Life and Joy
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. (Proverbs 13:12, NLT)
As a young boy, every once in a while my heart became attached to something I thought I needed. This generally took place as Christmas or my birthday approached. “A dirtbike would be awesome,” I thought. Or, “I so want a go-cart.” A baseball glove, the newest Hot Wheels car, a sling-shot. One time I was determined to have a pair of Spaulding basketball sneakers…with THE coolest three-stripe design ever (sorry Adidas fans). I did everything my manipulative little self could think …
reality TV? … try reality life
What if I dress like a Chicago Bull, convince you that I know the Chicago Bull’s defenses and offenses, attended every Chicago Bull practice and team meeting ?
Does this make me a Chicago Bull ? Obviously … NO !
To become a Chicago Bull I have to:
#1. be invited by the Bull’s management.
#2. accept their invitation.
To become a Christian I must:
#1. be invited by the “management” … Jesus. And you
already have received your invitation.
#2. accept HIS invitation, because you realize you
…
Father's Day . . . without your Father
Celebrating Father’s Day without your father alive is . . . . wierd.
I just assume skip FD every year, except for the fact that I am too a father, and my kids also like giving me funking ties or a DVD on my “favs list”.
I had two fathers. #1 was my step-Dad and he was my “father” for 34 years. He died of lung cancer in 1996. #2 was my real-Dad with whom I reconciled to within weeks of his death to liver disease in 2001.
I remember playing softball in a church league in 1973. I was playing short-stop and …
performance philosophy
Many parents practice the “performance philosophy”.
If their child brings home good grades, makes the team, or shows respect and manners… then they are granted certain privileges. Moms and Dads show love and kindness toward their children when they are “good” … and they take great delight in telling relatives, friends, and neighbors.
I am sure glad GOD doesn’t operate that way with me. The Bible says that the LORD takes delight in me regardless of my circumstances. His love and kindness for me is NOT based on my performance. If it were, I would be lost. …
Game Ball
“Tonight’s game ball goes to……” You could hear a pin drop. It’s not often that 9 and 10 year old boys will sit still for anything, but for the coveted “game ball” ceremony, they sat motionless, waiting for the next words out of the coach’s mouth. The boys weren’t the only ones on pins and needles. I mentally went through the game that had just transpired: “Ok, Tanner went 3 for 3 with 4 runs batted in and played some great D; that has to put him in the running…..Oh, and he scored twice. Surely …
Rock Star Testimony
Ever heard of those people who’ve wrecked their lives by abusing sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll? Ok maybe it’s not possible to abuse rock-n-roll. You get the point. There are lots of people who’ve hit rock bottom. I’m not just saying on a depression level. I’m staying their life could not get worse. Then in that broken moment they find God and turn their life around. What an amazing testimony to the power of God.
Yeah but “I’ve been a Christian my whole life and my testimony’s kinda lame”. I’ve heard this fodder many times. But something struck me yesterday after writing …
Peter’s Shadow
Just wanted to share with you about a new revelation I had while reading the New Testament. Christ aside I always thought Paul was the stud of the N.T. My thoughts are starting to change about that. Well at least Peter deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Paul.
Jesus said ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and …
five and dime
It seems every few weeks I read of another disagreement over the division of government and religion … sometimes referred to as “the separation of church and state”.
Also every few weeks I read of the on-going debate about whether or not it is appropriate to teach both creationism and evolution to our children here in American public schools. Education leaders want to leave God out of our science curriculum.
So I have done some extensive research. I carefully examined a penny, a nickel, a dime, a quarter, a half dollar, a one dollar bill, a 5 dollar bill, a …
O, The Wonder
To say that Nicol and I are enjoying our new baby girl would be a big-time understatement. From our very biased perspective, she’s absolutely the most adorable and beautiful little thing you’ve ever seen. When first we laid eyes on her last Thursday morning, Nicol and I fell in love…with Summer and with each other all over again. We are definitely smitten!
I remember the night we found out that Nicol was expecting. We jumped up and down, laughed, cried, praised our great God, and even freaked out a little. It wasn’t long before the Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of Psalm 139. At that …
Outrageous Request
Matthew 20:20-23: Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right …
