Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (Kindle Locations 2219-2220). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. But we want security and safety.   No way do we want risk.   Our son, Brett’s 35 th bd was this week and he was a very good thing in our life.   But he was a risk.   I spent time with my oldest granddaughter, Ashlyn, yesterday.   Of course she is a very good thing along with Addison and Harper but they each one were a risk and they still are.   But oh how they were worth the risk.   The truth is you wouldn’t even be here if your parents wouldn’t have taken a risk. “In fact”, Leonard says, “recent scientific studies have concluded that humans and organizations endure and mature, not in spite of their willingness to take risks, but because of their risk taking.   For safety’s sake and security needs, we want to make the next moment like the one before it.   Hence, the power of

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, T he Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Wor k (p. 160). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition What a great thought to start a new week.   Leonard continues, “There are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John . . . and you. We each continue the Jesus story on the pages of our own lives as the gospel becomes ‘my gospel’ and then ‘our gospel’ until it finally becomes a special edition ‘fifth Gospel,’ even perhaps a ‘third Testament’—the gospel translated into our lives and written between the lines on the pages of Scripture.” You see, His Gospel is to be lived out through me and you.   We are Jesus to the people around us.   That is why many in this world have such a negative picture of Christ.   That is how we live.   He said that He didn’t come into this world to condemn the world but we do condemn so what He says to those we condemn cannot be heard.   It is not His words they hear but ho

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Wor k (p. 158). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. We are living in a world where the self-centered actions of one can bring so much pain on another.   What about the pain of a child when they are told that momma and daddy are breaking up?    Many of you remember and still feel that pain.   I am discussing on my other blog, Bill’s Front Porch how to prevent an affair.   That self-centered act for sure can tear out the heart of a relationship whether it is a mate, a child, a parent and even God.   We each one have the freedom to bring great pain upon another don’t we?   But it doesn’t have to be that way. I like how Leonard takes the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and shows it to be a Game of Life.   He says, “In the traditional RPS game, each gesture has a meaning, a function, and a consequence. Scissors cuts Paper; Paper covers Rock; and Rock

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 145). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. We as we get older make life so difficult, don’t we?   But that is not God’s plan.   Think about God’s creation.   Did He create the beauty around us for children or for all of us to enjoy?   Did He create your family so you would work, work, work, or to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy?   I love doing stuff with and for my family.   Here is that word again, it’s all in our perspective. Real old I was thinking about when I was a young boy and of how we would play that we were working.   When does that need to stop.   Why can’t we enjoy our work again like when we were kids? But it seems that our task as adults is to take the joy out of life.   I mean we send our kids off to school not to enjoy the priviledge of learning but the task of succeeding.   You must realize your full potential instead of the joy o

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 140). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. And those reasons say if it is a time in your life to endure or enjoy.   Leonard says, “Making money isn’t one of them. Doing something that brings us pleasure is the best of them. Doing something that serves humanity in the service of God is unbeatable. Godplayers don’t open up a coffee shop to get rich. They open up a coffee shop because it’s fun and serves the common good by providing a ‘third space’ commons.” It all revolves around the reason why you do what you do.   He goes on to say, “A work mind-set creates Macy’s inch-thick rulebook. A play mind-set creates Nordstrom’s two-sentence strange attractor: (1) Use good judgment in all situations; (2) there are no additional rules.” So many people work to make money so they can retire.   I read an article the other day that said that re

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 129). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition . A couple of weekends back, my wife, Margaret and I were in Florida celebrating my mom’s 90 th birthday.   It was such a very special time with our family and extended family.   I will remember the varied meaningful conversations that I had with all of the family members. Our last night there Connie, my sister and Margaret and I had one of those very meaningful times with my mom.   At one point we were thinking of the significant times every night that Connie and I had with Mom.   Before we went to sleep we would pray together and then we would sing the lullaby, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” and Connie and I sang that together there in Clermont, Florida for the first time in over 45 years.   That was a very, very meaningful time that even now brings deep emotion to me.   Leonard says, “Many of o

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Wor k (p. 125). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. How do you handle it when you fall?   I think it depends upon our maturity.   Have you ever been with a child and they fall and they look up at you and say, “Why did you let me fall?” and they say it with a bit of anger.   Kind of like when we fail at something and we look to heave with some anger and say to God, “Why did you let me fail?”   But the mature Christian understands that it’s our fault and we stop and learn the lesson or ask for forgiveness.   That’s where pride falls by the wayside and true humility comes in.   Playing the blame game is a horrible way to live.   Accepting our need for help from others and from God is the right way to live. Let’s understand that we are not perfect and we will blow it.   So when you do, just get up, dust yourself off, ask for forgiveness to other