Most of you are going through the same or similar trials and tribulations as I am though your stories may be a little different we are all still in the same boat. My prayer is that my little bit of heaven will make your little bit of heaven just a little bit better. May the Lord richly bless you all, cheers.
Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think. Loving thoughts create loving experiences and loving relationships. Affirmations can change our beliefs and thoughts about ourselves and others. If we want to love someone, we need to consider their needs and desires. Thinking about your ideal partner will help recognize him or her when you meet.
* The Second Secret: The power of Respect
You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them. The first person you need to respect is yourself. To begin to gain self-respect ask yourself, "What do I respect about myself? " To gain respect for others, even those you may dislike, ask yourself, "What do I respect about them?"
* The Third Secret: The power of Giving
If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it! The more love you give, the more you will receive. To love is to give of yourself, freely and unconditionally. Practice random acts of kindness. The secret formula of a happy, lifelong relationship is to always focus on what you can give instead of you can take.
* The Fourth Secret: The power of Friendship
To find true love you must first find a true friend. To love someone completely you must love them for who they are not what they look like. Friendship is the soil through which love's seeds grow. If you want to bring love into a relationship, you must first bring friendship.
* The Fifth Secret: The power of Touch
Touch is one of the most powerful expressions of love, breaking down barriers and bonding relationships. Touch changes our physical and emotional states and makes us more receptive to love.
* The Sixth Secret: The power of Letting go
If you love something, let it be free. Even in a loving relationship, people need their space. If we want to learn to love, we must first learn to forgive and let go of past hurts and grievances. Love means letting go of our fears, prejudices, egos and conditions.
* The Seventh Secret: The power of Communication
To love someone is to communicate with them. Let the people you love know; that you love and appreciate them. Never be afraid to say, "I love you." Never let an opportunity pass to praise and acknowledge someone. Always leave someone you love with a loving word ... it could be the last time you see them.
* The Eighth Secret: The power of Commitment.
If you want to have love in abundance, you must be committed to it. Commitment is the true test of love. If you want to have loving relationships, you must be committed to loving relationships. When you are committed to someone or something, quitting is never an option. Commitment distinguishes a fragile relationship from a strong, loving one.
* The Ninth Secret: The power of Passion
Passion ignites love and keeps it alive. Lasting passion does not come through physical attraction alone. It comes from deep commitment, enthusiasm, interest and excitement. The essence of love and happiness are the same, all we need to do is to live each day with passion.
* The Tenth Secret: The power of Trust
You cannot love someone completely unless you trust them completely. Act as if your relationship with the person you love will never end. Trust is essential in all loving relationships. Trust yourself, trust others and trust the world. It is the foundation for LOVE.
Through the blood of Jesus we should be made whole, if that statement in the bible is true and we know the bible doesn't lie then why do so many christians have a problem with their self worth or with their spiritual growth and maturity. I will tell you why it is because of satan and his deceptions that he plants for us. The devil has distorted the true identity of Christ that is suppose to be in each and every believer. I just finish chatting with a sister who was trying to counsel a lady who was being abused by not only the husband but by her child as well. The sister wanted to end her life because she couldn't take the pain and torment no more. I don't know what the outcome will be as I just prayed and agreed with the sister over the forces of evil that we being sent into that home. Many that I have counselled over the years say that they are evil, I tell them I thought you were a christian? They tell me they are and then I state, how can a child of God be evil. Quite a few will share their sins with me, I let them know we are all still sinners in spite of our salvation from Christ. Most are listening to what the devil is trying to accuse them of and believing it. Most people are letting Satan's accusations of their behavior influence their perception of identity instead of letting their identity as a child of God in Christ influence their behavior. Many are trapped in the same scenario, we fail, we believe we are failures and that causes us to fail even more. The same situation with sin, we sin, we believe we are sinners, we sin even more. We've been tricked into believing that what we do makes us what we are and that false belief sends us into a tailspin of hopelessness and defeat. I am here to tell do not be deceived. You are not a product of what you do or don't do. You are a product of who you are in Christ and His work on the cross. You are not saved by how you behave but by how you believe. Learn to concentrate on the good in your life and not the bad.
One SONG can spark a moment One FLOWER can wake the dream One TREE can start a forest One BIRD can herald spring One HANDCLASP lifts a soul One STAR can guide a ship at sea One WORD can frame the goal One VOTE can change a nation One SUNBEAM lights a room One CANDLE wipes out darkness One LAUGH will conquer gloom One STEP must start each journey One WORD must start a prayer One HOPE will raise our spirits One TOUCH can show you care One VOICE can speak with wisdom One HEART can know what is true One LIFE can make a difference You see, it is up to YOU." One SMILE begins a friendship
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail." Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." -Hebrews 10:25
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)
Time has not been kind. There are severe dents and chips on the surface marring its original beauty, and exposure to the elements has eroded the very heart of its character and charm.
My current "fix-up" project is to restore the original beauty to an old magazine rack once used in my grandparents' home. Before pounding out the dents, sanding away the rust, or removing the chipped paint, cleansing must be done. Experience has taught me that time, effort, and perseverance are required to successfully complete any restoration project.
On my way to the work area, I pass a mirror. Seeing my own reflection, it strikes me that the same adjectives I chose to describe that old magazine rack might also be chosen to describe me. I'm aging. My original beauty has been marred. Daily life experiences have put dents and chips in my spirit, and exposure to the elements of our everyday world has taken its toll on my character and charm. Sadly, there is no amount of time, effort, or perseverance that will help. Nothing on this earth can restore anyone's original youth and beauty.
It is in moments of discovery like these that we can rejoice in being Christians. We know Jesus loves us. We know He sees us as we are meant to be. We know He finds us to be beautiful creations of our Father, and we know He has promised to cleanse and restore us. Jesus has promised that in Him all will become beautiful and new.
Prayer: We give our thanks and praise to You, Father, for making us beautiful in Your sight. We are eternally grateful to You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to cleanse us of our sin. Our hope lies in His promise that in Him one day we will be made beautiful and new. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
I paused to say a prayer today Thoughts just flooded my mind, I prayed that God would visit you, And give you peace of mind. I thanked Him for the blessings He sends to me along the way, I prayed that He would bless you too, And guide you til your life is through. I told my God some have so many trials, And life seems such a up hill climb, I ask that He would send you strength, He is God, He is always on time. You have become so dear to me How great to have you as my friend, I pray that angels will guard your life, Until your journey on earth will end.
The educated ones, the doctors and nurses, even show their human side as you can read below with some of the entries that they have put in medical charts over the years, cheers.
The patient refused autopsy.
The patient has no previous history of suicides.
Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
Discharge status: Alive but without permission.
Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
She is numb from her toes down.
While in ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.
The skin was moist and dry.
Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
Patient was alert and unresponsive.
Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
Skin: somewhat pale but present.
The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway. I told him right off he was crazy. He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty. Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired. Yet, that fellow called it beautiful. That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there, gazing at that old barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den in a new country home he's building down the road. He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood. It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap. But the Good Lord knows what He's doing. And as the years pass He's busy using the hard wealth of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons, to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce. And to think how often folks holler because they want life easy ! They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house. And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord has for us on the Great Sky Ranch. And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here and just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house. May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
"I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
One of the biggest questions I get is how do I know when God is speaking to me and not satan? If you want a great hearing aid then find the word of God, the bible, the Holy Bible. It is the standard of truth against which you can test every message that comes your way. In today's society we make many important decision on issues that can be extremely difficult to you, your family, maybe your friends. Sometimes it may seem as if you are hearing two or more voices, all of which make seemingly good points but also pull you in opposite directions. It is important that in these times you learn to discern the voice of God. There are several principles you can apply to what you're hearing to gauge whether it is of God, but the most basic is whether the message conflicts with Scripture. God won't tell you to do something that counters what He already has recorded for all mankind in the bible. Therefore, the best way to know God's voice is to get to know Him. Spend time in His Word and soak in His truths. You must know God's Word before you can differentiate God's instructions from the messages Satan or your flesh are sending you. Do you know how investigators are trained to recognize counterfeit money? They don't spend all of their time trying to keep up with the latest technological advances in creating false money. Instead, they first and foremost diligently study the original, the real thing. Then, held against the standard, the fake stuff stands out. The bible is the same way with all the other counterfeit religions out there. The fake stuff just stands out.
There are 5 sponges laying on your kitchen counter top. Each member of your family has been cleaning up different areas of your home, but all the sponges look the same. You are curious as to what was cleaned in your home, but you can't tell by looking, they all look the same, so what do you do? You squeeze each sponge to see what comes out. As you squeeze the first sponge, you see that cola comes out, and so you decide that someone cleaned the kitchen with that one. Upon squeezing the second sponge, you find tub and tile cleaner, that one was used to clean the bathroom. Next, in the third sponge, you find motor oil, hubby was cleaning the garage! In the fourth sponge, baby powder puffs out when it is squeezed, yep, the baby's nursery was done with that one! And finally, in the last one, is floor wax that was the one you used on the hall floor! As you lay the last one down, you look again at their similarity and they all look the same until they're squeezed. Christians are the same way. As life squeezes us, different things come out, anger from one, a need for revenge from another, tears from one, remorse from yet another, also greed, untruth, lust and finally, from one saint, pours forth the love of Christ. Just like the sponge, we can only squeeze out what is put in, stay in the Word daily, and be in continuous prayer, so that when life puts the squeeze on you (and it WIL, Jesus, and Jesus ALONE will shine forth from you!
, Jesus, and Jesus ALONE will shine forth from you!
