LIFESTYLES EDITOR:

Sandee Suitt | suitt@dnj.com 615.278.5160

I MONDAY: Shopping

Lifestyles
I TUESDAY: Families I WEDNESDAY: Food I THURSDAY: Things to do

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Friday, March 28, 2008

I FRIDAY: Religion

I SATURDAY: Health

GOOD IDEAS
GET INVOLVED Food drive
Greenhouse Ministries will host its spring food drive Thursday, April 3. You may want to take time during your day to stop by Greenhouse Ministries and drop off groceries to help the underserved in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. Items needed include nonperishable goods, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, canned meats, pasta and pasta sauce, paper products and more. Donations will be accepted from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Volunteers will be there to take your donation and distribute the food items to people who visit Greenhouse Ministries, as well as other helping organizations, to help families who need food. While you're here, enjoy music from the Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church Praise Band. They will play from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Greenhouse Ministries is located at 410 W. Lytle St. in Murfreesboro. For more information about how you can plant hope in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, contact Leslie Mertz at 615-494-0499.

DNJ photo by Aaron Thompson

Robert Ellis is author of Thoughts Behind the Words: A Collection of Sayings from Church Marquees and the Life Lessons They Represent.

Discover reading fun

A Family Literacy workshop will take place this Saturday at 11 a.m. The event will be at the First Baptist Church located at 738 E. Castle Street in Murfreesboro. The workshop is an opportunity, for both children and parents, to discover the fun of reading as a family. The workshop is free for parents and children. Everyone should come hungry for fun and food, because both lunch and learning materials will be provided. Contact Ruth Ventrice at 615-893-7303, ext. 107, to register.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO Art in Slow Time

Slow Time: The Works of Charley, Noah & Hazel Kinney is on exhibit at The Arts Center of Cannon County through July 5. The Kentucky Folk Art Center produced this exhibition which includes more than 80 works, including paintings, drawings, three dimensional works and carvings. Admission to Slow Time is free. The galleries are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Arts Center is located on 1424 John Bragg Highway, just west of the town of Woodbury. For more information, call 615-563-2787.

Author gathers wisdom from church marquees

By DOUG DAVIS dougdavis@dnj.com

f you have ever read church marquees while driving around town or on a longer trip, you can relate to the makings of a book released in late February by Murfreesboro businessman Robert Ellis. His new book, Thoughts Behind the Words: A Collection of Sayings From Church Marquees and the Life Lessons They Represent, was about 20 years in the making. The Murfreesboro resident and his wife owned the Gold Rush Jewelry and Gifts on Memorial Boulevard for 23 years before selling it in 2004. Rhonda, my wife and business partner, would put similar truisms in payroll envelopes as encouragement to those who worked in our business, Ellis explained. The couple also noticed signs along the highway. Some they liked

and some were not very encouraging. We found ourselves not able to remember the saying exactly, Robert said. In an effort to remember these sayings, we put a simple spiral notebook in the glove compartment of the car. When we saw one of these signs that we thought was positive enough, Rhonda would write it down. As the collection of sayings grew, Robert mentioned to his wife that when they reached 200, they should publish a book to make it easier for others to find the truisms. Most of the sayings were found in the Southeastern United States. In October 2005, Robert Ellis wrote about his first saying, using a sign from a Church of Christ in Boliver, Tenn. The past cannot be changed. The future is in your power. Though he intended to write two chapters per week, Ellis later settled for one. I would write and Rhonda would

correct my poor grammar, he said. Then we would go over it again with Rhondas sister. She would help with sentence structure and understanding. Most of the chapters are short; not more than two or three pages. I believe anyone can find something that will cause them to say I needed that today, said Ellis. The book includes 54 sayings that include Robert Ellis thoughts much like a daily quote or motivational message. One marquee saying in the book is The heaviest load one carries is a chip on the shoulder. I feel a chip on the shoulder is one our greatest loads we bear and holds us down or holds us back from personal and spiritual growth, said Ellis. We could reduce our load by discarding this chip. We could do this by making an apology, getting over previous disSee SIGNS, page D3

If you go
What: Upcoming book signing of Thoughts Behind the Words by Robert W. Ellis When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Where: Hastings Books, Music and Videos, 1660 Memorial Blvd. Murfreesboro For more information: http://www.thoughtsbehindthewords.com/ What: Upcoming book signing of Thoughts Behind the Words When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 11, Where: Reeves-Sain, 1801 Memorial Blvd., Murfreesboro. For more information: http://www.thoughtsbehindthewords.com/

FYI
Thoughts Behind the Words by Robert W. Ellis is a collection of sayings about church marquees and the life lessons they represent. The book is now available from http://www.thoughtsbehindthewords.com/ or in Murfreesboro at Reeves-Sain Drugs, Sprays Gold Rush or Hastings, all on Memorial Boulevard.

Photo submitted

Four ways to get motivated and get results

Now that spring is here, have you found yourself excited about new possibilities and ideas, but not sure where to start? When the sun stays out longer and the weather becomes warmer, we often begin thinking about resolutions to lose weight, get organized, or start a new business or hobby. But what keeps us from launching out and actually doing many of the things that we think about? How can we move from just thinking to doing so we can see results? Here are four ideas to help you get motivated today: 1. Remember everyday is a new beginning and an appointment with destiny. Every single day you awake to JUNICE ROCKMAN see the DNJ Columnist sun arise, you have a new beginning in your life. A new opportunity to make right what was wrong in your life and to evolve as a person. We are all so blessed to be co-authors with God. In other words, we are co-creating our life stories with his help and direction. Understand you have the power to write or rewrite chapters of your life and only you can do this for yourself. No matter what mistakes youve made or disappointments youve encountered, you can start over again the very next day and get back on track. Life is not about how fast we can accomplish our goals. What is important is that we are on the path to accomplishing these goals and seeing progress along the way. In the book of Proverbs in the Bible, there is a scripture that states, as a man thinketh, so is he. This verse tells us that we have the ability to shape our lives based on our thoughts and actions. Your thoughts will become your words, words will become actions, actions will become habits and your habits will eventually become our lifestyle. Human behavioral research affirms that if a person practices anything for 21 days, it will become a habit. Make a commitment to practice excellent habits in your life for the next 21 days. Save your money more than before, eat healthier, exercise, read a new book every week, pray more and think more positively for the next 21 days. After 21 days, these activities will become habits and eventually will become your way of life. 2. Set up timelines and accountability. Success is a journey, not a destination. So make a commitment to enjoy the process from the beginning. After all, if you are always consumed with the end results of projects you take on, you will not allow yourself to enjoy the small milestones that come along the way. When youve had a new idea to pursue a project, career or personal goal, it is essential you establish dates for completion. I like to call them lifeline dates. The term deadline has such a negative connotation. Think of your lifeline
See MOTIVATED, page D3

On display at The Arts Center of Cannon County is the work of brothers Charley and Noah Kinney. They are artists and musicians from Northeastern Kentucky.

Online Poll Results

I Do you plan to make your wishes known about being an organ donor? To respond, log on to www.dnj.com and go to Lifestyles page. Vote as instructed.

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Total votes cast: 56

Page editors: Sandee Suitt, Janice Mason and Corby Yarbrough