To Give More Than Take

Here is the New Year
and we say goodbye
to the one just past
and we turn with a sigh

To the one straight ahead
To the days yet to see
To the challenges faced
To what we can be

To experiences yet had
To lessons yet learned
To friendships yet made
To pages yet turned

The world is before us
Every second we live
We hope that our actions
Take less than they give

To give more smiles
To give more hope
To give friends an ear
When they struggle to cope

To be seen for the person
We all want to be
To show that our hearts
Are open and free

We must hold to the thought
We are here to assist
We are here to be the friends
That we remember and miss

The ones we hold on to
When memory kicks in
The ones we depend on
When we can't seem to win

That is the person
I strive to be
The one who thinks of others
and not only me.

God, give me the heart and spirit you want me to demonstrate to others. Make this year ahead one I can say you controlled more than I did.

The Spirit within and how to embrace it.

‎2012 is but 365 more days given by Gods grace to live. The way we use them is determined by our own priorities and desires. To fritter them away and wish they had been lived differently is foolishness and a reflection of our own flaws and weaknesses. Resolutions are but a statement of who we aspire to be. The strength of those resolutions will decide their success. We must not take the future so lightly as to think we will always have another chance to be who we think we should be. The time to act is now. Remember, it is you who choose to see the challenges in front of you as something to transcend or something to tolerate and live with.
I can attest to the days lived saying I am a good person for tolerating this or that or not insisting on my own way. Then I sit back appearing to be the long suffering victim of others selfish needs or gratifications. Patting myself on the back for putting up with others. I see this behavior as a means to justify being unassertive and lazy.
There is action demanded on my part, and to be honestly introspective is a prerequisite for moving forward with the correct behavior. We sometimes become desensitized and numbed to the chronic disappointments and set backs in our lives. This "numbness" makes us capable of sitting in very unsatisfactory situations and claiming it is the way things are and that is that. Is is self justification for unmet goals and settling for less than what we are capable of. It becomes who we are by our own inward definitions.
Regardless of how we express our acceptance of our circumstances we must realize we are doing nothing but lying to ourselves so our discomfort and disapproval is but hidden from those we interact with. Drunks do not enjoy the life of a drunk. Dependant people do not love being dependant upon others. People who have failed to reach their potential do not approve of themselves falling short.
There comes a time in all of our lives when we realize the window is closing on the ability to achieve what we aspired to so many years ago. Then when that time passes we must let it go. The past is past. It is nothing to be dwelt on and forever punished for within our minds. The thing we must do at this point is evaluate who we are, what our abilities are (honestly), and what we can achieve. There is a popular song by a singer named Joe Jackson titled "You can't get what you want. Til you know what you want." So simple of a title but so difficult it is for many of us to actually come to grips with.
Many of us go through life day to day, with no direction. Oh, we do the mundane. The laundry, the dishes, clock in, clock out, submit to the ritual of life. But we have no horizon. Nothing to be a focal point of our daily efforts. We work towards no goal that represents our growth Spiritually. We may work out and that is a vehicle for physical growth and maintaining good health. We may invest and save towards financial growth. We may read or study in ways that enhance the mind. But what of the Spirit?
Do we have a horizon based on the growth of the Spirit? Do we have a program that helps us to attain a deeper way of thinking on both life and what lies ahead? There is an old Zen proverb saying "Before Enlightenment, Chop Wood, Carry Water. After Enlightenment, Chop Wood, Carry Water.". It means we should bring a Spiritual Mind to all we do, no matter how small and insignificant we see it to be. Live in the moment as if that moment was an opportunity to experience it with God. So much of our lives is experienced superficially where it could be felt much deeper. Superficiality is by definition a shallow existence.su·per·fi·cial (spr-fshl)

adj.

1. Of, affecting, or being on or near the surface: a superficial wound.

2. Concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; shallow.

3. Apparent rather than actual or substantial: a superficial resemblance.

4. Trivial; insignificant: made only a few superficial changes in the manuscript.

To be Spiritual is to go beyond the surface and see the meaning in things instead of taking things (even the little things) for granted. It is definately an opportunity to see the blessings in everything instead of the routine and boredom we associate with the everyday of our lives.
Stay in constant communion with God in ways that you haven't tried. Find the God in everything. Pass the tests of life that serve to grow the spirit. Be above the pet peeves that took you off the track of love in the past. Transcend those minor things that before could grow so big. Be responsible and respect yourself but at the same time realize we are all here very temporarily and the days cannot be wasted on negativity or pessimism. Being positive or optimistic does not mean we have to be blind to the challenges we face. It means we can come to an understanding that when we operate from a spiritual foundation we see the purpose in all that we experience. Whether it is a setback or a success. We take each as an opportunity to grow in the spirit and because of that, we can always give thanks and be grateful.
The New Year gives us many opportunities to be who we aspire to be. You will find a life lived more in the spirit and less in the flesh is a life lived with more joy and less stress over the things we let into our day to day. There is purpose in everything. There is a chance to grow from all we do. Nothing is meaningless. Take each breath with gratitude and each moment as something to feel and genuinely experience. All of it.

My Flaws vs My Spirit

Some have said that my posts are hypocritical if my life is looked at in it's entirety. I will say this about that, I have things in my life I recognize as shortcomings and flaws. Expressions of the flesh and things that diminish the Spirit. I am aware of each one and wish my mind could serve as a strong will to demonstrate self control.
Paul himself in the book of Roman's shared his own battles with undesirable behavior "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Romans 7:15. To me, he was the greatest Apostle, yet he struggled as we all do. I know one thing if nothing else. I want to be pleasing to the creator and I want to do what is right concerning my peers and those whom I relate to on a daily basis. I want to help those who need help whether I know them personally or not, and most of all, I want to grow in the Spirit. The Lord's prayer tells us "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." To me it says we should forgive in order to be forgiven. I not only forgive others, but I also forgive myself. But not in such a way that it makes light of the issues I need to address. I do it so that I can still love myself despite the shortcomings I have. I know what my essence is and it is Spirit. The flesh is in constant conflict with the Spirit and while we exist here on earth we will always do battle.

Methodism defined

Methodism- Doctrine and Origin

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother Charles was instrumental in writing much of the hymnody of the Methodist Church. George Whitefield, another significant leader in the movement, was known for his unorthodox ministry of itinerant open-air preaching. The Methodist Church is known for its missionary work,[8] and its establishment of hospitals, universities, orphanages, soup kitchens, and schools to follow Jesus' command to spread the Good News and serve all people.

Wesley, along with his brother founded the Holy Club while they were at Oxford, where John was a fellow and later a lecturer at Lincoln College. The holy club met weekly and they systematically set about living a holy life. They were branded as "Methodist" by students at Oxford who derided the methodical way they ordered their lives. Wesley took the attempted mockery and turned it into a title of honour. Initially Whitefield and the Wesleys merely sought reform, by way of a return to the gospel, within the Church of England, but the movement spread with revival and soon a significant number of Anglican clergy became known as Methodists in the mid-18th century. The movement did not form a separate denomination in England until after John Wesley's death in 1791. Although Wesley and the majority of his followers were decidedly Arminian in their theological outlook, George Whitefield, Howell Harris,and Selina Hastings (the Countess of Huntingdon) were notable for being Calvinistic Methodists

A return to the gospel. Much like Martin Luther when he began the protestant church. He felt the church had gotten too involved in superficial influences and power struggles as well as manipulation of the masses by keeping them ignorant of the truth. The truth being the Word of God.

Vintage Christianity is about contending earnestly for a return to the First Gospel. The gospel that the apostles preached. The gospel that at one time changed the world forever. The gospel that says Jesus “died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4 ESV).

It is about being faithful to the biblical text, not going beyond it, and not falling short of it. It is about engaging the culture around us with the pure gospel of Christ, following Jesus’ example of love and compassion, grace and truth, worship and mission, life and death.

Early Methodists were drawn from all levels of society, including the aristocracy,[4] but the Methodist preachers took the message to labourers and criminals who tended to be left outside of organized religion at that time.[13] Wesley himself thought it wrong to preach outside a church building until persuaded otherwise by Whitefield.

Doctrinally, the branches of Methodism following the Wesleys are Arminian, while those following Harris and Whitefield are Calvinistic.[5] Wesley maintained the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England, while Whitefield adopted Calvinism through his contacts with Calvinists in Scotland and New England. This caused serious strains on the relationship between Whitefield and Wesley, with Wesley becoming quite hostile toward Whitefield in what had been previously very close relations. Whitefield consistently begged Wesley not to let these differences sever their friendship and, in time their friendship was restored, though this was seen by many of Whitefield's followers to be a doctrinal compromise.[15] As a final testimony of their friendship, John Wesley's sermon on Whitefield's death is full of praise and affection.[16

The Methodist revival originated in Epworth, North Lincolnshire, England. It began with a group of men, including John Wesley and his younger brother Charles, as a movement within the Church of England in the 18th century. The movement focused on Bible study and a methodical approach to scriptures and Christian living. The name "methodist" was a pejorative name given to a small society of students at Oxford who met together between 1729 and 1735 for the purpose of mutual improvement, given because of their methodistic habits. They were accustomed to receiving communion every week, fasting regularly, and abstaining from most forms of amusement and luxury. They also frequently visited the sick and the poor, as well as prisoners.

Methodist preachers were notorious for their enthusiastic sermons and often accused of fanaticism. In those days, many members of England's established church feared that new doctrines declared by the Methodists, such as the necessity of a new birth for salvation, of justification by faith, and of the constant and sustained action of the Holy Spirit upon the believer's soul, would produce ill effects upon weak minds. Theophilus Evans, an early critic of the movement, even wrote that it was "the natural Tendency of their Behaviour, in Voice and Gesture and horrid Expressions, to make People mad." In one of his prints, William Hogarth likewise attacked Methodists as "enthusiasts" full of "Credulity, Superstition and Fanaticism." But the Methodists resisted the many attacks against their movement.

John Wesley came under the influence of the Moravians, and of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, while Whitefield adopted Calvinistic views. Consequently, their followers separated, those of Whitefield becoming Calvinistic Methodists. Wesleyan Methodists have followed Arminian theology.

Most Methodists identify with the Arminian conception of free will, through God's prevenient grace, as opposed to the theological fatalism of absolute predestination. Historically this distinguishes Methodism from the Calvinist tradition prevalent in Reformed churches. In strongly Reformed areas such as Wales, however, Calvinistic Methodists remain, also called the Presbyterian Church of Wales. The Calvinist Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion was also strongly associated with the Methodist revival.

Methodism affirms the traditional Christian belief in the triune Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as the orthodox understanding of the consubstantial humanity and divinity of Jesus. Most Methodists also affirm the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. In devotional terms, these confessions are said to embrace the biblical witness to God's activity in creation, encompass God's gracious self-involvement in the dramas of history, and anticipate the consummation of God's reign.

It is a historical position of the church that any disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason, it is said, one reads and is able to interpret Scripture coherently and consistently. By reason one determines whether one's Christian witness is clear. By reason one asks questions of faith and seeks to understand God's action and will.

The first American Methodist bishops were Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury, Circuit riders, many of whom were laymen, traveled by horseback to preach the gospel and establish churches until there was scarcely any crossroad community in America without a Methodist expression of Christianity. One of the most famous circuit riders was Robert Strawbridge who lived in the vicinity of Carroll County, Maryland soon after arriving in the Colonies around 1760.

The Third Great Awakening from 1858 to 1908 saw enormous growth in Methodist membership, and a proliferation of institutions such as colleges (e.g., Morningside College). Methodists were often involved in the Missionary Awakening and the Social Gospel Movement. The awakening in so many cities in 1858 started the movement, but in the North it was interrupted by the Civil War. In the South, on the other hand, the Civil War stimulated revivals, especially in Lee's army.

In 1914–1917 many Methodist ministers made strong pleas for world peace. To meet their demands[citation needed], President Woodrow Wilson (a Presbyterian), promised "a war to end all wars." In the 1930s many Methodists favored isolationist policies. Thus in 1936, Methodist Bishop James Baker, of the San Francisco Conference, released a poll of ministers showing 56% opposed warfare. However, the Methodist Federation did call for a boycott of Japan, which had invaded China and was disrupting missionary activity there.[26] In Chicago, sixty-two local African Methodist Episcopal churches voted their support for the Roosevelt administration's policy, while opposing any plan to send American troops overseas to fight. When war came in 1941, the vast majority of Methodists strongly supported the national war effort, but there were also a few (673[27]) conscientious objectors.

The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 as a result of a merger between the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) and the Methodist Church. The former church had resulted from mergers of several groups of German Methodist heritage. There was no longer any need or desire to worship in the German language. The merged church had approximately 9 million members as of the late 1990s. While United Methodist Church in America membership has been declining, associated groups in developing countries are growing rapidly.

Famous Methodists

Will Rogers - popular TV and film cowboy; humorist

Robert Mitchum - actor (nominal Methodist)

 James Arness – actor

Rush Limbaugh -popular conservative talk show host

 James Knox Polk - 11th U.S. President

- Ulysses S Grant - 18th U.S. President

- Rutherford B. Hayes - 19th U.S. President

- William McKinley - 25th U.S. President

- George W. Bush - 43rd US President

Alben W. Barkley - U.S. Vice-President under Truman

- Hubert H. Humphrey - U.S. Vice-President under L.B. Johnson

- Walter F. Mondale - U.S. Vice-President under Carter

- Dick Cheney - U.S. Vice-President under George W. Bush

Norman Vincent Peale - popular American preacher, inspirational author; (ordained in Methodist Episcopal Church, but converted to Dutch Reformed

Bart Starr - football player

- Fran Tarkenton - professional football player

John Wesleys Covenant……………..

Christ has many services to be done. Some are easy, others are difficult. Some bring honour, others bring reproach. Some are suitable to our natural inclinations and temporal interests, others are contrary to both... Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.

 ...I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

—Wesley Covenant Prayer

The God Effect on Love and Our own example

True love is practical.

By nature, we all struggle with true love.  We want to be loved but we do not want to have to put ourselves out in order to love.  We see this in marriages, in families, in neighborhoods and yes, even in churches.  To love means to take our eyes off ourselves for a little while. 

We love because God is love.  We love each other because people are created in the image of God and are by nature valuable.  We love because Jesus loves and He calls us to follow His example.  We love because it is the right thing to do.

DEVELOP A HOLY AMBITION

Paul tells us to, “11 make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, “Paul could have said, “adopt this vision for your life” or “make this the purpose statement of your life”.  Let us be honest, it is not exactly what we would have expected in a “purpose statement”.

 3 mandates…..

1)To Lead a Quiet Life ***

He encourages us to lead a quiet life.  That seems like an odd command doesn’t it?  Shouldn’t we be more vocal?  Isn’t there a greater need for Christians to be bold in our faith?  I don’t believe Paul is advising us to stop sharing our faith whenever and however we can.  Instead, I think Paul may be addressing three different problems.

The first is that we should be quiet rather than hurried.  This is the spirit of busyness that keeps us always running and never taking the time to rest in, or trust the Lord.  In this case, the quiet life is the one that refuses to be governed by calendars and schedules but instead governs their calendars and schedules by the Lord.

Second, we should be quiet rather than anxious. Instead of constantly being upset about the circumstances of life, we should be people who trust that God is in control, He loves us, and He will never make a mistake.  It is the quiet that comes from perfect trust.

Third, we should be quiet rather than obnoxious.  Paul wants us to be steady rather than fanatical in the way we live our lives.  You’ve met these fanatics haven’t you?  They may be excessively zealous about politics, sports, faith or any number of things.  When you see these people coming you generally want to hide. These people push everyone away because they are so aggressive.  Obviously, this kind of attitude is harmful to the advancement of the gospel.

2) To Mind Your Own Business  

 The second thing we are to strive for is to “mind our own business”. How often have you wanted to say this to someone?  When people ask nosey questions, when they butt into private conversations, and when they give unsolicited advice, we would love to say, “Mind your own business”!  Since in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians he talks about busybodies this may be what he has in mind here.  He wants people to stay out of other people’s business.

There is a positive side to this also. By minding our own business, Paul may be encouraging us to focus our energies on what God has called US to do.  Instead of criticizing what other people aren’t doing, are doing, or should be doing; we are better served by focusing on what God wants us to do.  Instead of being concerned about the rate of spiritual growth in someone else, we should be working on our own spiritual maturity.  We should be developing our own relationship with Jesus Christ.

I don’t mean to imply that we shouldn’t care about other people.  I don’t mean we should not care about the growth of the people around us.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ of course we should care.  However, instead of putting all the focus on other people we should work hard at our own spiritual lives.  We must combat the tendency to sit on the sidelines while we criticize what someone else is doing.

So here’s the question: when was the last time you stopped complaining about others and asked, “What is it that God wants ME to do for the building of His Kingdom?”  If we all did what God wanted us to do, we would be as effective as a well-tuned engine.

3) To Work with Your hands

The third thing Paul tells us is that we should make it our ambition to work with our hands.  Paul is not saying we should all desire to be blue-collar workers.  He is simply telling us that people should earn their own living.  In other words, we should not be a drain on society.  We should not be people who are always looking for a handout.  We should not be those who expect to be given things we did not earn.  We should resist the “entitlement” mentality.

It is possible that there were people who believed Jesus was surely coming soon as they neared the end of the first Christian generation.  Some believe that there were people in Thessalonica who quit their jobs (in order to serve the Lord more fully) and were now proving to be a drain on the Christian community.

Listen to the word of God

Proverbs 24:33-34  33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” 11We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

Paul says believers should be “pulling their own weight”.  We should be people who work hard understanding that we are serving the Lord. People who “work the system” are no different from the scam artists we all hate.

Why is it so important to work?  Is it because this is the way we earn our salvation?  No.  We aren’t made right with God by doing the right things but by entering into a vital and living relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are saved because we turn to Him alone for salvation and new life. We cannot now or ever earn our salvation by our good deeds.

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If we keep working at loving each other and work hard to be people who are quiet, focused on doing what we can do, and who give our best to our jobs, Paul tells us what will happen.

*****

We will win the Respect of people observing our actions

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Think about the people you respect the most.  Who is it that you admire?  Why do you admire them? I would venture to suggest that for most of us, we admire and respect the people who are just as Paul describes.  They are people who genuinely care, but aren’t pushy or nosey.  They are steady, consistent and dependable.  Most of these people will “fly beneath the radar” of life.  They don’t make a lot of noise when they enter a room but their impact is unmistakable.  People are drawn to them, not so much because of their arguments, but because of their character.  Most likely these are people who work hard.  They are not working for the money; they work because they take pride in their work.  They are working for the Lord.  These are the kind of people Paul says we will become if we pay attention to what he is saying.  Though none of these things are flashy; people will notice.  It may not make you popular, but it will earn you respect.

So please examine your own heart.  Are you a follower of Christ or are you merely a consumer of religion?  Is your confidence in Him or in what you believe you can do in your own strength?  Are you diligently serving God, or are you just a heckler on the sidelines?  Are you a giver or a taker? Do you love others or do you just expect others to love you?

These are important questions.  Please take some time to examine your mission statement or vision for life.  Compare it with the vision of Paul and then make whatever corrections are necessary. We are Christians who walk our own path yet are not an island to ourselves. We must mind our own business yet make our example one that Paul would approve of if he were to witness it. Cliques, factions, backbiting, and gossip are not approved. Minding our own business and sharing the word as it works in our own lives is approved. Let us build this church in it’s new beginning as Paul would have it in Thessalonians.

Romney ain't the guy. But who is?

The current Republican Primary season is mere days away and much like in years past, we as citizens have no clear choice for who the Republican nominee will be. After a few months of the flavor of the week while a consistent Mitt Romney held position around 25 percent, nothing has been decided or appears likely.
This situation in itself is troubling. It tells me that the "Ken Doll" better known as Mitt, does not have the confidence of an over whelming majority of  right leaning America. This inspite of being in constant campaign mode for over 5 years and supposedly living each event in his life as a means of preparing him for eventual Presidency. In my subjective opinion I see a milque toast candidate with nothing for the public to grab on to. I also see an individual who over the years has changed his core principles on a number of significant subjects for political expediency. Those two factors in themselves remind me of Bill Clinton and how his life seemed to build to that one final culmination in the Presidency and also in how Clinton relied greatly on public opinion and polls to determine his policy and values. Rest assured however, that I see no more similarities in the two. Romney is a man of unashamed faith albeit a stereotypically controversial one. He is also a great family man and has a stable, successful, and supportive family to back that claim. Other than his vacillations in some key voter litmus tests such as abortion he has few controversies and drama surrounding him. Unlike Clinton's serial adultery and sexual addictions or George W. Bush's past wild life and admitted cocaine and alcohol abuse, and even Barrack Obama's alleged cocaine dealing while in college and his apparently ignorant associations with former domestic terrorists and controversial black liberation theologian, Romney has litttle baggage to speak of and an impressive resume in business, politics, and organizations to contrast any negatives.
So why then, is Romney having difficulty finishing the job and pulling away from the pack to assert his long held notion that he is destined for the job of commander and chief? It is because he lacks the dynamic and extreme agenda necessary to communicate to the voters he will right this ship of our nation after it has taken so many hits to it's very structure.

The desire to know God at Christmas

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. [Lamentations- 3:40]

At this period of my life I find Christmas to be a time more representative of why it is in the first place. It is a day that God chose to bring the word to life. Easter is the day that justifys Christian faith but Christmas made that day some 35 years later possible. In between we as spiritual bings havin...g a human experience were given parables and miracles as well as examples in how to live and be pleasing to God. So, as we live and grow we will surely have times in our life where the flesh and earthly influences make us act in ways we know are short of the mark and humbling to how we see ourselves. I know all too well that I have had my share and will continue to have more. I will use this Christmas as an opportunity to give thanks for God's saving grace and the opportunity to repent and change in order to better reflect the God in us all.

It has been a few years now that i have been unconcerned with the receiving aspect of the season and more concerned with making sure my children have Christmases that they can look back on and smile just as I can when I remember the December 25ths of my youth. Now my gifts are found in prayer as I ask God for his Holy Spirit to occupy my heart as well as my family's hearts so we as individuals within the family unit can act as loving and patient members that actively seek to correct, instruct, and support each of the ones we love in this family known as the Virginia Sumners. We have known much stress and strife, much drama and sadness, much frustration in our desire to be more not only as persons but as a family. I pray that this year is a year the a Holy Spirit restores us to a path of God's making. To prosper us and not to harm us. To give us hope and a future.

What is Normal? What is Dysfunction? Really?

"Normal". Functional". "Sane". What standard defines them? Show me a functional family and I'll show you one that isn't normal. Normal reflects something in it's most constant state. Like body temperature for a human being. The American family is far too diversified and independent of itself to be weighed against another. We all have ideals and more's that we mentally attach to what we feel a family should be but really every family is like a coin flip. It's outcome depends solely on itself. Five hundred heads in a row and the next one is on it's own. So what is normal?
Functionality is a relative term and subjective in it's definition regarding the family. Dysfunctional implies that the family cannot "function" and then on that criteria it ceases to be a family. A tire that cannot function as a tire is not a tire at all but at the most a yard swing. All families the ARE are by their own nature functional. They serve their own purpose and cannot be judged by soem textbook definition. A divorced family is not a family. It is some kind of binding association as a result of a past experience.
  My mother likes to say our (the Virginia Sumners) family is the worst familyshe knows. She says it in a prideful yet ironically also a shamed or embarrassed tone. But if she could somehow step out of her own concrete pessimism she would find our family and it's issues to be preferrable as a life experience compared to the overwhelming number of families out there with their own issues. So functional? Yes, I'd say my extended family is functional. Normal? I would not waste my time trying to be normal because no matter what you are who you are and not some arbitrary standard. I don't know if there is one "normal" family out there. If there is then they exist by their own standard.
There is no sense in beating yourself up trying to achieve some external or societal ideal or level of functionality. Now, don't get me wrong. We are still a country of laws and your families unique circumstances must not violate those laws such as spousal or child abuse. Some issues such as drug abuse, and/or alcoholism are variables we all realize with common sense need to be addressed regardless of the family structure. But using a rational perspective and understanding every family is unique unto itself is a good first step to having a family that functions normally dispite it's own dysfunction.

God has plans for us when we think he has not.

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

That is still true today! God plans for our welfare, not our harm. God is always ready to bless us, and it is up to us to devote ourselves to God.

This verse is an absolute favorite of mine. To read it gives the Christian a perspective of hope and a belief that his faith, if it is a sincere and true faith, will be blessed with Gods grace.

So many times we are given seasons in our lives where we feel our faith is being tested. The test lies within ourselves. Even Jesus, being God in the flesh, and with a full understanding of what was to take place, had a moment of doubt and pain. In that garden, the garden of Gesthemane’, he went to pray. But he was restored as the prophet Isaiah foretold. Jesus, knew what he was to endure, and just like any child would ask of his father, “Do I have to do this? Does it have to be this hard? Can’t we do it another way?”. But God the father had plans. Plans to restore not only Christ to his rightful place, but also restore humanity to a state of grace.

We as human beings living our lives here on earth at times lose sight of the blessings that are right there for us to claim because we are so caught up in the curses or the hardships of our lives. It is during these hardships that our faith must show itself at its strongest.

There is a blessing there for all of us if we only seek God with all our heart and remain faithful throughout the hard times as well as the good. I can tell you with all honesty that my frustration was beginning to over take my optimism when my unemployment had reached 4 months. I was starting to feel a sense of worthlessness and my mind was beginning to set in for an extended period of apathy. Then I caught myself. I prayed. Not once. Not twice. But steadily. In the car. As I washed dishes. During times of solitude. Before I laid down my head. I prayed to God saying things in almost a conversational tone. I told God I knew he was in charge. I reaffirmed my faith in him and prayed for him to reveal a purpose for all of this. I said if he was already revealing it then I asked for more clarity on my part so that I could understand what was expected of me. The prayers paid off. On one afternoon only a couple of weeks ago I was sitting alone in the living room having a cup of coffee, After I finished the paper I sat for a moment and something inside of me said to call my former employer. I did and he said it was good to hear from me and he would call the client I had previously been with to see what their situation was. The ball was rolling at that point and a day later I received a call from the client telling me I would be needed in two weeks. Things turned.

Now, I’m not saying this is it . This is the plan to prosper me. But I am saying God has returned me from exile and has heard my prayer just as he stated in the Jeremiah promise.

With Grace comes Gratitude.

views on me

Getting over being stunned by a good friend who unjustly called me thief. You know, we all at times tend to get emotional and find ourselves thinking something about another that has no merit. The best thing is to keep your mouth shut. I realize I can only control the quality of my character and I have no power over others opinions. It's sad to deal with but you can only be true to you."

Lifes calming order

Life’s Calming Order and Waves We Ride

This is your Life

The one that you Live

And all that you take

And all that you give

Defines our own path

The steps that we take

The people we Love

And the choices we make

If we find that flow

Gods purpose for us

We rarely will struggle

We won’t need to cuss

Those friends that we make

They help us along

But they just play the music

As we sing our own song

You and I are on purpose

This time we now find

Is part of the plan

And it rests in your mind

The mind is spirit

And thought is it’s end

You can’t kill what makes

Us all comprehend

Spirit is thought

as you think so you’ll be

you create your own world

and all that you see

Views on God by a religion of one

Mark Sumner

A lesson to do today for my class at church. I am doing it on a recurring theme with me . God's (or the creators) purpose for us and the world. How do we know it? We become aware of Gods purpose or at the minimum gain clarity when we are operating from a purely Spiritual perspective. There is no negativity there. No jealousy, no hatred, no discord, no factions, no selfish ambition. When the scripture says God made man in his image, he was not refering to some anthropomorphic long bearded, ZZ Top individual in the clouds. It was telling us that first and foremost, we are Spirit. With a capital S. The occupiers as they have come to be called may have begun with good intent but the moment any of the above traits crept into their dialogue is when they lost the argument. That is if there IS an argument.
Really, Gods purpose is not for us to throw rocks and cups of urine on those who try to up hold the law. Gods purpose is not to take from one individual by force what they have earned and give it to another. That is no better than strong arm robbery. What needs to happen is the Spirit that is truely us needs to "Occupy" our hearts and minds so that we give of our own free will and with love. That is the only way Gods true purpose will be revealed.

Late Night Regrets

This Page We Share

This Page called Facebook

Is more than a way

To reconnect with friends

Or pass the time away

It is a place where things are said

And some may feel regret

From feeling too good and saying things they never should

Now they can’t forget

That post they thought was cool

Maybe witty and quite risky

Was not the perfect way

To say I’m feeling frisky

Oh, it happens coming home

From a club or hopping bar

When the night to you is young

And the keyboard isn’t far

 under inebriation

We tap, type, and giggle

We think we are oh so clever

As in our seat we wiggle

Anxious to hit “Post”

But not yet, it isn’t done

In time you will soon discover

That with the rising sun

You never meant to say

The things so many saw

The person you hide so well

That is unhinged and very raw

Delete the post you must

However, the views you cannot break

Of this posting you now see

As an embarrassing mistake

Angels or Spirits in flux?

 I don't necessarily see our souls as "fallen angels" per se', but instead as progressively evolving entities that over time reach a level of enlightenment which entitles them to move on to areas we are yet unaware of. In the interim, I believe we, as souls, or spirits, serve as the cliche' "guardian angels" over those we love or see as worthy of protection. That is what we refer to as the "spirit world" here on earth. Others have encounters with these entities and refer to them as ghosts or apparitions. At times, these apparitions see it fit to not interfere in our worldly experience and allow things to take their own course. It is this course that appears to be in parrallel to what we call "God's Plan" or "God's Will" and in this case the spirits or angels find no reason to intervene. As far as free will is concerned, it is in this "God's Will" aspect that we find the sprits or angels giving their own intercession to help lie us back up with what ever we need to be lined up with the grand scheme of things. It is here that we experience "NDE'S" or near death experiences

Spontaneous Ryhmes

Thought Control

Can you grow at this stage?

A lesson from the blue.

Something to take the mind

And create a way so new

On how to think on things

And perceive the things around

So you never need complain

Or protest with a sound.

You take each passing moment

As a means to help you learn

And every time your troubled

You take the proper turn

Because life is full of minutes

And the decisions that you take

So if you see the opportunity

To take it in before you make

Another rash decision

Or an impulse that will find

Your situation worse

And regret just fills your mind

See the positive in lifes trials

The lesson to be learned

So when your world is heated

You’ll avoid the “getting burned”

Don’t speak before you think

On what each word will do

Because the way you voice your mind

Is how the world sees you

Words also carry feelings

And can affect the listener well

They also mold emotions

And can put your heart in hell

So the lesson of these words

In this specific rhyme

Is to think before you act

And give yourself some time

You’ll find that as you change

Your thoughts from bad to good

The chance you’ll behave correctly

And do just what you should

Improve with each experience

As you use the art of pause

If growth is what you seek

Doing this will help your cause

So don’t think it’s much too late

Or you’re stuck with who you are

Because if you control your thinking

This life will take you far

 

Mark Sumner 2011

It could always be worse

It could be worse

I thought last night on the things we go through to accomplish our goals or to stick with things we just don’t want to give up on in life. The stuff we do when we do what we have to do as the saying goes.

I had just completed my first Graduate Level research paper for my master’s degree. The paper was entitled “Global Business Cultural Analysis: Saudi Arabia.”

It had over 6,500 words and over 16 references.  As far as my education goes, it was the most in-depth research assignment I had ever done and that includes the three term papers I did in consecutive years covering the battle of Gettysburg. 

I was mentally exhausted. I wrote this lesson immediately afterward so forgive me if it all sounds elementary but think the left half of my brain shut down not too long after that.

However, the right half did work, my being left handed, and thus a thinker, I got to thinking. What are we as individuals willing to go through in order to keep what we have or attain what we want?

We always say we want to be better Christians but do we do what is necessary for that? Do we pray often? Do we consciously seek Gods will in all we do? Do we read the word? I mean do we read it not only as a book we want to be familiar with but also as a guide on how to live and conduct ourselves? Christ gave the golden rule a lot of credit when asked what the greatest commandment was. However, he also said in the beginning of that answer that it was to love the lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul. To love God means to honor God. To honor God means to obey God. Dietrich Bonheoffer once said, “Only he who is obedient believes and only he who believes is obedient.” So, are we obedient to God? What are we willing to go through? What are we willing to do to be better Christians.

Life could be worse. It could always be worse. I have said that many times to myself as a surveyor, in July, knee deep in swamp muck, survey instrument strapped to my back, 1000 feet to go, through those briars just ahead, that you will have to cut down with this brush axe, for the next 300 feet. Oh yeah, and it ain’t even noon yet and it’s supposed to hit 100 degrees. In the shade. Then my boss (who was 65 years old and tougher than I could ever pray to be) would say, “Yeah, well, it could be worse.” That was the last thing I wanted to hear. Nevertheless, it made sense. I thought at that moment that somewhere someone was going through something far worse than what I was currently experiencing. So, at that moment, I would suck it up and move out.

It got to be a way of thinking for myself. It made me grateful for the little things and at the same time, it made me realize that what I am going through is nothing compared to what others have done in accomplishing their goals. I use the phrase often with my mom when she starts to explain to me how unfair life is or how this trouble or that trouble is just one of the many we have. The toilet won’t work, the Lawnmower is broke, I can’t reach the light bulb in the kitchen, and where have you been? You ain’t been by here in a while?

Hey. It could be worse. Always could be worse. We find our strength in the Lord. Philippians 4:13 says to us, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” I remember watching a boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson. The first one, not the one where Mike bit his ear off. As I watched him come into that ring to fight Mike Tyson, who at the time was the most feared Boxer, a destroyer of all he faced, I noticed Evander Holyfield’s white and purple boxing trunks and the verse he had on the waistband. Philippians 4:13. I looked it up. Then I said to myself, “Evander is ready for this fight”.

In our lives, we have goals, some of those goals are stated to please others and it is those goals that have the least chance of survival. If you tell someone you are a Christian because that is what you think they want to hear, then your Christianity will last about as long as that conversation. If you honestly desire to know Christ and what having him really work in your life is like, then you have to mean it in your heart. It is not a fake it until you make it proposition. The same goes with other aspects of your life. In marriage, if you get in thinking you can always get out, then eventually you will. But if you have it in your heart to make it as husband and wife no matter what life puts you through then in more cases than not, your marriage will not only survive but also come out of any trial stronger than before. If you determine to be a Husband, a father, an employee working out of town, a graduate student, a Sunday school teacher, a son, a brother,

And first and foremost a Christian, and if all of that is heartfelt and not said to impress, you will be all of these things and more.

After all, it could be worse.