My thoughts on planning

I have often stated that I have a time button.  I function on schedules.  If one does not exist, I tend to create one.  Here is what planning is,

Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior. This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans, that is, it combines forecasting of developments with the preparation of scenarios of how to react to them. An important, albeit often ignored aspect of planning, is the relationship it holds with forecasting. Forecasting can be described as predicting what the future will look like, whereas planning predicts what the future should look like.^[1]
Planning is not vain repetition that you say to simply make yourself look good.  It’s not thinking out loud.  It is the setting of events in time so that the implementation of those events are smooth with minimal sacrifice.  Sacrifice should not be an everyday thing.  I have learned that folks will get tired of you quite quickly and whatever idea you have will fall undone.  There are five elements to planning that should be considered.

Church without change

William Booth said, "Consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell."

Just some words to ponder.  What will become of us when church don't require change.

Ferrel

Ferrel gardens with no boundaries spells trouble.  I grew up in a small town with two lots per home.  One lot was for the house and the other lot was for the garden.  That was a lot of grass to cut.  Sometimes, we thought to cheat a bit and leave some of the grass near the alley uncut.  We came back a few days later to find field rats, rabbits, Ferrel dogs, wild cats, ravens, spiders, grasshoppers, chiggers, deer ticks, poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak etc.etc.

Keep the grass of your life cut, trimmed and fertilized.

An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of a cure.

Faint but Pursue it

For those who are tired..........



Pastor Iona Locke
http://youtu.be/Vy7wbHSxRQo

Don't Loose your sexy

The Laodicean Church in the Revelation of John (Revelation 3:14–22)
In John's vision, recorded in the book of Revelation, Christ instructs John to write a message to seven named churches in Asia Minor. The message to Laodicea is one of judgement with a call to repentance. The oracle contains a number of striking metaphors.

[edit] "I wish that you were cold or hot" (3:15–16)

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth" (WEB).

It is thought that the Laodiceans were being criticized for their neutrality or lack of zeal (hence "lukewarm"). Based on this understanding, the pejorative term Laodicean is used in the English language to refer to those neutral or indifferent in matters of faith.[1]
However, some scholars have suggested that this metaphor has been drawn from the water supply of the city, which was lukewarm, in contrast to the hot springs at nearby Hierapolis and the pure water of Colossae (Barclay). The archaeology shows Laodicea had an aqueduct that probably carried water from hot mineral springs some five miles south, which would have become tepid before entering the city (see main Laodicea article). Strabo states that the water was hard, though drinkable.^{[citation needed]} The imagery of the Laodicean aqueduct suggests not that "hot" is good and "cold" is bad, but that both hot and cold water are useful, whereas lukewarm water is useless.

You are probably wondering about how I am linking this to the title.  The Laodicean church was out of it's league with God.  They had lost their appeal to him.  I liken them to many women who loose their sex appeal after life has shown it's teeth.  I know that getting older for me has changed me.  It is not that I am not good looking, it is that I don't care.  We can never get to that point.  We must keep ourselves appealing.  The Laodicean church was neither hot or cold.  They weren't hot mamas and they weren't ice princesses.  They were plain Jane who went insane.  They weren't appealing to God anymore.  My first lady gave the ladies a tidbit of advice.  She said, "Keep your sexy".  Always make sure that you are appealing.  Men should want to inquire about you and your husband should run home at night.  Tastefully done can be accomplished a thousand ways.  Men should not loose their charisma.  They should be appealing to their wives.  At the same time, we should be appealing to God.  He should not find us useless and not worth his time.  We should not be saved enough to make a horrible sinner and devil enough to make a horrible saint.  That is not appealing to God.  To be honest, that is not appealing to me.  Who wants someone who don't really know if they love you?  They don't know if they want to marry you?  They don't know if they even like you?  It makes me say, "Push or get of the pot".  You can loose your hair.  You can loose your figure.  You can battle with the enemy and look like it.  You can persevere through the worst of times.  If you loose everything you have, don't lose your sexy.  Always remain appealing, even to God.

Find One Hundred Ways
http://youtu.be/BBY4o26fCt8

First Love, Forgotten

I remember when he held my hand at church
I remember when he ran to shut my door
I remember when he never came home late
I remember what he does not do any more

I remember flowers on his faintest whim
I remember chocolate candy in a box
I remember when he washed the evening dishes
I remember when he folded up his socks

I remember when he came home as in pain
I remember when he cursed the sky above
I remember him asking why I still hold on
I said

I remember when I was your only love

Keep your first love

Hey Diddle Diddle

I often say that adults should keep childlike faith.  I am not talking about the faith where you knew a monster was under your bed or the faith that Santa Claus really came down a chimney.  I am talking about the faith to believe in the impossible.  Children don't need a shred of evidence to believe that the Easter bunny brought them a basket.  They don't know where it came from and they don't care.  They rip open the package and stuff their mouths with chocolate and goodies.  It is happiness at it's highest.  I don't care how God bless me.  I don't care what it look like.  I don't care where he sends me to bless me and I don't care what anyone thinks about his blessing me.  I am going to rip off the package and be in heaven.  Keep your childlike faith.



Hey Diddle Diddle
http://youtu.be/uQmqt58TkCc