Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Ed Stetzer in his book,  Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst (p. xv). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)  It really is, isn't it? Ed continues, "We are living in a day—and this is indeed our moment—when we need to live like Christ, as gospel Christians in the midst of shouting, anger, and hatred. And it’s going to get worse. "To be sure, there is a lot in this world that is outrage inducing. Terrorism, sex trafficking and exploitation, systemic racism, illegal immigration, child poverty, opioid addiction . . . and the list goes on. These issues deserve a measure of outrage, don’t they? They certainly deserve our anger." He goes on, "And this is part of the problem. What do we do when the anger becomes too much? When our righteous indignation at injustice morphs into something completely different? How do we know when righteous ...

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 34). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) It really is. Earlier John says, "It’s almost shocking when we realize how spun up we’ve been. 'Don’t freak out' is essentially what Jesus was saying. This advice is drilled into every form of military training and survival course—when things get hot, don’t freak out. Keep your cool so you can make good decisions." He says, ". . . a simple, satisfying step is to get your head out of the 'wars and rumors of wars' and back into the story God is telling. For example: the story of God should get more of your 'attention time' than any other media. "If you spend thirty minutes a day consuming what is called news (this includes all social media), then you need to spend more than thirty minutes—maybe twice as much—in the Scriptures or listening to biblical podcasts. Instead of using your downtime to sc...

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 22). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is very interesting. John continues, "This is one more example of how deeply story is woven into the fabric of reality. "Story is the way we orient ourselves in the world. Story is how we figure things out, bring order and meaning to the events around us. The story we hold to at any given time shapes our perceptions, hopes, and expectations; it gives us a place to stand. In this mad hour on the earth, what story are you telling yourself—or letting others tell you?" He asks, "Is it a political narrative? We just need to get the right people in power!   "Is it a social narrative? The issue is injustice! We need justice!  "Is it about the economy? A new era of prosperity is coming!   "Most importantly, is it the story God is telling?" Good questions. He goes on, "We are living in a story, fr...

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 13). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is so true but let's go back to set this thought up. Earlier John said, "When the human heart and soul experience month after month of disappointment and loss, death rolls in. Dr. Richard Gunderman described the progressive onset of disillusionment as the accumulation of hundreds or thousands of tiny disappointments, each one hardly noticeable on its own. The loss of hope and dreams suffocates the Primal Drive for Life. He says, "But our God has provision for us! "I know, I know—most of you think that what you need right now is three months at the coast. Walking on the beach, drinks on the deck, and with all my heart I hope you find that. But for most of us, a sabbatical in some gorgeous refuge is not available. What is available is the River of Life, God himself, in ways we have not yet tapped into." He ...

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And we do have that longing, don't we? John continues, "It has slumbered in the depths of our souls ever since we lost our true home. For our hearts remember Eden. "Most of the time this beautiful, powerful longing flows like an underground river below the surface of our awareness—so long as we are consoled by some measure of goodness in our lives. While we are enjoying our work, our family, our adventures, or the little pleasures of this world, the longing for things to be good again seems to be placated." He goes on, "But when trials and heartbreaks wash in, the longing rises to the surface like a whale coming up for air, filled with momentum and force. This is especially true after times of severe testing, because during the testing we are rallying. But when the storm subsides, the longing for things to be good ...

A thought by John Eldridge in his book, Resilient  (p. xii). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Let's go back a bit.  In talking about what we have been going through during the Covid-19 pandemic,  John says, "Follow me closely now. To be suddenly stripped of your normal life; to live under the fear of suffering and death; to be bombarded with negative news, kept in a state of constant uncertainty about the future, with no clear view of the finish line; and to lose every human countenance behind a mask—may I point out that this is exactly the torment that terrorist regimes use to break down prisoners psychologically and physically?" He says, "Folks, this had a traumatic effect, and we’ve got to plan for our recovery and find new resilience. " 'At least we can get back to our normal lives,' one friend said. But that’s not true either. I know you want it to be true, but events are converging that preve...

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book,  Talent Is Never Enough  (p. 37). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book. John says, "One of my roles as a motivational teacher is to try to help people reach their potential. For years, I tried to inspire passion in audiences by going about it the wrong way. I used to tell people about what made me passionate, what made me want to get out and do my best. But I could see that it wasn’t having the effect I desired—people just didn’t respond. I couldn’t ignite others’ passion by sharing my own. "I decided to change my focus. Instead of sharing my passion, I started helping others discover their passion. To do that, I ask these questions:  What do you sing about? What do you cry about?  What do you dream about?" He goes on, "The first two questions speak to what touches you at a deep level today. The third answers what will bring you fulfillment tomorrow. The answ...

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book,  Talent Is Never Enough  (p. 36). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book. John says, "What carries people to the top? What makes them take risks, go the extra mile, and do whatever it takes to achieve their goals? It isn’t talent. It’s passion. Passion is more important than a plan. Passion creates fire. It provides fuel. I have yet to meet a passionate person who lacked energy. As long as the passion is there, it doesn’t matter if they fail. It doesn’t matter how many times they fall down. It doesn’t matter if others are against them or if people say they cannot succeed. They keep going and make the most of whatever talent they possess. They are talent-plus people and do not stop until they succeed." He later says, "Loving what you do is the key that opens the door for achievement. When you don’t like what you’re doing, it really shows—no matter how hard you try to pre...

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book,  Talent Is Never Enough  (p. 26). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Does that make sense? John says, "That may seem obvious in the physical realm. Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. However, in the human realm, many people don’t make the connection. They simply hope for good results. Hope is not a strategy. If you want good results, you need to perform good actions. If you want to perform good actions, you must have positive expectations. To have positive expectations, you have to first believe. It all goes back to that. Radio personality Paul Harvey observed, 'If you don’t live it, you don’t believe it.' It all starts with belief." John continues, "A popular activity for tourists in Switzerland is mountain climbing—not the type of climbing that the world-class mountaineers do to s...

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book,  Talent Is Never Enough  (p. 26). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Our expectation can make such a difference in our life. John continues, "It just doesn’t happen. I once heard a story that I have not been able to confirm about an aviation pioneer who built a plane the year before the Wright brothers made their historic flight in Kitty Hawk. The plane sat in this inventor’s barn because he was afraid to fly it. Maybe it was because it had never been done before. Maybe it was because he expected it to fail—I don’t know. It’s said that after the news reached him about Orville and Wilbur Wright, the man flew his plane. Before then, he didn’t believe in himself enough to take the risk." John goes on, "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who want to get things done and those who don’t want to make mistakes. The Wright brothers were of the first type. T...

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book,  Talent Is Never Enough  (p. 23). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) John says, "If you want your talent to be lifted to its highest level, then you don’t begin by focusing on your talent. You begin by harnessing the power of your mind. Your beliefs control everything you do. Accomplishment is more than a matter of working harder or smarter. It’s also a matter of believing positively. Someone called it the 'sure enough' syndrome. If you expect to fail, sure enough, you will. If you expect to succeed, sure enough, you will. You will become on the outside what you believe on the inside." He continues, "Personal breakthroughs begin with a change in your beliefs. Why? Because your beliefs determine your expectations, and your expectations determine your actions. A belief is a habit of mind in which confidence becomes a conviction that we embrace. In the long r...

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book,  Talent Is Never Enough  (p. 21). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) John continues, "The more you believe in your potential, yourself, and your mission, the more you will be able to accomplish. If you keep believing, you will someday find yourself doing what you once considered impossible." He later says, "Do you believe in your mission? Are you confident that you can accomplish great tasks? Do you expect to achieve your goals? These are necessary ingredients to lift your talent from potential to fruition." He goes on, "I need to say one more thing about mission. It needs to include people. Only a life lived for others is worthwhile. As you fulfill your mission, will others around you say . . . 'My life is better as a result,' or 'My life is worse as a result.?" He then says, "One of my prized possessions is a simple crystal paperw...