Simply Life - faith

The Rich & The Poor

noreply@blogspirit.com (Sonshine1296) — Wed, 5 Apr 2006 09:10:27 -0700

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the
country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the
trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a
creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond
our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to
protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if
we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we
don't have.

"Life is too short and friends are too few."

Loving Actions

noreply@blogspirit.com (Sonshine1296) — Sat, 4 Mar 2006 06:55:48 -0700

Resolving Conflict and Dealing with Anger...

"When you boil down a lot of destructive arguments, what you often find is a simple lack of facts. The conflicts begin when an individual sees something that bothers him and then draws a conclusion. But what he thinks he sees may not be true at all. There's nothing new about this advice. James, the Lord's brother, wrote, "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19, NIV)."

- From "It Takes Two to Tango" by Gary and Norma SmalleyAll excerpts from "It Takes Two to Tango" are copyright 1997 Gary and Norma Smalley, and are used with permission.Find more relationship resources at http://www.smalleyonline.com

Visitors

noreply@blogspirit.com (Sonshine1296) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:14:02 -0700

Last night we had visitors.
Not visitors from another planet.
Oh wait. You weren't thinking that were you?
:o)
We had a visit from 3 people from the church we've attended for three weeks.
Sharon, Wes, and Gary (the pastor) were their names. I add that for my own benefit.
I have absolutely no memory usually.
They came over at 6:30 pm and didn't leave until 8:00 pm.
We talked about the church, opportunities there, but mostly about us.
Normally, I would be uncomfortable talking in front of strangers.
However, I opened up immediately.
I began talking about my entire life and faith.
We all did actually. It was amazing though. It completely reminded me of the moment
I truly became a Christian. Not that I had forgotten. But, it brought back all the intense emotions.
At the end, they prayed for us and it was inspired.
Today was the best day I've had in awhile and I cannot help but think that last night is the reason!

Rules from God....(?)

noreply@blogspirit.com (Sonshine1296) — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 22:28:49 -0700

Let me preface this by saying I don't think God would say the titles in this manner. (i.e. "shut up") but it makes it's point. And, I love reading scripture. So, I hope you like this!

1. Wake Up !!
Decide to have a good day.
"Today is the day the Lord hath made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !!
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at outward appearance;
but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up!!
Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant
for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his lips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up!!...
For what you believe in.
Stand for something or you will fall for anything..
"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
Galatians 6:9-10
5. Look Up !!...
To the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up !!...
For something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !!...
Your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything;
instead PRAY ABOUT
EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6

I CAN do it!

noreply@blogspirit.com (Sonshine1296) — Wed, 8 Feb 2006 08:36:58 -0700

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The earliest days of a diet are the hardest. There are times when it just seems impossible to resist the wonderful treats that appear everywhere. But resist we must. The reward comes to us when we realize that with each victory over an individual temptation, it be-comes all the easier to resist in the future. The largest part of the battle is to realize that we really can do it. The Scriptures promise us that when we resist temptation (the devil), it will flee from us, and it will trouble us no more. God never makes a promise that He won't keep. The battle's been won.

Today's thought: There is no temptation I cannot resist!