Just Needs Someone To Care.
20 Life Lessons that Walking Your Dog Can Teach You
Written by Christina Villa
Dogs are pretty straightforward creatures. They live in the moment, don’t hold grudges, and love unconditionally. We can learn a lot from them.
1. Stop to smell the roses (and the fire hydrant, the stop sign, every tree). Slow down and notice the sights, sounds, and smells of your everyday life. You love them all whether you’re aware of it or not. People who recover from a long illness know this.
3. Never give up. Ever see a dog try to chase a squirrel up a tree? They jump, claw at the tree, and bark their heads off. They don’t just standthereandthink”NowayIcangetupthere.” Ifit’s important to you, don’t be daunted by the seemingly impossible.
4. Know how to give up with grace. After jumping, clawing, and barking, dogs decide they have done their best. Without bitterness, they resume their walk. They move on. Do the same the next time you are frustrated by some person or situation that has outsmarted you.
5. Stay curious. Your dog will stop to check out the exact same mailbox or telephone pole that she has checked out 3,000 times before. Something might be different. You never know.
6. Vary your route. Turn left instead of right at that corner. Take a new trail in the woods. See more, do more, meet new people. Remember that everything familiar and beloved was once new and strange.
7. Be sensible. Some dogs turn around and go back in the house when they see it’s pouring rain out. Don’t walk into situations that you can plainly see will leave you sopping wet. Use the sense God gave a beagle.
8. Heel. Don’t get ahead of yourself by taking on too much or getting in over your head. Stick close to the beliefs that guide you.
9. Pick up after yourself. Do the right thing, even if no one’s looking and you can get away with leaving a mess for the next unsuspecting person to step in.
10. Know when it’s OK to be off the leash—and when it’s not. You’re less likely to get run over by a truck if you make smart decisions about when to let yourself go and when to keep yourself in check.
11. Dream big. If you let a border collie off the leash at the beach, he will herd the seagulls until they remember they can fly. Follow your instincts and challenge yourself. Herd those seagulls.
12. Don’t make excuses. You have to walk the dog every day, no matter how late you get in. Stick to your commitments even when it’s the last thing you feel like doing.
13. Know your limits. Don’t walk too far with an elderly St. Bernard. When he can’t go any further, he won’t. You’ll either have to wait for him to rest up or call a cab. Sometimes you have to take the time you need. And other people will just have to wait.
14. Get a grip. If you’re mad or upset, there are many worse things you could do than walking the dog. Snap the leash on Buster or Bernice and go for an extra long walk.
16. Be prepared. Don’t be one of those people who walk the dog in their slippers in February. No matter what you’re doing, check conditions and plan accordingly.
17. Don’t go out without your tags. Always remember who you are, where you come from, and the name and number of someone to call if you get lost.
18. Be direct. When a dog needs to go for a walk, he lets you know. He doesn’t drop hints and then get an attitude if you don’t pick up on it. If you have something you need to say, say it. And no barking.
19. Stay humble. Walking down the street with a dog on a leash and carrying a small bag in your other hand is just one way dogs have of keeping us from thinking too highly of ourselves.
20. Keep going. When dogs fetch a stick, they keep running even if the stick lands in water. This is what dogs call “swimming.” When the ground underneath you seems to give way, that’s no time to stop moving. Just keep going as best you can towards your stick.
10 Ways to Exercise Body and Soul.
By David Schoen
It can be hard to find time in a busy week to get the exercise our bodies need. And sometimes that goes for our spirits as well. Here are ten ways to exercise both at the same time.
Breathe.
Concentrate on your breathing as you move. Breathe in deeply, filling your lungs and body with the “ruach,” the breath of God. Breathe out completely, exhaling all negative energy and anxiety.
Stretch.
As you stretch, remember these words: “I stretch out my hands to God, my soul thirsts for You!” (Psalm 143:6).
Give Thanks.
As you work out, give thanks for the different parts of your body, and the amazing way they all work together (1 Corinthians 12:12).
Keep Track.
Count repetitions using familiar words and passages. Some suggestions:
Creator, Christ and Comforter, Amen (10 counts)
Jesus Christ, my rock and my salvation (10 counts)
Our Savior’s Prayer (90 – 100 counts)
The 23rd Psalm (140 – 150 counts)
Look.
When you hike or walk, keep your eyes open to the wonder of God’s world around you. Take a photo of “whatever is pleasing” (Philippians 4:8) for your spiritual journal. Share the photo with others.
Listen.
Put your favorite songs of faith and inspiration on your iPod when you go running.
Remember.
While swimming laps, remember you are baptized. Envision being immersed in God’s grace and loving strength.
Pray.
On the treadmill, take time to pray. List what you are thankful for and visualize the people you pray for.
Focus.
When you “hit the wall,” focus on Miriam’s song: “God is my strength and my might” (Exodus 15:2).
Cool Down.
Quiet your mind and body by listening for the still small voice of the stillspeaking God (1 Kings 19:12).
A Lasting Investment — Your Children.
By Joel Osteen
All of us are who we are today because others invested in us. I think about all the people in my family that have invested in me. My grandfather was very disciplined. He had a very strong work ethic. He taught me by example the importance of being diligent and giving every job my very best. My grandmother was so full of joy. I never saw her upset. She constantly had a song of praise coming up out of her heart. She is a big part of who I am today. She’s one of the main reasons why I smile practically all the time.
Growing up, my mother not only loved and cared for us children, but every day before we left for school she would say, “Father, thank You that my children have Your favor wherever they go.” I learned to expect God’s favor from my mother. You know what I’m doing today? Telling other people to believe for God’s favor.
My father was constantly telling me how great he thought I was and how I could do anything. He took time to mentor me. He was busy, but he still gave me his attention. As a little boy, he used to go up to the hospital to visit people that were sick. He would always take me with him. He would have me join hands with the family when we prayed.
As a teenager, I would come down to the church during the summer and sit in meetings with him at the office. Half the time I didn’t know what was going on. But on the way home, he’d always explain it. “Joel, this is what we were doing. This is the reason we were doing it.” He didn’t have to. He had a lot going on, but he understood that he had a responsibility to pass on everything he possibly could. My father did his best to teach me everything he knew and sometimes things he didn’t know.
I think about how in Victoria’s family they’ve had a special recipe that’s been in the family line for four or five generations. It’s called Senator Russell’s Sweet Potatoes. They are the best sweet potatoes in the world. They’ve got a crust of cinnamon, sugar and nuts. We don’t even like the sweet potatoes. We just like the crust! But what happened is that somebody came up with that great recipe generations back. They could have thought, “This is my special dish. I’m just going to keep it to myself.” No, they were living with the mindset that “I’ve got to pass down everything good I possibly can.” So one day that mother taught her daughter the recipe and that daughter taught her daughter. Eventually, it got down to Georgine, my mother–in–law. She taught her daughter, Victoria. Now, every Thanksgiving, Victoria and our daughter are in the kitchen making Senator Russell’s Sweet Potatoes.
Let me ask you, are you transferring your wisdom, your experiences, your shortcuts, your recipes down to the next generation so they can start ahead of you?
Just the other day, I was talking to our fourteen–year–old son Jonathan about how to prepare a message, how to study and communicate. I thought, “I’ve been doing this for ten years. I want to make sure he at least knows what I know.” You may think, “Well, Joel. I don’t have any special expertise. I don’t know that much.” Sure, you do. You know about life. You know what works and what doesn’t. You know the mistakes you’ve made and what you’ve learned from them. You have experience. You have skills. Many times, what we take for granted is a big deal to someone else.
But so often today, instead of investing in our children and giving them the attention they need, we give them activities. We’re running them here and there, taking them to this activity, getting them back to that special function and then to another activity. It’s like we’re running a bus service. We sit back and watch them play sports, watch them do ballet, and watch them in the school play. And that’s fine. I played a lot of sports. But if we’re not careful, we will substitute activity for attention.
Understand, your children need you more than they need another activity. Studies tell us that by the age of five, our children have already developed their sense of reasoning. By the age of twelve, 95% of who they are and what they believe has already been established. Don’t let the television be a babysitter for your children. Don’t allow sports, ballet and band take from the time that you could spend with them and impart into them.
Think about how high our children would go if we would all live like this. This is the way it’s supposed to be. Every generation should build on the next. My children shouldn’t have the same struggles that I’ve struggled with. They’re starting at a higher level. There’s more wisdom, more depth, more experience in our family line. They should take what I know and run with it.
Lou Holtz, the famous football coach said, “When I die, my accomplishments will eventually be forgotten. But what I’ve invested in my players will continue to live on.” The best legacy is not what we leave for people. It’s what we leave in people. We all have things that we’ve learned: skills, talents, life experiences, wisdom. You have a wealth of knowledge that God has entrusted you with. You are not supposed to keep that to yourself. You should be passing that on to somebody else. We have a responsibility to transfer what we know to the next generation. Are you taking time to invest in your children? And if you don’t have any children, how about your nieces and nephews? Your neighbors? The kid down the street?
You and I have an opportunity to leave a mark that cannot be erased. Yes, eventually we’re all going to die, but when you invest in somebody else, you will continue to live on. Your life can have influence for generations to come if you will take time to invest in people.
The only way this is going to happen is if we are taking time to invest in them. We have to transfer what we know into them. Really, I believe the best inheritance we can leave them is what we have put in them, not what we leave for them. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for leaving resources, but that’s not all I’m going to leave. I’m going to make sure I teach them everything I know about life, about ministry, about marriage, business, economics. Anything I know I’m going to pour it into them. I’m constantly telling my children, “You’re not only getting everything I have, not only everything I know, but you’re getting everything Granddaddy imparted into me, everything Grandmother gave me. They put it in me, and I’m going to do my best to pour it into you.”
My prayer and declaration for all of our children is that they are going to start where we finish, and God is going to take them places we’ve never even dreamed of. Our children are going to be mighty in the land. Remember, the only investments that are going to last are our investments in others. We are all leaving a legacy, either intentional or unintentional. When it’s unintentional, we just live life and wait to see what’s going to happen. But when it’s intentional, we’re constantly looking for ways that we can invest in somebody else, leaving them with the best of what we have and know.
25 Reasons Why Twitter Is Spiritual.
By Frederic A. Brussat at Spirituality & Practice
Twitter, the free platform designed for 140 character posts, is the latest thing in social networking. It’s being promoted as a way of keeping in touch with friends, promoting your services, marketing your products, and enlarging your profile — and just a fun thing to do. But can “twittering” be a spiritual practice? Here are 25 reasons why Twitter is spiritual.
Twitter . . .
- Challenges us to pay attention to what we are doing, to stay awake and totally alert.
- Prompts us to focus on the present moment and in doing so we realize all we need is right here, right now.
- Provides opportunities to connect with others around the world so we can sense how self and world are linked in ever-expanding circles.
- Inspires us to practice hospitality in a time when too often strangers are feared and the “other” is shunned.
- Enables us to share our deepest dreams and to encourage others not to lose hope.
- Prods us to find the divine energy of joy in our daily lives and to share it with others.
- Invites us to be receptive and to hold an open house in our hearts for new people, ideas, and organizations.
- Draws out our playfulness and celebrates, in a variety of ways, the holiness of savoring pleasure and the lightness of being.
- Promotes the art of listening in which we lean toward others in love, realizing that everyone wants to be heard.
- Allows us to probe on a daily basis the significance of what we are feeling and thinking: it makes meaning makers of us all.
- Encourages us to see spiritual teachers all around us, however unlikely or unlike us they may be.
- Facilitates our exploration of the wider world of other cultures and wisdom traditions.
- Reminds us to share the stories of our lives with other companions on the journey.
- Illustrates how often when we are looking for one thing we come upon another in a moment of grace.
- Proves that although we think we are living in a universe, it’s really a ‘pluriverse’ of voices.
- Shows us why we need to cherish all parts of creation from ants to wolves to the Grand Canyon.
- Encourages us to spell out all our days with a grammar of gratitude.
- Elicits our wonder as we see the world moving toward us with a deluge of epiphanies.
- Taps into the enthusiasm that lights up our lives and spreads it around.
- Helps us banish boredom when we realize that there is always something new to be seen, felt, or made known.
- Gives us opportunities to bless others through our affirmations of who they are and what they do.
- Challenges us to be mindful of every word we write and to honor others as best we can.
- Provides another space where we can be deeply moved by reverence or a radical respect for all life.
- Like koans, mantras, and flash prayers, teaches us that brevity can be a path of rich communication.
- Helps us to relearn the arts of generosity wherein we give to others that which means the most to us.
What Is “Passing Of The Peace” During The Service?
Question:
When we pass the peace during our worship service, what is really going on? What is the purpose? Are we harboring no ill-feelings towards our brothers & sisters? Or is this more spiritual?
Answer:
The passing of the Peace has its origins already in the New Testament. In the letters of St. Paul there are several references to greeting one another with “a holy kiss” (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thess 5:26). In the worship of the early church this took on a specific function in the liturgy. Usually it occurred after the sermon or just before the distribution of communion. Its function was to visibly demonstrate that all who were present were one in the faith and that no sin stood in the way of their unity.
Of course, over time the actual kiss of peace has given way to either a handshake or an embrace. The purpose, however, is the same: a visible demonstration that we are members of the one body of Christ . . . we therefore are also reconciled with one another.
The passing of the Peace began reappearing in congregations in the 60s and 70s. It is important before beginning this practice to explain it thoroughly. What it is not is a time to say “howdy” to everyone, or to talk about what you’ll be doing after church.
A congregation probably needs occasional reminders that the purpose of passing the peace is to demonstrate that we are members of Christ’s body. At first, it can be uncomfortable for some, and understandably so. But it can have some tremendous benefits.
Consider this: what if you don’t want to share the peace with the person sitting in front of you because you are mad at that person for something he did to you or said about you? The fact that you don’t even want to shake hands with that person would suggest that indeed there is a need for reconciliation to take place — a gift that God freely offers.
The passing of the peace has some obvious benefits and each person then encouraged to live in that peace of God as they share it with each other.
The Right Question to Ask.
By Victoria Osteen at Joel Osteen Ministries
Today and every day, God has set up a plan for your success. He says in His Word that His plans are for your good—to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. As we enter into this New Year, we can’t just ask, “God what are You going to do for me?” Instead, we have to ask, “God, what are we going to do together?”
Yes, God is at work in our lives, but we have to do our part to work with Him if we are going to see the goodness and blessings He has for us. Scripture calls it “working out” our salvation. He sets up the plan, but we have to walk it out. He gives us the tools, but we have to use them.
The good news is that He isn’t going to just hand us the plan and walk away to let us figure it out on our own. No, He’s walking with us every step of the way and empowering us by His love. Scripture says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In other words, His plan is easier and lighter than trying to figure things out on your own! You don’t have to worry about how the whole year is going to unfold, you don’t even have to worry about how this week is going to unfold; you just have to obey His Word and keep moving forward in peace, joy and love.
Maybe you’re facing some difficulties or obstacles today. Maybe this year doesn’t feel like a new beginning just yet. Instead of saying, “Lord, why am I in this situation?” say, “Lord, how can I bring You glory in this situation?” When we begin to change our focus and get our eyes off of ourselves and onto to Him, that’s when we’ll begin to see solutions. That’s when we’ll begin to see breakthroughs. That’s how we work out what He is working in us by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!
Today, remember, God is a good God, and He is at work in your life. Trust Him because He is faithful. His plans are always for your good. His plans are always to prosper you. He delights in seeing you grow and succeed. Make the decision to cooperate with what God is doing. Set aside the wrong questions, set aside complaining, and pick up His peace and joy and move forward with Him in victory and blessing every day of this New Year!
Happy New Year To Everyone!
Did You Have A Digital Christmas?
Fighting The Blues.
By Joel Osteen
We all have times when we wake up in the morning and feel the blahs and blues; we don’t feel very excited. But just because we feel those emotions doesn’t mean we have to stay there and give in to them; we can shake it off and move forward in faith relying on God’s strength.
A great example of someone in the Bible who had a lot of experience in shaking off negative emotions is David. He had to fight being moody, and he was the King of Israel. He had all kinds of opportunity, power and position. He was wealthy, and yet, he still struggled with being depressed and discouraged. That tells me that having to choose to rule over negative feelings is something every person has to deal with. Don’t think you’re alone if you feel this way. Turn to God and His hope. Don’t think, “If I just had more money, if I had a better job, if I had a different spouse, then I’d be in a good mood, Joel. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with these feelings.” No, you may think that, but every person has to fight the temptation to just give in and live by how we feel.
I love what David did; he talked to himself. He said, “Why are you cast down, oh, my soul? Hope in the Lord.” That’s Psalm 42. He was saying in everyday language, “David, what are you doing in a bad mood? Stop looking at your problems and start looking at your God.” That tells me that true joy is found only in God, when you take your eyes off of how you feel and your circumstances and place them on God and His Word.
Sometimes the best thing we can do is talk to ourselves and speak scripture over our lives. When you’re tempted to be in a bad mood, go look in the mirror and say, “Listen here, self. You need to cheer up. Get your joy back, get your peace back. I’m not going to live this day defeated.” You have to stay on the offensive. Don’t wait until you’ve been down for three days before you decide to do something about it. The moment you feel that discouragement trying to come on you, rise up and say, “No, I’m not going there.” You wake up in the morning and feel the blahs, you say, “Nope, that’s not for me. This is going to be a good day. It’s the day the Lord has made.”
Do you know being in a sour mood because of your problems doesn’t make it better, it makes it worse? It puts more pressure on you. It makes you more miserable. A better approach is to say, “God, I’m turning this situation over to You. I’m not going to let it steal my joy. I know You’re in control. And at the right time, I believe You’ll not only turn it around, but You’ll bring me out better off than I was before.” That’s how we rule over negative feelings. It’s simply a decision that we make every day where we have to dig our heels in and decide that our feelings are not going to dictate what kind of day we’re going to have. You can rule over your emotions and choose to be in a good mood in spite of how you feel. You can choose what kind of day you’re going to have. You can choose how you’re going to live your life.
I know some of you, maybe in the natural, have a good reason to be down and discouraged. But don’t allow yourself to go there. When you are stable in spite of what’s come against you, that’s one of the best ways to show God that you’re trusting Him.
Decide not to live by how you feel. Go deeper than that and start living by what you know. You know God is in control. You know He’s got a great plan for your life. You know His power is greater than any other power. When you wake up and those old negative, discouraging thoughts and feelings come, shake them off. Be done with that roller coaster living. Don’t give into your emotions and let them keep you from God’s blessings and promotion. Start choosing to live each day in God’s peace. Decide that you’re going to have a great day. By doing so, you will see God work in your life in greater ways because your eyes are fixed toward Him instead of your situation, and you’ll live the life of victory He has in store for you!
Read more by Joel at this link:
http://www.joelosteen.com/HopeForToday/ThoughtsOn/Life/FightingTheBlues/Pages/FightingTheBlues.aspx
