The World is Our Pulpit

“The world is our pulpit, and our actions are our sermon. We should consider what we are actually saying in the way we conduct our lives day in and day out.”

– Laurie Hayden Bergey

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I Shall Not Pass This Way Again

“I shall pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do, let me do it now; let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” — Etienne de Grellet

Click here to see more of these beautiful inspirational quotes that I like to create.

One Serious Conviction

 

“The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously.”
– Samuel Butler

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30 Dr. Seuss Quotes That Can Change Your Life

30 Dr. Seuss Quotes

That Can Change Your Life

What a fun post which I have borrowed from another blogger… 

our friends at InspirationEnergy… LINK~!

Enough is Abundance

“Enough is abundance to the wise.”
– Euripides

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Obtaining Perfection ~ Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is said to have kept a checklist of virtues he hoped to attain. He didn’t nail it every day, but had a positive experience in making the effort.  

“On the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet as I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it.”
– Benjamin Franklin

And the day you find out why…

——————

I am re-blogging today, a 1st for me. I like the basic concept of Everyday Power’s blog post. I also believe people are born for a purpose, probably many layers and stages of purpose along the way. But, it seems like folks can get stuck in the rut of wondering what that purpose might be, feel like they are being ineffective, and then become inactive and discouraged. While I don’t believe we always need to find out exactly why we are here in “specific detail”, that sure can be an encouraging bonus~!  (Hint: love God, and imitate God.)

We can actually have more influence than we’re aware of, sometimes by accident, and even by a random occurrence. Brook and I have had the “what are we doing in Bethlehem” talk a number of times. We’ve found out repeatedly, and often years later, that we have had a positive affect on many people along the way, and we didn’t have any idea that we had made any difference at the time. Brook and I ride bikes, and wave to people a lot. We’ve had people stop us and thank us for waving to them on a day when they felt lonely. We made them smile and got them through a hard day. We have sometimes bought peoples’ groceries at the supermarket. We found out months later that one of these people had gotten a cancer diagnosis and had prayed for a sign that God still cared. We were the answer God sent, and had no idea. So, I agree with Jeff in suggesting that we should “do something”. In our case, “doing something” has proven to be a valued service to others, and that has an importance more far reaching than we will ever know. If you are living well,  you are probably also being effective beyond your knowledge. Be godly, and you will make a difference.

Dogged Determination

I have got to say, I LOVE the determination on this dog’s face~! He is not sitting back waiting for this ball to come to him. NOPE~! He is diving in, fully engaged. I believe that many of us need to be a bit more like this guy. Going for it, diving in, taking risks, and partnering with God to achieve many of the destinies available to us. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know God can do quite a bit without our help. I mean, he is omnipotent after all. But, our willingness, cooperation, and taking action have value.

Here is a quote which is often mistakenly attributed to the Bible: “God helps those who help themselves!” This is NOT in the Bible. It is a very old and valuable quote, in any case. It is believed that this quote comes from an ancient Greek proverb which influences other Greek literature and philosophy. “Aesop is credited with a fable about a man who calls on the goddess Athena for help when his ship is wrecked and is advised to try swimming first.” (from wikipedia). That made me chuckle. But, how often have I been that person? There I was asking God to help me get a publisher for my book. It helps to send a book proposal to a publishing house~! That was a nerve racking moment for me. Taking a step of faith might not put us on the right path every single time, and the risk might seem terrifying, but it is a good starting place.

If you’d like a Bible quote to support this, the Bags of Gold Parable is a good example of God empowering and blessing people who were dedicated to growing and increasing His treasure, while the person who was afraid of taking any risks ended up losing everything. I also think of some of the healings that were performed by Jesus. He sometimes asked people to “do something”, after which a healing manifested. An example of this is a man whose hand was healed after Jesus said, “stretch out your hand”. I wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t? I’ll bet that he was very self-conscious and vulnerable at that moment. The Parable of the Bags of Gold – Matthew 25: 14-28 .  Stretch out Hand Story, Matthew 12: 1-13 .

***** PSSSSsssstt,  HEY YOU…..  If this daring dachshund has inspired you to GO FOR IT, drop me a note below and tell me about it~! I’d get a kick out of hearing from you~! Thanks~!

Dog Bellyflop Photo by Seth Casteel. Click here to see his pet photography website.

To Be a Perfect Peach

One of the great delights of summer is the abundance of perfectly fresh fruit available where I live. While shopping for groceries, I saw a peach so stunning, that I had no choice but to buy it. For breakfast, I took that plump peach and diced it up. I added cereal, walnuts, chia, and soy milk. I couldn’t wait to dig in. Chomp…… Imagine my sadness when I bit into the peach chunks and found that the peach had NO flavor at all. It was a peach mirage. A phony, an imposter. A tasteless waste. (My uncle has since taught me, “you can tell by the smell“. If the fruit doesn’t already smell like it is supposed to, the good looks and texture won’t be able to make up for the lack of flavor.)

I have encountered people like this peach. What you see is NOT what you get. It is disappointing. I try hard not to be one of these people. I think we have to be careful to be authentic. Not to create an image of ourselves that we then have to work to maintain. Self-promtion can be dangerous.  I am in the process of living this blog entry. My blog following tripled yesterday. (Welcome new friends~!) As I publish a book and write a blog, I am concerned about the lasting fruit, and creating an image I can maintain.

As Brook (my husband) and I were eating breakfast this morning, we were discussing how it really is not possible to be all things to all people all the time. Yet, I would like to be, if it were possible. If someone were telling me this is their situation, here’s how I would respond: Just be yourself~! Be Genuine. Stick to what you know, try new things, and take some risks too. Then, at the perfect time, you will find your real self in exactly the right place. Not a phony, mirage, or imposter…. but the perfect peach. So let’s all apply this fairly  simple “perfect peach principle” to the way we conduct ourselves, and make life a little bit easier for everyone.

If anyone would like to share thoughts and comments, I would love that~!

(About the painting: Peach Still Life by Linda Hunt can be found for sale on ETSY. Follow this link. I love the heavy brush strokes and color combination. A perfect peach~! Thanks Linda for your stunning paintings. You color the world beautiful~!)

Bonus Bible study link: Jesus and the fig tree. Matthew 21: 18-22

To You and Through You

Walking out to the mailbox I see this (the 1st photo)~! Wow~! Andy Warhol has taught me to look for things that are unexpected, like 1 red shoot on an otherwise green shrub. But, I can’t really give Andy the full credit. Actually, I am wired that way. As I pray each day, I have noticed that I almost invariably start by thanking God for the beautiful tree across the street, or the flowers, or the birds in the bird bath. I find myself thanking God for His creation. Then I can’t help but recognize that I am also a creative person. See, God has made mankind (male AND female) in His image. So, we are supposed to be a reflection of His nature. But, God isn’t as simple as that. I find that I connect with those aspects of God that are in my specific wiring. To me, God is Creator; I am creative. God is good and merciful; I am called to be good and merciful. Now, ask yourself, who is God to you?  There is a connection: who God is TO you, He would like to be THROUGH you. These are hints as to your strengths and destiny. I’d like to encourage you to rise up to your purpose, otherwise we’re ALL missing out~! We need you to actually be who you were created to be. Don’t worry. God will help~!

(A helpful Bible Quote from “The Message” translation (I find this translation makes some Bible verses clearer, like the writings of Paul): ^{2 Timothy 1:11-12  –} This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.)

This second photograph is of the same shrub 1 month ago. This picture shows me that it is possible to be in several seasons of your life simultaneously. We can be blooming in one part of our lives, sending up new shoots in another part, and all the while something else might be dying off. Give yourself the grace to grow and bloom into new things as you shuck off the old stuff.