Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book. Trade Your Cares for Calm (p. xi). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I haven’t even gotten through the introduction to this book yet but I thought this might be just what you needed today.   Max says, “Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family of trapeze artists known as the Rodleighs. He traveled with the Rodleighs for a time, watching them fly through the air with elegant poise. When he asked one of the flyers the secret of successful acrobatic flight, the athlete gave this reply: “The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly . . ., I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for Joe [my catcher] to catch me and pull me safely over the apron. . . . The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It’s Joe’s task to catch me. If I grabbed Joe’s wrists, I might break...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer (p. 36). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Oh, if we would only learn this and live this! Max says, “The punch line is clear: take your problem to Jesus. Don’t take your problems to the bar. Jim Beam cannot solve them. Don’t take your problems out on others. Temper tantrums never advance the cause. The moment you sense a problem, however large or small, take it to Christ. “’Max, if I take my problems to Jesus every time I have one, I am going to be talking to Jesus all day long.’ (Now you are getting the point.)” Philippians 4:6–7 (TLB), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quie...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer (p. 21). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I have a very good friend whose father was also a good friend of my dad.   Last week when my friend Darrel’s dad, Boyd was getting ready to take his trip to the other side Boyd said he saw Ivan, my dad who is already in heaven.   My dad was reaching out to his good friend, Boyd.       Max tells his story, “As I boarded a plane last week, the pilot called my name. He was standing in the cockpit entrance, greeting passengers. ‘Well, hello, Max.’ I looked up. It was my friend Joe. My old friend. He is the Methuselah of the airways. He’s been flying forever. He flew transports in Vietnam and has logged a bookful of hours as a commercial pilot. He’s faced every flight crisis from electrical storms to empty fuel tanks. He is a good pilot. “And he is a friend, a good friend...