Life Goes On

The news is filled with thoughts, opinions, charges and counter charges regarding the oil debacle in the Gulf. Words and phrases like "disaster", "world changing", "end of life as we know it" are being thrown around. All of which makes me stop and think about when a disaster really isn't a disaster. I truly believe that the deciding factor is what we do when a so-called disaster strikes. If we moan and groan and look for someone to bail us out, it is a disaster. If we learn from it and begin to look for solutions and alternatives, it becomes a stepping stone to a new and better life. Through out history we've seen "disasters" lead to new discoveries, better ways of preparing for the unexpected. Rather than list them here, I want to urge you to do your own research. Bottom line; there will be bad things that come with catastrophic events, however, these can be the catalysts that catapult us into a new and better way of life for mill

Forty plus years ago the doctors told us that we would be unable to have children of our own. Then a group of teenagers at Greenleaf Ave. Baptist Church, in their weekly Prayer and Share hour, began praying. They prayed that we would have children, or, as I remember one person particularly praying, that we would be content either way. This past Sunday, May 23, 2010, as we were singing "Because He Lives", the second verse hit me very hard! "How sweet to hold a new-born baby and feel the pride and joy (she) gives". We found that joy in Sept. 1970 as our first-born daughter came. (I feel that was a direct answer to the prayers of those youth in Prayer and Share.) However, the second part of that verse really got me--"But greater still the calm assurrance, This child can face uncertain days because He lives". On Friday, May 21, those lines became truth in our lives as we discovered that our "baby" has stage 2 cancer. Now we are asking our

Seems as if we Americans have regressed to our childhood. We never take responsibility for anything anymore. Just as a kid standing over a puddle of spilled milk, with an empty glass in his hand will say to his mom, "Not me!", our politicians are taking denial to a new level. It is not just the politicians though, it is also people who claim to be followers of Jesus. We have lost the importance of confession of sin as the catalyst for forgiveness. We, along with the politician, claim to have "mis-spoken" rather than lied. We have become adept at blaming those who came before us (the previous administration) for our own inaction or failure to deal with issues. Our problems are now our Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, or grandparent's fault. Truth be known, until we take ownership of our SINS (not our mistakes, or slip-ups, or goofs) we will never receive the forgiveness promised in 1 John 1:9. The little word "if" makes it very clear that God's fo

Have you ever asked that question? My wife is really good at cutting to the chase. If she sees a clerk doing a really good job at a store, she'll look up the manager and commend the clerk to the one in charge. On more than one occasion when she has witnessed a manager publicly reprimanding an employee, she will call the manager aside and suggest that the reprimand should have been done in private. The bottom line is, she has learned that when you go to the person "in charge", you can make the most impact. That being said, let me ask you; "Who is in charge of your life?" The truth of the matter is, you are. Even if you have given your life to Christ, He will not give you a daily agenda or "to-do" list. His Word will be your guide. His Spirit will nudge you in the direction He knows you should go, but, at the end of the day, you decide what you do and when. One of the problems I see in society today is that very few are willing to take responsi

I just watched a video (link above) in which Simon Sinek was talking about "Starting with Why". It occurred to me that most churches deal with the "what" we do rather than "why" we do it. When I meet with my worship team, the first questions are always, "What are we doing next Sunday?" "What is the sermon topic?" We never seem to get to the "Why are we meeting next Sunday, and what does it have to do with our reason for being a church?" question. In this world of "cookie-cutter" churches and people, it seems we're always trying to find another church or another leader to emulate. It is the old Anthony Robbins theory, "find someone who is successful, do what they do the way they do it and you too will be successful." The only thing wrong with that strategy is that it doesn't work. Given that each of us is created differently, with a different gifts-mix-set, we can't just emulate someone an