HOPE Author Unknown

If you can look at the sunset and smile, then you still have hope.

If you can find beauty in the colors of a small flower, then you still have hope.

If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly, then you still have hope.

If the smile of a child can still warm your heart, then you still have hope.

If you can see the good in other people, then you still have hope.

If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep, then you still have hope.

If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder, then you still have hope.

If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips, then you still have hope.

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism, then you still have hope.

If you give people the benefit of a doubt, then you still have hope.

If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched your life, then you still have hope.

If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise, then you still have hope.

If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration, then you still have hope.

If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end, then you still have hope.

If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection, then you still have hope.

If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the turkey, then you still have hope.

If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy, then you still have hope.

If you can look to the past and smile, then you still have hope.

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile, you can still look up and end the conversation with the phrase... "yeah....BUT. ." then you still have hope.

Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can.

It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd rather give in.

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.

Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.

Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.

Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return.

And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places.

Never lose hope.

PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE By Paul Bradshaw

Short Interview with Rick Warren, (PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE)

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,

'Purpose Driven Life' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, 'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

DISCOVERED by Melanie Schurr

I recently "discovered" a profound musical talent named Andrea Bocelli. As reality has it, Mr. Bocelli, an Italian born tenor who is said to have the voice of an angel, has been around for many years, and I don't know how his beautiful voice could have escaped my ears for so long, but, well, such was my loss!

In my admitted ignorance, I called my mother to tell her about Andrea, knowing how she appreciates her own Italian heritage, as well as good classical music. However, much to my chagrin, when I called mom, she replied, "Oh! Of course I know who he is! I have loved his music for years!"

"You have?" I said as I felt my own excitement quickly drain from me.

Mom then went on to list a few of her favorite Bocelli songs; even going so far as to inform me of several CD's of his she now owns, which is quite shocking to me since my seventy-five year old mother has never even warmly embraced such modern technology as a personal computer, DVD player, etc.

After I hung up the phone and allowed all of this new information to digest, I couldn't help but also relate the issue to those individuals who walk the earth and go about their daily lives totally oblivious to God. Just as I missed out on this musical experience; proudly thinking I was "in the know," how many people are missing out on their very salvation because they think they know everything there is to know?

Prayer: "Heavenly Father, please forgive me for ignoring your Divine presence. I want to know You and Your will for my life. Come in to my heart, dear God, and let me know the depth of your love. This I ask in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen."

HAPPINESS IS THE WAY Author Unknown

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are.

After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Work like you don't need money,

Love like you've never been hurt,

And dance like no one's watching.

God has given each of us a "gift" that we are to use to glorify His name! Do you know yours???

DEBT: IT'S A SPIRITUAL ISSUE By Rubel Shelly

My friend David has a simple little ditty about debt that everybody needs to commit to memory: WHEN YOUR OUTGO EXCEEDS YOUR INCOME, YOUR UPKEEP WILL BE YOUR DOWNFALL. It's straightforward, honest, and insightful about the unpleasant life situation of too many people -- probably all of us at one time or another.

The inability to handle money is as much a spiritual problem as one's mishandling of alcohol. It may even be more socially respectable. After all, let somebody mention "living paycheck to paycheck" or confess "being in debt up to my eyeballs" and somebody will likely laugh and say, "Let me tell you the mess *I'm* in. You won't believe this . . ." Is fiscal irresponsibility really so trivial?

According to the Nilson Report, Americans are using their credit cards quite freely. The average cardholder's outstanding balance is $4,400 -- up 123 percent in a decade which saw personal income rise a smaller 72 percent. (Since most households have more than one credit card, $4,400 may not be a fair estimate of total family debt on high-interest credit cards!) The United States government recently reported that personal savings have fallen to the lowest monthly level in our history. Meanwhile, more and more state governments are pumping money into TV ads to ask citizens to buy lotto tickets. It's bizarre, don't you think?

Maybe debt is the "respectable addiction" of this generation. Credit card companies mail out an estimated 3.3 billion credit card solicitations per year.

Tension rooted in debt will set you against your mate. It will distract you from your children. It will disrupt your spiritual life and become a barrier between you and God.

The Bible says: "Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other" (Romans 13:8, *The Message*).

Sell an asset or create an extra stream of income to pay off the debt you already have. You'll be amazed by just writing down every dime you spend for a few weeks -- and eliminating the foolish and unnecessary impulse buying that drains so many pocketbooks.

Believe it or not, abusing credit is sinful -- just like abusing alcohol.

And it is a spiritual victory to ask and receive God's help in bringing it to an end.