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Why I love panhandlers.
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Jun 13, 2007 6:58 am
159 Views
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Granted panhandlers are mentally ill, on drugs, alcoholics, and will probably waste my dollar or two that I give them. But you know what? When I look over their shoulder behind them, I see Jesus watching. Yes, thats right. He said if we give to the poor, He Himself will pay us back. I know His payback is from unlimited resources and He pays well and in quality.
I don't feel giving a few dollars to panhandlers is a loss at all, but my gain. If there is one thing that our Lord is very sensitive about, that is the poor. The Lord is vengeful on this when they are abused. He pays attention to the poor. Remember the widows mite?
You can think I am crazy if you want, but I feel more rewarded investing in the life of the poor than in interest bearing accounts.
Blessings,
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Why I am no longer conservative.
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Jun 12, 2007 8:30 pm
159 Views
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For years I would say I was politically or morally,or socially conservative. Not any more. I have not gone liberal either.
A conservative person believes in traditional, family values. A liberal person believes in individual rights. Of course there is truth in both camps, but there is also error. It is said from time to time that when there are only two opinions, both are usually wrong. So what people do is create a synthesis of the two and come up with a third opinion. This is sometimes referred to as thesis, plus antithesis yields a new synthesis. An example might be something like this: a conservative says abortion is wrong because it kills a baby; a liberal says abortion is right because a woman has a right to her body. So along comes the legislature and says in combining both positions that abortion is sometimes right and sometimes wrong depending.
From ancient times there has been another way of discovering the truth. This way is in most of the main world religions in one form or another. Since my religion is christianity, I accept Jesus description as the way of the Holy Spirit.
Remember from the time of the beginning, the Spirit was the active force, and spoke, and created, and still does so. Jesus promised this Spirit restored to us who follow. The principle is that life fulfillment is allowing The Spirit to choose our way. To try to conservatively make our way by tradition conflicts, and to try to do our own thing conflicts, and trying to combine the two makes more confusion in life.
The ancient way of The Spirit who alone is the Creator and individual Designer of our life will give us life fulfillment only if we are content to follow, and be satisfied with the Spirit's progress, the Spirits design of us, and depend on the Spirits energy.
This can be done. It is the way of the cross, the way that leads home, the only way to be happy in this transitory life.
Blessings,
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Clean Language
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Jun 12, 2007 10:03 am
168 Views
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Words create. What we say creates life or death. The power in speech communication is serious. Look at someone whose life is full of drama, and you see polluted, corrupted speech. Its impossible to have a good life and use bad language.
I don't know how we can stop saying four letter words entirely. I try to keep it to a minimum.
Being around foul mouth people has a tendency to rub off, as does being around clean speaking people.
If you were to tell someone that a good part of the problem in their life difficulty is their language, they would just say we are crazy. WE are told in scripture not to correct a mocker.
The cleaner our speech, the cleaner our life. This is a life principle that we can break but we can't change.
Blessings,
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Your best gift to a friend
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Jun 11, 2007 6:33 am
136 Views
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We need friends and we need to keep friends. Life without friends is not life. Friends always share, but there is one thing our friends need the most, and that is for us to simply, patiently, actively listen to them talk to us.
Its in telling someone else that we hear our heart and even more we may hear the Holy Spirit. The most important gift of a friend is to listen to us. Advice, analysis, criticism, contradiction, will likely be damaging.
How valuable is a friend who will listen to us without judgment and advice. They are rare and worth keeping. The human tendency is to respond with advice right away. It make us feel good, perhaps even superior, to quickly respond with our quick fix.
A friend who actively listens is a friend indeed. I thank Him I have such friends.
Blessings,
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What is spiritual?
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Jun 9, 2007 6:42 pm
163 Views
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If you look at a flower you say it is a flower with your physical eyes. If you say it is beautiful you are making a spiritual statement because you are seeing with your spiritual eyes.
WE can look at people and see bodies. We can look higher and see personalities.
We can look at the Bible and see rules. We can look again and see meaning, purpose, why.
We can look at people and see law breakers. We can look again and see people who need help and offer mercy and help.
We can listen to people speak and hear words. We can listen again and hear who they are.
Blessings,
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Why friendship is born to die.
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Jun 9, 2007 6:20 pm
174 Views
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Jesus never criticized His friends. He only criticized His enemies. To His friends He always listened and spoke the truth softly.
Friendships are important to our health, stability, and well being. WE can only love people when we listen and don't tell them what we think is wrong with them. We destroy our friendships because we tell our friends what they need to fix in their life.
If we want to have friends who remain, show only respect, listen, and share of ourself. Every criticism is an arrow shot into it. Every suggestion how to repair our friends life is a nail in its coffin.
Our conscience tells us we are tearing away at the fabric of life when we rip someone up with words.
In close relationships Jesus listens, supports, and intercedes. Lets be like this and keep our friendships alive.
Blessings,
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One Lord, One Faith, One Church
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Jun 9, 2007 1:03 am
191 Views
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The idea of Jesus of one body may be catching on. I remember just now 10 short years ago when the internet and cell phones were just beginning. In these 10 years the world has changed faster than I can adjust to it.
Yet for many centuries one idea of one church has not changed. From antiquity this idea is expressed in the scripture and even in architecture as the Pantheon in Rome which is a church now and holds religious services.
One Faith, one Lord, one Church, one Baptism, One God, one human family. What will bring the world together faster than even electronics? The acceptance of the truth that friendship with God is restored as a gift, not deserved or earned. And, the most important response to accepting this gift is simply to see people as as end, not and never a means; meaning, people are to be respected in the highest and never used.
Since He does not use people, but respects us to the very most, so should we. One candle can light a whole room. One christian showing forth respect to people can overcome a room of darkness. We can brighten our place in the world.
Blessings,
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Life Montage
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Jun 7, 2007 8:34 pm
186 Views
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The skilled artistry in assembling parts for a whole is work of the creator of the venue of life. As an orchestra that makes music is made up of many parts, so life is composed of numerous instrumentation's that need to work in priority and harmony to make music.
The Lord tells us that He is the composer. If He is allowed to direct His instruments, music is heard. If He is ignored, its not music that is heard.
Most of my life has been my need to pay attention to life's conductor and learn my instrument.
The world is chaotic and does not make much music. The Church is discordant at times and makes uncertain sounds. Lets pay attention to our Conductor and Composer, learn our instrument and make music so we will be blessed and the world will wonder. Some might even join us.
Blessings,
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Mind Mending and Mind Bending
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Jun 5, 2007 9:50 pm
171 Views
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The scripture make it seriously plain that we are not to go to sleep with emotional stress on our mind. Who has not done this? WE think the anxiety or stress or emotional upheaval will go away if we sleep on it. But, flashbacks in the day shows us no such thing as the emotion comes back and more so.
I try to ask myself when I go to sleep if I am still upset by anything, and talk to someone or at least talk to Him.
By daily dealing with our stress before we sleep, we mend our mind. By ignoring it and sleeping with it we bend our mind, and accumulation of this will cause our mind to collapse. The scripture warns us that once broken we can't fully recover.
I have ignored stress and seen its weight on my life. I see people who are bent very low because of the burden of stress.
I don't know of any other way but prayerful communication with Jesus and each other.
Blessings,
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Ode To The Natural
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Jun 4, 2007 1:51 pm
236 Views
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My cat knows
My cat does not know she knows
I do not know
I know I do not know
Jesus was
Jesus is
Jesus will be
I was not
I am
I maybe
The natural has always been
The natural is
The natural will be again
My cat is content
I am discontent
Jesus is content
I will pay attention to my cat
I will follow Jesus
I will be
I will be content.
Blessings,
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