Easy Does It

Sound familiar? 

What a mouthful – these three words, Easy Does It. 

In the context of enduring to the end, this phrase can mean to pace ourselves so that we can keep on keeping on. It can mean to avoid getting too wound up, too excited. It can mean to be balanced. It can mean “not too much too soon.” 

By using the Easy Does It philosophy, we can theoretically avoid getting too tired. 

When I get too excited or in too big of a hurry, I become prone to making mistakes. 

Nervous energy tends to replace clear thinking when I fail to follow the Easy Does It plan. Fatigue sets in with discouragement not far behind. 

DON'T QUIT

Author Unknown

When things go wrong as they sometimes will

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile but you have to sigh

When care is pressing you down a bit --

Rest if you must but don't quit.

Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt

And you never can tell how close you are

It may be near when it seems afar.

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit

It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.

If we give up, it could be all over. But if we Easy Does It, we are still in there, keeping on keeping on. And we have a chance to go forward, unswerving, unflinching, and indomitable until the whole task is done.

How great would it be to pace ourselves such that the Holy Spirit always is ahead of our minds, and our minds always are ahead of our emotions and actions? 

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest .

Romans 2:7 (NIV) To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV) And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. 

Galatians 6:9 (NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 

Easy Does It

(Until next time....)

Is God Good?

Be still and see the salvation of the Lord

For decades, the matter of being single was not my choice. I wanted marriage and prayed for marriage. There were several times when I thought that God was starting a romance with someone but each time turned into a heartbreaking end. Finally, I concluded that I was misreading what God was doing and that I was getting in the way.

I concluded that God’s answers to my prayers regarding marriage were, “No”. If the answer was actually, "Yes, but not now", I figured the best thing for me to do was forget it until God moved....

Be still and see the salvation of the Lord. 

Lo! And Behold! Life became much easier. What a relief – no more banging my head against a brick wall. Oh, it felt so good to stop fretting and to start living. 

Something totally unexpected and different happened at a Church festival in Hot Springs, AR. I met someone without looking for someone. 

The following is what I wrote to an email friend after returming from the Church Festival in Hot Springs, AR. 


10/10/98
Hot Springs Festival Site
After Church services, a lady (divorcee), a single fellow and I went to a veggie, gourmet coffee cafe. We sat and talked for hours in the cafe. That lady, Wilma, has the appearance of being frail and withdrawn -- thin, a little stoop shouldered with strands of gray hair but her face looks young with a smile in her eyes, a nice smile and a mind that is not at all withdrawn but is bright, witty and very likable. Services were over at 12:15PM and we left the cafe at about 5:00PM. Hmmmmm, I wonder what her last name is ......

God Is Good and Knows What He’s Doing

Back in Fort Worth, a few of us decided to get together before Church each week to sing praise songs. Wilma was in this group. Sometimes, after singing praise songs for a while we all would go out for lunch before Church.

After a few weeks, Wilma invited some of us to her place for board games such as Bible Trivia on Saturday night. We all had such a good time that she started having us over almost every Saturday night. She and I hit it off quite well. Eventually, we had our first date during which we talked all day long.

In March of 2000, we got married. I was 56 years old. There are two grown children from her previous marriage and now we have three grandchildren. Is God good or what?

God Is Good and Knows What He’s Doing

A Gift from Strangers

As some of you know, my major exercise is bicycle riding and walking—currently 80 miles per week mostly bicycling. This morning’s ride was a bit unusual. Saw a person walking her mastiff-size muscular pit bull...not unusual. Saw some longhorn cattle…not unusual. Saw runners, walkers and bicyclers...not unusual. Saw and heard jet fighters roaring overhead ... not unusual.

What was unusual was that the shoelace of my right shoe caught on the sprocket of the bike then wrapped around the pedal. Thankfully, it happened as I was coming to a stop anyway on the curb of a busy street. I had come to a stop to cross that street. I could barely reach the shoelace with one hand, but could not loosen it or my foot from the pedal. Therefore, I gently laid the bike on its side with my right foot still attached to the pedal, which means that I, too, was on my side on the street curb with the bike between my legs.

A senior couple (about my age..I’m 68) stopped their car to help, wanted to know if I was okay and offered to cut the shoelace with a knife. Then two city workers stopped their pickup, turned on their truck flashers, blocked a lane of traffic and offered help. They, too, wanted to cut the shoelace, but one of them managed to untangle it and untie the knot. Then, everything was okay…no injuries, no damage to anything…and we all went our separate ways.

Thanks to the helping hands of strangers, this story was somewhat anticlimactic. 

Years ago, a stranger told me, "Thank God for small favors."

James 1:17 NIV

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

A Start

Somenoe opps...Someone siad..er..uh..said that frist first impressions aer are very important. Therefour, So I should be very careful while starting this Blog. 


Actually, the plan for this Blog is to describe various experiences, sometimes with lessons learned from those experiences ... doesn't sound very exciting but might be useful for somebody, somewhere. I had a Blog on the Crosswalk Website because I used the Crosswalk Forums, but modernization put the Crosswalk Forums on Facebook and deleted the Blogs. Thankfully, we were notified in advance so we could remove our Blogs if we wanted to do so. I copied mine and might post a few of those entries on this Blog from time to time.


Because I spent much of my life not getting enough sleep, stressed over racing against the clock, and sitting behind a desk, I wound up being an out-of-shape, retired old guy who is now working to build up his health and physical condition. Riding a bicycle has proved to be quite helpful and enjoyable.


You're welcome to look at my Facebook page and see (among other things) where I've been logging my weekly bicycle miles. https://www.facebook.com/jameswelshans .


Below is one of the first entries of my Crosswalk Blog:

PEACE 
John 14:27

Notes and Reflections on the subject.

Peace is more than absence of war or absence of struggle or absence of strife. Real peace is deeper than these aspects. We’re talking about peace of mind, the kind of peace that comes from God’s Love. But how in the world can we have peace of mind when we are besieged with problems and worries? 

Nowadays researchers say that a calm mind is important to good health. Medical research strongly indicates that a calm, peaceful mind helps the immune system to ward off diseases and sicknesses. More and more people are becoming involved in Yoga and in Meditation exercises to achieve a calm mind. Are these exercises the ultimate fulfillment to our need for peace of mind? There are now some doctors who actually offer the option of prayer for their patients. 

Of course, our motivation and purpose for our Christian walk should be based on our love for God and on seeking a close relationship with Him as well as seeking His (Jesus Christ's) mind to be living inside of us, with Jesus preaching the Gospel through us by the way we live. After all, our actions speak a lot louder and have more impact than our words. 

How can we achieve peace of mind? Where does it come from? 

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Although God gives peace, it is up to us to exercise it and express it in our lives. 

REST IN THE LORD 

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. 

Calm Reliance on God 
Exodus 14: 
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 
14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD; 
Be of good courage, 
And He shall strengthen your heart; 
Wait, I say, on the LORD! 

Psalm 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; 
:34 Wait on the LORD, 
And keep His way. 

Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, what do I wait for? 
My hope is in You. 

Lamentations 3:24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, 
"Therefore I hope in Him!" 
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, 
To the soul who seeks Him. 
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly 
For the salvation of the LORD. 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 

Philippians 4: (New King James Version) 
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.