What do you see when you look at someone? What is it that made you look at them in the first place? What was it about the person that drew your attention? Where they tall or short. Where they fat or skinny. Where they male or female. Where they a different race. Why do you even notice anyone? It’s funny, I listen before I look. I listen to what is going on around me. I find it more interesting than looking at people. Art Linkletter had a TV show called, Kids say the darndest things. If you listen to people, you will hear almost anything. But what I am listening for is something very special. I am listening to hear their heart speak. If you actually listen to someone, they will tell you who they are within minutes of talking to them. Because if you listen, their heart will speak clearly about what is in it. Do you ever get frustrated with people who will not listen to you? I tell you a truth, many times it isn’t they don’t listen, it is that the pain in their heart is great. And what you are saying is magnifying it. Everyone has a heart. And that heart is fill with their life and experiences. Sometimes it is good, but not always. Try an experiment, when you are talking to someone, close your eyes and listen to what is being said. You will be amazed what you hear, ever out of your own mouth. Then you will actually be able to see who that person is.

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Everybody wants the good life without conflict. To have all the good things in life flow to us without any strife is almost impossible. There seems to be a natural resistance to everything. In electricity, the amount of resistance measures the strength of the electricity. That same principle also measures us. It is a law of physics, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Laws of physics happen despite who we are. It is the rules and regulations of the universe. The same is applied to diamonds. The greater the pressure produces the greater diamond. I know that we would much prefer to had a life free of conflict. It seems that we would live longer and happier than with stress and conflict. There is a proverb that says, iron sharpens iron. It takes something as hard as iron to sharpen it. And I don’t know anything harder than man’s head. The trick is not to let it overcome us. If we are defeated by conflict, it’s like we have to recycle back through the system. And we will recycle until we get it right. It is so much easier to get it right the first time. And with that we need a person to show us how to succeed. This is why we go to school. But that will only take us so far. What we need is a constant companion and mentor to show us the way. And guess what there is one. He will come and live with us and show the way. He is available for everyone, which is incredible in itself. Of course, His name is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. And not only is He there for us, He is a gift from our Father. And with this mentor, we can have the good life. And all you have to do is ask.

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Getting things to happen at the right time is almost impossible. We have our timetable. And believe that things should work when we want them to. But reality is that they hardly ever work like they are supposed to. So, developing timing is a skill that we all strive for. I have seen people with impeccable timing. Things just fall into place and work. Then there are those who couldn’t get it right if their live depended on it. I think I fall somewhere in the middle of all that. I wish I could say that everything works out just like I want it to. Like I said I wish I could. When I came to the Lord, I would pray and things would happen almost instantly. I think that God did that to encourage me in the faith. I love that way He did that for me. It was a blessing that my prayers were answered so quickly. The longest time for an answered prayer was 22 years. It was God’s timing. I don’t see further than my nose unless God shows me. I was at a drive-in to get something to drink. This was early in my walk with God. God wanted me to turn around and tell this man that He loved him. I was too embarrassed and afraid to say anything. After the man left, God spoke to me and said, It took Me all of his life to get him to the place to hear that I loved him. It was God’s timing. And I missed it. I learned how to move in God’s timing. I didn’t want to miss out on anything anymore. Timing is everything. And learning how to move in God’s timing is a real blessing and a gift of God.

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When we think about home, we think about growing up with our parents. We think about our brothers and sisters. And of course, we think about holidays at home, with the sights and sounds of family and food. So many things go through our head. Most of us have fond memories of home. There is a song written before the American Civil War called Home Sweet Home. Everyone in America knew the song. During the Civil War, there was a battle called the Battle of Stone River. It was known by another name. It was called the Battle of the Bands. On the evening before the battle, the Union and Confederate forces faced each other across the river. The regimental bands, on each side, began to play music. On each side, the bands tried to out play each other. Finally, before lights out, one band began to play Home Sweet Home. Every band on both sides began to play the same song in unison. Every soldier on both sides began to sing the song. It took everyone by surprise. When they finish singing the song, they began cheering for each other. Because they missed their family and homes. Some say that the war would have ended if they could have reach each other. The call of home is as strong a pull as anything in our lives. The strange thing is that this world isn’t our home. And that strong pull to go home isn’t physical, but spiritual. God put that pull or desire to go home in us. So, that we want to go home to our Father. And the funny part of that is all we have to do is get up and go home. He is there waiting for us to return with open arms.

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Everything we see in this world, we see because light reflects off of it. The blue sky is light reflecting off of the dust in the air. The blue ocean is light reflecting off of the deep water. If the ocean is green, it is light on shallow water. If there was no light, we couldn’t see anything. We can see light at nighttime for more than 15 miles. Everything seems to come to a halt in the darkness. I was caught in a snow storm on top of a mountain. It was pitch black. Where all you could do was to stand still until the storm passed. Our life revolves around the light. There are places on this earth where it is darkness for 6 months of the year. it affects people’s lives. So much so, that they have to receive light therapy. Our health is received from sunlight. Then explain to me why so many people are blind standing in the sunlight. We have received and received from God’s grace and people just spit at God. Our lives, our health, our wealth, our families, our comfort, our food, our everything comes from God. God said that the eye is the lamp of the soul. If there is light there, we can see clearly. But if there is darkness in our eye, then great is the darkness within. God also says that He brought a great light into the world. And because of the darkness in man’s heart, they hated the light. The light is Jesus Himself. It says in Matthew 5:15 “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (KJV). It seems to be getting darker, day by day. So, I ask you, where is the light?

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If only we could go home again. We look to the past and see the good things that happened to us. We choose not to remember the bad things that happened. When we think of the good things, then look at our present life and wonder why. Nothing is all good or all bad. There is always a mixture of the two. But those echoes call to us. And promise us comfort. But they are what they are memories. Our life is a choice. We choose what we are going to do. No one can make us to do what we don’t want to. This is called free will. Man, as a whole, received this free will when Adam and Eve sinned against God in the garden. Free will is being like God, but without the power to change anything. Even Jesus acknowledged that man is like God. But free will has been more of a burden than a blessing. It makes us accountable to God for everything we do and without any benefits. If God would have left us in this sorry state, we would have no chance at all. God, being merciful, decided to provide a way that we could be redeemed. He said if we will turn away from our past and faced Him, God would open a door. That door has a name. It is the name above every name. The door’s name is Jesus. There is no other way by which a person can enter into the kingdom of heaven. You know what is sad, is that most people will reject God’s offer. But the offer stands, as long as, you are alive on this earth. Because once you died, the offer ends and judgement begins.

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You ever watch a clock and it seems that time slows down. Then when you look away for a while and time spends up. Time has been the same since it started. It doesn’t go any faster or slower. It is consistent all of our lives. And on top of that, we only have just so much of it. If we waste our time, it is gone never to return again. I have seen people that have lived over a 100 years and those that lived only a few days. Each person has just so much time. Then what happens? How much time do you have? It really doesn’t make a difference how old you are. We are entrusted with so much time. What we do with it is strictly up to us. Why is that? Why do we have to make all the decisions about our time? Why do we have to be responsible for our time? It seems that we give our time away more often than not. So, why are we accountable? Each of us has free will. That is the right to make any decision we will. But we are accountable for those decisions, both here on earth and in the world to come. Do you know why God established governments? He did it to keep the peace, because man has a free will. God talks about time. He says that now is the acceptable time, and today is the day of salvation. It is now that God guaranties, not tomorrow. So how much time to you have left?

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What will happen tomorrow? Living for today isn’t hard enough, but worrying about tomorrow will drive you crazy. You are expected to live up to your potential. Everyone can see what is in your heart. It is like a neon sign hanging on us. This person is a doctor or lawyer or teacher or businessman. Knowing what to do can be a daunting task. Then once you have obtained your potential, living up to everyone else’s idea of what you are supposed to be. Sometimes you wish that tomorrow would never come. When you actually find out what you are supposed to be and attain to a certain level, only to see that you are a disappointment to the people around you. it can be disheartening. Life is about discovery. It a journey that you take one step at a time. There are so many twist and turns all along the way. It seems that many times you are walking blind. So, what do you trust in? Who is there to help you make those decisions that change your life? And did you make the right decision? Not wanting to mess up everything by making a wrong turn. Tomorrow is just as elusive as it has ever been. So, who do you trust with tomorrow? I know who I trusted in. I have trusted my life to Him for 39 years. God says, that He is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  I haven’t had to worry about tomorrow since I began my walk with God.

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Everybody has wished for something. Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight. This is hoping not hope. When you did something as a child and your parents didn’t know. There was hope that you could get away with it. That was until your brother told them everything. Then your hope disappeared. It seems that hope is fragile. It appears and disappears with your circumstances. Knowing something that is true will bolster your hope. You look in this world for truth and it seems to be changing daily. To where you can’t rely on anything. It is a most unsettling predicament. You put your hope in something today and it changes tomorrow. It comes to the point where you don’t want to hope for anything. And that is a sad state of affair. You look at your life and it’s going into the dumpster and you can’t stop it. But you know there is help out there somewhere. If only you could find it. This is hope. By itself it can’t sustain you. It has to be added to something more powerful to create a lasting result. And this powerful thing is a free gift from God. It is called faith. You see, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not see. So, with God’s gift of faith and our hope, we can see and have a changed life, worth living.

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Troubles seem to come to us as easily as the sun rises. I see it in people’s eyes. The sadness and lack of hope that anything will work right. People become afraid of circumstances and I hear in their voice. And they don’t know what to do. Ever felt like a stranger or an outcast in your own home? I grieve for that mother who buried her teenage son yesterday and for the families that lost their fathers. People who have no hope are willing to do anything to try get some safety back in their lives. This is how wars are started. I use to live this way. I had no hope that anything would work out. It was so frustrating. It scared me so much that I was willing to do anything. Then I was shown that hope did exist. Hope in my life came when people believe that I was worth something and my life could be good. People showed me that there was a way. It took almost three months for me to believe that this could happen to me. They used patience and love to show me the way. And when I began to believe my life began to turn around. You see the only hope for this world is Jesus Christ. He can change lives and restore us to our proper place. When I saw how much my Father, who is in heaven, loves me, I began to cry for the sin in my life. God believes that every person on earth has value. And His judgement is correct. God never made any trash. All of creation is perfect. And you can be again. Accept the hope God is offering.

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