Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Location 843). Kindle Edition. That is so true of Mary when the angel told her what was going to happen to her.  If she was just going to be a mother she could handle that.  I’m sure she had been prepared by her mother and maybe grandmother to do that.  That was what she was prepared to do but to be the mother of the Son of God that was something completely different.  No way was she or any other young women prepared for that God-sized challenge on her own but she was not going to have to go through it alone.  God doesn’t give us a task without support. The truth is being a parent is a God-sized challenge.  I have loved being a parent for these 30+ years but I needed God’s guidance and wisdom all the way through.  Yes, I had seen parenting modeled by two of the Godliest parents a boy could ever have.  But then that baby boy came to live with Margaret and me on April 7

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 Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book,   Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 39). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. What a tremendous thought to realize.  What impossible situation are you facing right now?  Let’s say you are down in a valley with high cliffs on each side of you and tall trees in front and in back of you and it is impossible for you to see what is behind, ahead or on either side.  But let’s say you are talking on your cell phone to someone up above you in a helicopter and they can see everything.  Now your situation isn’t impossible because of your connection. Let’s say something has happened and you are in desperate need of $10,000.00.  You only have $500 in your checking account.  You are in an impossible situation.  But let’s say your father is very successful.  He keeps $50,000.00 in an account for pocket change.  So you get him on the phone and tell him your situation and he takes care of it

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Locations 78-79). Kindle Edition. What a waste of energy and emotion when we seize and squeeze everything we can out of a past situation in our life.  What it can do is rob us of joy or fill us with pride depending of what happened and neither of those responses build value into our life.  Now the truth is we only have control of our present but a future moment can bring hope, excitement and challenge into our present.  It can help in making the decisions that need to be made today and helping in living through the sacrifices that need to be made in order to reach that moment. For an example, I live for the future moment when one day I step on my scale and it says 199 lbs.  Every day that I get up and head out to walk is controlled by that future moment.  Every time I decide at Starbucks against that pastry instead of the oatmeal is controlled by the future moment

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Location 787). Kindle Edition. Now in our times of uncertainty we as Christians cry out to God to do something and the key is He already has.  He has given each one of us a mind and within that mind He has given us the ability to creatively come up with an idea or a new thought or new paradigm for the situation.    Now for the most part we don’t want to work that hard, we want the situation to resolve and everything to work out the way we want it to but sometimes God wants us to step outside the box of our usual solutions and come up with something new.  I know that is hard but it can be so rewarding. But you say, “I’m not creative,” and I say, “How do you know?  Have you ever tried?”   Now the key is you stop and just freely think.  Write down each thought that comes into your mind and then follow it until it hits a dead end or until something starts to spark.

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Locations 436-437). Kindle Edition. I have two laptop computers.  One is a large one and the other is a small one.  The potential that I have to reach out to people around the world through them is limitless but if I never turn either one of them on they are useless. Right now I am sitting with my small laptop in the Oceanside, New York Starbucks putting down my thoughts about this quote by Erwin McManus so I can post it online so you can read it wherever you might be.  Just think of this.  Someone this past week from the United States, the Netherlands, Russia, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Latvia, Qatar, and Venezuela checked out this blog.  But it wouldn’t have happened if I wouldn’t have started writing. Now I also just finished my bill’s front porch and I will get up early tomorrow morning and post it on my large laptop at home.  This week p

A thought by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson, (2011-07-19) in their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard About (Kindle Location 728). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. The truth is they both should be the same – financial abundance & spiritual abundance.  God is the giver of all that is good but He gives it for a purpose.  We have been given a financial abundance so we can take care of the financial needs of the world.  Now if we were spiritual abundant then we would take care of God’s purpose but because we are in spiritual poverty we keep it for ourselves.  And that is a great tragedy.  “Please forgive us for our self-focus.” Now wouldn’t you like to be the answer to some child in need’s prayer?