Daily Positive Thread - Tuesday, August 6

gloriajean · ‎03-10-2010

Ahh! Got the right day now! I was so embarrassed that I got the wrong one last night and couldn't retract it. Goes to show how human and full of mistakes I am! Anyway today's blessings to us were Darla's and Greg's presence with us most of the day - they left for supper at a pizza place with friends. They will sleep here yet tonight and then tomorrow they head out to his parents for lunch - they live 10 miles from here, and then off they go to Mpls. to see friends and get some salsa dancing in. They come back only on Saturday morning sometime, and they leave that day to drive back to Texas. I should complain, she's been with us 2 weeks.

We cannot go back and have a new start, but we can start now

and have a new ending. Lord, this present moment is so powerful

in my life. Guide me to use it wisely.

Scripture for the day:

"It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that
I have spoken to you are spirit and life." ~John 6:63

Meditation for the day:

Our lives are God's gift. We use our lives to train our souls. This
life we live is not so much for the body as for the spirit. We often
choose the way of life that best suits the body, not the way that best
suits the spirit. God wants us to choose what suits the spirit as well
as the body. When we accept this belief, a wonderful molding of charter
is the result. When we reject it and God's purpose for our life is
frustrated, our
spiritual progress is delayed. Our souls are being trained by the good
we choose. Thus the purpose of our lives is being accomplished as we
choose good.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may choose what is good for my spirit. I pray that I may
realize God's purpose for my life and choose good.

One God in Three Persons:

Jesus said to Nicodemus: "God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son."

One God in Three Persons

During Eastertide much of the focus in the liturgy is on the risen Christ and last Sunday Eastertide concluded with the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Today´s celebration embraces God in all three persons. It was during the Middle Ages that this Sunday became widely observed as a separate feast.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Lord our God, you revealed yourself to our ancestors, the Jewish people as a God of love and compassion.

In giving your Son you showed the depth of that love and revealed to us what your call for all of humanity is.

In sending your Spirit you showed yet again your wonderful care for the human race and at the same time enable us to address you as Father, Son and Spirit.

This is the name in which we are all baptised and which we pray that we may praise you for all eternity.

We ask this, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, true and living for ever and ever. Amen.

Food for Thought:

STANDING FIRM
By Rich McLawhorn
Jun 7, 2009

You see it all the time. People achieve success, and then their
personal lives seem to fall apart. As someone once said, success has
made failures of many men. But does that have to happen?

The September 1996 issue of Standing Firm magazine contains a great
story about Bobby Bowden. Bowden is head football coach for Florida
State University. His team's winning record places him near the top in
wins among active coaches at the Division I level. Bowden's record of
successes in bowl games is the highest winning percentage in NCAA
history. So he is successful in his chosen career. Whether you are a
fan of F.S.U. or not, you have to admit
that Bowden is a successful coach.

But there is more to Bowden than the statistics you read in the sports
pages. He is a man of faith, and makes no apologies for that. During
his team's Friday evening meetings before their Saturday games, Bowden
uses valuable time for team devotionals, which he leads. As for his
ongoing leadership of the team's staff, each day he meets with his
staff for devotions and prayer prior to their regular staff meetings.

Each year, Bowden takes his entire team to a predominantly black
church for worship. The following Sunday, he takes the team to a
predominantly white church. There is no deception involved--he writes
a letter to each athlete's parents or guardian to tell them about the
church visits and obtain their approval. "I'm trying to show these
kids that they are accepted in church whether they are white or
black," Bowden said.

So what is the point of this and the many other ways Bowden walks his
walk of faith? Bowden says, "I want to show these kids that you can be
a Christian, you can be a God-fearing man, you can abide by the rules,
and you can still be successful."

How Does This Apply to Our Lives?

A number of social commentators have asked the questions, "Where are
our heroes?" and "Where are the role models for today's youth?" That
is because we constantly read about people who were considered heroes,
but turned out to be villains who compromised their values and broke
the rules. Is it necessary to compromise your values to make it in
life? Bowden's story shows that it is not. No, Bowden is not perfect.
But there is a core to his life. Bowden stands firm in his beliefs--
and is successful. What is the difference between the Bobby Bowden's
of the world, and others? Simply put, some people are like onions.
They have no core, just layers. And when you peel away all the layers,
nothing is left. Don't glorify the "onions" of the world. Instead,
lift up people like Bowden--men and women with a core to their lives,
who exhibit integrity and faith. Help them touch others. Encourage
them. Pray for them. Finally, build and strengthen your own core.
Start by placing your trust and confidence totally in God. Trusting in
God does not guarantee you worldly success or great riches, but the
Bible teaches that something far more important will result, blessings
from God.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in
him." Job 17:9

"Drink Plenty of Water"

I've heard it. I've read it. As long as I have been running, it's
always been the same message: "drink plenty of water."

All along most race courses are water stations, and most runners slow
down to drink a cup of cool water. Keeping your water level up is critical
when you run. If you get slightly dehydrated, you will not run well. If you
get moderately dehydrated, you will become disoriented. If you get
seriously dehydrated, you can die. It's serious business.

The first year I ran was 1991, and I was inexperienced (also younger,
slimmer, stupider, etc.) I passed water stop after water stop,
occasionally drinking a swallow or two. I felt good, and I wasn't going to waste
precious seconds drinking water, even though it was a hot, humid day.

Big mistake. As I neared the final mile, I "hit the wall." My energy
level dropped to zero, I began having to walk some, and I realized I would
have to work hard just to finish. I did make it across the line, but only with
a tremendous headache and hardly enough energy to walk. It was not much
fun.

I learned an important lesson that year. Stopping for water doesn't
actually slow you down. In fact, you will run a better race if you do drink
water. The bottom line is that your body is simply not designed to function
without water.

In the same way, your spiritual stamina depends on stopping for regular
drinks of "spiritual water." The dilemma for busy believers is finding
time to invest in reading the Word and meeting with God in prayer. Like the
runner intent on reaching the finish line, we tend to put off those
regular drinks of water until we are totally parched.

But in the long run, you will run a better race if you will stop for
spiritual water. In fact, finishing the Christian race at all may
depend on it. And runners who don't ever slow down to take a drink often stumble
off the course far short of the finish line.

In this year's race, I saw a man become dehydrated just a mile from the
finish. Strangely, he didn't seem to recognize that anything was wrong.
He was swaying from side to side as he walked, mumbling over and over,
"I'm fine. I'm fine." He was so disoriented that he didn't even recognize
his own sick condition.

If you let yourself become spiritually dehydrated, you may not even be
able to recognize it. Stop today to drink some cool "living water." For
serious runners, it's a must.

"Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried
out, saying, 'If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He
who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being
shall flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37-38