Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (p. 108). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Andy continues, “If issues related to sexual impurity—adultery, the shrapnel associated with adultery, addiction to pornography, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, the psychological effects associated with abortion, sexual abuse, incest, rape, and all sexual addictions— were to suddenly disappear from society, imagine the resources we would have available to apply to the handful of issues that would remain.” But there is more to it than that.   Maybe one of these has hit you somewhere and you understand the great pain and deep regret that comes from the misuse of our sexuality.   And there is deep pain that comes even to the innocent with this misuse. It is something that we all need to come to grips with and do all we can to keep from it happening in ou

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (p. 80). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. We will miss those irretrievable opportunities that matter most.   Now that hits at the heart of one who wants to maximize my time.   Time cannot be retrieved.   You may lose all your money and you can make more but when you lose time you have lost it. Andy says right before this thought, “If you aren’t on your guard, the culture will draw you into a lifestyle where your time is frivolously consumed rather than strategically invested.”   And then right after he says, “If you are not walking wisely, your time will be fragmented by a thousand urgent, disconnected opportunities and events. Such opportunities and events will seem important at the time, but when strung together they have no cumulative value.   But if you are willing to harness your time and appropriate it strategically, things can be different. You will be healthier phy

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (p. 68). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle This is such a life changing thought that just doesn’t deal with exercise.   In the very important areas of our lives it isn’t just what you do one time that makes the difference but what you do over and over that shows great value.   As Andy says, “Exercise has a compounding effect. It is the consistent, incremental investments of time that make a difference.”   He then gives other example such as “dinner with the family, date night with your spouse, time alone with God, church attendance, one-on-one time with your children, praying with your family, small-group Bible study, going to bed at the same time as your spouse.” Take for example missing church one time won’t cause a problem spiritually but never going will make a major difference. Let’s say you never have dinner with your spouse and kids.   At some point they will come to real

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (p. 33). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now we all want so many different handles that we can use to become better at what we do and to live a happy fulfilling life.   Now in that happening there will be many difference decisions that need to be made.   Those decisions will affect our here and now and they will affect many different people and they will affect our future.   And this thought is more than a handle it needs to become a way of life.   In looking at every decision that we are to make Andy says that we are to make it based on The Best Question Ever . Andy says, “Like a good father, God wants what’s best for each of us. So He has given us a standard that goes beyond the cultural norms. He has given us a question that enables us to live out the values that lead to what Jesus referred to as an abundant life

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (p. 20). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. I have always had a problem with my weight.   The last three to four months I have seen it slowly go back up to where I didn’t want it to go.   In the last few years I had lost around 50 lbs. but little by little I was gaining it back.   Poor planning was taking me where I didn’t want to go.   So I set up a plan to do something and I have been seeing good results.   But I had to have a plan and to stick to it. Andy says, “Having watched dozens of people methodically waste their lives, potential, and money, I’ve concluded that while nobody plans to mess up his life, the problem is that few of us plan not to. That is, we don’t put the necessary safeguards in place to ensure a happy ending.” I have found that not eating anything that has wheat in it makes a big difference for me.   I would do a good job of diet and walking during th

A thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (Kindle Locations 120-121). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition . I found out earlier this week that I made a decision five years ago that is affecting me right now.   I t was something I let someone else do for me and it is affecting me today and I have a decision to make today.   One do I play the blame game and throw them under the bus or do I do nothing or do I accept responsibility for the problem and do today what I should have done back then? It is so much easier to play the blame game and feel so sorry for yourself than it is to take responsibility isn’t it?   It was my fault.   I should have thought the situation through and made sure that they knew everything so they could do their job.   I blew it not them.   I assumed they knew more than they did. Now another decision I made was more far reaching.   It is still affecting us today.   I stuck my head in the sand un

A thought by Stan Toler (2014-01-28) from his book, The Buzzards Are Circling But God's Not Finished With Me Yet (Kindle Location 407). Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition. Oh I wish that we all really understood that. Last night I went to Stables to buy something I needed.  I was not in one of the best of moods.  I bought it and I thought I had put the sales receipt in my pocket and then I went home.   When I realized that I had bought the wrong thing I started looking for the receipt and when I couldn’t find it I started becoming very upset and in no way does that help.   I just couldn’t find it so I got in the car to go back to the store to see if they would exchange it without the receipt.   I got out and was walking up to the store but I decided to go back to the look in the car again and I looked down and there was the receipt on the ground where I had dropped it earlier. I then picked it up and went in and exchanged the wrong thing for something that was better and t