Monday, March 9, 2015

What is Frightening about Prayer

I've come to a conclusion today....that what is actually frightening about prayer is not that it is hard or unfruitful or arduous, but rather quite the opposite.
Lately my experience with prayer has been that not only is it easy, but it is soooo fruitful, so very fast and excessively kind, loving and generous that the simple abundance and kindness of God is just so hard to wrap my brain around.

I love God. But sometimes it is just hard to comprehend how very generous and patient and kind He really is. When I spend time in prayer, however briefly or lengthy period of time I spend, it has begun to astonish me how quickly God answers my prayers. His door is sooo open. He is so very welcoming and listens so attentively.

I write these things, not to cause confusion or to invalidate any other kind of experience that you may be having or have had in the past regarding prayer to God. I have had, and probably might have in the future seasons of time when God seems oddly quiet....as if He is waiting me out to get me to do some of my own thinking and make some of my own decisions. God doesn't babysit us forever. There are times He lets us stand alone, for our own good and for the health of our relationship with Him. Mature folks learn how to stand, and kneel and sit and run and play and work and think and write and gallop......shall I go on? ")

There is room for all of your experiences, past and present, with God. He can handle all your fears, frustrations and confusion. He can heal your mind. He can heal your body. He does well for you.

Let it be that this day, you see the hand of your God at work in life today.

Peaceful productivity,
Carla





Authors and Thinkers ....Authors and Thinkers

Yes, we are one and the same. You really can't be an author if you are not a thinker.....and if you are a thinker....then I highly encourage you to become an author.

I have seen around me that there are many many thinkers, but there is a lack of confidence in the common folk, in the leap perceived in jumping from "just thinking and speaking" to thinking and putting onto black and white the written words that you are thinking about.

Perhaps, of course, there is the fear that somehow or in some way one might make a mistake and have written something that is inaccurate at best or even false....at worst.But don't let the fear of making of making a mistake hinder your progress in sharing something of value with the world. We just might need what you have to say. Your thoughts may bring breakthrough to someone half way around the world.

But I want to encourage you, my friends and colleagues around this mighty globe....that you not consider your life as smaller than it needs to be. It came to my attention some years ago, that someone somewhere across the world might actually need my thoughts and inspiration to make their own dreams come true. I  came to see myself as someone that could potentially inspire and motivate others. I sensed that who God had created me to be was not necessarily for the gains of those who know me locally, but perhaps and maybe even more importantly, for those who might never meet me in person, but who will someday and in some format read my words or hear my speeches or songs remotely via recordings on line or otherwise.

It was from either of two documentary films either "Blue Gold" or "Flow" that a mild mannered gentleman from Asia declared softly and quite prophetically that this age is the season "For the common man". This
confirmed what I had begun to sense in my own heart.....that the access granted to us via the internet was and could be maximized as a POWERFUL SUCCESS vehicle where access to capital or people of influence was not necessarily required to gain entry or momentum.

Wisdom always does spread to wherever it is welcomed. Empowerment flows to where it is treasured. Encouragement trickles to starving hearts....no matter where they reside or what their yearly income is....or what their nation's GDP happens to be. May God bless the internet, and keep it open and free.

And so, to sum up my blurts from this early morning chat, I just want to encourage you to take a small step of faith, if indeed you are a thinker, but have not yet made the leap over to calling yourself an author. If you  know that you have good things to share with humanity, then please hear me, my brother, my sister......
YOU MUST WRITE.

Peaceful productivity.
Carla


Monday, March 2, 2015

He Said "Savers are Losers" ???

Yes, it was one of the days....I was reading one of my fave authors who also happens to really tick me off on a regular basis....But as I said in a previous blog post, I usually figure out I've found a great author when they peeve me.

So, let me keep it short and sweet. Robert Kiyosaki said in his book "Unfair Advantage"
that "Savers are losers"....and of course that irked me somewhat. So why would he say that?
Why would a habit that has been forged and tried and true for centuries now suddenly NOT make financial sense any more? Well, Robert's explanation of this state of affairs includes his summary of how money is not really money anymore.....it's actually just debt.  The U.S. dollar was taken off the gold standard in the 70's and ever since then, the governments have used a dozen different ways to excuse the practice of simply printing money out of thin air. All this money does not represent real wealth....rather it represents more debt.

Therefore, Robert made the bold statement that it doesn't actually make any financial sense to "save" money like how we used to stuff our mattresses with it.....because money is no longer real money anymore.

Then, lo and behold I came across an article in the Globe and Mail for Feb 21, 2015 written by John Heinzl  entitled "Who would buy a bond with a negative yield?" in which he explains that literally Robert was SOOOOOOOO right ! Right now there are government bonds being sold in the Eurozone countries of
Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden with up to five year terms, that actually have a NEGATIVE YIELD!. Therefore, one who attempts to save their money with one of their government bonds would actually LOSE money and owe money to the institution that issued the bond!
Sounds outrageous doesn't it? Boy, Robert really saw that one coming! Apparently, John Heinzle writes, fears of deflation along with stagnant economic growth has forced the creation of these negative yeild bonds.
What is perhaps entirely more shocking is that people are still buying them!!!

Thank you Robert.....my irked response to your books, is well worth it....you've proved your point.

Carla