Stephen Bonham: JFBC teaching pastor
Proverbs 3:5-6
Following God's perfect path, not veering off.
Stephen's life verse since high school, timeless words written by Solomon. Helps with investing wisdom into our children and grandchildren.
Three basic essentials…
A. Complete trust / submission to God, relinquish control over to God. The greatest barrier is trusting him with more than most of your heart. Can you really say that you trust God with all of your heart? Health, finances, etc.
When Peter walked on water toward Jesus.
Tozer: real faith only knows one way…either God or total collapse. No backup plan. Imagine the horror of a blind date. You get a friend to text you 30 minutes in.
B. Not lean on our own understanding. Total reliance on God. Some of us have been relying on ourselves for so long that shifting reliance to God is hard.
Working out in the world, makes us lean on our own understanding. Ways we do this.
1. Comparison, not to those around us but to God.
2. Personal success, in our career, education, popularity, as a religious teacher. But are you still relying on your own understanding.
Phil 3:4 & 7-8 humility
3. Self-sufficiency / rugged individualism. We need each other, we can't do it alone.
4. Outsourcing, childcare laundry house cleaning - let others teach our kids about God.
5. Trust issues. Problems with parent / spouse issues make trusting God hard.
C. Knowing and acknowledging God in all areas. Ever have a difference in how you acknowledge God in various areas of your life. Do practical things. Notecards or reminders on your phone.
Promise: acknowledge God in all your ways, and he will direct your paths. A latern will light your path - not off a long way, but just enough for you to trust God to walk with you on the path.
Friday: left work at 12:30. Dropped off donations at Goodwill. Grabbed a milkshake at Steak & Shake. Took a nap. Sat out in the backyard with C.
Saturday: early AM golf. Gas. Air for tires. Three thrift stores. Home. PB&J. Bought a pair of size 36 pants. Used to wear 42. Got a bunch done around the house. Organized Matthew's stuff he has yet to move. He has as much kitchen stuff as we do. Lots of bending over and moving boxes. Almost 13000 steps. Wok night. Two Hallmark Channel movies last night. I was playing on my laptop. Slept past 9 am - about ten hours. Needed it.
Over 30 in Sunday School. Three missionaries from all around the world spoke: a couple from the middle east, a guy from the far east, and a guy from the Dominican Republic. All had good and challenging messages to share.
Homemade pizza for a late lunch. Nap.
Monday: ran three miles, my first run since the Peachtree. Just about the same speed as I'd run in the Peachtree – 33:10, and average 0f 11:03 per mile. Pretty good. Sunday I was sore from all the bending over I did on Saturday, organizing the stuff M had yet to pick up.
W&MC are in Hilton Head this week with the Gilberts. They're staying right next to the 18th green where the Heritage tournament is played, near the lighthouse. MC's brother Holly and his wife Holly are about to take a 2 week road trip across the USA. Might be 2 months. They like to travel – they've been to several places already.
Home run derby. Not really a fan. Let's see those guys lay down some perfectly placed bunts. Glad Acuna nor any other Brave is in it.
I read a book by a marine who was badly injured in battle. During rehab he mentioned something that now I can't even remember, but it has me in the habit of rising early every morning either to run, lift weights, or play golf.
DENISON: research shows that "infidelity is reliably associated with poorer mental health - particularly depression / anxiety and PTSD, and relationship dissolution/divorce which adversely impacts offspring. Across 160 societies, infidelity is the single most common cause of marital dissolution."
Dr. Dilday's most famous sermon and most prophetic book were both titled "Higher Ground." In them, he called us to a civility that transcends rancor and a witness that transforms culture. NOTE: Denison delivered the eulogy at Dilday's funeral.
MIKE SCHMIDT [SABR Bio] has been advocating for an electronic strike zone for more than ten years. He says it here. He is the Phillies career leader in 37 categories. Pete Rose once said of him, "To have his body, I'd trade him mine and my wife's, and I'd throw in some cash." An all-around athlete, Schmidt was a lifeguard before professionals baseball.
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