Burning Heart

"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" Luke 24:32

We need to learn this secret of the burning heart. Suddenly Jesus appears to us, fires are set ablaze, and we are given wonderful visions; but then we must learn to maintain the secret of the burning heart— a heart that can go through anything. It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart— unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus...

My Utmost for His Highest

Ready, Aim, Fire

"Being ready means that someone is prepared, and able. You can have a great opportunity come along, and if you jump in unprepared, or unable to complete it for whatever reason, you will fail.

"Aim" has to do with focus. It has to do with purposeful, goal-oriented action that knows where the energy and resources are being spent and therefore spent well. A lot of people spend a lot of energy working, but their character is so scattered that they never focus on particular goals and outcomes and keep on track to get there.

And the last of the three, fire, means that the person is actually able to pull the trigger. She can, after getting ready and getting focused, go for it. She is not risk-aversive, if the risk makes sense. A lot of preparation has gone into the plunge, so that risk is minimized. That is the difference between an investment and gambling."

Dr. Henry Cloud; Integrity

How Bad Do You Want It?

"I believe brick walls are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. They are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."

Randy Pauch; The Last Lecture

Window or Mirror?

"Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (and if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck). At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly."

Jim Collins; Good to Great

(vaf: There are those who know that God is ultimately in charge and control of all things. They give Him credit for whatever goes well along with the others involved, and take responsibility themselves when things go poorly - yet aware that God is still in control and can still bring good out of it.)

A Calm Confidence

"A life of grace is characterized by a calm confidence in a sovereign God whose love and wisdom always causes Him to do what He wants when He wants to do it. Inestimable damage may be done when we consciously or unconsciously try to move things forward, because God isn't moving fast enough for us."

Steve McVey; Grace Walk

A Quiet & Holy People

"This seems a cheerful world, Donatus, when I view it from this fair garden under the shadow of the vines. But if I climbed some great mountain and looked out over the wide lands you know very well what I would see; brigands on the high road, pirates on the seas, in the ampitheaters men murdered to please the applauding crowds, under all roofs misery and selfishness. Its a really bad world Donatus, an incredibly bad world. Yet in the midst of it I found a quiet and holy people. They have discovered a joy which is a thousand times better than this sinful life. They are despised and persecuted but they care not. These people Donatus are the Christians, and I am one of them."

Cyprian; 3rd century

Having watched the news over lunch, I note that today we still have news of brigands on the road "shaking down" moterists in Texas. We still have pirates off the coast of Somalia. There may not be many ampitheaters at the moment where men are being murdered for the pleasure of the crowds, but  there are some in the international courts - and some who should be - who have murdered many for pleasure. There is no doubt misery and selfishness under most roofs. I guess it would be safe to say that after 17 centuries man has not progressed very far.

What about those quiet and holy people? Are they still out there?

Not all who are called Christians today can be described with these words.

I would like to be.

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony."  (Col 3:12-14 NLT)

Worthy of Respect

"The word semnos, "dignified or serious," is also used of deacons' wives and older men (1 Tim. 3:11; Titus 2:2).

I remember a Peanuts strip in which pepperment Patty said to Linus, "I should be an evangelist. Today I convinced a kid that my religion was better than his."

Linus responds, "How did you do that?"

Peppermint Patty says, "I hit him with my lunch box."

Deacons should not hit anyone with their lunch box -- or with anything else. They must display dignity and serious-mindedness in their ministry."

Kenneth O Gangel; Coaching Ministry Teams