Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving!

A day to be full of gratitude; appreciating all that one has in their life. Appreciating everything from health to family, house to job, and there will likely be "things" involved in that list somewhere.

Most will be enjoying a meal that is bigger than can be consumed in one setting. Others will be eating a meal with several people that are not their family but they enjoy their company. However, there are those people who will be sitting down to the meal this year who will be saddened because they have lost a loved one whom they miss celebrating this holiday with - maybe a first, but not limited to a first.

Whoever you are eating your meal with, this is a holiday about gratitude, which brings us to this week's quote...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

The other day at my Bible Class at a local nursing home, we all shared some various memories we have had around Thanksgiving. Along with that, we shared things we are thankful for in our life. Then we discussed how saying and hearing things we are thankful for kind of lifts our mood. Even when we are listening to others share their expressions of gratitude, we are still lifted.

Now it's your turn...How has the quote been applicable to you?

Gratitude in Life

Appreciation, gratitude, and thankfulness are often things we think about when it comes to Thanksgiving. That is a time of the year when those words are very present in society. Now that we are a few months past November, maybe it is a good time for review. Reviewing will help remind us to be thankful more often.

As we think about having more gratitude or being more thankful, here is this week's quote...

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

When you appreciate life more the problems of life seem to dissipate some. I went through a time when I didn't like my name, but then something clicked and I liked being different. It made the past much better. It brought peace to my present. It also allowed me to greatly appreciate the future. It caused me to look at myself a bit differently and to appreciate that difference.

I know we all go through situations in life where we are challenged to see ourselves as thankful for what has happened. It may not make much sense or bring peace. On top of that, there is not room for a vision.

If you are in that position, I hope there is a time when you can see the quote come to life for you. Even if it is not in the area you are stuck on but in an area in which you are not so stuck. An area that causes you to see a silver lining, which may encourage you to keep going in life.

Now it's your turn...What positives from your life do you see in the quote? Or what challenges?

Are You Small? By this measurement...

I grew up being one of the smallest in my class. There were about 3 or 4 of us that were usually around the same height, prior to our growth spurts. I finally grew a bit. I wasn't shorter than most of the girls anymore, but I was still one of shorter males. So being small has been in my history...can you relate?

Small is not always associated with height or body shape. It also describes a number of objects compared with the rest of the objects. It can mean a statistic in numbers. "There are a *small* number of people who can ____" represents a number. That brings us to this week's quote...

Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds. ~ Albert Einstein

Do you see with your eyes or mind? I agree that few people see the possibilities and analyze the impossibilities. They look at something and think about all the negatives. "We/I can't do that, what if ____ happens?" "Our budget isn't that big!" "We're too small!"

"Mind-seeing" because we analyze it way too much. Ever taken a test and you can't help yourself but to analyze the question so much that you work yourself up? I have.

We are sometimes like that with the way life treats us. We analyze the "minor" things so much instead of trying things and seeing where things may take us.

Are you in the bigger category or the smaller one? If in the bigger, maybe you should thinking about trying out the smaller side once in a while..who knows where life will take you!

Now it's your turn...what do you think of Albert Einstein's quote and its relevance to your life...

How Much Can You See?

How far can you see?

If you were to look out into an open field, how far could you see? If you were to look at the same field with binoculars, how far could you see? If you could look out with a telescope, how far could you see?

These instruments do allow us to see farther, and in some ways more. However, our sight is really dependent on us allowing ourselves to see what we see.

When I want my son to look at me when I am trying to explain something, he occasionally will close his eyes. Why? Because he doesn't want to see. If I were to put binoculars up to his eyes at that particular moment when he closes his eyes it would not help him see any more. He has chosen to keep the eyes closed. His vision is impaired due to his own choosing and it will not improve with any type of vision "enhancer" like binoculars or a telescope. That idea brings us to this week's quote...

Your vision is only as powerful as your commitment to pursue it! ~ Unknown

To see what you want in life is your choice. Some may throw the idea of “circumstances” into the equation, but even with circumstances, what you see is up to you.

Maybe you want to be a doctor, but you are in a situation where you cannot make it in to medical school. What can you see, regardless, that helps you get closer to that vision?

Most will stop at the dead end. However, see something else in the situation. The wall is only in front of you. What opportunities are you not seeing that is to the left, right, around the corner, or over the top?

The wall is like an eyelid that comes down to reduce the vision. If you were to look at that wall with binoculars, you wouldn’t see much. However, think about what you can still can see and pursue that.

May we go beyond what we can see and still pursue our vision!

Henry’s Mural

A few years ago a close friend of ours was getting ready to have a baby.  I had said I could paint a mural in their nursery if they wanted. They took me up on it.  The mural space was 5 1/2 feet by 11 feet.  The first night I went to work on it, by the time I was done for that night I had lines on the wall.  LINES…that’s all.  No color, gradient shading, etc.  Just lines.  I believe my friend was a bit disappointed.  However, the end result was what I was hoping it would be, but it took a vision to get to the point at the end of the project.

That brings us to this week’s quote

Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming. ~ Alice Walker

What we are doing today greatly affect what tomorrow looks like.  I think this is something that parents need to realize.  How they deal with today affects what their children grow up to be.  Whether it is how they manage conflict, marriage, money, religion, friends, etc.  Everything done today paves the street of tomorrow.

When I was drawing that mural, I knew what the end result was hoping to be even if the owner didn’t know where I was heading (except they could go by the picture I was using as a guide). If I hadn’t known where I was going I would have simply been fitting parts of a puzzle together any which way.  It is vital to see the present and have the future in mind as you are constructing it daily!

The Emptiness That Holds Us Back

Practically everyone would like to have some more money. Whether it is to have a more comfortable lifestyle or to just pay the bills. We are currently in a financial down time. Maybe not the worst one ever, but one which is definitely making an impact on many.

However, as difficult as it can be without money, that doesn't make a person "poor" as much as a person who has no vision, ideas, or goals in life, their career, their church, their family, etc. This brings us to this week's quote...

Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

The phrase "I don't know" is one that I have said frequently in life. Aside from the few times that I really didn't know an answer, most of them were times I was being lazy in any attempt to figure out a solution. I wanted it spoon-fed to me. I didn't want to put in any effort. Have you been there?

However, when I have an idea, whether it is for a sermon, a house project, or a graphic design project, nothing holds me back. I am not saying that it is able to be finished in a day, but I am saying that I am thinking about it or working on it often, till it is completed. These things may not take much from my wallet, but that doesn't stop them from being completed and worked on.

Goals do not have to stay the same as you enter into different levels of life. What is important is that you do have goals. Even if finances make it difficult to achieve a goal, don't let that be what holds you back. If you've got a passion in your heart and mind for something...find a way to go for it!

Not letting "empty pockets" hold me back...

Developing a Greater Vision

Being a principal's son has its definite disadvantages. For example, your peers tend to think that you get special treatment because of your father's position. The jeering doesn't stop when the school day ends or at non-school related events, no it continues on into other realms of life.

There was one such individual in my class that was one of the ones who dished out most of the jeers. It caused me to really grow to dislike him, even though I would try to let it go most of the time. In my youth, I even "dreamed" that when I grew up, I would show up on his doorstep and beat him up for all that he dished out. Well, that "dream" never came true, for various reasons. However, I had to make the choice to get on with life or fall victim of my circumstance. This brings us to this week's quote...

People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances, will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives. ~ Stedman Graham

As I mentioned, that "dream" never came true for a few reasons. One, this boy turned out to be a user of drugs. Which I began to feel sorry for him rather than hurt. Two, I was a Christian and this was no way to solve the problem. Lastly, I knew that my life was going in a positive direction and his was going in a negative one.

People who feel the sense of entitlement tend to fall victim of their circumstances. They go through life waiting for something better, rather than putting forth the effort of achieving a goal.

Vision, in life, is so important to see where you want to go. Have you had a string of bad luck due to poor choices or the environment where you live? Make realistic goals and envision where you want to be, praying throughout the process about how you are going to get there. You may not see the "end", but God can do amazing things when you give it to Him, letting Him work. We have our part to do as much as we can to be proactive in achieving those goals.

Looking forward to the future...

Envision Your Bridge

It is fourth and goal with one second left on the clock and you are on the two yard line. A field goal isn’t enough to secure the win. This is the biggest game of your life, how do you respond?

You are informed that guests are coming over for dinner and it is five 0’clock. You have dinner planned out for your family, but you don’t have enough for eight more people. These are some of the most important dinner guests you’ve had over in a long time, how do you respond?

Whether it is a game situation or a life situation, being able to look ahead and know how you’d respond to a “bridge” you will come to is important. That brings us to this week’s quote…

"We are told never to cross a bridge until we come to it, but this world is owned by men who have 'crossed bridges' in their imagination far ahead of the crowd." ~ Anonymous

Not all bridges are emergency situations but all bridges represent an opportunity to cross. Some bridges a wide and sturdy, easy to cross. Where others are small and rickety, more difficult to cross.

Life is much the same way. Some opportunities are clear and easily understood, making it easy to decide. Where other decisions are unclear and difficult to understand, making it difficult to decide.

Changes that have taken place in this world have been by people who are visionary. People who wanted something different and were able to see it before they arrived at the “bridge”. What do you want to see changed? What do you foresee as “bridges” you may need to cross in order to create the change? Start planning ahead and looking forward to what you will find on the other side!

Imagining my bridge…

E-mail Encouragement: Becoming a Prophet

Some may define it as a pessimist, where others, a realist. Either way, unfortunately, I tend to look at some things in such a way as to not get my balloon popped. I am thankful that my wife is an optimist and can keep me from being a rut when it comes to goal setting.

With that being said, this week’s quote hit home with me…

If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of becoming a prophet. ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer

Recently, I gave a group of people an article that starts off with the sentence “Fear kills vision!” When it comes to doing things for God, if we have fear about it, then we will stop looking for the possibilities it will bring if we do it. If there was someone you were wanting to share Jesus with, but you kept saying negative things about trying – you wouldn’t have the vision to see past your fears. It would also make you a pretty good prophet – because you would talk yourself out of trying.

Who will be in your path today that you can share Jesus with (in whatever way)? The answer for most is “I don’t know.” The response, then, is to pay attention to everyone you come in contact with – they may be the one you were meant to share with that day. But, if you say bad things about sharing with someone, then you will most likely, and unfortunately, become a prophet!

Especially in this case, don’t become a prophet by saying negative things about the opportunities God gives to share about Jesus! Instead, say positive things about those opportunities, and become a prophet that way!

May God richly bless the end of your week!!!

Looking forward to today’s open doors ~

Monday Mentionings - What If His People Prayed - Nehemiah 1:4-11

I hope your week has gotten off to a great start! Mine has. I left yesterday's assembly with a fire to see what God had in store for me this week. It gives me the anxiousness of Christmas morning...seeing what I am going to receive that I can open up and see what is inside. That is the way I look at it with teaming up with God...what is He going to hide inside to surprise me with this time???

"What If His People Prayed" is a song by Casting Crowns that has been a motivation for a "vision" of the future of this church for a long time now. I am so motivated by people's heartfelt, unscripted, nervous, prayers. Not all of those have to be included, but most. This usually happens most frequently when I hear a prayer of someone I don't normally hear from. My wife says some of the greatest prayers. I was left the prayer time for the shepherd search last winter so "pumped"! I heard lots of pray-ers I don't normally hear.

Yesterday's lesson, titled the same as the song title, came from Nehemiah's first prayer (in the book). Jerusalem's walls are in shambles and weak. Our faith foundation must be strong in order to keep ourselves from becoming susceptible to anything ungodly. Here are some applications you can choose from to put into practice...

1. Awesome God - Use the word "awesome" in your prayers this week to either describe God or something that He's done for you.
2. I'm Guilty - Is there something that you're guilty of that you haven't expressed to God? It could be something from the past that you haven't confessed to God or it could be just acknowledging that you are a sinner and/or have sinned. Remember...God knows what you do, but He likes to know that you know what you've done and will admit the guilt.
3. Don't Turn - God is a merciful God, so let us not deny that we've erred and revel in the assurance that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Praise God, when you pray, for that constant cleansing blood!
4. Reward Us - Life can have it's fair share of obstacles. The next time that you have an obstacle to face, no matter how small, ask God to deliver you, reward you, and/or bless you as you give this task to Him before you even enter into it.

Prayer is so motivational to me. I hope you will find yourself "intrinsically motivated" to pray to our AWESOME God!

May your prayer fire be refreshed as you seek Him in asking how you can best build your section of the wall. If you want any reminders to pray this week...let me know.

Have a fantastic week!