Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2013-09-24) from his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Locations 1999-2000). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. That is so easy to do even after a Sunday and all that spiritual focus and encouragement.   I mean Monday is the real world and we come back to what life is really all about. Somehow we do that.   We separate Sunday from the rest of the week.   When in reality God is also God of Sunday and Monday and Tuesday.   The problem is our focus.   I mean when we hear that message and sing those songs we believe that God can do anything but then comes Monday and that problem at work or those kids or my husband/wife and then my finances.   It sounds good on Sunday but Monday is the real world. And that is the problem too many times in our relationship with God.   We have this level of expectation but when life through God doesn’t fit in that then we tend to compartmentalize and put God in church not t

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2014-02-11) from his book, Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others (Kindle Locations 292-293). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. It is sometimes so difficult to choose the voice inside that we need to hear and need to experience.   Steven said earlier is this book that “God has given us the ability to choose the dialogue we believe and respond to.” Now if we spend time in His Word, The Bible that will help us in not choosing the unchecked and undetected lies in our lives. He says that, “When our minds and hearts are being assaulted by the suggestions and lies of the Enemy, we often don’t even know what’s causing our funk or what’s behind our frustration. We just know we’re stuck in a cycle of spiritual self-sabotage.”  Do understand what he's talking about?   Maybe you are in that cycle right now and if you stay there then the great deeds that God has prepared for you to do will remain undon

A thought by Mark Batterson (2013-09-24) from his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Location 1940). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. I was a Youth Minister for a bunch of years.   When I got too old to handle the all-nighters I headed into Adult Ministry.   One main difference between the two was you had a honeymoon period working with adults but you had to earn the respect of youth. I used to work and work to earn their respect and confidence and then loose it all with overreacting to something they did.   I then had to start over. But the truth is it takes a long time to earn the respect of both adults and youth.   Someone said that a church doesn’t really get to the point that they believe in you as a Pastor until about seven years.   At that point they get to thinking that maybe you’re going to stay so they let down their guard and start following and trusting you. Mark then said, “And nothing is destroyed more quickly by

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2013-09-24) from his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Location 1828). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. You might say, “Wow, there is this woman at work who seems to really like me and she seems to really understand me and what I’m going through.   Yes, I’m married and so is she but God made us for each other.”   But “An opportunity isn’t an opportunity if you have to compromise your integrity.” You might say, “There is this tremendous opportunity that God has brought into my life.   I will be paid in cash so I don’t have to pay income taxes.   That is exactly what I need right at this time in my life.   I need to think about when I retire.”   But “An opportunity isn’t an opportunity if you have to compromise your integrity.” You might say, “There is this job that is exactly what I want and I am qualified to do it but one of the requirements is a Masters.   I have more experience than most people who h

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2013-09-24) from his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Locations 1541-1542). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. It is in those times that we really turn to God.   Chuck Milhuff said, “The difference between Christ and us is that He was totally dependent upon God all the time.”   And that is when we are at our best.   When we can’t do anything about our circumstance that is usually when we turn to God and we are totally dependent upon Him.   Mark said right before this, “Our prayers tend to focus on external circumstances more than internal attitudes because we’d rather have God change our circumstances than change us. It’s a lot easier that way.”   But doing what is easiest is not us at our best is it?   Those difficult times have a way of building something in us that can’t be taken away from us.   It can build character.   It can build confidence.   It can build faith.   It can build trust.   All of tho

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Ar t (p. 178). Harper Collins. Kindle Edition. There are two words in this thought that caught my attention.   The first was broken.   There are so many in this world have and are living broken lives.   They have no hope. I’m looking at this in my other blog, Bill’s Front Porch .   There are so many areas in our life that we need to recover from.   Areas such as: Overeating * Overworking * Alcohol/Drugs * Overspending * Grief * Guilt * Anger/Rage * Fear/Anxiety * Divorce * Abuse * Insecurity * Sexual Addictions * Codependency * Habit * Perfectionism * Lying * Hypochondria * Hurtful Relationships * Procrastination * Gambling * The Need To Control.   There are so many areas of brokenness and helplessness in people’s lives.   One of these could be yours and you see your world through your area of brokenness and you see no way out.   Life can be very hopeless c

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2014-02-25) from his book, The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art (p. 178). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. I don’t know what voices in your life seem to control who you believe you are.   In so many people there is a chain reaction of families who don’t believe in the potential of each other but have the desire to protect them from too high expectation.   To some you are just water, just common water and you don’t need to worry, you just aren’t going to amount to much of anything. And I wonder if that is why the first miracle that John writes about Jesus is of His being at Wedding and of their running out of wine and His mother asking Him to do something about it?   She know who He was.  So He took some common water and turned it into wine.   He took nothing but water and solved the problem. That is what happens when something common is placed in the hands of a master.   Erwin says, “It’s hard to escape the voices t