The Paradoxical Commandments

In 1968, when Kent M. Keith was a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard, he wrote the following 'Paradoxical Commandments' as part of a booklet for student leaders. He describes the Commandments as guidelines for finding personal meaning in the face of adversity: People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Facing the Inevitable (Rob Chaffart)

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians15:55) In our society we don't like to talk much about death. After all, our world is geared towards entertainment and having fun. Still, every day thousands of people have no choice but to face the inevitable, and many do so filled with fear, which is a common factor among humans wandering on this planet. Some are more than fearful. They are terrified. Believers aren't immune to this either. A pastor from the other side of North America was such an encouragement to my wife when she faced cancer last year. They both had two things in common: my wife's best friend was his daughter and they both had cancer. He was a breath of fresh air to my wife, even though he faced the same deadly disease. The outcome wasn't the same though. My wife was healed, but this faithful, devoted pastor faced death, and at one point, he had to admit that he was afraid. How would any of us react when we realize that our organs are slowly shutting down? My mother-in-law also concurred that she was afraid when she was recently admitted in a local hospital. But not about death itself. She was afraid about the process of dying, which she would rather skip. This is where we, as believers, differ from others. We anticipate going to our Heavenly home, but we are aware of our frailties when going through the process of suffering. Death is not was fazes us. It is the suffering that we really don't prefer. However, we, who are followers of the Most High, have nothing to fear, for we know where we are going. Yes, the process may not be quite that enjoyable, but we don't have to face this alone! Jesus went way out of His way to make certain of this. Born in a manger, He was destined to die the goriest death possible: death by asphyxiation. Still, even though He knew about this in advance, He was unfazed by it. Instead He concentrated on His ministry of love towards humanity. However even Jesus faced fear. Just moments before his eventual arrest, it is written that: ". . . Being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44, NIV2) Jesus truly can identify with what we are going through. Notice that even though His own disciples weren't much of an encouragement, as they were asleep while Jesus was facing this terror, He was encouraged from heaven above! "An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him." (Luke 22:43, NIV2) What humans were unable to do, God did! Jesus allowed Himself to die on a lonely cross, with the only purpose being to defeat death and to open the door to immortality. Being pure, He rose on the third day, as prophesied in the Old Testament, and confirmed that "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:54b) Now we can firmly stand facing death and ask ourselves "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55, NIV2) Thanks to Jesus, the fear of death is broken: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14-15, NIV2). He stands by us, identifying with us, encouraging us that we have truly nothing to fear. We are not alone in this! He stands by our side! We are going home! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4, KJV) Someone wrote to me recently and shared the following with me: "Thank you so much for your prayers for my dad. Today morning at 10:30 AM he left us to be with the Lord for ever. I am glad that he is now with the Lord and what died is not him but his old age, his pain, his sickness and his suffering. All of this died but my dad is living with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of heaven. I had the privilege of telling him about the Lord and His Kingdom and encouraged him to think about heaven before he passed off into eternity. I also prayed with him and as he was gasping in the last stages, he held my hand and slept off peacefully to open his eyes in front of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am at peace with this assurance that I will certainly see him one day with the Lord and will be united with him again to enter that land of peace and praise." Only Jesus can give us that inner peace and remove the fear that haunts us. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV) We, as Christians, have a task as well. It's our mission to encourage those who need someone to stand by them: "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:13, NIV2) It's easy to become discouraged, but as long as we focus on the Christ, the One who was victorious over death, fear will evaporate into nothingness. After all, Jesus is our peace: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, NIV2) Jesus did indeed "overcome the world", and we can too, with His help. I am assured that I will be able to meet this pastor who was an inspiration to my wife. What a great reunion this will be when we gather at the banquet hall of the Most High Himself. Are you an encourager? If not yet, you still can become one. Make a difference and let God transform you into a bright shining star. Death is not the end, it is just the beginning. Just like a child in its mother's womb, when his time comes, that child gets to meet his mother in person. In the same way, we will meet our Heavenly Father in person as well! Wow! From: a2p@answers2prayer.org http://www.sermonillustrator.org/

Jesse Myers

"...It takes a lot more faith to believe that some matter somehow compressed itself into a dense ball, then suddenly exploded for an unknown reason, gathered into gaseous balls called stars, and one star happened to have planets around it, and one planet happened to be able to support life, which evolved from cooling lava to amoebas to fish to apes to people. All that versus 'In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.'"

Becoming As Children... (By Nancy Dahlberg)

This is a first-person account from a mother about her family as they ate dinner on Christmas Day in a small restaurant many miles from their home. Sally, the mother, relates: We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee. He pounded his fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and the man answered, "Hi, hi there." Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's pick-me-up, position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain and hard labor - gently, so gently cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm, commanding voice, "You take care of this baby." Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift." I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking - "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?", when He Shared His for All Eternity. The ragged old man unwittingly had reminded me, "To enter The Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."

Rich Mullins, the "Awesome God" guy

But, you know, as a Christian, one of the biggest questions you always ask yourself is, 'So we believe in Jesus, we believe in the teachings of the church, but what does that look like when it's lived out.' Because surely, one of the things that Jesus said that I think we often overlook is, 'The person who hears my words and does them is like the wise man who built his house on the rock.' He didn't say 'the person who hears my words and thinks about 'em' or 'whoever hears my words and agrees with it.' But he said, 'Whoever hears it and does it.'

"Mary's Dream . . ." (By Lloyd D. Lance)

"I had a dream Joseph. I do not understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about. "The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought new gifts. "It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren't for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree. "Yes, a tree, Joseph, right in their house! They decorated the tree, also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on the top of the tree. It looked like an angel might look. Oh, it was beautiful. "Everyone was laughing and happy. They were all excited about the gifts. "They gave the gifts to each other, Joseph, not to our Son. I don't think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name. "Doesn't it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone's birthday if they don't know Him? "I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding. "Everything was so beautiful, Joseph, and everyone so full of cheer, but it made me want to cry. "How sad for Jesus . . . not to be wanted at His own birthday celebration. "I'm glad it was only a dream. "How terrible, Joseph, if it had been real."

John Piper

But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.

Power of the Printed Page

"A student at Jacksonville University in Florida was given a tract. The student crumpled the pamphlet up and tossed it into a trash bin in his dorm. Later, his dorm mate picked it out of the trash, read it, and was soundly saved. He is now a pastor of a church in Florida." "A Christian I met in a home group said he was raking litter off the Avon River. It was dull, boring work and he often wondered what life was all about. One day he raked a soggy piece of paper off the water and decided it was interesting enough to keep, so he carefully placed it in his bag and took it home. That evening he dried the paper in front of a heater and carefully unfolded it, then he read it. It was a gospel tract. He became a Christian that evening." -- Richard Gunther Billy Graham said, "Nothing surpasses a tract for sowing the seed of the Good News." From The Evidence Bible, page 1249.

8 Foul Things You Should Never Ever Say About Yourself

Sometimes we are our own worst critics and sometimes we don’t realize the damage we do to when we utter somethings. I found this interesting article which talks of those little but damaging things we say to ourselves and I thought, I should share this and drum rolls please…….here it is. 1. “I’m not good enough yet.” You might think you’re not good enough, but you’ll surprise yourself if you keep trying. Your past does not determine who you are. Your past prepares you for who you are capable of becoming. What ultimately defines you is how well you rise after falling. 2. “I should be living up to other people’s expectations.” Remember, it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t. Happiness and success is all about spending your life in your own way. Always be yourself and walk your own path. No one can ever tell you you’re doing it wrong. Everyone has their own dreams, their own struggles, and a different path that makes sense for them. You are YOU for a reason. 3. “What they think and say about me matters.” What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? Don’t let others crush your dreams. Do just once what they say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their negativity again. Don’t walk away from these negative people… RUN! Good things happen when you distance yourself from negativity and those who create it. 4. “I need recognition for my actions to be worthwhile.” Do what you know is right. Integrity is doing the right thing, no matter what, even when nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. Life always finds its balance. Don’t expect to get back everything you give. Don’t expect recognition for every effort you make. And don’t expect your kindness to be instantly recognized or your love to be understood by everyone you encounter. 5. “It’s too late for me.” Don’t let yesterday steal your present. Don’t judge yourself by your past… you don’t live there anymore. Let go, grow, and move forward. As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is a step forward. Sometimes a break from your routine is exactly what you need. Unless you try to master something beyond what you already know, you will feel forever stuck. 6. “I need to have it all figured out.” Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker? Believe it or not, sometimes it’s the latter. Sometimes the greatest dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had. It’s about open-minded exploration. There are no wrong turns in life, only paths you didn’t know you were meant to walk. You never can be certain what’s around the corner. 7. “I do not have enough to be positive and grateful.” Some days you’ll find diamonds and some days all you’ll see is coal. However, every day is a golden opportunity to learn, practice gratitude, and positively impact the world around you. Do not ask for instant fulfillment in your life, but for patience to accept your current frustrations. Do not ask for perfection in all you do, but for the wisdom to not repeat past mistakes. Do not ask for more before saying, “THANK YOU” for everything you have already received. 8. “My life should be easier and free of discomfort.” Great challenges make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful. It’s how you deal with failure and discomfort that determines your level of success and happiness. Laugh at your mistakes and learn from them. Joke about your troubles and gather strength from them. Have fun with the challenges you face and then conquer them. Source: Marc and Angel Hack Life

Could it be....

"Could it be that God 'feels'? Could God be capable of passion? Could God be excited or must He be austere? Are we comfortable with the image of God as Father and nervous about God as Lover (some of us even prefer God as Parent - less a personality, more an ideal). Are we happy to have God be the Creator, but scared to think of Him as being Creative? Do we like God being an engineer, but balk at His being an artist? Does His being a logician comfort us, but His being a poet threaten us? Do we enjoy the glow of God's light, but shade ourselves from the heat of his flames? Does the idea that Jesus tolerated the sinful woman's anointing of His feet and John resting his head on Jesus' breast make us squirm, so the thought that Jesus enjoyed this makes us sick? How is it that we can accept that Moses saw a bush that burned and was not consumed, yet we doubt that God can love in a rage and never cool?" - Rich Mullins, the "Awesome God" guy

Echoes Of My Heart: But Let Not God Speak To Us

Echoes Of My Heart: But Let Not God Speak To Us: Lately the church has been in the news mostly for all the wrong reasons. It is saddening to see the one institution that is supposed to ...

Billy Graham Says

I have talked to doctors and nurses who have held the hands of dying people, and they say that there is as much difference between the death of a Christian and a non-Christian as there is between heaven and hell.

Some Gifts You Should Give To Loved Ones.

John 13:34-35(NIV) 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Gift of listening. Gift of affection. Gift of laughter. Gift of a written note. Gift of a compliment. Gift of a favor. Gift of solitude. Gift of a cheerful disposition.