Your Angel, Your Blessing

 

 

A thousand little angels

Dancing on a pin—

One slips away to your house;

Won’t you let him in?

He has a message for you;

He will ring it in your ear.

If you’re ready there’ll be blessings

For all that you hold dear.

If you don’t receive your angel,

He will go back to his dance;

And you many never ever know

That on you he took a chance.

That blessing of success

Or special bud of love

May never come back to you

From the angels’ treasure-trove.

So smile on every visitor;

Examine every thought.

Some may come from angels;

Some of them may not;

But by the grace of God

A thoughtful man can see

If a thought came as a blessing

Given absolutely free.

 

Edwina Williams

 

 He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.

Deuteronomy 7:13

 

Only By Grace



A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.”

“Okay,” the man says, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.”

“That’s wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth three points!”

“Three points?” he says. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.”

“Terrific!” says St. Peter, “that’s certainly worth a point.”

“One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.”

“Fantasic, that’s good for two more points,” he says.

“TWO POINTS!!” the man cries, “At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!”
“Come on in!”

-Unknown

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

 

Things to Remember



I find what I look for in people. If I look for God, I find God. If I look for bad qualities, I find them. I, in a sense, select what I expect, and I receive it. A life without challenges would be like going to school without lessons to learn. Challenges come not to depress or get me down, but to master and to grow and to unfold thereby.

In the Father's wise and loving plan for me, no burden can fall upon me, no emergency can arise, no grief can overtake me, before I am given the grace and strength to meet them.

A rich, full life is not determined by outer circumstances and relationships. These can be contributory to it, but cannot be the source. I am happy or unhappy because of what I think and feel.

I can never lose anything that belongs to me, nor can I possess what is not really mine.

To never run from a problem: either it will chase me or I will run into another just like it, although it may have a different face or name.

To have no concern for tomorrow. Today is the yesterday over which I had concern.

To never bang on a closed door: Wait for it to open and then go through it.
A person who has come into my life has come either to teach me something, or to learn something from me.

- Unknown

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

2 Peter 1:4



Ice Cream for the Soul



Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen."

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never! "Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart."

Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good already.

Author Unknown

 A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs: 17:22

The Women On My Journey



To the women on my journey
Who showed me the ways to go and ways not to go,
Whose strength and compassion held up a torch of light
and beckoned me to follow,
Whose weakness and ignorance darkened the path and encouraged me
to turn another way.

To the women on my journey
Who showed me how to love and how not to live,
Whose grace, success and gratitude lifted me into the fullness
of surrender to God,
Whose bitterness, envy and wasted gifts warned me away
from the emptiness of self-will

To the women on my journey
Who showed me what I am and what I am not,
Whose love, encouragement and confidence held me tenderly
and nudged me gently,
Whose judgement, disappointment and lack of faith called me
to deeper levels of commitment and resolve.

To the women on my journey who taught me love
by means of both darkness and light.

To these women I say bless you and thank you from the
depths of my heart,
for I have been healed and set free
through your joy and through your sacrifice.

Rev. Melissa M. Bowers

But Ruth replied, "Don't make me leave you, for I want to go wherever you go, and to live wherever you live; your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God; I want to die where you die, and be buried there."

Ruth 1: 16-17

Living a Passionate, Inspired Life

As a teacher or a leader or any kind, it is necessary for you to be able to reach the people you are responsible for in a way that ignites a fire in them.  Some people have this ability innately.  They can't really tell you what they do that is any different from the next leader, but they know that it works. Others learn how to do it by watching friends or colleagues and practicing very hard.  What is it that they have or what do they do that makes them so successful?  Let's take a closer look...

The first trait you will find in these leaders is passion.  Passion isn't something that you have and hold on to.  Passion is something that flows through you.  When you know in your heart that what you are doing is exactly what you're on this earth to do- no doubts, no questions, this is it- then you have found your passion.  This is not to say that you are not afraid, for when you step into your passion, in many cases the work in front of you is overwhelming.  You may not have any idea how you're going to climb that mountain, but you know that you must!

The second trait you will see is inspiration.  Inspiration is what happens when we have found our purpose, when we are "in-spirit."  When we are living our lives passionately, we find inspiration in most everything that we do.  It is impossible not to do so.  We are intended to listen to that still, small voice within us that will tell us, unequivocally, that what we are doing is right or wrong for us.  Inspiration and passion create courage to face the challenges and the unknown. 

So the third trait you will see is courage.  You see, each of these traits builds on the other.  When you are living a passionate, inspired life, you won't have to look far for the courage to do what you've determined you must do.  You know, you have faith, that you are taking the correct steps, that you're on the right path for your own purpose.  You are committed, with every fiber of your being, to your that goal.

The fourth trait is commitment.  A passionate, inspired life will lead you to a commitment to do whatever it takes to follow your dream.  You won't allow anything or anyone to deter you from your mission.  It's not just your head telling you to do this thing, your heart won't allow you to do anything less.  You'll be able to set your priorities and reach your goals.  When you fall short, as we all do on occasion, you'll allow yourself the grace to accept that failure knowing there is no stopping.

The fifth trait is grace.  When you hit those roadblocks, grace will show you a new way.  Innovation and creativity will become second nature to you.  After all, failure is not an option.  You've just learned another way NOT to get where you want to go.  You move on, ready for new challenges knowing that you will meet them and succeed.

Finally, when you are living a passionate, inspired life you will generate integrity and trust.  Because you are living your dream, there is no need for deceit and greed.  Your courage will allow you to remain true to yourself in ways you didn't even know you were capable of.  Your lesser self no longer exists.  You have banished it to the past.  You have reached a new plain of enlightenment, never to return to a world of lack and of not being all that you were intended to be.

Being a leader is living a life of passion and then lighting that spark in others around you, simply because you show by example.  Your friends and family see how happy and content you are and they want the same for themselves.  They follow your lead.  Remember, Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."  Let it begin with you!