Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

[Diplomat]

The purpose of this thread is not so much for debate, but for those who wish to participate to share an inspirational piece (e.g. a verse, a poem, a paragraph from a book) from whatever it is that you read during your quiet / devotional times. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our respective days, I think some of us could "Take 5" every now and then to regain our focus, and keep our hearts and minds in peace.

I am sharing the first piece below:

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Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

The Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31

[Queen]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

One of my favorites:

ATTITUDE

Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

from Strengthening Your Grip
by Charles Swindoll

[M]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

When I need to find peace, I return to this thread:

http://www.jamaicans.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=7;t=002403

It has never failed me yet.

Thank you again, 40Legs.

[Reggae plus]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

I like the harmonies of the vocal group Take 5. Hope that counts. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

Fruitful Endeavors by Joseph Allen Provencial

Good works are evident, yes they begin to abound.
When we embrace Gods love and spread it all around.
It takes a little light to nurture and to grow.
And a little living water for the buds to start to show.
Blooming in graciousness over the coarse of time.
Embrace the love of God and let love shine, let it shine!

[DC]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

Whats this all about?

Its about forgetting all the nonsense that every single moment in life is serious. Its about breaking the thick and rigid mold of predictability.

Its about enjoying a completely different slice of life where I don't have to concern myself with living up to anyone else's expectations or worry about who thinks what. Its about being me, nobody else.

Its about breaking the bondage of tunnel vision. Its about refusing to live my life playing one note on one instrument in one room and finding pleasure in a symphony of sounds and sights and smells.

It's about widening the radius of a restrictive and demanding schedule where breathing fresh air is sometimes difficult and thinking creative thoughts is occasionally the next thing impossible.

Bottom line, its about freeom. Thats it, plain and simple. Its about being free.

Its about entering into a tension free, worry free world where I don't have to say something profound to fix anyone or do anything other than feel the wind and smell the flowers.

Thats it in a nutshell..its about freeing ourselves up to laugh again.

Chuck Swindoll

[tonirand]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

THE GIFT OF TEARS

I ONCE HEARD a wise priest say, in a meditation on gratitude,that weshould be especially grateful for whatever breaks our hearts.

Reflecting on God's promise to write "upon" our hearts rather than"within" them, he suggested that our own hearts are so hard that all God can do is write upon the surface (Jer. 31:33). It is only when our hearts break, that they break open : then the word of God can enter deeply, like a seed in a harrowed field.

Perhaps this heartbroken availability is the "gift of tears" the desert fathers prized so highly, and urged each other to seek so
urgently. ... But in a special mercy, not only the specifically prayed-for tears of the ascetics will avail us this vision and
this ministry: the ordinary sorrows of an ordinary life will suffice.

-- Deborah Smith Douglas
WEAVINGS JOURNAL

[Ephratahe]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

The Station

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We are traveling by train - out the windows, we drink in the passing scenes of children waving at a crossing, cattle grazing on a distant hillside, row upon row of corn and wheat, flatlands and valleys, mountains and rolling hillsides and city skylines.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, our dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. Restlessly we pace the aisles, cursing the minutes - waiting, waiting, and waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry.
"When I'm 18."
"When I buy a new 450sl Mercedes Benz!"
"When I put the last kid through college!"
"When I have paid off the mortgage!"
"When I get a promotion!"
"When I reach retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

Sooner or later, we realize there is no station, no one place to arrive. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us. "Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today. So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

By Robert J. Hastings
from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor

[Ephratahe]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

Relationships...

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, sometimes without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a season, it is because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never known or done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But - only for a season.

Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid and emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people anyway, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

Think about this. See if you can cherish the reasons, the seasons, and the lifetime of all of your relationships and encounters with others you meet along your journey here. After all, life is a journey, not a destination. What can we learn from and share with all those we meet along this journey called Life? There is a reason, a season and a lifetime for each of us while we are here. Let's see if cherishing them all is something we can start to do and continue to do, beginning with today.

"I thank my God upon every rememberance of you." Phil 1:3

Author Unknown

[Ephratahe]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

(...okay, this is my last for now...I promise...it's a little long, but it's worth the read...be blessed)

The Choice

He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground. All of the Garden's inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.

"You will love me, nature," God said. "I made you that way. You will obey me, universe. For you are destined to do so. You will reflect my glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like me. This one will be able to choose."

All was silent as the Creator reached into Himself and removed something yet unseen. A seed. "It's called 'choice'. The seed of choice."

Creation stood in silence and gazed upon the lifeless form. An angel spoke, "But what if he...."

"What if he chooses not to love?" the Creator finished. "Come, I will show you."

Unbound by today, God and the angel walked into the realm of tomorrow.

"There, see the fruit of the seed of choice, both the sweet and bitter."

The angel gasped at what he saw. Spontaneous love. Voluntary devotion. Chosen tenderness. Never had he seen anything like these. He felt the love of the Adams. He heard the joy of Eve and her daughters. He saw the food and marveled at the warmth.

"Heaven has never seen such beauty, my Lord. Truly, this is your greatest creation."

"Ah, but you've only seen the sweet. Now witness the bitter."

A stench enveloped the pair. The angel turned in horror and exclaimed, "What is it?" The Creator spoke only one word: "Selfishness." The angel stood speechless as they passed through centuries of repugnance. Never had he seen such filth. Rotten hearts. Ruptured promises. Forgotten loyalties. Children of the creation wandering blindly in lonely labyrinths.

"This is the result of the choice?" the angel asked.

"Yes."

"They will forget you? They will reject you?"

"Yes."

"They will never come back?"

"Some will. Most won't."

"What will make them listen?"

The Creator walked on in time, further and further into the future, until He stood by a tree. A tree that would be fashioned into a cradle. Even then, He could smell the hay that would surround Him.

With another step into the future, He paused before another tree. It stood alone, a stubborn ruler of a bald hill. The trunk was thick, the wood was strong. Stony brow of another hill. And soon He would be mounted on it. He felt the wood rub against a back he did not yet wear.

"Would you go down there?" the angel asked.

"I will."

"Is there no other way?"

"There isn't."

"Wouldn't it be easier to not plant the seed? Wouldn't it be easier to not give the choice?"

"It would," the Creator spoke slowly. "But to remove the choice is to remove the love."

He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene. Three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind. Men clad in soldiers' garb sat on the ground near the trio. They played games in the dirt and laughed. Men clad in religion stood off to one side. They smiled. Arrogant, cocky. They had protected God, they thought, by killing this false one. Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill... Speechless. Faces tear-streaked. Eyes downward. One put her arm around another and tried to lead her away. She wouldn't leave.

"I will stay," she said softly. "I will stay."

All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command. "It must be done..." He said, and withdrew. But as he stepped back in time, He heard the cry that He would someday scream: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He wrenched at tomorrow's agony.

The angel spoke again. "It would be less painful..."

The Creator interrupted softly. "But it wouldn't be love."

They stepped into the Garden again. The Maker looked earnestly at the clay creation. A monsoon of love swelled up within Him. God's form bent over the sculptured face and breathed. Dust stirred on the lips of the new one. The chest rose, cracking the red mud. The cheeks freshened. A finger moved and an eye opened.

But more incredible than the moving of flesh was the stirring of the spirit. Those who could see the unseen gasped. Perhaps it was the wind who said it first. Perhaps what the stars saw that moment is what has made them blink ever since. Maybe it was left to an angel to whisper it: "It looks like... it appears so much like...it is Him!"

The angel wasn't speaking of the face, the features, or the body. He was looking inside--at the soul. "It's eternal!" gasped another.

Within the man, God had placed a divine seed. A seed of his self. The God of might had created, not a creature, but another creator. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return.

Have there ever been times in your life when you doubted God's power?

Surely if he was the God who made the heavens and the earth, how could he allow my friend to die? How could He allow millions to starve every night? Isn't God suppose to be almighty?

Let's stop blaming God and blame ourselves. He spared not even Himself to bring about the salvation of man. He knew that He could lose us and yet created us. The most beautiful of all is that He gave us a choice to love Him because He first loved us.

by Max Lucado

[Guest]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

[qb]Romans 8:31-39 from The Message Translation[/qb]

31 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose?
32 If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?
33 And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen?
34 Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us--who was raised to life for us!-is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.
35 Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
36 They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
37 None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.
38 I'm absolutely convinced that nothing--nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow,
39 high or low, thinkable or unthinkable--absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

[Diplomat]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

Believe that if you are ready and willing, it is possible for God to make a spiritual man (or woman) of you...I believe that it is possible for a man to live every day as led by the Holy Ghost. I have read in God's Word that God sheds abroad His love in the heart by the Holy Spirit. I have read in God's Word that as many as are led by the Spirit, they are the children of God. I have read in God's Word that if we are born again, we are to walk by the Spirit, or in the Spirit. Then it is possible; it is the life God calls us to, and that Christ redeemed us for.

From: Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray.

[Queen]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

I remember this from my childhood.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Diplomat]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7)

[Guest]

Re: Take 5 - A Moment of Reflection ...

Romans 12:9 from The Message Translation

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it.