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It's A Start


Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

True: Being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; real; genuine; authentic.
Noble: Distinguished by rank or title or pertaining to persons so distinguished. of, belonging to, or constituting a hereditary class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy. of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence.
Right: In accordance with what is good, proper, or just. in conformity with fact, reason, truth, or some standard or principle; correct.
Pure: Free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter. Unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous. of unmixed descent or ancestry. free from foreign or inappropriate elements. clear; free from blemishes. straightforward; unaffected. 
Admirable: Worthy of admiration; inspiring approval, reverence, or affection. excellent; first-rate. 
                Just let me state for the record, that I have failed to accomplish this. I have been awake for about twenty minutes, and I’ve had only limited interactions with either Dad or dog, and already I’ve not accomplished this. No, it’s not that I’ve been nasty, unkind, violent, inappropriate, etc. No, I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t contemplated murder, suicide, hatred, theft, or slander. It’s just that I haven’t done anything right. I haven’t thought on anything beyond. “Post blog. Eat Breakfast. Walk dog. Write blog.” 
                As I’ve written before, there’s a difference between not negative and positive. Granted, zero is better than negative one-half, or even negative one-one-millionth, but it’s not positive one-one-millionth. Back in college, the Christian radio station played the Hallelujah chorus at six in the morning, when my alarm went off. Now that is the way to start off a morning on a positive note! (OK, maybe not for you.)
                I’m trying out listening to instrumental praise music this morning to see if it helps me keep my mind focused on what is true, noble, right, pure, and admirable. It does, but I’m going to have to work on getting my subconscious to sing the songs and my conscious to think of words that aren’t part of the hymns. It’s hard to write, even things like this blog, while one’s mind is singing “El Shaddai.” But it helps start the day out better.

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