Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Hear t (p. 55). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. That is so true isn’t it?   Now how we view the action that brings us that shame has so much to do with how we deal with it. Back when I was in ministry I did something that brought so much shame on my life and I stepped out of ministry.  Margaret and I moved to another town.  I knew that I had blown it and I started selling Insurance.  The shame changed the direction of my life.  That is until I went to a church in that town and God sent a Godly Pastor into my life who took the time and patience to bring me out of my shame.  You see my sin action didn’t make God turn His back on me.  He pursued me and won me back. Now if my shame would have kept me from seeking out God then I would have had scars forever but my shame drew me to God and He in turn through it changed me for all time.  He used my shame to deepen

A thought by Leonard Sweet (2012-03-13) from his book, Viral: How Social Networking Is Poised to Ignite Reviva l (Kindle Location 143). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. Have you ever watched The Voice on NBC on Monday night?  If you haven’t, there are 4 celebrities who have their backs to a person who is singing and if they want that person to be on their team they push a button and then they are turned around to see what the person looks like.  They make their choice just on their voice not on their looks.  You wonder sometimes if they wouldn’t have made their chose if they would have seen what they looked like.  In our need to connect so much is based upon our appearance.  I think that is why in many cases social media has been such a success.  We may have more confidence to connect with someone because they don’t know what we look like.  I know the danger in that but I also know the deep loneliness and to many it is worth the risk. We really do need each other, we

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Momen t (Kindle Locations 671-672). Kindle Edition . It is so true that a lot of the circumstances of our life are out of our control.  I don’t have control over the fact that I am getting older every minute but it is also true that I do have control over my activity, my attitude and my focus. I got on the scale this morning and I had gained some weight.  I got off track yesterday but I had been faithful in my walking.  Now I do not walk because I love to do it, I walk because my health demands it and I have to hold myself steady to do it no matter the results.  I do not have total control over my success but I do have control over my activity and attitudes. Now this whole activity of walking is composed of a lot of different elements that will affect my day.  It is exercise, it is listening to positive thoughts from podcasts and it is a time of meditation and prayer.  So if I do

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Location 443). Kindle Edition. There is word that has been going over in my mind this morning as I have been walking and praying.  The word is steady, to hold steady.  Now to hold steady doesn’t mean to me to be passive.  Steady means to keep doing, to hold steady at doing what you are doing.  To be passive means to do nothing.  That is different. As I walk I see a lot of squirrels.  It is great to see them holding steady at the tasks that God has placed within then to do every day for their sustenance for their survival.  They could be counted faithful.  They are not tempted to say, “Well, I know that God has said that He will provided for me my daily bread so I am just going to sit idly by and trust God to take care of me.”  If they did that then they would starve.  Something inside them drives them to be faithful at finding food for this day and the days ahead.  God

A thought by David Stoop in his book, You Are What You Think (Kindle Locations 211-212). Kindle Edition. I too believe this is the key to happiness in our lives.  But the change must happen inside our heart and inside our mind.  The Apostle Paul while in prison said it this way, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”  So it must not be a changing of circumstance but a changing of your outlook and it can be learned. Someone has asked me where was my favorite place to have lived?  I have lived a lot of places and I said, “Where I am living at the time”.  Now I didn’t enjoy the snow on Long Island but I loved living close to my kids and I enjoyed the exercise I got when I shoveled the snow.  I hear so many people say, “I don’t like where I live” and I say, “Then why don’t you move?  And they say, “We can’t afford to move.”  Then I say, “Then chose to be happy where you are. The reality is after a short time you won’t be happy where you move too becau

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 11). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. That is so true.  We sometimes get into situations that we know are wrong.  We know the solution - quit the relationship, lose 50 lbs., change jobs, move away, go to church, get counseling.  We know what needs to be done but we don’t know what to do. The problem is not the solution but the direction.  When a person is lost they need to change their direction but we too many times keep going in the same direction thinking we will get to a different location.  Now we know why we are overweight – lack of exercise and eating the wrong food – but we keep doing the same thing and believe that the result will be different.  It never will be until we change what we eat and getting up from the couch and exercising. We may be having major financial problems but we keep doing the same thing with the same res

A thought by Miles McPherson (009-11-01) from his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (p. 76). Baker Books. Kindle Edition. Now Satan understands this and he does everything to appeal to our selfish nature by having us gripe and moan and be discouraged.  But what would happen to our view of each day if we saw it as God sees it? Have you ever thought that what you look at as negative from your self-focus could be ideal from a God’s focus?  That the circumstance that you are going through is setting you up to do what He has created you to do?  I mean that disappointment that has come into your life may be an ideal way to show those around you how Christ is making a difference in your life.  If our reactions are the same as those who don’t know Him then how are we any different?  Oh we may pray before our meals or go to church every Sunday or pay our tithe or hate abortion or the gay lifestyle but we react to the negatives of our lives just as a non-Christian would. 

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 30). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition . I know there would be some who are embarrassed and put off when they hear someone dealing with things in an audacious way.  I know that we are sometimes put off by some of the statements of certain Christian groups who say outlandish things that they believe that God wants to do in their lives.  I understand that feeling. But I wonder if we should be the ones who are embarrassed about our lack of audacious expectations in our God in our lives.  I mean, God is love, He is omniscient and omnipotent.  There is nothing He can’t do and He said all we had to do was ask and He would do what is best for us.  So we should be embarrassed because we don’t really believe Him.  Now I understand why we don’t.  We are afraid of looking foolish but because we don’t, we are foolish.  God wants to do things in our liv

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-12-13) from his book Be a Circle Maker: The Solution to 10,000 Problems (Kindle Locations 186-187). Zondervan. Kindle Edition . If we believe in a big God then we believe that we can’t bring anything to Him that is too big for Him to handle.  There is nothing that is impossible for God but the problem is whether we believe that He cares about us enough to listen to us and do something.  That is a different story. Trust is a major part of prayer.  Do I trust myself to really know what is best for my life or do I really trust Him?  Is prayer to me just a way to get what I want or is it to get what is best?  If you have the ability to see all the ramifications that come out of getting what you ask for then that is one thing.  But the truth is God is the only one who is omniscient, who knows everything.  So who should you trust? Now the answer to the question, “Will He?” if you have a relationship with Him, the answer is, “Yes.”  But will He

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 30). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. That is so true.  They haven’t had the disappointments in life that we who are older have experienced.   They still believe that they can climb that mountain and from a physical standpoint they can.  They still have a lifetime ahead of them and they need that unquestioning optimism.  That is true if it is just in themselves and their own abilities. But for those of us who have found a deep dependency on God to be the key to real unquestioning optimism then I think the older I get the more optimistic I become.  Granted building a great church in St. Petersburg may be out of the question but building a worldwide influence may not.  If God is in it the sky is the limit.  I can sit here in Walsingham Park in Largo, Florida and reach the world with my computer.   I can know from experience that I can trust God

A thought by Miles McPherson (2009-11-01) from his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Locations 914-915). Baker Books. Kindle Edition. I find it so interesting how people believe that they can have a relationship without talking.  Somehow our little boys are learning that from watching their dads who never talk to their wife, their kids, and their parents or even to God.  They are teaching their sons a very harmful lesson.  Their family is dying because of their not connecting with those around them. The same is true in our relationship with God.  That relationship is also enhanced through talking.  And that is a something that Satan wants to keeps us doing.  He knows the power that is available to us from a relationship with God and He knows that we are week in that relationship if we don’t talk to God. I am just now seeing this as an important time in my day.  Oh I always have some of those quick acknowledging times with Him – thank You for this meal, Go

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) from his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 48). Thomas Nelson - A. Kindle Edition. If you have spent any time with me here on JCTT you know that I have been following a fairly successful path of losing weight.  I started at 260 lbs. and I got down to 211 but I have hit a danger zone.  My path to weighing less than 200 lbs. has hit a detour and I know it but to see the problem is only a part of the solution.  I must now do something. We have gone through a change in location and with that some changes in routine.  Now my path for success had walking a hour and a half six days a week and eating right in it.  But with the move both of those had stopped.  The walking has come back but without the success.  In order to get back on the right path then I need to make adjustments also in my eating habits.  I cannot live off of past successes but keep focused on the future goals by continu

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 102). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. I am looking on my other blog, bill’s front porch , at The Lord’s Prayer.  It is what Jesus shared with His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Now the first request He told them to ask for was to ask that God’s name be hallowed.  Now to hallow means that we are to acknowledge who God really is.  One way to do that is to start your prayer with praising God. I am right now sitting on a picnic table outside close to a beautiful Florida lake.  I am in the middle of my walking.  In my first part of my walking I listened on my iPhone to last Sunday’s message by Brian Moll who is the Pastor of Forefront Church in Manhattan and when that was done I had a time of focused prayer.  Now in the first part of my prayer I acknowledge who God was through praising Him. Some think that pra

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) in his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (p. 73). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. So much of the dishonesty is that we play the blame game which is to be lame.  It is so easy to say it’s my parent’s fault, the way they raised me.  Or it’s my spouses fault, they made me do this.  I didn’t really want to do it.  But somewhere we have to be honest as to why we are on the path.  The Bible says, “ the truth will set you free” .  And that is where you start? Just be honest. Why do I choose the wrong people to have a relationship with, people who will hurt me, people who are totally selfish, and people who have a track record of no commitment?  Why have I continually chosen that path of failure?  You start with a question?  That is the first step in being honest.  Why did you choose this path?  And for many that is a difficult thing to do because it puts the results back on you not so

A though by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book,   It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 145). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. Have you ever thought about forgiveness that way?  Usually we say, “I’ll forgive you when I feel l like it,” but the truth is with that attitude you will never feel like it so you will lose. You see, not forgiving hurts us more than it hurts the other person.  It hurts you inside, it hurts you in your other relationships and it hurts you with God.  He said, He can’t forgive you if you don’t forgive others.  So if you don’t forgive them until you feel like it then Satan will make sure you never feel like it. No, you and I forgive because we choose to do it.  Not because they deserve it, but because God demands it and you need to do it to break the chains that have bound you to the action of the other person that has hurt you so much.  Forgiveness frees you. I had a situation that had happened to me some 5

A thought by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson (2011-07-19) from their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard Abou t (Kindle Location 1529). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. I am having some problems with some of the issues that we as CHRIST followers champion.  We came and founded this country on religious freedom but we are now it seems on the side of restricting people from coming to the USA.  Something about that they might take jobs away from us. I heard someone say that our poverty level here would be the middle class in Europe.  That’s not even talking about some of the countries in Africa.  It is no wonder that the world wants to come here.  Our poverty level is a major step up to the rest of the world.   Now I do appreciate the fact that the Evangelical world has gotten the vision to help those in need in a greater measure but we may have a problem with them sitting next to us in church.  I will give and I will go but I don’t want them co

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-03-31) from his book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (Kindle Location 658). Thomas Nelson - A. Kindle Edition. There are principles in life that need to be learned at an early age that will make a difference in the effectiveness of our lives.  One principle that is sabotaged by many parents with their children is the principle of cause and effect.  Their child gets in trouble at school and the parent blames the school.  Of course it is not their kids fault.  But that attitude will have far reaching consequences on the child at facing responsibilities for their actions. You see we all need to understand that each action does not stand alone but that it has consequences both positive or negative that go with it.  Let me give you an example.  I am 64 years of age.  I will turn 65 in three months.  Now a few years back I realized that I was slowly because of inactivity turning into an invalid s

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Location 1037). Kindle Edition . What if that had been Jesus’ goal?  God sent Him to earth to experience life as we know it and to be an example for how He wants us to live it but He died when He was in His thirties.  Longevity was not His goal, impact was. What about you?  I know many people who all they are living for is retirement.  They are worried about having enough money to survive.  That is always on their mind.  Now to me that is not living that is existing.  Living life to its fullest is all about service not about security.   Jesus showed us how to really live life to its fullest.  He lived out the purpose that God sent Him to earth to do.  He came to give His life so we could live.  So if He is our example why do we put all out life into getting to the point that we do nothing?  That is a wasted life, a life with a wrong purpose. God has created each one

A thought by Steven Pressfield, (2010-08-30) from his book, The War Of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle (p. 22). PREMIERE. Kindle Edition . My wife, Margaret and I have just in the last two weeks moved from Long Island in New York to Seminole, Florida which is between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay.  We have been working hard to get our condo here organized and also doing some fun and exploration.  I said all of that to say that I have not been reading and writing as a priority.  But I finally wrote yesterday my first post here on JCTT in 2 weeks and it felt good.  I did not want procrastination to become a habit.  I wanted the writing of this blog to get back into being a daily habit. There are some things that are a good habit.  My getting up every morning at the same time as a retired person is a good habit.  My posting my other blog, bill’s front porch at the same time six days a week is a good habit.  My taking vitamins every day is a good habit.  My walking 6 d

A thought by Mark Batterson (2009-12-09) from his book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianit y (Kindle Location 1819). Random House, Inc. Kindle Edition. Do you read?  Well I guess you do, you’re reading this blog and I congratulate you.  Reading is one of the greatest ways to expanding your knowledge and potential.  I love to read and my family loves to read. One of the main purposes of this blog is to expose people to different writers.  Let me remind you that if you hit the title of the book under the highlighted thought of each post you will be sent to the section in Amazon.com where you can order the book, usually new or used and if you chose you can also get the Kindle edition instantly.  I do this to help you grow in your mind, in your character, in your relationships, in your life.  Learning can be the key and reading is one of the great ways to learn. So if you would like to continue the thought of an author that I have posted and see more of what he

A thought by Mark Batterson (2009-12-09) from his book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity (Kindle Location 1411). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition . I love the opportunity to explore.  I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to see what other places are like.  I have lived on both coast and in the South and the North.  I was almost born in a car.  The only state I haven’t been to is Alaska.  I love to explore. Margaret and I are headed into a new experience.  We are moving from Long Island in New York to Seminole, Florida.  I have already lived in Seminole but I have never lived in my own home.  That for us is a new adventure.  I have already explored Home Depot as a homeowner.  That is a different experience than visiting it as renter.  There is more you can do in your own home. But the wonder of exploring God’s creating is a way to glorify Him.  Psalm 121.1 & 2 is one of my life verses.  The Message interprets it this way, “I look up to

A thought by Miles McPherson (2009-11-01) from his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Location 332). Baker Books. Kindle Edition. Well today is the day that we celebrate love, at least the emotional part of love.  The truth is that is what we view as the definition of what love is but it is really more than that. When I was young I had a weird idea about love.  I didn’t want to cheapen it so I made a self-commitment to when I told that someone that I loved them, the next question would be, will you marry me?  I told two ladies that and asked them both THE question and I got it right on the second one.  I made my lifetime commitment to Margaret Ann Fletcher on November 9, 1974 in Maud, Ohio Wesleyan Church.  We have said that we have never contemplated divorce, murder, yes.  We have been married 37 years – 34 good ones and 3 bad ones.  Those 3 years were what I call my jerk time but Margaret held on and we made it through.  In every marriage there will be t

A thought by Miles McPherson (2009-11-01) in his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Location 1006). Baker Books. Kindle Edition. God wants us to meet the needs of those around us.  That is one of the parts of being created in God’s image that we so many times miss because of our self-focus.  He is here to meet our needs and that is one of our purposes as Brian Moll, my pastor said yesterday. Margaret and I are moving to Florida for one reason.  When God made it clear to me that I was going to Florida to help in meeting the needs of a widow in our family, my mother, then everything fell into place. It is unbelievable how God has worked everything out.  That is the first reason for our going but there are also so many benefits: close to my brother, sister and brother-in-law, warm weather, the Gulf, our own condo, and other purposes.  One purpose comes because we are moving into a 55 and older community.  What a tremendous opportunity to make a difference.  N

A thought by Steven Pressfield (2010-08-30) from his book, The War Of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle ( p. 7). PREMIERE. Kindle Edition. Whenever you make a commitment to do something to better yourself or someone else there is always going to be a challenge to start and also to keep doing it.  It will be a daily struggle. Now if it is to go to Disney World then you are wide awake and ready to go way before you need to get up.  But if you are in your fifth month of working there it takes an alarm to get you up and most people wait till the last moment to get up and go.  It is always easier to get up to do fun than it is to do work. I have always said that we do what we want to do.  When someone used the excuse to me as a Pastor that they couldn’t make it to church because they were up late I would then say to myself, “We do what we want to do.”  If they were going to Disney World they wouldn’t use that excuse because they want to go to Disney World.  Now that

A thought by Steven Pressfield (2010-08-30) from his book, The War Of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle . PREMIERE. Kindle Edition. I usually write this blog in a Starbucks right after I have done my daily walking.  I have put it into a routine that helps me to do it.  Now today my routine was a little off and I almost said, “I won’t write today”. There are so many things in life that it’s not the doing that is difficult but the starting.  My walking was one of those.  I knew I needed to exercise, I needed to lose weight but I didn’t start until my wife found out she had diabetes and she needed to change her diet and to exercise so I did it with her.  Now because of different schedules I do it by myself but it is a part of my six day a week routine.  It is not an option. Now it is good to have choices.  But there are some things you just need to do. One of those areas for my family was going to church every weekend.  It was not an option we just did it.  Of cours

A thought by Mark Batterson (2009-12-09) from his book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity (Kindle Locations 1457-1458). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. I lived in so many different places in the United States.  I have been to 49 States.  At some point I will make it to Alaska.  But I have loved living and exploring everyplace I have lived. I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada for 15 years and I loved to go to Zion National Park.  Whenever people would come to Vegas to see us if they had a few days we would take the 2 hour drive and go see this beautiful Canyon.  I loved it but there were so many of my friends who had lived in Vegas all their life who had never been there.  What a waste. I live now on Long Island, a 45 minute train ride from New York City.  I know people who have lived here all their life and have never been to the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  They have never experienced the excitement of those balloons because it is too crowded.  They missed it.

A thought by Mark Batterson (2011-01-18) from his book, Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny (pp. 47-48). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition . In your time of depression are you remembering what God has done for you in the past, thanking Him for all His blessings?  In your time of loneliness are you remembering that He will never leave you or forsake you?  In your time of fear are you remembering that perfect love casts out all fear?  In your time of worrying are you remembering that God is greater than anything you are facing?  In your time of guilt are you remembering that God forgives?  In your time of wandering and wondering are you remembering that if you trust Him He will make your way straight? Look at your mood.  That will tell you what you are remembering and what you are forgetting. What are you remembering?

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Moment (Kindle Location 595). Kindle Edition . I just have had a tremendous valuable time for 1 ½ hours.  First of all I walked.  That is making a difference in my health.  I am 64 and I decided a few years back that I didn’t want to be an invalid so I started eating healthier and started walking.  That has been of benefit to me.  Then today I listened to 2 messages by Robert Morris who is the Lead Pastor of the Gateway Church in Austin, Texas.  The messages were on prayer.  They challenged me and gave me new insight on this tremendous subject.  But if all I did was to walk and then to listen I would have been helped but it would have been all for me.   My world was changed but that was all if I didn’t do something.  The first thing I did was to pray.  I took what God had taught me through Robert Morris and came back to pray for some situations that I had let up on praying for.  The

A thought by Miles McPherson (2009-11-01). DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Locations 1024-1025). Baker Books. Kindle Edition . God gives us each day to live, not endure.   It is our choice.  Because I have a relationship with God and I believe in a big God and I believe He knows what He is doing then I believe He built today for me for a reason.  That is living life with confidence with faith.  So what is there to learn today, what is there to do today and who is there for me to encourage today?   That is what living life is all about. “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) So what is your choice for today, living or enduring? 

A thought by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson (2011-07-19) from their book, Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You´ve Only Heard Abou t (Kindle Locations 362-363). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Millions of people tomorrow at 6:30 pm will stop for a few hours to watch an event that will change people’s desires and needs.  Yes some will be watching the Super Bowl for the football but many more will be watching for the commercials.  I used to watch the World Series to see the new car designs for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler introduced.  I remember when Ford introduced the Edsel and when Chrysler came out with those big fins.  Yes sports and advertising go together. Now if we can just watch all those commercials and not get hooked then it would be OK but we will watch and then want even when we have more of that particular item than we really need.  Right now I am sitting in a Starbucks writing this after I have just walked for 1 ½ hours.  I got here at 8:00 am a

A thought by Miles McPherson, (2009-11-01) from his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Locations 1018-1019). Baker Books. Kindle Edition . I am writing on my other blog, bill’s front porch , about what James in his New Testament book says about patience.  It is what we as a family need right now.  I like what Margaret, my wife has been saying, our plans are written in pencil.  We have changed our plans over and over in the last few months about when Margaret and I are going to load up the U-Haul with all our stuff here in Oceanside, New York and head down to our condo in Seminole, Florida.  The truth is each time we made the plans they seemed like a good idea until the day we changed them.  There were different things out of our control that needed to fall into place for our plans to happen but the truth is they weren’t out of God’s control.  We may not see the why now but down the road we will see that the time we finally did it was perfect.  That is why my

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, Chasing Daylight: Seize the Power of Every Momen t (Kindle Locations 440-441). Kindle Edition. So much teaching has been on the don’t that we lose sight of the do.  Christ died on the Cross to forgive us for the don’ts so we could do the dos.  That is Good News.  I am now free of the guilt of my sin so I can be free now to do the purpose for which God created me to do.  Now in living the holy victorious life we deal with the cleansing part but too many times we forget the empowering part.  God wants to empower us though His Spirit to make a difference for Him and with Him in the world we live in.  Yes we need the Holy Spirit to cleanse us of that self-centeredness that we were born with and then to fill us with Himself, with His love which empowers us to fulfill His reason for creating us.    We need to ask for Christ’s forgiveness of our wrongs, our sins and to ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse us from the reason for doing t

A thought by Miles McPherson, (2009-11-01) in his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Location 424). Baker Books. Kindle Edition. That is truly a God thing, to have that perspective in our lives, that God is out ahead working things out for us.  Now of course that isn’t true of everyone.  It is only true of those who have a relationship with God through Jesus.  Now let’s say that this perspective is just what you needed to hear, to believe today.  This is exactly what you needed today.  During my time of prayer I prayed that God would show me what thought needed to be shared today for some particular person who would read this today.  God wanted to speak to you personally and He was going to use today’s blog to do that.  Now you come across it somewhere but you decide to not click on it and read it so then you wouldn’t have benefited from the thought that God had provided for you personally today.  in order to receive the benefit you had to do something. Go

A thought by Miles McPherson, (2009-11-01) in his book, DO Something!: Make Your Life Count (Kindle Location 419). Baker Books. Kindle Edition. Miles who played professional football in the NFL tells of the three times he was cut or fired from a team and how it affected him each time.  The same action brought three different reactions to him, sad – mad and then glad.  The difference with the last one was he had learned to trust that God had a plan. Yesterday we were looking at an impossible situation and the answer came back as no, not at this time.  Now when you have prayed, really prayed about something and you don’t get the answer that you wanted there is disappointment and some pain but there is also victory.  God could have but He didn’t so you know that He has a better plan.  That is where trust comes in.  The pain of the first no really hurt but it also brought us to a deeper time of prayer which also brought us to a deeper commitment to His plan.  So the pain brought

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 74). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition . The reason is because if you had the ability to do whatever it is then it would be possible.  You wouldn’t need to be humble.  You would just take the credit and go on.  But the impossible means that you can’t do it.  It is impossible. Now humility means you need help and you ask for it.  If it is impossible and you aren’t going to ask for help because of pride then it becomes even more impossible.  But if you know someone who can make the impossible possible and you ask them for help then that is wisdom and humility.  That is trust! There was a very difficult situation in our family that had become impossible.  Someone said no and that looked like the end of the possibility.  During my walk time on Friday I was praying about the situation and all I could think to pray was for God to help the perso