Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) from his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 49). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I live by the principle of time that you are either late or on time, that being early just means being on time so I usually am early.  That way, I am always assured of being on time and not late. I wish I could say the same thing about doing things that I’d rather not do.  All my term papers in school were usually put off to the last minute.  I always said that I worked best under pressure but as I’ve gotten older I don’t think that was true.  I just think I was avoiding what I didn’t want to do and waiting till the last minute meant I couldn’t avoid it any longer so I did it.  But it would have been the wise thing to have started it earlier without all the stress, all the pressure. It’s like the person who files an extension for his income tax and finds it doesn’t get any better later so why not do

A thought by Andy Stanley from his book, Fields of Gold (Kindle Locations 98-99). Kindle Edition . Fear is always where faith is.  When we had the opportunity to step out in faith and move from Long Island to Florida I had many days of unrest.  It wasn’t so much the moving but the buying of a home.  If you are renting and you don’t like it you just wait out the year and then move.  But I thought owning was so permanent and I had some fear in that.  For many people it takes great faith to risk but for me the fact that I was saying this was it had some anxiety attached to it.  The day the peace came was a day that I was at Jones Beach on Long Island praying my anxieties out to God and He let me know that He wanted me to come to Florida to be near my mother and we stepped out in faith and made the move.  I had been seeing in His word that we as God’s children are to take care of the poor and the widows and God reinforced in me that this was my time to do that with my mother

A thought by Andy Stanley from his book, Fields of Gold (Kindle Locations 99-100). Kindle Edition. There are so many different tools that Satan uses in his desire to get at God through us.  He knows he can keep us from stepping out and risking because of our fear in the unknown.  Now one of the best areas that can open up God’s blessing on our lives is through giving, giving to Him and giving to other people.  But it is also a great area for Satan to use fear and He does it all the time.  He doesn’t want you to be blessed and your faith strengthened by giving so he sets up all these roadblocks of fear that keep you from giving. Giving is something you do out of faith.  And fear is the antithesis of faith.  It is faith’s enemy.  For instance, you believe it is the right thing to give to a person who is in need then everything starts going wrong in your life.  It isn’t just one thing but compounded things.  Satan then in your mind says that if you wouldn’t have given t

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Hear t (p. 55). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. That is so true isn’t it?   Now how we view the action that brings us that shame has so much to do with how we deal with it. Back when I was in ministry I did something that brought so much shame on my life and I stepped out of ministry.  Margaret and I moved to another town.  I knew that I had blown it and I started selling Insurance.  The shame changed the direction of my life.  That is until I went to a church in that town and God sent a Godly Pastor into my life who took the time and patience to bring me out of my shame.  You see my sin action didn’t make God turn His back on me.  He pursued me and won me back. Now if my shame would have kept me from seeking out God then I would have had scars forever but my shame drew me to God and He in turn through it changed me for all time.  He used my shame to deepen

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. 11). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. That is so true.  We sometimes get into situations that we know are wrong.  We know the solution - quit the relationship, lose 50 lbs., change jobs, move away, go to church, get counseling.  We know what needs to be done but we don’t know what to do. The problem is not the solution but the direction.  When a person is lost they need to change their direction but we too many times keep going in the same direction thinking we will get to a different location.  Now we know why we are overweight – lack of exercise and eating the wrong food – but we keep doing the same thing and believe that the result will be different.  It never will be until we change what we eat and getting up from the couch and exercising. We may be having major financial problems but we keep doing the same thing with the same res

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) from his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 48). Thomas Nelson - A. Kindle Edition. If you have spent any time with me here on JCTT you know that I have been following a fairly successful path of losing weight.  I started at 260 lbs. and I got down to 211 but I have hit a danger zone.  My path to weighing less than 200 lbs. has hit a detour and I know it but to see the problem is only a part of the solution.  I must now do something. We have gone through a change in location and with that some changes in routine.  Now my path for success had walking a hour and a half six days a week and eating right in it.  But with the move both of those had stopped.  The walking has come back but without the success.  In order to get back on the right path then I need to make adjustments also in my eating habits.  I cannot live off of past successes but keep focused on the future goals by continu

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. 73). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. So much of the dishonesty is that we play the blame game which is to be lame.  It is so easy to say it’s my parent’s fault, the way they raised me.  Or it’s my spouses fault, they made me do this.  I didn’t really want to do it.  But somewhere we have to be honest as to why we are on the path.  The Bible says, “ the truth will set you free” .  And that is where you start? Just be honest. Why do I choose the wrong people to have a relationship with, people who will hurt me, people who are totally selfish, and people who have a track record of no commitment?  Why have I continually chosen that path of failure?  You start with a question?  That is the first step in being honest.  Why did you choose this path?  And for many that is a difficult thing to do because it puts the results back on you not so

A though by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book,   It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 145). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. Have you ever thought about forgiveness that way?  Usually we say, “I’ll forgive you when I feel l like it,” but the truth is with that attitude you will never feel like it so you will lose. You see, not forgiving hurts us more than it hurts the other person.  It hurts you inside, it hurts you in your other relationships and it hurts you with God.  He said, He can’t forgive you if you don’t forgive others.  So if you don’t forgive them until you feel like it then Satan will make sure you never feel like it. No, you and I forgive because we choose to do it.  Not because they deserve it, but because God demands it and you need to do it to break the chains that have bound you to the action of the other person that has hurt you so much.  Forgiveness frees you. I had a situation that had happened to me some 5

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) from his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Kindle Location 658). Thomas Nelson - A. Kindle Edition. There are principles in life that need to be learned at an early age that will make a difference in the effectiveness of our lives.  One principle that is sabotaged by many parents with their children is the principle of cause and effect.  Their child gets in trouble at school and the parent blames the school.  Of course it is not their kids fault.  But that attitude will have far reaching consequences on the child at facing responsibilities for their actions. You see we all need to understand that each action does not stand alone but that it has consequences both positive or negative that go with it.  Let me give you an example.  I am 64 years of age.  I will turn 65 in three months.  Now a few years back I realized that I was slowly because of inactivity turning into an invalid s

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. 159). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition . That is so true.   I would have believed three years ago that Margaret and I owning our own home was way out of our reach.  I mean it took everything we had to move from Las Vegas to Long Island and property is way too expensive here and we didn’t have enough for a down payment so I had accepted the fact that we would rent and then eventually move in with our kids.  I had retired and owning our own home was way out of our reach but it wasn’t out of God’s reach. Margaret and I next month will be putting our furniture in our own condo in Seminole, Florida.  It is all because of God’s love and power and graciousness that it has happened.  We again realize that we are never out of His reach.  He has been working this all out for us starting 18 years ago when we moved to Las Vegas to plant a church when

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. 103). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. I know we look at the beginning of the New Year as a time to make New Year’s resolutions.  It could be a good thing if we were really serious. I mean, it was amazing to see all the new people out walking in the mall today.  Of course they could have just been there because they had the day off but they at least were trying to do something about their health.    I found it interesting to see one man who took a long walk and then as I went outside I saw him smoking.  Of course my temptation was to get something sweet to reward me for my effort.  Sucking smoke into my lungs has never been a temptation but eating a Vanilla Cream Filled Donut from Dunkin is extremely hard to resist.    r Oh of course the reason to smoke is because they have an introspective personality and it helps them relax or the donut habit me

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) in his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 115). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. Jesus says that over and over.  He cannot forgive unless you forgive.  What does it say in the Lord’s Prayer, Father forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  It goes hand in hand. So wouldn’t it be great to look into the New Year with resolved differences with the people around you?  Maybe it’s a parent or a brother or sister?  Could be your spouse or one of your children?  Maybe it is someone at work or even at church?  What about your neighbor or one of your friends?  Whoever it is, get on the phone and strive to resolve it now.  Of course you understand it takes two but you strive to do your part.  Another thing to realize is if they have died or if they don’t know you have ever had an issue with them then you resolve it in your own heart.  Go back to the situation and forgive them for t

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. 77). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. I love the way life is set up.  There are 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 30/31 days in a month and 12 months in a year.  There is a beginning and an end in each one of them.  This week is the end of another year and it is a time of reflection and release. It is always good to look back at a point to reflect on what happened, to thank God for His gifts, to reinforce the lessons learned and to let go of and release the pain that has happened in this year.  I know that at some point you have been hurt by someone in 2011.  There is pain in relationships sometimes but you don’t have to take that hurt that pain into the new year.  That is a choice that you have and this is a good week to let go of that memory that hurt.   If you don’t you will carry that hurt into your other relationship in 2012.  That is

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) in his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 144). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition . Well it is getting close.  We will be opening our gifts on Christmas Eve and watching our family in Colorado open their gifts by Skype on Christmas night.  This is the season of giving gifts and receiving gifts.  Now this gift of forgiveness is not one we think about giving at this time of the year but if we do it has so much more far reaching benefit than most of the gifts we receive and give.  This is truly the gift of freedom.  It is both a freedom to the giver and also to the receiver.   Forgiveness frees us from so much pain. But here is the key.  Forgiveness is not a gift you give because you feel like it.  Most of the time the act you’re forgiving doesn’t deserve your forgiveness but you chose to give it because Christ forgave you also undeservedly.  It is a gift you give by choice because of what He d

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. 178). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Now I may memorize the Bible from cover to cover and it may help me in winning some arguments but if I don’t see it as God’s personal living plan for my life and do what it says then it will not make a vital, everlasting difference in my life. Now I may know how important it is for an overweight 64 year old man who wants to live a productive, long, active, healthy life to exercise and eat right and I may propagate what I know but if I don’t do what I know then I will not reap the benefit from what I know. Now I may know that people don’t want to be around someone who is argumentative, self-focused and disingenuous but if I don’t do the changes in my character to make a difference in how I act then I will be a very lonely and probably angry individual who has no meaningful, close relationships. No

A thought from Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 46). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition . The scandal that is now coming out at Penn State University sure proves the bad part of this thought.  The reputation of the football program was one of integrity.  They may have appeared to be upright from a recruiting standpoint but the fact that an upstanding, highly successful assistant coach was molesting young boys finally is coming out. The fact also that some in the administration were covering it up shows what the real heart of the program was.  Who they really are is coming finally to the surface. We are also seeing a part of that in our Presidential campaign.  Eventually it will come out who is good and who is bad, whether it is the attacker or the attacked.  Time will eventually show what the truth is.    Jesus says the same thing over in Matthew 12.34 (NIV), for out of the heart the mouth speak

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. Now we always hope that the result will be different but it isn’t.   We may even pray that it will be different but it isn’t.  We believe that it will be different but it isn’t.  Now God is amazing.  To realize that He created each and every one of us and He created every part of us should show us that He has a plan.   Now He gave us a mouth so we could speak; He gave us eyes so we could see; He gave us feet so we could walk; He gave us hands so we could do; and He gave us a brain so we could think and He wants us to use each and every one of them, even our brain. Many times we do the same thing that didn’t end right the first time and before we do it we ask God to make it come out differently.  Now God has that ability but God has also given us the ability to evaluate, to contemplate, in other words

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. 11). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Two years ago I realized I needed to change the direction of my life physically.  I knew I was in trouble.  Now I wish that I could have decided and then it happened but it didn’t work that way for me.  I have been overweight all my life and I would at different times try to change direction.  It would work for a while and then I would fall back.   For me it had to be a total change in direction and I did it and things physically are changing for the better.  I am now headed in the right direction. Yesterday was my wife, Margaret’s birthday and after church she and I with our daughter, Stefanie and her husband, Andrew went out to a great restaurant to celebrate.  Now they had Blue Bell ice cream.  That is the best ice cream you could ever have and I had some and it showed up on my scales this morning.  I

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. 42). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Now what does forgiveness do?  It absolves me of the guilt of my action but it doesn’t necessarily absolve me of the consequences of the action.  For example, let’s say that I haven’t paid my income taxes for 10 years.  That can be a very dangerous thing to do.  But let’s say I go to God and I ask Him to forgive me.  I repent of my breaking the law and I am then absolved on my guilt to God but that doesn’t absolve me of my guilt to the government.  I still am going to have to pay my back taxes and probably some penalties and interest.  That is the way it works.  But let’s say, I expect God to take care of all that.  I asked Him to forgive me.  Shouldn’t He take care of at least the penalty and the interest?    The answer is no.  You are responsible for the consequences of your actions even if you have

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. 102). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. What habit do you need to break?  I go to Starbucks every day for breakfast.  For years I got a tall black pike, a grande ice water and a maple oat scone.  I really loved my scone until I changed to something healthier.  I now eat oatmeal with nuts.  That’s what I now get every day.  It is my new habit.  I had to break a habit by starting another habit. Now I know we would like to just decide that we need to quite doing whatever it is that we know isn’t good for us but it doesn’t work that way.  It took a long time to make the habit and it will take time to stop it. So what habit do you need to break?  Then what habit do you need to make to break it?  It is never easy to break a habit but if it is a harmful one then it will be worth the effort. So go for it.  Why don’t you start today? So let me ask y