The blessing of friends

I’ve been thinking a lot about friends lately and the riches that lie in good friends that stand with us in every situation. They are the people that hold us up when we’re too tired to go a step further. They are the people who sit with us through the darkness and the night. They are the ones who call out our names when we are groping in a haze of confusion, who remind us of who we are at our essence and at our core. They are the ones that laugh with us, celebrate with us, and count our blessings with us. Thank God for friends. They are part of who we are.

Here’s what Proverbs says about friends like these.

Proverbs 17:17 (The Message)
 Friends love through all kinds of weather,
   and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

Proverbs 18:24 (The Message)
 Friends come and friends go,
   but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Proverbs 27:6 (New International Version)
 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
     but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Proverbs 27:9 (New International Version)
 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
       and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

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Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

A friend passed this on to me today. Words of wisdom, something for every and any day, written by Regina Brett.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
    

Originally published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday, May 28, 2006
Learn more about Regina at http://www.reginabrett.com/

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You can't change *anybody*

“I came to realize that really I can’t change anybody. I could counsel with them, I could coach them, I could lead them, I could hold up the mirror for them and everything. But ultimately change has to come from them. It dawned on me that if they didn’t change themselves, if they didn’t have the desire and the will to change I couldn’t change them.”

Don Soderquist quoted in George Barna’s newest book, Master Leaders, Barna © 2009, p 2
[ http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/315-30-respected-leaders-weigh-in-on-what-it-takes-to-be-a-master-leader]

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Fall 2009 40-Day Fast, Nov 2-3, Days 16 & 17: True faith

Thinking on this quote from Philip Yancey’s book:

If we insist on visible proofs from God we may well prepare the way for a permanent state of disappointment. True faith does not so much attempt to manipulate God to do our will as it does to position us to do God’s will.

From Disappointment with God, p 242
http://www.amazon.com/Disappointment-God-Philip-Yancey/dp/031021436X

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Fall 2009 40-Day Fast, Oct 31-Nov 1, Days 14 & 15: How to be blessed

A few random thoughts on how to receive blessings from God.

• Make sure that our cup is not already full – not overflowing with things that we have added to our lives.
• If we find that our lives are too crowded, make room for God – off load some of the stuff.
• The best place to insert God’s blessing is in our hearts.
• Sometimes blessing comes in through our ears
• Recognize our needs and admit that we are not sufficient for meeting all of them by ourselves.
• Forgive someone; that’s also a good way to offload stuff and create more space in our lives.
• Be willing to experiment. Risk a little something for God, then risk a little something more.
• Have a sense of humor. Lighten up. God’s blessing may not originally look how you expect it to look.
• Practice gratitude. Every time, every thing we are thankful for becomes a blessing if we stop to see the value.
• Don’t keep an eye on other people’s blessing. That’s for them and not for you.
• Rejoice in your relationships.
• Celebrate everything you see that is good.
• Relax.
• Don’t design your own blessings. God is not a Build-a-Blessing Workshop.
• Try it on for size.
• Smile. Laugh.
• Cry and let God wipe your tears.
• Share your life with others.
• Dream. Imagine. Consider the miraculous.
• Open up your hands, unclench your fists.
• Be generous.
• Rest in Him.

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