Wednesday, May 16, 2012

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....)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

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