Dad's Proverbs

“I don’t know,” is a common phrase of the wise and honest and is heard infrequently from the foolish.

Each person’s relationship with God is different than is ours. Be critical of another’s very carefully.

Jesus lovers don’t meet together in a holy place, rather every place in which they meet becomes holy, because Jesus is there.

As in a family, there are those who go to their Father with questions and doubts, and those who seek knowledge and wisdom elsewhere.

All men have doubts, questions, and fears. On that day, the sheep and the goats will likely be differentiated by those who went to God for wisdom and understanding and those who went elsewhere for the same.

Observe the responses to Jesus’ resurrection: doubt, fear, crying, excitement, questioning… and Jesus met each person where they genuinely were.

A little applied is better than much known.

One returned and gave thanks.

It’s our act of kindness or service that helps in the moment, but our love, hate, or indifference which has long-lasting impact.

Superficiality will historically define this age.

A worthwhile study: Imagine Jesus’ tone of voice in each of His recorded responses to people’s questions and statements.

Do you prefer to live life or watch someone else live life?

How I want to convince you that life is so short and so precious. I now realize what I did not when I was your age.

Fight to maintain balance.

Be quick but don’t rush.

Many Christians study the Bible to gain information about God and life. More importantly, ask your Father, as you study, “What are you saying to me?”

You can study a map extensively but unless you travel, you won’t arrive at your destination. Apply what you learn.

In every circumstance, every conversation, every “quiet time,” every difficulty, every illness, every rejection, every insult, every failure, every achievement, etc. we can ask, “Father, what are you desiring to communicate to me?”

When Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
—Unknown

To not make a decision is a poor decision.

We must make judgments about another’s behavior without judging the person. Know the difference.

The choices you make when alone, and when nobody sees, identify who you are far more than the “observed” choices that you make.

More often than not, your opinion does not need to be shared.

Hearing another’s opinion is more beneficial than sharing yours.

Your Father will give you the words and the opportunities to share your heart. Trust Him.

The grass really does only appear greener on the other side of the fence.

You will rarely feel like doing what you are called to do before you do it.

When in conversation with an elder, your maturity is demonstrated in questions and a desire to learn. Immaturity is demonstrated in yawns and inattention.

Why do teens think that they have all the answers and that their parents “don’t understand?” Because they have been sheltered from, and do not yet appreciate, the forces that they will soon confront.

Immaturity is identified by desire-driven behavior, “no!”, and a “me-centered” world view.

We are maturing when we realize that our own desires can destroy us and others.

All of the hours spent preparing a meal are without purpose if you leave it in the oven too long.

There is NOTHING healthier than a thankful heart.

Pornography and drugs attract many, but especially two types of people: those who want to escape the reality of the difficulties of this fallen world and those who are convinced that experiencing pleasure should be a priority.

Pornography promotes women as slaves, objects whose purpose for being is our (men’s) pleasure. The more you dabble in this, the more you will view women thusly.

We don’t overcome sin by saying “no.” We overcome sin by wholeheartedly pursuing Jesus, acknowledging His love and grace.

Jesus has the power and the desire to forgive any sin.

Light is more clearly defined in dark environments. Remember this especially in times of difficulty and trial.

When one intimately acquainted with Jesus’ love sees another sin, err or fail, he/she is compassionate. Those religious see the same and are critical.

Are you tempted? Converse with Jesus. Have you sinned? Converse with Jesus. Have you overcome? Converse with Jesus. Are you defeated, discouraged, confused? Converse with Jesus. Have a decision to make? Converse with Jesus…

Smile now and cry later or cry now to smile later.
—Unknown

After how much learning and experience will you finally see that what you believe as true is based on faith? The more you learn and experience the more you will realize that what you believe to be true is a decision. The existence of truth and your believing it are two things.

The sun remains without change through day and night, summer and winter, and rain and clouds. Your perception of the sun, however, varies greatly. Do not allow your experiences or what you can presently see alter your perception of what is true about God.

We can appreciate our feelings and emotions without following or serving them.

Love and commitment are demonstrated and grown during times of suffering.

Wise decisions live so much more peacefully in you than decisions made for fun or pleasure

A facade attempts to beautify the owner in comparison to others. Honest transparency will humble its owner while beautifying others.

The amount of material things in your possession is inversely proportional to the amount of contentment in your person.

The actual race is often very different than the one you prepared for, yet every ounce of preparation will be of value at some point in the race.

Are you pursuing success or what your Father would have you do?

God is working in every person’s life. Look for what He is doing and ask Him how you may participate. His response may be different than what you may think is best or how you feel you would like to respond.

Every person desperately needs to be loved, encouraged, and affirmed. Provide these.

Why do we chase after success? Success brings attention (our substitute for love), and self-satisfaction (our substitute for knowing our Father’s love).

If you have ANY questions, doubts, uncertainty, etc., dialogue with your Father.

An introvert is handicapped and perhaps paralyzed among people. The same for an extrovert in solitude. Both need to develop their areas of weakness but minister/work in their area of strength.

The ways of the church are often counter-cultural.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
—Job 1:21

As a child… trust your Father, listen to your Father, and rest in the love of your Father.

Speak and believe the truth. Walk in love.

To decide to do something and to feel like doing something are two different things.

The power of sin is destroyed by the power of forgiveness. When we sin, its power to destroy is lost when we realize that we are forgiven.

Discipling is much more about modeling than about teaching.

Marry a critical person and hurt for many years.

Never make yourself vulnerable to a critical person.

A huge key to cross-cultural adaption... and to marriage, parenting, friendship, leadership, disciple-making, and doctoring, “Shut up and listen.”

The conversation we have with our Father has much more impact on who we are than does any conversation we have with anyone else.

When one is worried about something, he cannot serve, love, or perform well. His attention is divided as his heart is in two places.

One can lose much in the pursuit of more.

Hard work is healthy for us physically and, especially, mentally.

Don’t ask your Father for forgiveness when you sin. You have been forgiven. Rather, when you sin, agree with Him as to what you’ve done and thank Him again for the remarkable grace and mercy that are yours because of His wonder-full love for you, which your sin cannot change.

There are many ways to live well and many ways to bring yourself harm. Remember this before and as you journey, not after.

Criticism received from a critical person has no value, but consider well criticism from an encourager.

As we yield to Him (“Your will be done.”), we receive all the power/strength/courage we need to accomplish HIS will. He's made no promises re. accomplishing OUR will, except that it can destroy us and others.

There may be no greater demonstration of strength than remaining faithful when weak, no greater success than remaining faithful in failure, no greater love than remaining faithful when rejected, no greater faith than remaining faithful in doubt and confusion...

Those who spend themselves on worshipping their Father, serving their brother, loving their enemy, and giving their life for another lack the time and energy to debate intellectual doctrinal differences.

Every day you are free to choose whether to remain loyal to Him.

Jesus’ heart is to be one with you as He is one with His Father.

In the Kingdom of God, we trust in One we don’t understand, we look for that which we cannot see, and we listen to One we cannot hear.

We may speak but we must earn the right to be listened to.

The consequences of any sin involve destruction. Like rust and fire, sin will always destroy something beautiful. There is no such thing as sin without destruction.

Wisdom is the perspective of the Designer. To be wise is to have His perspective. To have His perspective, we must know Him. To know Him is to spend time with Him and with those who know Him, learning of Him and from Him.

Relationship cannot happen without two interested parties. Because of Jesus, we can be assured of the radical interest of His Father in us.

Consciously and intentionally review and renew your personal vision and calling. If you don’t you will be amazed how far you can wander from the path you desire to walk.

We need to periodically experience darkness to appreciate the value of light.

As we yield to Him (“Your will be done.”), we receive all the power/strength/courage we need to accomplish HIS will. He's made no promises re. accomplishing OUR will, except that it can destroy us and others.

To believe that any historical event actually occurred requires faith. To believe the occurrence of any event apart from your physical presence requires faith.

The only opinion of us and of our performance that matters is that of our Father. We have an audience of but One.

Pursue hard a perspective based on truth. Lies are spoken to you and in you all day every day.

If you doubt the existence of a Creator (and you will), take some time and meditate on the wonder of creation. If you doubt God’s love and affection for man (and you will), take some time and meditate on the extent that God went to in Jesus to demonstrate His love for mankind. If you doubt God’s love for you personally (and you will), remember how He has demonstrated His love for you personally and review His words and promises to us as individuals…

None of us spend enough time becoming secure in God’s affection for us and His father’s joy in us.

We are not called to teach, evangelize, disciple, heal, build, counsel, etc. We are called to love, and while loving, God will direct us as to how we can best serve those that we are loving.

God’s heart is to place His light in dark places.

We possess no light in and of ourselves.

When light enters darkness, it constantly seeks to spread itself throughout the darkness, to touch and transform the darkness to light. The darkness resists the change, cannot produce light in and of itself, and, in order to change, must be touched by the light.

Another’s growth is not your responsibility.

Paul encouraged a simple, pure devotion to Jesus in 2Cor 11.3, not to the bible, to a church, to our ministry, to worship, to our brother, etc. Any of these can enhance or replace our devotion to Jesus...

My “Nevers” - Never want. Never complain. Never worry. Never correct another. Never compare yourself to another (or any person to another). Never joke about a person's flaw(s). Never lose your temper. Never criticize. Never give your unsolicited opinion. Never tell someone (including your kids) what to do without demonstrating honor and respect. Never mock another. Never consider truth more important than love. Never seek to control/change another... What are your "Nevers"?

The extent to which your spouse (or any person) loves you is their choice.

Letting the sun go down on your anger plants your anger in the fertile, fleshy soil of your heart. It germinates and begins to grow and at some point in the future produces foul fruit that looks differently than the original planted seed.

If you believe that you are broken, screwed up, and loved by your Father, you cannot be personally wounded by insult.

If you forgive because, “They know not what they are doing,” you will not be embittered by another’s offense.

Sin, war, disease, and death are real. God’s loving presence and power in our midst is real. On which do we focus? What often changes following a profoundly painful or a near-death experience is that on which we set our eyes.

The greatest miracle and the most painful tragedy will be responded to differently by different people.

What you now consider a wondrous miracle, if witnessed daily, would, after a short time, be miraculous no longer. We have an incredible capacity to take God’s works for granted and to see them as ordinary, simply because He works incredible wonders so often.

If you confess your sins to another, you provide an opportunity to be loved as you truly are. This is Kingdom love and few, within the church, experience it.

If you have difficulty confessing your sins to another, you do not yet understand grace.

In the Kingdom, repentance is not a requirement for forgiveness but a response to it.

If we both are Christian, we will agree on many things. If we both are human, we will not agree on many things.

Seeds planted will remain, though the soil is always changing...

I don’t feel like I thought I would at 50. Being a Christian, a husband, a father, a doctor, and a missionary doesn’t feel like I thought it would. To do (or be) something for how you anticipate it may make you feel is to be certainly disappointed.

Which will produce joy, finding the right spouse or being the right spouse?

If something or someone promotes or encourages fast growth, beware! It is likely not of your Father as He prefers trees to grass.

Do you want to impact a lot of people and be used greatly by God? Pour yourself into a hungry few.

If you raise your kids in material comfort, teach them also to walk through the eye of a needle.

At greatest risk for itching ears - those passionate about their own salvation and spiritual well-being/growth... It's difficult to tickle the ears of those spending their energy, thoughts and time helping, serving, loving, praying for and caring for others instead of themselves...

Every direct criticism contains some truth. In consultation with your Father, respond appropriately to what’s true and discard the rest.

T.S. Eliot said, “The greatest sin is to do the right thing for the wrong reason.” This is the essence of religion, doing something for reasons other than from inside. Only Jesus can make, break, and remake your “inside”. He always, however, “knocks” (requests permission).

The best way to prepare for tomorrow is to live well today.

What Jesus calls us to do, ANYONE can do.

All life would cease to exist without death and decay.

Threat to life, livelihood, reputation, etc reveals much about the true allegiance of a person or group...

Those who completely so rejected and opposed Jesus that they mocked, spit on, tortured and slaughtered Him, He completely forgave, by grace. ALL of man’s wickedness, rebellion, sin, and depravity (even theirs and even yours) was dealt with, once and for all...

The salvation movement among evangelicals has been about “me,” completely the opposite of where Jesus said to put our focus. Eternal life is the fruit of an outward-focused relationship with Jesus, not the goal!

Many think that only a few have what it takes to be missionaries. It’s actually exactly the opposite!

Jesus: “Tonight all of you will desert me... But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” (Mt 26)... no condemnation, reprimand, guilt, criticism... such love/grace for messed up, error-prone, fickle, weak, afraid, human, screwed-up disciples... and me.

Learning without application breeds arrogance.

Humility has far more Kingdom value than certainty...

Life must be taken or given for any living thing to continue to live.

Comfort, prosperity and leisure are more dangerous to our health than difficulty and affliction.

I hate religion; I love Jesus. I hate religious services; I love worshipping, learning, praying, and conversing deeply with others. I hate “christian-ese”; I love His words to us. I hate idleness; I love rest. I hate pity; I love mercy. I hate flattery; I love encouragement. I hate lies; I love discretion. I hate masks; I love self-control. I hate laziness; I love contentment. I hate ambition; I love excellence. I hate idle conversation; I love connecting. I hate loneliness; I love solitude. I hate labels; I love discernment. I hate self-confidence; I love confident trust in my Father. I hate idle knowledge; I love wisdom. I hate tolerance of destructive/unhealthy behavior; I love embracing and loving a person involved in destructive/unhealthy behavior. I hate criticism; I love sensitive correction. I hate arguments; I love passionate, honoring discussions. I hate inferiority; I love humility...

Our Father is not looking for heroes, but for those willing to do ANY little thing to bring justice to the oppressed and neglected, to love kindly those broken and hurting, and to walk humbly with Him into every situation. Micah 6:8

What is it that you want to be doing? How do you want to look back at this stage of your life?

Learn and learn and learn, about God, about the world, about the enemy, about people, about yourself. Each of these is an open book, full of wonder, that you will never be able to completely read.

The Bible has been tested and tried for thousands of years. All other sources of “truth” (feelings, books, statistical surveys, people, leaders, pastors, etc) are tainted and can deceive.

God will use so many things that are right in front of you to teach you; what you already know, what you experience daily, those with whom you converse often. If you allow Him, He will make the commonplace significant. Live today with your eyes and ears open to what He may be saying to you, through the common, “insignificant” things.

God’s love is completely unconditional. Growth, however, results when we move toward Him, surrender to Him, and trust Him.

Living Water is bitter and unappealing to those healthy, prosperous, full, and without thirst. To those broken, empty, lacking, weak, hurting, parched and hungry... there is nothing sweeter...

Pursuing our dreams is not of our Father. He calls us to surrender them. Forsaking our dreams, however, is NOT forsaking life. It is, in fact, in surrendering our dreams to our Father that we find the life He created for us before time.

People who know the Truth but refuse to surrender lack one of the following: 1) they haven’t been broken and are still blind to the realities of this world, 2) they don’t fully appreciate the value of the treasure and/or, 3) they choose darkness over light.

As we witness the varied responses to Jesus' "trial" and crucifixion, we see that a threat to life, livelihood, status, reputation, etc reveals much about the true allegiance of a person or a group...

Living Water is like wine in that the more you drink, the better it tastes.

Goodness never just happens. There is always a cost.

The bible tells us what to do, our Father’s Spirit tells us how, when, with whom, etc... We desperately need both!

They matter to us if we spend individual time with them, listen to them, and/or serve them.

Those who are hungry do not desire extravagant meals and do not criticize the quality of their food.

If you don’t believe you are sick, you will not seek help. If you aren’t confident in its potential benefit, you will not seek help.

What did Jesus call Judas after his betrayal? (Mt 26.50)

A Kingdom leader is reproduced in other men.

A broken heart does not require extravagance to be satisfied.

Grief, trial, illness, pain, loss, difficulty, affliction... followed by joy. A Kingdom pattern...

Pursuing our dreams is not of our Father. He calls us to surrender them. Forsaking our dreams, however, is NOT forsaking life. It is, in fact, in surrendering our dreams to our Father that we find the life He created us for...

“Why?” is perhaps the most important question and those wise often ask it.

You are no one’s savior. No person will be your savior. There is only One who can save and transform.

Living in humility does not make one happy; it makes one genuine/real/true.

Effort + Time = Improvement

Our enemies are powerful and numerous and seek to destroy our (or another’s) heart/life: self-satisfaction, inferiority, prosperity, fear, insecurity, superiority, apathy, comparison, anger, a critical spirit, the pursuit of pleasure, comfort, personal success... but greater is He within us... to know Him and to walk closely with Him is to overcome our enemies, which almost never are people...

Mental/spiritual/physical health necessitates acknowledging our profound insignificance in this world combined with our profoundly significant value to Him...

Courage is the foundation of a life of integrity.

The grade and conditions of the road will affect how we feel about our journey as well as the rate of our progress. Observe and compare people ascending and descending at the same point on a steep hill.

Beauty isn’t perfection, it’s better...

As we delight in Him, He gives us new desires... Our old desires, dreams and ambitions are replaced with the desires, dreams and ambitions of those He loves (Ps 37.4)...

Love is not spoken as much as it is demonstrated.

Self-serving behavior typically brings immediate gain for self and always brings destruction for self or another.

We were created with a thirst for peace and joy which can be satisfied only in Him. Don’t seek peace and joy where it can’t be found!

766) No matter how clean you are, if you step in manure, you will stink. Even if you had just washed…

We scatter seeds in every interaction. We control the seeds we scatter (love vs indifference, truth vs lies, grace vs judgement, etc). We have no control over the condition of the soil on which we scatter.

We don't bring Jesus to people. He is already working in each and we have the immense privilege of participating in what He is already doing...

Res ipsa loquitur - a legal term, “it speaks for itself”. "Witness" - a legal term. Can our love, grace, humble service, etc be so passionate /radical /devoted to Jesus today that (to our wife/husband, to our kids and to all those we interact with) as to whether Jesus' spirit lives in us, our credibility of a witness "res ipsa loquitur"?

Being honest and being edifying are often in conflict. What we say (honest?) and how we say it (edifying?) must both remain equal priorities.

Speaking the truth (what we say) in love (how we say it) is a Kingdom skill that is learned over much time and many mistakes.

There are many different ways to respond to circumstances, occurrences, and words said. There are poor responses, certainly, but so many different good ways to respond.

What we do not know and cannot do far surpasses what we do know and can do... Mental/spiritual/physical health necessitates acknowledging our profound insignificance in this world combined with our profoundly significant value to Him...

I more need to be reminded today of what I already know to be true than I need to learn/feel/experience something new...

We can do much good work independent of our Father...

Humility can be lonely and painful road because so little of its traveler’s effort, skill, accomplishment is noticed.

In relationship, more conversation is better. And more conversation typically means closer relationship.

A life focused on outcasts is a life well-spent.

Experience and demonstrated care gives one genuine authority far more than words.

My Father has been so faithful to lead me by putting light on the path for my present step. He has been completely unfaithful to show me all I want to see further along the path.

My Father has been so faithful to give me what I need to serve Him and those He has chosen for me to serve. He has been unfaithful in giving me all I want and ask Him for...

Through much effort in conversation with your Father comes wisdom and direction.

“If you love, you will be loved in return,” is a lie. No responses are certain. Yet devote yourself to love...

We are called to love, give and serve not because we may receive something in return, but because the receiver will benefit.

Many ingredients make a good pizza. Several are key.

At every stage of your life, seek to have a Paul and a Timothy relationship.

Burden-free is never trying to impress, never worrying about how much you’ve grown, and never worrying about doing something great for God.

Many “Christians” read the Bible frequently, pray daily, are part of a church, read Christian books, listen to Christian music, say, “Praise the Lord” and other Christian phrases, and have no relationship with Jesus.

Rationalization/superstition is the admission that life (or a certain circumstance) is beyond the control of people who want to portray themselves (even to themselves) as "in control."

The most important issue facing any of us in any circumstance (whether we understand or not) is, "How will I respond?"

Much of our inner frustration with people can be traced to unrealistic expectations.

Work in response to the delight that our Father already has in us.

In drawing close and trusting our Father, we do the "work of God" and, in so doing, find that which we seek in serving Him.

Millions of church-goers believe that following Jesus will improve their life. He said, however, that His followers would have radical disregard for their own life, rather devoting themselves to improving others' lives….

Happiness in this life is an idol for many “Christians.”

A church is several or more Jesus-lovers walking together.

Comparison is primary tool for the proud, religious, and those not interested in God’s opinion.

It’s not difficult to separate from the vine. The challenge (and the fruit) is in remaining connected.

A leader’s success depends entirely on the work of those he leads.

There is no value in giving that which will not be received.

It is painful to love and advise and to see your tried and true counsel rejected. You know the consequences that will follow.

We often worship our experiences with God rather than He who arranges them.

The Kingdom of God is about quality, not quantity. As is faith, trust, love, wisdom…

A battle leader yells and yells during times of peace so that there is no mistaking his voice in the turmoil.

Wisdom and the Kingdom are both about invitation and hunger. They are forced on no one and are found by those who hunger for them.

You are seeding your soil every moment (by what you allow in through your eyes, ears, feelings, etc) and scattering seed to those around you with every interaction.

There is no value in a farmer pulling on a young plant to encourage it to grow.

Heaven will be about growing and nurturing relationships without the constraints of time.

The favor or lack of favor you have with people is only partially within your control.

Someone will ALWAYS disagree with you.

Almost all of our Father’s promises are conditional. Focus on the condition and trust Him with the fulfillment of the promise.

In knowing our Father’s will, certainty follows surrender of our hearts and lives to Him.

Surrender is not sacrificial drudgery, but rather a pursuit prioritized in such a way that anything that would hinder that pursuit must go.

Exrcise great caution when you tell someone that in their decision they are either not following God’s direction or they are hearing errantly. To speak thusly, you must be surrendered and certain of God’s heart regarding the matter at hand or you will encourage the seeking of YOUR will over that of your Father.

The pursuit of a renewed Kingdom mind is the pursuit of a humble branch - to remain connected and surrendered.

A fruit-bearing branch is not heroic or worthy of praise. The vine grows and prepares the branch and uses it to mature the fruit. Without the vine, there is no fruit. Without the branch, the vine grows another. The branch is blessed to participate and be used to connect the fruit to the vine, nothing more.

Are we to be the salt of the earth or the sugar of the earth?

Our wise responses to confusing circumstances will benefit others and delight Our Father.

Don’t waste energy on deciding whom to love. Love all and gently speak truth to all; to those who bless you, love you, encourage you, wound you, mock you, slander you…

Like fire, money is a good servant but a destructive master.
—Anonymous

Our perspective is temporal; God’s perspective is eternal.

He completes His work in us with purpose and for another’s sake.

We err if we define God’s goodness by present circumstances.

Understanding blessing is every bit as difficult as understanding tragedy and hardship.

Contentment is only recognized after experiencing discontentment.

We (me!), who call ourselves “Christian” (and our “gospel” message), focus more on saving, preserving, protecting, extending, improving our life than forsaking it for the sake of others (exactly opposite of the One we claim to follow).

All of the theology, truth, and understanding has NO value without love. Where are you spending your time and effort?

Eat to live or live to eat. Have passion for your life or for another's (TV, movies, celebrities, friends, family).

All first impressions are a mixture of truth and deception.

We can’t eliminate our flesh but we must minimize its influence. It can destroy us and others

Theology can kill intimacy with God

3,000 years from now, we will still be awed by our Father’s ways and how different He is from us, His created beings

None of the people that I will serve in Angola will have the ability to receive angioplasty. With an average life expectancy of 40 years, most won’t have the privilege of experiencing coronary artery disease.

His confounding love is life and life is found in no pursuit.

That His love is greater than my flawed-ness and my unfaithfulness is the good news of His kingdom.

He is ever gracious to prepare us for the task to which He calls us and preparation usually isn’t easy.

ALL “thorns” have purpose.

Kingdom paradox: to live in darkness is to focus on, pursue and serve that which is seen; to live in light is to focus on, pursue and serve that which is unseen…

Jesus didn’t call us to study, but to love. He didn’t call us to know about Him, but to know Him.

Can bible study and bible teaching be a God-less pursuit?

How many people can you truly love?

We need to learn to “know what we believe and why we believe it”, but more we need to learn to love and be loved.

No information has value without trust.

Even with our enemies, we can always communicate with humility and sensitivity, with honor and respect.

We are called to be witnesses, not preachers. Witnesses tell the truth and their word is or is not validated by their lives.

Your life and care earn you the right to be heard.

Expressing care and concern always has more value than a solution or a “fix”. This is especially true in marriage.

Money can have tremendous value if given with wisdom, with Kingdom priorities, and with an outward focus.

Helping isn’t always good; enthusiasm, passion and zeal require direction; giving can be harmful; preaching isn’t always appropriate; and love needs wisdom to be effective...

Serving someone with a glass of water, or medication, or instruction certainly has a vital, though temporal impact, but how we serve gives eternal significance to our work.

It is His (and our) care and concern that breaks up the hardened soil (heart), allowing the truth about Jesus to germinate within.

Kingdom leadership relieves burden, rather than placing burden, performance requirements, etc.

It is not our circumstances that determine whether we believe in God and His love, but rather our faith and trust, in the One who works all things for good for those that are His, that give purpose to our

A compassionate heart is often the fruit of pain and brokenness.

True comfort usually comes from one who has been there. (2 Cor 1:4)

Interestingly, his Father never answered Job’s questions, but rather revealed to Job who He was, and this was sufficient to restore Job’s trust and confidence in Him, as his need to understand lost significance in light of knowing God.

We can pursue understanding with our severely limited perspective, or we can seek to know and walk with the Author of life, trusting His perspective and wisdom rather than our own. The former leads nowhere, the latter to eternal life and peace. Jesus promised tribulation and difficulty and He also promised abundant life in the midst of this difficult life (not the removal of difficulty!), for those who trust Him.

Are you today seeking pleasant circumstances or are you seeking to walk with the One who made you (no matter the circumstances)?

Being part of our Father’s caring, supportive, encouraging, and uplifting family is such a beautiful way to journey through this minefield of life, where injustice and pain are so prevalent.

Those who have faced pain know the value of empathy and are less likely to respond with trite answers and bible verses. They don’t try to “fix it,” but know how to “come along side” those hurting. We so often need an arm around our shoulder instead of answers and solutions.

So few of us live with the daily realization that we ARE so blessed because we ARE so loved, and that we give for the benefit of another (so that they will experience the same love and affection that we ALREADY know) and for the pleasure of the One who already so loves us and HAS blessed us.

Experiencing darkness now and then sure helps one appreciate again what a difference it makes to walk in the light.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is stop and wait for direction from the Light.

In whatever we face, the same daily choices, with the ensuing consequences, lie before us. We will seek to understand in order to believe (not possible, given our human limitations), or we will trust Him (“I trust you, Jesus”), despite our inability to understand. We will live dependently on the One who made us (trusting His purposes and wisdom), or we will live independently of Him.

Especially in trying circumstances and difficult decisions, our Father would tell us to look at it again with Him in the morning. A new day always brings with it accompanying fresh insight and perspective.

We love to emphasize and pursue that which we can measure, and most kingdom qualities are simply not measurable!

Kingdom love, in contrast to the love of this world, has nothing to do with feelings and everything to do with prioritizing another’s life and interests before my own.

My focus (chosen attitude) can give or eliminate the power of my own blemishes and weakness. In our daily lives, we can choose to focus inwardly (on our blemishes, failures, inabilities, etc) or outwardly on the people before us, our Father, the glory of His creation, where we are going, etc. The latter makes us a useful tool in our Father’s hands. Too much of the former keeps us in His tool belt. We so often seek God to remove our blemishes, weaknesses, flaws, etc while His heart is for us to draw close to Him so that His profound, unconditional love for us gives us the ability to see beyond them.

Jesus and His followers always married our relationship with God with our relationship with others.

People don’t care what you know until they know how much you care.
—Unknown

There is a time in our lives for the wind to blow and a time for calm (inactivity). Same in our every day, as we see God obviously touch someone in one encounter, and see little in another.

Loving the “unlovely” is our Father’s specialty and must be ours, as well.

It is often personal affliction which best equips us to minister with Jesus’ sensitivity and compassion.

In difficult interactions, we must remember to dialogue with our Father and not base our response on how we feel. Our encounter with that person (as well as their attitude) did not surprise God. He allowed the interaction with purpose.

Our flesh wants to be “right” (our own opinions can be way too important). As Christians, we often study, argue, rationalize and justify our opinions/lives in order to be “right”, all the while living in the flesh. Jesus wants us to live in humility, surrendered to Him while considering others’ opinions/lives as more important than our own. Our conversation changes radically when our motive is to love instead of arguing a point, seeking a convert, preaching the truth, etc

The beauty (and incredible miracle) of the church is that our Father uses broken, weathered, imperfect vessels (me!) to draw people to Himself.

Never, never, never be critical of another without honor and respect.

If I had no provisions, food, hope for change, etc, would I still rejoice?

His view of us is that we are quite flawed and quite beautiful.

Our words really mean little compared to how we say them and the actions of our lives that either validate or negate what we say.

Fear and control often yield positive short-term results, but result in long-term wounds.

Isn’t it so honoring to have your life, your opinions, your possessions, your dreams, etc cared for and valued by another?

The Kingdom is about freedom rather than control and grace rather than fear.

Fear kills love and love kills fear.

It is far easier to begin well than it is to maintain and finish well. Christian ministry is full of people who love the thrill of beginning new works and ministries. The part of any race/work/relationship where we feel the best (more energy, more grace, more enthusiasm) is the beginning. Our preparation and commitment are tested later in the race/work/relationship.

Our earnings, our things, our energy, our time, our dreams… are not given to us to enjoy, but to give away.

We are healthy when our expectations (of ourselves, others, circumstances, etc) match reality.

A broken, split piece of wood burns so much more brightly and gives so much more heat than one whole and unbroken.

His personal letters are written not to theologians for exhaustive study, but to those simple folks who simply seek to know Him better.

Loving the crowd vs loving people… So many church leaders love the attention and adulation of the crowd, but won’t love and invest their time and effort in building relationships with a few individual people (the front lines of Kingdom work).

Downward mobility, becoming less important, more of a servant, less known, etc is our journey with Jesus… less worldly successful, less prosperous, less known, less esteem from people… more unheralded (no one knows) serving and giving, more actions with less words, more genuine, more time loving individuals…

Paul counted all good things as loss in light of his pursuit of knowing Jesus more intimately.

How we worship and bring our hearts to a place of surrender before our King is not nearly as important as the surrendered heart. For some, we best bow through music, for others, it is in meditating on His word, some meet Him best in the presence of other worshippers, others surrender best in solitude. Some draw close to Jesus in a more formal service, others through informal interaction, some are stirred to surrender through teaching, others through prayer. Some need long periods alone with Jesus, others walk best with Him in constant interaction with Him throughout the day. Our Father has given us so many ways to draw close to Him. We each use different methods in different seasons of our lives. Variety helps any relationship. How can you draw close to Him today?

Are we leaders, trainers, disciplers, teachers, healers, builders, messengers of the Gospel/Good News, etc or… are we foot-washing, humble, honoring servants of the Angolan people? Do we work from a motive of love for the people we serve or do we serve to feel good about ourselves?

He is the source of all good things and is so deserving of our praise and gratitude.

The arm and the foot are unified, yet function very differently, and their perspectives are SO different. Allow for differences and walk in love with each different person.

When you experience something good from God, don’t universalize it and expect/desire everyone to do/experience the same. People are different and journeys are different.

A thankful heart is the source of mental and spiritual (and likely physical) health.

Walking in unity does NOT mean walking in an identical manner or agreeing on everything (impossible with honest journeyers). It means following the same leader!

All food tastes good to the hungry.

I have seen theology (study of God and bible) produce arrogance rather than humility, leaders rather than servants, and division rather than unity. Yet we greatly need reminded of all He has said.