Category Archives: Blogroll

appreciation, Blogroll, choices, Enlightenment, Fellowship, Growing, Healing, journey, mindfulness, Nobility, positive, self help, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development, Values, vision

The Lost Art Of Nobility!

I love watching movies about Kings, Queens, Knights and Explorers. The grand castles, elaborate feasts and adventure of running a kingdom has always been fascinating to me. Another reason that I love these movies is because they paint such a clear picture of good versus evil. A good and noble King or Queen know that they are serving God by serving people and do not take their special position of nobility lightly.

William Shakespeare has King Richard IV Part 2 in act 3, scene 1 speak the following words: “And in the visitation of the winds, who take the ruffian billows by the top, curling their monstrous heads and hanging them with deafening clamour in the slippery clouds, that, with the hurly, death itself awakes? Canst thou, O partial sleep, give thy repose To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude, And in the calmest and most stillest night,
with all appliances and means to boot, deny it to a king? Then happy low, lie down! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

The sad reality is that most of us have lost this idea of nobility, of being grateful for our blessings and using our blessings to be a blessing to others. We have allowed ourselves to get caught up in a “dog eat dog” world, where we believe that the ends justify the means, even if the means goes against everything we believe in. And the greatest tragedy in all of this is that people are not happier or more fulfilled and certainly not satisfied.

We have become so full of ourselves that we have become empty of anything meaningful. We have allowed the enemy to convince us that we are competing against one another for blessing and this is simply just not true. There is plenty of blessing for everyone of us and the way to blessing is not to get it all for yourself, but to take what you have been blessed with and be a blessing to others.

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 5:1-12 “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

These “Beatitudes” are the attitudes that will help us to live the life we were created for, so that we might experience the flow of blessing into and through our life and living. The only person that you need to try and be better than is the person you were yesterday! Put this into practice and you will discover that life is a gift that keeps on giving and begin to understand that not all who wander are lost…

Blogroll, choices, Enlightenment, faith, God, Gratitude, Growing, Healing, Nature, outside, peace, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development

Outside Benefits!

Most mornings after my “walk and talk”, you can find me right here in this spot enjoying my morning beverage (Coffee, Tea or Breakfast Shake), soaking up nature and thinking about whatever things God has put on my mind.

Getting outside and beginning my day in nature with my Creator is one of the not so secret secrets to my life of blessing. It allows me to clear my mind, exercise my body and align my Spirit with the things that really matter.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28

Here are a few benefits to getting outside…

1.) Outside Makes Life Better! Simply getting outside for 20 – 30 minutes make a tremendous difference in you physical, mental and spiritual life. Studies show that you don’t even have to do anything, but that just by getting outside, you experience life benefits.

2.) Soaking Up Some Sun Is Healing! The best source of vitamin D comes from the sun and as much as 40% of people today actually have a vitamin D deficiency. Soaking up a little of the sun will actually make you much healthier physically and mentally…

3.) It’s One Of The Best Remedies For Anxiety, Depression And Stress! Studies actually show that taking the time to casually walk outside in green and growing spaces lowers the stress hormone cortisol, which is in high levels leads to a plethora of health issues.

There are probably thousands of benefits that we can discover from being outside, but we want discover them in the house on the couch, so make and take some time today and everyday to get outside and enjoy your Creator’s Creation, which you are a vital part of…

Remember: Not everyone who wanders is lost!

affirmation, Blogroll, Values

VALUES ADD VALUE!

One of my mentors was talking to me about decision making and he challenged me to think through my values before making any decision. He then challenged me to think through and figure out what my values are, so that I can think through them when I have a decision to make.

Most all of us have values, but if we are put on the spot, we might find it a bit difficult to name them, so it is a good practice to think through what is it that we really value in this life? Once we know our values, it is then a good idea to prioritize them and think through them every now and then to make sure that our life and living is lining up with what we say really matters to us.

I thought I would share my top ten values with you, in the hopes that it might encourage and motivate you to think through your own…

1. LOVE – For me this is where it all begins and ends. God loves me and when I love God back by loving others, it creates a powerful flow of energy in my life and living that makes this life worth living. Without love, life would be meaningless, but with love, it is full of potential and possibility.

2. FAITH – This is about trust and belief and without someone or something to trust and believe in, then we are like a ship with a rudder. Faith is the mechanism that allows our life to go somewhere meaningful. Faith gives us purpose, direction and motivation.

3. BLESSING – Our Creator blesses us, so that we can bless others. This allows divinity to flow to us and through us. This divine energy is what life and eternity are all about. Learning to receive is important and learning to give is important to. Blessing is all about learning to receive and share, which makes us more like the One Who created us.

4. FAMILY AND FRIENDS – Family and friends can be the greatest blessing and the greatest challenge. Sometimes you feel like you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. The truth is: We need our family and friends and trying to do life without them is not really doing life at all.

5. JOY – We were created to be blessed, happy and fulfilled. We are supposed to have an inward excitement that expresses itself in outward joy. When we learn to embrace and appreciate the things of our Creator, then joy becomes the natural by product, so that we find joy in the blessings and challenges of life.

6. PEACE – This inward contentment, regardless of outward circumstances is one of the great gifts of our Creator. When we begin to align our values with His values, peace is the natural by product that helps us to realize what a special gift this thing we call life really is.

7. MINISTRY – Each of us have been given special gifts and abilities that can be a tremendous blessing to others and when we use these gifts and abilities to serve others, it gives glory to our Creator and brings fulfillment to our created purpose.

8. LEARNING – No matter how old we get, there is always something else to learn and the older I get, the more I realize just how precious a gift we have been given in the ability to learn. A willingness to learn new things helps to keep us young in heart, mind and soul.

9. HEALTH – Life is tough and it is even tougher if we don’t feel good. This is why health and taking care of our physical bodies is so important. Daily exercise, eating right and proper rest have to be on our list of priorities or we are going to miss out on what really matters, because we just don’t feel like it.

10. WISDOM – When I was a little boy, I remember going to Sunday School and hearing about God telling Solomon that he could ask for anything he wanted and Solomon asked for wisdom and God was pleased. Wisdom is not just knowledge. Wisdom is the proper application and use of knowledge. Our would could use a lot more of that and that starts with me.

I challenge you to think about your values, make your own list and then use that list to help you make better decisions in your life and living…