Praying as Retirement

Retirement:

This is something that many people talk about how much money you are to have, but few talk about the purpose of retirement.  If a retired person does not have a purpose, what will that person do?
Here is an idea of a retirement purpose:  PRAYER.  What follows are some ideas about Praying as retirement that you can use and discard as you wish.
1.  Spend time listening for God's voice.
2.  You could set a time for listening, such as one minute for every year you are old.
3.  Go on a prayer walk every day praying for the people who live where you walk past.
4.  Go on a prayer walk and pray for other things.
5.  If you like variety like I do, have a prayer focus for every year, or even every month, such as wisdom, listening, patience, love, joy, endurance, purity, etc.
6.  Pray for different people each day of the week, for example, Sunday pray for your church body, Monday pray for your enemies, Tuesday pray for your friends, Wednesday pray for your President, Thursday pray for the famous people in the news who get into trouble, Friday pray for you town, Saturday pray for your siblings and their families.
7.  Do Yoga Prayer.  Do different Yoga positions and while in each position pray for a specific person.  Add a position and person each month.
8.  Do basketball prayer.  While shooting baskets talk to God.
9.  Pray while in the grocery store for the people who work at the grocery store, and pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with them.
10.  Pray through the newspaper.  After every article you read in the newspaper, pray for the people involved or effected by that article.

Circle of Love II

I had an earlier post about a circle of love for college dorms, and now I need to share some more on the circle of love for the Christian family.
First, the Christian family is not always a husband and a wife and some kids.  Sometimes it is two women living together, similar to the case of Ruth and Naomi.  Sometimes it is a polygamous family in rural Africa.  Sometimes it is what it is.  Whatever family you find yourself in, you can use the idea of circle of love, if there are people in your family willing to talk.
The circle of love is for talking and listening.  It is a circle of couches or chairs in which people can talk with one another.  Here are some ideas regarding the circle of love.
1.  Turn the TV and internet phones off.
2.  Ask the one who does not share as much if there is anything they would like to share.
3.  Let each person talk about whatever they want.
4.  Practice your listening skills.
5.  Talk about where you would like to live.
6.  Talk about a dream vacation.
7.  Talk about your favorite food.
8,  Talk about your favorite book or movie.
9.  Talk about stories from the past, so that they can be passed on to the next generation.
10.  Talk about things you want to do as a family.

What word does the sprinkled blood speak? (Hebrews 12:24)

The blood of Abel spoke "LEAVE!" and Cain was banished, stained, and left without much hope, being the first of many to kill his own brother.
The blood of Jesus Christ speaks a different word, "COME!"  Jesus invites his disciples to drink of the new covenant in his blood the night before he dies.  "Come!"
The blood of Jesus says "Come and be Clean" (1 John 1:7).
The blood of Jesus says "Come and Overcome (Revelation 12:11).
The blood of Jesus says "Come and Move Home (Hebrews 10:19).
The blood of Jesus says "Come to Eternal Life (John 6:54).

Come and be Clean
                      Overcome
                      Move home
                  to Eternal Life

Are you dirty and beaten down?  Do you feel banished and that death is knocking on your door?
The blood of Jesus knocks stronger - "COME"

Whatever our circumstance today, let us together come to the foot of the cross and let the blood of Jesus clean us, make us to overcome the evil one, move us home, and give us eternal life.

Jesus does have a wife

Jesus does have a wife, that is, in the eschatological sense.  The new text spoken of here: 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/10/new-tests-show-evidence-forgery-gospel-jesus-wife/IusII8b4eI86HgDTKipLhN/story.html
    
that may be a forgery saying Jesus had a wife, or just someone in the eighth century writing for the Enquirer is not the first reference to Jesus being married. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, describes the Bride (wife) of Jesus, speaking, indeed, of the time to come, the eschaton.  "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."  Revelation 21:9.  

It is very hard for us in this sexual time we live in to divorce intimacy with sexual intercourse.

Intimacy does not equal sexual intercourse.  Harvard professor Karen L. King's study of the ancient text would be much more quickly passed over if this belief that sex is intimacy and that no sex is death were not so dominant in our culture.

   "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."  The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.                        

                                                                 Revelation 22:16-17

52 Tattoos

How many people do you know who have gotten a tattoo only to regret it?  Maybe it was a relationship, “Billy Joe loves Betty Sue,” or somewhere too prominent like the forehead, or someplace too personal, “Can I see your tattoo?”  I know a few.  Maybe you or your child or brother is one.  I have an idea for you.

First let me make some other points about the downside of traditional tattoos besides their permanency.   They are costly.  You can tell me that $50 - $70, or even $300 is no big thing to you, but let’s say you get 52 tattoos for $50 apiece.  That comes to $2600.  If you catch the tattoo fever it is not unreasonable to think you could drop a couple of grand on tattoos.

I have an idea that will help you in your desire for tattooing yourself.  It will help you to be able to change your mind.  It will help you to be able to pick from several of your favorite tattoos.   It will also help you save a couple of grand.  Finally, it will help bring out the artist inside of you, and possibly your friends and family.

Open your junk drawer.  The one with the pens and pencils.  See if there is a permanent marker.  If you can find not even one permanent marker, then decide on your favorite color.  If you like lots of colors and cannot decide, no problem.  This idea is fine with indecision.  This could be called the tattoo idea for people who are indecisive.  Next time you go to the store buy a pack of Sharpie permanent markers (variety of colors).  You will spend approximately $5.  That $5 (okay maybe $10) will buy you 52 tattoos for you and 10 other people, a savings of $25,000.  Wow, you just funded one of your kid’s retirement or funded an orphanage in Nepal.  Okay, now go back home.

Now talk you’re the most creative artsy person you know – if that is yourself, talk to yourself.  Say, “Self, what do I want to tattoo on my body?”  If you want you can make a drawing of it on paper before you start drawing or writing on yourself.  If you are too impulsive for that, just start drawing on yourself.  If you want you can tattoo yourself, or have someone else tattoo yourself, once a week.  The advantages to this are enormous.  First, hopefully you can see how much money you would save.  Second, if you do not like it wash it off.  Third, if you do like it keep writing it on after you wash it off.  Fourth, if you really get crazy and write on your forehead, just wash harder.  Fifth, you can create a blog or a facebook stream about the new tattoo you get each week, posting a “selfie” and now having something steady to say on facebook instead of complaining about the weather or that your Hoosiers lost – although you could do a tattoo of the bad weather and the losing Hoosiers (maybe soon the winning Hoosiers).

Since you may not have 52 ideas for your tattoos, I will include a few to get you started.

1.        Tattoo “your name loves your spouse” over your heart.

2.       A Bible verse along your arm.

3.       Your mission statement (Don’t have one – make one).

4.       Those stick figure family things you see on the back of cars.

5.       Your SAT score on your forehead (It’ll wash off).

6.       Song lyrics.

7.       Movie Quotes.

8.       Have your kids draw on your back (If that is too scary, have them practice on paper first).

9.       Ask your kids for ideas.

10.   Ask your friends for ideas.

11.   Copy other people with real tattoos who do not have the advantage of erasing them easily.

12.   A silhouette of your dog.

13.   “Ain’t nobody got time for that”

14.   24601

15.   Other languages – my favorite is Hebrew and Greek bible quotes.

16.   The names of those close to you.

17.   Have your child who cannot write cursive learn by writing  the Gettysburg Address on your back.

18.   Another child – have them write John 17 on your back.

19.   Tattoo the names of your bones where they are: femur, patella, etc.

20.   Same as 19 but with muscles.

21.   Eagle on your back.

22.   Rubix cube (Remember you have lots of colors).

23.   Your momma’s name.

24.   Your family tree.

That should get you started.