My Cross to Carry

A troubled and burdened man prayed and prayed that God would lift his burden. Day after day he prayed that his life would be easier and he begged for God's intervention.

One day, Jesus came to the man and asked, "My child, what troubles you?" The man replied that his life was full of turmoil and that it had become too much to bear. He again asked for help stating that he just couldn't continue to go on.

Jesus, feeling the man's anguish, decided help was in order. The man was so happy that his prayers were about to be answered that his burden already felt lighter.

Jesus took the man to a room and stopped in front of the door. When he opened the door, what the man saw was amazing. The room was filled with crosses; little crosses, big crosses, giant crosses. The man, bewildered, looked at Jesus and asked how this would help him. Jesus explained that each cross represented a burden that people carry; small burdens, big burdens, giant burdens -- and every burden in-between.

At this point, Jesus offered the man the opportunity to choose his burden. The man, so excited that he was finally able to have some control over his life, looked around the room for just the right cross. He saw a tiny little cross way back int he corner. It was the smallest cross in the room. After a bit of thought, he pointed to the cross and said, "That one, Lord. I want that one." Jesus asked, "Are you sure, my son?" The man quickly replied, "Oh, yes Lord. Most definitely, yes."

Jesus turned to the man and replied, "My child, you have chosen your own cross. It is the burden you already carry."

~Author Unknown~

Quote from Francis Chan

“The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.”   ~Francis Chan

A Book In Quotes--The Noticer

My husband read the book The Noticer awhile back and loved it. I have since read it and can say the same thing. It's a wonderful book! I jotted down in my journal some of the most profound quotes I read in the book...

• "Think with me here...everybody wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you'll remember, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what's a view for? A view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination-our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life's next peak."

• "Remember, young man, experience is not the best teacher. Other people's experience is the best teacher. By reading about the lives of great people, you can unlock the secrets to what made them great."

• "Remember, whatever you focus upon increases."

• "When a person is negative, complaining, and disagreeable, other people stay away. And that person receives less encouragement and fewer opportunities-because no one wants to be around him."

• "Ask yourself this question everyday: 'What is it about me that other people would change if they could?' "

• "...all people-all lives-are either in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or headed for crisis."

• "Unfortunately," he said, "the way we feel loved is usually the same way we express love."

• "It's time to stop letting history control your destiny."

• "Well, that's why smart people get tripped up with worry and fear. Worry...fear...is just a misuse of the creative imagination that has been placed in each of us. Because we are smart and creative, we imagine all the things that could happen, that might happen, that will happen if this or that happens."'

• "From this point forward, you will focus on what can be controlled. And, you will no longer be sad or worried. You will be grateful! After all, the seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart."

• "One way to define wisdom is the ability to see into the future the consequences of your choices in the present."

• "Likewise, there is no difference in the person who intends to do things differently and the one who never thinks about it in the first place. Have you ever considered how often we judge ourselves by our intentions while we judge others by their actions? Yet intention without action is an insult to those who expect the best from you."

• "If you have changed," Jones said, "show evidence of it."

• "Forgiveness is about the past. Trust and respect are about the future. Forgiveness will be in the hands of others and can be given to you, but trust and respect are in your own hands...and must be earned."

• "See, if you ever want folks to believe in you, then it really helps if they like you."

Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable

1.  Count your troubles, name them one by one-at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.

2.  Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature but it might burn a few calories.

3.  Pity yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else will have to do it for you.

4.  Devise clever but decent ways to serve God and mammon. After all, a man's gotta live.

5.  Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying this year and where they're going. Try to do them at least one better even if you have to take out another loan to do  it.

6.  Stay away from absolutes. It's what's right for you that matters. Be your own person and don't allow yourself to get hung up on what others expect of you.

7.  Make sure you get your rights. Never mind other people's. You have your life to live, they theirs.

8.  Don't fall into any compassion traps-the sort of situation where people can walk all over you. If you get too involved in other people's troubles, you may neglect your own.

9.  Don't let Bible reading and prayer get in the way of what's really relevant-things like TV and newspapers. Invisible things are eternal. You want to stick with the visible ones-they're where it's at now.

~taken from Keep A Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot

Quote from Charles Spurgeon

"That religion which costs a man 
nothing is usually worth nothing."

~Charles Spurgeon

Progress Poem

PROGRESS 

Until I learned to trust,

I never learned to pray.

And I did not learn to fully trust

Till sorrows came my way.

Until I felt my weakness,

His strength I never knew;

Nor dreamed till I was stricken,

That He could see me through.

Who deepest drinks of sorrow,

Drinks deepest too of grace;

He sends the storm so He Himself

Can be our hiding place.

His heart, that seeks our highest good,

Knows well when things annoy;

We would not long for Heaven,

If earth held only joy.

~Barbara Ryberg

Quote from Sally Clarkson

 "My attitude is ultimately what makes our house a peaceful haven. And because I can only accomplish this by leaning on the Lord, it is my relationship with him that ultimately will provide a nurturing environment for the people I love."

~Sally Clarkson

Quote from Jim Elliot

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

~Jim Elliot

Quote from David Livingstone

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
 

~David Livingstone

Count Your Blessings

"Count Your Blessings

• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep...you are richer than 70 percent of this world.
• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.
• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
• If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
• If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare.
• If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you are blessed because, although the majority can, most do not."

~Author Unknown, taken from www.iciworld.net, as quoted in Growing Grateful Kids

More Roadside Church Signs

    Need to laugh a little?

Need to be inspired?

Need to be stirred in your thinking?

      I don't know about you, but I love to read the signs outside of church buildings. They are usually such clever, witty, and wise words about God, Christianity, and life. These church signs are not that big, so the sayings have to be short and powerful. I have to admit that in my life there have been a few times I have been going through a struggle and I'm surprised as I've driven by a church and read their sign. It spoke right to my heart about the issue at hand. God will use what He needs to in order to speak to me!

     So, as I was shopping one day I found this little book, More Roadside Church Signs Across America by Mary Compton and David Compton and had to buy it. It's a perfect little coffee table book or bedtime reading. It's filled with short honest truths. Here are some I wanted to share with you:

"Morality, like art, consists in drawing a line somewhere."

"GRACE: God's Riches At Christ's Expense."

"Practice makes perfect, so be careful what you practice."

"Life is like tennis: Serve well and you seldom lose."

"A hypocrite is a person who's not himself on Sunday."

"Why don't you stop trying to figure God out and start 

trying to figure Him in?"

"Christianity is a pilgrimage, not a sightseeing tour."

"You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving."

"Be the soul provider for your children."

"ASAP-Always Say A Prayer."

"The best vitamin for a Christian is B1."

I love these little sayings.

Leave a comment-I'd love to hear which one has spoken to your heart today?"

Impact of Attitude

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."

~ Charles R. Swindoll

Quote from Barbara Johnson

"Attitude is the mind's paintbrush; it can color any situation."

                      ~Barbara Johnson

Quote St. Francis of Assisi

"Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall enjoy everything."

                             ~ St. Francis of Assisi



 

Words from a Passionate Heart

Fellowship of the Unashamed

(An African Martyr’s Last Words)

I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is

redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I’m finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small

planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,

mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way

is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.

I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up

paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach

until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no

problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. “For I am

not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” [Romans 1:16]

     I love this quote and found it in more than one of my journals over the years...guess I really liked it! This martyr's last words so challenge, inspire, and encourage me to be passionate about my relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is worth being passionate about! Something I have learned being a Christian is that I am responsible to evaluate my heart and see what my true passions are. What do I get zealous about? What do I meditate about or think on the most? These are tough questions to answer, but necessary because I want my passion to be for Jesus first.

   

  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." ~Psalm 19:14