PRESENT

You may have heard …
Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the "present".
Happy Tuesday!

Carry with You These Gifts of the Heart...

Trust... that whatever happens,

there is someone who will understand.

Honesty... the feeling that you

never need to hold back.

Peace... in being accepted for

who you really are.

Beauty... in outlook

more than appearance.

Freedom... to be yourself,

to change, and to grow.

Joy... in every day, in every memory,

and in your hopes for the future.

Love... to last a lifetime,

and perhaps beyond.

D. L. Riepl

What a thought for me today...  These 7 things are gifts.   Very simple and what a blessing to have in life.  Take time to think today about these gifts and share them with the world.   = )

Tina Smith

Monday Motto - Be Realistic and Honest

Monday Motto : Be Realistic and Honest


Proverbs 25:14 Who ever falsely boasts of gifts [he does not give] is like clouds and wind without rain.

This past week I wrote a post called HELD ACCOUNTABLE. In that post I mentioned taking a spiritual gifts test where I scored a total of 1 out of 15 in the category of Mercy. ( I was not happy about that!! ) :0(

In this verse is states that who ever falsely boasts of gifts ....I would have told you that I am a fairly merciful person...because I love people ...and I can empathize with others....and I want to help people....(I don’t like to look bad ) But the reality is when it comes to --dictionary.com definition: being compassionate or having kindly forbearance toward an offender or an enemy --- I personally would like to show them the letter of the law. I dont have natural mercy for offenders....but if I find others are unkind to someone and my feelings become affected I want to defend them --i dont know if that mercy or not...???

When you believe something or speak something that is not true then -- we become -- a cloud and wind without rain. Believing and speaking things that are not real are good for nothing, just a passing cloud that is here today and gone tomorrow ---they hold no weight!!! ...no substance...

It is only when we can be honest with ourselves and others that we are able to do something about what IS...

God desires that we call those things that be not, as though they were. (Romans 4:17)

I can not have faith to be more merciful if I am not willing to be honest about how non-merciful I am. Only then ....when I am realistic...seeing truthfully....can I have FAITH to call forth the MERCY of God up out of the SPIRIT that lives within me. As long as I falsely believe I am ok....I am only relying of my own WORKS of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Those false beliefs make me in need of MERCY...

Lord thank you that you know how to show us TRUTH about our humanness and need for you. That we can see YOU, that we can rely on you to be what we are weak in through your strength and not our own. Thank you that I can see that while I am not so merciful, I am however in need of much mercy and that you Lord are the ultimate source of MERCY for us all.

F & L'er
Starla

Held Accountable

 The other night I had a dream and in my dream my BFF says to me :

Great understanding is hard to percieve when your flipping channels like morning T.V.

ohhhhhhhhh PROFOUND!!

So I tell Tina what she says to me in my dream and she's like "Hey that's pretty good!"   --right???  she is the one who told me...lol haha

So that same day that I told her about this dream I took this spiritual gifts test that our Pastor handed out to us at church. I had been putting this test off for like a week or so..... (I know, I know...your thinking WHY!!??)

 Well I was a little worried how low I would score in some areas......I took the test and I scored a total of 1 point in MERCY!  I was so mad, upset, bothered and driving myself nuts over it that I talked about it for 3 days after that. My BFF gets me on the MSN chat and asks me some questions....she notices everything...BFF's are good at that! :0) LOL

Well while she is asking me questions trying to get me to get to the bottom of why this MERCY thing is driving me crazy....I change the subject a little ...AND GUESS WHAT SHE SAYS TO ME??????!!!

Well your off that subject on to something else, reminds me of that dream thing about flippin channels....

BUSTED!!!!!   HELD ACCOUNTABLE  ....that is Friendships of Love in ACTION form.

Know ---I know she wants to know about me

Share ---I shared my dream with her

Serve ---she serves me the TRUTH and helps me to grow.

How often do we just get offended when we have a person in our life that will hold us accountable??

She called me out!!  Truth is I am not all that great on Mercy....if you screw up-- you get to eat what you baked in my book.....but I did scored high on Exhortation ...so I will lift you up and tell you that you can make it through when you screw up but I am not gonna let you slide and act like you didn't do it. --although at times I secretly hope others will do that for me  :0)

The best I can do since I scored 1 point ...is KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!! but I'm sure you'll still get my vibe.

F & L'er

Starla