Today...

Today, I'm writing one of my spur-of-the-moment posts.

I woke up this morning and realized that with how much my spirit and eyes have been harrassed in recent weeks just because of this day that I needed to speak up.

If you live in the Western World, you may already know that today is Halloween.

So much has been written about the origins and rebranding of this day. I'm not going to rehash it - the bottom line is this is from the pit of hell if you ask me. One of my son's when asked why he doesn't participate in Halloween said: "It's the devil's birthday." Well put.

I am pleased that people are waking up to the depth of evil unleashed on this day - especially at night. Last week on the news, they were discussing the costumes and said schools are banning scary outfits and encouraging people to wear caring outfits. Even worse, I've heard that a Christian once said, my child will dress like an angel...how sad. Maybe that parent didn't know that the Bible tells us that the devil even has the "angel of light"* costume. The bottom line is changing the form does not change the foundation.

Someone was suggesting that churches have programmes today so our children do not feel that they are missing something. That is definitely the wrong "solution." We must know how to, and also teach our children by example how to, say "No" to the pleasures of sin.** We do not do things to "fit in" or make others happy - we do things to fit into God's will and bring Him pleasure. You'll notice that I've decided not to defile this gift from God with pictures.

Now, I've taken the first step to tell you where I stand on this day - I pray this will encourage you to be courageous enough to take the right stand which I pray includes not taking some things e.g halloween candy, into your home and heart... God bless you today and always.

References:
*2 Cor 11:14a - Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (NLT)
**Heb 11:25

Course, Source or both?

One brain-challenging game I like is, unscrambling words or forming words from another one. So when this topic dropped in my spirit I was amused because you can form either word from the other...try it and see...

Ok back to the topic...

The full string of questions is: "Does God determine your course (of life)?" or "Is He your Source and does He determine the course of your life?" or "Is He only your source?" Do you have any answers? Here's what I think...

Do you have “staying power”?

Some weeks ago, while waiting for my plane an older couple came and sat next to me. Within 5 minutes of their being there I couldn’t imagine how they could have stayed married so long. I mean, the man sounded so mean and his wife responded so sweetly almost meekly.

She went to get some food to eat, he said she was an eating machine – then ate off her plate.

A little later, he asked her to scratch his back in a way that almost sounded romantic.

Then about an hour later when she was giving him his medication and making suggestions he responded like a school principal and she responded like she was his kindergarten teacher – nice match I’d say.

I know every marriage is different – this one was so very different from anything I’ve ever seen. I just kept saying to myself: “If he’s like this in the public...can’t imagine how he is in private.” I practically got goose bumps and almost the hiccups thinking about it - so I didn't let my imagination continue on that path.

Stick with it!

I saw a great quote that set me thinking. First the quote then my thoughts...

Consider the postage stamp:

its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.

~Josh Billings

"I beg your pardon..."

"What did you just say?"

"Please repeat what you just said."

"I didn't get that." and so on...

These are all very useful phrases - however more than once I have been reluctant to use any of them. It finally occurred to me that it may be a sign of pride. Keep reading as I explain...

Though some people may think differently, whether you agree with me or not, everyone has an accent. Yes, we all do...we go around the world with our accent only to find that the people at the other end of the world have their own accents too. So it amuses me when someone says, "where is your accent from?" I usually hold myself back from saying "from the same place as I am from" - knowing that my accent cannot go anywhere without me.

Ok, back to the topic.

Are you a signpost?

I'm sure we all know what signposts are; they are a very useful part of our everyday lives. Whenever I go to a new city or a part of the city I live in that I'm famililar with or not so familiar with, I take time to look at the signposts around - to know where I am, where I'm going and/or even know where I should avoid. I can bet that you use signposts the same way or maybe in more ways than I do. However, as useful as they are, have you noticed that signposts never go anywhere? And that has nothing to do with their age, size, or relevance.

Who do you think you are?

That's an interesting question especially when followed by the question: "Who are you?"

My family and I stumbled on a portion of that show a few months ago. An actress went on a journey to discover who her ancestors were. At the end when she shared her findings with her mother, she was happy for her and made a statement worth pondering and acting on:

 "The most important thing about our history is what we learn from it."

So who do you think or, better still, know you are?

A lot of us may not be able to relate with that actress who didn't know who her ancestors or or even by those who do not know who their parents are or who one of their parents were. I remember watching an almost frightening movie several years ago - can't even remember the title. Well, the gist of the movie was that two women had their babies in the same remote hospital and the hospital staff unintentionally switched the babies. (The title of the movie may have been as obvious as "Switched at Birth" - not 100% sure.) Well, one family was really wealthy and the other wasn't, so you can only imagine how the not so wealthy family's child turned out to be sickly and very unlike their other children.

Know your "wow"...

Everyone is unique - that's how God created us - so we're useful as we fill the spot He created us to fill. In being unique, we all need to realize that what works for one person may not work for another person. So  we each need to know our weapons of warfare ("wow" aka areas of strength) and of course our weaknesses. Let's learn from 3 people:

Realign yourself to move forward...

Sometime ago, my husband & I were talking about our friendships. When he said: "we need to realign ourselves to move forward," it struck a resounding cord with me. It is so true...

Have you ever driven a car that is out of alignment? It can be so frustrating - especially if you're learning to drive. There you are trying to keep the steering wheel straight and the car seems to be going off the road - as if it has a mind of its own.

I like what Brian Tracy said: "Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." Very well put...

Cars are useful for going from point to point but it is pointless if it's a struggle or frustration. Our Thoughts, Attitudes, Responses, Goals, Emotions, Tenets & Succeses (TARGETS) all have to be in balance to avoid struggle and frustration in life and this balance is somewhat dependent on the relationships - friendships and "fellowships" - you have.

Let's take Tenets for example. If you have friends who do not believe in the same things as you do or don't even have the same faith (in God) as you, there is a high likelihood that your thoughts, attitudes, emotions and responses to your life goals may never result in the successes you desire. While I strongly believe that we have a part to play in any and everything that happens to us, having the right friendships and fellowships help. We all know the age-old saying: Show me your friend and I'll tell you who you are. Well, I found an even better one by Stephen Grover Cleaveland (US President from 1885–1889): "A man is known by the company he keeps, and also by the company from which he is kept out."*

Indeed, those you "hang out" with as well as those you leave out is a very important part of your future. If you ask me, now is a good time to take a moment to look around you. If you notice you've been stagnant, regressing or progressing  but not in the direction you want, I'd say that confirms that now is the best time to: "realign yourself to move forward."

Source:
*Presidential Quotes — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/presquotes1.html#ixzz1Xv40Ycsy