Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind » Max Lucado

Shared Wisdom: It’s All About God

Margo — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:42:00 +0000

Because many of the circles or groups of friends that I frequent are full of people who live on a similar spiritual wavelength to myself, I seem to gather many quotations about God or things Christian. I also receive many spiritually based books as gifts which are full of God-quotations. I realize that not everybody is Christian. However I also realize that many people live very spirit-filled lives and can relate to many of these quotations, even the ones that specifically use the term God. So I invite everyone to just be open and adapt the following words in ways that can be meaningful to you.

“Be patient. Our prayers are always answered, but not always on the exact day we’d like them to be. (Marjorie Turner)

“A visitor saw a nurse attending to the sores of a leprosy patient. ‘I would not do that for a million dollars,’ she said. The nurse answered, ‘Neither would I, but I do it for nothing for Jesus.’” (Corrie ten Boom)

“Be sure to remember that nothing in your daily life is so insignificant and so inconsequential that God will not help you by answering your prayer.” (Ole Hallesby)

“If there are a thousand steps between us and God, He will take all but one. He will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours.” (Max Lucado)

“The great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not.” (C.S.Lewis)

“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” (Anonymous)

“If God would have wanted us to live in a permissive society He would have given us Ten Suggestions and not Ten Commandments.” (Zig Ziglar)

“If God had wanted to be a big secret, He would not have created babbling brooks or whispering pines.” (Robert Brault)

“I could not say I believe. I know! I have had the experience of being gripped by something that is stronger than myself, something that people call God.” (Carl Jung)

“No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.” (Anonymous)

“What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.” (Oprah Winfrey)

“After God created the world, He made man and woman. Then, to keep the whole thing from collapsing, He invented humor.” (Guillermo Mordillo)

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "’Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right then, have it your way.’ (C.S. Lewis)

“People see God everyday, they just don’t recognize Him.” (Pearl Bailey)

May God bless you all.

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God’s Messages: He Never Gives Up

Margo — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:32:00 +0000

Many years ago, during a period that I was living in England, I attended a very special retreat at Aylesford Priory which is located in the heart of Kent. The Priory is an ancient religious house belonging to the Order of Carmelites and dates back to the 13th century. The setting there was extremely peaceful and welcoming and I returned several times to attend other retreats.

The reason that the particular retreat I mentioned above was so special was because I received an incredible gift, the first of many messages that God has given me through others. One of the participants on the retreat was a woman who suffered some physical disabilities. She was confined to a wheelchair and had a companion who helped her with everything.

On the second day of the retreat our group had broken up into small groups for discussion. I do not remember the specific topic that we were discussing but I do remember that I struggled badly with the word “faith”. I was, of course, trying to be very “intellectual” in my participation – probably trying to impress someone as I did frequently in those days. And because I was not being “real” I was totally missing the point.

In my egotistical attempt to appear sophisticated and clever I became very frustrated and irritated. I remember making a comment along the lines of, “so what the heck is this “faith” thing anyway; I’m not a theologian. How am I supposed to understand the notion of faith?”

At that moment the woman in the wheelchair (I regret I do not remember her name), leaned across the table, took my hands in hers and spoke very quietly and gently. I will remember her words for ever, and for ever I will be indebted to her. She said, “Margo, use the word trust.” I sat there, unable to say a word, and my heart filled up and my eyes filled up and my soul filled up.

She continued to explain that she implicitly trusted her companion to take the best care of her physically and in the same manner she implicitly trusted God to take care of her spiritually. I was very humbled and I think that was the moment that I experienced my first real feelings of gratitude. Today the whole of my belief in God rests in trust and this trust in Him has grown over the years as I see all that He has done for me, a wretched imperfect human being.

God continues to send me messages, sometimes through others, sometimes through readings or events that take place in my life. The most recent message is an old and beloved one. It comes from the gospel of Matthew, 11:28.

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

This was the featured scripture verse in one of my meditation books on 27th July. It appeared again in another meditation book on 29th July. And one more time Max Lucado offered it to me in “Grace For The Moment” on 30th July. When He wants to get my attention I usually hear it three times in quick succession. So I am hearing that I need to rest more in the quiet of God. I need to quit struggling and let God do it for me. I need to stop trying to fix situations and people outside of myself. There’s already one Savior and it’s not me!!

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Shared Wisdom: My Friend Max

Margo — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:29:47 +0000

If you follow my postings you already know about my “love affair” with Max Lucado. In my opinion, no other modern day spiritual writer touches on the affairs of the soul in such a compassionate and human manner. His words reach into my heart like the comforting embrace of a friend. So I was overjoyed to receive a copy of his Grace For The Moment – 365-Day Journaling Devotional from my husband for Christmas.

In the front of this book, as part of the introductory section, are four pages of writing with which I was already familiar from a previous book. They are what I refer to as “The Choice” pages and whenever I need some extra grounding in my day I go to them and take a few minutes to read them. I would like to share these daily choices which, as Max Lucado explains, because of Calvary we are free to choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE…..
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love. Today I will love God, and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…..
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical ….. the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE…..
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…..
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS…..
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS…..
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…..
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…..
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…..
I am a spiritual being…… After this Body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace.
And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on His pillow and rest.

Max Lucado
When God Whispers Your Name

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Shared Wisdom: More Quotations

Margo — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I always enjoy sharing some of my favorite quotations. They are usually words that have helped me through a situation or two. Sometimes they have presented themselves as words of comfort and encouragement, sometimes as words of inspiration. Frequently they have improved my understanding of a particular set of circumstances. More often that not they have been “light bulb” words; words that have given me that “ah-ha” moment.

No matter what the moment may have been, these words have been important enough to me to have caused me to write them down for future reference. I hope you may find some gems of wisdom among the following quotations that will enlighten your heart and your day.

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. (Kahlil Gibran)
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. (Jesus Christ)
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Faith is a desperate dive out of the sinking boat of human effort and a prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water. (Max Lucado)
Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. (American Indian Proverb)
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might. (Marian Anderson)
If you love yourself, you love everybody else as you do yourself. As long as you love another person less than you love yourself, you will not really succeed in loving yourself, but if you love all alike, including yourself, you will love them as one person and that person is both God and man. Thus he is a great and righteous person who, loving himself, loves all others equally. (Meister Eckhart)
Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Encouragement is awesome. It has the capacity .. to actually change the course of another human being’s day, week, or life. (Charles Swindoll)
I have found that when I am willing to trust and follow my energy it leads me into relationships with people from whom I have the most to learn……. I don’t need to enter or stay in a relationship that is not good for me, but if I choose to leave I can still acknowledge the gift and the teaching I received. (Shakti Gawain)
One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. (Goethe)
Death seems so wrong, dear Lord
Couldn’t You have remedied it?
Have you forgotten, dear child?
There is Easter!! (Ruth Harms Calkin)
The uncertainties of the present always give way to the enchanted possibilities of the future. (Gelsey Kirkland)
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one. (Mother Teresa)
Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive – it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything. (Lucy Maud Montgomery)

And one final quotation to carry with you through the day, which also links with the posting I did yesterday Self Nurturing- Program Yourself Positive.

Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. (William James)

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

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Spirituality & Shared Wisdom: Tough Times And Prayer

Margo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000

If you are a regular reader of my entries, you will know that I have just been through a brief (thank God) tough time. It spanned no more than two weeks and, compared to say, someone facing a cancer and chemo diagnosis, or someone involved in a long recovery from a really bad accident, it was just a blip on the horizon of life. That didn’t make going through it any easier.

Just yesterday, in the reading from one of my daily meditational books, Linda Picone wrote, “Tough times can make us stronger and wiser. Knowing this doesn’t really make tough times any easier, though – at least not while we’re going through them. But it’s worthwhile to remind ourselves often of this truth. Of course, we get stronger not simply because we go through tough times, but because we call upon our best selves to find our way through them. We draw on our humor, patience, courage, and other qualities and, in doing so, learn the power of inner resources.”

I totally agree. However, just based on my personal experience in life, I think there are two strong ingredients missing from the above recipe: prayer (which, for me anyway, indicates a turning to God, a higher Spiritual Being); and asking for help.

My dear daily companion (in book form at least!), Max Lucado, talks about habits that we should develop. He recommends four habits that are worth engaging in on a regular basis to help us grow in our spiritual life. The very first of these is prayer. I cannot agree strongly enough with this statement. Since developing my prayer habit my life has definitely changed for the better but, more importantly, I have changed for the better.

I have written a couple of blogs on the subject of prayer (Prayer: A Tool Of Spirituality and Sacred Riding: My Harley Prayer Time), but I’m sure that I could write a whole book about it and the difference that prayer has made in my life. So when I hit tough times today an instinctual reaction for me is to pray.

Even though I am fully aware of “Mr. Censor” (see my blog Musings: Life And Lemons) snarling away in the corner of my mind, “I don’t want to make lemonade!” (or pray, or help someone, etc…), prayer is my first line of defense against whatever difficulties life chooses to hurl at me. It is on these occasions that I get down on my knees physically or mentally and I ask God to help me through.

And there is that second ingredient that I referred to – asking for help. One of my biggest human deformities is pride. “Human deformities” sounds so much more intellectual and suave than “sin”, doesn’t it? (Did I mention that I suffer from pride?) However, I’ve learned not to beat myself up about this seeming lack in my otherwise perfect character (did I mention that I suffer from pride?), because I realize that 95% of the human race has difficulty asking for help, and I’m so close to being in that other 5%. (Did I mention that I suffer from pride?)

Over the years, and with a lot of assistance from God and myriads of angels that He has sent across/along my path, I have slowly managed to arrive at a point where I can usually ask for help from others before being forced to my knees by the weight of whatever cross I am bearing. This has usually saved me a lot of heartbreak and loss of wasted energy.

Asking for help also brings me to right size and helps me put my problem into perspective in the bigger scheme of things. When I ask another for help, I am admitting (finally!) to myself and to others that I don’t have all the answers. I am acknowledging that I am not the “be all and end all” of the universe, which in turn allows me to chip away at my pride and acquire a little humility. I am also offering to someone else the opportunity to come out of themselves and to do something good for another. It is a win-win situation.

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Spiritual Growth: God’s Love for Us

Margo — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:23:00 +0000

I have mentioned Max Lucado several times in other postings. I continue to say that he is my favourite spiritual author and is a daily companion for me through his writings. This morning I was carrying my meditation books out to the screened room where I spend my morning quiet time. Max Lucado’s book Grace For The Moment fell to the floor and opened at the page for November 30 which carried this topic: “Ponder the Love of God”.

It seemed like a good thing to ponder in my quiet time. To help you set the scene in your head and your heart I’ll give you the rest of the page. The Bible verse was Ephesians 3:18 – “I pray that you …. will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love – how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is.” Lucado’s comments that followed were: “There is no way our little minds can comprehend the love of God. But that didn’t keep Him from coming…… From the cradle in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem we’ve pondered the love of our Father. What can you say to that kind of emotion? Upon learning that God would rather die than live without you, how do you react? How can you begin to explain such passion?”

Ephesians reminded me of a CREDO Team Retreat that I attended several years ago in a 14th century monastery on the side of a hill just south of Rome, Italy. The monastery was named after Saint Sosio. Set in rich green woodland it was soaked in spirituality. During one of the sessions the Chaplain who was leading the retreat posed this question to us: “What word comes to mind when you think of God?” A litany of adjectives such as “awesome”, “wondrous”, “mighty”, “compassionate”, “majestic” were pronounced. But the only word that would come to my mind was “huge”. In my nightly gratitude journal I faithfully open each entry with “My HUGE God”.

I then remembered a Club Beyond youth retreat that I helped to chaperone in another location in Italy. It was not quite as “spiritually soaked” as San Sosio but it was very beautiful and certainly spiritual enough for the odd band of teens that we accompanied there! A guest speaker had been arranged for Saturday evening (I do not remember his name), but his words have remained indelibly printed on my heart. I believe he was referring to something that the author Brennan Manning wrote when he challenged all the teens to take into their hearts the fact that “God was madly, passionately in love with them”.

Isn’t that what Lucado is talking about too? I have several of the pages in Grace For The Moment with the corners turned down. Most of them refer to God’s love for us. In his comments on March 10 he writes: “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning…….. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart…. Face it, friend. He’s crazy about you.” This is just what that Saturday night speaker was talking about too.

And on February 18 under the theme “God Cares About You”, here is what Lucado writes. “Consider the earth! As you stand .. observing God’s workshop, let me pose a few questions. If He is able to place the stars In their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think it is remotely possible that God is able to guide your life? If your God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that He is mighty enough to light your path? If He cares enough about the planet Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is there an outside chance that He cares enough about you to meet your needs?”

When I look at my life and see the miracles that God has wrought there once I became willing to allow Him into my life, I am sometimes totally overcome. When I think of the dark hole that I used to exist in (I cannot say “live in”), and I know the light and the joy that fill my life today, I know that God loves me passionately. I know that He is crazy about me and that He truly cares about me.

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