In step

[RiverOL]

No Difficulty Big Enough
====================​

"There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer,
no disease that enough love will not heal, no door that enough
love will not bridge, no wall that enough love will not throw
down, no sin that enough love will not redeem...

It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble,
how hopeless the outlook, how muddled the tangle, how great the
mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.

If only you could love enough, you could be the happiest and
most powerful being in the world...''

 

[RiverOL]

I Can Dance!
===========​

I am walking,
By God's Grace,
By faith alone,
I can run life's race.

Though for a time,
I will sit in a chair,
I am always amazed
By God's Constant Care!

By placing my life completely
Not leaving it up to chance,
In my Saviour's nail-pierced hands,
He will cause my feet to dance!



My name is Connie Van Amerongen from Canada.
I am confined to a wheelchair
because of Cerebral Palsy.
I am a MountainWings Subscriber.
I really enjoy MountainWings!
That is my poem.

 

[RiverOL]

The Silent Years
======================​

There are times when God will speak to you and then be silent
for an extended period of time. Silence does not mean you have
been forsaken by God. It simply means that God has spoken,
and now is the time to allow the word that He spoke to germinate
and come to pass.

Silence is not the same as peace. Silence is the absence of
noise, but peace is the presence of God! While you are going
through "silent years," you should focus on inner peace.

Inner peace produces outward confidence in the face of negative
circumstances so that we can go forward in the assurance that
even though tribulation is coming against us, we are more
than conquerors over it!

The Greek word for peace actually describes a spiritual
equilibrium no matter whatever may seek to upset us. The
biblical meaning of peace never denotes the absence of trouble.
Peace is not the absence of negatives but the presence of
positives. God's peace is inward and spiritual and never
predicated by contrary circumstances or negative events.

Poverty, sickness, death nor debt can override internal peace!

Silent years should indicate a time of reflection, introspection
and listening. The quieter we become, the more we hear.
However, we cannot rush the silent years.

Silent years are times of transition. Transition is always
uncomfortable and appears to last forever. We must ENDURE the
silent years! Whenever you see the word endure, it means that
there is no short cut through it. It must be endured.
You cannot circumvent what must be endured.

We are told to ENDURE unto the end. (Matt. 24:13)
We are told to ENDURE persecution and tribulation. (II Th. 1:4-10)
We are told to ENDURE hardness. (II Tim. 2:1-3)
We are told to ENDURE affliction. (II Tim. 4:5)
We are told to ENDURE chastening. (Heb. 12:7)

The key to being able to ENDURE is to see the END (ENDure).

Now, here are some things for you to question during the silent
years:

Is my life really submitted to God?
Am I submitted at home, work, church and to the government?
Have I learned my lesson?
What is God trying to teach me?
Am I humble enough to be teachable?
Has the fruit of patience been sufficiently developed in me?
Do I still have an appetite for the world in me?
Did I properly respond to the last thing God told me to do?
Have I attained a deeper faith?
Is my attitude right toward God and others?
Am I harboring unforgiveness?
What am I becoming?
Have I sufficiently developed and matured as a person?
Have I taken the time to minister to the Lord? (Acts 13:2)

During your silent years you should:

1. Practice and develop your gifts. Study.
2. Clarify. Define goals. Reorder priorities.
3. Serve (even while you are hurting).
4. Trust God.
5. Pray

Your silent years should change your life! You should come out
as a new person! When you come out, you should have a new level
of:

1. Knowledge
2. Responsibility
3. Authority/Power
4. Faith
5. Trust

Remember, problems never come to last, they only come to pass!

 

[RiverOL]

Still Answers
==================​

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible study.
The pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the
Lord's voice.

The young man couldn't help but wonder,
"Does God still speak to people?"

After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie
and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked
about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving
home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray,
"God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen.
I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the
strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook
his head and said out loud,

"God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward
home. But again, the thought, "buy a gallon of milk."

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize
the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.
"Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."

It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could
always use the milk.

He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off
toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the
urge, "Turn down that street."

"This is crazy," he thought and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the
next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.
Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God I will."

He drove several blocks when suddenly, he felt like he should
stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in
a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best, but it
wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.

The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark
like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed
something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house
across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was
dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were
already asleep.

He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake
them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid."
Again, he felt like he should go and give them the milk.

Finally, he opened the door. "Okay God, if this is you, I will
go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to
look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess
that will count for something, but if they don't answer right
away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear
some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it?
What do you want?"

Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and a t-shirt.
He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on
his face, and he didn't seem too happy to have a stranger
standing on his doorstep.

"What is it?" The young man thrust out the gallon of milk.
"Here I brought this to you."

The man took the milk and rushed down the hallway, speaking
loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman
carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her
holding a baby.

The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.
The man began speaking and half-crying, "We were just praying.
We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money.
We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and
asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I asked him to send an
Angel with some milk. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the
money he had on him and put it in the man's hand. He turned and
walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his
face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

"Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!"

 

[RiverOL]

Traps
=========​

I took a walk with a tour guide through the Atlanta Botanical
Gardens. The guide, Lua Blankenship was talking about plants but
the words applied to more than plants.

He pointed out an insect eating plant. The plant was very pretty on the inside
with beautiful and attractive colors.

The inside of the plant had hairs.

The guide said the plant has reverse hairs which makes it easy to get in but
very hard to get out.

The hairs let you simply slip down the inside of the beautiful plant but when
the insect tries to climb out the hairs make it super difficult to get out.

There are many traps that look beautiful. They are easy to get into to but they
are often very difficult to get out of.

The wise avoid such traps.

Someone is headed for such a trap tomorrow.

 

[RiverOL]

You Alone
===============​

Whoever you are, there is some younger person who thinks you are
perfect.

There is some work that will never be done if you don't do it.

There is someone who would miss you if you were gone.

There is a place that you alone can fill.

 

[RiverOL]

The Bargain
=================​

During one of the many battles of the era, a young soldier
found himself and his army being soundly defeated by the enemy.
He and his comrades hastily retreated from the battlefield in
defeat, running away in fear of their very lives.

The enemy gave chase. The young man ran hard and fast, full
of fear and desperation, and soon found himself cut off from
his comrades. The soldier eventually came upon a rocky ledge
containing a cave.

Knowing the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted
from the chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled in,
he fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to
God to save him and protect him from his enemies. He made a
bargain with God. He promised that if God saved him, he would
serve Him for the remainder of his days.

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a
spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave.
As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across
the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony.
He thought,

"I asked God for protection and deliverance, and He sent me
a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"

His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover
his hiding place and kill him. Soon he did hear the sound
of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for
those in hiding.

One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance.
As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise
the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his own
life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.

As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came
upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across
the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade,

"There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break
this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

Years later, this young man, who made good his promise by
becoming a preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal.

What he observed has stood by me in times of trouble, especially
during those times when everything seemed impossible:

"Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall.
Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."

 

[RiverOL]

12 Ways To Unhappily Ever After
===========================================​

From The Mountain: Forward this issue or the link
http://www.mountainwings.com/past/14134.htm
to the married couples who you know regardless of whether or not
you think they need it.


12 Ways To Unhappily Ever After
================================

If you go to your local bookstore, usually somewhere in the
middle of the store you can find a relationships and marriage
section. This area is often filled with everything from Saving
Your Marriage Before it Starts to How to Improve Your Marriage
Without Talking About It.

With all the information out there regarding how to have a
successful marriage, what makes the principles so hard to
incorporate and apply?

Granted, marriage is not so easy that there is a definitive
formula that everyone can follow to discover a marriage out of
this world. It still requires work and there will still be
struggles.

A lasting marriage can be attained and it's simpler than you
think.

Beyond the idea of simply creating a marriage that lasts there
is
the joy and pleasure a marriage fully alive can provide for both
participants. There are no actual steps that everyone can follow
to an extremely happy marriage, but there are some sure fire
ways
to create an unhappy marriage.

1. Complain. Complaining is like a rocking chair. It feels
comfortable and you feel like your getting something done by
rocking, but you don't go anywhere. To break this, try the 21
day complaint free marriage experiment.

2. Have a cluttered home. Nothing will add to the stress level
of a marriage like a cluttered home. It's disorganized and often
chaotic. Simplify the things in your house. Put things away or
get rid of it if you don't use it. Your marriage will improve as
will your own well being.

3. Complicate things. Many people fall victim to the dreaded
over-thinking things. Most things in life are not all that
complicated. Break everything down into two choices. Then make a
decision and go with it.

4. Have a busy schedule. Work, kids, school, friends, family,
housework, social activities, travel, and on it goes. We seem to
cram as many things into life as we possibly can. Then we don't
enjoy the things we are committed to because we worry about the
next thing on our list. Slow down. Prioritize your commitments.
Do less.

5. Be too close to each other. Every relationship begins with
the desire to be as close as possible. You think about them all
the time. You scheme ways to be together. As the relationship
progresses, most couples remain too close, although you don't
realize it. You border on being smothered by your spouse. Unable
to chart your own way in life. While this seems like it is based
on love and care, it often is a reaction to the importance level
your spouse assumes in life. You become fearful of being too
independent based on how your spouse may react. Many married
couples are emotional siamese twins, joined at the emotional
hip. One of them will often be offended when the other simply
wants to go to the other room to get a glass of water.

6. Spend no time alone. Just because you are married does not
mean you have ceased to exist as an individual. Life is still
going on and your dreams still play an important role in your
life. There is nothing wrong with being apart at times in order
to go out with friends. This is more than being apart to take
care of career tasks. This is being apart to do things you love
and enjoy.

7. Be each others only friends. Similar to spending no time
alone, don't be each others only outlet for friendship. You
already play too many roles with each other in marriage. Save
some things for other people to fulfill.

8. Be overly-controlling. Humans have a major weakness in that
we think we can control the things around us. Including other
humans. Often this comes across as manipulative. Give your
spouse the respect another human deserves and let them handle
their own choices. Not only is this a respectful way to do
marriage, it's the foundation for getting more out of marriage.

9. Triangulate your children. Pardon me while I use psychobabble
for a moment. In families, whenever a need or desire is not met
by one of the members, we often will recruit another member to
fulfill it. For example, you don't get all the attention you
wish from your spouse so you dive into your kid's world. This
puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the child. It requires
them to become adults too fast. Let your children be children.
Keep the marriage between you and your spouse.

10. Don't exercise. Regardless what science and the medical
world tell you, your body is the only one you are going to have.
Take care of it. A healthy body creates a healthier marriage.
Take care of your physical health and you will get more out of
life.

11. Eat only from the drive-thru. Just like taking care of the
outside of your body, you need to care for your insides as well.
This doesn't mean go on an immediate diet. Just watch what you
eat. Pick healthy items. Or better yet, cook at home with your
spouse. It gives you more time together. And you will live
longer together.

12. Dive into the media. It is easy to get lost in TV, video
games, the Internet, even books and talk shows. When you get
right down to it, none of these are reality. Even reality shows
aren't reality. Get involved with those around you. Go on a
media fast for a day, week, month. See if that doesn't provide a
spark for your relationships.

 

[RiverOL]

Provoke Not Your Children to Wrath
===============================================​

An Advice Request asked MountainWings "What does the Bible mean
by 'Not to provoke your children to anger.'" All parents with
children can benefit from the answer that we sent them.
If you have children, read the article below.


The first three verses of Ephesians, Chapter 6, are directed
toward children and tells them to "obey your parents" and "honor
your father and mother." Then the spotlight shifts from
children to fathers and says, "Fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath" (Ephesians 6:4). Colossians 3:21 reads
similarly, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest
they be discouraged."

"Anger" - "wrath" - these are devastating emotions in children
and young people. Fathers, mothers, or others who have the
oversight of children should understand the long-term
ramifications of sustained anger in children. This short
article will deal with causes of wrath and anger in children and
how to overcome them.

The Apostle Paul who wrote Ephesians and Colossians was well
aware that Roman fathers had the freedom to treat their children
in any way they chose. One source says, "A Roman father had
absolute power over his family. He could sell them as slaves,
he could make them working his fields even in chains, he could
take the law into his own hands and punish as he liked, he could
even inflict the death penalty on his children."

We don't sell our children into slavery these days or put them
in chains or kill them but believe it or not, there are fathers
and mothers in our society who inflict emotional pain on their
children equal to the cruelty of Roman fathers.

Permit me to list some of the ways parents may injure the heart
and mind of their children:

1) Rejection - some children seethe inwardly or explode
outwardly because they feel emotionally rejected or have been
physically rejected by one or both of their parents.

Quite frankly, the wind has been taken out of their sails.
They have lost heart and lack motivation to do anything.
They are angry inside. When I was a child I can recall four
children my mother took into our home because their parents had
literally rejected them.

They were emotionally devastated. They cried often. Our family
helped them but there was no way we could fill the emotional
vacancy left by their parents.

2) Destructive criticism - There is no doubt that children need
reproof and correction. Identifying behavioral boundaries and
insisting that children stay within them is the natural duty of
parents. But insulting, destructive criticism that implies
stupidity on the part of children is emotionally destructive.

The apostle Peter wrote, "And above all things have fervent love
for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins"
(I Peter 4:8). In other words, loving parents will not
constantly remind their children of past failures or sins.
If God forgives them, parents should forgive them as well.

In his book, "Parents Passing on the Faith," Carl Spackman
wrote: Some children cannot sneeze without their parents telling
them they didn't do it correctly. When all our children hear
from morning to night is criticism of what they are doing or not
doing, they will become totally disheartened before long.
And they will probably develop a very negative self image and/or
openly rebel against their parents and their parents' faith.

3) Tension in the home - No parent wakes up in the morning
thinking, "What can I do to create stress and tension for my
children today?" We don't think that way but we often achieve
those same results.

When parents openly argue with each other day after day they
create far more tension for their children than they realize.

A child's sense of security is bound up in the secure
relationship of his or her parents. There is no question that a
tension-filled marriage will produce tension-filled children.

In his book, "Five Cries of Youth," Merton Stromen wrote:
"The most poignant cry is the sob of despair or shriek of sheer
frustration among youth living in an atmosphere of parental
hatred and distrust. Often it ends in running away from home,
delinquent behavior, suicide, or other self-destructive
behavior."

In your mind's eye trade places with your children and ask
yourself, "If I were a child in my home would the predominant
atmosphere be one of love and security or one of tension and
fear?"

Learn to look at the life-style pattern of your home through the
eyes of your children. It could make quite a difference in the
way you live.

We have briefly stated the problem that is found in many homes.
The answer is found in the last half of Ephesians 6:4.

After telling us not to "provoke our children to wrath" Paul
writes, "but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord." Bible commentator Matthew Henry interprets that
Scripture as follows:

"In all cases deal prudently and wisely with them, endeavoring
to convince their judgments and to work upon their reason."

Children, of course, should not be trained like a dog where the
usual commands are "sit." "speak," or "roll over."

Immature children are thinking, rational human beings.
They need and want clear direction from their parents. But the
parental directives we give and the boundaries we set should be
Biblical, rational, understandable, and appropriate to the level
of maturity of our children.

If your children are to rise up and call you "blessed"
(Proverbs 31:28) you cannot punctuate their childhood years with
rejection, destructive criticism, and an tension-filled home.

To do so will lead to grief, anger, and wrath. The answer is a
loving home, a caring church, and an inspiring school where the
name of Christ is honored.

 

[RiverOL]

Wise Jogging Advice
============================​

I usually jog one of two routes around the neighborhood.
It is always the same paths, same distances, same hills, and the
same streets.

As I was jogging, God spoke into my spirit.

Although it was while I was jogging, I knew it applied to other
areas of life.

God spoke, "Don't go down any dead ends."

There are a lot of streets that are dead ends in the
neighborhood. The fancy name is cul-de-sac but the truth is,
they are dead ends.

Until I took notice, I did not realize how many streets I jogged
that were dead ends.

When I avoided the dead ends, I found an entirely new and more
exciting route to run. I did not have to travel over the same
paths more than once.

So many things in life are dead ends.
You must have first the wisdom to recognize dead ends,
then the sense not to go down them.

"Don't go down any dead ends."

It wasn't about jogging,

it was about life.

 

[RiverOL]

The Portrait
=================​

Paint a portrait of life to be proud of that could not be sold
for all the money on earth.

Hang that portrait in your mind and understand its ever
presence.

Reflect on every brush stroke that makes all the mountains and
valleys and rivers and skies the most beautiful in the land.

Share your portrait with others but beware their brushes.

Select only those whose brush will add to the beauty and
structure of your masterpiece."

 

[RiverOL]

You May Know Me
=========================​

You may know me.

I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest helper; and I am your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.

I am at your command.

Half of the tasks you do might as well be turned over to me.

I'm able to do them quickly.

I'm able to do them the same every time if that's what you want.

I am easily managed. All you've got to do is be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want it done and after a few lessons
I'll do it automatically the rest of your life.

I am the servant of all great men and women, of course;
and I am servant to all the failures as well.

I've made all the great individuals who have ever been great.

And I've made all the failures that have ever failed.

But I work with all the precision of a marvelous computer.
I work with the intelligence of the human being.

Be easy on me and I will destroy you.

Be firm with me and I'll put the whole world at your feet.

What am I?

I am A Habit!

 

[RiverOL]

A Letter From Grandma
===============================​

Got a letter from Grandma the other day.

She writes: Today I went up to a local Christian bookstore and
saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker.

I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just
come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a
thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it
on my bumper. I was stopped at a red light at a busy
intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good
He is, and I didn't notice that the light had changed. It is a
good thing someone else loves Jesus, because if he hadn't
honked, I'd never have noticed! I found that lots of people
love Jesus!

Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind me started
honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and
screamed, "For the love of God! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, go!"
What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!

Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my window and
started wavin and smiling at all these loving people. I even
honked my horn a few times to share in the love! There must
have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him
yell something about a "sunny beach"...

I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle
finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage grandson
in the back seat what that meant, and he said that it was
probably a Hawaiian good luck sign, or something. Well, I've
never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out of the window
and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out
laughing...Why, even he was enjoying this religious
experience!

A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the
moment that they got out of their cars and started walking
towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I
attended, but this is when I noticed that the light had
changed. So, I waved to all of my brothers and sisters,
grinned, and drove on through the intersection.

I noticed that I was the only car that got through before the
light changed again, and I felt kind of sad that I had to
leave them after all of the love that we had shared, so I
slowed the car down, leaned out of the window, and gave them
all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.

Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!

Love, Grandma

 

[RiverOL]

Two years ago, most people in Malaysia could not have imagined that one day they would have difficulty putting food on the table to feed their families. In this long-drawn pandemic, the unimaginable has happened to many, causing a number to even put up a white flag in front of their house seeking for help. Even those fortunate enough to escape the unimaginable so far are beginning to recognize that their livelihood is not as secure as they had imagined.

For they cannot rule out the possibility of another pandemic or another kind of disaster happening in the future that may even disrupt food supply. This pandemic is a powerful reminder to Christians of Jesus’ response to Satan’s temptation to turn stone into bread: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4 ESV). This verse is often understood to mean we do not live (feed) on bread alone but (feed) on God’s word. It is true that we do not feed on physical food alone but also on spiritual food. But this is not what the verse means.

How to live by God’s word Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, which is about God feeding the Israelites in the wilderness with manna to teach them a crucial lesson to prepare them for life in the Promised Land. In the wilderness they could not sow and reap like before and thus could not live by means of “bread.” But God bypassed the need to sow and reap and provided them with manna, which literally “fell from the sky.” They were fed not by means of “bread,” that is, not through the normal means of making a living. This was to teach them that they do not live by the normal means of making a living alone, but by means of everything God has said. This was well illustrated in the experience of Elijah. God directed him to hide himself at a brook and drink from it and said He had commanded the crows to bring him food there.

When Elijah obeyed, he had to live by what God had said and not “by bread.” If Elijah had committed himself to “live by bread alone,” he would not have obeyed God. When the brook dried up, God re-directed him to a poor widow who was preparing the last meal for herself and her son and said He had commanded her to feed him there. Sure enough, Elijah discovered that he could indeed live by God’s word even when he had to go to places where he could not “live by bread.” How to live by bread Living by means of God’s word does not exclude living by means of “bread.” In fact under normal circumstances, living “by bread” is how God provides for our needs. But we are not to live by this means alone.

So if and when God directs us to do something, like go without food for 40 days as in Jesus’ case, or go somewhere where God would provide food through abnormal means as in Elijah’s case, we are still to obey. His sustenance or provision is built into that command. This means, nothing—not even our need for food itself, let alone the need to make a living—is to hinder us from obeying God. This is what it means by “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Jesus rephrased this to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). Israel needed to learn this crucial lesson in the wilderness so that when they entered the Promised Land and lived “by bread” and made wealth, they would still recognize that it was God who enabled them to do so. This was to ensure that they would not become proud and ignore God’s commandments.

The lesson we need to learn in this pandemic is that we are to put our trust in God alone to provide for our needs so that when the pandemic is over, we will still recognize that it is God who enables us to make a living and to make wealth. Otherwise when “good times” return, we will likely forget God and not seek Him and His kingdom with all our heart.

Reflect Which part of the article caught your attention? What made it significant?

Abide What can you thank God for in this pandemic? Spend some time to thank God in prayers.

Connect and Engage Who can you share your reflections or this article with? Share your reflections with someone (family, friends, staff you are supporting) or send this article to them.

 

[RiverOL]

Why?
========​

Why is the word "abbreviation" so long?

There are some things we don't understand and won't understand.
It's not just words and their origins, but many other seemingly
contradictions of life. The question of "why" looms big on many
issues.

Rest assured, there is someone who knows the answers.

Even if we don't the answers, it always helps to know someone
who does.

 

[RiverOL]

"Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore." Psalm 105:4​ ​

​ Story: Worry or Rest?​ Wash the dishes, take out the trash, finish an email—Amanda had more to do in life than there were hours left to do them. She tried to fall asleep, but sleep just wouldn’t come. Her financial situation also weighed heavily on her mind. She had lost her job, and money was tight. The load of it all threatened to crush her. Amanda got up and tiptoed to the edge of the nursery where her baby brother slept sweetly. Baby Jeremy didn’t feel any of the pressure she did. He didn’t know what tomorrow held—he just knew his parents would take care of him. Amanda laughed as she tried to picture how worried Baby Jeremy would be if he knew all that he needed tomorrow. He needed so many things he couldn’t possibly get for himself—after all, he was just a baby, and babies can’t dress themselves or fix their own breakfast. But if he knew all he needed the next day and felt the impossibility of getting it, would he say what she’d been saying—that there was no way? Would he stay up late fretting too? How silly that would be! Baby Jeremy had parents who loving took care of all his needs. He didn’t need to understand how his needs would all be met—it was enough to know his parents would take care of him. Amanda stopped short in her train of thought. Didn’t she have a Heavenly Father caring for her too? A smile suddenly illuminated her face, and a weight fell from her shoulders. She could curl up and rest, even without answers, just like Baby Jeremy, confident that her Heavenly Father had it all under control. "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:30-34​

​ Thought: Rivers in the Deserts, Not Ways Around Them​ Life sometimes gets hard. Things we don’t want to happen occur. Our plans vaporize. We find ourselves exactly where we never wanted to be—or perhaps we have to sit by and watch a loved one suffer. Yet God gives rivers in the deserts of life. We want a way around them—for ourselves and for our loved ones. But God doesn’t promise to take us around the deserts of life—instead He promises to give us life-giving, refreshing rivers in the midst of them. Many times it’s in the desert—in those hard times—we learn to receive His miraculous provision and strength. “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 Whatever you’re facing, whether it's a big or comparatively small hardship, choose to thank God. Thank Him because it can help show you His provision. Thank Him for working it together for your good (Romans 8:28). Thank Him that He knows what it is to suffer—that He came and suffered on the cross so we would one day get to live again with Him in a perfect world. Thank Him for using suffering to refine and work eternal glory we cannot even comprehend (2 Corinthians 4:17), even though suffering was not part of His original creation but came as a result of the fall (Genesis 1:31, Romans 5:12). Thank God for how He has proven His faithfulness to you in the past (or thank Him for His faithfulness throughout Scripture—how He provided manna in the wilderness, how He preserved His people in Babylon, how He sent the Messiah, Jesus, etc.), and know that He will be faithful to keep and guide you through this too. As you choose to “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16), you’ll find the refreshing streams of His strength and joy in the middle of life’s challenges.​

 

[RiverOL]

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!
=========================================​

Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it:

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power
to create conditions in your life.

What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep
saying you can't stand your job, you might lose your job.

If you keep saying you can't stand your body,
your body can become sick.

If you keep saying you can't stand your car,
your car could be stolen or just stop operating.

If you keep saying you're always broke, guess what?
You'll always be broke.

If you keep saying you can't trust a man or trust a
woman, you will always find someone in your life to
hurt and betray you.

If you keep saying you can't find a job,
you will remain unemployed.

If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you
or believe in you, your very thoughts will attract
more experiences to confirm your beliefs.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be
more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love
and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have what you
want and deserve.

Watch your "Thoughts," they become words.
Watch your "Words," they become actions.
Watch your "Actions," they become habits.
Watch your "Habits," they become character.
Watch your "Character," for it becomes your "Destiny."

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!

 

[RiverOL]

Household Mission Statement
========================================​

One day while contemplating about what I wanted for my family,
I thought:

"The company I work for has a mission statement, the church I
attend has a mission statement, the organizations I belong to
have mission statements, the family is an organization, why
doesn't it have a mission statement?"

Businesses have mission statements because they follow the rule
of "best practices." This means, whatever the biggest and most
profitable companies are doing in common, that must be the best
way of doing things in business.

Our family affects us more than any other organization; most
have no written mission statement.

Stop and think for a moment.

Does the company you work for have a mission statement?
What about the other organizations you belong to?
Now, do you have a written mission statement posted where all of
the members of your household can see it?

No?

Why not?

I believe the answer is because our parents didn't have one up,
and we were never taught to create one.

Immediately after realizing this tragedy, I got on my computer
and began to write. I broke my household mission statement into
the following five categories:

I. Objective - the overall goal of our family.

II. Priority System - In this area I listed our priorities in
the order of importance (God first, Family second, and
Business third). There are other things but these are
the first three general areas in order of importance.

III. Organizational System - In this category I did a
professional organizational chart just like the one my
company has. Should our families settle for anything
less than what we have for our businesses?

It laid out the authority structure for our house.
It has God as the head, then me, then my wife and the
children below all diagramed out. This area sets the
order for the family.

While taking a shower one morning, in my mind's eye I saw
out of order signs swinging on houses. Many of our
houses are out of order because no order has been set.

If a machine is out of order, it doesn't serve its
function. No matter how many quarters you have in your
pocket, if a vending machine has an out of order sign on
it, you had better look for snacks elsewhere.

If an arcade machine or ATM has an out of order sign on
them, they won't serve their purposes. It is the same
with families. When parents and the children are out of
order, something in the family will not function
properly.

IV. Belief System - This expresses the religious and moral
beliefs of the family.

V. Destiny System - This explains the purpose for our family
and where we are headed long term.

Even though this all may sound fancy, I wrote everything on an
elementary school level so my children could understand it.

After I finished writing my first draft, I took it to my wife to
have her discuss changes so that we would be on one accord.
She read the entire document and didn't make any changes.
Our vision and belief systems blended and agreed perfectly.

Everyone will not completely agree on their mission statement
but that is the purpose of a written mission statement, so that
everyone will have one vision. When you have two visions you
then have "di-vision."

I signed the document as household President and my wife signed
it as household Vice-President. I then had it blown up and
laminated. We placed it on the wall right next to the front
door.

Every time our children leave the house, they will know what our
house stands for. Whenever they bring friends over, the first
thing they will see is what the house stands for. When my
children return from school, the first thing they see is the
family mission statement.

Upon returning home, they will know instantly in their conscious
whether they behaved in a way that honors the family mission.

Every house has a different mission, know your mission, write
your mission, and post your mission.

 

[RiverOL]

The Other End
====================​

It helps to keep life in proper perspective.
Your perspective often depends on whom you associate with.

I was at a business conference. I heard from entrepreneurs on
the struggles of start-up, the mistakes and the successes.
Everyone was geared to telling you how to get better which
translated into how to get more.

Captains of the industry were recognized not only for what they
had done but most likely what they would do.

The one exception was Ed Williams.

Mr. Williams was retired. His days of glory and trailblazing in
the industry were legendary, but they were days gone by.

He was the former head of the Health and Beauty Aids section of
Walgreens, one of the largest drug store chains in America.

Everyone else was struggling to get and maintain,
Ed was finished. He had a different perspective.

"75% of my waking hours were spent working with Walgreens, seven
days a week," he said. "When you retire, things change; it's a
shock that most high-powered executives aren't prepared for."

"I was over 5,000 people. I was responsible for over a billion
dollars a year in sales. I went from that to an area where I
didn't even know what the water bill was each month. Although I
was head of the house, I soon realized that my wife ran everything."

"I would wake up at 11 and ask my wife what's for breakfast.
She replied, 'Breakfast is at 7:30; after 7:30 "what's for
breakfast" refers to tomorrow.'"

Ed Williams kept us rolling in laughter about his retirement.
He was funny yet serious. Most of us had not given much thought
to the other end of the road; we were busy on the treadmill of
business.

There are two ends of the road.
Retirement, which is more of a speed zone than an end,
and after we "cross over."

"Too many of my colleagues dropped dead at 64," Ed explained
when he was asked why did he retire. Ed didn't use a more
politically correct term. "Dropped dead" was what he said.

"Some of my fellow executives were worth millions but had never
really left the office to enjoy it. I made up my mind to not
follow that pattern."

Ed Williams impacted me. It's easy to get wrapped up in the
hustle and bustle of making another dollar. Even when your
needs are met, you are still on the highway.

While in the middle, it's good to realize there are other ends.

Maybe it's time for some of you to leave the office for a few
hours a week and smell the roses, before you push up the roses.

~A MountainWings Original~

Someone needs to read this today.
God is telling you to slow down.

 

[RiverOL]

Life's Echo
===============​

A son and his father were
walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, the son falls
hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating,
somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer:
"Who are you?"
Angered at the response,
he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer:
"Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."

And then he screams to the mountain:
"I admire you!"
The voice answers:
"I admire you!"

Again the man screams:
"You are a champion!"
The voice answers:
"You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised,
but does not understand.
Then the father explains:
"People call this Echo,
but really this is Life.

It gives you back everything
you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world,
create more love in your heart.

If you want more competence
in your team, improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything, in all
aspects of life.

Life will give you back
everything you have given to it.