In the classic movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a repeating phrase is uttered “Who are Those Guys”. Butch and Sundance are being tracked as outlaws by an unknown but relentless super posse made up of elite lawmen. Eventually...
I read about Derrick Moore who rescued a young girl in Myrtle Beach who was caught in a rip current. As he handed her off, he went under and later died. Stories of heroic sacrifice are inspiring. She is alive and will hopefully live out all the...
Something began to happen to me as I began to hear and understand the gospel (the message and life of Jesus) back in the 1980s. Inside, there was a hunger to know God (the creator of all things), and there was a growing capacity to love Him and...
When you become a Christian, you enter into a spiritual kingdom that has its manifestation through the people of God. It is a kingdom with the goal of each person Spirit led, living a life pleasing to the Lord Jesus, with good works, as we grow in...
We all have troubles, right? I had a district sales manager who said something pretty profound. He said “its not our job to solve customer problems (troubles). It is our job to understand them and offer products and services so they can solve...
I have been preaching lately a series called “In My Head”… thinking about our thinking. This morning I read again the apostle Paul’s prescription for mental health. Its more than positive thinking, its a pathway to peace of...
Have you ever met someone with “Tude”… a bad Attitude. We all have. I have heard motivational speakers like Zig Ziglar, Lou Holtz, and many more. Do you know what they all say? Our attitude is likely the greatest determinant of our...
I heard someone say “I may not yet be the person that God wants me to be, but by the grace of God, I am not the person I was”. None of us have arrived! Right? Even the apostle Paul realized that he had not arrived. So, what did he...
Good financial investments yield returns in which the profit is considered capital gains. Sometimes you have to pay a tax on those. Its sort of the penalty for success. I used to consider certain parts of life “gains”, but since coming...
Did I choose Christ or did He choose me? What was my part in this salvation of God? I know I have and continue to seek after God, but the longer I live, I see His sovereign hand leading me step by step. Jesus paid the penalty for my sin and no...
Many years ago I heard pastor Greg Laurie refer to the condescension of Jesus, leaving heaven and Divine prerogatives, and coming to mankind. He said imagine you had an ant farm and you wanted to communicate and relate to the ants between the two...
The other day a couple people gave me gift cards. It was a really thoughtful and generous gesture! My wife said, “why do people give you gift cards?” I said, “because people like me!” Lol. I don’t necessarily deserve...
I have been with families when their loved one is near death. Often God, in His grace, let’s the person know that they are going to die. But, they hang on for the sake of their family. Sometimes the family has to let their loved one know...
My friend Ubong is currently detained as an alien in an ICE detention center. I am thinking of him this morning with fond affection and admiration. He is actually wrongfully detained but by the grace of God has become a witness to other asylees and...
Life has struggles! Some might say life is a series of one struggle (physical, financial, emotional) after another. I think there is more. Life in Christ is love and joy in the Holy Spirit. But even life with a rich and abiding faith has struggles...
I grew up with the TV Program “My Three Sons” which was a comedic look at single fatherhood and normal household antics that accompany the raising of boys. I am so very fortunate to have a stellar daughter and three stellar young men who...
Ever driven a car out of alignment where it keeps pulling to one side? Annoying? Yes. And detrimental. Some spouses are out of alignment and the same thing happens. I feel very fortunate to be married (now for 39 years) to someone with whom...
I don’t always set my phone app as an alarm to wake me up. Only on days that I worry I won’t naturally wake up (which I tend to do). The apostle Paul gives us a sort of Spiritual Alarm Clock in his letter to the believers in Ephesus. Its...
When we were young (like all kids) we would make fun of each other, sometimes mercilessly. It was called “chopping someone low”. Our words have the power to build other people up or tear them down. Over the years God has removed the...
I liked playing with Legos as a kid. I like playing with them even more now (if I have time). A couple years ago on Christmas break I built a 1000+ set into a cool VW Bus that sits in the law firm on a shelf. It took patience to fit each piece where...
My friends Dale and Guy were in Las Vegas in 1998 at a youth pastor conference. We decided to watch a movie one afternoon called “Saving Private Ryan”. We walked out and did not say a word to each other for 3 hours. It hit us! The...
I am wearing a t-shirt today that has the words ROOTED across the front. I got the shirt in Kenya, Africa. It reminds me that our lives can be rooted (attached and anchored) to many things. But, the best I could ever root my life and grow from is my...
I don’t really like when someone says: “You know, we are ALL CHILDREN OF GOD”. Its a pretty sentiment, but quite untrue. One thing I know I have in common with every other person is that I am flawed and sinful. At the same time...
There was a series of movies about magicians or illusionists who were like modern day Robin Hoods, returning ill gotten gains from rich people to others. People watched their performance but didn’t see what was really going on,… taking...
During the summer, when we were young, my brothers and I would walk along a fairly often traveled road and look for used coke bottles and cans that could be redeemed and recycled. A coke bottle could be redeemed at the grocery store for five cents...
You hear the word “bless”, “God bless you”, and of course in the South “bless her heart. We have a saying in our church “we are blessed, to be a blessing!” So just what does it mean to be blessed and...
I love the Red Bull motto- “Red Bull Gives You Wiiiings”. It reminds me that the Spirit of God, when allowed control of my life and that of any believer, can “fly” (live as God intended) exhibiting the character of Christ and...
It is really amazing the way that God made us. Our God-given conscience is so powerful and always at work. In one moment we enjoy the freedom afforded us that allows us to live, love, and laugh without guilt, shame or remorse in perfect harmony with...
When it comes to my faith, I am on the “grace plan”, not the “keep the law” plan. One plan sets free, the other enslaves. And in a counter-intuitive way, the grace plan produces obedience and spiritual growth. I am not saying...
Remember the lyrics “I fought the law and the law won”? I have a built in sense of fairness. You do too. All of us have said the words “that’s not fair”. In doing so we are appealing to some universal sense of right and...
Back in the 1970s and 80s a bunch of Christians had a hand sign with their index finger pointing up to heaven. It meant “One Way”. There is one way to be saved- the grace of God. It was a contrast for those who would claim heritage, or...
There are social studies and surveys that say people in the United States are leaving the faith. At the same time, it appears that young men are embracing the faith. I have been a Christian for 46 years. I still affirm that the best decision in my...
I give a fair amount of time to introspection. I am aware of my shortcomings, especially in this busy season of life that has significant demands and challenges. I take to heart the closing words of the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth who adds...
I have some wonderful things about me, and some weaknesses too. I imagine that’s true for everyone. God’s grace is hopefully evident in both. I really have nothing to boast or brag about. The great apostle Paul was the same. He pointed...
Recently, I was traveling on two mission trips. I met some modern day heroes for the cause of Christ. Some run schools or orphanages. Others run deaf ministries, or build water wells. Their stories of struggle and hardships overcome by faith and...
I live on “Church Row”. On Ontario Ave. in my hometown there has to be no less than 10 churches. Maybe the zoning commission thought that was a good idea, I don’t know. But, its almost like you can drive and shop for your favorite...
“Share with your sister!” How often have you said that or heard that? Usually a reluctant child obeys and grudgingly gives the ‘smaller’ half of a treat to their sibling. Sharing our wealth with others is hard because it tugs...
Years ago I was driving through the desert listening to the radio and the station was playing what it called “great tapes” (I think you get the era). They would play great preaching messages. And what I heard was so profound it caused me...
I am fairly aware of my imperfections. If my life were likened to clay pottery… There are “cracks” in my otherwise stellar character (just kidding about being stellar). The fascinating thing is that when my sin, failure and...
I occasionally write cards and letters to friends to encourage them or prayer for them. Isn’t it nice when you receive a letter in the mail? It might be from a grandparent or a girlfriend. There is excitement in reading the thoughts of another...
I like the smell of my roses in the backyard. I like the smell of bacon. Did you know that some people like the smell of gasoline? I guess we have different “tastes” when it comes to aromas. I think we can have one of two reactions to...
My life thus far has been relatively absent of great distress and suffering. Oh, sure there has been a bit. I have been with others who have faced the unimaginable (loss of a child, cancer, homelessness). In times of great pain, God promises comfort...
Have you noticed that sometimes the best encouragement or advice comes at the end of a letter or sermon. I feel like that is the case with Paul’s letter to the people in Corinth. He addresses all sorts of concerns, reminds them of the...
I was having lunch with my son. He observed me taking my hearing aids out, setting my glasses on the table, and then he saw the retainer with a false tooth. “Dad, you are falling apart!”, he said. Its true. The worst part is that I used...
I think we have all heard the term “first and foremost”. We invoke it to recalibrate priorities. With all that happens in life and the world, every once in awhile its good to remind myself what is “first and foremost”. For me...
I am in court fairly often. More than I would like. There is decorum, order, and protocol. The same is true in the church. I look forward to attending and participating in the gatherings at my church. Its been my “home” for over 40 years...
The apostle Paul emphasized love above all. When I look at diamonds, I think it is the many facets that what makes them shine. In the same way, when I look at love, its not just ‘one thing’ that shines. It’s the many expressions of...
I remember reading a book by the title “The Body Dynamic”. In it, pastor John MacArthur emphasized how God has made the members of the Church each unique in our interaction with each other. Each (just like body parts) are essential and...
I see a lot of these little plastic Jesus figurines in various places these days. They are kind of cute reminders. I don’t think they are idols, just reminders that we have a God who loves us, a Savior who purchased us, and the abiding...
My wife is a “trad wife” in some ways. She and I have developed some traditions within our family. We like to take everyone out for dinner on anyone’s birthday. Sushi seems to be a favorite recently. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and...