Tag Archives: Faith

No Matter What

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Here is a verse that had me baffled for awhile. The promise is so promising that I didn’t expect to experience anything but wonderful events in my life.

However, what followed after reading Jeremiah 29:11 in 1995 was anything but promising.

Through the years, I suffered broken bones, business loss, cancer, heart disease, and the death of the second love of my life,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

These are the plans you have for me Lord? Forgive me if I don’t seem too excited to embrace them!

But embrace them I did. My bones healed; caregiving replaced retailing; I survived lung cancer and heart disease, and grief gave way to peaceful acceptance. Prosperity isn’t always of monetary value. Believe me, I am prosperous in more ways than one.

The point is to keep on believing in God’s good, despite the disasters life throws at us.

Through it all, my faith stayed strong…no matter what.

Some Pointers for the Blackboard of Life

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Get your chalk brushes ready…you may want to brush me off today as I offer up some pointers for the blackboard of life.

1. The Golden Rule – do to others as you would have them do to you.

2. Love your enemy – it`s healthier than hating.

3. Don`t spend a thousand dollars worth of emotion on a five cent irritation.

4. Don`t worry – it is a totally unproductive pastime

5. Don`t procrastinate – it is the thief of time.

6. Smile often – it increases your face value.

7. Stop and smell the roses – before their fragrance fades.

8. Laughing and crying are comfort for the soul – they each soothe in a different way.

9. Grieve when necessary – but remember to continue to live.

10. God runs a beauty parlor – have a regular faith lift.

11. Live, love and be happy – advice to be given and taken in heaping doses.

12. It is never too late to be baptized – Jesus wasn`t baptized until he was thirty years old.

13. You are never too old to do something new – just begin.

14. Try to have twelve hugs a day – even if you have to hug yourself.

15. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at     all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can. (John Wesley)

And now, put away the pointer, the brushes, the chalk…tomorrow the slate will be clean again for you to chalk up some lessons of your own.

Can Wanting Make It So?

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You have to want to move beyond the circumstances of your situation. I don’t know who said or wrote it, but this sentence came to me at a time in my life when I was blaming circumstances for my situation at the time. Until facing the willingness to move beyond the circumstances, the situation remained the same. At that time it was a broken marriage.

Other people have difficulty with developing their faith, and stay stuck in that situation because of circumstances that limit their ability to believe. Realizing that the wanting to move beyond is the answer, opens the door to actually moving on.

Still others stay stuck in unsatisfying relationships because the circumstances keep them from wanting to move on.

Some people are forever in a negative financial position because of the fear of facing the first steps of whatever it would take to change that situation.

Wanting to move beyond the circumstances of any situation is the key to moving beyond. We have to want the outcome of a changed situation enough to move beyond the circumstances.

This has been one of the best pieces of advice to enter my life because it made me stop and think about how sometimes really wanting something can be a good thing.

Sometimes Being Smart Just Isn’t Enough

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God, Give Me Wisdom. This is prayer number eight in Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To. Here is  today’s excerpt from Anthony DeStefano’s book:

When you ask God for wisdom, you are essentially asking him to give you the gift of himself. And as we’ve seen elsewhere in this book, that’s something he’s always eager to do. Remember, the goal of authentic spirituality is to be in union with God. That’s what the whole spiritual life comes down to. When you’re in union with God, you have direct and immediate access to all of the things that God is, and that includes peace, courage, love wisdom and truth. God wants you to have these things; he wants to shine his light on humanity, to speak his word unceasingly. Therefore, he wants to pour out wisdom on all of us. This is not profound theological thinking, it’s simple common sense. Have you ever heard it said of anyone that they had “the wisdom of Solomon”? Solomon, according to scripture was the wisest man who ever lived. There are several whole books of the Bible devoted to him. When King David died, Solomon became ruler of Israel. One night the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask me for anything you want.” Solomon thought hard about all the different obligations he had to fulfill as king and how overwhelmed he felt, and he decided to ask God for discernment so he could govern better. The Bible says that God was very pleased that he had prayed for this. He told him, “Since you have asked for wisdom and not long life, or wealth, or death of your enemies…I will grant your request and give you a discerning heart.” God was happy when Solomon asked for wisdom–and he’s happy when we ask for it.

I’ll have to admit that I don’t always remember to pray for wisdom, but when I do, somehow my days seem to go a little better. Sometimes my prayer is for the wisdom of Solomon, the faith of Mary, and the patience of Job…or as Jabez said, “Oh, that you would bless me, indeed.”

Monday: Will I Ever Be Happy Again?…God, Bring Good Out of This Bad Situation

The Proof is in Remembering

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Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To by Anthony DeStefano.

It’s a new book I’m reading and for the next ten days I will write a brief excerpt from each chapter, beginning today with the Introduction…or at least comment that upon looking back over my life, I can see where each of these ten prayers has been answered for me. The proof is in remembering.

Here is an excerpt from the author’s Introduction:

How would you like to have incredible, unshakable faith–the kind that could withstand any crisis and any amount of suffering? How would you like to have as much courage and strength as the bravest war hero? the wisdom to solve all the problems you’ll ever face in life? How would you like to have peace–the kind of deep, inner tranquility that can carry you safely and smoothly through all of life’s problems? to experience the most passionate feelings of love, intimacy, and connectedness–no matter how alone you may feel right now? How would you like to know your destiny–a unique destiny God has chosen for you from the beginning of time, a destiny so grand in scope and heroic in proportions that it dwarfs all your dreams–a destiny you can still have no matter what your age, job, or position in life? All these things can be yours, and all you have to do is ask.

Tomorrow: I Wish I Could Believe…God Show Me That You Exist

Prayer for Peace

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Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, love;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

A beautiful prayer for a troubled world.

 

 

 

All Things are Possible

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I was asked to post more of my poetry, specifically the above title, so here it is.

All things are possible

to those who believe,

to those who have faith

as a small mustard seed.

All goals can be reached,

all dreams can come true

when you call on the Power

that’s inherent in you.

All life can be lived

to the fullest extent,

all wishes fulfilled

as you know that He meant

all things are possible

to those who believe,

to those who have faith

as a small mustard seed.

©1984

With God, all things are possible has been my mantra for many years, and what began as mustard seed faith is now as big as the tree depicted in Matthew 13:31,32.

 

 

 

Gratefully Yours (Day Five)

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This ends my five days of gratitude posts. Today I am grateful for:

my many blessings

unwavering faith

good health

life’s memories

a black and white animal in my garage that turned out to be a cat and not a skunk!

Hopefully, I will continue to express gratefulness in my life on a daily basis instead of taking everything for granted. Prayer time would be a good time for that, now wouldn’t it? That’s another thing I’m grateful for.