Tag: Spirit

Rose Garden?

In 1973, I remember hearing a Lynn Anderson song with the lyrics, “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.”

And while writing five blogs a day, I never want to promise you any thing that can’t be delivered to you.

The Tiger Woods saga was noteworthy at jeff noel.org because it challenged all of us to decide one way or another. (And even if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice)

A jeffnoel.org reader emailed a valuable insight – none of us are in a position to forgive Tiger Woods. God and Tiger must handle this.

However, a point you may want to consider – the one that came immediately to mind – as you live your daily life, is this:

God will not withhold forgiveness to anyone who asks to be forgiven.

And if this is so, who is it in our lives that needs to be forgiven, but we have never offered them hope and encouragement?

President Obama Sobriety

Rarely watching TV, I was captivated the other night when Charlie Gibson was interviewing United States President, Barack Obama, on the ABC Evening News.

The one word that really made me put things into perspective, was a word the President Obama used to describe how the decision to send US troops to Afghanistan was different from other critical US policy decisions.

Sobriety.

President Obama spoke of a certain level of sobriety that was needed on that particular decision. He said it was the one decision that was different from all the others. I paraphrase here, to illustrate the magnitude:

“Bailing out the auto industry or the financial system is one thing. But picturing Arlington Cemetery, with a mother, sitting in the rain, in front of a tombstone…..”

Back To Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods.

Does he deserve forgiveness? Will you, if you haven’t, forgive him?

Or is he unforgivable? The lying, cheating, dirty, no good scum of the earth. Is that it?

Tempting isn’t it? Difficult, isn’t it? Will we find it impossible?

All things are possible for him who trusts in the Lord. Is that a figment of my imagination, or did I read or hear about this somewhere?

Okay, so here’s my final answer, and it comes straight from Jesus’ mouth, “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.”

Rejoice In The Lord

Rejoice In The Lord. That was Sunday’s message. Rejoice!

This is a great goal, to rejoice. How is it done though? Life is so crazy busy that sometimes, I don’t know what day it is.

Ever feel like that?

Or, perhaps some people, this year especially, are struggling so much financially, that they can’t see straight.

So, what are we supposed to do? How does one rejoice under these circumstances?

We all know the answer, don’t we?