PRAYING

The Lord's prayer includes something I had never noticed before:

"Give us this day our daily bread."

I just had never thought about it.

But it puts something in perspective.

I don't think life is supposed to be easy - or fair. 

Mortality is a test - and a trial - the ultimate learning experience. 

We have no idea how long we have here.

So I firmly believe in the adage "one day at a time."

Yes, I'll plan ahead for retirement.

I'll think about what may happen next week.

But I feel our main purpose is focusing on the here and now.

And part of that is not asking for blessings in the future - it's asking for the here and now.

Our daily bread.

SLEEPING POSITIONS

I may be developing an unhealthy relationship with my animals.


I do have a lap horse - if it were at all possible, he would curl up and sit in my lap... all 1,200 lb. of him.


That's not my fault, that's just the way he is.


And I know cats are attracted to heat, regardless of it's source.


I just don't think of myself as a hot enough person to ALWAYS have the cat asleep right next to me.



But my dog.... that's where it's getting more than a little weird.  She's a cuddler. 




And I'm not.  At least not while sleeping.


But I am becoming very accustomed to having a warm furry body scrunched up right against my back.


With a cat, under the covers, on the other side, asleep behind my knees.

I feel just like the peanut butter in the sandwich.

LOVE THE SINNER

http://ldsviews.blogspot.com/2015/02/love-sinner.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LdsApologetics+%28LDS+Apologetics%29

Love The Sinner - Posted: 17 Feb 2015 09:02 PM PST


The Gospel, I think, is intended to open hearts. It teaches us to open our hearts. Yet so many of the faithful, inside and outside of our church, have very closed minds.

It feels strange to me to see some use the Gospel to narrow their views and close their minds, and also it seems, their hearts.

The reason I find closed minds and closed hearts as so detrimental to relationships of every kind is because it prevents people from being accepted as they are instead of how they "should" be.

Acceptance is the first step to understanding and ultimately loving our neighbors and even our enemies.


We cannot love who we cannot accept. We can't love only the love able aspects of others, we must love them completely.

Many people will say they can love the sinner but hate the sin. But this is often used as an excuse to judge while "loving" the sinner. Which is why this cliche often goes wrong and is just another damaging method to judge a sinner.

It is impossible, I feel, to stand in judgment of someone yet "love" them at the same time. I think you can do one or the other but not both.

That and according to the scriptures we are all sinners. We still owe it to the God we worship to love all His children. Every last one, regardless of them simply sinning differently than we do.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

If we are to judge every sin, if we are to judge every sinner we will never mete out justice because judgment is Christs' alone. Our job is to love one another as Christ loves each of us.

What makes this easier for me is sending how much God loves everyone I know, every single person I meet. Seeing others as Christ does, with understanding, with compassion and with love.


Gandhi once said if you can't see God in the next person you meet you can forget about finding Him anywhere else.

We can't move on from hurt and pain until we accept our situation as it is rather than as it should be. Acceptance allows us to move forward with our lives.

Acceptance is also the means by which we begin to love others as Christ loved us. 

The scriptures tell us to judge not and we will not be judged but if we do judge others we will be judged by that same standard by God. The scriptures teach that if we want mercy, we must be merciful. If we want forgiveness we must be forgiving.

But since we are all sinners, to hate every sin would be exhausting. And hate is too great a burden to bear because it wears us down, it burns us from the inside out. It overwhelms us and causes us to do and say hateful things.

Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.

You can murder a hater, you can murder a killer but you can't murder hate or murder.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. With hate you will never win over anyone but with love there is a chance albeit a small chance.

Sometimes it is better to lose in love than to win with hate.

CHALLENGE TO CHRISTIANS TO BECOME MORE CHRISTLIKE

Part of a blog I loved:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/formerlyfundie/the-call-for-christians-to-radically-love-our-muslim-neighbors/

What our culture needs more than ever is people who are modeling their lives after Jesus of Nazareth (peace be upon him) instead of operating under the current narrative of hostility that too many Christian leaders are inviting us into. If the world is going to change, it will only be because you and I chose to act– now.

How do we move forward? Ironically, let’s play their game for a minute and see where it takes us: let’s suppose that Muslims are our enemy and that Islam is evil. How do the people of Jesus respond?

Well, Jesus makes it clear: love and serve your enemies- go the extra mile for them. As far as dealing with evil, the Apostle Paul teaches in Romans that we are not to “overcome evil with evil but evil with good.”

So, fellow Christians in America and around the world, I think we have our roadmap for how we ought to live: we ought to radically love our Muslim neighbors and actively do good towards them. In fact, for those who wish to actually follow Jesus, this is the only roadmap.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to quietly love in our hearts- we are invited to love not with words, but with actions (1 John 3:18). So here’s my challenge fellow Christians:

Changing the world starts with you. This piece is an invitation to begin participating in the “healing of the nations” by taking action, right now. That action? You are hereby challenged to find ways to radically love your Muslim neighbors– indiscriminate, lavish, love. ...But I’m convinced you’ll find Muslim neighbors to love if you open your eyes and look.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Learn how to greet Muslims in Arabic, and when you pass them on the street smile and say hello with the proper greeting (which actually means “peace be upon you”). There’s plenty of Youtube videos to teach you how, but here’s an easy one.

Find Muslim families in your neighborhood and introduce yourself. Ask if you can do something nice for them, just as neighbors and no strings attached. Help them with a project on their home, help them with yard work, or invite them to dinner (but make sure it’s halal).

Find a Muslim and sit and learn from them. Discover what they truly believe– you might be surprised at all the areas of commonality between Christianity and Islam- two members of the Abrahamic faith.

Is their a Muslim community center in your area? Go by for a visit and ask if there are any areas where you could volunteer and serve the Muslim community.

...These are just a few ideas, but be creative- there’s no shortage of ways that you could find to love the Muslim neighbors in your midst.

But let me be clear: the path we are on is not a good one. Terrorism by some extreme Muslims (who are usually political and not actually that religious) is wrongfully causing all Muslims to be feared and mistrusted. This fear and mistrust gives way to real persecution, which will undoubtedly lead to legitimate fear and mistrust in return. The only way out of this cultural mess, is for someone to take responsibility for changing it– and that’s where you and I come in.

We can change the course of history in America by radically loving and serving our Muslim neighbors, and by tearing down the walls of mistrust which separate us.

Will you continue down the same old path? Or, will you choose to radically love?

I’m choosing love, and I hope you’ll join me.

A LONG LONG TIME AGO....

At one time I was a child.

Our church is having a social evening in a couple of weeks, and we were asked to contribute photos of our young selves to be posted and allow people to guess who was who (or is it whom is whom?).

And this is actually a photo I sorta like.

I'm  not the cute chubby baby who just looks like a baby.

But I'm not yet the awkward adolescent.

And I think it actually looks like me... just a bit.

LORD, IS IT I?

As you hear or read the words of the ancient and modern prophets, refrain from thinking about how the words apply to someone else and ask the simple question: “Lord, is it I?”

This is a sentence that can be easily read, nodded at, and just as speedily forgotten.

But this is something I find myself doing ALL THE TIME.

Being humble - oh, yeah, that applies to Sis. Smith.

Being teachable - my gosh, that's Bro. Jones.

But ME?!?! Gosh, NO!

It's difficult sometimes to point the finger of judgement at ourselves, but oh so easy to say, "oh, yeah, but THAT person...."