What Do You Do

The question gets asked often, as much as any other,
that's for sure, and it's not unusual because we seem
to believe that what a person does for a living is a
large part of who they are?  Now you know me well
enough to see ahead and know that I don't go that
way in my thinking, even though I know on the
surface such is true, when you dig beneath that
surface appearance a bit, there is where you see
what is real. Just this past Sunday a man stopped
me in the hall and asked me, "hey I sit in class
you with and you seem to be a pretty smart person,
but what is it that you do, because it seems like
folks really listen to you?" Well, he asked, so
I told him. Hmm, wonder what he thought of that?

For example, my friend Chris Voss
who does "The Chris Voss," show, seems on the
surface to be a free-wheelin', fun lovin', let it roll,
sort of guy.  But that's Chris's public persona, and
here is what a little study of Chris reveals- he is
successful, but he has a heart in what he does.
Chris is that rare sort of leader who doesn't want
to brag on himself, so much, as he would love to
brag about his organization and his team.  Chris
is an amazing person to listen to, but more than that
he is a responsible leader in the world of social media.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itzU6L6TzX4

Now your question might be, "how in the world
does that matrix with Chris Voss, and Proverbs
there bud?"  Great question, and already you know
from what was said earlier how my feelings on that
one run, but more, think of it in context with what
is revealed, it is that revealing process that seems
to me to inexorably lead a person to know what
is true, not from someone telling you it is true
but from it being validated for you by your life.

You Are What You Were And Not What You Will Be

Mouthful isn't it, and it's the sum of
what we are, we aren't what we

were, but we aren't what we will
be, either, we are in the present,
and that's the only place we can be.
That's a tough fact of life,
and yet as we exist at that moment, 
the moments that built up to
it, have to be considered, else
we'd never grasp any newness
to life.  However we cannot live
"back there," it doesn't exist,
and we can't live for a future that
isn't existing either.  Plan for
it, anticipate it, if you must, certainly
it's interesting to try, but
ultimately, what we have is right
here, right now, from both of
those other perspectives.  It's not just the past, but also what
you believe you want to have as a future that contribute to
the person we see standing there, right now.

That would be an exercise in semantics if it weren't for the
fact that we who live out our faith know that we place a very
significant amount of "hope," in a future far different from the
existence we are in, right now.  What Christ spent a good deal
of time saying was that such shouldn't be the case, you should
be, right now, as you plan to be, then.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMTAhdcoVhE

This is why my life has become a pursuit,
first, of service, literally asking people,
what can I do for you? Sounds silly, almost,
doesn't it? But my experience bears out that
often people do need some help with something,
but they don't want to make people feel like
the are obligated to help, and yet, they need
help, but they don't ask. So why put them
through that, just volunteer your service,
when you do, several things take place, what
might you surmise those would be?

Peace Day Sep 21 2010

Jude Law has done an amazing job on this video about the
celebration for world peace and peace day Sep 21, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EymStNxnSWE

Please pass this message on to as many people as you know who would
like to promote peace today.

Your Way Works

Ever talk to someone and they are telling you about how

fabulous things are, and yet, you get the feeling listening
to them, that they're not quite telling you all there is?  What
do you suppose gives you that feeling?  Ever felt like you
knew somebody, so you could basically anticipate what
they were going to say next, only, they didn't?  In fact
they were so far different from what you believed
might be said, that it shocked you?  Have any thoughts
about where that comes from?  Hmm...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcKgHFVKKDM
(If you aren't seeing the video please click on this address.

Who's the teacher and who's the student- who is
the borrower, and who is the lender? What is
one position, versus another? Is that- war?
Is it within a person that they war literally
against their own mind? NOW, yes of course,
this has the obvious meaning, but when you get
a little deeper into it, that meaning
starts to indicate that the writer may have
had something far different in mind. Are
you familiar with how many women were in
Solomon's life? Could it be possible that
he might have had something not even attached
to money or monetary matters in mind?

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1.03.01

What Do You Think? Proverbs 22:6

Click to Web Site of Image

"What we have here is failure to communicate, now, that's not the way
I wanted it, that's the way he wants it."  Those famous words are
part of one of my favorite movies, "Cool Hand Luke," it
has a lot to say to somebody who is wondering about life,
hope and rules. "Cool Hand Luke," was a values based movie
about values when such wasn't cool, it had a heavy moral
within it, as does our Proverb for today, 22:6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gzI9gj3eU

We're putting together a deeper section on this,
because it is so often mis-interpreted. How you
raise your child, may, or, in this day and age, as
at no other time in history, affect how they live.
We live in a time when the power, raw power of the
media, and social media, FaceBook, for example, are
not only as influential as a parent, but many times
are viewed as more influential. We can continue
to deny that in main stream evangelical religions
but if we do, we do so at the peril of those
whom we will fail to reach by taking that narrow
view of how powerful an influence that is.

Let's take it deeper...

RUSH - 2112- Proverbs 22:5 AND YOU

Click Here To Image Site

Oh please, tell me that you aren't a RUSH fan, I can just hear it
now.  So the deal is, if you listen to that stuff you just can't be
a Christian, please, that's so archaic it makes my teeth hurt,
and when my teeth hurt, you can tell it in my writing!  Goodness-
how far ahead of their time is the rock band RUSH, I'm
not even sure they have a time, but of this I am certain,
they found the techno alienation of this world and made
the message of their songs speak to it, and people by the
millions and millions world wide, responded to it.  In
this one album, which came up out of the grass roots
of Canada, "2112," predicted a cold world possessed by
priests who only seek to maintain the status quo, no
matter what.  And what did the album indicate was the
hook point of that control, the freedom of people to play
music, well, it might sound simplistic but the voice of the
prophet comes in all sorts of flavors, and I take their
warning seriously as Big corporations now nearly control
every single channel of what you see and hear.

What does it mean to keep your soul?  One thing it
can't mean is give up your ability to run freely and as
fast as you can with your God!  He is thrilled at what
you try, He isn't scared by what we call limits, He is
God, and He loves gettin' stuff done that anybody
else would say, "nah, ain' no way He is behind that,"
see that's precisely what people have been saying about
the truth (prophecy) since it's inception.  Thank you God
for living as free willed people who can find the power of
your love, the power of truth, the wonder of YOU!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HgbpMDAmno

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1.03.01

Three Simple Paragraphs - Widsom, Proberbs 22:4 and You

The difference between success and no success in the online world is participation.  It's interesting because even the major "blogs" fight this same dilemma,  Dr. James C. Denison who runs the "Center for Informed Faith," which is based out of Dallas Tx has a listed membership in the hundreds of thousands- so certainly his mail list is quite a bit more extensive than ours, and yet, each day about 8 to 10 comments are
monitored into the process- participation is absolutely key but participation is invoked, isn't it(?)- meaning that we have to raise issues that are stark enough that you feel compelled to answer.

So moving quickly to the point - in Proverbs 22:4 we hear that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYpUDJLKj0

How important is it to know where you are in terms of who you are
and what you are about?  Humility in terms of who you are is possible
without believing in God, but when you add the necessary
understanding of who you are with God in the picture, will
at adds an entirely more essential dynamic to the picture. 
We're going to take this one deeper, but we wanted to get
your opinion about that and see what you think? 

Here is what this would compel me to say, Lord Jesus you show
me wisdom, in the mornings when you were praying to the Father,
and you were alone, you teach me wisdom.  More than that
you were often quoting this very scripture in your ministry;
and it's humbling to realize that.  Thank You for allowing us to
share this today, without You, we wouldn't be able to, You
are the vine, our hope is to become fit branches of the
powerful tree which Father God is the root of.

Burn Notice - Spys and Christians? You and Them

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn_Notice

"Burn Notice" a highly touted and
much well received television
series starring Jeffrey Donovan,
Gabrielle Amwar, Bruce Campbell,
and Sharon Gless.  While it sounds
like sensationalism and a reach is
it possible this show can teach
Christian's something?  Does the
public image of a spy have anything
to say to modern Christian's?  If
you take it to the ultimate, this show
which has nothing to do with the
practice of religion, actually does
speak about something that does
have to do with religion, and it says
it brilliantly. 

If you cook you know too much heat under something
for too long a time can be a disaster. While that
is obvious because we call it "burnt," isn't it
amazing in modern Christian circles how we manage
to miss it? Did God intend that you should burn;
would seem not, he covered Moses so he wouldn't
burn, and yet, God does control the cooking as we
see him using coals on the mouth of the prophet?
(Isaiah 6:6)  So it is in th popular spy drama that
we see Michael Weston getting "burnt," and of
course, it's not by God, although some zealots
could possibly say; "well you know, God is in
everything..."  (Thought you'd get a kick out of
that one...)

So wrapping this post up the point is very simple-
we're gonna have to take it deeper, because there
are a ton of angles on this one...wouldn't you agree?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g9MYBtfUDc