Diary of a Journeyman A Selection of Thoughts, Parables, Anecdotes, and Analogies Volume I By Pastor Edward J. Collins www.pastoredcollins.org Table of Contents Introduction Discipline and Priorities A Waste of Time? The American Dream Is a Trap The Best Part About Going On a Diet God's Definition of Promotion Execution Interview Series: Locker Room Chat With Coach The Lender's Slave My Fitness Band Spiritual Minutemen Taking One for the Team There Is a Lion In the Road! There’s Always Time For a Cup of Coffee You Can Never Unsay Something Economics 40 Hours a Week - Says Who??? A Righteous Economy - Part 1 A Righteous Economy - Part 2 I'd Love To Help, But... Work Hard, Enjoy Your Own Bread Emotions and Sensitivity Guest Blogger: Contentment I Like Technology, Too, But… My Kindle Perception Is Reality…For Some Sensitive Isn't the Same as Emotional The Sun Is Out Why So Torn Over Prophecy? Encouragement Diary of a Journeyman A Leopard and Its Spots Every Goliath Has His Day Failure Isn’t the Issue, Fear of It Is Finding Encouragement In All the “Wrong” Places God’s Promises Make Us Laugh Sometimes Just the Right Word At Just the Right Time The Least of Them Like Speaking Two Different Languages Stay Active! Where's All This Guilt Coming From??? Evil The Avengers Forbidden Fruit The Greatest Salesman – Part 1 The Greatest Salesman – Part 2 If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It! I'm So Sorry... The Interesting Thing About Faith Out of the Wicked Comes Forth Wickedness Poetic Justice Putting Shame In Its Place Test the Spirits Who Decides What Is Good and What Is Evil? The Flesh Creature Double Feature Self-Control and Flaming Arrows Golf Golf Series #1: We All Have Our Own Swing Golf Series #2: The Choke Golf Series #3: The 19th Hole Golf Series #4: The Gimme Golf Series #5: Catch Me If You Can’t Golf Series #6: It’s Still Too Cold for Golf… Golf Series #7: Dirty Clubs 3 Table of Contents Golf Series #8: Difficult Tournament Conditions Golf Series #9: 72 Puzzles Per Round Golf Series #10: It’s Just a Game! Golf Series #11: A Variety of Courses The Gospel Commitment Issues I Play for the New England Patriots! Jesus, the Man My Lord, Not Just My Savior Our Asymptotic Existence Our Best Days Are the Simple Ones Recalibration - I Die Daily Safety First! There's Always Hope What Have You Got to Lose? Growing Up A Little Boy Searching “Don’t Sit So Close To the Television…” Dream But Don't Be a Dreamer Taking Full Responsibility What You Think Is What You Get Holidays Christmas Lights Veterans Day What Would Paul Say About Christmas 2015? Humility Versus Arrogance Arrogance – Part 1 Arrogance – Part 2 The Axe That Thought Too Highly of Itself Catching a Good Night's Sleep The Christian Police Confession Is For You The Downside of Intelligence Just Stop and Ask for Directions Diary of a Journeyman The Last Frontier Man's Appetite For Glory Smack Talk Superstar Status Teachability When You Walk Into a Room… Idolatry Guest Blogger: The “Art” of Music Guest Blogger: Phototaxis Individuality A Beautiful Responsibility And the Best Supporting Actor Goes To… Bookshelves Callouses Good Does Not Imply Bad God Created Diversity – Part 1 God Created Diversity – Part 2 "I am, so I believe" versus "I believe, so I am" Jack of All Trades, Master of None The "Less Presentable" The "Me" Filter Thoughts On "Old School" Why I'm Not a Fan of Superlatives Your Opinion Is the BEST!... Integrity A Contract Is Only As Good As the Signatures On It Bullseye!...Oops - Stop the Presses… Divine Discipline Finding Good Things Along the High Road Here’s a List of My Friends… My Drug of Choice Selective Hearing The Spirit of the Law The Spirit Told Me to Do It! 5 Table of Contents That’s Pain On My Face, Not Judgment The Truest Form of Leadership Why Are You Asking Me This? Learning to Relax When God says, "I need to speak with you alone." Love BFFs The Full Sphere of Perfect Love Hugs I Aspire to Be Like a Child I'm No a Dog Whisperer, But... The Indescribable The Labor of Love Guest Blogger: The Language of Love People Are So Fickle Pray for Your Enemies…ESPECIALLY When You Don’t Want To! Pretend You're a Light Bulb Whatever Ministry A Love Letter To My Congregation “Father, My Heart Is Breaking” I Got Your Six My Cheerful, Broken Heart My Hospital Visit Patience and Preparation A Little Math To Explain Your Insecurity “Cessna N1742*, What Are You Doing?” Coming Up Empty-Handed Can Be a Blessing Gray Hair Rocks The Hangover Man-Math The One Way Mirror Guest Blogger: Preventative Medicine Guest Blogger: Stability Before Strengthening Diary of a Journeyman Strength Training The Universal Athletic Position Politics Why Blame the Marionettes? Relationships, Family, and Kids Be Strong and Courageous Children: Preparing the Soil for Harvest “Familiarity” and “Family” Share the Same Root For the Love of a Child Give Them Space God Knew You, Like He Knew His Own Son, In the Womb The Good Parent I Love Old People Imagine Being Bill Gates' Child Jezebel Learning to Laugh Again Men, Have You Been Wearing Your Wife's Skirt? My Son Is Back Home Satan’s Secret Weapon Teaching Our Children How To Eat and Get Dressed The Woman’s Desire Suffering and Pressure #%$*@ Rolls Uphill A Brief Walk In the Sewer Ay, Caramba! Crushed, Healed, and Sanctified The Diver's Watch I’m Sick Peacekeeping Displays Greater Strength Than Fighting Guest Blogger: People Testing This, Too, Shall Pass Warriors Aren't Smiling In Battle You Don't Know Your Own Limits Violence 7 Table of Contents Pure Violence Introduction The vast majority of the contents of this book are gleaned directly from almost two hundred blog entries over the course of roughly two years. Each blog entry has been categorized based on primary topic of interest and has been preserved in its original form. Each category is a chapter. Each chapter has a short introduction that expands upon its name, alluding to the individual blogs within the chapter. Reading tips: • A kindle or eBook reader with a search function is recommended, but not necessary • If not doing a word search, the Table of Contents is a great place to find topics of interest • A person could read this book from cover to cover, making a “daily devotional” out of it. However a reader chooses to use this book, it is a tremendous resource for encouragement, learning, practical application, and even sharing amongst friends. There is enough breadth in this book to generate hours and hours of discussion, either between a believer and God, or between believers. Happy reading! Love in Christ, Ed Collins 9 Discipline and Priorities Preparation is key with any endeavor. Discipline and priorities are the lifeblood of preparation. Like our coaches used to say, “Practice makes perfect!” It’s true, one must practice, train, and dedicate themselves, for we believers are, after all, enlistees in Christ’s army. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. — 2 Timothy 2:3-5 There are no shortcuts in the spiritual life. The training is demanding, requiring sustained focus and energy. God’s grace is ever sufficient, it’s true, but believers aren’t reborn to slothfulness; rather, they are regenerated with the ability and the taste for grace. However, God has also provisioned each believer with a conscience and a free will, implying choice. With the presence of the flesh and sin, a believer must choose to receive His grace at all times. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). God has set our priorities straight. We simply must obey, train hard, and bring glory to our Creator in the process. A Waste of Time? "Don't waste your time on them, they're hopeless!" Ever heard something along those lines? I have, plenty of times. But here's the issue with the statement - it's all about perspective. It's a relative statement that is dependent on who's saying it to whom. Imagine if someone said that to Jesus and He actually agreed with them? Where would we all be? For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. — Romans 5:6 Godly things done in faith are never a waste of time. To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Faith is the key. However, faith must be that which is given by the grace of God for it to animate the promises of God in the life of an individual. You must have faith in the face of the extreme negativity of this world to press on with the Gospel.