In step

[RiverOL]

The Choice
=================​

EVERY moment in life, we are faced with a choice.

Which should command our preference--the demands of our job or
the duties to our family?

If there is a board meeting today at the same hours that our son
graduates from school, where should we go -- to the boardroom or
to the graduation ceremony?

If we have to make a very important presentation tomorrow, so as
to advance our career, but our wife says she has to see the
doctor on a suspicion of cancer, which appointment should we keep?

These are the daily battles of conscience we have to wage,
trying to keep a balance between our responsibility to earn a
living and our opportunity to live a life.
And our choices invariably reveal who we really are.
Our preferences indicate our true character.
Our priorities are the best indicators of our real identity.

What profits success?

I know that many of you out there would go for career on the
pretension that after all, you are doing all these for the family.

Many of you, dear readers, would rather become outstanding
employees, model personnel instead of being doting fathers or
loving husbands.

Many of you would opt to perform exceedingly well in the office
even if you work 12 to 16 hours a day, going home only to change
clothes or catch a few hours of sleep.

But what for? At the end of the day, what have you accomplished?

What profits a highly successful professional or wealthy
businessman if ultimately, he loses his family, wrecks his
marriage or dishonors the name he will leave to his children?

What has a rich man accomplished if he has built a fortune and
founded conglomerates of highly profitable companies and yet
drives his own wife to vices or infidelity, his children to drugs
and delinquency and himself to spiritual decay and total burnout?

What matters most?

Look around you. The evidence is overwhelming and irreversible.
Families are shattered.
Marriages are broken.
Lives are reduced to utter emptiness.

Even as man advances in wealth and success, he deteriorates on
the basic standards of joy, peace and serenity. As we all compete
and struggle for power and possessions, we often neglect what
really matters most. In our insatiable mania for supremacy over
the rest, we often forget the most important things in life.

I will respect your choice. But as for me, my priorities are
clear. Between career and family, I will always go for family.

I can forego that board meeting and earn the ire of my boss or
make a bad impression on my peers. But I shall not inflict a
lifetime trauma on my son by sending him alone to graduate
without his dad. I can forget that business presentation and
lose a valued client or waste a career promotion, but I cannot
leave my wife alone in her moments of anxiety.

Meaningless?

Why should a well-known public figure commit suicide given all
his fame and fortune? Can his wealth and wisdom compensate for
ruptures in his relationships?

Why should a wife of a famous politician commit adultery with
the family driver? Is it lust or vain fixation for the
pleasures of the flesh? Or is it the pain of being neglected
and ignored by the husband she used to adore?

Why should a son cut his wrist or a daughter drink poison
despite all the luxuries and pleasures they are showered with?

Can money replace love?
Can pleasure take the place of affections?

In this age of top line technology and convenience gadgets, why
are humans talking to computers rather than with each other?
Why are we retrenching people and replacing them with robots and
machines?

Why have we lost the simple joys of nurturing relationships with
bank tellers because we have replaced them with ATMs?

Why, with all our cells, e-mails, Internets, websites or the
endemic texting, are we no longer communicating?
Why are family members no longer talking to each other?

The ultimate hell?

To succeed in career and fail in the family is, to me, the
ultimate hell.

John Grisham, that famous author of legal fictions wrote
"The Testament," which tells of a highly successful
industrialist who made billions of dollars but lost his family.

In the first 10 pages of the novel, he jumped to his death from
his multi-story building in front of his self-centered children.
By his will, he disinherited all of them and bequeathed his entire
estate to an illegitimate daughter who refused to accept it.

That is the ultimate irony; those who lusted for money lost it.
Those who were given all the money refused it.

In all his dozen masterpieces, Grisham tells us about the
importance of family. "A Time to Kill" tells of a father who
went to jail for killing his daughter's rapists.

Indeed, we who are simple folks should learn from the mistakes
of others. We should straighten our lives and put our
priorities in order.

I don't know about you.

But as for me and my house, our credo is: There is no success in
a career that can make up for a failure in the family.

 

[RiverOL]

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

Story: I Forgot​ Jared stared up and down the street with wide eyes. Where was he? What was he doing? More importantly, who was he? He couldn’t remember the answer to any of those questions. He looked around him and saw a crowded street with people hustling around. I must need to hustle somewhere, he thought to himself. With that, he joined the crowd, hurrying somewhere, anywhere. Jared felt his stomach growl. He was so hungry! He noticed some boys digging through trash cans looking for bread, so he joined them. Several days passed this way. Until one day Jared bumped into Luke. Jared recognized Luke, and with the recognition came a flood of other memories—memories that increased as Luke began speaking. “Jared, whatever are you doing? You were sent out here to praise the King, serve Him, and share the King’s invitation with others, but you seem to be wandering around aimlessly. What’s going on?” The truth came flooding back to Jared’s mind. The King—His banquet. He remembered now. The King had found him when he was a helpless beggar guilty of the death sentence for his crimes. The King had paid his fine and adopted him. Now Jared had been given a task to do during his short time left among the streets before the King returned to take him home forever. How could he have forgotten all of that? “I…I forgot,” Jared muttered. “I can see that,” Luke’s reply was filled with gracious understanding. “I’ve forgotten before too. Amnesia seems to be one of our biggest enemies. Say, you look half starved—did you forget about the King’s food too?” The King’s food! Oh, he had forgotten that too! The King had promised to send him daily food from the castle. But Jared had been eating from the trash cans instead. Luke read his answer on Jared’s face. “I see you forgot. Well, let’s go get you some decent food right now. And next time, don’t forget to read the note the King gave you that reminds you of all these things…and let’s remind one another regularly, shall we?” Jared nodded. He didn’t want to waste any more time in forgetfulness! “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:” 2 Peter 3:1-2 “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:11 “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13​

 

[RiverOL]

The Blessing Too
========================​

A comment on the issue: The Blessing


The issue entitled "The Blessing" caused me to think about
something that happened during my drive into work today. I was
listening to an intriguing song. The singer was asking God to
let his spirit flow and grow thru him that others that come in
contact with him would be blessed by his healing power.

It caused me to ponder my own walk with God. I asked if one of
the reasons God blessed me to be born is so others can see and
feel His living presence on the earth. I was then reminded of
something my former pastor used to say "I would rather see a
sermon than hear one any day." That quote has stuck with me for
30 years.

When I come into the office each day, I make it a point of
saying hello to my co-workers and calling their names. I try to
compliment them on something good that I see in them. However,
that song made me more aware of the power of our influence.

While riding in my car this morning, I began to think about
Christ's walk on the earth. The people around him did not know
that he was God's son or that he had a vast amount of wealth in
heaven. Instead, they wanted to be in his presence as an
ordinary man because there was something different about him.

He made each person feel good about themselves. When he walked
in a room, all eyes were on him because no one ever spoke as he
spoke, loved as he loved, cared as he cared, helped as he helped
or was a "Blessing" in the way that he was able to bless.

Always remember, to whom much is given, much is required (even
if you don't receive an outward display of thanksgiving now).
The older I grow, I realize like never before that it is more of
a blessing to be in the position to help than to be the one that
needs to be helped.

When Christ healed the 10 lepers, only one came back to say
thanks. Why did only one come back? Did he suffer longer than
the others? I don't think so. I think his mature awareness
kicked in and it didn't take him long to realize his life was
changed and he had to go back to the one that brought about that
change.

One day you will do something for someone and the blessing for
you will be in knowing that you gave them their start but a
greater blessing will come when they do come back to say thanks.

 

[RiverOL]

His Ways
==============​

As I prayed over a prayer request, God spoke and I emailed the
words to the person requesting prayer. These were the words:

"I see her for it is Me who has been holding both her and her
truck together. She does not understand My ways or my plans for
her but let her know that I have her in my hands."

She wrote among other things that her truck was 15-years-old.

We are all similar. God has been holding things in our world
together including our own bodies and though we often
experience deep pain, He has us in the palm of His hand.

We don't understand His ways.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9 KJV)

 

[RiverOL]

At A Cash Register In A Quiet Store
=================================================​

It was 10:55 on a Sunday night and rather quiet as I waited for
my shift behind a cash register at Wal-Mart to be over at 11:00.
I was merely patiently waiting for the next five minutes to go
away. Then came the exchange that I will remember for quite
awhile.

A woman showed up at my register with a cart full of things.
I scanned and processed her order and she paid for it. All seemed
routine enough. Then she looked at me...
"I need to tell you something".

"Yes, ma'am. How can I help you?"

"I don't know if you remember me. I came through your line a
couple of days ago. I was quite snippy and grouchy with you. You
had done nothing wrong and didn't deserve that. You see, I had
found out earlier that night that my sister-in-law had passed
away, and I wasn't in a good mood. I just want to apologize for
the way I acted."

I honestly did not remember the supposed incident from a couple of
days prior. Since dealing with at least one or two grouchy people
per day in this job seems to be the norm, I had become better at
just blowing things off. For a moment, I was taken aback. Mine is
a job where my customers take it for granted when things go as
they are supposed to. Generally, no one has any kind of feedback
unless it is to complain about something. I learned to understand
that no feedback at all meant I was doing something right.

She continued, "You just kind of stood there and took my wrath,
and remained patient and friendly. I want to thank you for that".

By now my eyes were welling up. How humbling it felt that in this
woman's time of grief, she was taking time to think of the Wal-
Mart cashier whom she felt she had offended. I said something
about that we try to help in any way we can, that I accepted her
apology and appreciated her kind words. Then I offered a
handshake, which she accepted, and I told her I was sorry for her
loss.

With that, she was on her way. I looked at my watch.....10:59. It
was time to call it a night. I left my register, clocked out for
the day and wept to myself as I walked to my car. I realized that
this woman had reminded me of some life lessons that I hope stay
with me for awhile.

I was reminded of the fact that when people act grouchy toward me,
it usually isn't because of anything I did. More often, their
actions are because of something going on with them that have
little or nothing to do with me. I was reminded that when people
act in such ways, those actions are not necessarily indicative of
their character or worth as a person. This woman chose to offset
her earlier actions (and then some) with a clearly heartfelt
apology and kind words.

I was reminded -- perhaps most importantly of all -- that in all
my actions with people, to the best of my ability, just how
important the virtues of kindness, patience and understanding can
be; that the people who seem at the time to deserve it the least
often are the ones who need it the most. You just never know what
difficulties life has thrown at them, or what demons they are
battling or have battled. Jackie Robinson once said that "A life
is unimportant except in the impact is has on other lives," and
this encounter showed me that the opportunity to offer a positive
impact is always there.

Even at a cash register, in a quiet store at 11 o'clock on a
Sunday night.

 

[RiverOL]

The Greatest Life Lesson
===================================​

Tragic things in my life happened and I turned on God. I was
angry that He would let these things happen to my family and me.

Until about a year ago when I redevoted my life to God, I never
understood why those things happened. My Nanna and Poppa had
devoted their lives to God, a faith I had never seen waiver even
once during a time of crisis. I was in awe of them.

My Poppa was being transported to church one Sunday, about seven
years ago in a wheelchair lift bus. The driver failed to comply
with safety standards by making sure my Poppa was securely
belted in, and as a result, when he ended up in an accident, my
Poppa was thrown from the back of the bus into the front dash.

I was beyond livid when I heard the news. I called my Nanna and
demanded to know what the driver's name was, begging her to press
charges, and sue the company so she and my Poppa wouldn't have
to struggle anymore.

She insisted she wasn't going to do anything about it; she was
too busy tending to my Poppa. So I went behind her back and
called the company screaming like a banshee at the owner for
allowing such a person to work for him.

A couple of years later, I was sitting in the bar drinking my
problems away till the next day, when I heard a guy I knew from
karaoke describing this accident he'd once gotten into at work
where an "old man" was hurt, and the family called his office to
scream at his boss.

I walked over to his table, asked him if he worked at the same
company my Poppa used to take; he nodded. I asked him if he
remembered the guy's name, he said only the last name, and
proceeded to tell me what it was.

I plowed him with my fist as hard as I could and left.

I never spoke of the issue again until about a month ago with my
Nanna. We were discussing God's wrath and how I'd just
recently realized His may not be immediate, but in the end it is
far worse than mine will ever be.

She asked me if I remembered her response to Poppa's accident.
I hung my head in shame and nodded.

She told me that her faith in God's wrath is what stopped her
from doing something. I was stunned like she had just hit me.

"He will be judged," she said, "and I don't want to be a part of
it when he does."

The big revelation.
Allow God to judge, and you will have nothing to repent for.

We make enough mistakes of our own, why add someone else's to
the pile?

 

[RiverOL]

How Much Can You Take?
=====================================​

"I am not sure how much more I can take."

It is a common theme in many prayer requests.

They are tired.
They are at their wits end.
The situation has been going on for a long time.
They are frustrated and things aren't getting any better.

So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life - whether
you have enough food, drink and clothes.

Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?

Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or
put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them.
And you are far more valuable to him than they are.

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Of course not.

And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how
they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon
in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today
and gone tomorrow, won't he most certainly care for you?
You have so little faith!

So don't worry about having enough food, drink or clothing.
Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about
these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all of your needs,
and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live
for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its
own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.
(Mat 6:25-34 NLT)

 

[RiverOL]

The Move
===============​

In order for God to take you to another place,
He must first move you from where you are.

The move often seems like disaster,
but it's only the creaking and groaning of a reluctant door.

 

[RiverOL]

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

Story: Believe Whatever You Want, But…​ Jane was under a very strange misunderstanding. She’d been told that she could believe whatever she wanted about everything and was living her life as if believing something made it true. The only problem was, that simply wasn’t the case, as she was soon to find out. Jane sauntered into the bank and confidently walked up to the teller. “I’d like to withdrawal one million dollars,” she announced confidently. The teller looked up in surprise. “May I see your I.D. and have your bank account number?” she asked suspiciously. Jane promptly handed over the requested items. After a minute, the teller announced, “I’m sorry, but your account balance is only $200. That’s the maximum you can withdrawal.” Jane shook her head. “I believe my balance is 2 million dollars, and I’d like to withdrawal 1 million please.” The teller tried again to explain reality to Jane, but she simply didn’t want to hear. Finally, Jane realized she was getting nowhere and stormed off to her car. Realizing she was late for her weekly kayaking trip, she sped down the road. Soon, she heard a siren and found herself pulled over to the side of the road. The cop informed her she’d violated the speed limit and needed to pay a fine. “But sir, I don’t believe in the speed limit,” she informed him. The cop raised his eyebrows a little. Was this girl for real? “Well believe in it or not, you have to obey it,” he replied calmly, handing her the ticket. Jane again realized there was nothing she could do but accept the ticket and be on her way. She was immensely relived to reach the riverbank at last and hop into her kayak. As she was heading down the river, she wondered what the river was like. She’d never been down this particular river before. She wondered if it had any rapids. Jane felt a momentary panic at the thought of the possibility of rapids, but then a smile returned to her face. She didn’t believe the river had any rapids, so she’d be just fine. As she happily rowed along, she past another kayak anchored up on the shore. The man in it frantically waved her down. “Hasn’t anyone told you? There’s a huge drop-off up ahead. You’d better pull off here. I’ve got a friend coming with a van who can drive you back.” Jane did not welcome this intrusion on her happiness. “Look, I’m very happy. I don’t want to think about a drop-off. I don’t believe in it.” The man tried his best to explain the pending danger, even pulling out a map of the river, but Jane refused to listen. “You can believe whatever you want, but let me believe what I want too. Let’s both just be happy.” “It’s not about happiness! You’re believing a lie and about ready to-” Jane cut him off. “I can believe whatever I want. Who's to say you’re right and I’m wrong?” The man tried again. “You’re right--you can believe whatever you want. But you’d better make sure your belief is anchored in truth. I believe in the drop-off because of this map--it clearly shows it and warns about it.” “And I believe there is no drop-off,” Jane repeated. “But on what basis?” Jane squirmed. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” With that, Jane continued downriver, inching closer and closer to the drop-off which if she continued along her present path, would hurl her to her death, whether she believed in it or not. Oh, if only she would stop to make sure her beliefs were grounded in truth!​ I have been reminded a lot lately of the importance of making sure our beliefs line up with the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. God does not lie. He means what He says. "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Numbers 23:19 "Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." Psalm 119:160 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16-17 When God tells us in the Bible that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6) and there is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12), He means it. When He tells us He will punish all whose names are not written in His book of life (Revelation 20:15), He means it. When He tells us that He is able to save (Hebrews 7:25), He means it. When He tells us nothing in all creation can separate those who are in Christ Jesus from the love of Christ and that we are more than conquerors in Him (Romans 8:37-39), He means it. The only question is, are we living like we believe the truth of God’s Word? Can we say with the Psalmist that God's Word is lighting our path, or are there areas where we're clinging to our own darkness? "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105​

 

[RiverOL]

Our Turtle
===============​

It is amazing to me how a simple summer afternoon, beautiful blue
skies, and no rain for once can turn into an even more magical
experience simply by someone ringing our doorbell.

My son and I had just settled down to our Sunday night dinner
last night and our doorbell rang. Little did I know a two-hour
grand adventure was about to start for me

It was our neighbor advising me that I should shut my garage door
because a twenty-five pound snapping turtle was resting on my
driveway. My son and I stared out in amazement. There she was,
a glorious ancient reptile resting on her journey.

Her journey so far had taken her from a pond to the north of our
home, up a huge hill, and to everyone's amazement across a busy
trafficked road. And she had crossed another street to arrive in
my driveway. Everyone realized she was heading to another pond
that was at the end of our subdivision. However, she had heard
the water in my front yard from my mini pond and was
investigating it in a brief stay.

We all stared in amazement as this creature brought herself up
from her resting position and proudly walked forward ... her
steps were steady and determination was shown in each step as she
marched across my garden. She rested again in my garden, in the
cool shade of the tall grasses. My small garden pond was not the
destination, so once again she pushed herself up and started the
march eastward toward the larger pond.

She changed direction after she left my garden and headed down to
the sidewalk. By now, more and more people were coming out to
watch her progress. Slow and steady, with incredible strength
and determination, she walked forward, never veering from her
path.

As she made her way, more and more children came out to see "The
Turtle." I ran back home to check and see if this migration was
normal at this time of year for snapping turtles. I discovered
while searching the Web that we were seeing a rare occurrence in
August. The turtle knew by instinct where her goal was, the
other pond. And on trust and instinct, she followed her path.
She knew where she had to go and her route.

So for the next two hours, I became a turtle wrangler with my
front porch broom, keeping kids at a safe distance, asking one of
the children to run a get a water can of water to keep her moist
as this journey was drying her out and that was not good for her.
And above all else, keeping everyone out of her path, as that
made her nervous and she would retreat inside her shell.

Our goal became her goal, to help her along the sidewalk. The
kids learned that snapping turtles hiss when provoked, and yes
she will open her mouth and lunge her head forward and snap. Her
long claws, about two inches long, made a louder noise on the
sidewalk than a dog's nails on a sidewalk. They were amazed and
in awe of this wondrous creature. All the children were so
respectful of the turtle, as were the adults and some of the
older teens. Pictures were being taken by cell phone cameras. As
the procession slowly followed The Turtle, more and more children
came out.

Then suddenly after one of her rests, she changed direction. She
turned off the sidewalk and she went down a path between the
houses into a backyard. We quickly asked permission of the
owners to follow her there. The owner of the home was enthralled
at her visitor. Then the turtle was headed into the tall
grasses, behind the houses. We knew she had to keep wet and we
could not keep track of her in the tall grasses. So it was
decided that we would try to get her into a box so we could carry
her the last 2000 yards to the pond.

She did not like the box. She hissed at the box on the ground and
snapped at the side of it (that is how the kids got to see the
actual shape and powerful bite of a snapping turtle). A newfound
respect came over the kids.

I kept guiding her from the tall grasses with the broom, and then
suddenly she lunged forward, snapped at my broom, and went into
the box.

It took four kids to carry and run with the box to the pond. Kids
were running after the box, parents were keeping up - all in one
mission to help our Turtle to her destination, the pond. The
Turtle knew when were getting close to the pond; she was clawing
her way up the side of the box. Parents were praying the box
would hold the turtle's weight. They could see the bottom of the
box giving way as we approached the pond.

Then suddenly we were at the pond, the kids gently tipped the box
on its side. and magic happened! The Turtle, after her laborious
two-and-a-half-hour walk on land, glided effortlessly into the
pond, submerged, and was home. The pond that was Turtle's
destination flows into the huge marsh at the south end of Lake
Scugog, which is part of the Trent-Severn water system.

Once the turtle was released, the kids shouted and whooped and
cheered, their mission to help our Turtle complete. As our group
of newly appointed turtle wranglers walked, some skipped back to
the subdivision. They all chattered about how wonderful this
adventure had been, how they wanted to name their turtle, how in
just a short two-and-a-half hours this wonderful ancient creature
captured their hearts. A lovely way to end their summer
vacations and then go back to school to tell of their summer
adventure with our Turtle.

As for me? I saw it s the journey we take in this lifetime. We
move forward, not resisting change, knowing our path in our
hearts and following it by instinct, trusting and believing we
will arrive at our destination no matter what is put in our way.
And once we arrive, we are given the gift of freedom, of what we
love to do, to be who we can be ... and simply glide through the
rest of our journey, with help from special guidance that is
always there for us, if we just accept that we are not alone and
always guided.

Great way to go through life.

 

[RiverOL]

The Other Boot
======================​

My Father used to tell my brothers and me a story of World War I.

While a young soldier was praying before bedtime one night,
another soldier told him to stop that noise and threw one of his
boots at him.

The next morning, the soldier who had been praying returned the
boot to its owner cleaned and polished, and asked for the other
one and said he would also polish that one.

My father said the young soldier was never abused again.

I was only a little girl when my father told this story, but I
have never forgotten it.


~Submitted by Meg Seaman, Australia~

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him
have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile,
go with him two miles. (Mat 5:39-41 NIV)

 

[RiverOL]

I'll See You After The Movie
======================================​

It was one of those eclectic movies so I went to the theater
alone. My wife doesn't care for oddball movies. I went because it
had a Go See rating on MovieFoot.com.

I was the only one in the theater. An older couple entered. The
husband sat on the row in front of me on the left side. His wife
sat on the same row but on the right side.

"Join me here," he said. "I like the view from the left."

"But I like the view from the right," she said.

They both stayed where they were separated by several empty seats
between them.

"I'll see you after the movie," he jokingly remarked.

A few minutes later before the start of the movie, she got up and
moved to sit next to him.

On the left side.

It appeared that they had been married a long time.

It appears they will remain married, whether they sit to the
left, right or in the middle.

Marriage and life are not about where you are, it's about the
direction in which you are moving.

Are you moving closer to unity, harmony and Divine destiny
or closer to separation, dis-ease and destruction?

 

[RiverOL]

The Path Under My Feet
=================================​

The road ahead is twisted and curved.
I cannot see around the corners.

But I can see the path here under my feet.

It is here that I can make a difference.

It is now that I can touch the lives of those I meet in such a way

...that nothing but kind words can be spoken of me.

 

[RiverOL]

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

​ ​

​ Story: Lost in the Darkness​ Johanna had lived her entire life in the dark cave, deep underneath the earth’s surface. She’d never seen light—not pure light, anyway. There were little glimmers of light that reached her here and there—a fish that glowed, a glimpse of the outside world if she wandered too close to the edge, and an occasional traveler with a headlamp. Johanna, and the thousands of others who lived in the gigantic cave, passed their existence in darkness. They stumbled along, making their way as best as they could in the blackness, often falling to their deaths in huge drop-offs, getting bitten by poisonous creatures, or twisting an ankle on a rock—all because they couldn’t see. They daily walked right over incredible crystal formations and jewels, only they didn’t know it, because they couldn’t see them in the darkness. They remained oblivious to the breathtaking colors and dazzling designs. As odd as it may sound, these people lived in the darkness by choice. I know that sounds crazy—who would choose to stumble in the fearful darkness? Who would choose not to see? And why would they choose that? Well, although very few admitted this was the reason, the people chose the darkness because they didn’t want to see themselves as they really were. In the darkness, they’d convinced themselves they were clean and healthy, and they didn’t want to admit that wasn’t true. Light showed them things as they really were. It showed them the dirt all over them. It showed them the dried-up blood covering their bodies, and puss oozing out of uncared for wounds. It revealed the sores and disease that ravaged their bodies. It showed them their mangled hair and weak eyes. In short, it showed them that they were a mess. Had they only realized the healing and life that could be theirs if they were only willing to step into that light, they wouldn’t have hesitated for one moment. Had they only really understood that their present life in the dark cave ended only in death, they would have raced into the life the light offered to them. But instead they refused, living in darkness—loving it actually—rather than in the light of life. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-9​ Light is an amazing thing. Without it, we don’t know how to walk safely…nor can we see the beauty surrounding us. Light shows things as they really are—it reveals the truth about ourselves and the world around us. God is light and truth—and He reveals Himself in His Word, the Bible. Are we willing to let God show us the truth—even if it’s not initially pleasant? Are we in His Word? Are we letting His Word light are path? “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” Ephesians 5:8​

 

[RiverOL]

A Lesson From A Ketchup Bottle
=============================================​

Isn't it amazing the things God uses to teach us a lesson?
I learned to BE STILL from someone, no something:
a bottle of ketchup.

I banged on the top and the sides. It wasn't plastic so I
couldn't squeeze it or rush it short of poking a knife into the
bottle.

I waited and waited for the slow drip of the red stuff on my
fries. My plate had a lot of fries for that ketchup to cover
and to wait would've taken all day.

I banged on the sides again and the top and shook it for all it
was worth.

I didn't have all day.

Suddenly, it came to me, this is how I
am when I ask God for something.

I have a lot to cover and very little time and even less
patience. God, on the other hand, has all the time in the world
and does things in HIS own time and when HE is ready.

I can shake, squeeze, and bang all I want, but the blessing won't
be poured on in my time but in HIS time.

 

[RiverOL]

3D
====​

When I took my kids to see a 3D movie, I was blown away with how
the glasses altered my vision.

Not like I expected though.

I was not overly impressed with the 3D effects in the movie
itself; what really surprised me was what happened when I exited
the theater.

When I came out of the theater and removed my 3D glasses,
I experienced the greatest parable of life.

"Life is how we view it."

After wearing glasses where one lens was red and the other was
blue, my eyes had adjusted to the colors.

Now with my naked eyes, out of one eye the world had a blue tint
and out of the other eye the world had a red tint.

I could not believe my eyes, I had never heard of that
phenomenon before. I rubbed my eyes and closed one eye and
alternated them over and over. Everything looked redder, then
everything looked bluer, over and over.

I had enough scientific knowledge and common sense to know the
whole world was not changing colors, timed perfectly to the
instant I shut one eye and opened the other.

This was the most altered my vision had ever been, yet it was
perhaps the clearest I had ever seen the world.

I now saw the argument between the optimist and the pessimist
solved, it depends on which eye you have open.

In your life, do you focus on those who have more than you or
those who are less fortunate than you?

Do you focus on how bad your job is or that you have a job?

Do you focus on the smallness of your closet and house, or do
you see that you have so many clothes you don't have room to
store them?

What eye are you looking out of?

If you want the world to look differently, it may be easier for
you to open the other eye than to paint the world.

 

[RiverOL]

The Theater
=================​

A villager came to the big city for the first time in his life.

He was amazed at the many wonders in the big city. He wanted to
buy something to bring back to his village. Most of the items
needed electrical connection and his village didn't even have
any electricity. He was delighted when he found a flashlight.

He bought the flashlight, which fascinated him every time he
pushed the switch and a bright light came on.

As he continued on his way, he noticed people waiting in line.
He inquired what this line was for and was told that they were
waiting to enter a theater where there was a movie playing.

He had no idea what a movie was, but decided to wait in line
too. He paid for a ticket and was ushered into a dark room.
After a little while, a picture started playing. He was
fascinated to see the beautiful scenery and all the action on
the screen.

Then he remembered the flashlight in his pocket.

"I will shine the flashlight on the picture, so I will see it
even better." He took out the flashlight and shone it straight
at the screen, but to his amazement the picture became faded.

From all sides people started shouting that he should turn off
the light!

"But I only wanted to get a better view of the picture," he said
to the one sitting next to him.

"Don't you know? Here, we see only in the dark!"
replied his neighbor.

The moral of the parable:
The same is in the theater of this world. Many of the pleasures
and values which people pursue have value only because we find
ourselves in spiritual darkness. When we bring spiritual light
into our lives, these values and pleasures fade, for they are
only imaginary and temporary.

 

[RiverOL]

Humility
============​

If I have any special gifts or talents,
it is because God gave them to me?

If I worked hard to develop any skills or strengths,
it is through the circumstances that God has afforded me?

What right then do I have to consider myself any better than my
neighbor?

What do I own that is truly mine?
What do I own that is not from God?

Humility is a very Christian ideal.

We hear a lot about love, respect, pride and equality,
which are good things; however, humility is not praised nearly
enough.

Maybe because it's boring;
maybe because it doesn't lend itself to attention

But remember that it is humility that allows us to admit we are
sinners and that we need Jesus Christ.

The Beauty of Humility:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8

 

[RiverOL]

Is This True?
==================​

A subscriber wrote about a particular MountainWings issue:
Is this true? and....all these wonderful stories I read every day,
are they true or just 'parables'? Thank you.

From The Mountain:
To be honest, I don't know if this particular story is true.
The writer submitted it to us quite some time ago and often we
can't verify a particular story's truth. Even when the writer
sends it to us, we don't actually "know" if it's true.

I do know from personal experience the magnificent orchestration
of God. Often the truth of how God works is more miraculous than
fictional stories.

I say truth because humans rarely know everything that happens,
we only see the viewable results that we understand. We don't
even know what happened behind the scenes and the total plan.

If we could see the angels, and yes even the demons, we would be
amazed by everyday life. You can't believe in angels without
believing in the demonic too; the battles are constant on our
behalf. If we could only see the stories that we do read would
most likely pale by comparison to the actual protection that
surrounds us all.

So no, I don't know whether some stories are true, I do know we
are in a great epic and the best and worst is yet to come.

 

[RiverOL]

Crickets and Scorpions
================================​

I usually spend time in prayer at five a.m. each morning.

I shall relay a lesson that God taught me very dramatically
during one of those early morning sessions.

I pray in a closet that is actually the vocal booth of our
former home music studio. It is soundproof.

As I entered clad only in shorts, I heard the sound of a cricket
chirping. There in the shadow, I saw the cricket.
It was very close to where I sit on the floor each day.

"Sit down and don't bother the cricket,"
I heard a soft voice speak in my spirit.

I obeyed.

I turned out the light and sat in total darkness and silence.

I felt something crawl up on my leg.

"Don't bother the cricket," I heard the voice say again,
"I am trying to teach you something."

"You need to learn to distinguish the difference between
crickets and scorpions in life. Don't bother the cricket."

The cricket crawled. It is an eerie feeling to say the least.
I wasn't afraid of the cricket. I knew it couldn't harm me.
It wouldn't bite, sting, or even so much as scratch me.

It was just a highly annoying and extremely icky feeling.
A cricket crawling all over you.

I let the cricket crawl for almost a minute until I couldn't
stand it anymore. I brushed the cricket off, turned on the light,
picked it up in my hand, and took it outside and let it go.

I understood what God was trying to show me.
Life has scorpions and crickets.

Scorpions are the things that can hurt us; things that are truly
destructive and dangerous. Crickets are the things that have
absolutely no power to hurt us, they are just irritating.
They get on our nerves; they try our patience.

I saw things differently after emerging from prayer that day.

I realized that the vast majority of the things that really
irked me

...were crickets.

The vast majority of the things that irk you

...are crickets.

Don't bother the crickets
and don't let the crickets bother you.