Quote from Forum Archives on August 3, 2001, 12:14 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

In my family, I grew up having those small 4 by 6 magazines in
our household called "Guideposts". They are, to this day, still
available in that form. Whenever I visit my mother, I read
them. But being the "Techno-Dweeb" that I am ;-), I now read
them online. I receive, by Email, a message called
"LifeMinders". One of the things in the message is an abstract
of the Daily Guidepost message. From time to time, I find the
message relevant. This is one of those times.

Today, I visited the main Daily Guidepost Web page,
www.dailyguideposts.com/. I found these brief messages on
their home page:

==============
Daily Thoughts

A Time to Think:

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another
human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have
rekindled this light. - Albert Schweitzer

To Act:

Encourage courage. Praise someone for going after his or her
dreams.

To Pray:

Thank You, Lord, for the warmth and generosity of the human
spirit.
=======

Then, I visited today's message. I thought it was very
relevant. So often things are busy and hectic. For me,
personally, while I have had somewhat more time to reflect on my
life recently, I have been absorbed with finding a new job and
completing the final course of my Master's Degree. I finally
finished my final project last night.

But all of that is not really the issue. The question is, how
often am I willing stop long enough to consider what God says:
"Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:1) Time for a
convicting moment! How often do I actually DO that? Too
infrequently. I love my God, and I am devoted to my God, yet I
struggle with giving Him FIRST PLACE consistently in my life.

Here's what today's Guideposts writer had to say about her own
recent experience:
==================

www.dailyguideposts.com/dailydevotion.asp?Date=8/3/01

August 3, 2001
<www.dailyguideposts.com/images/orangeline.gif>

Daily Devotional

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the
heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

<www.dailyguideposts.com/images/orangeline.gif>

As I was walking to the office one morning- a luxury I treasure
after years of commuting- I passed a young woman going in the
opposite direction. I watched her with fascination. She was
struggling to pull a cigarette out of a pack while holding a
phone between her shoulder and her ear, all while crossing a busy
Manhattan avenue. I held my breath, hoping that she wouldn't
become involved in a fourth simultaneous activity by being hit by
a car.

She crossed safely and was soon out of sight, but I began to
think about the activities of my own hours and days. Anyone who
has raised a family, held a job and kept house at the same time
knows how to do many things at once. But while I have no cell
phone and don't smoke, I began to see that "multitasking," as the
techies call it, had become almost an addiction in my
life. Setting the table while watching the news while opening the
mail may not be as hazardous as crossing the street talking on
the phone, but by the time I sit down to dinner the rhythm is
set. Eat fast. Clean up. Move on. But to where?

I decided to learn to sit still and be quiet for five whole
minutes each morning before leaving my apartment. It wasn't at
all easy, but I clung to that wonderful and reassuring phrase
from Psalm 46: "Be still, and know that I am God." I'm not
perfect, and I still fidget and tend to cram in too many things,
but I'm better, and those five minutes have had an extraordinary
influence on my day. If I listen carefully, mysteriously and
clearly, I realize what will really count in the day ahead. And
that never means picking up the dry cleaning or planning errands
for my lunch hour.

God, let me learn to listen to You at least once a day without
interruption.

By Brigitte Weeks
=================

Here's one closing thought as the weekend approaches - my
favorite passage of scripture:

VERSE: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think
about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or
heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God
of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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