Larry, why do you keep doing things over and over?

Why do I do things over and over?

Repetition is the key to learning things. Teachers know this.

(Picture of Alan Wishard, my nephew who is a teacher and counselor in Oklahoma, with his son Austin.)

I have heard that mentally healthy people have a habit of centering their minds daily in a healthy way.

The most famous follower of Jesus, the great apostle Paul, wrote these words his friends, "Pray without ceasing."

So today after having gotten behind on some of my own dreams for my blog this year, I will reiterate why I put the scripture posts up day after day.  I hope to encourage you to read and reflect for a short time each day.  If you are literate, you should thank a teacher.  If you were born in America where Bibles are plentiful and you are free to worship, thank God and thank soldiers who help keep you free.  So I have a re -run today.

What is J 10+?

J 10+ is a system of reading Jesus for about ten minutes a day. When I moved from teaching and coaching to ministry and life-coaching, I found the necessity to quiet the spirit and relax the mind for a few moments each day.  

Some suggest to empty the mind is best. Filling the mind with the love of Jesus is much better. In my opinion the best way to do that is to get a good, readable translation of the Bible, sit down in a comfortable chair and read and meditate on a paragraph of Jesus in the Gospels.  

This year for my daily devotional contribution I am structuring readings called J10+.  If you have only ten minutes a day, read the first reading and notice the verse of the day. Perhaps you would like my take on the verse in the thought for the day. This can be done in less than ten minutes and hopefully, give you and excellent mind-set.

Some people might have more time or interest on one day of the week or may grow in their interest in Bible reading. I have found that if I had ten minutes of energy and interest, I would read a paragraph of Jesus first.  

If I had more time, then I would read the rest of the New Testament verses.

If I had more time, I would read a Psalm. 

If I had more time, I would read a Proverb.

If I had more time, I would read the rest of the Old Testament verses.

This is the meaning of J10+.

One of the mistakes people make who are trying to live as followers of Jesus in this mixed up world is that they get confused about the most important way to center their hearts on something simple and understandable.  

Most of the paragraphs of Jesus' life give us insight as to how to treat ourselves and others every day.  This is the beginning.  Jesus taught that the entire Bible points to Him as the example of how to live and walk with the Father in this world. His simple training program was “Follow Me”.

I originally structured similar readings in a book called Milk, Meat and Honey. The last two years I have tried to break down that book into better daily units.