MS. OPRAH

I've gotta say, I am an Oprah fan. I think she genuinely wants to help educate people. Yeah, she's a little on the arrogant side sometimes, a little vain here and there and a little "everybody will find their own way to G-D" - but I still feel like I learn things from her.

She found a "new thing" lately - a book called "A New Earth." Ok, first of all, I haven't read it. Second of all, I think any philosophy that keeps G-D on the sidelines and puts our efforts in primary place is a little off kilter. My other concern with these type of philosophies is that theoretically, they are beautiful ideas if EVERYONE were to follow them, but that is just not reality. And when you run into someone who doesn't practice what you do, you have to get out of the theory and a bit more in to the practical. But there was one idea that I heard her talking about that I do agree with.

The concept is that many times, we create/invent stories in our heads about what someone else is thinking, or what we "would" do "if" such and such were to happen. Anyway, the idea being that we waste time thinking about things that aren't really happening instead of living in the "moment." I think we can plan for certain events, of course. And I'm all for being proactive. But I do find myself too many time making up "stories" that get me worried or frustrated or feeding emotions that are negative to my testimony.

Anyway, I hope and pray that I can allow the L-rd to move in me so that I can be a more positive-thinking person. Not out of my own strength, because that has "failure" written all over it. But I do believe we can find a more peaceful and powerful way of living, when we allow the peace of the L-rd reign in our lives. His positive nature can overcome us and lead us to places we never knew we could reach.