Spoken Word: Counterfeit Gods
Hi Everybody!
I love Passion for Christ Ministries (P4CM) for what it offers to the NOW Generation. So much talent with speakers that relate to the young generation and speak truth in a language that they can truly understand and relate to. This video that I am posting is a spoken word by Jefferson Bethke that really addressed the issue of how modern day Counterfeit Gods (aka Idolatry) affect our relationship with God in a truthful poetic way.
3 Key Things About Destiny
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Introduction
A few weeks ago a friend of mine mentioned something extremely important. At the time it was something he said in passing as part of normal conversation. I don’t really think he has an idea how profound what he said is. Some time ago I had also written about ways to discover your future for those moments you are uncertain about it, or know it and believed in it up to a certain point and started getting doubtful, or simply didn’t know what it is at all. If you haven’t read it, it may be a good idea to start with that and continue to here. Not because this a sequel to it or anything but it is more so, for the purpose of getting a good wholesome perspective on one’s future and destiny.
That in essence is what this post will be covering. I have looked into more of what my friend said and came up with these easy-to-understand principles that I believe everyone should either know or at least have a good idea about.
The 3 Keys
1) Your destiny is designed by God.
He says here:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
The truth of the matter is God is our Creator and Designer. Every aspect of not only our being but also our life was created by Him, therefore, the only One wo would know about all that has to do with us is Him. Now you may say, “Yeah but I have some friends who are skilled in sports and continued that into their career,” or “I know some people who are millionaires or at least live a substantially comfortable life with what they have and a re not even Christians,” great points. Well here is the real factor behind all their success:
Deuteronomy 8:18
But you shall [earnestly] remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
In essence what happens is their success hinges on their application of biblical principles. A few ones like:
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, yes, even [divide it] to eight, for you know not what evil may come upon the earth.
Proverbs 16:8
Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice.
Which focuses on diversifying or having two or more vehicles of investing such as real estate and stocks for the purpose of having multiple streams of income. The second passage is about the value of time and how that can play a very important factor in generating a lot of income when you save and invest (notice it does not make a distinction between the two because the principle is the same). The more patient you are the greater the returns. It is like a time-to percentage growth ratio. The amount you earn is directly proportionate to the time you are willing to wait for it grow. Integrity is an important side of this too. The interesting thing is an aspect of faith like a mustard seed plays a part in this too. In a future post I will go deeper into this.
Psalm 112:5
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Genesis 2:15
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
That is a word for business owners, whether small or big businesses. The principle is the same. Do not exploit your employees or deal dishonestly (such as stealing from the business, although that’s something more an employee would do) with the money but divide it to strengthen every facet of the business.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Referring mostly to those who excel in sports, arts and crafts and other domains containing and requiring exceptional skill to do as a profession. For those who are not Christians that wonderful gift they have is something given to them by our loving Father. They simply have not come to that realization yet.
2) Your destiny is linked to God
Meaning that the pleasure and joy you get out of fulfilling the place you believe you were born to be, is something that is connected to the goodness of God. I like to think that some times unbelievers who are in the position where they excel in their domain may have a void on the inside concerning the source of their knowledge, the privilege of their experience and accomplishments.They may not have it all the time but it may come from time to time. The one evidence of this could be when they see people less fortunate than themselves being happier with little the have than they (the more wealthy) are with the plenty they have. Just something to think about.
3) Your destiny is designed to please God
At the end of the end of the day that is all it comes down to. In essence, is it not the reason for our existence? The meaning of life? Thinking about the creation around us, the gifts we possess, the families we create, the friends we have, those times when someone comes just at the (precise) moment you needed them. The thing that makes it even more worthwhile is when it is stranger. Even better when a stranger tells you their story and you glean something from it that you know can change your life completely or at least in some small way. When the person you hate the most does something that is of significant value to you when you least expect it, especially when you believed they were the person least likely to do it.
Small things like these are just a taste of all the reasons why we should acknowledge, thank and praise God! These things can happen in the area of our domain. Whether that’s work, ministry, jobs as big as founder and CEO of international business or as small as babysitting, nothing is too big or too small for Him to be pleased with. For Him it is all about faith and the heart. Think about this quote by Hans Urs von Balthasar:
What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God
1 Corinthians 10:31
So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.
Related Posts:
Comfort Zones- The Disabler Of Destiny by Sherline
Destiny Is Determined By Choice by Have A Dream
3 Lessons From King David About Destiny by Kingspeech
Do You Deserve Your Tomorrow? by Ain’t I JI
The Lord Rebuke You: Looking At Why The Lord Said This
Why did the Lord say this?
In 2009 Christmas our family was going through our church’s daily reading program and at the time we were reading Zechariah 3. After my dad broke down the chapter for us he asked an interesting question: Why did God say, “The Lord rebuke you,” instead of I rebuke you”? Over the past few years I had been battling with this question. I have also been on and off with the research only because I forgot about it until now!
The clue he gave us was that it had something to do with Daniel. He said nothing more than that. I began to wonder what connection Daniel had with the problem Satan had with Joshua presenting himself as a priest to God in His presence. Looking more into the book of Daniel I noticed that he walked with God very closely and had an extremely strong faith! He had a special type of faith which could draw from God a power to understand His mysteries. Daniel shared the knowledge and the wisdom of God and also the mysteries of God’s doings. He walked very close to God. Daniel’s book is a difficult book to understand. Many of the present events and future events are there. Daniel is the John of the Old Testament. He would see a vision and be so overwhelmed by its impact as to fall down and become weak. When God’s mighty thoughts enter our mind, sometimes we become weak. But Daniel would not leave God.
Zechariah 3:2 in context
Earlier on I had asked about what Daniel had with Satan stopping Joshua entering the presence of God to minister as a priest. Before getting into what I believe the reason is, first let us find out what this portion of the Scripture is all about. Here are verses 1-3
Then [the guiding angel] showed me Joshua the high priest standing before [a]the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at Joshua’s right hand to be his adversary and to accuse him.
And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! Even the Lord, Who [now and habitually] chooses Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this [returned captive Joshua] a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the Angel [of the Lord].
Alright let’s break this down:
Verse 1
The guiding angel (most versions just say “he”)- The Lord represented to me in a vision
Standing- Ministering in his office
The Angel of the Lord (most versions just say “angel”)- Christ
Verse 2
The Lord — Christ, as a mediator, rather chooses to rebuke him in his father’s name, than in his own.
Is not this — Joshua.
Verse 3
With filthy garments — The emblem of a poor or sinful state.
The Angel (of the Lord) — Christ.
It seems as though the One mentioned as The Lord in verse 2 is actually the Father Who is being referenced by Jesus. He chose to be a mediator and rebuke Satan in His Father’s name as opposed to His own. This makes perfect sense because it will clearly explain why the parallel passage in Jude has the same expression:
Jude 1:9
But when [even] the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, judicially argued (disputed) about the body of Moses, he dared not [presume to] bring an abusive condemnation against him, but [simply] said, The Lord rebuke you!
So the archangel Michael rebuked Satan in the name of the Father, the same way Jesus did it. Taking careful note of this suggests that directly rebuking the devil is not what we are supposed to do. Besides how many demons does he have chasing us every moment of every day! As far as our responsibility towards the devil is concerned, all we have to do is:
James 4:7
So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.
2 Corinthians 2:11
To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions.
1 Peter 5:8
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
1 Corinthians 10:13
For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.
Ephesians 6:12
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.
For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)
Making The Connection
In my studies about the passage of Zechariah 3 I looked further into the specifics Daniel had with the scene taking place in the presence of God. Satan was just trying to make Joshua feel belittled for entering as a priest into God’s presence with filthy rags! That’s proof that you can come to Him just as you are:
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
Thankfully Jesus was there to rebuke Satan in the name of the Father. When I observed the book of Daniel I noticed that Michael was one person that played a big role in Daniel’s life. I noticed here that Michael was the one my dad was referring to. Check out what I discovered in a commentary I read:
Yet Michael the archangel by whom is meant, not a created angel, but an eternal one, the Lord Jesus Christ; as appears from his name Michael, which signifies, “who is as God”: and who is as God, or like unto him, but the Son of God, who is equal with God? and from his character as the archangel, or Prince of angels, for Christ is the head of all principality and power; and from what is elsewhere said of Michael, as that he is the great Prince, and on the side of the people of God, and to have angels under him, and at his command, ( Daniel 10:21 ) ( 12:1 ) ( Revelation 12:7 ) .
That means there is a very close connection between Jesus and Michael. It is not to say that Michael had the same authority as Jesus but rather that they both held very high ranks. From the above statement you can see that a part of Michael was in Jesus and a part of Jesus was in Michael. In Jude Michael also stood as a mediator and rebuked Satan in the name of the Father. My guess is to respect rank since Jesus rebuked Satan in the same way.
Lessons On Investing: From The Experts
novartis-venturefund.com
1) John (Jack) Bogle- master of mutual fund investing. Introduced the first index fund . He says:
“Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy.”
“When reward is at its pinnacle, risk is near at hand.”
2) Warren Buffet- master of stocks and business investing (by buying companies through Berkshire Hathaway). He says:
“Shares are not mere pieces of paper. They represent part ownership of a business. So, when contemplating an investment, think like a prospective owner.”
“Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy. Profit from folly rather than participate in it.”
3) David Dreman is a contrarian investor. Great example of what it means to go against status quo. He says:
“Psychology is probably the most important factor in the market – and one that is least understood.”
“If you have good stocks and you really know them, you’ll make money if you’re patient over three years or more.”
4) Philip A Fisher, most influential investor of all time. Advised chief executives and had a career that spanned 70 years. Master of stock investing. He says:
“I don’t want a lot of good investments; I want a few outstanding ones.”
“I sought out Phil Fisher after reading his “Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits”. When I met him, I was impressed by the man and his ideas.
A thorough understanding of a business, by using Phil’s techniques … enables one to make intelligent investment commitments.” (Warren Buffett)
5) Benjamin Graham amongst many other things was the master of value investing. He was basically an investing analyst which made him an investing
manager and financial educator. He says:
“Even the intelligent investor is likely to need considerable willpower to keep from following the crowd.”
“To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks.”
6) Bill Gross master of bond investing, was called “king of bonds.” He is the world’s leading bond fund manager. He says:
“Finding the best person or the best organization to invest your money is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make.”
“Do you really like a particular stock? Put 10% or so of your portfolio on it. Make the idea count … Good [investment] ideas should not be diversified away into meaningless oblivion.”
7) Carl Ichan master of stock investing. A catchphrase by Wall Street being “The Ichan Lift” meant that stocks rose when Ichan bought them from companies he believed was run poorly.
He says:
“I make money. Nothing wrong with that. That’s what I want to do. That’s what I’m here to do. That’s what I enjoy.”
“When most investors, including the pros, all agree on something, they’re usually wrong.”
8) Jesse L Livermore, a self-made stock trader. Famous for making and losing several multimillion dollar fortunes. He says:
“The average man doesn’t wish to be told that it is a bull or a bear market. What he desires is to be told specifically which particular stock to buy or sell. He wants to get something for nothing. He does not wish to work. He doesn’t even wish to have to think.”
“When it comes to selling stocks, it is plain that nobody can sell unless somebody wants those stocks. If you operate on a large scale, you will have to bear that in mind all the time.”
9) Peter Lynch, master of stock investing. Nicknamed “chameleon” for adapting to whatever investing style worked at the time. He says:
“Investing without research is like playing stud poker and never looking at the cards.”
“If you spend more than 13 minutes analyzing economic and market forecasts, you’ve wasted 10 minutes.”
10) Bill Miller, master of value investing. He was a portfolio manager at a company whose funds grew from $750 million in 1950 to $20 billion in 2006 under
his management. He had an interestingly different view of value investing. He says:
“I often remind our analysts that 100% of the information you have about a company represents the past, and 100% of a stock’s valuation depends on the future.”
“What we try to do is take advantage of errors others make, usually because they are too short-term oriented, or they react to dramatic events, or they overestimate the impact of events, and so on.”
11) John Neff was a portfolio manager who preferred to buy on bad news after a stock had taken a substantial plunge and to take “indirect paths” to buying in to popular industries.
He was considered a professional’s professional because many fund managers entrusted their money to him with the belief that it would be in safe hands. He says:
“It’s not always easy to do what’s not popular, but that’s where you make your money.
Buy stocks that look bad to less careful investors and hang on until their real value is recognized.”
12) William J O’Niel was a top performing stock broker and inventor of the growth stock investing strategy. In short he seeks out only those growth
stocks that have the greatest potential for swift price rises from the moment they are purchased.
13) Julian Robertson, said to have the best hedge fund throughout the 80s and 90s. His hedge fund Tiger Management became the world’s largest fund. He was a macro trader, and often rode worldwide trends. He says:
“Our mandate is to find the 200 best companies in the world and invest in them, and find the 200 worst companies in the world and go short on them. If the 200 best don’t do better than the 200 worst, you should probably be in another business.”
“Hear a [stock] story, analyze and buy aggressively if it feels right.”
14) Thomas Rowe Price Jr was called, “the father of growth investing,” who pioneered the methodology of growth investing by focusing on well-managed companies in fertile fields whose earnings and dividends were expected to grow faster than inflation and the overall economy. He says:
“No one can see ahead three years, let alone five or ten. Competition, new inventions – all kinds of things – can change the situation in twelve months.”
“It is better to be early than too late in recognizing the passing of one era, the waning of old investment favorites and the advent of a new era affording new opportunities for the investor.”
15) James D Slater master of stock investing. He invented the term price-earnings to earnings-growth ratio to allow people to look beyond just the price earnings ratio. He says:
“Most leading brokers cannot spare the time and money to research smaller stocks. You are therefore more likely to find a bargain in this relatively under-exploited area of the stock market.”
“You get out of an investment what you put into it, so the first decision you have to make is how much time you are prepared to devote to the initial task of acquiring a basic knowledge of investment.
17) Michael Steinhardt was a stock trader whose focus was on emphasizing macro asset allocation type moves from which he harvested his gains.
He says:
18) John Templeton a great contrarian investor who believed that the best bargains were in stocks that were completely neglected – those that other investors were not even studying. He says:
If you read each of the quotes carefully you’ll notice three core things about investing:
b) The market cannot be predicted.
c) Knowledge of your investment is more important than any investment you make.
that it’s the investor that’s risky not the investment because without research you’re going in blind, no matter how good the investment
looks or sounds.
I sure learned a great deal from all of them. The brief introduction about each of them was intentional because the point was
to allow you to get an idea of who made the quote. I know some have slightly longer ones (introduction) than others but that’s because two or
more investors would have had the same investing style, so the idea would be to differentiate the methodology, not to make one
appear more important than the other. We should learn about the different types of investments and decide which one we’ll focus on
more than the others.
1) Diversify
Ecclesiastes 11:2
Give a portion to seven, yes, even [divide it] to eight, for you know not what evil may come upon the earth.
Invest in stocks, commodities, real estate or businesses. Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket! Your portion
is your investment capital.
2) Know your investment
Proverbs 19:2
Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark.
It’s actually simple, avoid investments you don’t understand.
3) Carefully watch your investments
Proverbs 27:23-24
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds;
For riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations?
This is not about tracking your investments, it’s about knowing the state of your investment. We are merely stewards
of what is the Lord’s anyways. The key thing to understand is cash flow. Where does the money go once you invest it?
How can you grow an investment when you don’t know where it’s going?
In the same way the world needs more filmakers who are also Christians, the world needs more investors who are also Christians.
Here is my personal quote: Investing, more than anything else, is a character and knowledge subject.
Mother of All gods: Rick Warren calls the Church to fast, pray for an (antichrist system) seeking new Pope
Warren’s Ecumenical call to fast, pray for Cardinals seeking new Pope ‘Real Tragedy’
By Heather Clark Christian News Network
An evangelical ministry that has worked for over 20 years to share the Gospel with Roman Catholics is expressing concern over a ecumenical Tweet that author and megachurch pastor Rick Warren posted early this morning. At 2:57 a.m., Warren sent out the following call to his over 900,000 followers on Twitter:
9 ways to understand your future
Making Things Clear
This is not a post about anything spiritual such as any form of divination or numerology, horoscopes, palm reading, fortune telling, crystal ball reading or any such thing. It is more for those who neither know what their future holds (in terms of what they want to do or their vision for it), are confused about it or often have seasons where their desires seem to change. I have been there numerous times. I remember finishing high school with completely no idea what I wanted to do. That was quite a serious problem because my dad was the kind of person who needed you to be clear and focused about your future to the point where you had to have a decent plan as to how you would carry it out. Basically the only effort he wanted was to pay for it.
That caused several problems for me, the biggest one being fear. Motivated by that feeling I would then list plenty of occupations like doctor, journalist, pilot and so on. This would go on for a straight 6 months until I finally decided that Bible school was best since he though well of me in that area. After finishing that, I was a basic recording artist and continued for some years before being involved in the video production and film industry where I did music videos first amongst many others.
The Transition
It was all a process though. I had to think about what I wanted and how to make the most of what I had where I was. That leads me to the first point:
1) Sit in very quiet spot and take time to think about what you love to do.
This process requires patience. It does take time. Whether it takes you a few days, weeks or months, it will be more than worth it! Everything else you do, that is the goals you set-short, medium and long term-will be nothing more than steps that will take you closer to your dream.
2) Use your talent.
If you don’t know or are not sure what it is read the post 10 ways on how to discover your talents part 1. At the end of that post you can get a chance to find out more ways to discover your talents in case part 1 is not enough. You can always make a little money on the side with it or kick off a small business or anything like that with your talent. Whether that’s art to sell and display in museums; different fruits and vegetables to grow and sell (a thing like that can be learned even if economics is not your style or speciality); food to make and sell, demos and mix tapes to record and sell, it all starts small.
3) The peace of God.
This is the one of the simplest and yet most significant way (I believe) that God leads us. How do you feel when you think about banking and finance management? Are you at peace or not? When you talk to your friends and family about doing law, music, filmmaking, practicing medicine, science, the arts, teaching, ministry, being a missionary, store clerk, pilot or anything else, are you at peace? Ask yourself that question.
Romans 16:19-20
For while your loyalty and obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you well versed and wise as to what is good and innocent and guileless (innocent) as to what is evil.
And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you
Philippians 4:7
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison (defend) and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament),
Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).
4) The process of elimination. How good you are at determining your final answer for your vision, goal, passion and desire depends on you (in that it depends on how much of an idea you have for what you want to do). That will determine how long it takes you to list as many of the thing you don’t want to do as possible.
5) Link different activities.
For example I got into doing music through being a recording artist which then opened the door for me to do video production, of which music videos is what I wanted to do but expanded my skills and thought-process to focusing on more than just that. Plus I get to do sound a lot as well, which is fun. You might like reading so writing could be an option even if you’re not good at it. If you enjoy being with people then psychology and psychiatry might be decent choices, or be a consultant coach, counselor and so on. Drawing and designing go together too. Sketching scenery, landscapes with detailed characters and items in the picture will get you on board for being a storyboard artist or illustrator for a movie, music video, documentary and pretty much any kind of video production. If you are good at technical graphics then architecture or graphic designing could be your thing. Sketch artist for police art or forensic artist for the medical police department is another alternative.
6) Ask around.
What kind of job do you see me doing? What kind of occupation does someone like me have the knack for doing? Obviously you have to ask people you trust more often than your average joe, although they are worth considering every now and then. It’s called keeping your options open. Read the post 12 Key Factors About Desire
7) Explore
Try doing a lot of stuff that you find fascinating. If you enjoy mountain climbing and the outdoors then signing up for conservationism and safari tour guide may be worth your while. It’s all about surprising yourself. You really don’t have the luxury of being picky!
8) Work your way back
Imagine yourself being someone along the lines of stuff you are good at. If you are good at sport, then imagine yourself playing on a professional level and what your life is like. Everything you’re doing. The training. The people you’re meeting. The schedule you have to go through. The success and possible failure and consequence you face. See what kind of spark that lights up in you. If it is even remotely big, go for it!
NB: That was just an example. Use it in the same way with business, media, commerce, church, science and so on. Whatever department you are currently in or are thinking of doing, do this.
9) Research
Read books and ask questions. Find out how other people got to discover their purpose or passion and ask them to help you on your journey. Read my other post called The plan of action for your dream: writing it down.
Very Inspiring Blogger Award
I would love to honour and thank my good friend Rolain of King Speech. He writes heartfelt, inspiring, motivating and thought-provoking pieces. In addition to taking you on the journey of discovery and understanding your identity, you also learn more about the lessons he learns from the Lord and they have impacted his life. I trust you would really enjoy his blog.
Rules for receiving the award.
1.Display the award logo on your blog
2.Link back to the person who nominated you.
3.State 7 things about yourself.
4.Nominate 15 bloggers of the Nomination and award requirements.
5.Notify the bloggers of the nominations and award requirements.
7 things to know about me.
1) I enjoy doing sound on any video set
2) I am an introvert that sometimes does most of the talking
3) I’ve recently started writing short film scripts
4) I’ve learned how to eat spaghetti with a fork and spoon
5) Ever since completing film school last year I can’t help but analyze the movies I see. Instead focusing on the story, I pay a lot of attention to the shots, their angles, movements, lighting, directing, sometimes the writing with regards to the dialogue and the set design.
6) I enjoy meeting people from different parts of the world
7) I still get problems with people who can’t grasp the fact that I’m a Zimbabwean with an American accent
The honorable nominees
1) Retcon poet
2) The Small Small Trailer
3) Commit To Confidence
4) Deimante’s Blog
5) Motivation To Get Healthy
6) Cloud Lounge
7) Be Bold Or Italic Never Regular
8) A Real Surrealist
9) Randy Knows
10) Improvised Life
11) Elizabeth W Marshall
12) Cerebration Ministries
13) Stories My Suitcase Could Tell
14) Out Of Focus
15) Megan Stephenson
Fall in love with the work, not the results
Courtesy of wallpafer.com
It’s all about the process
They say that what counts is not the destination but the journey. When you have your map and need to get to your location, it’s everything that happens, everything you go through that tells the story. It may not be the arrival but rather how you got there. Of course you need to make sure your target and focus is the destination since that is ultimately what your vision is. However, even for mundane tasks like setting the table, that’s something to enjoy because when the end result comes out, all you would think about (or would’ve though about) is the process.
It’s like watching a scene playing normally up to a certain point and then rewinding back to the beginning of that scene to get an idea of what was supposed to happen. Your mind rewinds to the work you did to achieve the outcome.
Courtesy of verbestquotes.com
Why concentrate on the work?
You may be surprised or not realize this but it’s where everything takes place:
1) Character growth
2) Skill development
3) Ability to work with people
4) Recognition of potential
5) Creativity
6) The unveiling of a hidden gift/talent
7) Disclosure of who you are
The last point is the one I would like to center on, emphasize and elaborate on. They say that your attitude at the beginning of a task (or work) will determine the outcome more than anything else. It is where you realize that you are not as patient as you thought you were. You’re not as talented as your impression led you to believe. You see, what matters though is not your inadequacies or incompetence to get the job done, but rather what you learn as a result of that. Looking back at that list above, when you think about it points 1 and 7 go together.
The work is the reward
Is sometimes or often are hard? Yes. Can it be boring, repetitive and feel unproductive? Of course. In the end that is not what matters, it is the mindset enter into the work with, do with the work with and complete the work with. Even if it is the worst job that anyone can ever have, how you perceive it will have tremendous influence on how you perform it and eventually impact the end product. You, in essence, decide what the outcome will be so why not make it the best anyone has seen and open doors of opportunity for yourself. When someone admires the result, they would really be impressed with the effort that was put into creating it. As you very well know, it shows!
Proverbs 14:23
In all labor there is profit, but idle talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 12:24
The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule andcharge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.
Indeed, we hear that some among you are disorderly [that they are passing their lives in idleness, neglectful of duty], being busy with other people’s affairs instead of their own and doing no work.
Now we charge and exhort such persons [as ministers in Him exhorting those] in the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) that they work in quietness and earn their own food and other necessities
Short Film Competition
Courtesy of blogs.indiewire.com
Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know that I have been busy interning at the media training and productions institute I learned at. It is a lot of fun and a lot of work too! Sadly I have not been able to update my posts and get back into writing for while because of that, but, I will be writing everyday and posting what I write as soon as I get the chance.!
During my internship I shoot and edit classes for our training department and help with various interviews with clients on the production side. Recently my friend participated in a short film competition held in Nigeria. His short film is called, Jayson’s Hope. I had the honour of being involved in the making of the film as the guy in charge of sound. Please look for my name in the credits (Tarisai Mzwimbi if you didn’t know). You can see the movie right here:
It did so well that it placed among the top 10 finalists. All that needs to happen is rack in as many votes as possible.My request is that you do please support by voting for the film. It is video 10.
You can vote with both your Youtube account and Gmail. Please help us place among the top 3 at least if we don’t win. Remember to notify as many people as possible on your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, Youtube, Google +, Reddit, Tumblr, Blogger accounts and a few others I have not mentioned. If you are able to email your family and friends too, that encouragement is truly admired. Your support is greatly appreciated. Here is where you can vote:
What You Do Well Is Your Assignment
Courtesy of arts1.co.uk
Courtesy of muscleandfitness.com
The honest truth is simply because it works no other way. Here are the reasons why:
1) God is always on your side (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5), it takes recognizing Him to make the difference
2) Your skills, talents and gifts are linked to your calling.
3) You’ve been given your gifts to give courage and hope to someone else
4) Your excellence in your domain enables you to be rewarded and promoted
5) Gratitude and saying Yes count for something
6) You are blessed because you are a blessing
7) Working hard to work smart helps you recognize opportunities
8) Uncommon favor comes with solving uncommon problems
9) You do it well because you love it
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,
24 Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah)
Daniel 11:32
And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].
2 Thessalonians 3:13
And as for you, brethren, do not become weary or lose heart in doing right [but continue in well-doing without weakening]
Galatians 6:9
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint
1 Corinthians 10:31
So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God
Acts 20:35
In everything I have pointed out to you [by example] that, by working diligently in this manner, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed (makes one happier and more to be envied) to give than to receive
Proverbs 10:4
He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
