JoAnna Lynn Oblander's Blog, page 47

Dare to Make Your Dreams Become a Reality…

I am a huge Disney fan. I love the daring,  the creativity and the persistence demonstrated by Walt Disney. Can you imagine a world without Disney? What a positive legacy he left behind for each of us to enjoy! What a world he created because he was willing to dare to make his dreams a reality!

I love Disney not because I believe that he was infallible but because he exercised hope and dared to dream and he followed his heart. Following our heart is way more important than most people realize!

As we finish the week, I hope you will enjoy the following story!:

Think, Believe, Dream and Dare

An eight-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up into his eyes, and asked: “I understand you’re a very wise man. I’d like to know the secret of life.”

The old man looked down at the youngster and replied: “I’ve thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words.

The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your life by.

The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you’ve done about the values you’re going to live your life by.

The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values you’re going to live by.

The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values.”

And with that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy, “Think, Believe, Dream, and Dare.”

~ Author Unknown ~

(Shared from http://www.lifeofhope.com/think_belie...)

 

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How Do You Know and Describe God?

During my near death experience, I was allowed to witness a visit that I had with God prior to my life on earth. As a result, I know and understand God in ways that few mortals do. Most importantly, I know that God is perfect. We, as mortals, talk about God being perfect but our mortal limitations make it almost impossible to relate to what perfect really is.

In God’s case, perfection is not dependent on our perspective. God’s perfection is whole and complete. There is nothing that God does not know. There is no talent, ability, or knowledge that He is lacking. He is not perfect compared to __________ (you fill in the blank). He is the completely and utterly and totally perfect.

I often see man try to humanize God and instill in Him weaknesses and faults. It may make someone feel better (I doubt it?) but that does not change God. God is unchanging and He does not waver. God’s laws do not change, His purposes do not change, and neither does His love.

The God I have come to know, as a result of my near death experience, is intent on helping us learn, loves nothing more than to be able to bless us, is our most ardent fan and supporter and loves us perfectly.

If there is one lesson that I have learned as a result of all of my experiences, it is that we can come to know and understand God most easily through our hearts. It is within our hearts that we feel Him and it is within our hearts that we are taught all truth – including all truth about God.

Today I would like to share a story from the following website: http://godrestorestestimonials.weebly...

I hope you enjoy the story about the King!

A king who did not believe in the goodness of God, had a slave who, in all circumstances, said: “My king, do not be discouraged, because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes!”

One day they went hunting and along the way a wild animal attacked the king. His slave managed to kill the animal, but could not prevent his majesty losing a finger.

Furious and without showing his gratitude for being saved, the nobleman said “Is God good? If He was good, I would not have been attacked and lost my finger.” The slave replied: “My king, despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good, and he knows “why” of all these things. What God does is perfect. He is never wrong!” Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his slave.

Later, he left for another hunt and was captured by savages who made human sacrifices. In the altar, ready to sacrifice the nobleman, the savages found that the victim had not one of his fingers, so he was released. According to them, it was not so complete to be offered to the gods.

Upon his return to the palace, he authorized the release of his slave that he received very affectionately. “My dear, God was really good to me! I was almost killed by the wild men, but for lack of a single finger, I was let go! But I have a question: if God is so good, why did he allow me to put you in jail?”

The slave replied: ”My King, if I had gone with you in this hunt, I would have been sacrificed for you, because I have no missing finger, therefore, remember everything God does is perfect. He is never wrong.”

Thank you for letting me share my knowledge of God with you today. May God’s blessings be yours and may you feel His perfect love for you!

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When It is of God…It is Simple

Simplicity is the hallmark of God. For me, it has become a sign. When I see complexity and chaos, I know it is man made because God does not use either tool.

Did you ever think about the Atonement of Jesus Christ? His sacrifice was comprehensive but there were no elaborate programs, piles of red tape or complicated mandates. The gifts of the Atonement are now offered to each man, woman and child without fanfare or complication. Yet, the impact and availability of those gifts are profound! A true sign that the Atonement is affiliated with God!

Today, I want to share a story from http://bemorewithess.com:

Matt’s Simplicity Story:

I am very slow and selective when it comes to labeling myself, so I don’t call myself a minimalist. Yet I certainly apply minimalist and simple living principles to my life.

I will admit that the reason I began adopting minimalist principles is selfishness. I didn’t like the clutter that surrounded me. I didn’t like the unease I felt in a messy space. I didn’t like keeping a calendar with every box filled with blue ink, black ink, and penciled in appointments. I didn’t enjoy being drained after over committing myself yet again.

I was wildly successful in my simplifying efforts. My house is emptier, more peaceful, and easier to maintain. My calendar is emptier and my weeks are less rushed.

I don’t want to share how I began implementing simple living principles. I want to share why I still work to keep my space and schedule minimal.

I apply minimalist principles…

…because my wife is important. I love her. I want her to have a husband who knows her—really knows her. I want to be a husband who knows what projects she’s working on and what she’s struggling with. I want to be a husband who takes the time to listen. I want to the one who encourages her, celebrates with her, and gives her my best self.

…because my children are important. I love them. I want them to have a father who pretends to be a dragon, who roars, who chases them around the dining room table. I want my kids to have a dad who colors with them and reads them books. I want to teach them how to be angry at one another and manage their emotions responsibly and then forgive.

…because my parents are important. I love them. They won’t always be here; but they’ve been there for me since my birth. I’m finally beginning to understand how much time and effort they put into raising their family. I want them to have a son who tells them they’ve done a good job. More, I want them to have a son who shows them they’ve done a good job by the way he lives his adult life. I want them to have a son who spends lazy afternoons with them and listens to their stories of my long-dead relatives. I want them to have a son who says “I love you.”

…because my brother and sister are important. I love them. My sister was a girl with a Paula Abdul poster on her bedroom wall; now she has her own husband and daughter. My brother was an expert at Super Mario Brothers; now he’s a kind, responsible tradesman. They grew up so well, I didn’t even realize they did it. I want to be the brother who tells them I’m proud of who they’ve become. I want to be the brother who laughs and laughs with them until our stomachs hurt and we say, “oh, look at the time! How did it get so late so quickly?” I want them to have a brother they’re also proud of.

…because the people with whom I worship are important. As are the people of my community. As are the people who call me a friend. I love them. I want to be the one among the many who pray for them…who listen to them…who help them…who praise their accomplishments.

Likewise, you are important. You are loved—and the people who love you are important. Those people you love are important. The person you are right now is important. So is the person you want to be in the future. So is the person you’re actually going to be. The things you catch yourself daydreaming about are important. Even your fears are important.

I started applying minimalist principles because I loved myself and wanted to create a more enjoyable life. I continue applying minimalist principles because I grew in my love for others. I try to keep the greatest things at the center so I can be a better man and thus give continually better to them.

I find Matt’s story both heartwarming and a reminder that love grows and blooms best where life is simple and free from complicated distractions. Love is simple and free gift from God. I am so grateful for God’s simple gifts of abundance!

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There is No Royal Road to Anything…Creating a Meaningful Life

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Are you creating a meaningful life? Do you know what a meaningful life looks like? Are you wanting to be an overnight success? Do you know what success looks like? In heaven, success looks like love, kindness, and service. On earth, it is often painted as wealth, fame and power.

We have within us that compass that came with us from heaven. We may obtain wealth, fame and power but our inner compass will continually confirm that we have not obtained success until we allow love, kindness and service to be a part of our life.

Today I want to share a wonderful story from http://www.inspirationalstories.eu:

A man was driving his car, when he saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road. He saw that she needed help. So he stopped his Pontiac near her Mercedes and got out.

He smiled, while he was approaching her, still she was worried, as nobody had stopped for hours. Moreover, he did not look safe, as his appearance was so poor and shabby. He could see, how frightened she was, so he tried to calm her: „ I‘m here to help you, don‘t worry. My name is Bryan Anderson“.

The tire was flat, so he had to crawl under the car. While changing the tire, he got dirty and his hands were hurt.

When the job was done, she asked how much she owed him for his help. Bryan smiled. He said: „If you really want to pay me back, the next time you see someone, who needs help, give that person the needed assistance. And think of me“.

At the same evening, the lady stopped by a small cafe. That place looked dingy. Then she saw a waitress, nearly eight months pregnant, wiping her wet hair with a towel. The waitress had a sweet friendly smile, although she had spent on her feet the whole day.

The lady wondered how someone, who has so little, can be so kind and giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

The lady had finished her meal and paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress went to get change and when she came back, the lady was gone. She left a note on the napkin: „You don‘t own me anything. Somebody once helped me, just like now I‘m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, do not let this chain of love end with you“. The waitress found four more one hundred bills under the napkin.

That night the waitress came home earlier. She was thinking about the lady and the money she left. She was wondering, how the lady could know, how much she and her husband needed it, especially now, when the baby will soon arrive. She knew that her husband worried about that, so she was glad to tell him good news. Then she kissed him and whispered „Now everything will be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson“.

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As We Observe Evil and Opposition

Opposition and trials are a part of life. They are also a part of growth. There is no question that, at times,  great suffering comes as a result of the choices of others. However, we should be quick to note that great blessings also come because of the choices of others.

We would all do well to remember that each of us is a contributor to the world we live in. None of us has an anonymous effect on the world. It is our choice whether our contribution will be positive or negative at any given moment. Choices are a blessing and we are given great power in the blessing of choice.

I am often inspired by stories that share the power of positive choice – especially under adverse conditions. I believe that positive choices combined with faith and prayer constitute the ingredients for receiving some of God’s greatest blessings!

It is in that spirit that I want to share a story from the blog of Seth Adam Smith at:  https://sethadamsmith.com which was shared on March 27, 2014:

I’ve been feeling really discouraged lately—like, really discouraged. While struggling to move forward, I was quietly reminded of this true story. It is—quite frankly—one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever heard.

It was the summer of 1941, and the Nazis were rapidly tearing through Russia, destroying everything in their path. Adolph Hitler had pompously declared that by August 9, 1942, Nazis would celebrate the taking of Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg).

On September 8, 1941, the Nazis surrounded the city of Leningrad, forming a blockade.

The city’s almost 3 million civilians (including about 400,000 children) refused to surrender and endured rapidly increasing hardships in the encircled city. Food and fuel stocks were limited to a mere 1-2 month supply, public transport was not operational and by the winter of 1941-42 there was no heating, no water supply, almost no electricity and very little food. In January 1942 in the depths of an unusually cold winter, the city’s food rations reached an all time low of only 125 grams (about 1/4 of a pound) of bread per person per day. In just two months, January and February of 1942, 200,000 people died in Leningrad of cold and starvation. Despite these tragic losses and the inhuman conditions the city’s war industries still continued to work and the city did not surrender. [Source: Saint-Petersburg.com]

By the end of the siege, the number of deaths in Leningrad outnumbered those who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, combined.

Under these conditions, in the midst of what would become an 872-day siege, the Symphony of Leningrad planned a “counter-offense.” They resolved to perform the newly-completed Seventh Symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich, a native of Leningrad, and broadcast it on loudspeakers throughout the city, towards enemy lines.

The score—both long and complex—called for a 90 piece orchestra, and only half of the members of the symphony at Leningrad had survived the horrors of the siege.

Despite extra rations, many members of the symphony would faint from exhaustion during rehearsals. They all had strength enough to play through the whole piece only once—three days before their big performance.

Their performance was set for August 9, 1942. It was no coincidence that August 9th was also the date set by Hitler to celebrate the capture of Leningrad.

The Philharmonic Hall was packed – people came in their finest clothes; city leaders and generals took their places. The musicians, despite the warm August temperature, wore coats and mittens – when the body is starving, it is continually cold. Outside, throughout the city, people gathered to listen at loudspeakers. Hours earlier, Leonid Govorov, Leningrad’s military commander since April 1942, ordered a barrage of artillery onto the German lines to ensure their silence for long enough time for the work to be performed without interruption. Loudspeakers, on full volume, pointed in the direction of the Germans – the city wanted the enemy to hear.

‘This performance,’ announced Eliasberg in a pre-recorded introduction, ‘is witness to our spirit, our courage and readiness to fight. Listen, Comrades!’ And the city listened, as did the Germans nearby. They listened as the city of Leningrad reasserted its moral self.

At the end – silence. Then came the applause, a thunderous applause that lasted over an hour. People cheered and cried. They knew they had witnessed a momentous occasion. It was, as Eliasberg described later, the moment ‘we triumphed over the soulless Nazi war machine.’…

…Years after the war, Eliasberg met some Germans who had been sitting encamped in their trenches outside the city. On hearing the music, they told the conductor, they had burst into tears, ‘Who are we bombing?’ they asked themselves, ‘We will never be able to take Leningrad because the people here are selfless.’ [Source: History in a Minute]

When I get really discouraged, I often think about this symphony of Leningrad. They were starving, dying, and surrounded by forces that wanted to destroy them. And yet, in the face of such evil, they found within themselves the strength to play music. And their music was a force that turned the tide of the war.

So, if you’re feeling discouraged and defeated—don’t quit. Play on, hope on, and move forward. Just like the symphony at Leningrad, the music you play—even in the midst of incredible darkness—can and will turn the tide of your own battles.

May great blessing be yours! Have a wonderful weekend!

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What is Your Legacy?

What is your legacy? How would you like to be remembered? Have you taken some time to think about what true success really is and what it looks like when the time comes to make the transition back to God’s realm?

Will you be remembered for your wonderful example, kind word, and many deeds of service or will your loved ones remember that you never had time, always complained about life and did your best to make others miserable?

Life always gives us the choice to be the molder of our lives. Here’s a story to inspire you!:

About a hundred years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his surprise and horror, read his name in the obituary column. The news papers had reported the death of the wrong person by mistake. His first response was shock. Am I here or there? When he regained his composure, his second thought was to find out what people had said about him. The obituary read, “Dynamite King Dies.” And also “He was the merchant of death.” This man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words “merchant of death,” he asked himself a question, “Is this how I am going to be remembered?” He got in touch with his feelings and decided that this was not the way he wanted to be remembered. From that day on, he started working toward peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is remembered today by the great Nobel Prize.

Just as Alfred Nobel got in touch with his feelings and redefined his values, we should step back and do the same.

What is your legacy?

How would you like to be remembered?

Will you be spoken well of?

Will you be remembered with love and respect?

Will you be missed?

Today’s story is shared from great-motivational-stories.blogspot.com

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I Believe in the Absolute Oneness of God….

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We are all a part of the same family. Do you sense it – do you feel it? We are a part of a world that is a part of a divine plan implemented by that Perfect Being who loves us unconditionally and beyond our ability to imagine. God is one with us as we allow him. He is one with all of creation. It is His desire that we be one with Him and with our fellow man.

Our joy and happiness does not depend on our wealth, abilities, or power. Instead, it depends on our relationship to God, our fellowman and our self.

Spend a few moments today contemplating your oneness with the world!

You might want to know that a celebration of oneness will be held on October 11th at 11:00 am for 11 minutes. Put it on your calendar and plan to celebrate peace and oneness with your fellowman!

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The One Principle that Surrounds Everything…Stewardship

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I love today’s quote. Life is such a gift! Our ability to be stewards of our lives is such a blessing! God is the giver of all that is good! May we receive all that is good and wisely manage the stewardship that is ours!

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Stand up for America…. My spirit

When I grow up, I wanna be just like my father. I wanna be just like the Father who is the creator of my soul. My mortal body has finished growing – it may get a little heavier but it has hit its maximum height. However, my spirit is another matter. My spirit has lots of “growing up” to do. It has lots of way in which it needs to grow and lots of ways that I need to “become”. One of them is how I represent my country – my sense of patriotism. Because I am a citizen of the United States, I need to stand up for America.

I have had a few life experiences which have taught me about the blessing of being an American. The first was my trip to Russia during the Kosovo conflict with my husband to adopt our two youngest children, Armed guards waiting as our airplane landed in two of the three airports we landed in and being locked in a room at one of the airports taught me a healthy respect for personal freedom. It only took those few times of having my freedom removed to instill a very strong desire to return to the soil and freedom of my native soil. The second was my near death experience.

That experience is a little more difficult to describe because I have not been allowed by God to remember all that I was shown. However, the feelings of that experience have very much remained and though I cannot tell you why, I returned to my body a new being with patriotism seared into my heart.

I have always believed that I was blessed as a result of living in the United States of America. However, since my near death experience, that belief has grown exponentially. I believe that very few Americans fully realize God’s impact in our lives and in the freedoms that we as a country enjoy. It may seem strange that a near death experience would engender patriotism but, having had that experience, I can tell you that God’s influence was seen by our Founding Fathers and that the desire to be free is a natural component within our hearts that is a God given gift.

When God’s influence is allowed, a people will be free and they will be a self-governing people.

It is my prayer and I hope that you will pray with me that this country would be blessed to continue to be a free nation and that, as a people, we would ever be both self-governing and aware of our many blessings!

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An Invitation to Prayer and Fasting

Sarah Land has initiated a Nationwide fast on Sunday, November 6, 2016. I love Sarah’s idea. Our nation and each of us need it! I believe in this country. I believe that the Lord has blessed this nation. I believe that now, more than ever, the United States of America needs to turn our hearts to our Creator for guidance and strength. I share with you Sarah’s words:

“With the Election coming up, I suggest that as a nation we fast for our country. Try to fast at anytime that you can on this day. If you can’t on this day, do so on another day. Fast for inspiration on who to vote for. Fast for Peace. If for whatever reason you can’t fast, just pray. Invite everyone.

If you don’t know how to fast this is how I fast: Start with a prayer. Prayerfully abstain from food and water for two meals. End with a prayer.”

I would ask that you also fast and pray that the individuals who will lead this nation and our communities by utilizing the Lord’s guidance would be elected.

The Lord is the perfect source of help and strength! There are many more stories throughout the scriptures that tell of the Lord’s assistance and protection! For example, here is a portion of the story of Elisha from 2 Kings 6:14-16:

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

I learned in heaven that God is the same – He never changes. How can you change perfection? Why would you want to? God has helped His children throughout all ages! He continues to help us today as we turn to Him and request His help (And do our part)! I hope you will join with Sarah, others and myself in prayer and fasting on November 6th!

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