“It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” Mark Twain

How can we learn anything if we are not presented with a different point of view. The Bible, at the very least offers us that. God’s word challenges us to rethink some of the things we think. Every good parent corrects their children. Surely a wise God will also do so when we need it. I am learning not only that I need correction, but also to value it. When you think about it, why would anyone resent being told what is right when they are doing wrong.  

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2Tim.3.16 “Conversations Within” ts 7/24/2017

“If at first you don't succeed try reading the instructions.” Meme

I believe we need the Bible to make sense out of the many things we see in the world, even to understand what we see in ourselves. But surely we need the living Christ, and the Spirit He sends to live in us, to make sense out of what we read in the Bible. In our hands the Bible can be made to say just about anything we want it to. In His hands the Scriptures are a light on the path.

“The unfolding of your words gives light.” Ps.119.130 ESV “Conversations Within” ts 7/23/2017

“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.” William Yeats

Live a life of love and love the person in front of you. Kindness has the magic to instantly turn a stranger into a friend. You never know when a kind act will bring a stranger into the cherished circle of your closest friends. Every deep friendship began when two strangers met and took an interest in each other.

“The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.” Lev.19.34 Conversations Within” ts 7/22/2017

“Find your tribe, love them hard.” Unknown

I think the best way to find your tribe is to help create it. Be the kind of person that you would want to hang with. Create loyalty by being loyal. If you want friends who will go out of their way to love and serve you, then be willing to go out of your way to love and serve them. Treat friends like family and family like friends. I can think of few things in life that can surpass the beauty, simplicity, and value of a small band of true friends--individuals who play together, and pray together. Here is church in its purest form.

“Upon this rock I will build my church.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 7/19/2017

“Your vibe attracts your tribe.” Meme

Critical and judgmental people usually hang together, so too the kind and considerate. Choosing a tribe is an important decision in life. Surely helping to shape the character of your tribe is no less important. We all have tendencies to be critical at times. Don’t throw negative wood on the tribal fire. Stoke the tribal fire with kindness and encouragement. Our attitudes and actions rub off on others. What kind of tribe am I helping to create?  

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Prov.13.20 Conversations Within” ts 7/19/2017

“I am the captain, you are my crew. Without me you are nothing. Without you, I am nothing.” Harrison Ford (K19--the movie)

We are told to never think too highly of ourselves and not to overestimate our importance. It would also be wise to not underestimate ourselves. It is good to know our place in the tribe. Every person has value and is uniquely gifted to contribute to the whole. In short, we need each other. Always think in terms of teamwork, community, tribe, or church. What cannot be done alone can be accomplished together. What can I contribute today for the good of the whole?

“I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Conversations Within” ts 7/19/2017

”Church is who we are not where we go.” Meme

Jesus is the glue that binds His people together in a community of love and caring. Our love for Him is reflected in our love for one another. Our love for one another is also an expression of our love to Him. This is the church Christ came to create. People loving people, caring for people, not buildings of brick and mortar with stained glass windows.  

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 7/18/2017

So many have helped each of us achieve even the smallest accomplishments that no one can claim sole credit of what is clearly a community effort.

I am a product of the combined efforts of so many people. My life is joined to others. I belong. Why would I not want to give back to my tribe--not only to the very people who helped me, many of them have already passed, but to others who share the same human experience as I. I depend on others. I want them to know that they in turn can depend on me.  

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Rom.12.5 Conversations Within” ts 7/17/2017

“I hate it when people see me at the supermarket and they're like 'Hey, what are you doing here?' I tell them 'You know... hunting elephants.’” Meme

I think one mark of a caring person is that they take a genuine interest in others. One of the ways you can tell is because they are not in a hurry when they talk to you, and sincerely listen when they ask you questions about your life. When they want to know how you are doing, you get the impression that they really want to know--none of the normal cliches or elevator talk will do. And, they not only listen, if there is something they can do to help, you have not only their ear, but their time.

“For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Phil.2.20 Conversations Within” ts 7/14/2017

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." - Margaret Mead

Caring can change the world, Sadly, not caring can change it too--in a bad way. Someone has said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." All positive change comes from the actions of caring people. Caring is more than feeling concern, it is looking after, nurturing, showing kindness. A caring person is an attentive person, always on the lookout for ways to improve the lives of others.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 7/12/2017

“The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” Kurek Ashley

There is a place in the Scriptures which tells us that God loves an hilarious giver--one who gives with wild abandon, in others words, in the extreme. Joyfully pile on your expressions of love! Give generously--not just with things like money, but in every way that benefits others. Express your care without reservation.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 7/13/2017

Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies. - Elie Wiesel

An uncaring attitude can choke out the fruitfulness of life’s many gardens. All you need to do to destroy the garden of your marriage, your health, indeed your very soul, is nothing! The garden of our soul is easily overrun with the weeds of indifference. Gardens require effort and tender care; the soul no less. Spiritual growth is something you do on purpose. We may need to take care of areas of life for which we have no care or concern. For instance, how is my prayer life?

“...for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” Mk.6.52 Conversations Within” ts 7/11/2017

“It hurts when the person who can make you feel better is also the person who made you cry.” Meme

Caring can hurt, so it makes perfect sense to prepare ourselves for dealing with pain. Why would anybody want to do that we ask? Well, one reason is that love also has its rewards and two, what is life without love? Because of these things, love puts up with a lot. There may be feelings which help us patiently endure whatever is needed, but often our feelings are the very thing we must endure in order to love people.

“Love endures all things.” 1Cor.13 Conversations Within” ts 7/10/2017

We may think that the worst enemy of love is hate when it may very well be apathy instead.

Love cares. It takes a sincere interest in others. Apathy, on the other hand, doesn’t care. Apathetic people are sincerely disinterested. They have unplugged not only their emotions, but also any involved action. The heart governed by love not only feels concern about the welfare of others, it moves us to be involved in their well being. Do not let apathy keep you on the sidelines of a fruitful life. Get in the game.

“Live a life of love.” Eph.5.2 Conversations Within” ts 7/8/2017

“JOY-J esus, O thers, Y ou!” Meme

Three simple rules for a wonderful life. “Love God. Love others. Love yourself.” And, do them in that order. Actually keeping the order straight is one of the best ways we can love ourselves. Measure every thought, every word, every action with the question, “How am I expressing love by thinking this, saying this, doing this?”

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" Jesus Conversations Within” ts 7/7/2017

“Don’t worry! Be happy!” Bobby McFerrin

We may be tempted to say, “I wish it was that easy.” I mean, wouldn’t it be great if we could just turn off feelings of worry and turn on feeling happy. Well, the truth is that our feelings generally  follow our focus. If we focus on our fears, we worry. If we focus on something like God’s love for us, we feel happy and secure. How quick can we change our focus? Control your focus, and we control our feelings. What has your focus right now?

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Is.26.3 Conversations Within” ts 7/6/2017

“Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived.” Eleanor Roosevelt

If I understand God’s word, He tells us that happiness is not so much a pursuit as it is the result of several things. The blessed person is said to be happy. The upright person is said to be happy. The satisfied person is said to be happy. In short, happiness grows in us when God is pleased with our attitudes and actions. To look at it another way; the right attitude and the right actions are like seeds, and when watered with God blessings, happiness is the fruit.

“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.“ Ps.97.11 Conversations Within” ts 7/5/2017

“Love is not possessiveness; many people think that’s what love is: you possess somebody totally. To possess somebody is to destroy all possibility of love.” Osho

I love my wife and can honestly say that I want her by my side all of the time. I cannot stand to be away from her. Now as it turns out, this is not a healthy thing. I am learning to give her the space she needs to be her own person. I am discovering (it has taken me a while) that when I support my wife’s interest in other things beside spending time with me, she comes back a more interesting person and our own sharing can be made richer because of it. If love is to flourish, it must be free.

“Love is not possessive.” 1Cor.13 Conversations Within” ts 7/4/2017

“The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you.” Meme

Be happy for others and you will never know the misery of envy. Make others happy and you will always know the joys of love. I have never seen someone caught up in the joy of loving others who made a habit of feeling sorry for themselves. Love frees us from the shackles of self-centered living where we can breathe the fresh air of meaningful relationships.

“The greatest of these is love.” 1Cor.13 Conversations Within” ts 7/3/2017

“The surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Give happiness to others and we get happiness in return. We also don’t want to miss the opportunity to be happy for others, and rejoice in their celebrations and successes. When we find joy in the joy of another, our own joy is doubled, as is theirs. What a wonderful opportunity it is to give thanks not only for our own blessing, but every time we see God blessing someone else. If I miss having a great day, I can at least be happy for friends who had one. That way we never really miss out on the joy of a great day.  

“Give and it will be given unto you.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 7/2/2017

”The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” Ernest Hemingway

There are times when the greatest competition for my trust is learning to question my own understanding in favor of what the Spirit of God is telling me. Sometimes my understanding gets in the way. For instance, His Spirit tells me I will be happier if I put others first. He’s right, of course. The “proof has been in the pudding,” as they say, or on the other side of my decision to do as He suggests.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding…” Prov. 3.5 Conversations Within” ts 7/1/2017

“Nothing will be impossible for you.” Jesus

What is Jesus saying here? I believe it is a mistake to think that God can do anything when His Word makes it very clear that He cannot--He cannot lie or be something He is not. God can do all that is consistent with who He is, and God is good. To say that nothing is impossible for those who live by faith also carries with it this same consistency of goodness. Nothing good is impossible when we are joined to God and act according to His purposes. Why would we ever doubt that God will not honor any expression of faith that lays hold of His goodness?

“No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Ps.84.11 Conversations Within” ts 6/30/2017

“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take a step.” Naeem Callaway

Sometimes the only thing missing where accomplishment is concerned is a simple step of faith. The greatest feat can be accomplished by a single step of faith. And, faith is always a step of one kind or another. Faith must be expressed if it is to accomplish anything.  How does God want you to express faith in Him today? How will we use the gift of faith to accomplish something of value this day?

“Nothing will be impossible for you.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 6/29/2017

“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” Elisabeth Elliot

What does my faith in God look like? I am constantly interacting with Him--we talk all day. I pray for others, I compliment Him on the beauty that surrounds me each day. He corrects my faulty thinking and encourages me when I do something well. I put matters that are outside my control into His hands. He answers both my questions and my prayers, maybe not as I would want, but always in keeping with what is best. I am not one to look for miracles. His ordinary activities amaze me enough. Maybe I should look for miracles. He did say, You have not because you ask not.”

"Have faith in God.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 6/28/2017

“Better to have a small faith in a great God than to have great faith in a small god.” Stephen Lawson

It is not a powerful faith but a powerful God that moves mountains. Even the smallest  expression of trust in Him can move Him to act on our behalf. A thought simply cast in His direction is enough to move His hand when a simple faith expresses it. After all a child does not need to persuade or convince its mother to give it love. The softest sound will call a loving mother to the aid of her child.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 6/27/2017

“Your faith can move mountains, and your doubt can create them.” Unknown

I have witnessed God move mountains of the metaphorical kind. These mountains are just as real, probably more so, for most of us encounter more of them than we do mountains of rock and ice. We live surrounded by the mountain ranges of our many addictions--not just to things like substance abuse, but habits of worry, lust, anger and ingratitude. What mountain am I facing this day? Often the first mountain that needs moving is our doubt. The key to removing doubt is to express faith just as the the key to being stationary to simply to move.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 6/26/2017