“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” The author of this phrase, Elbert Hubbard, also wrote a story about Ida Straus, and her death on the Titanic. As a woman she was supposed to be placed on a lifeboat before any of the men, but she refused to board the boat: “Not I!” she said, “I will not leave my husband. All these years we’ve traveled together, and shall we part now? No,” she said, “our fate is one.” Hubbard then added his own stirring commentary:
“Mr. and Mrs. Straus, I envy you that legacy of love and loyalty left to your children and grandchildren. The calm courage that was yours all your long and useful career was your possession in death. You knew how to do three great things—you knew how to live, how to love, and how to die.” “Happy lovers, both,” Elbert said, “In life they were never separated, and in death they are not divided.”
Ask yourself these three simple questions: Have I discovered the key to a full life? Have I learned to love with a full heart? What will I do when one day I face death? These questions, as simple as they may appear, lie at the core of a meaningful life.
If such human love like Mrs. Strauss is capable of such great sacrifice—what could you do with devotion and love of this type? How could you influence those around you?
Visit my website today, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!
Today we continue with some steps to help you in Putting Your Dream to the Test.
- Regard the experts. John Maxwell, leadership expert and noted author of over 60 books says, “In 40 years I’ve realized that the payments required for reaching a dream never stop. The higher you want to go the more you must give up, and the greater price you pay the greater joy you feel when you finally reach your dream!”
- Keep the Dream alive whatever it takes. Ask these questions: How long before I succeed? What if I fail on my first attempt? Look for incremental progress, because it always takes longer than you expect! Don’t live in the desire for completion, live in the reality of incremental change. As long as you are moving forward you are making progress!
The Cost of your dream? Face the reality that you may need to raise the funds to acquire your dream, you may need a new education, you may need to find legal assistance to initiate your idea!
You might say, “I don’t have enough money to fulfill my vision!” Believe it or not, that’s not a new thought! Most dreams begin with very little. We have always taught young leaders that money follows vision.
Remember, it’s not the money in your pocket that counts, but the value of the idea in your mouth that will open the door to opportunity. It’s not what you have or what you know, but often it’s the Who that you will meet that will make a dream a reality! Ask yourself, “Who do I know?” “Who can I get to know?”
Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets! http://bit.ly/1gmsroFhttps://
Today and tomorrow in my Live Your Dream series I want to talk about Putting Your Dream to the Test. What measurements, standards or costs are associated with your dream?
Anything worth having has a price attached. As an athlete I learned early on: no pain, no gain. What do I mean? To improve our game, skills, and opportunity we had to practice, practice, practice! In the daily pursuit of our dream sometimes we didn’t feel like carrying on, but the sheer will of fortitude, the desire to win, and the constant challenge to press beyond our current capabilities kept us charging forward toward our destination.
Today, let’s begin refining our dream by discovering the facts. How do we do this? We begin by first researching what it takes. We ask questions such as, “what price is too high to pay?” You can count the cost of your dream by asking some more specific questions:
- What will my dream cost me personally—financially and emotionally?
- What will my dream cost my family, my marriage?
- What will my dream require from my current free time? Are you willing to give up your free time to learn a new skill, take a class, build a prototype, set a goal? Consider the price before you embark!
Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets! http://bit.ly/1gmsroFhttps://
As a young woman Mother Theresa, who was suffering from tuberculosis, heard the “call within the call”. She knew she was to leave the convent in Calcutta and work with the poor living among them. With only 5 Rupees in her hand, she started a school in the slums to teach the children of the poor.
Mother Theresa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and India’s highest Civilian Award, set up nearly 570 homes for the poor in 125 countries.
With only 5 Rupees and battling sickness in her own body, Mother Theresa rose above poverty and made a better life for millions of people. One idea, one thought from God can bring significant change, not only to your life, but to the lives of those you know in your community and in your nation! http://bit.ly/1E6nKV7
Today we continue our discussion on Friendship, and friendship with God.
One night a man by the name of Victoricus appeared to his friend Patrick in a dream. Patrick had known Victoricus in Ireland when they were slaves. In Patrick’s dream, Victoricus held a letter with the heading “The Voice of the Irish,” and as Patrick read it, he heard the voice of a multitude of people crying and begging him to come back and walk among them once more.
You know, the ordinary person might be surprised and happy to have an old friend, or even a multitude, appear to them in a dream. But Patrick’s life was different. The Irish in the early 5th century were a barbaric collection of Celtic tribes, and they were regularly sending out raiding parties to capture slaves and riches. One day a great fleet of boats swept up the west coast of Britain and seized “many thousands” of young prisoners. Among these prisoners was a young man by the name of Patrick, who was taken to the slave markets in Ireland. Although he was educated and spoiled as a youth, he now found himself bound to slavery in the cold highlands of Ireland. Destitute with barely any clothing or food to eat, he would spend months with little to no contact with other humans. Yet in this barren place he developed a friendship with Victoricus, and a deep relationship with God.
Victoricus was a reminder to Patrick of Ireland’s need for help. He was an Irishmen trapped in the same slavery that Patrick had experienced. Perhaps you are like Victoricus and you need help? Or perhaps you’ve had a picture in your heart of someone you would like to help?
The dream appearing to Patrick to come and help the Irish was relentless, and finally he surrendered and trained for the ministry in France. A few years later he emerged from seminary as a young Bishop, eventually arriving on the shores of Ireland as the country’s first known missionary. By the time of Patrick’s death the Irish slave trade had ended, and murder and inter-tribal warfare had decreased significantly.
Today, you can be that friend, that caring voice of encouragement as Victoricus was to Patrick, and as Patrick was to an entire nation. You can help someone else find their destiny. So go ahead, take the risk, you won’t be disappointed!
I encourage you today to go to my website, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!
Have you ever asked yourself, “How do I live my dream? Where do I begin?”
Abraham, a man of God in the bible, desired to have a family. He and his wife were very old, beyond the child bearing age. But God gave Abraham a dream and told him to, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, that’s how many descendants you will have!”
Maybe life’s struggles or hard economic times tell you to downsize your dream but ideas are meant to be SUPERSIZED! Dream big – live large with your ideas!
When capturing your dream, take off the limits. You are like a star in the sky, shining with potential. If each one of us dares to dream the impossible we can change our lives, our families and our communities!
Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets! http://bit.ly/1gmsroF
Scripture: Genesis 15:5
According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, the vast majority of the world’s population comes into this world with genes that should enable them to live a happy and healthy life. He says a staggering 98% of diseases are due to lifestyle choices and therefore they are related to our thinking.
It has been estimated that 75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. So what is the stress that I speak of? Could it be distress in the mind—a mind filled with a continuous stream of worries, fears and distorted perceptions, all of which trigger degenerative processes throughout the mind and the body?
Well, today I want to offer YOU a choice for peace in your mind and freedom of disease in your body. Christ is the solution to your cares. He offers a way out of stress by simply calling on His name. Today, Jesus offers you friendship with God, peace for your mind and ultimately health for your soul and body. Wherever you are, simply pray, “Jesus, I choose You! Be my friend today!”
If you’d like more help, more information on healing, or someone to pray with you, please contact us today. We are waiting to hear from you. http://bit.ly/1gmsroF
An elderly woman in Africa lived under an overpass in a cardboard house. She was dirty and alone. Her body was full of tuberculosis and no one wanted anything to do with her.
One day several ladies from the local church ventured out to see this lonely soul. You can only imagine how shocked this sick little woman was to see these very proper women show up under her bridge! The ladies had come to invite her to an outdoor Christian meeting where people were being healed. Reluctantly, she agreed to join them, but not knowing how the people might react to her, she insisted on standing at the edge of the very large crowd.
As she stood there she heard the speaker say, “God loves you, He’s closer than any friend and He doesn’t want you to be sick!” At that moment the church ladies glanced over and noticed their sick friend was smiling and breathing normally!
Her new companions were so excited that they insisted she go to the platform and tell everyone what had just happened. A few minutes later, as she stood there on the platform, she said to the large crowd,
“You know me. I am the woman you pass by every day. The one who lives under the bridge.” The ladies who brought her interrupted her and said, “Tell the people how God healed you today. Tell them!” The little old lady looked at the crowd and began her story again. “Yes,” she said, “I am healed, but what I know is that when I go home today, I will never be alone again! I have a new friend and His name is Jesus!”
If God has done something wonderful in your life and you have a story you would like share, we would love to hear from you! http://bit.ly/1MtTjPF
In his book, “The Message that Works,” Dr. TL Osborn includes a chapter about Friendship With God, in which he states that God declares, “You can trust Me, I will trust you!”
Have you ever considered that God trusts you? And therefore you can trust yourself? I believe this is the essence of God’s heart toward you today.
You and I were created for fellowship with God, for friendship with God. Our rightful place is at His side—not under His feet or under His thumb. He doesn’t carry a hammer or a whip, commanding obedience…no, our rightful place is standing arm-in-arm with the living, loving God.
There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. What does a true friend offer? Unconditional Acceptance, Unwavering Commitment, Unswerving Loyalty. And today, what does Jesus offer YOU? Uncompromising, unwavering Support when you don’t know where to turn.
If you would like to know more about friendship with God, contact us today. We are here to help you! http://bit.ly/1gmsroF
In the midst of his captivity, Patrick discovered a life-changing truth – a discovery that I am praying you will also make. YOU HAVE A FRIEND WITH GOD. A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
Six years after Patrick’s kidnapping he had a dream. In his sleep, he heard a voice say “Your hungers are rewarded: you are going home.” He sat up, startled, and the voice continued, “Look, your ship is ready.” So Patrick got up and began walking. 200 miles later, he arrived at the coast and saw a ship.
Now, no ship would ever give passage to a fugitive slave, and the captain told the young man to move on. But knowing this was his ship, Patrick spent some time in prayer. Before he had finished, a sailor approached him with the message that he could sail with them.
Have you ever asked the question, “How do I pray?” In Patrick’s 6 years of solitude, he found the answer: prayer is talking with God, your friend. It’s just a conversation between friends!
So, what’s holding you back today? The scripture says seek Me and you will find Me. You can seek Him right now! How? Just ask Him to come into your heart and into your thoughts. Prayer is opening your heart to God’s thoughts and ways—He desires to open His heart to you, and He will answer you.
Out of young Patrick’s friendship with God grew one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. Today Patrick is known as St. Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland. And today – God offers you friendship!
If you have just opened your heart and your life to God and would like to know more about receiving God’s love, contact us today. We have resources to help you! http://bit.ly/1h5jTCD
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:13
