PatnChloe 2011 and Beyond: 2011

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Transition to Retirement

January 2011 finds us in transition. I retired from PAC in December 2010. In total, I worked pretty much full time (except for schooling in high school and college) since I turned 16 in 1962. We are moving to Las Vegas in a couple of months to a home we bought in March 2009. We will have the time we need to spend with our family and friends in our remaining years and we are looking forward to that.

In the past, I wrote this blog for community groups at PAC as well as my personal journey with Christ. Going forward I will still record my personal journey but from the perspective of what our new life brings us.

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My Life Mission Statement - Patrick D Colgan

My Life Mission Statement

Patrick D. Colgan

I am a child of God who loves me and He has given me an amazing gift. All he wants of me is…ME! I will remember to be identified by who I am in Christ, not by my roles in life.

I have this gift because of Jesus Christ forsaking his deity, emptied Himself and suffered death on a cross and once and for all sealing my victory over sin. His perfect sacrifice and ultimate act of love justified me before God through my faith. I will live mightily in the Holy Spirit in order to understand the deeper ways of God and the unseen motives of man. My fervent hope is to do honor to Christ with fearless courage.

My life’s mission is to allow Christ to live through me (only a question of my will, not debate nor reasoning, but a surrender of my own will). A deep and abiding love of my God and my family will be my inspiration. I will align my personal values with examples of Christ’s life. I will discover these principles through daily prayer and study of God’s Word. I will set goals for my each of my life’s roles to develop my God given potential.

I am exceedingly grateful for my soul mate and wife, Chloe’. I am blessed with her love and her companionship bringing me happiness, contentment and fulfillment. I will love, honor, cherish, and protect her forever. She is blessed with an enormous heart overflowing with pure joy and precious purity of spirit that I lovingly harbor within me. Again, I will love, honor, cherish, and protect her forever. I am also blessed with the joy and excitement of our children and grandchildren. I love them and will faithfully come along side them in all their journeys through life that I am wanted.

I am grateful for my God given talents. I will conduct myself in a manner that honors God. My leadership responsibilities will be driven by my personal values. I will discipline myself to discern and grow new skills required for successful living.

I am thankful for our opportunity to live and volunteer in two different areas of the country. I will find opportunities to appreciate its natural, historic and cultural beauty. I will maintain a balance between all of the roles of my life.

Since the fruit of my life in part, depends on me continually improving my capabilities, I will take time to sharpen my saw in the physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional areas of my life.

Only God knows my future. My core desire is to have complete surrender (rest) in Him. Every moment I need His mercy and His grace. Every day, my hope is to be a channel of blessings from Him that flows through me to others to help lighten burdens, brighten outlooks and to keep hope alive for all. For me, this makes my life joyful and complete.

Revision: March 1, 2012

Love

Galatians 5:16, 17 & 22-25. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The only safe investment

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

James 4:13-17. And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that." As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.

Gift of Grace

Romans 5: 15,16. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-8.Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Wisdom from the Lord - Part 1

Jeremiah 17: 5-8. This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land."

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."

What God really wants from us

God's Great Gift for Us

1 John 5:1-4. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ – that He is God’s Son and your Savior – then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love his children also. So you can find out how much you love God’s children – your brothers and sisters in the Lord – by how much you love and obey God. Loving God means doing what He tells us to do, and really that isn’t hard at all; for every child of God can obey Him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting God to help us.

Thanksgiving - Peace in all circumstances

Romans 5: 1-5. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Thanksgiving - Joy of Forgiveness

Romans 4: 3-5, 7. For the Scriptures tell us Abraham believed God, and that is why God cancelled his sins and declared him “not guilty” But did he earn the right to heaven by all the good things he did?

No, for being saved is a gift; if a person could earn it by being good, then it wouldn’t be free- but it is! It is given to those who do not work for it.

For God declares sinners to be good in his sight if they have faith in Christ to save them from God’s wrath. Yes. What joy there is for anyone whose sins are no longer counted against him by the Lord.

Week 6 - The Unlikely Route to Joy

James 1:2-8. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Week 5 - A Taste for God's Word

Philippians 2:3-11. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Week 4 - Entering God's Presence

Matthew 6:5-13 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Week 3 - Personal Time with God

Luke 10:38-42. As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Week 2 - Living by the Spirit’s Power

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Week 1 - Growing Deeper in Christ

Hebrews 12:1-3. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people then you won’t become weary and give up.

Priorities

Proverbs 2: 1-8. My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.

Spirit of God

Yikes!!

Luke 16: 19-31 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

Generosity

Matthew 34-40. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

Read, Reflect, Respond Today

The Wise and Foolish Builders "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

PatnChloe 2011 and Beyond

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Transition to Retirement

Whole Measure of the Fullness of Christ

Read, Reflect, Respond

Jesus

Hope

Peace with God

Psalm 15 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman

My Life Mission Statement - Patrick D Colgan

Bought with a Price

Life "Rhythums"

Faith

Love

The only safe investment

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

Gift of Grace

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Selfless Servanthood

Life in the Spirit

Each of us is a Masterpiece!

A Community Group that works!

Rhythm of Community Groups

A, B, C's

Live for Others

Seasons of life

Wisdom from the Lord - Part 1

What God really wants from us

Heart Condition?

Power of God

Patience and Prayer - Wow!!

God's Comfort for Us

Joy Pathway

Looking ahead with humility

Rejoice!

Prescription for Heavenly peace in 2008

God's Great Gift for Us

We Three Kings!

O Come All Ye Faithful!

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!

Joy to the World!

Angels we have heard on high!

Radiant Beams!

Celebrate fresh newness of the birth!

Celebrate the Messiah!

Celebrate Christmas!

Thanksgiving - Peace in all circumstances

Thanksgiving - Joy of Forgiveness

Pray for all

Week 6 - The Unlikely Route to Joy

Week 5 - A Taste for God's Word

Week 4 - Entering God's Presence

Week 3 - Personal Time with God

Week 2 - Living by the Spirit’s Power

Week 1 - Growing Deeper in Christ

Use your abilities

Hidden Treasures

Priorities

Spirit of God

Salvation

Rhythm of Really Living

Jesus Disciples

Yikes!!

Generosity

Not Become Weary

Filled

Sure Footing

Read, Reflect, Respond Today

Blog Archive

About Me

PatnChloe

Discovery Links

Psalm 15 ¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?Who may live on your holy hill? ² He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart ³ and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman