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The Do of Potential Energy

James 4:17  New Century Version (NCV) Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning. Romans 7:15-18 For what I want to do I do not do, but  what I hate I do . And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.   The tension between my wife and I is coming to a breaking point. And that breaking point is either going to turn out for better or worse . The formula for distance is as follows: Matt (mistake) = Jess (distrust). And so it has gone for these 10 years. Notice that the formula does not include mitigation; in other words; Matt (good things) = Jess (approbation/trust) seems to be of negligible effect compared to the mistake coefficient. Thinking in terms of Gibbs free energy, the state of our relationship seems to be much more governed by mistakes (enthalpy) than be any good (entropy)....
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Be Choosier to Make it Work

Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it. Matthew 13:52 NIV & MSG I am guilty of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Often. It's kind of a way of life for me. It's called, "make it work". And I think there's an awful lot of good to it. But when I read what Jesus says here, I hear a revelation of being choosy .  Lord, help me to be choosy, to use the ingenuity You've given me to suggest and use smart solutions to real problems, and nonsolutions to created problems. Help me to do this with Kingdom thrust, "piercing asunder" the soul and spirit. In Jesus Name, amen.  Heb 4:12
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Let's See Your Resolve

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Cor 2:2 Is my resolve resolved? Do I exist in a posture of "let's see how it works out?" The antitheses of Resolve and Resignation confronted me this morning as I considered a playful text response with a friend coming to visit from a great distance. I considered how I am playful often and that the playfulness overlays an insincerity, being posed because I want to be found out. I want someone to care about me enough to call me on my shit so that I can know it's safe to enter into relationship with that person. Because if we merely persist in the games, obviously we pursue superficiality, a "let's see" approach. On the other hand, what if I were to be the sincere one, more often than not? And I were to search myself for my resolve. How far do I plan to go, and what is the Kingdom premise? What if I were to answer honestly and measure my words?    https://vocal.med...
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Just Wait

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.  Isaiah 40:31 I'm thinking about picking up John Mark Comer's Loveology. I'm not infatuated with his style, but he does have an uncanny knack of navigating great depths breezily. And I'm in need of reconsidering love and my relationship with my wife. This morning, feeling we are on a drought of sorts, I'm thinking "what can I do?" And as I searched (with an honest to God search) I saw how men centuries over have navigated the mystery of the inner world of their wives. I've long shared a favorite image explaining the dichotomy of men and women, showing the intricacies of turning on a woman versus, well, a man.  So, what can I do? I hate to say it... wait. My wife needs to know that I can. After years of it coming pretty easy, I think it's time to get in there and turn a few knobs, flick a few switches and tweak intimacy. There's a difference betwee...
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Meditation as Rightly Concentrated Consideration | Contemplation as The Course of Right Action

Let us begin by saying that the basic difference between meditation and contemplation is that meditation is a human mode of prayer whereas contemplation is divinely infused prayer. This morning I consider, consideration. It's a term often used in the Bible, I believe in both the old and new testament. While you are going about your life, have you considered this... It's the entryway to the contemplative life. I use contemplation there, as a culminating thing, intentionally. Before I read a little bit, I might have considered using the word meditation instead, but that reveals my persuasion and error; also my inexperience. Meditation is man-initiated deep-thought. It's hope is to reach God. Contemplation, as exposed in the article below, is Spirit-breathed prayer inside of us, guiding us to right and holy actions. As I was searching consideration "vs" the other 2 terms, concentration came up. Presently, I see that as the course from consideration to meditation....
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Abide.

March 8th And now abide these three, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 John 15. Jesus is at his most concise and articulate. John remembers. Time is short. Jesus has to summarize how they are to live after He is gone and, because it may get hard, why . His guidance weaves into and out of God; it abides and commands. For love and joy. It makes friends. And something else. Jesus didn't have to come. He could have let this place alone. And that's probably why those who hated Him really hated Him. He told them they were wrong. He messed up their flow and their designs. They had a pretty good handle on things, managing the masses, and He was disruptive... for what reason?!  But He did come. And He did call a spade a spade. And He did come with a double edged sword. He made clear what the choice was. And the benefits on one hand, the dangers on the other. 
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Reluctantly crouched at the starting line...

What about overconfidence? Do I spend too much time thinking about what could be and not enough time evaluating what is ? Is that why have feelings of insufficiency and self-doubt? It's worth considering. This morning I thought through all the areas that I expect to excel: relationships, my work and leadership, management and support of my household. And I even consider myself excelling in all of these areas; I'm at least above average, right? But what if I wasn't? What if I was below average? What if my impediment (my reluctance to embrace what is right now) is the thing that is keeping me from more health and wellness? From shalom .  When I was depressed in my 20s, out of work, feeling absolutely insufficient and worthless and living in degeneracy, I had a revelation about how to proceed. It wasn't a spectacular revelation that changed my life in the blink of an eye. It was a gritty revelation. One that required a grind (love you Memphis). I had to choose to do the t...
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