Friday, June 25, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” ISAIAH 42:3 NIV
In the book of Isaiah this verse speaks to me loud and clear. For me it speaks of a God who will not pass over those who have been bruised and broken, and those in which the fire is almost gone out. In fact God uses these believers to carry on His work if they will only allow it to happen. God has used the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed, the ones with birth defects, and the ones that because of accidents and war are maimed. When a bruised reed speaks of the love and grace of God, the words seem to cut through the superficial outward appearance of beauty that we all see on the surface. God uses bruised reeds to get His message across with out all the flowery words that many use. When in the presence of an anointed bruised reed, listen. Unconditional gratitude carries the message from a loving God. Thanks for letting me share, God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
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Each one of us is a child of God, and as such, we are full of the promise of spiritual growth. A young person is like the springtime of the year. The full time of the fruit is not yet, but there is promise of the blossom. There is a spark of the Divine in every one of us. Each has some of God’s spirit that can be developed by spiritual exercise. Know that your life is full of glad promise. Such blessings can be yours, such joys, such wonders, as long as you develop in the sunshine of God’s love.
HAZELDEN…………Twenty-Four Hours A Day
***********************
I will be gone from my desk for two weeks. I want to thanks each of you who receive this small page and allow me to serve in some way. None of this is about me, but about a loving God who does not want any to perish, and desires all to draw closer to Him as we walk together on this path of life. I stand in awe at how the Holy Spirit has at times used these few words to encourage and comfort many, myself included. The responses I receive humble me, and keep me pounding away at the keyboard. This page is part of my morning devotion time and has helped keep me stay clean and sober, I am grateful, thanks. Be back in a couple of weeks, may God bless you and keep you…………….JRE
“So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” ISAIAH 55:11 NKJV
Bruised reeds
Thought for the day: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” ISAIAH 42:3 NIV
In the book of Isaiah this verse speaks to me loud and clear. For me it speaks of a God who will not pass over those who have been bruised and broken, and those in which the fire is almost gone out. In fact God uses these believers to carry on His work if they will only allow it to happen. God has used the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed, the ones with birth defects, and the ones that because of accidents and war are maimed. When a bruised reed speaks of the love and grace of God, the words seem to cut through the superficial outward appearance of beauty that we all see on the surface. God uses bruised reeds to get His message across with out all the flowery words that many use. When in the presence of an anointed bruised reed, listen. Unconditional gratitude carries the message from a loving God. Thanks for letting me share, God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
***********************
Each one of us is a child of God, and as such, we are full of the promise of spiritual growth. A young person is like the springtime of the year. The full time of the fruit is not yet, but there is promise of the blossom. There is a spark of the Divine in every one of us. Each has some of God’s spirit that can be developed by spiritual exercise. Know that your life is full of glad promise. Such blessings can be yours, such joys, such wonders, as long as you develop in the sunshine of God’s love.
HAZELDEN…………Twenty-Four Hours A Day
***********************
I will be gone from my desk for two weeks. I want to thanks each of you who receive this small page and allow me to serve in some way. None of this is about me, but about a loving God who does not want any to perish, and desires all to draw closer to Him as we walk together on this path of life. I stand in awe at how the Holy Spirit has at times used these few words to encourage and comfort many, myself included. The responses I receive humble me, and keep me pounding away at the keyboard. This page is part of my morning devotion time and has helped keep me stay clean and sober, I am grateful, thanks. Be back in a couple of weeks, may God bless you and keep you…………….JRE
“So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” ISAIAH 55:11 NKJV
Thursday, June 24, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.” Henry Ward Beecher
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU FOR MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
Paul doesn’t say exactly what his thorn in the flesh was, some think it was his eyesight, I have heard a birth-mark on his face, and I have heard some say that he was disabled physically. When I read the Scripture I see that it was a “messenger from Satan.” It could have been a person that heckled Paul. Paul was hassled everywhere he went, beaten, stoned, and put in jail. Paul did not let it get him down, he delighted in insults, because he knew that when he was weak Jesus would sure him up. I have this promise today also. When “it” comes against me I know that the battle belongs to the Lord. When I am weak then I am strong, and I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. May I remember that today the battle is not mine. God does for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
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A week from today I should be in California headed north to Oregon on the Amtrak. Headed for the reunion of my fellow soldiers and friends from Vietnam. We are all getting excited about being together again. My military experience started in February 1966, when I was chosen by the draft to serve this great country. I left Kansas City by bus for Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. I was there for three days, issued military uniforms, and bused to Fort Campbell Kentucky for basic training with the 101st Airborne Division. This was a different kind of basic training. We were not trained by regular drill instructors, but by members of the 101st who had not went to Vietnam with the 1st Brigade when they had shipped out just a few months before. Many of our instructors were WWII vets, and they taught it the “old school” way. Discipline was no problem, they knew how to bring it about, and they demanded respect. We all suffered much physical and emotional pain, but were made stronger by it. Much of what I learned then still fortifies my entire being. I learned to be strong when life comes against you. After basic I went home for two weeks and then straight back to the same unit and instructors for Advanced Infantry Training. About three weeks or so into AIT, we went to jump school and became paratroopers. We were not just regular soldiers, or as we called them “Legs,” we were the elite, the best! We were Screaming Eagles. In December of 1966 I volunteered for the 3rd Brigade Long Range Recon Patrol. This was a new concept that General Westmoreland had developed to be the eyes and ears in Vietnam. After much training, Recondo School, communications school, small arms school and a couple of weeks at Ranger School we left for Vietnam in December of 1967. President Johnson came and saluted and viewed all of us before our deployment. That was awesome and gave us all contact to this great country, top to bottom. I have no regret for serving, when I saw on TV the Russian flag, the hammer and cycle, come down, I knew we had won! I am proud to be an American, these Colors don’t run!………………………….JRE
The Old School
Thought for the day: “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.” Henry Ward Beecher
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU FOR MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
Paul doesn’t say exactly what his thorn in the flesh was, some think it was his eyesight, I have heard a birth-mark on his face, and I have heard some say that he was disabled physically. When I read the Scripture I see that it was a “messenger from Satan.” It could have been a person that heckled Paul. Paul was hassled everywhere he went, beaten, stoned, and put in jail. Paul did not let it get him down, he delighted in insults, because he knew that when he was weak Jesus would sure him up. I have this promise today also. When “it” comes against me I know that the battle belongs to the Lord. When I am weak then I am strong, and I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. May I remember that today the battle is not mine. God does for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
***********************
A week from today I should be in California headed north to Oregon on the Amtrak. Headed for the reunion of my fellow soldiers and friends from Vietnam. We are all getting excited about being together again. My military experience started in February 1966, when I was chosen by the draft to serve this great country. I left Kansas City by bus for Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. I was there for three days, issued military uniforms, and bused to Fort Campbell Kentucky for basic training with the 101st Airborne Division. This was a different kind of basic training. We were not trained by regular drill instructors, but by members of the 101st who had not went to Vietnam with the 1st Brigade when they had shipped out just a few months before. Many of our instructors were WWII vets, and they taught it the “old school” way. Discipline was no problem, they knew how to bring it about, and they demanded respect. We all suffered much physical and emotional pain, but were made stronger by it. Much of what I learned then still fortifies my entire being. I learned to be strong when life comes against you. After basic I went home for two weeks and then straight back to the same unit and instructors for Advanced Infantry Training. About three weeks or so into AIT, we went to jump school and became paratroopers. We were not just regular soldiers, or as we called them “Legs,” we were the elite, the best! We were Screaming Eagles. In December of 1966 I volunteered for the 3rd Brigade Long Range Recon Patrol. This was a new concept that General Westmoreland had developed to be the eyes and ears in Vietnam. After much training, Recondo School, communications school, small arms school and a couple of weeks at Ranger School we left for Vietnam in December of 1967. President Johnson came and saluted and viewed all of us before our deployment. That was awesome and gave us all contact to this great country, top to bottom. I have no regret for serving, when I saw on TV the Russian flag, the hammer and cycle, come down, I knew we had won! I am proud to be an American, these Colors don’t run!………………………….JRE
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Christ has made of death a narrow starlit strip between companionships of yesterday and reunions of tomorrow. Like butterflies precious memories dance along that trail.”
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Words of Jesus recorded in Mark 9:49-50 NKJV
“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
I came across this Scripture this morning in my reading and I gave thought to how as Christians we come under fire. It seems like there is a large portion of the media and Hollywood that shy away and even come against Jesus and those who accept Him as Savior and follow His teachings. Well have I got the Good News for them, a little fire just makes things better. Before the clay pot is fired its not much good for anything. It might be pretty and have a perfect form, but it can’t hold anything without interacting with it and melting. The fire makes it solid and useable. May I learn to accept the testing I go through and use the fire to become solid and useful. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
At this time a week from today I should be approaching the Rocky Mountains riding on an Amtrak train. I am looking forward to the reunion after 36 years with “Phantom Force,” the 3rd Brigade, Long Range Recon Patrol, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam 1967-68. We were truly a band of brothers, and we are friends today. We no doubt had some disagreements but I can’t recall one, not one. In some ways we were seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice was seasoned with salt, it has been preserved. May God bless our reunion. Thanks for letting me share………………JRE
***********************
SPIRITUAL LIFE FROM THE SPIRIT
“Now we do not live following our sinful selves, but we live following the Spirit.” Romans 8:4
Perhaps your childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. The voices of your past cursed you, belittled you, ignored you. At the time, you thought such treatment was typical. Now you see it isn’t.
And now you find yourself trying to explain your past. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?
Think about this. Spiritual life comes from the Spirit! Your parents may be responsible for your body, but God has taken charge of your soul. You may get your looks from your mother, but you get eternity from your Father, your heavenly Father. And God is willing to give you what your family didn’t.
MAX LUCADO……….When God Whispers Your Name
***********************
“At times during our recovery, the decision to ask for God’s help is our greatest source of strength and courage.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 26
Seasoned with fire
Thought for the day: “Christ has made of death a narrow starlit strip between companionships of yesterday and reunions of tomorrow. Like butterflies precious memories dance along that trail.”
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Words of Jesus recorded in Mark 9:49-50 NKJV
“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
I came across this Scripture this morning in my reading and I gave thought to how as Christians we come under fire. It seems like there is a large portion of the media and Hollywood that shy away and even come against Jesus and those who accept Him as Savior and follow His teachings. Well have I got the Good News for them, a little fire just makes things better. Before the clay pot is fired its not much good for anything. It might be pretty and have a perfect form, but it can’t hold anything without interacting with it and melting. The fire makes it solid and useable. May I learn to accept the testing I go through and use the fire to become solid and useful. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
At this time a week from today I should be approaching the Rocky Mountains riding on an Amtrak train. I am looking forward to the reunion after 36 years with “Phantom Force,” the 3rd Brigade, Long Range Recon Patrol, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam 1967-68. We were truly a band of brothers, and we are friends today. We no doubt had some disagreements but I can’t recall one, not one. In some ways we were seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice was seasoned with salt, it has been preserved. May God bless our reunion. Thanks for letting me share………………JRE
***********************
SPIRITUAL LIFE FROM THE SPIRIT
“Now we do not live following our sinful selves, but we live following the Spirit.” Romans 8:4
Perhaps your childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. The voices of your past cursed you, belittled you, ignored you. At the time, you thought such treatment was typical. Now you see it isn’t.
And now you find yourself trying to explain your past. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?
Think about this. Spiritual life comes from the Spirit! Your parents may be responsible for your body, but God has taken charge of your soul. You may get your looks from your mother, but you get eternity from your Father, your heavenly Father. And God is willing to give you what your family didn’t.
MAX LUCADO……….When God Whispers Your Name
***********************
“At times during our recovery, the decision to ask for God’s help is our greatest source of strength and courage.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 26
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Smile when you pick up the phone, the caller will hear it in your voice.”
“The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.”
PSALM 121:7-8 NIV
The Lord is so gracious and has kept me many times is my life. So often I never realize what is even going on until after the harm has passed. Today I just want to give thanks for a loving God that has been by my side for twenty-one years now. Many years I walked without God, not knowing that God was there all the time. Today it is important for me to make some kind of conscious contact each morning with the God of my understanding whom I choose to call the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I am grateful for a Power greater than myself that will humble me, and teach me through the Word of the many aspects of life that I cannot see. I have a long way to go, but I try to keep contact daily so as to not stray from the course. God does for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
Next week I will start a two-week vacation. I will go to Eugene Oregon for a reunion with some of the men I served with in Vietnam. I look forward to sharing their company once again after thirty-six years. I am sure that for myself there will be some healing take place. Vietnam in some ways has been an open sore in my life that never completely healed up. For years I swept it under the rug of my life hiding it from view. All it did was work its self up through the fiber of my life to appear years later. Today I have learned that I cannot afford the luxury of stress, anger, resentments, and other feelings and emotions that other people let pass through their lives. I must resolve these things quickly and not sweep them under the rug. I am grateful for my Christian counselor Dave at the VA who for the past thirteen years has helped me work things up through the fibers of my life, to the Light, to be sorted and resolved properly. My God also helps me bring my character defects to the Light. The pain of daily self-examination is light compared to the festering of old sores. Tomorrow I will share a little more of my military time. Thanks for letting me share today……………….JRE
***********************
PEACE IN PAIN
“So walk in Him rooted and built up in Him.” Colossians 2:6-7
Not far from our home in North Carolina is Mt. Mitchell, the highest point in the eastern United States. On its ridges are old trees that have been stunted and gnarled by the hostile climate and the sparse rocky soil.
But local craftsmen have told me that if one of these trees finally dies, its wood is highly prized, and the reason is because it is so strong. The trees resisted those fierce alpine winds for decades, and they strengthened it.
What happens when the winds of adversity blow in your life? Do they flatten you, knock you down, stop your growth? Or, like those trees, do you grow stronger?
What makes the difference? The trees that survive, I am told, are those with the deepest roots. The roots are like an anchor helping them survive the storms, and they also draw up the soil’s nutrients, helping them grow stronger.
Make sure your soul is firmly planted in Christ, so you may be “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Col. 2:7).
BILLY GRAHAM
Under the rug of my life
Thought for the day: “Smile when you pick up the phone, the caller will hear it in your voice.”
“The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.”
PSALM 121:7-8 NIV
The Lord is so gracious and has kept me many times is my life. So often I never realize what is even going on until after the harm has passed. Today I just want to give thanks for a loving God that has been by my side for twenty-one years now. Many years I walked without God, not knowing that God was there all the time. Today it is important for me to make some kind of conscious contact each morning with the God of my understanding whom I choose to call the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I am grateful for a Power greater than myself that will humble me, and teach me through the Word of the many aspects of life that I cannot see. I have a long way to go, but I try to keep contact daily so as to not stray from the course. God does for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
Next week I will start a two-week vacation. I will go to Eugene Oregon for a reunion with some of the men I served with in Vietnam. I look forward to sharing their company once again after thirty-six years. I am sure that for myself there will be some healing take place. Vietnam in some ways has been an open sore in my life that never completely healed up. For years I swept it under the rug of my life hiding it from view. All it did was work its self up through the fiber of my life to appear years later. Today I have learned that I cannot afford the luxury of stress, anger, resentments, and other feelings and emotions that other people let pass through their lives. I must resolve these things quickly and not sweep them under the rug. I am grateful for my Christian counselor Dave at the VA who for the past thirteen years has helped me work things up through the fibers of my life, to the Light, to be sorted and resolved properly. My God also helps me bring my character defects to the Light. The pain of daily self-examination is light compared to the festering of old sores. Tomorrow I will share a little more of my military time. Thanks for letting me share today……………….JRE
***********************
PEACE IN PAIN
“So walk in Him rooted and built up in Him.” Colossians 2:6-7
Not far from our home in North Carolina is Mt. Mitchell, the highest point in the eastern United States. On its ridges are old trees that have been stunted and gnarled by the hostile climate and the sparse rocky soil.
But local craftsmen have told me that if one of these trees finally dies, its wood is highly prized, and the reason is because it is so strong. The trees resisted those fierce alpine winds for decades, and they strengthened it.
What happens when the winds of adversity blow in your life? Do they flatten you, knock you down, stop your growth? Or, like those trees, do you grow stronger?
What makes the difference? The trees that survive, I am told, are those with the deepest roots. The roots are like an anchor helping them survive the storms, and they also draw up the soil’s nutrients, helping them grow stronger.
Make sure your soul is firmly planted in Christ, so you may be “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Col. 2:7).
BILLY GRAHAM
Monday, June 21, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “When I try to manage others, I’m not in control but ‘out of control.’” Anonymous
My wife Evelynn used to tell me all the time that I was a “control freak.” Of course I didn’t believe her. I kind of thought that just because things weren’t going the way she thought they should, she would lay this guilt trip on me about not having any freedom, and blame things on me. I could not at all see how I was trying to control her life. After all I had responsibilities. I was responsible for the cars and anything that ran by gasoline engines, and I made sure that she knew how to check the oil and all fluid levels, when to check them, and even how to drive them. We lived in the country and had well water, and I was responsible for that system, and made sure she knew when to turn it on and when to turn it off, how much pressure, and how to use all the faucets. The same for the septic system, and the of course the electrical power supply, when to turn it on and off, and how not to overload and so on. I was not a “CONTROL FREAK!!!!” I just had responsibilities. We split up and divorced in 1994 and of course it was not my fault. I had responsibilities to tend to. And I did, for another four years. I tried to control my drinking and drug use and everything else around me. And everything kept getting a little more out of control. I finally reached a point were I had control over very little. I could not control my friends, people were hanging around with me I didn’t even know or like. I could not control my money it just flowed out like water running down hill. My life was totally unmanageable and I was in the grips of a progressive problem with alcohol and drug addiction. And I was insane. My mind was holding on tight to controlling all aspects of my life, but most of it had slipped away. Only when I surrendered and gave up was I able to release the grip of control, and “Let go and let God.” I am learning to trust God more each day as I realize that I have only total control over what goes on inside of me, and sometimes it’s out of control too. I am learning, God may I draw closer to you, for you are my refuge and my strength. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NIV
***********************
FREEDOM IS OURS
“If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
According to our Creator’s intent, we ought to be free, free of sickness, torment, bondage, and confusion.
Yet because of another freedom He has invested in humankind, free will, that isn’t always the case. Because of sin, men and women choose bondage over freedom….with tragic consequences.
But we can become as free as God intended when we receive His Son as our Savior. God has contracted for our redemption that we might enjoy every freedom and signed for in His Son’s blood. Intercessory prayer is the work of those who desire to see that contract fulfilled.
JACK HAYFORD………Prayer is Invading the Impossible
***********************
AA Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Let go and let God
Thought for the day: “When I try to manage others, I’m not in control but ‘out of control.’” Anonymous
My wife Evelynn used to tell me all the time that I was a “control freak.” Of course I didn’t believe her. I kind of thought that just because things weren’t going the way she thought they should, she would lay this guilt trip on me about not having any freedom, and blame things on me. I could not at all see how I was trying to control her life. After all I had responsibilities. I was responsible for the cars and anything that ran by gasoline engines, and I made sure that she knew how to check the oil and all fluid levels, when to check them, and even how to drive them. We lived in the country and had well water, and I was responsible for that system, and made sure she knew when to turn it on and when to turn it off, how much pressure, and how to use all the faucets. The same for the septic system, and the of course the electrical power supply, when to turn it on and off, and how not to overload and so on. I was not a “CONTROL FREAK!!!!” I just had responsibilities. We split up and divorced in 1994 and of course it was not my fault. I had responsibilities to tend to. And I did, for another four years. I tried to control my drinking and drug use and everything else around me. And everything kept getting a little more out of control. I finally reached a point were I had control over very little. I could not control my friends, people were hanging around with me I didn’t even know or like. I could not control my money it just flowed out like water running down hill. My life was totally unmanageable and I was in the grips of a progressive problem with alcohol and drug addiction. And I was insane. My mind was holding on tight to controlling all aspects of my life, but most of it had slipped away. Only when I surrendered and gave up was I able to release the grip of control, and “Let go and let God.” I am learning to trust God more each day as I realize that I have only total control over what goes on inside of me, and sometimes it’s out of control too. I am learning, God may I draw closer to you, for you are my refuge and my strength. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NIV
***********************
FREEDOM IS OURS
“If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
According to our Creator’s intent, we ought to be free, free of sickness, torment, bondage, and confusion.
Yet because of another freedom He has invested in humankind, free will, that isn’t always the case. Because of sin, men and women choose bondage over freedom….with tragic consequences.
But we can become as free as God intended when we receive His Son as our Savior. God has contracted for our redemption that we might enjoy every freedom and signed for in His Son’s blood. Intercessory prayer is the work of those who desire to see that contract fulfilled.
JACK HAYFORD………Prayer is Invading the Impossible
***********************
AA Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Friday, June 18, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Whether you believe you can do a thing or believe you can't - you are right.” Charles Capps
“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.” Romans 15:1-2 NKJV
“Scruples and edification,” a couple of words that you just don’t run into every day. For years I passed over the word edification thinking I knew what it meant but did not. I thought it was something like verification. How wrong I was. Webster says that to edify means “to build or to construct” A building is known as an edifice. Now days when I run across the word edification, I think of charging up or building up a battery with energy. Scripture says that we can edify ourselves (1 Cor. 14:4), and since I have learned this I practice it. At times when I am down, I can go into my prayer closet and pray to the Father in secret who will reward me openly. This reward comes in the way of edification or being charged up with new spiritual energy. At times I sing praises to God, even when I don’t feel like singing, and I become charged up. I don’t really know how it works, but it does. God said it, and so it is!
The other word “scruples” I had to look up today. Webster says, “a feeling of hesitancy, doubt, or uneasiness arising from difficulty in deciding what is right.” Boy! I’ve been there for sure. I am grateful for brothers and sister in Christ who have had patience with me when I had scruples. Edification will cure the scruples, being charged up by the Holy Spirit. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
***********************
AA Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became will to make amends to them all.
AA Step 9: Made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
Steps 8 and 9 are bridges to the restoration of healthy relationships in our lives. We know that our actions for good or ill have enormous impact on those around us. Romans 15:2 calls us to be sacrificial in putting aside the selfishness of our old behaviors.
Second only in importance to our relationship with God Himself, the establishment of balanced interpersonal relationships is the highest priority for recovery. If we are not a peace with our fellows, we will not be at peace with ourselves. And if we are not at peace with ourselves, we are susceptible to being ravaged by our old dependencies and our addictions.
The establishment of good human relationships requires a delicate balance between giving and receiving, between meeting the needs of others and finding healthful ways to meet our own needs. Step 9 emphasizes the giving of amends to others as a corrective balance against the self-centeredness of our old relationship patterns.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 229
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Thanks for letting me share. May our gracious heavenly Father bless each one of you. Happy fathers day to all the Papa’s out there…………JRE
Edification a cure for the scruples
Thought for the day: “Whether you believe you can do a thing or believe you can't - you are right.” Charles Capps
“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.” Romans 15:1-2 NKJV
“Scruples and edification,” a couple of words that you just don’t run into every day. For years I passed over the word edification thinking I knew what it meant but did not. I thought it was something like verification. How wrong I was. Webster says that to edify means “to build or to construct” A building is known as an edifice. Now days when I run across the word edification, I think of charging up or building up a battery with energy. Scripture says that we can edify ourselves (1 Cor. 14:4), and since I have learned this I practice it. At times when I am down, I can go into my prayer closet and pray to the Father in secret who will reward me openly. This reward comes in the way of edification or being charged up with new spiritual energy. At times I sing praises to God, even when I don’t feel like singing, and I become charged up. I don’t really know how it works, but it does. God said it, and so it is!
The other word “scruples” I had to look up today. Webster says, “a feeling of hesitancy, doubt, or uneasiness arising from difficulty in deciding what is right.” Boy! I’ve been there for sure. I am grateful for brothers and sister in Christ who have had patience with me when I had scruples. Edification will cure the scruples, being charged up by the Holy Spirit. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
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AA Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became will to make amends to them all.
AA Step 9: Made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
Steps 8 and 9 are bridges to the restoration of healthy relationships in our lives. We know that our actions for good or ill have enormous impact on those around us. Romans 15:2 calls us to be sacrificial in putting aside the selfishness of our old behaviors.
Second only in importance to our relationship with God Himself, the establishment of balanced interpersonal relationships is the highest priority for recovery. If we are not a peace with our fellows, we will not be at peace with ourselves. And if we are not at peace with ourselves, we are susceptible to being ravaged by our old dependencies and our addictions.
The establishment of good human relationships requires a delicate balance between giving and receiving, between meeting the needs of others and finding healthful ways to meet our own needs. Step 9 emphasizes the giving of amends to others as a corrective balance against the self-centeredness of our old relationship patterns.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 229
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Thanks for letting me share. May our gracious heavenly Father bless each one of you. Happy fathers day to all the Papa’s out there…………JRE
Thursday, June 17, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor then he who has a flattering tongue.” Proverbs 28:23 NIV
Whenever I am rebuked or corrected my pride has a tendency to flare up and take defense. Many times I have not heeded good advice because of my pride. How foolish. Today when my AA sponsor points out a area of my life that needs improvement, I try and endure the sting of pain that comes from hearing about something I already know, and don’t want to change. Being told that I am pretty and smart has never improved my character. But when someone in a loving way helps me see my own character flaws, I am able to become aware of them as they manifest themselves in my life. Some changes in my character are made quickly, others take some time. And still others I have been working on my whole life. I am grateful to be learning to endure a little pain with my self-centered pride. “No pain, no gain.” When my focus is on others and not on myself all the time, I seem to have less character flaws that come to the surface. I am thankful for others who are honest to me and allow me room to grow. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
“Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 60
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WISDOM JUST IN TIME
“Do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.” Matthew 10:19
Do you know what I’ve discovered about the Lord? He doesn’t give wisdom on credit. He doesn’t advance you a bundle of insight……Do you know when He gives us words and wisdom and insight? Right when we need them. At the very instant they are required.
If you’re a parent, you may have experienced this phenomenon. You find yourself in a situation you never anticipated, and couldn’t prepare for. Suddenly, you’re at one of the critical junctures of life where you’re the mom or dad, and your child is looking into your eyes, depending on you for a right answer. Not always, but often, you are given the words you need. Later you realize that they were words beyond your own wisdom. At that moment, you breathe a little prayer of thanks. “Praise You, Lord. That’s exactly what needed to be said.”
CHARLES SWINDOLL…….Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
***********************
Trusting God, cleaning house, and helping others. For me this leads to “growth along spiritual lines.” Thanks for letting me share today….JRE
Growing along spiritual lines
Thought for the day: “He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor then he who has a flattering tongue.” Proverbs 28:23 NIV
Whenever I am rebuked or corrected my pride has a tendency to flare up and take defense. Many times I have not heeded good advice because of my pride. How foolish. Today when my AA sponsor points out a area of my life that needs improvement, I try and endure the sting of pain that comes from hearing about something I already know, and don’t want to change. Being told that I am pretty and smart has never improved my character. But when someone in a loving way helps me see my own character flaws, I am able to become aware of them as they manifest themselves in my life. Some changes in my character are made quickly, others take some time. And still others I have been working on my whole life. I am grateful to be learning to endure a little pain with my self-centered pride. “No pain, no gain.” When my focus is on others and not on myself all the time, I seem to have less character flaws that come to the surface. I am thankful for others who are honest to me and allow me room to grow. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
“Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 60
***********************
WISDOM JUST IN TIME
“Do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.” Matthew 10:19
Do you know what I’ve discovered about the Lord? He doesn’t give wisdom on credit. He doesn’t advance you a bundle of insight……Do you know when He gives us words and wisdom and insight? Right when we need them. At the very instant they are required.
If you’re a parent, you may have experienced this phenomenon. You find yourself in a situation you never anticipated, and couldn’t prepare for. Suddenly, you’re at one of the critical junctures of life where you’re the mom or dad, and your child is looking into your eyes, depending on you for a right answer. Not always, but often, you are given the words you need. Later you realize that they were words beyond your own wisdom. At that moment, you breathe a little prayer of thanks. “Praise You, Lord. That’s exactly what needed to be said.”
CHARLES SWINDOLL…….Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
***********************
Trusting God, cleaning house, and helping others. For me this leads to “growth along spiritual lines.” Thanks for letting me share today….JRE
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Live each day as if your life had just begun.”
Goethe
One hundred years ago today my grandfather Benjamin Hubard Dake was born. He was raised up in the small southern Missouri community of Mountain Grove, and live his whole life here. His father, my great grandfather, James B. Dake was a well driller, and Papa followed in his fathers footsteps, drilling water wells for over fifty years. Papa passed on to be with his Lord and Savior in 1984, just a few months shy of his eightieth birthday. He is still missed. In 1924 Papa married my grandmother Dorothy Lupton, they raised eight children, my mother Mary Louise was the next to the oldest. Today I live in the house where my mother, and my aunts and uncles were raised. What a legacy that has been passed on to me, I am grateful to be a steward of some of our family history. When I think of Papa and what I learned from him, many thoughts come to mind. I think about church, and how on Sunday morning everybody went, there was no choice, if it was Sunday, you were going to church. I heard one time that Papa went 25 years without missing a Sunday, I don’t know how true this is, but church was a priority in his life. I learned from Papa about work, doing chores, and keeping things up. I learned from Papa about keeping things in order, tools and things like that. I learned from Papa about manners at the dinner table, I can still feel his fork sticking my elbow letting me know that it didn’t belong on the table. I learned from Papa that if I was going to stand on a chair to reach something, I must first put down a piece of paper to keep dirt off the chair. Another very important thing I learned from Papa was about words and their use. If I used a word that I didn’t know what it meant, Papa would make me go the dictionary and look it up. He did this with all the kids. It kept me honest and taught me how to use the dictionary. I can still see Papa sitting in his chair in the evening, smoking his pipe, doing the crossword puzzle, and shaving with his electric shaver. Sometimes I can still smell his pipe. One regret that I have is that Papa never got to see me with some extended sobriety. Today I try and live a life that is pleasing to God, and use what I have learned from my grandfather about living life daily. I try and go to church each Sunday as I was taught. Happy 100th birthday Papa. Thanks for letting me share today. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ which is the first commandment with a promise “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’”
Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV
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WALKING WITH GOD
“You were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person…Made to be like God, made to be truly good and holy.”
Ephesians 4:23-24
Healthy marriages have a sense of “remaining.” The husband remains in the wife, and she remains in him. There is a tenderness, and honesty, an ongoing communication. The same is true in our relationship with God. Sometimes we go to him with our joys, and sometimes we go with our hurts, but we always go. And as we go, the more we go, the more we become like him. Paul says we are being changed from “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18 KJV).
People who live long lives together eventually begin to sound alike, to talk alike, even to think alike. As we walk with God, we take on his thoughts, his principles, his attitudes. We take on his heart……..MAX LUCADO
Papa's 100th birthday
Thought for the day: “Live each day as if your life had just begun.”
Goethe
One hundred years ago today my grandfather Benjamin Hubard Dake was born. He was raised up in the small southern Missouri community of Mountain Grove, and live his whole life here. His father, my great grandfather, James B. Dake was a well driller, and Papa followed in his fathers footsteps, drilling water wells for over fifty years. Papa passed on to be with his Lord and Savior in 1984, just a few months shy of his eightieth birthday. He is still missed. In 1924 Papa married my grandmother Dorothy Lupton, they raised eight children, my mother Mary Louise was the next to the oldest. Today I live in the house where my mother, and my aunts and uncles were raised. What a legacy that has been passed on to me, I am grateful to be a steward of some of our family history. When I think of Papa and what I learned from him, many thoughts come to mind. I think about church, and how on Sunday morning everybody went, there was no choice, if it was Sunday, you were going to church. I heard one time that Papa went 25 years without missing a Sunday, I don’t know how true this is, but church was a priority in his life. I learned from Papa about work, doing chores, and keeping things up. I learned from Papa about keeping things in order, tools and things like that. I learned from Papa about manners at the dinner table, I can still feel his fork sticking my elbow letting me know that it didn’t belong on the table. I learned from Papa that if I was going to stand on a chair to reach something, I must first put down a piece of paper to keep dirt off the chair. Another very important thing I learned from Papa was about words and their use. If I used a word that I didn’t know what it meant, Papa would make me go the dictionary and look it up. He did this with all the kids. It kept me honest and taught me how to use the dictionary. I can still see Papa sitting in his chair in the evening, smoking his pipe, doing the crossword puzzle, and shaving with his electric shaver. Sometimes I can still smell his pipe. One regret that I have is that Papa never got to see me with some extended sobriety. Today I try and live a life that is pleasing to God, and use what I have learned from my grandfather about living life daily. I try and go to church each Sunday as I was taught. Happy 100th birthday Papa. Thanks for letting me share today. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ which is the first commandment with a promise “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’”
Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV
***********************
WALKING WITH GOD
“You were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person…Made to be like God, made to be truly good and holy.”
Ephesians 4:23-24
Healthy marriages have a sense of “remaining.” The husband remains in the wife, and she remains in him. There is a tenderness, and honesty, an ongoing communication. The same is true in our relationship with God. Sometimes we go to him with our joys, and sometimes we go with our hurts, but we always go. And as we go, the more we go, the more we become like him. Paul says we are being changed from “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18 KJV).
People who live long lives together eventually begin to sound alike, to talk alike, even to think alike. As we walk with God, we take on his thoughts, his principles, his attitudes. We take on his heart……..MAX LUCADO
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Though for the day: “Real generosity toward the future consists in giving all to what is present.” Albert Camus
Words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:31-34 NIV.
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Jesus said “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.” He didn’t say to just give up and not worry about what was going to happen tomorrow. He said, “THEREFORE” do not worry. When we see a “therefore” we should go back and see what it is there for. Jesus said that everybody needs material things and the Father knows what we need. What Jesus meant when he said not to worry about tomorrow was to get your priorities straight. Put your spiritual life out front, seek God first and draw close to the source of all things. I think that we all need to be concerned about tomorrow, but worry is a different emotion. I know in my live when I worry about something it is because of fear. And I have found that in my life fear is nothing more than the absence of faith. When I fear something, and I do have my fears, if I seek God, pray, and seek other believers for counsel, the fear will go away. Faith is the answer to tomorrows needs, and faith never works in the future, that is hope. Faith always works in the now, this instant. If I don’t like my harvest today, I need to look at the seed I am sowing. Sowing seeds of love today will bring a good harvest tomorrow. Thanks for letting me share today. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“NOW FAITH”
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do no see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV
***********************
“We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole aim of our lives. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backwards into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first, then and only then do we have a real chance.”
BILL W………………….. AA 12X12 page 114
What is therfore there for?
Though for the day: “Real generosity toward the future consists in giving all to what is present.” Albert Camus
Words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:31-34 NIV.
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Jesus said “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.” He didn’t say to just give up and not worry about what was going to happen tomorrow. He said, “THEREFORE” do not worry. When we see a “therefore” we should go back and see what it is there for. Jesus said that everybody needs material things and the Father knows what we need. What Jesus meant when he said not to worry about tomorrow was to get your priorities straight. Put your spiritual life out front, seek God first and draw close to the source of all things. I think that we all need to be concerned about tomorrow, but worry is a different emotion. I know in my live when I worry about something it is because of fear. And I have found that in my life fear is nothing more than the absence of faith. When I fear something, and I do have my fears, if I seek God, pray, and seek other believers for counsel, the fear will go away. Faith is the answer to tomorrows needs, and faith never works in the future, that is hope. Faith always works in the now, this instant. If I don’t like my harvest today, I need to look at the seed I am sowing. Sowing seeds of love today will bring a good harvest tomorrow. Thanks for letting me share today. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“NOW FAITH”
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do no see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV
***********************
“We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole aim of our lives. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backwards into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first, then and only then do we have a real chance.”
BILL W………………….. AA 12X12 page 114
Monday, June 14, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E.” Rick Warren
“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:10-13 NIV
Of all of the apostle Paul’s writings, these few sentences, on a regular basis, speak to me. Paul was unjustly put in prison and I’m sure he was not comfortable, but he was content. How could this be? He was getting strength and peace of mind from a Power greater than himself, Jesus Christ. He was in prison, he couldn’t get up and leave, probably didn’t have much clothing, the food was not the best, and he was lonely. But yet he says he had learned to be content. Paul was a Jew, a Roman citizen, well educated, had a trade, and probably had not lacked for anything growing up. By today’s standards he might have been called spoiled. After meeting Jesus, his life changed forever. He became a traveler, traveling around the Mediterranean telling people of the love of Jesus, building churches, and strengthening believers. He was going against the flow of tradition, and many times was jailed and beaten. He was released from prison after writing the letter to the Philippians, but was rearrested in a short time and was executed. What a legacy to leave behind, the secret of being content in all situations. Relying on a Power greater than himself, Jesus, who gave him all the strength to be content regardless of how bleak the conditions were. I have learned from Paul that I too can “do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me." God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.”
(Heard around the tables of AA)
***********************
DEEP DOWN GLADNESS
“Because He is at my right hand….my heart is glad.” Psalm 16:8-9
If you’ll allow the Holy Spirit to, He will enable you to receive God’s precious Word with faith, hope, obedience, and with joy. The joy He brings is not only personal down deep in your soul, but it penetrates your relationships with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
As God’s redeemed, walking in His word and by His Spirit, you can enter tomorrow rejoicing that God’s commitment to His purpose in you is absolute. And you can live every day with confidence, assured of the inevitability of His life triumphing in you.
JACK HAYFORD……………Rebuilding the Real You
***********************
“Words mean nothing until we put them in action.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic test page 56
Being Content
Thought for the day: “Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E.” Rick Warren
“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:10-13 NIV
Of all of the apostle Paul’s writings, these few sentences, on a regular basis, speak to me. Paul was unjustly put in prison and I’m sure he was not comfortable, but he was content. How could this be? He was getting strength and peace of mind from a Power greater than himself, Jesus Christ. He was in prison, he couldn’t get up and leave, probably didn’t have much clothing, the food was not the best, and he was lonely. But yet he says he had learned to be content. Paul was a Jew, a Roman citizen, well educated, had a trade, and probably had not lacked for anything growing up. By today’s standards he might have been called spoiled. After meeting Jesus, his life changed forever. He became a traveler, traveling around the Mediterranean telling people of the love of Jesus, building churches, and strengthening believers. He was going against the flow of tradition, and many times was jailed and beaten. He was released from prison after writing the letter to the Philippians, but was rearrested in a short time and was executed. What a legacy to leave behind, the secret of being content in all situations. Relying on a Power greater than himself, Jesus, who gave him all the strength to be content regardless of how bleak the conditions were. I have learned from Paul that I too can “do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me." God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.”
(Heard around the tables of AA)
***********************
DEEP DOWN GLADNESS
“Because He is at my right hand….my heart is glad.” Psalm 16:8-9
If you’ll allow the Holy Spirit to, He will enable you to receive God’s precious Word with faith, hope, obedience, and with joy. The joy He brings is not only personal down deep in your soul, but it penetrates your relationships with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
As God’s redeemed, walking in His word and by His Spirit, you can enter tomorrow rejoicing that God’s commitment to His purpose in you is absolute. And you can live every day with confidence, assured of the inevitability of His life triumphing in you.
JACK HAYFORD……………Rebuilding the Real You
***********************
“Words mean nothing until we put them in action.”
Narcotics Anonymous, basic test page 56
Friday, June 11, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do and you shall have peace.”
Epictetus
“Living life on life’s terms.” In AA and NA both, we speak of this, and it took me several years to get a grip on the meaning. It is still in the progress of learning in my daily life. As I look back over my life, I see that times of emotional pain, and times when there was no peace, were times when I couldn’t handle what life dished out. I can remember as a child when things didn’t go my way rebelling and causing discomfort for those around me. I can remember in adolescence when my family was splitting up how I started smoking, drinking, and stealing. I knew that this was behavior that was not acceptable, and because of the emotional pain I was feeling I headed away from living right. I remember in high school when my athletic abilities were not as good as others, when my family was not as well-off as others, when I was not as smart or popular as others, I remember playing the tuff guy because I couldn’t “live life on life’s terms.” I thought being tuff and cool was the answer to my inferior feelings. Thirty years later when I hit bottom because of alcoholism and drug addiction, I realized that I wasn’t “cool” at all. And being defeated by my self-centered life style I found I wasn’t “tuff” or even very strong. Only by turning to a Power greater than myself was I able to break the chains of addiction. Within time my vision improved and it became possible for me to see that what had been dogging me down all these years. It was myself, all my inferior feelings, and not being able to live life how it was dished out to me. Today, living life one day at a time, daily walking with Jesus, being in the fellowship of other believers, going to meetings, and prayer and meditation give me strength and new vision. I am so grateful that God did not give up on me. That every time I drew closer and then walked away to fall again, God’s love was there to comfort my broken life. God still does for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV
***********************
GOD MAKES US RIGHT AGAIN
“Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my sprit right again.”
Psalm 51:10
We are thirsty.
Not thirsty for fame, possessions, passion, or romance. We’ve drunk from those pools. They are salt water in the desert. They don’t quench, they kill.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…….”
Righteousness. That’s it. That’s what we are thirsty for. We’re thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can’t do for ourselves, make us right again.
MAX LUCADO………………The Applause of Heaven
***********************
“Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 62
life on life's terms
Thought for the day: “Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do and you shall have peace.”
Epictetus
“Living life on life’s terms.” In AA and NA both, we speak of this, and it took me several years to get a grip on the meaning. It is still in the progress of learning in my daily life. As I look back over my life, I see that times of emotional pain, and times when there was no peace, were times when I couldn’t handle what life dished out. I can remember as a child when things didn’t go my way rebelling and causing discomfort for those around me. I can remember in adolescence when my family was splitting up how I started smoking, drinking, and stealing. I knew that this was behavior that was not acceptable, and because of the emotional pain I was feeling I headed away from living right. I remember in high school when my athletic abilities were not as good as others, when my family was not as well-off as others, when I was not as smart or popular as others, I remember playing the tuff guy because I couldn’t “live life on life’s terms.” I thought being tuff and cool was the answer to my inferior feelings. Thirty years later when I hit bottom because of alcoholism and drug addiction, I realized that I wasn’t “cool” at all. And being defeated by my self-centered life style I found I wasn’t “tuff” or even very strong. Only by turning to a Power greater than myself was I able to break the chains of addiction. Within time my vision improved and it became possible for me to see that what had been dogging me down all these years. It was myself, all my inferior feelings, and not being able to live life how it was dished out to me. Today, living life one day at a time, daily walking with Jesus, being in the fellowship of other believers, going to meetings, and prayer and meditation give me strength and new vision. I am so grateful that God did not give up on me. That every time I drew closer and then walked away to fall again, God’s love was there to comfort my broken life. God still does for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV
***********************
GOD MAKES US RIGHT AGAIN
“Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my sprit right again.”
Psalm 51:10
We are thirsty.
Not thirsty for fame, possessions, passion, or romance. We’ve drunk from those pools. They are salt water in the desert. They don’t quench, they kill.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…….”
Righteousness. That’s it. That’s what we are thirsty for. We’re thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can’t do for ourselves, make us right again.
MAX LUCADO………………The Applause of Heaven
***********************
“Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 62
Thursday, June 10, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Remember, you will never be asked to forgive someone else more than God has already forgiven you.” Rick Warren
I read this sentence yesterday afternoon, and then we again read it in our study group that meets Wednesday evening. The topic of our study was small groups and the importance of having small support groups in our lives. I can honestly say that other than the power of a loving God working through my life, the small group has been the most important tool in my recovery from my addictions. The way I see recovery, is that we’re all in it if, we have made a decision to turn our lives around. Turning our life around is not only for the addict and the alcoholic, but, for all who choose to draw closer to God. Small groups like AA, NA, and Wednesday night cell group, give me a place where I can truly get to know others. When you meet with someone on a regular basis week after week, month after month, you start to feel comfortable in the presence of each other. Honesty and true feelings come to the surface, and we are able to understand each other’s needs, and what prayers to offer up in agreement, as a group. Also in small groups we have to be accountable. If we don’t show up they ask, “why?” Small groups are like family, they can tell when something is bothering you and are not afraid to ask, “what’s going on?” I praise God for sending people into my life that came to me and said, “why don’t you come to our meeting.” God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16 NIV
Also in our group study last night were a couple of paragraphs written by Rick Warren on trust and forgiveness, share this with me……..JRE
“Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.
Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time. The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability.
There are many other benefits you will experience in being a part of a small group committed to real fellowship. It is an essential part of your Christian life that you cannot overlook. For over 2,000 years Christians have regularly gathered in small groups for fellowship. If you’ve never been a part of a group of a class like this, you really don’t know what you’re missing.”
RICK WARREN……..The Purpose-Driven Life, page143
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“We are grateful that we were made so welcome at meetings that we felt comfortable.” Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 80
Trust and forgiveness
Thought for the day: “Remember, you will never be asked to forgive someone else more than God has already forgiven you.” Rick Warren
I read this sentence yesterday afternoon, and then we again read it in our study group that meets Wednesday evening. The topic of our study was small groups and the importance of having small support groups in our lives. I can honestly say that other than the power of a loving God working through my life, the small group has been the most important tool in my recovery from my addictions. The way I see recovery, is that we’re all in it if, we have made a decision to turn our lives around. Turning our life around is not only for the addict and the alcoholic, but, for all who choose to draw closer to God. Small groups like AA, NA, and Wednesday night cell group, give me a place where I can truly get to know others. When you meet with someone on a regular basis week after week, month after month, you start to feel comfortable in the presence of each other. Honesty and true feelings come to the surface, and we are able to understand each other’s needs, and what prayers to offer up in agreement, as a group. Also in small groups we have to be accountable. If we don’t show up they ask, “why?” Small groups are like family, they can tell when something is bothering you and are not afraid to ask, “what’s going on?” I praise God for sending people into my life that came to me and said, “why don’t you come to our meeting.” God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16 NIV
Also in our group study last night were a couple of paragraphs written by Rick Warren on trust and forgiveness, share this with me……..JRE
“Many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.
Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time. The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability.
There are many other benefits you will experience in being a part of a small group committed to real fellowship. It is an essential part of your Christian life that you cannot overlook. For over 2,000 years Christians have regularly gathered in small groups for fellowship. If you’ve never been a part of a group of a class like this, you really don’t know what you’re missing.”
RICK WARREN……..The Purpose-Driven Life, page143
***********************
“We are grateful that we were made so welcome at meetings that we felt comfortable.” Narcotics Anonymous, basic text page 80
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “He who seeks good finds goodwill. But evil comes to him who searches for it.” Proverbs 11:27 NIV
The Dake Bible has a good commentary on this verse. Share this with me: “He that seeks the good of others gains their favor, but he that seeks their harm shall reap it himself.” Most times when we try and help others we are appreciated for our efforts. Sometimes people who could use our help don’t allow us to help because of pride, and guilt. I speak from experience on this matter. I can remember when I was in the depths of alcoholism and drug addiction, and a loving God would send others to offer help. I couldn’t wait tell they left, and many time I would run them off. I didn’t want any help, especially good help. What I wanted was more bad help in the form of drugs, because that was what made the pain go away. My body ached, my spirit was weak, and my mind was sick and twisted. All of this caused extreme pain and another shot of dope made it all better. God allowed me to explore the depths of despair until I was tired of going round and round. When I did humble myself and admit how sick I was, I was able to start the slow climb out of the cavern of remorse and despair. When I finally got a little light on myself, I realized that the pain that I was feeling was caused by the drugs and alcohol. So I took a little more of the “hair of the dog,” which in turn caused more pain. So I would take a little more of the “hair of the dog.” It was a vicious cycle of temporary pleasure, extended pain, temporary pleasure and more extended pain. I remember many who came to me and offered help when I did not want it. I remember them! And so the sum of my message today is to continue to try and help even when others don’t seem to want it. It will create goodwill. I am grateful that God did not give up on me when I shut the door on those who were sent to help. God still does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 5:18 NIV
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GOD LOVES US STILL
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Jeremiah 31:1
From a distance, we dazzle; up close, we’re tarnished. Put enough of us together and we may resemble an impressive mountain range. But when you get down into the shadowy crevices……the Alps we ain’t.
That’s why our Lord means so much to us. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways. Darkness and light are alike to Him. No one or us is hidden from His sight. All things are open and laid bare before Him: our deepest secret, our deepest shame, our stormy past, our worst thought, our hidden motive, our vilest imagination….even our vain attempts to cover the ugly with snow-white beauty.
He sees it all. He knows our frame. He remembers we are dust.
Best of all, He loves us still.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………The Finishing Touch
Hair of the dog
Thought for the day: “He who seeks good finds goodwill. But evil comes to him who searches for it.” Proverbs 11:27 NIV
The Dake Bible has a good commentary on this verse. Share this with me: “He that seeks the good of others gains their favor, but he that seeks their harm shall reap it himself.” Most times when we try and help others we are appreciated for our efforts. Sometimes people who could use our help don’t allow us to help because of pride, and guilt. I speak from experience on this matter. I can remember when I was in the depths of alcoholism and drug addiction, and a loving God would send others to offer help. I couldn’t wait tell they left, and many time I would run them off. I didn’t want any help, especially good help. What I wanted was more bad help in the form of drugs, because that was what made the pain go away. My body ached, my spirit was weak, and my mind was sick and twisted. All of this caused extreme pain and another shot of dope made it all better. God allowed me to explore the depths of despair until I was tired of going round and round. When I did humble myself and admit how sick I was, I was able to start the slow climb out of the cavern of remorse and despair. When I finally got a little light on myself, I realized that the pain that I was feeling was caused by the drugs and alcohol. So I took a little more of the “hair of the dog,” which in turn caused more pain. So I would take a little more of the “hair of the dog.” It was a vicious cycle of temporary pleasure, extended pain, temporary pleasure and more extended pain. I remember many who came to me and offered help when I did not want it. I remember them! And so the sum of my message today is to continue to try and help even when others don’t seem to want it. It will create goodwill. I am grateful that God did not give up on me when I shut the door on those who were sent to help. God still does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 5:18 NIV
***********************
GOD LOVES US STILL
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Jeremiah 31:1
From a distance, we dazzle; up close, we’re tarnished. Put enough of us together and we may resemble an impressive mountain range. But when you get down into the shadowy crevices……the Alps we ain’t.
That’s why our Lord means so much to us. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways. Darkness and light are alike to Him. No one or us is hidden from His sight. All things are open and laid bare before Him: our deepest secret, our deepest shame, our stormy past, our worst thought, our hidden motive, our vilest imagination….even our vain attempts to cover the ugly with snow-white beauty.
He sees it all. He knows our frame. He remembers we are dust.
Best of all, He loves us still.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………The Finishing Touch
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
I don’t let anyone live rent free in my mind, unless I allow it to happen. I would like for the people who live in my mind and soul to be those who I love and care about, and those who love me and care for me. But it isn’t always so. At times when I become offended because of pride caused by self-centered thinking, I allow those I feel have offended me to move in a room in my mind rent free. Many times they don’t even know they are taking up space in my mind, and could care less. They become part of my life because I allow it to happen. I wish I could say that my mind was clear of all resentments and hurt feelings, but I cannot. I can say that I am still growing and learning each day that what goes around in my mind is what I put there or allow to live there. The program of AA has been a great teacher in my life in dealing with resentments and offenses. I am learning that I must forgive others and myself, otherwise I loose peace of mind and serenity. In moments of serenity there is no one living rent free that I don’t want to be there. It’s all about forgiveness. Peace of mind and forgiveness, go hand in hand. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share………….JRE
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21-22 NIV
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Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships (including sex) were hurt or threatened. So we were sore. We were “burned up.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 64-65
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Resentments and un-forgiveness are not only the “number one” offender to alcoholics, but can be the “number one” offender to any and all of us if left unresolved. I have been freely forgiven, may I learn to freely forgive….JRE
freely forgiven freely forgive
Thought for the day: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
I don’t let anyone live rent free in my mind, unless I allow it to happen. I would like for the people who live in my mind and soul to be those who I love and care about, and those who love me and care for me. But it isn’t always so. At times when I become offended because of pride caused by self-centered thinking, I allow those I feel have offended me to move in a room in my mind rent free. Many times they don’t even know they are taking up space in my mind, and could care less. They become part of my life because I allow it to happen. I wish I could say that my mind was clear of all resentments and hurt feelings, but I cannot. I can say that I am still growing and learning each day that what goes around in my mind is what I put there or allow to live there. The program of AA has been a great teacher in my life in dealing with resentments and offenses. I am learning that I must forgive others and myself, otherwise I loose peace of mind and serenity. In moments of serenity there is no one living rent free that I don’t want to be there. It’s all about forgiveness. Peace of mind and forgiveness, go hand in hand. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share………….JRE
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21-22 NIV
***********************
Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships (including sex) were hurt or threatened. So we were sore. We were “burned up.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 64-65
***********************
Resentments and un-forgiveness are not only the “number one” offender to alcoholics, but can be the “number one” offender to any and all of us if left unresolved. I have been freely forgiven, may I learn to freely forgive….JRE
Monday, June 07, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you.” anonymous
We as Americans are blessed and enjoy privileges that can be found few other places in the world. How easy it is to take it all for granted. I remember as a child when my father was in the military, and living outside the country for several years at a time. When it got near to the time to come home I remember the anticipation and the anxiety that we all felt about coming back to the “good ole USA,” the land of round door knobs. There is just something special about the liberty and freedom that we have here in this country. I myself like all of us have complained and have heard many complain about the way things are in this country. There is always room for improvement, and there always will be. I remember in Vietnam seeing many villages without running water, people cooking with charcoal, using oil lamps for lighting, sewage in the ditches, bathing out of buckets. Most of the world lives this way. In this country our worst days, are probably better then most of the world’s best days. We are truly blessed.
When I read this quote this morning and thought about liberty, to be honest, I did not think about material things. I thought about the liberty I enjoy in my spirit and mind. This liberty has been granted to me by knowing in a personal way Jesus Christ, and the finished work of the Cross. I had no liberty when I was in bondage to myself, my past, and the daily chains of alcoholism and drug addiction. Jesus is doing exactly what he said was the reason for His coming, and someday will finish the work that he has started in me. I am free inside, where true liberty lives. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………....JRE
When Jesus went to his home town of Nazareth he preached His first recorded sermon and He read from the book of Isaiah. This account is recorded in Luke 4:18 KJV……………JRE
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
***********************
FORGIVING FREELY
“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” MATTHEW 6:14
Forgiving others springs out of my gratitude to God for His forgiving me. True forgiveness is born of my remembrance that I’ve been forgiven so great a debt through God’s love, there is no justification for my being less than fully forgiving of others. Because I have “freely received” god calls me to “freely give.” To forgive those seeking to injure you or me is to remove ourselves from their counsel and to be unfettered by anger, pain, or disappointment.
JACK HAYFORD………How to Live through a Bad Day
***********************
“Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house.” Alcoholics Anonymous page 98
Round door knobs
Thought for the day: “It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you.” anonymous
We as Americans are blessed and enjoy privileges that can be found few other places in the world. How easy it is to take it all for granted. I remember as a child when my father was in the military, and living outside the country for several years at a time. When it got near to the time to come home I remember the anticipation and the anxiety that we all felt about coming back to the “good ole USA,” the land of round door knobs. There is just something special about the liberty and freedom that we have here in this country. I myself like all of us have complained and have heard many complain about the way things are in this country. There is always room for improvement, and there always will be. I remember in Vietnam seeing many villages without running water, people cooking with charcoal, using oil lamps for lighting, sewage in the ditches, bathing out of buckets. Most of the world lives this way. In this country our worst days, are probably better then most of the world’s best days. We are truly blessed.
When I read this quote this morning and thought about liberty, to be honest, I did not think about material things. I thought about the liberty I enjoy in my spirit and mind. This liberty has been granted to me by knowing in a personal way Jesus Christ, and the finished work of the Cross. I had no liberty when I was in bondage to myself, my past, and the daily chains of alcoholism and drug addiction. Jesus is doing exactly what he said was the reason for His coming, and someday will finish the work that he has started in me. I am free inside, where true liberty lives. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………....JRE
When Jesus went to his home town of Nazareth he preached His first recorded sermon and He read from the book of Isaiah. This account is recorded in Luke 4:18 KJV……………JRE
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
***********************
FORGIVING FREELY
“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” MATTHEW 6:14
Forgiving others springs out of my gratitude to God for His forgiving me. True forgiveness is born of my remembrance that I’ve been forgiven so great a debt through God’s love, there is no justification for my being less than fully forgiving of others. Because I have “freely received” god calls me to “freely give.” To forgive those seeking to injure you or me is to remove ourselves from their counsel and to be unfettered by anger, pain, or disappointment.
JACK HAYFORD………How to Live through a Bad Day
***********************
“Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house.” Alcoholics Anonymous page 98
Friday, June 04, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves.”
Rick Warren
“The essence of love.” Sounds like a name for perfume or some kind of hand and body lotion. This morning as I sit and ponder the essence of love, and giving of ourselves, I think of Father God and the Son Jesus, and how much they gave. In 1983, I remember being in jail and reading the New Testament, and allowing Jesus Christ to come into my life. At that moment I became a new person, born again, but I still did not understand why Jesus died and how much He gave on the Cross. It’s all about giving. When I did read the Old Testament, I got a better understanding of sacrifices, and giving. All the way back to the Garden of Eden when sin first became part of man, they saw they were naked and felt shame. Before that there was no shame, where there is no sin, there is no shame. They covered themselves with the skins of animals, and something had to give. Blood was shed and something died to cover their sin and shame. God told Moses to incorporate the animal sacrifice into part of worship. Every animal that gave pointed to the Cross and the shed blood of Jesus, who was the last sacrifice done once and “for all.” All of the Old Testament points and looks forward to the Cross. Today I have been set free and look back to the Cross. I look back with gratitude for how much was given for you and me. May I always remember that loving is how much I give of myself. Thanks for letting me share. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
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THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV
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THE REWARDS OF GIVING
“This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.”
A.A. 12x12 page 109
Something had to give
Thought for the day: “The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves.”
Rick Warren
“The essence of love.” Sounds like a name for perfume or some kind of hand and body lotion. This morning as I sit and ponder the essence of love, and giving of ourselves, I think of Father God and the Son Jesus, and how much they gave. In 1983, I remember being in jail and reading the New Testament, and allowing Jesus Christ to come into my life. At that moment I became a new person, born again, but I still did not understand why Jesus died and how much He gave on the Cross. It’s all about giving. When I did read the Old Testament, I got a better understanding of sacrifices, and giving. All the way back to the Garden of Eden when sin first became part of man, they saw they were naked and felt shame. Before that there was no shame, where there is no sin, there is no shame. They covered themselves with the skins of animals, and something had to give. Blood was shed and something died to cover their sin and shame. God told Moses to incorporate the animal sacrifice into part of worship. Every animal that gave pointed to the Cross and the shed blood of Jesus, who was the last sacrifice done once and “for all.” All of the Old Testament points and looks forward to the Cross. Today I have been set free and look back to the Cross. I look back with gratitude for how much was given for you and me. May I always remember that loving is how much I give of myself. Thanks for letting me share. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
***********************
THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV
***********************
THE REWARDS OF GIVING
“This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.”
A.A. 12x12 page 109
Thursday, June 03, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “If error is corrected whenever it is recognized as such, the path of error is the path of truth.” Hans Reichenbach
“This is what he showed me: The LORD was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the LORD said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”
Amos 7:7-8 NIV
This morning in my reading I came across this Scripture, and I took some time to reflect on plumb lines. A plumb line is a tool that builders use to make sure that what they are building is straight up and down. It is usually a weight hanging on a string that gravity keeps square with the earth. I have watched the word square change meanings over the years. In the fifties and sixties to be square was not cool. A person needed to lean a little, away from normal, to be considered “cool.” Then in the seventies and eighties a “square dude” was a good quality to have. It meant you were honest and dependable. Any which way you look at it, square can only mean one thing, and that is “right.” Today I realize that God has given us many plumb lines for us to use in our walk. “God is love and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). Love is a plumb line. Want to know how you square up in a situation? Look at your love life. If we look deep in our hearts, we know how we are loving one another. Truth is another plumb line. Truth is truth, and cannot be made to bend or lean one way or another. When I look at myself to see how honest I’ve been, “truth” is always there, even when I try not to see it. “Forgiveness” is a plumb line, it is either there or not. The greatest plumb line in my life today is the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus is teaching me how to forgive, and out of this springs freedom from the bondage of self. May I always stay teachable. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………….JRE
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AA Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Without continual self-evaluation, we may fall prey to the old nemesis of denial. We may deny the severity of our addictions and dependencies. We may deny the futility of willpower and intellect alone as tools to combat our dependencies. We may deny the destructive pattern of past codependent relationships. We may question the reality of the spiritual realm and even question God’s sovereignty and ability to heal us from our dependencies. We may lapse into old patterns of negative thinking and feelings, including envy, fear, resentment, and self-pity.
Only the rigorous honesty that we bring to the practice of personal inventory and a willingness to “hear what the LORD will speak” provide the antidotes against self-delusion.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 452
Square
Thought for the day: “If error is corrected whenever it is recognized as such, the path of error is the path of truth.” Hans Reichenbach
“This is what he showed me: The LORD was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the LORD said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”
Amos 7:7-8 NIV
This morning in my reading I came across this Scripture, and I took some time to reflect on plumb lines. A plumb line is a tool that builders use to make sure that what they are building is straight up and down. It is usually a weight hanging on a string that gravity keeps square with the earth. I have watched the word square change meanings over the years. In the fifties and sixties to be square was not cool. A person needed to lean a little, away from normal, to be considered “cool.” Then in the seventies and eighties a “square dude” was a good quality to have. It meant you were honest and dependable. Any which way you look at it, square can only mean one thing, and that is “right.” Today I realize that God has given us many plumb lines for us to use in our walk. “God is love and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). Love is a plumb line. Want to know how you square up in a situation? Look at your love life. If we look deep in our hearts, we know how we are loving one another. Truth is another plumb line. Truth is truth, and cannot be made to bend or lean one way or another. When I look at myself to see how honest I’ve been, “truth” is always there, even when I try not to see it. “Forgiveness” is a plumb line, it is either there or not. The greatest plumb line in my life today is the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus is teaching me how to forgive, and out of this springs freedom from the bondage of self. May I always stay teachable. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………….JRE
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AA Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Without continual self-evaluation, we may fall prey to the old nemesis of denial. We may deny the severity of our addictions and dependencies. We may deny the futility of willpower and intellect alone as tools to combat our dependencies. We may deny the destructive pattern of past codependent relationships. We may question the reality of the spiritual realm and even question God’s sovereignty and ability to heal us from our dependencies. We may lapse into old patterns of negative thinking and feelings, including envy, fear, resentment, and self-pity.
Only the rigorous honesty that we bring to the practice of personal inventory and a willingness to “hear what the LORD will speak” provide the antidotes against self-delusion.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 452
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her now all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love."
Rebecca age 8
Rebecca could see love in action through her grandparents. Most of us learn about love in the home. Love cannot be taught in ways that we are taught English or math. It must be demonstrated. When we are the object of the demonstration, when we are the one who is being loved, how much quicker we learn. My grandparents were fifty years old before TV became a part of the family time. There is a porch off the kitchen, and I can remember in when I visited as a child how that the meals were eaten there, and how that it took thirty minutes to an hour to eat. The blessing was said, food was passed around, and there was talk. Real family talk. The bacon in the morning and the fried chicken at noon never tasted soooooo good. There was laughter, sometimes there was scolding. You always wore a shirt, never had a hat on, did not sing, no elbows on the table, no reaching across the table, one hand in the lap, please and thank you were heard, and you always asked to be excused when you left the table. These were demonstrations of love. When someone shows you how to live respectably around others, it is a show of love. Sitting around a TV eating did not teach me to ask to be excused from the table. I haven’t learned much from the drive-thru line at McDonalds. I live in the Show-Me state, and I am grateful for the old-timers who have patiently time and time again, shown me how to love. I am grateful for a mind that has cleared from the fog of addictions, and is able to see the real lessons in life that were taught years ago. God does for me everyday what I cannot do for myself…………JRE
Words of Jesus, found in John 13:34-35 NIV.
“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
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REMEMBER THE RIGHT, FORGET THE WRONG
“He who sows righteousness gets a true reward. He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life.” Proverbs 11:18-19
Whether a personal or public matter, we quickly reveal whether we possess a servant’s heart in how we respond to those who have offended us. And it isn’t enough simply to say, “Well, okay, you’re forgiven, but don’t expect me to forget it!” That means we have erected a monument of spite in our mind, and that isn’t really forgiveness at all. Servants must be big people. Big enough to go on, remembering the right and forgetting the wrong. Like the age old saying, “Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble……”
True servants, when demonstrating genuine love, don’t keep score. Webster defines forget as “to lose remembrance of…to treat with inattention or disregard….to disregard intentionally: OVER-LOOK: to cease remembering or noticing…to fail to become mindful at the proper time.” That’s the thought.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………….Improving Your Serve
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“We come to know happiness, joy and freedom.”
Narcotics Anonymous basic text page 88
Eating on the porch
Thought for the day: “When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her now all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love."
Rebecca age 8
Rebecca could see love in action through her grandparents. Most of us learn about love in the home. Love cannot be taught in ways that we are taught English or math. It must be demonstrated. When we are the object of the demonstration, when we are the one who is being loved, how much quicker we learn. My grandparents were fifty years old before TV became a part of the family time. There is a porch off the kitchen, and I can remember in when I visited as a child how that the meals were eaten there, and how that it took thirty minutes to an hour to eat. The blessing was said, food was passed around, and there was talk. Real family talk. The bacon in the morning and the fried chicken at noon never tasted soooooo good. There was laughter, sometimes there was scolding. You always wore a shirt, never had a hat on, did not sing, no elbows on the table, no reaching across the table, one hand in the lap, please and thank you were heard, and you always asked to be excused when you left the table. These were demonstrations of love. When someone shows you how to live respectably around others, it is a show of love. Sitting around a TV eating did not teach me to ask to be excused from the table. I haven’t learned much from the drive-thru line at McDonalds. I live in the Show-Me state, and I am grateful for the old-timers who have patiently time and time again, shown me how to love. I am grateful for a mind that has cleared from the fog of addictions, and is able to see the real lessons in life that were taught years ago. God does for me everyday what I cannot do for myself…………JRE
Words of Jesus, found in John 13:34-35 NIV.
“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
***********************
REMEMBER THE RIGHT, FORGET THE WRONG
“He who sows righteousness gets a true reward. He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life.” Proverbs 11:18-19
Whether a personal or public matter, we quickly reveal whether we possess a servant’s heart in how we respond to those who have offended us. And it isn’t enough simply to say, “Well, okay, you’re forgiven, but don’t expect me to forget it!” That means we have erected a monument of spite in our mind, and that isn’t really forgiveness at all. Servants must be big people. Big enough to go on, remembering the right and forgetting the wrong. Like the age old saying, “Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble……”
True servants, when demonstrating genuine love, don’t keep score. Webster defines forget as “to lose remembrance of…to treat with inattention or disregard….to disregard intentionally: OVER-LOOK: to cease remembering or noticing…to fail to become mindful at the proper time.” That’s the thought.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………….Improving Your Serve
***********************
“We come to know happiness, joy and freedom.”
Narcotics Anonymous basic text page 88
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Love leaves a legacy. How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth. Rick Warren
“Is it odd, or is it God?” These words have been on my mind for three days now. I went to an AA function this weekend, it actually was a pig roast, and we had several speakers, which strengthened all the reasons I have for not drinking and using drugs. The first speaker was the delegate from Western Missouri to the General Service Conference in New York. He informed us on the workings of AA at the National level. We then ate the pig and after lunch we had a speaker who last year at the pig roast had two weeks clean and sober. This year he had one year in the program. What a blessing to see the miracle working power of God, changing lives one day at a time. Our next speaker was a gentleman who has almost nineteen years sober. Once again he told of how the program of AA and a loving God, had helped mold his life so that he is a productive member of society. He finished his talk with the telling of miracles that had happened over the years, and with each miracle he would say, “Is it odd, or is it God?” The way it was presented made it very clear that it is God. And a loving God will work through our lives, if we receive the free gift that is offered when we surrender of ourselves, and become willing to help others. Thanks Buster for serving. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
Words of Jesus found in Matthew 32:11,12 NIV
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
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LISTENING FOR GOD
“A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there.”
Isaiah 28:10
Equipped with the right tools, we can learn to listen to God. What are those tools? Here are the ones I have found helpful.
A regular time and place. Select a slot on your schedule and a corner of your world, and claim it for God. For some it may be the best to do this in the morning….others prefer the evening…..
A second tool you need [is] an open Bible. God speaks to us through his Word. The first step in reading the Bible is to ask God to help you understand it….Don’t go to Scripture looking for you own idea; so searching for God’s…
There is a third tool……Not only do we need a regular time and an open Bible, we also need a listening heart…..If you want to be just like Jesus, let God have you. Spend time listening for him until you receive your lesson for the day, then apply it.
MAX LUCADO……………Just Like Jesus
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“Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities. ‘How can I best serve Thee, Thy will (not mine) be done.’”
Alcoholics Anonymous……page 85
Is it odd? Or is it God?
Thought for the day: “Love leaves a legacy. How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth. Rick Warren
“Is it odd, or is it God?” These words have been on my mind for three days now. I went to an AA function this weekend, it actually was a pig roast, and we had several speakers, which strengthened all the reasons I have for not drinking and using drugs. The first speaker was the delegate from Western Missouri to the General Service Conference in New York. He informed us on the workings of AA at the National level. We then ate the pig and after lunch we had a speaker who last year at the pig roast had two weeks clean and sober. This year he had one year in the program. What a blessing to see the miracle working power of God, changing lives one day at a time. Our next speaker was a gentleman who has almost nineteen years sober. Once again he told of how the program of AA and a loving God, had helped mold his life so that he is a productive member of society. He finished his talk with the telling of miracles that had happened over the years, and with each miracle he would say, “Is it odd, or is it God?” The way it was presented made it very clear that it is God. And a loving God will work through our lives, if we receive the free gift that is offered when we surrender of ourselves, and become willing to help others. Thanks Buster for serving. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
Words of Jesus found in Matthew 32:11,12 NIV
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
***********************
LISTENING FOR GOD
“A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there.”
Isaiah 28:10
Equipped with the right tools, we can learn to listen to God. What are those tools? Here are the ones I have found helpful.
A regular time and place. Select a slot on your schedule and a corner of your world, and claim it for God. For some it may be the best to do this in the morning….others prefer the evening…..
A second tool you need [is] an open Bible. God speaks to us through his Word. The first step in reading the Bible is to ask God to help you understand it….Don’t go to Scripture looking for you own idea; so searching for God’s…
There is a third tool……Not only do we need a regular time and an open Bible, we also need a listening heart…..If you want to be just like Jesus, let God have you. Spend time listening for him until you receive your lesson for the day, then apply it.
MAX LUCADO……………Just Like Jesus
***********************
“Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all of our activities. ‘How can I best serve Thee, Thy will (not mine) be done.’”
Alcoholics Anonymous……page 85
