Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient: Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.118). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Ray continues, “It’s called loss of joy. When we’re joyless, we’re on overload. Having no joy means we are about to exceed a limit, whether physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional, and put ourselves in danger of shutting down and getting stranded in a place we never wanted to be.” He goes on, “I’m glad for a warning because I’m so mission-driven and focused that, if I could, I would work eight days a week, twenty-six hours a day. If I head in that direction long enough, I start enduring life and using people instead of enjoying life and loving people.” Are you having a problem here?   Have you lost your joy?   Do you need some balance in your life?   Are you using people instead of loving them? Later he says, “God wants you emotio...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient: Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.111). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you found that true yet? Ray shares, “The story is told of a high school student who wasn’t feeling well. After a few doctor visits, the doctor delivered devastating news. “ ‘ I’m sorry, son, but you have cancer. That’s the bad news. The good news is, it is operable. Your long-term prognosis is excellent, but you’ll need surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. That process will make you lose all your hair.’ “The young man checked out of school, went through surgery, and completed six weeks of chemotherapy. All of his hair was gone the day he went to the doctor and got a clean bill of health. The doctor cleared him to start back to school the very next day. “The whole way home, the teen was quiet. His mom said, ‘Honey, you ought to be excite...

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient: Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.102). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I have been retired now for over 5 years and I have found this to be very true.   I found early on that if I was going to survive in retirement I needed challenges to keep me moving forward physically, relationally, mentally and spiritually.   Ray shares, “In 1982, two Soviet cosmonauts broke a record by spending 211 days in space. Television cameras prepared for the two guys to return. A band waited to wave flags and lead the triumphant parade celebrating the accomplishment of communism. “The door opened. The band played. The people cheered. The television cameras zoomed in. And nothing happened. Weak from months of inactivity, the cosmonauts were unable to stand up. Zero-gravity living had deteriorated their muscles to the point where they had ...