Monday, September 19, 2011

The Optimists Creed by Christian D Larson

Promise Yourself....

To be strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness,and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is somehting worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about you own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself nd to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side , so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

http://www.talklikeapirate.com

Friday, September 9, 2011

Is It God's Gift to Mankind?

I like to believe that God is Omnipotent and well... very very smart. I would say his grace was a huge gift to mankind. I would assume it safe to say that God giving up of himself to send his son to earth to die on the cross for the sins of mankind is a huge gift. All the incredible things God created from the earth, animals, even Sex {(between husband and wife, of course;-)} What about Free Will? Is Free will a Gift or a curse? God gave us the ability to choose our actions. Whether you believe in predestination or not. Free will is perplexing and Ironically up to you if it really is a gift or a curse. The path you take with your thoughts and actions decide if it is a curse or not. Free Will is the one thing and the only thing that God gave you that you have complete control over. So you have this Ginormous thing that God has given you and what you do with it is up to you. Curse or Gift?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Too Blessed To Be Stressed!

One of my favorite things that My father in law says is Too Blessed to be Stressed. I'm not sure if he has conditioned himself or if he truly is too blessed to be stressed. But if you reflect on your emotions throughout the day how close to "Too blessed, to be stressed" are you?

Monday, September 5, 2011

What's your story?

When driving down the street you see a handful maybe hundreds even thousands of people. What's their story. Where are they going? What is going on in their life? Happy, Sad, struggling or glad? Do you ever wonder about it?

Kind of like the scene in Evan Almighty where the Jim Carrey character can't get all the noises of people praying simultaneously out of his head. It would be unfathomable to make sense of all the information that is there.

Here is the thing though. Each person has a story behind them and until you are brought into the bubble that is their life you will never really have a reason to care. Sure you can care about the people in Haiti or Japan suffering from a natural disaster or that kid who gets shot whose story is told on the news. You are touched by their troubles as more of their story is revealed to you. Maybe you are moved to give financially or even volunteer your time. Sometimes you will just pray or feel sad for that person or even worse instead of empathy or sympathy you show apathy and just don't care.

It's your prerogative to give a crap or not.

The interesting thing is your story is what defines you and until you share your story people don't really know what is going on in your life. Your struggles, desires, concerns and loves. Your likes and dislikes and your expectations of your future.

Until you know someone else's story be slow to judge. I'm sure you don't enjoy it when people misjudge you during a trial. Think long and hard next time you see someone. Look them in the eyes and see past the façade that we put up in our lives and even If you only have a moment ask them. What's your story? Maybe don't be so blunt but heck.. Why not. Don't be offended if they have no desire to let you in the circle. But you might be surprised what comes off the situation. Take my wife Pam as an example. Here is the post my wife made yesterday after talking to a old blind man walking down the street.

Incredible morning. After leaving Rotary Hill, but before reaching Last Fling madness, an old blind man stopped me to chat for awhile. We had an amazing conversation about his WWII service, his wife of 58 yrs who passed away, his daughter who passed away 2 yrs ago, his other kids who don't care about him, and Jesus. And Heaven. It. was. awesome. ♥

You can make an impact with something as simple as a 5 minute conversation. Even if your husband and kids are waiting in the wings. We lived and are better for it.

I've heard so many stories from people telling me that a simple gesture of a few minutes time and a listening ear and heart has transformed their own hearts into caring for someone they didn't even know.

Once you hear the story behind someone it gives you a huge privilege to pray for that person or praise their success or accomplishment.

What a better way to live your life by being a part of peoples stories.