Inspiration of the Day

[Jesus] said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me . . ."

~~Matthew 14:06-18

When confronted with the Gospel, I often wonder if I am doing enough. It's not a matter of scrupulosity or of believing that my salvation depends on my own efforts. Rather, I listen to the call of Jesus and I look, quite honestly, at the comfort in which I live, and it seems to me that being a disciple requires more than I am giving.

Surely, I think, I must go off and do something else---something grand. But then who would read the bedtime stories?

Yes, the call of Jesus is to also dig deeper and open ourselves to greater, more sacrificial love. And sometimes we're called to leave where we are to do that.

But other times, there is no need for us to go away, no need to do anything but look where I am now, hand what I find over to Jesus, and let him work with what I have, where I am right now.

Jesus, take what I have and bless it so others will be fed.

Amy Welborn

Shared by:

Oyee Alcantara

El Sobrante, CA

Thought of the Day

WHEN HOPE NOURISHES YOUR LIFE,

YOUR SYSTEM RENEW ITS STRENGTH

JUST LIKE A WATER POURED ON A

FAINTED PLANT.

The Lord says,

"But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.

He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water.

It is not afraid when the hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green;

it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7

Real and authentic discovery of God brings joy. It is the joy of being in love and of staying in love with the one who never changes. We may let go of other loves then - even of people who keep us from the love of God. We are committed only to the treasure in the field, the love of God and the love of people who bring us to God. Our concern is to bring alive the gospel of Jesus in the world. We pray that others may find the treasure through us.

For Married Couples

Growing in integrity and creating "good governance" in married life... Here's how!


TRUST is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation.

A telephone operator told me that one day she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she Heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB.Sorry, I got the number from my Husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is."

Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?" The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you."

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war.

CREATING PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS?

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous , sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television."

There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up and discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

NO OVERPOWERING

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another,or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character."

It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness. It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations.

RIGHT SPEECH

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other,we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party.

A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted,"Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me. Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered ,"You should appreciate that you married me. Otherwise, he will be the millionaire and not you."

Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It's like a broken egg - cannot be reversed.

Thought of the Day

OBSTACLES ARE THOSE FRIGHTFUL THINGS

YOU SEE WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE GOAL.



And he (Jesus) said, Come.

And when Peter was come down out off the ship,

he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;

and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,

and caught him...."How little faith you have!

He exclaimed .."Why did you falter"?...

Mathew 14:29-31



When we work for the Lord we stop worrying about clothing, money, shelter. We are concerned but not anxious. It is difficult to take this literally but it asks us to be open-minded and open-hearted in the following of Christ. We are to be people for whom this relationship is a priority in life and that nothing else should sour it or come before it. All love, all friendships, all we are, all we have and all we do are in the love of Christ and to him all can be given.