Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by George Barna,(2011-06-01) from his book, Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (p. 42). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. I can say that has been true of me.   I really love being a parent.   I also really love being a grandparent.   Right now my son and daughter in law and their two daughters are staying with us.   We have set up some very awesome rituals the short time they have been with us.   One of them is that Addison, the three year old, and I every morning eat a big juicy Fuji Apple.   Today we invited Ashlyn, the 6 year old to eat it with us.   Such a fantastic fun time we had.   If you’re not a parent/grandparent you don’t understand what an awesome experience that is. Margaret and the girls have their own ritual.   Margaret gets up early and goes off to work but when she comes home she rings the doorbell and both of the girls come running to answer it.   Such a celebration happens every day. We have s

A thought by George Barna (2011-05-15) in his book, Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (Kindle Location 694). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. That is an astounding statistic that shows the importance of a male influence in the lives of children.  Now I see that in my own life.  My father was my hero and my example.  I am who I am because of his influence.  He built so much into my life. I remember the day that he was killed.  I was an Associate Pastor of a great church but I had gotten a little off track in my priorities.  I was gone most of the time from my family.  My wife and son and daughter were not as important as they should have been but my dad’s death stopped me in my tracks and I started setting my priorities straight.  My dad influenced me even through his death.  Now the “sexual revolution” has really messed up the potential of other men stepping up and being a positive influence in the lives of young children who

A thought by George Barna, (2011-05-15). Futurecast: in his book, Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (Kindle Location 488). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition . I know a big percentage of people today don’t realize this or don’t believe it.  If they did life would be so less complicated for them.  They work and work to get stuff but they aren’t satisfied when they get it.  They know they just need a little bit more.  But needing a little bit more means they will never be satisfied. But what if they had the attitude that what they had was more than enough and had the value that helping others was better than helping themselves?  They would be so much more satisfied.  But doesn’t the Bible say that the Lord helps those who help themselves?  No, Ben Franklin said that.  The Lord says, it is more blessed to give than to receive.   And another way to say blessed is happy. So how happy are you?

A thought by George Barna (2011-05-15) in his book, Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (Kindle Locations 579-580). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition . Fear has a way of robbing us of so many good, exciting, fulfilling things in life such as marriage.  I know there is pain in failure and there is a lot of pain in many families that people have grown up in.  But it has also been said that there is no gain without pain. I know the pain for those who run a marathon doesn’t keep them from training and then running or that only one person will win and all others will fail.  That seems OK.  But having a bad marriage keeps strong healthy, courageous men running away as fast as they can run. Oh I know rejection is horrible.  It leaves scars that are very difficult to heal.  But living life with someone who has made a commitment to be there “till death do us part” is one of the greatest things in life to experience. I was thinking today of that T

A thought by George Barna (2011-05-15) in his book Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (Kindle Locations 467-468). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. I never realized how our family wasn’t with it.  Every one of us – husband, wife, son, daughter, son in law, daughter in law – was a virgin when we were married.  Somewhere we missed the memo that said we were supposed to go along with the norm. Now that meant that each one of us didn’t need to worry about whether their partner had a STD or a child somewhere.  But it did mean that each one was an individualist who didn’t let someone else pressure them into doing something they didn’t want to do before they were married.  Now for me personally it meant I chose that path.  But let’s say I didn’t and I was one of the 76 percent who isn’t a virgin.  Now if that is true I do know one thing and that is GOD loves me just as much as if I was a 24 percent person.  HIS love for me isn’t based on me be

A thought by George Barna (2011-05-15) in his book, Futurecast: What Today's Trends Mean for Tomorrow's World (Kindle Locations 485-486). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. Do you feel that way?  I can’t say I do.  I like living in this time in history.  I am 64 years of age so I have seen other times that were chaotic.  For instance I lived in the 60’s.  In no way do I want to go back to those days of major unrest.  I lived in Michigan during the Detroit riots and I lived in Ohio when those students were killed at Kent State.  My draft lottery number was 249 so I didn’t have to go to Vietnam but I remember those horrible days. Margaret and I went and saw Woody Allen’s movie, Midnight in Paris , a couple of weeks back.  In it Owen Wilson’s character was an author who lived with the despair of not living in the 20’s in Paris.  He knew life would have been so much more fulfilling if he could have lived in Paris in the 20’s.   Woody Allen did an entertaining job