Consistency is Key!

     

How many times have you heard that in your life? Whether it is in child-rearing, work, hobbies, or whatever. Consistency is key! That rings true as a bell through the air when it comes to journaling and/or praying. I have found that the more often I do something the more I want to do it. If you look at the life of Jesus he spent a lot of time in prayer. It did not have to always been long periods of time he was praying like when he asked the disciples to keep watch for him. (Matt 26:38-46). Then there are the times he had what Dave Earley in his book Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High Impact Leaders calls arrow prayers. These are prayers that get right to the heart of God. A great example of an arrow prayer is when Jesus blesses the five loaves and two fish, or another time when he teaches the disciples to pray the Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:5-15). 

     I have recently been trying to write for my blog more than before. In just the last week I have posted something at least once a day. I believe on Friday I had several post, along with today. I am trusting that this is what the Lord would have me do to bring glory to HIs name. While it is easier for me to journal than it is to blog I hope to do both on a regular basis for the rest of my life. At the advice of Michael Hyatt I have been using Evernote, as my new journaling program. It has been rather helpful instead of using Pages on my Macbook Pro. With Evernote it is searchable, by date keywords, tags, all kinds of cool stuff. I can easily add pictures to it. I mention this because the level of comfort you have with something will also help determine how well you stay with it. I mention in another post how I engrave glass. If I started with the hardest piece and failed I probably would not have kept up with it. I have had to slow down because I have run out of room to store my pieces and there hasn’t been too many more people willing to buy them. ( I have however sold several pieces in the past.)

     All of that to say don’t become discouraged if you are starting something new take it easy at first, don’t think you have to do what everyone else is doing in order to feel like you are doing it right. If it is something the Lord has laid on your heart, you will get through it because he wants you to. 

I would love to hear what you are doing to be consistent. What are some things you could work on, and what are you doing well with?

P.S.

     It is my hope that you all have been enjoying reading the material that is being produced. If you are would you mind signing up to any of our means of keeping you up-to-date on what we are producing. If you look down the right side of your screen there is a plethora of options on how you can keep in touch with us. We would also love to hear from you, your ideas and opinions. So we have added Disqus as our new commenting system. If you would like for your comment to be more discrete we have a contact us form at the bottom of the page. We look forward to a great month as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and a blessed New Year. 

Life is hard, but God is good,

Preach

Bible Software Prefrences

     I know that there are tons of different Bible software out there. But for me I prefer one over all the rest, Logos Bible Software. I also have WORDsearch Bible software which is not bad, but it does not offer some of the same great functionality Logos offers. For instance if I highlight something on one computer in Logos or on my kindle, it is highlighted everywhere. In Wordsearch I do not have that same option. Which has made some of my studying for school rather difficult. There are some who prefer programs like Bibleworks for original language studies. I do not have any experience in that program so I do not know if it is any better or not. I do know that the exegetical guide in Logos with its interlinear translation has helped me to pass many a paper. 

     I have been using Logos for several years now and have found it to be extremely helpful. For the longest time I was not using the program to the best of my ability or the best it was meant for. I was a casual user who was able to do basic things with the program. It wasn’t until I came across these videos that I learned what this program was really capable of. I am not going to sit here and try and explain all of the videos, just know that if you are using any version of Logos since #4 these videos are free and worth your time. You can also got here for some shorter videos on how to use some of the new features of Logos 6 (L6). 

     One of the best new features of L6 has to be the Psalms explorer,  it gives you a visual filter of all the Psalms and allows you to sort theme by theme and genre. You also have a similar tool for the proverbs just not with the pretty interface that you have fro the Psalms. I have found both tools helpful in my personal study. There is another cool feature where you can visualize some ancient sites and slide the image to see it in modern times. This is just a scratch of the surface of all the new features offered in L6.

What software do you prefer to use?

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A Critique of Humilitas by John Dickson

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Take Time to Relax

How often do you just sit down and take the time to relax maybe even take a nap? I would suggest that you try and do it everyday or at least several times a week. .Just don't go to long with out taking the time to relax. Michael Hyatt has a blogpost about taking daily naps and its benefits. Relaxing doesn’t have to always be a nap, it can be anything that allows you to de-stress. For me I enjoy engraving glass using a Dremel. For you it may be something else. Whatever it may be make time for it, because it will make you a happier person. I have found personally when I am able to do my hobby and work with my hands my mind does not have to focus so hard I can just deflate some. It allows me the time to stop worrying about deadlines, family issues or anything else that maybe weighing me down. 

I know I normally have some scriptural support in my post. I just felt lead to write this one to help offer some encouragement for those of you who work too hard and stress yourselves out. The Lord used prayer as a way of him getting away to be alone. But he also enjoyed eating at peoples houses. There are multiple times we see him eating at someone’s home, take for example when he is at Martha and Mary’s home, or when he was with the twelve in the upper room. 

It is my hope that if you do not have something you can do to relax that you will find something. You need somewhere you can go to clear your head and just be alone with you, God and your thoughts. 

     How can you be fully effective in life if you are constantly stressed out? You can’t be, so invest in yourself. For the sake of your health and all those you love find something that you can do that will refresh you mentally and physically. I not only engrave glass, but I also hunt deer. There is something about sitting out in God’s creation and taking in all that he has made. These are just a few examples of things I do that help me to unwind and find solace. If you would like to have a more detailed view from Scripture about the importance of rest check out this post by my friend Dave Jenkins. 

What are some things you can do to relax? What hobby do you use to find solace?

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