We must not tell someone the solution for their loneliness.
We need to be the solution for their loneliness—
—in TIME
—in TOUCH
—in PERSON
PROFUN—PROFOUND
March 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I’m famous—but nobody knows it.
I’m humble—but I don’t know it.
WHAT DOES IT COST ?
March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
What do the following have in common?
—Punishment
—Persecution
—Sacrifice
All three involve “suffering.”
Punishment involves suffering, and it is your fault.
Persecution involves suffering, and it is not your fault.
Sacrifice involves suffering, and it is your choice.
Some of us have a lot to learn about the cost of sacrifice.
CLOGGED CULVERTS—OR—CLEAN CONDUITS
March 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A fully functioning culvert lets all the water coming in, pass through quickly—or it will choke up with silt and debris.
Likewise, if we are clean conduits, we let the blessings coming into our life, flow on through immediately to bless others—or else our hearts will increasingly focus on what we keep, and our lives will get clogged with things we don’t need.
A culvert that is choked up is worthless.
A clogged life is a sad sight, without consideration for those we were called to bless.
SURVIVAL—OR—SACRIFICE
March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
What is the force behind the universe?
Which of these two statements is true, and which is false?
01) The greatest EVOLUTION ever observed is this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.
02) “Greater LOVE has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
LIGHTER SIDE OF OLDER
March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The best part of getting old is the getting, not the arriving.
As long as you’re getting older, you’re not old yet.
As you get older, why is a rocking chair better than an easy chair?
Because in a rocking chair, for the most part you’re still moving.
“OCTOBER BABY”
March 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
A “MUST SEE” movie, opening March 23.
You’ll be glad you did.
Tell others to see it.
It’s that simple.
It’s that good.
BIG QUESTION—ANSWER
March 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Have all the efforts of Congress, and talk shows, and conservative and Christian organizations actually stopped any of BHOB’s* agenda?
NO !
None of the efforts of Congress, and talk shows, and conservative and Christian organizations have actually stopped any of BHOB’s agenda.
What has been his agenda since day one of his campaign, through today? It has been to fundamentally change America, beyond the point of recognition or recovery.
BHOB is proceeding with his agenda, unabated, and so far, unstoppable.
THEREFORE:
01) We have to do things we have not yet done.
02) We must have a leader who will unite all the people and organizations that care about America, so we can again “hang together, or we will all hang separately.”
03) We must be prepared that the election in November may not save us.
04) We must learn sacrifice from the committed Americans who originally pledged “their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor,” and made good on that pledge.
05) We must learn from history. CHANGING AMERICA BACK will be harder than starting this great country.
06) Every person who cares about this country must get serious about praying. “God, what do You want to change in my life? God, show me what you want me to do for my neighbor and for my country?”
Oh Beautiful, for heroes proved
In liberating strife;
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life.
America, America, may God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine.
*Barack Hussein OBama—Say BHHHOB aloud and it sounds like the warning for Christians in the 2008 election: “Beware of sheep’s clothing.”
LOVE PRAYER
March 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
MY PRAYER TODAY 3-10-12 (very personal, hopefully inspiring to someone)
Lord, I deeply desire the very best You wish to give me. I want to live at the top of the life You have planned.
There are times You give me eloquence and lofty insight; sometimes You even let me sing loudly and boldly. But please don’t let me miss loving, or else I am just so much noise.
Lord, I have seen You work in my life; I have experienced supernatural living, and understanding which could only come from You. I have seen You move mountains; I have moved mountains because I believe in You. I can do anything through You. And—You have taught me how to love. Thank You. I humbly beg of You to let me love again. Without Your love in me and through me, all this other high and mighty stuff is nothing.
You have led me to care about people in all kinds of need, and You have arranged my life to be available to help in unusual times and circumstances. Often the rest of my personal life looks like a wreck—worthless. Is that intentional, Lord, so You can teach me to love?
Did You really say I should suffer long, silently, and still be kind? Is that what love is? Can Your love teach me to not think about how much more other people have—including how much more they think I should have? Lord, with love, let me not be a brag or brash or have to be right.
Let love so fill me that there will be nothing inappropriate in my life, seen or unseen. May love direct me to the welfare of others, not my own. With Your love in me, help me rise above the aggravations of others and the evils all around trying to occupy my thoughts.
With love I do not delight in sin, or wrongs done to me, or gossip. I think and get excited about the truth. Love filters out bad stuff, and lets only good enter the mind. (I use this list for testing thoughts—true, honest, promote justice, pure, lovely, produce a good report card, inspire virtue, worthy of praise.)
Lord, help me love enough to carry someone’s burdens.
Lord, help me love enough to believe in someone through tough times.
Lord, help me love enough to keep hope alive, for my life and for someone else.
Lord, help me love enough to hang in there when my strength is gone, but Yours is not.
I see a lot of things fail. Lord, thank You for showing me love, and giving me love, that does not fail. Everything else will disappear—explaining things, speaking of supernatural, understanding mysteries—it will all be gone.
Lord, thank You that I do not have to know it all, to love.
A few side notes, to put love in perspective:
I know and understand some things now—but it is so incomplete.
I can even explain some things now, for others’ benefit—but it is so incomplete.
Someday, Someone is coming—“incomplete” will be history.
I can see progress from my childhood to adulthood—in my speaking, in my understanding, in my thinking—thank God I grew up.
Likewise, imagine the difference between now and heaven:
Life is a smudgy mirror—we can’t even get an accurate view of ourselves.
In heaven, we’ll see Jesus, face to face, and we’ll look like Him, just like we’re supposed to. PERFECT LOVE—PERFECT MIRROR.
And our thinking will be perfect too. We’ll think like God. Imagine that.
FAITH really matters now, FAITH to get us through this life, FAITH to do great and small things for God and others, FAITH to get us to heaven, believing in the blood of Jesus.
HOPE really matters now, HOPE to keep us going, HOPE to keep our eyes on the prize ahead.
LOVE really matters now, to show the LOVE of Jesus in our life. His LOVE alone makes our LOVE count.
So, we need faith and hope and love now.
But only one is the greatest, even now.
And only one will be in heaven.
L O V E
Lord, thank You for loving me, thank You for teaching me how to love, and thank You for the blessed opportunity to love. I humbly ask You to let me love again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you like, you can see this is a phrase by phrase parallel with I Corinthians 12:31-13:13 from His Book.
(No blog tomorrow—A personal day of memory for me)