Misc stuff

8:09 am--Kensington, OH 34 cloudy; Oakland City, IN 29 sunny; Bradenton, FL 58 cloudy.

You have the ability, with your words, to make a person stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their body.--Max Lucado

Thought for the day

The Bible contains the vitamins for soul health.

Thought for the day

No one goes wrong waiting for the Lord to send His best in His perfect timing.

Thought for the day

True wisdom begins and ends with God.

Thought for the Day

God doesn't expect perfection.  He will guide the willing heart—and cover missteps with His grace.

More thoughts on work

• A believer works with energy.

• A believer works with enthusiasm.

• A believer works with excellence.

Working for the Lord

The Bible teaches us to view ourselves as servants and to work as unto the Lord, regardless of who our employer is.  If you want to succeed at your job, you must have the attitude of Christ—which was that of a bondservant. Instead of simply clocking in to get something for yourself, invest in others and be a team player.  If you're working simply to make money, you have a shortsighted view of what labor is all about. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a good living for you and your family. But as a Christian, you serve the Lord, and that should be evident in your earthly work.—Charles Stanley

Rhys at the pool

Workin' hard at the computer

Rhys and me working on the computer.....

Scoot Coot

Scoot Coot on my Yamaha Majesty

God's Timing

We live in a fast-paced culture and are accustomed to quick results.  It's no surprise, then, that we have a hard time if God doesn't answer a prayer right away. But when we refuse to be patient, our only option is to step out of His plan.  The best advice is to listen, obey, and wait. God's timing is perfect, and we don't want to miss His best.

Thought for the day

God calls us to prepare for his return by living in thankful obedience.

Short Thought for the Day

You can never outgive God.

Following God

God promises that following Him leads to hope and an established future.  He promises to care for us and to do what will benefit us most.  His way is best, and it offers hope, joy, and peace. We will not always like everything He chooses at the moment, but He promises to work all things for good. –Charles Stanley

God in a Box

We must guard against attempts at forcing God to act as we think He should. If He does something that won’t fit into the box we’ve designed for Him, we easily become upset, angry, or confused. The Lord will never stay within the parameters we set for Him. Since we are mortal, earth-bound, and sinful, we have a very narrow perspective and understanding of life. But our eternal, sinless, sovereign, and omniscient Creator sees and knows what we cannot perceive.

Filling the Void

Whether the substance is food, career, possessions, or relationships, our souls are continually trying to find satisfaction. But nothing in this world will fill the void. Since we were created for relationship with God, He placed deep within us a yearning for Him. Though we may not recognize it as such, everyone knows the feeling of dissatisfaction that at time seeps into our souls. Whenever we attempt to find fulfillment with worldly substitutes, disappointment and disillusionment are sure to follow.

There are two possible menus from which we can choose to fill our empty souls. Satan’s menu is long and full of enticing things that seem to promise fulfillment and pleasure. These could include relationships, prominence, acceptance, riches, or recognition. Whatever he offers looks like the good life that will bring contentment, but it’s a deception. But God’s menu is quite small. In fact, it lists just one “item”—Jesus. He is the only one who can fill the void.—Charles Stanley

Doubt

One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts, and preparing us to receive what He wants to give.

God's Comfort During Trials

The Lord’s principles and promises don’t change, no matter how severe or painful the situation is. Focus on Christ instead of the circumstances—God will comfort your heart and bring you safely through the trial. Then you can answer Paul’s call to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4).

Requirements for living a disciplined life

1. Have a definite goal or purpose.

2. Attach to the objective and detach from distractions.

3. Pursue your goal with diligence.

4. Be consistent about seeking your objective daily.

5. Practice self-control.

6. Say NO to hindrances in the strength of the Holy Spirit

7. Accept failures as opportunities to start again.

Handling Difficult Circumstances

Focusing on Christ is neither a natural reaction nor an easy one.  Our instinct is to dwell on the situation at hand, searching for solutions or stewing over the pain and difficulty.  As a result, troubles look scary and overwhelm us with a sense of defeat.

However, fear and defeat cannot live long in a heart that trusts the Lord.  I’m not saying that you’ll forget what you’re going through, but you can choose to swell on His provision and care instead.  God pushes back negative emotions.  In their place, hope, confidence and contentment take up residence.  You aren’t going to be happy about a difficult situation, but you can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble.—Charles Stanley

Waiting

Waiting can be difficult.  After a while, we might even begin to wonder if God will do anything at all—then it is easy to quit.  But God has gone before us and is preparing the way.  No matter how he chooses to handle the problem, His solution is always in our best interest.—Charles Stanley

Contentment......

Contentment is found when we remember how precious we are to God: He created us, our Savior died for us, and the Holy Spirit lives in us.

A Helper for All Occasions

The Holy Spirit is a very practical Helper who assists us in every aspect of our lives. When we pray, He intercedes for us according to the Lord’s will (Rom. 8:26). Because of our limited knowledge or self-centered desires, we sometimes ask for the wrong things, but the Spirit takes our petitions and aligns them with the Father’s will. Although you may think your prayer wasn’t answered, in reality, the Holy Spirit just straightened out your request in order to give you what was best.

God’s Spirit also helps us understand His Word (John 16:13). In fact, no one can comprehend the Bible unless the Spirit illumines his thinking. If you come to the Scriptures with a clean heart, a submissive will, and a dependent attitude, He will enlarge your spiritual senses to see the truth and understand His thoughts.  

Perhaps one of the Spirit’s most under-appreciated works is His conviction of our sin (vv. 8-11). Although it’s unpleasant and sometimes painful, we should never want Him to stop, because this is the way He gets us back on track after we have strayed. But He doesn’t just point out our wrongs; He also empowers us to do right. True righteousness is achieved only by relying on Him to transform us and carry out His work through us.

Sometimes we don’t realize how much we need the Spirit. Though we acknowledge that salvation is accomplished by Christ alone, how many of us feel as if living the Christian life is now up to us? But self-reliance is a recipe for failure. Only when you know you can’t, will you find He can!

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can achieve all this. Consider His qualifications:

1. He is a personal Helper, not some inanimate force. God’s Spirit is a member of the Trinity and coequal with both the Father and Jesus Christ.

2. He is a practical Helper who involves Himself in every aspect of our lives.

3. He is an adequate Helper because He’s omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

4. He is an available Helper who permanently lives within us.—Charles Stanley

Thought for the Day

The law tells me how crooked I am.  Grace comes along and straightens me out.--Dwight L. Moody

The Open Road

We can all relate to the sinking feeling we get when we are handed a traffic ticket. No matter how careful we are to abide by the traffic laws, we are bound to make a mistake here and there. The time we allow our foot to get a little heavy on the gas pedal always seems to coincide with a police officer sitting in our path.

Living out our Christian life attempting to follow rules created by man - is almost like having the highway patrol constantly monitoring our every move. No matter how much we attempt to obey the laws, we are bound to make a mistake, only to be immediately caught and punished for our negligence, whether intentional or not.

But living our life by the grace of God is like being on an open road, a road where we are free to drive without constant patrols. Of course, we must still drive using good sense, enjoying our journey under the direction of God's grace; but we can be free from the fear of failure - on the open road to a wonderful destination!

Verse of the Day

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.—Romans 12:13

Verse of the Day

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.—Romans 12:12

Verse of the day

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.--Romans12:2

Thought for the Day

When we simply cannot understand why God allows circumstances that threaten to overwhelm us, it’s good to remember that He has our good and His glory in mind. If we can say, “Father, please enable me to trust and honor You in this situation,” then we will be in concert with His perspective and plan.—Daily Bread Devotional 8/29/11

Verse of the day

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.—Philippians 4:4-8

Surrendering to God

What does a life surrendered to God entail? Most importantly, it involves complete commitment to Christ, unaltered by the world’s influence. Our desires and old ways of functioning are no longer driving forces. Instead, His Spirit guides, and His will is the goal. Yielding to Him means following His way in attitude, words, thoughts, and deeds—and doing so unapologetically, unwaveringly, fearlessly.

You have a choice—either be content with less than God’s best, or give yourself fully to Him. Complete surrender is not an easy road; it means dying to your desires and selfishness. But remember that the Lord is willing and able to do more than we can even imagine.—Charles Stanley

Verse of the Day

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?  By living according to your word.  –Psalm 119:9

Verse of the Day

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.--Philippians 2:3-4

Thought for the Day

God exalts us and gives victory, but it’s not always on our timeline or in our way.  This also results in giving glory to God.

Verse of the Day

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD. –Isaiah 55:8-9

Verse of the Day

So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.—Isaiah 41:10

Verse for the Day

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.--I Peter 3:8-9

The Right Response to Disappointment

A right response to disappointment begins with resisting the natural tendency toward bitterness.  Our second step should be to ask the Lord, “How am I to respond?” God can guide us to a wise and righteous reaction because He has all the facts.

Third, follow His direction, even if it isn’t what you want to do. Oftentimes the Lord’s way contradicts our own desires and the advice of friends. However, His plan is the one that will bring about growth and result in our greatest good.

And finally, keep your focus on God and His higher purpose in your life.

There is only one healthy method for dealing with letdown—pursue the Lord’s way and His will.—Charles Stanley

A Balanced Schedule

The Lord wants us to reach our full potential—to become the people He’s designed us to be and achieve the tasks He’s planned for us to do. In our pressurized society, we need to have balanced schedules if we’re going to live according to God’s purposes. When any area is out of balance, our relationship with the Lord and others will be affected, diminishing our effectiveness as servants of Christ.

1. Our top priority is spending private time with the Lord each day to develop our relationship with Him and receive guidance.

2. Time with family and friends is also essential because relationships are such an important part of God’s plans for our lives.

3. The area in which we are most likely to become imbalanced is our work. Although the Lord doesn’t approve of laziness, He doesn’t want us to be overly consumed with our careers either.

4. If we are to accomplish the Lord’s purposes in our lives, we need to take care of our bodies, allocating adequate time for exercise, rest, and recreation.

5. The Scriptures also clearly command meeting together regularly with other believers for worship (Heb. 10:24-25). While some people have limitations that hinder doing this, most of us have no excuse for being too busy for church.

These general areas all need space in your life, but I cannot tell you how to allocate time for them. The Lord has specific plans for each person, and He is the only one who can accurately direct your schedule. Seek His guidance, listen for His voice, and make the changes He brings to mind.—Charles Stanley

What is holiness?

Christians are called to be children of God—and that means being holy children of God. A holy lifestyle is the natural and joyful fruit of the “sanctifying work of the Spirit.”

What is holiness? Just as a mechanic realigns a car’s wheels so it will drive safely on course, so the Spirit realigns human lives and hearts to walk the path of true life. Followers of Jesus begin to have different attitudes, motives, and actions because the Spirit of God is working in them, making them more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

Holiness must become our great pursuit. As we grow to listen to, learn from, and live by God’s Word, we are being transformed by the Spirit. A genuine child of God is eager to hear his voice, be clothed in his truth, and live as one “able to test and approve what God’s will is.”

We are often tempted to focus on self-seeking opinions, feelings, and personal comforts. But God’s children refuse to be conformed to the world. They are simply committed to holiness, the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

A clear mind

A clear mind is one that’s aligned with God’s Word and controlled by His Spirit. When the Lord has authority over our thoughts, discernment will guard our perspective. He empowers us to look beyond the surface and view situations as they really are. We can distinguish not just between right and wrong but also between good and best. The Lord has granted us the ability to think rightly no matter what challenges may face us.—Charles Stanley

3 basic truths about finances

Three Basic Truths Regarding Finances:

1.      God owns it all

2.      We are managers of His possessions

3.      We are responsible and will one day give an account to Him about the way we used His resources.

Being God's Ambassador at Work

Being God’s Ambassador at Work

·         Don’t be afraid

·         Tell the truth.

·         Work for God.

·         Do the right thing.

·         Flee evil.

·         Know your strengths.

·         Give the Lord credit.

·         Be patient.

·         Prayerfully offer wise solutions to problems.

·         Glorify God.

·         Take a break and honor your priorities.

·         Forgive.

Some thoughts on prayer

In our prayers, we often try to use God as some kind of heavenly vending machine, and we demand quick fulfillment of our prayer requests—or perhaps we should call them “prayer orders”!

When we pray in that way, we grow restless and upset if we don’t get the desired results. Our grumbling against God really does not hurt him, but we hurt ourselves spiritually when we grumble and complain.

Proper prayer is rooted in our relationship with God the Father and in our attitudes toward the people around us.

The Scriptures don’t say that all prayers will be fulfilled. We will not always get exactly what we want when we want when we put a dollar in the “prayer vending machine.”  But we are promised the all-embracing peace of God, and that what we receive (or don’t receive) will be in our best interest.

What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket

When we have the Scriptures wrapped around our brains like a helmet—especially through Scripture memory and meditation—our minds become filled with God’s Word. It saturates our thoughts. As we fall asleep thinking on His promises and wake up with Him on our minds, it changes the patterns of our brains. We discover that we often have a word of encouragement for someone else. If we continually fill our minds with the knowledge of Christ, He will bring the needed words to mind in every situation.

Our Mental Grid

All of us have a sort of grid around our minds. It’s made up of the principles we were taught as children, the habits we’ve formed, and the information we accept as true. New knowledge coming our way passes through that grid and is either assimilated or rejected.  A mental grid plastered with biblical truth is essential for Christians, because it identifies and rejects whatever is sinful, poorly timed, or simply not fit for God’s children.—Charles Stanley

PRESCRIPTION FOR DEALING WITH DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

How to deal with difficult circumstances:
Respond in faith.
Rely on God's strength.
Fight the battle mentally before you step onto the battlefield.
Reaffirm that the battle is not yours, but God's.
Reckon the victory even before you see it coming.
Wait for God's timing.

Confidence in Troubled Times

If God allows troubles, he will turn them into something for good.

We should not live for the future, we need to live for Jesus.

4 truths for giving us confidence in troublesome times:

God controls our circumstances--Romans 8:28

God will meet our needs--Romans 8:31-32

God is with us

God loves us with eternal love.

I have set the Lord always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.--Psalm 16:8

Speaking quietly

When God speaks to us, it is usually a very quiet prompting.

The prompting of the Holy Spirit is a very strong feeling that you know can only come from God:

• To redirect us to greater fruitfulness


• To redirect us to greater satisfaction


• To redirect us to greater pain. Bleeding is part of the preparation for blessing.


• To test our faith


• To test our perseverance


• To equip us for the big opportunity


• To delay us for better timing


• When disobedience disqualifies us from his opportunities

3 Reasons We Are Called to Wait

• God may be preparing us to receive his blessings.



• The Father is often teaching His children to have confidence in Him.



• The Lord will at times withhold blessing to protect us from harm we can’t see.
  

No one goes wrong waiting for the Lord to send His best in His perfect timing.

Living a Crucified Life

Like Paul, we are called to live a crucified life—one in which we make the Lord first in our thinking, attitudes, and actions. Such a life includes learning how to walk by faith and stand firm against temptation. While we are unable to do this in our own strength, we can through the Holy Spirit. He empowers us to let go of our self-centered ways and replace them with godly ones.

Turn on your headlights!

God usually doesn’t show us where He is taking us. He just asks us to trust Him. It’s like driving a car at night. Our headlights never shine all the way to our destination; they illuminate only about 160 feet ahead. But that doesn’t deter us from moving forward. We trust our headlights. All we really need is enough light to keep moving forward.
God’s Word is like headlights in dark times. It is full of promises we need to keep us from driving our lives into the ditch of bitterness and despair. His Word promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

12 Steps to Forgiveness

• Ask the Lord to reveal who you need to forgive and write the names He brings to mind on a sheet of paper. Don’t overlook yourself or God.


• Acknowledge the hurt. State the offense and how it made you feel.


• Understand the significance of the cross.


• Decide you will bear the burden of each person’s sin.


• Decide to forgive.


• Take your list to God in prayer. Start with the first person on the list. “I forgive (so and so) for (state offense and how it made you feel).


• Destroy the list.


• Don’t expect your decision will result in major changes in others. Pray for them.


• Understand the person but don’t rationalize their behavior.


• Expect positive results of forgiveness in you.


• Thank God for the lessons you have learned.


• Accept your part of the blame for the offenses you suffered.

10 Key Questions

• Have you spent daily time in the Word and in prayer?


• How is your relationship with God? Are all of your relationships Christ-like?


• Have you spent quality time with your family and friends?


• Have you loved somebody or shown the love of Christ to someone this week?


• Have you told any half-truths or lies to put yourself in a better light to those around you?


• Have you had any flirtations, lustful attitudes or temptations, or exposed yourself to any explicit material that would not glorify God?


• Have you taken anything that doesn’t belong to you or said anything about or to anyone that would not be an example of Christ?


• Are you eating, drinking or putting anything into your body that would not be Christ-like?


• Is there anything causing you to stumble or to stop you from keeping your focus on Christ?


• Have you lied on any of your answers today?

10 principles for living a blessed life

• Put God first.


• Use trials to make you successful.


• Knowledge—chase it and use it.


• Practice humility.


• Be grateful and trust the Lord.


• Discover your gift and step out.


• Be slow to judge and quick to forgive.


• Know the will of God and be willing to wait on Him.


• Don’t play games with your life.


• Leave the results to God.

Living Above Circumstances

The more we talk and complain about a situation, the worse it looks, until the problem looms larger in our mind than our faith does. Conversely, carrying challenges straight to God keeps matters in perspective. The Lord is bigger than any hardship. On His strength, we rise above the difficulty.

Problems can look so big and unwieldy that they distort our perspective. God invites us to live above our circumstances by fastening our eyes upon Him.—Charles Stanley

Words of Wisdom

Those who commit themselves to living for God’s purposes rather than their own will gain greater understanding of Him. The Holy Spirit will enable them to see circumstances and people from His divine perspective. This kind of wisdom reaches beyond human perception and gives us discernment to make decisions that fit into the Lord’s plan for our lives.

What's up with dis?

I thought on a day off you are supposed to sleep in. Instead, I'm up 2 hours earlier than usual! At least it will allow me to have a longer day off!

The job of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit…

• Convicts our hearts of sin so that we can repent and be right with God.
• Regenerates us.
• Seals us forever as a child of the Almighty.
• Teaches, guides, counsels and empowers us throughout life.
• Gifts and enables us to do the work God has planned for us.
• Bears fruit through us.

Living Above Circumstances

The more we talk and complain about a situation, the worse it looks, until the problem looms larger in our mind than our faith does. Conversely, carrying challenges straight to God keeps matters in perspective. The Lord is bigger than any hardship. On His strength, we rise above the difficulty.

Problems can look so big and unwieldy that they distort our perspective. God invites us to live above our circumstances by fastening our eyes upon Him.—Charles Stanley

Understanding God's Ways

God declared, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” (Isa. 55:8). And in fact, one of the biggest frustrations of the Christian life has to do with a lack of understanding about God’s ways. There are times when we could really use a miracle, and yet He does not come through for us. Unmet expectations lead to confusion, disappointment, and even anger. Why did God let me down?

There are two schools of thought regarding the miraculous. Some people don’t believe God works miracles at all, while others are convinced that if He’s not doing the miraculous every day, then something is wrong with their faith. We need a balanced perspective, which we find in the Bible.

God works in both supernatural and ordinary ways, and He determines the method. Elijah ate food miraculously delivered by ravens, but his water supply from a brook was completely natural. When the water dried up, the Lord could have made more spring from the ground, but He didn’t.

Sometimes God uses ordinary means to move us in a new direction. The curtailment of his water supply opened the door for Elijah’s next “assignment.” When the Lord withholds miraculous intervention and lets your brook dry up, He has something else planned for you.

Seeing the work of God in the miraculous is easy, but He’s just as involved in the commonplace aspects of life as He is in any supernatural event. Look for His “fingerprint” in the day’s mundane activities. He is there, opening and closing doors, drying up one opportunity but initiating another. -- Charles Stanley

True Success

Contrary to society's definition--which usually involves fame, fortune or power--true success means becoming the person God wants us to be, and reaching the goals He has set for our lives.

Dealing With Discouragement

How can we conquer discouragement? Let me suggest nine specific steps:

1. Look within. Prayerfully examine yourself for the underlying cause.
2. Admit that you are discouraged. It’s easy to avoid, ignore, or lie about it. But denial is deadly, and it guarantees failure.
3. Identify precisely what you are discouraged about. Name it; then face it.
4. Recall the nature of discouragement. Disappointments will come and go, but discouragement is a choice that you make.
5. Begin meditating frequently on God’s Word. This way, you can accurately judge what you feel by what is real (Psalm 3:2-4; 16:7-8; 63:6-8; 77:12; 119:15).
6. Take your area of discouragement to God in prayer. Ask Him to reveal what He wants to teach you in this area of your life.
7. Focus on God, not your situation. Ask Him to help you see this disappointment and its lessons from His perspective.
8. View the cause as coming from the Lord. If we understand that He allows disappointments, we can find an opportunity for growth, even in trouble.
9. Confess these three truths aloud: The Father is with me in the pain; He’s in control of my life and has allowed this for a reason; He is a good God, who will turn this disappointment into blessing.