Inspiration Shared By Lady Braids

Inspiration On 2/13/12

 

When you see geese flying in a "V" formation, you might be interested in
knowing what scientists have discovered about why they fly that way. 

 1. FACT As each bird flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the bird
    immediately following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock
    adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew
    on its own. 

    TRUTH People who share a common direction and sense of community can
    get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling
    on the trust of one another. 

 2. FACT Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the
    drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back
    into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird
    immediately in front. 

    TRUTH There is strength and power and safety in numbers when
    traveling in the same direction with whom we share a common goal. 

 3. FACT When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wing and
    another goose flies point. 

    TRUTH It pays to take turns doing hard jobs. 

 4. FACT The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up
    their speed. 

    TRUTH We all need to be remembered with active support and praise. 

 5. FACT When a goose gets sick or is wounded and falls out, two geese fall
    out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay
    with him until the crisis resolves, and then they launch out on their
    own or with another formation to catch up with their group. 

    TRUTH We must stand by each other in times of need.

We are fortunate that there are more geese in life than turkeys. Let's remember
to uphold each other in friendship and give each other a big 'HONK" more often.

 -- Author Unknown 

Inspiration On 12/7/11

When you say your prayers, please remember
those who have served and are currently serving.

The Final Inspection

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I have not.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint. 

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough. 
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough. 

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep... 
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills just got too steep. 

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear... 
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears. 

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears. 

If you've a place for me here,
Lord, it needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand. 

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly, 
For the judgment of his God. 

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well. 
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

-- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 07/29/11

All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find
with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will
not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus
off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your
unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another
feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed
in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.

 -- Wayne Dyer

Inspiration On 07/21/11

 

I cannot say " Our ",
if I live in a water-tight spiritual compartment; if I think a
special place in Heaven is reserved for my denomination.

I cannot say " Father ",
if I do not demonstrate the relationship in my daily life.

I cannot say "which art in Heaven",
if I am so occupied with the earth that I am laying up no
treasure there.

I cannot say " Hallowed be Thy Name ",
if I, who am called by His name, am not holy.

I cannot say " Thy Kingdom come ",
if I am not doing all in my power to hasten its coming.

I cannot say " Thy will be done",
if I am questioning, resentful of or disobedient to
His will for me.

I cannot say " on earth as it is in Heaven",
if I am not prepared to devote my life here to His
service.

I cannot say " Give us this day our daily bread",
if I'm living on past experiences.

I cannot say "forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those that trespass against us,
if I harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say " Lead us not into temptation ",
if I deliberately place myself, or remain in
a position where I am likely to be tempted.

I cannot say " Deliver us from evil ",
if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual
realm with the weapon of prayer.

I cannot say " Thine is the Kingdom ", 
if I do not accord the King the disciplined
obedience of a loyal subject.

I cannot say " Thine is the power ", 
if I fear what men may do, or what my
neighbor may think.

I cannot say " Thine is the glory ",
if I am seeking glory for myself.

I cannot say " Forever and forever ",
if my horizon is bounded by the things of time.

I cannot say " Amen ",
if I do not also add, "Cost what it may,"
for to say this prayer will cost EVERYTHING.

 -- Author Unknown

 

Inspiration On 07/18/11

 

God’s Word in Proverbs 18:21 tells us that life and death are in the
power of the tongue. Words are carriers of meaning, emotion, faith,
fear and energy. 

A repetitive teaching from my parents still echoes in my mind…
“It’s not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it.” And I remember,
“Think twice before you speak. If you can’t say something nice,
don’t say anything at all.”

And I heard as a child, “Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words can never hurt me.”  Now that statement is not true.
Words do carry the potential to hurt, linger, humiliate, misdirect,
anger, sadden or crush one’s spirit.

Remember words can heal or hurt…bless or stress…create or
destroy…attract or repel…motivate or discourage…decrease
or increase your opportunities … demean or develop a healthy
self-image. As parents we are not perfect. We often carry our
wounds from words and then unknowingly pass them onto our
children.

Once we forgive, heal and become aware of the impact of
words, then we can break the generation cycle of low self-
esteem and crushed spirits. Think twice before you release
words of anger, jealousy, lies,gossip, criticism, fear, vulgarity,
lack, excuses or defeat. Different words evoke different
feelings.

Send out your words like arrows with great intention, power
and focus. Don’t underestimate the power of words to make
or break you financially. Your words are boomerangs. If you
constantly speak only about lack, you will experience more
little and lack.

Be more and more aware of God’s abundance, love and
infinite provision; you can never really feel a state of lack
and stress if you remember the truth … “The Lord is my
Shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalms 23:1)

What words are you speaking and releasing today? 

 -- © Jewel Diamond Taylor. All rights reserved.   
        Originally published at www.DoNotGiveUp.net

Inspiration On 07/07/11

I recently came upon an intersection where the following message was
written on a sign: "Obey your own signal only." The implication, I
suppose, was that it was easy to be distracted and to follow the
signal that directs traffic coming from another direction.

I thought the sign unnecessary; after all, why would a driver obey
someone else's signal?

As I thought about it, though, perhaps we need that kind of warning
from time to time. The reason is that, all too often, we fail to
obey the one signal we ought to obey - God's intention for our lives.

The problem is, of course, that there are many other signals beaming
at us constantly from any number of directions. These signals can
be alluring and attractive; they are also deceptive. When we come
to the point of decision, however, we need to decide which signal to
obey.

The test? If a signal leads us in ways that keep us from loving God
or our neighbor, it's not what God intends. That's not the signal
to obey.

For followers of Jesus, there's only one signal to obey: God's call to love.

 -- Dave Hanson, Pastor
     Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Wheaton, IL

Inspiration On 06/28/11

We all have issues, as well as undesirable qualities or traits that 
we don’t like about ourselves. Most of us realize that we are not
perfect and that it is natural to have unpleasant thoughts,
motivations, desires, or feelings. However, when a person
does not acknowledge these, they may ascribe those
characteristics to someone else, deeming other people instead
as angry, jealous, or insecure. In psychological terms, such
blaming and fault finding is called projection. 

When we are the target of projections, it can be confusing
and frustrating, not to mention maddening, particularly
when we know that we are not the cause of another person’s
distress. Even people who are well aware of their issues may
find that sensitive subjects can bring up unexpected projections.
They may feel insecure about a lack of funds and thus view a
friend as extravagant. Or, if they really want to get in shape,
they may preach the benefits of exercise to anyone and everyone. 

While we can try to avoid people we know who engage in
projecting their “stuff” onto others, we can’t always steer clear
of such encounters. We can, however, deflect some projections
through mindfulness and meditation. A useful visualization tool
is to imagine wrapping ourselves in a protective light every day.
At other times, we may have to put up a protective shield when
we feel a projection coming our way, reminding ourselves that
someone else’s issues are not ours. Although it’s difficult not
to react when we are the recipient of a projection, it is a good
idea to try to remain calm and let the other person know if they
are being unreasonable and disrespectful.

We all know that it’s not fun to be dumped on. Likewise, we should
be mindful that we don’t take our own frustrations out on others.

When we take ownership of our thoughts, motivations, desires, and
feelings, we are less likely to project our issues or disowned
qualities onto others.

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 05/30/11

 

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA!

 -- Lee Greenwood

 

Inspiration On 05/26/11

 

Dishonesty, even in the smallest matter may severely damage a believer's
credibility. You never know how closely you are being watched.

A businessman was invited to speak to a men's Church group. His topic
was honesty in the workplace and he spoke very strongly and unwaveringly
on the topic.

The next morning, he boarded a city bus for the ride to work. He handed a
dollar bill to the driver and received some change, which he counted as he
proceeded down the aisle.

Before he reached his seat, he realized he had been given a dime too much.
His first thought was that the transit company would never miss it.
However, deep inside he knew he should return the money. So he went back
to the driver.

"You gave me too much change, sir."

To his amazement, the driver replied, "I know, a dime too much. I gave
it to you on purpose. Then I watched you in my mirror as you counted
your change. You see, I heard you speak yesterday, and if you had kept
the dime, I would have written you off and everything that you said."

We may be the only Bible some people ever read. Let's never forget that
people are watching us "count the change."

 -- from The Christian Challenge and Blessing Email Service.

Inspiration On 05/13/11

After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager
teaching prospect said:

"Let me see if I've got this right.

You want me to go into that room with all those kids and fill
their every waking moment with a love for learning." And I'm
supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify
their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and
even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.

You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted
diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction,
and raise their self-esteem.

You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship,
sportsmanship, and fair play, how and where to register to vote,
how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment,
recognize signs of antisocial behavior, offer advice, write
letters of recommendation for student employment and
scholarships, encourage respect for their elders and future
employers.

And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter,
telephone, newsletter, and report card.

All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a
few books, a bulletin board, and a big smile AND on a starting
salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!

You want me to do all of this, and you expect me NOT TO PRAY?"

 -- Teacher Unknown