Which Way Will You Swim?
I was recently listening to a motivational speaker, and she said something that goes with the Christian struggle. The speaker said, “Any dead fish can float down stream with the current, but it takes a live fish to swim upstream against the current!” Where are you in your Christian life? Are you just going along with the crowd doing what’s popular and ignoring what God commands us to do (Proverbs 4:2)? Many times in our nation we see those who claim to be Christian going completely against what the Holy Bible and God have to say regarding what is right and wrong. We can look back in our nation’s history and see the many times Christians should have taken a stand and spoken out against the evils of society, but they didn’t. Instead, they allowed it to happen or even took part in things they knew were wrong (Proverbs 9:6).
Lighthouse
I want to be a lighthouse. I want to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit to dwell in and shine brightly in this dark world. I want God’s Spirit to become a beacon within me that guides others away from the rocky shores of life and into still waters. I want the beacon to be lit all the time. I want to guide people out of “storms.”
This is what I want to be. This is my ultimate professional goal in life. I want my light to shine in such a way that others “may see [my] good works, and glorify [my] Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16).
Trust God not Politicians
I am not going to talk politics. I am not going to take one side or the other either. However, I do want to advise us all as Christians to not stoop to the level of the masses with their fear and hatred for one another because of their political views.
I am not very smart when it comes to prophecy, but I honestly do not think that God needs a certain person in the White House to start Armageddon. In fact, I don’t even know if America will be here when the end of the age happens.
A Crisis in Leadership
In the United States we are facing yet another presidential election year. As I talk with most people about the election, they are of the same opinion that I am…there are no good leadership choices in this race. The statement I hear most is, “I am being forced to pick between the better of two evils, or pick no one at all.” OUCH! What an indictment on what is supposed to be the greatest leadership experiment in the history of mankind—democracy.
Sing Out Loud
Did you know that Judah’s army at one time was led by musicians and singers? I really love this story. It is found in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, gets word that an army from Moab and Ammon are coming to attack Judah. Jehoshapat turns to God for help, and also has all of Judah to seek God’s help.
In verse 17, Jahaziel lets all of Judah know that they need not worry for they “will not need to fight this battle” because God was going to fight it for them.
Comforting Scriptures
Several of my recent blog posts have dealt with rather heavy material that focused more on looking deeply into ourselves to find areas we can do better, change, and repent. That is all well and good, and it is vital that we look at those things. However, it is also important to take time to appreciate God from the perspective of who He is, what He does for us, and how He cares for us.
Don’t Judge a Book by It's Cover
Have you ever been in a place and automatically made assumptions as to the character of others based on how they looked? I hate to admit it, but I have. For instance, I took my daughter to a piercing studio because she wanted her cartilage pierced, and to be honest, I would rather go to a piercing studio than Claires to get piercings. It is just my personal preference. Well, while we were there a man came in that had piercings and tattoos. Honestly, I didn’t judge him at this point because I was in a piercing studio. However, the woman that was doing my daughter’s piercing knew him and, to make a long story short, they got to talking. She asked him what he had been doing that day.
Spiritual Honesty and Integrity
How honest are we with ourselves when it comes to our thinking? How many of Satan’s lies, thought systems, and belief systems do we buy into?
Recently I have been going through a period of deep introspection. I have been doing an inventory of the foundational thoughts that have shaped my belief system, analyzing what they are based in. Are my beliefs based in truth or are they based in lies? I have been asking myself whether I take 100 percent responsibility for my thoughts and actions or not.
Sacrifices of Thanksgiving
I was listening to the Bible, and something struck me as very interesting and inspiring. In Psalm 50, starting in verse 9, God points out that He has no need for meat sacrifices. In fact, everything is His already. However, what He really desires is that we offer to Him “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (v. 14). Thanksgiving comes from the Hebrew word yadah and can mean “adoration, a choir of worshippers, confession, praise, thanks (-giving, offering)” (Strong’s Concordance).
At first, I asked myself, how is it a sacrifice to give God thanks? Well, the truth is, sometimes it isn’t easy.
Come As You Are, But Don't Stay That Way
This past July 4th weekend my wife and I travelled to spend time with family. I have a bit of a love/dislike (not hate) relationship with these visits. The reason is because my wife and I continue to follow the faith that we were raised in, while my siblings and their spouses have chosen another path. In fact, neither of my sibling’s mates was raised in the faith that all three of us grew up observing.
During these visits the conversation always seems to find its way to some variation of what is required for salvation, or in my words, what one must do to be saved and to make God happy, as opposed to what He finds acceptable.
Your Precious Name
My family and I were blessed to go on a family vacation this summer to Belize. This was our first official family vacation ever. It was a spur of the moment decision. I termed it our “carpe diem” moment because life is unpredictable, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Therefore, sometimes it is good to do something with your family when you have the opportunity.
Well, something really inspiring and surprising happened on our trip. To some it may not seem so awesome, but it was to my family and me. We got to witness how a good name is powerful and long lasting.
CHICKEN-YARD POLITICS
When you live on a farm and have livestock, your animals become an endless source of “life lessons.” This morning I was doing one of my favorite chores (not!)—cleaning out the chicken house. We have 50 chickens, so this is a weekly event that is not the most pleasant. But suffice it to say that on a weekly basis, I get to spend some “quality time” with my chickens.
As I was doing this, I observed the chickens doing their usual “pecking order” routine. Since we have some well-established chickens and some newer, young chickens, the pecking order is in flux at the moment.
Bearing Godly Fruit
Having just celebrated the Day of Pentecost, there are a number of things I have been thinking about with regard to what God’s Holy Spirit does through us.
One of the things Scripture tells us to do is bear fruit—in this case, spiritual fruit. John 15:1-8 is very instructive on this matter. Let’s take a closer look to see what we can “pluck” from these verses.
What is Your Superpower?
“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” – Wofgang Amadeus Mozart
Love is the most powerful gift from the Holy Spirit. It is above all other gifts (1 Cor 13:13). It is truly a superpower, and we all better possess it because if we don’t we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2). Those who do not love do not know God, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
SPIRITUAL JUNK EMAIL
I sat staring at the number…147. I had only been gone a couple of days, and in that time I had amassed 147 “pieces” of junk email. What a pain!
If you are like me, you have an email folder marked “Junk Email.” It seems that no matter how much I “unsubscribe” from advertising websites, the flow of junk email continues to bombard me. It is email I didn’t ask for and I don’t want, yet everyday it gets forced upon me. Part of the “privilege” of using the internet for what I need it for, and getting emails from those I wish to receive them from, is that I must allow for the distraction of being assaulted by advertisers who are constantly broadcasting their products, services, and scams.
Old School Summer Camp 2016
It all started in April at our women’s conference because of my daughter Jazmyn. I took her with me to the women’s conference, and she took one look at the facilities and quickly begged Wes to plan a summer camp for kids and teens. It didn’t take much persuasion, since Wes is such a big kid at heart, and Old School Summer Camp 2016 became a plan. It was “old school” as in no cell phones for the children. We wanted them to socialize and have fun.
The Real Superhero
Movies love superheroes. They draw in great crowds of all ages because who doesn’t like superheroes? Kids idealize them to the point of dressing up like them and pretending to be them. This is no surprise because superheroes are cool and powerful. They usually have powers that defy human physics, or they are so smart they can create a suit that makes them a superhero. They protect the innocent and defeat the evil. They are courageous. They also are in great shape. And last but not least, they save the day, always.
A to Z
This past week I volunteered at my children’s school to help organize the library. Organizing books is a type of meditation for me. I don’t think about anything except Dewey decimal and the alphabet. Plus, it makes me happy to see the finished product, organized bookshelves. I love books, especially organized books.
Well, it got me wondering if there was any spiritual lessons I could learn from organizing books. It may sound weird to some, but I try to see if there are spiritual applications/lessons to learn in my everyday life.
Popularity Isn’t For Me
I really don’t want to fit in with the masses. In fact, when did conforming become so popular? I would rather be a Christian, set apart, different, and sometimes downright unpopular. Honestly, isn’t that the way it should be? Did the patriarchs fit in with the masses? Not really. There were only eight people on the ark. Moses didn’t fit in with Egypt. Joseph didn’t fit in with his brothers. Christ was hated by His own people, and he even warned His followers that the world would hate them because they followed Him (Matt 10:22).
It’s the Little Things That Matter
Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and I know not everyone who reads my blogs are mothers. However, I wanted to share some things that made me realize that it is the little things that matter, and I believe this applies to everyone who desire to be more joyful and content.
First, let me say that I have a tendency to focus on the negative little things that drive me crazy. For some reason, it is by far easier for me to see those little negative blots in my life rather than see the twinkles of the positive little things that want to brighten my life