!!

God is in charge !!! He knows what your hurts are. He know what causes you pain. He knows every single hair on your head. Turn to Him during your storms of life. Pray for His protection. Ask Him to hold your hand and guide you down the right paths.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Remember Days of Gas for 25 Cents? Inflation Took Care of That

February 16, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

Another day, another dollar. That is a phrase I heard lot as a kid. In the 1940’s things were scarce including money. One dollar was a lot back then.

Now days, if you don’t thousands of dollars a month, you are in poverty. It is called inflation.

I remember gas being 25 cents a gallon. .05 cents for a package of gum, and $2.99 for a carton of cigarettes.

We survived by having uncles that had farms and they shared the crops with us. I ate every kind of dish that you can make potatoes out of. Tomatoes were plentiful, so we canned them. Peaches the same way. We all went together to have Beef packaged for all of us.

I made money for school clothes by working on my uncle’s farm every summer.

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Of course it isn’t close to being that hard these days.

I want you to know I had a very happy childhood. I knew what family was. We would all gather together often. That meant a lot to me. The lov overflowed during those times.

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Did you have a good or bad childhood? Was it hard for you? I hope way back then you realized you were loved deeply by God. He was with you during all of your storms. He was just a prayer away.

That is what got me through some tough years in my early life. I accepted to Lord when I was fifteen years old through the Young Life meetings.

I faced the world in a whole different way after that time. I was at peace with my living conditions.

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Today is the first day of the rest of your life. If you have felt abandoned, and are struggling. Struggle no more. Pray to God, and also ask Jesus into you heart. Those two things will see you through many storms of life.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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February is the love Month and Today is the Love Day

February 14, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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Do you seem to walk around lost? Are there many days you would rather stay in bed?

There are many others just like that. They stumble through life without any purpose.

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Let me share this with you. The life being offered to you is better than the one you have now.

God loves each of us as if there there was only one of us to love.

St Augustine

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John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to provide us with internal life.

He allow His son to be put to die out of love for us.

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February is the love month, and today is the love day. Love conquers all, and we should use it all the time.

Today, reach out to your loved ones, and tell them you love them. Call your neighbors and tell them Happy Valentines Day.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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We Have Nothing At All to Fear, But Fear Itself

February 11, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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You have heard of lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Well, what about threat of war, pandemic, and gouging prices increases, Oh My! I may want to choose the first choice.

This may not be a fun time to be alive in this world. So many things to cause fear. Fear is our worst enemy right now.

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So what in the world can we do?

Do not worry about tomorrow. Today has enough worries to handle.
Worry is the darkroom where negatives are developed.
Know that God is always there by your side to help you through the storms of life.
Be strong for others and it will rub off on you.
God will never you put you into anything you can not handle. That is Satan’s job.

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Are you overwhelmed with the fear of the unknown? Does each day seem to be too much for you?

FEAR NOT!

That is the shortest verse in the Bible. It also is the strongest in my opinion. Never give in the the dark side of Satan. He would love you put you up on his wall as a trophy.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Who is Your One For You to Reach Out to?

February 7, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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In the Bible it tells us about the importance of one. Jesus had two parables to describe this:

There was a shepherd tending his flock. He counted them and there was suppose to be 100. He found one was missing. He left the 99 to search for that one lost sheep. When he found the sheep, he rejoiced because he saved that one sheep from the wolves, and other animals.
There was a woman who lost one of her coins. She left to rest of the money to search for that one coin. When she found it she rejoiced and let everyone know she had found it.

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What I have learned from this is that I need to seek the ones who are lost and tell them at the good word of God. While we are doing this we are to seek the one-Jesus Christ.

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I heard the lyrics from a song that said, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin on that cross.” Very profound and direct.

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So, who can you reach out to? Who is that one? It could be that neighbor who feels lost and depressed. It could be the man seeking money at the corner. It could be a member of your own family.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Worry is the Dark Room Where Negatives Develop

January 29, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I had a stressful week. I was having chest pains, and went to see my cardiologist. There were some blood tests done, and she said they came out great. She said that often chest pains come from your heart having to work overtime. I wasn’t sure what that meant. However, she assured me I could keep exercising and live my life normally.

What a relief! I have congestive heart failure, and I struggle with palpitations all day long with A-fib.

I have decided not to worry about it and enjoy life.

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Have you had stress come into your life? Did you get a not so good doctor’s report. Did you lose your job? Did someone you loved passed away? You certainly are not alone. There are many people in the same boat with you.

So, what do we do to survive in this not so friendly world?

Remember, 90% of what we worry about never happens.
Be strong and keep on keeping on.
Let God take care of your worries. He has big shoulders.
Know that God knows even the hairs on your head. So He knows everything about you and what you need.
Cling to God’s promises. He will never cause you to face more than you can handle.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Depression Can Lead to a Very Dreadful Life

January 24, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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Some people seem to take God for granted. They go through life blindly thinking they can take on the world alone. Dr. Phil would say, “How is that working for you?”

I was like that once. I didn’t even go to church. There were sports on Sundays I didn’t want to miss.

I got a wake up call from God in 2001. It was March 31st to be exact. I was sitting in my Ford Explorer in a high school parking lot, ready to end my life. I had been struggling with depression, and it was overcoming me.

I finally cried out, God! I can’t take this anymore! There was a sudden calmness around me. I relaxed and ponder what had just happened.

It was like God was saying, “It’s about time you came back to me. Now let me lead you the rest of the way.”

My life changed that day. That day was the first day of the rest of my life.

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I have learned a lot since then.

God is the Father of the fatherless. I was without a father because of divorce. I felt alone and my self image was shot.
God is the defender of widows. There is nothing worse than to lose a loved one. God is there to comfort you during those times.
God senses the loneliness in families. Seems odd to think you are lonely in your own home, but it can happen and is devastating.

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Another thing I learned is that a is my job is to be a leader in my home. Not a dictator that rules the nest with anger. Satan would love for men to claim authority over their family. This only leads to turmoil and sadness.

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Take an inventory of your choices in life. Do you need an overhaul? Is happiness a word you do not understand?

Turn to God. He loves you. He made you in His own image. That means you are His child.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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People Think They Are on a Treadmill Going Nowhere

January 21, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I am sure most of you have been on a treadmill. Isn’t it interesting that you never get anywhere? You are just at one spot walking as fast as you can. Seems senseless right. Wrong. You are achieving better health and stamina.

It seems like we are in one spot treading to nowhere in our lives. Can’t seem to move forward and achieve what we want out of life.

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If you have been there do not get discouraged. Remember, GOD IS CHARGE!

He knows what you need and don’t need. He knows what is best for you even though you would like something else. God will guide you and show you to the right choices.

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I learned to delight in God’s Word. What He says has been recorded. What He says has been preserved. We need to live by his word. God’s word is food for our soul.

I have prayed and asked God to speak to me. Let it pour down like rain, God.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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He Who Angers You Will Control You

January 14, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I had a week with heavy exercise. It has paid off. I lost a few pounds this week, and my legs feel stronger. I still have another day of exercise today. Then I will crash for the weekend.

I am sharing another excerpt today from my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in and Unfriendly World. It received a national award.

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Chapter 3

He Who Angers You Controls You

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother

will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother,

“Raca” [a term of contempt], is answerable to the Sanhedrin

[body of authorities]. But anyone who says,

“You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Matthew 5:22

I have “a short fuse.” I can be easily offended and strike back with anger. As the years have gone by I realize that anger doesn’t solve anything. It only raises my blood pressure, and allows the other person to win. They get what they want. They got me frustrated and not thinking clearly.

I have finally gotten smarter and have learned to control my feelings to the point where I still may be upset about what has happened, but I don’t let it cause me to verbally strike out toward the other person. I don’t “count to ten.” I turn to God to give me strength to overcome my own feelings and think about the consequences for me if I fail in my quest to help others with their anger. I also ask God to help me have a calm spirit, and an understanding heart. I’m not being a good example to my children—or anyone else—if I don’t.

The following story makes the point about anger very clearly. Got a hammer?

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him to hammer a nail into the back fence every time he lost control. The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Then he gradually discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. His father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father led his son to the fence. “You have done well, but look at the holes in the fence,” he said. “When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like the nail holes. You can put a knife in a person and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say ‘I’m sorry,’ the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.”

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:7

A fool shows his annoyance [temper] at once,

but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

Proverbs 12:16

In your anger do not sin:

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Ephesians 4:26

Further Adventures

How do you deal with anger? Do you have loved ones who can’t control their feelings some times? I have been a victim of losing my temper sometimes. I can’t put a bunch of nails in my fence out of anger because Charlotte would want me be put in a safe place so I wouldn’t be harmful to anyone—or the fence—again.

But think about this story each time you get angry. Tell it to your loved ones when they get upset. This is an easy story to remember. It is very short, but its impact could be tremendous.

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that when we say kind words to someone they say kind words back?

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Come back often to see another excerpt. Better yet… go to the top of this page and click on Subscribe. When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox.

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So how is your time on this earth going? Have you had a heated exchange with someone? Do you feel badly?

FEAR NOT!!

God is there with you and He will guide you on to how to reconcile with that person. To ask for forgiveness, or to forgive does wonders.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Everything That Can go Wrong Probably Will

January 12, 2022 / Butch / 0 Comments

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I had four days of exercise last week. At my age you would think that I was almost dead. 🙂 However, I now feel stronger, and will be doing four more days of exercise this week. We will see what happens.

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I am sharing another excerpt from my first book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.

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Chapter 2

Everything that Can Go Wrong Probably Will

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

Murphy must have been a sad soul. We all live by the laws he created for us. It seems that we blame everything that goes wrong on Murphy’s Law.

You’ve had those days. You get up in the morning and start out happy as a clam. (Not sure how happy that is.) You have some errands to do, and you begin to do them.

You run out of gas, or you have a flat tire. You forgot your grocery list. The item you thought was on sale wasn’t. There is an accident on the freeway, and you are stuck for hours.

Ever had those kinds of days? Let me tell you about mine! I had volunteered to help my son Greg out when he vacationed in Disneyland with my granddaughter Molly. I told him I would pick up his mail every day, put the garbage cans back on Tuesday, and feed Charlie the cat all week.

Everything went well Sunday through Tuesday. But on Wednesday, the worst thing happened. I lost the door key. I had it in my summer shorts when I went to shower. I took off the shorts, showered, and then put on a clean pair of shorts. I left the house and headed over to my son’s house.

Charlie was waiting for me, and already had started his purring sound to let me know he was glad to see me. I got the mail, walked up to the door and reached into my pocket to get the key. It wasn’t there. Charlie was looking up at me looking like, “Why are you taking so long to open the door?”

“Sorry Charlie,” I muttered, sounding like a tuna commercial. “I have to go back home and get the key.” He wasn’t very happy with me as I walked to my car. I felt badly.

I got home and looked everywhere for the key. It was nowhere in sight. I even dumped out the hamper where the dirty clothes were. Zilch! Notta! Ouch!

I remembered that we had a bunch of extra keys in the desk drawer that had no names on them. I dug all of them out and drove back to my son’s house. You guessed it: None of them worked!

I was desperate by this time. I thought that I might have to call a locksmith, or call my son and have him Fed Ex his keys to me.

I prayed for help from God and immediately thought of calling my wife Charlotte to see if she had any ideas. (This was my close encounter with God.) I probably sounded shook up when she answered the phone—maybe because my only words were, “Now what do I do?”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’ve lost the key to the house, and the cat food is on the inside.”

Without hesitating, she suggested, “Go to the grocery store and buy another bag of cat food and feed Charlie outside. He’s an outside cat anyway. Greg can make a new key when he gets home.”

Charlie was really mad at me when I left the second time without feeding him. I returned with a tasty tuna and salmon meal (yum). He gobbled it up and was purring again when I left.

Of course, going to the grocery store was the obvious choice. (You realize, of course, that I actually knew it all along. I was just testing Charlotte.) The important thing was that the answer came after I had prayed for help. Charlotte was the messenger, but God answered the prayer.

God can answer prayers in many ways. It can be directly, or it can be through someone else. Charlotte was my answer to prayer. She knew the easy solution I needed, but I wasn’t able to think of.

Do you call on God to help you when you have a problem, or do you panic like I did? (God has a speed dial you know.) At least, I knew I couldn’t do it on my own and turned to God for help. The calming feeling that came as soon as I finished praying was very reassuring.

It was in God’s hands, and I knew something good would happen. Charlie got fed, and I have a whole bag of cat food for future lockouts.

Don’t let obstacles stop you. Turn your problems over to God. Let Him figure out a solution. It may not come as fast as mine did, but He will work it out the way He knows is best for you.

Since I am on the subject of prayer, please don’t just call on God when there is a problem. Talk to God every day. He loves to hear from you.

I know it is hard to pray when you are at work. It is hard to pray while you are driving. But you know what? When you are driving might be the best time to pray. It is when you are likely to be tense and need a calming spirit. A guy is blowing his horn behind you. Pray seeking patience because you do not know what is going on in this man’s life. He may want to get home because his wife called and is ready to have their first baby. Wouldn’t you be honking?

Prayer should be done without ceasing. Pray each and every day. Use it to praise God. Use it to thank Him for your good health. Use it to pray for peace. Whatever is on your mind, God wants to hear from you. It should be like He is sitting in the room with you. Carry on a conversation with Him.

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6–7

Further Adventures

Have you gone along in life thinking that everything is fine, only to have a day that makes you realize that the world is not always a rose garden? First of all, remember that we can’t look at everything through rose-colored glasses.

Second, when a bad day comes knocking at your door like it was your long-lost relative, make sure it understands that it can only stay for that day. Then boot it out at the end of the day by giving it over to God in prayer. You should never let your bad days stay longer than they should.

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that we always have a direct line to God, but we sometimes think the connection is dead?

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I will be sharing more excerpts in the future so keep coming back. Better yet…go to the top of this page and click on “Subscribe.” When you do all future posts will directly to your inbox.

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Does it seem like the storms are coming too often? Would you rather stay in bed all day?

FEAR NOT!

God is with you 24/7. He will never forsake you. Lean on Him as your fortress. Never give in to the darkside.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Category: Ways to Cope (Page 6 of 24)

Remember Days of Gas for 25 Cents? Inflation Took Care of That

February is the love Month and Today is the Love Day

We Have Nothing At All to Fear, But Fear Itself

Who is Your One For You to Reach Out to?

Worry is the Dark Room Where Negatives Develop

Depression Can Lead to a Very Dreadful Life

People Think They Are on a Treadmill Going Nowhere

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