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“We’re all born with an expiration date.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2006-11-14) from his book, Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (p. 105). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition . Now you might say, “Bill, that is a horrible thought to focus on heading into my weekend”. And I guess that can be true. But I think it also has great value and motivation. I have just turned this month 65+1. That is how I am expressing my age now. Because of my age there are some things that are now more important to me. For one is the amount of sleep that I have. I don’t stay up as late as I used to so I can I get up earlier the next day. I want to experience as much as I can each day, to accomplish as much as I can each day, and to enjoy as much as I can each day. I seem to value what opportunities I have more than I did when I was younger. I really value each minute of my day. I don’t want to waste it by sleeping. I also want to make sure of my...

“Our souls are not designed for despair.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2006-11-14) from his book, Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (p. 99). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Have you read the story in the gospels about where Jesus came to the grave of His friend Lazarus and saw the grieving of the people there and of how Jesus wept? We think it is because of His friend’s death but He a few moments later raised Lazarus from the grave. No that wasn’t it. What it seems to be is that Jesus was feeling His love for these people and He saw their pain, their grief and that this wasn’t His plan. Death wasn’t His plan. He had a better plan but our representatives back there in the Garden muffed it up by disobedience and going against His plan for their own plan and death then came into existence. They were driven out of the Garden and could no longer eat from the Tree of Life. He had a better plan than this. We were not designed for death. We ...

“Without prayer, we have no relationship with God.”

A thought by Miles McPherson, (2009-11-01) from his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (p. 69). Baker Books. Kindle Edition . I am spending a lot of time reading the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John over and over this year in order the get to know Jesus better. I wanted to see how He reacted and responded to situations but that doesn’t mean that I have a relationship with Him. I am a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. I have followed the Dodgers for nearly 60 years. Now I have listened on radio and watched Vin Skully on TV for a big part of those years. He has been the play-by- play announcer for the Dodgers since 1950. I know his voice, I know what he sounds like but I have never talked with him. I have no relationship with him. I can read the gospels over and over and even memorized them but until I connect with Jesus in a personal way He only is a great role model. And He wants to be and can be so much mo...

“You become effective by being selective.”

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. 42). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. I can’t help reading in Facebook all the people who are playing the blame game. For so many they blame the Democrats, specifically President Obama. Look how his policies are hurting America. For others it’s the Republicans. They are holding up what needs to be done. I t’s their fault. There are others that say that it is my parents fault. They are the reason why my life is the way it is, or my husband, or my kids. In truth we are looking to find whose fault it is that I am in the mess that I’m in. When I find that out then I am going to blame them. There is a great story in the Gospel of John about this blind man that Jesus healed. The disciples wanted to know whose fault it was for his being blind. In John 9 (Msg), “Jesus said, ‘You’re...

“We may see a bolder, brighter tomorrow, but when we look at where we are today, our strength fades.”

A thought by Les Parrott, (2012-08-02) from his book, You're Stronger Than You Think: The Power to Do What You Feel You Can't. Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition. I am having a sciatic nerve problem today and am finding that back pain can affect my view of my future but it doesn’t have to. What situation are you in today that is affecting your view of tomorrow? Maybe it is financial, or relational or occupational or so many other circumstances that are in our present. Now a focus on how Jesus faced His present shows that negative present circumstances don’t need to affect our view of the future. Take for instance His present negative situation of having 5,000 hungry people out in the middle of nowhere and needing to feed them. He saw how the present negative situation could be used to stretch His disciple’s faith. You see He already knew what He was going to do. He had a plan and He used the present negative situation to fulfill it. And ...

“But you can become someone else.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2003-09-04) from his book, Uprising: A Revolution of the Sou l (Kindle Location 350). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I was sitting today at Starbucks with a couple of my friends and I said that I was born a pessimist and the lady said, “No way, I can’t believe that.” Well I was. One day I was looking at myself and decided that was one thing that I wanted to change. I wanted to be a positive person not a negative one so I set out to change and I have. What about you? What is it that you want to change? Now I am always going to be fairly short. Being six foot is not an option but weighing less than 260 lbs. is. I set out to change that and I have lost 50lbs. What do you want to change? 2 Corinthians 5:17 in the New Testament of the Bible gives us some hope here. It says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” ...

“If you no longer believed in the future, you would lose all hope.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2006-11-14 from his book, Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (p. 99). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition . I start each day with exciting anticipation. The reason is because I start my day reading the Bible and in prayer. My faith is strengthened by the Bible and my anxieties are given to God through prayer. It is a great way for me to start my day. How do you start your day? Some turn on CNN, Fox News or their local news station and get all discouraged and fearful. The task of those outlets of information is to get you hooked on them so they push the negative to keep you involved. It plays on your fears, your anxieties to an unbelievable level. It tells you that things in life are getting worse and that kills our hope But the Bible pushes hope. It tells you that God has a wonderful plan for your life. It says that you are loved by God. It says if you need a...