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Here we are at the last day of April…in doing a little clean up of my office today I came across some conference notes from back in 2006 that always applies to forgiveness. Understanding that there are consequences of not forgiving yourself and others can be great motivation to become a good forgiver. There are 5 consequences that can greatly hinder living whole in your soul. ~ Self punishment & condemnation ~ Uncertainly about yourself and life ~ Feelings of low or no self-worth ~ Life based on works and performance instead of grace ~ Unforgiving spirit toward others Holding a grudge or resentment holds you prisoner. A shift in your thinking can help you Cultivate a Forgiving Heart, Mind & Soul ~ Accepting and understanding God’s forgiveness for being unforgiving is the first place to start. ~ It truly is a gift from God, having the faith to forgive sets you free ~ Personal process that happens within you ~ Allows you to be a good forgiver ~ Allows you to no longer hold onto grudges and resentment ~ Allows you to rediscover your lost strengths and energies that have been wasted ~ This all gives you the chance to let go of your past and getting on with your life. Forgiveness is a key to warmer, healthier relationships. http://ow.ly/i/20Jko

It’s kind of funny….facebook asks, “What’s on your mind?” Well, quite a lot actually and a bit heavy hearted about the lies and deception being communicated about what the Scriptures say about certain things…There are so many warnings especially in the New Testament about listening to false teachers and that the teachings of Jesus Christ would be scoffed at, mocked and ridiculed. Jesus, Mark, Peter, Jude and many more give warnings. In Mark, Jesus is talking to the crowds, along with his disciples about what defiles them. He said it’s not what they eat, but what they think and say. He said it’s the thought-life that pollutes. For from within, out of men’s (women too) hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly. And these vile things come from within; they are what pollute you and make you unfit for God (Jesus’ words not mine). (Mark 7:14-23) Then we jump to 1st Peter, Come to Christ, who is the living Foundation of Rock upon which God builds. Peter pleads, “You have had enough in the past of the evil things the godless enjoy – sex sin, lust, getting drunk, wild parties, drinking bouts, and the worship of idols and other terrible sins.” In second Peter, he goes on to say, “Do you want more and more of God’s kindness and peace? Then learn to know Him better and better. For as you know Him better, he will give you, through His great power, everything you need for living a truly good life. Later on [...]

Ok, so in light of the recent education benefit cuts to our service men and women, I am fired up!! This whole budget thing has got me thinking about the pay and benefits of our elected federal officials, then we have the appointed ones (that’s a whole other blog!). So, I went and found “Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables “- Wow, how eye opening! I am fired up! Just a thought about cutting the federal budget, starting from the top. This approach could weed out those who are in it for personal/political/power gains vs. servant leaders. Current pay at the federal level for most Senators, Representatives, Delegates (? – who are they and how many of them are there?) and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico is $174,000/year. The only exceptions include the Speaker of the House ($223,500) and the President pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate, $193,400. Salaries remain and are frozen at this level despite the December 27, 2012 Executive Order 13635 by President Obama which attempted to increase pay, but was fortunately overruled by H.R. 8, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, enacted January 2, 2013 kept the salaries frozen to 2009 levels. Interestingly enough they gave themselves a 25% pay increase back in 1991 due to a restriction that they could not receive speaking honoraria when both the Congress and Senate were led by Democrats. Representative salaries went from $96,600 in 1990 to $125,100 in 1/1/1991, and Senatorial salaries went from $98,400 in 1990 to $101,900 on 1/1/91 to $125,100 [...]

LOVE = FORGIVENESS….FORGIVENESS frees your HEART to LOVE….so intertwined http://ow.ly/i/1wkEK