Tag Archives: #truth

Spirituality

What Are You Selling?

Madison Avenue is still alive and thriving. Whether we realize it or not, we are being marketed to all the time. And they know what they’re doing.

Years ago, I took my three year old son to a football game. It must have been wishful thinking on my part to think he would care about the game at such a young age. Yet, during a commercial break he heard a gong. My son looked up and said, “That’s Taco Bell!” Yes, marketing is effective.

We might fall for the latest marketing gimmick. We believe something is “new and improved” and our expectations are raised. But what are you telling yourself?

What you believe about yourself is going to come true. In my experience I have met people who think they are a nobody, that they have nothing worthwhile to contribute. This is a lie they have chosen to believe.

Life is a constant growth process, not a destination. Consider where you were twenty years ago when you want to see how far you’ve come. You might surprise yourself.

Take inventory of your life. Focus on the good you have done. Telling yourself the truth is part of holding yourself accountable. Meditate on what you do well. Do more of those things.

You are marketing to yourself. Make sure there is truth in what you are advertising…

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Spirituality

Speaking My Truth

There’s a popular trend present in today’s society where people say they are “speaking their truth.” This is fine. But what if the truth they are speaking is based on false information or just an outright lie?

A survey in Brazil found that 7% of the population believes the earth is flat. That represents almost 12 million adults. Although there is an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting the earth is round, these people don’t care.

When we dive deeper into why people believe lies, much of it is caused by mistrust in government. This certainly makes sense. In the United States our politicians have shown a remarkable ability to mishandle any societal issue they stick their noses into. And they have no consequences for their failures.

There is only one reliable truth available. It’s found in Scripture. Scripture is the voice of God and cannot mislead us. It is up to us to follow it or not. God gives us free will. We get to choose.

And unlike the world the politicians live in, whether we follow Scripture or not has consequences. Stay immersed in the truth…

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Spirituality

Building Trust

All solid relationships are built on trust. This takes time. Being reliable and consistent are two of the foundations of a trusting relationship.

Someone comes to mind from my past who was both reliable and consistent, but not necessarily in a good way. If we were supposed to meet at 1:00, she might show up 20-30 minutes late. Every single time. So I could rely on her to be late. And she was consistent!

Why is it difficult for us to trust God? I admit it’s a challenge and I do not understand why. He’s reliable, by His nature God cannot lie. He can’t even stretch the truth. God’s timing is perfect. So why is it hard?

Perhaps it’s hard to trust God because we can’t see Him. Maybe it’s because He doesn’t always give us everything we want. If He did we would be spoiled brats who never grew. We wouldn’t be changed. Why change when everything is going well?

Faith is strengthened when we place our wholehearted trust in God. He knows what we need before we ask. Our faith becomes exponentially stronger when we continue to trust even when life is a shitshow. Holding on to faith when everything around us tells us not to will test us. Resilience is built in the darkness. So is trust.

Let’s pass the test and watch what happens…

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Spirituality

Why Don’t You Like Me?

Is it important to you to be liked or even admired by others? Most of us want to be respected more than we care about being universally liked. The truth is, when you are doing what’s good, right and noble, you will still piss some people off.

My last statement might surprise you. How can doing the right thing be irritating to others? Well, biological males don’t belong in women’s sports. But there are some who will die on that hill, regardless of the danger it poses to women.

Consider the life of Jesus. He brought hope and mercy to the people. He called out some of the religious leaders who took God’s law too far. The ones who should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah were the ones who had him killed on the cross. But the cross wasn’t the end of the story.

Take a stand for good. Be the voice for the voiceless until they find their own. Concern yourself with what’s right rather than being liked. You will never please everyone, but you can make God smile…

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Spirituality

New News Sources. Please!

Objective journalism died with Walter Cronkite. No one has been able to take his place. But even in the days just after Cronkite, the news media was more respectful than they are today. For an example, watch the final interview with Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office, conducted by Tom Brokaw.

The news is even harder to tolerate because they aren’t always truthful. They report what they want us to hear which isn’t always the truth. Honesty in journalism is an oxymoron. But there is hope.

As hard as news media tries to sway people, they forgot one thing. People are smarter than the media gives them credit. People are more discerning. The media thinks we aren’t very bright. They are sorely mistaken.

The only source we can believe in wholeheartedly is the Bible. Scripture is inspired by God. It holds true today and it will be true in a thousand years.

Trust God. Question everything else…

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Spirituality

Inaccuracies

Is it just me or, or have you noticed more and more inaccurate information on the internet? People make stuff up and broadcast it to the masses. And there are some who never question anything.

I’m skeptical by nature. This comes from having a scientific brain. Asking if something is true or not shouldn’t have to happen as often as it does nowadays.

Politicians certainly do it. We have a guy here in Texas running for the Senate who has said some ridiculous things. At first, I didn’t believe the memes. Then the actual videos appeared of the candidate referring to women as “our neighbors with a uterus.” Huh? Who talks like this??? There’s more, but I’ll let you do your own research, as you should.

Misspelled words in print and online media have become way too common. It happens so frequently that it makes me question the quality of education our journalists are receiving.

Enough of my ranting for today. My encouragement to you is to question the things that seem too good to be true. Mistakes happen, but we don’t have to allow them to sway our thinking…

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Spirituality

Speak The Truth

Yesterday, I watched a United States Senator tell a blatant lie on one of the Sunday morning news shows. It was so telling because even the Senator stumbled over his words and looked away. What’s more disappointing is, the host didn’t challenge him or offer any pushback at all. No wonder no one trusts the media.

We expect our politicians to stretch the truth. That’s been their way all my life. We don’t expect them to lie. Lying is not okay. People can handle the truth better than you may think they can.

When people lie, it destroys trust. It’s very difficult to regain trust once it’s gone. Having the trust of another person is a high honor.

There are times when delivering the truth is uncomfortable. Speak with gentleness and self-control. And picking the right time is crucial.

There is only one truth, no matter what people may say. And the truth is always the best…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Through the Spirit

True change comes from within. We might change our behavior for a while to accommodate someone else’s demands, but it won’t last unless we want it to. We are unique individuals, not clones.

It’s true that if you have a bad habit that needs to be addressed, you should work to change it. An alcoholic doesn’t get sober until he or she decides they want sobriety. Then they commit to doing whatever is necessary to stay sober.

For believers, the Spirit of God lives within us. The Spirit is constantly talking to us, guiding us and encouraging us. But are we always listening? No, we aren’t because the demons want our attention, too. And they are really good at getting it.

The Spirit is changing us inside. We are being crafted into the character of Jesus. We won’t reach perfection on this side of eternity, but we certainly get better.

Listen to the Spirit. It cannot lead you astray because it’s God talking to you. Through the Spirit we find life, peace and contentment. And that’s a winning combination…

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Spirituality

Truth Tellers

As a child, I was taught that George Washington “never told a lie.” The story about Washington and the cherry tree was made up by a biographer after Washington’s death. Was this story taught in school to teach virtue, or was it taught to little children so we would grow up trusting our politicians? I have my suspicions it was both.

Telling the truth is easier than lying or even stretching the truth. You never have to question what you said to someone because you simply spoke the truth. No spinning of a story, just the simple truth.

In today’s society, “living my truth” is a popular phrase. You may live however you like, but there is only one truth. Stick with it and you’ll live with more peace.

Back to our politicians, we expect them to stretch the truth. Fiery rhetoric without substance is hollow. Like everyone, watch the actions of people. Do they align with their words? When they do align, you begin to trust them more.

Washington was careful with his words. He was a brilliant general who used deception and lies to manipulate the enemy. And we can be grateful he did, cherry tree or not…

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Uncategorized

Misleading Headlines

The media has gone into overdrive. In better days, sensational headlines were reserved for The National Enquirer. Not anymore.

Recently, I read a story headline that indicated Greenland, Denmark and the United States were heading into contentious talks about the future of Greenland. It was their first meeting! Normal people don’t enter the room looking for a fight. The meeting went fine. No blood was spilled.

In the United States, trust in the media has been steadily declining for years. Their trust level is hovering around the politicians, but not far above bail bondsmen. Legitimate reporting died when Walter Cronkite retired.

Donald Trump was a shot in the arm for the media and the entertainers. They couldn’t wait to report whatever outrageous thing he said. Accuracy in reporting went out the window because clicks were more important. Never mind everything else going on in the world. If Tiananmen Square had happened in 2019, we wouldn’t hear about it until 2035, if even then.

Be discerning about everything you read or see on television. The media put themselves in this situation. No one forced them to be subpar. If it sounds outrageous, it’s probably just trying to get you to click on it…

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