WARNING! This might be a long one and might just be opinionated.
I try very hard to keep my personal life and my professional life separated. My reasons for this are fairly simple. One, it is the policy of my employer that I do not post pictures, videos, or comments related to the employer on my personal social media sites. I personally agree with my employer on this one as you never know what somebody might post. Two, there are many people in the legal community that would love to get their hands on the things that some of us post on our personal sites, and then use them against us. And finally, my 1st amendment right to free speech protects me, as an individual citizen, not an employee. As an employee, I represent the employer; not myself. I think too often, people forget that we represent somebody.
You see, we, as Christians, represent somebody higher than us. It's our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So today, I am going to exercise my right to free speech and represent the opportunities given me throughout my life by my Lord.
I'm sure there is not a person in our Country that has not heard, read, or watched the news regarding the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Words cannot describe the sadness and overwhelming feeling every parent in the US has for their own children after hearing of this horrific act. My intent here today is not to rekindle those feelings in you, rather it is a call to action. Many people question how such a horrific act can happen and I think there will be many fingers pointing the blame at somebody of something. A tee shirt I saw recently summed it up best by reading, "Dear God, why did you allow such a tragedy to happen at school? Sincerely, Concerned Citizen. Dear Concerned Citizen, I am not allowed in school. Love, God" Before I go any farther, a little history lesson.
Our Country was founded on many of the beliefs of our forefathers. One of those core beliefs was that of independence. Do you realize that, in plain language, independence is another word for rebellion? Independence is defined as, "not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself:" So we as Americans, do not like to be told what to do. Just look around at how dysfunctional our Country has become and see for yourself. The mindset of many Americans today is that I will do what I want, when I want, and where I want. And, when I screw everything up, I will blame the government and then demand them to bail me out.
Many Americans, do not like to adhere to the notion, "it could happen here" and when faced with more strict safety and security measures, we cry foul and blame somebody else or make accusations of constitutional violations. In the wake of attempted commercial airline bombings, there was an immediate outcry, sensationalized by the media, to immediately cease and desist the, "unconstitutional" search of people boarding airplanes. Oddly enough, some of the same people would cry that profiling is unconstitutional. So if you cannot search people and you cannot profile, how then should you prevent terrorist acts? Yet society continues to point the finger and blame events on anything that helps us escape discomfort. This statement applies to so many concepts such as building homes in a flood plain, hurricane prone coastline, or on an earthquake fault. The thought is, "In my 40 years, there has never been an earthquake in this area." or "What's the big deal? There hasn't been a major hurricane here since the 60's!" Consequently, when our culture thinks of terrorism, the vast majority think of foreign, middle eastern males screaming some sort of gibberish just prior to attacking. Unfortunately, that is simply a stereo-type. The definition of terrorism is, according to the FBI, “the unlawful use of force and violence
against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the
civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political
or social objectives” and it does not stop with foreign terrorism. It includes domestic terrorism (home grown) that is alive and well today. Fortunately, our Country has been blessed in the lack of attacks when compared to other countries. Israel, for example, lives with the constant fear of missile attacks, suicide bomber attacks, and car bombs just to name a few. If you watched any of the news coverage from the recent conflict between Gaza and Israel, you would have seen the blast proof doors and windows at the drug store, people seeking cover under buildings and covered walkways, and more. Terrorism is a way of life for many places in our world today.
It saddens me when things such as terrorism, gun control, and other emotional hotbeds become the center of politics. In the recent presidential campaign, much of the debate was over the response to the attack on the US Consulate in Bin Ghazi. The reality is that neither candidate really cared about the attack other than to increase their desire to point fingers and blame the other candidate. And we see this everyday in federal, state, and local politics in some form or another. The grandstanding by politicians that will follow in the days to come will be sickening. The majority of our culture wants to blame somebody else for our problems. After all, it couldn't possibly be our fault. "We need to ban all guns!", "We need to spend more funds on rehabilitation.", and on and on. At some point, we as a Country, are going to have to answer for our lack of responsibility in teaching the next generation how to have respect and concern for our brothers and sisters. Instead, we are teaching the next generation to blame somebody else for our problems, to ignore what might happen so it will not happen here, and then require the government to bail us out when we do things we know better than doing. It is not the government's responsibility to prepare you and your families for emergencies; it is ours! My first priority is to my family then to my job and I would personally prefer that the government do their job to provide the core basic functions of government.
There are many institutions that choose to ignore the possibility of such a horrific event Newtown experienced out of political concerns. "If we plan for an active shooter, then the parents will think that their kids aren't safe; we have to admit that it could happen here." We can't require secure entry to our schools, because parents will get mad when it takes so long to get in." "We can't arm our teachers because you don't want guns blazing in a school!" So in the case of Newtown, you have a lone individual that committed potentially a series of illegal acts upon 600+ defenseless law abiding citizens with a total disregard of any laws or regulations. Now, the outcry for more laws to prevent the next attack from somebody without regard for laws will be loud and clear and will be sensationalized by the media. How do you regulate somebody who cares nothing for regulations? You cannot. There are many people in our culture that refuse to deal with such events, but there was a guy by the name of Louie Pasteur who is credited with the statement, "Chance favors only the prepared mind." We MUST plan and prepare! We must! You can no longer say, "That will not happen here" as the population of Fairfield County CT (the county where Newtown resides) is just over 27,560 according to the 2010 census. That is just about as small town as it gets. What are you doing to plan and prepare? Are you willing to accept safety and security over convenience?
My intent here is not a doomsday scenario or to scare you, rather it is to remind you to plan and prepare for emergencies of all types. From installing a smoke detector (and changing batteries), to being mindful of your surroundings in a parking lot, to working with your schools to promote safer and more secure facilities. Encourage your schools to make it more difficult to access the school and be glad when it takes you longer to get in to the school. Be happy when you are asked to present your photo id when you arrive at a parent/teacher conference or when you pick up your children early. Get to know your child's teacher and Principal and let them know you. Visit your neighbors more often and learn who belongs and who does not. Community groups are not a thing of the past rather they are a concept of protecting each other. Do you know your local law enforcement? Do you know where the local police department or Sheriff's Office is? How about your local fire department? Have you ever taken a CPR or first aid class? These are all critical ways of thinking in an effort to become prepared. If we will all take a small piece of responsibility and then teach our kids that same responsibility, I would not have to write such a blog as this.
If you have managed to read everything to this point, I want to say thank you. Many of you who read my blog have dedicated your careers to protecting and serving total strangers. To those of you that have read my blog and are now offended, tough. These are tough times we live in and they will require tough decisions and sometimes offensive actions. It offends me that there are people who refuse to prepare and instead of accepting the blame, and then point their finger at somebody else. At some point, we as a culture are going to have to rise to the occasion, take the blame, and begin to make a change. If you are offended by my comments above, let me put the icing on the cake for you. If you want to see real change in our Country, spend more time on your knees in prayer. Not to a shrine or statue, but to a real and living God. The power of prayer is an amazing tool not to be underestimated or underused. "Father, forgive me for not teaching responsibility to those around me."
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
History
I want to share the history lesson(s) I've experienced in the last couple of days. To start, let me give you an overview.
My dad served our Country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. His duty assignment was on the USS Enterprise (no, not the Starship Enterprise) between 1970-1972. On 1 Dec, the Enterprise will be, "Inactivated" and the process to dismantle her will begin. Dad was invited to attend the ceremony and to tour the Enterprise one final time. So, dad, mom, my middle son Will, and myself have traveled to Norfolk, VA to tour the Enterprise.
The first history lesson was learned during the ride up here. It was a lot of fun listening to mom and dad reminisce about the trips they had taken on the very same route some 42 years ago. "Well now this road was just a two lane road the last time we were here." When dad was drafted into the Navy, he and mom decided to get married. The interesting part here is that my grandmother (notice I didn't say, "grandfather") had to sign off for mom to marry because she was only 16 at the time. Can you believe that she was only 16?! So dad went off to basic and received orders for his first duty assignment on the Enterprise which was docked at Norfolk for her first nuclear refueling. Mom and dad moved up to Norfolk for six months while the ship was in port.
I learned on this trip that mom and dad collectively earned $90 per month in late 1970 (about $530 in today's money) and they lived in a small apartment. My mom worked at a place called, "Shakey's Pizza". I think my grandparents only knew it as Shakey's Pizza because they'd have had a duck if they knew their 17 year old daughter was playing piano for a bunch of drunks in a bar. LOL! Mom talked about how that she and three other sailor's wives would work together to by groceries and gas. Mom and dad were the only one's with a car; a 1963 Ford Falcon with a busted out back window. Now this was during the winter and being the good educated folks from the upstate of South Carolina they were, they obtained the finest clear plastic and duct tape they could find and taped up the back window. My great aunt Felcie and other members of the family would take turns sending them gas money to make the trip home when dad would have leave time while in port. They would then make the eight hour trip home and back in the Falcon with the plastic window.
Today, we got to tour the Enterprise and I must admit, I was extremely humbled to witness the extreme amount of pride held by every sailor we came in contact with both past and present. I've heard mom and dad tell stories about the how the community in Norfolk took care of the sailors and their families and I have witnessed that sense of pride today. Our tour guides were two individuals with jobs that according to society, were less than desirable. But these two young people spoke of those jobs as if they were the most important jobs in the world. Why? Because they understood that we all have an important role to play in life and that each of us are important.
Now, if you have continued to read to this point, let me share my thoughts with you. My mom and dad made a commitment to each other when they got married and that commitment meant something to them. How many newlyweds would stay committed to each other, out of town, in an apartment, working at a bar, collectively earning $530 a month in today's economy? How many 18 year old individuals would brag about cleaning up after people or working in a chow line?
God hasn't called all of us to be Billy Grahams, presidents, or millionaires, but he has called us to do a job for him. He only asks that we do the very best we can at the task he has for us. I can tell you that I have been humbled by many real world examples of such commitment. I for one am proud of mom and dad because they chose to be committed and set the example for me. I can only hope that I am setting the example for others like has been set before me.
Lord, thank you for the examples you've provided for me. Help me to earn the efforts and examples set by those before me by setting the example for those around me and who will follow me.
My dad served our Country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. His duty assignment was on the USS Enterprise (no, not the Starship Enterprise) between 1970-1972. On 1 Dec, the Enterprise will be, "Inactivated" and the process to dismantle her will begin. Dad was invited to attend the ceremony and to tour the Enterprise one final time. So, dad, mom, my middle son Will, and myself have traveled to Norfolk, VA to tour the Enterprise.
The first history lesson was learned during the ride up here. It was a lot of fun listening to mom and dad reminisce about the trips they had taken on the very same route some 42 years ago. "Well now this road was just a two lane road the last time we were here." When dad was drafted into the Navy, he and mom decided to get married. The interesting part here is that my grandmother (notice I didn't say, "grandfather") had to sign off for mom to marry because she was only 16 at the time. Can you believe that she was only 16?! So dad went off to basic and received orders for his first duty assignment on the Enterprise which was docked at Norfolk for her first nuclear refueling. Mom and dad moved up to Norfolk for six months while the ship was in port.
I learned on this trip that mom and dad collectively earned $90 per month in late 1970 (about $530 in today's money) and they lived in a small apartment. My mom worked at a place called, "Shakey's Pizza". I think my grandparents only knew it as Shakey's Pizza because they'd have had a duck if they knew their 17 year old daughter was playing piano for a bunch of drunks in a bar. LOL! Mom talked about how that she and three other sailor's wives would work together to by groceries and gas. Mom and dad were the only one's with a car; a 1963 Ford Falcon with a busted out back window. Now this was during the winter and being the good educated folks from the upstate of South Carolina they were, they obtained the finest clear plastic and duct tape they could find and taped up the back window. My great aunt Felcie and other members of the family would take turns sending them gas money to make the trip home when dad would have leave time while in port. They would then make the eight hour trip home and back in the Falcon with the plastic window.
Today, we got to tour the Enterprise and I must admit, I was extremely humbled to witness the extreme amount of pride held by every sailor we came in contact with both past and present. I've heard mom and dad tell stories about the how the community in Norfolk took care of the sailors and their families and I have witnessed that sense of pride today. Our tour guides were two individuals with jobs that according to society, were less than desirable. But these two young people spoke of those jobs as if they were the most important jobs in the world. Why? Because they understood that we all have an important role to play in life and that each of us are important.
Now, if you have continued to read to this point, let me share my thoughts with you. My mom and dad made a commitment to each other when they got married and that commitment meant something to them. How many newlyweds would stay committed to each other, out of town, in an apartment, working at a bar, collectively earning $530 a month in today's economy? How many 18 year old individuals would brag about cleaning up after people or working in a chow line?
God hasn't called all of us to be Billy Grahams, presidents, or millionaires, but he has called us to do a job for him. He only asks that we do the very best we can at the task he has for us. I can tell you that I have been humbled by many real world examples of such commitment. I for one am proud of mom and dad because they chose to be committed and set the example for me. I can only hope that I am setting the example for others like has been set before me.
Lord, thank you for the examples you've provided for me. Help me to earn the efforts and examples set by those before me by setting the example for those around me and who will follow me.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Chicken Crap for the soul
When I was growing up, we had all kinds of animals, critters, and creatures ranging from horses to cats, birds and dogs, ducks and geese, and we even had a turkey that thought he was a dog. I'm sure you are wondering what in the world can I be up to with a title such as, "Chicken Crap for the soul" so let me explain. We also had chickens and lots of them. My dad had a whole mess of laying hens that would produce eggs out the tail (no pun intended, well yeah it was intended). Dad had also built them a chicken house (hen house)where they spent most of the time. And, like you might imagine, they created a lot of crap. Here is where things get interesting.
We also had a garden every single year. I hated working the garden as a kid because it was a whole lot of work for food I really didn't care to eat. Money was always tight around our house, so we didn't waste a whole lot; including the chicken crap. My Dad would shovel all that crap out of the hen house and spread it out on the garden spot year round. Over and over again, he would shovel the crap and spread it out in the garden. For you city folks, that chicken crap was used for fertilizer which helped produce some amazing gardens and we didn't even need to go to the all natural store to buy it. It's odd to think that something like crap could be so useful isnt' it? I mean, it's chicken crap right?!
I think the same concept can be related to our lives every day. So many times in life, we've either found ourselves in a hen house full of chicken crap, had the misfortune of shoveling a load of crap, or maybe even had to be the one to spread the crap. For sake of discussion, we'll call these things, "Crap Jobs". The real question surrounding all this crap is, "What is our intention?" Often times, God asks us to do things we think are crap jobs but God knows what the end result will be. Just as with our gardens, the crap is an absolute essential to having a healthy life and whether I liked it or not, it put a lot of good food on the table. Instead of spending time thinking about all the crap we're dealing with, maybe we should take a step back and see what God is doing with all that crap!
God never promised us life would be easy but God is infamous for making something special out of nothing. He turned water into wine, made paraplegics walk, blind people see, and on and on. It amazes me every single day that God blesses and loves me the way he does.
So, when you find yourself being crapped on, shoveling crap, or spreading crap, just remember that if applied correctly, all that crap can be used to yield some amazing results. The crap your cussing God over, may just be fertilizer, or "Chicken Crap for the soul".
Have a great week!
We also had a garden every single year. I hated working the garden as a kid because it was a whole lot of work for food I really didn't care to eat. Money was always tight around our house, so we didn't waste a whole lot; including the chicken crap. My Dad would shovel all that crap out of the hen house and spread it out on the garden spot year round. Over and over again, he would shovel the crap and spread it out in the garden. For you city folks, that chicken crap was used for fertilizer which helped produce some amazing gardens and we didn't even need to go to the all natural store to buy it. It's odd to think that something like crap could be so useful isnt' it? I mean, it's chicken crap right?!
I think the same concept can be related to our lives every day. So many times in life, we've either found ourselves in a hen house full of chicken crap, had the misfortune of shoveling a load of crap, or maybe even had to be the one to spread the crap. For sake of discussion, we'll call these things, "Crap Jobs". The real question surrounding all this crap is, "What is our intention?" Often times, God asks us to do things we think are crap jobs but God knows what the end result will be. Just as with our gardens, the crap is an absolute essential to having a healthy life and whether I liked it or not, it put a lot of good food on the table. Instead of spending time thinking about all the crap we're dealing with, maybe we should take a step back and see what God is doing with all that crap!
God never promised us life would be easy but God is infamous for making something special out of nothing. He turned water into wine, made paraplegics walk, blind people see, and on and on. It amazes me every single day that God blesses and loves me the way he does.
So, when you find yourself being crapped on, shoveling crap, or spreading crap, just remember that if applied correctly, all that crap can be used to yield some amazing results. The crap your cussing God over, may just be fertilizer, or "Chicken Crap for the soul".
Have a great week!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
The Definition of Excellence
For the last week, I've enjoyed vacation with my family at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. It was the first time in my life that I have had the opportunity to go to Disney and let me tell you, that was one awesome place! My Mother-in-law coordinated the arrangements which included the, "Dining Plan", our stay and Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort Hotel, and transportation to and from the resort. Early on, we all decided to fly to Orlando on Southwest Airlines (which by the way was an awesome experience in and of itself). When we arrived at the airport, there was a nice charter bus waiting on us which took us to the resort. We never touched our luggage once we dropped it off at Greenville Spartanburg airport until it was delivered to our rooms! Everywhere we went, we rode on timely ferry boats, transit buses, or mono-rail. I was absolutely amazed at how immaculate, courteous, and informative each Disney employee was. The Disney, "Machine" (as I've affectionately come to call it) blew me away. Long story short, it was an absolutely amazing trip because I felt like a King the entire time we were there.
Tonight, I was packing my bag for a work related trip I have to take next week and something occurred to me; I should feel like a King each and every day! Other than my toys (phone chargers, ipad, laptop, etc), I didn't have to pack a single thing for the Disney trip. Did it just magically appear? Nope, every stitch of clothing I needed had been packed by my wife. Not only was my luggage packed, but so was Will and Katie's and Traci's (my wife). AND, not only did she pack all the clothes we needed, she figured that I didn't need to wear 5.11 pants at Disney and bought me brand new shorts and shirts just for the trip. AND, (ok, this is the last "and") she knew just the right size I needed. Now this single event doesn't even come close to all the things she does around the house each and every day, like cleaning house, washing 411 loads of clothes a week, getting supper ready, giving Katie a bath, and much more. But, packing my own bag has made me think about just how much like a King am I treated each and every day? I tell people all the time that even if I could have, I wouldn't have been smart enough to special order her as my wife; (and no, I'm not making up for something stupid I've said or done; at least not that I know of....)
Seriously, with all this talk of excellence, feeling like a King, being married to a wonderful wife and all, I want to get to the point. You see, all of the things I mentioned above are acts of service and not all of us recognize them. Not all of us are programmed to see those acts and then some of us simply choose to focus our thoughts on the things that are not the way we want them. We cast shadows on so many wonderful things (much like I do to my wife at times) and fail to see the wonderful things that we have been blessed with. There are countless stories in the bible describing exactly this kind of behavior. The story of, "The Prodigal Son" comes to mind which can be found in Luke 15 beginning with verse 11. Now without telling the whole story, the man's youngest son thought he knew best and wanted his share of the inheritance now. The son left with the money, wasted it, ate hog slop, and then begged to become one of his Father's servants. You see, the son didn't recognize how blessed he was until he lost everything and had to come pleading to his Father for work just to eat. Now here's the best part of Jesus' illustration here. In Luke 15:20, the Bible says, "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began." (NLT) The point of all of my rambling is this. Don't lose everything to realize how blessed we really are. Jesus wants to have a relationship with you and to share his wealth of blessing with you.
My prayer tonight is that I will not take for granted how blessed and how much I feel like a King thank to my my Lord and my wife. I pray that each of you will take the time right now to think about how blessed you are and maybe even send somebody a thank you note to tell them just that! Have a great week everybody!!!
Tonight, I was packing my bag for a work related trip I have to take next week and something occurred to me; I should feel like a King each and every day! Other than my toys (phone chargers, ipad, laptop, etc), I didn't have to pack a single thing for the Disney trip. Did it just magically appear? Nope, every stitch of clothing I needed had been packed by my wife. Not only was my luggage packed, but so was Will and Katie's and Traci's (my wife). AND, not only did she pack all the clothes we needed, she figured that I didn't need to wear 5.11 pants at Disney and bought me brand new shorts and shirts just for the trip. AND, (ok, this is the last "and") she knew just the right size I needed. Now this single event doesn't even come close to all the things she does around the house each and every day, like cleaning house, washing 411 loads of clothes a week, getting supper ready, giving Katie a bath, and much more. But, packing my own bag has made me think about just how much like a King am I treated each and every day? I tell people all the time that even if I could have, I wouldn't have been smart enough to special order her as my wife; (and no, I'm not making up for something stupid I've said or done; at least not that I know of....)
Seriously, with all this talk of excellence, feeling like a King, being married to a wonderful wife and all, I want to get to the point. You see, all of the things I mentioned above are acts of service and not all of us recognize them. Not all of us are programmed to see those acts and then some of us simply choose to focus our thoughts on the things that are not the way we want them. We cast shadows on so many wonderful things (much like I do to my wife at times) and fail to see the wonderful things that we have been blessed with. There are countless stories in the bible describing exactly this kind of behavior. The story of, "The Prodigal Son" comes to mind which can be found in Luke 15 beginning with verse 11. Now without telling the whole story, the man's youngest son thought he knew best and wanted his share of the inheritance now. The son left with the money, wasted it, ate hog slop, and then begged to become one of his Father's servants. You see, the son didn't recognize how blessed he was until he lost everything and had to come pleading to his Father for work just to eat. Now here's the best part of Jesus' illustration here. In Luke 15:20, the Bible says, "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began." (NLT) The point of all of my rambling is this. Don't lose everything to realize how blessed we really are. Jesus wants to have a relationship with you and to share his wealth of blessing with you.
My prayer tonight is that I will not take for granted how blessed and how much I feel like a King thank to my my Lord and my wife. I pray that each of you will take the time right now to think about how blessed you are and maybe even send somebody a thank you note to tell them just that! Have a great week everybody!!!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Tough
Well, I'm writing a new blog a little early. I committed to fasting from TV and surfing the net for 30 days last Sunday night, and tonight is a tough night. My favorite TV show in the whole world is on and I missed this episode when it aired; "Person of Interest". I love that show because they are always looking out of the victim. I mean, there have been episodes where people have been victims of some serious business yet the main characters almost always end up at the right spot at just the right time.
Well you know what? Our Lord and Savior is in many ways, just like Person of Interest. Have you ever thought about Jesus in that light? Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about some sort of messed up Ricky Bobby idea of who, "Baby Jesus" is, but I am talking about how much God loves you. Jeremiah 29:11 says it best where it reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." There are many other places in the bible where God expresses his love for us. There is none more defining than the gospels where the story is told of Jesus' crucifixion and what Jesus went through for us. Dr. Keith Maxwell wrote a very telling thesis on the medical point of view regarding Jesus' death. You can read it at this link http://www.oocities.org/wei-kwan_ng/article/crucifix/crucifix.htm and I dare you to read it until the end. It will open your eyes. We take for granted how Jesus really suffered and all he ever did was love people.
After you read Dr. Maxwell's thesis, TV shows start to seem somewhat less important. Truth be told, I'm enjoying fasting because just like tonight, when I wanted to give in, all I had to do was begin spending time with him and now I have the opportunity to share with you what he's placed on my heart.
Thank you Lord for loving me enough to die for me! Thank you for giving me just a little insight to share with others and I ask you to change lives one reader at a time. Remind me to consistently set the example and to always strive to love you more!
Well you know what? Our Lord and Savior is in many ways, just like Person of Interest. Have you ever thought about Jesus in that light? Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about some sort of messed up Ricky Bobby idea of who, "Baby Jesus" is, but I am talking about how much God loves you. Jeremiah 29:11 says it best where it reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." There are many other places in the bible where God expresses his love for us. There is none more defining than the gospels where the story is told of Jesus' crucifixion and what Jesus went through for us. Dr. Keith Maxwell wrote a very telling thesis on the medical point of view regarding Jesus' death. You can read it at this link http://www.oocities.org/wei-kwan_ng/article/crucifix/crucifix.htm and I dare you to read it until the end. It will open your eyes. We take for granted how Jesus really suffered and all he ever did was love people.
After you read Dr. Maxwell's thesis, TV shows start to seem somewhat less important. Truth be told, I'm enjoying fasting because just like tonight, when I wanted to give in, all I had to do was begin spending time with him and now I have the opportunity to share with you what he's placed on my heart.
Thank you Lord for loving me enough to die for me! Thank you for giving me just a little insight to share with others and I ask you to change lives one reader at a time. Remind me to consistently set the example and to always strive to love you more!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Thoughts For Today
Just a few thoughts before we all start out with a busy week. I am blessed to be part of a wonderful Church with wonderful volunteers, wonderful staff, and a great Pastor @deanhermanonline . I get the opportunity to serve with an amazing group of volunteers every Sunday morning who give their time to see lives changed.
Tonight, I attended a meeting hosted by Pastor Dean where he shared his vision and passion to "Win this City for Christ". I am humbled every time I hear him say that because that is truly his passion and I am reminded to check my passion to see the lost come to know Christ. I think I often fail at being committed to the cause of Christ and find myself distracted by so many things ("Squirrel!!!!"). Seriously though, Dean challenged me as usual to think less of me and more of others and to take every opportunity to share Christ with others. He reminded us that it only takes one mistake to ruin our ability to lead. He gave several examples that have occurred in the last few months, but one example he gave stuck out in my mind. The Bible says that, "David was a man after God's own heart." and in fact, David had everything. What caused David to fail? The one thing he couldn't have; Bathsheba. David had wives all over the castle to fit his every occasion. But one look at Bathsheba taking a bath, and he decided that he wanted her. Now you know the rest of the story, but suffice it to say, David lost everything and was eventually chased out of his Kingdom by his own son. It only took one indiscretion and his career ended.
Pastor Dean talks a lot about, "Church People" and "Radical Followers of Christ". To put it in even more perspective, 5 Point Church only has two services, both occurring on Sunday morning. Most Sunday evenings, our front door is open and we are outside playing. For the last nine years, we have lived directly across the street from Calvary Hill Baptist Church. Would you believe that in that nine years, there has only been one occasion where somebody from that Church has walked across the street to invite us to come to Church? Nine years!! I mean seriously, Paul and Beth Turner were the only ones to ever invite us to visit and they have since moved on to an amazing ministry at Mt. Carmel Baptist. But it got me thinking. What makes me any different? What have I done to invite my neighbors to my Church? Truthfully, I'm no different.
So what is my point to all of this rambling? It is so easy for us, well me, to look at what other people are doing, or aren't doing. I don't make as much money as they do, but I do so much more than they do. Man if I were the boss, there's no way I would do that. Just like David, I think I lose sight of what's really important and the only thing I can control; my actions. So I'm going to start making some changes right now. Every one of you that reads this blog, come visit 5 Point Church next Sunday. People there really don't care what you look like, what you wear, or where you've been. They will love you! I want to challenge each of you to start right now focusing on you and your actions. Ignore the action (or the lack thereof) of those around you. Spend the next 30 days focusing on growing closer to God by reading the bible and spending time with him in prayer. It won't be easy because Satan DOES NOT want you to focus on the person that God wants you to be. He wants you to be distracted by those around you.
For the next 30 days, I am going to take part in an unusual fast. When I put the kids to bed at night, I spend the next several hours watching TV or surfing the net. For the next 30 days, I am going to turn the TV off and spend some one on one time with Christ and I plan to spend a lot of that time praying for you. I hope all of you have a great week and I pray that every one of you that reads this blog will accept my challenge.
Lord, forgive me when I fail you and when I get so busy thinking about me. Help me see every opportunity to share you with others.
Tonight, I attended a meeting hosted by Pastor Dean where he shared his vision and passion to "Win this City for Christ". I am humbled every time I hear him say that because that is truly his passion and I am reminded to check my passion to see the lost come to know Christ. I think I often fail at being committed to the cause of Christ and find myself distracted by so many things ("Squirrel!!!!"). Seriously though, Dean challenged me as usual to think less of me and more of others and to take every opportunity to share Christ with others. He reminded us that it only takes one mistake to ruin our ability to lead. He gave several examples that have occurred in the last few months, but one example he gave stuck out in my mind. The Bible says that, "David was a man after God's own heart." and in fact, David had everything. What caused David to fail? The one thing he couldn't have; Bathsheba. David had wives all over the castle to fit his every occasion. But one look at Bathsheba taking a bath, and he decided that he wanted her. Now you know the rest of the story, but suffice it to say, David lost everything and was eventually chased out of his Kingdom by his own son. It only took one indiscretion and his career ended.
Pastor Dean talks a lot about, "Church People" and "Radical Followers of Christ". To put it in even more perspective, 5 Point Church only has two services, both occurring on Sunday morning. Most Sunday evenings, our front door is open and we are outside playing. For the last nine years, we have lived directly across the street from Calvary Hill Baptist Church. Would you believe that in that nine years, there has only been one occasion where somebody from that Church has walked across the street to invite us to come to Church? Nine years!! I mean seriously, Paul and Beth Turner were the only ones to ever invite us to visit and they have since moved on to an amazing ministry at Mt. Carmel Baptist. But it got me thinking. What makes me any different? What have I done to invite my neighbors to my Church? Truthfully, I'm no different.
So what is my point to all of this rambling? It is so easy for us, well me, to look at what other people are doing, or aren't doing. I don't make as much money as they do, but I do so much more than they do. Man if I were the boss, there's no way I would do that. Just like David, I think I lose sight of what's really important and the only thing I can control; my actions. So I'm going to start making some changes right now. Every one of you that reads this blog, come visit 5 Point Church next Sunday. People there really don't care what you look like, what you wear, or where you've been. They will love you! I want to challenge each of you to start right now focusing on you and your actions. Ignore the action (or the lack thereof) of those around you. Spend the next 30 days focusing on growing closer to God by reading the bible and spending time with him in prayer. It won't be easy because Satan DOES NOT want you to focus on the person that God wants you to be. He wants you to be distracted by those around you.
For the next 30 days, I am going to take part in an unusual fast. When I put the kids to bed at night, I spend the next several hours watching TV or surfing the net. For the next 30 days, I am going to turn the TV off and spend some one on one time with Christ and I plan to spend a lot of that time praying for you. I hope all of you have a great week and I pray that every one of you that reads this blog will accept my challenge.
Lord, forgive me when I fail you and when I get so busy thinking about me. Help me see every opportunity to share you with others.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
"How in the world did I end up here?"
Like many of my postings, this question can reflect several different scenarios. My scenario is one of extreme humility because I know how I ended up here; my Dad. So, I thought I would list a few things that Dad is responsible for in my life and share with you my thoughts on what it means to be a Dad. Our focal passage comes from Ephesians 6:4 which read, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
For those of you reading this blog, my prayer is that you will take lessons from Dad on what it means to be a great Father. Remember, your daughters will seek out a husband that is like you and your sons will treat their wives like you treat your wife. Be it good or bad, you are the gold standard in their lives. You'll read more about this later.
As early as I can remember, my Dad involved me in things that he liked such as hamfests, ham radio, fishing, computers, and many more. I guess this explains a lot to those of you that know me...lol! I can remember going with Dad and one of his friends, Mandall Rigdon, up to Sassafras Mountain to work on a ham radio repeater. I could not have been more than three or four years old, but Dad took me with him. Fortunately for Dad, he brought along my sleeping bag which proved to be a good thing; we got stuck on the mountain. I don't remember how or why, but I do remember being with him. Hamfests were an annual event in the Littleton family. Dad, my uncle Lewis, my cousin Eddie, and myself took a trip up to Shelby, NC every year to walk around, "The Granddaddy of them All", the Shelby Hamfest. I have so many wonderful memories of those trips, but unfortunately I don't have the time to share them all with you. But again, Dad involved me. I remember fishing trips to the "Hot Spot" and "Hughes Bend". I remember Dad teaching me to work on things; cars, radios, yard work, etc. He always told me, "Check the simple stuff first." You don't know how many times I could have saved a lot of time if I had only listened to that little piece of advice. Dad was always there for baseball games and later in life when I played RA Softball, he was there for that as well.
When we were young, we didn't have a lot of money, but Dad was very creative. Our semi-annual outing was to take a trip down to the Ramada Inn in Clemson. That may seem strange, but my sister and I loved to play in the pool which we didn't get to do very often so Dad would load us up and take us for a one night outing just to let us play in the indoor swimming pool at the Ramada Inn. Sometimes on Sunday nights, he would load us up in the back of his vette, his Chevette, and just go for a ride while Kathy and I would look up at the stars. I remember Dad decorating the house with balloons and other party favors for Mom's birthday. He even let me stay up to wait on mom to return from work on the second shift. Dad was the perfect gentleman.
Now while I'm sure much of the motivation and instruction on doing things for Mom came from subtle guidance from Mom, Dad was willing to do it. He taught me to love my wife and to treat her with dignity and respect. I've never heard Dad raise his voice at Mom to this day and they've been married for 42 years. Dad has always been active in Church and faithful to Christ.
I owe every single success in my life to my Dad. I began training for my career when I was born. I began training to be a husband when I was born. And, I began training to be a father again, when I was born. Why, because I had a Dad that took the time to be involved and who taught me to be these things. Now I'm sure there are those who are reading this blog that didn't have a Dad like I have. I cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like, but there is hope!! You can break the cycle today. Today, you can choose to be a man of integrity, a husband of great repore, and a father of immeasurable compassion, love, and strength. Today, you can choose to be "Courageous" all for the cause of Christ!
Jesus, thank you so much for Dad! Thank you for giving me such a wonderful example of you. I'm sorry when I fail to take advantage of every single second of life with my wife and children. I ask you father to heal broken hearts that may be reading this and who have not experienced a Godly example of you. Please wrap your arms around them and show them your love. I love you so much Lord!
Happy Father's Day Dad!!! You have no idea how much I love you!!
For those of you reading this blog, my prayer is that you will take lessons from Dad on what it means to be a great Father. Remember, your daughters will seek out a husband that is like you and your sons will treat their wives like you treat your wife. Be it good or bad, you are the gold standard in their lives. You'll read more about this later.
As early as I can remember, my Dad involved me in things that he liked such as hamfests, ham radio, fishing, computers, and many more. I guess this explains a lot to those of you that know me...lol! I can remember going with Dad and one of his friends, Mandall Rigdon, up to Sassafras Mountain to work on a ham radio repeater. I could not have been more than three or four years old, but Dad took me with him. Fortunately for Dad, he brought along my sleeping bag which proved to be a good thing; we got stuck on the mountain. I don't remember how or why, but I do remember being with him. Hamfests were an annual event in the Littleton family. Dad, my uncle Lewis, my cousin Eddie, and myself took a trip up to Shelby, NC every year to walk around, "The Granddaddy of them All", the Shelby Hamfest. I have so many wonderful memories of those trips, but unfortunately I don't have the time to share them all with you. But again, Dad involved me. I remember fishing trips to the "Hot Spot" and "Hughes Bend". I remember Dad teaching me to work on things; cars, radios, yard work, etc. He always told me, "Check the simple stuff first." You don't know how many times I could have saved a lot of time if I had only listened to that little piece of advice. Dad was always there for baseball games and later in life when I played RA Softball, he was there for that as well.
When we were young, we didn't have a lot of money, but Dad was very creative. Our semi-annual outing was to take a trip down to the Ramada Inn in Clemson. That may seem strange, but my sister and I loved to play in the pool which we didn't get to do very often so Dad would load us up and take us for a one night outing just to let us play in the indoor swimming pool at the Ramada Inn. Sometimes on Sunday nights, he would load us up in the back of his vette, his Chevette, and just go for a ride while Kathy and I would look up at the stars. I remember Dad decorating the house with balloons and other party favors for Mom's birthday. He even let me stay up to wait on mom to return from work on the second shift. Dad was the perfect gentleman.
Now while I'm sure much of the motivation and instruction on doing things for Mom came from subtle guidance from Mom, Dad was willing to do it. He taught me to love my wife and to treat her with dignity and respect. I've never heard Dad raise his voice at Mom to this day and they've been married for 42 years. Dad has always been active in Church and faithful to Christ.
I owe every single success in my life to my Dad. I began training for my career when I was born. I began training to be a husband when I was born. And, I began training to be a father again, when I was born. Why, because I had a Dad that took the time to be involved and who taught me to be these things. Now I'm sure there are those who are reading this blog that didn't have a Dad like I have. I cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like, but there is hope!! You can break the cycle today. Today, you can choose to be a man of integrity, a husband of great repore, and a father of immeasurable compassion, love, and strength. Today, you can choose to be "Courageous" all for the cause of Christ!
Jesus, thank you so much for Dad! Thank you for giving me such a wonderful example of you. I'm sorry when I fail to take advantage of every single second of life with my wife and children. I ask you father to heal broken hearts that may be reading this and who have not experienced a Godly example of you. Please wrap your arms around them and show them your love. I love you so much Lord!
Happy Father's Day Dad!!! You have no idea how much I love you!!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
"Yeah, whatever..."
The blog for today is one that I have struggled to write for a long time. In fact, I had my beautiful wife, Traci, proof-read it prior to posting. I hope that if you have spent any time at all around me you know that I love to talk about my family! I really do! And if you've spent any time at all around me, you've often heard me refer to, "my oldest", Cody. Cody is 19 years old and is actually my step-son. Many people have no idea that Cody is my step-son and make assumptions based on how I refer to him; this is by design. You see, I've always felt that the term, "step-son" is somewhat demeaning. It's almost like I'm saying, "you're here, but you are just not quite good enough" and that wasn't acceptable to me. Not to mention, Cody's Dad is very much a part of Cody's life and loves him very much. So, I decided to refer to Cody as, "my oldest". It was a tough balance of making Cody feel a part of our home without creating the perception that I was trying to take the place of his Dad. I wanted to make sure that Cody never felt as though he wasn't good enough for our home or me. In my mind, this was one of the ways I could make sure he felt like he belonged. After all, our home was as much his as it was any of ours.
What does this have to do with anything, right? There have been countless times when I've attempted to guide Cody in an effort to prevent him from making the wrong decision. I've tried to help him plan for his future and build a solid platform that he can build his life on. But, there have been just as many occasions where Cody responded with, "yeah, whatever". He would just blow me off and ignore anything I had to say. I guess the truth of the matter is, I was just like him when I was 19 years old. I thought my Mom and Dad only wanted to hold me back and keep me from living life. The reality is that I wanted to live life the way I wanted to live it, and I didn't want anybody telling me any different. I wanted all the glory and none of the responsibility of being an adult.
You know what's funny? I think God the Father must feel the same way I do on a constant basis with us; with me. He must shake his head at me on regular occasions. I can imagine the Lord thinking to himself, "I really wish he would just listen to me.." I should listen to our Father and here is why. His word provides insight into just how much he loves us. If we take a look at 1 John 3:1 (I like the New Living Translation for this one) which reads, "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" You see, God loves us so much more than we could ever imagine! He calls us his children! And, just like with my Mom and Dad, we see that God knows what is best. Take a look at Jeremiah 29:11 which reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The Bible is very plain in that God does not want harm to come to us; he doesn't want us to make sinful choices that will cause harm for us. And like I did at 19, like Cody must feel at 19, and like we as adults feel now, we MUST know better than our Lord what is best for our lives. In other words, we look away from God and say, "Yeah, whatever." I hate to remind all of us, but ignoring God is, "sin". God did so much more for us than just worrying about perceptions of the feeling of belonging. He gave up his son's life for us. He loves us SO MUCH that he plainly calls us, "His children". WOW!!! Did you catch that? He doesn't call us his "adopted" or "step" or whatever, he calls us His children.
Lord, I am SO sorry when I ignore your words and your wisdom. Please forgive me and help me to live by your example and leadership. Please remind me to set the example for my family and friends and to honor you!
I hope all of you have a wonderful week. And remember, "Step up, man up, and be more, "Courageous" all for the cause of Christ!"
What does this have to do with anything, right? There have been countless times when I've attempted to guide Cody in an effort to prevent him from making the wrong decision. I've tried to help him plan for his future and build a solid platform that he can build his life on. But, there have been just as many occasions where Cody responded with, "yeah, whatever". He would just blow me off and ignore anything I had to say. I guess the truth of the matter is, I was just like him when I was 19 years old. I thought my Mom and Dad only wanted to hold me back and keep me from living life. The reality is that I wanted to live life the way I wanted to live it, and I didn't want anybody telling me any different. I wanted all the glory and none of the responsibility of being an adult.
You know what's funny? I think God the Father must feel the same way I do on a constant basis with us; with me. He must shake his head at me on regular occasions. I can imagine the Lord thinking to himself, "I really wish he would just listen to me.." I should listen to our Father and here is why. His word provides insight into just how much he loves us. If we take a look at 1 John 3:1 (I like the New Living Translation for this one) which reads, "See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" You see, God loves us so much more than we could ever imagine! He calls us his children! And, just like with my Mom and Dad, we see that God knows what is best. Take a look at Jeremiah 29:11 which reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The Bible is very plain in that God does not want harm to come to us; he doesn't want us to make sinful choices that will cause harm for us. And like I did at 19, like Cody must feel at 19, and like we as adults feel now, we MUST know better than our Lord what is best for our lives. In other words, we look away from God and say, "Yeah, whatever." I hate to remind all of us, but ignoring God is, "sin". God did so much more for us than just worrying about perceptions of the feeling of belonging. He gave up his son's life for us. He loves us SO MUCH that he plainly calls us, "His children". WOW!!! Did you catch that? He doesn't call us his "adopted" or "step" or whatever, he calls us His children.
Lord, I am SO sorry when I ignore your words and your wisdom. Please forgive me and help me to live by your example and leadership. Please remind me to set the example for my family and friends and to honor you!
I hope all of you have a wonderful week. And remember, "Step up, man up, and be more, "Courageous" all for the cause of Christ!"
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
"I'm a Logger"
Any self-respecting Southerner will hold a special place in their heart for Jerry Clower and Ray Stevens. You guessed it; I consider myself a self-respecting southerner. I am a huge fan of Ray Stevens AND Jerry Clower, and Ray Stevens gave me the idea of tonight's blog with his song, "The Haircut Song". Ok, for those of you without my appreciation for such silly humor, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNr1eZopzZ4 for the song. Ray tells a great story about where to get your haircut and in the first two verses, he tells the barber, "I'm a Logger" (which by the way isn't true) and in the last verse, he tells the barber, "I run this church for Loggers".
My personal story to this happened several years ago in Elberton, GA. Several of us from Easley Fire Department took some time off to go spend some time at Elijah Clark State Park. While we were there, a BAD storm blew in causing all kinds of damage. Being the professional firefighters we were, we sat out on the screened in porch of the cabin and witnessed first hand nature's destruction. After the excitement died down, we decided to ride into Elberton to the Huddle House for a late night supper. When we walked in, there was a man sitting at a booth with a straw cowboy hat on what had a Rattle Snake skin wrapped around it with the head of that snake fixed to the front of his hat with his mouth wide open. You can imagine the sarcastic thoughts going through our mind, but the man asked me, (Chief Billy Gibson was witness to this) "Are you fellers loggers?" I immediately thought of The Haircut Song and replied, "No sir, we run this church for loggers." It was all I could do to keep a straight face.
Seriously though, how many times to we customize who we are based on who we think other people want us to be? My focal passage tonight comes from Matthew 16:13-20 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:13-20&version=NIV and I want to key in verse 15. Jesus was essentially asking the disciples what others thought of him or to put it in our words, what were the rumors about Jesus? But Jesus asked Peter something that I think really shakes things up a bit when he asks in verse 15, "“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” In today's terms, I think Jesus wasn't very concerned about what other people thought, but it was very important what the disciples thought; believed. I think this passage could also teach us some leadership values, but what if Jesus had cleared it all up for Peter and said, "Peter, don't worry about it. I'm a logger." Or, when Jesus asked what other people thought, if Peter would have replied, "They think you run this church for loggers". The truth of the matter is, Jesus was just like you and me and he didn't have to be anything for anybody. He didn't ride up in the latest chariot with armed guards and an escort, he didn't live in the biggest mansion, and he didn't have his own reality show.
My question to you tonight, is, "Who do men say that you are?" Are you a "Logger", do you "run a church for loggers", or do people see Christ seeping out in you? Does your life reflect that of a life worth living? For me, my prayer is constantly that God will keep me humble and remind me to set the example. And, when I fail, that I seek forgiveness.
I hope all of you have a great week and know, that I am praying for all of you!
As posted before, it's time for us to step up, man up, and live for the cause of Christ.
My personal story to this happened several years ago in Elberton, GA. Several of us from Easley Fire Department took some time off to go spend some time at Elijah Clark State Park. While we were there, a BAD storm blew in causing all kinds of damage. Being the professional firefighters we were, we sat out on the screened in porch of the cabin and witnessed first hand nature's destruction. After the excitement died down, we decided to ride into Elberton to the Huddle House for a late night supper. When we walked in, there was a man sitting at a booth with a straw cowboy hat on what had a Rattle Snake skin wrapped around it with the head of that snake fixed to the front of his hat with his mouth wide open. You can imagine the sarcastic thoughts going through our mind, but the man asked me, (Chief Billy Gibson was witness to this) "Are you fellers loggers?" I immediately thought of The Haircut Song and replied, "No sir, we run this church for loggers." It was all I could do to keep a straight face.
Seriously though, how many times to we customize who we are based on who we think other people want us to be? My focal passage tonight comes from Matthew 16:13-20 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:13-20&version=NIV and I want to key in verse 15. Jesus was essentially asking the disciples what others thought of him or to put it in our words, what were the rumors about Jesus? But Jesus asked Peter something that I think really shakes things up a bit when he asks in verse 15, "“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” In today's terms, I think Jesus wasn't very concerned about what other people thought, but it was very important what the disciples thought; believed. I think this passage could also teach us some leadership values, but what if Jesus had cleared it all up for Peter and said, "Peter, don't worry about it. I'm a logger." Or, when Jesus asked what other people thought, if Peter would have replied, "They think you run this church for loggers". The truth of the matter is, Jesus was just like you and me and he didn't have to be anything for anybody. He didn't ride up in the latest chariot with armed guards and an escort, he didn't live in the biggest mansion, and he didn't have his own reality show.
My question to you tonight, is, "Who do men say that you are?" Are you a "Logger", do you "run a church for loggers", or do people see Christ seeping out in you? Does your life reflect that of a life worth living? For me, my prayer is constantly that God will keep me humble and remind me to set the example. And, when I fail, that I seek forgiveness.
I hope all of you have a great week and know, that I am praying for all of you!
As posted before, it's time for us to step up, man up, and live for the cause of Christ.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
"Because That's What You Do!"
It's been some time now since I've written a blog. Things have been very hectic and stressful lately; I think I've lazied out... My eight year old son Will has wanted to spend his every waking moment with me this weekend and I have loved every minute of it. Oddly enough, he's taught me a couple of lessons I want to share with you. I titled this blog, "Because That's What You Do!" because of something that Will said to me yesterday (which I will share with you later), but this statement can mean so many things. It can be good, bad, or maybe even accusing.
I wonder, how many of you who are reading my blog (including myself as I write it) are actively seeking to set the example? And I mean the good example. On the other hand, how many times have I found myself with a bad attitude and chose to take it out on others? How many of us find ourselves engaged in personal warfare while only attempting to hide our own weaknesses or failures? This is not what we've been designed to do! God does not desire for us to act this way nor does he want us to be victim of such antics.
The root scripture of my blog tonight is found in Titus 2:7-8 which reads, "7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."(NIV) Now the book of Titus is simply a letter written by Paul to Titus with instructions on how to supervise the Churches of that day on the island of Crete. The letter is packed with great guidance, wisdom, encouragement, and words of experience. In other words, Paul was mentoring and setting the example. Let's not forget that the early leaders of that day had every reason to complain, yet people like Paul chose to keep fighting the good fight. He set the example for all of us to follow yet we never hear him complain or try to throw somebody else under the bus to cover up his own mistakes. In this passage, he gives us sound wisdom to follow. Paul knew that there would be attacks on Titus and I'm sure Titus knew that as well. However, Paul reminded him not to fall victim to running his mouth. I think that's a problem at times for all of us; running our mouth.
Before I leave you with my challenge, I want to share with you what Will said to me yesterday. My Mom's cat recently gave birth to six kittens and Will and Katie have feel in love. Will and I were on the way to the farm to plow some garden spots and cut the grass when Will shares this with me;
I wonder, how many of you who are reading my blog (including myself as I write it) are actively seeking to set the example? And I mean the good example. On the other hand, how many times have I found myself with a bad attitude and chose to take it out on others? How many of us find ourselves engaged in personal warfare while only attempting to hide our own weaknesses or failures? This is not what we've been designed to do! God does not desire for us to act this way nor does he want us to be victim of such antics.
The root scripture of my blog tonight is found in Titus 2:7-8 which reads, "7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."(NIV) Now the book of Titus is simply a letter written by Paul to Titus with instructions on how to supervise the Churches of that day on the island of Crete. The letter is packed with great guidance, wisdom, encouragement, and words of experience. In other words, Paul was mentoring and setting the example. Let's not forget that the early leaders of that day had every reason to complain, yet people like Paul chose to keep fighting the good fight. He set the example for all of us to follow yet we never hear him complain or try to throw somebody else under the bus to cover up his own mistakes. In this passage, he gives us sound wisdom to follow. Paul knew that there would be attacks on Titus and I'm sure Titus knew that as well. However, Paul reminded him not to fall victim to running his mouth. I think that's a problem at times for all of us; running our mouth.
Before I leave you with my challenge, I want to share with you what Will said to me yesterday. My Mom's cat recently gave birth to six kittens and Will and Katie have feel in love. Will and I were on the way to the farm to plow some garden spots and cut the grass when Will shares this with me;
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Random Thoughts
Its been awhile since I've posted, so I thought I would try to make up for it. This has been an absolutely amazing weekend! It started with my team at work making some sacrifices for me to allow me to leave work early on Friday. Yep, I have an amazing team! The reason I needed to leave early is because Traci and I were going to Flat Rock, NC for a marriage retreat with our church. We had a wonderful time and I learned an aweful lot about being a better husband and father this weekend. Not to mention that I got to spend some time with Traci, just me and her.
Church was absolutely amazing this morning! There were 20 salvations this morning!!! God really moved through Dean and I am proud to be a part of 5 Point Church. It never ceases to amaze me at how far they are willing to go to reach people for Christ. I love the fact that Dean is unashamed and unafraid to preach exactly what God puts on his heart.
All in all, I am very thankful for such a great weekend! Sorry, but I don't have any deep thoughts today; my thinker is a little slack today.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
"Why"
I have been so humbled by the comments from those of you that read this blog. When I started the blog, I was looking for a way to vent my frustrations with the typical "Church" without taking it out on others. If you've read my blog before, you understand why I say, "Church"; if not, read some of my earlier posts. At any rate, the blog transformed into my attempts to share encouragement with all of you.
Many of you, share my profession or something to the like. And, like a friend of mine and I were discussing on Friday, we experience high levels of stress even on a normal day. There are so many factors that stress us from the dangers of the job, balancing work and family, political pressures, and many more. I think about all of you so much and I wish each of you knew how much I pray for you, your safety, and the stability and sanctity of your families. All of you are at the top of my thoughts each day. The amazing thing is, that so many of you read my blog knowing who I am, with all my imperfections, and yet you still read and share with your friends. So lately, I've been wondering, "Why?" Now that is a deep question, but it's one I want to spend some time with today.
One of my favorite verses explaining God's desire for us to succeed, is located in the book of Jeremiah 29:11 which reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " You see, God doesn't want to be a dictator of our lives, nor does he want to set a bunch of rules for us to live by just to make our lives difficult. If we follow his guidance and his teachings, his plans for us to succeed become reality.
This is where the problem comes in. For those of you in law enforcement, how many times have you investigated a crime where the suspect blamed somebody else? It's like the story of the criminal that breaks into somebody's house, falls out of the window and sustains serious injury, then wants to sue the homeowner for his injuries. You see, we want to make mistakes we know are our fault, then blame somebody else for our actions. I heard a comedian once talk about how kids always blame their parents for their (the kids) mistakes. The comedian went on to say, "My mom was good, my dad was good. I guess I'm just a moron." The truth of the matter is that our relationship with Christ is often times just like that. "Lord, I know I've done nothing to deserve your blessings, but that other guy kept me from going to Church." Then, when we hit the bottom, look up at God, and ask, "Why?" We live our lives by our own rules and desires then wonder "WHY" God doesn't bless us.
As I've written before, God's love is so much more than we can comprehend. Even when we've turned our back on God, he's right where he's always been waiting on us to return. Jesus tells the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:20 where Jesus, talking about the Father of the lost son, say, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." This passage tells us that the Father was watching for the return of a long lost, greedy, spoiled, punk. He was praying for his son's return, even though the son had been so ungrateful. You see, God know how and why we do things. Some of the things we do break his heart, but he loves us anyway. And when we stray from his love and will, he is standing there with arms wide open, looking for us, waiting for us to return. If you've found yourself like this, maybe today would be a great time to spend some time in prayer alone with God. Something like this. "Lord, forgive me when I try to do things on my own. Forgive me when I take your love for granted. I'm sorry and I ask you to take control of my life. Help me to follow your plans for me. I love you Lord."
I hope all of you have a wonderful week. As I often do, I've included a link to a song, "The Love of God" performed by Mercy Me at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWnvmKoLWUU
Please know that I love and I'm praying for each of you!
Many of you, share my profession or something to the like. And, like a friend of mine and I were discussing on Friday, we experience high levels of stress even on a normal day. There are so many factors that stress us from the dangers of the job, balancing work and family, political pressures, and many more. I think about all of you so much and I wish each of you knew how much I pray for you, your safety, and the stability and sanctity of your families. All of you are at the top of my thoughts each day. The amazing thing is, that so many of you read my blog knowing who I am, with all my imperfections, and yet you still read and share with your friends. So lately, I've been wondering, "Why?" Now that is a deep question, but it's one I want to spend some time with today.
One of my favorite verses explaining God's desire for us to succeed, is located in the book of Jeremiah 29:11 which reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " You see, God doesn't want to be a dictator of our lives, nor does he want to set a bunch of rules for us to live by just to make our lives difficult. If we follow his guidance and his teachings, his plans for us to succeed become reality.
This is where the problem comes in. For those of you in law enforcement, how many times have you investigated a crime where the suspect blamed somebody else? It's like the story of the criminal that breaks into somebody's house, falls out of the window and sustains serious injury, then wants to sue the homeowner for his injuries. You see, we want to make mistakes we know are our fault, then blame somebody else for our actions. I heard a comedian once talk about how kids always blame their parents for their (the kids) mistakes. The comedian went on to say, "My mom was good, my dad was good. I guess I'm just a moron." The truth of the matter is that our relationship with Christ is often times just like that. "Lord, I know I've done nothing to deserve your blessings, but that other guy kept me from going to Church." Then, when we hit the bottom, look up at God, and ask, "Why?" We live our lives by our own rules and desires then wonder "WHY" God doesn't bless us.
As I've written before, God's love is so much more than we can comprehend. Even when we've turned our back on God, he's right where he's always been waiting on us to return. Jesus tells the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:20 where Jesus, talking about the Father of the lost son, say, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." This passage tells us that the Father was watching for the return of a long lost, greedy, spoiled, punk. He was praying for his son's return, even though the son had been so ungrateful. You see, God know how and why we do things. Some of the things we do break his heart, but he loves us anyway. And when we stray from his love and will, he is standing there with arms wide open, looking for us, waiting for us to return. If you've found yourself like this, maybe today would be a great time to spend some time in prayer alone with God. Something like this. "Lord, forgive me when I try to do things on my own. Forgive me when I take your love for granted. I'm sorry and I ask you to take control of my life. Help me to follow your plans for me. I love you Lord."
I hope all of you have a wonderful week. As I often do, I've included a link to a song, "The Love of God" performed by Mercy Me at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWnvmKoLWUU
Please know that I love and I'm praying for each of you!
Friday, January 13, 2012
"You're not alone"
Nope, I'm not talking about aliens, ghosts, or the voices inside your head. I'm talking about things much deeper than any of those things.
Today, as I write my blog, my heart is heavy for some friends and family. There is so much pain, worry, lack of energy, and just down-right loneliness. I mean, let's face it. There are so many times we feel so alone in this world. There are so many factors that can drive us to this feeling and force us into believing the lie that, "I am alone". Well, from the very beginning, you're not alone. In Genesis 2:18, God said, "It is not good that man should be alone" so what happened next? He created Adam his very own hottie!! Ok, I'll be serious. God did create Eve because he saw that Adam was alone. Of course, he knew that Adam was alone because he built Adam to desire a relationship. Now, you may be reading this blog and feel alone in a dating or marital relationship, but what I want to really hit with this blog, is the feeling that we have no one to confide in and the sense of hopelessness that this feeling can bring. The important thing to see here, is that God doesn't want you to feel this way; you were not created to be alone. He loves us SO much, and I fail to find words that can possibly express his love for us. Do you find yourself feeling despair? Hopeless?
Life can dish out a heck of a hand so many times and there are so many factors that can cause us to feel alone. Would you believe that one of the major causes of loneliness (in the Bible) is guilt? Just read Genesis and some of David's Psalms. David had everything going for him, and I mean EVERYTHING! Read Psalms 3:1,2 " 1 LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.” Can you hear David's loneliness? Now remember, the people in the Bible weren't Super Heroes; they were just like you and me. David was no different, yet he felt alone. In the passage above, David was actually on the run from his own son, Absalom. Now the Bible says that David was a man after God's on heart and that David, well he was special to God. As David rose in power and stature, he fell victim to his own power and essentially went on the run. Now, after God has blessed him with everything, he is now alone and filled with regret. Can you imagine having everything and then wasting it all away? David lost everything; his family, his kingdom, his wealth, and much more.
My encouragement to you today is that God loves you more than anything. Even in David's time of trial, he writes this in Psalm 4:8, "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." God the Father is listening to you and he hears your cry! Wouldn't today be a great day to spend some time talking with him and sharing your heart with Christ? No need for a fancy prayer, just tell him how you feel. He wants to share your burden and pains. Look at my previous blog where Jesus tells us how to rest.
I will leave you with a link to a YouTube video. For those of you that follow me via RSS, search for the song, "Where Your Heart Belongs" by Mainstay. It is a wonderful message that accurately describes this blog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cxMiw9hh-I
Lord, I ask you to demonstrate your love to my friends as they read this blog. Remind them they are not alone and that you do care for even the simplest of problems they face. Remind them that you loved us enough to share your very own Son with us. I love you Lord and I ask you help me be an encouragement to more people.
Today, as I write my blog, my heart is heavy for some friends and family. There is so much pain, worry, lack of energy, and just down-right loneliness. I mean, let's face it. There are so many times we feel so alone in this world. There are so many factors that can drive us to this feeling and force us into believing the lie that, "I am alone". Well, from the very beginning, you're not alone. In Genesis 2:18, God said, "It is not good that man should be alone" so what happened next? He created Adam his very own hottie!! Ok, I'll be serious. God did create Eve because he saw that Adam was alone. Of course, he knew that Adam was alone because he built Adam to desire a relationship. Now, you may be reading this blog and feel alone in a dating or marital relationship, but what I want to really hit with this blog, is the feeling that we have no one to confide in and the sense of hopelessness that this feeling can bring. The important thing to see here, is that God doesn't want you to feel this way; you were not created to be alone. He loves us SO much, and I fail to find words that can possibly express his love for us. Do you find yourself feeling despair? Hopeless?
Life can dish out a heck of a hand so many times and there are so many factors that can cause us to feel alone. Would you believe that one of the major causes of loneliness (in the Bible) is guilt? Just read Genesis and some of David's Psalms. David had everything going for him, and I mean EVERYTHING! Read Psalms 3:1,2 " 1 LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.” Can you hear David's loneliness? Now remember, the people in the Bible weren't Super Heroes; they were just like you and me. David was no different, yet he felt alone. In the passage above, David was actually on the run from his own son, Absalom. Now the Bible says that David was a man after God's on heart and that David, well he was special to God. As David rose in power and stature, he fell victim to his own power and essentially went on the run. Now, after God has blessed him with everything, he is now alone and filled with regret. Can you imagine having everything and then wasting it all away? David lost everything; his family, his kingdom, his wealth, and much more.
My encouragement to you today is that God loves you more than anything. Even in David's time of trial, he writes this in Psalm 4:8, "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." God the Father is listening to you and he hears your cry! Wouldn't today be a great day to spend some time talking with him and sharing your heart with Christ? No need for a fancy prayer, just tell him how you feel. He wants to share your burden and pains. Look at my previous blog where Jesus tells us how to rest.
I will leave you with a link to a YouTube video. For those of you that follow me via RSS, search for the song, "Where Your Heart Belongs" by Mainstay. It is a wonderful message that accurately describes this blog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cxMiw9hh-I
Lord, I ask you to demonstrate your love to my friends as they read this blog. Remind them they are not alone and that you do care for even the simplest of problems they face. Remind them that you loved us enough to share your very own Son with us. I love you Lord and I ask you help me be an encouragement to more people.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Stress you say?
Today, "stress" has been on my mind. I generally deal with stress fairly well, but occasionally, I get to the point where I feel like throwing my hands up, shaking my head, saying out loud, "What's the use?" Stress for me comes in many shapes, colors, people, things, emotions, places, and others; many of which I have no direct control over. If you're like me, once you start to get stressed, it's next to impossible to get de-stressed without a good nights rest or other significant events to take my mind off of things.
But seriously, how many of you feel over-whelmed right now? There are so many things in our culture that induce stress that it would be impossible to list them in one blog. Some of the things that stress us are somewhat self induced. We feel such a need to have, "stuff" that we dig one huge debt hole buying stuff we don't "need". We make horrible life choices in the interest of "me" and "I", then wonder why things are so screwed up. Oh, did I mention that our best self chosen course of action is to blame somebody else for our bad decisions then expect the government to bail us out?
Yet, there are those people in our culture that have been dealt a bad hand and forced to deal with it. Maybe you're one of those that have been laid off after 20+ years of loyalty looking for work? Maybe you're a single parent with such a burden to simply put food on the table? Maybe you're reading this and find yourself in the middle of a divorce? Maybe, you feel as though your life just isn't worth anything to anybody because you can't seem to get things right? Let me assure you that our Lord and friend Jesus wants nothing more to help you, if you'll let him. So, what does the bible say about stress?
Now, I'm not going to bore you with the part of the bible where Jesus talks about the birds of the air not having to worry, rather I'm going to tell you about the love and healing power of Christ. Take a look at Matthew 11:28 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt%2011:28&version=NASB . Jesus offers some serious encouragement to us here when he says, "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laiden, for I will give you rest." WOW! Did you read that?! There are no stipulations, no contracts to sign, no requirements to be a certain weight, look, hair style, or drive a certain type of car! He loves us enough to pick us up when we are weak. He loves us enough to give us rest when we have no more to give. Again, I like The Message translation and it reads, "Are you tire? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest." Man, what a God to serve! The trick is learning to let go and let God take over for us. It's not easy and many times we will fail, but we MUST try to let God lead every part of our life.
If you are reading this right now and feel overwhelmed and burdened, please take a moment to tell God about it. You don't need to pray a fancy prayer with a bunch of "Our Father's" or "Lord God's", rather just talk to our Lord as if you were talking to me. "Lord, I am completely done. I have nothing left to give and I don't have the energy to take. I want to give up. I need help and I need your love. I cannot go any farther without you. Please take my burden and my stress and help me learn to leave it with you. I love you Lord!"
But seriously, how many of you feel over-whelmed right now? There are so many things in our culture that induce stress that it would be impossible to list them in one blog. Some of the things that stress us are somewhat self induced. We feel such a need to have, "stuff" that we dig one huge debt hole buying stuff we don't "need". We make horrible life choices in the interest of "me" and "I", then wonder why things are so screwed up. Oh, did I mention that our best self chosen course of action is to blame somebody else for our bad decisions then expect the government to bail us out?
Yet, there are those people in our culture that have been dealt a bad hand and forced to deal with it. Maybe you're one of those that have been laid off after 20+ years of loyalty looking for work? Maybe you're a single parent with such a burden to simply put food on the table? Maybe you're reading this and find yourself in the middle of a divorce? Maybe, you feel as though your life just isn't worth anything to anybody because you can't seem to get things right? Let me assure you that our Lord and friend Jesus wants nothing more to help you, if you'll let him. So, what does the bible say about stress?
Now, I'm not going to bore you with the part of the bible where Jesus talks about the birds of the air not having to worry, rather I'm going to tell you about the love and healing power of Christ. Take a look at Matthew 11:28 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt%2011:28&version=NASB . Jesus offers some serious encouragement to us here when he says, "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laiden, for I will give you rest." WOW! Did you read that?! There are no stipulations, no contracts to sign, no requirements to be a certain weight, look, hair style, or drive a certain type of car! He loves us enough to pick us up when we are weak. He loves us enough to give us rest when we have no more to give. Again, I like The Message translation and it reads, "Are you tire? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest." Man, what a God to serve! The trick is learning to let go and let God take over for us. It's not easy and many times we will fail, but we MUST try to let God lead every part of our life.
If you are reading this right now and feel overwhelmed and burdened, please take a moment to tell God about it. You don't need to pray a fancy prayer with a bunch of "Our Father's" or "Lord God's", rather just talk to our Lord as if you were talking to me. "Lord, I am completely done. I have nothing left to give and I don't have the energy to take. I want to give up. I need help and I need your love. I cannot go any farther without you. Please take my burden and my stress and help me learn to leave it with you. I love you Lord!"
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Sometimes I Feel Like Such a Failure...
Today is the first day of 2012 and I've started it off with a bang! First, I didn't stay up to bring in the New Year or participate in any of the New Year traditions. We've been working on a complete tear out and rebuild of our hallway bathroom which has consumed most of my time during my vacation. Don't get me wrong, it has gone really well and I've really enjoyed it, but I was tired last night. To get back on topic, it's the morning of 1 JAN 2012 and I woke up around 10:45 to find that my wife and kids were gone to church; without me.... I woke up the first time around 02:30am and remained awake for at least an hour or more. You see, I'm one of those people that once I get woke up, I'm done (in most cases) no matter how much or little sleep I get. The missing point here however, is that my wife was awake, and I assume she had been awake for some time yet she still managed to get up, get the kids ready and off to Church for the 09:15 service. So as I sat here on the couch drinking a cup of coffee feeling convicted, I started praying. In fact, while I laid in bed last night wide awake, I began to pray. Now I won't bore you with the details of what was going on, but suffice it to say there were yet another of life's trials keeping us up.
The late Ike Brissey and I used to talk about this type of thing often and I remember discussing, "Boy, if I had the faith of the disciples and could just walk with Jesus, I would be so much more faithful and reliable to Christ." As Ike reminded me, the disciples were just like you and me; ordinary. They were lower class individuals who were allowed to take part in many miraculous things. And, after spending a lifetime on Earth with Jesus, at the moment of truth, some of them hid and denied even knowing Jesus(MAT26:31-34). In fact, Jesus knew that Judas would betray him and even identified it at the last supper (MAT 26:21) before Judas sold Jesus out to the Romans. These men literally walked and talked with Christ in the flesh! They saw many amazing things first hand (many of them even wrote books of the Bible telling their own account) yet the Bible let's us in on a little preached about, even known, little secret; the Disciples were human.... Yep, they were just like me, ordinary. While Jesus knew a horrible death was coming, he demonstrates how human he is later in MAT 26 when, as he was talking with Peter, James, and John and said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." (MAT26: 38 NIV)
I tell you all these things to tell you that I am very burdened as I write this blog. Realizing that I slept through Church (be assured, my guilt is not out of obligation to be at Church, rather it is out of knowing we have such a wonderful Church where lives are changed every single service), was not together with my wife when I should've been, and did not set the proper example for my children. Some of you may be thinking, "What's the big deal?" You see, I accepted a free relationship with Christ who has blessed me and my family with SO MUCH! As I've said in my other blogs, God doesn't want to beat me up and be a dictator, he wants to enjoy a relationship with me. I've asked God for the blessings in life without being willing to man up when I'm tired. And this folks, translates to, "sin". How do I recover? Simple; "Lord, I am sorry. I don't mean to take your love for me for granted. Please forgive me and help me remember how wonderful you are. Help me man up when I'm tired. I love you Lord!"
My goal for this year? Step up, man up, and be more, "Courageous" all for the cause of Christ!
The late Ike Brissey and I used to talk about this type of thing often and I remember discussing, "Boy, if I had the faith of the disciples and could just walk with Jesus, I would be so much more faithful and reliable to Christ." As Ike reminded me, the disciples were just like you and me; ordinary. They were lower class individuals who were allowed to take part in many miraculous things. And, after spending a lifetime on Earth with Jesus, at the moment of truth, some of them hid and denied even knowing Jesus(MAT26:31-34). In fact, Jesus knew that Judas would betray him and even identified it at the last supper (MAT 26:21) before Judas sold Jesus out to the Romans. These men literally walked and talked with Christ in the flesh! They saw many amazing things first hand (many of them even wrote books of the Bible telling their own account) yet the Bible let's us in on a little preached about, even known, little secret; the Disciples were human.... Yep, they were just like me, ordinary. While Jesus knew a horrible death was coming, he demonstrates how human he is later in MAT 26 when, as he was talking with Peter, James, and John and said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." (MAT26: 38 NIV)
I tell you all these things to tell you that I am very burdened as I write this blog. Realizing that I slept through Church (be assured, my guilt is not out of obligation to be at Church, rather it is out of knowing we have such a wonderful Church where lives are changed every single service), was not together with my wife when I should've been, and did not set the proper example for my children. Some of you may be thinking, "What's the big deal?" You see, I accepted a free relationship with Christ who has blessed me and my family with SO MUCH! As I've said in my other blogs, God doesn't want to beat me up and be a dictator, he wants to enjoy a relationship with me. I've asked God for the blessings in life without being willing to man up when I'm tired. And this folks, translates to, "sin". How do I recover? Simple; "Lord, I am sorry. I don't mean to take your love for me for granted. Please forgive me and help me remember how wonderful you are. Help me man up when I'm tired. I love you Lord!"
My goal for this year? Step up, man up, and be more, "Courageous" all for the cause of Christ!
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