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A FEW THOUGHTS

I recently celebrated 60 years of marriage with Barbara and now my 80th Birthday. 

I have enough life experience to realize:

1. The important things in life are people, not stuff.
2. Love makes life good and rich.  
3. Live life fully. I have more regrets over what I didn’t do than over what I did. 
4. Life is meaningless without a Spiritual Aspect. 
5. Life should be a search for truth.  Focus on the truth and the change it demands right up to the last day. 
6. You could be wrong about some things. 
7. You can be friends with people with whom you disagree. 
8. Be a Follower of Jesus more than being active in church.   Sometimes those may not be congruent. 
9. Not everyone who attends church and keeps the rules is a Follower of Jesus. 
10. Many people who seldom attend Church and break many rules are Following Jesus. 
11. Be willing to break the mold and go your own way. 
12. The Narrow Path may not be off the main path. It may simply be going against the flow in the opposite direction. 
13. The Broad Way may be going with the crowd. 
14. Be willing to break some rules. Jesus did. 
15. Don’t confuse Church Culture and Following Jesus. 
16. Followers of Jesus don’t all look alike. Some are Socially acceptable. Others have multi-colored hair, tattoos and a police record. 
17. Don’t judge people by where they are in life. We didn’t all have the same starting point. Some have already traveled far further than you ever will. Don’t feel more “Spiritual” than others. 
18. Followers of Jesus should be known for what they do rather than what they don’t do.  It is easier to practice a “don’t/against/withdraw” religion than it is a “positive/engage the world” religion. 
19. If there is a person you really dislike, remember Jesus loves them as much as he does you. 
20. Churches can easily become fortresses focused on defense rather than outpost retaking what Satan has wrongfully occupied. Jesus did say that the church would not be defeated.  He said we could go to the very gates of hell to rescue those who have lost their way. 
21. Original Sin seems to have been wanting to be God. When we judge others, we are doing it again. 
22. Jesus didn’t praise many religious people.  He seemed to think they focused more on religion and themselves rather than having a focus on God and others. 
23. Followers of Jesus seem to end up serving other people. 
24. It is hard to Follow Jesus while deeply involved in a bureaucracy 
25. Surface living is really good until it isn’t. Then you better have a foundation under it.