Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 21). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is so important for us to comprehend, to understand and to live out. Here is what Erwin says around this thought. He says, "I have friends who made the conscious choice to put their relationships on the back burner while they built their personal empire. There is a lot to be said about that kind of intentionality. "The danger, of course, is that you can become blind to the importance of the people in your life. No one succeeds alone. Yet some people take all the credit for the success in their lives. Success is far richer, more meaningful, and more sustainable when you build it in the context of healthy relationships. People must never be a means to an end. Relationships should never be simply utilitarian." Doing it together, whatever it is, can be, as he says, "more meaningful and mor

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 18). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a thought that we really do need to realize is true, don't we? Erwin starts chapter 1 by saying, "The longer you live, the more you come to realize that it is inevitable that you will lose things." Later he says, "The best way to lose your life and look back with regret is to never mature past the mindset that life is all about things. We need to be careful that we’ve not simply replaced fighting over the LEGOs in the nursery with fighting over who has the most Lamborghinis. We cannot accumulate enough things to make our lives worth living. A Lamborghini He goes on, "Eventually, most of us transition into the second stage of development. For people in this stage, life is no longer about things but about experiences. Often it’s filled with firsts. Our first crush. Our first date. Our

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 9). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a very challenging thought, isn't it? Erwin continues, "Life is an unpredictable and beautiful journey filled with both adventure and danger. That is, of course, if you choose life rather than existence. Life doesn’t just happen. If your life is happening by accident, you are only existing. If you are living beneath your potential, you are only existing. If you’ve surrendered your uniqueness for acceptance, you are only existing. If you are living for pleasure and profit rather than love and purpose, you are only existing." In other words "We were always just one choice away."   Maybe you are in those young years and you are striving to figure all of this out. Or maybe where I am in my older years and realizing that I still have choices. That I am not limited by my years. No matter wh

A thought by Ed Stetzer in his book,  Christians in the Age of Outrage: How to Bring Our Best When the World Is at Its Worst (p. xv). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)  It really is, isn't it? Ed continues, "We are living in a day—and this is indeed our moment—when we need to live like Christ, as gospel Christians in the midst of shouting, anger, and hatred. And it’s going to get worse. "To be sure, there is a lot in this world that is outrage inducing. Terrorism, sex trafficking and exploitation, systemic racism, illegal immigration, child poverty, opioid addiction . . . and the list goes on. These issues deserve a measure of outrage, don’t they? They certainly deserve our anger." He goes on, "And this is part of the problem. What do we do when the anger becomes too much? When our righteous indignation at injustice morphs into something completely different? How do we know when righteous

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 34). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) It really is. Earlier John says, "It’s almost shocking when we realize how spun up we’ve been. 'Don’t freak out' is essentially what Jesus was saying. This advice is drilled into every form of military training and survival course—when things get hot, don’t freak out. Keep your cool so you can make good decisions." He says, ". . . a simple, satisfying step is to get your head out of the 'wars and rumors of wars' and back into the story God is telling. For example: the story of God should get more of your 'attention time' than any other media. "If you spend thirty minutes a day consuming what is called news (this includes all social media), then you need to spend more than thirty minutes—maybe twice as much—in the Scriptures or listening to biblical podcasts. Instead of using your downtime to sc

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 22). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is very interesting. John continues, "This is one more example of how deeply story is woven into the fabric of reality. "Story is the way we orient ourselves in the world. Story is how we figure things out, bring order and meaning to the events around us. The story we hold to at any given time shapes our perceptions, hopes, and expectations; it gives us a place to stand. In this mad hour on the earth, what story are you telling yourself—or letting others tell you?" He asks, "Is it a political narrative? We just need to get the right people in power!   "Is it a social narrative? The issue is injustice! We need justice!  "Is it about the economy? A new era of prosperity is coming!   "Most importantly, is it the story God is telling?" Good questions. He goes on, "We are living in a story, fr

A thought by John Eldridge in his book,  Resilient  (p. 13). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is so true but let's go back to set this thought up. Earlier John said, "When the human heart and soul experience month after month of disappointment and loss, death rolls in. Dr. Richard Gunderman described the progressive onset of disillusionment as the accumulation of hundreds or thousands of tiny disappointments, each one hardly noticeable on its own. The loss of hope and dreams suffocates the Primal Drive for Life. He says, "But our God has provision for us! "I know, I know—most of you think that what you need right now is three months at the coast. Walking on the beach, drinks on the deck, and with all my heart I hope you find that. But for most of us, a sabbatical in some gorgeous refuge is not available. What is available is the River of Life, God himself, in ways we have not yet tapped into." He