Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (pp. 88-90). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. But the major problem is they are never going to get enough.  What a horrible existence but so many people live it.  We think that is a responsible thing to do to acquire and maintain but it can be greed if it’s for the wrong reason. Now the basic premise of greed is very simple.  It means that I don’t trust God to meet my needs.  And this lack of trust seems to get greater and greater the older we get.  It really does but worrying about retirement is a good thing isn’t it?  Is it?  Listen, worry is never a good thing.  It says I don’t trust you God. Now it is important to be a responsible person, to make sure that we save and plan for our future.  It really is but to worry and worry and live in fear of not having enough is not what God wants from us.  I also don’t think He wants us to leave it all up to H

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 104). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. If I really want it then it must be the right thing to get it.  Have you ever had that go through your mind?   I know, all the time.  I’m sitting in a Starbucks close to Louisville, Kentucky seeing all these people outside with their 32 flavors cups of ice cream and I want so much to go get some.  I want it so bad so it must mean that it is God’s will for me to have it?  Right?  Wrong.  I got up early this morning to walk my 4+ miles and I’m not going to blow it.  But so many times what we really, really want tempts us to get off the path that we have chosen.  For me I was in the car yesterday for nearly 15 hours and it seems that I should be rewarded but that reward would set me back from the daily task that I have chosen to get below 200 lbs. by 2012.  Yes possibly the circumstance of yesterday cou

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to B e (p. 61). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Have you noticed that?  You set your heart on getting something that you know will make you happy but it really isn’t a good thing to have; maybe it is a girl or a guy that doesn’t hold your same values.  But you want it or you have fallen for them so your mind sets into gear to come up with a set of reasons why it is a good thing when it really isn’t. Your will, your heart is a powerful thing so it is very important to have it set in the right direction.  Oh your mind is also important but most of the time it just goes along for the ride. For example:  In today’s USA Today there was a survey that said that the number one reason people divorce is growing apart and the number two is unable to talk together .  Now when your heart says there needs to be a change in your life, you’re not happy anymore b

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 129). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. We all realize how true that is, don’t we?  My dad said, “Advice not asked for stinks.” It doesn’t matter if you have the right answer if the person in need is not seeking advice it won’t make a difference. I used to have wives come up and ask me if I would talk to their husbands or parents would come and want me to talk to their kids and I would always say, “Have them call me.”  If they’re not seeking they’re not listening.  Of course you know some people who have advice for everything and they want to give it all the time to everyone they meet.  It seems to be a self-worth thing.  They may be right some of the time but they are not usually the ones you will go to for advice.  There are others who you see their life and you know their life view is built on wisdom and maturity but you have to seek th

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 82). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition . An injustice has been done, someone has gone back on their word, they haven’t done what they promised, you feel like you are owed something and you are angry.   You are very angry and you feel justified in your anger. But here is the problem.   In most cases the person who has hurt you probably doesn’t even know you are angry with them but you know it and the people closest to you know it.   The person you are angry with isn’t being hurt but you are and those closest to you are. Now not doing anything is not the best answer for your anger.   As you know the anger inside of you is tearing away at your insides and it can even damage you physically and for sure emotionally.   Unresolved anger can hurt you and it can also hurt the people you love.   It can hurt your relationships because it is like a time bomb that is

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get fromWhere You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 15). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Life is filled with choices.  It really is. ü   I can choose to be angry or I can choose to understand and forgive.  ü   I can live with regrets because of what life has thrown at me or I can live with excitement for the opportunity of each new day.  ü   I can choose to spend or I can choose to save.   ü   I can cower in fear of the unknown or risk and move into unchartered waters.  ü   I can eat donuts or eat salads. ü   I can serve God or I can serve myself. ü   I can live with self-pity or I can live with joy. ü   I can listen and join in to negativity or I can turn it off, walk away and live positively.   ü   I can be hurt or I can be healed. ü   I can yell or I can listen. ü   I can grow cold or I can tell you where you hurt me. ü   I can act like a child or I can act like an adult. ü   I ca

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Over this weekend Irene came to visit us here on Long Island.  We knew she was coming.  All week we had followed her on TV.  I became close friends with the people on The Weather Channel and NBC Channel 4 New York City. Now we had some decisions to make on Saturday that affected us on Sunday when Irene was on the Island.  Sunday was not the time to go to the grocery store because they were all boarded up and closed.  We were almost too late on Saturday for some things and we never did find extra flashlights.  I find this fact also true in my task of trying to lose weight.  I may really want those vanilla cream filled donuts from Dunkin Donuts and I may convince myself that eating them won’t affect me but when I get on the scale the next morning I know the truth.  What I eat today will affect my weight tomorrow

A thought by Andy Stanley (2010-10-19) in his book, The Grace of God (p. 117). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I don’t know if you are married or not but if you are you experience conflict every once in a while.   This is especially true if there are two very strong willed people in the marriage.   Conflict just happens but resolving it and coming out of it with the relationship in tack means someone hast to stop and listen to what the other person is saying.    If the relationship is important, at some point one of the two will decide to stop telling their side and listen to the other side.   When this happens there will be a resolution to the conflict. Now which is easier?   To be gracious and to stop trying to get them to understand your side or to be the one who is allowed to tell their side.   Of course being the one allowed to continue has the easier time but the one who stops and listens is deeply rewarded.   It is great to receive grace but it is also great to give it. I h

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get fromWhere You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 168). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. There was a game show back in the late 50’s emceed by Johnny Carson before he went on to Tonight Show fame called Who Do You Trust ?    Let me ask you that question, who do you trust more, you or God? I know what the answer we give is but I don’t think it is the answer we live.  In some things we may be afraid to trust God so we try to manipulate Him through all this good stuff we do hoping He will reward us and give us what we want. Have you ever had someone act sooo nice to you and compliment you and you know they have an ulterior motive?  They want something from you.  Kids sometimes do that with parents.  Does it work?  It doesn’t work with God either.  He knows our heart.  He knows our motives.  He also knows what’s best.   He can be trusted and He won’t allow us to manipulate Him. Solomon wrote somet

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 43). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. There are times we do something to someone and then ask them to forgive us and expect there to be no consequences in what we have done.  We still need to ask forgiveness but we cannot expect that it does away with the consequences. For an example, let’s say we smoked in front of our kids for 20 years and they started smoking but after they grew up we stopped.  We now have deep remorse about the influence we had in this area and we ask them to forgive us and they do.  But they still have the habit and they still have the potential for cancer.  The forgiveness is important but the consequences of our action are not done away with by our asking for forgiveness.  They may forgive you but they can’t do away with the consequences. Now the key is not to use forgiveness to supersede responsibility or self-control.  F

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 43). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. This is so true.  …We own a car.  We never change the oil; we never maintain it as the manual tells us to and then blame God when it breaks down. …We forget to put gas in the car and then blame God when we run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. …We never pay our bills and then blame God when the collection agency starts calling. …We spend all the money we make, we have a bigger house than we can afford, we have our credit cards to the limit, we have no savings, and then blame God when our company doesn’t give bonuses this year and we have already spent it. …We work all the time, we’re never at home and when we are we’re always in a bad mood and then blame God when our mate asks for a divorce. …We never take care of ourselves physically or emotionally.  We eat the wrong things, we never sleep, and we live u

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book,   The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to B e  (p. 14). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I was almost born in a car.  The truth is I was born in a hospital but within 3 weeks we were back on the road.  My dad was an evangelist.  We would hold services in a church from Wednesday through 2 Sundays and then we would travel to the next church and start again on Wednesday.   It was a good life. Now when I got a little older I was in charge of the map.  It was my job to get us to where we were going by the best most direct route.  And I was good at it.  So I am an experienced map guy. A couple of months back on a Saturday, Margaret and I wanted to go in New Jersey to Thomas Edison’s home and factory but I couldn’t find my Jersey map.  So I broke down and went and got a Garmin GPS.  It is great.  At least it is if you put the right info in it. The next day was Sunday and Margaret and I wanted to go to

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 48). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition . I retired at 62 and moved to Long Island in New York.  At that time I weighed 260 lbs. and I was slowly becoming an invalid.  Also that summer we found that Margaret my wife was a type 2 diabetic.  Now we could have gone into depression because of both our situations but we decided that wouldn’t accomplish anything.   So we changed our diets and started walking.  Margaret lost over 40 lbs. and I lost over 20 lbs., a start in the right direction for me but not enough. When I turned 64 in June of this year I was in a holding pattern of 235 to 240.  I wasn’t the cripple I once was but I still was in the danger zone.  So I had to make another decision.  Do nothing, do the same or do more.  Doing nothing and doing the same wasn’t accomplishing what I knew needed to happen.  One thing I had come to realize at 64 was