This is a true story. A woman had Snow White and the Seven dwarfs in her yard as lawn ornaments. One morning she found that Grumpy was missing. The thorough search of the neighborhood and many inquiries were fruitless. Grumpy had vanished.Weeks later he suddenly appeared again in his usual spot, the same grump's expression on his painted-plaster face. But attached to him with duct tape was a photo album. One picture showed Grumpy in front of London's Big Ben. Another showed him grumping in front of the Eiffel Tower. Picture after picture documented his trek around the world. Perhaps the pranksters hoped a free world tour would cheer up the little fellow. But it
did no good whatsoever. He returned as sour as when he left.Isn't it amazing that God is so patient with us? He invests a great deal in us, shows us His wonders, educates us in His ways. Through all of this do we remain unchanged, unaffected, untouched?What does it mean to walk by the Spirit and to be led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16,18)? Doesn't it mean a submission to what God wants to do with us and in us? Doesn't it involve at least a willingness on our part to do what we can to cooperate?I'm not talking about subjective "leading" which is hardly more than blindly stumbling after impulses and impressions. I mean the BIG stuff: developing spiritual discernment between right and wrong and spiritual muscle to be like Jesus even in a hostile environment. The Spirit's purpose is to conform us to the character and the life-style of Jesus Christ.As we continue on God's world-tour of life, let's soften up and de-grumpify. God wants us to make it to the end, not just unbroken, but transformed by the journey.
Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.
Go to his DeeperStudy.com for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve's free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."

As small children, we were all wild. Not unlike the wolf pup in the den, we ran when we felt like it, sniffed or tasted things to see what they were, yelled when the mood struck us and danced at the drop of a hat. We loved to dig in the earth, heave a rock into a pool, roll and tumble on the ground and run naked whenever we could. We loved ourselves and we loved our bodies. We knew no fear.Of course, we were also taught to give that all up. "Act your age!" "Don't be such a wild thing!" our parents told us. Grow UP. The list of unacceptable behaviors got longer and longer, until the wild part of us just went to sleep.But the wildness is still inside of us, and we all need to make the connection to it to be a whole, happy person. It is there for a reason, and when we can find it, wake it up and make it a working part of our psyche, we are all the better for it.The wildness holds our deeper intuition. That sniffing and tasting to discover what a thing was? it kept us out of a lot of harmful situations! We knew instinctively when something or someone should be avoided. As small children, that instinct was not fully developed, of course, but as adults we can use that wildness to guide us in ways that we need. When we allow our wild side to remain buried and asleep we are a lot more likely to blunder into situations and relationships that are not good for us!The wildness allowed us to have fun and to connect to the rhythms of the universe at lot more easily. We can all use a good roll on the ground from time to time. A good long howl at the moon when we are sad can really go a long way to making us feel better. Heaving a rock into a pool is very therapeutic when angry.Women especially have lost that wild nature. They complain long and hard about men being so free with their bodily functions, and the fact that they are acting like "little boys" all the time. Well, ladies, I strongly suggest that you give it a try! Women need to let go of all the civilization once in awhile. We have had all the wildness bred out of us, and it is unhealthy! Many women feel a yearning as they grow older to dig in the earth (gardening), act a little silly or wild from time to time, and yet they are so frightened? what will the neighbors (mates, parents, friends, strangers) think?Ha! Who cares? I would rather be known as that sort of strange lady who lives down the block than I would be frustrated and pent-up. No chemical hair dye and plastic surgery for me.An excellent book about this is "Women Who Run With The Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I have a sort of goal to get every woman on earth to read this book! Cast off your pantyhose and dance? let loose the wildness and howl at the moon! You have nothing to lose but your ulcers, your unhappiness, your fear and your yearning.You will gain your personal power, your joy, your connection and your intuitive self.I hope to bump into you some night, running under the full moon? in the wild.About The AuthorSibyl McLendon is 1/2 Navajo, and is a personal spiritual coach for Circle Of Grace http://www.circle-of-grace.com.Circle Of Grace is a unique blending of Native American spirituality and holistic wellness coaching. Sign up for a free coaching session!Sibyl can be contacted at sibyl@www.circle-of-grace.com

Many of us seek consolation in the words of Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way." I say many of us because I feel this trap has snared more than just me. Oh, it is a trap, alright, a way to defend our defiance, combat accountability, and excuse our own stupidity.Maybe, we don't even say it aloud if our inflated egos and economic attainments have enabled us to dupe ourselves and fool a few others? Well, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could learn from the mistakes of others rather than only our own?Scripture says, "There is a way that seems right to a man but the path thereof leads to death and destruction." The Bible is chucked full of examples of foolish men who learned that their ways didn't work, while God's way invariably did, at least, for those who were still alive and willing to make life-course corrections.The good news is that this readily available wisdom applies to me. I am still alive. Multiple Sclerosis has forced me to make some life-course corrections too. Best of all, I have been given a chance to pause, reflect on my previous mistakes, and admit my fallibility both in sound judgment and in my treatment of others.So, now I write some of the understandings that I have been led to in Free Reprint articles and have published a mystery novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO, which discloses other mistakes too many unthinking and "did it my way" people make. I selected the novel format because it allows me the freedom to create hypothetical scenarios and fictional characters to expose real dangers.Here is an unsolicited e-mail I received from one reader:-----Original Message-----
From: f.bush
To: RUSS MILES
Sent: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:05:45 -0500
Subject: Your NovelHi Russ,I've just finished, in your words, "a very good read".The name of the book is "FSBO" which I enjoyed thoroughly.You covered it all, bureaucracy, politics, sex, drugs, crime and day-to-day Real
Estate activity.You have a talent that MS can't touch.Even though I have Master's in journalism and communications, and have read a lot, I think you could teach many published writers a thing or two about story telling.I hope to hear more from you. Keep up the good work.Very Best Regards!Frank BushComing from a person that I have never met, I felt my work was appreciated. At least, the reader did not find the novel boring. If you too read FSBO, I hope you will also send me your comments.As one who has had to revise my own thinking about many things, I can say I am truly thankful that I have time to reflect, implement more life-course corrections, make some amends, and draw refreshment from the wells of others who have taken their time to write and publish understandings gleaned from life-lessons. By so doing, less of life's lessons need be "Lessons Learned Hard."Russ Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO. A "Seasoned Real Estate NAR

Okay, I am sure that you clicked on this title out of curiosity. Wow a butterfly; what would a butterfly have to do with self help content? And you are right. Not a thing! But it is the phrase that my daughter used when she saw a butterfly while playing outside. She said it with so much excitement that I could not help but feel excited for her too.Now, I know it sounds kind of cute. But, what I am trying to communicate is that children seem so happy because they are overall excited. They get excited with a toy, an animal, a game, a hug, a friend etc. They are happy to just wake up another day; they have so much to look forward to (anything).As adults we can also appreciate the beauty of a butterfly but, I am not quite sure we would get so excited. We have seen butterflies more times than them but, most importantly life in general gets on our way not allowing us to have enough time to contemplate. Those who even dare to dream out loud are often discouraged by peers. Why? We have all bought in to this notion that life is hard. Which is partly true but, everything is not terrible. Sometimes we overlook the good things.So what should you do about it? Follow your dreams, be open to new experiences, make new friends, stand up for your beliefs, have hobbies etc. If you follow these simple tips you will soon have some excitement and happiness in your life.Spice it up a little,Kenia Morales----------------------------------------------You may reprint this article as long as no changes are made without permission and hyperlink is maintained active.Kenia Morales is the publisher of online magazine http://kpatra.com "For Every Aspect of Today's Woman. Visit her site to find a variety of women related issues and topics" click here http://www.kpatra.com/keniascolumn.htm to find Kenia's little piece of heaven her inspirational column.

Having spring around makes you feel different after such a long winter journey. How well do you feel when you have a little bit of sunshine in your life? What effect does it do have on our psyche? The power of sunshine brings us a lot of comfort, optimism, self-confidence and of course a smile. Imagine how great if would be if we were so positive all year round!Living like this is possible if you really think about it. In order to exist in such a state of happiness though, we must have sunshine radiating from within ourselves, shining from our hearts, our minds and from our souls. I bet many of you are reading this now and saying "Yeah that is easier said than done!" And what do we say to that well, in the end that's your choice and if you think that way then your own life will reflect that attitude of yours!In order to make 'sunshine' or rather, 'light' a part of our being It is so important that you watch your thoughts, your words and your actions so that you do not contradict what you really feel you'd like to create in your own life. Watch your thoughts and really become aware of how many negative thoughts pass through your mind about yourself and other people around you. Watch to see how often you gossip about other people and when you become aware of it you will see how often it is actually attached with feelings of jealousy, envy and insecurity about yourself.You should also take a close look at your 'intention'. How many of you do something for another person without expecting to receive something in return? It might not even have to be a material or physical thing you expect, expecting recognition or acknowledgement for what you have done is enough to create conditions on your intention. Think about it! We may not always pay attention to what our true intentions are behind our words thoughts and actions because many of us are not aware of the power and effect they have when it comes to creating our lives.Putting all of what I have said together, it seems that most of us are creating monsters inside of us just by simply talking, thinking and not putting our heart out with the right intention towards helping someone else. All of these things are born from a 'negative' attitude and will not help us in any way at all when it comes to bringing a brighter 'sunshine' into our lives. If you took all your negative attitudes in one hand and measured your need to feel 'sunshine' in the other, you would see how both these elements really contradict each other.Be brave and break your patterns and your habits this spring and by doing so you will allow the true sunshine to take place by radiating out from your heart and into your life and the lives of the people who are around you!I will leave you with that for now until next time and allow sunshine to shine your life.Copyright

The massive orb dominates the aqua crystalline backdrop of its own making, floods its rays on everything below. The sky devoid of a single cloud seems as empty as I feel and the beach looks like an arid desert, molded by tireless wind and blazing heat. I picture myself atop an Arabian camel, parched with thirst, crossing an unforgiving series of never-ending dunes, up one and down the next, no rhyme nor reason, only the nose of the animal in front of me.As I walk, I find my feet drawn to stepping on shells.
I like the crunch under my soles and wonder what draws me to destruction.
No real gain, just a crackle and a few pops beneath my Reeboks.
Hmmmm.The half-covered shiny Coors light can contrasts with the faceless dull version that lies next to it, undoubtedly washed ashore.
A half-eaten fish head sits next to a huge jellyfish obviously out of place in a world far too shallow for its survival. It sways its last moments of life with each bathing wave that push it side to side as it bakes in the sun.
Soggy yellow plastic, discarded cigarette butts, even a soiled diaper that for a brief moment I entertain the thought of picking up.
Normally, I would have.
Not today.Walk, walk, crunch, crunch, more broken shells.
I pick up a triangular orange piece that reminds me of a shark's tooth, run my fingers along its edges to its sharp point and keep pricking my index in some warped notion of martyrdom.I glance down the beach at a lone fisherman checking his lines.
What does he see on this spectacular day?
Does he pay attention to anything besides his bait on the hook?
Does the serenity help his quest for meaning or simply lead him from Bud to Bud?
I long for the eyes of my children, the wondrous zeal that would find magic in the beat up straw hat, the buried yellow ribbon or any stick more than two feet long, an instant conductor's wand or a spear or a trumpet or a telescope.
What vision might they bring to my sight?
Could I shed this morose foreboding that clings to me like an oversized sweatshirt pulled too soon from the dryer, damp, heavy, with an odd, unrecognizable, unpleasant smell?Still, the seagull and the sandpiper frolic in the surf, peck morsels from the wet sand, bob their heads up and down and chase the waves.
The majestic pelicans swoop along the shore like prehistoric predators a mere foot above the surface.
The flies dart back and forth, light and take off, never at rest for more than an instant.
The Labrador chases a tennis ball.
The infant waddles to wet her toes.
The white-haired snowbird stoops to collect a sand dollar.
A crab peeks out of his hole only to retreat back in again.Me, I walk and crunch shells, walk and crunch shells, a case of beautiful day blues?That's A View From The Ridge...About The AuthorAuthor Ridgely Goldsborough invites you to subscribe to The Daily Column, a heart-felt collection of stories that inspire hope and courage. Please do so at www.aviewfromtheridge.com.ridge@aviewfromtheridge.com

Encouragement can have a very powerful effect on bosses and co-workers. The literal meaning of the word, encourage, is to put heart into. When this definition is applied to work situations, it suggests:
Stirring, inspiring and motivating bosses and co-workers with hope, courage and confidence.Giving team members a vote of confidence.Boosting morale by expressing approval and offering support to others in the office.Lifting people up and moving them to do the things they need to do to achieve company and career objectives.Empowering direct reports and peers to grow professionally and reach their full potential.Stimulating cooperation and collaboration between work units, departments or the company as a whole.
Encouragement & FailureEveryone needs encouragement. Bosses and co-workers alike face difficult situations and make mistakes or fail on a daily basis. They need help to cope with disappointment, fear, doubt and uncertainty. It has been said, "A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success" (Anonymous).Even if people act tough-as if they are successfully handling the overwhelming emotions that accompany a mistake, don't believe it! Somewhere deep inside, they are awash in despair with intense feelings of fear about having made yet another blunder or slip-up.What they desperately need is someone like you to come alongside them and encourage them for trying even in the face of failure?someone who really cares about them?who accepts and acknowledges them by helping to keep their self-esteem intact in spite of the failure.Put Heart into Others at WorkEncouragement is one of the easiest yet greatest work tools available to boost a boss or co-worker's self-esteem. When we put heart into others at work, we lead them to achieve greater things than they ever thought possible. Here are 10 tips to help you be an On-the-Job Encourager:
Show others at work that you care! Exert a positive influence on their work lives by giving them encouragement just because?Deliberately look for small ways to encourage others verbally, in writing or through your own behavior towards them.Act as a cheerleader or a fan club member for a co-worker or boss. Tell them, "I know you can do this?"Reassure team members after a disappointment or setback.Prompt your direct reports and peers to try new things or pursue new opportunities.Offer to help co-workers recover from a disappointment or failure. Give them a shoulder to cry upon when appropriate.Value and accept your co-workers as they are and don't put conditions on accepting them.Help others in the office to believe in themselves. Point out their positive character traits and how these can lead to success in the future.Recognize the efforts and improvements co-workers make especially after a mistake.Show appreciation for the contributions of every team member in your office.
Select someone you can put heart into at work today! Make an effort to be an On-the-Job Encourager!Althea DeBrule, entrepreneur and seasoned human resources executive, has focused for more than 30 years on helping people achieve their career goals. Creator of The Extreme-Career-Makeover? and a founding partner of RADSGroup Organizational Consultants, she is recognized for her bottom line and practical application of career development and management strategies in a way that penetrates hearts and compels action. She speaks and teaches with inspired talent, humor and contagious zeal at management conferences and leadership retreats nationwide, and has been featured in CFO Magazine, Strategy@Work, Human Resource Executive Magazine. Althea is the author of Bosses & Orchards, a compelling and candid book about how to make your work relationship with your boss succeed. To discover how you can take your career to a new level, visit http://www.extreme-career-makeover.com/

Are beliefs not often the children of ignorance and fantasy? Consider the heavenly view of the world that young souls entertain at the height of their innocence, when their youth has been surrounded by love and filled with happiness. Hear their laughter. Dreams expand in a vacuity of knowledge like a laughing gas and induce the blindest, the purest joy. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, because it spares us the mental restraints associated with knowledge (which reveals the limits of reality and hence the impossibility of our fantasies). It is the ultimate playground where the mind can build castles in the air, create a wonderland, and live delightedly in this kingdom of reverie. It paves the way for the reign of error, as it leaves us to believe whatever we like. Everything that is desirable is realizable, if not real, until we find evidence to the contrary. Santa Claus eventually dies of our old age ? when we are no longer so young, so green, that we are easily fooled by a tall story.In truth, however wise we may be, we are still at risk. We spontaneously indulge in fantasies about the world here below, which is never totally known, or the beyond, which is unknowable. We are always tempted to believe that our health, our relationships, our career, or any other part of our life, will be wonderful, or that our death will not be an end, but a passage from here to a paradisal hereafter. This temptation is irresistible for many when they discover a charismatic fortuneteller or spiritual leader who professes this belief, which remains unproven nonetheless. Our believing is then the result of ignorance and fantasy, plus faith.An example of self-deceit that concerns young idealists and betrays their warm-blooded aspiration for perfect love is the illusive passion they often experience toward attractive members of the opposite sex whom they little know. By perfect love I mean a complete and durable harmony at every level ? physical, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual ? between two lovers. It involves friendship to a high degree, as the words "girlfriend" and "boyfriend" suggest. While it includes lust, it transcends and transfigures it.Pop songs are common vehicles for this ideal, which entices many young souls. I am thinking of young men in particular, who are usually quick to fantasize about pretty young women and fall madly in love with them, or rather with a fantastical image of them. This quickness is typical of their ardent and imprudent youth. It needs nothing more than a few smiles and nods, a few gracious words of agreement, to make these young men imagine they have found a soul mate, as they pour out their inner self ? their sense of what is good, true, right, or sacred. A few auspicious signs and, voil

Waking up one day and realizing your world just isn't working for
you is the first step into an incredibly exciting new journey.
That awakening is to be the first of many. Maybe you've been
reading self improvement books and feeling like something is
missing. That's a sure sign your life may be changing, especially
if you are beginning to question your own spirit.Have you listened to yourself lately? I mean really listened?
Did you hear anything? Maybe your inner voice has been quiet and
suppressed for so long it forgot how to speak. Maybe it really
has wanted to speak but hasn't been given permission.Recently I saw the result of a study on one of the prime-time
news shows. The study showed that by the time a child is five
years old, that child will have been told "No!" over 100,000
times! What are the ramifications of this? Just imagine. A
child's only job is to just be who they are. That's it! Can you
imagine that if 9 times out of 10, the child was just being
him/herself and was told "No."? Eventually the child internalizes
this simple word into the understanding that being the self is
not okay.The painful truth is that most of society has been raised this
way. What does it mean when this child becomes an adult? That
adult is shut off from his/her spirit and is living life
according to someone else's rules, limitations, ideas, parameters
and belief systems. This adult may be unable to make decisions
without consulting others, looking to others to make the
decisions for them.This is where that underlying word "No!" setup the outside
authority figure that the adult still looks for today. He/she
doesn't realize, and was never really taught, that when you
become an adult you also become your own authority figure. That
may be an implied belief at 18. "You're an adult now and you have
to make your own decisions," the 18 year old is told. This
statement, however, does not include the words, "You no longer
require our (parents') permission. You are your own authority
now." Wow, wouldn't that have been nice if it had been spelled
out like that. Unfortunately we take some of that authority and
dump it into doing things that we've always wanted to do
externally, like drinking, partying and more.But, how much of that is a rebellion and how much is remembering
your spirit and the inner truth of your being? It gives you
something to think about.Maybe you've never rebelled. Many women suffer from the "good
girl" syndrome. This may be the worst offender in the case
against remembering your spirit and inner truth. The good girl
syndrome is so deeply ingrained that the child seemingly lives to
please others. Others are the priority, and the self doesn't
really matter. In fact, it feels as though the self doesn't even
exist. It's been so long since the self had a chance to speak
that there is virtually no sense of self left at all. All those
times being told "No!" have accumulated into a pliable body, a
seeming automaton, a robot who is only here to serve others.
Sound familiar?Is it any wonder why so many people are searching for assistance
in this day and age? The book industry is loaded with self-help
books. There is a growing discomfort within this world of
robots. Like Robin Williams in Bicentennial Man, there is a
growing desire within our own lives that makes us stop and say,
"Wait a minute, this is not enough for me. I have a voice and
somewhere deep down inside of me, I have a self, and it's time I
found out who that is."Being a robot no longer works for us once we have that initial
awareness, that one little light bulb that turns on inside that
says, "There must be something more to my life than this." That
one little sentence begins a domino effect inside, tumbling down
the building blocks of denial that formulated the structure of
our lives at such a young age.Once this crumbling begins, it truly is a 'brand new day.' The
world begins to look different and feel different. That's
because you are different. You asked a question and found a
voice. Now is the time to begin the search to find your self.
It's in there somewhere, underneath all those denial blocks,
limitations, boundaries and belief systems. A self is waiting to
be born!Remember, our parents always did the best they could with what
they knew how to do. If they had been raised any differently
themselves, then they would have raised you differently, but they
weren't. So, there's no blame here, plain and simple. It's just
finally time to start breaking the generational family
patterning. It starts with you.Your questioning and questing breaks the chain. You know that
once you remember your self, you will pass a new way of being
onto your children. As you grow, learn and discover your self,
you can't help but share that new expression with others.
Remember to welcome your self to this world. Remember that it
truly is OK to just be your SELF!

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 17, 2003My dilemma is this. I've been going out with my boyfriend for five months. He is a very loving and romantic guy and would do basically anything for me. But the other night we were making love, and he said a friend's name instead of mine.Now this girl isn't particularly good-looking, she's quite small, her eyes are funny looking, and her teeth are all over her mouth. Basically she looks like a caveman. Nonetheless it still hurt me, and I pushed him away.He tried to explain he had been out with friends he hadn't seen in ages and met up with her. He said he was supposed to ask me to do something for her, and that's why he said her name. I wouldn't listen to him. I tried to go to sleep while he kept asking me to talk to him.I find myself thinking more and more about this situation. I'm not answering his phone calls or e-mails or anything. I do love him, but now I'm questioning whether he really loves me or has he got a thing for his unattractive friend.TrudyTrudy, everyone misspeaks at times. Parents often call one child by another child's name, and all of us stumble with a name or song title on the tip of our tongue. Ask most people what you put in a toaster, and they say toast, not bread. Ask what cows drink, and people often say milk, not water.Sometimes, however, feelings come out in embarrassing ways. If you made cruel remarks about his friend's appearance, that could be enough to bring her to mind. Physical beauty is not an accomplishment but an accident of nature. Being a person of interest and value, however, is an expression of self and no accident.Men don't take catty remarks well. They find them nasty not amusing. It could be your boyfriend was returning an emotional injury you gave him in slighting her, but one instance means nothing. If you are adding value to this, your reaction says more about you than your boyfriend's misspeaking.TamaraCold HeartMy ex-boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago, but we agreed to stay friends. He went away for a month soon after, and we e-mailed a few times. When he returned, I spoke with him on the phone once. Later I e-mailed him, and he said maybe we could meet as friends.I replied it might feel awkward meeting up so soon because I still had strong feelings for him. I didn't get a reply. Some days later I sent a text message saying if he wants to meet for a chat, let me know. Again I got no reply.He replied a few days later saying he'd been busy and both his parents were ill. A week later I e-mailed saying if he wants to meet for a chat, we probably had enough space now. I didn't get a reply for a week. I was so angry I sent him a message saying since he doesn't want to stay in touch, so much for us being friends. Goodbye.He replied that his dad died the previous week. However one of my friends told me that his dad being ill and dying is no excuse for him not staying in touch. Another friend agreed that the dad dying is no excuse either. Should I expect an ex who's now a friend to treat me no different than any other friend?MaryanneMaryanne, in the real world, the death of a parent is a good excuse for not keeping in touch. If you are as insensitive and callous as your friends, this might be the reason you broke up in the first place. The truth is your contact with him is based on a lie. You don't want to be friends. You want him back.WayneAbout The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.