Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado (2013-04-29) from his book, Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible (p. 75). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It really does, doesn’t it?   At least in the beginning. Max says, “Doesn’t it always? Stop resisting alcohol, and you’ll laugh— for a while. Move out on your spouse, and you’ll relax— for a time. Indulge in the porn, and you’ll be entertained— for a season.” He goes on, “But then talons of temptation sink in. Waves of guilt crash in. The loneliness of breaking up rushes in. ‘There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again— it leads straight to hell. Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak’ (Prov. 14: 12– 13 MSG).” So what do we do instead? Max later says, “Be quick to pray, seek healthy counsel, and don’t give up. Take a long look at the shore that awaits you. Don’t be fooled by the fog of the slum

A thought by Maria Goff (2017-03-07) from her book, Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want (Kindle Location 2011). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We don’t have gardens much anymore.   But I remember working out when I was a boy in both of my grandfather’s gardens.   Those are good memories.   Our lives are like gardens and so are the people around us. Maria says, “Preparing soil that someone can grow in is hard work, but it’s not all the work. Preparing your own soil is where the most important tilling is done.” She goes on, “I love the look, the smell, and everything about freshly tilled dirt. I would rather have a garden of only good clean dirt than one filled with overgrown, unwanted, or unhealthy plants. Turning over the soil helps me get to what I want, but it’s not enough. When farmers only cultivate the top couple feet and a half over and over again, what for

A thought by Maria Goff (2017-03-07) from her book, Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want (Kindle Location 1878). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But it is so tempting to not start, isn’t it?   Maria says, “Paul had some advice for his friends. He reminded them that Jesus would finish the good things they were doing. But we need to start it for Him to finish it. If we only run the races we know we’ll win, it’s no race at all.” She goes on, “What’s your big dream? What’s your beautiful ambition? Stop waiting. Put the lists away. Take it out of the spin cycle. Will it work? Who knows. We won’t know how the race will turn out until we finish it, not before. God doesn’t handicap us like horses at a race either. Don’t look at who else is running the race; stay in your lane and keep your eyes on the finish line. Winning doesn’t mean crossing the finish line in front of eve