"Simply put, Jesus has made me a better human."

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book, The Genius of Jesus (p. 18). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Erwin goes on, "Or maybe, Jesus made me human again.

"The data goes far beyond my own personal experience. For more than two thousand years, millions of people across the world have been transformed through their faith in Jesus Christ. If you were a cultural anthropologist looking to examine this phenomenon from a purely scientific perspective, you would have a massive sample size. The control group stretches across all of modern history, every economic and educational stratum, and virtually every culture across the face of the earth."

He says, "Academics even have a term for how a culture is transformed through belief in Jesus Christ: 'redemption and lift.' In his book Underdevelopment Is a State of Mind, economist Lawrence E. Harrison observed how the Christian mindset had a measurable effect on the economic development and prosperity of societies. His analysis focused not on the ceiling of wealth but the living conditions and well-being of the common citizen. Simply put, certain mindsets and belief systems create the internal psychological mechanisms needed to rise above poverty when the opportunity is given. The valuing of education, the treatment of women, the emergence of an entrepreneurial mindset, personal responsibility for choices: All these were elevated in Christian societies. Harrison was not in any way advocating for the validity of believing in Jesus. He simply identified an economic reality. Even if Jesus is only an idea, that idea changes the way humans approach life. Is there any other idea that has ever brought that kind of change?

"From a purely historical perspective, this would have to be identified as a work of genius. But it’s a different kind of genius than the one we’re primed to spot. Jesus’s genius is missed because it is comprehensive rather than contained in a particular discipline."

He continues, "Genius, as a rule, is not transferable. You could spend your life with Mozart and never become a great composer. You could spend your life with Picasso and never become a great painter. If you spent your life with Michael Jordan, you still wouldn’t make it to the NBA unless you were six feet six with a forty-inch vertical."

Erwin then says, "With Jesus, his genius is dramatically the reverse. His genius, it would seem, is contagious. When you align your heart with Jesus, it begins a process of transformation. Soon you begin to live your life as Jesus would. There is, if I could use the phrase, a transference of genius. Because of Jesus, I have watched people who have been reckless in their relationships begin to value others above themselves. I have seen men overcome a lifetime of arrogance and choose to define their lives by the strength of humility. I have known individuals of significant wealth move from a life of greed to a life of generosity. I have experienced the beautiful transformation of those trapped in depression and hopelessness finding new eyes to see the beauty and wonder of life."

He truly does make in us. Have you found that true? Yes, yes!

"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...

“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...

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...

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