Week Two, 2020

Law and Equity

“The Lord shall judge the people with equity” (Psalm 98).

The history of law dates way back to the time Moses ascended Mount Sinai and God gave him what we know as The Ten Commandments. They were a list of do’s and don’ts, and later grew into the Jewish codification of some 613 rules or commandments. They covered many issues, including instructions about food, punishments and how God should be worshipped. They were to be strictly followed. There was no wiggle room. The law was the law. Period.

Civil law developed in much the manner. It was the law. Period. In the early 20th Century courts began to realize that a strict application of black letter law in some situations produced an injustice, so there developed separate courts of equity. It dates back to the times of old when litigants would go to the King and complain of harsh or inflexible rules of common law which prevented “justice” from prevailing.

In American law, men sat as judges of law and strictly applied the law. Then, they donned a chancellor’s hat that sported a tussle and sat as chancellors in equity where they provided equitable decisions that provided more fair outcomes than would happen with the strict application of the law.

The Old Testament is a book about strict application of the law, but the New Testament is different. As civil courts of law moved to a more fair process called equity, God sent Jesus and the process was called grace.

While we all sin and deserve a strict application of the law, our relationship with Christ gives us forgiveness and grace. While we should be held accountable and pay the penalty, He paid the penalty for us.

Aren’t you glad that you don’t have to pay the price and penalty for everything you have ever done wrong? Jesus paid the penalty for you, so you don’t have to.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

THE WHEELCHAIR:

Texas Governor Greg Abbott was paralyzed from the waist down in 1984 when an oak tree fell on him as he was jogging in Houston. He has since made overcoming adversity one of the themes of his public life.

For instance, he recently tweeted a video of a young man in a wheelchair climbing an indoor wall with the caption, “Never quit. Never give up. Overcome any challenge.” A person replied, “So great to see, but if I ever end up in a wheelchair, I’m just ending it.” The governor responded: “That’s what I thought before I ended up in a wheelchair. I’ve done more AFTER the accident that left me paralyzed than before that accident. With God all things are possible.”

Someone then tweeted back to the governor: “God put you in a wheelchair, Greg.” Gov. Abbott replied, “God didn’t cause the accident that left me paralyzed, but He did help me persevere over that enormous challenge.”

He added: “I’m a testament that the glory of God is revealed by a young man’s back being broken in half and still rising up to be Governor of Texas. With God all is possible.”

— o —

A life lesson from Monopoly

Well-known pastor John Ortberg learned to play the game Monopoly from his grandmother. He says of her, “She was a lovely woman, but she was the most ruthless Monopoly player I have ever known in my life.” She would defeat John every time they played.

Then came the summer when John played the game every day with a friend in the neighborhood. He learned how to acquire property ruthlessly. By the end of the summer, he was ready to play his grandmother again.

This time, he says, “I watched her give her last dollar and quit in utter defeat.” Then she taught him something he’s not forgotten, a statement that became the title of one of his best-selling books: “Now it all goes back in the box.”

What will you put in the “box” one day?

— o —

Alabama Sheriff Nick Smith is in trouble. At least with some folks. In their eyes, he’s engaged in an egregious activity that should be censured. “What has sheriff Smith done” you wonder. How has he violated his oath of office?

Recently in the face of two local tragedies, Sheriff Smith has asked the community to pray.

The First Amendment of the Constitution provides freedom of religion. It was not intended to eradicate religion and purge religious speech from the public square. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals once ruled, “The purpose behind the Establishment Clause was not to create “a wall of separation between church and state.”

— o —

Warning:

When signing documents in 2020 do not abbreviate the year as simply 20. For example, 3/14/20 with the addition of two numbers in the same color ink could be altered to say 3/14/2018. In some date sensitive documents that could be crucial. Don’t take a chance.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Here’s to life and embracing each day with gratitude, passion, compassion, empathy, integrity, love, kindness, faith and purpose! Richard Gonzmart

Perhaps we are not required to be grateful for hard times, just to find a way to be grateful in them. Jim Denison

Belief and knowledge aren’t the same thing. Belief is more powerful. Elle Sheen’s Diary

Religious folks are much happier. Regular church attendees commit fewer crimes, are in better health, live longer, make more money, drop out of high school less frequently, and finish college more frequently than those who don’t attend church at all. J.D. Vance

We know how to organize warfare, but do we know how to act when confronted with peace? Jacques Cousteau

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God? Ken Whitten

There is no greater act of kindness than when you do something for a person in need who does not know you and no one else will know that you did it…other than God of course! Dwight Short

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Anne Lamott

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Week One, 2020

THE NEXT GENERATION

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. – 1 Timothy 5:17

TIME announced its annual list of the 100 most influential people. The list reads like a Who’s Who of humanity, spanning genders, generations, ethnicities and professions. In its customary format, TIME’s list features character sketches written by other recognizable names, making for a memorable feature for anyone interested in communications and leadership.

From artists to activists to astronauts, the list is full of inspirational people who have or will make an impact. About equally divided in gender, the list was multi-racial and very young. Most were from sports, entertainment, technology and politics. Other than the Pope, not a single one even touched on faith or religion and certainly there were no evangelicals.

Reading the list made me think about the future of the church and the fact that we are, but one generation away from losing it. Why is there not one evangelical person of influence?

Millennials, those 18-34 years of age make up third percent, one in three, of our population, aged 22-37. They are over 75 million strong and eclipse the current size of the postwar baby boom generation. They are the future. But here is the question: Can religion still speak to younger Americans?

The Millennials are the fastest-growing population on the American religious landscape today and are the “None’s”—people who don’t identify with any religion. Recent data from the American Family Survey indicates that the none numbers increased from 16% in 2007 to 35% in 2018…… one in three Americans.

Over the same period, there has been a dramatic decline in the share of the population who identify as Christian, from 78% of Americans in 2007 to 65% in 2018-19, according to a report by the Pew Research Center released this month. The rise of None’s is even more dramatic among younger people: 44% of Americans aged 18 to 29 are None’s.

If we were to make a list of the most influential people of the evangelical future, could we find 100 strong enough to make the list? The call to the pulpit has changed and Pastors are increasingly hired for their management skills or rhetorical ability over and above their biblical wisdom or their meeting of the biblical qualifications for eldership. Our people don’t know their Bible very well, and this is in large part the fault of a generation of wispy preaching and teaching. People are increasingly drawn to feel good prosperity preaching and preachers both in the pulpit and on TV are giving them what they want. It is all about filling both the pew and the plate.

Think about it, the church as we have known it can be lost in a generation. Evangelicals need to stand up, take back the church and demand Bible based preaching and teaching.

After all, we are only one generation away…..

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

2020…. The new year ahead:

I know this may seem obvious to say, but every sunrise starts a new day in our lives, presenting us with the chance to turn the page and to move on. To open the door to a brand-new day of challenges, adventures and opportunities.

Opportunities to build on all the good of yesterday, learn from all the mistakes and disappointments, and to do what we may not have ever done before—all while continuing to grow into all we were meant to be.

But to do that, we have to turn the page. We have to move from yesterday, and all the yesterdays of your past. We have to move into the new day. Pastor Scott Whitaker

— o —

A Scottish pastor was famous for beginning his invocation each Sunday with a word of thanksgiving. He could find something positive in even the most negative of times. Then came a Sunday when the weather was atrocious: icy streets, frigid temperatures, howling winds. When the pastor rose to pray, those in the congregation thought, “Surely he’ll not begin with thanksgiving on such a terrible day as this. As the pastor rose to pray, he began: “Thank you Lord that the weather is not always as bad as it is today.”

— o —

If the trends measured by a recent survey continue, the nation itself is in its sunset years. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll reveals that Millennials and Generation Z have significantly less belief in the importance of patriotism, faith in God, and conceiving children. And despite the fact that most Americans remain satisfied by the state of the nation’s economy and their personal finances, a majority of respondents are angry at the country’s political and financial classes, worried about the nation’s economic future, and what kind of country they are passing on to future generations. How much will the trend continue through the coming new year?

— o —

Abortion clinic CEO compares abortion to removing a mole or getting a root canal.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Your limitations are not simply obstacles to your success—they are also indications from God of the path your life is to take. Michel Quoist

God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything He knows. Tim Keller

The higher the mountain, the harder the climb. But the greater the view when we arrive. Jim Denison

Words and ideas can change the world. And not always for the better. Robin Williams

One cannot enjoy the power of grace unless they have given it or needed it. Elle Sheen’s Diary

Music can open doors our hearts have locked and dead bolted. Elle Sheen’s Diary

So far as religion of the day is concerned, Religion is all bunk… All Bibles are man-made. Thomas Edison

Clinical depression: Nothing will ever be better than it is now. Ken Whitten

There is no limit to the amount of good you can do, if you don’t care who gets the credit. Ronald Reagan

Grief and suffering are intensely lonely experiences. While we cannot truly say to others, “I know how you feel,” we can say to them, “I am sorry for how you feel.” And we can demonstrate our compassion in action. Jim Denison

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Week Fifty-Two, 2019

A BUSY YEAR?

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired.

The new year is upon us and a time when many resolve what they want in the coming year. Usually it is about wanting more. What if our resolutions were wanting less….. less busyness in our lives? Maybe less busyness is the answer.

We live in a world where busyness is king. We’re so busy glorifying how busy we are, we miss out on experiencing the moments that matter. And while we’re so busy making a living, we forget to make life—which is quite tragic. Busyness crushes our soul, and we should focus more on reducing the number of things on our calendar than adding to it. The key to removing busyness is simple—live intentionally and identify areas in our life we can replace with quiet time.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Many of us, including me, suffer from FOMO – the fear of missing out. We’re simply afraid if we don’t attend that event, don’t sign up for that committee, or don’t enroll our kids in that sport, we’ll miss out on something.

We think there is happiness to be had, joy to be experienced, and moments to be made. Yes, there might be some truth to this, but who’s to say the moments of solitude or quiet time won’t measure up—or even exceed those altogether?

In solitude, we see more clearly. Alone—in moments of prayer or meditation, or simply in stillness—we breathe more deeply, see more fully, hear more keenly. We notice more, and in the process, we return to what is sacred.

How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. It starts with the decision to live more intentionally, and to make quiet time a priority. Each day is just as important as the next in creating the life we imagine.

Here’s the bottom line: It is not selfish to want time for yourself. It is not selfish to want moments where you can leave the world behind and recapture the magic. I encourage you in the year 2020 to find one—just one—area in your life that you can make a change. Take one small step towards a quiet life.

So turn it off. Put it down. Do not open it. And do not answer it. For once, put yourself first. Love yourself and make yourself a priority. Even for just one day, you deserve everything.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

The truest test of character:

It has been said that the truest test of character is how we treat people we don’t have to treat well.

When people hurt us, our society tells us we have the right to hurt them in return. Jesus says we have the privilege of loving them by praying for them.

When Christians decide that Christ is right and culture is wrong, the culture is drawn to Christ.

— o —

How Comparison is the Thief of Joy:

When we compare ourselves to others, we set ourselves up to add “more” into our life. More money, more cars, more houses, and more stuff. We fall victim to the old adage of “keeping up with the Joneses” which prevents us from living the life we really want to live.

The problem is that we typically compare our “worst” to their “best”, which really paints a bleak picture. Envy is ever joined with the comparing of a man’s self; and where there is no comparison, no envy.

Too many people live their lives without intentionality or thought. They rarely find a quiet moment to sit in meditation or solitude and examine their life—who they are and who they are becoming.

We should stop comparing our lives, and start living them.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

There are three things that are important in human life. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.

Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“Sometimes you need to sit lonely on the floor in a quiet room in order to hear your own voice and not let it drown in the noise of others.” —Charlotte Eriksson

You don’t find hope. It finds you often on the way to someone else. Pastor John Onwuchekwa

Christians don’t retire, they refire. Sol Pitchon

Pastors cannot point the way in prayer, they must lead the way in prayer.

How a Church Prays Tells Us Whether It Has Strayed. Ken Whitten

By concentrating on what’s happening to us today, we can miss what will happen to us tomorrow. Jim Denison

Pro-Abortion Professor: Pro-Lifers Shouldn’t Go into Healthcare, They’re “Not Worthy of Serving the Public.”

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired

Week Fifty-One, 2019

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Luke 12:15

How much money is enough money? For John D. Rockefeller the answer was “just a little bit more.” At the peak of his wealth, Rockefeller had a net worth of about 1% of the entire US economy. He owned 90% of all the oil & gas industry of his time. Compared to today’s rich guys, Rockefeller makes Bill Gates and Warren Buffett look like paupers. And yet he still wanted “just a little bit more.”

Before you can know how much is enough, you’ve got to define enough. It isn’t just an amount. It is also an attitude. Money is wonderful as a tool, but it’s terrible as a tyrant. And therein lies the difference. What is it that you want out of money and the possessions it buys?

As Dwight Short said, “When I pull into my driveway and spend more time looking at my neighbor’s new car than I do checking to make sure my garage door is open, you should understand envy.”

The decisions I’ve made in my personal life have helped me resist the temptations I face in my professional life. I was blessed early in my career and was given wise counsel to cap my income and live below my means. Money itself isn’t evil, but the love of it is the root of all kinds of evil. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Excess possessions rob us of time, money, energy, and focus. As the old proverb goes, “Those who buy what they do not need steal from themselves.” Excess possessions add stress, worry, and burden. As Randy Alcorn writes, “Every increased possession adds increased anxiety onto our lives.”

Our lives have become busy, hurried, rushed, and stressed because we own too much stuff! Consider this: Never in human history have individuals owned as much stuff as they do today.

But there is freedom in owning less—if only we could catch our breath long enough to take hold of it. Some of us have become so busy pursuing, accumulating, and caring for our things, we can’t even find the time to remove those that are no longer needed. How long have the shelves in your garage needed sorting? Or the clothes in your closet needed to be gone through?

Minimizing possessions takes work (especially if you have a lot to begin with). It takes effort and energy and an investment of time. And if both parents are working jobs to make ends meet, finding extra time to own less can be tough. It can be hard enough to minimize just one room of a house—much less an entire home. On the other hand, it is essential we find the time to reclaim our lives. Any time invested minimizing your possessions is never wasted.

Billions are spent each year convincing you to become greedy. You just need more and more. The Bible tells us to be content with less and less. Life will take on new meaning and contentment when we learn to be happy with what we have.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

COHABITATION:

For the first time in our history, more Americans have lived with a romantic partner than have married one. According to Pew Research Center’s new study, the number of those who have ever married has fallen from 60 percent in 2002 to 50 percent today, while the number who have cohabited without being married has grown from 54 percent to 59 percent.

The study also reports that 69 percent of Americans say it is acceptable for a couple to live together even if they don’t plan to get married. Sixteen percent agree with cohabiting if the couple plans to marry. Only 14 percent of us believe it is “never acceptable” for a couple to live together before marriage.

Scripture teaches that God created us as male and female (Genesis 1:27) and that he intends a man and woman to experience sexual union only in marriage (Genesis 2:24). Jesus clearly affirmed these biblical texts, then stated, “What, therefore; God has joined together, let not man separate”.(Matthew 19:6).

God’s word states that “each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2–3). Scripture adds: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4).

How different would our culture be today if each of us remained chaste before marriage and faithful to our spouse within it? Imagine a world without pornography, prostitution, sex trafficking, and adultery.

This is the freedom and purity God intends for us. Jim Denison

— o —

Every minute, your heart pumps about five quarts of blood through a system of blood vessels that’s over 60,000 miles long, according to the Cleveland Clinic. That translates to about 2,000 gallons of blood every day.

— o —

Florida’s average student loan debt is nearly $35,000 with a statewide total of $76 billion.

— o —

Welcome to the new Orwellian world where censorship is free speech and we respect the past by attempting to edit it.

No-privacy

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Lawmaker Calls Miscarried Babies a “Mess on a Napkin”

When people try to avoid suffering by sinning, they end up sinning their way into suffering. Lecrae Moore

When I pray, I am depending on God. When I don’t pray I am relying on myself. Dr. Ronnie Floyd

God invites each of us on a journey. Ken Whitten

If you don’t know what you have you are going to miss what you got. Pastor John Onwuchekwa

Don’t do it your way, do it Yahweh. Sol Pitchon

There is no book in the Bible that routs out more worldly views and conduct than Romans. Dr. Jim Smith

It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. Tom Brokaw

Kill sin or sin will kill you. John Piper

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Week Fifty, 2019

GOD’S WARNINGS

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 25:42-44).

The final eruption of Mount St. Helens in May of 1980 was not a sudden event. For two months prior to the massive blast—the most deadly and destructive in American history—earthquakes and volcanic activity signaled a major event was underway. Authorities had plenty of time to sound the alarm and warn those living nearby of the looming danger. Yet despite the seriousness of the threat, some people chose to disregard the warnings.

Probably the best known of those who refused to evacuate was Harry Randall Truman. The eighty-three-year-old man was the owner and caretaker at the Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake. He had survived the sinking of his troop ship by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland during World War I, and he was not about to leave just because scientists thought there was danger.

“I don’t have any idea whether it will blow,” Truman told reporters. “But I don’t believe it to the point that I’m going to pack up.” On May 18, 1980, Truman and his lodge were buried beneath 150 feet of mud and debris from the volcanic eruption. His body was never found.

We shake our heads and wonder why someone would be so foolish as to disregard a life-threatening warning. Yet, we see young people jumping off bridges just for fun, with warning signs, “No diving.” A hurricane approaches the coast, and warnings are issued to evacuate. But there are always people who refuse and say “I’m going to ride it out.” Some survive. But sadly, others lose their lives.

Not only does the Bible warn us about being ready for the second coming of Christ, it is a handbook on how to resist temptation and beware of false teachers and be on guard against the schemes of Satan. The apostle Peter put it this way: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking whom he may devour.”

We must be awake to the devious devices of the Devil to trip and trap us. Unwholesome entertainment, lurid literature, Internet pornography, trashy TV shows and movies, raunchy music and anything else that appeals to lustful thoughts, lewd feelings, and lascivious actions.

The admonition of Jesus has never been more appropriate than it is today. Christ is coming again. Stay focused. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Be filled with God’s Word. Pray fervently. Fellowship with people of faith. You never know when Satan will strike.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Attorney General William Barr is making headlines for a speech he delivered at Notre Dame University’s law school recently. Barr, a devout Catholic, told faculty and students that “the problem is not that religion is being forced on others, the problem is that irreligion is being forced—secular values are being forced on people of faith.”

Barr adds: “Among the militant secularists are many so-called progressives. But where is the progress? We are told we are living in a post-Christian era, but what has replaced the Judeo-Christian moral system? What is it that can fill the spiritual void in the heart of the individual person? And what is the system of values that can sustain human social life?”

The attorney general said of the moral problems we are facing, “This is not decay. This is organized destruction. Secular forces and their allies have marshaled all the forces of mass communication, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia, in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.”

I believe Attorney General Barr is absolutely right.

Here’s why we are here: Many in our culture believe the lie that all truth claims are subjective impositions of personal power on others. Tolerance of all viewpoints must; therefore, be mandated, except, of course, for viewpoints deemed intolerant.

According to this agenda, the freedom to express religious beliefs ends where such freedom is deemed harmful to or by another person. Any person. Of course, the harm done to the person expressing his or her religious beliefs is ignored.

— o —

Scripture calls us to “be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15). In that light, we should heed the warning of the eighteenth-century scientist G. C. Lichtenberg: “Never undertake anything for which you wouldn’t have the courage to ask the blessing of heaven.”

— o —

“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it political?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Jesus‘ need for me is as constant as the outflow of my love to Him.

Evangelism – A group of “ordinary” Christians living intentionally in a city to bring joy to it through the gospel of Jesus Christ through Word and deed.

Not everyone who believes and is baptized is a real disciple. Ken Whitten

Death is just a comma to Christ, not a period.

The problem with heroes is that eventually they end up showing their humanity and shatter our glittering image of who they really are. Dwight Short

We need to teach others what we believe, but equally we must teach why we believe what we believe. Josh McDowell

The higher the summit, the harder the climb. Jim Denison

Oswald Chambers: “The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus.”

Max Lucado noted: “God never said that the journey would be easy, but he did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”

Encouragement provides us with motivation to persevere. It invites us to dream dreams of significance for our lives. And it begs us to work diligently with optimism and promise.

Week Forty-Nine, 2019
DANCING AT MY FUNERAL

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

His book made a great impression on me when I read it several decades ago. Written by Maxie Dunnam, Dancing at My Funeral, is a classic. It gave me a whole new perspective on death and dying and a great move forward in my Christian faith.

What if the Christian community suddenly became known as the people who celebrated funerals? And we really mean party! What if we did it so often—and so big—that people started to notice? And what if the culture started asking why?

Why do we cry at funerals? What if Christians became known as the people who celebrate departures from this world? What if we made our memorial services bigger and better than the best wedding you’ve ever attended?

How would that impact the culture’s perception of how seriously we believe what the Bible says? And what would it say about heaven? What will your funeral say about your faith and how will it influence others in their faith walk? Should those in attendance clearly hear the Gospel?

A friend of mine was a funeral director. He had witnessed and conducted hundreds of funerals. I remember him saying that funerals should reflect the way the deceased lived.

We all have an expiration date. We just don’t know when, where or how. Sooner or later we will all be faced with death. For Christians, our funeral should be a time of joy and a time to celebrate, for it marks, not a death, but a rite of passage to a greater life beyond.

When we die, our spirit and body separate. Even though our body dies, our spirit—which is the essence of who we are—lives on. We celebrate other times and events of the passage of life, why not our funeral?

I’m looking forward to my funeral, hopefully, not occurring soon. I want it to be a soundtrack of my life…. well most of it. I want the Gospel preached and I want people to know of my assurance as to my next stop after this earthly life. The best is yet to come.

If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I’ll never speak to them again!

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

THE POWER STRIP:

Lynsi Snyder describes this culture-changing lifestyle well: “Picture our lives being a power strip. We plug so many things into the power strip—work, family, hobbies, and God. But that is all wrong. God must be the power strip and everything in our life should be plugged into Him as our power source. He gives us life and then we have His power in everything we do. “He shouldn’t be one of the ‘plug-ins’ in our life, but rather we should live plugged into Him and the calling He has for us.”

Who is your power strip today? God must be the power strip. Jim Denison

— o —

As the weeks fly past, it is important to be intentional about certain things, lest we be held captive by the “tyranny of the urgent” for our entire lives. While all of us want to “finish strong,” we are often distracted by things that diminish our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength. Ultimately this can lead to a lack of will to do the things which are truly significant or we lack the conviction to stand firm when our “day of distress” arrives. Lt. Gen Robert Dees

— o —

Half a million bats live at the University of Florida. Their spooky night flights draw scores of tourists. Since 1991, the University of Florida has maintained houses to accommodate its massive population of bats — about half a million now, making it the largest bat population in a human-made structure in the world.

Nearly every night, the bats leave their houses about 15 minutes after sunset to eat an estimated 2½ billion insects. The bats’ exodus has attracted scores of spectators, but getting them to live in the houses hasn’t always been easy.

— o —

BUSY?

And then it becomes a rationalization: I can’t honor my commitments because I’m too busy! I can’t be with my family or friends because I’m too busy. I can’t work out, meditate, shut down at night to get to sleep, or make time for solitude and disconnection … because I’m too busy.

Most of us have used this “too busy” rationalization, because it feels very true. It feels absolutely true that we’re too busy. And there’s a corollary to this: if we want to be less busy, we have to get all our work done first (and be busier in the meantime).

Is it true? Or can we develop a habit of not being busy, even with the same workload? We need to get at the heart of this always-busy habit, and then reverse it. Leo Babuta

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

The great gift of God in prayer is Himself. Maxie Dunnam

There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart. Charles Dickens

While Saul was seeking Jesus, Jesus was seeking Saul. Pastor Andrew Evans

A Jewish mother is a travel agent for guilt trips. Sol Pitchon

A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. John F. Kennedy

Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work. Oswald Chambers

Life on earth has sharp teeth. Lecrae Moore

Do you see obstacles or opportunities? Pastor John Onwuchekwa

The devil doesn’t care what we depend on as long as it isn’t the Holy Spirit.

The worst of times are often the best of times. It just doesn’t feel like it at the time.

Sentimentality is the enemy of simplicity.