Thursday 11/21/2019
Verse for the week: 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT) And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.
What a strange title for my Thursday Thought, but if you read on you will see why. A few weeks ago I went to lunch with a couple of pastor friends. One of my favorite foods is a hotdog with chili, slaw, onion, and mustard. The restaurant had a special on hot dogs and the server said they were amazing. How could I pass up a chance to have an amazing hot dog? I ordered. When the food was served, the chili had beans in it. I am not a fan of beans in my chili, or anywhere else! My friends decided I should pray for the food. As I prayed I asked God to remove the beans from my chili. When I opened my eyes, the server came up to our table, with a fork in her hand, and she began picking out the beans. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she had heard me praying and decided to answer my prayer. I think my friends were embarrassed, but at the end of the meal we all had a good laugh and learned some powerful lessons:
- Remember that people are not only watching but listening to us. Make sure your conversations are glorifying to God. 1 Timothy 4:12b (NLT) says, “Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
- Sometimes God uses other people to answer our prayers. Be attentive to the needs around you, not just during the holiday seasons, but all through the year. What a gift it would be to answer the prayers of others?
- Just as our server heard my prayer, so God hears us when we pray to Him. 1 Peter 3:12 (NLT) says, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers.”
Who would have thought that there could be so many lessons when ordering a hot dog with chili? For those who were wondering, yes we did leave her a very nice tip.
Challenge Questions: Are you attentive to the fact that not only is God, but people are also watching and listening to you? How can you take notice of the needs around you and be an answer to someone’s prayer?
Thursday 11/7/2019
- It means give it your best even when you know you are leaving! The tendency is to slack off. Do you remember “senioritis” (An ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades – Merriam-Webster Dictionary)? I think it doesn’t just affect seniors in High School and college but it can affect individuals leaving one job and going to another, or even retirement. 2 John 1:8a (NLT) says “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve.” Keep working to pursue excellence!
- It means give it your best even when you aren’t happy with your job or you feel that you’ve been treated unfairly. When you work with people, things happen. It’s emotionally hard and it’s easy to justify not giving your best. We ALWAYS need to remember who we are working for! Colossians 3:23(NLT) says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
It’s not always easy to finish strong but it’s important to our personal integrity. People are watching. May we be able to say as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”
Challenge Question: Maybe you are not planning on leaving your job, but it’s still important to do your best. How are you doing?
Thursday 9/26/2019
Verse for the week: Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT) “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
- Choose your friends wisely! My mother would often ask, “If everyone else is doing it, are you going to also?” She evidently had been reading Proverbs 12:26 (NIV) which says, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” In other words, if you are going to follow the crowd, make sure it’s a wise crowd.
- Keep your focus! It’s so easy to get side tracked, especially when we are in a crowd. It’s imperative that we stay focused on our goal. 1 Corinthians 2:2, Hebrews 12:1-2
- Make course corrections when needed! If you have gotten caught up and are going the wrong direction, make a U-turn before it’s too late. Revelation 2:5
Thursday 9/19/2019
Verse for the week: Proverbs 19:17 (NLT) If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and He will repay you!
1. Seek Wisdom – Each situation is different so there isn’t one blanket response to every situation. James 1:5 (NLT) says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.”
2. Know where there are trained people who can help – Our local rescue mission is a great resource center. They have advised me that in our area there are plenty of resources to help those who really need help and that we should never give money.
3. Volunteer at local agencies who are hands on – The Rescue Mission, Soup Kitchens, etc. are great place that really need help and it will in turn help you with #2.
4. Get to know the individual(s) – There really are people out there who need help and there are people who just want to take advantage. It will take a risk on your part to actually get to know the person. As in any relationship, getting to know a person doesn’t happen in 5 minutes. It’s an investment of your time! You may find that you have to draw the line but they will know you care, no matter what they say.
Many of us already know the above steps and it’s just easier to give a couple dollars to ease the guilt but it’s not always the wisest thing to do.
Thursday 9/12/2019
Verse for the week: Jeremiah 16:17 (NCV) I see everything they do. They cannot hide from me the things they do; their sin is not hidden from my eyes.
Thursday 9/5/2019
Verse for the week: Philippians 4:8 (NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
1. I’ve always heard that attitudes are contagious so we should choose to hang around positive people!
2. We should look for things to be thankful for. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) says, “Be thankful in all circumstances”.
3. Put a smile on your face. I think it’s hard to be negative when we are smiling.
4. 4. Stop worrying and thinking the worst about everything. I’ve heard it said that 85% of the things we worry about never happen. So… why worry? Matthew 6:34 says, “Do not worry about tomorrow.”
5. Spend time with God by reading the Bible and meditating
Psalm 95:1-3,6 (NLT) 1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
I Don’t Have The Time To Read This?
For a PDF Copy click here
Thursday, 1-24-2019
• Attending church or a church function
• Cleaning the house
• Pursuing a goal
• Having friends over
• Spending time with your family
• Reading the Bible or the Thursday Thought
• 56 hours sleeping
• 45 hours working/school (including travel to work)
• 10.5 hours for personal hygiene
• 8 hours for eating
• 8 hours for house cleaning
• 5 hours spiritual development (20 minutes per day plus 3 hours for church)
*http://www.aggiecatholicblog.org/2015/03/on-average-americans-spend-101-hours-of-tv-to-1-hour-of-church-per-week/
How to Unclog a Toilet
Verse for the week: Psalm 19:9 (RSV) “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.”
I’m considering making a series of “How To” videos dealing with:
- How to unclog a toilet with a plunger
- How to clean a toilet and urinal
- How to clean out a trash can
- How to make a row of chairs that don’t connect together straight
I believe there is a GREAT need for these type of lessons. It’s intriguing to me how many times someone has come out of a bathroom and told me that the toilet was clogged. When I go in, there is a plunger right next to the toilet. Once, I was visiting a Christian School for a program when an individual came out of the bathroom and told me the toilet was clogged. I must have been wearing my roto rooter uniform that night – haha. I’m not sure why people tell me this stuff but I think I would be embarrassed to go tell someone. Honestly, I don’t think I am the only person who knows how to use a plunger. Wouldn’t it be much easier to take some action and use the plunger sitting there?
They say “Cleanliness is next to Godliness!” This phrase encourages and promotes neatness and personal hygiene, but the direct quote is NOT in the Bible. The phrase is popularly credited to a sermon from John Wesley. The concept IS in the Bible, however. Because of sin, the relationship that humanity had with God back in Genesis 2 was broken. The remainder of the Bible is about God’s desire to restore that relationship and He does it through Jesus. The very first Prophecy of the Old Testament, (Gen 3:15) concerns Jesus Christ! The New Testament begins with the birth of Jesus Christ and closes with the promise of His return (Revelation 22:20). In order to restore the relationship with God, it requires action on our part, because Revelation 21:27 tells us that nothing unclean will enter Heaven. The way to being clean is through repentance. Acts 3:19 (NLT) says, “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”
Challenge Question: Just as unclogging or cleaning a toilet requires action, so does repenting of our sins! What sin is there in your life that you need to repent of today?
Thursday, 12-20-2018
- Helping is doing something for someone else that they are not easily capable of doing for themselves.
- Enabling is doing something for someone else that they can and should be doing for themselves.
- Do you often ignore unacceptable behavior?
- Do you find yourself resenting the responsibilities you take on?
- Do you consistently put your own needs and desires aside in order to help someone else?
- Do you ever feel fearful that not doing something will cause a blowup, make the person leave you, or even result in violence?
- Do you ever lie to cover for someone else’s mistakes?
- Do you consistently assign blame for problems to other people rather than the one who is really responsible?
- Do you continue to offer help when it is never appreciated or acknowledged?
If these questions make you think, you might be an enabler, and it is important that you take action. Sometimes the best way to show a person you love them is to say “NO!”
Challenge Question: Is there someone in your life that you are enabling? Is there someone in your life that you should be helping?
Thursday, 12-13-2018
Verse for the week: Mark 9:41 (NLT) “If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.”
“Rodney Stak of Baylor University has ample evidence to persuasively conclude that “the total current savings to US society from America’s religiousness is 2.67 trillion per year.” – Unimaginable – What our world would be like without Christianity by Jeremiah J. Johnston
Thursday, 11-8-2018
- “The truth stands but a lie will run itself out!”
- “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you should do today!”
- “You let things go in one ear and out the other!”
- “Birds of a feather flock together!” (She said this in regards to choosing friends wisely.)
- “Do the job right the first time so you don’t have to do it over again!”
- “You do what you want to do when you want to do it!” (Usually when I was in trouble)
Thursday, 11-1-2018
- Schedule uninterrupted time for this purpose.
- Go to the bathroom beforehand.
- Turn off your phone, television, computer, radio, pets, etc.
- Ask God to help you quiet yourself in HIS presence Psalm 62:5 (NLT) says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”
- Pick a verse or two in Psalms and read it again and again just focusing on it at the beginning and then strive to discipline yourself to listen to God.
- Have a piece of paper to write down any thoughts that may come bombarding your brain of things you need to do. Write it down then move along. This will help you to stay focused.
- Breathing exercises.
- Keep practicing it on a consistent basis!!!!! Once a month for 3-5 minutes won’t develop a habit.
Chicken Road Trip
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Verse for the week: Psalm 63:8 (NLT) “I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.”
We have a bantam hen that seems to have 9 lives. Sylvia is a feisty little chicken who has survived being in the mouths of dogs on a few occasions (they just want to play, not kill her but we are obviously not encouraging this behavior), a serious medical issue (a prolapsed vent), being picked on by other chickens, and most recently a 25 minute road trip to the church. After healing up from her medical issue (I stayed out of that one), we tried to gradually reintroduce her to the flock, but no matter what we did, the other chickens picked on her. We decided to allow her to roam free for a couple days while we figured out our next course of action. One morning my wife called to say that when she left for work Sylvia was in the garage. When I left shortly thereafter, I didn’t see her so I went ahead and shut the garage and left. I took the back winding country road to the church and when I arrived I got to work. One hour later I walked up to our Fellowship Hall to unlock it for a homeschool group who uses it. I was up there for a while talking to the parents, and when I headed outside to return to my office… low and behold there was Sylvia prancing around and scratching in the mulch. I had to do a double take. How in the world did she get to the church, because she didn’t ride inside with me????? Evidently she had decided to hitch a ride on the underneath side of my vehicle.
As I thought of Sylvia’s road trip I thought of how she had to really cling to the vehicle as I twisted and turned down those country roads. There are a couple of lessons we can learn from Sylvia, but for today my point is: We need to cling to God. Joshua 23:8 (NLT) says, “Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God…” Too often we strive to cling to everything else but God. When we cling to other people, and the things of this world, we will be let down. When we cling to God we will not be let down. When this life is over, if we want to hear God say “Well done!” we need to cling to Him!
Question to ask yourself: What or who are you clinging to?
“Betrayed”
Verse for the week: Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT) “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Have you ever been betrayed? Betrayed is defined as: to fail or desert especially in time of need, disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake, or be unfaithful. Most people would say they’ve been betrayed at least once. Maybe it was by a friend, a spouse, a co-worker, or a fellow church attendee. Nobody likes to feel betrayed! I have felt this way on multiple occasions and have learned a few things as a result of the experiences.
I’ve learned that even though I may feel like I’ve been stabled in the back, my attitude really is my choice! Have you ever heard that before? It’s true! Our emotions may be screaming at us but ultimately we choose our attitude. It’s how we respond to the events of life that will make us or break us. In his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl described how he survived Auschwitz when most others died. He lived in a bleak, filthy barrack on the verge of starvation–in constant pain from hunger or wounds. He stated, “The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.” Victor Frankl chose to survive and became an encouragement to others. You too can survive, but it will take a strong determination to choose the right attitude. Victor Frankl realized that his situation wasn’t going to last forever, but eternity will. Eternity with Christ is not worth risking, and harboring all the emotions that go along with feeling betrayed and will not help us get there. Choose to be better, not bitter! How? Look to Jesus for healing. In John 5:16, Jesus asked the question, “Do you want to get well?” Tell Jesus you want to receive healing! He can take any situation, whether of Satan, of man, or our own stupidity and use it for His glory.
When a person is betrayed often they will want to get even. One of the worst things we can do is to choose this attitude!” Getting even will not help you feel any better, nor will it bring closure. It will only exacerbate the situation and stir up the emotions you are feeling, ultimately making you feel worse. Social psychologist Kevin Carlsmith of Colgate writes, “It keeps the wound open and fresh.” So unless you are a glutton for punishment and ENJOY feeling lousy, say NO to revenge when you are betrayed.
Question: What betrayal, either present or past, are you holding on to that you need to forgive and choose to be better?
I love the smell of food being grilled out. I also love driving by restaurants that smoke their BBQ or use the wood ovens. They smell great and get my saliva juices flowing. A few years ago I was eating lunch at one of my favorite places. Their food was as good as the smell. We were regulars there and had gotten to know the manager. Towards the end of the meal he came to say hello and asked how everything was. I joked around a bit as I normally do and then he asked me if I could help him. He proceeded to share that Sunday’s after church crowd complained the most and were the least friendly to his staff. He asked me if I could do something about it. As I sat there I witnessed firsthand what the manager was talking about. A man at the next table over was loudly complaining about his steak. They offered numerous times to bring him a new one, but he continued to complain instead of accepting their offer. After the manager left his table, he continued his grumbling, and then the subject of criticism turned to his pastor. (I was thankful they weren’t from our church because our people would never do anything like that! 🙂 )
I began to ponder the manager’s statements and was reminded of II Corinthians 2:14-15 (NLT) “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” As believers we are to be the fragrance of Christ! His fragrance is enticing. Too often our attitudes, actions, and words are not very Christ-like. 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) tells us “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” This verse is an indication that people are to see something different in believers. They are to see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) They are to hear words that do not tear down but instead edify. (Ephesians 4:29) It is my prayer and desire that others will see something different in us and will be attracted to Christ.
- Seek professional help – Social media is NOT professional help, nor a good way to derive a sense of self-worth. Professional counselors are trained to help.
- Exercise – This can be effective at reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Pray and spend time reading the Bible – Over and over again the Bible encourages us to turn our concerns over to God. Psalm 55:22 (NCV) Give your worries to the Lord, and he will take care of you.
- Medicine – For some situational anxiety and long term anxiety, medicine can be a big help. I remember going through a time filled with anxiety and my brain was going crazy. I went to a counselor and they suggested I get on some medicine. I resisted until they explained that the medicine was just helping fight all of the extra chemicals that are produced in our brains as a result of depression and anxiety, much like an antibiotic fighting infection. I’m thankful I listened.
- Force yourself to get moving – The worst thing to do when you are dealing with anxiety is to get the ice cream and sit on the couch. I’ve tried it and all it did was cause me to gain weight and feel worse. There is truth to the statement that you have to pull yourself up by your own boot straps.
“NBA Greatness”
Verse for the week: 2 Timothy 2:15a (NLT) “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.”
I grew up in Indiana and basketball was huge. It seemed as though every house had a basketball goal. I was never any good at basketball so I never played on a team, but I watched a ton of games. The closest I got to being on a team was being the basketball manager in 8th grade. How exciting was that? It wasn’t a glamorous job but it got me out of having to take cotillion. Even though I never played on a team I did learn a lot about basketball, and later they even let me be the coach for my son’s Upward basketball team.
I learned that in basketball you need to be committed and have a drive for excelling. In my lifetime, Michael Jordan was a basketball player who has been known for his commitment and drive. During his 15 years of playing professional basketball, he, along with his team, won 6 championships. When people would ask him how many championship rings he had he would always hold up one more finger than the ones he had actually won. Why? Because he had a drive and a commitment to win one more, and wasn’t going to give up. The apostle Paul had the same attitude when he wrote, “…There is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” Philippians 3:13a-14 (NCV) It’s easy in this life to give up. But instead of looking for the way out we need to have that drive and commitment to pursue more. The top areas we need to be driven in and committed to are 1. Our relationship with God 2. Our relationship with our spouse, 3.Our relationship with our children. Everything else follows! If we are not committed to the right things in this life, we will not succeed.
Question to ponder: Where do you need to re-establish your priorities and begin being committed to excelling?
“A Virgin Birth?”
Verse for the week: Luke 1:26b-28 (NLT) God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Is it really possible to have a virgin birth? Of course it is, especially in this scientific age. It’s called in vitro fertilization but that’s not the same thing as what the Bible is talking about. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is one of the main events that set’s Christianity apart from other religions. Many people don’t believe it. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a hard time believing it. When the angel told her she was going to have a child she responded in Luke 1:34 (NLT) “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. Mary responded in verse 38 “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” She simply believed but I’m sure it didn’t take to much faith for her especially when she began to feel Jesus kick her inside her womb. For others it takes a little more faith to believe especially since every year at Christmas time we hear that this wasn’t the first virgin birth recorded. Say what? Yep it’s true, there are other stories of miraculous conceptions but of the few that are shared they are in Greek mythology and one in Chinese mythology. The key word is mythology (noun – a collection of myths)! These individuals were fictitious and didn’t exist unlike Jesus Christ who we know did historically exist. (I share about this in a previous Thursday Thought.) Some say that the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is inspired by Greek mythology but the first prophesy about a messiah was hundreds of years before the Greek civilization. I could go on and on but there isn’t time.
So why was the virgin birth important. It all goes back to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3. They sinned but it wasn’t until Adam ate the forbidden fruit that their eyes were open. Since then original sin has been passed down from the father. (Romans 5:12) Because Mary had not been with any man, thus a virgin, Jesus was able to be born sinless. I know it gets very deep and theological but it’s important. The reason Jesus had to be sinless was because of what His future held. In the Old Testament in order to receive forgiveness of sin you had to sacrifice an unflawed lamb. Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, became the unflawed lamb who would take away the sins of the world.(John 1:29) The reason we give gifts at Christmas is because God gave the greatest gift that could ever be given, He gave us an opportunity to have a restored relationship with God. (John 3:16) In order to have this restored relationship with God it requires not only us having faith but also acting. We have to confess! We must confess our sins (I John 1:9) and confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9)! Have you done that? Today would be a great day to do it! This short Thursday Thought doesn’t begin to even to dig into the depth of this arguments. I passionately believe that Jesus is the greatest gift that was ever given and extremely thankful and I’m thankful for Mary’s willingness to be used.
Verse for the week: Luke 2:1-2 (NLT) “At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.).”
That’s a long time to celebrate someone’s birthday. But did Jesus really exist? Recently someone made a post on Facebook about the Bible being fiction and then someone else commented that Jesus doesn’t exist outside of the Bible. Could it be that this person who changed history, changed the calendar, and has changed people’s lives really didn’t exist?
Question to ask yourself: Have you ever questioned your faith? I have and it’s reassuring to know it’s based not just on faith but facts also! What will you do to educate yourself on the facts today ?
*Interesting fact: The National Retail Federation estimates. If that money was spent entirely on US made products it would create 4.6 million jobs. http://abcnews.go.com/WN/mailform?id=14998335
“The Snooze Button”
Verse for the week: 1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT) All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize…
Have you ever been peacefully sleeping when you are suddenly jolted awake by the shrieking of that extremely loud & annoying BEEP, BEEP, BEEP indicating it’s time to get up? You want to smash that alarm clock into pieces!
I’m not a fan of mornings, and when I was young I would press the snooze button several times before dragging myself reluctantly out of bed. I remember going to conferences and hearing how Jesus would get up VERY EARLY while it was still dark so he could pray (Mark 1:35). Seriously… my attitude was that God wasn’t even up that early. I know, I know, He never sleeps, (Psalms 121:4) but that’s how I felt. And then, of course, I would feel guilty.
I just recently finished listening to Robert Morris’s book “The Blessed Church” and Mel Robins book “The 5 Second Rule.” Both of them shared how the first two – three hours of the day after waking are the most effective. Seriously?
Dan Ariely, Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University, says, “we’ve all got a short block of time every morning—roughly the first two hours after wake-up—where we’re most cognitively capable of getting work done. And most of us totally waste that time.” It takes discipline to stop pressing the snooze button and just get up, so the day can be started by spending time reading the Bible and praying, rather than wasting our time on Facebook, Twitter, television, etc.
If you think, “there just isn’t any way I can get myself up right away”, here is something to consider. Did you know that hitting the snooze button actually messes your day up and makes you even more tired. Robert S. Rosenberg, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Centers of Prescott Valley in Flagstaff, Arizona says, “When you hit the snooze button repeatedly, you’re doing two negative things to yourself. First, you’re fragmenting what little extra sleep you’re getting so it is of poor quality. Second, you’re starting to put yourself through a new sleep cycle that you aren’t giving yourself enough time to finish. This can result in persistent grogginess throughout the day.” Wow! That is enough to encourage me to be more disciplined. I hate being tired during the day.
So, start your day off right by getting up when the alarm goes off the first time, spend your first few minutes in prayer and reading the Bible, and then start with the rest of your day. I wish I would have known all this when I was young.
Question to ask yourself: What are you doing first thing in the morning to be productive?
Great Quote about Discipline: “Everybody wants to be on a championship team, but nobody wants to come to practice.” – Bobby Knight, former IWU Basketball Coach
Verse for the week: Isaiah 40:29 (NLT) He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
We live in a society that casts aside anything that we don’t feel is acceptable. In America, we throw away approximately 165 billion dollars’ worth of food, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Food is one thing, but people feel as though they are cast aside as well.
- Truck drivers alone on the road can feel cast aside.
- Shut-in’s, and the elderly can feel cast aside.
- Individuals with disabilities can feel cast aside.
- Incarcerated people feel cast aside.
- Children can feel cast aside. (Ever heard the comment “Children are to be seen and not heard?”)
- Homeless people can feel cast aside.
The list goes on and the sad stark reality is that it’s true. We can be in a crowd of people and still feel that way, but just because you may feel cast aside doesn’t mean you are. Each of us is important to God. Why? Because He made us, (Psalms 139) and He gave His own Son to take the punishment for us, for all the things that we have done wrong (John 3:16). Maybe you are reading this and your past haunts you and you feel as though you have been cast aside, or the voices of insecurity are screaming out at you? If so, you may think to yourself, “There is no way that God can use me. I’m a loser. I’m unqualified.” If that is you, don’t underestimate what God can do!
Recently I heard about three individuals who easily could have been cast aside: A senior adult dealing with a stroke, a five year old with a plastic push mower, and a man diagnosed with terminal cancer. The senior adult had always been meticulous with his yard and wouldn’t even allow his kids to play on it. While he was recuperating from his stroke, he couldn’t mow his yard, and one day there was a knock on his door and it was the five year old neighbor boy. The little boy said he saw his yard hadn’t been mowed so he helped him and mowed the front yard with his mower, but would have to come back the next day to finish. The senior adult ended up inviting the little boy to church and a few years later he asked God to forgive him of the things he had done wrong. The little boy wanted to be baptized and invited his grandfather to the service. The grandfather came and it resulted in him asking God to forgive him. Shortly thereafter, the grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer and God has used him to share with others how much God loves them.. The three of them could have been individuals “cast aside”, but God chose to use each of them. As a result, there have been hundreds of people impacted by their story, and many who have asked God to forgive them too. Don’t underestimate what God can do through you!
Question to ask yourself: Look around, is there someone that feels cast aside that you can reach out to?
“Dangers of Procrastination”
Verse for the week: Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT) “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest..”
- Often it ends up sloppy. We don’t put in the time or energy it takes to do whatever it is correctly, because now we are short on time. Nor do we utilize appropriate resources to do whatever the task is. In so doing, we have not pursued excellence and may end up having to redo the task. Daniel 6:3 (MEV) “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and officials because an excellent spirit was in him.”
- It tells people the task is unimportant. We may not be intentionally meaning to say this, but in a way, that’s what it says. When spouses wait till the last minute to plan for an anniversary or forgets the date altogether, we get ourselves in hot water.
- It causes a ton of angst trying to do everything at the last minute. Some people say they work better under pressure, and that may be true, but as James Baker, former U.S. Secretary of State, has written “Prior planning prevents poor performance”. I would add that it also prevents perturbation (anxiety; mental uneasiness)
- The task ends up not as meaningful as it could be. Basically, we won’t get as much out of it, and we won’t reap the fruits/rewards that we could have if we would have just invested our time at the moment.
Question to ask yourself: What will you stop procrastinating about today?
“Expecting too little – Hazel the duck”
Verse for the week: James 4:2b-3 (NLT) “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”
Last year we received two baby ducks along with their mother, a bantam hen. The two ducks, Hazel and Grettle, grew and learned they could fly and would fly away for the day and then come back for the evening. This past Spring their length of time being gone increased and eventually they were gone for several months. We thought we would never see them again but then one-day Hazel came flying back. She never left but she began eating the chicken eggs and harassing the hens. I decided that she needed to stop so I started only allowing her in the chicken yard at night. While she was out I hooked her up with some food and water but not too far away from the chicken yard we have a stream with fresh cool water running through. She could have gone down there but never did. She could have flown and gotten back into the chicken yard, but she didn’t. Instead she would walk around the chicken yard fence again and again all day, and occasionally would come up to the food and water or get chased by one of our dogs.
As I pondered Hazel the duck, I realized that she was living beneath her potential and expecting too little. We do the same thing! How?
- By ignoring the potentials that are in plain sight. – We get so focused on one area or one thing that we ignore the potential that is right in front of us. For Hazel the duck, it was the stream. For you and me it can be anything. John 4:35b says, “But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”
- By saying that it can’t be done. How often do we use the excuse “I can’t!”? It annoys me to hear it because often we haven’t tried. In Hazel the ducks case, she had tried but maybe there was some traumatic experience she had and decided that she no longer wanted to even though it would benefit her. We have amazing potential as humans and can achieve much even if we have had a bad experience. We need to stop saying “I can’t!” and start saying “I CAN!”. And for the believer, we have the help of God’s presence within us. Zachariah 4:6 (NLT)“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
- By wandering around without a plan – Once we see the potential and say “I CAN!” we need to develop a plan. Poor Hazel the duck just wandered around the outside of the chicken yard because she had no plan. Proverbs 21:16(NLT) says, “The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.”
Are you ignoring potentials, saying “it can’t be done” or just wandering around? It’s time to rise up and pursue the dreams that God has given you! It’s time to start expecting more of yourself!
Question to ask yourself: In what area of your life are you expecting too little?
Verse for the week: Romans 12:1-2 (MSG) “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering”
I am not a big fan of moles. Moles are these awful little critters with pointy noses, webbed feet and they can tear up a yard in a few days. You don’t usually see them but you can see where they have been and the damage they caused. I know that they are a creation of God but they are really annoying when it comes to the destruction of my yard. I’ve tried using insecticides because they eat grub worms, but, no success! (Hey but at least no fleas or ticks in the yard!) I’ve tried using a repellant my wife purchased but, sadly, they are still around. We even have a cat that we let out, but he doesn’t catch them. The best way to get rid of them is with a mole trap. It actually takes a bit of skill to set it up just right, but once it’s done, it’s not long before you have caught one of those pesky little critters.
So, what do moles have to do with life? They are like bad habits. Bad habits are negative behavior patterns. Common examples include procrastination, overspending, gossiping, picking your nose, stressing out, over eating, laziness, nail-biting, etc. Did you know that nail-biting can cause dental problems, give you bad breath, raise the risk of catching a cold or other illness, and it can cause an infection of the skin surrounding the nail? Who knew! Each bad habit has negative consequences, and too often we don’t see the effects until it’s too late. We need to overcome bad habits before they cause irreversible damage. We do that by:
- Seeking God’s help – He understands everything we face! Hebrews 4:15 says, “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.”
- Making a commitment to change
- Being specific on which habit you want to change
- Replacing the bad habit with a good habit
- Having an accountability partner
- Staying positive even when you fail. When you fail, get up, refocus and move forward
I’m sure that some people think there is no hope for overcoming their bad habit because it’s been so long. Don’t believe the lie! It’s NEVER too late to change!
“Welcome to Adulthood!”
Thursday, June 15, 2017”
Verse for the week: Proverbs 22:3 (NLT) “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”
I’ve heard the saying repeatedly, “ignorance is bliss!” The term bliss means; “perfect happiness; great joy.” I can honestly say that I didn’t have perfect happiness or great joy when I was pulled over for speeding where the speed limit was only 45 but I thought it was 60. I didn’t have perfect happiness or great joy when I had to go to court and then pay a fine in a county two hours away. People use “ignorance is bliss” to excuse not knowing things they should, like:
As an adult, it may be easier at the moment to say, “ignorance is bliss” but the reality is, that doesn’t work. It didn’t work when I stood before the judge and it won’t work for you because in the United States it’s assumed we have learned to be responsible by the age of 16 or so. We may not like it, but it’s time to stop making excuses, and start being responsible before it’s too late.
“Um!”
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Verse for the week: James 1:19 (NLT) “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”
Have you ever been talking to someone who suddenly stops mid-sentence and says “Um…”? Or maybe you have talked to people who use it repeatedly. I have heard people who say “um” a lot and I can honestly say I’ve been guilty of it myself. I hate using the word “um…” yet sometimes it just comes out. Martijn Wieling, a professor at the University of Groningen, says that “Younger people and women relatively use ‘um’ more frequently than men and older people.”
According to the dictionary, the word “um” is an interjection used as an expression of doubt, hesitation, deliberation, or interest. Studies by psychologists and schools say that the word “um” is a placeholder that give speakers time to plan their next words while still holding the floor. Most of us know it can get very annoying to hear. I, probably like many of you, have been guilty of sitting through a speech and counting the number of “um’s” a person uses. (I hope people don’t do that to me! Oh great, now they will…) So, is it possible that when we use the word “um” our mouths are going faster than our brains? I’ve always heard that it’s usually the other way around. In either case, something needs to slow down.
Now for the point. We live in a world where everything is in a constant state of motion.
- Slow down and take the time to think about what you are going to say. Sometimes it’s better not to say anything. Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NLT) says that there’s, “A time to be quiet and a time to speak.”
- Slow down and take the time to rest our mouths and our brains. We worry and obsess way too much about things that will never happen. And we feel like we always have to talk. It’s not healthy for our brains, it’s not healthy physically, it’s not healthy for our relationships, and it’s not healthy spiritually. William Penn said, “In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still…this will carry you evenly through your day’s business.”
- Take time to ponder the greatness of God! Pondering is a good thing especially when you are pondering on God. Too often we don’t take the time to look around and see HIS greatness that is everywhere! It’s in the beauty of creation, in other people, and in the complexity of our universe. Psalm 46:10 (NLT) says, “Be still, and know that I am God!”
Maybe we should conduct an experiment to see how many times a day we say “um”. It may be a bit intimidating but it may also be very revealing about ourselves. Are you up for the challenge?
Question to ask yourself: In which of the three areas above do you need to slow down?
“Tax Penalty!”
Thursday, April 20, 2017”
Verse for the week: Jeremiah 13:16 (NLT) Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too late
I have this sign in my office that says “If a man says he will fix it, he will. There is no need to remind him every 6 months.” I really like the sign, but for me it’s not so funny because honestly, I sometimes struggle with procrastination. In college, I would stay up all night finishing a term paper that was due the next day. The assignment was given at the beginning of the semester but I procrastinated. When I was younger, there were times I ended up having to pay a tax penalty because I procrastinated doing my taxes. I’m getting better and have corrected some of my old habits but there are times…
I’m not sure all procrastination is wrong. I think it’s good when we procrastinate about saying some things that later we would have regretted. Now I’m justifying it but hey, Psychology Today even has an article on the web entitled “6 reasons why procrastination can be good for you”*. I thought it was written by a man but it was actually written by a woman. And all this time I thought men were the worst procrastinators and that God made wives to help men get things done. Now I know it’s an issue that both sexes deal with. 🙂
Even though there may be sometimes when procrastination is okay, too often it’s not healthy and can cause many more problems. I would even suggest that procrastination can sometimes be sin. James 4:17 (CEB) says, “It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it.” In order to avoid sin and getting ourselves in trouble, there are a few steps to help with procrastination.
- Set deadlines for yourself before the actual deadline. Once you achieve your first goal you will feel a since of accomplishment and it will push you to do more.
- Don’t blow the task out of proportion. If I would have started on my term paper at the beginning of the semester and worked on it a little each week, it wouldn’t have been such an overwhelming task for me and I probably would have even gotten a better grade.
- Stop thinking and start doing. I know too often I say, “I can’t…” when I haven’t even tried. Read the directions and then get started. (Yes, we should look at the directions–it will help!)
- Remove distractions, stop making excuses, and just do it. Turn off the television, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. and get started. Kind of like the song from the old Christmas movie, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town,” which says, “Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking ‘cross the floor. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door.”
What are you waiting for? It’s time to get started.
Question to ask yourself: What have you been putting off that you need to begin doing today?
“You’re such a Martyr!”
Thursday, April 6, 2017!”
“Forgotten!”
Verse for the week: Matthew 5:33 (MSG) “And don’t say anything you don’t mean.…”
Have you heard the phrases: “I guarantee”, “I promise”, “I give you my word”, or “My word is my bond”? These phrases mean you will do what you say, and that people can trust you. Throughout the years, I have heard these phrases used frequently. My mother taught me when I was young that if you said you were going to do something, you’d better do it. The sad thing is that these phrases don’t carry much weight anymore. Too often people say they will do something but never follow through. I’ve always heard that was lying. Granted, sometimes things happen that get in the way of our commitment, but we shouldn’t just ignore what we promised. We should try to stay true to our word and do what we committed to doing.
Question to ask yourself: How much does your word mean? Are you someone that can be counted on?
Quote: “I can give you my word, but I know what it’s worth and you don’t.” – Nero Wolfe Fictional Defective
“Aggressive and obnoxious!”
Verse for the week: Hebrews 12:1 (AMP) “stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us…”
Breaking these habits and overcoming sin can be a very challenging process and take some time. The first thing we need to do is determine that we are going to overcome it. Then we need to get to work and seek help (absolutely seek help from God, and then trusted friends). Finally we need to continually guard against allowing it to take a hold again. We can get victory over aggressive, obnoxious, entangling habits and sin with the help of God, determination, and consistency.
Question to ask yourself: What habit or sin have you been making an excuse for that you need to overcome? Turn to God and others and begin the work at overcoming it today before it leads to greater destruction.
Disclaimer – For those concerned about the destruction of this vine because of the food that it provides for the birds, I have several bird feeders that provide even more.
Verse for the week: Luke 13:24 (NLT) “, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”
Question to ask yourself: In what ways, have you been trying to change the rules to suit you? What changes will you make today?
“Unintended Consequences!”
Verse for the week: Ephesians 4:15 (NLT) “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Question to ask yourself: Is there someone you have been brutally honest with that you need to apologize to?
“I can see clearly now!”
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Verse for the week: 1 Corinthians 13:12(YLT) “For we see now through a mirror obscurely…; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known.”
Question to ask yourself : What is keeping you from looking wholeheartedly for God?
Where there is no vision, there is no hope. – George Washington Carver
“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall!”
Verse for the week: Luke 6:37 (NLT) “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”
Question to ask yourself: In what ways, have you been judging others? What will you do today to start focusing on changing yourself first?
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. – Mother Teresa.”
“Please don’t use your cell phone!”
Verse for the week: Philippians 4:5 (NLT) “Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.”
To have proper etiquette we must intentionally think. This seems like an odd statement because for many of us our minds are always going, thinking about something. Intentionally thinking means focusing on what is going on at the time. In this age of multitasking we don’t always do this well.
Question to ask yourself: How good are you at practicing good manners? (If you aren’t sure what they are, Google search the word “etiquette” and you will find several websites for the practice of it.)
“Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back.” – Thomas Sowell
Verse for the week: Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart…”
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.” The truth was it did hurt and I felt rejected. We’ve all been there and have faced some sort of rejection. It could be from an employer, a school, a finance company, a significant other, friends, peers, a spouse, or even our children. Jesus understood rejection because He also experienced it. The Bible says in Isaiah 53:3 (NLT) “He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief…”
So how should we handle rejection?
- Remind yourself that it’s not about you. Generally, when we face rejection it’s not about us it’s something that’s going on inside another.
- Stop obsessing and divert your thoughts and attention another direction.
- Write “never to be sent” letters in order to vent your feelings, then give them over to God and destroy them.
- Remember the person that rejected us does not define who we are. God has already done that! Our feelings will say we are worthless, but the facts are that we are made by God, we are protected by God and we are valuable to God! Think about it…. Each of us are valuable because weare made in the image of God. Look around you. Each person is made by God. Psalms 139:13-14(NLT) says, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous!”
When we begin to realize that every person is made in God’s image, it will change how we treat them, what we say to them, and what we think about them. It will also affect how we deal with rejection!
Question to ask yourself: Have you been obsessing over someone rejecting you? If so, what action will you take today to become better rather than bitter?
Do not waste yourself in rejection; do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Verse for the week: Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT) “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
Question to ask yourself: In what ways are you working with or working against those on your team?
Quote: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford
Verse for the week: Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.”
- Start small – Too often we make these huge goals that are totally unrealistic. Instead of saying I’m going to lose 25 pounds this month, try setting a goal of cutting back on soda or coffee to just one or two a day. Make your goals realistically measurable and achievable.
- Seek accountability– Find someone that will stay on your case and continue to encourage you.
- Keep track of your progress – This is called journaling.
- Celebrate small victories–be good to yourself when you have done well.
Questions to ask yourself: In what areas do you need to develop moderation/self-control?
Remember: “The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow.”
“Kicked in the Teeth”
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
Verse for the week: Luke 6:38 (NLT) “38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
The phone calls, emails, people standing on the street corner with signs, letters, and commercials, all calling us to give, seem to be incessant. Many of us feel guilty if we don’t give, while others seem to have become hardened and insensitive after having been burned by one or more scams or unappreciative people. We hear of CEOs of charitable organizations making lots of money, and people who beg on street corners driving fancy cars. We have “grandchildren” that aren’t even our grandchildren calling us to help them out. I heard a person say“
I give, and I give, and I give, and what do I get in return? I get kicked in the teeth.” Sadly, this happens sometimes. But does that mean we should stop giving? Absolutely not! Psychologists say that generous people are happier people1 and the Bible says in Proverbs 11:25 (NLT) “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Here are some steps to help us give in such a way that we will receive the biggest joy.
- Give first – When you receive your paycheck, give first. Too often we wait until after we’ve spent it all, and then determine what to give away. By then it’s too late. The money is gone. Even the Bible recommends we do this in Proverbs 3:9-10. When you give first, you probably won’t even miss it.
- Use wisdom – There are numerous agencies that can assist. Educate yourself on reputable charities. Also, find out which organizations give the greatest percentage of what they receive in order to make a difference.
- Realize that you have done your part – Ed Cole said “After giving something to God, you are no longer accountable for it. Your blessing is based on your giving, not on what others do with the gift.”
- Be Thankful – A thankful heart will guard against bitterness even if we do “get kicked in the teeth.”
Questions to ask yourself: What have you given away recently?
1 https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-darkness/201501/happiness-comes-giving-not-buying-and-having
“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” – Benjamin Franklin
Verse for the week: Matthew 5:9 (NLT) “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”
Several years ago, I drove a 66-passenger church bus. I would drive all over Huntington, Indiana picking up children, teenagers, and even adults for church. On one occasion, I heard a commotion and realized the passengers were all yelling at me because I was going the wrong direction on a one way road! I’m not sure how I could have done that, but boy was it a transformational moment! I immediately looked for a way to turn the bus around or a road to turn onto so we wouldn’t crash into someone going the right direction. For months (and even years) afterward, the students would harass me about it. The incident was such a powerful lesson for me. I never went that way again and I’m careful now and watch for arrows and signs (I wish others did).
The Bible is filled with individuals who were heading the wrong way and changed directions. One of the most notable is the apostle Paul. At one time he was arresting Christians and having them killed, and after a transformational moment he made a U-turn and began encouraging people to become Christians. There are more books in the New Testament written by the apostle Paul than anyone else.
Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again.” II Corinthians 6:2 says, “…Indeed, the right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” Today you have a choice. Will you continue the direction you are going or will you make a change? Today could be your transformational moment.
Questions to ask yourself: What change do you need to make today?
Verse for the week: Proverbs 15:3 (NLT) “The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.”
Have you ever had that feeling that someone was watching you only to look up and find that they were? I love the line by Roz in the movie Monsters Inc, “I’m watching you Wazowski, always watching!” When I look around and see the security cameras everywhere I know I am being watched. I don’t know too many people who like to be watched and scrutinized, but it happens. I’ve had employers do it, parishioners do it, complete strangers do it, and my own children do it. Several years ago, country singer, Rodney Atkins had a popular song called “Watching You!” It talks about his son watching him and emulating his words and actions. Too often we don’t consider the fact that people are watching us! They watch the things that we say, our negativity, the things that we do, the places we go… We try to excuse our misbehavior by saying it’s nobody else’s business, or that our actions aren’t influencing anyone else, but the truth is everyone influences someone. We influence the people we work with, live with, go to church with, and even the people we shop with. The apostle Paul even warned people about not being a stumbling block to others (I Corinthians 8:9). I believe all of us need to be more conscientious about our words and actions, knowing that in fact, we are being watched.
“Good grief, we’re getting offended by everything these days! People can’t say anything without offending somebody.” – Hillary Clinton
Verse for the week: Matthew 5:9(NLT) “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”
Have you ever sent a text or made a phone call (or whatever mode of communication you use) asking a question or sharing something? Of course, you have! If we don’t receive a response in a timely manner, we begin to wonder what’s wrong. Before email and cell phones we would expect a response to take a bit of time, now we expect a response almost instantaneously. I know I’m guilty. The more time that goes by, the more our minds kick into gear and we start thinking the worst. In some cases, we can even become offended. I believe social media and new technology have accentuated the issue. John Bevere says,“An offended heart is the breeding ground of deception”. What he means is that when we become offended, our minds conjure up all sorts of things. We begin to have a battle going on in our mind that isn’t even real. It’s like the old cartoon that has a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. They are both speaking to us and it can get a little crazy up there. Before things get too crazy, we need to take some steps:
- TALK YOURSELF OUT OF BEING OFFENDED – Don’t assume the worst!! And even if they are blowing you off, remember President Lincoln’s wise words: “We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.”
- OVERCOME SELF-CENTEREDNESS – Often when we are offended, it’s because we think the world revolves around us. I know it’s a lifelong battle that we face, but when we have victory over it once, it will be easier to have it the next time.
- ACCEPT IMPERFECTION – No one on this earth is perfect, in fact there has only been one perfect person that ever lived. That’s why the apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 4:8(NLT), “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
Three great steps for striving to avoid being offended. In some cases, it’s too late because we’ve already gotten offended and lashed out. In that situation, we need to seek the person out and apologize and hope they are following the steps above.
Questions to ask yourself: Have you been offended this past week? Which step do you most need to work on? When will you begin working on the steps?
“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Verse for the week: Proverbs 3:7 (NLT) “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”
Stupidity is defined as: behavior that shows a lack of good sense or judgment.
(http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2000-26.html)
What causes stupidity? Too often we are impatient and impetuous (acting quickly and without thought or care.) Generally, we have time to think through what the consequences might be for our actions, but we don’t take the time to do it. Had I thought of the consequences, I would have checked and made arrangements to update my passport. Had Robert not been impetuous, he would still be around for his wife. Some people don’t think about the consequences of missing church, drinking, working too much, or sitting around watching too much television. The next time you are in a hurry, slow down and analyze the situation. We can usually avoid stupidity if we just take the time to think about the consequences.
Question to ask yourself: What are you doing that you need to step back and analyze the situation before impetuously acting?
Verse for the week: Philippians 2:3-4 (MSG) “Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”
We live in a society that takes just about everything for granted and expects others to serve us. We don’t even take our grocery buggies back to the store anymore. We put them in the buggy rack unless we are in a hurry. We then try to justify our action by talking about job security. Let’s be honest. We are “meistic!” (Yes, that’s a new word and it’s in my dictionary.) My definition of meistic is that the focus is always on ME. Some would say it’s being self-centered, narcissistic or egotistical. Someone once said, “If you live your life as if everything is about you …. you will be left with just that. Just you.”
Once upon a time we would say “thank you” if someone held the door, now we expect it. I enjoy holding the door for others and have at times, been known to conduct experiments. I wait to see how many people say “Thank you!” People enjoy having someone hold the door for them, and I’ve also observed that people of all ages say “Thank you,” but more often than not they don’t say anything. Colossians 3:15 NLT) says, “…And always be thankful.” Being thankful is a lost art. I know the old children’s show “Barney” used to try to teach children to say “please” and “thank you” but somewhere along the line it didn’t catch on (but it is a catchy toon – https://youtu.be/D3CgwV3o7AM). I think it’s time for us to stop being so meistic and start being thankful! We should start saying thank you to the custodians where we work, to the grocery clerk where we shop, to the nursing home workers, to the police men, to our parents, and the list goes on. Most importantly we should say “THANK YOU” to God. No matter what financial position we are in life, we have much to be thankful for! Psalm 105:1 (NLT) “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.”
Questions to ask yourself: Who can you say “THANK YOU!” to right now?
Quote: “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
Verse for the week: 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
Throughout my 51 years of life I have heard all sorts of arguments against the Bible such as, “it’s a bunch of fiction”, “it’s not reliable”, “it’s just full of men’s opinions”, etc. Because of good teachers who allowed me to ask questions, I believe the verse above. I know I am in the minority, but recently I found out just how much in the minority I am.
- Only 28% of Americans believe the Bible is the actual word of God and that it should be taken literally! (Gallup)
- A whopping 39% of evangelicals don’t believe the Bible is literal (Pew research).
It seems to me that I’m in a much smaller minority than I originally thought. So why do I believe in the Bible? I’ll attempt to keep this brief.
- The Bibliographical Test– The Bible’s reliability is attested to by thousands of ancient manuscripts!
- External Evidence Test (Historical Accuracy)– Does other historical material (scientific, historical, or prophetic) confirm or deny the internal evidence found in the manuscripts? Numerous discoveries have confirmed the historical accuracy of the New and Old Testament documents.
- Internal Evidence Test– Were the messenger’s firsthand witnesses and were they trustworthy? We know that the New Testament was written in the same generation in which the events took place, and that it was circulated among the very people about whom these documents were written – while they were still alive to deny them. I know this barely scratches the surface of a sermon I preached a while back. Here is a link to that sermon for further study: https://www.pfwc.net/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/How-do-I-know-the-Bible-is-True.pdf
Questions to ask yourself:
Quote: Isaac Newton, English mathematician and scientist, 1642-1727 “We account the scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”
Verse for the week. Galatians 6:9 (NLT) “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up!”
Recently I preached a message entitled “What if…?” It was about dreaming, and that in order to see dreams come to fruition we have to get off the couch, roll up our sleeves, and get to work. Dreaming is fun but it also has a negative side. During the political season, many candidates share their dreams. It never fails that their opponent or one of their constituents begin to bloviate (to bloviate is to talk, but not just to chat. To bloviate means to go on and on and on and on, usually in a pompous way.) about all the negatives of the candidate’s plan. By the time the opposition is finished, they have made it sound like if we elect the individual, it will lead to “Dooms Day” for the world.
Questions to ask yourself: What situation are you facing that you have allowed yourself to think the worst? What will you do to begin to focus on positive things rather than the “what if” negatives?
Verse for the week: Mark 11:23-24 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”
Great Quote: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo
Questions to ask yourself: Have you had a dream that died and need to ask God to give you a new dream? What dream do you have right now that you need to begin working towards?
Verse for the week: “Proverbs 24:17 (NLT) Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble.”
I have attended a few city council and county board of supervisors meetings in my lifetime. Usually they aren’t all that interesting and are fairly uneventful, but I have been to a couple that elicited a lot of emotion. Recently I attended one that had people so upset they were visibly shaking and their faces were red and contorted. (It intrigues me when people allow themselves to get so upset that they allow their emotions to control them rather than controlling their emotions, but that’s a topic for another time. My wife says I would understand it perfectly if I was a woman. I doubt it!) The people were getting upset with the supervisors who, in this circumstance, were in the same boat as everyone else and couldn’t do anything. Too often we direct our emotions toward the wrong person, treating them as if they are the enemy when they either disagree with us, or are not able to control any change. Isn’t that the way it usually happens? We’ve had a bad day and the clerk at the store is a little slow and we blow up at them. Or we come home after a bad day and “bite the head off” of those who we care about the most. The best thing that we can do is to take a deep breath, calm down, and remember Romans 12:18 (NLT) Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. When we do this, we will hopefully realize that the person we are being unkind to isn’t the real enemy. In many cases, even the person who we think is the enemy isn’t the enemy. The ultimate enemy that wants to trip us up and cause us to lash out at others is the devil. 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. We need to be on guard so that we don’t fall into his trap and end up hurting someone.
Question to ask yourself: When have you displaced your emotions, and took them out on someone else? What will you do to rectify the situation?
Verse for the week: “Colossians 3:2 (KJV) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
At our church we have a portable baptistery. When the church was built there wasn’t one included so after years of not having one, we were finally able to purchase one a few years ago. We were excited because it was so much better than the inflatable pool we had used before. It has a pump to circulate the water and a heater. We had used it twice when the pump and heater stopped working. For the past 3 years we have filled it up with hot water in hopes that it would stay warm until the baptisms took place. We have had several people look at the pump to see if there was an issue but nobody could figure out what the problem was, until recently. We were getting ready to have another baptism and had someone come out to put a new element in the hot water heater so there would be hot water to fill it. After he repaired the water heater we then asked him to look at the baptistery. He took plates off that covered wires and used his electrical tester but all seemed to be in order. But then he pulled out a cord that had a large white button on it and when he pressed it, all things kicked into gear. The following Sunday we were able to have the baptistery filled with circulating, warm water. It was a beautiful experience.
Question to ask yourself: What are you striving to fill your life with that will bring you contentment? Is it found in the things of this world or in Jesus Christ?
Verse for the week: I Peter 2:11 “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.”
Christmas is coming! In Kmart they already have Christmas trees up and ornaments for sale. I love the Christmas season, the decorations, the food, the gifts and most importantly the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. As a child being raised by a single mom with four rambunctious boys, things were usually pretty tough. On Christmas morning we would wake up ready to go open the presents to see what we would get. We had no clue that socks and underwear, for many people, weren’t actually gifts and so even those excited us. One year things must not have been so tight because I remember my mom giving me the J.C. Penny Catalog and telling me I could circle 3 things that I really wanted. That was almost better than Christmas for me. I looked and looked (kind of like some people look at Pinterest today) to see what I wanted. I circled the three things I wanted and when Christmas came I received one of them and enjoyed playing with it for hours. As an adult I have more elaborate toys. I no longer get to enjoy playing with them for hours like I used to because I’m busy repairing, cleaning, and taking care of them. I have heard it said that “The more you own, the more it owns you!” and that is so true. Yet so often we want more, more, more. We like going to the “Stuffmart” and buying more stuff and before we know it our lives are consumed with just taking care of all that stuff. We think all these things will make us happy but in reality, we end up losing focus on what’s really important and when that happens, things fall apart. 1 Timothy 6:9 (NLT) says, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.” I think the minimalists may be on to something.
As we look forward to Christmas, instead of focusing on all the stuff we want, let’s start focusing on what’s important:
- Our relationship with God
- Our Families
- Our relationships with others
Question to ask yourself: What is there that you really want, that in the grand scheme of things isn’t all that important and will actually distract you from what is important?
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Verse for the week: Numbers 35:33 (NIV) “Do not pollute the land where you are…”
Have you ever driven down the road and stopped at a stop light and noticed the pile of cigarette butts piled up along the curb? Or maybe you’ve see the “Adopt a Highway” signs placed around where organizations, churches, and even families adopt a section of road to pick up the discarded trash along roadways. Our church does it and I’ve been doing it since I was a child. My mom would have us take a bucket and pick up the trash along a quarter mile stretch of road that was the distance between our home and our grandmothers. It doesn’t matter how many times we pick it up, it seemed liked within moments more would appear. Even at our church we pick up cigarette butts every week. (Lots of them pile up around the sign that says “No Smoking…”). It really isn’t an issue that just follows me, it’s a worldwide issue. I’ve been to several countries around the world and have seen the same issues. Well, there is one county that has had enough and is doing something about it. In January of 2014 the county board of supervisors in Roanoke County, Virginia evidently had enough and began a campaign to battle littering in the area. They had banners donated and placed them all around the county that said “The World is Not Your Ashtray.” Now two years later they have metal signs place at intersections and in other areas. I would like to report that after nearly two years our small place on this beautiful earth is cigarette butt and litter free but it’s not. We have actually purchased one of those containers that people put their cigarette butts in and place it by our gym door to help combat the problem. Why do people do it? I think it’s a lack of respect kind of like when people trim their finger nails in church. (I mean SERIOUSLY!?) It’s a lack of respect shown towards other people, towards God, and towards His creation. We are called to take care of the world that we live in. In Genesis 2:15 (NLT) it says, “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” So how do we tend and watch over it? We recycle, we pick up trash, we are careful about the carbon footprint that we leave, and we strive to be contentious about being wasteful. When we begin to do these things and teach others, soon there won’t be a need for the counties to spend money on signs that say things like “The World is Not Your Ashtray.”
Question to ask yourself: What am I doing to help take care of God’s creation?
Kudzu
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Thursday, September 29, 2016
Verse for the week: Philippians 2:12b (NLT) “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.”
I have a stream next to my house but we only own property to the middle of the stream. The stream acts as the property line. When we purchased the property the stream was overgrown with vines, brush, and other unknown vegetation. We wanted to enjoy the view of it without all the junk so I began to clear out our side of the stream. I asked permission to clear out the neighbors side too, but they were concerned about erosion so requested I leave their side alone. It’s been about a year since I’ve cleared it and every two or three months I weedtrim the area again. It takes much less time than when I started, and what I’ve noticed is that instead of a bunch of brush and vines, the grass is filling in. This is great because it’s helping to keep the hill along our side of the stream from eroding. However, the other side of the stream… well let’s just say it doesn’t look as nice as ours. Now I’ve noticed Kudzu growing on their side. Kudzu was taken from China and introduced to the United States in 1876 as a method for controlling soil erosion, and has since become an aggressively invasive species. Kudzu may be good for erosion but the plant climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so rapidly that it kills them by heavy shading. I’m not a big fan of kudzu or the other brush growing on the other side of the stream. So what’s the point to all of this? Too often we think that if we just keep things the way they are that we will be okay. but we don’t realize that the stuff we are ignoring could be killing us and doing just the opposite of what we hope. Just like my hillside next to my stream needs regular maintenance to keep it looking nice and to prevent it from erosion so our spiritual lives require regular maintenance. Psalm 1:2 (MSG) says, “Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.” To do this requires work! Rarely going to church, rarely reading the Bible, and praying is a sure way to see our spiritual lives erode.
Question to ask yourself: What are you ignoring in your life that is eroding your relationship with God?
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Thursday, September 22, 2016
Verse for the week: Proverbs 27:1 (NLT) “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.”
Question to ask yourself: Who are you putting off saying I’m sorry to or admitting you were wrong?
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Verse for the week: James 1:5 (NLT) “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
Question to ask yourself: What area’s in your life are you not taking the initiative to change?
I’d be more religious if…
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Verse for the week: Micah 6:8 (NLT) “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
I’ve heard people say that the reason they don’t go to church is that they aren’t that religious of a person. If I were to press them further usually the comments that follow are: “I’d be more religious if:
… there weren’t so many politics in the church
… they didn’t always ask for money
… there weren’t so many hypocrites in the church
… my parents didn’t force me as a child
… there was a different pastor
… it wasn’t for the people
… it wasn’t for the rules
These are all just excuses! People make excuses all the time. Why do people make excuses? Psychologists say that we make excuses from an unconscious desire to protect ourselves from anxiety and shame. Could it be that the reason we aren’t more religious and don’t go to church is because we don’t want to experience the shame for the things we know we shouldn’t be doing? If this is the reason, it shouldn’t stop us from going to church and being “more religious”. I know of at least one church, and I’m sure there are many more, where they love people right where they are. It doesn’t mean that we don’t teach what the Bible says about sin because sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). God loves us and wants us to love Him back as well as others. Mark 12:29-31(NLT) says, Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Question to ask yourself: What excuse are you using for not pursuing a relationship with your creator?
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Verse for the week: Ephesians 5:14 (NLT) “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
Have you ever set your alarm only to have it not go off? That happened to me recently when I was supposed to get up very early. I was lying in bed when I heard the neighbor’s donkey braying and I thought to myself, “there must be a coyote out there for him to be braying in the middle of the night!” I opened my eyes and realized it wasn’t dark, it was daylight. I quickly looked at the clock and it was an hour past the time I was supposed to get up. I jumped out of bed in order to get ready for an appointment that I was already late for. I decided it was futile to try to make it to the appointment so I called humbly and gave my regrets. I was frustrated with myself and disappointed that I missed the appointment!
Question to ask yourself: What area in your life do you need to change before it’s too late? Develop a plan of action, gather some accountability partners, and be determined!
Nobody wants to hurt a horse
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Verse for the week: Psalm 139:13-14 (NLT) You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Recently there has been a lot of news about violence towards police officers and concerns about protests. Because of the concerns, at a recent convention they built walls, beefed up security, and brought in extra police officers with several on horseback. As I was listening to the news, they commented about how few protests there were, and seemed astonished at how little violence there was. One female commentator stated that having the police on horseback really made the difference because “nobody wants to hurt a horse!” I’m not sure she meant anything bad in her statement, but what I heard was that it’s okay to hurt people but not animals. In the world today there are all sorts of animal rights groups and laws that protect animals. Here are just a few:
- In Colorado the dog catcher must notify dogs of potential impounding by posting a notice on a tree for three days before they can impound them. (I didn’t realize dogs could read!)
- In Oklahoma there is an ordinance that forbids making “ugly faces” at dogs.
- In Virginia if you have an annoying groundhog and you catch it, you can only release it somewhere else on your property. (That’s not good if you live on a small piece of property.)
- In Utah, birds have the right of way on public highways. (Interesting!)
Questions to ask yourself: How valuable do you feel? How do you treat others?
Just like in the Movies
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Verse for the week: 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT) Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
I was driving on the highway heading home after dropping some students off at camp. I was listening to talk radio and enjoying my time to myself. I was enjoying the beauty of the scenery when all of a sudden up ahead and to the left I saw a car heading over the median. Granted it’s kind of fun to go driving through the grass but in this case the driver wasn’t just going for a Sunday drive. This car was tumbling over and over and over again just like in the movies. I immediately pulled over and grabbed my phone to call 911 as the car stopped rolling and landed on all four tires. I’m not sure what caused the accident, maybe they were changing their radio, or reading a text, or fell asleep. What I know is that I could just imagine the person’s life flashing before them. Many of us live life as if we are going to live forever, but that isn’t the case. James 4:14 (NLT) says, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Some people will read that verse and think, “Wow… I better live it up today because there are no guarantees for tomorrow”. What we need to be doing is making the most of each and every day that we live because when this life is over we will stand before God. Hebrews 9:27 (NLT) says, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” Live for eternity and make each day count.
For those who were wondering…. yes I did stop and call 911. However, after seeing several more capable people stopping to help, I headed on home. I’m not sure what happened to the person but it appeared that they were buckled up. Finally, yes, I did pray for the person.
Questions to ask yourself: Are you living your life as if you are going to live forever, or are you prepared to face God in eternity?
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Verse for the week: Romans 5:8(NLT) But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Mandy received a text asking if we wanted two baby ducks and of course, she said yes. Evidently a chicken decided to start setting on two duck eggs and when they hatched the chicken became their mommy. I’m not sure why the people didn’t want them but Mandy arranged to go pick them up. On her way she received another text asking her if we wanted the “mommy” too because there was just too much angst when they were split up. Once again Mandy said “yes!” We received them and the baby ducks were very cute and the “mommy” was very protective. We watched her guide her babies to food, call them back to her if they went too far away, gathered them close to her if she sensed danger, and brought them to the duck house when it was time for bed. After a few weeks the ducks were exploring even more and behaving very independently but still looked for their “mommy” to make sure she wasn’t too far away. Finally one night the baby ducks went in the duck house but their mommy went in the chicken coop. The babies survived the night and so did mommy but something had changed. No longer did she want them near her, nor did she look after them. Evidently she thought they were old enough to take care of themselves now because every time the babies go close to her she would drive them away. It hurt me to think that she was rejecting them.
Questions to ask yourself: Have you rejected God? What about others? What can you do today to begin rebuilding those relationships?
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Verse for the week: Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Questions to ask yourself: When is the last time you had a friend correct you or you corrected them? Who are you and your friends following?
Airport Attitudes Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2016
Verse for the week: I Corinthians 10:24 (NLT) “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” Waiting in an airport gives a person a lot to observe. You observe a plethora of expressions: smiles, frowns, looks of exhaustion, concern, seriousness, anger, etc., all in people either rushing to catch their flight or waiting during a layover. You also observe actions, such as people being considerate: holding the door, volunteering a seat, etc. I appreciate it when people are considerate. However, more often than not, I observed people being inconsiderate: allowing the door to go shut on the people behind them rather than holding it, not saying thank you when the door was held open (more people should learn Barney’s “Please and Thank You” song), begrudgingly moving when asked to move so a family could sit together, not helping when an elderly person is struggling or not getting up so they could sit while waiting for the plane, treating employees rudely and then expecting them to be nice after having had a long day dealing with many temperamental individuals.
As much as we don’t like to admit it, we are self-centered people living among self-centered people. I believe it’s time that there was a resurgence of consideration, and that those who profess to be Christians should LEAD the WAY! Phillipians 2:4 (NLT) says, Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. This is an instruction not just a suggestion! Today would be a great day to get your focus off yourself and onto others.
Verse for the week: Philippians 4:13 (NLT) “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Have you ever heard someone use the words “I can’t” when asked to do something? It seems to be a phrase that people now use in epidemic proportions. I was recently talking to a friend of mine about the issue and he said that when people say “I can’t!” what they are actually saying is “I won’t!” If we are honest with ourselves we will agree with him. My brother, Mark, has pretty much outlawed the word. When he hears someone use the phrase, he immediately challenges them. Why? Because by saying you can’t do something, you’re doubting yourself and submitting to defeat! I now think twice about saying that phrase. So why do people use the phrase?
- Fear– they are afraid that they will mess up!
- Perception– People fear what others may think of them if they aren’t successful.
- Self-judgment– You don’t believe that you are capable of doing it.
- Convenience– Some people use the phrase because they don’t want to disrupt their day and be inconvenienced.
That’s a pretty good list for us to ponder, but I’ve found that there are a lot of things that we say we can’t do that we actually can do if we put our mind to it. In order to do this, we may need to:
- Get more information from the directions, books, websites or people with experience.
- Build up our confidence by taking small steps
- Become more determined
- Admit the only thing holding you back is you.
Psalms 139:13-14 (NLT) says, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” It’s time that we stop underestimating ourselves because we have been made in God’s image! Let’s stop saying “I can’t!” and begin saying “I’ll try!” or “I will!”
Question to ponder: When is the last time you said “I can’t” but actually meant “you won’t”? Take time to evaluate the reasons and ask yourself if they are valid. If not, stop making excuses and try.
Verse for the week: Romans 12:10 (NLT) “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
We were leaving the civic center after the graduation of our son. The parking lot was crowded and there was a bit of a wait as we were trying to leave. We were looking forward to lunch with family and friends in celebration. Graduations are filled with mixed emotions; joy, excitement, and sadness. My wife had them all going through her. We were sitting in the vehicle and slowly advancing forward while my wife sobbed. As we neared the exit I saw a man waiting to pull out and decided to be a nice guy and let him out. As he pulled out he waved and I began to pull forward when out of my peripheral vision I see a car pulling out of a parking spot and racing towards the gap between me and the other guy. I kept moving forward but more slowly as we almost collided. I gently tapped the horn to let the woman know that we were there and to nonverbally say she was being foolish. She cut in front of us and as she did my wife immediately stopped crying and almost climbed into my lap as she began slamming on the horn. I pushed her back gently and said her name. She then responded with, “Well, she thinks she’s more important than anyone else!”
Question to ponder: When is the last time you acted as though the world revolved around you? What can you do to serve others today?
Verse for the week: Matthew 7:24 (NLT) “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”
I’m not a big fan of water, bridges, or white water rafting. However, I do get into the water, I drive over bridges (with clenched hands on the steering wheel) and I have gone white water rafting on a few occasions. On one of the rafting trips, I remember listening to the guide giving us instructions. He told us what to do if we fell out and I remembered the story of a friend who fell out and the raft went over him and he almost drowned. Why was I going white water rafting? Oh yeah, because of teenagers who think they are going to live forever and nothing will ever go wrong. Okay, back to the story… the instructor showed us how to paddle and from which side to help us get through the rapids. He then proceeded to tell us that there would be a lot of voices out on the water. There would be people in other rafts talking and other guides giving instructions. In addition to those people, there would also be people talking in our raft. He shared that it would be very important to listen to his instructions and not anyone else.
Question to ponder: Whose advice, instructions, counsel are you listening to? If it contradicts the Bible, it’s not from God.
Verse for the week: Proverbs 6:4 (NLT) “Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.”
I left church on Sunday and was heading to lunch when we were stopped behind a long line of cars at a red light. The light turned green and the lane next to us proceeded to go but we didn’t. Why weren’t we moving? Soon we noticed a couple of cars going around the right side of a vehicle that had its blinkers on. The thought went through my mind that someone needed to help them but I said nothing to Mandy who was driving. She then spoke up and said “he needs to move his vehicle before there’s an accident!” I jumped out and said “I’ll offer to push him off to the side.” When I got to him he thanked me and said he’s had this problem before and it usually starts. I then went to start pushing as someone almost hits me as they go flying by on the right side of the vehicle (it’s a good thing I’m a preacher if you know what I mean.). I was soon joined by my boss, my district superintendent (kind of like a bishop), and we pushed him to the side of the road where the gentleman’s vehicle promptly started. He thanked us and we all proceeded on our way. I was glad that I helped even though it took a little extra prompting from my wife. I thanked her for doing the right thing and asked God’s forgiveness for my delayed obedience.
Question to ponder: What issue are you putting off dealing with that you need to take care of today?
Verse for the week: James 1:8 (NLT) “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
Most people have a favorite place they like to buy pizza. It may be Little Caesars, Dominos, Pizza Hut, PaPa Johns, Franks, etc. My favorite pizza place is Pizza King Pizza in Marion, Indiana. They make an incredible pizza that has thin crust and is cut in squares. Whenever I’m back in Indiana I like to stop and grab a pizza. Needless to say, I was very excited when I was driving around Rocky Mount, and what do I see but a Pizza King Restaurant. My mouth began to water and my mind filled with memories of the delicious pizza. Anticipation continued to grow and the opportunity came for me to stop and order a pizza. I walked into the restaurant but the familiar smells weren’t there. In fact, as I looked at the menu I noticed they didn’t have pizza even listed. I felt foolish in asking, but the name was “PIZZA King”, so I asked if they had pizza. They gave a very lengthy answer that boiled down to “NO!” I was so disappointed! Their sign said one thing on the outside but there was something totally different on the inside.
It’s easy to point the finger at people and say they are hypocrites. I often hear people say that they won’t go to church because there are too many hypocrites there. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have some hypocrisy in us. There are things that we know we should do and we don’t do, and things that we know we shouldn’t do and we do them, and there are times we put on a front to hide who we really are. This isn’t a healthy place for us to be. It can damage us, our relationship with others and our relationship with God. Today is a great day to begin making the necessary changes, if you aren’t going to serve pizza then take the sign down and begin to get real with God and others.
Question to ponder: What area in your life are you being hypocritical? What will you do to be more consistent in this area?
Verse for the week: Isaiah 53:5 (NLT) But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
There is a saying in exercising that’s used to encourage people not to quit, even when they are hurting. The phrase is: “No pain, no gain”. Recently this term took on new meaning as I began to experience excruciating pain in my side. I knew immediately it was a kidney stone because I’ve experienced this before. I had never heard of a kidney stone the first time I encountered one at the age of 22. Kidney stones are small, hard mineral deposits that form inside your kidneys. (Too bad these minerals aren’t diamonds; I could be wealthy). Sometimes they leave your kidneys and cause terrible pain. Anyone who knows me knows that I DO NOT like pain. Actually I don’t know too many people who do, but some can tolerate it better than others. I would say I have a low tolerance to pain. Kidney stones cause pain when they are moving. So in a weird way, some degree of pain is good because that means you are on your way to freedom!
Question to ponder: Life is short and eternity is forever. Have you asked God for forgiveness?
Out of control temper 5/5/2016
Verse for today: Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NLT) “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.”
Several years ago I was driving a church bus one summer afternoon, taking home children from Vacation Bible School. As I was driving, I looked over and there was a man in his yard who was very visibly angry. His face was red and his arms were flinging around as he was yelling at his wife. It was at that moment I saw him slap his wife and was getting ready to hit her again when I started honking the horn. He looked over and stopped but not before I got the house number. When I dropped the child off I asked the parent to call the police and report what was going on, and then met the police officer back at the church to file the report. I’m not sure what caused the man to get so angry, but I do know that he was allowing his anger to control him.
- Relaxation– Breathe deeply, slowly repeat a calm word, visualize a relaxing experience, etc.
- Cognitive Restructuring– Change the way you think by being empathetic and wise. Be careful with words like “never” and “always”. Remind yourself that getting angry is not going to fix anything. Use logic because it defeats anger, because anger, even when justified, can quickly become irrational.
- Better Communication– Angry people tend to jump to conclusions and act on incorrect assumptions. Listen to understand.
- Use Humor– Humor can help diffuse rage in a number of ways, including helping to gain a more balance perspective.
- Change your environment– Make sure you have some “personal time” scheduled for times of the day that you know are particularly stressful.
Question to ponder: What steps do you need to take today to control your temper?
Frogs 4/28/2016
Verse for today: Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Recently a friend of mine told me a riddle. “There were 5 frogs sitting on a log, 4 decided to jump off, how many were left?” Did you guess 1? I did, but then I thought, this is a riddle so maybe that’s not the correct answer. Maybe when the 4 jumped off they jumped off with such force that it caused the log to spin and the 5th frog fell off the log. Neither answer was correct! The correct answer is five! Why? Because four “decided” to jump off. It didn’t say they did. In fact, they didn’t jump at all. There’s a big difference between deciding to do something and actually doing it. Doing requires intentionality! The word “Intentionality” is a noun and means: “the fact of being deliberate or purposive.”
If we are going to accomplish anything in life, it’s going to require that we deliberately get up out of our recliners (or logs) and get to work. We (Mandy and I) wanted to build a chicken coop and have chickens. We talked about it, dreamed about, looked into different types of chickens and even printed off a plan to use to build the coop. That was all well and good but it wasn’t going to appear all by itself. It was going to require some intentional action. I had to go out and purchase the materials and then begin the tedious job of building it. I then had to enlist help to move it and put up a fence. We now have chickens! Grandiose ideas and goals mean nothing unless you take action. Proverbs 13:4 (NLT) says, “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.” and Proverbs 14:23 (NLT) says, “Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!”
Question to ponder: What is it that you have been dreaming about and talking about but haven’t pursued? Decide to be intentional today!
I like the different kinds of decorative grasses and I like to use them in landscaping. Pampas grass can be a very beautiful decorative grass until it takes over an area and kills out the other plants. I never realized how deeply rooted Pampas grass became. I read on the internet that it was almost impossible to kill so we decided we would transplant it. What we found is that it is VERY difficult to dig up and you end up using a lot of energy, determination, and effort.
Challenge Question: What deeply rooted sin or habit do you have that you need to confess to God and seek His help to overcome?
Getting Fat 4/14/2016
Verse for today: Proverbs 15:13 (NLT) “A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.”
I remember early on in ministry going to visit an individual who was homebound. The Lead Pastor and I would visit them every month. I quickly found that no matter what positive statement the Lead Pastor made, the response was always negative. On one visit, prior to our arrival, I asked the Lead Pastor how he could stay so positive. He responded that he made it a game. Every time the person said something negative, he would respond with something positive. During the years that we visited the negativity continued to flow. I came to the point that I dreaded going over there, and eventually my schedule became so busy that I wasn’t able to go.
Question to ponder: What do you need to begin thinking about that is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable?
Wild Turnips? 4/7/2016
Verse for today: Joshua 1:9 (NLT) “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Last spring, I planted a new yard (actually there are parts I’m still working on). I put the fertilizer down, spread the grass seed, and then spread the straw. Since there wasn’t availability of water to water the newly planted yard, I needed to let nature take its course. It was a challenging summer last year with periods of dry spells but the grass came up even though there were bare spots. In the fall, I fertilized and put more grass seed down in preparation for winter. After a long winter, spring finally arrived! Once again, I added fertilizer and, mixed with the rains, the grass began to turn green and grow.
I would love to say that all the bare spots filled in and I had a beautiful yard, but that would be too easy. As the grass grew, I noticed the weeds were too, but not just any weeds, these were wild turnips. I couldn’t spray them because it’s a new yard with young grass so I decided to start pulling them. As I did they left large craters in my yard, and new grass was pulled up with them! It was as if I was fighting a no win battle!
Question to ponder: What battles are you facing right now that you need to be reminded that victory is assured?
Stink Bugs! 3/31/2016
Verse for today: Proverbs 15:22 (NLT) Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
What do stink bugs have to do with our spiritual life or even just life in general? Actually, a lot!! There are always going to be things that annoy us or that go wrong (sometimes terribly wrong). That’s part of life! So what should we do?
- Develop a strategy– I realized that I couldn’t sit back and do nothing, so I began to research and put together a plan. Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
- Follow through– Once I had the strategy in place, I needed to act. This meant an investment of time and resources. Ecclesiastes 4:5 (NLT) “Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin.”
- Be persistent– We live in a microwave world that wants instant results. Usually results take time. Sometimes it’s a lifetime of persistence before our plans come to fruition. Galatians 6:9(NLT) tells us, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up!”
- Enjoy the victory– One day there will be victory, if not in this life than in eternity, for those who put their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ!
As a result of me following the steps above I am winning the battle over the annoying stink bugs! I look forward to the day when I receive the ultimate victory of standing before God and hearing him say “Well done!”
Question to ponder: What obstacle is there in your life that you need to confront?
Pursuing Excellence 3/24/16
Growing up, in elementary and middle school there were several times that I would bring home my report card with the teachers having marked “lack of application.” What did that mean? It meant that I didn’t apply myself to my school work. Evidently this wasn’t some unusual thing because they had a spot on all the report cards that teachers could mark. Thankfully, in my junior year of High School, something clicked and I broke that trend.
Pursuing excellence requires balance! Too often people will pursue excellence in only one area of their life but neglect all the others. Parents often see this in their children as they work to excel at beating a video game but not working to excel in their school work. As adults, we too can fall into this trap. As a pastor, too often I see people pursuing excellence at work, or in sports, but neglect spiritual matters such as daily times with God, worship on Sunday, or serving in the church.
Let me challenge you this day to pursue excellence in ALL you do, because in the end you are not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for the Lord!
Great Quotes:
- If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude. –Colin Powell
- Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way. –Booker T. Washington
Question to ponder: What area in your life are you just doing enough to get by?
3/17/2016 Failure to Yield to a Funeral Procession?
Verse for Today: Matthew 25:40 (The Message) “Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”
Question to Ponder: Who have you ignored recently that you need to slow down and reach out to?
3/10/2016 The Myth About Ostriches!
Verse for today: Psalms 59:16 (NLT) “But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.”
Have you ever heard the question, “Have they buried their head in the sand?” It comes from people referring to ostriches. It is commonly believed that the ostrich will bury its head in the sand when it senses trouble. However, avoiding or ignoring a situation is a dangerous defense mechanism. Contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand. If they did, they would be a prime target for their enemies. Ostriches are the largest birds, standing seven to nine feet tall and weighing as much as 350 pounds. With their long, powerful legs they can run and maintain a steady speed of over 30 miles per hour, with short bursts of up to 43 miles per hour. In addition to being able to run fast, the ostrich has four-inch claws on a cloven foot and can kick hard enough to kill a lion. So how does an ostrich defend itself? It takes action!
I’ve been accused of sticking my head in the sand. At the moment, sticking my head in the sand was a peaceful place to be, but only for the moment. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s not a safe place to be! By ignoring a situation, choosing to be oblivious to it, it causes more problems.
What are some ways people ignore problems? Some people turn to alcohol or drugs. Others immerse themselves in work or activity. Some live in denial and say there isn’t a problem, while others get overwhelmed and fall into a state of depression. Do any of these coping mechanisms solve the problem? NO! Actually they accentuate (verb – make more noticeable or prominent) the problem. So how should we deal with problems in a constructive way?
- Turn your problem over to God– You don’t have to handle your problem on your own. God will be with you and help you. Psalm 50:15 (NLT) says, “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” Just because the Bible promises that God will rescue us doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility for action, so keep reading.
- Seek counsel from professionals.Proverbs 15:22 (NLT) says, “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” Far too often we go to everyone else for counsel rather than seeking it from someone who knows. Not going to a professional is like seeking marriage advice from someone who’s been married 5 times.
- Develop a plan and take one step at a time– I’ve encountered a lot of people who will “listen” to advice and maybe even develop a plan, but never put it into action. James 1:22 (NLT) say’s “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.” Whether it’s a problem in marriage, financial debt, or some other issue in life, in order to overcome it, it starts with a plan. But it’s not enough to stop there, you have to follow through one step at a time. This reminds me of the 1970 Christmas special “Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town” where Kris Kringle is talking to Winter about changing from bad to good. He tells him it’s as easy as taking your first step. “Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking ‘cross the floor…” It may take a long time, but progress will be made.
- Celebrate little victories– Too often we focus on the overwhelming obstacle and don’t step back and see the progress that has been made. It’s important for us to do just that and celebrate the little victories. In the celebration, don’t forget to give God praise too! (1 Corinthians 15:57) When we constructively begin tackle our problems it will help us to avoid other problems and dangers and come from avoiding them.
Question to ponder: What problem or situation have you been avoiding that you need to take action on today?
3/3/2016 I don’t need any directions!
Verse for today: 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right
Questions to ponder: What are you striving to do that you have ignored the directions? When is the last time you dusted your Bible off and read it? – The book of Proverbs and the Gospel of John are two great places to begin.
Garbage and organic toilet paper – February 25, 2016
Verse for today: 1 Peter 1:13 (NLT) “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world“.
In the midst of all the health craze, it seems there is one area people have totally ignored. That is the area of our minds! It’s as if we don’t care what we put into our minds anymore, the raunchier the stuff, the better. Too often we aren’t very selective of our music, the movies, and YouTube videos we watch, the books we read, or the jokes we listen to.
Question to ponder: : What type of things are you putting into your mind?
The Value Words! – February 18, 2016
Verse for today: Proverbs 12:22 “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are His delight.”
Recently I was dealing with a sales woman at a particular company. I asked her if she could call me back, she agreed, and we set a time. Prior to that time, I received 3 phone calls from other sales representatives trying to steal my business. One went so far to say that the woman I had been talking to was in a meeting, and she had asked him to call me. I took him at his word, but when the time previously arranged came, the phone rang again while I was in the midst of the conversation. I asked him to hold, and low and behold, it was the first sales woman calling me back. She was not in a meeting, nor had she asked any of the other 3 people to call me back! Those 3 other sales people acted unprofessionally, unethically, and they lied to me.
My mom ingrained in my brothers and me that lying was sin. Not only did she hate lies but she let us know that God hated lies. She instilled within us the importance of telling the truth. If she caught us in a lie, the punishment was much more severe than had we told the truth. As adults, my brother and I like to joke around a lot. Those who are closest to us and know us best sometimes suspect when we are joking and will ask, “Do you give me your word?” If we say “yes”, they know we are telling the truth. Staying true to our word is part of having integrity. Proverbs 11:3 (NIV) says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity (dishonesty).”
It appears that we live in a day and age when lying (bending the truth, white lies, fudging the facts, omitting the truth) has become a very acceptable thing. People lie on their taxes, lie to their bosses, lie to their spouses, and they lie to themselves. It’s an issue that has seemed to reach epidemic proportions. Our sports heroes lie, elected officials lie, CEOs of businesses lie… all in an effort to get ahead or protect themselves. My mom always said “The truth stands but a lie will run itself out!” I always thought this was just a mom quote, but King Solomon said something similar hundreds of years ago when he wrote in Proverbs 12:19 (NLT), “Truthful lips will endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only for a moment.”
The next time we feel tempted to lie we need to remember that even though it may appear that we could get by with the lie, one day we will stand before God who knows all secrets, and we will be judged. (Proverbs 19:9, Romans 2:16). “Do you give me your word?” 🙂
Question to ponder: Is there an issue that you have been lying to yourself and/or others about that you need to correct? Do it today!!
10:28 ESV “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Winston Churchill once said “If You’re Going Through Hell Keep on Going!” This quote inspired country music artist Rodney Adkins to write a song by that name which rose to #1 on the charts in 2008. The first verse starts off with:
Well you know those times when you feel like
Chorus
“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” So how did he keep from getting overwhelmed and discouraged in the midst of the experiences? He gives us the answer in Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”
We have our focus in the wrong place. Instead of focusing on ourselves and our own hellacious experiences, we need to turn our eyes on Jesus and ask what we can learn from those times. As we focus on Christ, we remember what he has done for us, the forgiveness that He offers, and the place He is preparing for us! Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT)”
“Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”