My Worst Fear is a Movie

You may not know this, but my worst fear is a movie.    I get to heaven and God sits me on a couch. He gives me a Coke and some popcorn and says “Watch this”. The movie I watch lasts for four hours, but it seems like it only lasts 15 minutes. There’s action and adventure, romance and comedy, and ethical dilemmas all wrapped up into the best movie I’ve ever seen. The leading man is making all the right decisions and all the right choices. Its the best of every movie I’ve ever seen in my life all wrapped …

assigned seat

I used to hate assigned seats in school. Then as a science teacher for 31 years I understood the value of such an arrangement. In the apostle Paul’s day, if someone was assigned a seat on the right hand of the king everyone knew without a doubt that person shared the king’s authority. In addition to raising Jesus from the dead, God also established Him in a position of dominion. Dominion over all. Dominion forever. Wouldn’t it be cool to sit in an assigned seat with Christ ? A seat especially prepared for just you. Well on God’s seating chart …

God Smiles When We Praise

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) *** *** *** *** Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it too. He smiles when we express our adoration and gratitude to him.   Noah’s life brought pleasure to God because he lived with a heart of praise and thanksgiving. Noah’s first act after surviving the flood was to express his thanks to God by offering a sacrifice (Genesis 8:20).   We praise God for who …

God Smiles When We Obey

Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Genesis 6:22 (NLT)   *** *** *** *** Noah obeyed completely (no instruction was overlooked) and he obeyed exactly (in the way and time God wanted it done). That is wholeheartedness. It is no wonder God smiled on Noah.   If God asked you to build a giant boat, don’t you think you might have a few questions, objections, and reservations? Noah didn’t. He obeyed God wholeheartedly. That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don’t procrastinate and say, “I’ll pray about it.” You do it without delay. …

God Smiles When We Trust

By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. . . . As a result, Noah became intimate with God. Hebrews 11:7 (MSG)   *** *** *** *** Imagine this scene: One day God comes to Noah and says, “I’m disappointed in human beings. In the entire world, no one but you thinks about me. But Noah, when I look at you, I start smiling. I’m pleased with your life, so I’m going to flood the world and start over with you …

Movie Review: Hancock

Continuing the summer’s tradition of superhero movies, this one features something a little different. First, one of my favorite actors of this age, Will Smith–a blockbuster king, a likable guy, and his range, though sorely underused most of the time, is not to be disregarded. In this case, however, he does not exactly play a “likable guy”. So let’s talk “Hancock”. This film is not adapted from a graphic novel. It is not based on an old comic book series created by Stan Lee. It’s not an old Greek mythology story that’s been updated. No, “Hancock” has one thing going …

May God Smile on You

May the Lord smile on you. Numbers 6:25 (NLT)   *** *** *** ***   The smile of God is the goal of life.   Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that. The Bible says, “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it” (Ephesians 5:10 MSG).   Fortunately, the Bible gives us a clear example of a life that gives pleasure to God. The man’s name was Noah.   In Noah’s day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt. Everyone lived for their own …

God Spoke You into Existence

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)   *** *** *** ***   Today’s guest devotional is by Jon Walker –   Dear one, you were started as an idea in the mind of God! You exist because the God of the universe thought you up!   The God who spoke the world into existence, the God who hung the moon and the stars, the God who set the sun in the sky – this creative Creator …

Patience with Imperfection

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)   *** *** *** ***   Today’s guest devotional is by Jon Walker –   Humorist Dave Barry says, “A perfect parent is a person with excellent child-rearing theories and no actual children.”   The same could be said of a perfect world or a perfect family; there’s only one way to mess things up: People!   Living with imperfect people requires patience, and you – now I say this as a friend – are one of the imperfect people who requires patience! Unfortunately, …

the funeral crasher

I recently spoke at a golf outing and dinner in the west Chicago suburb of St. Charles. It was organized to raise money to help families with children who are in a battle against cancer. Before being served dinner the 300 plus attendees watched a very emotional picture video celebrating the life of some of the children who lost this fight. Sad to think of the pain parents and family members must have experienced at those funerals. In 2006-07 there was a movie released called “The Wedding Crashers”. And although I have not seen this movie … it made me …