Current mood: curious
Believing in yourself is important. Nothing can you tell you can't do anything.
Nobody can enter your soul unless you allow them to.
Believing in a Higher Being.
Believing in Others.
Who has Faith? Who believes in Evolution? Who believes in both?
Who doesn't believe in anything?
Who recalls Mary J Blige's, My Life, album, circa 1994? What a great album
Wouldn't it be cool to live off a street named Fillmore? I know, a part of me still longs to live in San Francisco. I miss checking out shows at The Fillmore (of SF)
How do YOU measure Happiness? By How many children you have? How many cars you've collected? The number of properties you've owned? The number of acolades & degrees you've received? The number of people you've slept with? The number of hearts you've broken? The number of times you've raped someone? The number of times you've killed somebody or anything? The amount of cash you have in the bank? The number of times you've made somebody laugh, cry, or smile? The number of moments that's taken your breath away? The number of places you've traveled?
Just food for thought.... - MLZ
Currently Listening : Songs We Sing By Matt Costa Release date: By 28 March, 2006
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Monday, November 6, 2006
Another Kind of Normal
Current mood: bouncy
Another kind of normal by John Fischer
"Every time you forget that character is one of God's purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances." — Rick Warren
Somewhere along the line, we got the idea that we deserve to have a relatively easy life. We have a very false sense of what should be the norm. If someone asks you how things are going and you answer: "Fine," that is thought of as normal – the way it should be. If there is anything wrong, and you answer that question with a qualifier ("Fine, but …"), then it is assumed that your life is not normal. If something is wrong, then your life is for some reason not what it is supposed to be.
In actuality, the real thing wrong is this kind of thinking. Until we change our thinking in this regard, life will always be frustrating. We will be preoccupied with trying to fix everything instead of learning life's lessons. We will always be expecting things to get better around the next bend in the road when "better" isn't anywhere on the map. Until we learn this, we will just wrestle with life instead of working with it – taking what God sends as our course description, and readying ourselves for each new lesson. Difficulty, surprise, hardship, and trials of every kind are the norm for the follower of Christ.
Paul puts it this way: "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT)
Now that's normal. If you want to grow as a Christian, expect this kind of treatment. And the reason for this is two-fold. First, life by nature is difficult and hardship produces character in us as we meet life's challenges with the Holy Spirit; and second, when we go through ordinary hardship and difficulty the reality of the presence of God in our lives can be more easily seen, because the hope and confidence of Christ in our lives is in direct contrast to our situation, making God easier to spot. Or as Paul goes on to say: "Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us." (2 Corinthians 4:11 MSG)
If normal for you means everything is fine and dandy, then brace yourself, because it's definitely going to get worse. Count on it. God loves you too much to allow you to get away with anything less. And if life is difficult for you right now, rejoice in your opportunity to grow. We need to all start expecting another kind of normal.
Another kind of normal by John Fischer
"Every time you forget that character is one of God's purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances." — Rick Warren
Somewhere along the line, we got the idea that we deserve to have a relatively easy life. We have a very false sense of what should be the norm. If someone asks you how things are going and you answer: "Fine," that is thought of as normal – the way it should be. If there is anything wrong, and you answer that question with a qualifier ("Fine, but …"), then it is assumed that your life is not normal. If something is wrong, then your life is for some reason not what it is supposed to be.
In actuality, the real thing wrong is this kind of thinking. Until we change our thinking in this regard, life will always be frustrating. We will be preoccupied with trying to fix everything instead of learning life's lessons. We will always be expecting things to get better around the next bend in the road when "better" isn't anywhere on the map. Until we learn this, we will just wrestle with life instead of working with it – taking what God sends as our course description, and readying ourselves for each new lesson. Difficulty, surprise, hardship, and trials of every kind are the norm for the follower of Christ.
Paul puts it this way: "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT)
Now that's normal. If you want to grow as a Christian, expect this kind of treatment. And the reason for this is two-fold. First, life by nature is difficult and hardship produces character in us as we meet life's challenges with the Holy Spirit; and second, when we go through ordinary hardship and difficulty the reality of the presence of God in our lives can be more easily seen, because the hope and confidence of Christ in our lives is in direct contrast to our situation, making God easier to spot. Or as Paul goes on to say: "Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us." (2 Corinthians 4:11 MSG)
If normal for you means everything is fine and dandy, then brace yourself, because it's definitely going to get worse. Count on it. God loves you too much to allow you to get away with anything less. And if life is difficult for you right now, rejoice in your opportunity to grow. We need to all start expecting another kind of normal.
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