Last week I thanked Harriet Wise for her inspiration to me on last week’s message. Today I want to thank another dear friend of Cindy’s and mine, Carrie Lee, for my inspiration for this week’s TGIF message. Carrie and I have had many conversations over the years regarding Christianity and the Bible, and I consider her a true believer, and with a great understanding of God’s true Word.
A few weeks ago, Carrie shared a new book with Cindy and me. The book is titled Holy Moments and was authored by Matthew Kelly, a best-selling author, acclaimed speaker, and business consultant. The sub-heading for the book is A Handbook for the Rest of Your Life.
What I really liked about this book is the simplicity of the message. It is calling for a spiritual revival in our country and the world, and is following a number of large-scale prayer events and true religious revivals that have already occurred this year. The result is many people believe that God is clearly speaking to us and letting us know He is present with us and encouraging us to return to Him, and to offer an alternative for the many people currently feeling lost in this new world we are experiencing. Let me share a few direct quotes from the book.
Kelly begins by defining a Holy Moment for us. A Holy Moment is a single moment in which you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to Him. You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do.
Here are a few more Kelly direct quotes from his book:
Galatians 6:9-10 – Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.
Let me share two examples of Holy Moments that I try to use. A few years ago I felt God wanted me to be a positive example to others and to say “Have a blessed day” to them. It took me awhile to get comfortable doing this because I was concerned that non-Christians might be offended at such a statement to them. I finally started doing it and have now been doing it for a few years to many pilots and flight attendants on airplanes, business people with whom I interact, and virtually every person I meet who I might want to thank in some way. The result is that I always get a positive response from this comment made to someone that I have never met. I now wish I had started doing this Holy Moment years earlier!
The second example of a Holy Moment I try to share is much newer. In today’s world, we all need to try and show a lot more patience with others. Most businesses today do not have enough workers, so getting served in a restaurant may take longer than in the past, finding a repairman for a need in your home may take longer to find, trying to buy a new appliance or car or anything may take longer because the supply chain or the factory building where your needed product will likely be built may not have enough workers, so getting your new needed product may take longer than in the past. I am now trying hard to be very patient with the business people I come across and deal with because they don’t want these issues, they are getting burned out themselves, and having folks come down on them will not help them or us at all.
Maybe God is involved a bit here, telling us we are all too sped up in our lives, that we need to slow down a bit, stop and smell the roses, and also pray a bit more about our priorities.
Holy Moments is a short book that is easy to read in just a few hours, I read it in less than three hours. It is also available for free at HolyMomentsBook.com, just pay the shipping cost. You can also order up to 24 books for free as long as you pay shipping, if you want to share them with others. I have ordered a number of these books and am glad to share them with others when I receive them. They have not told me exactly when I will receive them, and that may be due to the volume of orders they are receiving for a free book. But I do highly recommend reading this book and making sure you are living a life of Holy Moments.
Matthew 7:12 – In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Note that I will not have a TGIF message next week because Cindy and I will be out of state for a family wedding, so I cannot email a message. Have a blessed week!