Beautifull Karachi

Beautiful evening at Karachi beach ..

If you are at Karachi and want to spend some beautiful moments seeing sunset and beautiful people around, Sea View is recommended 

Perspective

 

An American visitor in England was driving with a British friend who made a remark about the windscreen of his car needing to be cleaned.

"You mean the windshield, don't you?" said the American.

"No. Over here, we call it the windscreen," the Englishman said.

"Then you are wrong," the American corrected, "because we invented the automobile and we call it a windshield."

"That is quite true," countered the Englishman, "but don't forget who invented the language."

All of us see things through the lenses shaped and colored by our background. That is, from our perspective. If we would only realize this, many of us wouldn't be as rigid as we sometimes are.

In conflict situations or where there is a difference of opinion we need to say, "This is the way I see it," and then ask the other person, "And how do you see it?" Not always, but often the truth is somewhere between the two.

Remember, too, it is a very insecure person who is dogmatic, never wrong in his own eyes, and consistently has a neurotic need to be right.

Rising Above Discouragement

"These boys won't make it. Go back to Liverpool, Mr. Epstein, you have a good business there." This is what a recording company executive told the Beatles' manager at their first audition! 

Can you imagine that?

"That kid can't play baseball. He can't pull the ball" is what the manager of the Brave's Triple-A team said about Hank Aaron in 1952. 

Aaron went on to hit 755 home runs, the most ever in the history of baseball.

Remember, no matter what the critics say, in God's economy everybody has a purpose and everybody has something of value to offer. Never give up until you know what your God-given talent is, or talents are, sharpen them, dedicate them to God, and give them all you've got. 

Take courage. Nothing you do for God will ever be in vain.

If what you are choosing to do is in harmony with God's will for you, then dream big dreams, work hard, trust God and in time you will reap what you sow and will be richly rewarded. 

Know your God-given dreams and keep hope alive. In due time you will be rewarded if you "faint not."

Creative Solutions

Ideas can come from the strangest places. Creative genius comes to people who are open to new ideas and seeing different ways of doing things.

For example, in 1964 the freighter Al Kuwait, which was carrying 6,000 live sheep capsized and sank in Kuwait's harbor. The sunken ship with its decomposing cargo was presenting a serious threat to the country's water supply through its desalination processing plant.

To overcome the problem the ship had to be raised and moved to a safe place without falling apart and dumping its poisonous contents into the nation's water supply.

Karl Kroyer, a Danish engineer working in Kuwait came up with a novel idea. He pumped 27 million ping-pong balls into the freighter's hull which slowly raised it to the surface.

And where did he get this idea? From a Donald Duck comic book. Somebody sank Donald's boat and he and his feathered friends raised it by filling it with ping-pong balls!

When it comes to creative and meaningful living, the most valuable resources are found in the Word of God (not always in a comic book), It pays to know what it teaches and hide its truths in one's heart.

Do Your Best

When Leonardo da Vinci was still a pupil, his elderly, well-known teacher asked him to finish a painting that he, the teacher, had begun.

Young da Vinci stood in such awe of his master's skill that at first he respectfully declined. But his teacher would accept no excuse. He simply said, 'Do your best.'

Trembling, da Vinci took his brush and began. With each stroke, his hand grew steadier as the genius within him awoke. Soon he was so caught up in his work that he forgot his timidity. When the painting was finished, the frail and weak master was carried into the studio to see it. Embracing his student, he exclaimed, 'My son, I paint no more!'"

Not everyone has the kind of talent and genius that Leonardo da Vinci had, but every one of us has God-given talents that he wants us to develop and use. So use what talents you possess. Do your best and leave the rest to God. As Henry van Dyke said, "The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

Faith Without Action

Napoleon Hill said, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe can be achieved."

While this statement sounds rather grandiose, there is certainly a measure of truth in it. It's somewhat similar to "without action faith is useless".

As the old saying goes, you can't steer a ship or a bicycle to go anywhere until they're moving. Zig Ziglar in his book, See You at the Top, put it this way: "The largest locomotive in the world can be held in its tracks while standing still simply by placing a single one-inch block of wood in front of each of the eight drive wheels. The same locomotive moving at 100 miles per hour can crash through a wall of steel reinforced concrete five feet thick."

The important thing is that we get moving!

"Faith without works is dead."

Some people are sitting around waiting for some kind of special call or revelation from God before they get involved in His work. It's not likely to happen because God has already given us lots of instructions in his Word regarding what to do. All we need to do is read these instructions … and start moving into action!

Being Connected

Unfortunately, many people are taught to ignore their negative emotions. As John T. Raffa wrote in Psychology for Living magazine: "They believe you should hide such feelings--deny, deny, deny--and become nothing but a robot instead of what God made us, beings with feelings."

I have always emphasized the need to be honest, to be open-faced, to walk in the light, and to love one another. Repressed people are closed people and are unable to fully love and fully live. Neither can they have any kind of emotional intimacy in close relationships.

Only as we walk in the light, that is, in honesty and openness, are we able to have true fellowship and connection with both God and others. Furthermore, only then are we able to be open channels through which God's love can flow to others, and in so doing will we be able to fully live and fully love.

Dear God
please reveal to me
any and every barrier in my life
that blocks my feeling close to you
and to others
so that I can know true intimacy with you
and the ones I love the most
--and be a vibrant channel
through which
your love to others can flow.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

چھوئی موئی، پیرا سائیٹ اور امر بیل

ہائی اسکول کے دنوں کی بات ہے زراعت کو ایک علیحدہ مضمون کے طور پر متعارف کرایا گیا ۔۔ ہمارے لئے اس میں دلچسپی کی ایک وجہ اس کے پریکٹیکل تھے ۔۔ ہمہ رنگ پھول پتے اور کیڑے پریکٹیکل بک کی زینت بنے ۔۔ اسی دوران کسی نے گورنمنٹ کالج جھنگ کے بوٹانیکل گارڈن کی بابت بتایا کہ وہاں کئی قسم کے پھول لگائے گئے ہیں ۔۔ چونکہ گورنمنٹ کالج جھنگ ہمارے گھر کے نزدیک تھا تو صبح سویرے معمول بنا کہ کالج کی سیر کی جائے ۔۔ ابا جی مرحوم ہمیں فجر کے ٹائم اٹھا دیتے اور ہم کالج کے گراونڈ کے چکر لگاتے ہوئے بوٹانیکل گارڈن نکل جاتے ۔۔

ہمیں جو پھول پتے اور جڑی بوٹیاں ان دنوں میں متعارف ہوئیں انہوں نے آنے والی زندگی میں ہمیں بہت سے اصولوں سے روشناس کرایا اور زندگی کے یہ اصول ہماری زندگی میں ہمیشہ قائم رہیں گے - انشااللہ ۔۔

ہم نے ایک بوٹی دیکھی جس کا نام مالی نے چھوئی موئی بتایا ۔۔ ہمیں لگا کہ ہاتھ لگاتے ہی چھوئی موئی ہو جانے والی چیز کو لوگ نہ صرف بار بار ہاتھ لگاتے ہیں بلکہ جب وہ مرجھاتی ہے تو بہت بد ہیئت لگتی ہے ۔۔ اس سے ہمیں "خود پر اعتماد" کا سبق ملا ۔۔

ہم نے دیکھا کہ کچھ کیڑے پتوں کو کھا کر زندہ رہتے ہیں - خود تو نشونما پا کر پلتے ہیں لیکن پتوں کو مار دیتے ہیں ۔۔ ہمارے استاد نے ان کا نام پیرا سائیٹ بتایا ۔۔ بہت غصہ آیا اور تہیہ کیا کہ کبھی ان کیڑوں جیسا نہیں بننا اور نہ ہی ان پتوں جیسا بننا ہے ۔۔ ہمیشہ زندگی میں خود محنت کر کے نام بنایا اور کام کی عظمت کے مزے بھی چکھے ۔۔

ہم نے ایک بیل دیکھی جو دیواروں پر چڑھ کر پھیلتی جاتی ہے اور دیوار کا رنگ بدل دیتی ہے ۔۔ اس کا نام امربیل معلوم پڑا ۔۔ سبق لیا کہ کبھی کسی کو اپنے اوپر سوار مت ہونے دو کہ وہ تمہاری شناخت ہی ختم کر دے ۔۔

پھول کی طرح پر اعتماد رہیے اور خوشبو اور رنگ بکھیرتے رہیئے، تاہم اپنے کانٹے تیار اور تیزدھار  رکھیے ۔۔ لوگوں کے روئیے جائیے اور پیرا سائیٹس سے بچیے، تناور درخت بنیے جو موسموں کی سختیاں سہہ کر بھی سایہ دیتا ہے اور اپنی شناخت بناییے ۔۔  
      
Have A Blessed Sunday ..

The Beauty and Meaning of Life

In speaking about the meaning and purpose of life, one insightful writer said, "It is not about writing great books, amassing great wealth, achieving great power. It is about loving and being loved. It is about savoring the beauty of moments that don't last, the sunsets, the leaves turning color, the rare moments of true human communication."

The essence of life is not in power, performance, or possessions but in loving relationships--both with people around and with God--and in appreciating the beauty of His creation, and fulfilling His purpose for our lives.

Dear God,
give me the wisdom
to understand
that the beauty
and true meaning of life is not found
in power, performance, or possessions
but in loving relationships
the human heart yearns for,
and in loving and serving You.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Don't Waste Your Pain--Invest It

In almost every trial we face, God is seeking to "tell" us something. Sometimes, the only time He can get our attention is when we're hurting sufficiently to slow us down so we will stop and listen.

That has certainly been true in my life.

On one occasion, God used an accident and a time in the hospital to get my attention and to speak to me. The decision I made as a result ended up radically changing the total course of my life.

Another time God used a major crisis and loss to expand my work. He used another emotional setback to get me started in writing. That was apprx two decades ago and I'm still writing!

When you are hurting, you can be sure that God has something to say to you too--something for your good. Ask Him to help you hear what it is and to give you the courage to do what He is telling leading you to do. Whatever it is, you can be certain it will enrich your life in one way or another.

Furthermore, whatever you do, don't waste your pain. Invest it in your own growth and then in helping another fellow struggler along the way.

Dear God ..
please help me
to see how you want to use all the trials
that come my way
to help me grow
and change my life for the better.

And please help me
never to waste my pain
but to invest it wisely
in my own growth
and in making me
a more effective helper
to other fellow strugglers.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

God

God shows Himself to us through creation.

In My Search for the Ultimate, research scientist Lambert Dolphin Jr. writes, "Confronted every day with the mysteries of space and the atom, I continue to be amazed at the complexity and order of our universe. From the sub-microscopic realm of the atom to the expanding reaches of the galaxies, our universe runs like intricate and well-oiled clockwork according to great physical laws which never change or falter.

"Our sun, which is the nearest star, a hundred earth diameters across, is 93 million miles into space. Each day the sun supplies our solar system with heat, power and light at the rate of a million billion, billion horsepower! Yet it is only an average star.

"Our island universe of stars which we call the Milky Way is 100,000 light years across. If we could travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), it would take us 100,000 years to traverse the Milky Way!

Yet this is only one of a billion or more such island universes stretched out in every direction from our earth to distances measured in billions of light years."

However, one doesn't need to be a scientist to see and feel the greatness of creation all around us.

"Did all this happen by chance?" I ask myself. For me it would take more faith to believe that than to believe that our world and universe were created by a Master Designer whose power and greatness are beyond human understanding.

Anselm, the famous Italian theologian who lived in the eleventh century, stated that the idea of God in the mind is proof that God exists. Pascal, the French physicist and philosopher who lived in the seventeenth century, spoke about the "God-shaped vacuum in every life that only God can fill."

In life we all see and believe basically what we want to see and believe. If we want to see and believe in God, we can. It is our sin that has separated us from God and prevented us from finding him.

Because We Are What We Are

 

Have you ever felt in the pits when a well-meaning friend told you that you shouldn't feel that way? It makes you feel worse. Right? Whether we should or shouldn't feel what we feel is beside the point. We feel what we feel because we are who and what we are.

Feelings are neither right nor wrong. They just are. It's what we do with them that counts. And, contrary to what many of us were taught, feelings are important. They are a God-given vital part of our humanity.

In one sense feelings are an "emotional thermometer." They tell us what's going on inside of us--what our emotional temperature is and, when interpreted correctly, can indicate when we are emotionally well or if there is some issue in our life we need to resolve.

When feelings are repressed, one's "thermometer" is out of order. It's a very unhealthy way to live. You don't even know when you are sick (emotionally and/ or spiritually). Furthermore, people whose feelings are repressed may be clever but can, at the same time, be very cold, calculating, insensitive, callous, and--in the extreme--even murderous.

Feelings can be trusted. What we can't always trust is our interpretation of them. That's the difficult part, but with help it can be learned and learn it we must if we are to be emotionally, spiritually and physically healthy.

Learn to listen to your emotions. Take time to write a daily journal. Record what you are feeling without any kind of self-judgment.

Be aware, too, that the negative emotions we fail to talk out creatively we will inevitably act out in one way or another destructively.

Dear God,
help me to get in touch
with all of my emotions
--both positive and negative
--and learn how to express them
creatively in a healthy manner
so that I will become
an honest and real person.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Well Done

Theodore Roosevelt said, "It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of good deeds could have done better.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena: Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again ..

"Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause ..

"Who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement ..

"And who, at worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Every one of us has been given at least one talent; many have been given several. Regardless of whether we have one or many talents, what is important is to use well what God has given and entrusted to us and therewith give life our best shot.

Remember, too: "Only one life 'twill soon be past/ Only what's done for God's will last."

Things That Bug Us

As the ditty goes, "It's the little things that bother us and put us on the rack, you can sit upon a mountain but you can't sit on a tack."

And isn't that the truth? It's the little annoyances in life that get us tied in a knot. A slight criticism, a driver who cuts us off on the freeway, a green light that turns red before we get to it, a friend running late, and so on.

Let us realize, however, that somebody's negative reaction may have more to do with them than us. A criticism may be somebody projecting their unresolved issues onto us. Somebody failing to thank us may indicate that they are having a "bad hair" day, and somebody cutting us off on the freeway may be an indication of their impatience--as well as a reflection of ours!

What somebody else does to me may or may not be a problem. How I react, though, is always my issue, and when I overreact, that is always my problem. What the other person does is their issue. How I act, react, or overreact is always my issue and my responsibility.

If we'd remember that "whatever others think of me is none of my business," I would at least learn to cope much better with many of life's little annoyances. I know it's easier said than done, but it is a goal to work towards. Furthermore, the more mature and whole I become, the less life's little annoyances will bother me.

I'm still working on this issue.

The Right Word

 

Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

When English poet Keats was writing a poem he asked his friend Leigh Hunt what he thought of the line, "A beautiful thing is an unending joy."

"Good, but not quite perfect," said Hunt.

"How about this?" said Keats, "A thing of beauty is an unending joy."

Finally Keats put it this way, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

"That," said his friend, "will live as long as the English language is spoken.'

May God help us to always speak the right word. It doesn't have to be eloquent but it needs to be straightforward, genuine, and spoken in truth from the heart!

Dear God,
please help me
to say the right thing
at the right time
and always speak the truth in love
--and keep my mouth shut when I need to.

Always. Even when I'm ticked off.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Enrich Your Personal Life

Loneliness, emptiness, boredom, and lack of purpose are all a very real part of modern man's dilemma. They are indicative of our failure to find meaning for living and they show up in the alarming abuse of alcohol and other drugs, and in the high depression and suicide rate.

In America, for example, the most affluent country on earth, thousands of people take their own lives each year. And there are countless others who, while living in the midst of abundance, to quote Henry D. Thoreau, live lives of "quiet desperation."

The tragedy in life, however, is not death, but rather, as Albert Schweitzer once said, "what dies inside a man [or woman] while he/she lives." A person dies inside when he has no meaningful purpose outside of himself for which to live.

It is purpose--not wealth or success--that makes life worthwhile. Purpose makes even drudgery acceptable and is an immunization against many sicknesses.

How then can we find more meaning and purpose to life?

The following tips can help:

Getting out of yourself. No matter how busy we are or how many problems we have, we can all find little ways to bring cheer to those around us--like bringing home a rose for your wife, a special treat for the children, a favor for a neighbor. Visit someone who is shut-in. Write a note, use your telephone, or send an email to tell a friend you appreciate him or her. Words of encouragement and acts of kindness do wonders for both the giver and the receiver.

A vital part of finding happiness and contentment is found in discovering something more important than yourself to believe in, by helping others, and by directing your thoughts and actions towards them. Egotists are seldom happy.

Love and friendship are also essential for giving life meaning and purpose. Without wholesome relationships, which give us a sense of belonging, we live as islands alone in a very large universe.

So take time for friends. They are a priceless asset in life. "Do you want to make friends?" asks Dale Carnegie, who gives the following advice. "Be friendly. Forget yourself. You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

And remember, as another has said, "The person all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package."

Another way for enriching your personal life is by investing your life in a worthwhile cause. Everybody needs something to live for that is bigger than him or herself--a noble or worthwhile cause into which he/she can put his/her best efforts.

A creative use of one's talents is also essential for giving meaning to life. God gave us all talents to use. When we aren't using them, we feel unfulfilled.

This is why I believe it is important to discover what your best talent is (or talents are), get the training you need to sharpen that talent, and find a place where you can use it--either in your job, in a hobby, or with a volunteer organization. God's purpose for your life will definitely involve the use of your gifts and talents in ways to help others.

Faith, hope, and charity. The poet Goethe lists nine requisites for meaningful living. They are as follows:

"Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your needs. Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others. Faith enough to make real the things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future."

Love Opens Doors

According to an article in Today in the Word, soon after Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert, the couple had a quarrel, whereupon Prince Albert locked himself in his private apartment. Queen Victoria knocked furiously on his door.

"Who's there?" asked Albert.

"The Queen of England, and she demands to be admitted."

There was no response and the door remained locked. The queen knocked furiously again.

"Who's there?" asked Albert again. The queen's response was the same … as was Albert's.

After more furious knocking and no response came a quiet pause--and then a gentle tap.

"Who's there?" asked Albert once more.

"Your wife, Albert," the queen replied. Immediately the door was opened.

As the writer of this article pointed out, "Love opens doors."

Need I say more?

Dear God
help me always
to be a door opener
and not a door closer.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Mindset Matters

There's an old parable that explains how three men were working hard cutting stone from large blocks of granite. When asked what they were doing, the first man said, "I'm making bricks." The Second man said, "I'm cutting stones for the foundation of a large building," while the third man said, "I'm building a cathedral."

All three men were equally capable and doing the same work, so which man's work do you think would have been the most fulfilling? What mattered was each man's thinking about the purpose of the work he was doing. It wasn't his aptitude that made the difference--it was his attitude--his mindset!

One's attitude will determine the direction and purpose of one's life. The purpose of one man might be to make lots of money, while the purpose of another might be to help build the lives of the people he is serving. One woman may see housework as a burdensome chore while another does it joyfully because she is doing it for the ones she loves. It's their mindset that makes the difference.

If we want to end our life with a sense of fulfillment, it will be our mindset now that will determine how we end.

Dear God
Please help me
to discover my God-given life purpose
and dedicate my life to serving you
by loving and serving people.

Help me to live in harmony with your will
and, with your help, to fulfill
my God-given life purpose
by living a life that matters
--not only for time but also for eternity.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayers.

Think and Grow Peaceful

In his article, "Today I Will Make a Difference," Max Lucado wrote, "Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference."

The reality is that we eventually become what we constantly think about for "what the mind dwells on the body acts on."

Admittedly, controlling our thoughts can be much easier said than done. To succeed, it not only needs consistent practice and mental discipline, but also the resolution of things that "bug" us. For instance, if we have any major unresolved personal conflicts with accompanying super-charged negative emotions, these can have a major effect on our thinking. They can be compared to having a throbbing toothache that literally controls our thinking. Because of the pain, it's just about impossible to think about anything else until we get to the dentist and have the aching tooth taken care of.

To live a peaceful life, it is imperative that we learn to control and consistently think positive thoughts. And to control our thoughts, it is imperative that we resolve any and all personal conflicts. In other words, if we want to live peacefully we need to get all our "emotional-tooth-aches" resolved.

Dear God,
thank you
that your Word
teaches the importance
of positive thinking 'about things
that are excellent and worthy of praise.'

Please help me to live
in harmony with your will,
be rid of all guilt
by confessing my sins and "Towba",
and resolving all personal conflicts
so that I will be able
to fix my 'thoughts
on what is true,
and honorable,
and right,
and pure,
and lovely,
and admirable.'

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz ..

Wise Words ..

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. 

- Chinese Proverb

A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually

- Abba Eban

Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.

- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.

- Leonard I. Sweet

There is nothing permanent except change

- Heraclitus (c. 540- c. 470 BCE)

The only certainty is that nothing is certain

Make A Difference

Some of us have the idea that our life can't make much of a difference.

Sometimes we think, "What can one person do?"

This reminds me of the man who, when walking along the beach, kept picking up starfish that had been washed ashore. There must have been hundreds of them. One by one he picked them up and threw each back into the ocean.

A stranger watching said to the man, "Why are you doing that? There are so many starfish on the beach. What you are doing makes no difference."

"Makes a difference to that one," the man replied as he threw another starfish back into the ocean.

Robert Kennedy once said, "Many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single person. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and it was the 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal."

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in a bus to a white man on December 1, 1955, she triggered the civil rights movement in the U.S.A. In so doing she played a key role that changed a nation.

You and I may not achieve such greatness but we can make a difference. We do so every time we stand up for what is right, lend a helping hand to a friend or stranger in need.

Added up, our small ripples blend together to reach ever-widening circles. In so doing, one life does make a difference and can make an impact.

Dear God,
I'm available.
Please help and use me
to make a difference in somebody's life
today.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

The Gift of an Untroubled Mind

In his book, Peace of Mind, Joshua Liebman writes of an experience he had when he was still a boy. "I made a list of the supreme goods in life," Liebman said.

"Went to a wise mentor and I showed him the list expecting to be praised for my precocity. The list went something like this … health, love, talent, riches, beauty, and faith. As I shared the list with the old wise man, he reached for a stub of a pencil, and carefully scratched through all of the things that I had listed.

He said, "Young man, you may have all of these--health, love, faith, riches, beauty -- but they will all turn out to be enemies instead of friends unless you have the one thing you missed." Then he wrote on the paper, "The gift of an untroubled mind."

From what I read and hear it appears that so many people (at least in our modern society) are plagued by depression, heartbreak, worry, anxiety, fear, and impaired relationships. And (compared to most of the world) we have just about every material benefit and human comfort we want, except so many don't have peace of mind.

There are two kinds of peace we all need in order to fully live. First, and most important of all, is spiritual peace knowing that our sins are forgiven, and we have God's promise of a home in heaven for all eternity. This gift from God is absolutely free and comes from admitting our "Tawba" - repenting to God due to performing any sins and misdeeds. It is a direct matter between a person and God, so there is no intercession.

The other kind of peace we could call emotional or relational peace. This comes from resolving any and all impaired relationships, forgiving any and all who have ever hurt us, and resolving any and all negative emotions--especially super-charged repressed negative emotions which are destroyers of both emotional and physical wellbeing and extremely destructive of personal relationships.

Dear God,
Please help me to see andresolve
anything in my life
that is causing me
to have a troubled mind.

Please fill me with your love
and help me to know and experience
your eternal peace in the very center
of my being.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Doers and Hearers

In 1953 reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station waiting to meet the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

He was a big man, six-feet-four tall with bushy hair and a large mustache.

Reporters were excited to see him and expressed what an honor it was to meet him. Cameras were flashing, compliments were being expressed--but seeing beyond the adulation the visitor noticed an elderly Afro-American woman struggling to carry her two large suitcases.

"Excuse me," he said as he went to the aid of this woman. Picking up her cases, he escorted her to a bus and then apologized to the reporters for keeping them waiting.

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous doctor who had invested his life helping poor and sick people in Africa.

The measure of any man or woman is not their name, their fame, nor what they say--but what they do.

Dear God,
please help me
to be a doer of your Word
and not just a hearer.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Unexpected Strangers

Imagine you were an expert mechanic working on your car and along comes a stranger and tells you what you should do to fix it. What would you think and how would you feel? At the very least I'd question the stranger's reliability.

Unfortunately, it is true that we can't trust everybody and we need to be on our guard against deceptive and dishonest people. At the same time we never know who the stranger is that has crossed our path. He/ she may be an angel unawares. Or he/ she may be a person in need of a helping hand, an encouraging word, or just "a cup of cold water."

Dear God,
please give me
eyes to see,
ears to hear,
and a heart to sense
so that I will know
when you have sent
a 'stranger'
to minister to me
in my hour of need,
or if you have brought into my life
a person in need
of a helping hand
or a touch from you

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Life With a Purpose

 

Motivational speaker, Mark Victor Hansen, said, "Setting goals is one of the most important things you can do to guarantee your personal, professional and financial success. Goals are like a road map to your target destination. Each goal accomplished is another mile behind you on the way to where you want to be."

Years ago I heard another speaker say, "Success is the ability to embrace a worthwhile goal and employ all of your powers for the achievement of that goal."

A life without goals is like a ship without a rudder drifting where the winds and waves of chance direct.

However, even more important than setting goals is to first discover one's God-given life purpose and then establish goals to fulfill that purpose.

As long as we live by God's laws and follow God's plan, God assures us that we will have good success.

God will do the same for you and me, too, as we live in harmony with His will and follow God's plan and purpose for our life.

Dear God,
please help me
to discover and clearly define
my God-given life purpose
and then direct me
in the setting of
worthwhile and specific goals
that, with your help and my commitment,
will assure the fulfillment of my life purpose.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

The Power of One

Did you ever stop to think how very important you are ?

Pretty much throughout ..

Whether your task is great or small, Remember, as an anonymous poet wrote:

    One song can spark a moment,
    One flower can wake the dream.
    One tree can start a forest,
    One bird can herald spring.
    One smile begins a friendship,
    One handclasp lifts a soul.
    One star can guide a ship at sea,
    One word can frame the goal.
    One vote can change a nation,
    One sunbeam lights a room.
    One candle wipes out darkness,
    One laugh will conquer gloom.
    One step must start each journey,
    One word must start each prayer.
    One hope will raise our spirits,
    One touch can show you care.
    One voice can speak with wisdom,
    One heart can know what's true.
    One life can make the difference,
    You see it's up to you!

In the words of Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one. But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the Something that I can do."

Don't ever forget how very important you are, not only to your loved ones, your work, but also to God.

Dear God,
I'm available,
please use me some way
to make a difference
in someone's life today

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayers

Thinking Makes It

William James, the father of American psychology, stated that, "the greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind [your thinking]." He also said, "If you change your mind, you can change your life."

While what William James said is true, this truth wasn't discovered by his generation. Thousands years ago God's word pointed out the importance of right thinking.

It is true; we can change our lives by changing our thinking--either for good or bad. If we harbor and dwell on negative thoughts, we will act in negative ways. On the other hand, if we harbor and dwell on positive thoughts, we will act in positive ways. What we think about comes about.

As another has said, "What the mind dwells on the body acts on." Think of temptation for instance. First comes a thought and, if we entertain it, it hooks our feelings, and the stronger we feel about it, the more we keep thinking about it, and the more we rationalize about doing it … and unless we nip that thinking in the bud, we give in to the temptation and act it out.

So as an unknown author also wisely said:

Watch your thoughts; they lead to attitudes.

Watch your attitudes; they lead to words.

Watch your words; they lead to actions.

Watch your actions; they lead to habits.

Watch your habits; they form your character.

Watch your character; it determines your destiny.

Dear God
Please help me
to discipline my thought life
and learn to dwell on
'whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, and whatever is excellent or
praiseworthy.'

Thank you for hearing and answering my
prayers..

God of Second Chances

If you read this front page story in the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the San Francisco Golden Gate bridge) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as if she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The man who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

No matter how many times we feel we've failed or blown it, God will continue to call us to Himself. However, it is much wiser to "listen up" quickly.

So, if you feel you have failed, be encouraged. Now is the time to give God a chance. "He'll mend even a broken heart if you'll give him all the pieces." God calls us all to follow Him, so why not respond to his call ? He can make a much better job of your life than you can if you will trust it to Him.

Predestination vs. Free Will

Somebody said, "The difference between predestination and free will is: "Predestination is the hand you were dealt; free will is what you do with that hand."

Good point !!!

While we weren't responsible for, nor did we have any choice in what gifts and abilities we were born with, we are totally responsible for what we do about discovering and developing these gifts and talents and for how we use them.

Furthermore, regardless of our background, which I acknowledge has a profound effect on us, with God's help and the support of encouraging friends, we can refuse to allow our past to determine our future and we can overcome much of our past, develop our talents, and become the person God wants us to be and do what we believe He wants us to do with our life.

It all boils down to choice. Either by conscious choice or by default we all choose what we want to become and do what we choose to do. As another has said, "Everyone is self made, even if the rich are the only ones who will admit it."

Dear God,
please help me
to discover
what my gifts and talents are--
both spiritual and
natural--
and develop them,
and find a productive way
to use them
for the benefit of others and for your glory.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Changing Course?

The following was circulated in an email some time ago but has a timely message that is good to be reminded about.

As the large ship cruised ahead through the night darkness, a message from ahead was received: "Make a course adjustment to avoid a collision."

Immediately the ship responded: "I am an admiral. You make a course adjustment."

"I am a petty officer. You make a course adjustment," came the reply.

"I am an aircraft carrier. You had better turn quickly," the admiral commanded.

The petty officer responded: "I am a lighthouse. You are the one who had better turn."

God's Word is our guide through all of life, through the good days as well as through the dark nights. Every instruction is there for our protection, for our safety, for our well-being. We disregard it to our peril. Despise God's Word and find yourself in trouble. Obey it and succeed."

God's Word is the "course adjustment" lighthouse for us. If we're heading in a dangerous direction, we are the ones who need to heed the directions and change course.

Thank you God
that 'Your Word is a light unto my path.'
Give me the good sense
and the courage
to always follow in your ways
so my life will never be shipwrecked.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Parrot Talk

 

A man bought a parrot at an auction after some heavy bidding. "I hope this bird talks," he told the auctioneer.

"Talk," the auctioneer replied. "Who do you think has been bidding against you for the past ten minutes?"

Sad to say, we seem to be living in a day when a person's word has less and less value. Once upon a time a man's word was his bond. Not any more, I'm afraid. For many people today their word doesn't mean a thing.

We're pretty adept at parroting what we think people want to hear.

I remember one of my college professors teaching us that a person's character could be measured by what value he or she put on their word. People who don't keep their word simply cannot be trusted. This principle applies, not only to some politicians who promise anything to get votes, but also to every one of us who do not keep our promises or our word.

Fortunately, however, of one thing we can be certain, God always keeps his Word and always keeps his promises. We need to do the same! For after all, it's what we do, not what we say, that speaks the loudest of all.

Dear God,
please make me a man/woman of my word ..
so I can always be trusted to say what I
mean, mean what I say, and do what I say I will do.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Stepping Stones to Success

Many achievements in life have come from a setback, an accident, or some kind of crisis or even suffering. For instance, the first cars had to be started by cranking the motor by hand. At times the engine would "kick" back the crank handle. This happened to Charles Kettering and it broke his arm.

"There must be a safer way to start cars than this," Kettering reasoned and he went on to invent self-starters for cars.

Jacob Schick was prospecting for gold where the temperature fell to 40 degrees below zero. He had a hard time trying to shave with a blade without sufficient hot water--so he invented the first electric shaver.

Eugene O'Neill had no specific goal or aim in life until he became ill and had to go to hospital. While lying flat on his back he began to write his plays.

So, when things go wrong in your life and you experience a major setback, lose your job, or have an accident, not always, but perhaps God has something for you to learn, or something else he wants you to do. The important thing is to be open to what God is saying.

True, disasters happen because we live in a broken, sinful world. Sometimes, however, a disaster is "God's wake-up call" to teach us an important lesson, to help us grow, or to lead us in a different direction.

Most of us are not going to be struck down. Some of us, though, who are hard-headed have to be "hit over the head" as it were with a "four-by-four" for God to get our attention. But for most of us God leads through his Word, our circumstances, and through a "still small voice" within that gives us a sense of what God wants us to do.

Dear God,
help me to see/ hear/ learn
what you are saying to me
in every adverse circumstance
I may experience,
as I truly want to be
what you want me to be
and to do
what you want me to do.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Teachable

 

Seeing is not always believing. Old beliefs as well as old habits die hard.

For centuries people believed Aristotle's opinion that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth.

I am not an engineer but according to a report I read, in 1589 Galileo challenged Aristotle's teaching. He invited learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Galileo went to the top of the tower and at exactly the same moment pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight.

Both landed at the same instant, but the professors still wouldn't believe what they saw. They insisted Aristotle was right.

To move ahead in life and to grow--intellectually, emotionally and spiritually--it is important that we examine all our beliefs, test them, hold to the true and discard the false. Admittedly, this is much easier said than done, but done it must be if we are to keep learning and growing. Unless we are open to and willing to change, we get set in our ways and cease to grow.

Dear God,
please confront me
with every issue in my life
I need to be aware of,

help me
to be teachable,
and give me the courage
to make necessary changes
in my life where needed.

Thank you
for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Lead by Example

On an occasion following a great victory Napoleon was asked how he made his army cross the Alps and he replied, "One does not make an army cross the Alps; one leads it across."

Whether a boss, a parent, a teacher, or a friend, the most effective way to lead others, to teach others, to motivate others, to train our children and/or to influence others is by example; that is, by who we are, by what we do, and most of all by how much we care about them. In other words, we need to model what we want others to learn and do. We need to lead the way, not by being demanding or controlling, but by showing through both our caring and our doing--by example not by telling.

Furthermore, "People don't care how much we know until they know how much we care," and as Carl Jung stated, "Where love rules, there is no will to power, and where power predominates, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other."

Dear God,
please help me
to teach others your ways,
not by my telling them how
but by showing them how
by my example.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Over the Edge

Back in 1911 a stuntman named Bobby Leach went over Niagara Falls in a specially designed steel drum--and lived to tell about it.

Although he suffered minor injuries, he survived because he recognized the tremendous dangers involved in the feat, and he had done everything he could to protect himself from harm. Several years later, while walking down a street in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel, fell, and badly fractured his leg. He was taken to a hospital where he died of complications from that fall. He received a greater injury walking down the street than he sustained in going over Niagara Falls. He was not prepared for danger in what he assumed to be a safe situation."

Niagara  Falls has the breath-taking beauty and the incredible power of the millions of gallons of water rushing over the falls every second. Visitors have to be extremely careful to view the falls from a very secure position. If you stood in an unsafe place, one slip and you'd be gone.

When it comes to life's temptations, we're very much aware of and are careful to avoid the ones that "roar around us like the rushing waters of Niagara." But like Bobby slipped on an orange peel, it is extremely easy for us to ignore the seemingly "little" temptations that slip up on us silently but don't appear to carry any threat. However, a tiny indulgence in lust, can lure us and ever so slowly, little by little, draw us closer to the edge … and we wake up and discover to our dismay that we have slipped over the line into an addiction that has us hopelessly trapped.

No wonder the Scriptures warn us to be on our guard … and "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"

Dear God,
please help me realize
just how vulnerable I am
and susceptible to life's 'little' temptations,
and that daily I need to commit and trust
my life and way to you.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

Insignificant Goals

 

Some years ago a headline told of three hundred whales that suddenly died. The whales were pursuing sardines and found themselves marooned in a bay. Frederick Harris commented, 'The small fish lured the sea giants to their death. They came to their violent demise by chasing small ends, by prostituting vast powers for insignificant goals.'"

Over the years I've asked numerous people how many of them believe that God has a purpose for their life. Almost all hands raise in agreement. But when I ask what their God-given life-purpose is, very few have any idea. I get lots of vague generalities, but very few have a clearly defined life-purpose.

If we don't know specifically where we are headed in life, instead of making life happen, we allow life as it happens to make us. That is, instead of directing our life, we are directed by life's circumstances. We become like a rudderless ship with no real sense of direction, wasting our God-given potential on pursuing happiness, riches, or insignificant goals. Unless we know where we are headed, there is a danger that we, like the whales, may make shipwreck of our faith or even of our life.

Dear God,
thank you that you do have a God-given life-purpose for my life.

Please help me to discover what it is
and, with your help,
do all in my power to achieve that purpose.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

The Secret of Happiness

As said earlier , happiness is many things to many people. For one thing, it means we need to know and accept ourselves for who we are.

Happiness also means learning to accept my personal circumstances. Some of them can be changed. Others can't. And unless I accept the ones that can't be changed, I'll never be happy or content. As blind Helen Keller said, "I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God."

Happiness is also having a worthwhile goal . . . a noble purpose for which to live . . . something of value to strive for.

I was once talking to a union representative. At the time he was also demonstrating for a cause that was popular back then. He told me he joined this group because it gave him something to live for. I don't know if this man is still demonstrating for a cause, but certainly everybody needs something to live for other than himself and his own happiness.

Happiness in itself is not a worthwhile goal to live for. To be happy all of the time is unreal, as happiness is only one of life's great emotions. To be in touch with all of one's feelings is more important than being happy all of the time. To feel sad, hurt, angry, afraid, and unhappy at the appropriate times is both normal and healthy. However, if one is unhappy most of the time, this is nature's way of telling him/ her that something is missing in his life or some conflict needs resolving.

To be happy, or at least fulfilled, one also needs to have worthwhile work (paid or volunteer) into which one can put one's best efforts. Note, too, that when our work is helping to meet others needs, this can be very fulfilling.

Everybody has some talents; so it is important that he/ she discover his/ her gifts, receive adequate training to sharpen them, and find a place to use them. This is equally true for both men and women.

It is a wise man who helps his wife find, develop, and use her special gifts. He will reap just rewards through his wife's increased fulfillment and happiness. And so it is for a wise woman for her husband.

Dear God,
please help me to realize
that happiness comes
much more through who I am
rather than what I do.

Help me to become the person
you want me to be
and then find further fulfillment
and happiness with what I do
with my life.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayerz.

The Secret of Happiness

Already pointed out that happiness is many things to many people. It means knowing and accepting ourselves for who we are; learning to live with circumstances we are not able to change; having a worthwhile and noble purpose for which to live; and having something of value to do.

"If you find a really happy man," states one author, "you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, or growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a button that has rolled under the wardrobe, he will not be striving for it as a goal in itself, he will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life to the full twenty-four hours of the day."

The happy person also has healthy relationships with other people. The person who lives only for himself is immature and usually miserable. Even the ancient Greeks had a word for the self-centered person. It was idios from which we get our word, "idiot." It means belonging to one's self.

To love and be loved is without question one of mankind's greatest needs for happiness. Without love all else in life is meaningless. Once again, however, love comes from within. If we give love we will receive love. That is a law of life. Unfortunately, many people, especially in childhood, were hurt because of a lack of love and as adults are afraid to love for fear of being hurt again. With effective counseling and the will to overcome, this fear can usually be conquered.

A well-integrated self is also needed for happiness. If the self is whole and mature, happiness will follow.

Finally, character and a clear conscience are critical for lasting happiness. To feel forgiven for all the wrongs one has done gives one a deep sense of freedom. Any wrongs, therefore, that we have done need to be put right and any impaired relationships resolved. Not only do we need our brother's forgiveness, but also God's (Toba). When we confess our sins and faults to Him (Allah), He always forgives us. We then need to forgive ourselves.

Remember, happiness is a process not an event. Diligently follow the process and happiness/contentment will be the rich reward.

Dear God,
thank you that you have given me
the principles in your Word
for finding lasting peace, contentment, and happiness.

Give me a love for your word
so that I will know how to live
and therein find the inner peace, contentment, and happiness
you promise to all who put you first
and follow your ways.

Thank you for hearing and answering
my prayers ..

The Secret of Happiness

The search for happiness is as old as mankind.

Hedonism, an ancient Greek philosophy, stated that the chief end of man was happiness. Democritus, who lived in 460 BC, said, "Happiness is the object of our conduct." And Aristipus, a pupil of Socrates, put it this way. "The most intense pleasure is the highest good and is the aim of life."

People today still long for happiness, but in spite of our greatly increased knowledge and achievements so many people still haven't learned its secret.

Some doctors estimate that over 80% of patients are suffering as a result of emotional distress. A world-famous psychiatrist claims that "the central neurosis of our time is emptiness." And according to the United Nations World Health Organization, depression is the world's number one health problem.

Marilyn Monroe had everything that many seem to think brings happiness--beauty, wealth, fame, and popularity--but she ended her life in suicide. I have read that actor Mel Gibson also had everything the world had to offer but he never felt happy or fulfilled. This is one reason he produced and paid to make the film, The Passion of the Christ.

And millionaire Jay Gould said when dying, "I suppose I am the most miserable devil on earth."

Actually, wealth, fame, power, or beauty don't make one happy or unhappy. They are externals. Happiness comes from within. It is a by-product of an inner condition. If one lives only for personal happiness, he will probably never find it. As one person said, "The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness."

In their mind happiness is many things to many people. It depends on one's particular needs, abilities, interests, and maturity. Happiness for one man is to be an accountant, for another a farmer. Happiness for one woman is not to have any more children, for another to have one. The reality is, however, that none of these in and of itself can make anyone happy.

For me, happiness begins with being honest with myself and learning to understand and accept myself for who and what I really am. This way I can utilize my strengths and work towards overcoming my weaknesses.

Life's Little Frustrations

Paul Dickson discovered that the size of the cut he inflicted on himself while shaving was directly proportionate to the importance of the event he was shaving for. That led him to an interest in other "universal laws" evident in daily life. The following are a few of the many he has collected:

"No books you lend are lost except those you particularly want to keep."

"There are three ways to get something done:

do it yourself, hire someone, or tell your kids not to do it."

"You can throw a burnt match out of the window of your car and start a forest fire easier than you can start one under dry logs in your fireplace with a box of matches and the complete edition of the Sunday newspaper."

Let's face it, more often than not it's life's little annoyances that get to trigger our "worry/ frustration button" and cause us to overreact in one way or another.

As one of my favorite ditties goes: "It's the little things that bother us / and put us on the rack / you can sit upon a mountain / but you can't sit on a tack."

Most of us have at least one worry frustration button--and as long as this button is active, it's a good reminder that I still have some growing to do--and will until I get to the place where I quit worrying and overreacting and learn to trust God for everything!

Hmm. I see I still have a ways to go!

Dear God,
please help me
to keep growing in 'faith and love
so I can get to the point
where I can accept life's frustrations
without getting my buttons pushed,
and trust you in every situation.

Thank you for hearing and answering my
prayers.

The Power of Vision

Author Marabel Morgan told how for three long months prior to the birth of her second daughter she was flat on her back in the hospital with no visitors allowed.

She was bored out of her mind and longed to have something constructive to do but was too drugged to even read, let alone write. Eventually her baby was born and she returned home. Her life now was filled with things to do, taking care, not only of the new baby, but another daughter as well, her husband, household chores, and innumerable other responsibilities--not the time to write a book. But she did!

She said, "Once you set your goal, then picture it done. Without this finished picture in your mind, you'll give up halfway. With it, there's no limit to what you might accomplish."

Somebody else said, "Faith is visualizing what God wants you to do." Good point. Once we see what that is, it is so much easier to start doing it!

Dear God,
please give me a vision
of what you are doing
in the world today,
the world in which I live,
and help me to see
how I can be
a part of that.
Let your vision for me
be my vision for you.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayers.

Busyness

 

I read about a very successful preacher, or so he and many others believed, but he was always busy, busy, busy.

In fact he was so busy with his work "for God" that he neglected the most important things in his life.

Late one November his wife caught him as he was racing out the door to go to preach to somebody else's kids. She asked, "Do you know, or do you even care that from the middle of September until today, you have not been home one night?"

She had a breakdown soon after. He contemplated suicide. He later confessed, "I was a man who existed in a shell."

Like many of us, his shell of busyness was his external protection--not from the outside world--but from his inner world of unresolved anxiety. His problem was that he was a busy-aholic.

As long as we keep on the run to avoid facing our inner anxieties, our busyness can get us addicted to our own adrenaline, which becomes nothing less than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the feelings of an empty or troubled life. In so doing we end up hiding from our own reality--a self-destructive path to follow.

To overcome, the first step is to admit the truth of what we are doing; that is, admit our addiction no matter how refined it appears to be. The second step is to get into a recovery/ support group to help stop the addictive/ avoidance behavior so we can feel the pain we are seeking to avoid. And third, where necessary we need to seek wise or professional counseling as well as God's help to resolve and overcome the cause or causes behind our avoidance behavior.

Dear God,
Please help me
to let go of the addictive over-control of my life,
find the help I need to overcome,

Thank you for hearing and answering my
prayer.