The Bible on Power

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Power is a powerful word…the very sound of it can sometimes evoke the feeling. Here are a few of many scriptures that give meaning to the word.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…Ephesians 3:16

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Happy Sunday.

20 Amazing Bible Verses about God’s Power

 

Kinkade on the Romantic Life

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It seems to me that Thomas Kinkade was a great thinker as well as a great artist. Following are some of the thoughts he had on the romantic life:

It really doesn’t take much to make your life more romantic.

Doing a small, loving thing with beautiful panache can be every bit as romantic as committing a heroic deed.

Pay attention to what goes on in your head and heart. 

The color within us can color the world around us.

A romantic is a person who appreciates and seeks after rich and varied experiences.

Happy Saturday.

 

 

Instant Kindness

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Recently I had occasion to be in the company of some dear friends who personify kindness in all they say and do. They treated another friend and me to a night out of dinner and theater where we were all enthralled by an amazing performance of Handle’s Messiah.

When it was time to leave the theater we encountered an elderly couple making their way to the outdoors where they would be picked up by their daughter. My friends immediately took these people under their wing and spoke encouragingly to them as we waited in the cold night air for their transportation to arrive.

Now, we are a group of four of which I am the eldest at eighty-one, while my companions are still in their seventies…mere babes. The elderly couple were eighty-eight and ninety, she with a cane, and he, a rollator walker. When these dear folks were safely tucked into their daughter’s van with the help of my friends, we continued on our way to the subway which would be our means of transportation for the better part of the return home.

One of us seniors also uses a cane for temporary support and was the first to enter the slightly crowded train. As we stepped into the warmth of the subway car, four multi-cultural youths immediately and simultaneously stood up to offer us their seats.

It was the perfect ending to an evening which started with kindness and ended with the instant kindness of these four young people of various ethnic backgrounds.

It was truly a happy experience to be long remembered and I am smiling just relating it here.

 

Thomas Kinkaid on Life

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The artist, Thomas Kinkaid, known as the painter of light, is also known for his uplifting thoughts of which I share a few here:

Life offers second chances.

You’ll never know if life can be trusted until you take the risk of really living.

Approach every day of your life with dedication.

To gain a fresh perspective on your world, try looking at life through the eyes of a child.

Life, even a balanced, harmonious life, was never meant to be static and unchanging.

Life offers courage and strength and humor to cope with the inevitable negatives.

If you want little gifts of joy in your life…you may actually have to train yourself to notice them.

Life, if you have eyes to see the whole picture, brims with meaning, with purpose.

I’ll have more Kinkaid quotes in a few days.

 

Different Can Be Beautiful

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Today I discovered this rare and beautiful bird on Pinterest. This yellow cardinal was seen on an Alabama bird feeder and said to be one in a million.

We should not always expect the ordinary when the extraordinary can be within our range of vision. Have an extraordinary day.

Even More Kinkade Quotes

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It is a good thing to “live in the light”.

Schedules and routines were made to serve us, not to rule us.

Even if events don’t turn  out the way we want, we still have options and new possibilities.

Pay attention to your passions, your purposes, and your pursuits.

Small gestures, small events, small experiences often mean the most.

With every creative act, you light a fresh candle for a darkened world.

You can choose to trust in the richness and beauty of life.

The hard work of creativity includes the work of getting good enough to do what you really want to do.

It takes courage to push ourselves off center, to think in nonstandard ways.

If you want beauty in your life, you simply have to go outdoors from time to time.

 

 

Believe It Or Not

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Frederick Buechner, American writer, novelist, poet, autobiographer, essayist, preacher, and theologian is one of many authors who makes us sit up and take notice of what goes on around us as well as what goes on inside of us. Here is a recent quote from Facebook.

UNBELIEF IS AS MUCH OF A CHOICE as belief is. What makes it in many ways more appealing is that, whereas to believe in something requires some measure of understanding and effort, not to believe doesn’t require much of anything at all. 

In my opinion, in order to believe we must choose to do so. I’m so happy I made that choice.

Jesus told him, “Is it because you’ve seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed!” International Standard Version

Happy Sunday.

The Time Has Come

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Many years ago I wrote the following piece and turned it into a poem called, Metanoia For the Modern World. It was first posted in 2014.

Are we praying for ways to redeem the world or planning ways to destruct it?

Remember Saul on the road to Damascus.  God stopped him in his tracks on that hot, dusty road and struck him first with blindness and then with metanoia, a change of heart.

Saul the persecutor became Paul the saint.

God can do that in today’s world too.

World leaders need to do some soul-searching as did Saul. Are they  interested in peace or is power their real agenda?

If it is a power struggle, God, as he did with Saul, will have the final say.

The world is getting a wake-up call.

Perhaps the energy spent on threats would pay better dividends if used for promoting peace.

Who is perceived to be the most powerful?  Let them put that power to use constructively rather than destructively.

God can change the hearts of ordinary people also.

Let us each leave our own little world, the world of personal, pithy, private life and step into the big picture.

Let us all step onto the road to our own Damascus and experience metanoia.

The time has come.

More Thomas Kinkade Quotes

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Thomas Kinkade was known as the Painter of Light because of the beautiful hints of light in all of his paintings. Here are a few more of his quotes.

Feed your heart with beauty.

Somewhere out there is a unique place for you to serve, a unique life role for you to fill.

Condition yourself for joy by doing little things you love on a regular basis.

Even the most mundane tasks can be transformed into inspiring sources of joy.

Opening our eyes to beauty really means opening our hearts and imaginations.

Beauty enters your heart to all the senses. 

Keep your eyes open for the signs of spiritual reality hiding behind a familiar disguise.

Only you can make your particular contribution to humankind.

We live far more joyfully when we allow ourselves a playful spirit.

Don’t be afraid to go deep, to dig out a spiritual reality that might not be readily discernible at first glance.

More to come.