Inspiration and Encouragement - April Lorier

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A Sheep Looks At Psalm 23
2007-12-03 02:53:00
It’s no secret that sheep are not the most intelligent of the animal kingdom. They need a shepherd! In the darkest time of my life it was Psalm 23 that comforted me over and over. But I must admit I was baffled by “They rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” Growing up as I did, rods were not used to comfort me! In the early ‘70s I bought a book written by Dr. W. Phillip Keller called A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 ©1969 The Zondervan Corporation. The late Dr W Phillip Keller was born in East Africa and was always an “outdoors” boy. He was trained in agronomy (management of farm land) and spent many years on ranches in British Columbia. He lived among the sheep and their shepherds and was a keen observer of sheep and their relationship to the shepherd. So he knew what he was talking about when he wrote his books on shepherding! This was one of the most informative books I have ever read. David, the author of this poem was not only a shepherd, but also a son of a sheph...
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Moses the Turtle Teaches Me About Arrogance
2007-12-03 02:49:00
Years ago, I owned a turtle named "Moses ". We had a special relationship that scared my family because I would hold Moses right in front of my face and kiss him. They were always afraid Moses would, as most reptiles do, jerk his tongue out and sting me. But he never did! He crawled on my chest and nestled in my neck, feeling safe with me. I loved Moses more than I can describe.I took him outside with me every day, allowing him to get sunshine and eat bugs as I trimmed my trees and hedges. The back yard was totally fenced in, so I never dreamed he would get out. But the inevitable happened one day. Moses was no where to be found, and I cried for weeks.About eight months later, I was digging weeds out of the flower bed in the front yard, and my shovel hit something hard. Thinking it a rock, I reached down to get it with my hands and was shocked beyond belief to find dear old Moses under the dirt! How had he survived without me to feed him?It's amazing how arrogant we humans can be! G...
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Squirrel Spirituality: Is That Me?
2007-12-03 02:45:00
One of the blessings of mountain cabin life was all the "critters" I met. Each morning I would take my sack of peanuts and wait for them. They would come just so near, then they would stop to give me a chance to throw the peanuts to them!It was not an intimate relationship they were seeking: they wanted the peanuts! They would have been much happier if I had thrown the peanuts on the ground and then disappeared out of sight. They wanted my benefits without contending with me. Today I ask myself if I'm anything like those squirrels. Is it a relationship with You I seek, or would I be just as happy if You would throw some blessings my way and then get out of the way? My human nature is a clue: it wants the benefits without the accountability and responsibility required by relationships. Before regeneration, I was a "normal" human. Being spiritually dead, I didn't understand the selfishness of my heart; but I've traveled with You long enough, Lord, to see the need for self-examinati...
More About: Spirituality , Squirrel , Ality

Child Abuse: Who Pays For It?
2007-12-03 02:31:00
For years I stood before large audiences and saw looks of disgust and repulsion as I tried to "sell" the idea that we could best help the children by helping the parents! Teach them how to parent constructively. Not only did it save my state millions in foster care -- children didn't have to go into the system, thereby saving the taxpayers a bundle -- but it started a new generation of people who had healthy coping mechanisms to pay on to their children.Official government statistics usually lag behind about two years. I can tell you from my own experience as Executive Director of C.O.P.E, Inc., the official government statistics do NOT accurately reflect what's really going on behind closed doors. And from my own experience as an abused child, I know why so much abuse is NOT reported. Having listed my caveats, here are the statistics from 2005: According to Child Maltreatment 2005, the most recent report of data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), appr...
More About: Child Abuse , Pays

How Can I Tell If A Child Is Being Abused?
2007-12-03 02:25:00
How do I know if a child is being abused or neglected? And what is abuse? What are the signs?The following are a few of the physical and behavioral signs of child abuse and neglect. Please note that the listed signs of child abuse in each category may pertain to more than one type of abuse or neglect. For example, “lack of concentration” could be a sign of sexual abuse, as well as emotional abuse.Before I start, I want to say these signs are just a short list, and are by no means complete. Please note: these are signs in young children, not in adults who have a history of child abuse. Once victims grow up without any intervention or counseling, their symptoms are totally different. (More about this at another time.)Physical Signs of Child Abuse1. Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object2. Bite marks3. Anti-social behavior4. Problems in school5. Fear of adultsEmotional Signs of Child Abuse1. Apathy2. Depression3. Hostility or stress4. Lack of concentra...
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Music: Depression Or Therapy?
2007-12-03 02:21:00
Music was one of the few pathways to self-esteem I had as a child. There was not much positive reinforcement in my home and luckily I inherited some musical talent. I did my parents proud when I performed and won state-wide contests. But the value of music is better understood by me now than it was then. Music is brain exercise! Everyone has heard of the "Mozart Effect" when it comes to music and accelerated learning. And all one has to do is Google "Music Thera py " to see the efficacy of music on all matter of psychological disorders. But I want to address the value of music as a vehicle. I recently did a photo composite of a piano keyboard. Every key is a picture -- a statement about what brings me great satisfaction on a personal level. And music takes me to all those precious memories, as well as inspire me to create even more beautiful experiences. Because music also bypasses the brain and transports the listener to a psychological destination, it has the power to be either cons...
More About: Music , Depression

Henry Hyde's Legacy: Defender of PreBorn
2007-12-03 02:10:00
He’s gone, and with his passing a huge void exists in The House of Representatives. He was dignified, a class act, and was known as the defender of the weakest in our society: the preborn. A spokesperson for Washington's Rush University Medical Center said Henry Hyde died Thursday at 3 a.m. CST at that hospital. There was no immediate word on the cause of his death. However, his family told The Chicago Sun-Times that he had suffered complications from open-heart surgery. As a young man, former Illinois Representative Henry Hyde was a football player. His remarkable career in public office included 32 years as a representative for the suburban Chicago 6th District. He has been described by some political insiders as one of last few remaining "statesmen" in Washington and a never-tiring fighter for life. Early in his political career, which spanned four decades, Hyde courageously introduced an amendment to prevent federal funding of abortion. Congress adopted the measure, whic...
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Shih Tzu Spirituality Day
2007-12-03 02:05:00
She knows my voices: happy voice, playful voice, sympathetic voice, stern voice, and most of all, "bad girl" voice. She reacts to each voice with totally different bodily movements. I have to force myself not to laugh when she's doing her slow, methodical, passive-aggressive walk from the yard to the steps. She even knows my grunts! And I know all of her different sounds. We're companions, sometimes adversaries, but mostly, we're together.She has so many kinds of barks, and I am the only one who knows the difference between them. She's a quirky girl, that's for sure! Because she was trained several years ago to go outside after eating, she barks after eating only one or two Kibble Bits. It's her "habit bark". When she really has to pottie, her bark is relentless as she runs through the house, back and forth like a crazy dog.She has a growl that says, "Time to play with me and I'm ready to play!" She also has a growl that says, "I'm not feeling well, so keep your distance." A...
More About: Spirituality , Ality

Obedience School, AGAIN?
2007-12-03 01:58:00
I command her to "come" and she ignores me. Obedience School was supposed to change Cookie's nature! Well, I've got news for them: This Shih Tzu has a mind of her own! She knows there will be consequences for her disobedience, but like Scarlet O'Hara, she'll "just worry about that tomorrow." Lord, how man times have You taken ME through Obedience School? How many refresher courses have been necessary because of my independent spirit? Always, I come out of school feeling smarter, wiser, and ready to obey Your slightest whisper. What happens? Before I know it, I'm back in Obedience School, and most of the time I'm learning the very same lessons all over again! Help me to be as mercifully patient with Cookie as You are with me, Lord. Just as Cookie doesn't understand why I won't let her run out in the street, I, too, am often devoid of understanding when it comes to Your Plan. Just as I protect my beloved dog, You protect Your beloved child. I praise You for being the Auth...

Ravens Don't Worry: His Eye Is On The Sparrow
2007-12-03 01:51:00
Have you noticed how prices are rising? A half-gallon of milk has gone from $2.89 to $4.89 this month. My utilities have tripled, and gas… well, you know. Since I manage my own IRA, I have CNBC on most of the day, watching what’s happening and how it will affect my money. Some days it’s just plain old difficult to be optimistic! The price of everything – that’s gas, groceries, utilities and other essentials – is going up weekly. Sometimes I feel like asking, “Are You aware of this, God? What are you going to do about this situation?” It was during one of these pessimistic periods that I thought of ravens. [I can’t explain it, so don’t ask.] I decided to run a concordance search on these less-than-beautiful birds and was surprised at all the references in both the Old and New Testaments. The first story which I remembered from childhood was poor old Elijah. He was worse off, financially, than most of us are. The story is found in I Kings 17: 1 Now Elijah the Tish...
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The Cat Who Wanted a Relationship
2007-12-03 01:46:00
"And Jesus answered and said unto them...'No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him..'" [John 6:43a-44a] Abandoned by their mother, both kittens were starving. I simply had to respond to their hungry eyes. And so began our relationship. Their hunger drove them towards the milk I offered, but they had two factors working against their ability to trust me. They were 12-week-old cats who had been born to, and imprinted by, a wild mother. They also had the natural survival instincts of their species. But I wooed with a bowl of milk and a kind voice, and their hunger brought them closer each time I called. The yellow kitten was the first to come to the bowl, but it was clear she came only for the milk. As days turned into weeks, she demonstrated a disdain for any relationship beyond receiving my "blessings" for her survival. The gray kitten, peeking out wide-eyed from under my car, was extremely distrustful of me in the beginning, not even coming up on the p...
More About: Relationship , Wanted

Oh, That Sacrilegious Cocker Spaniel!
2007-12-03 01:42:00
Churches Hold 'Blessing of the Animals' Services WASHINGTON - Churches in the U.S. and abroad have celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi by inviting pets and their owners to "Blessing of the Animals" services. Episcopal clergy from Washington's National Cathedral prayed over animals at a local shelter. Pets attending a service in the Netherlands included a canary, a goldfish, a guinea pig, a handful of cats and more than two dozen dogs. As the Dutch priest spoke of the comfort animals can bring, a dog barked in seeming approval. During the blessings, the goldfish was in its element as the priest sprinkled it, but a cocker spaniel tried to drink the holy water. [Maybe he was thirsty? How about letting the animals drink before bringing out the Holy Water?] Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. (used with permission)Thank you for this article!
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Live In The Moment Unless You're An ANT
2007-12-03 01:37:00
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6-8 NIVAnts have been around for thousands of years (and hated for the same length of time). Who hasn't aborted a restful picnic because of uninvited ants? And those living in the South are constantly trying to kill "fire ants" -- so named because their stings feel like fire. But evidently God finds value in them because in the Old Testament, written by Solomon and inspired by The Holy Spirit, they teach us a valuable lesson. And in this age of "live in the moment", the lesson seems to have been lost.Not a day goes by that I am not confronted with an apathetic worker. Could be a grocery store, or a representative on the phone, or a so-called "manager" of some company I'm with whom I'm trying to conduct business. Employees steal from their employers by taking longer breaks, surfing on the net instead...
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A Christian Divorcee's Purpose
2007-12-03 00:07:00
I am a Christian -- a follower of Jesus Christ -- who is also a divorcee. When my more-than 25-year marriage collapsed, I felt my life was over. I had prayed for my spouse for a very long time, and I fully expected God to not just "heal" my marriage, but to give me a brand new marriage with the same spouse. When that did not happen, I wondered where God was, did He even care that I had been betrayed, abandoned, and left to face the unknown totally alone?To be as committed as I was to the marriage, to my spouse, and to my God, and then to be unceremoniously dumped was devastating. It filled me with a sense of worthlessness and sent me spiraling into a major depression. Feeling I could not trust people or God, I hid midst my four walls for far too long. When friends would say, "You can do whatever you want now, without being accountable to any other human," I always felt like saying, "I don't want to do anything. I just want to be left alone and not be hurt again!"Does this sound lik...
More About: Purpose

God, Are You Lonely Like me?
2007-12-03 00:01:00
"For God so loved . . . .that He GAVE . . ." (John 3:16) Did anyone else in this service feel as lonely as I did last week? Sitting all alone, I felt that no one would notice if I dropped out of church completely. I felt like the only guest at my pity party and I hid inside my skin, hoping no one noticed I was even giving a pity party. Have You ever felt lonely, God? Is that why You created man: for "fellowship"? I wonder what would have happened if You had sat around waiting for someone else to cure Your loneliness? It seems to me that You cured Your loneliness by giving. And what a risk You took when You made man in Your image! That meant man would "mirror" You. And then, it seems to me, You further stacked the deck against Yourself by giving man "free will"! I wonder why You thought it worth the risk? Just between You and I, Lord, I tried Your solution for loneliness this week, and it worked. I went to the Mission and I gave out of my bankrupt soul. By the time the service wa...
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Poetry is Great Therapy!
2007-12-02 23:57:00
When I was young and living in an abusive situation, I found great solace in two things: Listening to Charles E. Fuller on "The Old Fashioned Revival Hour" radio program, and writing poetry. The reason I loved poetry was because it allowed me to express my feelings in metaphors which were never understood by my abusing parent. I became very good at "hiding behind words" and I wrote some quality poems. (Practice makes perfect!)It seems every time I've been in a dark place I've gone back to poetry. And when I'm celebrating an over-coming in one of my friend's lives, I write poetry about it. And, of course, every time I've been "in love" I've gone back to poetry!Poetry is one of the best forms of therapy known to man. David, The Psalmist, put all of his deep personal feelings into his poems (also called "psalms"), and as a result we have a wonderful resource in God's Word for our most intimate moments with The Lord.When I was 10 years old, I wrote a poem called "Two Faces Have I...
More About: Great , Therapy , Thera