I always wondered what it would be like to sail around the world in the 1700's. I always wondered what it would be like to be an astronaut or a submarine sailor (with windows - it has to have windows). How about living in the mountains like in the old west. Or being in Alaska with the days and nights are so long at different parts of the year. And then there is Tibet where the story of Shangri-La takes you where everything is peaceful and beautiful but you can never leave to go back home.

One of my favorites is to live by the sea in a shack, filled with shells and sand and washed up things from shipwrecks, with the ocean waves constantly singing to you. The I think of walking through a woods that I know, but I get turned around and coming across and old well that treasure has been dropped in by a stage coach thief.

Maybe your day dreams are different.  Making a real tree house, or swimming with killer whales.  How about going to New York and working on the stage!  Or be a professional fisherman! Or designing a very unique, (weird), building for all to enjoy!

All these ideas and more are dreams of adventure. It is said that if you can imagine it you can do it.
But you know it doesn't just happened.  You have to make it a goal in life and learn all there is to learn about how to make it happen, and act on that information.

You have your dreams, special monsters, sweet animals, worlds unknown to explore. In the end it is fun to live in an imaginary world. And no matter what happens Jesus is an friend that that is real. He gives us courage and dreams.  Life with Jesus is a great adventure!

When you read the Ninth Region books, notice that Vincent he speaks up for others. 
When you stand up for others may mock you and say you are not cool.  But Jesus promised that He has your back; He is with you always.  

The key is to stand up out of love for others, to right wrongs where you can, tell the truth, and always ask God to help you tune out the mocking voices around you; to always be able to hear Him. 

You are enough and you are never alone.

*Put God in the center, then everything and anything will come together. 
By D Scozzari
                                        * Paraphrased from a card made by Universal Designs

Someone asked how to buy my books. Google D.Scozzari or The Ninth Region to buy my books or go to Katy Budget Books on July 25 for a signed copy!  My book signing is from 1PM to 3PM. 

There is a great book written by Max Lucado called You Are Special.  The last page says, "Remember you are special because I made you.  And I don't make mistakes."

The Bible says in Psalm 139:13-14 "For Thou didst from my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works"

I say: God made us. God loves us. God does not make mistakes!
You are all you need to be.  God gave you all the tools to be who you were meant to be.  Open your mind and hearts to His love and you will be strong in yourself through God. You will be guided to be who God made you to be. You were made special and God loves you!

*Put God in the center, then everything and anything will come together.  By D. Scozzari

* Paraphrased from a card made by Universal Designs

 

“Long ago the Ice Lady had started to feel sorry for herself.  The more she felt sorry for herself the more ugly she became, inside and out.  The Ice Lady enjoyed making others feel as bad as she did.  It made her feel empowered." (From War with the Ice Lady).

What made Ice Lady so mean?  She let feeling sorry for herself overpower who she really was. Ice Lady felt empowered by making others feel as bad as she did.  She had the Fire Prince and the Polar Spirits as allies, but they were not friends. 

People that are alone actually can push people away.  They get so caught up in their self-pity that everything is clouded by that kind of thinking.

Have you ever said or did something really embarrassing?  The number of things I have done I could not even begin to count.  I don’t want to count them.  Sometimes when embarrassing things both directs a lot of unwanted attention It can feel that everyone knows what you did and everyone is laughing at you.  You start to feel self-pity. You start to isolate or pull away from friends, because you are so embarrassed. 

Example, have you ever been walking with your tray in the cafeteria and strip.  All you lunch is on you, the floor, and a teacher standing nearby.  Everyone saw this happen. You put your head down; you clean up what you can; you go sit by yourself and feel embarrassed and self-conscious.

Now it feels like everyone is watching, but in time things start feeling the way they did before and it is now a good funny story to tell. But what if right after that you went outside to recesses and dropped of the monkey bars, and rolled right in to someone. That person fell and had to go to the nurse for a bloody nose. Then that same day you get your stuff and walk to your bus sitting down in the seat you always sit in.  The think is that you are thinking about what happened earlier, feeling sorry for yourself.  Once the bus starts, you realize this is not your bus!  You have to make the bus driver stop and let you off so you can run to catch you own bus.  Everyone on one the buses are watching you. 

 

What you do when you go home.  You cry, or run, or kick a ball around.  Then what you do next is important.  If you keep thinking on what happened the worse it will seem.  And then if feels even worse.  And then later it feels much worse.  You get up the next day and play sick or you go to school with your head down, not talking to anyone. Your friends think that you don’t like them anymore.  One day you decide that the only thing that will make you feel better is to make others feel as bad as you.

 

But if you choose God’s way, when you go home you will cry, kick a ball, or go for a run.  But then you pray.  You decide to let God handle it and the next day you get the courage to laugh at yourself.  Now others are laughing with you and not at you.  You end up making more friends.  You don’t feel sorry for yourself anymore. Jesus promises his disciples in Matthew 28:20, “…I am with you always…”  Your courage comes from knowing that fact. That promise is to you, too!

 

A prayer to remember published by Universal Designs, “Help me to remember Lord that nothing’s going to happen today that you and I can’t handle together.” The picture on this card is a cute little white bear cub.

*Put God in the center, then everything and anything will come together.
D.Scozzari

 

* Paraphrased from a Universal Designs card.

About Knighting Nettle:

"It is a great time for celebration now that the Ice Lady, Polar Spirit, and Fire Prince have disappeared.  Mom and Dad Sco, bear twins Gloria and Nathan, their bother Nettle, and their newest family member, Vincent the overgrown frog, are journeying tot he capital so King Otto can honor them for freeing the Ice Lady's captives. Nettle is given the opportunity to earn knighthood by performing a task for King Otto: to bring him an old goat's magical horn that, with its powers, will make the kingdom stronger.

With Vincent, Nettle travels outside the Ninth Region to a different reality.  But what Nettle does not know is that the forces of the Fire Prince and the Polar Spirit are preparing wicked plans for Nettle, Vincent, and their new friends. "

Nettle and Vincent don't get along that great. But as the dangers and events unfold, strange things begin to happen.  " Then out of nowhere, Elisa was raised up above the ground as if a some force was lifting her."  What happened and who is Elisa??????

 

Nathan and Gloria tried to sleep (hibernate) as they were told to do by their parents. When they saw the purple mist form on the cave wall they grabbed each other in fright! (From War with the Ice Lady).

What would you do if you saw something that you did not understand.  This happens a lot.  We as children trust the adults that we are with to guide us.  We look to them to see if they are afraid.

In Psalm 23 verse 4 it says, "..I fear no evil, for You are with me."

If we read the Bible and trust the God of the Bible we have nothing to fear.
Don't walk in front of a car or jump off a roof.  I'm not talking about that kind of stuff.
I mean the strange sound in the middle of the night or the bully at school.

When we are on God's side He has our backs. 

Put God in the center, then everything and anything will come together.
D.Scozzari