The Power of Words: Fix Your Words - Fix Your Thoughts

I have become an avid believer in the power of the words I choose to use.

I think that the words I use have become so common in the everyday vocabulary of practically everyone that there is no impact with the words.  Just as we become desensitized to violence from being exposed to violence constantly, the words become meaningless because they are used so frequently.


I have decided to conduct an experiment and challenge you too as well.  I am going to be removing some words from my vocabulary and replacing them with better choices.  This will require me to be more conscious of my words and conversations.

Two of the words or phrases that I am finding myself use a lot are, "try" and "have to."

In the words of Yoda (and I'm not a Star Wars fan), "There is no such thing as "try."  I either do or don't. I either will or won't.  Try is not a reality. To explain it in more detail, "try" to pick up a pencil.  Go ahead, "try", I will wait..................
Did you?  You either picked the pencil up, or you didn't, right?

I also want to eliminate the phrase "have to" and its various forms like "should", "must", and "need to".  When I find my thoughts migrating to these words and phrases, I will substitute them with "I choose to..." or "I choose not to..." or even better, "I get to...."

A Little Help With Your Christmas Shopping

Neglected Areas of Our Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."



As we draw closer to Thanksgiving Day, I am seeing many post in the blogosphere, on Twitter, and Facebook on the many things that people are thankful for. As I stood before the teen Sunday School class and then the Children's Church this past Sunday, I asked them to tell me the things that they were all thankful for. After reading many posts and looking at the list from each class, I noticed there were some things that we should be thankful for that were missing. If we believe the Bible to be true, which we do, then I believe there are some neglected areas in our thanksgivings. I will list a few below:

Thankful for our trials

1 Peter 1:7 says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

If our trials are much more precious than gold, then it is imperative that we be thankful for them. Our trial are given to us by a sovereign and holy God in order to conform us into the image of His Son and to glorify Him and Him alone.

Thankful for Tribulation

Romans 5:3 and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Paul goes on to say that patience leads to experience and experience leads to hope. When we have hope we are not ashamed and because of that we share the love of God to everyone.

Thankful for Sufferings

2 Corinthians 1:6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

As Christians, we experience trials, tribulations, and sufferings in order to bring us closer to God and to conform us to His image and not this world. If we are to follow the commands of God and in every thing give thanks, then during this Thanksgiving holiday, let us be reminded to give thanks to God, especially in the negleted areas.

Couldn't Have Said It Any Better

I came across this quote from David Brainerd, missionary to the Native Americans. It expresses exactly how my heart and soul have felt for the past year and a half and I wanted to share it in hopes that it may bless you and glorify God.

“God is unspeakably gracious to me continually. In times past, He has given me inexpressible sweetness in the performances of duty. Frequently my soul has enjoyed much of God; but has been ready to say, ‘Lord, it is good to be here,’ and so to indulge sloth while I have lived on the sweetness of my feelings. But of late, God has been pleased to keep my soul hungry almost continually, so that I have been filled with a kind of pleasing pain. When I really enjoy God, I feel my desires of Him the more insatiable, and my thirsting after holiness the more unquenchable. And the Lord will not allow me to feel as though I were fully supplied and satisfied, but keeps me still reaching forward. I feel barren and empty, as though I could not live without more of God; I feel ashamed as guilty before Him. Oh! I see that “the law is spiritual, but I am carnal.” I do not, I cannot live to God. Oh for holiness! Oh, for more of God in my soul! Oh, this pleasing pain! It makes my soul press hard after God…Oh that I may feel this continual hunger, and not be retarded, but rather animated by every cluster from Canaan to reach forward in the narrow way, for the full enjoyment and possession of the heavenly inheritance! Oh, that I may never loiter in my heavenly journey!” (David Brainerd)

I'm Not Sure, but....

I think I may be seeing signs that the rapture is getting pretty close

Review: This is Your Brain on Joy

As most of you know, we have had a very trying year with all that we faced with our little Michael Z, our oldest daughter getting married, our son-in-law going into the Air Force, and then our daughter moving to Mississippi to be with her husband. I recieved, This is Your Brain on Joy to review right in the midst of this "stormy" time in my life. For this reason, along with several others, I sat down to read Dr. Henslin's book with anticipation for help.

As I began to read, however, I found myself to be extremely disappointed. The book, at points, was rather cumbersome. I was not finding the guided help that I was looking for at the time. I found some of the sections to be rather dull and laborious to understan which to me made the book a boring read. Most of the time when I find myself bored with a book I stop reading, but with all I was facing and with searching for answers I pressed on hoping to gain some insight on joy and pain, but to no avail.

Moreover, I found the frequent, and forced references to Dr. Amen, his research, and his available resources to be out of place and irritating. In some places the references were so many that I felt as if I were reading the script for a late night infomercial. "I got all of this joy from my tiny one bedroom apartment, and you can too!"

Dr. Henslin and I disagree on the source of joy. He feels that people don't experience joy because of a sick brain. He is a Dr. and he is looking for a physical problem, however, there are lots of physical ailments that can be caused by things other than the physical. Man is created in the image of God and is created with three parts, body, soul, and spirit, so it goes to say that not everything in a persons life is to be looked at from the physical side. The Apostle Paul said it best in his letter to the Ephesians; For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12) In the past six months, I myself have experienced stress which have caused physical ailments. Did that steal my joy? No because that is not seated in my brain... it is seated in my heart.

I think many times an author will throw in or "seed" their work with Scripture references just to market their work to a different demographic. As for me, if you looking for encouragement and ways to feel more joy in your life, do what I and most other Christians fail to do most of the time when we are facing challenging circumstances and pick up your Bible.

Testing

Testing phone blogging capabilities

Six Months in Glory

It was six months ago yesterday that our little fighter, Michael Z, discovered the glories of Heaven. Some days are harder than others and I go throught the full range of emotions each day: anger, grief, sorrow, pain, comfort, and joy. We have been waiting for Michael's stone to be placed for several months now and I think it was fitting that it was placed yesterday on his six month homegoing.