Thursday, September 6, 2007
Don't Give Up Without a Fight!
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed
for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned
back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32
Three men went exploring in the jungles of Africa when suddenly and
unexpectedly two of them fell into quicksand. The third man who was on
the banks tried several times to rescue them but with no success. In the
meantime the two men in the quicksand slowly sank further down.
When it seemed like all hope was lost, one of the men began to struggle
vigorously. The man on the bank yelled to him, "Don't fight it, you will
only sink faster!" In spite of his warnings the man continued to fight,
and sure enough, he began to sink faster. Realizing that his condition
was getting worse, he still refused to sink without a fight. He
continued to struggle and fight while hearing the warnings from both
men, "Be still and don't fight it! You will only sink faster!"
Finally, just when his situation appeared to be hopeless, something
miraculous happened. Somehow, just before he was about to go under for
good, his hand touched the solid ground of embankment. He continued to
struggle until he pulled himself within a few feet of the embankment.
When the man on the shore saw that he was close enough to be rescued, he
ran to the embankment, extended his hand to him, and pulled him safely
to the shore.
After his rescue, the man turned to his friend who was still in the
quicksand. He yelled to him, "Fight! Fight with all you have! If I can
do it, you can too!" The man yelled back to him, "But I've been in here
too long! I've sunk deeper than you were! It's too late for me! I can't
make it! Tell my family I love them!" In spite of the many urgings and
promptings of the men on the shore, he refused to fight. Minutes later,
his head was completed submerged under the quicksand.
A few days later, they held a memorial for the man who died. They wept,
mourned, and expressed their sympathy for him. A few years later, one of
his children scratched these words on his tombstone, "Here lies a man
who didn't think his wife and children were worth fighting for. "
In contrast, they hailed the man who fought his way to the shore. Many
from miles around were inspired and encouraged by his determination to
live. They wrote books, sang songs, and conducted plays to spread his
story and inspire others. His family was extremely proud of him.
The hard cold reality of life is this: "No one admires a person who is
overcome by difficulties in life. They are pitied, mourned, and
sympathized." However, when a person faces the most difficult of
circumstances and fights their way out, that person is admired and
serves as a source of inspiration and encouragement for others.
It boils down to this: What do you want to be? Pitied or admired?
Prayer: My Father in heaven. There have been so many heartaches in my
life. Sometimes I want to give in to the voices inside, but Your grace
and mercy keep me going. I thank You for your peace and strength. I pray
in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Focus: God has brought me too far to give up now!
for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned
back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:31-32
Three men went exploring in the jungles of Africa when suddenly and
unexpectedly two of them fell into quicksand. The third man who was on
the banks tried several times to rescue them but with no success. In the
meantime the two men in the quicksand slowly sank further down.
When it seemed like all hope was lost, one of the men began to struggle
vigorously. The man on the bank yelled to him, "Don't fight it, you will
only sink faster!" In spite of his warnings the man continued to fight,
and sure enough, he began to sink faster. Realizing that his condition
was getting worse, he still refused to sink without a fight. He
continued to struggle and fight while hearing the warnings from both
men, "Be still and don't fight it! You will only sink faster!"
Finally, just when his situation appeared to be hopeless, something
miraculous happened. Somehow, just before he was about to go under for
good, his hand touched the solid ground of embankment. He continued to
struggle until he pulled himself within a few feet of the embankment.
When the man on the shore saw that he was close enough to be rescued, he
ran to the embankment, extended his hand to him, and pulled him safely
to the shore.
After his rescue, the man turned to his friend who was still in the
quicksand. He yelled to him, "Fight! Fight with all you have! If I can
do it, you can too!" The man yelled back to him, "But I've been in here
too long! I've sunk deeper than you were! It's too late for me! I can't
make it! Tell my family I love them!" In spite of the many urgings and
promptings of the men on the shore, he refused to fight. Minutes later,
his head was completed submerged under the quicksand.
A few days later, they held a memorial for the man who died. They wept,
mourned, and expressed their sympathy for him. A few years later, one of
his children scratched these words on his tombstone, "Here lies a man
who didn't think his wife and children were worth fighting for. "
In contrast, they hailed the man who fought his way to the shore. Many
from miles around were inspired and encouraged by his determination to
live. They wrote books, sang songs, and conducted plays to spread his
story and inspire others. His family was extremely proud of him.
The hard cold reality of life is this: "No one admires a person who is
overcome by difficulties in life. They are pitied, mourned, and
sympathized." However, when a person faces the most difficult of
circumstances and fights their way out, that person is admired and
serves as a source of inspiration and encouragement for others.
It boils down to this: What do you want to be? Pitied or admired?
Prayer: My Father in heaven. There have been so many heartaches in my
life. Sometimes I want to give in to the voices inside, but Your grace
and mercy keep me going. I thank You for your peace and strength. I pray
in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Focus: God has brought me too far to give up now!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
A Celebration
Today we celebrated my children's interim reports
They seem to have
mastered all courses including electives
with the exception of Music
in which Kirby dropped to an 87.5%
(in which I'm sure she can bring up in
the next 3 weeks)
How proud I am of both
she and William
I take extreme pride in this
not just because they are my
children
but because as a single parent
I have to make time for study
we learn daily
we study daily
weekdays, weeknights and spring/summer/winter breaks
it's hard work
We Learn together
So we ate crab, broccoli and fettucini noodles
with Texas toast
with fresh fruit
and sparkling drink in the champagne glass
and water in the other
and we lit the candles
and we toasted several times
with several rounds of drink
and dinner napkins
beautiful stoneware and marble handled silverware
and we had a ball
and we didn't have to go far away
to enjoy
and we served ourselves
and we were joyous and loving
We couldn't ask for a better celebration
They seem to have
mastered all courses including electives
with the exception of Music
in which Kirby dropped to an 87.5%
(in which I'm sure she can bring up in
the next 3 weeks)
How proud I am of both
she and William
I take extreme pride in this
not just because they are my
children
but because as a single parent
I have to make time for study
we learn daily
we study daily
weekdays, weeknights and spring/summer/winter breaks
it's hard work
We Learn together
So we ate crab, broccoli and fettucini noodles
with Texas toast
with fresh fruit
and sparkling drink in the champagne glass
and water in the other
and we lit the candles
and we toasted several times
with several rounds of drink
and dinner napkins
beautiful stoneware and marble handled silverware
and we had a ball
and we didn't have to go far away
to enjoy
and we served ourselves
and we were joyous and loving
We couldn't ask for a better celebration
What I see in your Eyes
I see that you have been raped of your innocence
You have been manipulated and stripped of your resources
You were beaten of your strength
Broken down to the lowest common denominator
Humiliated and degraded
Torn apart and never rebuilt
I see the tear in your eye
The strain of your sight
I see the whole you
I see the unadulterated Word
in your eye
I see you
America
You have been manipulated and stripped of your resources
You were beaten of your strength
Broken down to the lowest common denominator
Humiliated and degraded
Torn apart and never rebuilt
I see the tear in your eye
The strain of your sight
I see the whole you
I see the unadulterated Word
in your eye
I see you
America
What I love about You---Life (part III)
Macaroni and cheese casserole; swimming; cable TV; Martha's Vineyard salad; DSL, light rock music; seashells; the English language; international circus; oratorical contests; compliments; Sydney's smile; horseback riding; throwing horseshoes; talking late night; dreaming; giving analogies; reaching out to those in need; cleaning my auto; playing table tennis; lacrosse, football, volleyball and soccer; reading the newspaper after letting my co-worker read it; reviewing Craig's list; reading The Onion newsletter; watching comedy; eating calamari; discussing current events; & juggling various projects.
CELL PHONE vs. BIBLE
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?!
What if we gave it to our kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where IS my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry
about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
And no dropped calls!
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?!
What if we gave it to our kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where IS my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry
about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
And no dropped calls!
Monday, May 14, 2007
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