Real Joy
The joy of my life isn't the realization that "I have Jesus",
but that "Jesus has me!"

Marriage Power
Intimacy is a powerful drive.
Society uses it to sell movies,
cigarettes and cars.

What is Time?
Everybody knows what time is.
But there is a moment when you first encounter the paradoxes behind the understanding of time.
Could time end or must it go on forever?
We all know that clocks measure time.
If I take any two real clocks, synchronise them, and let them run, after some time, they will always disagree about what time it is.
So which of them measures the real time?
Is there a single, absolute time which is the true time of the world?
What do we mean when we say that some particular clock runs slow or fast?
What could it mean to say that something like an absolute time exists if it can never be precisely measured?
If everything stopped, would time continue?
Perhaps there is no single absolute time. In that case, time is only what clocks measure.
So, the many clocks disagree at some time, there are many times.
The quantum of time is defined relative to whichever clock we choose to use.
This raises the problem of choosing which clock to use.
Which clock do you use?

ö

A Bait for the Audience
If you want to capture the attention of an uninterested group of people,
tie your message to one of three attention-getters:
things they value;
things that are unique;
and things that threaten them.

Mastering Fear
Roller coasters and horror movies... people pay good money to be scared.
Find out how to harness the energy of "fear" for positive purposes.

First Kiss
How often did I fantasize, kissing you?
Soft like rose petals?
Sweet like honey?
Or something deeper, passionate, elemental, like a storm?
Would I be disappointed because the reality doesn´t match my fantasy?
Or would I pray that you would never let me go?
Reality was more amazing, like dynamite.
I was left like a young butterfly that had the first encounter with a flower.

Life Message
God has put a life message within you.
Your life message consists of:
Your testimony: the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Your life lessons: the most important lessons God has taught you.
Your godly passions: the issues God shaped you care about most.
The Good News: the message of salvation.
What is your life message?

Say It Out Loud
Articulate your beliefs out loud.
It bridges the gap between lofty notions of the soul and the world of reality.
Like this you'll find out if you really believe what you say.

Handling Social Pressure
Do you spend your life trying to impress others?
Because even if you convince others that you're great,
have you convinced yourself?

Happy 35!
3+5=8
8 is the number specially associated with resurrection and regeneration,
and the beginning of a new era or order.
Abraham had 7 sons after the flesh and the 8th son was by promise.
In Ezekiel´s temple, 7 steps led into the outer court, the 8th led from the outer court into the inner.
When the whole earth was covered with the flood, it was Noah "the 8th person" (2 Peter 2:5) who stepped out on to a new earth to commence a new order of things. "8 souls" (1 Peter 3:20) passed through it with him to the new or regenerated world.
Hence, too, circumcision was to be performed on the 8th day (Gen 17:12), because it was the foreshadowing of the true circumcision of the heart, that which was to be "made without hands," even "the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Col 2:11). This is connected with the new creation.
Resurrection is the great truth which is signified. Christ rose from the dead on "the first day of the week," that was of necessity the 8th day. And it is remarkable that the Bible contains the record of 8 individual resurrections.

Fascination With Living
Children live in a natural state of awe.
To reclaim that energy, identify what fascinates you the most about life.
Set goals for living and pursue them with relentless fascination.

Listen Effectively
When the media hits you with another message,
don’t take the idea for granted.
Listen for the message behind the message.
Analyze and question.

Love Criticism
Criticism is usually seen as a personal attack.
But think of what an Olympic athlete willingly endures from coaches!
To reach your potential, seek constructive criticism.

Motivation
The secret to motivation is: "Just do it".
Do it whether you feel like it or not.
Act first and create the motivation.

-

The Goal
Your own ambitions are your biggest distractions
from following your life mission.
The number one reason people don't find their mission is,
they are not willing to give up their own plans.

Humility
Humility is not thinking less of yourself;
it is thinking of yourself less.
Humility is thinking more of others.

About Life
Life is a roller coaster.
You can look at it and be afraid,
or you can ride it and enjoy it.
You´ve got the choice.

About Marriage
The Lord is not just trying to change you - He is trying to kill you!
One of the primary ways that He has chosen to accomplish this is marriage.
Your marriage can be heaven on earth if you will just die, renouncing your self-life.
It will be hell if you seek to save your self-life in your marriage, and it will not likely survive long under
the modern pressures and stresses that come along anyway.
Submission is in many ways one of the greatest demonstrations of faith.
So, be faithful and enjoy it!

My Friend,
If you ever need me,
I hope you know,
I’m here for you.
If you ever need to just talk,
I hope you know,
I will listen.
If you ever are discouraged,
I hope you know,
I’m here to cheer you up.
If you ever need
to know that someone prays for you,
I hope you know,
I am.
If you ever need someone
to tell you
how much you’re loved,
I hope you know,
I'm always here to tell you that.
If you ever need someone
to just be a friend,
I hope you know,
I will always be.

When God is silent, he's often saying 'Use your brain!'

Speak Your Vision
A lot of people have dreams and great vision.
But you'll never see your vision become a reality
unless you can communicate it to others.
Compare it to something that everybody already relates to.
"The kingdom of God is like..."
Symbolism reaches people on an emotional level
rather than on an intellectual level.

Professional
We Christians are being killed
by the professionalizing of the Christian ministry.
Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of Christianity.
The more professional we long to be,
the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake.
For there is no professional childlikeness,
there is no professional tenderheartedness.
There is no professional panting after God.

• 15 Ways to Enhance Your Day
  
  • Get up.
    
  • Look around outside before going to work.
    
  • Relax and enjoy your meals.
    
  • Spend time with friends.
    
  • Pace yourself.
    
  • Find a quiet place to go to.
    
  • Praise yourself and others.
    
  • Develop positive relationships.
    
  • See your mistakes as stepping stones.
    
  • Keep track of your own moods so you can watch out for them.
    
  • Say No without feeling guilty.
    
  • Pay attention to health, diet and sleep.
    
  • Exercise regularly.
    
  • Keep from comparing yourself to others.
    
  • Love.

Design
There are relatively few atheists
among neurologists and brain surgeons and among astrophysicists.
The reason seems obvious:
the first study divine design, the second study human undesign.
Peter Kreeft

Greece January 2003
Whatever it was that happened
for me, to me, within me;
it´s deep, soft, light, yet sometimes unbearable.
You invade my life like the sun the night.
A vein cutting experience in a thousand silences.
It is finished but it is not the end.
All true happiness is a foretaste of eternity.
A poem is condensed beauty in letters.
The big things in life are the little things.
A quality of life is that things don´t loose their beauty.
God didn´t create us for routine but for adventure.
I want to understand life with my own senses.

Love them
Before you start loving your enemies,
start treating your friends better.

Grammar
In the realm of feelings,
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things,
will never wholly kiss me.
Wholly being a fool,
while Spring is in the world.
Life is not a paragraph,
death is not a sentence.

YOU
When you get to heaven God won't ask you
why you weren't more like Billy Graham.
He may ask you why you weren't more like you.
Get in touch with who you are.
Live your own unique style.
Be yourself and let God work through you.

Welcome 2003
And he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me,
Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 21:5

Real Love
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth:
for thy love is better than wine.
Set me as a seal upon thine heart,
as a seal upon thine arm:
for love is as strong as death,
jealousy is cruel as the grave:
the coals thereof are coals of fire,
which hath a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
neither can the floods drown it:
if a man would give all the substance of his house for love,
it would utterly be contemned.
Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe
or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
Song of Solomon 1:2; 8:6-7.14

Poor Richard's Almanack, 1743
How many observe Christ's Birth-day! How few, his Precepts!
O! 'tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.

More or Less
Fear less, hope more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more;
hate less, love more.

Strength
And the day came when the risk [it took] to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anais Nin
I'm overwhelmed by the strength of my body and the power of my mind. For one moment, just one second, I felt immortal. Diana Nyad, long-distance swimmer
He who overcomes others has force; he who overcomes himself is strong. Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher
The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination... Maya Angelou
Joy is prayer — Joy is strength — Joy is love — Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. Mother Teresa
Whatever you fear most has no power - it is your fear that has the power. Oprah Winfrey

Promotion
My work will never be enough to save me. I need Jesus, and I need Jesus' work on the cross.
Sabbath at it's deepest level is trusting in the completed work of the cross.

Warrior

My sphere is Guardian (Person of great Love and Altruism), and my class is Arms Master (Pragmatic and Stout). I am a Guard. You are a true, versatile guard. You have a defensive nature, that is, you are good at instilling a sense of security in the places around you. A strong presence weakens any possible threats around you, and a swift, practical approach to the problems that crop up puts them down before they can get out of hand. What kind of Warrior are you?

My sphere is Guardian (Person of great Love and Altruism), and my class is Champion (Self-Righteous and Confident). I am a Hero. You are true heroic material. You find great motivation in the things you love, and great inspiration in your sense of self-confidence, and your excellence. Once you get your mind set on a goal, you are nearly unstoppable, and given enough time, you will meet it. What kind of Warrior are you?

Live Free

To live free, one must recognize the manipulations, habits, patterns and traditions that keep us from seeking our fundamental goals in life. It is easy to blame others for unhappiness and stagnation, but it´s not the ultimate answer. Each one is unique, biased by genetics and life experiences, and especially the blind acceptance of certain doctrines to which we bow down. By learning how our minds work and consciously changing those behaviours and habits that prevent us from reaching our goals, we can begin to understand what freedom really is. Conquer yourself first and make choices. Take control and act. Seek joy, create value and live free to break the chains that bind you. That´s what Jesus died for.

Power Of Love
The power of love can make a blind man see,
can bring a man to his knees.
The power of love can make a gangster cry,
can make a loser try.
The power of love can make a strong man weak,
can make a rock shriek.
The power of love can make a dead man live,
can make a coward brave.
The power of love can make the silence sing,
can make me swing.

How Many?
How many links do you need to follow to find out that you are a link yourself?
How many works of art will you admire to realize that you are a work of art yourself?
How many hugs do you need to grasp that you are loved?
How many loves do you need to feel whole again?
How many words do you need to say what you really want to say?
How many questions do you need to be asked until you say what you really like?
How many doors do you need to open to finally go through one?
How many attempts do you need to make to find out that you can just do it?
How many times do you count your heart beat to discover who it beats for?
How many years must a night last before you wake up?
How many drugs are enough before you realize that you can love?
And how many lives do you need to start living?

"By this shall all men know..."
To be loved is to know happiness and contentment.
To give love is to know the joy of sharing oneself.
It is through the miracle of love that you discover the fullness of life.
A common search for the good and the beautiful,
having the capacity to forgive and forget,
giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

• Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark
  
  • One: Don't miss the boat.
    
  • Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
    
  • Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
    
  • Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
    
  • Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
    
  • Six: Build your future on high ground.
    
  • Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
    
  • Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
    
  • Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.
    
  • Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
    
  • Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Wake Up Call
Don't wait for some distant day to come,
it may be too late before you've even begun.
Not everyone will agree with all you decide.
Be true to yourself first and foremost.
The only important thing in life is what you do
with the time you spend here on earth.
Don't be afraid to follow your desires,
they are not silly nor selfish.
Take the time and do what makes you feel alive.
Leave your fears and regrets in the past,
for this is where they belong.
Don't cloud today with things that can't be undone.
You have no more control over yesterday or tomorrow,
than you do over the raging of your passions.
Do not quiet these dreams nor quench your desires.
If you do, your journey is ended.
You have only today to begin anew and follow your dreams.
For in the end all we have are our memories.
When the twilight comes to us, let there be,
no excuses, no explanations, no regrets!

Quotes
The best things in life aren't things. Art Buchwald
Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T.S. Eliot
Time is nature's way of making certain that everything doesn't happen all at once. Woody Allen
When fate hands us a lemon, let's make a lemonade. Dale Carnegie
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius
When everything else fails follow the instructions. Allen's axiom
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. Paul Valery
Information is the gunpowder of the mind. Neil Postman
I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. Jorge Luis Borges
If information is power, why are the powerful so ill informed? Arthur Curley
To know and not to do is not to know. Chinese Proverb
Books are weapons in the war of ideas. American Library Association
To tell the truth is revolutionary. Antonio Gramsci
There are still places where people think the function of the media is to provide information. Dan Rottenberg
A book is a garden carried in the pocket. Chinese proverb
From error to error one discovers the entire truth. Sigmund Freud
There is only one kind of internet filter that works - conscience. Marta Terry
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect. Mark Twain
It's still about people. Andrea
Learn to see, listen, and think for yourself. Malcolm X
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Beatrice Hall
Ye shall know the truth, And the truth shall make you angry! Aldous Huxley
The first casualty of war is truth. Rudyard Kipling
It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it. Sam Levenson
I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and In fourteen days I had lost exactly two weeks. Joe E. Lewis
I have enough money to last me the rest of my life unless I buy something. Jackie Mason
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying. Woody Allen

Una Experiencia - Aleluya
Esta noche que viene fría y sola,
un aire de éxtasis en la ventana,
para vestirme de fiesta y ceremonia.
Cada vez que estoy contigo,
yo descubro el infinito,
tiembla el suelo,
la noche se ilumina,
el silencio se vuelve melodía.
Cada vez que estoy contigo,
ya no hay sombra ni peligro.
Necesito la música de tu alegría.

Just Breathe
Just breathe because life is a dance, you learn as you go.
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.
Don't worry about what you don't know,
cause life is a dance you learn as you go.

• The Bible in 50 Words
  
  • God made
    
  • Adam bit
    
  • Noah arked
    
  • Abraham split
    
  • Joseph ruled
    
  • Jacob fooled
    
  • Bush talked
    
  • Moses balked
    
  • Pharaoh plagued
    
  • People walked
    
  • Sea divided
    
  • Tablets guided
    
  • Promise landed
    
  • Saul freaked
    
  • David peeked
    
  • Prophets warned
    
  • Christ born
    
  • Jesus walked
    
  • Love talked
    
  • Anger crucified
    
  • Hope died
    
  • Love rose
    
  • Spirit flamed
    
  • Word spread
    
  • God remained...

Wondering
I´ve often wondered how someone could put a critique of music into words.
And I've also wondered why there was no musical commentary on writing.

Survival Kit For Every Day

• Toothpick to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others.
  
• Rubber band to remind you to be flexible, it might not always go the way you want, but it will work out.
  
• Band Aid to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's.
  
• Pencil to remind you to list your blessing everyday.
  
• Eraser to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay.
  
• Chewing gum to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
  
• Mint to remind you that you are worth a mint to your family and friends.
  
• Candy Kiss to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday.
  
• Tea Bag to remind you to relax daily and go over that list of your blessings.
  
  

• Tough Times?
  
  • What am I resisting?
    
  • What is the lesson here?
    
  • Have I been here before?
    
  • Am I losing energy to this?
    
  • Am I holding on to something I need to let go of?
    
  • Am I in the present?
    
  • What do I need to do now?
    
  • Who's in control here?
    
  • What is my responsibility here?
    
  • Am I at peace with this?
  
  
  

phrases@work
I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
How about never, is never good for you?
It sounds like English, but I can't understand a word you're saying.
I like you. You remind me of when I was young and inexperienced.
I have plenty of talent and vision, I just don't brag with it.
Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
If I throw a stick, will you leave?
Can I trade this job for what's behind the door #1?
Nice perfume, must you marinate in it?
Too many freaks, not enough circuses.

Just do it!
Work as if you didn´t need money.
Love as if you were never hurt.
Dance as if nobody is watching.
Sing as if nobody is listening.
Live as if you were in paradise.

Down to Earth - Inspiration for Life

Knowing
It´s good to know the book.
But knowing the book is not the goal.
Our goal is to know the Lord of the book.
Relationships are more important than accomplishments.
Divisions in the body of Christ are not due to fault in the Bible, but our misuse of it.

Thank You
Having you to believe in, and having you to believe in me,
has made it easier, to trust and believe in myself.
My relationship with you has opened up a whole new world to me
that is filled with growth and change and self discovery.
I’ve learned so much about myself, with you to show the way,
you have made me realize how good it feels to be.

Daddy
My daddy never helped me with physics, maths or geography.
He never showed me right from wrong.
Or taught me things little girls need to know.
Out of nowhere there is a bridge, bringing father and daughter together.
Now, love transcends all time, little girls change and grow.
It matters not what I never had, since my daddy loves me now.

Being With You
Precious velvet petals are wrapped around my heart,
I feel the peace invading me.
The air is scented with your inner beauty.
Love's journey has started.
A gentle soft embrace of beauty's glowing peace.
Calm enters quietly as heart and soul release.
I think of the sky so soft and bright,
sun that feels so warm, clouds just sitting in the air.

God is looking for people who will let Him be God.

Set Free
The iron cage of my soul melted,
by the touch of your heart.
Bright blue sky, sunshine, and joy
replaces darkness and thunder, rain and sadness.
A heart is only as strong as the love it holds,
as kind as the love it sees.

Quo vadis?
In order to hear your calling and answer it,
you must generously give yourself the gift of time.
It's not how fast you make your dream come true, but how steadily you pursue it.
Life is a journey, where do you wish to go?
Explore and uncover what you seek.
Dare to journey and discover, let your imagination roam freely.
What is it that you enjoy doing that if you weren't paid you would still find yourself committed to it?
Open your eyes and write it down.

Stepping Stones
Each sorrow is a stepping stone
to be overcome each day.
Every stepping stone you climb,
makes spirit and heart grow strong;
is a sorrow that lies behind.
Exercising character and faith,
this road seems painful and long.
I know that you are tired,
for I too have walked this way.
I left my rock and my story to lift you up,
to give you strength to make your climb,
towards that special place in glory.

"String of Pearls" in the sky