Everyone needs an atitude adjustment occasionally.

It seems no matter what we do we can always do better. Recently my boss pointed out that I had been feeling down. This was apparently affecting my work as well as my students. He kindly pointed out that I was down and that I hadn't seemed happy in a while. At first I resented this look into my life, who was he to tell me I was down, ok, so I wasn't smiling at work, but everything was fine, wasn't it? Well not really. You see I had let some personal problems and wants get in the way of my work, my attitude, and my walk with God. I wasn't spending time in prayer (I never do like I should) and I wasn't spending any time with God alone (Something else I feel remiss on). Even Jesus went out every morning to pray. Prayer is important to keeping touch with God. Like a good marriage and a good friendship it takes active communication to keep it going. Often we forget that. We expect God to do all the work, after all, he is God with a capital G. We also have to do our part in seeking him. We need to read our Bible daily, Pray daily, and go to Church whenever possible, to seek him out as we would our best friend. God spoke to me through a man I admire and respect. So often he is answering our prayers even before they are prayed for he alone knows what is truly best for us. He answers prayer through his word, his people (the Church), and through circumstance. These are not the only ways I am sure, but just the ones that come to mind. Anyway when we are close to him and walking with him, we can discern these moments and that is when we can let God act to change us. Oswald Chambers wrote "It is true that prayer changes thing, but it even more true that prayer changes me and I change things." God bless you and keep you.

It has been a while....

I am sorry for the delays in posting to the site. I have been away for the summer where I had no internet, but dial-up. I am back at work but the first several weeks have been very hectic. I will try to post in my free time and I hope everyone has been enjoying the site. Now for Today's Ponderings...I had an old friend make contact with me yesterday and I realized how much our life changes. Years ago I was a wild man...I rode with a motorcycle club...drank alcohol in mass quantities...told lies...and did many other heinous things. I realized how little I miss these things. I am actually happy with my life now...it is filled with joy...and peace. Jesus tells us that we are a new creation, but it is more than that even. I know I have changed because God has changed my heart, but sin is only pleasant and fun for a season. It fades quickly or it takes more and more powerful forms of sin to cause pleasure. Only through God can we know real joy and happiness. I have missed this friend...he was the best of a bad bunch...some of whom would now be considered the dregs of humanity. I have loved them all, and so does my God. If you were an old friend of mine...Someone still cares...and someone is praying for you...May God bless you and keep you.

Laziness...(Zzzzzzz)

As you can see from my picure I am a big guy. Being a big guy (or gal) does not mean you are lazy. In my case however that is true. Yet how do we beat a lifelong habit of being lazy? The Bible tells us that laziness is abhorrent to God. I want to do better, but how can I? I have pondered this question a lot and today I found something interesting. While surfing the net I found a wiki-how-to. I am going to paste the information here and then paste the website. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did. (I know much of it is common sense, but if it was common sense then how come not everyone has it?)

How to Overcome Laziness
See The Small, Not The Whole

Whatever task is at hand, take a step back, relax and see one small thing to do, EG, if your whole house isn't fit to live in, just focus on one task, not the whole problem.
Estimate how long it would take to do that one thing. Forget everything else, for now :-)
After the 'small' task is complete, go for a walk for two or three minutes.Who knows maybe you'll bump into a new best friend or something.
If you set yourself just one small task each day and go out for the recommended time every day afterwards,(or relax doing something you would like to if you have already been out) you will find yourself doing a little more each and every day.
All I saw was a whole house to clean and washing and ironing etc but after started to give myself just 'one small task, say, the washing up , at a realistic 5 mins to do, I went for a walk and chilled, it was lovely. Hope you get on well. Maybe this will give you some ideas of your own, but coursework is another story.
Set some goals. If you have goals set up for yourself, you have something to look forward to (not to mention a paycheck) Your goals can be to work hard, then in 1 or two years (depending on your profession) you can take that trip to Italy, or Hawaii. Pick goals which are high and will really inspire you. Picture what you really want. Low goals will not really motivate you. Your goals can be to save to buy your dream home, that red sports car, or save to fullfill your lifelong dreams (maybe you've been wanting to open a bookstore, an arcade, or start your own publishing company). Make a to-do list, both of large and small things, and prioritize.
Coach yourself. For each goal in your list, break it down into tiny, easily manageable steps. Then, talk yourself into working towards the next tiny step. Gear yourself up into action by telling yourself something like: "you gotta do this; you gotta do this NOW; just do it; don't rest now". Say it out loud if you have to! You'll find that you will have eventually talked yourself into wanting to do it! Finishing that little step will feel remarkably good, and tell yourself (out loud, if necessary): "good stuff; you're on a roll; keep this up and you're gonna make it to the end of this". Then, repeat this for your next tiny step. Working towards little goals is actually the secret to big success: big successes are just made up of many little continuous successes.
Reward yourself! You need to reward yourself for completing each task, in order to feel good about having stressed yourself in order to get the job done. Go for a walk, eat some nuts (Lee Iacocca famously ate salted nuts after each tiny step). Doing this will train your mind into wanting to work. As well, cumulative rewards make you feel confident -- and that's the REAL cure for laziness. Some say you may also want to punish yourself for each step you fail to achieve, but this is ill-advised if you're really lazy, as it will only reinforce the negative behavior that ultimately leads to laziness: avoidance of the prospect of failure.
Get un-stuck fast! It's one thing to find your motivation. But, it's another thing to keep it going when the going gets tough -- especially when it's an unforeseen problem! The "lazier" a person you are, the more you will feel like giving up. The trick here is knowing how to get past the tough point. To do this, tell yourself: "I really want to get past this; I really want to overcome this", until you believe that you actually don't want to give up. Then, you need to FIGURE OUT what one, single detail or problem is holding you back. It won't be too hard to isolate it, but remember: it's probably one single, specific problem or detail. Now, think. Is it something you can actually afford to ignore? Is it something that somebody else can help you with? Can you just forget about this and try a different approach altogether? Are you being too much of a perfectionist? (Remember: the only enemy of something 'good' is something 'better'!) Most likely, the sticking issue is smaller than you think it is, and you can get past it more easily than you think. Whatever it is, don't give up until you find a way to get past it somehow. Once you do, remember to reward yourself.
Don't stop now. It's hard to get on a roll if you're lazy, so once you're there, jump right onto your next goal as soon as you're done rewarding yourself. The later you delay re-starting, the harder it will be to re-start. But, the sooner you re-start, the more confident you will feel -- and that will reinforce the positive behavior that leads to doing away with your laziness forever: feeling that you can do anything!
If you do not work or need to leave your house first thing in the morning - set your alarm to wake up at a decent morning hour - say 7 am. Shower, get dressed and make yourself look presentable before leaving your room. (Make your bed so it doesn't appeal to you later.)
Make sure you're on a healthy diet; junk food doesn't give your body the nutrients it needs to be active.
Get exercise. Go jogging through your neighborhood a few times a week, and in time you will see an improvement in the way that you feel, and look. Working out will give you a lot of motivation, and keep you from getting or feeling lazy.
Use common sense, picture the demon and the angel on you shoulder, and try to use common sense. If you're a kid and you know if you don't throw away the garbage, your parents will scream at you. The simple solution to that is to just use common sense and put the remote down and go do what you have to do.
Dream big and work towards that Dream!!If you were to live for a 1000 years and stay young for 999 years what would you do?

Don't forget to reward yourself for the very small things you complete or try, if you manage to do something that you didn't the day before, you deserve a nice treat.
Any work that is started is almost 80% done,remaining 20% is only to finish it off.. we hardly tend to start any work on time. so decide to start the work and your way ahead to completing it.
If you haven't worked out much before, stretch first, then start slow. If you don't you will be in so much pain from sore or pulled muscles it will be easy to use it as an excuse to stop exercising. Make sure to drink a lot of water, so you don't become dehydrated.
Make a goal sheet, or copy that sheet so you have a couple of them, place one on the fridge, on your night stand, by your computer, even on the bedroom door, just place them where you look or go to often.
Tell yourself all the time, that if you're not working, you're not making the money that you want. Being broke can be one of the biggest motivations ever.
Stay off the couch until you are ready to take a break and when you do, sit, do not lay down and set a time when you will return to do other activities around the house or with the kids, read a book, write to a friend etc.
Make a list of all the smaller things that you want, new clothes, a cd player, some furniture, even a dog. Think about the things that you want every day; if it's constantly in your mind, you'll start moving toward those goals.
Always dress as if you were planning to leave the house -- get out of the jammies before leaving the bedroom.
Getting enough sleep each night can make you feel more awake. Depending on your activity and age, you may need up to 10 hours (teenagers) or as little as 5 (elderly).
Avoid sugar, and especially foods with "high fructose corn syrup" or "corn syrup" in the ingredients, as these can lead your body into metabolizing sugars instead of fats. Also, unnatural sugars (without fiber) may give you a short energy buzz, but then a drop and you will feel lazy and fatigued.

Our brains seem to shut down when there is constant pressure to do this, do that, complete this by this or that date. You are your own boss. Focus on one little task at a time.
If you think you are lazy but nobody else thinks you are, DO NOT WORK HARDER. Workaholism is probably the thing that causes the most deaths in the world (indirectly), it causes stress, which causes heart disease, depression(suicide) and at the best burnout (when you totally loose it and become the opposite of a workaholic, completely lazy.) and that is just naming a few
There's a difference between resting and being lazy, so be careful to not get so lazy that it starts affecting your health. To name a few, obesity, stress, and depression. You can become depressed if you begin to feel like you're wanting to stay home and watch movies and spend excessive amount of time playing game-boys or computer games, when you should be resting for your next day's work or mowing the lawn, or spending quality time with your family. This will begin to make you feel better about going to work when you see the smile it puts on your family's face, to know that you are paying your bills and have plenty to eat.
Laziness can be a sign of depression. When you’re depressed your mind and body don’t have the energy to keep active. If the suggestions above don’t increase your activity level, then you may have a more serious case of depression and will need to seek medical attention. Most colleges offer free counseling for students.
Depression is a normal part of the emotional cycle. Everyone will get depressed at some point and most come out of it within a few days. But if the depression lasts longer, or it starts interfering with your work/school, or it occurs frequently, then you should seek professional advice.
Determine that you have no medical condition which makes you weak, tired, or sleepy, such as low blood pressure, diabetes, anemia, hypothyroidism, etc.

Stolen from http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Laziness

Tilt in Journalism?

I read an article today that says we need more honesty, truth, and morality in our nations leaders. I couldn't agree more with this statement. The rest of the article seemed to say something different. It pointed out that religion shouldn't be an issue when voting. It pointed out a man's personal beliefs shouldn't be considered when he was running for an office. It said a man had the right to choose for himself what he thought and what he believed and what he would do. My question is, if a man chooses, but then shouldn't tell us what he believes, then how can we as voters know who to vote for. For me the issue of religion is vital, I am a christian, and I know someone who is also a christian(in more than just name) will have the same values that I do. Furthermore I also believe that the honesty, truth, and morality that this article writer is looking for can best be exemplified by a christian. True Christianity does not breed violence, but tolerance. True Christianity does not breed ignorance, but knowledge. True Christianity does not breed hate, but love. A true christian, born again, and living in the spirit of God, will do what is right and just and not judge, hate, or belittle others. He would however tell you the story of Jesus and how he affected his own life, after that it is up to you.

A good email from my pastor about Truth

Good morning -
I normally do not use the email list for anything other than special prayer concerns or important events. However, I have recently been asked several times about a popular television personality and her promotion of all things new age.
A shepherd protects his flock and I am sure it would be profitable for you to know where your pastor stands. To be sure, I will not steal time from preaching the Word of God on Sundays to address insignificant mindless talk show hosts. Still, I cannot sit silently by and watch so many be deceived by the constant banterings of our anti-Christian national mainstream media. Folks, the bottom line is that we are in a battle for truth ... absolute ... biblical ... eternal truth. Unfortunately, those who are paraded before us on the television and radio do not share our esteemed value of truth ... truth is for them something that is not absolute but relative.
Recently, Oprah Winfrey began a world-wide class. I have never understood how any believer could waste time with Oprah, but unfortunately she has had world-wide appeal. I seriously hope that changes drastically now that Oprah has become more clear about her beliefs (or lack thereof!) She is not a follower of Christ. She does not believe His Word. Here's a link to watch what Oprah has to say for herself.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA
You may know she is closely associated with Presidential hopeful Barak Obama. Listen to what Barak recently said concerning same-sex marriage. "I think that it is a legal right that they (homosexuals) should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial, then I would just refer them to the sermon on the mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans." Excuse me? I had no idea there was an obscure passage in the theologically rich book of Romans! Here is what is sad ... Barak seems to believe that Jesus and the Bible contradict each other. ABSOLUTELY NOT! The Bible is in perfect harmony with itself, containing no error or contradiction. Do you see where his truth lies ... "in MY mind, for MY faith"
Guess where my truth lies? In the person of the LORD JESUS CHRIST and "the faith once delivered to the saints"
Barak goes on to say that his stance on abortion (abortion on-demand, even partial birth abortion, he is against notifying parents of a minor having an abortion) does not make him "less of a Christian." After his recent comments that he does not believe a person needs to believe in Jesus in order to be saved, I would be prone to say he is not "less of a christian", but instead he is not a christian at all.
I am aghast at how ignorant we have become as a nation. How can one bear the name "Christian" and totally disregard the One for whom that name stands and we do not challenge it! How have we become so flippant with the name and character of Christ that we associate ourselves with Him without regard? How have we come to the place where Jesus is so dishonored that we claim there are many ways to God ... as if His death wasn't significant enough or sufficient enough? How can we watch "preachers" and purchase their books at Wal-Mart when they say Jesus is not the only way for every man? Their popularity is strongly tied to their refusal to speak of sin and a need for salvation. The pastor of the largest church in Amercia, Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, recently said, "For me, I believe in Jesus but who am I to say that is the only way? I've traveled with my father to India and I've seen those people, they love God and are sincere in what they believe." Hmmm, equating being an Hindu (does not beleive in Jesus) with a Christian. But did you hear him ... "For me" The modern principle of "truth is relative" In response to the question, "What if you are Jewish or Muslim and don't believe in Christ at all?" he said, "I am very careful about saying who is and who isn't going to heaven, I just don't know"
Can you believe this? Didn't Jesus make it absolutely clear ... "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by me." Our world will believe anything ... even those who have no beliefs ... but our world is refusing to hear or embrace the truth of the Bible.
We are constantly being bombarded with messages that do not square with Scripture ... this is a truth war. Calvary folks will soon have an opportunity to walk through The TRUTH Project to help us ground our beliefs and resulting behaviors in truth. Here is the challenge to all believers ... to not be swept away by "clever deceptions" but instead to "study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed."
Until we see HIS Scars -
Paul Middleton

Ever had one of those days?

It seems I often have what people refer to as one of those days. You know the kind of day I'm talking about, the one where you would love to just go back to bed and start all over, but the day is half done so you don't. The kind of day where all the gold in life seems tarnished, and the milk of kindness is spoiled. Yeah one of those days. I used to fuss and complain about those days, but now I have learned a new lesson. I have learned to cherish even these days of hardship. Each day is a chance to bring someone to the Lord. Each day is a day to give thanks to God, even the days that are one of those days. God teaches us through our difficulties, he never leaves us and he cherishes us. I often lamented those days, now I have started asking a new question, God what do you want me to learn today?

What is the Truth?

A friend once told me that he could never be a Christian. He said that he could always reduce the Christian argument down to accept Christ or go to hell. He then said I don't believe in hell, therefore you're argument has no strength and you cannot make me believe it. As I was studying my Bible today it came to me that he was right. We cannot make anyone believe the truth. They have to choose it willingly. It would seem that if I argue for something and someone believes it, then if someone else comes along with a more eloquent tongue, that person will lead them to believe something else. Jesus tells Pilate I have come to testify to the truth. Truth is an absolute. If there was no hard absolute truth, then there could be no reality. My conclusion to this is that the best witness for Christ is to live our life in accordance with his plan. Our life is a powerful testimony. May God bless you and keep you today.

Welcome

Hello all! I am new to blogging and I hope to improve as I continue to do this. First of all thanks for visiting and please check back as I will continue to add information to the site. I plan for this to be a family oriented and a Christian site so please behave and act accordingly. Please also be patient as this is a work in progress.