Inspiration entrees will satisfy even the heartiest appetites

Welcome to the Inspiration Entrees section of Inspiration Cafeteria!

Here you can choose from a tasty variety of main courses, sure to please a man-sized--or woman-sized--appetite.

You'll notice that they're hearty--yet they don't leave you feeling heavy. In fact, you may want to sample everything here. These Inspiration Entrees won't leave you feeling as if you swallowed a boat anchor.

Did we mention that they're also fat and cholesterol free?

Don't worry about overindulging. You'll have plenty of room for dessert. Check the links at the bottom of the page after you polish off these Inspiration Entrees. You'll find the other delicious courses there!

Handshakes

That thing at the end of your arm--is it a hand or a fish? That may sound funny, but when someone shakes hands with you, do you give them a firm, confident grip in return, or a dead fish? I'm not trying to be sexist, but women seem to do this more than men. Did you know that men are impressed (or not impressed) by your handshake? The kind that impresses us most is a firm (but not painful) grip, accompanied by a genuine smile. That kind of handshake says "Hey! There's a warm, live person on the other end of this arm." I'm not sure what the limp fish says, but I know it's not good. So whether you're a woman or a man, put some life into your handshake. A strong handshake is a sign that everything is together. A limp fish handshake is a sign that something is...well, fishy.

A richer life

Want a richer life? Then start seeing. Really seeing. Within a few days of trying this technique, you'll open up a whole new world of wonder around you. Do you have a wooden chair in your home? Look at it. Can you see a tree, growing in a forest, men cutting it down, hauling the log away and turning it into lumber? Can you see craftsmen and women in a furniture factory, using their skills to turn that raw lumber into your beautiful chair? Can you see a truck driver hauling it to a store? Can you see someone delivering it to your home? Everything you see is more than you see. Trees are incredible life systems, with intricate networks of roots below the ground, reaching out for water and nutrients. Sap is like a plant's bloodstream, carrying those chemicals to all parts of the organism. Can you see all that when you eat an apple or an orange? As you read this, can you see me in my home in Streator, Illinois, USA, writing on my computer, reaching out to you, perhaps on the other side of the planet? Can you grasp what I'm trying to pass along to you? Can you rise above taking everything you come in contact with for granted? I want you to develop a new sense of appreciation. I want you to return to your childlike sense of wonder. Can you see a loving, caring God reaching out to you? If you look hard enough, you'll begin to see that, and much, much more. You'll know, as you did as a child, that your world is a stupendous, amazing place. God wants you to enjoy it and find your place in it. When you start to look at things this way, you will have a richer life!

Bad habits

We all have bad habits. We do things that are destructive instead of constructive. It's hard to be objective about your habits. We tend to rationalize. We make excuses and come up with false reasons why our bad habit is okay. But deep inside, we know better. We know the truth because the Holy Spirit is that voice telling you to clean up your life and rid it of bad habits. You cannot eliminate a bad habit unless you replace it with a good habit. There's simply a vacuum there, and if you don't add a good habit, the bad habit will return, filling that vacuum. Whether that habit has something to do with your body, mind or spirit, resolve to eliminate it from your life. Then, at the same time, begin a new, positive habit that gives you satisfaction and makes you feel happy. You'll find that this "lose the bad, gain the good" approach works, because every time you engage in your new, good habit, you'll be rewarding yourself for having the courage and willpower to get rid of the bad. The Christian life is a constant elimination of the bad and replacement with the good. It's leaving behind the world's ways and taking on God's ways. We grow by inches, not by yards. Gradual progress is the most lasting. You may backslide, but ask God for forgiveness, forgive yourself, then indulge yourself in your new, positive habit. Goodbye bad, hello good!

Gratitude

Got gratitude? Life is a struggle without it. Lack of gratitude means you're taking the good things in your life for granted. You don't think you have any good things in your life? The miracle of your sight, hearing, and other senses is something to thank God for every day. Many people are blind, deaf or mute. Do you have enough to eat? A place to sleep? Many people don't have either. Do you have a job that provides income? Many people don't. Friends? Family? Are you starting to catch on? Gratitude isn't just a matter of seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty. Gratitude is realizing that your life could be much worse--and that it's better than you thought. When you start being grateful for your blessings, you'll find that God will shower more of them on you. Sounds unbelievable, but that's the way He works. Try it for a month and see!

Never alone

Are you terrified of being alone? Does an empty house or apartment cause you to switch on the television, radio or CD player just to create some sound? Here's a truth that will take time to appreciate: The more intimate your relationship with God, the more comfortable you'll be when you're alone. That's because a person in a deep, heartfelt relationship with God interprets aloneness as solitude. Solitude is time spent alone with God. When you invite God into your life, you'll begin to sense a real, palpable presence. In the quiet, in the solitude, God will speak to you. He will do it through his Word, the Bible, or impressions or leading. You won't hear an audible voice. If you want a personal, intimate relationship with God, you have to make time to be alone with him. As that relationship grows, your aloneness will turn into solitude. You'll begin to understand that you are never really alone.

Winner or whiner?

Complaining can become a way of life. It's especially dangerous at work, if you get into a group of employees who continually grouse about how unfair things are. That type of complaining rarely moves you forward in life. What it can do is turn you into a pessimistic person who never sees any good in anything. You have a choice in life. Either you can do something to change things, or you can just gripe about them, making yourself and everybody around you miserable. Stop, right now, and think about your complaining. Have you become an habitual whiner? Complaining seldom changes anything. Action does. Are you fed up enough to finally take some action to improve your life?

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