M.C. Wright

Positive News

This is too cool! In my last Blog post "Fear and Life" I mentioned that it would be nice to have a news show that gave us some good positive news instead of the stuff they dish up. Right after that post went up I received a link to a web site that posts nothing but positive news!

Check it out at : www.happynews.com 

While it's not finding a prime time slot, it's a start. So I portal-ed over to the site and began perusing different reports under the "World" category, and stumbled upon this one that just caught my eye. Take a look, it's good to know that a kiss from your Prince Charming still has the power of life and death:

MC

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Husband's Kiss Wakes Up Sleeping Beauty Wife In Coma

JANUARY 26, 2009

34-year-old Emma Ray suffered a heart attack just ten days after giving birth to her son. Andrew, her husband, had to give her mouth-to-mouth after she collapsed while they were out shopping. She was taken to a hospital where doctors were able to restart her heart but warned she could remain in a coma indefinitely. Andrew said a doctor told him: "She could wake up the following day, she could wake up in a month, or you may be left with a sleeping beauty."

In order to wake her Andrew had tried playing recordings of their baby son Alexander and toddler Ella. He said: 'I would play Emma the sounds of Alexander crying and gurgling, Ella singing and shouting "Wake up Mummy!"

In addition he played her recordings of the songs they had danced to during their wedding. "I would speak softly to her, clasp her hand, pinch her fingers, all the time telling her I loved her or begging her to wake up.

Finally, in desperation, he leaned over her hospital bed and pleaded: 'Emma, if you can hear me, please just give me a kiss."

"What happened next was beyond my wildest dreams," he said. "She turned her head towards mine, puckered up her lips and gave me a little kiss.

"I couldn't believe it. My heart felt like it was going to leap from my chest - it suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted."

The kiss was witnessed by doctors who were astonished by the 34-year-old's sudden response.

Mrs Ray was transferred from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to a specialist brain injury rehabilitation unit at the Hayward Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent. She was eventually allowed home but now - almost two years later - the former IT consultant still needs ongoing rehabilitation.

Mr. Ray said he was just grateful his wife has survived. He said: "She can walk quite well holding hands now, and at least our kids still have a mother and I still have a wife."

For more on this story, including photos of the bride and groom, check out this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127393/Husbands-kiss-woke-sleeping-beauty-wife-coma-heart-attack.html#

Fear and Life

Sometimes I wonder if our US news reporting agencies get together in a dark sinister room (cue music), having identified the anxiousness of the people, and then concoct a plan to find and promulgate the worst, most terrifying news that they can possibly find around the sphere we call earth.

I wonder if they think that they can keep us glued to their station if they give us the most heart-stopping, breath-sucking news...well, I really don't think they wonder about that, obviously they know it works and each and every day billions of people allow the media to determine their mood, and unfortunately for many, their fate.

I tend to prefer reading the news over watching the news. I think it would be an incredible thing to have a news channel that focused on inspiring news...news that would elicit a response from the depth of your soul to be more, do more, and expect more! A news show that revealed the millions of incredible people around the planet who defy the status-quot; who think of others more than themselves; who actually add to life in contrast to the news hours we see highlighting the people and events that tragically take life, or reduce it.

This does not mean to further the proverb, "Ignorance is bliss" but rather, if you want to have a life that slowly transitions from pessimism to optimism; from the cup is half empty toward half full, or from a negative mindset to a positive mindset, it all begins with the data you fill your mind and heart with. For most of us, the data that we continually pour into our skulls of mush is full of, anxiety, fear, death, revenge, insanity, and doom and gloom. And then we wonder why half our nation is on Prozac or some other form of anti-depressant.

This week make a log entry of what data is going into your brain. What TV shows, movies, music, news, magazines etc. are you using as your primary data source to fuel your life.

When we collectively fill our souls with the negative...the pharmaceutical empire grins like the Cheshire cat as they dole out their quick fix which is really no fix, and people remain stuck in a dungeon of depression, disillusionment and discouragement!

While I know that my idea of a positive news show doesn't create the dollar signs that appear in the cartoon dialog bubble of the media executives minds, we can, however, choose the data that we engage with on a daily basis. And quite honestly, this alone can begin to change the way you view yourself, the world and your future.

One of the best brain system reboot verses that I use constantly to realign my heart and mind with God's is Philippians 4:8-9...check it out:

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Right now we are experiencing and viewing a struggling economy, people that we know and love losing their jobs, family members lost to a war in a different land, a global economic fear that is slowly wrapping its fingers around the planet with the darkest of fingers. It is so easy to fall into the downward spiral, yes?

What is so powerful about the verse I quoted above is that Paul has this soaring optimistic Spirit gushing out of him like a fire-hose through the entire letter of Philippians. In fact throughout the letter he is encouraging us with all that is within him to allow to the joy of God to infuse our souls and so control us that no earthly circumstance that we encounter will rob us of the beauty and faithfulness of God in the midst of the "stuff of life!"And the whole time Paul is writing the letter, he is in one of Caesar's prisons...not really a place that lends itself to optimism, positive outlook, or viewing the cup as half full!

The reality then, is that your circumstances don't have to control your mind, soul, heart. Let me give you a few key spiritual action items from Philippians 4:8 to change your mindset, elevate your mood, and keep you focused on your goals and not the obstacles in your journey.

1. INFUSE:

Paul say to fill your mind, or infuse your life with the kind of things that you want to see become a reality in your life. He gives us a few key words. Did you notice his key words are the opposite of what tends to infuse our homes from media today? I like his choices:

Is it true? noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

In other words, are the things being put into our souls through what we watch, listen to, read and experience, things that would make mom proud, or things we wouldn't want her to know about!

Everything you watch has a message that is spun into the fabric of its creation...what is the message? Is it True? Perhaps it's time to truly watch what we put into our eyes the same way we read labels on food products to make sure what we put into our bodies is good and healthy so that we feel good and can actually experience life and spend less time in pharmacies.

Have you noticed that sometimes the marketing says, "Healthy," but it's not. Not everything is true in this world, so it is important to start with a truth base. Most people make up their own truth, but guess what? Self-made truth doesn't transform your life the ways God's truth does.

God through the rest of the list and infuse your week, month, year with those positive images, sounds, and thoughts, and you will be well on your way ton standing firm even through the worst crisis.

2. MEDITATE:

Far too many people are freaked out about the word "meditate." They think it is too "Eastern" and will lead them down a path away from God. That is simply fear and a lack of understanding talking. This thought process misses the mark in a couple of key areas:

1. In the Bible God calls us to meditate. The Psalms are full of examples of the call to meditate. Joshua was told his entry into the Promised Land would be successful if he would meditate on what God had said and spoken. And Paul in Phil. 4:8 calls us to "think...ponder...meditate" on the things of God.

2. We forget that the Bible is an "Eastern" book. It didn't start in America, and Jesus practiced and lived in the Middle East, so this was nothing weird or new to Him. Too often we think Christianity started with the Reformation or worse yet, in America. No, it was born out of Judaism, born in the East.

Meditation is necessary in our busy, negative world. To meditate you simply draw away to a place where you can shut the world out for a few moments and re-center your life. Get comfortable. Have your proverb, psalm, prayer or verse with you and begin to speak it...slowly. Let it roll around on your tongue. Let it seep into your soul...Let it spark your God-given imagination. Let the truth of its beauty flood your soul. Ask God to reveal who He is to you in this moment, and that you get a bigger picture of His reality for your life.

When we slow down and still our bodies, have you noticed how your brain fights against you with rapid-fire thoughts which make it hard to think about anything! Or maybe for you it's when you go to bed at night and can't sleep because your mind is working furiously like a hamster on it's spinning wheel. Generally the thoughts that keep you awake are centered around a fear, conflict, or a negative experience. Hmmm.It's time to change the thoughts. If you haven't been infusing your life with the things Paul recommended, guess what? Yup, you are stuck. If you have, meditation on a regular basis will help those words, thoughts, and principles sink deep into your conscious and subconscious mind where they can be retrieved to defeat the other thoughts that keep you from the rest you need.

Meditation is allowing what you are thinking about or focusing on, to slowly makes its way to your heart and belief systems. Prayer is your mind seeking the change in a conversation with God. So, another way to put it is that we pray with our mind, and meditate with our heart. Both a necessary, both are tools God has given you to experience more of Him, and more of life.

3. ACT: 

This is the theoretically easy one right? Wrong! Yes, we all know we actually need to practice these and other things to experience change, but too many simply don't act on what they know. If you find yourself in that boat which is a whole lot of data but haven't inserted the jump drive yet, think about this:

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1. Write out your goals on paper. Get a cheap .79 spiral notebook, and write down how you want to feel...What you would love others to say about you...What you want to accomplish...What you need to do to accomplish those things...What emotions or feelings you would like to replace with new feelings and what those are. Get these things out of your mind and onto a goal sheet that you can post somewhere visible.

2. Get into an accountability relationship with a friend you trust. Some one who will hold you to what you need to do to begin changing the patters in your life and unleash of new mindset that doesn't fall prey to the fear that surrounds us.

3. Remember it's the about process and not perfection. This is a journey and not a one stop zap. It is a progressional infusion into your life that replaces all the limiting beliefs from your past, and God is at work making them a reality. You will have days that don't go well. You will have times that you wonder what's going on, that's natural. When that happens check in with your accountability partner and be honest and real. Your partner can help encourage you to keep going or look at some changes that might need to happen in your life.

Action is what cements the new data into your life, that's why Paul said in that verse to do the things and to practice the things they learned from him. Now this doesn't change the world economy. It doesn't reverse the bad phone call you received from your doctor, or it doesn't stop your company from downsizing. What it does do is realign you with a God-reality that can carry you through all of those things without losing hope! And hope is a commodity that our world needs today in a radical way.

This week, start to flood your heart, mind, and soul with good-positive-inspiring data, and see what happens as you make it a habit in your life.

Dei Gratia,

Monty

New After-thoughts

New afterthoughts are up...

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Relevance

There is alot of talk these days about what it means to be relevant. Conferences are filled with men and women looking for new ways to make their church relevant, or different. There are as many voices calling out for the old ways, which were actually relevant and new at one time. In the midst of trying to determine what is relevant...what is watered down...what we like...what we don't like...I think we miss the point.

Relevance is more than how you do church...it's how you do life as a follower of Jesus Christ. This weekend we will be looking deeper into what this means...but for today it's time for you to sound off.

What do you think it means for the church to be relevant?

type in your comments.

MC

Battle Lines

I find it somewhat amazing how quickly the violent shifts have taken place in Iraq. In what seems such a short turn, we have gone from Americans go home, to an election for democracy, and now the violence is between their own people, specifically between the Sunni's and the Shi'ites. The Sh'ites in Baghdad are vowing vengeance for the bombing of their shrine al-Askari, a sacred space in Samarra. Families wielding weapons...Holy places destroyed...power plays for control...kids holding AK 47's.

In this last week more than 200 people have been killed, and the Sunni leaders are claiming that over 100 mosques were damaged. As the US tries to bring stability to a fragile area, it seems that generations of internal strife are wreaking as much havoc as Al Queda. The chants for the US to withdraw are fewer, and now it seems the chants are for us to end the mayhem. Many who clamored for troop withdrawl are now voicing the opposite...we must stay and fight to protect the people. In my mind I often wonder if those people ever see their dichotimist realities.

Ending the mayhem is beyond our capability. These issues go deep, and every day there is another would be leader who steps up to lead an insurrection and make a name for himself to contend with. While many people are aghast at what is happening, and point the finger while saying "those crazy Muslims", in truth, we have also seen similar situations happen in Christianity. My mind reels to the unnecessary deaths and bombing in Ireland. Political groups linked to religious groups opposing each other over centuries old debates. Even our own rift between the North and South. There are some issues that can only be changed by  Divinity transcending into the chaos of our own making. Our job is to allow God to work.

As an unbelieving world looks at the outplay of religion, whether it is Muslim or Christian, or militant Hinduism, or whatever...what must they think? I'll tell you what I think they think, they think we're all nuts. Then they say, "Why would I ever want to be involved with something like that, they can't even get along with their own."

There is something going on in the world at a much deeper level, a battle being fought for the souls of nations and their people. God has placed in all our hearts a basic moral code...it crosses borders and ethnicities and cultural bents, and in every place where evil raises its head, you will find those who tap into the divine code emblazoned on their hearts, the truth that shouts out that there is a right and a wrong.

You can even get a person who believes there are no absolutes to draw a line in the sand when you hold the shredded parts of a baby boy who became part of a car bomb in your arms...it is there in all of us, the real question is, why do those people who seemingly turn off that conviction of God do the most harm in God's name?

As we enter the season of Lent...let me encourage you to ask for an internal beacon that responds to the genetic code God placed inside of you...that over the next 40 days, you would move beyond politics and power plays and religious posturing and instead live a wildly barbaric life in Christ.

It has always been my goal to be the kind of Christ-follower that was like "tasty-fruit" to those who struggle with the reality of God in a seemingly godless world. I long to be a person who attracks and not repells.

You know how it works...when you go to a Mexican restaurant, later after you leave you smell like that restaurant...or if you go to a lumber yard you smell like wood when you leave...I think that is the way it should be with God...

When we look at the way religious people act and behave in the world today, I'd say they smell more like sulfur...A man or a woman who has spent time with the incredible Creator God has a very different smell to them.

During these next 40 days, let's make it a goal to have spent so much time with Jesus, that when we encounter other people on the journey, the fragrance is beautiful.

Do you smell like God, you can only smell like God if you hang with Him, and His fragrance will change forever the way you live your life, and who knows, maybe, just maybe, a confused world will experience the real Christ in you...the hope of Glory.

Illuminate' Deo
Monty