This week at the local church house Easter was in the air. Amazing worship, families decked out in their Easter best, and time with Jesus that -for some reason- is far more powerful than every other Sunday. Something about Christianity that many people don't really realize is that people who die normally don't come back to life. Therefore, Jesus' resurrection was distinct, unique - a life and death had differently than every other human on the earth.
Pastor Mike taught that our questions about faith are appropriate for us to ask. Often we are afraid to ask the quesitons - especially about our faith, simply because we think questioning authority is bad. However, Christ wants to answer our questions and give us the knowledge and understanding of our faith. So questions are accepted daily and openly with Christ. Pastor Mike also encouraged us to seek the answers to our quesitons through Biblical teachings and texts. And lastly he encouraged us to be rid of our doubts after our answers are found.
Now all of this teaching was great- and I so appreciated it. But my mind could not stop thinking about how often the world disappoints me. It's amazing to me that so many people I come across are terrified to let their faith rule and guide their lives. They are victims to the world and the powerful, negative influences it has over people. And I can honestly say that I have been there and done that. The world is my constant disappointment. The place where TV, the internet, and media in general are my prophets. When I'm in the world -the place I go for answers is the TV, the internet, the media, and people. And how often are the teachings of the media and human nature much more detrimental to the overall wellbeing of all of us?
Honestly, it's hard to grasp the idea that Christ and faith can give someone so much peace and overall confidence in life. This is especially true when someone has never experienced the freedom of the Christian faith. It is through Christ that an unexplainable peace comes over you even in some of the most difficult times of life.
This has been true in my life over the past six months or so. I was in a relationship with someone for about 2.5 years - and that's a lot of time to spend with someone. I got to know this guy on a very personal basis and I truly believe that we know more about each other than many people know about us. Our relationship was not what it was supposed to be, and we ended it. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you - it was awful. You can't even put into words the feeling of heartbreak. It was through this time that I called out to Jesus like I never have before and He met me where I was - devastated, alone, and truly scared. It's been a few months now since that all happened- and I can say that I'm stronger now than I ever have been before. I'm more confident and focused than I have been in over 3 years. I'm happier now than I have been in a long time. And I'm beginning to find the true me that has been pushed aside for so long.
I wish so much that I could share this astounding joy with everyone I come into contact with. I wish I could just walk up to everyone and give them the freedom and the peace that I feel. Yes, I still hurt over the break-up, and yes I'm still frustrated and confused and hurt because of what happened. However, I had a choice to make when that break-up happened - and if I chose the world - I would NOT be okay right now. Honestly, I would probably be in a severe depression, contemplating ending my life, and constantly reminding myself of the bad parts of my life instead of the good - beating myself up over the failure of a relationship. And I could almost bet, that I would be trying to fill the void that my ex left in my heart with someone else. But I didn't choose that path....
With Christ and his prophets (of David, Solomon, Paul, Billy Graham, etc) there is freedom, peace, love, joy, compassion, everlasting hope, and strength to get through each day. Choosing Him is a hard choice to make and a terrifying one. It's SO hard to give up our power as humans and put aside our pride. But it's one of the most powerful and amazing feelings in the world to know in your heart of hearts that everything is going to be okay, and that Christ is standing beside us, picking us up when we fall and carrying us home. Sure, it's no walk in the park being a Christian - but the overall calm and encouragement we receive in Christ is....AMAZING!
So which will you choose today? The way of the world and constant diappointment and depression. Or the way of Christ and eternal life, joy and hope? Choose life my friends - you will never be disappointed that you did!
Footprints (SO TRUE!)
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Lessons Learned
Hi all! Welcome back to the local Tenacious Insights! So this week I've dug back into the local Country Music that I LOVE so much! In fact... some of my good girlfriends and I are going to the Rascal Flatts concert when they're in town. LOVE THEM!!! Anyways, I was listening to a Carrie Underwood song called "Lessons Learned". Here's how it goes:
There's some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,That had some bitter endings,
Been some bad times I've been through,
Damage I cannot undo,
Some things,I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don't really matter,
Life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,Some bridges burned,
But there were,Lessons learned.
[Chorus:]And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.
There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,Lessons learned.
[Chorus:]And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.
And all the things that break you,
Are all the things that make you strong,
You can't change the past,Cause it's gone,
And you just gotta move on,
Because it's all,Lessons learned.
Okay, I know I say this alot, but I LOVE music!! It's able to put emotion into words and describe the feelings of life that happen everyday. This song is amazing to me simply because it says exactly how I feel. Over my life, I've made mistakes. I've diappointed people. I've hurt those closest to me. I've broken hearts and mine has been broken. Bridges have been burned far more than I would have liked. However, EVERY single problem, trial, issue, challenge, whatever you call it that I have faced has made me who I am today. Yes, they broke me and devastated me, but they have made me so much stronger and so much more able to see and have compassion and love for those around me.
Yes, I've been extremely hurt and disappointed through the years, but I've just got to get up everyday happy for the day I have ahead of me. Looking to see how I can help those around me, and seeing the needs in others - that's why I'm here. These lessons... although harder than anything sometimes to get over - are lessons truly learned and incredibly life changing.
So here's to disappointments, trials, heartaches, and sufferings - for they are Lessons Learned!
There's some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,That had some bitter endings,
Been some bad times I've been through,
Damage I cannot undo,
Some things,I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don't really matter,
Life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,Some bridges burned,
But there were,Lessons learned.
[Chorus:]And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.
There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,Lessons learned.
[Chorus:]And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.
And all the things that break you,
Are all the things that make you strong,
You can't change the past,Cause it's gone,
And you just gotta move on,
Because it's all,Lessons learned.
Okay, I know I say this alot, but I LOVE music!! It's able to put emotion into words and describe the feelings of life that happen everyday. This song is amazing to me simply because it says exactly how I feel. Over my life, I've made mistakes. I've diappointed people. I've hurt those closest to me. I've broken hearts and mine has been broken. Bridges have been burned far more than I would have liked. However, EVERY single problem, trial, issue, challenge, whatever you call it that I have faced has made me who I am today. Yes, they broke me and devastated me, but they have made me so much stronger and so much more able to see and have compassion and love for those around me.
Yes, I've been extremely hurt and disappointed through the years, but I've just got to get up everyday happy for the day I have ahead of me. Looking to see how I can help those around me, and seeing the needs in others - that's why I'm here. These lessons... although harder than anything sometimes to get over - are lessons truly learned and incredibly life changing.
So here's to disappointments, trials, heartaches, and sufferings - for they are Lessons Learned!
Monday, March 10, 2008
A Word on Socialized HealthCare
If you think health care is expensive now - wait until it's free!
Hi Everyone! So most of you know that I'm currently a licensed Insurance Agent and I work for an amazing company. I have a girl in my office that was writing a paper on the issue of Universal healthcare. In my job, she asked me a bunch of questions relevent to the topic and whether or not I believe in what I do. So what exactly do I do? I work to get Small Busineses and Individuals Medical, Dental, Long Term Care, Disability, Life Insurance, as well as Financial Planning. I thought I would share with each of you my concerns about the idea of socialized or Universal Healthcare. These are the answers I gave my friend:
1. I absolutely agree with and believe in what I do for a living. I'm not the type of person that enjoys having a job just to have a job and pay the bills- I value the fact that I'm helping people understand the whole Healthcare system and finding the best fit for them. I truly believe that I'm helping others through my work and I know that my clients very much value my feedback and advice. So I LOVE being an Insurance Agent! :-)
2. The Current Healthcare system is definitely flawed- however, every system in this country has some kind of flaw somewhere. Overall, I think we have a pretty great Healthcare System working for us - definitely one of the best in the world. Often times, As Americans, we forget how blessed we are to have the things we do - and we begin to de-value everything within our lives. This is also true of our healthcare. Since we live in a "now" mentality we are impatient to wait for change or won't work together with the Insurance Companies with any issues we have - we just throw our problems to the government and expect them to take care of us.
**Strengths of current system- FREEDOM OF CHOICE! You can choose your own plan to best fit your Medical Needs. Overall GREAT healthcare where you can see any doctor and have the freedom to get a second opinion at any point. Costs are another plus - most Businesses will pay for their employees health insurance costs - thus keeping the costs low. And higher risk people (AIDS, cancer, Coronary Artery Disease) are placed in a different payment pool so the healthy people don't have to be penalized in cost for the unhealthy.
**Weaknesses- Cost- The costs are increasing due to Increased Technology, New ways of doing procedures, increased Doctors Costs (they have to insure themselves for malpractice suits), Prescription Drug Cost, Hospital Services, and Increased Usage. What MOST people don't understand is that most Medical Insurance companies are NON-PROFIT organizations - which means in essence that legally they are NOT allowed to keep more than 3% of their annual revenue. That means the money is NOT going to the Insurance Companies but DIRECTLY to the consumers, doctors, hospitals, etc. for their increased everything (see list above). So the cost is a good thing in that we get better coverage overall - but it's a bad thing because it costs so much.... Talk about a conflict!
*BTW - EVERY governmentally supported Medical system is broken and barely functioning. We see this most greatly in Medicare. The system is running out of money because the Baby boomers are retiring and they didn't populate the earth enough to pay for their high cost Medical Bills (that's us - they didn't have enough kids to pay it forward). :-) HA! But serisouly, Medicare is a dying system that is a MESS To work with and no one in the government has any answers on how to fix it. Payments are not paid out according to the bills sent for patients. Medicare does not pay 100% of everything and does not pay for Preventive Care at all - and if you want good coverage for your Medicare you WILL have to buy a public Market "Supplement" or "MedAdvantage" Plan. So the government is proving left and right that they cannot support their own "Universal Healthcare" for old people. And you will still have to pay HUGE amounts of money out of pocket for the quality care so many are looking for.
3. Universal Healthcare is problematic simply because we lose the ability to CHOOSE. The government begins to make our decisions for us. With Capitalistic Medical (what we have now) Doctors, Hospitals, and Pharmacy's have the ability to "compete' for clients and usage. This encourages better growth and better care by the Hospitals and Doctors to keep people coming back to them. However, with Universal Healthcare competition is stifled and thus doctors will all be paid the same for the services rendered.
Another problem with Universal Healthcare is COST. People have this notion that the government has extra money lying around just waiting to be spent on us, the people. I'm not sure if you know this, but our national DEBT or DEFICIT is like at 7 trillion dollars at this point - and rising everyday! I would say that we don't have ANY extra money lying around. So then, how do we pay for everyone's healthcare? Oh simply by taxing the people more of course. And everyone likes having more cash in their pocket instead of paying the government more money - wouldn't you rather get the whole $1 instead of only $.70 cents of it? I think so.... :-) There are conservative estimates out there that if Universal Healthcare comes into effect many people can see their taxes rise up to 50% of their total income. So if you make $50,000 a year, $25,000 of it goes directly to the government and probably about $15,000 of it will be for healthcare (regardless of age and health history).
Yet another issue is FORCED participation. This means that with most of the plans out there you won't even legally be able to get a job unless you are enlisted in the Governmental Medical Plans. So if you don't want to pay for the cost of Insurance you will still be FORCED to pay for it anyway. And you lose your freedom of choice in the meantime.
We see another problem that has to do with ETHICS - because competition is stifled Individuals getting care are often placed on waiting lists for care (see video below). A great example of this is found in Canada where many Canadians are coming to the US for care because their doctors are overworked so much that some terminally ill people are turned away for care. So if you want to live America is the key to freedom from illness. For example, the Doctors in Canada see two patients one is 60 and one is 40. The 60 year old is in great health and takes care of his body, but has prostate cancer. The 40 year old also has cancer, but he is inactive, overweight, and diabetic. The Doctor can only treat and heal one person - and he sees the 40 year old as having more years to live because he's younger. So he treats the 40 year old and the 60 year old dies. Why in the world should doctors be making the choice of who deserves to be treated or who gets to live another day?? I don't think that should be the choice of the doctor but the choice of the PATIENT. Ethics my dear Watson... Ethics! :-)
I'm a little passionate about this -if you haven't noticed. :-) I've had many conversations with friends and family members about this. And in all honesty, Socialism is the way to demolish a society. We see this in Germany, North Korea, France, and many other countries. When we rob the rich to pay for the poor we are stifling economic growth and encouraged Small Business and Competition. Hopefully this little informaton has shone light upon a topic that is greatly influencing our world today.
Example Video!: http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php
Hi Everyone! So most of you know that I'm currently a licensed Insurance Agent and I work for an amazing company. I have a girl in my office that was writing a paper on the issue of Universal healthcare. In my job, she asked me a bunch of questions relevent to the topic and whether or not I believe in what I do. So what exactly do I do? I work to get Small Busineses and Individuals Medical, Dental, Long Term Care, Disability, Life Insurance, as well as Financial Planning. I thought I would share with each of you my concerns about the idea of socialized or Universal Healthcare. These are the answers I gave my friend:
1. I absolutely agree with and believe in what I do for a living. I'm not the type of person that enjoys having a job just to have a job and pay the bills- I value the fact that I'm helping people understand the whole Healthcare system and finding the best fit for them. I truly believe that I'm helping others through my work and I know that my clients very much value my feedback and advice. So I LOVE being an Insurance Agent! :-)
2. The Current Healthcare system is definitely flawed- however, every system in this country has some kind of flaw somewhere. Overall, I think we have a pretty great Healthcare System working for us - definitely one of the best in the world. Often times, As Americans, we forget how blessed we are to have the things we do - and we begin to de-value everything within our lives. This is also true of our healthcare. Since we live in a "now" mentality we are impatient to wait for change or won't work together with the Insurance Companies with any issues we have - we just throw our problems to the government and expect them to take care of us.
**Strengths of current system- FREEDOM OF CHOICE! You can choose your own plan to best fit your Medical Needs. Overall GREAT healthcare where you can see any doctor and have the freedom to get a second opinion at any point. Costs are another plus - most Businesses will pay for their employees health insurance costs - thus keeping the costs low. And higher risk people (AIDS, cancer, Coronary Artery Disease) are placed in a different payment pool so the healthy people don't have to be penalized in cost for the unhealthy.
**Weaknesses- Cost- The costs are increasing due to Increased Technology, New ways of doing procedures, increased Doctors Costs (they have to insure themselves for malpractice suits), Prescription Drug Cost, Hospital Services, and Increased Usage. What MOST people don't understand is that most Medical Insurance companies are NON-PROFIT organizations - which means in essence that legally they are NOT allowed to keep more than 3% of their annual revenue. That means the money is NOT going to the Insurance Companies but DIRECTLY to the consumers, doctors, hospitals, etc. for their increased everything (see list above). So the cost is a good thing in that we get better coverage overall - but it's a bad thing because it costs so much.... Talk about a conflict!
*BTW - EVERY governmentally supported Medical system is broken and barely functioning. We see this most greatly in Medicare. The system is running out of money because the Baby boomers are retiring and they didn't populate the earth enough to pay for their high cost Medical Bills (that's us - they didn't have enough kids to pay it forward). :-) HA! But serisouly, Medicare is a dying system that is a MESS To work with and no one in the government has any answers on how to fix it. Payments are not paid out according to the bills sent for patients. Medicare does not pay 100% of everything and does not pay for Preventive Care at all - and if you want good coverage for your Medicare you WILL have to buy a public Market "Supplement" or "MedAdvantage" Plan. So the government is proving left and right that they cannot support their own "Universal Healthcare" for old people. And you will still have to pay HUGE amounts of money out of pocket for the quality care so many are looking for.
3. Universal Healthcare is problematic simply because we lose the ability to CHOOSE. The government begins to make our decisions for us. With Capitalistic Medical (what we have now) Doctors, Hospitals, and Pharmacy's have the ability to "compete' for clients and usage. This encourages better growth and better care by the Hospitals and Doctors to keep people coming back to them. However, with Universal Healthcare competition is stifled and thus doctors will all be paid the same for the services rendered.
Another problem with Universal Healthcare is COST. People have this notion that the government has extra money lying around just waiting to be spent on us, the people. I'm not sure if you know this, but our national DEBT or DEFICIT is like at 7 trillion dollars at this point - and rising everyday! I would say that we don't have ANY extra money lying around. So then, how do we pay for everyone's healthcare? Oh simply by taxing the people more of course. And everyone likes having more cash in their pocket instead of paying the government more money - wouldn't you rather get the whole $1 instead of only $.70 cents of it? I think so.... :-) There are conservative estimates out there that if Universal Healthcare comes into effect many people can see their taxes rise up to 50% of their total income. So if you make $50,000 a year, $25,000 of it goes directly to the government and probably about $15,000 of it will be for healthcare (regardless of age and health history).
Yet another issue is FORCED participation. This means that with most of the plans out there you won't even legally be able to get a job unless you are enlisted in the Governmental Medical Plans. So if you don't want to pay for the cost of Insurance you will still be FORCED to pay for it anyway. And you lose your freedom of choice in the meantime.
We see another problem that has to do with ETHICS - because competition is stifled Individuals getting care are often placed on waiting lists for care (see video below). A great example of this is found in Canada where many Canadians are coming to the US for care because their doctors are overworked so much that some terminally ill people are turned away for care. So if you want to live America is the key to freedom from illness. For example, the Doctors in Canada see two patients one is 60 and one is 40. The 60 year old is in great health and takes care of his body, but has prostate cancer. The 40 year old also has cancer, but he is inactive, overweight, and diabetic. The Doctor can only treat and heal one person - and he sees the 40 year old as having more years to live because he's younger. So he treats the 40 year old and the 60 year old dies. Why in the world should doctors be making the choice of who deserves to be treated or who gets to live another day?? I don't think that should be the choice of the doctor but the choice of the PATIENT. Ethics my dear Watson... Ethics! :-)
I'm a little passionate about this -if you haven't noticed. :-) I've had many conversations with friends and family members about this. And in all honesty, Socialism is the way to demolish a society. We see this in Germany, North Korea, France, and many other countries. When we rob the rich to pay for the poor we are stifling economic growth and encouraged Small Business and Competition. Hopefully this little informaton has shone light upon a topic that is greatly influencing our world today.
Example Video!: http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Light and Momentary
Okay friends, I came across this verse the other day and had to share - and it's especially true in my life right now.
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." - II Corinthians 4:17.
So lately my life has seemed pretty much non-existent. I wake up every morning realizing that my day won't even end with me at home before 10pm. Often I am overwhelmed by the extreme amount of school work, business work, Cheer work, and personal relationships - and it gets to the point that I feel as though I can't even function. There are days that I sit in my bed and think, "whats the point of me even waking up anyways?" or "What do I have to look forward to?" I even sometimes despise the fact that I'm an adult now and can't have all the fun I had in my youth. It's frustrating and scary and often just plain annoying to be at this place in life.
However, this semester I'm taking an International Film class that is throwing me back into reality and making me be GRATEFUL for the life I lead. In the past two weeks we've watched "City of God" and "Innocent Voices". Both films depict the lives of children who are either thrown into armies at the age of 12 and told to beat, rape, and kill their own family members or are turned to gangs for their own survival. These films show the extreme poverty of 3rd world countries like El Salvador and many African countries. I can't even put into words the emotions that come over someone when they realize that innocent children are living lives of "normalcy" - which to them means someone close to them either dies or gets hurt everyday. There is no value in human life and the poverty just makes things worse for them. They hide on their rooftops or in trees from the army officials who are coming to steal them away from their childhoods. The cycle is never ending and each generation keeps it going. The children get younger and younger when they are recruited and seeing an 8 year old kill his 5 year old brother will definitely give you a wake up call. It's devastating and it's happening more now than ever before. But as Americans we always seem to put a blind eye to the "problems of the world".
It's after seeing films or reading newspaper articles like this that I literally sit and look at myself - almost disgusted for even complaining that I have can go to school or I have a job. What gives me the right to complain when there are people whose lives are thrown away so easily? What gives me the right to whine because I didn't get enough sleep last night? There are children and mothers around the world who would give anything to sleep peacefully for one night. What gives me the right to be frustrated with the "overwhelming" amount of time I've lost on furthering myself? There are families all around the world that give their OWN lives to save someone they love. I'm beginning to realize that my light and momentary struggles with school, work, and relationships are absolutely NOTHING compared to the extreme fear that more than half our world deals with every day.
Praise the Lord for giving us the eyes to see and the ears to hear so that we may change our outlook on life and instead of being frustrated - being grateful and thankful for the many blessings He pours out on each of us everyday. For our struggles are "light and momentary" compared to our eternal life with Him after this world passes away.
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." - II Corinthians 4:17.
So lately my life has seemed pretty much non-existent. I wake up every morning realizing that my day won't even end with me at home before 10pm. Often I am overwhelmed by the extreme amount of school work, business work, Cheer work, and personal relationships - and it gets to the point that I feel as though I can't even function. There are days that I sit in my bed and think, "whats the point of me even waking up anyways?" or "What do I have to look forward to?" I even sometimes despise the fact that I'm an adult now and can't have all the fun I had in my youth. It's frustrating and scary and often just plain annoying to be at this place in life.
However, this semester I'm taking an International Film class that is throwing me back into reality and making me be GRATEFUL for the life I lead. In the past two weeks we've watched "City of God" and "Innocent Voices". Both films depict the lives of children who are either thrown into armies at the age of 12 and told to beat, rape, and kill their own family members or are turned to gangs for their own survival. These films show the extreme poverty of 3rd world countries like El Salvador and many African countries. I can't even put into words the emotions that come over someone when they realize that innocent children are living lives of "normalcy" - which to them means someone close to them either dies or gets hurt everyday. There is no value in human life and the poverty just makes things worse for them. They hide on their rooftops or in trees from the army officials who are coming to steal them away from their childhoods. The cycle is never ending and each generation keeps it going. The children get younger and younger when they are recruited and seeing an 8 year old kill his 5 year old brother will definitely give you a wake up call. It's devastating and it's happening more now than ever before. But as Americans we always seem to put a blind eye to the "problems of the world".
It's after seeing films or reading newspaper articles like this that I literally sit and look at myself - almost disgusted for even complaining that I have can go to school or I have a job. What gives me the right to complain when there are people whose lives are thrown away so easily? What gives me the right to whine because I didn't get enough sleep last night? There are children and mothers around the world who would give anything to sleep peacefully for one night. What gives me the right to be frustrated with the "overwhelming" amount of time I've lost on furthering myself? There are families all around the world that give their OWN lives to save someone they love. I'm beginning to realize that my light and momentary struggles with school, work, and relationships are absolutely NOTHING compared to the extreme fear that more than half our world deals with every day.
Praise the Lord for giving us the eyes to see and the ears to hear so that we may change our outlook on life and instead of being frustrated - being grateful and thankful for the many blessings He pours out on each of us everyday. For our struggles are "light and momentary" compared to our eternal life with Him after this world passes away.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Love Actually - Teachings from the Pulpit
Love actually is all around. It's in the glance of a lover to their love. It's in the eyes of a mother hugging her children. It's in the hugs of a father for his son. Love is everywhere - if you just look close enough you will truly see that it's all over this world. This week Pastor Mike discussed the love of Christ for His Church in his message entitled, "Stranger than Fiction".
Often times we find that we reject the love of another, and especially God's love because of our fear. Fear is a paralyzing emotion that forces everyone to freeze. Recently, in my own life I've found that fear has held me back from accomplishing the things I've always wanted to do. Looking back over the past two years or so, I've seen me go from a confident, enthusiastic girl into an extremely fearful, stressed, and emotionally drained woman. I feared everything from food poisening, to failing at something, to losing someone I loved, to bridges, even to the point that I was afraid to drive my own car. I don't know where the fear came from, but often times hindsight is better than foresight. I now realize that the reason I was so fearful was because I had put Christ out of the center of my life and into a closet somewhere. I started depending on people instead of God. I started trusting only myself, not Christ. And through that I went into a depression, truthfully loaded with crippling fear.
However, over the past few months I've begun to realize that I have nothing to fear except a life without God. Pastor Mike put it this way today, "Where there is sin, there is bondage". And I was sinning against Christ by pushing him aside and by my own pride deciding that I knew better than Him. Hebrews 4:15 puts it this way, "For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet is without sin".
The first step to get out of bondage is to 1. Recognize where you've falled short of God's Best for your life - get real an evaluate your life choices. "When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long... Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone!" - Ps. 32:3-5
The second step is to 2. Replace your agenda with God's - agree with God's plans for your life - not your own. Living with your eye on the past only hinders you from achieving great things in your future. "There is no fear in love. But perfect lvoe drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." -I Johns 4:18
And third, we need to 3. Receive Healing by forgiving yourself. This is vital to being able to understand the great love of Christ. And before we can forgive ourselves we have to forgive those who have hurt or abused us in the past. For me, that's forgiving my own father who for years held me in bondage of emotional and physcial abuse and one who choose to find another woman to satisfy his "needs" instead of coming to his own wife. His addition to hurting us has made me so bitter towards men in general. It's made me not trust any man. However, bitterness is not an option - because it's only holding me back from living my life while my dad lives his without a care in the world. And often times when someone is abused for years we blame ourselves for the abuse by reciting things like, "it's my fault because I'm not good enough" or "he's doing this because I'm a disappointment". The questions roam in my head, even to this day, "Why doesn't he love me?" "Why am I such a disappointment?" = the fact of the matter is that it's not about me - it's about my father's insecurities and problems.
So finally, we need to realize that love covers a multitude of sins. Once we have taken the steps to get the healing we need - we need to "love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" -I Peter 4:8 And God loves us always, unconditionally, deeply, and forever - We are loved!! :-)
Often times we find that we reject the love of another, and especially God's love because of our fear. Fear is a paralyzing emotion that forces everyone to freeze. Recently, in my own life I've found that fear has held me back from accomplishing the things I've always wanted to do. Looking back over the past two years or so, I've seen me go from a confident, enthusiastic girl into an extremely fearful, stressed, and emotionally drained woman. I feared everything from food poisening, to failing at something, to losing someone I loved, to bridges, even to the point that I was afraid to drive my own car. I don't know where the fear came from, but often times hindsight is better than foresight. I now realize that the reason I was so fearful was because I had put Christ out of the center of my life and into a closet somewhere. I started depending on people instead of God. I started trusting only myself, not Christ. And through that I went into a depression, truthfully loaded with crippling fear.
However, over the past few months I've begun to realize that I have nothing to fear except a life without God. Pastor Mike put it this way today, "Where there is sin, there is bondage". And I was sinning against Christ by pushing him aside and by my own pride deciding that I knew better than Him. Hebrews 4:15 puts it this way, "For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet is without sin".
The first step to get out of bondage is to 1. Recognize where you've falled short of God's Best for your life - get real an evaluate your life choices. "When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long... Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone!" - Ps. 32:3-5
The second step is to 2. Replace your agenda with God's - agree with God's plans for your life - not your own. Living with your eye on the past only hinders you from achieving great things in your future. "There is no fear in love. But perfect lvoe drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." -I Johns 4:18
And third, we need to 3. Receive Healing by forgiving yourself. This is vital to being able to understand the great love of Christ. And before we can forgive ourselves we have to forgive those who have hurt or abused us in the past. For me, that's forgiving my own father who for years held me in bondage of emotional and physcial abuse and one who choose to find another woman to satisfy his "needs" instead of coming to his own wife. His addition to hurting us has made me so bitter towards men in general. It's made me not trust any man. However, bitterness is not an option - because it's only holding me back from living my life while my dad lives his without a care in the world. And often times when someone is abused for years we blame ourselves for the abuse by reciting things like, "it's my fault because I'm not good enough" or "he's doing this because I'm a disappointment". The questions roam in my head, even to this day, "Why doesn't he love me?" "Why am I such a disappointment?" = the fact of the matter is that it's not about me - it's about my father's insecurities and problems.
So finally, we need to realize that love covers a multitude of sins. Once we have taken the steps to get the healing we need - we need to "love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" -I Peter 4:8 And God loves us always, unconditionally, deeply, and forever - We are loved!! :-)
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Teachings from the Pulpit
Marriage- we are gathered here together today to speak about Marriage. That's right kids, Pastor mike has discussed the institution of marriage and how we are to act within the sacred relationship between man and woman. There were some wonderful insights spoken today and new light shed on the importance of marriage and how we are to work together to make a marriage successful.
First off, each and every one of us has desires in life - owning a home, having a nice car, traveling, raising a family. Often times when we take the step into the convenant of marriage our desires turn into expectations. We expect our spouses to provide a house or a family or a car, instead of going into marriage with mutual goals and wants to work towards together. It's selfishness that leads to our expectations in marriage- because too often, as humans, we want what we want when we want it.
Selfishness - that is the number one reason that so many marriages have problems and fail in the world today. Selfishness. Isn't it incredible to realize that we have the ability to make or break any relationship in our lives by the amount of selfishness we carry into the relationship? What's the point of bringing someone else down for our own gain? There is none - we are here, as Christians, to build each other up and touch lives around us that don't know Christ - and how are we going to do this if all we can think about is ourselves? Interesting...
Now for the wives. We all know the scripture found in Eph. 5:22 - "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord." What does this really mean? Is it that women are called to be men's doormats in the world -to serve them and clean up after them, in essence being their maids? No - absolutely not! What Paul is teaching us is that our of Reverence for Christ we are to submit to our husbands. Out of love and respect to our Savior we are called to love and respect the man we are given while here on earth.
And husbands - the verse for your lives is Eph. 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." What this verse means is to literally sacrifice your life as Christ sacrificed his life for every human on earth. That means loving your wives self-LESSly and communicating to her by your words and actions that she is a priority in your life and of utmost importance. This means, in essence, choosing your wife over the duties this world calls you to (work, sports, friends, etc). By loving your wife sacrificially you show your love not only for her, but for Jesus.
Mike closed with this question "What does your spouse owe you?" The answer? Absolutely nothing. Christ placed our significant others within our lives to display to His children His sacrificial love for us - so that we may understand first hand, all that He does for us.
The best part of the whole sermon was the example Pastor Mike gave about keeping our spouses on a "short leash". He literally had a leash on the stage and depicted how we treat our spouses on a daily basis "Oh, you got home on time tonight, good boy!" or "Oh, you actually were smart with the money I gave you - good girl!". We literally try to parent our spouses instead of loving them and working with them on an equal playing field. A good marriage is precious and it needs to be tended to and cultivated in order to flourish, especially in today's society. And prayer... prayer is a powerful tool at keeping any relationship alive and well today - a couple that prays together stays together.
Love and Respect. It what it all boils down to. Men love your wives, women respect your husbands. It's actually all found in a great book too - ironically called "Love and Respect". I hope that each and every one of you find the person that demonstrates God's love and Respect toward you. That we may each be extremely blessed in every relationship within our lives - and never take those around us for granted.
First off, each and every one of us has desires in life - owning a home, having a nice car, traveling, raising a family. Often times when we take the step into the convenant of marriage our desires turn into expectations. We expect our spouses to provide a house or a family or a car, instead of going into marriage with mutual goals and wants to work towards together. It's selfishness that leads to our expectations in marriage- because too often, as humans, we want what we want when we want it.
Selfishness - that is the number one reason that so many marriages have problems and fail in the world today. Selfishness. Isn't it incredible to realize that we have the ability to make or break any relationship in our lives by the amount of selfishness we carry into the relationship? What's the point of bringing someone else down for our own gain? There is none - we are here, as Christians, to build each other up and touch lives around us that don't know Christ - and how are we going to do this if all we can think about is ourselves? Interesting...
Now for the wives. We all know the scripture found in Eph. 5:22 - "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord." What does this really mean? Is it that women are called to be men's doormats in the world -to serve them and clean up after them, in essence being their maids? No - absolutely not! What Paul is teaching us is that our of Reverence for Christ we are to submit to our husbands. Out of love and respect to our Savior we are called to love and respect the man we are given while here on earth.
And husbands - the verse for your lives is Eph. 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." What this verse means is to literally sacrifice your life as Christ sacrificed his life for every human on earth. That means loving your wives self-LESSly and communicating to her by your words and actions that she is a priority in your life and of utmost importance. This means, in essence, choosing your wife over the duties this world calls you to (work, sports, friends, etc). By loving your wife sacrificially you show your love not only for her, but for Jesus.
Mike closed with this question "What does your spouse owe you?" The answer? Absolutely nothing. Christ placed our significant others within our lives to display to His children His sacrificial love for us - so that we may understand first hand, all that He does for us.
The best part of the whole sermon was the example Pastor Mike gave about keeping our spouses on a "short leash". He literally had a leash on the stage and depicted how we treat our spouses on a daily basis "Oh, you got home on time tonight, good boy!" or "Oh, you actually were smart with the money I gave you - good girl!". We literally try to parent our spouses instead of loving them and working with them on an equal playing field. A good marriage is precious and it needs to be tended to and cultivated in order to flourish, especially in today's society. And prayer... prayer is a powerful tool at keeping any relationship alive and well today - a couple that prays together stays together.
Love and Respect. It what it all boils down to. Men love your wives, women respect your husbands. It's actually all found in a great book too - ironically called "Love and Respect". I hope that each and every one of you find the person that demonstrates God's love and Respect toward you. That we may each be extremely blessed in every relationship within our lives - and never take those around us for granted.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Treat her like a Lady!
Okay kids, it's been awhile, and my apologies for that... I've just found out that my life is pretty much going to be non-existent for the next 4 months or so. No Joke... literally NO life! But that's okay, by the end of it all I should FINALLY have a Degree... Praise God! :-)
Anyways, I've been thinking lately about the ways in which guys can win girls hearts over. It's honestly pretty easy, but you have to be diligent and keep her as a prized possession of yours. Here are a few good things to make a girl appreciate and love you for who you are..... enjoy!
1. Compliment her often- if you think she looks good or cute - telll her everytime. There is never enough compliments in a girls mind - and we LOVE them!
2. Bring her flowers frequently. We never tire of looking at something pretty.
3. Respect her always - this means opening all doors for her (even the car door), walking on the outside of the street, defending her when she is being threatened, and looking to meet her safety needs at all times.
4. Pray for her daily. Even if you don't even know who the certain someone for your life is right now, still pray for the right time and place for the two of you to meet.
5. Be on her side - you're a team - so why not work like a team, encouraging and supporting one another?
6. Take interest in the things that make her heart sing - that may be a favorite movie of hers, a pasttime she loves, books she enjoys reading, or organizations she's a part of.
7. Encourage her often to reach for the stars - know what her dreams and goals are and remind her often that she can do anything with dedication and focus. Be optimistic always.
8. When she's sad or scared just HOLD her for awhile. We don't need many words here - just a "it's going to be alright" and an "I love you". It's all we need - I promise - in a girls world a simple hug and one sentence can cure almost all woes.
9. Don't be afraid to apologize and admit you are wrong. We all make mistakes and it's not only the girls responsibility to apologize - swallow the pride here and fess up when it's appropriate.
10. Dance. Take her in your arms somewhere and dance to the music of your hearts (or the music on the radio) and just dance with her. Let her know of your love and your passion for her by gently dancing.
Okay, so there are many more things that can be done to make the love of your life sing... and I'd love anymore pieces of advice that anyone can give me. However, as a female, the things listed above are absolutely vital to the growth of a relationship. Sensitivity and patience are key to any successful relationship. Often times, however, we take our partners for granted and force them to the side instead of appreciating them for all they do in our lives. Unfortunatley, our world is exceedingly pessimistic about life and love - but for the success of any relationship we need to be constantly optimistic and continually growing the bond we have between one another.
My prayer tonight is that we would realize how we take our relationships for granted and how we can take simple steps to making sure that the important things in life are fulfilled. You can replace a car, a house, or a job. But we can NEVER replace the people in our lives. So let's work together at not taking them for granted.
One last note that I thought of today. If you had a second chance with anyone in the world - a friend, a parent, a lover, a sibling, a distance family member - what would you say to them now? And what is holding you back from making amends with one of the most influencial and important people in your life? We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and we are not even guaranteed the end of today.... but we have the choice and the opportunity to live each day of our lives to the fullest, and that includes with the people of importance in our lives as well....
Anyways, I've been thinking lately about the ways in which guys can win girls hearts over. It's honestly pretty easy, but you have to be diligent and keep her as a prized possession of yours. Here are a few good things to make a girl appreciate and love you for who you are..... enjoy!
1. Compliment her often- if you think she looks good or cute - telll her everytime. There is never enough compliments in a girls mind - and we LOVE them!
2. Bring her flowers frequently. We never tire of looking at something pretty.
3. Respect her always - this means opening all doors for her (even the car door), walking on the outside of the street, defending her when she is being threatened, and looking to meet her safety needs at all times.
4. Pray for her daily. Even if you don't even know who the certain someone for your life is right now, still pray for the right time and place for the two of you to meet.
5. Be on her side - you're a team - so why not work like a team, encouraging and supporting one another?
6. Take interest in the things that make her heart sing - that may be a favorite movie of hers, a pasttime she loves, books she enjoys reading, or organizations she's a part of.
7. Encourage her often to reach for the stars - know what her dreams and goals are and remind her often that she can do anything with dedication and focus. Be optimistic always.
8. When she's sad or scared just HOLD her for awhile. We don't need many words here - just a "it's going to be alright" and an "I love you". It's all we need - I promise - in a girls world a simple hug and one sentence can cure almost all woes.
9. Don't be afraid to apologize and admit you are wrong. We all make mistakes and it's not only the girls responsibility to apologize - swallow the pride here and fess up when it's appropriate.
10. Dance. Take her in your arms somewhere and dance to the music of your hearts (or the music on the radio) and just dance with her. Let her know of your love and your passion for her by gently dancing.
Okay, so there are many more things that can be done to make the love of your life sing... and I'd love anymore pieces of advice that anyone can give me. However, as a female, the things listed above are absolutely vital to the growth of a relationship. Sensitivity and patience are key to any successful relationship. Often times, however, we take our partners for granted and force them to the side instead of appreciating them for all they do in our lives. Unfortunatley, our world is exceedingly pessimistic about life and love - but for the success of any relationship we need to be constantly optimistic and continually growing the bond we have between one another.
My prayer tonight is that we would realize how we take our relationships for granted and how we can take simple steps to making sure that the important things in life are fulfilled. You can replace a car, a house, or a job. But we can NEVER replace the people in our lives. So let's work together at not taking them for granted.
One last note that I thought of today. If you had a second chance with anyone in the world - a friend, a parent, a lover, a sibling, a distance family member - what would you say to them now? And what is holding you back from making amends with one of the most influencial and important people in your life? We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and we are not even guaranteed the end of today.... but we have the choice and the opportunity to live each day of our lives to the fullest, and that includes with the people of importance in our lives as well....
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