Lowdown on "The Secret"

The NY Times bestseller list would seem to clearly suggest there are lots of folks interested in the mega-best-selling book The Secret. For those interested, I just read the most reasonable review of the Secret I can recall - and pretty funny stuff too.

Here's the link:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/mindbodyandsoul/personalgrowth/articlegh.aspx?cp-documentid=5569524&page=1

I can think many can relate to this review. We probably believe most of what's in the book, but we are prone to raise an eyebrow at many of the "testimonials". Not to give the article away, but the writer does a wonderful job of telling how she implemented everything from the book - but she still did not get her No. 1 wish. However, at the end of her month-long journey - she realized her life was much improved.

I said "bingo" as I read her article, and I think it relates back to life, business and the reality or lack thereof of the Secret for most folks. I'm thinking of the scene from the movie version of the Secret where a guy was really mad because his bike was ripped off even though he chained it up. Hogwash if you think his bike was stolen because he was sending out negative vibes to the world as evidenced by taking the precaution of locking up his bike. His bike was stolen because we live in a fallen world with some really scummy people that go around stealing things.

If we would simply implement even half of the suggestions in most any "how-to" books out there on business, finances, health, relationships, etc., we would most assuredly be well along, or at least somewhere on the bumpy road to success. But, we all raise an eyebrow at the guy that says "I Made $8,000 in my sleep" or "this is so easy, an un trained monkey could do it", or "I always get the best parking spot".

I found the article refreshing. If implemented - with conviction and real energy - the things in the Secret are helpful, and worthy of implementing. But...keep your BS meter firmly on full alert when sifting through "Testimonials". And, don't let yourself get off-track because someone chooses to exaggerate, and certainly don't give up because you do hit the big or small bumps in the road on the way to success.

Obeying the Bible

A blogger friend posted this recent article from Newsweek in which an agnostic attempted to keep every law in the Bible for a year. Here's the article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20910659/site/newsweek/page/0/

And, it got me thinking....

What if we Christians really tried to keep all of Jesus' commandments for a year? Forget everything else - just try to act and live exactly as Jesus did for a year. I think it would be profound and I think we'd see miraculous things.

Think about it...How many people try to act as Paul acted, or Peter? Or worse, how many Christians pick and choose those New Testament "commandments" they feel are most important, yet forget others. Or, how many churches spend countless hours debating how they are more exact replicas of the first century Church than the next church which is "too denominational"?

The writer of the article said his life was changed in important, measurable ways simply by attempting to obey these laws. What if we tried to emulate Jesus, the perfector of faith, for a year?

Deceit

For whatever reason, God has placed strongly on my heart the desire to be honest and not be deceitful. My business dealings run head-on into this issue daily, if not hourly. In my profession of real estate appraisal I find myself struggling to maintain a successful business and do what I feel God has called me to do in this field - keep good folks from being deceived and be honest each and every day.

Just yesterday I was literally being asked by a loan officer to be marginally deceitful as I was watching a Senate sub-committee hearing on-line about Predatory Lending Practices which are robbing people of their hard-earned home equity and threatening our entire economy. As I was watching an appraiser describe how he's pressured daily to be deceitful, I had someone asking me on the phone to be deceitful - an almost an out-of-body experience as those two events went on simultaneously.

As is so often the case, my daily Bible reading presented two scriptures right before my nose yesterday and today. I've long since given up the notion this was just some odd coincidence.

Psalm 32:2
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Leviticus 19:13
13 Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.

God has made it clear to me in Scripture and in His Spirit's prompting of my heart - He hates deceit.

Posting about Not Posting

Well, maybe a post about not posting will re-start the creative juices. Is it just me, or has blogging lost its edge? My dull edge is non-existent right now - just too busy. God bless.

Run Barrack Run

Looks like my man Barack Obama is leaning toward running for Prez. in 2008 - could be interesting between Barack, Hillary and a host of others:

http://www.barackobama.com/video/youtube/index.php

What does Eternal Friendship look like?

The words from John 15 are powerful. Jesus is my friend. The eternal Son of God, my Saviour, my King - is also my friend. What does that friendship look like? What are the requirements on my part?

John 15: 9 and following:

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

It's more than Jesus

It's too simple to just point to Jesus. There's more to it - there's doctrine, religion, church, Church, religious politics, political religion, evangelism, and the list goes on and on. Joel O'Steen and James Dobson have something in common - neither rarely mentions the name of Jesus.

I think that's largely how We - the Church - have lived for the past 2,000 years, certainly the past 100 years. We've lived, acted, worshipped and carried on as if there is much more to life than the spiritual connection to Jesus.

That's just too naive and simplistic.

God is Ever-giving

Continuing in my devotional theme from a few days ago:

God's giving never ceases - Genesis 1:29

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

While I appreciate God's blessings, I don't know if I really consider them as eternal here on this Earth, or as never-ceasing. God's creation has indeed never stopped - He laid the frame work for germination, for duplication and compounding - for Eternal Creation.

He is the Creator and He has never ceased giving us what we need, and largely even what we want.

Work of the Hoy Spirit

When Jesus left his disciples, he sent the Counselor, the Holy Spirit to help them in his absence. What did the Holy Spirit do?

John 16:5-16

1) Convicted them of their sin.

2) Guided them toward truth.

3) Speaks only words of God.

4) Prophecy.

5) Reveal Jesus' will for their lives.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

God is Merciful

God is so full of mercy that His plan included an act of mercy after the fall of man in Eden. His mercy is never-ending, just as life in Christ is never-ending. His love is merciful because it saves us even though we don't deserve saving. His patience is merciful because we commit a lifetime of sins, yet He still loves and nurtures us into a deeper relationship with Him. His creation is merciful because it never ceases - regardless of how we use or abuse it.

God is merciful. I am blessed by His mercy.

2007 Blessings!

Happy New Year friends! I'm going to start the new new year with a few small devotionals.

There are tremendous blessings in my belief because________? Hopefully, we can all meditate for a moment and fill in that blank.

1. Because God is merciful
Deut. 4:31 - 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.

2. Because God is ever-giving
Gen. 1:29 Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."

3. Because the Lord Knows Me
John 1:48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. I saw you there before Philip called you."

4. Because Jesus is my Friend
John 15:13 No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends.

5. Because the Holy Spirit will Help me.

John 14:26 But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.