Daily Hope and Inspiration from Pastor Mark

Friday, June 24, 2011

9 Keys to Powerful Personal Change

Friends, please take a look.  "The Nine Keys to Powerful Personal Change" is excerpted from The Promise of Hope by Edward Grinnan.
I have added my 12 Step and spiritual notes and personalized these 9 Keys to fit with my experience because….Change Is Good But It Is Hard…


Key 1: Begin with Honesty…Take a look in the mirror
Transformational personal change begins with honesty Fear is the greatest obstacle to change. We hide from tough truths about ourselves and what we want in life. Most of us are honest, yet there’s no one easier to lie to than ourselves. Real change requires a fearless look in the mirror.

“But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary,” Big Book pg 73

“A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.”  Proverbs 12:17

Key 2: Willingness Is Honesty in Action
You have to find the willingness to do something about what you see.

“Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.” Big Book, Spiritual Experience, Appendix 2
“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.” 2 Corinthians 8:11

Key 3: Positive Attitude Points the Way
Attitudes lead to behaviors; behaviors repeated and honed become habit; and new habits become change. We all can change, but we have to provide our own drive with honest motives and true effort to become the change we seek.

“It works, if we have the proper attitude and work at it.” Big Book pg 86
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus.” Philippians 2:5

Key 4: Commitment is the Engine of Personal Change
The engine of personal change is commitment During the process of growth and personal change we can be challenged by temporary failure and setbacks. During these times, commitment keeps us focused on our larger purpose. It is you, keeping a promise to yourself that will set you free!

 “There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process requires for its successful consummation.” Big Book pg 25

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3


Key 5: Building a Bridge to God
Faith is not believing that God can...It is in knowing that God will. Growing your faith is building a bridge to God. Just like anything we build, we have to supply action and effort.

“The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust God.”  Big Book pg 68

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17


Key 6: Know How to Forgive
Happy people know how to forgive When we forgive, we release both ourselves and the person we forgive from resentment and anger. It’s the ultimate act of letting go and moving on.

“It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness.” Big Book pg 66

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13

Key 7: Make the Most of What We Are Given

Acceptance means changing yourself in order to adapt to hard realities. When we choose acceptance, we can make the most of what we are given. It frees us from a doomed struggle and allows us to conform mentally and spiritually to life events we have no power over, may not understand and cannot change. Acceptance is a choice that I must make daily. It saves me from my self will and fear.

“And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation—some fact of my life —unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake.” Big Book pg 449 (3rd edition); pg 417 (4th edition)

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience,  not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?” Romans 2:4

Key 8: Resilience Is the Power We All Possess
Resiliency is the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity. In this life we will be challenged and suffer setbacks, its part of our human experience.  We all have them. It is how we recover and move on that determines our success. Resilience is the power we possess to bounce back from life’s inevitable setbacks.

“Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.” Big Book pg 84

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Key 9: Love Is the Final Indispensable Step
Change is a process of self-discovery. Love is the final step to personal transformation and happiness. Love is the greatest power for change in the universe. It allows us to truly understand and be ourselves. Without love, we feel empty and purposeless. But with it, we are free to become our truest selves.

“Love and tolerance of others is our code.” Big Book pg 84

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12



"The Nine Keys to Powerful Personal Change" is excerpted from The Promise of Hope by Edward Grinnan. Copyright © 2011 by Guideposts. All rights reserved.

Monday, June 20, 2011

"T.H.I.N.K" before you speak!

A review for me!
T.H.I.N.K. before you speak
I have spent this year working on improving my words and actions. My goal has been to RESPOND instead of REACT to situations and conversations. I have a lot more to learn on this and thanks to God, a life time to make it a habit!
The short version is that I need to be positive and uplifting with my words, even when I am pointing out a negative, using discipline, or correcting something that needs changed.
Please consider this suggestion; it will help you present your words and ideas in a positive manner.
"T.H.I.N.K" before you speak!
"T" stands for True. Before you speak, make sure that what you're saying is true. Don't mistake spiritual discernment for opinion, innuendo, slander, or gossip. 
"H" stands for Helpful. Ask yourself if the words you're offering are helpful. Don't judge, but seek to build up an individual rather than tearing them down. Remember that what goes around comes around!
"I" stands for Inspiring. Be uplifting and positive with your words. Genuine encouragement can help to point others toward Christ, His love, and restoration.
"N" stands for Necessary. Don't be a fault-finder regarding matters of little importance. Ask yourself if it's really necessary to take action and what's at stake. This world is full of negativity. How can our words make a positive and impactful difference?
"K" stands for Kind. Be kind and humble in your approach. We need to “remove the plank from our eyes before addressing the specks we see in others”. Matthew 7:5 This means that we must“clean our side of the street” before addressing the faults of others. Big Book pg 77

Dear friends, please guard your words and actions. Please make sure that what is coming from your mouth is God centered, bathed in humility and will cover the receiver with grace and kindness!  Think before you speak!

“... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love....”
--Ephesians 4:2
The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.
                                                    page 83 Big Book

Monday, June 6, 2011

Make Peace with the Past

Some of life’s greatest roadblocks are not the ones we see through the windshield; they are, instead, the roadblocks that seem to fill the rearview mirror. Because we are imperfect human beings who lack perfect control over our thoughts, we may allow ourselves to become “stuck” in the past—even though we know better. Instead of focusing our thoughts and energies on the opportunities of today, we may allow painful memories to fill our minds and sap our strength. We simply can’t seem to let go of our pain, so we relive it again and again (Re-sending  ergo RESENTMENT) experiencing predictably unfortunate consequences. Thankfully, God has other plans.



Philippians 3:13-14 instructs us to focus on the future, not the past: “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Yet for many of us, focusing on the future is difficult indeed. Why? Part of the problem has to do with forgiveness. When we find ourselves focusing too intently on the past, it’s a sure sign that we need to focus, instead, on a more urgent need: the need to forgive. No amount of anger or bitterness can change what happened yesterday. Tears can’t change the past; regrets can’t change it. Our worries won’t change the past, and neither will our complaints. Simply put, the past is, and always will be, the past…Forever.


Can you summon both the courage and the wisdom to accept your past and move on with your life? Can you accept the reality that yesterday—and all the yesterdays before it—are gone? And, can you entrust all those yesterdays to God? Hopefully you can. 


So if you’ve endured a difficult past, learn from it, but don’t live in it. Instead, build your future on a firm foundation of trust and forgiveness: trust in your Heavenly Father, and forgiveness for all His children, including yourself.


“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you not as the world gives, I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 


“Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.” Big Book pg 62


“…we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble” Big Book pg 68


Try this Prayer
Lord, free me from anger, resentment, and envy. When I am bitter, I cannot feel the peace that You intend for my life. Keep me mindful that forgiveness is Your commandment, and help me accept the past, treasure the present, and trust the future to You. Amen