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Suggest You - Developing the Discipline of Gratitude
Intend It! or cruel, depending on who you asked.How much of a shock would it be for you to realize that in order to get everything that could ever want in the world, all you have to do is INTEND to get it?Seems simple and unrealistic, doesn’t it? The truth of the matter is that you can have anything that you want by simply Intending to have it. Let’s start with the basics of using this “intending” technique, and learn why it is so powerful.Anything that you ever do in the world – at least while you are conscious – is done by you first intending to do that thing. Human beings are creatures with complete control over our bodies, and we decide what happens and what doesn’t. Obviously – and thankfully – this does not apply to things like breathing, controlling the operation of our internal organs, and other autonomic processes. It is possible to exert control over those things, but that is a subject for another time.For now, let’s just agree that if we decide to stand up, sit down, write a letter, drink a beverage, go for a bike ride, buy a cup of coffee, eat a pizza, take a nap, play a video game…. the list goes on and on. All of these things would be done because we made a conscious decision to do them – we intended for them to ha It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Paul often spoke of the importance of maintaining an irrepressible attitude of thankfulness (Eph 5:19,20; Php 2:13; 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:16-18), joy (Php 4:4) and contentment (Php 4:11; 1 Ti 6:6,8; Heb 13:5) in his New Testament letters. He recognized our weakness: he knew how vulnerable even the finest Christians can be to succumb to the spirit of ungratefulness once they let down their guard in the face of changing circumstances. Paul was all too aware of the power of life’s difficulties to turn a chi Maybe I'm Amazed at the Way you Love Me all the Time The Discipline of GratitudeIn Corrogue I am amazedI rise by the light of heaven to continue this amazing journey into love. There is no other journey quite like this. All of us are on this journey. Most of us, however, are unaware of this journey. Rather than enter this amazing flow of life we enter a maze of confusion.There are mornings when I wake up feeling amazing. I feel delightful and full of the lightness of being. Often on such mornings I sing a favourite song. One such song is a song written by Paul McCartney. It is a song entitled “Maybe I’m amazed.”On mornings like today there is no “maybe” about it. The energy in this body is flowing. It is fine and refined and there is a feeling of being blessed. As Mary Oliver in her beautiful poem "Wild Geese" advises, "The soft animal of this body” is allowed do what it loves. It loves this dance of life beyond the confines of “my life.” It loves the celebration that is already here.In his song Paul McCartney sings “Maybe I’m amazed that you love me all the time.” When Paul McCartney wrote these lines he was in a bit of a maze. He was lost. He’d watched the Beatles disband. He wasn’t sure who he was beyond “Beatle Paul.” It was the lo Thankfulness is increasingly following a lonely trail nowadays. People seem to fall more frequently into the mire of ingratitude, especially when greatly impacted by the stresses of this world. Human beings throughout history have demonstrated their propensity for being more adversely rather than favorably influenced by life’s intricate problems. Adversities test men’s strength for survival, whereas prosperity challenges their integrity. The Israelites, God’s very own chosen people themselves, knowingly fell into such traps despite God’s palpable miracles when they complained repeatedly to Moses about the lack of food and water provisions in the wilderness following their divinely phenomenal exodus from Egypt. Job protested that his life of faithfulness had not been properly acknowledged by God when the latter permitted Satan to strike him with multiple, consecutive tribulations. Jonah bemoaned the fact that God wanted to save the undeserving Ninevites. The Bible relates a slew of other stories of how man continued to display unbridled thanklessness to God. Christ’s followers, notwithstanding the fact that they are expected to display uncommon hope and inner strength, are not always exempted from this inclination. Griping is not an unusual trait shared by a good number of believers whether they are at work, at home or in church—demanding bosses, nagging wives, stubborn kids, boring preachers, incompetent government, rising prices, the list of our objects of complaint goes on and on. If we fined ourselves for every moment we whined since our childhood, we would probably be substantially richer today. One instance demonstrating this feeble nature of man happened after the tragic death of a teenage snow-boarder in the Angeles Crest Mountains in 1998. Jeff Thornton, the young snow-boarder, was found by a resilient search party after being lost for ten days, only to die about a week later as a result of complications of gangrene, frostbite, exposure, shock, and broken bones. The Christians in the town where Jeff had lived had different reactions to the boy’s demise: some (among them Jeff’s mother) were thankful that God allowed Jeff to be with them a short while longer; most others were angry, questioning God for allowing Jeff to be found only to take him away again. For these townsfolk, God was either gracious or cruel, depending on who you asked. It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Paul often spoke of the importance of maintaining an irrepressible attitude of thankfulness (Eph 5:19,20; Php 2:13; 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:16-18), joy (Php 4:4) and contentment (Php 4:11; 1 Ti 6:6,8; Heb 13:5) in his New Testament letters. He recognized our weakness: he knew how vulnerable even the finest Christians can be to succumb to the spirit of ungratefulness once they let down their guard in the face of changing circumstances. Paul was all too aware of the power of life’s difficulties to turn a chil Dangers of Passive Smoking when they complained repeatedly to Moses about the lack of food and water provisions in the wilderness following their divinely phenomenal exodus from Egypt. Job protested that his life of faithfulness had not been properly acknowledged by God when the latter permitted Satan to strike him with multiple, consecutive tribulations. Jonah bemoaned the fact that God wanted to save the undeserving Ninevites. The Bible relates a slew of other stories of how man continued to display unbridled thanklessness to God.For a long time, exposure to other people’s smoke was not considered a threat to health, but recent research has shown that the dangers of passive smoking are serious. It has now been proved that those who inhale other people’s smoke, either exhaled by the smoker or inhaled directly from the burning cigarette, are at risk of all the same diseases as the active smoker. This has strengthened the case for a smoking ban in public places, already enforced in Ireland and now in Wales.Attention has usually been focused on children, but research indicates that everyone, from babies to the elderly is more susceptible to disease if spending time in the company of smokers. In fact research in both Spain and Italy has shown that tobacco fumes are 20 times more toxic than are exhaust fumes!Children who live with parents who are smokers are more likely to suffer from asthma and ear infections and if already asthmatic, smoke can bring on an attack. Other immediate results are coughing, headaches and nausea. Further long-term effects include possible cardiovascular problems. The World Health Organization has estimated that 50% of the world’s children are exposed to smoke in the environment, which could h Christ’s followers, notwithstanding the fact that they are expected to display uncommon hope and inner strength, are not always exempted from this inclination. Griping is not an unusual trait shared by a good number of believers whether they are at work, at home or in church—demanding bosses, nagging wives, stubborn kids, boring preachers, incompetent government, rising prices, the list of our objects of complaint goes on and on. If we fined ourselves for every moment we whined since our childhood, we would probably be substantially richer today. One instance demonstrating this feeble nature of man happened after the tragic death of a teenage snow-boarder in the Angeles Crest Mountains in 1998. Jeff Thornton, the young snow-boarder, was found by a resilient search party after being lost for ten days, only to die about a week later as a result of complications of gangrene, frostbite, exposure, shock, and broken bones. The Christians in the town where Jeff had lived had different reactions to the boy’s demise: some (among them Jeff’s mother) were thankful that God allowed Jeff to be with them a short while longer; most others were angry, questioning God for allowing Jeff to be found only to take him away again. For these townsfolk, God was either gracious or cruel, depending on who you asked. It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Paul often spoke of the importance of maintaining an irrepressible attitude of thankfulness (Eph 5:19,20; Php 2:13; 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:16-18), joy (Php 4:4) and contentment (Php 4:11; 1 Ti 6:6,8; Heb 13:5) in his New Testament letters. He recognized our weakness: he knew how vulnerable even the finest Christians can be to succumb to the spirit of ungratefulness once they let down their guard in the face of changing circumstances. Paul was all too aware of the power of life’s difficulties to turn a chi 7 Tips to Hair Loss Prevention uncommon hope and inner strength, are not always exempted from this inclination. Griping is not an unusual trait shared by a good number of believers whether they are at work, at home or in church—demanding bosses, nagging wives, stubborn kids, boring preachers, incompetent government, rising prices, the list of our objects of complaint goes on and on. If we fined ourselves for every moment we whined since our childhood, we would probably be substantially richer today. One instance demonstrating this feeble nature of man happened after the tragic death of a teenage snow-boarder in the Angeles Crest Mountains in 1998. Jeff Thornton, the young snow-boarder, was found by a resilient search party after being lost for ten days, only to die about a week later as a result of complications of gangrene, frostbite, exposure, shock, and broken bones. The Christians in the town where Jeff had lived had different reactions to the boy’s demise: some (among them Jeff’s mother) were thankful that God allowed Jeff to be with them a short while longer; most others were angry, questioning God for allowing Jeff to be found only to take him away again. For these townsfolk, God was either gracious or cruel, depending on who you asked.Lossing hair is a part of life that most people do not look forward to. If you have bald family members, you may be especially nervous about waking up one morning to find you pillow covered with hair, or your hair brush with more hairs than your head. If this sounds like something that you worry about, then you might want to learn some hair loss prevention tips.1- One widely held belief is that the over use of chemicals on the hair can cause hair thinning and eventually hair loss. If you like to enhance the look of your hair through chemical means, but are nervous about future hair loss, it is a good idea to only have this type of work done by a licensed beautitian. Many do-it-yourselfers are too inexperienced to properly perform chemical treatments to their hair, having a tendacncy to over apply the products. If you do color your hair, it is thought best to keep the frequency to a six or eight week minimum.2- It is important to eat healthy foods and ensure that your body is getting the vitamins and minerals that it needs. Often times the body will show poor health in the hair follicles and finger nails before and actual illness is detected. While it is important to get enough of the righ It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Paul often spoke of the importance of maintaining an irrepressible attitude of thankfulness (Eph 5:19,20; Php 2:13; 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:16-18), joy (Php 4:4) and contentment (Php 4:11; 1 Ti 6:6,8; Heb 13:5) in his New Testament letters. He recognized our weakness: he knew how vulnerable even the finest Christians can be to succumb to the spirit of ungratefulness once they let down their guard in the face of changing circumstances. Paul was all too aware of the power of life’s difficulties to turn a chi Business Planning for the Mortgage Originator s Crest Mountains in 1998. Jeff Thornton, the young snow-boarder, was found by a resilient search party after being lost for ten days, only to die about a week later as a result of complications of gangrene, frostbite, exposure, shock, and broken bones. The Christians in the town where Jeff had lived had different reactions to the boy’s demise: some (among them Jeff’s mother) were thankful that God allowed Jeff to be with them a short while longer; most others were angry, questioning God for allowing Jeff to be found only to take him away again. For these townsfolk, God was either gracious or cruel, depending on who you asked.Have you ever considered your own business plan? Each year, millions of business owners develop or update their business plans to strategically plan for the direction their business grow in the future. As a mortgage professional you may want to consider developing a business plan of your mortgage origination business.When it comes to developing a business plan, you will find that they are not always required. There are some instances where business plans can be optional. However, that does not mean that you shouldn't plan to develop one. As a loan originator how you do start developing a business plan? That is what we will discuss next!One of the many uses of a business plan is to forecast revenue and expenses. I assume that you have to decided to have fee revenue as part of your origination business, but how much? When developing your revenue numbers consider the types and size of loans your are planning on doing. If you marketing brings you 100-150K loans, the number of units you will have to originate will be significantly larger that the originator who has a average loan size of 300-400K range if you plan on having the same amount of revenue generated.Once you have dec It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Paul often spoke of the importance of maintaining an irrepressible attitude of thankfulness (Eph 5:19,20; Php 2:13; 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:16-18), joy (Php 4:4) and contentment (Php 4:11; 1 Ti 6:6,8; Heb 13:5) in his New Testament letters. He recognized our weakness: he knew how vulnerable even the finest Christians can be to succumb to the spirit of ungratefulness once they let down their guard in the face of changing circumstances. Paul was all too aware of the power of life’s difficulties to turn a chi Jesus Plan in the Bible Is That We All Burn Our Bibles Now or cruel, depending on who you asked.There is a type of humor commonly known as a morbid sense of humor. 1.5 Billion Chinese people commonly laugh when a person slips and falls. In America we call it slapstick humor when a person steps on a rake coming out of a bunker and the rake snaps up and knocks his teeth out. Sex and comedy and violence sell. This is why the story of the human race, “Earthlings” is the hottest show in the Universe. The rest of the Universe is laughing their heads off at our saga which is about to come to an end. The writing is on the wall.God of Mount Sinai aka God the Father, Allah and Elohim told King David that the world is full of mockers and scoffers. (Psalm 1). Sometimes things happen that are so horrible that you either have to laugh or cry. If you think about what happened rationally it can terrorize you and catapult you into a world of paralyzing phobias and so you make a joke of it as a psychological self defense mechanism. The Christians, Muslims and Jews are presently embroiled in a world war against each other leading to Armageddon because they all consider the people outside of their group to be non believers even though they all believe in God of Mount Sinai. We are soon going to go extinct arg It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Paul often spoke of the importance of maintaining an irrepressible attitude of thankfulness (Eph 5:19,20; Php 2:13; 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:16-18), joy (Php 4:4) and contentment (Php 4:11; 1 Ti 6:6,8; Heb 13:5) in his New Testament letters. He recognized our weakness: he knew how vulnerable even the finest Christians can be to succumb to the spirit of ungratefulness once they let down their guard in the face of changing circumstances. Paul was all too aware of the power of life’s difficulties to turn a child of God into a forgetful, complaining and doubting person, traits that put a serious strain to his relationship with his Creator. Was Paul’s advise realistic or was it a tall order? Are unswerving joy, contentment and thankfulness truly attainable to today’s Christians, or are they exclusive only to ‘important Christians’, perhaps? Certainly not, for the Bible never qualified it that way, just as it does not qualify that the goal for holiness belongs only to an elite few. Neither does it make mention of ‘important’ or ‘special’ Christians. How, then, did Paul ever manage to become a master of contentment as he claimed in Philippians 4:11? In the passages mentioned above, Paul’s emphasis on thanksgiving, rejoicing and being contented could not be more obvious by his choice of words: “ALWAYS”, “CONTINUALLY”, “UNCEASINGLY”, “IN EVERYTHING” and “IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES”. These are pointers to the pith of Paul’s message—he wanted us to take on the challenge both of life’s hardships and blessings by assuming a resilient, steady, and consistent attitude of thankfulness to God. I am convinced that Paul wanted to be clear that DISCIPLINE is the key element to seizing lasting happiness in this imperfect world. True enough, the only way we can make a healthy acceptance of whatever happens to us and the world around us is by hinging our hope in Christ, and in such process embracing gratitude, joy and contentment as a state of mind, which is therefore not dependent upon how well things go for us. External circumstances constantly change, usually unexpectedly. If we allow our satisfaction to be contingent on changing conditions of our lives, which often come in the form of problems and disappointments rather than in benefits and promotions, we quickly leave ourselves open to dissatisfaction, discontent and ingratitude. This does not mean we ought to clap our hands every time a tragedy or disaster strikes; it means that we use our contented, joyful and thankful state of mind to preserve us in the confines of tranquility which comes from God, so that we can be remarkably patient and hopeful amid trials that come our way. This is the kind of ‘peace’ that Paul referred to in Philippians 4:7. Just how does one develop this discipline of gratefulness, joy and contentment, the way Paul envisioned it? Consider the following steps: MAKE A DECISI
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