Neatly-Packaged Components of life:
Have you ever notices how many of the “once thought of as important” things of life have been (seemingly) all figured out. All you have to do is do things the way that has already been planned out by other people. For instance;
Over my 65 years I have heard many fancy speakers who said nice sounding words.
People can say nice sounding or flattering words. However, watch their actions, see what they have done. See if their track record lines up with the words that they speak.
As I look around me and look on the Internet I see many labels by which people call themselves. "I am a Christian." "I am a ex-Christian", ,"I am a non-Christian", "I am a Baptist.", "I am a Budhist." and so on.
As I look at all this, I ask myself, "What am I?"
I was listening to the radio and, as part of his sermon, i heard this today:
"When I say I love you, my commitment to you is, "I will not get upset or irritated (not even a little bit) by anything that you do or say."
You can't control your initial emotions.
It begins with self talk, "It's OK, It's OK, It won't matter, I won't remember this next year."
Dee Duke, Jefferson Baptist"
In Ancient times very few people could read or write. To share information people could talk to others one by one. While that is often the best way, it takes a long time to tell anyone about the news or message. The other way to share information or messages more quickly was to get everyone together and have a speaker get up in front and tell everyone what needed to be told. That was the best method during that time in history. But, since the advent of the printing press, then later newspapers, radio, television, and now the Internet, the methods of sharing information has exploded.
There seems to be a way of thinking nowadays that thinks that we are to ask God for help by closing our eyes and speaking to God, either silently or out loud. Then ask God in our mind or with our voice for help. Some people may "pray" in this way for days, weeks, months, or many years, often with no affect.
We just got back from camping this weekend. We have a friend who we've known from church for about 7 or 8 years. Last weekend he had made his 12 acres available to the church for a camping weekend. Previous to the weekend he had spend countless hours mowing fields (to be used for parking and camping) pruning back many trails, hauling tables and chairs from the church, setting up a volleyball court and other games. However, it turned out that there were other church events happening during this same weekend.
It seems that whenever I decide to develop a character trait in me that God brings a lot of circumstances into my life to test my resolve and to make it real in me. For instance, the latest principle is to do everything without grumbling and complaining . But how does one do that? So I have just been trying to refrain from grumbling but I still feel the grumblies within me .
You never know where life is going to lead, or where the events of any day may take you. Great blessings often come out of seeming tragedies. Live each moment with integrety and honor (without grumbling and complaining) there are blessings waiting for you at any moment. I have an unusual story to tell.
Our teenage son really wants to play football. He'd like to (hopefully) play football during the last 2 years of high school so that he might be able to go to college on a football scholarship.
My wife and I have been opposed to the idea. Over the past few weeks I
The thought seemed to come to me is can we trust God? Our son seems to be bent in a different way than we would like him to go. He goes out to play football with this friends any chance that he gets.
As I was out riding my bike yesterday afternoon
Earlier in my life, I went through 12 years of counseling (which ended in 2006). During that time I was a part of several groups where we really got real with one another. They were not Bible Studies (I've had my fill of those), but rather they were groups where we shared our deepest pains and failings. We supported and encouraged one another. Ever since I left counseling (and the last group ended) I have desired to find another such group. I have been part of a men's Bible study group that lasted for about 2 years, but that didn't meet the need to be real.
