"Open my eyes to the wonderful truths in your law.
I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your laws.
Lord, give me your unfailing love, the salvation that you promised me. Then I will have an answer for those who taunt me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for my only hope is in your laws. I will keep on obeying your lay forever and forever.
May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word. I know, O Lord, that your decisions are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it. Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant. Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your law is my delight.
Those who love your law have great peace and do not stumble."
Psalm 119:18, 30, 41-44, 74-77, 165 NLT
Knowing the person behind the book
To own a Bible—to know we have it if we need it—brings a certain measure of peace. When we actually read and begin to understand it we are better able to receive peace of mind and heart. And when we apply what God's Word teaches, our lifestyle actually becomes a fertile place where peace can grow. But when we truly grow to love this wisdom given to us by its loving author, we have actually come to put our trust in the person behind the book. The writer of Psalm 119 grew to love God's law because it revealed who God was. We can rest assured when we follow the principles that issue from God's great love and wisdom.
from the TouchPoint Bible with commentaries by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 535
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
— Psalm 31:24 NIV
According to the apostle Paul, three things will continue forever: faith, hope, and love. Paul makes it clear that the greatest of these is love, and we all agree. But what of the other two?
We know faith is crucial. Without faith it is impossible to please God or to hang on when life is tough. Doubt can creep in so easily, and the only answer is to remember that Jesus is worth it all.
But what about hope? In our haste to be sure we have faith and love, do we sometimes fail to give hope its proper due? Without hope, life is a sorry game, played without enthusiasm or joy. As our society marches into the twenty-first century, people wonder what our real chances are. Is there any hope?
Those are legitimate questions, and I believe that only Christians have the legitimate answers. When our dreams seem to go sour or remain unfulfilled, hopelessness can dominate our lives—or we can hold on with open hands, knowing that we have hope because God is faithful.
— Sheila Walsh
Excerpted from A Grand New Day © 2008 by Thomas Nelson®, Inc. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson®. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Tags: Sheila Walsh
— Psalm 31:24 NIV
According to the apostle Paul, three things will continue forever: faith, hope, and love. Paul makes it clear that the greatest of these is love, and we all agree. But what of the other two?
We know faith is crucial. Without faith it is impossible to please God or to hang on when life is tough. Doubt can creep in so easily, and the only answer is to remember that Jesus is worth it all.
But what about hope? In our haste to be sure we have faith and love, do we sometimes fail to give hope its proper due? Without hope, life is a sorry game, played without enthusiasm or joy. As our society marches into the twenty-first century, people wonder what our real chances are. Is there any hope?
Those are legitimate questions, and I believe that only Christians have the legitimate answers. When our dreams seem to go sour or remain unfulfilled, hopelessness can dominate our lives—or we can hold on with open hands, knowing that we have hope because God is faithful.
— Sheila Walsh
Excerpted from A Grand New Day © 2008 by Thomas Nelson®, Inc. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson®. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Tags: Sheila Walsh
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Reflecting Christ
"…you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Colossians 3:12 NLT
Clothed in kindness
"A doctor once stepped into a taxicab and discovered an unusually friendly driver.…he asked the man why he was so cheerful. "It all started," he said, "when I heard about a taxi driver who was so kind to a passenger that the man remembered him in his will, leaving him $65,000. I thought I would try it, and maybe somebody might leave me something. But after I tried it, I found it was so much fun being good that I decided I would do it for the fun of it, reward or no reward."
The world would certainly be a more cheerful place if we all had such good dispositions. Imagine walking down the street and seeing nothing but smiling faces.…
Life is not a bed of roses, and most people are too happy to let you know that. That's what we tell ourselves when we want to appease our guilt on those dark and dreary days. I'm not the only one who's had a bad day, we think. People are just going to have to understand.
Maybe they do, but how does Jesus feel about it? Kindness should flow out of the life of a Christian. The world has an excuse to be angry, but we don't. Redeemed people should act like they're happy to be redeemed.
This is what separates believers from those who haven't discovered the goodness of Christ. We have a reason to rejoice. We have a standard to uphold. We have a Savior to pattern our life after.
from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins and Frank M. Martin (Tyndale) p 86
Colossians 3:12 NLT
Clothed in kindness
"A doctor once stepped into a taxicab and discovered an unusually friendly driver.…he asked the man why he was so cheerful. "It all started," he said, "when I heard about a taxi driver who was so kind to a passenger that the man remembered him in his will, leaving him $65,000. I thought I would try it, and maybe somebody might leave me something. But after I tried it, I found it was so much fun being good that I decided I would do it for the fun of it, reward or no reward."
The world would certainly be a more cheerful place if we all had such good dispositions. Imagine walking down the street and seeing nothing but smiling faces.…
Life is not a bed of roses, and most people are too happy to let you know that. That's what we tell ourselves when we want to appease our guilt on those dark and dreary days. I'm not the only one who's had a bad day, we think. People are just going to have to understand.
Maybe they do, but how does Jesus feel about it? Kindness should flow out of the life of a Christian. The world has an excuse to be angry, but we don't. Redeemed people should act like they're happy to be redeemed.
This is what separates believers from those who haven't discovered the goodness of Christ. We have a reason to rejoice. We have a standard to uphold. We have a Savior to pattern our life after.
from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins and Frank M. Martin (Tyndale) p 86
Thursday, November 5, 2009
LETTING YOUR SOUL CATCH UP
Did you know that practicing some form of relaxation is one of the
greatest gifts you can give yourself? Taking time each day to quiet
your mind and breathe deeply, can make a big difference in how you
feel throughout your day and into the night. And dedicating a day
every week for mental and spiritual renewal is equally important.
We're told that the word "relax" has its origin in the Latin word
"relaxare," which means "to loosen." When we relax, we are in effect
loosening tension, releasing tightly held energy and letting go.
From the state of relaxation we can experience calm peacefulness.
Another great word is the Hebrew word "Shabbat" which, of course, is
a day of rest. But it quite literally means to "quit; stop; take a
break." Whatever you are doing, stop it. Whatever you are saying, be
quiet. Sit down and take a look around. Don't do anything. Don't say
anything. Fold your hands. Take a deep breath... .
Extended periods of rest are a biological necessity. The human body
is like an old-fashioned wind-up clock. If it is not rewound by
rest, ultimately it will run itself down.
A group of Americans made a trip with Brazilian natives down the
Amazon River. The first day they rushed. The second day they rushed.
The next day they rushed. One day, anxious to continue the trek,
they were surprised to find the natives seated together in a circle.
When asked the reason for the delay, a guide answered, "They are
waiting. They cannot move further until their souls have caught up
with their bodies."
Do you owe yourself time to let your soul catch up with your body?
-- Steve Goodier
greatest gifts you can give yourself? Taking time each day to quiet
your mind and breathe deeply, can make a big difference in how you
feel throughout your day and into the night. And dedicating a day
every week for mental and spiritual renewal is equally important.
We're told that the word "relax" has its origin in the Latin word
"relaxare," which means "to loosen." When we relax, we are in effect
loosening tension, releasing tightly held energy and letting go.
From the state of relaxation we can experience calm peacefulness.
Another great word is the Hebrew word "Shabbat" which, of course, is
a day of rest. But it quite literally means to "quit; stop; take a
break." Whatever you are doing, stop it. Whatever you are saying, be
quiet. Sit down and take a look around. Don't do anything. Don't say
anything. Fold your hands. Take a deep breath... .
Extended periods of rest are a biological necessity. The human body
is like an old-fashioned wind-up clock. If it is not rewound by
rest, ultimately it will run itself down.
A group of Americans made a trip with Brazilian natives down the
Amazon River. The first day they rushed. The second day they rushed.
The next day they rushed. One day, anxious to continue the trek,
they were surprised to find the natives seated together in a circle.
When asked the reason for the delay, a guide answered, "They are
waiting. They cannot move further until their souls have caught up
with their bodies."
Do you owe yourself time to let your soul catch up with your body?
-- Steve Goodier
God will never stop working in our lives
The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
Psalm 121:5 NLT
Secure with the keeper
"It was dark and cold that November morning when the Livingstone family woke up to say farewell to their son David. He was leaving Scotland for the heart of Africa. Mrs. Livingstone made coffee; Mr. Livingstone dressed warmly to walk his son to Glasgow. David got the family Bible and read the comforting words of Psalm 121 with the family.
A dozen years later, Dr. Livingstone was contemplating a trip deeper into the unexplored interior of Africa along with his wife and children. Just before he left, he received a letter from his mother-in-law, Mary Moffat, who was also a missionary. "My dear Livingstone," she began. "Hitherto I have kept up my spirits and have been enabled to believe that our Great Master may yet bring you out in safety." She said that she was clinging to the promises of Psalm 121 and Psalm 91. "Unceasing prayer is made for you." Then she added, "Every petition, however fervent, must be with submission to his will."
Protected? Yes. Submissive to his will? That, too.
Jesus guaranteed us that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33). But no matter what happens, we can never be separated from God's love or God's purposes. He promises to preserve us from evil but not to pave over every pothole in life's road.
adapted from The One Year® Book of Psalms with devotionals by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen (Tyndale) entry for October 17
Psalm 121:5 NLT
Secure with the keeper
"It was dark and cold that November morning when the Livingstone family woke up to say farewell to their son David. He was leaving Scotland for the heart of Africa. Mrs. Livingstone made coffee; Mr. Livingstone dressed warmly to walk his son to Glasgow. David got the family Bible and read the comforting words of Psalm 121 with the family.
A dozen years later, Dr. Livingstone was contemplating a trip deeper into the unexplored interior of Africa along with his wife and children. Just before he left, he received a letter from his mother-in-law, Mary Moffat, who was also a missionary. "My dear Livingstone," she began. "Hitherto I have kept up my spirits and have been enabled to believe that our Great Master may yet bring you out in safety." She said that she was clinging to the promises of Psalm 121 and Psalm 91. "Unceasing prayer is made for you." Then she added, "Every petition, however fervent, must be with submission to his will."
Protected? Yes. Submissive to his will? That, too.
Jesus guaranteed us that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33). But no matter what happens, we can never be separated from God's love or God's purposes. He promises to preserve us from evil but not to pave over every pothole in life's road.
adapted from The One Year® Book of Psalms with devotionals by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen (Tyndale) entry for October 17
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS
A sign in a pet store read, "If anybody has seen the Bluebird of Happiness, would you please notify this pet store?"
Happiness seems to be in short supply for many people. If the results of recent surveys can be trusted, there is a general decline of happiness in today's world. And people were not all that cheerful a few years back! It was Oliver Wendell Holmes who stated, "I might have been a minister for aught I know, if a certain clergyman had not looked and talked like an undertaker." (I have to say, though, that some clergy and undertakers I've known could teach the rest of us something about joy.)
Joy and happiness are not always the same things. Happiness can be thought of as more of a temporary, emotional condition, often based on outside circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, is deeper. It is often contentment in spite of the unsettling present. We can be basically joyful, regardless of a particular unhappy situation that we may be enduring. It is sometimes just a matter of keeping perspective on our troubles, and especially when those troubles seem to be in long supply.
You may know the story of the man who had a marvelous way of keeping joy in his life. He was a carpenter. He followed the same ritual every day when he came home from the job. He stopped by a small tree in his front yard and placed his hand on a couple of branches. Then, when he walked into his home, it was as if a magical transformation had occurred. All of a sudden, the stress was lifted from him. He became energetic and joyful, able to fully interact with his children and his wife.
He explained it this way: "That tree is my trouble tree. When I come home I stop by the tree and, just like I leave my tools in the truck, I leave my troubles outside of my home. I hang them on that tree before greeting my family. Anything that does not have to come in my house stays outside. Anything that I do not have to deal with at home, I leave on that tree. And in the morning, I stop by the tree and pick up the troubles I left there in the evening."
Then he adds, "It's a funny thing, though. Every morning I always find fewer troubles remaining than I hung the night before."
Here is a man who has no doubt seen the Bluebird of Happiness. Chances are, it is nesting in a tree just outside his home.
There is wisdom in knowing that some problems can wait until tomorrow. And more wisdom in knowing what to hang on the tree and what to bring in. Managing daily problems well is vital to maintaining joy.
-- Steve Goodier
Happiness seems to be in short supply for many people. If the results of recent surveys can be trusted, there is a general decline of happiness in today's world. And people were not all that cheerful a few years back! It was Oliver Wendell Holmes who stated, "I might have been a minister for aught I know, if a certain clergyman had not looked and talked like an undertaker." (I have to say, though, that some clergy and undertakers I've known could teach the rest of us something about joy.)
Joy and happiness are not always the same things. Happiness can be thought of as more of a temporary, emotional condition, often based on outside circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, is deeper. It is often contentment in spite of the unsettling present. We can be basically joyful, regardless of a particular unhappy situation that we may be enduring. It is sometimes just a matter of keeping perspective on our troubles, and especially when those troubles seem to be in long supply.
You may know the story of the man who had a marvelous way of keeping joy in his life. He was a carpenter. He followed the same ritual every day when he came home from the job. He stopped by a small tree in his front yard and placed his hand on a couple of branches. Then, when he walked into his home, it was as if a magical transformation had occurred. All of a sudden, the stress was lifted from him. He became energetic and joyful, able to fully interact with his children and his wife.
He explained it this way: "That tree is my trouble tree. When I come home I stop by the tree and, just like I leave my tools in the truck, I leave my troubles outside of my home. I hang them on that tree before greeting my family. Anything that does not have to come in my house stays outside. Anything that I do not have to deal with at home, I leave on that tree. And in the morning, I stop by the tree and pick up the troubles I left there in the evening."
Then he adds, "It's a funny thing, though. Every morning I always find fewer troubles remaining than I hung the night before."
Here is a man who has no doubt seen the Bluebird of Happiness. Chances are, it is nesting in a tree just outside his home.
There is wisdom in knowing that some problems can wait until tomorrow. And more wisdom in knowing what to hang on the tree and what to bring in. Managing daily problems well is vital to maintaining joy.
-- Steve Goodier
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Are you wearing the full armor of God?
Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT
About This Week's Promise
This is perhaps the Bible's most comprehensive teaching about the resources believers have to overcome evil. Spiritual forces lurk behind many of our conflicts. Therefore, you should not attack the people manipulated by evil but focus directly on the evil itself. Rely on truth, faith, the power of your testimony, the wisdom of God's word, and the power of prayer. When these are mobilized, evil succumbs, God wins, and you win.
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT
About This Week's Promise
This is perhaps the Bible's most comprehensive teaching about the resources believers have to overcome evil. Spiritual forces lurk behind many of our conflicts. Therefore, you should not attack the people manipulated by evil but focus directly on the evil itself. Rely on truth, faith, the power of your testimony, the wisdom of God's word, and the power of prayer. When these are mobilized, evil succumbs, God wins, and you win.
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Saturday, September 12, 2009
EIGHT GIFTS THAT DON'T COST A CENT
This simple checklist can help measure how you are nurturing your relationships. The author of these thoughts is unknown, but deeply appreciated.
The Gift of Listening
But you must really listen. Don't interrupt, don't daydream, don't plan your response. Just listen.
The Gift of Affection
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.
The Gift of Laughter
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."
The Gift of Solitude
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
The Gift of a Favor
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.
The Gift of a Written Note
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime.
The Gift of a Compliment
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.
The Gift of a Cheerful Disposition
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone.
These are eight important ways we can contribute toward whole and healthy relationships. They cost nothing, yet they may well be the most valuable gifts we can ever offer another.
-- Steve Goodier
The Gift of Listening
But you must really listen. Don't interrupt, don't daydream, don't plan your response. Just listen.
The Gift of Affection
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.
The Gift of Laughter
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."
The Gift of Solitude
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
The Gift of a Favor
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.
The Gift of a Written Note
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime.
The Gift of a Compliment
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.
The Gift of a Cheerful Disposition
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone.
These are eight important ways we can contribute toward whole and healthy relationships. They cost nothing, yet they may well be the most valuable gifts we can ever offer another.
-- Steve Goodier
Blessings come from applying God's Word
Is the mind of Christ living in you?
May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
live in me from day to day.
By His love and power controlling
all I do and say.
May the word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour.
So that all may see I triumph
only through His pow'r.
May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in ev'rything.
That I may be calm to comfort,
sick and sorrowing.
Kate B. Wilkinson (1859-1928)
Christian growth
Many Christians have made the commitment to be more like Jesus—but where do you start? The apostle Paul told the Philippian believers, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5, KJV). And that's just where the hymn "May the Mind of Christ My Savior" begins. But does the mind of Christ become part of us? Kate Wilkinson directs us to Colossians 3:16 for the answer: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." In the third stanza Wilkinson returns to Philippians for this promise: "And the peace of God…will guard your hearts and your minds" (Philippians 4:7). And so the song builds.
Christian growth is not instantaneous but gradual. It flows naturally from obeying God's Word. Thomas à Kempis, who wrote the Christian classic The Imitation of Christ, said, "One thing that draws back many from spiritual progress is the fear of the difficulty of the labor of the combat." Don't give up what you have started.
Adapted from The One Year Book of Hymns
(Tyndale House) entry for January 2
May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
live in me from day to day.
By His love and power controlling
all I do and say.
May the word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour.
So that all may see I triumph
only through His pow'r.
May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in ev'rything.
That I may be calm to comfort,
sick and sorrowing.
Kate B. Wilkinson (1859-1928)
Christian growth
Many Christians have made the commitment to be more like Jesus—but where do you start? The apostle Paul told the Philippian believers, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5, KJV). And that's just where the hymn "May the Mind of Christ My Savior" begins. But does the mind of Christ become part of us? Kate Wilkinson directs us to Colossians 3:16 for the answer: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." In the third stanza Wilkinson returns to Philippians for this promise: "And the peace of God…will guard your hearts and your minds" (Philippians 4:7). And so the song builds.
Christian growth is not instantaneous but gradual. It flows naturally from obeying God's Word. Thomas à Kempis, who wrote the Christian classic The Imitation of Christ, said, "One thing that draws back many from spiritual progress is the fear of the difficulty of the labor of the combat." Don't give up what you have started.
Adapted from The One Year Book of Hymns
(Tyndale House) entry for January 2
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
FOR CLOSENESS: T-R-A-V-E-L
For closeness: travel. No, I don't mean to go to take a road trip or to fly away to some exotic place. But there are ways to go deeper into a relationship -- like traveling. And there are things we can do to help a relationship really go somewhere. Let me explain.
Inmate Mitchell King had a visitor -- his wife. King was serving a six-year jail term in Auckland, New Zealand for armed robbery. But his wife didn't want to be away from him for that long. So they held hands. She wanted them to always stick together - through it all. Hand in hand, forever joined. And they did stick together. She had rubbed her palms with Super Glue.
Their new-found closeness was short-lived. And their separation painful. (I suggest we put the Super Glue idea on a short list of "THINGS NOT TO DO" when we want to grow closer.)
But if you want a deeper connection with someone your care about, if you want relationships that are more intimate, more meaningful and longer-lasting, then try this simple technique. Just remember the word "TRAVEL."
T is for TRUST. If we're seeking a glue to cement us to another, then trust is that bond. A relationship will go nowhere without it.
R is for RESPECT. Some people talk about how much they have always respected their cherished friends and family at a funeral. But why wait? People want to know that we hold them in high regard. It's about valuing others and letting them know you respect them.
A is for AFFECTION. Sometimes affection means love. Sometimes it means a touch. Or a hug. Always it means kindness.
V is for VULNERABILITY. Though we may feel afraid to let another too close, no relationship will go anywhere without taking a risk. Like entrepreneur Jim Rohn says, "The walls we build around us to keep out the sadness also keep out the joy." And the love.
E is for EMOTIONAL INTIMACY. It about learning to be open. Learning to communicate freely. The quality of relationships we make are largely determined by how openly we communicate.
L is for LAUGHTER. Victor Borge got it right when he said, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." It's also the most enjoyable.
So for a relationship that can really go somewhere, just remember the word "TRAVEL." Then enjoy the trip.
-- Steve Goodier
Inmate Mitchell King had a visitor -- his wife. King was serving a six-year jail term in Auckland, New Zealand for armed robbery. But his wife didn't want to be away from him for that long. So they held hands. She wanted them to always stick together - through it all. Hand in hand, forever joined. And they did stick together. She had rubbed her palms with Super Glue.
Their new-found closeness was short-lived. And their separation painful. (I suggest we put the Super Glue idea on a short list of "THINGS NOT TO DO" when we want to grow closer.)
But if you want a deeper connection with someone your care about, if you want relationships that are more intimate, more meaningful and longer-lasting, then try this simple technique. Just remember the word "TRAVEL."
T is for TRUST. If we're seeking a glue to cement us to another, then trust is that bond. A relationship will go nowhere without it.
R is for RESPECT. Some people talk about how much they have always respected their cherished friends and family at a funeral. But why wait? People want to know that we hold them in high regard. It's about valuing others and letting them know you respect them.
A is for AFFECTION. Sometimes affection means love. Sometimes it means a touch. Or a hug. Always it means kindness.
V is for VULNERABILITY. Though we may feel afraid to let another too close, no relationship will go anywhere without taking a risk. Like entrepreneur Jim Rohn says, "The walls we build around us to keep out the sadness also keep out the joy." And the love.
E is for EMOTIONAL INTIMACY. It about learning to be open. Learning to communicate freely. The quality of relationships we make are largely determined by how openly we communicate.
L is for LAUGHTER. Victor Borge got it right when he said, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." It's also the most enjoyable.
So for a relationship that can really go somewhere, just remember the word "TRAVEL." Then enjoy the trip.
-- Steve Goodier
Monday, August 31, 2009
NOTE TO SELF: Do you demonstrate God's mercy to other people?
But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins.
Titus 1:20:23 NLT
Micah 6:8 NLT
Show mercy
Christians have sometimes been accused of shooting their own wounded. In our zeal for God, we can sometimes become impatient and judgmental with those who struggle with sin and doubt. Instead of rejecting them, Jude says, we should have mercy on them—just as Christ had mercy on us when he forgave our many sins. While we must not tolerate or accept sin, we are to love and accept others with kindness and mercy. If you know someone who has fallen away from God, your kindness may be just what is needed to lead them back to God.
From the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) p 1122
Titus 1:20:23 NLT
Micah 6:8 NLT
Show mercy
Christians have sometimes been accused of shooting their own wounded. In our zeal for God, we can sometimes become impatient and judgmental with those who struggle with sin and doubt. Instead of rejecting them, Jude says, we should have mercy on them—just as Christ had mercy on us when he forgave our many sins. While we must not tolerate or accept sin, we are to love and accept others with kindness and mercy. If you know someone who has fallen away from God, your kindness may be just what is needed to lead them back to God.
From the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) p 1122
Monday, August 24, 2009
PUTTING IT OUT THERE
We used to play spin the bottle when I was a kid," says comedy writer Gene Perret. "A girl would spin the bottle, and if the bottle pointed to you when it stopped, the girl could either kiss you or give you a nickel. By the time I was 14, I owned my own home."
Gotta admire persistence. Because rejection is hard to take. Especially when it comes from someone you know. Or, come to think about it, someone you don't know.
And we all want to be appreciated. We like being valued for what we do and who we are.
American football coach Bum Phillips lives in a world where one can become a hero or a heel in an amazingly short time. One mediocre season and a coach, even a good one, can be out of a job. Like Phillips once said, "There's only two kinds of coaches -- them that's been fired and them that's about to be fired." Sounds like they might
want to make friends with rejection.
Few things hold people back more than the fear of rejection. They don't ask for what they need because the answer may be no. They don't ask their boss for a raise or for more time off. They don't ask for help. They are afraid to be the first to say "I love you" (what if they don't hear "I love you" back?). They don't ask for a better deal or a lower interest rate. They don't submit that manuscript to a publisher. In short, they don't let their wants and needs be known, for fear of being turned away, turned down or turned out.
But the wonderful truth is this: If you can accept NO for an answer, you can ask for anything. ANYTHING. When no is an acceptable and okay answer to what you'd like, you can fearlessly ask for whatever you need.
I love the expression, "I'm just putting it out there." Just put it out there. Ask. And don't worry about the response. Nobody can say YES if you never asked. Just put it out there and don't be afraid -- you may be surprised at the answer you get. Sometimes people just need to be asked. And if you don't get the response you want, are you any worse off than before?
Hey -- I'm just putting it out there.
-- Steve Goodier
Gotta admire persistence. Because rejection is hard to take. Especially when it comes from someone you know. Or, come to think about it, someone you don't know.
And we all want to be appreciated. We like being valued for what we do and who we are.
American football coach Bum Phillips lives in a world where one can become a hero or a heel in an amazingly short time. One mediocre season and a coach, even a good one, can be out of a job. Like Phillips once said, "There's only two kinds of coaches -- them that's been fired and them that's about to be fired." Sounds like they might
want to make friends with rejection.
Few things hold people back more than the fear of rejection. They don't ask for what they need because the answer may be no. They don't ask their boss for a raise or for more time off. They don't ask for help. They are afraid to be the first to say "I love you" (what if they don't hear "I love you" back?). They don't ask for a better deal or a lower interest rate. They don't submit that manuscript to a publisher. In short, they don't let their wants and needs be known, for fear of being turned away, turned down or turned out.
But the wonderful truth is this: If you can accept NO for an answer, you can ask for anything. ANYTHING. When no is an acceptable and okay answer to what you'd like, you can fearlessly ask for whatever you need.
I love the expression, "I'm just putting it out there." Just put it out there. Ask. And don't worry about the response. Nobody can say YES if you never asked. Just put it out there and don't be afraid -- you may be surprised at the answer you get. Sometimes people just need to be asked. And if you don't get the response you want, are you any worse off than before?
Hey -- I'm just putting it out there.
-- Steve Goodier
Monday, August 17, 2009
GOOD PEOPLE
A doctor said to his patient, "You have a slight heart condition, but I wouldn't worry about it."
"Really, Doc?" the patient replied. "Well, if you had a slight heart condition, I wouldn't worry about it either."
We can sometimes get the impression that most of the world is more or less out for themselves and that people care little about the plight of others. But I choose to believe differently. I believe that a lot of people are basically concerned about others, even if they don't always know how to express it. That is perhaps why a certain story, clipped years ago and filed away, has remained one of my favorites to this day.
A trucker relates that he was traveling through rural North Carolina on I-95 when a brown sedan merged onto the highway. It weaved back and forth between lanes, causing the driver of the truck to shift into a lower gear. At first he thought the driver was drunk, but when he came closer, the trucker saw an old man shaking uncontrollably behind the wheel. He noticed a Citizen's Band aerial whipping to and fro as the car jerked between lanes, so he called on the radio: "You in the brown
Chevy, if you can hear me, pull over. Pull off the road!"
Amazingly, he did! The trucker pulled up behind the car and climbed from his cab. The elderly man staggered from his auto and fell into the trucker's arms. He poured out a story of months of fear and pain that accompanied the illness of his only daughter.
Now he was returning from the hospital where it was decided that she would cease any further treatment. In the hospital he remained "strong" and stoic for his daughter, but out on the road he fell apart.
The two men talked for the good part of an hour. The father eventually decided to share his pain with his daughter and said he felt good enough to drive home. The men embraced and the trucker followed him for 50 miles. As they drove along, the two talked together on the radio.
The older man finally acknowledged that his exit was ahead and thanked his new friend again for the help. The trucker asked if he could make it home all right and, suddenly, a third voice broke in on the conversation: "Breaker 19, don't worry, good buddy. Go your way. I'll see him home!" Glancing in his mirror, he saw a livestock truck move into the exit lane behind the brown sedan.
I think there are good people the world over. People who will gladly give that caring touch, a needed warm embrace or a patient and listening ear. They are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
Look around. You're sure to see one. And look in the mirror. You might spot one there, too.
-- Steve Goodier
"Really, Doc?" the patient replied. "Well, if you had a slight heart condition, I wouldn't worry about it either."
We can sometimes get the impression that most of the world is more or less out for themselves and that people care little about the plight of others. But I choose to believe differently. I believe that a lot of people are basically concerned about others, even if they don't always know how to express it. That is perhaps why a certain story, clipped years ago and filed away, has remained one of my favorites to this day.
A trucker relates that he was traveling through rural North Carolina on I-95 when a brown sedan merged onto the highway. It weaved back and forth between lanes, causing the driver of the truck to shift into a lower gear. At first he thought the driver was drunk, but when he came closer, the trucker saw an old man shaking uncontrollably behind the wheel. He noticed a Citizen's Band aerial whipping to and fro as the car jerked between lanes, so he called on the radio: "You in the brown
Chevy, if you can hear me, pull over. Pull off the road!"
Amazingly, he did! The trucker pulled up behind the car and climbed from his cab. The elderly man staggered from his auto and fell into the trucker's arms. He poured out a story of months of fear and pain that accompanied the illness of his only daughter.
Now he was returning from the hospital where it was decided that she would cease any further treatment. In the hospital he remained "strong" and stoic for his daughter, but out on the road he fell apart.
The two men talked for the good part of an hour. The father eventually decided to share his pain with his daughter and said he felt good enough to drive home. The men embraced and the trucker followed him for 50 miles. As they drove along, the two talked together on the radio.
The older man finally acknowledged that his exit was ahead and thanked his new friend again for the help. The trucker asked if he could make it home all right and, suddenly, a third voice broke in on the conversation: "Breaker 19, don't worry, good buddy. Go your way. I'll see him home!" Glancing in his mirror, he saw a livestock truck move into the exit lane behind the brown sedan.
I think there are good people the world over. People who will gladly give that caring touch, a needed warm embrace or a patient and listening ear. They are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
Look around. You're sure to see one. And look in the mirror. You might spot one there, too.
-- Steve Goodier
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
WHAT GREATNESS IS ALL ABOUT
A school music teacher received this essay from an eight-year-old student concerning Johann Sebastian Bach: "He was a GREAT composer. He had 20 children and had an old spinster in the attic to practice on."
Actually, I don't know the exact number of children he had, but it seems to be quite a few. And I don't know what he kept in the attic ... or what he practiced on. But the student was absolutely right about one thing: Bach was a GREAT composer.
Not all of us can be great at what we do. I try to do some things the very best I can. But that means I cannot give much attention to some of the less important tasks.
But what about just being good at WHO WE ARE? Good human beings? Even being GREAT at who we are?
Author James Michener learned something about greatness on a stormy night in the South Pacific. His plane was trying desperately to land on the Tontouta airstrip but could not do so. After several attempts in the dark of night, his knuckles were white with fear. When they finally landed safely, Michener went out and walked the length of the airstrip, looking at the dim outlines of the mountains they had so
narrowly missed. He wrote this:
"And as I stood there in the darkness I caught a glimpse of the remaining years of my life and I swore an oath when peace came, if I survived, I would live the rest of my years as if I were a great man. I did not presume to think that I would be a great man. I have never thought in those terms, but I could conduct myself as if I were. I would adhere to my basic principles. I would bear public testimony to what I believed. I would be a better man. I would help others. I would truly believe and act as if all men were my brothers. And I would strive to make whatever world in which I found myself a better place. In the darkness a magnificent peace settled over me, for I saw that I could actually attain each of those objectives, and I never looked back."
Michener says that the very next day he started to draft the book TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.* And if it can ever be said that he became a great man, I suspect it was only because he decided to be a better man than he was before.
Greatness may never have been your goal. But you and I can be a little better today than we were yesterday. We can help others a bit more today than yesterday. We can act more deliberately as if all people are our sisters and brothers. We can leave the world a better place tomorrow than we found it today.
And if that is the way to greatness, then we all can head that direction. One step at a time ... beginning today.
Steve Goodier
www.LifeSupportSystem.com
* Michener's quote comes from "OUT OF THE BLUE: Delight Comes Into Our Lives," by Mark Victor Hansen & Barbara Nichols with Patty Hansen (HarperCollins, 1996).
Actually, I don't know the exact number of children he had, but it seems to be quite a few. And I don't know what he kept in the attic ... or what he practiced on. But the student was absolutely right about one thing: Bach was a GREAT composer.
Not all of us can be great at what we do. I try to do some things the very best I can. But that means I cannot give much attention to some of the less important tasks.
But what about just being good at WHO WE ARE? Good human beings? Even being GREAT at who we are?
Author James Michener learned something about greatness on a stormy night in the South Pacific. His plane was trying desperately to land on the Tontouta airstrip but could not do so. After several attempts in the dark of night, his knuckles were white with fear. When they finally landed safely, Michener went out and walked the length of the airstrip, looking at the dim outlines of the mountains they had so
narrowly missed. He wrote this:
"And as I stood there in the darkness I caught a glimpse of the remaining years of my life and I swore an oath when peace came, if I survived, I would live the rest of my years as if I were a great man. I did not presume to think that I would be a great man. I have never thought in those terms, but I could conduct myself as if I were. I would adhere to my basic principles. I would bear public testimony to what I believed. I would be a better man. I would help others. I would truly believe and act as if all men were my brothers. And I would strive to make whatever world in which I found myself a better place. In the darkness a magnificent peace settled over me, for I saw that I could actually attain each of those objectives, and I never looked back."
Michener says that the very next day he started to draft the book TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.* And if it can ever be said that he became a great man, I suspect it was only because he decided to be a better man than he was before.
Greatness may never have been your goal. But you and I can be a little better today than we were yesterday. We can help others a bit more today than yesterday. We can act more deliberately as if all people are our sisters and brothers. We can leave the world a better place tomorrow than we found it today.
And if that is the way to greatness, then we all can head that direction. One step at a time ... beginning today.
Steve Goodier
www.LifeSupportSystem.com
* Michener's quote comes from "OUT OF THE BLUE: Delight Comes Into Our Lives," by Mark Victor Hansen & Barbara Nichols with Patty Hansen (HarperCollins, 1996).
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Those who trust in God are no longer guilty...
Think you're an exception?
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal.
Romans 3:23 NLT
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 4:17 NLT
Details, please?
(1.) Remember what St. John says: "If our heart condemn us, God is stronger than our heart." The feeling of being, or not being, forgiven and loved is not what matters. One must come down to brass tacks. If there is a particular sin on your conscience, repent and confess it. If there isn't, tell the despondent devil not to be silly. You can't help hearing his voice (the odious inner radio), but you must treat it merely like a buzzing in your ears or any other irrational nuisance.
(2.) Remember the story in the Imitation, how the Christ on the crucifix suddenly spoke to the monk who was so anxious about his salvation and said, "If you knew that all was well, what would you, today, do or stop doing?" When you have found the answer, do it or stop doing it. You see, one must always get back to the practical and definite. What the devil loves is that vague cloud of unspecified guilt feeling or unspecified virtue by which he lures us into despair or presumption. "Details, please?" is the answer.
(3.) The sense of dereliction cannot be a bad symptom, for Our Lord Himself experienced it in its depth—"Why has thou forsaken me?"
C. S. Lewis in Letters to an American Lady
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal.
Romans 3:23 NLT
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
James 4:17 NLT
Details, please?
(1.) Remember what St. John says: "If our heart condemn us, God is stronger than our heart." The feeling of being, or not being, forgiven and loved is not what matters. One must come down to brass tacks. If there is a particular sin on your conscience, repent and confess it. If there isn't, tell the despondent devil not to be silly. You can't help hearing his voice (the odious inner radio), but you must treat it merely like a buzzing in your ears or any other irrational nuisance.
(2.) Remember the story in the Imitation, how the Christ on the crucifix suddenly spoke to the monk who was so anxious about his salvation and said, "If you knew that all was well, what would you, today, do or stop doing?" When you have found the answer, do it or stop doing it. You see, one must always get back to the practical and definite. What the devil loves is that vague cloud of unspecified guilt feeling or unspecified virtue by which he lures us into despair or presumption. "Details, please?" is the answer.
(3.) The sense of dereliction cannot be a bad symptom, for Our Lord Himself experienced it in its depth—"Why has thou forsaken me?"
C. S. Lewis in Letters to an American Lady
Monday, June 22, 2009
Homesick for God
This week's promise: The whole earth will hear
The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, "Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?" So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
John 4:28-30 NLT
How many people have you made homesick for God?
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)
Spread the good news
The Samaritan woman was so amazed by Jesus and his revelations about who he was and about the secrets of her heart and life that she forgot her water jar—the very reason she'd come to the well—and rushed back to the village to tell others about the "man" she had met. Up and down the streets she shared the good news about Jesus, for she had seen the Lord, the Messiah! Having received the living water, a perpetual spring within her that gave her eternal life (v. 14), she wanted others to know him too. So the people began streaming from the village to see him, eager to meet this incredible man who told people the secrets of their hearts.
Sharing with others what Jesus had done in us and for us stirs up interest in those who don't know him. His revelation in our lives draws to him people who desire to have him work in their lives as he does in ours. With whom could you share the Good News today? Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to his working in the lives of others, and be ready to share the hope that's within you.
LORD, forgive me for times when my excitement over knowing you has waned. I want others to know you and experience your work in their lives. Use me to spread the Good News. I pray that I will be so amazed by what you reveal to me today that I won't hesitate to share my hope with those who don't yet know you.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 5.
The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, "Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?" So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
John 4:28-30 NLT
How many people have you made homesick for God?
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)
Spread the good news
The Samaritan woman was so amazed by Jesus and his revelations about who he was and about the secrets of her heart and life that she forgot her water jar—the very reason she'd come to the well—and rushed back to the village to tell others about the "man" she had met. Up and down the streets she shared the good news about Jesus, for she had seen the Lord, the Messiah! Having received the living water, a perpetual spring within her that gave her eternal life (v. 14), she wanted others to know him too. So the people began streaming from the village to see him, eager to meet this incredible man who told people the secrets of their hearts.
Sharing with others what Jesus had done in us and for us stirs up interest in those who don't know him. His revelation in our lives draws to him people who desire to have him work in their lives as he does in ours. With whom could you share the Good News today? Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to his working in the lives of others, and be ready to share the hope that's within you.
LORD, forgive me for times when my excitement over knowing you has waned. I want others to know you and experience your work in their lives. Use me to spread the Good News. I pray that I will be so amazed by what you reveal to me today that I won't hesitate to share my hope with those who don't yet know you.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 5.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Carrots, Eggs & Coffee
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling... It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.... Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee... The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human
and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all be COFFEE!!!!!
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling... It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.... Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee... The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human
and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all be COFFEE!!!!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Hand
THE HAND
At first it sounded like a Thanksgiving story, but the more I
reflected on it, the more appropriate it seemed for any time of the
year. The way I heard it, the story went like this:
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a
fun assignment -- to draw a picture of something for which they were
thankful.
Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but
still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other
traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would
be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.
But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different
kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and
unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to
stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt
behind those sad eyes.
Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of
something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else.
Just an empty hand.
His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand
could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because
farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the
police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the
hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went -- until the
teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.
When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at
Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little
boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."
She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here
or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take
my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold
your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful
for his teacher's hand.
Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.
The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about
teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing
friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They
might not always say thanks. But they'll remember the hand that
reaches out.
-- Steve Goodier
www.lifesupportsystem.com
At first it sounded like a Thanksgiving story, but the more I
reflected on it, the more appropriate it seemed for any time of the
year. The way I heard it, the story went like this:
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a
fun assignment -- to draw a picture of something for which they were
thankful.
Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but
still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other
traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would
be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.
But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different
kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and
unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to
stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt
behind those sad eyes.
Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of
something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else.
Just an empty hand.
His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand
could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because
farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the
police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the
hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went -- until the
teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.
When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at
Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little
boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."
She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here
or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take
my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold
your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful
for his teacher's hand.
Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.
The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about
teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing
friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They
might not always say thanks. But they'll remember the hand that
reaches out.
-- Steve Goodier
www.lifesupportsystem.com
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
SUCKER DAY
I've never visited the town of Wetumka in Oklahoma (USA). But I understand the folks there celebrate a day every year when they laugh at themselves. They call it Sucker Day and they plan a town festival on the last Saturday of September to commemorate it.
It all started in 1950 when a man calling himself F. Bam Morrison arrived in Wetumka and persuaded local residents to put up the money to bring a circus to town. They did not know F. Bam, but he was a nice enough fellow and they trusted his word.
Merchants bought plenty of food, beverages, and souvenirs in preparation for the crowds of people who were bound to attend. And Morrison sold advance tickets. The townspeople were ecstatic at the thought of a circus in their very own village. Children could hardly sleep at night.
On the day the circus parade was to march down the main street, ecstasy turned into dismay when nothing happened. F. Bam had slipped quietly away in the night with any money he had left. There would be no circus. The good folks of Wetumka had been swindled.
It didn't take long for their disappointment to turn into amusement, however. Someone came up with the idea of holding a four-day celebration anyway. And why not? They had all the food and goodies. Calendars were cleared and, besides, everyone's heart was set on having a good time.
They called their party The Sucker Festival. In a display of good-natured fun, people celebrated the fact that they'd been conned, snookered and hornswoggled. And now Sucker Day is an annual event Wetumka – a good excuse to come together, to laugh and to have some fun.
We're going to be fooled sometimes. Especially if we easily place our confidence in people. But I'm not going to give up trusting just to avoid being had.
I've observed that some of the happiest people I know are far from being the most wary – in fact, they are quite often open and trusting. These contented folks share at least two traits.
The first is that they are trustworthy. They are known to be honest and true to their word.
And the second trait these happy and satisfied people share is that they easily trust others. Sometimes their trust is misplaced, but they've discovered that the benefits of trusting usually outweigh the risks of disappointment.
I expect I'll get taken in plenty of times yet by friends and strangers I believed in. But I hope the next time I trusted when I should have been more cautious, I can learn from the good folks of Wetumka and laugh at myself.
Because I'd rather let others into my heart than shut them out. I'd rather be a sucker for a day than unhappy for a lifetime. And I'd rather believe there is goodness in most people, for that is the only way to find it.
Steve Goodier of LifeSupportSystem.com
It all started in 1950 when a man calling himself F. Bam Morrison arrived in Wetumka and persuaded local residents to put up the money to bring a circus to town. They did not know F. Bam, but he was a nice enough fellow and they trusted his word.
Merchants bought plenty of food, beverages, and souvenirs in preparation for the crowds of people who were bound to attend. And Morrison sold advance tickets. The townspeople were ecstatic at the thought of a circus in their very own village. Children could hardly sleep at night.
On the day the circus parade was to march down the main street, ecstasy turned into dismay when nothing happened. F. Bam had slipped quietly away in the night with any money he had left. There would be no circus. The good folks of Wetumka had been swindled.
It didn't take long for their disappointment to turn into amusement, however. Someone came up with the idea of holding a four-day celebration anyway. And why not? They had all the food and goodies. Calendars were cleared and, besides, everyone's heart was set on having a good time.
They called their party The Sucker Festival. In a display of good-natured fun, people celebrated the fact that they'd been conned, snookered and hornswoggled. And now Sucker Day is an annual event Wetumka – a good excuse to come together, to laugh and to have some fun.
We're going to be fooled sometimes. Especially if we easily place our confidence in people. But I'm not going to give up trusting just to avoid being had.
I've observed that some of the happiest people I know are far from being the most wary – in fact, they are quite often open and trusting. These contented folks share at least two traits.
The first is that they are trustworthy. They are known to be honest and true to their word.
And the second trait these happy and satisfied people share is that they easily trust others. Sometimes their trust is misplaced, but they've discovered that the benefits of trusting usually outweigh the risks of disappointment.
I expect I'll get taken in plenty of times yet by friends and strangers I believed in. But I hope the next time I trusted when I should have been more cautious, I can learn from the good folks of Wetumka and laugh at myself.
Because I'd rather let others into my heart than shut them out. I'd rather be a sucker for a day than unhappy for a lifetime. And I'd rather believe there is goodness in most people, for that is the only way to find it.
Steve Goodier of LifeSupportSystem.com
Friday, May 1, 2009
GOD DELIGHTS IN THOSE WHO HONOR HIM...
Do not be afraid
The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you."
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT
Two Margarets
Margaret MacLachlan and Margaret Wilson, Covenanters in Wigtown, Scotland, were tried for their faith on April 13, 1865, for refusing to take the Oath of Abjuration, which stated that the Church of God is a department of the State. Found guilty of rebellion, attending field meetings, and worshiping in places other than a church, they were ordered to receive their sentences on their knees. When they refused to bow before anyone but God, they were forced down to their knees and then were sentenced to death by drowning.
On May 11, 1685, the two faithful Margarets were tied to posts and staked in the sea as the tide was rising. The older Margaret (MacLachlan) was farther out. They were given many chances to recant their beliefs, but they stood firm and resolute.
Margaret MacLachlan remained silent, her eyes closed throughout the ordeal, communing with Christ until death. As the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret Wilson began to sing a Covenanter rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she recited from Romans 8: "We are more than conquerors through him that loves us.…"
After the waves washed over her head, the soldiers pulled her out, pleading with her one last time to "pray for the king!" She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give him repentance, forgiveness, and salvation, if it be Thy holy will." The angry soldiers threw her back into the water, and she joined Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.
We may never face the rising tide of the sea, but the deep waters of trouble and loss can be just as overwhelming. How do you react when you feel you are about to drown in the rising tide of your own troubles?
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for May 11.
The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you."
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT
Two Margarets
Margaret MacLachlan and Margaret Wilson, Covenanters in Wigtown, Scotland, were tried for their faith on April 13, 1865, for refusing to take the Oath of Abjuration, which stated that the Church of God is a department of the State. Found guilty of rebellion, attending field meetings, and worshiping in places other than a church, they were ordered to receive their sentences on their knees. When they refused to bow before anyone but God, they were forced down to their knees and then were sentenced to death by drowning.
On May 11, 1685, the two faithful Margarets were tied to posts and staked in the sea as the tide was rising. The older Margaret (MacLachlan) was farther out. They were given many chances to recant their beliefs, but they stood firm and resolute.
Margaret MacLachlan remained silent, her eyes closed throughout the ordeal, communing with Christ until death. As the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret Wilson began to sing a Covenanter rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she recited from Romans 8: "We are more than conquerors through him that loves us.…"
After the waves washed over her head, the soldiers pulled her out, pleading with her one last time to "pray for the king!" She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give him repentance, forgiveness, and salvation, if it be Thy holy will." The angry soldiers threw her back into the water, and she joined Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.
We may never face the rising tide of the sea, but the deep waters of trouble and loss can be just as overwhelming. How do you react when you feel you are about to drown in the rising tide of your own troubles?
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for May 11.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
GOD DELIGHTS IN THOSE WHO HONOR HIM...
A cheerful spirit
For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 NLT
When I think of God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes leap and dance as they leave my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, I serve Him with a cheerful spirit. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
A happy heart
A person's heart is a major concern of the Lord. God's Word tells us that he doesn't look at the things people look at. We look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart; that is, our "thoughts and intentions" (1 Samuel 16:7). Today's verse tells us that a happy, or cheerful, heart make life "a continual feast." How do we obtain—and maintain—this happy heart? There are many clues throughout the book of Proverbs. We should not let our hearts be anxious or proud because anxiety and pride are deterrents to a cheerful heart (Proverbs 12:25; 16:5). Instead, God calls us to have pure hearts and to keep them on the right path (Proverbs 22:11; 23:19). These are positive steps to achieving a happy heart because when we are being obedient to God's Word and experiencing his smile of approval, our hearts will be lighter, even in difficult times. The Bibles gives us many other instructions about how to have "healthy" hearts, but a good place to start is to embrace the truth of Proverbs 15:15 and ask God to show us how to develop hearts that are happy, no matter what challenges we are facing.
FATHER, help me to have a happy heart. Remove the anxiety that sometimes weighs my heart down. Keep my heart from growing proud. Instead, give me a pure heart—a heart that is pleasing to you. Help me to hide your Word in my heart so that I can walk in your ways and enjoy life that is a continual feast.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 17.
For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 NLT
When I think of God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes leap and dance as they leave my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, I serve Him with a cheerful spirit. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
A happy heart
A person's heart is a major concern of the Lord. God's Word tells us that he doesn't look at the things people look at. We look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart; that is, our "thoughts and intentions" (1 Samuel 16:7). Today's verse tells us that a happy, or cheerful, heart make life "a continual feast." How do we obtain—and maintain—this happy heart? There are many clues throughout the book of Proverbs. We should not let our hearts be anxious or proud because anxiety and pride are deterrents to a cheerful heart (Proverbs 12:25; 16:5). Instead, God calls us to have pure hearts and to keep them on the right path (Proverbs 22:11; 23:19). These are positive steps to achieving a happy heart because when we are being obedient to God's Word and experiencing his smile of approval, our hearts will be lighter, even in difficult times. The Bibles gives us many other instructions about how to have "healthy" hearts, but a good place to start is to embrace the truth of Proverbs 15:15 and ask God to show us how to develop hearts that are happy, no matter what challenges we are facing.
FATHER, help me to have a happy heart. Remove the anxiety that sometimes weighs my heart down. Keep my heart from growing proud. Instead, give me a pure heart—a heart that is pleasing to you. Help me to hide your Word in my heart so that I can walk in your ways and enjoy life that is a continual feast.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 17.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
GOD DELIGHTS IN THOSE WHO HONOR HIM
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever.
Daniel 12:3 NLT
Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset.
Thomas Watson
Deepen your shine
(This is exactly what I want to do!!)
People spend thousands of dollars to last longer—exercise, cosmetics, plastic surgery, self-help advice, nutrition plans. We like life, and we want it to last, not just in some ethereal, nondescript expectation of a life hereafter, but in a real, fulfilling, purposeful eternity. We don't just want "forever." We want to know we will enjoy it.
Daniel is told what makes or breaks eternity in the resurrection: righteousness. Loving it, drinking it in, leading others to it, investing in it. Righteousness is the key. The quality of our righteousness on earth has everything to do with the quality of our eternity.
Those who are wise also know that there's a problem. We are inherently unrighteous. An eternity based on earthly righteousness is a devastating predicament for people who are, in their very genetics, infected with corruption. Are there any who can really lead others to righteousness? Will any shine like the brightness of the heavens? Or is the promise empty?
Righteousness is a gift from a holy heaven to an infected race. It comes from outside ourselves, available only through faith in its Giver. Those who are wise will tell others about this gift. Those who want to shine will know the Source of the light and will be completely preoccupied with Him.
Evangelism is one way to make an investment that never, ever ceases to bring abundant returns. God promises that sharing the Light with others will forever deepen your own shine.
Adapted from The One Year® Walk with God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for April 7.
Daniel 12:3 NLT
Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset.
Thomas Watson
Deepen your shine
(This is exactly what I want to do!!)
People spend thousands of dollars to last longer—exercise, cosmetics, plastic surgery, self-help advice, nutrition plans. We like life, and we want it to last, not just in some ethereal, nondescript expectation of a life hereafter, but in a real, fulfilling, purposeful eternity. We don't just want "forever." We want to know we will enjoy it.
Daniel is told what makes or breaks eternity in the resurrection: righteousness. Loving it, drinking it in, leading others to it, investing in it. Righteousness is the key. The quality of our righteousness on earth has everything to do with the quality of our eternity.
Those who are wise also know that there's a problem. We are inherently unrighteous. An eternity based on earthly righteousness is a devastating predicament for people who are, in their very genetics, infected with corruption. Are there any who can really lead others to righteousness? Will any shine like the brightness of the heavens? Or is the promise empty?
Righteousness is a gift from a holy heaven to an infected race. It comes from outside ourselves, available only through faith in its Giver. Those who are wise will tell others about this gift. Those who want to shine will know the Source of the light and will be completely preoccupied with Him.
Evangelism is one way to make an investment that never, ever ceases to bring abundant returns. God promises that sharing the Light with others will forever deepen your own shine.
Adapted from The One Year® Walk with God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for April 7.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
COOL HEADS AND WARM HEARTS
If you've ever struggled making the right decision, you may appreciate this story:
A young man seemed to take an unusually long time to place his order at the flower shop. When the clerk asked how she could help, he explained that his girlfriend was turning 19 and he couldn't decide whether to give her a dozen roses or 19 roses -- one for each year of her life.
The woman put aside her business judgment and advised, "She may be your 19-year-old girlfriend now, but someday she could be your 50-year-old wife."
The young man bought a dozen roses. He made his decision from both his head and his heart.
Abraham Lincoln has been considered one of the greatest leaders of all time. He maintained a cool head, even under personal attack. Though constantly criticized in public, he rarely answered back. "If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business," he said. He showed courage in the face of unjust criticism. He refused to retaliate and chose instead to quietly do the very best he could.
And Lincoln was also widely known for his compassion. He made difficult and tough decisions during America's Civil War, but at the same time showed great leniency. He pardoned more prisoners than any U. S. president before or since. And when a general asked Lincoln how the defeated Confederates should be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em up easy." He was both cool-headed and warm-hearted.
Too many people get it the other way around. They have hot heads and cold hearts. They react in the heat of anger or passion. They are cold and unfeeling. And they invariably make poor decisions.
A cool head asks the hard questions. A cool head thinks it through. A cool head fairly weighs the options and asks, "What is the logical thing to do?"
A warm heart empathizes. A warm heart considers feelings and relationships. A warm heart asks, "What is my spirit telling me to do?"
Some decisions we make with our heads. Others with our hearts. But I think it takes both to get it right.
-- Steve Goodier
Now you can add your own comments to Life Support.
http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/
__________
A young man seemed to take an unusually long time to place his order at the flower shop. When the clerk asked how she could help, he explained that his girlfriend was turning 19 and he couldn't decide whether to give her a dozen roses or 19 roses -- one for each year of her life.
The woman put aside her business judgment and advised, "She may be your 19-year-old girlfriend now, but someday she could be your 50-year-old wife."
The young man bought a dozen roses. He made his decision from both his head and his heart.
Abraham Lincoln has been considered one of the greatest leaders of all time. He maintained a cool head, even under personal attack. Though constantly criticized in public, he rarely answered back. "If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business," he said. He showed courage in the face of unjust criticism. He refused to retaliate and chose instead to quietly do the very best he could.
And Lincoln was also widely known for his compassion. He made difficult and tough decisions during America's Civil War, but at the same time showed great leniency. He pardoned more prisoners than any U. S. president before or since. And when a general asked Lincoln how the defeated Confederates should be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em up easy." He was both cool-headed and warm-hearted.
Too many people get it the other way around. They have hot heads and cold hearts. They react in the heat of anger or passion. They are cold and unfeeling. And they invariably make poor decisions.
A cool head asks the hard questions. A cool head thinks it through. A cool head fairly weighs the options and asks, "What is the logical thing to do?"
A warm heart empathizes. A warm heart considers feelings and relationships. A warm heart asks, "What is my spirit telling me to do?"
Some decisions we make with our heads. Others with our hearts. But I think it takes both to get it right.
-- Steve Goodier
Now you can add your own comments to Life Support.
http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/
__________
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
THE BEAUTIFUL YOU
We place great emphasis on a narrow idea of physical beauty.
In an American history discussion group, the professor was trying to explain how, throughout history, the concept of "beauty" changes with time. "For example," he said, "take the 1921 Miss America. She stood five-foot-one inch tall, weighed 108 pounds and sported a 30-inch bust, a 25-inch waist and 32-inch hips. How do you think she'd do in today's version of the contest?"
The class fell silent for a moment. Then one student piped up, "Not very well."
"Why is that?" asked the professor.
"For one thing," the student pointed out, "she'd be way too old."
Good point -- she'd be way too old. But beauty is a peculiar thing, for it means something a little different to each of us. And it isn't always about appearance. Sometimes beauty is a quality that softly shines from inner depths. And you may actually radiate more inner beauty than you realize.
An elderly woman noticed that her granddaughter felt embarrassed by her freckles. "I love your freckles," she said, kneeling beside the girl and admiring her face.
"Not me," the child replied.
"Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted freckles," the
grandmother said, tracing her finger across the child's cheek.
"Freckles are beautiful."
The girl looked up. "Really?"
"Of course," said her grandmother. "Why just name one thing that's prettier than freckles."
The little girl peered into the old woman's smiling face, aglow with kindness and love. "Wrinkles," she answered softly.
The physical beauty of youth will fade. But the beauty of a spirit, then nurtured, can grow forever.
-- Steve Goodier
http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/
In an American history discussion group, the professor was trying to explain how, throughout history, the concept of "beauty" changes with time. "For example," he said, "take the 1921 Miss America. She stood five-foot-one inch tall, weighed 108 pounds and sported a 30-inch bust, a 25-inch waist and 32-inch hips. How do you think she'd do in today's version of the contest?"
The class fell silent for a moment. Then one student piped up, "Not very well."
"Why is that?" asked the professor.
"For one thing," the student pointed out, "she'd be way too old."
Good point -- she'd be way too old. But beauty is a peculiar thing, for it means something a little different to each of us. And it isn't always about appearance. Sometimes beauty is a quality that softly shines from inner depths. And you may actually radiate more inner beauty than you realize.
An elderly woman noticed that her granddaughter felt embarrassed by her freckles. "I love your freckles," she said, kneeling beside the girl and admiring her face.
"Not me," the child replied.
"Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted freckles," the
grandmother said, tracing her finger across the child's cheek.
"Freckles are beautiful."
The girl looked up. "Really?"
"Of course," said her grandmother. "Why just name one thing that's prettier than freckles."
The little girl peered into the old woman's smiling face, aglow with kindness and love. "Wrinkles," she answered softly.
The physical beauty of youth will fade. But the beauty of a spirit, then nurtured, can grow forever.
-- Steve Goodier
http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
This week's promise: God pursues us with his love
But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
Exodus 20:6 NLT
A love impossible to escape
The Israelites had just escaped from slavery in Egypt when God gave them the Ten Commandments. He promised to "lavish" his love on them, if they would obey these laws. Exodus 20:6 is an astounding promise of God's love and faithfulness to his people.
It is all too easy for us to feel separated from God, all alone, and unloved, but Romans 8:35-39 assures us that is it impossible to escape God's love, even if we don't feel his love.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death. [Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep."] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The picture is clear. God's love never fails, and you can experience it now. Rest secure in the knowledge that nothing can separate you from God's love.
adapted from Living Water for Those Who Thirst Tyndale House Publishers (2000), pp 131-2
Exodus 20:6 NLT
A love impossible to escape
The Israelites had just escaped from slavery in Egypt when God gave them the Ten Commandments. He promised to "lavish" his love on them, if they would obey these laws. Exodus 20:6 is an astounding promise of God's love and faithfulness to his people.
It is all too easy for us to feel separated from God, all alone, and unloved, but Romans 8:35-39 assures us that is it impossible to escape God's love, even if we don't feel his love.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death. [Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep."] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The picture is clear. God's love never fails, and you can experience it now. Rest secure in the knowledge that nothing can separate you from God's love.
adapted from Living Water for Those Who Thirst Tyndale House Publishers (2000), pp 131-2
Thursday, February 5, 2009
This week's promise: God is always willing to forgive us
Are you breathing the sweet air of forgiveness?
Though our hearts are filled with sins, you forgive them all.
Psalm 65:3 NLT
The sweet air of forgiveness
If you doubt God's forgiveness, allow the words of Romans 8:32 to strengthen your faith. If God gave up his only Son for you, so surely he will not hold back his forgiveness!
Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?
God's forgiveness is different than human forgiveness. Isaiah 43:25 declares that when God forgives sin, he forgets them forever.
"I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again."
Human forgiveness often comes with hidden strings. We say we forgive, but later, at a crucial time, we yank the string and pull the offense back into view. Saying "I forgive you" comes easily, but truly forgiving and forgetting is much more difficult. Knowing our tendency to store past offenses and hold grudges, we assume that God does the same.
But the Bible proclaims that God will never think of our sins again. Does God take sin seriously? Definitely! Sin is so serious that it deserves the death penalty, eternal death.
Does God want to forgive sinners? Certainly! God sent Jesus to take the punishment for sin, dying on the cross in our place. All who repent and trust in Christ can be forgiven.
Can we trust God to forgive us? Of course! Release that load of guilt. Stand tall and breathe the sweet air of forgiveness.
from Living Water for Those Who Thirst Tyndale House Publishers (2000), pp 37-8
Though our hearts are filled with sins, you forgive them all.
Psalm 65:3 NLT
The sweet air of forgiveness
If you doubt God's forgiveness, allow the words of Romans 8:32 to strengthen your faith. If God gave up his only Son for you, so surely he will not hold back his forgiveness!
Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?
God's forgiveness is different than human forgiveness. Isaiah 43:25 declares that when God forgives sin, he forgets them forever.
"I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again."
Human forgiveness often comes with hidden strings. We say we forgive, but later, at a crucial time, we yank the string and pull the offense back into view. Saying "I forgive you" comes easily, but truly forgiving and forgetting is much more difficult. Knowing our tendency to store past offenses and hold grudges, we assume that God does the same.
But the Bible proclaims that God will never think of our sins again. Does God take sin seriously? Definitely! Sin is so serious that it deserves the death penalty, eternal death.
Does God want to forgive sinners? Certainly! God sent Jesus to take the punishment for sin, dying on the cross in our place. All who repent and trust in Christ can be forgiven.
Can we trust God to forgive us? Of course! Release that load of guilt. Stand tall and breathe the sweet air of forgiveness.
from Living Water for Those Who Thirst Tyndale House Publishers (2000), pp 37-8
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
PASSIONATE LIVING
One man quipped: "It's not that I'm afraid of dying. It's just that I've been alive for as long as I can remember, and I'm kind of set in my ways."
Some people ARE afraid of dying. Others are not concerned about their death ... but they worry about how they're going to get there. Will illness linger? Or will it be sudden?
I can't even guess how or when I might die, but knowing my life will end has actually helped me to live more passionately. I think others have discovered the same phenomenon.
Journalists Bill and Judith Moyers documented death and dying in the U.S. They discovered that many terminal patients they interviewed actually began to live with joy and passion only after they learned they were dying. Like one man said, "If you are told you will never see spring again, and you live to see spring, spring takes on a whole new life." ("Modern Maturity," Sept. /Oct. 2000)
Psychologist Abraham Maslow had a similar experience. After his first heart attack he realized that his remaining days on earth were short. He wrote about it to a friend: "My river never seemed so beautiful (Maslow lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the Charles River). The confrontation with death -- and reprieve from it -- makes everything look so precious, so sacred, so beautiful and I feel more strongly than ever the impulse to love it, to embrace it, and to let myself be overwhelmed by it...."
Can you imagine feeling that way? He ends with this remarkable statement: "Death and its ever present possibility makes love, passionate love, more possible. I wonder if we could love passionately, if ecstasy would be possible at all, if we knew we'd
never die."
Why wait until we are told by a doctor that we may not have much time to live. Aren't we all terminal? We became so at birth. And that is a wonderful thing to know. For strange as it may seem, knowing life is all too short can help us to live ... beautifully, meaningfully, passionately.
It is a matter of embracing every day as if it were your last. Saying what needs to be said today. Making plans to do today what you've been putting off. And taking some time maybe just to do nothing but appreciate life.
Like Emily says in Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town": "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it -- every, every minute?" I hope that I can say, "Yes, at least a few times, I think I really did."
-- Steve Goodier
Now you can add your own comments to Life Support.
http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/
Some people ARE afraid of dying. Others are not concerned about their death ... but they worry about how they're going to get there. Will illness linger? Or will it be sudden?
I can't even guess how or when I might die, but knowing my life will end has actually helped me to live more passionately. I think others have discovered the same phenomenon.
Journalists Bill and Judith Moyers documented death and dying in the U.S. They discovered that many terminal patients they interviewed actually began to live with joy and passion only after they learned they were dying. Like one man said, "If you are told you will never see spring again, and you live to see spring, spring takes on a whole new life." ("Modern Maturity," Sept. /Oct. 2000)
Psychologist Abraham Maslow had a similar experience. After his first heart attack he realized that his remaining days on earth were short. He wrote about it to a friend: "My river never seemed so beautiful (Maslow lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the Charles River). The confrontation with death -- and reprieve from it -- makes everything look so precious, so sacred, so beautiful and I feel more strongly than ever the impulse to love it, to embrace it, and to let myself be overwhelmed by it...."
Can you imagine feeling that way? He ends with this remarkable statement: "Death and its ever present possibility makes love, passionate love, more possible. I wonder if we could love passionately, if ecstasy would be possible at all, if we knew we'd
never die."
Why wait until we are told by a doctor that we may not have much time to live. Aren't we all terminal? We became so at birth. And that is a wonderful thing to know. For strange as it may seem, knowing life is all too short can help us to live ... beautifully, meaningfully, passionately.
It is a matter of embracing every day as if it were your last. Saying what needs to be said today. Making plans to do today what you've been putting off. And taking some time maybe just to do nothing but appreciate life.
Like Emily says in Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town": "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it -- every, every minute?" I hope that I can say, "Yes, at least a few times, I think I really did."
-- Steve Goodier
Now you can add your own comments to Life Support.
http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
This week's promise: Overcoming discouragement brings great blessing
Have you experienced the peace of God during times of trouble?
Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
Psalm 46:6 NLT
Be still my soul
Be still, my soul! thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past,
Thy hope, they confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul! the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be Still, My Soul (v2) , Katharina Amalia von Schlegel (1697-?)
Whatever your circumstances, if you believe the first line of this great hymn, you will be at rest. In the midst of the psalmist's troubles, the Lord said, "Be still, and know that I am God." It was these same words that spoke to Katharina von Schlegel in the turbulent times of post-Reformation Germany. A century after Luther's reforms, central Europe was racked by the Thirty Years' War, which pitted Catholics against Protestants. The Lutheran church lapsed into formalism and dead orthodoxy. In the darkness of that time, God raised up the Pietist movement, which stressed personal holiness, charity, missions, and music.
The songs of the Pietists were largely unknown outside of Germany until three British women—Jane and Sarah Borthwick and Catherine Winkworth—began to translate them into English a hundred years later. This hymn, penned by the leading woman of the Pietist movement, a canoness of a women's seminary, was among those forgotten songs.
adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995), entry for January 10
Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
Psalm 46:6 NLT
Be still my soul
Be still, my soul! thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past,
Thy hope, they confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul! the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be Still, My Soul (v2) , Katharina Amalia von Schlegel (1697-?)
Whatever your circumstances, if you believe the first line of this great hymn, you will be at rest. In the midst of the psalmist's troubles, the Lord said, "Be still, and know that I am God." It was these same words that spoke to Katharina von Schlegel in the turbulent times of post-Reformation Germany. A century after Luther's reforms, central Europe was racked by the Thirty Years' War, which pitted Catholics against Protestants. The Lutheran church lapsed into formalism and dead orthodoxy. In the darkness of that time, God raised up the Pietist movement, which stressed personal holiness, charity, missions, and music.
The songs of the Pietists were largely unknown outside of Germany until three British women—Jane and Sarah Borthwick and Catherine Winkworth—began to translate them into English a hundred years later. This hymn, penned by the leading woman of the Pietist movement, a canoness of a women's seminary, was among those forgotten songs.
adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995), entry for January 10
Monday, January 26, 2009
This week's promise: Overcoming discouragement brings great blessing
Do you fall into discouragement after spiritual highs?
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life.… Then he went alone into the desert.… He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. 1 Kings 19:3-4 NLT
About this week's promise
Elijah experienced the depths of fatigue and discouragement just after his two great spiritual victories: the defeat of the prophets of Baal and the answered prayer for rain. To lead him out of depression, God first let Elijah rest and eat. Then God confronted him with the need to return to his mission in life—to be God's prophet.
Elijah's battles were not over; there was still work for him to do. Often discouragement sets in after great spiritual experiences, especially those that produce a high level of emotional excitement or that require a lot from us physically. When you feel let down after a spiritual "high," do what is necessary to restore your inner resources. And remember that God still has a purpose and plan for you.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 311
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life.… Then he went alone into the desert.… He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. 1 Kings 19:3-4 NLT
About this week's promise
Elijah experienced the depths of fatigue and discouragement just after his two great spiritual victories: the defeat of the prophets of Baal and the answered prayer for rain. To lead him out of depression, God first let Elijah rest and eat. Then God confronted him with the need to return to his mission in life—to be God's prophet.
Elijah's battles were not over; there was still work for him to do. Often discouragement sets in after great spiritual experiences, especially those that produce a high level of emotional excitement or that require a lot from us physically. When you feel let down after a spiritual "high," do what is necessary to restore your inner resources. And remember that God still has a purpose and plan for you.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 311
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Could be as consistent as Noah?
So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him..
Genesis 6:22 NLT
A man of consistent obedience
Imagine someone who doesn't pay employees cheap wages even though he enjoys a fancy house and swanky cars. Someone who doesn't indulge in movies full of sultry sex scenes. If you know such a person, you may have found someone seeking consistent obedience to God and his Word.
Noah went against the grain of his generation. As Genesis 6:9 says, "Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship to him." He stood out from others of his time whose thoughts and actions were "consistently and totally evil." (Genesis 6:5)
Apparently folks had never seen rain fall out of the sky (Gen. 2:5), but Noah obeyed God's instructions: hammering, sawing, and building for 120 years (Gen. 6:3). Noah warned people of God's judgment (2 Pet. 2:5), but even if he had never said a word, his pounding hammer rang a warning of wrath to come. Later, the truth of those words echoed as the ark floated above a world of corpses.
After Noah's family of eight emerged into a washed-out world, he held a thanksgiving service. If God was pained by a world of ungrateful human beings (Gen. 6:6), he must have been consoled by a grateful Noah (Gen. 8:20).
Sadly, the father who was buoyed atop a world of water got drunk on land (Gen. 9:20-27). It only takes one indiscretion to mar a life of righteousness.
A bow with arrows was a principal weapon in ancient warfare. After the world was washed away in Noah's time, God set a (rain) bow in the sky to remind us that we would never again destroy the world by water. Our God is consistently faithful.
from Men of Integrity Devotional Bible with devotionals by the editors of Men of Integrity magazine (Christianity Today, Intl), Tyndale House Publishers (2002), p 13 Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Genesis 6:22 NLT
A man of consistent obedience
Imagine someone who doesn't pay employees cheap wages even though he enjoys a fancy house and swanky cars. Someone who doesn't indulge in movies full of sultry sex scenes. If you know such a person, you may have found someone seeking consistent obedience to God and his Word.
Noah went against the grain of his generation. As Genesis 6:9 says, "Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship to him." He stood out from others of his time whose thoughts and actions were "consistently and totally evil." (Genesis 6:5)
Apparently folks had never seen rain fall out of the sky (Gen. 2:5), but Noah obeyed God's instructions: hammering, sawing, and building for 120 years (Gen. 6:3). Noah warned people of God's judgment (2 Pet. 2:5), but even if he had never said a word, his pounding hammer rang a warning of wrath to come. Later, the truth of those words echoed as the ark floated above a world of corpses.
After Noah's family of eight emerged into a washed-out world, he held a thanksgiving service. If God was pained by a world of ungrateful human beings (Gen. 6:6), he must have been consoled by a grateful Noah (Gen. 8:20).
Sadly, the father who was buoyed atop a world of water got drunk on land (Gen. 9:20-27). It only takes one indiscretion to mar a life of righteousness.
A bow with arrows was a principal weapon in ancient warfare. After the world was washed away in Noah's time, God set a (rain) bow in the sky to remind us that we would never again destroy the world by water. Our God is consistently faithful.
from Men of Integrity Devotional Bible with devotionals by the editors of Men of Integrity magazine (Christianity Today, Intl), Tyndale House Publishers (2002), p 13 Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Monday, January 19, 2009
This week's promise: Obeying God brings great joy
Is your life dreary or joyful?
[Jesus said,] "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so you will be filled with joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
John 15:9-11 NLT
Finding joy
Why should joy flow from obedience?
Because of the "never say die" misconception in some quarters that the Christian life is, at best, a dreary existence and at worst, a grim process of spiritual survival.
No! Jesus wants our lives to be rich and full (John 10:10). The Bible demonstrates repeatedly that joy can be our companion—even during life's worst moments. William Vander Hoven has noted: "Life need not be easy to be joyful. Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ." We've all known believers who understood that truth. Despite hard times they were filled to overflowing with joy. Tell the truth—is anything more eye-catching or more attractive than that?
Whatever your current difficulty, the more you are convinced of Christ's unconditional love for you, and the more you are committed to loving him in return by obeying all that he commands, the more you will know the supernatural joy of Jesus.
You want me to know your love, Lord. I demonstrate love and experience love as I obey you. Rekindle my desire to live as you command. You want me to overflow with joy. Make my eyes dance with joy. Despite my troubles, put a supernatural spring in my step. Fill my soul with delight as I seek you and obey you and taste your goodness. Make me attractive to those trapped in joyless lives.
adapted from Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Woods,, Tyndale House Publishers (2002), pp 152-3
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation
[Jesus said,] "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. I have told you this so you will be filled with joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
John 15:9-11 NLT
Finding joy
Why should joy flow from obedience?
Because of the "never say die" misconception in some quarters that the Christian life is, at best, a dreary existence and at worst, a grim process of spiritual survival.
No! Jesus wants our lives to be rich and full (John 10:10). The Bible demonstrates repeatedly that joy can be our companion—even during life's worst moments. William Vander Hoven has noted: "Life need not be easy to be joyful. Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ." We've all known believers who understood that truth. Despite hard times they were filled to overflowing with joy. Tell the truth—is anything more eye-catching or more attractive than that?
Whatever your current difficulty, the more you are convinced of Christ's unconditional love for you, and the more you are committed to loving him in return by obeying all that he commands, the more you will know the supernatural joy of Jesus.
You want me to know your love, Lord. I demonstrate love and experience love as I obey you. Rekindle my desire to live as you command. You want me to overflow with joy. Make my eyes dance with joy. Despite my troubles, put a supernatural spring in my step. Fill my soul with delight as I seek you and obey you and taste your goodness. Make me attractive to those trapped in joyless lives.
adapted from Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Woods,, Tyndale House Publishers (2002), pp 152-3
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Have you had a "Jericho" experience?
THIS is my favorite verse.....
Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 NLT
Taking Jericho
Imagine this scene for a minute. You're a captain in Joshua's army camped a few miles outside the city of Jericho. You've seen the thick, double-layered stone walls surrounding the city and armed soldiers guarding every entrance. You've heard tales of the fierce Canaanite army and their ability to hold their ground in battle.
In the midst of all of this, an edict comes down from the upper ranks. Israel is planning to take Jericho. Actually, what the message says is that Israel has already taken Jericho, but Jericho just doesn't know it yet. The battle plan is really no plan at all. You're supposed to get your troops together and conduct a victory march around the city. Just once—for six days in a row. Then on the seventh day you're to march seven times around the city. That's when your soldiers can march in and take possession.
The next day you're marching around the city, and you can't help but hear the taunts coming from inside the walls. You know how silly this all looks, but you keep marching just the same. Because you know that God is on your side, and you've seen what he can do.
This is why God reminded Joshua time and again to "be strong and courageous." God has a way of working that tends to fall outside the norm, and he needs people who trust him enough to go the distance, no matter how bizarre the game plan. Courage is important to God because courage is a natural byproduct of trust. And the greater we trust, the braver we become. As long as God leads the battle, we can march in confidence, knowing that we've already won. God gave Jericho to Israel on the seventh day, just as he said he would. So,…what wall does he have you marching around?
from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), p 76
Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 NLT
Taking Jericho
Imagine this scene for a minute. You're a captain in Joshua's army camped a few miles outside the city of Jericho. You've seen the thick, double-layered stone walls surrounding the city and armed soldiers guarding every entrance. You've heard tales of the fierce Canaanite army and their ability to hold their ground in battle.
In the midst of all of this, an edict comes down from the upper ranks. Israel is planning to take Jericho. Actually, what the message says is that Israel has already taken Jericho, but Jericho just doesn't know it yet. The battle plan is really no plan at all. You're supposed to get your troops together and conduct a victory march around the city. Just once—for six days in a row. Then on the seventh day you're to march seven times around the city. That's when your soldiers can march in and take possession.
The next day you're marching around the city, and you can't help but hear the taunts coming from inside the walls. You know how silly this all looks, but you keep marching just the same. Because you know that God is on your side, and you've seen what he can do.
This is why God reminded Joshua time and again to "be strong and courageous." God has a way of working that tends to fall outside the norm, and he needs people who trust him enough to go the distance, no matter how bizarre the game plan. Courage is important to God because courage is a natural byproduct of trust. And the greater we trust, the braver we become. As long as God leads the battle, we can march in confidence, knowing that we've already won. God gave Jericho to Israel on the seventh day, just as he said he would. So,…what wall does he have you marching around?
from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), p 76
Monday, January 5, 2009
God will fight for you
Are you in need of renewal?
For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat him. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be careful to love the Lord your God.
Joshua 23:9-11 NLT
When strength fails and we grow weary, we need someone to come alongside us, show understanding, cheer us up, and inspire us to have the strength and commitment to move on. When bills pile up and money runs short, we need an encourager. When we become single parents and the world seems against us, we need an encourager. When friends and family turn against us, we need an encourager.
Our strength and resolve weaken. Oh, for someone to come beside us and lift us up and comfort us. Encouragers help us stir renewed commitment, renewed resolve. They inspire us with courage and hope. Encouragers bring a beautiful gift, often a spiritual gift, when they bring renewal through encouragement.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1188
For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat him. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be careful to love the Lord your God.
Joshua 23:9-11 NLT
When strength fails and we grow weary, we need someone to come alongside us, show understanding, cheer us up, and inspire us to have the strength and commitment to move on. When bills pile up and money runs short, we need an encourager. When we become single parents and the world seems against us, we need an encourager. When friends and family turn against us, we need an encourager.
Our strength and resolve weaken. Oh, for someone to come beside us and lift us up and comfort us. Encouragers help us stir renewed commitment, renewed resolve. They inspire us with courage and hope. Encouragers bring a beautiful gift, often a spiritual gift, when they bring renewal through encouragement.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1188
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