Category: Follow-up

My purpose in posting this follow-up and others is to demonstrate how I am applying Jesus’ command to my own life. My hope is that you will be encouraged to find a practical application for yourself.

What Jesus Said to Do

Photo by Dawn Carlson At night the Frankfort light is white and the nearby harbor lights have distinct flash patterns. The lights are a metaphor for yes (on) or no (off) A mariner will recognize the lights as the Frankfort Harbor and no other because of the faithfulness of it’s “yes” and “no” communication. I am not a mechanical beacon but I also am known for the faithfulness of my communication. What I mean is that I could be a lot more consistent to do what I say that I will do. Lou Holtz quote is remarkably appropriate. This image and more can be found in the blog Photo Gallery.Photo Gallery.

Jesus said to make no oath but simply use “YES” or “NO.” An oath is typically a promise that invokes a divine consequence if broken.

Say Yes or No and Mean It

This is something I really have to improve and I have a couple of examples to share.

Just last week I made a tentative appointment with my sister to meet. When circumstances came up that completely changed my week, I forgot about that appointment. She was very gracious, of course. Fortunately I don’t do that sort of thing very often. But when I do, I don’t like myself for it.

Something I do quite often is to be late. I habitually depart for appointments with just enough time to be a few minutes late. The solution to this is what I call ”stupid simple!” All I have to do is leave in time to be 10 minutes early; but up till now I just don’t do it.

My Challenge

This week I will concentrate on how to be 10 minutes early for every appointment that is not work related. For work I need to be early but no more than five minutes early. This will be a good goal. I’ll welcome anyone to check up on how I’m doing!

Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB

Follow-up to Leave Your Offering and Go Be Reconciled

24 June, 2019

Christopher Carlson

Follow-up Matthew Sermon on the Mount No Comments

See the Blog Post

What Jesus Said to Do

Photo Artistry by Dawn Carlson Ships that have come and gone past the Fort Gratiot lighthouse since 1829 often overcame obstacles. Aside from weather, the channel from Lake Huron to the St. Clair River requires some tight turns in the current to proceed without damage. Reconciling with someone whom I’ve wronged can also have obstacles to overcome. Obstacles such as distance, cost, lost addresses, faulty memory and hurt feelings can make reconciliation even more difficult. Its best to think about it , seek some guidance and practice first! I like Michael Jordan‘s quote because it applies to this AND so many situations of life! This image and more can be found in the Photo Gallery. Click on the image for an explanation Why a Lighthouse

Jesus said in Matthew 5:24, ”Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

What!?

This command of Jesus is from the first century but it still has a powerful message for today. When someone came to the Jewish temple in the first century to seek God’s favor they brought something to offer. But Jesus was telling His disciples that if they were seeking God’s favor with a guilty conscience then they would do well to reconcile first. God was and is not impressed with a fine gift if the giver is mean to people. Besides that, we know that the effect of a guilty conscience on the mind and body is not good. Stress is the result and long term stress contributes to cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal and immunological disorders of the body and anxiety and depression of the mind.

Have you ever offended someone in a big way?

Have you ever done or said some things that you knew were wrong and it offended someone? I have, and it bothered me so that I was sorry about it. This command has through the years reminded me that I needed to try to make things right. With a lot of humble pie I’ve made some apologies and even asked forgiveness on occasion. A wise person told me to do this in person or with a phone call and never use a letter. Remarkably some folks I talked to didn’t remember the event. Others were quite gracious and accepted the apology. Either way, the times I’ve done this have indeed resulted in peace for me. It was like I had finally paid a debt and was free of it.

Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB

Follow-up to Let Your Light Shine

17 June, 2019

admin

Follow-up Matthew Sermon on the Mount 2 Comments

Jesus’ statements are still relevant.

Photo Artistry by Dawn Carlson The Michigan City light is one of only two lighthouses of Indiana that are on the Great Lakes. It is a day mark that is illuminated by the sun during the day to inform mariners of their location. At night the light shines for the same reason. Once you know your current location you can then navigate to where you are going. Jesus’ commands are like navigation markers for the human soul. This image and more can be found in the Photo Gallery. You can read about Why a Lighthouse by clicking on the picture.

I think that Jesus’ command to let your light shine is as challenging today as it ever was. His commands are also just as relevant in today’s world as they were when He spoke them.

Do I love people enough?

When Jesus spoke this command He was urging His followers to go out into the world and be positive influences, I don’t know about you, but I feel challenged by this command. Its easy for me to agree with it. But then I immediately move on in my thoughts without stopping to consider the practical implication of what it might mean to let my light shine. I think that it means I have to love people enough to care about them in practical ways. But, there are big problems in the world like hunger, bad water, disease, poverty, ignorance, violence, lack of economic opportunity and the list is unending. I am often caught up with my own agenda and sometimes realize how selfish and small my own agenda seems. No matter how much I do for family and friends there are even bigger needs out there that affect millions of people and I’m doing so little or nothing about them. Frankly, I think the answer to my question about if I love people enough is, “No.” I don’t know if I can.

What to do?

I can however care more about the people around me and perform my commitments with excellence. What can I do this week to let my light shine?” I will review this command every day this week to remind myself to take notice of the needs of family and coworkers. I can also apply the idea of being excellent by stepping up to do my job better and taking initiative to solve some problems without caring who gets the credit. Like I said at the beginning, this will be challenging!

Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command

WhatJesusSaidToDo.com

Follow-up to Rejoice and Be Glad

9 June, 2019

Christopher Carlson

Follow-up Matthew Sermon on the Mount 2 Comments

South Haven in winter with Psalms quote. Photo by Dawn Carlson: If there is beauty even in the icy coldness of winter, then there can be gladness even if my detractors behave badly toward me when I do good things. See South Haven Winter and others in the Photo Gallery.

One important reason I decided to share my notes about what Jesus said to do was to demonstrate how Jesus’ statements are remarkably practical to follow in today’s world. This has been my experience and I hope it will be yours.

I love this quote from the Bible’s book of Psalms. This is another idea from Jesus’ command to rejoice and be glad that is always applicable.

I’ve had to learn

This image reminds me of a lesson that I have to keep learning over and over again. I don’t like the cold and it’s easy for me to grumble about it. In fact, it’s quite easy for me to focus on what I don’t like about alot of life and to grumble about those things in my mind and in my speech. In this frame of mind, I can’t see the good things in life that are actually all around me. For instance, the beauty in this photograph can too easily be ignored if I’m grumbling about the cold. I can be grateful and focus on the beauty even if I still don’t like the cold. It puts me in a better attitude when I can do this.

I have to be conscience about being grateful and rejoicing in the good things in my life. It’s natural for me to be cynical and to focus on the darker side of politics, work, people, places and etcetera. I have heard that such thinking is natural because human nature is always looking for danger or threat as a matter of survival. But this kind of thinking does me little good in 99% of modern western living. If I want to be a likable person, if I want to encourage others, if I want to like myself and be content in my own circumstances, if I want better things to happen then I need to direct my thoughts toward gratefulness and rejoicing. Directing my thoughts in a better direction is the only way to begin behaving in better ways to make better things happen.

Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command

WhatJesusSaidToDo.com

Follow up to Follow Me

28 May, 2019

Christopher Carlson

Follow-up Matthew No Comments

Photo: Dawn Carlson St. Joseph Pier Lights are designed for mariners to FOLLOW. At night the lights can be lined up visually so that one is above the other from a captain’s perspective. By steering the boat to keep the lights aligned the captain will guide toward them. Once the channel is in clear view the captain simply avoids the pier to enter the channel. Very small course corrections taken in a timely fashion will avoid big problems later. This image looks great in large or small format. Click on photo for purchase options or Click this link: Photo Gallery for to see all available lighthouse images. Why a lighthouse?

This quote by Sidney Smith reminds me to follow what Jesus said to do even if it seems to matter little and even if it is different to what most others around me are doing. The quote also reminds me to make the decision to resolve a problem as early as possible even if it only helps a little but that is all I can do. A small problem now may become a big mess if I do nothing. But if I take even little steps to resolve problems I open my mind to recognize even better steps that help even more.

This all sounds like I have it figured out, but I still find myself learning this lesson over and over.

Off Course

A ship that is following a course to a destination is generally off course much more than it is on course. Following a compass or radio beacon or GPS coordinate the captain will steer the ship first this way and then that way. He or she is always off by a small amount except for a split-second when the compass passes the mark. This small amount is very small for the moment but even a 1 degree heading error will amount to almost 2 miles off course at the destination.

Have you ever noticed that it seems like so many people get ahead in spite of there bad behavior? I noticed this while growing up. I thought that to be very wealthy it was necessary to be a jerk or dishonest. Perhaps the news media portrayed this or TV shows. It took events like President Nixon’s resignation and corporate disasters like the Enron bankruptcy and others for me to realize that the success these people attained was actually the cumulative effect of the very good practices and habits they had. It was the cumulative effect of their excesses and dishonesty that caused their eventual downfall. The height of their downfall depended upon how far off of their moral compass they had become. I think that following Jesus is like preventive maintenance for my moral compass.

By the way, over the years I’ve met many people I would consider wealthy. I have come to know most of them as quite decent people who are smarter about money than I am. I can learn a lot from them.

Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command

Follow-up to Repent

19 May, 2019

Christopher Carlson

Follow-up Matthew No Comments

Follow-up to Repent Blog Post

Menagerie Island Lighthouse with Lao Tzu Quote – Image (with or without quote) is available in various sizes, on metal, canvas and paper from Dawn Carlson & Shot by Dawn Photography. Follow this link to the Photo Gallery

I‘m trying something new to share a quote or meme that compliments Jesus’ command and makes it more memorable. I love this quote by Lao Tsu. an ancient Chinese philosopher. He is the same person credited with the truth that, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

A Navy Legend

There is a naval legend that I was told when I was in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corp. The story goes roughly like this: During the early days of radio navigation a battle group was training in the fog off the coast of California. The commander of the battle group radioed to a single non-descript contact to move out of the way of the group because they were on a collision course. The “contact” radioed back that he would not move and that the battle group would have to divert their course. This back and forth banter continued for a few minutes. The high ranking battle group commander ends up finding out that the voice of the “contact” was a low ranking coast guard enlistee. In rage, the commander orders the enlisted man to, “Change your course immediately!” To this the enlisted man replies , “Sir, I cannot change course. I am the lighthouse!‘

I retell the story to make the point that this commander whether fictitious of not, had to REPENT; that is to recognize his error and make a decision to change course or face disaster. This is precisely the point Jesus was making and it is the gist of Lao Tsu’s quote.

In my own life, I’ve had to face the truth of the circumstances. I’ve had to make changes many times and in different areas of life. I know that certain disaster would have resulted otherwise. Many people have told me that my experience is not unique. Another insight I am still trying to implement is to be willing to question myself and recognize my mistakes, bad attitudes and false assumption earlier. I’m still learning this skill…

By the way

A true Navy disaster did occur In 1923 when eight Navy destroyer vessels ran aground off Honda Point in California. New radio navigation gear was involved in the chain of errors that led to the disaster. I have to wonder if the legend just might have some truth to it!

Below, please share your comments , question or perhaps your own application for this command

Follow-up to Make No Oath

Follow-up to Make No Oath

What Jesus Said to Do

Say Yes or No and Mean It

My Challenge

Follow-up to Leave Your Offering and Go Be Reconciled