The Pencil Parable

I got this from my Mom's email.

The pencil parable

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The Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people:

"My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Question: Which of the two wolves do you feed the most?

The Cross

How do we see our crosses? Have we allowed our crosses to mold us to be like Christ?

Children's Letter to God

Here are some of the letters children wrote to God. Just want to share this to you

Christian Ways to Reduce Stress

I got this from my friend via email. Hope this helps us to reduce stress and be connected with God despite our busy schedule.

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Falling in Love

This is one prayer I found while deleting some of my old emails. This is for those who are ready to fall in love.

Dear God,
I am ready to see perfection in another human being.
I am ready to surrender all my thoughts of how my partner isn’t good enough.
I am ready to see the beauty in the inner core of all mankind.
If there is one person, either in my life or on their way, who would benefit from my vision of his/her loveliness, let him/her make his/her way into my arms.
May my perception of his/her beauty wash away his/her self-hatred.
May my forgiveness of his/her errors release him/her from his/her guilt.
May I learn to support, to listen, to understand.
May I learn to serve him/her in his/her quest for higher ground.
May I learn to give joy, to nurture and to share.
And most of all, may I never forget to pray for my love and help him/her pray.
Amen.
- from Illuminata

Stop the Blame Game by Bo Sanchez

Here's one reflection from Bo Sanchez which I would like to share. I got this from an email from Kerygma.

In the Garden of Eden, the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” She replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”


After all these centuries, nothing much has changed. People still say, “The devil made me do it!” There are people who find the devil hiding behind every corner, tempting us, oppressing us. They like blaming demons for everything — a flat tire, a migraine, a sick child, a divorce, a loss of job, a business failure, an adulterous relationship.


But here’s the truth: the devil operates on borrowed power. Whose power? Yours. Unless you give your power to the devil, he will have no power over you. Because his power is based on lies and fear.


The more we fear him, the more power he has over us. Friend, here’s the truth: You have power over the devil. Why? Because you’re a child of God.


Chisel this on stone: Blaming the devil for our problems is useless. In fact, he likes that you blame him. By making himself bigger, he has power over your life. Instead, be courageous enough to take full responsibility for your actions. And by your courage to take charge, you will free yourself — and others as well.

Knots Prayer

As I was clearing my inbox, I found this prayer which I would like to share to you. This was sent by a friend of mine a year ago.

The Pacifier

Here's one video clip that was showed during the SFC International Conference last Feb. 18-20. This video says it all.

Do you have pacifiers in your life that you need to let go?