A Study on Love - Edition #6

Monday, January 9th, 2006

A Study on Love – Edition #6

The three things:

• Is there a fact to believe here?


• Is there a promise to trust?


• Is there a command to obey?

What a weekend it was for my household. My brother-in-law had a birthday, pictures of my son were purchased by family, and I got to see a hockey game but missed out on the bobble-head in which I sought out. My start of the year streak still continues, which is always a good thing. Today is nine straight on the year and 21 straight overall. I am in much better spirits than last week; I really do appreciate the emails with concern of my well being. I talked to my doctor and some minor adjustments were made. I see that it is important for me to be with the body. The relationships I desire can only be made by what I sow; And by the appearance of things, my plow is rusty and hasn’t been used as much as it should have been. I have great relationships, better than 2004 for sure, but when it boils down to things, my heart desires more. I know there is the verse that says there is a man who sticks closer than a brother, but as close as God is to my heart, I still need the close relationships here on earth. God is my favorite best friend. My wife is next. But who is after that?

Leviticus 19:1-37
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

3 " 'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

4 " 'Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

5 " 'When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the LORD; that person must be cut off from his people.

9 "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

11 " 'Do not steal.
"'Do not lie.
"'Do not deceive one another.

12 " 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

13 " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
"'Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.

14 " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.

15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
"'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.

17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.

18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

19 "'Keep my decrees.
"'Do not mate different kinds of animals.
"'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
"'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

20 " 'If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD. 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.

23 "'When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.

26 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
"'Do not practice divination or sorcery.

27 " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28 " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

29 " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

30 " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.

31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

32 "'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

37 " 'Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.' "

From what I see, forgiveness is a tricky thing. It’s based on the concept of “if I did this, how would I want to be treated.” My initial response to being wronged is my grandmother clause: “knock him down and kick him for falling.” But, Christ calls me higher. God calls me higher. If I wrong someone else, I desire mercy. The person wronged wouldn’t want to give mercy, but I would desire it all the same. And because I myself love the kind and gentle road given to me, then that is how I should treat others when I am wronged. Something I found interesting in this chapter is how God gives a command and then reminds the people it is from him. 16 times in the 37 verses he says “I am the LORD.” I actually call scripture like this the “DONUT clauses.” And need I remind you, donuts are holy. DO NOT – DO NOT – DO NOT… and of course we will do them, because we are a prideful people. We tell a child to not do this or that and what do they do? They do it anyway. Adam and Eve were told the first donut and did it anyway… Anyway, I have much to do today. I am going to make an effort to be at CR tonight… so hopefully my peeps will be there. Johnny Out.

A Study on Love - Edition #5

Friday, January 6th, 2006

A Study on Love – Edition #5

The three things:

• Is there a fact to believe here?


• Is there a promise to trust?


• Is there a command to obey?

Well, today is Friday… the weekend is coming. And I have been very depressed since the start of the New Year.

Depression (noun):

• A state of feeling sad; a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide.

I wouldn’t say that I fit this bill entirely, but I can definitely see myself continuing on this road… and that is a huge concern. I don’t even like this part of town, much less the road I am on. And I have realized why I feel the way I do, in fact I realized it several days ago. But the fact of knowing didn’t change anything… which I thought it would, but it didn’t. I feel guilty. My aunt passed away and I didn’t have as close a relationship with her as I think I probably should have. And now there is nothing I can do about it.

Guilt (noun):

• Remorseful awareness of having done something wrong.


• Self-reproach for supposed inadequacy or wrongdoing.

So I am not at all sure what I need to do at this point. I have felt greatly encouraged when visitors come over. We had midweek at my place Wednesday and watched a little Rose Bowl (great game, by the way) and it was just great to be with people. Not that my son isn’t people, but the conversation with him right now isn’t all that stimulating.

Exodus 34:4-9
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."

There have been times where I will have a stray hair on me, touching my skin and it feels like a bug is on me. But there isn’t a bug, it’s a hair. Now, I said I felt guilty of not pursuing a relationship. With my mom’s, dads, and wife’s family, well there is just way too many of them to keep count, much less build deep relationships with throughout each year. I don’t think God is going to say – because you didn’t build a deep relationship with your aunt who lived in Washington State, I am sending you to hell. He forgives sin. He also punishes it. If my child where to stick his hand in the cookie jar after I told him not too, I will forgive him, but there will also be a punishment. Now, I am not going to punish his children for his misdeed, but you get the idea.

Punish (verb):

• To impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation.


• To inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation or as a deterrent.

As the saying goes, “you do the crime, you do the time.” God does abound in love and faithfulness. And sometimes the hardest thing to do as a parent is to discipline your children. My son is almost eight months old and it already feels like I discipline him. I guess that’s what they call tough love. Anyway… I guess I will leave today’s as is… Johnny Out.

25 Things to Consider

25 Things to Consider:

• Give God what's right - not what's left.


• Man's way leads to a hopeless end - God's way leads to an endless hope.


• A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.


• He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.


• In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma - but never let him be the period.


• Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.


• Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift.


• When praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty.


• Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church.


• We don't change God's message - His message changes us.


• The church is prayer-conditioned.


• WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.


• Plan ahead - It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.


• Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.


• Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.


• Exercise daily - walk with the Lord.


• Never give the devil a ride - he will always want to drive.


• Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.


• Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.


• He who angers you controls you.


• Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.


• Give Satan an inch & he'll be your ruler.


• Be ye fishers of men - you catch them & He'll clean them.


• God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.


• Read the Bible - It will scare the hell out of you.

Assessment of the DiSC Assignment

Assessment of the DiSC Assignment:

The goal that motivates The Impresser (or Ic) is to win with flair. However, you do not want to win at any cost or hurt others’ feelings. Taking shortcuts seems like cheating to you, so you avoid such behaviors. You can become impatient with those who procrastinate about getting started. At times, you can get so involved with getting a job done that you stretch the truth a bit.

Interactive styles fast-paced and people-focused

• My actions and decisions are spontaneous


• I like involvement


• I dislike being alone


• I exaggerate and generalize


• I tend to dream and get others caught up in my dreams


• I jump from one activity to another


• I work quickly and excitedly with others


• I seek esteem and acknowledgement


• I have good persuasive skills

STRENGTHS:

• Persuading


• Optimistic


• Motivating


• Enthusiastic

WEAKNESSES:

• Disorganized


• Careless


• Exaggerates


• Poor follow-through

PACE:

• Fast/Spontaneous

GOALS:

• Applause


• Involvement


• Recognition

FEARS

• Loss of prestige (noun):


• The level of respect at which one is regarded by others; standing.


• A person's high standing among others; honor or esteem.


• Widely recognized prominence, distinction, or importance.


• Social rejection

MOTIVATORS:

• The Chase


• Attention


• Opportunities to talk

IRRITATIONS:

• Routine


• Perfectionism

UNDER STRESS:

• Become superficial (adj.):


• Of little substance or significance.

DECISIONS ARE:

• Spontaneous

FOCUS:

• People

WORKPLACE:

• Stimulating


• Cluttered

GAINS SECURITY THROUGH:

• Others’ approval


• Playfulness

Under stress, I will tend to disregard it. An example of a typical response to a stressful situation from Interactive styles might be: “Hey, let’s get on to something more positive!”

UNDER STRESS YOU MAY APPEAR

• Manipulative


• Overeager


• Impulsive


• Inconsistent


• Superficial


• Unrealistic


• Wasteful of time

UNDER STRESS YOU NEED

• To get credit


• Action and interaction


• A quick pace for stimulation and excitement


• Prestige

SUGGESTIONS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AT WORK

• Take time to negotiate and clarify realistic time frames with associates in order to avoid misunderstanding and disappointment… don’t take on more than you can handle just to avoid saying “no” to someone


• Avoid exaggeration and hyperbole... be realistic in your work-related comments


• Use a simple calendar or reminder system to keep track of your commitments, appointments, and deadlines… remember that most tasks will take more time than you think is necessary


• Acknowledge that your success is often dependent upon the work of others… be sure to publicly acknowledge their contributions and thank them frequently


• Whenever possible, delegate the more detailed tasks that you are not comfortable doing… being sure to specify exactly what you want done and the time you need it and setting up a process to monitor the progress on the projects you have delegated


• Avoid relying too heavily upon your feelings and emotions… focus on the results you desire and don’t sacrifice productivity in order to please everyone


• Write things down… don’t rely on your memory for important facts and details

I would have to say that I agree with most of this. I am sure there is room for error, as with most tests, however, I do agree with the motivators. I can say that with the weaknesses, I am not disorganized. At times, I can be, but for the most part, I am a very tidy person. I guess the loss of prestige can be tied into what I feel when I don’t accomplish something. When I feel failure, I feel that I have lost the respect of others and that is a big downer. Motivators are true; however, I stifle them on a grand scale. It’s better to hear than speak and when words are many, sin is not far, as they say. I very much enjoy talking with friends. I don’t like routine and when something doesn’t fly as planned, I can be irritated. Although, if something isn’t perfect, I can, for the most part, let it slide. I don’t know about the superficial… I will have to check with some friends to see if that is in fact true. I do know I can be very much a spontaneous person, so knowing that, I try to hamper that as much as possible instead of becoming irrational.

The Kiss

He had just saved her from a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying her out of the house into her front yard, while he continued to fight the fire.

She is pregnant.

When he finally got done putting the fire out, he sat down to catch his breath and rest.

A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, "The Observer," noticed her in the distance looking at the fireman.

He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do.

As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies and kissed him just as the photographer snapped this photograph.

And people say animals are dumb.