Dream Stealers

It’s Another Podcast!

Monday I posted a video about not giving up on your dreams.  Today I have a short podcast (5:01) about Dream Stealers.

Our environment does indeed affect us.  That includes people we are around.  They can be dream stealers – don’t let them!

Enjoy the podcast!

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Don’t Quit

Here is a video I posted a couple of years ago on the site, “Enriching Your Life Now.” It’s called, Don’t Quit.”

Even though over the years a number of people have claimed ownership of the poem and some have even claimed to have written it themselves, the author of this poem is unknown.

I haven’t been able to find a video that includes the entire poem, so below the video player I typed up the entire poem.

Enjoy, and, don’t quit!

Here is the original poem in it’s entirety:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

– Author unknown

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Related Posts:
The Touch Of The Master’s Hand
Are You Discouraged?
Are You Losing Hope?

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What The World Really Needs Now

It’s Another Podcast!

Do you want to hear what I shared last Saturday at the Mission?

Back in the 60’s, Jackie DeShannon had hit song called, “What the World Needs Now is Love.”  Saturday night I taught at the Phoenix Rescue Mission and told them that what the world really needs now, is hope.

Yes, we all still need love, but people need hope today more than ever before.  There are lots of people who are facing what seems like hopeless situations.  Others are losing hope.

In this podcast(45:55), you will hear what I shared with those 80 homeless men.  Find out what hope in God really is, and why it is so important.  Discover how to get hope in God, or how to rekindle hope in God that is no longer there.

Enjoy the podcast!

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Are More Hard Times Ahead?

It’s Another Podcast!

You and I have heard people say recently that economically we have turned the corner and that economic recovery is on the way.  Plenty of people are optimistic. Some are not.

I’m not making any predictions.  But do you think it’s safe to say that at some point there will be some difficult times?  There have always been ups and downs.  Some of the ups have been really high and some of the downs have been really low

In this short podcast (7:06) discover where your mind needs to be in order to receive God’s blessings regardless of the circumstances.

Enjoy the podcast

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Related Posts:
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Sunday Morning Sneak Preview – 4/25
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Why Blame Him?

I’ve been “brewing” on something for a couple of days, so I thought I would get it off my chest this morning before I head to work.

Last week a lady was telling me that at her Church the preacher has been telling the people that the reason the economy is so bad is that God is testing people.  God brings these hardships so that people will turn to Him and trust Him and love Him.

Would any parent consider raising their children like that?  No.  The Bible talks about God as being our Father.  What kind of Father brings hurt, harm and disaster on his children so that they will love him more?

Sometimes I get sick and tired of people blaming God for the foolish choices that people have made.  Why do some preachers keep pushing people down, instead of lifting them up.

So I guess that since God is doing all of these things to “test” us, we should just accept it.  Endure.  Suffer.  That’s the life God wants you to live.  The more you suffer the more you prove your love to Him.

Baloney!

The God of the Bible is a God of love and deliverance.  He is the God Who makes a way when there seems to be no way.  He is the God of endless supply and endless possibilities.  He is the God Who loves us.

Why not look to Him and expect the help and resources that you need?  The promises you read in the Bible have no recession disclaimers attached to them.  What God has promised He is still able and willing to perform when men and women choose to believe Him.

Put your hope and expectation in the God of all creation, whose love for you, the Bible says, nothing can separate you from.  Put your confidence in the God of unlimited power and resources.  Put your trust in the God who has promised to bless you and supply all your need.

Shame on the preachers who blame God for everything and refuse to give people hope.  Read your Bible and believe it or get out of the pulpit.

Mike

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He Had No Hope But Became A Hero

It’s Another Podcast!

Plenty of people have just plain given up.  They have no hope.  They are just trying to survive.  Have you ever felt like giving up?  I have.

In the Bible, a man named Gideon was like that.  He had given up and had no hope.  But he became a hero.

In this short podcast (7:42) I share a little bit about Gideon acquiring hope in our God, and then inspiring others to have hope too, and how he finally believed God and became a hero.

Enjoy the podcast!

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Sunday Morning Sneak Preview – 4/25

It has been a very productive weekend so far.  I spent lots of time yesterday studying and writing, and preparing some things for the blog.
bible-3
This morning at our Glendale Fellowship I am going to a little follow up to last weeks teaching on “Hope.”  I am going to share about free will and how it relates to having hope in our God.

Free will to choose is one of the greatest things God has given to every person.  God takes it very seriously.  He will not overstep your free will.  He may try to warn you, but He will never violate your free will to choose.

Remember Gideon?

When the angel first talked to Gideon, he had no hope.  Instead, he was like people who have lost hope; they have no expectations and thus they really don’t exercise their free will to move forward.  They feel stuck where they are and they just can’t seem to move forward.

If we lose hope, then we slowly give up our free will – something that God sees as so very important in our lives.  God would have us to move forward, living our lives, enjoying our lives, making choices and decisions the best that we can, and then looking to Him, with expectations and hope of greater days ahead.

We need to do whatever it takes to rekindle hope in our God, to have expectation in our God.  We ought to remind ourselves of Who God is, what He has done in the past, and, what He can still do today and tomorrow.

So now you have a little preview of what I am going to teach in about an hour.

Mike

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Sunday Morning Sneak Preview

This has been my weekend to catch up.  Working my full time “day job,” plus a part time job, I have been behind on lots of stuff here at home.  But I am getting caught up.

bible-1This morning at our Glendale Fellowship I am going to teach on “Hope.”  I know there are some people who hope for this and others who wish for that.  But I am talking about having hope in God.

Hope Is Different Than Believing

Hope is expecting God’s goodness and care when you don’t know what to believe God for at the present moment.  Ever been there before?  We all have, many times.

When we don’t know what to believe God for and don’t understand what’s going on, or just can’t figure it out, we can choose to have hope in our God to bring us a solution; to bring us to a point where we do have something specific to believe.

Some get this confused, but I think it’s really simple.  If you are believing God, then you have something specific from Him to believe.  It could be a promise from the Bible or something He has revealed to you.  In other words, it is something specific from Him that you believe. And when we believe Him, we receive from Him.

On the other hand, having hope in God is much broader.  Some may call it, “trust.”  It is expecting and anticipating that God with all His love, goodness and care, will bring to you what you need.

Hopeless

Without hope, without expectations, without something to look forward to beyond today, people lose the desire to live life; they just give up; they have nothing to look forward to.  Yes, or course, we have the hope for the Return of Christ, the greatest hope there is, but, if you have no hope for this life, then you will give up.

When you genuinely have hope in God, you are enthused about living this life; you have genuine expectations of God working in your life.  But remember, it is a choice, day by day, and by choosing to put our hope in our God, we allow Him to be involved in our lives. And He is very willing to help us regardless of the situations we are faced with.

So now you have a preview of what I am going to teach in about an hour.

Mike

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The Touch Of The Master’s Hand

I heard this poem many years ago. Maybe you have too.  It is one violin-stradivarius1of the greats.  As a matter of fact, in the last three weeks, two different people sent it to me in an email.

It reminds me, in a way, of a line from one of my favorite movies.  In “Seabiscuit” Tom Smith looks at Charles Howard, as they were sitting around the camp fire, and says, “You don’t throw away a whole life just because it’s banged up a little.”  I thought of this poem last week when I saw the movie, “The Blind Side.”

Are You Losing Hope?

Everyone needs to be encouraged.  People need hope.  They need know someone believes in them.

It’s amazing how a person’s life changes when they find out that God really does love them; when they realize that He is not condemning them, but rather, He is encouraging them; and, when they discover that God really does believe in them.

The more you see just how much God loves you, the easier it becomes to have confidence, trust, and hope in Him.

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

“Twas battered and scared, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar – now who”ll make it two _
Two dollars, and who”ll make it three?

“Three dollars once, three dollars twice,
Going for three”. . . but no!
From the room far back a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody,pure and sweet,
As sweet as an angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: “What am I bidden for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow;
“A thousand dollars – and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand – and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice
And going – and gone,” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand –
What changed its worth?” The man replied:
“The touch of the masters hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and torn with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd.
Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on,
He’s going once, and going twice –
He’s going – and almost gone!
But the MASTER comes, and the foolish crowd,
Never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the MASTER’S hand.

Myra B. Welch

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Is Opportunity Knocking Or Waiting?

CB033972Sitting here at my computer this morning,  thinking about opportunities.  I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Opportunity is knocking.”    I once heard someone say that opportunity doesn’t knock; it waits!  I like that.

But I don’t like the phrase,  “Opportunity only knocks once.”  Now, you may miss an opportunity, but I don’t believe that every person is only allotted one opportunity in life.

Many People have Lost Hope

In these uncertain days we live in, there are lots of people who feel like there are very few if any opportunities available.  Many think that times are so difficult that opportunity for success has just vanished away.  Einstein once said that in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

The real question is not, “Are there any opportunities left?”  Rather, “Are you ready for a great opportunity for your life?”  You certainly won’t be if you’re just accepting things the way they are right now.

There are opportunities.  There are possibilities.  There are solutions!

What Makes Me So Sure?

How can I be so sure that there are lots of opportunities available?  I believe the Bible is bible-2true. And God promised that He would supply all our need.  He also promised to make all grace abound toward us so that we could have all sufficiency in all things, and abound.

And He even promised beyond that by saying that He is able to do for us that which is exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think.  How then could there not be opportunities for you and for me, despite what is going on in our world today?

So What Are You Expecting?

If your focus is on all the difficulties and you convince yourself that there is no hope, you would not even recognize an opportunity if it fell right in your lap.  That would be a missed opportunity.  But, even if you have missed an opportunity, start looking and expecting another!

So, are you ready? Are you expecting?  Are you anticipating?  Are you looking?

God is still a God of abundance and He still has unlimited resources.  Keep praying and asking, and, keep looking and expecting.

And, if you haven’t read the book, “Who Moved My Cheese?”, you ought to read it.  It offers a very timely analogy to the days we are living in.

Have a great day, and keep your eyes open!

Mike Verdicchio

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