A new heart

Our Daily Bread
Nah, we don't need no stinkin' old nasty heart!  We need a new heart!  hehehe

I found the message in the devotional to be pretty basic in my understanding of being a child of God -- he gives us a new heart when we turn our old one over to him!  The thing that surprised me is the scripture passage used to illustrate the point.  It comes from the Old Testament!  I thought a scripture passage quoting Jesus would have been the scripture passage.  Check out Ezekiel 36:26-31 

Do you see what happens as a result of God giving us a new heart?  We change!  We change from the inside out!  How cool is that?  We become his people when we allow him to give us a new heart and a new focus in life.  A life of the beloved!

Lord, thank you for giving us a new heart if we will only ask!  

Witness Wednesday
I started a new book last night called The Life of the Beloved.  I will write more about it as I read it.  It is short, so I will have it done next week.  I love the premise of each child of God being "beloved" and that we should all claim that status each day.  We have a saying at church for ourselves and for others when they are being difficult "Duane, you are God's beloved child in whom he is well pleased".  It is hard to be mad at yourself or at another person when you frame things in that manner!

Other than that, I have thinking a lot about overcoming fear this week.  I realized my fears were stifling some things in my life.  I am working on releasing my fears over to God as I recognize them.  My strategy is to pray about what my fears, then release them to God.  The following saying is a big reason for me to do this:


"Have confidence in your relationships, and avoid suffocating people out of fear."

Wow!  I am a confident, trusting person, almost to a fault.  I have to be careful to not let fear keep me from being the person I need/want to be.  I am praying about that...

Other Stuff
My best friend and I texted several times about the Apple announcement scheduled for next week.  The news conference is supposed to be the announcement for the iPad3 tablet.  We will see.  My joke with him is: "I don't want rumors.  I want hardware!".  hehehe  I plan to buy one.  He will inherit my original iPad (keeping it in the family).

I ran an errand after work, then spent the evening at home.  I had come nice conversations with mi tigre.  Talked to my mother.  I am going to visit her and my aunt on Saturday.  I also returned some emails and did a few things around the house.

I think I worked out a little too hard yesterday.  I am only doing my Bowflex routine today.  Whew...  I can tell a different in my body in less than two weeks on the Bowflex.  I am excited about that.

I plan to read after work and before D1 class tonight.  I might be able to finish the latest book.  I have another one on my Kindle to read next.  ;-p

Let go, my friends!  God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!