The Paraclete: January 2008
paraclete-jan08.pdf
Archives
The Paraclete: December 2007
paraclete-dec07.pdf
Smart vs. Wise
Smart men Wise men Think abstractly Think autobiographically Remove self from the problem Bring all experiences to bear Think quickly, consciously Slowly simmer, allowing unconscious to play Live in the moment and believe […]
In Touch to Decide Well
“We only think well when we are in touch with all the passions of our life.” “We need to get distance from the immediate problem and consider what we should do from the perspective of our entire life.” –Sam Keene To be a good personal decision-maker, clear thinking is needed in order to tap into […]
Devotional Thoughts/Prayers from Numbers
Numbers 20:6 “…and threw themselves facedown on the ground. And they saw the glory of God.” A prayer for today: “Father, when people or circumstances pummel me, the first Person I need to go to is You–in complete humility. Only then will you move my way with solutions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Numbers 20:12 God […]
Getting Quiet to Get to the Inside of Me
“We need to acquire a heartful mind. This seems best done through the cultivated discipline of solitude, and the habit of recollection and auto-biographical thinking…going through the day with a quiet mind…. To make certain that he orders his time to conform to his hierarchy of values….Solitude begins when a man silences the competing voices…and […]
The Big Picture
“We are more apt to ask, ‘How can we do it?’ than ‘What’s worthwhile doing?’” –Sam Keene Living life purposely (not necessarily pragmatically) is asking that 2nd question every morning, and prioritizing the answer above the other distractions in the day. Our decision screen needs to be more about direction (the ladder against the […]
Yielding Allows for Flow
“The individual spirit must be grounded in the impulse to yield–not my will but Thine.” –Sam Keene When I drift to “life is all about me”, I am reminded that I’m not God, and it’s all about His plan, and my specific role in it. Just like yielding to oncoming traffic helps the flow without […]
Bashed Against the Rocks
“When there is a storm, it is safer in the open sea. If you stay too near the dock, you will get beaten to death.” –Sam Keene I think of the Apostle Peter, who took the plunge into the water in the storm to walk on it to Jesus. What a faith-builder! But it didn’t […]
The Man I Want to Be
“A good man is empathic..he naturally flows out to others..Empathic men…listen and stand beside you, and in their presence you have an uncanny feeling that you have been given permission to be yourself.” –Sam Keene I desire to be such a man: available, a listener, a responder, empathic, flowing out to others, making people feel […]
