Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by David Roberts from his book,  Healing Conversation   (p. 6). Moran James Publishing. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) We need to understand this, don't we? David says, " Henri J.M. Nouwen has defined hospitality as: '…primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.'" 1 David goes on, "Every human being longs to be wholly himself; to be happy, to be known, not hidden, to love and to be loved, appreciated, understood, supported, celebrated and connected. In all the years I have served as a pastor I have never had anyone come into my office seeking loneliness. Some have come wishing they could be left alone, but no one wants to be lonely. "The key to be

A thought by David Roberts from his book, Healing Conversation   (p. 4). Moran James Publishing. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) This is the first of three purposes for us to talk. David says, " It’s basic stuff. When are we leaving? What’s for dinner? Do you need anything from the store? Although functional talking is basic to navigating our lives, it still requires caring attentiveness to be effective. We encounter a lot of conflict because we do not communicate the functional information clearly. Without listening and clearly articulating what we mean, functional talking can complicate the simplest of tasks. This is where many of our conversations devolve. These logistical conversations typically are not impassioned or emotional unless someone has messed up the information and we experience conflict. At those times the kind of 'passion' that is revealed can be hostile and unsafe. If we can’t safely talk about such low-level in

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book,  Win the Day   (p. 69). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that sounds interesting. Mark says, " The bottom line? You can’t just pray like it depends on God. You also have to work like it depends on you. If you want God to do the super, you’ve got to do the natural. And you have to start first thing in the morning." He goes on, "How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of it, yet many of us never give the morning a second thought beyond getting out the door on time. Our morning rituals are as unplanned as an earthquake. Is that the best way to start the day? Que será será—whatever will be will be. That’s sounding the retreat before the day even begins. If you want to win the day, you’ve got to attack the day. How? Eat the frog." He continues, "Some people like to ease into the day without breaking a sweat, and I totally get that. Perhaps e

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book,  Win the Day   (p. 60). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So true! Mark says, " Am I right? Most of us are good actors! We play the part pretty well—until we hit rush hour traffic. Or is that just me? It’s our reactions that reveal who we really are. And maybe that is why Jesus focused so much of His teaching on reconditioning reflexes.     " Pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)      Love your enemies. ( Luke 6:27)      Bless those who curse you. (Luke 6:28)       If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Matthew 5:41 ESV.)      If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:39 ESV.) "None of those things come naturally . They’re as counterintuitive as kissing the wave." He continues, "A few days after his denial, Peter informed his friends, 'I’m going out to fish.' (John 21:3) Th

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book,  Win the Day   (p. 55). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) There is an important part of imagining the past. Mark says, " We generally think of imagination in future-tense terms, but all parents of preschoolers know that kids have imaginative memories too. Especially when it comes to the proverbial cookie jar! True or false, postimagining is reimagining the past after it happens! This is when many of us make excuses or provide alibis for the hand that got caught in that cookie jar. But let me flip the script. This is also how we acknowledge the hand of God. Isn’t that what David did with the lions and the bears? He postimagined his past from a providential point of view." He goes on, "When I started preaching, I was frustrated by the fact that I wasn’t good at speaking extemporaneously. I had to script every word, every time. Speaking from an outline would have

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book,  Win the Day   (p. 53). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And scars are tough to get rid of. Earlier Mark says, " When we experience physical trauma, our bodies form scar tissue. Unlike our original tissue, scar tissue develops in random patterns. The result is a loss of functionality. In my case, a loss of flexibility. I never regained my full range of motion, and I take full responsibility for that fact. I didn’t do what the physical therapist told me to do! She told me that I needed to release the scar tissue . How? By massaging it. If you don’t release the scar tissue, it becomes a weak link in the kinetic chain. Instead of tension being evenly distributed across a muscle group, scar tissue causes unhealthy tension. If that scar tissue is not released, it opens you up to reinjury." He goes on, "What’s true of physical trauma is true of emotional, relationa

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book,  Win the Day   (p. 49). The Crown Publishers Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Good thought! Mark says, " We want to be self-sufficient. In fact, we confuse self-sufficiency with spiritual maturity. Our only sufficiency is the grace of God, and the only way we qualify for it is that we don’t. His grace has the power to bury dead yesterdays six feet deep! The problem, of course, is that we dig them back up!" He goes on, " Religion is spelled do . Christianity is spelled done . It’s not about what you can do for God. It’s about what God has done for you at Calvary’s cross. Jesus said, 'It is finished.' (John 19:30) That’s how we bury dead yesterdays. We nail them to the cross. Then we take up our cross and carry it daily. (Luke 9:23)" He then says, "There is an old axiom: 'Let go and let God.' It’s hard to let go of present-tense concerns and future-tense