Just Continue That Thought...

A though by Max Lucado from his book, You Are Never Alone,  (p. 21). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.   (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) There was both quantity and quality in this first miracle of Jesus. Max says, "Cooking wine would have sufficed. Convenience-store vintage  would have met the expectations of the guests. A modest sip-with-pizza-on-a-Tuesday-night quaff would have been enough for Mary. But it was not enough for Jesus. Something powerful happens when we present our needs to him and trust him to do what is right: he is 'able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think' (Eph. 3:20)." He goes on, "It simply falls to us to believe—to believe that Jesus is king of each and every situation. So make your specific request, and trust him to do, not what you want, but what is best. Before you know it, you’ll be raising a toast in honor of the One who hears your requests." I know, I know, we want more and more and

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, You Are Never Alone (p. 15). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is so true isn't it? Max says, "We don’t have what we had yesterday. Our spending is outpacing our deposits—a fact, I think, that explains the reasoning behind miracle number one in the ministry of Jesus. He was at a wedding. Mary, his mother, was present as well. She came to Christ with a problem. 'They have no more wine' (John 2:3 NIV)." Max goes on, "Had I been the angel on call that day, I would have intervened. I would have placed a wing between Mary and Jesus and reminded her about the mission of her Son. 'He was not sent to the earth to handle such mundane, day-to-day tasks. We are saving his miraculous powers for cadaver calling, leper touching, and demon casting. No wine? Don’t whine to Jesus.' "But I was not the angel on call. And Mary enlisted the help of her Son to deal with

A thought by Max Lucedo from his book, You Are Never Alone (p.6). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Oh, we need to believe that, don’t we? Max says, “Jesus touched wounds. He spoke words of hope. Lives were improved. Blessings were bestowed. There was a message in his miracles: ‘I am here. I care.’ “Had Jesus wanted just to make a case for his divinity, he could have materialized a flock of birds out of thin air and caused trees to uproot and float away. He could have turned creeks into waterfalls or rocks into bumblebees. Such deeds would have demonstrated his power. But Jesus wanted us to see more. He wanted to show us that there is a miracle-working God who loves, cares, and comes to our aid.” He goes on, “Do we not need this message today? “This book is a child of the quarantine. I completed it during the days of coronavirus. When I began writing it, some months ago, Covid-19 was unknown to most. Phrases like ‘social dist

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Loving People (p.50). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) He says, “When we connect, we bring these aspects of ourselves into relationship with others: • Feelings . When we are connected, we can share the emotions we experience about things and people, present and past, whether pleasant or painful. • Dreams and desires . Another part of connection involves sharing our deepest longings and wishes—the things we keep protected and share with only a few friends. • Fears . We are all afraid of something, and connection makes it safe enough to share our fears openly. • Failures. No one is without mistakes, and when we connect, we let others in on the darker parts of our lives. • Past. We all have losses and joys in our pasts, and connection means that we want to bring someone else into our personal history. • The other person. One of the deepest aspe

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Loving People (p.40). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Codependency can drain you emotionally. John says, “The ‘need to be needed’ problem, codependency is the tendency to take responsibility for others’ lives, unhappiness, problems, or character immaturity. Whether it is motivated by concern, guilt, or a lack of understanding, codependency results in rescuing or enabling behaviors. If you tend to be codependent in your relationships, I guarantee you will feel drained at some point.” He continues, “There is a reason that those who enable others feel drained. Codependents take ownership of problems that another person should be worried about. They are actually shouldering a burden that is not theirs to bear. It does not fit, it is not right, and it harms them and the person they want to help by regressing that person and removing them from accountability for their lif

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Loving People (p.39). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But some believe the myth that if you love people, you will be emptied, drained, and sucked dry. John says, “Many people are concerned about this, afraid that if they give of themselves too much, they may get in trouble emotionally or not have enough care to give to others they are responsible for, or even enough to take care of themselves. For example, a friend of mine who is a nurse in the intensive care unit at a hospital told me she was thinking about changing her career, as it took too much away from her. ‘After an eight-hour shift, there’s nothing left of me, and then I have to care for my family. But I don’t have anything left to give,’ she said. There are other serving, relationally based careers that have this issue, such as teaching, ministry, counseling, and the like. This is a common concern. However, it

A thought by John Townsend from his book, Loving People (p.37). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But we can't use that as an excuse at not growing. John says, “We are never truly finished with changing emotionally and spiritually, though we can make great changes and strides toward becoming a healthy, loving person. That means that, along with the proper and righteous anger and hatred we need, loving people will still slip up and be selfishly mad and revengeful toward others they love. While that is not a good thing, it is a real thing.” He goes on, “So do not expect yourself to never be angry with those you love; do not be totally disappointed with yourself when you fail . Keep working on demonstrating love and healthy expressions of anger and hatred, while giving up the unhealthy versions. However, in your mind, and in your loving relationships, there needs to be more love than anger and hate. This mix