Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book,  The Genius of Jesus   (p. 20). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) This is good. Erwin continues, "I fully believe in the divinity of Jesus and in the historical accuracy of all the scriptures. I believe God stepped into human history, took on flesh and blood, and walked among us, and that his name is Jesus. It doesn’t lessen my fascination with the humanity of Jesus. Neither does it diminish his genius." He says, "If you are a person of faith, it may feel offensive to you to explore Jesus’s genius apart from his divinity. But I believe that we have for too long attributed all that Jesus did, and all that he was, to his divine nature. Other than convincing us of his divinity, I wonder, what can we learn from the Jesus who walked on water, fed thousands with only five fish and two loaves of bread, and healed the sick? Could it be that our fixation on the

  A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book,  The Genius of Jesus   (p. 18). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Erwin goes on, "Or maybe, Jesus made me human again. "The data goes far beyond my own personal experience. For more than two thousand years, millions of people across the world have been transformed through their faith in Jesus Christ. If you were a cultural anthropologist looking to examine this phenomenon from a purely scientific perspective, you would have a massive sample size. The control group stretches across all of modern history, every economic and educational stratum, and virtually every culture across the face of the earth." He says, "Academics even have a term for how a culture is transformed through belief in Jesus Christ: 'redemption and lift.' In his book Underdevelopment Is a State of Mind , economist Lawrence E. Harrison observed how the Christian mindset

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book,  The Genius of Jesus   (p. 16). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Good, good, what are they? Unbelievable! Erwin says, "Genius sees what no one has seen and hears what no one has heard. It explains what could not be understood, creates what could not be imagined. Whatever the genius does with their talents, they do it better than it has ever been done—and, more often than not, make it look easy while doing it." He continues, "If I were to make a short list of what marks a genius, I would say: They are heretical. They are original. They are transformative in their field. They are extremist. "They are heretical in that they violate the status quo and challenge our most deeply held beliefs and values. They are original in that they see the world from a perspective that has never existed before. They are transformative in that their lives become a mar

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, from his book, The Genius of Jesus   (p. 7). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Genius, maybe there is something here to challenge us. Erwin says, "The word 'genius' is expressive of the capacity to be generative. The genius gives birth to something new. The genius creates. The mark of true genius is that the impossible becomes possible. The unknowable becomes knowable. The invisible becomes visible. The genius speaks the future into existence. Genius expresses itself in every domain in which humans create. Wherever there is a field of human accomplishment, there is potential for the expression of genius." He goes on, "The genius does not always have the highest IQ, the best education, or even the most comprehensive knowledge of their field. But their combination of originality, imagination, creativity, perspective, passion, and intelligence merge together to

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 122). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So, why did He? Charles says, "His miracles provided relief from pain and fear, and taught of a God who cares deeply about the suffering of people and who heals for free. Jesus performed many more miracles than are described in the Gospels (John 20:30), and His motivation for them was nothing more than compassion." He goes on, "Viewing His miracles as a whole, the astonishing power of Jesus should be a source of comfort. The matters we or the world might consider trivial, He cares about and wants to remedy. He longs to relieve our worries and has promised to supply our most fundamental needs. He has taken dominion over illness, tragedy, chaos, and death. And His power is not limited by time, distance, superstition, prejudice, or even the forces of evil. He taught by way of His miracles of r

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 108). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, so what does he mean? Charles says, "This is the notion that ancient people were habitually superstitious and automatically looked for a supernatural explanation for anything that baffled them. They viewed the world differently, but they were neither stupid nor easily deceived." He continues, "Today, reasonable people exist in an uncomfortable tension between the dogma of science, which denies the existence of the supernatural, and the fanaticism of some television evangelists who peddle it for donations. And for those unwilling to suspend belief, the supernatural exhibitions of faith healers aren’t very convincing. They perform their illusions in very controlled environments, and the 'healings' are either limited to mild improvements or they claim results that are difficult to

Swindoll, Charles R.. Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series) (p. 105). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.   A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book,  Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series)   (p. 105). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) It is so easy for us to panic isn't it? Charles says, "Very often we leap into action and apply a familiar fix without considering unseen issues or lasting consequences." He then says, "The next time a financial emergency pops up and you’re short on cash, think about this tendency before you reach for the credit card or ask for a loan. Could it be that you’re denying God the opportunity to provide for you in His way and at a time He deems appropriate? What if you were to pray and present your need to Him in humble submission . . . and then wait ?" Now that is a very good thought, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought