Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 145). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. We as we get older make life so difficult, don’t we?   But that is not God’s plan.   Think about God’s creation.   Did He create the beauty around us for children or for all of us to enjoy?   Did He create your family so you would work, work, work, or to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy?   I love doing stuff with and for my family.   Here is that word again, it’s all in our perspective. Real old I was thinking about when I was a young boy and of how we would play that we were working.   When does that need to stop.   Why can’t we enjoy our work again like when we were kids? But it seems that our task as adults is to take the joy out of life.   I mean we send our kids off to school not to enjoy the priviledge of learning but the task of succeeding.   You must realize your full potential instead of the joy o

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 140). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. And those reasons say if it is a time in your life to endure or enjoy.   Leonard says, “Making money isn’t one of them. Doing something that brings us pleasure is the best of them. Doing something that serves humanity in the service of God is unbeatable. Godplayers don’t open up a coffee shop to get rich. They open up a coffee shop because it’s fun and serves the common good by providing a ‘third space’ commons.” It all revolves around the reason why you do what you do.   He goes on to say, “A work mind-set creates Macy’s inch-thick rulebook. A play mind-set creates Nordstrom’s two-sentence strange attractor: (1) Use good judgment in all situations; (2) there are no additional rules.” So many people work to make money so they can retire.   I read an article the other day that said that re

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 129). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition . A couple of weekends back, my wife, Margaret and I were in Florida celebrating my mom’s 90 th birthday.   It was such a very special time with our family and extended family.   I will remember the varied meaningful conversations that I had with all of the family members. Our last night there Connie, my sister and Margaret and I had one of those very meaningful times with my mom.   At one point we were thinking of the significant times every night that Connie and I had with Mom.   Before we went to sleep we would pray together and then we would sing the lullaby, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” and Connie and I sang that together there in Clermont, Florida for the first time in over 45 years.   That was a very, very meaningful time that even now brings deep emotion to me.   Leonard says, “Many of o

A thought by Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Wor k (p. 125). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. How do you handle it when you fall?   I think it depends upon our maturity.   Have you ever been with a child and they fall and they look up at you and say, “Why did you let me fall?” and they say it with a bit of anger.   Kind of like when we fail at something and we look to heave with some anger and say to God, “Why did you let me fail?”   But the mature Christian understands that it’s our fault and we stop and learn the lesson or ask for forgiveness.   That’s where pride falls by the wayside and true humility comes in.   Playing the blame game is a horrible way to live.   Accepting our need for help from others and from God is the right way to live. Let’s understand that we are not perfect and we will blow it.   So when you do, just get up, dust yourself off, ask for forgiveness to other

A thought by Leonard Sweet (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 115). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. I think that is a good thing to wonder about.   Our kids today live with so much pressure to excel and it deadens their enjoyment to really live.   And I think that carries over into being adults. We live in a world where we strive to not only be good but to be great.   Like being good is a problem.   But God said each time that He created something that it was good and even when He created man He said it was very good.   Now I love life.   I strive to not be pressured by it.   I also strive to make a difference but to also enjoy it.   Six days a week I wear an LA Dodgers’ hat.   I love the Dodgers.   I really enjoy baseball and I don’t feel guilty doing that.   Seven days a week I wear a Mickey Mouse watch.   I love and enjoy Disneyland.   I also wear 24 hours a day a wedding ring.   I really enj

A thought by Mark Batterson, (2013-09-24) from his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Locations 1373-1374). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Then Mark says, “Our job is to make ourselves available anytime, anyplace.” “What would happen if...?” is such a great question to ask in so many areas of life that fear is holding us back.   One “What would happen if...?” question that has monumental potential in our lives but one that so many times holds us back is the question, “What would happen if I knew what God wanted me to do?”   We hide too many times behind the fact that we don't know that we say, “We don’t know then we don’t need to do” but God is just waiting on us.   What would happen if we said, “Here am I, God, use me.”?   There is unlimited potential in making a difference in someone’s life, in our neighborhood, in the world, if we would just say that to God and really mean it. Another “What would happen if?” question we ask

A thought from Leonard Sweet, (2014-02-21) from his book, The Well-Played Life: Why Pleasing God Doesn't Have to Be Such Hard Work (p. 86). Tyndale Momentum. Kindle Edition. We are constantly looking for that four step plan.   Oh I know I have used the four or three steps but life is more than a recipe, it is an adventure.   We miss out on so much of life when we look for a plan.   Leonard goes on to say, “God did not create us to live out a ‘life plan’ or a ‘master plan.’   There is no one plan with definite specifics. God has made us with special gifts and blessings, with the expectation that we enjoy using them in God’s mission in the world, the ‘reign of God.’ Or as Augustine put it in such memorable form, ‘Love God, and do what you will.’” Now the adventure starts with having a relationship with God through His Spirit in us.   We are His creation and in that we explore and live out His purpose and His mission.   Look at who He created you to be then go live the