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I find brains really fascinating… How powerful it is… How much potential it allows for us to create our lives… How detrimental it can be to our well-being. If you think about it (hehe), we can be in the exact same situation, but have a completely different take on it - depending on the memories that come up and the self-talk we speak. How often are you just present - you know, no inner voice rabbiting on inside your head. Having real peace. So much of our lives is taken up by irrational thought. All too often we live in fear… of what? What is actually happening in your life right this very moment? I know 100%. No, I’m not psychic. It’s not a science. What you are doing right now is reading words written by Sarah. You may also be attaching meaning to what you are reading, but that meaning you’ve created is being relayed from past experiences. You may be thinking “Sarah, you’re crazy” or “hey, this is a fresh realisation” - whatever “extra” thoughts you have added, is just that… additions. If you take this to a bigger approach - this is what happens in life. Something happens and we attach meaning to it. We sometimes call it our “opinion” or “interpretation” but that is actually adding something over and above what is happening. Take for example a woman asking her partner “does this make my butt look big?” - all that is happening is, a woman is asking her partner a question. Both people involved can start to have their inner voices chatter away to them… “he better say ‘no’ and mean it, I really want to look good when we go out tonight” or “she’s always asking me this crazy questions - doesn’t she know she looks great in anything?” or “I think I’ve put on some weight since I last bought this outfit, I don’t want to look silly” or “I always have to ask you subtly if I look good coz you never just out-right tell me” or “she’s cornered me, do I tell her the truth or lie - I don’t want to hurt her feelings, I wish she’d stop asking me these questions” or “….” - you get the picture. The inner voice chatter is generated by previous experiences that made us feel a certain way, e.g.
- I’m not good enough
- I have to look incredible
- I’m unintelligible
- I’ll never be as xxx as him

How to stop this chatter? Acknowledge it: “thanks for sharing” then leave it alone. You either feed it or starve it. The choice is yours!

I work as a Speech-Language Therapist (Speech Pathologist). I’ve said it before in the past - this is my current chosen career path. It almost seems overwhelming and mind-boggling to other people that I would willingly do this job. The most common comment I get is “oh, you must be SO patient - I don’t think I could ever do anything like that”. There is truth in that statement - there is a common nature among Speech Therapists. We are patient, caring, and kind-hearted people. We also have the understanding of communication foundations. This makes it easier to understand why people behave, respond, and communicate in a certain way. We work in this area not for money - we work here because we love people and know that communication is a rightful necessity not a given that should ever be taken for granted.

I read about Nick Prefontaine - a teenager who needed Speech Therapy, amongst other types of therapy, for rehabilitation. Nick’s Story, as told by his dad reminded me of the privledge it is to work as a therapist. Reminding me there is always another side to the story - the clients’!…

“The nurses and therapy staff at the hospital made Nick’s progress possible.  They work the miracles; I admire them and often felt small in their presence because of their seemingly unlimited love and patience for these kids who need them. They had to teach Nick everything: how to sit up on his own, walk on his own, throw a ball—all of these were major milestones.  One of the struggles that stand out for me was watching them teach Nick how to speak.

It’s hard for me to articulate just how difficult it was for Nick to learn how to speak again. I watched him and Julie—one of his therapists—for more than an hour one day as she kept coaching him and he kept struggling to make different sounds, and I remember thinking, Will he ever actually be able to form words? He worked day after day on sounds but moved onto words, simple ones at first. He used all his physical and emotional strength in these sessions, very slowly and carefully enunciating one syllable words like dad and ball and big, sweating as if he were running a marathon, and collapsing later on his bed in complete exhaustion. When he was finally able to whisper and started forming sentences, he told us that his goal was not only to walk but to run out of the hospital and go home; that was his only goal—to get home.”

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Hello Nick,

For most people, I would say that life is full of meaning - meaning that we have added from our past experiences. Something happens in our life, and we tell ourselves it means this particular thing. We label things ‘good’ ‘bad’ etc. We are so self-focused that we don’t see the outside world from another perspective. How often do we ever really connect with another human being. You know, just being fully present and in the moment - not distracted by our thoughts, whatever they might be… ‘what are they thinking?’ ‘this person is so annoying - I wish they would shut up’ ‘I really like her dress’ whatever…

Being a believer in Biblical Scripture, I think life explained through it… Take for example:

• Life is empty and meaningless, like chasing after the winds (“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Eccl. 1:14 NIV) “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Eccl. 2:11 NIV))
• Where your treasure is [whatever you think about], there your heart will also be. (Luke 12:34)
• “You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)
• “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)
• “Cast all your care upon Him [God] for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Whatever we do in life is actually nothing and meaningless - we add meaning and importance. If someone was to look at your life like a movie, they would see someone moving about doing things. They might wonder what went on in your past/life causing you to act and talk in such a way. We listen and see the world through the filter-lenses of our past and the meanings we have added to these.

“Life in itself is an empty canvas, it becomes whatsoever you paint on it. You can paint misery, you can paint bliss. This freedom is your glory.”  Osho.

Question: When was the last time you really connected with another human being - no questions or strings attached… just be?

- My latest read by Joyce Meyer.

Yesterday I was challenged in what I read… On the chapter entitled “Cultivate Good Habits” - one habit is to “make a habit of doing your best”. “…I believe mediocrity is unacceptable for a Christian. We must be motivated to excellence and to our very best in whatever we do. God is an excellent God; everything He does is first-rate, and He never gives less than His best. As His representatives, we should be excellent too. As we press past medicrity and make excellence a habit in our lives, we will sense God’s joy in our lives and be good examples to the world.”

Matthew 7:12 ‘The Golden Rule’ - so then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them - in other words, treat others as you would like to be treated. Some practical everyday ways to do this:

• don’t leave messes for other people to clean up
• don’t take the last of the coffee in the coffee pot, the paper in the copier, or the toilet tissue at home and not replace it
• don’t park in handicapped spaces if you are not handicapped
• don’t hit someone’s car in a parking lot and fail to leave your contact information
• say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
• smile
• don’t interrupt others when they are taling unless it is an emergency
• don’t brush crumbs off the table and onto the floor
• don’t lie about anything
• don’t be dishonest in any way
• don’t take office supplies home from your workplace (pens, paper, paper clips, rubber bands, etc)
• don’t run copies of material for your [Bible study or Sunday school class] on the copier at work without permission
• if you are going to clean something, clean it thoroughly
• make people feel valuable

Everything we do is a seed we sow. We must be determined to be excellent if we want to reap an excellent harvest, which means we have to resist the temptation to live mediocre lives. If we are excellent in every way, we will be highly effective Christians (pg 210-212).

So simple in what it requires, yet so powerful an outcome to allow us to rise above the mundane.

A mini acronymn, with a powerful message! ASK. That’s it…

Ask & it will be given,
Seek & you will find,
Knock & the door will be open to you…

If you don’t ASK you can’t recieve. Why?

1. If you don’t know what you WANT, how will you know you have got it?!
2. If you don’t actually go out on a limb and ASK, the answer will ALWAYS be NO!

The power of ask can be nerve-racking. I admit that. BUT the more times you gain the confidence to simply ask, what you get in return is SOOOO much more!

What if you could have everything you always dreamed of desiring? What if the only thing you needed to do was ASK someone? Would your cross that road? It seems so simple. Perhaps it IS that simple…

Take Charge Of Your Finances (1) Don’t run up debts. - Romans 13:7-8 TM Author John Kennedy says, “Peddling Biblically-based financial advice has become a cottage industry. It’s not that the counsel is new or that people haven’t heard it enough, the fact remains…Christians have racked up debt with no plan for financial accountability…they’re tapped out keeping up with interest payments.” Does that describe you? Even though the Bible says: “Being greedy causes trouble for your family” (Pr 15:27 CEV), we think, “Why wait and save when a credit card will let me have what I want today?” So we end up buying things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people who don’t care. And because credit cards carry high interest rates, instead of reaping a harvest from the seed we planted, we end up owing two ears of corn because we borrowed two seeds! When your output exceeds your income, your upkeep becomes your downfall. That’s why Paul says, “Fulfil your obligations…don’t run up debts.” It’s irresponsible to buy stuff you don’t need and can’t afford when your bills are already overdue and you’ve nothing set aside for the future. The freedom to decide your destiny is determined by what you owe - not by what you earn! Having to work for years to repay debts severely limits your options. So determine your lifestyle by your actual income, not what you wish it was. And when you get a raise don’t automatically spend more. Use credit wisely and don’t get in over your head. Solomon said, “Mark out a straight path for your feet…Don’t get sidetracked” (Pr 4:26-27 NLT). Establish a monthly budget, stick with it, and when you get extra seed sow it back into future harvests.

Blessed are those who are generous. - Proverbs 22:9 NLT

We’re wasting too much time arguing about both poverty and wealth; coming up with litmus tests for judging somebody else’s level of Spirituality based on their lifestyle, or how well they conform to our interpretation of ‘Biblical standards!’

In the New Testament Jesus honoured a little widow for giving her last two cents. He said, “Others gave what they’ll never miss…she gave her all” (Mk 12:44 TM). On the other hand, businessman Barnabas “sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37 NIV). “Great gifts mean great responsibilities” (Lk 12:48 TM). The more God blesses you with, the more accountable He’ll hold you for how you handle His blessings. During the offering a pastor told his congregation to reach out and grab the wallet or purse of the person sitting in front of them. “Now,” he said, “Open it and give as much as you always wanted to, but felt you couldn’t afford!” Hello! Solomon said, “The Godly love to give!” (Pr 21:26 NLT), and while you may have less to give than the next guy, we’ve all been called to equal generosity and loyal sacrifice.

Isn’t it interesting how you sometimes go to dinner at the home of somebody who doesn’t have a lot, yet come away feeling like royalty because of the hospitality you experienced? That’s because the essence of generosity is self-sacrifice. God entrusts financial increase to people who aren’t controlled by the love of money! His Word says, “Blessed are those who are generous. [They] prosper and are satisfied” (See Pr 11:25). You’ll be amazed what God will do in your life when you’re open-handed with your finances.