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Coffee Break – 03.26.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1885, Eastman Kodak produced the first commercial motion picture film in Rochester, NY. In 1937, spinach growers in Crystal City, TX, erected a statue of Popeye. And in 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announced the development of a vaccine against the crippling disease of polio.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Spinach Day!
So go have a salad for lunch!

Home Roasting Coffee With The Whirley-Pop Popcorn Popper – I have roasted my own coffee for several years using an air popcorn popper. Here’s how to use the stop top variety. And you can pick on up from Amazon.

Want More Confidence? Quit Measuring These 4 Things – Some things just don’t really have the importance that we associate with them. Check out these four things that we tend to measure, and then stop measuring them.

Why You Really Need To Stop Using Public Wi-Fi – Too many people have suffered from identity theft, but there are so many things we can do to protect ourselves from it. Here’s one suggestion.

History’s Deadliest Colors – Did you know that colors could be deadly? This video was pretty informative and fascinating.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:37-40

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

Last week, we looked at the first half of this stanza, and saw how the psalmist was shifting his focus from those who reject God and his Word to his own commitment to learn that Word. In the second half, he continues that idea. You can see if for yourself in Psalm 119:37-40:

Psalm 119:37-40

In the first half of this strophe, the psalmist identified three ways in which he sought to learn the ways of God according to the Word of God: with his mind, with his feet, and with his heart. As he continues this passage, we will see the fourth way he seeks to learn, and finish with the encouragement needed to persevere.

With His Eyes – Verse 37

This is an interesting perspective on how we view the things around us. Obviously, our eyes are needed in order to study the Word of God, although there are other options for those who do not have their eyesight. Our eyes are an important part of studying the Word. But I wonder if perhaps the psalmist isn’t just speaking of literal eyesight, but has added a layer of figurative thought to this, and means a mental perspective, or even worldview, as much as he does literally looking at the pages of Scripture.

I think this may be the case, because he speaks of what we should turn our eyes from, and not what we should turn our eyes to. This idea has merit because of the preceding verse, because those things that keep us from studying the Word of God are many and varied. Riches can be a distraction, of course, but there are so many other things that can pull our attention away as well. And in light of this passage, all of them are worthless pursuits, or vanities.

The danger lurks in the fact that such worthless things can be very alluring, and only by a solid commitment to the Word of God can we stay strong and avoid them. The Word of God is the only thing that lasts, and it is the only thing that can preserve our lives. Everything else will pass away.

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Being Fully Committed To God

How To Have The Heart Of A Champion

One of the most critical elements of the Heart of a Champion is to be aware of the promised God has given us and staying fully committed to him through everything. Paul shows just how solid both of those are in 2 Corinthians 6 and 7.

Being Fully Committed To God

In 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, Paul shows the Corinthian church that God desired to make his people his temple, instead of the Old Testament structure that was in use for so long.

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
     and I will be their God,
     and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
     and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
     then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
     and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

God had promised to make his dwelling among us, and to live in us, and to restore us to a right relationship with him. Paul understood this, and he knew that it applied to his own life, as well as the lives of every other believer who put their faith in Jesus Christ. That includes you and me.

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Coffee Break – 03.19.2018

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

On this day in history: In 1831, the first bank robbery in America was reported. The City Bank of New York City lost $245,000 in the robbery. In 1915, Pluto was photographed for the first time. However, it was not known at the time. In 1957, Elvis Presley puts a down payment on Graceland. And in 1964, Sean Connery began shooting his role in Goldfinger.

Coffee Break

Today Is National Let’s Laugh Day!
Tell a corny joke and share some laughter with a friend!

How To Read A Coffee Bag – This is a basic life skill that so many people don’t have.

10 Time Management Tips For Beginners – If you feel like you have no control over your time, you may need to consider some changes to how you manage your time. Here are a few tips to get you going.

Tolkien And Disney – To be honest, I have never been a massive fan of Disney movies (gasp!). I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m in the same camp as J. R. R. Tolkien on this, but I certainly don’t completely disagree either. Whether you are a Disney fan or not, this is an interesting read.

Watch A Tarantula Crawl Out Of Its Own Skeleton – If you don’t like spiders, then you may not want to watch a tarantula molt its exoskeleton. But if you do watch, you’ll be fascinated.

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Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:33-36

Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts

With the start of a new stanza, the psalmist shifts from focusing on those who oppose him and his commitment to the Word of God, and to learning as much as he can about that Word. Take a look for yourself at Psalm 119:33-36:

Psalm 119:33-36

This stanza is filled with petitions, nine of them to be exact. The psalmist wants to receive God’s assistance and and strength as he strives to learn God’s Word. His first plea is for God to teach him how to follow the Word of God, and he promises to keep and follow that Word as long and as strongly as he can.

In the following verses, the psalmist identifies four ways to do this, with his mind, with his feet, with his heart, and with his eyes. We will look a the first three this week, and the fourth with the latter half of this strophe next week.