3 Ways to Never Miss Out on Ta-Da Moments

Ta-Da! 

It rolled off my tongue like a magician who just performed a feat.

And it amused the only audience member, my husband. But this fanfare moment out-shined the last attempt at Ta-Da when everything went amiss.

The epic fail occurred after I pulled the hot iron skillet out of the oven. To display the southern goodness, I proceeded to execute the flip, turning the skillet upside down onto a plate. Good ole’ buttermilk cornbread ready for slicing and eating.

Yet, instead of letting go, the cornbread stuck. I loosened the edges with a knife and tried again. No, stubbornness made up its mind and never budged.

So, I sliced and dug, leaving most of the outer crust behind. I made a pact that day. The next execution would be a Ta-Da one.

Spraying non-stick cooking oil until I coughed from the fumes. Then I slathered shortening on as insurance. Allowing the oil to reach a high temp in the oven before pouring the batter in to bake.

Flip and presto. A glorious Ta-Da moment. Cornbread released and onto the serving plate. Sweet victory! I wanted to take a bow.

But Ta-Da announcements are not just for magicians or cornbread makers.

Here’s 3 ways to never miss out on Ta-Da moments:

1) Look for Whoa! moments in the daily grind.

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Make a Wish: Revealing My Top 7 Wishes in Life

Go ahead…make a wish. Because we all love wishes.

Whether for a birthday or the gift of a wish-making moment, there’s a glorious thing about wishes.

You can wish for anything. 

Wishes I Dared to Dream

And anything means anything, you know.

So, it’s exactly the kind of stuff I dared to dream on the hunch that maybe a few of my “anythings” might make it to reality.

Some came true.

But others fizzled as quick as I blew out the candles.

I made wishes running the spectrum of valiant and noble to downright self-centered and princess-ish. Wishes I patiently waited on. And the ones I threw a childish tantrum over.

Yet, deep in the depths of my soul, this girl’s always been a dreamer—wishing for the subtle pleasures of life and big ole’ ginormous things only God can pull off.

Looking back, I see the Lord’s tender mercies in my top wishes. In case you didn’t know, God’s the biggest dreamer of all. He dreams for each of us.

So, me and God, we dream together.

 Countdown of My Top 7 Wishes

7.  The love of my father.

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5 Ways to Keep Integrity on Social Media

Is integrity possible on social media?

I absolutely get the whole First Amendment right to express our thoughts and opinion. And everyone seems to voice opinions these days.

Whether we’re putting our best foot forward for a career or looking to engage with friends. Or maybe we value true integrity and character in the midst of a culture that’s gone half mad.

Social media stands as one of the best platforms to showcase who we are.

Integrity and Jesus

But for Christ-followers, shouldn’t we make every effort to conduct our lives based on the example of Jesus?

Everything? Every heart motive—the deepest nook and cranny. And every jot and tittle of our written words.

“A jot is the name of the least letter of an alphabet or the smallest part of a piece of writing. A tittle, rather appropriately for a word which sounds like a combination of tiny and little, is smaller still. It refers to a small stroke or point in writing or printing.” (More origin at the Phrase Finder.)

And the Bible mentions the phrase.

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Quotes on Heaven: My Favorite from Billy Graham and God

“The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in heaven.” ~ Billy Graham

Truer words have never been spoken from a man—and now about him.

A man who made truth and God his life’s passion. The godly evangelist who spent his 99 years on this earth about his Father’s business…the business of eternity.

When the world learned of the Reverend Billy Graham’s death, the news and newsfeed (social media) blew up with his spiritual legacy.

But before we look at more quotes and my favorite from Reverend Graham, reflect on these powerful words from others.

Inspirational Quotes on Heaven

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!” ~ C.S. Lewis

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Waiting for Hope to Show up and Show up Big

Peeking through the curtain, I scanned the audience and hoped my entire family would show up.

I’d landed my first high-school role in the broadway musical, South Pacific. Thankfully, my character as the island girl, Liat, called for more speaking parts than singing—not my strong suit.

With sweaty palms and a rush of adrenaline, I checked the seats again.

And if my people show up, would I make them proud when I took my final bow?

From side stage during the first scene, my gaze spotted them through the blinding light. All my loved ones occupied the entire third row. They’re here, now break a leg.

Show up for Front-row Seats

I found my groove and remembered my few lines with no blunders. But my glory days as an actress ended soon after.

History also recounts a glory day when hope showed up…big.

Over 2000 years ago, God set the stage for a story of hope to unfold.

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The Only Satisfaction 100% Guaranteed

“We guarantee complete satisfaction.”

I always thought I knew what brought satisfaction in life. More money and resources to accomplish a dream. Like-minded people on my team. A near-perfect marriage and kids.

And a career I enjoyed on any day. Also, for the good parts of life to outweigh the bad—really tip the scale.

Satisfaction 100% Guaranteed?

Here’s the truth. I was wrong on every account. When a wish came true, I only moved on to the next one.

But nothing stayed around for long. None of the ways I tried to conquer my felt-based needs brought long-lasting satisfaction. No so-called guarantees kept up their end of the bargain.

Still, what ushers in a well-spring of satisfaction deep in my soul? What in the world feeds the human soul’s hunger and quenches our spirit’s thirst?

I discovered nothing in the world satisfies long-term. Oh, the god of this world, Satan, promises to satisfy us with many enticing offers. So, let’s look at…

4 False Hopes of Satisfaction 

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Top 10 Countdown of Reasons to Choose Team Jesus 

We live in a time of ample opportunity for choosing a team to represent. Sports and reality shows afford us a team choice.

But life also boils down to teams on spiritual matters.

Yet, we hold the decision to pick the world’s team or God’s team, to stay loyal to Jesus or other gods.

Choose Team Jesus

10) Jesus wrote the playbook. In Christ dwells truth and knowledge of all things.

This makes Jesus best suited to call all the plays in my life. “For in him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28 a, ESV.

9) Jesus embodies perfection. Whether in sports, music, talents, or career, the old adage says, “Practice makes perfect.” But practice never made anyone perfect, only better. The bottom line?

Nobody bats a thousand except Jesus. His ways and Word are perfect (see Psalm 18:30).

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Jesus Unedited in an Over Edited World

Look around. It’s happening right before our eyes. Listen up. It’s within earshot. Jesus is edited out of nearly every nook and cranny of our world.

Deemed bold, opinionated, and creative in many aspects of life, I gladly wear the labels for my passions. Speaking events give me opportunities to talk about Jesus. And writing in the non-fiction Christian genre, I pen the name of Christ on the page and screen.

Sometimes the creative juices flow, letting the words spill out as I type and take dictation from God and my soul. However, a great writer must also become a student of another class, Editing 101.

Edit. Revise. Cut. Delete. Modify.

Yet, I find it difficult to let go of words I want to keep. Learning when and how much to hit the delete button. Knowing which sentences to rephrase, and what paragraphs to move and where to place them. And deciphering how to arrange everything in a succinct way—reminiscent of rocket science. Seriously, I believe it’s a spot-on analogy.

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Loving Jesus: No Bells and Whistles

Can we fall in love with Jesus—no bells and whistles?

I love you.

When we say it to anyone, there’s no bells and whistles in the phrase per se.

Yet if we read between the lines through our personal lens about love, we often hear ringing and shrieking.

Sure, computers, electronic gadgets, appliances, and new cars glisten with added enhancements.

Retailers have the bells and whistles to match our wishes and wallets.

But when it comes to love…

Who Needs Bells and Whistles?

I was grown with children of my own the first time my biological father said, “I love you.” The telephone conversation is forever etched in my memory.

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12 Scriptures to Personalize with Names and Pray

Try this at home. Here’s one feat I encourage every believer to attempt. Insert your name and the names of loved ones into Scripture.

Then pray the words back to God and see what happens.

Recently, I recognized the seventh anniversary of my father leaving this earth in a social media post. In the write-up, I mentioned the years my dad spent as an atheist.

When I met Christ at sixteen, I started praying for my dad. Prayers for him to believe in the heavenly Father.

And God answered my prayers sixteen years later when my dad gave his life to the Lord.

Inserting Names into Bible Verses

But in the middle of the long process, my faith often waned. I struggled to believe my dad would ever become a Christ-follower.

Needing help with my own unbelief, I began to insert my dad’s name into Scripture. Then I prayed it out loud and back to God. While I may not know for sure, I think it played a part in my dad’s salvation.

Yet, I know this.

Also, this practice acquaints us with Scripture and aids in its memorization.

Names of Loved Ones and Yours

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