DALANEL

Monday Motivation: Remember the good in this world

Let’s calm down for a second.

Yes, there are wars.

Yes, the economy could be better.

Yes, there are plenty of scandals.

There are so many reasons to get all worked up and tense.

Lighten up. Maybe this can only speak to people that happen to know that God is in control and there’s nothing to worry about. Let’s relax. Let’s visit blogs like this one to see the other sides of things.

Take time to appreciate the good things going on. Celebrate the heroes. Why is it that the killers make it to front page and the good guys are buried? I happen to know the answer but I don’t want to distract from this post’s goal. I don’t like that and this blog is not going to give that life.

It’s a shame that it takes work to find a feel good story or a testimony.

Don’t forget about the good in the world. Please don’t. Don’t let the bad things cloud your outlook.

-Dante Writes

Good News Friday: Cop saves man’s life after pulling him over

A police officer pulled over an 86 year old man for speeding. First of all, I guess the old man still has a heavy foot. Anyway, shortly after this, the man has a heart attack.

Police say Officer Michael Harrington quickly transitioned from writing out a warning for the speeding infraction to administering CPR. A second officer then arrived with a defibrillator.

Now, this story has a nice ending as the man made it to the hospital and such. The officer then goes on to say that “there’s no such thing as a routine stop” as if to say this happened for a reason. And, I love that storyline.

BUT…can I be real for a second?

I can’t help but find some humor in this. What if the old man faked it to get out of the ticket? According to our quote, the ticket wasn’t quite written. I’m just saying.

But then, I thought “I don’t think he’d fake it”. So then, I was like: What if the man had a heart attack over stressing about being pulled over? Hey, the man is in his 80’s. Any excitement could send him off.

But, ultimately, this was a nice story and I happen to agree with the original storyline.

Wednesday Word: Jesus and the Antichrist

This is one of those posts where I probably won’t do much talking.

I will say something about testing the spirits. As the Bible says, you can run into liars. These people tell you something that ultimately doesn’t line up with the word of God.

It’s perfectly fine to seek the truth. If we walk blindly into stuff, it becomes foolish.

Let’s use an example. God has said that you are set on watching a movie. The movie is yours for the watching. You arrive at the theater, and are waiting in line. Something tells you to skip the line and try to sneak in. This voice tells you that God did say that you are supposed to watch this movie, so it doesn’t matter how you get in.

That goes against what God said in terms of lying and stealing. Yes, it’s true that you destined to see this movie, but things still have to follow a godly order.

The devil does a good job of talking to us about things that seem to make sense. You could say “half truths”. And, because there is some truth to his statements, we take the whole thing. Other times, the devil tells us only one side of the story, the good side.

So, get into the word of God. More importantly, get into God Himself. Learn His ways and master hearing His voice. Get educated. It takes time but you can do it. We need to.

-Dante Writes

Pages updated: Accept Jesus, Featured Posts, and Share Your Story

I have made changes to my pages Accept Jesus, Featured Posts, and Share Your Story.

Accept Jesus got a little more simple in terms of content. It used to have a video and a chapter from my book in there. But, I took them out and the page is easier to deal with. I may knock a couple of paragraphs off in time.

Featured Posts was updated to take out Daily Word and add Tuesday Testimony.

Share Your Story was changed in reference to Tuesday Testimony.

All of the changes, when considered, are minor. But, I figured I’d let you know. I don’t have plans for major changes.

Perhaps take a look at some of the pages if you haven’t already to learn more about the blog.

-Dante Writes

Tuesday Testimony: A tale of healing

I am so blessed. Our great God has been so wonderful to me and I exalt him and bless his name in the name of Jesus Christ, our living, risen Lord and saviour for his great and awesome mercy towards me. For the past three months I had struggled with pain, stiffness and swelling in my knee.

Climbing stairs or even standing or sitting for 30 minutes or more became so torturous I could barely think straight. Aerobics was out of the question. Even my friends and collegues reasoned that ageing maybe the cause and nothing short of surgery could help – which I was determined to avoid.

A few trips to the doctor, x-rays and some anti-inflamatory drugs yielded no relief. I was then told by the doctor that nothing further could be done. As I left the doctor’s office with neither a diagnosis nor relief, I realised that I had been seeking medical attention in all the wrong places. It was then I decided that I ought to have sought the divine healing of the Lord first.

So after some prayer and annointing at church one Sabbath, I decided to quit the drugs and put all my faith in God and with miraculous results. Weeks later in a dream I was told of herbs I should eat -which I did- and within a week, all pain and stiffness was gone and the swelling greatly reduced! Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest! There is no want to those who serve him! And so I just want to give all praise to my great physician for coming to my rescue and redeeming me from a lifetime of suffering.

I bless the Lord with all my soul, who forgives all our iniquities; heals all our diseases; redeems our lives from destruction, and crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies, in the name of Jesus Christ his son, through whom all things are possible. Our Great Jehovah Rophe is excellent in all the earth! Amen!

Original story.

Monday Motivation: Listen to Criticism

Don’t get this mixed up with the Wednesday Word that I did on this topic, just in case you’re paying attention.

There are two main forms of criticism. One is constructive, and the other in not. Duh.

I want to talk about receiving it.

None of us are perfect. One of the things we struggle with is being told that we are not perfect though. “I already know I’m not perfect. Don’t remind me”.

I’m the type of guy that struggles to sugar coat things. If you were to ask me for constructive criticism, I will give it to you and a blatant way. Problem is, people want to hear what they want to hear. If it’s not what they want to hear, then you suddenly become a dick for saying it.

I’m pretty sure we each have at least one person who we turn to for the hard truth. I’m that guy in my circles.

The point of this post is to listen to what people say to you. Take note. Some of it will be harsh, but true. Others may be completely off base, but we’ll ignore those.

Be honest with yourself in your evaluations. If someone tells you that you need to improve in an area, think about it. Consider it. Don’t be so high on yourself that you can’t be bothered with people that, in all honesty, are trying to help.

People that will tell you like it is tend to be people that care for you. They don’t want to lie to you, so they’re just open and straight to the point. Get people like that around you. For me, I’m my own worst critic, and I’ve rarely heard anything that has made me feel less than I am. For others, it’s different. One bit of criticism and it’s “I’m no good anymore”.

Don’t think like that. Never think like that. Listen to it, but this doesn’t mean that you take it as fact or that you should follow through with it.

From every experience you have, there’s a chance to grow, and I think that’s my point.

-Dante Writes