ENCOURAGEMENT...

I watched as a little boy trotted to home plate to take his first bat ever in a T-Ball game. He picked up the bat... almost as big as he was... and took a mighty swing. In fact he swung so hard his momentum swung him all the way around and he fell down.

Unfortunately, the ball was still on the tee. His dad walked over to him and said, “You missed the ball.” The young boys face became filled with disappointment. However, the dad followed up with... “but that was an awesome swing. I believe you will hit a home run with your next swing”! The young boys face was filled with a big smile and he beamed confidence after those words of ENCOURAGEMENT!

William Arthur Ward said, "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you."

Don’t forget. Even in a world of oppression, injustice, suffering, heartache, disappointment, discouragement, etc. Real encouragement, real joy, real happiness, real fulfillment, real peace is GOD IN YOU.

Just when I need Him, Jesus is near,

Just when I falter, just when I fear;

Ready to help me, ready to cheer,

Just when I need Him most.

Be an ENCOURAGER to someone today.

Have a "Blessed" day!!!

Expectations

We can so quickly mis-judge someone's salvation because they spoke a curse word… or drank alcohol… or slipped in one way or another. Do we expect all Christians to walk a religious tight rope perfectly and never once stumble? Do we walk perfectly? 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." We need to ‘see’ others as Jesus sees them… we need to ‘love’ those around us like Jesus loves them… and we need to let God do the rest. Live in God’s love. Look at other people through God’s lenses of love. This is how you walk in the light of His love… this is what pleases God. Maturity takes time. We should not judge a person’s total character based on one action. Instead of jumping to conclusions… & expecting instantaneous perfection… focus on loving… excepting… encouraging… and allow God to love through you!!!

Names

A person has... 3 NAMES.

First... you have the family name you inherit.

Second... you have the name your parents give you at birth.

Third.. you have the name you "make for yourself".

WARNING... BEWARE:

DOUBT KILLS more DREAMS... than FAILURE ever will!!!
Solution: Step out in Faith... quote over and over out loud, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world"... and attempt what you know God has called you to do. You do not necessarily need to know what tomorrow holds... all you need to know is that God is holding tomorrow! The great missionary William Carey said, "Attempt great things for God... Expect great things from God."

Were your Mom & Dad mean?

Mine sure were. We had the meanest mother & father in the whole world!

While other kids ate candy for breakfast… we had to have healthy stuff like cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch… we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too. 

Mom & Dad insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. They had to know who our friends were… and what we were doing with them. They insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour… we would be gone for an hour or less. 

We were ashamed to admit it, but they had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think they would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do. 

They always insisted on us telling the truth… the whole truth… and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers they could read our minds.

Then, life was really tough! Mom & Dad wouldn't let our friend’s just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. 

On Sundays there was no question whether we would get up & go to church or stay home. They took us to church whenever the doors opened… they taught us to love God… love others… and love ourselves… and then they often stayed to say good bye to the last person at church. Then they expected us live out what we learned at church. 

Because of our Mom & Dad we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all their fault. 

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom & Dad were. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough of the right kind of mean Moms & Dads.

 Blessings on you!