A Snap

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I will count to three and when I snap my fingers you will awaken.

One…
Two…
Three…

 All that you remember at this point in time may seem like a distant dream. Some
moments may feel like a nightmare. But you are awake now; you are safe. The past is
completed  and today life begins anew. You are re-born. As you gaze about the endless
horizon before you, excitement fills your spirit. There are no bad memories because you
are at the beginning of time; the place of no regrets.

Your hands are smooth; your body light. You know and yet….you wonder. N0
questions, no doubt, just awe. Energy floods your being and positive expectations
capture your spirit. Gazing about you notice spectacular colors and a waterfall of beautiful sound drenches your being.

You are alone and yet are not lonely.  All that you love is within you and all who love you surround you. Life, as you once knew it, is over.

No, my friend. You are not dead or having a near death experience. You are not dreaming or under the influence of an anesthetic or drugs or alcohol.

It’s early Thursday morning and you are beginning the first day of your new life with CHRIST.

When we abide in GOD and His Word abides in us, our atmosphere shifts and our existence is transformed. The pollutants of life lose their power. Fear is replaced with excitement. Certainty casts out worry. Age is irrelevant, sickness non-existent and lack is demolished by abundance. What you see is clearer. What you hear is crisper.  Now all is yours…..awaken and receive everything that GOD has bestowed upon you.

I will count to three and when I snap my fingers you will awaken feeling fresh, restored and totally, wonderfully alive.

One…Two…Three!

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The Underlying Lesson

January 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

No matter what sermon I hear or which motivational seminar I attend, the message received is always “I need to improve.” Be more loving and generous; dream dreams, set goals….plan, do, become, achieve. Television and assorted electronic devices echo the message and increase the speed….faster, faster….3G, 4G, duel core processors. Email, talk, text, take pictures. If I’m not syncing, I’m sinking.  Whatever it is I’m doing, it needs to be improved, but as we stand, we’re not enough.

That’s the erroneous lesson the world is teaching us. It translates to a song that is sung over and over. You’re not enough BUT……if you work hard and spend your money on this DVD or that CD, read this book or go to that conference. The implication is that THEN….you will be wise, accepted and loved.

 There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve. It’s WHAT we’re striving to improve  that is misguiding our culture and misleading our children. The physical and material  must be attended to but not focused on and the spiritual cannot be ignored. Most men would like to be  considered warriors, knights or samurais and as such, we are drawn to worship financial  tycoons and contact sports that employ strong and powerful men. They are due all that they have earned and I do not begrudge them their just rewards….but there is more.

You cannot achieve greatness on the outside only. There are attributes of our Creator   that must grow and develop  within us. To build lighthouse without electricity or have a mansion without any furniture would simply present the shell of what it was designed to be.

We cannot construct a life without internal pillars of goodness and Godliness. The underlying lesson is that if we wish to  be, not just successful people, but significant ones then we must build  our children, our country and ourselves from within. A warrior never accepts defeat, never quits and never leaves a fallen comrade. A knight is expected to extend mercy, display generosity and be an inspiration. A samurai has a code of honor which is the essence of his being; discipline, valor and  loyalty. They were not judged great by the accumulation of money or possessions but rather how they lived their lives. We will judged in like manner.

And we will measure up, for you and I are enough when our lives are built on Godly principles. We are enough when we choose our associates  by their character. We are enough when we live to serve.

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When Will I Be Ready?

January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So many of us hesitate to begin something new or different because we feel we are not ready. Somewhere along the road of life we have learned that we should not do a thing unless we’re good at it. What a ridiculous thought!  In most cases, we can’t become good at anything until we start it!

Lucy and I often visit schools and talk about  how we’re all different and how that’s perfectly fine!  We noticed that if you visit a kindergarten class, every child will sing. When we visit a  second grade class….just two years older than our friends in kindergarten….most of the children are reluctant to sing. Somehow they have learned if you can’t do it well then let someone else do it!  That thought is like a malignant tumor that grows in our spirit and cripples our thinking in our adult life.

We focus on what we think we can’t do without even trying, wondering “When will I be good at  anything? When will I be ready, GOD?” We are so busy lamenting, we fail to hear GOD speak to us.  He softly whispers, “You are made in my image. You are my child. You can do all things.” We resist Him by falling into the sin of comparison. Yolanda sings better than I do. Harry runs faster. Joannie is a better goalie. Michael bakes a better cake.

GOD continues to influence our hearts. “There will always be lesser and greater than you because it is not healthy for you to be either too proud or too humble.  I never said you would do all things well but that within you lies the capability to do a lot more than you are attempting. Keep in mind that whatever you do, I AM with you. I AM here to help  you.”

There are times we continue to resist GOD and follow the poor programming of our culture.  He smiles and quietly answers the question that repeatedly tugs at our soul and torments our mind.  ”Now,” He says tenderly….”You are ready NOW!”

 

 

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2014

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We have two years to prepare. So let’s get started!

Each of us has a dream…something to do, somewhere to travel to, a book to write, a house to build, a car to buy.  Whatever it is, it is doable!

The question is: Do we still believe? The truth is whatever we focus on grows and becomes bigger until it takes on a life of its own and begins to actually exist. Focus on the fact you can’t afford it,  hang around with those mutter “can’t afford it”  and the next thing we know… “can’t afford it” becomes our mantra, lack becomes our reality and depression our future.

When we focus on a time to realize our dream; a date to achieve whatever it is we want…life begins to expand to accommodate our heart’s desire. As we begin to think about that dream trip to Paris, imagine sipping wine, eating Brie with hard crusted French bread at an outdoor cafe while gazing at the Eiffel Tower, trying French recipes at home and clipping pictures from travel brochures. Slowly our belief system changes and we begin to believe again! Two years pass and …. We’re sitting at a cafe in Paris!  Dreams can come to be, they can happen to me!

The first step toward living our dreams is to team up with GOD! Talk to Him about what you want to do and why. Ask Him to show you how…and He will!  Scripture tells us “All things are possible with GOD.” (Matt 19:16) All things means all things….even our dreams! The next step is to fill our thoughts with what we want to have happen. It seems like we’re worrying about the worst that could happen. Let’s start thinking about what could happen right!

Let’s start a bank account for our dreams. The money we waste on coffee and donuts and other fast foods will finance a flight and make a beautiful memory.

The clock is ticking so let’s get excited and get started!

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