Email I Got From a Friend

I wanted to share this email I got from a friend.

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren , 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren , Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity..

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life... No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

Dear Teachers

To my dear friends who are teachers. The time of year has come that you are dreading...the end of summer. At the same time the time of year has come that you are anticipating...the beginning of a new year! As I am still looking for a teaching job, my heart breaks as I am not in the anticipation phase. Instead I see signs for back to school sales, teacher appreciation days, Smilemakers and Oriental Trading Co advertisements, and I want to cry.

Teaching is not a job, it’s not even a career. It is a passion and a calling. Teaching is changing the world...one life at a time. As the school year approaches, I want to encourage you all...don't dread the coming days...embrace them...go into this school year ready and excited. Take a look at last year, pick three things you really want to change this year, it may be as simple as the way you do attendance, and come up with a new way to do those three things. Then pick three things that you did really well, that you want to make sure you do again this year...write them down and make sure you do them again this year.

I will pray that you each have a wonderful year. If you are going into a year that you think will be difficult know this...the students will focus on you and you set the tone. Don't worry about anything but them! It does not matter if you are in a Christian, private, public, or home school, pray over your class and your students. Love them, and have FUN teaching this year!

I know you are seeing your summer days go away, but enjoy the last few that you may have, and prepare for a school year that you can use to change the life of every student you teach. Remember you are a Professional Educator!

Please share this with other educators that need some encouragement!

Sorry

I know it has been a while. I will try to get back onto the Bible study. I tend to stray when I am stressed, when that is the EXACT time I should be running TOWARDS God.