wise bites

Sitting in CYS office / listening to "The Potter's Hand" by Hillsong Australia / Vincent typing away next to me / chatter and laughing of schools kids outside / quiet team office (everyone's out doing the grocery shopping / trying to gather thoughts...

Dear God,
Sometimes it's not easy to love. And sometimes it's not easy to figure out what you really want from my life. And I'm never really sure if what I'm doing is what you want me to be doing... but really all I'm hoping to do is put a smile on your face. The same smile that will welcome me into Eternity when I die and get to Heaven's gates... because I can't think of any better way to be spending the rest of my life...

***

Notes scribbled down after an afternoon with Jim Murphy:

* When a person has a vision (or rather, when a vision has a person!), that person stands out. Vision takes hold of you - it drives you and leads you to drive others.

* To share your vision, you need to believe in it completely for people to want to be part of it.

* It won't always go your way... but allow it to give you direction.

* If you don't stand for anything, you'll fall for everything the world throws at you.

* You owe it to yourself to have vision. A vision fixed and grounded in God allows you to become unstoppable.

* If you won't let God give you vision, other people in the world will try to give one to you. Everyone around you has an opinion of you, and are willing to tell you (especially the one's who have a bad opinion)... but what's God's opinion about you? That's what matters...

* Seek God... and do whatever he tells you.

* When God gives you something to do, it's probably not going to be easy. Just because you're doing His will, it doesn't mean the path gets easier.
Did Jesus do the will of God? YES.
Did he have an easy life? No.
Did he give up? NO!

Neither should you.

* With commitment comes freedom.
The reason why you can sit in a room with a light bulb on is because Thomas Edison tried and failed 10,000 (yup, TEN THOUSAND!) times before he made the light bulb.
Test 10,001 - "Let there be light!"
Imagine if he'd given up after the 10th try?

* Live your life one step at a time. One day at a time. Don't waste your time looking too far ahead - the world has enough problems, so just get over this one.

* 80% of the things we worry about don't even happen.
Stop chasing phantoms.

* You've got to have a vision, but you can't live that whole vision at once.

* Live in the present. Stop regretting the past or worrying about the future - concentrate on the here and now, or you'll miss it.

* Listen twice as much as you talk. The key element of healing is when hearts are being listened to. Listen in proportion to your ears and mouth (i.e. 2:1)

* On your bad days, you'll find you concentrate more on yourself than others. You say, "It's about me - not them!" Well it's NOT. You shouldn't need to be right, you shouldn't need to be profound. Listen to people. Give them the dignity Jesus gave them on the cross.

* Accept life as it comes to you. And by accept, I mean ACCEPT. Stop expecting things from other people or from the world. Drop the word "should" from your vocabulary.

* You won't always get what you want. But God will always give you what you need.

* When push comes to shove, and you're walking in a desert, the only thing you need to survive is water.

GOD DOESN'T OWE YOU ANYTHING.
HE GAVE YOU EVERYTHING ON THE CROSS.

* If you walk through life expecting more than what people give, remember you probably won't get it. The world doesn't exist to pat you on the back. Check your heart.

* Never outrun the clock. Don't play to waste time. Play to get the goals, and don't waste your time. Each moment, second, minute and day is yours to live. Either REALLY live, or prepare to die. Either play full-out or don't play.

* Don't let down your guard. EVER. St Peter said: (uh... with a paraphrase) Your adversary prowls through the world seeking who to devour. You're an ignorant fool if you think you'll avoid hits.

* When Satan attacks, he uses small bullets, not massive missiles. He goes for it when you get careless, so don't let your guard down.

* People holier than you have been kicked down. Don't think it won't happen to you.

Jesus had to pray and fight to the very end.

* Don't take yourself seriously. But take God's work seriously!!

***

"Our bodies carry its own cross. May they see the presence of God in you. When you carry the cross in your day-to-day life, may they Jesus..."