In the devo today by @BearGrylls he has a good word about God-Confidence. Cf https://www.mandyandmichele.com/true-confidence-comes-from-god/#
Graphics : https://x.com/drolsen314/status/1762851578350911848?s=61&t=1To83REIhj1lNshdBovbuA
Feb 28
In the devo today by @BearGrylls he has a good word about God-Confidence. Cf https://www.mandyandmichele.com/true-confidence-comes-from-god/#
Graphics : https://x.com/drolsen314/status/1762851578350911848?s=61&t=1To83REIhj1lNshdBovbuA
Feb 27
In retirement there are some days in which I have a hard time getting motivated. Looking within myself, is sporadic at best, and generally of little value.
Here’s a simple process : ‘
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6
Feb 04
Determining right & wrong based on the Bible it’s tough, because we are mortals. As people of faith, we should try to do it anyway.
@AlistairBegg logically & Biblically moved the needle.
Good, article here by Russel Moore.
Jan 04
My sermon this month is titled, Eyes, Nose, and Shoulder for the Sake of Christ.
The primary point is to keep our eyes on Jesus (from Hebrews 12:1). I’ve always like the metaphors of keep your nose to the grindstone and put your shoulder to the wheel. To do the will of God we do need to apply our focus and our effort.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
1 John 4:9-11 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
James 1:22-24 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
📖 Daily devotional book: Soul Fuel: A Daily Devotional, by: Bear Grylls.
📖 Book: Recalibrate Your Life: Navigating Transitions with Purpose and Hope, by: Kenneth Boa and Jenny Abel. This book has a strong Christian/biblical basis and is for all ages (we’ll say from age 20 through old age). It covers both regular recalibration of life and recalibration of life at major junctures of life (such as marriage, having children, major illness, retirement).
Abide in Christ is a timeless book written by Andrew Murray. Information, online book, and audio book found here.
Sinclair Furguson does a podcast, titled Things Unseen, each weekday, Monday through Friday (usually about 10 minutes). He has excellent discussion points on the Bible and Christian concepts. I have found the podcast very thought provoking and valuable to me as a Christian.
Dec 21
Here are three short stories that I like–and you might also enjoy. Good to read at Christmas time.
The Philanthropist’s Christmas – James Weber Linn. This is a story a bit like A Christmas Carol, with a rich man who is gruff (without the Christmas spirit). However, Mr. Carter is not a total cruel as Ebenezer Scrooge. The story is also lighter, with a fun little dog and no ghosts. Published in 1908. About 20 minutes.
A Christmas Mystery: The Story of Three Wise Men – William John Locke. This is a story about 3 men, who are each individually ‘successful,’ but, sadly, lack family or relationships. They end up on a train, together, going to a Christmas party a long way away. On the trip, there is a failure in the transportation which causes to plot to change drastically. This is a deeper story than the first. I believe this takes place in the early 1900’s in England. Written in 1910. About 40 minutes.
How Dot Heard The Messiah – Hezekiah Butterworth. This is about a lowly boy, Dot, who is the bellows-boy for an organ in a large church. (The bellows of the organ had to be operated manually back in those days.) He makes an acquaintance with one of the distinguished tenors in the choir, and it changes his life. Written in 1882. About 21 minutes.
My all-time favorite Christmas story is The Other Wise Man.
If you know of other Christmas stories which have a Christian theme, please share with me.
Post by Jim Olsen.
Dec 19
Sir Nicholas Winton was born in Hampstead, London in 1909. For nine months in 1939 he rescued 669 children from Czechoslovakia, bringing them to the UK, thereby sparing them from the horrors of the Holocaust. Sir Nicholas died in July 2015, aged 106.
This is an an excellent story of service to mankind.
He was featured in 2023 by the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert. Video is here. The story about Nicki Winton begins about the 49 minute mark.
Nice write-up here. (Wikipedia.)
Dec 11
The Ballad of the White Horse is an epic poem by G. K. Chesterton.
The poem narrates how King Alfred (in England) was able to defeat the invading Danes at the Battle of Ethandun with the aid of the Virgin Mary. The Danes are (hopeless) pagans, and king Alfred is (a faithful) Christian.
I consider this a hard poem to read (I’m not an English literature major), but it was highly recommended on Twitter. I found a fun way to listen to an audio reading, and read it simultaneously, while I was folding Christmas boxes.
My strategy: For each chapter (‘book’) I read a short synopsis/summary from, for example, Wikipedia. (This wonderful story does not have a tricky, plot.) Then I would have two browsers open, one with the audio reading, and one with the text. See the screenshot.
“The poem in its fullness is a masterpiece about the perfect, objective, and eternal light that must be preserved by civilization from the slow creeping weeds of [pagan] darkness ever looming and threatening to overtake the light.”
The total amount of time needed to listen to it is about 114 minutes. Under two hours. Make a pot of coffee or tea.
I like a good story with a Christian message. (Having it read by a professional was a lot better than trying to render the poetry myself.)
Sep 14
Dripping with Christian positivity.
Zig Ziglar
“I would like to be remembered as a man who loved the Lord, loved his wife, loved his family, and who did everything he could for his fellow man.
https://www2.cbn.com/article/not-selected/zig-ziglar-better-good includes lots of biblical inspiration.
What’s the biggest piece of advice Ziglar has for someone?
“I would say continue to learn. One of the great psychiatrists in our nation’s history, and he worked with Norman Vincent Peale for many years, he discovered that any individual, regardless of age, he never met one who suffered from any kind of mental dementia who did three things: they stayed active physically, they were continually learning new things, and they developed a genuine interest in other people. That is the secret right there.”
Zig Ziglar
A tweet by @coachajking had this:
“Success isn’t owned, it’s leased. And rent is due everyday.”
JJ Watt
In the forward of his book, Zig, Ziglar states this on his faith and his confidence.