The Plumbline

Always, constantly, no matter what - three "timeless" commands. Always gives absolutely no room for "sometimes".  Constantly gives no space for "once in a while".  No matter what includes the good and the bad.  In none of these words is there any implied "if I feel like it", or "maybe if the circumstances are just right".  In fact, there is little "wiggle room" at all - celebration, giving thanks and prayer are to be continual, unending, and "non-circumstance-based".   Celebrate always, pray constantly, and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 VOICE) Celebrate always.  Ever notice how easy it is to celebrate the home run that brings three other runners into home base, securing the "win" for the team?  There is a whole lot of revelry when this happens.  On the other hand, we don't s...

" Action is the foundational key to all success ." (Pablo Picasso)  If this statement is true, then it stands to reason that the exact opposite of this hypothesis is also true: "Inaction is the foundational key to all lack of success." Would this be true?  No.  There are times when "inaction" is the best "action" - yielding a good result (which is one way we label "success" in our lives).  There are also times when action can be totally in the wrong direction, yielding something less than "successful" which we spend a great deal of time "undoing" in life.  So, I have to disagree with Picasso a little here - action in and of itself is not the foundation to success - it is taking the right action which makes the results more certain! So, my son, follow your father’s direction,  and don’t forget what your mother taught you—k eep their teachings close to your heart;  engrave them on a pendant, and hang it around your...

Ever start stuff and then somewhere along the way it never quite makes it to "finished"?  I have lots of these projects!  I wanted to learn to crochet - well that isn't gonna happen since I live in Arizona and would never wear one thing I could make!  I wanted to learn to paint with water colors - another wayside project abandoned somewhere between learning to sketch and outline and actually having the talent to do it!  I wanted to learn how to take care of a car's engine - I got about ten percent into this one when I discovered these things are way too complicated anymore for me to do more than drive it to the local Jiffy Lube for an oil change!  I guess we all have those "start" and "stop" moments in life - when we realize we bit off more than we could chew, or just plain didn't know what we were getting into.  What isn't up to us "getting through" is this thing called "salvation".  You see, God began that work, so we...