Lift Up My Soul...

The Magic Castle

2019-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

Vernon Howard tells the story of a weary traveler in his tale The Magic Castle.

Walking down a dark road, the man is surprised to see a marvelous castle before him. Across its gate is a banner welcoming everyone. The traveler is glad to see this for he is weary.

Passing through the open gate, a strange sight greets him. A number of men and women walk toward the castle, but do not seem to see it. Perplexed, he enters the castle and asks someone about the strange behavior of the people outside.

The castle resident answers, “This is a magic castle. It can be seen only by those who realize and admit that they are lost. Those who pretend to know where they are going cannot see the castle. Your honesty in admitting that you are weary and in in need of a shelter for the night made the castle visible to you. Enter, for all its riches are now yours.”

Reflection:

We too are in a journey. There is no harm in feeling confident that we know the way to our destination, but let us not delude ourselves that we can get there on our own. It is only when we acknowledge that we need God’s help that we will see the castle and the riches that awaits us within.

The Importance of Prayer

2017-01-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm in the sea. And only two men were able to swim to a small, deserted island. The two survivors not knowing what else to do agree that they had no other resources but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing the first man prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land. And he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren. After a week, the first man was lonely and decided to pray for a wife.

The next day, another ship was wrecked. And the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still has nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found this ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming.

“Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!”, the voice rebuked him.

“He had only one prayer, which I answered.

“If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”

“Tell me.”, the first man asked the voce.

“What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone. But those of another praying for us. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for you.

Oh God Forgive Me..

2015-08-11T21:19:00.001-07:00

Today, upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman.

And wished I was as beautiful.
When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one leg and wore a crutch.

But as she passed, she passed a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two legs; the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.

The lad who sold it had such charm.

I talked with him, he seemed so glad.

If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two eyes; the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street, I saw a child I knew.
He stood and watched the others play, but he did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said, "Why don't you join them dear?"
He looked ahead without a word.
I forgot, he couldn't hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two ears; the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go,
With eyes to see the sunset's glow,
With ears to hear what I'd know,
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

Why God? Why?

2015-05-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes, when we asked something from Him, He answered us in a way we don't understand. But let us continue to have faith and believe that He's doing what is best for us.

LONG DISTANCE LOVE

2015-03-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

LONG DISTANCE LOVE
By Bo Sanchez

Sometimes, we have to love people from a distance.
The verse above says that we can actually walk away from difficult people. Don't stay if people don't like you. And don't take their rejection personally, because it's not about you. They've got issues. Leave them in the hands of God.
Let me give you an example.
Imagine you're walking in the woods one day. There, you hear someone shouting, "Help!” You run to the direction of the voice, and you see a man sinking in a quicksand. And he says, "Please! Grab my hand! I'm going to die!”
You study your choices. The sinking man is right smack in the middle of a humongous quicksand. To grab his hand, you have to actually walk into the quicksand. If you do that, the man will pull you into the quicksand — and both of you will die.
You realize that the only way to save him is to maintain your distance from him and maintain your position of stability. Practically, it means standing on solid ground and throwing him a rope. The man grabs on the rope, ties it around his body, and from your position of stability, you pull him out of the quicksand. And this point is important — he has to do something. He has to actually do something (tie the rope around his body and hold on). In other words, he should want to be rescued.
I repeat: That's the only way to rescue him. In the same way, you can't transform a difficult person by allowing yourself to be abused by him. That is why the first step to transform a difficult person is to protect yourself from him or her.
By protecting yourself, you gain the freedom to love the difficult person in a genuine way.

The Piano Lesson

2015-01-08T20:01:00.002-08:00

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother bewildered by the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing". Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderful creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the result's aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful

Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life.

Remember, God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called. And He'll always be there to love and guide you on to great things.

The Joke Time

2014-05-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

One day, there was a lion who called for a meeting with the animals. He said, “Each of you will tell a joke. But everyone must laugh or I’ll eat the one who told the joke.”

       The monkey, who knew he was very funny, went up first and told his joke. When he reached the punchline, everyone cracked up. Everyone that is, except one animal: The turtle. He didn’t laugh.
       The lion shook his head. He pounced on the monkey and ate him in one gulp. All the animals gasped. The lion called out, “Next!”
       The parrot believed he was really funny so he stepped in front and told his joke. When he reached his punchline, all the animals laughed. Except the turtle!
       And to everyone’s horror, the lion gobbled up the parrot.
       All the animals were angry at the turtle! But they couldn’t say anything in front of the lion.
       “Next!” the lion said.
       The giraffe stepped up, trembling. He started telling his joke when the turtle began to laugh really hard!
       The animals looked at him wondering what he was doing.
       The lion asked the turtle, “What’s wrong with you? Giraffe hasn’t reached his punchline yet!”
       The turtle said, “Haha! I can’t help it. The monkey’s joke was sooooo funny!”

Give Love, But Don’t Expect An Instant Response

Let’s say you’re a father.
And you’ve not really been spending time with your kids.
But because of the ritual, you’ve decided to hangout with them. However, you find out that your kids don’t want to hangout with you!
It’ll be frustrating. But don’t give up.
Your kids are turtles. In due time, your children will “get it” and respond to your love.

The Shoe Box

2014-02-20T23:24:00.003-08:00

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoebox in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

     For all these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

     In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoebox and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totalling $95,000.

     He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married', she said 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll'.

     The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey', he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh', she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls'.

A Prayer
Dear Lord,
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him;
and Patience for his moods;
because Lord, If I pray for Strength,
I'll beat him to death because I don't have the freaking time to crochet.

Broken Dreams

2013-12-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

As little children bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend.

I brought my broken dreams to God
Because He is my friend.
But instead of leaving Him
in peace to work alone.
I tried ways which were my own
At last, I snatched them back and cried:
"How could you be so slow?"
"My child", he said. "You never did let go".

The Obstacle in our Path

2013-11-14T01:49:00.000-08:00

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping

the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

The Spider Web

2013-07-29T00:00:00.002-07:00

An evil man, about to die, meets an angel at the gates to Hell. The angel says to him: “It is enough for you to have done one good thing in your life, and that will help you.” “Think hard,” the angel said. The man remembers that one time, as he was walking through a forest; he saw a spider in his path and detoured so as not to step on it. The angel smiles and a spider web come down from the sky, allowing the man to ascend to Paradise. Others among the condemned take advantage of the web, and begin to make the climb. But the man turns on them and begins to push them off, fearing that the web will break.

At that moment, it breaks, and the man is once again returned to Hell. “What a pity,” the man hears the angel say. “Your concern with yourself turned the only good thing you ever did into evil”.

Lesson: Your selfishness hurts you in the end.

Narcissus

2013-04-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

The Alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus.

The Alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who knelt daily beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty. He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus.

But this was not how the author of the book ended the story.

He said that when Narcissus died, the goddesses of the forest appeared and found the lake, which has been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

“Why do you weep?” the goddesses asked.

“I weep for Narcissus”, the lake replied.

“Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus”, they said, “for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand”.

“But.. was Narcissus beautiful?” the lake asked.

“Who better that you to know that?” the goddesses said in wonder. “After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!”

The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said:

“I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.”

Don't Give Up

2012-10-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

Don't give up.....

One day I decided to quit...

I quit my job,

my relationship,

my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me...
'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.
'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
'In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit.' He said.
'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.'
He asked me. 'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots'.
'I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you.'
'Don't compare yourself to others.'
He said.
'The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.'
'Your time will come', God said to me.
'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?'
I asked.
'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.' He said, 'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'
I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up.
For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Heavens door open this morning, God asked me...

'My CHILD, what can I do for you?'
And I said, 'Daddy, please protect and bless the one reading this message.'
God smiled and answered, 'Request granted.'

When Life gets too Hard to Stand; Kneel!!!!!

Heavenly Appeal Short Animated Film

2012-07-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

A very cute, comic but inspiring short film!

Rich vs. Poor

2011-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad”.

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yes”, said the son.

“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered:
“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
“We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden and they have a creek that has no end.
“We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
“Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
“We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
“We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
“We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added:

“Thanks, Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

Two Wolves Inside Us

2011-08-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

One evening an old man told his grandson talk about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Where is God?

2011-08-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

He was just a little boy, on a week’s first day. He was wandering home from Sunday School, and dawdling on the way. He scuffed his shoes into the grass; he found a caterpillar. He found a fluffy milkweed pod, and blew out all the “filler.”

A bird’s nest in a tree overhead, so wisely placed on high, Was just another wonder that caught his eager eye. A neighbor watched his zig zag course, and hailed him from the lawn, Asked him where he’d been that day and what was going on.

“I’ve been to Bible School,” he said and turned a piece of sod. He picked up a wiggly worm replying, “I’ve learned a lot of God.”

“M’m very fine way,” the neighbor said, “for a boy to spend his time. If you’ll tell me where God is, I’ll give you a brand new dime.”

Quick as a flash the answer came! Nor were his accents faint. ”I’ll give you a dollar, Mister, if you can tell me where God ain’t.”

GOD Knows

2011-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts...

God knows how hard you have tried.

When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish...

God has counted your tears.

If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by...

God is waiting with you.

When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for phone a phone call...

God is by your side.

When you think you've tried everything and don't know where to turn to...

God has a solution.

When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated...

God has the answer.

If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope...

God has blessed you.

When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe...

God has smiled upon you.

When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to follow...

God has opened your eyes and called you by name.

Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are facing...

GOD KNOWS.

Mr. Jones Goes To Heaven

2011-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jones dies and goes to heaven.

Peter is waiting at the gates to give him tour. Amid the splendor of golden street, beautiful mansions, and chairs of angels that peter shows him, Mr. Jones Notice an odd-looking building. He thinks it looks like an enormous warehouse it has no windows and only one door. but when he asks to see inside, Peter hesitates.

"You really don't want to see what's in there," he tells the new arrival.

Why would there be any secrets in heaven? Jones wonders. What incredible surprise could be waiting for me in there? When the official tour is over he's still wondering, so he asks again to see inside the structure.

Finally Peter relents. When the apostle opens the door, Mr. Jones almost knocks him over in his haste to enter. it turns out that the enormous building is filled with row after row of shelves , floor to ceiling, each stacked neatly with white boxes tied in red ribbons.

"These boxes all have names on them." Mr. Jones muses a loud.

Then turning to peter he asks," Do i have one?"

"Yes, you do." peter tries to guide Mr. Jones back outside. "frankly", peter says.

"If i were you ..." But Mr. Jones is already dashing towards the "J"aisle to find his box.

Peter follows, shaking his head. He catches up with Mr. Jones just as he is slipping the red ribbon off his box and popping the lid. Looking inside, Jones has a moment of instant recognition, and he lets out a deep sign like ones Peter has heard so many times before. Because there in Mr. Jones' White box are all the blessings that God wanted to give to him while he was on earth...but Mr. Jones had never asked.

"Ask", promised Jesus, and it will be given to you" (Matt. 7:7)

"You do not have because you do not ask", said James in 4:2

Eventhough there is no limit to God's goodness, if you didn't ask him for a blessing yesterday, you didn't get all that you were supposed to have.

- from the book of Prayer of Jabez

In Seeking Illumination

2011-07-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

The disciple approached his master:

"For years I have been seeking illumination," he said. "I feel that I am close to achieving it. I need to know what the next step is."

"How do you support yourself?" the master asked.

"I haven't yet learned how to support myself; my parents help me out. But
that is only a detail."

"Your next step is to look directly at the sun for half a minute," said the master.

And the disciple obeyed. When the half-minute was over, the master asked him to describe the field that surrounded them.

"I can't see it. The sun has affected my vision," the disciple said

"A man who seeks only the light, while shirking his responsibilities, will never find illumination. And one who keep his eyes fixed upon the sun ends up blind," was the master's comment.

- from the book of Maktub by Paulo Coelho

In The Dark

2011-07-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

A young soldier and his commanding officer got on a train together.

The only available seats were across from an attractive young lady who was traveling with her grandmother. As the four engaged in conversation, the soldier and the young lady kept eyeing one another. There was an obvious mutual attraction.

Suddenly the train went into a tunnel, sending the train into darkness. Immediately two sounds were heard: the smack of a kiss followed by the whack of a slap across someone’s face.

The grandmother thought, “I can’t believe he kissed my granddaughter, but I’m glad she gave him the slap he deserved.”

The commanding officer thought, “I don't blame the boy for kissing the girl, but it’s a shame that she missed him and hit me instead.”

The young girl thought, “I’m glad he kissed me, but I wished my grandmother hadn’t slapped him for doing it.”

And as the train broke into the sunlight, the soldier couldn’t help but smile. He had managed to kiss a pretty girl and slap his commanding officer and get away with both!

It’s hard to get away with anything in the light. That’s why so many people love the darkness. (John 3:19-20)

When Life Is Hard

2011-07-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

When life is hard just lift your head up a little, because that is when the Lord is closest to you.

The Two Firemen

2011-07-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

Two firemen go into a forest to put out a small fire. Afterward, when they emerge and go over to a stream, the face of one is all smeared with black, while the other man’s face is completely clean.

Which of the two will wash his face?

The one with the dirty face will look at the other man and assume that he looks like him. And vice versa, the man with the clean face will see his colleague covered in grime and say to himself: “I must be dirty too. I’d better have a wash.”

from the book The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

Time for Hope

2011-07-23T00:32:00.000-07:00

Two rabbis are trying everything possible to provide spiritual comfort to the Jews in Nazi Germany. For two years, frightened unbearably, they are able to evade their persecutions and perform their religious functions in various communities. They are finally taken prisoner.

One of the rabbis, terrified at what might happen to him, prays constantly. The other, however, spends the entire day sleeping.

“Why are you behaving like this?”asks the frightened rabbi.

“In order to conserve my strength. I know that I’ll be needing it later on,” said the other.

“But aren’t you afraid? We don’t know what’s going to happen to us.”

“I was afraid up until the time we were captured. Now that I’m a prisoner, what good would it do to fear what might happen to me. The time for fear has ended, now is the time for hope.”

From maktub by paulo coelho

What is the number one most misinterpreted Bible verse?

2011-07-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

I was searching for some inspirational article to read when I came across to this discussion:

An anonymous ask the author this question: What is the number one most misinterpreted Bible verse?

And this is what he answer:

Absolutely that would be Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The literal phrase meant is “thoughts about the future” but it is translated to plans. Many people interpret the word “plans” to means that ever detail of their life is spelled out and planned down to the smallest of seconds. But this isn't true there is room in this verse for living and deciding human beings. So many people take this verse out of context and don't continue to read:

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

So what are the Lords plans for the future? Not to find his will but to find HIM! “You will seek Me and find Me. When you seek Me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord.”
What does this passage really mean? This passage really talks about how the blessings that come from dynamic and growing relationships with our intimate Lord. People want to believe God has plans for our exact car and spouse. But those are our plans and desires. People use this verse to justify God being their own program..
Gods dream for the future of your life is that you get with HIS program. God doesn't dream about your houses and cars. God dreams for you to have an amazing intimacy with HIM.

To read more about this inspirational insight visit: http://mighty2save.tumblr.com/