Our Daily Bread
The devotional today spoke to me in several ways. I didn't like it... hehehe Well, there was one tidbit that I loved to read. Here is my take on the whole thing.
First, the idea of always doing your best come natural for me. I was reared that way. I usually do it, but not always. It is not always easy to do your best at work or wherever when others around you aren't really trying that hard (or at least it seems that way). We are not always objective about these things, so I try not to judge. I remember my own "deal" with the company and don't worry about other folks.
Second, I have always disliked James 4:17. I guess I have different standards in a lot of ways. It is hard for me to know what God expects from me at times and what I create in my own head. For example, I feel God wants me to be truly celibate at this point in my life so I can learn discipline and serve Him better. Yikes! Do you know what that word really means? To say it gently, it means no "relieving yourself" in addition to not having sex with another person. Yikes! God is calling me to do that while others don't think a second thing about it. Heavy sigh... A song I started a long time ago starts: "To those he's given much, much will be required of them."
Finally, I liked what I read as "assurance" in Colossians 3:25. I have a strong sense of "faireness" built into my silly head. Reading this verse reminds me that it is not up to me to always make fairness and justice happen when others sin against me. God will handle that even though I may not see it.
What is God saying to you in this devotional? Take some time and pray about it.
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole.
Movie Monday
I got to see two movies this week: Battleship and Dark Shadows.
Battleship
I described this movie as such: the lame parts were very lame and the cool parts were very cool. I am not sure there were more cool parts than lame parts. The movie was over two hours long, which I think is a little too long for this type of movie (IMHO). Some of the special effects were WAY cool. Some of the story line and editing were very lame! It was worth seeing on the big screen.
I give this movie two bear paws.
Dark Shadows
Speaking of LAME! I saw this movie in hopes of getting a few laughs out of it. They were few and far between in my opinion. The "been in a coffin for two hundred years and is now in the 1970's" thing wore thin quickly. I would have rather it been either very, very funny or like the original show. It was neither. Oh well.
I give this movie 1/2 bear paw. Yes, it was that painful.
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NOTE: I am back on Facebook. Find me and friend me if you want. I am also on Twitter @duanebear
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Could it be today?
Our Daily Bread
The end is near! Jesus is coming! Whether these messages come from Mayan writings or radio preachers, they usually make headlines. It is funny how the media responds when the predictions are incorrect!
I have to admit that I don't think about the return of Jesus nearly enough. I think part of my excuse is Paul's verse that says something like "for me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain". I like living because it is "in Christ" even though there are challenges each and every day!
I like the idea of Christ being an important visitor. You work hard before the person arrives to make sure everything is as good as it can be. Isn't that what we are supposed to do before Christ's coming?
Lord, help us to always watch and pray for your coming. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 46 is the psalm for this week. I like this one because I have used it for encouragement several times! It is strong and beautiful and confident. Just like me! hehehe Verse 10 is my favorite.
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
**********************************************************
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms.
The end is near! Jesus is coming! Whether these messages come from Mayan writings or radio preachers, they usually make headlines. It is funny how the media responds when the predictions are incorrect!
I have to admit that I don't think about the return of Jesus nearly enough. I think part of my excuse is Paul's verse that says something like "for me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain". I like living because it is "in Christ" even though there are challenges each and every day!
I like the idea of Christ being an important visitor. You work hard before the person arrives to make sure everything is as good as it can be. Isn't that what we are supposed to do before Christ's coming?
Lord, help us to always watch and pray for your coming. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Psalm Sunday
Psalm 46 is the psalm for this week. I like this one because I have used it for encouragement several times! It is strong and beautiful and confident. Just like me! hehehe Verse 10 is my favorite.
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
**********************************************************
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
History
Our Daily Bread
Yes, I am one of those guys that never really understood why we had to study history in school. It sort of follows that I didn't understand why we had to study the Old Testament in college! Oh what I learned during these studies!
Yes, viewing the history of the world and of the USA was interesting when I started applying myself to the learning. I agree it is important to remember the past so we don't repeat the bad things in the present!
The same can be said for studying the Old Testament. I can't tell you how much I learned about myself and how to live my life (and how NOT to live my life) from reading the OT. It is so amazing to me. Yes, I admit that there is a LOT of stuff to plow through to get the messages for my life. It is almost like searching for a needle in a hay stack at times. However, when I see how God made and kept his promises over and over in the OT and how the people of God handled their relationship with Him, I have to relate those things to my daily life. Yes, I said my daily life! Every day. Daily! hehehe
What history are you doomed to repeat? What history have you learned from? What history will you overcome to move forward in your life instead of living it paralyzed in fear and hopelessness?
Lord, thank you for being there for your people throughout history and forever!
Simply Saturday
Stuck
Well, the devotional hit the nail on the head again... I have been stuck. Stuck, stuck, stuck... hehehe
I don't want to go into details. I have been trying not to talk about myself as much in my entries. I want to focus on the topics and on God. Like everyday life, it is easy for "self" to creep in.
I will say this much: when you life looks too much like the movies Groundhog Days or 50 First Dates, you need to take a closer look at your life! ;-/ I have been trying to grieve over the loss of a relationship I thought God wanted me to have. Finally realizing and accepting that the man is not who you thought he was is difficult. In the grieving processing, I kept getting stuck in the denial and anger phases. I couldn't figure out why I was so sad this week. After talking about it and praying about it, I finally figured out I am in the depression or sadness stage, the last stage before acceptance. I am not a sad kind of person, so letting myself work through this is not easy for me. I am giving myself some time and space. I am doing my best to not slip back into anger or denial (which is normal, but not necessarily healthy).
God is so good to us all when we give him our lives. I also realized I have been holding on to some things because I honestly thought God asked me to. I used the example of Hosea in the Old Testament. That poor prophet had it rough at times, especially when it came to relationships! I think God knows I am sincere about my desire to follow him. I pray that my mind and heart follow through with my promises like he has with his promises to me.
******************************************************
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Guide my feet, dear Lord. Running this race in vain is NOT an option!
Yes, I am one of those guys that never really understood why we had to study history in school. It sort of follows that I didn't understand why we had to study the Old Testament in college! Oh what I learned during these studies!
Yes, viewing the history of the world and of the USA was interesting when I started applying myself to the learning. I agree it is important to remember the past so we don't repeat the bad things in the present!
The same can be said for studying the Old Testament. I can't tell you how much I learned about myself and how to live my life (and how NOT to live my life) from reading the OT. It is so amazing to me. Yes, I admit that there is a LOT of stuff to plow through to get the messages for my life. It is almost like searching for a needle in a hay stack at times. However, when I see how God made and kept his promises over and over in the OT and how the people of God handled their relationship with Him, I have to relate those things to my daily life. Yes, I said my daily life! Every day. Daily! hehehe
What history are you doomed to repeat? What history have you learned from? What history will you overcome to move forward in your life instead of living it paralyzed in fear and hopelessness?
Lord, thank you for being there for your people throughout history and forever!
Simply Saturday
Stuck
Well, the devotional hit the nail on the head again... I have been stuck. Stuck, stuck, stuck... hehehe
I don't want to go into details. I have been trying not to talk about myself as much in my entries. I want to focus on the topics and on God. Like everyday life, it is easy for "self" to creep in.
I will say this much: when you life looks too much like the movies Groundhog Days or 50 First Dates, you need to take a closer look at your life! ;-/ I have been trying to grieve over the loss of a relationship I thought God wanted me to have. Finally realizing and accepting that the man is not who you thought he was is difficult. In the grieving processing, I kept getting stuck in the denial and anger phases. I couldn't figure out why I was so sad this week. After talking about it and praying about it, I finally figured out I am in the depression or sadness stage, the last stage before acceptance. I am not a sad kind of person, so letting myself work through this is not easy for me. I am giving myself some time and space. I am doing my best to not slip back into anger or denial (which is normal, but not necessarily healthy).
God is so good to us all when we give him our lives. I also realized I have been holding on to some things because I honestly thought God asked me to. I used the example of Hosea in the Old Testament. That poor prophet had it rough at times, especially when it came to relationships! I think God knows I am sincere about my desire to follow him. I pray that my mind and heart follow through with my promises like he has with his promises to me.
******************************************************
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Guide my feet, dear Lord. Running this race in vain is NOT an option!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Guide my feet
Our Daily Bread
I don't know how many times I said this over the past two years since starting this blog -- the devotional was written for ME today! Yikes!
I loved the verse at the end of the devotional:
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
For those of you that don't know, I sang a solo recently called "Guide my Feet"! What a coincidence! No, it is not a coincidence. God works in mysterious ways. To be frank (and I usually am), I have been a little down this week as some plans my heart made are never going to happen. I sort of knew that you have to go through a grieving process when dealing with things like this, but sort of didn't. I decided that I will take it easy on myself and let myself go through this process (though being a little sad is soooo not my style). The most important things are what the devotional talked about: committing my way to the Lord and trusting God in all things.
Lord, please guide my feet regardless of where my heart might want to go. Running this race in vain is NOT an option.
Foodie Friday
My dinner group is having our first summer cookout on Sunday night. I told them I would bring the baked beans. Well, I can't take just any baked bean recipe. I found this one that I will modify somehow. Take a look.
Five bean casserole
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound bacon
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 (15 ounce) can butter beans
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans,
drained
1 (28 ounce) can baked beans
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. Saute onion in bacon fat; add the brown sugar, mustard, garlic powder, salt and vinegar. Cook covered on low heat 20 minutes.
4. In a four quart baking dish, combine the bacon, onion mixture, butter beans, lima beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and baked beans. Mix well, and bake covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake 30 to 45 minutes longer.
I think I will substitute some kind of sausage for the bacon, maybe andouille or chorizo. I will probably use fresh garlic instead of powder. I will let you know how it turns out!
****************************************************
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Guide my feet, dear Lord. Running this race in vain is NOT an option!
I don't know how many times I said this over the past two years since starting this blog -- the devotional was written for ME today! Yikes!
I loved the verse at the end of the devotional:
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
For those of you that don't know, I sang a solo recently called "Guide my Feet"! What a coincidence! No, it is not a coincidence. God works in mysterious ways. To be frank (and I usually am), I have been a little down this week as some plans my heart made are never going to happen. I sort of knew that you have to go through a grieving process when dealing with things like this, but sort of didn't. I decided that I will take it easy on myself and let myself go through this process (though being a little sad is soooo not my style). The most important things are what the devotional talked about: committing my way to the Lord and trusting God in all things.
Lord, please guide my feet regardless of where my heart might want to go. Running this race in vain is NOT an option.
Foodie Friday
My dinner group is having our first summer cookout on Sunday night. I told them I would bring the baked beans. Well, I can't take just any baked bean recipe. I found this one that I will modify somehow. Take a look.
Five bean casserole
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound bacon
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 (15 ounce) can butter beans
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans,
drained
1 (28 ounce) can baked beans
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. Saute onion in bacon fat; add the brown sugar, mustard, garlic powder, salt and vinegar. Cook covered on low heat 20 minutes.
4. In a four quart baking dish, combine the bacon, onion mixture, butter beans, lima beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and baked beans. Mix well, and bake covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake 30 to 45 minutes longer.
I think I will substitute some kind of sausage for the bacon, maybe andouille or chorizo. I will probably use fresh garlic instead of powder. I will let you know how it turns out!
****************************************************
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Guide my feet, dear Lord. Running this race in vain is NOT an option!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Home where I belong
Our Daily Bread
Contemporary Christian music started its rise to popularity when I was in college. Yes, I am sort of old (but I digress...). It is hard to think of Amy Grant being in her 50's! BJ Thomas of "Randrops keep fallin on my head" fame recorded a song called "Home where I belong". It talked about his desire and longing for heaven, his final home.
The devotion today gives the passage from John 13:36 - 14:4 where Jesus explains to his disciples about his death and the life ever after in heaven with him. It is a beautiful passage. Very comforting and very true! If it wasn't, he would have told us so!
The promise of heaven is not the only promise God gave us. What promises has he made to you? Are you living in that promise believing it will happen when the time is right?
Lord, help us to always rest in your blessed promises!
Technology Thursday
Not much going on with the technology front. Smart phones, blah, blah, blah. Tablets, blah, blah, blah. iPhone 5 rumors, blah, blah, blah! hehehe
One big announcement is the IPO of Facebook. They estimate the company will be worth 16 billion dollars!
I have to admit that my family talked me into getting back on Facebook after a 2.5 year absence. It is OK. I tried locking down my account yesterday. Security and privacy concerns were my two biggest problems with the site. Plus, who has time for all that stuff?
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Contemporary Christian music started its rise to popularity when I was in college. Yes, I am sort of old (but I digress...). It is hard to think of Amy Grant being in her 50's! BJ Thomas of "Randrops keep fallin on my head" fame recorded a song called "Home where I belong". It talked about his desire and longing for heaven, his final home.
The devotion today gives the passage from John 13:36 - 14:4 where Jesus explains to his disciples about his death and the life ever after in heaven with him. It is a beautiful passage. Very comforting and very true! If it wasn't, he would have told us so!
The promise of heaven is not the only promise God gave us. What promises has he made to you? Are you living in that promise believing it will happen when the time is right?
Lord, help us to always rest in your blessed promises!
Technology Thursday
Not much going on with the technology front. Smart phones, blah, blah, blah. Tablets, blah, blah, blah. iPhone 5 rumors, blah, blah, blah! hehehe
One big announcement is the IPO of Facebook. They estimate the company will be worth 16 billion dollars!
I have to admit that my family talked me into getting back on Facebook after a 2.5 year absence. It is OK. I tried locking down my account yesterday. Security and privacy concerns were my two biggest problems with the site. Plus, who has time for all that stuff?
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Be ourselves
Our Daily Bread
Do you remember, like me, times when you acted one way when around one group of folks, but acted another way around a different group of folks? Peer pressure maybe? Always being yourself and doing the right thing is not easy.
Even Peter (Cephas) had a problem with this! The Rock on which the Church was built had this problem? How am I supposed to be faithful all the time? The key is relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength. It is amazing how well this works! Who knew! ha! Just kidding!
I have been very conscious of being careful of the words coming out of my mouth and the thoughts in my silly head the past few weeks. I made some mistakes about how I said some things and they were not well received (if received at all). I spoke the truth. I did not speak the words in love. I was not being my true self, the self that God called me to.
Have you had that issue? What are you doing about it?
Lord, help me always listen to your Spirit to guide my feet and speak in love.
Workout Wednesday
I decided to change my Wednesday topic to Workout Wednesday. I was tired of writing about me almost every day of the week in addition to longer entries about this silly bear on Wednesday and Saturday. Heavy sigh... I decided to write about working out and eating healthier. I am not an expert. I want to share some of the things I learned the past six months. I need to thank mi tigre for his inspiration for some of this!
I mentioned in my blog entries the past few months that I am allowed to work out again after almost four years of having many physical limitations (not lifting more than 15 pounds, not bending over, sleeping at a 45 degree angle, etc.).
What am I doing now? I am trying to vary my exercise. That is my important point for this week. Find several things that you like to do so you don't get burnt out with your workouts. For me, I walk, run, Bowflex, boot camp sessions, regular gym workouts occasionally, tennis, recumbent bike and some crossfit routines. That is some variety! I will have trouble keeping myself motivated at times. I have lost around 30 pounds and about four inches around the waist so far. I want to keep it going so I can meet my health goals. Most importantly, I want to establish a lifestyle that I can maintain the weight loss when I reach my goals. Whew! I can do this! You can, too! ;-)
I will write more about each workout and eating habits next week, starting with pre-workout supplements.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Do you remember, like me, times when you acted one way when around one group of folks, but acted another way around a different group of folks? Peer pressure maybe? Always being yourself and doing the right thing is not easy.
Even Peter (Cephas) had a problem with this! The Rock on which the Church was built had this problem? How am I supposed to be faithful all the time? The key is relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength. It is amazing how well this works! Who knew! ha! Just kidding!
I have been very conscious of being careful of the words coming out of my mouth and the thoughts in my silly head the past few weeks. I made some mistakes about how I said some things and they were not well received (if received at all). I spoke the truth. I did not speak the words in love. I was not being my true self, the self that God called me to.
Have you had that issue? What are you doing about it?
Lord, help me always listen to your Spirit to guide my feet and speak in love.
Workout Wednesday
I decided to change my Wednesday topic to Workout Wednesday. I was tired of writing about me almost every day of the week in addition to longer entries about this silly bear on Wednesday and Saturday. Heavy sigh... I decided to write about working out and eating healthier. I am not an expert. I want to share some of the things I learned the past six months. I need to thank mi tigre for his inspiration for some of this!
I mentioned in my blog entries the past few months that I am allowed to work out again after almost four years of having many physical limitations (not lifting more than 15 pounds, not bending over, sleeping at a 45 degree angle, etc.).
What am I doing now? I am trying to vary my exercise. That is my important point for this week. Find several things that you like to do so you don't get burnt out with your workouts. For me, I walk, run, Bowflex, boot camp sessions, regular gym workouts occasionally, tennis, recumbent bike and some crossfit routines. That is some variety! I will have trouble keeping myself motivated at times. I have lost around 30 pounds and about four inches around the waist so far. I want to keep it going so I can meet my health goals. Most importantly, I want to establish a lifestyle that I can maintain the weight loss when I reach my goals. Whew! I can do this! You can, too! ;-)
I will write more about each workout and eating habits next week, starting with pre-workout supplements.
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Unbelievable....
Our Daily Bread
Most folks that know me know that I have been through a lot with my eyes the past four years. The devotional this morning talked about the challenges the writer went through with his! Needless to say, I could relate!
Whether you see God as far off or see God as close to you and involved in your daily life, it is important that you see God in some way! For me, there have been times when God seems far away. It is important to remember who moved! It wasn't God! hehehe Most days, it seems that God is close to me and very involved in my daily life. I am so thankful and amazed that the God of the universe can take time to think about me and talk to me. Wow! Praise God!
Lord, help us to always see you and to know you love us!
Teaching Tuesday
The last week of our D1 class is aimed at getting us involved with our church by using our gifts. Very cool! We have a pot luck dinner (at my house this year), our lesson and communion. It should be a great night.
My prayer for you is that you will study God's Word in some way, shape or form so you can find your spiritual gifts and use them for God's glory!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
Most folks that know me know that I have been through a lot with my eyes the past four years. The devotional this morning talked about the challenges the writer went through with his! Needless to say, I could relate!
Whether you see God as far off or see God as close to you and involved in your daily life, it is important that you see God in some way! For me, there have been times when God seems far away. It is important to remember who moved! It wasn't God! hehehe Most days, it seems that God is close to me and very involved in my daily life. I am so thankful and amazed that the God of the universe can take time to think about me and talk to me. Wow! Praise God!
Lord, help us to always see you and to know you love us!
Teaching Tuesday
The last week of our D1 class is aimed at getting us involved with our church by using our gifts. Very cool! We have a pot luck dinner (at my house this year), our lesson and communion. It should be a great night.
My prayer for you is that you will study God's Word in some way, shape or form so you can find your spiritual gifts and use them for God's glory!
Let go, my friends! God will be there to catch you and hold you in his loving arms!
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