"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James

Everything is under the wise direction of our Father in Heaven and His grace is always there for His children. That is the mantra of peace I tell myself when I am stressed, or worried. And, it works. The power to change our focus is a great grace, and peace comes to the heart that is able to dwell on God’s promises rather than what worries.

“You will keep in perfect peace, the mind that is stayed of you.” Is.26.3 Conversations Within” ts 4/23/2018

If something has to be done, it has be done, but this does not mean that we should allow it it to do us in.

One of the ways I learned to deal with fear when I was rock climbing was to simply look at my hand touching the rock in front of me instead of how high i was above the ground. I find that breaking large tasks into smaller tasks and focusing on one task at a time helps me deal with the stress often associated with the responsibility of getting a demanding task done. A friend once told me, “Do one thing at a time. Do it well, then move on.”

“Only one thing is needed.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/22/2018

“Have thine own way Lord. Have thine own way, Thou art the potter I am the clay.”

God will certainly have His way. I suppose our happiness depends largely on how satisfied, how accepting we are of His vision for us. I am certain His goal in a very real sense, is to make little Jesus’ out of us--not our conjured images of Him, whatever they are, but everything that Jesus truly embodies. 

“We are the clay, you are the potter. We are all the work of your hands.” Is.64.8 Conversations Within” ts 4/20/2018

”Give me the faith of the little child that trusts without questioning who simply and gladly believes your word without doubt,” Meme

All my life our Father in Heaven has provided and cared for me. Why would that change? He gives us the assurance that He will never relax His hold on us or ever cease His tender love and care. He is not one to change His mind. He is tenacious in seeking what is best for His children. Live humbly in the light of His goodness, and trust Him as a child.

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/19/2018

I can imagine few things more beautiful than a child sharing his or her toys without being told to, except perhaps a grown-up, who does the same.

If it is expected of a child then it should be expected of the grown-up. I think that certain moral values are hardwired into the soul and people pretty much know what is expected of them. Most of us, most of the time, could measure if our intended actions are good and right and true by simply running them past our mother. What is good for the child is good for you and me. The best ways to grow up is to grow deeper into those things we were taught as a child.

“Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Prov.20.11 Conversations Within” ts 4/18/2018

“May you never outgrow bubbles.” Meme

When was the last time you lay under a star filled sky filled with wonder, or stopped to smell a delicious flower, or blew dandelion seeds into a breeze, or closed your eyes and turned your face to feel the wind, or a thousand other wonders that children do every day. Don’t outgrow wonder, regrow it in the garden of your soul if you somehow have let it slip away. Re-introduce yourself to the fascinations of life. Wonder is one of the purest expressions of worship and the delight of God in us.

“As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.” Mark 9.15 Conversations Within” ts 4/17/2018

Don’t lose your childlike stoke.

I miss the stoke I had as a newbie surfer. I paddled out regardless of conditions. My excitement riding waves even when it was only whitewater chop has changed. These days I can talk myself out of a surf session because it is too cold, too windy, too choppy. I want that childlike stoke to take hold of me again. I believe every fire must be re-stoked from time to time. Don’t think too much about it, just paddle out, who knows what fun awaits. This of course applies to so much more than just surfing.

“Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…” 2Tim.1.6 Conversations Within” ts 4/16/2018

“No matter what happens, always keep your childhood innocence. It's the most important thing.” Federico Fellini

I love to watch a child who has learned the value of playing with no one around. They talk with imaginary friends, and express that creative spirit put in us by our Creator. We were made to play, to create, to enjoy and know the delights of simply having fun. Join the song of children. Do not let a single day pass without the pleasure of play. 

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/15/2018

“Preconceived notions are the locks on the doors to wisdom.” Mary Brown

It may be difficult to think truthfully about something if we already possess preconceived and often false ideas about it. Many times our false notions are simply incomplete and they remain so because we already think we have something figured out. Wisdom teaches us to reserve making judgements before we have listened and gained all the facts.

“He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.” Prov.18.13 Conversations Within” ts 4/14/2018

“Don’t count the number of friends you have, just the number of friends you can count on.” Unknown

Be true. Be true to the people in your life. There is no better friend than the ones you can count on when you need them. Be there for your friends, and let your friends be there for you. The best way to discover this kind of friend is to be one. I am so very grateful for my friends; I want my friends to be grateful for me.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Prov.171.17 Conversations Within” ts 4/13/2018

“I can only tell you the truth. I cannot make you believe it.” Meme

Jesus often used the words, “Truly truly, as part of His teaching. In essence He was encouraging us to believe that He was telling us the way things really are, like it is, as we say. In other words He is telling us the truth. Trust is an inherent expectation in such a claim. Perhaps Christ greatest claim is that truth in its purest form is a person. He wants us to believe that He is that person.

“Truly truly I say unto you…” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/12/2018

“Be loyal to the highest and best vision of yourself.” Unknown

We speak of having a true friend or being a true Christian and we mean that these people are the very definition of the word. To be true is to match up, to faithfully express, to embody the very essence of something. Being true is all about being loyal and consistent to a trustworthy standard like the carpenter's level, square or plumb line. If what we use to measure is wrong then everything else will be true to it, just truly wrong. Make sure that what you want to measure up to is truly worth measuring up to.

“Love...does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” 1Cor.13 Conversations Within” ts 4/11/2018

Always tell the truth, especially to yourself.

We are encouraged to reflect on what is true. Things which are true match up to what is factual and real. We are then able to make decisions accordingly. Sober thinking goes hand in hand with this. Often our emotions lead us away from what is true. Insecurity, pride, selfishness, anger can all blind us to what is factual, right and wise. Leaning to speak truth to our heart is a skill which takes time but is well worth learning. 

 “Whatever is true...think about such things.” Phil.4.8-9 Conversations Within” ts 4/10/2018

“Being honest and transparent make you vulnerable, Be honest and transparent anyway.” Mother Teresa

One aspect of being true is when we are open, honest and unconcealing with those in our lives. This is not encouraging us to rudely speak our mind to others as it is to humbly acknowledge what is true. And, because love is not rude, every truth we speak should build others up. I think people appreciate a transparent person so long as our openness reveals something of value. If not, keep the curtains drawn.

“Whatever is true...think about such things.” Phil.4.8-9 Conversations Within” ts 4/9/2018

“Jesus is coming! Look busy!” Bumper Sticker

It is a very blessed person who would rightly change nothing if they knew Christ was returning this afternoon. I love the quote that says, “When one bases his life on principle, 99 percent of his decisions are already made.” There is only one core choice in life, and when properly made, this choice will give a blessed light to every other consideration. For those who choose to give Jesus His rightful place in their heart, every other choice becomes subject to it. Well, that is the way it is supposed to be.

“Choose you this day whom you will serve.” Josh.24 Conversations Within” ts 4/7/2018

“What God desires is here [points to head] and here [points to heart] and what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man - or not.” Hospitaller (Kingdom of Heaven)

We pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to come and surely it appears, at least in some respect; everytime we pray these words in earnest. God’s kingdom is located everywhere God’s will is desired and done. This is surely first in our head, in our heart and in our actions.

"The kingdom of God is within you… When you pray say, Father in Heaven, may your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/6/2018

“Don’t get caught with your pants down.” Quotes

Christ is coming for us one way or another. He will come for us, if we die. He will come for us if we are alive at His second coming. Either way, I do not want to be unprepared when it happens. This pretty much means that whatever I have on my agenda today should match His agenda. And what is His agenda? It is always the same. It is to deepen our experience of Him in all we do and to help deepen it in others. There are no worries when the two come together.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/5/2018

I believe!

There is little doubt that the stories surrounding the life of Christ seem beyond belief. He was born of a virgin. He went around healing people. He rose from the dead and then ascended into heaven. Is it rational to believe such? We trust our pharmacist to fill our prescriptions correctly, our doctors to prescribe them, and scores of people we do not know to research and prove them safe and effective. Trust is integral to daily life. A wise faith does not deny the use of reason, it demands it. Our trust in the miracle of Christ is in the integrity of the disciples who passed His story down to us as eyewitnesses.  I see no reason why we shouldn’t believe.

“What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you.” 1John 1 Conversations Within” ts 4/4/2018

Are we holding up the train?

If the God the Father already knows the date He has assigned for the Son to return, is there really anything we can do to hasten it. Well certainly, if the date that God has assigned is not so much a circle drawn on a calendar, as it is when the task He has assigned to His children is complete. What task? Jesus told us plainly, “Go and make disciples of all the nations.”

“looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” 2Pt.3.12 NJKV Conversations Within” ts 4/3/2018

”Keep standing. Keep hoping. Keep believing. I’m coming.” God

I have often wondered if Christ will return in my lifetime. My immediate thought is that there are still people who haven’t heard about Him and He said He would not return until they do. I want to do my part sharing His love. I also realize that modern technology can help achieve this in my lifetime, so the possibility of His return excites me. The idea of skipping death altogether, well, need I say more? Maranatha!

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” 1Cor.15.51 Conversations Within” ts 4/2/2018

“One day or day one. You decide!” Quote

If some change is desired which is good, why not do it now? Why say, I will start Monday, or next month when the present moment is yours to own. Decide right now, once and for all. We may wish to stop some bad habit. Don’t wait. Be done with it. It may be letting something go. Drop it right now, and walk away. Own it and own it now.
“I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2Cor.6.2 “Conversations Within” ts 3/31/2018

“You are always one decision away from a totally different life.” Quote

The privilege and power to choose is a precious gift from God. We may wonder why He gives it when we make so many bad decisions. The truth is that the freedom to choose is an absolutely necessary condition of true love. Love cannot be forced. When your think about it, every positive change in our life is brought about because we made a decision to love someone--God, another, or ourselves.
“Love never fails.” 1Cor.13 Conversations Within” ts 3/30/2018

You can't hold back the hands of time, It's just something you've got to do.” Sawyer Brown (The Walk)

I do not know a single person who does not have things to do that they really don’t want to do but need to do. Who doesn’t put off doing all the stuff on that list of obligation we all seem to have? Usually time catches us, and we are finally forced to attend to it. A good friend told me once that if you have to do something, you may as well figure out how to make it enjoyable. Even Jesus had to pay taxes, but He made a fishing trip out of it for Peter. 

“Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people.” Col.3.23 Conversations Within” ts 3/29/2018

There is a kind of sadness that walks as a companion of joy.

Change is inevitable in this life and often there is a sadness that travels with it. As such, it is healthy to give yourself permission to be sad. There is an expected sadness in the diminishing7 strength of growing older, of leaving a familiar place, of having to say goodbye. An ambience of sadness is often felt when one chapter closes in our lives even though a new one is opening up. It may sound strange to some, but give yourself time to embrace and even enjoy the sadness.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...There is a time to mourn…” Ecc. 3 Conversations Within” ts 3/28/2018

“A Christian’s faith in Christ is also a faith in the character of the men and women who witnessed His resurrection and passed His story down to us.”

What kind of people witnessed the resurrection? It would be safe to say that they were sinners just like the rest of us. But it would also be safe to say that they did not just make up the story. They did not financially profit by it. In fact, history bears out that these people suffered and sometimes greatly so for declaring what they had seen. In my mind such integrity strengthens the witness of their words. When all is said and done, the disciples who claimed to have witnessed the miracle of Christ were by word and deed trustworthy people. Why would we not believe them and in turn believe in Christ who chose them? 

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim…” 1John 1 Conversations Within” ts 3/27/2018

“In the Year of our Lord…”

I have often thought that our celebrations of Easter seem less celebrated than those at Christmastide. Yet, in the scheme of things, the resurrection of Christ is the apex, the summit, the reason and culmination of everything Jesus. Every hope we have in this life and life after death rests upon it. But what better way to celebrate it than to live fully its reality. This day is but one day in the Year of our Lord, a year without end. In this sense every day is an Easter celebration.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news… to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor…” Conversations Within” ts 3/26/2018