Urban Flower
by Teress Esaw

VERSE:

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may
become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a
crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in
the universe as you hold out the word of life.

Philippians 2:14-16

THOUGHT:

Stars. They've always been a source of constant hope for God's
people. "Your descendants will be like the stars," God told
Abraham. "When I see the stars, what is man that you are mindful
of him?" the Psalms ask. The Wisemen from the East followed a star
to Jesus. Luke reminds us that Jesus was a star of morning light
come to us from heaven to shine on those in darkness. And now,
we're stars. God's points of light in the dark sky of the
universe. So let's make today a day where our light shines God's
glory to a dark world around us.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, the incredible expanse of your universe, with its
billions of stars, exceeds my limited comprehension. But I thank
you for calling me to be a place of light in the dark world around
me and I pledge to shine your light today in the lives of all those
I might. Through the name of the Bright and Morning Star I pray.
Amen.

From Heartlight Magazine

Where do we Come From? What are we? Where are we Going?
by Paul Gauguin

Words from a Simple Heart

We all have our 'days', those times we 'get in a mood'.
We're human. We have emotional responses.

Our triggers are different. They correspond with our life
experiences. A teary trigger can bring on a mood where
any number of things, or everything, makes us cry. A
humorous trigger can bring on a mood that sends us into
fits of laughter at everything in sight. An angry trigger can
bring on a mood where nothing is funny and a single tear
would be difficult to locate.

Moods pass. They come. We have our way with them.
They go. We get back to normal.

The biggest problem with 'moods', is the way they affect
the people around us. We're entitled to our moods, the
way we feel, but we have no right to thrust them at every-
one within striking distance. Long after our 'moods' have
passed, the wounds we leave in their wake remain.

It's difficult to be mindful of others when we're having an
emotional response to something and focusing entirely
on ourselves. We forget we're not the only person on the
planet with feelings. Regret or remorse, however, are
powerful reminders.

We revolve 'with' the world. It isn't an orb that circles
around us. The more considerate we are toward others,
the more considerate they'll be when we're not our usual
selves.

Let us do something unusually kind when the 'mood' strikes,
not strike at whoever is handy when we're 'in a mood'.

Living in love and loving life,

Terri McPherson

Landscape with Peacocks
by Paul Gauguin

There may be plenty of reasons to be negative, yet
there's one overwhelmingly compelling reason to be
positive and productive. That reason is your beautiful,
precious, unique and irreplaceable life.

Ralph Marston