Christ's Influence on the World via St. Patrick - Larry Lilly Live

Good Finder's Share Apples of Gold

10/30/2014

There's a better way to do this!

Several years ago I spent a lot of time helping clergy couples experiencing problems in their marriage relationship. Many really had no relationship, but did have well defined battle zones which they used at will. There were several outstanding successes along this journey and a friend asked me to reveal the secret.

Reveal the secret? I am not a magician or a philosopher on loan from another planet. I am merely a married man who has a wife who helps me out when we get too many well marked battle lines. Counselors of whatever stripe usually listen closely while the counselees communicate their woes which means, they tell you what’s wrong with the other person.

As Joyce and I left a session, I had a long list of negatives about the couple that appeared insurmountable. Joyce, on the other hand had an equally long list of what she described as “golden apples,” positive qualities, traits etc. that gave her hope of helping the couple to re-establish a decent Christ honoring life with each other. In the ensuing days, as we turned the sessions toward the tremendous good qualities, the couple began embracing the “golden apple” truth about each other and went on to a much healthier and happier life.

A lot of the troubles in life spin into major problems due to a failure to find some good and work from a positive platform toward solving the negatives. Two opposing negatives do not solve anything, but escalate into bigger and bitter differences.

In most if not all situations a line from King Solomon is magical in its power to produce positive results:

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Proverbs 25:11.

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly

For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

A Good Finder's Encouragement

10/26/2014

LLLV14 10-27-2014

I have shared a few stories on the benefit given and received when we practice being a good finder. I recall some time ago a couple saying to me, “Larry, we can find nothing in the scripture to encourage us. It seems as though even God doesn’t care about us.” The devil sure can blind us to the mountains of care the Lord has for us. I can identify with the woe of the couple.

I know what it is like to feel abandoned by God and man. But I know the feeling is not factual because of the assurance that He will never leave or forsake me. Hebrews 13:5-6. God’s word trumps feelings.

I came across a statement from D.L. Moody early this morning (10/23/14) that riveted my attention to a prayer that Joyce and I have been offering. His statement encouraged us about the gracious goodness of God and we both rediscovered His goodness toward us. Here’s what Mr. Moody said:

"We honor God when we ask for great things. It is a humiliating thing to think that we are satisfied with very small results." D.L. Moody.

Notice God’s instruction to his servant Jeremiah:

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3, “mighty things” carry the idea of “incredible” the contextual discussion concerns the re-gathering of Israel. God granted this, in His time.

This word came to Jeremiah while he was chained in the court of the prison. No matter what your situation may be, you, via Jeremiah, and other verses, are encouraged to call upon the Lord. He desires to reveal, not only His plans to us, but Himself as well. It is okay to be penniless all the while dreaming “Impossible dreams.”

There are no dreams bigger than the resurrection of Jesus Christ therefore we can honor Him by at least asking for incredibly great things.

You sure can find a lot of good in God!

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly

For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

Result of a Good Finders "Nice try."

10/22/2014

Legend of Sysphus

LLLV4 10-23-2014 ”

I read again the story of a writer who labored for over eight years attempting to sell his writing. Rejection slips, hundreds of them, overwhelmed him. Just as he had given up in despair, another rejection slip came in the mail. It contained the regular boiler plate, but with a hand written note stating, “Nice try.” Two words from a good finder changed this man’s attitude. He kept at it.

The book that he wrote and that was finally accepted for publication is now one of our American Classics, a WOW of a best seller and was made into the most watched TV series of the time. Alex Hailey kept at it and his book, Roots, touched millions of lives.

Two things jump off the page, the persistence of Mr. Hailey and the impact of the Good Finder using two words, “Nice try.”

No matter how much or little praise you get, you will fail if you quit. Praise does not make up for a lack of persistence, a persistence that involves identifying weaknesses and forms a plan for overcoming obstacles. By the same token giving, encouragement need not be a catalogue of eloquence, but a mere “Nice try.”

I wonder if Alex Hailey remembers the name of the editor who penned, “Nice try?” I also wonder if the editor recalls writing those two words.

Paul wrote in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” The commentators agree with this comment by Adam Clarke:

“The term Attic salt has been used to express some of the principal beauties of the Greek tongue; of such beauties the Gospel of Christ has an endless store.”

Hey, giving a “Nice try” to someone today may change their life and impact one or millions, you never know.

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly

For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

Good Finders Encourage Life Building

10/19/2014

Good Finders Encourage Life Building

I awoke on Thursday last to a vast number of accolades concerning my article, Needed: Good Finders. The joy was short lived as one pontificating moron noted that I was pushing an idea from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. The truth be known I was “pushing” the idea long before anyone ever heard of Harry Potter. Here is a very good statement on fault finding from Zig Ziglar who antedates J.K. by many years.

“Some people find fault as if there was a reward for it.” Zig Ziglar

I know many preachers who feel they have failed if they cannot validate the faults of a fellow clergyman during each sermon. Much study time is given to searching the religious hit papers for choice morsels rather than something from the Lord.

Often the nominally religious seem to latch on to a biblical truth and use it in their enterprise more industriously than an astute sacred language scholar. Consider this “good finder” line from one of the empire builders of his day:

“Men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt need to be moved to get an ounce of gold, but one doesn’t go into the mine looking for dirt. One goes in looking for gold.”
Andrew Carnegie.

In dealing with people it pays in the long run to look for the gold, rather than hunting for the dirt, unless of course you are in the tabloid business. Most relationships will enjoy a noticeable improvement if the parties begin praising rather than fault finding.

When you go into a relationship of any sort looking for the dirt you will surely be covered up, much like a subterranean gold miner. (Yes, there is a difference between a gold miner and gold digger).

Paul put the principle of Good Finding like this:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

Paul antedates J.K. Rowling by a couple millennia.

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
Please feel free to share this article with your friends.

For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

Needed: Good Finders

10/15/2014

Good Finder

LLLV14 10-16-2014
I admit to investing too much time with critics, with the major complaint being that I often quote men who are considered less than perfect. I admit to this as I check advice, etc, against the perfect book, the Bible! I am then confident that the statement is on target, even if the person who spoke or wrote isn’t. To credit the statement does not in any way give creditability to the author. So here is a good statement from an at least interesting man.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” Mark Twain.

Over the course of my now long and often interesting life, I have noted personally the truth of Twain’s statement. There is an entire movement in our country that essentially teaches the power of using praise to encourage and teach others to achieve more.

The late Zig Ziglar taught that there are two kinds of people, the fault finder and the good finder. I agree with him in that Jesus Christ often, when helping His close followers used the good finder principle. Certainly He knew the truth about our sinful nature, but He followed with the positive truth, that even though we are more depraved than we like to admit, there is hope in Him, that we are redeemable and useful in His world.

John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

I bet that if you look real hard today you can find some good, even in your spouse.

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

Living the Fulfilled Life

10/13/2014

LLLV14 10-13-2014

A strange thing has perplexed many who study the human condition, especially in the United States. The perplexity is often expressed like this:

Why do people who live in a free nation with no caste rules, unlimited opportunity and the freedom to choose the kind of work, or contribution to the nation, simply accept what is first offered and then complain about it for the rest of their earthly life? I admit to knowing all of the simple and simplistic answers to the question, such as fear. I used fear due to the fact that fear is the root of all other answers.

Award winning writer (Forrest Gump, etc.) Eric Roth, said:

“I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

Many, if not most people, are not satisfied with their lot in life.

Are you one of the millions of Americans who trudge through life? If so, may I ask a few questions?

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you select as your life profession or practice? Keep in mind that just because someone else seems content doing whatever, does not mean that you would enjoy the same level of contentment.

Deep in your heart, what would you love to do to earn a living, or realize your dream, above all else?

Do you even know? Or think you do? Are you willing to throw yourself into it?

When will you start? Now? If not now, when?

I wish our educational system had a few courses on the subject of following the gleam in your own life.

Along with the “Hope” of Eric Roth, please consider this from Jesus Christ:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly

For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

What Evil Lurks Within Your Heart?

10/8/2014

Christ Can Heal A Broken Heart

LLLV14 10-9-14

Do you ever have evil thoughts? Do you ever knowing commit to evil actions? Join the crowd. The only problem is that evil upon reaching a certain mass of the public mind/heart explodes exponentially and utter chaos rules. Dealing with mass evil is usually a waste of time and effort. So then how to deal with evil?

First there must be a conscious decision to stand against the evil of the day as posited by James Russell Lowell:

“Once to every person and nation come the moment to decide. In the conflict of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side.”

When enough people make a decision against evil, said evil is diluted to the few incorrigible morons, or intellectual monsters, as the case may be.

When thinking of Hitler, or more modern psychopaths, give this bit from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a long thought:

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

That we humans dwell upon the evil in the hearts of others is often a fatal flaw in dealing with evil. Bible doctrine teaches rather clearly that the evil in every human heart is present, often dormant, but always ready to leap into terrible action. Therefore our primary responsibility is to trust the power of Christ to sustain our decision to avoid personal evil and to cooperate in restraining those who will not yield to personal spiritual control of their actions.

The Shadow is said to know what evil lurks in the heart, but the important thing is for you to accept God’s definition of your heart.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

Crisis: A Harbinger of Change

10/6/2014

LLLV14 10-6-2014

Over the course of a now long life, I have invested much of said life in helping people get through some sort of crisis in their life. The rest of the time I have helped me to get through crisis, often ones I never dreamed I would have. I base this illusion on having sent several hankies to different TV preachers for prayer anointing. Perhaps the thread count was too sparse.

One familiar with unexpected times of trouble wrote, “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Job 5:7.

John F. Kennedy popularized the meaning of the Chinese word for crisis in a speech given in Indianapolis, Indiana April 12, 1959 with this; “When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.” A few purists debate the accuracy of the translation, but I accept it as does the bulk of Americans.

Along the same line of thinking on crisis, Soren Kierkegaard stated, “All change is preceded by crisis.”

I take the truth about crisis to mean, if I am facing trouble, then I can pray for God to keep it away. He does this occasionally. More often the crisis leads to troublesome times, and change. The point being Jesus does bring us through the crisis, the trouble, the storm and circumstances have changed. We have the choice of using the change for better or worse. Christians have the option of accepting the change as positive or negative. A life crisis may make you bitter of better. The choice is yours.

Jesus touched on this when He said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

It’s a matter of biblical fact that Christ permitted the crisis, the trouble to enter your life for His glory and your ultimate benefit, so according to Romans 8:28 the trouble serves a divine and human purpose.

We must learn to simply pray for the wisdom from above to see and seize the opportunity within the crisis.

Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly

For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard

October 05th, 2014

10/5/2014

Choose your Friends Thoughtfully

10/1/2014

LLLV14 10-2-14
Over the last 52 years I have been telling all who will listen, and some who won’t, about Jesus, I have noticed that the friends people choose are an indicator of how well they will do in life. Having pastored a reasonably large, church and few smaller ones along the way, I have learned to note when a new convert or member of another church comes our way, which group within the church the new person gravitates too. This is one of the best predictors of their future growth or lack thereof within the body.

The above statement is true not only in church groups, but groups of prisoners, writers, soldiers, ball players etc.

Commenting on this trait Timothy Ferris wrote:

“You are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.”

If I could say it better myself I would not be quoting Mr. Ferris.

With the above in mind, can you put a tag on your five closest friends? How are they contributing to you growth, your success? Are they receiving anything from you of a negative or positive nature?

Solomon stated this truth in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Contextually Paul is teaching that we should choose as very close friends people of true faith, based on Christ’s resurrection, as others will infect us with an “eat drink and be merry, for death is soon coming ” attitude. This is a death philosophy and true Christianity is a philosophy of life.

Choose your five closest friends wisely.

Copyright © 2o14 Larry Lilly
For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard