Pathways That Lead to Christ

The below words on a New Day come from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each morning, as you wake up, you make a choice of what kind of day you will have. You may not do this consciously but you do make a choice. When you think about the word "choice" it should bring to mind that you, and only you, have the opportunity to make each new day happy and productive or  sad and empty. To make each day positive and good, begin it by saying, "Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Help me to make it the best day of the year! I may not be feeling the best today but with your help, I will do my upmost for you and I thank you for everything you do for me." Read the below words from Ralph Waldo Emerson, keep them in your heart each morning and enjoy the day! And remember, God is always with you--at the beginning of each day and at the end of each day! THIS NEW DAY Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no on...

Lately, with all the scandals, bad weather and costs of everything skyrocketing; it is easy for some to say, “That’s it, I’m giving up! I’m not going to do my best anymore! Why should I keep giving 100% when all around me I see nothing but mediocrity and negativity? There are many people in the Bible who started out positive and good but who later because of their actions and wrong thinking, became negative and wanted to give up. Saul is a good example. He was the first king of Israel who started off fine; however, his relationship with God became so thin that God was unable to communicate with him. Saul’s fall from God went downhill quickly. He became deranged and slaughtered God’s priests, tried to kill his own son twice and hounded David for years until he finally died after talking with a witch because he was so far away from God. Of course, most of us know about Job. Job was close to God, he loved god and he loved people. He used his wealth, wisdom and knowledge to h...

Not long ago I experienced fear and anxiety. My husband had to go to the hospital; he had a fever, his pulse was high--around 120 and he felt awful! As his wife, I have felt this kind of fear before when he had other health problems and even though everything turned out alright in the past, I was afraid. How many of us, when things go bad, forget about God and how He has helped us in the past? It is easy to forget, even though we know we shouldn't. David, in the Bible, was afraid many times for his life. His own son wanted him dead and so many others wanted him gone, too. How about you? Do you often feel afraid and alone? Do you feel sometimes that God has abandoned you? Sure. We all have at times. But, God has said many times in the Bible that "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Moses encouraged the Israelites to resist fear and follow God in truth. When they became fearful after learning Moses would soon be taken from them, Moses replied, "Be strong...

Christmas Season Once Again by Roy Star We are once again in the Christmas Season. Depending on where you are located, the temperature may range from 85 degrees to subzero degrees. We know the North Pole is cold. Santa always wears his red coat, black boots, and red cap to stay warm. Mrs. Claus has the hot chocolate with marshmallows ready for when Santa arrives home from a long hard day building toys with his elves. The factory is in full production during December. There are the letters to answer and reindeer to feed and so much more to do. All for one day and one big sleigh ride. Fortunately, Santa’s magic still works. Santa always stops at Bethlehem each year to see the Baby Jesus laying in the manger. Standing next to Jesus are his Mother and Father, Mary and Joseph. Jesus is the reason for Christmas so Santa says a prayer for all the children of the world.  Before he departs he leaves a little present for Jesus. The Wise Men presented and left with...

Everyone has past experiences that are good and bad. It is the past that sometimes drag us down and make us feel that we may never achieve our dreams and be happy. However, there are things you and I can do that will help us understand the past, learn from it and then put it away. The first step in this process is to reflect on it. To find insight and value from the past, we must first reflect on it. This may seem unnecessary but it must be done so that we understand the past. Then, it is important to study it. The goal of this step is to understand what was happening at the time and what you can learn from it. This step will help you create a mental list of ideas and actions that will help you make better, more informed and wiser decisions in the future. This step is most important because it will give you an insight on the past and why you did what you did. The next step is to replay the past. Go back to the situation or situations like you are reliving the situation; however, wi...

I've been reading Rick Warrens' book, "God's Power to change your life." It is a wonderful book, full of helpful and godly information. As a Christian and person who seeks a closer relationship to God and people, I am getting a lot of helpful information from the book. Like some, I struggle in trying to be a good person; a person who tries to do the will of God. Like can be difficult, stressful and a challenge; I think many can attest to this. However, Rick Warren states in his book that there is simple and easy way to feel better about yourself and your life on this earth. He states that one of the best ways to be a happier and more fulfilled person is to first think positive and Christian thoughts, then feel positive and Christian thoughts and then act in a positive and Christian way. Sounds simple? It is simple and it works! Think about it--what you think is what you will begin to feel and what you feel is how you will act. For example, if I feel stressed...

Everyday, we all make choices; some, however, instead use rejection as their way to treat others. God gives us all a choice—we can choose to follow him or follow our own devices and desires. Rejection is man-made; it is something some of us do now and then. It can harm those to whom we reject and it can also harm us.  Actually, rejecting others can backfire because we are setting ourselves up for rejections too. Keep in mind; the scripture says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” So, whenever you reject a person, simply because you don’t like or agree with him or her, means that you too, somewhere will also be rejected. For awhile I took rejection as personal; however, it should not be taken personal because that person or persons is making a choice—a choice that has nothing to do with you. Instead, he or she is showing you who they are. Their choices stem from the very depth of who they are. So, when you feel that someone is rejecting you, think...