Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Locations 1101-1103). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) So many of do this.  I have trouble reading Facebook because of all the despair.  I mean to many people the world is coming to an end because of what is happening all around us.  Granted it has been a tough couple of weeks but remember what the early Christians went through?  Now understand this.  John writes, “Panic and fear sell. They’re riveting and keep listeners and readers coming back for more. They don’t want to miss anything. Frankly, the media and most ministry fund-raisers need a crisis to motivate people to watch, listen, and give. If they don’t have one, they’ll create one. And if all they have is a small one, they’ll make it into a big one.”  And so many people feed that into their mind all day long and wonder w

A thought by John Ortberg (2015-05-05) from his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God'sLove from Your Head to Your Heart (p. 36). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) John shares, “Someone once asked Mother Teresa what she saw as she walked the streets of Calcutta where the poorest of the poor lived; what she saw when she looked at the orphans, the starving, the dying. This is what she said: ‘I see Jesus in a distressing disguise.’”  But the truth is that is not what we see.  Really to us too many times those people are invisible.  They aren’t even there.  But God through Jesus sees thing so differently.  John says, “God pays close attention to us:  ‘ Even the hairs of your head are numbered, ’  Jesus said. We often take it as a sign of love if someone is able to notice a haircut or a change in hairstyle. (By the same token, the failure to notice a change in coiffure is one of the leading causes of conflict in marriage.)

A thought by John Ortberg (2015-05-05) from his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God's Love from Your Head to Your Heart (p. 24). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) John shares a story by Anne Lamott. It was “of an eight-year-old boy who had a younger sister dying of leukemia. He was told that without a blood transfusion she would die. His parents asked if they could test his blood to see if it was compatible with hers. He said sure. They tested, and it was a match. Then they asked if he would give his sister a pint of his own blood, that it could be her only chance of living. He said he would have to think about it overnight. The next day he told his parents he was willing to donate the blood. They took him to the hospital; he was put on a gurney beside his six-year-old sister. Both were hooked up to IVs. A nurse took a pint of blood from the boy, which was given to his sister. The boy lay in silence as the blood that would

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Location 925). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) There is the story of Sam Young when he was President of Eastern Nazarene College and of a confused young man who came to see him and who asked Dr. Young an important question.  He asked, “How do I know what is God’s will for my life?”  Dr. Young then asked him, “Did you ever know?”  And the young man said, “Yes.”  And then Dr. Young asked, “Did you do it?”  And he said, “No.”  “When we obey the light we have, God shows up.” Larry goes on to say, “And every time he does, our hope grows stronger. We begin to experience biblical hope— the deep-seated optimism and confidence that comes from knowing that God can be trusted even when we have no idea what he’s up to.” He then says, “We don’t have to worry about what we don’t know. Be

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Locations 813-814). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Do you do that?  It can be an easy thing to do but it can be something that holds us back from living the life God has for us.  But you don’t know what I did?  I don’t but God does.  I like how John Ortberg puts it in his book, Life-Changing Love: Moving God's Love from Your Head to Your Heart .  He says, “God sees with utter clarity who we are. He is undeceived as to our warts and wickedness. But when God looks at us that is not all he sees. He also sees who we are intended to be, who we will one day become. We sometimes say love is blind, but it is not so. Love alone truly sees, sees with this double vision. And in the act of seeing, God begins to call to the surface the goodness and beauty in us that is now visible only

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope,Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Location 793). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But here is the problem. Larry says, “It’s no fun getting there. Perhaps that’s why Paul and James both made a point to encourage us not to give up when stressed or pushed to our limits. They knew what happens to those who cut bait and run away. They also knew what happens to those who hang on and let endurance finish its work. They knew they end up handling the kinds of trials that break most others.” Now I know what we really want is to not have to even go through being pushed to our limit but that is not the way that the Christian life works.  Now maybe the cut bait and run away life works that way but not the mature Christ follower way of life.  And there are rewards for our endurance. Larry then says, “Endurance produces th

A thought by Larry Osborne (2015-04-01) from his book, Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture (Kindle Location 760). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Perspective, without it Larry says, “Everything gets blown out of proportion. We catastrophize. The loss of privilege becomes harsh persecution. Opposition becomes hatred. And every legal or electoral setback becomes cause for anguish and despair. In short, we evaluate and extrapolate without putting God into the equation. Unfortunately, those who most lack perspective seldom realize it. Why does a two-year-old think waiting five minutes is an eternity? Why does a trust-fund baby think flying coach is the end of the world?   Why does a Little League parent scream and yell at an umpire’s bad call? In each case, it’s a lack of perspective.” But once you have it, you have perspective, Larry says, “It changes everything. It allows us