Tag Archives: spiritual

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10 Questions!

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Life Is Amazing! Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I read a book by Leo Buscagalia called “Living, Loving & Learning!”  I then had the opportunity via PBS to hear him lecture on a number of different occasions.  A few weeks ago, I came across a hardback copy of “Loving Each Other!” and it took me back to those magical days, when I made some great strides in my spiritual journey.

Intersections! I grew up in Church and had been taught the Scriptures from a very early age.  I knew the teachings of Jesus and they had challenged and changed my life.  When I heard Leo Buscaglia, his teaching helped me to take what I had been taught and exercise it in the daily living of my life.  He helped me to put feet to my faith!

The Amazing Gift Of Love! This amazing love that has been given to me as a gift is something that I get to share and in its sharing, love becomes so much more powerful and meaningful!  Below are a few questions that Dr. Buscaglia challenges us to think about.  These are not his exact questions, but my adaptation of some of the encouragement and challenge that I have received from his teaching and writing. I would encourage you to ask yourself these questions every day as you embark on this journey called life!   I hope you enjoy and learn to love and be loved!

1.) Did I share happiness or did I steal happiness with my actions and reactions?

2.) How did I express love and show kindness?

3.) Am I looking for what is right or for what is wrong in others?

4.) Do I laugh and help others to laugh?  (Is joy a by-product of my life?)

5.) What have I done today to build and make stronger my relationships?

6.) Have I worried over the trivial or celebrated the triumphant?

7.) Have I accepted forgiveness and given forgiveness?

8.) Have I learned something new and have I taught something new to others?

9.) Do I know and believe that life (mine and yours) matters?

10.) Will I let this make me better or bitter?

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What Do You Expect?

What Do You Expect?

Our expectations often determine our realities!  Expectations have the potential to limit or increase your blessing!  We usually get what we expect!  In Matthew 9:29, Jesus says: “According to your faith will it be done to you.” In other words if you expect things to be bad, then they will most likely be bad, but if you expect things to be good, then they will most likely turn out for good!

If you see the glass half empty, then you will always be focusing on what you don’t have and you will probably never have anything of substance.  If you see the glass half full, then you have learned to focus on the blessings in hand and you will probably see your life travel in the direction of more and greater blessing.

This does not mean that you don’t ever have any problems or challenges.  It just means that you have learned to look at them differently than the majority of the world.  God loves you and He has an amazing plan for your life and He has promised that He will use even the bad for good in the lives of those who love Him and who live according to His calling to fulfill His purpose!

If your expectations are messed up and in the wrong place, then change them up.  Start by taking some time to pray and ask for God’s help.  Next, spend some time letting the positive message of God’s Word to move in positive way through your life.  And finally challenge yourself every time you find the negative and low expectations creeping in!

You can do this – grow your expectations and Give God Glory!

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Don’t Miss The New Thing!

The past is good and tradition is good, as long as we do not get stuck in it! The good thing about the past and tradition is that they can instruct us into a better and more productive future, if we are paying attention and learning for what they are teaching.

It is very easy to get “set in your ways”. We restrict ourselves from the forward progress that God has for us because we get stuck in our personal perspectives.  If we are not careful, we will find yourself in a rut of our own making, because we have gotten stuck in our own thinking!

Remember This! It is very important to remember that our God is a Creator!  As a creator, God is always doing something new.  But God can’t and won’t accomplish something new in and through our lives, if we are not willing to change.  We must be ready to enlarge our vision and expand our thinking – if we are to experience the new creation of our Amazing Creator God!

Don’t Miss It! In Isaiah 43:19  God says: “Behold I am doing a new thing!  Do you not perceive it and know it?” God wants to grow you!  God wants to promote you!  God wants to give you increase!  God wants to do something new, magnificent and unexplainable in and through your life.  God wants to do a new thing in and through you!  Did you notice the question in Isaiah?  It says:  “Can you not perceive it?”  If you can’t from your perspective, see the new thing that God wants to do in and through you, then you need to change your perspective!

Learn And Grow! Learn from the past and appreciate tradition, but don’t get stuck there, because if you do, you will miss the new thing that God is doing!

A Pray To Pray! Thank you God for our past and for helping us to learn from our mistakes and failures!  Thank you for tradition and for how it reminds me of Your faithfulness, goodness and grace!  Help us Lord to appreciate, but not get stuck in these places.  We don’t want to miss the new thing that you are doing.  Please let us be right in the middle of Your perfect will!