“Whatever you believe, be open to being wrong.” Peter Rollins

I usually do not have a problem admitting when I am wrong. My problem is that many times I don’t know that I am. When this happens, it is someone else pointing it out to me, and often it is the Holy Spirit. It seems wise to be receptive not only to the possibility that we have a skewed view of things, but also to open to others helping us see it. This requires some good ole fashioned humility. Keep it close.

“A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Prov. 21.2 Conversations Within” ts 6/24/2020

“Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she began to fly.” Unknown

Who does not marvel when a worm is made into winged beauty! Like the butterfly, our own transformation begins when we lay aside old patterns and take up new ones. The way we think, act and feel is influenced by what we center our lives around. Jesus has told us that His words are the power of dynamic change from all that is death to all that is life.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Rom.12.2 Conversations Within” ts 6/23/2020

“We are what our thoughts have made us.” Swami Vivekanada

Consider the value of rejecting thoughts that we do not wish to define us and adopting ones we do. I often find myself struggling to push away healthy thoughts. Negative thoughts will make me a negative person. Positive thoughts can transform us all into a positive person. This is one very reason to invite Christ into one’s life. He introduces us to new ways of thinking. His presence in us is the single greatest positive influence one can have. 

“For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Prov.23.7 Conversations Within” ts 6/22/2020

“How little people know who think holiness dull. When one meets the real thing…it is irresistible.” C. S. Lewis

When a bride gives herself wholly to her husband, and likewise the husband wholly to his wife, we are given a glimpse of what it means to be holy to God. The word holy and the word wholly not only sound alike, they compliment their meaning. To be holy is to be beautifully and wholly devoted to God.

“Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Lev.19.2  Jesus Conversations Within” ts 5/23/2020

“Beauty is the radiance of your soul.” Asad Meah

My brother once told me that there is nothing like a flower in bloom. This was his way of telling me that I was where I was supposed to be, doing what I was created to do. He probably didn’t think about it, but he was a flower in bloom while he was encouraging me. We all flower when we create beauty in the world. Bring beauty to others, and be beautiful yourself.

"Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.” Rev.15 Conversations Within” ts 6/18/2020

“Create beauty with every day you are given.” Unknown

Herein lies the beautiful life. Be the giver not a taker. Contribute to the world, not consume it. Be an encourager, not a critic. Leave people and places better than you find them. Bring beauty to the world and brighten the path of everything good, right, and true.

“How beautiful the feet of those who bring good news.” Is.52.7 Conversations Within” ts 6/17/2020

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enrich the world.” Woodrow Wilson.

I never underestimate the power of music!” I am in awe of those who make it, and give this precious expression of the human soul to our world. Music can lift us up to the heights of spiritual life. Oh the sweet sweet song! Rise every morning with it, and fill the world with a melody of praise and celebration. How blessed is our generation to have the gift of music always at our fingertips.

“...speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord…” Eph.5.19 Conversations Within” ts 6/16/2020

Do I really need to say this?

I have asked the Spirit of Christ to edit what I say before I say it. As a result, I often feel Him putting a gentle hand on my shoulder to remind me if what I am about to say is necessary. I am amazed at how much I want to say that has little or no value, and that actually contributes nothing good to a conversation.

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” Prov.10.19 Conversations Within” ts 6/15/2020

Lord, edit me before I publish.

I often use the convenience of talk to text. Experience has taught me to proofread my communications before I hit the send button. When I don’t, I often find myself sending a second text that starts out, “That was supposed to say…” The retraction can be embarrassing.  The truth is that we probably ought to edit every communication before we hit the “send button” of opening our mouth. It is not only what we say, but what people hear that measures what our communication communicates.

"Be quick to her and slow to speak." James 1.19 Conversations Within” ts 6/14/2020

Not looking around the next corner, not the next hill. Here now. That’s enough.” Shadowlands (The Movie)

I love going places, especially new ones. The problem is that when I get there, there is always somewhere else to go. If I am not careful, I'm always on a mission to get to wherever I’m going. Exploration, and adventure have an important place in my life, but there is another wonderful skill to learn, and that is simply to cop a squat right where you are, and be there. 

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He restores my soul.” Ps. 23 Conversations Within” ts 6/13/2020

“If you are always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in.” Zig Ziglar

Be fully and completely present. When you go somewhere, don’t miss out on the opportunities of life before you get there. When you pull into a parking lot to go buy groceries, don’t miss the opportunity to smile at someone on the way into the store, and don't miss the beauty of the clouds above, or the sound of birds singing around you. Do not fall into the trap of always going somewhere and never being where you are. 

“I am.” (God speaking to Moses)  Conversations Within” ts 6/12/2020

"Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast." William Shakespeare

We are told in the Scriptures that God is slow to anger and that we are wise to follow His example. There are a number of occasions where it is wise to be slow. Benjamin Franklin said be slow choosing a friend and even slower leaving one. Moving slow gives us time to consider if our words and actions are wise. Slow down!

"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city." Prov.16:32 Conversations Within” ts 6/11/2020

“Slow but steady wins the race.” Aesop

 We can accomplish more with patience than pride. Pride can get in the way of many things. Pride tends to be demanding--”I want what I want, and I want it now.” Patience is never demanding. Patience says, “I know what I want and I am willing to wait for it.” Powerful movements are often slow. The acorn slowly becomes the mighty oak. Water and wind slowly carve a canyon, and the child slowly becomes the mature man or woman. 

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” Ecc. 7.8 Conversations Within” ts 6/10/2020

“Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off.” Unknown

Preparation is necessary for most things. The preparation before a trip, or event can determine its success or failure. On the whole is wise to prepare, and wise to think it through. Don’t rush it. Find pleasure in the preparation, not just the things you are preparing for. 

“Be prepared, and prepare yourself…” Ezek.38.7 Conversations Within” ts 6/9/2020

“Success is not a destination, it's a journey.” Zig Ziglar

Patience teaches us how to embrace the process, not just the product produced by it. I find this a real challenge anytime I am required to take a detour, or deal with some delay, or overcome some obstacle. All require patience if we are to experience joy in the journey. I find that patience itself has a satisfying taste to it. It forces me to smile and give myself to what I am doing, not where I am going. I would never have guessed that I could learn to enjoy fixing a broken something, before I could use it to do something else.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds...." James 1.2 Conversations Within” ts 6/8/2020

Most, if not all difficulties, are resolved when God adds His grace to the passage of time. Patience knows this.

When the Good Book says that love is patient, the writer did not use a word that describes being patient in trying circumstances but with trying people. Love is willing to put up with a great deal when it puts one in a position to benefit someone you love.

“Love is patient.” 1Cor.13 Conversations Within” ts 6/6/2020

Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it” – Mark Twain

Showing kindness in the face of hostility is the aroma of Christian love. In the first century, those who chose to express love, even when persecuted, were called followers of “The Way.” The “Way” of Christ is the way of love. It is in this “Way” that the blessings of God flourish and follo

w us. Become a follower of the Way.

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” 1Pet.3.9 Conversations Within” ts 6/5/2020 

“Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!” Hymn

I think that one attitude and action of Heaven is simply to accept God’s invitation to live in the joy of the present moment, in other words, to embrace the life before you right now. We do not necessarily have to leave Earth in order to embrace Heaven. Let the joy of Heaven come down and fill your soul right now, this very moment. 

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Phil3.20 NIV Conversations Within” ts 5/26/2020

”Almost Heaven” John Denver

We sometimes describe a place here on earth as “almost Heaven.” I know that when I do this is because some experience that I am having now touches what I know Heaven will be later. Heaven is as much an attitude of the heart as it is our future home. Gratitude expresses it, because underneath every heavenly attitude is the simple desire for all things that please God. You can always smell love in these places.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him.” 1Cor.2.9 Conversations Within” ts 5/25/2020

“Coming home to a place I have never been before.” John Denver

I know when I die I will go to a place I have never seen but still. I remember as a young budding Christian that my new vision of Heaven may have been simple, but it became a powerful motivator for how I wanted to live my life. I answered to call to live for something more than working so I could retire for a few good years. Anything that I could store up here pales by comparison to the lasting joys that can be had in Heaven.  Jesus didn’t tell us not to store up treasure; He told us where we should do so.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Jesus Conversations Within” ts 5/24/2020

”We all live, then we all die, and sooner than we expect or prefer.” Unknown

When I hear that some celebrity that I admire has unexpectedly died, a powerful sense of loss comes over me. I think, “Aww man, they’re gone and gone too soon!” I am actually surprised that these emotions can last for days, even weeks, and for someone I really don’t know. I wonder if my attachments to life  are not as strong as my longings for the next. Or are they? The simple truth is I love life and love it so much I want to do it forever.  Jesus promises that I will. Lord help me to see death not as loss but as gain.

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil.1.21 Conversations Within” ts 5/23/2020

“Act justly! Love mercy! Walk humbly!”

Every expression of justice should be tempered with mercy. Every expression of mercy should not ignore setting things right. Humility is the glue that holds these two precious expressions in balance and satisfies the demands of both. Seek to right what is wrong, but always seek it in the right way which is to say seek it mercifully and humbly. 

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6 Conversations Within” ts 6/4/2020

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” Martin Luther King

Anytime we seek justice, we can seek it in a manner that is good and right for all parties involved. Revenge hardly measures up to a justice that seeks what is best for the oppressor as well as the oppressed. We do not serve the oppressed by fueling the fire of hatred against those who would oppress them, but by showing them the Christlike power of love that overcomes it. 

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression…”  Is.1.17 Conversations Within” ts 6/3/2020

Unforgivable? I truly hope not!

I recently saw one comment about the horrible injustice reported in the news that pointedly said, “Unforgivable!” My first thought was, “I hope not.” The reason is simple. I want and need God’s forgiveness for my own transgressions. I am grateful that we have a God who freely offers forgiveness anytime someone repents. When I witness all the terrible things done in this world, my prayer is not for “fire to fall from Heaven” but for kindness to lead people to repent of their sins. 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 6/2/2020 Conversations Within” ts 6/2/2020 

Am I really a peacemaker?

The peace that Christ desires is fought for and found  first on the battlefield of our own heart. Every single prejudice must be conquered, even prejudice against the prejudiced. Love everyone without distinction. Remind me again Lord, that everyone is every single one! When I cry for justice let me take care that I am ready for it in my own life. Am I ready to love even my enemies, especially my enemies. 

“But I tell you, love your enemies....that you may be children of your Father in heaven... If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 6/1/2020

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” C. S. Lewis

 I can understand why people question the relevance of a Christian faith that speaks only of Heaven and the afterlife. I think most people are concerned about life in the here and now and want a faith that addresses everyday matters. But there does not need to be friction between a faith that focuses on both, especially when our vision and hope  of Heaven inspires us to bring it to earth in all our daily interactions.

“Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Jesus Conversations Within” ts 5/23/2020