Naomi Levy, the best-selling author of TALKING TO GOD (Knopf), answers this practical question in the following manner:
"Q: What's the difference between talking to God and praying to God?
A: There are many people who feel intimidated by the word prayer. They assume that prayer is something formal that is done only in a house of worship. Often people will say, "I don't know how to pray" but anyone can talk to God. Talking to God is simple. We all have the ability to communicate with God from our souls in our own words."
HOW DOES PRAYER WORK? WHAT IS GOD'S ROLE? WHAT IS YOURS? Someone called Laura has written the best and most practical answer I have ever read and I strongly suggest you visit the hyperlink below: [ http://lpintop.tripod.com/laurasinspirationalpages/id3.html ]
All prayers are answered. Psalm 139:4 tells us, " God hears our prayer in the moment we utter it."
There's a lot of truth in the saying: "God helps those who help themselves". So, where can you help yourself by helping others -- by making a difference in the lives or companies or workplaces of other people? You'll need to explore, find, analyze, and identify or target specific opportunities to use your skills, experience, imagination and resourcefulness.
Many seekers know that "What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career- Changers" is the best-selling job-hunting and career-changing book in the world. It was written by Rev. Richard N. Bolles who observes that many careers and job counseling professionals, say they believe in a Supreme Being or God. Does that surprise you?Ask yourself the following question: Where did man's 8,431 skills and abilities come from? (The average job hunter has about 700 of those. How blessed we all are!)
Which employers will benefit by hiring you? Why? Try to apply to those companies or institutions where your skills and interests closely match their needs (as stated in their job ads). You'll need to focus your resume because a generic résumé -- a single-resume-that-must-fit-all-jobs, WON'T grab a hiring manager's attention. The most effective job applications are highly targeted to s SPECIFIC opportunity. That means detailing how your skills and experience can meet the potential employer's exact needs -- UP FRONT in a bulleted Summary.
In all humility, I view my own efforts to help people write targeted resumes and get hired, as having the same or similar value as "teaching them to fish".
9 EXCITING STORIES OF HOW JOB SEEKERS FOUND WORTHWHILE EMPLOYMENT (Also, please read my blog on Finding and Uncovering Unadvertised Jobs by scrolling down.)
I once struggled to find another HUMAN RESOURCES position. My late father, O.B.M. who was 75 pointed out that I could write well and suggested that I apply for a job as Editor of a Small Newspaper he had seen advertised. I would never have thought of it myself but within a week or so I started a new, rewarding and satisfying career. (I learned in this job that money is NOT everything. Being an editor and writing editorials, gave me many opportunities to further develop my writing and editorial skills which, in turn, prepared me for writing and publishing magazine articles, books and blogs later on.)
When I was promoting my book, Winning Resumes I was a guest on News-Talk Cable TV. I remember being asked to respond to the story of a successful Wall Street individual who gave up a six-figure income and, instead, pursued his passion which was teaching physical education. He had gone back to school to take a higher Phys.Ed degree. This career change gave him more job satisfaction than anything he had done previously! When I replied to Lisa Evers (Sliwa), the moderator by saying: "Money is NOT everything" the switchboard lit up with callers from many states, mostly agreeing and then telling their own stories of how they had turned down more money to pursue their dreams or whatever truly interested them. Most said they never regretted their decision. In this awful and painful recession, the difficulty of finding a job or work may encourage some of you to think of doing the same. But it WON'T be easy!
Another B.B.A. graduate from Boston College, had tried to work on Wall Street for two years but had given up in disgust. He then moved to the Hawaiian islands, bought a fishing vessel, renamed it the Katie & Meg, and went trawling for fish. Using his strong research and analytical skills, he went on to discover an entirely new fishing ground for night fishing of a much sought-after fish. He made money and was as happy as a pig in ... whatever makes pigs happy. He loved the outdoors lifestyle and never looked back.
A chemical engineer purchased a medium-sized coffee shop in a city and immediately did two things: First, he experimented with different recipes and methods for baking muffins efficiently until he found the right "formula" for producing mouth-watering ones in the shortest possible time. Second, he organized a 4-person assembly line for making the freshest, high quality sandwiches -- FAST during rush hours. The result? He could handle and satisfy a larger volume of breakfast and lunchtime customers in the city than even the most experienced Greek Diner food professionals! [He later received a huge cash offer for his re-engineered, revitalized and very profitable business.]
A mortgage banker in Lubbock, TX purchased a struggling bagel-making factory and turned it into a profitable outfit again.
A former manager of a car dealership in New Jersey bought a run-down pizza store, revamped and repainted it, handed out promotional flyers, treated customers well, and soon doubled its turnover.
A qualified electrical engineer in Queens, New York purchased a liquor store that was not doing as well as it should. He started catering to the special needs of the local Chassidic population and soon turned it into a goldmine.
And a qualified physician became the largest builder of swimming pools in the affluent suburbs of one city. The examples are endless.
When you are not happy with the way a store is being run or the way you were treated as a customer, don't just stand there and criticize. Could you do better as its Owner/Manager/Operator? What about franchise outlets that are not being run properly by their current owner/s?
WHEN I'VE BEEN DOWN ON MY LUCK (OR UNEMPLOYED), I HAVE TUNED IN TO A POWER SOURCE THAT IS AVAILABLE TO ME AND ALL JOB SEEKERS -- 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK.
DESPITE MY LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION, STUDYING UNDER WORLD-CLASS PROFESSORS AND A HIGH I.Q, I SOON REALIZED THAT IN THE REAL WORLD I CAN'T MAKE IT ENTIRELY ON MY OWN. AT SUCH TIMES, I'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE WISDOM AND COURAGE TO ASK FOR HELP FROM ABOVE. THIS STRATEGY HAS WORKED FOR ME AND I'VE SEEN MANY, MANY, MANY DEMONSTRATIONS THAT THE ALMIGHTY IS A WHOLE LOT SMARTER (AND WORKS MORE EFFECTIVELY) THAN ME.
HERE IS A TRUE STORY ABOUT HOW MY FIRST BOOK GOT PUBLISHED BY A MAJOR COMPANY -- PENGUIN USA. I TRIED TALKING TO GOD. SO THE $64,000 QUESTION IS: WHO MUST GET THE CREDIT FOR CLINCHING THAT DEAL?
WEARING MY GRAY, PINSTRIPED SUIT AND CARRYING A SAMSONITE BRIEFCASE, I DID NOT CALL A CAB BUT WALKED 30 BLOCKS IN NEW YORK CITY -- FROM MACY*S DEPARTMENT STORE ON 34TH STREET DOWN TO 4TH STREET IN THE WEST VILLAGE. WHY? I WAS FEELING VERY ANXIOUS THAT DAY AND ALSO PANICKY. MY FUNDS WERE RUNNING LOW BUT I HAD NOT HEARD FROM MY AGENT IN FIVE (5) LONG WEEKS. IT WAS ALREADY 23RD MARCH. WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE BOOK PROPOSAL I HAD SENT HIM ON 14TH FEBRUARY AND WHICH HAD TAKEN ME MONTHS TO PREPARE? WAS ANY COMPANY INTERESTED IN BUYING MY BOOK? AFTER 35 DAYS OF WAITING, I FELT SO HELPLESS. WHAT COULD I DO TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN?
IT WAS 2PM IN THE AFTERNOON OF MARCH 23RD WHEN I BEGAN WALKING THOSE 30 BLOCKS IN MANHATTAN. I LOOKED UP AT THE SKIES AND STARTED TALKING TO THE CLOUDS ON HIGH. IN BETWEEN, I MUMBLED A FEW LINES FROM THE BOOK OF PSALMS. BUT MOSTLY, I PLEADED WITH ALL MY HEART FOR HELP IN GETTING MY FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED. I EXPLAINED WHY THIS HAD TO HAPPEN QUICKLY BECAUSE I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO PAY MY RENT IN THE COMING MONTHS. I DESPERATELY NEEDED THE CASH ADVANCE THAT AUTHORS USUALLY GET. IT WAS A VERY LONG SHOT. THE CHANCES OF SELLING A NON-FICTION BOOK LIKE MINE WERE ABOUT ONE IN 5,000! BUT WHAT ELSE COULD I DO? I SIMPLY HAD TO TRY ASKING GOD FOR HELP! (INCIDENTALLY, PEOPLE IN THE STREET MUST HAVE WONDERED WHY I WAS TALKING TO MYSELF! NORMAL EXECUTIVES IN BUSINESS SUITS NEVER TALK TO THEMSELVES IN PUBLIC AND CERTAINLY NOT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!)
WHEN I GOT BACK TO MY APARTMENT 4 HOURS LATER, MY ANSWERING MACHINE WAS FLASHING. THERE WERE TWO NEW MESSAGES AND BOTH WERE FROM MY AGENT, EDWARD K. HE SAID EXCITEDLY THAT HE HAD JUST RECEIVED TWO OFFERS FOR MY BOOK --FROM PENGUIN USA AND TIME-WARNER! TWO SEPARATE OFFERS TO BUY IN A SINGLE AFTERNOON!!!
TO THIS DAY, I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN WHO REALLY CLINCHED THOSE DEALS FOR ME. (I WOULD LATER ALSO RECEIVE "TOP DOLLAR" AS A CASH ADVANCE!) Instead of only 4 short hours to get an answer after waiting anxiously for five (5) weeks that had seemed like an eternity, it could have taken many months longer and I could have been in a desperate financial situation. (Only about 4% of all authors ever get published by a major company. Writers receive hundreds of rejection slips and very few authors ever get a decent cash advance. The big bucks only get paid if your name is Stephen King, Tom Clancy or you have written another Harry Potter book.)
NOWADAYS, I READ PSALMS 23, 27, 30, 118, and 121. THEY HELP TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER EQUIPPED TO FACE LIFE'S DAILY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS. I STILL NEED TO EARN A LIVING!
With God's help, it could work for you, too. But always remember, you are expected to make a BIG effort and try to do everything to help yourself. Finally, when you have not succeeded by your own efforts and you're down on your knees -- when you need to ask for help "in truth" from another power source, then and only then will the help come from above. That has been my own experience. May that Force assist you, too.
Laura writes as follows: No matter what Name you know Him by, be aware of the Lord's presence in your life. Respect Him. Speak to Him daily via prayer, but show you are sincere by substantiating your words with deeds. Words without actions are meaningless, even words spoken in prayer. Remember, you and God together can make a difference!
Psalm 105:4: Seek the Lord and His strength;
seek His presence continually.
Please E-mail or call me for a FREE consultation or chat.
,
seek His presence continually.
Psalm 145:18-20: The Lord is Near to All Who Call on Him
Please E-mail or call me for a FREE consultation or chat.
mattgreene@aol.com
Tel.: 1-718-436-3504
Copyright, 2006-2011 by Matthew Greene. All rights reserved.
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