Archive for the ‘ Lifestyle ’ Category

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/24/2014

Look past the surface level of worldly wisdom. Find some true wisdom through the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

You may remember this past week when I shared “Some Final Thoughts About Momma Klem” some of the passages that my mom and I have tried to live by:

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7, ESV

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”
James 4:11, ESV

Some of the best people in the world, by our standards, may in truth be the worst of humanity, by God’s standards.

Some of the seeming hard-as-nails people may in truth be those with a heart of gold.

In the deepest meaning of truth, only those who know Christ truly have a good heart, for He indwells us, and His grace and love shine through us.

by the surface

going through life judging
by what is on the surface
leads to misjudgments
and can be dangerous
the sweet and innocent
may be scandalous
the nasty looking biker
could be all gentleness
the humanitarian
may be murderous
the homeless guy
may not be homeless
discerning by the surface
is bad for all of us

2014
08/24
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/17/2014

Help wisdom remain strong in you and go to Proverbial Thought!

For too long there has been a common theme in all of Christendom. I liken to World War II in this way:

Winning converts to Christ without discipleship is like the Allies taking Normandy Beach and declaring the war won.

What we have effectively done is convince thousands, millions, or even billions over the decades and centuries that they are saved from their sins only to let them continue living in their sin and ignorance.

Have we given these people false hope?

Do you have false hope?

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Luke 11:24-26, ESV

Church, let us not only win over but raise up new Christians in the power and knowledge of Christ!

Christian, commit your whole life, every little part, every big thing, your sins and your joys to Christ!

 

letting them back in

we cast out our demons
and invite Christ in
our lives become clean
and He reigns supreme

but why do we do it
why bring back the spirits
why give up on Christ
and re ruin our lives

why do we let them in
to fall back into sin
we can see through the lies
yet they multiply

letting them back in
undoing what Christ began
why do we let them in
Christ

my Lord

start again

2014
08/17
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/03/2014

Be at the forefront of wisdom by gaining some at Proverbial Thought!

How important is Christ in your life?

Would you rather ride in the back of the bus with all of your friends where the Bus Driver will not overhear your conversations or see what you are doing?

Or would you rather run to His sports car and cry out “SHOTGUN!” to be the person sitting in the front seat next to Him?

It may seem like a simple analogy, but seriously think about it.

Many of us probably are thinking, “Of course I want to be in the sports car!” The only issue is that most of us remain in our thinking as junior high students sitting in the back of the school bus. We long for the days of high school (or Secondary school) when we are old enough to drive or at least own a sports car. Some of us assume we can just go take the car, but in reality we have no idea how to operate it. Some of us remain convinced there is no way the owner of a sports car would have anything to do with us, so we never try for our shot at riding shotgun.

The amazing thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that He has made the offer to every single person to come along on the ride of a lifetime (and beyond). We are all poor junior high students riding the public school bus wishing for better things, and Jesus is just waiting for us to run over calling “SHOTGUN!”

They other amazing thing is that we can all ride shotgun … everyday. If we just trust in Him.

 

i call SHOTGUN                            

 

when it comes to life

i want to call shotgun

i want to be right up front

while moving for the Son

when it comes to riding shotgun

with the Lord Jesus Christ

any person can call it

                                      in fact

it should be called in every life

2014
08/03
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What Kind of Follower Are You?

Follow the call of wisdom and head to Proverbial Thought!

Jesus said to many people, “Follow me.”

When He said it to Matthew (Matthew 9:9), we read that Matthew pulled out his smart phone, opened his Facebook app, found “Jesus of Nazareth”, and clicked “Add Friend”. Then he switched to the Twitter app, found @JesusofNazarethMessiah, and clicked “Follow”.

And the world was changed forever! @MatthewLevi and his 11 closest friends re-tweeted and shared everything @JesusofNazarethMessiah tweeted and posted, and lives were changed as all of their followers re-tweeted and shared everything again and again.

Then they all went out for a cup of over-priced coffee to talk about it.

. . .

Or maybe it happened differently? Maybe Jesus expects more from those who follow Him?

Is it enough to follow @JesusofNazareth on Twitter? Is it enough to “Like” or “Friend” Jesus Christ on Facebook? (For the record, I do these!)

Perhaps Jesus expects more of us. Perhaps being a Christian calls for a greater commitment than clicking “Like” or “Follow”.

Perhaps Jesus expects us to change our entire lifestyle and literally follow Him: become like Him, think like Him, walk in His footsteps.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Matthew 16:24-28, ESV

2014
07/29
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/27/2014

Stop questioning wisdom and find some at Proverbial Thought!

I recently heard a quote that “You know you are preaching grace right if people think they have license to sin.” (See Romans 6)

The thing is, I think most people either take this idea to heart or completely forget about God’s grace.

In either sense, they forget what God has said, and then they question what God has really said. In one direction it is sinful, and in the other direction it is misleading.

We must remember that He has said, “Go and sin no more.” (such as in John 8:11)

We must also remember that He has said, “You are forgiven.” (such as in Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20, 7:48; and 1 John 2:12)

Also, it seems that it does not matter who you are, but a message similar to the poem today can hit you in the face, knock you down, and help you appreciate God and His grace in a new way.

That is the power of His grace!

 
___   ________   ___
Who are you to question Me?
You came before Me stricken,
I tell you you are healed,
Yet you go right back to your sin.
Still, I have said you are free.
You come back to be forgiven.
JUST STOP! Listen, please.
When you go that way again,
Turn to me, and you will see
You were forgiven for ever when
I sent my Son to that tree!
Stop sinning, my loved children.
You were made whole … complete,
When you said “I repent. Amen.”
Who are you to question Me?
Remember, I have called you friend!

 

2014
07/27
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Rediscovering “Rediscovering God with Downhere”

Rediscover wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

Three years and nine days ago I heard a song for the first time that I greatly enjoyed, so I shared it on my blog.

As I have been finishing my first summer as a Seminarian, I am officially beginning my teaching career (in Special Education with children with Autism), and I have had a jam-packed summer of travels, work prep, and simply getting things done.

It has been a little exhausting!

Therefore, I think it is a great time to bring back this song as a good reminder to myself, other seminarians, and all those who tend to work too hard and sometimes forget or neglect time with God (like pastors and other ministry leaders, teachers, and just about anyone else in Western culture). This is “Let Me Rediscover You” by the band Downhere (no longer together, but the lead singer of this song is now “Freddie Mercury” for the Queen cover band Queen Extravaganza).

Just listen to the lyrics and focus on God for about four minutes!

Let Me Rediscover You

Your spirit hovers over my waters
Your love burns longer than the sun
The skies of thunder echo your wonder
Your praises can’t be over-sung

The whole Universe is witness
To only a part of what you’ve done

So let me rediscover you
And breathe in me your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
Oh, let me rediscover you

You see my weakness, my pride, my blindness
You wield your power through them all
Of all the mysteries, still, the greatest to me
Is that you’re faithful when I fall

How can I say I know you
When what I know is still so small?

Let me rediscover you
And breathe in me your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover you

Let me cry “holy, holy, holy”
(holy, holy, holy)
Let me awaken to your majesty
(waken to your majesty)
And see a glimmer of your glory
Let me abide in you

Let me rediscover you
And by your grace I’ll follow through
Reveal to me the God I thought I knew

Let me rediscover you
And breathe in me your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover you

Oh, let me rediscover you
Tell me of the God I never knew
Jesus, let me rediscover you.

2014
07/22
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 06/15/2014

It is my prayer you find wisdom, and perhaps you can find some help at Proverbial Thought!

The poem today is a prayer that was originally inspired by Proverbs 30:7-14. There is a mix of, well, everything else from God’s Word that is good and leads us toward holiness. I think it is rather appropriate for Father’s Day, as all fathers (all parents) should pray this!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

 

 

 

 

 

a simple prayer

 

O God

   give me enough today
that i need not steal

O Lord

   give me patience to stay
that i get through ordeals

O Savior

   clean up my mouth and mind
that i not lie or lust

O Friend

   clean out my heart and life
that i love and be just

O Father

   hear my cry of despair
that my soul be made holy

O Daddy

   hear my simple prayer
that my soul be filled with your peace

2014
06/15
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 06/01/2014

Find some good ole wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

I know many people going through various things in life at the moment. The poem today I wrote almost seven years ago for a friend going through some trials.

Perhaps, if you are going through something, you will be blessed by it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a prayer for my sister in Christ

 

Lord, i lift up my sister into Your hands!
Calm her spirit, clear her mind,
guide her steps, and lead her life!
Reveal your will and show your Face.
Cover my sister in your grace!
Thank You, our gracious Father,
for being our loving Savior!

2014
06/01
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 05/11/2014

IT IS MOTHERS’ DAY! HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Remember, Proverbs 31 was written as advice from a mother, so go find some godly, maternal wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

The poem today is also fitting, as it talks about walking the right way. Parents are supposed to help guide their children, and that is exactly what God wishes to do with all of those adopted through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

                    just off the path

they call it the straight and narrow

but just how well can we follow

what if in all of our attempts

just to the right or the left

is where it turns out we have

been in relation to the path

what if while we have been talking

with those with whom we are walking

only to come to realize

that our half truths are still lies

not really following Christ

but being just to the left or right

instead of walking just off the path

we should have our thoughts recast

we should line up our lives

with His loving heart and mind

to remain on the path of God

we must watch where our minds trod

we must study the scriptures

and look to our Savior

break bread with one another

and help our needy brothers

we need to pray continually

and praise our God Almighty

to stay on the Path of our King

we need to give Him everything

2014
05/11
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 04/20/2014

HE IS RISEN!

Find the true Wisdom of God, and perhaps He can be found through some of the writings at Proverbial Thought!

If you have not heard Michael W. Smith’s “Missing Person”, it is well worth listening to. It was one of the inspirations for this poem today. The other was my journey through 2007 as I rediscovered Jesus Christ after a couple of years of turning from Him.

May you be encouraged today on this annual celebration of our Lord’s resurrection!

 

that faith

 

that faith that i once had

where i believed all Your Word said

i trusted all that You had said

and my life was saved from death

but somehow Your Word was forgotten

i decided to embrace my old sin

as i continued into deeper sin

Our relationship worsened

i want that faith to be mine once more

to tell everyone i trust the Lord

that i would know His Living Word

and share that faith with the world

and yet i find i want more than that

that i could lead others down Your Path

and have good replace all the bad

that we would walk with our Heavenly Dad

i still want more with that faith

to lead in power to the only Way

and impact those i meet everyday

because i move on every word You say

that faith that leads me to You

that love that compels me to share Your Truth

that blood that cleaned me through and through

that grace that redeems my eternal soul

that faith that i want today is

that faith that trusts my Lord Jesus

that faith first displayed by Jesus

that faith He wants for all of us

that faith i pray will push me

to follow my Savior completely

to share His Power and peace

to show everyone the Love that fills me

 

2014
04/20
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