QUICK REVIEW

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes,” famously said Anne Lamott, “including you.“

Take a moment.

Right now.

Catch your breath.

Maybe, even in the parlance of an old United Methodist ad campaign, “Catch the Spirit.”

Too many of us Christians are guilty of taking a deep breath, and understand that any way you want, and think we’re done.

The idea isn’t a pattern of Inhale and Hold It.

Too many of us need to exhale.

TODAY

See what Acts 1:8 and 2nd Corinthians 13:14 have to say about that.

I’m looking forward to see you back here tomorrow.

From yesterday —

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes,” famously said Anne Lamott, “including you.”

Take a moment.

Right now.

Catch your breath.

(Maybe, even in the parlance of an old United Methodist ad campaign, “Catch the Spirit.”)

— Warning! Goofy image coming up, but it’s all too common —

Too many of us Christians are guilty of taking a deep breath (and understand that any way you want to) and think we’re done.

But that’s only the start.

Too many of us need to exhale.

(Yup.)

Hope to see you back here tomorrow.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes,” famously said Anne Lamott, “including you.”

Take a moment.

Right now.

Catch your breath.

(Maybe, even in the parlance of an old United Methodist ad campaign, “Catch the Spirit.”)

And I hope to see you back here tomorrow.

As someone who understands several vices all too well, there’s one that’s never held much appeal, and yet currently, it seems that, well, here’s what Dave Ramsey says – – –

The fastest growing addiction that is destroying young men in their 20s is online sports gambling. FanDuel is a portal to hell. Draftings isn’t king of nothing except their own pocket book.

And they’re screwing an entire generation of young men. Because you don’t win.

That’s why they can afford to buy ads.

They’re back to back to back to back to back ads every time you turn on a sporting event. They’re spending billions of dollars. You know where they’re getting that? Out of your kid’s freaking pocket.

They’re screwing an entire generation.

This is evil stuff right here.

-– – What say you?

EXCERPT
Too much work is not good, and too much leisure is not good. Not having purpose makes life kind of pointless.

SOURCE: https://www.barrons.com/articles/early-retirement-stresses-fire-04012ad9?st=iKXvN8&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

WANNA KNOW MORE AND EVEN BETTER? Jump in, the water’s fine —

If we weave together John 3:16 and John 10:10b, we get this summary of why God sent Christ Jesus —

“I have come so that you may have more and better life, on both sides of eternity, than you ever dreamed possible; and not just you.” (RDSV)

— I forget and get lost in the weeds. Do you?

From my notebook several weeks ago: a personal note to Patty in a Christmas card from her academic mentor —

I always appreciate when there is an opportunity to interact. You are always so many good things.

— I love that.

May you and I find ways today to be “so many good things” and may we notice when others are “so many good things“ as well.

From an Asbury (IYKYK) friend. Personally, I would change the statement at the end to a question. But other than that —

The most terrifying detail about Noah’s Ark isn’t the size of the flood. It is the design of the boat.

If you look closely at the blueprints God gave Noah in Genesis 6, He was extremely specific.

He gave the exact length, width, and height. He specified the type of wood and the pitch to seal it.

In my little years, I have never thought of this!

But God left out one crucial component.

There was no steering wheel, no sail, and worse still, there was no engine. Think about how scary that is.

Noah was building a massive vessel to survive a global storm, but he had zero control over it, or over where it went.

He couldn’t steer it away from rocks. He couldn’t turn it into the waves. He couldn’t aim for dry land. He was completely at the mercy of the water.

The Ark was not designed for navigation; just for floating.

Noah’s job was to to be the Passenger, not the Captain. God was the Captain.

This is a picture of your life right now.You are trying to put a steering wheel on a situation that God wants you to simply float through.

— But my wanting to make that conclusion into a situational question for you and me changes nothing about the rest of this.

And so?

Or has it already happened?

None other than Gene Peterson observed several years ago that —

The role of pastor

has been replaced

by the strategies

of religious entrepreneurs

with business plans.

— What say you?

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so?

“There’s a support group for that. They meet at the bar.”

— Drew Carey