Thursday, May 12, 2011

"Falling Apart For The Good" by Jaeson Ma

SOURCE: LINK


I've read a post that left me like this: "WOW!!!" JUST AWESOME!

"Sometimes in life you can’t understand why things happen when they happen. This season of my life has definitely been the best and the worst. All the things I've ever dreamed of or wanted have been given and taken away. Everything that could go right has suddenly gone wrong. But you know, weirdest thing is I have so much peace about it all. I used to bug out when things went wrong in my life, instead, I guess as you grow older you begin to realize that bad things are sometimes the best things that could ever happen to you. God many times will allow everything in your life to fall apart just to remind you that the things of this world that we are so desperately dependent upon are really not that important. Instead what is important is many times not understood till we are ridden of these other distractions. There are so many things that we think we need so bad when in actuality we need so little.


We get so caught up in what we need to do that we forget where we are and who we are. We are not human doings, we are human beings. The being part is what I think most of us have the most difficulty with. What does it mean to just be? To be yourself and not care what others think. It is easy to say that but it is not easy to be that. It is that kind of courage to be your true self, flaws and all that makes people shine in this world, that meaning those who are not afraid to be imperfect. The problem with religion, the problem I find many times with Christian culture is we expect people to be perfect when it is impossible to do so. This is what makes Christians unrelatable to the world. Human beings can not relate to perfection, they relate to imperfection. We connect through pain not perfection. Compassion can be expressed when there is pain that is felt. Life is not meant to be lived perfectly it is meant to be lived fully. When we expect ourselves and others to be perfect we rob ourselves of life, we end up getting caught up in shame, guilt, fear, control and isolation. We end up faking rather than truly living. We end up living behind pretentious masks that we create that keep us from being who we really are. I think this is what irritates me about Christian radio at times because the only songs that are played are in the same key, same chords, same words and same message …. The message isn't untrue, it is the truth, but where is the human element, where is the pain, the suffering, the confusion, the discourse, the vulnerability, the authenticity, the passion? Why is it all so predictable? Why is it that I relate sometimes more to 2pac, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Otis Redding than I do most of the artists on Christian radio? This is why I love King David and the book of Psalms, it is REAL. You can feel and relate to David’s highs and lows, the dude is the farthest thing from perfect yet he loves God with all his heart, soul, strength and mind. That’s what I’m talking about, that’s the song that I want to hear and I can relate to. It is life’s poetry that keeps us intimately interested, it is expecting the unexpected, the ups and downs, the tapestry of human experience that fills our worlds with color. King David was not a human doing, nor was he just a human being, he was a human LIVING. In today’s Christian church standards he would be written off as a sinner, not to be trusted, never to minister, but I wonder if David is exactly the kind of person that God chooses to use for His glory? Cause at the end of the day it isn't about how perfect we are but it is about how perfect His love is. You see, religion brings man glory, religion to me is the need to be or the effort to be perfect, it leads to rules, regulations, and bondage. But you see, grace brings God glory, it is focused on how good God is not how good we are, grace or getting what we don’t deserve is a gift from God that shows imperfect humans just how glorious, loving and amazing our God is. Amazing grace how sweet the sound…that saved a wretch like me. Grace is a sweet sound that is so seldom sung, so rarely talked about now a days. I am far from perfect, I am a work in progress, but you know, my goal is not to be perfect in life but my goal is to be grateful in life. Love is the greatest motivator for change. If this is true than love is my religion. I don’t follow rules, I don’t follow the opinions of man, I follow Jesus. Can I be vulnerable here? True courage comes when we are not afraid to truly be ourselves, when we stop living someone else’s life and we begin to follow our heart. I've lost a lot recently, but man, I feel more free than ever and I thank God for it. I’m older but I feel younger. I’m hurt but I feel alive. I've lost but I’ve gained. I have nothing and it is in this moment I feel like I have everything. It is a great feeling to not be afraid. To be able to be imperfect and know that you belong still and are accepted. To realize no matter what you do or don’t do right or wrong that God understands and loves you the same either way. Mmm, I feel good cause right now I feel God. Sometimes in life you can’t understand why things happen when they happen. This season of my life has definitely been the best and the worst. All the things I’ve ever dreamed of or wanted have been given and taken away. Everything that could go right has suddenly gone wrong. But you know, weirdest thing is I have so much peace about it all. I used to bug out when things went wrong in my life, instead, I guess as you grow older you begin to realize that bad things are sometimes the best things that could ever happen to you. 


God many times will allow everything in your life to fall apart just to remind you that the things of this world that we are so desperately dependent upon are really not that important. Instead what is important is many times not understood till we are ridden of these other distractions. There are so many things that we think we need so bad when in actuality we need so little. We get so caught up in what we need to do that we forget where we are and who we are. We are not human doings, we are human beings. The being part is what I think most of us have the most difficulty with. What does it mean to just be? To be yourself and not care what others think. It is easy to say that but it is not easy to be that. It is that kind of courage to be your true self, flaws and all that makes people shine in this world, that meaning those who are not afraid to be imperfect. The problem with religion, the problem I find many times with Christian culture is we expect people to be perfect when it is impossible to do so. This is what makes Christians un relatable to the world. Human beings can not relate to perfection, they relate to imperfection. We connect through pain not perfection. Compassion can be expressed when there is pain that is felt. Life is not meant to be lived perfectly it is meant to be lived fully. When we expect ourselves and others to be perfect we rob ourselves of life, we end up getting caught up in shame, guilt, fear, control and isolation. We end up faking rather than truly living. We end up living behind pretentious masks that we create that keep us from being who we really are. I think this is what irritates me about Christian radio at times because the only songs that are played are in the same key, same chords, same words and same message... The message isn’t untrue, it is the truth, but where is the human element, where is the pain, the suffering, the confusion, the discourse, the vulnerability, the authenticity, the passion? Why is it all so predictable? Why is it that I relate sometimes more to 2pac, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Otis Redding than I do most of the artists on Christian radio? This is why I love King David and the book of Psalms, it is REAL. You can feel and relate to David’s highs and lows, the dude is the farthest thing from perfect yet he loves God with all his heart, soul, strength and mind. That’s what I’m talking about, that’s the song that I want to hear and I can relate to. It is life’s poetry that keeps us intimately interested, it is expecting the unexpected, the ups and downs, the tapestry of human experience that fills our worlds with color. King David was not a human doing, nor was he just a human being, he was a human LIVING. 


In today’s Christian church standards he would be written off as a sinner, not to be trusted, never to minister, but I wonder if David is exactly the kind of person that God chooses to use for His glory? Cause at the end of the day it isn’t about how perfect we are but it is about how perfect His love is. You see, religion brings man glory, religion to me is the need to be or the effort to be perfect, it leads to rules, regulations, and bondage. But you see, grace brings God glory, it is focused on how good God is not how good we are, grace or getting what we don’t deserve is a gift from God that shows imperfect humans just how glorious, loving and amazing our God is. Amazing grace how sweet the sound…that saved a wretch like me. Grace is a sweet sound that is so seldom sung, so rarely talked about now a days. I am far from perfect, I am a work in progress, but you know, my goal is not to be perfect in life but my goal is to be grateful in life. Love is the greatest motivator for change. If this is true than love is my religion. I don’t follow rules, I don’t follow the opinions of man, I follow Jesus. Can I be vulnerable here? True courage comes when we are not afraid to truly be ourselves, when we stop living someone else’s life and we begin to follow our heart. I’ve lost a lot recently, but man, I feel more free than ever and I thank God for it. I’m older but I feel younger. I’m hurt but I feel alive. I’ve lost but I’ve gained. I have nothing and it is in this moment I feel like I have everything. It is a great feeling to not be afraid. To be able to be imperfect and know that you belong still and are accepted. To realize no matter what you do or don’t do right or wrong that God understands and loves you the same either way. Mmm, I feel good cause right now I feel God."

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Compare... Or Maybe Not?!

SOURCE: LINK


I've found a very good, in my opinion, piece of writing. 
Let me know what do you think! ^_^

“Never compare your beginning 
to someone else’s middle.” - Jon Acuff


One of the great temptations for us leaders and dreamers is to compare the start of our new adventures to the middle of someone else’s. You work on your first book and pick up Max Lucado’s 14th book and say, “Mine isn’t as good.” You post your first blog post and look at Michael Hyatt’s 100th and think, “Mine is nowhere near as great as that.” You give your first speech and watch Ken Robinson’s 1,000th at TED and think, “I’m not great like that.”
It’s true. You’re not. Yet.
This is just your beginning. Give yourself the gift of time. Love your dream and your adventure enough to allow it to grow slowly. Go slow. Get better over time. And never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.
SOURCE: LINK 



Saturday, May 7, 2011

Got Wisdom?!



God has great things in store for you. He knows your hopes, your dreams and your heart's deepest cry. It is possible to begin making good choices that will change your future for the better.

For some of you, it might be in the area of finances, relationships or especially in the area of health. People say things like, "I wish I was healthier. I wish I was in better shape. I wish I hadn't eaten this or eaten that. I wish I just looked better."

So many people live regretting their present circumstances, but they don't realize they can make choices to change their future.

"Don't wait for people or
circumstances to change before
you examine your own behavior."

You don't have to be a victim of your circumstances any longer! Whether it's your health or another area, you can experience God's wisdom and grace that will show you the way and allow you to experience victory in your life.

You can choose to do your part, and as you do, God will step in and do His part. He can help you change the way you live, but it won't happen if you just wait for something or someone to change for you. Please hear this! Don't wait for people or circumstances to change before you examine your own behavior. You need to choose to change because your future depends on it.

If you don't like your life or you don't like the way things are going, it's time to make some new choices. Believe it, it does not work to keep doing the same thing the same way and hope for different results! In every choice you are faced with, you can look at the situation and ask, Will this choice lead to a life-giving end or will it cause me or others harm (death)?

Decide now that no matter what your past has been, you will choose to make the future even brighter... by choosing life and allowing your daily decisions to reveal the love and blessings of God in and through you!

Inspired by: Joyce Meyer




Monday, April 11, 2011

Words from Hafez!


Love sometimes wants to do us a great favor: hold us upside down and shake all the nonsense out.
Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,
Only to someone who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.
Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.
Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.
I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.
There are different wells within your heart.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far too deep for that
Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.
Even after all this time the sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me”
There is no pleasure without a tincture of bitterness.
_________________
Khwāja Šamsu d-Dīn Muḥammad Hāfez-e Šīrāzī, known by his pen name Hāfez (1325/26–1389/90)[1] was a Persian lyric poet.


Source: LINK

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Desert Flower!

HER STORY TOUCHED MILLIONS
DESERT FLOWER



"[...] everyone to be enlightened about the
status of genital mutilation: not culture,
but torture."
- Waris Dirie

The extraordinary story of a woman
who crossed a desert and changed the world.

From the Somali desert to the world’s catwalks. When Waris Dirie’s DESERT FLOWER appeared in 1998, the world was shocked. The former supermodel tells her breathtaking life story, describing her incredible journey from a nomadic life in the deserts of Somalia to the world’s most famous catwalks. This was a dream and a nightmare at the same time. In New York, at the peak of her career, she tells in an interview of the practice of female genital mutilation that she had to suffer when she was five. Waris Dirie decides to end her life as a model and dedicate her life to fighting this archaic ritual.




I really loved this movie. If you want to get more info visit>>
National Geography | Web-site | Waris Dirie

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Why?!


[I've found this writing and thought it can help those who are passing through "WHY" times! Hope you'll find it useful! ^_^]

This is a question most people get stuck on, including myself. Something happens or doesn’t happen, and we ask God, “Why? Why? Why?”

Why did that disaster happen?
Why can’t I find the right job?
Why can’t I find the right guy?
Why can’t I have a baby right now?
Why did that person have to die?
Why am I sick?

The list is endless. It’s difficult because we ALL want to know WHY something happened as it did. It’s hard NOT to want to know all the details. But we aren’t always allowed to know or understand the WHY.

Why not?

The answer isn’t an easy one. 

The Bible gives us an explanation in Isaiah 55:8-9:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Clearly, we are the creation and He is the Creator. Never will the creation be smarter than who created it. That’s just how it goes. Kind of like in our created technologies, no matter how advanced technology gets, it can never out function the human mind. And so it is also with God and us. But we can rest in knowing that God has a good plan for our lives, even if we don’t get to know all the answers right now.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I rest my questioning and anxious heart on this verse often. God has THE plan. It’s a GOOD one, not a bad one for us. It’s so good that we can have HOPE and a FUTURE…not despair and death.

And God keeps His Word. It’s not going to fade away, go away or leave. Look at Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 14:24 The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.

Our job then, when we face theses challenges, is not to focus on the WHY, but to focus on God Himself. He may even reveal the WHY to you, or He may have you wait until we join Him in Heaven. We might not even care anymore by then.

Our comfort, peace, joy and very life depend upon His unchanging Word. You can trust Him, even when we don’t get to know all the “whys.” He is Holy, Righteous, Just and Loving. I really think that when we get to heaven, we will all be thinking “oh wow…now I understand.”

We never go wrong in seeking God first, it’s ALWAYS our best choice.

Learning to live with a little mystery or maybe A LOT of mystery and trusting in the ONLY one who knows all mysteries, God Himself.

SOURCE: LINK




Friday, March 18, 2011

World Sleep Day! ^_^


YAY!! Today is World Sleep Day!!:-) Sleep, people!! ^_^




WORLD SLEEP DAY – HOW IT BEGAN

The first World Sleep Day (WSD) was held on March 14th 2008, under the slogan ‘Sleep well, live fully awake’. WSD is an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving. It is organized by the WSD Committee of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) and aims to lessen the burden of sleep problems on society through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.  The committee is co-chaired by WASM members Antonio Culebras, MD, professor of neurology at SUNY, Upstate Medical University, New York and Liborio Parrino, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Parma University, Italy. 
Events involving local groups took place in public settings around the world and online with unveiling of a declaration, presentation of educational materials, and exhibition of videos. 

WORLD SLEEP DAY 2011
WSD 2011 is being held on March 18th, under the slogan ‘Sleep Well, Grow Heathy’. This year’s theme highlights the importance of sleep for all ages.  Newly born infants, school age children, adolescence, young adults, middle age adults, and retired adults need quality sleep to maintain a healthy life. 

General messages: 
  • World Sleep Day is an annual event to raise awareness of sleep disorders and the burden that they place on society.
  • Sleep problems constitute a global epidemic that threaten health and quality of life, for up to 45% of the world’s population.
  • Most sleep disorders are preventable or treatable, yet less than a third of sufferers seek professional help.
  • Better understanding of sleep conditions and more research into the area will help to reduce the burden of sleep disorders on society.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Killing dreams!



The first symptom of the process of our killing our dreams is the lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life always have time enough to do everything. Those who do nothing are always tired and pay no attention to the little amount of work they are required to do. They complain constantly that the day is too short. The truth is, they are afraid to fight the Good Fight.
The second symptom of the death of our dreams lies in our certainties. Because we don’t want to see life as a grand adventure, we begin to think of ourselves as wise and fair and correct in asking so little of life. We look beyond the walls of our day-to-day existence, and we hear the sound of lances breaking, we smell the dust and the sweat, and we see the great defeats and the fire in the eyes of the warriors. But we never see the delight, the immense delight in the hearts of those who are engaged in the battle. For them, neither victory nor defeat is important; what’s important is only that they are fighting the Good Fight.
And, finally, the third symptom of the passing of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon; we ask for nothing grand, and we cease to demand anything more than we are willing to give. In that state, we think of ourselves as being mature; we put aside the fantasies of our youth, and we seek personal and professional achievement. We are surprised when people our age say that they still want this or that out of life. But really, deep in our hearts, we know that what has happened is that we have renounced the battle for our dreams – we have refused to fight the Good Fight.
When we renounce our dreams and find peace, we go through a short period of tranquility. But the dead dreams begin to rot within us and to infect our entire being.
We become cruel to those around us, and then we begin to direct this cruelty against ourselves. That’s when illnesses and psychoses arise. What we sought to avoid in combat – disappointment and defeat – come upon us because of our cowardice.
And one day, the dead, spoiled dreams make it difficult to breathe, and we actually seek death. It’s death that frees us from our certainties, from our work, and from that terrible peace of our Sunday afternoons.

words of Petrus, the character from The pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho


True love!

Source: Link

[Here is an article written by Dr. Myles Munroe. Liked it. Quite interesting.]

“The Motive of True Love”
Most of the people who say they love you may just be tolerating you. The rest of them probably have ulterior motives. As humans, we do things for others so that we can get things done for us. If it is one thing that the world needs now is a big dose of genuine love.
As numerous scholars have researched and discussed, the Greeks have identified four kinds of love. Those four kinds of love are an attempt to describe the different motives for love. “Eros” is the Greek word for sexual or carnal love. It is simply pleasure of the flesh. “Philio” is friendship love. The third word used for love is “storge,” which is family love. The Greeks also distinguished another kind of love, which they called “agape.” Agape is the type of love that the Greeks tried to define as divine love. Jesus also used this word to describe the love of God for humanity.  This love is also possible between two people.
Scripture shows that God made love a law. Why? He made it a law because He could not trust us to do it ourselves. He stated to His disciples, “This is my commandment that you love one another…” (Jn 15:12). A command is not debatable because it is your duty. Duty is absent of feelings. In other words, we think that love has to do with feelings. However, the love that Jesus commands us to have is one that is above feelings. In other words, in the Kingdom of God, the law is that you love them first and then learn to like them. Valentine’s Day is a day when you give flowers or candy to someone that you like. Unfortunately, the intent of this type of love falls short of the motive behind the kind of love that God says to give.
Agape refers to unconditional love. Therefore, if anyone attaches conditions or reasons to why he or she loves you, then agape, unconditional love, has ceased. If someone uses the words “if,” “when,” or “because” when they say that they love you, this is not an unconditional perspective. Wherever there is a reason, there is a condition. Wherever there is a condition, there is expectation. I estimate that 99% of all the problems in relationships have to do with expectation.
For instance, consider the condition: “As a husband, I expect you to cook for me.” What happens when you both work from nine to five, and she is exhausted when you get home? Expectation guarantees disappointment. Consider another scenario. Suppose a man married a woman for her sleek curves, and she married him for his well-defined physique. What happens after ten years and three children? She cannot get her curves back, and his chest has dropped into his stomach. If the physical appearance was the reason for love, there is going to be disappointment. Disappointment leads to division, which leads to divorce. Divorce can take place in any type of relationship and not just marriage.
Therefore, we need agape love, which is love without reason or condition. I challenge you from this Valentine’s Day forward to examine your motive for loving others and destroy these conditions because reason runs the risk of destroying your relationships.

By Dr. Myles Munroe