Give Away What You Want the Most

What do you want the most in life? Is it love? Is it respect? Is it peace? Is it encouragement?

Give it to others. You will be amazed at how it all comes back to you.

Sit down sometime this weekend and jot down three to five things that you most want. In the next week, make it a practice to give those things to someone else...without expectation of return.

The return may not come to you in the same day or even the same month, but watch for it. It will come back to you.

Matthew 10:8 says "Freely you have received, freely give."

For example, if I value encouragement, then I could write a note to someone who I appreciate.

If I value forgiveness, then I could be understanding if someone is having a bad day and not on the best behavior.

If I value respect, then I could show tolerance for someone else's opinion.

And if I value love, then I could use every opportunity to display it for others, regardless of their response.

This giving could also be material. If I value a warm coat, I could provide one to someone in need. If I value a delicious meal, I could cook for someone (or buy someone dinner!).

Be creative. Write down the things you value and proceed to give them away. I'd love to hear what happens for you next!

Col 3:23

Hunger Games...really?

So I have read about the latest teen movie craze known as the Hunger Games, and I have to wonder...why?

Well, actually I don't wonder why. Our society is exposing children to violence at far younger ages than we witnessed in the most recent two generations.

In my day, we had Pac Man. Today, we have Call of Duty and Twisted Metal. In my day, we had "Who Shot J.R?" on Dallas, and I don't believe there was any blood shown. These days, we have scary alien monsters who bite a chunk out of a human being and the blood sprays all over — on prime time television.

Really?

Call me old fashioned, but there are few TV shows or movies that I'm interested in watching anymore, let alone those that claim to be PG-13 material. Haven't we seen enough real bloodshed in New York, Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, Syria, Libya, Egypt and on our own neighborhood streets to be sick of it? Literally. Sick of it. Are our senses so deadened that when we witness a child die, even "for pretend," it's no big deal?

If there is some poignant message in this movie about how it's the government's fault that people are shooting each other and fighting for resources, I don't get it. It seems to me that individuals are practicing enough selfishness and greed all by themselves without the government's help or hindrance.

So no, I'm not entertained by children trying to kill each other. And I vote no on exposing my children to it. They'll have enough real world troubles to deal with, and I don't want them desensitized to the tragedies and needs of others. Any kind of violence, real or imaginary, isn't OK.

John 13:35