completely calm
Perhaps in your fast pace world you find yourself caught up in life’s unpleasant circumstances. That’s really a nice way to say that life stinks sometimes … and there doesn’t seem to be any authentic peace in sight. It has been said that all of us are in one of three states: 1. coming out of a crisis. 2. in the middle of a crisis…. or 3. on the verge of experiencing a crisis. Wouldn’t it be great if you could find a source that has the power to grant you absolute victory over all of life’s storms ? A …
Christ In You
“God wanted to make known to those among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27 HCS) While moving through the line at a college cafeteria, one of my friends spotted a note stuck in a bowl of apples. It read, “Please take only one apple per student. Remember, God is watching!” When my friend, one apple in hand, got to the end of the line, he spotted another note – this one hand-written – next to a bowl of cookies. It read, “Take all the cookies you want! …
GOD and golf
Tee it up and hit it in the fairway. Easy to say, but many times difficult to do. When your ball lands in the “rough” it can be tough getting out with any kind of quality results. At times life will drop you in the “rough” … perhaps you are in one right now. God asked the prophet Isaiah to tell sinful people that there is a way out. The Lord made it clear that if they would simply turn to Him He would make their “rough” smooth and grant forgiveness. A clean shot with righteous results. The next time …
extreme hope … ultimate hope
We live in a world where the cry for new levels of competition and winning have become outrageous. Extreme sports … extreme make-over … the ultimate fighting machine … the ultimate survivor … and the list goes on. Even with all this extra dose of adrenaline rush … our society seems to be full of depressed people. When excitement fades real life remains. But God has given each of us an opportunity to experience something genuine and everlasting. Hope. Hope beyond anything we could ever possibly imagine. Eternal hope. ” … In his great mercy He has given us new …
too far gone to be a trophy ?
After speaking to a team of athletes this past week, one of them came up to me and said … “Mike I don’t see how God’s grace could possibly apply to me. I have done too many really bad things in my life. It’s far too late for me.” This young man is missing the intent of God’s plan of redemption which began even before the fall of Adam and Eve. Jesus, a wonderful part of the Trinity, came to earth for the broken. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been … Jesus can give you a …
the devil wears the big L
Around the Chicagoland it seems everyone hates the Packers or the Vikings or both. And you quickly earn the “big L” if you are a St. Louis Cardinal fan. By the way, all of us “big L” Cardinal fans cheered for our World Series Champion Red Birds last fall. Well, I have to admit there is one team especially that I’ve always wanted to lose every game they played. I coached against this team 2 or 3 times a year for exactly 30 years. The team … ? … the cross town rival East Waterloo Trojans. I loved Saturday mornings …
down and left for dead
Years ago when I was coaching high school basketball in Iowa, I remember one of my teams playing in Ft. Dodge on a cold January night. With 1:05 left in the game Ft. Dodge scored on an earth-shattering dunk to put us down 12 points. The crowd began to leave. Who could blame them … behind by 12 with 65 seconds left in the game … most folks left us for dead. Suddenly we stole the ball several times … scored three straight 3-point baskets … and watched Ft. Dodge miss some crucial free throws down the stretch. You guessed …
Reduce the Pain or Reach for the Prize?
One of my goals this year is to start running more or actually to enjoy running more. I have to run in the military but it has been a long time since I actually enjoyed running. One of my goals is to complete a half marathon and then work up to a full marathon. I have friends who run marathons and we all believe that running distance is 90% mental and 10% physical. Of course you have to condition yourself but that is also 90% mental. Once you start running a long distance there comes a point when you start …
the perfect painter
This week I spoke with a man whose life is gripped with addictions. His past and present are both so full of sin that he walked into my office with head down and back bent with guilt. Not a pleasant picture. In addition the problem worsens because … as a high school science teacher and basketball coach for 31 years … I wanted to fix this guy. But like dozens of previous situations like this … I quickly discover I can not. Only Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit is the supreme healer. I am nothing … just …
surrounded by police
I was invited to speak at the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers Annual Breakfast last Saturday at Judson College. Sitting in my truck in the parking lot before the breakfast … I was praying for GOD to give me the right words … HIS words. Knowing that in a few minutes I would be surrounded by “cops” including three Police Chiefs and the FCPO National President … I suddenly felt intimidated. It was time for GOD to step in. Just then Omar, a friend of mine, called me on my cell phone and asked if he could pray with me. …
