Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Locations 1321-1322). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is such a good thing.   For so many the pain in their past controls their view of today so to not have that happen is a very good thing.   But Larry also looks at the opposite.   He says, “But our rose-colored memories can also have a detrimental effect. They can blind us to the beauties of the present. They can distort reality. They can leave us with an unholy dissatisfaction, where every glass is half empty and our dreams of the future are nothing but a longing for a nonexistent past.” He goes on, “I’ve seen romanticized memories destroy marriages. Bored husbands and wives reconnect with an old flame on Facebook or at a high school reunion. After comparing the slog of the present with an idealized memor

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Location 1273). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Legalists offer mercy. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now that seems to be a stretch for me to believe.   How ever Larry says, “But the mercy they offer has limits. They have plenty of mercy for those overseas, mercy for those who face tough odds, mercy for those who don’t yet know Jesus.” And that can be so true of me.   I mean, I hear the stories of people who are going through tough times and I feel for them but that neighbor and his barking dog, or that homeless person with his hand out or that driver on the freeway. He then says, “But there’s very little mercy for struggling brothers and sisters in Christ. There’s not much sympathy for people who are weak and faltering. For those folks, there’s nothing but a harsh rebuke and stinging exhorta

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 77). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Larry shares, “Maturity and spiritual depth take time. But I can please God right away because it's not a matter of how much I know or how long I've been at it. It's a matter of what I do with what I already have that matters most.” That is really encouraging if you are new in the faith.   And that is true all along the growth process.   I’m not judged by what someone else does.   “It is a matter of what I do with what I already have that matters.”   Larry shares what he calls a Dimmer Switch Principle.   He says, “It's a simple principle. Here's how it works: When we respond to the light we have, God gives us more. When we don't, he takes away the light we already have.”   He then says, “Rightly understood, the