Yesterday afternoon, I finally found a few moments and was able to ride down to spend a little time at my Grandparents old home place.  I have been working on it for a few months trying to get it livable and actually was able to spend the night last night.  As I was working in the house and walking around outside, it occurred to me that there is not a room, space or place where there is not a memory that is precious to me.

In the kitchen is a little bar where my Pa and I would sit after Sunday lunch and talk about life while we shared a Pepsi Cola.  I remember he would always smoke one cigarette and I would eat a spoon full of peanut butter!

I remember sitting on the front porch on most evenings, shelling peas, butter beans or cutting okra, while listening to the Atlanta Braves on the radio and watching the cars pass by.

When I walk through the fields, I think of what we used to plant.  I remember pulling turnips and my Pa cutting the baby ones and eating them raw!  I remember the corn – growing tall on one end and short on the other, because it did not get as much sun.  I remember my first lesson on growing tomatoes.

My mind has been flooded over the past 24 hours with very special memories.  Memories are a very special gift and should be appreciated.  I think one of the best ways to appreciate a memory is by spending a little time with it.  My most special memories are of moments that were shared with someone else.

I was thinking – right now, this very moment is a potential memory.  I get to decide if it is going to be something special or not.  God blesses us with time and with the time gives us the ability to create memories.  Memories are gifts that will keep giving as long as we have them, so take some time today to create at least one good memory.  And it would not be to bad of an idea to take some time today to dust off and enjoy an old memory!  If you do it, I bet you will be glad you did!

We often talk about taking the steps to get from “Point A” to “Point B”, but fail to realize that there are sometimes steps to the step.  That’s right just to take a step, requires some steps!  Think about it:  In order to make a step, you have to raise your foot, move your foot and plant your foot!

Many times in the Bible, we will read Scriptures and think about the steps we need to take to get from where we are to where we need to be.  Sometime what we need to be thinking about is not the steps, but the step!  Someone said:  “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step!”

Hebrews 10:23-25 provides us with the anatomy of a step.  A step that each of us must take if we are going on this amazing journey that our Creator has mapped out for us!  Here is what that Scripture says:  23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Notice the anatomy of a step in these verses:  First – we must raise our foot by “Holding unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful!”  HOLD ON TO HOPE!  Second  – we must move our foot by “considering how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds!”  SPUR ON OTHERS TOWARD LOVE AND GOOD DEEDS!  And third – we must plant our foot by “Not neglecting meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but must encourage one another and all the more as we see the day approaching!”  MEET ON AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE YOU CAN!

Hold on, spur on and meet on – it takes all three to take and make a step.  The beautiful and amazing thing, is once we take this step, we are on our way to an extraordinary journey!  Enjoy the journey and G3 = Give God Glory!

Almost everybody I know hates gossip when it is about them, but love it when it is about someone else.  We all know from personal experience that gossip hurts, divides and destroys.  The following story has some good information about how to deal with gossip!

In has been said that in ancient Greece, Socrates was known for his great knowledge and because of it was held by most in very high esteem.  One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher on the street and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the “Triple Filter Test.”

“Triple filter?”

“That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test.  The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the man said, “Actually I just heard about it and …”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness.  Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“No, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of Usefulness.  Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really …”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

Before you say it – ask yourself:  Is it true, good and useful?  If not then let’s keep our mouths shut!