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Investing and trading in the markets, and life itself, can often be
discouraging. But there is also a bigger story going on that we often
forget. The purpose of this page is to offer some small hope to those (and
often myself) who are discouraged.
This life is very short, but according to the Bible the life hereafter is
forever. God has put me in an "ironic" field of work.
He says "Man cannot serve both God and Money." I serve Him, but find myself
having to constantly remind myself of my purpose in
life because money is a very powerful distracter. If you read
Ecclesiastes, you will find the wisest man of all time (Solomon) trying to
find the meaning of life. It's a great read watching Solomon do the very
things we have done - party, acquire material things, work
like a work-a-holic, etc only in the end to find that
man's purpose in life is to show other people that without God, there
is no life.
There you go, the meaning of life that everyone is searching for.....and to
think you've been searching for the meaning of life for 70 years!
The interview
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Faith is the Only Practical Decision |
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"We want to know the
outcome before it comes. We tell ourselves it’s so we can plan
accordingly, but really we want to avoid the unknown. We don’t want to
live by faith. We prefer to talk about it, read about it, listen to
the stories of others who live by it, but we are truly uncomfortable
when it comes to our time to step out of the boat. We are, for the
most part, the other disciples. Peter makes us uncomfortable. Being
like him scares us.
But we must. That is,
if we are ever going to learn what it means to live by faith. We think
faith is impractical, immeasurable, full of uncertainty and risk and
therefore, only done when there are no other options. My friend Eric
Beck says, “Faith is the only practical decision”. All other choices
are impractical.
Consider Jericho:
(Joshua 6) how practical was it to march around the city for seven
days, blow a trumpet and see what happens? That seemed ludicrous.
Consider the alternative, build a siege mound, build ladders and scale
the high, thick city walls and hopefully have enough of your poorly
equipped army survive to actually do battle. Marching around the city
seven times (obedience by faith) was the most practical. The same is
true of Gideon and Abraham and every hero of faith in the Bible.
Want to be truly
practical? Step out in faithful obedience to God’s leading."
Michael Q. Pink
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My Personal Testimony - Uncut
when I was 15 I accepted Christ
background
I was the only boy, have 3 sisters, mom was married to dad for 19 years, she
was a homemaker when he and I went fishing one weekend
- on the way back from fishing he and I were involved in a head on collision and he
was killed; I was about 5 yrs old
- mom had to go to work to support 4 kids, she had a 10th grade education
- she remarried when I was about 7, I believe in part to help her pay bills
(she's a Christian and always carried us children to church)
- she remarried a wife beater, evil man, abusive physically and especially
mentally, but he portrayed a different man until they were married
- she didn't believe in divorce
- over the years she had
teeth knocked out and ribs broken;
- police would come to our house and not do anything because he was a
Vietnam Vet and Firefighter
- when I was 15 yrs old, I heard my mom crying (again) and getting beat on
for us kids
- I came to the conclusion it was time to take him out
- my oldest sister tried but gun didn't fire; he didn't see her shoot at him
- he was too busy beating my mom
- that night I slept with a gun;
- decided to get down on my knees and let go of the
burden
- asked Jesus to "take the wheel"
- after that night we kids cornered by mom and told her she had to leave him
or we would leave
- mom left him and never remarried
since then I have not been perfect; made many big mistakes
but have never stopped trying to
walk right with God's grace
you now know the uncut version
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Poor Wise Men Have No Voice - Michael Q.
Pink |
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“Then said I, Wisdom is better than
strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his
words are not heard.” Ecc
9:16 Here you have it folks. If you are wise and broke, nobody wants
to listen to you. You may be the wisest person in the land and have
the best counsel, but if you are also poor, generally speaking, people
will not take you seriously. You will not get an audience. Your wisdom
will only be for your own entertainment. You won’t make an impact with
your wisdom. Kind of a shame don’t you think?
Want a godly motivation for wealth? How
about so you can have a voice. Wealth gives you clout. Who does the
world listen to - Oprah or Oprah’s hair dresser? The point is that
success, as measured by the world, gives you street cred. When you
have that kind of credibility, you can say anything and be heard. Just
consider some of the far fetched, even ridiculous things the rich and
famous have said that have been swallowed hook, line and sinker by the
masses. What if you had that same kind of credibility, but used that
platform to advance God’s agenda? That’s what I am after – clout – not
the high lifestyle.
If we are going to succeed in the
financial arena, we must get past the debate as to whether or not it’s
okay to do so. It is okay, even a mandate if that is the area of your
calling. We’re certainly not called to be mediocre in business. We are
called to excellence and when we excel we will experience financial
reward. Yes, Jesus was our example and yes, He did suffer
unimaginably. He told us that the servant is not above the master and
we should expect that all who live godly will suffer persecution. But
is that the whole counsel of God on the matter? I think not. Jesus
walked among us for 33 years. He didn’t come to set up a business. He
came to save the world. And yet, how much of that time was spent
suffering? It certainly wasn’t His daily lifestyle.
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8 Pointers on Vision- Michael Q. Pink |
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Being a visionary is to have the ability
to see what is unseeable to the naked eye. It is the gift of being
able to see what is possible, what should be and/or what can be. In
that sense, there is a spiritual dimension to it and with that in
mind; I want to offer the following points to consider…
No vision… No victory:
If you don’t know where you are
going, then you have no chance of victory. If you’re fighting in a
battle, but have no idea why you are fighting or what you are fighting
for, you have little chance of winning, especially if the other side
is very focused, knows exactly what they are after and how they are
going to get there.
Know vision… Know victory:
When you see the vision
and know it to the core, you will, with that vision, know victory.
Most of the battle is actually over the vision. If you can overcome
the obstacles that hinder you from seeing and working towards the
vision, you will have won the biggest battle and the realization of
that vision is not far behind.
Go to God for the vision:
The way I see it, God made it
all anyway. He knows how everything works, what your strengths and
weaknesses are, what you are great at, what will thrill your soul and
motivate you to excel, etc. Why not ask Him to show you His vision of
what’s possible for your life, job and business?
Don’t invent your own vision:
I am merely suggesting
that whatever we can come up with on our own pales in comparison to
the vision God has for us. Why sell yourself short when the
possibilities are limitless?
What stirs passion in you?:
Here’s a great clue to
your vision. The things that stir passion in you reveal a little bit
of your wiring. Go with it. You are not called to spend your life in
something that doesn’t interest you or move you. Tap into the power of
what it is that grabs you at the core!
What does God’s Word say?:
Not sure what God has to
say about your vision? Not sure you recognize His voice? He’s written
a best selling book. In fact, it’s the best selling book in all of
history and continues to grow in popularity year after year after
year. You know the book. It’s the Bible. Read it again – for the first
time and ask Him to let you hear His voice when you read it.
What counsel am I getting from
wise people?: Still not
sure you are on the right track? Get with folks whose opinion you
value - folks that have a vision and are living it out and who
understand the power of it. Share your vision with them. Ask them if
it’s too small or if it is noble enough to give yourself to.
Write the vision down:
After you have gone to all that
trouble, you should be sure to write it all down. Put it somewhere where
you will see it often, access it easily and refer to it continually.
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Final Thoughts on Vision - Michael Q. Pink |
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Make it plain:
It must be easily understood, clearly
written and readily actionable. Everyone reading it must know at a
glance what it means to them. Avoid ambiguity. Be specific, detailed
and vibrant!
Every vision from God has an
appointed time for its fulfillment:
If God has given you the vision, then
rest assured He has a timetable for it. If you asked Him for the
vision, be sure to ask Him for the timing. If you have the right idea
but the wrong timing, it can be disastrous.
Though you might not see it, the
vision is hastening towards its fulfillment:
You can’t always see what’s happening
behind the scenes. If God initiated your vision, He will fulfill it.
Don’t lose your confidence and turn back. Continue steadfast in the
face of adversity. Don’t give up. The vision is moving rapidly towards
fulfillment!
God’s vision is moving forward
with or without us: If
you give up, someone else will be raised up to complete the vision.
His vision will not fail and He’s invited you to be on the winning
team. Might as well join His team!
Don’t let a wound knock you off
course: The reason a lot
of folks lose sight of the vision is a wound, a loss or some kind of
disappointment. Remember, they happen to everyone. Your wound is not
that unique. Your recovery from that wound will equip you to finish
the course whereas your remaining wounded will only cause you to miss
the mark altogether.
An overnight success is not
overnight: Don’t get
impatient. What you see in a vision takes moments to grasp, but years
to build. Most likely, it will take you years of labor just to lay the
foundation. God is not in a hurry. Neither should you be.
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If You Think You Aren't Good Enough
The next time you feel
like GOD can't use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...
AND Lazarus was dead!
What do you have that's worse than that?
You aren't the message, you
are just the messenger.
Miscellaneous Humor
The atheist
An atheist was taking a walk through the woods.
What majestic trees!
What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals! He said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes
behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly charge towards
him.
He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and
saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder
again, and the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground.
He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him,
reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike
him.
At that instant the Atheist cried out: "Oh my God!" Time stopped...the
bear froze...the forest was silent. As a bright light shone upon the
man, a voice came out of the sky: "You deny my existence for all of
these years, teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to a
cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament?
Am I to count you as a believer?"
The Atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of
me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps could
you make the BEAR a Christian?"
"Very well," said the voice.
The light went out.
The sounds of the
forest resumed.
And then the bear
dropped his right paw, brought both paws together and bowed his head and
spoke:
"Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty
through Christ our Lord, Amen."
Does God Exist?
A man went to a barbershop to
have his hair and his beard cut as always. He began to have a good
conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many
things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched on the subject of
God.
The barber said: "Look man, I
don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked
the customer.
"Well, it's so easy, you just
have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh,
tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there
be abandoned children? If God exists, there would be neither suffering
nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these
things."
The customer thought for a moment, but he didn't respond because he did
not want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the
customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man
in the street with long hair and a beard. It was very long, and a long
time since he had his hair cut and he looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer entered the barbershop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say they don't exist?" asked the surprised barber. "I am
here and I am a barber. Why I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed.
"Barbers don't exist because if they did there would be no people with
long hair and beard like that man who is outside."
"Ah, barbers do exist, what
happens is that people do not come to me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed the
customer. "That's the point! God does exist. What happens is people
don't go to Him and do not look for Him? That's why there's so much pain
and suffering in the world."
SCARS IN LIFE
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy
decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole that was behind his
house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door,
leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the
water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an
alligator was swimming toward the shore. In the house, his mother was
looking out the window. She saw the two as they got closer and closer
together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as
loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed,
and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he
reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother
grabbed her little boy by the arms, just as the alligator snatched his
legs. That began a very incredible tug-of-war between the two. The
alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too
passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams,
raced from his truck, took aim, and shot the alligator. Remarkably,
after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs
were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. On his arms,
there were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his
flesh, in her effort to hang on to the son she loved. The newspaper
reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked the boy if he
would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. Then, with
obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have
great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let
go."
You and I can identify with
that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the
scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly, and have
caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has
refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been right there,
holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a
child of God. He wants to protect you, and provide for you in every way.
But, sometimes, we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing
what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril ~ and we
forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That is when the tug-of-war
begins. If you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very
grateful. He will not ever let you go.
Never judge another persons
scars, because you don't know how they got them. Right now, someone
needs to know that God loves them, and you love them too ~ enough to not
let them go!!!
"It is the soldier, not the
reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the
poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the
campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier who salutes
the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the
flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag." ~ Anonymous
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Wish You Enough ~ Author Unknown
"I wish you
enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to
appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit
alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear
much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you
enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough "Hello's"
to get you through the final "Good-bye."
“Don’t
worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your
needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you
will experience God’s
Don't
worry about anything, instead, pray about everything; tell God your
needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you
will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human
mind can understand.” ~ Phil 4:6,7
"The
weather we get is the weather we got, so we're gonna have weather,
whether or not." ~ Anonymous
“Young
man, do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for his
punishment is proof of his love. Just as a father punishes a son he
delights in to make him better, so the Lord corrects you.” ~ Proverbs
3:11,12
"Trust
in man, and get what man can do. Trust in God, and get what God can do."
"You
can choose your sins, or choose your consequences, but you can't choose
both."
When you think things are
impossible, God says all things are possible. (Luke 18:27)
"I may not know what the
future holds, but I know who holds the future."
"God does not promise to
take the battle from us - but to take us through the battle."
"The will of God will never
take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us."
"For soon one life will be
past, but only what's done for Christ shall last."
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Courage:
Give me the courage Lord, to sail my
boat out from the shore,
for I'd rather know the Ocean's
Gale, and hear the Tempest's roar,
than anchor safely in some bay,
because Fear conquered me.
Let craft less daring inland stay,
be mine the pathless sea. |
"It is not the critic
who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,
or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is
marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who
errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great
enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy
course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high
achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while
daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
(Paris Sorbonne,1910)
A Cherokee Indian elder was teaching his
grandchildren about life: He said to them, "A fight is going on inside
me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf
represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance,
self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority, and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope,
sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, forgiveness, benevolence,
friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same
fight is going on inside of you, and inside every other person, too."
The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his
grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee elder replied simply, "The one you feed."
A young man named John received a parrot as
a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.
Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with
profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by
consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything
else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally,
John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back.
John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John,
in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the
freezer.
For a few minutes the parrot squawked and
kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was
heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly
opened the door to the freezer.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's
outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my
rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate
transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my
rude and unforgivable behavior."
John was stunned at the change in the bird's
attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a
dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued......
"May I ask what the turkey did?"
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We usually wait until we hit bottom.
So if/when you hit the emotional
-spiritual-physical-relationship-financial/material bottom, remember this
section. This 80 years on earth
is but a test to see if you will follow God, or
follow your own ways. Real life is the what comes after this short life and
it lasts an eternity.
The Meaning of Life?
To show others on
earth that without God, there is no life.
Romans
3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We all have sin
in our hearts. We all were born with sin. We were born under the power of
sin's control.
Admit that you are a
sinner.
Romans
6:23a "...The wages of sin is death..."
Sin has an
ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result
of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that
alienates us
from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a
place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will
be in torment
forever. It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will
remain.
Understand that you
deserve death for your sin.
Romans
6:23b "...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord."
Salvation is a
free gift from God to you! You can't earn this gift, but you must reach out
and receive it.
Ask God to forgive you
and save you.
Romans
5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us!"
When Jesus died
on the cross He paid sin's penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when
He took all the sins of the world on Himself
on the cross,
He bought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we
believe in Him and what He has done for us,
understanding
that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this
because He loved us and gave Himself for us!
Give your life to God...
His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is your only hope to have
forgiveness and change. His love bought you
out of being a slave to
sin. His love is what saves you -- not religion, or church membership.
God loves you!
Romans
10:13 "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
- Call out to God in the
name of Jesus!
Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from
the dead,
you shall be saved; for with the heart man
believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation."
- If you know that God is
knocking on your heart's door, ask Him to come into your heart.
Jesus said,
Revelation 3:20a "Behold I stand at the door and
knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him..."
- Is Jesus knocking on
your heart's door?
Believe in Him.
Ask Him to come
in to your heart by faith, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Open the
Bible to the Gospel of John and read what
God says about
Jesus, about you, and about being born again. God will help you. He loves
you.
You need to
look for a local church where God's word is preached. The Bible says that
we are to desire God's word like a newborn baby
desires
mother's milk. Aren't you hungry to know the truth?
Water baptism
is one of the ways you first show that you have been joined to Jesus. This
is an action, and actions will not save you.
However, it is
an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment. The symbolism is this: When
you go down in the water you show that
You have been
crucified and buried with Him, And when you come up out of the water you
show that you have been raised to walk with Him
in newness of
life. (See Romans chapter 6)
You have been
born again. (See John chapter 3)
Your body has
become God's temple. Your heart is where He lives. Forgiveness is yours in
Jesus. And you belong to Him.
You were sin's slave. But now...
You
are a child of GOD!
John 1:12
"As many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe
in His name!"
Now you can start living. |