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I'm the talk of the city, and you can hear em whisperin
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
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Thursday, March 31, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
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Friday, March 4, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
I Hear What You're Saying, But....
So this past Sunday, I caught a tail end of a discussion lesson a ministry leader was conducting with middle school students. I want to say the lesson was about turning the other cheek. Now, trying to explain "turning the other cheek" and "love your enemies" is really hard, especially explaining it to 12-14 year old. Then came the statement, "I hear what you're saying, but...." It made me think of how we try to find loopholes in certain things we really want to do, especially when it comes to Godly things.
If you allow me to go the Bible on this, "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?'" (Matthew 18: 21). Now keep in mind, this is asked after Jesus tells them how to handle a person that offends them and the steps they must take. At one point, if the offending person will not listen to you, you and someone else, or you and the whole church, that person then is excommunicated. So even a bullish person has a chance to be forgiven. But even before you take it to witnesses and the community, you should make efforts to forgive them yourself, without trying to find a loophole.
Earlier this week I heard that unconditional love has no loopholes, especially among friends. One more time, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins," (1 Peter 4:8). That being said, we should not try to find loopholes or excuses as to why we will not forgive each other. Yes, we have been mistreated and wronged, but lets be honest about it. If I am going to tell on anybody else, I have to tell on myself first. We have offended so many others as well and rather we want to admit or not, we have been forgiven or at least been given the benefit of the doubt on our behavior.
I know it is easy to say and much harder to do but that is why God deals with us on our motives, not just our morals. He wants us to know that we are in the same danger as Phineas Gage, we have a beam in our eye but trying to tell someone else about the splinter in theirs. Lets take the beam out and then with love, we can remove the splinter.
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If you allow me to go the Bible on this, "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?'" (Matthew 18: 21). Now keep in mind, this is asked after Jesus tells them how to handle a person that offends them and the steps they must take. At one point, if the offending person will not listen to you, you and someone else, or you and the whole church, that person then is excommunicated. So even a bullish person has a chance to be forgiven. But even before you take it to witnesses and the community, you should make efforts to forgive them yourself, without trying to find a loophole.
Earlier this week I heard that unconditional love has no loopholes, especially among friends. One more time, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins," (1 Peter 4:8). That being said, we should not try to find loopholes or excuses as to why we will not forgive each other. Yes, we have been mistreated and wronged, but lets be honest about it. If I am going to tell on anybody else, I have to tell on myself first. We have offended so many others as well and rather we want to admit or not, we have been forgiven or at least been given the benefit of the doubt on our behavior.
I know it is easy to say and much harder to do but that is why God deals with us on our motives, not just our morals. He wants us to know that we are in the same danger as Phineas Gage, we have a beam in our eye but trying to tell someone else about the splinter in theirs. Lets take the beam out and then with love, we can remove the splinter.
Nothing Personal
AllThingsCreativ
Golden Brown Homemade Cookies
NeoPhytePoets
AMPED
Friday, February 26, 2016
Friends
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Friday, February 19, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
Spread Love
While listening to Ester Perel on the School of Greatness podcast, she said a profound statement. She says, "We are creatures of meaning." She goes on to explain that we all should mean something to each other. Often times we put value into our careers or material things as if they can give that same attention back to us. Before I tell on anyone else, I have to tell on myself first because I am guilty of that. It is so easy to take people we love and are close to for granted, as if they are cacti that need very little watering.
If you allow me to go to the Bible for a second, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith," Galatians 6: 9-10. A very familiar verse, well verse 9 in particular because this is said normally when a preacher is tuning up the band and choir. But take a different look: we should sow to please God (Galatians 6: 8) and when we do that, continually, we will reap in season. We should sow love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control towards each other. The more we do things, planting these good seeds and watering them with each other, the better we will grow as people and as a people. We will grow as God's people.
So let's make a conscious effort to sow good seeds within each other because God created us all with purpose and meaning so we should treat each other with purpose and meaning. Material things will cease but love will not. We need to continually, purposefully, and intentionally love each other.
Spread Love by Take 6
If you allow me to go to the Bible for a second, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith," Galatians 6: 9-10. A very familiar verse, well verse 9 in particular because this is said normally when a preacher is tuning up the band and choir. But take a different look: we should sow to please God (Galatians 6: 8) and when we do that, continually, we will reap in season. We should sow love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control towards each other. The more we do things, planting these good seeds and watering them with each other, the better we will grow as people and as a people. We will grow as God's people.
So let's make a conscious effort to sow good seeds within each other because God created us all with purpose and meaning so we should treat each other with purpose and meaning. Material things will cease but love will not. We need to continually, purposefully, and intentionally love each other.
Spread Love by Take 6
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Friday, February 5, 2016
Keeping it Authentic
Nothing to read today so you all have the privilege to see my handsome face for five good minutes. Enjoy your weekend everyone.
God's Speed.
God's Speed.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Mr. President (Poem)
Mr. President, why are you crying?
Did a gust of wind hit your eye?
Is the smoke from Sandy Hook still flying?
Or is it the air from the Windy City where the blood can't dry?
Did you see a generation with no father or sons?
Are you misty from the lullaby the pistols sing?
Do you hear names of young black men whistled by guns?
So many innocent took the bullet but you too felt the sting.
Mr. President, I see your eyes watering and your speech is choked:
He said it’s hard to breath in a land polluted by gun smoke.
©
By Marcus G. Taylor
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