The moment one gives a close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world unto itself. ~ Henry Miller

When I read this quote, I immediately thought of the Creation Inspirations concept. There’s so much God shows us every day, we just have to pay attention. Sometimes it’s something big and awesome like a beautiful sunset sky or a mountain landscape that reminds us of God’s power and majesty. But other times it might be a single flower, a teeny tiny bug or a single blade of grass that reminds us of the intricacies and care God places in every bit of what He makes-and that we’re part of that plan.

Much of the summer has been super hot here in MI and in other parts of the country so staying in and staying cool has been the mode of operation for many I suspect. Now that things are cooling off a bit (or they will soon) if you haven’t taken much time to simply be outdoors, to breathe in both physically and spiritually what is offered, hopefully you can take opportunity very soon. I can guarantee with almost absolute certainty you’ll be glad you did.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

It is always an honor and a privilege to have my book reviewed and shared as a tool to spread the gospel and disciple children. Today, Amanda at Impressyourkids.com posted a sweet review complete with cool pictures of her kids doing the Bird of Paradise project.

Thanks Amanda! Follow her blog or friend her on Facebook to get other fun and easy ideas for making faith part of day to day life with your kids.

By the way, if you and your family do one of the things to do and would like to share pictures that I can post, I’d love to have them!

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

I’m sure I don’t have to tell any of you that life can be stressful-very stressful at times. Sometimes you don’t know what to do or where to turn to find a little peace, respite or comfort. When that happens, take a moment and go outside. You can go someplace special or just in your own backyard, driveway or porch.

Take a minute to really look and listen to what’s around you. Maybe you’ll hear chirping crickets or the power of the wind blowing. Maybe you’ll see a butterfly float by softly, find a flower that just bloomed or simply a clear blue sky. Maybe something will show up that’s just meant for you.

Take comfort in these things.  Breathe.  Allow yourself to be at peace. Remember the love the Creator has for His creation and that includes you. Take comfort.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

It’s 2010  and we humans are still discovering new surprises on a regular basis. Think about that for a minute. 2000 years of looking, searching, stumbling upon and setting sail to find new worlds, we’re still finding new creatures.

500 years ago, people may have thought they’d seen all there was to see never dreaming of deep ocean dives that would reveal even more fascinating life forms.

I still don’t understand how someone can look at pictures like this (scroll the gallery at the right) and not be amazed, in awe and have a desire to take care of the earth. We don’t even know about everything that’s here, how many answers are held in the deep, or on the floor of the forests and jungles. I’m at least glad we’re still searching.

^{Psalm 135: 5-7 (NIV)}

5 I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.

⁶ The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.

⁷ He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

Like most of you, I get my fair share of emails jokes and links that circulate around the net. Got one today that I actually hadn’t seen before and enjoyed it to the point that I was going to forward it, then I decided to share it with even more folks this way.  Though it’s in the humor category, it also shares a reminder that sometimes we Christians over complicate things and make things way more difficult than they need to be. It can’t get much clearer than this   Enjoy!

P.S. I have no clue if the statement about this being on a wall in a church is true but I left the email intact for now with respect to the originator  just in case.

The Ten Commandments

Some people have trouble with all those ’shall’s’ and ’shall not’s’ in the Ten Commandments. Folks just aren’t used to talking in those terms. So, in middle Tennessee they translated the ‘King James’ into ‘ Jackson County ‘ language. No joke…….this is posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Gainesboro , TN.

(1) Just one God
(2) Put nothin’ before God
(3) Watch yer mouth
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin’
(5) Honor yer Ma & Pa
(6) No killin’
(7) No foolin’ around with another fellow’s gal
(8) Don’t take what ain’t yers
(9) No tellin’ tales or gossipin’
(10) Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff

Saturday is my birthday and to celebrate I’d like to do something different-I want to give someone else a gift and I hope you’ll help.

Here are the details:

My friend Marla Taviano (who I met as an Internet friend but then we got to meet in person because of 52zoos.com) and her cool family are going to Cambodia on a mission trip this summer. They’ll be traveling with a group from their church and as with most mission events participants need to raise funds to cover travel expenses. That’s where your help comes in.

For this weekend, starting Friday June 5th (my birthday) I will contribute part of the proceeds from any books I sell from my websites. I need purchases to be from my site and not Amazon or B & N because once they take their cut, there’s not much left over and I want to give more than that

There are two books available. First, you can purchase my family devotion/activity book Creation Inspirations: A New View of the World Around You on the store page of this site. You can see Marla’s review of it here. or on her website MarlaTaviano.com You can also find out more about her trip and find lots of other inspiring, faith filled and fun stuff to read there.

Second, if you’ve ever thought about writing & trying to get your own book out there, you can also pop over to Publishing Answers.com and pick up Publishing Possibilities which is a step by step guide to choosing the right path for you and your project.

I think that covers everything, but if you have any questions feel free to contact me via the form on either site or friend me/send a message on Facebook

If you can’t get a book right now, I totally understand. If you can offer the gift of prayer that would be awesome too.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

Did You know that the humpback whales sometimes rest vertically with their heads facing the ocean floor? Neither did I, until I saw the DisneyNature movie Oceans Mother’s Day weekend.

Imagine this creature, 40-50 feet long, silently suspended in the middle of the ocean, taking a nap. Sometimes there may be two of them side by side as well. They don’t sleep for hours like we do, but rest is still necessary.

That was just one of the things I learned, and just one of the amazing bits of photography in the movie. If it’s still in your area (last year’s movie wasn’t out long) I highly recommend you see it with your family. Kids under 5 or 6 may get bored because there isn’t much of a story to follow, but older animal lovers of all ages will be fascinated.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

Did you know?

The Giant Pacific Octopus has 8 tentacles (arms). Each one has 200 suckers/suction cups. Each suction cup can hold about 35 pounds. Do the math!

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

I’m SOOO excited! April 22 is Earth Day and for the second year in a row, Disney is releasing an epic nature movie. Last year, it was “Earth” and it followed the lives of several animal families. Most of it was happy in true Disney style, but the reality of life was shown too.

This year’s film is called “Oceans”. They showed a short preview of it last year and I’ve been looking for the commercials for at least a month now. Finally saw one last night. It was filmed using the latest and greatest underwater technologies and I can’t wait. Granted, there will likely be info about evolution, but don’t let that stop you, just be prepared to talk a little about it if you have kids with you.

The last one was almost two hours of breathtaking scenery that  just filled me with awe once again for the Creator and His creation.We may get to go this weekend depending on my work schedule. Cool thing is Disney is donating some of the proceeds from opening week to help save coral reefs (which, if you aren’t aware, are regularly dying from a wide variety of stresses including pollution, and other human interference.

Here’s a link with more info. Feel free to comment here, let me know if you see it & what you think.

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett

If you happen to be visiting someplace warm and tropical for spring break, or if you’re lucky enough to live in such a location, you likely have a Creation Inspiration right outside your front door every day-the palm tree.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the day we reflect on Christ’s ride into Jerusalem, and how he was greeted with cheers and anticipation. Later in the week, things were different of course, but imagine what it must have been like to have been on that street that day waving a palm branch, welcoming God himself (even if you didn’t understand that’s what was going on).

The next time you see a palm tree, whether you’re driving along an ocean front highway or maybe gazing out your hotel room, take a moment to remember Holy Week and God’s amazing love & grace.

John 12:13 (NIV) They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Be Inspired!

Cheryl Pickett