Month: <span>May 2008</span>

Published May 24, 2008

Lucky or Blessed?

By John Grant
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“Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”        Luke 14:15

Now that there are names for all of the generations, I have had trouble figuring out which one I was in, until recently when the author of a new book, “The Luckiest Generation,� explained it to me over lunch.

I missed being a “Baby Boomer� by two years and was born nineteen years after the last of the “Greatest Generation.� Time marches on and now we have “Generation X,� “Generation Y,� and who knows what else. But just where do I fit in?

Tom Brokaw coined the term with his book “The Greatest Generation.� These were the people who lived through the Great Depression and fought in the biggest war in history. The “Baby Boomers� were the ones who got their start in life after the troops came home from WW II. But what about those of us in between, like me and like Elvis and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tom Brokaw himself?

Now I have the answer. In his new book, my friend writes about those of us born between 1929 and 1945 and coins it “The Luckiest Generation.� Those born in this time were too young to fight in WW II and too young to really experience the hardships of The Great Depression, even if they lived through it.

It was the first generation with a smaller birth rate than the one before it and so there were more jobs for fewer people and it was easier to get to the top. These people were just hitting their stride when the big war was over and the economy boomed with consumer productivity. These people experienced all of the new advancements in everything from communication to transportation. These people were positioned to escape the worst of times and to take advantage of the best of times….. hence the term “luckiest.�

But what do we as Christians believe about luck? The answer is nothing, unless one is referring to a Baptist “pot luckâ€? dinner. Luck is defined in the dictionary as “a chance happening, or that which happens beyond a person’s controlâ€? and goes on to point out that luck can be good or bad.

For those of us who believe in and have submitted to the sovereignty of God, nothing in this world is a chance happening. No matter what generation we are born into, as Christians we are neither lucky or unlucky…… we are just blessed. As Jesus said, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.�
                      
 (a thought on life from John Grant)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/05/24/jg_lucky/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

Thoughts by All thoughts by John Grant Thoughts by Men

Published May 20, 2008

‘Hanging In There’ Not Allowed!

by John Fischer
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Yesterday morning, immediately after reading through the day’s Catch about being on a mission instead of just muddling through life, I was about to write in an email reply to a friend who asked how I was doing: “Well, I’m hanging in there.” The words were already in my head and I started to type them out, but I suddenly remembered, and typed instead: “I’m on a mission.”

That I could forget so fast my own message shows how breaking paradigms takes constant focus. At the same time, it really drove the message home to me, because I immediately applied the truth to my situation, and let me tell you, it’s much more fun being on a mission than just hanging in there. It lifted my spirits.

Come to think of it, I don’t think “just hanging in there” should even be in our vocabulary. No matter how desperate the situation, we are still on a mission. We are still being lead by Christ. We are still a part of His Kingdom on earth and His plan for that Kingdom.

So I guess you could complain that this is just a repeat of yesterday’s Catch and you would be right. But what I’m saying is: “I got it this time. I applied my own message to my life and benefited by it.”

It also impressed upon me how quickly we can forget, and how necessary it is to remind ourselves of new paradigms — new ways of looking at things. Being on a mission or just hanging in there is all up to me. It’s how I choose to look at my reality, and when you’ve spent a lifetime looking at life one way, to change it takes a conscious choice, all the time.

So do I look at my reality the way God looks at it, or do I choose to trash it and just survive. This isn’t just wishful thinking or hocus-pocus; it is an act of faith. You tell yourself “I’m on a mission” by faith, and it will always be true regardless of how you feel.

I’ve got a mission today. It’s as big as the Kingdom of God on earth. Find out my part today and do it. “Hanging in there” not allowed!

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/05/20/jf_hanging-in/

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JOHN FISCHER, as Senior Writer with PurposeDrivenLife.com, has specialized in a daily devotional that now reaches an audience of over 400,000 people five times a week. John’s career spans over thirty-five years of distinctive ministry, first as a singer/songwriter, recording artist and pioneer of\ Jesus Music, then as a best-selling author, and currently as a popular speaker at conferences, retreats, churches and colleges/universities nationally.

You can contact John at: john.fischer@mac.com or visit his website: http://www.fischtank.com/ft/about.cfm

Thoughts by All thoughts by John Fischer Thoughts by Men