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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“In the Year of our Lord…”

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

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