"How do you stop when you shop?"

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Today is the busiest shopping day of the year in America. Millions of people are crowding malls and centers right now. Some of them got up earlier than they do when they go to work!

It’s easy to start shopping, but how do you stop when you shop? Like when you’re shopping for clothes? You know you can’t just get a new pair of dress slacks. Suddenly you need a new belt or pair of suspenders. Next it’s a new pair of socks to match that unusual shade. And you can always use a couple of new ties, right?

Or, that new blouse begs for a new skirt. And of course, the color of that new skirt just doesn’t match any of your shoes so you simply must have those designer pumps. And you can always use a new pair of hose, right?

You know the best thing about God is that you don’t have to shop for God. When you find God, you can simply stop right there without adding on a bunch of accessories. Because when you find God, you’re satisfied. So find God and be satisfied as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"What are you thankful for today?"

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It seems to me that a lot of the conversations I listen to are more about what people don’t like, what they don’t have, what they don’t agree with, etc., than about what they do like, what they do have, what they agree with and just generally what they’re thankful for. Focusing on these negatives causes your mind and spirit to attract more of them. When you focus on the positives, you discover more of them in your life.

So today, focus for a minute on what you’re thankful for. I’m thankful today for:

My wife and daughters who love me as I am, good mood or when I’m Senor Cranky Pants, as my older daughter refers to me at times.

My parents with whom I’m spending most of this week and their loving sacrifices and investments in me when I was young.

My God who also loves me just as I am, and loves me enough to grow my spirit from where I am to where I can be.

And I’m thankful to share this story with you today. Thanks for listening to life with me!

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"Is your world perfect?"

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I was at the coast, enjoying a few minutes between meetings; sitting outdoors. And it was a beautiful day. The sun shone warmly. The birds sang sweetly. The breeze stirred gently. All was right with the world, until…

…about six minutes later, thunderheads block the sun. The birds flew for cover. The gentle breeze turned first brisk, then harsh. A storm disrupts my perfect day. All was wrong with the world, until…

…about eleven minutes later, the sun shone warmly again. The birds sang sweetly again. The breeze stirred gently again. The world was back to right.

Life’s storms come and life’s storms go, just like my experience at the coast, don’t they? But that’s hard to remember when you’re in the middle of one of those storms, wouldn’t you say?

Remind yourself the next time a life storm ruins your perfect world that this storm will pass, it won’t last forever, and that God is with you in the storm and in the sunshine, coaching you to listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Things aren't always as they seem, are they?"

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I walked by it several times. Each time I stared at it, wanting to touch it, but deciding against it. It just begged to be plucked. But it wasn’t mine so I didn’t disturb it. But I wanted to, just to play one of its strings to see what it sounded like. So I did. I plucked one of the strings, but it made no sound. I decided it was just for looks, a piece of furniture, not a real musical instrument.

Finally my friend with whom I was staying asked, "So what do you think of my double bass?"

"Um, yea," I said. "It’s nice."

"Doesn’t play though," my friend said, "because…" and he reached over to one side of it and swung it open, "it’s a CD holder." Inside of the so-called "double bass" were lots of CDs, stored out of site. The double bass is really a piece of furniture, designed to store, not play, music.

Things aren’t always as they seem, are they? Before you gave up on something that doesn’t work in your opinion, discover a little more information. You may be surprised by what God has in store for the music of your life.

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"Do you see the invisible?"

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Recently I was visiting in a friend’s home. I noticed his dining room table was very unique. The top is covered with glass. Underneath the glass, framed in wood, are three large portrayals of men who look somewhat like the face cards in a deck of playing cards. These portrayals are done in small, colored tiles, almost like mosaics. I was quite intrigued with their beauty.

So I asked about them. He told me that his dining room table consists of three doors from Howard Hughes’ offices at Air France. He had hoped to hang them on the wall, but their weight made that difficult. So he creatively had them made into a dining room table rather than staying stuck in the mold of using them as doors.

Isn’t it amazing what is accomplished when you imagine possibilities other than the obvious? And see the invisible?

Ask God to show you more than you can see, to imagine with you possibilities other than the obvious. Then listen to your life and make a life, not just a living.

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