Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-12-31) from his book, Next Door Savior: Near Enough to Touch, Strong Enough to Trust (p. 22). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know what you are going through today.   I’ve been a lot of places and been through a lot of things in my 70 years but I haven’t been everywhere, I haven’t experienced everything.   But Jesus has. Max says, “Jesus has been there. He experienced ‘all the pain, all the testing’ (Heb. 2: 18 MSG). Jesus was angry enough to purge the temple, hungry enough to eat raw grain, distraught enough to weep in public, fun loving enough to be called a drunkard, winsome enough to attract kids, weary enough to sleep in a storm-bounced boat, poor enough to sleep on dirt and borrow a coin for a sermon illustration, radical enough to get kicked out of town, responsible enough to care for his mother, tempted enough to know the smell of Satan, and fearful enough to sweat blood.

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-12-31) from his book, Next Door Savior: NearEnough to Touch, Strong Enough to Trust (p. 15). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I like how Max leads us to this statement.   He says, “Do you journey to the Grand Canyon for the souvenir T-shirt or the snow globe with the snowflakes that fall when you shake it? No. The reward of the Grand Canyon is the Grand Canyon. The wide-eyed realization that you are part of something ancient, splendid, powerful, and greater than you.” He then says, “The cache of Christianity is Christ. Not money in the bank or a car in the garage or a healthy body or a better self-image. Secondary and tertiary fruits perhaps. But the Fort Knox of faith is Christ. Fellowship with him. Walking with him. Pondering him. Exploring him. The heart-stopping realization that in him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, and unfathomable. And that he, who can dig th

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2017-03-07) from his book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (p. 55). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now, this thought is, actually, a long question.   But I wrote it this way to hopefully get your attention and I guess I did. John says, “Do you give yourself space in your schedule for the unexpected, and to recover psychologically and emotionally?” He goes on, “I still find it hard to do. In The Touch of the Earth , Jean Hersey writes, ‘It’s extremely important not to have one’s life all blocked out, not to have the days and weeks totally organized. It’s essential to leave gaps and interludes for spontaneous action, for it is often in spontaneity and surprises that we open ourselves to the unlimited opportunities and new areas brought into our lives by chance.’   Those gaps also allow us to use our energy more wisely.” Earlier he said, “Several years ago I read an articl