"There seem to be a few consistent characteristics where genius emerges."

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book, The Genius of Jesus (p. 16). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Good, good, what are they?

Unbelievable!

Erwin says, "Genius sees what no one has seen and hears what no one has heard. It explains what could not be understood, creates what could not be imagined. Whatever the genius does with their talents, they do it better than it has ever been done—and, more often than not, make it look easy while doing it."

He continues, "If I were to make a short list of what marks a genius, I would say: They are heretical. They are original. They are transformative in their field. They are extremist.

"They are heretical in that they violate the status quo and challenge our most deeply held beliefs and values. They are original in that they see the world from a perspective that has never existed before. They are transformative in that their lives become a marker of before and after. They are extremists in that they are consumed in their pursuit of the creative act and convinced of the singular importance of their passion."

He goes on, "It seems serendipitous that the concept of genius was being invented around the same time Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth. If the Greeks and Romans were correct in viewing genius as the expression of the divine consuming the human, then Jesus would be the greatest expression of that phenomenon humanity has ever witnessed: a human living in the fullness of the divine. A human being who is both fully present and fully transcendent. Einstein saw a new way to do math. Fischer saw a new way to play chess. Jesus saw a new way to be human, a way to live each moment fully present and fully alive. Imagine if your every choice and every action only and always created the good and the beautiful and the true. The genius of Jesus is that he teaches us how to become human again."

He then says, "And yet I have never seen a list of history’s great geniuses that has included the person of Jesus. How is it possible that Jesus of Nazareth, who singularly changed the course of modern history, would not merit being mentioned among the great minds of the human story? How has the genius of Jesus been so strangely overlooked?"

And that is a very good question, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

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

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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. Je...

Just Continue That Thought...

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