Blind Spot
Her phone dinged. “Who’s texting me so late? It was a male coworker with a joke. She laughed and replied quickly. She was brushing her teeth when a second text came through.
Her husband walked into the bathroom with a puzzled look on his face.
“Who’s texting you ‘good night, sleep tight’?”
With a flushed face, she spat out the toothpaste and practically spat at him, “It was just a friend.”
Her husband backed off.
Six months later, the texting had almost ended her marriage. She should have recognized the danger the moment she felt the urge to hide her phone.
She told herself it was innocent even though her face would flush with excitement at the thought of the next text.
When we are saved, we receive a new nature, one that opens our eyes to temptation. We are to want what God wants and hate what God hates.
How can you discover your own blind spots and learn to see clearly?
Seeking a Blue Doorknob
A shaggy-dog story is a long-winded tale with an underwhelming punch line. The point of such a story is that the joke is on the listener, who has paid attention for far too long and has not been rewarded.
One shaggy dog story tells of the search for a magical blue doorknob in the Empire State Building.
The storyteller can stretch this joke to include as many of the building’s 102 floors as desired (each with dozens of doors with knobs). The story can end with the questioning of a janitor on the top floor who says, “Oh, they took out all the colored knobs years ago.”
Have you ever experienced frustrating and fruitless searches, quests that are like the punch line in what turns out to be a shaggy-dog story?
Have you ever made repeated requests of someone and not received any kind of response? Have you ever knocked on a door when you knew someone was behind it but did not hear a word? The fruitless search makes us think, Give it up! The ignored requests say, Don’t bother me! The unopened door says, Leave me alone! Perhaps your prayer life has felt that way at times.
Your prayers seem to float to the ceiling and no farther. Earnest petitions yield silence day after day.
Lamentations 3:44 seems all too real: “Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.” What are we to make of these times when God seems slow to answer?"
Generational Differences Are Real!
But what are these generations? Sociologists and others recognize several, though the dates can differ slightly.
Often referred to as the Greatest Generation (born 1901–1924), its members survived the Great Depression and World War II, leading the country to rebuild after both.
The Silent Generation (born 1925–1942) followed and maintained their accomplishments.
Baby Boomers (born 1943–1964) came next. They have been referred to as idealists, not content with the world that was left to them.
Generation X (born 1965–1979) has been called the latchkey generation; they cared for themselves, often with limited parental attention.
Today, much focus is given to the Millennials (born 1980–2000) because its influence in shaping the world now predominates.
Mary recognized that the work God had done and would do through Jesus would affect every generation—those of her day and of all the days to come. What characteristics do you share with the Jesus Generation?
Her phone dinged. “Who’s texting me so late? It was a male coworker with a joke. She laughed and replied quickly. She was brushing her teeth when a second text came through.
Her husband walked into the bathroom with a puzzled look on his face.
“Who’s texting you ‘good night, sleep tight’?”
With a flushed face, she spat out the toothpaste and practically spat at him, “It was just a friend.”
Her husband backed off.
Six months later, the texting had almost ended her marriage. She should have recognized the danger the moment she felt the urge to hide her phone.
She told herself it was innocent even though her face would flush with excitement at the thought of the next text.
When we are saved, we receive a new nature, one that opens our eyes to temptation. We are to want what God wants and hate what God hates.
How can you discover your own blind spots and learn to see clearly?
Seeking a Blue Doorknob
A shaggy-dog story is a long-winded tale with an underwhelming punch line. The point of such a story is that the joke is on the listener, who has paid attention for far too long and has not been rewarded.
One shaggy dog story tells of the search for a magical blue doorknob in the Empire State Building.
The storyteller can stretch this joke to include as many of the building’s 102 floors as desired (each with dozens of doors with knobs). The story can end with the questioning of a janitor on the top floor who says, “Oh, they took out all the colored knobs years ago.”
Have you ever experienced frustrating and fruitless searches, quests that are like the punch line in what turns out to be a shaggy-dog story?
Have you ever made repeated requests of someone and not received any kind of response? Have you ever knocked on a door when you knew someone was behind it but did not hear a word? The fruitless search makes us think, Give it up! The ignored requests say, Don’t bother me! The unopened door says, Leave me alone! Perhaps your prayer life has felt that way at times.
Your prayers seem to float to the ceiling and no farther. Earnest petitions yield silence day after day.
Lamentations 3:44 seems all too real: “Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.” What are we to make of these times when God seems slow to answer?"
Generational Differences Are Real!
But what are these generations? Sociologists and others recognize several, though the dates can differ slightly.
Often referred to as the Greatest Generation (born 1901–1924), its members survived the Great Depression and World War II, leading the country to rebuild after both.
The Silent Generation (born 1925–1942) followed and maintained their accomplishments.
Baby Boomers (born 1943–1964) came next. They have been referred to as idealists, not content with the world that was left to them.
Generation X (born 1965–1979) has been called the latchkey generation; they cared for themselves, often with limited parental attention.
Today, much focus is given to the Millennials (born 1980–2000) because its influence in shaping the world now predominates.
Mary recognized that the work God had done and would do through Jesus would affect every generation—those of her day and of all the days to come. What characteristics do you share with the Jesus Generation?
