Joel – Page 23

The Stress Will Lead Me To

December 25, 2011

I am thankful for the stress. The stress has taught me that the only thing that will sustain me is God himself. If I did not continually have stress, I most likely would not have kept seeking God. I would have let him go.

I have sought, for a large part of my life, comfort. In fact, I have lusted for comfort, and I have presupposed that there are certain things or circumstances which, at last, will make me feel good. There is nothing that will satisfy like God, not even his blessing. But many times ... Keep reading

Denial

December 9, 2011

You cannot really choose to reject the pain. You can live in denial, but the truth is we are all in this together and if you want to live a vital life, you must choose to accept it, process it, redeem it, overcome.

The Lesson Of Pain

December 8, 2011

You are a container for pain. Others pass it on to you. Father Richard Rohr has mentioned some research indicating that the effects of war (trauma) are passed down for 4 generations. That is what is transmitted through our relationships. We must find some way to deal with it, process it, transform it, or let it disable us.

Being Open-Handed

December 3, 2011

A friend once said it is important to be open-handed with money. When you are open-handed, you can freely receive what is given to you and you of course can then freely give. How many of our anxieties come when we are holding things too tightly?

Let It Flow

December 3, 2011

Money is merely a tool – a currency. It is the means, not the end, although many times we treat it as such. The goal is to let it flow through our hands like water, channeling it to the places it will bring the most life.

Do Something

December 2, 2011

In The Parable of the Talents, the master decides how much money each servant gets. The servants do not really get to determine how much they have or don’t have, which many of us try pretty hard to do. It doesn’t really matter if you have a little or a lot, as long as you try to do something with it.

Investing

December 1, 2011

Finance: Every transaction – saving, spending or giving – is an investment. Some just have a better return than others.

Being Meta

November 30, 2011

One of the things we grab hold of as grown-ups is the capacity to be “meta,” which is the ability to get outside of ourselves and look in. This is what many of us call self-awareness. It is a gift, for the “unexamined life is not worth living,” but there is also a risk of forever evaluating your own and others’ actions and thoughts. There is a time to just be in the moment and not have any “awareness.”