Aside Meditation 2am

I awoke at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep . So I put on another meditation. 

7 Gifts Of The Holy Spirit.

Like this picture

The Story Of The Song Vincent.

Last night James sent this What's App

And I found this link about the meaning of the song Stary Stary Night

 also this video of Dr who taking Vincent Van Gough to the future and seeing his paintings and hearing how people thought sbout him. 

We can't see the beauty that we create at times. Plus as the guy said in the video Vincent used his pain and passion to create his beautiful paintings. 

https://youtu.be/ubTJI_UphPk

Series 5:10 Vincent and the Doctor 

* Taking from the link to the meaning of the song. It reminded me of a series in my UCB Word For Today "MEDITATE -PERCOLATE".

Talking about the song on the UK show Songbook, McLean said: "It was inspired by a book. And it said that it was written by Vincent's brother, Theo. And Theo also had this illness, the same one Van Gogh had. So what caused the idea to percolate in my head was, first of all, what a beautiful idea for a piece of music. Secondly, I could set the record straight, basically, he wasn't crazy. But then I thought, well, how do you do this? Again, I wanted to have each thing be different.

Chapter 20 : Unoffendable.

Chapter 20...Pages 152-161

IMBALANCED? YOU BETTER HOPE SO

This story is about me being an idiot. I hope you enjoy it as much as I don't. Here's what happened:

I bought a new car. First time ever. Still not sure it was a good idea, but we did it. It gets fifty miles per gallon because it's a diesel, which is unfortunate because…....

 I filled it with regular gas, and that's unfortunat because...

that kinda destroys all the fuel lines and stuff, and that means... 

it was going to cost seven grand to fix, which I didn't have, so...

I rode my bike, carrying extra stuff, to work, going uphill and...

 managed to injure my back, rendering me bedridden for several days, and in excruciating pain, so...I'm an idiot.

I felt dumb. And guilty. And stupid. And like a failure. And some other stuff.

As I rode my bike in difficult weather, I thought, I deserve this. As I lay on the couch, in pain from my bike injury, I thought, This is what I get for what I did. I'm paying the price for my screwing this up. I was doing penance, and I deserve it.

And then Volkswagen called, with the total cost, including towing, tax, everything: $0.

 Nothing. The service guy said the parent company was paying for it. It wasn't a warranty thing. We couldn't make them do it. They just did it, in hopes of winning long-term customers, I guess

Zero dollars.

I was happy about this, but here's where it gets weird: some- thing in me wasn't elated. There was a part of me-there's still a part of me-that wanted me to pay a price for it. Yes, on one level, this makes no sense. Maybe you've never felt that way. Simultaneously thankful and... strangely helpless..

I blew it, my wife knew it, and she didn't begrudge it. I blew it, and the repair guys didn't make me feel stupid. I blew it, and did something harmful, and didn't pay a dime. What I got, for my idiocy, was free towing and fixing. And I got a free of the car, and they changed the oil too. That's what I got.

I had to figure out why this didn't sit entirely well with me: it turns out, I hadn't been "paying the price" at all. I had no control over this. I'm not being held responsible. Even feeling guilty dn't help. There's nothing about me in this at all. And that's the problem. It's not about me, not about Brant Hansen.

At All

In sports, there's the guy on deck in the bottom of the ninth. He's struck out four times already, but he has-as they say all the time in sports- "a chance to redeem himself" if he gets to the plate. He can still be the hero and win the game for his team. 

A chance to "redeem himself."

But I'm the guy who out four times, waits deck for his chance... and doesn't get to the plate. The guy in front of me hits the game-winning homer. We win! We're the champions! He did it, not me. I didn't redeem myself. Now I'm sitting in the locker room, and I should be celebrating with everyone else.

Truth is, we find this very, very hard to accept, but we can't welcem ourselves. Oh, we like to think we can, deep down, so it's still about us. Carrying around guilt? Still about us. Feeling stu- pid? Still about us. Feeling like a failure? Still about us. Turning our guilt into seemingly productive energy so we're doing the Tight" things? Still about us. Seems so...so... "righteous," and yet, when we can't take our eyes off ourselves to celebrate the win, it's just plain about us. That's pride.

And pride always hurts, but it's positively deadly when masked by our attempts to pay our own way with our religious activity. The game is over. We're still on the religious playing field, still trying to redeem ourselves. And God is popping the cork.

Choosing to be an unoffendable person is not "common sense It is not normal to practice a lifestyle of letting go of one's "right" to anger-even at oneself. The whole thing sounds unfair, imbalanced, and out of step with how the world usually operates.

And so does grace. It's completely unfair. It's imbalanced in the highest degree. And thank God-it's utterly out of step with how the world usually operates.

 This is why grace itself offends the self-righteous. Remarkably, I found it hard to take, even when grace was shown to me, by the VW folks. I so wanted to be my own redeemer. This is the normal way of things. This is how the world works.

And how the world "works" is often what we perceive to be the "balanced" position, the one that leaves the status quo intact. As I've listened to objections to the subject of this book, I've heard much about "balance," such as, "Sure, we need to for- give, but we need to balance that with knowing when it's often healthy to stay angry," and so forth.

Let's stay "balanced." Of course. Yes.

Now, please know, I'm not Mr. Extreme by nature. I'm Mr. So-Not-Extreme, actually. Happy to meet you. I'd love to be that guy who writes those awesome books about being incredibly cool and jumping off cliffs on a mountain bike or running with the bulls while on fire or whatever. I admire that rock climber guy who got trapped and cut off his own arm. That extreme. I don't even have any tats. That's how lame I am.

 I have a mountain bike... with a basket on the front. That way I can carry my bag of peas to work each day in the basket. I'm not kidding about this. I repeat: I carry a bag of peas to work ach day in my bike basket.

I'm not a big risk-taker. I don't care for spicy food. I eat sacks of toast, with nothing on it. Just stacks of plain toast. Put a picture of that on a motivational poster. That car I was talking about earlier? It's a station wagon. My brother lettered in practi- cally every high school sport; I lettered in-again, not kidding, I seriously got letters for this-keeping statistics. When they took a team picture, I was the guy in street clothes, kneeling with a clipboard. 

You love the Fast and Furious films? I seriously watch documentaries about sloths.

Anyway, the point is this: I like being reasonable. I like telling people not to get too crazy with their ideas. I like reeling people back in. I like balance! But there's a problem: None of this "balance" talk  is scriptural language. None. In Because the way the world works and the kingdom that Jesus describes are squarely at odds.

The kingdom of God knows noth- ing of "balance." It's as balanced as, say, a teeter-totter with a gat on one side and a hippo with, say, a grand piano on the other. No, wait; that's misleading. The gnat has to move. It's a teeter-totter with nothing on one end, and a hippo, grand piano, and also a gnat, because I just moved the gnat over there.

In the economy of the kingdom of God, we can't even afford the goat. The kingdom is not "balanced," it doesn't opviar common sense," and you can't possibly, try as you might, "take it too far."

Being a citizen of that kingdom, then, means operating in that whole new economy, and grace-unfair, imbalanced grace is the currency

By the way, I've learned it's worth reminding that extending grace does not mean, and has never meant, that there is "no such thing as sin," or that there's no such thing as right or wrong, or that God smiles on all of our actions. There is sin, there is right and wrong, and God, like any loving father, of course cares about what we do and who we are.

But that's why grace is "grace." It amazes us because we really don't deserve it, because we really have failed, because there really is so much reason for God to walk away from us, instead of running toward us.

God doesn't love all the things we do. He loves us in spite of the things we do.

       So let's do something crazy and imbalanced here: let's embrace the unfairness.

       Why? Because not only is it in our best interest, but also, frankly, Jesus gives us no other option. 

    In Matthew, Jesus tells a story about a business that hires workers, and it's a wonderful business. It's so wonderful that it makes people just plain mad:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a person who owned some land. One morning, he went out very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard. The man agreed to pay the workers one coin for working that day. Then he sent them in the vineyard to work. About nine o'clock the man went doing nothing. So he said to them, 'If you go and work in my vineyard, I will pay you what your work is worth.' So they went to work in the vineyard. The man went out again about twelve o'clock and three o'clock and did the same thing. About five o'clock the man went to the marketplace again and saw others standing there. He asked them, "Why did you sund here all day doing nothing?" They answered, 'No one gave us a job.' The man said to them, "Then you can go a work in my vineyard.' and "At the end of the day, the owner of the vineyard said the boss of all the workers, 'Call the workers and pay them. St the last people I hired and end with those I hired first.'

      "When the workers who were hired at five o'clock came to get their pay, each received one coin. When the workers who were hired first came to get their pay, they thought they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received one coin. When they got their coin, they complained to the man who the land. They said, "Those people were hired last and worked only one hour. But you paid them the same as you paid us who worked hard all day in the hot sun. But the man who owned the vineyard said to one of those workers, 'Friend, I am being fair to you. You agreed to work for one coin. So take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same pay that I gave you. I can do what I want with my own money. Are you jealous because I am good to those people?'

   "So those who are last now will someday be first, and those who are first now will someday be last." (20:1-16 NCV)

"Do you begrudge my generosity?" the landowner is saying The answer, of course, is yes, they do. They begrudge it quite a bit. Even though it has no impact on them whatsoever, it offends them. We hate it when we are trying so hard to earn something, and then someone else gets the same thing without trying as hard.

Think about this for a moment, in real, "today" terms. Someone gives you a backbreaking job, and you're happy for it, but at the end of the day, when you're getting paid, the guys who came in with five minutes left get the same amount you just got. Seriously?

It's imbalanced, unfair, maddening... and it's also exactly what Jesus just said the kingdom of God is like.

Not only is it maddening; it's maddening to the "good" people! Common sense says you don't do this. You don't pay latecomers who came in a few minutes ago the same amount that you paid the hardworking folks you hired first. Jesus tells this story, knowing full well that the conscientious ones listen ing would find this hardest to take.

And, as a matter of fact, as a conscientious one, I find this hard to take. I'm just being honest. This story does not fit my style. I'm all about people getting what they deserve.

Oh, it's offensive, too, when Jesus turns to a guy who's being executed next to Him, and tells him, "Today, you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). What did the guy do to deserve that? He did nothing.

If you call yourself a Christian, and you want things to be fair, and you want God's rewards given out only to the deserving and the upstanding and the religious, well, honestly, Jesus has got to be a complete embarrassment to you.

In fact, to so many upstanding Christians, He is. He has always been offensive, and remains offensive, to those who w to achieve "righteousness" through what they do. Always

       

People who've grown up in church (like me) are well acquainted with the idea that Jesus is our "cornerstone. He's the solid rock of our faith. Got it. Not controversial. It's well known. But  not so talked about: That stone, Jesus, causes religious people to stumble. And that rock is offensive to "good" people:

So what does all this mean? Those who are not Jews were not trying to make themselves right with God, but they were made right with God because of their faith. The people of Israel tried to follow a law to make themselves right with God. But they did not succeed, because they tried to make themselves right by the things they did instead of trusting in God to make them right. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble. (Rom. 9:30-32 wcv)

And then Paul says something a couple verses later that angers "good Christians" to this day:

Because they did not know the way that God makes people right with him, they tried to make themselves right in their own way. So they did not accept God's way of making people right. Christ ended the law so that everyone who believes in him may be right with God. (Rom. 10:3-4 NCV)

It's not subtle, what Paul's writing here. For anyone who believes in Him. Jesus ended the law as a means to righteousness, Yet so many think they can achieve-even have achieved some kind of "good Christian" status on the basis of the role keeping work they've done. They suspect they'll do good things and God will owe them for it, like payment for a job well done. Paul says, in effect, if you think you earn, you will... and you don't want that. 

When people work, their pay is not given as a gift, but as some- thing earned. But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him, who makes even evil people right in his sight. Then God accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him. (Rom. 4:4-5 NCV)

Think about this: This is extremely offensive to anyone with typical religious sensibilities. In this scripture, the one who does not work is in better shape with God than the worker, if that one simply believes in the God who justifies ungodly people. This is why I put "good Christians" in quotes: there are none.

Yes, upstanding, moral people trip over this rock. People are trying so hard, and so much, that by being good they can be considered righteous before God. Everything about Jesus says to abandon this project, humble yourself, and believe in the God who "justifies the ungodly" (Rom. 4:5).

This is not how religions are supposed to work. Heck, it's not how anything is supposed to work. As we talked about in earlier chapter, even irreligious people come up with rules for being "good" and judge others according to the It's how we operate, how the world works

You're supposed to get what's coming to you based on how you keep the rules. It's the common-sense thing. It's, you know "balanced."

Jesus is imbalanced. You'd better be glad.

Mustard Seed...

Taking the Riddles Out of the Parables Part 3: The Other Mustard Seed Story (You Never Knew)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but, when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Matthew 13:31–32

Fun fact: I love mustard. I love it on hot dogs, hot pretzels, hamburgers, even on Cheez-It crackers (you should try it, really). You can mix it into sauces and dressings. And, did you know if you put mustard on your sunburnt skin that it will neutralize the sting of the burn? That’s a free, no-fail home remedy for you there. You’re welcome.

I guess I know some things about mustard, but I admit I don’t know much about mustard seeds. I was surprised the first time I saw one. It was so tiny! And rock hard! I remember thinking of Jesus at that moment and being amazed that that was all the size of faith He told us to have. It’s one of His more famous quotes, I think.

But did you know that Jesus talked about mustard seeds one other time? There is yet a second parable He uses to illustrate faith found in Matthew 13:31–32. It’s super short, but mighty powerful.

Parable of the Sower, Part Two

Following the parable of the sower and separating good wheat from evil tares, Jesus immediately launches into another story. This one is about a mustard seed where He again likens something to the kingdom of heaven. You’ll see He repeatedly uses analogies to illustrate what heaven is like in Matthew 13.

(Quick Bible tip: If you notice God repeating something again and again, pay extra careful attention to it. He’s really trying hard to drive His point home.)

In this illustration, a farmer plants a mustard seed in his field. Now, at first we might read this whole parable and think Jesus is simply talking about a tiny seed growing into a mighty tree big enough to hold a bunch of birds. So, we might conclude that He’s repeating His lesson about having the amount of faith we should have. Sort of, but nope, which must be why the disciples were always confused by Jesus’ parables. There’s more to them than you think.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” Matthew 13:9

Big Bushes = Big Heaven

If you ever have the time, it’s so helpful to learn about the culture and landscape of Jesus’ time. It will truly help you understand the Bible so much better. So, here’s a quick agriculture fact to help you understand the parable of the mustard seed.

Mustard trees in America are not the same as the ones that grow in Palestine/Israel and its surrounding areas. Palestinian mustard plants don’t grow into trees. They’re actually bushes. Huge, enormous tree-like bushes that can grow up to 15 feet tall.



A bush- or any plant for that matter- that tall would easily be big enough to hold a bunch of birds, right? But, Jesus isn’t talking about birds. He’s talking about people.

The meaning here is that if the kingdom of heaven is like an enormous plant with room enough for entire flocks of birds, then heaven has enough room for God’s children.

It’s important to recognize that Jesus isn’t talking only about the Israelites. He’s talking about anyone- Jew or Gentile- who believes He is the promised Messiah, that He died on the cross, and He rose again three days later to conquer death and sin.

Fulfilled Prophecies

The idea of allowing non-Jews into God’s kingdom must have been shocking to the Israelites. It was almost blasphemous to suggest such a thing. What they didn’t know, apparently, was that it had already been prophesied in the Old Testament several times.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke of God allowing non-Jews into heaven in Ezekiel 17. Right after Ezekiel prophesies about Jesus coming one day, he goes on to say in verse 23,

“On the mountain height of Israel, I will plant it (the Messiah Jesus); and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.”

Ezekiel foreshadows what Jesus says in His mustard seed parable and what we know is true today. Jews and non-Jews alike are welcome in God’s kingdom of heaven. Heaven is the big, strong tree (or bush as the case may be) where all who believe in Jesus live as we dwell in His protective shadow.

Daniel also referred to the inclusion of everyone when he interpreted a dream for King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3. Though the dream is about Babylon and its ultimate destruction, in verse 21 Daniel mentions that heaven is open to everyone.

“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home….”

Again, the children of God are illustrated as birds coming from all over the earth and living in the branches of God’s heaven, a place of protection and abundance. But, first we must have faith the size of a mustard seed to ever see it.

There’s Room for Everyone

Heaven is a place for everyone. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you’ve done, God has a spot waiting for you. Your faith is the key to getting there.

Plant your mustard seed and watch your faith grow so one day you can one day join your brothers and sisters in Christ from all nations together dwelling in God’s enormous, beautiful heaven.



https://steppesoffaith.medium.com/taking-the-riddles-out-of-the-parables-part-3-the-other-mustard-seed-story-you-never-knew-fe362aab7e47

After I What's App Jen.

 Jennifer's text I was pondering on it. I went out to the shops and when I came back in. I went to my room lay on the bed and asked God for guidance. My new book was beside me on the bed so I opened it up randomly. It was Chapter 10. (Page 71-77). And I had to laugh when I read it. 

                   IDEA: LET'S PUNCH BRANT IN THE FACE.                        

Maybe you know the feeling: Everyone's doing something you know is wrong, something you find so offensive, but you don't know how to convince them of just how wrong it is. You desperately need to let them know how wrong they are, and how right you are, and you need a means to make a convincing, well-thought-out, thought-provoking, logical argument.

But how? How can you do this? How can you properly impart your sweeping message of disapproval?

It's obvious: get an awesome T-shirt. I got one that said Smoking Stinks.

I had one of these as a kid. It had a picture of a cigarette with smoke coming out of it, and Smoking Stinks was written in cur- sive, which made it even fancier.

Most people in our little Illinois town smoked. But as a Christian, I knew smoking was evil, so it was great to final, have a shirt that so succinctly communicated my disapproval.

    

 Look, it's simple, folks: You smoke? You stink. I don't smoke I don't stink

I win Questions?

Now what exactly, do I win? Nothing, as it turns out. But I was a kid, so I have to cut myself some slack. I was just doing what immature humans do, and that is thinking it's my job to put people in their place. I also thought it was my job to single handedly win souls for Christ," and when these souls saw my impressive purity and how I abstained from worldly things, like cigarettes, they'd say something like, "Wow! I want to be like you. Tell me about this Jesus' who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of all prophecy, the hinge in the history of the universe, and who has inspired you to wear this Smoking Stinks T-shirt."

Just for the record: to date, exactly zero people have said that. But it's not too late.

Quick quiz! And this is a risky one, at least for me. I'm going to tell you a few things about myself, and then I'll ask you a ques tion at the end. So be ready for the question.

Unless you're a PK (preacher's kid) like me, all of these statements are likely true:

Over the course of my life, I, Brant Hansen, have likely cussed far less than you.

I probably exercise far more than you.

I am likely far more "discerning and conservative with my family's entertainment choices than you are. I've probably been drunk less than you. (Zero times, total, in my life.)

I've likely done drugs less than you. (Again, zero times.) I've possibly done more to help the poor than you I've probably been less promiscuous than you. (I was a

virgin when I got married and have never cheated) I've likely smoked less than you. And worn more antismoking shirts.

I probably have less debt than you, since I'm debt free.

I likely give away more of my money, and a higher

percentage, than you do.

I probably have less body fat than you, because I'm far more disciplined about eating good food than you are I've likely baptized more people than you have.

And now, here's the question, so be honest: How do you like me now?

A) I'm incredibly impressed, Brant. You're amazing. I want to hang out with someone as inspiringly clean-living as you.

B) Maybe you mean well, but I'd kinda like to punch you in the face.

C) There is no "kinda." I want to punch you in the face. D) Seriously, Brant. I'm coming to punch you in the face

Personally, I choose (C) because I want to punch myself in the face. Hard.

Perhaps I'm wrong on this, but I doubt people will love God more because of my list of moral accomplishments. They more likely to be annoyed, and I don't blame them. Even worse, at least one person would probably think, Yep, Brant's morrally better than me. I'm a loser, just like I figured.

Great. You lost. What do I win?

Truth is-and this goes for secular "righteousness, too, like bragging about buying your own carbon offsets, or your sanctimonious bumper sticker-precious fastidiousness. As an example, I just saw an article about the "10 Most Annoying Gwyneth Paltrow Quotes of all time", all her own comments about how wonderfully pure her diet is. No one wants to hear that. 

People are put off because our deepest, most heartfelt questions aren't "Is Brant a really pure person?" or, "Can Gwyneth somehow, some way, maintain her flat abs with the assistance of an entire team of chefs and fitness professionals?"

That's not what speaks to us. That's not our question. What we're really wondering, what everyone's really wondering, is simply this:

Does God really, truly, after all I've done... love me?

Not long ago, I stole about six hundred dollars' worth of stuff from a friend. He was a "friendly colleague," to be more accurate, a fellow radio professional who published a daily "show prep site. I knew him because we worked in the same town. 1 wara talk radio host who was well known for being a follower of Jesus. He was a successful host at a country station, in addition running his Internet business.

He invited me to lunch one day, along with the other people on his show, and we enjoyed talking. He told me he respected me as a radio pro, and the high regard was mutual. He wasn't partic larly into the "Jesus thing," but was very respectful of my beliefs. Soon after, I moved to Florida to work in Christian radio, and he sent me an e-mail, sad that I was leaving but wishing me well.

Radio people, especially morning shows, pay about fifty dol- lars a month to get fresh ideas, to read takes on current events, or to find out what happened on TV last night so they can talk about it and seem up-to-date. Not long after starting on my new morning show in Florida, someone gave me a password to a show prep site, one of the best sites in the industry. It was my friend's site.

I used the borrowed password for about a year. I felt guilty about it at first, but as I tend to do, I rationalized it. I didn't have the fifty dollars a month, and besides, it wasn't as if it was costing him anything if I used his material. Over time, I didn't even think about it. I just downloaded and printed out his daily report to use on my show.

Until, that is, one morning, as I printed it out, and, for what- ever reason, I suddenly felt another pang of guilt. It was during a show, about seven in the morning, when I sent it to the printer, and wondered, 

As I was thinking that-not kidding, here-an e-mail pinged into my box, from him. The subject line read simply "What's going on?" I felt sick. 

He did know. He knew I was ripping him off. I was the Christian headcaster he actually respected, and whis stuff.

 I could barely get through the show. I didn't have thing to say on the air, nothing funny, nothing at all. I did how I was to handle this, but I knew I had to call him and apol gize. I owed him six hundred dollars, and money was tighs, 1 thought about having to explain that to my wife, when we had almost nothing in the bank.

So I stared at the phone for a while, and then I called him. I told him I was so sorry. And I told him I knew the irony of Christian Broadcaster Guy stealing from Secular Broadcaster Guy, and how I was embarrassed and at his mercy. I would pay him his six hundred dollars immediately.

He was amazingly graceful. He said we've all done things that we're embarrassed about. He told me he accepted my apology. and I should forget about it, and that he still respected me. (By the way, he told me that he hadn't known I was stealing his stuff he just e-mailed to tell me he missed hearing me on the radio)

 He forgave me.

Truth is, while my sin is embarrassing, he's a smart guy, and he already knew I was a sinner. In fact, everyone who knows me does, even if I've never personally stolen anything from them. I I think I can put one over on people and convince them that I've got my act together, the only one I'm fooling is me.

And the same goes with you. If you think people are drawn to you by an impressive religious résumé, you're in for shock. When people are in crisis or need to know that God loves them, that they are not alone, they don't seek out the guy who thinks he is Mr. Answer or who radiates superiority and disapproval. They want someone who loves God and who loves them.

Refusing to be offended by others is a powerful door opener to actual relationships. I don't expect people who aren't belie ers to act like followers of lesus. Why should they? How about 1 give up the sanctimonious act and just change their moral behavior?

Refusing to be offended by others is a powerful door opener to actual relationships.

 Why not leave that to God? He's still changing my own behaviour, after all. Again, it's simple humility. I know God wants my heart and wants their hearts. He wants us to turn away from ourselves and turn to Him. He can handle the rest. He loves them even more than I do. 

At some level, of course, I enjoy trying to control the behavior of others.

Only problem: I can't even fully control me.

The Shepards Psalm Book.