Monday, January 26, 2009

Hen or egg?

There is this poster in the building where I work that says: "hen or egg?" and I've started thinking about this. What are we?

Are we the hen or are we the egg? In order to know that we need to know the characteristics of both of them.

As we know the hen is the female chicken. It lays eggs. It breeds the eggs until they're ready to crack and become another life.

An egg is the "hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird" (Merriam Webster online dictionary). The egg itself is not active. It sits there until it is ready bred. Once out of the egg the bird inside is life itself, yet very fragile still.

Now you might wonder where I am heading to, but we are getting there.
The question beforementioned asked you whether you were a hen or an egg. Accordingly I could also ask you if you are the one being active, producing ideas, breeding new life (meant as ideas, visions etc.)? Or are you the egg, waiting to crack and begin a life. Or are you waiting for the idea to be bred until you actually become active?

Think about your everyday life. Think about your ministry in church, the things where you are serving. Think about your relationships, your friendships, people in your small group.

Are you getting yourself out there, following a certain goal, breeding ideas, following your vision? Are you active?

To wrap this up, let me quote from Philippians 3:

12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Again I ask you: Are you the hen or the egg?

xoxo

Ramona

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Love is greater than either

As I watched Tristan & Isolde this weekend I came to decide that my next Hero was going to be Tristan, although I had planned on introducing you to another Hero first.

I know Tristan would not be considered the classic Hero, making everything right and work out. No... he has flaws and he even betrays the person he owes his life to, Lord Marke. He is in love with Lord Markes's wife, Isolde, who rescued and fell in love with him long before she was Lord Markes wife.
Tristan suffers from this love. He is torn between his duty and the life he owes to Lord Marke and the love he finds in Isolde. And with this love he finds a life beyond duty and death.
Throughout the story you might think that Tristan is no hero. He commits adultery and is unfaithful, a liar and a betrayer.
But... oh and that's good... but Lord Marke - after finding out and talking with Tristan and Isolde - gives Isolde free and lets Tristan be with her. Isn't the grace and mercy Lord Marke shows just remarkable?
This grace gives Tristan a choice: Take the easy way, run away with Isolde, whom he loves; or fight for his honor, being a man of character, seeking forgiveness and righteousness.
But Tristan is not a man of compromise or mediocrity. He chooses honor. He chooses the stony path.
It costs him his life in the end, but also washes him free of guilt and he gains Lord Markes forgiveness. That is why he is a hero in my eyes. He is a man of character who in the end understands that grace and honor are to be followed because of the fatherly love and forgiveness which is shown to him through grace by Lord Marke.

Before Tristan dies he says some remarkable words which sum this up perfectly:

"I don't know if life is greater than death, but love was greater than either"
Below you'll find the music video by Gavin deGraw about this movie. I think it gives you a nice impression of the plot.

Before I leave you with the video, let me say one last thing. Do not choose the road of compromise, but choose life. Choose honor and love and grace and forgiveness and righteousness.

xoxo Ramona

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

How to deal with Freedom in 10 Steps

I will continue writing about Heroes very soon. But right now I have to talk a little about the end of university. It’s craziness! In one week, after my speech and presentation of my diploma thesis I will be done. Finished… finito! And yet I feel like I’ve just begun… but that’s another story.

This whole last year was quite packed and full and yesterday I thought about what I want to do when I finish this next week. So here’s the list:
1. Sleep
2. Sleep in on Saturdays
3. Read books that don’t have to do anything with studying, business, marketing etc.
4. Write to people I haven’t written to forever
5. Invest time into people who I want to see growing in the Lord
6. Spend more quality time with friends
7. Go out on an adventure and do something crazy which I haven’t decided about yet
8. Go rock climbing… or just climbing
9. Just lie around an do nothing… listening to music… dreaming… getting lost in them and envision new things
10. Spend time with friends

Only one more week and those things can start... I'm so ready and I'm ready for a new adventure, somthing crazy, something new, something refreshing... something that the Lord has for me....
Please continue praying for me through this last week...

Thanks so much. Until next time again with Heroes... I already now who it will be so you can be excited... it's going to be... well... you'll see

xoxo Ramona

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Tension & Thrill

This is yet another song by Sleeping at Last called "Tension and Thrill". Great words:

The headlines talk
Of sadness and new risk.
Life is deadly,
My finger’s to your lips.
We’ll send the world in reverse.

Love is tension and thrill
That begs to be ours.

We are diamonds waiting to be found,
Catching light in the corners of our eyes.
We are diamonds waiting to be found.

We are the hunted,
We are the shining northern lights.
We are the nervous,
We feel our hands becoming vines.
We’ll dream in color tonight.

Love is tension and thrill
That begs to be ours.
There are cities inside of everyone:
Life within life,
The trembling in our voice.

When I look into your eyes
I see the tip of an iceberg.
When I look into your eyes
I see that love is an iceberg
That throws us into the sea.

We’re walking on the ocean floor,
Feeding sharks out of our hands.

We are diamonds waiting to be found,
Catching light in the corners of our eyes.
We are diamonds waiting to be found.


xoxo

Ramona

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The soft Heart of Joseph

The first Hero I want to give you an insight about is Joseph. I think he is a remarkable man of God and his story can teach us quite some interesting principles. We can find his story in Genesis starting chapter 37.

Joseph was one of the two only sons born to Jacob (Israel) by his wife Rachel. Therefore he was something special to his father and in his favor. We all know about his dreams where he dreamt that his brothers would bow before him. Interestingly his brothers probably would've never imagined doing that for real many years later.

Of course his brothers envied Joseph and decided on killing him which then ended up as selling him as a slave. That's how Joseph came to Egypt which I find remarkable because God is positioning His people very clearly! There would be a famine years later and they needed a person favoring them in order to survive it not to mention how God showed Himself mightly by leading the Israelites out of Egypt through Moses' leadership.

Anyways, Joseph is in Egypt and sold to Potifar who served the Pharao. And Joseph had favor everywhere he went and was successful at whatever he laid his hand upon. That is because he pursued the will of God... it was the most important thing for him. By staying in God's will God was able to bless him! And not only him but the people he worked for. I love that!

Then comes the woman. Very obviously she didn't draw her meaning and her worth from the Lord and needed Joseph's attention and affirmation of her beauty. So girls: The only person you should rely your ultimate affirmation on is Jesus! No person, no man, noone can ever affirm it the way God can!

But... and I love that about Joseph... he stayed faithful to the Lord... oh and what a seduction! Well, Joseph was the man you would want, strong, in love with God, focused on God!
Joseph was thrown into prison but God's blessing was sill upon him and by knowing what the Pharao's dreams meant he came out of prison and was positioned very highly in the kingdom of Egypt. Remarkably Joseph was still young when that happened. No matter how old you are. God is positioning you! He has a plan for your life and even if it may seem a little rough here and there. When you keep your eyes focused on God like Joseph God will bless you and bring you to the place he wants you to be.

In Genesis 42 Joseph's brothers came to Egpyt to ask for food as there was a huge famine. Oh and those verses I love. In verse 24 it says how Joseph went into another room and cried. I mean he cried. Why would somebody cry when seeing his brothers who wanted to kill you and then on top of that bless them. Hello? Only someone who trusts in God is able to feel this kind of love. Isn't it remarkable? I love it! It shows that Joseph's heart was still soft after all those hard years. Is your heart soft or has it hardned over the years? Let God carry your heart and guard it. Don't try to protect it yourself all the time!
The story goes on and whenever Joseph sees his brothers he feels such love for them that it's hard for him to keep his disguise. Oh wow... that just awww... I love that. This softness, this love that comes from an overflowing heart of love!

Joseph is a hero for me becaus he loved God more than anything. He was humble and yet strong. He never gave up and trusted the Lord. He stayed in the will of God by which he was blessed and found favor wherever he went. But what's most outstanding for me is his soft heart and love and forgiveness for his brothers who were actually his enemies. That for me reflects the heart of God. I admire that and want to live just like that. Absolutley devoted to God, living out of His strength, no matter how hard the times are and I want to keep a soft heart in every situation.

I want to leave you with a few questions:
Where are areas in your life where you have become hard?
How can you make sure your heart stays soft?
Who are the kind of people you need to show more love even though they hurt you in the past?

I hope you are encouaraged to live a heroic life for the Lord.
Keep coming back to the site to learn more about some amazing Heros soon.

xoxo Ramona

Monday, January 12, 2009

Wisdom

I read Proverbs 8 these days and was captured by the beauty of wisdom and how much we need it to make it in this life.

1 Listen as Wisdom calls out!
Hear as understanding raises her voice!
2 On the hilltop along the road,
she takes her stand at the crossroads.
3 By the gates at the entrance to the town,
on the road leading in, she cries aloud,
4 "I call to you, to all of you!
I raise my voice to all people.
5 You simple people, use good judgment.
You foolish people, show some understanding.
6 Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you.
Everything I say is right,
7 for I speak the truth
and detest every kind of deception.
8 My advice is wholesome.
There is nothing devious or crooked in it.
9 My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
clear to those with knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
11 For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
Nothing you desire can compare with it.

12 "I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
13 All who fear the LORD will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech.
14 Common sense and success belong to me.
Insight and strength are mine.
15 Because of me, kings reign,
and rulers make just decrees.
16 Rulers lead with my help,
and nobles make righteous judgments.*

17 "I love all who love me.
Those who search will surely find me.
18 I have riches and honor,
as well as enduring wealth and justice.
19 My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold,
my wages better than sterling silver!
20 I walk in righteousness,
in paths of justice.
21 Those who love me inherit wealth.
I will fill their treasuries.

22 "The LORD formed me from the beginning,
before he created anything else.
23 I was appointed in ages past,
at the very first, before the earth began.
24 I was born before the oceans were created,
before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
25 Before the mountains were formed,
before the hills, I was born—
26 before he had made the earth and fields
and the first handfuls of soil.
27 I was there when he established the heavens,
when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
28 I was there when he set the clouds above,
when he established springs deep in the earth.
29 I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth's foundations,
30 I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
rejoicing always in his presence.
31 And how happy I was with the world he created;
how I rejoiced with the human family!

32 "And so, my children,* listen to me,
for all who follow my ways are joyful.
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise.
Don't ignore it.
34 Joyful are those who listen to me,
watching for me daily at my gates,
waiting for me outside my home!
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.
36 But those who miss me injure themselves.
All who hate me love death


Be wise!

xoxo

Ramona

Thursday, January 8, 2009

And then the Hero comes along

Hello hello,

I hope you all started the New Year well! It will be an amazing year, I know. Greater things are still to come! Uhhh... I'm excited Hope you are too!

Well... we started this new series at you(th) which is called BRAVE HEARTS - Dare to live God pleasing! Wow and I think that is just so amazing. I was inspired and decided to start a new series here too.

For the next few blogs I will introduce you to some amazing Heros!

So, keep clicking on my blog on www.ramonasebald.blogspot.com and find out more soon.

xoxo Ramona

PS: I am reading this amazing book by Christine Caine right now. It's called "Run to Win". You should get it!

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