“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.” 2Co 5
Most of us have a natural inclination to suggest to other people what they should or should not do. This is especially true if we ourselves have started some new venture in self-improvement. Everyone on a diet thinks every around them should diet too. We commend exercise if we have started doing it or eating organic or practicing yoga or quit smoking or going to church. Doing this might be a way of bolstering our self confidence or that we want others to sacrifice and suffer with us. I suppose it could even be a sincere desire to pass along something we have found valuable. One problem with all this is that we have hardly established the practice in our own lives before we try to propagate it to others. Imagine eating an unripe apple, or unbaked pie and we get a taste of how others feel about our efforts to convert them to something we have just begun. It is probably best to keep matters to ourselves until we can lead by example. There I go again, sharing with others what I am just learning to do myself. 4/15/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Just me trying to be honest with God.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
“A half-baked idea is okay as long as it's in the oven.” Author Unknown
“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.” 2Co 5
Most of us have a natural inclination to suggest to other people what they should or should not do. This is especially true if we ourselves have started some new venture in self-improvement. Everyone on a diet thinks every around them should diet too. We commend exercise if we have started doing it or eating organic or practicing yoga or quit smoking or going to church. Doing this might be a way of bolstering our self confidence or that we want others to sacrifice and suffer with us. I suppose it could even be a sincere desire to pass along something we have found valuable. One problem with all this is that we have hardly established the practice in our own lives before we try to propagate it to others. Imagine eating an unripe apple, or unbaked pie and we get a taste of how others feel about our efforts to convert them to something we have just begun. It is probably best to keep matters to ourselves until we can lead by example. There I go again, sharing with others what I am just learning to do myself. 4/15/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Most of us have a natural inclination to suggest to other people what they should or should not do. This is especially true if we ourselves have started some new venture in self-improvement. Everyone on a diet thinks every around them should diet too. We commend exercise if we have started doing it or eating organic or practicing yoga or quit smoking or going to church. Doing this might be a way of bolstering our self confidence or that we want others to sacrifice and suffer with us. I suppose it could even be a sincere desire to pass along something we have found valuable. One problem with all this is that we have hardly established the practice in our own lives before we try to propagate it to others. Imagine eating an unripe apple, or unbaked pie and we get a taste of how others feel about our efforts to convert them to something we have just begun. It is probably best to keep matters to ourselves until we can lead by example. There I go again, sharing with others what I am just learning to do myself. 4/15/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Friday, April 29, 2011
“I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.” Roy Croft
“And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?" Acts 26
Persuasive words may help someone understand why you believe what you believe, but it usually is not enough to convince them to believe it. Faith is a personal matter, usually embraced after a personal encounter. That is the very thing about Christianity; it is not so much something to believe as it it some One to believe. That someone of course is the risen Christ. It seems logical that if Christians want people to believe in Jesus they should let people encounter Him when they spend time with a Christian. People should be convinced of the resurrection for no other reason than they undeniably meet the living Christ every time they are with a Christian. 4/14/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Persuasive words may help someone understand why you believe what you believe, but it usually is not enough to convince them to believe it. Faith is a personal matter, usually embraced after a personal encounter. That is the very thing about Christianity; it is not so much something to believe as it it some One to believe. That someone of course is the risen Christ. It seems logical that if Christians want people to believe in Jesus they should let people encounter Him when they spend time with a Christian. People should be convinced of the resurrection for no other reason than they undeniably meet the living Christ every time they are with a Christian. 4/14/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
“I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.” Roy Croft
“And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?" Acts 26
Persuasive words may help someone understand why you believe what you believe, but it usually is not enough to convince them to believe it. Faith is a personal matter, usually embraced after a personal encounter. That is the very thing about Christianity; it is not so much something to believe as it it some One to believe. That someone of course is the risen Christ. It seems logical that if Christians want people to believe in Jesus they should let people encounter Him when they spend time with a Christian. People should be convinced of the resurrection for no other reason than they undeniably meet the living Christ every time they are with a Christian. 4/14/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Persuasive words may help someone understand why you believe what you believe, but it usually is not enough to convince them to believe it. Faith is a personal matter, usually embraced after a personal encounter. That is the very thing about Christianity; it is not so much something to believe as it it some One to believe. That someone of course is the risen Christ. It seems logical that if Christians want people to believe in Jesus they should let people encounter Him when they spend time with a Christian. People should be convinced of the resurrection for no other reason than they undeniably meet the living Christ every time they are with a Christian. 4/14/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
“Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.” How to Win Friends and Influence People” Dale Carnegie
“But we...will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.” 2Co 10:13
We may well ask why we would want to influence people in the first place. What about “live and let live.” As nice as that sounds, every disciple of Jesus knows that loving your neighbor is a higher calling than just letting them be. If you love someone you seek what is best for them. But there is certainly a difference in manipulating someone the get what you want and influencing people to clarify what they want and help them determine if what they want is really in their best interest. Only in some extreme instances, such as intervention with an addict or a person attempting suicide would we violate someone's freedom to choose. Such mercies expressed by humans might even give us hope that “Hell” for some people might be a place to restrict the damage that they can do to themselves. As for our own influences, we can and should use any honest means to persuade others so long as we respect the line that God Himself will not cross. You can't make people choose love. 4/13/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
We may well ask why we would want to influence people in the first place. What about “live and let live.” As nice as that sounds, every disciple of Jesus knows that loving your neighbor is a higher calling than just letting them be. If you love someone you seek what is best for them. But there is certainly a difference in manipulating someone the get what you want and influencing people to clarify what they want and help them determine if what they want is really in their best interest. Only in some extreme instances, such as intervention with an addict or a person attempting suicide would we violate someone's freedom to choose. Such mercies expressed by humans might even give us hope that “Hell” for some people might be a place to restrict the damage that they can do to themselves. As for our own influences, we can and should use any honest means to persuade others so long as we respect the line that God Himself will not cross. You can't make people choose love. 4/13/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
“Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.” How to Win Friends and Influence People” Dale Carnegie
“But we...will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.” 2Co 10:13
We may well ask why we would want to influence people in the first place. What about “live and let live.” As nice as that sounds, every disciple of Jesus knows that loving your neighbor is a higher calling than just letting them be. If you love someone you seek what is best for them. But there is certainly a difference in manipulating someone the get what you want and influencing people to clarify what they want and help them determine if what they want is really in their best interest. Only in some extreme instances, such as intervention with an addict or a person attempting suicide would we violate someone's freedom to choose. Such mercies expressed by humans might even give us hope that “Hell” for some people might be a place to restrict the damage that they can do to themselves. As for our own influences, we can and should use any honest means to persuade others so long as we respect the line that God Himself will not cross. You can't make people choose love. 4/13/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
We may well ask why we would want to influence people in the first place. What about “live and let live.” As nice as that sounds, every disciple of Jesus knows that loving your neighbor is a higher calling than just letting them be. If you love someone you seek what is best for them. But there is certainly a difference in manipulating someone the get what you want and influencing people to clarify what they want and help them determine if what they want is really in their best interest. Only in some extreme instances, such as intervention with an addict or a person attempting suicide would we violate someone's freedom to choose. Such mercies expressed by humans might even give us hope that “Hell” for some people might be a place to restrict the damage that they can do to themselves. As for our own influences, we can and should use any honest means to persuade others so long as we respect the line that God Himself will not cross. You can't make people choose love. 4/13/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
“The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret” Salvador Dalí
“Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing.” Jesus
It is interesting that a number of people are credited for the saying, “There's no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn't care who gets the credit.” Some of the world's most influential inventions come from anonymous donors. We still don't know the name of the person who invented the hammer, the wheel, or the ball but there is hardly a culture that hasn't been touched by these contributions. Forget that silly group seeking fame and join that happy group of people busy improving the human condition. Who cares if someone doesn't know your name but gratefully blesses your service in their prayers before the God who does. 4/12/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
It is interesting that a number of people are credited for the saying, “There's no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn't care who gets the credit.” Some of the world's most influential inventions come from anonymous donors. We still don't know the name of the person who invented the hammer, the wheel, or the ball but there is hardly a culture that hasn't been touched by these contributions. Forget that silly group seeking fame and join that happy group of people busy improving the human condition. Who cares if someone doesn't know your name but gratefully blesses your service in their prayers before the God who does. 4/12/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
“The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret” Salvador Dalí
“Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing.” Jesus
It is interesting that a number of people are credited for the saying, “There's no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn't care who gets the credit.” Some of the world's most influential inventions come from anonymous donors. We still don't know the name of the person who invented the hammer, the wheel, or the ball but there is hardly a culture that hasn't been touched by these contributions. Forget that silly group seeking fame and join that happy group of people busy improving the human condition. Who cares if someone doesn't know your name but gratefully blesses your service in their prayers before the God who does. 4/12/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
It is interesting that a number of people are credited for the saying, “There's no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn't care who gets the credit.” Some of the world's most influential inventions come from anonymous donors. We still don't know the name of the person who invented the hammer, the wheel, or the ball but there is hardly a culture that hasn't been touched by these contributions. Forget that silly group seeking fame and join that happy group of people busy improving the human condition. Who cares if someone doesn't know your name but gratefully blesses your service in their prayers before the God who does. 4/12/2011 Conversations Within ts (Between, GA)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” Flavia Weedn
“Our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged.” 2Co.10 ESV
You can't drop a rock in a pond without ripples, so also every human interaction has its continuing influences. We can hope, work as well as pray that our communications with others will be wholesome and that the affects of our influences will build up rather than tear down. To act as a farmer planting seeds would certainly be a better way to influence people than washing in upon them like a tsunami. Better the soft steady rain than a hard relentless downpour. Better the influences of a lifetime; a pastor not a preacher, a friend not a sales man, a partner not an advisor. 4/11/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Between, GA)
You can't drop a rock in a pond without ripples, so also every human interaction has its continuing influences. We can hope, work as well as pray that our communications with others will be wholesome and that the affects of our influences will build up rather than tear down. To act as a farmer planting seeds would certainly be a better way to influence people than washing in upon them like a tsunami. Better the soft steady rain than a hard relentless downpour. Better the influences of a lifetime; a pastor not a preacher, a friend not a sales man, a partner not an advisor. 4/11/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Between, GA)
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” Flavia Weedn
“Our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged.” 2Co.10 ESV
You can't drop a rock in a pond without ripples, so also every human interaction has its continuing influences. We can hope, work as well as pray that our communications with others will be wholesome and that the affects of our influences will build up rather than tear down. To act as a farmer planting seeds would certainly be a better way to influence people than washing in upon them like a tsunami. Better the soft steady rain than a hard relentless downpour. Better the influences of a lifetime; a pastor not a preacher, a friend not a sales man, a partner not an advisor. 4/11/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Between, GA)
You can't drop a rock in a pond without ripples, so also every human interaction has its continuing influences. We can hope, work as well as pray that our communications with others will be wholesome and that the affects of our influences will build up rather than tear down. To act as a farmer planting seeds would certainly be a better way to influence people than washing in upon them like a tsunami. Better the soft steady rain than a hard relentless downpour. Better the influences of a lifetime; a pastor not a preacher, a friend not a sales man, a partner not an advisor. 4/11/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Between, GA)
Monday, April 25, 2011
“You don't have to be a "person of influence" to be influential....
... In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me.” Scott Adams
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother... and your mother.” 2Tim.2
Everyone is a collection of influences, not just from events that happen to us but also from people who “happen” to us. Parents, grandparents, friends, are the obvious influences but even characters in movies and books also make a contribution to who we are. We do of course have a say in all this, a crucial one. We can choose if people will be a positive or negative force in our journey or as least to the inner aspects of our journey. We can also choose, but only if people will let us, how we will impact those around us. All influences pass through the filter of how we choose to sort them out, and the place we assign to them in our hearts. 4/10/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Birmingham to Atlanta)
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother... and your mother.” 2Tim.2
Everyone is a collection of influences, not just from events that happen to us but also from people who “happen” to us. Parents, grandparents, friends, are the obvious influences but even characters in movies and books also make a contribution to who we are. We do of course have a say in all this, a crucial one. We can choose if people will be a positive or negative force in our journey or as least to the inner aspects of our journey. We can also choose, but only if people will let us, how we will impact those around us. All influences pass through the filter of how we choose to sort them out, and the place we assign to them in our hearts. 4/10/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Birmingham to Atlanta)
“You don't have to be a "person of influence" to be influential....
... In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me.” Scott Adams
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother... and your mother.” 2Tim.2
Everyone is a collection of influences, not just from events that happen to us but also from people who “happen” to us. Parents, grandparents, friends, are the obvious influences but even characters in movies and books also make a contribution to who we are. We do of course have a say in all this, a crucial one. We can choose if people will be a positive or negative force in our journey or as least to the inner aspects of our journey. We can also choose, but only if people will let us, how we will impact those around us. All influences pass through the filter of how we choose to sort them out, and the place we assign to them in our hearts. 4/10/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Birmingham to Atlanta)
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother... and your mother.” 2Tim.2
Everyone is a collection of influences, not just from events that happen to us but also from people who “happen” to us. Parents, grandparents, friends, are the obvious influences but even characters in movies and books also make a contribution to who we are. We do of course have a say in all this, a crucial one. We can choose if people will be a positive or negative force in our journey or as least to the inner aspects of our journey. We can also choose, but only if people will let us, how we will impact those around us. All influences pass through the filter of how we choose to sort them out, and the place we assign to them in our hearts. 4/10/2011 Conversation s Within ts (Birmingham to Atlanta)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
“He changed sunset into sunrise.” Clement of Alexandria
“I am... the bright and morning star.”
Throughout history people have said some staggering things about Jesus but none are as captivating as the things that Jesus said about Himself. Who in their right mind would call themselves the “bright and morning star” if such a statement were not true? Perhaps a supreme egotist would, or someone literally gone quite mad. What is amazing it that in light of these incredible claims you would think that there would be scores of people who regarded Christ narcissistic in the extreme but (and this is the telling point) there are very few who do. The truth is that there are countless people from every nation who give to Christ more than just reverent respect, they offer Him worship given only to a God. But wouldn't we expect such devotion to someone who defeated man's greatest enemy, who changes winter back into spring, and sunset into sunrise. Jesus is mankind's answer to our hope of everlasting life. 4/21/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Throughout history people have said some staggering things about Jesus but none are as captivating as the things that Jesus said about Himself. Who in their right mind would call themselves the “bright and morning star” if such a statement were not true? Perhaps a supreme egotist would, or someone literally gone quite mad. What is amazing it that in light of these incredible claims you would think that there would be scores of people who regarded Christ narcissistic in the extreme but (and this is the telling point) there are very few who do. The truth is that there are countless people from every nation who give to Christ more than just reverent respect, they offer Him worship given only to a God. But wouldn't we expect such devotion to someone who defeated man's greatest enemy, who changes winter back into spring, and sunset into sunrise. Jesus is mankind's answer to our hope of everlasting life. 4/21/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“He changed sunset into sunrise.” Clement of Alexandria
“I am... the bright and morning star.”
Throughout history people have said some staggering things about Jesus but none are as captivating as the things that Jesus said about Himself. Who in their right mind would call themselves the “bright and morning star” if such a statement were not true? Perhaps a supreme egotist would, or someone literally gone quite mad. What is amazing it that in light of these incredible claims you would think that there would be scores of people who regarded Christ narcissistic in the extreme but (and this is the telling point) there are very few who do. The truth is that there are countless people from every nation who give to Christ more than just reverent respect, they offer Him worship given only to a God. But wouldn't we expect such devotion to someone who defeated man's greatest enemy, who changes winter back into spring, and sunset into sunrise. Jesus is mankind's answer to our hope of everlasting life. 4/21/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Throughout history people have said some staggering things about Jesus but none are as captivating as the things that Jesus said about Himself. Who in their right mind would call themselves the “bright and morning star” if such a statement were not true? Perhaps a supreme egotist would, or someone literally gone quite mad. What is amazing it that in light of these incredible claims you would think that there would be scores of people who regarded Christ narcissistic in the extreme but (and this is the telling point) there are very few who do. The truth is that there are countless people from every nation who give to Christ more than just reverent respect, they offer Him worship given only to a God. But wouldn't we expect such devotion to someone who defeated man's greatest enemy, who changes winter back into spring, and sunset into sunrise. Jesus is mankind's answer to our hope of everlasting life. 4/21/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Friday, April 22, 2011
“The message of Christ is not Christianity. The message of Christ is Christ.”Gary Amirault
“"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus
The teachings of Jesus about how we should live are sobering enough, but it is the teachings of Jesus about Jesus that literally wake the dead. He leaves the world no room to maneuver, life is either all about Him or it is nothing about Him. There is no middle ground, He did not come to start some new religion He came to return us to the Source. He is the Source, the one fountainhead, He is also the ocean into which all rivers flow. To believe in Him is to have the light not of some new religion but of life itself. 4/20/2011 Conversations Within ts (Selma, AL)
The teachings of Jesus about how we should live are sobering enough, but it is the teachings of Jesus about Jesus that literally wake the dead. He leaves the world no room to maneuver, life is either all about Him or it is nothing about Him. There is no middle ground, He did not come to start some new religion He came to return us to the Source. He is the Source, the one fountainhead, He is also the ocean into which all rivers flow. To believe in Him is to have the light not of some new religion but of life itself. 4/20/2011 Conversations Within ts (Selma, AL)
“The message of Christ is not Christianity. The message of Christ is Christ.”Gary Amirault
“"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus
The teachings of Jesus about how we should live are sobering enough, but it is the teachings of Jesus about Jesus that literally wake the dead. He leaves the world no room to maneuver, life is either all about Him or it is nothing about Him. There is no middle ground, He did not come to start some new religion He came to return us to the Source. He is the Source, the one fountainhead, He is also the ocean into which all rivers flow. To believe in Him is to have the light not of some new religion but of life itself. 4/20/2011 Conversations Within ts (Selma, AL)
The teachings of Jesus about how we should live are sobering enough, but it is the teachings of Jesus about Jesus that literally wake the dead. He leaves the world no room to maneuver, life is either all about Him or it is nothing about Him. There is no middle ground, He did not come to start some new religion He came to return us to the Source. He is the Source, the one fountainhead, He is also the ocean into which all rivers flow. To believe in Him is to have the light not of some new religion but of life itself. 4/20/2011 Conversations Within ts (Selma, AL)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
“A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world.
... It was a perfect act.” Mahatma Gandhi
“I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” Jo.10
Some undoubtedly regard Christ's death as a kind of defeat or at best the act of a martyr, even if it was for His own cause. And, it would be little more than that if He principle claims were not true. We do well to remember that Jesus never claimed to be a good moral teacher only telling us to love each other, to turn the cheek and forgive our enemies. He told us those things, but He also told us that He is resurrection and the life; the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, that He is the great “I Am.” If these things are true, then His death is as astonishing His resurrection, even punctuated by it! It means that the God of universe entered our world, suffered the penalty of our rebellion so He could erase all charges against us and in the process transform death into life. 4/19/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
“I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” Jo.10
Some undoubtedly regard Christ's death as a kind of defeat or at best the act of a martyr, even if it was for His own cause. And, it would be little more than that if He principle claims were not true. We do well to remember that Jesus never claimed to be a good moral teacher only telling us to love each other, to turn the cheek and forgive our enemies. He told us those things, but He also told us that He is resurrection and the life; the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, that He is the great “I Am.” If these things are true, then His death is as astonishing His resurrection, even punctuated by it! It means that the God of universe entered our world, suffered the penalty of our rebellion so He could erase all charges against us and in the process transform death into life. 4/19/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
“A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world.
... It was a perfect act.” Mahatma Gandhi
“I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” Jo.10
Some undoubtedly regard Christ's death as a kind of defeat or at best the act of a martyr, even if it was for His own cause. And, it would be little more than that if He principle claims were not true. We do well to remember that Jesus never claimed to be a good moral teacher only telling us to love each other, to turn the cheek and forgive our enemies. He told us those things, but He also told us that He is resurrection and the life; the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, that He is the great “I Am.” If these things are true, then His death is as astonishing His resurrection, even punctuated by it! It means that the God of universe entered our world, suffered the penalty of our rebellion so He could erase all charges against us and in the process transform death into life. 4/19/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
“I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” Jo.10
Some undoubtedly regard Christ's death as a kind of defeat or at best the act of a martyr, even if it was for His own cause. And, it would be little more than that if He principle claims were not true. We do well to remember that Jesus never claimed to be a good moral teacher only telling us to love each other, to turn the cheek and forgive our enemies. He told us those things, but He also told us that He is resurrection and the life; the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, that He is the great “I Am.” If these things are true, then His death is as astonishing His resurrection, even punctuated by it! It means that the God of universe entered our world, suffered the penalty of our rebellion so He could erase all charges against us and in the process transform death into life. 4/19/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
“They gave him a manger for a cradle, a carpenter's bench for a pulpit, thorns for a crown, and a cross for a throne....
... He took them and made them the very glory of his career.” W.E. Orchard
“I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones...” Lk.22 ESV
I suppose Christ was “dealt a hand” so to speak, just as everyone is. Of course it is God, not random chance who deals the cards. Christ played the hand dealt Him and did so without complaint. He made the most of every hardship placed on Him and turned them into Glory. If we listen to Him He will teach us how to do the same. 4/18/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
“I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones...” Lk.22 ESV
I suppose Christ was “dealt a hand” so to speak, just as everyone is. Of course it is God, not random chance who deals the cards. Christ played the hand dealt Him and did so without complaint. He made the most of every hardship placed on Him and turned them into Glory. If we listen to Him He will teach us how to do the same. 4/18/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
“They gave him a manger for a cradle, a carpenter's bench for a pulpit, thorns for a crown, and a cross for a throne....
... He took them and made them the very glory of his career.” W.E. Orchard
“I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones...” Lk.22 ESV
I suppose Christ was “dealt a hand” so to speak, just as everyone is. Of course it is God, not random chance who deals the cards. Christ played the hand dealt Him and did so without complaint. He made the most of every hardship placed on Him and turned them into Glory. If we listen to Him He will teach us how to do the same. 4/18/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
“I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones...” Lk.22 ESV
I suppose Christ was “dealt a hand” so to speak, just as everyone is. Of course it is God, not random chance who deals the cards. Christ played the hand dealt Him and did so without complaint. He made the most of every hardship placed on Him and turned them into Glory. If we listen to Him He will teach us how to do the same. 4/18/2011 Conversations Within ts (Birmingham, AL)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
“The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities:
'a virgin's womb and an empty tomb'. Jesus entered our world through a door marked,'No Entrance' and left through a door marked 'No Exit.'” Peter Larson
"I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev.1
“I have the keys of Death” you say? What a claim! But if we accept the validity of the virgin birth, all the other miracles are reasonable even sensible. We would expect a miraculous life to follow a miraculous birth. If anything about the life of Jesus is supernatural, and by that we mean outside natural law, we may properly assume that He came from outside our world. Not surprisingly, that is exactly what He told us. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” If anything about Christ is miraculous everything about Him is miraculous. 4/17/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
"I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev.1
“I have the keys of Death” you say? What a claim! But if we accept the validity of the virgin birth, all the other miracles are reasonable even sensible. We would expect a miraculous life to follow a miraculous birth. If anything about the life of Jesus is supernatural, and by that we mean outside natural law, we may properly assume that He came from outside our world. Not surprisingly, that is exactly what He told us. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” If anything about Christ is miraculous everything about Him is miraculous. 4/17/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
“The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities:
'a virgin's womb and an empty tomb'. Jesus entered our world through a door marked,'No Entrance' and left through a door marked 'No Exit.'” Peter Larson
"I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev.1
“I have the keys of Death” you say? What a claim! But if we accept the validity of the virgin birth, all the other miracles are reasonable even sensible. We would expect a miraculous life to follow a miraculous birth. If anything about the life of Jesus is supernatural, and by that we mean outside natural law, we may properly assume that He came from outside our world. Not surprisingly, that is exactly what He told us. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” If anything about Christ is miraculous everything about Him is miraculous. 4/17/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
"I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Rev.1
“I have the keys of Death” you say? What a claim! But if we accept the validity of the virgin birth, all the other miracles are reasonable even sensible. We would expect a miraculous life to follow a miraculous birth. If anything about the life of Jesus is supernatural, and by that we mean outside natural law, we may properly assume that He came from outside our world. Not surprisingly, that is exactly what He told us. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” If anything about Christ is miraculous everything about Him is miraculous. 4/17/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Monday, April 18, 2011
“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center..
“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.” H.G. Wells
“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Phil.2 NIV
We date our calendars around the life of a man crucified between two thieves. Everything in history is dated B.C. which is the abbreviation for “Before Christ,” and A.D. which some might think is the abbreviation for After his Death. Actually A.D. translates “Anno Domini” and means in the 'Year of our Lord.” We live in the Year of our Lord 2011 which is another way of saying in the 2011th year since His resurrection. It is the resurrection of Christ that gives Him center place in history not the manner of His death. Untold numbers have been crucified or have sacrificed their life for others but only one person in all history claimed to have beat death and proved it not only to the complete satisfaction of His original disciples but countless billions who trust Him today. 4/16/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Phil.2 NIV
We date our calendars around the life of a man crucified between two thieves. Everything in history is dated B.C. which is the abbreviation for “Before Christ,” and A.D. which some might think is the abbreviation for After his Death. Actually A.D. translates “Anno Domini” and means in the 'Year of our Lord.” We live in the Year of our Lord 2011 which is another way of saying in the 2011th year since His resurrection. It is the resurrection of Christ that gives Him center place in history not the manner of His death. Untold numbers have been crucified or have sacrificed their life for others but only one person in all history claimed to have beat death and proved it not only to the complete satisfaction of His original disciples but countless billions who trust Him today. 4/16/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center..
“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.” H.G. Wells
“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Phil.2 NIV
We date our calendars around the life of a man crucified between two thieves. Everything in history is dated B.C. which is the abbreviation for “Before Christ,” and A.D. which some might think is the abbreviation for After his Death. Actually A.D. translates “Anno Domini” and means in the 'Year of our Lord.” We live in the Year of our Lord 2011 which is another way of saying in the 2011th year since His resurrection. It is the resurrection of Christ that gives Him center place in history not the manner of His death. Untold numbers have been crucified or have sacrificed their life for others but only one person in all history claimed to have beat death and proved it not only to the complete satisfaction of His original disciples but countless billions who trust Him today. 4/16/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Phil.2 NIV
We date our calendars around the life of a man crucified between two thieves. Everything in history is dated B.C. which is the abbreviation for “Before Christ,” and A.D. which some might think is the abbreviation for After his Death. Actually A.D. translates “Anno Domini” and means in the 'Year of our Lord.” We live in the Year of our Lord 2011 which is another way of saying in the 2011th year since His resurrection. It is the resurrection of Christ that gives Him center place in history not the manner of His death. Untold numbers have been crucified or have sacrificed their life for others but only one person in all history claimed to have beat death and proved it not only to the complete satisfaction of His original disciples but countless billions who trust Him today. 4/16/2011 Conversations Within ts (Gunterhill, AL)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
“Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade.” Leo Buscaglia
'In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Phil.2 ESV
I remember the first time I read one of those, “there are two kinds of people,” comparisons. It hit me like cold water in the face. The first is that person who walks into a room and announces, “Here I am!” The other is the person who walks into the room and says, “There you are!” I suppose the reason it hit me as it did, was that I immediately realized I knew at least two people who so clearly fit each description. My precious wife is the second sort, those whose energy is always focused out toward others and I, to my shame, am the first sort. Without question the second sort is first where value is concerned. This simple comparison highlights the great worth of all of those quiet people who never seek the lime light, who naturally and joyfully serve and only think of themselves when it will put them in a better position to help others. 4/8/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
I remember the first time I read one of those, “there are two kinds of people,” comparisons. It hit me like cold water in the face. The first is that person who walks into a room and announces, “Here I am!” The other is the person who walks into the room and says, “There you are!” I suppose the reason it hit me as it did, was that I immediately realized I knew at least two people who so clearly fit each description. My precious wife is the second sort, those whose energy is always focused out toward others and I, to my shame, am the first sort. Without question the second sort is first where value is concerned. This simple comparison highlights the great worth of all of those quiet people who never seek the lime light, who naturally and joyfully serve and only think of themselves when it will put them in a better position to help others. 4/8/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade.” Leo Buscaglia
'In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Phil.2 ESV
I remember the first time I read one of those, “there are two kinds of people,” comparisons. It hit me like cold water in the face. The first is that person who walks into a room and announces, “Here I am!” The other is the person who walks into the room and says, “There you are!” I suppose the reason it hit me as it did, was that I immediately realized I knew at least two people who so clearly fit each description. My precious wife is the second sort, those whose energy is always focused out toward others and I, to my shame, am the first sort. Without question the second sort is first where value is concerned. This simple comparison highlights the great worth of all of those quiet people who never seek the lime light, who naturally and joyfully serve and only think of themselves when it will put them in a better position to help others. 4/8/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
I remember the first time I read one of those, “there are two kinds of people,” comparisons. It hit me like cold water in the face. The first is that person who walks into a room and announces, “Here I am!” The other is the person who walks into the room and says, “There you are!” I suppose the reason it hit me as it did, was that I immediately realized I knew at least two people who so clearly fit each description. My precious wife is the second sort, those whose energy is always focused out toward others and I, to my shame, am the first sort. Without question the second sort is first where value is concerned. This simple comparison highlights the great worth of all of those quiet people who never seek the lime light, who naturally and joyfully serve and only think of themselves when it will put them in a better position to help others. 4/8/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.” Henry Winkler
“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” Prov.18 ESV
Instead of jumping to conclusions we might try practicing an unassuming grace. I suppose that every conversation should exercise this kindness, unless of course we are willing to risk disappointment and choose to always assume the best. Sadly most assumptions do not give the benefit of the doubt. Instead of reading between the lines perhaps it would be expedient after someone has finished speaking, to repeat what we heard them say and ask if we heard them right or ask them what they are heard us say after we have expressed our opinion. Someone has said that we should “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In either case, we should strive to clarify matters with an unassuming grace not complicate them with a false assumption. 4/7/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Instead of jumping to conclusions we might try practicing an unassuming grace. I suppose that every conversation should exercise this kindness, unless of course we are willing to risk disappointment and choose to always assume the best. Sadly most assumptions do not give the benefit of the doubt. Instead of reading between the lines perhaps it would be expedient after someone has finished speaking, to repeat what we heard them say and ask if we heard them right or ask them what they are heard us say after we have expressed our opinion. Someone has said that we should “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In either case, we should strive to clarify matters with an unassuming grace not complicate them with a false assumption. 4/7/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.” Henry Winkler
“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” Prov.18 ESV
Instead of jumping to conclusions we might try practicing an unassuming grace. I suppose that every conversation should exercise this kindness, unless of course we are willing to risk disappointment and choose to always assume the best. Sadly most assumptions do not give the benefit of the doubt. Instead of reading between the lines perhaps it would be expedient after someone has finished speaking, to repeat what we heard them say and ask if we heard them right or ask them what they are heard us say after we have expressed our opinion. Someone has said that we should “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In either case, we should strive to clarify matters with an unassuming grace not complicate them with a false assumption. 4/7/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Instead of jumping to conclusions we might try practicing an unassuming grace. I suppose that every conversation should exercise this kindness, unless of course we are willing to risk disappointment and choose to always assume the best. Sadly most assumptions do not give the benefit of the doubt. Instead of reading between the lines perhaps it would be expedient after someone has finished speaking, to repeat what we heard them say and ask if we heard them right or ask them what they are heard us say after we have expressed our opinion. Someone has said that we should “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In either case, we should strive to clarify matters with an unassuming grace not complicate them with a false assumption. 4/7/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“There are times when two people need to step apart from one another, but there is no rule that says they have to turn and fire.” Robert Brault,
“And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.” Acts 15
Sometimes the best way for two people to get together is for them to get apart. One instance when separation is expedient is when both parties are angry with each other and emotions have clouded sound judgment. Rather than argue about differences it would be better to “table the matter” until anger has cooled and the emotional air has cleared.
People tend toward two unhealthy extremes in this. One person wants to solve the disagreement immediately and insists on talking about it even in anger. The other prefers to silently steam about it, and not only doesn't want to discuss it now, they never want to discuss it. By agreeing to table the matter we give time for anger to subside but we also agree to come back to the table and resolve differences in a cooler climate. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Sometimes the best way for two people to get together is for them to get apart. One instance when separation is expedient is when both parties are angry with each other and emotions have clouded sound judgment. Rather than argue about differences it would be better to “table the matter” until anger has cooled and the emotional air has cleared.
People tend toward two unhealthy extremes in this. One person wants to solve the disagreement immediately and insists on talking about it even in anger. The other prefers to silently steam about it, and not only doesn't want to discuss it now, they never want to discuss it. By agreeing to table the matter we give time for anger to subside but we also agree to come back to the table and resolve differences in a cooler climate. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“There are times when two people need to step apart from one another, but there is no rule that says they have to turn and fire.” Robert Brault,
“And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.” Acts 15
Sometimes the best way for two people to get together is for them to get apart. One instance when separation is expedient is when both parties are angry with each other and emotions have clouded sound judgment. Rather than argue about differences it would be better to “table the matter” until anger has cooled and the emotional air has cleared.
People tend toward two unhealthy extremes in this. One person wants to solve the disagreement immediately and insists on talking about it even in anger. The other prefers to silently steam about it, and not only doesn't want to discuss it now, they never want to discuss it. By agreeing to table the matter we give time for anger to subside but we also agree to come back to the table and resolve differences in a cooler climate. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Sometimes the best way for two people to get together is for them to get apart. One instance when separation is expedient is when both parties are angry with each other and emotions have clouded sound judgment. Rather than argue about differences it would be better to “table the matter” until anger has cooled and the emotional air has cleared.
People tend toward two unhealthy extremes in this. One person wants to solve the disagreement immediately and insists on talking about it even in anger. The other prefers to silently steam about it, and not only doesn't want to discuss it now, they never want to discuss it. By agreeing to table the matter we give time for anger to subside but we also agree to come back to the table and resolve differences in a cooler climate. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
“Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need.” Margaret Mead
“But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Lk.15 ESV
The reason there is no place like home is because home is the one place where prayers never cease to rise on your behalf. No matter how far life takes you from home there are eyes always looking for your return, feet ever ready to run and meet you, arms always held open for your embrace, and lips ever waiting to kiss you. Home is that one place where you will always be loved even when a path you have chosen has taken you far from home. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
The reason there is no place like home is because home is the one place where prayers never cease to rise on your behalf. No matter how far life takes you from home there are eyes always looking for your return, feet ever ready to run and meet you, arms always held open for your embrace, and lips ever waiting to kiss you. Home is that one place where you will always be loved even when a path you have chosen has taken you far from home. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need.” Margaret Mead
“But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Lk.15 ESV
The reason there is no place like home is because home is the one place where prayers never cease to rise on your behalf. No matter how far life takes you from home there are eyes always looking for your return, feet ever ready to run and meet you, arms always held open for your embrace, and lips ever waiting to kiss you. Home is that one place where you will always be loved even when a path you have chosen has taken you far from home. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
The reason there is no place like home is because home is the one place where prayers never cease to rise on your behalf. No matter how far life takes you from home there are eyes always looking for your return, feet ever ready to run and meet you, arms always held open for your embrace, and lips ever waiting to kiss you. Home is that one place where you will always be loved even when a path you have chosen has taken you far from home. 4/6/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
“Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Swedish Proverb
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Paul the Apostle
We may choose to share the joys and sorrows of others even those of a stranger, for nothing will turn a stranger into a friend better than a kind face reflecting sincere sympathy. Sympathy binds two hearts together. It is a magnetic force, a sharing that connects one person to another. It is that look that says without words, “I know, me too!” 4/5/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
We may choose to share the joys and sorrows of others even those of a stranger, for nothing will turn a stranger into a friend better than a kind face reflecting sincere sympathy. Sympathy binds two hearts together. It is a magnetic force, a sharing that connects one person to another. It is that look that says without words, “I know, me too!” 4/5/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Swedish Proverb
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Paul the Apostle
We may choose to share the joys and sorrows of others even those of a stranger, for nothing will turn a stranger into a friend better than a kind face reflecting sincere sympathy. Sympathy binds two hearts together. It is a magnetic force, a sharing that connects one person to another. It is that look that says without words, “I know, me too!” 4/5/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
We may choose to share the joys and sorrows of others even those of a stranger, for nothing will turn a stranger into a friend better than a kind face reflecting sincere sympathy. Sympathy binds two hearts together. It is a magnetic force, a sharing that connects one person to another. It is that look that says without words, “I know, me too!” 4/5/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Monday, April 11, 2011
“Man is a knot into which relationships are tied.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus
The success of the social network Facebook I suppose is one illustration that people need some kind of witness to their lives. We marry, nurture friendships, create working relationships and even have enemies because something in us innately desires a connection to other living things.
Actually, if you think about it, living as a witness to others is not a bad way to live. I am not referring to life only as a spectator but as a supporter, an encourager, a person that adds meaning to the lives of others if only because we allow others to share their life with us. After all, doesn't sharing complete an experience? What is a song, a poem, or an adventure if there is no one with whom to share it? Let me at least be that someone to somebody and especially to those who have no one. 4/4/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
The success of the social network Facebook I suppose is one illustration that people need some kind of witness to their lives. We marry, nurture friendships, create working relationships and even have enemies because something in us innately desires a connection to other living things.
Actually, if you think about it, living as a witness to others is not a bad way to live. I am not referring to life only as a spectator but as a supporter, an encourager, a person that adds meaning to the lives of others if only because we allow others to share their life with us. After all, doesn't sharing complete an experience? What is a song, a poem, or an adventure if there is no one with whom to share it? Let me at least be that someone to somebody and especially to those who have no one. 4/4/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“Man is a knot into which relationships are tied.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus
The success of the social network Facebook I suppose is one illustration that people need some kind of witness to their lives. We marry, nurture friendships, create working relationships and even have enemies because something in us innately desires a connection to other living things.
Actually, if you think about it, living as a witness to others is not a bad way to live. I am not referring to life only as a spectator but as a supporter, an encourager, a person that adds meaning to the lives of others if only because we allow others to share their life with us. After all, doesn't sharing complete an experience? What is a song, a poem, or an adventure if there is no one with whom to share it? Let me at least be that someone to somebody and especially to those who have no one. 4/4/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
The success of the social network Facebook I suppose is one illustration that people need some kind of witness to their lives. We marry, nurture friendships, create working relationships and even have enemies because something in us innately desires a connection to other living things.
Actually, if you think about it, living as a witness to others is not a bad way to live. I am not referring to life only as a spectator but as a supporter, an encourager, a person that adds meaning to the lives of others if only because we allow others to share their life with us. After all, doesn't sharing complete an experience? What is a song, a poem, or an adventure if there is no one with whom to share it? Let me at least be that someone to somebody and especially to those who have no one. 4/4/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Gratefully eat what God puts on your plate.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus
Most days I approach God with the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples. I suppose that if I ask for daily bread I should gratefully eat whatever God puts on my plate. And, while I have eaten some pretty good meals; I guess you could say I have also eaten my share of bitter herbs. One thing is for sure, God has never put anything on my plate that His own dear Son did not willingly eat and drink. If we remember Jesus did ask His followers if we would be willing to drink from His bitter cup. He even assured us that we would if we are serious about following Him. Certainly when God prepares the table before us, He prepares it in the presence of our enemies and even if His provision for the day is “sour grapes,” the good soldier savors the taste of coming victory and even while they gratefully eat their combat rations in a foxhole. 4/2/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Most days I approach God with the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples. I suppose that if I ask for daily bread I should gratefully eat whatever God puts on my plate. And, while I have eaten some pretty good meals; I guess you could say I have also eaten my share of bitter herbs. One thing is for sure, God has never put anything on my plate that His own dear Son did not willingly eat and drink. If we remember Jesus did ask His followers if we would be willing to drink from His bitter cup. He even assured us that we would if we are serious about following Him. Certainly when God prepares the table before us, He prepares it in the presence of our enemies and even if His provision for the day is “sour grapes,” the good soldier savors the taste of coming victory and even while they gratefully eat their combat rations in a foxhole. 4/2/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Gratefully eat what God puts on your plate.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus
Most days I approach God with the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples. I suppose that if I ask for daily bread I should gratefully eat whatever God puts on my plate. And, while I have eaten some pretty good meals; I guess you could say I have also eaten my share of bitter herbs. One thing is for sure, God has never put anything on my plate that His own dear Son did not willingly eat and drink. If we remember Jesus did ask His followers if we would be willing to drink from His bitter cup. He even assured us that we would if we are serious about following Him. Certainly when God prepares the table before us, He prepares it in the presence of our enemies and even if His provision for the day is “sour grapes,” the good soldier savors the taste of coming victory and even while they gratefully eat their combat rations in a foxhole. 4/2/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Most days I approach God with the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples. I suppose that if I ask for daily bread I should gratefully eat whatever God puts on my plate. And, while I have eaten some pretty good meals; I guess you could say I have also eaten my share of bitter herbs. One thing is for sure, God has never put anything on my plate that His own dear Son did not willingly eat and drink. If we remember Jesus did ask His followers if we would be willing to drink from His bitter cup. He even assured us that we would if we are serious about following Him. Certainly when God prepares the table before us, He prepares it in the presence of our enemies and even if His provision for the day is “sour grapes,” the good soldier savors the taste of coming victory and even while they gratefully eat their combat rations in a foxhole. 4/2/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Friday, April 8, 2011
Make sure your energy is always pointed out toward loving others.
“This is my command, that you love one another.” Jesus
There is no better way to forget your own troubles than to direct your energies out toward loving others. Every moment we spend thinking about ourselves is waste. Every moment spent loving people is lasting treasure. What better way to spend your day than loving people. Jesus wasn't fooling around when He said that to give is to receive. But some would ask if it isn't ultimately self-serving to think like this? I suppose it can be. But God created people with a natural inclination for happiness. The problem isn't with our happiness, only with the selfish ways we seek it. I think it is safe to say that people can never be totally self-less but that doesn't mean we have to be totally selfish. The problem isn't when we do something that makes us happy, but when we do it only to make us happy. That's the beautiful thing about love. Love is its own reward; we can't bring it to others without splashing it on ourselves. 4/1/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
There is no better way to forget your own troubles than to direct your energies out toward loving others. Every moment we spend thinking about ourselves is waste. Every moment spent loving people is lasting treasure. What better way to spend your day than loving people. Jesus wasn't fooling around when He said that to give is to receive. But some would ask if it isn't ultimately self-serving to think like this? I suppose it can be. But God created people with a natural inclination for happiness. The problem isn't with our happiness, only with the selfish ways we seek it. I think it is safe to say that people can never be totally self-less but that doesn't mean we have to be totally selfish. The problem isn't when we do something that makes us happy, but when we do it only to make us happy. That's the beautiful thing about love. Love is its own reward; we can't bring it to others without splashing it on ourselves. 4/1/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Make sure your energy is always pointed out toward loving others.
“This is my command, that you love one another.” Jesus
There is no better way to forget your own troubles than to direct your energies out toward loving others. Every moment we spend thinking about ourselves is waste. Every moment spent loving people is lasting treasure. What better way to spend your day than loving people. Jesus wasn't fooling around when He said that to give is to receive. But some would ask if it isn't ultimately self-serving to think like this? I suppose it can be. But God created people with a natural inclination for happiness. The problem isn't with our happiness, only with the selfish ways we seek it. I think it is safe to say that people can never be totally self-less but that doesn't mean we have to be totally selfish. The problem isn't when we do something that makes us happy, but when we do it only to make us happy. That's the beautiful thing about love. Love is its own reward; we can't bring it to others without splashing it on ourselves. 4/1/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
There is no better way to forget your own troubles than to direct your energies out toward loving others. Every moment we spend thinking about ourselves is waste. Every moment spent loving people is lasting treasure. What better way to spend your day than loving people. Jesus wasn't fooling around when He said that to give is to receive. But some would ask if it isn't ultimately self-serving to think like this? I suppose it can be. But God created people with a natural inclination for happiness. The problem isn't with our happiness, only with the selfish ways we seek it. I think it is safe to say that people can never be totally self-less but that doesn't mean we have to be totally selfish. The problem isn't when we do something that makes us happy, but when we do it only to make us happy. That's the beautiful thing about love. Love is its own reward; we can't bring it to others without splashing it on ourselves. 4/1/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Be sure your are in the Kings highway on the Kings business.
A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Is.40 ESV
Whenever I get that out of sync feeling it helps to take a personal bearing. Am I in the King's highway? Am I on the King's business? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then I am certainly under the King's protection and provision. Jesus asked people to seek first the Kingdom of God. I don't think He meant that we should seek God’s kingdom first and then attend to our own affairs. If there is a God, all affairs duly belong to Him. Our work, play, relationships, indeed everything is an opportunity to be about the King's business. It is the why behind the what and the what expressing the why. 3/31/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Whenever I get that out of sync feeling it helps to take a personal bearing. Am I in the King's highway? Am I on the King's business? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then I am certainly under the King's protection and provision. Jesus asked people to seek first the Kingdom of God. I don't think He meant that we should seek God’s kingdom first and then attend to our own affairs. If there is a God, all affairs duly belong to Him. Our work, play, relationships, indeed everything is an opportunity to be about the King's business. It is the why behind the what and the what expressing the why. 3/31/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Be sure your are in the Kings highway on the Kings business.
A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Is.40 ESV
Whenever I get that out of sync feeling it helps to take a personal bearing. Am I in the King's highway? Am I on the King's business? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then I am certainly under the King's protection and provision. Jesus asked people to seek first the Kingdom of God. I don't think He meant that we should seek God’s kingdom first and then attend to our own affairs. If there is a God, all affairs duly belong to Him. Our work, play, relationships, indeed everything is an opportunity to be about the King's business. It is the why behind the what and the what expressing the why. 3/31/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Whenever I get that out of sync feeling it helps to take a personal bearing. Am I in the King's highway? Am I on the King's business? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then I am certainly under the King's protection and provision. Jesus asked people to seek first the Kingdom of God. I don't think He meant that we should seek God’s kingdom first and then attend to our own affairs. If there is a God, all affairs duly belong to Him. Our work, play, relationships, indeed everything is an opportunity to be about the King's business. It is the why behind the what and the what expressing the why. 3/31/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Be where you are. Always attend to the One Thing!
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Lk.10 ESV
One thing that brings life into focus, at least for the disciple of Jesus, is to realize that there is always “one thing needed” in any and every circumstance and that is to know God's will and ask His help doing it. Jesus put it this way. “If you live in me and my words live in you, then ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.” In light of this, it really doesn't matter what is going on around you if His singular focus has captured your gaze and your prayers have stirred His heart. 3/30/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
One thing that brings life into focus, at least for the disciple of Jesus, is to realize that there is always “one thing needed” in any and every circumstance and that is to know God's will and ask His help doing it. Jesus put it this way. “If you live in me and my words live in you, then ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.” In light of this, it really doesn't matter what is going on around you if His singular focus has captured your gaze and your prayers have stirred His heart. 3/30/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Be where you are. Always attend to the One Thing!
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Lk.10 ESV
One thing that brings life into focus, at least for the disciple of Jesus, is to realize that there is always “one thing needed” in any and every circumstance and that is to know God's will and ask His help doing it. Jesus put it this way. “If you live in me and my words live in you, then ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.” In light of this, it really doesn't matter what is going on around you if His singular focus has captured your gaze and your prayers have stirred His heart. 3/30/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
One thing that brings life into focus, at least for the disciple of Jesus, is to realize that there is always “one thing needed” in any and every circumstance and that is to know God's will and ask His help doing it. Jesus put it this way. “If you live in me and my words live in you, then ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.” In light of this, it really doesn't matter what is going on around you if His singular focus has captured your gaze and your prayers have stirred His heart. 3/30/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Never feel sorry for yourself. Never!
“Always be clothed in white.” Ecc.9
One approach to stop feeling sorry for yourself is it to think of someone who has it a lot worse than you. I am not sure this is the best way of dealing with self pity, but it certainly does throw cold water on it. Then there is the guilt approach where you chide yourself for not being grateful for your many blessings. That one also helps, but there is, of course, a difference in feeling guilty because you haven't been grateful and actually living grateful. I suppose it takes time to become a grateful person, to naturally and spontaneously give thanks no matter what your circumstance. When the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us to “always be clothed in white,” he is saying that we should not only put off the shabby clothes of ingratitude but to aggressively, purposefully, and deliberately choose the party clothes of celebration. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (On the Road, Atlanta to Birmingham)
One approach to stop feeling sorry for yourself is it to think of someone who has it a lot worse than you. I am not sure this is the best way of dealing with self pity, but it certainly does throw cold water on it. Then there is the guilt approach where you chide yourself for not being grateful for your many blessings. That one also helps, but there is, of course, a difference in feeling guilty because you haven't been grateful and actually living grateful. I suppose it takes time to become a grateful person, to naturally and spontaneously give thanks no matter what your circumstance. When the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us to “always be clothed in white,” he is saying that we should not only put off the shabby clothes of ingratitude but to aggressively, purposefully, and deliberately choose the party clothes of celebration. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (On the Road, Atlanta to Birmingham)
Never feel sorry for yourself. Never!
“Always be clothed in white.” Ecc.9
One approach to stop feeling sorry for yourself is it to think of someone who has it a lot worse than you. I am not sure this is the best way of dealing with self pity, but it certainly does throw cold water on it. Then there is the guilt approach where you chide yourself for not being grateful for your many blessings. That one also helps, but there is, of course, a difference in feeling guilty because you haven't been grateful and actually living grateful. I suppose it takes time to become a grateful person, to naturally and spontaneously give thanks no matter what your circumstance. When the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us to “always be clothed in white,” he is saying that we should not only put off the shabby clothes of ingratitude but to aggressively, purposefully, and deliberately choose the party clothes of celebration. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (On the Road, Atlanta to Birmingham)
One approach to stop feeling sorry for yourself is it to think of someone who has it a lot worse than you. I am not sure this is the best way of dealing with self pity, but it certainly does throw cold water on it. Then there is the guilt approach where you chide yourself for not being grateful for your many blessings. That one also helps, but there is, of course, a difference in feeling guilty because you haven't been grateful and actually living grateful. I suppose it takes time to become a grateful person, to naturally and spontaneously give thanks no matter what your circumstance. When the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us to “always be clothed in white,” he is saying that we should not only put off the shabby clothes of ingratitude but to aggressively, purposefully, and deliberately choose the party clothes of celebration. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (On the Road, Atlanta to Birmingham)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Don't waste one moment fretting over things you cannot change.
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Jesus
In recent weeks I have had various medical tests to determine the cause of some unexplained pains in my chest. Since it is a family tradition to imagine the worst, I have been facing the frightening possibly, if only an imagined one, that I may be checking out before I want to. This has produced a number of anxious moments and a whole host of “what ifs.” After weeks of “not knowing” and still not knowing, I weary of worries stealing my joy. I guess my coping mechanism is to latch on to things the Spirit has been working in me in recent years. One is rather obvious and that is if the worst turns out to be true what can worry do to change it. The truth is that anxiety never accomplishes anything good and if allowed to run rampant can cause a great deal of harm. I am telling myself, sometimes several times a day, to not waste one moment fretting over things over which I have no control but which are certainly under the powerful management of someone who happens to be my very best Friend. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
In recent weeks I have had various medical tests to determine the cause of some unexplained pains in my chest. Since it is a family tradition to imagine the worst, I have been facing the frightening possibly, if only an imagined one, that I may be checking out before I want to. This has produced a number of anxious moments and a whole host of “what ifs.” After weeks of “not knowing” and still not knowing, I weary of worries stealing my joy. I guess my coping mechanism is to latch on to things the Spirit has been working in me in recent years. One is rather obvious and that is if the worst turns out to be true what can worry do to change it. The truth is that anxiety never accomplishes anything good and if allowed to run rampant can cause a great deal of harm. I am telling myself, sometimes several times a day, to not waste one moment fretting over things over which I have no control but which are certainly under the powerful management of someone who happens to be my very best Friend. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Don't waste one moment fretting over things you cannot change.
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Jesus
In recent weeks I have had various medical tests to determine the cause of some unexplained pains in my chest. Since it is a family tradition to imagine the worst, I have been facing the frightening possibly, if only an imagined one, that I may be checking out before I want to. This has produced a number of anxious moments and a whole host of “what ifs.” After weeks of “not knowing” and still not knowing, I weary of worries stealing my joy. I guess my coping mechanism is to latch on to things the Spirit has been working in me in recent years. One is rather obvious and that is if the worst turns out to be true what can worry do to change it. The truth is that anxiety never accomplishes anything good and if allowed to run rampant can cause a great deal of harm. I am telling myself, sometimes several times a day, to not waste one moment fretting over things over which I have no control but which are certainly under the powerful management of someone who happens to be my very best Friend. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
In recent weeks I have had various medical tests to determine the cause of some unexplained pains in my chest. Since it is a family tradition to imagine the worst, I have been facing the frightening possibly, if only an imagined one, that I may be checking out before I want to. This has produced a number of anxious moments and a whole host of “what ifs.” After weeks of “not knowing” and still not knowing, I weary of worries stealing my joy. I guess my coping mechanism is to latch on to things the Spirit has been working in me in recent years. One is rather obvious and that is if the worst turns out to be true what can worry do to change it. The truth is that anxiety never accomplishes anything good and if allowed to run rampant can cause a great deal of harm. I am telling myself, sometimes several times a day, to not waste one moment fretting over things over which I have no control but which are certainly under the powerful management of someone who happens to be my very best Friend. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
“The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.” David Russell
“What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1Jo.3 ESV
Faith demands that we decide any number of things. Very often we must reaffirm to our heart the truthfulness of a decision of faith and remind ourselves that it was the right decision. We are in our present life, a fickle folk. But once we are persuaded that something is worth believing, worth doing, we will often find it necessary to persuade ourselves to believe it again. Moments of doubt seem to shadow us on our spiritual journey into the light--at least when we look back. I suppose this will be the way of it until the whole of it is something more than just a belief, or something we do; it will be something we have become. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Faith demands that we decide any number of things. Very often we must reaffirm to our heart the truthfulness of a decision of faith and remind ourselves that it was the right decision. We are in our present life, a fickle folk. But once we are persuaded that something is worth believing, worth doing, we will often find it necessary to persuade ourselves to believe it again. Moments of doubt seem to shadow us on our spiritual journey into the light--at least when we look back. I suppose this will be the way of it until the whole of it is something more than just a belief, or something we do; it will be something we have become. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.” David Russell
“What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1Jo.3 ESV
Faith demands that we decide any number of things. Very often we must reaffirm to our heart the truthfulness of a decision of faith and remind ourselves that it was the right decision. We are in our present life, a fickle folk. But once we are persuaded that something is worth believing, worth doing, we will often find it necessary to persuade ourselves to believe it again. Moments of doubt seem to shadow us on our spiritual journey into the light--at least when we look back. I suppose this will be the way of it until the whole of it is something more than just a belief, or something we do; it will be something we have become. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Faith demands that we decide any number of things. Very often we must reaffirm to our heart the truthfulness of a decision of faith and remind ourselves that it was the right decision. We are in our present life, a fickle folk. But once we are persuaded that something is worth believing, worth doing, we will often find it necessary to persuade ourselves to believe it again. Moments of doubt seem to shadow us on our spiritual journey into the light--at least when we look back. I suppose this will be the way of it until the whole of it is something more than just a belief, or something we do; it will be something we have become. 3/27/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
Friday, April 1, 2011
“When one bases his life on principle, 99 percent of his decisions are already made.” Author Unknown
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ps.119 ESV
The Bible is certainly a valuable resource for for people who want to live by principle. But to trust in the Spirit that Jesus sends to live in us is even better. Why? It is the Spirit who interprets and applies the Scriptures to life. After all, who better to tell us what the Scriptures mean and how to live by them than the Person who wrote them. Christians do not worship a book but the Author of the book. This is why we see Jesus rebuking the religious leaders of His day for their legalistic applications of the Bible. We need more than a book to guide our decisions, we need a living dynamic relationship with the Spirit of Jesus. He speaks through the Book of course but He is not the Book any more than He is paper and ink. We do well to remember that Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus. How do we know when the Spirit is speaking? He told us how; in the Book. 3/26/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
The Bible is certainly a valuable resource for for people who want to live by principle. But to trust in the Spirit that Jesus sends to live in us is even better. Why? It is the Spirit who interprets and applies the Scriptures to life. After all, who better to tell us what the Scriptures mean and how to live by them than the Person who wrote them. Christians do not worship a book but the Author of the book. This is why we see Jesus rebuking the religious leaders of His day for their legalistic applications of the Bible. We need more than a book to guide our decisions, we need a living dynamic relationship with the Spirit of Jesus. He speaks through the Book of course but He is not the Book any more than He is paper and ink. We do well to remember that Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus. How do we know when the Spirit is speaking? He told us how; in the Book. 3/26/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
“When one bases his life on principle, 99 percent of his decisions are already made.” Author Unknown
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ps.119 ESV
The Bible is certainly a valuable resource for for people who want to live by principle. But to trust in the Spirit that Jesus sends to live in us is even better. Why? It is the Spirit who interprets and applies the Scriptures to life. After all, who better to tell us what the Scriptures mean and how to live by them than the Person who wrote them. Christians do not worship a book but the Author of the book. This is why we see Jesus rebuking the religious leaders of His day for their legalistic applications of the Bible. We need more than a book to guide our decisions, we need a living dynamic relationship with the Spirit of Jesus. He speaks through the Book of course but He is not the Book any more than He is paper and ink. We do well to remember that Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus. How do we know when the Spirit is speaking? He told us how; in the Book. 3/26/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
The Bible is certainly a valuable resource for for people who want to live by principle. But to trust in the Spirit that Jesus sends to live in us is even better. Why? It is the Spirit who interprets and applies the Scriptures to life. After all, who better to tell us what the Scriptures mean and how to live by them than the Person who wrote them. Christians do not worship a book but the Author of the book. This is why we see Jesus rebuking the religious leaders of His day for their legalistic applications of the Bible. We need more than a book to guide our decisions, we need a living dynamic relationship with the Spirit of Jesus. He speaks through the Book of course but He is not the Book any more than He is paper and ink. We do well to remember that Satan quoted the Bible to Jesus. How do we know when the Spirit is speaking? He told us how; in the Book. 3/26/2011 Conversations Within ts (Oak Mountain, AL)
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