lovely story......

Dear all.....

I hope you will enjoy reading this lovely story !!!!!

A little girl walked to and from school daily.Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along.At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile.

Another and another flash of lighting followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile. When the mother's car drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to her 'What are you doing?

The child answered, 'I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture.'

“ Bless you today and everyday as you face
the storms that come your way ”

ၤီီFrom Forwarded message

It Takes Energy to Do God's Will

“Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me
and give me renewed hope and cheer”

(Psalm 94:19 LB)

The fact is it takes energy to do God’s will. What do you do when you run out of energy?

God suggests when we’re feeling uneasy, perhaps low on energy; we should be still and get quiet before Him: “Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer” (Psalm 94:19 LB).

But many of us have trouble getting quiet. It’s as if we are afraid of silence; it makes us very uncomfortable. The moment we get in the car, the radio or CD player goes on. The moment we get home, the TV goes on.

Yet, God, in a sense, says, “If you want to lower your stress, it’s as simple as this: Shut up. Be silent. Stop talking and start listening.”

I suggest that once a day you should go out in your backyard, sit down, and just be quiet. I’m not talking about reading your Bible. You ought to read your Bible every day, but I mean get alone for five minutes a day and be completely silent. Ask God a question, and then just sit and listen.

Sometimes we say, “God, I really need your guidance on this,” and then we get up and walk off. We don’t wait for an answer. Could it be the reason we never hear from God is we never listen?

Learn to take little mini-breaks during the day. When you feel your blood pressure rising, stop and say, “God, I want to tune in on you again. I want to focus in on you.” I’m not suggesting thirty minutes of meditation. I’m talking about fifteen or twenty seconds. Just little mini-breaks to stop and be quiet.

Why is this important? Because the race of life is tough and, quite honestly, it’s tough to live God’s plan for your life. It’s important to be still and know He is there.

Here’s an easy formula I use: Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually. Get quiet once a day, take one day a week to rest, and always take some sort of vacation at least once a year.

Rick Warren

Is It Time To Take a Nap?

“In six days I, the Lord, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested”

(Exodus 20:11 TEV)

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just go take a nap. That’s because when you’re physically down, it’s hard to be emotionally and spiritually up. The legendary football (U.S.) coach Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” That’s true. It’s amazing how much better things look when you’re rested.

If you’re discouraged right now, it might not mean you have to make a change; it may simply be that you need some rest.

Farmers know that soil needs rest, so they rotate their crops and systematically leave a portion of their land fallow. They do this because land that has rested produces a greater harvest.

About one hundred years ago, a businessman named Frederick W. Taylor did a scientific study on the workplace and productivity. Do you know what his study proved? That people will produce more if they have periodic breaks; and from that, he introduced the coffee break.

Resting is spiritual. The Bible says God “enjoys giving rest to those He loves” (Psalm 127:2 MSG). You may need to put that verse on your refrigerator. The Bible says it’s vain for you to rise up early and stay up late.

The Bible also says, “You made my body, Lord; now give me sense to heed Your laws” (Psalm 119:73 LB). What are His laws for the body? Eat right, get your sleep, exercise, and relax.

Rest is so important, in fact, that God put it in the Ten Commandments. In essence, He said, “Every seventh day you are to rest.”

Don’t ignore what God established. A good night’s sleep makes a big difference. And even a quick nap can help you see things clearly.

Rick Warren

"But You Promised"

“It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows”

(Proverbs 20:25 NIV).

Have you ever…

• Promised to deliver something by a set date and later regretted it?
• Volunteered for a job you had no idea would take so long?
• Agreed to a deal that looked great but wasn’t?
• Accepted an invitation you wish you hadn’t?

Eventually, we all learn by experience a basic law of life: It’s always easier to get in than get out! The Bible says, “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows” (Proverbs 20:25 NIV).

There are three common commitment traps:

1. The Money Trap: It’s always easier to get into debt than out of debt! It’s always easier to borrow than to pay it back.

2. The Partnership Trap: It’s always easier to get into a partnership, or a relationship, than to get out of one!

3. The Time Trap: It’s always easier to fill your schedule than to fulfill it! You can get so many irons in the fire that you put out the fire!

The solution: Remember what the Bible says—don’t make rash vows.

In other words, choose your commitments carefully; think before you speak; under-promise and over-deliver. With this, you’ll build a reputation as a person of your word.

Rick Warren

The Secret to Managing Frustrations

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience…”

(Proverbs 19:11 NIV)

It’s amazing how fifteen minor frustrations at the office can add up to one big, bad attitude by the time you head for home. Frustrations come in three varieties:

1. Interruptions: Unexpected visitors or phone calls when you have a deadline to meet or something important requires your attention. Our best plans are often interrupted.
2. Inconveniences: While interruptions are usually from people, inconveniences are usually situations involving things: the copy machine breaks down, traffic jams up, or you can’t find what you need when you need it.
3. Irritations: Long delays, unreliable people, playing telephone tag, catching a cold, obnoxious clients, etc.

But the truth is you can’t eliminate these. No doubt you’ll face all three varieties this week, but you can keep them from stressing you out.

What’s the secret of managing your frustrations?

Don’t resist it, but don’t overreact or blow up. Don’t resent it; don’t internalize you anger. Don’t resign to it; don’t have a pity-party.

Instead, reduce it. Treat it as insignificant. Put the frustration into proper perspective. It’s just a minor setback, a part of living, no big deal! It’s certainly not worth a heart attack. Follow these rules for stress management:

• RULE #1: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
• RULE #2: Realize it’s all small stuff!

The Bible says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience…” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV). The only way we can see all stuff as small stuff is to view it from God’s perspective. When I am in tune with God, I remember he has everything under control even though I don’t! So I don’t have to sweat it: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).

Pray this prayer: “Lord, help me to be filled with your love, joy, and peace, so that when I’m squeezed and pressured it is your love, joy, and peace that spill out of me.”

Don't Procrastinate. Do It Now!

“If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything”

(Ecclesiastes 11:4 TEV).


Most of us have experienced the eight phases of procrastination:

Phase 1: “I’ll start early this time.” (Hopeful)
Phase 2: “I’ve got to start soon.” (A little tension)
Phase 3: “I should have started sooner.” (Creeping guilt)
Phase 4: “There is still time to do it.” (False reassurance)
Phase 5: “What’s wrong with me?” (Getting desperate)
Phase 6: “I can’t wait any longer!” (Intense pain)
Phase 7: “Just get it done!” (Get it over with!)
Phase 8: “Next time, I’ll start earlier.” (The cycle repeats)

Procrastination does tremendous damage to us and others. It causes unnecessary pressure and problems, and it wastes opportunities, time, and money.

The problem is: procrastination is addicting! The more you succumb to it, the harder it is to change. It becomes a way of life, causing you a lot of misery.

The Bible says, “If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 TEV). Therefore...

• Stop making excuses!
• Realize perfectionism paralyzes performance!
• Face your fears!
• Focus on the gain, not the pain!
• Do it now!

What have you been putting off that you know you need to do? Something at work? At home? At church? Do it now!

Pray this prayer: “God, help me to do what I already know I need to do. Help me to do it now!”

God’s Provision: Maintain Integrity

“God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is His business”

(Proverbs 16:11 MSG)

God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask Him for help; (2) learn to be content; (3) practice giving in faith; and (4) maintain your integrity.

God doesn’t bless dishonesty. Proverbs 16:11 (NLT) says, “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal.” That includes wages, sales, and taxes.

If you want God’s blessing on your finances, you’ve got to be honest. You can’t rip people off. Profit made dishonestly always brings trouble. Always.

“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it” (Proverbs 10:22 NIV). Have you ever known anybody who made money, and it just brought trouble? You will always reap what you sow. If you are dishonest with others, it will be returned to you. If you think you haven’t been caught, understand that the clock is still ticking. You cannot mock God and get away with it.

Be honest. Be honest with your finances: “It is the Lord’s blessing that makes you wealthy” (Proverbs 10:22 TEV).

Rick Warren

God’s Provision: Faithful Giving

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce”

(Proverbs 3:9 NLT).

God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask Him for help; (2) learn to be content; and (3) practice giving in faith.

There is a universal law called the principle of sowing and reaping. If I sow criticism, I’m going to reap criticism. If I sow generosity, it’s going to come back to me, and I’m going to reap generosity.

Every farmer knows this. A farmer has four sacks of seed in his barn and he looks at his empty field. He doesn’t complain, “There’s no crop! I wish there was a crop!” He just goes out and starts planting seed. When you have a need, plant a seed.

It seems illogical that when I have a need, I should give. That’s why it requires faith. God says, “My ways are not your ways.”

Why did God set it up that way? Because God is a giver. He is the most generous giver in the universe, and God wants you to learn to be like him. He wants to build character in you.

The Bible says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce” (Proverbs 3:9 NLT). This is the principle of tithing. It’s the principle that says every time I make one hundred dollars, the first ten dollars goes back to God.

Tithing is an act of worship. We’re giving to God. We’re saying, “All of it came from you anyway.” God says, “Put me first in your life and watch what I do.” You may think you can’t afford to tithe, but the reality is, you can’t afford not to.

Rick Warren

God’s Provision: Contentment

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it”

(1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV)

God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask Him for help and (2) learn to be content.

If you’ve ever seen a baby born, you know they don’t come into the world with a whole lot. They’re not holding onto cigars, cars, and a stock portfolio. They don’t come into the world with anything but a little umbilical cord and that quickly gets cut.

And then, at your funeral, you don’t take anything with you. The Bible teaches that we should learn to be content.

What is contentment? Contentment means my happiness is not dependent upon circumstances. Most people get caught into “when” thinking: “When I get a certain job…When I can retire…When I get the house paid off…When I get the bills paid off…then I’ll be happy!”

God says, “No, once you get there, you’ll always want something else.” If you don’t learn contentment, you’ll never be happy. You’ll always want more.

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content” (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT).

Rick Warren

God’s Financial Provision: Ask Him for Help

“You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus”

(Philippians 4:19 MSG)

There is an amazing, incredible, and all-encompassing promise in Philippians 4:19 (NIV) regarding provision: “…God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Note the first two words: “God will . . . .” It doesn’t say, “He might meet your needs,” it says, “He will meet your needs.” It’s written as a fact; God is staking his character and his reputation on it.

Then the Bible says, “God will meet all . . . .” It doesn’t say, “I’ll meet some of your needs.” It says “all.”

Now, understand that it doesn’t say, “I’ll meet all your greeds.” There’s a big difference between needs and wants. As a parent, do you give your kids everything they want? I hope you don’t. You don’t do that because you love them. And your heavenly Father loves you. He’s not going to give you everything you want because if he did, you’d be spoiled to death.

He won’t give us everything we want, but he will give us everything we need. Then why do you have financial needs? Did God fail? Did he lie? Did he exaggerate?

No! With every promise, there is a premise—there are conditions and requirements. When God makes a promise, he says, “I’ll do my part and you do your part.” God’s financial wisdom is clearly laid out for us in his Word. Although the Bible discusses many aspects of financial health—including principles of saving, spending, giving, investing, and stewardship—over the next few days we’re going to look at five specific conditions for financial stability.

First, ask for his help. Jesus says, “Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:24 NLT). Here’s a good rule: Before you pay for it, pray for it. Give God a chance to provide before you go out and charge it. You probably depend more on your charge card than you do on Jesus Christ.

Why does God want me to ask? So He can give.
Why does He want to give? So I can receive.
Why does He want me to receive? So I’ll be full of joy.
Why does He want me to be full of joy? It’s a great advertisement for Jesus Christ. Joyful Christians are a positive testimony.

Tomorrow we’ll look at contentment, another condition for answered prayer.

Rick Warren