Deep Thoughts or Random Ramblings?: January 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

simple advice to survive a complex world

Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.
Pray.
Go to bed on time.
Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
Delegate tasks to capable others.
Simplify and unclutter your life.
Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
Take one day at a time.
Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
Get enough rest.
Eat right.
Get organized so everything has its place.
Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
Write down thoughts and inspirations.
Every day, find time to be alone.
Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
Make friends with Godly people.
Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
Laugh.
Laugh some more!
Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
Sit on your ego.
Talk less; listen more.
Slow down.
Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

a world we were not created for

So many conversations recently, with so many different people. Discontentment with a certain area of life. Why Lord? Why me? I don't understand. Yesterday was eye opening, life changing. Such an easy concept, why has it not made sense before? Same "conversation", slightly different approach. "Light bulb moment". Twice in one day... ok, Lord. You are speaking... I am listening.

10am LifeChurch.tv-SOKC. Tracey and I sat in the experience room. Unlike any other day, Pastor Craig full of his comedic stories...then bam... a profound statement and a room of silence. True[ish] week 2: As long as your happy. Today's funny story a fish out of water... put him on a beach... vacation time... sunglasses...a corona...and a playfish magazine...[oh yes! he really said that!!] is the fish happy? NO! He's out of the water he was created for. He's not where he belongs. The longer he stays away... he will begin to die. And then bam... we on earth are like the fish out of water. If we are basing our happiness on the things of this world, we will never find it. People think: better possessions + peaceful circumstances + thrilling experiences + right relationships + the perfect appearance = happiness. But... Nothing of this world will make us happy b/c we were not created for this world. We both look at each other... WOW!! I've never thought of it quite that way. I've always known, it's not the "things" that make you happy. But I've always limited those "things" to actual material objects. I certain can and have done without a lot of things that most think they can't do without. But have honestly never grasped the idea that relationships and peace are also "things". It's ok, to have wants and desires. & there will be times when God blesses us with material things, relationships, a peaceful life. But when we place these things before Him, true happiness and contentment will never be obtained. We must place our happiness in HIM, the ONE we were created for. All other blessings are a bonus.

Later in the day, I was reading a blog posted by my sweet friend Sarah. The morning's revelations were reenforced so perfectly by her words...

"There deep in the Word (both written and living) I find comfort that great warriors of Christ are simply human at times and only reside wholly in Him when we briefly escape our bindings. But the truth is blaringly clear: He brought the opportunity down from heaven and inserted it here in the middle of this world; the world we will never belong to, the world we were not intended for. He finds us here every day and seeks to give the Divinity of walking with Him….and, daily, this world blinds the eyes of many to seeing it. Nothing before Him!!! I say it again….Nothing Before Him!!!"

Wow!! So profound!! I leave you with a verse I found today. One that pretty much sums it all up:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ~ Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Friday, January 23, 2009

What Do I Know of Holy?

by Addison Road

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

Quotable Quotes

The world needs a revolution. All a revolution needs are a few volunteers.
Faith that remains unchallenged ordinarily remains unchanged.
God's delays are not His denials.
I've had enough yesterdays with my God to trust Him with my tomorrows.
Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get the chance, take it, if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy, they just said it would be worth it.
We either add to the darkness of indifference... or we light a candle to see by.
Faith isn't belief without proof, it's trust without reservation.
The decision to step toward your destiny will often require a daring step away from your security.
You think you have a lot to lose if you step out in obedience. In fact you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
When you want something you have never had, you must do something you've never done.
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
I do not understand the mystery of Grace-only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.
If you chase blessings, they'll out run you. But if you chase God, the blessings will overflow.
The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.
Reputation is what people think you are. Character is what God knows you are.
A woman should be so hidden in God, that a man should have to pursue Christ to find her.

His Word

James 1:3 ~ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
Psalm 143:8 ~ Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.
2 Corinthians 1:4 ~ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Hebrews 11:1 ~ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Psalm 139:23 ~ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ~ There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Romans 8:24-25 ~ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 5:2-5 ~ And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
1 John 1:6-7 ~ If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Matthew 5:14-16 ~ You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
John 15:1-2 ~ I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Ephesians 3:16-19 ~ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Philippians 3:13 ~ I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Isaiah 58:10 ~ Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
Isaiah 61:1-3 ~ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Esther 4:14 ~ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?
Nehemiah 4:14 ~ After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."