I Am the American Dream
By Cheri Douglas
I Am the American Dream!

I was born as a vision out of the hearts and minds of America’s founders and their families, who came to the shores of this continent determined to find a better life.  As they fled government oppression and tyranny, they yearned for a new homeland where they could breathe free.

They hoped against hope that they might find a place where everyone could live securely within a fair rule-of-law, without fear of big government bullies overpowering their lives. I became their dream!

I Am the American Dream.

As my founders dared to dream of me, they saw a life for themselves, free to be exactly who they were and to worship the God who made them that way.  As they worshiped, I began to take on life in their mind’s eye. They envisioned me as a land where their freedom would be treasured equally for everyone as a God-given right, never being handed out by a government as a favor to a select few, or dictated to them against their will.

I Am the American Dream.

As I continued to take shape, Americans got even more excited about me. They began to realize little by little, that this freedom they sought in me, would allow them to use their talents and creativity to make a living and a life for themselves. The seed of creative craziness was planted in my soil.  Americans began to assume that they could follow the passions that God, himself, had woven into the fiber of their being in their mother’s womb.  They saw that every person who wanted to make a difference in this new country, was challenged to greatness by freedom, itself, even if they had to work from sun-up until sundown to achieve it. Because of the creativity unleashed by the shared vision I held high, cures have been found for diseases, fortunes have been built, inventions and arts have enriched lives, people have gotten wonderful educations, food has been sent around the world, and families have lived and worshipped as they chose.

I Am the American Dream.

The best thing about me is, that I am not owned by any one person or clique.  I belong to every American.  When a team of patriots created the Declaration of Independence, the love of me, and sense of ownership was spread to all. The people participated and shared in the investment and commitment to make me real.  “We the People” became the cry of freedom for all who took me as their own.  And, “We the People” set an example of brilliance and excellence that shined like a ray of sunlight around the world, demonstrating that freedom abounds when authority resides with the consent of the governed.

I Am the American Dream.

The fibers of my tapestry were woven most elegantly with threads of pure gold when I was made complete by the writing and ratification to the Constitution of the United States of America. After that I didn’t just hold out hopes for individual freedom and the rule of law any longer, I became it.  I became the reflection of a country thriving on the shared vision of freedom for all. Personal responsibility, commitment, and investment made Americans true owners in their homeland, and in me. An economy based on home and business ownership, hard work and a minimal government evolved to become strongest in the world.

I Am the American Dream.

I have provided many rewards to individuals, teams, and countries.  I have become one of the strongest forces for good in the world. I gladly share my fortunes and resources to bless the poor across the globe…always have and always will! I captured the imaginations of people everywhere around the globe and they began to come from every corner of the world to become Americans. I am spread around the world, not to enlarge America, but to enlarge freedom, as a God-given right to all.

I Am the American Dream.

I am so loved that millions have fought and died for me over the time of my relatively short life. I treasure the blood of every American hero and save every drop as diamonds and rubies among my pure gold threads of my tapestry. These precious gems are proof that I will never die, as long as there are those who will sacrifice their lives to preserve me.  And Americans have truly been living gems where I am concerned. The more I am challenged, the more Americans will sacrifice to make sure I bounce back alive and well. Like gem stones, patriots keep going to the grinder in struggles for me.  I shine more brilliantly with every struggle, aglow with the blood of my fallen heroes and victims who have died at the hands of my enemies. They have brightened America and the world for others, with an unmistakable American beacon that shines even in the darkest times. Because of them, great leaders have called me the light of the world and the shining city on the hill.

I Am the American Dream.

Some people don’t like me. I don’t know why.  Maybe they are jealous of all the crazy fun and joy that emanates from me.  Maybe they fear the loss of control over me if “We the People” really are my owners. Maybe they just feel guilty because they know they didn’t earn me and don’t deserve me? But for whatever reason, I constantly have my detractors and even attackers.  It’s a sad thing too, because my Heavenly father, who inspired me, knows that not one us deserves me. I am His gift, even to those who don’t call Him Lord.  As a gift of God, I am offered freely to all.   The joy that comes from me will flood the soul of anyone who goes to my Father in Heaven to pray with His son Jesus Christ. After all, He made all this possible by grace. No one can earn it.  Not even Patriots.! It’s a pure gift from God.  That’s why…

I Am the American Dream.

Across America and the world wonderful Christian husbands and fathers strive to love selflessly as Jesus did. This selfless love that Jesus modeled for husbands and fathers is the only reason Ephesians can also tell wives to “submit” It is no risk to submit to a compassionate, loving, self sacrificing man. So men actually have the harder job in Christ’s call!

None of us accomplish the beauty of a Christian marriage in our own strength. Temptations and selfishness are always in our way!

Thank God that He is a transformer! He transforms us all into closer examples of Jesus as we SUBMIT our lives to Him. Wonderful Christian husbands and wives bathe in PRAYER!

We are unable to become wonderful to others without the ministry of the Holy Spirit who honors our prayers and softens our hearts. Want to refresh your love for your spouse? Ask God to give you HIS vision….to show you HOW he sees them…and be self honest.

We are all flawed vessels…cracked pots…but through God’s eyes and Christ’s lens we are all beautiful in special ways. Have you looked intently to see the beauty in your spouse that God himself placed there and has shaped and moulded over the years? Without the Lord to shine through, we cannot develop this kind of eternal beauty.  It is the Holy Spirit that makes us lovable.

We celebrate fathers this weekend! Thank you Dad’s everywhere. Without you we would be nothing…literally! My hat is off especially to the dedicated Christian father who models selfless love and God’s wisdom for his family to thrive! The world needs more wonderful fathers like you very special guys!  The good new is that anyone can be special! Just ask Jesus for help!

Honor Dads everywhere this Father’s Day with PRAYER! Finding your way to Christlikeness can be a bumpy road! PRAY For DADS! If you are a DAD and struggling to be all you could be…BEGIN NOW praying for YOURSELF! God wants nothing less than greatness for you!

But remember…GREATNESS in the eyes of the WORLD is not necessarily GREATNESS in the eyes of GOD!  His GREATNESS is ETERNAL! I went to a wonderful memorial recently for a Christian DAD. The most beautiful loving tribute I EVER saw from family and friends. During my sweet friends memorial we never learned what fortune he made-but we learned of priceless treasures he sent ahead to Heaven.

Being a great Dad or Granddad is not for wimps!  It is a tough 24/7 selfless job…but the REWARDS are priceless! Dads everywhere we thank you for every sacrifice you make on behalf of your family. It does not go unnoticed…especially by God! Wonderful dads…You know who you are!  We adore you and we pray for you always. thanking God for you!

Not so wonderful Dads…  Jesus and the Holy Spirit are waiting for you. Find your greatness on your knees.  BIG MACHO MEN PRAY!  And hug!

And for those who feel they have no dad to honor this weekend, remember you have a Father in Heaven who is so proud to call you HIS! Our Father in Heaven is the very best father of all for all of us! He is perfect love and devotion and wants only the best for us.

Thank you Lord that wherever human Dads fall short, YOU are there to fill in the gaps and YOU never leave or forsake us!   Dads are so important to our culture, our country, and our world. Pray for them in these difficult times especially.

PRAY a special prayer for all our military dads and their children. Be the glue Lord to connect them on Father’s Day.

When people look inside my life, I wanna hear them say…She’s got her FATHERS’s EYES…eyes that find the good in things.

Cheri & Barbara Anne (Which is which??)

So what is Pollyanna Art? Well, for starters let’s meet Pollyanna. Pollyanna was a best selling 1913 novel, by Eleanor H. Porter, that has been considered a classic in children’s literature. Because of her optimistic outlook, even in the face of terrible circumstances, she became the lead character in a series of novels that came to be known as the “Glad Books”. Pollyanna, an orphan surrounded by stern and slightly abusive adults, transformed everyone around her with her habit of playing the “Glad Game”, finding something to be glad about no matter what happened to her.

Sounds pretty good to me, but in recent years, it has become popular to use “Pollyanna” as a sarcastic term indicating that a person is so positive that they are clueless or naïve about reality. Nothing about Pollyanna, suggests that she was simple minded. She just chose to honor her father’s memory and play the “Glad Game” he taught her so that she would always find joy in her life. Our Heavenly Father wants us to play the Glad Game, that’s why he gave us art!

I have spent a lot of years as a teambuilding consultant to literally hundreds of teams and I can report from experience that a team with a Pollyanna is a lucky team indeed. It is the cynics of the world who drag others down. But for some reason our culture has begun to find cynicism more chic or politically correct than joy or optimism.

A parallel move to the dark side has happened in the world of art as our culture has descended into the negative zones. Artists, hailed by the “so called” legitimate art world as true artists, are largely dark, abstract and evocative of tortured negative emotions. The media has been full of scandalous images of irreverent views of God or the crucifix. For this type of expression, these “fine artists “ have received American tax dollars from the Endowment to the Arts and other public funding sources. Uplifting joyful expressions of talented artists, who have honed their skills so that you can actually tell what the art is about, are given little attention as serious art by the movers and shakers in the world of fine arts.

My belief is that art is the expression of the love, beauty and joy God himself places in our hearts and souls.  When we produce with our lives beauty, love and joy as a gift offering back to Him, we are creating art! In this way many things we might do become our own kind of art. Art might be a loving cartoon scribbled on a child’s lunch bag, a photo album designed to celebrate a blessed time, a family tree painted as a wall mural, a thoughtfully placed candle, a stool painted with a scene of God’s wildflowers, a beautifully written note, a painting of Jesus, a song of worship, or a fun filled skit. All are expressions of art.  When these heartfelt and loving expressions of joy become a way of life, it becomes a joyful, loving, Artful Life.

In my opinion, the tortured, painful, immoral stuff, most frequently passed off as fine art, is a perversion of the gift of art given to man by the Almighty God! So, I am just a Pollyanna about life and art, and I’m proud of that! I think art should make us, and God glad. It should leave everyone a little better because it was expressed! We really have an audience of only one for our art, and that’s God, himself.  Who else could matter? Who else could really know what fine art is?

So come on back if you are OK with joy and love! That’s Pollyanna Art! We’ll talk about the artful life. We’ll share examples. And, we’ll talk about the things that might help or hinder our freedom as Americans to live it every day. Live a Pollyanna Artful life and be filled with the beauty only God can give! 8=))

God has touched the heart of Rachelle Maddy, Haitian American. She is inspired to bring together other Haitians living outside Haiti and inspire them to reinvigorate the beauty and dignity of Haiti as the recovery efforts move forward.

Jeff and Cheri Douglas through PollyannaArt.com  and LibertyWorks.com pledge our support of these efforts in any way we can. The people of Haiti will only recover as they embrace a vision of themselves and their country that God has placed in their hearts. They need to believe in the beauty and dignity of Haiti and the love God has for the Haitian people. GO Rachelle Maddy!!! We will be your cheering team and anything else God gives us the ability to be for you. Your love, pride and commitment for your country are God breathed! He wants all people to live with liberty in the beauty and freedom He designed!

We grieve with you neighbors in Haiti. We share hearts filled with pain that words are too meaningless to express. Know that you and your lost and injured loved ones have the love and prayers of the world! Take comfort in the love of Jesus, who himself experienced unspeakable pain so that he could understand your sorrow today and bring you in touch with the heart of God!

Goodbye For Now

By Kathy Trocoli

I can’t believe that you’re really gone now…

Seems like it’s all jus a dream.

How can it be that the world will go on,

When something has died within me?

Leaves will turn, but I will burn with colors of you.

Snow will fall, but I’ll recall you warmth.

Summer wind breathing in your memory

I’ll miss you.

But there will be a time when I’ll see your face.

I’ll hear your voice, and there we will laugh again,

And there will come a day, when I’ll hold you close,

No more tears to cry..cause we’ll have forever…

But I’ll say goodbye… for now.

I can’t imagine my life without you

You have a place all your own.

Just knowing you were beneath the same sky

Oh what a joy I have known.

On rainy days in many ways you’ll water my heart.

On starry nights I’ll glimpse the light of your smile.

Never far from my heart you’ll stay with me

So I’ll just wait.

“Cause there will be a time when I’ll see your face.

I’ll hear your voice, and there we will laugh again,

And there will come a day, when I’ll hold you close,

No more tears to cry..cause we’ll have forever…

But I’ll say goodbye… for now.

“Cause there will be a time when I’ll see your face.

I’ll hear your voice, and there we will laugh again,

And there will come a day, when I’ll hold you close,

No more tears to cry..cause we’ll have forever…

But I’ll say goodbye… for now.

Goodbye for now.

Dear Sweet Brothers and Sisters of Haiti…

The world watches as you experience a nightmare of pain and loss!

We long to hold you close and give you comfort. So we remember you and your loved ones today from every corner of the world.

Do not believe that God has left you! God is with you in this fallen world to help you to survive such terrible disasters as this one through which you are living today! We watch in horror and pray to God for your rescue and recovery.

Our words fail to express the depth of our sadness as we share in a tiny way in your huge pain. Only God’s Word can comfort in a supernatural way at times like this. I will keep a list here of scriptures that might encourage your heart at such a difficult time. Your lost loved ones made a difference and were important to God. Know that you and your family members are loved by your brothers and sisters through Christ, around the world!

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Phillippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

1Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Jesus because he cares for you.

1Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD, himself, goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

2 Thessalonians3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Romans 5:4 Perseverance produces character; and character produces hope…and hope in Jesus does not disappoint!

Lynette & Richard

Pollyanna Art defines fine art as the expression of the beauty God places in your heart.  The ugly and dark art prevalent in our world today is just one more perversion of God’s beauty that we are often led to believe is ART.

So “art” is the beauty of life that comes out of any unique expression that honors God for his goodness and love through any experience!  The expressions of our own forms of art as God inspires us, builds and strengthens the faith of the artist, as well as those who come to enjoy it.

With our definition of “Art” as a backdrop, meet Lynette and Richard! A few years into their marriage they found their lives in ruin as their marriage fell apart. Unable to renew and refresh the love they once felt for one another, they separated and began to think their marriage was over.

But in the midst of disaster, Lynette found the Lord tugging at her heart. In response she began to pray. As she prayed for herself and her marriage, the Lord led her to pray for other things she was told or heard on the news, or read in the paper or a magazine. She became obsessed with prayer and, in the process was transformed by God.

This Godly woman was able to rekindle the love of her life with her husband and help him to transform by faith in Jesus, as well. After a year-long separation, Richard and Lynette are together again today and more in love with each other and their Lord than ever.

But Lynette has not stopped praying. She has found prayer as he new art form and magnificent obsession. She digs into her heart and continuously finds and expresses the concerns God places there to bring her into communion with HIM!  She now prays several hours each day. She tapes together this constantly growing and unique work of art, her prayer journal (displayed below).  This is an “heirloom of faith” her family will treasure for generations, more than a Picasso!

Join them in prayer just now, as Richard had a heart attack just 2 days before Christmas 2009. He is doing well and thanking God for his blessed life with Lynette and God’s amazing grace today!

We have many examples of the importance of endings in our lives. Think about it. Desserts are the crowning glory to a nice meal. Graduations mark the ending of huge efforts. Funerals mark the passing of lives. Even a good book depends on the last chapter to make sense of the rest. Many endings are artistic and ritualistic in nature. Why?

Change is just as dependent upon effective endings as it is on effective beginnings.  Endings are the help us to “let go”, so that we can free ourselves to “grab onto” the beginning.  The things we hang onto and the things we let go of define us in the deepest recesses of our psyches.  We identify with what we hang on to and there is only so much we are able to have in our grasp at the same time.

If we feel limited by events or people who have had a negative impact on us, as long as we hang onto that thought, it has control over us by controlling our focus. Everything becomes an interpretation of that lens on reality and we cannot truly free ourselves from its grasp to strike out on some new success.  The new success would be a violation of the belief we are holding, and people subconsciously want their belief’s to turn out to be right…even the negative ones sadly.

Simply put, what we all know is that “old baggage” drags us down. Some people go through life accumulating so much old baggage, it’s like they travel with a caravan of UHaul trailers loaded to overflowing.  Whenever there is an opportunity to do something new or change for the better, they have oodles of examples from one of their trailers to prove it can’t possible workout.

While the sense of the impossible seems incredibly real at the time, it is amazing how quickly it becomes impossible when someone decides to give up the baggage. I have done it and I have seen it happen in others. Once the old baggage is willingly given up, all the excuses just fall away and life emerges new and refreshed…as long as you don’t go picking through the old trash again.

So this New Years Eve take only the blessing of 2009 along with you that lift and encourage you. The things that happened that brought you joy will continue to bring you joy in the new year. But those things that dragged you down or depressed you will also keep doing that if you hang onto them.

Lots of Americans have a lot of baggage from 2009 to let go of so we can face the New Year with great expectations.  We’ve lost finances, lost jobs, lost business contracts, lost homes, lost credit ratings…possibly even lost relationships under the stress of this challenging year. They all need to be left in the graveyard of 2009. 2010 is a new adventure and you deserve a chance to receive 2010 with enthusiasm and expectation that God Himself is doing a new and even BETTER thing in your life. I am hanging onto that vision!! Join me in having a BIG VISION for a renewed future of success and blessings. And by all means, bury the sense of guilt! You didn’t create this mess and God know it. He is with us and wants to help us all recover for his glory. In the words of Winston Churchill…Never, never, never, quit!!

So I am having an Artful Ending! I am having a funeral and graveside service for the disappointments of 2009. Jeff and I are writing down everything we want to forget and wadding it all up. Then we will stomp on it and say a eulogy. We will bury it under the tombstone I made for the event, and come back  in and eat potato salad…just like every funeral I’ve ever attended. Then we move on for a new adventure! Can’t wait to give some memories up! Try the artful dumping of your bad memories. You will be amazed at how it frees you up to grab onto a renewed vision of your future! Claim your success! God made you for greatness and He isn’t done with you yet!! HUGS Friends and Happy New Year