You are currently browsing the monthly archive for September 2010.
- What devotional or inspirational literature did I read/listen to today?
- What do I want to remember from the devotional literature?
We can all benefit from hearing other people’s opinions. We can especially benefit from informed opinions. Many times our understanding of what the Bible says can be deepened by listening to other people explain or teach on what it says. That’s where listening to or reading high quality devotional literature from reputable authors or speakers can be helpful. And again, we need to make an effort to remember what we hear or learn so writing down what we have learned helps us retain the insights we have gained.
Do you have some favorite authors or teachers to recommend to our readers? What have you learned from them?
As I promised in my last post, I’m beginning to give you a series of questions which will help guide you into a more fulfilling life. Most of the questions will not be about the Bible or Christianity, but the first ones are. I’ll try to post one question a week. Here are this week’s thought provokers.
- What Scripture verses did I read/listen to today?
- What do I want to remember from the verses?
One of the first truths of Christianity is that the Bible is God’s message to His people, His instruction manual to life. It teaches us how to live the way God wants us to live, the way that will bring us maximum satisfaction and happiness in life. It is by reading the Bible that we hear what God is communicating to us. Reading it, studying it and learning from it are important keys to spiritual (and emotional and physical) health and happiness.
As important as it is to read the Bible it is even more important to remember what we learn from it. These questions give you the opportunity to record what portion of the Bible you read and then to remember and solidify what you learned. There is no better way to reinforce what you have learned than to explain it. Writing down what you have learned is one way to explain it and make it stick in your brain. Writing the truths you have learned also gives you a record so that in the future, you can go back and review them.
Being well-nourished can make you smile!
When I first started this blog my idea was to read a few books that talked about ways to be good to yourself, to try out the techniques and then to report how the experiment went. I envisioned bubble baths, fresh flowers, an occasional baked treat, a walk in the park and more time with friends.
While all of these things are good for us and nourish our beings I have learned that these are only the tip of the iceberg. The more I dug into this issue of being good to ourselves, the more there was to it. I found out that there is even a whole branch of psychology devoted to studying how to increase our well-being. My original three book reading list has grown to hundreds of volumes waiting to be harvested.
You may have noticed that there has been a gap of time since my last post. That is because I have been devoting time to studying these books and gleaning what wisdom that can be found. I have also been recording the insights and gathering them into a usable form that will make it easier to track how well we are doing at nourishing ourselves. I’ll let you know more about this tracking device as it gets a bit nearer completion.
Over the next few weeks I want to share some of what I have discovered. Once a week I’ll be posting a question for you to mull over. The questions will help you discover new ways to nourish yourself at the deepest level. I’ll have other posts during the week too, posts about good things, but especially watch for the questions that I will call Happiness Helpers. They will be extra beneficial to you.
So look for the first question tomorrow. But in the meantime, here is a quick way for you to nourish yourself in the next five minutes. Close your eyes and think of something good that has happened to you today. Keep thinking. Did you get a goodbye kiss from someone you love this morning? Did you have a good cup of coffee or an enjoyable bowl of cereal for breakfast? Did the sun warm your skin today? Did you see your favorite bird as you glanced out the window? Did you listen to a song you like? Keep thinking until you think of something good that happened. Then, if you can, tell me about it. Respond to this blog with your one good thing.
Until tomorrow.
Nourisher-in-Training
The Nourisher 