Is love the dynamic defining my journey? I can answer yes, only if what I think, say and do is expressing love at this very moment. Love God! Love the person in front of you! Love yourself!
“The greatest of these is love.”
Just me trying to be honest with God.
Love is an action that yields goodness, not just an affectionate feeling.
This is my Father's world, And to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.
I watch a leaf playfully dance in the wind, hung by an invisible thread from the bow of a tree. A work of art by an invisible Artist. He doesn’t sign His masterpieces, He doesn’t need to. His work is unmistakable to the eye of faith. His art is delicately placed in all nature.
They use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Ps.19 “Conversations Within” ts 5/1/25
“Starting over is a mission critical skill.” Sailing Nahoa
Moving forward often means backtracking, or starting again, or trying something entirely different. This journey we call life is all about moving forward. Don’t be afraid to try something new. God isn't.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Behold, I am doing a new thing!” Is.43.18 Conversations Within” ts 4/27/
Love is its own reward!
I am grateful that Jesus has satisfied all of God’s demands for living favorably in His presence. Because of it, I can stop trying to earn what He has made a gift. Now I am free to learn the value of loving God and others without some performance based relationship.
"Love one another as I have loved you." Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/26/
We can never be too kind, too loving, or too beneficial to others.
Pile on the love; people can take it! Everybody could use an extra helping of something good. Be one!
“And let us not grow weary of doing good.” Gal.6 Conversations Within” ts 4/25/25
It all comes down to who’s by your side. Nicholas Sparks
If I want to see more of God’s hand in my life, let me dip my hand into the well of His goodness every single day. He is actively looking to support those who actively love and trust Him. God is always on the side of those who walk in His highway and on His business.
“For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” 2Chro.16 Conversations Within” ts 4/23/25
“Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” - Dan Zadra
Instead of visualizing the worst, imagine the best, and seize it as an act of faith. To believe that God loves you is to believe that He desires the best. His Spirit may need to tweak our understanding of what that is, but God is surely pleased by every act of faith in His goodness.
“The Lord is good.” Ps.100 Conversations Within” ts 4/23/25
My need to ask from God is probably greater than what I’m asking for.
I ask with limited perspective. I ask too little. I ask for the wrong things. Yet, God still encourages me to ask, because asking positions me where my greatest need lies, and that of course is looking to Him in faith to tweak my prayers with His love and wisdom.
“Ask and you will receive.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/22/
“Live slowly enough to think deeply about God.” J.I. Packer
Slow your journey down. Learn the value of being still. Sit in quiet reflection. Lay hold of the life found in each breath. It is in such moments that we wake to God, and witness His presence everywhere in and around us.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Ps.46.
“Writing is 1 percent inspiration, and 99 percent elimination.” Louise Brooks
Lord help me give thought to my words, so that I communicate clearly, and realize that I do it better, not only when I keep it relevant, but also keep it to the point.
“I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.” 1Cor.14.19 “
"The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do." Thomas Jefferson
Words are like salt, use just enough to season a conversation, not oversalt it.
“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” Prov.10.19 “Conversations Within” ts 4/10/2025
The blessing of admitting I was wrong.
In order to get it right we must often admit to the possibility of being wrong. If you are a follower of Jesus you get used to doing this. He leads us to confess our shortcomings so we can discover where, and where not to walk.
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Is.30.21 “Conversations Within” ts 4/11/
“If there is nothing you can do about it, put it in God’s hands and let it go.” My wife’s motto
My wife is teaching me a “matter of fact” approach to dealing with the stuff that springs up every day. If you can do something about it, do it. Otherwise, trust that God has a reason for it.
“Because the Lord is at my right hand I will not be shaken.” Ps.
“The greatest message ever heard came from an empty tomb.”
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest game changer. Death no longer carries us away from our hearts desire, but to it. God has taken the sword of our enemy, and turned it into a healing scalpel.
“O Death, where is your sting?” 1Cor.15.55 “Conversations Within” ts 4/19/2025
To hear the words, “Well done” is all that will matter in the end.
The best way to thank God for life is to live it in His name. We live life in His name when we can look with confident faith that He would joyfully bless whatever we are doing.
“I always do what places Him.” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 4/20/2025
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Rightly placed faith makes a long shot a sure shot.
Do not confuse personal accomplishment with the lasting fruit that God desires. He does not need our strategic power plays to affect real positive and lasting change in the world. Tapping into the workings of His Spirit is the only source of being blessed and being a blessing.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” Zech.4.6 “Conversations Within” ts 4/6/2025
Count on it being done!
There are operations in the universe that sustain my life that I know nothing about. It makes good sense to me that I do not need to understand everything that God is doing to bring me to glory. We will get there simply, because He is the one doing it. In the end, all the glory and praise will be His.
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Rev.5.12 “Conversations Within” ts 4/5/2025
You’ve got this, because He’s got you.
Pause, breathe, and embrace this wonderful grace inside your soul. Whatever you are facing, remind yourself that you can do it, because you will never have to do it alone. The grace of Christ is always with us. Relax and rest on this word.
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” “Conversations Within”
Judgment day preparation
One thing I can do to get ready for judgment, and the most important, is not to make the fatal mistake of standing on my own flawed record. Instead, I accept the free gift of forgiveness that God offers. I stop trusting my own efforts, and trust what Jesus accomplished. Jesus was served my justice so He could give me His grace.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from
“When I run, I feel his pleasure.” Eric Liddell
I value inner peace, but not at the expense of finding out that the Judge of all the earth did not approve of how I experienced it. In the end, His review of my choices is all that will matter. How blessed it is to be confident that God is pleased with our daily choices.
“I always do what pleases him.” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 4/1/2025
“The greatest message ever heard came from an empty tomb.”
The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest game changer. Death no longer carries us away from our hearts desire, but to it. God has taken the sword of our enemy, and turned it into a healing scalpel.
“O Death, where is your sting?” 1Cor.15.55 “Conversations Within” ts 4/19/2025
"It is finished..."Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." (The seven sayings of Christ of the Cross)
Paid in full. Nothing owed on this transaction. God made a gift out of what we could never afford to buy. Christ has paid it all. His last words are the Last Word.
“Religion says do. Jesus says done.” Jefferson Bethke Conversations Within” ts 4/18/
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
The answer to His haunting question, ‘Why’ is because God created a way to satisfy justice and be loving at the same time. Christ volunteered to pay our debts so we could be free from any condemning judgment. Why, indeed?
“Amazing love, how can it be that Thou my God should die for me.” Charles Wesley Conversations Within” ts 3/17/2016
"I thirst." (The seven sayings of Christ of the Cross)
No one can justly accuse God of sitting idly by in Heaven watching human suffering. He entered space and time and joined us in our pain. He chose the agony of the cross and identified with all it means to live in a cursed world. Christ bore not only our sins, but the cruel consequences of them. He chose to experience human thirst so we would never have to thirst again.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 4/17/2025
"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother." (The seven sayings of Christ of the Cross)
We might be tempted to think that Jesus waited until the last minute to attend to something so important, but Jesus’ friendship with John was not a last minute investment. If you can’t count on your family and friends, who can you count on?
“It is not what we have but who we have in our lives that count.” Unknown Conversations Within” ts 4/16/2025
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (The seven sayings of Christ of the Cross)
In the hour of His death, Jesus was granting life. He answered the thief dying next to Him who, with simple faith, asked only to be remembered. We would all like to be remembered this way.
“It was the thief's last prayer, perhaps even his first. He knocked once, sought once, asked once, dared everything, and found everything.” Fulton J. Sheen
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Jesus
Oh that God answer this prayer for me. And, I know He has. I am forgiven. I echo this now and forever, I am forgiven! Oh that God answer this prayer for us all who hunger for it. Your mercies are everlasting and your truth endures for all generations. “Conversations Within” ts 4/14/2025
“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” C.S. Lewis
I do battle every day to push out negative thinking, and to keep my focus on what is good. There is a blessing in the battle. Like all sword fighting, the repeated struggle deepens my commitment to positive change. The fight gives me the opportunity to practice stopping a judgmental thought from becoming a judgmental word.
“Fight the good fight of the faith.” 1Tim.6.12 “Conversations Within” ts 3/31/2025
“God hates sin not because he wants us to be good little boys and girls, but because he knows sin destroys that which he loves most: sinners.” Criss Jami
I tend to soften my response to my own sinful attitudes and actions. The truth is that I should cultivate a strong hatred for my rebellious attitudes and actions. My sin is no joking matter. It is offensive to God, and should be no less offensive to me. Teach me to hate my sins, Lord.
“To fear the LORD is to hate evil.” Prov.8.13 “
“Every little thing’s gonna be alright.” Bob Marley
If God did not spare His own son from suffering, why should He spare any of us from it? But there is good news. God willingly delivered His son up to suffering so that He could ultimately deliver us from it all. Every little thing may not be all right, right now, but relax, it’s gonna be.
“He who did not spare His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things.” “Conversations Within” ts 3/29/2025
"Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind" Hosea
Everything I think, say, or do is an act of sowing. And, It is important to note that I do not simply reap what I sow, but a greater portion of it. Sow goodness, reap greater goodness. Sow evil, or what is worthless and I will reap, not the same, but a lot more of it. The reproductive power of the seed we sow should encourage us to carefully choose what we plant.
“...for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Gal.6.7 “Conversations Within” ts 3/28/2025
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C. S. Lewis
We are invited to experience the beauty of life defined by love. Such a life knows the glory--the value of forgiving and being forgiven. Humbly accepting God’s forgiveness works in us the grace to forgive others. To love is to forgive.
“forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 3/27/
“Puddle jumping is good for the soul.” Meme
O to be a child again, dancing in the rain.
“Become as children…” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 3/26/2025
“God has no religion.” Mahatma Gandhi
Don't make a religion out of what God intends to be the blessings of a healthy relationship with Him.
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 3/25/2025
“Real food doesn't need a label telling you it is real food.”
Modern culture seems to care more about appearing authentic than being authentic. We have made a show out of coming across as genuine. Just because I try to be authentic, doesn't mean I am good. I want more than to be authentic, I want to be the person God wants me to be. This means that I will always be in a state of changing from the person I am to the person He is creating in me.
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
“To know and not to do is not to know.” Proverb
I do better practicing what little I know, than to make the pursuit of knowledge my life’s end. What good is knowing without doing? Of course the value of knowledge is that It leads us to do the right things. Like the two ores of a rowboat, put them both together and they will lead to a wise and fruitful life.
“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 3/
We learned to walk when we were young; we learn how to walk slower and with greater care as we get older.
Like an old pair of shoes, or a well worn backpack, I will eventually have to lay this old body down. I am assured that when the time comes, I will find new provisions waiting for the journey that is sure to continue. I thank God for today’s bread, and purpose to use it for the goodness my Father intends.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2Cor. 4.16 “
“People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike!” John Muir
There are times I walk with the deliberation of getting somewhere. Even so, I can still choose the way I walk. I want my journey to reflect a reverence for life, to saunter, and take life in while I am going. This way every walk can be a Sabbath walk--every step in reverence. Every walk "a la sainte terre” to the holy land.
“At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath.” Matt.12.1 “Conversations Within” ts 3/20/
“I’ve got a river of life flowing within me; It makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. It opens prison doors, sets the captives free. I’ve got a river of life flowing within me.” Mary A. Lathbury
I am so grateful for God’s word and the refreshment it works in me. When I swim in its wisdom I can feel life, health and peace coursing in me. Interacting with the Spirit of truth is like bathing in life itself. My soul is washed, my strength renewed, and I feel clean all over.
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus “Conversations Within” ts 3/19/2025
“Everyone does what is right in their own eyes.” Judg.21.25
I think it is also true that everyone does what they know is wrong. It takes a good measure of grace to admit this. Yet doing so, is the first step in receiving more of the grace that changes us.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James
“If God loves us so much why does he allow tornadoes?” Landry (my granddaughter)
How can God be good and allow so much suffering? The simple answer is told to us in the stories in Genesis. God told Adam and Eve that if they loved and obeyed Him he would bless them and their children but if they did not, the world would be cursed with suffering and death. There are consequences to our choices both good and bad.
“I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” Deut.30 “Conversations Within” ts 3/17/
“A lot can happen in seven days.”
Consider the seven days of creation, seven days in a week, seven colors in a rainbow, seven promises made to Abraham, seven years of plenty, seven years of famine, many other sevens in the Scriptures and the last seven days of Jesus. A lot can happen in seven days.
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” Luke 24 “Conversations Within” ts 3/16/
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” Helen Keller
We might think that there has to be an element of risk and danger in an adventure. I think the real danger is to let the beauty and wonder of everyday life pass us by.
“Awake, why are you sleeping?” Jesus Ps.16 “Conversations Within” ts 3/15/
Open system settings, turn off notifications for random thoughts that distract you from what really matters.
Intrusions may disrupt our peace if we let them divert our focus from what we know has true and lasting value toward what does not. Like rude pop up windows trying to sell us something, we can learn the skill of purposefully redirecting our thoughts on what promotes life, health and peace.
“Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2Cor.10 “Conversations Within” ts 3/13/
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