Pay Attention

Want to change?

First, start paying attention to your life.

Start paying attention to what you’re thinking about.

Don’t like your thoughts? Then change them.

Start paying attention to how you talk.

Don’t like the things you say? Then change the way you talk and how you talk to others?

Start paying attention to what you watch, read, and listen to.

Don’t like the material you take in daily? Then start changing the programs, and literature you partake.

It can be hard to change, but you can only change what you become aware of so…..pay attention!

Quote & Thought

"Do not fear mistakes, there are none."– Miles Davis

This rings true because everything in life is built to

make you stronger. Everything in life is built to

strength you, whether it’s your character, trust,

patience, getting to know yourself, or even getting to

know God in a deeper richer way. Mistakes are only

mistakes if you view them that way.

Be

We live in a critical world. Not everyone will like us.

There are times when we get frustrated and annoyed

with the way others can treat us.

Mahatma Gandhi says, “Be the change you want to

see in the world.”

Try not to participate in this critical world. Be kind to

others. Be kind to yourself.  Genuinely try to lift

someone up and give compliments when they are

due.

"The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it

 on." ~Julia Alvarez

 Be the encourager. Be the peacemaker. Be the spirit

 lifter. Be the change.

"We are, each of us, angels with only one wing, and

 we can only fly embracing each other."

– Luciano Decrescenzo

Quotes & Thought

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever."
– Margaret Cho

“God does not command that we do great things only little things with great love.”

- Mother Teresa

As we have just read, small loving acts can move and impress just as greatly, if not more, than huge over-the-top acts. Don’t underestimate what you can do. Pay forward love.

HE Is

Believe that HE is working.

Expect HIM to work.

Most importantly….

THANK HIM! 

 HE hears you, and HE is working in your life.

You may not see what is happening, but don’t forget to say thankful in your wait time, because HE is working...HE is!

Give Heart

Always give God your heart,

because HE will never break it.

Hopefully

I hope you are enjoying Renewed Corner. I hope that I have given you lessons, teaching, and enough reflection, that it’s helping you come up higher. Are you learning? Are you growing? Are you feeling renewed?

Hopefully, yes!

Quick Insight

I heard this…

so naturally I want to pass it along to you…

If you want to hear from God…

make sure you keep a pure heart.

Get your Inner Tube

Today’s Reflection: Floating Thoughts

I don’t think it would be possible to count all the thoughts that come in and out of your mind in one day. There are times when I have to write a thought down, because I know I’ll temporarily forget it. Why might I forget an important thought, because we get busy; you feel like your mind is juggling and trying to process a million things, and writing things down may help compartmentalize your brain.

Even though thoughts may run by the million and seem overwhelming, there is a good side to having so many thoughts.

First, realize that not all thoughts are true. You may be over critical of yourself, and tell yourself you should be like this, or you should do that, or why can’t I be this that or the other; those criticisms first come from thoughts, and are they true….most like, no. It is important to know what God says about you, and realize your value in HIM, that way, when the thoughts you have are harsh…you’ll know them to be untrue.

Secondly, view your thoughts as floaters. Why think of thoughts as floaters? Floaters don’t stick; they float along (coming and going).

If you start to pay attention to thoughts, you’ll notice something interesting. Thoughts do float. Ever try mediating? It’s hard to empty the mind, and it can seem like all these little thoughts keep coming; i.e. what time do I need to set the alarm clock? What’s the expiration date on the milk I’ve got in the fridge? Don’t forget to pick up the dry cleaning on your way home!

I hope you’re laughing at my examples; not that you’re laughing at me, but laughing at the truth behind all the floating thoughts we have…especially when we try to mediate.

My real point behind this post is fear. Fear??? Are you thinking…“but she was babbling about floating thoughts, how is this about fear???”

Fear, harshness, criticism, worry…these all start with thoughts and how our minds process experiences. Our minds are very impactful, which is why it’s so important to think positive. But what’s more important is to let all your fear, harshness, criticism, and worry thoughts be floaters. They come but don’t let them stay…just let them float by.  When we focus, dwell, and rehearse these unwanted thoughts, that’s when they stop being floaters and they become sinkers. Don’t let the negativity sink into you. If you are saying, but I’m learning this NOW…I’ve already got sinkers…what do I do? You can turn your sinkers into floater. When the fear comes…don’t pay it any attention. When the harshness comes…don’t entertain it. When the criticism comes…replace it with something positive. When worry comes…say, I’m giving that to God, and move along with your day.

That’s the good side of having so many thoughts; a fearful thought might come, but you now know that it will pass (if you don’t entertain it) and you’ll quickly move to another thought.

Don’t allow sinking thoughts sink you into living a fearful unfulfilled life.

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear."
– Mark Twain

To me, mastering your fears simple means to not allow them to sink you. So blow up your favorite inner tube and let those negative fearful thoughts float on by!

Goodbye Wood Chippers

We seek an assortment of things to make us happy. We want love and relationships. We seek careers and money. We crave popularity and a sense of being wanted. We long for security. We make time for the things that we really want. But have you ever thought that what you want is a trap?

Life has many trappings. The world is not stable. The world is full of illusions that promise a false sense of peace.

Let’s say for example, that you have this wonderful career. You love your job, and you know you are good at your job. Having a good career can create this sense of identity for you, and you get a sense of value from what you do. This is a classic example for a lot of people. But, what happens if one day…that job was knocked out from under you? Your career was over. How do you deal with that? If the job gave you self worth and the job is no longer there, then where are you going to get your self worth?

This example is universal. You can replace the career and put anything there in its place, and experience the same unfolding questions.

The Lord is the only thing that is stable and constant. No matter what happens, the Lord is always there. Self worth comes from loving the person that God created…which is you. Self worth comes from leaning on God for your value, happiness, love, and security. Your worth should be in knowing that HE handpicked you, and says that you are good.

If you have a strong sense of self from having a healthy relationship with the Lord, then you will not be shaken to the core when the career bottoms out. Instead of feeling like your value was thrown in a wood chipper, you would view the career loss as a new beginning for where God wants you next.

Let’s face it, the world has a lot of wood chippers, so don’t let the world fool you. Don’t let things control you.  It’s all about perspective and knowing who you are in Christ.

Seek that which is stable and which true…because that will never turn on you.

Just a thought

Start enjoying your life;

no one else is going to do that for you.

You Can

You can make peace with your past.

You can make peace

with your flaws and mistakes.

You can free yourself from the

past and move forward.

You can forgive.

You can let go.

You can be happy.

You can!

Quote & Thought

God makes me wait for the good stuff. Does he answer my prayers, and give me the desires of my heart? Yes, but the answers come after much wait. I have not lived a fast pace life. I am the perpetual late bloomer. As frustrating waiting can be, the wait always turns into Gods best for my life.  Waiters of the world, take comfort in the following quote:

"In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest."
~Henry Miller

Ask a Saint

Prayer is powerful. When I listen to pastors speak, they remind me that when we pray, that allows God to work in our lives. Prayer is just talking. Prayer does not have to be fancy or long. The best prayers are the genuine-heartfelt simple prayers. But have you ever thought about praying to a saint to help you on your journey? There’s tons of novena prayers that are tailored made to help those who want to pray to a specific saint. Saints are unique, just as you and I are unique. Saints in a way are like specialists. If you have a specific problem that you need help in….most likely there is a saint that specializes in that specific problem.

Do you still pray to God if you pray to a saint? Absolutely! Heaven is filled with saints, angels, guardians, that can help you…so why not include them along with your prayers to God.

Throughout the past 14 years, I’ve prayed to 
St. Thérésé: The Little Flower

For citation purposes, I do not know who wrote this prayer. I have had the St. Thérésé prayer for many years; at this point, I just know the prayer by memory.  If you would like a little additional help in your prayer life, please feel free to use this St. Thérésé prayer. All of heaven is gloriously by your side…telling you… you can make it. If you need a little extra help…just ask a saint.

St. Thérésé

St. Thérésé, the little flower of Jesus…please pick a rose from the heaven garden

And send it to me with a message of love.

I beseech you to obtain for me the favors that I seek

(Insert your request(s))

Recommend my request(s) to Mary, Queen of Heaven

So that she may intercede for me with you before her son, Jesus Christ.

If this favor is granted

I will love you more and more

And be better prepared to send eternal happiness with you in Heaven.

St. Thérésé, the little flower…please pray for me.

I come in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Quote

"I've been driven all my life by a spirit of adventure and a criminal level of optimism. I believed in my dreams because they were my only option. The people who make it to the top - whether they're musicians, or great chefs, or corporate honchos - are addicted to their calling. You have to honor the gift God has given you. The people who get the call are the ones who'd be doing whatever it is they love, even if they weren't being paid."

 ~ Quincy Jones

Sing

Lady GaGa sings…you were born this way

That’s right

Everything about you is perfectly ordained

Everything about you is perfectly made

Hold you head up high. Why?

Cause you were born this way

God doesn’t make mistakes!

Love yourself

Hear! Here!

If you say, ‘hear here’ together fast, it sounds like the end of a toast- followed by people clinking champaign filled flute glasses. Verbally, the words hear and here sound the same; it’s the spelling that gives identity to each word.

Just as words have identity and meaning, we have a unique identity. As much as we try to fit into the norms of our culture and circle of influence, we all have our own sense of uniqueness and purpose. We may look the same and sound the same, but God put great detail into each one of us to make us an original.  

Yesterday, I heard this man speak. When the man got done talking, I felt so unholy. Then I realized that feeling unholy like I wasn’t as saintly as that man was a trap! God loves us as we are.

We are not supposed to compare our journey with someone else. If someone tells you they pray 5 hours a day, and you only pray 5 minutes, don’t let that make you feel bad or guilty (like you need to be praying 5 hours a day like them).

One thing that I have strongly learned:

God is always here!

One thing that I have strongly learned:

God is always hear!

Got 5 minutes? Got 5 hours? No problem. No matter where you are on your journey, God will meet you there. God is always here. You can turn to God at any time, and spend as much time as you need with HIM…HE is always available and present.

No matter where you are on your journey, God will meet you there. God is always hear. No matter where you are, you can talk to God. God hears everything. God is the ultimate listener.

There have been times when I feel like God is so far away. Have you ever felt that way? Just because you feel a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s the actual case. You may feel like HE is far away, but he isn’t… HE’s hear and here.

God has really opened my eyes to HIS here and hear presence. Sometimes we are the ones who need to be here and hear to God…so we can take notice of His guidance and answers.

So let’s raise a glass and toast to God’s goodness…hear here!

In the Lab

Friendships are like having a science experiment. When you mix peoples personalities, behaviors, loyalty and motives, it can be like watching mixed chemicals in a beaker; will they react calmly together or will they explode?!

I mentioned a quote awhile back from Elizabeth Taylor (memba that?) and when I was looking at some of her famous quotes, I stumbled upon two quotes that lit up like a Bunsen Burner:

"Success is a great deodorant."

"You find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal."

Having lots of friends doesn’t impress me. Sometimes people will joke about someone not having any friends. Sometimes not having any friends is better than having a ton of friends. Why is that my opinion? Because having a lot of friends can lead you into a false sense of importance. It’s like what E. Taylor said, when the chips are down...who is really going to stand by your side...that’s when true friends show there colors. I would rather be alone, then have to question who is a real friend or foe.

Getting to know people and developing relationships are so important.  A friend should be encouraging and helpful. A friend does not gossip about you behind your back. Way back a pastor said something I’ll never forget...if they’re gossiping to you about others when you get together, then don’t be surprised when they gossip about you when you’re not around. Friends don’t try to one up you when something exciting happens in your life. Friendships should be about celebration, not competition.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t have many friends. Wait for God to move the right people into your circle.

Dust off your lab coat and buy some extra test tubes, because it’s time to start dissecting friendships before the scandal.

   

Quote w/ Thought

I’ve struggled with wanting everything to be perfect before I start something. But, life is not perfect. If you are always waiting for the right time, the right circumstances, the right emotions to start or try something….then you run the risk of waiting forever. I strongly believe God has our days planned, and that HE will direct our steps; Having said that, if you try and it’s not the right time, then God will still work with you and help you, and when the time is right, He will anoint it (we don’t have to struggle at everything to work). Sometimes you just have to trust and (at least) try for something you want.

"If we wait for the moment when everything is ready, we shall never begin."
~ Ivan Turgenev

Quote

My readers know how I stress the concept of positive thinking. I think this is an important quote, but I also believe teaching someone how to think is timeless, and can be done at any age!

“Teach the young how to think,

not what to think.”

~Sidney Sugarman

Soul Mates?

Puppy love and crushes are charming… for their time. We think that special person is so perfect, and we’re convinced we have fallen in love with our soul mate. Call off the cupid squad, because that cubby cupid finally got off its ass and shot you with his love arrow.  Soul mate love feels so whimsical, doesn’t it?

We equate soul mates with looovvveeee. We tend to view our soul mate as the love of our lives. We can’t live without that person who seems to make us feel safe and complete. Fairy tales and romantic comedies are much to thank for this soul mate definition and its much desired search.

Way back, I remember learning about soul mates; it was an eye-opening lesson. The lesson put a twist on the conventional soul mate classification.

When we think of a soul mate, we think that the person is so in sync with us; they match our morals, ethics, likes and dislikes, and they’re our biggest cheerleader.

As wonderful as a soul mate is, and as wonderful it is to find a partner that truly unconditionally loves us, let’s take a different look at what a soul mate can actual look like.

 In this lesson, we will put our traditional soul mate expectations on the back burner.

What’s the opposite of love? Hate. I know, I know, hate is a strong word. But, there are some people that we have a hard time being around. There are people that seem to push our buttons. We can encounter rude people, people that make us feel small, we can be jealous by another, and we can even find ourselves in debates over viewpoints with another.

What’s that? Where am I going with this? Well, love is comfortable. Yes, love is where we want to be in our relationships, but you have to view your button-pushers as your soul mates too. Why? Because they are causing a reaction in you; they are able to push your buttons for a reason. Figuring out why someone pushes your buttons or makes you jealous is a great internal awakening to see an area your soul is struggling in, and what you need to improve on. Your button-pushers should cause you to become better….that is why they are considered your soul mate.

Remember, I am not talking about a loving relationship….because you deserve a healthy relationship where someone is treating you right.

Not everyone is going to like you, that’s just a fact; don’t let that fact upset you. Button pushers are showing up in your life to teach you something about yourself.

I struggle with this too. I have a friend; his wife is my biggest button pusher. She never fails me at pushing my uncomfortable button. She is my soul mate. She makes me realize that I can change, even though I can’t change her. Why would I want to change her anyway? I’m responsible for myself. I’m the one who wants to come up higher. She holds the password to my button pushing frustration, and when I figure out the code, her access will be denied.

Our soul searches for love. But, look a little deeper for cupids motives…

that cubby cupid knows exactly what he’s doing.

Watering Your Thoughts

Yesterday was on watering thoughts. Let’s have a

teaching moment on how to do just that.

Philippians 4:8

^"For the rest, brethren, whatever is true,

whatever is worthy of reverence and is

honorable and seemly, whatever is just,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable,

whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if

there is any virtue and excellence, if there is

anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh

and take account of these things [fix your minds

on them]."

What do you let your mind think on? The

scripture says to fix your minds on them.

What is them?

Them:

What is true

What is worthy

What is honorable

What is just and pure

Whatever is lovely and loveable

Whatever is winsome, gracious, of virtue and

excellence

Quench your mind’s thirst the right way!  

Reflection question

If you want to see change in your life, then you

must change negative thinking into positive

thinking. What you water…grows.

What thoughts are you watering?

Quote

“Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.”
~ Syrus

Hear

Sometimes you need to hear your heart; this happens by getting quiet, sitting still, and listening to what your heart beat is saying.

Excerpts

“Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us" (Romans 5:3–5)

"Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever."
~ Isak Dinesen

At Least To Me

Hollywood has many beautiful faces. One of the late and great actresses of our time, the divine Elizabeth Taylor is catalogued as the epic of Hollywood glamour.

Beautiful people are interesting…at least to me. I appreciate beauty when it is wrapped in substance. I like it when someone has depth and dimension, and who works on becoming their best self.

There’s this fascinating quote…at least to me. The quote is by, Elizabeth Taylor. I think the quote shows a lot of character. I believe there is hope in her quote; that curiosity, expectancy, wonder, and goodness can happen…even when you think you have everything imaginable. Her quote reads:

“When people say, 'She's got everything', I've got one answer - I haven't had tomorrow.”

What a great response…at least to me. “I haven’t had tomorrow.” No one is guaranteed a tomorrow, and we should enjoy every day we have. But, we should be excited about tomorrow. Every day is a brand new day. You never know what good thing God is arranging; who knows, it could be released tomorrow.

If you are waiting for good things to come, or if you feel content with the ways things are in your life, either way…keep the excitement alive.

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough…at least to me.