paravanes:meditations

"Once Saved, Always Saved."  Is this belief A.  a faithful trust, or B. a prideful arrogance?

I was saddened today when I read about yet another "Stand Your Ground " related incident in the southern U.S. state of Florida. The exchange between two men in a parking lot led to the death of one and the (possible) criminal prosecution of the other. The two men argued over a handicapped parking space. I don't normally post about political/social conflicts in the United States because those topics don't normally include ideas I feel led to explore on this blog. Others write very well on those topics. Also, I have readers in other countries who may not be very interested in domestic politics in the U.S. At times, however, there are overlaps between my reasons for writing and managing this blog (Trust the God who is worthy of your love) and what shows up in my news feeds on other platforms. I don't personally know any of the people involved in this tragedy and my knowledge of the event is limited to news reports. I'd like to share a few thoughts about the ...

There is no single correct answer to the July Week 2 quiz. There are, however, a few things to consider. If you had no problem praying for five minutes for each of the last five days, congratulations! Continue to enjoy conversing with God. If you had a problem or difficulty praying for five minutes for each of the last five days, and if you define yourself as a Christian or a Christ-follower, consider these things: 1. How important is it for me to listen to what God has to say to me, to me only , on a daily basis? 2. Am I trusting other people to tell me what God has to say to me? Is this why I feel prayer can be put on hold or ignored? 3. Where do I lose the five minutes of my day that can be spent on prayer? Possibilities are: gaming, TV, talking/texting on my phone, general lack of planning, daydreaming, or some form of mindless time wasting that I can't account for? 4.  Do I believe reading the Bible is a substitute for praying? Some people believe this, but there i...

Identify five minutes in each day you can dedicate to prayer.  Pray for five minutes for the next five days. Why did it work, or why didn't it work?

Option B is the correct answer. Why? Imagine this: an all-powerful being takes you back into time and outlines all of the reasons why someone did what they did. Then, the being explains who helped them, what motivated and made all of the connections that led the parties to act. Then, the being explains to you all of the illness, dysfunction, and pain that motivated someone to harm you. You now have all of this information. What will you do with this information? You have two options: you can pursue revenge or you can move forward. If you pursue revenge, all of the energy of your life will be directed to responding to the illness, dysfunction, and pain created by someone else. Whatever path you were on (a path to happiness, wholeness, pursuing a goal or a dream) will be permanently altered. You will not be  in control of your life's direction. You will have given that control away to the person who harmed you. In fact, you will now be taken down the same road they were trave...

When I encounter an unexpected situation, do I pursue Option A or Option B? Option A:  Why did this happen to me? Option B: How do I move forward? Hint: Past events cannot be altered.