Passing it on

 I wanted to comment about what we talked about in the last post. One of the things that I learned over the years is that, left to my own devices, I cannot change anything on my own. No matter how much I wished I could change, I could not do it myself; the power wasn't there. I have learned to allow  the Holy Spirit to control my mind. When the Holy Spirit controls my mind, then I act differently, almost without trying. It just happens. So when it comes to my kids I teach them to do this to the best of my ability. I only have them for a little while. I teach them how to make good choices to the best of my ability. What I'm trying to do is to prepare them because I know someday they are going to be put in a position to choose for themselves. I pray they will make the right decision, but, ultimately, it is their decision to make. To do that they will also need to learn to trust Him. If you know that God loves you, and is with you, and cares about you. Then you can have confidence that what is happening to you is for His glory and good. The best I think we can do is to prepare them for that day. If they screw up they will at least know where they can turn. If they learn how to allow the Holy Spirit to control their mind and are guided by the Spirit then they are in good hands and I don't have to worry about their future. Are you passing it on if so how?
Passing it on with excellence !!
Keith 

New Life

This Christian life seems hard sometimes. I fail constantly. I don't always treat people right. I judge, condemn, and ridicule them. I know that God wants me to treat them the way I want to be treated, but old habits are easy to fall back into. I must forgive them for what they do to me and I also must forgive myself for how I treat them. I need to change the way I treat them. To begin with, I used to think that just not hurting anyone today was good enough. From where I've come from that was a monumental feat.

Now I'm trying to be different and I'm sowing seeds for a new life that I want tomorrow, so it's not good enough to just not hurt someone today. Now I want to see how I can help someone today; to listen to them, to really care about them.

This is a big change for me to actually care about someone else and their concerns. I used to just worry about myself and my concerns all the time and not care about others. I'm glad for this new life and, even though it seems hard sometimes, it's a lot easier than the life I used to live. So, I will plant seeds of peace and sow a harvest of righteousness. (See James 3:18.)

Pressing on with Excellence,

Keith