Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Various Authors (2010-02-23) from the Holy Bible (NIrV) for Adults (Kindle Location 63105). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here is the context of this question.   It is found in Matthew 2:1-4 (NIrV).   It says, “After Jesus’ birth, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, ‘Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? When we were in the east, we saw his star. Now we have come to worship him.’” These guys were from a different country and through their search they had read that a child was going to be born who was going to make a major difference.   Through an unbelievable experience they had found out that it was now happening so they had come to find him.   They had made it this far but they still didn’t know where he was so they came to King Herold to ask him.   But he was the wrong person to ask. Where do you go for answers to your important questions?   Do you just sit dow

A thought by Various Authors (2010-02-23) from the Holy Bible (NIrV) for Adults (Kindle Locations 63089-63090). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever wondered about something and you didn’t know where to turn to find the answer?   I had heard someone say that going to college is not to know all the answers but where to find them.   So because of that fact I thought I would take a few days leading up to Christmas and read a book that tells about the person of Christmas.   And that person is Jesus Christ and the book is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible.   And it is written by a man who personally knew and followed Jesus.   His name was Matthew. Now of the first four books on the life of Christ in the New Testament two of them tell of His birth but this thought comes from the book by Matthew in chapter 1 and verse 18.   I t is a very interesting and in some ways unbelievable story.   If you have neve

A thought by John Ortberg (2014-04-22) from his book, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (p. 175). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Oh how our kids need that.   Oh how our mate needs that.   Oh how our parents need that.   Oh how our friends need that.   Oh how our God wants that. I like how John puts it.   He says, “When you say ‘Blessed are you, O Lord,’ you are not only expressing gratitude, but you are saying, ‘I want to make you happy and praise you, God, with my gratitude for what you have done.’ It’s a subtle reminder that gratitude is good for both the person expressing it and the one receiving it.” John also says, “Gratitude does not always come naturally. You will not always feel grateful. But you can take the time each day to remember the benefits you received, see your benefactor, and thank him for his benefits. As Thornton Wilder put it, ‘We can only be said to be alive in those moments

A thought by John Ortberg (2014-04-22) from his book, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (p. 171). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We so easily get into this trap of entitlement.   I mean even Christians can mistakenly believe that we are entitled to stuff but all that we have is because of His grace.   John continues this thought by saying, “and without a grateful heart the soul suffers. Because the soul needs gratitude.” I find it so easy at this Season to feel that we deserve gifts.   I mean I expect my family to give me gifts.   It’s Christmas but that is not the reason for this Season. Yes we celebrate a gift that was given but we were very undeserving of that gift.      John continues.   He says, “Here’s the deal: The more you think you’re entitled to, the less you will be grateful for. The bigger the sense of entitlement, the smaller the sense of gratitude. We wonder why in our world we keep

A thought by John Ortberg (2014-04-22) from his book, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (p. 169). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Here is what John says to do… “Today, when you greet people, begin your conversation with a little complaint. The Bible calls that grumbling, as in ‘Do everything without grumbling.’ It might be a complaint about something in your life: your health, your job, money problems, the fact that you don’t have a spouse, the fact that you do have the spouse that you have. It might be something about the person you’re greeting. You don’t like how they’re dressed. Or you just don’t like their personality, or maybe you’re jealous. Just greet a friend or colleague with something like, ‘Man, did I have a horrible night’s sleep.’ I’d be thrilled if you couldn’t think of anything. ” He continues,  “ Tomorrow, try to greet people with a word of gratitude. I hope this is a lot easier for

A thought by John Ortberg (2014-04-22) from his book, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (p. 163). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) John tells of a study on this by a research group affiliated with the University of Chicago and they recently listed the ten least happy jobs in the world and the ten happiest jobs in the world.   He said, “What they found was the ten least happy jobs actually were more financially lucrative and offered higher status than the ten happiest jobs. The difference? People in the happiest jobs had a higher sense of meaning. Less money, less status, but a higher sense of meaning.” He then goes on to say, “The main thing you bring home from your work is not a paycheck. The main thing you bring home from work is your soul. Work is a soul function. We’re made to create value.” Solomon, the writer of the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes in the Bible says, “There is nothing better f

A thought by John Ortberg (2014-04-22) from his book, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You (p. 157). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We are going through some tough times racially right now in our country.   And we are forgetting that each person on each side has the dignity and depth of a soul.   I live in a city where there are many homeless who walk the sidewalks each day with their hand out and I find it difficult to not forget they have the depth and dignity of a soul.   Some of you have the same problem with a Democrat and others a Republican.   But John here is reminding us of something that is so easy for us to forget.   And that is we demean people when we forget they have the depth and dignity of a soul. John continues his thought with “Even the people I don’t like have souls. The soul cries out for connection. To love someone with your soul means your will, your choices, your mind, your thought