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Spiritual Matters By Rev. Kev Pastor, Bloom in the Desert Ministries
IT'S A CHOICE After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, Robert Schuller, Pastor at the Crystal Cathedral in southern California, wrote a newspaper column. In it he said, "Why do bad things happen to good people? That's the wrong question... the right question is: What happens to good people when bad things happen to them? We know the answer to that question: They always become better people. Tragedy never leaves us where it finds us." I agree with Schuller that, "Tragedy never leaves us where it finds us." But in my experience, as a bereaved parent who lost a son and as a minister to those who have experienced tragedies of their own, people don't "always become better people". Some people become bitter. Some marriages break up. Some lives are shattered. What is the difference? In my estimation it is choice. Am I going to choose to come out of this tragedy better by trusting in God's sovereignty, power and love? Or am I going to come out of this bitter by blaming God, my spouse and whatever or whoever caused the tragedy? I choose better over bitter. I choose life over death. I choose hope over despair. I choose love over hate. (Rev. David T. Wilkinson)
Friendship is a Sheltering Tree Some years ago author Samuel Coleridge wrote a book called "Youth and Age" in which he reflected over his past and the strength of his younger years. One of the most moving lines in his entire book is the statement: "Friendship is a sheltering tree...".How true...how terribly true! When the searing rays of adversity's sun burn their way into our day, there's nothing quite like a sheltering tree -- a true friend -- to give us relief in its cool shade. Its massive trunk of understanding gives security as its thick leaves of love wash our face and wipe our brow. Beneath its branches many discouraged souls have found rest. Beneath whose branches are you refreshed today? Should I remind you that a real, genuine, deep, solid friend is exceedingly rare? Either you're still looking through the forest... or, like me, you're enjoying shade and shelter today beside your God-given tree. -- Pastor Don Cuff, Queensway Cathedral Ministrie (KAJ Source: Soundbites) ==================================================== 10 Ways to Have a Better Day Today by Geno Stampora
1. Wake up 30 Minutes Early. 2. Read, Listen, or Watch Something Uplifting. 3. Eat a Good Breakfast to Start You Off Right. 4. Choose Your Winning Attitude. 5. Be Aware of What They are Telling You. 6. Make the Most of What You Do. 7. Always Remember that People are Listening. 8. Be Honest and Fair to Others. 9. Pace Your Energy to Last All Day. 10. Get in Bed Early and Study for the Future. =====================================================
There are commonalities in the world religions and spiritual directions that we share. While I believe they are equal in validity, they are not the same in practice. Yet, in practicing our faith regardless of the form it takes, the common puropose is to transform our intentions from being inward or self-centered to being outwardly effective and other oreiented.
One author says this: FAITH IN ACTION Faith is not merely a belief in ideas or concepts but a belief that moves us to action. The Christian scripture usage of "faith" derives largely from the Hebrew understanding that "to believe" is to have firmness, reliability, or steadfastness. Faith in action is a steadfast trusting in God and in our relationship with God. ... A significant part of our faith is how we live it out daily, for our actions and our lifestyles witness to the true faith we hold. Somehow in our upbringing, many Western Christians have missed the critical link between faith and lifestyle. Faith should express itself in what we eat, how we spend our time, how we entertain ourselves, and how we spend our money. For faith to grow, we must be open and listening to God through scripture, prayer, worship, music, nature, people, and the circumstances of our lives. Then we must be obedient to God's will and direction for us as we discern them. True Christian faith leads us to involvement with others and sensitivity to their needs. -- Excerps from Ann Hagmann in "Climbing the Sycamore Tree" (Nashville,Tenn.: Upper Room Books, 2001) ====================================================== Here's one way to see faith in action. In this author's story, who do you think really lives and gives God's love? THE LUNCH DATE The following is a synopsis of a 10-minute movie that won an Academy Award in the short film category one year... An older woman, smartly dressed, checking the clock in Grand Central Station. She finds her ticket in her purse only to discover that her wallet has been stolen. First scared and then annoyed, she scrounges for a few bills in the bottom of her purse, finds the cafeteria, buys a cobb salad, settles into her booth with her lunch, then she realizes she forgot her fork. So she leaves her packages and salad to return only to find a very large, disheveled man in her booth eating her lunch. She is indignant. But he doesn't seem to notice. Determined, she sits down at the table, picks up her fork and stabs at the salad; he does the same, each taking a turn till they're done. Finally the man leaves, only to return again with coffee, two cups of coffee, and they end their meal in polite silence. He is the first to leave. She looks at her watch; it's time for her to catch her train. She reaches for her packages and discovers they're gone!! - And then her eye wanders to the next booth, where her packages sit along with her cobb salad, untouched! I wonder how many times I've been forgiven; I wonder how many times I've been forgiven and not even known that I needed to be. -- Unknown ### Join us for Sunday Morning Worship Weekly: 10:00 to 11:00, (October through May) Summer Schedule: 9:30 to 10:30 (June through September)
Location: 3601 East Mesquite Avenue in Palm Springs. That's one block east of El Cielo, at the west end of Demuth Park, a little over a mile west of Gene Autry on Mesquite.
Rev. Kevin A. Johnson, pastor 760-333-1221 http://www.cwac.us/
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