Careful Deliberation

Most of us have read this saying somewhere....
Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. ~unknown authors

Sunday, July 24th, 2011 w/ Pastor Paul

Our Word for this week is: “being prudent”

Scripture Text: Proverbs 14:18 (NIV)
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways.”

Our Focus:
Isn’t prudent a great word? Not always understood, nor fully appreciated, but a great word. It means to have “wisdom in practical matters; an advised carefulness.” Solomon of the Old Testament suggests that people who are prudent are people careful about their thought processes, and the thought is given to life and its objectives and direction. Life is lived best when we take time to think clearly, think purposefully, and act only after careful forethought, resisting the seeming urgency to react at the moment. Rash actions often come from rushed decisions, and they misdirect people who do not “give thought to their ways.”

Life is too important for anything less than our careful deliberation. In the book As a Man Thinketh, author James Allen writes, “All that a man achieves or fails to achieve is the direct result of his thoughts.” That being true, is it not prudent to give careful thought before moving forward in any endeavor? Solomon wrote, “As (a man) thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). This verse is about more than a few idle thoughts; it is thought that is birthed in the single focus of our heart. The source of such powerful thought is much more than from our head. It is conviction from our core - deep within our heart (Philippians 4:7-9).

It has been said that a thought is the seed from which our conduct originates; habit is the repetition of conduct; character is the outgrowth of habits; and destiny is the summation of character!

Whatever our endeavor, the better our thinking the better our prospects for success. Original thinking seems currently neither a popular pastime nor a high priority for many. We can easily be persuaded to let others think for us. The daily blitz of entertainment and media lulls us into settling for second hand opinions.

There will always be those eager to do our thinking for us, and then package it for our acceptance without the demanding task of knowing what we think. They will try to convince us that we don’t know enough about the real issues, whether that be fashion, politics, finances, or morals. They urge us to trust and follow . . . and many do. We may be well read and well versed, but if we are not given to careful thought we will merely parrot second hand ideas and mirror someone else’s opinions.

Today, God speaks to individuals mainly through thoughts. Those may be triggered by something we hear, or read, and are told, but if we listen in our heart we will hear God speaking into our thoughts and giving us ideas beyond our present knowledge. Ideas give us influence! And ideas come from thought.

For those interested in receiving Pastor Paul's messages, please e-mail Pastor Paul (pastorpaul@willmarag.org) and mention you would like to be included.

Our prayer for this week is that our thoughts are grounded in Truth. ~Amen

Sara Lester
Wings of Hope

Las Gafas

Watch this, please.  I realize that the quality is a bit cheesy, but it is worth a few minutes of your time.

…Can you imagine what it would be like to have glasses like that?  What it would be like to be the gentleman in the video?  To be quite content with your frustration, only to put on a mysterious pair of glasses that allows you to see a person's true colors.  What would it be like to put on a pair of glasses and discover that each person you encounter has something going on that you otherwise would not have known about: Fear of intimacy or being hurt by another, feelings of discontent or a lack of purpose, addiction, loneliness, grief of a loved one, or a need for lovingkindess.  Can you imagine what it would be like to see people in such a way?  To see that the people you are surrounded by are not just "other people".  To see people for who they really are, not what you assume them to be.  To see that they too have triumphs and struggles.  If we were able to see these things, we would discover that we certainly cannot judge a book by its cover.  That each person we meet is worthy of love, compassion, and empathy.  That we really must walk a mile in another man's shoes before we can truly understand him. 

Now, imagine what it might be like to be those people?  What would it be like to grieve the death of your best friend?  To run away from home at a young age?  To be bullied?  To go bankrupt?  To feel alone?  What might it feel like to live through tragedy, heartbreak, loss?  What might it feel like to know pain?

...You see, that is the thing.  We  have all, each and every one of us, known pain.  We have all faced some sort of hardship at some time in this life.  Yet, so often we seem to forget that about one another.  We know that we must treat one another with kindness, that we must refrain from judgment, that we must not act on our frustration.  But so often, we forget this, and we treat people unjustly.  Or, if we are not guilty of treating people poorly, we may still be guilty of having ill thoughts or feelings towards them.  So often, we ignore the experience of others, or assume that we have them all figured out. 

So often, we let the chance to love someone slip through our fingertips.

...So what can we do about this?  What is the solution to this problem?  The solution, my darlings, is compassion.  It is empathy.  It is lovingkindness.  It is doing good for others, and doing good for ourselves.  It is remembering that we are all in this lifetime together, that we are all interconnected, and interdependent upon one another. 

Put on your glasses tonight, my compassionate birds.  Put on your glasses and see what does not meet the eye.  Have compassion for other people and show them how good you are.  How good you know that they are.  And if you cannot do this,  at least do them no harm.  Take the time to reach out and touch the hearts of your fellow birds, and in turn, allow your heart to be touched by theirs.  

-El  

Monday, August 01, 2011.

Wings of Hope would like to say Thank You to all who attended a Night on the Town with Wings of Hope. It was a successful evening of fundraising for Wings of Hope. A special THANK YOU to Melvin’s on the Lake, and all the vendors who participated! We are so very grateful for all your support!

This week at Wings of Hope we are taking some time to catch our breath. It has been a busy summer!  As we continue to work toward our mission through volunteering; reaching out to the community; and creating neighborhood relationships, we want to let you know of some upcoming events that we are working on.  

·       

             Volunteering at the New London Music Festival August 20, 2011.

·       

             Tuesday Tables (The Link).

·       

             Back to School with Wings of Hope.

Please continue to watch for more information and upcoming details to these and other event we are working on. Again, we sincerely want to take the time to say Thank You to all who support us.

We could not do this without you.

Thank you again,

~Stacy

 "Hope" is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

~Emily Dickinson

ripple. effects. or is it {A}ffects? either way...you know what i mean.

one decision.

has a ripple effect.

at each and every moment.

even the teenie tiny ones.

even the ones we don't consciously DECIDE on.

isn't that crazy?

  a LOOK we don't necessary intend to have on our face...

our body language...

our laughter....

our sadness.....

our whispers....

even just our presence....

we consistently send forth ripple effects, AKA: our ENERGY. - out to all those around us.

at all times, in every moment.

when you really stop to think about it.

the interconnection of your life with the lives of others is SO beautiful.

yet...it can cause SO MANY different emotions at all times.

no matter how hard we try...

we don't always get the results from our actions that we want...

even if we have the best of intentions.

so how do we find peace with the fact our lives impact other lives so very much?

how are we SURE that everything we do is causing the effect that we WANT it to?

sorry to say...it is impossible.

people are going to interpret your words your actions, and just plain YOU - according to their own experiences.

they have no way of knowing where YOU are in your life, nobody shares ALL the same experiences.  they only know where they are, what they have been through.

....and ALL is interpreted accordingly.

every now and then people will misinterpret your intentions.

every now and then YOU YOURSELF will misinterpret your intentions.

PERFECTION in all of us is SO FAR AWAY.

and that is alright. 

we are just doing the best we know how with where we are at.

...and remembering that about EVERYONE is so very important.

empathy.

we should use it always.  or at least try VERY hard to.

and along with that....

all you can really do is....

and go with it.

live.

with confidence.

and FEEL the LOVE all around.

YOU are BEAUTIFUL.

just the way you are.

FLAWS and ALL.

xoxo,

angela.

Try. Just a Little Bit Harder.

Fail[fayl]: to be unsuccessful in trying to do something.

 

Impressive, are they not?  Famous actresses.  Exceptional athletes.  Unprecedented presidents.  Life-changing inventions.  These people are amazing.  Extraordinary, even.

But that is not what this video is really about.  While these people really were phenomenal, it was not about their accomplishments. 

This video is not about failure, either.

This video is about trying, no matter how big or small your goals.  It is about effort.  It is about guts.  And grit.  About having the courage to give something a try.  To give it your all.  Over and over and over again.  It is about taking a risk and doing something you are passionate about. 

Maybe you will fail.  Or perhaps you will succeed. 

But how will you know if you never try?

And that is the thing.  That is the keyword in the definition above.  It is not about being unsuccessful.  It is about trying, no matter what the outcome.  Just try.  You cannot possibly fail if you do not try.  Yet, if you never try, you will never excel either, will you? 

And if you never try, if you never take that risk, you will never really live.

Tonight, my birds, just try.  Do not focus on the outcome.  Rather, focus on your efforts.  On your courage.  Your guts, your grit, your passion.  Focus on yourself, and what you know to be true.  Do not worry yourself with what other people say.  Do not allow yourself to be dismissed.  Do not be bothered by doubt.  Have faith in yourself and know that if you try, if you take that risk, you will live.  And as you live, you shall fly. 

Ellie Otteson
Wings of Hope

Monday. July. 25th. 2011

Happy Monday!!!

I would like give a very special Thank You to the New London Water Days committee for such a warm and friendly welcome. We had such a wonderful time participating in the Water Days parade.

We are in for a busy week again! 

We are still working on the pathways for the Fountains of Hope. Please watch for upcoming information. And watch for the pathway progress at the Fountains of Hope in Spicer (next to the DQ).

Thursday July 28 from 6-8 pm at Melvins on the Lake in Spicer, MN

Come celebrate a Night Out on the Town with Wings of Hope! We will have vendors for you to visit with including Tastefully Simple, Avon, Ali J boutique, The New U plus many others! Please join us for this fun filled evening.

 August 14, 2011. 

We are very proud and excited to have our Grand Opening for the Fountains of Hope! There will be food, fun and games for the whole family. Please watch for more details to come!!

September 24, 2011. 

Join us for Out of the Dark walk at Robin’s Island in Willmar, MN. Start time is 10 am. We welcome you to join out team, donate money to the cause or just come cheer us on! The proceeds benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).              

~Stacy.

 While there's life, there's hope. ~Cicero 

Why Now?

The first answer that comes to mind is another question... Why Not? Should you stop doing something just because you are being questioned on your timing or what inspired you to start in the first place?

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 w/ Pastor Paul

Ever done the right thing, but it turned out to be at the wrong time? Even the right thing at the wrong time will probably not have the desired effect. Ever needed to tell a friend something, but should have waited for a better time? In life timing can be everything – the difference between failure and success, or greater success.

Businesses time their news releases for maximum effect to positively impact stock value. Politicians hold press conferences at the optimum time to make the evening’s national news. The nervous teen agonizes over the best time to ask that special girl on a date. A hopeful suitor carefully plans the words, place, and time to “pop the question” to his prospective bride.

It is always a good time to open our hearts to Jesus Christ. We will never be too good; we can never be too bad; we will never do so too soon, nor have waited too long. This generation, needs men and women with a loyal and intimate relationship with God, a working knowledge of God’s Word, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to understand our times and know what God would have done! The question for each of our hearts is: “Are we willing to be one of those?”

For those interested in receiving Pastor Paul's messages, please e-mail Pastor Paul (pastorpaul@willmarag.org) and mention you would like to be included.

Why Now? As I think about the question more, I find that it IS all about the timing. "Now" is a equal and opposite reaction to an action. It's a consequence or better yet a reflex to an act(s) that will affect the lives of others and cause a ripple effect of positive change. Whether big or small, organized or unorganized, we all can make a difference. We just have to want to.

Our prayer for this week is that we learn the times and seasons of life, and live wisely.~ Amen

Sara Lester
Wings of Hope