Lessons learned in life
Polly Ireland is a treasure among Alabama Baptists and has been well known among decades of Alabama’s public officials. She recently retired from Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) and continues to keep her husband, Dan, in line. Polly, a member of Green Valley Baptist Church, Hoover, turned 80 this year. She shared some of the following lessons she has learned throughout her life:
I learned early in life about love — God is Love. I learned about family love through my family — parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We had a close family who loved God and expressed love for God and each other.
I learned that God gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for me, and I accepted Christ as my Savior at 13. I felt the importance of serving God and others and made this commitment at 16 in my home church, Rock Springs Baptist, in Chambers County.
As a teenager, I was encouraged to use my musical talents by playing the piano at Rock Springs and First Baptist Church, LaFayette.
My family expanded further when I met and fell in love with a young preacher who came to LaFayette to pastor a mission church. His name was Dan Ireland.
Since that time, God has given me numerous opportunities of service, especially in music and youth programs, and more family to love — two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
I learned that if you make yourself available, God will give you a place of service.
When we came to ALCAP, I was given other opportunities of service throughout the state and in Montgomery with the Legislature. In retirement, I am finding new ways to serve the Lord. My entire life has been a learning process, and I hope I never get too old to learn and serve in some capacity. There is always some way to serve God if we look for the opportunities.
I also have learned that God is always there with you, no matter how difficult the experience. My entire life has been an amazing journey with God, my family, friends and all those who have crossed paths with me. We serve a mighty and an awesome God! It is my prayer that each Christian will know the joy and honor through serving our dear Lord that I experience.
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An excerpt from Kathy Peel’s “Be Your Best: The Family Manager’s Guide to Personal Success”
“It’s a simple equation. If you’re too tired to take care of yourself, you’re probably too tired to take care of anybody or anything else well.
“We all need to build buffers in our lives by making self-care ‘deposits’ to withstand the inevitable, unexpected experiences that drain us physically and/or emotionally. Too many of these types of ‘withdrawals’ and not enough deposits always ends in disaster.
“When we value and care for ourselves, we have more to give to those we love.
“The choices we make every hour of every day create our future.”
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“St. Augustine said, ‘People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.’ How sad. Man, as meant to be, is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian is the priest of that temple. We have the responsibility to take care of it by the Creator’s Handbook.”
— Dr. Pat Hart Terry, chair of the department of nutrition and dietetics, Samford University, Birmingham
Be on the lookout — health tips from Dr. Pat Hart Terry coming soon.
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“You can’t break a bad habit by throwing it out the window. You’ve got to walk it slowly down the stairs.”
— Mark Twain
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“There are not only 1 billion people dying of malnutrition but there are also 1 billion people dying of obesity. We are dying of lifestyle issues.
“We are killing ourselves, not dying of infectious diseases.”
— Rick Warren, author, speaker and pastor of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif.
Rick Warren set a goal to lose 90 pounds this year. He is about halfway there using The Daniel Plan and is sharing what he is learning at http://saddleback.com/thedanielplan.
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