“This is what the LORD says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.’” (Isaiah 48: 17, NIV)

Rain, rain, rain – this is all we’ve had lately. I listen to the radio each morning just to make sure I know what the day will be like and on my way out the door, I grab my raincoat. I don’t want to get caught in the downpour without proper gear!

A friend once said we can be like that with God. We seem to only grab Him when we need Him, or when we’re sick (not always of course). We don’t talk to Him when things are going well; we take Him off like we discard our raincoats. And in times of great weather and lots of sunshine, we may even go months without thinking about God.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be one of those people who put-on and take-off God as our circumstances dictate. I don’t want to come to God only when I’m not feeling well or in need of physical refreshment. I want to come to God all the time, especially when I’m feeling good.

I am ashamed to say I don’t tend to thank God for the daily provision He gives me. It truly is God who directs my path and inspires my creativity and I do want others to see that. What about you? Do you only talk to God on rainy days? Or do you converse with God daily and thank Him for all that you have?

Dear precious Father, I’m sorry for neglecting You sometimes, for putting You away when all You want is to be part of my world. I acknowledge Your provision in my life – for helping me on my bad days and for guiding me on my good days. Without You I would be nothing! Forgive my worldly-conscious ways and help me to see You in everything I do. And most of all, may others see You in my life. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bridget Gazlay resides in the beautiful West Michigan. She struggles with Fibromyalgia, Endometriosis, IBS, arthritis and migraines. She works full time but writes and designs fabric cards on the side. Bridget’s prayer is that readers who come across her writing or fabric cards would see that she allows, “God’s creation to be my inspiration.” You can reach Bridget at: fabricards102@… or www.pfccreations.com.

Often we find ourselves on paths we always wanted to avoid, why does fate take such turns? why does destiny often put us in situations we never wanted to be in? i have often wondered about my life, about what i want and what i don’t want, but then time throws me in a roller coaster, facing exactly the things i was trying to avoid. What should we do? worry about things in future? or not to worry about things in future? live in the present? live in the past? or live in the future? They all say forget the past, enjoy the present and think about the future. But in what proportion do we have to exercise this advice?
Some tend to stay in the past for a long time, its very difficult for them to forget the past. The greater your capacity to love, the more sensitive you are and the more hurt you feel when people break your trust. You can’t heal, i don’t say that you don’t want to heal but the truth is you can’t heal so easily.Sensitive people take a long time to heal, they carry memories in their mind, they attach things, people and places with their feelings, hence its difficult for them to heal their heart if it has been hurt. They may lapse into depression, permanent or temporary, they may become weak and stay weak and vulnerable for the rest of their lives. But some sensitive people feel hurt and fall low, but then they rise again, stronger but still vulnerable for they have a heart which can be easily hurt.

Some people forget the past, each day is a new day for them. They live in the present situation, even if there are problems, they forget and divert their minds to other things. They don’t worry about the future, they don’t care what life will bring tomorrow. They seem cold or indifferent to those who expect care from them, but appear jolly and fun-loving to others who meet them but don’t know them closely. However people differ some jolly people can be caring, i don’t reject that fact. but its my close observation of people which makes me conclude this.

However there are some people who spend most of their time pondering about their future, they don’t live the present moment but always worry about future, they don’t spend but hoard for future and never have time to enjoy what they have earned and saved. Such people often become skeptical or pessimistic about things and keep worrying about what will happen to them in future.
I have discussed different characteristics of different people. But the question now arises what is the best way of dealing with life?

I feel one should learn from the past. Even though the same situations effect different people differently, each man should make an effort to forget the past, for it is very difficult for sensitive people like me, but still an effort can make a lot of difference. Always make yourself a stronger person and try to live in the moment, enjoy the present moment to the fullest, don’t be scared of being upset or try to suppress your sadness, cry your heart out when you’re hurt, hold someone you love close to you and never again cry for the same thing. Don’t spend your whole day worrying about the future for you have neither knowledge nor control over the circumstances that life will throw on you. Lying in your bed at night before going to sleep, think about what you did today, what you could improve or rectify and think about the day that has to come, hoping that it would be a nice and pleasant part of your journey on this earth. Hope that the hard parts of your life make you stronger and the good parts make you happier in your life. Carry the happy memories with you and let the painful memories fade with time.

About the time you have stuff figured out . . . or you think you do . . . life, that is . . . something will shift, circumstantially or in your perspective of a circumstance.

I can’t figure out if these little shifts are good or bad.

Kind of like certain vegetables . . . yeah, not my favorite but the nutrients and minerals they contain are the seller.

Perhaps these shifts in life . . . change and unforeseeable roadblocks a long the way . . . are to remind us we don’t control our tiny little spheres of life; not one iota of it.

I read an article in the local paper just yesterday about a 2 year old little girl running along with her 13 year old sister in the back part of the apartment parking lot . . . they were on their way to start laundry.  A big Ford truck hit that little girl, killed her instantly, and drove off without hesitation.

Random.

Uncontrollable.

My boys, if they are fast enough, get out the door at times and are doing circles around our car before I can even blink.  I’ve pulled them out of our parking lot a dozen times or more . . . disciplined them . . . lectured them on the dangers of doing such . . . that 2 year old’s fate could easily be my boys.

The stuff I see shifting in our lives doesn’t even come close in comparison to what that girl’s momma’s facing right now, in the way of grief and doubt . . . not even close.

But I’m looking to God, something I should of be doing all along but life gets like that sometimes. Its gotta be His will.  Not to sound like a weirdo . . . but my idea of success is not money, houses and cars . . . my idea of success lies more in the region of the heart and the condition of the soul.  HE does know best and I trust Him with our destiny right now.

It’s funny how I need a day like Thanksgiving for me to pause from the rat race to reflect and to remember all the things that I’m grateful for.

Though I’m thankful that we have a Thanksgiving Day, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds me that every day should be a Thanksgiving Day…

1 Thessalonians 5:18  (NIV) “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I’m thankful for what Jesus did on the cross for me, my precious wife, my friends’ support, my health (lost 16 pounds & can run for 4 miles), and the doors that will open from my current (crummy) circumstances. But many times, I focus on the arguments with my wife, people who irk me, the things I don’t have, my aching lower back, my finances, my unemployment…ok let me stop here before I get all riled up…

Note to self  “give thanks in all circumstances”, “give thanks in all circumstances”, “give thanks in all circumstances”…

It’s All About Jesus!

Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns — Nov. 26, 2009:

I am liberating those of you, My people, who have a desire to be free. I’m releasing all who really want breakthrough, but remember that it is a narrow and righteous path and not the broad way of the world. Therefore, I will cause you to look and consider carefully your circumstances and encounters in this season. It is vital that you yield to correction when it comes, for it will produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness, says the Lord.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

One may have awakened around 2 AM and worked on several assignments.  At 3:00 AM, one began to clean the bathroom while attempting to confess one’s sins.  When the bathroom was clean, one came out, logged onto one’s computer and read the Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin.

At 3:30 AM, one began to praise the Lord in one’s prayer closet with song.  One finished confessing one’s sins, thanked the Lord and prayed for the sick.

One prayed with all one’s heart for the Lord to reveal a passage from the Bible to one, of His choosing, that revealed His heart and that would encourage one.

One may have opened the Bible and one’s eyes fell on Malachi 2.  One may not ever remember Levi being described in the Bible this way.  “Wow!”

One thought to speak in tongues the remainder of time.  While speaking in tongues, one decided to search the Bible for another passage.  One may have opened it with eyes closed and let one’s finger run down the page and stop.

The Bible fell to the floor.  One took that as a sign to continue to speak in tongues and not read any more passages of scripture.

At 4:30 AM, one left one’s prayer closet.  One logged onto the website to pray for outstanding prayer requests.  Thank you Jesus!

We are here to assist in every way possible
here to assist you in your unfolding and in understanding exactly what it is source desires to experience through you in you and as you
we are here to assist you in looking deeply within your heart to ascertain what it is you are here to experience
yes
what it is you truly want to do be and have
this is the freedom of choice that you are here to experience as the unique creation you are
indeed we have tried to give you as much as possible
but you must realize to embody all that you have been given you must experience certain things
you must undergo certain circumstances and you must be put through situations that assist in your growth
for these experiences assist in your growth when you practice what you have received
yes
that is most important to recognize in becoming aligned from moment to moment
practice will assist in your alignment and it is up to you to maintain that alignment
through your attention
through your intentions
and through your focus
receive all that source has for you in this moment
and let the reservations go
let them go and be free to allow source to move freely through you now
let the energy of source move through your body let it cleans your mind
focus your attention on your heart center and feel love
feel passion feel good flowing and pulsing through your heart growing and widening its reach until you feel it overtaking your entire being and cleansing all resistance all blocks and all limitations
free yourself from the conditioned thinking that has brought about the conditions you do not want
and allow the power and freedom of source to fill you with clarity confidence and love
know that you are a child of the most high
you are a child of love of life
of liberty
you are a child of God and as such
you are in nature God
in nature love and in nature liberty
give your full attention to this moment and let go of distractions let go of the pestering thoughts filled with fear and tension
and relax into the vibration of love
now you are aligned with the vibration that brings peace joy love bliss and every good thing into your life
know that with this vibration with this frequency you can receive guidance for every step you need take to bring about the best and highest for all concerned
know that there is power there is peace there is joy there is freedom
just for you
yes
a path uniquely present for you to walk
and still being a part of the whole a part of the balance
important for you to be exactly all that you are here to be in order to assist the rest of life in its best and highest unfolding
yes
your good depends on your alignment
yes
your good depends on your alignment
for your perspective of what is is tied to the degree to which you are aligned with source
your consciousness raises to that frequency allowing you to perceive from the perspective of source to some degree
when you align
you increase the degree to which you see from the perspective of source through practice
continue consistent practice and surrendering yourself to connecting with source as often as you are able
this is the secret to fulfilment
all else follows
this is seeking the kingdom, the presence the alignment of God
and all these things will be given as well
all these things being the desires of your heart
the truth of why you are here
understand and do

- Morning stream of consciousness writing from John Stringer

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“The most basic choice we have in life is whether to expand or contract, whether to bring our creative and expressive energies out into the world in positive or negative ways. No matter what our circumstances, we have the power to choose our directions. “ (The Life You Were Born to Live by Dan Millman)

It’s All About Jesus!

Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns — Nov. 19, 2009:

I am bringing a conclusion to various aspects of your circumstances, but be aware that getting to the final result will continue for a time to be a process. There are still things that need to be dealt with before the final summation. Move through this process with faith and confidence that I am doing a good work and the results will be well pleasing to you and to Me, says the Lord. Let Me move you in this conclusive flow.

Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

The alarm went off at 3:00 AM and one sprung into action immediately.  One may have gone to the bathroom to prepare it while confessing one’s sins also.

When one finished one may have checked the Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin.  The message for today may have been right on time for one.  Thank you Jesus!

God may speak to one many ways:

• The Spirit of Prophecy is one way.
• He may flash something He wants one to do or know in one’s mind.
• He may zoom in on something like you would on a zoom with your camera.
• He may let one’s eyes fall on what He wants one to know or see, it could be a word or phrase.
• He may drop something in one’s spirit and one may know.
• Sometimes, one may hear a still small voice.
• He may speak through people.
• He may send someone to give one a direct message.

However God chooses to speak, one may never know.  One may walk around always sensitive to things that may go on around one.

One may not be in control or set the conditions when the Lord shows up.  One may have learned, especially through these last few encounters in one’s prayer time; that one may need to do an attitude check.  Forgive me Lord for trying to control the outcome or for believing that certain elements including a chair could usher in your presence, in Jesus’ name.

One will continue to press into Jesus during one’s prayer time.  One may want to experience a higher level of intimacy with Jesus.  One may want to continue to grow in one’s walk with the Lord.

After reading the Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin, one may have come back into one’s prayer closet.  One began to praise the Lord with song.  One may have prayed for the sick.

One may have asked the Lord to lead one to the passage He desired for one to see.  The Lord may have led one to 1 Samuel 2:22.  One may have read to the end of the chapter, circling around back to where one started.

One may have heard a door opening and closing so one knew someone was awake and moving around.  One decided not to try to press into Jesus at this time.

One may have begun to speak in tongues.  After a while, one may have tried to press into Jesus but the timing may have been off.  One opened the Bible again and one may have been led to Isaiah 13.  Halfway through the chapter, the alarm may have begun to beep; it may have been 4:30 AM, time for one to leave.  One read up to Isaiah 13:19 and quickly left one’s prayer closet.

One may have logged onto the website and prayed for outstanding prayer requests.  One may have had a desire recently to check the praise reports.  When one checked, one was brought to tears at how the Lord had moved in the lives of those who had left prayer requests in faith.  Thank you Jesus, that so blessed me.

One may have read the remaining verses in Isaiah 13 and then went off to sleep.

“The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

Francois-Marie Arouet , better know as Voltaire

We have to understand the geographical features of our continent, about 5000 yeas ago, to understand what happened at that time.

 The Himalayas have been growing up all the while, and it is safe to assume that in those days, travellers could easily cross the region either way. The sentimental attachment of Hindus, towards Kailash and Manasarover is proof of my statement. If we have not seen the place, there will be no love for it. The description of the area as a green forest, in the Bhagavat Puran too confirms this view. Therefore, migration of people across the Himalayas is a distict possibility.

 The most intimate charactoristic of a people, is their language. Early Aryans had Samskrutam as their mother tongue. If today it is a dead language, it is because, those people were in a minority and were forced by circumstances, to forget it and use whatever was the language of the people, among whom they lived. The fact that European Aryans do not know vedas, shows that, they migrated before we composed vedic sutras. 

My children do not know Malayalam. Of course, they can talk in our language. Talking is not literature. To write in Malayalam, it is necessary to learn the script. So Aryans in India, forced their children to learn Samskrutam, in order to preserve their heritage and identity. Their early literature was the Vedas which, enen now, we learn by heart. All debates and writings were in Samskrutam. A poet who wrote in Malayalam was rediculed as half poet !

The Aryans who migrated towards the north and north west, were not so lucky, as we were in India.The fact that several Samskrutam words are transformed into the local language of the area only proves the Aryan ancestry of these people. Maximum similarity is in Hindi, even spoken Hindi. Samskrutham     Hindi            English

 ekam                     ek                   one

 dwayam             doh                  two

 thrayam             theen              three ( here the English word too is similar) dasham                dus                  ten (“decimal” is derived from Samskrutam) mathr                     matha          mother (derived from Samskrutam)

bhradru                  bhai              brother ( do )

Russian and German languages have many Samskrutam words. It was a German scholar who wrote Malayalam grammar!

 During second world war, a German scholar  met the King of Cochin, who was a scholar in Samskrutam, They started chit chatting in Samskrutam; the English Resident was scared. The King was asked to abdicate.

 Those Aryans who migrated to the peninsular India, accepted the local language, but continued to patronise Samskkrutam ,as there were no books in local languages.  Thus the conclusion is inevitable. Aryan migration is from India towards Europe. Why they did not go towards Tibet and China, is a mystery.

Sexual contact with the local people was inevitable. Hence, the Aryan features are dimmed and local charactoristics became prominent.

 Theoretically, we may say that north Indians are Aryans and others are non Aryans. In this, we ignore the people living in the hills, including the north east.

Davidians are a mystery. Unlike others, they have body hair, jet black complexion, teeth pushing the lips outwards, heavy jaws and stocky, short body. There is not a single Samskrutam word in Tamil which has only 26 letters. Malayalam too had no Samskrutam words. The numbers onnu, randu, moonnu, nalu, anchu, aru, ezhu, ettu, onpathu and pathu (one to ten) of Malayalam can be understood by people of all states in the south. It is a proof that Dravidian people are a distinct group. They are even earlier than the civilisation of the north.

Hanuman was impressed bythe grandeur of the Lankan capital, which seemed to be paradise in this world!

 Tamil literature was highly developed, even before English education spread in the country.

 Every day we read about new archeological discoveries in Tamilnadu.

In life we draw many conclusions when we talk about success and failure.  We look at our peers and others around us and we judge these people by the results we see or the results we don’t see.  Just think about a celebrity that we admire or someone in your community that you look up too.  Perhaps there is someone in your life that has overcome circumstances and still achieved greatness. 

Now spin the wheel.  There are people who we know that have habits or perhaps we have habits.  Life has a way of knocking us down sometimes and it is really hard to get back up.  Maybe these habits have ripple effects like damaged relationships or financial shortfalls.  Some of us have seen people in hardship and wondered how that person got there.  Others are sitting in our chair reading this and wondering why we’re at that place.  All in all life has it’s ups and downs and sometimes we think it’s more down than up.  So, what can we do so spring up from our chair?  What can we do to stop sitting down in our problems and start walking through them? Where can we turn when life’s paths are hindering us?

I can relate to these feelings and emotions.  I confess that at times I get pushed back and feel like just complaining about life’s wrong turns and upsets.  I’ve sad in my misery at times and I’ve wallowed about my upsets.  I have also been discouraged at the actions of others.  A little story from my life may be very relatable to you.  I have for nearly 10 years been a landlord.  I’ve owned many properties and have rented to hundreds of different tenants.  Through this time I’ve experienced the heights of disrespect as people have left my houses in huge repair and damage.  I’ve had tenants take pellet guns and shoot holes in the walls, Tear up carpets, smash down doors, break windows and stain carpets beyond cleaning.  this week a tenant failed to pay rent and left my house with a broken window.  When this happens you do feel taken advantage of.  Later in this column I will use these set backs as an example of how to apply one amazing secret to success.

In these same ways you may have some situation in your life that’s left you deflated, disrespected or taken advantage of.  Identify with these feelings and emotions and taken a few moments to be real about them.  And now! Practise a “ONE VERY POWERFUL TOOL FOR SUCCESS!”

IT’S A VERY SIMPLE PRINCIPLE, YET VERY PROFOUND.  SO MUCH SO THAT IF YOU HARNESSED IT YOU WOULD BE LIVING WITH MORE ABUNDANCE AND SUCCESS IN YOUR LIFE. HERE IT IS, ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

ONE AMAZING SECRET TO SUCCESS IS WHEN YOU GET KNOCKED DOWN, GET BACK UP AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

In life we’re all going to be knocked to the ground.  We’re all going to get beat up by life sometimes.  We’re all going to get knocked down.  We’re all going to feel the hurt of other people’s choices as they come crashing down on us.  Some of these bombs will be dropped on us unexpectedly and knock us to the ground in an instant.  Marriage can be hard, career choices can be hard, knowing which way to turn can be hard, friendships can be hard, losing loved ones is hard, longing o be with someone and have it not happen is hard, getting out from under a desolate cloud of despair and defeat is hard, recovering from addictions is hard, finding out how to make ends meet is hard…  The ache of life may be more than you’re able.  Hold on, don’t give up.  Don’t close your eyes.  The light will break through the clouds.  When we step out from under defeat and bounce back from life’s hard blows we come back stronger than before.  Stronger than ever.  I petition you to hold on, don’t give up.  Get back up when you get knocked down.  Keep moving forward.  Move forward and steady yourself for your next hit because it will come.  The next hit may not  knock you to the ground because you’ll have a stronger fortitude from hits you’ve already taken.  Now if you get knocked down the next time.  Don’t despair.  Get back up, life is always worth fighting for.  There is always hope and there is always light.  After all our reward is not really here on earth.

In a previous job I was required to make a lot of cold calls to businesses.  At times it was difficult to pick the phone back up and make another call after a series of hang ups or calls with little result.  A friend at this job (and Rocky when you read this you know who you are) and I would quote Rocky Balboa when we got knocked down.  We’d quote Rocky VI ”The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” Click the following link to view the expanded version of this inspirational speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY

Relating this amazing secret to success with my disappointments with tenants I derive these new perspectives.  First I have accepted that the prize of having rental properties being paid off and the reward of income out weighs the negatives that do come from some tenants disrespect.  Second I like to think of these types of situations as riding a roller coaster.  I bought a ticket for a roller coaster ride when I purchased my first rental property.  I may be afraid of the spins and turns on that ride at times but I remind myself that I bought the ticket for the ride and I’ve got to ride it.  There’s no getting off half way.  I might as well enjoy the ride.  Thirdly, I can always learn from the challenges that knocked me down to minimize the change of another set back.  Fourthly I Will Get back up and move forward.  The faster I get back up and move forward the stronger I’ll be and the better I’ll feel about my situation.  Additionally I’ve learnt through all types of set backs that it’s best to get back up as fast as you can and move forward.  The people who have become the most successful at things in life have suffered many set backs.  Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Mozart and Mother Theresa all took hits but they never gave up.  The got back up and kept on moving forward.  The faster you get back up when you take a hit the more you’ll be able to take the next time and the more you move forward and learn from your past hits the more you’ll avoid future hits. “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

This weeks Reflect and Apply

Reflect on the hits that life is giving you.  Now think of what it would be like if you stayed down for a minute longer… an hour longer… a day longer… a month longer…  What would you life be like if you stayed down that long?

Now Reflect on the hits that life is giving you again.  Now think of what it would be like if you got up from your current hit.  Then you got hit again, and again and again but each time you got stronger and you keeped on getting up and moving forward.  Then you relatized one day that that it didn’t really matter how many times life hit you, it only mattered that you got back up and kept moving forward.

Different Parts of the Mind

The Questioning Part of the Mind

Thoughts are negative or positive as classified by us. Whenever mind raises a doubt about a given situation treat it as a question. How do I do that? For example, a thought may come to you. “Am I capable? Can I do this?” Don’t feel sad about this. Treat this as a question by one part of the mind. One part of the mind wants to know that. So that part of the mind puts a question. Provide an answer it, as if you answer to a person, in front of you.

The Answering Part of the Mind

Mind works by parts. One part of your mind genuinely asks the question, keeping your welfare in mind. Instead of worrying about the questioning part, just answer that question. Then mind will ask stop raising doubts. Answering is done by another part.

We Can Make Our Life Situations Positive

If you raise yourself spiritually, everything will become positive around you. No unwanted thoughts can come in front of Ramana Maharishi – the great sage of Arunachala. Even a thief will keep his habitual self of robbing others quiet. Like that we could also influence the situations around us.

Negative Situations Begs you, “Please heal me!”

If you feel negative vibes around you, the message to you from it is, “please heal me”. If you can heal it, heal. On the contrary if you are afraid of it, then move out of the situation. Try to heal the negative vibes by calling the Sun God, and ask it to clear it. The negative vibes will turn into love and light and bless us in turn.

God is inside us – a gentle reminder to you

When somebody is angry it shows that he needs healing and he is asking for it indirectly. Somebody may ask it directly. Instead of thinking of why they are behaving negatively, ask inside yourself what you can do to them. What are the lessons we can learn from the situation. We can’t change the circumstances and people around, we can only change ourselves. Why we are asked to change? So as to remind us that god is inside us. Then automatically we become the god and we will have the power to heal.

You determine your attitude.
You can respond positively or negatively to any situation.
Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to your circumstances.

Any challenge facing you is not as important as your attitude towards it, for that will determine your success or failure.

It’s how you react to events, not the events themselves, that determines your attitude.

This week, I want to write about experiencing God’s love.

We know that the Bible talks a lot about what love is and the Apostle Paul details it very clearly in what is known as the “Love Chapter” in 1 Corinthians 13.  We know that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus, His most precious Son, to die for us.   That’s the greatest expression of His love for us.

But, we’re not going to look there.

I want to take you deeper on a journey into your heart.

We talk a lot in the Christian world that our lives should not be based on feelings but on faith.

And, whilst that is true, there is a place for emotions.

God did create them after all and the Bible is filled with accounts of circumstances that affected His emotions and His responses to situations.

I want you to know that it’s alright, it’s ok, and you are allowed to be emotional.   You are allowed to be moved by God.  You are welcome to open your heart and allow the Creator of the universe to enter in and touch the very fibres of your being.

Our perceptions of God and our experiences in life are our measuring stick.

We judge God by what has happened to us and in the world around us.

Bette Midler wrote a song many years ago and said that from a distance, God is watching us.

That’s how many people feel!

You may feel that way, that God is just up in heaven on His throne watching you go about your life,

-          watching your suffering,

-          your sadness,

-          your sickness,

-          your loneliness,

-          your brokenness,

-          your hardness,

-          your success

-          your life go by as you do the motions

You may feel that God has no interest in you – you’re a speck on His radar.

He is, after all, God and we are minute, tiny, almost non-existent if you look at us in comparison to the universe at large.

You may feel that God is like an old style school head master with a big stick, ready and waiting to strike each time you do the wrong thing.

You may feel that you’re simply not good enough, you’re never going to be good enough and there’s no way God can really love you anyway.

You may feel that God is angry with you all the time because you keep making mistakes –you’ve broken the 10 commandments more times than you can recall.

You may feel that there’s no way, even though you keep trying and trying, that you’re just not good enough.

God can’t possibly love you because

- you’re not like the people on stage,

- you’re not like the people who teach Sunday School,

- you’re not like the people who walk around with their Bible under their arm,

- you don’t know your Bible like other people do

You might be someone who thinks that God only loves you when you do good things or when you keep His commands as well as the Pharisees and Sadducees did!

You might think that God will love you when you are good enough –

You know,

-          when you don’t get upset with the kids anymore,

-          when you don’t shout at your husband anymore

-          when you don’t speed through the school zones anymore

-          when you give money to street people

-          when you stop using those words that really don’t honour Him

-          when you only spend time with Christian people and never see a non-      Christian person

Your experiences in life, the way that you were brought up and the way that you were treated, have shaped how you feel about God.

The image of God as a loving Father can be horrific for some people – those who have had a bad experience or a non experience of a Father.

If your Father hurt you or members of your family, it’s no wonder you don’t understand what the love of a Father is really like – protective and just.

If your Father was absent and didn’t have time for you, you won’t understand that God’s heartbeat is for you –for time with you.

If your Father was abusive and demanding, you might feel that God expects the same as your earthly Father.

If your Father didn’t know how to share with you, to be affectionate and relational with you, you may not know that God is absolutely relational.

Our view and perception of God can range from seeing Him as a distant and angry God to a God whom nothing is ever good enough to a God who presents as a father who is not caring or even approachable.

I want to show you today that God is so much more than any of these perceptions.

God is LOVE!

It’s not what God does for us or to us, but that it is WHO HE IS!!!

Above all else, God loves you.

If you have never experienced the love of God in a personal, heart stopping way, I pray that as you read this, you will.

We all have a different understanding of God as a result of the journey that we are each on.

I want to encourage you that no matter where you are in your walk, God’s love is not absent or far from you!

God desires that you would know, that you would feel, that you would experience the fullness of His love.

Ephesians 3:14-19 in the Amplified translation says:

For this reason, seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ, I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name.

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality.

May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, abide, make His permanent home in your hearts!

May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints, God’s devoted people, the experience of that love what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it;

That you may really come to know, practically, through experience for yourselves the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience; that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!

Now to Him Who, by consequence of the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams–

To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.

The love that God wants us to experience is a life changing love.

A love that is almost to much to grapple with and to comprehend.

A love that has no end to how far it will go, either in time, in distance or in effort.

God’s desire for us to experience His love is not just as a one off experience – He wants us to be rooted in His love.

He wants us to know His love so intimately, so deeply, so closely that we never have to question His love.

His love for us is never ending!

God’s love for us is real.

His love is as real as the life we live and the air that we breathe.

We need a life changing experience of God’s love – an experience that disturbs, if you like, the very core of our being.

God desires for us to have an experience that brings us to our knees and removes all of the hardness, all of the fears, all of the things that bind us up and keep us from opening our heart.

When you have been hurt, whether as a child, a teen or as an adult, you are probably more reluctant to trust people.

We are often even more reluctant to trust God.

Many people know the story of how I came to be pastoring and living in Whyalla.

I was a broken man.

I had lost everything and was desperately relying on God for everything.

I remember day after day just crying out to God and asking Him to fill my heart – my heart that had been so broken.

I knew that God loved me and that He was a good God and He gives good gifts to His children.

I knew and I’d preached it and counselled it all my life.

But, I was now living in that reality of having to totally rely on God to restore my heart and potentially give me a new life partner – somewhere, sometime, somehow.

I had no idea that moving to Whyalla for 6 months was going to change the whole course and shape of my life.

Kylie and I hit it off and we began a relationship very soon after I arrived.

Immediately, I began to feel and realise God’s love for me, through Kylie.

All the things that I had craved my whole life were suddenly being realised.

Little things and big things.

Things that I didn’t even know that I needed or wanted, or that I thought were too great to even think to ask or desire of God were beginning to happen.

God knew what I needed in a wife.

He knew I needed more than just a bride.

He knew that I needed a soul mate – someone who would love me with the kind of love that God describes

-          total

-          unconditional

-          full

-          sacrificial

-          selfless

-          trusting

God knew that my heart needed to be held very gently by someone with strong hands.

I knew that God loved me, but all of a sudden I was personally and practically experiencing His love.

His very great, deep and unending love.

God doesn’t always use people to express His love.

Sometimes He does and sometimes He doesn’t.

Sometimes He speaks directly to us, to our heart.

Sometimes He uses His words – the Bible to reveal it to us.

Sometimes He uses experiences that we go through to show us His great and powerful love.

The Apostle Paul said that nothing in life can take God’s love from us and nothing can take us from God’s love because of the sacrifice that Jesus made.

Romans 8:38-39

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

God’s love is such that He is so moved by us, His children that He will stop at nothing to show us and to make sure that we understand fully how deep, how pure and how real His love is.

God’s love is AGAPE love.

I’m sure that we’ve possibly all heard that word before and the scripture that usually accompanies it that because God loved us so much, He sent Jesus to die for us.

That’s true!  But it’s more than that!

Agape love, God’s love, is activated when He see, recognises, understands or appreciates the value of us, causing Him to behold us in great esteem, awe, admiration, wonder and sincere appreciation.

Agape love is so great that it is irresistible for the giver not to love.

Agape love, when received, is emotional.

It does require an emotion response from us.

It requires, in fact, it causes us, to be moved.

Receiving God’s love is not like when you are moved by compassion to do something, but rather it is when you are moved to be able to receive from God.   You are able to receive without restriction, without restraint, or without reservation and without hesitation.

You are able to surrender to the immense love that God wants to lavish upon you.

Agape love, God’s love, is so great and loves so profoundly that it knows no limitations or boundaries in how far, how wide, and how deep it will go to show us His love.

God’s love drives Him to action.

He wants and desires you to know and experience so that you might be made whole and complete, and that you might know the fullness of His love.

Life still happens and being loved by God doesn’t change the fact that sometimes things don’t go or happen as we would like or as we plan.

However, God desires that we would know His great love that we might be able to walk full in His love through every circumstance.

He wants us to be fully rooted and intensely established in Him and His love.

He wants you to feel and know His love.

His love that is greater than any love that will ever come your way.

Greater than the love of any person – mother, father, child, husband or wife.

God’s love is for you to feel, for you to experience, for you to know above and beyond anything else.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

GOD LOVES YOU.

A very good idea, I think, is to create a sketchbook composed of drawings other people make under my given circumstances.  All the better if people claim they can’t draw.  I need to think of a way to monitor their growth.  Under the PoS conditions I wrote about in a previous post, you can train your eye to become stronger (the eye is a muscle after all), as well as attain better motor and personal social skills.

In other news, I have begun video recording just a couple of my drawings.  Here is a video recording of myself in the CFA computer lab at BU executing a continuous contour line drawing of the class in session.  Musical credit to Mark Mothersbaugh from The Life Aquatic.

And follow THIS link to see how I filled a concerto-style sketchbook with continuous, contour line drawings of strangers who I approached, engaged in conversation, and had them autograph their portrait. This performance is based around color. I taped the sketchbook onto my bedroom wall, and then filmed myself creating blocks of shapes from the very long, loopy single line. Musical credit to Pink Martini’s “Ohayoo Ohio”!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

I am eternally grateful that I can rest in my powerful, sovereign God! He alone is in control of my circumstances and relationships. What a relief!

I need to be focused on Christ. Anything or anyone else taking greater priority in my life or taking my attention away from Christ is an idol. I need not be worried about whether tomorrow promises success, love, or riches. The Father promises to meet my needs. Am I willing to give up the things I want to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Christ?

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ.
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life.
- “All I Have is Christ” by Sovereign Grace Music

Circumstances and events are behind a hiatus for this blog. Check back often for critter and rural updates.

Las películas de la vida real son mis favoritas, INVINCIBLE (2006) es una de ellas.   Es la historia verídica de un jugador de  football de los Eagles de Philadelphia; Vince Papale siempre quiso jugar pero jamás pensó que pudiera lograrlo profesionalmente.  Sus circuntancias no lo favorecieron en un principio pero nunca perdió las esperanzas de poder lograrlo. La vida le ofreció una oportunidad, Papale la aprovechó y el resto es historia.  Papale jugó con los Eagles de Philadelphia de  1976-1978 y hoy día es uno de los jugadores más famosos en la historia de los Eagles, ¡que increíble, ahh!

“Querer es Poder” es una frase que muchos de nosotros de seguro hemos escuchado un sinnúmero de veces.  Pero,  ¿la hemos puesto en acción?¿hemos realizado lo que estamos diciendo? Esa frase parece insignificante de solo tres palabras, pero encierra un poder increíble. Es toda una declaración a nuestro “yo” interno. Nuestras circuntancias en ciertos casos nos limitan a alcanzar nuestros objetivos y no debería ser así. Nuestras circuntancias son solo un panorama temporal en nuestra vida. Hace unos días escribí un “tweet” que decía: “los límites no deberían estar en tu cabeza…. deberían estar en la carretera por donde manejas“.  ¿Sabes qué quise decir con eso? Sencillo, tu tienes el potencial para hacer lo que te propongas. Nosotros somos los que nos limitamos porque vemos nuestras circuntancias más grandes que el potencial que poseemos. ¡Leíste  bien lo que dije! No dije que “son“, sino que las “vemos” más grandes.

Con solo mirar a tu alrededor te darás cuenta de personas que sus circuntancias no le pronosticaban éxito y hoy son prominentes y exitosos en la sociedad. ¿Por qué?  Porque se ante-pusieron a los pronósticos negativos. Las circunstancias siempre van a existir pero las oportunidades no, tienes que estar siempre a la expectativa. Tu has sido creado para alcanzar las alturas no te conformes con los pronósticos de miseria, de conformismo, de escases… ¿sabes algo?  Los pronósticos son eso..pronósticos.

Tu realidad y tu futuro lo vas a determinar tu mism@. Tu eres el arquitecto de tus días, tu eres el pintor de tu futuro…no permitas por nada del mundo que los pronósticos y las circunstancias que te rodean dominen tu interior. Tu eres la obra de arte del universo y por ende eres el designado a alcanzar el éxito porque eso eres “excelencia viva”….así que no olvides nunca esto: ¡Querer es Poder!

**********

True story movies are my favorites, INVINCIBLE (2006) is one of them. Is a true story about a football player from Philadelphia Eagles; Vince Papale always wanted to play but never thought he could make it professionally.  His circumstances didn’t allow him at a begining but he never lost his faith. Life gave him an oportunity, Papale took advantage of it and the rest is history. Papale played with Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-1978, and nowadays he is one of the most famous players of the history of the Eagles, incredible, ahh!

“If you want, you can” is a phrase that we’ve heard many times. But, have we put it into actions?  Have we realize what we are saying? This phrase might seem insignificant of only 5 words, but it has an incredible power.  Is a declaration to our  internal “I”. Our circumstances in certain cases limit ourselves to reach our goals and it shouldn’t be like that.  Our circumstances are only temporal in our life.  Recently, I wrote a “tweet” that said “the limits shouldn’t be in your head… should be in the road where you drive”. Do you know what I wanted to say with that?  You have the potential to do what you want to.  We limit ourselves because we see our circumstances bigger than our potential.  You read right!  I didn’t said they “are” bigger, in fact I said “see”.

If you look around you’ll see that people who’s prognostic wasn’t successful, nowadays are prominent and successful people in our society.  Why? Because they overcame the negative prognostics.  Circumstances will always exist, but opportunities don’t, you always have to be in the expectative. You have been created to reach the highest, don’t conform with prognostics of misery, of conformism, or shortage… you know what?  Prognostics are just prognostics!

You are the one who is going to determine your reality and your future.  Your are the architect of your days, the painter of your future… don’t let that those prognostics or circumstances dominate you.  You are an artwork of the universe and because of that you are designated to reach success because you are “excellence alive”… so, never forget that:  If you want, you can!

TakeTheFloor have posted a new song “Circumstances” to their myspace here.

Jesus is building HIS church!

Over the years of my time in ministry, I’ve come to realize a few things about people and church life, Christianity and the world. These are a few observations I’d like to share with those who are willing to read and maybe take on a new way of approaching life and ministry.

1.) Don’t stress or worry especially if you cannot control the situation. Give it to God. Sleep on it. Time is a healer. 12 hours makes a huge difference and it gives an opportunity for God to move. People panic and I put myself in that category in the past, but what for? Why do it? Why allow yourself to go through all that pain? Isn’t life itself a gift? Look for the good in little! I find most people operate their lives on rational, most times making choices out of an irrational and an emotional mind set.

2.) People will do what people will do! As a pastor you can preach till the cows come home or till you’re blue in the face, but in most cases nothing changes except for a Holy Spirit encounter or revelation. Crisis does not even guarantee change in people’s lives. Counselling doesn’t change people unless they choose to change and adhere to the advice given.

3.) Church attendance! A pastor can visit his flock and can encourage them to be in church, but even then I have found that people will do, what people will do. Sunday morning comes and depending on how they are feeling at the time, a decision is made not to go or to go! Values are not considered anymore and children will be the recipients of our values, or lack of values, as parents. Incomplete obedience will be the next generation’s disobedience. On any given Sunday a third of your congregation may be away. People come into church and go! Should I say people grow or people go! Anything can set people off from a misperception to a pastor not shaking their hand at the door. It’s time for the church to grow up and develop some backbone! Maturity must be a priority! Paul said meat, not milk!

4.) We want the church to provide this program and that program but do nothing about it ourselves. Instead of getting motivated and involved with church life people get involved the clubs and activities the world offers. Where is the desire to come together to worship and have fellowship? Where are Kingdom values instilled? It must come from firstly the family then the church. You’ve got to get your family there if those values are to be taught to your children.

5.) Some times as a pastor you’re dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. I have come to the conclusion that you can’t please everyone! Pleasing God should be our aim.

Through many years of ministry, watching and relating to people I have come to the realization that “Unless God builds the House we labour in vain”.  The scripture is so true!   You can have all the bells and whistles, good preaching, beautiful worship, a coffee shop experience after and before church but some will come and some will stay at home. The sleeping giant needs a shaking. An awakening! A revival! You can have the best programs in the world but people are led by their feelings. Sadly they feel their way out and think their way out of their destiny! There is a permissive will but people should desire and seek after the perfect will of God! The permissive will tends to be average and mediocre. God has so much instore yet we are happy with the status quo and just getting through. Too many people are just making it and call themselves survivors rather than living in the best God has got to offer.

Some final thoughts.

Be faithful to what God has called you to do! Make every post a winner! Look for the best in people. Be an encourager! Remember to see the glass half full and make a way to help fill it right up! God is on the throne. He hasn’t stepped off and He’s not having a sleep. He is intently interested in you and is constantly reaching out to us. Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your might! Let God be God and “Seek 1^st the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you”.

scream aloud at circumstances that just don’t seem to come to an end.

run wild at parties to forget life’s reality in the bitter end.

seems so easy sometimes to see off in the distance,

while being in a fog filled valley in the instance.

break free, break free, i scream in this economy.

but even soldja boy says its up to me.

press, press, press, against the stress of a current life,

cut through it while trying to keep a sharpened knife.

the day will come the move will hit, the wall will break,

all the while my peace struggles knowing what is at stake.

never want to be a used to be, or a has been, at one time.

so i will push knowing that giving up is not an option in this here rhyme.

the sun shines and the sky is blue with a few clouds,

the wind is blowing, life is still not in the shrouds.

Kameron Lombard

htttp://creative-time-management-book.com