Playful, original takes on English words that start with “dis”, providing short entries of humor and insight by G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr. Dis-n-Dat Many English words have ‘dis’ in at the beginning to indicate a ‘not’ condition (Dissatisfied means “not satisfied“, or Disregard means, “to not give regard“, or even Disqualify means “no longer qualified“, etc). Here is my spin on what these words would really mean… well… to me, anyway! Enjoy…. or NOT! 1 of 62 Disable What Cain did to his brother, Able. Previous Next

Insight Writings These are many of the writings you can use to help lead and guide you through the searchings of your heart. Filter Found 5 of 26 Items per Page Read More Attending Idiots Unaware This is a spin on that saying for 'attending angels unaware', but it is the angry, mean, and troubling angels we need to watch for moreso. Angels, Idiots, Unaware Read More Choose Me! Good choices…. bad choices. How are we EVER to distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones?? This may help. Choices, God's Will, Follow Read More Dead Weight We often wonder why our lives are not ‘going anywhere’. And, usually, it is because you are ‘pointed’ in the wrong direction… and, since you are NOT moving, it is SO much tougher for the Lord to redirect you… because twisting that ‘wheel of your life’ is causing SO much strain, and stress, and twisting on the ‘tires of your life’… Moving, Weight, Direction, Follow Read More Deep End of the Pool In the swimming pool of life, it is so much easier to do the backstroke through our lives…. No?? Just calmly stroking through the waters of our lives… looking up to the heavens and enjoying our ability to stay afloat in this pool… with style, grace, and dignity. What a precious sight, in and of itself. But, as you can see… this is shallow and incomplete. Let's learn to ease into the deep end of the pool of life! Deep, Life, Shallow Read More Demons & Exorcism This is a story about not only being ABLE to cast out demons, but why even bother… Demons, Exorcism, Cast Out, Holy Spirit View More

Week: 6 Spiritual Practices and Rest Rhythms: rest, prayer, habits that sustain life. This week focuses on sustainable spiritual rhythms that integrate rest, prayer, and habit into a whole-life formation plan. It highlights Sabbath, contemplative practices, and simple daily disciplines that replenish rather than deplete. The emphasis is on creating patterns that protect soul health and enable long-term faithfulness. Objectives Integrate short practices into daily life. Learn Sabbath and rest as spiritual practices. Establish simple, repeatable spiritual rhythms. Reflections What one practice will I keep after this week? How does rest change my relationship with God? What prevents me from resting? NowTo the HowTo Accountability/Tracking Commit to one weekly rest block and log it; partners check in about obstacles. Community Action Arrange a group “mini retreat” (30 minutes) focused on rest and a guided breath prayer. Creative Project Design a weekly rhythm card (work, rest, worship, service) to post at home. Leader Prompt Offer three short, adaptable practices for rest and invite participants to pick one to try. Personal Practice Try a 10 minute Sabbath pause this week and journal one change in mood or clarity. Previous Week Devotionals Pants First, Then Shoes 4 min read Too often, we dive into solving our problems without checking in with the Lord and tend to ask Him for direction once we have totally boogered things up! This devotional helps remind us that God's sequence of 'faith first' is always the right way to go. Pleasure Points 3 min read Yes... at first glance that does seem like a questionable title for a devotion, but today we are getting encouragement about keeping our contact with the Lord current, consistent, and much more second natural in our lives. The thing about 'pleasure points' is that there are countless points through our day when we receive/obtain pleasure, satisfaction, or even just comfort through things we do, things we consume (eat, drink, inhale, etc), and even the interaction we have with others. The... Get Ready To Relax 2 min read Odd title, I know. At the drop of a hat, if not sooner, I can be in rest-mode... and linger there for a seemingly endless span if time. Who needs to 'prepare' to relax, anyway? Well, our devotional today actually reflects on our 'before your day begins' time. One of the very hardest things to do is not do things, not prepare, not get ahead of yourself, and certainly ahead of the Lord as you face the day. It is SO easy and rather natural to 'get to it', right out of the gate, right as your... Fresh Ain't Easy 2 min read Our devotional today helps us reflect on our relationship with God and Jesus in a similar light. Just because we've been 'around the Lord' for a while, doesn't mean our zeal, excitement, and yearn is going to remain strong. Keeping our hearts and mind set on Him is not easy, keeping it fresh does require diligence on our part, attention to His presence in our lives. Quiet Trusting Baby Steps 2 min read Not sure about you, but sometimes I find it hard to start something or commit to something when I think/feel there are too many steps, unsettled details, or even if it's just 'too complicated' or confusing. Over the course of my life though, I have been learning to break-it-down into smaller, manageable pieces... keeping their own stresses and uncertainties separated. Our devotional today encourages us to approach our faith and our time with the Lord the same way. See, more times than not we... Because You Can 2 min read Once you make it a habit of spending exclusive time with the Lord (because you can), the trials, the struggles, the tumult of life... View More Next Week

Week: 2 Hearing and Presence Learning to hear God and cultivate His presence. This session trains attention toward God’s voice through Scripture, prayer, and quiet practices that sharpen spiritual perception. It balances expectation with patience, offering practices to recognize promptings and to dwell in God’s nearness amid daily life. The aim is to move from information about God to an ongoing, felt relationship with Him. Objectives Build short daily presence practices. Discern God’s voice from other noise. Practice stillness and listening. Reflections What one short practice will help me notice God today? How has God spoken to me in the past? What distracts me most from hearing God? NowTo the HowTo Accountability/Tracking Use a shared checklist to note when you practiced a presence break; share one confirmed impression at week’s end. Community Action Host a 20 minute guided listening exercise in pairs where one person speaks and the other listens without response. Creative Project Make a “Presence Plan” poster listing three daily pause times and a Scripture to anchor each pause. Leader Prompt Model a 3 minute silence and invite reflections on how God’s voice felt different from other thoughts. Personal Practice Schedule three two minute “presence breaks” daily—silence, breathe, listen—then jot one impression. Previous Week Devotionals Helplessly Listening Helps 2 min read When we feel helpless, listening can let the Holy Spirit minister through us. A short devotional on patience, reverence, and letting God work in conversations. There You Don't Go 2 min read Somehow, somewhere, sometime, there is something you will do, or something someone will do to you that will cause you to distance yourself.. Shhhh... D'Ya Hear That? 2 min read How many times have we heard that? Someone telling us to be quiet so we can 'hear that'; like we can hear what they are hearing... or, think they are hearing. Yet, we attempt to eliminate 'other noises' to better help us identify 'that sound'. Our devotional today goes along those same lines... quieting ourselves so we 'can' hear the very voice of God... the calling... the leading. Now, not just anyone can hear God's voice... not just anyone can follow His leading... it's not a coupon, or... Unexceptional Presence 2 min read As we recently discussed in The Meaning of Suffering devotional, the painful events in our lives help strengthen us, help lead us, even help us witness and minister to those around us. One of the saddest 'arguments' people sometimes have about God is that He 'allows' the world to suffer, to tear itself apart, to wreak utter havoc on others. But, suffering is actually a personal thing, unique to each of us. While a crowd or group of people may be viewed as 'suffering', it is quite possible... Grumbling and Complaining Allowed 2 min read Well, to the right person, anyway. Alright, not just any person... someone who knows and understands you better than anyone else. But first, let's understand that grumbling and complaining actually is just an ornery way of venting frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction, to name a few. As we'd discussed in the ' Joy Regardlessly ' devotional, we really should find joy and quiet peace in His leading in our lives... but, we 'are' human, we 'do' have limitations, we 'are' a fallen... Pull Up a Chair 2 min read " Pull Up a Chair "... Now that's a phrase that just exudes, 'grab a spot, I've something you'll want to hear'. We seem to naturally do that when our favorite sport game is on, or when you have an opportunity to have an exchange with someone (or a group) who share your hobby interest or passion (finances, politics, music, gardening, etc.). We seem to naturally and eagerly focus our attention, give specific concentration, isolate our thoughts and energy on this 'pull up a chair' topic. Our... View More Next Week

This is a story about not only being ABLE to cast out demons, but why even bother… Previous Demons & Exorcism This is a story about not only being ABLE to cast out demons, but why even bother… Demons & Exorcism Next Demons & Exorcism by G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr. I was just wondering about the “why’d that happen” question. You know… when that demon pounced on those 7 brothers who were casting out demons. Let me first, reference all the text here, so you can think about it better… From Acts, Chapter 19 – beginning at v13 ( Compare all versions ) 13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. I know this is all a little confusing, but basically this passage presents the WHY for the need of purity in the spirit of the Lord, and remaining honest and true to that calling deep within your heart… but, it also serves as a warning that His love and His power can not just be ‘put on’. You MUST have a surrendered heart, and life to be used of the Lord, and to be an instrument… especially against the evils before us. For we fight not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and darkness. Look closely at v13, and notice that these 7 brothers are referred to as vagabonds, and exorcists (mystics), and even the wording here (in the King James) reads ‘ they took on themselves ’. See that?? This all means that these guys were ‘in business’. Even better, you can see at the very end of that same verse, they were calling out these demons by saying stuff like “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth”. Now… ‘adjure’ really translates to a less-heavy word like “PLEASE”, or “we are asking you”, which may not seem all that important… but, when you REALLY thread this needle… you’ll see… these guys were pulling these demons out rather passively…. I mean, they were NOT ‘commanding’ them. Remember Jesus’ approach?? Whenever He spoke to a demon, or Satan, He was VERY stern and forthright… “ Satan, I command you… ”. You may remember the scene beside that ocean/lake where all these demons were in this one guy… and Jesus ‘caught’ them, because they ALL were torturing this guy… and they begged mercy of Jesus… and Jesus sent them out of the man, and into a nearby herd of pigs… who all promptly ran, squealing, into the ocean/lake and drowned. See?? He didn’t ask them to ‘come out’… He told them!! But, by the authority of “His Father, in Heaven”. So… these 7 guys approach this man (to them, a simple man) with a very powerful demon. And they ‘ask’ the demon to come out… and the demon just says… “uh…. yeah…. right!!” And the demon even tells them… “I don’t have to obey you… You have NO authority to boss me around… You have no REAL power” (see v15). Now remember… these guys were sons of the CHIEF of the Priests of the Jews. So.. they were sons of a very strong and important man…. religiously, anyway! No matter… outside the true, genuine authority of the Lord, you are VERY doomed if you face these demons without His authority in your life – and over your life!!In so many ways. See that??How many ways can you apply this nugget of truth to your own PERSONAL life?? As you walk around your spiritual neighborhood (within)…. spotting ‘people’ within your heart who are SO held captive by these various demons… these tiny places within you very own life where you have not ‘surrendered’ a piece of you to the Lord… these little places make up the whole, you know ( Deep End of the Pool )… See?? We all ‘find’ these demon possessed areas in our hearts… and we want SO badly for them to be cleansed of this menacing demon… from the torture… from the actions this demon causes… leaving me (us) so helpless… and causing others pain too…The main difference, my precious friend… is that Jesus lives within you… and these 7 brothers just knew OF Him (the Lord), they were not known BY Him… there’s a difference. Spiritual from without, not from within. So… when you find these areas in your life… you can boldly step up there, with the peace and security of the Lord, and ‘command’ them to release you from this pain… this torture… this anguish… freeing your life… opening another wonderful segment of your heart and life to Him… and ultimately to others.So… often times, like the 7 brothers, the demon realizes that you are not claiming His strength (Jesus says “ when you are weak, I am made strong ”), and acting on that inheritance we have in His love…. and in His family! Tough to do… I know… my ‘sin’ has haunted me now, since I was 13 or so… Subsiding off and on… yet, still raising it’s nasty head, and causing me and others pain. But, through His grace and mercy, I have ways to hold me accountable… to remind me… to encourage me… accept me… support me… Through you! Through YOUR faithfulness.So… I wonder if you are concerned or afraid to approach these demons in your life. Scared that they’ll pounce on you… beat you up… tear at you… make you hurt more. If you are concerned about all that… then, NO… they won’t even bother with you!! See?? Confusing, huh?? Well… they won’t have to!! See?? You are already afraid of them… they WON even before the battle began!! You haven’t even put yourself in a place to fight them… to fight for your rights to your own precious life… the life the Lord MEANT for you to live… the very special life the Lord intended for you to ALWAYS live, but, instead… you quit before you even start (yes, I am preaching to myself!!). I know… I quit too…. I am scared too…. I am very tired too… So, I don’t even have the energy to stand for my rights… my rights as God’s precious child… to stand for my ‘crown’… to wear my robe of righteousness… to hold my head up straight, my shoulders back strong… not arrogant... no!! Proud, and SURE!! I am a child of the Living God… the King of ALL the Kings!! Every knee SHALL bow, and every tongue SHALL confess that He is Lord!! Satan has no more dominion over you!! Not since that precious cross!! That wonderfully empty tomb!!You GO!! GO!! Step-up and tell that demon to ‘go to hell’ in the precious name of the Lord, our Savior!! He HAS to obey!! Zing!! And stand back and listen for the whoosh!!Now then… the Ephesians… this all just freaked them out (v17-19)!! As you can read, though… it impacted the Jews and the Greeks too… but, those that were ‘believers’… it MOVED them!! It moved them right into action!! See that?? So cool to see the Lord move amongst believers… just His presence causes us to ‘repent’ and come clean of our divisive ways… the spirit within agreeing with the moving of the spirit around us… confirmation, if you will… assurance that the Lord ‘was in this place’. It a pretty special time when your heart is moved like that… so sensitive to His leading…So, this evil-pouncing-evil act has a definitive affect on the believers. They bring all their possessions that ‘could’ be construed as ‘idol worship’ or ‘distracting’, or especially mystic… and they had a huge ‘burn-fest’!! Getting rid of any and ALL items that might lead them astray!!! This is one of the very reasons why (when I was first saved) I moved away from any music, except Christian, for so long… An effort to cleanse my outside life… to ensure that my outside life was not influencing my inside life… that the spirit within me had every chance to grow.. the freedom to minister to a pure, and clear heart… to be able to whisper things in the stillness… and not have it misconstrued as ‘half-truth’. This is VERY core to the motivation behind Monks for their isolation… trouble is, they do NOT bring that wonderful knowledge and insight BACK to this life… at least, not much. The point being, as the Bible says “if thy right hand cause thee to sin, cut if off. Better that you enter into heaven missing one hand, than the whole body NOT enter in”. This is to say… “Work out your own salvation”… see how that all fits on YOU. Asking the Lord, first, to show you these demons… being willing to face them, dear… and even harder, be willing to let go of these areas of you life… to Let Go and Let God. It is a journey, my love… a wonderful journey. Never arriving, yet always growing.

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Good choices…. bad choices. How are we EVER to distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones?? This may help. Previous Choose Me! Good choices…. bad choices. How are we EVER to distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones?? This may help. Choose Me! Next Choose Me! by G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr. Good choices…. bad choices. How are we EVER to distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones?? I mean… the ones that result in the following of a ‘good path’ in your life… and the ones that result in the following of a bad, or unhealthy path in your life? Especially, I have been giving timely consideration to the Lord in all these choices… these decisions we make in our lives… sometimes, they are quite significant, and sometimes they are moderately trivial. Regardless of their ‘weight’, they ALL comprise God’s will for your life… God’s leading of your heart, soul, and mind…. His gentle, still small voice… whispering ever go gently on our hearts… ‘suggesting’… ‘recommending’… ‘encouraging’… us as to the direction(s) to take… the paths to follow. Still…. as I face choice after choice… I often grow fatigued with ‘straining’ to hear His voice…. strain to get that ever-subtle nudge from Him… and that is where my heart found this nugget of truth… this nugget of freedom… and certainly, this precious nugget of movement in my life. See, at this point, you might want to go back and read the Dead Weight story… learning that the Lord needs us to at least be moving in our lives for Him to steer us…. for Him to correct our direction. Given that you have read the Dead Weight story, the bulk of this story will certainly cascade through those thoughts… through those truths and concepts presented there…. With that, I have been learning how the Lord places SO many choices before our lives… before our hearts… some good, some bad, some perfect, some flawed…. and I really started to consider the weighting of these choices… to do-the-math, as it were… to ‘value’ the merit of the choices. Logically, attempting to clarify which choices was ‘really’ the right choice…. which choice ‘made the most sense’… which choice would ‘equate more value’ in my life…. and lastly, which choice was actually that perfect will of God. And the Lord showed me… pressed me to the wall… burdened my heart…. weighed me down, yet lifted me high…. to see… ALL these choices were right choices…. all of them had already been weeded through by His divine grace… and I was facing some 5-odd perfectly good choices…. none of them being ‘wrong’… none of them being ‘out of His will…. none of them being ‘the wrong path’ for my life…. Allow me to divert for a moment to share…. As you know, God has made us with a free-will…. the ability to yea/nea God… the ability to yea/nea right and wrong… the ability to lead a completely selfish life, or a selfless one, or even one balanced in the middle… able to do as we please… able to learn and grow… apart from Him, as we desire…. or close to Him… up to us. When we are far from God, who has truly moved? In the depths of our rebellion and hatred… in the grossest moments of our lives… in the very deepest pains we have experienced and caused…. was He NOT right there with us? …walking alongside? …waiting for US to call on Him, and ask assistance? …ask guidance? As we took ‘the wrong’ choices…. the ones that were NOT really in the midst of His will… the ones that were really bad choices for us… does God REALLY begin to run ‘defense’ to avert the changes in His plan?? Does He REALLY run up the road ahead of us… putting all the “Truman Show” things in their proper place so-as to continue the illusion we have been living within?? NOT… No, not at all… God is NOT on the defense… He does NOT have a plan to protect… these paths…. these choices… these directions we choose are laid before us as OnGrowing challenges towards a closer and more intimate walk with Him… to encourage us to lend a listening ear… to get us to ‘lean-in’ when He is speaking… to be able to be SURE as to what He is saying…. where He is leading. So… back to the choices… See… God presents us with these choices…. not ALL are always good… not ALL are always best for us in THAT moment. See… the Bible shares “ … And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ”, which is to say that He allows SO many things to occur in our lives… to get us to grow… to mature… to learn… to stretch our faith. Therefore; as you are facing these choices… consider that each of them are really RIGHT choices… they are ALL genuinely His will for your life… He is JUST waiting for YOU to choose which ONE He will bless… which ONE He will give you strength through… The Lord is waiting for you (me) to simply make a choice… they ALL are right choices… once the choice is made, HE will begin that good work… to bring the HOW together… to shape His will in you…. to meld your life… and certainly to move your world… and bless the very thing you touch… for, in that choice, you were seeking His face.. His guidance…. His mercy… That shared, your choice is truly blessed… even as you are choosing. Tough to understand, I know… Trust me… “I” know… I stood there facing choices too… facing the many avenues my life would/could take, given each choice… Which one is THE choice… I am learning… it is the one you choose… that is the one He is waiting to bless… when your heart is selfLESSly willing to accept Him into your life… to accept Him through your life… these choices suddenly become blessed by Him… honored by Him… remember, the Bible reads; “All things work together for good, to those that are ‘the called’ according to His purpose“. Hard to refute that… hard to see any other way around His leading there. But… it is ALL back to OUR choice!! See that?? WHO, HOW, WHEN, and WHERE we choose to share His love… choose to live His life…. choose to surrender OUR will… is our choice… He merely blesses these choices… causing us to move into an OnGrowing relationship with Him, and those around us… no longer are we now Dead Weight… we are moving… we are much easier to steer.. He can change our direction with so much less strain and struggle… Read this: Joshua 24:15 “ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ”

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