Last day to use this Bible & this journal - been a great year - I’ll give the Bible away with my notes, markings, prayers - can’t beat a Ryan Krusac @fountainpenman & @RKSpens on Instagram - orange was my color this year!!
First few pages are prayers & art I like printed out & taped in my journal
I don’t use a prayer list but prayer pictures to pray over family, friends, co-laborers,
Then the biggest lesson or insight I got from the previous year I add it to this list & rewrite it
I read the previous years journal 3 times in December and look at lessons, events, successes, failures, insights, unexpected things, exceptional learning, verses, words people gave me
My identity page - various profiles, verses, roles etc & what they demand
Then organizations I lead along with goals, obstacles, needs, issues, staff etc
Completed!
My wife says I’m a scrapbooker! I have things taped all throughout my journal! A cigar wrapper I found on the street, tickets, a flower from a wedding
30+ journals since 1979 - the story & reflections of my life
I don’t have time to read all my journals so a few years ago I condensed the main lessons etc to 4 pages from each journal into a master journal
I’m grateful someone taught me early on how to do this - start somewhere and build it out even if you’re 70. Though I set goals, when I began to journal I discovered the most important thing to know - your story
You are not a set of outputs to God - you are a person created in his image & he longs for intimacy with you - we on the other hand long for so many things, every longing ultimately circles back to him
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I have many Bibles but this is the oldest one - I have it rebound a few years ago - I was in a bad car wreck when I was 8 and in the hospital in traction and a body cast for months - people gave me money & this is what I bought - inside it you will find
A sermon Bertha Smith preach at FBC Lindale for a weekend where I grew up where my Dad was pastor - The Man God uses
You will find signatures of Baker James Cauthen / Jerry Rankin & are you ready for this @OSHawkins - none other than W. A. Criswell
Got a call from a friend of another religion last night asking me what Christianity’s greatest virtue was. Easy answer - love ‘The greatest of these’ - love is everything
They challenged me and said no - first you had to know someone to love them, perhaps hospitality or respect - I responded that’s American or Western love but not Christian love
That kind love is dependent on me liking you, you not hurting me - it’s a love that gives based on input it gets from the other person
Many people will not like hearing this but pastors are the best hope for our country & have the biggest opportunity to heal our nation & stop the hate but to do so they will have to SPEAK UP - How should a pastor do this?
As much as is possible don’t attack the politician attack the idea or the quote. State clearly that it is wrong and why
Don’t argue with people on line - state what you need to say & don’t respond to all those that respond to you positively or negatively it becomes a black hole of arguments
Today the message that preachers focus on is forgiveness of sins so you can live a moral life & be ready for death - what has this kind of transactional preaching given us?
In the New Testament & early church the focus was on a new way to live, the Kingdom has come for ALL humanity & this Gospel spread
What attracted the early believers was not the guilt of their sins or the promise of heaven - their old religions had paths for this - BUT not a new way to live
My heart is broken over Ukraine 🇺🇦 grateful for Americans response - but please don’t forget those suffering from large militaries & leaders that make their lives difficult #AllOverTheWorld for people in Sudan Yemen Ethiopia Afghanistan Iran Palestine China . . . The list goes on
It may be true that there is more peace in the world than ever before but it is also true that there are more people on the globe than ever and they suffer all over the world
Many of their conflicts have gone on for so long we forget & ignore them - but we must not - they are human beings created in the image of God but tormented by despotic leaders & their henchman