Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is.
Johann Von Goethe
Slow Teaching – The Mask of Zorro
This scene from Mask of Zorro shows an example of “slow teaching”
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; – 2 Tim 2:24-25
Audience of One
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. – Gal 1:10
Like a performer might feel receiving a standing ovation. Adoration and compliments coming in floods. Tangible. Exciting. Addicting.
When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. – Prov 16:7
I dropped the ball. By pleasing others first. Stretched too thin, overwhelmed, joyless, rushed … One would think that pleasing others is better than pleasing self – but at its core, isn’t pleasing others a somewhat selfish act?
God is pleased when you set aside parts of your life for others ( John 15:13 ) – but do so for the glory of God, the sake of Christ, being led by the Spirit.
An Audience of One. There is both less pressure and a more profound obligation.
And Then …
If someone asks you “How have you been?”
What an opportunity to share about the time when
From the depths you cried out to God, and then …
Let the redeemed of the Lord, Say So (Psalm 107:1-43)
What’s your testimony?
Not Enough
This time last week, we began our trek to Colorado.
We had a sense of the size of our living quarters, but not an accurate measure. So, we took just what we could fit in the car and would return for the rest of our stuff later.
In a week, it’s easy to tell we don’t have enough. We have too much. We’re only using a small percentage of what we packed. In the car. Not enough, too much.
Just before our move, I started reading Enough: Finding More by Living with Less by Will Davis, Jr. and it helped prepare my heart and mind for this season. We’re still “Moving Toward Enough” though we’re not there yet.
I’ve adopted this prayer from Prov 30:7-9
Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
We are loving Colorado, and loving this living for the Lord. We are richer than we’ve ever been. Thank you, Lord, for our daily bread.
You Never Know What Events will Transpire
Sometimes, along life’s journeys, all we see is black before us. We don’t know, really, what tomorrow will bring.
I’ve learned that there may be multiple journeys in each of our lives. There are right paths (plural), says Ps 23:3 .
And that’s where faith becomes the foundation of our footstep.
You never know what events will transpire to get you home.
Expectations Unrealized or Blueprints Unrecognized?
Math or Myth? If there is no expectation, there is no disappointment.
Many of us embark on a journey or launch into a project, a day, a relationship with high expectations. When it doesn’t work out, we might become disappointed. That’s alright, We’ll get ’em next time! But maybe too much disappointment leads to lowering the expectations.
Does “Disappointment” come from Expectations Unrealized or Blueprint Unrecognized?
I dunno. Maybe I used to start lowering expectations so not to be disappointed, but that seemed like I was giving up before I got started. As if Expectations become replaced by Excuses.
One morning, I began wondering about “expectations” not as a thing, not as a noun – but as a verb. I’m still noodling this one around in my head and heart.
As Angela and I launch out on a new mission (more on that soon), my expectations are great, though not rigidly defined. I don’t know exactly all that God has in store for us, but it will be good (Rom 8:28). I expect wonderful and great things – according to His purpose.
He is after all, the Master Planner.
photo credit: Close to Home via photopin cc
If You Focus on the Problem, You Can’t See the Solution
By focusing on the problem, we often fall short of seeing the solution. Rather, by looking beyond the problem we might see what no one else sees – and maybe what God wants you to see.
Here’s a scene from Patch Adams starring Robin Williams:
As Angela and I face a challenge, we consistently practice looking beyond the problems for solutions we cannot yet see (and rely on God for many unseen solutions). Here’s hoping you see new beginnings to old problems.
“Eight is a good answer.”
Chilly Days Call For Soup
We occasionally gather around Netflix or Hulu on a Thursday night. With today’s fall temps below 50, I’m slow cooking a three-bean and mushroom soup.
A few carrots, some celery, red onion, and black, northern, and pinto beans. Some tomatoes, garlic, and mushrooms. Oh, and chicken broth.
Is it too early for dinner?
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Articulating What (I Think) I Know
I Think. I Articulate. I Know.
At times, this three-step mental dance is a short exercise. Other times, it’s a lifelong journey – with the farthest way about being the closest way home. I know what I know once I articulate it in some form. And if I don’t know, let’s find out.
A short time ago, I believed personal interests could be shared on a business blog (mine is at ConverStations). I articulated such many times on that site. This no longer holds true for me. Yet I long to articulate certain things somewhere beside a Facebook page. This new site may become that place. I dunno – let’s find out.
While I will continue writing about Small Business, Social Media, and Web Presence on ConverStations, the thoughts shared here – these Armchair Articulations – will cover areas of interest, snapshots of interesting things I find, and questions or curiosities capturing my imaginations. Topics here include (at this writing):
- Food: I love to cook and am recently (by choice) gluten-free. I experiment with food a lot these days and will share successes and failures.
- Baseball: I love baseball. There are so many life lessons in the game. I may share thoughts on the theater between the lines on occasion (I don’t care much for the tabloid part of the game).
- People: I love people. I don’t like labels, yet I recognize patterns … and wonder. I might think aloud on people from time to time.
- Christ: I love my Lord. I don’t say it enough. I’ve not felt the arena of my business site was a platform for such sharing. This site can be – and I pray it will be.
I may share movie clips, poetry, song, and a lot of goodness around and about my wife. Though I rarely talk about civic matters, I may drop a thought here occasionally. I probably will experiment with design matters to this theme or placement of plugins now and again.
If this stuff bores you, thanks for stopping by once. If you share an interest, I look forward to engaging and sharing with you.
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