Photo credit: Pim Warnars
This is going to be controversial, mostly because it will go against widely accepted logic.
"Give me liberty or give me death."
Attributed to Patrick Henry in a speech of 1775, although first recorded by those present decades after the event.
Could it be that is some cases liberty is their means of injury or even death? Let me explain.
Photo credit: Keith Gandy
Despair. Maybe the face of a dear friend comes to mind.
When the consequences of life choices ripen and the harvest is reaped. Maybe a relationship ends and rejection occurs. It's generally complex and always heartbreaking. So great is the fall that not even Humpty Dumpty's friends and counselors can put the pieces back together again.
No denial in the world makes the hurt go away. That kind of emotional devastation is not like the occasional storm that blows over quickly.
An ancient king states that anyone can retain firm hope by shifting perspective in three areas.
I found this article to be helpful and thought-provoking. It was written by the author: Michelle Ackerman Perez and first appeared in Relevant Magazine and can be found here.
It is estimated that over 1.5 million people from the United States participate in short-term mission trips every year. That is a lot of people. And those 1.5 million people spend close to $2 billion for these trips.
I stumbled accross an informative TED Talk, that deals with two myths: you only use 10% of your brain capacity? And the myth of multi-tasking.
I share it with you.
My take-away:
1. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
2. Rest (a sabbath) is just plain brilliant - God knew what he was doing.
3. Eating wisely is good for the welfare of thinking.
4. Focus, rather than the number of irons-in-the-fire produce better results in the long run. This one thing I do, said Paul. (Php 3:13)
5. With such a complex organ, why would you ever want to introduce recreational drugs into the system and run the risk of losing valuable, non-renewable neurons?