Saw this driving with my wife today.
How easy it is to forget, that many are wrapped in shame, or anger, that they assume
that God and/or his people don't want them.
Those ARE the people who Jesus cam to see.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
A Book Review for: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
It's basic story follows the now familiar line of a near death or out of body vision, this one from heaven. It offers a long list of supports from the vision, verified by third party observations, attempting to validate the thesis that Heaven is for real, and Colton's story, the child subject of the book, is for real. In the end, there is an impassioned cry to recognize the Glory of God and accept the free gift of heaven for yourself.
One of the most convincing aspects is an out-of-body or near death experience where Colton sees and remembers details that he was not conscious for or even in the room for. This strikes me as the strongest witness in the narrative, even though these types of stories are often written off as suppressed memory, brain activity while asleep or a whole host of other plausible opportunities for the subject to have gained the information even while they were unaware of gaining it. Even so, I believe this part because my father had a similar experience during the Korean war, when he was shot, abandoned behind the lines, and later recovered. According to the record, he died, and then revived. He too saw things that he could not have seen when he remembers being suspended over his body during the operation.
There are numerous other points of contact with the possibility of supernatural visions, including humans with angle wings, a picture of Jesus that is validated by a third party non-Christian and the meeting of long dead and never encountered family members.
Normally, in the modern age, anecdotal evidence is looked down upon by the new and sudo-intellectuals. I, being a physicist, tend to accept direct witness, if verifiable, with ease, and have long wondered why in the last few decades witness means so little to the modern skeptic. In that sense, this book is a disappointment to those who seek scientific fact. There is none. There is, however, a well written witness story about the power of God.
From the negative side, I have to tell you, as a Christian, I find the book neither beneficial or necessary. My faith is based on personal contact with God via the Holy Spirit. All the anecdotal evidence I have ever needed to support the existence of heaven is in the Bible or my own life, or the lives of those around me. My own witness story, Standing in the Storm, and the witness of Jesus' life, death and resurrection are more powerful to begin with, and the stories of those around me are easier to judge and consider, since I know the people and can see their eyes when they are telling me the story. The "power" of this story is that it is told by a Pastor who is gifted and explanation and leaves out nothing.
I would recommend this book wholeheartedly if you are already a Christian and are already secure in you faith; or, if you seeking knowledge in the modern age as to why and what Christians believe. If you are analytical and want more than anecdotal information, this won't do it for you.
In any case, I suggest you read what the Bible has to say about heaven first. It is not called the greatest story ever told by mistake.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Week 3/Day 21 ~ 21 days to a Positive Attitude (Saturday March 22)
Day 21 - Saturday
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
A. Up the repetitions in my required exercise to 30 reps today, and could still walk!
B. MAK's special team work out under the direction of our two demo team coordinators, did an awesome job at the workshop and at the Tri-County YMCA, as well as the SWAT and FIST teams under their directors. It is awesome to see the school, its instructors and students perform so well when my contribution is doing 35 reps on exercise and learning to walk up stairs
C. I got to teach the 4 hour Teen Men's night at MAK.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
A couple of times a year we run a teen encounter group where our teens get together, play games, do crafts, and do a sensitivity exercise where they discover the diversity of each other's lives, skills and fears. We do this so they can interact with each other, support each other and function in the world at large better as well. We have not done one for several years, and today was the first for this group of teens, and it was Teen Men's Night ...
I have not taught 4 hours since surgery, so I was experiencing a great degree of fear that I would not be able to keep it together for the whole event.
I planned it as I was asked to, and my family put the physical pieces together so I did not have to carry them, and both my wife and my daughter helped, so the event went off well, but it was still a blessing that I got to do it, that my wife and daughter helped so it happened, and that our teens rock.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
Acts 1:4-5 (CEV) - "Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
It's interesting that at the end of John, Jesus breathed the spirit on his apostles, and here Jesus is telling them the will be "baptized with the Holy Spirit." It seems there might be two different levels of Holy Spirit.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
None today.
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
Done
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Day18: Click Here. Day19: Click Here. Day20: Click Here.
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
B. MAK's special team work out under the direction of our two demo team coordinators, did an awesome job at the workshop and at the Tri-County YMCA, as well as the SWAT and FIST teams under their directors. It is awesome to see the school, its instructors and students perform so well when my contribution is doing 35 reps on exercise and learning to walk up stairs
C. I got to teach the 4 hour Teen Men's night at MAK.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
I have not taught 4 hours since surgery, so I was experiencing a great degree of fear that I would not be able to keep it together for the whole event.
I planned it as I was asked to, and my family put the physical pieces together so I did not have to carry them, and both my wife and my daughter helped, so the event went off well, but it was still a blessing that I got to do it, that my wife and daughter helped so it happened, and that our teens rock.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
Acts 1:4-5 (CEV) - "Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
It's interesting that at the end of John, Jesus breathed the spirit on his apostles, and here Jesus is telling them the will be "baptized with the Holy Spirit." It seems there might be two different levels of Holy Spirit.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Day18: Click Here. Day19: Click Here. Day20: Click Here.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Week 3/Day 20 ~ 21 days to a Positive Attitude (Friday March 21)
Day 20 - Friday
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
A. The car, all 150,000 miles of it, got a clean bill of health today.
B. I have gone up and down the stairs without cane, left foot over right foot, 5 times today. Killing my quad, or what's left of it, but awesome exercise.
C. PT goes to 2 times a week, however, Today we got another degree closer to straight and on flex we got another degree more bent! Yea.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
This is a boring entry, but today is a boring type of day. The one thing that lighted my fire today was that I had positive movement on the two measurable gains I am being asked to pursue during recovery from Total Knee Replacement. Flex, how far you can bend you knee, needs to be at 115 degrees before you can climb stairs, and ideally your leg should be straight and locked out when you want it to be, but after surgery it starts at maybe -25 degrees. My Knee was at -20 degrees before surgery due to injury and disease, and had been for over 5 years, so any gain is awesome. Today I got one degree of gain on both indexes when at Wednesday's meeting with PT I go no gain. Yea!
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 21:25 (CEV) - "Jesus did many other things. If they were all written in books, I don’t suppose there would be room enough in the whole world for all the books."
John knew what he had written was not accurate history, in the "I covered everything in the order it happened and missed nothing so there," way. But rather, he covered the history of Jesus' ministry in a way that we got sufficient information to be saved and follow him. Here he points out with some hyperbole, that there is very much more that Jesus did. Wow.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
Gave a Friend a $5 Starbucks Card on Facebook. Someone who needed a boost. Someone who is remembering a loss of a loved one that can not be replaced.
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
Done
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Day18: Click Here. Day19: Click Here.
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
B. I have gone up and down the stairs without cane, left foot over right foot, 5 times today. Killing my quad, or what's left of it, but awesome exercise.
C. PT goes to 2 times a week, however, Today we got another degree closer to straight and on flex we got another degree more bent! Yea.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 21:25 (CEV) - "Jesus did many other things. If they were all written in books, I don’t suppose there would be room enough in the whole world for all the books."
John knew what he had written was not accurate history, in the "I covered everything in the order it happened and missed nothing so there," way. But rather, he covered the history of Jesus' ministry in a way that we got sufficient information to be saved and follow him. Here he points out with some hyperbole, that there is very much more that Jesus did. Wow.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Day18: Click Here. Day19: Click Here.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Week 3/Day 19 ~ 21 days to a Positive Attitude (Thursday March 20)
Day 19 - Thursday
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
A. I got to teach with Steve MacGregor and Barbi McCoy today for the Power Turtles and Tiny Tigers Class.
B. We have been having huge issues with out propane gas hot water heater. Brand new, keeps going out. Hard to find techs for it. Called the gas company to see if they could test the feed, just in case that was the problem. Turns out they have repair techs. Turns out the regulator was frozen. They replaced it for free.
C. I ran into the pastor of one of the three churches in the area that I really like. He was at Starbucks. 20 years ago, when I was a new Christian, I had an argument with him over the well being of one of my students. That student is grown and not really part of my life, but this pastor set me down the road to proper doctrine. It was the right meeting of the right man at the right time. Blessing indeed.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
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Teaching is in my soul and is the only gift of the spirit that I am sure I have and it has never let me down. I Love teaching. Long ago, a former pastor of my church said that I was not really teaching because I was not imparting the Word of God. I am not at all sure he was right, but I have gone into great depth since then to make sure that I am teaching God's word when I teach, though to be honest, it is more by practice than by word. Anyway, I love teaching. Today I got to teach the Power Turtles, 2 1/2 year olds, and Tigers, 4-5 year olds. Most people don't teach this age group. Too hard. Those that do consider it some type of income source that requires basic baby sitting. I don't. I get to teach these kids some of the most important lessons of the martial arts, and surprise surprise, I also get to teach the they physical art. It astounds me every time I get to teach them.
Today, 4 hours after teaching them, my knee is still screaming in pain because this is only 2 1/2 weeks since total knee replacement, but it was worth it. And I got to teach with two awesome teachers who teach for the same reason I do. (Again, to be honest, all the instructors I can say that about, it's just I got to teach with only two of them today.)
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 17:20 (CEV) - "I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me."
Jesus was literally praying for me 2000 years before I was born. Wow .. anyone who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me, he prayed. We can include people in this astounding blessing just by bring them the Gospel. Wow,
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
None today
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
Done
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Day18: Click Here.
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
B. We have been having huge issues with out propane gas hot water heater. Brand new, keeps going out. Hard to find techs for it. Called the gas company to see if they could test the feed, just in case that was the problem. Turns out they have repair techs. Turns out the regulator was frozen. They replaced it for free.
C. I ran into the pastor of one of the three churches in the area that I really like. He was at Starbucks. 20 years ago, when I was a new Christian, I had an argument with him over the well being of one of my students. That student is grown and not really part of my life, but this pastor set me down the road to proper doctrine. It was the right meeting of the right man at the right time. Blessing indeed.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
Today, 4 hours after teaching them, my knee is still screaming in pain because this is only 2 1/2 weeks since total knee replacement, but it was worth it. And I got to teach with two awesome teachers who teach for the same reason I do. (Again, to be honest, all the instructors I can say that about, it's just I got to teach with only two of them today.)
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 17:20 (CEV) - "I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me."
Jesus was literally praying for me 2000 years before I was born. Wow .. anyone who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me, he prayed. We can include people in this astounding blessing just by bring them the Gospel. Wow,
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
None today
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Day18: Click Here.
Week 3/Day 18 ~ 21 days to a Positive Attitude (Wednesday March 19)
Day 18 - Wednesday
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
A. One of my former students, a Black Belt and a school owner, reached out of the past to give me encouragement in life, and it was timely.
B. Got my SECOND replacement phone for my new(ish) LG G2, and it only took an hour to set it up this time.
C. A friend from my karate past, someone whom I have always respect but had been giving space, due to a conflict between his instructor and I, made contact, and in the first exchange I learned that I need more faith in human kind and received confirmation from a third party that the path we are following in Martial Arts is indeed the right path.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
I have for several decades taken as a witness of the Holy Spirit that I was once again teaching Sunday School at my church. I have taught before, and been a Sunday School superintendent of Sunday Schools at a former church as well, but I had given up at teaching Sunday School until the Sr. Pastor of my current church asked me to teach, about 20 years ago. It was easy. Mindlessly easy. The Holy Spirit put the words in my mouth, just as he does when I teach karate. I could spend all of my time focusing on the kids and none of it on how or what I was going to teach. For 20 years it was like that, and then I was removed, because one person stood in the way, and was offended that I could interpret the Bible differently than her. Such is life. It hurt, but I have greater things to do for the Lord, so after a few weeks of pain, I let it go, and moved on.
A former student from years gone by, knowing how much this avocation had meant to me, reached out with words of blessing and comfort. Did not expect anyone to understand, certainly not someone from so long ago, especially on the verses I interpret differently. But she did. The light turned on in my life that had been broken so long ago. Blessings come from God's people, if God's people listen to the Holy Spirit. She did, and my week changed.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 14:12 (CEV) - "I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father."
Greater things than Jesus? From the commentary that I have read, "greater" normally is translated to mean More, not better or bigger. According to Strong's lexicon, Greater is the Word meizōn, which means greater, larger, elder or stronger, and it is usually used in context to mean larger or stronger. I could not find a single time it meant just more, as in a larger number.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
E-Birthday Cards - 2 people.
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
Done
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
B. Got my SECOND replacement phone for my new(ish) LG G2, and it only took an hour to set it up this time.
C. A friend from my karate past, someone whom I have always respect but had been giving space, due to a conflict between his instructor and I, made contact, and in the first exchange I learned that I need more faith in human kind and received confirmation from a third party that the path we are following in Martial Arts is indeed the right path.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
A former student from years gone by, knowing how much this avocation had meant to me, reached out with words of blessing and comfort. Did not expect anyone to understand, certainly not someone from so long ago, especially on the verses I interpret differently. But she did. The light turned on in my life that had been broken so long ago. Blessings come from God's people, if God's people listen to the Holy Spirit. She did, and my week changed.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 14:12 (CEV) - "I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father."
Greater things than Jesus? From the commentary that I have read, "greater" normally is translated to mean More, not better or bigger. According to Strong's lexicon, Greater is the Word meizōn, which means greater, larger, elder or stronger, and it is usually used in context to mean larger or stronger. I could not find a single time it meant just more, as in a larger number.
This explains why Jesus is so often telling us how awesome God is within us as the Holy Spirit. We can do what he did, plus more and bigger things. Wow. I have spent a good part of my life thinking the Bible was the major power, but Jesus clearly is telling us the Spirit is the major power of God in our lives.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)E-Birthday Cards - 2 people.
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here. Day17: Click Here.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Week 3/Day 17 ~ 21 days to a Positive Attitude (Tuesday March 18)
Day 17 - Tuesday
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
A. Starbucks. Anne, my wife, brought me Starbucks.
B. Caught the 24 hour stomach bug from my daughter yesterday. Even with that illness, I had enough energy to do my PT for the day.
C. Anne bought my daughter, whose house I am staying at during Physical Therapy rehabilitation, Frozen.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
Today I want to talk about the little blessings that are really the larger blessings. This is the time period in this rehabilitation where I am caught between not being healed enough to function in my world, even at a reduced level, and not damaged enough that every day would bring gain. For example, there is hope tangible when you can measure the improvement at each Physical Therapy session. Yet, I am at the stage of improvement now where I will not see daily gain anymore but I am not well enough to attend class. It is depressing. Add that to my wife reaching the limit of her ability to endure making all the decisions without much or any help from me. Finally, add to that my TBI making every little thing into a major end of the world crisis. For example, I came down stairs and it suddenly hit me that when I was damaged (this very same knee over 20 years ago and the injury that cause the need for the knee replacement this time) and convalescing the last time, the church I attend visited me once a week, even the week that was a partial week. I started eating lunch with the pastor on that 3rd week as I recall. That started me down the road to knowing Jesus. I attended that church because that is what my family did. I do not know if I actually knew the Lord or not, because of my brain injury. I only know that the pastor figured out that I was analytical, and needed more that doctrine and rhetoric to follow. So he introduced me to his library that he started at seminary, and the library that the church also maintained, and guided my study so that I came to understand the seminarian side of faith. All that came from pastoral visits because I attended his church and was a member of his flock. From that, I eventually became a member of vestry and the superintendent of Sunday Schools for the Church. Then he retired, and we switched churches, to attend a church that preached the gospel of Jesus and the Holy Bible.
With all that in mind, I noticed out loud, to my wife, that no one from our current church had visited me at all. In fact, the pastor I had told about my surgery was surprised that I had it the first week I showed up at church. Now I get it. I have no position at the church, and the church is 1000's of people big. I am not starving or dying and I am coming every Sunday no matter what, so it's not like I am a high priority, and other's need their pastoral staff far more than I. But TBI doesn't work that way. It is selfish. So suddenly I am overwhelmed with depression because my church has not sent a pastor, a card, and email or a facebook note. Kids have from both the Sunday School I am no longer allowed to teach at and from my Karate School, and a family of Christians have (see Day 16), but no one from the church I now attend had even registered that I was injured, much less injured with TBI or in need of help spiritual with my family. It crushed me. I mentioned it too my wife, and she, being the practical person she is, immediately brought to bear all of what I just mentioned about the reasons I should not need a visit. The problem is, logic does not work with TBI.
So, out of all this make believe and real pain, how does a blessing arrive. Starbucks. Anne brought me Starbucks. It took 6 hours to register, but the the little blessings sometimes are the best. Starbucks from my wife is proof that God is alive in my wife and my life. Duh.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 13:10 (CEV) Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.”
If you are a literalistic, then you might actually wash people's feet at church or, as I have seen at least once, at your home. I, however, have become amazed at the way Jesus taught by analogy. Nearly everything he says is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a secret as Winston Churchill said about Russia in the second world war. He even explained why he taught that way, and I had missed it. So, when I read a statement that has no current context, I try to place it in context of the time it was said and then try to see if it really is talking about the spiritual world and its reflection in the physical world.
So, on reflection, I believe that Jesus is telling me that if we are his, already of the kingdom, then we do not have to continually repeat the process of entering the kingdom, for we have already been made clean. Yet, he warns, we walk in the world, and as we make contact with the world, we become unclean, and must confess that sin, or uncleanliness, every day. Further, me must do so with our brothers and sisters.
But this one confuses me, so I will revisit it again.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
none today
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
Done
________________________________________________
Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here.
1) Every day write down 3 good things that happened that day for which you are grateful.
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B. Caught the 24 hour stomach bug from my daughter yesterday. Even with that illness, I had enough energy to do my PT for the day.
C. Anne bought my daughter, whose house I am staying at during Physical Therapy rehabilitation, Frozen.
2) Journal about one positive blessing. One of the three, and explain why that good thing is better than the bad things that happened.
With all that in mind, I noticed out loud, to my wife, that no one from our current church had visited me at all. In fact, the pastor I had told about my surgery was surprised that I had it the first week I showed up at church. Now I get it. I have no position at the church, and the church is 1000's of people big. I am not starving or dying and I am coming every Sunday no matter what, so it's not like I am a high priority, and other's need their pastoral staff far more than I. But TBI doesn't work that way. It is selfish. So suddenly I am overwhelmed with depression because my church has not sent a pastor, a card, and email or a facebook note. Kids have from both the Sunday School I am no longer allowed to teach at and from my Karate School, and a family of Christians have (see Day 16), but no one from the church I now attend had even registered that I was injured, much less injured with TBI or in need of help spiritual with my family. It crushed me. I mentioned it too my wife, and she, being the practical person she is, immediately brought to bear all of what I just mentioned about the reasons I should not need a visit. The problem is, logic does not work with TBI.
So, out of all this make believe and real pain, how does a blessing arrive. Starbucks. Anne brought me Starbucks. It took 6 hours to register, but the the little blessings sometimes are the best. Starbucks from my wife is proof that God is alive in my wife and my life. Duh.
3) Meditate and detach from multi-tasking, by focusing on scripture~ read it, research it, think about how it might impact your life.
John 13:10 (CEV) Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.”
If you are a literalistic, then you might actually wash people's feet at church or, as I have seen at least once, at your home. I, however, have become amazed at the way Jesus taught by analogy. Nearly everything he says is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a secret as Winston Churchill said about Russia in the second world war. He even explained why he taught that way, and I had missed it. So, when I read a statement that has no current context, I try to place it in context of the time it was said and then try to see if it really is talking about the spiritual world and its reflection in the physical world.
So, on reflection, I believe that Jesus is telling me that if we are his, already of the kingdom, then we do not have to continually repeat the process of entering the kingdom, for we have already been made clean. Yet, he warns, we walk in the world, and as we make contact with the world, we become unclean, and must confess that sin, or uncleanliness, every day. Further, me must do so with our brothers and sisters.
But this one confuses me, so I will revisit it again.
4) One random act of kindness a week. You can do more. (Try one a day)
none today
5) Pray. Lay down the hurtful things and gather strength.
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Rules for 21 Days to a Positive Attitude Click here
Day 2: Click Here. Day 3: Click Here. Day 4: Click Here.
Day 5: Click Here. Day 6: Click Here. Day 7: Click Here.
Day 8: Click Here. Day 9: Click Here. Day 10: Click Here.
Day11: Click Here. Day12: Click Here. Day13: Click Here.
Day14: Click Here. Day15: Click Here. Day16: Click Here.
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