Quote from Forum Archives on June 21, 2000, 9:29 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I have shared messages from the attached list once or twice before. The
name of the group is "curious", to say the least. I think the
name is intended to show an attitude of lowly humility, not
worth. For the Bible says that though we are not worthy people,
in terms of what we do, we are WORTH an infinite, vast,
unmeasurable amount to God.

This message is a typically long message. It is useful for
someone who really wants to take a deep, inward look at their own
attitudes and actions, think about them, pray about them, and
humbly set aside previous ways, seeking God to fill the void in
our lives. With that attitude, real, meaningful change is
possible. Not only that, but when we are in tune with who God
is, who we are, and what our purpose is, life takes on a new
meaning and value.

I encourage you to read and think about this material. If you
have the time now, read it over, then think about it during the
day. Otherwise, save it for a time when you can really allow it
to sink in. I think there is a blessing awaiting for those who
look to God for all things, not so much to "get" things, but to
become closer to God, the Source of all things.

Brother Brian

UNITED WORM ASSOCIATION TEACHING #36 ARE YOU AWAKE?

We recently came upon a very interesting piece of information
with an unknown author. We thought it was a great example of what
each of us should learn, as we start our walk out of the
Wilderness. We have modified and changed this listing and added
some of our own, in order to benefit all UWA W.O.R.M.S. (We Obey
Righteous Meaningful Scripture)

While in the Wilderness, it may seem as though you have been
asleep. And after your Wilderness Experience is over, it may
seem as if it is the first time, you wake up to what God is
showing you about your life. As a United Worm Association Member,
we must make sure that we are not slumbering our days away, but
remain wide-awake to what God is doing in our lives.

You may have been in the midst of facing your fears in the
Wilderness experience when you stop dead in your
tracks. Somewhere deep inside of you, a ?Still Small Voice? cries
out? ?ENOUGH!?

The alarm finally goes off inside of you and says, ?This is your
wake up call!?

You have had enough Fighting, Crying, and Struggling to hold on.
And like a child quieting down after a blinding tantrum, your
sobs subside; and you shudder once or twice, blinking back your
tears and begin to see the world through new eyes: God?s eyes?not
your own.

All UWA Worms must ask themselves if they have been sleeping
through most of their life, and if the final wake up call has
been sounded.

For the first time in your life you may realize that: ? It?s time
to stop hoping and waiting for something to change in your life.
You learn that Happiness, Safety and Security will not come
galloping over the next horizon. You must seek God for those
things.

? Your husband may not be ?Prince Charming? and your wife may not
be ?Cinderella.? Life doesn?t always have ?Fairy Tale? endings,
but you can guarantee a ?Happy Ever After Ending ? with God built
into your story.

? You realize that you are not perfect, and that not everyone
will always Love, Appreciate, or Approve of who or what you are,
and that is Ok. You learn that they are entitled to their own
opinions and the only opinion that truly matters is how you are
viewed through the eyes of God.

? You find that with God, you have a newfound confidence. You
stop blaming other people for the things they did to you in the
past. Your future is in the hands of God and it feels much better
with Him at your side.

? You learn that the only thing you can count on is the
unexpected. You learn that people don?t always say what they
mean and mean what they say. Not everyone will always be there
for you, and it isn?t personal. God is with you, and that is all
you need.

? While awake, you learn that you can stand on your own with God
holding your hand.

? You stop judging and pointing fingers, and you begin to accept
people as they really are. You learn to overlook their
shortcomings and human frailties. Through this process you learn
a sense of Peace and Contentment that is born from Forgiveness.

? You realize that much of the way that you have viewed yourself,
and the world around you, is a result of all the messages and
opinions that have been ingrained into your head from someone or
something other than God?s Word. You learn that listening to
God?s Words are so much more pleasant then the unpleasant words
of mere man. You become a much better listener and learn to obey
God.

? You begin to sift through all of the items that have been fed
to you, from people other than God. On matters like how you
should Behave, How you should look, How much you should weigh,
What you should wear, Where you should shop, What you should
drive, How and where you should live, What you should do for a
living, Who you should marry, What to expect from marriage, How
to raise your children, and What you owe your parents. God?s
written Word matters? Man?s opinion does not.

? You learn that there is a bright new creation out there, and
you are open to new worlds and different points of view. You
begin reassessing and redefining who you are, and what you really
stand for. You learn that you are no one without God, and if you
do not stand for Him, you stand for nothing.

? You learn the difference between ?wants? and ?needs? and you
discard old doctrine and values of men. You realize that if you
truly studied God?s word, you would not have learned to hate your
brother, but learned to love your neighbor as yourself.

? You learn that by giving, you truly receive. You learn to stop
manipulating your life to do things your way, and start doing
them God?s way. You learn that God isn?t always going to make you
feel warm and fuzzy inside, and sometimes you will be disciplined
in order to grow.

? You learn that the principles of honesty and integrity are not
outdated ideals of a by gone era. But they are the mortar that
holds together the foundation upon which you must build a new
life; one that is built on the rock and not sinking sand.

? You awake to the fact that you do not know everything, and it
is not your job to save the world. You learn to distinguish
between guilt and responsibility, and the importance of setting
boundaries. You learn to wake up and say ?no? to things that are
against your principles and values.

? When you wake up, you learn that you must bear your own cross,
and be crucified with Christ. You learn that all martyrs are
killed, and sometimes burned at the stake. You learn that being
like Christ is no longer easy and it is the toughest choice that
you will ever make. All of this so that you may be more refined
in the fire and come out like gold.

? You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more
intelligent, more lovable, or more important because of the man
on your arm, or the woman that loves you, or the child that bears
your name. You learn to look at the relationships as they really
are, and not as you would have them be. You learn that love is
the greatest command. You stop trying to control and manipulate
people, situations, and outcomes. You learn that people grow and
change, and so it is with Love.

? You learn to not demand Love on your own terms just to make you
happy. And you learn that being alone does not mean being lonely.

? You can look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that
God may not have made you a size 5, a perfect 10, or the
?Incredible Handsome Hulk?. You find that you are finished
competing with the image inside of your head, and agonizing over
how you stack up. God loves you just the way you are today.

? You come to realize that you deserve to be treated with love,
kindness, sensitivity and respect. You also awake to the fact
that you need to start treating others this way as well.

? You learn that your body really is a temple of God and you
begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating
better, drinking more water, and taking more time to
exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can
create doubt and fear. You learn to feed your spirit with the
Word of God and nothing less satisfies. Just as food fuels the
body, laughter mends the heart and is good medicine.

? You learned that you reap what you have sown, and it is time to
start sowing good seed. In life, you get what you have planted
into the lives of others, and you begin to sow seed to bear good
fruit that will not rot.

? You learn that anything worth achieving takes hard work, and
that also includes your relationship with God. Wishing isn?t
going to give you a better relationship with God-- Prayer and
Study will.

? You learn the only way to get wisdom is fear of the Lord, and
by stepping right into your fears, you overcome all that binds
you. Whatever happens, you and God can handle together.

? You learn to fight for your life, and not to squander it living
under a cloud of impending doom. Life isn?t always fair, and you
don?t always get what you think you deserve. Sometimes bad things
happen to unsuspecting good people, but God has plans for all of
us. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You
learn that God is refining you, and challenging you to grow. It
is all a part of life.

? You learn that Anger, Envy, and Resentment must be understood
and redirected before they suffocate the life out of you, and
poison every part of your being. You learn to admit you are wrong
and to build bridges instead of walls.

? You learn to be thankful for simple things we take for granted.
Things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream
about like a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm
bed, a long hot shower, and wind chimes to hear the wind.

And Finally with Courage in your heart, and with God by your
side, you take a stand, and a deep breath. You begin to redesign
the life you want to live with God. You do this with all of your
heart and live the best you can?Wide Awake.

It?s up to you to not fall asleep once again, but to become ALL
that God has intended you to be. Are you still asleep? Then WAKE
UP!

PRAYER Father, Thank You for sounding the alarm that I alone must
look at my life and make some changes. Please forgive me for
sleeping when You sounded the alarm many times in my life. Help
me to listen for Your call and to recognize Your voice when you
need me to change my attitude, and my heart. Let me reach out to
others and love them as I go through my wake up process. Let me
not get caught sleeping when You return. I do not want You to
arrive like a thief in the night. Do not let me be surprised in
the morning when I wake up to find everything I love gone, and
without warning. Let me be more thoughtful of others, and realize
that if I am going to grow and change to be more like Christ,
then I must know that You will stand with me. It is You and I
alone and no one will stand with me when I am judged. I am
responsible for my own heart, mind and soul and the person that I
have become. I cannot blame anyone else for the way I have or
haven?t been. Let me be wide-awake to Your love and let me not
roll over and turn off the alarm. Amen

PRIDE BUSTING SCRIPTURES *For a thousand years in Your sight are
like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the
night. You carry them away like a flood; They are like asleep.
In the morning they are like grass, which grows up: In the
morning it flourishes and grows up. In the evening it is cut down
and withers. (Psalms 90:4-6)

*Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good
conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if
you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not
boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend
from above but is earthly, sensual and demonic. For where envy
and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are
there. (James 3: 13-16)

*The Wisdom from above is first pure and peaceable, gentle,
willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness
is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3: 17-18)

HOMEWORK Look over the list above and measure you life against
it. Are you awake or asleep? Now fine-tune your life to live
wide-awake for God

Love, Your Friend, Agnes Fisher (Low woman on the totem pole and
likes it that way.) UWAworms@yahoo.com &
www.angelfire.com/me2/uwaworms

**If you would like to recommend your friends for worm
membership, please email their addresses to
HookedOnWorms@yahoo.com If they are not completely delighted and
humbled, they may request to be removed at any time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Reprints, photocopies of any part of the contents of this
publication may be made freely; however, to re-typeset
information or to change any content in any way, shape, or form,
permission must be requested in writing from UWAworms@yahoo.com *
UWA in no way endorses the production or sale of any "worm"
merchandise. To do so would be complete hypocrisy of what we are
founded upon and hold to be true.

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