“It is amazing how often the very ones who are supposed to encourage us to move forward are the ones who hold us back.”

A thought Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Locations 1760-1761). Kindle Edition.

There is a person who is one of my heroes. After she had gone to college, she decided to leave her home town of Denver, Colorado and to move to Los Angeles to live her dream to be an actress. Her parents went with her as far as Phoenix and then she went the rest of the way by herself.

She lived with a friend in one of the toughest parts of LA and each day she would head out into the city to a movie or TV studio to work. She also found a very good church that met on Sunday night in a night club in downtown LA. She would drive there by herself at night. That is also where she met a young guy from Las Vegas who was in seminary. By the way she married that guy who happens to be my son.

Now that is a story of someone who had people who encouraged her, who didn’t hold her back but that is not true of so many people. If her parents would have discouraged her from living her dream and moving to LA by herself there would be no Ashlyn and no Addison who are two of three very exceptionally talented granddaughters who make a Papa very proud.

I remember when I was moving my family of four to Las Vegas, Nevada to plant a new church. There were some who were close to us who did all they could to discourage us. They said, “No way would I raise my kids in an evil city like Las Vegas” but we did and my two kids have turned out as exceptional adults who love the Lord.

I also know of people who listened to those discouraging voices and who have lived way below their potential. They’ve lived lives of safety and security, lives of disappointment and mediocrity. I’m so glad that I had a dad and a mom who dared to step out in their lives and who encouraged me to do the same. I hope that my kids and grandkids will say the same thing about me.

So are you an encourager or a discourager?

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog