Fighting the battle of being Anxious

Philippians 4:6 in the New International Version of the Bible reads: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. In today’s society there is a massive emphasis placed upon the pursuit of the perfect being. If you visit a book store you will easily discover shelves of self-help books which highlight the stories of individuals who consider themselves to have mastered the skill of helping one’s self be the best at who they are and with suggestions and illustrations these self-help books demonstrate tools and decisions that will help you master the task too (or so the thought is promoted). One of my personal continuous topics of self-discussion has long been this thought of being the best, leading the way, standing out in the crowd, being a person who not only asks questions but also provides answers. If you know me, have heard me speak, we have an association together where we know each other more than just acquaintance identification, I believe you have your own self-established descriptive of my personality and who I am. I am someone who strives to be the best I can be. I am someone that is not afraid to step up and out of a crowd to lead the way. My self-description would include that I too am someone that likes to help people and providing answers to questions is a part of my characteristics that is noted by others who have and are observing me. With this being true in my personal evaluation of me something you might have missed is my battle that rages with respect to “not be anxious.” Philippians 4:6 is my focus verse of scripture for this year and this issue of self-control and not wanting to make somethings happen is a real challenge for me. My life has always been active or at least I would describe my life as such. I would suggest evidence of this statement could be supported by the many multi-tasked events, programs and associations I’ve maintained at once as proof. As an active person experiencing set-backs that literally halt not only our progress but our movement are difficult for me to deal with. Not being anxious is first taught to us when as children we are instructed to “hold on, wait a minute,” or the expressions “we will but not today” and “that sounds fun but let’s think about this.” These expressions are not the words welcomed by those who are go-getters. Standing still is not always easy to practice. The Bible suggest to Christians in practicing their faith to “be still and know God.” I’ll confess again in this article, my inner being in the practice of self-control and not being anxious is a challenge that is best stated as a battle. Set-backs are not welcome in my world but I’ve had plenty of practice in my attempt to be perfect and not anxious. While I am in the pattern of confession I should go ahead and write that with all the practice I’ve had I am still experiencing failure and I have not mastered the skill of not being anxious. Some experiences could be our hope for a cough to cease or for a running nose to dry-up. A headache or the more serious, a migraine to go away can create plenty of anxious battles. The battle in fighting cancer, heart disease or diabetes hands out lots of anxious situations. A personal desire to hear a good medical report or to experience improvements like being able to get out of bed, bend a knee, for pain to subside or to get up and out of wheelchair and walk again hands out like a flood plenty of anxious issues that individuals face. I might give myself credit for success in some matters but in others, I’ve got a long way to go. Keeping the attitude of anxious in her proper place and in check is a challenge. My scripture for the year has the answer along with the instructions in Philippians 4:6. Developing the correct attitude in dealing with the spirit of anxiousness must first be battled with the attitude of thanks. The proper vehicle for the attitude of thanks to travel is the highway of prayer. I am praying now that I will not be anxious following the road signs and instructions from Him as I continue my journey. I will be praying the same thing for you too. Follow Tim Mills on Twitter @THMills.

Welcome to History - Pineville/Bell County Kentucky; Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival

Welcome to Bell County and to the Gem City, Pineville, Kentucky! This weekend the City of Pineville is filled with first time visitors, family members and friends that have returned to celebrate the 85th Annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. This years theme is: "Elegant Traditions" There is no other festival in Kentucky like the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. No other city is filled with princess and queen candidates that are escorted everywhere they go for this one of a kind unique event. It is easy to spot a queen this weekend. If you see a beautiful lady arrayed in the colors of springs with a gentlemen escort that is a queen more than likely. If she is wearing a big beautiful hat and if she performs a curtsy then without a doubt, she is a Queen! The Queen Candidates were selected by their college or university selection committees and are here representing their alma maters hoping to be crowned the 2015 Queen at the Coronation Ceremony held at the Laurel Cove Amphitheater. The Laurel Cove itself is a historical spot of beauty nestled in the heart of the mountains at Kentucky's First State Park, Pine Mountain State Park. The beauty of the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival is not reserved only for Queens but the KMLF is also filled with the beauty of Princess Candidates who represent the areas high schools. One of the Princess Candidates will be selected from among them and will be crowned Princess of the 2015 Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. Our new Princess will be riding in a specifically designed and decorated float in honor of her and the event. Her float will be covered in the colors of the festival, pink, green and white on Saturday's parade event. Our visitors should know that we residents take a great deal of personal pride in this historical event. Our Gem City is decorated and spruced up. Our homes lawns have been manicured and without a doubt you are seeing pink and green nearly everywhere you look, and that is just the way we like it. Each of the local business owners also take pride in the event you are experiencing this weekend. When you are the second oldest festival in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, second only to the Kentucky Derby, and the Governor is always here, then that is something you can be thankful and proud to host. Welcome to Bell County, home of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and the gateway to the West. With all the events of the festival, the parade, downtown concessions, tea's, receptions, carnival rides, concerts, dinners, cook-outs, family reunions and awards that will be given out to candidates, businesses, participants and home owners, there is much to do and experience in one weekend. Allow me to be the first to invite you to come back and visit our area again. On that trip plan to go to Martin's Station just over the Cumberland Gap and begin your journey of seeing the 'Warriors Path'. Cross the Gap, visiting the sights, hiking the trails and seeing what is only in Bell County, Kentucky. Our sister the City of Middlesboro was formed from a meteor and sits in a crater. Bell County is home of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College which holds a unique history in Bell County and its servant students are serving the world over in ministries, churches and missions. Pineville is home to the 'Narrows' and the 'Chained Rock'. If those names alone don't cause you to want to visit then you need to just trust me. The journey of your next visit continues all the way to Barbourville, Ky., and to the Dr. Thomas Walker State Park. By the time you get there you will understand his journey and just how historically special this place we call home is to us and the value she holds in the development of this state and nation. There is much to see and experience! Welcome to the Gem City of the Cumberlands, Pineville, Kentucky. Until then

Emotional Breakdown

Emotion, with respect to the subject, I have been quoted as saying "it is the topic we don't mind to talk about as long as we can avoid it at all cost." At the very mention of the word 'emotion', depending upon your experiences in life there is no doubt an array of possible thoughts. For me, thinking about emotion can be happy or sad and to be honest emotion can be both happy and sad within seconds of each other too. Growing up as a child I am sure I expressed unspoken emotion that caused my parents to stop what they were doing and re-directed their attention to see what I was doing. Children cry for a reason and sometimes that reason can simple be our expression of stating we want what we want and no is not the word we wanted to hear. That type of emotion we often describe as selfish and our recommendation is to simply pay no attention, just let this moment run it's course. As an adult, looking back at our individuals lives most of us would admit that our emotions have grown-up over the years. That which we might find disturbing as a child, as an adult we see the way we expressed our emotions back then as childish now. I remember the first time I came into a recognizable moment that my emotions were growing-up. If this is the first time you have ever read my newspaper column then allow me to share that family is extremely important. When I think about individuals who love their family the first person I think of is my father's mother, my grandmother Stella Mills. My grandmother loved 'her people' and to her, there were no others to love totally on the face of the earth. Because of her love for 'her people' I too developed this sense of emotion about family connections. Ethel Hale was one of my grandmother's sister. Growing-up I was blessed to know my great-aunts and uncles and my love for them was real and as I discovered, emotional too. When my Great-Aunt Ethel passed into eternal life I was asked to sing the song, "When I've gone the last mile of the way". I loved my Aunt Ethel and my Uncle Bert, her husband. Singing at her memorial service the words took a hold of my life in reflecting on her's and walking that last mile. Emotion, we would rather talk about it than experience it, but experiences help mold us into the person we are or are becoming. Crying is an emotion that creates a different response from different individuals. Some folks will respond with "it's ok", others might not say anything but they will squeeze you hand to communicate they love you and are with you. Dealing with emotion can be scary. Fears could be that we will be perceived as weak by others or the extreme, we are going to have an emotional breakdown. Personally, I don't have a definition for an emotional breakdown, but if you need to have one, have one. Use that emotion to move your life forward is my only advice. Avoiding emotion seems like a good goal but if you eliminate it from your life you will miss out on several important elements that help to define us, inspire us, and encourage us to press on toward the prize which is the calling of God on our individual lives. Until then

Death & Dying; The Future & Opportunity;

With some extra time on my hands I began thinking about the future and I began to focus on future opportunities especially. Thinking about the future can give us great hope and future thoughts can provide us with heart and soul encouragement that we can use for personal motivation. Thinking about the future is very exciting because our mind and thought processes can 'go wild'. We can let our mind roam the thought field of what if's, possibilities and dreams. Looking toward the future is a good thing yet I found myself being cautious and this sense of cautiousness I began to explore, not wanting to leave any stone unturned in my search of the future and opportunity. My mind began to focus on what is it about the future that we should be careful in dealing with and approaching. What is the danger in looking to the future? What is the danger about looking for opportunities? Thinking up the questions that I was asking myself I discovered I was almost answering the questions as quickly as I was writing them down, then my mind settled down and I went to the depth of my questions and the area most would like to avoid as a conversation. What is the downfall of looking toward the future and thinking about opportunities? A part of the downfall is that in looking for that moment to seize your opportunity we miss the moment that is standing clearly and directly in front of us. Looking toward the future and planning is smart, but living to make a difference in the future only will allow you to miss making a difference today, now. The area of conversation we all are most likely to enjoy avoiding is the conversation of death, dying, departing this world and entering into eternity. My parents helped me at an early age to address the issue of death. In 1985 I faced a medical condition that without a miracle intervention by the hand of God my organs and internal system appear to be heading toward a shutdown. Not exactly what you are wanting to face when you are still just a teenager and young adult. In January and February of this year I faced that future ending and future opportunity ending hour again. One thought I can pass on is the conversation of death, dying and departing this life for eternal life is no easier when you are middle aged in life than when you are a teenager. I discovered some in my immediate family wanting to avoid the conversation but yet I found the conversation to be releasing and settling that offered a sense of peace and calm in the hour we most want to avoid discussing. What are you thinking about when you think of the future? Personally I am thinking when the opportunity comes to get up and walk again I have several things I want to do immediately. I want to visit with my friends. I want to laugh and smile again. I want to share a story or two and I want to hear from my friends whose lives have been on a continuous go while mine has seems to have been on hold. I want to go out for a great meal but I have no idea what the name of that resturant is or where it is located! I want to go back to church. I want to share with God's people parts of my experience, or all of my experience if that is what God wants? I know the sense of His calling remains in affect on my life and consumes my passions. For those that have heard me share as a motivational speaker at a conference or event you will no doubt remember I am fond of sharing 4 things that will change our lives completely. They are: 1) The PEOPLE we met; 2) The PLACES we go; 3) The BOOKS we read; 4) The EXPERIENCES we have; My recent medical challenges have provided me the opportunity to experience all four of my life changers very close together. The best advice I can share today with anyone would be this thought: "Take full advantage of what you have as it happens. The future future is not an opportunity. This moment is all you have to work with".-THM Until then

Staying Connected 2015 - 2044

Staying connected electronically can be a real challenge. There are so many different means of communication that the options are truly in plenty for your choosing. I have lived just long enough currently to have personally witnessed some real changes in the way we communicate and stay connected. When I think about the future I wonder what devices we will be using in the year 2044? I wrote "we" because I am planning on being around for the year 2044. After all I will only be 80 years of age that year and I cannot think of a reason why I should plan on departing life prior to that, unless The Lord Jesus just really needs me in Heaven! Growing-up I know what a 'party line' is and there are some of you that do to. However, there is a totally different generation that is no doubt thinking it means something totally different. When you had an emergency often times you would have to say, hey I hate to ask but I've got a phone call or an emergency and everyone would hang up their telephones and allow you to place your call. Ease dropping, sure that happened all the time and you didn't need a court order to listen in either. Just pick up your phone in your house and listen at your neighbors conversations all you wanted too. Of course the most common expression would be to say, "hey, I don't know whose listening but this is a private conversation, hang up the phone". I guess those days were really the good ole days and we just didn't know it. If you want to have a conversation about communication just as your grandchildren or nephews and nieces if they know what a pay phone is? Facebook, Instagram, Snap, and a hundred different applications help people stay connected. I remember when e-mail was introduced to the world and today only the real dinosaurs of human existence have remained disconnected from the possibilities. There was a time when every student who enrolled in college would register for a college mail box to receive mail and packages from home, but not today. A fun survey might be to ask college students how much does it cost to mail a letter, their answers might surprise us. With options to receive bills electronically, and with options that allow you to pay your bills with electronic drafts the way we stay connected is ever changing. With all the choices we have to stay connected electronically I am not sure what the future holds for us to select from but I'm sure there will be several different styles to select from whatever the options might be in 2044. One option for effective communication that has not vanished with the modernization of electronics has been old fashion conversation. Just talking to one another is still the most effective means of communication and I am not ready to give up on that option in 2015 or 2044. Let's stay connected and talk. Until then

Scripture Verse for 2015 - Philippians 4:6

A personal practice for many years now has been to select a particular scripture each year and to study that scripture, use it for reflection, motivation and encouragement. Another reason for selection a scripture or passage of scripture is to commit it to memorization each year and learn more about Jesus personally. This practice helps me to know who He is, what He wants to do in my life (our lives) of those who follow Him and to learn more about His way of thinking. I must also add that an additional benefit from this practice is to learn what attitude or actions draws God's responds. Most Christians that I know have a "life verse", that is a verse of scripture that is their go to verse from the Bible for every situation. My life verse is Acts 4:12. "There is no other name given among us whereby we must be saved." This verse sums up my entire theological faith about God and my belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord of the World. From first hand experience I have seen and witnessed the rejection of this Biblical thought and experienced the hatred others have for Jesus. The truth for me is that Jesus is the sweetest name I know, it is a name I love to sing, the simple mention of His name causes the demons in hell to tremble, and it is the only name in which I pray under and is is the name to whom I pray. While I wish I would have be able to have selected my verse of scripture to focus upon prior to this date in April the truth is that it just wasn't possible until now. There is no scientific method to my selection when choosing my yearly verse. The selection comes from simply reading the Bible, studying scriptures or sometimes I select the verse because it jumps out at me, or its a verse I can't remember seeing before. The verse could be selected because in reading the scripture I realize I don't understand it full or in part. Philippians 4:6 reads, “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” This verse of scripture both jumped out at me and because there is part of this scripture passage I have never realized until just now. In reading this verse today I first said to myself I understand this verse completely. It was then that my lack of wisdom and need of knowledge jumped out at me. Learning to pray is the first thing most Christians learn to do. We learn to call upon Him and His name. When I was reading this scripture today at first I interpreted and read the scripture in this context: When you are in need don't be anxious about anything at all. Be calm and pray to God. Bring your concerns to God and He will answer them. I confess I thought that was good theology too. It sounded correct when I read it that way. Looking at the scripture from my point of view it felt good too. I thought how could it be incorrect since the focus was on Him? It was at this moment I realized again my need for His understanding and right before my eyes I could clearly see where I was making a big mistake in the practice of my Christian faith. It was happening to me, I was not fully understanding the intend of God's word and I was making errors in understanding the scripture because I wasn't reading it properly. What I missed was two words that read: "...with thanksgiving...". WOW, my first attitude was simple but wrong. Tell Him our concerns and problems and then don't worry. The correct attitude should include not to be anxious at all. The correct approach to God is to tell him my concerns and problems but to tell him my concerns and problems by coming with my attitude in a proper and healthy mode. Come make my request known to God by including my thanksgiving attitude. Is it possible I have missed God's mark, His calling for me in my life because I missed those two words, "...with thanksgiving..."? God forbid that be the case, but certainly without a check and balance system in place in our Christian lives it is possible to misinterpret what God is really saying if we are not careful in reading His word completely. Until then