I love this quote!
“When you understand that every opinion is a vision loaded with personal history, you will begin to understand that all judgment is a confession.” – Nikola Tesla.
Stop living in fear of judgment. And stop judging someone else.
Be kind!
#LoveMore #EncourageExcellence
Bryan
By: Suzanne Ostrander
A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I relished the scarce and exciting opportunity to watch a movie from start to finish without pressing the pause button once. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, my dear spouse and I went on a date while the grandparents babysat our 9-month old son. (Can I get an AMEN?!!)
Long overdue for some conversation that broached topics other than Spongebob Squarepants, spit-up, or suspicious smelling diapers, Nathan and I agreed on the recently released flick “God’s Not Dead”.
The movie tells the story of devout Christian and college freshman Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), who is prompted by his overreaching Atheist philosophy professor (Kevin Sorbo) to present a scientific, fact-based argument on the existence of God.
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film mixed reviews, due to the production’s stereotypical depiction of religion and morality throughout various cultures.
Be that as it may, I strongly disagree with the assertion that the movie failed to present an all-encompassing portrayal of the Christian experience.
Critics felt that the movie presented the tragically inaccurate message that Christians are always good, while non-Christians are always bad. In other words, if good is white and bad is black, then the film lacked any notable trace of gray when it came to character development.
I couldn’t disagree more.
Josh Wheaton’s longtime girlfriend is a perfect example of a character who steps outside her moral compass as a Christian without actually abandoning her faith altogether. Committed to her relationship with Josh and their long-term plan of a life together, Josh’s girlfriend shares his Christian faith, but does not support his decision to challenge his professor. She is a Christian, yet her concern for Josh’s academic future trumped her support for him when he decides to challenge his professor and defend his faith.
Does this mean that she is no longer a Christian?
Of course not, she simply erred in her ways as a Christian who mistakenly dips her toes into the quintessential realm of gray.
What other characters represent this proverbial, yet realistic shade of gray? Go see the film and find out! I would love to hear your thoughts!
Most of you who follow scientific news have heard that scientists have just discovered physical traces from the moment in history when the Earth and planets were created. Because the universe expanded so quickly, it left ripples in light patterns throughout the universe. These ripples of light were recently discovered by a team of astronomers led by John Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
With regard to creation, evolution, and faith, I have always been one to embrace the “both” theory. In other words, who says that God and science have to be mutually exclusive concepts?
Is it too far fetched to pose the question: “on what day did God cause this Big Bang”? This is a question that we will never know while we are living on Earth. God didn’t put us here on Earth for us to iron out these details, though!
Sometimes, believing means that you just believe.
The first time I saw this image, I thought it was a bit morbid. In fact, it is morbid. It’s showing a hearse carrying away a deceased person with all of his earthly possessions being hauled behind him. Yet, the absurdity of this image compels us to almost immediately reevaluate the things we perceive as valuable.
Though this image appears smaller on the blog than I would like, if you click on the image, it shows in tiny print the powerful scripture that directly contradicts the image:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6: 19-21).
In short, we can’t take it with us!! I hope you were blessed by this today.
One of my favorite life mantras has always been “Always be kinder than necessary. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle”.
This is a great secular statement, but does it correlate with the Bible? I have great news for you: for once, an awesome expression actually does align up with the Bible! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, this one’s got God written all over it. Let’s see what the Bible says about kindness:
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”. Ephesians 4:32
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great” Luke 6:35
In short, we all know that people who are unkind to us are the ones who need Christ the most. We become true mature Christians, once we have had the time to regroup and sympathize with the person’s pain.
It still doesn’t make the action okay, and the offender might not warrant a spot back in your life, but are we remembering to pray for this person, too?
Who can you forgive today?
Atlanta – Friend, no one encourages excellence as wonderfully as Ed Foreman. (www.edforeman.com)
In 1996, IBM brought Ed in for a half day seminar at our annual meeting to share his life lessons and recipe for a successful career. From a poor farmer’s son to being elected to Congress from two states and successful business owner and motivational speaker, Ed has changed lives with his wit, charm, and positive outlook. Please click on his homepage to watch his videos and learn more about him.
Although Ed is getting up there in years, his positive attitude and enthusiasm will inspire you to encourage excellence in others.
Kennesaw, GA – GE (www.ge.com) was a great Fortune 500 company long before Jack Welch took over as CEO in 1981. The GE brand has continued to flourish because people are seen as its most valuable asset. Why do other companies routinely select GE senior managers to come run their organizations? Because at its core, GE leverages these two talents of key employees: critical thinking and effective communication.
Encourage excellence today and help others with improving their critical thinking and effective communication.
Bryan E. Wilson 