Jaus' Notebook

The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less. That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we'll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad. That keeps us vigilant, you can be s

You  have  to  take  risks,  he  said.  We  will  only  understand  the  miracle  of  life  fully  when  we allow  the  unexpected  to  happen. Every  day,  God  gives  us  the  sun—and  also  one  moment  in  which  we  have  the  ability  to change  everything  that  makes  us  unhappy.  Every  day,  we  try  to  pretend  that  we  haven't perceived  that  moment,  that  it  doesn't  exist—that  today  is  the  same  as  yesterday  and  will be  the  same  as  tomorrow.  But  if  people  really  pay  attention  to  their  everyday  lives,  they will  discover  that  magic  moment.  It  may  arrive  in  the  instant  when  we  are  doing something  mundane,  like  putting  our  front-door  key  in  the  lock;  it  may  lie  hidden  in  the quiet  that  follows  the  lunch  hour  or  in  the  thousand  and  one  things  that  all  seem  the  same to  us.  But  that  moment  exists—a  moment  when  all  the  power  of  the  stars  becomes  a  part of  us  and  enables  us  to 

Talking of walking sermons, no one explains it better than Paul. Read this carefully, then tell me you do not agree. "Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble. Do you know that all the believers look up to you? The word has gotten

I bless God every chance I get; My lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe God; If things aren't going well, hear this and be happy: Join me in spreading the news; Together let's get the word out. God met me more than halfway, He freed me from my anxious fears Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him. When I was desperate, I called out, And God got me out of a tight spot. God's angel sets up a circle Of protection around us while we pray.