To Everything There is a Season...

Hey bloggers...as you know, I have created and have been maintaining a number of blogs for a while...not all of them are updated daily, but all nine of them are kept fairly current...

At the time of this posting, there are 360 posts on this original blog (this is the 361st), 102 posts on the blog for A Year In The Now , 46 posts on the 20/20 Vision blog, 45 posts on A Word For Winners, 22 posts on the "books" blog, 22 posts on the Now Ministries blog, 18 posts on the prayer blog, 12 posts on the LifeSkills blog, and 3 on the United Rockdale Summit blog...

Being a music lover, I've also compiled several playlists for some of the blogs. There is an eclectic mix of 100 songs on the regular playlist for this one (plus 120 on the Christmas playlist, 25 on the Thanksgiving playlist, 7 on the patriotic playlist...all of which have been used here...including one with classical music (11 songs), and one with songs by David Phelps (9) that I used when we were promoting the GPF last October. In addition, A Word For Winners has a very cool jazz collection of 70 songs, there are 26 meditative/worship songs on WHERE2OR3RGATHERED, and the Now Ministries and URS blogs share the same inspirational 10-song playlist. There's even a 37-song playlist of vintage TV and movie themes that I made for the short-lived nostalgia blog that I ran a few months ago.

As you can imagine, I've put a lot of time into creating all of this, and I've loved every minute of it. And I've already told you here on several occasions how much I enjoy connecting with all of you every day, and hearing your amazing insights and reading your positive feedback. I also love looking at the traffic feed, and seeing the different locations around the world from which people are logging on. No doubt, the internet is amazing...it is a cyber-world that is like what the Apostle John saw when he described a new earth with no sea to divide people (Revelation 21:1)...

That being said, I need to free up some time right now, and simplify things in my life a little. Several months ago I started posting excerpts from Matthew In The Now as I wrote it, thinking that doing so would be a good discipline to help me stay on task with it...and I have, in fact, completed 16 chapters of it. But I really should be much further along in the writing by now, and, as much as I subscribe to the idea that "the more you do, the more you can do", I realize that I need to focus and get this thing done. If nothing else, I want to at least paraphrase the four gospels (John In The Now is already published), but doing so is going to require a lot more unobstructed concentration than I have been allowing myself. So, for the foreseeable future, I'm not going to be posting on any of the blogs, so that I can use what free time I do have to finish MITN, and then go on to the Gospels of Mark and Luke.

You may wonder why I don't just delete all of the additional blogs, and go back to managing one, but I can't do that for two reasons. First, doing that still wouldn't free up my writing time, completely; and secondly, I've put a lot of work into the other ones, and I don't want to do away with them. I think that they should remain available online, in some capacity.

I will still communicate through Twitter and keep you updated with the tweets which already feed into all of the blogs, except for LifeSkills. I like the immediacy of Twitter, and appreciate it because it's concise and direct.

You can still post comments on any of the blogs...in fact, I hope that you do. And you can still post on the CITN blog. AYITN is also posted on there, daily.

Anyway, that's all for now...thanks for understanding, and for your participation...

I love you all!

Carpe Diem! - (repost)

Carpe diem is a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace which is popularly translated from the movie Dead Poets Society as "seize the day". The general definition of carpe is "pick, pluck, pluck off, gather" as in plucking or picking a rose or apple, although Horace uses the word in the sense of "enjoy, make use of, seize." The point is, this is the day the Lord has made…don’t waste it.

If you’re angry with someone today, just go ahead and forgive them if you can, because what you’re mad about is, more than likely, not worth it. This time next year it probably won’t even matter to you…you might not even remember it. One thing is for sure, if you knew that this was your last day on earth, you definitely wouldn’t care about some petty offense or hurt feelings.

If you’re dealing with disappointment today, get things in perspective. If you can move away from it a little and try to see the situation objectively, you’ll probably realize that the perceived disappointment may, in fact, be a blessing in disguise. Who knows? Something may have been removed from you to make room for something new and better.

If you are dreading or fearing something that is coming up, just stop worrying about it. Things are rarely as bad as they first appear, or as your anxiety makes you feel that they will be…and if it is actually a negative thing, worrying about it isn’t going to make it any better. Just deal with it when the time comes.

It’s a beautiful day, so make the decision to enjoy it and make the most of it.

Something really wonderful may be on its way to you right now. Don’t miss it. Opportunity may knock today, and if it does, you don’t want to be distracted by a lot of unnecessary noise in your head…you don’t want opportunity to have to leave a note that says, “I knocked, but no one was home so I moved on”.

Get into your day…live in every moment…Carpe Diem!

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.’ (Matthew 6:34 – The Message)

Meditations for Tax Day

That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don't pander to your students. So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it."

They handed him a silver piece. "This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"

They said, "Caesar."

"Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his." The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.

(Matthew 22:15 - 22, The Message)

When they arrived at Capernaum, the tax men came to Peter and asked, "Does your teacher pay taxes?" Peter said, "Of course."

But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. "Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?"

He answered, "His subjects."

Jesus said, "Then the children get off free, right? But so we don't upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you'll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us."

(Matthew 17:24 - 27, The Message)

And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name.

(Isaiah 45:3, AMP)

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted; But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

(Isaiah 40:28 - 31 - AMP)

MITN XVI, Verses 21 - 28

Hey bloggers...yesterday was beautiful in every way...thanks for being a part of the CITN Resurrection Celebration...thanks, also, for the comments to Judah about his ordination...I'll leave the post open for any of you who want to add something there...

I finally finished Chapter XVI of MITN last night while watching two versions of King of Kings back to back (the 1927 Cecille B. DeMille silent version was infinitely more interesting and stylish, although much less Scripturally accurate than the 1961 version)...if you happened to watch it, H.B. Warner, who played Jesus in the original version, was the actor who played Mr. Gower in It's A Wonderful Life many years later...

Anyway, here's the rest of the chapter...

21. At that time Jesus began to unveil the big picture to His disciples of what was coming. He made it clear to them that He was going to Jerusalem to submit Himself to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the very religious leaders with whom He had so often contended, even going so far as to disclose that He was going to be killed, and would be raised from death on the third day.

22. But Peter, stunned by this revelation, took Him aside to rebuke Him, privately, saying, “Don’t ever say such a thing again, Lord! There is absolutely no way that we would ever allow or tolerate something like that to happen to You!

23. But Jesus, in an effort to resist being swayed by the natural affection of a friend, turned away from Peter (both physically and emotionally) and, over His shoulder, said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance in your attempt to prevent Me from walking in My higher purpose! You have no idea what’s really happening here…your human perception can’t protect Me from the will of God!”

24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Look, if anyone really desires to be My disciple, he or she is going to have to resist and deny any attempts at self-preservation which are at odds with his/her divine destiny…or, I could put it this way…he or she is going to have to take up his or her personal ‘cross’…whatever that represents to that person… and, choosing to do the right thing above doing the easy thing, follow Me.”

25. For whoever is bent on saving the temporal life…temporal comfort…temporal security, at any cost, is potentially going to sacrifice what is eternal…or lose the better blessings of the eternal life. Likewise, whoever releases their grip on the lower luxuries of the temporal life for My sake shall find the excellence of the eternal life.

26. The bottom line is this…it is ultimately unprofitable for an individual to compromise himself (or herself) in order to get everything he or she wants, and then lose himself/herself in the process. What’s the point of gaining the whole if you have to lose your very essence…your sense of self…your purpose…your soul…to do so?

27. So see beyond the scenario of My (your/our) short-lived suffering, and realize that the Son of Man is going to come in the glory and majesty and splendor of His Father with His angels…nothing and no one can prevent it…and when that happens you’ll get everything you have coming to you as a personal gift.

28. And I’m not just placating you with platitudinous promises…the benefits of the eternal life are not held for you in the sweet by and by…I’m talking about Kingdom blessings in the now. In fact, some of you standing here are going to see it take place…your eyes will see the Son of Man revealed in Kingdom glory!"

HE LIVES!