“There will come a time where instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, you will see clowns entertaining the goats." - Charles Spurgeon.
2 Cor. 4:8
2 Corinthinas 4:8 could be rendered this way:
“We are squeezed but not squashed;
bewildered but not befuddled;
attacked but not abandoned;
knocked down but not knocked out.”
Source: Merrill Tenney and Mitch Martin
Courage
"Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is."
~ MARK TWAIN
The Last Day
The Last Day will involve the following:
A Great Return
A Great Resurrection
A Great Rapture
A Great Reunion
A Great Retribution
A Great Reward
And the beginning of a Great Reign for 1000 years!
General Revelation
Every honest person knows there is a God, for the Lord has revealed Himself to all in a general way through both creation and conscience.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, (Ro 1:20)
for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them (Ro 2:14–15).
Two Times to Praise the Lord
David declared, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). Here is a simple technique whereby you can learn to always praise the Lord.
First, praise God after you are delivered. In Psalm 34:4 & 6 David’s language is in the past tense. He gives thanks that God “delivered” him and “saved” him. We can bless the Lord too after a long day of work, after a hectic drive through traffic, after a sickness, after a pandemic, after a windstorm and so forth. Praise God for His miraculous deliverance. This next one is not so easy.
Second, praise God before you are delivered. In Psalm 34:7, 17, & 19 David changes his tense and no longer speaks in the past, but he uses the word “delivers” denoting God’s present or future activity. Here we are instructed to praise the Lord for His deliverance not yet complete. This requires faith to praise God before the rescue occurs. “God, you are going to deliver me. I don’t know how but I trust you and thank you in advance for saving me from this coming storm!”
In conclusion, praise God after you are delivered and praise God before you are delivered. Then like David you will be able to say, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).
Leaders SERVE
S - See the Future
E - Engage and Develop Others
R - Reinvent Continuously
V - Value Results and Relationships
E - Embody the Values
from Mark Miller of Chick-fil-A
Daniel Boone quote
“I can't say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.”
What is the Gospel?
“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
~ Tim Keller
The Meaning of Old Age
Jungian psychologist James Hillman said that aging wasn’t a process of adding new layers of ourselves, but rather one of peeling away the unnecessary parts, as a means of eventually finding our core self by late life. He contended that finding that core self was a necessary precursor for the important task of aging—giving back and offering wisdom to subsequent generations.