Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Locations 914-915). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition. People are so very important in our lives.   It is sometimes so easy to just hibernate and not let anybody in but that is not God’s plan.   He looked at Adam when He created Him and said that it was not good that He was alone so He created Eve.   But in our decision making we many times don’t want anybody to mess us up with their opinion so we isolate ourselves.   Now you don’t need a lot of people involved in this area but you do need those who are closest to be there with their experience and thoughts.   Now this is not something that I am good at.   I am good at having thoughts about other people of having a lot of options for them but I’m not real good with involving others in my own decisions.   This thought kind of hits me where I live.   I think it is a pride thing and in no way is that good

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Locations 771-772). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition. The realization of that fact is the beginning of change within you.  The realization that you are responsible to do that is also very important in that change. Do you like who you are?  Then what are you going to do about it?  Now of course if you have a problem with being short you can’t change that but you can change your attitude toward being short.  We see things that people who are tall don’t see.  So even in some physical features that you may not like you can deal with seeing them in a different light.  Another thing to see is that the only way you can change another person’s response to you is by changing your response to them.  If they say something to you that you don’t like and you come back at them in the same nagging way you always do them then they don’t need to change.  They are use

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Locations 683-684). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of the greatest servant who ever lived on this earth.  His actions showed us what it means to be a Christ-follower.  By His acts of service He changed our world. Someone asked, how do I know if I am being a servant?  The answer is, how do you react when you are being treated as a servant?  I’m afraid we fail at this more that we succeed especially in our marriages. One of the main reasons God wants us to marry a Christ-follower is because if we don’t have Christ in us then we only have the capacity to live for ourselves.   Christ’s love is an agape love witch is unconditional love.  He loves us no matter what.  But without Him in our life we live with a conditional love.  I will love you if. Now most marriages are built on manipulation.  It you do that I will do

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Location 1103). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition . Well we are truly in uncertain times.  And uncertain times show us where we have really put our trust.  For many it is in God.  Their faith comes to the front.  For others it’s the government.  It is so important to them what party is in power.  Their trust is totally in who the President is and what party controls Congress.  For others it’s their job.  Their total trust is in what they make and if something would happen to their job then their life would go down the tubes.  For others it’s their mate, their relationships. Now the only thing that is a sure thing to have your faith in is God.  He is the only one who will be their when all else fails.  Yes, all those other things have their place in your life and God uses them even during the difficult times.   My mom is 87 years of age and she lost he

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Locations 914-915). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition . There are people who have an opinion about what everyone else is doing but they don’t want anyone to have an opinion about what they are doing.  I have tended to not have an opinion but also don’t want anyone else’s opinion.  But Solomon in his book of Proverbs in the OT says that there is safety in many counselors.  He is saying that in making decisions don’t do it on your own.   Now we do need to have confidence in our abilities but real confidence can withstand other views, other thoughts, and other experiences.  The truth is we have only lived the one life that we are living and that is the only experience we have and taping into other people’s experiences gives us a greater view of the situation.  Of course we may not want other perspectives.  They may just cloud the issue because we want to do

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Location 620). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition. I have met some people who don’t believe that.  To them they have no strengths.  Somebody somewhere has emphasized that fact into them.  They could tell you all their weaknesses but they don’t have any idea what their strengths are.  But God doesn’t work that way.  Every one of us came into this world with a purpose on His mind.  He built into us strengths with that purpose in mind.  Granted life can chisel away at those strengths but they are still there to be developed.  Now they are there not to be misused on us but to be used in making a difference on others and on the world.  People say but I don’t have any strengths but you do.  You just need to believe you do and then do some real self-investigation.    There are a number of good test out there.  The book StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath is a gr

A thought by Greg Darley (2010-11-15) from his book, Passion Is Not Enough: Four Elements to Change the World (Kindle Locations 572-573). Backstage Publishing. Kindle Edition . It has been said that God speaks loudly through pain and softly through pleasure.  We don’t seek answers when everything is going right for us but when trouble is upon us. The truth is in times of trouble there are three things that we can do.  We can do nothing.  Just roll with the flow.  Or we can gripe, complain, and play the blame game.  That’s what it seems we are doing right now in our country.  Even Christians are blaming everyone they can think of about what is happening.  To me it seems like we are all to blame because of our greed but that is for another time.  Blame does nothing to solve problems.  It just keeps us from turning to God and us to solve the problem which is the third way to deal with trouble. Did you see the story last week of the young motorcyclist who was pinned under a