Well, at least there’s that...

I was reading in the book of Esther this morning and an interesting thought popped into my head. Thoughts run through frequently. Glad I caught this one! When Ester realized that her uncle was in distress she did something interesting. Her uncle Morticia was sitting by the gate in “sackcloth and ashes”.  Sounds terribly uncomfortable. She sent him some new clothes and he refused to wear them. After she couldn’t “fix” her Uncle she decided to find out what the problem was. Unfortunately the problem required a lot more from her than the “fixing” would have. So, there’s  her Uncle, sitting in sackcloth and fasting. He’s intent on finding an answer to this life or death situation. He lets Esther know the problem and she realizes the severity. In case she thought she was “special” because of being the queen or that her position would save her, Morticia tells her plainly that she won’t escape, plus she was their only hope. His words to her were, “For such a time as this” resonate

I find it interesting that God uses ,”I Am” statements. God says “I am that I am”. Jesus also uses “I Am” statements. He said, “I am The way, the truths, the life “. How do we define ourselves? What are your ,” I am” statements? When you start describing yourself what words do you use? Does it sound something like..,” I’m fat/skinny”? “Short/ tall? Smart/educated, ignorant, lazy, frustrated, too young/ too old? “. If these are the statements you use to describe yourself I wouid like to offer some alternatives. Every phrase mentioned above has one common theme... they are perspectives that can be changed. “I hear you say, “I can’t change my height? If I’m short, I’m just short!” So, let me ask you this....who are you comparing your height to and does your height define you?” I’ve met and dated men that had the “ I’m short” mentality. Guess who suffered from their acceptance of their limitations? Everyone who wanted to have a relationship with them.  Yep, once you define yourself

Guess what? In this life there are many choices. We can either live on this earth as slaves or servants. What’s the difference you may ask? I mean both are work related, right? What difference does it make? I’m glad you asked. I’m going to lay this out pretty matter of fact so there will be no misunderstanding, I’m going to describe the life of a slave and I’m not pulling any punches or apologizing for what I’m going to say. It is the way it is (was). Let’s define slaves: obligated BY FORCE! Nobody is a slave voluntarily, People did not go to the continents and ask people, “Hey! This would be fun! We’re going to make you work. We aren’t going to pay you, We may or may not feed or clothe you and by the way, if you try to leave we will inflict bodily harm upon you, One ore thing, We’re going to separate you from your family and your tribe and your nation, Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful opportunity? PS, If your strong..we will sell you... So, servant? If I work for you I demand

Has anyone sent out an invitation with a RSVP? It’s actually French for: yes, I’ll be there. There are certain events that are by invitation only. They include some and exclude others. Have you ever found out that you weren’t invited to an event, but someone you knew was? I think we’ve all been left out a time or two. Did you ask yourself, “why not me?” “What did I do to them?” Haven’t we all been there? There are some places that do not require invitations. Just like, I don’t have to be invited to “be sad”. But I can be invited to “be happy.”  Some say that sickness needs an invitation. Yes and no. If I stay out late, don’t take care of my body, don’t get enough rest, or eat healthy then I’m inviting sickness. Here’s a question. If we invite sickness why do we pray for healing? Something to think about.  But does sickness need an invitation? No. If it  comes uninvited can I legitimately ask for healing? Of course. What if I invited sickness? Can I ask for healing? Certainly. Thi

I’ve been told that there are two kinds of people in this world, but I beg to differ. The thought is that there are givers and takers.  But I would like to add two more categories to the mix. Consumers and creators. To have a well balanced life you have to be a little bit of all of the above. If all you do is give, you run out of ...well, everything. If all you do is take, it’s never enough. If all you do is consume, life is empty and void of purpose. If all you do is create, you will be frustrated because you might depend solely on your audience for validation. So, I’ve been thinking about the role of a consumer. I’ve been very unhappy for many years. Do not confuse that with joy, True joy never fades because the source is never ending! But happiness is a different animal. I’ve given and given and felt like I was giving into an empty bucket with a hole in it, I’ve consumed and not been satisfied.  I have an allotted amount of money to live on, You see I have outlived my expirati

So, I have dealt with insomnia for many, many, many...did I say Many? Years. It's gotten much better over the years, but still... blissful sleep has eluded me. Recently I watched some Youtube videos on successful people. I noted some common themes and I thought I'd share them with you today. Successful people do not do this: Keep their cell phones in their room at night Check their messages, email or Facebook until after they have exercised and prepared for the day. What? Could it make that much of a difference? I wondered, so I gave it a try. Two nights ago I kept my cell phone out of my room. I had it in another room, used my regular alarm clock and slept like a baby! Not a screaming baby, a content baby. Plus I woke up earlier, more refreshed and peaceful. My days have been more focused as well. So the next thing successful people do daily is : Set goals for the day! It seems that our brains have a limited supply of decision making time available. If we use tha

Deuteronomy 8: 17 You may say in your heart, “The power and the strength of my hand has made this wealth for me.”  18 But remember   that it is the LORD   your God   who   gives   you the power to gain   wealth,   in order to   confirm   His covenant   that   He swore   to your fathers,   as it is this day.   19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.… I have given this scripture much thought. I’ve heard people say everything from giving God all the glory for everything positive that you do. Yes, that is true. I’ve also heard people say, “It wasn’t me.””  I agree with both views to a degree.  What about pride? Again. Remember pride is assuming who you are without proof. Confidence is knowing who you are and who you are not. I must know who I am in Christ and who I am not on my own. Today I’d like to put a little twist on this verse. God definitely gives the power, the i

Have you ever taken a stand on an issue, been adamant about your convictions in the situation and ended up being absolutely wrong! If so, you will relate to this misadventure. Divorce is hard! Separation is hard. In NC you are required to be separated for one year before the divorce is granted. I understand why. They hope for reconciliation. That’s a good thing in many cases but how many of you know that when something important ends, waiting is the hardest part. It’s like something died but you can’t bury it. When something dies, often, something new is created. It’s often a beginning of a journey.Well during my journey I felt the need to take ownership of certain things. I wanted to defend what I believed was mine. No, not in the way you might think. I wanted to stand up for something worth standing up for. At this particular event it was my son. He was performing in a concert and it was quite crowded. There was a balcony and there were people talking. It was really annoying be

We’ll call this “Ownership.” When a person is in a new relationship before the observer or participant role is clarified, there is an element of pause...a discovery of sorts. I’ve realized that I have to ask myself, “What am I willing to give, or give up, in this new relationship?” It’s a difficult thing to do. It sounds so simple. You know, build a wall of support and don’t let anyone in unless they are safe. What about those relationships that sneak up on you. Let’s talk about love interests. So, this person is new in your life and seems to have an interest in you. What do you do next? Honestly,  If you aren’t careful you’ll fall back into an old routine of thinking; Am I worthy of this persons time? Am I worthy of their love? Do I have anything to give in this relationship? Unfortunately I have realized that I can not afford those questions. Hence the title. If I’m in a relationship and I’m doubting myself, who’s in charge? Well, it isn’t me. I’ve just given power to the othe

I’ve heard some great messages on altitude...yep, altitude.  I've heard several preachers say that, “your altitude depends on your attitude.”  Anybody besides me ever have a negative attitude? I guess the philosophy is that your attitude will determine your level of joy in this life.  I agree to a point.  If I have a bad attitude throughout life I will not only affect my life, but those around me.  Isn’t it hard to be around negative people? Yes, it really is.  It takes a lot of energy to be around a negative person.  So, here’s a question...does it take a lot of energy to be around an overly positive person? Yes, it does. I guess I’m talking to myself because  I keep asking and answering my own questions. Ha! It must be okay because you’re here. Thanks for joining me. Tonight I was at Life Church and I heard a very real message. He talked about the “sitcom” message.  It starts with the characters in a good place. Then they have a defining struggle, then everyone lives happil