terry.a.lindsey@charter.net

What now

Okay, what now? We have put up the reminders of Christmas and New Year, we have visited with friends and family, we have eaten too much so back to the diet and exercise that we put off last year, we have paid all of our insurance, taxes for 2015, etc, etc. What now? Well if you are like me, it is time to regroup and get in gear for a new year. I am finished with the Auditors (no not tax guys, but just as bad), I have backed up my 2015 tax info and now time to draw the line for a new year. As I had mentioned in one of my messages last year, we have a certain amount of discretionary time which is truly up to us. If you eliminate all of the boss time, sleeping, eating, or other bodily functions, we have about 2.5 hours each day that is truly discretionary. I believe I used up most of my time this past couple of weeks not too productively but who’s counting. Right? Okay, what now? In the next couple of weeks, I will get back in routine, posting my abbreviated sermons from December 27th to now. Also, I start back posting some teaching subjects and of course just general stuff. Stay tuned.

Welcomed to a new opportunity to make a positive difference in 2016.

Discretionary Time

Discretionary time. What does that mean? Golf, tennis, gym, grand kids, good friends and family are excellent examples of using your discretionary time. You do the math. A typical year is 2,000 hours (ie: 50 wks × 40 hrs per wk) yeah right! Since we all have the same allotted time of 52 weeks in a year, 7 days in a week and 24 hours in a day that totals 8,736 hours. That gives us 6,736 hours to be considered discretionary. How much time do we need to sleep each day? 8 hours of sleep would equal 2,912 hours in a year. Now we have 3,824 hours left which is our own and still almost twice as much as a typical work year. So why is it we still have no time for ourselves, our families or our dreams to be fulfilled? Okay, we can get technical and allow time to eat, remove waste resulting from eating or drinking, have sex or other activities. I contend we can use these times intelligently. For example, when we eat, let’s share our day with our loved ones. Sex is left to your own imagination. However, other activities is where there may be a lot of time wasted. You may be thinking that this whole message is a waste of time. Have you ever considered how you spend your discretionary time? Let’s just say we have only 1,000 hours of discretionary time per year. That is about 2.5 hours each day to be totally creative. Can you imagine what can be done with all that time? I have just spent 1 hour of my time to share with you. Enjoy your time as we all have the same allotment if our Creator blesses us with another full day. What will you do with your 2 1/2 hours of discretionary time today?

Happy New Year,

Miracle

Miracle of faith. I think my favorite passage I fall back on each year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ is Luke 1:39-45 where Elizabeth’s baby leaps for joy in the presence of Mary’s baby. Last week I broke up my message into two. One was about understanding the sacrifices of the Prince of Peace. I labeled that message “I get it!” or “Ok, what do you want from me?” The second message is all about the miracle of how one baby still in his mom’s womb can be so excited that he leaped for joy in the presence of another baby just arriving in his mom’s womb. Read above and listen to my brief message.

Merry Christmas,

I Get It

Okay, I get it. Have you ever considered the sacrifices made by others? I am guilty of being selfish and wake up finally to the reality and say “I get it”. This past couple of weeks I have posted several messages similar so since it is now Christmas eve why not stay on track? I believe we get so focused on ourselves that we totally overlook others. Before the Prince of Peace, we would sacrifice poor creatures to restore us to good favor but that was all temporary. It took His ultimate sacrifice to make it permanent. I think when we sacrifice just a little of ourselves not only does it feel good but does wonders for our souls. The other day several of us from church got together with a few more fellow servers to make and serve 152 dinners to three groups of seniors. It felt good! If we take our eyes off ourselves and give to others, we have instant clarity of purpose. In Hebrews 10:5-10, sacrifices of old involved total commitment of poor defenseless creatures for our sins. Not much sacrifice if you ask me! Then the Prince of Peace came along to offer himself as a permanent sacrifice. He was totally committed so why can’t we be more committed in service to him? It is easy and we start by looking to others. Listen to my previous audio messages on “How Do We” and “Same O, Same O”then continue below. T

How Do We

How do we convert sadness to gladness? How do we avoid being so anxious that we make ourselves sick with worry? Perhaps the answer is all in the attitude towards others. In Philippians 4 starting at verse 4, paraphrased here be glad, be gentile, don’t be anxious and pray for peace. That last one is the key to the answer. Pray for peace. Not necessarily the peace that the world may define but defined in heavenly terms. As you read this, I hope and pray that you look further into this message on your own and listen to your heart. (Note: Audio added below.)