Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 221). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Editio n. I have said that when it comes to my three granddaughters that anything they ask for the answer is “Yes”.   And then I say that it is the best way to get back at my kids but the truth is I do all I can to say “Yes” to them too.   I love them and I want to give, give, give and God is the same way.   He wants to give live, He wants to give joy, He wants to give forgiveness.   He also wants to say, “Yes.” You probably heard yesterday the part in the Easter Story where Mary Magdalene after she had come out of the empty tomb saw this man and she thought he was a gardener when in fact it was Jesus.   The key is John the writer of this was going back to the fact that Jesus had created us in a Garden.   That He is a Gardener.   He created us in a Garden and it was for our enjoyment.   It was sin that brough

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art ( p. 86). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. Today, Good Friday is the day when we remember the greatest injustice that has even been done to an individual.   And it is a day that we see how it is to be handled. Jesus, the only perfect man who has ever walked this earth was crucified as a common criminal.   No way was His death justified.   But do you know how He handled it?   Luke 23:34 (NLT), “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’”   Jesus forgave them and asked God, His Father to forgive them. Now of course we want justice for injustice.   We want to throw the book at people.   No way am I going to forgive them.   They don’t deserve it” and that is true but we also don’t deserve to be forgiven either but we more times than not demand it.   Listen it was our sins, not just the Jews and Pilot who killed Him.   If jus

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 85). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.     I was thinking after reading this of a bad experience in my life that was a good memory.   It happened different times in my life. My father was a minister and for half of my home life he was an evangelist.   In other words, we as a family traveled from church to church holding meetings.   For a big part of the time we lived in a house trailer, that’s what they were called back then and we would leave one church on a Sunday night and travel to the next one and start services there on Wednesday.   We would be there from Wednesday through two Sundays.   Sometimes it would take all of the money we were given at the last church to get to the next one and somewhere in that next week we would run out of food if the church we were holding meetings in didn’t give us a food allowance.   Now that could have caused

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Wor k (p. 186). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. I know that people who don’t know me but who see me out walking the streets everyday think I am a homeless schizophrenic.   Now I am neither but I do walk a lot and I do talk to someone while I am walking.   I do a lot of praying while I walk.   I had two occasions today when I was praying out loud and someone passed me.   They didn’t look back but they did seem to walk a little faster. Now that may not be the best technique but it works for me.   I love walking and talking to my friend, Jesus.   I found it very meaningful today.   While I was walking and praying the first time I worked through an attitude I was having toward someone who was very hurtful and critical of my Pastor.   God helped me through that time and gave me the assurance that He would encourage my Pastor and his family during this

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 175). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. As I was walking back home after doing some reading at the local Peet’s Coffee I was thinking about some of the things that worry me here at 66 going on 67.   They are things that haven’t really bothered me but they do now with my getting older.   And I was wondering what it was in my past that is causing me to be bothered about not having enough money to live on after Margaret retires too.   I never have been concerned about money but now I am.   Why? Of course some would say that I need to be concerned.   I understand that but why is my faith lacking now when I have always lived my life with faith that God would take care and He always has?   And the thought went back to those weeks when we were really close financially and we had to be very careful and remembering how I felt trapped in those times

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 54). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. What is your dream?   What is it that keeps you going every day and that energizes you each week to deal with for some the monotony of life?   Yes the monotony of life has within it the potential to enslave us.   I‘ve got to get up and do it all again but if you are getting up to fulfill a dream then you are not enslaved but you are free. I hurt so much for people who are enslaved by the worries, the cares, the aloneness and monotony of their lives. I understand that and I have to fight that every day that I get up.   And I see even at 66 almost 67 the need for a dream.   The battle happens when I tend to be malnourished emotionally and spiritually.   If I haven’t spent enough alone time with God for Him to reinforce and rekindle the dream that He has for my life even at 66 going on 67 then I will start to focus on t

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book,  The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 43). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. There are so many voices in us clamoring for attention and control. I have spent my morning at Starbucks reading two newspapers and spending time with my friends.   I sat there in my spot with my Dodgers’ hat on reading about how they lost last night and then talking with my friends about what happened.   That is a voice that is inside of me.   It is a voice that has been a part of me since I was a child and it is a voice that at some points has to be controlled.   I used to get so upset when they lost.   It would affect my mood but hopefully I have matured. Now after I left Starbucks I walked about a mile to Peet’s Coffee & Tea where I pulled out my Kindle and did some reading preparing for sharing some thought on this Blog today.   I read and then pulled out my phone and ear phones and started my walk to h