Hello everyone. As I have been scrolling through my old messages, I am amazed at the sheer volume of messages and resources that I’ve shared with you over the years! It’s been hard to select one to reshare. I hope this older message ministers to you. I’ll add my new comments in blue. In His Grace, 🙏
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2021 7:22 AM
Good morning ladies! I pray that you will be encouraged by these resources and also receive good guidance. With love and prayers, ❤️🙏
1. I don’t remember where I read this story…a very successful Hollywood agent was dying. Because aging and death are tabooed subjects amongst Hollywood’s elite, the rich and famous; this well-known agent to the stars didn’t want anyone to know about his illness or that he was dying. He made it clear on his will that he was not to have a public funeral or announcements made about his death. What a tragedy it is to be so concerned about people’s opinions that this famous agent didn’t even want people to know that he has died!
This TSC devotional reminded me of this Hollywood agent that I read about.
https://260journey.com/what-happens-after-we-die/
(I just checked the link and this devotional is no longer available. You’ll have to wait until it gets there. You could check out their other recent ones. They are available on the link.)
Larry King is mentioned in this devotional. Larry King interviewed Billy Graham in 1988 and 2018. I’m glad that Larry King had opportunities to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ from one of the most influential evangelists of the century.
Here’s the interview from 1988. It’s longer and they took questions from the callers, and Billy Graham’s answers were fascinating.
Here is their interview in 2018.
I’m currently watching this documentary about Billy Graham that came up on my YouTube. It was created to honor the 5th year anniversary of his passing. I love seeing him and his wife when they were young and beautiful! They looked like classic old-Hollywood movie stars. I’ve read his autobiography and her biography. Both books are amazing and I learned so so much! I highly recommend reading them.
https://youtu.be/0NhgPoCs-Uw?is=NUJswDBlWr8r6cyv
Speaking of Hollywood celebrities, I just read this article about a former SNL cast member who gave out audio bibles on cassette tapes to the members on SNL. Wow. I watched her on SNL reruns and always thought she was very good. It’s nice to know that she reached Norm MacDonald, and even Johnny Carson through her connections to them before they passed away.
2. It is a frustrating thing to speak with people who believe and accept contently, that once you die, that is the end – that their life is no more and they cease to exist. They are law-abiding, decent and productive people in society too. My frustration leads me to do one thing that I know will work after all human efforts have failed – PRAY. By the way, I follow this PRAY outline for intercession. It’s easy to remember and provides good guard rails.
P = Praise for who He is; for what He has done.
R = Repent of sins I have committed; of commands I have neglected.
A = Ask for the needs of others; for my needs.
Y = Yield my will to God’s will; my agenda to God’s agenda for me.
3. One of our members, Eva shared another very good message by Priscilla Shirer with me. This message was at a young adult’s conference in 2018, and she spoke about the Armor of God from Ephesians, and important biblical principles to live by for an anointed life with God’s favor. This is an excellent message for all believers. Please make the time to listen and learn. She’s an excellent and encouraging teacher. (FYI, she is the daughter of the famous pastor, Tony Evans. He is an excellent teacher if you want to check out his work. I love his personal life stories when he shares them on his sermons.)
By the way, I listen and read everything that you share with me. I reject nothing because I’m confident that the Holy Spirit will protect me from wrong doctrines and principles (and He has many times), and also this creates in me a great desire to know the Bible well for myself so that I can become a shrewd gatekeeper to my mind, heart and soul. And if I innocently mess up then what good parent will punish their children, especially the ones who truly want to please their parents? There is no fear in love. I pray that we will reach a place in our relationship with Jesus where we can trust Him as our Good Shepherd.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23&version=VOICE
4. Good Quotes about the importance of studying the Bible:
When asked, “What is more important: praying or reading the Bible?” I ask, “What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?” – Charles Spurgeon
“To be entirely safe from the devil’s snares, the child of God must be completely obedient to the word of the Lord. The driver on the highway is safe, not when he read the signs; but when he obeys them.” – A. W. Tozer
“Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to be.” – A.W. Tozer
“Ignorance of the scripture is the root of all error and makes a man helpless in the hand of the devil.” – J.C. Ryle
“ Down through the years, I turned to the Bible and found in it all that I needed.” – Ruth Bell Graham
“I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother.” – Abraham Lincoln
(Abraham Lincoln mentioned a lot about his mother, and the memories of her faith and prayers propelled him through life’s adversities and many defeats when he was running for office. If you want to leave a mark on your descendants then be “faithful, available and teachable” to God all the days of your life. Your children will remember your faith, prayers and love when they walk through life’s adversities and challenges. My mom is 81 today and recalls her mom often in our conversations. I didn’t know my grandparents much since we grew up in the USA but I’m told that my maternal grandparents became devout Christians as seniors. Perhaps their prayers are the reason for my strong interest in Jesus Christ and Christianity even as a young teenager during the prosperous 80s, Reagan era.)
This week I heard an amazing interview with Gordon MacDonald on the Carey Nieuwhof podcast. I’ve never heard of him before and researched him after being so impressed by his sharing. I highly recommend listening to the whole interview. It’s a long interview so if you are short on time then you can read the automated transcript. It’s not perfect but you’ll get the gist. Here’s the 15 life lessons that he shared in the interview that I got from the transcript:
“In this inaugural episode of Required Listening, Carey talks to Gordon MacDonald. For his 80th birthday, Gordon MacDonald wrote down the 15 leadership and life lessons he’s learned so far. He unpacks all of them here: how to stop cheating the people closest to you, how to survive doubt and obscurity, why you reinvent your interior life every decade, and how to ask the questions that open a heart.”
15 Life Lessons
Number one -Put the most significant people in your life, your spouse, your family, close friends and mentors, put them into the calendar first.
The second, never ever stop growing. Stay open to fresh ways and ideas. That sustain your physical and mental health, that sharpen your working skills, that increase your knowledge, and of course, enrich your wisdom and spiritual life.
Number three, be more a priest and less a preacher to people. Bless people with the powers of hope and grace and courage and love.
Number four, always keep in mind that time will come when you will have to relinquish your titles, your privileges, and slip into obscurity.
Ultimately, the obscurity of death.
Number five, prepare yourself for those occasions when you, like most people, will suffer, fail, fall into doubt, face conflict, experience loss.
Number six, be trustworthy and dependable. A person who keeps his or her word. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Number seven, be a spiritual father or mother to teachable people who may someday inherit your responsibilities.
Number eight, live modestly. Stay free of debt, be generous, develop a financial strategy for your future. Be wary of those who use money to buy your favor.
Number nine, expect to reorganize your inner life about every seven to 10 years.
Number 10, receive compliments given to you or criticism or counsel with humility and appreciation. Avoid whining, complaining, self-pity.
Assume that there is at least a grain of truth in the things that critics say about you and your work.
Number 11, stay alert for the evils and temptations embedded in institutional life.
Number 12, be quick to say with sincerity, thank you, well done, I’m sorry, I forgive you, or how can I help?
Number 13, always maintain a relationship with one or two mentors who can aid you in hearing God’s voice.
Number 14, master the art of asking the kind of penetrating questions that opens up someone’s heart.
And finally, number 15, retreat to the cross regularly, express your appreciations, name your sins, pray for the world, listen for God’s calls to do things that are bigger than you.
Journal of Faith 