I attend and serve with a great group of people at Pure, a ministry from Water of Life church. And at Pure, we aspire to be a close family, which means getting to know one another and being there for each other.
I have had the opportunity to get to know a handful of men and women that have absolutely enriched and blessed my life. But today I finally realized that I have been blessed by and influenced by a larger circle of people that I have yet to even meet!
Let me explain.
I have only met Linda Medlock briefly BUT I have been influenced and touched by her all year long. How is that possible? She has passed on a legacy of kindness, loyalty, love, and joy into her son and niece who have carried it to me and the rest of my small group on many occasions. Linda has been there for me through her niece Jennifer and she has been there for many others through her son, Jonathan.
THIS is family.
And now has come a time to return the blessings by honoring and supporting our family members. Linda, mother to Jonathan and aunt to Jennifer (and thereby an extension of OUR Pure family), has been diagnosed with advanced stages of pancreatic cancer. Doctors have painted a very grim outlook.
Linda and her family need our encouragement, hugs and prayers. And to honor the family, we are asking everyone to wear Purple Wednesday, October 27th as a sign of our support for the family and our HOPE for the survival of pancreatic cancer patients.
To Linda, Jennifer, Jonathan and the Medlock family, we bless you and are praying for you.
2 Corinthians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What About Those Stones?
How is it that such a short sentence speaks a lifetime of lessons to me all at once? Maybe because I find myself in a place where I'm holding a stone in my hand and have to decide what to do with it.
It would feel soooooo good to throw it. The outburst of energy would be a great stress relief and although my aim is horrible, I would be excited (at least for a moment) if I hit my target. It would feel goooooooood.
Hmmm...then again, remorse might set in. And my parents did teach me about the Golden Rule.
Do I complain about the stone? The new hardship? The obstacle?
"Why can't my path be smooth God?!"
Hmmm...then the ulcer would set in.
And if I'm not careful, I could easily stumble over one. Every done that? It is FUNNY as all get-out to watch someone trip on a rock when they were looking elsewhere. Most catch themselves, turnaround and cuss out the rock. (I'm laughing just visualizing it). I know. I need to work on my compassion.
Hmmm...but it's not so funny when it's me. With a big enough rock or even the smallest pebble, I could really get hurt: bust a knee, break a hip, hit my head.
Climb over them! Now there is a WISE concept! Go around it. Go over it. The point is...you are moving forward PAST it. In my personal life's experience, if I can find the clarity, presence and strength of mind to not be threatened by the stones in my life and move past them, I am the closet I've ever been to achieving my destiny. If there were 5 stages to achieve in life, this would be stage 5! Right?
Build with them.
[Enter in mind-blowing paradigm shift and revelation.]
I had never even THOUGHT of such a thing!
I have this visual of a field LITTERED with rocks. Even if we manage to climb over them, we may still run the risk of being exhausted by working so hard to maneuver such obstacles. We could still get hurt.
But gather them and BUILD a path? A shelter? Or even a monument? Have you ever thought about not just "making it through" (aka surviving) but leaving the place better than when you found it? Isn't that the very definition of making a difference with your life?
Oh...but here is how it gets even BETTER: In so doing, YOU leave better also.
Lets stop for a minute and see the obstacles in our lives and ask, "How can I build this into being a part of who I am and use it to build a monument to God using the impossible in my life?"
Translated? "I can't seem to control what I'm going through right now but I can chose to thank God for these building stones and see them as steps to my destiny: to God molding me into the PERSON He has called me to be."
1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James
“We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” -Warren Withlock Tweet
It would feel soooooo good to throw it. The outburst of energy would be a great stress relief and although my aim is horrible, I would be excited (at least for a moment) if I hit my target. It would feel goooooooood.
Hmmm...then again, remorse might set in. And my parents did teach me about the Golden Rule.
Do I complain about the stone? The new hardship? The obstacle?
"Why can't my path be smooth God?!"
Hmmm...then the ulcer would set in.
And if I'm not careful, I could easily stumble over one. Every done that? It is FUNNY as all get-out to watch someone trip on a rock when they were looking elsewhere. Most catch themselves, turnaround and cuss out the rock. (I'm laughing just visualizing it). I know. I need to work on my compassion.
Hmmm...but it's not so funny when it's me. With a big enough rock or even the smallest pebble, I could really get hurt: bust a knee, break a hip, hit my head.
Climb over them! Now there is a WISE concept! Go around it. Go over it. The point is...you are moving forward PAST it. In my personal life's experience, if I can find the clarity, presence and strength of mind to not be threatened by the stones in my life and move past them, I am the closet I've ever been to achieving my destiny. If there were 5 stages to achieve in life, this would be stage 5! Right?
Build with them.
[Enter in mind-blowing paradigm shift and revelation.]
I had never even THOUGHT of such a thing!
I have this visual of a field LITTERED with rocks. Even if we manage to climb over them, we may still run the risk of being exhausted by working so hard to maneuver such obstacles. We could still get hurt.
But gather them and BUILD a path? A shelter? Or even a monument? Have you ever thought about not just "making it through" (aka surviving) but leaving the place better than when you found it? Isn't that the very definition of making a difference with your life?
Oh...but here is how it gets even BETTER: In so doing, YOU leave better also.
Lets stop for a minute and see the obstacles in our lives and ask, "How can I build this into being a part of who I am and use it to build a monument to God using the impossible in my life?"
Translated? "I can't seem to control what I'm going through right now
1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)