10 Guidelines From God

I stumbled upon this online today and realized that it was everywhere on the internet. I don't know who wrote it, but I thought it was quite lovely (though a little fluffy). Still, it's very encouraging, so I thought I'd share!

10 Guidelines From God

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

Please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines:

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now; I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do My job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me -- OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget.

Hopefully this will be an encouraging reminder to someone today!

Some Links To Share

This morning I came across a couple of links that I wanted to share.

While driving, I heard a great message on Moody Radio. What piqued my interest was the fact that the speaker, Paul Little, worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, an awesome organization that I had been involved in during college. The message I heard this morning was spoken by Little in the 1970s, I believe; it was about evangelism and sharing our faith with our "non-Christian" friends. A link to this message's podcast and more of Little's messages is below:

Moody Radio Podcasts

Also, on an entirely different note, I came across this article and these videos today about a Pride and Prejudice musical on another blog! (Seeing this musical will definitely be added to my bucket list!) To my fellow Jane Austen fanatics, these links are for you!

Pride and Prejudice: A Musical on Jane Austen Today's Blog

The Musical's Website

So if anyone is interested, or just bored, I recommend checking these links out!

On Love and Books

I've recently read two good books that I'd like to recommend to anyone interested. These books are quite different, but reading them at the same time was rather thought-provoking because they both hit one theme really hard: love.

The first book is Francis Chan's Crazy Love. For anyone who has ever wondered if the church was "missing something" about God, well, this book is for you. I had been hearing so much about Crazy Love for so long and after finally reading it, I can't help but repeat many of the same things said to me about the book: it'll make you think, challenge you, and change you in your faith! However, I will be the first to admit that it's a difficult, convicting read! It begins with a powerful, humbling reminder of just who God is and just how small we are, and then dives right into the tragic state of lukewarm Christianity. I fear too many of us are often guilty of the traits of lukewarm Christians, myself most certainly included. And like a loveless marriage, I think that a lukewarm faith can never be truly satisfying; an unattainable to-do list, polite aloofness, and too much pride can only satisfy so much. But Crazy Love reminded me that our faith in Jesus Christ is not supposed to like this; it's about falling in love. I especially loved the inspirational stories of love and action that Francis Chan included in one of the last chapters. And although the book was certainly a convicting read, it was also very inspiring and so, I am highly recommending this book to all!

My second recommendation today is Ted Dekker's Immanuel's Veins. If you've ever read Dekker, then you know that his novels usually depict dramatic battles between good and evil and are always an emotional roller coaster of whiplashes. Immanuel's Veins is no different; it sinks its teeth in you pretty quickly and simply won't let go! It tells the story of a warrior attempting to rescue the one he loves from the greatest evil in 18th century Russia. Honestly, the plot was a bit melodramatic at moments, but what made me continue to contemplate this book for weeks after finishing was it's theme of self-sacrificing love, much like Christ's.

So these books have had me thinking about love a lot recently. For instance, what exactly is love? More importantly, how does one differentiate between "real love" and lukewarm feelings or infatuations? If we, as Christians, are commanded to love God and each other, shouldn't we know this difference?

In the book of John in the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples: "Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-13)

After thinking a lot about this, I concluded that the difference is a choice. Simple feelings and infatuations can feel like love but they don't necessarily act like love. Love is choosing to sacrifice yourself for your friends, for the ones you love. Love is choosing to obey God even when it's hard. Love is choosing to be loyal and faithful forever.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts after reading both of these books at around roughly the same time. To anyone who yearns for a challenge in their faith or to anyone who simply wants a good emotional adrenaline rush (with a lot of thought afterwards), check out one of these two books!

One Nation Under God

While driving this afternoon, I heard some provoking news: apparently NBC cut the phrase "one nation under God" from a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance during their coverage of the US Open yesterday. The aftermath, as anyone can imagine, was ugly:

New York Daily News - NBC Apologizes for Cutting "One Nation Under God" from Pledge of Allegiance

While listening to the controversy on the news, I suddenly realized that I was genuinely shocked by my own response to what I was hearing: almost complete indifference. A few years ago, I would have been inflamed by this sort of news. I would have joined in the ranks of people crying out publicly in anger, "How dare you, NBC?!". But now? I just don't really care. I don't see a point in debating, fighting, or rioting about it. In the grand scheme of our lives on earth, is this controversy really the most important thing?

In the Bible, the apostle Paul writes to Timothy: "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." (2 Timothy 2:23-24)

So what does this mean for politics? And what about controversial issues such as this one? Maybe sometimes it's not really worth arguing over. Maybe sometimes we're better off using our time to just love.

This is my two cents on some recent news. For anyone who is interested in this issue, please chime in! I'd love to hear some more thoughts on this subject.

Blue Like Jazz Movie

If you've ever read Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz, then you've probably heard over and over that a loose film adaptation has been in the works for some time now. (And if you haven't read Blue Like Jazz, I highly recommend it!) I absolutely loved the book, though it has been a couple years since I read it. Well, the other day, it was a most pleasant surprise to not only hear about the movie, but to actually see the first teaser trailer! As far as I know, there is no official release date yet, but it's rumored to be released sometime this year. From this trailer, I think it looks like it will be great!

This definitely calls for a re-read of Blue Like Jazz!

Generosity

“For God so loved the world that he gave….” ~John 3:16

Generosity is something that I have been wrestling with for the past few days. After recognizing this theme in two books I recently read, in an email I received this morning, and at church earlier, I think it’s time to take responsibility for my lack of it.

I have been selfish with what God has given me; we all too often are. During small group time at church today, I was given a challenge for the next week about generosity: to think about what God has given me an abundance of and to do something “generous” to give some of it away. A small step it may be, but for those of us who selfishly hoard what God has given us, it’s a start in the right direction. So I challenge all the other selfish hoarders like myself to join me and take this little step in living out our faith this week.

I haven’t quite decided what I’ll do yet. But I’ll start with a small bit of generosity by sharing with you all some interesting articles from World Vision ACT:S that I came across today. Check these links out:

6 Things to Know at 20-Something

6 Tips: Find a Cultural Experience

ACT:S Summer Adventure Bucket List