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.
Today Is National Let’s Laugh Day! Tell a corny joke and share some laughter with a friend!
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.
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:
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.
I only seek in my old age to perfect that which I had not before thoroughly learned in my youth, because my sins were a hindrance to me.
Godly Men: Being Deliberate With Our Wives and Kids
Some of the first posts I wrote for Deliberate Dads was a series on the Four P’s of Dadhood, which I soon expanded to eight. These articles discussed four essential qualities of dadhood. The first two are practice and patience. The second two are persistence and perspective.
Soon after, I came to the conclusion that my list is incomplete. I’ve identified at least four more essential characteristics that it take to be a great dad. The first one from this extension that I want to discuss is so obvious I really don’t know how I could have overlooked it.
It’s a quality that all dads have to have for their kids, if they want to have any type of relationship at all.
It’s crucial.
Passion
As I thought about the idea of passion, I realized that there are really two aspects to this quality of dadhood. Both of these are a part of the idea of passion, and as such, are sort of related. But they are also separate and distinct qualities that every dad needs to hold on to.
Success 101by John C. Maxwell (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2008)
One of my favorite areas of personal growth and improvement is the area of leadership. Several years ago, I was introduced to the leadership works of John Maxwell when I attended an InJoy conference, and have been hooked on his books ever since. Last fall, I had to opportunity to pick up several of his titles that I didn’t already possess, and have been reading through them this year.
Three or four of them are on the topic of success, and this one, Success 101, is succinct and easy to read. It also has a plethora of usable insights and quotes that I know will come to mind as I need them, and as I grow in this area.
I highly recommend you read some of John Maxwell’s works, and you can pick this one up at Amazon for just a few dollars.
On this day in history: In 1789, the U.S. Post Office was established. In 1888, the most severe winter storm in New York history hit the northeast, dropping 40 inches of snow in 36 hours. In 1894, Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time. And in 1974, Wonder Woman debuted on ABC-TV. The show later went to CBS-TV.
Today Is National Napping Day! You lost an hour yesterday. Go make it up today with a nap!
Cowboy Coffee, Backpacker Style – Sometimes the best way to drink coffee is by the campfire. And if you make it there, even better.
How To Wear A Cardigan Sweater With Style – Winter may be winding down, but there are probably a few cold days remaining. And as spring arrives, a sweater may be more appropriate than a coat. So here is a guide to rock a cardigan with style.
Bic: The Company Behind The Pen – I love analog writing tools. Some of my favorite pens come from Parker, both fountain pens, and ball points, but there are numerous Bic pens scattered through my desk at any given time. Here is a brief video about the company.
The psalmist has laid out a very concise and consistent strategy for staying in tune with God’s will by staying invested in God’s Word. In the last half of the fourth stanza, he summarizes what is necessary to live in such a godly manner. You can take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:29-32:
The writer lays out three powerful commands that we are to follow if we want to live in the center of God’s will in our lives. But he prefaces that with a request for God’s grace in verse 29. He knows that the only way that he can succeed in living God’s way is through God’s help and power. And so his request in verse 29 is “keep me from deceitful ways.” And in the very next stroke of the pen, he writes the answer to this request: God’s graciousness comes through His Word.
That’s an incredible piece of information that I am afraid we miss all too often. In order to live lives that reflect his character, to stay on the straight and narrow, to avoid deceitful ways, we must be invested deeply into the Word of God. There is no other way in which we can gain the strength needed to navigate the waters of everyday life with integrity and character. We must deeply drink from God’s Word, continuously.
In the next three verses, the psalmist gives us three things that we must do in order to live in such a godly way.
