Showing posts with label god. Show all posts
Showing posts with label god. Show all posts
Monday, October 4, 2010
Good Morning Lord by Sheila Walsh
Thomas Nelson graciously allowed me to read and review for free this book. The title is " Good Morning Lord: I don't know where you are going today but I'm going with you. " written by Sheila Walsh. I found this to be a lovely book to open up after my Scripture reading in the morning. A fresh cup of Expresso and this journal helped center me and my thoughts on the most important visitor at my table: Jesus Christ our Lord. Many prayers helped me to see the morning and the day ahead in a positive light. There are areas for your own private reflections. I found this journal along with my personal one were great companions. Sometimes putting our thoughts into the written word clarifies our own prayer journey. I wanted to keep this book but gave it to my sister for her birthday. she is a member of our prayer group and recovering from Brain surgery. I hope in the week ahead this book will be opened when she sips her first cup of coffee! Check it out and get a copy for a friend or loved one.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Isaac Newton
Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me a free copy of Isaac Newton in the Christian encounters series. The author, Mitch Stokes, writes about one of Great Britain's scientists and his life. I learned that Isaac always had an insatiable curiousity about the world and an intense dedication to learning about mathematics, physics, optics, alchemy and theology.He truly was a man whose genius shines over the centuries. His fortitude and creativity lead him to create clocks and sundials, kites, and mix ointments in order to become familiar with time, wind and chemistry. He was so organized that his notebooks were indexed and revealed an innate tendancy to try to fit the world of knowledge into an understandable mold. He did this by conducting many experiments.He became a leading authority in mathematics, optics, physics, and astonomy. His treatise "Principia" stands out as one of the most important books in history. He developed the theory of gravity.
Little did I know, Isaac wrote more words about theology than all his other writings. Newton said the goal of his studies was to know God and " give him honour & glory." He believed that through our knowledge of God we worship God. He thought that " it is God's person and his actions that especially command our adorations." Newton struggled with the doctine of the Trinity and only after his death was his position publically examined. Newton said that " the Father and Son were one, but this unity was not a metaphysical unity; rather, it was one of dominion and purpose." He felt that the words of Scripture didn't support the idea.He went on to try to decipher the Bible to struly try to understand God's word.God has vreated our world and Newton wnated to know as much as he could about God's plans. This was a rather short read that opened up a world of discovery for the reader to delve further into Newton's writings. I recommend you read this book.
Little did I know, Isaac wrote more words about theology than all his other writings. Newton said the goal of his studies was to know God and " give him honour & glory." He believed that through our knowledge of God we worship God. He thought that " it is God's person and his actions that especially command our adorations." Newton struggled with the doctine of the Trinity and only after his death was his position publically examined. Newton said that " the Father and Son were one, but this unity was not a metaphysical unity; rather, it was one of dominion and purpose." He felt that the words of Scripture didn't support the idea.He went on to try to decipher the Bible to struly try to understand God's word.God has vreated our world and Newton wnated to know as much as he could about God's plans. This was a rather short read that opened up a world of discovery for the reader to delve further into Newton's writings. I recommend you read this book.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Kabul 24 Review
Kabul 24 by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson, is an enthralling true story. Eight Christian aid workers and sixteen Afghan workers are seized by the Taliban shortly before Sept. 11, 2001. Thrown in the most horrible, filthy conditions, the eight rely on their intense faith in God to comfort them through many harrowing experiences. Never knowing when they may be moved to another prison, isolated from outside news, an Afghan angel appears in a human form and tries to improve their captivity. Georg, the leader of the aid workers, angonizes over his friends, the sixteen Afghan prisoners, and prays they are freed and no one dies.The story revealed the insanity of the Taliban and their strange belief in Sharia law. Women are so minimized as to be shadows in a burka, and any form of dissent is cause for a trip to the Vice and Virtues prison for rehabilitation. I found the Taliban's attitudes totally frightening and could not imagine ever living under such restrictive conditions. Our political leaders, especially our president, should read this story and then make their decision about sending in more troops to finally defeat the despicable Taliban regime.
"In accordance with the FTC regulations, I inform you that I received a copy of this directly from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for review purposes. I review only books I have read, and only state my honest opinion of the book.”
"In accordance with the FTC regulations, I inform you that I received a copy of this directly from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for review purposes. I review only books I have read, and only state my honest opinion of the book.”
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Let Go by Sheila Walsh
I just finished reading " Let Go live free of the burdens all women know" - by Sheila Walsh and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. I would recommend this book if you are feeling burdened by the bad news that is hammered our way daily about the world. According to Sheila our vision is clouded by the heaviness of the past and the stress of the present. She advises learning to let go of these worries and let God prove his love by trusting in his goodness. Sheila wants women to feel free on their faith journey and walk proudly knowing we are all God's creations. If someone worries about their physical looks she suggests "letting go of what we wish was true and learning to accept what is true." There are many examples from Sheila's life that serve to illustrate her message and show God's hand in how things turn out. She offers spiritual quotes from the bible at the beginning of the chapters and probing questions to help women critically think about their decisions. Part self help and part spiritual this if a good read for all people but especially women.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Prayer Power Blog Tour
About the Book:
In the crazy world around us, our prayers may too often seem ineffective. Do you want to connect with God when you pray and receive more direct answers? PRAYER POWER is the tool you need to build a more powerful and dynamic life of prayer.
Intensely practical and straightforward, PRAYER POWER helps you improve on thirty essential facets of prayer such as passion, routine, fasting, praying with others, listening to God, handling distractions, and spiritual warfare. In each brief chapter you'll be inspired by stories of people whose lives of prayer give us powerful examples.
PRAYER POWER can be used as a month-long devotional, a prayer guide, or a reference for help in specific areas. Whether you're a new believer or think you've heard it all, this book's refreshing and honest insight will guide you to a deeper connection with God.
About the Author:
Peter Lundell, a former missionary to Japan, is a pastor at Walnut Blessing Church in Walnut, California. He has an MDiv and DMiss from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the founder of the Walnut Valley Pastors' Prayer Network. Lundell is the author of two books, and his articles have appeared in magazines such as Guideposts and Pray!
Interview Questions
1. Many Christians don't talk about hardships with prayer. Why do you open up about the struggles you have had drawing close to God in prayer?
My first draft of the book read like an instruction manual of all the things you ought to do to be spiritual like me. I realized that the more spiritual I tried to sound, the less honest I was being. I was hiding behind my words. No reader should have to put up with all that. And besides, it was boring.
So I determined to be totally honest. I rewrote the book and openly shared my doubts, struggles, and failures, because everybody goes through the same things. And if I’m not honest with readers, how can I expect readers to be honest with others or even themselves?
I take sort of an “I mess up and you mess up, but God loves us anyway, so let’s connect with him” approach. Readers often tell me how much they identify with that. And when they read about how God still worked amazing things in my life and in others’, it gives them hope.
I’ve discovered two things: First, honesty is liberating, and I don’t want to live any other way. Second, when we stick with prayer and don’t give up, answers and victories rise from our struggles. Answers and victory never rise from pretending.
I hope to connect with readers so that they’ll in turn connect with me and the victories I’ve experienced—so that they will experience their own victories.
2. What are some of the things God has taught you about prayer over the years - especially from the perspective of your leadership roles?
It’s good to listen before I talk. If I always dive into prayer and never spend time listening, I only dump my own “give-me list” on God. But his word says in 1 John 5:14–15 that when I seek and pray according to his will, my prayer will be answered. So the key is to first get in sync with God.
We’ve got to have a hunger, or thirst, for God. Without hunger, no program or technique or anything we learn will go anywhere. But with hunger for God, we could know almost nothing and still have a great prayer life. Hunger is singularly important—which is why it’s the first chapter.
When I pray with faith and don’t get what I ask for, God will soon show me why. There is always something to learn in unanswered prayer.
3. What do you mean by "praying boldly" and how can Christians learn to do that?
Praying boldly is the opposite of excessively polite prayer and of—I’ll just say it—wimpy prayer. Praying boldly is praying without intimidation, not caring what other people think, expressing ourselves to God without concern for being appropriate or religiously correct but rather with a passion from our guts that pours out, unashamedly. Bold prayer is not arrogant. It’s humble and faithful, because of its self-abandoned focus on God and expectation of what God will do.
People often assume they must be polite or solemn before God. Nowhere does the Bible teach this. Two thirds of the Psalms are complaints, and they are not polite. Most prayers in both Old and New Testaments are bold, expectant, and to the point. When Jesus teaches on prayer in Luke 11:5–10, he talks about an obnoxious guy who bangs on his friend’s door at midnight. Then he says we should bug him the same way by continually asking, seeking, and knocking. I often wonder if God gets tired of diplomatic prayers. Why else would he actually tell us to be bold and persistent—and use examples that, if we were on the receiving end, most of us would say are obnoxious.
There’s no real method to doing this. It’s a mindset that chooses to free itself from previous assumptions and uses the Bible as a model of how to pray.
4. How can we practice the presence of God and include him in everyday tasks?
Practicing the presence of God primarily has to do with developing an attitude, a continual awareness that God is always with us, and that in turn, we always incline our attention toward him.
The first thing most of us need to do is to slow down or cut unnecessary activities from our calendar. Busyness is an enemy to practicing the presence of God. Jesus repeatedly blew off other people’s agendas for him and continually focused on his purpose for being here. Pastors who do the same are always happier, closer to God, and more effective. And when we practice the presence of God, we increase our ability to be intimate with him when times do get busy.
Here are some practices that may help develop that attitude: My last thought before I sleep and my first thought when I wake up is centered on God. When I get mad or stressed, I try to see things from God’s perspective. When I am waiting for someone, I use that time to pray. I do menial tasks with an awareness and love of God. I often have a praise song on my mind as I go through the day.
5. You're a proponent for creating a place of prayer and establishing a time of prayer. Why are these important elements for prayer?
These two disciplines are the most important external helps for maintaining a strong prayer life. Without them, our good intentions eventually drown under the assaults of busyness and distractions.
A place of prayer helps us concentrate in the face of distractions. That place could be the church sanctuary, an empty room in the house, a spot in the back yard, or even a rug laid out on the floor, on which the only thing we do is pray. The physical surroundings of a location devoted to prayer tell our brains, “Focus on God.” And if we ever feel bored or in a rut of over-familiarity with a place, a change of location can be stimulating.
Establishing a set prayer time engrains a habit of prayer into our minds, such that if we miss it, we feel anxious because something is missing or wrong—and it is! A set prayer time is not to force ourselves to pray as much as to create a boundary of protection from busyness. That boundary of time is like a protective fence around a garden, where we give ourselves freedom from intrusions to spend unhindered time with God. Preferably we’ll do this as early as possible in the morning, so we can lay the whole day before the Lord. And unlike a prayer place, I have never found benefit in changing my prayer time, so I highly recommend keeping it sacred, especially if we’re travelling or really busy. Whether short or long, this protective fence of a set time must be intentional, because no one else can do it for us.
6. What advice would you give to people who struggle with God when they pray?
True men and women of prayer will sometimes struggle in prayer, as did many figures in the Bible, like Jacob’s symbolic wrestling with the angel and Jesus’ wrestling over his fate in Gethsemane.
Like anyone else, I struggle with unanswered prayer or major decisions to do something by faith, when tragedy strikes, problems of injustice, and healings that take a lot longer than I’d like. The key is to keep struggling—don’t give up and too quickly assume something is God’s will before you know for sure. The angel commended Jacob for not giving up until he got a blessing. God the Father actually sent an angel to help Jesus wrestle in Gethsemane. Sometimes wrestling in prayer is God’s will for us.
Wrestling in prayer is actually a good thing. It draws us closer to God. And it changes us in the process. And that’s what most of us hope for!
Author Peter Lundell
Bonus Material
Top Ten Reasons Prayer Doesn't Get Answered
Lack of faith --A much-abused idea, but essentially still true.
Effects of sin separating us from God --The Bible says that God sometimes won't listen when we wallow in sin.
Unforgiveness / Emotional wounds / Self-pity --A weird dynamic, but scary in how powerful these emotions are.
Unhealthy lifestyle in disagreement with prayer --Don't pray to lose weight, then eat donuts.
Demonic affliction --Satan and his demons are deceptive and merciless.
Strongholds in the mind --People allow attitudes and beliefs to block out the truth.
God's working behind the scenes --Sometimes God is in a process of answering before we can see it.
God's chastisement --Sometimes people bring punishment upon themselves, and it's for their ultimate good.
God's classroom of testing and faith building --The way God answers prayer may test you and build your faith.
Old age or time to die --Sometimes it's our time to go!
GRAND PRIZE BUNDLE INCLUDES:
(leave a comment for an opportunity to win this great package)
Prayer Power by Peter Lundell
When God Turned off the Lights by Cecil Murphey (Cec is one of Peter's mentors)
Committed but Flawed by Cecil Murphey
Also includes: Prayer Journal, Pen, and Candle
In the crazy world around us, our prayers may too often seem ineffective. Do you want to connect with God when you pray and receive more direct answers? PRAYER POWER is the tool you need to build a more powerful and dynamic life of prayer.
Intensely practical and straightforward, PRAYER POWER helps you improve on thirty essential facets of prayer such as passion, routine, fasting, praying with others, listening to God, handling distractions, and spiritual warfare. In each brief chapter you'll be inspired by stories of people whose lives of prayer give us powerful examples.
PRAYER POWER can be used as a month-long devotional, a prayer guide, or a reference for help in specific areas. Whether you're a new believer or think you've heard it all, this book's refreshing and honest insight will guide you to a deeper connection with God.
About the Author:
Peter Lundell, a former missionary to Japan, is a pastor at Walnut Blessing Church in Walnut, California. He has an MDiv and DMiss from Fuller Theological Seminary and is the founder of the Walnut Valley Pastors' Prayer Network. Lundell is the author of two books, and his articles have appeared in magazines such as Guideposts and Pray!
Interview Questions
1. Many Christians don't talk about hardships with prayer. Why do you open up about the struggles you have had drawing close to God in prayer?
My first draft of the book read like an instruction manual of all the things you ought to do to be spiritual like me. I realized that the more spiritual I tried to sound, the less honest I was being. I was hiding behind my words. No reader should have to put up with all that. And besides, it was boring.
So I determined to be totally honest. I rewrote the book and openly shared my doubts, struggles, and failures, because everybody goes through the same things. And if I’m not honest with readers, how can I expect readers to be honest with others or even themselves?
I take sort of an “I mess up and you mess up, but God loves us anyway, so let’s connect with him” approach. Readers often tell me how much they identify with that. And when they read about how God still worked amazing things in my life and in others’, it gives them hope.
I’ve discovered two things: First, honesty is liberating, and I don’t want to live any other way. Second, when we stick with prayer and don’t give up, answers and victories rise from our struggles. Answers and victory never rise from pretending.
I hope to connect with readers so that they’ll in turn connect with me and the victories I’ve experienced—so that they will experience their own victories.
2. What are some of the things God has taught you about prayer over the years - especially from the perspective of your leadership roles?
It’s good to listen before I talk. If I always dive into prayer and never spend time listening, I only dump my own “give-me list” on God. But his word says in 1 John 5:14–15 that when I seek and pray according to his will, my prayer will be answered. So the key is to first get in sync with God.
We’ve got to have a hunger, or thirst, for God. Without hunger, no program or technique or anything we learn will go anywhere. But with hunger for God, we could know almost nothing and still have a great prayer life. Hunger is singularly important—which is why it’s the first chapter.
When I pray with faith and don’t get what I ask for, God will soon show me why. There is always something to learn in unanswered prayer.
3. What do you mean by "praying boldly" and how can Christians learn to do that?
Praying boldly is the opposite of excessively polite prayer and of—I’ll just say it—wimpy prayer. Praying boldly is praying without intimidation, not caring what other people think, expressing ourselves to God without concern for being appropriate or religiously correct but rather with a passion from our guts that pours out, unashamedly. Bold prayer is not arrogant. It’s humble and faithful, because of its self-abandoned focus on God and expectation of what God will do.
People often assume they must be polite or solemn before God. Nowhere does the Bible teach this. Two thirds of the Psalms are complaints, and they are not polite. Most prayers in both Old and New Testaments are bold, expectant, and to the point. When Jesus teaches on prayer in Luke 11:5–10, he talks about an obnoxious guy who bangs on his friend’s door at midnight. Then he says we should bug him the same way by continually asking, seeking, and knocking. I often wonder if God gets tired of diplomatic prayers. Why else would he actually tell us to be bold and persistent—and use examples that, if we were on the receiving end, most of us would say are obnoxious.
There’s no real method to doing this. It’s a mindset that chooses to free itself from previous assumptions and uses the Bible as a model of how to pray.
4. How can we practice the presence of God and include him in everyday tasks?
Practicing the presence of God primarily has to do with developing an attitude, a continual awareness that God is always with us, and that in turn, we always incline our attention toward him.
The first thing most of us need to do is to slow down or cut unnecessary activities from our calendar. Busyness is an enemy to practicing the presence of God. Jesus repeatedly blew off other people’s agendas for him and continually focused on his purpose for being here. Pastors who do the same are always happier, closer to God, and more effective. And when we practice the presence of God, we increase our ability to be intimate with him when times do get busy.
Here are some practices that may help develop that attitude: My last thought before I sleep and my first thought when I wake up is centered on God. When I get mad or stressed, I try to see things from God’s perspective. When I am waiting for someone, I use that time to pray. I do menial tasks with an awareness and love of God. I often have a praise song on my mind as I go through the day.
5. You're a proponent for creating a place of prayer and establishing a time of prayer. Why are these important elements for prayer?
These two disciplines are the most important external helps for maintaining a strong prayer life. Without them, our good intentions eventually drown under the assaults of busyness and distractions.
A place of prayer helps us concentrate in the face of distractions. That place could be the church sanctuary, an empty room in the house, a spot in the back yard, or even a rug laid out on the floor, on which the only thing we do is pray. The physical surroundings of a location devoted to prayer tell our brains, “Focus on God.” And if we ever feel bored or in a rut of over-familiarity with a place, a change of location can be stimulating.
Establishing a set prayer time engrains a habit of prayer into our minds, such that if we miss it, we feel anxious because something is missing or wrong—and it is! A set prayer time is not to force ourselves to pray as much as to create a boundary of protection from busyness. That boundary of time is like a protective fence around a garden, where we give ourselves freedom from intrusions to spend unhindered time with God. Preferably we’ll do this as early as possible in the morning, so we can lay the whole day before the Lord. And unlike a prayer place, I have never found benefit in changing my prayer time, so I highly recommend keeping it sacred, especially if we’re travelling or really busy. Whether short or long, this protective fence of a set time must be intentional, because no one else can do it for us.
6. What advice would you give to people who struggle with God when they pray?
True men and women of prayer will sometimes struggle in prayer, as did many figures in the Bible, like Jacob’s symbolic wrestling with the angel and Jesus’ wrestling over his fate in Gethsemane.
Like anyone else, I struggle with unanswered prayer or major decisions to do something by faith, when tragedy strikes, problems of injustice, and healings that take a lot longer than I’d like. The key is to keep struggling—don’t give up and too quickly assume something is God’s will before you know for sure. The angel commended Jacob for not giving up until he got a blessing. God the Father actually sent an angel to help Jesus wrestle in Gethsemane. Sometimes wrestling in prayer is God’s will for us.
Wrestling in prayer is actually a good thing. It draws us closer to God. And it changes us in the process. And that’s what most of us hope for!
Author Peter Lundell
Bonus Material
Top Ten Reasons Prayer Doesn't Get Answered
Lack of faith --A much-abused idea, but essentially still true.
Effects of sin separating us from God --The Bible says that God sometimes won't listen when we wallow in sin.
Unforgiveness / Emotional wounds / Self-pity --A weird dynamic, but scary in how powerful these emotions are.
Unhealthy lifestyle in disagreement with prayer --Don't pray to lose weight, then eat donuts.
Demonic affliction --Satan and his demons are deceptive and merciless.
Strongholds in the mind --People allow attitudes and beliefs to block out the truth.
God's working behind the scenes --Sometimes God is in a process of answering before we can see it.
God's chastisement --Sometimes people bring punishment upon themselves, and it's for their ultimate good.
God's classroom of testing and faith building --The way God answers prayer may test you and build your faith.
Old age or time to die --Sometimes it's our time to go!
GRAND PRIZE BUNDLE INCLUDES:
(leave a comment for an opportunity to win this great package)
Prayer Power by Peter Lundell
When God Turned off the Lights by Cecil Murphey (Cec is one of Peter's mentors)
Committed but Flawed by Cecil Murphey
Also includes: Prayer Journal, Pen, and Candle
Thursday, August 6, 2009
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt 11:28)
Here's the next book I'm reviewing:
Let go and live free.
Sound impossible? Sheila Walsh thought so – until God proved himself again and again through his Word, his people, and her life.
In Let Go, the bestselling author and speaker walks readers through the journey to freedom in Christ. Along the way, she tackles some of the toughest struggles that weigh women down, answering them with overwhelming truth, promise, and hope.
You can lay down your burdens. You can rest. You can find peace. You can live free.
Start here. Let Go. And see what God can do.
Let go and live free.
Sound impossible? Sheila Walsh thought so – until God proved himself again and again through his Word, his people, and her life.
In Let Go, the bestselling author and speaker walks readers through the journey to freedom in Christ. Along the way, she tackles some of the toughest struggles that weigh women down, answering them with overwhelming truth, promise, and hope.
You can lay down your burdens. You can rest. You can find peace. You can live free.
Start here. Let Go. And see what God can do.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
St. Patrick's Day
Happy St. Patrick's Day! The ancient Druids honored a wee small green plant called a Seamroy because it had three distinct, green trefoil-like leaves representing a triad. The pagans also thought of this plant as a harbinger of spring. Later St. Patrick of Ireland called it a Shamrock and said that the leaves represented the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.He used it while preaching to show the pagans the Triundum of God. Whatever you call this plant, I found one today and it is actually an Oxallis much like the pretty yellow ones that dot the Santa Cruz fields. My Shamrock plant is very green with white flowers and will be the centerpiece of my St. Patrick's Day dinner. Do you plan anything special for St. Patrick's Day?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Children's Bible DVD
Read and Share DVD - Volume 1
DVD
By Gwen Ellis
Share the joy and wonder of God's Word with the children in your life.
Thirteen essential lessons of scripture starring the Bible's best-known characters. The Read And Share™ Bible on DVD combines an enchanting art style with a warm narrator and gentle musical underscore to transport kids back to Biblical times. The bite-size vignettes are perfect for the attention span of little ones, and give parents maximum flexibility to fit any time-frame.
Stories include: The Beginning, Adam & Eve, The Flood, Abram, Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob & Esau, Rachel, Jacob & God, John the Baptist, Jesus is Born, Jesus is Tempted, Jesus Love Children, and One Lost Sheep.
Additional Information
Check for Amazon.com Reviews
Check for Reviews on GoodReads.com
Other Books by Gwen Ellis
DVD
By Gwen Ellis
Share the joy and wonder of God's Word with the children in your life.
Thirteen essential lessons of scripture starring the Bible's best-known characters. The Read And Share™ Bible on DVD combines an enchanting art style with a warm narrator and gentle musical underscore to transport kids back to Biblical times. The bite-size vignettes are perfect for the attention span of little ones, and give parents maximum flexibility to fit any time-frame.
Stories include: The Beginning, Adam & Eve, The Flood, Abram, Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob & Esau, Rachel, Jacob & God, John the Baptist, Jesus is Born, Jesus is Tempted, Jesus Love Children, and One Lost Sheep.
Additional Information
Check for Amazon.com Reviews
Check for Reviews on GoodReads.com
Other Books by Gwen Ellis
The Great Eight
I just finished reading "The Great Eight" written by Scott Hamilton with Ken Baker. Most people know that Scott won Olympic Gold in 1984 at Sarajevo for his figure skating.His amazing agility and focus captured the hearts of most Americans. Later he skated as an entertainer in the Stars on Ice tour and accumulated wealth and fame. In this story, Scott shared his personal struggles as a young boy sickly and isolated and how skating opened up the door to opportunities most people never experience. Finding happiness was another thing. Scott struggled with prostate and brain cancer, many life disappointments, and the deaths of loved ones. He developed eight secrets to happiness that shaped his life and lead to him becoming a Christian. Scott discovered that fighting against God's plan was useless and that making the decision to change was a challenge. One of Scott's secrets was to "keep the ice clear". This meant keeping the lines of communication open so others were aware of his needs. Always afraid to confront an issue, Scott allowed anger to fester instead of sharing his thoughts with others. Once he broke through this barrier, his relationships became richer. Scott found that being authentic meant any misunderstandings were avoided because of the free flow of information in his interactios with people. This book was a good read and I appreciated Scott's ideas for achieving happiness. His approach was easy to understand and offered insight into the life of a sport's celebrity on a life long faith journey.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Think and Make It Happen"
Dr. Augusto Cury, a famous psychiatrist, writes about his "breakthrough program for conquering anxiety, overcoming negative thoughts, and discovering your true potential." There have been many books written on this subject but Dr. Cury offers a unique approach. He believes that Jesus Christ is the perfect example of someone who "thinks correctly." Someone who has learned to "think correctly" takes charge of their life, experiences emotions,and doesn't allow anything to get in the way of who they are. Jesus allows nothing to interfere with his course in life. Whether suffering or facing difficulties, Jesus models correct thinking.When faced with the poor, afflicted or downtrodden members of society he embraces them always seeing the hidden treasure in their hearts. One example is found in the Gospel of St John. An adulterous woman is brought before Jesus and the elders ask Jesus what should be done. Typically adultery was a crime punishable by stoning to death but Jesus couldn't possibly do that because it would go completely against his belief in forgiveness. Faced with a dilemma that seemed unresolvable, Jesus did something unusual: he was silent.His silence allowed him to gather his wits and disarms his critics. After writing some words in the sand, he said: "If any one of you is without sin,let him be the first to throw the stone at her." Jesus invited his accusers to participate in the drama and remained true to his message. He took charge of the situation by "disarming [his] aggressors with the unexpected." I really enjoyed reading this book and appreciated Dr. Cury's insight into how we can learn a new way of thinking that will allow us to be free of anxiety and live our lives joyously like Jesus.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Angels and Dreams
Do you remember the scripture " The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream" from Matthew 1:20? Dreams can be powerful conduits for God's voice. So often we forget them and lose a powerful insight to ourselves and spiritual lives. Keeping a dream journal is a lovely way to keep track of our dreams. Later I like to reflect on the meanings...some literal, but often very symbolic. Start the new year with a journal and record your dreams. Notice when God speaks to you. Here's to 2009!
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