Reflections

It takes a night to see the day
It takes two halves to make a whole
It takes hunger to be satisfied
It takes tears to find comfort in a shoulder
It takes dust to be polished
It takes the cold to know the sun

A dog finds its fierceness through its bark, a lions pride is in its mane
I need to fall to stand up
I need to take steps to walk even if at first it seems to nowhere
it gets me somewhere

How can the mountain be without the valley?
Without trees there is no rain without the rain there are no trees.
A circle cannot exist with an end.

Its takes my courage to let God use what i have for greatness.
God doesn't make miracles out of nothing.
A vacuum only exists with nothing to come of it except the lack of gravity.

A Beautiful Teacup Everyone Wants to Buy (Potter's House).

God has an awesome plan for our lives; and sometimes He starts changing things so fast that we feel dizzy and disoriented, like a lump of clay on a potter’s wheel, but we have to trust that he is working out what is best for us (Romans 8.28). We need just go with the flow and let Him make us into something beautiful.

I wasn’t always like this; there was a time when I was just a cold hard colourless lump of clay. God one day looked at me and thought, “I could do something with this”. Then He started to pat me, and roll me, and change my shape. I said, “what are you doing? That hurts! I don’t know  if I want to look like this! Stop!” but He said, “not yet” then He put me on a wheel, and began to spin me around and around, until i screamed, "let me off, I am getting dizzy! "not yet," He said. Then He shaped me into a cup, and put me in a hot oven. I cried, let me out! It's hot in here, I am suffocating!" But He just looked at me through that little glass window and smiled and said, "not yet".

When He took me out, I thought His work on me was over, but then He started to paint me. I could not believe what He did next; He put me back into the oven, and I said, "you have to believe me, I can't stand this! Please let me out!" But He said, "not yet". Finally He took me out of the oven, and put me up on a shelf where I thought He had forgotten me. Then one day He took me off the shelf and held me before a mirror. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had become a beautiful teacup that everyone wants to buy."

There may be things going on the inside of us that we don't understand. But when we finally arrive at the place where God wants to bring us, we will see how it has prepared us for what God wanted of us all along.

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

God is Able

"For nothing is impossible with God."  Luke 1:37 (NIV)

"God has unlimited resources, unlimited energy, unlimited knowledge, unlimited time. He says I can supply all of your needs. "

God can handle any situation you give Him. No problem is too tough for Him. Nothing is beyond His ability. But the first thing you've got to do is bring it to Him.
What's the decision you're facing this week? What's the mountain that needs to be moved? Cancer? Bankruptcy? Your kids having problems? Can't break a bad habit? 
"... Nothing is impossible with God."
In Jeremiah 32:27 God says, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?" (NIV) It is almost like God laying down the gauntlet saying, "I dare you.  Think up a problem that I couldn't solve. Is anything too hard for me?"
Most of us, growing up, have said, "My daddy can do anything! My daddy can beat your daddy!" I really thought that. But, as I grew up, I began to have my eyes opened. I realized that when it came to my allowance, my dad had limited resources. When it came to advice, sometimes he was just guessing too. My guess was as good as his, because he was an imperfect father.  
Ephesians 3:20 says, "God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes!" (LB) I have a pretty vivid imagination. I can think up some pretty big dreams. I can set some high goals. God says, "My son, you think up the greatest thing you think I could do in your life and I can beat that. I can top that." He is a capable Father.
What can I expect from my Father in heaven? "My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19 NIV) He has unlimited resources, unlimited energy, unlimited knowledge, unlimited time.  He says I can supply all of your needs. 
God says you're forgiven. He says he'll provide. He says we need not fear. To paraphrase the Bible, God says, "I'll take care of yesterday's failures, today's frustrations, and tomorrow's fears because I am a capable Father."

Rick Warren www.purposedriven.com

Submission is not powerlessness, it's just power under control...

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)
The biblical strongman Samson had one extraordinary weakness: his primary motivation in life was simply to get revenge. His life was full of resentment and anger and so he was always reacting violently to people.
We see this several times in Judges 15.  In verse 3, Samson said (v. 3), “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines.”  Then, he says (v. 5), “Since you acted like this I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” Finally, in verse 11, he gives an excuse that is typical of a weak person (v. 11), “He answered, ‘I merely did to them what they did to me.’”
That was Samson's modus operandi: he was always reacting. 
When you spend your entire life reacting to people instead of making your own choices, it will weaken your life. 
“I merely did to them what they did to me.” Have you ever used that excuse?
When you think about it, resentment -- getting even -- is a waste.

• It's a waste of time. The whole time you're mad, the person you're upset toward is totally oblivious to it. Resentment always hurts you more than it does the other person.

• It's a waste of energy.  You spend all that energy getting upset that you get depressed, fatigued, you run out of energy, and you're tired all the time.  But worst of all …

• It’s a waste of creativity.  Most of us, when we’re angry at somebody, we become extremely creative, thinking of ways to get back at that person.

When you look at Samson's life, you see a guy pretty creative at getting even. In Judges 15:3-5, "Samson said to them, `This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines. I will really harm them.'  So he went out and caught 300 foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. Then he fastened a torch to every pair of tails.  He lit the torches and let the foxes loose standing in the grain of the Philistines and he burned up all the shocks and the standing grain together with the vineyards and olive groves." 
That's pretty creative! But that creativity ultimately led to his captivity and death.

What's the lesson out of Samson's life?  It’s better to control your anger and choose to act rather than react against everybody. Or as Proverbs 29:11 says "A fool gives full vent to his anger.  But a man of understanding controls himself."

Courtesy of Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life

"I don't Believe in Atheists so Atheists don't Exist"

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that the "accident of evolution" had created. "What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!", he said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly(a very dangerous species of a bear) charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing. He ran even faster, so scared that tears were coming to his eyes.
He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.
At that instant the Atheist cried out "Oh my God!...."
Time stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.
Even the river stopped moving.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky, "You deny my existence for all of these years; teach others I don't exist; and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"
The atheist looked directly into the light "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as Christian now, but perhaps could you make the bear a Christian?" "Very well," said the voice. The light went out.
The river ran again.
And the sounds of the forest resumed.
And then the bear dropped his right paw ...
brought both paws together... bowed his head and spoke:
"Lord, for this food which I am about
to receive, I am truly thankful

Show Some Love

By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. — John 13:35
You have the opportunity every day to show Jesus to the world. You do that by walking in His love—the love of the Father that was first revealed and expressed in His Son Jesus and is now manifested in you.

The world is looking for something real, something tangible. They are looking for love, and God is the source of all love.

According to 2 Corinthians 5:20 you are Christ’s ambassador, His personal representative. God is making His appeal to the world through you.

Do people sense you love and care about them? Does the way you live your life make them desire to have a relationship with God? Be a light in the dark places of the world.  

The Pencil Me.

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.
Three: You will be able to correct mistakes you will make.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.
Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
Three: You will be able to correct mistakes you might make or grow through them.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.
And Five: On every surface you walk, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to serve God in everything.
By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart and a relationship with God daily.

Practical Application:

1. Allow yourself to be held and molded by the potter’s hand
2. Allow the challenges to sharpen you and make you a better person
3. Allow your mistakes to be a learning experience and grow through them
4. Continue to walk and serve the Lord at all costs.