GOD IS GOOD
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It is a beautifully clear, bright sunny day in Chicago today, little chilly. I just wanted to wish you, wherever you are, a wonderful joyous day.
God is Good. Life is Good. Regardless of what the day brings, good news, bad news, no news, I want to PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME.
God Bless You Today and Everyday.
My 2012 New Year’s Resolutions
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I resolve to:
1. Attend church weekly
2. Have a “conversation” with Jesus daily, praying and not just asking for what I want and think I need but “listening” to what HE is trying to tell me.
3. Try my best to become the Christian HE wants me to be
4. Accept HIS Will; in good times PRAISE HIS NAME. In bad times, PRAISE HIS NAME.
NewGrange – A testament to God and Man
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I was in Ireland this week meeting with a client and they took me to New Grange
Newgrange was constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic or New Stone Age by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley. Knowth and Dowth are similar mounds that together with Newgrange have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Newgrange is now recognised to be much more than a passage tomb. Ancient Temple is a more fitting classification, a place of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of prestige and worship where dignitaries may be laid to rest; designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
http://www.newgrange.com/
I stood inside the tomb and was awstruck by:
1. How such an amazing, massive and intricate structure could have been made 5000 years ago – a testament to man’s achievement
2. I was even more struck by how powerful it was that these creatures of God would be so compelled by their worship of their deity, that they would spend 50 years constructing a monument to Praise their God. – a testament to God and Man’s Devotion to HIM.
3. It helped once again to put “things” in perspective for me about what is really important.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Brotherhood
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Brotherhood
Be the kind of man that, when your feet hit the floor each morning, the
devil says “Oh Crap, He’s up!” . Brother, life is too short to wake up with
regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forgive the ones who don’t,
just because you can. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a
second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it.
Take a few minutes to think before you act when you’re mad. Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy, He just promised it would be worth it.
Today is Brothers’ day; send this to all your brothers, fathers, sons. If
you get back 7, you are loved. Happy Brothers’ Day! I LOVE YA BROTHER!!! To
the cool men that have touched my life. Here’s to you!! A real Brother walks
with you when the rest of the world walks on you. Send to all your Brothers,
because the phony ones won’t.
The Bible Says Love Is a Choice
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The Bible Says Love Is a Choice
by Rick Warren
“That you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:20 NIV)
Today we’ve bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that it’s something that just happens to us. In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, “I fell in love,” as if love is some kind of a ditch. It’s like I’m walking along one day and — bam! — I fell in love. I couldn’t help myself.
But I have to tell you the truth: That’s not love. Love doesn’t just happen to you. Love is a choice, and it represents a commitment.
You must choose to love God; he won’t force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). You can thumb your nose at God and go a totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do that. God still won’t force you to love him because he knows love can’t be forced.
This same principle is true about your relationships: You can choose to love others, but God won’t force you to love anyone.
During the Christmas season, we gather to celebrate with family and friends. It is often a joyous time. But I’ve been a pastor for more than 30 years, so I know it can also be a time of tension and heartache.
Is there someone you might have trouble loving this Christmas season — someone in your family, a friend, or a neighbor? God will help you love that person if you make the choice to do so.
That doesn’t mean everything will become perfect; it doesn’t even mean that person will accept your love. But you are the only person who can stop you from loving someone else — because love is a choice you make.
Smooth Seas don’t make Skillful Sailors
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I saw this phrase, “SMOOTH SEAS DON’T MAKE SKILLFUL SAILORS”, on a local church sign and it caught my eye. At first I thought it was “clever” talking about “being tested in sports, competition, work, and a career” where the “obstacles and challenges” provide the battle ground to hone one’s skills.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was a deeper meaning. God placed us here on this earth as a test to see if we would follow HIS WORD. If we were never tested, then how could we show God how much we love HIM. I know I have failed many of HIS “tests” because many of the rough storms “at sea” in my life got the best of me and I have given into temptation.
But I have also “weathered many storms” and in fact, there are times when I can look back and see just how far I have come towards getting closer to God and Jesus.
On the one hand, the worse thing I could do is become over confident of my progress because then I know the devil would challenge me with the most exquisite temptation and my cockiness would be my downfall.
On the other hand, I sometimes see the “temptations and raging storms” as a gift from GOD for me to show HIM I am determined to spend eternal life with HIM. I can point to several “raging storms” in my life where I was devastated to the brink of despair, only to find out later that that “storm” allowed me to realize how out of control my life had become and forced me back on the “straight and narrow…..a true blessing. and devine intervention.”
I also know that the closer I get to God, the raging storms are becoming more violent. I choose to see those ever increasing temptations as a gift, an opportunity to secure my place forever with my Creator and Savior.
Praise to YOU O LORD JESUS CHRIST.
R U Ready
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At church Sunday, the homily was about being ready because we don’t know when God will call us home. Here are my thoughts about this incredibly important subject and one most of us avoid
1. Only God knows.
Rather than live in fear and terrified of thinking about when that day will come, I TRY to live my life as if it was my last day and TRY to keep in God’s Good Graces at all times. I am not always successful. I am a sinner. But rather than ignoring the inevitable and not thinking about meeting my Savior tomorrow, for instance, I TRY at night in my prayers to say God if it is Your Will that I live another day, then please help me TRY to Worship you in everything I do tomorrow. If my time has come, Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Have I told my loved ones I love them lately?
I am guilty of assuming I will always have plenty of time to tell my loved ones that I love them. There are so many things I need to say to them and I am inclined to procrastinate thinking “there will always be time to get around to that!” But in my heart I know I should not put off telling those closest to me how much I cherish them, how much I love them, how much joy they bring into my live and how blessed I have been that God graced me with their love.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ
“I can only imagine”
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(click “I Can Only Imagine”….below to hear and view video)
They sang my favorite song at church this weekend.
7,000,000,000 = 7 BILLION
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There are now 7 billion humans on planet earth. That is 7,000,000,000…..count ‘em…..9 “zeros.”
When I heard this I immediately felt so insignificant and trivial. I thought how in the world (‘pun” intended) could My God truly care and be concerned about my little world, my little series of problems, drama, ups and downs, daily tribulations and seemingly meaningless existence. Why would HE even care about One in 7 billion, not to mention the billions who have come before me…………..and will come after me?
Then I realized why would anyone, willingly, especially “GOD,” sacrifice the life of HIS only SON unless the Purpose of that Sacrifice was so important to HIM to allow and justify the pain, suffering, torture and death of someone loved so dearly?
Jesus died for me and the other countless Billions of Souls so that we could live for eternity with GOD.
That thought makes me feel very special, privileged, humbled and blessed. My life does matter to GOD. HE created me. Sacrificed HIS SON for me and HE wants me with HIM forever.
And all I have to do is Accept Jesus Christ into my life and follow HIS Teachings.
My life truly has meaning!
Praise to YOU O LORD JESUS CHRIST
A Guide to Help You Decide
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A Guide to Help You Decide
by Rick Warren
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Psalm 25:9 (NIV)
The Bible says there are several things we need to do to receive guidance from God, but the very first thing is this: I need to admit I need a guide!
Sheep, by nature, tend to wander off the path. The Prophet Isaiah says, “All of us like sheep have strayed away! We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” (Isaiah 53:6 NLT)
Most of the time we don’t want to follow God or anybody else. We want to go our own way. We don’t want to admit we need direction or that we need a guide.
Another thing about sheep is that they have poor vision. They can’t see very far ahead. That’s why they need a shepherd.
God made you so that you would not be able to see into the future no matter how much you try.
Why did God do this?
He did it so you would depend on Him. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (NIV) We’ve all made decisions that at the time seemed right but later on turned out to be wrong. Some paths lead to dead ends and we end up off track. That’s why we need to admit, “God, I need help.”
When You Give, You Are Performing a Service
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When You Give, You Are Performing a Service
by Rick Warren
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion … your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV)
What an amazing verse! God makes you rich in every way so you can be generous on every occasion, which will result in thanksgiving to God.
God doesn’t bless you to be greedy; he blesses you so you can be generous. God doesn’t give you things so you can pile them up. When you let go of what’s in your hand, it’s now empty to receive greater blessings from God.
God’s giving to you is based on your attitude. That’s why it’s so important to live with an attitude of gratitude and to be content with what you have. The Bible says, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12 NIV).
When you give, you are performing a service. To serve and to give is the same thing. It’s two actions of love. You can’t love without serving and giving. Your service leads to expressions of thanksgiving to God and to contentment.
Take a moment to pray and express your gratitude to God. Ask him to show you the way to contentment. Then, ask him to bless you so you can be a blessing to others.
So many women suffer from Breast Cancer
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So many women in our broader family suffer from or have suffered from or worry about breast cancer. I don’t begin to assume I have any idea just how devastating, frightening, painful, demoralizing and hideous this dreaded curse can be.
I am offering up a prayer today to Jesus to Please help all who suffer and their families, to receive God’s Grace, Mercy and Strength to not give up hope.
Trust in Jesus, our Savior.
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.
Encouragement Needs to Be Specific
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Encouragement Needs to Be Specific
by Rick Warren
“We who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak in order to build them up in the faith.” Romans 15:1
Jesus encouraged people, and he told those who are strong in faith to make a point of encouraging others in their faith.
You should encourage the people around you too.
We all need confidence. When you know that someone believes in you, it brings out your best. Jesus did this with the Apostle Peter. Peter’s name, Petros, meant pebble. But Jesus said, “Pebble, you’re going to be a rock. I’m giving you a new name.”
When Jesus said that to Peter the apostle was anything but a rock. He was Mr. Impulsive and Mr. Foot-in-Mouth, but Jesus didn’t tell Peter what he WAS. Jesus told him what he could BE. Jesus encouraged Peter to live up to his potential.
When you give encouragement, it needs to be genuine. Give it from the heart and with sincerity. Encouragement also needs to be regular. Don’t be stingy with your encouragement.
In addition, encouragement needs to be specific. For instance, instead of saying, “I enjoyed the meal,” say, “I can tell you put a lot of effort into this meal and the seasoning you chose was perfect.”
Who will you encourage today? What specific thing will you say?
All Fathers should see the movie “COURAGEOUS”
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This was the best movie I have seen this year…bar none. If you are a father………..you need to see this movie.
Treat your wife, significant other, partner, to a real spiritual treat and take them to this movie. You won’t regret it. It could change your life and how you view your role as a father to your children.
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ
The “Our Father” dialog
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THE LORD’S PRAYER
Rather cleverly done. This in two parts, the prayer in regular type
GOD: bold and Italics in response
Our Father Who Art In Heaven.
Yes?
Don’t interrupt me. I’m praying.
But — you called – ME!
Called you?
No, I didn’t call you.
I’m praying.
Our Father who art in Heaven.
There — you did it again!
Did what?
Called ME.
You said,
“Our Father who art in Heaven”
Well, here I am….
What’s on your mind?
But I didn’t mean anything by it.
I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day.
I always say the Lord’s Prayer.
It makes me feel good,
kind of like fulfilling a duty.
Well, all right.
Go on.
Okay, Hallowed be thy name .
Hold it right there.
What do you mean by that?By what?
By “Hallowed be thy name”?
It means, it means . . good grief,
I don’t know what it means.
How in the world should I know?
It’s just a part of the prayer.
By the way, what does it mean?
It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Hey, that makes sense..
I never thought about what ‘hallowed’ meant before.
Thanks.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Do you really mean that?
Sure, why not?
What are you doing about it?Doing?
Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control, of everything down here like you have up there. We’re kinda in a mess down here you know.
Yes, I know;
but, have I got control of you?
Well, I go to church.
That isn’t what I asked you.
What about your bad temper?
You’ve really got a problem there, you know.
And then there’s the way you spend your money — all on yourself.
And what about the kind of books you read ?
Now hold on just a minute!
Stop picking on me!
I’m just as good as some of the rest of those People at church!
Excuse ME…
I thought you were praying
for My will to be done.
If that is to happen,
it will have to start with the ones
who are praying for it.
Like you — for example ..
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups.
Now that you mention it,
I could probably name some others.
So could I.
I haven’t thought about it very much until now,
but I really would like to cut out some of those things.
I would like to, you know, be really free.
Good.
Now we’re getting somewhere. We’ll work together — You and ME.
I’m proud of You.
Look, Lord, if you don’t mind,
I need to finish up here.
This is taking a lot longer than it usually does.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
You need to cut out the bread…
You’re overweight as it is.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this?
Here I was doing my religious duty,
and all of a sudden you break in
and remind me of all my hang-ups.
Praying is a dangerous thing.
You just might get what you ask for.
Remember, you called ME — and here I am.
It’s too late to stop now.
Keep praying. ( pause .. . )
Well, go on.
I’m scared to.
Scared? Of what?
I know what you’ll say.
Try ME.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
What about Ann?
See? I knew it!
I knew you would bring her up!
Why, Lord, she’s told lies about me, spread stories.
She never paid back the money she owes me.
I’ve sworn to get even with her!
But — your prayer –
What about your prayer?
I didn’t — mean it..
Well, at least you’re honest.
But, it’s quite a load carrying around all that bitterness and resentment isn’t it?
Yes, but I’ll feel better as soon as I get even with her.
Boy, have I got some plans for her.
She’ll wish she had never been born.
No, you won’t feel any better.
You’ll feel worse.
Revenge isn’t sweet.
You know how unhappy you are —
Well, I can change that.
You can? How?
Forgive Ann.
Then, I’l l forgive you;
And the hate and the sin,
will be Ann’s problem — not yours.
You will have settled the problem
as far as you are concerned.
Oh, you know, you’re right.
You always are.
And more than I want revenge,
I want to be right with You . . (sigh).
All right, all right . .
I forgive her.
There now!
Wonderful!
How do you feel?
Hmmmm. Well, not bad.
Not bad at all!
In fact, I feel pretty great!
You know, I don’t think I’ll go to bed uptight tonight.
I haven’t been getting much rest, you know.
Yeah, I know.
But, you’re not through with your prayer, are you? Go on….
Oh, all right.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Good! Good! I’ll do that.
Just don’t put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.
What do you mean by that?
You know what I mean.
Yeah. I know.
Okay.
Go ahead… Finish your prayer.
For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.
Do you know what would bring me glory –
What would really make me happy?
No, but I’d like to know.
I want to please you now..
I’ve really made a mess of things..
I want to truly follow you…
I can see now how great that would be.
So, tell me . . .
How do I make you happy?
YOU just did.
4 Ways to Pray for Friends and Family
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4 Ways to Pray for Friends and Family
by Jon Walker
Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1:27 NIV)
Here are four ways you can pray for your friends and family:
1. Pray for an opportunity to talk about Jesus (Colossians 4:3). Ask God to give you an opportunity to tell others about Christ and to invite them to your small group. God will take you seriously and answer your prayer!
2. Pray for God to prepare hearts. Pastor Rick sometimes says, “Do you know how God softens hearts? He sends the rain!” Anytime you see someone going through a storm in life, you can know God is softening a heart.
3. Pray for God to burden your heart. Ask God to make your heart tender toward a specific person or group of people.
4. Pray that God’s Word will simply take off. Pray that the words of Jesus “will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response” (2 Thessalonians 3:1 MSG), just as they did among the early Christians.
(click to view and hear “SOFTEN MY HEART, LORD”)
Steve Job’s Question
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“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
At a Standard University Commencement ceremony where he spoke, Steve Jobs said he asked himself the question above everyday.
At church last week, the Sermon took Steve’s question one step farther:
“If I knew I was going to face my Creator tomorrow, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
6 Things You Need to Fight the Devil: (#4) Certainty
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6 Things You Need to Fight the Devil: (#4) Certainty
by Rick Warren
Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (Ephesians 6:16 NLT)
In Ephesians, the apostle Paul says the fourth thing to do in spiritual warfare is to hold up a shield of faith. The full armor of God includes integrity, purity, serenity and certainty.
How effective is a shield? One of the most famous battles in history is the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, when 300 Spartans stood their ground against perhaps 100,000 Persians. At one point in the battle, the Persians shot volley after volley of arrows at the 300 Spartans. The Spartans knelt together and held up their shields, creating a wall of protection from the arrows.
Have you ever had a day you felt like that? When life is coming at you from every angle and thousands of fiery arrows are aimed at you? That’s when you need what Paul calls “the shield of faith.” Paul says, “Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil” (Ephesians 6:16).
What are the devil’s fiery arrows?
Doubt
Depression
Discouragement
Delay
Dead ends
Despair
Satan has been casting doubt on mankind since the Garden of Eden, when he asked Eve, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). The moment you open your door to doubt — even just a little bit — Satan will charge in and create doubts, despair and depression. What do you need when you’re facing those kinds of “burning arrows”? You need faith — and certainty.
Certainty comes from trusting the promises of God when everything is going wrong in your life. You’ve got to put on your shield of faith, and doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. Most people do the exact opposite. That’s just foolish. It is the doubts we should doubt and beliefs we should believe. If you don’t have faith, you will stumble when Satan attacks you.
The Bible says, “Because of your faith, it will happen” (Matthew 9:29). What does that mean? You’ve got to believe in God’s promises, even if they don’t appear to be true at the time.
Lean on God’s promises and lift up the shield of faith when Satan sends his fiery darts of doubt.
…..little humor to lighten your load
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God’s most precious gifts
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My grandchildren continue to be a constant bright spot in my life as I get older. Lots of stress and worries going on….like many folks…..but when I am with my grandkids I usually forget about evertyhing and simply enjoy their company. They also continue to “educate” me.
I played putt putt with my 3 year old grandson tonight and I tried to do reasonably well but he actually beat me by a few stokes, legitimately (he had 3 HOLES in ONE-go figure) but I had such a wonderful time. He is exceptional.
But what he taught me tonight was where as I used to get all bent out of shape if I did not “win” at basically everything I was competing in or if I played or performed exceptionally poorly, I was usually in a bad mood….which is so ridiculous, but that is how I have been most of my life. Sometimes I would not even participate in games or sports even with family if I thought I could not “perform well.” (It is embarrassing to admit that!). My therapist helped me understand that I had to always WIN or DO GREAT because it affected my self worth, which all stemmed from my insecurities.
The lesson tonight was to have the privilege and good fortune to be with my grand son was the total value and joy in itself regardless of the circumstances or outcome. At one point tonight he looked up at me, I think HOLE #4 and said, “Papa, I love you because I really like you”….completely out of the blue! I told my wife I must have gotten sweat in my eyes and that was the only reason my eyes were watering.
We also learned recently there are more precious gifts on the way as both my married children are expecting a new baby into their family next Spring. My other child has a beautiful baby girl and my other daughter is in college doing so well (so we prefer to not discuss babies at the moment w/ her??!!XX).
Regardless of what is going on in my life, when I take the time to focus on the precious gifts God has given me: my wife, family, children and grand children I can only humbly Praise HIS NAME because I did nothing on my own to deserve such good fortune.
Praise to You O Lord JESUS CHRIST!
6 Things You Need to Fight the Devil: (#2) Righteousness
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6 Things You Need to Fight the Devil: (#2) Righteousness
by Rick Warren
For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate …. (Ephesians 6:12-14 TEV)
In Ephesians, the apostle Paul says the second thing to do in spiritual warfare is to wear righteousness like a breastplate. Roman centurions wore a breastplate to protect their vital organs, such as the heart, liver, lungs and kidneys.
What is the breastplate of righteousness? It is purity of heart and purity of motivation.
The Bible asks, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (Psalms 24:3-4 NIV).
Who gets to be close to God? The Bible says he who has clean hands and a pure heart. That doesn’t mean you are perfect; it means you are confessed up. You may not always do the right thing, but you want to do the right thing. Your heart really is pure, although you will still make mistakes.
Jesus said it like this: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8 NIV). If you want to be blessed in your work, in your finances, and in your family, you must have a pure heart. You need integrity and purity. You need to act on the truth and keep your motives clear.
Let me ask you this: Is your heart pure?
Satan is going to try to weaken you and make you a pushover by tempting you to fill your life with impurity. He’s going to give you impure thoughts. He’s going to give you impure motives. He’s going to suggest impure desires. He will try to give you impurity through pornography, through movies, through books, and through music. He may try to give you impurity through greed or pride.
On the other hand, when you wear the breastplate of righteousness, you are genuinely trying to keep your heart pure and keep your motives clean. Satan is afraid of anyone with a pure heart, which is also a brave heart.
Where is there impurity in your life? Come clean before God, and then put on the breastplate of righteousness.
God Says You’re Forgivable
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God Says You’re Forgivable
by Rick Warren
I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you. (Isaiah 43:25 TEV)
When something starts going wrong in your life, do you automatically think, “God’s getting even with me. I know it! I did that thing I’m ashamed of yesterday (or last year or twenty years ago), and now he’s settling the score”?
Does God really treat his children that way? Absolutely not! Isaiah says God doesn’t hold our sins against us. Once we’ve confessed our sins to him, it’s all forgiven and forgotten, and he doesn’t even bring up the past.
If you’re a Christian, pay close attention to Ephesians 1:4-5: “Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose” (GNT).
Do you realize that when God looks at you, he sees you through Jesus Christ? When Jesus died on the cross, he paid for all of your sins, so you are forgiven and they are forgotten.
That’s why becoming a Christian is such GOOD NEWS. I give Jesus my life, and he takes it, forgives me and then gives me a new chance. He says, “Now I see you without a single fault. You stand before me covered with my love.”
Frustration
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It is so sad that at times when I am frustrated I take out my anxiety and frustrations on the ones I love the most. I can’t understand why I would do that when logic would dictate the last ones you should aggravate are the ones that mean the most to you……….but that is not what happens when I am angry, frustrated, discouraged and despondent. How sad is that!
I don’t know if it is just a flaw in my personality or a lack of control in keeping my emotions in check. It might also be that the ones I love are who I am around the most and they are the unlucky ones who have to put up with my BS. Either way it is unacceptable and I have to do a better job of getting in control.
With a lot of frustration going on in my life right now, even though there is always ups and downs in my life (as in most lives), I find I am angry a lot more often and I hate it. Sometimes I lose perspective on how lucky I am to have such a loving family, all the Blessings I have in my life that God has simply Given me out of the Goodness of HIS Heart. I didn’t do anything to deserve such a loving wife and 4 wonderful children. Why I would take my frustrations out on those Blessings baffles me some times and why I can’t seem to keep my anger under control.
I pray and ask for God to help me control my emotions. I need to step back and look beyond the moment in which things, business, money, plans, hopes and expectations are not going my way. I aspire to a time when I can Look up and sincerely Thank God for whatever HE sends my way and accept HIS Will and HIS Plan for me. I want to get there………….but I am not there yet and, in fact, have a very long way to go.
In the meantime the only thing I know to do is pray for HIS forgiveness, mercy, guidance, Grace and ask HIM……..Beg HIM to grant me Acceptance, control, tolerance, and submission to HIS WILL.
Praise to you O LORD JESUS CHRIST
Charlie Bowlus Legacy
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Some of you knew Charlie Bowlus, Founder of ECRM, which was a revolutionary advancement and paradign shift in trade show conventions and how to do business. Charlie was a visionary, successful and considered one of the most influential men in my industry. His memorial details can be found at www.ecrm.marketgate.com. He is with Jesus now.
Here is what I wrote about Charlie on his Memorial site:
“I just attended my 185th ECRM event in Phoenix. I have known Charlie for 30 years. I would not be in business if it were not for Charlie and ECRM. I consider it my greatest honor and privilege to have had Charlie as a close, dear and cherished friend, mentor and business associate. He always had time for me, to counsel me, provide guidance and suggestions. He always asked how I was doing, how was my business, how could ECRM help me? He supported me more than anyone else in business. I will miss so many things about Charlie but mostly our spirited debates. I loved telling him “he was full of it” and his reactions were always so unpredictable…it was great! I loved him, too!”
With all the fame, success, demands, drains on his time, Charlie always had time for me. When we talked on the phone he always focused on me specifically. When we talked face to face he stopped everything, looked me in the eye and truly listened. He told me once he gets 500 phone calls a week and over 1000 emails but he never seemed like he was too busy for me.
Despite all his fame and wealth, he always made me feel important as he did everyone he knew. He “hugged” a lot, was quicked to provide constructive feedback on “everything” and was usually right on the money. His mind worked so fast it was hard to keep up with. He told me one time that “I talked so fast that I was one of the few people he was only a ‘few steps’ ahead of as opposed to being ‘several’ steps ahead.” If you knew him you realized that was not a boast but a simple statement of fact because he was brilliant and a genius.”
Charlie’s biggest impact on me was how he made me feel….important, worthwhile, capable and worth speaking to. He did that with everyone, not just me. His impact on me and hundreds was he was a positive force and energy that made my life better; he motivated me, challenged me and shared his love and compassion with me.
I cannot think of a better, more meaningful and more valuable legacy than this!
I had a dream that he was already working on a new software program in HEAVEN which he named “HeavenGate” which is also being billed as a paradign shift in Eternity! From now on “HeavenGate” requires new prospective Christians to log in, participate in a WEBINAR about “life everafter”…..there is even an opt in choice to be notified…”3 Minutes” if your “number” is coming up.
Charlie, we all Miss and Love you. We look forward to when we are reunited again!
Truth………
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I am in Phoenix at a convention and it is 110 degrees, very hot and I am finding it hard to breath outdoors but the convention center is very pleasant and cool.
I struck up a casual and friendly conversation with a business associate who I see several times a year at conventions and we ended up talking about how we both like to write and express our feelings. They brought up how they like to write to Jesus on a regular basis and tell HIM how they are feeling, how their life is going and their ups and downs. They write a daily love letter to Jesus on their computer.
This had a profound affect on me for several reasons.
1. MAKING IT REAL. Even though Jesus knows everything in our hearts and life, taking the time to write a letter to HIM daily is such a great idea because it adds a real sense of a true and meaningful relationship which is what HE wants more than anything…..and it also brings daily focus to HIS Presence in our life bc HE is always there whether we acknowldege HIM or not.
2. TRUE HONESTY. . Since Jesus already knows our every thought, desire, intent, action, omission and goal, it is Extremely therapeutic to write your absolutely completely honest and true feelings and thoughts to HIM. In most relationships, regardless of how close, candid and open they may be, it is rare to be brutality, unequivably open and honest even though you may have every intention of being so with one’s spouse, for instance. Sometimes we might be embarrassed of sharing what goes through our mind. The devil Never stops attacking us, tempting us. Acknowledging a temptation is not a sin or wrong as we are continually bombarded with the devil’s evil suggestions.
Acting on that temptation is where sin begins. But my point is I try to view Jesus as my closest friend, therapist, counselor, life coach, and “wing man” who always has my utmost best interest at heart. Even though I know I will be judged by HIM and HIS Father someday, I find sometimes I can confide in HIM more that anyone else on earth because the bottom line is, I cannot fool HIM or try to put a “spin” or misrepresent anything to HIM bc HE already knows the truth. So accepting that, helps me at times, so I don’t try to kid myself or justify myself bc to HIM my life is an Open Book and I find it refreshing, uplifting and a relief at admitting to myself and to HIM what He and I already know to be true in my life. Writing the “TRUTH” about my life to JESUS is a true gift to myself.
Praise to YOU, O Lord Jesus Christ.
Win Win
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Many years ago I made a very bad business decision which was unprofessional, unfair, unethical and extremely selfish and caused a business associate, friend and good person to suffer financial loss. My actions also ruined our personal and business relationship. I always felt guilty about my action but either tried to justify and condone my decision trying to convince myself “I had no other option” or I simply put it out of my mind and denied it ever happened. I was too proud to admit to him that I was wrong. I would see this person several times a year at trade shows and his justified disgust and anger with me would always make me feel very depressed and sad. I always new I should apologize and ask for forgiveness but I was never man enough to do that.
Last week, after 7 years, I saw him again. We were in an elevator together alone and the tension was so thick and uncomfortable. I once again felt so quilty and ashamed. I decided on the spur of the moment to send him this email:
“What I did to you many years ago was unprofessional and unethical. I wish I could correct my error in judgement but I cannot. I would like to officially apologize. I have realized for some time that I owed you an apology but I was not man enough to admit it before. My hope is that you might be able to please forgive me and allow us to clear the air between us. Thank you”
I expected no reply or “apology not accepted” but I was very pleasantly surprised that he immediately came up to me, extended his hand and said “apology accepted” and it is “water under the bridge.” He went on to say that it was also a burden off his mind bc he had wanted to forgive me but was very angry. With my apology not only was I able to unload my burden, but so was he. With my apology not only did he forgive me, but I was able to forgive myself.
I have made many mistakes in my life and will no doubt continue to do so. But when I do make those mistakes in the future which affects the lives of others, I want to remember this incident for several reasons. First, I was able to unload the guilt which was such a negative energy by simply and humbly owning my mistake and asking for forgiveness. Second, asking for forgiveness can also help the other person unload their burden or anger or lack of forgiveness as well which is a classic “win win.”
….a little humor…..
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I needed to find “some” humor and laugh today. I don’t think God will mind.
“Blessings” that keep on giving
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My grand daughter has been with us all summer and she has been a blessing, so sweet, innocent and precious. In this picture she was nice enough to offer, on her own, “Papa, can I please brush your hair and cover that hole on the back of your head?”
Road Kill
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by John Fischer
If you have ever run over a small animal on the highway, you know the feeling. You feel awful. You feel that horrible thud under your tires for miles and miles, it seems. You try to tell yourself it happened too fast to react, but then you start doubting that. You wonder if you could have slowed down. The more you think about it, the whole thing slows down in your memory, and you wonder if you have the time to be conscious of so many details, why you didn’t have the time to react. Then you start wondering if you left babies somewhere crying for their mother.
I ran over a squirrel once. The little guy appeared from out of nowhere dashing across the street right in front of me. At first, it looked like he was going to make it. I actually remember encouraging him under my breath: “Go… go… go! You’re almost there!” But then, of all things, he stopped, hesitated for a split second and darted back. “Thump, thump!” went my tire over the poor little creature. That split-second hesitation and decision to turn back turned him into instant road kill.
It was so pointless. He was already home free when he turned back. Why did he do that? The only thing I can figure is that he suddenly sensed the seriousness of his predicament, and in his fear, he tried to go back to where he thought he would be safe.
Is there a lesson here? You bet there is. Don’t turn back. God leads us forward, and even if you’ve made a mistake, He’ll show you a way through it if you keep on going. The past always seems safer, but you can’t go there anyway. And if you get afraid (you feel that big rolling ton of metal bearing down on you) don’t hesitate; don’t stop; and don’t go back for anything.
Go… go… go! You’re almost there now! Keep on!
Trust your heart???…….maybe not!!
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Proverbs 28:26
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
You are your own worst enemy. You have within you a voice that is dearer than the voice of God or any angel or man. This voice can comfort and convince you against any teaching or warning. This voice is with you twenty-four hours a day, and it always tells you what you want to hear and believe. It helps you make most decisions. You are a fool!
Your heart has a strong opinion on any subject, whether you know anything about that subject or not. Your heart reacts in an instant against criticism or reproofs, and it controls you with passionate desire for something it wants.
Your heart can lull you to sleep about matters it says are unimportant, and it can keep you from sleeping out of envy or hate.Solomon used heart in this proverb as a metonym for your affections, inclinations, and thoughts. It is your internal set of desires and needs that affects your decision-making. This is not your conscience. This is your anti-conscience! This is the set of passions that drives most men and women. God has spoken about your heart. He said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9).
If you listen to your heart, you are a fool! If you follow your heart, you are a fool! If you make decisions even partially influenced by your heart, you are a fool! You are submitting to the most deceitful, depraved, and dangerous source of information on earth. Your heart has gotten you into more trouble in the past than all your enemies combined! You are your own worst enemy. Wisdom is the power to choose truth against your heart!
Today it is totally acceptable to trust and follow your heart. In fact, you are taught that your heart can decide what is right for you. One man will leave a church and say, “I did not feel right in my heart there.” A man will leave his wife and children for a younger woman, saying, “My heart was not in my marriage any longer.” A man will quit his job and become a homeless loafer by saying, “I am going to follow my heart.” All are fools!
Teenagers defy parents because their wicked hearts tell them they are right and their parents are wrong. Adulterers pursue other women because their profane hearts tell them they deserve it and no one will be hurt. The self-righteous leave a church because their hearts tell them their pastor had no right to criticize them like that. Pornography addicts justify another look based on their heart excusing such an innocent thing.
Where does following your heart lead? To destruction, which is understood in this proverb by comparison to the parallel clause. Fools will be hurt and punished, for their decisions are based on the feelings, lusts, and arrogance of their own hearts. What felt so good in the beginning becomes painfully destructive in the end (14:12; 16:2,25; 21:2). But the wise man, who follows God’s wisdom rather than his heart’s lies, will be saved.
True wisdom is learning to mistrust your heart, reject its voice, and make all decisions on the basis of absolute and objective truth. Where is such a fabulous source for decision-making? In the inspired words of the living God recorded in the Bible. It is by learning God’s words and training yourself to make decisions based on them that you can be wise and saved from the deceitful impulses of your depraved heart (Ps 19:7; 119:130).
The purpose for ministers is to make war against your heart. They are to cast down all your imaginations and thoughts and bring them into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ (II Cor 10:4-6). You do not have a right to your thoughts; you have a responsibility to right thoughts! But most contemporary Christians are obsessed with their hearts and thoughts. They measure everything by how well it matches up with their hearts! Fools!
If you learn to walk wisely by the directions of God’s commandments, He will deliver you from all the pitfalls and obstacles that clobber and confuse your heart-following neighbors. If you will trust Him and not lean toward your own understanding, He will direct your paths in good ways. Your future happiness, prosperity, and success depend on your efforts to hate vain thoughts and love the truth of His words (Ps 119:113,128).
Tuning in to God
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Tuning in to God
by Rick Warren
“God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.” Job 33:14 (NCV)
God designed you to hear his voice. In a sense, there is a “receiver” in you that allows you to get guidance from God.
What channels does God use? The primary way that God speaks is through the Bible. This is why we need to read the Bible every day. God’s will is found in God’s Word.
God also speaks through godly Bible teachers. Have you ever been in church or at a Bible study and you feel like the teacher is speaking directly to you? In that moment, God is speaking directly to you.
God also speaks through other Christians. He even speaks through you. If you’ll stay in tune to him and learn his Word, sometimes God will use you to say things to people that he wants to say to them. It’s not something special reserved only for pastors; God speaks through every believer at different times.
God also speaks through your circumstances and your pain. God is speaking all the time. But we must listen. Tune in to God and he will lead you on the right path.
Happy Father’s Day
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God Bless All Fathers.
At church today the homily was from a missionary priest, Father Jorge, who had spent 6 years in Africa “spreading the word.” I was very impressed with his enthusiasm and faith. He volunteered to go there and said he always felt he was “called” to do God’s work and felt compelled to go to that 3rd world country.
We invited him to lunch after mass and found out he almost died of malaria while he was there. I was so impressed that his message was so positive and motivating while all the time his “calling” nearly killed him.
The primary message of his homily was “don’t be afraid” but answer God’s call to do HIS work. He did and his life was forever changed for the better.
He inspired me as well to “not be afraid” and when I feel like I am called to do “HIS” work, even in the simplest way, I try to overcome my fears and answer HIS call.
I was at a Walgreens store today and saw the older woman cashier who I see every day and I spoke briefly and smiled. But today I noticed she looked sad. No one was around. I asked her if anything was wrong. She said she had just been diagnosed with bladder cancer and was so afraid. Without thinking and allowing my fear to take over, I held her hand and said an “Our Father” prayer with her and she thanked me over and over. She said her only hope was to cling to her faith to get her through. She had no family locally and was very lonely and afraid.
I know I have missed so many opportunities in my life where I was afraid to share my faith, answer HIS call and Spread HIS Love. Today, at least, in a very small way, I did not let my fear stop me.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Solomon’s PROVERBS
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I have been reading THE RICHEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED which is about SOLOMON and how he tried to live his life based on the PROVERBS. The book is incredibly insightful, inspirational and motivational as well as so practical and logical.
I found a wonderful web site that allows me to study THE PROVERBS and it even provides a daily proverb sent to my email.
click here to visit the web site that offers daily emailed Proverbs.
Patience
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Patience is one of the most difficult virtues I struggle with. I get very frustrated when things don’t happen fast enough, or the way I want or in the exact sequence or time table I want. I have a long way to go to learn patience. My life would be more enjoyable if I could let go more, accept what actually happens, accept that God is in control……….not me.
Jesus, please help me learn to be more patient and accept that YOU are in control. Help me accept YOUR PLAN for me and realize that what happens has its purpose and it is good. I need your grace and guidance.
Praise to YOU O LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Moments like this
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Moments like this make me realize just how blessed I am. I have a beautiful grandson who is as curious about our dog, Lily, as Lily is about him. I also have a wonderful grand daugher, loving children and in laws, and the perfect wife and mother of our children.
There are moments every day where I am so consumed by insignificant details about my life, work and “stuff.” During those times if I am not careful I will completely missed beautiful moments like this around our tub.
No matter what else is going on in my life, I am so thankful to my Creator for all HE has done for me. Most importantly, sacrificing HIS SON for me, my salvation, my life, my family, my health (while it lasts), the sunrise, even our pets, all of which bring me joy.
Praise to YOU O LORD JESUS CHRIST
Richest Man Who Ever Lived
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A friend recommend this book: RICHEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED
King’s Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth and Happiness. Author: Steven Scott
It is extremely inspiring and so practical and useful. I was impressed with this passage below dealing with a successful marriage and effective communication:
The four greatest needs of a woman are
1. emotional and physical security
2. the need for regular meaningful communication
3. nonsexual touch
4. romanceThe greatest needs for a man are
1. to feel respected and admired
2. to be loved and desired
3. to enjoy sexual intimacy regularly and consistently
The book’s premise is reading and abiding by the PROVERBS will lead to Success, Wealth and Happiness.
I highly recommend this book.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ
One day at a time
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It seems like I have heard this expression “ad nauseam.”
When you have pressing problems at home, at work, in the family, medical worries, bill problems, stressful future events, pain, anguish, general worries, and/or disappointments, I find it extremely difficult to put those worries out of my mind. Sometimes the combination is overwhelming and definitely depressing.
But I have discovered recently that when “life” seems overwhelming, I can go through a simple mental exercise that can sometimes help me “get thru the day.” I will actually write on paper or type on my computer exactly what is troubling me at the moment. Then I will categorize each worry in one of 2 columns. Column One is called: “I can do something about that worry right here and now to make it better.”
Then I take the “worries” in Column One and prioritize them, like my wife would do as a Nurse, and TRIAGE, to determine the priority based on the severity of each particular “worry.”
Then I take the remaining “worries” and put them in Column Two which I call “I have absolutely no control over this worry and all I can do is turn it over to God and let HIM worry about it for now.”
By doing this, as silly as it sounds, I feel the burden of Column Two “worries” lifted from me, at least for awhile..my way of compartmentilizing the problems……..divide and conquer.
Then I go to work on trying to do something positive on the worries and problems at the top of Column One. When my mind is occupied constructively and in a positive frame of mind making progress on my Column One problems, I don’t have time to worry about Column Two and it is almost like I forget all about them, if only for a day at a time.
Lately, it seems like both my Column One and Two lists are getting longer. But I know we all go through periods I refer to as if we are “in the barrell” with more problems than we can handle. I am not feeling sorry for myself b/c I know we all go through it. But it helps me to try and find a way to fight back. Most of the time it works for me.
It also helps me knowing that I can rely on God for help, grace, guidance and strength. I don’t expect that HE will magically solve my Column Two problems. But knowing that HE is There for me makes a difference. I also pray to HIM that if it is not in HIS Plan for me to solve Column Two problems, then please help me have the strength and courage to cope with the eventual outcome of Column Two problems.
So I guess my problem solving approach is kind of like taking it “one day at a time” after all and it helps me get through the day when life seems overwhelming.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
No Pain No Gain
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“No Pain No Gain” is a popular phrase among athletes, but is applies equally well to the spiritual life. Use your hurt to grow spiritually. Suffering can serve as a prod that motivates us to make needed chages.
More than we can handle…..
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I had a profound revelation recently, and in fact, met w/ my Christian advisor to get his opinion and he confirmed, in his opinion, my insight was accurate. I always assumed that the phrase “God will never give us more than we can handle” meant that there was a limit to what might befall me in this life and I did not have to worry, per se, because what happened would be within my “tolerance” to deal with.
I can see now that assumption was very naive. I was mistaken to assume that there was a safety net over (or under) me such that I was “protected” from the worst that could happen. I did not really think the “worst”, such as the unexpected death of a loved one, child, cancer, pain, floods, earthquakes, devastations beyond one’s imagination. …would actually happen until “I was ready to handle it.”
I am not being disrespectful to my Lord and Savior. But I am finally realizing that if, in fact, I truly trust, adore and put All my faith into God and Jesus Christ, my Savior, then there is no limit to “what I can handle.” As bad as my life might seem at any point in time, I only have to look around me and see what Christians and everyone have had to “handle” to realize that there is no safety net, no protection, no “pass,” no safeguard that will mysteriously make sure nothing happens in my life that I cannot “handle.”
If I truly believe that this life is a temporary very brief “test” and is only preparation for Eternity, then whatever happens here………….. simply HAPPENS. If my worse fear and nightmare happen, then I have two choices:
1. to give up, swear God’s name and separate myself from His Grace.
2. Or I can Accept what happens, continue to Worship and Adore God and know that some day when I face Jesus in Heaven, I will understand WHY!
That does not mean that the pain, sorrow, remorse, depression and hurt will not come as I face even greater “challenges and tests.” The simple fact is that everything………absolutely everything in this existence: Family, friends, health, material comforts, security….it all will pass. The only thing that will not pass is Jesus, God and Eternity.
Part of me is completely terrified by this revelation realizing that there is no limit to what trajedy and pain I may have to endure in this life as so many have suffered unimaginably all around me. But the other part of me is euphoric realizing that the phrase “more than we can handle” now means REGARDLESS of what happens, if I stay True to my faith in Jesus, I can handle it with HIS Grace.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Guide Me Today
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Today, I have several major business issues, relationships and opportunities to review, renew and resolve.
Jesus, please guide me to make the best moral decisions which will help me, my business and family.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Living Within Your Income
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by Rick Warren
In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today’s Devotional is based on this passage:
“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NLT)
When you spend more than you earn, you end up in tremendous stress. The Bible says, “Stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it” (Proverbs 21:20 TEV).
What motivates us to live beyond our means? Why do we spend ourselves into debt? Why are we rarely satisfied with what we have?
There are three myths that drive us into debt:
MYTH: Having more things will make me happier.
FACT: “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!…So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NLT)
MYTH: Having more things will make me more important.
FACT: “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be” (Luke 12:15 TEV).
MYTH: Having more things will make me more secure.
FACT: “The Lord is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and be safe. Rich people, however, imagine that their wealth protects them like high, strong walls around a city” (Proverbs 18:10-11 TEV).
When we buy into these myths, we always overspend. So, here’s how to enjoy life more on less:
• Find happiness in helping others. Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35 TEV). Just look around you and you’ll see this is true. The happiest people are those who help the most, not those who have the most. Misers are always miserable.
• Find self-worth by getting to know God. God says, “…you are precious to me…” (Isaiah 43:4 TEV). You matter to God. He made you for a purpose. Genuine self-esteem comes from establishing a relationship with God and becoming all he meant for you to be.
• Find security in trusting God, not a bank balance. The Bible says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you’” (Hebrews 13:5 TEV). Real security must be found in something that can never be taken from you. While there are many ways to lose your possessions, Jesus said God will take care of you if you trust Him.
Target BULL’s EYE
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I attended a business meeting recently and was pleasantly surprised to hear the CEO make the following comments, in addition to the business agenda for the day.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Imagine our spiritual life on this earth to be a like Target. In the center of that target is the BULL’s EYE, where we are always aiming and we keep our attention fixed on that BULL’s EYE. That BULL’s EYE is God. HE is the center of our life and where we always AIM all our actions.
Imagine the next ring around that BULL’s EYE. That is our Family. It is the 2nd most important AIM of our life.
Imagine the next ring, the one that goes around our family and the BULL’s EYE (GOD), that 2nd ring is our work/vocation which is also very important.
But at the end of the day, the 2nd ring (Work), is never more important that the 1st ring (Family) and nothing is more important than the Center BULL’s EYE, GOD.
If we live our life keeping these 3 “AIMS” of our life in focus and prioritized, we will live the life God intended.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This was the most refreshing and inspirational business conference I ever had the pleasure to attend.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
The Music Never Stopped – Movie
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True Story
Great Message
Great Music
Great Actors
Acceptance
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I realized something important recently about my relationship w/ God. Sometimes when I go thru stressful times, my prayers are “asking God to solve my problems…..I will do my part if YOU do YOURS.” I work as hard as I can to solve my issues but I have this false expectation that God is “somehow required” to “help” solve the problems. And when “things” don’t go the way I want or expect, I think God let me down b/c I expected HIM to “fix” everything.
What I need to do is ask God for ACCEPTANCE….Not mine but YOUR Will be done. I struggle with this b/c I don’t Trust God enough yet. I want to but I am not there…..but I will get there.
Grandson teaches me a lesson………..again
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My grandson was visiting, which is always such a joy and we were going to go to lunch w/ his mom before they left to go back to their house. I was having a particularly bad day at work and was all stressed out. When I am stressed out, I find it difficult to go to lunch, turn off my phone and relax and enjoy my family. Sometimes I take myself way too seriously thinking there is no way I can “disconnect from the MATRIX” for one hour…..how arrogant and stupid is that!!
I decided to do something different. Although stressed and worried about work, I reluctantly turned off my phone, forgot about work for an hour, relaxed, enjoyed my grandson and had a wonderful time. We even bought a NEMO fish tank toy while there which is one of his favorite characters. Turning my phone off was one of the best decisions I made in awhile.
And guess what? The world did not “stop” when I turned off my phone. I went back to work, calmer, relaxed, refueled, and ready to “jump back in.” All the business problems did not suddenly disappear or resolve themselves, but I was in a much better frame of mind to deal w/ the problems, and solve some.
But my day turned out a lot more enjoyable and I did not waste the opportunity to enjoy my family and grandson.
I will remember this lesson in the future.
“There Be Dragons”
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CLICK HERE TO VIEW WES BENTLEY’S TESTIMONY
Wes Bentley, leading actor in the movie “There Be Dragons” shares his inspiring and powerful testimony of how he found God and redemption through the production of the movie “There Be Dragons.”
Jesus be with me today
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Sometimes I get so busy and caught up in the details of my life: work, travel, (6 plane flights this week), family, problems, money, finances, friends, pets, hobbies, College basketball finals, NBA basketball, Lebron, favorite TV shows, movies, joys, happy and sad times…..that I forget to acknowledge:
1. Jesus is always w/ me
2. Jesus wants to hear from me
3. I need HIM in my life, all the time and to acknowledge HIM all the time
4. I can’t do this w/o HIM
5. HE is the reason I am here
6. HE has blessed me in more ways that I can ever imagine or acknowledge
7. HE died for me
8. HE wants me to be successful, happy and content in this life
9. HE never promised me everything would be a “Bed of Roses.”
10. HE wants me to spend Eternity w/HIM if I only follow HIM
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ
Sioux Falls SD
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With 3 million Delta miles domestically over 30 years, I have been to most US cities, but I flew into Sioux Falls for first time this week for buisness. I like to ask taxi drivers what they like most about their city. I was impressed w/ the answers I got in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls has 225,000 people, 25% of total in state. Located on SE corner about 3 hours from Minneapolis; also famous for MT RUSHMORE, 6 hours away through the Black HILLS and beautfiul national parks.
One driver said the best thing about Sioux Falls is “the God-Fearing People.” Another driver said, “the people.” I experienced why they both said that. Everyone I met over 2 days was gracious, helpful, smiling, laid back and happy. I spoke to some 20 people between taxis, hotel, restaurants and retail stores. They were all eager to talk about how great Sious Falls was. They were all born and raised there and had no plans to leave. Many had raised a family there.
When I checked in to the hotel, I was initially annoyed b/c the clerk was taking a long time but she kept smiling and said she would “hurry” sensing my frustration. I realized there was no need for me to rush b/c I had plenty of time before my meeting. The problem was me, not her.
Sious Falls has an amazingly large, complete and beautiful mall, all the national retail and food chains and some great local restaurants specializing in home grown beef. Crime was low I was told. No “shaddy” districts; clean, easy to navigate and inviting. The retail chain I met with, Lewis Drug, not only had gorgeous, modern high tech stores but was at the cutting edge of social media/PR in driving consumers to shop.
I was impressed with Sioux Falls and the people. I was humbled realizing that I had judged them before even arriving. I was envious of their contentment, pace of life and graciousness.
This was another of many examples in my life where I once again found the goodness in all people. It was another example of how wrong it is to ever judge or stereotype anyone….especially before you even meet them.
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not fear
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Do not fear–when things seem dark and you can’t see God, He can still see you.
“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm
121:8
Acceptance
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I flew from Miami to Minneapolis to Seattle on Tuesday but weather delayed arrival until 3am….bummer. Several people on the flight were very upset b/c we sat on the runway for 3 hours as the plane had to be de-iced 4 times. But there was actually nothing I could do to change my circumstances so I tried my best to make the best of it. I was in first class which certainly helped but I avoided getting upset by reading, planning, and working on my computer making good use of the down time and using on board WI FI. I started to worry that my bags would not arrive with me and I would not get any sleep before my meetings getting in so late but I finally just accepted my situation and turned my attention to more productive and positive issues. I also put on my Bose Headset and played my favorite music which was very enjoyable. I finally decided that whatever happened I would just make the best of it…..which is not something I do on a regular basis.
The person sitting next to me asked me sarcastically why I was so “cheerful” and I said what’s the use of getting upset b/c there was nothing I could do to change anything. I made a conscious decision to let go. They seemed to relax a bit as well and we had a pleasant conversation.
I usually try to control everything most of the time and want everything to go my way, just the way I want it but that can cause me tremendous stress and frustration. By accepting the fact that I had absolutely no control over the weather, the plane, my arrival time, my bags and how much sleep I might get, I let go of everything. Letting go made me so much more relaxed and content.
As it turned out my bags arrived w/me, I got 2 hours of sleep but had a very productive meeting. I went to bed early the next night and got caught up on sleep.
The lesson for me was basically the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
My life would be much less stressful if I could accept my circumstances more often and let go. I think a lot about trying to trust God more often when things are out of my control. I am making progress but I have a long way to go.
God wants me to trust HIM more. I know HE is in control. But sometimes I kid myself thinking that I am control but I am not. The joy of Acceptance is that it can make my life more enjoyable, less stressful, more content and I believe that is the way God intended it to be. Turn my problems, uncontrollable situations, frustrations, stress, anxiety over to HIM and let HIM deal w/ it. I am finding that sometimes this is as simple as making a conscious decision to focus on something positive and Trust that whatever happens, I can deal w/ it with God’s help and grace.
Grey Area of my life
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A very dear and close friend, who knows me very well (sometimes I think, “too well”) had the courage to challenge me and call me on an area of my life that needs addressing. He was right to do so!
He challenged me to examine my relationship with God, in particular, “do I trust God” in all aspects of my life. The bottom line is that I don’t trust HIM in all aspects of my life. When “things” don’t go the way I want sometimes, in work, business, money, life in general and even relationships, after I ask and seek God’s guidance and grace and am still not satisfied with the direction things are going or the outcome of events or actions and decisions of others, rather than accept it as God’s Plan, I sometimes take my own path to “get what I want.”
The problem is that sometimes in the process of “trying to get what I want” I go off the right path, compromise myself and get into GREY AREAS, rationalizing that my actions are justified b/c the “end result justifies the means.” What a crock of crap! It is amazing how far I will go to “justify” my actions and how I can convince myself that it’s “OK” if I tell a “white lie” here and there, exaggerate to help my cause, not reveal the complete truth. This has come up in business and relationships.
My friend’s approach, which I truly admire, is everything is either BLACK or WHITE. There is no “GREY AREA” as a Christian. The reason his advice is so compelling for me is b/c I know he was beginning to venture into “grey areas” recently and realized mid-stream that is not what he wanted to do. His trust in God allows him to approach everything in his life as strictly BLACK AND WHITE and he has learned to trust that at that point you simply “turn it All over to God.”
I have not achieved that level of Trust in God yet in my faith journey………….but I truly aspire to that.
I find myself sometimes “negotiating or bargaining” with God, which if I am completely honest w/ myself, is completely absurd and so inappropriate. I will give you an example. I may at one moment be very generous by donating money to the homeless, or donating Blood and Platelets to the blood bank which I do on a regular basis. But if I have recently been wronged or mistreated in business or even been cheated in business, I might use that incident to justify moving into the Grey Area by “getting even” with the world by possibly not being completely honest w/ someone else justifying “I deserve it.” Plus I might even rationalize that since I was generous in other areas, my actions “in the grey area” kind of balances out, if I try to get revenge for being wronged…….(when I actually write this down, it is very embarrassing)
I am ashamed to admit this but the point is my friend “called me on it” b/c he has “seen me at my worse.” Yet he chose to try and help me “see the light.”
There is a presentation about the “10 Things God Won’t ASK You On THAT Day.” My favorite is:
“God won’t ask what your highest salary was.
He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it”
So, I am praying today to ask Jesus to please help me be completely aware of those times when I start to move into my ‘grey area’ justifying my actions. I won’t become the perfect Christian instantly but I am committed to continue to work on “me” so I can keep improving. My goal is to be able TRUST God enough to view all aspects of my life in simple BLACK AND WHITE Terms and eliminate ‘grey’ altogether.
I would also like to thank my friend for caring enough to challenge me.
GROUNDHOG DAY…
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I saw a silly movie recently I would Not recommend w/ Nicholas Cage, who I actually like as an actor. He came back from HELL, literally, to rescue his grand daughter. The Plot and whole idea were absurd………….however………..Nicholas said the following which really caught my attention. He said:
“The worse part about being in HELL was seeing the video play over and over again of the pain he caused people while he was on earth.”
That made me stop and think. I remembered my loved ones I had hurt, crossed and disappointed….my friends……my business associates. I know I have caused them severe pain through my failings and weak will.
None of us know what happens in HELL. But the thought of spending eternity watching the pain I caused over and over again is a most terrifying thought. It would be like that movie w/ Bill Murray, GROUNDHOG DAY, but there would certainly be no humor in this version.
I am going to take this thought to heart and pray and try my best to be aware of the pain I cause by hurting others.
Jesus, please make me vividly aware of how my actions and omissions affect everyone around me and help me try harder not to cause others pain.
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.
Childhood memory
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When you were a child, did you ever fall asleep in the car or on the couch at night and wake up in your own bed the next day and did not know how you got there? Most of us have experienced something like this where our dad “took care of us to make sure we were safely carried to our bed.” I remember a very warm, secure and comforting feeling when I woke up the next day realizing I had a loving father carry me to bed.
I believe this is what happens when we die. We ‘cross over’ leaving our worldly physical body on earth and “God takes care of us to make sure our soul is safely carried to heaven to spend eternity with HIM.” I get a similar warm, secure and comforting feeling knowing God will be there to meet me and take care of me and make sure that I safely get to heaven. The thought of my passing in this context, takes some of the fear, unknown and angst out of my thoughts about death.
I heard this analogy in a TCM Classic Movie we watched this weekend. The movie was called “A MAN CALLED PETER” about a Scotish Minister who comes to America. The Movie was excellent as it is all about the Faith Journey and struggles of this great Christian minister. I highly recommend it.
Married 60 years – a Fairytale of Happiness
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How many couples do you know who have been married 60 years? I only know one. My wife’s aunt went to Jesus this week. She married at age 15 and died in her loving and devoted husband’s arms 60 years later. She lived in the same house in the same town all those years. She buried 2 of her 3 children.
Here is how I would describe her: Loving, always smiling, bright beautiful sparkling eyes, HAPPY, kind, devoted, always something positive and encouraging to say to everyone and her comments were specific to each individual. Never an unkind word about anyone.
She suffered a lot in the last few years but the times I saw here she was HAPPY, positive and always focused on the person she was with. I always felt “good about myself” in her presence b/c she was so complimentary to me and everyone. And her comments were always personal and meaningful about my life.
To me, she is the perfect example of a loving, caring Christian woman. Devoted and faithful to her husband and family. Her Faith which she freguently and reverently mentioned, was like a bright shining beacon. You could not help but be inspired when you were with her. Everyone was drawn to her b/c of the positive way she made them feel about themselves. She shared the Love of Jesus w/ everyone.
The most impressive thing for me is that here is a woman who buried her children, suffered physically, lead an extremely conservative life (by the modern world’s standards) in a very small midwest town yet she was HAPPY, POSITIVE and LOVING. I believe her faith and the fact that she always focused on other people rather than herself were the key reasons she was so content and HAPPY in life……and now she will forever be content and HAPPY in heaven with Jesus and her family.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU Movie-”pleasant surprise”
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This movie was not what I expected. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise. There is a spiritual message there, however unorthodox or odd it may seem. I am glad I saw it as it was meaningful to me. I had to filter out some of the extraneous parts and take some with a “grain of salt” but the basic message was inspiring. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were wonderful together.
You might be pleasantly surprised as well if you choose to see it.
Love your enemy
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I always cringed when I heard the phrase, “LOVE YOUR ENEMY.” when growing up. I assumed it was not really what they meant but some kind of “metaphor” or exageration to simply make a point. I hated the bully in school, those who made fun of me, or my family, some because they were so different from me I thought we had nothing in common. I didn’t actually think I “hated” them but I knew I didn’t “like” them b/c I thought they were weird! I thought I hated Russians when there was talk of war when growing up (I never met a Russian until college). I was jealous and envious of some who were better, more fortunate, more talented (not good looking, at least….??) and sometimes I found myself resenting them which bordered on hate or at least it seemed to at the time.
As I got older and started getting out in the “real” world and away from my 3,000 person town in S. Indiana (which really does have good, honest and Christian people, but we were all very much alike in many ways there) I realized there were a LOT more people a whole lot different than me with different beliefs, looks, languages, religion, skin color, traditions, values, backgrounds, orientations and so on.
As I got older I also started taking my religious beliefs more seriously and more literally. I was always amazed that Jesus could actually ask God to forgive those who crucified and killed HIM on the cross. Jesus said “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”
The closer I got to Jesus, the more I realized if I was going to get to heaven, the more I had to act, think and respond the Way HE did. I started slowly looking at people I did not know, did not like, found their ways foreign even at times disgusting to me. There were various groups I had to stop and realize that my feelings alternated between dislike, disapproval and hate.
I have not yet achieved the level of love, forgiveness and acceptance of all God’s children HE wants for me but I know I am making progress. I try very hard to separate their actions, looks, words, and background from the Living Spirit in them that God Placed there in their soul. When I look for that Spirit, regardless of their actions and words, I find it “easier” at times to “Love my enemy.” “Enemy” in this context may not be a mortal enemy but could be anyone I don’t approve of, agree with or understand. If their words have harmed me, embarrassed me or insulted me, I try to separate the words from who they are. I was robbed once on a trip to Chicago in my early 30′s and I hated them for the longest time b/c they made me feel so helpless and defenseless. It is hardest for me to love others when their actions and words affect me personally or my family and friends.
But when I try to view everyone in much the same way that God views us all…..equal, the same inside, the same Immortal soul, with the same God the Father, All of us Children of God, the same equal choice to choose God and Eternity with HIM…that vision helps me screen away their actions and words and embrace everyone b/c we are all the Same in God’s Eyes. He loves us all. He expects me to do the same.
And I am committed to try and work towards that end.
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.
God is SUFFICIENT
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My pastor’s homily last Sunday was very meaningful to me. Here are a few of his notes that he shared with me.
He asks: Why money and things are so important?
If they’re a hedge against suffering and loss,
Think again –such stupidity is the stuff of Greek tragedies.
Keep our heart united in trusting God
And our souls will be as lovely
As a meadow beneath the spring sun.
Seek first the Kingdom of God—
St Teresa of Avila had it right—
Carved on the wall of St. Teresa’s Church
High atop God’s Holy Mountain
Is the prayer she said each day:
Let nothing disturb Thee,
All things are passing
God never changes
Patient Endurance
God is SUFFICIENT
Jesus and St. Teresa remind us today in scripture:
Only God is sufficient –
Only God gets the job done;
So, do not be afraid.
The Grace Card movie
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I saw a wonderful movie this weekend called the THE GRACE CARD about a man who was angry because of circumstances in his life. The movie deals with how his life and family were negatively affected by his anger.
The movie made me step back and look at my own life and anger. It made me realize that everyone has crosses to bear and we all have a choice. We can choose to be angry if our life is not what we planned and in that anger we can cause our self and our family misery. Or we can turn our life over to Jesus and accept God’s Plan whatever it is. In that acceptance we can achieve peace and contentment in this life if we only Trust God.
How Full is Your Backpack?
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How Full is Your Backpack?
by Jon Walker
But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road. Matthew 7:14 (NCV)
“”He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” –Missionary Jim Elliot, killed while attempting to tell the Waodani people in Ecuador about Jesus.”
Imagine trying to walk down a narrow path that is hemmed in by thorny vines and low hanging branches and you’re wearing a backpack overstuffed with the many things you think you need.
Imagine how exhausted and frustrated you’d be as your heavy backpack kept getting snagged in the branches and the vines. You’d begin to see that many of the things you carried were more of a hindrance than a help, and so one-by-one, you’d start pulling things out of your backpack, regretfully tossing them aside.
Imagine how you would feel when you come to the end of the narrow path and discover that to get to where you want to go, you have to squeeze through a very small gate. You start to pull the last of your things out of the backpack, but then you realize there is no sense in taking an empty backpack through the gate.
So you reluctantly leave it behind and head through the small gate into a new life. It is your life in Christ and you have followed Jesus down this narrow path and through this small gate into the kingdom of heaven.
Inside the kingdom, you realize you’ve made your journey more difficult than it had to be simply because everything you’d been so reluctant to leave behind is useless in your new life. And the things that Jesus provides for you in your new life are far more precious than any thing you left behind.
When Jesus demands our allegiance, he isn’t trying to take good things away from us; rather, he knows the world is coming to an end and he is trying to prepare us for an eternity living with him.
How are you doing with your goals and plans for this Decade of Destiny? What’s that one thing you’re reluctant to give up? Maybe it’s not a thing; maybe it is giving up the lack of discipline when it comes to your finances, or your health, or your Bible study.
Whatever it is, Jesus brings you to this choice: Will you trust him when he says you need to give this thing up, or will you insist that you need to carry an overstuffed backpack throughout the next ten years?
Anger management
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Jesus, I have been traveling a lot lately and am exhausted. The problem with working to exhaustion is
1. I lose sight of my priorities, like YOU, family, “down time”, quiet time
2. I am more prone to losing control of my temper as I seem to have less patience, tolerance and peace. I have a serious problem w/ anger management, Especially when I am exhausted
3. I always eat too much when I am exhausted
4. I get depressed
5. I am more vulnerable to Satan’s tempations b/c my resistance is low
6. I am not as polite, gracious and generous with everyone
7. I curse more
8. I become negative which I hate most of all b/c when I am refreshed, rested and in a proper positive frame of mind I am extremely positive and see the “good” and bright side of most people and things
9. When I am tired and negative and angry I see the “bad” and dark side of most people and things….I hate that attitude
10. I don’t pray and talk to you nearly as often when I am exhausted
So, Jesus, it seems obvious to me that I need to try and get more rest and sleep the right amount of hours and at the right times rather than so late.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ
God’s Valentine Gift
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God’s Valentine Gift
God’s Valentine gift of love to us
Was not a bunch of flowers;
It wasn’t candy, or a book
To while away the hours.
His gift was to become a man,
So He could freely give
His sacrificial love for us,
So you and I could live.
He gave us sweet salvation, and
Instruction, good and true–
To love our friends and enemies
And love our Savior, too.
So as we give our Valentines,
Let’s thank our Lord and King;
The reason we have love to give
Is that He gave everything.
THE RITE (‘Movie’ starring Anthony Hopkins)
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I saw and enjoyed the new movie, “THE RITE” with Anthony Hopkins this weekend. I won’t say anything about the plot but I have several thoughts about the devil.
1. I believe the devil exists; he is brilliant, clever, relentless, deceptive, cunning, pure evil
2. Satan will never stop tempting me to find whatever way he can to turn me from God
3. He knows what my biggest weaknesses are and when I am most vulnerable to his temptations
4. I cannot defeat him by myself. I am not strong enough, smart enough or capable of conquering this fallen angel with his super God-Given powers without the Grace of God
5. The closer I get to Jesus Christ, the more aggressively Lucifer attacks me
6. I can see the devil’s fingerprint all around me…the Internet, pornography, child sex trafficing, greed, drugs, prostitution, strip clups, all sorts of addictions, Las Vegas, television, movies, posters, magazines, Hollywood
7. It is impossible to be In the world and not come into contact with his evil
8. I have a free will and I can chose to avoid the devil’s temptations that are all around me but I have to have God’s help.
God please “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
More than I can handle………
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A very close dear friend sent me this email today, I thought I would share with you:
“I don’t know what to do. I have been praying and pleading with God to please help me and my family. I have been unemployed for nearly a year. We have had to file bankruptcy. We are about to lose our house. I have kids in school. My wife and I have good college educations but we have gotten no job offers for either of our efforts of sending hundreds of resumes and as many job interviews. It seems there are no openings in our respective career fields. We have done everything we know to get hired. We have gotten career counseling, been to numerous career seminars, done exhaustive research, have been open to relocation, changing careers…………networked with friends, family, associates, colleagues, strangers, consultants, former employers. We have maxed out on loans, borrowing….we have taken any and all temporary jobs, projects, manual labor, and we are not above considering anything that can provide a legal pay check to help feed and clothe our family. Anything to just get by. We are well beyond embarrassement or pride. We are in desparate survival mode.
At times I become so angry with God for letting me and my family down, it actually scares me b/c I know I should not blame HIM. If anything, I should only offer HIM my devotion, praise, worship and adoration. But I don’t think I can continue to handle this much longer. The stress, physical pain and depression I feel at times is overwhelming. My chest hurts and I am afraid this will lead to heart problems. The look of fear, hurt, depression, anger, disappointment in my wife eyes is unbearable. I have let her and my family down but I don’t know what else to do. I feel like such a loser and failure.
God says HE will never give us more than we can handle. I am so sorry, God, for saying this, but in our case, this is not true. I can’t handle anymore. If I was the only one in this predicament I believe I could survive and work through this. But when I have to carry the burden of being responsible for putting my family through this and being responsible for their misery, it is more than I can handle.
I try so hard to focus on Jesus on the Cross and the ultimate sacrifice HE made for me. But that is little consolation when I see the look on my wife’s and kid’s faces.
I have never been so depressed and despondent. The only thing I have left is to cling to my faith and belief that God is in control. I can accept the lose of material things and am willing to embrace humility. But I can’t accept the pain and fear my family is having to endure. That is more than I can handle.
Suicide has crossed my mind to stop the agony but my faith prevents me from following that path. I also cannot bear to think of abandoning my family when they need me most.
God, I don’t know what to say to YOU today that I have not already said so many times. I can’t take any more. Please help me. I will do anything if YOU just please open a door someplace, somehow, somewhere to help us get by. I will continue to try everything possible to gain employment but please don’t continue to put my family through this.
PLEASE HELP US. PRAISE TO YOU O LORD”
Worry Simply Doesn’t Work
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Worry Simply Doesn’t Work
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by Rick Warren
“Don’t worry about anything …” Philippians 4:6a (LB)
“Worry works on us; it doesn’t work for us.”
Today’s devotional is by Tom Holladay, teaching pastor at Saddleback Church and author of ‘The Relationship Principles of Jesus.’
This is the time of year when reality hits. It’s a month into the New Year and you had all these goals for change in your health, your job, your relationships, and so far things look the same as they did in December.
If this is where you are today, if you have real problems and things aren’t working out the way you would like, you have a choice to make. You can either worry and wonder if it’s all going to fall apart, or you can choose to have faith and trust God.
We all struggle with worry in different ways. Some people sweat, some people yell, some people get really quiet. Do you tend to dwell on problems? Do you feel insecure about the future? Do you feel out of touch with God? Do you have physical symptoms of headaches, backaches, or a nervous stomach? Do you find it hard to accept defeat? Do you feel burned out? Do you find loose ends difficult? Do you constantly rehash events? These are all signs of worry and anxiety.
We like to think that worry works for us. It reminds us what needs to get done or it motivates us to get to the next step. But the truth of the matter is this: worry works on us; it doesn’t work for us. It will steal life and create relational difficulties. Until we get something that works better than worry, we are going to keep worrying.
How do you let go of anxiety? This week I want to look at the story in Matthew 8 where Jesus addresses the issue of anxiety and how to deal with it. And we’ll see how to address reality with faith.
Quiet Time Requires Trust
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Quiet Time Requires Trust
by Rick Warren
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:7-9 (NCV)
“Jesus didn’t say, “Give us this day our monthly bread” or “our weekly bread.” He said “daily bread” because we need to learn to depend on God twenty-four hours at a time.”
Your stress level is going to go down because a prayer of trust is the single greatest antidote to worry.
Don’t be afraid to tell God that you’re expecting him to meet all your needs. I love it when my children, and now my grandchildren, trust me. And God loves it when his children trust him.
We show our trust in God when we can say to him, “Lord, I have so many things on my plate. They are impossible. I can’t do them all today so help me know what’s important and what’s not important. Help me not to worry about not getting the unimportant things done. Help me focus on what matters most. I need your strength today to do what I need to do today. I have some financial, physical and emotional needs and I’m depending on you to help me today.”
Now Jesus didn’t say, “Give us this day our monthly bread” or “our weekly bread.” He said “daily bread” because we need to learn to depend on God twenty-four hours at a time. He’s not going to get you to a point where you completely trust him for the next year, so he’s going to teach you to trust him one day at a time. He’s going to give you enough grace, power, and energy to get through today.
Philippians 4:19 says it best, “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pour from Jesus” (MSG).
“Cry out to JESUS” lyrics – THIRD DAY
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CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO
The Lyrics to this glorious song:
To everyone who’s lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye
And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there’s nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He’ll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
For the marriage that’s struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith and love
They’ve done all they can to make it right again
Still it’s not enough
For the ones who can’t break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you’re not alone in your shame
And your suffering
When your lonely (when you’re lonely)
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight
Dad’s Weekend
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I had the pleasure this weekend to be with my daughter at “Dad’s Weekend” at her university. We had the perfect weekend: basketball game, seeing her current and future dorm, meeting roommates, stop over at PETLAND (she loves English Bulldog puppies), fantastic dinner with wine, great movie, and even got to stay with my grandson and her nephew as they live in same town. Could not have been a more enjoyable weekend!
How quickly she grew up. We adopted her when she was 2 years old from Korea. And now she’s 21 and a young lady, beautiful, confident, intelligent and doing great in school.
We have been blessed with 4 wonderful children. I’m so thankful for them because they’ve been the highlight of our 35-year marriage.
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ and thank You for all Your Blessings.
Prayer Request
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We would appreciate it if you would please consider keeping a very special need of our family in your prayers.
Thank you and God Bless.
New Years Resolution
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Jesus, my first New Years Resolution is to start each day with the following Prayer.
1. Thank You, thank You, thank You.
2. Forgive me, forgive, me forgive me.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ
Character
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Character is easier kept than recovered.
“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Proverbs 22:1
Your Goals Should Bring God Glory
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by Rick Warren
We make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 2 Corinthians 5:9 (NIV)
“Any goal you set that causes you to trust God more, brings glory to God.”
Not every goal is a good goal or the kind of goal that God gets behind and helps you accomplish.
So what kind of goals does God bless? The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV) That means if you are going to set some goals, they need to be goals that bring glory to God.
Now, it says whatever you eat – honestly, if I sit down at a restaurant I don’t naturally think which food will bring the most glory to God. I’m not thinking that one at all. Would I probably be healthier if I did? Of course.
But there is a bigger point and that is that everything can be done for the glory of God — eat, drink or anything that you do.
Does that mean I can close a sale for the glory of God? Yes. Does that mean I can sweep the house for the glory of God? Yes. Does that mean I can program computers for the glory of God? Yes! You can do anything to the glory of God. I can macramé to the glory of God.
You say, ‘Well, how do I do that? It requires the right attitude and the right motivation. The right attitude is ‘I do it out of gratitude.’ The right motivation is ‘I do it to honor God.’
How do you know if it’s going to bring glory to God? Any goal that causes you to love God more brings glory to God. Any goal you set that causes you to trust God more, brings glory to God. Any goal you set that causes to you obey God, to love God, to serve God, any goal that causes you to want to brag on God and tell unbelievers, ‘Look what he did for me’ — that’s the goal that brings glory to God.
Grudge Part 5
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There have been times I have come home from work upset about something that happened that day. I didn’t get the promotion I thought I deserved. My boss scolded me. I was embarrassed at work. A colleague got more recognition than I did or “stabbed” me in the back (figuratively). I didn’t get the pay raise I expected. “Things” went wrong at work. Deadlines were not met. Quotas were not achieved. I was blamed for something I did not do…..and so on.
So with these negative feelings of anger, disappointment, depression or anxiety right on the surface, I see my “significant” other as soon as I get into the house. I start an argument for no apparent reason because I am projecting my negative feelings onto her. It could be something as simple and insignificant as “the dog might have been chewing on one of my socks.”
I accuse her of something she did or didn’t do in an angry loud voice. She responds defensively totally surprised by my comments. And then…”it’s on!” I say harsh things I don’t mean. I storm out of the room and retreat to my office. Slam the door. Don’t come to dinner. Give her the silent treatment. Ruin a perfectly good evening.
This sometimes carries over to the next day. I don’t even remember why we argued……. but I still feel mad at her. Tragically, sometimes this grudge can go on for days.
“Eventually” I come to my senses realizing she did nothing wrong. I was mad from work and wanted to lash out at someone, something, anything to vent my frustration. Yes, I do have anger management issues and, in fact, have seen a therapist for that.
But sadly, for those 24 hours, I held a grudge against my wife for no reason at all. Why do I take out my frustrations on those I love most?
Here’s the “cost” of my grudge:
1. I was in pain from work, but increased that pain when I held a grudge against my wife
2. I caused her pain by being so mean
3. We lost a night together (how many nights do we really have together in our lifetime?)
4. My kids were stressed b/c they sensed the tension
5. I tried kicking my dog, but the dog was too fast and I missed….not really funny……..(but kind of?)
There are deeper issues here about my priorities in allowing work to intervere with my family life. But the point I am trying to make is that holding a grudge against my wife EVEN IF THERE WAS A REASON TO BE UPSET AT HER is just a tragedy any way you look at it.
So, Jesus, my prayer today is to please help me try harder to guickly
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forgive
and release the pain from my heart. And then reconcile with the other person.
Praise to YOU O Lord Jesus Christ.
“Lovely, Still”…..the movie
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Grudge Part 4
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CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Chris August — 7×70 [ Exclusive Music Video Premiere ]
His Story of Forgiveness
Grudge Part 3
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A dear friend emailed me last night. After reading my GRUDGE PART 2 Blog, he told me this true story.
My friend and his brother, who had been close their entire life, had a “falling out” over a personal family issue. This went on for several years and the “GRUDGE” took on a life of its own where both were too stubborn and proud to apologize. Both spouses pleaded with their husbands to reconcile to no avail.
My friend said he spent so much time mentally jumping between “how to reconcile with his brother” and then to “plotting revenge on his brother.” His spouse said she could see on his face when he was preocuppied with the Grudge with his brother. During those times, he was distant from her, short and abrupt with her and the family. When she tried to reason with him explaining a simple phone call and apology would solve the problem and eliminate his pain, he would sometimes curse at her to stay out of it.
Three years into their Grudge, his brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. My friend finally went to visit his brother at the hospital for an emotional reconciliation. His brother passed away 2 weeks later.
Here is what my friend told me after the reconciliation
1. Both were extremely sorry and apologetic and had wanted to reconcile for 3 years but were too stubborn
2. The actual reason for the falling out was not even clear in their mind as they both had different interpretations of what had happened
3. They both spent many hours agonizing over the Grudge and both families suffered from the distraction and obsession
4. They deprived themselves and their families of the joy of any interaction during those 3 years including, new births, a wedding, all holidays, graduations, vacations. They lost those 3 years.
It has been 10 years since his brother’s death and my friend has continued to suffer carrying the pain of guilt for the lost time from his brother. He told me that for these 13 years (3 during the Grudge and 10 after his brother’s death) so many people suffered as a result. But the worst of all was all the pain he suffered himself for not being able to forgive his brother.
He told me the most important reason to always forgive, regardless of the transgression, is to free oneself of the agony and pain of holding a Grudge.
Grudge Part 2
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What if God held a grudge against us for Crucifying HIS SON? The pain and humiliation we caused JESUS was unimaginable.
If God can forgive us for the Crucifixion AND our sins…….ALL our sins, if we repent……and HE Never holds a grudge, then why is it SO difficult for me at times to forgive?
The times that I have held a grudge, and unfortunately, there have been many, when I step back and objectively evaluate what actually upset me, most of the time, it was so insignificant. I built up the “hurt” into a BIG DEAL. And many times the action from someone that caused my pain was unintentional. My pride or ego or feelings might have been hurt and “I was not going to stand for that….don’t they know who I am?……How dare they do “that” to ME………I will show them.”
The next time someone disappoints me, hurts my feeling, lies to me, crosses me, insults me, embarrasses me, tries to humilate me, betrays me, lets me down or hurts me in anyway, when I start to get angry and start plotting my revenge, I am going to make a supreme effort to imagine how God must have felt when we killed his son. I have children. How would I feel if anyone, let alone an angry crowd, tried to purposely harm my children?
If I had to describe Christianity in just one word, it would be “FORGIVENESS.”
1. It is God-Like
2. It brings us closer to God and Heaven
3. It can gives us peace and happiness in this life
4. It is one of the best examples we can set for our sphere of influence
5. It can help us enjoy life more and appreciate our many God-given Blessings
6. It is the ultimate Gift to ourselves.
So, Jesus, today I am asking You to please help me remember the next time I start to hold a grudge, that to be more like You and Your Father and to give myself the best gift possible, the best thing I can do is
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TO FORGIVE.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Grudge
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When someone disappoints, harms or causes us pain, it seems the natural human tendency is to hold a grudge, seek revenge, become bitter, angry, seek to “make them pay.” One can become consumed by the need for revenge. We tend to believe that the only way we will be happy is to “get even.”
It is ironic that the only way we can once again be “happy” is to let go of the anger and bitterness. We have to forgive that person, the transgression and forgive ourselves for feeling so angry and hateful. When we harbor the anger, “the pain” caused by someone else continues and usually increases.
The PRIMARY reason to FORGIVE is so we can get rid of the pain for our own sake. We can’t control anyone else. We are all accountable for our actions and that will be settled between God and every one of us. But when we try to play “god” and demand retribution from someone else for their transgressions we set ourselves up for an unhappy life. And when we are unhappy, usually those closest to us are also unhappy.
Our happiness in this life cannot revolve SOLELY and COMPLETELY around other people. Yes, God blesses us with family and loved ones and they contribute significantly to our happiness in this existence. But human nature being as weak and imperfect as it is, most peope hurt or disappoint us causing us pain which can set the “revenge” cycle in motion.
The only chance to achieve some degree of happiness here is to always FORGIVE anything and everything that is done to us, for our sake, and put our ultimate trust, hope and faith in Jesus Christ.
In the one and only prayer Jesus gave us, HE said in essence, “to be forgiven, you must forgive.”
If we can do that, we have the opportunity to achieve eternal peace and happiness with God.
Praise to YOU O Lord Jesus Christ.
“Why” We Celebrate NEW YEARS
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CLICK HERE TO VIEW “WHY”
Autism Triumph: The Temple Grandin Story
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The acclaimed actress, Claire Danes, played Dr. Temple Grandin, in an HBO movie true story which won 7 Emmy Awards. Temple suffers from autism, a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. Despite her autism, Temple’s list of achievements is truly miraculous:
Ph. D. in Animal Science
World Famous Animal Scientist and autism self-advocate
2010 TIME MAGAZINES Top 100 most influential people in the world
Temple Grandin….an extraordinary source of inspiration for autistic children, their parents—and all people. The movie is available for rent at BLOCKBUSTER.
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CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TEMPLE GRANDIN
6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles
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My son took me to see the movie IMAX 3D HUBBLE Space Telescope which was “out of this world” (pun intended)
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CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MOVIE TRAILER
It was a real treat to spend time with my son. But this movie was something else. They discussed Billions of galaxies, solar systems, stars, suns, planets…and the distances between?…….more than I can possibly comprehend.
They showed a picture of a galaxy that was 10 billion light years away. A light year is 6 trillion miles. 10 billion light years away would be a number that looks something like this in terms of miles and has 30 “zeros” (I think?)
6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles
And we can only observe with our best technology a VERY small portion of the universe which is infinite.
I don’t understand how anyone could watch this movie and not know beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a GOD. The Universe cannot be a random, haphazard ‘thing.’
I did not expect to walk out of this movie and have my faith inspired and strengtened even more……..but that is exactly what happened.
Praise to YOU My Lord, My GOD
David and Goliath….you ain’t heard this version!
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CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE MOST REFRESHING, ENGAGING and INSPIRATIONAL STORY FROM ONE OF GOD’S CHILDREN
“Happy Birthday, Jesus” from the children YOU Love
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CLICK TO HEAR “THE REST OF THE STORY” FROM GOD’S CHILDREN
Christmas Spirit
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CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IS ALL ABOUT
…Brighter they shine…
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God’s promises are like the stars–the darker the night the brighter they shine.
“The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.” Psalm 145:13
Don’t Stop Until You Meet Jesus
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by Rick Warren
[The star] went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. … They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary …. Matthew 2:9,11 (NLT)
“Where do you find Jesus? The same place the wise men did — in the ordinary.”
The wise men did not stop until they met Jesus. The Bible says they finally came to the place where Jesus was. Have you done that yet? Have you come to the point in your life where you’ve met Jesus personally?
If you haven’t, you are still on the journey. If you haven’t met him face-to-face yet, don’t stop seeking, keep on going.
A lot of people start off asking the important questions of life: ‘Who am I? Where am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Does my life have meaning? Is there a purpose? What is the significance of it all?’
These are important questions. But if you don’t keep seeking the answers, pretty soon you get distracted by other things, even important things, like your career or education. But when people do that, they have trouble getting back on the journey. Many people spend the rest of their lives missing the very purpose they were created for.
Like the wise men, don’t stop seeking until you meet Jesus. Where do you find Jesus? The same place the wise men did — in the ordinary. You find him in the problems of life, not in the spectacular. You find him in the stuff of life, in the stalls and the stables where it’s smelly and where life is being born.
Christmas Cheer YouTube: Digital Story of Nativity
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CLICK <HERE
TO VIEW NEW SPIN – Familiar Great Story
God’s Plan
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Good friends of ours were at their wit’s end concerning a financial matter. They had been praying for a long time and trying to resolve the issue. But just when it appeared all was lost, another couple, unexpectedly came out of nowhere and helped them, out of the goodness of their heart. It worked out to be a win win for both couples. And the couple that helped were motivated b/c they believed they had an opportunity to do something “good” for someone else.
This great act of generosity struck me for several reasons:
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KEEP THE FAITH
The one couple never gave up hope and believed that something “good” would happen if they kept the faith.
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CROSSES
God places Crosses in our lives to test us and in so many examples in our own life, just when it seems there is no way out, God intervenes many times by placing others in our lives, like Angels, to help.
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GOD’S PLAN
God has a Plan for all of us. It is not always exactly what we want. But if we trust HIM to allow HIS Plan to unfold, and be patient, GOOD will come.
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ACCEPTANCE
Being open to God’s Plan and accepting it, especially when it is different from what you expected, leads to greater peace and contentment in this life as well as a stronger faith.
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GOOD PEOPLE
It renewed my faith in humanity reminding me there are so many good, Christian and caring people.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus and Business
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On judgement day, Jesus won’t ask me how much money I made, how many companies I sold, how much stock I had or how many employees I hired.
HE will ask:
1. Did you work hard at all your jobs?
2. Did you use your God-given talents to earn a good living for your family?
3. Did you treat everyone fairly?
4. Were you honest with everyone?
5. Did you treat everyone with respect?
6. Were you a positive influence with those you worked?
7. Was it obvious that you were Christian based on your behavior in the workplace?
8. If you were successful financially, were you generous?
9. If you had to disciplineor fire people, did you do it with compassion and empathy?
10. Did you enrich the lives of those you encountered in the work place?
I cannot answer “YES” to all of these questions. I have disappointed God and myself by the way I have conducted myself at times. I will have to answer to HIM for that. My intentions have been good. But when the pressure is on, serious money is at stake, deadlines and promotions are looming, competition heats up, ego’s kick in, greed and power raised their ugly heads, and mortgage and tuition bills were due, I have not always acted in a way that I am proud.
God wants us to prosper financially and be successful. But HE looks into my heart and is more concerned about “How” I conducted business. Did I always treat people how I would want to be treated? Unfortunately, the answer in some cases is “NO.”
I don’t believe HE expects me to preach about my faith in the workplace. I have heard many say “people that shove their faith in your face” or flaunt it do more harm than good. I believe we are all called to Spread the GOOD NEWS, but “actions speak louder than words.”
Jesus, when I am challenged with a difficult business situation and tempted to act unethically or dishonestly, please help me ask myself “What would Jesus do?” Some day I will be standing before God and will be held accountable for my actions.
Praise to You O Lord Jesus Christ.
If I was the devil
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CLICK HERE to see what I would do if I was the devil. The devil exists.
www.thedevilisreal.com
Philosophy for Old Age
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CLICK THIS LINK which will open a file to be downloaded into a POWERPOINT file. You will need to have POWERPOINT to View the presentation. Once the file is “SAVED” you can CLICK “OPEN” and view the file. You will need to click each page to advance the presentation.
God Bless You.
HOPE
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$20 an hour
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A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door.
SON: “Mommy, may I ask you a question?”
MOM: “Yeah sure, what it is?” replied the woman.
SON: “Mommy, how much do you make an hour?”
MOM: “That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the woman said angrily.
SON: “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”
MOM: “If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”
SON: “Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down. “Well then Mommy, may I please borrow $5,” he asked?
The mother was furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then
you march yourself to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard every day for such childish
frivolities.”
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money she thought. After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down, and started to think out loud. “Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $5 and he really didn’t ask for money very often.” So, the woman went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.
MOM: “Are you asleep, son?” she asked.
SON: “No Mommy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.
MOM: “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the woman. “It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you.
Here’s the $5 you asked for.”
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank you Mommy!” he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.
MOM: “Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the mother grumbled.
SON: “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Mommy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”
The mother was crushed. She put her arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.
It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $20 worth of your time with someone you love.
REMEMBER: If we die tomorrow, the company that we work for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
Failure
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FAILURE
by MARVIN WILLIAMS
read› Matthew 26:69-75
Go and tell His disciples, including Peter, that Jesus
is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see
Him there, just as He told you before He died (Mark 16:7).
According to columnist Perry Buffington, a licensed psychologist, failure takes on a life of its own
because the brain remembers incomplete tasks or failures longer than successes or completed activities. It’s
called the “Zeigarnik effect.” Buffington states, “When a project or a thought is completed, the brain . . . no
longer gives the project priority or active working status. . . . But failures have no closure. The brain continues to spin the memory, trying to come up with ways to fix the mess and move it from active to inactive status.”
Peter failed in many ways, but Jesus fixed the mounting mess of the apostle’s failures and moved his blunders
from active to inactive status. Peter failed in at least two ways that people most fear: being powerless in a crisis and awkward in a social setting. In the most important times of his life with Jesus—the Caesarea Philippi scene (Matthew 16:20-23), the transfiguration scene (17:1-4), and the foot-washing scene (John 13:4-10)
Peter said the most inappropriate things. He failed because the deluge of his pride overpowered him, and he attempted to blanket himself in his own strength. At the arrest of Jesus, he collapsed and became a pathetic coward (Matthew 26:69-75). His heart deceived him and he denied his Teacher and Lord. But Jesus gave him a second chance and moved his failure from active to inactive (Mark 16:7; John 21:15-17).
Jesus can move our failure to inactive status when we realize that He’s bigger than our failures and He’s willing to give us another chance. If our failures are the result of sin, then we should confess our sins to God and genuinely repent (1 John 1:9). When we fail, we can and should get up again (Proverbs 24:16).
And we should press on in Jesus’ power (Acts 3).
Special Merry Christmas for you
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CLICK HERE FOR A SPECIAL MERRY CHRISTMAS
Lily & Harlem
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Lily is a 1 year old 15 lb King Cavalier Cocker Spaniel spade female and her buddy, is Harlem, 150 lb Rottweiler, neutered male. Harlem is 10 times bigger. Harlem is also a very gentle & peaceful creature b/c he was raised with love, respect and affection.
Lily is friends to everyone (people and animal) she meets. She even likes cats (she may need therapy) but she seems to accept everyone as good and she instantly trusts all creatures she encounters. In her world, everyone is “innocent until proven guilty.” She never seems to judge….ever.
We have another dog we love which hates cats, which is normal I guess, but that same cat that made friends with Lily, was immediately in “attack mode” with our other dog b/c that cat sensed the hate.
To me, the lesson is to never judge anyone and look for the good in everyone, like Lily does. Yes, there are people who may have evil intentions but like Lily, I want to believe they are basically good people. Their life experiences may have made them bitter, fearful, resentful, hateful, mistrustful and suspicious.
Lily was open, trusting and loving, which elicited a similar positive response from the “evil cat.” This is relevant in my dealings with people I meet. If they are dressed different from me, look different, talk different, accessorize differently, then sometimes I am quick to judge and that is not what God intended. I am sure people can “pick up” on my disapproval at times, simply based on their reaction to me in the form of facial and body expressions and gestures.
Who am I to judge?…………..really!
So, once again, I learned a valuable lesson from our adorable newest addition to the family as Lily “showed us the way.”
Praise to you O Lord Jesus Christ.
When Love Takes Over
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Click here to see “WHEN LOVE TAKES OVER”
You know, it’s a fact that we all want to be happy and free from life’s miseries.
The greatest obstacles to experiencing inner peace are those negatives emotions that we tend to let in… fear, anger, and jealousy. And yet it is love and compassion that give us the inner peace and happiness that we all want.
In several places in the bible, Jesus talks about Love. Through him we are constantly reminded that Love is the
greatest gift of all.
I Corinthians 13 says: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
This holiday season is meant to celebrate a love that is born out of an ominpotent love.
God calls us to love and if we look with open eyes, we can find reminders of that everywhere
What to do with Each Moment
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Door to Door “door knob” salesman
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Click here to see how God can enhance our live!
Put a smile on your face
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There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She
hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always
there for her. She told her boyfriend, ‘If I could only see
the world, I would marry you.’
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her, ‘Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?’ The
girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The
sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected
that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life
led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her
saying: ‘Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before
they were yours, they were mine.’
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who
was always by their side in the most painful situations.
Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word – Think of someone who can’t speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food – Think of someone
who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife – Think of someone
who’s crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life – Think of someone who
went too early to heaven.
Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who
walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job – Think of the
unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down – Put a smile on
your face and think: you’re alive and still around.
Look Up
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THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8
Feet and is entirely open at the top, the
Bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will
Be an absolute prisoner. The reason is
That a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground
With a Run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space
To run, as is its habit, It will not even
Attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner
For life in a small jail with no top.
THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a
Remarkable nimble creature in the air,
Cannot take off from a level place.
If it is placed on the floor or flat
Ground, all it can do is shuffle about
Helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it
Reaches some slight elevation from which it can
Throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it
Takes off like a flash.
THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will
Be there until it dies, unless it is taken out.
It never sees the means of escape at the
Top, but persists in trying to find some way out
Through the sides near the bottom.. It
Will seek a way where none exists, until it
Completely destroys itself..
PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and
The bumblebee. We struggle about with all our
Problems and frustrations, never realizing that
All we have to do is look up! That’s the
Answer, the escape route and the solution to any
Problem! Just look up.
Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and
Trust in our Creator who loves us.
