Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Final Challenge

Last night,I was watching a television show that was coming to a climax for the season. Okay,you caught me,it was one of theses unreal reality programs.

Their was something very real about this episode though. One of the elements in the program,The Biggest Loser,was what was called a Final Challenge.

The object of the show is to see which contestant can lose the most weigh,percentage wise. Each week,contestants would step on scales to weigh in. Each week they lost different amounts,because,everybody is different.

For the final challenge each contestant was to walk a golf course,carrying weighted hole flags,representing the amount of weight they had lost each week.

The walk was very strenuous,to say the least.

A thought occurred to me, how many weights do we pick up in life and never lay down?

In Matthew 11:29 Jesus said, " Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Another way to put it is, Throw your burdens on Me. To simple?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Certain Uncertainty

"Certain Uncertainty". That sounds like a repetitive statement. As the old axiom goes," all that's certain is death and taxes".

If that's true then theirs not much worth living for is there? But let's see,people like Kyle Maynard who found purpose in the midst of what we call 'difficulty'.Helen Keller achieved great things despite her reluctance to learn, Anne Sullivan who had never come up on a greater challenge than Helen Keller.

Yes,life is full of uncertainties. We don't know what tomorrow hold or even if their will be a tomorrow. In fact,we are told in a very wonderful book,not to worry about tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34,in the New Living Translation of the Bible says,"So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Don't you think that's good advice.

Think and meditate about it. Drill it in to your loved ones,and,yourself. In 30 days from now,do a checkup on yourself,just see the difference it made.

Certain Uncertainty,that's called life.










 

Monday, April 19, 2010

Adversity,what's that?

  One of the key things we face,as families,is adversity. The loss of a job,overdue mortgages,petty little nuisances that tend to get overblown.

  Let's get real! Their will always be other jobs,they might be a while in coming but opportunity will eventually come. The mortgage, well that's a different subject.....ever heard of a financial advisor?

 Point being, it's human nature to blow things out of proportion. The little things in life we tend to make big and vice-versa. When the real storms in life come,though,most people run for cover. They seek higher ground,or to be more precise,a Higher Power...they seek God.

 On March 24,1986...Kyle Maynard was born. You may not know who Kyle is now,but,I guarantee that you'll never forget after hearing his true story.

 When Kyle was born he ha congenital amputation. To put it to where even I could understand it,Kyle was born with stubs for arms and legs, Going through life "special" was something Kyles parents found as a blessing.

 His dad,Scott,told Larry King during a 2004 interview "Kyle has touched more people than you or I ever will. He has always believed that this was Gods will."

 When Kyle was in high-school,he compiled a 35-16 win-loss record on,you guessed it...the wrestling team his senior year.

 Carrying that love of wrestling over into college he wrestled for the University of Georgia.  Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA) was us ultimate goal. who's to say that he wouldn't reach that goal.

 On April 25,2009,Kyle made his MMA debut losing a 30-27 majority decision to Bryan Fry in
Auburn,Alabama. The point is:he tried.

 Not being afraid to face whatever life throws at us,Kyle is a true inspiration to millions of people.

 The next time a petty nuisance comes our way,it would serve us all well to follow the example of Kyle Maynard....."Just Do It". 

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I Love To Tell The Story

  My sister came in the other day with a family tree. Not the type you cut for wood,but,one of our families genealogy. To say the least,it was quite interesting,but,showed a startling but well known fact to family members. Our surname will die wit this generation.

  That's right,no more Davis' from the time we pass for eternity. Sixteen generations,going back to 17th century England,will be but a footnote in cemeteries around the world.

   Needless to say,this got me to thinking. How many families share with their children who their relatives are and were? Do the parents even know? If the answer to both questions is no then something has gone terribly wrong.

  If we don't  know where we came from then how can we possibly make future generations proud of who they are?

 This very point leads to a lot of suicides each year.

 Hmm,sounds strange to me,you might say. Not really. One of the main causes of suicide is low self-esteem. I pose this question to you. How is it possible to raise children with high self-esteem if they don't know what to be proud of.

 Some achievement,or some person in their family,to point to (outside of the parents) and say "I want to be just like them". To feel a sense of pride in who they are and what is possible for them to accomplish.

  If you haven't thought about this then maybe you need to. After all,don't you want to be responsible,and feel that sense of pride,knowing you have been entrusted with and are sharing your own family story?

Friday, April 9, 2010

Let The Revolution Begin!

 In 1775,  The American Revolutionary war;against Great Britain,began. The history behind this war hasn't changed. The results of it have drastically changed though.

 It's hard to see this change in everyday life unless we sit down and really think the thing through. I'm not pushing a political agenda here,rather,a problem with the fiber of what was fought for and won....freedom.

 Today,we take our freedoms and all the blessings they carry with them for granted.

 A prime example is that of our health. What more precious freedom can we exercise than to take car of the bodies that God has entrusted us with?

 According to the 2000 census, childhood obesity has come to near epidemic proportions. Have we seen anybody try to rein it in?

 Despite your political persuasion, First Lady Michelle Obama has stepped up to the plate (figuratively and literally) in tackling obesity head on.

 Growing the first White House vegetable garden,in decades, Ms. Obama has been the lone American in the forefront of this crusade.

 Hold the phone though. An unlikely source has come to put an even more public face on this problem. Enter please!

 There he is,adorned in his pinstripe chefs apron, Jamie Oliver of the Food Network has started his own Food Revolution. Yes, a Brit is now coming to America to start a revolution in and of itself.

 This time it's Jamie Oliver instead of Paul Revere saying, "the British are coming,the British are coming."

  

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Family or Fatty?

   Let's be realistic,the home should be the center of family life. I know,that sounds like a giant "Duh". Is it really?

   Over the years our families have had more pressure put on them by outside forces. Many of these pressures are self imposed,they exist nonetheless.

 Let's just take one example.

 The majority of families,worldwide,don't sit down and have one meal a day together. What should be a time of sharing,caring,and just discussing what is right/wrong with one of the people we are closest to has been lost.  Oh,the excuses vary. Mom or Dad had to work late. I have a game tonight or the ever popular "I lost track of time".

 All the while,we have no idea why we are raising a generation with such diseases as Juvenile Diabetes. You're probably saying, "I didn't know their was such a thing when I was my childs age".

 It's time to wake up and smell the coffee!

 We have an epidemic of childhood obesity starting in this country. Is that anyway to be an example for the rest of the world? Well,guess what? The rest of the world is following in Americas footsteps.

 So,you wonder where it all began. Just have lunch with your child at school one day.

 Processed meat,chocolate milk,etc.,etc.,etc., Then the leave it behind them,literally.

 Then when they get home it's a steady diet of video games,computer time and television.

 Fortunately this problem is starting to be addressed by the least likely of people. Discover who ,and what he's doing,next time.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

What Kind Of Trash Are You Keeping?

   Much of what makes us who we are is determined by what we fill our minds with. If we are positive by nature then we will want to fill our minds with positive thoughts.

   Romans 12: 2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

   I can hear a lot of people saying, come on David don't preach to me. I'm not. Lets bring it down to cold hard numbers,and,you'll see that this verse has a truth to it that bears out what I'm saying.

   A 2005 study of the Family Safe Media showed that 13,588 hard core pornographic titles were released in the U.S. alone. compared to 1,300 in 1988. More information from that same study.

   Between the ages of 18-44 seems to be when adults,both men and women,are most susceptible to view internet pornography. For 18-24 year olds it was 14%,18-24 year olds showed a rise to 20%, 25-34 year olds displayed an increase to 26%.

   How many of these "views" resulted in addictions which led to home break-ups is not revealed. The impact on lost wages,and,families suffering mental abuse is not told. 

   This,my friends,was in the United States alone. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of worldwide statistics.

   Chances are we all know of homes that have been directly,or indirectly,affected by online pornographic addiction.

   Their used to be an old computer users acronym,GIGO. It stood for Garbage In,Garbage Out.

   Think about it,what you fill your mind with will affect the way you look at your circumstances.