CHOCOLATE!

CHOCOLATE! It's on my mind today as I read Deb Burma's new devotion book, "A Chocolate Life." 

Deb is a good friend of mine and I'm blessed to know her--as a writer and as a friend. She has a way of applying Biblical principles to "real life" lessons. I'm just starting to read "A Chocolate Life" and am excited to read more--AND to try the delicious-sounding recipes she's included in the book.

Go to her blog at http://debburma.blogspot.com/ and read a sample devotion. You'll be back for more! "A Chocolate Life" would make the PERFECT Valentine's Day gift--the price is right and the book will fit in an envelope with a card. ENJOY!

Columbus Medical Mission Team Returning to Nicaragua

(for more information go to www.columbusmedicalmission.blogspot.com) 

By Shelly Burke, Editor

The Columbus Medical Mission team is partnering with Valley Christian Fellowship of Shasta through Global Passion Ministries of Redding, CA, to team up with a group of surgeons and staff to provide surgical and medical services to people who have minimal or no access to healthcare. The team will be treating people in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. The trip will take place February 9-23, 2012. (For more information about conditions in Nicaragua, see the December issue of the Nebraska Family Times.)

Members of the Columbus team include Dean & Carolyn Athey, Karl & Sue Tillinghast, Jody Dreifurst, Sherilyn Haswell, and Melissa Shemek. Team members will assist with surgeries and trouble-shoot and repair equipment in and around the hospital. Several members of the team have been on mission trips before. The Columbus team will be working side by side with the California team, which  includes two surgeons and an anesthesiologist as well as recovery room nurses and children’s ministry staff.

The ENT (ear, nose, and throat) surgeons will be performing tonsillectomies, ear, thyroid, and nasal surgeries, and repairing cleft lips. General surgeons will be repairing hernias and doing abdominal surgeries.

During the trip in 2011 more than 300 local people were seen in the clinic; since the trip is longer this year, more people will be seen and treated and over 100 surgeries will be performed.

Supplies are very limited in Puerto Cabezas, so the team must take surgical gloves, medications, surgical supplies, and so on. They must also buy gasoline for generators that provide power when the electricity goes out, which can happen several times every day. The team also pays local people to act as interpreters, nurses, surgical techs, and a nurse anesthetist.  

Dean and Carolyn Athey have been on two previous trips to Nicaragua and look forward to their third trip. According to Carolyn, “We have received so much more from these trips than what we have given. It is a rewarding and life-changing experience to serve people who have nothing and where health care is almost non-existent. We are so lucky to live where we do!”

Carolyn anticipates seeing people they’ve met on previous trips. “When we returned for our second trip, it was fun to recognize people and see how they looked forward to our trip and appreciate that we cared enough to come back.”

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Please keep the Columbus Medical Mission Team in your prayers as they prepare to leave next week!  The Mission Team is almost completely packed for their trip, which begins Feb. 9^th. Monetary donations are needed; the team will need to buy fuel for generators that provide power to the operating rooms when the electricity goes out, which can happen several times a day. The team also pays local nurses, surgical techs, and a nurse anesthetist and local people also act as interpreters.

To make a donation, make your check out to the Columbus Medical Mission Team and mail it to Atheys, 3471 E. 14^th Ave., Columbus, NE 68601. For more information about the trip, call (402) 276-0638 or (402) 276-0640 or go to the blog at www.columbusmedicalmission.blogspot.com. The team will update the blog while they’re in Nicaragua, and the Nebraska Family Times will print a follow-up article in the April issue of the paper. Please keep the Medical Mission Team in your prayers as they travel, treat people, and spread God’s love and His Word! 

My New Year's Challenge to You: A Gratitude Journal

This article appeared in the January issue of the Nebraska Family Times. Even though the "official" day for resolutions--Jan. 1st--has passed, I challenge you to begin a Gratitude Journal. "Counting my blessings" every day helps me realize how truly blessed I am--and it will do the same for you. 

Here is my list from yesterday, Jan. 8th, 2012. 

1. Went to church with Morgan, heard a great sermon, and strengthened my faith with the Lord's Supper.

2. A nice afternoon nap. :-) 

3. Tim and Cody arrived in Denver safely (for the National Western Stock Show). 

4. Time with Morgan, just talking and being together. 

5. A walk outside--short, but great to get some fresh air. 

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2012—A Year of Gratitude

by Shelly Burke, Editor

We are in the time of year in which gratitude and thankfulness are easy, with the focus on Thanksgiving and our Savior’s birth at Christmas. But what about the rest of the year? Are you as thankful every day throughout the year as you are during this season?

The Bible commands us to be thankful. Psalm 106:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 repeats the command, as does Psalm 136:1.  And God truly is good. He gives us the greatest blessings in life—eternal life through the death of His son. He also gives us our faith, family, friends, homes, and on and on.

The Bible also tells us we should be “always giving thanks…for everything” (Eph. 5:20) and we should “give thanks in all circumstances“(1 Thess. 5:18). Always” and “in all circumstances”—not just when we’re having a good day.

Obviously the biggest benefit of giving thanks is obeying and honoring our Lord. But there are other benefits as well.

• Research has shown that people who made a list of three to five things they were grateful for every day were more optimistic about the future and felt better about their lives overall than people who recorded daily hassles or negative happenings. Listing things daily resulted in a greater increase in gratitude than only doing so weekly.
•  Some research shows that feelings of thankfulness can help reduce stress; stress is linked with many illnesses, including heart disease.
• Grateful people are usually more optimistic than others, and some researchers say that being optimistic helps boost the immune system. This means that people who are thankful may become ill less often. A thankful attitude has also been linked to quicker recovery after surgery or when sick
• An “attitude of gratitude” has been linked to better sleep, a decrease in anxiety and depression, kinder behavior toward others, higher satisfaction with life in general, and overall better health.
• When we focus on gratitude, even for small things, our thinking shifts to being more positive in general.

 One of my goals for 2012 is to list 5 things I’m thankful for, every day. Will you join me in starting a “Gratitude Journal”?  Choose a notebook or journal, big or small, fancy or plain, and take a few minutes every day to jot down 3-5 things you’re thankful for. You could also make your list on your calendar. Your list can be in phrases, complete sentences, or even paragraphs. But keep it simple so you’ll find it easy to do every day.

If you would like, share part of your journal with me. Every month in 2012 I’ll be listing some of the things I am thankful for, and/or contributions from readers. Just e-mail me at shelly@shellyburke.net with what you are grateful for—it can be one thing or several.

I started my Gratitude Journal on Thanksgiving. Here is my list for today (December 13, 2011):

1. I got a good nights’ sleep so I could get up early to pray and read my Bible.

2. Work that I love--publishing the Nebraska Family Times!

3. My hard-working husband who works outside on cold, snowy days while I’m in the warm house.

3.  My “assistant editor,” our dog Jenny, who sleeps in my office when I’m working and calms all of us when we’re stressed.  

5. A hug from Morgan (she’s almost 18 and not as generous with hugs as she used to be) and a text from Cody telling me his biology final went well.

I hope to hear from you in 2012! 

Nook Winner!

Congratulations to Michelle Vanderheiden, winner of the Grand Prize of the "Give the gift of 'Good News' that Gives All year" promotion that was held this fall!

Michelle extended her subscription to the Nebraska Family Times and her name was entered in the drawing. She said she is looking forward to learning about and using her new Nook.

THANK YOU to the sponsors who supported this giveaway! Other prizes and money to support the contest were given by:
Author Rebecca Jordan
Author Lynn Cowell
Author Shelly Burke
Author Glynnis Whitwer
Author chris Tomlinson

John Worsham--Christian CDs

Other companies or organizations who made the giveaway possible:
Encourage Me Kids
Columbus Arts Council
Mackey Elevator
Big Red Printing
Drs. Kincaid, Fett, and Tharpe

Thanks to everyone who subscribed to the paper, extended their subscription, and/or gave a gift subscription! ENJOY your subscription and prizes!

Happy New Year!

WOW--I can't believe it's been a whole month since I've posted! Time flies when you're having fun! :-)

We've had a very good month! It was great to have everyone home at Christmas, at least for a few days. We enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Peace Lutheran Church in Columbus, NE. I'm all for "change" (when it's for the better) but I have to admit that one area in which I don't like much change is the Christmas Eve service, which I've attended for many years--with my "growing up" family and Tim and the kids. I have a lot of wonderful memories of that service--when Cody was just a few weeks old and at his first service he cried and cried and cried...I was in the cry room with him more than I was in church that Christmas Eve! And just a few days before Morgan was born we missed the service--doctor's orders--because I'd had a lot of problems with premature labor. Thankfully Morgan was born just fine--although several weeks early--on Dec. 28th of that year.

As usual the church was beautiful, the music was outstanding, the sermon was inspiring (Pastor Burma spoke from the perspective of the angel Gabrielle, who took the wonderful message to the shepherds) and everything made us more thankful for the amazing gift God gave us that night.

Morgan turned 18 during Christmas vacation. I'm often reminded of the words I heard first during a MOPS meeting many years ago; "The days may seem slow but the years go fast." They sure do! I share those words with all moms of young kids because I know how fast they go...I have treasured the days with both kids and pray that Tim and I taught them what they need to know--most of all the importance of their faith.

During the last few weeks several dear friends have gone to their heavenly home. Each of these ladies played a significant part in my life, and in the lives of so many around them. Two of them died before Christmas (one on Christmas Eve) and I know their first Christmas in heaven had to be fantastic--can you imagine singing Christmas carols with the heavenly choir and being with the Baby who was born that day? Another friend died just last week. She was a friend of the family and I don't remember NOT knowing her.

I went to the visitation of each of these ladies; they had all been sick for many months before they died. While of course there were tears at the memories, underlying those tears was joy in each family member--the joy of knowing their wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt--was in heaven, happy and healthy again, and the joy and certainty of knowing they would see that loved one again in heaven. Their faith was and will be an inspiration to many people for a very long time.

I'm excited to start 2012! I have personal goals and goals to improve the Nebraska Family Times and do some more writing. I pray that the paper will continue to "inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your Christian walk," and I seek God's guidance in every issue I publish.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas as well! I pray that God will bless you and your families in 2012!

Give the gift of Christian reading--and be entered to win a Nook or Kindle!

Give the gift of Christian reading! For just $20 a loved one will receive 12 issues of the "Nebraska Family Times" newspaper, full of great information and local, state, and national news from a Christian point of view. The "Nebraska Family Times" will "inspire, encourage, and motivate readers in their Christian walk."


Give a gift subscription and be entered to win Christian books and CD's and the grand prize of a Nook or Kindle--final drawing December 16th! To order, e-mail shelly@shellyburke.net with subscription information; you may pay by check (send to Nebraska Family Times, 42887 G. G. Road, Genoa, NE 68640 or PayPal to shelly@shellyburke.net). ORDER TODAY!

WARNING……WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS

Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.


Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:


• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
• A loss of interest in judging other people.
• A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
• A loss of interest in conflict.
• A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
• Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
• Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
• Frequent attacks of smiling.
• An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.


Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.

Anonymous via e-mail

(This article appeared in the December issue of the Nebraska Family Times. The mission of the Nebraska Family Times is "to inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your Christian walk. If you'd like a FREE sample copy, e-mail shelly@shellyburke.net or call (402) 993-2467. From now until December 16th, when you subscribe or give a gift subscription, you'll be entered into weekly drawings for Christian books and CD's and the GRAND PRIZE of a Nook or Kindle e-reader! More details at
http://nebraskafamilytimes.blogspot.com/p/give-gift-of-good-news-that-gives-all.html )