“Release the part of you that wants to protect and open up the part of you that wants to explore.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 52). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

I live in greater Los Angeles. There is so much here to experience and explore but to really do it right, you have to get in a car and that is one dangerous thing to do. When I retired, we moved to Long Island in New York. A great place to live but the traffic was horrendous to the point that most people took the train to work in Manhattan and of course to many, Manhattan is scary. You could get mugged.

When I retired Margaret and I decided that every Saturday where ever we lived, we would explore. As a Pastor I worked on Saturday which was the day Margaret was off so after I retired we used our Saturday to see and experience where we lived. We went all over the place on Long Island and New York City. We even made it to upstate New York and saw where they had Woodstock and to Hyde Park where FDR lived. We went to Connecticut and saw where Mark Twain lived and saw the Mansions of Newport, Rhode Island. By the way, Rhode Island was the 48^th State I visited and South Dakota was my 49^th. I loved Mt Rushmore.

Now in Florida we did the same thing. Every Saturday we found something new and now we are in California and we are all over the place. There is so much to experience if you are not afraid to explore. Yes it can be dangerous. I mean those trucks, those cars, all that traffic can be dangerous and then those people.

I understand why we have in our brain that part that strives to protect. I understand but there is also the part that strives to get us to explore. I like what Mark Batterson said in his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life. In talking about the adventure he had that sacred him to death, he climbed Half Dome at Yosemite National Park and he said, “If we keep putting one foot in front of the other, it’s amazing how far we can go! The hardest part of the hike wasn’t physical. It was mental.” He said that when he finally got to the top some had etched into the rock, “If you can do this, you can do anything.”

Listen, life is an adventure and God has placed so much out there to experience and explore. We just have to get out of our protected comfort zone and find it. Saturday is coming and I am looking forward to it.

What about you?

Comments

"Jesus comes in the midst of the torrent."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, You Are Never Alone (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) We all have storms in our lives, don't we? Max says, "No one gets through life scot-free. At one point or another the sky will darken, the winds will rage, and we will find ourselves in a modern-day version of the Galilean gusher." John 6:16–18 (NIV) says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." Max goes on, "The hearts of the followers began to sink as their boat was certain to do. Their skin was soaked, throats hoarse, eyes wide. They searched the sky for a break in the clouds. They gripped the boat for fear of the waves. They screamed their prayers for help. But they heard nothing. "If only Jesu

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life. It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed. Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life. Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you. You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good. Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident. In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose. In other words you are not an accident. I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth. In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man. And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ” Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like? Like that characteristic is a curse or something. Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God. Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog