Faith

Just created this a bit ago…

Enjoy,

Lee

Faith
© Lee Wise All rights reserved

The decision to trust Jesus in all things…

Even when the “all things” include
Confusion in the mind,
Pain in the heart
And lack of clarity about the future.

We trust Him because we believe
and not because it makes sense.

We trust Him because we would
much rather “lean in” to Him at all times
as opposed to leaning away from Him
when He’s needed most.

In the end, we decide to trust…

Because we love Him.

We love Him for who He is,
What He has done,
And who He promises to be for us…

Now,
And forever.

On Being A Father

On Being A Father
© Lee Wise All rights reserved

Having a child make make me a father,
but only by having a good heart
will I ever be the father I should be.

Five Pillars Of Excellence For Personal Spiritual Growth

Five Pillars Of Excellence For Personal Spiritual Growth
© Lee Wise All rights reserved

Don’t let the brevity of these comments fool you. They are
a gold mine in terms of value in our lives.

These four disciplines — when reflected and acted upon –
will continually propel us in the direction of living a
life of excellence.

And…

As we focus on the Person of Jesus Christ as our model,
motivation and strength while striving to put these
disciplines into practice, we can’t help but grow in the
realization of what it means to be a person of excellence
for Christ.

~*~*~ How To Read The Following ~*~*~

Each main thought is followed by: (1) a definition; and (2)
a personal affirmation that can be made relative to the
definition.

Try to let each definition and personal affirmation capture
your imagination: how the basic truth of what is being said
could improve your life.

In order to help you “see” the possibility, allow the two
questions below to serve as examples of how focusing on one
of the five pillars of excellence could enhance your
personal spiritual growth.

Regarding the area of *concentration,* you create a question
like this:

“If I concentrated my efforts on improving in the area of
personal time management, what could this mean for me?”

Focusing on *personal control,* you might create a question
similar to this one:

“What if I exercised more personal control concerning what I
say to others, what positive changes might I see in my
life?”

Reading, thinking, and praying through these five pillars
more than once should prove very beneficial for you: at
least that’s the goal.

1. CONCENTRATION

Defined: concentration is the power of focus.

Related Affirmation: “I am focusing and staying focused on
the most important issues and tasks of life today.”

2. CONTROL

Defined: control is the power of self-discipline.

Related Affirmation: “I am exercising daily control over my
emotions, energies and talents for the purpose of maximum
involvement and achievement in life.”

3. COMPLETION

Defined: completion is power of follow-through.

Related Affirmation: “I am being persistent and enduring. I
am finishing things.”

4. COMPASSION

Defined: compassion is the power of caring.

Related Affirmation: “I am caring and loving. The attitude
of caring frames how I am living today.”

5. CHRIST

Meaning: Christ is the power of true life in action.

Related Affirmation: “I am looking to Christ as my example
of compassion, concentration, control and completion.

He cared for people, concentrated on what mattered,
controlled his life, and completed all he came to do.”

~*~*~ A Question For You ~*~*~

If you were to pick the most important area to work on this
week, which one of the disciplines would it be? Record it
here:

“The Personal Spiritual Growth area I choose to work on this
week is:

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

~*~*~ Remember Two Key Words ~*~*~

When creating your plan of action, please keep in mind the
following two words:

1. Believable
2. Achievable

Believable = small enough to be able to see yourself
actually doing what you desire to do.

Achievable = Step-by-step success.

Avoid steps of action only Jesus himself could do!

In other words, take into consideration: (1) your current
stage in life; (2) your current set of realities; and (3)
the level of any skill set needed to accomplish your goal.

The best to you and those you love,

Lee

A Suggested Prayer…

“Oh, Father, I come before You and ask you to bless my life
in these needed areas of discipline.

Lord, which one do You feel I should work on this week?

I ask you to guide me through the process, help me to be
realistic in what I set out to do, and then help me to look
to Jesus as the example of how to live my life at all times.

I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen!”

____________________________
© Lee Wise All rights reserved. You may freely distribute
this article. However, the copyright box in Signature Three
must be used when you do so (See Signature Boxes page)

Balanced Effort

Hi,

Wrote this recently and thought I’d publish here.

Enjoy,

Lee

~*~*~*~*~*~*
BALANCED EFFORT

Gaining what I desire
without losing what I should gain
© Lee Wise All rights reserved

~*~*~*~*~*~*

I may desire respect, but if I:

Demand way more than what I give,
Compliment less while criticizing more,
And work less when I should work more…

I lose what I should gain.

I may desire financial stability, but if I:

Trade integrity for profit,
Treating others with respect for selfishness,
And life in balance for a burned out body and spirit…

I lose what I should gain.

I may desire inner rest, but if I:

Blame more than I take responsibility,
Complain much more than I give thanks,
And replace creative beauty with negative habit patterns…

I lose what I should gain.

*** For This Day, Then…

I will life for all it’s worth
by assigning worth to how I choose to live.

To the best of my ability, I will:

Seek to be grateful whenever and wherever I can,
Give respect when respect is due,
Offer help when I can and where it’s needed,
Be responsible without being unrealistic,
And enjoy living for all it is instead of all it’s not.

I will not, however, engage in:

Senseless self criticism,
Destructive gossip,
Endless and useless comparing,
Making fools out of people for foolish gain,
Or making myself out to be a fool when clearly I am not.

In short, I will:

Strive to gain what I desire
without losing what I should gain.

___________________________
© Lee Wise All rights reserved. You may freely distribute
this article. However, the copyright box in Signature Two
must be used when you do so (See Signature Boxes page)

Manning on the Love Of Christ

Turning to Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning last night I read this quote slowly more than once:

“Contemplate the incomparable love of Jesus as he suffocates to death. ‘There is no greater love than this…’ (John 15:13). For a few minutes stay face to face with the dying Jesus and hear him whisper, ‘I’m dying… to be with you.’” (Italics mine).

I thought today about creating a short piece on the ministry of pain in the life of a Christ follower. I’m very grateful for the privilege of being in a place where I can peruse writings from others that draw call us to review and acknowledge the reality of Christ’s love for us — as in this quote from Brennan. Others are not so fortunate.

A simple prayer...

May, Oh Lord, you give to me the grace to see you — and to sense — the reality of what Brennan calls us to bring to mind about our Savior in this short quote. Lord, I don’t like staying for a few minutes next to the dying Jesus — it is painful to think of Him there — but I cannot escape the reality of His love during those moments and all of the “right nows” of my world. Father, I need that sense.

Dear Jesus, thank you. Oh thank you from the depths of my inner being … thank you. As I know more of your love may I give more of the same back to you in return. Thanks for being there… and for being here.

In your name, Amen.”

 

A Great Question For A Journal… On Slowing Down

Here’s a good question for a journal that has to do with slowing down.

“In the past…

What habit, practice, or action
has enabled me to live slow enough
to hear what life, or the Lord,
is saying to me?”

Gratefulness

Gratefulness
© Lee Wise All rights reserved

A way of seeing and responding to life
that promotes…

More well being than being ill,
Happiness than heart breaking self sabotage,

And seeing Jesus in all things
instead of losing sight of Him
when I need to see Him most. 

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