Snoopy and Woodstock Having Lighthearted FUN! :)

I ♥ Snoopy! :)

Here's one for the road. Snoopy and Woodstock having a good time making music together, dancing and laughing. I hope you are having a great weekend doing the same. Try to take a break from this world's nonsense. It's good for your health. Believe me, all of the world's nonsense will continue to go on with and without your attention. So with that said, don't lose any sleep over it. Have a little fun doing whatever it is that puts a great big smile on your face and song in your heart. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant. You may feel that reading a book is fun or listening to your favorite music or watching your favorite movie, tv show, sports game or playing video games or you may enjoy gardening, even cleaning your house helps too. Once you have become relaxed, centered and have all of your batteries recharged, then you can catch up with this world's nonsense. I'm sending you lot's of love and I'm giving you a great BIG HUG! :) ♥

"To succeed in life, you need three things:

a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone."

~ by Reba McEntire

HAPPY Sunday Everybody! Sending Some Inspiration Your Way. 20 Affirmations For Living In Harmony...♥

HAPPY Sunday everybody! I hope you having a wonderful relaxing fun weekend so far enjoying the things that put a great big smile on your face and heart. Sending some inspiration your way and giving you a great big hug! :) ❤

The Hula Song! I'll Leave All Of You With This 30 Second Funny. This Is Something I Would Do L☺L ;) I Hope This Puts A Smile On Your Face Today! ☺

THIS JOY! - One of the main things the enemy is after is your joy. If he can steal your joy, he can get you in a weakened state in the face of the things that have come against you. Don't allow current conditions to steal your joy and keep you from praising Me (God). Your praise is the very thing that will move your mountains and lift you above the storm clouds. This joy I speak about is different than happiness. Happiness is often contingent on the circumstances. But this JOY... this JOY is a deep... [source: Pininterest/Shearon Hurst]

HAPPY SUNDAY Everybody! Hakuna Matata! I Hope This Lifts Your Spirit! It Means "NO WORRIES" lol Enjoy! ;) Have A Cheerful Day! SMILE... It Looks Good On You! ((( ♥ )))

Hakuna Matata

by Timon and Pumba

from The Lion King Movie

Hakuna Matata!

What a wonderful phrase

Hakuna Matata!

Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries

For the rest of your days

It's our problem-free philosophy

Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata?

Yeah. It's our motto!

What's a motto?

Nothin'! What's-a-motto with you?!

Those two words will solve all your problems.

That's right. Take Pumbaa here

Why...when he was a young warthog

When I was a young warthog

Very nice

Thanks.

He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal

He could clear the savannah after ev'ry meal

I'm a sensitive soul though I seem thick-skinned

And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind

And, oh, the shame

Oh, the shame!

Thought of changin' my name

What's in a name?

And I got downhearted

How did ya feel?

Ev'rytime that I...

Hey, Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!

Oh, sorry.

Hakuna Matata!

What a wonderful phrase

Hakuna Matata!

Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries for the rest of your days

It's our problem-free philosophy

Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata! Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata! Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata! Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata! Hakuna --

It means no worries for the rest of your days

It's our problem-free philosophy

Hakuna Matata!

I say "Hakuna"

I say "Matata"

FREEDOM: Words of Wisdom Shared by Osho

‎"Be respectful of yourself,

and be respectful of others.

Be proud of your freedom.

When you are proud of your freedom,

You want everybody else to be FREE.

Because your freedom has given you

so much LOVE and so much GRACE.

You would like everybody else
in the world

to be FREE, loving, and graceful."

~ by Osho ♥

Beyond the Small Family ~ Allow Your Inner Voice To Emerge!

Beyond the Small Family
"No one is my mother..."
[source: Osho International]

You are born with a tremendous possibility of intelligence. You are born with a light within you. Listen to the still, small voice within, and that will guide you. Nobody else can guide you, nobody else can become a model for your life, because you are unique. Nobody has there ever been who was exactly like you, and nobody is ever going to be there again who will be exactly like you. This is your glory, your grandeur--that you are utterly irreplaceable, that you are just yourself and nobody else.

Jesus was a small child and his father and mother had come to the great temple for the annual festival. Jesus was lost somewhere in the crowd, and only by the evening could his parents find him. He was sitting with some scholars, just a child, and he was discussing things with them.

His father said, "Jesus, what are you doing here? We have been worried about you."

Jesus said, "Don't be worried. I was looking after my father's business."

The father said, "I am your father--and what type of business are you looking after here? I am a carpenter."

Jesus said, "My father is in heaven. You are not my father."

Just as a child has to leave the body of the mother, otherwise he will be dead--he has to come out of the womb--the same happens mentally, also. One day he has to come out of the father and mother's womb. Not only physically but mentally; not only mentally but spiritually.

And when the spiritual child is born, has broken with his past completely, for the first time he becomes a self, an independent reality, standing on his own feet.

Before this he was just a part of the mother, or the father, or the family--but he was never himself.

Whatever you are doing, whatever you are thinking, whatever you are deciding, look: is it coming from you or is somebody else speaking? And you will be surprised to find out the real voice; perhaps it is your mother--you will hear her speak again. Perhaps it is your father; it is not at all difficult to detect. It remains there, recorded in you exactly as it was given to you for the first time--the advice, the order, the discipline, the commandment.

You may find many people, the priest, the teachers, the friends, the neighbors, the relatives. There is no need to fight. Just knowing that it is not your voice but somebody else's--whosoever that somebody else is--you know that you are not going to follow it. Whatsoever the consequences, now you are deciding to move on your own, you are deciding to be mature. Enough you have remained a child. Enough you have remained dependent. Enough you have listened to all these voices and followed them. And where have they brought you? In a mess.

So once you figure out whose voice it is, say goodbye to it... because the person who gave that voice to you was not your enemy. His intention was not bad, but it is not a question of his intention. The question is that he imposed something on you that is not coming from your own inner source; and anything that comes from outside makes you a psychological slave.

It is only your own voice that will lead you into a blossoming, into freedom.

You Are An Eternal Being... ♥

"You are an eternal being

now on the pathway of endless unfoldment,

never less but always more yourself.

Life is not static.

It is forever dynamic, forever creating

- not something done and finished,

but something alive, awake and aware.

There is something within you

that sings the song of eternity.

Listen to it."

~ by Ernest Holmes

Your Incomparable Uniqueness... ♥

Your Incomparable Uniqueness

[source: Osho International]

- Osho, Where do Individuality and Ego separate?

- Individuality means your uniqueness -- not compared with anybody else. Your incomparable uniqueness: that is individuality. Individuality is beautiful; that's how God has made you -- as an individual. Ego is comparison. Ego is your invention. God has not given you any ego; he has certainly given you an individuality.

Ego is comparison: you think yourself more intelligent than the other, you think yourself more superior than the other -- or inferior. You think yourself more beautiful than the other. Then you are bringing ego in: the moment you compare yourself with somebody, the conclusion that comes out of the comparison is ego. If you stop comparing then you are there -- tremendously beautiful and unique. All superiority or inferiority, all anxiety of where I am, where I stand, who is above me and who is below me, are ego problems. The superior person suffers, the inferior suffers; both suffer -- because even the superiormost cannot have a state where he can be satisfied.

Abraham Lincoln was not very beautiful, his face was ugly. And that was a torture. In fact, when he stood for the presidentship, he had no beard. In his campaign, a small girl suggested to him, "If you grow a beard, you will look a little better." Hence, he grew the beard. But he remained constantly aware of his ugliness. He became the president... but whenever he would see a beautiful face he would feel hurt.

Napoleon Bonaparte was not very tall, just five-five -- just exactly my size. He remained disturbed for his whole life. Now, nothing is wrong in being five-five. What is wrong in being five-five? -- I have never felt any problem in it! And what is going to happen if you are five-seven or five-eight? Nothing is going to happen, you will be the same -- five-five or five-seven or five-nine makes no difference. But he was tremendously troubled -- he was so conscious of it. One day he was trying to fix a picture on the wall and the picture was a little higher than him, and his bodyguard said, "Sir, I am higher than you, I will do it." He said, "Stop! Never utter such a word. You are taller, not higher."He was very conscious about it -- "Higher? Say you are taller; don't say higher!" Now, if even Napoleon is not happy, who can be?

People who compare can never be happy. These trees are happy -- the smaller tree does not bother about the higher tree. They never bother about each other: the smaller is smaller and the higher is higher. In fact, the higher and the taller and the smaller and the lower are human terms -- they don't exist in the world of trees. A rosebush is as happy as a big oak tree; there is no problem about it. Not even a rosebush, but just a small leaf of grass is as happy as any lotus flower. It makes no difference.

God is showering on everybody -- on the rosebush, on the grassleaf, on the lotus flower... he is showering everywhere. And the whole existence is happy; only man has got into trouble. The ego arises with comparison. Individuality you have, unique individuality you have. With comparison how many problems arise!

Just a few days before, one woman was saying to me that she cannot accept her body. But why? -- because she is a little fatter. Now, why compare? How can you be fatter if you don't compare? Mm? -- you must have some idea of a thinner woman, and you must be comparing. I don't see any problem in the woman directly. I looked at her: she is a beautiful woman, a unique woman, an individual -- but unnecessarily in anxiety, in deep anguish, suffering. She cannot believe that anybody can love her, because she is a little fat.

And who has given the idea? How do you decide what is standard? Nobody has any idea what is standard; all averages are just false. Nobody knows how much fat is needed for a particular body -- only the body itself knows. Listen to your body, love your body, and don't compare. Now this comparison will create such trouble that she may miss her whole life. Because of comparison she cannot love. And she will create such trouble that she will not allow anybody to love her, because she cannot trust anybody who can love her. That man must be perverted: how can you love an ugly woman? -- your idea of beauty must be perverted, or you must be deceiving.

She cannot trust anybody -- if somebody comes and says to her, "I love you," she will distrust them. She cannot love herself -- how can YOU love her? Impossible. You must have some other design, you must have some other idea behind it: you may be interested only in sex, or you may be interested in something else -- in her money, or something else -- but you cannot love her. Because how can you love her? -- she cannot love her own face in the mirror. And even if you persist, she will try in every way to destroy your love, so she can prove that she was right and you were wrong. Now it is very difficult to find a lover who will take that much trouble to convince you. she will remain loveless. And when there will be no love coming, her idea will become more and more fixated: I am ugly. And she is not ugly at all.

In fact, I have never seen an ugly person in my life. How can a person be ugly? Have you ever seen any ugly crow? Impossible! Have you ever seen an ugly cow? Impossible. Have you ever seen an ugly tree? Impossible. All is beautiful as it is... but with human beings you bring comparison, and immediately trouble starts.

Don't compare, there is no need. Comparison is one of the greatest calamities that has fallen on humanity. You are perfect as you are.

Love yourself, respect yourself. If you are not going to respect yourself, who is going to respect you. If you are not going to love yourself, who is going to love you?

People don't respect themselves, and expect everybody else to respect them. They don't love themselves, and want the whole world to fall in love with them. Now you are asking impossibles -- these things cannot happen. Love yourself, respect yourself -- and a person who respects himself never compares. Comparison is a disrespect.

Now, if you summarize all this, it means: to be an egoist is to be very disrespectful towards yourself. To be an individual is perfectly good, but to be egoistic is disrespectful.

We Can Learn A Thing Or Two From Noah's Ark!

Noah's Ark

1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.

3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done.

4. Build on high ground.

5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

6. Two heads are better than one.

7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails.

8. If you can't fight or flee -- float!

9. Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.

10. Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals.

11. Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat than the storm outside.

12. Don't miss the boat.

13. No matter how bleak it looks, if God is with you, there's always a rainbow on the other side.

HUMOR: Noah In Modern Times :)

Noah In Modern Times

[source: Inspirational Archive]

And the Lord spoke to Noah & said: "In six months I'm going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with water & all the evil people are destroyed. But I want to save a few good people, and two of every kind of living thing on the planet. I am ordering you to build Me an Ark."

And in a flash of lightning he delivered the specifications for the Ark.

"OK," said Noah, trembling in fear and fumbling with the blueprints.

"Six months, and it starts to rain, "thundered the Lord. "You'd better have my Ark completed, or learn how to swim for a very long time."

And six months passed. The skies began to cloud up and rain began to fall. The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, weeping. And there was no Ark.

"Noah," shouted the Lord, "where is my Ark?" A lighting bolt crashed to the ground next to Noah.

"Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best. But there were big problems.

First I had to get a building permit for the Ark construction project, and your plans didn't meet code. So I had to hire an engineer to redraw the plans.

Then I got into a big fight over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system.

My neighbors objected, claiming I was violating zoning by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.

Then I had a big problem getting enough wood for the Ark because there was a ban on cutting trees to save the Spotted Owl. I had to convince U.S.Fish and Wildlife that I needed wood to save the owls. But they wouldn't let me catch any owls. So no owls.

Then the carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or hammer. Now we have 16 carpenters going on the boat and still no owls.

Then I started gathering up animals, and got sued by animal rights group. They objected to me taking only two of each kind.

Just when I got the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldn't complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn't take kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.

Then the Army Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the proposed new flood plain. I sent them a globe.

Right now I'm still trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over how many Croatians I'm supposed to hire, the IRS has seized all my assets claiming I'm trying to avoid paying taxes by leaving the country, and I just got a notice from the state about owing some kind of use tax.

I really don't think I can finish your Ark for at least another five years," Noah wailed.

The sky began to clear. The sun began to shine. A rainbow arched across the sky.

Noah looked up and smiled. "You mean you're not going to destroy the earth?" Noah asked, hopefully.

"No," said the Lord sadly, "Government already has"

15 Beautiful Heart/Love Quotes To INSPIRE US! ♥

15 Beautiful Heart/Love Quotes

from various authors

1. Wherever you go, go with all your heart. ~ by Confucius
   
   
2. I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death. ~ by Leonardo da Vinci
   
   
3. The "kingdom of Heaven" is a condition of the heart - not something that comes "upon the earth" or "after death." ~ by Friedrich Nietzsche
   
   
4. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. ~ by Buddha
   
   
5. This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. ~ by Dalai Lama
   
   
6. Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. ~ Oscar Wilde
   
   
7. Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made. ~ by Darren L. Johnson
   
   
8. The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart. ~ unknown author
   
   
9. The heart has reasons that reason cannot know. ~ by Blaise Pascal
   
   
10. There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart... pursue those. ~ by Michael Nolan
    
    
11. What is uttered from the heart alone, Will win the hearts of others to your own. ~ by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    
    
12. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with those who are reckless with yours. ~ by Mary Schmich
    
    
13. The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed. ~ by Jiddu Krishnamurti
    
    
14. A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge. ~ by Thomas Carlyle
    
    
15. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~ by Lao Tzu

BONUS

Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet. ~ by Plato

BONUS BONUS

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. ~ by Judy Garland

Let Your Life Become A Celebration!!! :)

Let Your Life Become A Celebration

[source: Osho International]

Life has the potential to become a song of bliss, but there is every possibility of missing it too. It is not a certainty, there is no inevitability about it. It depends: you can make it, you can destroy it. Out of one hundred, ninety-nine point nine percent of people destroy their song of bliss. Then their life is nothing but a cry, a scream of pain and agony. But they have chosen it that way; nobody else is ever responsible.

This is the first truth to be learned in life: that you are always responsible, nobody else. With that comes great FREEDOM, because with that all alternatives are open. If you think that somebody else is responsible then you are a slave; then nothing is open. Then you have to be what you are. If your life is a tragedy then it has to be a tragedy, because others are responsible; unless they change, nothing can be done about it. You don’t have any freedom.

And that is the reason why millions of people live in misery: they think others are creating their misery. Nobody is creating your misery, nobody can create it; and nobody can create your bliss either. It is a totally individual phenomenon. It is just your work upon yourself. And the most strange thing is: to create misery is difficult and to create bliss is easy, but people always choose the difficult thing, because the difficult thing always gives them an ego-trip.

The ego is not interested in easy things; the ego is interested only in difficult things. The more impossible a thing looks, the more attractive it feels for the ego, because the ego feels a challenge, and only through challenge can it conquer, can it prove to the world ’I am somebody special.’

Misery gives you challenge: bliss is very simple. Trees are blissful, birds are blissful. It needs no special talent to be blissful. To be miserable needs talents, one has to be really very very clever to be miserable. Bliss is innocent; you can be blissful without any education, but you cannot be miserable without any education, remember! It is very difficult. You need degrees, universities, mm? then only do you become skilful.

So the first TRUTH has to sink deep in the heart: "I am always responsible for whatsoever I am. Bliss or misery, this is my choice. If I have chosen to be miserable, then there is no need to be sad about it; this is my choice and I am doing my thing." Feel happy that you have succeeded in being miserable! If this is not your choice, drop it immediately, drop all those patterns that create it and start creating new patterns, new doors from where bliss starts flowing.

For example, the person who wants to be miserable has to think in terms of fighting with life; that is his gestalt. He is always fighting. The person who wants to be blissful has to be a non-fighter, surrendered to life, in a kind of let-go. The person who wants to be miserable has to create great ideals, has to make impossible demands upon himself. Then only can you be miserable; otherwise you will not be miserable. You have to be this, you have to be that, and when you cannot be, frustration settles in. The man who wants to be blissful has no ideals at all, he is a non-idealist; he is a REALIST. The miserable person is always an idealist. The happy person, the blissful person, is a REALIST: he lives moment to moment with no ideals. You cannot frustrate him because he has no expectations.

The miserable person always condemns himself because he is not rising high enough to fulfil the demands. He is a constant condemnor; he lives in self-condemnation.

The blissful person is very accepting of himself. He makes no demands. He is relaxed, at ease with himself; he loves himself as he is. So you have to watch: that which creates misery, drop; and that which brings bliss like a flood, create that space in you. And my whole effort here is to make each of my sannyasins a song of bliss: not miserable saints, not long faces, but celebrants! I am interested in celebrants, not in saints at all.

So let your life become a celebration; and it is up to you!

I CHOOSE: ♥ An Inspirational Poem ♥

I CHOOSE

by Bernadette Ballezza

I choose to be happy.

I choose to live in a kind universe.

I choose to find things in common with the people that come into my life, celebrating our similarites and honoring our differences.

I choose to trust that this life isn't a random life.

I choose to reach out and help another, knowing I can make a difference, even though I may never witness the outcome.

I choose to pursue an honorable career.

I choose to believe we are all here for a reason, a good reason.

I choose friends who will restore me with support, joy and kindness and offer me the opportunity to do the same for them.

I choose to search for authentic meaning in my daily experiences.

I choose to welcome life's lessons.

Life's Choices! This Is A Such GREAT Story! ♥

Life's Choices

[source: Moytura]

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today.

You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life, choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice.

You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.

The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower! After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Michael continued, "... the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read "he's a dead man. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything.

"Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Enjoy each day, each breath and mostly each and every friend.

What Is Your Attitude Going To Be Today? You Get To Choose.

Attitude

written by unknown author

[source: The Motivational Poem]

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight.

I have responsibilities to fulfill today.

I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy

or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money

or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health

or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up

or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns

or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends

or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work

or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school

or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework

or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body, and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped,

and I am the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

Today, my attitude is the difference. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

HAPPY Tuesday Everybody! Sending Some Inspiration Your Way...♥

Feliz dia de la Independencia Mexico. Happy Independence Day Mexico. :) ❤ They're Celebrating 204 Years of Independence from Spain.

Feliz dia de la Independencia Mexico. Happy Independence Day Mexico. Watching El Grito de Mexico on Univision. Te quiero abuelita, mi angel guardia con dios. I love you grandma, my guardian angel with God in heaven. This was a song my beloved grandmother and I used to love to sing together. She was the BESTEST abuelita in the whole wide world. My grandmother was born in Guadalajara, Mexico from Spanish parents. My grandmother loved Mexico so much, she wanted me to learn the culture first hand growing up. So, my grandma, my mom and I would travel all around Mexico my entire adolescence during my school summer breaks. In order for me to actually feel the Mexican culture, my grandmother had us traveling by bus, train and ferry and we would lodge in town with all of the locals. Priceless memories. ❤ She passed away at 91 in 2006. ❤

As an aside, I LOVE this Luis Miguel album titled, Segundo Romance. He remade ALL of the song classics from the early to mid 1900s. Which happened to be ALL of my grandmother's favorite songs. So... when I fell in love with this album, I knew all the lyrics by heart and was able to sing with my grandma. ❤

USA: PLEASE SIGN PETITION to Remove all copies of the Quran and any Islamic literature or material from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:

Remove all copies of the Quran and any Islamic literature or material from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Even the clear, present and explicit threat of militant Islam, all Islamic literature, including copies of the Quran, should be removed from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Since the 1970s, there have been approximately 3,100 Americans killed on US soil in 74 separate attacks ideologically motivated by radical Islam.

In addition, scores of American non-combatants, including journalists Daniel Pearl, James Foley and Steven Sotloff have all been brutally murdered on video by Islamists.

Given the obvious correlation between Islamist ideology and violent attacks on Americans, we hereby petition the President to remove all Islamic material, including but not limited to all copies of the Quran, from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Created: Sep 14, 2014

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN PETITION

After you sign the petition, please check your email inbox for a response from WhiteHouse.gov and click the weblink they provide to confirm your signature on this petition. Thank you SO MUCH for your support. As of this post there are 353 signatures. We need to reach 100,000 for the Obama Administration to respond. Remember, Obama just told the world last week that ISIL and "terrorists" are NOT ISLAMIC. So why the heck are we coddling the captured "terrorists" with all of their Islamic request such as Qurans, daily Islamic prayer sessions, Halal food and other bs. Please pass this petition on to everyone you know.

The Boss ~ by Diana Ross ♥ I Included A Bonus Track/Vid For More INSPIRATION And To Let You Know That YOU ARE NOT ALONE! :)

My mom has always been a huge Diana Ross fan. I grew up listening to her albums and dancing in the living room with my mom. I was also fortunate enough as a child to experience Diana Ross live in concert with my mom on several occasions. Diana Ross would always wear the most beautiful elaborate gowns on stage and change gowns after every set. She would also walk out into the audience and shake everybody's hand. She always without fail LEFT ME MESMERIZED! Diana Ross is an AWESOME entertainer! Pure CLASS.

The Boss was a huge hit when it came out. Nevertheless, this is actually a very powerful spiritual song if you really choose to listen. God is LOVE. Therefore, God is The Boss! Creator and Source of ALL living things. Love to you all. Enjoy this song and lyrics! This was me. I can totally relate to this song, as I am sure many of you can as well or soon will. ♥

This is such an AWESOME song! I can't get enough of it tonight! :) This was not released as a spiritual song. It was a dance hit in 1979. The lyrics just have more meaning for me. ♥

The Boss ~ by Legendary Diana Ross

Fancy ME
Thought I had my degree
In life and how LOVE
Ought to be a run
I had a one step plan to prove it
Guide in my pocket for FOOLS
Folly and fun
LOVE had to show me ONE THING:

I was so right
So right
Thought I could turn emotion
On and off
I was so sure
So sure (I was so sure)
But LOVE TAUGHT ME
Who was who was who was The Boss!
(Taught me who was who was The Boss)

I'D DEFY
Anyone who claimed that I
Didn't control whatever moved in MY SOUL
I could tempt
Touch delight
Just because you fell for me
Why should I feel uptight
LOVE had to show me ONE THING:

I was so right
So right
Thought I could turn emotion
On and off
I was so sure
So sure (I was so sure)
But LOVE TAUGHT ME
Who was who was who was The Boss!
(Taught me who was who was The Boss)

LOVE TAUGHT ME
Taught ME
Taught ME
Taught ME

I was so right
So right
Thought I could turn emotion
On and off
I was so sure
So sure (I was so sure)
But LOVE TAUGHT ME
Who was who was who was The Boss!
(Taught me who was who was The Boss)

BONUS TRACK

God wants you to know: If you need me, call me. No matter where you are, no matter how far. Just call my name. I'll be there in a hurry. On that you can depend and never worry.

I know you must follow the sun. Wherever it leads. But remember. If you should fall short of your desires. Remember life holds for you one guarantee. You'll always have me. ♥

The Glory of God: I Am Alpha and Omega

I Am Alpha and Omega

[source: Desiring God]

Revelation 21:1-8

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

In Revelation 21:6 God identifies himself as "Alpha and Omega." Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and omega is the last letter of the alphabet. In other words God is "the beginning and the end."

But God isn't speaking about alphabets. He is speaking of reality. God is absolutely the beginning and absolutely the end. Everything that is originates ultimately in him. And everything will somehow end with him.

Isaiah puts it like this: "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god" (44:6). In other words, since everything comes from God and nothing will outlast God, therefore God has no final competitors. "Besides me there is no god!" God has the first word and the last word in history. All other attempts to have the last word will fail. The pottery has no beginning apart from the Potter, and in the end it will all serve the purposes of the Potter.

Alpha

I can't urge you too often to meditate on the staggering truth that God is the absolute Alpha. Find some serene moment of your life and let the truth take hold of you that God is the FIRST—the BEGINNING. Before him there was nothing. There was no "before him." Just think of it! For millions and billions and trillions of unending years God existed and never had a beginning. He is the beginning. From everlasting to everlasting, he is God (Psalm 90:2). There never was a time when he was not.

We might marvel that God is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in his justice, wisdom, power, goodness, and truth. But when you pause to think that he never chose to be this way, nor did anyone else choose to make him this way, it staggers the mind. The justice and wisdom and power and goodness and truth of God are eternal reality. The character of God is not what reality brought forth. It is reality. God did not emerge out of many possibilities. Everything emerged out of him. He determines all possibilities. God is not a piece of reality that you try to fit in with other pieces. He is the first and the last and the all-encompassing reality: "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

Omega

But the truth that I want us to focus on this morning is that God is Omega. I think that is the focus of our text in Revelation 21:6. The statement, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end," comes in a passage dealing with the end of history. So the special focus in this text is on God as the omega of all things.

What does it mean that God is Omega, or the end? Let's read verses 5–8. "And he who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true,' And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.'"

Difference Between Alpha and Omega

Difference Between Alpha and Omega

[source: Difference Between]

Even if one doesn’t know how to speak Greek, there is still a good chance he’d know and understand what “Alpha” and “Omega” are. The terms, particularly popularized by the Christian faith, have been used in many different contexts. Alpha and Omega essentially pertain to the extremes. Alpha in layman’s term is beginning, while Omega is ending. They have been reputed with those respective meanings chiefly due to Christian scriptures and teachings. But more than that, they represent a vast, rather universal array of meanings.

In the Greek alphabet, Alpha would be the first letter. It has a value of 1 in the Greek numerals system. Alpha bears a symbol that is similar to “A” in the English alphabet. Omega is the 24th and last letter. It has a value of 80. It is symbolized by the majuscule letter Ω.

Used as one of the various titles of Jesus Christ, alpha and omega will be found multiple times in the New Testament of Bible. In this context, it means the beginning and the end, largely signifying God’s eternity. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending said the Lord”, Revelations 1:8. Most Christian denominations believe that it pertains to Jesus and God as they are one. “Alpha and omega” is interpreted to mean that “Jesus Christ existed from eternity and will exist eternally.” Most of it draws reference from the framework of the Trinity. Furthermore, the letters Alpha and Omega often appear in juxtaposition on Christian visuals and sculptures.

Alpha and Omega are casually used in everyday speech. Again the latter means the beginning, the first. The former means the end, the last. They are more often used together as a phrase, forming an idiom that simply means beginning to end, the basic meaning of something or the crucial part. For instance, “The apprentice had to know the alpha and omega of direct selling before he could even start working.” In that context it may also mean “entirety”. Another example would be “This little scrap book here contains the alpha and omega of my college life.”

In the fields of math and science, alpha and omega symbols are almost ubiquitous. Alpha particularly represents a number of concepts in chemistry and physics. These include alpha particles, alpha radiation, alpha carbon, angular acceleration, thermal expansion coefficient of a compound (physical chemistry), quantities in algebraic equations, etc. It is also used to coin the dominant individual in a pack of canines. Conversely, Omega has its own set of representations including ohm, the SI unit for electrical resistance, angular velocity in circular motion, multiplicity in statistical mechanics, baryons in particle physics, density parameter in astronomy, longitude of the ascending node of an orbit in orbital mechanics, solid angle in a gyroscope, Chaitin’s constant and many others. Omega is also apparent as a commercial brand logo such as the case of Omega Watches and PlayStation’s God of War logo.

Summary

1. Alpha and Omega are letters in the Greek alphabet. Alpha, symbolized by “A” is the first, while Omega, represented by the majuscule letter Ω, is the 24th and last. The former has a value of 1 in the Greek numerical system, and the latter, 80.
2. The words alpha and omega have been popularly attached to the Christian notions of the beginning and the ending respectively. The phrase alpha and omega has been used to refer to God’s eternal existence.
3. Still retaining its Christian-inspired meaning, the phrase alpha and omega has been incorporated in everyday speech.
4. Both alpha and omega are widely used in the fields of math, science, astronomy, and commerce among others.

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12 AMPLIFIED

[source: Biblegateway]

1 Now about the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed.

2 You know that when you were heathen (pagan, non-believers), you were led off after idols that could not speak [habitually] as impulse directed and whenever the occasion might arise.

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking under the power and influence of the [Holy] Spirit of God can [ever] say, Jesus be cursed! And no one can [really] say, Jesus is [my] Lord, except by and under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.

5 And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served].

6 And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all.

7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for the common good and profit.

8 To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of knowledge and understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit;

9 To another [wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [such] tongues.

Unity and Diversity in the Body

12 For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

13 For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Gentiles (non-Jew), slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit. [For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body. NIV]

14 For the body does not consist of one limb or organ but of many.

15 If the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body?

16 If the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where [would be the sense of] hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where [would be the sense of] smell?

18 But as it is, God has placed and arranged the limbs and organs in the body, each [particular one] of them, just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation.

19 But if [the whole] were all a single organ, where would the body be?

20 And now there are [certainly] many limbs and organs, but a single body.

21 And the eye is not able to say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22 But instead, there is [absolute] necessity for the parts of the body that are considered the more weak.

23 And those [parts] of the body which we consider rather ignoble are [the very parts] which we invest with additional honor, and our unseemly parts and those unsuitable for exposure are treated with seemliness (modesty and decorum),

24 Which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so adjusted (mingled, harmonized, and subtly proportioned the parts of) the whole body, giving the greater honor and richer endowment to the inferior parts which lack [apparent importance],

25 So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another.

26 And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it.

27 Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].

28 So God has appointed some in the church [for His own use]: first apostles (special messengers); second prophets (inspired preachers and expounders); third teachers; then wonder-workers; then those with ability to heal the sick; helpers; administrators; [speakers in] different (unknown) tongues.

29 Are all apostles (special messengers)? Are all prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purposes of God)? Are all teachers? Do all have the power of performing miracles?

30 Do all possess extraordinary powers of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all—LOVE].

Be Still, And Know That I Am God

Be Still, And Know That I Am God

Psalms 46 NKJV

[source: Biblegateway]

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (Selah means pause and think about that.)

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Martin Luther - Comment On Faith ♥ Re-Post From 5/22/11

Wow, this is an AMAZING message! I was led to this message through a link provided by the webpage I posted in my last message. If you do not know who Martin Luther is please click here to read about him. Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546) was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions.

Click here to be directed to the website where I have taken this message below. As I am typing this message I am realizing this is exactly how I live; with a BOLD trust in God's grace. Thank you God for leading me to this message so that others can better understand what it means to TRUST You.

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FAITH

Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works, or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. "Faith is not enough" they say, "You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved." They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, "I believe." That is what they think true faith is. But because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this 'faith' either.

Instead faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God (John 1:13). It kills the old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts, and all of our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing. Anyone who does not do good works in this manner is an unbeliever. He stumbles around and looks for faith and good works, even though he does not know what faith or good works are. Yet he gossips and chatters about faith and good works with many words.

Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heart and LIGHT from fire!

Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define faith, and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or do.

What Is The Meaning Of Faith? Re-Post From 5/22/11

I was outside enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee and watching the sun come out this morning. I began thinking about all the chaos in the world and how so many people are spiritually in distress. Pictures began flashing before me as if I was watching a slide show of events and circumstances. Then suddenly one bird starting singing a beautiful song. That music coming from that one bird made me feel such peace. That was God's way of reminding me to have faith and just trust Him. I came back into the house and was going to start typing my message. But something caused me to do a search of 'The meaning of Faith' on the internet. I was led to this GREAT description written by Chris Zach Hidalgo on October 2, 1997. Chris breaks it down in such a way that anyone curious about this subject can take HOLD of its meaning.

I have taken the following from his webpage titled, Definition of faith: A comprehensive meaning/denotation of what faith/faithfullness really means. Click on the link to read the entire message. I only typed half. Enjoy and be of good cheer for God is with you always!

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What is faith? An ancient history books states that faith is: "Being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see."

A line from 'Miracle on 34th Street' says: "Faith is believing in things that common sense tells you not to."

We all have "faith"

FAITH, I believe, is something we all have, but to varying degrees. Do you have faith to believe that there can be an all powerfull creator, or do you put your faith in science? Or do you believe in a combination of several things and/or ideas?

Do you have the faith to believe in yourself? Do you have the faith to believe in your significant other, a family member or a friend?

I believe we all do. The question is "how much faith do we allow to become reality in our life?"

Consider This

Faith stagnates unless you expose yourself. Faith is not a noun, it's a verb. Action is a critical part of faith. Faith is in action when you make yourself vulnerable -- practicing what you believe. Faith is similar to a guidance system that NASA uses regularly.

When the space shuttle is on the launch pad, the guidance system is not activated because it is not needed. BUT, when it breaks free from the launch pad, then the guidance system kicks in. Everyone involved has to believe the guidance system will successfully guide the shuttle to the end of the mission. They have faith in the guidance system.

We have to rely on faith when all else tells us we're crazy... when there's no evidence what-so-ever... and when everything points to something else.

When you practice faith, you can count on others thinking you are out of your mind. Many times you will be ridiculed for your faith (in religion, science, others, etc.).

An Understanding

Simply put, the definition of faith -- is nothing more than an understanding, a belief, a thought about something, someone, some situation that cannot be proven.

Inherently, faith allows for no tangible evidence to be made available -- that you know of -- which would back up or support your claim, idea, theory or thought. It is simply an overwhelming undestanding that, to you, is convincing.

Other words to consider: Trust, reliance, assurance, conviction, devotion, loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, dedication, observance.

God's Everlasting Mercy... ♥

God's Everlasting Mercy

written by by Henry Morris III

[source: Institute for Creation Institute]

God's mercy (and grace) is a monumental theme in Scripture, the English word appearing some 341 times in the Bible. The four Hebrew and three Greek words associated with this term appear a total of 454 times and are also translated as "kindness," "lovingkindness," "goodness," "favor," "compassion," and "pity." Of the sixty-six books of the Bible, only sixteen do not use one of these words for mercy. Even though "mercy" is an important concept, it is somewhat difficult to prescribe a definition, especially since "grace" is occasionally closely coupled with it.

However similar they may appear to be, these words are not synonyms. "Grace" is most often associated with the sovereign dispensing of totally undeserved favor, and is specifically connected to salvation. "Mercy" is more often connected to the withholding of judgment: "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2:13).

Psalm 136 repeats the theme "for His mercy endureth forever," each of the 26 verses listing incomparable aspects of God's kindness to us. As all of us begin the season of thanksgiving and celebration of God's bounty and provision (both physical and spiritual), join with me in refreshing our knowledge of His mercy.

God is good!

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

"The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Psalm 145:9).

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4).

God is above all and sovereign!

"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity...because he delighteth in mercy.... He will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18-19).

"The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children" (Psalm 103:17).

Because He is the "King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God" (1 Timothy 1:17) and He is "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15), we should therefore "give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 136:3).

God does great wonders!

The creation of the universe stands out among all of the religions of the world as unique to the God of the Bible. It distinguishes all of the principalities and powers of this universe from the One who created the heavens and the earth (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). We cannot even understand the triune nature of God apart from what He has revealed of Himself in the creation (Romans 1:20). The very gospel of God has its everlasting foundation in the creation (Revelation 14:6-7). God's "signature" is written throughout the universe, so much so that He used the evidence of His design and authority integrated into the ecosystems of the earth to prove His deity to His servant Job (Job 39-40). We do well to honor "him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 136:4).

God is a great deliverer!

The exodus of the nation of Israel from Egypt still stands as one of the most intriguing and awe-inspiring events of history. Nothing in the annals of human events comes close to the intervention of the "I AM THAT I AM" in the affairs of nations. God came "down to deliver" (Exodus 3:8) and to display His "signs and wonders" (Exodus 7:3) "against all the gods of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12). Never before or since has God taken "him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors" (Deuteronomy 4:34).

In the context of New Testament Christianity, our God has delivered us from "the power of Satan" (Acts 26:18) and "darkness" (Colossians 1:13) into "his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). We have been set free from "the law of sin" (Romans 8:2) and from "this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4) to the "glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). The same God who "overthrew Pharaoh" is the Savior who will "deliver the godly out of temptations" (2 Peter 2:9) and "from every evil work" (2 Timothy 4:18) and has "given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

God is a great provider!

There are three specific examples given in Psalm 136 of God's sovereign provision. He protects and shelters during the "wilderness." He makes possible victories over great "enemies." And He gives "food to all flesh" The details of God's provision and the many examples in the Scripture are inexhaustible. Yet in these three areas, we find hope for any situation "in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

Were it not for the promises of deliverance from our enemies so replete throughout the Scriptures, were it not for the hope that we would see deliverance "in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13), and were it not for the confident knowledge that "evildoers shall be cut off" (Psalm 37:9), we could be in constant fear and torment. God does promise to bring us victory! We are told that He will fight for us! We are not left to our own devices! Jesus said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.... and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Finally, while we are never to take God's provision for granted--"give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11)--we need to be reminded that the mercy of God extends far beyond the care of His own. "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). God is "the God of the whole earth" (Isaiah 54:5). We often get caught up in trying to make provisions for a "rainy day" in a future that is unknowable and unsecured, but God knows that we "have need of all these things" (Matthew 6:32). Whatever our circumstances may be, God knows, understands, and will make sure that "his mercy endureth for ever"

Heavenly Father, we would give Thee thanks and praise for Thy great mercies to us this day. We acknowledge that our words are not sufficient to honor Thy majesty or our minds capable of understanding how to express our thanks. Yet we would offer them to Thee as all that our heart, our soul, and our mind can speak. Please accept them as offerings of a sweet smell before Thy throne.