tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34540053562473792532024-03-12T23:24:24.055-05:00Blessed MorningGod has made it clear to me that I need to record His blessings and gifts of grace. Here you can share in those and share your thoughts as well.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-21373319705163347292017-12-17T23:38:00.002-05:002017-12-17T23:38:42.287-05:00Love Your Enemies<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Below is one entry in a series I'm writing that goes through each part of Jesus' sermon on the mount (Mathew 5:21-7:27)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A43-48&version=ESV">Matthew 5:43 - 48</a></span></div>
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This has been the
hardest one to write so far because I have been processing feelings about this
for a long time. I think I need to be taught how to love my enemies. How do I
pray for those who curse me and want good for those who despise me? I would say
my life has not had to answer those kinds of questions many times. There have
been people who took advantage of my kindness that caused me bitterness but
there has been nothing like an enemy I need to forgive. The only enemies I have
are monumental and outside of my circle of influence. The enemies I have I do
feel genuine hatred for but they are people I don't feel like I can do anything
to, to act on my hatred. What I mean by this is, if I consider Donald Trump my
enemy then in order to follow this scripture I need to love him and pray for
him. Honestly that seems very hard to do, genuinely. I can pray for him as I
would pray for someone I pity but I don't know that I can bring myself to want
good to come to him. I honestly want him to succumb to his old age and die on
national television. I want his adult children to suffer time in prison and
have their lives destroyed. I want biblical old-time judgment to rain down on
their heads. And here Jesus is telling me to love these people that I loathe. </div>
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I think he has a
good point.</div>
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This kind of hatred
was never in my heart before. I always found a way to love those I disliked
before. But since 2016 I have been worked up to a frenzied state toward people
and an agenda I don't fully understand. My hatred stems from an agenda that for
whatever reason appears to be ending all the good that Obama put in place. But
here's the rub. Even if he were setting up shop as a dictator and sending out
death squads to gather up all the Christians, I would still be obligated to
pray for him. God still loved pharoah when he was fighting him and his people
in Egypt and he still desires that all his enemies would come back to him. For
God, each human relationship is like the one he had with Adam in the Garden of
Eden. He's either asking where you are because you've realized your naked and
your hiding in a bush or he's walking with you and talking with you one-on-one.
Your relationship is that important to him and he will move heaven and earth to
bring you back into a right and loving one with him. We are to do this too. In
order that God may be glorified and also in order that your heart may be freed
from the poison that is the hatred of your enemies. </div>
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Hatred is the
quickest and easiest reaction we can have toward someone who thwarts our will
but it is obviously not the most Godly one. Jesus calls us to love those who we
consider enemies and pray for them because they are all God's children. We were
once his enemies too. God takes care of each of us each day and he took care of
us even when we were his enemies. He sends the rain down upon the just and the
unjust. He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good. In this way he is
calling us to be like our heavenly father who is perfect. He gives to his
enemies and wants their good. Jesus saw God, face to face, as perfectly as God
could be seen and what he saw was someone who cares for those who despise him
and work against him. In that way he does not let their actions gain control
over him. He blesses and wants the best for all so his family can be bigger. I
don't want to fall victim to the automatic hatred of those I'm told are my
enemies, for many reasons, but the most prominent one is that God loves them.
God loves Donald Trump. He cause the sun to shine down on the evil and the good
and I should realize that I am no different in the light of God's perfect
righteousness. His love for me is what lead me to Jesus and my love for those I
perceive as enemies can also lead to their salvation. </div>
dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-69855418400693562462017-01-22T21:17:00.000-05:002017-01-22T21:17:22.315-05:00Week 2 and 3: Romans 11:33-36, Proverbs 3:5-6Talk about a hectic and difficult two weeks! I did not fast 1 meal, I did not fast 2. I didn't fast at all. We did end up getting a new van, so that was good. In memorizing the last two weeks' verses I learned to focus more on God and see him as the source of everything good in my life and the source of all wisdom. He provides the correct paths to go down in every situation because he knows absolutely everything about us. "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" We are told to depend on him for all things down to our daily bread. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths."<br />
<br />
Among this and the chaos of the last two weeks I got an audible.com book that has inspired and delighted me. It's called "C.S. Lewis Essay Collection and Other Short Pieces" and it is phenomenal. He has given me a picture of God, heaven and the spiritual realm that I have never had before. A picture in which spirit is much more substantial and solid, in fact more solid than the material world. His essays and the chapters on what man is for in "The Spirit of the Disciplines" by Dallas Willard, have lain a foundation in me that was never there before. Because of this and what I see lies ahead of me, I am firmly grasping onto the words of this week's verse "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"<br /><br />I will go on gladly, experiencing with my senses, while taking refuge in his grace, knowing that he is good!dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-91504408811364243042017-01-06T22:12:00.002-05:002017-01-06T22:15:58.271-05:00Week 1: 1-7 - Psalm 139:1-4 Prayer and meditation. Removing Caffiene 4oz a dayThis week I removed caffeine from my system over the course of the last 6 days. I went down 4 ounces a day until today where I had just 4 oz. Tomorrow I will have none. It's been kind of rough cutting caffeine and still taking care of kids. They need me to be energetic and awake and all I could think about was sleeping. I did end up going to bed at 9 one night, right after the girls went to sleep, so I could recover from my lack. <br />
<br />
The hardest day was Monday because I fasted the entire day and only drank one cup of coffee. Then we went to the prayer and worship night with all three girls, while Kelly spent 2 hours on stage. I was hungry, tired and bedraggled, but loving almost every minute of it.<br />
<br />
This is all in preparation for fasting in the future. I want to fast once a month and I'm going to ease my way into it. First only fasting 1 meal, then 2, then 3. Then I'll increase it to 6 and then 9 in the first week of each month. I don't really want to go beyond 3 days of no food. I think that's plenty.<br />
<br />
This week I also memorized Psalm 139:1-4. It went quite well. I wrote it out each morning, trying to remember as much as possible each time. Today I ended up just typing it over and over again until I had it committed to memory. Now I can recite it out loud, which I did for Kelly. It's wonderful having the word in your heart. The words can be analyzed and mulled over. For these verses I was able to see how God knows every part of me and all that I do, think or say.<br />
<br />
<i>Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>You know when I sit down and when I rise up;</i><br />
<i>you discern my thoughts from afar.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>You search out my path and my lying down</i><br />
<i>and are acquainted with all my ways.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Even before a word is on my tongue</i><br />
<i>behold, oh Lord, you know it altogether.</i><br />
<br />
God searches me and knows me down to the deepest part of me, to my soul. He knows where I concentrate and spend my time, and when I stop and leave. He knows every thought I have. He knows where I will go and where I will sleep even when I will die. He knows every way I will go. Finally, He knows every word I will say. He knows everything about me, thoroughly.<br />
<br />
I'm excited for the next weeks and for all I learn from the words I memorize. Also, I'm looking forward to other disciplines God puts into my heart. Ways I can implement into my life that will give me a closer and more rich experience of the Trinity and their love for one another.<br />
<br />
Father God show me your love and how you love the Son and Holy Spirit as you love yourself. Show me how to love Jesus that same way, that we may be one even as you are one.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-11646634685166274122016-12-31T22:33:00.001-05:002016-12-31T22:33:47.720-05:00Disciplines ScheduleAs promised here is my plan for 2017. I will be updating this as the year goes on. I will narrow it down to the week we're on and talk about my experience with the disciplines involved. Follow along with me as we learn to be more like Jesus through the love of God revealed in these disciplines.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">January</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 1: 1-7 - Psalm 139:1-4<br />
Prayer and meditation. Removing Caffiene 4oz a day</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 2</span>: 8-14 - Romans 11:33-36</div>
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Prayer
and meditation. Finding things to give away or sell and giving them away or
selling them this week. Fasting 1 meal.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 3: 15-21 - Prov 3:5-6 </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer and meditation.
Fasting 2 meals</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 4</span>: 22-28 - Psalm 34:8 </div>
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Prayer
and meditation daily. Give away or sell not needed things.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">February</span></div>
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Week
5: 29 - 4 - 1 John 4:10</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Solitude. Prayer and Meditation and Study</span>.
Fasting 1 day (3 meals). </div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 6</span>: 5 - 11 - Isa 6:1-5</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Schedule
day of service for some group, food bank, or homeless shelter, or some other
thing (more details to come).</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 7</span>: 12 - 18 - Exodus 34:6</div>
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Prayer
and meditation</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Week 8</span>: 19 - 25 <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">-</span> 2 Pet 3:9</div>
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Prayer
and meditation. Give away or sell not needed things.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">March</span></div>
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Week
9: 26 - 4 - Deut 32:4 </div>
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Fast 2
days 1st and 2nd Ash Wednesday (6 meals). Prayer and meditation.</div>
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Week
10: 5 - 11 - Isa 48:9-11</div>
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Prayer
and meditation</div>
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Sat
10th 10am - 12pm EGC EGC 101 course</div>
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Week
11: 12 - 18 - Rom 1:18</div>
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Prayer
and meditation</div>
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Week
12: 19 - 25 - Psalm 115:3</div>
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Prayer
and meditation. Give away or sell not needed things.</div>
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Week
13: 26 - 1 - Daniel 4:35</div>
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Prayer
and meditation</div>
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April</div>
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Week
14: 2 - 8 - Psalm 139:7-10</div>
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Fast 3
days (9 meals).</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
15: 9 - 15 - Psalm 27:4</div>
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Fast
on 14th (Good Friday)</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
16: 16 - 22 - Habakkuk 2:14</div>
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Prayer
and meditation. Give away or sell not needed things.</div>
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Week
17: 23 - 29 - Psalm 102:25-27</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Solitude Day</span></div>
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May</div>
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Week
18: 30 - 6 - Acts 17:24-25</div>
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Fast 3
days (9 meals).</div>
<div style="color: #953734; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
19: 7 - 13 - Matthew 3:16-17</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
20: 14 - 20 - Hebrews 1:1-2</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
21: 21 - 27 - Hebrews 4:15-16</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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June</div>
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Week
22: 28 - 3 - Eph 1:20-22</div>
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Fast 3
days (9 meals).</div>
<div style="color: #953734; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
23: 4 - 10 - 2 Tim 3:16-17</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
24: 11 - 17 - Matthew 4:4</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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Week
25: 18 - 24 - Psalm 119:11</div>
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July</div>
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Week
26: 25 - 1 - Psalm 12:6 </div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Fast 3
meals (9 meals).</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
27: 2 - 8 - Hebrews 4:12</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
28: 9 - 15 - Deut 6:6-7</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
29: 16 - 22 - Eph 1:3-6</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Solitude Day</span></div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
30: 23 - 29 - Psalm 51:2-4</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
August</div>
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Week
31: 30 - 5 - 1 Cor 15:1-4</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Fast 3
meals (9 meals).</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
32: 6 - 12 - Matthew 11:28-30</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
33: 13 - 19 -John 3:5-8</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
34: 20 - 26 - John 3:16</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
September</div>
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Week
35: 27 - 2 - Galatians 2:16</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Fast 3
days (9 meals).</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
36: 3 - 9 - 2 Cor 5:21</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
37: 10 - 16 - Romans 8:14-17</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
38: 17 - 23 - Romans 6:11-14</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Prayer
and meditation.</div>
<div style="color: #76923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Week
39: 24 - 30 - John 10:27-28</div>
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Prayer
and meditation.</div>
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October</div>
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Week 40: 1 - 7 -
Phil 1:20-24</div>
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Fast 3 days.</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 41: 8 - 14 - 1
Cor 15:42-44</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Solitude Day</span></div>
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Week 42: 15 - 21 - 1
Thes 4:15-18</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 43: 22 - 28 -
Rev 20:11-13</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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November</div>
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Week 44: 29 - 4 -
Rev 21:1-4</div>
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Fast 3 days.</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 45: 5 - 11 -
Rev 14:11</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 46: 12 - 18 -
Rom 12:4-5</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 47: 19 - 25 -
Rom 6:3-4</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 48: 26 - 2 - 1
Cor 11:23-26</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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December </div>
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Week 49: 3 - 9 - Rev
4:11</div>
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Fast 3 days.</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 50: 10 - 16 -
Jer 31:31-34</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 51: 17 - 23 -
Matt 22:37-40</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
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Week 52: 24 - 30 -
Matt 28:18-20</div>
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Prayer and
meditation.</div>
dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-13801563213921076722016-12-29T17:01:00.002-05:002016-12-29T17:01:51.140-05:00The Disciplines: a life long project. This is year 1I started reading "The Spirit of the Disciplines" a week or two ago and it has inspired me to rekindle my relationship with God through practicing all of them. By all of them I mean the ones listed in the book "Celebration of Discipline." I'm going to catalog my experiences as I systematically practice each throughout 2017.<br />
<br />
January 1st will be my next post as I begin practicing meditation, prayer, study and submission. The ultimate goal is that I will start, little by little with daily practice, to become transformed in the renewing of my mind into the image of Christ. There will certainly be bumps and hiccups along the way that will derail me, but I will not be moved from my resolution.<br />
<br />
This year will be the year of the Disciplines. Anyone who wants to join me may do so by following the plan I put up in my next post. This is obviously a little bit prideful for me to post that I'm doing this on a public forum, I recognize that. But I also recognize that I need social pressure to make this idea a reality.<br />
<br />
Thanks alldcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-73539641118020057022015-08-28T12:34:00.002-05:002015-08-28T12:34:51.408-05:00My/Our Responsibility as ChristiansThis morning I started reading the DesiringGod post from John Piper (<a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-often-should-we-voice-our-views-on-homosexuality-online">http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-often-should-we-voice-our-views-on-homosexuality-online</a>) and I had a full thought come blasting into my brain. I have this venue here so I'll use it.<br />
<br />
My responsibility as a Christian is to be a human being that lives rightly, loves unconditionally, and speaks truth in love. I say "human being" because these words bring to mind a picture of God's magnificent creation, mankind. Being a member of that creation I want to represent it in the most mature and thoughtful way. I want to steward my humanity as a reflection of God's divinity. I want to show how great God is by responsibly living my life as a human who loves his neighbor as himself.<br />
<br />
Living rightly encompasses that kind of attitude and humility. I want to be a gracious, kind, person. What I've learned over the years is I'm not equipped to do that alone. God has to work on my faults, sins, attitudes, and failings through prayer, my wife and my church. To represent Christ I need to be fixed.<br />
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Loving unconditionally includes loving those who might be living a life in opposition to God's way of living. I love my wife, my kids, my friends and neighbors but I love them in different ways. I show them different degrees of intimacy and vulnerability. I show them God's love in much the same ways. The blog linked above talks about expressing your views on homosexuality on social media. In my opinion people should sparingly do that in any public forums. Talk with your friends, talk with your family, talk with strangers amicably. Don't condemn and chide those you barely know, with opinions or even scripture. God made each person unique. Each person has struggles unique to their life. Telling someone they are wrong serves no purpose but to spread hate and cause division.<br />
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Speaking the truth in love is what we should do, but not on social media. Do it in person. Do it on the phone. Do it in writing, on actual paper. Be connected and grow closer to those you disagree with by expressing your opinions openly in a way where they will be able to express theirs back. Your life is meant to reflect Christ's and Christ died for expressing his love openly, and in a way where others could express their opinions back. We aren't to be any different.<br />
<br />
This brings me back to my responsibility. My picture of the human being I should be. I should be a loving husband, a devoted father, a close friend, a good neighbor. I have sometimes failed in those spheres. My actions should come out of love and not out of what cheese burger I did or did not eat. I need to picture the beautiful, eternal, perfect creation that God intended when he made mankind and rely on God's grace and strength to mold me. Shaping a lump of clay like me into that requires time, attention and love. God has infinite amounts of all of those.<br />
<br />
God, please bring my life, bit by bit, toward the picture you intended it to be.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-28238280170555824842015-07-10T17:26:00.001-05:002015-07-10T17:26:55.839-05:00Walking by the SpiritDeciding to walk by the Spirit and actually doing it are completly different things. About two weeks ago I made a conscious decision to walk in the Holy Spirit in my everyday life, while at work, while at home, while doing anything. It didn't turn out like I expected. I had high expectations and low results. <div><br></div><div>The most notable thing that happened is I forgot to even think about God. This may be the worst inspirational post ever but to me it's a step in the right direction. I have made it to the conscious incompetence step. I'm aware that I don't live my life in a way that constantly consults the leading of the spirit and I'm aware it needs to change. </div><div><br></div><div>What will I do now? The same. But I will start smaller. Let's simply pray at lunch. </div><div><br></div><div>(Park Street is a good place to pray too)</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdV8F9F_sawddTv68qUtoS7LJwGYPEtXyRDKDmFJ3vOHx7TCoF6FtY5I_XDUlWE8l11e4qefYDURFaz5THWrN4wWPq3Ppk47THT4WFUhlvrLTJJd7hvetbrdPtHRujVVKIkxYRxXRFkyd/s640/blogger-image--197771063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdV8F9F_sawddTv68qUtoS7LJwGYPEtXyRDKDmFJ3vOHx7TCoF6FtY5I_XDUlWE8l11e4qefYDURFaz5THWrN4wWPq3Ppk47THT4WFUhlvrLTJJd7hvetbrdPtHRujVVKIkxYRxXRFkyd/s640/blogger-image--197771063.jpg"></a></div>dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-47954147395890456422015-06-24T16:48:00.001-05:002015-06-24T16:48:44.211-05:00The Echo Chamber of the MindI had a thought last night that has had me thinking since. It was a disturbing thought that made it difficult to sleep until I could find the positive side of it. Mainly, that we are essentially echo chambers to whatever stream of vibration we focus on. What I mean is that our minds have a tendency to reiterate, regurgitate, rehash and dwell on the same things over and over. But what bounces around in there is determined by where we face our microphone so to speak. When I think about this I get a picture of a TV screen that is facing a video camera that's attached to it. So when a tiny change occurs in the image there is a feedback loop that goes on forever, from camera to TV, over and over. However, with our minds it's magnified and combined with whatever has been previously been focused on. The mind takes all of this and blends it and makes you. Partially this had me thinking "I am completely at the mercy of whatever I focus on." And then it also had me thinking that people are extremely predictable. Find out what TV, books, people and other influences they are looking at and you'll find it almost perfectly reflected in their future thoughts and actions. This is why the bible can shape our hearts and minds. We will become whatever we stick our echo chamber near. <div><br></div><div>The next thought related to this is that our childhood thoughts and "echoes" are stronger than the ones we create now. And if we start trying to change the frequency of the echoes, discord happens! </div><div><br></div><div>Our minds need harmony. We need to be in accord and consistent throughout. For example say you grew up following the teachings of the Koran. You then come to America and learn about Jesus. You will have a very hard time becoming a Christian when there are so many different chords and melodies in your head that clang against what you have vibrating in your head already. </div><div><br></div><div>I think it's possible to change but it's going to cause a lot of discomfort and a lack of peace for a long time. <br><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-84108927779435625172015-06-18T22:01:00.001-05:002015-06-18T22:01:34.065-05:00Life with the Holy SpiritOur lives are meant to be lived with the Holy Spirit. I was reading Acts 2 and as I was it occurred to me I hadn't been living with the Holy Spirit! I had been trying maintain this Christian life without the source of all life. <div><br></div><div>My heart is excited to wake up tomorrow and breathe in the new air. A day with my God lived out integrated and whole. </div><div><br></div><div>That's what it is you see. Separating any part of our lives from the influence of God is to compartmentalize. I want to make sure I'm living an integrated life. That means I will be asking Him continually what to do next. How to stand, how to walk, who to talk to, when to listen, when to speak. What to work on, how to answer my email, how to address my boss, and how to talk to my coworkers. </div><div><br></div><div>Yes up until now the freedom of doing that stuff on my own seemed good but I've messed it all up. I am done trying to be self sufficient. I need my God, every hour. </div>dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-32661920477399233472015-06-18T12:43:00.000-05:002015-06-18T12:43:07.726-05:00WritingToday I had a lovely thought, a thought that sent me into a bit of a happiness whirlwind. I could be a writer in heaven. This delighted me. One of the reasons many people have trouble with the idea of heaven, other than the obvious (athieism, agnosticism, humanism) is because they think they'll be bored there. This is a tragedy. Heaven should be thought of as a place of joy and fulfillment. If you're purpose is to write, then you will write and love every minute of it. If your purpose is to create music you'll do that. God has a purpose for each of us and when his creation is restored it will work perfectly, with everything and everyone doing what they were made for, perfectly.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-30531093997415891662015-03-28T07:35:00.002-05:002015-03-28T07:35:17.304-05:00ObedienceThere appears to be something about obedience that I have been missing. I want to do God's will but I also want to follow my own. Why is denying yourself better than indulging? When Ada disobeys me I find it incredibly frustrating because I'm not in control of her actions. Could it be that God finds it frustrating that He isn't in control?<br />
<br />
No, He is always in control.<br />
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Then what is the real issue? He wants me to live in reality! In reality, regardless of my obedience, God is in control. If I live in accord with His will then while I live I'll be happy while He is in control. Otherwise I will be frustrated and cursed.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-56751394138170006702013-09-04T08:45:00.001-05:002013-09-04T08:45:25.448-05:00Fear and love or When will the radiation make landfall?...Coming soon, hopefully Friday<br />
<br />
Previous Post:<br />
<a href="http://blessedmorning.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-stuff-of-hope-traces-of-invisible.html">http://blessedmorning.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-stuff-of-hope-traces-of-invisible.html</a>dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-67274419503399151622013-09-02T16:17:00.002-05:002013-09-04T06:45:28.940-05:00The stuff of hope, the traces of the invisible.Hebrews 11:1-3 : <i>Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.</i><br />
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Faith in God is a sure hope. When people tell you to have faith, they're either implying the rest of the sentence "Have faith in God" or they're just using the fluffy language of today. Having faith without an object is like having fat free Crisco. Lard is fat, if you take out the fat then what is it? Nothing.<br />
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The chapter continues giving examples of people acting out their faith in God. The verses remind me of James 1 where he talks about faith and works. In verse 18 he answers a hypothetical objection: "<i>But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.</i>" By acting out your faith in God you are demonstrating what your mind and words proclaim.<br />
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To put this another way, imagine a person who invents baking techniques in his mind. All day long he just sits and thinks of new ways to toast bread, bake bread, and make sandwiches with that bread. If he spends that time thinking of food he should eventually get hungry and do something about that bread. But this person has faith only. Imagination only. He just sits and thinks of the good food his bread would make. Now a person with faith only, is that bread-less baker. He will never end up with anything of substance if he just sits and thinks of bread. He has to act! Thoughts don't become things without action! Faith is fluff without works! Faith in God with action can move mountains.<br />
<br />
Previous Post:<br />
<a href="http://blessedmorning.blogspot.com/2013/08/jumping-jehoshaphat-or-taking-up-my-bed.html">http://blessedmorning.blogspot.com/2013/08/jumping-jehoshaphat-or-taking-up-my-bed.html</a>dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-9041995644694629002013-08-29T06:53:00.002-05:002013-09-02T16:25:21.579-05:00Jumping Jehoshaphat! or Taking up my bed.Mark 2:5-12 : <i>And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”</i><br />
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I was that paralytic, lying on a mat, helpless to give Jesus anything but my presence. I thank God for my friends, who took the time to dig through the roof where Jesus was preaching. He spoke right to my heart and said "Son your sins are forgiven." That's all I really wanted. To know that my paralysis wasn't some sin I or my parents had committed. To know that even if it was, God had forgiven me. When he continued on and said "Rise, pick up your bed and go home." I was filled with a glorious warmth. I could feel my body again, I could feel my hands! Not only that I was strong enough to get up of my own accord; I was alive again!<br />
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We were all stuck in our sin, dead and helpless to do anything about it. But God took care of us and loved us enough to send his son to heal us and revive us. Jesus loved us enough that he obediently left his father's side to be with us on earth. The holy spirit loved us enough that he would fill Jesus and demonstrate the power of God's words.<br />
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When the scribes asked in their hearts "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" they answered their own question, but were unwilling to accept the answer. Jesus was God. He alone could forgive this man's sins. He recognized how easy it was to say words and knew that people wouldn't just accept him at his words. He had to go further and demonstrate that his words mean something by healing the man.<br />
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We are the scribes. We need proclamation and demonstration to believe. People need both truth and a demonstration of that truth to believe it.<br />
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The gospel is our proclamation and the holy spirit will help us demonstrate that it is real. When we bring the truth of God's word, the story of what Jesus did for everyone, we must ask God to back it up with demonstrations of his power. This can be anything from healing, miracles, or transformations. People today are scientific or at least intellectual and just telling them that Jesus died for them doesn't mean anything without something tangible to back up the truth that he's still alive.<br />
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If you believe in Jesus ask him to demonstrate his power to your friends who don't. If you don't believe in Jesus, ask him to demonstrate his power to you.<br />
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Thank you God for loving us enough to forgive our sins and heal us.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-28454182788008237022013-08-28T08:53:00.001-05:002013-08-29T08:27:30.427-05:00Give thanks to the Lord or Beans and rice again?Psalm 118:1-2<br />
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;<br />
for his steadfast love endures forever!<br />
2 Let Israel say,<br />
'His steadfast love endures forever.'"<br />
<br />
Giving thanks to God, who technically created everything, who made the earth, the sun, the moon, the other suns, and you seems like it should be easy. He made you. Why is it hard?<br />
<br />
The first thing that we humans have against us is something called homeostasis. When you change your environment there are biological reactions that occur in you to maintain your body temperature. There are other reactions that maintain your blood pH and glucose levels. Biologically you remain the same because there are internal processes that keep you the same. Psychological homeostasis is similar. People who win the lottery are ecstatic and remain so until the euphoria wears off. When they've adjusted to their new environment, that's their new normal. People who have babies have to adjust to less sleep and less time spent as a couple. Speaking from experience, this gets easier with time, it's my new normal.<br />
<br />
When we live life day-to-day we have trouble seeing things that happen every day as something to be thankful for. These things are just normal. The sun rises, the blankets are warm, the cat is soft, the coffee is good, the laptop turns on, the sink has running water, the fridge is full of food. Things are as they should be.<br />
<br />
Reflect and thank God for these things! They are normal for you but you must actively see them or they'll be totally invisible. He has blessed you with many things because "his steadfast love endures forever!"<br />
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The second thing is we are prideful. I don't like thanking an invisible force for invisible things. Thanking God feels like being Pip and thanking Magwitch. Obscure reference? Yes! In Great Expectations Pip spends years receiving money from an unknown benefactor. He owes this person his living but doesn't know who he is. Sometimes God feels that distant and impersonal. How can I thank someone I haven't even met? Ah, good question. You see there's your problem. Meeting God, being with him, worshiping him in spirit and truth, reading what he did with others before us, praying and talking to him. All these things bring us close to this amazing being who created us. He formed you in your mother's womb. Get to know him, and thankfulness will flow out of you like it does David in this Psalm. Your pride will melt away.<br />
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Beans and rice again? God thank you for giving me food to eat! Thank you for giving me a loving wife who likes to cook! Thank you for a freezer that keeps the food! Thank you for electricity, farmers and trucks that allowed these things to get to me so cheaply.<br />
<br />
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-25564620044205797882013-08-27T09:15:00.000-05:002013-08-28T08:46:35.797-05:00Sometimes judging is a habit or Does that guy have clown pants on?Matthew 7:1-2 : <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."</i></span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, this is a rough one. This immediately makes me think "Judgment day will come, and when that comes, then I'll be judged." In practice, however, as soon as I judge someone for their faults I start to notice those same faults in myself. The truth of this verse becomes apparent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"What if they're wearing clown pants?" Firstly, people wear clown pants for many reasons. They're clowns, they like the roomy feel, they found them in a bin, etc. Secondly, if you're thinking metaphorically as in, "what if they're doing something so ridiculous that judging is warranted?" Maybe you need to think about why you don't have their freedom, to not follow social norms. Maybe they have reasons you don't understand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ultimate purpose of this verse, in context, is to counter-act hypocrisy. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you judge someone else, you ultimately reveal that you need judging. Jesus points our judgey eyes back at us and says "take the plank out of your own eye" first then help your brother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In real life, I think this looks like mutual confession. If you find yourself judging your friend for some sin, do an inventory of your own heart and you may find that same sin. Instead of silently chiding them or faulting them behind their back, have a conversation with them. Ask them if they'll work with you, to pray to God and help remove the "plank" in your eye, and then help them remove the speck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spend a lot of my day in my own head. Solving problems at work, reading email, reading books, listening to podcasts and focusing on me. When I get home I talk to Kelly and watch TV but 75% of my day is in my head. I think a lot of people are just with themselves and in order to live with yourself you have to justify your faults. I have to find reasons why I do what I do otherwise there'll be a cognitive dissonance. This is how I can spend all day wearing clown pants, walk around outside and feel normal. My pants are justified. To me they are my life. What's wrong with my fashion choice? Then I notice someone else wearing a sweater vest and I think "Ha, look at that chump."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That attitude can become habit. "I am right and the rest of the world, if they're not like me, is wrong." I can become blind to my own foibles and make a fool of myself trying to rid others of theirs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God help us with our pants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-72073810736695071532013-08-26T15:05:00.000-05:002013-08-27T09:21:07.918-05:00How to get up early or What's that noise at 6:00am?You've come for the coveted knowledge. The "How-to" guide on how to get up early. You're here and boy are you not prepared. Strap yourself in because the ride is going to get bumpy. Here comes the bomb-splosion.<br />
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You set an alarm.<br />
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But seriously folks! How do you get up early? Well, let's define early. I allude to 6am in my title and maybe 6am is early for you, but maybe 5am is early. I don't know, it could be 8am is early. When you have a baby ANY time is early because you haven't slept in 14 days and just opening your eyes is a fountain of frustration. So let's say you want to get up at 6 and you don't have a baby. I envy this hypothetical you. You can go to bed whenever you so choose and during the night you won't hear the frustrated cries of an infant who's lost its binky.<br />
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Step 1: Determine a wake-up time that is suitable for the amount of activities you'd like to accomplish in the morning. If you're morning consists of getting dressed, moving your hair into a respectable configuration, and walking out the door, then you probably only need about 15 minutes. If you require food, coffee, time to drink that coffee, a shower, tooth-brushing, bible-reading, blog-writing, bill-paying, cat-petting and dog-relieving; you may need more time.<br />
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Step 2: Set your alarm for that time.<br />
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Step 3: Get up when that alarm goes off. This step is infinitely difficult. Beyond any amount of difficulty you will face in war, famine, genocide, oppression, dictatorship or jail. Your morning-mind is a punk. You can argue with it for hours and never act. This is why I like to formulate little phrases for myself for getting up in the morning. Phrases that counter-act my mind's unassailable logic. Logic that keeps me in bed indefinitely.<br />
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<ol>
<li>You forgot to turn off the stove</li>
<li>There's a spider under your pillow</li>
<li>You're two-hours late</li>
<li>Stop being a little kid, get out of bed</li>
</ol>
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These phrases play on fear and shame. You have to get down to your lizard brain in the morning. Your human-brain has figured out how to sooth you through hours of hallucinations. You have to snap it out with a fresh unavoidable slap in the amygdala to get you going.<br />
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Step 4: Do this every day until it becomes a habit.<br />
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What's that noise at 6am? It's your alarm, and you forgot that Monday isn't a holiday this week.<br />
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<br />dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-55949966019350509052013-08-26T14:50:00.000-05:002013-08-26T14:50:52.655-05:00Doing something, anything, other than thisI get antsy sometimes. Riled up at other times. Angered into action, even. Those times are few and far between because I'm a relatively content person. Well, maybe not content, but at the least it is not in my nature to upset the status-quo. That is probably why I've worked at this job for 5 years with almost no change. That is why I've lived in Boston for going on 12 years. I just don't find compelling reasons to change my living situation very often. I am a bump on a log until the log rots away.<br />
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Today is almost no different than the last 730 "today"s that have come and gone. Probably no different than the last 3650. However, today I have read through 4 years worth of my blog posts on here and I feel different. I've gone through waves of devotion to God and waves of self-loathing. I've been super excited about the Second-coming, and super inspirational to people. Mostly I realized that I really like it when my thoughts aren't just in my head. My head is a bad place for them to remain. They require air and light and water.<br />
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I've promised in the past to post more often. I've failed in the past (I'm looking at you 2012 Dave) to post at all. You, my dear readers, like my words. Therefore, you will get my words. I'm not promising how often you will get them, but you will get them regularly, on some sort of scheduley basis.<br />
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In fact-I'll give you a topic for my next post. It'll be just a title for awhile and then one day, while you're checking your Google+ account, you'll see that title turn into a full-fledged smiling, shiny post. The world will be a better place on that day.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-33997291917569493172013-03-26T06:48:00.002-05:002013-03-26T06:48:59.600-05:00PurityThere was a brief time about 4 or 5 years back when I went to "early morning prayer" every day for 40 days. This was a feat accomplished by friends pushing each other towards a goal. My friend Matt and I wanted to get there every single day no matter if it killed us. Those times in prayer were so amazingly powerful, sometimes I feel as if I've imagined them. We were on the front lines of battle, waging war against an unseen enemy. God was by our side and he was directing our words and thoughts. During that time we played music as a way of directing the flow of things. Often the songs coincided with the things we were praying about. Sometimes the words in the songs inspired us to new heights of intimacy with God.<br />
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It was during one of those songs a man cried out "Purity oh God!" That line struck our hearts to the core. We knew that we were standing on holy ground and that only the "pure in heart shall see God". We confessed aloud the contents of our hearts. Asking God to cleanse us from impure thoughts, impure words, impure ways. We wrestled with the sins of our city, knowing that Boston needs Jesus. We were set alight, ablaze and all our impurities were slaked off in the fire of God's presence.<br />
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God is holy. Jesus makes us holy but we can't just stay there and not live out that holy life. We must be holy and to be holy means to do holy.<br />
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Today's "My Utmost for His Highest" is a good guide <a href="http://utmost.org/">http://utmost.org/</a> toward that direction.<br />
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Remember, it's not how far you've gone down the path, it's what direction you're going. God is always calling us to turn his way.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-33901183341482045882013-03-25T07:24:00.002-05:002013-03-25T07:24:18.510-05:00SimplicityThis is a good place to start. I remember this chapter (in Celebration of Discipline). Sell stuff and remove the things that are unnecessary from your life. My goal then is to make a list of the things in my house that I can sell or give away, and then start doing it, all the month of April.
Here are the verses from the chapter:
Eccles. 7:29
Lev 25:23
Ps 62:10
Prov 11:28
Luke 16:13
Luke 6:20, 24
Matt 6:21, 19
Matt 19:16-22
Luke 12:15
Luke 12:33
Luke 12:16-21
Matt 13:45, 46
Luke 6:30
1 Tim 6:9
1 Tim 3:3, 8
Heb 13:5
James 4:1, 2
Eph 5:5
1 Cor 5:11
1 Tim 6:17-19
Phil 4:12
Deut 8:7-9
Deut 8:17
Matt 6:25-33
Psalm 24:1
Luke 6:35
Matt 5:37
dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-83127253853444620982013-03-24T16:07:00.001-05:002013-03-24T16:08:19.576-05:00Google is everywhere!This is delightful, blogspot.com is now blogger.com. Blogger.com is part of google. It couldn't get much better. Although it is a little funny that google is turning into the mold of the internet. You close the door and wait long enough and you come back and it's covered in google!
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I'm excited though. This makes my new day resolution to restart my blog that much easier. My plan is to use this blog as a morning study spot. I'll get up in the morning, before the baby is awake, before Kelly is up and type out my thoughts on what I'm studying. In the process I'll move closer to where I'd like to be mentally. Clear and free. Disciplined and obedient.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-35110782265496539912011-06-03T14:00:00.001-05:002011-06-03T14:07:53.782-05:00Originality in CreativityThe idea that I have original ideas in my head has often bothered me. You see, mainly it has bothered me because it causes me to believe that I'm somehow required to have original ideas. I like having them. I enjoy being the source of things that no one has ever thought of. Also, I enjoy the ego boost. However, the problem with this line of thinking is that it gives me great fear. This fear involves being haunted by the possibility that something I've read or heard, seen or swallowed somehow will regurgitate back up and onto my work. My creativity is just bile. Why would I fear this? Well, I fear it because I don't like being dependent for one. I also don't like being accused of plagarism. Basically I don't like being lame. And copying someone else's awesomeness is just lame. Lame in the literal sense. I'm using them as a crutch so I can walk around and survive. Whenever this line of thinking finds me spiraling into self-analysis I have to remember, the words I'm using to express my thoughts weren't invented by me. The grammar I'm using to organize my words wasn't invented by me. The computer I'm using to type the grammar that's organizing the words, was not built or created by me. Finally, the brain I'm using to to make my fingers type (which are made of borrowed material from food my parents or I ate) was derived from the mind of God. I have no way of being original. My fear has no basis. I am derivative. Originality is a desire I can only fulfill by ignoring my nature. I'm completely a copy. Somehow, though, I'm not. I am an individual and that makes what I say, and how I say it, mine. When I spout forth creations, they are mine. This essay is mine even if it may resemble a thousand others. I wrote it. I mashed it on keys with my derivative fingers. I'm not required to have original ideas, I just will. Even though I'm a thing that has dependencies and borrow-cies, I make original things simply by making things. It's difficult to get past this analysis, but I plan on just doing it.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-15229730754380151332011-02-09T09:57:00.003-05:002011-02-09T10:11:41.732-05:00PerspectiveIf you were looking for another post on Celebration of Discipline, it's coming, just give me a week.<br /><br />After the community group leaders dinner last night I came away with a nice nugget of knowledge. Juliana said that she loves Jesus because he always provides her with perspective. Perspective on the situations she's in and how they relate to Him. <br /><br />This got me thinking about an analogy I read. Where this guy is given the choice between two plays to act in. The first acting job is on Broadway and is a small role where he would be barely noticed, but he would be acting alongside or at least on the same stage with a very famous, big-star. The second acting job is his own production, one where he'd be the star, playing the lead role, and be seen by his friends and family, but the audience wouldn't extend beyond that.<br /><br />What Juliana said reminded me of this and it reminded me that I have that choice everyday. I can choose to star in my own play and be the lead actor, or I can choose to humble myself and act in Jesus story. <br /><br />This whole earth was made by Him and for Him. He graciously allows us to act alongside him, or act on our own. By acting alongside him, I lose out on fame and glory, but I gain so much more.<br /><br />Today, I want to live life in His story and be living my life as a part of His play.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-29105331862242984632011-01-19T16:21:00.004-05:002011-01-19T17:13:05.138-05:00Celebration of Discipline: Chapter 2 - MeditationWow, I never really understood what meditation was for, nor why I should ever do it.<br />The main idea is this: Leave space to think and ponder things. Without this, especially in our world, your mind will eventually become a mess of thoughts with no meaning. <br /><br />He says that meditation "very simply, is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word." He also differentiates meditation from Eastern religion to explain that <br /><br />"Christian meditation goes far beyond the notion of detachment...detachment is not enough; we must go on to attachment. The detachment from the confusion all around us is in order to have a richer attachment to God. Christian meditation leads us to the inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely."<br /><br />Meditation, by his definition ends up being the means by which God speaks to you. As you clear away distractions and listen to God, you'll find you hear him clearly and can then obey his leading. He goes on to explain that meditation can be combined with the imagination because God "uses images we know and understand to teach us about the unseen world of which we know so little and which we find so difficult to understand." <br /><br />Finally he goes into explaining that we should meditate on four main things: Scripture, our minds, nature, and the world/age we live in. Scripture is obvious and he goes into ideas about how to study it, focusing on small (one verse) portions. Our minds are something we should "re-collect" and he gives a process of releasing anxieties, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc. through a process of prayer and declaration. Nature is suggested because meditation on nature allows you to reflect on what God made. He says <br /><br />"Look at the trees...take a flower and allow its beauty and symmetry to sink deep into your mind and heart...sometimes God reaches us profoundly in these simple ways if we will quiet ourselves and listen."<br /><br />Finally he says to meditate on the "...events of our time." He says "We have a spiritual obligation to penetrate the inner meaning of events, not to gain power but to gain prophetic perspective."<br /><br />All of this is to help us reorient our minds to hear God's voice and obey what he says to do or think about. By steady and consistent meditation we can do just that.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454005356247379253.post-46239282459563891942011-01-17T09:39:00.007-05:002011-01-17T10:15:35.973-05:00Celebration of Discipline: Intro and Chapter 1The thing about my life as a Christian is that most of it has been a swath of ignorance puncuated by moments of awesome revelation. I mean to say that I'm oblivious for days, weeks, or even months at a time and then suddenly I get it. I'm awake to my current state and I'm left wondering why I ever was asleep. This book Celebration of Discipline has brought one of those moments.<br /><br />I started reading it because the title so appealed to me that I couldn't ignore it. Discipline is something that I like the idea of but I never subject myself to its boundaries and therefore never experience its benefits. That's what I'm seeing in my future. The main benefit being an unexpected liberation. I say "unexpected" but if you think about it, discipline in children leads ultimately to their liberation as adults that successfully function in society. A lack of discipline now could lead in the end, to more dire consequences from societies laws. The spiritual disciplines applied now, I hope, will lead to a continual freedom in the Spirit that I've only experienced on occasion up til now.<br /><br />Why do I dare to hope this will happen? Because what the first chapter teaches. It teaches something that I have constantly practiced. The author says, after referencing Colossians 2:20-23, "The moment we feel we can succeed and attain victory over sin by the strength of our will alone is the moment we are worshiping the will. Isn't it ironic that Paul looks at our most strenuous efforts in the spiritual walk and calls them idolatry 'will worship'?"<br /><br />I had practiced this 'will worship' for some time and tried very hard to make every effort to stop sinning. Since God called me to be perfect as my heavenly father is perfect, I tried to. Eventually I realized the great Grace that God had given and stood corrected. Grace meant I didn't have to try to be perfect, in fact I believed I didn't have to try at all. Here is where this book gives me hope because he says <br /><br />"The moment we grasp this breathtaking insight we are in danger of an error in the opposite direction. We are tempted to believe there is nothing we can do. If all human strivings end in moral bankruptcy (and having tried it, we know it is so), and if righteousness is a gracious gift from God (as the Bible clrealy states), then is it not logical to conclude that we must wait for God to come and transform us? Strangely enough, the answer is no. The analysis is correct - human striving is insufficient and righteousness is a gift from God - but the conclusion is faulty."<br /><br />I had made the above conclusion many times and I had never heard clearly the final conslusion. <br /><br />"Happily there is something we can do. We do not need to be hung on the horns of the dilemma of either human works or idleness. God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us." <br /><br />Then he quotes Galations 6:8, "he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."<br /><br />All of this brings me hope because it puts me on a path toward spiritual growth and transformation. Before I was on a path with external direction from my church, from my reading, from listening to sermons. Now I feel like I'm going to get on a path with all of those and the internal direction from God and his word to guide me.<br /><br />I'll keep posting as I feel led. By God's grace I hope I'll see some new changes in me.dcsinsihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03105880417580443102noreply@blogger.com0