Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson (2011-07-19) from their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard About (Kindle Locations 1160-1161). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Somewhere along the line we got off track.  They say it takes only two generations to get away from the core values of any organization and that for sure has been true of us.  So why in the world would we take the greatest announcement that was ever given and make it the complete opposite?  I mean Jesus came into the world to save it not to condemn it.  That is what He said and that is what He did. Now we live today in a world where we believe that people should get what they deserve.  This is one of the main reasons for a lot of people’s anger.  Somewhere in their life they didn’t get what they deserved in a positive way and it makes them angry.  Or someone did something wrong and they don’t get punished as they deserved to be punished and that makes them angry.  But here is th

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 Seth Godin (2011-03-01) in his book, Poke the Box (p. 14). The Domino Project. Kindle Edition. Somehow risking has been taken out of our life style because we are so afraid to fail.   Think about this...   I am a Los Angeles Dodgers’ fan.   I love baseball and I love the Dodgers.   To be honest it is tough being an LA fan this year.   But any way, yesterday they played the St Louis Cardinals and a rookie by the name of Justin Sellers lead off.   That means he is the first batter of the game.   Now what if he sees that he is leading off so he goes to the manager and says, “Thanks, Mr. Mattingly for the confidence that you have placed in me but I am too afraid of leading off the game because I might strike out so could you put me down in the batting order?”   What do you think Don Mattingly the Dodgers’ manager would do?   He probably would send him to the minors to never ever play for the Dodgers again.   Now the truth is, Sellers was on base two times and scored one ru

A thought by Gabe Lyons (2010-10-05) in his book, The Next Christians: The Good News Aboutthe End of Christian America (p. 81). Doubleday Religion. Kindle Edition. I’m not always sure what Christ some of us Christ followers follow.   Does that make sense?   I mean, we spend so much of our time in the condemnation business and running away from or pushing away the type of people that Jesus spent time with.   We do the opposite of what Jesus came to do.   It seems it is so easy for us to paint Jesus as one who is pointing His finger in judgment instead of reaching His hand out in compassion.   Why is that?   Are we reading a different gospel than the ones at the beginning of the New Testament? Now His way is tough.   That is true.   I mean He was rejected and then killed.   There is always that potential in engagement.   But isn’t that what we have signed up for?   There are risks in being an authentic Christ follower.   Maybe we want the title without the risks.   But He said we

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 Mark Batterson (2009-12-09) in his book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity (Kindle Locations 1818-1819). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. It is so easy in life to get in a rut.  Get up the same time every day, eat the same thing for breakfast, go the same route to work, come home and watch the same TV shows, go to bed so you can get up at the same time to do the same thing.  We even go to the same place for our vacation.  That may be OK for you but there is more to life for me than being in a rut or as one guy said, “in a grave with the ends knocked out”.  I saw yesterday at lunch on the Planet Green - Discovery Channel , Discovering Yellowstone with Tom Brokaw.  I watched one segment where 71 year old, Brokaw and two Forrest Rangers took all day to find a water fall.  I said to my wife, Margaret that I think I could do that now.  I could hike all day.  It would be tough for me at 64 but I think I could do it. Back 2 years ago when I retired and mov