Face the Lions

A young boy is trying to make his way on horseback to a land of promise, but the boy’s entire journey seems beset with encounters with lions.

During the beginning of his journey, when lions pursue him and another nearby traveler, they end up journeying together for added safety. At another time, just as they are trying to reach the safety of a city in advance of some evildoers, and think they may not make it, another lion pursues them. This causes them to expend even more energy and strength to reach the gates of their desired haven.

Finally, the boy, exhausted from his journey, is trying to find his way on a foggy path to a place of shelter where he can sleep for the night. But he can’t see the way, and soon realizes he’s lost. And if that isn’t bad enough, he hears a lion’s growl just in front of him. That was the last straw for the boy. He didn’t care to run or hide or try to fight off the attacker this time.

“Fine, eat me!” he says. “I don’t care anymore. My life is horrible and everything goes wrong for me.” But to his surprise, the lion talks to him and asks him why he feels like his life is so horrible.

The boy goes on to expound on all the difficulties of his journey, making mention of every encounter with lions. He says that surely he must’ve had the worst life of all because everything always went so wrong. Then he asks‚ “See, don’t you now agree that my life is cursed?”

The lion responds, “No. Instead I see that your life is blessed.” Shocked, the boy asks him how, and the lion replies‚ “There was never more than one lion with you on your entire journey. And I was that lion.

“I was the one who chased you at the beginning of your journey so that you would travel with a companion. I was the one who scared away hungry animals at night, even though my growls also scared you. And when you were running for safety in the city, I was the one who chased you just when you felt like you had no more strength left.

“Through chasing you I gave you the strength to run harder than before so that your pursuers wouldn’t catch up with you. And now, when you are lost and feel at the end of your rope, I am here with you to show you the way home.”

–Excerpt taken from “Apples Of Gold, Part 1 [#3644]“

Links:

Message Channeled From Beyond: “Face the Lions”–full. Click for more…

Searching for the answer……?

Happypizza: Here’s a pantomime act you should watch. I enjoyed it a lot and liked the message of the sketch. You can click on the links below to see it. The caption posted with the uploaded video says:

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‘A Pantomime dedicated to all those that have not given up on their quest to find true love and genuine happiness.”

Click on picture below

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The Box

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Links:

The “Box Skit”

The “Box Skit–Intro and Prologue”

Because God Loves Me

Happypizza: Here is a nice one! I came across this text in a book by Norman Wright called “Answer to Depression”. I thought this little segment was very encouraging.  It’s nice to be reminded that God is often not as hard on us as we are sometimes.
Cheers!

Yeah, even you...

Because God loves me He is slow to lose patience with me.

Because God loves me He takes the circumstances of my life and uses them in a constructive way for my growth.

Because God loves me He has no need to impress me with how great and powerful He is because He is God, nor does He belittle me as His child in order to show me how important He is.

Because God loves me He is for me. He wants to see me mature and develop in His love.

Because God loves me He does not send down His wrath on every little mistake I make, of which there are many.

Because God loves me, He does not keep score of all my sins and then beat me over the head with them whenever He gets the chance.

Because God loves me He is deeply grieved when I do not walk in the ways that please Him because He sees this as evidence that I don’t trust Him and love Him as I should.

Because God loves me He rejoices when I experience His power and strength and stand up under the pressures of life for His Name’s sake.

Because God loves me He keeps on working patiently with me even when I feel like giving up and can’t see why He doesn’t give up with me, too.

Because God loves me He keeps on trusting me when at times I don’t even trust myself.

Because God loves me He never says there is no hope for me; rather, He patiently works with me, loves me and disciplines me in such a way that it is hard for me to understand the depth of His concern for me.

Because God loves me He never forsakes me even though many of my friends might. Because God loves me He stands with me when I have reached the rock bottom of despair, when I see the real me and compare that with His beauty and love. It is at a moment like this that I can really believe that God loves me.

Yes, the greatest of all gifts is God’s perfect love!

True Love…

…suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is   not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.*
…God is love.**

*I Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13
**1 John 4:8b

Is Your Grasp Slipping?

Happypizza: I first read this story (below) many years ago. Since then I’ve often been reminded of it especially during tough times–always thought it had a very unique “life lesson”. Sometimes I’ve found I just have to let go, and let God have His way in life….not matter how terrifying it may seem at first. As in the story below….you might be in for a surprise!

Holding on?

Trust Him….He will hold you up!

A story is told of a man who slid down a rope into a well. He supposed the rope to be of ample length, but to his dismay when he reached the end of it he could not touch the bottom of the well with his feet. He tried to climb back up the rope but could not. In vain he gripped, struggled and clawed at the rope hoping to get back to the top but a mixture of moisture, grease and his sweaty palms made the task all but impossible. Desperate, fearful and terrified he held on for dear life. He dared not let go knowing full well he would be dashed to pieces at the bottom. Eventually he reached his limit and could hold on no more. His strength and every bit of energy he had within him was gone. He finally gave in and let the rope slip from his grasp. He fell-just three inches!

Can You Tell Me Why Disasters?

Happypizza: My deepest and sincerest prayers and condolences go out to all those who lost loved ones and/or suffered harm, injury or any kind of loss during the recent cyclone in Myanmar and/or earthquake in China.

I’ve been carefully following the news of the two recent natural (or as some say “unnatural”) disasters in both Burma and China. It is so sad and sobering to watch as the full scope of the desolation, which tragically resulted in the loss of an untold thousands of lives, unfolds before our eyes.

It’s real to me personally as I have been to Burma before and have friends in both China and Burma—who thankfully from what I’ve heard are all safe.

I will not get into the politics of the disaster….especially considering the one in Burma where it seems the horror of the disaster is compounded by the political situation. What I do want to write about and touch on is the “God factor” of these events or “acts of God” as natural disasters are often referred too. Especially the question: How could God allow these things to happen?

It seems that natural disasters cause many to lose hope and faith in God. I find it can also, strangely enough, strengthen my faith and hope in God!

You might wonder how I could find a natural disaster to be faith-building? Well, first off it’s helpful to start with a belief in a God of Love and a belief in an afterlife—this life is definitely (and I want to emphasize this point) definitely not the end!!

In short–I believe that death for the loving is not something to dread and fear. This physical life/existence is not eternal or final and we can look forward to the eternal life/existence beyond this life! So I feel no matter how tragic the circumstances are in are in our current physical reality, those who lives have ended and who have passed on to the next are in the loving hands of their Creator and what better place can you be then that? –Maybe it was his mercy?

If you want some further reading on how one can look at tragedies and disasters in the positive–click to read this dissertation below:

“Why Disasters?”

And for a compilation on comfort read here:

“God’s Promises of Comfort and Deliverance”

One addition–not long after I watched a report of both the disasters on the international news, I came across and listened to a old song titled “Can You Tell Me Why Disasters” written and sung by an artist named “Zac Lightman”. I liked it so much that I transcribed it from my MP3 player to my computer so I could post the lyrics with this post. I think the song’s message is as hauntingly applicable for today as it was when it was written over 20 years ago.

Here are the lyrics:

Can You Tell Me Why Disasters?

Why do the innocent seem to fall for no reason?
They say the good die young,
While the guilty go along
You must believe in Love
to truly understand.

It is the same question down through the ages
if God is love how could he let this be?
How could he allow the poor to suffer
and then let the guilty go free?

Although death is not a curse for the loving–
it’s a gateway from suffering and pain
It’s the mercy of God to end their sorrow
and a chance to start over again

Can you tell me why, why, why disasters?
Why do the innocent seem to fall for no reason?
They say the good die young
while the guilty go along
You must believe in Love
to truly understand

Lyrics by Zac Waxman

Please continue to keep the victims of these disasters in your prayers. Pray that help, relief and supplies will get to those who need it desperately and that those who survived will be taken care of and comforted. Please also pray for the commendable and laudable efforts of all those involved in the relief and rehabilitation work–for their strength, courage, skill, and protection while they are helping those who were affected.

It Didn’t Come To Stay….

A wise woman once said “I have always been encouraged by the words “And it came to pass.” When I am upset by troubles, I go to the Word of God, and I never get far before I read “It came to pass.”–an old English phrase meaning “it happened” or “next” or “once upon a time” But I read that phrase and interpret it literally, “Thank God that the storms of life didn’t come to “stay” but that it came to…”pass” –it passed over, came and left.

I found that in my “storms” of discouragement and despair I just had to carry on faithfully. And as I did, these things came to pass, and I was brought through them. The storms did not always end when I wished them to. I had to go through the beatings and the thrashings many times, but God always gave me the grace, and afterwards brought me through, comforted me, healed me, kept me and rewarded me—It didn’t come to stay—it came to pass!

So next time you are weathering a storm or you are facing one of those test of endurance—tell yourself that it hasn’t come to stay but it has come, and will definitely pass!

Here for additional reading

Have You Hit Rock Bottom?

The mistake:

There was a beautiful phrase running through my head yesterday, amidst the blackened spot of some major failure on my part at work.

To backtrack, I did something that was a seemingly harmless risk, that ended up being, well…..really stupid and having a terrible outcome and resulting consequences. Now I have to face the music and accept responsibility for my mistake.

I won’t get into details, but at the time of the mistake, I just couldn’t believe what I’d done and just so wish I could go back in time and do it all over again, do the right thing. It also seemed to have happened at just the wrong time in my life (as I was also already facing some very intense personal difficulty) and I didn’t feel any good reason for this situation and everything else I was facing to happen all at once, it felt like an emotional “perfect storm”. Even though it was something I did, it just felt it all was so unfair that things had to turn out the way they did since a lot of it was beyond my control–I honestly felt like I completely hit rock bottom.

After this experience I came to the realization that:

All Occurs For a Reason…….

“All occurs for a reason”, such a beautiful phrase but also seems to be one of the hardest phrase to personally believe or accept when facing difficulty, lost, and disappointment. To be honest I’ve been going through some personal heartbreaks of late, that are too personal to post here, but what I can say is that it’s been a bit like one of your worst fears coming upon you and then not really knowing whether it’s here to stay or it will pass, but all the while waiting in agonizing limbo.

It’s been a real struggling. Sometimes it’s hard—no, almost impossible, to keep on going, taking that next step to make it through the day. I feel at the best of times I’m just running through the motions–a zombie, sorta. Though I’ve heard that “there is always a light at the end of every tunnel” or “the darkest hour is just before dawn” it just doesn’t always look or seem that way in reality.

I think that if it weren’t for the love and mercy of God and His angels of comfort, and the promises in His Word—which gives me the faith and hope to meet these challenges, I’d just be overwhelmed by the weight, the negativity, and despair of it all. Now I don’t want this blog post to spread despair and hopelessness to you. I’m pretty sure that everybody has enough troubles of their own without needing to wade through someone else’s private negativity. So that’s why I wanted to post these beautiful lyrics that really put some interesting perspectives to disappointments and nonsensical occurrences. I mean if you look at troubles in the positive, the way the lyrics below bring out; it certainly takes the edge off the monsters of despair and hopelessness which try to undermine your happiness, faith, and sanity.

If you are going through any personal tragedy in your life right now, I totally feel for you especially after battling myself through some recent long and lonely trials. If sorrow, injury, loneliness, loss, heartbreak, tragedy, death, sickness, confusion, hopelessness, suffering, deprivation, or anyone of the myriad of difficulties of life are crushing down on you and threatening to take everything good away from you—don’t’ give up hope. There is Someone who cares for you and loves you–Jesus, the greatest and most wonderful, loving spirit of light, who loves you more than anyone else in the whole word can and will help you if you need Him. Call out to Him and He will answer you. Trust me He is there in your darkest night. Keep hope alive. Don’t give up the fight. I hope this poem below will encourage you in some special way. You can also listen to a the song at this link:

Rhyme of Life.mp3–Net Radio

Rhyme Of Life Lyrics

If every thought that came to mind came true,
What kind of world would it be?
If every promise sworn by man was kept,
What would divine words mean to me?

If every chance to succeed had gone my way,
What personality would I have today?
If my first romance had granted me life’s every passion,
Would I have ever crossed your way?

Looking through the book of my life,
Turning pages of passing years,
I see a perfect rhyme throughout my life line.
Through the good times I hold dear,
And through my heartaches, through my tears,
My life has moved in time to the Creator of the design.

If every kiss had promised something more,
Would I have ever felt let down?
If my every desire had ended in satisfaction,
Would I still be satisfied now?

If my every dream had become reality,
What would I be dreaming of today?
If every wish I’d wished had come to be,
Would I be happier today?

I take from life all it has to give, given by the One for whom I live.
All occurs for a reason,
And for this reason I live a life that was given to me to give.
Through the good times I hold dear,
And through my heartaches, through my tears,
My life has moved in time to the Creator of the design.
Music & lyrics: Andrew V., Katrina L.

If You Were Going Crazy?

Someone once asked, “What would you do if you thought you were going crazy?”

The reply came, “I’d go out and find someone less fortunate to serve!” Life just seems to make a lot more sense when you’re helping someone who has more problems than you do. And it’s somehow reassuring to be the one helping another person up rather than being helped up yourself. For instance, when you pass a man sitting on the sidewalk who has no legs and you put a dollar in his cup and take a pencil, you walk away thinking, “My life’s not so bad after all!”

 (Excerpts from “Making Things Right”—By Paul Faulkner)

What would you do if you knew you were losing your mind?

 

One ship sails east and another west

While the selfsame breezes blow

‘Tis the set of the sail and not the gale

That bids them where to go.

As the winds of the air are the ways of fate

As we voyage along through life,

‘Tis the set of the soul that decides our goal

And not the storm and the strife

–By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

 

Follow On

Follow On–this song was running through my head the other day. The lyrics are simple but whenever I think about the words or sing it, it kinda gives me a hopeful, uplifting feeling. I heard it when I was younger and it has always stuck with me don’t ask me why!

Follow on and the sun will rise to meet you
Follow on through the dark and through the rain
Build a bridge of broken dreams
And set your ship asail again
One more step, one more hour follow on

–For every midnight dark and cold
There’s a sunrise and a promise of new hope
And so in every broken heart
Lie the pieces that can make a brand new start
Give the dawn a chance to -rise
Let a new love wipe the tears from your eyes

Follow on and the sun will rise to meet you
Follow on through the dark and through the rain
Build a bridge of broken dreams
And set your ship a’sail again
One more step, one more hour follow on

–And though today’s tears fall like rain
Tomorrow’s rainbow will paint the sky again
When sorrow makes you want to die
Let God’s loving hand fashion a new life
Why let bitterness take -hold?
When love can heal our hearts
And help us face the road to

Follow on and the sun will rise to meet you
Follow on through the dark and through the rain
Build a bridge of broken dreams
And set your ship a’sail again
One more step, one more hour follow -on

–Micah Teddy