Husband | Dad | Pop | Follower of Jesus | Know you are loved.
Overland Park, KS
Joined September 2009
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“Whoever HEARS my word & BELIEVES him who sent me has ETERNAL LIFE and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
~ Jesus
But whoever looks INTENTLY into the perfect law that gives FREEDOM, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be BLESSED in what they do.
James 1:25
Great stuff!
Hungry & humble
Effort & attitude
Jay Wright shares the advice he gives to young athletes.
"Run your own race. Be the best that you can be every day and don't compare yourself to someone ahead of you or even someone behind you."
Your goal is to stay humble and hungry every day.
• Ego is the enemy.
• Comparison kills progress.
You control two things every single day: your effort and your attitude.
He poses 2 questions that you should ask yourself at the end of every day.
1. Did I give my best effort?
2. Did I have a great attitude?
If you didn't, be honest. Then wake up and control what you can.
Best effort. Best attitude. Complete Ownership.
(🎥 Tipping the Scales Podcast)
The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to STRENGTHEN those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. 💪🏻
2 Chronicles 16.9
Today is a gift - what are you going to do with it? 👊🏼
"Today is a blessing - what are you prepared to do with it?"
Much appreciative of @notthefakeSVP speaking to the team this morning with some great life lessons!
Holy Week reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice and victory! 🙏🏼
Q: What is Holy Week?
A: Holy Week is the period from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, marking the climactic moments of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Q: Why is it called "Holy Week"? Can time really be holy?
A: While we often associate holiness with people (saints) or places (sanctuaries), the Bible also describes time as holy. In Genesis 2:3, God sanctified (Hebrew: קדשׁ) the seventh day, making it holy because he rested from his work. This shows that time can be set apart for divine purposes.
Q: What does the Torah teach about holy time?
A: The first thing called “holy” in creation was not a place or a person, but a day—the seventh day, which God sanctified. This set a pattern of God drawing certain times into his holiness, making them uniquely his.
Q: How does Holy Week fit into this idea of sacred time?
A: Holy Week is a time uniquely dedicated to reflecting on Jesus Christ’s saving work. It is when all of his mission—his suffering, death, and resurrection—reaches its fulfillment.
Q: What key events happen during Holy Week?
A:
Palm Sunday: Jesus enters Jerusalem as the messianic Son of David.
Maundy Thursday: He fulfills Passover in the Last Supper.
Good Friday: He becomes the ultimate sacrifice, fulfilling the Day of Atonement.
Holy Saturday: He rests in the tomb, mirroring the Sabbath.
Resurrection Sunday: He rises in victory, defeating death.
Q: Why should Holy Week matter to us today?
A: Holy Week reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice and victory. It is a time for deep reflection on who he is, what he accomplished, and the ongoing gifts he gives to his people through his church.
Q: How can we observe Holy Week meaningfully?
A: By meditating on Christ’s journey, participating in worship, and embracing the grace that flows from his passion, death, and resurrection.
May Jesus bless you during these sacred days as you reflect on his love and redemption.
Jeff Manford retweeted
A quick and easy tip for building habits that last:
Pick a standard time and place to do it.
It’s easier to wake up knowing “I exercise at 4pm” than to decide each time when to fit a habit into your day.
If it’s already decided, all you need to do is show up.
Jeff Manford retweeted
Q&A on Ash Wednesday
Q: Why do Christians observe Ash Wednesday?
A: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance and reflection. It reminds us of our mortality and our need for Christ.
Q: Why do people have ashes placed on their foreheads?
A: The ashes, in the shape of a cross, are a visible sign of repentance and a reminder of the words spoken: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Q: Isn’t it strange to have ashes smeared on our heads?
A: It may seem strange, but it is a deeply meaningful act. From baptism onward, we daily practice dying to self, and Ash Wednesday is a public acknowledgment of that truth.
Q: Didn’t Jesus say we shouldn’t disfigure our faces when fasting (Matt. 6:16-18)?
A: Yes, but his warning was against hypocrisy, not visible signs of faith. If applied to Ash Wednesday, it would also forbid outward Christian marks such as cross necklaces or Bible-verse clothing. Wearing a cross—whether on our forehead, our neck, or in our front yard—is a way of proclaiming that we belong to Christ.
Q: What does Ash Wednesday teach us about life and death?
A: We remember that we, mortal creatures, beset by sin, weak and failing and falling apart, will one day join those innumerable others who have gone before us, whose bodies now lie beneath the soil. We live in repentance and faith, knowing that one day, to dust we shall return.
Q: Is Ash Wednesday only about death?
A: No. The ashes also remind us of Christ’s sacrifice. Just as the cross is traced on our foreheads, a crown of thorns was placed on his brow as he bore our sins.
Q: How does baptism relate to Ash Wednesday?
A: The same heads that bear ashes today were once washed in baptism. We are dust, but we are dust that has had water poured upon it, Spirit breathed into it, so that in Jesus we became the ever-living, ever-forgiven, ever-beloved children of our Father.
Q: What makes Ash Wednesday both strange and beautiful?
A: It is a day of contrasts—mourning our sin yet rejoicing in salvation, acknowledging our death yet remembering eternal life in Christ. It is a day to repent, reflect, and rest in the love of God.
pray without ceasing 🙏🏻
Color the ordinary black-and-white activities of your daily life with prayer.
While washing your hands or taking a drink: “Thank you, dear Father, for clean water.”
While getting dressed: “Clothe me in your righteousness, O Christ.”
While talking with a friend or stranger, silently pray: “Lord, bless and keep them.”
And, in all circumstances, one of these:
-"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (=the Jesus Prayer)
-“Lord have mercy” (=the Kyrie or Kyrie Eleison)
-“Jesus, help me.”
As a general rule, shorter prayers prayed more often are to be preferred over longer prayers prayed less often.
Punctuating your walking, talking, working, and other plain activities with brief prayers is a discipline worthy of fostering and encouraging.
This is one way we strive to do what Paul urges in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."
DISCUSSION:
-What are your favorite short prayers?
-What are other ways you try to cultivate a disciplined life of prayer?
+++++
We read 1 Thessalonians 5 today in Bible in One Year. Join our online community of Bible readers and students! For more information and to sign up, visit 1517.org/oneyear
Jeff Manford retweeted
Corporate worship is designed to cause you to love Jesus and his Word more and more, so that more of what you think, desire, say and do is shaped by that love.
Jeff Manford retweeted
Do babies and young children go to Heaven?
At 12:50 AM on a Tuesday morning, our ten-year-old son with unique needs went to be Jesus.
So, a statement like this begs the question, “Am I just wishing this to be true, or do I Biblically know this to be true?”
Meaning, is there support in Scripture that God welcomes babies (born and unborn), young children, and those with unique mental needs (meaning they may be older, but have the mind of a child) immediately into Heaven?
I absolutely believe the Bible answers this. Here are Biblical reasons why I know this to be true:
God’s Knowledge: The Lord knows every child at conception and values them. They are considered a person, known and loved by God, from the very beginning. (Psalm 139:13 - 16).
God’s Declaration: God refers to young children as “innocents”. Not that they were perfect or without a sin nature, but they were innocent of the ability to understand the need of repentance and forgiveness. (Jeremiah 19:4).
God’s Promise: In Deuteronomy, we find an unbelieving generation of Israelites being prevented from entering the Promised Land, but their children were exempt from that penalty and were able to enter (Deuteronomy 1:39).
God’s Possession: He considers all babies to be His. God condemns Israel in Ezekiel 16:21, of the wretched act of child sacrifice. “You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.”
God’s Compassion: He has compassion on all little ones and infants, and is not willing that even one of them should perish (Matthew 18:14). His grace covers them, until they realize their need of a Savior.
God’s Illustration: He used a child to illustrate what one must become like to enter His Kingdom (Matthew 18:1 -5). If infants and children would end up in Hell if they died young, He most likely wouldn’t use them as an illustration of how to enter the Kingdom.
God’s Compliment: He said children were the greatest in His Kingdom (Matthew 18:4).
God’s Blessing: Jesus blessed the little children and said the Kingdom of God belongs to them (Mark 9:13 – 16). Jesus typically didn’t bless those destined to Hell or promise them the Kingdom, unless He meant it.
David’s Assurance: David knew that he would be in heaven forever after death (Ps 23:6). He also had the assurance that his baby (that had died) would be there as well, where they would be reunited. “… I will go to him, but he will not return to me (2 Samuel 12:22 – 23).”
God’s Presence: I do not believe in a “soul sleep”. When babies, young children, and those with unique needs die; they are with the Lord immediately (2 Corinthians 5:8, Luke 23:43).
God is not silent on this topic. Scripture speaks.
Therefore, you can know with absolute confidence that you did not “lose” your baby, child, or loved one with unique needs. You didn’t lose them, because you know exactly where they are. They are perfectly and fully alive with Jesus.
Jeff Manford retweeted
A reminder that happiness is often found in small things. ❤️(🎥:@UNC)