Discover Your Destiny

Healing

2011-01-16T17:43:00.001-05:00

The first step to inner healing is to acknowledge that you have a problem. Your potential through prayer is to live a life that is open, honest and healed. Pray this prayer: Father help me find the courage to admit my mistakes, acknowledge my weaknesses, and to reach out for help so that I may live my dream as a whole and healthy person.

Why are You Here? And I Don't Mean That Philosophically....

2010-12-30T18:28:00.003-05:00

I really would like to know WHY you visited this website. Please leave a comment below and tell me what prompted you to view a site called "Discover Your Destiny".

-Looking for some specific guidance about a major life decision?
-Looking for a discussion of philosophy?
-Looking for a way of predicting the future?
-Looking for something fun to do?

Since I started the blog, more than 7,500 readers have visited the site. That's not a lot in terms of popular sites. Still, the number of people stopping by makes me curious.

Of course, you are the only one who can satisfy my curiousity. So, please, leave a comment and explain what you were hoping to find on this blog.

I will use the feedback to make a decision about the kind of content to include in the future.

Thanks!

Anxieties, Phobias and Fears

2010-12-11T17:34:00.001-05:00

According to the website mentalhelp.net:

· Anxiety is the 5th most common complaint to MD’s.
· It is the most common complaint to psychotherapists.
· 7% of the population experience serious anxiety during a
typical month (and the recent terrorism has certainly
increased this by some percentage)
· 30 million new prescriptions for tranquilizers are
prescribed annually in the United States
· Annual tranquilizer consumption in the US measures in the
tons

When an unreasonable fear escalates to the point that it interferes with one’s social or work life, it is called a phobia. Here are some facts about phobias:

· About 13% of the population has a phobia
· There are 3 types of phobias:
- Simple phobias, such as fear of death, cancer, insanity, the
devil, the dark
- Social phobias, such as fear of public speaking,
embarrassment, of meeting people
- Panic disorders, such as unpredictable attacks of terror,
sweating or dizziness

Panic attacks are believed to be physiologically and chemically different from simple fears and phobias. The most typical treatment of fears and anxieties are relaxation techniques and “exposure”, which means confronting and encountering the thing one fears

Often, the way to conquer your fear is to face it.

Fear: It's All in Your Mind

2010-11-30T09:53:00.000-05:00

Fear is a physical reaction. In the face of physical danger, physical fear is not only natural, but desireable; it energizes our bodies to respond. That's ok, until the point of panic. However, fear is not only physical. It is also mental, cognitive and perceptual. Fear is in our minds. Blindfold me, take me unknowing to the top of the Empire State Building. Move me to the very edge and let me stand there. I'll be fine... until you remove my blindfold!

At that moment, my eyes will send a signal to my brain. My brain will send an e-mail through my central nervous system instantly informing my entire body that I am in danger. Let's not say what happens next! Just know that it involves a trip to the dry cleaners!!

Your brain tells your body when to be afraid. Thoughts trigger fears. At least part of the deliverance from a fear-based life is to change your thinking.

This is one aspect of the Biblical command that believers experience a renewing of their minds. Otherwise, fear will dominate your life and you will not find your destiny.

Top 10 Fears

2010-11-16T13:47:00.001-05:00

Failure is not the only thing that people fear. A recent on-line publication published a list of the TEN MOST COMMON HUMAN FEARS. The results were compiled from a number of sources. The list was not necessarily scientific, but here it is:

TOP 10 MOST COMMON HUMAN FEARS

10. Elevators

9. Driving

8. Flying

7. Death

6. Deep water

5. Sickness

4. Financial problems

3. Insects

2. Heights

1. And the ever-popular even scarier than death #1 top fear:
public speaking!

Here's a very personal, pertinent, and powerful question. It is a question that some people may have difficulty answering honestly. Privately, you may have difficulty even admitting that there is an answer to this question. The question is simply, "What are you afraid of?"

Have you noticed these "No Fear" t-shirts that seem to be everywhere? I just wonder why the culture we live in has such a need to make that statement. I don't know. I do know that, regardless of our posturing, fear is a fundamental facet of human nature.

Do you remember the Muppets: Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog? Back in the 1980's, there was a Muppet movie. The opening scene was of the Muppets riding bicycles in a park. One shot showed a muppet riding by, hands in the air, saying, "Look, Ma, no hands!" The next show shows another muppet coasting by on his bike. Only, he is sitting backward on the bike with his hands in the air, not looking where he is going. He says, "Look, Ma, no brains!" There are some things that you will be afraid of if you have any brains!

However, there are fears that can cause a person not to move toward his or her destiny.

So, again, what are you afraid of?

Digging for Gold

2009-08-21T22:12:00.002-04:00

Americans today feel a need to find a deeper meaning to life. This is true of religious and non-religious people alike. I see at least 4 signs of this.

First, success and self-help literature is immensely popular. Apparently, people don't feel successful.

Secondly, Christian and religious success and self-help books are, if anything, more popular than even the secular market. The Associated Press published and article on May 20th, 2001 titled, "Writers Promote Bible as Self-help Manual". In fact, I recently visited a very large Christian book store and one of the largest sections in the store was called "Self-Help". by the way, one of the Christian books mentioned in the article was, If Men are Like Buses Then How Do I Catch One? Some of the more serious titles:

Half Time: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance

The Gift of Peace (which sold 350,000 copies within 9 weeks).

So the literature is out there in vast quantities, indicating that people are interested in success and significance.

Thirdly, there is a rapidly developing new profession called "life coaching". At the August, 2001 World Conference of Christian Counselors, which I attended, more than 300 therapists, psychiatrists, and counselors gathered in a work-shop that hailed life coaching as an emerging trend. The definition of life coaching: a client-coach relationship that empowers the client to take action toward greater fulfillment in life. The fees are not inexpensive but people are signing up by the hundreds.

Fourthly, I know from personal experience the feeling that "there is something more to me than the world has yet seen." Do you ever have a feeling like that? Something great in you struggling to get out?

There is a deeply felt need among many Americans, no less in the church than out of it, to find a more significant and fulfilling way of life.

This need can be described as the quest to discover one's destiny. The Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer, in her book How to Succeed at Being Yourself, says, "I hope you have a dream of vision in your heart for something greater than you have now. Ephesians 3:20 KJV tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that we can hope or ask or think. If we are not thinking, hoping, or asking for anything, we are cheating ourselves. We need to think big thoughts, hope for big things and ask for big things. I always say, I would rather ask God for a lot and get half of it, than to ask Him for a little and get all of it."

Finally, Joyce says, "There is a gold mine hidden in every life, but we have to dig to get to it."

Are you digging for the gold in your life? Have you even scratched the surface yet? Why wait any longer? Begin today thinking, hoping and praying for big things.

In the Beginning

2009-08-21T22:07:00.001-04:00

In the beginning, God intended for you to pursue passionately His divinely ordained purpose for your existance. He designed that purpose for you and you for that purpose.

Your talents and fundamental characteristics, when fully developed and applied correctly, are the perfect tools for your specific assignment.

You experience a richness and fulness of life that cannot be improved on when you are pursuing this destiny, regardless of obstacles, pain or opposition.

People find themselves attracted to you because you radiate peace and contentment. You have meaningful relationships that are deep and strong. You accept the failings of others because you are happy with yourself, including your own weaknesses and shortcomings. You have been forgiven, you embrace your own forgiveness, and you forgive others.

In the beginning, God created you for a fulfilling destiny. Are you moving toward it?

P.Bio, Your Personal Biographer Review

2008-02-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

Really cool product! P.Bio creates a timeline of your life, automatically!

Revolutionary new search technologies find, organize and present information about your life in an attractive, user-friendly way! In other words, P.Bio writes your biography for you! It's "Your Personal Biographer"!

Click Here for More Information!

Fight Your Fears and Phobias Review

2008-01-27T21:19:00.000-05:00

Your comprehensive resource against fears, frustrations and worries, "Fight Your Fears and Phobias" is a self-help e-book designed to help you arrest and prevent emotional disturbances and if you are already beset by them, revealing how to identify and deal with underlying causes.

Topics include 15 ways to overcome loneliness, 25 proven ways to make friends, five ways to deal with discontent and much more.

The author, Andrea Baljak, is also associated with the website, www.mayertech.ca

The contents of the book and free chapters are available as a sneak preview.

For more information or to purchase.

Start a Fire!

2005-07-16T22:17:00.000-04:00

Do you know your mission?

It is important, because a well-stated missions serves to focus passion.

Have you ever seen the use of a magnifying glass to start a fire? The magnifying glass collects and focuses. It pinpoints energy on a very specific target area. This generates enough heat to start a fire.

You’re going to expend a lot of energy over the course of your lifetime. Will it be so diffused, however, that it really accomplishes little? Or will you focus your passions and your interests and your motivations and your drives on one key purpose and thus magnify the impact of your life?

Find the mission and start your fire!

Mini-Seminar: Stress

2004-12-17T01:30:00.000-05:00

Why People Love Stress
And
How to Stay That Way as Long as You Live
(Which Probably Won’t be That Long)

Why People Love Stress

Stress, tension, and burnout are common in modern society. I have come to the following conclusion: THEY WANT TO STAY STRESSED! The following provides you with a few reasons why.

STRESS HELPS YOU SEEM IMPORTANT. Anyone as stressed as you must be working very hard and, therefore, is probably doing something very crucial.

IT HELPS YOU TO MAINTAIN PERSONAL DISTANCE AND AVOID INTIMACY. Anyone as busy as you are certainly can't be expected to form emotional attachments to anyone. And let's
face it, you're not much fun to be around anyway.

IT HELPS YOU AVOID RESPONSIBILITIES. Obviously you're too stressed to be given any more work. This gets you off the hook for all the mundane chores; let someone else take care of them.

IT GIVES YOU A CHEMICAL RUSH. Stress might be considered a cheap thrill, and you can give yourself a "hit" anytime you chose. Be careful, you might get addicted to your own adrenaline.

IT HELPS YOU AVOID SUCCESS. Why risk being "successful" when by simply staying stressed you can avoid all of that? Stress can keep your performance level low enough that success won't ever be a threat.

STRESS ALSO LETS YOU KEEP YOUR AUTHORITARIAN MANAGEMENT STYLE. The authoritarian style of "Just do what I say!" is generally permissible under crisis conditions. If you maintain a permanently stressed crisis atmosphere, you can justify an authoritarian style all the time. How to Stay Permanently StressedSold on the value of stress? Are you worried now about how to stay stressed? You'll have no trouble if you practice the following clinically proven methods:

NEVER EXERCISE. Exercise wastes a lot of time that could be spent worrying.

EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT. Hey, if cigarette smoke can't cleanse your system, a balanced
diet isn't likely to, either. So, why bother?

GAIN WEIGHT. Work hard at staying at least 25 pounds over your recommended weight.

TAKE PLENTY OF STIMULANTS. The old standards of caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and cola will
continue to do the job just fine.

GET RID OF YOUR SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM. Let the few friends who are willing to tolerate you know that concern yourself with friendships only if you have time – and you never have time. If a few people persist in trying to be your friend, avoid them.

PERSONALIZE ALL CRITICISM. Anyone who criticizes any aspect of your work, family, dog, house, or car is mounting a personal attack. Don't waste your time listening; instead, be offended, then return the attack! Maintain the cycle as long as possible.

THROW OUT YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. Staying stressed is no laughing matter, and it shouldn't be treated as one.

MALES AND FEMALES ALIKE - BE MACHO. Never ever ask for help, and if you want it done right, do it yourself!

BECOME A WORKAHOLIC. Put work before everything else, and be sure to take work home evenings and weekends. Keep reminding yourself that vacations are for losers. You can also tell they are losers by how cheerful and stress-free they are.

DISCARD GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS. Schedule in more activities every day than you can possibly get done and then worry about it all whenever you get a chance.

PROCRASTINATE. Putting things off to the last second always produces a marvelous amount of stress.

WORRY ABOUT THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL. Worry about the stock market, earthquakes, the approaching Ice Age, you know, all the big issues.

BECOME NOT ONLY A PERFECTIONIST BUT ALSO SET IMPOSSIBLY HIGH STANDARDS... feel guilty, depressed, discouraged, and/or inadequate when you don't meet them."

A stress-filled life can be yours today!

God's Will and Destiny

2004-10-04T21:04:00.000-04:00

Have you ever prayed to know the will of God?

I know a lot of religious people have prayed that kind of prayer; maybe a lot of not-very-religious people
have done the same, I don't know.

If you have prayed to know the will of God, what actually was the "life domain" in which you wanted to know God’s will?

Probably, it was the arena of a major decision in your life, such as, “God, is it your will for me to change careers?” Or, “God, is it your will for me to do this or that?” Most likely, your prayer was about “do” and not “who”. Right? "God, what should I do?"

What if I said that you don’t have to pray to know will of God? After all, the model prayer – that is, the Lord's Prayer – says, “Thy will be done.” It does not say, “Show me your will.”

Consider this story from the gospels:

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50 NIV)

Surely, it is not our career choice that makes us Jesus’ brother or sister! It doesn't fit, does it? “Whoever chooses the right career is my brother and sister.”

How about this: “Whoever is my disciple and learns of me is my brother and sister.” Does that not sound much more likely?

What if I said that I can tell God’s will for your life right now? Here are some direct quotes from the Bible:

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk… instead, be filled with the Spirit!

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality…

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Submit yourself… to every authority instituted among men… for it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men .

So the will of God is much more about “who” than “do”. Who are you to be? You are to be sober, spiritual, self-controlled especially in the realm of your sexuality, joyful, prayerful, thankful, and a law-abiding citizen. That is the will of God for your life.

So then, what about career decisions? How do we pray about those? Those decisions are a matter of wisom. And if anyone lack wisdom, let him ask of God who, according to one verse, "doesn't mind if you ask". The interesting thing about wisdom is that it implies that we ultimately must participate in the decision and make the decision. It is really easy for God to move us into the right career and the right geographical location if we are genuinely committed to becoming His kind of person.

The “do” flows from the “who”.

Focus on become the kind of person you were designed to be; career and financial prosperity will flow out of a series of events in your life which will in the end prove to have been providential.

Behind, Ahead, Within

2004-10-03T01:15:00.000-04:00

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Holmes seems to suggest that inner strength can easily overcome the conditioning of our past and the obstacles in our future.

It is character that counts.

Your search for your destiny may focus on the activities and major decisions of your life: what should I do? who should I marry? what are the correct career decisions? and so on.

Such is no sufficient way to pursure your destiny.

Your true destiny will be revealed and achieved only if you pursue the answer to this question: what kind of person did God create me to be?

One beauty of the Christian faith: that Christ is in us and that is our "hope of glory".

We are to be like Him. That is our destiny.

In the Beginning, Reprise

2004-09-29T21:57:00.000-04:00

In the beginning, God intended for you to pursue passionately His divinely ordained purpose for your existance. He designed that purpose for you and you for that purpose.

Your talents and fundamental characteristics, when fully developed and applied correctly, are the perfect tools for your specific assignment. You experience a richness and fulness of life that cannot be improved on when you are pursuing this destiny, regardless of obstacles, pain or opposition.

People find themselves attracted to you because you radiate peace and contentment. You have meaningful relationships that are deep and strong. You accept the failings of others because you are happy with yourself, including your own weaknesses and shortcomings. You have been forgiven, you embrace your own forgiveness, and you forgive others.

In the beginning, God created you for a fulfilling destiny. Are you moving toward it?

Mindframes

2004-09-21T21:15:00.000-04:00

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Self-awareness is one aspect of discovering your destiny but there are others. Peruse the blog for more perspectives. Thanks for stopping in for a read!

How Did You Overcome Your Greatest Fear?

2004-09-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

Personally, sky-diving helped me confront a fear of heights. In fact, I believe it liberated me in many ways, even though I still do not relish standing on top of a building.

I believe there are at least 7 keys to reaching your God-given destiny. The first is to overcome your fears.

What is the biggest fear you have overcome? How did you do it?

I am interested, so if you like, use the comment link below and tell your story.

Discover Your True Calling

2004-09-10T13:18:00.000-04:00

Po Bronson is the author of The New York Times Bestseller "What Should I Do with My Life?" -- a book that chronicles inspirational true stories of people who have found the most meaningful answers to that great question. He is the author of two other books and has written articles for The New York Times Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

Check out a CNN article on his book here or by clicking on the title of this post.

Dream the Impossible Dream

2004-09-07T23:03:00.000-04:00

Deep inside, most people know they were created for more than the mundane, monotonous, "everydayness" of life. We long to be heroic, exceptional, and fulfilled, but instead we find ourselves frustrated and far from reaching our potential. We fear that our dreams and God's will are at odds and that God's will might make us unhappy or be unattainable.

But our personal dreams are often dreams that God has given us to pursue. In Discover Your Destiny, Bill and Kathy Peel look at the hopes and desires that shape our lives, giving readers the inspiration and courage to make those dreams come true. By evaluating our dreams in the light of Scripture, we can discern if a dream is part of God's will and our destiny.

To purchase the book, click on the title of this post, Dream the Impossible Dream.

How Thoughts Become Destiny

2004-09-03T01:01:00.000-04:00

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." - Frank Outlaw

From the Beginning

2004-08-31T22:36:00.000-04:00

I started off with the intention of talking to Christian believers about achieving a truly meaningful and fulfilling life.

After my first post, things took a different direction. My friend WORDS who comments regularly has challenged me to convert to atheism. (If you go to the first post on this blog and down to the comments, you can read the whole exchange.)

In WORDS' last comment, the implication was made that anyone who believes in God is, well, schizophrenic. Here's my reply in the form of a quote from an on-line article.

Let me begin with five traditional arguments for the existence of God. It may seem an unlikely starting point for this topic, but I think you'll see as time goes on that these arguments keep coming up. I'm not going to comment right away on whether these arguments are valid or not, but I will state them because throughout astrophysical literature these arguments are often referred to:

The cosmological argument: the effect of the universe's existence must have a suitable cause.
The teleological argument: the design of the universe implies a purpose or direction behind it.
The rational argument: the operation of the universe, according to order and natural law, implies a mind behind it.
The ontological argument: man's ideas of God (his God-consciousness) implies a God who imprinted such a consciousness.
The moral argument: man's built-in sense of right and wrong can be accounted for only by an innate awareness of a code of law--an awareness implanted by a higher being.

The author of this quote:

Dr. "Fritz" Schaefer is the Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry and the director of the Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry at the University of Georgia. He has been nominated for the Nobel Prize and was recently cited as the third most quoted chemist in the world. "The significance and joy in my science comes in the occasional moments of discovering something new and saying to myself, `So that's how God did it!' My goal is to understand a little corner of God's plan." -U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 23, 1991

You can read his entire article here: http://www.leaderu.com/real/ri9404/bigbang.html
or simply by clicking on the title of this post, "From the Beginning".

In the second part of the same lecture given by Dr. Schaefer, you can read this:

We shall begin with the philosophical aspects of A Brief History of Time, which really explains why it has sold so many copies. Stephen Hawking has stated, "It is difficult to discuss the beginning of the universe without mentioning the concept of God. My work on the origin of the universe is on the borderline between science and religion, but I try to stay on the scientific side of the border. It is quite possible that God acts in ways that cannot be described by scientific laws, but in that case, one would just have to go by personal belief."

When asked whether he believed that science and Christianity were competing world views, Hawking replied, "...then Newton would not have discovered the law of gravity." He knew that Newton had strong religious convictions.

So, three prominent scientists find faith in God to be a reasonable proposition. Even Einstein (although grudgingly and not admitting a personal God) eventually admitted the possibility of diety.)

You may not believe in God. I can't prove that God exists. Faith in God, however, is reasonable and that is the conclusion of people a lot smarter than I am. Or are Schafer, Hawking, Sir Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein all schizophrenic?

Fear Not, Fret Not, Faint Not

2004-08-30T21:29:00.000-04:00

Previous posts describe the problem of fear and various ways it affects us. The Bible offers solutions to "the fear problem". Read a great article on the subject by clicking on the title of this post, "Fear Not, Fret Not, Faint Not".

Mental Effects of Fear

2004-08-30T19:18:00.000-04:00

Your Destiny, Your Choices

2004-08-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

My main point: you have a destiny to fulfill that is uniquely yours by divine design, but your choices and actions in critical areas determine the degree to which you achieve it. Awesome thought... both in consideration of your upward potential on one hand and the tragic thought of all you could miss out on!

We are operating from the following assumptions:

· God exists and human beings were designed by him
· God has a unique purpose in mind for each individual person
· God prepares you for your purpose by providing you with raw
talents or “gifts”
· Your destiny is a moving target; it changes as you succeed
or fail in achieving significant aspects of it
· There are key areas of personal growth and development that
exert enormous influence on you ability to achieve your
destiny

More WORDS with an Atheist

2004-08-27T19:01:00.000-04:00

I continue my conversation with WORDS, who is urging me to abandon my faith in the existance of God. This is a real conversation, edited only slightly for readability. We pick up the conversation at a point where I am trying to make the point that something can be known by faith.

Bud: You mentioned the Hacking murder case out in Utah earlier. So, by the way, how do you know Mark Hacking confessed to his two brothers?

Words: One does not KNOW but one has REASONABLE evidence to support the CLAIM
that he did – that’s the difference. If they’d just said he confessed, that in itself would be suspect- but considering the DATA that already exist.... Your claims have no evidence to support them. NOTHING- all you have is so and so... centuries ago said that it occurred despite NO proof at all- and you CHOOSE to believe it- the LIKLIHOOD of God being real is not comparable to Mark Hacking allegedly confessing to his own flesh and blood whom it would appear would have no reason to lie when such a lie would HARM their brother.

Bud: The apostle’s of Jesus had no reason to lie. In fact, they lost their lives on account
of their eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus. This is pretty strong
evidence that they believed the gospel they were preaching: that Christ died, was
buried and rose again. But in regard to the Mark Hacking case -- you consider it reasonable to trust those who reported the event and you believe it to be true.

Words: It is not the same-

Bud: It is the same. You are taking someone’s word for something. The fact that you could verify it if you want to is irrelevant. They said it. You believe what they said. Hence, you know what Mark Hacking did. You know it by faith.

Just so happens that you choose to put faith only in things you can verify.

Words: Well, I said ONE can REASONABLY assume it is true- based on the data. Where is your data? Do you have, for example, the numerous AUTHORS who penned the Bible on hand? If so THEN THAT is a reasonable comparison from which to base your argument- THOSE persons could be interviewed (were they alive) and have demands made upon them to show evidence supporting their claims.

Such as the cross jesus was nailed to, surely that would contain some of his DNA. Or perhaps the thorns from the wreath upon his head, surely that would have his blood on it. SOMETHING that we could examine and say- "Well, look at this- the DNA in this blood is unlike anyone else on the whole planet-I can not even explain what I'm seeing here- this is outside the realm of humans, outside of man"....this is data we COULD add to the list of the POSSIBLE evidence of God.

What about the spear that pierced his side. You mean NO ONE KEPT THE FAMOUS SPEAR? What? But no, you have NO data at all outside of someone’s book…

Bud: Actually, the historicity of Jesus is well documented. He existed. The only legitimate question is, "Did he rise from the dead as his disciples claim?".

Words : …What someone said is true about "person A" or in your case, "God"----without
existing DATA to add to the process of validating the claim is is nothing more than "He said / she said". UT if someone says something about "person A" and there is already DATA
existing that points to what someone said about "person A" being true then we have to reasonably believe the information given to us regarding "Person A".Now, what EVIDENCE or DTA do you have to collaborate the "testimony" in the Bible?

Bud: The universe… the heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows His
handiwork…

Words: Well, isn’t it interesting that NO ONE thought to SAVE the cross he was crucified on or his crown of thorns or his "loin cloth" or swabs of his blood- NOTHING as a momento or some weird physical reminder of what occurred- \ hell, people have been known to take locks of HAIR from rock stars and the like – even at their funerals! But no- nothing, nothing exist at all to show that GOD is a reasonable concept. The most unique "man" on the planet and no one kept a physical reminder of him? An autographed photo......NOTHING? Do you see my point?

I may use humor here and there but I think we are both serious about this discussion.

Bud: Again, the historicity of Jesus is well-documented. No, there were no paparazzi in 33 AD so there are no fotos. But let’s face it… you are just posturing…

If I had the spear and the cross and DNA samples and the 33 AD Jerusalem Enquirer you still would not believe it because you are committed to atheism (or whatever you title your belief system) as a construct of reality. You are only open to matter and physical reality.

But I promised you the last word this week, so go ahead.

Words: I sincerely hope that you are not responsible or have never been responsible for Jury Duty.

Bud: Well, you are in luck on that one, although I am a registered voter.

Words: It would truly sadden me to know that someone’s FUTURE depended on your belief in what occurred- when you yourself are so EASILY swayed without a single, iota- of proof beyond what you color with your programmed upbringing.

Bud: Atheists are the only people in the world reasonable enough for jury duty?

Words: Its not your fault mind you- its the churches for grabbing hold of you at such an early age- but then that is how they do it. .Offer the biggest possible candy in the world.....the everlasting chew of God...like some magical carrot in front of the Donkey. Only your carrot is invisible, has no taste, no texture and no value outside of its ability to manipulate, distract and promise you what you want to hear.

Bud: By the way, God is not on trial. Does HE need to prove that He exists? Why would He need to do that?

But I promised you the last word.

Words: The check is in the mail right? Oh you didn’t get it yet? Must have gotten lost....I will send you another one....right away......just keep waiting and smiling and believing. It will come.

Soon.

Believe.

How Gen Xers Balance Work and Family

2004-08-26T15:09:00.000-04:00

Click on the title above "How Gen Xers Balance Work and Family" to read an article on the subject.

Read some of the other posts, too. Then take the poll in the sidebar and let me know what you think - in the nicest possible way, of course!

Hijacked by Fear

2004-08-25T19:34:00.000-04:00

Fear is the Osama bin Laden of your destiny. It attempts to hijack your life. Like bin Laden, fear has multiple allies with various aliases:

Procrastination
Anxiety
Panic
Avoidance of conflict
Shyness
Excuses
Under-performing

If you don’t resist, fear will send one of these or many other junior terrorists to hi-jack your life and to take somewhere other than to your destiny.

Fear Aggravates Stress

2004-08-23T18:48:00.000-04:00

Fear Aggravates Stress

The Complete Stress Management Workbook states that there are 3 stress aggravators:

1. Compounded fears – making mountains out of molehills
2. Busy lives that are spinning out of control
3. Unhealthy reactions to our stress that merely intensify our
stress (overeating might be an example)

“We can be routed by minor stresses when we imagine them to be major ones.” Fears are stressful.

Overcoming fear is necessary to achieve your destiny and to enjoy life more. If you have overcome a fear in your life, why not leave a comment below (comments can be anonymous, if you want) and describe how you did it?

I Have Words With an Atheist

2004-08-21T01:28:00.000-04:00

The following conversation is constructed from actual text of comments that my friend WORDS and I have shared in this blog. I just posted it here because I think it's interesting... you know, deserves front page attention!

In case it is not obvious, the title isn't intended to convey any animosity... just playing with WORDS. Ok, enough of my incredibly clever word plays... I apologize, that just slipped out. Here is the conversation in which I am arguing that faith in God is reasonable and WORDS disagrees:

Bud: I'm a little disappointed. I think you glossed over my arguments in your last post.

Words: Which ones? I’d be happy to take the time to address them fully.

Bud: Well, pretty much all of them. But look, your a priori assumption is that the existance of God is absurd; hence, we have no common ground as I state that the existance of God is at least a reasonable possibility.

Words: The only assumption here, is that you assume I’m assuming. I claim it has no
evidence and is rife with contradictions and "wives tales" if you will that hold no water. Do you eat ham, bacon, pork chops or ribs?

Bud: Yep, I pretty much eat all of them. Dr. Atkins, you know.

Words: Ya know you could REALLY envoke the anger of God for that one (according to
your good book that is):

Bud: For being on the Atkins diet?

Words (ignoring Bud's remark and continuing with the argument):
Lev 11:7 - 8 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he [is] unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they [are] unclean to you.

Sure, some primative man saw that pigs wallow around in their own "filth" so to him, with his limited DATA assumed that such creatures must be bad to eat- Did you know that elephants "bathe" in their own feces? In fact they stick their trunks into it so deeply, that it plugs their nostrils up- then they forcefully SPRAY the feces onto their young and their FRIENDS- why? Well, the average uneducated quick to form a solution person, might assume that its cause they are DUMB animals....but in reality- SCIENCE shows us that they are forming immunities within their "family" of elephants from various illnesses by exposing one another to such treatment. Not bad for dumb animals huh? And they didnt require some book to tell them it was good for them.

Bud: Ok, before we get too many animals for me to keep track of, let me comment. First… you really have a thing for elephants, don’t you? I mean, last week you were talking about pink elephants on flying carpets. And no, I didn’t know about the whole bathing in feces thing. Clearly, you know more about elephants than I do. And isn’t it neat how God didn’t need a book to create each species with instincts necessary for survival?

Anyway, back to the pigs and dietary laws. You cite this dietary law as support for your contention that the Bible is "rife with contradictions and wives’ tales." An alternative explanation is that God wanted his people at that particular point in time to enjoy a "no pork" diet for health reasons or other purposes.

But back to my point. It is possible that God exists – I say "possible" in the sense that the existance of God is not empirically verifiable. So, how much faith to place in that possibility is a matter of choice. It is in fact a choice that every human must make… believe or dis-believe.

Words: The difference is- YOU place "faith" into "something". Thats why its NOT called
truth or fact- its called faith and belief. Data isnt gathered logically by one’s beliefs- one has a hypothesis, one investigates the hypothesis - gathering data to support one’s idea--then one eitherconfirms it is true or proves it is not.

Bud: Sounds like the scientific method to me. Perfectly applicable to… well, science. The physical universe. Matters that are empirically verifiable. Not applicable to God because He transcends the material universe. He is not empirically verifiable. Did I say that yet?

You want to confine God to a box no bigger than the physical universe. Sorry your conception is so small!

Words: Using logic and reason we can safely say that the Bible’s "proof" of God is based
on lack of education and experience.

Bud: I said previously that the Bible does not try to prove the existance of God. The Bible assumes the existance of God. The perspective of scripture is that only a foolish person would gaze into the starry night sky and not conclude that a Creator made this world. But go ahead and make your point…

Words: Man once believed that killing women and accusing them of being witches was doing God’s bidding. They would tie heavy stones to them and sink them into ponds and lakes and say that if she was a witch she would float to the top- and if she was innocent then God would take her. So, "damned" either way. And they got their thrill kill.

Bud: Uh… some ancient people were superstitious… and mean… Religion can be
misused. People weighted down with stones don’t float. Ok, I agree with all of
that. But check this out…

If you choose not to believe and turn out to be wrong, you've really missed out on something.

Words: THATS it? Thats all you have to defend your stance? That if you’re wrong "Then you'll be sorry!"?????

Bud: You have a real knack for hearing what you want me to have said rather than what I actually said. I didn’t say, "If God exists, you’ll be sorry." I said, "If God exists, you’ve really missed out." Key word: missed. Synonyms are "neglected" and "lost". As in, had an opportunity but lost it. Could have lived a lifetime in communion with his/her creator but didn’t.

Words: So better stand on the CHANCE of being right? Or rather in your mind- the certainty of being right (despite proof) so MIGHT as well play it safe? Thats it?! Well hell..... why not believe in ALL The religions Dieties, what if "God" is really Brahma or maybe Esaugetuh Emissee ("master of breath") in the Creek native american language. Why not cover your bases and believe in ALL of them. Beingyour philisophy revolves around no proof and only "faith".Why not believe that it was "Gods" PLAN for the doctors to be deficient in their duties if your child dies under their "care". Can you not see your own conflict?

Bud: Just because God can’t be empirically verified does not mean He can’t be known. He is known by revelation. He reveals Himself. He has broken into the physical universe in the person of Christ. He has spoken to us in scripture. So, that is how I know the difference between truth and falsehood in matters of theology.

Hey, it’s late and I’m tired… let’s carry this on at a later date… I'll let you have the last word next time, OK?

(I will have More Words With an Atheist sometime next week.)

Stress and the Superdad

2004-08-19T07:54:00.000-04:00

The struggle for "life balance" continues! Click on the title of this entry (Stress and the Superdad) for a Time article on the subject. (OOPS - article is now "premium content" and you have to pay if you want to read more than just the first paragraph. )

Anxieties, Phobias and Fears

2004-08-18T20:07:00.000-04:00

Top 10 Fears

2004-08-16T15:32:00.000-04:00

Slow Me Down!

2004-08-14T11:04:00.000-04:00

Slow Me Down, Lord

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time…
Help me know
The magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations, of slowing down to look at a flower;
To chat with and old friend or to make a new one…
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift…
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life’s enduring values…

Wilfred A. Peterson

How Would You Answer These Questions?

2004-08-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

A service repairman was called to a factory to repair a machine. He listened to the machine and then hit it on the side with a rubber hammer. Immediately, the machine came back on. The consultant handed the owner of the factory a bill that said, “machine repair -- $100.00”. The owner replied, “Hey, isn’t $100 a bit steep for just hitting the machine with a rubber hammer?” The repairman said, “I see your point.” So he tore up the old bill and wrote a new one. The new bill said, “hitting machine with rubber hammer: $1.00; knowing where to hit the machine with rubber hammer: $99.00; total: $100.00.”

Often, in my work as a life coach, the value I provide to my clients can be compared to the service repairman's response: it is in knowing which questions to ask and which subjects to ask about.

Remember that we said your true destiny is to accomplish in every detail the master plan for your life, using each gift and resource at your command for maximum positive impact on the world around you. There are 7 "mega-questions" that in large part determine the degree to which you achieve your destiny.

The 7 key questions:
1. What do you fear?
2. Where are you stuck?
3. How do you defeat yourself?
4. What are you trying to accomplish?
5. What do you do really well?
6. With whom are you connected?
7. What are you willing to do right now?

7 Passion Killers

2004-08-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

Pastor Mike Chapman of City Church in Chattanooga preaches a sermon entitled, “Making a Difference with Your Life Will Take Passion”. He identifies 7 passion killers:

1. An unclear purpose: life seems futile without a purpose –
why get out of bed?
2. An unemployed talent: God has given you gifts and talents
and if they are not being utilized, your passion quotient
will go down.
3. An unbalanced schedule: overwork or underwork will cause a
decline in passion.
4. An unconfessed sin: you can’t have enthusiasm and guilt at
the same time.
5. An unresolved conflict: resentment, jealousy and prolonged
anger are passion-killing emotions.
6. An unsupported lifestyle: loneliness kills passion.
7. An undernourished spirit: at it’s root, passion is a
spiritual issue and if our spirit is ignored, our heart will
shrink and grow cold.

Passion drives your quest for destiny. Passion is the fuel of your life. Passion can be diluted or even completely drained from your life and if that happens, you will never discover your destiny! Resolve today to remove the barriers and pursue your passion.

Are You Passionate?

2004-08-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

Psychologists and psychiatrists and theologians have devised many theories of human motivation. Two of the most powerful sources of human motivation -- some would say the roots of all motivation -- are pain and pleasure.

We try to avoid all types of pain and discomfort: physical pain, emotional pain (such as loneliness), mental pain (such as sensory deprivation), and social pain or discomfort (such as rejection). The behavioral mode of persons motivated by fear of pain is avoidance. Naturally, we need to avoid obvious and unnecessary pain.

Conversely, humans seek out pleasure. The word "pleasure" sometimes has a negative connotation to Christian people. However, one of the oldest statements of Christian faith is the Westminster Catechism which states, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever…” Enjoy! That would be a synonym for “take pleasure in”. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to take pleasure in Him forever! Passion for God, according to the Westminster Catechism, is the chief purpose of humankind. So, when I speak of "passion" and "pleasure", I am not referring to sensuality. Passion is the pleasure you feel about the good things in life up to and including loving God.

All of the above says this: fear of pain motivates avoidance behaviors; passion motivates seeking behaviors. Diagnose yourself: are you primarily an "avoider" or a "seeker"?

Consider the famous teaching called the “Sermon on the Mount” by Jesus. I won't include it all here because of space considerations, but in Matthew 6:25, Jesus says, “Do not worry”.

He then lists three specific things not to worry about: food, drink, clothing. These three are fundamental survival concerns of all humans. (When Jesus speaks of worry about clothing, he isn't thinking in terms of getting a new dress for Easter. He is talking about the function that clothing serves in providing basic protection from nakedness and the elements.) Discomfort, pain and death are the consequences of not having food, drink and clothing!

I see in Jesus' statement not to worry about these fundamental needs the idea that we must not allow our thoughts to be dominated by "pain-avoidance"! In verse 32, he says even more graphically, “Don’t run after these things”. In other words, don’t direct your actions into avoiding pain. What should we do then? Verse 33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” Jesus clearly exhorts his listeners to be Seekers, not Avoiders!

If you take time to read Matthew 6: 25 -34 at some point, you will notice these additional points about passion seeking from the Sermon on the Mount:

· Verse 25: Passion Seekers conquer fears and anxieties
· Verse 25: Passion Seekers have a deep sense of priorities
· Verse 33: Passion Seekers identify and pursue their passion
· Verse 33: Passion Seekers tend to achieve both their passion and temporal rewards
· Verse 34: Passion Seekers are able to focus on the moment.

Are you seeking your destiny? Prepare to confront and conquer your inner anxieties. Determine and focus on your priorities. Identify and go after your passions.

The rewards: you will be a person focused on maximizing every moment... and you will succeed spiritually, materially and every other way.

Passion Seekers: discover your destiny!

The Importance of Potential

2004-08-04T20:46:00.000-04:00

Your potential is the dream that God has put in your heart, which will be reached by fully utilizing the talents and resources he has blessed you with! Potential is to develop every gift and resource for its maximum positive benefit. Your potential is you destiny. That is why Joyce Meyer, the Christian author and teacher says (in How to Succeed at Being Yourself, p 78 – 79), “As Christians, our #1 job is the development of personal potential.”

To learn more about developing your potential as a leader:

www.coachingforleadership.com

Maximum Impact

2004-08-02T20:16:00.000-04:00

In the minds of many people, "destiny" suggests a mold that life pours you into and that you can't change. In their minds, destiny is a set fate that cannot be altered. In fact, whether you've thought about it consciously or not, for reasons we've already mentioned, you may be feeling that way right now: trapped, tied down, imprisoned and doomed to a life of mediocrity and failure... or, at least, a life of boredom!

There are keys to unlock those prison doors! The place to start is by getting a better definition of "destiny".

One of Webster's definitions of destiny is "divine decree". Some people might think of "divine decree" as predestination. In that line of thought, a divine being controls the path and the outcome of your life and there is nothing you can do about it. There is a much more helpful and practical way to think of destiny. Your true destiny is to accomplish in every detail the master plan for your life, using each gift and resource at your command for maximum positive impact on the world around you.

These words contain 3 key concepts. Because they are so fundamental and essential, we will elaborate on their significance a little more. These are the underlying assumptions, the starting places, the launching pads of all that I will be writing. You can certainly choose to disagree with these assumptions, but they are my assumptions and a priori arguments, the foundations of the whole paradigm.

Firstly, your destiny can only be understood in terms of making maximum positive impact on the world around you. Your destiny is not defined by what you get but by what you give. The nature of your personal "positive impact" will depend on many unique factors: your personality, your talents and interests, your life circumstances, the culture and time at which you live. But all of us, if we reach our true destiny, will leave behind something good.

(Take one "Positive Impact" assessment here: www.bucketbook.com )

What the good thing is that you are destined to leave behind when you depart this earth is the very thing that you need to discover! Legacy and destiny are the same, viewed from different time points. Of course, for the Christian believer, destiny extends ever onward into eternity.

Secondly, every human being has gifts and resources that must be developed and used if they are to fulfill their destiny. By gifts, we refer to inner talents and abilities: your greatest intellectual abilities, physical attributes and personality characteristics. By resources, we refer to the aspects of your external environment over which you have control: the things you own, the money you possess, the artifacts of your life. Everyone has something they can use to make a positive impact on the world around them. However, the crucial point is this: those gifts and resources must be developed and deployed; the mere fact that you have them does not fulfill your destiny. It is using them to their fullest extent for maximum impact that really counts. What are the gifts and resources that you must develop? Again, that is exactly what you are here to discover!

Ultimately, we come to the greatest concept of all: there must be a master plan for your life. No great building was ever built without a blueprint. No great life was ever lived without a master plan. Is it possible to build a fulfilling and successful life without a sense of connection to a master plan?

The prophet Jeremiah in the Bible offered this encouragement for people to seek out for themselves the Master and the master plan for their lives:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29: 11 -13 NIV

So, according to Jeremiah, there is a Master, there is a master plan, and you can find His plan, but not without some prayers, introspection and effort on your part.

What is the next step for you?

The Will of God

2004-07-31T23:01:00.001-04:00

Let’s look at a theological and biblical perspective on this subject of destiny. Have you ever prayed to know the will of God?

When you prayed this prayer to know the will of God, what actually was the arena in which you wanted to know God’s will? Probably, it was the arena of a major decision in your life, such as, “God, is it your will for me to change careers?” Or, “God, is it your will for me to do this or that?” Most likely, your prayer was about “do” and not “who”. Right? "God, what should I do?"

What if I said that you don’t have to pray to know will of God? After all, the model prayer – that is, the Lords Prayer – says, “Thy will be done.” It does not say, “Show me your will.”

Consider Matthew 12: 46 – 50 NIV While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Surely, it is not our career choice that makes us Jesus’ brother or sister! It doesn't fit, does it? “Whoever chooses the right career is my brother and sister.”

It doesn’t even sound right to say, “Whoever enters the full-time ministry is my brother and sister.” How about this: “Whoever is my disciple and learns of me is my brother and sister.” Does that not sound much more likely?

What if I said that I can tell God’s will for your life right now?

Ephesian 5:17-18 NIV Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk… instead, be filled with the Spirit!

1 Thessalonians 4:3 NIV It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality…

1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 NIV Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2: 13 - 15 NIV Submit yourself… to every authority instituted among men… for it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men

So the will of God is much more about “who” than “do”. Who are you to be? You are to be sober, spiritual, self-controlled especially in the realm of your sexuality, joyful, prayerful, thankful, and a law-abiding citizen. That is the will of God for your life.

So then, what about career decisions? How do we pray about those? Those decisions are a matter of wisom. And if anyone lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally and upbraids not --which is the King James way of saying "God doesn't mind if you ask". The interesting thing about wisdom is that it implies that we ultimately must participate in the decision and make the decision.

It is really easy for God to move us into the right career and the right geographical location if we are genuinely committed to his will. The “do” flows from the “who”. Focus on become the kind of person you were designed to be; career and financial prosperity will flow out of a series of events in your life which will in the end prove to have been providential.

The Destiny Within

2004-07-31T23:01:00.000-04:00

This whole erroneous idea of finding the meaning of life in what we do is as old as mankind. Jesus said thousands of years ago, “The kingdom is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Philippians 2:13 NIV says for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

The seeds of your destiny were planted in you at your birth. You were born at a certain time and place in history. You were born with certain genetic predispositions and a temperament. You were born with certain inevitable challenges and opportunities facing you. You were born blessed by God according to the scriptures with certain innate aptitudes. But as the saying goes, your abilities are God’s gift to you; what you do with them is your gift to God. I say that what you do with them determines your destiny.

Americans are pragmatic and action-oriented people. But your destiny lies within you. It is locked up inside. You must discover the keys that will unleash your potential, increase your personal power and leverage your passion in order to Discover Your Destiny.

How Do You Define Yourself?

2004-07-28T21:53:00.000-04:00

Why is there such a longing for a more fulfilled and meaningful life? Maybe it is nothing more complicated than simply being too busy. Consider, for example, two books presented in book reviews by the Wall Street Journal (March 7, 2000, page A-24). One was entitled The Working Life and the other There's No Place Like Work.

The reviewer gives this summary: "...we are working longer and harder than ever before. Indeed, statistics prove this is so. But to what end? Yes, standards of living are higher, and incomes too. But some of us are beginning to wonder whether it's worth it..." The reviewer goes on to say that the books in question make the following arguments:

that Americans have been brainwashed into believing that work is a source of self-fulfillment
that feminism has degraded the woman's role as mother and homemaker, leading to "a systematic devaluation of home life, leading to a social pathology in children raised without full time parents."

Interesting ideas! If nothing else, they illustrate the pervasive extent to which we Americans, men and women alike, define ourselves by what we do, not who we are.

Want to know why we have so much difficulty discovering our destiny? It's because the answer to the question "What am I supposed to do with my life?" is determined by our answer to another question: "Who am I supposed to become?"

What kind of person are you supposed to become?

If you are serious about discovering your destiny, the journey begins when you replace "do" with "who" and you start to discover the you that God created you to be.

Digging for Gold

2004-07-26T21:41:00.000-04:00

Americans today feel a need to find a deeper meaning to life. This is true of religious and non-religious people alike. I see at least 4 signs of this.

First, success and self-help literature is immensely popular. Apparently, people don't feel successful.

Secondly, Christian and religious success and self-help books are, if anything, more popular than even the secular market. The Associated Press published and article on May 20th, 2001 titled, "Writers Promote Bible as Self-help Manual". In fact, I recently visited a very large Christian book store and one of the largest sections in the store was called "Self-Help". by the way, one of the Christian books mentioned in the article was, If Men are Like Buses Then How Do I Catch One? Some of the more serious titles:

Half Time: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance

The Gift of Peace (which sold 350,000 copies within 9 weeks).

So the literature is out there in vast quantities, indicating that people are interested in success and significance.

Thirdly, there is a rapidly developing new profession called "life coaching". At the August, 2001 World Conference of Christian Counselors, which I attended, more than 300 therapists, psychiatrists, and counselors gathered in a work-shop that hailed life coaching as an emerging trend. The definition of life coaching: a client-coach relationship that empowers the client to take action toward greater fulfillment in life. The fees are not inexpensive but people are signing up by the hundreds.

Fourthly, I know from personal experience the feeling that "there is something more to me than the world has yet seen." Do you ever have a feeling like that? Something great in you struggling to get out?

There is a deeply felt need among many Americans, no less in the church than out of it, to find a more significant and fulfilling way of life.

This need can be described as the quest to discover one's destiny. The Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer, in her book How to Succeed at Being Yourself, says, "I hope you have a dream of vision in your heart for something greater than you have now. Ephesians 3:20 KJV tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that we can hope or ask or think. If we are not thinking, hoping, or asking for anything, we are cheating ourselves. We need to think big thoughts, hope for big things and ask for big things. I always say, I would rather ask God for a lot and get half of it, than to ask Him for a little and get all of it."

Finally, Joyce says, "There is a gold mine hidden in every life, but we have to dig to get to it."

Are you digging for the gold in your life? Have you even scratched the surface yet? Why wait any longer? Begin today thinking, hoping and praying for big things.

In the Beginning

2004-07-24T12:57:00.000-04:00