WHO am I

GOD’S VIEW OF YOU AS A CHILD OF CHRIST

Matthew 5:13 I am the salt of the earth.

Matthew 5:14 I am the light of the world.

Mark 11:23-24 What I say in faith without doubt causes things to happen.

Luke 11:9-10 I ask and receive; I seek and find; I knock and the door is opened unto me.

John 3:36 I have eternal life.

John 5:24 I have passed from death into life.

John 7:38 Out of my innermost being flows rivers of living water because the Holy Spirit fills me.

John 8:31,32 The truth has set me free.

John 10:28 I have eternal life and nothing can pluck me out of Christ’s hands.

John 14:13-14 If I ask anything, which glorifies the Father, in Jesus' name. He will do it.

John 14:20 I am in Christ and Christ is in me.

John 14:27 Jesus Christ has given me his peace.

John 15:9 I am loved by Jesus.

John 16:27 I am loved by the Father.

John 17:9 I belong to God.

John 17:13 I have the full joy of Jesus.

John 17:15 I am protected from the evil one.

John 17:17 I am sanctified in the truth of God's Word.

John 17:18 Jesus has sent me into the world.

John 17:22 I have God's glory.

John 17:23 I am in Christ and loved by the Father.

Acts 13:38 I have forgiveness of sins through Christ

Acts 13:39 I have been justified (pronounced not guilty).

Romans 1:6 I am among the called of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:7 I am beloved of God, a saint.

Romans 5:1 I have been justified by faith and I have peace with God.

Romans 5:2 I have grace through faith.

Romans 5:3-4 I have perseverance, character, and hope.

Romans 5:5 The love of God has been poured out in my heart through Jesus death.

Romans 5:10b I have been saved by His life.

Romans 5:17 I reign in Christ through the one Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:19 I have been made righteous through the obedience of Christ.

Romans 5:20 God’s capacity to forgive me is greater than my capacity to sin.

Romans 6:2 I have died to sin.

Romans 6:3 I have been baptized into Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:4 I have been raised from the dead to walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:6a I have been crucified with Christ.

Romans 6:6b I am no longer a slave of sin.

Romans 6:11 I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:14 I am not under law, but under grace.

Romans 8:1 I have now no condemnation.

Romans 8:2 I have been set free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:11 I have life in my mortal body through His Spirit who indwells me.

Romans 8:16 I am a child of God.

Romans 8:17 I am an heir of God and fellow heir with Christ.

Romans 8:26-27 When I do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for me according to the will of

God.

Romans 8:28 All things are working together for my good.

New Creation Dr. James F. Jackson 1

Romans 8:30 I have been justified and glorified.

Romans 8:32 I have all things.

Romans 8:33 No one can bring charges against me which will disqualify me from being part of God’s elect.

Romans 8:38-39 No power can separate me from the love of God.

Romans 12:3 I have a measure of faith.

Romans 12:6 I have been given spiritual gifts.

Romans 14-8 Whether I live or die, I am the Lord’s.

Romans 15:14 I am full of goodness and filled with all knowledge.

I Corinthians 1-2 I am a sanctified saint in Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 1:4 I have been given the grace of God in Christ Jesus.

I Corinthians 1:5 In everything I am enriched in Him.

I Corinthians 1:7 I am not lacking in any gift.

I Corinthians 1:9 I am called into fellowship with Jesus Christ my Lord.

I Corinthians 1:30 I am in Christ Jesus who give me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

I Corinthians 2:16 I have the mind of Christ.

I Corinthians 3:9 I am God’s fellow-worker, I am God’s field, God’s building.

I Corinthians 3:16-17 I am the temple of God in which the Spirit of God indwells.

I Corinthians 3:21-22 All things belong to me.

I Corinthians 6:17 I am one in Spirit with Christ.

I Corinthians 6:19 My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in me.

I Corinthians 6:20 I have been bought with a price.

I Corinthians 7:22 I am Christ's slave.

I Corinthians 12:12 I am organismically connected to Christ; I am a member of his body.

I Corinthians 15:52 I will be raised from the dead imperishable.

I Corinthians 15:53 I will put on immortality.

II Corinthians I :4 I am comforted by God.

II Corinthians 1:10 I am delivered from the peril of death.

II Corinthians 1:22a I am sealed in Christ.

II Corinthians 1:22b I have been given the Spirit as a pledge.

II Corinthians 2:14 I am a sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ.

II Corinthians 2:15 I am a fragrance of Christ to God among both the saved and the lost.

II Corinthians 3:3 I am a letter of Christ.

II Corinthians 3:6 I am a servant of the new covenant.

II Corinthians 3:18 I am being transformed into the glory of the Lord.

II Corinthians 4:1 I have received mercy.

II Corinthians 4:7 I have the Jesus Christ living in my mortal body.

II Corinthians 4:10 The life of Jesus is manifested in my body.

II Corinthians 4:16 My inner self is being renewed day by day.

II Corinthians 5:1 I have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

II Corinthians 5:7 I walk by faith, not by sight.

II Corinthians 5:17 I am a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away, and all things have become

new.

II Corinthians 5:18 I have the ministry of reconciliation.

II Corinthians 5:20 I am an ambassador for Christ.

II Corinthians 5:21 I am the righteousness of God in Him.

II Corinthians 9:8 I have all sufficiency in everything.

II Corinthians 10:7 I am Christ's.

II Corinthians 13:5 Jesus Christ is in me.

Galatians 2:20a I am crucified with Christ.

Galatians 2:20b Christ lives in me.

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Galatians 3:26 I am a son/daughter of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 I have clothed myself with Christ.

Galatians 3:28 I am one in Christ Jesus with all believers.

Galatians 3:29 I am Abraham's offspring. I am an heir according to promise.

Galatians 4:6 I am a son/daughter of God.

Galatians 4:7 I am no longer a slave, but a son/daughter and if a son/daughter, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:19 The Holy Spirit is forming Christ in me.

Galatians 5:22-23 I have the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Ephesians 1:1 I am a faithful saint in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:2 I have grace and peace.

Ephesians 1:3 I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 1:4a I am chosen in Him.

Ephesians 1:4b I am holy and blameless before him.

Ephesians 1:5 I am a son/daughter through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:6 I am accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1:7 I have redemption and forgiveness.

Ephesians 1:11 I have obtained an inheritance.

Ephesians 1:13 I have been sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Ephesians 1:20 I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

Ephesians 1:22 I have all things under my feet.

Ephesians 2:4 I am loved by God.

Ephesians 2:5 I have been made alive together with Christ.

Ephesians 2:6 I have been raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8 I have been saved by grace through faith

Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works.

Ephesians 2:13 I have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:14 Christ is my peace.

Ephesians 2:18 Through Christ we have our access in one spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 2:19a I am no longer a stranger and alien, but I am a fellow-citizen with the saints.

Ephesians 2:19b I am of God's household.

Ephesians 3:6a I am a fellow-heir and fellow-member of the body.

Ephesians 3:6b I am a fellow-partaker of the promise in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:12 In Christ we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Ephesians 3:16 I am strengthened with power through Christ’s Spirit in my inner being.

Ephesians 3:17 I am rooted and grounded in Christ's love.

Ephesians 3:20 I have Christ’s power source within me which is able to do abundantly beyond all that I ask or think.

Ephesians 4:7 I have been given grace.

Ephesians 4:24 I have a new self in the likeness of God which has been created in righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:32 I have been forgiven.

Philippians 1:6 I am confident that He who began a good work in me will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:11 I am filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 2:13 God is at work within me both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:1 I am a light in the world.

Philippians 4:7 The peace of God guards my heart and mind.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19 God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

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Colossians 1:12 The Father has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 1:13 I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His

beloved son.

Colossians 1:14 I have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:27 Christ is in me.

Colossians 2:10 In Christ I have been made complete.

Colossians 2:12a I have been buried with Him in baptism.

Colossians 2:12b I have been raised up with Him through faith.

Colossians 2:13a I have been made alive together with Him

Colossians 2:1 All my sin debt was paid in full at the cross.

Colossians 3:3 I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:10 I have put on the new self.

I Thessalonians 1:10 I am delivered from the wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 2:12 I am called into His own kingdom and glory.

I Thessalonians 4:9 I am taught by God to love others

I Thessalonians 4:17 One day I will welcome the returning Christ in the air.

I Thessalonians 5:9 I will obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Thessalonians 5:10 Whether I live or die, I will live with Him.

I Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass.

II Thessalonians 2:13 I am beloved by the Lord. God has chosen me from the beginning for salvation

through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

II Thessalonians 3:3 The Lord will strengthen and protect me from the evil one.

I Timothy 6:12 I have been called to eternal life.

II Timothy 1:7 For God has not given me a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and a sound mind.

II Timothy 1:9 The Lord has saved me, and called me with a holy calling, not according to my works, but

according to His own purpose and grace which was granted me in Christ Jesus for all eternity.

II Timothy 1:12 I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

II Timothy 1:14 The Holy Spirit dwells in me.

II Timothy 4:8 The Lord has laid up for me the crown of righteousness.

Titus 2:14 He has redeemed me from every lawless deed and purified me for His own possession.

Titus 3:6 The Holy Spirit has been poured out upon me richly through Jesus Christ my Savior.

Titus 3:7 I have been justified by His grace and made an heir according to the hope of eternal life.

Philemon 1:6 Every good thing is in you through Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 1:14 Angels have been sent out to minister to me.

Hebrews 2:8 All things are in subjection to me and are under my feet

Hebrews 3:1 I am holy, partaker of a heavenly calling, and Jesus is the apostle and high priest of my

confession.

Hebrews 3:6 I am the house of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 3:14 I have become a partaker of Christ.

Hebrews 4:3 I have entered into God’s rest.

Hebrews 4:14 I have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens.

Hebrews 4:15 I have a high priest who can sympathize with my weaknesses.

Hebrews 7:25 I am saved forever. Christ ever lives to make intercession for me.

Hebrews 10:10 I have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:21 I have a great high priest over the house of God.

Hebrews 10:22 My heart has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure

water

Hebrews 12:1 I have a great cloud of witnesses in heaven surrounding me.

Hebrews 12:10 God disciplines me for my good that I may share His holiness.

Hebrews 12:28 I have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken.

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Hebrews 13:5 God will never desert me nor forsake me.

Hebrews 13:12 I am sanctified through Jesus' own blood.

Hebrews 13:21 Jesus has equipped me in every good thing to do His will, working in me that which

is pleasing in His sight.

James 1:5 God has generously and without reproach given to me wisdom.

James 1:12 The Lord has promised to me crown of life.

I Peter 1:3 According to His great mercy, I have been born again to a living hope through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

I Peter 1:4 I have obtained an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade

away, reserved in heaven for me.

I Peter 1:5 I am protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last

times.

I Peter 1:16 I have the capacity to live a holy life.

I Peter 1:18-19 I was not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold but with precious blood

as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

I Peter 1:23 I have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the

living and abiding word of God.

I Peter 2:5 I am living stone being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual

sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

I Peter 2:9 I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. a person for God's own possession, that I

may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light.

I Peter 2:10 I am part of the family of God and I have received mercy.

I Peter 2:24 By His wounds I am healed.

I Peter 3:18 I have been made alive in the Spirit.

I Peter 4:14 The Spirit of glory and of God rests upon me.

II Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to me everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the

true

knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

II Peter 1:4 He has granted to me His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them I might

become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by

lust.

II Peter 1:9 I have been purified from my former sins.

II Peter 3:9 The Lord is patient toward me.

I John 2:12 My sins are forgiven me for His name's sake.

I John 2:27 The anointing which I received from Him abides in me, and I have no need for anyone to teach

me; as His anointing teaches me about all things. I abide in Him.

I John 3:2 I am now a child of God.

I John 3:22 Because I keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight, whatever I

ask I receive from Him.

I John 4:14 I can have confidence that God hears my prayers.

Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9; 22:17 I am the bride of Christ.

Esti pretios- de Max Lucado

senin

Oricine iubeste o floare
de Costache Ioanid

Oricine iubeste o floare
e-aproape de-un sacru mister.
Oricine se-opreste-n carare
s-asculte un glas de izvoare
e-aproape,
aproape de cer ...

Oricine iubeste seninul,
cand soarele urca-n eter,
oricine-si inalta suspinul,
cand licare-n mare rubinul,
e-aproape,
aproape de cer ...

Oricine pe muntii albastri
priveste granitul sever,
oricine pe cai de sihastri,
strabate paduri de jugastri,
e-aproape,
aproape de cer ...

Dar cine-a primit indurarea
din ranile blandului Miel,
acela e frate cu floare,
cu riul, cu muntii, cu marea,
si-orunde il duce cararea,
tot cerul,
tot cerul e-n el.

Courageous Leadership

1. Is my calling sure?
2. Is my vision clear?
3. Is my passion hot?
4. Is my character submitted to Christ?
5. Is my pride subdued?
6. Are my fears at bay ? ( I'm overcoming fear?)
7. Are interior issues undermining my leadership?
8. Are my ears open to the Spirit's whisper?
9. Is my pace sustainable?
10. Are my gifts developing?
11. Is my heart for God and people increasing? And is my capacity for loving deepening?

Art of Self Leadership

Your toughest management challenge is always yourself.

Bill Hybels

Imagine a compass-north, south, east, and west. Almost every time the word leadership is mentioned, in what direction do leaders instinctively think?

South.

Say the word leadership and most leaders' minds migrate to the people who are under their care. At leadership conferences, people generally think, "I'm going to learn how to improve my ability to lead the people God has entrusted to me."

South. It's a leader's first instinct.

But many people don't realize that to lead well, you need to be able to lead in all directions-north, south, east and west.

For example, good leaders have to lead north-those who are over you. You can't just focus on those entrusted to your care. Through relationship and influence good leaders lead the people over them. Much of what I do at Willow Creek, through relationship, prayer, and careful envisioning, is to try to influence those over me-the board and the elders.

Effective leaders also learn how to lead east and west, laterally, in peer group settings. If you don't learn how to lead laterally, if you don't know how to create win-win situations with colleagues, the whole culture can deteriorate.

So a leader must lead down, up, and laterally. But perhaps the most overlooked leadership challenge is the one in the middle. Who is your toughest leadership challenge?

Yourself.

Consider 1 Samuel 30. David, the future king of Israel, is a young emerging leader at the time. He is just learning to lead his troops into battle. He's green. But God is pouring his favor on David, and most of the time the battles go his way. One terrible day though, that pattern changes. After returning home from fighting yet another enemy, David and his men discover soldiers have attacked and destroyed their campsite, dragged off the women and children, and burned all their belongings.

This would define "bad day" for any leader! But it's not over. His soldiers are tired, angry, and worried sick about their families. They're miffed at God. A faction of his men spreads word that they've had it with David's leadership. They figure it's all David's fault, and they decide to stone him to death.

In this crisis David's leadership is severely tested. Suddenly, he has to decide who needs leadership the most. His soldiers? The officers? The faction?

His answer? None of the above.

In this critical moment he realizes a foundational truth: he has to lead himself before he can lead anybody else. Unless he is squared away internally he has nothing to offer his team. So "David strengthened himself in the Lord his God" (1 Samuel 30:6). Only then does he lead his team to rescue their families and what's left of their belongings.

David understood the importance of self-leadership. And although self-leadership isn't talked about much, make no mistake, it is a good part of the ballgame. How effectively can any of us lead others if our spirits are sagging, our courage is wavering, and our vision or commitment is weak?

Last summer I read an article that created some disequilibrium for me. The author, Dee Hock, challenged leaders to calculate how much time and energy they invest in each of these directions-people beneath them, over them, peers, and leading themselves. Since he's been thinking and writing about leadership for over 20 years and is a laureate in the Business Hall of Fame, I wanted his wisdom.

His recommendation: "We should invest 50 percent of our leadership amperage into the task of leading ourselves; and the remaining 50 percent should be divided into leading down, leading up, and leading laterally." His numbers bothered me so much I put the article away. But I let it simmer, which is my normal practice when someone messes with my mind.

While that was simmering, I read an article by Daniel Goleman, the author of the best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence. Since that book was released in 1997, Goleman has been spending his time analyzing why some leaders develop to their fullest potential and why most hit a plateau far from their full potential.

His conclusion? The difference is (you guessed it) self-leadership. He calls it "emotional self-control." What characterizes maximized leadership potential, according to Goleman? Tenaciously staying in leadership despite overwhelming opposition or discouragement. Staying in the leadership game and maintaining sober-mindedness during times of crisis. Keeping ego at bay. Staying focused on the mission instead of being distracted by someone else's agenda. All these indicate high levels of emotional self-control. Goleman says, "Exceptional leaders distinguish themselves because of superior self-leadership."

As I read his corroborating data, I thought, Maybe Dee Hock's percentages aren't all that absurd!

Recall the first five chapters of Mark's Gospel. Remember Jesus' pattern of intense ministry quickly followed by time set aside for reflection, prayer, fasting, and solitude? That pattern is repeated throughout his ministry. Jesus was practicing the art of self-leadership. He would go to a quiet place and recalibrate. He would remind himself who he was and how much the Father loved him. Even Jesus needed to invest regularly in keeping his calling clear, avoiding mission drift, and keeping distraction and temptation at bay.

This is self-leadership. And nobody-I mean nobody-can do this work for you. You have to do this work yourself. Self-leadership is tough work-so tough, Dee Hock says, that most leaders avoid it. Instead, we would rather try to inspire or control our people than to do the rigorous work of reflection.

Some years ago a top Christian leader disqualified himself from ministry. A published article described his demise: "[He] sank like a rock, beat up, burned out, angry and depressed, no good to himself and no good to the people he loved."

When this pastor finally wrote publicly about his experience, he said, "Eventually I couldn't even sleep at night. Another wave of broken lives would come to shore at the church, and I found I didn't have enough compassion for them any more. And inside I became angry, angry, angry. Many people still wonder whatever happened to me. They think I had a crisis of faith. The fact is I simply collapsed on the inside."

He failed the self-leadership test. He should have regrouped, reflected, recalibrated. Maybe taken a sabbatical or received some Christian counseling. Goleman would say that this guy lost his emotional self-control. Now he's out of the game.

A little closer to home, I'll never forget when three wise people came to me on behalf of the church. They said, "Bill, there were two eras during the first 20 years of Willow Creek history when by your own admission you were not at your leadership best-once in the late seventies and again in the early nineties. The data shows Willow Creek paid dearly for your leadership fumble. It cost Willow more than you'll ever know when you were off-not hitting on all 8 cylinders."

Then they said words I'll never forget: "Bill, the best gift you can give the people you lead here at Willow is a healthy, energized, fully surrendered, focused self. And no one can do that for you. You've got to do that for yourself." And while they were talking, the Holy Spirit was saying, "They're right, Bill. They're right."

Because I know what's at stake, I ask myself several self-leadership questions on a regular basis.

1. Is my calling sure?

On this matter, I'm from the old school. I really believe that if you bear the name of Jesus Christ, you have a calling, whether you're a pastor or a lay person. We all must surrender ourselves fully to make ourselves completely available to God. Ask, "What's my mission, God? Where do you want me to serve? What would you have me do in this grand kingdom drama?"

Remember what Paul said about his calling? "I no longer consider my life as dear unto myself. Only that I fulfill the mission or the calling given to me by God himself" (Acts 20:24).

What happens when you receive a call from the holy God? Your life takes on focus. Energy gets released. You're on a mission.

I have to keep my calling sure. So on a regular basis I ask, God, is your calling on my life still to be the pastor of Willow Creek and to help churches around the world? And when I receive reaffirmation of that, then I say, "Then let's go! Let's forget all the other distractions and the temptations. Burn the bridges!"

If you've been called to be a leader, it's your responsibility to keep your calling sure. Post it on your refrigerator. Frame it and put it on your desk. Keep it foremost in your mind.

2.Is my vision clear?

How can I lead people into the future if my picture of the future is fuzzy? Every year we have a Vision Night at Willow Creek. You know who started Vision Night? I did. Guess who I mainly do it for? Me. Every year when Vision Night rolls around on the calendar it means that I have to have my vision clear.

Every leader needs a Vision Night on the calendar. On that night you say, "Here's the picture; this is what we're doing; here's why we're doing it; if things go right, here's what the picture will look like a year from now.

We prepare very diligently for Vision Night at Willow Creek. We have countless meetings to discuss the future. We spend many hours in prayer: "God, is this what you would have?" We search the Scriptures. By the time Vision Night rolls around, the vision is clear again. But it takes a lot of work to clarify the vision and to keep it clear. Nobody can do that work for you. It's the leader's job.

3.Is my passion hot?

Jack Welch, the celebrated leader of General Electric, says, "People in leadership have to have so much energy and passion that they energize and impassion people around them."

I couldn't agree more. When I appoint leaders, I don't look for 25-watt light bulbs. I look for 100-watt bulbs because I want them to light up everything and everyone around them.

Whose responsibility is it to keep a leader's passion fired up? The leader's. That's self-leadership.

Last year, at an elders' meeting, a couple of the elders asked me, "As busy as you are, why do you fly out on Friday nights to speak in some small out-of-the-way church to help them raise money or dedicate a new facility? Why do you do that?"

My answer: Because it keeps my passion hot.

Last year I helped a church in California dedicate their new building. One guy took me to the corner of the auditorium, peeled the carpet back, and showed me how everyone in the core of their church had inscribed the names of lost people in the concrete. Then they covered it over with carpet. In that auditorium they're praying fervently that the lost will be found.

It was a four-hour flight back to Chicago. I was buzzed the whole way. That church fired me up! I just love watching men and women throw themselves into the adventure of ministry. It inspires me. I know that my passion has to be white-hot if Willow is going to catch it. I can't become a 25-watt bulb-nor can you.

We do a lot of conferences through the Willow Creek Association. At times pastors of flourishing churches will pull me aside and say under their breath, "I have to come here once or twice a year just to keep my fires lit." They seem embarrassed about being here so often, as if it's a sign of weakness.

I tell them, "If you're a leader, it's your job to keep your passion hot. Do whatever you have to do, read whatever you have to read, go wherever you have to go. And don't apologize. That's a big part of your job."

4.Is my character submitted to Christ?

Leadership requires moral authority. Followers have to see enough integrity in the leader's life that high levels of trust can be built. When surveys are taken about what it is that inspires a follower to throw his or her lot in with a particular leader over a long period of time, near the top of every list is integrity.

A leader doesn't have to be the sharpest pencil in the drawer or the one with the most charisma. But teammates will not follow a leader with character incongruities for very long. Every time you compromise character you compromise leadership.

Some time ago we had a staff member who was struggling in his leadership. I started poking around a little bit. "What's going on here?" I asked.

Then the real picture emerged. One person said, "For one thing, he sets meetings and then he doesn't even show. He rarely returns phone calls and often we don't know where he is."

I spoke to that guy and said, "Let's get it straight. When you give your word that you're going to be at a certain place at a certain time and you don't show up, that's a character issue. That erodes trust in followers. You clean that up, or we'll have to move you out." If character issues are compromised, it hurts the whole team and eventually impacts mission achievement.

I don't want to be a leader who demoralizes the troops and hurts the cause either. So on a regular basis, I sing Rory Noland's song in my times alone with God:

Holy Spirit, take control.

Take my body, mind, and soul.

Put a finger on anything

that doesn't please you,

Anything that grieves you.

Holy Spirit, take control.

It's the leader's job to grow in character. No one can do that work except the leader.

5.Is my pride subdued?

First Peter 5:5 says, "God opposes the proud. He gives grace to the humble." Do you know what Peter is saying? As a leader I have a choice. Do I want opposition from God in my leadership, or do I want grace and favor?

If you're a sailor, you know how hard it is to sail upwind. You also know how wonderful and relaxing it is to sail downwind. Peter is saying, "Which way do you want it? Do you want to sail upwind or downwind? If you're humble, the favor of God carries you. If you're proud, you're sailing into the wind. God opposes the proud."

Do you want to know the best way to find out if pride is affecting your leadership?

Ask.

Ask your teammates. Ask the people in your small group. Ask your spouse. Ask your colleagues. Ask your friends, "Do you ever sense a prideful spirit in or around my leadership?" If you just couldn't ask a question like that, then you probably do have a pride issue!

It's a leader's job-with the Holy Spirit's help-to subdue pride.

6.Are my fears at bay? ( I'm overcoming fear?)

Fear is an immobilizing emotion. Sometimes I ask pastors, "Why haven't you introduced more change in your church when you know the church is crying out for it?"

I ask business leaders who are hesitating to launch a new product, "Why haven't you pulled the pin?"

I ask political leaders why they haven't taken a stand on a particular issue, one I know they have strong personal convictions about.

So often the response is: "Because I am afraid." Fear immobilizes and neutralizes leaders.

Believe me, I am not above this. I remember the morning in the year 2000 when it became clear to me that we needed to launch a $70 million building program. Our vision for the future was clear. The elders, the board, the management team signed off on it. The last step in the whole equation was for me to have the guts to pull the trigger. And you know what swirled around in my mind? The minute you go public with a $70 million campaign, there's no backing out. It's pass-fail. I realized that everything we had worked for over the past 25 years, all the credibility our congregation has established in our community and around the world was on the line. Fear kept building in my heart. Why expose Willow to that kind of risk? We're cruising along. We're growing and baptizing a thousand people a year. Why are we doing this?

I am not above letting fear mess with my decision making as a leader.

At a certain point, I just had to say, "I can no longer let fear sabotage my leadership." I reminded myself of that little verse, 1 John 4:4, "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world." I asked myself: Has God spoken to me? Has he made his direction clear? Is the leadership core with us? Is he going to love me if I fail? Am I still going to heaven if this whole thing doesn't turn out right? I struggled but finally I found the courage to step out in faith. (The campaign was enormously blessed by God. Our church could have missed a great miracle had fear won the day.)

7.Are interior issues undermining my leadership?

All of us have some wounds, some losses, and some disappointments in our past.

All that stuff has helped shape or misshape us into the people we are today. I laugh at people who say, "My past has not affected me. My family of origin has not affected me."

Leaders who ignore their interior reality often make decisions that have grave consequences for the people they lead. Most of the time, they're unaware of what's driving their unwise decisions. Some pastors make grandiose decisions that enslave everybody in their churches to an agenda that's not God's. It's an agenda that comes out of their need to be bigger than, better than, grander than.

Other leaders are incurable people pleasers. Every week they want to take a poll to see where they stand in the Nielsen ratings.

Who's responsible for your interior issues getting processed and resolved? You are. I am.

I've spent lots of time in a Christian counselor's office. I still am in contact with two Christian counselors. And whenever I think, Man, there's some stuff coming out of me that has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit, and I don't understand it, I call these counselors. I say, "I don't understand why I said what I said, why I did what I did. I know it's junk. Would you help me?" Effective leaders must get a handle on their "junk!"

8.Are my ears open to the Spirit's whisper?

I estimate that 75 to 80 percent of the breakthrough ideas in my leadership over the years have come from promptings of the Holy Spirit, not through hard machinations of my mind. Some of the great sermon series or vision adjustments, value clarifications or strategy changes, some of the greatest people selections have not been due to my cleverness. It has been the Holy Spirit whispering to my spirit.

Leaders cannot afford to be deaf to heaven. Training, process, and strategy are all good. Developing your mind is essential. But ultimately, we walk by faith, not by sight. There is a supernatural dimension to leadership and it comes our way by keeping an ear open to heaven.

I ask myself regularly, Can I still hear God's voice? Is the ambient noise level of my life low enough that I can still hear God's voice when he speaks? And do I still have the guts to obey him even though I don't understand him all the time?

9.Is my pace sustainable?

I came close to a total emotional meltdown in the early 1990s. Suffice it to say I didn't understand self-leadership. I didn't understand the principle of sustainability. I fried my emotions. I abused my spiritual gifts. I damaged my body. I neglected my family and friends. And I came within a whisker of becoming a statistic.

I remember sitting in a restaurant and writing: "The pace at which I've been doing the work of God is destroying God's work in me." Then I remember putting my head down on my spiral notebook in that restaurant and sobbing.

But I asked myself, Bill, who has a gun to your head? Who's forcing you to bite off more than you can chew? Who's intimidating you into overcommitting? Whose approval and affirmation and applause other than God's are you searching for that makes you live this way? The answers were worse than sobering. They were devastating.

The elders, to whom I'm accountable, did not cause my pace problem. It wasn't caused by the board or the staff or family or friends. The whole pace issue was a problem of my own making. I had no one else to blame. That's a terribly lonely feeling-having no one else to blame.

So I sat all alone in this cheap restaurant in South Haven, mad as a hornet that I couldn't blame anybody for my kingdom exhaustion and my emotional numbness. To find the bad guy, I had to look in a mirror.

To further complicate matters, the only person who can put a sustainability program together for your future is you. For 15 years, I lived overcommitted and out of control, and deep down I kept saying, Why aren't the elders rescuing me? Why aren't my friends rescuing me? Don't people see I'm dying here?

But it isn't their job. It's my job. Please, if you haven't already, commit yourself to developing an approach to leadership that will enable you to endure over the long haul.

10.Are my gifts developing?

Pop quiz: What are your top three spiritual gifts? If you cannot articulate them as quickly as you can give your name, address, and phone number, I'm tempted to say, "You need your cage rattled!" Before you write me a note telling me I've made you feel bad, I need to let you know that on this issue, I have Sympathy Deficit Disorder. Maybe I need medication or something. But seriously, leaders have to master their spiritual gift profile. They must know which gifts they've been given and how they rank in order.

In addition, the Bible holds every leader accountable before God for developing each of those gifts to the zenith of their spiritual potential.

It's sobering to have to ask myself regularly, Bill, you know God's only given you three gifts. Some people have five, six, or seven. You've been given three-leadership, evangelism, and teaching. Are you growing them? Developing, stretching these gifts? Reading everything you can read? Getting around people who are better than you in these areas? Are you developing the three gifts God has given you? Because those are the ones I've been given, they're the only ones I'm going to stand accountable for before God someday. I'm learning that I cannot give myself any slack when it comes to spiritual gift development.

11.Is my heart for God and people increasing? And is my capacity for loving deepening?

Have you reminded yourself recently whose job it is to grow your heart for God? Is it the church's job? Your small group's job? No. It's your job to make sure your heart for God is increasing. Nobody can do that for you. You've got to develop the spiritual practices that keep you growing towards Christlikeness.

Likewise, is your capacity for loving people deepening? If you think about it, you realize God has only one kind of treasure. It's people.

When our kids were young and Lynne and I needed some husband-wife time, we'd get a babysitter. And I'd give those sitters my little talk. As we were heading out, I would say, "You need to know something. We only have two treasures in this life, only two. I don't care if you wreck our car or if the house burns down while we're gone. Really. Just promise me. Promise me you'll take really good care of our children. They are all that really matter to us in this world."

God is saying to leaders, "Promise me. Give me your word. Take care of my treasures. Grow in leadership so that you become the greatest you can be at taking care of my treasures. Love them. Nurture them. Develop them. Challenge them. Mature them. They are all that really matters to me in this world."

And right now would be a good time for you to say to God, "I will."

Bill Hybels is pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.

Lumea in care traim

Mai jos sunt fotografiile anului de la UNICEF.

Cateodata noi oamenii uitam ca suntem oameni.

"A cunoaste si a fi cunoscut -ceea ce a fost dintotdeauna cea mai mare bucurie a rasei umane- devine acuma cea mai mare teama a rasei umane."
John Ortberg din
"Toti sunt normali pana ajungi sa-i cunosti"

Incearca sa fi un om de valoare in loc sa fi un om de succes - Albert Einstein

Viaţa nu este ce ai trăit, ci ce îţi aminteşti că ai trăit şi cum ţi-o aminteşti pentru a o povesti. Gabriel Garcia Marques

Am invatat ca toata lumea vrea sa traiasca pe varful muntelui, insa fara sa bage de seama ca adevarata fericire rezida in felul de a-l escalada. Am invatat ca atunci cand un nou nascut strange cu pumnul lui micut, pentru prima oara, degetul parintelui, l-a acaparat pentru intotdeauna. Gabriel Garcia Marques - Scrisoare de ramas bun.

Nimeni nu-si va aduce aminte de tine pentru gandurile tale secrete.
Cere-i Domnului taria si intelepciunea pentru a le exprima.
Demostreaza-le prietenilor tai cat de importanti sunt pentru tine." Gabriel Garcia Marques .

Ziua de maine nu-i este asigurata nimanui, tanar sau batran. Azi poate sa fie ultima zi cand ii vezi pe cei pe care-i iubesti. De aceea, nu mai astepta, fa-o azi, intrucat daca ziua de maine nu va ajunge niciodata, in mod sigur vei regreta ziua cand nu ti-ai facut timp pentru un suras, o imbratisare, un sarut si ca ai fost prea ocupat ca sa le conferi o ultima dorinta. Sa-i mentii pe cei pe care-i iubesti aproape de tine, spune-le la ureche cat de multa nevoie ai de ei, iubeste-i si trateaza-i bine, ia-ti timp sa le spui "imi pare rau", "iarta-ma", "te rog" si toate cuvintele de dragoste pe care le stii.
Gabriel Garcia Marques .

Am invatat ca um om are dreptul sa se uite in jos la altul, doar atunci cand ar trebui sa-l ajute sa se ridice. Gabriel Garcia Marques.

În ziua în care am descoperit că tot ceea ce îmi plăcea cu adevărat era să povestesc istorii, mi-am propus să fac tot ce-mi stă în putinţă spre a-mi împlini această dorinţă. Mi-am spus: aceasta este vocaţia mea. Nimeni şi nimic nu mă poate face să mă consacru unei alte activităţi.
Gabriel Garcia Marques

Forţa invincibilă care a împins lumea înainte nu e iubirea fericită, ci aceea neimplinită.
G.G. M.

În fiecare minut în care închid ochii, pierd 60 de secunde de lumină. G.G.M.

Un imperiu intemeiat prin forta armata are nevoie de forta armata pentru a se mentine. G.G.M.

Spune întotdeauna ce simţi şi fă ceea ce gândeşti. Dacă aş şti că asta ar fi ultima oară când te voi vedea dormind, te-aş îmbrăţişa foarte strâns si l-aş ruga pe Dumnezeu să fiu păzitorul sufletului tău. Dacă aş şti că asta ar fi ultima oară când te voi vedea ieşind pe uşă, ţi-aş da o îmbrăţişare, un sărut şi te-aş chema înapoi să-ţi dau mai multe. Dacă aş şti că asta ar fi ultima oară când voi auzi vocea ta, aş înregistra fiecare dintre cuvintele tale pentru a le putea asculta o dată şi încă o dată până la infinit. Dacă aş şti că acestea ar fi ultimele minute în care te-aş vedea, aş spune “te iubesc” şi nu mi-aş asuma, în mod prostesc, gândul că deja ştii. G.G. M.

Dragostea adevărată este o limbă pe care surzii o pot auzi şi orbii o pot vedea. Gabriel Garcia Marques.

Cauta sa devii un om mai bun si asigura-te ca sti cine esti tu inainte de a cunoaste pe cineva si a astepta ca acea persoana sa stie cine esti. Gabriel Garcia Marques

Poate că pentru lume eşti doar o singură persoană, dar pentru o persoană eşti întreaga lume. Gabriel Garcia Marques.

Un prieten adevărat te prinde de mână şi îţi atinge inima. Gabriel Garcia Marques.

Nu merită să plângi pentru nimeni, iar cel care merită nu te va face să plângi.

Moartea nu vine odată cu vârsta, ci odată cu uitarea.

Multumesc.
A venit la fix.
Si chiar nu ma asteptam.
Cateodata un simplu "hello" iti poate schimba viata.
Yobediah l-ai uitat pe "e". dar am inteles mesajul tau.


La ce este bun un barbat?
va las sa ganditi.

Demisie oficiala...

"Adevarat va spun ca daca nu va veti intoarce la Dumnezeu si nu va veti face ca niste copilasi , cu nici un chip nu veti intra in Imparatia Cerurilor" matei 18:3

Subsemnatul T.I.A. va aduc la cunostinta decizia mea irevocabila de a demisiona oficial din functia de adult pe care o detin abuziv:

1. Dupa o analiza detaliata a situatiei, m-am hotarat sa ma retrag si sa preiau atributiile unui copil de 6 ani, cu toate drepturile si indatoririle pe care le-am avut candva, dar la care am renuntat de multa vreme cu prea mare usurinta;
2. Vreau sa fiu mandru de cariocile mele si de trotineta mea cea rosie, fara sa ma intereseze asigurarea pe anul viitor.
3. Vreau sa cred sincer ca bomboanele TIC-Tac sunt mai bune decat banii,pentru ca le poti manca.
4. Vreau sa desenez cu creta colorata pe strada mea atunci cand trec oameni maturi si importanti spre serviciu, si sa nu-mi pese de stresul lor in lupta cu minutele si traficul care ii asteapta.
5. Vreau sa stau la umbra unui copac, cu un pahar de limonada in mana si cu ochii la norii pufosi care alearga pe cer, intrebandu-ma cu uimire de ce adultii nu fac la fel.
6. Vreau sa ma duc sa ii fac curat in dulap la mama;
7. Vreau sa ma intorc in trecut, la vremurile cand viata era simpla. Atunci cand tot ce stiam se rezuma la sapte culori, patru poezii, zece cifre si vocea mamei care ma chema la masa cand nu imi era foame.
8. Vreau inapoi, atunci cand nu imi pasa cat de putine lucruri stiam pentru ca nici nu stiam cat de putine stiam
9. Vreau inapoi, atunci cand tot ceea ce mi se cerea era sa spun sarut-mana matusii Nina, care venea in vizita cu bomboane pentru mine, lipite de hartia pungii, si cand tot ce imi doream era un pistol cu apa si un caiet cu foi albe pe care sa desenez masini si flori.
10. Vreau sa cred ca odinioara, ca totul in viata este asa cum iti doresti, ca toti oamenii sunt buni si ca lumea abia asteapta ca eu sa ma fac mare pentru a ma rassplati cand voi ajunge sa scriu fara greseala o scrisoare verisoarei mele din Tulcea;
11. Vreau sa cred ca totul pe lumea asta este sa fie gratuit; fie se poate cumpara la pretul unei inghetate la pahar.
12. M-am maturizat prea mult si nici nu mai stiu cand m-am facut baiat mare. A fost un abuz regretabil si imi cer iertare. Am ajuns astfel sa aflu ceea ce nu ar fi trebuit: razboaie si purificari etnice, copii abuzati si copii murind de foame, divorturi, compromisuri, droguri in licee, toleranta,prostitutie, justitie corupta, politicieni de mahala, biserici de homosexuali, frati invrajbiti pentru eurobani, ura, barfa, materialism nedialectic si mame denaturate care isi vand copilele de 12 ani unor animale cu chipuri de barbati, pentru un televizor de ocazie.
13. Ce s-a intamplat cu timpul cand aveam impresia ca moartea este un concept de poveste, ca doar imparatii batrani mor, ca sa faca loc pe tron printilor tineri, casatoriti cu printesele castigate in urma ultimei zmeiade? Unde sunt anii cand mi se parea ca tot ceea ce ti se putea intampla mai rau in lume era sa nu fii ales in echipa lui Iulian repetentul ,atunci cand jucam fotbal in spatele gradinitei, cei din grupa mare cu cei din clasa intai?
14. Vreau sa ma reintorc la vremea cand toti copiii citeau carti folositoare, cand muzica era neotravita, cand televiziunea era pentru stiri si desene cu alba ca zapada, stiri si emisiuni de familie, fara sex explicit, fara teleshoping, fara reclame la chiloti si detergenti, violenta implicita la fiecare 10 secunde. Vreau desene animante cu Tom si Jerry., cu Donald, peripetiile echipajului din "Toate panzele sus" ( mai tineti minte cu Ismail) si pe mama citindu mi povesti cu Scufita Rosie si Capra cu trei iezi.
15. Ce bine era in naivitatea mea, crezand ca toata lumea din jurul meu era fericita, deoarece eu eram fericit! Promit solemn ca imediat ce imi reiau atributiunile de copil o sa imi petrec dupa-amiezele catarandu ma in copaci, calarind bicicleta vecinului meu polonez eduard si mirosind florile de smokin din fata blocului.
16. Ce bine era cand stiam sa zic Saru Mana la toti din bloc ..fara sa imi pese ca trebuie sa diferentiez doamne de domni ..cu Buna ziua la masculi si Sarut mana la vecine.
17. Ma simteam in al 7 lea cer cand eram la Tip Top minitop si puteam spune cu voce tare .."ca am emotii" fara sa imi fie rusine de ce gandeste o sala intreaga.
    
18. Imi iau angajamentul ca nu ma mai stresez si agit de ratele casei, de facturile de telefon, curent, gaze, apa, gunoi, cablu, TV, si internet, asigurari masini, asigurari de sanatate, taxele anuale de proprietate, credit-carduri, iarba netaiata, computerul virusat si de faptula ca masina a inceput sa vrea la mecanic,
19. Va asigur ca nu o sa mai fiu pus in incurcatura atunci cand o sa fiu intrebat" Dar Ce-o sa te faci cand o sa te cresti mare?", deoarece acum stiu: VREAU SA FIU COPIL. Gata cu plecatul la facultate si la biblioteca cand ar trebui sa dorm si sa-l visez pe Florin Piersic - Harap Alb, gata cu stirile despre teroristi, despre penticostali ce isi ucid nevestele, de asasinate de pisici in scara blocului, de jaf armat in hunedoara, bombe si caderi de avioane, gata cu barfele anturajului care vad ca nu dau pace nici la biserica, gata cu hernia de disc, gata cu prostata iubitoare, par grizonant, ochelari pierduti, medicamente scumpe si dinti facuti de portelan;
20. Gata, Stop, Cedez! sunt liber. Demisionez din functia de adult. Vreau sa cred in sinceritatea zambetelor, in nobletea vorbelor, in puterea caracterului, o lume a cuvantului dat si respectat, a dreptatii, a pacii, a viselor implinite, a imaginatiei innobilate, a ingerilor buni si a OMULUI dupa Chipul SI Asemanarea lui DUMNEZEU.
    
21. Vreau sa am iarasi sase ani si jumatate si sa stau in bratele lui ISUS....
22. Fiti voi mari si importanti si ocupati si ingrijorati .! Eu vreau sa cresc...mic.
    

mediocritatea din fotoliile iernii...

passivity on Christmas.....

...ok, now I am done with the decoration,
the old man said,
the only thing remaining is the Christmas dinner....

Un cercetător, pe nume Pavlov, a făcut un experiment cu un câine pe care l-a pus într-o încăpere şi a dat dispoziţie celor care trebuiau să îi dea să mănânce, ca de fiecare dată când îi vor duce hrana să aprindă lumina în încăpere, indiferent dacă era ziuă sau noapte. După câteva zile în care a fost hrănit la ore regulate, respectându-se detaliul cu aprinderea luminii, Pavlov a intrat în încăpere la o oră diferită de orele regulate de masă, a aprins lumina şi a observat căţelul: acesta saliva; îşi aştepta osul. Pavlov a numit aceasta reflex condiţionat.

Reacţia omului la anumite evenimente ciclice din viaţă nu este, de cele mai multe ori, diferită de cea a căţeluşului din experiment. Asociem, fără să ne gândim prea mult, plăcerile noastre, confortul pe care ni-l dorim, stările sufleteşti de care avem nevoie de evenimente, de sărbători, de serviciu, de cumpărături, de mersul la biserică, de orice se întîmplă periodic şi invariabil în vieţile noastre şi am ajuns de mult timp, nici nu mai ştim de cât timp, am ajuns să trăim un creştinism din reflex fără reflecţie. Mare nenorocire! Ne-am născut în popor creştinizat cu vreo două mii de ani în urmă, aşa că toţi ne considerăm creştini, dar prezenţa la biserica mamă este doar un reflex condiţionat de o sărbătoare oarecare. O şi mai mare nenorocire este că te-ai născut într-o familie de adevăraţi credincioşi, dar exemplul de credinţă aplicată a părinţilor tăi, în loc să declanşeze în inima ta setea după Hristos, nu a făcut decât să-ţi condiţioneze un reflex de a merge şi tu la biserică. Mai grav, însă, este faptul că într-o zi, tu personal, te-ai întâlnit cu Isus, într-o zi, El s-a născut în inima ta şi viaţa ta a fost înnobilată strălucitor, dumnezeiesc de strălucitor, dar timpul a trecut, uitarea s-a aşternut peste momentul acela, iar în viaţa ta de creştin, banalitatea şi mediocritatea s-au instalat regeşte în fotolii largi garnisite de comoditate şi reflex condiţionat.

Te trezeşti că încă o dată e duminică aşa că, din reflex, mergi la biserică, din reflex paşii te duc la biserica la care te-ai obişnuit chiar dacă, odată ajuns acolo nu găseşti nimic altceva decât reflex. Îl vezi pe Păstorescu Reflexivici la anvon şi deja ştii că o să vorbească de batic, televizor, cravată sau bătutul din palme la programul tinerilor pentru că el însuşi urcă la anvon doar din reflex şi nu-i capabil să-ţi zdruncine deloc închinarea fără de cuget, de frică să nu piardă contribuţia ta reflexivă la colecta duminicală, aşa că îţi cântă pe struna conştiinţei adormite şi în mod tragic tu continui să te rogi din reflex, cânţi din reflex, te închini din reflex şi trăieşti drama unui creştinism purtat pe drugii pasivităţii şi ai lipsei de acţiune pentru că nu te interesează să scormoneşti în profunzimea lucrurilor, să ajungi la esenţă, ci te mulţumeşti să netezeşti scoarţa comodităţii groasă cât banchiza polară.

Crusta tradiţiei creştine s-a îngroşat milenar şi peste sărbătoarea naşterii Mântuitorului nostru. Cârnaţi afumaţi, sarmale cu smântână, prăjituri pline de colesterol, colinzi tradiţionale cântate lăutăreşte cu sticla de murfatlar bine ridicată, vizite îmbuibătoare, urmate de spitalizări de urgenţă şi evident groaza în şeptelul de porcine, iată, în mare, atmosfera declanşată de sărbătoarea celei mai importante naşteri din istoria omenirii.

Ştefan Hruşcă are în repertoriul lui o colindă ce spune: „Scoală gazdă din pătuţ...” şi de fiecare dată când o aud îmi imaginez un om foarte plictisit, tolănit într-un fotoliu în faţa unui foc îmbietor la trândăveală şi foarte deranjat de tulburarea pe care i-o face sosirea colindătorilor, care vestesc naşterea lui Cristos. Acum când se apropie vremea colinzilor ar fi bine să te scuturi puţin de obişnuinţa cu care întâmpini această sărbătoare şi să te laşi tulburat de întrebarea: ce trebuie să însemne, în mod concret, naşterea lui Isus?

Dacă ai intrat în sfera banalului şi a reflexului condiţionat, fie ca această întrebare să te motiveze ca să te ridici din „pătuţul” în care te-a încleştat nepăsarea şi să laşi ca Isus să renască în inima ta. Te aşteaptă, cu El, o viaţă adevărată, ieşită din obişnuit, o închinare plină de conţinut, un creştinism incisiv şi contagios.

The Gift of Magi

A treia caracteristică a răspunsului nostru faţă de interventia fara plată a lui Isus în vieţile noastre este recunoştinţa din inimă.

În faimoasa nuvelă a lui O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi”, tânăra soţie are doar un dolar si 87 de cenţi pentru a-i cumpăra un cadou soţului ei, a doua zi fiind Crăciunul. Hotărăşte, pe negândite, să-şi vândă părul lung şi bogat astfel încât să-i poată cumpăra sotului ei un lanţ pentru nepreţuitul său ceas de aur. În acelaşi timp, el isi vinde casul vrând să-i cumpere, la rândul lui, soţiei un cadou – un piaptăn deosebit pentru frumosul ei păr.

A-ti făcut vreodată ceva atât de extravagant in mod spontan? V-aţi golit puşculiţa cu gând să-i cumpăraţi unui om drag cadoul perfect?


preluata de radu .din "Evanghelia vagabonzilor".
Multumesc.

ce faci "dupa aceeea"?

In prima zi de vacanta-cand un nepot se intoarce acasa – fiind plin de bucurie- Bunicul era cu treaba in curte – aranja niste tufe de trandafir, cand il vede intrand pe poarte, plin si radiind de bucurie si bunicul intreaba:

NEPOATE, DE UNDE ATATA BUCURIE IN SUFLETUL TAU?si copilul ii spune:

BUNICULE AM TERMINAT CLASA A VIII-A SI SUNT PREMIANT- Foarte bine, a zis bunicul

DAR CE AI DE GAND SA FACI DUPA ACEASTA? Si a zis:

- STII m-am gandit la asta, e o intrebare buna. Vreau sa termin liceul. Media pe care am obtinut-o in clasele primare imi permite sa abordez cel mai bun liceu orasul nostru si vreau sa fiu absolvent de liceu.

- FOARTE BINE ii spuse bunicul.

- DAR DUPA ACEEA ce vrei sa faci?

- Nepotul se gandi o clipa sii ii spuse

- Bunicule, vreau sa fac facultatea de medicina.E atata durere in lumea in care traim si as vrea sa dau o mana de ajutor, aducand si eu o mangaiere suferintelor altora.

- FOARTE BINE. Ganduri nobile nepoate

- DAR DUPA ACEEA CE VREI SA FACI?

- PAAI –AS VREA SA MA CASATORESC ..sa am si eu o familie, o casa sa fiu si eu om la casa mea.

- Frumos ii spuse bunicul

- DAR DUPA ACEEA CE VREI SA FACI?

- PAAI – spuse copilul, pe urma o sa fiu si eu batran ca tine !!!

- ASA este –ii spuse batranul.E o taina , e o arta sa stii sa imbatranesti frumos. DAR DUPA ACEEA?

Dorind SA SCAPE de tirul intrebarilor care nu se mai sfarseau, copilul in drumul lui spre a intra in casa: IOOO spuse peste umar! PE URMA AM SA MOR!

- SI DUPA ACEEA CE AI SA FACI?

-S-A OPRIT pentru o clipa cu piciorul pe prima treapta, de a urca in casa. La asta nu se gandise, ca dupa moarte mai este UN DUPA ACEEA.

Intotdeauna in viata exista intotdeauna UN DUPA ACEEA.

TU ce vei face .....”dupa aceea”?