Speak No Evil

"Talk low, talk slow, and speak less." - John Wayne "Bite your tongue before it bites you." - The Eating Deacon

Hope

Discovery

The more I discover God the more I realize with great pain, sorrow, joy and hope that my discovery is of God and by God and that God is far greater than even my discovery which leads me to bow my head and raise my hands in victorious humility. Thank God.

Self In Christ

The more we get what we now call "ourselves" out of the way and let Him (Jesus) take us over, the more truly ourselves we become ... our real selves are all waiting for us in Him .... The more I resist Him and try to live on my own, the more I become dominated by my own heredity and upbringing and surrounding and natural desires. In fact what I so proudly call "Myself" becomes merely the meeting-place for trains of events which I never started and I cannot stop. What I call "My wishes" become merely the desires thrown up by my physical organism or pumped into me by other men's thoughts .... It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His personality, that I finally begin to have a real personality all of my own .... [Nevertheless], you must not go to Christ for the sake of [a new self]. As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all. This is a C.S. Lewis quote from Mere Christianity

No Religion At All

The renowned British minister Dick Lucas once preached a sermon in which he recounted an imaginary conversation between an early Christian and her neighbor in Rome. "Ah," the neighbor says. "I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?" "We don't have a temple," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our temple." "No temple? But where do your priests work and do their rituals? " "We don't have priests to mediate the presence of God," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our priest." "No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?" "We don't need a sacrifice," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our sacrifice. " "What kind of religion is this?" sputters the pagan neighbor. And the answer is, it's no kind of religion at all. King's Cross, Timothy Keller p.48

No Static

"In Christianity God is not a static thing...but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance." - C.S. Lewis

Thrive On Three

A friend of mine, Greg English, and I be believe that if you will Celebrate God (worship God regularly as an individual and with a group of people), Connect with Others (be in regular contact and community with other followers of Christ in a local church who encourage you to live for Jesus) and Contribute to Ministry (give financially, lead or serve in a ministry, share Jesus with others and invite them to become a follower of the Way and then help them grow in their walk with God) you will experience a more full and meaningful life. You can Thrive.

He and I have been serving Christ for a combined 45 years. After a great deal of reading Scripture, books about spiritual growth, observing people, interviewing followers of Jesus Christ, discussion between he and I, and a field test we concluded that if people who accept Jesus Christ and begin to follow Him will practice the Three they can and will have a meaningful relationship with God and others. Thrive On Three is about walking with God and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Start thriving. Begin Celebrating God, Connecting with Others and Contributing to Ministry.

God On The Go Through Philip

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Acts 8:26-40

I Dare You To Move

Go There

When God places something on your heart that will honor Him and bless others go there. How To go there: Prayer, planning, preparing, waiting, moving, learning, counselors, friends, overcoming hurdles, personal growth, morphing, overcoming your fears and simply going there. No wonder people stay where they currently are. If God has placed something on your heart that will honor Him and bless others go there.

Is Death The End?

Clock Or Compass?

Article: Life By The Clock or Compass?

Live!

May you live all the days of your life. - Jonathan Swift

A Poem I Will Often Read At Funerals For Follwer's Of The Way

What must it be like to step on shore and find it - heaven;
To take hold of a hand find it - God's;
To breath a new air and find it - celestial;
To feel invigorated and find it - immortality;
To rise from the care, the loneliness and turmoil of earth into one unbroken calm;
to wake up and find it - GLORY.

1st Quarter Is Almost Over

The year 2011 marches (pun intended) on as we spring into Spring. The first quarter of the year is coming to and end and it is time to step on the scale and weigh in on the progress you wanted to make in your personal growth for the year 2011. Taking a very brief walk down memory lane this week and seeking to remember what good and God things you wanted to happen in your life will be very beneficial to you and others in your life. Push the pause button and allow your self a brief time of evaluation. What did you want to see happen in your life? What improvements did you want to make in your life? What books have you read? What Scripture have you memorized? Do you need to stoke the fire? Are you moving towards some of your New Year Resolutions? Have you forgotten your New Year Resolutions? These are just a few questions to help you begin thinking about the 1st quarter evaluation which can spring you into the 2nd quarter of 2011 with new "pep in your step". So step on the scale, weigh in and move forward with a renewed zeal and prayer for strength.

Moses Parts His Hair

A Glimpse

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

What Are You Screaming?

I saw a Cardinal earlier this week that was red as red could be. He was screaming, "I am a creature of God." What are you screaming?

Burn For You - Steve Fee

Good Communicators

Good Communicators

Great blog about being a good communicator. James White is a very good leader and communicator. His blog is worth looking at weekly.