Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by George Barna (2011-05-15) in his book, Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (Kindle Location 694). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. That is an astounding statistic that shows the importance of a male influence in the lives of children.  Now I see that in my own life.  My father was my hero and my example.  I am who I am because of his influence.  He built so much into my life. I remember the day that he was killed.  I was an Associate Pastor of a great church but I had gotten a little off track in my priorities.  I was gone most of the time from my family.  My wife and son and daughter were not as important as they should have been but my dad’s death stopped me in my tracks and I started setting my priorities straight.  My dad influenced me even through his death.  Now the “sexual revolution” has really messed up the potential of other men stepping up and being a positive influence in the lives of young children who

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. 66). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. Fear is another one of those choice emotions.  I can let it hold me back or motivate me.  I have done both in my life. Now I am at the point in my life that I want to leverage my fears to strengthen my faith.  What I usually see as the thing that I fear in a situation I come up with a solution and then it won’t hold me back.  An example of that would be to fear death.  That could hold me captive in all areas of my life so I took care of that by believing in Jesus who will give me eternal life.  Now I can live my life here without that fear.   So fear can be a deterrent or leverage?  I choose the leverage. What about you? 

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossibl e (p. 30). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. What dream did you have at the start of 2012?  After one week do you still have it?  Maybe you shared it with someone and they laughed at you.  Maybe you dreamed that you could lose 50 lbs. this year but you couldn’t make it through this week and you decided, what’s the use? I know we say we get smarter and our experiences and disappointments make it so much more difficult to really dream but we still can have dreams.  When I was young and had a lot of years ahead of me it was easier to dream great dreams.  But life isn’t over even at 64 ½.    Some of my best dreams are still to be dreamed.    We need to really believe that.   Now dreams have many purposes other than just fulfilling them.  I have not had all my dreams come true yet but I have had so many things come about because I had a dream.  Dreams

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Momen t (Kindle Locations 590-591). Kindle Edition . The key to living life to the max is not to look at what you can get out of it but what you can give to it.   Margaret and I are moving to Florida in five weeks.  When we got the reason why we are moving which is to be near my mother and to feed into her life the place where we are going to live fell into place.  Life is to be lived as a ministry.  That is why we are here.  That is where meaning and purpose and happiness come from.  I know so many people who haven’t figured that out.  What about you?

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. 63). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. There will be so many people who will decide that this is just another day in their life and not set it aside to gather with others to focus on God.  They have decided that they have all it takes to make it on their own until life takes a “I can’t handle it on my own” turn and they haven’t built the relationship with others and with God. Oh sure I have those times when it seems like I am heading into deep waters but I do have a relationship with God and I know that I am not alone.  How can people make it without faith?  I am headed to church this morning not because I am in deep water but because I want to cultivate that personal relationship because I love Him and He loves me.  One of the benefits is because I know He is there in my good times I know He will be there in my difficult times and that can

A though by David Stoop in his book, You Are What You Think ( (Kindle Location 279). Kindle Edition. One of the ways David proves this is by asking people to relax and then for them to close their eyes then take a minute and make themselves sad.  Then he says now take a minute and make yourself happy.   He then asks them, “how did you do it?” and it comes back that they think sad thoughts and then happy thoughts. That is why some people are sad at this time of the year even when things are going well for them and other people are happy even when things aren’t going so well.  It is the power of self-talk.   What you say to yourself, your self-talk determines how you feel.  Try it and see if it is true.  I definitely have found this to be true in my life.  He shows that your belief system in your thought process determines your response to the circumstances of your life.  If you believe that everything is against you then you are always going to view life from a negative s

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-12-13) from his book Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems (Kindle Location 128). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. I was reading in my quiet time this morning in John 5.30 (NLT) that Jesus said, “ I can do nothing on my own…”   Jesus said that about His dependency on His Father while He was here on Earth.  And that is where His power came from.  He showed us and told us the power that is available to us through asking His Father. I am right now sitting in a coffee shop at the Roosevelt Field Mall just after I have walked for 1 ½ hours.  The last part of my walk I have been praying for Ashlyn, Addison, Marissa, Brett, Stefanie, Andrew and Margaret, my family.  I spent time in bringing specific needs that each of them has to God through prayer because I believe that certain expressions of God’s power can only be exercised in response to prayer.  It is in prayer that I show my dependency on God and His wisdom and His power.  Because