JESUS’ DAY PLANNER

How do you plan your day?

-Check your email?

-Check text messages?

-Check reports online?

-Check the news?

-Check your day planner?

-Write your day planner?

-Make phone calls?

-Check with your secretary/assistant/partner?

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OR

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Read what Jesus did to plan His day.

Maybe it wasn’t so much about planning His day, like we Americans think we have to figure everything out—schedule it to get it all done.

Maybe Jesus, God Himself, didn’t really plan his day.

Maybe He got His day planner in line by doing something more important—like ‘first things first.’

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“As His custom was, He got up a great while before day, and departed to a solitary place, and prayed there.”

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Get your Bible and check it out.

I think it mentions that a few places.

Sometimes He spent the whole night praying.

Other times the disciples watched Him pray.

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Jesus—God—prayed to God?

Here’s a chance to get your theology fresh, and get a fresh start to your day, every day.

Jesus depended on praying to ‘His Father’—a very close relationship that directed His every move while He was here on earth—all the way, through the resistance from people, to the agony in the garden, and to the cross.

His Father will even tell Him when to come get us and take us HOME.

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And He tells us we can pray to the same Father—Jesus said, “My Father and your Father.”

Do that today, every day, first thing.

FINDERS – – – LOSERS

“Whoever finds his life, will lose it . . .”

Whoever ‘gets it all together,’ will see it all fall apart.

Whoever “lays up treasures on earth, will find moth, rust, thieves ruining it.”

Whoever “lays up treasures in heaven, will find moth, rust, thieves not ruining it.”

Whoever ‘gives it all up’ for Jesus, will get what he can never lose.

He will find permanently secure investment—and peace and satisfaction now.

God gives eternal returns, generously, guaranteed.

ENVIRONMENTALISM – – – UP IN FLAMES

+Why so many fires in California?

+Is there any solution?

+How about prevention?

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Maybe it’s time for an old-fashioned ‘fire prevention week’ with kids creating posters.

Maybe they could come up with the obvious solutions that ‘environmentalist agenda’ people don’t want to consider.

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“Why so many fires in California?”

Because there is so much that can burn so close to powerlines and homes.

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“Is there any solution?”

No quick fix for the fires burning now and starting now.

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“How about prevention?”

Yes.

Fire prevention, no-brainer—clear brush under powerlines, so winds can’t start a fire there—clear brush to create fire breaks to protect residential/business areas—harvest trees for lumber with a plan that sustains the forest and reduces the enormous waste when it goes up in flames, out of control.

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Just as we take steps to make deadly highway intersections safer, likewise there are cost-effective solutions to the deadly fires.

 

SUNRISE – – – RARE – – – ONLY ONCE

Declare to yourself a new appreciation for this new day.

Declare to God a new thanks in awe for this new day.

The sunrise today is very rare—the sun comes up only once today.

Today is a very rare day—there is only one ‘today.’

Something so rare—one-of-a-kind—is extremely valuable.

Today is more valuable than any other day of your life.

Why?

Because this is the day that the Lord has made—for you.

He does not promise another one.

Maybe someone reading this—maybe the person writing this—will catch a glimpse of inspiration, of rejoicing in this day, of trusting the One Who gave it.

Today is the only chance we have to “be glad in it.”

HEARTWARMING ACCEPTANCE

I am blessed with friends who are comfortable around me—being me.

And I am blessed with an overwhelming number of total strangers who greet me cheerfully with warm, spontaneous acceptance just like I am.

I so appreciate being myself with nothing to prove or perform for that acceptance.

I think I’ll go with that.

“CAST ALL YOUR CARES . . .”

“Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”

That verse always sounded like a peaceful prayer, quietly relaxing to show that you are turning everything over to God.

Maybe so, but that doesn’t fit my reality very often.  It seems like another requirement to get in just the right faith mode before God, so you can show you’ve let your troubles go.

More likely—a desperate scream for help at wits end does the job better.

“GOD HELP!”

“I CAN’T DO THIS!”

Not pretty—not to show others we got it all together.

Brutal honesty—total dependency—so God can take over.

SWEET, SWEET TIME WITH JESUS

If you’ve ever had a warm, special interaction with your child on your lap, and then noticed the precious one was asleep, then you can catch what a sweet, sweet time with Jesus is like.

If you fall asleep talking with Jesus (praying and reading your Bible), you’ve experienced the best of the best here on earth.

“GOD BLESS AMERICA”

God bless America, land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Through this night with a light from above.

 

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans white with foam,

God bless America, my home sweet home (temporarily).

OVERCOMER – – – YES! YES! YES!

That is my movie review in one word (or three words).

From the creators of Facing the Giants, Fireproof, War Room, etc.—the movies keep getting better.

You will get caught up in the story, you will get a number of surprises, you will get involved, you will get touched, you will get to see people challenged and lives changed.

You will be glad you went.

Go see Overcomer—came in third during opening weekend.

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING? WHAT IS . . . ?

Global Warming means Global Control—means to an end.

Government Gives means Government Takes.

Universal Care means Universal Rationing.

Capitalism Grows more freedom—Government Grows less freedom.

Capitalism Generates Resources—Government Confiscates Resources.

The best playgrounds provide children the opportunity to be responsible for their own safety.  Insurance seldom makes playgrounds safer—it usually just makes lawsuits possible.

Paying for your own health costs makes you work toward staying healthy.  That motivation drops when someone else is paying, and then you end up thinking it’s your right to have ‘free’ health care .