~pt. 2~DONKEY TRACKS"
~~
from: The White Donkey Society
January
19,
2005
~TRAILS of LIVING~
The Laws
Of The Lighthouse by Max
Lucado
The greatest day of lists is still New Year's Day. And the number
one
list is the list I call the Laws of the Lighthouse.
The Laws of the
Lighthouse contain more than good ideas, personal
preferences, and honest
opinions. They are God-given, time-tested truths
that define the way you
should navigate your life. Observe them and
enjoy secure passage. Ignore them
and crash against the ragged rocks of
reality.
The wise captain shifts the
direction of his craft according to the
signal of the lighthouse. A wise
person does the same.
Herewith, then, are the lights I look for and the
signals I heed:
- Love God more than you fear hell.
- Once a
week, let a child take you on a walk.
- Make major decisions in a
cemetery.
- When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
-
Succeed at home first.
- Don't spend tomorrow's money today.
-
Pray twice as much as you fret.
- Listen twice as much as you
speak.
- Only harbor a grudge when God does.
- Never outgrow
your love of sunsets.
- Treat people like angels; you will meet some
and help make some.
- 'Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than
on the side of
scrutiny.
- God has forgiven you; you'd be wise to
do the same.
- When you can't trace God's hand, trust his
heart.
- Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
-
Don't feel guilty for God's goodness.
- The book of life is lived in
chapters, so know your page number.
- Never let the important be the
victim of the trivial.
- Live your liturgy.
To sum it all
up:
Approach life like a voyage on a schooner. Enjoy the view. Explore
the
vessel. Make friends with the captain. Fish a little. And then get off
when you get home
~TRAILS
of LIFE~
Free From Fear
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I am walking on a wire. I tiptoe in
through the fire. Never looking down to see that I am walking on a wire. The pressureâs
getting higher. But I donât look around. Itâs so far to the ground (âWire,â words by Mark Lee/music by
Third Day, 2004 Consuming Fire Music.)
I can identify with
the lyrics from this song by Third Day. They capture that dreaded feeling that
sweeps over us when we become so focused on performance that it leads to
fear.âWhat if I donât get that project done on time?â âWhat if I fail this
test?â âWhat if people see Iâm really not that capable after all?â âWhat if . .
. â You get the point.
![]()
In a culture thatâs obsessed with being the best
(see American Idol or Survivor), itâs easy to believe that youâre
only as good as your last job review from your boss or grade from your prof. But
thatâs a lie. God never
wanted us to perform for Him out of fear. He wants us to live for Him in true
freedom.
Solomon captured that
inspiring truth in Proverbs 3. He wrote of God who âlaid the earthâs
foundationsâ and âset the heavens in placeâ (v.19). We can have the confidence
that this great God has the power to control all thingsâand He loves and
protects us by His divine strength!
By following His wisdom, the wise king
wrote, âYou will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumbleâ
(v.23). Whatâs more, we can take his advice: âHave no fear,â and rest in the
fact that âthe Lord will be [our] confidenceâ (vv.25-26). This perfect prescription for
being freed from the fear that comes from living in performance mode requires
two things: acknowledging God as our ultimate source of strength and choosing
His wisdom over our own ways.
In that place, freedom is found and we no longer fear falling off that
wire. âTom Felten
~TRAILS
of SCRIPTURE~
10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge
the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)
The Amazing Seed
Seeds are one of
the most fascinating and miraculous aspects of God's creation.
Seeds
produce life. Everything begins with a seed. Seeds are like small
universes, with great futures mapped out within their molecular and cell
structures.
Varying greatly in size and shape, these starters of life
can survive for incredible periods. An orchid seed, for instance, is among
the smallest known (requiring a magnifying lens to see it), while the coconut is
one of the largest. Although most seeds can live up to a decade, life
spans have been known to range from fifty years to centuries.
Indian lotus
seeds have proven to be vital after two hundred years. Amazingly, live
seeds have been discovered in the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings.
Newspaper accounts of the find reported that the seeds were still alive after
lying dormant for four millennia.
Did you know that approximately 70 percent
of our food comes from seeds like corn, wheat, rice, barley, rye, peas, beans,
soybeans, peanuts and oats? Much of the remainder of our food comes from
animals that are fed on seeds.
Our Lord Jesus, the Creator of seeds,
frequently mentioned seeds and used them often in his object lessons. He
compared the kingdom of
Heaven to a
mustard seed, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man
took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your
seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree,
so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches" (Matthew
13:31-32,
NIV).
He also explained another parable to His disciples: "The one who sowed
the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed
stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and
the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the
harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it
will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels,
and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do
evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew
13:37-43,
NIV).
-- Bill Bright
~TRAILS of PRAYER~
Gracious
giver of all good gifts, please bless me with
wisdom today. Let me
reflect your will and live for your glory
in all my decisions. Let your
Kingdom guide my heart as I make
my choices and have your Spirit lead me in
your ways. I
confess, Father, that I cannot guide my own steps without
your
help. So grant me wisdom this day. I pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
~TRAILS of a RIDER of
GRACE~
Thank you so much for your prayers. I have been
having physical problems today.
In the Agape Love of Jesus Christ,
Jimmy
http://www.youens.com/mccoy/
"The White Donkey Society"
Internet Ministry of Grace for those
that are disabled both physically & spiritually.
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