Tag Archives: #hope

Spirituality

Smile!

Every day I wake up with a smile! Many people need to ease into their day, but not me. I’m ready to go when I wake up.

The trauma of my childhood has given me a lightning quick wit. For years it was a coping mechanism for me, a way to keep people from getting too close. Since working through the challenges of my youth along with the subsequent healing, my wit is a great way to make others laugh. Now I use it as a way to draw people in, not keep them away.

Use your smile to lift others spirits. People are hurting. Mental health remains shredded.

You never know. Your kindness might be someone’s last, best hope…

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Spirituality

Five Stones

Goliath, who stood around 9 feet tall, was feared by the entire Israeli army. Goliath taunted them daily. He appeared to be unstoppable.

A shepherd named David saw things differently from the others. David was insulted by “this uncircumcised Phillistine.” Goliath was an abomination to the Lord in David’s eyes, so he decided to do something about him. David’s brothers, along with the other soldiers tried to talk David out of his plan, but David was undeterred. He knew he had God on his side, and God would use David to kill the giant.

You know the story of David and Goliath. David took him out with one stone hurled at Goliaths forehead. The now-emboldened Israelis destroyed the Phillistine army after David had slain Goliath.

David believed. We should believe, too. God is on our side just as He was on David’s. So what stops our belief? We see things through our eyes rather than through God’s eyes. That’s the only difference.

People sometimes ask why David took five smooth stones instead of just one. After all, he was confident that God would show up, right? Well, Goliath had four brothers. David came prepared…

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Spirituality

Why I Write

Why do I write? As I was driving home yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this.

I became a writer in 2015. A friend of mine encouraged me to write. He would say encouraged, but I say pestered! Yet, I’m glad I listened because without his constant harassment I would have never begun. And the truth is, I am the least qualified to write anything. I didn’t take English in college because I hated the subject so much.

My encouragement to you is to listen to those who encourage you to try something new, something that is worthwhile. You might really enjoy it, even when you believe you won’t.

The reason I write is to inspire and help people. In a divided world, my hope is to build bridges, not tear them down.

Anyone can criticize others and bring them down. That’s easy. I choose to lift them up through words and actions.

Be a peacemaker…

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Spirituality

Walk It Out

There was a time where I remember being told that the sun was bad for us. It isn’t. Have you noticed how the plants and flowers grow towards the sunlight? Animals and birds love the way the sun feels on their bodies. So do we!

Nature is there for us to enjoy. The endorphins in our brains come alive when we experience beauty. We will not get the same healthy energy from sitting and watching television. Experiencing natural beauty while moving our bodies will benefit us in ways that are indescribable.

Get outside every opportunity you have. Take a long walk. Breathe deeply. Enjoy the beautiful scenery that’s all around you…

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Spirituality

Backroads

When I was a teenager, I used to love exploring backroads and Farm-to-Market destinations. The adventure of the unknown was exciting to me. Then “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” came out and I was a little more cautious! But the call of the mysterious kept me coming back.

Each of us is on a road, a different road than anyone else. Traveling down that road is an unknown. We aren’t completely certain where it leads us, but we must remain undeterred in our travels.

This is the road of our life I am talking about. It has twists and turns, ups and downs, happiness and sometimes, tragedy. But regardless of the uncertainty, we march on with a different drumbeat keeping us in time.

You can choose to copy others and try to travel down their road, but it won’t get you where God wants to take you. To find fulfillment, you must stay on your road no matter how difficult it gets.

Copying others will leave you feeling hollow. Find inspiration and strength from their stories, but stay true to yourself and your calling…

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Spirituality

Watchers

I never watch the weather. You see, only old people watch the weather and I like to stay young!

Everyone is always watching something. We watch the road when we drive, watch television, watch the bats (in Austin, Texas), and we watch each other. There are always eyes on us.

God watches over us all the time. He is there when we sleep and He’s here right now. Some believe God is looking to catch us doing something wrong. That’s just not true. He sees those things, but He sees everything else as well. When we do something good for mankind we don’t need to blow our own horn about it. The only one who matters sees it. And He remembers.

The world is watching. Give them something worth their attention…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Remorse

Have you ever felt remorse? Of course you have, and so have I. By definition, remorse is a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs.

You can stop feeling remorse. If you have wronged someone, apologize immediately. Commit to not speaking rudely or judgmental towards someone else again. Then keep your commitment. Treat others well going forward. Accept them as they are, where they are in life.

Let go of guilt if you are truly sorry for your actions. You cannot change the past, but you can resolve to do better going forward. If you find yourself constantly beating yourself up for sins of the past, you can stop that now.

If you are working on improving yourself, keep working! And remember to be kind to yourself along the way. Growth takes time…

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Spirituality

Rebirth

Are you fulfilled in life? If the answer is no, you are not alone. During the course of my life I have met countless people who want more, but fear going after it. The universal truth in each of their stories is that they know they have a greater purpose than they are living.

Here’s some good, no, great news! It’s not too late. You are still living and breathing. It’s time to rewrite your life.

You have been given a good mind with the ability to think. Take some time to consider what you really want from this life. Then decide to go after it. Turn your desire into a white-hot flame that no man can extinguish. Visualize yourself succeeding. Allow nothing to stop you, no matter how hard things get.

Be patient with your progress. Your new life won’t be created in a day. But it will come to fruition if you stay with it.

And remember to thank God along the way. He gave you your purpose as well as the tools to make it happen.

What are you waiting for? Get going…

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Spirituality

Tumbleweeds

If you have ever traveled to the western parts of the United States, you have probably seen a tumbleweed. Tumbleweeds were brought to America by accident in the 1870’s, and we can’t seem to be able to get rid of them!

Tumbleweeds go wherever the wind blows them. They have no direction, no purpose, no plan. Some people are living their lives like a tumbleweed, with no direction, no purpose, and no plan. These people just show up for life and accept what comes their way.

Everyone has a purpose, a reason for being here. God created each of us with His plans in mind. We go off and do our own plans and when they don’t work out, we blame God and give up. What we should do is listen to the voice of God and follow His prompts. He wants us to live fully, doing the work we are uniquely qualified for.

It won’t be easy to accomplish, but it’s not too late to find your purpose. What, you say? If I’m doing what God put me here for, it should be easy. That’s a valid point, but there is an invisible enemy who is trying to stop you.

God remains on our side. He will prevail. Remember this when you are in the middle of the battle…

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Uncategorized

Interview with Ashley Spence

Every 68 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted. Yet, less than 3% of the perpetrators will ever spend time behind bars.

Ashley Spence is doing something about it. At 19, Ashley was the victim of a home invasion rape that nearly took her life. She turned her pain into purpose and is leading the fight to use DNA to catch the criminals before they can harm another person, get justice for victims, and exonerate the innocent. Her first book, “Silent Witness” was recently published. We discuss that and more in the latest episode of The Determined People Podcast.

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