Mindablaze

Five Biblical References on Contentment

mikeaskew — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:47:12 +0000

Its hard to be content with what we have. Our world screams at us that we deserve so much more. So often this leaves us in a constant state of discontent. We spend our days wanting the next cool thing, moments after buying that gadget we just could not live without.

Here are 5 verses from Scripture warning us to put aside greed and seek contentment.

1) Learn Contentment – The Love of Money Brings Misery

1 Timothy 6:7-10

⁷For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

2) Life Does Not Consist Of What One Possesses

Luke 12:15

¹⁵Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

3) Contentment Promotes Peace

Proverbs 17:1

¹ Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

4) Don’t Chase Earthly Treasures, Seek Eternal Treasures

Matthew 6:19-21

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

5) Seek God First, He Will Provide For Your Needs

Matthew 6:33

³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Ten Scripture References on Faith & Trust

mikeaskew — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:58:15 +0000

10 Scripture References on Faith and Trust in God

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12

¹¹ Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

Psalm 91:1-2

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 27:13-14

¹³ I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.¹⁴ Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Lamentations 3:22-24

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Psalm 37:3

³ Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Psalm 37:4

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:5-6

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalm 37:7

⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Joshua 1:9

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Who Wants The Rose?

mikeaskew — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:42:13 +0000

This morning as I was taking in my first cup of coffee to clear our the cobwebs of sleep, I stumbled upon a video snippet from a Matt Chandler sermon. Even though I had seen this video message clip before, today it seemed to be the day that I was supposed to really hear it.

The encouragement that I received was simple…

Resist the urge to reign down moral judgement on others, but rather focus on sharing the hope of Christ. Seek daily the ability to pour mercy and love on others as freely as Christ has poured his love and mercy upon you.

Take a moment to watch: Jesus Wants The Rose – Matt Chandler

How to Shoot Your Buddy in the Eye with a Blowdart

mikeaskew — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:08:27 +0000

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

The Americano – How its Made

mikeaskew — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:27:46 +0000

Recently I was introduced to the Americano coffee drink. For years I had been trying to bump up the caffeine of my standard coffee house drip with a shot of expresso added, the classic Red-Eye. But, now, the Americano is my morning “bring-it-online-fast” drink. This video shows how the Americano is made. This is the first of a series of videos named “From the Eye of the iPhone”. Feel free to give me some feedback so I can improve this series as I go.

How to be an UnSelfish Thinker

mikeaskew — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:37:01 +0000

I want to share with you some thoughts that I have been processing from some recent reading. If you have been following my recent entries, you know that I am working through the John Maxwell book How Successful People Think. What I am sharing today comes from the chapter on Unselfish Thinking.

Even though most of us see the value of Unselfish Thinking, our natural tendencies are to look out for ourselves first. So, to help me and others try to manage our self-centered urges here is a quick and dirty punch list, as prescribed by John Maxwell.

How to Experience the Satisfaction of Unselfish Thinking:

1) Put Others First

This really is not new material. But, it does not hurt to hear it again. We have to be reminded that the first step in unselfish thinking is learning to put others first. Regardless of popular thinking, it is not all about me.

Norman Vincent Peale and Ken Blanchard wrote:

People with humility don’t think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less.

2) Expose yourself to situations where people have needs.

If we can get to the point where we see the value in putting others people’s needs before our own, we nest need to be willing to put some feet to the idea. We need to actually give of ourselves unselfishly. Start small at first. The point is for us to learn how to give of ourselves freely and establish the habit of thinking like a giver.

3) Give quietly or anonymously

Once we have established the habit of pouring out ourselves for others, our next goal is to learn how to do it without expecting it to be reciprocated. We all like a little recognition when we do good. Try serving someone without telling others about your actions. Its a good test for your motive for giving. It wont be easy, but you can do it.

4) Invest in people intentionally

The pinnacle of unselfish thinking is being able to give of yourself to another person for their personal well-being. This includes considering other’s personal journey and determining ways to come along side them and collaborate with them to meet their goals. Most people want to ensure that they win first. The unselfish thinker looks for a win-win with others.

5) Continually check your motives

Most people’s generosity is often times ambition in disguise. The motive for investing in another person was merely to ensure their own win. We need to continually check out motives to ensure that we are not slipping back into a selfish mindset. Ask yourself frequently “Why am I helping this person? Is it for my benefit or theirs?”

Let’s go give this a try this week. The world could certainly use a few more givers instead of takers. Good luck!

“Hey boys, watch this!”

mikeaskew — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:06:08 +0000

Testosterone is a powerful thing. It drives males to begin seeking danger at a very early age. This Thanksgiving in Chattanooga TN, my sons and their cousins collected in the backyard for some fun. Within 10 minutes of being together, the call went out …

Hey boys, watch this!

Then the stunts began….

Drive it Like you Stole it!

mikeaskew — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:45:27 +0000

Even after you have grown up over 6 feet 4 inches tall and eaten your way to 260 lbs, you can still have fun in a Go-Cart. This is the footage of my lap around James and Christy’s house while visiting family in Chattanooga, TN over Thanksgiving holidays. It reminded me of many a carefree day as a kid riding my go-cart around my childhood neighborhood.

Never look at a go-cart and say, “I can fit in that thing!”. Be creative! There is always a way to squeeze you butt in the seat. Don’t waste your life making excuses for not having fun. Seize the moment! Go live your life!

Supersize Your Thinking – Go Big!

mikeaskew — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:15:52 +0000

I mentioned a few blogs back that I am working through John Maxwell’s book “How Successful People Think”. Cultivate Big-Picture Thinking is the first principle out of eleven in total that he discusses. Here are some highlights of his teaching on the importance of being able to expand your thinking to the Big-Picture level. The chapter opens with some quotes worth remembering.

Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches, or pounds, or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking – David Schwartz

You have to think, so why not think big? – Donald Trump

Maxwell stresses that Big-Picture thinkers:

Learn continually
Listen intentionally
Look expansively
Live completely

Why should we pursue Big-Picture thinking? Maxwell says:

Big-Picture thinking allows you to lead
- It helps you to:
  - See the vision before the people do
  - Size up situations, taking into account many variables
  - Sketch a picture of where the team is going
  - Show how the future connects with the past to make the journey more meaningful
  - Seize the moment when the timing is right
Big-Picture thinking keeps you on target
Big-Picture thinking allows you to see what others see
Big-Picture thinking promotes teamwork
Big-Picture thinking keeps you from being caught up in the mundane
Big-Picture thinking helps you chart uncharted territory

From reading this chapter you can’t help but asking yourself:

Are you expanding your thinking to see the entire picture?

Are you able to see how today’s results, whether a win or lose, fits into the top level battle plan?

Are you keeping balance between tactical thinking required to get from point A-B and the strategic thinking driving you to reach point Z?

Next time I will share Maxwell’s thoughts on Engaging in Focused Thinking.

iPhone Wallpaper – Go Tell Everybody!

mikeaskew — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:52:07 +0000

Instructions on how to get this image onto your iPhone:

Save the image to your laptop.
Email the image to an email account on your iPhone.
View the email with the image attachment on your iPhone.
Save the image to your iPhone Photo Library.
Set the image as your wallpaper.

Success will look like this: