I have continually stressed this point to all my children, friends, young people I meet, etc. I tell them that money is not important if you are unhappy. I tell them that if they do something that they love doing, they will never work a day of their lives. I have also told many would-be musicians, "If you want to be a star, go out into the middle of the desert or wilderness at night away from all the light pollution. Find a lonely spot. Lay on your back and look up that the stars. Find one you like and say, "That one is going to be me!" All the others are also stars in a competitive sky. Those are your chances of being a star in the music business. If that doesn't float your boat, just be happy to play whenever you can because you love it, even for free. Of course, if you want to be a leader, take this advice.
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." Mk 10:43 NIV QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF (2) Two more questions you should constantly ask yourself are: (1) Am I willing to serve others? You say you want to be a leader? Why? Until you answer that question with the right motives, God won't promote you. Sometimes we just want to be in control. Other times we don't want to pay the price for success. We just want the perks that come with it: a comer office, a higher salary, a respected title, and the admiration of others. Jesus said, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." Leadership puts you in a position to take care of your own needs first" "to set yourself up"”before helping others. That's always a temptation, and it's always wrong! You must genuinely care about people and help them to reach their potential. When you do that you're honoring God, and He will honor you. (2) Am I doing what I'm called to do? "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." (Ro 12:6 NIV). Samuel Johnson said, "Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess . . .and gain applause which he cannot keep." If you're harboring a mental image of the qualities talented people are supposed to have and you don't possess, you'll have a hard time finding your true strengths. Henry Ford remarked, "The question,"˜Who ought to be the boss? is like asking, Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?" Obviously, the man who can sing tenor." To succeed in life, you must know what God gifted you to do. © 2014 Celebration Inc.
“Be very careful, then, how you live.†Eph 5:15 NIV QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF (3) Three more questions you should ask yourself are: (1) Am I making the most of today? “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.†(vv. 15-16 NIV). Only by focusing on what’s required of you today can you prepare for tomorrow. If you don’t do the right things today, tomorrow will be spent fixing today’s mistakes. You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. Only by asking yourself, “Am I making the most of today?†will you be able to keep yourself on course, and make a course correction when you’re not. (2) Am I taking time to think? One of the wisest things you can do is take time to think. This is especially important if you’re action-oriented and goal-oriented. We like to feel we’re making progress, moving ahead, and getting things done. But in order to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, you must take time to evaluate what you’re doing. Are you? (3) Is my life pleasing to God? Enoch is remembered by these words: “He. . .pleased God.†(Heb 11:5 NIV). What a testimony! Jesus said, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Mk 8:36 NKJV). Regardless of what you accomplish, your supreme goal should be to please God. And to do that, you must spend time with Him in prayer and reading the Scriptures. In prayer you talk to God, and through the Scriptures He talks to you. That’s a winning combination that never fails! © 2014 Celebration Inc.
“He will empower you with inner strength.†Eph 3:16 NLT THE GRACE TO HANDLE IT For fifteen years Dr. Robert Schuller’s secretary Lois battled cancer, and for every one of them she served God faithfully. Schuller writes: “I don’t think I ever met anyone more courageous. Some days she was so ill. . .getting out of bed took all the strength she had! She’d deliberately fall out of bed, walk on her hands and knees to the bathroom, reach for the sink and pull herself up. She’d force herself to get dressed, stumble into the kitchen, drink some water, eat a dry piece of toast, search for her purse, and walk to the door. Perspiration pouring off her forehead, she’d look at her husband and say, ‘Well, Ralph, I think I can make it now. Then she’d get into her car and drive to church. She was always there before me, and when I arrived with my usual greeting, ‘Good morning, how are you?’ she’d always smile and say, ‘Great!’ I never knew until after her funeral what she went through. . .Only God can give you that kind of courage.†The Bible says, “From his. . .unlimited resources [God] will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.†There are many ways to say it, but none more eloquent than the hymnist Annie Johnson Flint, who put it like this: “When we have exhausted our store of endurance; when our strength has failed ere the day is half-done; When we reach the end of our hoarded resources our Father’s full giving has only begun. His love has no limit. . .His grace has no measure. . .His power no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.†© 2014 Celebration Inc.
The resiliency of humanity never ceases to amaze me . I have read extensively on a few "womans" abuse forums and sites and wonder how any survive with their hearts still able to dive into deep compassion for others ..(having tried twice at the age of fifteen to end life) where one prefers "death" to "life" . One can truly see that God has set before us life and death , therefore choose life which she strove for ..I can't tell you how long it took for me to understand the meaning of men prefer the ways of death and how so evidently it has/is the "traditional way of death" not life that has encompassed the pursuits of the world . In the last few years of considerations of the paths of humanity we "use death" as the means of nearly all problem resolutions ..the impact of the realization that men use the ways of death hit me pretty hard as it's habits are how we in the world are taught .. I've also had extensive discussions with those undergoing trials and I have found this to be consistently true . 1 Corinthians 10:13 (GNT) 13 Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out. I remember telling a friend after her story that I would have never been able to bear up under what she went through, but she said the same things in reverse ...The "Chicken Soup for the Souls" books demonstrate so fully in their stories the amazing ability God has designed humanity in it's origins ...and enlivens them when one chooses "Life" as far too precious to "give up on" ...
I am amazed too, at the manner in which people endure trials and the strength they show. Have seen examples of this both within in my family and outside the family. In one case, a person was dealing with a serious illness. Whenever visitors came to comfort and encourage them, by the end of the visit the person who was ill, would end up comforting and encouraging the visitors.
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.†Col 3:2 NIV FOCUS ON WHAT IS “ABOVE†Today we’re big on the concept of instant gratification and acquiring more stuff. But “earthly things†lose their appeal once the bill arrives and the interest on your credit cards starts piling up. When that happens, blessings can turn into curses and rob you of the joy of living. One pastor says: “Materialism doesn’t satisfy because it’s tyrannical, and human beings were born to be free. . .We find we don’t own the house—the house owns us. We’re married to a mortgage. We become slaves to gadgets and garments. After they’re purchased, delivered and installed, we enjoy a fleeting sense of pleasure, but they still dominate, dictate and demand, ‘Press me, polish me, patch me, paint me, prune me, plaster me!’ We spend our best years and the bulk of our money working for ‘things,’ until. . .we’ve no time left to pursue life’s really enjoyable avocations: visiting friends, having fun, and going to church. . .no time to do good deeds, see places, or visit the people who give us the greatest inner joy. Paul says, ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain.’ (1 TI 6:6 NIV). And to experience that contentment you need to count your blessings every day and thank the One who made them all possible.†Jon Walker writes: “Assume there’s an imaginary line dividing what you can see from what you can’t see—the temporal from the eternal. Our objective-in-Jesus is to look upon the things ‘above,’ so we can understand that what we see and feel is not a full and accurate measurement of God’s reality. . .people are eternal beings, and decisions that seem insignificant now, when seen in the fullness of reality, are of eternal significance.†© 2014 Celebration Inc.
“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word.†1 Pe 22 NKJV A HUNGER FOR GOD’S WORD How does a newborn baby desire milk? With an intensity you can’t imagine unless you’ve heard the midnight cry! The fact that you’ve worked hard all day and are tired, or that you fed the baby just an hour earlier, doesn’t matter. An infant’s agenda is about as focused and uncluttered as you can get. He or she wants to eat—right now! When was the last time your spiritual stomach growled so much at midnight that you just had to get up and feed your soul on God’s Word? Here’s how Peter addressed the issue: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.†(vv.1-3 NKJV). Note the words “if. . .you have tasted.†When you’ve tasted the real thing you can’t get by on junk food. Your spiritual taste buds won’t let you. Note, not only can you not ignore a baby’s hunger, you can’t fool their sense of taste. When you start mixing stuff into their formula that wasn’t meant to be there, their taste buds and stomach will reject it. Ever hear the phrase “projectile vomiting� Junk food is designed to fill a need with a quick fix that may carry you for a while, but it doesn’t provide any real nourishment. And you can tell when you’re spiritually malnourished and underdeveloped. Peter says the symptoms are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. So open your Bible today and pray, “Lord, give me a hunger for Your Word.†© 2014 Celebration Inc.
“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word.†1 Pe 22 NKJV A HUNGER FOR GOD’S WORD How does a newborn baby desire milk? With an intensity you can’t imagine unless you’ve heard the midnight cry! The fact that you’ve worked hard all day and are tired, or that you fed the baby just an hour earlier, doesn’t matter. An infant’s agenda is about as focused and uncluttered as you can get. He or she wants to eat—right now! When was the last time your spiritual stomach growled so much at midnight that you just had to get up and feed your soul on God’s Word? Here’s how Peter addressed the issue: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.†(vv.1-3 NKJV). Note the words “if. . .you have tasted.†When you’ve tasted the real thing you can’t get by on junk food. Your spiritual taste buds won’t let you. Note, not only can you not ignore a baby’s hunger, you can’t fool their sense of taste. When you start mixing stuff into their formula that wasn’t meant to be there, their taste buds and stomach will reject it. Ever hear the phrase “projectile vomiting� Junk food is designed to fill a need with a quick fix that may carry you for a while, but it doesn’t provide any real nourishment. And you can tell when you’re spiritually malnourished and underdeveloped. Peter says the symptoms are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. So open your Bible today and pray, “Lord, give me a hunger for Your Word.†© 2014 Celebration Inc.
“You are Mine.†Isa 43:1 NKJV SEARCHING FOR SIGNIFICANCE Do you remember the hit song by Dean Martin, “You’re Nobody till Somebody Loves You.� Such lyrics bottom-line our deepest concern. We want our lives to matter, to mean something. Our deepest fear is of coming and going—and nobody knowing! We strive with our lack of education, our spot on the financial totem pole, and our looks. That’s why it bothers us when a friend forgets to call, or a teacher forgets our name, or a colleague takes credit for something we have done. We crave attention, drop the names of important people in conversations, and put flashy hubcaps on our cars. Fashion designers tell us, “You’ll be somebody if you wear our jeans.†So we go out and spend half a paycheck on a pair of Italian jeans. But then—horror of horrors—the style changes from tight to baggy, faded to black, and we’re left wearing yesterday’s jeans, feeling like yesterday’s news. Simply stated: You can’t outsource significance. It’s an inside job. Your sense of significance must come from someone you trust, someone you know will never change, someone who knows the worst about you and always believes the best. And there’s only one such source: God. So read on: “Thus says the Lord, who created you. . .who formed you. . .Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. . .For I am the Lord your God. . .you [are] precious in My sight.†(vv. 1-4 NKJV). © 2014 Celebration Inc.
“Don’t be afraid...I am with you.†Isa 41:10 NLT CONFRONT YOUR FEAR (1) There are different kinds of fear. There’s the kind that warns you to stay away from fire. There’s the kind that cultivates respect for God (See Ps 2:11). Oswald Chambers said, “When you fear God, you don’t have to fear anything else.†There’s fear that makes you feel helpless; sometimes it’s rooted in parental criticism or a bully’s threats, and although it’s groundless, it still haunts you. There’s the fear of failing, which if left unchallenged becomes the father of failure. Job said, “What I feared has come upon me.†(Job 3:25 NIV). There’s fear of the unknown where your imagination runs amok. What if you never meet the “right person,†or you lose your job, or the biopsy confirms the worst? Over and over in His Word God says, “Don’t be afraid. . .I am with you.†Paul Tournier notes: “Life and faith always insist on moving on—and I cannot move forward without leaving something behind. The trapeze artist must let go of one trapeze at precisely the right moment and hover in the void before grabbing the other. Faith calls us out of our comfort zone. . .to learn new skills and minister in different ways.†But we get uptight. We think, “What if God asks me to do something I can’t do? Or I don’t have the strength, wisdom, or faith?†If you were relying on your own resources, you’d be in trouble. But the fact is, “God. . .knew you and chose you.†(1 Pe 1:2 NLT). Every time you meet a new challenge He strengthens you by proving that He not only supplies the tools, but is responsible for the outcome. © 2014 Celebration Inc.
“Not in human wisdom but in the power of God.†1 Co 2:5 NLT CONFRONT YOUR FEAR (2) One of the greatest breakthroughs in modem psychology is the Law of Reversibility. It works like this: when you feel a certain way, you act accordingly. And when you don’t feel like doing something but you do it anyway, that same dynamic creates the feeling consistent with your actions. Dallas Willard put it like this: “You can live opposite of what you profess, but you can't live opposite of what you believe. Invariably what you believe is revealed by what you do.†Because fear is a learned response, it can be unlearned. There are two kinds of courage. The first kind calls for action. President Andrew Jackson said, “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in. One man with courage makes a majority.†The second kind calls for patience: the tenacity to keep persevering after you’ve done your best and before you’ve seen results. Often the difference between a hero and a coward is that a hero hangs in there five minutes longer! When you run from intimidating situations, fear multiplies until eventually it controls your life. But when you tackle your problems head-on, “not in human wisdom but in the power of God,†your confidence rises until you reach a point where you’re no longer controlled by fear. William Cowper wrote: “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread, Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.†© 2014 Celebration Inc.
"I require. . .the firstfruits and the choicest of your contributions." Eze 20:40 AMP GIVE GOD THE "FIRSTFRUITS" OF YOUR TIME In the Old Testament, the first part of the harvest was to be offered to God in gratitude. So when God says, "I require. . . the firstfruits and the choicest of your contributions," it means instead of fitting Him into your agenda you must put Him at the top. Notice: He wants your "firstfruits," not your leftovers. One Bible teacher put it like this: "I've trained myself to start each day by giving God the firstfruits of my time. I've realized that I'm not going to get through the day peacefully if I don't. . . So, each morning I get coffee, and usually while still in my pajamas, I spend as much time with God as I need to in order to feel I can behave properly and walk in the Fruit of the Spirit throughout the day. I've learned to use the best part of my day to give God the best part of my heart. Giving God the first moments of the morning helps keep my priorities straight for the rest of the day. Don't use this gift of time with God to meditate on your problems. . .set your heart as the Psalmist did: "I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, "˜You are my God. My times are in Your hands" (Ps 31:14-15 AMP). Note the words "my times are in Your hands." Each day will bring times of joy, times of testing, times of challenge, and times of temptation. That's why you need to pray, "Lord, each hour of this day I'm depending on You. Let my words, my attitudes, my decisions, and my actions bring glory to You." © 2014 Celebration Inc
"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from that of their social environment." - Albert Einstein I may be viewing but not posting. There are other things on which to concentrate my time. I feel Ive been here long enough. It's been fun while it lasted. Yatsa', exerchomai, bene vale, αντίο, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, ¡Adiós, hasta la vista, good bye.
oh T , I will miss your posts , I was considering last night some of the daily's from the Babtist site you copy from , and its the difference between warm and tender affections and "cold law" ...and many of us try seriously to avoid combative environments ...could you possibly send me you home email so I may keep further contact ...and you are not so far away as I used to get to Cali somewhat regularly ..also I keep guest rooms as I enjoy company in the country ...besides also I am logged into DTT and PC for reading and perusing the "arguments" of doctrine ..personally I'm still only seriously working on character (even if I love all "sorts" of learning) may you receive much affection wherever you "journey" ...
With long life will I satisfy Him.' Psalm 91:16 NKJV Live for God Until Your Last Breath When asked, "˜How do you grow old so gracefully?" Alexandre Dumas replied, "˜Because I give all my time to it." If you're over fifty, let your age be measured by your spiritual progress instead of a date on the calendar. How would you like to have these words as your memorial? "Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." (Genesis 5:23 & 24 NIV) Picture this: Enoch goes for a walk with God and when they reach a certain point, God says, "It's closer to My house than yours, so just come home with Me." Like an old oak tree, a mature Christian's roots have weathered life's storms. But don't take your wisdom to the grave with you; share it with people who'll listen. And those who are wise will listen, because they recognise the foolishness of paying twice for the same information. Don't retire refocus. Victor Hugo once said, "Forty is old age to youth, fifty is youth to old age." With God, availability, not age, is what counts. The Bible says: "There was a prophetess, Anna; she was eighty four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them [Mary and Joseph with the Christ child] at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all." (Luke 2:36-38 NIV) The world respects ex-“generals and ex-“presidents, but not ex-“Christians. A respected character actor said, "As we grow older we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open." So live for God until your last breath. published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2014 ©
I may be viewing but not posting. There are other things on which to concentrate my time. I feel I’ve been here long enough. It’s been fun while it lasted. Yatsa', exerchomai, bene vale, αντίο, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, ¡Adiós, hasta la vista, good bye. "Parting is such sweet sorrow". Hope to see you, at least, in the New System,,, Ciao, Firebird