Change - not by osmosis

Change is hard. And more importantly, change is hard work.

If you are reading this, and are thinking in any way that change isn't for you, then don't read any further. If you are reading this and you want to change, then click to read the full post.

I am glad that you decided to read a little more...

There are many people that want to change. They know that they need to change, and that is what they want to do, but they just don't know how to do it. Maybe they have even tried to change before and have failed. Maybe they have even failed many times. And maybe, they have given up.

But don't give up. God's desire for you is to change.

I would like to spend some time talking about the shortcomings that most people face when they truly attempt to change, and discuss what the Bible tells us about how to change. And believe it or not, the Bible does have something to say about life change. II Peter 1:3 says,

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

There is so much in this passage that it is hard to know where to begin. The next post that I do on change will begin with a breakdown of these two verses.

But for today, know that the Bible has what you need to know. It is the user's manual for human existence. But it isn't a "magic book" that you just rub on your head and *poof* you become a changed human being. And it isn't a "radioactive meteorite" either.

This is why Jesus, in talking about becoming a disciple, states, "take up your cross daily, and follow me." Taking up a cross doesn't sound easy, and taking it up daily sounds even more difficult. Change, true lasting change, only comes by hard work and discipline. But don't let this deter you. As Paul states in Phil. 1:6, "... it is God who works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

If you are interested in change, then please come back so that I can share with you what little I have learned. Maybe, by the grace of God, it will be of some help to you.

The Seed and The Soil of Education (New Learning Project Part 1)

(This is my entry for the first part of my project for my New Learning course that I am taking.) Introduction Corn Fields in Illinois I have lived the majority of my life in the Midwest: mid-state Illinois to be specific. Where I live, farming is everywhere. My grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides of my family were farmers. My dad grew up on a farm and owned farmland, well into my own adulthood. But, even if it wasn’t in the family, I still would have been surrounded by farming. You can’t go more than a mile outside of my city’s limits without encountering miles and miles of fields. Most of our highways, and even interstates, are located between acres of farmland.

This too shall pass...

Gam zeh ya'avor (Hebrew) "This Too Shall Pass" Welcome! According to Google Analytics, this is by far the most visited post that I have ever written. If someone comes here from a search engine, most of the time they are looking for " this too shall pass quote " or simply " this too shall pass " on Google or one of the other search engines. I am sure that most of the time visitors are looking for the originations of this quote, but I have to wonder, why is this quote on people's minds? Why are they pondering the passing of events? Here is my thought: It is probably because most of us have realized that the adult life is much harder than we ever imagined it to be. There is more pain and more sorrow than we had ever imagined as children, but we have learned that time keeps ticking. And as time continues to flow things pass. In fact, even the really big things and the really hard things will still pass. If you are here because you are thinking ...

The Minnesota Crime Commission wrote:

Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it: his bottle, his mother's attention, his playmate's toys, his uncle's watch, or whatever. Deny him these and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He's dirty, he has no morals, no knowledge, no developed skills. This means that all children, not just certain children but all children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in their self-centered world of infancy, given free reign to their impulsive actions to satisfy each want, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist.

HARMLESS THOUGHTS

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