God’s Masterpiece

We are almost two weeks into the New Year. How is everyone doing with your resolutions? Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we get knocked down and fail. In the words of Rocky Balboa in Rocky V, “when things get hard, don’t look for someone to blame. Nobody is going to hit as hard as life, but […]

We are almost two weeks into the New Year. How is everyone doing with your resolutions? Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we get knocked down and fail. In the words of Rocky Balboa in Rocky V, “when things get hard, don’t look for someone to blame. Nobody is going to hit as hard as life, but life is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how WINNING is done. You’ve got to be willing to take the hits without pointing fingers at someone to blame. Cowards do that and that ain’t you!!! Until you start believing in yourself, you aren’t going to have a life.”

So often, we start out strong, but give up at the early signs of life’s attacks. I was greatly challenged this past week at my youth ministry conference, and I have been thinking about this thought multiple times a day. Know this. I love you no matter what. My love and pride for you does not come from what you accomplish, but who you are. For your successes, I am very happy, but I am always proud of you, because you are exactly what God created.

Heart of the Gospel

The heart of the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Paul expresses it in this manner: 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that...

Eclipse

An eclipse is an exciting thing. It was evident Monday at about 2:00 p.m. when I was driving back to the office from making some visits. The traffic was minimal. I even saw several vehicles pulling off the road to catch a glimpse of the moon covering the sun. I even...

The Same Story

Frank Wampol did an outstanding job on Sunday morning directing our hearts toward a better understanding of the emotional and physical agony that Jesus experienced during his crucifixion and the time leading up to it. Before Sunday, I knew that Frank was going to...

You’re Kidding

We were in Pigeon Forge with some of Jane’s family. While there, we visited the replica museum for the Titanic. A very interesting exhibit. We were at the bottom of the replica of the grand staircase listening to the guide explain the rich details of this beautiful...

Theme Verse

You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. (Exodus 15:17 ESV) This is the theme verse for this year’s Leadership Training For Christ...

Changing Seasons

I need spring to come and winter to end. Honestly, this has been a constant thought in my mind since mid-January following a series of unfortunate events: a trip to the ER, an ablation scheduled, missing a conference due to heart issues, waiting for the ablation,...

Jacob and Esau

I’m sure you remember the story of Jacob and Esau. But if the following brief summary is not familiar to you, read the whole story beginning in Genesis 25:19. 24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out...

I Voted

I voted today. I took advantage of the right given to me as a citizen of this country to cast my vote for those who will lead our nation, state and county. I was even given a sticker to declare to others that I had voted.   It was only one vote, but it was my...

My Thoughts

My thoughts are mine! Aren’t they? One of Jane’s favorite expressions is, “I knew you were going to say that.” She loves to make me think she knows everything I’m thinking or that I’m going to say. I have to admit, she gets pretty close. But she’s not always right....

Our Comforter

Kimberly and I adopted our first dog together in 2013. She was a husky/German shepherd mix named Chloe. She was a big dog with a very loud bark. When I served in youth ministry, I often traveled out of town overnight. Kimberly traveled with me on occasion, but when...