"If you won't take seriously what Moses wrote, how can I expect you to take seriously what I speak?" ~~Jesus
"If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?" ~~Jesus
He permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, James, and John. They entered the leader's house and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: "Why all this busybody grief and gossip? This child isn't dead; she's sleeping." Provoked to sarcasm, they told him he didn't know what he was talking about. Mark 5:37-40
He can keep me on my feet. I will never fall when I am in Him. I will stand tall in His bright presence. I will do the happy dance for sure and celebrate without end. There is no blame or fault finding in Him.
He is able. And He will.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 1:24
passionately patient. I go after the patience in new and deep ways. There aren't enough containers to hold the patience that is mine through the HOLY Spirit.There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans5:1-5
Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves hits a fourth inning home run against the Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field on April 15, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. All uniformed team members are wearing jersey number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.
It's obvious, of course, that he didn't go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That's why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people's sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed. Hebrews 2:16-18
Bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. 1 Peter 3:12
"And now they're at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29 MSG)
For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 1 Peter 3:10
"Count on this: The wicked won't get off scot-free, and God's loyal people will triumph." ~~King Solomon (Proverbs 11:21)
"The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice." ~~Jesus
"School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it!" ~~Apostle Paul (Colossians 2:7) via Colossians | YouVersion.
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
- SON: ‘Daddy, may I ask you a question?’
- DAD: ‘Yeah sure, what it is?’ replied the man.
- SON: ‘Daddy, how much do you make an hour?’
- DAD: ‘That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?’ the man said angrily.
- SON: ‘I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?’
- DAD: ‘If you must know, I make $50 an hour.’
- SON: ‘Oh,’ the little boy replied, with his head down.
- SON: ‘Daddy, may I please borrow $25?’
The father was furious, ‘If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.’ The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door. ‘Are you asleep, son?’ He asked. ‘No daddy, I’m awake,’ replied the boy. ‘I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier’ said the man ‘It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $25 you asked for.’
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. ‘Oh, thank you daddy!’ He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. ‘Why do you want more money if you already have some?’ the father grumbled. Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,’ the little boy replied. ‘Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.’
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time s lip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.
"If Tyre and Sidon had been given half the chances given you, they'd have been on their knees long ago, repenting and crying for mercy." ~Jesus
At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn't find the body of the Master Jesus.
They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?" Then they remembered Jesus' words. via Luke 24 MSG | YouVersion.
All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. Ephesians 1:20 via Ephesians | YouVersion.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
King's last words on the balcony prior to his assassination were spoken to musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform that night at an event King was attending: "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty."
Then, at 6:01 p.m., April 4, 1968, a shot rang out as King stood on the motel's second floor balcony. The bullet entered through his right cheek, smashing his jaw, then traveled down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder.
via Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole." ~~Jesus
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like .... a sense of compassion in the heart. Galatians5:19-26
"Take your stand with God's loyal community and live, or chase after phantoms of evil and die." ~~King Solomon (Proverbs 11:19)
It's easy to join.
There are a million reasons to say no, but few reasons to stand up and say yes.
No requires just one objection, one defensible reason to avoid change. No has many allies--anyone who fears the future or stands to benefit from the status quo. And no is easy to say, because you actually don't even need a reason.
No is an easy way to grab power, because with yes comes responsibility, but no is the easy way to block action, to exert the privilege of your position to slow things down.
No comes from fear and greed and, most of all, a shortage of openness and attention. You don't have to pay attention or do the math or role play the outcomes in order to join the coalition that would rather things stay as they are (because they've chosen not to do the hard work of imagining how they might be).
And yet the coalition of No keeps losing. We live in a world of yes, where possibility and innovation and the willingness to care often triumph over the masses that would rather it all just quieted down and went back to normal.
Yes is the new normal. And just in time.
via Seth's Blog: The coalition of No.
"The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance." ~~Jesus
"Stay at one home, taking your meals there, for a worker deserves three square meals. Don't move from house to house, looking for the best cook in town." ~~Jesus
"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Word and you will only have trivialized yourself." ~~Jesus
"The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath. He's in charge!" ~~Jesus
Love isn't always 'me first'. 1 Corinthians 13
After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." Luke 3:21-22
It is as if I have been traveling across a desert. A very dry and weary desert. I am so hungry. I am very thirsty for my God. I have worked myself up to it. I just thirst after God. I can't get enough of Him.
What seemed like an eternity since the Atlanta Braves made the final out against the Phillies is now in the past and fans can only look towards the upcoming season now. Which players emerge like Freddie Freeman did last season? Which players succumb to injuries for most of the year as Jason Heyward did? Do guys like Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino break out in 2012? We'll know the answers to these questions and more in the near future.
On Sunday morning, Braves pitchers and catchers reported to Orlando for the first official team meet and to get a little work in. Many members from the roster showed up a few days early, most notably Jason Heyward and Chipper Jones. We have tweet updates, photos and some newsworthy bits after the page jump...
via Atlanta Braves Report To Spring Training (FINALLY!) - FairWeather Report - SB Nation Atlanta.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
The path of right-living people is level. The Leveler evens the road for the right-living. Isaiah 26:9
Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. Ephesians 1:7-10
Love always looks for the best. 1 Corinthians 13
We have to do more than pass out this blog and pray for results. We (I) all need education, coaching, and practice to understand how agile differs from traditional methods. Business groups will need even more attention as we learn how and why our roles will change — take great pains to explain what value agile will bring us, and make sure we accept the role of owners. Do we own speed? Do we own agility? We also need to look for the right initiatives to attempt to speed things up — we should seek those that are not already rigidly defined or too complex, and avoid complex integration, dependencies, and mission-critical efforts in our attempts. Of course, simplicity and usability also help here. If is too complex, can we simplify it? That will help speed delivery and support radically.
Our culture can propel or kill new ideas. We should beware technical and business factions that don't want the change that agile brings — for example, will staff that consider working in an agile world consider it to be an incorrect methodology? Will businesspeople not want to participate in faster projects because they are too busy? We have more options with our technical world, but if we've done everything we could in explaining to stakeholders how agile can add business value and they still don't buy it, we may need to move on — it may be that the business domain does not require agile — or start our approach with speedier transitions like a water-scrum-fall approach with more work in the water and fall parts of the process. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
Is agile right on huge, monolithic applications that change infrequently? Probably not. Advanced agile organizations seem to set up multiple scrum and traditional teams to deal with large, monolithic apps. If requirements are stable, we should consider sticking with what we have done for years if it's working and the business is not complaining. Agile techniques seem to shine where innovation and changing requirements are part of the business model. We have lots of examples of that. Where stability is the norm, agile may not be the right answer. We should also be careful to least ask the question. The lack of complaints may only reflect a business assumption that technology approaches are always slow. That may not be fair but it could be the perception.
Improvement of any kind requires that we understand our business partners are today and where they want to be in the future and that we muster the right human, financial, and political resources to ensure success. We should focus on value for the business first, establish how we will create value, and set proper goals. When we know the goal, we can define outcomes against those goals, and measure success accordingly. Driven by business-value priorities, we will need to assess our approach using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Here is a way to think of change. Improve or transform?
"We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him." ~~Oswald Chambers
This is why it is said: Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. –Ephesians 5: 14-20
We had a change management call on Friday for our Individual Giving and Charitable Estate Planning eCRM implementation. Here is a pretty important slide about what is important. Do you agree?
