Why am I here?
What is the purpose of my life?
Psalm 139 says, “you have searched me oh Lord…for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…before you became you already were.” God has mapped out our talents, abilities, personalities – everything about us. He knows everything.
Our lives have the potential to be amazing works of art! What we do with them is up to us! Are we going to take initiative and strive to be as Christlike as we can? God has made us good and uniquely tailors everything about us for our good.
We only have one life and one eternity. These are too precious not to know. Those who do not know Jesus do not know. Those who do know Jesus, we ask “are you all in?” Have you said, “have your way with my life?”
When we are “all in” we see the hand of God at work in our lives. He will direct our paths. We receive guidance from His Word, as Psalm 119 states, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” His Word should become a part of who we are and be active in our hearts.
People speak of a “6th sense” or “intuition” – but we know that this is the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. The Holy Spirit provides conviction, assurance, and peace. Philippians 4:6-7 says that we should not be anxious for anything. The peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. He will lead us into peace. If we do not have peace, listen up – and take notice.
Sometimes our own minds get in the way, don’t they? We get too busy to listen. We want to encourage each of you during these times where busy is a lifestyle, to take time to rest, listen, and be in the presence of our Lord. Let Him direct your thoughts, decisions, words, and actions.
Health Notes: Positive People Live Longer
When Jesus is guiding our paths and we are able to listen, we present ourselves to the world as more positive people. The spirit of the Lord exudes from us – we shine like a light in the darkness. Of course we want to be that, don’t we? But sometimes life is tough and we do not feel like doing it. So it takes prayer and intentionality in order to be LOVE to those around us.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” more than 2000 years ago. Happiness is defined as a state in which pleasure decidedly predominates over pain. Others describe happiness as “subjective well-being” or basically how satisfied people feel with their lives. Other researchers describe happiness as the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that your life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.
Studies over the years have shown that people with positive outlooks live anywhere from 4 to 18% longer than their less positive counterparts. With prayer and intentionality we can help shift our own thoughts from negative to positive and then help bring others along to the positive as well. When we feel anger, resentment, hurt, or other negative emotions, we can learn to treat them like we do when we put our hand on a hot stove – acknowledge them and then quickly lift our hand off it. If we love and feel peace toward ourselves, we can easily do this for others.
Those with positive outlooks tend to be healthier, gain less weight, and eat better, which contributes to improved longevity.
Here are some tips to help you work on attaining a positive outlook and improved longevity:
Take responsibility for your own health; realize that everything you say, do, and think has either a positive or negative effect on your body; prayer can change your life; analyze whether you’re a selfish or selfless person; reduce time spent on the internet and television, especially related to negativity and violence; connect with real people and develop real relationships; pray and meditate focusing on the positive aspects of your life with gratitude; get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night; listen to positive and calming music; exercise regularly – at least 30 minutes per day of moderate exercise; keep moving; and eat well – you cannot expect to feel positive if your body is not running well. Our bodies need energy and nutrients to function optimally so that we are able to do all that we want to do in life. With the typically busy life of those in Christian and/or music ministries, these tips are especially important to adhere to in order to allow you to be at your best so that you can continue to be able to work where you are called to be! Amen?
Blessings,
Marion Boomer-Hauser, MS, RD, HBF Board Member
HBF News:
Huntley lost his beloved father, Alpheus, on March 13, 2022. His dad was a deacon and musician at his church on the island of Jamaica, Huntley’s home country. He will be greatly missed. Thank you for your prayers, condolences, texts, and messages. We greatly appreciate them.
Behind the scenes at the HBF we are working with some interested parties to supply instruments, scholarships, and music lessons to those in need. We will be meeting to discuss the planning of an upcoming music-related seminar hopefully later this year. Your prayers are much appreciated, and we are truly grateful to those who have given to the ministry so that we can help others.
Click here to donate.
Blessings,
Huntley
Huntley Brown Foundation
Huntley Brown Foundation 