Branch Out!

If a tree were to resist

shedding her colorful autumn leaves,

when would come spring?

When would come summer?

If we resist change

we cannot question why

we do not grow.

Do not choose death – choose life!

By Martha L Shaw – ©  2015 Words and Image

WHAT I LEARNED FROM SHEEP

It seems we ALWAYS seek to do

things we choose, in our own way.

But sheep are never left alone

to make up their own minds.

They seem so calm and rested

and do as the shepherd tells them to.

Love and care he offers

and they easily accept.

They are totally dependant on him.

Yet when God reacts this way to us,

we turn the other way.

I used to think sheep foolish creatures!

But, they aren’t the fools,

we are!

By Martha L Shaw ©2018

 

 

 

You Choose!

IN THIS LIFE . . .

Are we on a quest to DO what is right,

or to always BE right?

These two are rarely synonymous

and one is HOPELESSLY inefficient!

By Martha L Shaw – ©  2018

Quote of the Day Tuesday – On Servanthood

Good leaders must first become good servants.

– Robert K Greenleaf –

Wow, this says it all. Jesus is the best example of this and we are to be like Him!   Let’s live this one, shall we?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Color

Gloom and glory go hand in hand.  Have you noticed?  It is midday where I sit yet the sun in just now beginning to shine outside my window.  As I approach the lamp and snap it off finally, I see more than a colorful lampshade.

• I see reflected glory.
• I see patriotism.  
• I see Christian love.  
• I see friendship.  

My pretty lamp was a gift from a friend as she packed up her home and prepared for deployment.  She is in the military.  At any moment she can  be sent to the center of a war-torn part of the world where she will serve willingly, lead and protect others, live surrounded by death, dying, and destruction.  Yet, my friend presents a calm spirit in the face of it all.  She sees life as full of beauty and color.  So, on this gloomy day, do I.  Thanks Lynn!

I present this to you in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge.  To participate, click here and read all about it.  The theme? Color!

Nominated For The Hug Award – Sharing The Blessing!

Thank you so much Soumyav for nominating me for this special award.  I am so delighted to receive it.  Thank you for honoring me – everyone please do check out her blog, you will surely be blessed!

Hope Unites Globally – HUG Award Guidelines

 

PLEASE NOTE:  You should send this post or a link to this post to all those you nominate to receive the HUG Award. 

Please do not change or use another image for the HUG Award Image©.  Please do not alter–by changing, shortening, or adding to–the text about the award and how to share it with others.  Either copy the entire article as it is on this page, or please include a link back to this article, when you post on your blog or share award with others.

I ask you to please honor this request and help me keep the integrity of the award as originally designed, so that future award recipients will know what an honor it is to receive this award.  Thank you, Connie Wayne

 ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES for HUG AWARD©

“Hope is an expectant desire; a confidence in a future event; a ground for trust and confidence; to think; to look forward to with trust and expectant desire.”

The HUG Award© was initiated by Connie Wayne at A Hope for Today athttp://ahopefortoday.com, which promotes hope, love, peace, equality, and unity for all people.

The HUG Award© is for people with an expectant desire for the world, for which they: Hope for Love; Hope for Freedom; Hope for Peace; Hope for Equality; Hope for Unity;Hope for Joy and Happiness; Hope for Compassion and Mercy; Hope for Faith; Hope for Wholeness and Wellness; Hope for Prosperity; Hope for Ecological Preservation; Hope for Oneness

The HUG Award© recognizes and honors those who help keep hope alive in our current world, which is plagued by war, natural disasters, and economic recession.  They nurture hope, in any of the above areas (in italics),  by the work they do, or in their personal lives with things such as blogging, public speaking, charity work, etc.

The HUG Award© is for anyone, anywhere in the world, who meets the guidelines and wants to be nominated for the award. Please leave a comment on this page if you are interested in receiving this award, or if you would like to nominate someone else for the award.

The HUG Award© is for people who, without giving up or compromising their own religious, spiritual, or political beliefs, are able to nurture hope and respect the dignity of all people.

The HUG Award© is for those who, without bias or prejudice, use their resources and gifts to make the world a better place for everyone.

The HUG Award©is for people who have a hope or an expectant desire that the work or talents they use in things such as blogging, public speaking, charity work, etc., will make a positive impact on the world.

These people do not have to actively use the word “hope” in their work or creative talents.  They only need be conscious of their desire to make the world a better place for everyone.

These people use their available resources–a smile, a hug, a helping hand, a listening ear, a voice, time, money, possessions, education, personality, talent, websites and blogs—to make a positive impact on the world and make the world a better place to live.

The HUG Award© is not specifically a website or blog award.  It can be given to people in your community, at your employment, at your place of worship, etc.  Please make sure they have a copy of these Guidelines, and please don’t forget to submit their names back to this site.

HUG AWARD© IMAGE for RECIPIENTS of HUG AWARD

HUG Award© Image:   Those who receive the HUG Award© may paste a copy of the original HUG Award© image into an Image widget on their website or blog by simply copying and pasting the following image URL into an Image widget:  http://hopesfortoday.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/hug-award1.png.  As the link URL for the image, please insert http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/.

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GUIDELINES for NOMINATING OTHERS FOR THE HUG AWARD© 

1.  If you receive a HUG Award©, you may nominate others who also meet the above guidelines for the award.  You may nominate as many people, websites, or blogs as you want to nominate to receive the award.  I do ask that, upon receipt of the award, you nominate at least one other person.  The award is also not time limited, so you can nominate new people or sites you encounter in the future.  Please try not to nominate those who have already received the award.

2.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACTING YOUR NOMINEES and telling them you nominated them for the  HUG Award©.  AND when you contact them…

3.  Please link this page:  When you contact your nominees for the award, please include a link to this page, http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/, so they will have the same information you received about the award.  Then, they also can perpetuate the award by nominating others.  AND…

4.  Please post a comment on this page athttp://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/ with the name and the complete website or blog address of the site(s) or person(s) you nominate.

5.  If you know, I would appreciate you informing me of the geographical location of your nominee(s) and /or their site(s).

6.  Social Media Sites:  You may also copy and paste unchanged copies of the original HUG Award© and HUG Award© Guidelines’ wording to other social media sites such as Facebook and Linkedin.  You may also print original copies for your personal use for display, etc.

7.  You may print a copy of the HUG Award© Guidelines for people you nominate, who do not have a website, blog, or social media account to which they can paste award and Guidelines.  If they have email, you may email them a copy of the original HUG Award©and original Hug Award© Guidelines.

Thank you for your help sharing HUGs (HUG Awards©) with the people of the world.  Blessings, Connie

The Hope Unites Globally HUG Award© and the HUG Award© Guidelines are the copyright of Connie Wayne – ©Connie Wayne 2012 at http://ahopefortoday.com.  They both may be copied and shared in accordance with the Guidelines established in this post.

 http://ahopefortoday.com

Now, having shared Connie’s message on this wonderful award, I am honored to award it to the following, realizing that they are but a small percentage of writers who have blessed me through their efforts:

Women’s Window

Writing Sisters

Revelations in Writing

Another Red Letter Day

Deb’s Blog

Ellen Grace Olinger

Two Rights Attempting to Make a Left

Keziah Carrie

I Have A Voice

Love Them and Lead Them!

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”        Proverbs 22:6 NIV

We want to give the children in our lives and hearts the best there is.  We want them to have the tools they need to live lives abundantly.  We want them to know how deeply they are loved.  The best way we can do this is to lead them to Jesus.  He is love and He will wrap them in His everlasting love!

Jesus Has Been Trying To Tell Us!

You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people if you don’t serve the people.  – Cornel West –

 

Our amazing and loving Lord has been trying to write this message on our hearts since He walked this earth in human form and He still is trying to urge, to teach, to command us to love.

 

He came!

He loved!

He served!

 

If you have picked up a newspaper, turned on the television or radio, or simply walked down any street whether far or near, you cannot deny that we have failed in this . . . it is not “they” who have failed.  It is not an undefined “those who walk in darkness” who need to hear this message . . . it is each and every one of us.  Regardless of the denomination of the “church” you belong to, you know that we are the body of Christ and that the ultimate message is love yet all too often the message we focus on is one of being judge.  God is the judge.  We are not.  Want to change the world?  Reflect His love!

 

 

 

 

 

Easily Shaken?

These are tough times.  I can’t think of a soul in my life who doesn’t feel “it” and know what I mean.  While perhaps there are always “big” issues to be dealt with, these times seem to provide MANY and all at once.  Coping, maintaining a positive attitude, knowing what to do, knowing where to turn . . . is not always simple.  What’s the answer?  For me, it’s to try to stay in step with the Lord.  He is with me in the present.  If I turn  back, I am likely to stumble, and racing ahead isn’t any better, really.  Rushing through things is seldom the most effective approach and often results in a failed effort followed by a “do-over.”  There is an answer though:

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 NIV

Living Deeply – A Tanka Poem

 

This poem was inspired by a man who loves the Lord and inspires others by his example . . . it is a conversation between such a man and the one who holds his heart . . . This man truly does inspire others to live more deeply than they ever knew they could.  I know from experience. 

Living Deeply

 

Where does love lead me?

Oh, the many sleepless nights

followed by long days.

I can’t . . . I wish . . . I want . . . but . . .

in your eyes I find my soul.

 

by Martha L Shaw Copyright July 25, 2012