Tag Archives: #hope

Spirituality

Echoes of the Past

Creating wonderful experiences with your friends and family turns into beautiful memories. They not only give us something to remember fondly, but we feel encouraged to create more of them.

Have you ever heard of triggers? Triggers are stimuli that cause a sudden, intense emotional reaction. The mind stores everything. Triggers are oftentimes a warning signal. The mind is trying to protect us from something even when we don’t understand what is going on.

The holidays can trigger me. From my observation there are many like me. Don’t misunderstand, I love the holidays but they evoke memories of disappointment. Perhaps the Christmas movies set a false expectation. On the other hand, those perfect holiday films give us something to strive for. We must keep believing.

I snap out of my funk by doing for others. Selecting thoughtful gifts for my children brings me great joy. I believe that when we are giving of ourselves we reflect the light of our Creator. Thinking of others removes our selfish nature.

Unresolved traumas can bring ugly echoes of the past. I encourage you to work through them. It’s not easy, but anything worthwhile never is. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you’ll get there…

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Spirituality

Curves

Farm-to-Market Road 1431 connects north Austin to a small town called Marble Falls. The drive is beautiful, filled with hills, curves and a lot of greenery. It’s hard to keep your eyes on the road because it’s so pretty.

Life itself has its own share of curves. Much of life can be routine, boring even, Then you have a curveball thrown at you. Something out of the ordinary disrupts your flow, sometimes causing great stress. We must be able to hit the curveballs, too.

My encouragement to you is to expect the unexpected. Don’t fear or dread the disruptions. Welcome them. See difficulties as opportunities to grow and learn.

Life on this side of eternity is going to have challenges. When you are going through a dark time, always remember that resilience is built in the hard times, not when things are easy. Just keep going no matter what happens…

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Spirituality

What’s Your Vision?

In the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the character Mr. Hand was described as “thinking everyone was on dope.” I have an acquaintance in real life who believes everyone is racist and bigoted. They aren’t, but this is the limited lens he sees the world through.

I’m not denying that racism and bigotry exist. They do and always will. Our world is broken on this side of eternity. But the evidence doesn’t support that racism and bigotry dominate our society. Most people are good. We cannot allow a minority of the population to distort our vision of others.

When you allow gratitude to dominate your thinking, the lens you see the world through expands. You look for the art and beauty in others and in your surroundings. It’s always been there, but now you notice.

We, as human beings, cannot change the heart of man. That job belongs to God. He is always working on us, and that includes the racist and bigoted. Let’s get out of God’s way. He doesn’t need my help!

Create the vision you want for your life. Believe in your vision and believe in yourself. Ask God to come along for the ride. Visualize something outrageous and audacious. Pray about it. Then get to work on making it happen…

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Spirituality

Soothsayers

Do you ever want to know your future? If you could peer into your life ten years from now, much of it won’t make sense. This would leave you more confused than ever.

Looking for future signs goes back to Biblical times. King Nebuchadnezzar had his magicians, sorcerers and astrologers to advise him. So did King Darius and the Pharaoh of Egypt. In modern times, Nancy Reagan consulted astrologers. There are palm readers in every city and town across America.

There is only one who knows our future. His name is God. He knows because He’s already there. As humans, we use time as a construct to compartmentalize our lives. Time doesn’t really exist. God lives in the past, present and future at the same time. If this doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what will.

We can all take a lesson from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. The authors encourage people to stay sober “one day at a time.” In other words, don’t worry about staying sober tomorrow or next week or next year. Just today. We can create anxious thoughts by thinking too far ahead. You have today. Stay focused on today.

When I look back on my life, I couldn’t have imagined how things turned out. God knew. He orchestrated my life in ways that still blow my mind. So, with that thought in mind I’ll trust Him more and trust my own designs less…

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Spirituality

In The Spirit

The Spirit is real. Very real. He prompts us, encourages us, and saves us from trouble.

There are two voices inside your mind. They compete for your attention. One voice is from the Spirit of God. The other voice is evil, reminding us of our past failures. It tries to keep us from fulfilling God’s greater purpose for our lives. The question is, which voice are you listening to?

Both voices will always be there. And it’s important to remember that every person you meet has the same two voices you have. Listen well and you can tell which voice is dominating their attention.

My encouragement to you is to pay more attention to the Spirits voice. He will guide you to where you want to go…

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Spirituality

Take A Holiday From Politics

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and Christmas is just around the corner. This is a time of great anticipation, excitement and celebration. Don’t miss it because you prioritize your politics over your family and friends.

In 2022, the American Survey Center published a study demonstrating that 11% of respondents had stopped talking to a family member because of political differences. The real question is why. People you have known all your life have been isolated from your life because of a politician you don’t know. I know a handful of politicians. They are decent people, but don’t fool yourself. They want your money and your vote, not your friendship.

Who shows up when the shit hits the fan, your representative in Congress? No. Your family and friends arrive, and they bring reinforcements and refreshments.

Please don’t make the mistake of severing relationships over political differences. If everyone agreed with each other on all matters then there would be no divorces or wars. But we know that’s not the case.

Strong people can handle conflicts. The politicians don’t spend one nanosecond think about you, no matter what they say. A family member in isolation does, and they miss you.

Conflict resolution is messy because of pride (arrogance). Be the bigger person and start the process of reconciliation…

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Spirituality

Thanksgiving Week

In the United States, this is the week of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day (always Thursday), families and friends will get together to celebrate everything they are grateful for. The day is filled with food and football. Everyone takes a moment to appreciate what they have been blessed with. But why only one day?

My belief is that we should take time to reflect on all the good in our lives every day. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking things for granted. If you have a few dollars in your pocket, you are better off than most of the world. Life is a struggle, but some people face challenges we have no concept of. In 2025 there are still people who have to walk miles to get fresh, clean water. Think about it.

It is my hope that our world begins to be filled with gratitude. Actively practicing gratitude changes the biochemistry of our brains. Change your mind and you change your life…

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Spirituality

War Games

In two World Wars the United States was dominant. Brave men and women fought for a common cause. Did our citizens have political differences then? Of course they did. They put their differences aside and fought.

There’s a war going on inside the United States. We are fighting each other over our politics. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Candidate Trump had two attempts on his life (two that we know of). This madness must stop.

Before the country was formed our Founding Fathers had plenty of different ideas and beliefs about what this new experiment would look like. Things got so crazy that George Washington called for a three day recess for fasting and prayer. Perhaps this is a better way to handle our internal conflicts.

We don’t need another World War to arise so we can be united. We must examine our own hearts and decide to be better. It starts with me…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Enemies

Who are your enemies? Do you really have any? Generally speaking, an enemy is someone who is actively hostile towards you or someone who betrays you. We stay as far away as possible from those people. Or do we?

In this life we are surrounded by people from all walks of life. For the most part we exist together peacefully. Some days we get cut off in traffic. While we might be upset temporarily, we don’t make an enemy out of the offender.

Holding grudges might make us think the offense made someone an enemy. Unresolved problems can lead to shortened, less fulfilling lives. When the time is right, let it go. Forgive when you are ready.

Jesus taught in a counter-cultural way. He told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Huh? Pray for them? I want to see them suffer for what they did to me!

Prayer changes us. If you are harboring people you consider to be enemies in your mind, give prayer a try. Do it even if you don’t mean it. Watch how you change…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Holiday Legacy

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are fastly approaching. Are you ready? My office has a luncheon planned for tomorrow. I’m bringing salad which means I’m going to the store to buy three bags of salad. Oh joy!

The holidays bring on a sense of dread for me. By admitting this I know I sound like Ebenezer Scrooge or someone like him, and my personality is far from him. The holidays were always a disappointment for me when I was a child. So as much as I love the season, I’m glad when they are over. This is the holiday legacy my family left me with.

But…things can change. I have tried to flip the script for my children so they have a better experience. But I gotta admit those Hallmark movies are not the goal I’m trying to reach. I want to leave a legacy of warmth and love, not perfection. Togetherness over stress.

If you feel the same way about the holidays, know that you aren’t alone. Changing perspective is possible. It begins with our attitude…

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