1601AFC010116 – Lessons to Live By
Read it online here, please.
Matthew 22:36-40 – 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Here we go into another year. Will it be filled with troubles and trials or with blessings and celebrations? Right you are! There will be both. I want to share this with you because I know some of us will try to make New Year’s Resolutions. You may find some ideas in the PowerPoint presentation at end of this short message. This year I plan to keep it simple, and I already know this simple resolution will be very difficult to keep. I will have to come back to it many times, and reaffirm my resolve to live according to that resolution. That’s it, at the top of the page: Love God and Love my neighbor. More easily said than done some days. So, with that in mind, I offer this for your weekend meditations.
Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved! And Happy 2016 as well!! As we finish up this year, I want to thank you for all the prayers you have shared with all of us. They really do make a difference. On behalf of all of those who have written notes to say “Thanks” I encourage you to keep praying for everyone all the time, and to pray with, for, and about our brothers and sisters in the MBN.
I also want to encourage you to pray for those who try to avoid knowing God and resist His mercy and saving grace. Some are openly hostile to the idea of a God who created everything. Some try to make Creation their god. For others it is “The Force” or something like “The Intelligence.” Others identify with a vengeful and punitive god who seeks to destroy through genocide and terror. There is no god who saves but God, and no other god – or demon for that matter – can create Life and Universe and restore to us the Peace that surpasses all understanding.
I am sending you something today that is a bit out of the ordinary for an Aloha Friday message. It was send to me by MBN member PT. After going through it a couple of times, I decided I would like to share it with you as a prelude to the coming year. Perhaps you, too, with find an image or a thought in this presentation that will inspire you to take the next positive step toward Home. I hope so. I am eager to meet with you there, where “my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”
I have a new series planned. It will be 7 or maybe 8 lessons long. I’ll tell you in advance that the series deals with sin and virtue. In this world, sadly, very few people know enough about either of those to understand them well or to apply understanding in their lives. From knowledge comes understanding and from understanding comes wisdom. That’s where we’re headed.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved
PowerPoint presentation “45 lessons in life” is attached. Use this link to view a version of that presentation, or Goggle the title to find a version out there somewhere.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24447645/45-Lessons-in-Life-Author-Regina-Brett-Slideshow
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
1601AFC010116 – Lessons to Live By
Read it online here, please.
Matthew 22:36-40 – 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Here we go into another year. Will it be filled with troubles and trials or with blessings and celebrations? Right you are! There will be both. I want to share this with you because I know some of us will try to make New Year’s Resolutions. You may find some ideas in the PowerPoint presentation at end of this short message. This year I plan to keep it simple, and I already know this simple resolution will be very difficult to keep. I will have to come back to it many times, and reaffirm my resolve to live according to that resolution. That’s it, at the top of the page: Love God and Love my neighbor. More easily said than done some days. So, with that in mind, I offer this for your weekend meditations.
Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved! And Happy 2016 as well!! As we finish up this year, I want to thank you for all the prayers you have shared with all of us. They really do make a difference. On behalf of all of those who have written notes to say “Thanks” I encourage you to keep praying for everyone all the time, and to pray with, for, and about our brothers and sisters in the MBN.
I also want to encourage you to pray for those who try to avoid knowing God and resist His mercy and saving grace. Some are openly hostile to the idea of a God who created everything. Some try to make Creation their god. For others it is “The Force” or something like “The Intelligence.” Others identify with a vengeful and punitive god who seeks to destroy through genocide and terror. There is no god who saves but God, and no other god – or demon for that matter – can create Life and Universe and restore to us the Peace that surpasses all understanding.
I am sending you something today that is a bit out of the ordinary for an Aloha Friday message. It was send to me by MBN member PT. After going through it a couple of times, I decided I would like to share it with you as a prelude to the coming year. Perhaps you, too, with find an image or a thought in this presentation that will inspire you to take the next positive step toward Home. I hope so. I am eager to meet with you there, where “my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”
I have a new series planned. It will be 7 or maybe 8 lessons long. I’ll tell you in advance that the series deals with sin and virtue. In this world, sadly, very few people know enough about either of those to understand them well or to apply understanding in their lives. From knowledge comes understanding and from understanding comes wisdom. That’s where we’re headed.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved
PowerPoint presentation “45 lessons in life” is attached. Use this link to view a version of that presentation, or Goggle the title to find a version out there somewhere.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24447645/45-Lessons-in-Life-Author-Regina-Brett-Slideshow
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
About Chick Todd
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
