The Faith of a Child

twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Let's Stay Together: 
5 Simple Steps to Healthy Marriage

Inspired by Kevin Odor of CCRC

"Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage..." ah, the hopeful sounds of Frank Sinatra echo the heartbeat of budding lovers everywhere who want to "tie the knot". For some, it's a around the finger and for others it's around the neck. But no matter how you look at it, Old Blue Eyes hit it right on the head! Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongdoing. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Now that we know the true and accurate definition of love and not what modern society and social media tell us, we know that is it is the goal of the heart to leave our homes and cling to another in hopes that we may be one in love and be fruitful. A man must love his wife as he loves himself and a wife must respect her husband as she respects herself. We have heard this over and over again in every culture around the world. Treat them like you want to be treated...what goes around comes around...be good to them and they will be good to you...and so on.

But what makes a marriage last beyond the infatuation stage, the "honeymoon period"? How do we look back years later and look over at that person and say, from the core of our heart, I love this man or I love this woman...how can we say, for example, 30 years later, we are happily married despite an immoral and broken world that no longer believes or markets healthy marriage, but promotes destruction, selfishness, and lust? Well, it's simpler than you may think.

First: Never give up! Commit to your commitment: There will be many obstacles, challenges, ups and downs throughout the journey together, but as long as there is no irreparable damage caused by abuse or indiscretion, and you truly still fully commit to fulfilling the wants and desires you share with your spouse, remember the vow you took before God and man to stand by your word and do everything you can to keep your promises to each other. Love always perseveres.

Second: Avoid the pit-falls from saying, "we are just too different." It was the similarities that attracted you to each other in the first place and the differences that kept it so interesting and challenging along the way. You are not always going to agree on everything. This is good. At times, one will have a perspective the other does not; the outcome will benefit greatly from the meeting of the minds. You are one heart, but you still have a unique quality and contribution to the marriage. It's like sugar and spice, salt and pepper, hand in glove, you get the point. 

Third: Commit to acceptance. Accept one another for who they are, not for who you want them to be. Change in a person comes with time and experience. If it is positive change, embrace it. If it is negative change, work together to overcome it. This brings fulfillment to the marriage. 

Fourth:  Never say, "you don't make me happy." It is NOT the other person's responsibility to make YOU happy. You are responsible for your own happiness. The fruit for a healthy heart is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is up to you to feed your heart healthy influences just as you feed your body healthy food. Both will reflect a healthy mind and spirit. This is your commitment to growing. Do not accuse in anger, but speak truth in love, this will grow up in the marriage and make you stronger. A 3 strand braid is the strongest there is.

Fifth: Do not see other people. Inviting another person into your marriage bed will destroy it. Your bed can't hold the weight of an extra body. Neither can your heart. Filling your eyes with lust will only lead you to step out on your marriage, which goes against rule #1 above. Causing lust and adultery in your marriage will destroy it to the point of no repair. If you apply love abundantly to a healthy marriage, it will flourish and grow. If you sour and spike your marriage with affairs, promiscuity and adulterous behavior, it will rot the marriage from the core and it will wither and die like rotten fruit fallen from the vine. 

Guard Your Heart

 You have heard this time and time again, we must protect our minds, our bodies and most importantly, our hearts from the things in the world that want to kill it. We must make a commitment to guarding, above all else, our hearts, after all, it is source of life. If we look for good in ourselves and each other, we will find it, But if we seek out to purposely hurt each other, we are capable of executing it.  Be a good heart. A heart of change. Love can turn a heart of stone into a heart of peace. As one in marriage, you are a new heart, undivided with a new spirit of love to bond you.

 

Until next time, I am DeMaster Thomas and this -- is Real Living.

 

"Hush Little Baby, Don't Say A Word..."

Ah the beautiful peace of ... sleep. CBS News reported April 2012 that 41 million American workers don't get enough sleep, CDC says. When was the last time you spent 24 hours doing-nothing! I mean a full day where you didn't produce anything?! What if I told you that not only is rest your God-given right as a human, it's a mandatory commandment? 

That's right. TO REST IS A COMMANDMENT. "Where," you might say..."I don't remember anything in the Bible that says, I have to stop running myself into the ground...I can go all day and all night and do whatever I want...life is short, I'll play hard and sleep when I'm dead."

Well with that attitude, you most certainly will. Not that rest is a laughing matter. "There's about 41 million workers who aren't getting the recommended amount of sleep," study author Dr. Sara Luckhaupt, a medical officer in the division of surveillance, hazard evaluations and field studies at the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, D.C, told HealthDay. "Not surprisingly, workers who work the night shift are more likely to not get enough sleep," she said, adding people who work more than one job or more than 40 hours a week are also likely to get too little sleep. 

^{Exodus 20: 8-11
8} Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

⁹ Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
¹⁰ But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Hebrews 4:9 backs it up by saying, There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. Okay, okay, not to be preachy, but it's nice to know that taking time off from everything is not considered being 'lazy'. It's actually exactly how you're supposed to spend your down time.

Now of course, not to mention the many known health reasons for rest, there are spiritual and emotional reasons to rest as well. It is a time to reflect, clear the mind, exhale, and in return, your focus, energy and stamina will be replenished. Not to mention you will feel emotionally stronger, spiritually sound and finally, your mind, body and spirit are all at peace at the same time.

History teaches us that Sunday became the day of rest because it was recognized as the day the Lord rested as well as the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Before then, it was actually Saturday! Okay so that's probably what you would consider useless knowledge you can use to annoy your friends. The point is, After work and play, there is rest.

Dr. Michael J. Breus, a sleep expert and clinical psychologist, told WebMD that if you fall asleep in less than 10 minutes, you're probably sleep deprived. Another sign that may ring familiar to some: "If you hit the snooze button more than twice you are probably sleep-deprived," Breus said.
What should the nation's sleepy workforce do to stop the trends?
Luckhaupt told WebMD that employers should take steps to make sure their workers are getting enough sleep, such as by tweaking night shift schedules or imposing limits on consecutive shifts. Employers should also have wellness initiatives that encourage workers to go to sleep at the same time every night and create a relaxing bedroom environment. That also means avoiding reading or television in bed and turning off that smartphone.

Revelations 1:10, Galatians 2:16 & 4:10, 2 Corinthians 3:6-17 and Psalm all support the fact that rest = blessing! That's right. If you give your body the rest it needs, it will reward you by being the tool you need to function in the world. Let's face it folks, it's the only body we're going to get on this lovely trip through life so let's do our best to take care it and in return, it will take care of us!

"Getting the right amount of sleep can boost a person's health. A study earlier this year found people who don't get sufficient sleep significantly raise their risks for diabetes and obesity. Love it or hate it, with an ever-increasing number of studies finding a direct connection between sleep deprivation and weight gain, it's difficult to deny the cause-and-effect relationship. People who get at least seven hours of sleep per night tend to have less body fat than people who don't. There are, of course, other factors involved in determining who becomes overweight and who doesn't, like food intake, exercise and genes. But sleep is a more integral of the process than most people realize. In a study involving 9,000 people between 1982 and 1984 (NHANES I), researchers found that people who averaged six hours of sleep per night were 27 percent more likely to be overweight than their seven-to-nine hour counterparts; and those averaging five hours of sleep per night were 73 percent more likely to be overweight.

So there you have it. The mind, body and soul can only benefit from good ol' fashioned R & R done the right way. And when you are well rested, you can wake up and bring in the new day recharged, refreshed and ready to take on what ever new challenges or tasks you have for the day. Sabbath  rest means to work hard and rest easy. Are you being a blessing for you? Are you using your one and only life to serve a higher purpose? If you answered yes, then you owe it to yourself and the those who depend on you to : RECOVER, RENEW, RESTORE AND REFUEL. If you need a little help finding the sweet spot in your hectic schedule to rest, be sure to take a look at "Making and Keeping Priorities" posted 10/28/12 on this site. If you want more reading for daily study, you can look at Mark 2:27, Matthew 11:28 & 12:10. Now go out there well rested and embrace your life! 

Until next time, I'm DeMaster Thomas and this - is Real Living. 
 
 

 

"Making and Keeping Priorities"

adapted from the Unhurried Series, CCRC

You have heard it said in passing and in song, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Well, like it or not, this is true for you and me. We go about our lives in a hurry. Quick to work, fast to play, some of the time, completely unorganized and frazzled, most of the time, feeling behind in our daily endeavors and wanting to blast off on a rocket ship into the future just get a sense of completion and accomplishment. 

What if I told you that for each day that comes, you have exactly enough time in that particular day to do what is actually intended for that day only? In other words, your priorities, if in line with the will and flow of the world around you, will fall properly in place and succeed to completion every day because the world would rise up to meet you in getting it done. 

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it's not. And most of it is our own fault. We tend to look at  each day as it is the last day we can ever get everything in our life span done! That's obviously faulty logic and if we simply step back and "re-prioritize" what is truly important and fulfilling to our purpose for that day and that day only, saving for the next day what is to come, we will find ourselves more accomplished, less fatigued, leaving and entering each day refreshed and ready for what is to come. 

Time and Purpose operate on four basic fundamentals:

-Life has given me all the time I need to fulfill my purpose in it.

-If the negative things in life don't make you bad, they will keep you busy.

-Vision for Life: The Pursuit of the Pace

-To finish well is to live an abundant life with margin from a secure identity.

So, first things first. SLOW DOWN. Life isn't going anywhere. And if it does, relax, your purpose in it was served and it's your time to go! Sounds harsh and cold, I know, but stay with me. Life has its schedule and you have yours. But ask yourself, "do you have the courage to choose what matters most?" What are you filling your days with? Are they rewarding and uplifting for the betterment of self and others or are they "time stealers" or "time vampires," robbing and sucking the life out of your day, leaving nothing behind but regret and despair? In other words, what are you doing all day? And if it is productive and motivating, are you doing too much? Are you allowing enough time for each task of the day to marinate, stew, go down easy, and be truly satisfying? Well, if you're not, here's a little irony for you, now is the time! 

Tasks are categorized by four sections:

-Important and urgent

-Important but not urgent

-Not important but urgent

-Not important and not urgent

 

If you are familiar with Stephen Covey's, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, then you remember the graph above. But did you really take the meat from it or just apply it for work and home? Did you really apply it deeply to where it affects your mind and spirit? This is called, the Interactive Plan to live by what matters most. Once this is in tune, the other mechanical tasks ie work, school, shopping, errands, etc. will fall into place. 

The Interactive Plan

A. Faith - most of us have a faith base or some sort of foundation of principles that guide our moral compass. This comes first. Your focus must be clear and direct with your morality intact to act as your guide.

B. Family - People are eternal. Things are temporary. Husbands, love your wives, be ready to give yourself up for her and your family. Do not intentionally provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in discipline and constructive instruction.  Love equals time, not money!

C. Friends - relationships matter. Ask yourself, would you want to be your friend? It's one of the oldest golden rules in the book, love others as you would have them love you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What goes around, comes around. I think you get the point. 

Now that you have the blueprint, take some time to give yourself time for the more important priorities in your life and remember, there's always tomorrow. 

~DeMaster Thomas~ 

 

   

Who I Am

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM

I NEVER WENT TO LAW SCHOOL

YET I AM  A JUDGE

I NEVER WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL

YET I AM A HEALER

I NEVER HELD AN OFFICE

YET I AM KING

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MARRIED

YET I AM THE DEFINITION OF

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

I HAVE NEVER BEEN AN ASTRONAUT

YET I AM A TRAVELER OF SPACE AND TIME

BUT IF YOU DO NOT KNOW ME

TO YOU, I AM A STRANGER

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM

 

-DeMaster A. Thomas-

 

Working For A Bigger Purpose

Summer Reading and Free Positivity Plan Get any one of my books this week and receive a free 11 Step Positivity Plan. Click here for details. June 25, 2012 Working for a Bigger Purpose This was a newsletter I wrote a few years ago that inspired me to write The Seed. I think it’s such an important message and we have so many new readers I wanted to share it again. What if work wasn’t just work? What if work was a vehicle to live and share a bigger purpose? I believe there’s flawed perception in our society that in order to live a life of purpose we have to leave our jobs and go solve world hunger, feed the homeless, move to Africa or start a charity. While these are all noble causes and many are called to do these very things, for many of us our bigger purpose can be found in the here and now, in the jobs we have, right under our noses. And when we find and live this purpose it will provide the ultimate fuel for a meaningful life. You may not build libraries around the world but you can find the bigger purpose in reading to your children. You may not feed the homeless every day but you can nourish your employees and customers with a smile, kind word and care. And while you may not start your own non-profit organization you can begin a charity initiative at work. After all, "charity" means "love in action." You can make a difference every day and touch the lives of everyone you meet. While these people may not be starving because of a lack of food, you can provide them with a different kind of nourishment that will feed their souls and feed your own in the process. I heard of a janitor who worked at NASA and even though he was sweeping floors he felt his bigger purpose was contributing to put a man on the moon. I met a bus driver who knows his purpose is to help kids stay off drugs. I met an administrative assistant who has become the Chief Energy Officer of her company. I received an email from a woman in the mortgage business who sees her job as a way to help couples save their marriages by keeping their homes. I know a Popeye's Chicken employee named Edith in the Atlanta Airport who makes thousands of air traveler's smile each day. The list goes on... Ordinary people with an extra-ordinary purpose. In any job our purpose waits for us to find it and live it. I can't tell you what your purpose should be but I can tell you that every one of us can find a bigger purpose in the job we have. I can tell you that every job, no matter how glorious or boring it may seem, will get mundane if we let it. Purpose keeps it fresh and when we are filled with purpose, we tap into an endless supply of energy. Don't wait until you go to Africa to start living with a mission. Don't wait until the weekend to feed people who are hungry. Bring your mission to work, start working for a bigger purpose and nourish others in the process. Share your thoughts about working for a bigger purpose on our Blog, Twitter or Facebook. - Jon Share This Newsletter Via Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

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