This is so lovely I thought to share it here....from Max Lucado, "The Applause of Heaven:"
"A legend from India tells about a mouse who was terrified of cats until a magician agreed to transform him into a cat. That reslved his fear . . . until he met a dog, so the magician changed him into a dog. The mouse-turned-cat-turned-dog was content until he met a tiger - so, once again, the magician changed him into what he feared. But when the tiger came complaining that he had met a hunter, the magician refused to help. 'I will make you into a mouse agian, for though you have the body of a tiger, you still have the heart of a mouse.'
Sound familiar? How many people do you know who have build a formidable exterior, only to tremble inside with fear? . . . We face our fears with force . . . or . . . we stockpile wealth. We seek security in things. We cultivate fame and seek status.
But do these approaches work?
Courage is an outgrowth of who we are. Exterior supports may temporarily sustain, but only inward character creates courage."
See?......... Let us live the life of the courageous!!
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none.....
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Challenge of Beautiful
Okay....so I'm just gonna say it....this challenges me because I so love beautiful things. It's ok to love them, just not to live to get them. But the clothes.....yes, I like looking nice & stylish. And that's okay....You made me to care because I am royalty and have a certain image to uphold. I thank-You for allowing me to shine, because I am Your daughter. Thank-You for that! These words of Jesuss help me keep it all in perspective....
"...but you both know GOD and how He works. Steep yourself in GOD-reality, GOD-initiative, GOD-provisions....you'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're My dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very Kingdom itself. Be generous. Give to the poor. The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."
Luke 12:30-34, The Message
Oh...don't worry honey, this is not an excuse for me to shop! I got balance :) (laughing here!)
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none.....
"...but you both know GOD and how He works. Steep yourself in GOD-reality, GOD-initiative, GOD-provisions....you'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're My dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very Kingdom itself. Be generous. Give to the poor. The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."
Luke 12:30-34, The Message
Oh...don't worry honey, this is not an excuse for me to shop! I got balance :) (laughing here!)
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none.....
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Hope and Blessing
There are days when the heartbreak over concern of those you love is overwhelming. This is one of those days. Circumstances are not important and certainly not the issue.....it is the concern for the heart.
Then a prayer unfolds and hope springs forth again! And the encouragement provided through eternal words never ceases to calm the internal storm and gives rise to lightness and joy....because that's what hope does.....
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are ~ no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."
~Matthew 5:5~
The Message
Historically we have known this as "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Interesting twist, huh?
I like it.
Sharoni
.....giving voice to those with none.....
Then a prayer unfolds and hope springs forth again! And the encouragement provided through eternal words never ceases to calm the internal storm and gives rise to lightness and joy....because that's what hope does.....
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are ~ no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."
~Matthew 5:5~
The Message
Historically we have known this as "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Interesting twist, huh?
I like it.
Sharoni
.....giving voice to those with none.....
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Each Person....
The Message says that, "Each person is given something to do that shows who GOD is." (I Cor 12:6ish) WOW!
Okay, so what if Joe Cool or Sally Something Else just can't figure out what the heck that "something" is, or is supposed to be? So many people are walking around and waiting for a postcard from Heaven saying, "Dear You, quit being an idiot and just go feed someone hungry today." Or it could go a little something like this: "Dear Person whom I love, but want to smack upside the head right now because you just don't understand that all I want is for you to _______" And the blank comes not filled in!
Well, GOD did send us all a letter. And it very specifically tells us what He wants each of us to do. He has shown me a trail through His letter to us and it is consistent. So.....here is the trail:
"You are a child of GOD and GOD will give you the blessing He promised because you are His child."
"Children, let me give you a new command.....love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples ~ when they see the love you have for each other."
"Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything."
"Watch what GOD does and then you do it.....mostly what GOD does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love."
"Observe how Christ loved us.....His love was not cautious but extravagant.....He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself. Love like that."
I get it....love. Love love love love love love (in a funny voice) :)
So, one may be wondering, "yeah, what does that look like exactly? How??????? am I supposed to "love?" Oh.....so glad you asked......
There is a very famous passage in a letter to the Corinthians that discusses exactly what love is and what it is not. I never realized just how much, how many things it is not until recently. Or maybe I knew, but just became "aware" of this. Whatever.....there are some cool things here.
When something is written in one language and translators carry it into another language, there is no way to capture the entire gist of the something unless you have an understanding of what each key word or phrase meant in the original language. We call that amplification (big word...whatever!) So.... love .....
Well, in another post I wrote what love is and is not. So now I wanna talk about this "most excellent way" (of the greater gifts we have been given - reference 1st sentence of this blog)
.... always trusts..... trust = having faith in someone
Well that seems simple enough. Just do it.
.... always protects.... protects = to cover over in silence
Very cool. Basically, keep their stuff to yourself, stand guard, provide a safe place for them and a safe place for their heart with you.
.... is kind..... kind = to show oneself useful
This is interesting. Kindness is being "useful" to someone else. I call it helpful, but it's not so much just the what we do, but the how we do that matters. It is pliant....easily moved to compassion and concern.
.... always hopes.... hope = to expect with desire, to expect the best from someone
That is simple enough...I really like to think of hope as having that expectation of something coming around the corner just anytime now....the best of whatever, the promise of yes.
... always perseveres.... perseveres = to remain under
Hangs in there! Regardless......
Well, that is so simple anybody knows that. Really? Why aren't we doing more of it then?
"Each person is given something to do that shows Who GOD is."
Uh, to coin a wonderful phrase: Just DO IT
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none.....
Okay, so what if Joe Cool or Sally Something Else just can't figure out what the heck that "something" is, or is supposed to be? So many people are walking around and waiting for a postcard from Heaven saying, "Dear You, quit being an idiot and just go feed someone hungry today." Or it could go a little something like this: "Dear Person whom I love, but want to smack upside the head right now because you just don't understand that all I want is for you to _______" And the blank comes not filled in!
Well, GOD did send us all a letter. And it very specifically tells us what He wants each of us to do. He has shown me a trail through His letter to us and it is consistent. So.....here is the trail:
"You are a child of GOD and GOD will give you the blessing He promised because you are His child."
"Children, let me give you a new command.....love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples ~ when they see the love you have for each other."
"Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything."
"Watch what GOD does and then you do it.....mostly what GOD does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love."
"Observe how Christ loved us.....His love was not cautious but extravagant.....He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself. Love like that."
I get it....love. Love love love love love love (in a funny voice) :)
So, one may be wondering, "yeah, what does that look like exactly? How??????? am I supposed to "love?" Oh.....so glad you asked......
There is a very famous passage in a letter to the Corinthians that discusses exactly what love is and what it is not. I never realized just how much, how many things it is not until recently. Or maybe I knew, but just became "aware" of this. Whatever.....there are some cool things here.
When something is written in one language and translators carry it into another language, there is no way to capture the entire gist of the something unless you have an understanding of what each key word or phrase meant in the original language. We call that amplification (big word...whatever!) So.... love .....
Well, in another post I wrote what love is and is not. So now I wanna talk about this "most excellent way" (of the greater gifts we have been given - reference 1st sentence of this blog)
.... always trusts..... trust = having faith in someone
Well that seems simple enough. Just do it.
.... always protects.... protects = to cover over in silence
Very cool. Basically, keep their stuff to yourself, stand guard, provide a safe place for them and a safe place for their heart with you.
.... is kind..... kind = to show oneself useful
This is interesting. Kindness is being "useful" to someone else. I call it helpful, but it's not so much just the what we do, but the how we do that matters. It is pliant....easily moved to compassion and concern.
.... always hopes.... hope = to expect with desire, to expect the best from someone
That is simple enough...I really like to think of hope as having that expectation of something coming around the corner just anytime now....the best of whatever, the promise of yes.
... always perseveres.... perseveres = to remain under
Hangs in there! Regardless......
Well, that is so simple anybody knows that. Really? Why aren't we doing more of it then?
"Each person is given something to do that shows Who GOD is."
Uh, to coin a wonderful phrase: Just DO IT
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none.....
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Watch What GOD Does
This morning I was reminded to
"Watch what GOD does and then you do it. Mostly what GOD does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love." Ephesians 5:1-2 The Message
A life of love, huh? My first thought was to say, well, what does that look like? But I already know the answer to that! I Corinthians 13 spells it out so nicely, and Jesus walked it out for us. He had compassion on people, He met their felt needs whatever they were, there was never judgement for the people ~ only for religious tyranny. His only gripe was with the perversion Jews had made of GOD's law, thereby hurting His people. Everything GOD does and says is motivated by love, because that is Who and What He is. So..... living a life of love? Well ..... it's simple .... or rather, simple to understand (sometimes challenging to do!) :)
LOVE is:
patient
kind
not envious
does not boast
not proud
not rude
not self-seeking
not easily angered
keeps no record of wrongs
does not delight in evil
always protects
rejoices with the truth
always trusts
always hopes
always perseveres
never fails
WOW! I never realized how much it does not do! What it is not is obviouly as important as what it is.
In "God Came Near," Max Lucado shares this poignant look at the sum of "Christianity" (the art of being like Christ / or the art of being a Christ-person or a Christ-follower)......
Are we literally what we see? Paul described the enemies of Christ thusly:
"Their god is their own appetite, they glory in their shame and this world is the limit of their horizon." Philippians 3:19
Oh what a horror!! 'augh!'
We were never meant to "dwell in the stale fog of the lowlands with no vision of our Creator .... "
"Seeing Jesus is what 'Christianity' is all about.
Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating Him whom we see. To see His majesty and to imitate Him .... that is the sum of Christianity."
WOW!!
Tomorrow or the next day I'm excited to share a little more word study about what love is. Wha-hoo!!
This is just groovy stuff right here....oh yeah.....oh yeah....doin' the happy dance.....uh huh!
Sharoni
...giving voice to those with none....
"Watch what GOD does and then you do it. Mostly what GOD does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love." Ephesians 5:1-2 The Message
A life of love, huh? My first thought was to say, well, what does that look like? But I already know the answer to that! I Corinthians 13 spells it out so nicely, and Jesus walked it out for us. He had compassion on people, He met their felt needs whatever they were, there was never judgement for the people ~ only for religious tyranny. His only gripe was with the perversion Jews had made of GOD's law, thereby hurting His people. Everything GOD does and says is motivated by love, because that is Who and What He is. So..... living a life of love? Well ..... it's simple .... or rather, simple to understand (sometimes challenging to do!) :)
LOVE is:
patient
kind
not envious
does not boast
not proud
not rude
not self-seeking
not easily angered
keeps no record of wrongs
does not delight in evil
always protects
rejoices with the truth
always trusts
always hopes
always perseveres
never fails
WOW! I never realized how much it does not do! What it is not is obviouly as important as what it is.
In "God Came Near," Max Lucado shares this poignant look at the sum of "Christianity" (the art of being like Christ / or the art of being a Christ-person or a Christ-follower)......
Are we literally what we see? Paul described the enemies of Christ thusly:
"Their god is their own appetite, they glory in their shame and this world is the limit of their horizon." Philippians 3:19
Oh what a horror!! 'augh!'
We were never meant to "dwell in the stale fog of the lowlands with no vision of our Creator .... "
"Seeing Jesus is what 'Christianity' is all about.
Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating Him whom we see. To see His majesty and to imitate Him .... that is the sum of Christianity."
WOW!!
Tomorrow or the next day I'm excited to share a little more word study about what love is. Wha-hoo!!
This is just groovy stuff right here....oh yeah.....oh yeah....doin' the happy dance.....uh huh!
Sharoni
...giving voice to those with none....
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Overwhelmed By Love.....
I love that I want to do this more than Facebook. Yay!
The title is basically what my life has been about for the past two years. I mean.......I have always been enamoured by Your love, LORD, but.......since we've been back here, out of the darkness and oppressive spiritual climate we lived in for a decade, I have an amazing new appreciation for every little teeny tiny thing of beauty that life has to offer! Is that because I asked You to let me live here a bit longer when I had the opportunity to cave in to cancer and come home? Did that open up new perspectives for me? Or was it that heart attack? Or is it a combination of all of those things and then just a new-found appreciation for Your creation? Whatever it may be......I am so thrilled!
On a page topped with a little blue daisy (I am a sticker fanatic!) I copied these words because they touched me so deeply and because it is truly how I attempt to live my life daily.....
Max Lucado is an amazing teacher and author.....his gift with words and the fact that he actually captures practically my every thought just continues to astound me. Year after year after year.....it's like he and Beth read my mail and put it out there for all to share. So I share now:
"There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it.... Don't listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life....they just want to drag you into their misery so as not to feel guilt.....
Your goal is not to live long .... it's to live."
"You can build a fire in your hearth, stay inside, toasty warm ..... dry ..... safe.... OR .....
Or you can hear the voice of adventure ~ GOD's adventure. Instead of building that fire in your hearth ..... build a fire in your heart. Follow GOD's impulses."
Jesus told us and it is recorded in Luke 17:33 that "Those who try to keep their lives will lose them. But those who give up their lives will save them."
Words to live by, huh?
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none....
The title is basically what my life has been about for the past two years. I mean.......I have always been enamoured by Your love, LORD, but.......since we've been back here, out of the darkness and oppressive spiritual climate we lived in for a decade, I have an amazing new appreciation for every little teeny tiny thing of beauty that life has to offer! Is that because I asked You to let me live here a bit longer when I had the opportunity to cave in to cancer and come home? Did that open up new perspectives for me? Or was it that heart attack? Or is it a combination of all of those things and then just a new-found appreciation for Your creation? Whatever it may be......I am so thrilled!
On a page topped with a little blue daisy (I am a sticker fanatic!) I copied these words because they touched me so deeply and because it is truly how I attempt to live my life daily.....
Max Lucado is an amazing teacher and author.....his gift with words and the fact that he actually captures practically my every thought just continues to astound me. Year after year after year.....it's like he and Beth read my mail and put it out there for all to share. So I share now:
"There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it.... Don't listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life....they just want to drag you into their misery so as not to feel guilt.....
Your goal is not to live long .... it's to live."
"You can build a fire in your hearth, stay inside, toasty warm ..... dry ..... safe.... OR .....
Or you can hear the voice of adventure ~ GOD's adventure. Instead of building that fire in your hearth ..... build a fire in your heart. Follow GOD's impulses."
Jesus told us and it is recorded in Luke 17:33 that "Those who try to keep their lives will lose them. But those who give up their lives will save them."
Words to live by, huh?
Sharoni
....giving voice to those with none....
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Watch What GOD Does
I have been so moved by GOD's great love this year.....really for the past two years, in ways I never thought possible. It has become my life to look at people and see the children He has created and how He loves them. Wow....who knew that such a person who has never really known great suffering could empathize so completely with others? Only GOD. And it has come about only because of His gift ..... the grace to see people as He sees them (to a certain extent) and to care about their pain and situations in a small way. Nothing compares to the depth of love and concern He has for us, but you know when there is a significant difference between what you would personally feel about somebody and when it comes from GOD Almighty. There is no comparison. And there are no words of thanks I have to express my gratitude for such a gift.
These words from The Message captured my heart yesterday morning, and they still reverberate thru my spirit:
"Don't grieve GOD. Don't break His heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for Himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Watch what GOD does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what GOD does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observce how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that."
~Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
Daily I amazed by the depth of His love.
Sharoni
...giving voice to those with none....
These words from The Message captured my heart yesterday morning, and they still reverberate thru my spirit:
"Don't grieve GOD. Don't break His heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for Himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Watch what GOD does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what GOD does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observce how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that."
~Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
Daily I amazed by the depth of His love.
Sharoni
...giving voice to those with none....
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