tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post4479385396359324176..comments2023-10-11T02:53:32.035-07:00Comments on Five Cent Stand: Thirty So-ME-thingSeth Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02027729307468958273noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post-17145592959957902322008-12-15T17:44:00.000-08:002008-12-15T17:44:00.000-08:00"The power of our parent's words of affirmation or..."The power of our parent's words of affirmation or lack thereof is astounding" - so, so, so, so true!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post-91653213076818683522008-12-14T13:56:00.000-08:002008-12-14T13:56:00.000-08:00Seth,I thank God for giving you the acuity into re...Seth,<BR/><BR/>I thank God for giving you the acuity into real life experiences that we can relate. I enjoyed reading this post as all others. This struck a chord, “The odd thing is, that when your heart if right, and you are acknowledged, you are humbled rather than puffed up.” That’s exactly what I call biblical wisdom. Interestingly, the Lord was reminding me today and here’s a gist of what I jotted in my notebook prior, “With each passing moment, I keep realizing that doing all things as unto the Lord is of essence.” I wrote that down upon sitting down because I recalled just a few minutes earlier saying “Good morning!” and “Hi!” to passersby only to get a cold return of silence. I thank my God for reminding me to look to Him and be His fragrance for His glory because He does not enable me to step out of my comfort zone to share His love and warmth for me to please men but to please Him utmost. Here’s something C.H. Spurgeon from, Only A Prayer Meeting, exhorted us to do and I sincerely concur:<BR/><BR/>“Let us live in hearty love, first to our adorable Lord, and then with our fellow-servants, and so we shall become strong in the Lord, and the Lord will command his blessing to fall like dew of Hermon where he sees brotherly love abounding.”<BR/><BR/>Then you reminded me of this absolute and experiential truth:<BR/>“A submission of your will is the only way to experience real peace, joy, freedom and the abundant life that the Good Lord has for us. When you do, your talents and gifts come alive in way that they never have. They become the blessing they were meant to be rather than the curses that we have made them.”<BR/><BR/>Oh, how I love all that the Lord has led you to write. Great post and to God be the glory!!!<BR/><BR/>PS: It appears God wanted me to see this today (and I thank Him for His timing) for I cannot, for the life of me, comprehend how I had missed this post yesterday! By the way, perhaps on the same token and as He leads you, feel free to check out Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray. Whoa! I was about to post this note, then I saw your comment! I pray God would set our motives right—may He align it with His which is very exhilarating!!! This song came to mind by Fernando Ortega (Give Me Jesus):<BR/><BR/>In the morning, when I rise<BR/>In the morning, when I rise<BR/>In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus<BR/><BR/>Give me Jesus,<BR/>Give me Jesus, <BR/>You can have all this world, <BR/>But give me Jesus<BR/><BR/>When I am alone<BR/>When I am alone<BR/>When I am alone, give me Jesus<BR/><BR/>Give me Jesus, <BR/>Give me Jesus, <BR/>You can have all this world, <BR/>But give me Jesus<BR/><BR/>When I come to die<BR/>When I come to die<BR/>When I come to die, give me Jesus<BR/><BR/>Give me Jesus, <BR/>Give me Jesus, <BR/>You can have all this world, <BR/>You can have all this world, <BR/>You can have all this world, <BR/>But give me Jesus<BR/><BR/>Proverbs 30<BR/>[7] Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):<BR/>[8] Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches—Feed me with the food allotted to me;<BR/>[9] Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.<BR/><BR/>1 Thessalonians 5<BR/>[14] Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.<BR/>[15] See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.<BR/>[16] Rejoice always,<BR/>[17] pray without ceasing,<BR/>[18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post-4869199683966346482008-12-13T10:29:00.000-08:002008-12-13T10:29:00.000-08:00Once again, you've nailed it brilliantly, Seth.In ...Once again, you've nailed it brilliantly, Seth.<BR/><BR/>In so many ways and on so many levels, I'm glad and grateful that I'm not ever going to be big or famous. But I also realize that what you've written here is very wise and insightful, and pertains to human relationships at all levels.<BR/><BR/>I've noticed that for me, one of the hardest things to do is accept praise. For example, after I lead a small group Bible study or help somebody out who is in need, and they are thanking me and paying me generous compliments, I'm not very good at taking them. I make self-effacing statements, or try and point attention to someone or something else, and I get very uncomfortable. Even when I played in a rock band, I would basically hide behind the drum kit the whole time, and I never knew what to say to people and their compliments after the show.<BR/><BR/>I can't even imagine what it would be like to be magnificently talented, performing under a bright spotlight, doing something on a grand scale that leaves people shouting your name and treating you like some kind of demigod. Does there really come a point in that process where you start to believe what they're saying? Or perhaps you don't believe what they say, and instead feel like some sort of phony. ("If they only knew who I really am...")<BR/><BR/>And then there's the other side of it you mentioned -- people who are still on the outside looking in, and thinking those things are what they want. Such goals can definitely become idols to the seeker.<BR/><BR/>No wonder our entertainment and media culture grinds up so many people who get caught in it, and spits them out miserable and empty. I don't even know if sinful man has the capacity to absorb high levels of adulation and still retain perspective. You have to be extraordinarily grounded to survive intact.<BR/><BR/>The approach you suggest, to seek the Lord first and foremost in the midst of it all, is really the only hope for any of us.Chaotic Hammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17713799579650424883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post-33768621227220542592008-12-13T06:24:00.000-08:002008-12-13T06:24:00.000-08:00For most of us real fame is so absurdly out of rea...For most of us real fame is so absurdly out of reach that the notion doesn't cause emotional distress. I can imagine though, that for actors, musicians and other artists with serious talent and comittment living in New York or LA, that it becomes so tantalizingly close that it could very easily evolve into an obsession, especially if you have friends or neighbors who have some fame. I'm trying to imagine what it would feel like to be out in public and have people come up and ask for an autograph. The effect on the ego must be enormous. If one is famous and also making lots and lots of money, well how sweet must that be.majorstevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00797963894653739547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post-46976853407092382792008-12-12T23:49:00.000-08:002008-12-12T23:49:00.000-08:00Yeeeah. I had more to say but the blog was just s...Yeeeah. I had more to say but the blog was just so enormous already...<BR/><BR/>Hopefully, people won't take this as an anti-affirmation blog altogether. I think done in the right spirit, affirmation is great. (Especially if you are affirming me.)<BR/><BR/>It's all about motives. Why do we set out to do the things we do? Is it to be noticed or is it because we are passionate about what we do and because that is the desire God has put inside of us? <BR/><BR/>There was this famous opera singer who gave a masterclass to a bunch of students and took questions afterwards. One of the students raised their hand and said, "So, what does it feel like?... that moment when everyone is just screaming your name?... does it make it all worth it? ... is it everything you dreamed it would be?" <BR/><BR/>The opera singer glared at her pianist and back to the student and said, "You know, I'm going to go easy on you because you've got a lot to learn... but, I sing because I love it. Period. I could seriously get about as much joy singing in the woods or in the shower as I do singing at the Met. That is what makes it all worth it. If I did it for praise, I would be miserable, and so will you."<BR/><BR/>Thank you, btw for your kind words! ;^)Seth Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02027729307468958273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23306308.post-66669016714292770992008-12-12T20:38:00.000-08:002008-12-12T20:38:00.000-08:00I'm struggling to know what to say in response to ...I'm struggling to know what to say in response to this. I don't want to give you any praise for how well written it is and thus sort of feed into the idea of it. :)<BR/><BR/>So I'll just say thanks for this...it was like a taking a peek into the ugly parts of my soul...and I was challenged. Thanks.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02515314638093018928noreply@blogger.com