NEW BEGINNINGS- Jack E. Albright

	NEW BEGINNINGS
The Twenty-Third Psalms for the Twenty-First Century	Words to Encourage Positive Living in a Negative World
Archived Messages: The Psalms Book Words to Encourage *You are the* *visitor to this page*	Mercy Grace Love: Our Lifetime Traveling Companions by Jack Albright Printable PDF As the psalmist approaches the finale of his masterful poem, he declares: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalms 23:6) This verse is one of the most revealing and exciting in the Bible for it describes how God loves us and will never abandon us regardless of how wayward we may become. The words follow and mercy demand explanation to make them more meaningful. Follow should be translated to pursue, to track down, to chase, to follow someone or something until they are found and taken control of. The word mercy is a translation of the Hebrew word hesed, more commonly translated as “loving-kindness.” It is best thought of as unconditional or unearned love. Christians call this grace, which is the special word we use to encapsulate the quality of divine love, love that is entirely unmerited, undeserved and that knows no limit. In contrast to this, Francis Thompson, in his poem “The Hound of Heaven,” says, “human love needs human meriting.” God’s love has nothing to do with meriting. Nothing we can do or say will make God love us any more or any less. We can do nothing that will surprise God, or make him tired or weary of loving us. David Tomlinson says: When we have a bad day, God still loves us. When we choose a wrong turn, God still loves us. When we cannot muster the faith to believe he exists, God still loves us. When we live selfishly, when we behave like a spoiled child, when we make a complete twit of ourselves—God still loves us. The hound of heaven pounds on after us. In a nutshell the twenty-third psalm has one uncomplicated message: God loves us just because we are. Jesus told the story of the lost sheep and how the shepherd relentlessly hunted until he found it. He followed with the story of a woman who lost a coin who also searched until she found it. The prodigal son was not literally pursued by his father, but he was hounded by the awareness that his father’s goodness, love and grace were begging him to come home. Every man, woman and child needs to understand that they are loved for no other reason than they are. Some readers may call this cheap grace. However, God’s grace is not cheap. It cannot be bought with any amount of money, or earned by good deeds. Grace cannot be bought because it is free. Jesus died for our wrongness and sinfulness and we must accept his love and forgiveness as a free gift. However God will continually say to us, “If you keep traveling down the wrong road you are going to get badly hurt. But be assured that I will be right with you, I will pursue you, and I will always love you even if you never return my love.” That is the grace that John Newton describes in his song “Amazing Grace”: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.” When Johnny Cash was asked which verse of Amazing Grace was his favorite, he immediately quoted the third verse, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. ’Twas grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” God’s grace and love travels with us down a thousand roads and is manifested in countless ways. Thank you, God, that your love has companioned us all the days of our life and will lead us all the way to heaven. AMAZING GRACE byJohn Newton 1779 Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘Twas grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. The lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, as long at time endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.	INCOMPETENCE AND COMPLAINING, ARE THEY RELATED? by Jack Albright Printable PDF I consider myself to have a positive attitude and don’t place myself in the same category as complainers, critics and gossips. One dictionary defines the verb complaint: 1. to express grief, pain, or discontent. 2. to make a formal accusation or charge. When I express grief, pain and discontent, does that mean that I am a complainer? Oh, I hope not. With little interest I began reading, A Complaint Free World, by Will Bowen. He says that people who constantly complain, criticize or gossip…also deny that they are complaining, just like I try to do. So now I will bravely admit that I complain and criticize—but I try to do it in a positive way! My interest intensified as I read the title of stage one: “Unconscious Incompetence.” Bowen claims that complaining comes as the result of being incompetent…incapable of stopping ourselves from complaining, criticizing or gossiping. Ouch! Does that mean that I am incapable, helpless or unwilling to control my words of complaint? Worse yet, am I ignorant, (which is a lack of knowledge), or too stubborn to admit that I am a complainer? After only a casual historical inventory I admit that I definitely have an unconscious incompetence in the complaining department. My admission and confession has moved me to Bowen’s stage two, “Conscious Incompetence.” I am keenly aware that I complain and now I feel guilty. I feel embarrassed as if I had a placard hanging around my neck advertising my pitiful condition. The words you just read are a complaint! If you felt sorry for me, your sympathy is a reward for my complaint and it could encourage me to use that “weapon” again and again. I could become a professional complainer and grow fat on the sympathy from my victims. Good news! Bowen provides two more stages that will help us to become capable of controlling our complaining tendencies. Stage three is called Conscious Competence and stage four is Unconscious Competence. I have tried to humorously describe the first two stages. I admit that I complain and am miserably aware that I am a complainer. What good does this awareness do? It does no good unless I am willing to begin and complete the arduous task of becoming a non-complainer. We are now ready to begin the next stage that Bowen calls the Conscious Competence. This stage is often an uncomfortable stage because you become hypersensitive. You become sensitive about everything you say. You will discover that you pause before saying something and weigh it more carefully to determine if it is a complaint, criticism or gossip. You may also discover that you do not talk as much. Silence may become more comfortable. People who talk non-stop may not be comfortable with who they are and use the constant flow of words as a protective wall that keeps others from really knowing who they are. Stage four of Bowens book is Unconscious Competence. When a person reaches this stage they are no longer “an ouch looking for a hurt.” Your thoughts are now on what you want, and not on what you don’t like or don’t want. You will also notice that you are happier, and the people around you seem happier. Positive and happy people attract that kind of people. Now if we non-complainers can convince the complainers, critics and gossips to get a copy of Will Bowen’s book, A Complaint Free World,” and learn to stop complaining, then, we will be more comfortable. OOPS! Another complaint. Looks like I must go back to page one and start from scratch. Again.
If you would like to be placed on our email notification list to receive reminders of new postings to this site, send your email address to new_beginnings@thenewsleaf.com. More about our publications: New Beginnings Prayer in Sychar

NEW BEGINNINGS

The Twenty-Third Psalms

for

the Twenty-First Century

Words to Encourage Positive Living in a Negative World

Archived Messages:

The Psalms Book

Words to Encourage

You are the

visitor to this page

Mercy Grace Love: Our Lifetime Traveling Companions

by Jack Albright Printable PDF

As the psalmist approaches the finale of his masterful poem, he declares: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalms 23:6)

This verse is one of the most revealing and exciting in the Bible for it describes how God loves us and will never abandon us regardless of how wayward we may become.

The words follow and mercy demand explanation to make them more meaningful. Follow should be translated to pursue, to track down, to chase, to follow someone or something until they are found and taken control of.

The word mercy is a translation of the Hebrew word hesed, more commonly translated as “loving-kindness.” It is best thought of as unconditional or unearned love. Christians call this grace, which is the special word we use to encapsulate the quality of divine love, love that is entirely unmerited, undeserved and that knows no limit.

In contrast to this, Francis Thompson, in his poem “The Hound of Heaven,” says, “human love needs human meriting.” God’s love has nothing to do with meriting. Nothing we can do or say will make God love us any more or any less. We can do nothing that will surprise God, or make him tired or weary of loving us.

David Tomlinson says: When we have a bad day, God still loves us. When we choose a wrong turn, God still loves us. When we cannot muster the faith to believe he exists, God still loves us. When we live selfishly, when we behave like a spoiled child, when we make a complete twit of ourselves—God still loves us. The hound of heaven pounds on after us. In a nutshell the twenty-third psalm has one uncomplicated message: God loves us just because we are.

Jesus told the story of the lost sheep and how the shepherd relentlessly hunted until he found it. He followed with the story of a woman who lost a coin who also searched until she found it. The prodigal son was not literally pursued by his father, but he was hounded by the awareness that his father’s goodness, love and grace were begging him to come home.

Every man, woman and child needs to understand that they are loved for no other reason than they are. Some readers may call this cheap grace. However, God’s grace is not cheap. It cannot be bought with any amount of money, or earned by good deeds. Grace cannot be bought because it is free. Jesus died for our wrongness and sinfulness and we must accept his love and forgiveness as a free gift.

However God will continually say to us, “If you keep traveling down the wrong road you are going to get badly hurt. But be assured that I will be right with you, I will pursue you, and I will always love you even if you never return my love.”

That is the grace that John Newton describes in his song “Amazing Grace”: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.”

When Johnny Cash was asked which verse of Amazing Grace was his favorite, he immediately quoted the third verse, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. ’Twas grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

God’s grace and love travels with us down a thousand roads and is manifested in countless ways. Thank you, God, that your love has companioned us all the days of our life and will lead us all the way to heaven.

AMAZING GRACE byJohn Newton 1779

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘Twas grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. The lord has promised good to me, his word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be, as long at time endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.

INCOMPETENCE AND COMPLAINING, ARE THEY RELATED?

by Jack Albright Printable PDF

I consider myself to have a positive attitude and don’t place myself in the same category as complainers, critics and gossips. One dictionary defines the verb complaint: 1. to express grief, pain, or discontent. 2. to make a formal accusation or charge. When I express grief, pain and discontent, does that mean that I am a complainer? Oh, I hope not.

With little interest I began reading, A Complaint Free World, by Will Bowen. He says that people who constantly complain, criticize or gossip…also deny that they are complaining, just like I try to do. So now I will bravely admit that I complain and criticize—but I try to do it in a positive way!

My interest intensified as I read the title of stage one:

“Unconscious Incompetence.” Bowen claims that complaining comes as the result of being incompetent…incapable of stopping ourselves from complaining, criticizing or gossiping. Ouch! Does that mean that I am incapable, helpless or unwilling to control my words of complaint?

Worse yet, am I ignorant, (which is a lack of knowledge), or too stubborn to admit that I am a complainer? After only a casual historical inventory I admit that I definitely have an unconscious incompetence in the complaining department.

My admission and confession has moved me to Bowen’s stage two, “Conscious Incompetence.” I am keenly aware that I complain and now I feel guilty. I feel embarrassed as if I had a placard hanging around my neck advertising my pitiful condition. The words you just read are a complaint! If you felt sorry for me, your sympathy is a reward for my complaint and it could encourage me to use that “weapon” again and again. I could become a professional complainer and grow fat on the sympathy from my victims.

Good news! Bowen provides two more stages that will help us to become capable of controlling our complaining tendencies. Stage three is called Conscious Competence and stage four is Unconscious Competence.

I have tried to humorously describe the first two stages. I admit that I complain and am miserably aware that I am a complainer. What good does this awareness do? It does no good unless I am willing to begin and complete the arduous task of becoming a non-complainer.

We are now ready to begin the next stage that Bowen calls the Conscious Competence. This stage is often an uncomfortable stage because you become hypersensitive. You become sensitive about everything you say. You will discover that you pause before saying something and weigh it more carefully to determine if it is a complaint, criticism or gossip.

You may also discover that you do not talk as much. Silence may become more comfortable. People who talk non-stop may not be comfortable with who they are and use the constant flow of words as a protective wall that keeps others from really knowing who they are.

Stage four of Bowens book is Unconscious Competence. When a person reaches this stage they are no longer “an ouch looking for a hurt.”

Your thoughts are now on what you want, and not on what you don’t like or don’t want. You will also notice that you are happier, and the people around you seem happier. Positive and happy people attract that kind of people.

Now if we non-complainers can convince the complainers, critics and gossips to get a copy of Will Bowen’s book, A Complaint Free World,”

and learn to stop complaining, then, we will be more comfortable.

OOPS! Another complaint. Looks like I must go back to page one and start from scratch. Again.

If you would like to be placed on our email notification list to receive reminders of new postings to this site, send your email address to new_beginnings@thenewsleaf.com.

More about our publications:

New Beginnings Prayer in Sychar

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