Headlines Instead of Sidelines

Headlines Instead of Sidelines

Recently I dreamed that I was relaying a story to someone, and as I spoke, the person was reporting what I said to the media outlets, except they enhanced many of the details, I thought in an attempt to get headlines and more attention for their ‘news’. (I literally ‘saw’ the dramatic captions being scripted by a hand). I felt frustrated at the seeming sensationalism of my 'facts'.

 

At first I took this dream as a caution to monitor my tongue carefully--to watch what I say—as well as better discern my audience. To develop more awareness of the power of my words, as well as the potential of being used or misrepresented—intentionally or not--by someone else.

 

It seemed to be a negative dream. 

 

But I got to thinking how God sometimes works things out by taking our insignificant ‘details’ and adding his divine spark to what we do or say, in order to make our life messages more effective, more powerful, more far-reaching. The goal is to draw people closer to him. 

 

I pray and ask God to use me however he chooses, and then I get frustrated--because I feel USED! 

 

Rather than operating out of suspicion or fear, I need to make sure I welcome Spirit's favor, highlighting, and editing, so that I project from a faith that my words and life can make a difference. 

 

With more ‘publicity’ comes more scrutiny. And that usually means more critics. And further character-shaping. Hence, the continued need to choose words and attitudes more carefully.  It is a constant growth process.

 

May we daily choose to speak and interact in our world with deliberate, utmost integrity, out of the hope that what flows out of us can make the Headlines instead of the Sidelines. 

Get Your Dreams Interrupted

Get Your Dreams Interrupted

My English major buddies or left-brained friends will probably enjoy what I’m about to say. The rest of you might read with perplexity, wondering, ‘What is the big deal?”  The subject: Spelling and Proofreading!  I can hear some of you groan already. 

 

Many years ago, I worked my way through college editing and proofreading…for English professors. I was trained to spot and correct grammatical errors with the fluent red ink pen, much to students’ dismay.  Hence, my friends would never let me read anything they wrote…for fear I would find a mistake and call forth the Spelling Nazis. 

 

Over the years I have mostly learned to silence my criticism and take it all in stride, because let’s face it—there are a lot of poor spellers out there, and it does little good to complain!  I confess, though, that I am a closet punctuation perfectionist. 

 

Even with the famous computer spell check, I’ve noticed that the ones who don’t spell well, don’t care and therefore, they refuse to use this fabulous tool.

 

We can get piqued by errors, or sometimes use them for entertainment, as long as our reputation isn’t being tarnished by association. We must have grace for our linguistically-lacking loafers. 

 

But, I do save some of the ‘gems’ and pull them out once in a while for a good laugh. 

 

I still remember with amazement the college freshman whose major semester paper was supposed to be about Don Quixote.  Obviously this person never even cracked the book, because her whole paper centered in on someone named ‘Donkey Hotee’. 

 

Today I received an email from someone who asked for support because they are going through a ‘lot of testing and trails.’  I’m praying for their journey!

 

An email writer recently lamented the years in her life eaten away by ‘locus’.  Ouch!  Could she be more ‘specific’? 

 

Then, there is my good friend who loves me but isn’t sure about the validity of the whole dream interpretation thing that I love and do full time.  She meant well, I think.  She sent out a mass email to friends, telling them that “Merry does Dream Interruption” for anyone who might be interested. 

 

I’ve only had a few takers.

 

What about you?  What are some of the funniest spelling bloopers you’ve experienced? 

 

Or, are you one of THOSE people who doesn’t use spell check and are a source of frowns, raised eyebrows, or . . . snuffled snickers and sarcastic blogs? 

Get Your Dreams Interrupted

Get Your Dreams Interrupted

My English major buddies or left-brained friends will probably enjoy what I’m about to say. The rest of you might read with perplexity, wondering, ‘What is the big deal?”  The subject: Spelling and Proofreading!  I can hear some of you groan already. 

 

Many years ago, I worked my way through college editing and proofreading…for English professors. I was trained to spot and correct grammatical errors with the fluent red ink pen, much to students’ dismay.  Hence, my friends would never let me read anything they wrote…for fear I would find a mistake and call forth the Spelling Nazis. 

 

Over the years I have mostly learned to silence my criticism and take it all in stride, because let’s face it—there are a lot of poor spellers out there, and it does little good to complain!  I confess, though, that I am a closet punctuation perfectionist. 

 

Even with the famous computer spell check, I’ve noticed that the ones who don’t spell well, don’t care and therefore, they are not the ones who bother to use this fabulous tool.

 

We can get piqued by errors, or sometimes use them for entertainment, as long as our reputation isn’t being tarnished by association. We must have grace for our linguistically-lacking loafers. 

 

But, I do save some of the ‘gems’ and pull them out once in a while for a good laugh. 

 

I still remember with amazement the college freshman whose major semester paper was supposed to be about Don Quixote.  Obviously this person never even cracked the book, because her whole paper centered in on someone named ‘Donkey Hotee’. 

 

Today I received an email from someone who asked for support because they are going through a ‘lot of testing and trails.’  I’m praying for their journey!

 

An email writer recently lamented the years in her life eaten away by ‘locus’.  Ouch!  Could she be more ‘specific’? 

 

Then, there is my good friend who loves me but isn’t sure about the validity of the whole dream interpretation thing that I love and do full time.  She meant well, I think.  She sent out a mass email to friends, telling them that “Merry does Dream Interruption” for anyone who might be interested. 

 

I’ve only had a few takers.

 

What about you?  What are some of the funniest spelling bloopers you’ve experienced? 

 

Or, are you one of THOSE people who doesn’t use spell check and are a source of frowns, raised eyebrows, or . . . snuffled snickers and sarcastic blogs? 

Weight Loss! Lose up to 2,000 Pounds (about a Ton) In 21 Days or Less--And Keep It OFF

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Submitted by Merry Bruton on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 11:31am

We’ve all experienced it.  Your diet plan has been going great.  You’ve worked hard to maintain healthy weight and yet you’ve hit a slump where you are experiencing a heaviness and sluggishness in your life.  The masses of pressures are proving difficult to shift--spiritually speaking. 

 

How do we reduce the load and get ourselves streamlined and functioning with better balance? 

 

Spiritual Weight Loss Tips: 

 

1.    Assess your health and weight situation.  Ask yourself how much unnecessary load you currently bearing.  Are you carrying too much of the weight of the world on your shoulders?  In what areas are you healthy?  Where do you need to make some changes? 

 

Make the commitment to do what is necessary.  Whet your appetite for victory!

 

2.    Find the right diet plan.  Choose what is healthy and feed your mind and spirit on what builds you up and cleanses you.  Cut out the spiritual junk food that saps energy and time, the stuff that drags you down.  Things like over-busyness, spending too much money, negative people, obsessive worrying.

 

Listen to your dreams.  Point your inner compass toward long-term preparation, exercising strengths, and reaching your life-goals.  Know ‘where’ you will BE when you get where you are going. 

 

3.    Start!  No procrastination, no excuses.  Getting started is the most difficult part. 

 

Expect some withdrawal toxicity—you may experience some doubts, cravings, fleshly turmoil that threatens to derail your progress.  You can conquer!  Just press through.

 

4.    Use hunger to your advantage.  When you are craving MORE, weigh your options wisely.  Satisfy your longings with meaty, substantial sustenance for your spirit, things that will make you thrive.  Stay away from dead, empty, quick fixes. 

 

5.    Exercise with a friend. Go to higher levels of expectancy and success by getting your friends to join you.  This provides an atmosphere of support and accountability. It also helps you avoid self-analysis paralysis. We sharpen each other as we work together and encourage each others’ growth. 

 

6.    Lift weights. Give up your ‘hefty’ concerns.  Release your burdens, guilts, expectations, and worries to the Higher Power—the One who knows you and loves you.  The One who sees what you are carrying and wants to support you.   

 

7.    Stick with it.  Experts say that doing something twenty-one days in a row creates a habit. Create the habit of letting go of the stuff that weighs you down.  Embrace the joy that comes with being ‘lightened’. If you get stuck, be grateful for progress, and start again.

 

Imagine living life as the new, slimmer YOU—a lean machine able to fight any battle in life because you are fit and confident in spirit, not hindered in any way.  You are even stronger because of the TONS that you have faced--and overcome. 

What If I Don't Understand My Dreams?

What if I Don’t Understand My Dreams?

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 10:01am

Whether you are new to the world of dream interpretation or a trained and seasoned dream interpreter, the most common complaints concern confusion in comprehending dreams.  Dreams are symbolic, mysterious, and quite puzzling most of the time.  No one understands every dream.  So, if you are perplexed, rest assured that you are not alone. 

 

Common questions that can give us a reality check:

 

1.  Does every dream need to be interpreted?

Not necessarily.  Every dream may contain meaning that could be beneficial, but not every dream is a spiritual dream that needs interpretation.  (read more about this question)

 

2.  How do I know if my dream is important enough to spend more time and energy trying to understand?

I believe every dream is worth some time and effort—even if we never fully ‘get it’.  We always learn something in the process of trying.  The more you work with dreams, the better you become at recognizing the ‘weightier’ dreams that may carry more significant meaning.

 

3.  What can I DO to unlock my dream?

A number of habits help us with interpretation.  Value your dreams more (thank God for dreams)! Journal them.  Make a list of symbols and possible meanings—search and meditate on them. Draw a picture of your dream. Pray--ask Spirit for revelation. Ask gifted friends. Keep going back to read and ponder. Wait and listen. None of these practices are wasted effort. 

 

4.  What if I’m missing out on something very important because I don’t understand?

Many people experience recurring dreams because there is a persistent issue in their lives that needs addressing. God is gracious to us by gently reminding us and prodding us to delve deeper. Often, for timely and critical matters, revelation seems to come much clearer. If we are truly seeking and listening, I believe it is harder to miss out on destiny direction.

 

5.  Why do dreams have to be so difficult?

Whether dreams are from our own soul, as a result of a busy day and unmet needs, or whether they are spiritual direction from God, they are communicated symbolically, and most western minds are not used to processing metaphorically. 

 

It requires effort to venture beyond our normal ways of thinking.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it takes practice to wrap our brains around symbols and pictures, to arrive at the release of intelligible words.

 

An author, Sandy Warner, shares this story:  “One time I said, ‘God, I can hear you just fine, why don’t you just talk to me and tell me what you mean?’  God answered, ‘Sweet One, I am not teaching you YOUR language, I am teaching you MINE.’”

 

Dreams from God are divinely designed to draw us into relationship, not just to get answers, but to develop communication and communion. We learn to lean on Someone much bigger than ourselves—someone who knows our circumstances and sees the Big Picture. 

 

Wisdom says to keep asking, seeking, knocking, keep studying, waiting, listening.  All are disciplines crucial in developing receptive hearts and attentive ears.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Question:  Where do you seem to get ‘stuck’ most often in interpreting your dreams?

Humility Will Get You Everywhere

Humility Will Get You Everywhere

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 5:09pm

Have you ever tried to work or minister with people who are ‘experts’ on every topic? They have an opinion about everything and seemingly have nothing to learn. They are excellent, proficient, and magnificent in all areas of life, even if they are just twenty years old.   

 

Their arrogance erects walls that no one can scale. They don’t stop to ask questions or listen because they know it all, and they think everyone should cherish their advice. Listening to people for understanding seems demeaning to them--a waste of their precious time. 

 

In short, they are big-headed but small-hearted.

 

It’s kind of like bragging about your musical skills (when you have had two lessons)--to a world-class musician, expecting admiration for your abilities. 

 

I know I have had my egotistical seasons, which I remember with a cringe.  The older I get, I realize that the more I learn, the more I see I need to learn.  There is always more to study and experience.  We will never know it all. 

 

So we’d best quick acting like we are The Hotshot Pro, or we will be blinded by our own en-LIGHT-enment. 

 

How many of our interactions with people would go better and earn us more favor if we made it our practice to humble down and treat people with respect and honor, assuming the best about them and not treating them like we think they ignorant morons—in comparison to us?

 

We communicate love and respect as we practice preferring others above ourselves in our speech and actions.  Serving and not promoting ourselves develops character, strength, and integrity—and gives us authority. Kindness always takes us far. We value and bless others instead of ignoring and revealing our lack of maturity loud and clear.

 

“Agree with each other, love each other,

be deep-spirited friends. 

 

Don’t push your way to the front.

Don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. 

Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. 

Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. 

Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

 

--Philippians 2:2-4 The Message

Dawning Time

Dawning Time

Submitted by Merry Bruton on Tue, 05/11/2010 - 12:00pm

There’s nothing like waking up in the morning within a deep, restful bubble of tranquility, before the day’s swirl of thoughts and activities begin to jar me fully awake.  My unconscious mind becomes vaguely aware of the approach of daylight, yet there is still time to fiercely guard the ‘dawning time’, where I can remain in the posture of spiritual listening and receiving like a pitcher waiting to be filled—so it can be used to pour out.  Without connecting with Spirit’s Voice in the morning, the day just isn’t the same—it seems . . . less inspired.   

 

I’ve been dreaming.  Do I remember?  What is the message?  What are my directions for the day? What creative flow can I jump right into?  Who would be blessed by a phone call or a word of encouragement?  What do I write about today?  What needs are around me that I can tend to? How can I partner with the Creator to make a difference in the world today?

 

Better yet, to linger in the stillness, for just a moment, to enjoy the sensation of God’s tangible presence all around me—in the calming sounds of nearby snoozing puppies, my husband preparing for his day, the birds chirping happily outside my window. I can feel the weight of Spirit’s love and affirmation, and sometimes the words materialize to thrill and bring energy to anticipate this day’s surprises and challenges.

 

Something FUN is ahead, I just know it!

 

Even if the day is rough, with painful situations to deal with, things just seem easier to deal with because I am supernaturally empowered and recharged.  Spending time infused by an eternal God widens my vision and changes my limited perspective. Today’s troubles don’t seem so devastating. Carry the peace forward!

 

“People with their minds set on you,

you keep completely whole,

steady on their feet,

because they keep at it and don’t quit. 

Depend on God and keep at it

Because in the Lord God, you have a sure thing.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 The Message