Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Hi-Tech Gospel

These are great! Just thought I'd share...

Without sounding too idealistic, we are living in the most exciting time in history. Consider the following:

- Noah would have loved a chainsaw and nailgun
- Abraham and Moses needed a GPS
- Jacob would have loved a Temperpedic pillow, a black belt in Karate, and Match.com
- Joshua needed a boombox and bullhorn
- Gideon needed Scotch Guard for his fleece, and 300 Coleman lanterns for his army
- Hannah and Rachel would have loved invitro fertilization
- David could have used an M-16 with grenade launcher
- Solomon and Samson needed a 12-Step program for sex-aholics
- Elijah would have loved Dominos delivered twice a day by the Brook Cherith...in 30 minutes or less. He also needed a nice Armani suit.
- Elisha would have profited from a "bearable" anger management class
- Daniel could have used a 100-pound bag of catnip
- Eli needed Jennie Craig
- Hosea would have loved e-Harmony.com
- Job needed a good HMO plan, and AFLAC
- Esther needed the CIA, the FBI, a good security system, and (I hate to say it) the ACLU
- Caleb could have done TV commercials alongside of Jack LaLanne
- John the Baptist, Stephen and James needed defense attorney, Johnny Cochran ("if it does not fit, you must acquit")
- Nicodemus was lucky they didn't have papparazi and "The Enquirer" back then
- Paul would have loved a laptop, Blackberry, Lasik surgery, and a 4-pound polyfil REI sleeping bag
- and Timothy needed "Developing the Leader Within You," by John C. Maxwell

In spite of all the modern conveniences and excellent programs we have today, however, God used those Bible characters to bring about His purposes...in mighty ways. In fact, we are too heavily dependent on our own resources, and often miss the joy of walking by faith.

Today, may we turn it off, tune it out, power it down, and disarm it long enough to sit at the feet of Jesus, be filled with the Spirit and walk in the power of God.

- Kurt's Daily Muse http://www.bethesdadesigns.com/KurtMuse/

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Christian Ways to Reduce Stress

"Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray.

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and un clutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19 Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try to pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 ... Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?"
(Romans 8:31)