Taylor Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I would love to learn from your experiences how we can impact our world with the love of Jesus. How do we love people unconditionally as Jesus loved them? In what ways, big and small, can we make people feel cherished, believed in, and loved? 1. Do you have an experience where someone did or said something that impacted your life? The actual act or words may have been small but your life was profoundly affected by their love or kindness. 2. What things, big and large, have you done to touch the lives around you. Sometimes we get so busy that we hardly have time for our families, much less for those that surround us at church or at the gas station or gym. What are some practical ways you have let people know that they are special and treasured? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 How do we live the truth in these quotes? “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” William Penn “The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” Lady Dorothy Neville “Treat a man as he appears to be and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he already were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude.” Martin Luther King, Jr. “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” John Bunyan "Jesus loves you so much He'd rather die than live without you." Unknown "Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Taylor ... Some of the biggest things that have impacted my life are such SMALL things. What I have really appreciated is someone who gently expresses to me that they understand me and my pain. In a quiet and an actual nonexpressive way ... just demonstrate to me that I am Ok and appreciated ... and that they are here to love and support me in my trials. I am hard of hearing connected to my disability. I will tell people that I am hard of hearing. But most people do not make ANY attempt to speak louder or to face me or pronounce their words better. When someone actually does make an effort ... WOW !! It makes me feel SO loved. You just don't know. It could actually be a timely smile of approval also. The small things can really shake you. At least they do me. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil D Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” William Penn I sure like this quote... I have found that people are too serious....Especally if they call themselves "Adventist"...They never know how to handle the emotional...or the castastrophic accident. So, since saddness litters thier lives, I always have a joke or two to part with them. It brings a smile to thier faces... For example, Do you know that there is a treatment out there for Lesbianism...? Would you like to know what it is? Trymenagain..... Quote Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 29, 2007 Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 Good one Neal. pkrause Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Spend time with others. Try taking people out to lunch or if you can get them up early enough, out to breakfast before work. Share your life with them. What is happening with your family and any passions you may have. Ask about their lives. Get to know the people in your neighborhood. Bake them a pie or a cake and take it to them. Invite them into your home. Do not be afraid to share your faith with them after you have established a friendship with them. Offer them a small book to read if they read. Offer them a DVD if they are not a reader. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olger Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Pray for others. Quote "Please don't feed the drama queens.." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Taylor ... Some of the biggest things that have impacted my life are such SMALL things. What I have really appreciated is someone who gently expresses to me that they understand me and my pain. In a quiet and an actual nonexpressive way ... just demonstrate to me that I am Ok and appreciated ... and that they are here to love and support me in my trials. When someone actually does make an effort ... WOW !! It makes me feel SO loved. You just don't know. It could actually be a timely smile of approval also. The small things can really shake you. At least they do me. I totally agree Redwood! I am the same way, big things are great but small attentions, someone actually interested in what I have to say, someone who understands and is encouraging, a smile that says "I'm proud of you" goes a long ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 [color:#006600] I have found that people are too serious....Especally if they call themselves "Adventist"...They never know how to handle the emotional...or the castastrophic accident. So, since saddness litters thier lives, I always have a joke or two to part with them. It brings a smile to thier faces... That is true for some. Some Christians look like they've been baptized in lemon juice. That is one thing I love about my SS class at our church, they are so sincere and are Bible students but they love to laugh and genuinly enjoy each other's company. It is a great group and a camarderi (however that is spelled..)that is not often found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Spend time with others. Try taking people out to lunch or if you can get them up early enough, out to breakfast before work. Share your life with them. What is happening with your family and any passions you may have. Ask about their lives. Get to know the people in your neighborhood. Bake them a pie or a cake and take it to them. Invite them into your home. Do not be afraid to share your faith with them after you have established a friendship with them. Offer them a small book to read if they read. Offer them a DVD if they are not a reader. Wow Shane, you'd be an awsome neighbor to have! Keep it up! It is this genuineness that has effect and impact on others! Way to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Pray for others. Amen! When 9/11 happened we were working at an SDA school. The students desperately wanted to do something and felt so helpless. The ones who were old enough went and donated blood. But as a school, we broke up into teams and went into the community and offered to pray with people. It sounds simplistic and maybe a bit strange to do but you wouldn't believe the reaction of people. Many broke down and cried, they hugged the students and said that it really helped them feel better about the world they were in knowing there were young people like this who cared enough to want to comfort and pray for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olger Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 That's a very good, practical way to care about others, Taylor. Recently I signed up to be a "site writer" for a youth workcamp that is coming to Piqua. It's taken a lot of meetings, but it will be worth it next June. 450 youth are coming to our town to help build/fix things for poor people. oG Quote "Please don't feed the drama queens.." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacunurse30 Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I think what impacts me the most are people who try to befriend me. When they sit and chat, invite me over or something like that. I've noticed that when I extend that to others, they are so appreciative of it. This is what a lot of people need the most. Just plain old genuine friendship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightingale Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 this is so true!!!!! I know from experience. I am caretaker for my father who is homebound. He a stroke patient. I get away very little and it means so much when people drop by to visit or call and see how things are going. I wish people could understand what a big difference friendship means in todays world. My daughter who is a single parent needs prayer right now. She is feeling very lonely and unwanted in the church she attends. She finished nursing school and after attending the same SS class for almost 2 years regularly, now that she works and can attend less no one has called or seems to miss her. She now tells me that she feels like not attending at all as when she does no one talks to her or etc. Some would say she needs to reach out and make friends, but she is shy and has been though an abusive relationship. I know the people of her church probably have no idea that she feels this way, but they should. Most of these things happen not because people dont care, just that everyone is so busy with their own lives. Quote John 3: 16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 That's a very good, practical way to care about others, Taylor. Recently I signed up to be a "site writer" for a youth workcamp that is coming to Piqua. It's taken a lot of meetings, but it will be worth it next June. 450 youth are coming to our town to help build/fix things for poor people. oG Awsome! (What exactly is a site writer...like a sponsor sine you are in construction?). Do keep us posted on the outcome of this event! I am sure it will touch many lives! Do you have plans for "follow up" for people who may be interested in Bible studies or seminars that the church might be giving in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 I think what impacts me the most are people who try to befriend me. When they sit and chat, invite me over or something like that. I've noticed that when I extend that to others, they are so appreciative of it. This is what a lot of people need the most. Just plain old genuine friendship. Yes, a friendship with no strings attached that says "I care about you just because of the incredible value you have." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 this is so true!!!!! I know from experience. I am caretaker for my father who is homebound. He a stroke patient. I get away very little and it means so much when people drop by to visit or call and see how things are going. I wish people could understand what a big difference friendship means in todays world. My daughter who is a single parent needs prayer right now. She is feeling very lonely and unwanted in the church she attends. She finished nursing school and after attending the same SS class for almost 2 years regularly, now that she works and can attend less no one has called or seems to miss her. She now tells me that she feels like not attending at all as when she does no one talks to her or etc. Some would say she needs to reach out and make friends, but she is shy and has been though an abusive relationship. I know the people of her church probably have no idea that she feels this way, but they should.Most of these things happen not because people dont care, just that everyone is so busy with their own lives. I am praying for your daughter that someone may reach out to her in love. Also that you would have a friend who could give you a break now and then with the care of your father or just be a friend to help ease the burden you so lovingly carry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators John317 Posted January 31, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 31, 2008 ... My daughter who is a single parent needs prayer right now. She is feeling very lonely and unwanted in the church she attends. She finished nursing school and after attending the same SS class for almost 2 years regularly, now that she works and can attend less no one has called or seems to miss her. She now tells me that she feels like not attending at all as when she does no one talks to her or etc. Some would say she needs to reach out and make friends, but she is shy and has been though an abusive relationship. I know the people of her church probably have no idea that she feels this way, but they should.Most of these things happen not because people dont care, just that everyone is so busy with their own lives. I'll be praying for your daughter, that she won't stop attending church and that the other members in the church will reach out to her. I hope you let us know how she's doing and if there is any change in the way any of the church members relate to her. Thanks for telling us this, so the CA members here can pray about it, and also so we can realize how vitally important it is to offer sincere friendship to those we see at church. Regards, "John 3: 17" Quote John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Jeannieb43 Posted January 31, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 31, 2008 I wish people could understand what a big difference friendship means in todays world. My daughter who is a single parent needs prayer right now. She is feeling very lonely and unwanted in the church she attends. She finished nursing school and after attending the same SS class for almost 2 years regularly, now that she works and can attend less no one has called or seems to miss her. She now tells me that she feels like not attending at all as when she does no one talks to her or etc. Some would say she needs to reach out and make friends, but she is shy and has been though an abusive relationship. I know the people of her church probably have no idea that she feels this way, but they should.Most of these things happen not because people dont care, just that everyone is so busy with their own lives. Although it takes a little planning, I've found the best way to have friends is to BE friendly -- to invite somebody over to my house for Sabbath lunch. It creates a new good friend for you, and that person then starts to always watch for you each Sabbath, in order to visit or to make a future lunch date with you. I do this as often as I can, even though the actual food to be served will be only soup, salad and bread. It's the social communication that counts, not the food. Ann Landers used to say, "It's not what you put on your table, but what you put on your chairs, that makes a good dinner party." I try to invite two or three people at a time -- few enough to make it an intimate [easy to plan] gathering, but large enough so the conversation doesn't fall on only one person. I invite people who aren't always in the spotlight at church. They all become better acquainted with each other that way, and I have the chance to learn to know them better as well. This results in a multiplication of friendships! Quote Jeannie<br /><br /><br />...Change is inevitable; growth is optional.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miahnie Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 A simple hug says a thousand words. I don't know what is it with hugging one another but it makes me feel loved, comforted and above all, human. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardw Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I look at life as the gift of simply sharing love. One of the most powerful ways that I have experienced being loved is when someone really sees and hears me. I have had times where someone has understood what I was feeling and experiencing in a way where they could describe what I was trying to communicate better than I knew myself. That was such an amazing skill. Since that time, that has become the model for me to understand the art of loving. I have come to realize that to love that way requires an open, feeling, form of awareness that is free from fear, advice giving and passing judgment. Basically there is no agenda and the focus is simply seeing, feeling, and hearing the other person. Quote Rich http://tiny.cc/CM2j8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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