Friday, May 28, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: ““It’s not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters.” Mother Teresa
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
The reason God comforts us in all our troubles, is so that further down the road we can comfort others. In my troubles I have found comfort in knowing a loving God, I have found solace in my communion with God alone. But comfort also comes from family and friends whom God has comforted in like ways. There is nothing anymore comforting than to be with and hear from someone who has gone through what you are going through. The original Greek word used for comfort in this Scripture is “paraklesis.” One of the meanings in the Greek is solace. Webster defines the word solace as, “an easing of grief, loneliness, discomfort, etc.” I find solace in knowing God and those sent my way in times of troubles. I must continue to be grateful, true comfort and solace has no price. It cannot be bought. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
***********************
TAKE IT BY FAITH
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ISAIAH 55:9
Despite all of our searching and all of our study of the Scriptures, we’ll never be able to see everything clearly, to fully grasp and understand and answer all the questions. They are beyond our comprehension, a puzzle, a mystery.
In “Keep a Quiet Heart,” Elizabeth Elliott says, “Today is mine. Tomorrow is not of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.”
Much of what happens in life we simply have to take by faith. Answers will not be forthcoming. These are the tensions of reality, and if we get marooned on the tensions, we will not be able to travel further. That is as our heavenly Father planned it.
CHARLES SWINDOLL……….The Mystery of God’s Will
***********************
Have a wonderful holiday. Remember our Veterans, present and past who gave all for this great country………………..JRE
Paraklesis
Thought for the day: ““It’s not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters.” Mother Teresa
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
The reason God comforts us in all our troubles, is so that further down the road we can comfort others. In my troubles I have found comfort in knowing a loving God, I have found solace in my communion with God alone. But comfort also comes from family and friends whom God has comforted in like ways. There is nothing anymore comforting than to be with and hear from someone who has gone through what you are going through. The original Greek word used for comfort in this Scripture is “paraklesis.” One of the meanings in the Greek is solace. Webster defines the word solace as, “an easing of grief, loneliness, discomfort, etc.” I find solace in knowing God and those sent my way in times of troubles. I must continue to be grateful, true comfort and solace has no price. It cannot be bought. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
***********************
TAKE IT BY FAITH
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ISAIAH 55:9
Despite all of our searching and all of our study of the Scriptures, we’ll never be able to see everything clearly, to fully grasp and understand and answer all the questions. They are beyond our comprehension, a puzzle, a mystery.
In “Keep a Quiet Heart,” Elizabeth Elliott says, “Today is mine. Tomorrow is not of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.”
Much of what happens in life we simply have to take by faith. Answers will not be forthcoming. These are the tensions of reality, and if we get marooned on the tensions, we will not be able to travel further. That is as our heavenly Father planned it.
CHARLES SWINDOLL……….The Mystery of God’s Will
***********************
Have a wonderful holiday. Remember our Veterans, present and past who gave all for this great country………………..JRE
Thursday, May 27, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Love cannot be learned in isolation. You have to be around people, irritating, imperfect, frustrating people.”
Rick Warren
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” HOSEA 10:12 KJV
This morning in my daily reading I came across this Scripture, and just like a scratchy record, for those of us who remember records, I just kept reading it over and over. It kept pulling me back to the word “sow.” How important it is to break up the ground and sow seed into our lives and the lives of others. This is a great Scripture, but I am also stuck on a story that my Granny told me many times. It’s a story about looking back. Papa didn’t look back much, he just kept on doing what he was doing.
Out side my window there is a creek, before the highway came through you could see the two fields that were on the other side of the creek. These fields at one time were plowed each spring to prepare them for crops. One year my Granny and Papa were each plowing with horses and plows, when it blew up a rain so they decided to take the horses to the barn. Papa finished his row and headed across the creek to the barn, Granny was finishing hers when the plow hooked on a large rock and lifted it up. As she stepped into the hole the plow gently released the rock and laid it on her leg. Her horse continued on to the barn. She hollered at Papa, but he never looked back. In the rain she lay there stuck under that rock. Papa was taking care of his horse in the barn when he noticed Granny’s horse and also noticed that she was not there. He went back to the field and lifted the rock so Granny could get out from under it. She never forgot about Papa not looking back, and after almost seventy years she told the story as if it had happened just yesterday.
I am also reminded of a Scripture in which Jesus said, “No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 KJV) When you are plowing and look back you will make a crooked furrow. Keep your eyes on the prize. Thanks for letting me share this. Every day God does for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
***********************
BREAK UP YOUR FALLOW GROUND
This also is the work of man. Each must break up the ground of his own life. Fallow ground is that which has been plowed but not sown; ground not in use; idle ground crusted over and hardened until it needs to be broken up again to receive the seed. Our hearts and wills must be broken and yielded to God. We must make ourselves willing to receive the Word of God and to obey it or seeking Him will not avail us anything.
THE DAKE BIBLE page 888
***********************
“It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 37
Papa never looked back
Thought for the day: “Love cannot be learned in isolation. You have to be around people, irritating, imperfect, frustrating people.”
Rick Warren
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” HOSEA 10:12 KJV
This morning in my daily reading I came across this Scripture, and just like a scratchy record, for those of us who remember records, I just kept reading it over and over. It kept pulling me back to the word “sow.” How important it is to break up the ground and sow seed into our lives and the lives of others. This is a great Scripture, but I am also stuck on a story that my Granny told me many times. It’s a story about looking back. Papa didn’t look back much, he just kept on doing what he was doing.
Out side my window there is a creek, before the highway came through you could see the two fields that were on the other side of the creek. These fields at one time were plowed each spring to prepare them for crops. One year my Granny and Papa were each plowing with horses and plows, when it blew up a rain so they decided to take the horses to the barn. Papa finished his row and headed across the creek to the barn, Granny was finishing hers when the plow hooked on a large rock and lifted it up. As she stepped into the hole the plow gently released the rock and laid it on her leg. Her horse continued on to the barn. She hollered at Papa, but he never looked back. In the rain she lay there stuck under that rock. Papa was taking care of his horse in the barn when he noticed Granny’s horse and also noticed that she was not there. He went back to the field and lifted the rock so Granny could get out from under it. She never forgot about Papa not looking back, and after almost seventy years she told the story as if it had happened just yesterday.
I am also reminded of a Scripture in which Jesus said, “No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 KJV) When you are plowing and look back you will make a crooked furrow. Keep your eyes on the prize. Thanks for letting me share this. Every day God does for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
***********************
BREAK UP YOUR FALLOW GROUND
This also is the work of man. Each must break up the ground of his own life. Fallow ground is that which has been plowed but not sown; ground not in use; idle ground crusted over and hardened until it needs to be broken up again to receive the seed. Our hearts and wills must be broken and yielded to God. We must make ourselves willing to receive the Word of God and to obey it or seeking Him will not avail us anything.
THE DAKE BIBLE page 888
***********************
“It will not make us better people to judge the faults of another.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 37
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy age 4
Changing the way I speak is one of the most difficult aspects of my recovery and living this new life. For years my self-centered behavior allowed my tongue to have free rein. Just open up and let her fly. Today I realize the impact that words have on our lives. I have suffered physical pain in my life, but by far the greatest pain I’ve experience has been the result of words. I my self have many times had to go back to someone and say, “you know, I shouldn’t have said that,” or, “I had no right to say that, I’m sorry.” Fifty years of thinking and speaking a certain way cannot be changed over night, so I must become aware of what I say on a daily basis, or if you will “one day at a time.” I am so grateful for my early childhood where I was taught respect for adults. I remember having to say “yes Sir” and “no Sir.” “Please and thank you,” and not to interrupt when others are speaking. The problem of improper use of the tongue came about when I got out and became my “own person.” Today I realize that I am not my own person. I am a child of God and so are you, and God doesn’t want any of His children to harm each other by the use of a flappy tongue. Please bare with me while I remain in this school of “Bits and Rudders.” Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
James 3:3-6 NIV
***********************
THE GIFT OF GRACE
“Those who find me find life, and the LORD will be pleased with them.”
PROVERBS 8:35
Grace is created by god and given to man….On the basis of this point alone, Christianity, is set apart from any other religion in the world……Every other approach to God is a battering system; if I do this, god will do that. I’m either saved by works (what I do), emotions (what I experience), or knowledge (what I know).
By contrast, Christianity has no whiff of negotiation at all. Man is not the negotiator; indeed, man has no grounds from which to negotiate.
MAX LUCADO……..In the Grip of Grace
***********************
“ A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted, rather than something we must have.”
AA 12X12 page 75
School of Bits and Rudders
Thought for the day: “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy age 4
Changing the way I speak is one of the most difficult aspects of my recovery and living this new life. For years my self-centered behavior allowed my tongue to have free rein. Just open up and let her fly. Today I realize the impact that words have on our lives. I have suffered physical pain in my life, but by far the greatest pain I’ve experience has been the result of words. I my self have many times had to go back to someone and say, “you know, I shouldn’t have said that,” or, “I had no right to say that, I’m sorry.” Fifty years of thinking and speaking a certain way cannot be changed over night, so I must become aware of what I say on a daily basis, or if you will “one day at a time.” I am so grateful for my early childhood where I was taught respect for adults. I remember having to say “yes Sir” and “no Sir.” “Please and thank you,” and not to interrupt when others are speaking. The problem of improper use of the tongue came about when I got out and became my “own person.” Today I realize that I am not my own person. I am a child of God and so are you, and God doesn’t want any of His children to harm each other by the use of a flappy tongue. Please bare with me while I remain in this school of “Bits and Rudders.” Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
James 3:3-6 NIV
***********************
THE GIFT OF GRACE
“Those who find me find life, and the LORD will be pleased with them.”
PROVERBS 8:35
Grace is created by god and given to man….On the basis of this point alone, Christianity, is set apart from any other religion in the world……Every other approach to God is a battering system; if I do this, god will do that. I’m either saved by works (what I do), emotions (what I experience), or knowledge (what I know).
By contrast, Christianity has no whiff of negotiation at all. Man is not the negotiator; indeed, man has no grounds from which to negotiate.
MAX LUCADO……..In the Grip of Grace
***********************
“ A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted, rather than something we must have.”
AA 12X12 page 75
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “We may not always feel God’s presence, but He is always there.”
“ For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
This Scripture was one of the first promises in the Bible that I experienced and found to be true. After becoming a Christian, within two months I went back to my old way of life. I thought that because I had turned away from God that God had turned away from me. When I once again became spiritually bankrupt and had nowhere else to turn, I again turned to God and discovered that a loving God was very much there. Only I had turned away. Today life would be void without the presence of the Lord. I am so grateful for the many promises I have discovered in the Word of God. Try them, you also will discover that they never fail. You can stand on them. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……….JRE
***********************
WE WANT RELIEF
“I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore shall I call upon Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1-2
Do you ever find yourself saying something like this? “Lord, I give you my life, but I’m weary to death of this irritation, this person, this circumstance, this uncomfortable situation. I feel trapped, Lord, I want relief, I must have relief! And if you don’t bring it soon…..well, I’ve had it. I feel like walking away from it all.”
You may walk, my friend, but there are no shortcut. Here’s a better plan: reach for the hand of your Guide! He is Lord of the desert. Even your desert. The most precious object of God’s love is His child in the desert. If it were possible, you mean more to Him during this time than any other time….You are His beloved student taking his toughest courses. He loves you with an infinite amount of love.
CHARLES SWINDOLL…….Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
***********************
“The Power that brought us to this program is still with us and will continue to guide us if we allow it.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 26
Standing on the promises
Thought for the day: “We may not always feel God’s presence, but He is always there.”
“ For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
This Scripture was one of the first promises in the Bible that I experienced and found to be true. After becoming a Christian, within two months I went back to my old way of life. I thought that because I had turned away from God that God had turned away from me. When I once again became spiritually bankrupt and had nowhere else to turn, I again turned to God and discovered that a loving God was very much there. Only I had turned away. Today life would be void without the presence of the Lord. I am so grateful for the many promises I have discovered in the Word of God. Try them, you also will discover that they never fail. You can stand on them. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……….JRE
***********************
WE WANT RELIEF
“I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore shall I call upon Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1-2
Do you ever find yourself saying something like this? “Lord, I give you my life, but I’m weary to death of this irritation, this person, this circumstance, this uncomfortable situation. I feel trapped, Lord, I want relief, I must have relief! And if you don’t bring it soon…..well, I’ve had it. I feel like walking away from it all.”
You may walk, my friend, but there are no shortcut. Here’s a better plan: reach for the hand of your Guide! He is Lord of the desert. Even your desert. The most precious object of God’s love is His child in the desert. If it were possible, you mean more to Him during this time than any other time….You are His beloved student taking his toughest courses. He loves you with an infinite amount of love.
CHARLES SWINDOLL…….Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
***********************
“The Power that brought us to this program is still with us and will continue to guide us if we allow it.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 26
Monday, May 24, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Never miss an opportunity to complement or encourage someone.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9 NKJV
I returned home from Vietnam in the summer of 1968. That fall I attended Indiana State University in Evansville. The next fall I decided to move to Springfield Missouri so I packed up what I had did a bunch of speed, got on my motorcycle and headed west on US highway 60. About two hours out I was in western Kentucky and it started to rain cats and dogs. I pulled into a service station to wait out the rain and there sat this older gentleman who had the love of God in him and it shinned like new money. There was an old guitar in there and he played a couple of songs and I blew some harmonica. That old man must have witnessed to me, I don’t remember. But the rain never let up, so I went down the road to a motel for the night. In the room I found a Bible and I picked it up and started reading the New Testament. The only reason I have for believing why I did that, is something the old man must have said. As I sat there long-hair and beard all cranked up on speed, I read this verse about the peacemakers and I thought surely this is me. I believed this for years until I came to know Jesus Christ the man who said the words. At that time of my life I was at war with everyone and everything and considered myself a peacemaker. How wrong I was. At that time in my life I was all about me. Today I realize that being a peacemaker is all about others and the love of God working through our lives. I think that old man in Kentucky sowed a seed that lay dormant for over twenty-four years until a correctional guard at Leeds Farm put a little water on it. I am grateful. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……….JRE
***********************
AA Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Most people want peace in their lives, but many will never know the complete peace that is available to them, because they are not willing to be true peacemakers. We may simply want to put the past behind us, or at least sweep it under the rug, and get on with our lives. That is the “easy” way, the dysfunctional way of doing things.
We can have the courage and wisdom to be peacemakers because of God’s love working in and through us. First John 3:1 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” Not only do we have God’s love to guide us in our peacemaking; John 14:27 tells us that we have the promise of God’s own peace resting upon our lives, which frees us from fear.
With our hearts full of God’s love and peace, we can extend forgiveness and make appropriate amends where needed.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 6
***********************
Words of Jesus, John 14:27 NIV
“Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Kentucky Rain
Thought for the day: “Never miss an opportunity to complement or encourage someone.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9 NKJV
I returned home from Vietnam in the summer of 1968. That fall I attended Indiana State University in Evansville. The next fall I decided to move to Springfield Missouri so I packed up what I had did a bunch of speed, got on my motorcycle and headed west on US highway 60. About two hours out I was in western Kentucky and it started to rain cats and dogs. I pulled into a service station to wait out the rain and there sat this older gentleman who had the love of God in him and it shinned like new money. There was an old guitar in there and he played a couple of songs and I blew some harmonica. That old man must have witnessed to me, I don’t remember. But the rain never let up, so I went down the road to a motel for the night. In the room I found a Bible and I picked it up and started reading the New Testament. The only reason I have for believing why I did that, is something the old man must have said. As I sat there long-hair and beard all cranked up on speed, I read this verse about the peacemakers and I thought surely this is me. I believed this for years until I came to know Jesus Christ the man who said the words. At that time of my life I was at war with everyone and everything and considered myself a peacemaker. How wrong I was. At that time in my life I was all about me. Today I realize that being a peacemaker is all about others and the love of God working through our lives. I think that old man in Kentucky sowed a seed that lay dormant for over twenty-four years until a correctional guard at Leeds Farm put a little water on it. I am grateful. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……….JRE
***********************
AA Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Most people want peace in their lives, but many will never know the complete peace that is available to them, because they are not willing to be true peacemakers. We may simply want to put the past behind us, or at least sweep it under the rug, and get on with our lives. That is the “easy” way, the dysfunctional way of doing things.
We can have the courage and wisdom to be peacemakers because of God’s love working in and through us. First John 3:1 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” Not only do we have God’s love to guide us in our peacemaking; John 14:27 tells us that we have the promise of God’s own peace resting upon our lives, which frees us from fear.
With our hearts full of God’s love and peace, we can extend forgiveness and make appropriate amends where needed.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 6
***********************
Words of Jesus, John 14:27 NIV
“Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Friday, May 21, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “God will make a way where there doesn’t seem to be a way.”
I read this line this morning in a book I am reading by Oral Roberts, titled “Still Doing the Impossible.” Two years ago I had the privilege of being in Tulsa visiting the campus of Oral Roberts University. I stood in awe at the university buildings, the hospital, the auditorium, the landscaping, and the large sculpture of the praying hands. Before this I had seen Oral on TV and had heard people talk about him, mostly in the form of jokes. Today with an open mind, I realize what a man of faith he really is. Oral has a vision of healing, which involves Jesus Christ as the healer. In the hospital the doctors and nurses are Spirit filled Christians, they have a prayer team that works with them and each patient, before any major surgery they all get together with the patient and pray. They use all their resources, educational and spiritual. Today as I travel down the road of recovery from alcoholism and addiction, I realize I must use all my resources also. I must draw from the educational side of life and keep an open mind and continue to learn. I must draw from society and continue in fellowship with those who help me and those whom I can help. I must draw from the spiritual and continue to draw closer to God through the reading of the Word, prayer, and meditation. I am learning that to be “whole,” I must be balanced. If I lean too much toward the educational, the social, or the spiritual, I become close-minded and boring, even to myself. I am grateful today for all the people who share with me how God works in their lives. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………..JRE
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13 NIV
***********************
POWER FOR PROBLEMS
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
A friend told me of a non-believer who came to him in the midst of a troubled day. Knowing my friend was a Christian, the man asked, “If I get born again, will all of my problems go away?”
“No,” said my friend, “but you will have the power to deal with them.”
God will give us wisdom and courage. He will surround us with brothers and sisters in Christ to help carry our burdens, and even provide us with insight and practical assistance.
Satan will always try to discourage those who belong to Christ. When problems persist, he may even whisper, “See, God doesn’t care about you!” But with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can combat the evil one and contradict his lies.
If God dismissed all our problems with a single stroke, we would be left defenseless, unequipped to meet the inevitable attacks of the enemy of our souls. But in the midst of life’s problems God supplies everything we need to see us through.
BILLY GRAHAM
***********************
……there was nothing left for us to do but pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 25
Balanced
Thought for the day: “God will make a way where there doesn’t seem to be a way.”
I read this line this morning in a book I am reading by Oral Roberts, titled “Still Doing the Impossible.” Two years ago I had the privilege of being in Tulsa visiting the campus of Oral Roberts University. I stood in awe at the university buildings, the hospital, the auditorium, the landscaping, and the large sculpture of the praying hands. Before this I had seen Oral on TV and had heard people talk about him, mostly in the form of jokes. Today with an open mind, I realize what a man of faith he really is. Oral has a vision of healing, which involves Jesus Christ as the healer. In the hospital the doctors and nurses are Spirit filled Christians, they have a prayer team that works with them and each patient, before any major surgery they all get together with the patient and pray. They use all their resources, educational and spiritual. Today as I travel down the road of recovery from alcoholism and addiction, I realize I must use all my resources also. I must draw from the educational side of life and keep an open mind and continue to learn. I must draw from society and continue in fellowship with those who help me and those whom I can help. I must draw from the spiritual and continue to draw closer to God through the reading of the Word, prayer, and meditation. I am learning that to be “whole,” I must be balanced. If I lean too much toward the educational, the social, or the spiritual, I become close-minded and boring, even to myself. I am grateful today for all the people who share with me how God works in their lives. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………..JRE
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13 NIV
***********************
POWER FOR PROBLEMS
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13
A friend told me of a non-believer who came to him in the midst of a troubled day. Knowing my friend was a Christian, the man asked, “If I get born again, will all of my problems go away?”
“No,” said my friend, “but you will have the power to deal with them.”
God will give us wisdom and courage. He will surround us with brothers and sisters in Christ to help carry our burdens, and even provide us with insight and practical assistance.
Satan will always try to discourage those who belong to Christ. When problems persist, he may even whisper, “See, God doesn’t care about you!” But with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can combat the evil one and contradict his lies.
If God dismissed all our problems with a single stroke, we would be left defenseless, unequipped to meet the inevitable attacks of the enemy of our souls. But in the midst of life’s problems God supplies everything we need to see us through.
BILLY GRAHAM
***********************
……there was nothing left for us to do but pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 25
Thursday, May 20, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “God is a circle whose center is everywhere, and its circumference nowhere.” EMPEDOCLES
Outside the window by my desk, there are three bird feeders. My grandmother fed the birds here at the same spot for years, forty that I can remember. Each year I watch new generations show up and feed. Sometimes the parents bring their new young to the feeders as soon as they can fly. I am always amazed at the cardinals, they will bring their young to the feeders and the male of the species will feed them by taking seed in his mouth, and inserting it in the mouth of the young. Sometimes the young are fully grown and as large or larger than the parent. The young birds will sit there on the feeder, wings spread out, feathers all ruffled, mouth open, crying “feed me, feed me.” The way I look at it, these young birds are more than capable of feeding themselves, but they have become dependent on the parent and are insecure. There is a little fear involved when we take the first steps of taking care of ourselves. I can relate to this on a spiritual level. After I had read the Bible and accepted Jesus as my friend and Savior; I would go to church, sit on the pew, feathers all ruffled and cry “feed me, feed me.” I almost starved to death expecting others to feed me my spiritual food. I have learned to feed myself, today, I feast. I can eat all I want and not harm myself. The food basket and the well are as deep as I may search. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit that has taken me aside and instructed me in the matters of the nourishment of my spirit. My breakfast this morning was very good. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………….JRE
WARNING AGAINST FALLING AWAY
Hebrews 5:11-14 NIV
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
***********************
INTIMACY AND POWER
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You.” Psalm 63:1
There is a pathway of power available to every believer who wants his life to grow to its fullest dimension in Christ.
That pathway begins with spending personal, intimate time with God. His deepest workings in our lives, those that will shape us into His image, will take place when we are alone with Him, keeping closely and personally related in His presence.
JACK HAYFORD…………..Our Daily Walk
***********************
“For meditation to be of value, the results must show in our daily lives.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 46
"Feed me, feed me"
Thought for the day: “God is a circle whose center is everywhere, and its circumference nowhere.” EMPEDOCLES
Outside the window by my desk, there are three bird feeders. My grandmother fed the birds here at the same spot for years, forty that I can remember. Each year I watch new generations show up and feed. Sometimes the parents bring their new young to the feeders as soon as they can fly. I am always amazed at the cardinals, they will bring their young to the feeders and the male of the species will feed them by taking seed in his mouth, and inserting it in the mouth of the young. Sometimes the young are fully grown and as large or larger than the parent. The young birds will sit there on the feeder, wings spread out, feathers all ruffled, mouth open, crying “feed me, feed me.” The way I look at it, these young birds are more than capable of feeding themselves, but they have become dependent on the parent and are insecure. There is a little fear involved when we take the first steps of taking care of ourselves. I can relate to this on a spiritual level. After I had read the Bible and accepted Jesus as my friend and Savior; I would go to church, sit on the pew, feathers all ruffled and cry “feed me, feed me.” I almost starved to death expecting others to feed me my spiritual food. I have learned to feed myself, today, I feast. I can eat all I want and not harm myself. The food basket and the well are as deep as I may search. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit that has taken me aside and instructed me in the matters of the nourishment of my spirit. My breakfast this morning was very good. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………….JRE
WARNING AGAINST FALLING AWAY
Hebrews 5:11-14 NIV
“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
***********************
INTIMACY AND POWER
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You.” Psalm 63:1
There is a pathway of power available to every believer who wants his life to grow to its fullest dimension in Christ.
That pathway begins with spending personal, intimate time with God. His deepest workings in our lives, those that will shape us into His image, will take place when we are alone with Him, keeping closely and personally related in His presence.
JACK HAYFORD…………..Our Daily Walk
***********************
“For meditation to be of value, the results must show in our daily lives.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 46
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Cultivate your sense of humor; laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17
“Lighten up.” I have heard these words at times when it was difficult to rise above the heavy cloud of remorse and self-pity. Today I am able to laugh at things in my past that a few short years ago were devastating, and brought tears to my eyes. How our view of situations change with a little time and the daily maintenance of our spiritual condition. Prayer and meditation, reading the Word and other books of spiritual guidance, fellowshipping and being with other believers and those with similar experiences, are some of the ways our spiritual condition can be honed and kept sharp. In AA and NA newcomers come in with life situations that are extremely painful. They are broke spiritually, and are lost and without hope. To be able to share with them similar experiences that I’ve had, and to be able to look back on the situations and chuckle and even belly laugh at my own stupidity and ignorance, this act of honest communication “lightens up” the feelings that we both share about the present and the past. The Bible says, “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) How true this is, evidence of my healing today, is to be able to look back and laugh at myself. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………….JRE
“But we aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 132
***********************
“I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.”
PSALM 139:14
Antonio Stradivari was a seventeenth-century violin maker whose name in its Latin form, Stradivarius, has become synonymous with excellence. He once said that to make a violin less than his best would be to rob God, who could not make Antonio Stradivari’s violins without Antonio.
He was right. God could not make Stradivarius violins without Antonio Stradivari. Certain gifts were given to that craftsman that no other violin maker possessed.
In the same vein, there are certain things you can do that no one else can. Perhaps it is parenting, or constructing houses, or encouraging the discouraged. There are things that only you can do, and you are alive to do them. In the great orchestra we call life, you have an instrument and a song, and you owe it to God to play them both sublimely.
MAX LUCADO……………The Applause of Heaven
We aren't a glum lot
Thought for the day: “Cultivate your sense of humor; laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17
“Lighten up.” I have heard these words at times when it was difficult to rise above the heavy cloud of remorse and self-pity. Today I am able to laugh at things in my past that a few short years ago were devastating, and brought tears to my eyes. How our view of situations change with a little time and the daily maintenance of our spiritual condition. Prayer and meditation, reading the Word and other books of spiritual guidance, fellowshipping and being with other believers and those with similar experiences, are some of the ways our spiritual condition can be honed and kept sharp. In AA and NA newcomers come in with life situations that are extremely painful. They are broke spiritually, and are lost and without hope. To be able to share with them similar experiences that I’ve had, and to be able to look back on the situations and chuckle and even belly laugh at my own stupidity and ignorance, this act of honest communication “lightens up” the feelings that we both share about the present and the past. The Bible says, “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) How true this is, evidence of my healing today, is to be able to look back and laugh at myself. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………….JRE
“But we aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 132
***********************
“I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.”
PSALM 139:14
Antonio Stradivari was a seventeenth-century violin maker whose name in its Latin form, Stradivarius, has become synonymous with excellence. He once said that to make a violin less than his best would be to rob God, who could not make Antonio Stradivari’s violins without Antonio.
He was right. God could not make Stradivarius violins without Antonio Stradivari. Certain gifts were given to that craftsman that no other violin maker possessed.
In the same vein, there are certain things you can do that no one else can. Perhaps it is parenting, or constructing houses, or encouraging the discouraged. There are things that only you can do, and you are alive to do them. In the great orchestra we call life, you have an instrument and a song, and you owe it to God to play them both sublimely.
MAX LUCADO……………The Applause of Heaven
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of the deep waters.” PSALM 18:16 NIV
I can swim. I’m not the best swimmer, but I can swim. I know several strokes, and can float. I was a late learner when it came to swimming. At the ripe age of eleven, was I able for the first time to go into the deep without help. People tried to teach me how to swim, but I just couldn’t make it work for me. I always sank to the bottom while trashing my arms and legs. One day I put on a big ole pair of fins and it was a different story. I could motivate in the water without even using my arms. I learned that the key to swimming and staying afloat was in the feet and legs. As a child I used to want to swim and would play around in the deep end on the edge of the pool. What I’m getting around to telling you about is a time when I was ten and we lived in France. My dad was in the military, and there was this French swimming pool a few blocks from where we lived. One summer day, I can remember being down in the deep end hanging on to the ladder. I think I liked the way my body was in suspension in the deep. When all of a sudden I had drifted out beyond my reach of the ladder. I remember from nowhere a hand coming down and grabbing me and pulling me up. To this day I don’t know whom it was, but when I read this Scripture I always am reminded of that time. Five years and eight months ago I was again drawn out of the deep waters of addiction and alcoholism by the strong had of a loving God. I was going down for the last time and God heard my simple cry for help. A drowning person cannot be rescued until they quit struggling. I had to give up and then help came. My prayers were answered and God sent others my way to teach me how to swim. Today I’m above water, one day at a time. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works.”
Alcoholics Anonymous page 28
***********************
SERVANTS WHO SERVE
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9
We are the most entertained generation in history. Television sets pull in hundreds of channels; professional sports teams and pop music groups take in (and spend) billions of dollars; millions of people own second and third homes for vacations; our children are upset if they don’t get the latest computer games for Christmas.
I believe this frantic search for entertainment is a symptom of something deeper. Some have suggested we are the most bored generation in history, and perhaps they are right. Down inside is an empty place in our hearts, a restlessness, a search for inner peace and tranquility, that will not go away. The irony is, the more we try to satisfy it, the less content we become.
Only Christ can fill that empty space in our hearts, and He will as we open our lives to Him. But God’s Word also points us to the future, to heaven, where our restless hearts will be at peace. “There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God.
BILLY GRAHAM
Learning to swim
Thought for the day: “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of the deep waters.” PSALM 18:16 NIV
I can swim. I’m not the best swimmer, but I can swim. I know several strokes, and can float. I was a late learner when it came to swimming. At the ripe age of eleven, was I able for the first time to go into the deep without help. People tried to teach me how to swim, but I just couldn’t make it work for me. I always sank to the bottom while trashing my arms and legs. One day I put on a big ole pair of fins and it was a different story. I could motivate in the water without even using my arms. I learned that the key to swimming and staying afloat was in the feet and legs. As a child I used to want to swim and would play around in the deep end on the edge of the pool. What I’m getting around to telling you about is a time when I was ten and we lived in France. My dad was in the military, and there was this French swimming pool a few blocks from where we lived. One summer day, I can remember being down in the deep end hanging on to the ladder. I think I liked the way my body was in suspension in the deep. When all of a sudden I had drifted out beyond my reach of the ladder. I remember from nowhere a hand coming down and grabbing me and pulling me up. To this day I don’t know whom it was, but when I read this Scripture I always am reminded of that time. Five years and eight months ago I was again drawn out of the deep waters of addiction and alcoholism by the strong had of a loving God. I was going down for the last time and God heard my simple cry for help. A drowning person cannot be rescued until they quit struggling. I had to give up and then help came. My prayers were answered and God sent others my way to teach me how to swim. Today I’m above water, one day at a time. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works.”
Alcoholics Anonymous page 28
***********************
SERVANTS WHO SERVE
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9
We are the most entertained generation in history. Television sets pull in hundreds of channels; professional sports teams and pop music groups take in (and spend) billions of dollars; millions of people own second and third homes for vacations; our children are upset if they don’t get the latest computer games for Christmas.
I believe this frantic search for entertainment is a symptom of something deeper. Some have suggested we are the most bored generation in history, and perhaps they are right. Down inside is an empty place in our hearts, a restlessness, a search for inner peace and tranquility, that will not go away. The irony is, the more we try to satisfy it, the less content we become.
Only Christ can fill that empty space in our hearts, and He will as we open our lives to Him. But God’s Word also points us to the future, to heaven, where our restless hearts will be at peace. “There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God.
BILLY GRAHAM
Monday, May 17, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Perfectionism does not exist; to understand it is the triumph of human intelligence; to expect to posses it is the most dangerous kind of madness.” Alfred de Musset
I find Jesus’ sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) to be some of the greatest words ever to be spoken or written down. Within His sermon we find the keys to living a life of purpose, prosperity, health, joy and happiness. The sermon teaches us how to live together, how to treat one another, what to do about revenge and resentments, how to treat our enemies, and how to give with the proper attitude. We also learn how to pray, how to fast, how to handle prosperity, and how not to worry. One of the last statements in the sermon deals with how we see others, how we judge each other. I should look at you the way I want you to look at me. This concept is so hard for me to accept and use in a working form. The truth is that I want you to look at me with compassion, and I find myself looking at you through a magnifying glass. I would like others to overlook some of my character defects until God has helped me change, but I realize that in some ways we are alike, we can tend to view others differently than we want to be viewed. In the sermon Jesus asks us to be “perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” For years this statement bothered me because I knew I could not be perfect. When I study the original text of Greek I fine the word perfect (teleios) to have a meaning I can use and apply in my life. It means being complete, being mature, being truthful. These concepts I can use and apply in my everyday living. I’m still growing because God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
MATTHEW 5:48 NIV
***********************
REACH OUT TO OTHERS
“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” PROVERBS 11:25
Close, open relationships are vital. A glib “Hi, how are ya” must be replaced with genuine concern. The key term is assimilation. When I use the word here, I’m reefing to people reaching out to one another.
Being absorbed in the function of the family of god as a participant (rather than a spectator)
……relating to
……working with
……caring for others whom I know and love.
As I read it over, I see written between the lines the reminder:
This is
Not
Automatic.
I am personally responsible. So are you!
CHARLES SWINDOLL………Dropping Your Guard
***********************
“Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 62
Viewing the view
Thought for the day: “Perfectionism does not exist; to understand it is the triumph of human intelligence; to expect to posses it is the most dangerous kind of madness.” Alfred de Musset
I find Jesus’ sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) to be some of the greatest words ever to be spoken or written down. Within His sermon we find the keys to living a life of purpose, prosperity, health, joy and happiness. The sermon teaches us how to live together, how to treat one another, what to do about revenge and resentments, how to treat our enemies, and how to give with the proper attitude. We also learn how to pray, how to fast, how to handle prosperity, and how not to worry. One of the last statements in the sermon deals with how we see others, how we judge each other. I should look at you the way I want you to look at me. This concept is so hard for me to accept and use in a working form. The truth is that I want you to look at me with compassion, and I find myself looking at you through a magnifying glass. I would like others to overlook some of my character defects until God has helped me change, but I realize that in some ways we are alike, we can tend to view others differently than we want to be viewed. In the sermon Jesus asks us to be “perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” For years this statement bothered me because I knew I could not be perfect. When I study the original text of Greek I fine the word perfect (teleios) to have a meaning I can use and apply in my life. It means being complete, being mature, being truthful. These concepts I can use and apply in my everyday living. I’m still growing because God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
MATTHEW 5:48 NIV
***********************
REACH OUT TO OTHERS
“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” PROVERBS 11:25
Close, open relationships are vital. A glib “Hi, how are ya” must be replaced with genuine concern. The key term is assimilation. When I use the word here, I’m reefing to people reaching out to one another.
Being absorbed in the function of the family of god as a participant (rather than a spectator)
……relating to
……working with
……caring for others whom I know and love.
As I read it over, I see written between the lines the reminder:
This is
Not
Automatic.
I am personally responsible. So are you!
CHARLES SWINDOLL………Dropping Your Guard
***********************
“Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 62
Thursday, May 06, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”
Benjamin Disraeli
This is the heart of sponsorship or sowing seed into the lives of others. My sponsor very rarely gives me advice and then only when I ask. Mostly, he is there when I call, he listens, and he shares of his experiences. Just listening is probably the most important part of our relationship. When I listen or when he listens, this is when the ground of my heart is prepared and made ready to receive the seed for spiritual growth. When my sponsor listens with a heart of love, I am able to most generally have revelation and see for myself the right direction. But I must listen with the ears of my heart to the words that I am speaking. Self-centeredness is the root of many of my problems today, and if I just ramble on and don’t listen to myself, little good can come from what I say or the fact that I have a good friend to listen. I will never forget the time I met with my sponsor for lunch and he said that God had given him one word, and that was “listen.” He received the word and passed it on, I received it and am learning to pass it on. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:17 NKJV
*************************
BEGIN WITH WORSHIP
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice,…..and…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:1
Present your body, daily and literally, to the Lord in worship. Stand or kneel or lift your hands, not as a ritual performance but as a demonstration of praise. In some way each day, present your body in praise to Him. You will find this to be more than a set of calisthenics. Your mind will begin to function differently, for our mind turns toward what our body is given to.
So begin with worship. Before anything else occurs in a day, bow to your knees and say, “Lord, this day is Yours, and so an I.” Declare His authority over all your life for all this day.
JACK HAYFORD…………Glory on Your House
***********************
“With one sponsor, we can learn to build a relationship based on trust and honesty. Through shared experience, a sponsor is able to reflect on personal growth.” Narcotics Anonymous, IP No. 11, Sponsorship
Ears of my heart
Thought for the day: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”
Benjamin Disraeli
This is the heart of sponsorship or sowing seed into the lives of others. My sponsor very rarely gives me advice and then only when I ask. Mostly, he is there when I call, he listens, and he shares of his experiences. Just listening is probably the most important part of our relationship. When I listen or when he listens, this is when the ground of my heart is prepared and made ready to receive the seed for spiritual growth. When my sponsor listens with a heart of love, I am able to most generally have revelation and see for myself the right direction. But I must listen with the ears of my heart to the words that I am speaking. Self-centeredness is the root of many of my problems today, and if I just ramble on and don’t listen to myself, little good can come from what I say or the fact that I have a good friend to listen. I will never forget the time I met with my sponsor for lunch and he said that God had given him one word, and that was “listen.” He received the word and passed it on, I received it and am learning to pass it on. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:17 NKJV
*************************
BEGIN WITH WORSHIP
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice,…..and…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:1
Present your body, daily and literally, to the Lord in worship. Stand or kneel or lift your hands, not as a ritual performance but as a demonstration of praise. In some way each day, present your body in praise to Him. You will find this to be more than a set of calisthenics. Your mind will begin to function differently, for our mind turns toward what our body is given to.
So begin with worship. Before anything else occurs in a day, bow to your knees and say, “Lord, this day is Yours, and so an I.” Declare His authority over all your life for all this day.
JACK HAYFORD…………Glory on Your House
***********************
“With one sponsor, we can learn to build a relationship based on trust and honesty. Through shared experience, a sponsor is able to reflect on personal growth.” Narcotics Anonymous, IP No. 11, Sponsorship
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you’ve left him alone all day.” Mary Ann, age 4
As I look out my window, I see the creek. Today I will have some work done on the creek taking out the mud and gravel that has washed in. When I was a kid my parents and my sister and I would come visit Granny and Papa when they lived here on the farm. I can remember as soon as the car stopped we would get out and hug Granny and Papa, uncle Jimmy and aunt Sharron, pet the dogs, and then head straight for the creek. It was the most wonderful place for a kid to visit. The water was clear and you could see the big flat rocks in the bottom. There were frogs and crawdads, minnows and little fish, water spiders and snails. And all along the bank there could be found a colorful assortment of butterflies and dragonflies. I remember spending hours wading into the water and just looking at everything that lived there. I would turn over rocks in the water, and was just amazed at all the little critters that lived under each rock. Today the creek is different. With land upstream being cleared of trees for pasture, and the earth being dozed for the building of new homes, the spring rains cause the earth to be washed which loosens the gravel from the clay. Over time it continues to move down stream. As I look at the creek and see the need for the removal of the gravel to keep it flowing so it will stay clean. I also see the need in my life for the removal of debris that has washed in over the last few years also. With growth and development come some things that must be carried out with the trash every now and then. My plans are to meet with my sponsor soon and clear up the stream of my life. I must keep the spiritual stream of my life clear and flowing. I must continue to receive from the Word of God and others, and I must continue to give what I have been given. Only then is flow maintained. The debris must be removed. God is running a backhoe in my life today, and doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
***********************
Then he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 10:37-38 NKJV
STEP 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
None of us ever reaches the point where our old nature is completely subdued and we will not be tempted by old, codependent patterns of behavior. It is significant that in Mark 14:27 Jesus addresses the apostle Peter as Simon, which was his name before he became a follower of Jesus. Perhaps Jesus was trying to help Peter see how close he was to falling back into his old life-style. Soon after, Peter denied Christ.
When Jesus tells the disciples to “watch,” He is exhorting them to be alert to the spiritual dangers around them. And by telling them to pray, He is reminding them to acknowledge continually their dependence upon God rather than themselves. Jesus knew their spirits (their inner desires and intentions) were willing and eager to follow Him. But He also recognized their human inadequacies and how easily they could be overwhelmed by these inadequacies. How important for each of us to remain alert to temptations around us and to pray for strength and wisdom to conquer them!
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE……page 75
Sanders Creek
Thought for the day: “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you’ve left him alone all day.” Mary Ann, age 4
As I look out my window, I see the creek. Today I will have some work done on the creek taking out the mud and gravel that has washed in. When I was a kid my parents and my sister and I would come visit Granny and Papa when they lived here on the farm. I can remember as soon as the car stopped we would get out and hug Granny and Papa, uncle Jimmy and aunt Sharron, pet the dogs, and then head straight for the creek. It was the most wonderful place for a kid to visit. The water was clear and you could see the big flat rocks in the bottom. There were frogs and crawdads, minnows and little fish, water spiders and snails. And all along the bank there could be found a colorful assortment of butterflies and dragonflies. I remember spending hours wading into the water and just looking at everything that lived there. I would turn over rocks in the water, and was just amazed at all the little critters that lived under each rock. Today the creek is different. With land upstream being cleared of trees for pasture, and the earth being dozed for the building of new homes, the spring rains cause the earth to be washed which loosens the gravel from the clay. Over time it continues to move down stream. As I look at the creek and see the need for the removal of the gravel to keep it flowing so it will stay clean. I also see the need in my life for the removal of debris that has washed in over the last few years also. With growth and development come some things that must be carried out with the trash every now and then. My plans are to meet with my sponsor soon and clear up the stream of my life. I must keep the spiritual stream of my life clear and flowing. I must continue to receive from the Word of God and others, and I must continue to give what I have been given. Only then is flow maintained. The debris must be removed. God is running a backhoe in my life today, and doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
***********************
Then he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 10:37-38 NKJV
STEP 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
None of us ever reaches the point where our old nature is completely subdued and we will not be tempted by old, codependent patterns of behavior. It is significant that in Mark 14:27 Jesus addresses the apostle Peter as Simon, which was his name before he became a follower of Jesus. Perhaps Jesus was trying to help Peter see how close he was to falling back into his old life-style. Soon after, Peter denied Christ.
When Jesus tells the disciples to “watch,” He is exhorting them to be alert to the spiritual dangers around them. And by telling them to pray, He is reminding them to acknowledge continually their dependence upon God rather than themselves. Jesus knew their spirits (their inner desires and intentions) were willing and eager to follow Him. But He also recognized their human inadequacies and how easily they could be overwhelmed by these inadequacies. How important for each of us to remain alert to temptations around us and to pray for strength and wisdom to conquer them!
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE……page 75
Monday, May 03, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The hopeful man sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadow and storm.”
O.S. Marsden
If we never try we can never succeed. Even through our failures we learn and gain experience, which we can apply to our next try. The way I see it, is that the only true failure is not trying. Today I can feel serenity slip from me if I allow my hope to slip away. Even if today I experience feelings of loneliness, and feelings of being let down by others, I still have serenity because I have hope. All I have to do is to look back and see how a loving God of my understanding has been with me all along. How God has helped me rise above problems greater than anything I could possibly have going on today. When I look back I see a life of despair and hopelessness full of shadow and storms brought on by my addictions. Today I see sunshine and continue to exercise my faith and hope. I know that if I don’t drink or use drugs today, no matter what happens, this day is a success. We people in recovery are blessed by the simple fact that we are hopeful. No matter what happens, we see success where others see failure. My God is awesome, and continues to do for me what I could not do for myself……….JRE
Words of Jesus found in Luke 11:9-10 NIV.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.”
***********************
LET GO, RELAX
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.”
Proverbs 24:3
The older I get the more I appreciate the benefits of taking time. Woodwork done slowly and meticulously by a craftsman is beautiful and able to endure the test of the elements. Art, whether musical compositions, needlework, sculpture, or painting, requires time and attention to detail. Even the cultivation of our walk with God…..requires a great deal of time to develop.
The Psalmist realized this when he wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). The Hebrew does not suggest standing around and letting your mind wander, not that kind of being still. Rather, it means “Let go, relax.”……..
If all this it true of other realms and responsibilities, it is certainly applicable to the home and family. Children were not created to be “jerked up” (as my mother used to put it), but to be cared for with gentleness and attention to detail. They require time…..lots of it.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………..Growing Wise in Family Life
***********************
“Since the beginning of our recovery, we have found that joy doesn’t come from material things but from within ourselves.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 103
Let go, and let God
Thought for the day: “The hopeful man sees success where others see failure, sunshine where others see shadow and storm.”
O.S. Marsden
If we never try we can never succeed. Even through our failures we learn and gain experience, which we can apply to our next try. The way I see it, is that the only true failure is not trying. Today I can feel serenity slip from me if I allow my hope to slip away. Even if today I experience feelings of loneliness, and feelings of being let down by others, I still have serenity because I have hope. All I have to do is to look back and see how a loving God of my understanding has been with me all along. How God has helped me rise above problems greater than anything I could possibly have going on today. When I look back I see a life of despair and hopelessness full of shadow and storms brought on by my addictions. Today I see sunshine and continue to exercise my faith and hope. I know that if I don’t drink or use drugs today, no matter what happens, this day is a success. We people in recovery are blessed by the simple fact that we are hopeful. No matter what happens, we see success where others see failure. My God is awesome, and continues to do for me what I could not do for myself……….JRE
Words of Jesus found in Luke 11:9-10 NIV.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.”
***********************
LET GO, RELAX
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.”
Proverbs 24:3
The older I get the more I appreciate the benefits of taking time. Woodwork done slowly and meticulously by a craftsman is beautiful and able to endure the test of the elements. Art, whether musical compositions, needlework, sculpture, or painting, requires time and attention to detail. Even the cultivation of our walk with God…..requires a great deal of time to develop.
The Psalmist realized this when he wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). The Hebrew does not suggest standing around and letting your mind wander, not that kind of being still. Rather, it means “Let go, relax.”……..
If all this it true of other realms and responsibilities, it is certainly applicable to the home and family. Children were not created to be “jerked up” (as my mother used to put it), but to be cared for with gentleness and attention to detail. They require time…..lots of it.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………..Growing Wise in Family Life
***********************
“Since the beginning of our recovery, we have found that joy doesn’t come from material things but from within ourselves.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 103
