Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Because of Bethlehem (with Bonus Content): Love Is Born, Hope Is Here (pp. 52-53). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) We are in the midst of the Christmas Season.   It is such a special time of the year.   So much to do, so much to get, so much to give.   But it all started with a knock on the door of an inn in Bethlehem and it was late at night. Max says, “A knock at the door . . . by a common couple . . . at a late hour . . . when the inn was crowded. So, the innkeeper missed the opportunity.” Max goes on, “Many still do. They miss the chance to open the door. They let the birth of Jesus pass them by. The miracle of Bethlehem still happens. God enters the hamlets of our lives and speaks to us. He speaks through scriptures, sunsets, the kindness of a friend, or the warning of a medical report. He sings to us through Christmas carols. He calls to us through Christmas sermon

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, What Is God's Will for My Life ? (p. 94). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) John says, “He won’t say: ‘Be anxious’; or ‘Think only about yourself’; or ‘You might as well give up in despair.’”  He won't say that. And if you have spent time with him, reading his word and meditating on it you will know that he says the complete opposite. But as John says, “I might be tempted to say those things to myself. But if I hear those thoughts, I can be confident they are not from God.” He goes on, “Developing the ability to be guided by God is more about consistent obedience than about spectacular discernment. “But I must cultivate the habit of listening. This means making the time and space for reflection. It requires that I stop talking every now and again and get away from noise and screens and stimulation. It means silence. In George Bernard Shaw’

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, What Is God's Will for My Life? (p. 70). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) The matter of making a choice is really tough before you make it but many times it is tough after you make it.   Have you found that true? John says, “Often in life when we make a choice, we’re tempted to obsess over the question of whether we chose the best option. Often this will happen most when it helps the least—when we’re frustrated or depressed with our decision.” He goes on, “We compare the best-imagined aspects of choice B with the most exaggerated difficulties of the choice we’ve made: how friendly the people at place B would have been, or how much better a fit job B would have been, or what a better spouse B would have been. “We don’t recognize that there is no script for how things would have gone with plan B, just as there’s no script for how things will go wit

A thought by John Ortberg from his book, I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real about Getting Close (Kindle Location 161). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Maybe you think the opposite is true. And for many other relationships, you think that is also true.   John says, “Not long after God decided it was ‘not good for the man to be alone,’ we find him walking in the Garden searching for Adam and Eve. They were his creation; he enjoyed their company, and he wanted to spend time with them. But they were hiding. Finally, he calls out, ‘Where are you?’ (Gen. 3: 8-9) “Unfortunately, the serpent had convinced Eve to eat from the tree of life, and she had cut Adam in on some of the fruit. Now their relationship with God had changed — the bonds of intimacy were broken. For the first time, they realized they were naked, and they were embarrassed and ashamed. For the first time, they feared being