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A Little Blessing Changes Everything
"We're on a one-game winning streak!" That's what freshman Dawan Boxley said after his basketball team, the Rutgers-Camden Pioneers, beat Bloomfield College 77 to 72, snapping a five-year, 117-game losing streak. Imagine losing every game for five years; how depressing that must have been for the team, the coach, and the entire school! But what a joy when that buzzer sounded and game 118 turned out differently. Despite the thick book of gloomy stats, the jokes, and the humiliating ridicule, at least one tongue kept repeating, "That was then. This is now." At least one person's brain imagined a victory celebration. Someone's heart soared upward, piercing the dark clouds to reach the sunshine. No doubt, after the game with Bloomfield, that person was running around, slapping pessimists' backs and shouting, "You see? I knew we could do it!" And game 119 had 10-fold more believers. What a difference one success makes! Have you ever experienced it? I have! Things keep going wrong that ought to go right. Your hopes get dashed again and again. You want to quit, but quitting would just pile another failure on the rest. You look for the light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel has caved in. Like Paul, you cry out, "What a wretched person I am! Who will deliver me?" Like the psalmist, you scream, "Where are you, God? Will you forget me forever?" Then a blessing comes. Not necessarily a big one, but big enough for you to recognize the stark contrast between its sparkle and all the dullness around it. "Thank you, Lord!" you whisper. "I'm sorry I doubted you. Please forgive me for being bitter." So begins your one-game winning streak. Like the Apostle Paul, you can say, "We are hard pressed, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8-9). And if you know that such is the pattern, you can watch for the blessing, prepared to receive its turn-around power. For us Christians, the blessing is always present. Jesus Christ's love and sacrifice enriches us, enlightens us, and empowers us day by day, even in the darkest tunnels of life. God has so arranged our destiny that if we don't quit, if we don't give up, we'll be winners. Copyright ©2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved. Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean. Go to his www.deeperstudy.org">DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve's free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."
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Top 20 Love Quotations "In real love you want the other person's good. In romantic love, you want the other person. Self-Validation: Living an Empowered Life Sometimes we are concerned with being right and we don't stop to think that our comments or our actions might hurt another person's feelings.We don't always get enough validation in this world, or perhaps we did not receive enough validation from our parents and our teachers and the people who were around us when we were growing up, so we try to be right and find validation now in this world, sometimes at the expense of other people. The Best Policy Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 28, 2003How do I help a former friend let go of a friendship that's not working for me?This woman, I'll call her "Anne," is a life coach. We met last year and hit it off as friends. Life is Art In my years teaching people to be successful, I have seen that basically people break their lives down in to two major parts: Wealth-building and the rest of their lives. Having done a lot of reflection on these two topics - wealth and life - I am coming to some new conclusions about how to perceive the two. Inspiration From Other People - Is It Worth Listening To A Film Star? Yesterday, I listened to an interview with Michael York, the film star. I listened half-heartedly at first and then with fascination. Wherever You Are, Be There One of the major reasons why we fail to find happiness or to create unique lifestyle is because we have not yet mastered the art of being.While we are home our thoughts are still absorbed with solving the challenges we face at the office. Entrepreneur and Mom When I was 12 years old, I had surgery with complications. I was told there was a chance I would not be able to have children. My Journey I believe it's important for you to develop a mission statement for your life; one that is unique and articulates your values, goals, dreams; how you want to live.Your mission statement is a living, breathing testimony of the life you are committed to living. Everyone Has Been Hurt ....Part 6 Continued.. Moral Obligation & Responsibility Chances are you have seen some type of disturbance in your lifetime. Whether it was a bully picking on someone or a piece of trash on the ground, disturbances happen daily on several different levels. Second Thoughts? Think Again! Life is perfect. If you have read these articles long enough, you have seen this written in several different forms and ways. Where Has All the ENCHANTMENT Gone? Long Time Passing I thought you might enjoy reading a professional article I prepared several years ago. It is just as current today and really speaks to a tragedy in our health care system that we must all try to combat. Save the Planet with Your Joy! Your own level of frequency raises or lowers the overall frequency of humanity, and because being at higher frequency equals the experience of joy, it is literally true that in order to raise up the world and deliver it from suffering, it is imperative that you are joyful! And most people think saving the world requires sacrifice and suffering! In fact, the very opposite is true. Indeed, the most magnanimous-and effective-thing you can possibly do for the planet and its inhabitants is to raise your frequency up out of pain and struggle to that of peace, joy, and ease so that the collective joy-level increases, thus lifting all out of pain and struggle. What To Do When You Dont Know What To Do It is often difficult to know exactly what to do. This is especially true when you decide to stop being a creature of habit and circumstance and decide instead to live a life of purpose and meaning. Anamcara - The Blessing of Peace "Come out of the circle of time and into the circle of love."Jelaluddin Rumi. Anam Chara - Healing the Heart Matters Are you prepared to make your heart matter? Are you prepared to feel whole, happy and healed of any heartache?It does not surprise me our hearts are not whole (the root meaning of the word "heal"). We are taught throughout our unbalanced educational system to avoid our feeling centre. The Karate Kid I have an unexpected relationship problem. It's hard to believe it has become such an issue but it has. Are YOU Ready for Bonza Bottler Day? BONZA BOTTLER DAY is any day when the date and the month have the same number. Bonza, I'm told, means "excellent" or "really great" in Australian, and there's some suggestion that "bottler" means the same. What Will I Do When I Grow Up? Says The 45 Year Old Woman I have always rather envied those people who have a burning vocation; they knew the career they wanted to follow and went for it. If, like me, you have never really known what you want to do, the years fly past and you still have to earn a living. Mitigating Factors Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 30, 2002I am writing for advice on a personal dilemma of the most personal nature. I am male, mid-40s, married 20 years.
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