OK ... this will be the first in the series (A Better Us) of this particular challenge - it is created to keep me focused on what is truely important in life: God and family. I am NOT saying that friends, volunteering or church are not important - they have their place but I just want to focus on the top two tier for now. In my life sometimes I get too wrapped up in other peoples stupidity, that my life ends up being ... unbalanced and I have missed too much of my family's time that I will never get back because of this weekness. We have all done it whether it is too many commitments with work or friends or even church - these activities brings us home too late and exhausted, we become rushed and aggitated, none of is in God's plan for a happy, loving family. So from time to time I reassess what is going on in my life to catch these kinds of problems before my life gets too out of control and as martiarch of my family I realize the power that I have to influence those around me. When I am calm so are they or atleast I can cope better when problems come up. I DO NOT want to be one of those women who have lost everything great in their life and wonder what went wrong - I REFUSE!!!!
Before I get to the challenge I have a few rules:
~1st - you can not tell anyone that you are doing this - in Matthew 6:16-18 it speaks about how to behave when you are fasting and says that you should wash your face and comb your hair and behave like you are not fasting and your Heavenly Father you sees what you do in private will bless you.
~2nd - you DO NOT have the right to insist or pressure someone else to do these activities - this challenge is for personal growth and as we ALLLLL know you CAN NOT change someone if they don't want to do it. You can change others behaviors. When they see how YOU have changed - they will follow .... eventually.
~3rd - you need to do these challenges with an open heart - God can not enter your heart if the door is shut.
Back to the challenge.
Challenge #1 - You are to only listen to certain music: either classical or jazz WITHOUT any lyrics (Mozart or Miles Davis) or christian music (gospel, alternative, whatever tickles your fancy). *This is especially important when you are in your car but DO NOT change someones station if you know they are going to have a problem - rules #1 and #2 - and if someone asks "why are you listening to that?!" just simply say "I don't know - they played a song that sounded nice and I've just been listening ever since". Period - end of discussion.
This weeks challenge is somewhat simple. When one goes on a spiritual diet one needs to clean out the fridge EVERYTHING MUST get tossed, it needs to be scrubbed and it needs to be filled with fresh wholesome food. Well that is what I (we?) will be doing. With ALL the negative that come towards us we need to strengthen our spiritual armour. So this challenge is to do just that - to fill our soul with positive and/or unconditional love or at the best NO more negative images. This is kinda tough for me ... I LOOOVE my classic rock but The Doors "Back Door Man" doesn't rreaalllly fill me with positive love or ACDC's "Dirty Deeds" conjures up images on how I can "take care" of those who have crossed me ... not the positive energy I need to strengthen me. My second problem is that I really don't like tradional christian music - it conjures up images of tent revival and cults but there is a station Air 1 that I have found - they play "positve-alternative" music and I can actually listen to it. Listen at work if you can or down load songs into your MP3 player for a more "personal" listening. Think of how your world will change - you will arrive to work/home calmer and more at peace - now isn't that what everyone wants. A better you. I will let you know next Sunday how this challenge went and post a new one.
Before I get to the challenge I have a few rules:
~1st - you can not tell anyone that you are doing this - in Matthew 6:16-18 it speaks about how to behave when you are fasting and says that you should wash your face and comb your hair and behave like you are not fasting and your Heavenly Father you sees what you do in private will bless you.
~2nd - you DO NOT have the right to insist or pressure someone else to do these activities - this challenge is for personal growth and as we ALLLLL know you CAN NOT change someone if they don't want to do it. You can change others behaviors. When they see how YOU have changed - they will follow .... eventually.
~3rd - you need to do these challenges with an open heart - God can not enter your heart if the door is shut.
Back to the challenge.
Challenge #1 - You are to only listen to certain music: either classical or jazz WITHOUT any lyrics (Mozart or Miles Davis) or christian music (gospel, alternative, whatever tickles your fancy). *This is especially important when you are in your car but DO NOT change someones station if you know they are going to have a problem - rules #1 and #2 - and if someone asks "why are you listening to that?!" just simply say "I don't know - they played a song that sounded nice and I've just been listening ever since". Period - end of discussion.
This weeks challenge is somewhat simple. When one goes on a spiritual diet one needs to clean out the fridge EVERYTHING MUST get tossed, it needs to be scrubbed and it needs to be filled with fresh wholesome food. Well that is what I (we?) will be doing. With ALL the negative that come towards us we need to strengthen our spiritual armour. So this challenge is to do just that - to fill our soul with positive and/or unconditional love or at the best NO more negative images. This is kinda tough for me ... I LOOOVE my classic rock but The Doors "Back Door Man" doesn't rreaalllly fill me with positive love or ACDC's "Dirty Deeds" conjures up images on how I can "take care" of those who have crossed me ... not the positive energy I need to strengthen me. My second problem is that I really don't like tradional christian music - it conjures up images of tent revival and cults but there is a station Air 1 that I have found - they play "positve-alternative" music and I can actually listen to it. Listen at work if you can or down load songs into your MP3 player for a more "personal" listening. Think of how your world will change - you will arrive to work/home calmer and more at peace - now isn't that what everyone wants. A better you. I will let you know next Sunday how this challenge went and post a new one.
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